Modeling Spoken Here - 2007/11

MA’s Associate Editor, Michael Ramsey,
has some interesting and relevant thoughts
about what we are flying and how we can
adjust our models to suit our flying styles and
our personalities. And, hey, it gives me some
more time off to go flying! Here’s Michael.
ave aeromodelers given up their
sense of individuality just because
they fly ARFs? Some people have
said that on any given weekend, dotted around
the field are the same models seen at the hobby
shops or in magazine ads. It’s as though we’re
being told what to like so we buy whatever fad
model comes out next.
I believe, however, that even though on the
surface it may look like we’re all copycats,
how the model is set up is unique to the
individual pilot. Therefore, the way one
person’s model flies isn’t the same as the next.
A fellow sport modeler and I were talking
about the setup of a similar model we were
both flying. Most of the trim adjustments he
mentioned were subtle, but necessary to suit
his flying style. What he suggested were
changes I’d hesitate to attempt simply because
that’s not how I would want the model to
perform.
We shared some stories about how our
mentors had recommended setups based on
what worked for them, but we later found that
trying to copy their flying style didn’t always
mesh with what we wanted. The solution that
ended up working was very personal, although
the collaborative experience did help overall.
We should always be willing to try a new
idea—that’s how we grow—but pilots should
also understand that what they like or dislike is
a very important part that is needed to
harmonize the individual pilot/model
relationship. The changes we make to our
models might take a little getting used to; but
for the most part the experience will teach not
just something about the model’s performance,
but also something about ourselves as well.
Thanks to the manufacturing technologies
of today, ARF models are available set up
extremely well right out of the box. This
makes the goal of harmonizing the relationship
between the model and the pilot go much
faster.
That aircraft is as similar as possible to the
prototype designed by an expert—someone
who has his or her own individual tastes, but
also someone who knows how to design a
model that won’t need a lot of trimming to fly
well.
How we take it from there is the personal
experience. How it’s flown, how it performs,
and its potential is as individual as the pilot.
So if a person looks down the flightline and
sees many similar airplanes, does that mean
they all fly alike? Of course not. What the
ARF market has created is the opportunity for
any pilot to experience a great-performing
model.
Today we’re flying models that are safer
and more user-friendly than ever before.
Although on the surface it may seem that
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt
H
we’re all lazy flying ARFs, but truthfully the
ARF opportunity has enhanced the ability for
aeromodelers to become better pilots.
Looks are only skin deep after all. If a
person isn’t happy that his or her model is
decorated the same as the next person’s
model, by all means change it. Likewise, if the
looks of a model aren’t to a person’s taste, he
or she isn’t going to really want to fly that
model, or fly it well for that matter. It’s like
asking everyone to enjoy the same kind of
food.
It’s surprising how small adjustments to a
model will make a huge difference. There was
a model once that I had pretty much become
bored with and thought it was time to move on
to a different airplane, even though the
airplane, in many people’s opinion, was a
good flier. A friend of mine suggested
changing the balance point on the model so it
was on the aft CG point.
Honestly, that change made the airplane
feel like a whole new model. All of a sudden it
would knife-edge, snap, and spin better than I
could have hoped.
Later on I upgraded the rudder servo and
again the model improved with cleaner snaps
and stronger knife-edge loop authority. Those
changes weren’t visible on the outside, but my
Extra 300 didn’t fly the same as the next
person’s and I couldn’t have been happier.
Fads will come and go, so it’s okay if some
of us are flying similar airplanes. The little
tweaks and changes we make by choosing
different engines, radio equipment, and
programming will set all of us apart and
update the demands for what model we’ll be
looking to fly next.
So keep pounding at the control sticks,
winding the rubber band, and stretching out
those control lines. If you don’t like the way it
flies, change it. The experts are out there to
help make the model, ARF, or scratch-built as
unique as the pilot. MA
Modeling Spoken Here
Published by The Academy of Model Aeronautics
Rob Kurek
Director of Publications
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President
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Account Executive Angela Martin
Administrative Assistant Yolanda Jones
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt
Associate Editor Michael Ramsey
Director of Design/Production Carla Kunz
Executive Editor Elizabeth Helms
Graphic Designer Sarah Shaw
Managing Editor Shelia Ames Webb
Production Associate Jennifer Orebaugh
Stan Alexander
Bob Angel
Darwin Barrie
Bill Boss
Paul Bradley
Sal Calvagna
Mark Fadely
Dave Garwood
Dave Gee
Greg Gimlick
John Glezellis
Jim T. Graham
Eric Henderson
Jim Hiller
Louis Joyner
John Kagan
Rich Lopez
Dave Mark
D.B. Mathews
Dennis Norman
Dean Pappas
Richard L. Perry
Greg Rose
Red Scholefield
Gene Smith
Joe Wagner
Technical Editor Bob Aberle
... harmonize the individual
pilot/model relationship.
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