icwtumn
04-25-2005, 11:44 AM
After doing a lot of research, and reading a lot of posts on this forum, I decided to make the A-bird Challenger my very first R/C plane. I found one nearly new on E-bay and got a good deal. The winds here in Oklahoma are constantly blowing in the spring, but yesterday was clear and relatively calm during the early afternoon. My girlfriend and I packed up the dog and the plane and headed out to a large open field to test out the bird.
I did a couple minor mods before flying - putting in a motor support using a zip-tie and reinforcing both wing edges from the rubber band pressure and the propeller. I used a roll of fiberglass tape I found at Office Max for 6 bucks. Definitely worth the money as it can be used to support many wings, or fix this one when damage does occur.
As we were performing the field test, I could feel my pulse increasing and my palms beginning to sweat. We met up inthe middle of the field again and checked the wind. The breeze was light but variable, shifting direction occassionally. The G/F didn't want to attempt the launch for me, so I was on my own. I check the controls one last time, made sure the ruddervators were lined up, and set the elevator trim back about 20%. Then I gave her full throttle. A sharp toss into the wind and.......it actually rose into the air! My heart was pounding! The bird continued to climb and I began to panic. I realized it was up to me to prevent this thing from falling out of the sky. I pushed the elevator trim back to center and decided I had better make a turn. A slow bank to the right and we picked up speed as the wind pushed me through the sky. I quickly decided I would not try anything fancy, just make a few turns and get this thing back on the ground in one piece.
The breezes were light, but I could still feel the bird being tossed around a bit. I made my final approach about three times, before mustering up enough courage to cut the throttle and let the plane float in near the ground.
It took a lot more real estate to land that first time than I anticipated. The closer to the ground the plane gets, the faster it seems to travel. But I got down to about ten feet of altitude, cut the throtte completely, and watched as the plane drifted slowly to the earth. I gave a little up elevator at about 4 feet, just to keep the nose up, and brushed softly across the grass to make a picture perfect first landing! It was exhilarating! I was a successful pilot my first time out!
Much of my success is due to the friendly advice I picked up here. Thanks for all the help to make my introduction to R/C flight a fantastic one!
Regards,
icwtumn :D
I did a couple minor mods before flying - putting in a motor support using a zip-tie and reinforcing both wing edges from the rubber band pressure and the propeller. I used a roll of fiberglass tape I found at Office Max for 6 bucks. Definitely worth the money as it can be used to support many wings, or fix this one when damage does occur.
As we were performing the field test, I could feel my pulse increasing and my palms beginning to sweat. We met up inthe middle of the field again and checked the wind. The breeze was light but variable, shifting direction occassionally. The G/F didn't want to attempt the launch for me, so I was on my own. I check the controls one last time, made sure the ruddervators were lined up, and set the elevator trim back about 20%. Then I gave her full throttle. A sharp toss into the wind and.......it actually rose into the air! My heart was pounding! The bird continued to climb and I began to panic. I realized it was up to me to prevent this thing from falling out of the sky. I pushed the elevator trim back to center and decided I had better make a turn. A slow bank to the right and we picked up speed as the wind pushed me through the sky. I quickly decided I would not try anything fancy, just make a few turns and get this thing back on the ground in one piece.
The breezes were light, but I could still feel the bird being tossed around a bit. I made my final approach about three times, before mustering up enough courage to cut the throttle and let the plane float in near the ground.
It took a lot more real estate to land that first time than I anticipated. The closer to the ground the plane gets, the faster it seems to travel. But I got down to about ten feet of altitude, cut the throtte completely, and watched as the plane drifted slowly to the earth. I gave a little up elevator at about 4 feet, just to keep the nose up, and brushed softly across the grass to make a picture perfect first landing! It was exhilarating! I was a successful pilot my first time out!
Much of my success is due to the friendly advice I picked up here. Thanks for all the help to make my introduction to R/C flight a fantastic one!
Regards,
icwtumn :D