Hobby Zone Flight School
Hobby Zone Flight School and Flying Tips Ok, so you finally ordered your plane and you are ready to fly. You can't wait to get your plane in the air because you are so excited about it....
If you just follow these handy tips you are almost assured of having a great flight with little or no damage to your airplane. Based on what I see at the flying field, and in conversations with new pilots here are the most common issues and problems new pilots have. Fly in a large area for your first few flights Having a large field to fly in, with little or no obstructions will go along way. Try to find an open field with no trees, or as far away from trees as possible. Trees have a misterious way of attracting model airplanes and holding them hostage! Believe me I have witnessed it first hand many times. Also, stay away from cars, buildings, barbed wire fences, or anything else that might damage your plane. If you do, the only thing that can damage it would be the rapidly rising ground. Fly in calm or light wind conditions Wind over 10mph will cause you quite a few problems if you are a new pilot. Trust me, I lost a brand new Firebird IIST on one of the first flights because I flew it when I knew better, while the winds were far higher than what the model could handle. Flying tip for model airplanes and full size planes: It's better to be on the ground wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were on the ground. Make gentle corretions on the controls Most new pilots tend to over steer or over correct when flying. Just remember slight corrections will have a dramatic effect on your model. Make slight gentle control movements, especially when the model is traveling fast. Avoid stalls and spirals New pilots have no less than two enemys to deal with. Stalls and Spirals. A stall is when the model, (just like a full size aircraft) slows down below flying speed. When this happens there is not enough air passing over the wings and control surfaces to maintain lift or control. When you stall, the nose drops until the model picks up enough speed to fly again. If you stall during a turn, the plane can enter a spiral quicker than you can blink. If you panic and pull back on the stick, it will only accelerate the stall or spiral. A spiral is when the model enters a steep turn and the turn continues due to over steering. As the spiral accelerates the model will gain more and more speed and the turn gets faster and faster until....Splat on the ground. -Reduce throttle to off or idle -Level the wings by adding opposite rudder -Level the nose by adding up elevator (if your plane is two channel just wait for it to level out). -Add power and return to straight and level flight -Take a deep breath, you just saved your airplane. Keep the plane upwind, and close Don't let the plane get very far from you. It's much easier to see when it is close. Also, if you have a breeze try to keep it upwind. Take off and land into the wind Always take off and land directly into the wind. If you land with the wind your ground speed will be much higher and the chance of crashing is increased. A few more tips: -Read the owner's manual and follow it. -Always check your radio and conduct a pre-flight radio check befofe takeoff -Try hand launches for your first few flights. Ground take offs are a bit more difficult and can damage your plane if you cartwheel or crash during takeoff. Have a safe and fun flight!
|
