Most Arf colors are simply stupid which is why i always change it before i fly it. Most of my planes are solid white on the bottom with no design. Works out great for orientation by rocking the wings down the back stretch.

I was having a great summer last year (2006) with an avistar, until I thumbed it into the ground a week before the club fun fly. How about watching your first rc plane (sweet stick) roll over on take off and smash to pieces. That was June 1977. I was sixteen. Gee thirty years went by fast.

Jim

sorry to hear about the crash. just like getting thrown from a horse you have to get back on there. You will be fine. You will find that you will fly a little more cautious for about a week or two then be back to your regular ways of flying. As far as the colors. I really like a white plane with yellow and orange with a red bottom wing. You can see it a mile away in any kind of sky conditions and you know wether you are up or down.

I've been fortunate enough to only have a couple of really decent crashes in many hundreds of flights over the last few years. I have been able to put them behind me very quickly so long as I reflect on why the crash handed and I learn from my mistake. A pilot who never crashes isn't trying to learn anything new.

With regard to covering schemes, you can have a good deal of fun figuring out ways to make your aircraft easy to spot. Here are a couple of covering designs that, while not actually visible from outer space, are usually pretty easy to spot from the ground.

Ditto I have wrecked my trainer again and again and if I didn’t know why I would be helpless. Michael you will learn and we are all sad to hear. I still haven’t totaled mine but I've been flying for a couple of months but I have seen lots of planes go done and I normally see them back in a week. You will ether get yours fixed or find something you enjoy and fun is what this hobby is about. Crashes are just a side effect.

Sorry for the loss...

But think of the positives...
1. Your 4* has served you well for quite a while. Even if you can't fix it, it doesn't owe you anything.
2. It sounds like it can be fixed.
3. You need at least one more plane, that way when wrecks happen, you have something else to fly. (I'm surprised Ken didn't recommend a Bipe.... )


Most of the guys at my field bring 2 or 3 planes. Doc, well he usually only brings one, but he's so good.. I swear he transcends "Remote Control" to become part of the plane...

yea, just think of it this way. every plane has an expiration date. if its not soon it may be 12 years from now. This is part of the hobby and you will learn to just except it. see ya!

My planes have expired at a time when I was very complacent as to how beautiful and perfect the plane was flying.

OK confession time, I trashed my 4*60 a few weeks ago.

The plane has always had an inclination to bounce on landing, and I was determined to put in the perfect touchdown without as much as a hint of bounce. To make sure I didn't have too much height/speed on final approach I brought it down low as I started my base turn.

Unfortunately it was too low[&o], bringing the plane within reach of the trees at the end of the strip, one of which took advantage of the opportunity to reach out and grab it.

Looking up at the carnage it was clear that whilst the fuse had minimal damage the wing was pretty much shredded (maybe the lack of leading edge sheeting contributed to this). The offending tree was not thick enough to climb but thick enough to resist all efforts to shake the plane down. It eventually took a Stihl Mk1 model airplane recovery device to get the model back. At least that's one tree that won'y grab another model.

So, yeah, we've all been there!

Terry

One good landing.

The Hot Stik is fluorescent lime green underneath and has black/yellow/red stripes at the outboard tips. Visible, but if you roll it too close to the observers it can cause seizures and bleeding from the ears.

The Kangle SK-50 was red on top with white stripes and solid dark blue underneath. This was also a great patern for orientation.

Didn't help me while hot dogging and doing a low inverted full throttle pass that was entered and not quite exited at eye level with an axial half-roll on either end. No rebuild for me. I broadcast plane parts 50 feet and broke pieces off the engine that weren't the muffler and BROKE a plywood servo tray into four pieces. The aluminum spinner was torn open! That's a first for me.

If you're not smushing the occasional plane you're not pushing your limits. Expand and grow! Hobby shops need bold pilots!