Post by flyerguybham on Jan 17, 2009 22:38:53 GMT 1
Hi from Birmingham, AL, USA!
I've been reading these forums for a few days to prepare for the maiden flight of my Super Cub which my wife gave me as an xmas present (been too windy/rainy every weekend since!) I've been a flight sim enthusiast for years now but I had never flown an RC plane before. Somehow the fact that there are real, tangible airplane parts to break apart upon impact is much more nerve racking than flight sim.
So I've been diligently reading forums, watching videos, and going over the plane to make sure I'm as prepared as possible.
Mother nature finally cooperated (at least that's what the weather web site said - 5mph winds) this morning and my wife and I headed over to the sports fields behind the local middle school for the first flight. We grabbed my mom to help with the videocamera duties, as well.
I gave my wife the honor of first launch - which she was terrified about. But hey, she bought this thing, she's in it with me now. So we did the systems check, the range check, all looked good, wind seemed still... camera rolling....wife in position with plane...full throttle...3...2...1...launch!
After a stomach-in-throat inducing drop towards the ground the SC caught some lift and there it went off into the sky! It was drifting left and right, but my practiced flight sim hand was able to keep it more or less climbing steady and what we'll call straight!
The first "we're not in Kansas any more" moment came at about 80 feet, when it cleared the tree line that surrounded the fields, and started to get buffeted around in some wind. I basically gave up trying to keep this bird on a vector and focused on keeping full throttle and a nice steady amount of elevator to ensure that I kept it climbing. Eventually I started a wide turn back towards me, and was surprised that really, it was all I could do to keep this thing +/- 45 degrees from the direction I really wanted it to go.
I got it up to maybe 120-150 feet and brought her to half throttle, and started trying some big ovals. Only problem was it would get back into the wind and more or less stop... had to do full throttle on the legs into the wind, and keeping it straight wasn't happening.
After a couple minutes of feeling like I was about 20% in control of this thing, I thought I'd try to bring her back down slowly. So I cut throttle to about 1/3 and tried my best to keep her somewhat over the football field I was on.
As soon as I reduced throttle the SC started losing the battle with the wind, and drifted off course badly...I could not get her back over the field, and she started diving, and I was overcorrecting, and my wife and mom are yelling "pull up! pull up!" (thanks guys, that's helpful!! ... and then I heard the engine sound like it was cutting in and out (maybe the ACT engaging?)
The plane started to dip back behind the bleachers of the field, and I was more or less in panic mode now, plus I was still getting used to the whole idea of the controls being backwards when coming at me so I'm giving it way too much input, and half the time it's the reverse of what I intended to do. The plane just wobbled and dove and wobbled some more... and right into a tree.
My wife somehow thinks this is a great outcome, and exclaims "hey it looks good!" (Thanks for the support, at least!) I head off towards the tree, round the corner, and what little shred of dignity I have left leaves me as I learn that the entire episode was witnessed by this 11 year old boy, who thinks this is all just the funniest thing he ever saw.
I assess the situation... about 15 feet up, directly over a walkway with a railing...ok, stand on the railing, I'm 6 feet.... so I need like a 7 foot stick or so. Look around, find a nice branch, and there I am, fishing with a dead branch for my poor SC hanging in a tree. I got her out in a couple of minutes and the plane plops to the ground. First landing! ;D I disengaged the battery and assessed the damage.
Sturdy little bugger! A small divot on the underside of one wing, and a dent in the cowl which I pop back out with my finger! Nice!
I dust off the plane (and my pride) and head back over to the football field.
Try number 2. Wife on the hand launch again. The SC climbs nicely through the first 50-60 feet or so and then hits the buffeting winds again. This time I level off with about 3/4 throttle and do a couple of ovals. Seems to respond better with more power and also keeping it at about 80-100 feet instead of higher (though I didn't like the idea of having no time to correct if it started to dive again, the fact that it was handling better at the lower altitude won out). I circle around, and then line it up for my first (non-arboreal) landing.
To the immense shock and surprise of all assembled, I more or less stick the landing! As it turns out, I'm totally comfortable with the final approach and landing phases as a result of all of my flight sim hours. I cut the engine, flare it out, whole nine yards. What a comeback after the mishap!
Confidence restored, I decided that keeping it low and practicing my takeoffs and landings is the safe thing to do today, and all told, got the SC up and down another 6 or 7 times with nothing worse than a plop forward on landing. Had mom do a hand launch, did a self-hand-launch, even did some runway takeoffs both on the football field and on the surrounding track. Had a couple of really nice landings, including some higher speed ones where the plane rolled to a satisfying stop. Ended the session on a high note!
So, take home lessons from my maiden flight: that takeoffs and landings are not nearly so stressful as I was fearing, that you really need VERY little/no wind in order to cruise at altitude in a controlled manner, and that the little SC is a pretty sturdy bugger, even just completely stock parts with no strengthening or modifications.
Having said that, I probably do want to spend some time firming up some of the parts, and I am definitely open to recommendations on how to make the plane more durable from all of the big and small bumps and bruises it is going to get. Also, if there are some tips and tricks to handling the thing in a little bit of wind (other than the obvious practice, practice, practice...) I am all ears.
Lots of fun, I think I am really going to enjoy this plane and this hobby. :-) Looking forward to learning lots from this forum and all of you.
