Hello,

I bought my first RC plane today a FightBird, wicked little plane,
looks great I just can't stop crashing it, took it to a missive
field today and crashed and crashed it until the wing broke in half.

Came home stuck it back together again to make the wing stable but
now all I need is someone to say what I am doing is OK, sort of
reasurance.

I think my main problem is fear, fear of loosing it, when I see it
take off and zoom away from me I think I panic and turn left or
right really hard and then it looses control and crashes in to the
ground with a really big thump.

I mean how far is to far?

Does anyone have any advice for me on the best way forward to loose
my 'fear' should I just bit the bullet and let the darn thing zoom
away then turn a bit at a time, you know and be more confident???

Any help would be appreciated.

Simon RF

Simon,
I am about a year down the road from you, and haven't crashed one for almost a week. My trainer (self-taught, and the results were as can be expected), was a GWS stock Cub. Very docile, and durable. Now to my suggestion; find yourself a good open spot, let that puppy get up to an altitude that will be forgiving (say 100/200') and use very small, gentle control inputs. Almost all of my troubles come from over-contolling. Throttle back and enjoy. And learn on days when the wind is no more than 5 mph or so. And, keep lots of epoxy and strapping tape handy. My battered ol' Cub still flies, but my ego (lack of common sense) has got me flying/crashing three axis airplanes nowl.
Good luck, and enjoy.

For your early flights, don't handicap yourself by trying to fly in a small field. Find the largest open area you can.

Don't be afraid of losing the plane. The only way you'll lose the plane is if you fly it away; you have to hold the throttle to keep the plane flying. Let go of the throttle and it will come back down.

At first, don't even try to turn. Launch the plane and just let it fly straight ahead into the wind for a while, then cut the throttle and let it land. Observe what the plane does. It should fly level at about half throttle. If it tries to climb or dive, refer to the instructions for tips on adjusting the plane to fly level.

Once you have the plane flying straight ahead and level, it's time to try a turn. Get flying straight ahead, up about 100' or so, then drop back to half throttle and turn left or right. If the plane doesn't turn tightly enough, add throttle, but remember to let go of the throttle if the turn gets too tight.

I am new to this as well. My plane of choice is a Flying Styro Kit " Chubby Lady" I think that this plane is Completely under rated as a beginner plane! It has a 36" wingspan and is a Slow/park flyer. I started out with a Estes Sky Rangers plane. This thing proved to be the worst thing to happen to a beginner! It's nothing more then a Guided missel!. It gave me a serious fear of hand launching. I had the same thing happen to me as you did, but in my case I completely tore up the plane! So I went running for the internet and found the Alfa Models "Lovochkin LA-7. When I saw the video of this thing in action I had to learn to fly one. So I found the Chubby Lady and it's been a plesure to learn on. I also got the Lavochkin LA-7 but it will be a while before I am ready to try that one. But looking at it is what keeps me from giving up on those bad flight days. I have had a few bad days but mostly good and have not had to make any major repairs to her yet. By the way the Chubby Lady teaches ground takeoffs very well. Anyway keep us beginners posted and we will do the same.

Mike

Thanks all,

I wil try the take off and landing, good advice I think, I will definately let you know how I get on.

I plan to try again tomorrow (if the wind is light enough) so will let you know how I get on, I'll get my kids to run after it to get it back for me when I fly it so perhaps i won't panic so much :-).

Thanks again.

Simon

Hey I feel your pain! Was doing great with my aerobird challenger on my first flight with it, i decided to let my daughter try it for just a second. Climed nice and high and the last thing I remember is her turning the stick all the way to the left to turn it. By the time I got the controler out of her hand it was to late and she was diving fast! I could not have been worse. I have a couple 2 chan planes think I will let her try them! I am getting another challenger because I really like the way it flew. I did learn my lesson about letting control of the plane go to my daughter until I get a little better. I did think maybe I should have got the commander though? But i picked up the 2 chan planes pretty quick and thought the commander might be to small a step up. I may have been wrong but we will see when I get the challenger back up in the air.

