well...i just bought a HobbyZone Firebird Phantom and a Parkzone P-51D Mustang. the day i got them in the mail, i got ahead of myself a flew the Phantom in too much wind. i crashed and learned my lesson. a week later i flew the Phantom in really calm wind and flew it a whole charge without any close calls. i landed it pretty good too...nice n easy. i'm pretty confident flying it now with only 3 batteries under my belt. is it a lot harder to fly the Mustang or should i just wing it and try flying it?

i guess i could use this post to introduce myself. my name is Justin. i'm a 21 year old quadrplegic. i'm new to airplanes. i used to race off-road 1/10 2wd stadium trucks...but i'm bored with that and i'm excited to dig in to airplanes! i'm into WWII airplanes and look forward to learning how to fly so i can get into rc combat.

Hello Justin. It's nice to see younger guys getting involved in the hobby. I'm just slightly older than you myself. You say you're pretty confident flying the Phantom - Become really confident. Then you'll be able to fly the Mustang no problem. [8D]

First off, welcome Justin! Welcome to this wonderfully addictive hobby

What I did with my first plane, a Hobbyzone Supercub was fly the thing until almost everything I did I could do without thinking about it. I mean, you paid for it, may as well get as much use out of the plane while you can before moving up, at least IMO.

Cheers,
Derek

The last thing I would want for you is too crash your P 51 and not enjoy all the aspects RC planes have to offer. I've been flying for 2 months and love it. Start slow and build up your abilities and I think it will go a long way in how much enjoyment you get out of the hobby. Good luck

Welcome Justin. Feel free to ask a lot of questions here and definitely keep us up to date with your training, planes, etc.

Like most have said, go at it slowly. A lot of people think that a WWII warbird should fly like a trainer. They're both airplanes right? Yes, I actually heard that once. Anyway, find a local club and an instructor and you will be fine. Ask a lot of questions before you buy anything. A lot of clubs have trainers and can get you some deals too.

I see you're in Ohio. You like WWII airplanes huh? Have you ever been to the Tri-State Warbird Museum just outside of Cincinnati (Batavia)? I have been several times and it's a blast. They appear to be having some problems with their website right now: (http://www.tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org) [link=http://www.tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org]Tri-state Warbird Museum[/link] but keep checking back.

At last count they had:
FG-1D Corsair
P-51 Mustang
B-25 Mitchell
P-40
TBN-3 Avenger
T-6
FW-190
and I think I've missed a couple.

Contact info:
Tri-State Warbird Museum
4021 Borman Drive
Batavia, OH 45102
Tel Number: (513) 735-4500

Good Luck!

thanks for that info! and thanks to everyone else for the advice!! i'll definitely check out that warbird museum.

i've found two local flying clubs. theres one off of Lawerenceburg road and another in Fairfield. i'll check 'em out. i've been reading on here a lot...

i'll keep ya'll posted on my progress!!!

FYI, their website is now back up.

Hey DA6, I live pretty close to Cincy. Carrollton is about halfway between Cincy and Louisville.

I am impressed that you are flying RC airplanes as a quadrapoligic. That's aweseome!

If you don't mind me asking, how do you move this sticks? Do you have a special apparatus?


Sorry if I come off as rude or anything, I am truly curious.

Welcome to the board! this is definitely the right place to ask questions. These guys have REALLY helped me out ALOT in trying to figure out what in the WORLD I'm doing I'm clueless in most of this stuff and not ashamed to say it.

You've got a couple of GREAT planes, but I have to warn you a little on the Parkzone P51.... DON'T get me wrong - they're AWESOME planes to fly, but from asking around a shop or two and a couple of local people, the P51 Parkzone is NOT an easy plane to fly. If you think about it, the original plane was built to have the aerial characteristics of a hotrod, and the scales they've built have (mostly) kept true to that tradition. P51's are FAST, and I've heard them described as "touchy" to fly (just a LITTLE overcontrol and WHEE!!!! it's off to the races and doing all sorts of wild stuff!)

Congratulations on your sucessful flights - I've YET to have my 1st flight.... I just got the servos stripped from my Heli and got them mounted in the plane (a Senior Falcon .61ci, 69"WS) - getting the control surfaces within spec (or close to them was a REAL bear!!!!!)

Keep us posted on your progress. And I'm curious too, how do you control/build/swap batteries etc.... your planes? Not trying to pry or be rude, I'm just curious.

I saw one of the little Parkzone warbirds at our field last year. A Spit. It flew really well while the pilot did his job (he was a newbie, convinced it was a toy, never saw him again after). It was pretty speedy, say 40mph or so (that's quick at this size), and handled quite well. It looked the part too, and that's important with a warbird.

Do take the time to get really comfortable, bordering on bored, with your Phantom first. The phantom is probably not half as fast or agile as the 'Stang (I've not seen a Phantom fly in person, but am familiar with other similar sized park flyers). Fly the wings right off it. When you can fly it in your sleep, you are ready for an attempt at the stang.

Welcome to the addiction!

I too, for the record, am curious how you control the aircraft. A nearby club had a longtime member until a month or two ago who was stricken with severe CP. He had (very)partial use of one hand, and did a great job piloting his aircraft. He said while flying was the only time he didn't feel disabled. Sadly, he succumbed to complications to his condition recently, and will be missed.

