Hey guys,

I'm new around here, and also a total RC newbie. I've just purchased a Nexstar and i've noticed on the radio the throttle is on the right hand stick with the ailerons, and elevator and rudder is on the left. But i've noticed from what I've seen on the net (and also the Nexstar manual) most setups seem to have the throttle control on the left. Is this something to do with the fact that I'm in Australia and I purchased the plane here? Is this normal setup for Australian controllers or should I think about changing it before I get too used to having the throttle on the right?

Some info would be very helpful.

Thanks guys.

It's my understanding that a lot of radios in Australia are in fact Mode 1 radios (what you have). Most people here in the States fly Mode 2. Before you go trying to get them changed you might want to find an instructor first and see what they fly. Chances are that you will want your radio to be the same as they are using.

Ken

G'day Chris,
As Ken wrote, mode 1 is the most common mode here in Aus, & that is what you have.
Go to your nearest club, & talk to the instructor, before you do any changing, I'm an instructor here, & we have 2 guys that fly mode 2, all the rest fly mode 1, & we have 30 members, male & female.
Enjoy your flying, & don't try to go it alone, it will cost ya if ya do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the info guys, very helpful.

Well I wasnt planning on using an instructor as I'm doing my practice on the simulator, and i'm going to find a VERY large open field to start in. I'm fairly confident I can do a half decent landing on grass - as long as the plane functions as it is meant to, but I think I have set it up correctly.

Thanks again, I'll keep my mode 1 now that I know its normal here, and also because I'm comfortable with it.

G'day Chris,
Don't forget to post the after crash pictures,
I'm sure you will try alone, Simulators may help, but there is NO substitute for the real thing, can a sim set up your plane, make sure your engine is tuned so it won't stop & soon as the throttle is opened for take off, can it allow for you to get disoriented & give the wrong stick movement & not have any idea how to correct it.
Can a sim teach you to fly in wind, & take over when you get to the overload point?
Can a sim stop you from flying too far away, & then having no idea which way the plane is going, & so you can't get it back to the field, then your engine stops & you CRASH.
Can a sim trim your plane for you, if you do get it into the air, the answer to all the above is NO!!!!!!!!
Does the sim have insurance, so that if you hit something or someone, it won't cost you thousands in compensation?
There are plenty of clubs in Victoria, & the instuctors don't charge to help you learn to fly, but hobby shops do charge for replacemant planes & parts.
Where in Vic are you?
Check out this site, it's the Victorian Model Aeronautical Association, it will help you find a club near you.
http://www.vmaa.com.au/content/intro/getstart.php

Sorry to go on so much, but I am an instructor & I have seen people try on there own, some with Sims & some without, & they have no idea how much knowledge they need just to get the plane ready for take-off, let alone fly it.

Don't forget to take a digital camera and a garbage bag. We all hate to see a crash, but hate to miss one more. [sm=cry_smile.gif]

chris750,

As most have said AUS is normally Mode 1.

I learnt to fly planes Mode 1 in NZ. However when I tried Helis I used Mode 2.

After a long break Ive got back into flying helis and planes Mode 2. To me Mode 2 for Helis is far more natural.

If you are planning on flying helis later I would learn planes and helis Mode 2. Not necessary just my preference.

You may say I will only fly planes, but as happened to me now and 25 years ago, ultimately I ended up doing Planes, helis, gliders, cars, buggies, boats.

If you havnt starting flying yet its not too late to change. Practice on the Sim first until its natural.

Many TXs can be changed from Mode 1 to Mode 2.

Just a thought.

I live in the states and fly Mode One as this was the help I could find, when I started out. Mode One has many advantages, however it is not better, only different. I don't fly helicopters excepting on my simulator and I fly them Mode One. To infer that to fly helicopters one must do so in Mode Two, is ludicrous. Since I have always flown Mode One, I naturally think pitch with my left thumb and roll with my right. I guess I don't understand why people seem to think a Mode One flyer would need to change to Mode Two to fly "eggbeaters"! Planeheli, your espousal is not the first I've heard on this tale.

I wanna see a picture of your brand new balsa tooth pick factory when it goes down an makes about 10.000. No instructor? Are you crazy? Just put it behind your car an back over it, it will be the same ending..........Just get someone to help you COST WAY TO MUCH NOT TO
No instructor-$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Instructor-$$$

Now, now. The two things many Austrailians and Americans share is self-confidence and bull-headedness . . . and that can be a good thing.

