I went to the latest event in my area, the 1/8th airforce, and was shocked at the flying. It seemed that most of the planes, about 60, were 1 step away from sure destruction at the hands of there pilots. Are these planes that hard to fly or is it just bad pilots? I am by no means an expert pilot but I can certainly land without bouncing 9 out of 10 times. The bounces I saw at the show were not even like they had any control. It looked like they lined up for the landing, slowed the plane down, and then watched and prayed it would stop in 1 piece. I must say that there were some people that could land and takeoff fine but most seemed unsure of what to do once the mains hit the ground.

Maby I am just picky, but these scale guys need to work on there landings. Nothing looks less scale than a plane bouncing along, dragging its wings, gringin up its prop, and basically looking out of control.

Phil (Mesa, AZ)

Scale airplanes are much harder to land (in most cases) than aerobatic or sport aircraft, due to hi wing loadings. The stall speed is high so if you get a little slow they tend to drop on the runway causing a bounce. Most any pilot can fly a warbird, but landing is an art all it's own. It takes a good pilot to get one down every time with out bouncing or scraping a wingtip. Even the best will occationally bounce one.

Darn Phil, I guess I missed that event.....oh well...

Jerry

Jerry, sounds like you have finally made it to Arizona! Hope you like it here.
Come out and visit us at the AMPS field sometime!

Clair Sieverling

Scale warbirds are tricky to land because of the profile desing compared to the power to weight ratio. They need to come in hot, take coordination of flap, rudder, and throttle control, and could be a bear if not balanced. It took a year or more before I was able to slip a Mustang onto the runway in a scale like manner. It takes a lot of practice and feel of the particular aircraft. Some pilots may just be starting out in that type, and yes, you land by the grace of God when flying for the first couple of times.

In most scale meets, you will see good landings because the score is based on how well the pilot controls the plane in a scale manner, from take off to landing. That is my goal, and I tell you, it is the hardest type of flying I've tried, much more than 3D.