Practice makes perfect! One of the
best things about our sport is that
it is diffi cult to fl y RC models
well. The challenge of developing “skill
on the sticks” keeps us interested and
involved. It’s been said that proper RC
pilot training is roughly equivalent to
learning to play the violin. After several
decades of lessons, my fl ying is still
slightly out of tune.
At a recent club indoor session, I was
practicing with some new indoor RC
aircraft, one after another, as each one
charged. My mini helicopter actually
didn’t laugh at me as I tried to master
sideways fl ight, but I could hear it
snickering. The fi xed-wing aircraft were
no better. My friends were hunkered
down behind tables and chairs, enjoying
the show.
The evening of practice reminded me
of the emails that arrived this month
from readers. Carlos Reyes, from the
well-known website RCadvisor.com,
wrote about his personal “bugaboo”
of stall/spin accidents. Carlos said
that he has “only seen one of those
where the pilot actually took personal
responsibility. More commonly,
everybody is quick to blame a radio
glitch, loose connector, voodoo doll, or
whatever pops into their head.”
A stall/spin is a common full-scale
accident, although the pilot has access
to an airspeed indicator. Our models
are controlled from the ground and
we have to visually estimate their
airspeed. Practice and experience help us
recognize and avoid stalls.
Sometimes, a bit of humility is
necessary to abandon a missed approach
and go around again. Trying to salvage
a bad situation is a rookie mistake, but
experienced fl iers get tempted, too. In
a battle between ego and the laws of
physics, the ground always wins.
At one point during my evening of
practice fl ying, I was fumbling with the
battery connection on a Fokker triplane.
While trying to hold the airplane,
transmitter, and battery, I bumped the
throttle to full. On such a small model,
it was merely embarrassing (“Hey Dave,
I think it’s trying to get away from you!”)
but a larger model could have done
some harm.
This is all too common. Pilots should
set the transmitter down or hand it
off. In an attempt to save time, we
sometimes get caught by a runaway
propeller.
Propeller Attacks
When a propeller spins unexpectedly,
it can be a serious matter. Ed Maynes
sent me an awful photo, along with this
story.
“I was at my fl ying fi eld early, to
get in a couple of fl ights before the
crowd arrived. I set the aircraft and Tx
[transmitter] on a workbench and went
about attaching the battery. I had not
fl own this plane in some time, but the
settings had not changed and the Tx
was set for this aircraft. I had positioned
the model on my
left and the Tx on
the right. I knew
this was asking for
trouble but I was
careless.
“I got the
normal beeps
from the motor.
The throttle was
in the full down
position but it
immediately went
to full throttle. Even though I was
holding the aircraft, it lurched into my
right hand. Four hours and 32 stitches
later, I left the ER.
“I did not have an emergency kit
with me and had to wrap my hand in
a napkin. This was not enough to slow
down the bleeding, so now I have a
complete emergency kit in my trunk.
The photo shows my hand just before
stitches. I’ve learned a lesson and hope
by my sharing my accident with your
readers, they will stay alert.”
I seldom publish gory pictures, but
poor Ed wanted us all to avoid his fate,
and this is great motivation.
Throttle Stabilizer
Hunter Sheridan sent me a couple
of photos depicting a simple idea to
improve throttle stabilization. I’ve
heard from many pilots who use it.
The tension of a rubber band keeps the
throttle where it belongs, even if it gets
bumped by a klutz such as me.
At takeoff, just slip the band off the
stick and fl y. Hunter says that many of
his friends use this trick in addition to an
arming device and whatever electronic
safeguards are built into their radios.
My friends enjoyed my indoor
practice session too much, and offered
somewhat helpful advice such as, “Try
to fly around the obstacles instead of
through them.” I didn’t hit anything or
anyone, but there is plenty of room for
improvement in my technique.
Even the best pilots seek out coaches
who can help them improve. Someone
like me needs all available help. It takes
humility to ask for and accept guidance.
Smart pilots know that others can see what we may overlook. Without
coaching, we might repeatedly do the
wrong thing.
