Turn almost any model into a trainer with this flightstabilization
system
ONE SATURDAY morning a few years
ago, I awakened but my left eye didn’t.
Among the thoughts whizzing around in my
mind during the subsequent moments was
“How am I going to fly my models?” Vision
has been an issue ever since, so some
accommodation has been necessary.
First, I designed and built larger aircraft
and covered them with bright material so I
can see them in the air some of the time.
Second, I found a little electronic flightstabilization
device from FMA Direct called
the “Co-Pilot CPD4.” Using it on almost
any-size model, I can fly on days when my
vision is poor.
I have been doing primary flight
instruction for our club using small electricpowered
airplanes. Some students are
unimpressed with them when the 40-size
aircraft fly by majestically, and some
students show up at the field having already
purchased a model that far exceeds a
beginner’s flying ability.
The author (L) modified two popular 40-size
glow models to electric and programmed
them with the FMA Direct Co-Pilot system
for training David, his student of the day.
Carl Goldberg Models’ Skylark ARF can be converted to electric power with a bit of
modeling ingenuity. It’s not meant for training, but the Co-Pilot fixes that.
by Heyward Macdonald
June 2009 65
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 11:58 AM Page 65
I thought about trying to train new pilots
with a more aggressive airplane, using the
Co-Pilot to do for the student what it does
for me with my diminished eyesight: tame
the more powerful model and keep the
student (and instructor) relatively calm.
I have experimented with this device and
own two of them in the hopes of extending
my flying days to age 103 or so. It works for
me.
In certain light conditions, large sections
of the sky disappear, airplane and all. With
the Co-Pilot, I relax and let the sensors level
the aircraft and fly it through the empty
space in the sky. My eye picks up on the
model in a couple of seconds, but
unfortunate things can happen in that length
of time.
It was time to find out if the Co-Pilot could
make a primary trainer from a model that
offered capabilities that surpassed a
beginner’s. The Co-Pilot works by sensing
Photos by the author
the relative difference in heat between the
ground and the sky. Four infrared sensors
are mounted in a 1-inch square casing and
are connected to a chip with a sophisticated
algorithm.
(You could install the optional FS8 Co-
Pilot External Programming Switch and
LED Indicator, which has two additional
sensors that aim up and down. It will bring
the airplane out of inverted flight by rolling
it rather than half looping.
The FS8 also includes a fine eightchannel
receiver with a fail-safe feature. It
will allow a pilot to preprogram flight
controls in case the receiver loses a good
radio signal. But I digress.)
When set up and calibrated using the
provided detailed manual, the Co-Pilot can
tell if one wing is lower than the other or if
the nose is higher or lower than it should be.
Then the program moves the ailerons and/or
elevator to correct pitch and roll to a normal
Above: Inlets for cooling were modeled
into the existing top hatch and below,
where a wide opening previously existed.
The UltraCote covering was easily
matched.
Right: Heat is vented from the
battery/ESC area through the exit in the
rear hatch. A clear plastic cover creates a
low-pressure area so that exhaust expels
more quickly.
Below: The external sensor mounting
location is optimal when a clear view is
available on all four sides of the unit. It
senses heat; the ground is warm and the
sky is cold.
66 MODEL AVIATION
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:01 PM Page 66
June 2009 67
Name: Carl Goldberg Models Skylark 56
Mark II ARF
Airfoil: Fully symmetrical, low wing, small
amount of dihedral
Wingspan: 56 inches
Wing construction: One piece, all wood,
covered
Wing area: 558 square inches
Length: 47.75 inches
Weight: 5.75 pounds
Wing loading: 23 ounces/square foot
Power/weight: 80 watts/pound
Flight time: Approximately 12 minutes with
4800 mAh pack
Motor: Atlas 2927/10
Speed control: Atlas 40 Opto
Radio power: FMA Direct PowerForce
Regulator
Battery pack: Cellpro Revolution three-cell,
4800 mAh Li-Poly
Charger: Cellpro 4s balancing
Flight stabilization: Co-Pilot CPD4
Receiver: FMA Direct Quantum eightchannel
with crystal
Servos: Four FMA Direct DS300BB digital
Since the training test with Co-Pilot, FMA Direct has
introduced a much improved and interesting version from
Revolectrix called the “Co-Pilot II.” Working as a beta
tester, I have some early experience with this unit.
The new system is built on the concept of an onboard
digital network called “IRNet.” The digital conversion in
the sensors means that the components can be connected
with simple servo extensions. Other devices can be added
later to this onboard network, which is an exciting
possibility.
This unit’s sensors and the brain are half the size of the
original Co-Pilot’s. That in itself is a significant
improvement.
Probably the most amazing part of the Co-Pilot II is the
means for setup and control. It is no longer done with dip
switches and pushing the button for what, to some people,
is a bewildering setup and calibration procedure.
Now the handheld wireless remote communicates
with a two-way device mounted outside the model’s
fuselage. It will even tell you the voltage of the radio
battery in the airplane.
This communication is done with the aircraft on the
ground, via infrared signals. The screen on the remote
contains a plethora of menus that control how the onboard
computer performs.
As someone who often had to remove a wing to get to
the Co-Pilot computer to change a dip switch I couldn’t even
see, this is an incredible improvement. By choosing from the
menu, I could program hundreds of combinations of options
without touching the model.
The Co-Pilot II operates even more smoothly in the air
than the original. It seems less
intrusive to the pilot, while
providing the safety and
control that is sometimes
needed. If it saves you one
model, it has more than
paid for itself.
It was easy to choose
options that allowed me
to fly my aircraft inverted
when I switched the unit on in the air, or I
could even fly knife edge or hover the
model. I tried maneuvers that I
normally would not, knowing that
the Co-Pilot II would help keep my
airplane safe until I mastered them.
I still enjoy flying with the original Co-Pilot, but this new
one is amazing. And there is more to come. MA
—Heyward Macdonald
The New Co-Pilot II
Test-Model Specifications
The basic Co-Pilot operates
with elevator and aileron
(steering) control. The RMT wire
is connected to the receiver where
operation and sensitivity can be
adjusted through the transmitter.
flight attitude. The pilot continues to fly the aircraft by overcoming
the Co-Pilot’s fairly gentle response.
In addition, the device’s response is proportional; the more
extreme the attitude from the horizon, the more your control
surfaces will move to stabilize the model. An experienced pilot can
demonstrate that by putting the airplane into any violent maneuver
and then centering the sticks.
Since the Co-Pilot provides a response as quickly as servos can
move, it restabilizes the aircraft in less than a second! This means
that major corrections are made quickly when needed and that minor
corrections, of the kind that keep the model flying on course, are
unnoticeable.
The sensitivity is adjustable, either on the ground or through a
radio channel that is otherwise not obligated. It is imperative that
you set up this unit so that it is controllable, at least on and off
switching, from the ground. Otherwise, it is possible to take off with
the setting too sensitive and the model will oscillate, trying to satisfy
all of its sensors.
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:05 PM Page 67
I installed the 1-inch-square sensor array
on a Skylark’s turtledeck. You can mount it
underneath, but I like to get it out of the way
of debris such as flying sticks and wet grass
that is freshly cut by the propeller on takeoff.
Obscuring one of these sensors is not a
good idea. Since the canopy eclipses the view
forward, the unit must be mounted at a 45°
angle. Consulting the manual and trial and
error are necessary to get the four dip
switches set correctly, but once set for a
model, it is done.
The test airplane has a wing loading of
almost 23 ounces per square foot! It is not a
primary trainer without the addition of the
Co-Pilot. But that was the objective: to make
it behave like a primary trainer by using the
system!
I brought the Skylark in over the runway
at approximately 100 feet of altitude and
turned on the stabilization system. Nothing
happened, which is good! Nothing happened
because I was flying straight and level.
I stood the model on its wing and lifted its
nose. Centering the sticks, the Co-Pilot gently
took it back to level flight and off it flew,
straight and true. The guys at the field
watching loved it, and so did I.
A subtle advantage for a beginner who
uses the Co-Pilot is that it automatically keeps
the airplane trimmed for level flight, even
with power changes. Without the system, trim
usually needs to be adjusted with each power
adjustment; that is difficult for the novice.
Once he or she gains competence and
confidence, the beginner can learn to trim by
turning the Co-Pilot to low gain or off in
flight to see what happens and take action to
trim.
Does it work? My friend, Fred, was a
navigator on a Navy P-3 Orion during the
Vietnam War. He flew along that country’s
coast at altitude and felt sorry for the likes of
me, who was on the ground at a firebase at the
same time.
Fred had never touched the stick of an RC
model. However, being a brave sort, he
agreed to try to fly the Skylark with the Co-
Pilot installed.
Fred and I met one lovely morning for an
hour of ground school. We covered safety;
AMA’s and my club’s rules of flight; axes of
roll, pitch, and yaw; and how the control
surfaces work.
Then we discussed altitude gain and loss
and sensitivity of controls; most beginners
seriously overcontrol their models. The next
topic was maneuvering, including taxiing,
climb and descent, turns, takeoff and landing,
and how the sticks work to do it all.
At that point I introduced Fred to the
concept and operation of the Co-Pilot. I
explained how it works, what it does, and
how to fly with it. It is important that the
student has some trust in the device so that he
or she will release the sticks and allow it to
correct the airplane’s attitude when necessary.
The instructor’s primary job is to remind
the trainee to gently center the sticks if he or
she is getting into trouble. The Co-Pilot will
fly the aircraft straight and level, using
minimal control-surface movement to keep it
that way. The pilot overpowers the flightstabilization
system to make maneuvers.
At those times of insecurity we fliers feel,
especially as a learner, one centers the sticks
and the system brings the model back to level
flight. The unit is proportional, in that the
more the deviation from level flight, the more
control-surface movement the Co-Pilot uses
to correct the airplane’s attitude.
That education session was followed by a
practicum on the ground. Fred sat in a chair
behind the Skylark in my driveway and
imagined turns, climb, and descent, using the
sticks to deflect the control surfaces. He also
practiced taxiing the aircraft.
This exercise overcomes a key difficulty
for the beginner. When the model is going
toward the pilot, whether it’s in the air or
taxiing, ailerons and rudder produce the
opposite reaction from what intuition tells
him or her. Fifteen minutes of practice taxiing
corrects that problem.
Flying: The next day on which both Fred and
I were available and the weather cooperated,
we met at the airfield to try “Co-Pilot Assisted
Training.” (By then I had come up with an
acronym for it: “COPAT.”) Wind was
negligible, and the sky was a beautiful blue
with those lovely clouds that are white in the
sun.
I had Fred stand behind the Skylark and
use the transmitter to talk himself through
takeoff, climb, coordinated turns, descent,
landing approach, and landing. We powered
up the aircraft. Fred taxied it around a bit and
tried a few runs at close to half power, to
learn how to hold a straight line on takeoff.
