Giving Up

[flunkstar]

I have several years off riping nitro cars and trucks,so i thought i new my way round an rc handset,so thinking i was biggles i went and got me-self a spit.4 times it has now kissed the earth at some impressive speeds.i have spent hours on the FMS trainer and i am perfectly alright,even with winds turned on,but when i get out to the park it,s doing loop after loop,until it desides to cost me 50 smackers again.i am wondering if any one has managed to train there selfs on a spit or am just gonna heep chucking money in the grass.... ////////?????

[GSS]

I did the same with my Spit but there does come a point when it simply clicks into place. The most valuable thing I was taught was to not panic when in a turning dive, but to level out and then climb. As soon as you panic you automatically pull up which often puts the plane into a tighter and faster turn - this always ends in a high speed impact.:eek: This has to be the most common cause of crashes and once mastered, you will have no trouble.......

If you really are struggling with the Spit, try the super cub - this is very easy to fly and will give you the time in the air to get a hold on things. :)

[Anthony]

Yeah I'd have to agree; get a cub and have a go with that first. I bought a Spitfire first thinking 'how hard can it be?'... it turns out VERY! Haha :D

I used to be fairly good at RC cars so I'm used to reversing the controls when it's facing you but flying an RC plane is so much harder, from expecience I'd say model planes are even more difficult than the real thing. I've had two short flights with my cub so far and nothing has broken, I had to land early both times because however I trimmed it, it kept banking left. The vertical tail section is a bit bent which may have been the cause, so I have now got a new one which I hope helps the situation.

[denali]

I learned with a fw190 and a flight simm.I did crash a few times but managed to fix it.I now have the spit and it flies much easier than the 190.They both work good but I have switched to brushless and lippo.Lots of power to get you out of trouble but the keys are still to relax and fligh high when trying manuveurs.More recovery time.I learned that the hard way a few times.

[FADEC]

I am learning from scratch on the Spitfire too, I have had to rebuild it four times since Xmas (all from hitting trees/obstacles)! I think I have now got the hang of it and am getting cockier every flight! Bought the battery upgrade, but could really do with more power. My humble tips would be to stay away from areas with trees and fences etc, keep the aircraft high when learning and always roll the wings level before attempting recoveries. Dont get too far downwind. Always check the control surfaces pre flight, I lost the use of an aileron due to the screw coming out in flight. I have also lost 2 props and spinners in flight resulting in dead stick landings!

Good luck!

[Radweld]

Any Warbird isnt the best plane to learn on, they are quite quick to react and you can get into trouble quickly with them. the Super Cub would have been a more boring but far better choice, if you make a mistake its easier to correct because its slower and more stable. FMS isnt a very good simulator, they dont realy fly anything like the real thing, FMS is good for learning orientation but thats about it.

Also you shouldnt fly anywhere near trees, never fly down wind and dont try fly too fast, remember there is a throttle control, they dont have to fly flat out all the time.

I too used to race RC cars and this is also putting you at a disadvantage because flying involves slamm gentle inputs which are totally opposite to cars lol.

[BloODWicko]

Dont give up!!!!

Yeh its quite a hard plane to fly, but once it "clicks" you will get endless hours of quality flying.

I have had my spit for over a year now, and after the first "complete wipeout" i rebuilt it and its been fine since. I still have the orginal wing on it.

Again i would agree with getting her up high, practice in a big field with long crops if you can. We have that yellow stuff in our local field at the moment and it makes a great smooth landing.

check your Centre of Grav as well, sound like something aint right.

good luck and remember if it was easy it wouldnt be so much fun??"!? i think!?


Wicko

[flunkstar]

hi all many thanx for your replies,i took the old grass dart out again after the last post, and yet again i went into a loop straight after take off but i had the B switch on this time and managed to level her out, she was up about 5 mins and it was hard work stoping her rising even with the trim up, then i smacked it and went home.I have now adjusted the rear so it,s more level and joy i have just got back from my first flight and landing i was going to recharge battery and try me luck again but i was shaking,so i went home with the same plane i went out with( HAPPY DAYS) and ime buzzing.......... any way ............happy landings to you all..............

[FADEC]

Haha, nice one!

I piled mine in on Sunday morning, an inverted nose dive into the grass! Oh well had to happen again sometime I suppose.

[Anthony]

I found a surprisingly good RC flight simulator for £20 with a Spitfire on it called 'RC Plane Master' I got it from my local model shop, after several hours playing about on the simulator I took my new Spit out for her first flight and had no problems at all! :)

[bullittrob]

dont give up!,,rather than keep chucking 50 quids at it buy a supercub,.yeh it looks like a toy! but once you fly it that wont bother you,..i bought one for my 8 yr old!,,hes now got all 3 fw190,spit,p51!!!thanks to the flights i made him fly with the cub,.,.if you keep trying with the spit then remember in calm conditions it will loaf around on half power,.keep it like this plus with plenty of height to the point where you can just about see it,then fly figure eights untill you can do it without tipping it on its side.,once this is masterd then you may feel time to bring it in a bit lower.,but like averyone else says keep calm,.dont fly in wind,.but most of all keep practicing!.once masterd its such a rewarding hobby.ive added a pic of my spit.....hope this helps.I have several years off riping nitro cars and trucks,so i thought i new my way round an rc handset,so thinking i was biggles i went and got me-self a spit.4 times it has now kissed the earth at some impressive speeds.i have spent hours on the FMS trainer and i am perfectly alright,even with winds turned on,but when i get out to the park it,s doing loop after loop,until it desides to cost me 50 smackers again.i am wondering if any one has managed to train there selfs on a spit or am just gonna heep chucking money in the grass.... ////////?????

[Anthony]

The super cub doesn't really prepare you for the jump to ailerons you have to make to fly the warbirds. I'd still suggest getting a cub though, if only to get you aquatinted with orientation, once you have mastered that you will be better able to fly one of the low wing planes.

[ctfairway]

I have recently graduated from a rudder/elevator model to the Spit. I've had a few "interactions with the ground" but all were my own fault caused by trying to be too clever ie rolls etc started too low. I think that the biggest difference between the two models is the need to actively correct any turns when flying the spit. It will not self level and you must apply "opposite lock" - but not too much!!! I always apply up elevator to tighten the turn - applying extra aileron to do the same will just result in a tightening dive. Also NEVER be tempted to fly in too much wind - the less the better. The guidance about the angle your transmitter flag makes with the ground is excellent. Its a fantastic model - I fly on moorland and when you get the rolling hills in view behind the Spit at low level it looks the absolute business!!

[sagey]

Hi
I was the same when i first started flying my spitfire,it was terrifying.I used to be shaking afterwards.But what a buzz.
When you gain confidence it becomes a joy.
I bought rc planemaster flight sim. Its only £20 and its helped me out a lot.
I'm doing loops,barrel rolls split-s etc... even flying inverted.
As long as you do it at a safe height you can recover from any mistakes.
Dont give up mate,keep at it and soon you'll find yourself addicted.

Tally Ho ................. (lol)

[Radweld]

I quite enjoy flying the spit with wind, I can hang it in the wind like a kite, the longest I managed was a couple of mins before I had to throttle up and go round for another try.