alienx

I was in over my head. That plane is FAST. It flew like a 39" bat chasing moths!

Anyway, I finally maidened my plane today. I had an idea in my mind of how it would fly (mostly from a stabilty and speed standpoint). So I chose a field that I thought was large enough, and it had a paved parking lot to use as a runway. Nobody was around so all was good. The plane took off like a rocket, and climbed like the space shuttle. I quickly flipped to low rates, and it was still extremely hyperactive and fast. So I started to back out the throttle, but it was still hauling butt. I managed to keep it over the field and off the ground, but it covered the boundries of the field in a flash. So I was way overmatched from the start, no question. I finally backed out so much throttle that I realized it was straight and level, but practically hovering (at 5 feet). So I throttled back up fully expecting it to vault forward, but it must have been too late. I think it stalled and nosed over one of the wings. Fortunately, I guess, it was so low at the time. It busted the front of the cowl, the front of the motor mount, and twisted the front gear. Everything else seemed to be fine. So if the motor is still working, I can replace or fix all of those things.

One lesson I learned is that I have gone as far as I can on my own. I need help!. I am going to have to find a club to join. I just need more space to fly in than I can find anyplace in NJ. And I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a buddy link to somebody. I think I could have flown the plane OK, but it just happened too fast for me to keep up. I was not prepared for just how powerful this thing would be.

Another thing that I learned is that at that speed, even low rates are too much. I'm going to set them a fair amount softer for next time.

I must say though that in spite of the "incident", it was very satisfying to fly it. I was very scared to put it in the air, given all of the issues I had with fitment and whatnot during the build. And I guess you always have the nagging feeling that there is no way that this thing can get off the ground and be controlable. Did I get everything lined up right? Is it balanced? Is the twist in the ailerons a problem? Etc. Etc. Etc. It really was amazing to see it roll up to speed. It tracked straight as an arrow, and then I gave it a little elevator and off it went. And it was nice to actually have enough (too much!!) power to fly without having to keep the stick forward to keep from stalling. I think the Cessna will be a truely nice plane to fly once I soften the controls and find a better (bigger!) place to fly. Some moral support from others at the field would help too.

So I guess I am really out of commission until I can line up a club. I don't really have anything else more mellow to fly until then. My Cub is acting up and I think the motor is done. It just isn't making enough thrust to get above about 15 feet.

Well, I wanted to post-up the guys that helped in my build. I must say I am a little ashamed to have to tell this story. I am humbled. But maybe it will be a realatively cheap lesson that brings me to better things in the hobby. Here's a couple before and after shots.

Andy

Stickbuilder

Andy,

So sorry about your accident. You are to be commended for ever getting that thing into flyable condition. I do remember the first posts on this one. Yes, you need to find a club to join and participate with. I wish that you lived down here. We have a very nice facility, and a lot of very helpful members. When you get sick and tired of the Jersey/NYC shuffle, pack up and come on down.

Bill

alienx

Thanks Bill.

All is not so bad though. I took the front end off last night and tested the motor. The Motor seems to run fine, and the shaft is straight. The motor mount split at the extension I made. So I can rebuild that too. The front gear held up too inside the cowl. That is, it didn't pull out of the firewall mount, so the bend is the only damage. I can straighten that too. And even the cowl is repairable with tape. It is incredibly thin plastic, but all the pieces are still there so I can tape it on the inside and it's good to go. So all in all, I got off easy. I don't think I could have fixed a wing or tail, but they fine.

I have a club in mind about 40 minutes from home. I guess in the Summer when you know the weather will be calm, you can drive and spend the day. I'm going to try to get in touch with them this week. I'll have to pick up a small (less powerful) parkflyer for warm weeknights. I'm thinking something cheap and durable, possibly without any gear, or maybe I'll put some oversized wheels on it to land on the grass. Then, at least I can still fly near my house during the week.

skier

I don't know what club you were thinking about, but the guys at the Mercer County club are great. Here's their web site[link=http://www.mcrcs.com]Mercer County Radio control society[/link]

alienx

Looks like a nice club. I'm actually not far from you over in Linden. But that seems like a decent drive. I'm also only flying small electrics now so I was hoping for some pavement. I don't think the wheels are going to work on a grass field.

sfsjkid

I once went to a go kart school, the serious kind with 100mph plus rides. In the morning they suited us up, gave us helmets, told us were the gas and brake pedals were and let us go out. Only caution was to be safe. Well, pretty much everyone ended up spinning off the course. We were then ready to listen to the instructors Same type of thing you experienced.

Joinin a club is the way to go, you might even join the AMA now, assuming they require it to save time. Also, GWS slow sticks, Global Mini Max are good beginer planes. I taught myself with the latter.

Good luck!

Stickbuilder

Andy,

Hobby Lobby in Brentwood Tennessee carries some totally fool proof park and backyard flyers. They do tons of sales on the Internet, and through Mail-order. They are some of the nicest and most knowledgable folks that you will even meet. I reccomend them without hesitation, or mental reservation whatsoever.

Bill

alienx

Yes, they have some good looking stuff. I have my eye on a Bird Dog and a Cub. I joined the AMA today. But I still think I need a gearless (indestructable) park flyer for just fooling around. I'm going to take a look at their stuff some more. I think they had an aileron trainer that seemed a little slower than my Cessna. Their models seem to be built to some pretty high standards. Definitely nicer looking than my Watt-age anyway.

I weighed my planes tonight. The Cessna came in at 28.3 oz. I have a foam P-47D just waiting to be balanced (I think we talked about that one already). I thought it might be slower than the Cessna using the same set-up. It felt heavy. But it actually came in 3 ounces lighter, so that one will be on the floor for a while yet. It has to be at least a little faster than the Cessna, and it has a low wing with larger control surfaces. That can't be very easy to fly.

I guess I really want a 16 ounce RTF type plane, but with 4 channels and a small brushless motor. Gotta keep looking for that. I'm going to this flying field Saturday if the weather is good, to check it out and the club too. We'll see how it goes.