I handled the airplane on the first takeoff
and got it properly trimmed at two mistakes
of altitude. Then I demonstrated how the Co-
Pilot works to recover from any attitude other
than a low-altitude stall. It is important for the
student to trust the instrument and not freeze
on the sticks. I showed Fred a few
coordinated turns in the air and he took over.
At first he made the novice’s mistake of
diving the model in a turn. I immediately
reminded him to center the sticks, and the Co-
Pilot effected a recovery. After a couple
minutes, Fred had the Skylark flying figure
eights.
We started to line up the Skylark on the
runway. On the second try, it looked so good
that I told him to cut the throttle a bit. The
airplane started settling in on final, and I
decided to let Fred land it.
Just before touchdown, I had Fred pull the
throttle to zero and then flare slightly. The
model touched down on its main gear and
rotated forward on its nose wheel without a
bounce.
Reflecting on this landing, the Skylark
actually hit the center of a big “X” painted in
the middle of this old World War II training
runway. (It has a 40-foot-square pad in the
center of the grass strip.)
“This thing really works!” Fred exclaimed
as he looked at me in wonderment.
The model was sitting in the middle of the
strip, so I instructed Fred to smoothly add
power and keep it straight. He did so, and the
airplane lifted off of the runway and climbed
out almost as nicely as I could make it do.
Fred made a left turn that could have used
a bit of rudder, but it wasn’t bad. Then he
began to make coordinated turns, which were
fine. But I had forgotten to start the timer and
the power failed at roughly that time. I took
over and did a fairly nice dead-stick landing,
if I do say so myself.
On a second flight, Fred flew without the
flight-stabilization system; the result was as
expected. He knew a lot about how to do it
but had little experience in doing it.
His turns ended in dives, from which he
could not recover alone. He lost his
confidence, because he didn’t have anything
in which to have confidence. The Co-Pilot
allowed Fred to have a fine first flight, but he
was still a beginner.
This system can provide a student with the
chance to learn quickly, but it can give that
person the confidence to try maneuvers
sooner than he or she would otherwise. I have
tried the same flight with another beginner,
with much the same results, including my
forgetting to turn on the timer.
Will It Work Again? David just finished his
graduate degree nearby. His thoughtful wife
asked him what he had always wanted but had
deemed unreasonable to purchase. That is a
risky thing to ask, and I highly commend her.
“A radio-controlled model airplane,” he
said.
Where they went astray was in not
contacting the local RC club (us). Instead,
they relied on the advice of someone who had
a model with an especially good markup.
David came to our October fly-in with his
fantastic 40-size Mustang and asked if he
could fly it at our field. I stared dumbfounded;
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to fly that airplane!
I asked him to put his P-51 away for a
time and fly with me using a similar-size
model equipped with an FMA Direct Co-
Pilot. With that nice little piece of electronics,
he was performing coordinated turns and
figure eights with the Skylark on the first
flight.
David recently achieved his second flight,
complete with unassisted takeoffs and
landings. A seasoned pilot who was watching
was stunned not only when I let David land
my Skylark on his own on the second flight,
but also when I walked away from David
while he was doing it!
I suggested to David that he get a Co-Pilot
for his Mustang.
“You betcha!” he said.
I think he will soon be able to fly his P-51.
Furthermore, the model will probably be okay
and David will have had a positive first
experience in the hobby.
So, it worked with a novice! Fred is thrilled,
the club might have a new member, and the
Skylark sustained no damage.
I love flying this model. It is a step up for
me but is probably too aggressive for novice
training, even with the Co-Pilot. Although it
worked fine, there would be more time to
react with a lighter aircraft, and it could be
kept closer to the flightline.
The airplane doesn’t have to be a trainer—
just not quite such a rocket. Something
weighing approximately 4.25 pounds with a
wing loading of roughly 15 ounces per square
foot would probably work.
The important thing to remember is that,
with an instructor who knows when and what
to tell a student to do, the Co-Pilot allows a
beginner to fly even this
“intermediate/advanced”-class model. With
the device, a student knows that he or she is
flying the airplane and is not guessing
whether or not the instructor has taken
control, as happens with a buddy box.
I have heard that using flight stabilization
will keep a new pilot from truly learning to
fly. If a novice wants to learn, he or she will
70 MODEL AVIATION
use the Co-Pilot to allow him or her to take
more risks sooner, knowing that it will save
the airplane. The student can turn off the
system from the transmitter to fly the model
unassisted and turn it back on if needed.
If the transmitter has a free channel with a
slide or knob control, the Co-Pilot’s
sensitivity can be decreased in the air for
progressively less correction. If there is a free
channel but only a switch controlling it,
computer radios allow deflection limits to be
set from the screen. That means the pilot can
land the aircraft, quickly adjust the system’s
sensitivity, and be off again in a few seconds
without touching the model.
I have learned that this system will keep
an airplane flying straight and level in gusty
conditions. It makes its corrections much
faster than the pilot can apply them from the
ground and flies the model through the
turbulence. Again, the sensitivity can be
adjusted from the transmitter.
For those pilots out there who can handle
a 150-watt park flyer but want to move up to
a more exciting, challenging setup, get a Co-
Pilot. It can give you substantial confidence
as you transition to these bigger airplanes. It
worked for me.
If you are a beginner, don’t buy an
aggressive aircraft, add a Co-Pilot, and take
off at your local baseball diamond. Unless
your model is a light trainer, find someone
who is qualified to teach you to fly and has
experience setting up, calibrating, and flying
with the system.
Awhile ago, I set up the instrument with
the fuselage upside-down on my workbench.
The next day, I field-calibrated it (I thought)
and took off with the Co-Pilot on. However,
the device was disabled at my transmitter
when I field-calibrated it.
When I took off with the model, it rolled
over on its back as soon as it cleared the
ground, thinking it was still on my
workbench. I was extremely startled. In
addition, the sensitivity was set too high, so
there was nothing I could do about it until the
airplane gained altitude.
The good news is that it flew fine, hands
off, inverted, around the pattern until I
regained enough sense to turn off the Co-
Pilot. After landing, I calibrated the system
again, with the switch on this time. The
model was fine thereafter.
Read the instructions, pay attention, train
with someone who has already made these
mistakes, and turn on your timer. Enjoy this
exciting technology! MA
Heyward Macdonald
[email protected]
Sources:
FMA Direct (Cellpro)
(800) 343-2934
www.fmadirect.com
Atlas Products:
Hobby Lobby
(866) 933-5972
www.hobby-lobby.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/06
Page Numbers: 65,66,67,68,70
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/06
Page Numbers: 65,66,67,68,70
Turn almost any model into a trainer with this flightstabilization
system
ONE SATURDAY morning a few years
ago, I awakened but my left eye didn’t.
Among the thoughts whizzing around in my
mind during the subsequent moments was
“How am I going to fly my models?” Vision
has been an issue ever since, so some
accommodation has been necessary.
First, I designed and built larger aircraft
and covered them with bright material so I
can see them in the air some of the time.
Second, I found a little electronic flightstabilization
device from FMA Direct called
the “Co-Pilot CPD4.” Using it on almost
any-size model, I can fly on days when my
vision is poor.
I have been doing primary flight
instruction for our club using small electricpowered
airplanes. Some students are
unimpressed with them when the 40-size
aircraft fly by majestically, and some
students show up at the field having already
purchased a model that far exceeds a
beginner’s flying ability.
The author (L) modified two popular 40-size
glow models to electric and programmed
them with the FMA Direct Co-Pilot system
for training David, his student of the day.
Carl Goldberg Models’ Skylark ARF can be converted to electric power with a bit of
modeling ingenuity. It’s not meant for training, but the Co-Pilot fixes that.
by Heyward Macdonald
June 2009 65
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 11:58 AM Page 65
I thought about trying to train new pilots
with a more aggressive airplane, using the
Co-Pilot to do for the student what it does
for me with my diminished eyesight: tame
the more powerful model and keep the
student (and instructor) relatively calm.
I have experimented with this device and
own two of them in the hopes of extending
my flying days to age 103 or so. It works for
me.
In certain light conditions, large sections
of the sky disappear, airplane and all. With
the Co-Pilot, I relax and let the sensors level
the aircraft and fly it through the empty
space in the sky. My eye picks up on the
model in a couple of seconds, but
unfortunate things can happen in that length
of time.
It was time to find out if the Co-Pilot could
make a primary trainer from a model that
offered capabilities that surpassed a
beginner’s. The Co-Pilot works by sensing
Photos by the author
the relative difference in heat between the
ground and the sky. Four infrared sensors
are mounted in a 1-inch square casing and
are connected to a chip with a sophisticated
algorithm.
(You could install the optional FS8 Co-
Pilot External Programming Switch and
LED Indicator, which has two additional
sensors that aim up and down. It will bring
the airplane out of inverted flight by rolling
it rather than half looping.
The FS8 also includes a fine eightchannel
receiver with a fail-safe feature. It
will allow a pilot to preprogram flight
controls in case the receiver loses a good
radio signal. But I digress.)
When set up and calibrated using the
provided detailed manual, the Co-Pilot can
tell if one wing is lower than the other or if
the nose is higher or lower than it should be.
Then the program moves the ailerons and/or
elevator to correct pitch and roll to a normal
Above: Inlets for cooling were modeled
into the existing top hatch and below,
where a wide opening previously existed.
The UltraCote covering was easily
matched.
Right: Heat is vented from the
battery/ESC area through the exit in the
rear hatch. A clear plastic cover creates a
low-pressure area so that exhaust expels
more quickly.
Below: The external sensor mounting
location is optimal when a clear view is
available on all four sides of the unit. It
senses heat; the ground is warm and the
sky is cold.
66 MODEL AVIATION
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:01 PM Page 66
June 2009 67
Name: Carl Goldberg Models Skylark 56
Mark II ARF
Airfoil: Fully symmetrical, low wing, small
amount of dihedral
Wingspan: 56 inches
Wing construction: One piece, all wood,
covered
Wing area: 558 square inches
Length: 47.75 inches
Weight: 5.75 pounds
Wing loading: 23 ounces/square foot
Power/weight: 80 watts/pound
Flight time: Approximately 12 minutes with
4800 mAh pack
Motor: Atlas 2927/10
Speed control: Atlas 40 Opto
Radio power: FMA Direct PowerForce
Regulator
Battery pack: Cellpro Revolution three-cell,
4800 mAh Li-Poly
Charger: Cellpro 4s balancing
Flight stabilization: Co-Pilot CPD4
Receiver: FMA Direct Quantum eightchannel
with crystal
Servos: Four FMA Direct DS300BB digital
Since the training test with Co-Pilot, FMA Direct has
introduced a much improved and interesting version from
Revolectrix called the “Co-Pilot II.” Working as a beta
tester, I have some early experience with this unit.
