Well folks, here it is...the inevitable "I'm new and in way over my head" thread.
Background: Always been an aviation enthusiast but grew up poor and never had the means to pursue it, so at nearly 38 years old, RC flying will suffice.
Started with Real Flight 9 and Hobbyzone Sport Cub RTF then quickly realized Kansas winds make it nearly impossible to fly in most places most of the time.
LL1: DO NOT fly next to a military base. I should have known that from working security/law enforcement on that same base for the past 18 years, but I had no idea that a tiny RC airplane flying circles below the treetops and outside the perimeter would pose a threat to tankers several thousand feet above. I've since joined AMA and the local affiliated RC club, got my FAA number, and use the B4UFLY app for any location outside my local AMA sanctioned site (which is also within that same restricted airspace box, but whatever)
So now I'm thinking "bigger/heavier aircraft=tolerate more wind", right? Cue the investment in Mini Apprentice BNF and Spektrum DX6e. Super easy setup of Tx using pre-made program from Spektrum site. Even bound the DX6e to Sport Cub for "one transmitter to rule them all" and the DX6e met my forecasted needs. Out to the field and having a blast running patterns with this zippy little thing but I had a "dolphin swim" problem trying to push past 30-40 % throttle, so I reached out to my local RC flying club on Facebook for some mentorship.
LL2: Apparently the older generation of modelers hate "foamies", electric power, or helping people. Got a lot of indignant pushback and no real help at all. Luckily I ran into a nice gentleman at the field who showed me how to set up control rates and trim and got that Mini Apprentice on the straight and level. Now I'm smooth as silk without SAFE assistance, even doing rolls and loops and picturesque landings in 5-7 mph crosswinds!
Since bigger=better, MORE bigger should equal MORE better, right? Cue the FMS Ranger 1800 PNP. 70.9 inches of Cessna clone goodness with flaps and lights! Lights are necessary working 3rd shift and hitting the flying field late evening/early morning. Being PNP I also got the Spektrum AR636 receiver and a 14.8/4000mah/4S battery to go with it.
This is where things get interesting.
Instructions for transmitter, instructions for receiver, instructions for airplane, instructions for the software to calibrate and set up the receiver and none of them say the same things in the same order. I started by assembling the airplane according to its instructions without installing the battery. Then I followed the receiver instructions which only consisted of mount in one of 8 possible positions (double sided tape to the passenger side of fuselage, servo ports forward), connect to software (usb cable to PC) then follow on screen prompts, plug in servo leads (AR636 instructions and Ranger instructions do not match here), bind to Tx and whala! You're flying!
That did not happen. I followed the software prompts and updated to firmware 2.30. Selected receiver orientation, aircraft type and wing config (1 flap, 1 aileron), then left the rest alone because I did not understand it and there was no help. It failed to calibrate every time despite the thing being mounted properly and sitting perfectly still next to me on my basement floor.
Set up new model in DX6e with all settings blank as recommended in Rx instructions. Disconnected Rx from computer, stuck bind plug in, connected the battery, then started binding on Tx. Bound successfully and the aircraft started wiggling each surface just like the Mini Apprentice does on startup. Yay! Then within seconds, before I could pull the bind plug, THE ESC BEEPS AND GOES FULL THROTTLE despite left stick all the way down, shredding my jeans and left buttcheek. I grab the rolling plane by the tail with right hand and reach back to unsnap battery with left hand but catch the propeller requiring seven stitches in my ring and pinky fingers. Spattered bloody mess looks like the thing sawed through a flock of geese.
LL3: NEVER service/setup/repair an aircraft with the prop installed. It hurts. But hey, I was just following instructions...
Came back from ER, removed prop and bind plug, tried powering on again just to see what's up. This time, the aircraft did not go through its little dance; it just beeped a lot. I tried the Tx sticks and found the right stick horizontal axis moved the elevator and the LED lights were on, but nothing else was moving and throttle did nothing. Then it made the same beep as it did right before slicing my hand up so I instinctively pulled battery off despite no prop installed.
I told this same story on my local RC club FB page and got a bunch of "dumb@$$ shoulda known better" and "wouldn't have this problem with nitro and analog" responses but no one willing to share any knowledge or help me troubleshoot, so here I am.
Spektrum site is no help at all. Just generic YouTube vids where everything works right the first time. I've gone through the servo connectors three times now and settled on the AR636 order since each servo lead is tagged with its respective surface from the factory. I'm going to call tech support on Monday (wish me luck) then if that fails, the same gent who helped me trim the Mini Apprentice works at our local HobbyTown and is renowned for his aircraft genius so I might hit him up. It'll be worth the price of labor if he's willing to teach me as we go instead of just dropping it off there.
Anyways, thanks for reading along. Great success with RTF and BNF systems lent me confidence that I could manage a PNP, but now I'm at a loss for what to do to get this thing airworthy.
