Micros vs Park flyers

[crobar]

I haven't yet tried one of the "micro planes" and am just curious if they are actually easier or harder to fly than the typical next size up park flyers like the little J3 cub? I have learned to fly with an Ember 2 and it is hard to imagine these micro planes actually making a stable flight.

[JetPlaneFlyer]

General rule is bigger planes fly better and are easier to fly.. but big planes crash harder.

[Rollin1]

Good day to you Crobar,I have the PZ ultra micro J3 and I have to say IMHO it flys pretty steady with NO WIND and you gotta keep the nose down when throttle up as its wants to climb.It needs way more space than the Ember(if thats not the J3 you spoke of disregard)

[Rockin Robbins]

If you need wind tolerance a larger plane will serve you better. They have the inertia that can only come from their weight to fly much better in wind. Your Ember shares characteristics of my Vapor in having very low wing loading and that hurts handling in the wind.

If you can pick your conditions and don't mind 10 mph wind being off limits (that's a problem for a lot of people) then a micro will fly excellently. Just check out the videos of the UM T-28 and you can't say it isn't a very capable and stable flier.

Larger planes are easier to see at a distance but you tend to fly them further away, so that's a wash. You can land a larger plane on wheels in the grass most of the time and that might be important to you.

There are great planes either way. Yours is mostly a personal choice and I don't see any right or wrong there. You'll be happy either way. You'll buy both sizes soon anyway!

[AEAJR]

I have the Vapor. Fab, but it won't handle any wind. It is for indoor or nearly calm conditions. Other than that, iti is very easy to fly.

[JZSlenker]

While the micros are totally fun to fly (I have a T-28 and The Beast) they are quite fast and a little harder to fly in my opinion, but as JetPlaneFlyer points out, they don't crash as hard. I have put both of mine into a pesky telephone pole that periodically jumps out in front of me when flying in my office parking lot. I prefer my park flyers overall, but being able to fly at work during lunch makes the micros a welcome addition.

[Bomb Dropper]

Micro's are fun, but a parkflyer will definitely handle the wind better and fly more like a real plane. Much more stable for sure.

[mclarkson]

I've flown the Mini Super Cub (32") wingspan and the ultra-micro J-3 Cub. I find the J-3 to be much harder to fly.

Tiny planes seem to operate in fast forward mode - everything happens more quickly.

The Vapor may be the easiest plane in the world to fly, but it won't tolerate any wind at all. I have the Night Vapor, so I can fly it after dark when winds die down.

[Rockin Robbins]

You mean "hurts handling in the wind" may have understated the point?

OK, I'd say 5 mph is way out of bounds for a Vapor. You might handle a couple of miles an hour and keep her in the air. As long as the flow is smooth you can even have fun in a LITTLE breeze. But if it's bumpy, your plane can be flying two feet off the ground and suddenly be sucked to the surface as if it were stepped on by an invisible giant. The CAT (clear air turbulence) BITES!

Larger planes have the additional airspeed and inertia not usually to be affected as greatly. You can be left blissfully ignorant of the real air conditions through which you fly.

However the Vapor is so sensitive that you will know everything about how the atmosphere behaves in the near-ground environment. Sometimes in smooth air it is amazing just how much wind it can tolerate. When the CAT is running rampant, 1 mph can be prohibitive. My Vapor has been a great teacher about the greatly varied moods of the sky. Wind strength and direction are only a small part of the picture.

If a Vapor is your only plane, you can get frustrated with not being able to fly. As part of a collection it is a unique and wonderful thing. Truthfully, it sounds like you'd be best served by a parkflier first.

[cbatters]

I enjoy the novelty of the micro planes but prefer the smoother flying of larger park flyer planes. (micro planes are very responsive bordering on twitchy in comparison based on low mass) Mixed feelings about beginners learning to fly on micros. Really impressed at their durability due to low weight.


Clint

[phillipmorris]

Actually find the Ember quite a stable flyer, will take small amounts of breeze but agree an indoor flyer. We just recently have access to indoor flying, and flew the Ember one handed while answering a cell phone call, as it merrily flew around the basketball court area, its very manuverable for an indoor flyer, outside enjoyed just this morning with a rare less than 2 mph breezes, but the 19 deg temp shortened the flight time on these tiny batteries to less than 4 minutes, else super fun...<>..

Agree I like the park flyers for the all around flying but micros are great especially indoors when the weather is horrible outside..<>..

[dkrhardy]

Originally Posted by mclarkson

I've flown the Mini Super Cub (32") wingspan and the ultra-micro J-3 Cub. I find the J-3 to be much harder to fly.

*Tiny planes seem to operate in fast forward mode - everything happens more quickly.

The Vapor may be the easiest plane in the world to fly, but it won't tolerate any wind at all. I have the Night Vapor, so I can fly it after dark when winds die down.

*However, when you get close to trouble all you need do is chop power, let it settle into a glide, level the wing, then resume flying. They won't drop out of the sky on you!

[phillipmorris]

After more flights things slow down, it simply takes practice, the light micros are very forgiving and take loads of abuse which I certainly tested during my numerous outdoor flights !

Agree they don't drop that quickly, very forgiving...

