flare-off: the way to land?
when full size airplanes land, they flare-off to do it at the slowest speed to touch down as slow as possible and perhaps to save space on critical runways, or just to save time rolling to the spot where they stop to unload. and, for all that see, modelers do the same.
the slower the plane touches down, seems the safest and easiest. really?
problem is, the plane stalls; a wing drops; and you loose control and snap. at the slowest speed, the air does not flow over the surfaces the same and there is less response to commands-if any. the surfaces are stalled. using ailerons to compensate for a wing dropping just makes it worse.
you can confirm this by your own experience or watching how others do.

landing "hot"
on the other hand, i have tried approaching faster and touching the ground fast with some "down" elevator until the plane stops fully and have got better results.
not smashing; not hitting, not really fast. just rubbing the surface with some pressure. and not releasing the 'down' elevator until reach full stop.
but not near stall, as when doing flare-off. this way you will never loose control.
it is a matter of trying it, especially in a day with slow or no wind and no turbulence.

ah, the wonderful world of radio control models!
when i started there were radios from 1 to 6 channels. easy to use. no need for instructions.
then came the computerized radios, that can do wonders. but there are no instructions for all the things you need to do to use them. just a few details. you are left in the dark, and the only possibility to survive is if you are a graduate in computers science with specialty in radios for models. but this does not exist. trying to weather this situation is extremely frustrating. some times you may get advice at the forums or from friends. but most of the time dont.
and then some wonder why there are so many radios from so many brands, and still they are releasing new versions that do more things. how many buy these radios counting on the ads that promise a world beyond fantasy-that is never fulfilled?
wonder why the industry is in crisis? why there are no more folks getting into this and ending up flying their models?
how many purchased radios and dont know how to use them?
i still managed to use 1 by getting advice, but it has been a long road of questions and answers that takes time to understand and even more to get the results that i need. and this with a radio that does not have all the bells and whistles, just a simple version.
we are facing the sad reality of having created a monster that was with the purpose of making our life more enjoyable but is making it a headache.
this is the truth. but, can you handle it?
...Continue Reading

asymmetry in thermals
i want just to thermal. to stay up there longer. no competition.
so in my case, i want a plane that is as close to perfection in turning 1 way only, even if when flying straight i have to do some correction with rudder.
so a design that has anything, be made or trimmed, that improves this, is welcome.
and this brings us into asymmetry by any means.
be by:
1- placing the wing offset from the center (1 half longer than the other);
2-making the wing chord increasing towards 1 end;
3-changing the airfoil gradually from tip to tip;
4-the angle of attack;
5-designing the dihedral to be poly with different angles in 1 tip than the other;
anything else?
has anybody tried or learn that there is a place where this has been discussed?
if so, please tell us or bring the link.
i started a thread but decided to bring it here to keep it clean: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...ry-in-thermals

from part 3:
a good sailplane is basic for thermaling.
i have my own design, and also a foamy that flies great and that i use when there is no wind-or very little, for the 1st flight to warm me up. it is the 2 meters radian. i was going to suggest it but it has been discontinued, and cant find any other close to it. this may be a serious inconvenient for any1 willing to start flying sailplanes. you still may find 1 used, in good condition. i would suggest this. check the classifieds:
https://www.rcgroups.com/aircraft-sailplanes-fs-w-100/
there are some 2 meters kits of sailplanes-no motor-that you have to assemble, and can be modified for electric motor to climb, but then require some work and getting the parts, so is not the ideal to begin with. or use other means for climbing, like a bungee cord or an electric starter with a car battery. these you may find at model airplane clubs, so this could be the easiest way.
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...use-a-hi-start
among the kits that are still available is this:
https://sigmfg.com/products/sig-riser-kit but then, you have to assemble it.
more: https://www.google.ca/search?q=model...client=gws-wiz
i would suggest around 2 meters. and NOT scale. this is based on my experience and the results not only mine but from others seen at the field. smaller are nothing comparable in ability to catch thermals, and larger are too cumbersome to carry. i tried scale but their tendency to snap roll makes then unsuitable.

from part 2
in order to be able to thermaling , you need to have:
1- a good real sailplane;
2-a good knowledge of thermals (including how to catch and stay into 1), and
3- a thermal.
1- there is a saying that "an archer is no better than his arrows". if you pretend to catch a thermal without 1 really good sailplane, well, you may, if you find 1 very strong, as sometimes happen-but rarely. there are some very good ready -or almost ready-sailplanes that will allow you to achieve it. so start hunting. check websites for sailplane clubs. also, i may bring some links. i also have 2 foamies that are excellent fliers and use them for the 1st flight to warm up.
2-learning what it takes to hunt and make use of a thermal is crucial. again, there are links with which you will learn and learn and learn, until you realize that there is no ending of it. but eventually you will learn enough to be able to catch them.
3-and, of course, you need a thermal.
eventually you will be able to learn to notice the details in the sky, the symptoms, the almost imperceptible signs that tell you that, maybe, you can get 1 that keeps your plane up there for awhile. or you can make use of the science fiction technology that we have nowadays.
i mentioned in another post the varios that tell you if the plane is climbing or sinking. i was able to get some that are independent, but there are radios that come with this feature. is called 'telemetry'. you also need to now how long you have been up there because if you stay too long you may discharge the battery to the point that your plane looses signal and falls like a rock. again, these radios with telemetry have this feature.

