I bought a G3!! so i got crap???

[bongo264]

I just bought G3 and from what i am reading this thing sux!! I am trying to learn how to fly an airplane no interest in heli right now. I have tried to teach myself to fly a couple of times about 15 years ago. I spent weeks building my trainer just to crash it on my first flight. I rebuilt it and crashed again. So now I am trying to learn to fly again and thought that this would help me out.

Now from what I am reading this thing is not realistic. I had been practicing for about a week before I found this forum and having read what everyone is saying I am feeling like i may have made the wrong choice. I dont know what is a good sim since I have never had a successful flight much less experience with multiple flights to understand what is good or bad.

[jholen]

Realflight G3 is a respectable simulator. However, the G3.5 update has been catching some flack for sketchy physics. I think most of the complaints are more about the 3D flight physics so for you I'm thinking that the general flying should be fairly accurate on G3/G3.5.

Most of what you'll find in this section of the forums is personal opinions. If you use the simulator in the right way it will definately help you improve your flying skills. Might I suggest you read this thread: http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3893 (start reading about "flying on the sim" part - 2nd or 3rd part down)

[Travis22304]

Here's my opinion, Reflex XTR...Good Heli Physics.../FS One...Good Plane Physics.../Realflight G3...Combination of both, but not as good in heli physics as Reflex, and not as good in plane as FS One...that's my opinion...hope I helped...

[Robster]

I just got Realflight 3.5 for Christmas and have been hooked on it. Haven't tried any of the other sims, but I think it's an excellent product. Been flying RC for 28 years and Realflight seems very accurate to me.

I installed the Realflight 3.05.041 beta patch and noticed some improvement in the physics.

The multiplayer sessions are downright awesome! This sim has sucked many hours of my life out of me in the last week. Going back online after typing this.

Rob

[Old Crash]

If you are learning to fly G3 can save you a lot of crashing and building. You will get good skills [smart thumbs] have a good time and get value for the money you spent. Which sim. is best is like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. G3 will move you to novice, then interm, then to advanced. When you can consistently take off, make circuits, figure eights, etc and land in G3 you will be amazed how well it translates to flying at the field.

When you go to the field have someone go over your setup and trim it out for you first time out.

regards, chuck

[CanCanCase]

I just bought G3 and from what i am reading this thing sux!! I am trying to learn how to fly an airplane no interest in heli right now. I have tried to teach myself to fly a couple of times about 15 years ago. I spent weeks building my trainer just to crash it on my first flight. I rebuilt it and crashed again. So now I am trying to learn to fly again and thought that this would help me out.

Now from what I am reading this thing is not realistic. I had been practicing for about a week before I found this forum and having read what everyone is saying I am feeling like i may have made the wrong choice. I dont know what is a good sim since I have never had a successful flight much less experience with multiple flights to understand what is good or bad.

That's kind of like saying "I just bought a new Ford truck, and now I'm reading that it sucks..." What you're reading here is just peoples' opinions and quite a bit of 2nd-grade-caliber bickering. That said, be sure you update all video and audio drivers. Be sure your systems meets recommended specs. Download the demo to decide before you buy (oops...too late, sorry!). Lastly, be sure you're running the most current version... Take a peek at the Knife Edge forums for instructions on updating to the newest public beta release (or wait a few days until they release it officially.)

If you've got a strong machine and set things up right, G3.5 is great.

-Case

[ndb8fxe]

To me the SIM seems to be more beneficial to Heli pilots. I've flown planes for many years and can't fly any of them well on the g3.5. I'm not saying the physics are bad, but I just can't see the planes well enough to fly them well on the SIM. Expecially if the planes have any speed to them.

My advice is to use both the SIM and get help when you fly the real model.

[ClayH]

I own G3 (and got the 3.5 upgrade for free) and I will say that as a new pilot you won't be able to tell the difference between the different programs. Any of them will help you learn to fly RC. But nothing will help you learn faster than having the help of an experienced , patient RC pilot. Whether you are on the sim or at the field, an experienced pilot will save you much rebuilding time and will shorten your learning curve.