Have fun,

J

anyone who has questions, ask away!

i've been a quadriplegic for 2.5 years and have learned to do quite a bit. after the accident, i was depressed pretty bad...but after the depression, i got the attitude that i wont let this disability get in my way. i learned to drive my Losi XXX-T MFE again...and i still haven't lost the touch . i cant work on everything on my own but i can suprisingly do a majority of the work. i think the airplane controllers are easier to use than the pistol grips. i simply set the controller on my lap an put the sticks between fingers or use my palms. the Parkzone controller is harder to use but to control the throttle i use my palm (i put my gloves on that i use to push my wheelchair that have rubber grips on the palm). i may buy a different radio set-up for the P-51 since a controller with two sticks is easier to use. i might get someone to take pics of me using the controllers sometime...

on the Parkzone P-51 there is a switch to control the responsiveness(sp?) so it is easier to learn.

...i just started building 1/48th scale models too...by the way [8D]

the one thing i haven't done yet is drive my car. that will take money i dont have[]

Hi there! I live in SE IN. There are quit a few clubs in the area that are fairly close to you.

The Hawks - Joyce Park in Hamilton, OH. (paved runways)
GCRCC - North Fairfield (paved runways)
Aero Modelers - South of Harrison on Lawrenceburg Rd. (grass runways)
Air Masters - Mt. Nebo Rd near Shawnee Lookout park. (grass runway) my club
??? (can't remember the name) - Ross, Oh. off Rt. 128 (grass runway)

All of these clubs offer free instructors to teach you to fly. GCRCC has an exceptional training program. You might consider a more traditional trainer to start with, as they will be slower, more stable, and more forgiving. Best of luck and welcome to the sport of R/C.

Well, hey, that's cool!

Can't help on a low-rates switch on that parkzone tranny, I haven't used one. Certainly, though, you could adjust the pushrods to mechanically limit the available throws, but even with stock throws the plane is not excessively twitchy. A certain amount of extra throw is very useful when one finds oneself in an unusual attitude and needs to correct quickly, so be careful about reducing them too much.

You probably would be very glad to pay a visit to the clubs gregoryda listed. If they're anything like the club I belong to, they own a couple glow trainers that the instructors will use to give people a taste of RC flight. Our club instructors work hard to get any visitor who shows up on the sticks their first night out. It helps improve their chances of returning, often with a shiny new plane of their own. Learning by using the club's buddy boxes is also far easier than going it alone.

It's great to hear of your determination to do more. None of us really knows how we would respond to such a devastating injury until it unfortunately happens. Seems you're made of tough stuff.

Let us know how you make out!

J

Again, I hate to pry, but you said ask away!

I was under the impression that quadropalegic means you are paralzied from the neck down. My mom's couin's husband was in a car accident and has been in this condition for nearly 30 years. It is amazing some of the stuff he does like paint pictures, use the computer, etc. He does everything with his mouth alone. He has various tools. But I couldn't fathom him flying an RC airplane, at least not with a standard controller.


So you do have some use of your arms and hands I take it?

By the way, how old are you?

You are truly are an inspiration. Great attidude!

it's perfectly fine to ask questions! i'd rather you ask instead of not and wonder.

i burst fractured my 5th cervical vertebrae and have C6 level funstion. i have around half function of my arms. i cannot move any fingers, cant curl my wrist and have no use of my triceps. i have a lot of feeling below my injury but as with all spinal cord injuries, anything i cant use i dont have full feeling of. although everything i cant use has a wierd numbness feeling. back to my arms; i have full function of my shoulders, biceps, and upper wrist flexors.

i'm 21 years old...

shoot away with any questions!!


thanks!! i've been to the one in Joyce Park before...but to the asphault on-road course. i remember when i played baseball at Harrison Jr. Baseball and would always see the planes over the treetops when i was little...

i'll check these places out eventually.

DA6RightHand,
Congratulations on getting started in the wonderful addiction of ours. I applaud you for your wonderful attitude. A good friend of mine was injured in a roll-over car accident when he was 21 and he is now the only parapalegic Hot Air Balloon pilot in the US. Maybe the world. He found that the biggest obstacle to his becoming a pilot was with the FAA saying that it had never been done before. After a while, he convinced them that he could do it safely and then went on to complete his training and all the normal certification processes. If you are interested, he has a web site: www.rollingpilot.com . Good luck and have fun with your flying...
Mike

DA6,

Thank you so much for posting your comments to this forum. I greatly appreciate your candor and awesome attitude.

I am friends with a full-scale airplane pilot who was involved in a roll-over accident two years ago and fractured his C5 and C6 vertebrae. He also has an incredible attitude toward his recovery and life. His passion for airplanes will always fill his heart and mind. As a full-scale pilot and avid modeler myself, I'd like to help him make the most of the limited movement he has in his right hand. Do you know of any joystick modifications or special RC controllers that have been developed for disabled pilots?

Thanks for any information you might have and feel free to respond privately if you prefer.

Thanks again and best wishes,

Jeff

I was reading through this thread and wondered how you were coming along with your flying. Are you now the club ace?