Preflight Checks Necessary
Charles E. Castaing wrote to me about
a pilot whose skill and determination
saved the day.
“One of our club members was
flying his giant Big Stik powered with a
powerful 36cc gasoline engine. He had
made some adjustments to the flaps/
ailerons, and had inadvertently reversed
the ailerons. As soon as the plane left
the ground, he shouted that the ailerons
were backward. This club member has
been flying only for about a year.
“He flew the plane for several minutes
and there were many scary moments as
several of us rushed to his side to console
him. Believe it or not, he missed nosing
the plane in, and only with an iron will
and plenty of concentration, he brought
the plane down for a relatively rough
landing right off the edge of the runway.
“The only damage was a broken prop,
slightly bent landing gear, and a stripped
clevis on the elevator. It was a superb
feat of flying, in that he kept the plane
aloft for about 3 minutes, getting the feel
of the ailerons being reversed. On some
occasions, he was far and wide, but made
it back okay in the end.
“Before he took off, he moved the
aileron stick on the transmitter and
observed the ailerons on the plane
moving. He did not, however, check to
see that they were moving in the correct
direction. The obvious lesson here was
to be darn sure they move in the correct
direction!”
We can get complacent in our
preflight inspections. Seeing the controls
waggling is reassuring, but not enough.
Sharp pilots are methodical and
observant. Lacking those qualities, I have
sometimes done inadequate inspections,
with luck alone saving me from such an
exciting flight. I pledge to do better.
Sig Product
I saw a simple, but brilliant, item at
the Sig Manufacturing booth at the
Weak Signals Toledo RC Show: a lasercut
kit for making a surface indicator
gauge that helps you accurately measure
and set your RC control surface throws.
It works on rudders, elevators, ailerons,
and flaps. The control throws are easily
measured—without the need of a third
hand—on the laser-inscribed gauge, in
standard measurements on one side or
metric on the other.
The Sig surface indicator gauge comes
in large and small sizes. This is the type of
tool that could save you a big repair job!
Sig has been supplying modelers with
“neato” stuff since before I was invented,
and thoughtful products such as this are
why the company remains popular.
Smoking Comments
A number of readers sent me
comments regarding my recent
discussion of smoking in the pits, and
how it is a bad idea.
One club member said that “during
a field cleanup day, I picked up over 50
cigarette butts from the edge of the pit
area. I could not believe how many there
were. I have never noticed anybody
smoking out there, but it is obviously
going on.”
I still believe there are better locations
to light up than refueling areas.
Clancy Arnold had another viewpoint
on the issue.
“Smoking in the pits is hazardous to
the models! This is a true story.
“Many years ago we had a new flier in
our club who was so nervous after each
flight he had to have a cigarette to calm
down. Then it happened: I brought a
new model out to fly for the first time.
Before I ever started the engine, the new
flier had just flown and was having his
required cigarette.
“While leaning over admiring my
model, the hot end of his cigarette fell
off and went through both layers of
MonoKote on the wing. [There were]
two holes to patch on a brand-new
model; one on top of the wing and one
on the bottom of the wing.”
At least the stars of Clancy’s story
escaped with some minor repairs and a
bit of embarrassment!
He added that there is a fascinating
new product on the market, and he sent
me the website. The company is in jolly
old England and sells engines, fuel, and
Fire Eaters, which are interesting.
These long, thin, plastic tubes can
be mounted inside a turbine-powered
model; they react to heat by releasing
the DuPont FE-25 extinguishing agent.
Watch the video and be amazed.
I’ve only viewed the website and
cannot testify to the use of this product,
but it looks cool! It’s an automatic
onboard fire suppression system the size
of a soda straw. Wow!
