help me
 

hi i have an aerobird and im waiting for summer to fly it because where i am the weather has been bad i just want to know if anyone knows how it handles etc. and if there is any thing i should watch out for because i have been disapointed with other planes that on the first flight something goes wrong any way thank you for reading this and your help would be greatly appriciated thank you.

First flight
 

Contact your local club for help. The SWAP (south west area park) club may be near you. I'm near Frederick if you get into this area.

Check the AMA site for locations of clubs www.modelaircraft.org

EXCAP232

first flights....
 

Phone the hobby shop where you bought the plane ask them how to get in touch with the local flying club. You said that "on the first flight something goes wrong". It may be that the planes were ok but they crashed before you figured out how to start to control it properly. Another possibility is that the control rods were not adjusted properly for the right movement and direction. Was the CG and lateral balance checked?? There are a dozen things that can be wrong that can make a plane crash almost right away. A competant instructor can go through your plane and find potential problems before the plane goes up and crashes. Most clubs offer free RC instruction on a buddy box. Join an RC flying club and get some help or you will in for more dissapointment. :(

help me
 

I also have an Aerobird. I have flown twice and like it alot, but watch out for wind. The Aerobird, like most starter electrics, doesn't handle wind very well, so you want to start your flying in calm air, with under 5 MPH gusts or the wind could take it away on you. I know, I did my first flights in about a 12 MPH wind and a big gust took the plane into the woods on the second launch. I never found it. I went out and replaced the fuselage, which includes the motor and flight electronics, tail and wing for about $75 and was ready to fly. Wait for a calm day!

If you fly near woods or a corn field or something like that, you want to add some kind of locator for your plane. You can see my post on locators here:
locators for small electrics

Once you become accomplished you can probably handle a
10-12 MPH gust, but this is not a windy day plane. The plane is light which is why if flies so well and so long (7-14 minutes) on a battery, but a very strong wind can steal it away from an inexperienced pilot. However this is true of most
starter electrics.

27 MHZ vs 72 MHZ Radio

The FCC has set a range of the 72 MHZ band aside for RC airplanes only. The Aerobird uses a 27 MHZ radio which is assigned to general use for planes, cars and boats; mostly low end stuff. There are only 6 available channels.

So, if you have a kid with a RC car in the same area where you are flying, and he is on the same channel you are on, and he is close enough, when he switches on his transmitter, you will lose control of the plane and probably crash. Even with 72 MHZ radio systems, this will happen if you get two flyers on the same channel, but 72 MHZ is dedicated to airplanes. High end RC cars are on 75 MHZ so they won't interfere.

If you live in a very populated area, this is something to be aware of. Also if you buy two planes, 72 or 27 MHZ, make sure they are on different channels or you can't fly them together.

If you are going to join a club, check with them. Some clubs will not admit 27 MHZ based planes because they can't be flown with a buddy box. This is a training system, like a dual controlled car, that is used for pilot training. After long consideration I bought the Aerobird, but this is something I have to watch for. My club, www.lisf.org, does admit 27 MHZ planes.

Hop-up kit - X-pack

In case you didn't know, the Aerobird also has an X-Pak hop up kit available for $30. It includes a 7 cell battery (the basic is 6) and a larger tail. This makes the plane faster and more maneuverable. So, once you get good you can soup it up! I bought the X-Pak when I bought mine. I will use the 7 cell as my second battery and save the tail for later. These may also let it handle wind a little better since the battery is heavier and the tail as larger control surfaces..