I've become recently fascinated by R/C Airplanes, the idea of controlling something that flies in the air immediately intrigued me. I've learned a lot of lessons the hard way, and I've had plenty of enjoyment . . . both of which I share below! This page may seem like it is plagued with misfortune or human error, but a lot of it was just due to a combination of my impatience and excitement . . . tack that up as part of "lessons learned." =P A good friend of mine, Zach, embarked on this journey with me from the day my plane arrived, special thanks to him for bein' there to help with rebuilds, recovering crashes, shopping, or whatever . . . thanks, Zach!
My first R/C airplane ever is actually not pictured, but it was a HobbyZone Aerobird . . . it was an electric plane that you sort of just throw and start controlling and flying. It flew ver well for such a simple machine, and it probably still lies high in a tree in the Arboretum in Austin, TX . . . =P I did often have trouble throw starting this plane and always wanted a plane that took off from the ground on wheels. Now on to the good stuff . . . gas engines, wheels, and all the goodies. :-)
Before purchasing my first gas engined plane, I had no idea about anything in the hobby. I didn't know what ailerons where, how to fly, etc. I started by purchasing a Hobbico Nexstar, this is a flat winged trainer with lots of help for beginners. In addition to having various active flight stabilization features and features that allowed the plane to fly slowly but still climb and perform maneuvers . . . it came with the RealFlight software that allows you to fly your Nexstar on a simulator and practice before you actually go out to the field. This proved invaluable. I was able to learn how to fly and practice before actually taking out my plane!
My Hobbico Nexstar
This plane flew very well, and it was a wonderfully easy plane to fly . . . I highly recommend this plane for beginners. I had one slight mishap when I was breaking in the engine, but I just had to replace a prop and everything was fine. :-) I had two flights with this plane, and those summaries are below . . .
Flight 1 (About 12 Minutes) |
| Summary: Airplane took off wonderfully and flew wonderfully . . . I was able to fly around normall, even barrel roll the plane several times. The plane got too far from me, and I had trouble seeing if I was flying away from myself or towards myself . . . I misjudged and brought the plane down for a crash landing at an angle . . . the plane needed some minor repairs before it was ready to be flown, again. Damage Pictures: 1, 2, 3. Videos: Ground Control, Initial Takeoff, Flight |
| What I Learned: Don't let the plane get away from you, even though the balsa wood and covering is damaged in spots, the plane is not completely destroyed, etc. |
Flight 2 (About 3 Minutes) |
| Summary: Airplane took off well and flew with some hesitation. . . I was able to make a couple loops, but I was using too much aileron and not enough rudder . . . and not providing enough lift. I crash landed nose down and the plane was completely destroyed. Only step then was to pull the motor and electrics and put it in a new plane! Damage Pictures: 1, 2, 3, 4. |
| What I Learned: If you crash the plane and appear to completely destroy it, all is not lost . . . the motors seem virtually indestructible, and you can reuse the radio and everything and just find another trainer or plane for about $100. During the rebuild process, I learned TONS about how these planes go together, how to fine tune them. This crash probably taught me the most about the hobby. You learn a lot by cleaning up the engine and rebuilding the plane. |
At this point, I went to the hobby shop to find a trainer plane I could drop my existing engine and radio controls into, and I decided on a Hangar 9 Arrow. This trainer has a semi-symetrical wing, so it should be fun for acrobatics, etc. In retrospect, I should've gone with a flat winged trainer like the Alpha by Hangar 9 or another Nexstar or Avistar.
Me with the Hangar 9 Arrow Trainer w/ My Nexstar Components
Picture of Just the Trainer, Another
Picture of Me & the Trainer
I had one incident before I actually got to fly this plane trying to take off in a crosswind, it flipped right over. I just broke a rubber band or two, added some scratches to the plane, and broke the prop. Damage Pictures: 1, 2.
Flight 3 (About 1 Minute) |
| Summary: Airplane took off well and had some hesitation in acceleration on the ground. The plane was responding strangely to controls and responding in ways it shouldn't have. We believe the Active Flight Stabilization we rigged up did not go over very well . . . The plane just flew straight up, I was able to overtake it and bring it back to straight . . . but then the plane started to dive left using the aileron without being told to do so. Crashed nose into the ground and destroyed the plane. Damage Picture. |
| What I Learned: Ghetto rigging an Active Flight Stabilization sensor to a trainer that may not have been the best idea. Reflections off of the trainer onto the sensor may have caused trouble. Also, I may not have been ready for a trainer with a semi-symetrical wing. I should've gone with another Nexstar with speedbrakes and various flight features that make it perfect for beginners. |
I ordered another Hobbico Nexstar without the electronics and engine on March 21, 2005. I look forward to building this plane up and giving it another go!