One more small word of wisdom is: If you can please take a buddy when you fly especially when you are learning. At the very least they can cheer you on to make it more fun... at the most they can take you to the emergency room when you reach through the prop to get your igniter. No saying it will happen but when you are anxious to fly especially for the first few times it is easy to make common sense mistakes.

MikeL, I understand what you are saying...I guess I didn't clarify...I'm not looking at those fields as an option because of the houses nearby. I just meant that I had permission to fly there but after going to look around, I'm not comfortable with it.

Bruce, how it going? Since I didn't find anywhere to fly today next weekend will be the soonest I will be able to. I think I'll call my instructor this week and see if we can fly on Saturday. He'd a really nice guy, and actually there are two. The problem for awhile was finding a trainer cord to go from their round connector on the trainer box to my new style square micro connector. I did buy a cord so that's not a problem. The problem is getting in contact with them on Sunday's to see if they are going to be at the field flying. It's a long haul for me to go out there and find out they are not there. They are more than willing to teach me and said I could contact them and they could meet me out there on a Saturday and we would have the field to ourselves. It's just getting in contact that seems to be the problem...

Yeah, don't wait til the last minute to make your plans. Everyone likes to be able to plan ahead a little.

You are right...I'm going to give him a call early this week and see if we can fly some Saturday morning. The weather is supposed to be nice.

I practice this(engine kill) all the time on my G2 at all different types of moments, inverted, while going vertical, in a loop, and so on.




The biggest mistake I see people make is flying to far away, keep the plane in close. When it gets to far away many things can go wrong like radio glitch, disoriented,...

Deadsticks are not the problem. It happens to all of us some of course more than others. We cannot always control when or where like we can in the simulator. My buddy and I will jerk around with each other and from time to time just hit the kill button . My intent for that post was to let him know of the things the sim cannot teach like making sure the servos are operating in the correct direction or hooked up to begin with or that all the bolts are in the landing gear. A simulator no matter how good will not teach you that. Show me a simulator that makes you do a function check prior to flight or walk 50 feet from the aircraft with the antenna down.

I too had trouble learning to fly, i even had to by my own Buddy boxes cause our club didn't know when they were going to get them. next week they were renovating the landing strip, next week, too windy, i know it frustrating but stick with it, it will be more frusturating hearing the velcro from your walet. if you want to do it alone go ahead, just remember, if you crash it could be your plane, a house or some poor woman who gets killed if the prop gets her in the head or face. there isn't just random people on this site, a lot of us know what were talking about. everyone has said to get more help but, it's your decision let me know how you do.

Dave Trimmer

P.S. you also won't have the comradery as you would if your in a club.

glad to hear you call your instructer

Our hobby is a social event more than anything else.

Not sure I understand your problem with instructors... Can't you just show up at the field and get some help... We have a couple guys at our field who enjoy insturcting and do most of it.. However if someone shows up to fly and needs help and they aren't there there are always other guys there that will help them get some flights in... We kind of feel it is better to fly with more then one instructor anyway... Everyone seems to have there own way of doing things and you end up with a more rounded education...

Correct me if I am wrong but I think the problem is he lives in the middle of nowhere and it is a good distance to the field for there to be no one there to help him out. So he is now in the mode to find somewhere closer to fly or die on his own.

IronCross, I suppose I could just show up and hopefully someone would be willing to help me out a little. I don't know most of them and I hate to show up and get on everyone's nerves asking for help learning to fly. I don't want to be an aggrevation.

That was harder for me to do than fly itself, pull in when I saw a few other cars there two of which had trailers just to tote their planes.

Radcom, you are correct...I am out in the middle of nowhere. That being said, you would think I would have no problem finding a nearby open place to fly but so far that has not been the case! I need a large field to fly in so I have plenty of room to takeoff and land and no houses close by that my aircraft can hit. I have no problem controlling the plane in flight but I haven't taken it off or landed yet. Honestly, I don't think I would have any problem with it but I want plenty of room to do it. The field right beside by house would be perfect if not for the cow patties! There are no other houses close by, it's a very large field, but you couldn't throw a stone ten feet in any direction without hitting a pile of manure...not good for takeoffs and landings! Most of the other fields are either too small, too close to homes or have cows in them. Maybe I should have considered an electric aircraft to start off with.