Launch Advice - Best to have a friend with you who can help with the launch,
the range check and keep an eye on the plane.

1) RTFM - read the friendly manual if there is one- especially the launch
sequence.

2) Watch the video if there is one - sometimes the mfg has something on their
webs site on prep of the plane and your first luanches

3) When you get to the field, do a range check. Turn on the radio - antenna
DOWN. Connect the battery in the plane and place it where it can't move, or
have a friend hold it, but be clear of the prop and the tail.

Back away from the plane for about 30-40 feet, 15 -20 paces as you operate the
sticks. If the tail seems to work ok, turn the motor on - one quick rev to be
sure you have motor control, then off. Check the surface movements again.
Make sure they are moving in the correct direction (this one cost me a glider
crash) Turn motor on about 1/3 and check surfaces once more.

The whole process should take a minute or two. This is called a range check.
If you have control of the plane with the antenna down at this range, then
your radio and the receiver are working properly. You can launch.

Things to think about prior to launch - you want to launch, fly around and
land. No tricks, no loops. Safe up and safe down.

1) Do your first flights in calm air. No more than 5 MPH wind. Dead calm is
better. You want to fly the plane, not fight the wind.

2) Altitude is your friend. Don't be afraid to get it up to about 200 feet on
the first flight. If you make a mistake, this will give you room to recover

3) slow easy stick movements, not big hard movements. Start your
turns early. Flying a plane is more like driving a boat than a car. You are
traveling in a fluid so it takes time for the plane to respond. And, it
steers from the back, not the front, like a car or a bicycle.

4) Speed is your enemy. The plane should fly nicely at half throttle. Once
you are at the right altitude, come back to half throttle and just cruise at
that setting as you get to know the plane. You will get much longer flights
this way.

5) bring a watch to time your flights. No more than 5 minutes for the first
few. You don't want to take a chance on running out of battery on your first
few flights. At full throttle you should have 6-7 minutes. at half throttle,
about 12-15 minutes. Who ever launches is also the timer.

OK to launch -

Fully extend the antenna. Make sure the wing is on straight and centered.

Make sure the trims are centered - the moveable surfaces should be even with
the stationary part of the tail. If they are not, follow the instructions in
the manual to adjust them. You MUST adjust them with the battery in and the
radio on with the trims centered.

I suggest you hand launch rather than rise off the ground.

You need a large open space - at least 600X600 with nothing in the way. Stand
in one corner of the space. You MUST launch into the wind. MUST! While you
are flying keep the plane in front of you, up wind.

If you have a friend with you, one should launch the plane and one should work
the controls.

The launch is a firm LEVEL throw from the shoulder straight out. NOT UP.

Pull the elevator trim back two to three clicks, no more. Full power to the
motor. Take two to three steps and throw the plane straight out at shoulder
height like you were throwing a spear or a javelin, but out level, not up.
The plane will go out, may lose a little height then rise up. Only use the
stick to keep it going straight., left and right.

Keep the power at full until the plane is about 75 feet up, about tree height.
then move it back to about 3/4. It should continue to climb. Move the trim
forward the 2-3 clicks to the middle. The plane should continue to climb, but
more slowly. Watch our space. If you are running out of room begin your
turn. You want to climb in a big big circle. Move the sticks only a little
bit and give the plane a chance to respond. Slow smooth movements of the
stick.

Make big lazy circles as you climb and keep the plane in front of you. Use
the whole field.

When you get to about 150 -200 feet, take it back to half throttle. It should
fly about level at this throttle setting. You can use the elevator to take it
up and down in small movements, but if you pull the stick back too far or too
fast it will stall and the nose will drop, just let the stick go to center and
it should recover on its own.

When you turn, don't hold the stick in the turn for more than about 2 seconds
then let it come back to center.

You are flying.

