Question on Maiden flights?
04-20-2008 | 09:26 AM
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From: Mississauga,
ON, CANADA
Question on Maiden flights?
I have a nice little .40 GP Corsair that is ready to fly for the first time today. The plane is in great shape, I built it three years ago, and have hung it in my Son's room since then. I am now feeling ready to try it in the air. I have a Magnum 46 driving a 10 X 7 three bladed prop, the plane really looks good.
I want to fly it today! Here is my question, should I take a photo of it before the maiden flight or after?
I am very nervous and excited about flying the plane - any tips on flying a low wing war bird for the first time?
I want to fly it today! Here is my question, should I take a photo of it before the maiden flight or after?
I am very nervous and excited about flying the plane - any tips on flying a low wing war bird for the first time?
04-20-2008 | 09:45 AM
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RE: Question on Maiden flights?
Are you an experienced R/C pilot? I usually use a 2 bladed 10X7 prop on a 46 engine. Is that 3 bladed prop recommended for that engine?
04-20-2008 | 09:53 AM
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From: Mississauga,
ON, CANADA
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
ORIGINAL: Villa
Are you an experienced R/C pilot? I usually use a 2 bladed 10X7 prop on a 46 engine. Is that 3 bladed prop recommended for that engine?
Are you an experienced R/C pilot? I usually use a 2 bladed 10X7 prop on a 46 engine. Is that 3 bladed prop recommended for that engine?
I will not be the one to maiden the plane, I am not good enough for that yet.
04-20-2008 | 09:59 AM
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From: Springtown,
TX
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
11X6 2 blade or 10X7 3 blade should be fine on a strong 46.
Take pictures at the field before you fly it.
I'm assuming you've mastered your trainer.
Check all control surfaces, make sure NOTHING is reversed.
Range check the radioboth with the engine off and running (have someone stand "on the tail" to do your range check with the engine running).
Give all control surfaces a tug to make sure the hinges are still stuck good.
Make sure all servo screws are tight, and make sure you have a "safety" (either clips or fuel tubing) installed at every control horn.
I recommend you stand on the runway, behind the plane for the first takeoff. Tail draggers act differently than trainers, and it will pull left quite a bit until the tail comes up.
Don't yank it off the ground, let it fly itself up.
Keep the gear down. Never raise the landing gear on a maiden. Just trim, fly, and landall within 6 or 7 minutes.
When landing, fly the plane all the way down.
Oh, and most importantly, check the CG one more time before leaving the house. Make sure it's balanced, and the batteries are still good.
Good luck.
Take pictures at the field before you fly it.
I'm assuming you've mastered your trainer.
Check all control surfaces, make sure NOTHING is reversed.
Range check the radioboth with the engine off and running (have someone stand "on the tail" to do your range check with the engine running).
Give all control surfaces a tug to make sure the hinges are still stuck good.
Make sure all servo screws are tight, and make sure you have a "safety" (either clips or fuel tubing) installed at every control horn.
I recommend you stand on the runway, behind the plane for the first takeoff. Tail draggers act differently than trainers, and it will pull left quite a bit until the tail comes up.
Don't yank it off the ground, let it fly itself up.
Keep the gear down. Never raise the landing gear on a maiden. Just trim, fly, and landall within 6 or 7 minutes.
When landing, fly the plane all the way down.
Oh, and most importantly, check the CG one more time before leaving the house. Make sure it's balanced, and the batteries are still good.
Good luck.
04-20-2008 | 12:04 PM
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From: Guelph,
ON,
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
ORIGINAL: 2slow2matter
Keep the gear down. Never raise the landing gear on a maiden. Just trim, fly, and landall within 6 or 7 minutes.
When landing, fly the plane all the way down.
Keep the gear down. Never raise the landing gear on a maiden. Just trim, fly, and landall within 6 or 7 minutes.
When landing, fly the plane all the way down.
04-20-2008 | 12:47 PM
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From: Springtown,
TX
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
My policy on retractable gear (and this comes from all of the experienced guys I've ever been associated with) is to NOT raise the gear during a maiden. Just one more thing that can go wrong. If the engine dies, you don't want to have to mess with the gear on a maiden dead stick. Also, if a gear gets stuck, the maiden landing is a bad time to deal with that. I just want to have all of the issues with the plane worked out before I throw that one in there. I want to know ALL of the characteristics that I can know before I deal with extra issues.
Sure, there may be some minor trim issues involved, but not more than maybe one or two clicks of elevator. The rest of the plane can be trimmed out easily with the gear down.
Some people want to play with all of the bells and whistles. To me, get it up, get it trimmed, make it stall a few mistakes high to see what it is going to do. Pull a loop to see if it will snap (again, very high). A couple of other housekeeping items, and get it back down in one piece. Go over everything with a fine tooth comb to make sure nothing loosened up. Re-fuel, and then start wringing it out.
Sure, there may be some minor trim issues involved, but not more than maybe one or two clicks of elevator. The rest of the plane can be trimmed out easily with the gear down.
Some people want to play with all of the bells and whistles. To me, get it up, get it trimmed, make it stall a few mistakes high to see what it is going to do. Pull a loop to see if it will snap (again, very high). A couple of other housekeeping items, and get it back down in one piece. Go over everything with a fine tooth comb to make sure nothing loosened up. Re-fuel, and then start wringing it out.
04-20-2008 | 02:15 PM
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RE: Question on Maiden flights?
I'm with 2slow on this one. I always leave the gear down on a maiden flight. Take the plane up and trim it out, then land the plane once you have it trimmed. Then, like 2slow said, go over the plane with a fine tooth comb. Check that everything is still tight and in proper working order. After all that is done the plane can go back up and retract the gear on this second flight.