Background: Always been an aviation enthusiast but grew up poor and never had the means to pursue it, so at nearly 38 years old, RC flying will suffice.
Started with Real Flight 9 and Hobbyzone Sport Cub RTF then quickly realized Kansas winds make it nearly impossible to fly in most places most of the time.
LL1: DO NOT fly next to a military base. I should have known that from working security/law enforcement on that same base for the past 18 years, but I had no idea that a tiny RC airplane flying circles below the treetops and outside the perimeter would pose a threat to tankers several thousand feet above. I've since joined AMA and the local affiliated RC club, got my FAA number, and use the B4UFLY app for any location outside my local AMA sanctioned site (which is also within that same restricted airspace box, but whatever)
So now I'm thinking "bigger/heavier aircraft=tolerate more wind", right? Cue the investment in Mini Apprentice BNF and Spektrum DX6e. Super easy setup of Tx using pre-made program from Spektrum site. Even bound the DX6e to Sport Cub for "one transmitter to rule them all" and the DX6e met my forecasted needs. Out to the field and having a blast running patterns with this zippy little thing but I had a "dolphin swim" problem trying to push past 30-40 % throttle, so I reached out to my local RC flying club on Facebook for some mentorship.
LL2: Apparently the older generation of modelers hate "foamies", electric power, or helping people. Got a lot of indignant pushback and no real help at all. Luckily I ran into a nice gentleman at the field who showed me how to set up control rates and trim and got that Mini Apprentice on the straight and level. Now I'm smooth as silk without SAFE assistance, even doing rolls and loops and picturesque landings in 5-7 mph crosswinds!
Since bigger=better, MORE bigger should equal MORE better, right? Cue the FMS Ranger 1800 PNP. 70.9 inches of Cessna clone goodness with flaps and lights! Lights are necessary working 3rd shift and hitting the flying field late evening/early morning. Being PNP I also got the Spektrum AR636 receiver and a 14.8/4000mah/4S battery to go with it.
This is where things get interesting.
Instructions for transmitter, instructions for receiver, instructions for airplane, instructions for the software to calibrate and set up the receiver and none of them say the same things in the same order. I started by assembling the airplane according to its instructions without installing the battery. Then I followed the receiver instructions which only consisted of mount in one of 8 possible positions (double sided tape to the passenger side of fuselage, servo ports forward), connect to software (usb cable to PC) then follow on screen prompts, plug in servo leads (AR636 instructions and Ranger instructions do not match here), bind to Tx and whala! You're flying!
That did not happen. I followed the software prompts and updated to firmware 2.30. Selected receiver orientation, aircraft type and wing config (1 flap, 1 aileron), then left the rest alone because I did not understand it and there was no help. It failed to calibrate every time despite the thing being mounted properly and sitting perfectly still next to me on my basement floor.
Set up new model in DX6e with all settings blank as recommended in Rx instructions. Disconnected Rx from computer, stuck bind plug in, connected the battery, then started binding on Tx. Bound successfully and the aircraft started wiggling each surface just like the Mini Apprentice does on startup. Yay! Then within seconds, before I could pull the bind plug, THE ESC BEEPS AND GOES FULL THROTTLE despite left stick all the way down, shredding my jeans and left buttcheek. I grab the rolling plane by the tail with right hand and reach back to unsnap battery with left hand but catch the propeller requiring seven stitches in my ring and pinky fingers. Spattered bloody mess looks like the thing sawed through a flock of geese.
LL3: NEVER service/setup/repair an aircraft with the prop installed. It hurts. But hey, I was just following instructions...
Came back from ER, removed prop and bind plug, tried powering on again just to see what's up. This time, the aircraft did not go through its little dance; it just beeped a lot. I tried the Tx sticks and found the right stick horizontal axis moved the elevator and the LED lights were on, but nothing else was moving and throttle did nothing. Then it made the same beep as it did right before slicing my hand up so I instinctively pulled battery off despite no prop installed.
I told this same story on my local RC club FB page and got a bunch of "dumb@$$ shoulda known better" and "wouldn't have this problem with nitro and analog" responses but no one willing to share any knowledge or help me troubleshoot, so here I am.
Spektrum site is no help at all. Just generic YouTube vids where everything works right the first time. I've gone through the servo connectors three times now and settled on the AR636 order since each servo lead is tagged with its respective surface from the factory. I'm going to call tech support on Monday (wish me luck) then if that fails, the same gent who helped me trim the Mini Apprentice works at our local HobbyTown and is renowned for his aircraft genius so I might hit him up. It'll be worth the price of labor if he's willing to teach me as we go instead of just dropping it off there.
Anyways, thanks for reading along. Great success with RTF and BNF systems lent me confidence that I could manage a PNP, but now I'm at a loss for what to do to get this thing airworthy.
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