I'm all ears

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Re: I'm all ears

Postby RCModelReviews » Sat May 29, 2010 9:32 pm

It will be done!
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Re: I'm all ears

Postby jomarx » Sun May 30, 2010 12:53 am

Thanks Bruce!
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Re: I'm all ears

Postby Father Time » Fri Sep 24, 2010 6:39 am

First of all, I think we all have to agree that RC control and how good you are at it is all in the hand to eye coordination of the user. We all know that feeling in the gut when you have a new project ready to leave the ground for the first time!! Unless you are a fellow flier, no one else knows how many small (and very important) details and functions are taking place in the space of seconds getting that plane in the air. It is downright nerve wracking! I have been flying for probably as long as Bruce and I still forget to breathe until that first flight is back on the ground!
Yee of the younger generation have a large advantage in that you grew up with some sort of controller in your hand attached to the TV set. Genuine hand to eye coordination training. I can verify this as my son, who is an avid game player, flys better than I ever did or will fly.
Like Bruce, in those days you flew with what you had, and believe us, it is like comparing a model T to a new Ferrari. The new technology is absolutely great and bound to get better. A large # of people here in Central Alberta, Canada, I have helped learn to fly on 3 channel foamy cubs - throttle on left and elevator/rudder on the right. Because you are still turning the plane with the same control it does not seem to faze or confuse many fliers. When given a 4 channel plane, they tend to fly it just as well, if not better because the bank created by the ailerons is more natural and does not create the dive tendancy that rudder alone does. Here again, it is all in what you get used to. If you are a heli pilot as well as fixed wing - well that's just another story! And yes, I would gladly contribute to a new fliers info forum.
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Re: I'm all ears

Postby suchislife » Fri Sep 24, 2010 11:26 am

I fly mode 3 (aileron/elev left stick, rudder/throttle right stick). I taught myself this way as it seemed natural after growing up using a PC joystick in flight sims with ail/elev in my left hand. A real aircraft uses the same. I have considered 'retraining' to mode 1 as it is so common, but are there real advantages to this?

Yes, the people at my club think It's odd and I'll never get precision control. But I seem to do ok, and am starting to become comfortable with aerobatics. What do you guys think?
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Re: I'm all ears

Postby Don » Fri Sep 24, 2010 5:58 pm

I just ran across your site and am VERY impressed. I am the club newsletter editor for our AMA chartered local club and would like to use some of your reviews (I have a review section each month in the newsletter). I saw your notice on the site, navigated to the publishing license page, and read all of the information. Not only is everything your are asking reasonable, but you are very generous as well. The only thing I couldn't find was how to contact you to get permission when i wanted to use an article. How do I do that?

Thanks - I'm a new loyal fan.
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Re: I'm all ears

Postby RCModelReviews » Fri Sep 24, 2010 9:29 pm

Click on the Feedback tab on any page on the RCModelReviews website and that'll give you the email address and phone number.

I'm in a position of being able to offer republication rights without onerous "strings" attached because, unlike most other sites, I'm not in it for the money -- simply to keep the model-flying public informed.
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Re: I'm all ears

Postby pushinoldrc » Sat Sep 25, 2010 12:16 am

I am a 'Yank' that learned to fly Mode 2, and all that I am hearing about mode I makes perfect sense. After learning to 'fly' an RC airplane, I had to retrain (learn for the first time) how to incorporate rudder to 'coordinate my turns'. One day, I saw an original Curtis Morris Scout slip in over the trees to lose altitude without gaining airspeed to set up for landing and I was hooked. As I was practicing my slipped approach years ago, one of the older gentleman at our field was so impressed that he had me teach him. I was flying a Balsa USA Phaeton 90, and it definitely looks impressive flying sideways.

I find myself suggesting to fellow fliers to try incorporating rudder in their turns, and to throttle back once they have gained altitude. These guys have been flying for at least 20 years on mode II, and still don't know what the left stick is for except to push it all the way up until its time to land. One of my best friends is getting older, and his coordination is not what it used to be. ( I don't know if he has ever had any, because all everyone talks about is his crashes.) He is ground testing for mode 3 since he has a radio that can be programmed to do so without modifying the receiver connections.

Due to what I have just read, I intend to start trying mode 1 on my foamies to see 1)if I can fly, and 2)is it easier.
I'll let ya know in a week or two.
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Re: I'm all ears

Postby RCModelReviews » Sat Sep 25, 2010 12:41 am

The best thing for teaching pilots to use the rudder and throttle properly is to try 3D flying.

Most of the model fliers I've met are "bank and yank" types who might as well use a 2-position switch for their throttle and only use rudder for taxiing.

Once I started flying helis and fixed-wing 3D my regular flying got a whole lot better for using the two forgotten channels on my radio ;-)
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Re: I'm all ears

Postby Father Time » Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:29 am

To the guys thinking about switching modes - - If you have one available, I would definitely consider getting some practice time in on a simulator before you go putting the real thing in the air. Even after that, there are going to be times when that critical situation arises in real time when flashbacks are most likely going to put a plane in the ground! Winter is coming over here and it is the perfect time to hone those skills that all of us seem to come up short on. It is a lot simpler to push the reset button than have to dig out the sticks and CA. As Bruce says, fly some 3D, lots of knife edge - - you will learn what a rudder is for! We have been flying the Great Planes Sim. A few of us got together and split the costs for the base package & expansions. Don't know about you, but it works for us. There are also cheaper sim versions out there but I cannot verify the quality or # of planes available. If he hasn't already, maybe Bruce could fish some of these from other suppliers and give us an idea of what is worth buying and what isn't. :idea: I may be wrong, but I believe that most of these sims are for PC, not Mac.
The other plus to flying (shall we say standard mode) is being able to hand your Tx to a buddy to fly or help with trim or other problems you are having. The ability to use a buddy cable for beginners is also a plus. My son and I share radios and planes so it is nice not having to worry about which mode we fly. It is also a plus when teaching someone else to fly as you can tell what he is doing wrong even though the words "gentle on the sticks" don't seem to mean much!

And always remember: AT LEAST 3 MISTAKES HIGH!! For some of us that's a long way up!
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Re: I'm all ears

Postby pushinoldrc » Mon Sep 27, 2010 10:49 pm

That is a great suggestion. I am flying a real flight sim controller on the aerofly pro sim. I can reconfigure the sim to do mode one and check it out. You are correct in stating that my 50 year old brain will flash back to what it has always done before. I am just now getting to the point that I can knife edge successfully at the field due to lots of practice on the sim.
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