After 3 Years of lurking around here I've finally dicided it was time to make my first post. About 3 years ago I started looking around for a trainer and bought a Sig Kadet Mark II. I built it and covered it until I was about 80% finished with it. When it came time to by a transmitter I was kind of short on cash so the plane got put away for a year or 2. I finally got enough to buy the radio equipment and bought a Polk Tracker III. At this point I should mention that I have been using FMS to practice on and off for the past 3 years. Being anti-social I decided to try it on my own without any instruction. I reconsidered my decision to fly the Sig kadet and bought a Hobbico Superstar EP w/ailerons ARF. I put it together over the next week and took it out yesterday to a field behind an school. No one was there so I gave it a try. Did a range check and started to take off from the parking lot. The plane seems to want to turn to the right all the time while on the ground and had to restart the takeoff 3 time before it would go straight. When it did I wasn't able to get it in the air before I got to the curb at the edge of the field and broke the prop. Changed the prop and tried again... This time I got it in the air well before the curb. Now I had the plane flying around with my heart racing thinking abouthow I was going to land. flw around for a while and made about 5 slow passes and finally set it down without incident.

After doing this I realize that I am very lucky not to have crashed in the first few seconds of flight, as it was very nerve racking. After this flight I went home to relax and recharge the battery. Went out again later and had the same results. (plane pulling to the right while on the ground and was finally able to take off and land without incident.

I know I will get many comments about getting an instructor and joining a club. I am just one of those people who have a tough time approching new people. There is a club about 30 miles away that I may look into in the future but I think I will stick the EP trainer for a while and may try other planes that are EP before going to glow.

Anyway, my real reason for posting is to ask why the plane wants to turn to the right while on the ground? I was under the impression that if anything it would pull to the left. This plane doesn't have a tail wheel and was thinking about adding one for better control. Any thoughts?

Brian,
There are clubs a lot closer than that to you. Here is the closest one:

GLASTONBURY AERO MODELERS
026 WOODHAVEN ROAD
GLASTONBURY CT 06033
Phone: 860/659-2457

In fact, a search of the AMA club locator shows 15 clubs within 25 miles from you. You can see the entire results of that search here: [link]http://www.modelaircraft.org/ClubZipLocator.aspx?z=06033+&d=25[/link]

The biggest problem with doing it yourself and just going out to a big parking lot is that you are opening up yourself for some serious liability. If you were to hit somebody and injure them, or damage property, you could be liable for a huge lawsuit. The AMA's insurance company just recently paid out over $1,000,000 in damages to somebody that was injured when they were hit by a plane. And that payment from the AMA was made AFTER the persons home owners insurance made their payments. While it's next to impossible to completely remove any risks of something happening flying at a club with safety measures in place greatly reduces the risk of something happening.

Ken

Ken pretty much covered it. As for the pulling to the right it sounds like you have not got your rudder properly adjusted, or you have a wheel too tight. Disconnect the pushrod. With the radio turned on & the rudder trim tab at neutral (right in the center) make sure the servo is centered out at neutral by moving the stick back & forth a couple times. Then adjust the clevis as need be to get it the right length to match up to the control horn on the rudder while the rudder itself is at neutral, perfectly straight in line with the vertical stab. You can do this a little easier by using painters masking tape to hold the rudder in the correct position for you. After you have done this you should end up with the rudder perfectly straight with the radio on & the trim tabs at neutral. This leaves you with the most amount of trim to be used as neccessary when trimming your plane. The better aligned you get your control surfaces mechanically, the less you will have to rely on the radio to straighten it all out for you & the better it will fly. Then check your wheels. If you have the right wheel of the mains a little too tight to where it is dragging even just the smallest bit, it will make your plane pull to the right while on the ground. By the way all your control surfaces should be set up in the above manor. Servo centered out at neutral, trim tabs at neutral & control surface at neutral, then you can trim as need be for hands free level flight. I do all my ARFs this way now & of the last 3 planes I assembled they only required a click or two of elevator or ailerons to achieve hands free, level flight. On a perfectly calm day without any wind at all they don't need any trimming, I have to trim back to neutral. Unfortunately perfectly still days around here are few & far between!

Having said that, now forget the anti-social behavior you spoke of & join a club. You'll be amazed at the good friendships to be made, the help you will recieve, & it's a much safer & more fun than flying alone. Not to mention you won't be risking someone else's plane by shooting it down because you didn't know there was a flying field a few miles away from the place you chose to fly by yourself.
At least think about it!! Good Luck.

Thanks for the tip about the wheels, the rudder doesn't seem to be the problem as it flys straight and level while in the air. I will look into joing a club. Part of the reason I bought the Polk Tracker radio was so that I could not use a channel that was is use or had interferance. I realize I could get shot down but at least I couldn't do it easily to someone else.

Thanks Again,
Brian

I stand corrected, I forgot you did say you bought the Tracker III. That is a good thing, but the fact that you are willing to look into a club is even better! I too was a little aprehensive at first about going to a club where I knew no-one, but since I did I have absolutely no regrets. I have made the best friends you could imagine there, & in a very short time too. They welcomed me with open arms so to speak. They were very friendly & helpful, as well as truely caring about each other. A really close knit bunch of guys. I feel priveliged to be a part of it, you will too.

I've got to agree with Grumpy on the friendship part of the club. I can go out the club and only fly 2-3 flights, but stay out half of the day. And come home happy as a clam. I love just floating around and talking with people at the field. It's a funny thing about a club or flying field. All of you can sit in the stands and no matter how many times a story has been told everybody will still laugh at the end of it. IMHO RC'ers are some of the greatest guys in the world. They will give you the shirt off of their back if it will help you get in the air. It's nothing at all to see somebody walking up and down the line asking if somebody has they need to get in the air.

Ken

not a bad maiden, my first flight lasted 15 secs. and ending in a tree with alittle bit of damage to the nose and wing. Second flight was to windy 10 secs. and a hard landing, battery thru the firewall, and a bent prop shaft, I have made repairs and I brought a used traxxas stinger motor (20 turn). Do you guys think the stinger will blow my stock esc turning the stock prop.

P.S. I found a huge field I'm flying in I'm waiting for the S.P.A.M. club to get running so I can join