Born to Fly - 2009/09

IN JUNE I was at the 2009 XFC (Extreme
Flight Championships), surrounded by the
world’s greatest pilots. This contest is
hosted each year at the AMA International
Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana,
on roughly 1,000 acres of perfect flying
fields.
After spending days watching the best
model airplane and helicopter pilots in the
world, it’s easy to forget that all of those
people had to start in the hobby as
beginners, as does everyone else. I found
that many of the well-known competition
pilots can’t put their fingers on their first
flying experiences.
I was in the RCGroups.com golf cart,
traveling to Site 4 to see the open fly with
Jim Bourke—who owns RCGroups.com,
Flying Giants, CrackRoll.com, and
RCCars.com, and the head honcho of Knife
Edge software, which makes the RealFlight
G4.5 software—and his fiancée, Annette.
Jim is literally surrounded by all things RC
all the time. Annette is new to the world of
RC but has shown an interest in learning to
fly.
At the site, we found Michael Ramsey,
editor of MA, who was helping newcomers
fly a trainer on a buddy box. Annette
decided to give it a try. While the AMA
staff members were prepping the official
trainer, Michael got Annette ready to fly the
pattern.
Watching Annette immediately threw
me back to my own first RC flight: the
moment at which I first put fingers to sticks
and actually controlled an RC airplane. I
realized that I was at an event that was
chock-full of great pilots who could provide
great instruction for those in our ranks who
were just starting.
So I went to find some tips for the entrylevel
RC pilot from the professionals.
Following are the top three from each
person I interviewed.
Jim Bourke:
1. “My number one piece of advice is to
get a simulator. Annette eagerly pointed out
on her own that RealFlight sessions were
quick to help her rapidly progress.
“One of the things we focus on with
RealFlight is providing the user with an
open-ended approach to training. They can
take things at their own pace, experiment
with things they aren’t ready
for, and everything is presented
in a realistic manner. The only
big difference is the cost of the crashes. I
learned most of what I know about
aerobatics from a simulator, and I’ve seen
what it can do for a newcomer.
2. “Get an instructor. The best instructor
is probably not the best pilot at your local
field; he’s the low-key guy who doesn’t
need the limelight.
“He doesn’t know how to do all the
tricks, but he knows how to get you to the
point where you are ready to solo. He won’t
talk your ear off while you are flying or
take control of the plane so he can show
off.
“He also won’t hold you back. At some
point he will realize you are ready to solo
and he’ll push you along.
“I recommend that people fly with many
instructors, and stick with the ones who
give you what you need. There is
something to learn from everyone.
3. “Get good equipment. The third piece
of the puzzle involves the most precious
RC gear a pilot has: his wallet. People want
to save money starting out, and that is a
good idea, but beginners are more sensitive
to the deficiencies of bad equipment than
anyone else.
“A good instructor will recommend
something from experience. I love foamies
and think they are great to learn on. You
also can’t beat the standard 40-sized
trainer. The [Hobbico] NexSTAR is a good
choice. I also like the PTS series from
Horizon [Hobby].
“There are many good choices, but
even with so many great products out
there that are designed for learning, I still
see people show up at the field with
aircraft that are completely beyond their
capacity. There will be plenty of time to
learn stunts, so get a plane that will help
you with the fundamentals, and have
someone help you set it up so it will fly
straight.
“Most people are surprised to find out
how hard it is to learn RC. It’s okay if it is
hard at first. Give yourself time to learn.
Once you can reliably take off, fly, and
land, you should spend most of your time
teaching yourself.
“Once you are flying on your own,
focus on putting the plane where you want
it at all times. Don’t let yourself regress to
the point where you are watching the
plane; command it.”
Bryce Custer (Jim T. Graham’s [Billy
Hell’s] RC Instructor):
1. “Learn something from each of your
flights and your friends’ flights. There is
valuable information to be gathered and
reapplied to later flights whether this is
your 10th or your 10,000th flight.
2. “Altitude and airspeed are a pilot’s
best friend, so make sure you have
enough of at least one of them, preferably
both, to help you from takeoff to landing.
Keep flying the airplane until it comes to
a complete stop.
