Post by Dillzio on Nov 19, 2009 7:06:49 GMT 1
I've just got my landing technique down packed, I can share my experience with you for what works well for me.
I start by heading away from me to get some distance for a nice long approach, about 200 meters is good about 10-15 m high. I then turn the plane to face me and cut the throttle down to about half, and allow the plane to loose some altitude during the turn. Once the plane is facing towards me and about 150m away I cut the throttle down to zero. Generally the plane's controls are much less responsive with the motor off, so make sure it's lined up pretty well before you cut the throttle. From here I just glide it in.
At this point (about 150m away) if you were to glide for maximum distance you would overshoot your landing. If you were to go into a dive and pull up when you were about 1 foot off the ground, and keep it level until it touched down you would come up short. What you want to do will be a happy medium.
From this point I nose down a little bit to bring it in and as I approach the ground, I pull up just enough to get it into level flight and prevent it from touching down. As the plane slows down, it will loose more and more lift, and you'll have to pull up more and more to keep it from touching the ground. You then let the plane touch down with you pulling up just enough that the plane is almost weightless when it hits the deck.
The exact time you choose to touch down is another balancing act. You want to be going slow enough that you touch down gently, but not so slowly that you loose all your lift. You want to have enough speed to be able to have enough lift to be almost weightless when you touch down.
If I think I'm going to come up short, I give it full throttle for a few seconds to get some altitude and speed back. Also, be careful not to overshoot your landings, it's easy to do when you're learning. I've done it myself and it could have gone very badly (almost hit a spectator lurking behind me). If you do need to stop in an emergency after you've touched down, nose down all the way - it's better for then plane to nose over than it is for it to end up on the road under an oncoming car.
The key is that practice makes perfect. Luckily the Cub is a pretty tough little plane so it can take a few rough landings until you get your technique just right. Spend some time just doing takeoffs and landings, by the time you've done 20 or so it will all start to come naturally.
I wouldn't throw away that broken fuselage if I were you. Glue it back together and wrap it in tape, it'll be stronger than it ever was.
I start by heading away from me to get some distance for a nice long approach, about 200 meters is good about 10-15 m high. I then turn the plane to face me and cut the throttle down to about half, and allow the plane to loose some altitude during the turn. Once the plane is facing towards me and about 150m away I cut the throttle down to zero. Generally the plane's controls are much less responsive with the motor off, so make sure it's lined up pretty well before you cut the throttle. From here I just glide it in.
At this point (about 150m away) if you were to glide for maximum distance you would overshoot your landing. If you were to go into a dive and pull up when you were about 1 foot off the ground, and keep it level until it touched down you would come up short. What you want to do will be a happy medium.
From this point I nose down a little bit to bring it in and as I approach the ground, I pull up just enough to get it into level flight and prevent it from touching down. As the plane slows down, it will loose more and more lift, and you'll have to pull up more and more to keep it from touching the ground. You then let the plane touch down with you pulling up just enough that the plane is almost weightless when it hits the deck.
The exact time you choose to touch down is another balancing act. You want to be going slow enough that you touch down gently, but not so slowly that you loose all your lift. You want to have enough speed to be able to have enough lift to be almost weightless when you touch down.
If I think I'm going to come up short, I give it full throttle for a few seconds to get some altitude and speed back. Also, be careful not to overshoot your landings, it's easy to do when you're learning. I've done it myself and it could have gone very badly (almost hit a spectator lurking behind me). If you do need to stop in an emergency after you've touched down, nose down all the way - it's better for then plane to nose over than it is for it to end up on the road under an oncoming car.
The key is that practice makes perfect. Luckily the Cub is a pretty tough little plane so it can take a few rough landings until you get your technique just right. Spend some time just doing takeoffs and landings, by the time you've done 20 or so it will all start to come naturally.
I wouldn't throw away that broken fuselage if I were you. Glue it back together and wrap it in tape, it'll be stronger than it ever was.