Confusing terms
 

Ok, heard some terms that have me confused...

1) Flutter
2)Gasser

also i am wanting a warbird but only have a trainer, is this a good investment?
http://www.hangar-9.com/Products/Pro...ProdID=HAN4425

RE: Conusing terms
 

flutter is when all or one the control surfaces (alieron/elevator/rudder) vibrates really fast. usually because the plane is going to fast. but can also be caused by improper setup.

gasser. their are 2 definitions
in the forums its usually a gasoline powered plane (engine similir to that of a weed wacker)
some use the term for when refering to any "wet" (nitro/diesel/gasoline) powered plane

as for that plane. some like it some hate it. its not really a "trainer" so to speak
i would train on a traditional trainer. then move up to one of those later. (dont buy it yet)

RE: Confusing terms
 

Flutter is the resonance of waves going across the control surfaces. Usually on ailerons at speeds to high for the design of the plane. They will vibrate uncontrollably and usually but not always lead to a catostrophic failure of the airframe. I did it twice accidentaly on the same plane and it still flies.

Gasser is pretty much any plane that runs on pump gas, ie 87 octane unleaded. It's mixed with oil just like your weedeater, which is essentially a gasser. Much cheaper than the nitro.

As for the Mustang, I would think that it would be a fine 2nd plane as long as someone else maidened it and you got a few buddy box flights. I give that opinion only from discussions I have read about it in the past, not from firsthand experience.

RE: Confusing terms
 

Another thing that causes flutter besides too much airspeed, is too much slop in your control rod linkages.

RE: Confusing terms
 

I've trained a couple guys on the PTS, if your stuck on using it to train make sure your instructor is cool with it, you have an instructor right[>:] With it and be prepared to take twice as long to learn, learning on a tail dragger is not ideal. You have to learn to use the rudder and cross control from the start which is too much for some students.
cross control is using the ailerons and rudder opposite each other to maintain wings level and direction at the same time. You can also do it to induce a forward slip to loose altitude without gaining airspeed <-advanced maneuver, don't try until you know what you doing.

RE: Confusing terms
 

Cross control because it's a tail dragger??? I just have to ask.

RE: Confusing terms
 

Not sure if I've used cross control on any of my planes other than experimenting with the forward slip.

RE: Confusing terms
 

Yeah the PTS lands fine, even when not employing the rudder.

I've trained a bunch of people on it.


I don't know if he was trying to say that use of the rudder is required, but except on takeoff it is not.

The plane does tend to yaw at run-up, but this can be corrected to a large degree using standard fixes...

e.g.

- Raise the tail so the plane sits more level
- Toe in the wheels.
- Add a click or two of right rudder or a mix.

All too often instructors often pull off all of the training aides far too quickly because they believe the plane feels underpowered.
All of these devices are designed to work in UNISON, to provide a trainer-like experience.

The changes made make the plane more difficult for a novice to fly, than it's intended design.

RE: Confusing terms
 

From my experience I've found you can get away without cross control with training wheels. In a tail dragger If you're not good at cross controlling with any cross wind you'll ground loop and or ding a wing tip and or nose it over every time, it's a real pain to teach this to someone with no flight experience, since most students over control and have a tough time using more than 1 command at a time when first learning.

RE: Confusing terms
 

I have seen one fellow using slight cross control on takeoffs with a stiff crosswind. With a crosswind from the right, a slight amount of right aileron to keep the wind from getting under the right wing and a slight amount of left rudder to keep her from weathervaning.

Actually saw it done successfully with a 1/3 scale J-3 Cub. I've never tried it myself and pretty much take off using only rudder corrections. The one exception is on a flying boat type hull where you need to keep the wings level (and the sponsons out of the water) while on the takeoff run. Does sometimes result in very slight cross control. But this is not the result of crosswind but rather a slight imbalance in the lateral CG

RE: Confusing terms
 

Yes I have an instructor, and am learning on the Hobbico Superstar .40. I want to get into warbirds and hear that they can be tricky to fly. This is why i was looking at the PTS. Its a nice looking large warbird that I can go from trainer to warbird and still have the forgiveness of a trainer. plus A plane, motor, and DX6i for $400 who can complain about that :D


Just as my dad told me when learning to ride a bike, just because the training wheels are off don't mean you can race in the Tour De France.

RE: Confusing terms
 

I flew a high wing trainer for a few months 20 years ago and stopped flying after I wrecked it (decided I couldn't afford the hobby). About 2 years ago I got back into the hobby and started off with the Mustang PTS (original version) because I too love warbirds. I think its a fantastic plane to train on and I can't recommend it enough. The ability to turn it into a sport plane slowly by taking off the training aids as you get more confidence/skill is a great feature and really keeps the plane fun. I know a lot of people who start with a high wing trainer quickly get bored with it.

An instructor is a must. My instructor maidened it and did the first several take offs and landings for me. I learned to use the rudder on take off to counteract the tendency for it to pull to the left (due to motor torque?) but you don't have to use the rudder in the air until you want to start experimenting with its effects or start doing knife-edges and such. The flaps are also alot of fun to experiment with and most/many trainers don't have flaps.

I am now flying planes like the H9 P40 Warhawk and Great Planes combat planes (for fun and in combat events). I've got a Seagull Edge 540 that I'm about to start assembling to try my hand at more advanced acrobatics and I just made deal on a used Sundowner 50 today that I'm really excited about. [8D]

I sold the Mustang about a year ago but wish I had kept it because it was such a good, tough, reliable plane. Now I'm eyeing that new H9 P51 Mustang .60 that's supposed to be released in June though :D

RE: Confusing terms
 

You'll already have prior experience as you move to the PTS.

This will make it an even safer choice for you.

In your case I'd advise starting out with the 2 blade 11x6 prop, but leaving everything else on the plane.... all of the other training aids.

Let an instructor help you out to check out the plane, set the throws and maiden it.

He can get you through the first landsings which will be different than what you are used to.

After you certify, you can start removing the aid as you feel comfortable.

Remember that the front "brakes" are supposed to work in unison with the flaps.

If you pull up the flaps, remove the brakes and vice-versa. ( Hint once you remove the brakes, cut them and turn them into faux landing gear door covers, they look great this way... ).

The racked forward sweep of the landing gear, makes it difficult to nose this plane over.

The large wheels also make it easy to land on grass, as the wheels are larger than most .40 trainers.