Another begginerish question...
 

How long should I keep my aircraft control throws set at minimum??

My rudder and elevator are both set up to give minimum deflection, my ailerons are at the middle. I was tweaking things last night, and almost decided to put the ailerons at max, (the only hole left at the servo horn moving out) but chickend out till I ask the experts.

She rolls fairly smartly, but not really fast. (Takes a good 3+ full seconds to roll completely around) While in flight the elevator seems quite responsive to me. Rudder, well Im probably gonna leave that alone for now since I am just learning to use it:)..

Takeoffs seem a bit sluggish, I get her up to a GOOD ground speed and slowly pull back; but it takes a second or three to rotate, and when it does it JUMPS into the air with a good 30 degree climb out. I've actually waited till she was nearly all the way down the runway moving with full throttle to rotate, and she still does this. I managed a good aproximation of a scale takeoff, gentle rotate and climb out ONCE last weekend. But she still wanted to jump up, I just reduced elevator throw as it began rotating up.

I ask, because I know when I get my second plane it will be more to handle than a trainer, and I want to start getting ready for it. (whether it be the 4* 60 kit I want, or a SPAD till I can afford the kit)

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

This is where the dual rates on a radio really come in to play. With dual rates you can set the low rates to the minumum throw for the control surface and the high rates for the max throw. With that done you can go between the two settings with the flip of a switch on your radio.

When I am setting up a new plane I always set up both throw settings on a plane like I just stated. I wouldn't ever take up a plane that has only minimum travel set. If anything it should be set to the max throw setting. Why? Think about it like this... It's better to have too much and not need it, than having not enough and needing it. With minimum travel you could get in the air and find that you don't have enough control throw to control the aircraft. At least if you are set to max throw you can use smaller stick inputs if you have too much control throw. But if you set up dual rates you can flip between the two.

Ken

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

interesting; I just set it up the way my original instructor told me to:eek:.

So I should set them all to max, and then use my shiny new computer radio to get what I actually am comfortable using out of it?

Then I could adjust with the radio as I become more proficient, without having to mess with the plane... (Note to self, rudder will DEFINATELY be given Expo, and or Dual rates[X(])

Edit: I hate not having a spellchecker!! (Work computer, IE basic no add ons.. Home PC Firefox with Spell checker installed)

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

I don't know if others agree with this, but I've been judging by how well I can take off land my plane. If my plane is a handful to control near the strip in varying wind conditions, then I won't add throw to my control surfaces until I am comfortable enough to handle a head wind and a cross wind.

You may adjust things independently, too. Today I was remaidening my plane after repairs. Taking off I noticed that I was able to keep it perfectly level (right to left) with very minimal effort, and there was a nice cross wind. I took this as an indicator that I can comfortably handle some more aileron throw. I had a difficult time landing however, due to some pretty drastic tail movements, so I reduced the throw of my rudder. As for your elevator issues, you shouldn't need too much to get your plane in the sky. I doubt it's a throw related issue. I would check to see if you front landing gear is bent, which would lower the nose and therefore not pull the plane in the sky as much. Also I would check the elevator trim once it's flying. Again, you should only need to pull back a little bit to get the front wheel off the ground. I had bent gear on my Nexstar and noticed it was taking a long time to get off the ground, even at high speeds. I also noticed I could use a couple/three more clicks of up elevator, which really helped with taking off. I guess I adjust my elevator by how twitchy it feels in the sky. If a small amount of down elevator will make me lose a lot of altitude, I might reduce the throw. Or if the plane stalls a lot with up elevator, again I'd reduce the throw.

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

hard question to answer...can't see ya fly....dual rates are the way to go. I'd leave expo alone though,learn to fly with your thumbs first....sounds like you still need a tad bit of work on your takeoffs...I always use full throttle on takeoff...I figure if I need the power I have it.

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

I don't believe elevator throw is involved in your "jumpy" takeoffs - it sounds like a technique issue. Try using a little elevator as the airplane picks up speed to get the airplane up on just the main gear. Hold it there. As the airplane picks up airspeed it will naturally glide off the runway in a nice shallow climb. It does take practice and finesse to get it just right. Few model pilots do this, but it really cleans up the look of your departures. ;)

Have fun!

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

LOL I need a bit of work on it all! I manage to do ok in the air, but slow flight, low flight, and take off / landing is rough at times.

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

That's allright. R/C flight takes a lot of practice to get just right. Heck, I still have those days where it seems like it's impossible to do anything smoothly. :)

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

Adui is this for your H9 Arrow?

