rc airplanes
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zeeprogrammer
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That was one of the best tricks I've seen. Oh har har. ;D
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I'll never forget my very first RC plane flight. It was a windy day but after waiting for several years before making that first attempt I was in no mood to put it off any further so I went for it anyway. No buddy box, no one there to instruct me. I aimed it down the runway, slammed the throttle and tried my best to keep it on the straight and not head into the grass. A little up elevator and it took off. It started banking to the right immediately but I gave it some left rudder with a little aileron trim and brought it around.
I made a shaky few passes but soon after, I lost the plane in the sunlight. When I located it after a few seconds, it was headed right for me! I ducked as fast as I could and it narrowly missed me. Miraculously I regained a little control and as it sped away from me. I brought it around and landed it in a heavy wind, a near three point landing. It rolled off to the side onto the grass and I breathed a great big sigh of relief. Just then, another newbie was attempting takeoff, couldn't keep it on the tarmac and ran his plane off the runway into mine and destroyed the entire tail section. Murphy's law. I've run through quite a few planes since then.
I spent a lot of hours using Great Planes Real Flight sim program, mainly learning to fly the two 3D helicopters I had. When you learn to fly one of those, airplane flight becomes ridiculously easy. But I did have a lot of fun flying the various airplanes that come with the program as well as those you can download.
-Trout
I made a shaky few passes but soon after, I lost the plane in the sunlight. When I located it after a few seconds, it was headed right for me! I ducked as fast as I could and it narrowly missed me. Miraculously I regained a little control and as it sped away from me. I brought it around and landed it in a heavy wind, a near three point landing. It rolled off to the side onto the grass and I breathed a great big sigh of relief. Just then, another newbie was attempting takeoff, couldn't keep it on the tarmac and ran his plane off the runway into mine and destroyed the entire tail section. Murphy's law. I've run through quite a few planes since then.
I spent a lot of hours using Great Planes Real Flight sim program, mainly learning to fly the two 3D helicopters I had. When you learn to fly one of those, airplane flight becomes ridiculously easy. But I did have a lot of fun flying the various airplanes that come with the program as well as those you can download.
-Trout
steamnut2010
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A few years back, I mastered flying a Jensen Ugly Stick, and thought I was top gun. Another young fellow came out with a new off-brand Ugly Stick, and asked if I would take it off for him and get it going, since he did not know how to fly. Sure I said, it looks just like mine. So I took it off at full throttle, and it turns out, the guy did not know how to build a plane correctly, and the rods were sticky, so the surfaces snapped from one side to the other, with no inbetween position. It took everything I had to keep it in the air, and I was in an absolute panic the entire time, giving it full ailron and trying to roll until I could figure out what the heck was happening. The plane was flying twice as fast as my stick ever flew.
I was so distracted and caught off guard that I could not even think to cut the throttle. This thing was rolling, looping, and going every whichway, right over the tops of cars in the parking lot, spectators, etc. The owner of the plane made the exclaimation "Wow, you are really good" without knowing that I had yet to get any real control over the plane.
Thank God it finally ran out of gas right over the end of the runway, and I was able to pull it out of a roll and drop it right on the runway. A miracle landing for sure. That was the first and last time I ever helped anyone fly an RC. Lesson learned.
I was so distracted and caught off guard that I could not even think to cut the throttle. This thing was rolling, looping, and going every whichway, right over the tops of cars in the parking lot, spectators, etc. The owner of the plane made the exclaimation "Wow, you are really good" without knowing that I had yet to get any real control over the plane.
Thank God it finally ran out of gas right over the end of the runway, and I was able to pull it out of a roll and drop it right on the runway. A miracle landing for sure. That was the first and last time I ever helped anyone fly an RC. Lesson learned.
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And an addendum to that lesson learned, steamnut, is to always place the tail section between your legs/feet, throttle up the engine and check all control surface movement before taxiing out to the runway, yes?
I've seen some fantastic and expensive RC plane and helicopter wrecks over the years.
-TS
I've seen some fantastic and expensive RC plane and helicopter wrecks over the years.
-TS
steamnut2010
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Yep, we did all the correct pre-flight checkout, run up, control surface checking, but I just did not pay close atttention to the notchyness of the movement, and really did not expect that at all, since I always went to great lengths to make sure my control surfaces did not bind at any point.
Afterwards, I had to make a bee-line to the portapotty to clean out my drawers.
Afterwards, I had to make a bee-line to the portapotty to clean out my drawers.
brings back bad memory. after much debate (with wife). bought me a nice jet ohhh i was in love (ive had lots of flight time)
so out to my fav spot got it all set up everything working good fired it up and down the runway we went up up and away
she went inverted and dove straight into the ground :wall: :redface2: buried that jet about 5 inchs into the ground not much left of it. :redface2: i went to the local bar had a few drinks then home to face the wife oh not good i spent 5 grand on that jet. let me tell u she was not happy. i spent a lot of time at my buddies house for a while hahaha we drank a lot of beer that was my last flight.
i do miss flying
so out to my fav spot got it all set up everything working good fired it up and down the runway we went up up and away
she went inverted and dove straight into the ground :wall: :redface2: buried that jet about 5 inchs into the ground not much left of it. :redface2: i went to the local bar had a few drinks then home to face the wife oh not good i spent 5 grand on that jet. let me tell u she was not happy. i spent a lot of time at my buddies house for a while hahaha we drank a lot of beer that was my last flight.
i do miss flying
steamnut2010
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Sid-
It can be hard to explain ones motivations about buying expensive model airplanes (knowing their half life) to the wife, especially when you dump one in.