Yeah, because I sort of feel like they came out there to fly and have a good time and a newbie shows up bothering everyone...don't get me wrong...noone gave me that impression...I just can't help but feel that way. Everyone was very nice the time I went and I really enjoyed myself. I was a bit nervous flying around when others were flying. It's a bit nerve wracking thinking you might hit someone else's expensive aircraft. I guess that's one reason learning on my own sometimes seems appealing...Noone around to see me screw up if I do and noone around for me to damage their equipment. Seems like it would be much easier to concentrate...I do intend to get more instruction though...at least for takeoff and landing. It would be very nice to find somewhere around here to fly after I learn though.

YH sounds like you have a good idea what you need to do to fly, so I will relate my situation to ya, I hadn't flown in more than 20yrs when I got my NEXTAR, I joined my current club and with some help setting it up from one of the great pilots at the field, I was ready.
after having it taken off for me a few times over several days like 6 flights and practicing approches, I show up to the field and a couple of guys are packing up there stuff, now my field is a good 30min away and I wanted to fly so thats what I did,I didn't have the perfect T.O. or landings but I got 3 flts in that day without a major crash event.
now several flights later I did tip stall after a aborted landing approch and pack it into the dirt but that was part of the learning process,learning how to repair a plane that is,but the old NEXTAR is still flyable although pretty much retired.
the point is, you can with some basic instruction get the job done, I have been flying a little stunt plane that I built from a kit now and am flying and learning about WWII warbirds, which is my main interest, but most of my ability has come from trial and error alot of sim time and some helpful advice from my club members now and then, I wish I had a open field to fly in near my house I would be there every other day with my sons.
keep at it, with trying to get some help, but if and when you feel your ready, or despirate enough like me, go for it.
as long as your safe and not putting yourself or anyone at risk you might find your more able than you think.
BTW it only took 3 days to repair my plane after that tip stall and I was flying the next weekend BT

1 if you go out talk a little and ask if someone doesn't mined helping you fly noone should mined, there are only a couple of people who didn't take me up because they didn't have thier wings or didn't feel confident in them selves

if noone is around to see you screw up who will be there when you need their comfort and reasurance or to see you move on, you will just get bored without your clubmates.

dave trimmer

Get on everyones nerves ?... Maybe guys are different in your neck of the woods but around here (our club) there are always (assuming good weather) 3 or 4 guys at least at the field and I have never seen anyone refused help yet... I remember when I started way back when, I showed up with my plane and had three guys offering to to take me up... Things go a lot better with a little help... Hate to see you get discouraged and geve it up

one other thing I have a great club and never did anyone ever refuse to help me with any of my planes.
if you belong to a club and your not getting any help talk to the club pres. and ask for some one who might have more time for you or a more flexable situation as well as someone who is willing to set up time and dates and confirm them with you over the phone, its not that hard to do so you are not waisting your time as well as there's after you get some T.O. and landings in you will be ready to fly that field solo for sure.

The only people we get irritated with are those that come in with a chip on their shoulder and a head big enough to take up the whole field. At our field if there is somebody there then there is somebody willing to lend a hand or offer some advice.

MOST experienced people won't mind helping you all they can. Not all will feel confident enough to buddy-box with you. If they don't feel comfortable they shouldn't do it. I've had to instruct people on how to instruct before. Not so much on how to fly or what to say but how to properly IMO use a buddy box. How far to let them (students) go, or not. Every instructor also has his own comfort level for the student to respect.
I never mind instructing, when training I am flying in my mind constantly if not literally. An instructor has to constantly anticipate what a student is doing, should do and might do and plan recovery from the impending disaster on a moments notice. Actually requires a great deal more attention than flying solo.
Back on subject, call your instructors and do your best to meet up with one. Best bet.

Everyone is new at some point. All of the guys at that club were new once. Go out there, be a good guy, listen, and absorb their experiences like a sponge. Nobody will be irritated by that--it's part of the hobby.

don't foget to pick up your pieces of plane when you have vertical parked it... make a phone call and get another instructor

Sometimes those guys that you think will be the snooty ones..end up being the nicest ones, its a perception problem on your part...But some guys will be less than helpful because of their own abilities....I wouldnt take someone up on a buddy box, but I might let them fly mine and hand over the Tx..hope it all works out for you, but I still go with my other post and go ahead and get you an electric parkflyer for those fields near your house...any flying will help you more than a sim will....Rog