Everyone makes mistakes at all levels...part of the hobby I think. I accidentally forgot to screw on one of the wings on my 60" 3D plane this weekend. I realized right before I went into a maneuver. Landed and the wing was at least an inch out with the servo wire completely exposed... :-)

Very informative thank you. I am brand new to flying, installing my Real flight 6.5 this week

Best of luck and welcome to RCG . You have come to the right place.

Agreed

Thanks Ron!

Too many windows open.

I fixed it!

(so embarrassing! )

I'm still pretty new, my next flight will be my 45th. I keep a log and grade myself on how each day goes. It gives me an idea of areas i need to work on.

I fly electrics at a AMA Field and right now my biggest issues are that i am uncomfortable with other planes in the air with me. One other plane i can handle, but if we get more than that i call "LANDING" and bring her in. I think once i get more stick time i'll feel more confident but right now i'd rather cut a flight short and be safe.

My next biggest issue is distractions. Having someone behind me in the pits really reving a gasser throws me off my game. It has not caused a crash yet, but i have had a few bouncy landings. Learning to block out as much noise as possible while still listening for safety callouts is taking some effort but i think it will get better with time.

I was just flying my cheap foamie in ridiculous winds today and when my timer went off I would reduce power to 30%, and it would slowly and surprisingly gently descend until I got her to tall grass (because it wasn't going to land normally).

It should be noted that in these conditions the wind can abruptly change and the plane can end up "landing" roughly.... but thats one of the risks...

Originally Posted by WarlordATF

I'm still pretty new, my next flight will be my 45th. I keep a log and grade myself on how each day goes. It gives me an idea of areas i need to work on.

I fly electrics at a AMA Field and right now my biggest issues are that i am uncomfortable with other planes in the air with me. One other plane i can handle, but if we get more than that i call "LANDING" and bring her in. I think once i get more stick time i'll feel more confident but right now i'd rather cut a flight short and be safe.

My next biggest issue is distractions. Having someone behind me in the pits really reving a gasser throws me off my game. It has not caused a crash yet, but i have had a few bouncy landings. Learning to block out as much noise as possible while still listening for safety callouts is taking some effort but i think it will get better with time.

WarlordATF,

That was a terrific post. I am sure most new pilots AND a lot of experienced pilots share all of your concerns. however it is refreshing to see that you exhibit such good judgment. Safety first is always the right decision.

Flying with others is more of a challenge if you fly in a small area, if the other planes are very fast or if other pilots tend to go do a lot of aerobatics or 3D close to the runway. Mix in a Heli or two and it can be hard to know what is in the air around you.

This is no different than learning to drive a car in traffic EXCEPT that on the road the rules are strict and everyone must comply or there will be accidents with potential loss of life.

Over the airfield people tend to get a little crazy, zooming here and there and making unexpected maneuvers. Low passes over the runway or high speed runs that go vertical or swing to a hover make the other planes hard to track.

I am not suggesting there is anything wrong with this, if it is permitted at your field. These are all a normal part of flying model airplanes. But it can make it hard to share the sky. So you have every reason to be a bit uncomfortable with other planes in the air.

Many power fields limit the number of planes in the air just for this reason. It is not to be restrictive, but to be safe. Three in the air, when everyone is zooming around can be very hard to track.

Now, I will tell you that I have moved to mostly flying gliders and electric gliders. Here we tend to fly high and tend to spread out in the sky. At our field it is not unheard of to have a dozen gliders in the air at once with no issues. But that would be chaos on most power fields.


So, how to deal with this?

If you don't have an altitude limit at your field, see if you can find a higher flight area, above the traffic.

If your pattern is not too restrictive, see if you can find an area where you can be out of the main traffic.

Talk to the other pilots. You can chat while you are all still on the ground or even after you take-off. See if some cooperation can be established where each pilot flies in a zone in the sky. See if you can understand what they plan to do before they take off. Having and discussing flight plans is a very good idea.

The last, known as cooperation, is probably the best approach at most fields. You may be surprised to see that many pilots will welcome a sense of cooperation in the air.

Of course there are always the grouches, the grups, the rudes and the nasties who care only about themselves and won't cooperate with anyone. When they take off, you may find that you are not the only one who may choose to land. There are pilots that I would prefer not to share the sky with no matter how big it is.

So, know that you are not alone in your concerns. They are good concerns to have and speak well of your future as a pilot. I would welcome someone like you at my field, but leave the power planes at home as we are a glider club. Come and I will teach you to use the "force" to keep your plane in the air.

Clear skies and safe flying!

thanks aeajr for this excellent thread. im a FP heli pilot of 10 months. im new to planes. ive read a few books and spent time using cubs on pheonix.. but within seconds of takeoff, stalled one wing, flipped, then nose crumped the road. takeoff in a sidewind with an off balance plane.



then.. i found this thread



ive just finished repairs and now am working on a battery mount so the plane is not so tail heavy. ive only got a rough idea of where the C of G should be, but its clearly not ok as it is. the guy i got the plane from said he flew it maybe 5 times, and every flight ended in a crash. i think i found the reason why

ill report back when i get the thing in the air again. thats some glider youve got there. a beautiful, silent big bird. may the force be with you

If you told us what plane you have we might be able to help you.

Best to start a thread. Titile would be something like, "need help with "your plane name"

People will flock to your aid.

i have no idea. i bought it secondhand at a garage-sale

its a red 4 channel high wing trainer with a tail dragging wheel. 750mm long, 970mm wingspan.

i can take a photo.

any help would be very useful. particularly just an ID so i can hunt down some documentation about it. im not sure if the motor/prop combo is the best for it. i dont know the motor type. it says TowerPro and its BL but i can see any numbers. its got a 20 amp hobbyking ESC. the prop is a plastic 7x3 made for electrics. the servos are all HXT100 hobbykings. i havent weighed the plane.

i think i have it balanced better now. another test flight will tell.

Originally Posted by Gygax

i have no idea. i bought it secondhand at a garage-sale

its a red 4 channel high wing trainer with a tail dragging wheel. 750mm long, 970mm wingspan.

i can take a photo.

any help would be very useful. particularly just an ID so i can hunt down some documentation about it. im not sure if the motor/prop combo is the best for it. i dont know the motor type. it says TowerPro and its BL but i can see any numbers. its got a 20 amp hobbyking ESC. the prop is a plastic 7x3 made for electrics. the servos are all HXT100 hobbykings. i havent weighed the plane.

i think i have it balanced better now. another test flight will tell.

That's a decathalon

thanks so much. thats all i needed i think. i found this thanks to your help

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=1071365

most appear to be a wood frame. mine is a foam plane.

ill start reading that thread, and continue to follow this one.

It might be this one
https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=10323

BINGO !!

thankyou very much for that.. i think i can dl the manual from the HK site

and thanks again for this astoundingly helpful thread.. i was just reading it as you were posting that. you are a wealth of knowledge and an asset to the community