using a variometer for model sailplanes:
The variometer is a telemetry sensor for sailplanes that indicates the rate of ascent and descent via an audible tone. This provides an indicator to the pilot when the sailplane is in a thermal of rising , or sinking air. By knowing when the sailplane is rising or sinking, the pilot can keep the sailplane in rising air and out of sinking air providing longer flight times.
an example and detailed explanation:
http://newtonairlines.blogspot.com/2...er-sensor.html
it really makes a difference. you may detect a thermal by watching the behavior of the plane if trimmed right, but once very high is almost impossible. not only that, if you get caught into a very strong thermal and are climbing very fast, you have to dive the plane to avoid being dragged too high and far, to the point that you are unable to bring it back. and is here that the vario makes the difference because you can control the dive so it is not too fast that the wings fold. and now there are several brands of radios that use it.
see part 1 at my blog.
and watch this data and the spectacular video on soaring/sailing: https://www.ssa.org/what-is-soaring/
i will get back to this video in another post. there are so many things that are worth discussing in detail.
by the way, it is convenient to know what is the difference between a glider and a sailplane:
glider: most commonly it describes any unpowered fixed-wing aircraft, some of which have quite steep and short flight paths.
sailplane: The more streamlined gliders can soar, which is a form of gliding in which rising air currents are used to sustain flight more or less indefinitely.
which brings us to... but that will be in the next post.

the way i understand it is "getting an airplane into a thermal". the ability to search, find , and stay within a thermal.
but that requires a good deal of knowledge on what thermals are, how to find 1, and how to ride into 1.
not only that, to have an airplane that is fit to the task.
this is going to be a long issue, so stay put (and that is why this is just part 1).
lets start with how humans discovered thermals.
full size airplanes pilots noticed that their sailplanes were somehow staying up longer some times on apparent same weather conditions.
them some1 brought a device now called "vario" that is used in all sailplanes. this sends beeps when detecting a change in altitude. even 1 meter or less, so when the pilot hears it, he tries to trace the diameter and location of the updraft, and once done, he tries to stay in it. it is the same thing that birds that thermal do (although they have a built-in vario).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variometer
now, with model airplanes, the pioneers also learned that. problem was that, as they had their planes gliding turning so they didnt go too far, they went up and up and sometimes disappeared. later they invented a "dethermalizer" to try to get them down after some time.
if any1 is interested in finding out more right now instead of waiting for me to bring it in instalments, i have several posts in my blog where i brought data on thermals if you want to search into it.
a thermal is an air mass that ascends (meaning, that goes up). it starts at low level-sometimes at ground level) as a bubble that detaches from the surface and increases in diameter until reaches the level of condensation and forms a cloud. see:
https://www.google.ca/search?q=therm...client=gws-wiz

stay put. more to come (way more)

yesterday i was just sitting at the front of the house resting, when noticed some birds approaching. it was a flock of about 30, flying into a direction. they were going somewhere. but the way they were flapping their wings was not typical or ducks or geese. they were flapping slower. and then they began to turn around and stopped flapping their wings: they were into a thermal!
when they were closer they looked like eagles: short wide wings; and as they got even closer i realized that they were buzzards! i have never seen so many flying together, neither heard that they do so. you see 1 or 2, sometimes 4 or 5, but 30?
most of them were turning left, as all or almost all do. and 2 of them were turning the other way. as they were drifting with the wind, eventually disappeared. but this left me thinking that as they were going north, could it be that they knew that spring is coming, and were migrating north? since when buzzards migrate in flocks? you see ducks, geese, swans, but buzzards?
perhaps, as the weather is changing, these birds are changing their strategy to adapt. it is the only thing that occurs to me. we are living in a time where so many things are changing, that we are becoming sort of indifferent to everything that is not the way it used to be

