Hello all,

I live in a remote area, where the closest flying club is almost 100 miles away. There are four of us who are learning to fly. (Read that as crash and fix airplanes. lol)

My question for you is, should I continue to use the Y cable my Debonair is set up with or just remove the ailerons and go with rudder control?

And, since my last crash [X(] , should I rebuild with tricycle gear or a taildragger configuration?

i would not remove the ailerons... personally i like tail daggers, it depends what you like

Tricycle gear is easier to learn on. Don't lose the ailerons, when you are learning you should be turning with ailerons and elevator, and using rudder to taxi and to straighten out on landing approach.

And airplane that was designed with ailerons usually does not have the dihedral to fly well without them. Rudder control for turns relies on the dihedral to roll the airplane some to get the airplane to turn. Does the Debonair have a fair amount of dihedral? If it doesn't, stick with the original layout.

What kind of landing gear? Whatever it didn't have before. You want to learn? So do something new and different. It's more important now to try new things than it is to quit doing something that others say is the best choice. The argument over which gear is the best is just words if you haven't tried both and have a feel for how both affect the airplane. You've got the opportunity to see what it takes to retrofit a model. You got the chance to compare what one specific model flew and landed like with two different gear designs. Take the opportunity.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll leave the ailerons alone, remove the Y cable, and go with a taildragger.

I have a Debonair, and I love it. Its the plane I learned to fly on, and I still fly it. Don't lose the ailerons. you need them for trim adjustments at a minimum. The Debonair built to plans has plenty of dihedral to use it rudder only if you so desire. That's pretty much the way I learned as well.

I built mine as a tail dragger to save weight and give me better prop clearance. There is a long tail moment so its pretty easy to control on the ground as a tail dragger. I've never had a problem with ground loops with it.

Good luck,
Brad

Keep the ailerons and get a good simulator if you don't have one. It will save you money in the long run.

leave the ailarons and the trycicle undercarrage or you might end up with more problems than it is worth

Once you gain some height with the plane, leave the ailerons in a neautral position and try turning with just the rudder. I don't think you will be happy with the slow imprecise turning. Then you will know what you are up against.

Actually with the Debonair (SPAD) built to the original plans, its very difficult to tell the difference between a rudder initiated turn and an aileron initiated turn. The plane has a lot of dihedral, and will easily roll with the rudder only.

Brad

When you guys get ready to try a low wing, come on over to Conrad and check out my Cor-Star 60. It's all coroplast, weighs 8 pounds with a Saito 100, and is extremely durable and versatile. We are also doing a public demonstration at our field on the morning and afternoon of June 7 here in Conrad. It would be great if you guys can come over. Also, let me know if you want me to add you guys to our club mailer (covers most of the clubs in the state).

Pm me if you want.
[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_1201120/tm.htm]Check out the Cor-Star thread![/link]

I'll echo the "get a simulator" sentiment.

All of you guys can buy ONE and share it amoung yourselves.

Once you are proficient in the sim, the aileron controls of the plane will be second nature to you.