Chris750 - I recommend you find an instructor. Grass is actually harder to take off and land from, and kissing it at 40 mph it can be concrete, grass, dirt or water - you still get toothpicks.

But, if you can't find one here are some tips.

Taxi a lot. Get used to the plane on the ground uncer acceleration and slowing down, turns, etc. Drive it around until you are comfortable with just that. This also gives you a change to get familiar with the engine - something the simulator is useless at.

Get a wind sock of some type and place it on the other side of the runway from where you stand (which should be in the central part of the runway with the sun behind you if possible). You always want to take off and land directly into the wind. DO NOT put the wind sock behind or beside you. NEVER take your eyes off the plane when it is moving, whether in the air or on the ground. Never fly directly over your head or behind you. It is unsafe and disorienting. And, if you look at the sun you'll likely lose the model. Another thing simulators don't teach you.

Once you can ground-handle the model, start revving up and taking little hops of a few feet then letting it settle. If you're lucky the direction she points on the wheels will be the same as in the air. This is not always the case and one GREAT reason you should have an instructor. He/She can trim out the model for you. On your own . . . Just be aware that you will probably need to make some trim adjustments and it's better if you find out at low level and relatively low speed. The short hops will help you determine that. Remember to taxi back and only try these into the wind.

Once you have some confidence - take her up. DO NOT try to circle around low to the ground thinking that will be safer. Nope. You need to be high enough that you can make a mistake or two on the controls - which you will. "Two Mistakes High" is about 75 or 100 feet.

If you still have a plane in the air bring her downwind and slow down to 1/4 throttle and try for 20 to 25 feet altitude when you begin your landing. One helpful trick is to face your body slightly upwind and look back at the model (remember - the controls seem reversed when it is heading at you vs. heading away from you). Take a deep breath and throttle down, letting the plane settle in with as little help from the elevator as possible. You should need to be feeding in just a bit of up as the wheels touch ("flairing").

Turn off the plane switch first - then the transmitter and take 20 minutes to get your knees to stop shaking.

Good luck!

If you're determined take on your first flight alone. You might at least move all your trim switches around randomly before you take off on you simulater to get you ready for the real thing. Maybe it's just me, but I've never taken a new plane up yet where I didn't have to fly and trim on the move for a few moments to get straight and level. Experiance will get you through that, no experiance will get you a full trash bag. Not meaning to beat you up over your idea, but those that use an instructor tend to keep flying and become instructors later. Those that don't tend to be selling their equipment online due to frustration. It's a lot more fun to fly than to rebuild a wreck even if it's minor. Good luck.

Good idea about the simulator trims. The Dave Brown RCFS used to have a "Diagnostic randomizer" that allowed you to fly an out of trim model and then figure out what needed to be done to correct it.

Rookie mistake #1 - looking at the transmitter to adjust the trim on ailerons. Fatal. And, it could be the rudder that was out of trim anyway but they believe a bank is caused only by ailerons. Practice changing trims on the simulator until you can do it without taking your eyes off the model.

The taxi & hop approach I described above is what I do when maiden flighting a new model. A couple times I have taken them back home without a first flight because I was not satisfied. Don't let pride and/or the audience convince you to try something that will be expensive and destructive.

Also, to level out when the airplane is flying toward you, point your aileron stick in the direction of the downed wing. Helps at first, and sooner or later you'll just know which way to point. I think flying towards yourself is one of the hardest things for a new pilot, especially because most of the landing approach is done this way and this is where most mishaps happen. If you really want to get good at flying an airplane toward yourself, just try nose in hovering on a helo. that will get your reflexes up to speed/

Thanks for all the helpful advice guys. As much as I like doing things on my own, I can see that the majority of you think its crazy for me to fly without an instructor. I'm now looking around the clubs near by and will consider joining one to help me learn.

Alan0899 - Thanks for the link to the VMAA site. I'm in Melbourne, so I'll probably pay a visit to one of those clubs next weekend (tomorrow I'm taking out the nexstar to break in the engine - no flying though, but it will be tempting )

I'm still confident of flying it by myself because I can do perfect take offs and landings on the simulator nearly every time - even with wind, and I've also got the hang of flying it towards me, the controls don't confuse me at all. I havent crashed since my first day on the simulator, but I do understand that it is not exactly like the real thing. The reason I'm considering using an instructor is to learn what I don't already know, and there might be something that I think I understand but I'm actually missing completely. I guess it would also give me more confidence to know that my plane is set up correctly before flying it too.

