Ok, Im about as new as they get to R/C flying. But I have learned some very valuable lessons that I'd like to pass on about the Aerobird.
First off, for anyone wanting to get into R/C flying, the Aerobird is simple enough to teach you the basic elements of flight without costing you an arm and a leg. Here are some pros that I like about the Aerobird. Keep in mind this is my very first R/C plane.

1) Cost to me was reasonable for the radio and all the trimmings
2) Parts are very easy to come buy. If you have the internet, Hobbyzone has every single part you will need. Their webpage is easy to order from and their prices are just about what they are in the actual hobby stores they retail from.
3) The durability of this plane to me was amazing. I knew I would crash the plane, thats why I bought a beginner airplane. But this plane took a pounding! :boxing: I have hit 2 fences head on from a shallow dive at about 100 ft. and the Aerobird was easily repaired.
4) Ease of flying impressed me. The very first time I took the bird up I flew with all 3 of my batteries and didn't wreck once. I learned that the wind is your daddy when your up in the air and even did a touch and go on my final flight that day.

Ok here are some tips that will help any new owners of this orange beast :devious:
1) GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE FLIGHT CHECK THE OWNERS MANUAL TELLS YOU TO. I can't stress this enough. The tail will move with a pretty good crash. Not making sure all the goods are lined up will just slowly damage your plane with each ill-fated take off.
2) Know that the wind is your masta...young grasshoppa. Almost every single crash I had was related to the wind in some way. The book wasn't lying when it said that if the ribbon hanging from your antenna was almost touching the antenna, you will have a harder flight. Don't forget that the wind down where you are is probably less than what is 100 feet up. I caught a mad tail wind the other day and couldn't speed up enough with the throttle to put enough thrust over the tail feathers to turn and smashed into a grove of little trees.
3) Learn to manage your battery time in the air. You don't have to keep the plane full throttle to have fun. An easy tail wind and just a smidgen of throttle will keep you moving pretty good and keep you flying longer. It also sucks if the plane is like 300 feet from you and the battery dies. Make sure when you think your battery is about up to keep the birdy close.

Stuff to keep your plane alive longer. :idea:
1) IF THE TAIL BOOM POPS OUT OF THE FUSELAGE...FIX IT IMMEDIATELY! My tail boom popped out once on a good crash (from my wifeys flying) and was eventually the demise of my fuselage. It got to the point that in a steady wind, when I pulled up to start a loop, the tail would pop out easily. The plane would go into a shallow dive and I would have no control at all except to stop the throttle. This alone cost me 2 wings and a fuselage. I lost the fuselage cause on one of these wrecks the plane was dented and I didn't know the dent was that bad. During an attempt at a loop my wing folded at about 200 feet. My Aerobird crashed INTO the ground. The computer was smashed to bits and I had to order a new fuselage. The tail boom can be fixed to not pop out with just a couple of holes through the fuselage and a zip tie.
2) LOL...make sure the wing isnt dented...SEE ABOVE STORY.
3) Go ahead and buy extra rubber bands. The ones on the wings slowly stretch out and will cause the wing to be cut into by the prop in even a hard landing.
4) Put clear packing tape on the leading edges of the wings and tail and on the rear edge of the wing where the prop could hit during a crash. This is sorta like armor. If the wing is cut into by the prop the tape will keep the tear to a minimum.
4) If you dont have a really smoothe runway to take off and land from...keep the landing gear in your tacklebox. They look sweet, but landing on even mowed grass will make a perfect landing an crash. Landings on grass without landing gear is sweet as butta and the fuselage is tough enough that it wont even scratch it.

I hoped this helped. Like I said, Im new at this so don't think Im trying to toot my own horn. I just wish somebody would have told me all this stuff from the beginning.

"The tail boom can be fixed to not pop out with just a couple of holes through the fuselage and a zip tie. " you are welcome for the tip...hehe...

I didn't know you already gave the tip...lol. But if I would have read it earlier I would still have a fuselage...

Great advice on the Aerobird. I have about 50 flights on mine and have really beaten it up. And it flies and flies.

If anyone needs repair tips beyond what is given above, let me know. I think I have fixed everything on the plane, and it flies and flies and flies.

