 |
RC
AIRPLANES
| |||
|
|
On my GWS Slow Mo flyer I found that with the supplied prop and recommend NiCad battery it was fairly lethargic at best. I swapped out the prop for a little more aggressive pitch and switched over to a Lithium battery and now the planes flies great. So just because the manufacturer includes it in a kit doesn't mean it's the best choice, don't be afraid to experiment with different set ups. Finding the CG of your model is not all that difficult to accomplish. The various model manufactures include where the CG will be. The one thing you don't want is a tail heavy plane. Tail heavy planes are all but guaranteed to crash land (I know first hand). You will also want to take the time to make sure all controls surfaces are in the "neutral" position prior to your first flight or after major repairs (nothing like seeing your plane crash immediately after take off). When flying towards you the left and right controls and backwards so to speak, in another words in order to turn right you have to push the stick left (tough to remember at first). this is where the practice on a simulator will come in handy. helps "train" your fingers to react the way your plane wants them to. Another hint when flying toward yourself, if the plane starts to bank and you don't want it to just push the stick in that direction to level it out. On learning to fly a RC airplane, the best way is with an experienced pilot, you can find one at most RC airplane clubs, including the one mentioned above. Or you do it like me, on my own, which resulted in numerous crashes and many hours in the "hanger" doing repairs. Finally through a lot of trial and error, talking to people, doing a lot of reading and lots of stick time I'm finally able to do a fair job of flying and landing my planes without damaging them.
|
I would like to thank my wife's grandfather Bob Forkhamer for getting me started with my first RC airplane. When flying your backyard flyers in tight quarters always remember that even though you may hand launch them they still need some room to land in, which usually requires an approach area. Lithium batteries; not as dangerous as some make them out to be. The one precaution that I would recommend is to charge as the manufactures recommend. Be sure to use a charger for Lithium batteries. your plane should also have a proper battery cutout to prevent discharging them to far. When it comes to landing many rookie or new pilots try to fly it in with the elevators when what really works is lining it up with the landing zone and then cutting back on the throttle and letting it drift in, at first I wouldn't worry to much about flaring at touchdown. It is more important just to land the plane safely and in one piece then take a chance on crashing it trying to look good. Try flying indoors, you will find it to be a real challenge at first. You will need a slow flyer capable of this type of flying. Be prepared to crash into a wall or two, you run out of space in a hurry. Flying indoors such a gym lends itself to a great area to practice 3-D flying skills. After flying indoors a few times flying outdoors will seem so much easier when it comes to maneuvering your plane What size speed controller to use? that was a question I had recently while setting up my newest plane. One of the "formulas" that I was given is to take the wattage of your electric motor and divide it by the voltage of your battery and the answer is how many amps your speed controller needs to be able to handle.
| ||