G'day Chris,
Good on ya mate, you won't regret getting help, we all know what we know, but we don't know what we need to know!
Until it's too late

Chris, it's worth remembering that if you approach a club & get the cold shoulder or are snubbed don't think all clubs are the same. Just go to a club that treats you with a willingness to help & are friendly. If not, move on. If a club does not make you welcome THEY don't deserve YOUR membership. Good luck! - John.

I'm not trying to sound harsh or mean, but thinking like this is a recipe for disaster. While the simulator is good for helping in learning to fly, it does not replace instruction. Anybody here will tell you that there is a HUGE difference between the simulator and the real world. The simulator can simulate adrenaline. The simulator can't simulate a poorly tuned engine. Can't simulate improperly setup plane. Can't simulate loose control surface. These, and many more, are all things that an instructor can teach and help you with. I have seen too many people get over confident because of their time on the simulator, only to get a huge chunk of reality when they are digging what's left of their plane out of the mud. I've had several students come to me with loads of simulator time, only to take longer to train to fly I had to "un-teach" the bad habits they learned on the simulator before they came to me.

Here's a list of some of the "bad" habits one can develop:
1) Failing to keep the plane straight during takeoff run.
2) Climbing out too steep.
3) Not maintaining a constant altitude while turning.
4) Turns that aren't smooth, too sharp, etc.
5) Forgetting that there is a left stick.
6) Not lining up with the runway during landing approach.
7) Using ailerons instead of rudder to make course corrections when landing.
8) Using the elevator to extend the landing when you realize you're short.
9) Failure to learn the signs that a plane is about to stall, and what to do to avoid it, or recover from it.

This list is by no means complete, but it gives an idea of some to the problems here. Don't get me wrong, I think that simulators are a fantastic tool that shortens the time it takes to learn to fly. But they need to be use properly, and that's in conjunction with an instructor. Would you climb into an airliner with a pilot at the wheel that had learned on a simulator only, and had no instructor teaching him how to fly??

Ken

Charlie P...Great post! Now that is the kind of information that is helpful to a beginner!I am so tired of this back and forth about Instructors,It really is no help to anyone.

Mines the same.[8D]Gotta say sometimes it isn't easy finding a club when no one seems to know.[&o] But don't do what iv already done twice crash and as you can see instructors are the best way if you can find one. I may even need to travel a distance to find one but its worth it. Fly crash fly crash I would just like to fly now after my experience. Good luck and lets us know how you go. Dan

Thanks guys. I'm looking forward to finding a club now and starting to learn. I've also asked around a couple of hobby shops while buying some accessories today and I've been given details of a couple of clubs with high recommendation so I'll probably go to one of those next weekend.

G'day Chris,
Have a happy & healthy new year, mate, & welcome to the best hobby/sport there is!

good ona mate . here in w.a we have a saying, 16 seconds that is the average time it takes for a person teaching himself to vertical park their plane not good . I am glad to see that you are going to join a club and learn to fly with a instructor. I myself is a instructor and I hate seeing a perfectly good plane vertical parked saddens me and the beginner. Take it from me as I tell all of my students you will have crash maybe not now but in the future just learn from what happened and don't get dissheartened

Hi Chris,

If you live down in the south gippsland area, the best club to join most probably is P&DARCS which i currently fly at in cardinia, we own our own land, so therefore club stays and we dont get booted off like some clubs that rent the land, and we have good facilitys including 2 large water tanks, air-conditioned club house with kitchen which many events are held here with no worries for catering. And there are many kind and good flying instructors that are always willing to help new people to the hobby out, including the Vmaa Cheif Flying Instructor. a little hint for you aswell, i may get flamed for saying this, but when searching round hobby shops... please.. please, try your hardest to stay away from THE HOBBY MAN in dandenong, as they charge anywhere from $50 more than other shops for planes. my name for the is THE RIP-OFF MAN, and thats no joke intended, ohh well good luck finding a club and have fun enjoying the hobby

Thanks Dav0012

i hearing you dav0012 about being ripped off ... a company not a hobby shop ripped me off that company is great planes in the u.s.a

i hearing you dav0012 about being ripped off ... a company not a hobby shop ripped me off that company is great planes in the u.s.a