3. “Relax, have fun, and know that
whatever stupid mistake you make,
someone else has made the same one
before you; you’re not the first. Enjoy the
experience; save the stress and strain for
work! If you bust the airplane up, well,
it’s just a good excuse to go buy a new
toy!”
Jerry L. Smith (nine-time Fun Fly
champion):
1. “The main thing is to have no
distraction when you are flying your
airplane. You should never lose eye
contact with the plane.
“Don’t try to see what your buddies
are doing; keep your eye on your plane.
Once you lose eye contact with your
plane, you can get into trouble!
2. “It took me two years to figure out
what I wanted to fly. Every one of us
likes to have a certain type of look or
identity through the airplane we fly.
“I rely on colors to be able to
distinguish top and bottom. Everyone sees
color combos differently, and colors help
with correct orientation.
3. “I’m a fellow that likes to keep
things simple. Keep your setup simplistic
and clean so you can track down
problems quickly and see an issue before
it becomes a problem.”
Michael Ramsey (Editor for MA):
1. “Have a good preflight program. I
usually do that when I’m cleaning my
plane. I check the clevises, check for
worn items like landing gear, etc.
2. “Always remember your last
command. The airplane can look strange
in the air and can be real confusing, but
it’s real easy to remember the last thing
you did to the airplane.
3. “My last tip is to have fun. Flying
RC is nothing to get stressed out about. If
you feel stressed, take a break; go fishing,
enjoy the family, and then come back to
it.”
Manuel Santos (a competitive pilot from
Mexico):
1. Believe in what you are doing.
Don’t do anything if you don’t feel it.
2. Respect the airplane. The plane
always deserves your respect.
3. Have fun. You are going be a great
pilot by doing what you love.
Jim T. Graham (Admin Deluxe of
RCGroups.com, founder of the Profile
Brotherhood, RC event reporter):
1. I was taught to never give up on an
airplane. I have been in some intense
situations in which I knew I was going to
lose my model, and I always heard my
instructor’s voice in my head saying, “Fly
her ’til she is on the ground.” That tip has
saved more than a few aircraft.
It is also a safety issue. I have seen
pilots literally walk away from a model
flying, because they thought they had lost
it, but it’s your responsibility to do
everything you can to land your airplane
safely.
2. Be safe around your model, even if
you exaggerate it. I started with glow
power, and I have seen many people
literally stick their hands through
propellers. I’ve always overexaggerated
moving my hands away from the propeller
to keep myself aware of the danger, which
turned into muscle memory, so I trained
myself to be safe every time.
This applies to electrics as well. I have
seen people handle airplanes with
propellers directly over their wrists, faces,
and other “vital” body parts. With one
flick of the throttle, that blade could be
spinning.
Respect the model, and don’t give it a
chance to bite you!
3. Simulator, simulator, simulator.
Landing the aircraft scared me to death. I
spent all that money and time building it
and was not cool with the thought of
crashing.
I landed on the simulator repeatedly. I
did it so much that when the came time to
do it in real life, my stress level was much
lower.
A simulator is also a great way to try
new things before you do them with your
real model. I have seen people go from the
simulator to flying in real life with ease. I
know it’s almost the same cost as a model,
but it is well worth it.
Success! After takeoff, Michael calmly
explained to Annette the pattern and the
points over the runway where she could
make turns. He flipped the switch, and
Annette was in control.
After a couple of laps, she had the
model under control and a big smile
spread across her face. When she got into
trouble, Michael would take over long
enough to get the airplane straightened
out. He remained calm at all times and
impressed me with the way he made it all
sound so easy.
When Annette landed the model, she
jumped in the air in celebration of having
had such a successful flight. That
excitement is the common denominator for
all of us; we simply love to fly RC.
There are many roads to success in RC,
but the thing that all great pilots have in
common is a love for the hobby.
The preceding tips are good for the
newbie and the veteran. Take them to
heart, learn as much as you can, and make
sure you are having a good time. This
hobby will pay you back in the enjoyment
you will experience for the rest of your
life! MA
Sources:
RCGroups.com
www.rcgroups.com
Flying Giants
www.flyinggiants.com
CrackRoll.com
www.crackroll.com
Futaba XFC
www.futaba-rc.com/xfc-rc/