we have gone from building to programing.
at the beginning of model aviation, there was building. that is, if you wanted to fly a model, you had to build it.
of course, once built, you had to learn aerodynamics: what to do to make it fly.
you launched it from a hill and watched it fly down. later with a propeller and rubber bands make it stay longer.
then came engines. then kits that had parts printed. but this was free flight.
fast forward when radios were available, we could fly our planes. control their flight. wonderful!
radios were simple: 3 or 4 channels. transmitter, receiver, servos, batteries.
again fast forward to these days, when ready to fly airplanes dont take your time building. wonderful!
and now radios can do beyond our wildest dreams. things that even if we dont need, they do.
but now you sit for hours with no end, not building, but programing these wonders. of course, you need to know all that it takes to achieve your goal.
but, do you really know that? who does? what percentage of buyers of these wonderful radios that do everything know how to do that?
that is the question (that nobody can answer). so, to what percentage of those knowledgeable persons you belong? not me for sure!
i have a radio that can do what i need, 1 of the simplest, and still i had to resort to a good samaritan to be able to use it. life is like that!
i think we have gone too far, but cant get back.
signs of the times: the robots we created to make our lives easier are dragging us and now we are becoming their slaves.
just found this, that confirms my opinion: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...adio-designers

have you seen this? smart phone controlled models?
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08JLZVB3Z/...dDbGljaz10cnVl
i know that we live in a world that is beyond science fiction, but this? think your kids flying quadras in your living room.
video how to make it:

Everything You Need to Know to Fly PowerUp 4.0 — Smartphone-Controlled Paper Airplanes! (6 min 48 sec)

it is just a matter of learning which battery it uses and how to charge and replace it.
and wait for the competition to lower the price and more practical ways to charge/replace batteries too.

PowerUp 4.0 Smartphone Controller Paper Airplane - Build and Test Flights bluetooth remote control (27 min 56 sec)

...Continue Reading

Radios for...Continue Reading

lemon did a big effort to provide customers with a large number of receivers to fulfill their specific needs.
the problem is, that with the complex world where we live, there are so many specifications, that some times we get lost into the details.
there is a chart that tries to clarify this:
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...mparison-chart
in it, we find all the products they made and make. i will bring my personal impressions of this. keep in touch.
there is part 1 here: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...er-plus-part-1

for those who want to fly under non-perfect conditions, would like to get as much help as possible. and there are devices that just do that.
among them, the receivers made by Lemon (dont be misleaded by the name, they are very good). they make several that can be used for that, including those mentioned below. https://lemon-rx.com/
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...er-Plus-thread
i have followed these threads for a long time. i participated and asked many questions and learned a lot.
but, as time has gone by, and i didnt need many of those things, i have forgotten all.
among them, what is the difference between the regular stabilizer and the stabplus.
so asked John (jj604). here is his explanation:
"The regular stabilizer contains 3 gyros mounted on the Roll, Pitch and Yaw access of the plane. Gyros don’t like to be disturbed; they just want to stay where they are – but importantly they don’t actually know where they are with respect to the earth. That is, they have no conception of “level”.
However, they are great at knowing if they have been moved so in turbulence, every time they get disturbed, they send a pulse of correction to the elevator, aileron or rudder. If we adjust the 3 gains correctly (which sets the amount of correcting control deflection) then we get just enough aerodynamic correction to keep the plane flying along a constant path. We can change that path by adjusting the sticks but the gyros don’t know that. They...Continue Reading

about the DX6G3 discussion, am interrupting this because i give up. it is too much for my goals. i do this for the fun of flying, and these radios are becoming way too complicated for me. so i couldnt understand the manual. and there is not data available for non-experts.
thats all. and thank you for your interest. i guess many are in the same situation, but couldnt find the help i need.
so long, and have good flights...
on the other hand... i found this explaining exactly what i need:
"Developed from the pioneering DX6, the DX6i bridges a gap between basic 4-channel rc transmitters and overly-complicated 8+ channel ones. At around the $200 mark, it's an affordable Tx that offers more than enough functions and features for the average club pilot, and especially for the beginner."

we hear about DSM2, DSMX, and so many other alphabet soup letters...
but, what does it mean?
what we get from that?
i have found some links to threads about it and i would like to bring some to see if you learn what is this all about.
for instance: https://www.google.ca/search?q=radio...client=gws-wiz
more specifically: https://www.we-online.com/web/en/ele...more%20parties.
this in particular explains it well what the letters used by brands: https://oscarliang.com/rc-protocols/
here we find links to most brands: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...o-RC-Protocols
and here he tells us which 1 is better: https://www.liveabout.com/dsm-rc-con...eivers-2862526-but isnt?
but then we get the final word about all of it here:
" all modern model RC systems to the best of my knowledge are both FHSS and DSSS.
They describe different parts of the generation of the RF signal.
FHSS is the scheme by which the frequency hops around the 2.4 band to minimise any chance of swamping by other 2.4 signals from powerful transmissions.
DSSS is an encoding scheme on those frequencies that optimises the signal to noise ratio.
Combination of the two gives the best chance of a long range reliable control link.
The last paragraph of the David Buxton document "RC Spread Spectrum Demystified” summarises it all:
"Our radios use FHSS, which is modulated using DSSS, which is modulated using CDMA, which is modulated using frequency or phase...Continue Reading

i think you have heard this word before.
in simple words?
Modulation is the act or process of giving a wave or signal the amplitude or frequency of another wave or signal. In telecommunications, modulation is the process of conveying a message signal, for example a digital bit stream or an analog audio signal, inside another signal that can be physically transmitted.
and, how it works?

