I've been dabbling with RC helicopters a while but decided to get an airplane and give it a try. I've got a commercial pilots license and thousands of hours flying fixed wing aircraft and working as a flight instructor. I'm familiar with the RC transmitter from my helicopter flying. I didn't think an airplane would be interesting since I'd flown so much I didn't think it would be a challenge.
I bought a Parkzone Sport Cub with tudra tires because it reminded me of an airplane I use to fly. Put it together and checked the wx report to see if it would be a good day to fly. Winds were suppose to be low so went to the park. Naturally wanted to take off into the wind but noticed they were out of the north instead of forecast south and stronger than forecast. I had planned on feeling out the plane like I would a real experimental aircraft with fast taxi's, lift off-land, get in the air check stall characteristics etc.
All that went the window. With a burst of over confidence, and a gust of wind, the plane jumped right off the ground so I kept climbing. After I turned for a southerly down wind I noticed just before I was about to turn for base leg that the wind was in my face again and quickly understood why the plane climbed all of a sudden on it's downwind leg. I thought I'd turn around to go back north so I could land southbound into the wind. So I did a 180 to then be on a north bound down wind leg for a southerly landing.
Then I felt a gust hit me coming from the west. I thought, boy if I was going into an airport they'd be advising me of wind shear. As that thought hit I pondered the light weight of my Cub and how wind shear could play havoc with such a light plane. About that time as I was buffeted by a strong gust out of the south as I watched my north bound plane drop out of the sky. I tried getting the nose down to get some airspeed back then tried a flair at the last moment. Pulled it up enough to hit on the gear but she flipped over on her back.
When I went over to retrieve the plane I found a broken gear fairing, bent landing gear, and a crinkled rudder from flipping over on her back. I must say this has been a very humbling experience. My overconfidence has been burst. But, since I ran into these difficulties I'm a bit more interested in planes than I was before. This is harder than I thought. Now I'm thinking, this high lift wing is better for steady wind days. I need a high wing load aerobat and more power.
Cub's patched up good enough to fly and new parts on order. I'm looking over aerobatic RC's now but due to a rash of recent buying need to take some time and carefully select next AC. Any good idea's out the for a first aerobat, 11V system up to 3300 mAh so no need to buy new batteries, and maybe a "safe system" since I found airplanes have to go farther away than helicopters and orientation can become a problem. Safe system is not mandatory since with aerobat I can loop up and aileron over for a down wind and keep orientation better (theoretically).
I believe another RC airplane addict has been born.
I bought a Parkzone Sport Cub with tudra tires because it reminded me of an airplane I use to fly. Put it together and checked the wx report to see if it would be a good day to fly. Winds were suppose to be low so went to the park. Naturally wanted to take off into the wind but noticed they were out of the north instead of forecast south and stronger than forecast. I had planned on feeling out the plane like I would a real experimental aircraft with fast taxi's, lift off-land, get in the air check stall characteristics etc.
All that went the window. With a burst of over confidence, and a gust of wind, the plane jumped right off the ground so I kept climbing. After I turned for a southerly down wind I noticed just before I was about to turn for base leg that the wind was in my face again and quickly understood why the plane climbed all of a sudden on it's downwind leg. I thought I'd turn around to go back north so I could land southbound into the wind. So I did a 180 to then be on a north bound down wind leg for a southerly landing.
Then I felt a gust hit me coming from the west. I thought, boy if I was going into an airport they'd be advising me of wind shear. As that thought hit I pondered the light weight of my Cub and how wind shear could play havoc with such a light plane. About that time as I was buffeted by a strong gust out of the south as I watched my north bound plane drop out of the sky. I tried getting the nose down to get some airspeed back then tried a flair at the last moment. Pulled it up enough to hit on the gear but she flipped over on her back.
When I went over to retrieve the plane I found a broken gear fairing, bent landing gear, and a crinkled rudder from flipping over on her back. I must say this has been a very humbling experience. My overconfidence has been burst. But, since I ran into these difficulties I'm a bit more interested in planes than I was before. This is harder than I thought. Now I'm thinking, this high lift wing is better for steady wind days. I need a high wing load aerobat and more power.
Cub's patched up good enough to fly and new parts on order. I'm looking over aerobatic RC's now but due to a rash of recent buying need to take some time and carefully select next AC. Any good idea's out the for a first aerobat, 11V system up to 3300 mAh so no need to buy new batteries, and maybe a "safe system" since I found airplanes have to go farther away than helicopters and orientation can become a problem. Safe system is not mandatory since with aerobat I can loop up and aileron over for a down wind and keep orientation better (theoretically).
I believe another RC airplane addict has been born.
