F-18

I did my very first flight in my alpha .60 today without talking to an instructor. i managed to get the plane up and keep it up but my landings need work. my first landing was a bit hard and my second killed my prop, but i didn't fly it into the ground so considering i didn't have any body to get help from i think it went well. I need to know how to line up with the runway a little better because i just can't get it right. also i need advice on engine tuning because my engine ran and kept running but i'm pretty sure the tunings off.so any tips would be great, thanks

ChuckW

You'll probably get plenty of good advice here but the best thing to do is find a club or a few experienced flyers in your area. They'll be able to provide much better, real time, relevant help.

As for landings, they are probably the toughest part of flying for most people. The key is not to force it. If the approach doesn't look straight and clean, go around and try again. Make a nice, smooth glide with the nose slightly down. When the plane is a few feet off the ground, gently rotate to level and continue descending. Keep GENTLY adding up elevator to keep the attitude level. Just about a foot off the ground, flair by gently feeding in up elevator until the main wheels touch then let go of the elevator stick and it will settle onto all three wheels. Again, the best thing to do is connect with an experienced flyer who can help out in person.

F-18

The nearest club is around six hours away or something so its a little out of the way. I'm probably the only person it my town who even has a glow powered plane.

Blazer1

My Feedback: (1)

What seems so difficult now will soon be a piece of cake! I was in your shoes not very long ago with the same problems, I look back and wonder why I found lining up and landing so difficult. I am still very much a rookie, but have moved on to new challenges other than landing. My best advice is PRACTICE, you will soon be shooting touch and goes with the best of them. Something that helped me with lining up with the runway was to make 4 turns flying the pattern and not 2 large sweeping turns. Take off, turn, fly short distance, turn, fly length of runway , turn, fly short distance, turn, you should be lined up with the runway. I hope you can understand that, it made more sense in my head Also getting familiar with what your plane looks like coming directly at you helps, that was surprisingly hard for me to do!

opjose

You may want to take the time to drive out to a club if only once, to get help setting up your plane.

Find the closest club, and call up their president, and explain your predicament.

You may find them quite helpful and accomidating.

A single trip will get many things you are facing straightened out, and may help you learn everything from engine tuning to practice routines... plus you never know, you may find others close to you via the club.

jentzsch

Here is how I was taught:

Line up so on final approach the plane is lined up with the "outside" of the runway.....

There is a term to describe the "shift" of view as we see it on the ground vs how it is really flying in the sky, but I can not remember what it is called.

Anyway, as it comes in and you make the final turn, cut throttle to like 1/4 and glide it down....

You will see as it gets closer that it is lined up with the run way if you got the approach right on the final turn....

As it gets closer to the ground, about 10 feet off, cut power and idle it in.... just before it touches, give it a little up elevator to "flare" it, slowing it down ever more, and then just set her down.....

SEE PIC:

Arceenut

I agree with all the you can't go wrong with at least one trip to a club and some help. BUT if you are determined to go it alone, here is a good thong to try. Stand in the middle of the area you wish to land in. Look toward the direction you will be landing from and pick out a landmark you can line up on. When making your approach, get the plane lined up with the landmark you chose. Keep the plane flying DIRECTLY toward you until you are over the end of the landing strip. Another tip. Watch the plane as you fly toward yourself on th approach. Maintain the position in the sky vertically as you approach. If the plane is rising you will be too high at the threshold, if it is descending it will be short of the landing area. Adjust your throttle to adjust the vertical descent NOT the elevator.

ChuckW

Here's a good link: http://www.masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=8&ID=20

Be sure to explore the rest of the site too.

Another good one is www.gettingairborne.com

gboulton

My Feedback: (15)

This makes you what we call "human".

jentzsch describes the angular shift we ALL experience, and note he has you line up with what "feels" like the front of the runway. Not unusual. For nearly every human begin on the planet, when learning, the plane will APPEAR much closer than it is.

However, there's an "easier" (at least, for every student I ever taught) method:

Walk to the center of the runway. Look out past the end of the runway and find SOMETHING that lines up with the center line. It can be a tree, a bush, a post, a light pole, the corner of a building, a rock...whatever. Just something, off in the distance (well beyond your approach path, obviously) that is on the runway centerline. Do this for both ends of the runway.

Now, walk back to the flight line, and you'll have a perfect "reference point"...if the plane's lined up with that "tree" (or whatever), it's on the center line. You'll note, as discussed above, standing at the flight line, that "tree" will look to be a whole lot closer to you than the runway center.

Now..as an added "trick"...while standing at the flight line, hold each arm out to your side, so the fingers are pointing at your "tree". Do this several times until, without looking, you can lift your arm up and have it come out just right.

This way, since most fields are set up ROUGHLY the same (in terms of distance from runway to flightline), you'll be able to find a reference point at nearly any field. Just stick an arm out, and it'll be pointing at some tree/pole/rock/whatever that's roughly on THAT runway's center line.

manks

I land the plane by flying directly towards myself, I am on the side of the runway, so as it gets closer, I just turn away slightly and I am pretty well lined up. I also find landmarks to use, trees, usually, but it can be what ever, once you know when to turn the plane on to final it is pretty easy.

I have not had many problems landing at all, play around with your speeds, do a bunch of low level passes ext, you will get the hang of it. It would also be good to get to the nearest club, get on a buddy box for a day and get the hang of landing.

Good luck

vegas mossie

practice your landings 10' off the ground, then 5', then 2' then touchdown. also you might try bigger tires to give yourself a little more ground clearance to the prop.

