I can't Fly!

[dundeeguy]

Oh well, after gluing my fuselage back together last week I took her to the skies this evening. Seemed to be flying well untill I had a panic attack When I was getting low!!

I'm now sitting with a snapped wing, fuselage broken at tail, fuselage split near wing support pin, loose battery tray and the motor mounting hanging of!!! Not sure whether to laugh ;D or cry

One bonus is my repair held up under the impact!

So should I just get the coctail sticks out and glue it all back until I learn to fly, buy new parts and rebuild or just cut my losses and give up!!??

[mrmugen]

Get it back up and flying! This is the most crash tolerant plane alive. I have one that has been in 3-4 pieces several times and now consists of mostly glue and tape.....it flies better than my new stock SC. Never give up!

[flydiver]

I agree about putting it back together and getting back out there. Crashing while learning is part of the game. Repairing is the part you didn't expect and becomes a critical function in the learning process. EVERYONE makes mistakes and crashes the plane. I watched my instructor lose a (big) sailplane launch yesterday, almost put it in a tree and bounced it off a friend's car. I was shocked. He generally seems to fly anything under full control.

Gather up tape, gorilla glue, Foam safe CA, bamboo skewers, carbon fiber rod, and get it flying again.

fly

[ozflyer]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this message board so "g'day". I've found the information on this message board invaluable and would like to give you all a thankyou.

I have had similar experience to you dundeeguy. I'm very impressed that the SC is so robust and easily repairable but I seem to be spending a lot more time repairing than I am flying! It's been a frustrating journey but I keep going because you guys rave about the SC so much. I really want to get to the stage where I can enjoy it as much as you guys but am starting to think that my SC is going to be busted up beyond repair before that happens!

[fanelli]

Hey guys

I now have 39 landings on my plane. On my 36th flight I lost all control(electronics,maybe?) and could not regain and went right into tree with some good speed. I figured she would be trashed for sure but only major damage was fuselage was broken in front of tail(second time,different spot). There were several gouges in wing and fuselage and cowl busted. The new 20 lb. fishing line struts with red swivels held up just fine surprisingly though! Before all this I was doing loops and trying rolls. This is my first plane and I taught myself to fly it! There have been some bumps along the way but if this goober can fly it then almost anybody can. Get your bird back in the skies!!!

[mrmugen]

LOL goober Good to hear your not giving up.

[itchycods]

I learned early on the the plane will fly itself, and the more I try to control it, the worse the outcome. Keep telling yourself "Easy on the sticks" and stay at least 2 mistakes high ;D

Also, patience is a virtue when it comes to waiting for low wind and finding a good (big enough) flying spot. Good luck and keep trying!

[ozflyer]

Thanks for the words of encouragment. Yes, I've now changed my choice of flying field from the local sports ground to a big wide open area near an industrial estate. I've got about 800m radius area to make my mistakes in. And, yes I've learned the hard way to wait for very light winds. I think over-control is my problem at the moment so I'll work on going a bit lighter on the stick. Get all that together and hopefully I'll have an incident free flight. Friday morning is looking like it will be very light winds so I'll let you know how I go.

[gnascher]

Ozflyer,

Where do you have the control rods connected to the control horns?

As a beginner, you should have them in furthest hole out. This will have the effect of reducing the amount of "throw" the control surfaces have and help you be "light on the sticks" until you have a feel for it. As you gain more confidence, you can move the rods closer in for more aggressive maneuvering.

Also, remember not to "hold" the stick in any one direction for too long. Until you get a feel, you can use the "tap-tap" method. Just momentarily move the stick in the required direction then let it re-center. If more movement in the desired direction is required, then tap it again. Repeat as necessary. Also, turn off ACT ... I found that system to cause me more trouble than help.

Little by little you can go from tap-tap to smooth motions. By and large, most turning motions really only require a small input on the stick held for a few seconds until the desired bank angle is achieved. Recenter the stick, and see where the model is going. Add up elevator to tighten the turn, and/or correct for any altitude loss.

[ozflyer]

Thanks for the tips gnascher. I've got the control rods connected to the outmost holes on the control horns. I'd read enough posts about ACT to know that turning it off is a good thing! I hadn't thought of the "tap-tap" method - makes sense, I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tips.

[cybersoft]

gnascher said:

Ozflyer,

Also, turn off ACT ... I found that system to cause me more trouble than help.

I couldn't agree more.

My ACT sensors have been ripped out and now lay on my workbench, that's the best place for them.

I now know that when I crash it was my fault, not because some little sensor denied me full control.

[spar]

flydiver said:

Gather up tape, gorilla glue, Foam safe CA, bamboo skewers, carbon fiber rod, and get it flying again.

Oh sigh...my son and I flew our SC today. We had a lot of fun, but the SC is on the bench right now getting stitched back together. A shattered cowling, cracked engine mount and broken propeller are my current problems. I was suprised to see the extent of the damage because our crashes were not at high velocity.

I hope I learn how to fly before my SC becomes irrepairable.

[spar]

I flew two whole battery's worth today with no crashes! Three things contributed to this success:

1) Lots of practice with the FMS simulator
2) Fly in less wind
3) Hand launch and fly with one-half throttle or less

Wahoo!

[corsair]

hey, this is corsair/tom.....DON'T EVER GIVE UP FLYING!!!!!!!......everyone learns at a different rate, and sooner that you think, the comfort factor will come on, and your confidence factor will be there also. none of us in this hobby just went out the first day and flew as if we had been flying for years. i have more flights on my cub than i can count, as i stopped counting at approx. 200, and that was a long time ago. it is still in great shape, and has never been crashed. that is the truth, but i learned to fly long before i got the cub. i taught my wife how to fly on this plane in approx. 2/3 weeks, and she loves it also.
just have faith in yourslef and the cub, because it is one of the most stable and gentle planes that you will ever fly. think it through, from take-off to landing. gentle inputs from your transmitter are much easier to deal with than trying to mix ''pancake batter'' that will make the plane act crazy. try to plan ahead for you turns, and where you want it to go.
if you hand lauch or not, just guide the plane as it climbs out, and it will take care of this on its own. just ''steer it'' until you can make smooth take-offs and turns that you are controlling, as the more gentle your turns are, the better chance of success. remember......nose level....wings level.... fly about half throttle when you get to a comfortable height.
test your power supply often, by going from your cruiseing speed to full throttle. make sure the plane wants to climb, if not you are getting ready to land. landing under some power is good for this plane, as it sinks fast, but '' wings level....nose level'' will get it on the ground every time on its wheels. circle down to the ground slowly and in as wide circles as you can, until you learn how to make the proper approach for landing.
i hope that all fo this will help you, as this hobby is too great to turn away from it before you give it the time to master it..... see ya.... tom/corsair