FOR BEGINNERS John Robertson

The trainer.

The club has a “40 Sized” trainer. This kept by a member and is often at the field but if you would like some intro lessons contact the club captain who can arrange for the trainer and an instructor to be at the field at the same time.

Instructors

The club does not have official instructors but there are some experienced fliers who are happy to help new members get up and going. For details contact the club president, club captain or secretary

What should I buy? And how much does it cost?

Beginners often ask (or at least think) that. Everybody has their own opinion here. Only you can judge your interest and skill levels. As a very rough guide the “average” planes you see here have a wing span of about 1.01 – 1.5 m are powered by either a methanol fueled engine of 5 – 10 cc (about 0.5 to 2 hp) or an electric motor of between 100 and 1000 watts. I’ve attached a few rough breakdowns of costs if you are interested but roughly a model you see in the air costs about $700 and the transmitter about $500. You can get into the air for as little as $300 (more on that in a moment)

The “classic” recommendation has always been a 40 sized trainer. That is a model with about a 1.4 m wingspan and a 0.40 cu in (6.6 cc) motor that has been designed to be relatively forgiving to fly. In the past few years, electric motors and batteries have improved to the point where they are a completely viable alternative power source so electric trainers also exist. Expect to pay all up about $400 - $500 for the model and motor and $400 - $700 for the radio gear. Electric models are usually a bit more expensive, the motors may cost a little less but decent battery packs are about $ 100 -$150 each and you will need 2 because charging can be slow and a good charger is $100 - $300.

Don’t be tempted to buy that cool Spitfire or Hellcat or whatever you’ve always wanted. They are NOT trainers and can be hard to fly, as a first model they are usually a recipe for major disappointment.

If you feel committed you should buy at least a 6 channel radio system. Although the plane only has 4 basic controls (motor, rudder, elevator and aileron) and in the beginning that will be fine, you often want to have separate servos for each aileron which uses up another channel and flaps will use up the last of the 6. Most 6 channel gear also allows you to “mix” controls so that you can electronically modify the models flying characteristics. This can make a model easier to fly (or more exciting if that is what you want!) The slightly more advanced gear also has features like electronic servo centering and “rates” which modify the way the controls work. This can be very handy when flying a new model.

ARF, Kit or built from a plan…..There was a time when your choices were a lot more limited. Now you can buy:

· RTF (Ready to fly models), not common but you can buy absolutely everything ready to go.

· ARF (almost ready to fly) where the model is built and covered but you need to glue a few bits together, mount the servos, radio gear, motor and fuel tank of your choice and bolt on a suitable prop.

· Kits. This is where you get a box of mostly pre-cut bits but you have to glue it all together, cover it and put in all the radio gear and motor.

· Plans. Probably not suitable unless you had some experience with building flying models.

· And of course, if you are that way inclined, design and build your own models. Actually not terribly hard to do if you have a little experience and can be very rewarding (all my own work!). Once you have built a few kits and looked at plans you recognize common design methods. The basic shape that flies is easy to draw up and adjust to your personal taste.

What you buy is up to you. Strangely the cheapest option is now probably the ARF model. Kits may look cheaper but by the time you add covering and other bits, they usually aren’t. If you like making things however one of the good laser cut kits is wonderful fun (and relatively easy) to make and you do feel as though it is all your own work. The one drawback with ARF’s is the cheaper ones may not be terribly well made and you can’t tell until something goes wrong.

If you’ve never built of flown anything before, my own view is slightly divergent. there exist a number of epp foam stick type electric “park flyers” that are excellent starter models. You can buy everything for about $250 - $350 (including basic 3 channel radio gear, batteries and a charger). They are not terribly powerful and you will outgrow them but they are easy to learn to fly, the outlay is a lot less, they are very forgiving of mistakes and when you graduate to something a more exotic they are still fun to buzz around as the ultimate “low think” model. Just make sure that the model you buy has an elevator. Some very cheap ones don’t, they only have rudder and throttle but I think you need the elevator function to learn meaningfully. Talk to your local model shops.

