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Post by NeoGeoH on Jul 8, 2013 16:57:04 GMT 1
Hello all, new guy here. I just got my first R/C plane the SC last week. I am 43 and have wanted one since I was a kid but when I was younger never had the $ to support the hobby. My son is into R/C cars and after accompanying him a couple times to the hobby shop and seeing the SC there, I pulled the trigger.
First time out didn't go so well. I think maybe I over compensated my adjustments and crashed a few times in a nice grass field before really crashing and breaking the firewall and the cowl. I forgot to check the wing alignment after each crash so I think that contributed to the repeated difficulties.
I had flow a little when I was much younger and seemed to do OK, and have spent countless hours on flight sims.
I will be trying again this evening (so long as there is little or no breeze), hopefully with better results.
Any flying tips would be appreciated. I bought some floats and really want to be able to use them in the near future as we have a summer place with a lake that would be perfect to burn some time on.
THANKS!
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Post by Crazy Horse on Jul 8, 2013 18:04:58 GMT 1
NeoGeoH,
A very warm welcome to the forum. There is no finer place to find advice and like minded SC fliers.
With great respect, it would seem that you have not taken the time to read the posts regarding the minor but advisable modifications before taking to the air. I do realise and appreciate that just wanting to fly is an overwhelming consideration, but patience is the key, at least IMHO. The cowl is a bit of a flimsy chap to say the least and should be taped, (preferably on the inside for cosmetic reasons) in order to prevent damage on a less than smooth landing, otherwise known as a small but significant pilot error.
I would strongly advise that you become competent flying with your wheels on or belly landing before you go with the floats. That is a completely different scenario!
As for any flying tips, I leave that to my most esteemed and far more experienced forumites, over to them..............
P.S. Do you like MARMITE by any chance?
P.P.S. I do hope that this does not offend, but your avatar reminds me of Starsky in Starsky and Hutch, the television program of a few years ago? What do you think?
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Post by NeoGeoH on Jul 8, 2013 19:32:25 GMT 1
Thanks for the guidance, I am long away from the floats. I am trying to read as much as I can online.
The pic is of Chevy Chase from Deal of The Century, where he was an arms dealer who sold a poorly working RPV to unsuspecting countries.
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Post by kenninny on Jul 8, 2013 20:16:57 GMT 1
Welcome, you pick the right forum for imfo, I would suggest that you do the wing cradle mod,thats when you
cut a popcycle stick to size, and glue it to the back of the wing cradle, also tape the leading edge of the
wings with clear packing tape it will save the wings from small misshapes
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Post by Crazy Horse on Jul 9, 2013 6:55:36 GMT 1
Thanks for the guidance, I am long away from the floats. I am trying to read as much as I can online. The pic is of Chevy Chase from Deal of The Century, where he was an arms dealer who sold a poorly working RPV to unsuspecting countries. Ah, quite so. You must forgive an aging Englishman for not realising this.  All best wishes for your future flights and if you ever get the chance to capture things on video, please post. |
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Post by renard80 on Jul 10, 2013 0:16:56 GMT 1
. . . Any flying tips would be appreciated. 1. Find a spare half hour or so. 2. Pour a generous glass of your favourite drink and settle in front of your computer. 3. Read through the many pages under this link, absorbing all the good advice: www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=355208You say you may have 'overcompensated your adjustments' before crashing. One of the major rules is to (usually) move your control sticks very gently. No violent movements, no strong inputs. It's like driving a car at speed - you probably don't realise that you are constantly making MINOR adjustments to the steering wheel. Jerk the wheel and you risk disaster. OK, apply that rule to your Tx sticks when flying. You can use a fair bit of throttle during take-off, but throttle back again VERY quickly once airborne. You will rarely need much more than half throttle while flying. To gain height, use gentle throttle, only use elevator when necessary. A friendly, experienced flyer at your elbow is worth a ton of book learning.  (Oh yes - I am assuming that like most sensible people you have disconnected the ACT device.) |
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Post by NeoGeoH on Jul 11, 2013 2:26:15 GMT 1
Second Flight Attempt Update:
In general MUCH better. Although winds were dead calm or near to it at home, when we got to the field there was a little more, but I figured it should be OK. I climbed high before any real input, the started a very gentle turn, and guess what, it turned gently. The wind had a significant effect a few times, but nothing major. Made several sorties with on purpose "crash" landings on the rough grass. A far better experience. I am pretty confident once I get a really calm day I will be able to make some much longer flights and landings on the pavement. I was able to buzz my 16 y-o a few times and that was worth the trip!
