Hey guys, well, I ran a good 5 tanks through the .25 this weekend, and plan on taking her out next weekend for the first flight. All things are well, vertical stab is fixed, ailerons, elevator, and rudder all seem to be straight and proper, all radio equipment holds charge for a good hour and a half. I just wanted to know if you guys could give me a few pointers on a few things to check before sending it in the air. I have looked for an instructor and anyone who could help, but can't find anyone, but I have been flying a much similar plane on Real Flight G3 for around a month and a half now, and I think that being a private pilot and holding a multiengine rating should factor into things. I haven't flown my last rc since this time last year, but I have been practicing for a while with G3...so I was just wondering ya'll could help,

Thanks

P.S please keep things positive, because I am fairly experienced with flying models, just have had financial troubles which lead the lengthy wait for another airplane.

Just check, double check and triple check everything. What kind of experience do you have? Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

I think you'll do fine.

Steady as you go; remember your last move, albiet right turn, left turn, etc. Don't over control and keep the throttle less than full. "Stay in the cockpit" and plan your next move.

The Freedom 20 is a good flyer and easily controlled. You'll do fine.

DaveB

Keeping things positive... I positively believe you should make every effort to contact the following.

Name: BROOKLAND RADIO CONTROL CLUB
Number: 4328
Members: 22
Contact: DONALD KENNEDY
Email: [email protected]
Address: 3727 HWY 141 NORTH
Phone: 870-935-4687
District: 8
Intro Pilots: Yes

My experience level started with a thunder tiger trainer with a .40 Fox engine.....a bit underpowered for the plane, and the plane was 15 years old, and never been flown. Flew it about a year, and finally crashed it after a departure stall.

No matter what happens, c172152, I am positive that Goldberg will make more kits.

Go get 'em!

Yeah, the wings were really old, and worped like crazy, the plane always wanted a right bank even after a servo adjustment. I never could get the plane out of a shallow climb, so after a climb-fighting landing my nosewheel hit the ground relatively hard and nearly came apart, so I gave the engine full power, and there it was, a nice wing warped induced departure stall with about a 15-20 degree bank. The crash mainly crushed the nose and left the engine dangling from the firewall, in which my cousin and I rebuilt, but after one flight and landing in a cotton field, I decided to let the airplane still as a whole airplane rest for good, and hang in my room.

Get on G and practice with a Viper a bit - it will help. The Freedom will do what you tell it. Visualize yourself in the pilot's seat. Full throttle on takeoff, the rest of the flight around half. Fly a racetrack pattern, and don't let it get out where you have trouble seeing it. First flight, make right turns only. Right aileron to bank, up elevator to bring it around, left aileron to level. Fly it right down the runway on the upwind pass, then tiurn right and parallel the runway on downwind. Once you have it trimmed to fly hands-off, take it up a couple hundred feet and pull back to idle on an upwind leg to check stall speed and characteristics. (BTW, did you check lateral balance?) When you were running the engine, did you happen to get a timed run at full throttle?

Keep your first few flights short. Mental fatigue sets in quickly, and you'll start making mistakes when it does. If you have enough room, take off by standing directly behind the plane, ease it up a foot or two, cut the power and land WITHOUT turning. Stop and examine what you observed - did the plane track straight on the ground, did it stay straight in the air? Taxi back and adjust the trims, repeat until the plane rolls straight and climbs out without a fight.

Landings are easiest if you are positioned behind and to the side of the plane. I have students fly the racetrack pattern until they can do so at a consistent altitude at cruising speed, then I reduce the throttle a little each circuit until they are starting to make a gentle descent. The airplane will handle differently at different speeds - just like a full scale one. When you can fly slowly - gentle turns and hold heading - you are ready to land. As you turn onto final, reduce throttle to idle and hold a touch of up elevator in. Use elevator to control pitch, throttle for rate of descent. Mains down first, then the nosewheel.

TeachU2, thanks so much for that information for that is what verbatim what I was planning on doing for the first flight, build just enough airspeed for takeoff rotation, then fly about a foot or two from the ground, and pull the power and land. When I flew the ole' thunder tiger, I ALWAYS positioned myself as if I were in the cockpit. I have found that R/C aircraft are A lot like full scale airplanes, they really are...and that's why I love doing this, is because I get my "flight fix" since I can hardly afford to actually rent a 172 or even the 152 rather[]! I absolutely love flight, I have been flying for my private since I was around 13, and am now 20 years old(certified pilot for 2 years in August!!!)...and have always loved it, I started RC planes, after I finally got rid of my old T-Maxx. I flew the thunder tiger plane when I was around 15 years old, and it sat in Skip Stewart's (Aerobatic pilot if any of you may know him) attic for 2 years, until I finally retrieved it (which caused the warping) I flew it for another year or so. Just thought that I would share a little of my past, to shed light on my experience around aircraft.


P.S How do I check lateral balance?

Build a little more than "just enough" - it's real hard to hear the stall buzzer over the motor.....

This is true.....little more