92 MODEL AVIATION
Born to Fly Jim T. Graham | [email protected]
Expert advice about where to start if you want to be a 3-D pilot
One of the author’s profile models. It is a scratch-built, 40-size
3-D airplane that is powered by an outrunner motor.
Once you master the basics and get brave, you can 3-D big
aircraft! This is an Extreme Flight RC Yak that spans 88 inches
and weighs 17 pounds.
Brother Wild Fred in a classic Harrier.
HAVE YOU ever watched someone really tear up the sky doing 3-
D maneuvers? Have you watched a video on the Internet and
thought “Man, I wish I could fly like that?” Me too! The first time I
saw this new thing called “3-D” was in roughly 2002, and from that
day it has been the only kind of RC flying I have wanted to do.
It can be hard to wrap your head around what is going on in 3-D.
When you learn to fly, the goal is to keep the airplane in one piece.
The rudder is often feared and never touched, so doing Rolling
Harriers inches off the deck seems counterintuitive.
The most intimidating part of flying 3-D is trying to figure out
where to begin. Following are tips from some of the top pilots in the
country.
• Andrew Jesky: Don’t take things too fast. New RC pilots see the
competition pilots doing insane maneuvers and try to jump directly
to that level. You have to walk before you can run.
The first maneuver I would suggest learning well is the Harrier.
Start with a foamie. They are cheap and 3-D really well.
• David Payne: Start out with a simulator, and then move to a
foamie. Practice is the key factor.
The first maneuver I would suggest working on would be a topfacing
Hover. All the controls are still working normally in your
aspect; the canopy is facing you, and it’s not necessary to think in
reverse. The effort is to hold it in a standstill. The Hover will teach
you reaction and timing.
My grandfather would say “If you don’t like what it’s doing, then
do something else.” I don’t think about left or right most of the time;
I just fly. If you are in a Torque Roll and the belly rolls around, just
touch the rudder. If it goes the wrong way, then hit the rudder the
other way.
You don’t want to translate what you need to do in your head;
you want to be able to react to the airplane without thinking.
• Jeremy Chinn: The first thing I recommend is to learn how to
Harrier. The Harrier is the fundamental maneuver of all 3-D
maneuvers. It also teaches you how to use the rudder, which is a
required skill of 3-D.
03sig3.QXD 1/25/08 9:53 AM Page 92Learn to Harrier with a foamie or a simulator. Start by making
straight-line passes and getting used to the feel of the airplane in a
Harrier. Move on to circles and Figure Eights. Once you have
mastered the Upright Harrier, move to the Inverted Harrier.
The trick to the Harrier is in finding the sweet spot [where the
airplane feels like it holds itself in position]. When you find that
through experimentation, you will be able to maintain altitude,
attitude, and prevent wing rocking.
Harriering down low is much safer to the airplane and pilot than
doing it up high because you can see and correct moves quicker. If
you lose control, you can allow the airplane to settle on the landing
gear.
After the Harrier, learn to Hover next—but only after you have
mastered the Harrier.
• Jason Cole: You want an airplane that has large control surfaces
and is durable. An airplane that can handle crashes will allow you to
feel comfortable and to fly closer to the ground so you can see
what’s happening. EPP airplanes are great for this. They have the
durability to learn with since repairs are super simple.
When I was starting out, a couple of guys at my field were
hovering. It was new and exciting, and I had to do it! My first model
was a 3-D airplane: the Magic. I spent most of my summer trying to
figure out how to Hover and Harrier.
• Jason Noll: A good place to start would be
a simulator. Flying on a simulator is good
for your coordination.
The goal is to get you to the point that
you don’t have to think about your inputs.
Practice hovering, Harrier Rolls, anything
that puts the airplane in an unusual attitude.
Your brain usually freezes when you get
close to the ground, so practicing this on a
simulator will make the real-world
experience easier.
When you graduate from the simulator
and are ready for the real thing, move to a
foamie. The first maneuver I would work on
would be the Upright and Inverted Harrier.
Then the Torque Roll, the Harrier Roll, and
the Rolling Loop—those are the basics.
If you’re ever second-guessing yourself
during a maneuver, or in flying in general,
step back and get the model upright. If the
airplane gets ahead of you, it won’t be
around much longer.