This links shows you how one
person
secured the boom on their plane using screws. One concern with this technique
is that the threads of the screw could abraid the control lines or the
receiver antenna. This might not be the best approach

http://rclibrary.com/viewtopic.php?p=34#34

If you look at where the boom is attached inside there is a pinced area. I
drilled a small hole through the top of that area and through the boom. Then
I put a 4" nylon tie thorugh to help secure the boom. I also put packing tape
around the boom and the back of the body where the boom exits. Between the
two, the boom is well secured.

I just drilled 2 holes on the upper part of the indention of plastic that the boom snaps into. The indention also hides the zip tie quite nicely.

thanks screamin, im sure you'll help a lot of people out.

Great thread Scremin. This is how we all help each other.

So, what is your next plane?

Probably will be a tiger moth. Im not so much of a speed freak in the air, and I've seen lots of videos of that plane and it looks fun.

I really like hte Tiger Moth myself, but my second plane, not built yet is an d-Flight Electrajet. A parkflyer delta wing that looks a little like an F-14. Speed 380. Not too fast, but more aerobatic than the aerobird.

Third plane, should arrive tomorrow, is a Great Planes Spirit 2 Meter Sailplane. I am going to learn to soar with the birds.

Ive seen videos of the electra jet. You will have a blast. Keep me updated! One of these days, when my wife graduates nursing school, Ill celebrate with a new r/c plane. :stupid:

Hey,

Get her the Tiger moth. Of course you have to teach her to fly it.

What could be a greater expression of love! (and you get the plane while she is at school) Ha Ha!

Oh if she was only that dumb...lol. All the neato toys I would have.

Hey, thanks for the informative thread! I'm planning on buying the Aerobird either today or tommorow, and I can't wait to fly this thing!

I have a few questions about it:

About how fast does it fly? And is it powerful enough to fly at half-throttle or so??

I live in the desert. Needless to say, there is no grass where i live, just hard dirt and rocks.
Does the plane have enough to power for ground takeoffs on anything but pavement? Could it land on dirt? (I'm not talking about loose soil either, I'm talking hard, sun-baked ground)

Does the plane come with a video?

About how long to flights really last?

What aerobatics is the plane capable of? Barrel rolls? Loops? etc..


heh...sorry for all the questions, but I'm really looking forward to flying this thing and I want to make sure I know all the in's and out's beforehand.

The plane travels at about 20-25 MPH +/- on the 6 cell. The 7 cell might take it to around 30 tops would be my guess.

I launch by hand as I am on grass, thick grass that is over 1" tall. On the standard landing gear it doesn't really handle this grass at all, so I don't even put the wheels on. However one of the club guys made much bigger wheels and can rise off ground if he finds a relative bare spot, and can land the same way.

If the ground is hard and fairly even you should be able to do both. Just remember, you have no steering so you can't really control direction on the ground.

There is a Video.

Six or 7 cell, the flighs on mine last about 6 minutes at full power, but I spend most of my time flying at half power, or I shut the motor off completely if I can catch the right breeze. I am not sure if I have ever gotten into a thermal. Others tell me they have ridden thermals.

At half power flights last 12 to 14 minutes with a landing reserve. If she is trimmed well and you manage the wind properly you can fly at 1/3, but mine is trimmed for level flight at half power. At less than that, unless I am riding air movement she will slowly lose altitude, but we are not talking a dive here.

Normally I set a timer for 12 minutes for my flighs. At 12, I bring it in. My normal landing procedure is to glide in with power off. Since I am not ligning up for a true runway I just slide it into the grass. If I keep about 1/4 power I have full control, and just flare at the last second cut the power with a little up elevator to gently drop and slide. This way if you catch a wing or something, the prop doesn't bite the back of the wing.

The grass is often too long for a slide, it just catches the plane.

You should be fine. Learn to ROG, but you will save some battery with a hand launch.

Hope that helps!