Thanks for reading this far - I know for you guys this may sound routine, but for me, it was a great thrill this morning.
I've been reading these forums for a few days to prepare for the maiden flight of my Super Cub which my wife gave me as an xmas present (been too windy/rainy every weekend since!) I've been a flight sim enthusiast for years now but I had never flown an RC plane before. Somehow the fact that there are real, tangible airplane parts to break apart upon impact is much more nerve racking than flight sim.
So I've been diligently reading forums, watching videos, and going over the plane to make sure I'm as prepared as possible. Mother nature finally cooperated (at least that's what the weather web site said - 5mph winds) this morning and my wife and I headed over to the sports fields behind the local middle school for the first flight. We grabbed my mom to help with the videocamera duties, as well.
I gave my wife the honor of first launch - which she was terrified about. But hey, she bought this thing, she's in it with me now.
So we did the systems check, the range check, all looked good, wind seemed still... camera rolling....wife in position with plane...full throttle...3...2...1...launch!After a stomach-in-throat inducing drop towards the ground the SC caught some lift and there it went off into the sky! It was drifting left and right, but my practiced flight sim hand was able to keep it more or less climbing steady and what we'll call straight!
The first "we're not in Kansas any more" moment came at about 80 feet, when it cleared the tree line that surrounded the fields, and started to get buffeted around in some wind. I basically gave up trying to keep this bird on a vector and focused on keeping full throttle and a nice steady amount of elevator to ensure that I kept it climbing. Eventually I started a wide turn back towards me, and was surprised that really, it was all I could do to keep this thing +/- 45 degrees from the direction I really wanted it to go.
I got it up to maybe 120-150 feet and brought her to half throttle, and started trying some big ovals. Only problem was it would get back into the wind and more or less stop... had to do full throttle on the legs into the wind, and keeping it straight wasn't happening.
After a couple minutes of feeling like I was about 20% in control of this thing, I thought I'd try to bring her back down slowly. So I cut throttle to about 1/3 and tried my best to keep her somewhat over the football field I was on.
As soon as I reduced throttle the SC started losing the battle with the wind, and drifted off course badly...I could not get her back over the field, and she started diving, and I was overcorrecting, and my wife and mom are yelling "pull up! pull up!" (thanks guys, that's helpful!!
... and then I heard the engine sound like it was cutting in and out (maybe the ACT engaging?)The plane started to dip back behind the bleachers of the field, and I was more or less in panic mode now, plus I was still getting used to the whole idea of the controls being backwards when coming at me so I'm giving it way too much input, and half the time it's the reverse of what I intended to do. The plane just wobbled and dove and wobbled some more... and right into a tree.
My wife somehow thinks this is a great outcome, and exclaims "hey it looks good!" (Thanks for the support, at least!) I head off towards the tree, round the corner, and what little shred of dignity I have left leaves me as I learn that the entire episode was witnessed by this 11 year old boy, who thinks this is all just the funniest thing he ever saw.
I assess the situation... about 15 feet up, directly over a walkway with a railing...ok, stand on the railing, I'm 6 feet.... so I need like a 7 foot stick or so. Look around, find a nice branch, and there I am, fishing with a dead branch for my poor SC hanging in a tree. I got her out in a couple of minutes and the plane plops to the ground. First landing! ;D I disengaged the battery and assessed the damage.
Sturdy little bugger! A small divot on the underside of one wing, and a dent in the cowl which I pop back out with my finger! Nice!
I dust off the plane (and my pride) and head back over to the football field.
Try number 2. Wife on the hand launch again. The SC climbs nicely through the first 50-60 feet or so and then hits the buffeting winds again. This time I level off with about 3/4 throttle and do a couple of ovals. Seems to respond better with more power and also keeping it at about 80-100 feet instead of higher (though I didn't like the idea of having no time to correct if it started to dive again, the fact that it was handling better at the lower altitude won out). I circle around, and then line it up for my first (non-arboreal) landing.
To the immense shock and surprise of all assembled, I more or less stick the landing! As it turns out, I'm totally comfortable with the final approach and landing phases as a result of all of my flight sim hours. I cut the engine, flare it out, whole nine yards. What a comeback after the mishap!
Confidence restored, I decided that keeping it low and practicing my takeoffs and landings is the safe thing to do today, and all told, got the SC up and down another 6 or 7 times with nothing worse than a plop forward on landing. Had mom do a hand launch, did a self-hand-launch, even did some runway takeoffs both on the football field and on the surrounding track. Had a couple of really nice landings, including some higher speed ones where the plane rolled to a satisfying stop. Ended the session on a high note!
So, take home lessons from my maiden flight: that takeoffs and landings are not nearly so stressful as I was fearing, that you really need VERY little/no wind in order to cruise at altitude in a controlled manner, and that the little SC is a pretty sturdy bugger, even just completely stock parts with no strengthening or modifications.
Having said that, I probably do want to spend some time firming up some of the parts, and I am definitely open to recommendations on how to make the plane more durable from all of the big and small bumps and bruises it is going to get. Also, if there are some tips and tricks to handling the thing in a little bit of wind (other than the obvious practice, practice, practice...) I am all ears.
Lots of fun, I think I am really going to enjoy this plane and this hobby. :-) Looking forward to learning lots from this forum and all of you.
Thanks for reading this far - I know for you guys this may sound routine, but for me, it was a great thrill this morning.
