The Top 10 Things I Learned at RC Flight School
I’ve been a “wanna-be” RC’er for greater than 40 years. I’ve dabbled in it on and off, and even earned my solo wings at my native flying subject. My downside has at all times been confidence: takeoffs and touchdown for me have been at all times white-knuckle experiences. In reality, a few of my takeoffs have been so full of pleasure, I’d get cheers from the opposite fliers once I bought airborne. Over time, my flying didn’t enhance a lot.
The members in my membership have been useful, however I used to be at all times confused by the wide-range of recommendation I’d get about the identical matter. “You need more rudder in that turn.” “Take the rudder outta’ that turn and you’re better off.” “You need more speed when you land.” “Fly it all the way to the runway.” Everyone appears to have their very own favourite method of flying that works for them. The conflicting recommendation actually confused me.
As with all issues in life, whenever you need to discover ways to do one thing the fitting method, search out the those who do it higher than anybody else, and spend time with them. Author and radio present host Ken Coleman calls this the “Proximity Principal.” So I did. I accomplished every week of fundamental RC flight coaching at Dave Scott’s 1st U.S. R/C Flight School in Shawano, Wisconsin. Dave is a daily contributor to this journal and a legend in each RC flying and full-scale aerobatic competitions. He has educated greater than 2,000 folks at his flight college. He can be the nicest man you’ll ever meet.
As a novice pilot, I’ve no enterprise telling you skilled pilots how one can fly. This just isn’t my intent right here. Nor is my intent to give attention to Dave and his flight college. It is concerning the issues I discovered on the coaching that has given me a second life in RC flying.
Many of you who know Dave are aware of his enormous vocabulary of one-line quips. I devoured every week’s value of them, dutifully jotting them down so I’d not overlook them. I’ve mixed Dave’s prime 10 one-liners right into a lesson plan that has fully modified the best way I fly RC airplanes.
Your airplane is the most effective coach you’ll ever meet.
This sound foolish, however it’s the floor reality for higher flying. One of my favourite sayings is,
“Never say anything unless you have more to contribute than the silence.” Many of your membership gurus ought to heed this recommendation.
When was the final time you took any recommendation out of your airplane? If your aircraft may speak, what wouldn’t it say to you? Especially when it’s flying? Listen rigorously and your airplane will inform you precisely what it’s worthwhile to do to fly higher.
Let it fly!
What the heck does this imply? Exactly what it says: Let IT fly. If you will have a correctly trimmed airplane, it would fly straight and degree all by itself. It desires to fly. Remember, it’s the airplane that’s flying, not you.
As the pilot of the airplane, it is best to apply the minimal quantity of flight-control motion to alter its route, top, or pace. Nothing extra, nothing much less. This is the holy grail of fine flying.
Two fingers on the sticks.
Before attending flight college, I used a transmitter neck strap and flew with my thumbs on the highest of the transmitter sticks. Not anymore. Dave implored me to rethink my method to flying. The downside with a neck strap is it retains the transmitter too excessive and too near the physique. This causes your elbows to bend at an uncomfortable 45-degree angle. Even extra essential, flying “thumbs only” doesn’t permit you adequate high-quality management over stick motion. Placing your index finders on the again of every stick up in opposition to the underside of the thumb whereas wrapping your different three fingers across the transmitter is the important thing. This felt unnatural at first, however in a short while I used to be hooked.
When unsure, below management.
Modern trainers geared up with flight stabilization are designed to proper themselves whenever you neutralize the sticks. In different phrases, “get out of the controls when in trouble.” This is wonderful expertise and has modified the best way we train newcomers to the game. You ought to apply this identical principal to your each flight. You shall be a greater pilot in the event you cease messing with the sticks. As an instance, I simply spent every week flying airplanes and didn’t use the rudder stick besides to regulate the throttle setting. Granted, I flew a big coach with aileron/rudder combine. But I discovered how one can take off, fly a sample, and land with out utilizing a management lots of you imagine you possibly can not fly with out. And I did this in 40 mph winds! As for the “sticks,” much less is extra. Let IT fly.
Keep your turns degree.
When I requested Dave, “If you could give me only a single one-liner of advice for the whole week, what would it be?” Without hesitation he stated, “Keep your turns level.” This is such a basic aspect of success, we practiced it again and again and over. The method is straightforward: 1. Bump the aileron stick within the route of the flip. 2. Aileron persist with impartial. 3. Pull up-elevator simply sufficient to finish the flip with out gaining or dropping altitude.