F-18

ok thanks for the advice, ill try it once i get some more props since the plane only came with one for some reason. i still need help with the engine tuning part though.

Shortymet55

Just to let you know, im my opinion, you picked one of the best trainers (if not the best) available. I might be biased considering thats what I have. As far as tuning, there are alot of resources to help you on the internet. Use google. you will find alot of good techniques to get a good tune.

Safebet

My Feedback: (12)

1. With engine off. Turn on Transmitter, then turn on receiver.
2. Set throttle trim at neutral or middle
3. Pull throttle stick all the way back to idle position.
4. Look in the carb venturi. It should be open just about the thickness of the end of a toothpick. About 1/16"
5. If not, adjust throttle clevis until it is.
6. Now start the engine. In theory it should now idle and when you pull the throttle trim back towards you the engine should die.
7. Remember to center the throttle trim each time when you start the engine.
8. If the idle is too low at "middle " throttle trim, you may advance the trim away from you a click or to. Or if it is a little fst you may reduce
throttle trim a click or two. This is a basic setup.

I assume you have a Evolution .61 on this Alpha 60. I don't know your altitude in BC so I can't be specific about tuning the engine. I would start with the High Speed needle
about 2 turns out and the idle adjustment bar rotated about 2/3 forward toward the propeller. Idle adjustment bar is on the Left side of the engine if you are facing the rear of the plane. It is a little bar that protrudes from a blue collar. It has a limiter bar at both ends (lean and rich.) When you move this little bar toward the rear you are making the idle
richer and forward toward the front of the plane, you are making it leaner.

Crank it up, let it warm up and then advance throttle to full. Turn the HS needle counter clockwise until the RPM's begin to drop. Should have lots of smke and fuel coming out the exhaust. Now begin to slowly turn the needle clock wise until it reaches max RPM and begins to fade. Now turn counter clock wise about 4 or 5 clicks.

Let it idle for a moment and then advnce throttle quickly. It should transition without hesitation. If after advancing to full throttle it begins to sag a little lean (clock wise) it about 1 or 2 clicks.

Play with it until it will transition without hesitation and does not fade when the plane is held up at a 45 degree nose high angle.

I like to run mine a little rich. Rich is better than lean. Lean gets the engine hot and that is not good. I lile top see a faint trail of smoke when flying.

This is just a basic beginning. You will learn as you go. But, remember rich is better than lean.

RICH = Counter Clock wise LEAN = Clock wise

I am not a expert, but I did begin with a Alpha 60 with the Evolution .61. I have several Evolution .46 and the .61. They are good dependable engines.

Charlie P.

What gboulton said for familiarizing yourself with the runway. I even do this when visiting a new airfield. Walk into the middle and pick a reference point on either end.

Another trick is when turning in for the final approach take it wide and distant, like 400 feet, and then shift your feet facing slightly into the wind and look back at the model over your shoulder slightly with the transmitter held slightly upwind. The inputs will now make more sense to your brain as right stick moves the model to the right. Looking at an incoming model causes brain freeze in many new R/C pilots as the controls seem reversed. This can be a fatal reflex even to very capable full-size pilots who think R/C must be a piece of cake by comparison.

Another flaw is to come in too high. Slow down on the downwind leg and pull it down to 60 feet or less for your upwind turn and final approach.

Bring it in over that landmark you picked out in the "walk around". Fly the model at yourself and then alter it into the center of the runway in the last 100 feet or so. Most beginners bring it in very wide and at the weedline on the opposite side of the airstrip. Eventually you'll ge at feel to judging the "ballistics" and will just reflexively bring it in down the center of the strip. Eventually. ;-)

What can really help is a lot of racetrack patterns and touch-and-goes to get the muscles and brain into the pattern so it will become somewhat reflexive.

F-18

thanks for all of the advise on landing from everybody, and thanks to safebet for the step by step on tuning. Just out of curiosity, i like this hobby and will probably get a second plane. i was thinking of the spitfire by hanger 9 but i don't know if its too advanced. the other plane i was thinking of was the pulse 60 also by hanger 9, which is more wallet friendly. any input would be graeat

gboulton

My Feedback: (15)

Whenever I hear "second plane" I always have one, and only one, response:

GET
A
STICK

Build one from old plans, buy the Super Stivk from Hangar 9 (They're only $100), whatever. But get one.

Cheap to assemble ($10 servos all around will do fine), takes an afternoon to put one together, and they will do ANYTHING you can imagine. They won't do any of it exceptionally, but they'll do all of it decently.

You can tone down the surfaces and have an airplane nearly as docile as your trainer, that'll fly as slow...or, jack 'em up a bit, and the thing will roll, flip, tumble, spin, you name it.

Once you're so tired of flying it that you can't stand to look at it...you'll be able to fly anything with wings. This makes it the ideal second airplane imo.

And to top it all off...years down the road...I'll wager you'll drag it back out and fly it some more...they're just THAT FUN. Heck...I'm heading to a flyin here in about an hour...taking along my 3rd scale pitts, a heli, and...yep...my Stick. You just can't beat 'em.

Safebet

My Feedback: (12)

Right on, Gboulton. A stick is a great second plane. I have ahd a forty and a sixty GP stick. They fly where you point them and like you said will do just
about anything.

F-18, remember whatever second plane you choose set it up on low rates to begin with. Then progressively increase throws as you get accustomed to the plane and it's characteristics. I don't know what kind of transmitter you have, computer assisted, I hope. With a computer transmitter you can set-up dual rates and Expo, if you
choose.