Disastrous Introduction to Hobby...

[dman]

So, about 1.5 months ago I began my foray into RC flying with the purchase of a Super Cub LP RTF.

I flew it sucessfully 6 times without any crashes and was absolutely loving it, I had managed to do hand-launches, landings, runway take-offs and even loops.

Needless to say I couldn't be happier with my introduction to the hobby.
In fact I was enjoying it so much that I bought a new larger capacitance battery so I could fly at the field for longer.

This is where everything started to go downhill.

After purchasing my new battery, soldering on the EC3 connectors and charging it, I went down to the field to go flying.

After a successful flight with my new battery I landed and proceeded to swap it out for my other battery, however after inserting my 2nd battery only the control surfaces would work, the motor was not responding.

After going down to my LHS I was told that my battery was dead and my charger was defective and that I would have to wait two weeks till replacements was delivered.

Needless to say I was extremely disappointed as this would ground my Cub for quite a while.

But the bad news doesn't end there, I decided to re-solder the EC3 connectors to my new battery as I hadn't done such a great job initially, after re-soldering the connector I test fitted it to my Cub's ESC, unfortunately I had got the polarity wrong and ended up frying the ESC!

Now I had to replace the ESC too!

After waiting 3 weeks for my LHS to order in a replacement ESC, it had still not arrived (although I had now gotten a replacement charger and battery), so I decided to buy all new electronics for my Cub.

So, a large amount of money later I had a new transmitter (DX6i), reciever (OrangeRX), ESC (Turnigy Brushed 30A), and servos (HXT900). Finally I was ready to fly again.

So after waiting another two weeks for my parts to arrive and for a day without wind, I became impatient and decided to go flying, against my gut instinct that it was too windy.

This is where it gets really bad, the wind at the field was even worse than at my house and it was picking up, but I was far too eager to fly to back out now, so I went ahead anyway.

Well, as soon as my Cub took off and gained some altitude I began to turn away from the wind, at this point the Cub's speed increased insanely and before I knew it I had absolutely no control over it, the wind was carrying it wherever it wanted to. In a matter of seconds it was out of sight and going down fast.

After 2 hrs of searching the area near the crash site I could still not find it, I left my details with the owners of the farm at which I was flying in the hopes that someone may find it but I'm not too optimistic about it.

Over the last 1.5 months I have poured $630 into this hobby and have only had about 6 flights, and now I have absolutely nothing to show for it but a transmitter sitting on my desk.

Needless to say I'm extremely disillusioned with the hobby at the moment and am seriously considering just giving up, although now I have just bought this expensive transmitter.

[pauliepilot]

Get a flight sim!then try again sorry to hear ur bad news...dont give up ;-)

[renard80]

Dreadfully sorry for you.

If it's some small consolation, be assured that many, many people - certainly me and my friends - have suffered similar setbacks and been plunged into the pit of despair.

Several times I have felt like giving up completely and taking up something less risky, like embroidery or stamp collecting. But I am so glad that I always eventually dusted myself off and started all over again.

In the long term, the pleasures outweigh the pain. Stick in there, and good luck, my friend.

[renard80]

TO EVERYONE:

Any of us might lose our beloved planes! Have you put stickers on your fuselage and wings with your PHONE NUMBER and a polite request for the finder to contact you? That way, you might avert a total loss.

[pauliepilot]

I keep forgeting to do this....first thing i do today :-)

[pauliepilot]

Another thing..u can fly the sc in strong winds"not advisable for a newbe but nuff said" flown mine in 25-30mph winds n yeah it does feel uncontrolable with the wind but u do have some...aslong as u could get it pointing bk into the wind u would of regained full/more control...high wind a no no as it flys more like a kite,i fly my ef16 in high winds alltho i do get a little tale wiggle...
Like we'r saying dont give up....try a flying wing!

[toff]

I do fully sympathise with your dejection, however, you did fly against your better instinct ( It was too windy). Unfortunately, this hobby is very unforgiving of mistakes, and high wind flying is one of the big no-nos.
Fingers crossed it turns up, not too damaged. Then you can make all sorts of other mistakes !

[dman]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies and encouragemnt.