One of the problems with sims is the reduced field of view that you have vs real flying. With the sim it is easy to lose perspective as the plane gets a little smaller faster than it does in real life. Plus, you often can't see the ground in relationship to your plane if you are using alternate views without using multiple open views.

Realfight is a fine program and will give you many hours of learning pleasure if you give it a chance. Learning RC isn't easy, it's hard. And as Tom Hanks said in A League of Their Own in reference to baseball " It's the hard that makes it great!" I recently witnessed something I'd never seen in 26 years of flying. A guy came to our field and said he'd been practicing for two weeks on his G3. He'd never flown RC before. He asked for help flying his Easy Star(electric powered glider) . We launched it for him then handed him the controls. He flew out the next two battery packs completely unassisted, landing the plane under control both times. I was amazed. Most peoples first experiences are like yours was. 5 seconds then crash, maybe 10 seconds if they get lucky. This guy soloed for nearly 20 minutes the first time he tried flying. And he was 30, not some smart ass 10 year old :p Says alot for the sim.

Keep practicing, get a helper, and welcome to the hobby. Or get out now while you still can :eek: :D :)

Clay

[bongo264]

Thanks for the help guys. I feel a lot better about my purchase. I was concerned that I was just learning a video game and not how to fly an RC plane.
I have spent many hours so far on it and I know it has improved my ability to just understand how the controls function. I would say I understand flight fairly well, as a kid I lived next to a small municipal airport and hung out there quite a lot. The old guys that had planes there took me up regularly and gave me the controls on occasion and I think that taught me some basic theory.

I already have a plane that I bought off of a neighbor who was selling some of his older stuff. I bought an Big Stick I think it is called, it is red has the Maltese cross on the wings .60 glow. I know this is not a trainer as it has the symmetrical wing do you guys think this would be possible to learn on? I got it for $80 so I don't have a lot invested in it. he says it has about 15 hours on it.. Or should I go pick up a pure trainer.

Thanks for all the good advice,
Brandon

[ClayH]

Big Stick is not a trainer plane. It would be fine as a second plane. That plane has no self correcting flight tendencies - it will go right where you point it.A proper trainer will be a high wing, flat bottom airfoil with at least a moderate amount of dihedral in the center section. These characteristics will make the plane capable of stable flight hands off the transmitter if the plane is trimmed correctly. This will allow you time to think while you're flying. If you can get a 60 size trainer you could use the motor from the Big Stick and you'll h ave quicker success.

Good luck!

Clay

[Tweener]

The sophistication of the program really has no bearing on learning to fly airplanes. I taught myself to fly with FMS. The main problem in learning to fly an RC plane is developing a hand-eye coordination for stick movement and dealing with the reversal of left/right direction when the plane is headed toward you. Once you have this licked, the main things left to learn are how to land and basic aerobatics. RFG3 should help a lot with these. I got RFG2 two years after I'd been flying successfully, and it has helped immensely with my confidence with new aerobatic maneuvers and variable wind landings.

[CanCanCase]

I'd pull the radio gear and engine out of the big stik and get a .60 size ARF trainer. Drop the gear from the stik in it, and you're ready to go learn. As was mentioned, the big stik will make a great second plane.

That engine and gear ought to make a nice match for the PT-60, and if it's not already in the sim, there's GOT to be a model on the swap pages that's quite close. (I think I remember a PT-40) in Real Flight...

Also, there's a great thread over at the Knife Edge forums about increasing certain plane and field settings to add to the realism. Little things like wheel camber, wind, turbulence, rolling friction... they're set to super easy mode by default in G3, but if you turn things up to realistic levels, it will add to your simulation challenge enough to keep things interesting and educational. I'm practicing my pattern and 3D in 5-10 knot gusty winds in several sims right now. When winter is over, and I can reclaim my field, I'll have a good bit of stick time in reacting to the wind and turbulence conditions.

-Case