The new system is built on the concept of an onboard
digital network called “IRNet.” The digital conversion in
the sensors means that the components can be connected
with simple servo extensions. Other devices can be added
later to this onboard network, which is an exciting
possibility.
This unit’s sensors and the brain are half the size of the
original Co-Pilot’s. That in itself is a significant
improvement.
Probably the most amazing part of the Co-Pilot II is the
means for setup and control. It is no longer done with dip
switches and pushing the button for what, to some people,
is a bewildering setup and calibration procedure.
Now the handheld wireless remote communicates
with a two-way device mounted outside the model’s
fuselage. It will even tell you the voltage of the radio
battery in the airplane.
This communication is done with the aircraft on the
ground, via infrared signals. The screen on the remote
contains a plethora of menus that control how the onboard
computer performs.
As someone who often had to remove a wing to get to
the Co-Pilot computer to change a dip switch I couldn’t even
see, this is an incredible improvement. By choosing from the
menu, I could program hundreds of combinations of options
without touching the model.
The Co-Pilot II operates even more smoothly in the air
than the original. It seems less
intrusive to the pilot, while
providing the safety and
control that is sometimes
needed. If it saves you one
model, it has more than
paid for itself.
It was easy to choose
options that allowed me
to fly my aircraft inverted
when I switched the unit on in the air, or I
could even fly knife edge or hover the
model. I tried maneuvers that I
normally would not, knowing that
the Co-Pilot II would help keep my
airplane safe until I mastered them.
I still enjoy flying with the original Co-Pilot, but this new
one is amazing. And there is more to come. MA
—Heyward Macdonald
The New Co-Pilot II
Test-Model Specifications
The basic Co-Pilot operates
with elevator and aileron
(steering) control. The RMT wire
is connected to the receiver where
operation and sensitivity can be
adjusted through the transmitter.
flight attitude. The pilot continues to fly the aircraft by overcoming
the Co-Pilot’s fairly gentle response.
In addition, the device’s response is proportional; the more
extreme the attitude from the horizon, the more your control
surfaces will move to stabilize the model. An experienced pilot can
demonstrate that by putting the airplane into any violent maneuver
and then centering the sticks.
Since the Co-Pilot provides a response as quickly as servos can
move, it restabilizes the aircraft in less than a second! This means
that major corrections are made quickly when needed and that minor
corrections, of the kind that keep the model flying on course, are
unnoticeable.
The sensitivity is adjustable, either on the ground or through a
radio channel that is otherwise not obligated. It is imperative that
you set up this unit so that it is controllable, at least on and off
switching, from the ground. Otherwise, it is possible to take off with
the setting too sensitive and the model will oscillate, trying to satisfy
all of its sensors.
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:05 PM Page 67
I installed the 1-inch-square sensor array
on a Skylark’s turtledeck. You can mount it
underneath, but I like to get it out of the way
of debris such as flying sticks and wet grass
that is freshly cut by the propeller on takeoff.
Obscuring one of these sensors is not a
good idea. Since the canopy eclipses the view
forward, the unit must be mounted at a 45°
angle. Consulting the manual and trial and
error are necessary to get the four dip
switches set correctly, but once set for a
model, it is done.
The test airplane has a wing loading of
almost 23 ounces per square foot! It is not a
primary trainer without the addition of the
Co-Pilot. But that was the objective: to make
it behave like a primary trainer by using the
system!
I brought the Skylark in over the runway
at approximately 100 feet of altitude and
turned on the stabilization system. Nothing
happened, which is good! Nothing happened
because I was flying straight and level.
I stood the model on its wing and lifted its
nose. Centering the sticks, the Co-Pilot gently
took it back to level flight and off it flew,
straight and true. The guys at the field
watching loved it, and so did I.
A subtle advantage for a beginner who
uses the Co-Pilot is that it automatically keeps
the airplane trimmed for level flight, even
with power changes. Without the system, trim
usually needs to be adjusted with each power
adjustment; that is difficult for the novice.
Once he or she gains competence and
confidence, the beginner can learn to trim by
turning the Co-Pilot to low gain or off in
flight to see what happens and take action to
trim.
Does it work? My friend, Fred, was a
navigator on a Navy P-3 Orion during the
Vietnam War. He flew along that country’s
coast at altitude and felt sorry for the likes of
me, who was on the ground at a firebase at the
same time.
Fred had never touched the stick of an RC
model. However, being a brave sort, he
agreed to try to fly the Skylark with the Co-
Pilot installed.
Fred and I met one lovely morning for an
hour of ground school. We covered safety;
AMA’s and my club’s rules of flight; axes of
roll, pitch, and yaw; and how the control
surfaces work.
Then we discussed altitude gain and loss
and sensitivity of controls; most beginners
seriously overcontrol their models. The next
topic was maneuvering, including taxiing,
climb and descent, turns, takeoff and landing,
and how the sticks work to do it all.
At that point I introduced Fred to the
concept and operation of the Co-Pilot. I
explained how it works, what it does, and
how to fly with it. It is important that the
student has some trust in the device so that he
or she will release the sticks and allow it to
correct the airplane’s attitude when necessary.
The instructor’s primary job is to remind
the trainee to gently center the sticks if he or
she is getting into trouble. The Co-Pilot will
fly the aircraft straight and level, using
minimal control-surface movement to keep it
that way. The pilot overpowers the flightstabilization
system to make maneuvers.
At those times of insecurity we fliers feel,
especially as a learner, one centers the sticks
and the system brings the model back to level
flight. The unit is proportional, in that the
more the deviation from level flight, the more
control-surface movement the Co-Pilot uses
to correct the airplane’s attitude.
That education session was followed by a
practicum on the ground. Fred sat in a chair
behind the Skylark in my driveway and
imagined turns, climb, and descent, using the
sticks to deflect the control surfaces. He also
practiced taxiing the aircraft.
This exercise overcomes a key difficulty
for the beginner. When the model is going
toward the pilot, whether it’s in the air or
taxiing, ailerons and rudder produce the
opposite reaction from what intuition tells
him or her. Fifteen minutes of practice taxiing
corrects that problem.
Flying: The next day on which both Fred and
I were available and the weather cooperated,
we met at the airfield to try “Co-Pilot Assisted
Training.” (By then I had come up with an
acronym for it: “COPAT.”) Wind was
negligible, and the sky was a beautiful blue
with those lovely clouds that are white in the
sun.
I had Fred stand behind the Skylark and
use the transmitter to talk himself through
takeoff, climb, coordinated turns, descent,
landing approach, and landing. We powered
up the aircraft. Fred taxied it around a bit and
tried a few runs at close to half power, to
learn how to hold a straight line on takeoff.
I handled the airplane on the first takeoff
and got it properly trimmed at two mistakes
of altitude. Then I demonstrated how the Co-
Pilot works to recover from any attitude other
than a low-altitude stall. It is important for the
student to trust the instrument and not freeze
on the sticks. I showed Fred a few
coordinated turns in the air and he took over.
At first he made the novice’s mistake of
diving the model in a turn. I immediately
reminded him to center the sticks, and the Co-
Pilot effected a recovery. After a couple
minutes, Fred had the Skylark flying figure
eights.
We started to line up the Skylark on the
runway. On the second try, it looked so good
that I told him to cut the throttle a bit. The
airplane started settling in on final, and I
decided to let Fred land it.
Just before touchdown, I had Fred pull the
throttle to zero and then flare slightly. The
model touched down on its main gear and
rotated forward on its nose wheel without a
bounce.
Reflecting on this landing, the Skylark
actually hit the center of a big “X” painted in
the middle of this old World War II training
runway. (It has a 40-foot-square pad in the
center of the grass strip.)
“This thing really works!” Fred exclaimed
as he looked at me in wonderment.
The model was sitting in the middle of the
strip, so I instructed Fred to smoothly add
power and keep it straight. He did so, and the
airplane lifted off of the runway and climbed
out almost as nicely as I could make it do.
Fred made a left turn that could have used
a bit of rudder, but it wasn’t bad. Then he
began to make coordinated turns, which were
fine. But I had forgotten to start the timer and
the power failed at roughly that time. I took
over and did a fairly nice dead-stick landing,
if I do say so myself.
On a second flight, Fred flew without the
flight-stabilization system; the result was as
expected. He knew a lot about how to do it
but had little experience in doing it.
His turns ended in dives, from which he
could not recover alone. He lost his
confidence, because he didn’t have anything
in which to have confidence. The Co-Pilot
allowed Fred to have a fine first flight, but he
was still a beginner.
This system can provide a student with the
chance to learn quickly, but it can give that
person the confidence to try maneuvers
sooner than he or she would otherwise. I have
tried the same flight with another beginner,
with much the same results, including my
forgetting to turn on the timer.
Will It Work Again? David just finished his
graduate degree nearby. His thoughtful wife
asked him what he had always wanted but had
deemed unreasonable to purchase. That is a
risky thing to ask, and I highly commend her.
“A radio-controlled model airplane,” he
said.
Where they went astray was in not
contacting the local RC club (us). Instead,
they relied on the advice of someone who had
a model with an especially good markup.
David came to our October fly-in with his
fantastic 40-size Mustang and asked if he
could fly it at our field. I stared dumbfounded;
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to fly that airplane!
I asked him to put his P-51 away for a
time and fly with me using a similar-size
model equipped with an FMA Direct Co-
Pilot. With that nice little piece of electronics,
he was performing coordinated turns and
figure eights with the Skylark on the first
flight.
David recently achieved his second flight,
complete with unassisted takeoffs and
landings. A seasoned pilot who was watching
was stunned not only when I let David land
my Skylark on his own on the second flight,
but also when I walked away from David
while he was doing it!
I suggested to David that he get a Co-Pilot
for his Mustang.
“You betcha!” he said.
I think he will soon be able to fly his P-51.
Furthermore, the model will probably be okay
and David will have had a positive first
experience in the hobby.
So, it worked with a novice! Fred is thrilled,
the club might have a new member, and the
Skylark sustained no damage.
I love flying this model. It is a step up for
me but is probably too aggressive for novice
training, even with the Co-Pilot. Although it
worked fine, there would be more time to
react with a lighter aircraft, and it could be
kept closer to the flightline.
The airplane doesn’t have to be a trainer—
just not quite such a rocket. Something
weighing approximately 4.25 pounds with a
wing loading of roughly 15 ounces per square
foot would probably work.
The important thing to remember is that,
with an instructor who knows when and what
to tell a student to do, the Co-Pilot allows a
beginner to fly even this
“intermediate/advanced”-class model. With
the device, a student knows that he or she is
flying the airplane and is not guessing
whether or not the instructor has taken
control, as happens with a buddy box.
I have heard that using flight stabilization
will keep a new pilot from truly learning to
fly. If a novice wants to learn, he or she will
70 MODEL AVIATION
use the Co-Pilot to allow him or her to take
more risks sooner, knowing that it will save
the airplane. The student can turn off the
system from the transmitter to fly the model
unassisted and turn it back on if needed.