Recently some variations on this “stick type” model have also become available. They are epp foam models of things like the classic “cub”. They come complete with all the gear and are also a reasonable starting point. The foam is light and bounces on a (moderate) impact and the models are very easy to put together.

Radio Gear.

In New Zealand there are currently 3 major brands: Futaba, JR and Hitec. Apart the long established Futaba and JR having a few hyper-expensive top end models there isn’t a lot in it, they are all reliable and the range for standard gear is about 1 km, way beyond the distance you can see what’s going on. Once you go with a brand you will probably want to stick with the same receivers as your transmitter. This is because there are slightly different ways of encoding a signal. Some gear is cross-compatible, some is not. Servos are all the same but Futaba uses a plug with a little ridge to stop you plugging it in the wrong way. You can shave this off and use it on any brand of radio gear.

Just a word on range, you can buy very small/light receivers intended for park fly and indoors. Their range is only about 500m and would not be suitable for a “normal” outdoors model. Check carefully which type you buy. By the way, never trim the length of the aerial or fold it up to fit in the model. It is roughly tuned for the band and changing its length will seriously affect the range.

Note that radio gear purchased in the UK and some other countries may not have the same compatibility (e.g. the Sanwa brand). Good gear, but the frequencies may be wrong and the plugs etc. may not be directly compatible with other brands. If you do have gear like that, have it checked out first. In some cases it can easily be brought to a legal frequency and other brands of servos can be made compatible.

Mode 1 or mode 2. You may be asked this at some stage. Mode 1 has throttle and ailerons on the right stick (elevator and rudder on the left stick) and mode 2 has elevator and ailerons on the right stick (throttle and rudder on the left stick). Mode 1 is the more common in New Zealand but most Americans fly mode 2. From a practical point of view there isn’t a lot in it. The mechanical bits inside the transmitter can be easily swapped around from one to the other but once you learn to fly one mode it is difficult to change.

Mode 1 fans say that separate hands operating elevator and aileron controls are better for advanced aerobatics. Mode 2 fans say that their way is better for learning and sports flying and more like a real aeroplane. Both modes are available and the choice is yours.

Frequencies. The transmitters and receivers have matching crystals (or frequency synthesizers) so the receivers only “see” your transmitter. Unless two people have exactly the same frequency. In theory dozens of models can be flying at the same time. However it is possible that two people have the same frequency so a “peg board” system is needed. Before you turn on your transmitter, you “claim” your frequency by putting a labeled clothes peg on the frequency board (my primary one looks like this). If someone else has that frequency you do not turn anything on! If there is a conflict it is usually easy to flip-flop flying with the other person or, if you are regulars, you may decide to change frequencies; normally this is a simple crystal swap (you don’t change bands, just frequencies within the band).

While a number of bands are available, the 27 MHz band is not normally used because it is available for other less controlled uses. The rest on the NZMAA list are fine and which one you use is largely a matter of chance when you buy some gear. Some shops will steer you into a particular band but don’t worry, so long as they are one of the big three (see above) they are all fine.

The club tries to keep a registry of peoples’ frequencies so if you have a choice you can choose one that no one else in the club has.

Motors:

The major brand of methanol fuel motors is OS but there are a number of other good brands. Ask around.

There are many brands of electric motors and you will sort of have to trust the person who sells it to you. Price is only a partial indicator of performance.

Second Hand:

There are a lot of people who give up so there is a reasonable amount of good second hand gear available. Obviously there are many traps and pit-falls but if you do your homework and find out about the stuff before you look, it is an option. Talk to one of the experienced club members and they will probably have lots of useful advice.