As far as aerobatics go GordonJ. You can do as many loops as your starting altitude allows. 8 loops at 200 feet are nothing. You cannot do a level roll in this thing. The closest thing I got to a roll was from about 450 feet up. I "spiraled" down to the earth at about 30 mph. The plane techincally never turned over but it was fantastic to watch and control. Tail slides are fun in this thing too. Into the wind, pull up half throttle, at peak of loop shut off throttle, and your plane will fall right or left, depending on your input and wind. Like AEAJR said, your trim settings and throttle settings dictate your flight time. I kept mine up in a thermal for over 17 minutes the other day. I read a thread from a guy that kept his up for over 30! This thing wants to glide so take advantage of that and let her soar. In a 10-12mph wind, less than half throttle, this thing will just sit in one spot. Its sweet to watch, and relaxing too. For your first few flights keep it sorta close to you. It sounds funny, but you will be so excited you will lose track of time and you will run out of battery. This has happened to me several times, but a no throttle landing into a slight breeze is easy a pie. :P

Good point about running out of battery.

I picked up a $10 timer from Radio Shack. I set it for 12 minutes just before I launch. When 12 is up, I approach for landing, bring her in dead stick most of the time, just because I like to, then slide her into the grass. I have kept it up til the motor dies several times and typically that has been 14-15 minutes.

Setting a timer is a very good habit to get into especially as you become experienced and tend to venture a little higher and a little farther out, then a lot higher and a lot farther out.

You don't want to lose the motor when you are 100 feet up, 500 feet out which might be 200 feet into a wooded area and flying against the wind. It can get messy!

Greetings all! I recently purchased an Aerobird. I've learned a lot from reading a lot of your posts. I had one question though I couldn't find an answer on when doing various searches in the forum. So sorry if it's a repeat. I stretched one pull-line slightly near the tail wing when making an adjustment to make the wing more responsive. It still seems sturdy enough, but it's got me a little leery. Would the entire line have to be replaced, or is there an easier solution? Any suggestions? Thanks!

Welcome to the world of the Aerobird. You are in for a great time!

If this is your first plane you will find plenty of good information on care and feeding of your Aerobird and how to tend its wounds when you hurt it. Check the various threads here and at www.flightlines.com, www.********.com, www.rcgroups.com, www.rcairport.com and others.

As far as a stretched line, I am not sure what you mean. This is monomiliment fishing line. I can't imagine what you could have done to over stretch it without damaging the servos inside.

What behavior is the bird showing that concerns you?

If you did have to replace it, you would need to replace the whole thing. You would need to remove the control board to do that. Here is a photo of the control board with the servos facing up.

In the photo above, the bottom of the board is facing to the right. In order to pull the board out this far, you must remove the lines from the tail. If you do this, don't forget to mark the lines somehow so you know which one goes on which side of the tail.

To get it out any further, you will have to cut the power lines to the motor, or remove the motor, which is what I did.

I would avoid pulling the lines and the antenna completely inot the boom as you might have trouble threading them back through.

Most likely your line is OK, but these photos might be helpful in understanding the insides of the bird.

Thanks for the welcome. Before I flew my Aerobird for the first time, I made a modification based on one of your posts regarding the weak motor mounts and using a plastic tie to help protect it.

Before my first flight I also put clear packing tape on both sides of the wings based on someone's post, and along the edges to protect it from the propeller and rubberbands. I can't remember whose post I read that from.

I also read some posts about putting in some screws for added support where the black rod connects to the fuselage for added protection, but I was afraid of cutting through the control lines so I did the lazy way out and just wrapped a little duct tape around that area for some added support. I don't know if it will help, but I figured it can't hurt. So I learned a lot from reading these posts by posters like yourself.

Reading other people's experiences regarding crashes, I picked out a super big grass lot in a park on perfectly calm days to fly early in the morning before anyone was at the park. That way I don't have to worry about anyone getting their hair clipped from my plane. Besides a few poor launches on my part which took out a chunk of wing about the size of half a quarter, I didn't really have any problems with crashes the few times I flew it. But I was extra conservative since I'm so new to this. I basically got it up in the air only 100 feet or so, and I would pull back on the throttle to half and would simply fly in large circles. If I felt uncomfortable that I might get in trouble, I eased back on the throttle more and let it coast in the grass. It was more like gliding than flying on my part. Not very glamerous flying on my part, but very fun for a first timer and it helped save wear and tear on my plane knowing I had a huge area to easily glide my plane to a landing if I ever felt shakey. I'll keep flying it in that very conservative style until someday when I hope I feel more comfortable and confident to fly more aggressive stunts.