https://www.taitradioacademy.com/top...tion-work-1-1/
https://www.carritech.com/news/what-...ommunications/
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/princ...modulation.htm



i hope you will see things more clearly... or less muddy.

see part 2 here: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...-micros-part-2
trying to understand what the 2 strips in the linear servos tracks do, i got these answers from John:
" As the servo carriage moves up and down the amount of red resistor in the circuit between A and B varies linearly from zero to 5K. ".
if i were pushing a pot, the mechanical action changes the amount of current, but here is the opposite:
i send the signal, and then it somehow makes the carriage move in the direction needed.
i know that the motor turns 1 way or the other and this pushes the carriage, but how the motor gets the signal for that and decides the amount? answer:
the servo circuit has a part that creates a square wave pulse. It is essentially a square wave signal generator. The width of the pulse is set by the resistance of the red bit which is an input to the generator. At the same time the incoming transmitter signal creates a square wave pulse. Both of these pulses can vary from 1000us to 2000uS.
A comparator circuit in the servo chip compares the two pulse widths. If they are the same nothing happens. If they are different the difference or “error” signal drives the motor in the correct direction to make them the same. When they are the same the motor stops.

https://www.horizonhobby.com/on/dema...-Manual_EN.pdf
am starting this with the purpose of being able to use this radio for my goals, and thinking that are others in the same situation.
but wait....after much struggling, this is way too complicated for my goals, too many things too complicated and couldnt find explanations, so am closing it out. sorry.
on the other hand... i found this explaining exactly what i need:
"Developed from the pioneering DX6, the DX6i bridges a gap between basic 4-channel rc transmitters and overly-complicated 8+ channel ones. At around the $200 mark, it's an affordable Tx that offers more than enough functions and features for the average club pilot, and especially for the beginner."

Comments (0) Add Comment
there are some things that are not clear to me so am making comments about it.
am getting directly into the System Setup, page 14:
the 1st thing we need to know is how to turn it ON:
1-to enter, press /hold the roller
2-turn the switch ON
3-release the roller.
now you are in. you see the screen illuminated.
it shows the 1st of 2 pages. if you want to search for more functions just keep pressing and the rest will appear.
for this, in system setup, you dont need the receiver to be connected.
next is:
Model Select
(Model Select allows access to the 250 model memories)
1-roll to the desired model memory in the list
2-press roller. you are back to the system setup list.
here the manual talks about...Continue Reading

when i opened a brick to check the tracks for condition i found 2 tracks per servo.
not knowing how the 2 tracks work, asked an expert and he told me:
The brass coloured track in your picture (blue in the diagram) is a conductive strip with essentially zero resistance. The black one (red in the diagram) is a carbon resistor often 5k Ohm total resistance from one end to the other.
The little metal slider connects the two tracks. I have called it a wire slider as some servos have that but in the case of the Spektrum bricks it is a set of multiple springy fingers.
As the servo carriage moves up and down the amount of red resistor in the circuit between A and B varies linearly from zero to 5K.
The 5k figure might not be correct as I have not measured the track resistance. It may be 10k or some other value but 5k and 10k are common values in RC servo pots.
John (JJ604)
you can see the drawing here:
and the pic of the module at the part 1 below in my blog.
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...of-micro-brick
this has been confirmed at part 1 by other experts too.

part 1
so far there are 3 versions:
1-the original
(i will call it V1);
2-the AS3X: (Artificial Stabilization 3-Axis System).
(i will call it V2)
the official description:
Programmed through a Spektrum receiver you will find an 'Artificial' Stabilization 3-axis system or AS3X. This is specifically programmed for the airframe it is installed in and will help keep the aircraft level in flight in even the windiest of conditions;
3- the same as 2 and with telemetry. meaning that we get the charge of the battery in volts. this reduces the risk of running out of power.
but you need a radio compatible with telemetry too.
(i will call it V3)
this new has the part number EFLU2950. when ordering, make sure you specify this and when the parcel arrives, check the box shows it.
also, if purchasing at a store verify it. otherwise you may get the older version without telemetry.
but it does not include the battery and charger. the previous 2 did.
also, posted this recently on how the brick looks, in case you need to open it for repairs or clean-up: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...of-micro-brick
when i learned of the 1st 1 i got it and began to fly it at a park nearby, as often as the weather allowed. lots. until began to fly erratic.
when the 2nd was released i got it too, and as it allowed me to fly even often due to the stabilizer, i got another 1 as a spare-that havent flown very much. the stab really let me fly under conditions that otherwise wouldnt....Continue Reading