Hey all. I started flying R.C. electric gliders/air planes last year. This is my second year/season. I can fly pretty good right now, banking/turning, gliding, and landing, etc...

Last year I bought myself a Popwing flying wing. It was real twitchy at first but I finally got the dual rates lowered enough and added enough weight to the nose that it flies great.

Anyway, this year I got out my Popwing and started flying it hard, doing loops and rolls. One thing I've noticed is that I'm getting more and more confident with it. I can lose orientation for a second or two but regain orientation and control before it hits the ground. I'm almost at the point where I don't care one bit if i lose orientation because I know I can regain control.

Now I'm trying to fly inverted. That is my main question - are there any hints on learning how to fly inverted? What really helped to learn normal flying last year was this: When the plane is coming towards me I move the stick towards the wing I want to lift. Now I've got that burned into my brain/reflexes.

So now this summer I want to learn how to fly inverted and bank and turn while being inverted. Any hints on how to learn this quickly and efficiently?

Thanks

just practice at 3 mistakes high. and once again play with your sticks. Most planes drop on there nose so holding a little pressure on the stick helps keep it level

I haven't been flying much longer than you and I fly inverted pretty good! what helped me is just remembering that you elevator stick (and rudder) are reversed while inverted. I don't use my rudder that much on normal flying, but when you get inverted, remember, right stick up will make plane climb/and maintain altitude and right stick down will make plane go down... the ailerons will act the same as flying normal. once I got that burned into my brain I got it! I have an assassin combat wing too! fast & fun flying!! good luck and happy flying!!

just get a simulator, you can do a lot of good practice without risking anything.

Originally Posted by tupeloflyer

I haven't been flying much longer than you and I fly inverted pretty good! what helped me is just remembering that you elevator stick (and rudder) are reversed while inverted. I don't use my rudder that much on normal flying, but when you get inverted, remember, right stick up will make plane climb/and maintain altitude and right stick down will make plane go down... the ailerons will act the same as flying normal. once I got that burned into my brain I got it! I have an assassin combat wing too! fast & fun flying!! good luck and happy flying!!

Nice advice, just what I'm looking for. Thanks!

Everyone told me to get a Sim but I never listened! never have tried one? getting in the air is how I learned! Yeah I've picked up some balsa carnage with a garbage bag a few times and a dang good RC repair man! finally found EPP been flying a little over 2 yrs now and feel pretty confident flying most anything now. learning a little 3D now...

I don't want to use a sim either.

My flying wing is made out of EPP. I also put Goop on the leading edge to make it more flexible in case it hits the ground nose down. I can fly inverted for a few seconds and I have pushed the stick down so that it would go up. But now I need to learn to turn left and right while inverted.

Originally Posted by HoosierGuy

I don't want to use a sim either.

But now I need to learn to turn left and right while inverted.

As tupeloflyer mentioned, the ailerons don't reverse when you're inverted. The popwing has no rudder, so the only thing you have to remember is that the elevator is reversed.

Azarr

PPP, practice, practice and more practice, that's all.

I'd add another vote for getting a sim. In my learning curve, I spent weeks of almost nightly practice flying nothing but inverted on the sim. This helped immensely - mind finally got it straight. I've seen lots of advice about how to move the sticks based on which wing was lower, and other assorted visual aids while flying, but I've found for me, that if I have to think about what way to move the sticks for what condition, it's probably too late. Much better to have it just be natural and never have to think which way to move the sticks for what orientation the plane is in. A decent sim is one of the best ways to do this. I'm not saying you should feel confident that if you learn to fly on a sim, you can automatically fly an actual plane, but you can sure train your brain to thumb memory for orientation with the sim once you learn to fly the real thing. Flying sim vs real might not be the same, but orientation vs stick movements is.

My experience is identical to bobly's.

I spent at least 20 hrs on the Phoenix sim just flying inverted before ever attempting it on a real plane. The vid below is a compliation of the very first few flights after the sim time. Inverted flight was totally effortless.

The first minute of the video is trimming the newly built foamy.

Axis V3 F3P practice plane. (3 min 7 sec)

I just realized this late winter/early spring when I started flying again a few weeks ago - flying right side up has become second nature to me. It's now automatic in my hands and fingers. Does flying inverted become second nature when you do it a lot too?

Originally Posted by HoosierGuy

I just realized this late winter/early spring when I started flying again a few weeks ago - flying right side up has become second nature to me. It's now automatic in my hands and fingers. Does flying inverted become second nature when you do it a lot too?

Yes, and that's when it becomes fun.

Azarr

Originally Posted by HoosierGuy

I just realized this late winter/early spring when I started flying again a few weeks ago - flying right side up has become second nature to me. It's now automatic in my hands and fingers. Does flying inverted become second nature when you do it a lot too?

Yes, that's why my hours on the sim worked for me. I'm a slow learner, and hate to try to guess how many thousands of dollars the sim saved me. Even if nothing else is realistic on a sim, the stick movements required in relationship to plane orientation are identical. Up is up when upright, up is down when inverted, and also applies to rudder, and ailerons as far as flying away from you or toward you.

The slower you can fly inverted will help, on a plane with a rudder when inverted and your using the rudder to turn and it is going way from me I think push the tail, when coming toward me push the nose.