When released at trim speed in calm air, the model should glide at a steady speed with wings level, and land gently with no control input necessary from the pilot. If it is "out of trim" or not properly trimmed, the inexperienced pilot is much more likely to over control in an effort to compensate. This will usually lead to shorter flights with uglier "landings", and a greater chance of resulting damage. A gentle touch at the controls is always best. Be sure the wings are not warped, and that the control surfaces are set the way your kit instructions say they should be. The new untrimmed model should be released low for the first flight or three. This way the trims may be set for roll and pitch with minimal risk to the model. Once a straight glide is attained with "hands off" of the controls, more height may be applied to the launch. Back to top of page.
Functionality and Set Up
BEFORE you EVER throw your model, you should move the stick to verify that the servos and the control surfaces function. This is a good method to reduce damage that may otherwise occur if there is some sort of radio or battery problem. It's always better to find such problems BEFORE LAUNCHING, and there is a simple series of tests to help isolate problems. If it doesn't work, try turning it on. If it still doesn't work, try charging the battery. If you don't know how to charge the battery, read the directions. If you don't have any battery charging directions, GET HELP before you do something wrong and damage your expensive radio equipment. If you haven't flown it since building it, be sure back-stick makes both elevons go up and visa-versa. Also make sure that left stick makes the left elevon go up and the right elevon go down, and visa-versa. Where is your control mixing taking place, in the transmitter or in the receiver? If you don't know this, you definitely shouldn't be flying by yourself. Back to top of page.
Help
You should ALWAYS get help learning to flyin order to speed the process & keep things as safe as possible. The best place to find help is at an RC flying club. Get on the web and check out the Academy of Model Aeronautics (5151 E. Memorial Drive, Muncie, Indiana, 47302 or telephone 1-765-287-1256, www.modelaircraft.org). The AMA has RC flying club listing for clubs & flying sites in your area. You should consider joining the AMA for the tremendous value of interdisciplinary information found in their monthly magazine, "MODEL AVIATION" that comes with the membership. Back to top of page.
Alone
For starters, teaching yourself to fly without anyone helping you can be very dangerous for others as well as yourself. Below are just some of the reasons that this is true. If you are going to fly by yourself (not with a club) STAY 3 TO 5 MILES AWAY FROM ALL CLUB FLYING FIELDS WHENEVER FLYING ALONE. Two radio controls near operating near each other may interfere with one another causing either or both models to crash. If your model "gets hit" (RF interference), it's soft and light weight & probably won't do much damage if it crashes (and you probably wouldn't be dumb enough to fly near any highways or valuable fragile property anyway). Other modelers, however, may be flying $5000 (FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR) 25 LB (TWENTY FIVE POUND) 150 mph (ONE HUNDRED FIFTY MILE-PER-HOUR) model jet planes right next to a busy highway at their favorite easily accessible club field. Don't be the cause of such a high-energy model diving into traffic. Fly responsibly! Back to top of page.
Clear Frequency Check
You may try turning on your model first to allow the receiver to "listen" for other signals in the area. Be careful how your servos act the moment you turn on the switch. If they go full travel, turn it off immediately and always leave it off when the transmitter is not powered on. A jittering or chattering servo, or other random action on the part of your control surfaces, are signs of possible radio signal conflict in your area. This could cause a crash. If the servos chirp when powered on and then go quiet, you should be OK. Hold it up high while the radio is powered up and rotate it around like you're adjusting your TV antenna for better reception. Listen to the servos while doing this, and if they act up, you should change flying sites before flying. This clear frequency check is not a guarantee that interference won't still show up at some point while you're trying to fly. Use your head, keep your eyes and ears open, and...
Scout the Site (on the Web AND in the Field)
You may have found an older radio or been given one by someone who doesn't need it. If it's old it may quite possibly be technically illegal to use, and clubs may not want you around with it. As the popularity of radio controlled flying has increased, so has the demand for radio frequency (RF) bandwidth. Like real estate, there is only so much RF bandwidth to go around. To deal with this demand, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has declared tighter RF frequency requirements on radio control transmitters, as well as many other types of radio equipment. This means new radios have to broadcast on a more specific frequency ONLY (i.e., cleaner RF emission), and NOT on adjacent frequencies. If you use your radio near other modelers, you could bring down their airplanes and visa versa. REMEMBER the model-into-traffic scenario, and LOOK AND LISTEN FOR OTHER MODELERS. This is true even with a brand spankin' new radio that's completely legal to use. You still may not notice someone flying an $800 composite sailplane a mile down the ridge from you, dynamic soaring at 180 mph near a group of spectators. If you haven't checked with Academy of Model Aeronautics for clubs near where you want to fly, then DON'T FLY YET. Safety is no accident. Be proactive and check it out ahead of time. This stuff is SERIOUS. Back to top of page.
Range Check
Next, with your transmitter and your model both powered on and your transmitter antenna DOWN or COLLAPSED, walk away from your model and stir the stick around. Aim the transmitter antenna away from the model and keep walking 'till the model starts failing to respond to your stick commands. Now aim the antenna back at the model. Does this bring control back to the model? If so you are reaching the limit of your antenna-down range. How does this compare to the same test that you tried at home? If you haven't tried this at home, you should. You should do this range check at every new flying site, and maybe every flying session, just in case. Familiarity with your radio system performance may keep you from losing the model and the flight pack in the woods, water, traffic, bystanders, or some other hazard. Back to top of page.
Restraint
Remember that if you don't stop flying while the model still works, you may have to stop because the model doesn't work. Don't fight fatigue and/or poor conditions just to get a little more stick time. The risk to the model, yourself and to others may not be worth it. Your battery may not have "a little more" charge left after a long and active HLAerobatic session. Leave the field with a model that works. Back to top of page.
Release
The release of your launch can quite literaly make or break your early flights. If your release is rough (imparts some oblique impulse) on your vehicle, the early part of the flight may wobble and even flip, both of which are bad. Ideally the release is smooth, or even "smooooooth", if that's possible in the short time over which a throw takes place. When you first start out, try running with your model and letting it take flight from your hand as you pick up speed. This technique is outstand for giving you a feel of the trim speed, or the particular speed at which the the model happens to be trimmed to fly. This is also the best technique for learning a "smooooooth" release.
Stay relaxed and learn to give the model a release that contains all of the imparted energy that the glider needs in the form of forward speed, and yet contains nothing that the glider does not need as far as unwanted rotation and/or "snap" upon release. Sometimes, if your model exhibits ill-behaved gyrations upon launch, especially at higher speed, the model is simply "spitting out" the ill-component of your launch and release. Be sure your launch isn't giving anything to the model that the model doesn't need, and as much as you can give (smoothe speed) that the model does need. This is true no matter how soft or strong the throw. Back to top of page.
Relax
Learning to fly is a never-ending process, so don't get upset if new skills and abilities don't all come to you at once. Eventually you will start to anticipate and avoid potentially bad situations while flying. This ability will increase with the degree to which you can think ahead of what is going on while flying. Don't let the model fly you. This is the case when you're always having to catch up to the action. ANTICIPATE, AVOID, LEAD and RELAX with the controls. If you catch yourself feeling tense, breath slow and deep and tap your heels together. This will help you relax. If your model starts to look like a bird, then you are doing something right! Back to top of page.
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