• Bob Sadler: Great question, Jim! What I
always say to folks interested in becoming a
March 2008 93
Anyone can learn to fly 3-D!
Not only can you practice your 3-D moves on a flight simulator,
but you can also practice flying indoors.
Thin airfoils are getting popular in 3-D, but the classic fat airfoil
is where it all began for 40-size 3-D models.
3-D pilot is to have a plan. The first order of business is to start
with the basics. Make sure that you have the ability to control
your airplane and put the airplane where you want it.
The hardest part of 3-D is rudder control. Throttle, aileron, and
elevator familiarity seem to come quickly, but getting the rudder
down to the point where you don’t even think about it takes time.
Crawl before you walk before you run! The best tool in the
hobby is the simulator. Learning 3-D is all about instant inputs.
Let your inputs get honed on the computer, so practice at night
and when the boss ain’t lookin’! It’s been said over and over that
there is a difference between the simulator and a real airplane.
There is a difference: mistakes are free!
Practice hovering on the simulator with the wheels facing you.
03sig3.QXD 1/25/08 10:16 AM Page 93The awkward orientation isn’t easy to
master with the model in that attitude, but
when that becomes automatic it’s time to
apply your skills to real models!
Foamies are great for 3-D! They have a
great power-to-weight ratio, are easy to
repair, and inexpensive. They also require
faster inputs, so they are quite often harder
to master.
I would then progress to profiles, as
they are inexpensive (relative term) and
fly really well. If you can control your
flight, learn how to bail out at any attitude,
and safely push the envelope, you’re there!
The best advice on learning to Torque
Roll I’ve ever heard was from Frank Noll.
“If you wanna learn the secret of Torque
Rolling, give me $100. I’ll hand you the
$100 back and tell you to take $100 worth
of gas and practice!”
Now you have tips from the guys who do
this every day and do it well. I learned to
fly on an old, heavy trainer, and it was an
accident that my next model was a scratchbuilt
profile 3-D airplane.
I’m letting you know this because I
don’t think many non-3-D pilots would
consider a 3-D airplane as a trainer, but 3-
D models do make excellent trainers. I
would say that a good profile airplane with
the throws turned down would make an
excellent first model.
You can start with a simulator and then
move to a profile airplane. A fat-winged
profile is almost impossible to stall and is
forgiving, and if you get one with a tube in
the fuselage, it is also tough. The cost of a
40-size 3-D profile is reasonable. Such a
model will grow with you as your skills
develop.
Beware: the 3-D airplane is going to
spoil you. I remember thinking “this
airplane is so forgiving that it is going to
ruin me for any airplane that flies in a
scalelike manner.”
The good news is that I never wanted to
fly in a scalelike manner again. The 3-D
models are amazingly fun. They are
challenging to fly, and that keeps it
interesting. So you want to be a 3-D pilot?
Get out there and do it! MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/03
Page Numbers: 92,93,94
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/03
Page Numbers: 92,93,94
92 MODEL AVIATION
Born to Fly Jim T. Graham | [email protected]
Expert advice about where to start if you want to be a 3-D pilot
One of the author’s profile models. It is a scratch-built, 40-size
3-D airplane that is powered by an outrunner motor.
Once you master the basics and get brave, you can 3-D big
aircraft! This is an Extreme Flight RC Yak that spans 88 inches
and weighs 17 pounds.
Brother Wild Fred in a classic Harrier.
HAVE YOU ever watched someone really tear up the sky doing 3-
D maneuvers? Have you watched a video on the Internet and
thought “Man, I wish I could fly like that?” Me too! The first time I
saw this new thing called “3-D” was in roughly 2002, and from that
day it has been the only kind of RC flying I have wanted to do.
It can be hard to wrap your head around what is going on in 3-D.
When you learn to fly, the goal is to keep the airplane in one piece.
The rudder is often feared and never touched, so doing Rolling
Harriers inches off the deck seems counterintuitive.
The most intimidating part of flying 3-D is trying to figure out
where to begin. Following are tips from some of the top pilots in the
country.
• Andrew Jesky: Don’t take things too fast. New RC pilots see the
competition pilots doing insane maneuvers and try to jump directly
to that level. You have to walk before you can run.
The first maneuver I would suggest learning well is the Harrier.
Start with a foamie. They are cheap and 3-D really well.
