Pilot to plane orientation
 

I would like some ideas on how to keep my mental orientation coordinated with the planes controls when doing the inverted and incoming patterns. What techniques do you use?

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

When the plane is coming, you need to put the aileron stick to the dropped wing side to get it to fly leveled. Do this repeatedly and you'll end up not noticing if its coming or going in terms of what you have to do. The diagram explains better.

When inverted, the only thing that changes is the elevator which gets inverted no matter which way you're going. Ailerons remain exactly the same as with upright flight. Same coming towards you rule applies.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

When landing, a trick that works well is to face the runway and slightly turn your body away from the plane, then watch the plane over your shoulder. It sort of puts you in the pilots seat. Don't turn so far that it is difficlut to see the plane. It really helped me. I don't know if I still do it or not. I'll have to notice the next time I'm out.

Don

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Practice, practice, practice, and more practice. Lots of flying time, and if you've got a simulator, that will help tremendously with control perspective. Take your plane up high, practice what you need to work on, scare the $h!t out of yourself, fly some ovals and regain your nerves, and do it again. After awhile it will become automatic.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

G'day Mate,
There is only one way, PRACTICE.
All the other techniques, only work because of PRACTICE.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

One thing simulators are good for ... testing things out and getting your orientation. :)

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

G'day Mate,
And what are we doing when we use a simulator,,,,,,,, we are PRACTICING.
I rest my case.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

yah, what they said

Practice, it is just a skill that comes with flight time.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

You're contradicting yourself.

In all my years of flying and instructing I have heard of three methods of learning how to control and airplane that's coming toward you. I teach all three because what works for some people doesn't work for others and vice versa.

Two of these methods have already been mentioned:

1 - Point the stick at the low wing

2 - Turn your back to the plane and look over your shoulder

These two are by far the most popular. When I learned to fly (Yes, we had airplanes back then) I used method 2, but to each his own.

A third method I have heard some people using is that they imagine themselves in the cockpit. I can't do this - in fact, most people can't do this, but for those who can, it works well, so I feel it's worth mentioning.

But strongly consider the other two and use whichever one works best for you

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Here is what I teach:

1. On landing approach to level the wings push the aileron stick to the low wing.

2. When inverted the elevator is reversed.

3. For all other orientation upright or inverted do the following: Focus on the side of the plane closest to you. Think in terms of making the plane come toward you and away from you. If you are focused on the side of the plane closest to you, push the aileron stick toward the nose of the plane and the plane will come toward you. If you push the stick toward the tail the plane will go away from you. This works even if inverted. This is a very simple method of keeping your orientation. Do not think in terms of right and left. Think toward you and away from you.

When the plane starts to fly toward you that means that the side of the wing farthest from you will come up.

Hope this helps. bob

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Has RC become something that we need to prove we are correct? Hahahahahaaha ... this is funny. Simulators allow is to try things out CHEAP. Just press the SPACE bar and its all god again. :) I am just teasing you Alan ... don't get me wrong!

Minn - I used the 'Point the Stick At' method when I learnt. That was a long time ago when JR just came out with dual rates. :) Did people wonder why you flew with your back to the plane ... heheheee ...

A simple tip:

For inverted flight I always roll my thumb to the back of the stick, that ensures that I cannot PULL the stick when you are trying to show off with a low inverted pass. :)

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

What techniques do you use?

I dunno. When I got the plane coming at me, I just usually crash, then go out and buy a new plane.

Dr.1

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Those are memory tricks to help you remember which way to pull the sticks in different orientations. Nothing wrong with starting with that, but it still takes lots of practice to have it come automatically to you. When you get into trouble (plane snaps out on you, cross wind flips you, etc.), panic ensues, and what's automatic to you will kick in. When I first started flying planes, I could tell you which way to pull the sticks in any orientation, IF I had 5 seconds to "put myself in the cockpit", and I wasn't flying at the time or scared $h!tless because I was about to crash.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

I use that method too!

