i just got my new firebird scout plane today in the mail. did
everything the video said and tried to fly it but everytime i threw it
up it would go about 10-15 feet and dive straight to the ground. it
never tried to climb. please help me.

Thankyou,

RM

I also lost my landing gear (the wheels) is it ok to fly my airplane
without them until my new ones come in the mail.

figured out to get it climbing

Batteries fully charged?
Collapsible antenna? Antenna up?
Motor runs? Speed variable via controller?
Turning controls working?
Please re-check all connections.
Receive antenna connected?
Ask someone else to check your work (another pair of eyes sometimes
helps, you know).
Go slow. Take a break if you're getting too frustrated. Have faith :-)
Let us know what you find.
Best wishes - LeeH

RiverMan wrote:
> i just got my new firebird scout plane today in the mail. did
> everything the video said and tried to fly it but everytime i threw it
> up it would go about 10-15 feet and dive straight to the ground. it
> never tried to climb. please help me.
>
> Thankyou,
>
> RM
>

Sounds to me like the balance is off, or perhaps you are throwing the plane
too hard at too much of an angle.
You should launch the plane with a gentle push, and with the wings level and
the nose either very slightly down or flat. Don't try to heave it like a
javelin. It will stall and then (usually) dive right in like you describe.
Can you describe in detail how you're trying to launch it?
Also, it shouldn't be a problem to fly without the landing gear, as long as
the balance is right and you don't damage the prop on landing. I think the
firebird is a high-mount pusher, right? If so, the prop hitting the ground
shouldn't be a problem. But, without the gear, you will risk
scratching/damaging the fuselage from ground contact.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

"RiverMan" <tossmealine@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1123288011.478689.200720@g43g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
>i just got my new firebird scout plane today in the mail. did
> everything the video said and tried to fly it but everytime i threw it
> up it would go about 10-15 feet and dive straight to the ground. it
> never tried to climb. please help me.
>
> Thankyou,
>
> RM
>

RiverMan wrote:
> i just got my new firebird scout plane today in the mail. did
> everything the video said and tried to fly it but everytime i threw it
> up it would go about 10-15 feet and dive straight to the ground. it
> never tried to climb. please help me.
>
> Thankyou,
>
> RM

First Flight Disaster!!! Heck, dont sweat it....I still have
disasters 543 flights later :-) Now on to your problem

1 make sure you cycle the planes battery pack a few times (
charge it, run it down about 4 times....)
2 new batteries in the transmiter
3 range check it
4 set and check all control surfaces according to instruction
5 most importanat, make sure that those flights are on dead calm

days
6 a level toss into the air..not to hard...do not chuck it like
a
spear

Good luck
Mike

Hi RiverMan, congratulations on your new Firebird Scout! I did warn you
that you'd be hurling it to the ground a bit before you finally got it
flying well. That just seems par for the course when learning to fly for
the first time with a HobbyZone plane.

Losing the landing gear is no big deal. In fact, I'd recommend you leave
them off and that you don't bother to replace them.

With my Aerobird Challenger, I actually have to hurl it like a javelin to
get it airborn. I hurl the plane very hard at a 45 degree angle while the
throttle is going full blast, and I can usually get the plane flying upward
before it hits the ground. Your Scout isn't as heavy as my Challenger is,
so you shouldn't have to throw it as firmly. If you can hold the stick back
(climb position) while you throw the plane, it should climb more quickly
than if you leave it in the neutral position.

As far as getting the Scout to climb, you need to pay very close attention
to the eleron (v-tail flap) alignment. Tighten the tension screws so the
elerons are at least flush with the rest of the tail, and maybe even a
little bit higher than the rest of the tail while in the resting (neutral)
position. Under no circumstances should you let the elevons rest "below" or
"lower than" the rest of the tail surface.

Once you have the tension screws turned so the elevons are trimmed properly,
use a micro screwdriver to tighten the little set screws on the under side
of the tension screws on the tail assembly. If those tiny little set screws
aren't tight, the fishing line that moves the elevons will slip loose while
you're flying and you'll lose steering control of the plane.

Once you adjust the elevon trim with the tension screws and lock it into
place with the tiny little set screws, you can get a little bit of extra
lift at launch by adjusting your elevator trim on your radio handset. Just
move the little up/down slider next to the control stick all the way down.
That will boost the tails lift a bit, and you can adjust the trim back to
neutral once the plane is comfortably in the air.

Since you've crashed once or twice now, check your fuselage stick and make
sure that it isn't turning or pivoting in relation to the front body of the
plane. A few drops of crazy glue or CA modeling glue will bond the stick to
the body pod. I had a lot of trouble with my Aerobird Challenger when the
fuselage stick would pivot down a bit away from level with the front of the
body. This angle made it almost impossible to get the plane up in the air.
You want the stick at least level with the front fuselage and you don't want
it twisting. If the fuselage stick rotates at all, it turns the angle of
the v-tail and makes the plane impossible to steer.

One last tip for consistent climbing, there are two tail assembly screws on
the bottom of the fuselage that hold the tail assembly onto the plane. You
should tighten the front tail assembly screw down so that it's snug but not
overly tight. You will want to leave the back tail assembly screw a bit
looser than the front one. Tighten it about as tight as the front screw,
then losen it by about 2 full turns.

Learning to fly a HobbyZone plane on your own requires plenty of trial and
error. Don't worry too much about bouncing the plane around, it's to be
expected. That's why I recommended stocking up on spare parts right out of
the chute.

Wait for calm wind conditions, be patient, and you'll be getting some good
flights out of your Scout sooner than you think!

Good luck and keep us posted...

"Mike" <mikerenz66@netzero.net> wrote in message
news:1123295900.681323.122590@g47g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
>
> RiverMan wrote:
>> i just got my new firebird scout plane today in the mail. did
>> everything the video said and tried to fly it but everytime i threw it
>> up it would go about 10-15 feet and dive straight to the ground. it
>> never tried to climb. please help me.
>>
>> Thankyou,
>>
>> RM
>
> First Flight Disaster!!! Heck, dont sweat it....I still have
> disasters 543 flights later :-) Now on to your problem
>
> 1 make sure you cycle the planes battery pack a few times (
> charge it, run it down about 4 times....)
> 2 new batteries in the transmiter
> 3 range check it
> 4 set and check all control surfaces according to instruction
> 5 most importanat, make sure that those flights are on dead calm
>
> days
> 6 a level toss into the air..not to hard...do not chuck it like
> a
> spear
>
> Good luck
> Mike
>

"RiverMan" <tossmealine@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:1123288011.478689.200720@g43g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> i just got my new firebird scout plane today in the mail. did
> everything the video said and tried to fly it but everytime i threw it
> up it would go about 10-15 feet and dive straight to the ground. it
> never tried to climb. please help me.
>
> Thankyou,
>
> RM


Hi,

Probably you launched your plane with an up-angle into the air...the plane
climbs...losing speed because not much power...speed below stall
speed...stalls...diving to the ground...crash.

So one golden rule : throw your plane horizontally, or even a little down.
Keep the plane for 10 yards at this height so as to build up some speed,
then only gently pull on your elevator to try to climb. Only when enough
hight is obtained, start your gentle turn.

Succes ! And no, it isn't as easy as you tought...

Olivier
--
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To answer, remove "nopub" from tx2tx@belgacomnopub.net