Up till now, I have been discussing various aspects of getting started in flying radio controlled model airplanes.  Now, I want to step up the action a little bit.   Over the next several posts, I will be discussing and describing the basic aerobatic maneuvers and how to do them.

    As always, I recommend having an experienced flier standing by as you go through these maneuvers to help in case on an emergency and to provide additional assistance as necessary.  Since I am not a serious competitor, I welcome input from those of you that are.  Please feel free to click on the comments link at the end of the post and add your input.  All comments are moderated by myself in order to keep this site free of spam.

    If you are a beginner, I suggest that you have mastered all the basic flight steps including takeoffs,  solo flight, and landings before you attempt these basic aerobatic patterns.  Check with your flight instructor to see if he feels you are ready for aerobatic flying.

    Before getting into the basic patterns, I want to explain what a stall is, why it happens and how to get out of the stall condition.  I know that some of you already know about stalling and what to do about it, but for the sake of the ones that don't, please bear with me. 

    An airplane, whether it is a model or a full sized aircraft will stall if the airspeed gets too slow.  To explain this a little further, you need to understand how a radio controlled model airplane gets the lift needed to sustain continuous flight.  I don't want to get into a lot of technical details about aerodynamics, but let it suffice to say that the lift is created by the air moving over both surfaces of the wing at a speed that is great enough to develop and maintain the required lift. 

    The shape of the wing (airfoil) and the speed of the plane determine how much lift is created.  When the aircraft slows down or loses airspeed, the lift diminishes and it will fall out of the sky.  For example a model can stall from the consequences of too steep of a takeoff when the airspeed is less.  Or, when doing aerobatic patterns at a slower speed and climbing too steeply.  Another condition that can cause a stall is by flying at too low of an airspeed or if the engine should quit in flight.

   Whatever causes it to happen, if a stall occurs without proper corrective action, the plane will fall out of control to the ground and I don't need to tell you what the end result will be.  To recover from a stall, it is necessary to regain airspeed to create the required lift.  If you encounter a stall, point the nose slightly down and if necessary, increase engine speed and when you have reached adequate airspeed gently pull the nose up and level off.  It is a natural reaction especially for beginners to pull up immediately on the elevator control which will only worsen the situation.

    You should practice getting your radio controlled aircraft into a stall and then recovering from the stall and be familiar with doing that so that when doing the aerobatics, you will be more familiar with how your model behaves in a stalled condition.  And as always you should be accompanied by your trainer when you first attempt the stall recovery practice.  

    We will get into a simple inside loop next time.  This is the OldManFlier and I'll see you next time. 

    I will again bring up the issue of locating a local flying club in this post.  You can go to the AMA website and search for AMA sanctioned clubs in your area.  They have names and email addresses or phone numbers of the people you can contact to learn about their club.  They will be able to direct you to the correct person or persons that are able and usually very willing to help you get into the RC hobby.  

    You can also sometimes learn about getting help from the local RC modeling hobby store.  They are a good source of information on the local clubs and they are usually a member of the club. 

    You don't have to "go it" alone.  And it is to your best advantage to seek out qualified help and avoid the many pitfalls and frustrations that can lead to you becoming discouraged and give up on the hobby altogether.

    I just read a news story today from the "The Roanoke Times" .about some young teenage boys and their success in learning to fly from a qualified trainer.  You can read the entire article here: Aviator in training.  At the end of this story, there is a link to a RC flying club's web site.  It is an interesting club with a lot of history.  Be sure to check it out and watch the video on their site.  It is about 5 minutes long and it really shows you a lot about the fun and frustrations of our exciting hobby.

    This is the OldManFlier and I'll see you next time.

    In the first photo, we have a "glow stick" actually this is a rechargeable battery with a built in glow plug connector.  Moving from left to right is the "chicken stick", a hardwood dowel with a rubber coating on one end to protect the propeller.  It is used to flip the prop when starting the glow engine.  This helps save the fingers.

    Next is a homemade chicken stick made of aluminum stock also with a rubber coating on one end.  This is for starting the big engines.  Some of the bigger engines will kick back so hard, the force will actually break the wooden chicken stick.

    The next item is a glow plug connector with extension leads that allow you to connect it to the flight box.  Very handy and with a larger battery, it will enable you to start several RC model airplane engines before it needs recharging.

    Finally, in the top row is a field charger that allows you to recharge your flight pack batteries while you are at the flying field.  Bottom row  left side — an electronic tachometer, helpful for tuning the nitro fueled engine for maximum safe performance.  The last two items are an electric starter and a trainer cable. 

    My point is there several items that you may want or need at the flying field.  So far I've listed only a few of the items needed just for starting and tuning the nitro engine.  You will probably need some extra props, a prop reamer, and a prop wrench as well as some glow fuel and a means of getting the fuel into the tank. 

    Shown below is a modified multi-layered, two-wheeled toolbox that is used for a flight box.  The bottom section contains the 12 volt gel cell battery that powers the fuel pump and the power panel.  Also, the flier keeps a gallon of glow fuel in the bottom compartment and it is connected to the electric fuel pump.  The power panel provides for a couple of different voltages for powering the glow plug on your radio controlled model airplane or heli.   This makes a very versatile and handy method of keeping a supply of the needed items for maintaining flight. 

    Here are some views of the various trays and compartments.  This flight box has everything needed to get your model in the air and ensures that you will have what you need to keep it flying all day.  The first photo is the inside of the bottom compartment where the battery and fuel system is located.  The next two pictures are lift-out trays filled with various needed items.