If the transmitter has a free channel with a
slide or knob control, the Co-Pilot’s
sensitivity can be decreased in the air for
progressively less correction. If there is a free
channel but only a switch controlling it,
computer radios allow deflection limits to be
set from the screen. That means the pilot can
land the aircraft, quickly adjust the system’s
sensitivity, and be off again in a few seconds
without touching the model.
I have learned that this system will keep
an airplane flying straight and level in gusty
conditions. It makes its corrections much
faster than the pilot can apply them from the
ground and flies the model through the
turbulence. Again, the sensitivity can be
adjusted from the transmitter.
For those pilots out there who can handle
a 150-watt park flyer but want to move up to
a more exciting, challenging setup, get a Co-
Pilot. It can give you substantial confidence
as you transition to these bigger airplanes. It
worked for me.
If you are a beginner, don’t buy an
aggressive aircraft, add a Co-Pilot, and take
off at your local baseball diamond. Unless
your model is a light trainer, find someone
who is qualified to teach you to fly and has
experience setting up, calibrating, and flying
with the system.
Awhile ago, I set up the instrument with
the fuselage upside-down on my workbench.
The next day, I field-calibrated it (I thought)
and took off with the Co-Pilot on. However,
the device was disabled at my transmitter
when I field-calibrated it.
When I took off with the model, it rolled
over on its back as soon as it cleared the
ground, thinking it was still on my
workbench. I was extremely startled. In
addition, the sensitivity was set too high, so
there was nothing I could do about it until the
airplane gained altitude.
The good news is that it flew fine, hands
off, inverted, around the pattern until I
regained enough sense to turn off the Co-
Pilot. After landing, I calibrated the system
again, with the switch on this time. The
model was fine thereafter.
Read the instructions, pay attention, train
with someone who has already made these
mistakes, and turn on your timer. Enjoy this
exciting technology! MA
Heyward Macdonald
[email protected]
Sources:
FMA Direct (Cellpro)
(800) 343-2934
www.fmadirect.com
Atlas Products:
Hobby Lobby
(866) 933-5972
www.hobby-lobby.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/06
Page Numbers: 65,66,67,68,70
Turn almost any model into a trainer with this flightstabilization
system
ONE SATURDAY morning a few years
ago, I awakened but my left eye didn’t.
Among the thoughts whizzing around in my
mind during the subsequent moments was
“How am I going to fly my models?” Vision
has been an issue ever since, so some
accommodation has been necessary.
First, I designed and built larger aircraft
and covered them with bright material so I
can see them in the air some of the time.
Second, I found a little electronic flightstabilization
device from FMA Direct called
the “Co-Pilot CPD4.” Using it on almost
any-size model, I can fly on days when my
vision is poor.
I have been doing primary flight
instruction for our club using small electricpowered
airplanes. Some students are
unimpressed with them when the 40-size
aircraft fly by majestically, and some
students show up at the field having already
purchased a model that far exceeds a
beginner’s flying ability.
The author (L) modified two popular 40-size
glow models to electric and programmed
them with the FMA Direct Co-Pilot system
for training David, his student of the day.
Carl Goldberg Models’ Skylark ARF can be converted to electric power with a bit of
modeling ingenuity. It’s not meant for training, but the Co-Pilot fixes that.
by Heyward Macdonald
June 2009 65
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 11:58 AM Page 65
I thought about trying to train new pilots
with a more aggressive airplane, using the
Co-Pilot to do for the student what it does
for me with my diminished eyesight: tame
the more powerful model and keep the
student (and instructor) relatively calm.
I have experimented with this device and
own two of them in the hopes of extending
my flying days to age 103 or so. It works for
me.
In certain light conditions, large sections
of the sky disappear, airplane and all. With
the Co-Pilot, I relax and let the sensors level
the aircraft and fly it through the empty
space in the sky. My eye picks up on the
model in a couple of seconds, but
unfortunate things can happen in that length
of time.
It was time to find out if the Co-Pilot could
make a primary trainer from a model that
offered capabilities that surpassed a
beginner’s. The Co-Pilot works by sensing
Photos by the author
the relative difference in heat between the
ground and the sky. Four infrared sensors
are mounted in a 1-inch square casing and
are connected to a chip with a sophisticated
algorithm.
(You could install the optional FS8 Co-
Pilot External Programming Switch and
LED Indicator, which has two additional
sensors that aim up and down. It will bring
the airplane out of inverted flight by rolling
it rather than half looping.
The FS8 also includes a fine eightchannel
receiver with a fail-safe feature. It
will allow a pilot to preprogram flight
controls in case the receiver loses a good
radio signal. But I digress.)
When set up and calibrated using the
provided detailed manual, the Co-Pilot can
tell if one wing is lower than the other or if
the nose is higher or lower than it should be.
Then the program moves the ailerons and/or
elevator to correct pitch and roll to a normal
Above: Inlets for cooling were modeled
into the existing top hatch and below,
where a wide opening previously existed.
The UltraCote covering was easily
matched.
Right: Heat is vented from the
battery/ESC area through the exit in the
rear hatch. A clear plastic cover creates a
low-pressure area so that exhaust expels
more quickly.
Below: The external sensor mounting
location is optimal when a clear view is
available on all four sides of the unit. It
senses heat; the ground is warm and the
sky is cold.
66 MODEL AVIATION
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:01 PM Page 66
June 2009 67
Name: Carl Goldberg Models Skylark 56
Mark II ARF
Airfoil: Fully symmetrical, low wing, small
amount of dihedral
Wingspan: 56 inches
Wing construction: One piece, all wood,
covered
Wing area: 558 square inches
Length: 47.75 inches
Weight: 5.75 pounds
Wing loading: 23 ounces/square foot
Power/weight: 80 watts/pound
Flight time: Approximately 12 minutes with
4800 mAh pack
Motor: Atlas 2927/10
Speed control: Atlas 40 Opto
Radio power: FMA Direct PowerForce
Regulator
Battery pack: Cellpro Revolution three-cell,
4800 mAh Li-Poly
Charger: Cellpro 4s balancing
Flight stabilization: Co-Pilot CPD4
Receiver: FMA Direct Quantum eightchannel
with crystal
Servos: Four FMA Direct DS300BB digital
Since the training test with Co-Pilot, FMA Direct has
introduced a much improved and interesting version from
Revolectrix called the “Co-Pilot II.” Working as a beta
tester, I have some early experience with this unit.
The new system is built on the concept of an onboard
digital network called “IRNet.” The digital conversion in
the sensors means that the components can be connected
with simple servo extensions. Other devices can be added
later to this onboard network, which is an exciting
possibility.
This unit’s sensors and the brain are half the size of the
original Co-Pilot’s. That in itself is a significant
improvement.
Probably the most amazing part of the Co-Pilot II is the
means for setup and control. It is no longer done with dip
switches and pushing the button for what, to some people,
is a bewildering setup and calibration procedure.
Now the handheld wireless remote communicates
with a two-way device mounted outside the model’s
fuselage. It will even tell you the voltage of the radio
battery in the airplane.
This communication is done with the aircraft on the
ground, via infrared signals. The screen on the remote
contains a plethora of menus that control how the onboard
computer performs.
As someone who often had to remove a wing to get to
the Co-Pilot computer to change a dip switch I couldn’t even
see, this is an incredible improvement. By choosing from the
menu, I could program hundreds of combinations of options
without touching the model.
The Co-Pilot II operates even more smoothly in the air
than the original. It seems less
intrusive to the pilot, while
providing the safety and
control that is sometimes
needed. If it saves you one
model, it has more than
paid for itself.
It was easy to choose
options that allowed me
to fly my aircraft inverted
when I switched the unit on in the air, or I
could even fly knife edge or hover the
model. I tried maneuvers that I
normally would not, knowing that
the Co-Pilot II would help keep my
airplane safe until I mastered them.
I still enjoy flying with the original Co-Pilot, but this new
one is amazing. And there is more to come. MA
—Heyward Macdonald
The New Co-Pilot II
Test-Model Specifications
The basic Co-Pilot operates
with elevator and aileron
(steering) control. The RMT wire
is connected to the receiver where
operation and sensitivity can be
adjusted through the transmitter.
flight attitude. The pilot continues to fly the aircraft by overcoming
the Co-Pilot’s fairly gentle response.
In addition, the device’s response is proportional; the more
extreme the attitude from the horizon, the more your control
surfaces will move to stabilize the model. An experienced pilot can
demonstrate that by putting the airplane into any violent maneuver
and then centering the sticks.
Since the Co-Pilot provides a response as quickly as servos can
move, it restabilizes the aircraft in less than a second! This means
that major corrections are made quickly when needed and that minor
corrections, of the kind that keep the model flying on course, are
unnoticeable.
The sensitivity is adjustable, either on the ground or through a
radio channel that is otherwise not obligated. It is imperative that
you set up this unit so that it is controllable, at least on and off
switching, from the ground. Otherwise, it is possible to take off with
the setting too sensitive and the model will oscillate, trying to satisfy
all of its sensors.
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:05 PM Page 67
I installed the 1-inch-square sensor array
on a Skylark’s turtledeck. You can mount it
underneath, but I like to get it out of the way
of debris such as flying sticks and wet grass
that is freshly cut by the propeller on takeoff.
Obscuring one of these sensors is not a
good idea. Since the canopy eclipses the view
forward, the unit must be mounted at a 45°
angle. Consulting the manual and trial and
error are necessary to get the four dip
switches set correctly, but once set for a
model, it is done.
The test airplane has a wing loading of
almost 23 ounces per square foot! It is not a
primary trainer without the addition of the
Co-Pilot. But that was the objective: to make
it behave like a primary trainer by using the
system!
I brought the Skylark in over the runway
at approximately 100 feet of altitude and
turned on the stabilization system. Nothing
happened, which is good! Nothing happened
because I was flying straight and level.
I stood the model on its wing and lifted its
nose. Centering the sticks, the Co-Pilot gently
took it back to level flight and off it flew,
straight and true. The guys at the field
watching loved it, and so did I.
A subtle advantage for a beginner who
uses the Co-Pilot is that it automatically keeps
the airplane trimmed for level flight, even
with power changes. Without the system, trim
usually needs to be adjusted with each power
adjustment; that is difficult for the novice.
Once he or she gains competence and
confidence, the beginner can learn to trim by
turning the Co-Pilot to low gain or off in
flight to see what happens and take action to
trim.
Does it work? My friend, Fred, was a
navigator on a Navy P-3 Orion during the
Vietnam War. He flew along that country’s
coast at altitude and felt sorry for the likes of
me, who was on the ground at a firebase at the
same time.
Fred had never touched the stick of an RC
model. However, being a brave sort, he
agreed to try to fly the Skylark with the Co-
Pilot installed.