Contact Me
If you have comments, suggestions,
or wise advice to add to Mike’s List
(see the August “Safety Comes First”
column), please contact me. Email
is fine, and letters can be sent to
AMA Headquarters. You can remain
anonymous if desired. I wish I could
after some of my landings.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/09
Page Numbers: 85,86,87
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/09
Page Numbers: 85,86,87
Practice makes perfect! One of the
best things about our sport is that
it is diffi cult to fl y RC models
well. The challenge of developing “skill
on the sticks” keeps us interested and
involved. It’s been said that proper RC
pilot training is roughly equivalent to
learning to play the violin. After several
decades of lessons, my fl ying is still
slightly out of tune.
At a recent club indoor session, I was
practicing with some new indoor RC
aircraft, one after another, as each one
charged. My mini helicopter actually
didn’t laugh at me as I tried to master
sideways fl ight, but I could hear it
snickering. The fi xed-wing aircraft were
no better. My friends were hunkered
down behind tables and chairs, enjoying
the show.
The evening of practice reminded me
of the emails that arrived this month
from readers. Carlos Reyes, from the
well-known website RCadvisor.com,
wrote about his personal “bugaboo”
of stall/spin accidents. Carlos said
that he has “only seen one of those
where the pilot actually took personal
responsibility. More commonly,
everybody is quick to blame a radio
glitch, loose connector, voodoo doll, or
whatever pops into their head.”
A stall/spin is a common full-scale
accident, although the pilot has access
to an airspeed indicator. Our models
are controlled from the ground and
we have to visually estimate their
airspeed. Practice and experience help us
recognize and avoid stalls.
Sometimes, a bit of humility is
necessary to abandon a missed approach
and go around again. Trying to salvage
a bad situation is a rookie mistake, but
experienced fl iers get tempted, too. In
a battle between ego and the laws of
physics, the ground always wins.
At one point during my evening of
practice fl ying, I was fumbling with the
battery connection on a Fokker triplane.
While trying to hold the airplane,
transmitter, and battery, I bumped the
throttle to full. On such a small model,
it was merely embarrassing (“Hey Dave,
I think it’s trying to get away from you!”)
but a larger model could have done
some harm.
This is all too common. Pilots should
set the transmitter down or hand it
off. In an attempt to save time, we
sometimes get caught by a runaway
propeller.
Propeller Attacks
When a propeller spins unexpectedly,
it can be a serious matter. Ed Maynes
sent me an awful photo, along with this
story.
“I was at my fl ying fi eld early, to
get in a couple of fl ights before the
crowd arrived. I set the aircraft and Tx
[transmitter] on a workbench and went
about attaching the battery. I had not
fl own this plane in some time, but the
settings had not changed and the Tx
was set for this aircraft. I had positioned
the model on my
left and the Tx on
the right. I knew
this was asking for
trouble but I was
careless.
“I got the
normal beeps
from the motor.
The throttle was
in the full down
position but it
immediately went
to full throttle. Even though I was
holding the aircraft, it lurched into my
right hand. Four hours and 32 stitches
later, I left the ER.
“I did not have an emergency kit
with me and had to wrap my hand in
a napkin. This was not enough to slow
down the bleeding, so now I have a
complete emergency kit in my trunk.
The photo shows my hand just before
stitches. I’ve learned a lesson and hope
by my sharing my accident with your
readers, they will stay alert.”
I seldom publish gory pictures, but
poor Ed wanted us all to avoid his fate,
and this is great motivation.
Throttle Stabilizer
Hunter Sheridan sent me a couple
of photos depicting a simple idea to
improve throttle stabilization. I’ve
heard from many pilots who use it.
The tension of a rubber band keeps the
throttle where it belongs, even if it gets
bumped by a klutz such as me.
At takeoff, just slip the band off the
stick and fl y. Hunter says that many of
his friends use this trick in addition to an
arming device and whatever electronic
safeguards are built into their radios.
My friends enjoyed my indoor
practice session too much, and offered
somewhat helpful advice such as, “Try
to fly around the obstacles instead of
through them.” I didn’t hit anything or
anyone, but there is plenty of room for
improvement in my technique.
Even the best pilots seek out coaches
who can help them improve. Someone
like me needs all available help. It takes
humility to ask for and accept guidance.