Local model shops:

As of mid 2008 the model shops that our members are most likely to patronise are:

It would not be fair to say one shop is better than the other. Each shop has its strengths, talk to some club members for their opinions. The best thing is to go to each of them, ask the same questions then decide for yourself who seems to be giving the best answers. There are others in the Auckland area and some are more specialized (use the yellow pages and they advertise in the NZMAA magazine).

Mail Order:

New Zealand:

There are a number of excellent mail order options in New Zealand. You pay shipping but they are often the best source for some items. As for the shops, you need to decide on the ones you think are best. Again, talk to club members about their preferences.

Overseas:

Always an option when the Kiwi dollar is strong but you do need to check very carefully on shipping costs (which can be outrageous especially on large items) and of course returns/service etc are not as easy and you need to be comfortable with them having your credit card details. You also need to patronize the local shops, if you don’t, they go out of business.

Web Sites:

There are hundreds, probably thousands of web sites with some radio control models theme. The following are only a few to get you started:

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~atong/ (Alan Tong’s website)

http://www.thirtythousandfeet.com/rc.htm (just one of many good sites)

Flight Simulators:

Not a bad way to get going, they range from free to $300+.

The $300 ones are very good but a reasonable free one I have been using for a couple of years is FMS (go to the ace hobby site. http://www.acehobby.co.nz/ossb2/root/OSSBEC1/showitem.asp?PID=52310

Although you don’t absolutely need to buy a transmitter cable (Ace stock them), it is well worth it. You can then plug your transmitter into your computer and practice fly using your own gear. You can try landings again and again and the only damage is some embarrassed pixels. The models are not totally realistic but close enough to learn some valuable lessons.

Basic Flying Notes

Mal Forsyth

CONSTANT ALTITUDE TURNS (e.g. PROCEDURAL & FIGURE OF EIGHT)

· Enter the turn with adequate level flying speed. (Particularly avoid a nose up entry.)

· Using ailerons, bank the aircraft in the required direction, and follow with a little up-elevator to maintain height.

· Restore the ailerons as necessary to maintain required angle of bank.

· Begin to straighten from turn a little before the final required heading has been reached.

· For tighter turns, increase throttle setting slightly before the turn, bank more steeply, & assist the maneuver with a little rudder action.

DISORIENTATION & POSITIONING

· Disorientation is an inability to correctly decide the current heading and attitude of the model. This & poor positioning are particular problems for beginners. Hints:

· Keep the aircraft as close as possible and favour up-wind positioning.

· Avoid Flying close to any area where vision of the plane can be obstructed. (You can’t fly what you can’t see!)

· Watch aircraft maneuvers carefully. The way in which the plane arrived at its present position yields information about what its present attitude and heading must be.

· If uncertain whether plane is approaching or receding, use the ailerons Lu waggle the wings. The direction of banking will establish the plane’s heading.

· At extreme range (should you have allowed this to occur!) use a right or left turn and the changing direction of plane movement to establish its heading.

TAKE OFFS

· Ensure that engine throttles up to full power correctly

· Check that all control surfaces respond to the flight box controls and operate in the correct direction.

· Line up take off into the wind.

· Pull in about one quarter up elevator for a tricycle undercarriage & full up elevator for a tail dragger.

· Open the throttle to about one quarter until aircraft is moving slowly. Use rudder only to make any necessary corrections of heading.

· Gradually increase engine revs to full throttle and use the rudder further to maintain correct heading down the runway as the aircraft accelerates.

· Rudder corrections should be released as the plane recovers the correct heading. (A slight opposite rudder correction at the time of rudder release helps to prevent tail—plane fi9hteil action from developing.)

· Gradually release all up elevator during acceleration.

· As the plane reaches flying speed, again ease in a very small amount of up elevator as necessary to begin the climb

· As the plane climbs away from the ground use the ailerons to keep the wings level, and the rudder to steer.

· As the plane accelerates further, gradually steepen the climb but: Avoid a very steep climb out which could lead to a stalI.

· Continue climbing to at least 100 feet in the direction of the runway, veering slightly into the wind as necessary.

