Styrofoam versus chain

[skillett]

link fencing. Did I ever tell you these two don't hate each other?

'Bout decided I need to get a good RC instructor and start over even at 69.

Got the FMS Stearman back in the air, trimmed out, good batteries, and made several attempts to land, and I mean attempts. Skipped the parking lot, jumped a curb, sidewalk and ka-plunkety-kaplunk-ke-ty in the grass. Wow, thought about packing up but I wish I had.

A fresh battery, lots of altitude, couple of rolls, stalls and sent it down wind. Wind must have been blowing 15 to 20 mph up there cause when I pulled back on the throttle, it looked as if it stopped. Wild thought emerged, since it's high, kick some rudder and opposite aileron and see how much forward energy you loose before touchdown.

Well, guess I released some pressure on a stick cause she turned into a cross wind and straddled the chain link fencing on the other side of the parking area - whoops-si-do I thought, but said something else out loud when I saw some pieces flying.

Landing gear came out, wheel hub, and strut broke off. Retrieved everything but the hub, and 1/2 of the strut (shock absorber).

Can anyone help me on depth perception? Can see good at distance! (evidently not). What am I doing wrong?

Back to the shop for a few hours now!

I can speak highly for gorilla glue, it's awesome, dependable, but downside messy :)

Good thing labor is cheap! :( :( :) :)

[xviper]

"Starting over" at that age is very commendable. Kudos to you. I have a flying buddy who started (the first time) at age 75. He'd have given up the first year had I (and others) not kept encouraging him and standing by him.
You say you got the Stearman "back in the air". Was it damaged? A repaired model may have oddities that won't allow it to fly properly. You might consider one of the modern "beginner" planes with the different flight modes. These planes can stabilize themselves, can even land themselves with the flip of a switch and can also grow with your skill level by turning all that stuff off. Also starting over again in 15 to 20 mph winds might not have been working in your favor. Can you "buddy box" with someone? As for depth perception, that's harder to solve. Perhaps using bright colored paint or tape on the plane in strategic locations will help. The new starter planes usually have a decal scheme that helps is this area by being more visible and show its orientation better. Check out some of the Eflite (or similar) plane with the "SAFE" technology. Motion even has videos showing some of these systems at work. There are several of us "old timers" at my various fields who have these sorts of planes.
Another option is to equip your Stearman with some kind of stabilizer. They are quite cheap. For more money, you could get a device that will "save" the plane with the flip of a switch or even bring it "home". I have a HobbyKing SkyMule fitted with such a device and it works flawlessly. I use it more for aerial movies but it can be a great tool when those "Uh-oh" moments occur.
The new generation of "Bigaole" flight controllers do all this in a single module and costs about $75.00.