Smart pilots know that others can see what we may overlook. Without
coaching, we might repeatedly do the
wrong thing.
Preflight Checks Necessary
Charles E. Castaing wrote to me about
a pilot whose skill and determination
saved the day.
“One of our club members was
flying his giant Big Stik powered with a
powerful 36cc gasoline engine. He had
made some adjustments to the flaps/
ailerons, and had inadvertently reversed
the ailerons. As soon as the plane left
the ground, he shouted that the ailerons
were backward. This club member has
been flying only for about a year.
“He flew the plane for several minutes
and there were many scary moments as
several of us rushed to his side to console
him. Believe it or not, he missed nosing
the plane in, and only with an iron will
and plenty of concentration, he brought
the plane down for a relatively rough
landing right off the edge of the runway.
“The only damage was a broken prop,
slightly bent landing gear, and a stripped
clevis on the elevator. It was a superb
feat of flying, in that he kept the plane
aloft for about 3 minutes, getting the feel
of the ailerons being reversed. On some
occasions, he was far and wide, but made
it back okay in the end.
“Before he took off, he moved the
aileron stick on the transmitter and
observed the ailerons on the plane
moving. He did not, however, check to
see that they were moving in the correct
direction. The obvious lesson here was
to be darn sure they move in the correct
direction!”
We can get complacent in our
preflight inspections. Seeing the controls
waggling is reassuring, but not enough.
Sharp pilots are methodical and
observant. Lacking those qualities, I have
sometimes done inadequate inspections,
with luck alone saving me from such an
exciting flight. I pledge to do better.
Sig Product
I saw a simple, but brilliant, item at
the Sig Manufacturing booth at the
Weak Signals Toledo RC Show: a lasercut
kit for making a surface indicator
gauge that helps you accurately measure
and set your RC control surface throws.
It works on rudders, elevators, ailerons,
and flaps. The control throws are easily
measured—without the need of a third
hand—on the laser-inscribed gauge, in
standard measurements on one side or
metric on the other.
The Sig surface indicator gauge comes
in large and small sizes. This is the type of
tool that could save you a big repair job!
Sig has been supplying modelers with
“neato” stuff since before I was invented,
and thoughtful products such as this are
why the company remains popular.
Smoking Comments
A number of readers sent me
comments regarding my recent
discussion of smoking in the pits, and
how it is a bad idea.
One club member said that “during
a field cleanup day, I picked up over 50
cigarette butts from the edge of the pit
area. I could not believe how many there
were. I have never noticed anybody
smoking out there, but it is obviously
going on.”
I still believe there are better locations
to light up than refueling areas.
Clancy Arnold had another viewpoint
on the issue.
“Smoking in the pits is hazardous to
the models! This is a true story.
“Many years ago we had a new flier in
our club who was so nervous after each
flight he had to have a cigarette to calm
down. Then it happened: I brought a
new model out to fly for the first time.
Before I ever started the engine, the new
flier had just flown and was having his
required cigarette.
“While leaning over admiring my
model, the hot end of his cigarette fell
off and went through both layers of
MonoKote on the wing. [There were]
two holes to patch on a brand-new
model; one on top of the wing and one
on the bottom of the wing.”
At least the stars of Clancy’s story
escaped with some minor repairs and a
bit of embarrassment!
He added that there is a fascinating
new product on the market, and he sent
me the website. The company is in jolly
old England and sells engines, fuel, and
Fire Eaters, which are interesting.
These long, thin, plastic tubes can
be mounted inside a turbine-powered
model; they react to heat by releasing
the DuPont FE-25 extinguishing agent.
Watch the video and be amazed.
I’ve only viewed the website and
cannot testify to the use of this product,
but it looks cool! It’s an automatic
onboard fire suppression system the size
of a soda straw. Wow!