My buddy built a 1/2 scale piper cub, and few it a few times, but eventually cut a 4" tree down with it.
I think I still have a photo of it. 18 foot wingspan. I think a small adult could have ridden on the back of that thing.
The other crazy thing I had happen, at the same club where the above happened, was I was flying the Ugly Stick one day, and it was way too windy to be flying RC, but I wanted to get out and fly bad. So I am flying along, getting buffeted all over, when one of the wildasses in the club (not me) shot off a big fireworks rocket not too far from me. The thing made a big graceful arc up through the sky, past a few RC planes, and then plopped down into a field of very dry grass, about 24" tall. With the steady wind, about 20 mph, we suddenly had a wildfire going.
Everybody in the club had to run out in the field and try and beat the fire out with their shirts, with people trying to land their planes, and people running across the runway. It was total bedlam.
The fire burned all the way across a field about 1/2 the size of a football field, and just happened to to hit a part that had been mowed earlier and was still green.
The green grass was the only thing stopping the wildfire from going straight into the nearby neighborhood.
And, then there was the guy in our club who flew his RC plane right into a nearby neighborhood's garage. He got sued on that one.
I finally had to change clubs while I was still alive.
It can be hard to explain ones motivations about buying expensive model airplanes (knowing their half life) to the wife, especially when you dump one in.
My buddy built a 1/2 scale piper cub, and few it a few times, but eventually cut a 4" tree down with it.
I think I still have a photo of it. 18 foot wingspan. I think a small adult could have ridden on the back of that thing.
The other crazy thing I had happen, at the same club where the above happened, was I was flying the Ugly Stick one day, and it was way too windy to be flying RC, but I wanted to get out and fly bad. So I am flying along, getting buffeted all over, when one of the wildasses in the club (not me) shot off a big fireworks rocket not too far from me. The thing made a big graceful arc up through the sky, past a few RC planes, and then plopped down into a field of very dry grass, about 24" tall. With the steady wind, about 20 mph, we suddenly had a wildfire going.
Everybody in the club had to run out in the field and try and beat the fire out with their shirts, with people trying to land their planes, and people running across the runway. It was total bedlam.
The fire burned all the way across a field about 1/2 the size of a football field, and just happened to to hit a part that had been mowed earlier and was still green.
The green grass was the only thing stopping the wildfire from going straight into the nearby neighborhood.
And, then there was the guy in our club who flew his RC plane right into a nearby neighborhood's garage. He got sued on that one.
I finally had to change clubs while I was still alive.
I had been watching some people flying model planes and decided that was something I wanted to do.
I scoured the internet and read everything I could find.
I decided that a Styrofoam ducted fan powered jet was the way to go.
The price was right, minimal assembly required and it came with the controller.
I put it together, tested everything and waited for a calm day to try it out.
I took it out to the street in front of my house and was able to taxi it around.
So, off to an open field without any obstructions.
I pointed it away from me and hit the throttle.
Everything was going well until a gust of wind came along just as it was ready to leave the ground.
I said there were no obstructions.
Not completely true because there was a fence behind me which the jet ended up hitting.
The jet ended up broken in two places and has set on a shelf since.
SAM
I did glue it back together.
I scoured the internet and read everything I could find.
I decided that a Styrofoam ducted fan powered jet was the way to go.
The price was right, minimal assembly required and it came with the controller.
I put it together, tested everything and waited for a calm day to try it out.
I took it out to the street in front of my house and was able to taxi it around.
So, off to an open field without any obstructions.
I pointed it away from me and hit the throttle.
Everything was going well until a gust of wind came along just as it was ready to leave the ground.
I said there were no obstructions.
Not completely true because there was a fence behind me which the jet ended up hitting.
The jet ended up broken in two places and has set on a shelf since.
SAM
I did glue it back together.
rickharris
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I ran a RC club at shool for a couple of years - both indoor and outdoor models which the school provided and we built as part of the educational experience. A number of things stick with me from that:
1. When you let people control something that is moving, in the air or on the ground, they get fixated and forget they are controlling it and will let it run into walls, the ground, in fact anything.
2. When people have to make decisions that are unfamiliar their first reaction is to freeze, their second reaction is to forget which it left and right.
3. When the aircraft comes towards them or is upside down they looses all sense of what is happening and do what they di before (which is going to be wrong and expensive.)
4. For some reason shouting "SHUT THE THROTTLE" gets interpreted as open it wide!
5. buying something for young people and expecting them to have the same respect as you have for the expensive toy is often just TOO optimistic.
Having said that we had lots of fun and electric flight is possibly the best thing that has happened to aero modelling since Jim Walker "invented" control line flying.
Round the Pole (RTP) flying is a good hobby for the winter if you have a reasonable space - say 10 feet wide minimum
1. When you let people control something that is moving, in the air or on the ground, they get fixated and forget they are controlling it and will let it run into walls, the ground, in fact anything.
2. When people have to make decisions that are unfamiliar their first reaction is to freeze, their second reaction is to forget which it left and right.
3. When the aircraft comes towards them or is upside down they looses all sense of what is happening and do what they di before (which is going to be wrong and expensive.)
4. For some reason shouting "SHUT THE THROTTLE" gets interpreted as open it wide!
5. buying something for young people and expecting them to have the same respect as you have for the expensive toy is often just TOO optimistic.
Having said that we had lots of fun and electric flight is possibly the best thing that has happened to aero modelling since Jim Walker "invented" control line flying.
Round the Pole (RTP) flying is a good hobby for the winter if you have a reasonable space - say 10 feet wide minimum
