Tips on maiden flights

[Johnnyrabuse]

We all know the basics check the CG check the surfaces check check check I have a few old school tips from a mentor who I wish I'd met earlier the learning curve can be brutal

1- taxi test .... Drive that puppy on the ground for five minutes because

A- you might pick up a loose retract mount a loose clevis and detect a bad servos do some tight turns a a speed almost high enough to do aground loop

Back off the throttle see how fast it rolls

You might be able to add poor man's brakes (flex tube) to wheels the pick it up about six inches and drop it on the mains ....

You can find out if tires are too hard or soft that way

After that....

2 take off and do your rotation and then fly slow pattern don't put the gear up

Shoot approaches shoot approaches and when you get bored try a touch and go I have learned turn and burn now means gorilla glue ordering retracts and parts later

3 use a sharpy ....

Mark cg first flight

4 keep a log book write down anything you might want to fix tweak rates etc

5 fly the lightest battery possible ... You can really feal controls glide etc

6 the most important ....

Know when not to fly maiden avoid crosswinds fog cloudy days and even sunnyt ones if it blinds you frozen days etc

Patience is a virtue

Saves money too


That a few of my favorites what are yours

[urbancowboy]

Hey, new here. Been flying RC for 18 years. Besides all the necessary pre-flight checks, here’s what I go through in my head:

Before heading out to the field, TAKE YOUR TIME and double check everything twice! A bad habit of mine is to rush a plane into the air and make a hiccup, only to find out it was a silly mistake that I overlooked.

It’s totally OK to fly a little nose heavy at first! You can always move the battery after your maiden.

Take off gently. I find the takeoff sets the precedence for the rest of the flight, literally. The takeoff roll lets me know how the plane handles on the ground when it counts, and it gives me a feel for the throttle.

Take it up to high altitude (I would say minimum 5 mistakes high), and push it on purpose. See for yourself the flight envelope of your airplane. What I do is a low speed stall, a high speed stall (if it has wingover tendencies), break left, break right, test the flaps, and test the airplane’s slow speed capabilities.

Happy flying!

[CF-105]

Important tip: for Pete's sake make sure your ailerons are moving the right way before attempting takeoff!

[Johnnyrabuse]

Important tip: for Pete's sake make sure your ailerons are moving the right way before attempting takeoff!

Good one ....

And the gyro is off

And the mix is correct

Don't ask how I know this

[Gringotuerto]

The above are good. Here are two others I use:

1. Many models recommend throws that might be great for an expert on his 100th flight, but are not so great for me on my 1st flight. I start with for example 60%, 80%, and 100% of throws in the manual, and take off with 60%. It depends on the plane...this might not be an issue for a high wing trainer type, but for a fast twitchy little thing you want to start with low throws, especially on aileron.

2. Regardless of what the manual says, you won't precisely know how much elevator you need to mix with flaps. I usually make two flap settings that differ only in the elevator mix, so I can pick the one that I like better for the first landing.

[Johnnyrabuse]

The above are good. Here are two others I use:

1. Many models recommend throws that might be great for an expert on his 100th flight, but are not so great for me on my 1st flight. I start with for example 60%, 80%, and 100% of throws in the manual, and take off with 60%. It depends on the plane...this might not be an issue for a high wing trainer type, but for a fast twitchy little thing you want to start with low throws, especially on aileron.

2. Regardless of what the manual says, you won't precisely know how much elevator you need to mix with flaps. I usually make two flap settings that differ only in the elevator mix, so I can pick the one that I like better for the first landing.

Good tip what I do when sorting out flaps is use 100 percent full fifty half I'll guesstimate the elevator mix then I'll leave the flap elevator window on my DX 9 open I'll gain altitude hit half and see if I pith up or down then since the elevator is highlighted in the window I'll scroll less elevator or more and make my first landing on half

The second I'll look at full repeat and if the conditions call for it I'll land on full

Generally I avoid full flap on most of my stuff the chance of stall is greater usually I grease at half and I like a good rollout

[James]

2 take off and do your rotation and then fly slow pattern don't put the gear up

Shoot approaches shoot approaches and when you get bored try a touch and go I have learned turn and burn now means gorilla glue ordering retracts and parts later

This is a huge one for me. On most of my maidens, especially the taildraggers and jets (not so much a glider or cub) First thing I do after takeoff is trim it out. I hope to accomplish this on the first pass or two. Once I get it, then I immediately start working on the approaches.

Figure out how your aircraft behaves on landings and have enough battery or fuel to make sure you get in enough practice and are confident before touching down. Last thing you want to do on a maiden is fly out most of your battery/fuel and only get 1 maybe 2 opportunities to land the plane.

Once you are comfortable with how your aircraft will land, then you will have many successful flights afterwards to play with aerobatics and such.