parkzone t-28 trojan

[jklong03]

Atta boy Robert, don't let a little dirt dart slow you down, if you did I bet none of us would still be flying! Remember a pot of nearly boiling water will take a lot of the front fuselage wrinkles. Just be careful on next flight as your engine thrust angles will still be off from where you were and may need a quick flight and landing to adjust that with a few washers!

[robert]

Cool deal jklong. The wrinkles in the fuselage seem pretty minor like it mushed in and appears to have sprung back to normal. I'll definitely be mindful of the prop angle and if necessary, the washers are in the hangar and that seems to be an excellent fix if the issue exists. I'll be hooking up the phoenix tomorrow afternoon and will start logging more hours than my girlfriend will appreciate.

Priorities...you know.

[robert]

I'm so happy that I got the phoenix simulator today. I've put in a few hours on it and can execute barrel rolls and very smooth landings.

I'm fearful that the simulator makes flight seem easier than it actually is. Please tell me your thoughts on simulator vs the real thing.

Can I assume that if I score a "perfect ten" on the phoenix, my true abilities are around a "five" in the real world?

[coupe1942]

I would bet that in the virtual world, there isn't as many variables as wind, sudden unexpected gusts of it or even a brown out or mechanical problem. Just guessing on my prat though.

[toff]

Rob, sorry, but I dislike simulators for RC training. I've used Phoenix and realflight G3, G3.5 and G4.5, and no matter how they market it, it's only a virtual world. You can be creative with the weather systems, and try to simulate real conditions, you can do all sorts of crazy shi.t on a sim and get away with it, or even crash! Oh dear...restart.
This hobby is a very harsh mistress ( some people pay a lot of money for this kind of treatment! Ah, wait....I HAVE paid a lot of money.... ) But, as I've said before, once you make that mistake, you will NEVER make it again. Unlike a sim, where you can do it again and again, until it becomes ingrained. In a sim I am a flying God-King, with the ability to fly a turbine jet at 2mph. In reality I am only a fair pilot, trying to better my skills ( to be fair, I've only had 30 minutes flying time this week. Most weeks it's zero due to childcare and work, or the stupid UK weather.) As a training tool, they do have their place ( familiarisation of controls, and basic flight techniques), but they do not teach about sensitivity of control at high speed, or 'mushiness' of control at low speed ( is that a real word?), which is where the rudder comes into play.
There is also no 'Consequence'. Oh, you crashed...press F5 to restart. Real world: Oh, you crashed...pick up pieces, feel miserable, convince yourself it wasn't your fault, feel even more miserable when you realise it was, go home spend hours, or even days repairing the damage. Get it flight worthy, go out, then want to chicken out, because you've spent ages getting it right again.....' ahh...is the CG right? Is the tail straight? is the wing bent? what if the motor's been damaged? what if it goes straight into the ground?.......'

You've already crashed. Rebuild/ Repair. As far as you can, make sure everything is OK. CG is officially 2.5 inches behind the leading edge/ fuselage. For a first flight, I'd make it nose heavy at 2.2 inches by moving the battery ( if you can), or adding a few nickels with tape under the nose. once you are as happy as can be, take off. It will fly, or not. If it does, great. If not, try again. On aileron training, I ruined 2 planes (Cheapys though!) until I worked it out ( But I hadn't flown helis, unlike you....)
Yes, it is different from helis, but, you have an advantage regarding RC flying. If you can fly something that beats the air to death to be able to fly, you should be able to master a fixed wing air slicer! Good luck with the re-maiden, and I look forward to videos of happy landings!
Chris.

[robert]

Hey chris,

Thanks for all that info. I agree about the major differences and see the simulator as at least good for experimental stick action like major rudder use, or general movements for specific maneuvers that i simply would not try on the real thing. At least not yet. I did notice that my helicopter experience is a double edged sword. With choppers you use ailerons and rudder in the same direction, where as you know that with fixed wings you use opposing control. I believe that when I was trying to pull out of a bad position I used helicopter style stick movement... that did me in.

I must say that I'm quite pleased as to how simple it was to replace the aileron servo today. Out with the old and in with the new in a matter of minutes. So basically I'm ready to go for it when the wind takes a break. I'm more comfortable with using opposing stick input now, so my next crash will be a result of a different pilot error at least.

I always look forward to your responses as I think you see this hobby much like I do. It's about enjoying the flights, pushing your skills to continually progress, fix what you break, and do it all over again. Thanks for sharing your knowledge in a way that is always honest and beneficial.

Robert

[hghost]

Aileron planes especially war birds ( all of them so far ) seems to invert really fast. I suggest getting a Computer Transmitter and set the rates lower. I read some claim 75% some less, Toff says 40%, good idea....I suggest getting a Tx, that will allow you to set the Ailerons and Rudder mixture on a switch...and use it until you get better at the ailerons . I had that same issue when i gave the War Bird a try...even on the Sim as I stated in another thread, it is deceiving,the Sim War bird turns easier than the actual plane and rarely inverts the real plane inverts really fast and in that instant panic causes you to do normal stick movement when in reality you have to do it backwards and straight into the ground you go and it seems to always happen when you are at a lower altitude, and less time to react.

I learned without major damage to get a High Wing Aileron Plane...I have a Decathlon and a Yak 12...to do that on, have not flown the Decathlon yet and the Yak is still in the box....but after I fly a few other planes I have and get more experience in the field I fly in that is my next challenge.
The Decathlon is allot like the SC, and is almost the same size, mine is a little smaller in wing span, fuselage is a tad bit wider than the SC.

