Need advice on beginner plane

[Balil]

all 3 of said planes will teach you to fly, i would imagine that the swift will be more challenging to fly because of it having ailerons, but on the flipside learning with ailerons instead of a rudder will be more usefull in later models because its the main way of yawing (turning) the plane.

[constantCrash]

I've never bought from them, but www.HobbyZone.com has a deal where you buy the cub for regular price and get a free extra battery.

I love my cub.

[Tinman]

Originally Posted by constantCrash

I've never bought from them, but www.HobbyZone.com has a deal where you buy the cub for regular price and get a free extra battery.

I love my cub.

Yep thats a great deal, it;s where I got mine.....no tax.....no shiping and a free extra battery.

I think its the best deal you'll find. Unless you pick up a used one. (you might not know what your getting)

[AEAJR]

Originally Posted by Balil

all 3 of said planes will teach you to fly, i wouldimagine that the swift will be more challenging to fly because of ithaving ailerons, but on the flipside learning with ailerons instead ofa rudder will be more usefull in later models because its the main wayof yawing (turning) the plane.

This is not correct. For those who want to learn a little more about how a plane is controlled read on. Everyone else skip this post.

There are three axis of control :

Pitch - this changes the angle of attack, AOA, of the wing. You can think of pitch as up and down but it is really an AOA control. By changing the AOA we change the lift characteristic of the wing.

Roll - This control rotates the wings about the axis of the fuselage. We also call this "banking" the plane. Roll is the primary method used for turning your plane. By redirecting the lift of the wings in the direction you want to turn,the lift force will take the plane in that direction. We often add "up"once we have rolled which increases the angle ofattack of the wings to increase the lift generated by the wing in the direction we want to go. As "up" is normally into the turn when we are rolled, up will increase the rate of the turn. This is some times called bank and pull or bank and crank turning.

Yaw - the rotation of the plane around a point near the Center of Gravity of the plane, as if it were hanging from a string at that point. This would move the tail/nose left and right along a flat plane.Yaw alone will cause a flat winged plane to skid along in the direction it was traveling until the drag of the fin and fuselage push it over . This is not a primary turning method.

Yaw control is useful for "crabbing" into the wind on landing approach or keeping the nose up in a knife edge, as well as other things.

Dihedral or polyhedral - This is the up sweep of the wing seen in some planes. In rudder only planes this is necessary so that the rudder, incombination with the wing dihedral can bank the plane. As we yaw the plane, using the rudder, we present one uplifted wing tip to the oncoming air stream, which increases the lift on that tip while decreasing the lift on the opposite wing. This causes the wings to roll which will result in a turn. Again we can increase the AOA, add "up", to increase the rate of turn. When we remove the yaw force,straighten the rudder,the dihedral in the wings will tend to return the plane tolevel flight. That is why beginner planes, whether they have ailerons or not, tend to have significant dihedral in the wings, it makes them more self correcting.

Many plane with ailerons also have dihedral in the wings but here it is primarily for stability as the ailerons will be used most of the time to roll the plane.


Pitch is controlled by motor speed, elevator, canard, elevons, or a combination depending on the design of the plane.

Roll, your primary turning control, is handled by the ailerons,wingerons, elevons or, nn planes without ailerons, roll is produced by combination of rudder and wing dihedral. Roll is always your primary turning control.

On planes that have ailerons and a rudder, yaw is a secondary turning assist to provide smoother turns and more efficient turns in combination with the ailerons.

Yaw control, via the rudder is very important in many acrobatic moves.The yaw control is also your primary directional control on the ground.This is done with the rudder or a combination of rudder and aturnable ground wheel. In many cases the ground wheel is attached to the rudder itself.

So, pitch, roll and yaw are your control axis. They can be controlled by a variety of methods depending on the design of the aircraft. Certainly helicopters also have these control axis but they use different methods than fixed wing aircraft.

If we add the speed control, we can relate this to the control sticks using Mode 2 layout, which is the standard in North America.