• David Payne: Start out with a simulator, and then move to a
foamie. Practice is the key factor.
The first maneuver I would suggest working on would be a topfacing
Hover. All the controls are still working normally in your
aspect; the canopy is facing you, and it’s not necessary to think in
reverse. The effort is to hold it in a standstill. The Hover will teach
you reaction and timing.
My grandfather would say “If you don’t like what it’s doing, then
do something else.” I don’t think about left or right most of the time;
I just fly. If you are in a Torque Roll and the belly rolls around, just
touch the rudder. If it goes the wrong way, then hit the rudder the
other way.
You don’t want to translate what you need to do in your head;
you want to be able to react to the airplane without thinking.
• Jeremy Chinn: The first thing I recommend is to learn how to
Harrier. The Harrier is the fundamental maneuver of all 3-D
maneuvers. It also teaches you how to use the rudder, which is a
required skill of 3-D.
03sig3.QXD 1/25/08 9:53 AM Page 92Learn to Harrier with a foamie or a simulator. Start by making
straight-line passes and getting used to the feel of the airplane in a
Harrier. Move on to circles and Figure Eights. Once you have
mastered the Upright Harrier, move to the Inverted Harrier.
The trick to the Harrier is in finding the sweet spot [where the
airplane feels like it holds itself in position]. When you find that
through experimentation, you will be able to maintain altitude,
attitude, and prevent wing rocking.
Harriering down low is much safer to the airplane and pilot than
doing it up high because you can see and correct moves quicker. If
you lose control, you can allow the airplane to settle on the landing
gear.
After the Harrier, learn to Hover next—but only after you have
mastered the Harrier.
• Jason Cole: You want an airplane that has large control surfaces
and is durable. An airplane that can handle crashes will allow you to
feel comfortable and to fly closer to the ground so you can see
what’s happening. EPP airplanes are great for this. They have the
durability to learn with since repairs are super simple.
When I was starting out, a couple of guys at my field were
hovering. It was new and exciting, and I had to do it! My first model
was a 3-D airplane: the Magic. I spent most of my summer trying to
figure out how to Hover and Harrier.
• Jason Noll: A good place to start would be
a simulator. Flying on a simulator is good
for your coordination.
The goal is to get you to the point that
you don’t have to think about your inputs.
Practice hovering, Harrier Rolls, anything
that puts the airplane in an unusual attitude.
Your brain usually freezes when you get
close to the ground, so practicing this on a
simulator will make the real-world
experience easier.
When you graduate from the simulator
and are ready for the real thing, move to a
foamie. The first maneuver I would work on
would be the Upright and Inverted Harrier.
Then the Torque Roll, the Harrier Roll, and
the Rolling Loop—those are the basics.
If you’re ever second-guessing yourself
during a maneuver, or in flying in general,
step back and get the model upright. If the
airplane gets ahead of you, it won’t be
around much longer.
• Bob Sadler: Great question, Jim! What I
always say to folks interested in becoming a
March 2008 93
Anyone can learn to fly 3-D!
Not only can you practice your 3-D moves on a flight simulator,
but you can also practice flying indoors.
Thin airfoils are getting popular in 3-D, but the classic fat airfoil
is where it all began for 40-size 3-D models.
3-D pilot is to have a plan. The first order of business is to start
with the basics. Make sure that you have the ability to control
your airplane and put the airplane where you want it.
The hardest part of 3-D is rudder control. Throttle, aileron, and
elevator familiarity seem to come quickly, but getting the rudder
down to the point where you don’t even think about it takes time.
Crawl before you walk before you run! The best tool in the
hobby is the simulator. Learning 3-D is all about instant inputs.
Let your inputs get honed on the computer, so practice at night
and when the boss ain’t lookin’! It’s been said over and over that
there is a difference between the simulator and a real airplane.
There is a difference: mistakes are free!
Practice hovering on the simulator with the wheels facing you.
03sig3.QXD 1/25/08 10:16 AM Page 93The awkward orientation isn’t easy to
master with the model in that attitude, but
when that becomes automatic it’s time to
apply your skills to real models!
Foamies are great for 3-D! They have a
great power-to-weight ratio, are easy to
repair, and inexpensive. They also require
faster inputs, so they are quite often harder
to master.