Fred and I met one lovely morning for an
hour of ground school. We covered safety;
AMA’s and my club’s rules of flight; axes of
roll, pitch, and yaw; and how the control
surfaces work.
Then we discussed altitude gain and loss
and sensitivity of controls; most beginners
seriously overcontrol their models. The next
topic was maneuvering, including taxiing,
climb and descent, turns, takeoff and landing,
and how the sticks work to do it all.
At that point I introduced Fred to the
concept and operation of the Co-Pilot. I
explained how it works, what it does, and
how to fly with it. It is important that the
student has some trust in the device so that he
or she will release the sticks and allow it to
correct the airplane’s attitude when necessary.
The instructor’s primary job is to remind
the trainee to gently center the sticks if he or
she is getting into trouble. The Co-Pilot will
fly the aircraft straight and level, using
minimal control-surface movement to keep it
that way. The pilot overpowers the flightstabilization
system to make maneuvers.
At those times of insecurity we fliers feel,
especially as a learner, one centers the sticks
and the system brings the model back to level
flight. The unit is proportional, in that the
more the deviation from level flight, the more
control-surface movement the Co-Pilot uses
to correct the airplane’s attitude.
That education session was followed by a
practicum on the ground. Fred sat in a chair
behind the Skylark in my driveway and
imagined turns, climb, and descent, using the
sticks to deflect the control surfaces. He also
practiced taxiing the aircraft.
This exercise overcomes a key difficulty
for the beginner. When the model is going
toward the pilot, whether it’s in the air or
taxiing, ailerons and rudder produce the
opposite reaction from what intuition tells
him or her. Fifteen minutes of practice taxiing
corrects that problem.
Flying: The next day on which both Fred and
I were available and the weather cooperated,
we met at the airfield to try “Co-Pilot Assisted
Training.” (By then I had come up with an
acronym for it: “COPAT.”) Wind was
negligible, and the sky was a beautiful blue
with those lovely clouds that are white in the
sun.
I had Fred stand behind the Skylark and
use the transmitter to talk himself through
takeoff, climb, coordinated turns, descent,
landing approach, and landing. We powered
up the aircraft. Fred taxied it around a bit and
tried a few runs at close to half power, to
learn how to hold a straight line on takeoff.
I handled the airplane on the first takeoff
and got it properly trimmed at two mistakes
of altitude. Then I demonstrated how the Co-
Pilot works to recover from any attitude other
than a low-altitude stall. It is important for the
student to trust the instrument and not freeze
on the sticks. I showed Fred a few
coordinated turns in the air and he took over.
At first he made the novice’s mistake of
diving the model in a turn. I immediately
reminded him to center the sticks, and the Co-
Pilot effected a recovery. After a couple
minutes, Fred had the Skylark flying figure
eights.
We started to line up the Skylark on the
runway. On the second try, it looked so good
that I told him to cut the throttle a bit. The
airplane started settling in on final, and I
decided to let Fred land it.
Just before touchdown, I had Fred pull the
throttle to zero and then flare slightly. The
model touched down on its main gear and
rotated forward on its nose wheel without a
bounce.
Reflecting on this landing, the Skylark
actually hit the center of a big “X” painted in
the middle of this old World War II training
runway. (It has a 40-foot-square pad in the
center of the grass strip.)
“This thing really works!” Fred exclaimed
as he looked at me in wonderment.
The model was sitting in the middle of the
strip, so I instructed Fred to smoothly add
power and keep it straight. He did so, and the
airplane lifted off of the runway and climbed
out almost as nicely as I could make it do.
Fred made a left turn that could have used
a bit of rudder, but it wasn’t bad. Then he
began to make coordinated turns, which were
fine. But I had forgotten to start the timer and
the power failed at roughly that time. I took
over and did a fairly nice dead-stick landing,
if I do say so myself.
On a second flight, Fred flew without the
flight-stabilization system; the result was as
expected. He knew a lot about how to do it
but had little experience in doing it.
His turns ended in dives, from which he
could not recover alone. He lost his
confidence, because he didn’t have anything
in which to have confidence. The Co-Pilot
allowed Fred to have a fine first flight, but he
was still a beginner.
This system can provide a student with the
chance to learn quickly, but it can give that
person the confidence to try maneuvers
sooner than he or she would otherwise. I have
tried the same flight with another beginner,
with much the same results, including my
forgetting to turn on the timer.
Will It Work Again? David just finished his
graduate degree nearby. His thoughtful wife
asked him what he had always wanted but had
deemed unreasonable to purchase. That is a
risky thing to ask, and I highly commend her.
“A radio-controlled model airplane,” he
said.
Where they went astray was in not
contacting the local RC club (us). Instead,
they relied on the advice of someone who had
a model with an especially good markup.
David came to our October fly-in with his
fantastic 40-size Mustang and asked if he
could fly it at our field. I stared dumbfounded;
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to fly that airplane!
I asked him to put his P-51 away for a
time and fly with me using a similar-size
model equipped with an FMA Direct Co-
Pilot. With that nice little piece of electronics,
he was performing coordinated turns and
figure eights with the Skylark on the first
flight.
David recently achieved his second flight,
complete with unassisted takeoffs and
landings. A seasoned pilot who was watching
was stunned not only when I let David land
my Skylark on his own on the second flight,
but also when I walked away from David
while he was doing it!
I suggested to David that he get a Co-Pilot
for his Mustang.
“You betcha!” he said.
I think he will soon be able to fly his P-51.
Furthermore, the model will probably be okay
and David will have had a positive first
experience in the hobby.
So, it worked with a novice! Fred is thrilled,
the club might have a new member, and the
Skylark sustained no damage.
I love flying this model. It is a step up for
me but is probably too aggressive for novice
training, even with the Co-Pilot. Although it
worked fine, there would be more time to
react with a lighter aircraft, and it could be
kept closer to the flightline.
The airplane doesn’t have to be a trainer—
just not quite such a rocket. Something
weighing approximately 4.25 pounds with a
wing loading of roughly 15 ounces per square
foot would probably work.
The important thing to remember is that,
with an instructor who knows when and what
to tell a student to do, the Co-Pilot allows a
beginner to fly even this
“intermediate/advanced”-class model. With
the device, a student knows that he or she is
flying the airplane and is not guessing
whether or not the instructor has taken
control, as happens with a buddy box.
I have heard that using flight stabilization
will keep a new pilot from truly learning to
fly. If a novice wants to learn, he or she will
70 MODEL AVIATION
use the Co-Pilot to allow him or her to take
more risks sooner, knowing that it will save
the airplane. The student can turn off the
system from the transmitter to fly the model
unassisted and turn it back on if needed.
If the transmitter has a free channel with a
slide or knob control, the Co-Pilot’s
sensitivity can be decreased in the air for
progressively less correction. If there is a free
channel but only a switch controlling it,
computer radios allow deflection limits to be
set from the screen. That means the pilot can
land the aircraft, quickly adjust the system’s
sensitivity, and be off again in a few seconds
without touching the model.
I have learned that this system will keep
an airplane flying straight and level in gusty
conditions. It makes its corrections much
faster than the pilot can apply them from the
ground and flies the model through the
turbulence. Again, the sensitivity can be
adjusted from the transmitter.
For those pilots out there who can handle
a 150-watt park flyer but want to move up to
a more exciting, challenging setup, get a Co-
Pilot. It can give you substantial confidence
as you transition to these bigger airplanes. It
worked for me.
If you are a beginner, don’t buy an
aggressive aircraft, add a Co-Pilot, and take
off at your local baseball diamond. Unless
your model is a light trainer, find someone
who is qualified to teach you to fly and has
experience setting up, calibrating, and flying
with the system.
Awhile ago, I set up the instrument with
the fuselage upside-down on my workbench.
The next day, I field-calibrated it (I thought)
and took off with the Co-Pilot on. However,
the device was disabled at my transmitter
when I field-calibrated it.
When I took off with the model, it rolled
over on its back as soon as it cleared the
ground, thinking it was still on my
workbench. I was extremely startled. In
addition, the sensitivity was set too high, so
there was nothing I could do about it until the
airplane gained altitude.
The good news is that it flew fine, hands
off, inverted, around the pattern until I
regained enough sense to turn off the Co-
Pilot. After landing, I calibrated the system
again, with the switch on this time. The
model was fine thereafter.
Read the instructions, pay attention, train
with someone who has already made these
mistakes, and turn on your timer. Enjoy this
exciting technology! MA
Heyward Macdonald
[email protected]
Sources:
FMA Direct (Cellpro)
(800) 343-2934
www.fmadirect.com
Atlas Products:
Hobby Lobby
(866) 933-5972
www.hobby-lobby.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/06
Page Numbers: 65,66,67,68,70
Turn almost any model into a trainer with this flightstabilization
system
ONE SATURDAY morning a few years
ago, I awakened but my left eye didn’t.
Among the thoughts whizzing around in my
mind during the subsequent moments was
“How am I going to fly my models?” Vision
has been an issue ever since, so some
accommodation has been necessary.
First, I designed and built larger aircraft
and covered them with bright material so I
can see them in the air some of the time.
Second, I found a little electronic flightstabilization
device from FMA Direct called
the “Co-Pilot CPD4.” Using it on almost
any-size model, I can fly on days when my
vision is poor.
I have been doing primary flight
instruction for our club using small electricpowered
airplanes. Some students are
unimpressed with them when the 40-size
aircraft fly by majestically, and some
students show up at the field having already
purchased a model that far exceeds a
beginner’s flying ability.
The author (L) modified two popular 40-size
glow models to electric and programmed
them with the FMA Direct Co-Pilot system
for training David, his student of the day.
Carl Goldberg Models’ Skylark ARF can be converted to electric power with a bit of
modeling ingenuity. It’s not meant for training, but the Co-Pilot fixes that.
by Heyward Macdonald
June 2009 65
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 11:58 AM Page 65
I thought about trying to train new pilots
with a more aggressive airplane, using the
Co-Pilot to do for the student what it does
for me with my diminished eyesight: tame
the more powerful model and keep the
student (and instructor) relatively calm.
I have experimented with this device and
own two of them in the hopes of extending
my flying days to age 103 or so. It works for
me.
In certain light conditions, large sections
of the sky disappear, airplane and all. With
the Co-Pilot, I relax and let the sensors level
the aircraft and fly it through the empty
space in the sky. My eye picks up on the
model in a couple of seconds, but
unfortunate things can happen in that length
of time.
It was time to find out if the Co-Pilot could
make a primary trainer from a model that
offered capabilities that surpassed a
beginner’s. The Co-Pilot works by sensing
Photos by the author
the relative difference in heat between the
ground and the sky. Four infrared sensors
are mounted in a 1-inch square casing and
are connected to a chip with a sophisticated
algorithm.