Ken
Ken
04-20-2008 | 05:13 PM
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From: Mississauga,
ON, CANADA
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
Thanks for all of your thoughts, I had the plane ready to go at the field, she was charged, fueled and I had a more experienced guy ready to take it into the air, but it was not to be, when I tried to start her up, the engine mount came loose, back to the shop for some repair work, maybe I will try again next week.
On the other hand I had a great day with my trainer, did some extended inverted flying for the first time, and snapped some sharp loops from the inverted position, I am really pushing my trainer to the limits right now, a bit worried that I will eventually fold the wings on it if I pull any more G's than I did today!
On the other hand I had a great day with my trainer, did some extended inverted flying for the first time, and snapped some sharp loops from the inverted position, I am really pushing my trainer to the limits right now, a bit worried that I will eventually fold the wings on it if I pull any more G's than I did today!
04-20-2008 | 05:21 PM
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From: Mississauga,
ON, CANADA
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
Other than getting the engine mount fixed, I have done a very full preflight check on the plane, all servo screws are tight, every control throw has fuel tubing to lock down the arm, there are no retracts for me to worry about. I was going to let a much more experienced guy take the plane up for the first time, but yes my overall plan is to take it very slow, this is an untested plane, that I spent a lot of time building, I have no problems taking a few flights to make sure I don't ruin 80 hours of work!
04-20-2008 | 06:18 PM
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From: Guelph,
ON,
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
ORIGINAL: 2slow2matter
My policy on retractable gear (and this comes from all of the experienced guys I've ever been associated with) is to NOT raise the gear during a maiden. Just one more thing that can go wrong. If the engine dies, you don't want to have to mess with the gear on a maiden dead stick. Also, if a gear gets stuck, the maiden landing is a bad time to deal with that. I just want to have all of the issues with the plane worked out before I throw that one in there. I want to know ALL of the characteristics that I can know before I deal with extra issues.
Sure, there may be some minor trim issues involved, but not more than maybe one or two clicks of elevator. The rest of the plane can be trimmed out easily with the gear down.
Some people want to play with all of the bells and whistles. To me, get it up, get it trimmed, make it stall a few mistakes high to see what it is going to do. Pull a loop to see if it will snap (again, very high). A couple of other housekeeping items, and get it back down in one piece. Go over everything with a fine tooth comb to make sure nothing loosened up. Re-fuel, and then start wringing it out.
My policy on retractable gear (and this comes from all of the experienced guys I've ever been associated with) is to NOT raise the gear during a maiden. Just one more thing that can go wrong. If the engine dies, you don't want to have to mess with the gear on a maiden dead stick. Also, if a gear gets stuck, the maiden landing is a bad time to deal with that. I just want to have all of the issues with the plane worked out before I throw that one in there. I want to know ALL of the characteristics that I can know before I deal with extra issues.
Sure, there may be some minor trim issues involved, but not more than maybe one or two clicks of elevator. The rest of the plane can be trimmed out easily with the gear down.
Some people want to play with all of the bells and whistles. To me, get it up, get it trimmed, make it stall a few mistakes high to see what it is going to do. Pull a loop to see if it will snap (again, very high). A couple of other housekeeping items, and get it back down in one piece. Go over everything with a fine tooth comb to make sure nothing loosened up. Re-fuel, and then start wringing it out.
04-20-2008 | 07:54 PM
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From: La Vergne,
TN
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
*chuckle*
Man, you can't let ANYONE around here know that you're about to maiden something without eleventy-nine posts questioning your choices and/or abilities. )
Come on, guys...manks asked about "tradition" or "superstition", not prop selection and maiden advice. *heh*
Manks...since you'll not be the one flying it, I suggest this:
Take pictures before, DURING, and after.
Man, you can't let ANYONE around here know that you're about to maiden something without eleventy-nine posts questioning your choices and/or abilities. )
Come on, guys...manks asked about "tradition" or "superstition", not prop selection and maiden advice. *heh*
Manks...since you'll not be the one flying it, I suggest this:
Take pictures before, DURING, and after.
04-20-2008 | 08:03 PM
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From: Lovelock,
NV
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
never take a picture of a plane before it flies, bad joo joo. its not a plane until AFTER it has flown at least once. don't mess with the r/c gods ( wind, gravity, ect.)
04-20-2008 | 10:37 PM
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From: Fort Worth,
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RE: Question on Maiden flights?
I dont take pictures, wear the same underwear that I have always worn for the last maidens (not washing it of course), dont shave, have my lucky rabits foot in my pocket, break a stick of balsa above the airplane (makes the rc Gods happy) sacrifice a live chicken and eat a bowl of lucky charms before I head to the air field. Also slice open your finger and put a drop of blood somewhere inside the plane when you have finished building it.
All kidding aside... Take lots of pictures before durring and after.. My daughter helps me with my planes so I try to take her when I can. Pack some drinks and snacks for after.. and I enjoy a nice cigar when I complet a succesfull maiden..
All kidding aside... Take lots of pictures before durring and after.. My daughter helps me with my planes so I try to take her when I can. Pack some drinks and snacks for after.. and I enjoy a nice cigar when I complet a succesfull maiden..
04-21-2008 | 01:27 AM
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From: Olathe, KS
RE: Question on Maiden flights?
I'm not supersticious, so I photo all of it. I fly it, use all of it's accessories, I enjoy my 15 to 20 minutes, then I land it. Time for another photo or two. Adjust Refuel, BS with the guys, fly again.