I am pretty happy with my settings here is what I have approx on my Arrow:
Rudder +- 1.5"
Elv +- 0.75"
Ail +- 0.5"

I set the expo in my radio at 25% and do not use dual rates. I just found the expo to be more confortable than flipping a switch for rates.

the rudder did almost nothing at the recomended amount in the manual, which is why I increased it so much. now is it is quite useful, but will tend to cause roll at the current setting, so be ready to give it oppiste aileron to keep the wings level.

I have also been careful not to max out the elevator at high speed, just because I do not know if the air frame could take it, but it is nice to have the extra available for low speed handling.

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

Ive got just about half that in mine. Like I said I set it up with absolute minimum except the ailerons which use the middle hole on the servo and have no adjustment on the aileron side. Im gonna reset it all tonight, then I get to retrim it all tommorow LOL!! (Fortunately with all my repairs Im getting good at in flight trimming. Also, i dont know if I should be doing this but I retrim the elevator based on what speed I feel like flying it almost every time I fly)

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

A real good way to do it on that fancy computer radio is to mecahnically set your plane to the max recommended throws and set dual rate to whatever low rate you are comfortable with.
Set your high rate 5% above the low and gradually increase this as you get used to the faster rates a few degrees at a time.

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

Excellent! This is the kind of thing to get used to while flying a first plane!

I try to get students to keep flying that first plane for a year or more, practice practice practice! Fly inverted, do continuous rolls, every aerobatic maneuver you can, and get in trouble regularly. Getting out of trouble with this plane pays off later, when flying that next plane!

Milk this plane for all it's worth, learn everything you can, and learn to use your computer radio to get the most out of it. Keep up the good work!
Dave Olson

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

Might be worth noting that my plane is actually listed as a good SECOND plane in Kens beginner aircraft thread. I expect once I increase the control throws to max this plane will keep me plenty entertained long AFTER I get that second airplane for my K&B .61 motor!

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

Well after setting it up for max throws I am seeing something interesting.. I got roughly as much as AstroDad did out of the ailerons; almost as much out of the elevator (Rough measuring says about 5/8th inch there) and my rudder is a good quarter inch shy.. Since I do not have an incidence meter, (or whatever the tool is called that measures these things) I am eyeballing it with a ruler. Since I already know all axis worked OK before, I'm not too concerned, just thought I would mention it.

I set dual rates to %80 on the elevator and ailerons and %70 on the rudder, (My approximation of the throws I had before this adjustment). I'm going to take off tomorrow eve under low rates and once its three mistakes high set it to high rate and see where it goes.

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

It sounds like you have the airplane balanced rather nose heavy. I'm basing that on the jumping from the ground and difficulty in rotating, plus the slugish handling. Another possible reason for difficult rotation can be having the nose gear too short, but typically that is resolved by a few hard landings spreading the main gear out.

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

Certainly your low rates should be set at approximately where they were before as you know you can fly it like that but I wouldn't set the high rates to max (not at 1st anyway) as this will probably be a huge difference. Overall most crashes are probably caused by something happening too quickly and the pilot not having enough time to respond and this may be the case.
One of the best pieces of advice I was given by a modelshop ownner when he could of sold me a more advanced plane instead was to SLOWLY start upping the throws and moving the CoG slightly more rearward a step at a time and it would totally change the flying chracteristics of the plane but even more to the point prepare you for the next step up.
I was suprised how much longer I then flew that plane for and how much more aerobatic it became but just don't go too much too soon ie 1 hole at a time, if you take off fly it around and it's not enough you can land and increase some more, if you take off and it's too much to handle you may need the bin bag to take it home in !!!!!

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

I thought this too, but when I checked the CG it is actually about 1/4" behind the recommended CG for this bird.

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

Possibly, thats why Im gonna leave it on low till Im at least three mistakes high. If its just too much I have time to switch back to low rates and recover.

RE: Another begginerish question...
 

UPDATE:

I finally got to fly her today. Used low rates to get airborne and went up REALLY high. Flipped the switches to go high rates and played a bit to see the difference.

All I can say is WOW:D[X(]:D!!! She is WAY more responsive with throws maxed out, and WAY WAY more fun!!!

I found everything easier to do, and once I adjusted my use of stick to match, more precise. EVEN landing was easier, but then that may just be because landings recently clicked for me...
Inverted flight was easier to keep stable, but with the hazy sky I must admit to loosing orientation for a moment[X(]. I am sure the poor plane looked rather funny half flipping back and forth while I figured it out and got her righted.
DEFINITELY glad I did this adjustment!