Will not even attempt these very large War Birds I have ( need a larger field to fly in first ) Figure they will fly easier than the smaller ones, however do not want that same issue to happen with them, also why I purchased a Tactic TTX650 Transmitter and the 6 ch.receivers are cheap .One can store up to 20 planes on it and the setting will remain at what you set them...allows allot of mixture and can be programmed into the Tx.
Now I can use one Transmitter for All my planes....makes it far easier and i love the ability to Mix the controls with each other and put them on a switch to use them and not use them as one gets better.Also allows those rates to be set so the inverted roll over is not so prominent .I hope anyway.

My 2 cents worth....

[robert]

Thanks hghost,

I'm using my dx6i and have set the dual rate to 70% on low. I threw in a little expo on my albatros settings to smooth her out for the maiden this weekend.

I switched back and forth on the Trojan between 70 and 100, and definitely preferred the 70 for now.

As always your suggestions are spot on, and sorry that I may not have provided all the info on my transmitter status.

Keep it coming as you see my posts.

Thanks man

[hghost]

I am still learning about this Transmitter.It has so many settings and bench testing them is all I have been able to do thus far.Real test comes if the weather ever clears up again. Never realized how many mixtures one could make on the control surfaces. All i use to do was set the control travel with an Accu-Throw meter. And as I found out did not help when flying still rolled over and inverted . Now with this Tx, and the many settings it has should be able to make it far easier. Wish they had all this when i was younger, I would not have destroyed so many planes and got mad and frustrated and left the Hobby......

We can help one another Robert, Lord knows i need all the help i can get, that's for sure .

[robert]

What tx are you using now hghost?

[hghost]

Robert, I have the Tactic TTX650 has a 20 model memory and 4 Programmable mixes and 8 pre-programmed mixes,Airplane and helicopter programming,Reversing, sub-trim and travel limits on all channels,Dual rates and exponential (aileron, elevator, rudder),Digital trims with slow/fast adjustment,One up/down timer, one battery timer.
Airplane Functions:
Wing Type (normal, V-tail, delta, single aileron, dual aileron, aileron + flap, 2 aileron + flap)
Throttle Curve
Throttle Cut
Aileron Differential
Aileron/Flap Adjust
Aileron Mixer
Elevator Mixer
Air Brake Mixer
Flap Mixer,

Helicopter Functions:
Swash Type (1 servo, 2 servo 180°, 3 servos 120°, 3 servos 140°)
Throttle Cut
Throttle Hold
Throttle Curve
Pitch Curve
Gyro Mixing
Swash Mixing
Swash Limiter
Throttle Mixing
Rudder Mixing Model Select
Model Management
Trim Settings
CH5 and CH6 Assignment
Channel Assignments
Trainer Function
Warnings
Servo Reversing (all channels)
Sub-Trims (all channels)
Travel Limits (all channels)
Dual Rates (aileron, elevator, rudder)
Exponential (aileron, elevator, rudder

allot of stuff...lol

[hghost]

I thought this is unique..I purchased a couple Home decor items and transformed them into a Transmitter Box and one into a battery box.I also have an old file/cash box I also store batteries in. Not to mention I stuck some crazy decals on them. The Old File/cash box had baseball stickers on it, I left them on as well.
The Tx case is heavy metal and the green battery box is metal as is the old cash/file box.

Check these out:

[robert]

That's some serious transport gear man. Way cool idea!

Your tx is really nice. So many options that will eventually come in handy when you get up the gumption to take the warbirds up.

The ailerons differential options and ten more model memory are what makes yours a few steps up from my spektrum dx6i.

I use the heli options for pitch curves with my cp's.

The mixes are good for planes that require rudder inputs with ailerons for good scale turns, but you'll see there's quite the debate over whether that makes a "lazy" pilot.

Personally I like to use both thumbs for full control as crab maneuvers (opposite rudder to ailerons) would be impossible if a mix was in use.

The merits of mixes include the ability to relax a bit more while in flight and to smooth out the turns.

After I get some good flight time in on my new albatros bipe I may employ a little mix, but I'm still on the fence on that one.

I may be a bit of a purist.

I also found a new field behind a local community college that is an easy three times larger than my football practice field at work.

I went out there the other day with two better pilots and we had three warbirds up at the same time doing left circuit formations. It was so cool.

I'm telling you this to influence your field search to get some of your awesome birds off the ceiling and into the sky.

As you said, and I feel the same, the more you read about others and less you fly the more apprehension builds up. I just mentally plan a flight pattern when I'm sitting in the field, crank it up and try to stick with it. I've noticed that if you have a plan, like up to the left, then straight out, then back to the right, makes the flight less willy nilly and prevents a random bad decision.

In regard to your awesome tx, experiment with only one or two variables at a time so you can get a feel for what they are doing versus what you and the planes are doing.

Maybe just adjust the ailerons throw and expo. Get used to the different rates, then move onto mixes.

That's what is working for me.

[hghost]

Thanks Robert.Have allot to get use to.I put those mixes on a switch so i could turn them on and off, hopefully I made the right adjustments and when I flip the switch they work as they should and not to much or not enough.
Still just going to fly the simple smaller planes a little longer until I get use to this Tx some.

I still have to figure out the Expo settings.Setting on the ground is not like in the air, so just trial and error to see how it looks.Weather is not very good and have not been able to get anything in the air lately.

If you saw the planes Pic you can see the little Champ with the face is pretty beat up, the SC landed in a tree but it is still in great shape, so my flying in the past months has been rough.

Thanks for the advise every little bit helps.

[Crazy Horse]

One word to say, SUPERB!