After about 3 minutes from launch, you want to prepare to come down. Bring
the throttle to about 1/3 or where the plane starts to desend. You can use
the elevator to control the attitude, nose up and down, but for now, let the
plane just come down slowly.

You must land into the wind. MUST! So plan your circles so that you will end
up into the wind as you get close to the ground. When you are bout 10 feet
up, cut the throttle way back, but not off. and just line up for your
landing. Let the plane come down gently. A couple of seconds bufore you
land, turn the motor off and just let it glide in.

You are a pilot!

Simon,

You don't say whether you've tried a simulator yet.

I don't know what others opinions on this are, but as a new flyer, I have found it very helpful. I didn't even have an expensive one ($10US).

Other than that, deep breaths and reminders to myself to fly the plane!

There are MANY important things about learning to fly. I have just gone through the whole learning process and am currently under real flight training. One Important tip ill give you mainly because it is a basic principal of flying and is very commonly misunderstood.

Climb/descent is controlles by throttle.

Speed is control by elevator.

To enter a climb, increase power, it will maintain it's own airspeed (pretty much, enough anyway) and will climb to do this. Decreas power, it will descend and maintain airspeed.

If you move the elavator to nose down it will accelerate and descend. If you nose up, it will slow down maybe climb, maybe stall.

Simon RF,

Alfat provides some extremely good tips. The fighterbird does not have an elevator, it is a two channel plane, however you do use the throttle to climb so the tip fits.


Also, I gave you my first flight suggestions above. Perhaps I should have given you my test flight tips instead. I think this will work better for you.

TEST FLIGHT PROCEDURES FOR PARKFLYERS
by Ed Anderson
aeajr on the forums

PURPOSE - Here are some quick tips and a "check sheet" for preparing your
parkflyer for flight. If you have an instructor or coach, follow their
recommendations. This list is primarily for someone learning on their own who
would like some tips, guides and check lists to help them with their early
test flights. Skip a step and you open yourself to problems.

If you are REALLY new to RC flying, before you put your plane up you may wish
to read this series of articles aimed at new flyers of all types.

Beginners Bootcamp:
http://www.rcezine.com/cms/article.php?cat=&id=17

Too many people think flying an RC plane is like driving an RC car. ITS NOT!
Read the column, see why, and understand how this is going to be so much
better than cars.


BALANCE THE PLANE - For the Fighter bird you should not have to do this. It comes prebalanced as long as you are using the standard battery pack. However for your next plane this will be an important step. Read the manual to see if you need to balance the plane.
Be sure to balance the plane to the suggested CG point. If you don't know how
to balance a plane, this is the time to ask. Don't try to fly it until you do.

An improperly balanced plane is not likely to fly well and is very likely to
crash! Even SOME Ready to Fly planes have to be balanced, so check the manual
for the manufacturers suggestions. In general it is better to be a "little"
nose heavy rather than tail heavy. A nose heavy plane is more stable so you
have a better chance of a smooth first flight session.

WIND - Read the recommendations in the manual. Some planes must only be flown
in dead calm or indoors. You plane will not be able to come back against the wind very well so keep it under 5 MPH until you are VERY VERY good with it.

For new pilots, dead calm to 3 MPH is perfect. No more than 5 MPH for your
first test flights and early/training flights or you will be fighting the
wind, not flying the plane. (guess how I know)


AT THE FIELD

1) Make sure no one is on your channel BEFORE you turn on your radio. Remember the Fighterbird is on 27 mhz radio system so if you see some kid with a car near you, he could be on the same channel. Go over and ask. If there is another flyer anywhere in sight, go and talk to them BEFORE you turn on your radio.

If someone is flying on your channel and you turn on your radio, they will
crash! Check first! At our field if you cause someone to crash, you have to
buy them a new plane. That can cost thousands. Check first!

2) Do a range check before the first launch of the day - If you don't know how
to do a range check, ASK!

3) Make sure that battery is fully charged just before the launch. Not 3 days
ago. Not last week. Last night or today!

4) Make sure all your surfaces are properly aligned and move properly before
you launch. Check the instructions.

