RC India

So, now that we have taken-off, the next thing is to keep flying, until we are ready to land.  In this thread, we will discuss normal flight, where the plane is flying upright (i e, not inverted or upside-down !).

If you are an absolute beginner flying without a trainer on a buddy cord setup, it helps to stay at the center of the flying field, and keep doing circles around you for the first few minutes.  Just apply a very small amount of aileron consistently in any one direction, and make the plane go in circles with you at the center of the circle. 

Depending on wind, trim and other factors, you may need to adjust the elevator a little bit to keep the plane at the decent height.  A decent height is where you are not too high where you can't figure out what the plane is doing, and not too low enough to introduce fear of an imminent crash.  It should be a decent height for you to try giving a small amount of control input, and if you realize that you did it wrong, you have enough to go the other way.  Obviously, this is all easier said than done, and that is where sim training will save the day, the aircraft, your money and your continued interest in this hobby  :)

The biggest mistakes that newcomers make, are [1] to fly too far, [2] to fly too close and [3] flying directly into the sun.  If you fly too far, it makes it difficult to recognize the orientation of the aircraft, resulting in emergencies. If you fly too close, panic sets in as your mind start to worry about the aircraft hitting something.  So the key is to plan ahead, and take appropriate turns to keep the aircraft at a comfortable distance and altitude.

When it comes to turns, there are multiple ways of doing it.  Most people start out by using ailerons to turn (assuming a 4 channel plane), with a slight pull of elevator to keep the plane from losing altitude.  As you get more experienced, you will start using the rudder also to aid in turns.  The key again is to use gentle/small inputs, and not try to take sharp turns initially.

Sharp turns can be achieved by turning the plane on one side using a significant amount of aileron input, and then pulling back significantly on the elevator.

Can you also discuss any specific Tx settings for normal flight. Since you mentioned small inputs, any specific settings on the TX that will help a beginner avoid mistakes to whatever extent possible.

In fact what is a good choice TX that will be useful and economincal both short and long term. And how does one setup the TX.

[Admin NOTE] The whole issue of setup and radio setup will be discussed in separate future threads.

Here are few more tips that I could think of..

1, Trim your model properly so that if flys straight and level "hands free" - This is a very very important step. Spend a lot of time in this. If you are not sure ask an experienced flyer to do this for you.

2, For good elegant flying concentrate on keeping the plane straight and level. You may need to compensate for crosswinds by adding appropriate inputs (Mostly rudder). On turns, try to maintain the same altitude. Fly gracefully around. Don't get too excited about 3D moves and try those moves too early in your flight training.

3, As Anwar said, do not fly your model too far away. You would not know what the model is doing and its very easy to get disoriented. You should keep the model near you so that you should be able to see the model's wheels.

4, Gain enough altitude before you practise turns or any other maneauvers. Usually, it will be about the same distance where you should be able to see the model's wheels. If you are nervous fly to a higher altitude where you feel comfortable... Once you get confident lower the altitude and get the model in good visual range.

5, NEVER FLY OVER YOUR HEAD!!... You can read that again. You cannot judge the model's height when you fly overhead. (Depth perception). On overhead view, a model flying on a shallow dive will look as if it were flying level. Fly the model 100 to 200 feet before you so that you could see and judge the model'e flying height without any doubts.

6, Once you are comfortable flying level, fly in a pre-planned circuts. You have to chart out a plan before take off... like you do clockwise turns then, figure of 8s.. etc. You can talk to your flying buddy so that he will remind you of the next flight course... or you can remember it yourself. -- Don't fly like a man possesed... unfortunately we do this sometimes once you get too comfortable with the model. (including myself)

-Ismail