Is this a good idea for newbies?

[Hal9000]

Hi folks. I've been lurking around for the past week or so since watching Bruces excellent AXN build videos on YouTube.

I've ordered the items listed on his BoM web page from Hobby King and noticed this popping up on Facebook.

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh ... duct=24353

What does the community think of popping one of these in any craft that a newbie/learner will be learning to fly with?

[rogueqd]

Nice idea, but in a word: no.

Basically this is useful for windy conditions where gusts will throw your plane around. While your learning to fly it better to stick to light wind days, and learn to correct the plane using your sticks. Get this when you're moderate to advanced and have some reason that you really need to fly in windy conditions.

All that said, never let anyone deter you from buying an interesting new gadget and checking it out. Although make sure you read some advice on setting the gyro gains properly.

One thing that may be nice for a beginner would be a similar board but with an accelerometer included so that it can level your plane. You could create an "oh shit" switch on your controller that automatically levels your plane if you get it in to a spin or something. Although you should still practice and develop proper skills.

[Hal9000]

Thanks rogueqd for your comments. Perfectly valid and bloody good points too.

[RockinRobbins]

Ditto to what Rogueqd says. This particular unit also cannot be turned on and off by your radio. Some others can and they would be better choices.

When you are learning to fly it is important that you learn how your combination of radio and plane actually behave. How can you modify that if you don't know what you are modifying? There is no way to know whether you've made it better or worse. So experience flying a particular plane is very important to your ability to get a gyro stabilizer to actually improve the way your plane flies.

Get that slack wind experience first. Take things slowly and plan out your early flights carefully, doing exactly what you've planned. Get help from an experienced flier if you can.

I'm not a lover of flight simulators, I think they build false confidence in an imperfectly rendered flight model, setting you up for problems. I believe writing valid info on a blank slate is preferable to erasing invalid information and replacing it with the good stuff. Confidently doing the wrong thing is more hazardous than doing it carefully and with full awareness that you don't know quite what to expect. Lots of people don't agree with me and sometimes they do it loudly and in not so nice language. I say a good flight sim costs as much as a new plane anyways. What kind of choice is that?

[bogbeagle]

A few years ago, I investigated an auto-stabiliser called the HAL.

Even then, it was fairly old-tech, but it worked very well.

You can see it in action here. It's fitted in my friend's Ready 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56TlDkyq ... ature=plcp

I didn't make the second video, which I had planned, but I did investigate the HAL's ability to "rescue" a bad situation. On a number of occasions, I placed the model in unusual attitudes and then left HAL to sort things out ... it performed very well, returning the model to the trimmed attitude with great alacrity. I'm not suggesting that HAL is a panacea or a replacement for a human instructor; but it is a useful tool to have in your kit.


In my view, these auto-stabs are great, but experienced pilots find them a bit disconcerting. It's as though there is an intermediary between your control input and the model's responses ... and there is!


I remember flying my Stampe, in company with my friend, who was flying his Tiger Moth. Both models were about 84" span ... and it was quite turbulent weather. Well, I was working hard, esp during the landing approaches, whereas my friend seemed to be coping much better than me. It turned out that he had fitted a HAL to his model and was using it to augment the stability. No doubt about it, machines make the best pilots.

When you are learning to fly, you would be advised to have everything in your favour. Make it easy for yourself. For instance, if you choose to fly in windy conditions, you will be unable to mentally separate the effects of gusts from your own control demands. You'll end up confused and intimidated.

Baby steps.

[Hal9000]

I had to laugh for a moment bogbeagle when I realised you were not taking the piss!

Interesting video. And a diesel engine, now that's unusual.

[bogbeagle]

Of course, the easiest way to get a stable aeroplane is to acquire a nice, vintage design.

The old favourites, such as the Junior 60 are very amenable to newbies. Better still, if you remove the undercarriage and hand-launch them. There's a host of other simple, stable models, that will facilitate your learning.

You can't go wrong with a rudder/elevator powered-glider. Simple, slow, cheap ... fly it anywhere, esp if it's electric.