I have actually been using a simulator already and yes you're right a more experienced pilot may have been able to bring my Cub down despite the high winds.
And yes I did go against my better judgement so I have no-one else to blame but myself.

As I highly doubt I will get the plane back, and even if I did get it back only the electronics would be salvagable as not only was the crash horrific but the weather we have had since then would most likely have ripped it to shreds, I have been considering what I could do to get back into the hobby.

I have been looking at other foam trainers, specifically 4 channel ones, as I will not want to upgrade for a while after my next purchase so I would like to be able to grow with the plane.
I have been contemplating getting the E Flite PNP Apprentice 15e as I have an AR6110 that came with my DX6i which I could use.

If I was to get the Apprentice I realise that I would either need a larger flying field in order to teach myself or would have to seek out an experienced pilot to teach me.

Would you recommend going this route? Or would I be better off doing something else?

Thanks again for the replies and support, it is greatly appreciated.

[pauliepilot]

The eflite looks like a decent trainer...not sure if it would float as well as the sc but looks nicer!
Depends on how small or big your field is...once u get the hang of flairing on landings u can land in tight spaces.
I managed to teach myself with the hz sc just over a year ago now,only flew it a month then moved on to a flying wing "night flying fun".....no wait.....
I had the sc a month then went n bought a dx6i.....and a phase3 p40 warhalk set rudder up on right stick"how id lernt" not a good idea first flight lasted 2secons n cost me a new motor £40 esc £40 "probley flew it a total of 8times" smashed it every time thought bugger this n bought the swift flying wing n put in the motor esc rx n servos out the p40...to this day a year on its in bits in the box!!mean time had 2 squalls extra 300 and ef16 needs new airframe but still flying......not to forget my blade450 3d im real excited can wait till next tuesday :-D my first one...been on a flight sim n can hover inverted n land not bad for a newbe :-)
Your next plane is up to you but if you learn as fast as me maybe look around n see whats about

[toff]

Having used this to teach one of my colleagues to fly, If you wish to go down the self teach route, I heartily recommend the parkzone radian glider (3 channel). Flies slow, glides forever, is very forgiving of mistakes, and can handle a bit of wind as well.
If possible, I'd say find an instructor of some sort, But in some cases ( mine!), self teaching is the only way. Once taught, sell it, then go for a dynam hawk-sky, or similar. Then...... move on to proper 4 channel. The old adage ' learn to walk before you learn to run' takes full effect when trying to learn RC flight. Even real aircraft pilots ( from 747's to fighters), get confused and disorientated trying to fly 'toy' planes, so don't get too down about it.

[dman]

Thanks for the suggestion toff.

I looked into the radian and it looks awesome!
The idea of sailplanes and thermaling appeal to me as where I live it is often windy and there is a large slope soaring community that I would like to get into.
I love the sound of super long flight times too.

I noticed that the radian pro however is only an additional $40 and it has ailerons, as well as flaps, crow etc, all of which are appealing.

I couldn't help wondering if the pro wouldn't be a good aileron trainer as I have already had some experience with 3 channels?

As I mentioned earlier, I was hoping my next purchase would be a plane that I could grow with, hence the preference for at least 4 channels.

I could seek help with my first few flights if that were necessary too.

So do you think the Radian Pro might be a good choice?

[iflyforfun]

dman, It seems to me that you did a very good job at analyzing your mistakes. You obviously have the skill to fly because you said that you had multiple flights before your problems started. You made a couple of mistakes like connecting the battery wrong but heck, that kind of stuff can happen to anyone. You had Fltitis. We have all had flyitis and some of us have had the same results. I had a little better luck last year. Here is a video of that flight:

youtu.be/DT1RNSnlNfQ

You mentioned that you had a problem with the EC3 plugs. I developed an easy way to solder and also adjust the tension of EC3 & EC5 plugs. Take a look at the following videos.

How to Solder EC3 Plugs:
vimeo.com/28279550

How to adjust the tension on EC3 plugs:
vimeo.com/28280408

I hope that this will help with your soldering issues.