(You could install the optional FS8 Co-
Pilot External Programming Switch and
LED Indicator, which has two additional
sensors that aim up and down. It will bring
the airplane out of inverted flight by rolling
it rather than half looping.
The FS8 also includes a fine eightchannel
receiver with a fail-safe feature. It
will allow a pilot to preprogram flight
controls in case the receiver loses a good
radio signal. But I digress.)
When set up and calibrated using the
provided detailed manual, the Co-Pilot can
tell if one wing is lower than the other or if
the nose is higher or lower than it should be.
Then the program moves the ailerons and/or
elevator to correct pitch and roll to a normal
Above: Inlets for cooling were modeled
into the existing top hatch and below,
where a wide opening previously existed.
The UltraCote covering was easily
matched.
Right: Heat is vented from the
battery/ESC area through the exit in the
rear hatch. A clear plastic cover creates a
low-pressure area so that exhaust expels
more quickly.
Below: The external sensor mounting
location is optimal when a clear view is
available on all four sides of the unit. It
senses heat; the ground is warm and the
sky is cold.
66 MODEL AVIATION
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:01 PM Page 66
June 2009 67
Name: Carl Goldberg Models Skylark 56
Mark II ARF
Airfoil: Fully symmetrical, low wing, small
amount of dihedral
Wingspan: 56 inches
Wing construction: One piece, all wood,
covered
Wing area: 558 square inches
Length: 47.75 inches
Weight: 5.75 pounds
Wing loading: 23 ounces/square foot
Power/weight: 80 watts/pound
Flight time: Approximately 12 minutes with
4800 mAh pack
Motor: Atlas 2927/10
Speed control: Atlas 40 Opto
Radio power: FMA Direct PowerForce
Regulator
Battery pack: Cellpro Revolution three-cell,
4800 mAh Li-Poly
Charger: Cellpro 4s balancing
Flight stabilization: Co-Pilot CPD4
Receiver: FMA Direct Quantum eightchannel
with crystal
Servos: Four FMA Direct DS300BB digital
Since the training test with Co-Pilot, FMA Direct has
introduced a much improved and interesting version from
Revolectrix called the “Co-Pilot II.” Working as a beta
tester, I have some early experience with this unit.
The new system is built on the concept of an onboard
digital network called “IRNet.” The digital conversion in
the sensors means that the components can be connected
with simple servo extensions. Other devices can be added
later to this onboard network, which is an exciting
possibility.
This unit’s sensors and the brain are half the size of the
original Co-Pilot’s. That in itself is a significant
improvement.
Probably the most amazing part of the Co-Pilot II is the
means for setup and control. It is no longer done with dip
switches and pushing the button for what, to some people,
is a bewildering setup and calibration procedure.
Now the handheld wireless remote communicates
with a two-way device mounted outside the model’s
fuselage. It will even tell you the voltage of the radio
battery in the airplane.
This communication is done with the aircraft on the
ground, via infrared signals. The screen on the remote
contains a plethora of menus that control how the onboard
computer performs.
As someone who often had to remove a wing to get to
the Co-Pilot computer to change a dip switch I couldn’t even
see, this is an incredible improvement. By choosing from the
menu, I could program hundreds of combinations of options
without touching the model.
The Co-Pilot II operates even more smoothly in the air
than the original. It seems less
intrusive to the pilot, while
providing the safety and
control that is sometimes
needed. If it saves you one
model, it has more than
paid for itself.
It was easy to choose
options that allowed me
to fly my aircraft inverted
when I switched the unit on in the air, or I
could even fly knife edge or hover the
model. I tried maneuvers that I
normally would not, knowing that
the Co-Pilot II would help keep my
airplane safe until I mastered them.
I still enjoy flying with the original Co-Pilot, but this new
one is amazing. And there is more to come. MA
—Heyward Macdonald
The New Co-Pilot II
Test-Model Specifications
The basic Co-Pilot operates
with elevator and aileron
(steering) control. The RMT wire
is connected to the receiver where
operation and sensitivity can be
adjusted through the transmitter.
flight attitude. The pilot continues to fly the aircraft by overcoming
the Co-Pilot’s fairly gentle response.
In addition, the device’s response is proportional; the more
extreme the attitude from the horizon, the more your control
surfaces will move to stabilize the model. An experienced pilot can
demonstrate that by putting the airplane into any violent maneuver
and then centering the sticks.
Since the Co-Pilot provides a response as quickly as servos can
move, it restabilizes the aircraft in less than a second! This means
that major corrections are made quickly when needed and that minor
corrections, of the kind that keep the model flying on course, are
unnoticeable.
The sensitivity is adjustable, either on the ground or through a
radio channel that is otherwise not obligated. It is imperative that
you set up this unit so that it is controllable, at least on and off
switching, from the ground. Otherwise, it is possible to take off with
the setting too sensitive and the model will oscillate, trying to satisfy
all of its sensors.
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:05 PM Page 67
I installed the 1-inch-square sensor array
on a Skylark’s turtledeck. You can mount it
underneath, but I like to get it out of the way
of debris such as flying sticks and wet grass
that is freshly cut by the propeller on takeoff.
Obscuring one of these sensors is not a
good idea. Since the canopy eclipses the view
forward, the unit must be mounted at a 45°
angle. Consulting the manual and trial and
error are necessary to get the four dip
switches set correctly, but once set for a
model, it is done.
The test airplane has a wing loading of
almost 23 ounces per square foot! It is not a
primary trainer without the addition of the
Co-Pilot. But that was the objective: to make
it behave like a primary trainer by using the
system!
I brought the Skylark in over the runway
at approximately 100 feet of altitude and
turned on the stabilization system. Nothing
happened, which is good! Nothing happened
because I was flying straight and level.
I stood the model on its wing and lifted its
nose. Centering the sticks, the Co-Pilot gently
took it back to level flight and off it flew,
straight and true. The guys at the field
watching loved it, and so did I.
A subtle advantage for a beginner who
uses the Co-Pilot is that it automatically keeps
the airplane trimmed for level flight, even
with power changes. Without the system, trim
usually needs to be adjusted with each power
adjustment; that is difficult for the novice.
Once he or she gains competence and
confidence, the beginner can learn to trim by
turning the Co-Pilot to low gain or off in
flight to see what happens and take action to
trim.
Does it work? My friend, Fred, was a
navigator on a Navy P-3 Orion during the
Vietnam War. He flew along that country’s
coast at altitude and felt sorry for the likes of
me, who was on the ground at a firebase at the
same time.
Fred had never touched the stick of an RC
model. However, being a brave sort, he
agreed to try to fly the Skylark with the Co-
Pilot installed.
Fred and I met one lovely morning for an
hour of ground school. We covered safety;
AMA’s and my club’s rules of flight; axes of
roll, pitch, and yaw; and how the control
surfaces work.
Then we discussed altitude gain and loss
and sensitivity of controls; most beginners
seriously overcontrol their models. The next
topic was maneuvering, including taxiing,
climb and descent, turns, takeoff and landing,
and how the sticks work to do it all.
At that point I introduced Fred to the
concept and operation of the Co-Pilot. I
explained how it works, what it does, and
how to fly with it. It is important that the
student has some trust in the device so that he
or she will release the sticks and allow it to
correct the airplane’s attitude when necessary.
The instructor’s primary job is to remind
the trainee to gently center the sticks if he or
she is getting into trouble. The Co-Pilot will
fly the aircraft straight and level, using
minimal control-surface movement to keep it
that way. The pilot overpowers the flightstabilization
system to make maneuvers.
At those times of insecurity we fliers feel,
especially as a learner, one centers the sticks
and the system brings the model back to level
flight. The unit is proportional, in that the
more the deviation from level flight, the more
control-surface movement the Co-Pilot uses
to correct the airplane’s attitude.
That education session was followed by a
practicum on the ground. Fred sat in a chair
behind the Skylark in my driveway and
imagined turns, climb, and descent, using the
sticks to deflect the control surfaces. He also
practiced taxiing the aircraft.
This exercise overcomes a key difficulty
for the beginner. When the model is going
toward the pilot, whether it’s in the air or
taxiing, ailerons and rudder produce the
opposite reaction from what intuition tells
him or her. Fifteen minutes of practice taxiing
corrects that problem.
Flying: The next day on which both Fred and
I were available and the weather cooperated,
we met at the airfield to try “Co-Pilot Assisted
Training.” (By then I had come up with an
acronym for it: “COPAT.”) Wind was
negligible, and the sky was a beautiful blue
with those lovely clouds that are white in the
sun.
I had Fred stand behind the Skylark and
use the transmitter to talk himself through
takeoff, climb, coordinated turns, descent,
landing approach, and landing. We powered
up the aircraft. Fred taxied it around a bit and
tried a few runs at close to half power, to
learn how to hold a straight line on takeoff.
I handled the airplane on the first takeoff
and got it properly trimmed at two mistakes
of altitude. Then I demonstrated how the Co-
Pilot works to recover from any attitude other
than a low-altitude stall. It is important for the
student to trust the instrument and not freeze
on the sticks. I showed Fred a few
coordinated turns in the air and he took over.
At first he made the novice’s mistake of
diving the model in a turn. I immediately
reminded him to center the sticks, and the Co-
Pilot effected a recovery. After a couple
minutes, Fred had the Skylark flying figure
eights.
We started to line up the Skylark on the
runway. On the second try, it looked so good
that I told him to cut the throttle a bit. The
airplane started settling in on final, and I
decided to let Fred land it.
Just before touchdown, I had Fred pull the
throttle to zero and then flare slightly. The
model touched down on its main gear and
rotated forward on its nose wheel without a
bounce.
Reflecting on this landing, the Skylark
actually hit the center of a big “X” painted in
the middle of this old World War II training
runway. (It has a 40-foot-square pad in the
center of the grass strip.)
“This thing really works!” Fred exclaimed
as he looked at me in wonderment.
The model was sitting in the middle of the
strip, so I instructed Fred to smoothly add
power and keep it straight. He did so, and the
airplane lifted off of the runway and climbed
out almost as nicely as I could make it do.
Fred made a left turn that could have used
a bit of rudder, but it wasn’t bad. Then he
began to make coordinated turns, which were
fine. But I had forgotten to start the timer and
the power failed at roughly that time. I took
over and did a fairly nice dead-stick landing,
if I do say so myself.
On a second flight, Fred flew without the
flight-stabilization system; the result was as
expected. He knew a lot about how to do it
but had little experience in doing it.
His turns ended in dives, from which he
could not recover alone. He lost his
confidence, because he didn’t have anything
in which to have confidence. The Co-Pilot
allowed Fred to have a fine first flight, but he
was still a beginner.
This system can provide a student with the
chance to learn quickly, but it can give that
person the confidence to try maneuvers
sooner than he or she would otherwise. I have
tried the same flight with another beginner,
with much the same results, including my
forgetting to turn on the timer.