But not just when the plane is coming toward me :D

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Dr1 - do you own oil fields? :)

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

while flying inverted the ailerons aren't reversed so don't worry about that. however elevators are..simple rule never, ever loop out of inverted flight instead roll out. for minor pitch correction while inverted you're going to have to hold a bit of "down" elevator anyway let that be a reminder that down is up..if you get confused roll out and add power until you have yourself reset...,

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

And just for the record, rudder is reversed too

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Do these rules apply to those from Australia? :)

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

I'm gonna be up all night contemplating that [sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Only if you hold the transmitter upside down!!!! :D:D:D

Ken

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

When coming at you....the stick goes towards the low wing to pick it up. As you gain more experience...you wont even have to think about it. It becomes automatic.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

I've been to the land down under, loved it there, friendliest people in the world. The blood didn't even rush to my head

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

LMAO!!!

What ro347 says is very true ...

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Practise on the sim until it is second nature and you no longer have to think about orientation...

Then go fly and try the same at a good altitude.

Worked for me...

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

In my opinion looking over your shoulder is a crutch and does not teach you anything. After you have learned to land this way then you have to relean how to land facing the plane which means learning all over agian.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

It's no more of a crutch than "pointing the stick at the low wing" is.

It is not a crutch, it is a tool. As time goes by, your fingers get used to doing the right thing no matter which way you're facing.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Ignore the guy flying next to you yelling out, "hey watch this!"

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Wasn't that at the very top spot for "most often heard right before an RC plane crash" ?

:D

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Looking over the shoulder works. But when I was learning to fly, it was awkward for me. So I tried keeping my body facing the runway and pointing my foot in the down range direction. For example, if the plane was moving from my right to left, I would point my left foot to the left. I could mentally focus on the direction my foot was pointing while controling the plane. As I remember, the only time I really needed to do this was during landing approaches. And after a while it all became instinct.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

I had a hard time at first with the whole "the plane is coming at me" thing as well.. What worked for me was to quit thinking about it! I found that trying to think "wing down/so move the stick this way" was difficult.. What did work for me was to do a bunch of level traffic patterns while doing small "dutch rolls" the whole time. Basically rocking the wings up and down the whole time.. Not much, just 10 deg of bank or so..Do that a few times and your brain will be trained on what happens when you move the sticks.. The repitition will really help this to become instinctual for you..

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

well i have been reading this forum , and i have come to the decision that seeing as here in Australia we mostly use mode 1 , and in America, you use mode 2 , so my guess is that saves turning the transmitter upside down . Now to get back to the orginal subject , i teach , a wing drops , put a stick under it to push it back up. if model is flying across you , right to left or vice versa , nose it in , or tail it away , and when inverted , like my compatriot said above , put your thumb behind the stick , so you can only push , not pull.
Bill, down under

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

I love it when a newbie is baited to fly low inverted flights and then he usually ends up pulling ... hehehehe ... a lot of dust and balsa. :)

ps I done its enough times myself too!

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Especially when that newbie has a bad temper :D

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

The easy way to me to get used to flying inverted and what not was to set the plane upside down at home and learn that way. This was approx 15 years ago when I started flying and I was 8 at the time. Call me nuts, but it helped. It was my old man's idea, not mine.

Tim

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Minn - LMAO!!!

Tim - when I learnt to fly many many moons ago, we were given ground lessons. We are shown what the plane does when you input certain things. Recently, I was teaching a newbie, I showed him all that and it did help him understand how/why a plane flies.

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

I know I already commented on this, but last night I was backing out of a long driveway and truned around to my right to look over my shoulder as I backed out.

I was just wondering if rctrax uses this same crutch when he's backing HIS car up. Or does he just look in the mirrors and go like a bat outta hell?

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Minn - I use the reverse sensors ... heheheheehee

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

Trun the stick in the same direction that the wing is dipping to level the model (when model is coming to you).

RE: Pilot to plane orientation
 

So don't look over your shoulder BUT point the transmitter in the direction the plane is flying.

Point the antenna in the direction the plane is flying. It works without any thought at all.

Don't have to remember any rules or nothing.