Even though you had a few flights that were successful, flying in windy conditions ( as you found out the hard way ) is a whole different ball game!!! Flying in wind can be exhilarating and challenging but success is completely dependent on your experience. I love flying in windy conditions and the Super Cub (with ailerons and no dihedral ) can fly in heavy wind. The plane can handle it. The pilot is the weak link. Here is a video of me flying in extremely windy conditions:

vimeo.com/26799338

Your one of the few people that have analyzed your problems and know where you made the mistakes. Why quit now?? I can understand if you don't have the wallet to continue flying. $600 dollars is a lot of money but I assume from your own words that you really enjoy this. If you have the funds then don't quit. You are further ahead than many others. You have 6 successful flights and therefore it's obvious that if you fly in calm conditions then you'll be fine.

I am little confused about the issue with your LHS. Why would your battery control the BEC circuit and not the ESC/motor. If your battery was dead then nothing would work. Well, thats not exactly true because the battery voltage could have been below the LVC(low voltage cut off) of the ESC but yet have enough power to still run the BEC(batterie elimination circuit. Did they test you batterie? What did they say was wrong with it? What about your charger? It just went bad at the exact same time? This is the kind of situation that we can just guess at the cause. I don't know your relationship with your LHS but I would be very upset if my LHS told me I needed replacement parts without an explanations of how the parts could have been damaged.

Well, your past that point now. IMHO I think you should get another Super Cub LP. It's a good trainer and you already have experience with flying the plane! If you were a brand new pilot without any experience then I would recommend another plane but that is not the case.

Keep us posted.

Ifly

[iflyforfun]

dman, you asked about the Radian pro. I just had my maiden flight with my radian last week. It is a very nice flyer and very stable. I don't know if its the right plane for you. Flying is not the problem, its landing. I'm not bragging but I have some good flying skills and that dam radian needs a lot of room to land. It just wants to keep flying and IMHO you need skills like being able to side slip to loose altitude without gaining speed in order to fly it. If you have a large field to practice in for your first few flights then you'll be ok. But as I mentioned in my last post, I think another SC LP would be a good choice.

Ifly

[flydiver]

The Radian is an excellent thermal trainer. I do not consider it a good 'beginner' plane. It has a little too much power, is a bit fragile, and takes a loooonnnnngggg time to land (needs room). It will handle wind, but really not a lot. Over 10mph for anything but and experienced pilot is a bit much. It will almost fly itself if you have a little experience.

The Radian Pro is an entirely different critter. It is NOT hands off, and is NOT dead easy to fly. It is still over powered, still fragile (more so now with more stuff to break) and also takes some space to fly. I would NOT buy it for an aileron trainer. It is an ADVANCED THERMAL TRAINER.
So, I strongly suggest you do not go down that path.

Look at a Multiplex Minimag, Funcub, or build an E-Starter.
You can always get a Cub fuse and basic equipment and mod it from scratch with ailerons.

Everyone makes mistakes in this sport. Losing a plane is one of the most distressing. At least with a crash you have a potential for repair and can always salvage parts. But, in general most first trainers are sacrificial, you use 'em, and you move on.

You are on a tough cusp. You 'maybe' have the skills to make a jump to the next level. OTOH, you did 'screw up' and lost a plane due to a judgement error. You will make more. A 4-ch plane will possibly accelerate your learning curve. It could also accelerate your crash ratio. Only you can make that decision. Flying takes realistic evaluation of your capabilities. That is very hard to do on line and can be done in minutes in person from and experienced pilot. If you have that option I suggest seeking it out.

[toff]

As stated previously, I have used the 3 channel radian as a trainer, and do think its an 'easy' to fly plane. Yes, I admit it does take a lot of space to land, but given that space, landings are near perfect every time. It's also as tough as old boots, and is far more survivable than the SC. As regards power, yes, it is quite quick, but if used as intended (Up into the air and switch off), it glides super slow, and for this reason, I think is a good trainer.
The radian pro is a different kettle of fish ( note the PRO in the name - professional), as in, you can already fly, and this is a great sports/ thermaling plane - Not a learning tool by any means.
A compromise could be getting the Radian, flying and getting comfy with it, then modifying it with ailerons, and flattening the wings out ( There are many excellent tutorials on You tube and other forums on this subject.)
We all have different opinions on what is a good trainer,. I choose this, as you're pretty much going to get a great flight, and a plane in one piece on landing. Remember to take off and land into wind, if there is any.