Will It Work Again? David just finished his
graduate degree nearby. His thoughtful wife
asked him what he had always wanted but had
deemed unreasonable to purchase. That is a
risky thing to ask, and I highly commend her.
“A radio-controlled model airplane,” he
said.
Where they went astray was in not
contacting the local RC club (us). Instead,
they relied on the advice of someone who had
a model with an especially good markup.
David came to our October fly-in with his
fantastic 40-size Mustang and asked if he
could fly it at our field. I stared dumbfounded;
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to fly that airplane!
I asked him to put his P-51 away for a
time and fly with me using a similar-size
model equipped with an FMA Direct Co-
Pilot. With that nice little piece of electronics,
he was performing coordinated turns and
figure eights with the Skylark on the first
flight.
David recently achieved his second flight,
complete with unassisted takeoffs and
landings. A seasoned pilot who was watching
was stunned not only when I let David land
my Skylark on his own on the second flight,
but also when I walked away from David
while he was doing it!
I suggested to David that he get a Co-Pilot
for his Mustang.
“You betcha!” he said.
I think he will soon be able to fly his P-51.
Furthermore, the model will probably be okay
and David will have had a positive first
experience in the hobby.
So, it worked with a novice! Fred is thrilled,
the club might have a new member, and the
Skylark sustained no damage.
I love flying this model. It is a step up for
me but is probably too aggressive for novice
training, even with the Co-Pilot. Although it
worked fine, there would be more time to
react with a lighter aircraft, and it could be
kept closer to the flightline.
The airplane doesn’t have to be a trainer—
just not quite such a rocket. Something
weighing approximately 4.25 pounds with a
wing loading of roughly 15 ounces per square
foot would probably work.
The important thing to remember is that,
with an instructor who knows when and what
to tell a student to do, the Co-Pilot allows a
beginner to fly even this
“intermediate/advanced”-class model. With
the device, a student knows that he or she is
flying the airplane and is not guessing
whether or not the instructor has taken
control, as happens with a buddy box.
I have heard that using flight stabilization
will keep a new pilot from truly learning to
fly. If a novice wants to learn, he or she will
70 MODEL AVIATION
use the Co-Pilot to allow him or her to take
more risks sooner, knowing that it will save
the airplane. The student can turn off the
system from the transmitter to fly the model
unassisted and turn it back on if needed.
If the transmitter has a free channel with a
slide or knob control, the Co-Pilot’s
sensitivity can be decreased in the air for
progressively less correction. If there is a free
channel but only a switch controlling it,
computer radios allow deflection limits to be
set from the screen. That means the pilot can
land the aircraft, quickly adjust the system’s
sensitivity, and be off again in a few seconds
without touching the model.
I have learned that this system will keep
an airplane flying straight and level in gusty
conditions. It makes its corrections much
faster than the pilot can apply them from the
ground and flies the model through the
turbulence. Again, the sensitivity can be
adjusted from the transmitter.
For those pilots out there who can handle
a 150-watt park flyer but want to move up to
a more exciting, challenging setup, get a Co-
Pilot. It can give you substantial confidence
as you transition to these bigger airplanes. It
worked for me.
If you are a beginner, don’t buy an
aggressive aircraft, add a Co-Pilot, and take
off at your local baseball diamond. Unless
your model is a light trainer, find someone
who is qualified to teach you to fly and has
experience setting up, calibrating, and flying
with the system.
Awhile ago, I set up the instrument with
the fuselage upside-down on my workbench.
The next day, I field-calibrated it (I thought)
and took off with the Co-Pilot on. However,
the device was disabled at my transmitter
when I field-calibrated it.
When I took off with the model, it rolled
over on its back as soon as it cleared the
ground, thinking it was still on my
workbench. I was extremely startled. In
addition, the sensitivity was set too high, so
there was nothing I could do about it until the
airplane gained altitude.
The good news is that it flew fine, hands
off, inverted, around the pattern until I
regained enough sense to turn off the Co-
Pilot. After landing, I calibrated the system
again, with the switch on this time. The
model was fine thereafter.
Read the instructions, pay attention, train
with someone who has already made these
mistakes, and turn on your timer. Enjoy this
exciting technology! MA
Heyward Macdonald
[email protected]
Sources:
FMA Direct (Cellpro)
(800) 343-2934
www.fmadirect.com
Atlas Products:
Hobby Lobby
(866) 933-5972
www.hobby-lobby.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/06
Page Numbers: 65,66,67,68,70
Turn almost any model into a trainer with this flightstabilization
system
ONE SATURDAY morning a few years
ago, I awakened but my left eye didn’t.
Among the thoughts whizzing around in my
mind during the subsequent moments was
“How am I going to fly my models?” Vision
has been an issue ever since, so some
accommodation has been necessary.
First, I designed and built larger aircraft
and covered them with bright material so I
can see them in the air some of the time.
Second, I found a little electronic flightstabilization
device from FMA Direct called
the “Co-Pilot CPD4.” Using it on almost
any-size model, I can fly on days when my
vision is poor.
I have been doing primary flight
instruction for our club using small electricpowered
airplanes. Some students are
unimpressed with them when the 40-size
aircraft fly by majestically, and some
students show up at the field having already
purchased a model that far exceeds a
beginner’s flying ability.
The author (L) modified two popular 40-size
glow models to electric and programmed
them with the FMA Direct Co-Pilot system
for training David, his student of the day.
Carl Goldberg Models’ Skylark ARF can be converted to electric power with a bit of
modeling ingenuity. It’s not meant for training, but the Co-Pilot fixes that.
by Heyward Macdonald
June 2009 65
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 11:58 AM Page 65
I thought about trying to train new pilots
with a more aggressive airplane, using the
Co-Pilot to do for the student what it does
for me with my diminished eyesight: tame
the more powerful model and keep the
student (and instructor) relatively calm.
I have experimented with this device and
own two of them in the hopes of extending
my flying days to age 103 or so. It works for
me.
In certain light conditions, large sections
of the sky disappear, airplane and all. With
the Co-Pilot, I relax and let the sensors level
the aircraft and fly it through the empty
space in the sky. My eye picks up on the
model in a couple of seconds, but
unfortunate things can happen in that length
of time.
It was time to find out if the Co-Pilot could
make a primary trainer from a model that
offered capabilities that surpassed a
beginner’s. The Co-Pilot works by sensing
Photos by the author
the relative difference in heat between the
ground and the sky. Four infrared sensors
are mounted in a 1-inch square casing and
are connected to a chip with a sophisticated
algorithm.
(You could install the optional FS8 Co-
Pilot External Programming Switch and
LED Indicator, which has two additional
sensors that aim up and down. It will bring
the airplane out of inverted flight by rolling
it rather than half looping.
The FS8 also includes a fine eightchannel
receiver with a fail-safe feature. It
will allow a pilot to preprogram flight
controls in case the receiver loses a good
radio signal. But I digress.)
When set up and calibrated using the
provided detailed manual, the Co-Pilot can
tell if one wing is lower than the other or if
the nose is higher or lower than it should be.
Then the program moves the ailerons and/or
elevator to correct pitch and roll to a normal
Above: Inlets for cooling were modeled
into the existing top hatch and below,
where a wide opening previously existed.
The UltraCote covering was easily
matched.
Right: Heat is vented from the
battery/ESC area through the exit in the
rear hatch. A clear plastic cover creates a
low-pressure area so that exhaust expels
more quickly.
Below: The external sensor mounting
location is optimal when a clear view is
available on all four sides of the unit. It
senses heat; the ground is warm and the
sky is cold.
66 MODEL AVIATION
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:01 PM Page 66
June 2009 67
Name: Carl Goldberg Models Skylark 56
Mark II ARF
Airfoil: Fully symmetrical, low wing, small
amount of dihedral
Wingspan: 56 inches
Wing construction: One piece, all wood,
covered
Wing area: 558 square inches
Length: 47.75 inches
Weight: 5.75 pounds
Wing loading: 23 ounces/square foot
Power/weight: 80 watts/pound
Flight time: Approximately 12 minutes with
4800 mAh pack
Motor: Atlas 2927/10
Speed control: Atlas 40 Opto
Radio power: FMA Direct PowerForce
Regulator
Battery pack: Cellpro Revolution three-cell,
4800 mAh Li-Poly
Charger: Cellpro 4s balancing
Flight stabilization: Co-Pilot CPD4
Receiver: FMA Direct Quantum eightchannel
with crystal
Servos: Four FMA Direct DS300BB digital
Since the training test with Co-Pilot, FMA Direct has
introduced a much improved and interesting version from
Revolectrix called the “Co-Pilot II.” Working as a beta
tester, I have some early experience with this unit.
The new system is built on the concept of an onboard
digital network called “IRNet.” The digital conversion in
the sensors means that the components can be connected
with simple servo extensions. Other devices can be added
later to this onboard network, which is an exciting
possibility.
This unit’s sensors and the brain are half the size of the
original Co-Pilot’s. That in itself is a significant
improvement.
Probably the most amazing part of the Co-Pilot II is the
means for setup and control. It is no longer done with dip
switches and pushing the button for what, to some people,
is a bewildering setup and calibration procedure.
Now the handheld wireless remote communicates
with a two-way device mounted outside the model’s
fuselage. It will even tell you the voltage of the radio
battery in the airplane.
This communication is done with the aircraft on the
ground, via infrared signals. The screen on the remote
contains a plethora of menus that control how the onboard
computer performs.
As someone who often had to remove a wing to get to
the Co-Pilot computer to change a dip switch I couldn’t even
see, this is an incredible improvement. By choosing from the
menu, I could program hundreds of combinations of options
without touching the model.
The Co-Pilot II operates even more smoothly in the air
than the original. It seems less
intrusive to the pilot, while
providing the safety and
control that is sometimes
needed. If it saves you one
model, it has more than
paid for itself.
It was easy to choose
options that allowed me
to fly my aircraft inverted
when I switched the unit on in the air, or I
could even fly knife edge or hover the
model. I tried maneuvers that I
normally would not, knowing that
the Co-Pilot II would help keep my
airplane safe until I mastered them.
I still enjoy flying with the original Co-Pilot, but this new
one is amazing. And there is more to come. MA
—Heyward Macdonald
The New Co-Pilot II
Test-Model Specifications
The basic Co-Pilot operates
with elevator and aileron
(steering) control. The RMT wire
is connected to the receiver where
operation and sensitivity can be
adjusted through the transmitter.
flight attitude. The pilot continues to fly the aircraft by overcoming
the Co-Pilot’s fairly gentle response.
In addition, the device’s response is proportional; the more
extreme the attitude from the horizon, the more your control
surfaces will move to stabilize the model. An experienced pilot can
demonstrate that by putting the airplane into any violent maneuver
and then centering the sticks.