Make sure right rudder goes right and up elevator goes up (no elevator on the Fighterbird), etc. Also make sure your wing is straight!

5) CHECK THE TRIMS! Check the trim slides on the side and below the stick(s).
They should be in the center. Be sure you have not bumped one out of position.
A bumped trim can cause the plane to crash. (guess how I know). I do this a
lot throughout the day, so check just before EVERY launch.

6) Always launch and land into the wind - ALWAYS!

7) For hand launches - good firm LEVEL throw - NOT UP! Never throw the plane
upward on a test flight as it will most likely stall, go nose down and crash.
After a few launches you will know how THIS plane flies.

TEST FLIGHTS

The following is a suggested test flight process for flyers learning on their
own, primarily in an open field area. If you are at a highly disciplined
runway based site, they may not allow you to follow this procedure. In this
case, you probably have an instructor, follow their guidance. If you are alone
in a field, follow this process.


LAUNCH - FLY STRAIGHT - LAND - Don't go for a real flight, this is a test to
see if it goes straight and level. I like to fly straight out and then land
for the fist few tries. I send it out 100-300 feet. This way I get a feel of
how the plane will launch and how it will land.

Does it glide in nicely?

Do I need power on as I land?

Launching and landing are the two most important things you have to do, so
make sure you know how the plane behaves before you attempt anything more. You
will do some walking but that is better than gathering up pieces or watching
your plane fly off into the distance.

On these test flights, try to use the controls as little as possible. If it is
balanced correctly, and your surfaces are trimmed it should fly straight and
true. If you have to work the sticks to keep it going straight and level, you
may have some trim adjustments to do, or your plane is not well balanced. Make
those adjustments now. If it flies with the nose sticking up, you are too tail
heavy. If the wind is blowing it around a lot, put it away for a calmer day.

The first time I bring a plane to the field I might do 1-5 test flights as
straight out launches and landings. After each I adjust and do it again. Only
when I am happy that the plane goes straight and flat will I take to the
skies. I may add or remove some balance weight if the plane needs balance
improvement.

I like to adjust my planes at the surfaces so that my normal flight trim
settings on my radio are normally neutral trims. This way I don't have to
worry about setting trims before I fly. It takes time, but it saves problems
later.

Many kits tell you to set your control throws for lower amounts for early
flights. Follow this recommendation. Too much surface movement on an
unfamiliar plane can cause you to over control it. You can always "crank it
up" later.

Once I have done all these things, which might take 10 minutes or it may take
an hour, then and only then would I go for altitude and go around the field.
After these few test flights I also get a feel for how much stick movement
will give me how much plane movement.

I get to know the plane is right before I send it up. Finding I have a problem
when I am 200 feet up and climbing and
can't control a turn is not a good thing because now I have to get it down and
land it.

I hope this is helpful. Clear Skies and Safe Flying!

I believe that the 2 channel will teach you good habits. Have fun!
That is very good advice aeajr.
Another really impotant tip: Don't give up!
Your first flights you will crash, and damage your plane, and have to spend more money. You might go through a stage thinking "I'm never gonna get there". I did. I'm sure many others have to. Keep trying, you will learn to fly, and it will be well worth it, you won't regret it.

One of the planes I learned on was also a Firebird. The one I had did not climb very quickly and needed pretty much full power to climb at all, which means you need a pretty good sized flying area. That plane needs to have some speed to keep from stalling. If you get nervous and back off on the throttle and try to turn it you will likely twist into a crash. Try trimming it out with just a slight bit of up elevator and give it a good solid throw with full power and don't back off the power until you get it up in the air. If you have to turn it do it very gently at first. Also fly it in the advanced mode - it is actually easier I think.

Climbs are usually conducted at full power, no less

Sometimes the plane will shoot straight up at full throttle. When that happens, back off the throttle and let the plane recover. Land ASAP and adjust the tail per the instructions. Generally, this means raising the front of the tail and lowering the rear.