“Bump – Neutral – Pull.” To make a left flip, the route of the stick will transfer to the 9 o’clock place for a short second, return to the middle place to neutralize the aileron, and pull (again) up-elevator (6 o’clock) simply sufficient to maintain the aircraft from dropping altitude. That’s it. Using this method, discover the stick was both at 9 o’clock, impartial, or 6 o’clock and nowhere else. If the aircraft doesn’t flip sharply sufficient, you’ll be able to “bump-to-9” once more, however get again to impartial instantly.
If you’re a pilot who holds your aileron stick someplace between 6’ and 9’ o-clock throughout a left flip, you’re most likely working method too exhausting to maintain your turns degree, in the event you achieve this in any respect. In brief – degree turns are the important thing to mastering R/C flying. During your turns, preserve the ailerons out of the equation. Practice “Bump – Neutral – Pull.” It will change the best way you fly.
You can’t repair a fiddler.
Pilots at your subject who management their plane easily, calmly, and exactly are usually not fiddlers. They perceive much less is extra. A fiddler is a pilot who is continually transferring the sticks to fly the airplane. A fiddlers’ fingers appear to be in perpetual movement. Many pilots fly this fashion. It may be very exhausting to persuade these pilots they’re “over controlling” their airplane. They are programmed to fly this fashion. A fiddler has to discover ways to change this behavior themselves. They should persuade themselves there’s a higher method.
Here is a quote from Dave throughout certainly one of our floor college classes: “Many RC pilots use more control inputs on the downwind, base, and final approach than I do for a full aerobatic routine.” Think about this for a second and what it means in case you are a fiddler. If your airplane may speak, it could say to you, “Let ME fly.”
If you don’t like what the airplane is doing, cease doing it!
This one is my favourite and doesn’t want a lot rationalization. Whatever your airplane is doing, you’re doing it to it. This, in fact, solely applies to a correctly tuned airplane. If you’re at all times complaining about the best way your airplanes carry out, return and re-read merchandise no. 1.
Get assist when you have P.O.W.T signs.
Some pilots undergo from “PreOoccupation With the Throttle.” This syndrome prevents them from having full mastery of the machine, as a result of they regulate the best way the airplane flies by the pace of the propeller or turbine.
The actual use of the throttle is to regulate the speed of ascent or descent of the plane. It shouldn’t be a crutch that inhibits you from “letting IT fly.” During the coaching, there was zero give attention to throttle in the course of the course of a flight. Full throttle on takeoff, low throttle on touchdown.
Takeoffs can lie, landings can’t.
As with most pilots, I fairly rapidly found out how one can takeoff, however touchdown is in a complete different league. What this quip means is straightforward: you may make a reasonably funky takeoff look good, however this isn’t true on a touchdown. Landings at all times exhibit the reality of the method. You ought to determine the landmarks you will use to identify the place to show to base and ultimate. Do not simply comply with what everybody else does. Safely stroll out to the centerline of your runway and determine your marks earlier than your flight.
That is why it’s so essential to plan each flight. The high quality of your touchdown is instantly proportional to the quantity of planning you set into it.
A collection of occasions causes crashes.
Anyone who research full-scale plane crashes is aware of in virtually all circumstances, there was a collection of occasions that led to the crash. And if any one of many contributing elements didn’t happen, the crash most likely wouldn’t have occurred.
This accordion impact is simply as true in RC flying. Most pilots will attribute a crash to a single trigger, normally mechanical or weather-related. If you do lose an airplane to a crash, take the time to be taught and perceive the a number of collection of occasions that contributed to the failure(s). Ask any witnesses what they noticed. Be humble, be trustworthy, and be taught out of your errors.
MY TAKEAWAY
So you might ask, does Dave’s recommendation actually work? It positive does. By the top of the week, I used to be proficient at takeoffs, flying any sample required, and touchdown. During two of the 5 days, the wind pace on the bottom was a constant 25 mph. At 200 toes, the winds gusted to 40 mph. This was a crosswind to the runway. We flew in these circumstances, all day, and didn’t crash or harm any plane. I’ve full confidence in my means to fly and am anxious to place this new data to make use of.
By Michael G. Spohn
A typical class at Dave Scott’s in-person 1st U.S. R/C Flight School.
One of the numerous 1st U.S. R/C Flight School trainers.
A high-wing airplane with a flight stabilization system, like this FMS Sky Trainer 182 PNP with Reflex, is a perfect intermediate coach.