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nana
Flying officer
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Post by nana on Nov 4, 2013 7:54:17 GMT 1
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Post by coupe1942 on Nov 4, 2013 11:42:03 GMT 1
I am sort of laughing (in a good way) at some of what you state in your initial posts, as I too currently have floats on my SC. I purchased a set and thought like you that I'd wait to add them when I was a bit more experienced with the unique quirks of both my SC and my own limited flight control abilities as a quasi-newby at first. I still wanted to see how much trouble the floats would actually be in installing, so during some down time from my first crash, I added my first set of floats. I had polished the bottoms with car wax, as it helps a bit in reducing the scuffing if you do ground landings with the floats. The first pair I had, I had actually coated with Minwax clear satin Polycrylic, but afterwards found a good read about not using that particular product for waterproofing, but something else in the Minwax line, instead. Unfortunately, I also used a paint that had been suggested was foam safe and was not pleased at all with the end results. The floats were cheap enough for me to order a second set and I have a second fuselage, so when they arrived, I simply put them on without any paint of such. One thing I did that I feel is better for adding floats is to use allen-head screws and not the cheap ones that come with the stock floats. The stock ones strip out very easily and the allen-head ones won't. Learning to fly with floats is actually pretty easy except for any crashes directly on the water. If you don't have a kayak or small boat, retrieval can be a real pain for you. On land it is a different story though. The good thing in learning how to handle floats is that you have a tendency to quickly learn to keep the speed of the SC down until you get the hang of both taking off and landing. Crashing is an experience that is often the type learning one hopes to not do as to repair cost and all, but it is also something you learn from to produce better skills in the future or at least that feeling that you won't make the same stupid mistake again. Believe me, there are plenty of other mistakes to be had, so learn to avoid what you can. :-) I'll cite as a personal example that floats and cameras are not necessarily a good combo until you do get your "sea legs" under you. I was lucky that my little $15 buck camera was installed when I had the tip over on the pond. It didn't get ruined, as my more expensive cameras would likely have done. In my crash landing on land, that same experience was not so good, as I used a more expensive camera that simply didn't come with any protective case and had no real protection as a GoPro housing provides. Dumb me, but a costly lesson learned at the time. I won't be repeating that one again. Another good thing about the SC floats, is that once you install them, you get proficient in removing and replacing them with the stock landing gear and wheels very quickly. It only takes a few minutes to swap them over. The plastic mount piece they provide for the floats at the rear will rip right out if not secured with glue or tape on the fuselage. The screws are incredibly small and useless for that part, but that is just my personal take on them. I am not suggesting that you "do or do not" begin using your floats on the SC before you get all that proficient at flying, as it is an individual thing for each person to decide just when the time is right to go that route. From my own personal experience with them, I can tell you that you won't find a tremendous amount of people with SCs who actually do fly with them on or have direct experience with flying them that is posted at any of the RC forums. They always show video of flying or take off on the water, but virtually no one really seems to go into any special detail in showing anyone just how easy or hard is is to learn and practice with them. There is one video from Josh Bixler that does go into some detail though. (I hope it attaches here) Sometimes folk provide info that is more hearsay than fact, but you have to learn for yourself in what you feel comfortable with and the best way of learning is to actually gain some direct experience at some point. For me, it is difficult to find a local field big enough for my SC that is mowed enough to not snag the wheels at some point (even the 3" ones). The floats don't seem to mind taller grass though. I did spend a day or two in simply skimming on the water just to learn how to control the plane and find out what I'd do in hard turns or such. No real attempt to fly at that point, but to check out and improve my water taxi skills and to see how the SC handled in that manner. I flipped the plane over almost immediately on the second day, as I got too overly excited in dealing with a camera mount and some other stuff and went out when the wind was actually too high and water too choppy for my abilities. I forgot to hook up the struts at the bottom of the fuselage and the plane caught too much wind on a hard right turn and flipped. I had to wait on the waves to push it to shore, but I had no damage, other than to my ego. The water rudder sold by HZ was pretty useless to me, especially if you plan on both water and land takeoff and landings. With it held in place by the tail wheel, it will work okay on water, but be a hinderance for any landings on land. I feel the stock prop and a bit of speed control will steer the SC on water just about as effectively as the water rudder they sell. Water landings are not as difficult as one may imagine with floats on a SC. Flight is not all that difficult once you break the surface tension during take off. Always have a plan before flight though. You can always take off on the water and land on land with them or vise versa. I envy the family members who join up with us guys in the rc hobby. It brings back memories of my kids when I was into such back in the 70's. I don't really chase the ducks, but use that term for when I try to learn to follow behind them and learn to steer as I go as they scoot out in front of me. Not quite buzzing them in any literal manner though. Any rate, I see you attracted the welcoming of our multi-named spammer. Good luck in learning and welcome. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qXcakDCCtE |
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Post by renard80 on Nov 5, 2013 0:21:13 GMT 1
Hi Tim. Nice to meet you, too. Best, though, if you start your own thread instead of coming in on this poster's thread. It makes things much tidier! |
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Post by hghost on Nov 5, 2013 2:52:52 GMT 1
Hi Tim. Nice to meet you, too. Best, though, if you start your own thread instead of coming in on this poster's thread. It makes things much tidier! Renard Tim is a spammer the same one who keeps spamming this site. under multiple names |
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jklong03
Squadron leader
Utah, USA (Yes, it is a state!)
Posts: 226
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Post by jklong03 on Nov 5, 2013 15:22:36 GMT 1
This guy doesn't quit! PS Welcome new legitimate Cub member, you will love your new plane. I was in a local hobby shop (LHS) and overheard the sales pitch was was able to jump in and recommend the cub, the best plane out there for new flyers! |
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Post by renard80 on Nov 6, 2013 23:26:41 GMT 1
Hi Tim. Nice to meet you, too. Best, though, if you start your own thread instead of coming in on this poster's thread. It makes things much tidier! Renard Tim is a spammer the same one who keeps spamming this site. under multiple names Bummer! The little sod caught me with my guard down.  At least I didn't click on his link. |
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