Guide for Flying Model Airplanes

There are many things that could go wrong when flying model airplanes. Full scale pilots go through an intense pre-flight check list before every flight.

First Flight

Stick Sensitivity
Before doing anything please realize that when flying model airplanes the transmitter sticks have to be moved VERY gently. Think of it as driving a car down the expressway. It takes very small movements of the steering wheel to keep the car on the road. This same is true with these airplanes. This is one of the most important things to remember. Most beginners tend to over control the airplane and this can lead to a crash.

Taking Off
If a windsock is not at the flying site, keep a piece of string tied to the end of your antenna. When flying model airplanes it is crucial to know where the wind is coming from.

Many park flyers have to be hand launched. If this is the case give the airplane a good toss straight forward against the wind while applying full throttle. Make sure you throw it straight forward, not up or down.

Make sure your instructor is by your side for your first flight with an RC trainer plane! Once you have flown your new airplane on the buddy box a few times your instructor will let you know when he thinks you are ready for your first solo flight.

Trainers, and some park flyers, take off from the ground just like full-scale airplanes. Place the airplane on the runway. Slowly give throttle while keeping the airplane straight with the left stick (rudder). A nitro engine will tend to make the airplane want to turn right due to the engine torque. You have to counter this with the rudder. Keep applying more and more throttle until the airplane begins to lift. At this point give slight elevator and watch the airplane climb.

When taking off it is important not to give too much elevator. If too much elevator is applied without enough airspeed the airplane will stall and crash. Keep the airplane straight and continue to climb until it is at a safe altitude. Try to keep the airplane at an elevation around 100 ft or so. The golden rule when flying model airplanes is to keep the airplane at least three mistakes high!

Flying
Once the airplane reaches a safe altitude use the rudder or ailerons, depending on the airplane you have, to slowly turn the airplane. All airplanes loose elevation when turning so you have to give a bit of elevator when you turn. Keep making gentle turns as you fly in a circle around the flying area.

When flying model airplanes everything will seem backwards when the airplane is coming towards you. Don’t flip out! A good technique that most beginners use is to turn your shoulders in the direction the airplane is moving while turning your head to see the airplane. This tricks your brain into moving the sticks in the right directions. It really works! Remember to make every movement SLOWLY, barely moving the sticks.

If at any point you feel like the airplane is out of your control, the best thing to do is cut the throttle! If a crash is inevitable your airplane has a much better chance of survival if the engine isn’t propelling it to the ground!

Trimming

You may notice the airplane slightly turning without your input. The airplane may also be climbing or descending. This is because the airplane is out of “trim”. To trim the airplane move the trim tabs on the transmitter until the airplane flies straight and level without moving the sticks on the transmitter. The trim tabs, or levers, are labeled in the above image from the Futaba 6EXA manual. When flying model airplanes with gas or nitro engines the center of gravity will change slightly as the fuel burns. You may feel it necessary to trim the elevator down a click or two as needed throughout the flight.

Landing
Landing is probably the hardest and scariest part of learning to fly. I used to dread the airplane landing when I first started. But it didn't take long before I was doing touch and goes trying to perfect my landings! Practice makes perfect.

For flying model airplanes you need to be familiar with what is called the “landing pattern”. A landing pattern consists of four legs which are the upwind, crosswind, downwind, and base legs. The final approach is the portion of the landing pattern where the airplane lands, and it is on the first part of the upwind leg. The pattern reverses depending on which direction the wind is coming from. The picture is fairly self explanatory.

Practice this pattern several times before you actually try to land your plane. You should be flying a large rectangular pattern with nice rounded corners. Make your cross wind and base legs ample long enough to give you plenty of time to make nice gentle turns onto the downwind and upwind legs respectively.

When you are ready to land cut the throttle to about half when the airplane is directly across from you on the downwind leg. Start giving a little elevator to slow the airplane down. Decrease the throttle a little more just after you turn onto the base leg. As you enter the final approach give just enough elevator to keep the nose of the airplane level to slightly down. You will find that when the airplane is landing the elevator controls the speed of the airplane. The more up elevator you give the slower the airplane will go. You will also notice that the throttle controls the elevation of the airplane during landing. The more throttle you give the more the airplane will climb. This may seem counter intuitive but it really is the case.

If you begin your decent at the right time there should be no need to apply any throttle while landing. If it looks like the airplane is going to land short of the runway, gently work the throttle and elevator together to bring the airplane down nice and slow. Be careful, too much elevator and not enough throttle will cause the airplane to stall. If you don’t feel comfortable during the final approach then abort the landing and try again.

Keep the wings level during the final approach. The airplane will be heading towards you so the controls will seem backwards. To keep the airplane level when it is flying toward you move the right transmitter stick towards the lowest wing. When the airplane is a couple of feet off the ground slightly increase the elevator to bring the nose up “flare” and let the airplane settle gently on the runway. Now you can breath again!

Pre-Flight Checks

Radio Range Check
You should always do a range check before the first flight of each day at the field. Follow the procedure in your radio’s manual for doing a range check. Some radios require a slightly different procedure than others but all are similar to the following.

Its helpful if someone holds the transmitter for you. Turn on the transmitter, then the receiver. Leave the antenna fully collapsed. While holding the airplane, slowly walk away from the transmitter until the servos begin to twitch violently. With a PCM radio the servos will stop moving all together. If this distance is farther than 100 ft then you are good to go! If it is less than 100ft do NOT fly! Determine what the problem is and correct it before flying.

Balance
The airplane should be balanced prior to coming to the field. But it is always a good idea to check the forward/backward balance one more time, especially before the first flight! Remember that the fuel tank must be empty when checking the balance.

Bolts Tight
The engine vibrations while flying model airplanes sometimes causes bolts to vibrate loose. Make sure the bolts holding the wing to the fuselage are in place and are tight. Make sure all engine/motor mounting bolts are tight. Also make sure the propeller nut is tight.

Control Surfaces
With your radio system on make sure the control surfaces are moving correctly with each stick movement of the transmitter. Make sure all control surfaces are secured firmly. Sometimes CA hinges can work themselves loose. Make sure all snap links are closed on the control horn clevises. You may also want to cut a small piece of fuel tubing to stretch over the snap link to keep it from coming apart in flight. Make sure all the servo horns and firmly attached to the control surfaces. Make sure the screw holding the servo horns to the servos are in place and tight.

Battery Levels
Make sure the voltage of the transmitter and receiver batteries are acceptable levels before flying. Follow the recommendations in the radio manual for minimum charge requirements. Flying model airplanes with low transmitter or receiver batteries could result in a pile of twisted balsa!

Engine
Be sure the engine is properly tuned before taking off. Its also a good idea to hold your airplane vertically with the nose upward while running at full throttle to make sure it will run when in this position while in the air.

Also make sure you hear the fuel clunk moving freely when shaking the airplane. Some times during a rough landing the fuel clunk can get flung towards the front of the tank and get stuck. This is sure to cause a dead stick landing.

Antenna Extended
When flying model airplanes always double check to make sure your antenna is fully extended! Its sound silly, but many times people actually forget to extend the antenna. Yep, I’ve even done it myself!