[phillipmorris]

With the winter weather enjoying indoor flights last week or so with the new site now available for us thanks from a ton of work from one of our local flyers !

Flew yesterday the smooth Ember flyer, excellent for indoors and takes light breezes, brief clip on launch and hand catch, its a honey indoor flyer. My bald head shines well in the background hah. Really enjoying this indoor flyer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShsvtS1GfKI

Pssst AmainHobbies has the Eflight Rescue dual bladed heli on sale at a low $69 BNF, coaxial, just looks cool, orginal price $129. Mine should arrive today or monday, another fun ship. Suppose to be a stable flyer, we will see !

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ter-Bind-N-Fly

Simply looks cool, BNF Bind and Fly comes with all except transmitter, can even use an MCX transmitter if you wish. Loads of videos on this one but will try to post one if I get this one to fly !

[dkrhardy]

PM - Not sure about that heli, but I can tell you that my Syma S022 "big" Chinook coax is a fun flyer. Be sure to fly inside or when there is NO wind. The broad sides of these Chinooks make them a "kite" if there is any breeze. Yours seems to be about the same size as the S022.

[mclarkson]

Originally Posted by phillipmorris

Pssst AmainHobbies has the Eflight Rescue dual bladed heli on sale at a low $69 BNF, coaxial, just looks cool, orginal price $129. Mine should arrive today or monday, another fun ship. Suppose to be a stable flyer, we will see !

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ter-Bind-N-Fly

Simply looks cool, BNF Bind and Fly comes with all except transmitter, can even use an MCX transmitter if you wish. Loads of videos on this one but will try to post one if I get this one to fly !

Oooooh. Tempting! I *love* my MCX2, and I have a free slot on my DX6i.

[phillipmorris]

Just arrived, the E-flite Rescue Tandem, flew great right out of the box, and even used the lowly MCX transmitter, easy to control. At that price its a bargain, comes with even the battery and charger, just need your desired transmitter.

Brief clip maiden flight in the living room ! Mine pulled abit to the right on lift off, likely the norm as once in air all smoothed out nicely ! Super Fun flyer, going to have fun with this stable flyer !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM9s5pom_p8

[red08yaris]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

There are great planes either way. Yours is mostly a personal choice and I don't see any right or wrong there. You'll be happy either way. You'll buy both sizes soon anyway!

I agree with rockin robbins, it's your choice. I bought the HZ Champ for my first plane and after about two months I decided I wanted something bigger. So yesterday I went and got a HZ Super Cub over twice the size of the Champ. I like the micro because after you get good then you don't have to have as much space to fly them plus the parts are cheap if you manage to break any that you can't just tape back together. I also like the parkflyer because they can handle the wind, go a lot farther out without losing sight, and they have more power but if you crash them it costs more to fix. I would say start with micro then upgrade to a parkflyer in my opinion. Both my Champ and the Super Cub are 3 channels and fly almost the same so it's mainly the space and wind speed that makes them different. After you play with a micro and time after time the wind is blowing to much and you can't fly then you will want something bigger that can handle the wind speed so you can fly more often.

[phillipmorris]

Exactly right, parkflyers will handle so much better with more than a breeze going on. Weather so cold up here in the midwest and just recently gaining access to an inside location, really enjoying the micro planes flying comfortably indoors is awsome for winter fun. I like both, each has its advantages..ENJOY !

Pssst again one of the best deals out there is the E-flite Tandem Rescue dual coaxial from AMAINHOBBIES has best price $69, as they were originally $129 BNF, but supply is limited.

On indoor flying, Vapor and Ember do beautifully, Ember more conventional flight, Vapor floats much slower also a treat.

[scoote621]

I am attempting to learn on a micro flyer (flyzone albatros) Crashed on the maiden flight and had to do some repair work. The elevator servo horn had been knocked loose. I fixed with some glue but the throw seems low, how much movement should the elevator have?

[kenchiroalpha]

Hi
As the others have said smaller is twitchy larger more stable in flight
That being said i love to fly them all, I fly from UM up to large scale IC powered aircraft and helis and they all have a place and time
Heres a few of mine
Do enjoy
http://www.rchangout.com/forums/album.php?albumid=15
Take care
Yours Hank

[Rockin Robbins]

I just started 4 channel with a UM Trojan and I'm really glad I have the micro. Was inappropriately flying in too small an area with some trees (plane magnets) around and had some plane to ground and plane to tree contact that would have destroyed a larger plane.

When flying any plane, no matter what the size one of the most important things is carefully choosing flying conditions. Wind speed and a very open area where you don't have to depend on precise control of your flight are crucial. I won't be flying the Trojan in my front yard for a long time. I've got a lot to learn!

But, because it was the micro with no momentum to speak of, I survived my stupidity with no damage and can do it right next time. Darn that thing is fast. You 100 mph fliers have my deepest respect!

[RightFly]

I made my first RC flights last fall. I flew a HZ Champ and a Flyzone Sky Fly Max. The Champ had trouble handling 4-5 mph breeze while the Max was able to handle the breeze.

However, the Max would get hung up in the tres muck higher than the Champ .

Roger