In Mode 2 we have pitch and roll on the right stick and speed and yaw on the left stick. What surfaces and devices those sticks control depends on the design of the aircraft. For example, sometimes rudder is on the right stick and sometimes it is on the left. Sometimes throttle is on the left stick as our speed control and sometimes, as in the case of gliders, we tend to put the flaps on the left stick as our speed control.

If you think in terms of pitch, roll, yaw and speed, your controls always make sense regardless of what type of aircraft you are flying.

[Frank Voikel]

Thanks for the directional terminology tips...

Looking around, the best deal I've found on a brand new SC is at Diversion Hobbies (.com). Free shipping, extra batt, no tax, and the Aerial Drop Module for the normal price.
Hobb-E-Mart sells brand new and used planes, all with some sort of defect. If Horizon can't sell it for some reason, it goes there (I think...). Defects range from scratches on the wing and cosmetic damage to dead servos, RXs and ESCs.

I'm considering buying from either of them.

[Tinman]

The Diversion Hobbies deal sounds really good.

[Frank Voikel]

Okay... After all of the helpful recommendations, hints, and tips I have received here, I'm now actively looking for a plane on ebay and elsewhere.
My battle plan follows:
o Get either the HZ Super Cub or the HZ Slo-V as a first plane
o Get one of the PZ warbirds as an introductory aileron plane.
o Get the Stryker (B because my parents are strongly against the C and its speed... I might have to upgrade it behind their backs...)

I'm going in!

[KEEBLE]

I Recently Saw A Piper Style Very Accuarately Plane In Red Or Blue, Suggested As A New Trainer Or Bebinner Ertf. It Had Low Wing To Fusealage Like Piper Or Bonanza Plane. I Think It Had Single Enigine And Made Of Foaam. Does Anyone Have Idea What I Viewed Or What Plane I Might Have Been Suggested To////

[SaucerGuy]

Get the fastest, least durable, most insane plane on the market and instead of taking it out of it's box, toss it instantly into the garbage can,........... he he

Keep your ears open as to what everybody is going to tell you to get, make your decisions based upon that before you spend the dough. This place, and other forums in general will help you make an educated decision purchase wise above and beyond any place else, believe me, I spent way too much on stuff I either couldn't handle, or didn't need, or worse, went completely obsolete.

The majority here usually has a well rounded, yet when it comes to specifics, knowledgable point of view since we've been in your shoes at one time and constantly compare it to what's on the market today, just some lose track of those memories some times, most do not.

You are in for alot of fun with this hobby, it's something you just have to fully experience that cannot be put into words.

[agin]

One of the things I have not seen here are component electronics as opposed to an all in 1 type set up. It is cheaper to replace a part than it is to replace the whole unit. You may also want to transfer some the parts to your next toy.

I also watch E-bay and there are some deals there. I am always going to add more dings so what does it matter if I start with a few. I got my son a new in the box T-Hawk for $72 on E-Bay.

Good Luck

Also one more plane I have heard is a good trainer is the BeginAir. It is 4 Channel.

[Frank Voikel]

Yeah, I'm going for the Super Cub.
I bid on one last night and got outbid by a buck. Soo close!

[Tinman]

You can't go wrong with the Super Cub, good choice!

[Frank Voikel]

Oh yeah!
I got it!
$91 plus $17.50 S&H, coming to a total of 108.50 for a nice Super Cub!

Should be here by next Friday, I'll maiden it and post a Super Cub Maiden thread here then.

[Tinman]

Wow thats a great deal!!

[mjohnston23]

Quick question. What's the difference between a slowflyer propeller and a regular propeller? I've tried both and haven't noticed a difference? Thanks.

[CitaFly]

Props explained here:

http://www.ampaviators.com/index.php...d=66&Itemid=27

You'll definitely see a difference using a wattmeter or measuring rpms.

[AEAJR]

CitaFly,

That is one fine article. Thanks for writing it and making it available.

[Frank Voikel]

That was just what I needed. I will be getting some replacement props for the Super Cub, and I needed to clarify which ones to get. That article was perfect.

Thanks!

[mjohnston23]

Thanks for that link. That makes all the difference in the world! WATTFLYER RULES!!