Newbie Question.
 

Okay, this is a completly newbie question. I understand the takeoff thing but i what is the best way to land. is it anything like a real plane were you slow down and aim up?

RE: Newbie Question.
 

Landings vary considerably depending on the type of plane in question, both with R/C models and the real thing. Most primary trainer aircraft can simply be flown down to the deck while bleeding off airspeed and then "flared" slightly as the main gear touches down.

How you land a trainer is different than a sport plane, which is different than a scale aerobatic plane, which is different than a pattern ship, which is different than a scale warbird, which is different than a sailplane, which is different than a turbine powered model, which is different than a 3D style stunt plane...

RE: Newbie Question.
 

ok. thank you.

RE: Newbie Question.
 

Aim up?

RE: Newbie Question.
 

G'day Mate,
Find a club, then an Instructor, it's relatively easy with those 2 items, without them, a lot more costly!!!!!!!!

RE: Newbie Question.
 

Aircraft landing defined: The art of crashing the plane a gently as posible to avoid damage and be able to fly the plane again.

Okay landing a plane is the hard part. In esense you have to have a feel for it and the plane will give you that feel as what it needs to stop flying that moment that the main gear touches down. For the most part its learned by practice and an instructor can show you better than anyone can tell you here. It's Zen.

RE: Newbie Question.
 

Landing is no harder than flying the plane. Its just a question of altitude.

When I teach my students to land, I teach them to keep the wings level, keep the nose level or pointing slightly up, and then use the throttle to control ALTITUDE. The elevator is to control AIRSPEED. If you want to slow down, add some up elevator. If you want to sink, reduce the throttle. Your instructor should be able to help you understand this concept (hint-hint-hint)

Get lined up with a nice long approach to begin with, and establish a gentle sink rate with the wings and nose level. Hold that attitude. As the wheels approach the runway (inches, not feet), you can add a touch of elevator to get the mains on the runway first. You don't want the nosewheel touching first.

If the nose wheel touches first, it means you have a down attitude. When the nose wheel touches, it forces the plane into a level or upward attitude. With your airspeed, this causes the plane to rise up off the runway again (the dreaded bounce). By having the plane in a slightly nose up attitude with a sink rate established, the plane will stay on the ground when it touches.

Good Luck.

Brad

RE: Newbie Question.
 

Now is the time to start working on a plane for summer. Phone around your local hobby shops and ask for contact numbers for RC clubs. They can advise you of which brand of buddy boxes the club has so you can buy a radio to match and which trainer they prefer to train you with. Then buy a trainer and start building/assemblying depends on if you buy a kit or an ARF. Kits do take longer and won't save you any $$ but once its built you will know every part in the plane and how it goes together because the instructions are very through and include photos of the parts. If you ever need to repair some damage, at least you will have an idea of how to go about it. New flyers that start with ARFs usually don't have a clue how to make even minor repairs because they are not sure of what is "under the skin " of the covering. They also run into problems down the road when they buy a sport plane after their trainer because the instructions are limited. It is assumed that you learned the basics from your trainer kit such as how to install the parts of your fuel tank. [8D]

RE: Newbie Question.
 

Thanks. I'll have to go to my lhs and find all of that stuff out.

RE: Newbie Question.
 

Sounds like a great start! The LHS may even have a flight sim set up on a puter that you can try. If they do, ask them to select a trainer type plane and give it a go. I think you will realize very quickly why you shouldn't try to train yourself. [8D]