I would then progress to profiles, as
they are inexpensive (relative term) and
fly really well. If you can control your
flight, learn how to bail out at any attitude,
and safely push the envelope, you’re there!
The best advice on learning to Torque
Roll I’ve ever heard was from Frank Noll.
“If you wanna learn the secret of Torque
Rolling, give me $100. I’ll hand you the
$100 back and tell you to take $100 worth
of gas and practice!”
Now you have tips from the guys who do
this every day and do it well. I learned to
fly on an old, heavy trainer, and it was an
accident that my next model was a scratchbuilt
profile 3-D airplane.
I’m letting you know this because I
don’t think many non-3-D pilots would
consider a 3-D airplane as a trainer, but 3-
D models do make excellent trainers. I
would say that a good profile airplane with
the throws turned down would make an
excellent first model.
You can start with a simulator and then
move to a profile airplane. A fat-winged
profile is almost impossible to stall and is
forgiving, and if you get one with a tube in
the fuselage, it is also tough. The cost of a
40-size 3-D profile is reasonable. Such a
model will grow with you as your skills
develop.
Beware: the 3-D airplane is going to
spoil you. I remember thinking “this
airplane is so forgiving that it is going to
ruin me for any airplane that flies in a
scalelike manner.”
The good news is that I never wanted to
fly in a scalelike manner again. The 3-D
models are amazingly fun. They are
challenging to fly, and that keeps it
interesting. So you want to be a 3-D pilot?
Get out there and do it! MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/03
Page Numbers: 92,93,94
92 MODEL AVIATION
Born to Fly Jim T. Graham | [email protected]
Expert advice about where to start if you want to be a 3-D pilot
One of the author’s profile models. It is a scratch-built, 40-size
3-D airplane that is powered by an outrunner motor.
Once you master the basics and get brave, you can 3-D big
aircraft! This is an Extreme Flight RC Yak that spans 88 inches
and weighs 17 pounds.
Brother Wild Fred in a classic Harrier.
HAVE YOU ever watched someone really tear up the sky doing 3-
D maneuvers? Have you watched a video on the Internet and
thought “Man, I wish I could fly like that?” Me too! The first time I
saw this new thing called “3-D” was in roughly 2002, and from that
day it has been the only kind of RC flying I have wanted to do.
It can be hard to wrap your head around what is going on in 3-D.
When you learn to fly, the goal is to keep the airplane in one piece.
The rudder is often feared and never touched, so doing Rolling
Harriers inches off the deck seems counterintuitive.
The most intimidating part of flying 3-D is trying to figure out
where to begin. Following are tips from some of the top pilots in the
country.
• Andrew Jesky: Don’t take things too fast. New RC pilots see the
competition pilots doing insane maneuvers and try to jump directly
to that level. You have to walk before you can run.
The first maneuver I would suggest learning well is the Harrier.
Start with a foamie. They are cheap and 3-D really well.
• David Payne: Start out with a simulator, and then move to a
foamie. Practice is the key factor.
The first maneuver I would suggest working on would be a topfacing
Hover. All the controls are still working normally in your
aspect; the canopy is facing you, and it’s not necessary to think in
reverse. The effort is to hold it in a standstill. The Hover will teach
you reaction and timing.
My grandfather would say “If you don’t like what it’s doing, then
do something else.” I don’t think about left or right most of the time;
I just fly. If you are in a Torque Roll and the belly rolls around, just
touch the rudder. If it goes the wrong way, then hit the rudder the
other way.
You don’t want to translate what you need to do in your head;
you want to be able to react to the airplane without thinking.
• Jeremy Chinn: The first thing I recommend is to learn how to
Harrier. The Harrier is the fundamental maneuver of all 3-D
maneuvers. It also teaches you how to use the rudder, which is a
required skill of 3-D.
03sig3.QXD 1/25/08 9:53 AM Page 92Learn to Harrier with a foamie or a simulator. Start by making
straight-line passes and getting used to the feel of the airplane in a
Harrier. Move on to circles and Figure Eights. Once you have
mastered the Upright Harrier, move to the Inverted Harrier.
The trick to the Harrier is in finding the sweet spot [where the
airplane feels like it holds itself in position]. When you find that
through experimentation, you will be able to maintain altitude,
attitude, and prevent wing rocking.