    The above described flight box is set up with just about anything you could possibly need.  Not everyone will want to take along so much equipment each time they go flying.  Below are front and back views of a flight box that I purchased in 1980 and it is now owned by one of my sons.  It is more compact than the previously shown flight box, but it does have enough of the bare essentials to facilitate a days flying; barring any major mishaps, that is.

    I hope that this will give you some idea of what to take with you and you can see there is quite a variation in what flight boxes consist of.  If you are handy with wood working you can use your own ideas and build what suits you.   The only suggestion that I would offer on building your own design is to use light weight materials, because a fully loaded flight box can get quite heavy.   As you plan what to take, remember some of the basic hand tools such as needle nose pliers, an assortment of small screwdrivers and if your model uses rubber bands to hold the wing in place, keep a good supply of them in your flight box as well.

    A couple more items that really come in handy is some cleaning solution and some rags or paper towels to clean your radio controlled plane after you finish flying.  They can sometimes get very messy.   I know that some manufacturers produce special model cleaning solutions, but I have always used stuff that I mixed myself.   I mix equal parts of water and either "Windex" or rubbing alcohol and add a couple drops of dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle.  Don't overdo it with the dishwashing liquid or it will leave your model sticky.  

    Each time you go to the flying field you will think of other things that you may need so if you are making your own box, allow a little extra room.  Have fun flying and keep it safe.  This is the OldManFlier and I'll see you next time.   

    Among the most important items that you will need are glow fuel, a battery source for the glow plug, and some means of starting the engine.  Some fliers will use their fingers to flip the prop to start the engine, but that has resulted in injured fingers for people of all ages and experience level.  A much safer and smarter way is to use a "chicken stick" to flip the prop.  This way your fingers and hands are out of the way of danger.  A "chicken stick" is simply a hardwood dowel with one end that is coated with rubber to protect the prop from damage.  Even better, is an electric starter that connects to the prop with a rubber cup.  It not only is safer, but it is also helpful for getting a "difficult" engine started.  Something to consider for sure.

    You will also need a means of getting the rc model airplane filled with fuel.  There are a number of different hand-cranked fuel pumps as well as some battery powered pumps available.  Or if you want to save a little money, you can buy a squeeze bulb that will do the job, although it is less convienent than using the pumps mentioned above.

    Basically, what I've already talked about is all you really need to get the model running and ready to fly.  However, what do you do if you should be unfortunate enough to break a prop or if something else needs to be repaired.  What if you burn out your glow plug or get a hole in the fuel line?  Wouldn't it be nice to have a few tools, some glue, and maybe some spare props and glow plugs along?  Certainly it is a good idea to be prepared for making any minor repairs.  It isn't much fun to just get started and find out that something doesn't work or you need to make a minor adjustment.  So, how do you organize these things and keep them handy for immediate use when at the flying field? 

    Come back next time and I will give some more information on what to take with you and a couple suggestions for an appropriate flight box to keep everything close at hand and ready for emergency maintenance.  This is the OldManFlier and I will see you next time.

    She is a senior in high school and needed a subject for a senior project.  Since she is really into RC model airplanes, both building and flying them, she decided to do her project on rebuilding an airplane that was damaged and too valuable to just throw away.  You will see her in some of the pictures shown in this post.  

    She did her fair share of the work, but got a little help from one of her uncles.  He is an experienced builder and flier and it is his airplane that needed the work.  All said and done it worked well for both of them.  She got a good grade on her project (mainly because the judges could see that she was truly "into" her project),  And Jeremy was motivated to dig out the wreckage and get the "Edge" ready for the Spring flying season.

    I included this photo to show you a close up view of the quality of work that went into this project and to give you an idea of the size of this aircraft.  This is the top of the fuselage behind and below the back edge of the cowl.  It is about 8 inches long and about 4 inches wide.  The 8 inch direction is crosswise to the fuselage.

    Splicing and insulating the wires used for the remote glow plug extension.  The remote connection is used to avoid making a large unsightly hole in the cowl to access the glow plug connection.  Here Kristen is heat shrinking the insulation on the splice.

    Repairing a crashed airplane is all about taking your time and paying attention to details.  What you do at this point will affect the performance as well as the appearance of the plane. This picture shows test fitting the unsheeted frame of the cover.  I could go on for hours about the fine details of rebuilding this plane, but I think by now you can tell that they did a good job of building up the damaged and missing parts. 

    Here is another view of the reconstructed firewall and associated sub-structure.  At this point the engine (Saito 4-cycle 1.80) is installed.  Also you can see some of the fuel line tubing and the glow plug connection.  The top piece of the fuselage that goes above the fuel tank is glued in place and covered with blue ultracote.  We just keep getting closer and closer to being ready to fly.   The next photos  show what the "Edge" looks like after it is flight ready.   This rc model aircraft is so large it is difficult to get a good picture in the shop that shows the whole plane in one shot.   Remember this model has a wingspan of 78 inches and has a "full up" ready to fly weight of about 13 pounds. 

    Below is a close up view of the nose of the repaired model.  Another attempt to show you the size of the plane — that prop is 18 inches long and the spinner is 3 inches in diameter.

    Still another view of the finished project.

    There she is.  All ready to go to the flying field.  This has been an educational project and I know it was a lot of fun for her and Jeremy to work together on this awesome radio controlled model airplane. 

    Now, all we can do is to wait for good flying weather and I will be there for the takeoff with movie camera in hand.  I hope to make a video of both Kristen and Jeremy flying the "Edge".  Stay tuned for the videos later in the Spring.  Today, it is snowing hard enough to limit the visibility to one half mile… not good flying weather. 

    Keep coming back.  There will be lots more activity on this blog when we finally get to the flying season.  This is the OldManFlier and I'll see you next time!