4 channel planes
 

I need A little help with a 4 channel plane I just bought [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=443]Begin air[/link]. I'm a beginner and ive previously owned a 3channel [link=http://www.rctoys.com/vextreme.php]Vortex Extreme[/link] and I crashed it 2 weeks later due to another
guy at the field. On channel 3 . And the plane was totaled. The servos were all striped out and just every thing possibal was ruiend. I wasnt about to spend another $150 dollars on a plane I just bought. A year later im ready to get back into this hobby. There is no point in buying the same plane all over again. Plus I want to move up to a real plane not another toy. There is just one thing
I dont get the whole concept of how to fly with rudder and ailerons.

RE: 4 channel planes
 

If you set the aileron servo on the same channel you had previously used for rudder on a 3-channel plane you can just merrily go ahead and fly with no difficulty. Most sport flyers just turn with ailerons (plus some elevator). For casual flying you will probably only use the rudder for taxiing. When you start to learn some basic maneuvers you will need rudder - such as for stall turns and spins. Some planes, especially scale types, can not be turned without skidding unless rudder use is coordinated with aileron. But you don't have to worry about that at this point.

RE: 4 channel planes
 

Do you have a local flying field where you can get assistance or a flight sim (not a substitute for personal trainer) that you can some experience with? If you do not understand the concept, you don't want to go at this alone.

RE: 4 channel planes
 

i like dsegal's idea to mix aileron to rudder. there are still a few things to keep in mind, however.

1. ailerons can kill you much faster than rudders - if your ailerons are out of trim on your first flight, it will roll your plane faster than you can say "i'm a pleasant mother pheasant plucker". get someone to maiden your plane that can trim it for you.

2. ailerons are more sensitive than rudder - if you do mix your ailerons, don't give it too much throw. as long as you have good dihedral, keep the throws gentle at first... you can add more when you need it. the worst mistake is to tie them 1 to 1 then adjust the rate so that you can steer on taxi. guaranteed you'll have a handful and be doing snaps left and right.

3. you can always get shot down - even if you're at a field, someone could accidentally turn on their tx. the only thing you can do is to reduce that chance by getting to a well run field where everyone respects safety.

4. HAVE FUN! :-)

RE: 4 channel planes
 

Thanks for helping. I just want to know what the mode1 and mode2 and what they do

RE: 4 channel planes
 

this is an age old question that you can find dozens of threads on. just search and ye shall find!

RE: 4 channel planes
 

Mode 2 is used by nearly everyone in the US. In this mode ailerons and elevator are on the right stick and throttle and rudder are on the left stick. Mode 1 swaps the location of throttle and elevator. If you are flying in the US and haven't already learned a different mode, it's best to stick with mode 2 unless you think you will never want to have someone else fly one of your planes, or visa versa.

RE: 4 channel planes
 

See diagrams

Ken

RE: 4 channel planes
 

Your best chance of success will be if you get involved with a local club.
Here are the 2 AMA has listed in Scottsdale:

ROUND VALLEY FLYERS
4337 JACOB SHUPAK 32427 N 71ST WAY
SCOTTSDALE AZ 85262
Phone: 928.735.7436


SCOTTSDALE MODEL FLYERS
1961 DAVID CONRAD 10717 N 103RD WAY
SCOTTSDALE AZ 85260
Phone: 480-451-3280

Get with some of these people an check out the clubs.

RE: 4 channel planes
 

bruce is right, best thing to do now is to get out to an RC club and have a chat with the club flyers. You will learn more about the hobby in an hour than in 3 months of reading about it. There may even be a few flyers that will have a trainer plane out there that you can try(on the buddy box of course). The weekend is coming up and if its anything like around here, Saturday morning after 9 is when flyers start to show up. Since there are 2 clubs in the area I would visit both clubs to get a feel of the place before joining. Some clubs welcome new members and have great training schedules whiule others prefer pilots who alllready hace their wings.[8D]

RE: 4 channel planes
 

thanks i just didnt know the set up of a 4 channel radio