Harriering down low is much safer to the airplane and pilot than
doing it up high because you can see and correct moves quicker. If
you lose control, you can allow the airplane to settle on the landing
gear.
After the Harrier, learn to Hover next—but only after you have
mastered the Harrier.
• Jason Cole: You want an airplane that has large control surfaces
and is durable. An airplane that can handle crashes will allow you to
feel comfortable and to fly closer to the ground so you can see
what’s happening. EPP airplanes are great for this. They have the
durability to learn with since repairs are super simple.
When I was starting out, a couple of guys at my field were
hovering. It was new and exciting, and I had to do it! My first model
was a 3-D airplane: the Magic. I spent most of my summer trying to
figure out how to Hover and Harrier.
• Jason Noll: A good place to start would be
a simulator. Flying on a simulator is good
for your coordination.
The goal is to get you to the point that
you don’t have to think about your inputs.
Practice hovering, Harrier Rolls, anything
that puts the airplane in an unusual attitude.
Your brain usually freezes when you get
close to the ground, so practicing this on a
simulator will make the real-world
experience easier.
When you graduate from the simulator
and are ready for the real thing, move to a
foamie. The first maneuver I would work on
would be the Upright and Inverted Harrier.
Then the Torque Roll, the Harrier Roll, and
the Rolling Loop—those are the basics.
If you’re ever second-guessing yourself
during a maneuver, or in flying in general,
step back and get the model upright. If the
airplane gets ahead of you, it won’t be
around much longer.
• Bob Sadler: Great question, Jim! What I
always say to folks interested in becoming a
March 2008 93
Anyone can learn to fly 3-D!
Not only can you practice your 3-D moves on a flight simulator,
but you can also practice flying indoors.
Thin airfoils are getting popular in 3-D, but the classic fat airfoil
is where it all began for 40-size 3-D models.
3-D pilot is to have a plan. The first order of business is to start
with the basics. Make sure that you have the ability to control
your airplane and put the airplane where you want it.
The hardest part of 3-D is rudder control. Throttle, aileron, and
elevator familiarity seem to come quickly, but getting the rudder
down to the point where you don’t even think about it takes time.
Crawl before you walk before you run! The best tool in the
hobby is the simulator. Learning 3-D is all about instant inputs.
Let your inputs get honed on the computer, so practice at night
and when the boss ain’t lookin’! It’s been said over and over that
there is a difference between the simulator and a real airplane.
There is a difference: mistakes are free!
Practice hovering on the simulator with the wheels facing you.
03sig3.QXD 1/25/08 10:16 AM Page 93The awkward orientation isn’t easy to
master with the model in that attitude, but
when that becomes automatic it’s time to
apply your skills to real models!
Foamies are great for 3-D! They have a
great power-to-weight ratio, are easy to
repair, and inexpensive. They also require
faster inputs, so they are quite often harder
to master.
I would then progress to profiles, as
they are inexpensive (relative term) and
fly really well. If you can control your
flight, learn how to bail out at any attitude,
and safely push the envelope, you’re there!
The best advice on learning to Torque
Roll I’ve ever heard was from Frank Noll.
“If you wanna learn the secret of Torque
Rolling, give me $100. I’ll hand you the
$100 back and tell you to take $100 worth
of gas and practice!”
Now you have tips from the guys who do
this every day and do it well. I learned to
fly on an old, heavy trainer, and it was an
accident that my next model was a scratchbuilt
profile 3-D airplane.
I’m letting you know this because I
don’t think many non-3-D pilots would
consider a 3-D airplane as a trainer, but 3-
D models do make excellent trainers. I
would say that a good profile airplane with
the throws turned down would make an
excellent first model.
You can start with a simulator and then
move to a profile airplane. A fat-winged
profile is almost impossible to stall and is
forgiving, and if you get one with a tube in
the fuselage, it is also tough. The cost of a
40-size 3-D profile is reasonable. Such a
model will grow with you as your skills
develop.
Beware: the 3-D airplane is going to
spoil you. I remember thinking “this
airplane is so forgiving that it is going to
ruin me for any airplane that flies in a
scalelike manner.”
The good news is that I never wanted to
fly in a scalelike manner again. The 3-D
models are amazingly fun. They are
challenging to fly, and that keeps it
interesting. So you want to be a 3-D pilot?
Get out there and do it! MA