· Maintain heading into wind and gradually level out from the climb while throttling back to cruise power.

· Initiate a gentle turn with ailerons, as required for a normal circuit.

TRIMMING THE FLIGHT SURFACES

· Learn to trim aircraft without looking down at the flight box. (Attitude, position or neighbouring aircraft collision problems can arise quickly, when attention is removed from an aircraft.)

o Trimming should only be attempted once the aircraft has:

o reached a safe altitude

o been throttled back to normal cruise power

o been set on a safe heading into the wind

· Trim the ailerons to keep the wings level “with hands off”.

· Now trim the elevator for level flight with hands off.

· Finally, trim the rudder for straight flight (i.e. remove any tendency for the aircraft to ‘crab’ through the air sideways).

· After rudder trimming, further minor aileron trim adjustment may be required.

LANDINGS

· These should always be made into wind.

· The very short runway approaches often used by experienced flyers are best avoided by beginners.

· Always use a normal circuit approach when entering the base leg.

· Reduce the throttle setting (typically to about one third) during the base leg, so that aircraft is gradually losing height. (A higher throttle setting is required under stronger wind conditions. An ideal descent angle is about 3 degrees or 5 to 6 metres in 100 metres.)

· Execute a flat turn on to final approach. (A descending turn will cause an increase in aircraft speed.)

· Orientate the aircraft so that it is flying directly towards the runway. (This will result in a minimum silhouette being presented against the sky if the flyer is close to the runway.)

· Maintain this slightly nose-down attitude by using the ailerons to keep the wings level elevator to adjust the approach speed using the throttle to adjust the rate of descent and the rudder to maintain correct direction

· Correct aircraft heading as necessary using rudder only. Continue to keep the wings level using the ailerons.

· Just before touchdown, flare out gradually. Flare out should begin just before the runway at a height of about 1 or 2 metres.

· During round out, gradually reduce the throttle to idle.

· Keep the wings level, and maintain the flare out so that aircraft wheels touch the runway under near stall conditions with full up elevator.

· Should the plane descend too fast and bounce off the runway back into the air, momentarily open the throttle a little during the bounce. This will ensure that the next touchdown is gentler.

FORCED LANDINGS

· Occasional engine failures are inevitable. The objectives after loss of power are to get the aircraft down in one piece, and as close to the runway as possible.

· Always try to make a forced landing into wind to minimize the landing speed.

· After engine failure when flying with the wind, high, and parallel to the runway, continue the circuit and turn in the normal wall. The positioning of the turn becomes critical however to the final rest position of the plane.

· After engine failure when flying towards the runway into wind and high, attempt to glide to one side & back to the runway. With the wind pressing against the plane considerable altitude will be lost by this maneuver and a safe runway landing may be attempted. Again, Judgment of turn positioning is critical to the final rest position of the plane.

· With engine failure on take-off at low altitude, a landing straight ahead into wind off the end of the runway is usually safest.

GENERAL POINTS

· When changing to a climb after level or descending flight, increase power before feeding up elevator

· Avoid any decrease in power immediately before turning across wind, or downwind. (IF a power decrease must be made, feed in some down elevator first.)

· When taxiing, use a power burst ... just enough to make the aircraft roll, and then reduce and adjust the power to keep aircraft rolling at taxi speed.

· Use up elevator when taxiing. This will stop nosing-over on a tail dragger, and increase rudder control for a fixed tricycle undercarriage plane.

· Note that the aircraft sensitivity to rudder and elevator control increases with aircraft speed and throttle setting.

· In the event that a crash becomes inevitable, final control action should include closing the throttle. This will tend to minimize aircraft damage.

· In the case of an unavoidable crash into trees, a deliberate stall immediately before impact will also minimize damage.

· When turning at low speeds (particularly near the ground) aileron use should be restricted, and greater use of rudder action made. (Aggressive aileron use at low speeds is likely to initiate a tip stall.)