Contact Me
If you have comments, suggestions,
or wise advice to add to Mike’s List
(see the August “Safety Comes First”
column), please contact me. Email
is fine, and letters can be sent to
AMA Headquarters. You can remain
anonymous if desired. I wish I could
after some of my landings.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/09
Page Numbers: 85,86,87
Practice makes perfect! One of the
best things about our sport is that
it is diffi cult to fl y RC models
well. The challenge of developing “skill
on the sticks” keeps us interested and
involved. It’s been said that proper RC
pilot training is roughly equivalent to
learning to play the violin. After several
decades of lessons, my fl ying is still
slightly out of tune.
At a recent club indoor session, I was
practicing with some new indoor RC
aircraft, one after another, as each one
charged. My mini helicopter actually
didn’t laugh at me as I tried to master
sideways fl ight, but I could hear it
snickering. The fi xed-wing aircraft were
no better. My friends were hunkered
down behind tables and chairs, enjoying
the show.
The evening of practice reminded me
of the emails that arrived this month
from readers. Carlos Reyes, from the
well-known website RCadvisor.com,
wrote about his personal “bugaboo”
of stall/spin accidents. Carlos said
that he has “only seen one of those
where the pilot actually took personal
responsibility. More commonly,
everybody is quick to blame a radio
glitch, loose connector, voodoo doll, or
whatever pops into their head.”
A stall/spin is a common full-scale
accident, although the pilot has access
to an airspeed indicator. Our models
are controlled from the ground and
we have to visually estimate their
airspeed. Practice and experience help us
recognize and avoid stalls.
Sometimes, a bit of humility is
necessary to abandon a missed approach
and go around again. Trying to salvage
a bad situation is a rookie mistake, but
experienced fl iers get tempted, too. In
a battle between ego and the laws of
physics, the ground always wins.
At one point during my evening of
practice fl ying, I was fumbling with the
battery connection on a Fokker triplane.
While trying to hold the airplane,
transmitter, and battery, I bumped the
throttle to full. On such a small model,
it was merely embarrassing (“Hey Dave,
I think it’s trying to get away from you!”)
but a larger model could have done
some harm.
This is all too common. Pilots should
set the transmitter down or hand it
off. In an attempt to save time, we
sometimes get caught by a runaway
propeller.
Propeller Attacks
When a propeller spins unexpectedly,
it can be a serious matter. Ed Maynes
sent me an awful photo, along with this
story.
“I was at my fl ying fi eld early, to
get in a couple of fl ights before the
crowd arrived. I set the aircraft and Tx
[transmitter] on a workbench and went
about attaching the battery. I had not
fl own this plane in some time, but the
settings had not changed and the Tx
was set for this aircraft. I had positioned
the model on my
left and the Tx on
the right. I knew
this was asking for
trouble but I was
careless.
“I got the
normal beeps
from the motor.
The throttle was
in the full down
position but it
immediately went
to full throttle. Even though I was
holding the aircraft, it lurched into my
right hand. Four hours and 32 stitches
later, I left the ER.
“I did not have an emergency kit
with me and had to wrap my hand in
a napkin. This was not enough to slow
down the bleeding, so now I have a
complete emergency kit in my trunk.
The photo shows my hand just before
stitches. I’ve learned a lesson and hope
by my sharing my accident with your
readers, they will stay alert.”
I seldom publish gory pictures, but
poor Ed wanted us all to avoid his fate,
and this is great motivation.
Throttle Stabilizer
Hunter Sheridan sent me a couple
of photos depicting a simple idea to
improve throttle stabilization. I’ve
heard from many pilots who use it.
The tension of a rubber band keeps the
throttle where it belongs, even if it gets
bumped by a klutz such as me.
At takeoff, just slip the band off the
stick and fl y. Hunter says that many of
his friends use this trick in addition to an
arming device and whatever electronic
safeguards are built into their radios.
My friends enjoyed my indoor
practice session too much, and offered
somewhat helpful advice such as, “Try
to fly around the obstacles instead of
through them.” I didn’t hit anything or
anyone, but there is plenty of room for
improvement in my technique.
Even the best pilots seek out coaches
who can help them improve. Someone
like me needs all available help. It takes
humility to ask for and accept guidance.