Regarding my stretched line, it still flies OK, but since I don't know what I'm doing, I turned the control spool way to much when I was trying to remove the line so I could move it to a hole closer to the tail for better response. I misunderstood how the control spool worked when I tried to remove the first line. I eventually moved both lines to the lowest hole for the best response and it flies OK, but near one of the control horn spools, I have an area where about 1/4 of an inch is stretched kind of funny. I don't think it will matter at the moment with my ultra conservative flying style, but if I eventually progess and start giving it more throttle and start doing loops and such, I'm a little leary it might eventually snap.

Crash_Airlines

Sounds like you are doing wonderfully. Congratulations!

Already you have done better than I did on my first few flights. Of course the reason I made all those posts about reinforcing the plane is because I learned from fixing. I hope you avoid the lessons I had to learn.

The stretching is probably not a concern so I would put it out of my mind if I were you.

As for the duct tape, that is a little heavy. I would recommend removing that and putting a few wraps of clear packing tape to reinforce the boom. For this purpose it is stronger than the duct tape and much lighter.

Keep doing the kind of flying you are doing until you are very confident that every flight will be a good one. Get comfortable with more altitude as well. 200 feet is nothing.

Be at least 150 feet up before you loop so if you have a problem you have room to recover. Watch the video again and then try the tail slides and the chantel turns.

You are another tribute to the ease with which this plane can be flown and how quickly you can progress with it. Keep the posts coming and let us know how you are doing. If you keep going as you have, you will be attracting a crowd and soon the sky will be filled with Aerobirds and you will be the squadron leader.

Clear skies and good flying!

Thanks for the kind words. You aren't kidding about this plane. They designed it well for the newcomers like myself. It's about 95% plane and about 5% skill on my part to fly this thing. I'm so glad I bought the Aerobird now. When I read up on the Aerobird it sounded like it did everything I wanted for a first plane, but it said it shouldn't be used for first timers. I knew I didn't want what the 2 channel Firebird series had to offer in the longer term, but I kept debating whether I should buy the Firebird as a trainer before moving to the Aerobird like the manufacturer said. I'm so glad I went with my gut feeling and bought the Aerobird as my first plane. And truthfully, I think I would have had a harder time flying the Firebird as a first time plane compared to the Aerobird.

My flying experiences went kind of the opposite of what I expected. I expected to have a hard time landing and an easy time launching, but I was the opposite. The elevator control helped me rise out of some poor launch throws to save some of my flights. If I had bought a Firebird without the elevator I would have crashed several times during my takeoffs. I also feel I would have had a harder time landing a Firebird compared to an Aerobird. The first time I landed my plane I didn't use the elevator much and I tried to control it more with just the throttle like a Firbird. My landing was somewhat jerky but I landed it OK.

The next time I wanted to land I turned off the throttle completely and used the elevator to gradually land the plane. I found this way much easier and smoother to land it without any problems. So I've been doing it this way ever since. I think the key for me was having so much open space with a nice grass field, that I didn't have to try to squeeze the plane into a tight landing area. Since I had all the room in the world, I just let the plane glide slowly while descending until the plane was ready to land, instead of me determining when I wanted to land. I didn't care where it landed since I had such a wide open area. I was just so happy I could land it smoothly in one piece.

If I actually had to land it at a certain spot like a miniature runway or something I'd be dead meat because I currently have no ability at the moment to land it in a predetermined spot. It's amazing to me how easily this thing just glides around in the air without the engine. So I'm happy I got the Aerobird now with the elevator control to help me with my gliding landings. And I look forward to hopefully being able to use it someday to do loops and such.

I guess you're right that I should probably not worry about the stretched area in my control line. I had one other question though. I know I'm nowhere near ready for the X-pack wing yet, but I was thinking of buying it now anyway because it comes with another battery which I do want now for longer flying times. I guess that battery has a little more power too. The extra power of the battery isn't important for me yet, but I want some extra batteries so I can change batteries on the spot so I can air more flying time.

My question is, is there a certain number of batteries I should buy with some sort of multiple charging system so I can charge a couple batteries while I'm flying and then rotate them in some manner? It seems like it takes about 20 minutes to charge my battery, but I'm not positive. Any ideas what to buy to charge extra batteries? Thanks.

Batteries:

Here is my advice.

How many batteries you need depends on what your goal is, how patient you are and how long you want to fly.