Since the Co-Pilot provides a response as quickly as servos can
move, it restabilizes the aircraft in less than a second! This means
that major corrections are made quickly when needed and that minor
corrections, of the kind that keep the model flying on course, are
unnoticeable.
The sensitivity is adjustable, either on the ground or through a
radio channel that is otherwise not obligated. It is imperative that
you set up this unit so that it is controllable, at least on and off
switching, from the ground. Otherwise, it is possible to take off with
the setting too sensitive and the model will oscillate, trying to satisfy
all of its sensors.
06sig3.QXD 4/22/09 12:05 PM Page 67
I installed the 1-inch-square sensor array
on a Skylark’s turtledeck. You can mount it
underneath, but I like to get it out of the way
of debris such as flying sticks and wet grass
that is freshly cut by the propeller on takeoff.
Obscuring one of these sensors is not a
good idea. Since the canopy eclipses the view
forward, the unit must be mounted at a 45°
angle. Consulting the manual and trial and
error are necessary to get the four dip
switches set correctly, but once set for a
model, it is done.
The test airplane has a wing loading of
almost 23 ounces per square foot! It is not a
primary trainer without the addition of the
Co-Pilot. But that was the objective: to make
it behave like a primary trainer by using the
system!
I brought the Skylark in over the runway
at approximately 100 feet of altitude and
turned on the stabilization system. Nothing
happened, which is good! Nothing happened
because I was flying straight and level.
I stood the model on its wing and lifted its
nose. Centering the sticks, the Co-Pilot gently
took it back to level flight and off it flew,
straight and true. The guys at the field
watching loved it, and so did I.
A subtle advantage for a beginner who
uses the Co-Pilot is that it automatically keeps
the airplane trimmed for level flight, even
with power changes. Without the system, trim
usually needs to be adjusted with each power
adjustment; that is difficult for the novice.
Once he or she gains competence and
confidence, the beginner can learn to trim by
turning the Co-Pilot to low gain or off in
flight to see what happens and take action to
trim.
Does it work? My friend, Fred, was a
navigator on a Navy P-3 Orion during the
Vietnam War. He flew along that country’s
coast at altitude and felt sorry for the likes of
me, who was on the ground at a firebase at the
same time.
Fred had never touched the stick of an RC
model. However, being a brave sort, he
agreed to try to fly the Skylark with the Co-
Pilot installed.
Fred and I met one lovely morning for an
hour of ground school. We covered safety;
AMA’s and my club’s rules of flight; axes of
roll, pitch, and yaw; and how the control
surfaces work.
Then we discussed altitude gain and loss
and sensitivity of controls; most beginners
seriously overcontrol their models. The next
topic was maneuvering, including taxiing,
climb and descent, turns, takeoff and landing,
and how the sticks work to do it all.
At that point I introduced Fred to the
concept and operation of the Co-Pilot. I
explained how it works, what it does, and
how to fly with it. It is important that the
student has some trust in the device so that he
or she will release the sticks and allow it to
correct the airplane’s attitude when necessary.
The instructor’s primary job is to remind
the trainee to gently center the sticks if he or
she is getting into trouble. The Co-Pilot will
fly the aircraft straight and level, using
minimal control-surface movement to keep it
that way. The pilot overpowers the flightstabilization
system to make maneuvers.
At those times of insecurity we fliers feel,
especially as a learner, one centers the sticks
and the system brings the model back to level
flight. The unit is proportional, in that the
more the deviation from level flight, the more
control-surface movement the Co-Pilot uses
to correct the airplane’s attitude.
That education session was followed by a
practicum on the ground. Fred sat in a chair
behind the Skylark in my driveway and
imagined turns, climb, and descent, using the
sticks to deflect the control surfaces. He also
practiced taxiing the aircraft.
This exercise overcomes a key difficulty
for the beginner. When the model is going
toward the pilot, whether it’s in the air or
taxiing, ailerons and rudder produce the
opposite reaction from what intuition tells
him or her. Fifteen minutes of practice taxiing
corrects that problem.
Flying: The next day on which both Fred and
I were available and the weather cooperated,
we met at the airfield to try “Co-Pilot Assisted
Training.” (By then I had come up with an
acronym for it: “COPAT.”) Wind was
negligible, and the sky was a beautiful blue
with those lovely clouds that are white in the
sun.
I had Fred stand behind the Skylark and
use the transmitter to talk himself through
takeoff, climb, coordinated turns, descent,
landing approach, and landing. We powered
up the aircraft. Fred taxied it around a bit and
tried a few runs at close to half power, to
learn how to hold a straight line on takeoff.
I handled the airplane on the first takeoff
and got it properly trimmed at two mistakes
of altitude. Then I demonstrated how the Co-
Pilot works to recover from any attitude other
than a low-altitude stall. It is important for the
student to trust the instrument and not freeze
on the sticks. I showed Fred a few
coordinated turns in the air and he took over.
At first he made the novice’s mistake of
diving the model in a turn. I immediately
reminded him to center the sticks, and the Co-
Pilot effected a recovery. After a couple
minutes, Fred had the Skylark flying figure
eights.
We started to line up the Skylark on the
runway. On the second try, it looked so good
that I told him to cut the throttle a bit. The
airplane started settling in on final, and I
decided to let Fred land it.
Just before touchdown, I had Fred pull the
throttle to zero and then flare slightly. The
model touched down on its main gear and
rotated forward on its nose wheel without a
bounce.
Reflecting on this landing, the Skylark
actually hit the center of a big “X” painted in
the middle of this old World War II training
runway. (It has a 40-foot-square pad in the
center of the grass strip.)
“This thing really works!” Fred exclaimed
as he looked at me in wonderment.
The model was sitting in the middle of the
strip, so I instructed Fred to smoothly add
power and keep it straight. He did so, and the
airplane lifted off of the runway and climbed
out almost as nicely as I could make it do.
Fred made a left turn that could have used
a bit of rudder, but it wasn’t bad. Then he
began to make coordinated turns, which were
fine. But I had forgotten to start the timer and
the power failed at roughly that time. I took
over and did a fairly nice dead-stick landing,
if I do say so myself.
On a second flight, Fred flew without the
flight-stabilization system; the result was as
expected. He knew a lot about how to do it
but had little experience in doing it.
His turns ended in dives, from which he
could not recover alone. He lost his
confidence, because he didn’t have anything
in which to have confidence. The Co-Pilot
allowed Fred to have a fine first flight, but he
was still a beginner.
This system can provide a student with the
chance to learn quickly, but it can give that
person the confidence to try maneuvers
sooner than he or she would otherwise. I have
tried the same flight with another beginner,
with much the same results, including my
forgetting to turn on the timer.
Will It Work Again? David just finished his
graduate degree nearby. His thoughtful wife
asked him what he had always wanted but had
deemed unreasonable to purchase. That is a
risky thing to ask, and I highly commend her.
“A radio-controlled model airplane,” he
said.
Where they went astray was in not
contacting the local RC club (us). Instead,
they relied on the advice of someone who had
a model with an especially good markup.
David came to our October fly-in with his
fantastic 40-size Mustang and asked if he
could fly it at our field. I stared dumbfounded;
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to fly that airplane!
I asked him to put his P-51 away for a
time and fly with me using a similar-size
model equipped with an FMA Direct Co-
Pilot. With that nice little piece of electronics,
he was performing coordinated turns and
figure eights with the Skylark on the first
flight.
David recently achieved his second flight,
complete with unassisted takeoffs and
landings. A seasoned pilot who was watching
was stunned not only when I let David land
my Skylark on his own on the second flight,
but also when I walked away from David
while he was doing it!
I suggested to David that he get a Co-Pilot
for his Mustang.
“You betcha!” he said.
I think he will soon be able to fly his P-51.
Furthermore, the model will probably be okay
and David will have had a positive first
experience in the hobby.
So, it worked with a novice! Fred is thrilled,
the club might have a new member, and the
Skylark sustained no damage.
I love flying this model. It is a step up for
me but is probably too aggressive for novice
training, even with the Co-Pilot. Although it
worked fine, there would be more time to
react with a lighter aircraft, and it could be
kept closer to the flightline.
The airplane doesn’t have to be a trainer—
just not quite such a rocket. Something
weighing approximately 4.25 pounds with a
wing loading of roughly 15 ounces per square
foot would probably work.
The important thing to remember is that,
with an instructor who knows when and what
to tell a student to do, the Co-Pilot allows a
beginner to fly even this
“intermediate/advanced”-class model. With
the device, a student knows that he or she is
flying the airplane and is not guessing
whether or not the instructor has taken
control, as happens with a buddy box.
I have heard that using flight stabilization
will keep a new pilot from truly learning to
fly. If a novice wants to learn, he or she will
70 MODEL AVIATION
use the Co-Pilot to allow him or her to take
more risks sooner, knowing that it will save
the airplane. The student can turn off the
system from the transmitter to fly the model
unassisted and turn it back on if needed.
If the transmitter has a free channel with a
slide or knob control, the Co-Pilot’s
sensitivity can be decreased in the air for
progressively less correction. If there is a free
channel but only a switch controlling it,
computer radios allow deflection limits to be
set from the screen. That means the pilot can
land the aircraft, quickly adjust the system’s
sensitivity, and be off again in a few seconds
without touching the model.
I have learned that this system will keep
an airplane flying straight and level in gusty
conditions. It makes its corrections much
faster than the pilot can apply them from the
ground and flies the model through the
turbulence. Again, the sensitivity can be
adjusted from the transmitter.
For those pilots out there who can handle
a 150-watt park flyer but want to move up to
a more exciting, challenging setup, get a Co-
Pilot. It can give you substantial confidence
as you transition to these bigger airplanes. It
worked for me.
If you are a beginner, don’t buy an
aggressive aircraft, add a Co-Pilot, and take
off at your local baseball diamond. Unless
your model is a light trainer, find someone
who is qualified to teach you to fly and has
experience setting up, calibrating, and flying
with the system.
Awhile ago, I set up the instrument with
the fuselage upside-down on my workbench.
The next day, I field-calibrated it (I thought)
and took off with the Co-Pilot on. However,
the device was disabled at my transmitter
when I field-calibrated it.
When I took off with the model, it rolled
over on its back as soon as it cleared the
ground, thinking it was still on my
workbench. I was extremely startled. In
addition, the sensitivity was set too high, so
there was nothing I could do about it until the
airplane gained altitude.
The good news is that it flew fine, hands
off, inverted, around the pattern until I
regained enough sense to turn off the Co-
Pilot. After landing, I calibrated the system
again, with the switch on this time. The
model was fine thereafter.
Read the instructions, pay attention, train
with someone who has already made these
mistakes, and turn on your timer. Enjoy this
exciting technology! MA
Heyward Macdonald
[email protected]
Sources:
FMA Direct (Cellpro)
(800) 343-2934
www.fmadirect.com
Atlas Products:
Hobby Lobby
(866) 933-5972
www.hobby-lobby.com