Smart pilots know that others can see what we may overlook. Without
coaching, we might repeatedly do the
wrong thing.
Preflight Checks Necessary
Charles E. Castaing wrote to me about
a pilot whose skill and determination
saved the day.
“One of our club members was
flying his giant Big Stik powered with a
powerful 36cc gasoline engine. He had
made some adjustments to the flaps/
ailerons, and had inadvertently reversed
the ailerons. As soon as the plane left
the ground, he shouted that the ailerons
were backward. This club member has
been flying only for about a year.
“He flew the plane for several minutes
and there were many scary moments as
several of us rushed to his side to console
him. Believe it or not, he missed nosing
the plane in, and only with an iron will
and plenty of concentration, he brought
the plane down for a relatively rough
landing right off the edge of the runway.
“The only damage was a broken prop,
slightly bent landing gear, and a stripped
clevis on the elevator. It was a superb
feat of flying, in that he kept the plane
aloft for about 3 minutes, getting the feel
of the ailerons being reversed. On some
occasions, he was far and wide, but made
it back okay in the end.
“Before he took off, he moved the
aileron stick on the transmitter and
observed the ailerons on the plane
moving. He did not, however, check to
see that they were moving in the correct
direction. The obvious lesson here was
to be darn sure they move in the correct
direction!”
We can get complacent in our
preflight inspections. Seeing the controls
waggling is reassuring, but not enough.
Sharp pilots are methodical and
observant. Lacking those qualities, I have
sometimes done inadequate inspections,
with luck alone saving me from such an
exciting flight. I pledge to do better.
Sig Product
I saw a simple, but brilliant, item at
the Sig Manufacturing booth at the
Weak Signals Toledo RC Show: a lasercut
kit for making a surface indicator
gauge that helps you accurately measure
and set your RC control surface throws.
It works on rudders, elevators, ailerons,
and flaps. The control throws are easily
measured—without the need of a third
hand—on the laser-inscribed gauge, in
standard measurements on one side or
metric on the other.
The Sig surface indicator gauge comes
in large and small sizes. This is the type of
tool that could save you a big repair job!
Sig has been supplying modelers with
“neato” stuff since before I was invented,
and thoughtful products such as this are
why the company remains popular.
Smoking Comments
A number of readers sent me
comments regarding my recent
discussion of smoking in the pits, and
how it is a bad idea.
One club member said that “during
a field cleanup day, I picked up over 50
cigarette butts from the edge of the pit
area. I could not believe how many there
were. I have never noticed anybody
smoking out there, but it is obviously
going on.”
I still believe there are better locations
to light up than refueling areas.
Clancy Arnold had another viewpoint
on the issue.
“Smoking in the pits is hazardous to
the models! This is a true story.
“Many years ago we had a new flier in
our club who was so nervous after each
flight he had to have a cigarette to calm
down. Then it happened: I brought a
new model out to fly for the first time.
Before I ever started the engine, the new
flier had just flown and was having his
required cigarette.
“While leaning over admiring my
model, the hot end of his cigarette fell
off and went through both layers of
MonoKote on the wing. [There were]
two holes to patch on a brand-new
model; one on top of the wing and one
on the bottom of the wing.”
At least the stars of Clancy’s story
escaped with some minor repairs and a
bit of embarrassment!
He added that there is a fascinating
new product on the market, and he sent
me the website. The company is in jolly
old England and sells engines, fuel, and
Fire Eaters, which are interesting.
These long, thin, plastic tubes can
be mounted inside a turbine-powered
model; they react to heat by releasing
the DuPont FE-25 extinguishing agent.
Watch the video and be amazed.
I’ve only viewed the website and
cannot testify to the use of this product,
but it looks cool! It’s an automatic
onboard fire suppression system the size
of a soda straw. Wow!
Contact Me
If you have comments, suggestions,
or wise advice to add to Mike’s List
(see the August “Safety Comes First”
column), please contact me. Email
is fine, and letters can be sent to
AMA Headquarters. You can remain
anonymous if desired. I wish I could
after some of my landings.