Assuming you have a car with you and can charge a battery from the car, I would say 3 is a good number and 4 is ideal.

With three you have one flying, one cooling (5 minutes after flying) and one charging. A full charge takes about 40 minutes so it runs something like this.

Fly - about 15 minutes

5 minutes to let that battery cool and let the motor cool down a little as you change batteries, and check out your plane.

Take your time, consider your flight. Consider what you want to do on your next flight. If you have a friend with you, spend some time talking. If he has a plane, the let him fly while you watch.

After 5 minute cool down, put that battery on the charger at 1.2 amps, max charger rate on the Aerobird charger.

Back in the air for 15 minutes.

5 minutes to let that battery cool and let the motor cool down a little as you change batteries, and check out your plane. You are putting in your third battery.

Take your time. Your first battery is now half charged after 20 minutes. Check to make sure the light is blinking. If you have a second charger you can start charging this battery. Aerobird chargers are about $14.

Up for your third flight - 15 minutes

5 minutes to let that battery cool and let the motor cool down.

40 minutes have passed and your first battery should be charged. Give it an extra 5 minutes to cool down from charging and put your second battery on the charger. Or if you have two chargers, your second is now half charged and you can put your third battery on the charger.


So, if you put yourself on a 20-25 minute cycle per flight, you can get in 2-3 flights per hour all day long.

If you go to a 4th battery, or a second charger you can basically do three 2-3 flights per hour all day long. If you get a second charger, as I have, you can do 3 flights an hour all day long on three batteries. I have two chargers AND 4 batteries so I never have to stop, but I still allow 5 minutes between flights to let the motor cool down. No need to rush, this is supposed to be fun.

As for the seven cell pack. Yes, the X-pack is a better value than buying the battery alone IF you can get it for under $30 because you get the X tail with it. However I think the 6 cell batteries are just fine as well.

I now have one 6 cell and three 7 cell batteries that I bought in X-packs. I had another 7 cell but I lost it in a field.

If you do use the 7 cell, remember that this will shift the CG slightly forward. You can fly the plane this way but it gets a little nose heavy.

I cut the foam block that sits between the battery and the control board. I cut it top to bottom right down the middle. When I have the 6 cell in, both pieces of foam are together. When I have the 7 cell in, I move that cut piece of foam in to the front of the plane which moves the battery back about 3/8 of an inch. This keeps the plane in good balance.

You can fly it without doing this, but it won't glide as nicely as it becomes a little nose heavy. You will also notice that it tends to drop more on launches.

The 7 cell gives you more power, but generally not more time.

I like the plane on the 6 and the 7 cell so get which ever you feel like, but get at least one 7 cell so you can judge the difference.

Don't change the tail now. I didn't change mine until I damaged the original tail. The X tail does make the plane more responsive for loops and stunts.

Hope that wasn't toooooooo long an answer.

Clear skies and safe flying.

Congrats on your purchase of the Aerobird! I'm also a new pilot, and its the wisest $150 I think I've spent.

To be honest, and not just speaking to be kind, I really don't think you have anything to worry about as far as your flights are going. You seem very competent!

My first flight with the Aerobird went very poorly. I did a ground launch, and it lifted off beautifully, and everything seemed to be going well.
I hit a slight of gust of wind though, and the plane was bushed down slightly and to the left. In a first-time panic, I gave it full up elevator and tried to bank to the right.
The plane did a nose spiral down to the ground, slamming into the dry dirt hard, snapping the wings in half.

After replacing the wings, I've had nothing but enjoyment with this plane! I now have 6 flights under my belt, and they are much like yours: Simple, level flying around the perimeter of my flying area, at an altitude of about 100ft. Often times, i just set the throttle to half power and let her glide along the breeze.

Before I try any aerobatics, I'm first going to perfect level flight, and landing exactly where I want it. I too have a large area to land it, and just seem to let it glide in wherever the breeze takes it. One of these days I'm going to mark off a simple runway and test my ability at touch-and-go's.

Anyway, its good to hear you're enjoying your Aerobird as much as the rest of us. The best part for me is, i know I've only scratched the surface of what this plane can do!

Good luck and happy flying!

P.S. What kind of winds do you usually fly in? 10mph? More? Less?