All us newbie pilots, lets share..

[doctormike]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Man!!! That is nice, Gman!! The Santa Fe club had there annual float fly last weekend. I took my Tidewater, Icon, and Beaver. I really like flying off water, it's a blast! I aced every landing ( or, should it be watering?) I feel more secure about water flying without a retrieval boat now. I'll still be sure the wind is blowing toward the shore. Doc

[Flygirl]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Nice job Gman ! Any better and you could use him as a tax deduction.......

Took my Dynam Corsair up today . Not too bad for its maiden but I was a nervous wreck after landing.
I get that way for every maiden . I Think if was paper I would still be nervous,,,,,,,,,


Bryan 

LOL!! Good one Bryan!

Congrats on the Corsair! How did it fly? What did you do with the weights finally? And I'm that way too.... I maidened the RV Jet (aka The Bat Plane) Sunday which can fly for about 20 mins but I had had enough knee knocking and came in after 10. LOL! 

GMAN that looks so good sitting on the flight line I bet!
[hr]

Man!!! That is nice, Gman!! The Santa Fe club had there annual float fly last weekend. I took my Tidewater, Icon, and Beaver. I really like flying off water, it's a blast! I aced every landing ( or, should it be watering?) I feel more secure about water flying without a retrieval boat now. I'll still be sure the wind is blowing toward the shore. Doc

Doc, isn't floatplane flying great?? A smooth forgiving surface to land on.... Yep! Love it!

[Hippie 64]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Hey Flychick , I liked it but I need to fly again hoping today . It has the normal Dynam issue with the gear . One of the struts is a little looser than I like but after taking it out and thinking I could tighten a grub screw the holes never line up . Raised them up n down and its a no go .

Those three squares of weights that came with it I hot glued together and put behind the motor where the air inlet is . I put them flat so air still passes thru and needed just a small bit more and its in the cowl . I over studied the settings on the ground and added some more up trim in my subtrim so needless to say when it went up IT WENT UP on take off !!! Had to put %100 down on trim while flying . What a GOOB !!!!

I blame it all on the pilot he's a WACKO  

Bryan

[Flygirl]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Wow!!! 100% down! LOL! Must have scared the bejeezus out of you! Well, alls well that ends well eh??

[Grossman56]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Sounds like my first flight on BBD.  She felt a little nose heavy, so I go to add some trim and its already maxed out. What the heck!?
Fortunately, she wasn't too far out and was good when I dropped flaps and gear, so lined her up to land.  That's when one wheel decided to land independently.  I quickly Bob Hoovered her in and the only damage was some paint scraped off the bottom of the strut.  Whew, things like that can age a guy!!



Grossman56

[Grossman56]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

I'm sure hoping for a decent weekend.  I have had trouble on my takeoffs with the Pitts and the FW P51 and think I have it sorted out now.  The trouble, I think, lies in advancing the throttle too quickly.  This results in a severe pull to the left with both planes, so I was chatting with Lon and he gave me some good advice.  Start with the elevator back (which I do) and advance about 30% throttle, get her rolling and let up on the elevator to get the tail up and advance throttle some more.  The slightly less aggressive throttle advance, coupled with the elevator back to neutral should help minimize the torque to the left I'm thinking..  These being my two heaviest birds, I want to try it out.  I can get away with being more aggressive with the FMS Mustangs as they're lighter and just hop into the air, but I'd really like to get a more scale-like take off method.  Any other advice??

Grossman56

[Sky Wolf]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

I'm sure hoping for a decent weekend.  I have had trouble on my takeoffs with the Pitts and the FW P51 and think I have it sorted out now.  The trouble, I think, lies in advancing the throttle too quickly.  This results in a severe pull to the left with both planes, so I was chatting with Lon and he gave me some good advice.  Start with the elevator back (which I do) and advance about 30% throttle, get her rolling and let up on the elevator to get the tail up and advance throttle some more.  The slightly less aggressive throttle advance, coupled with the elevator back to neutral should help minimize the torque to the left I'm thinking..  These being my two heaviest birds, I want to try it out.  I can get away with being more aggressive with the FMS Mustangs as they're lighter and just hop into the air, but I'd really like to get a more scale-like take off method.  Any other advice??

Grossman56

Hey there Grossman, not to contradict the advice that was given, but it's not actually a completely correct procedure. The Pitts has a very high torque ratio that yanks to the left very easily. The P-51's natural characteristic is to also pull to the left. As a matter of fact, because of the direction a prop turns, a plane has natural torque to the left. It's ok to use a little elevator, but right rudder in conjunction, is the correction to counter left torque.
And yes, easing into the throttle and keeping the plane in a straight path is the correct takeoff procedure, even in scale planes.
The Pitts is a great plane, as well as a trickier plane to take off. I finally did a maiden on my new Pitts too. It was way too windy for a maiden though. Take offs were impossible without being swept off the runway. Will give it a go again soon.
Do you have any video of any of your Pitts flights?

[Grossman56]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

No, haven't got it up yet, tried and had to order some new prop blades, she drifted off to the left rather suddenly.  I should know better and will next time.  The FW P51 is just a matter of refining my take offs a little.  I've got her up a few times, but its been a struggle.  Last time, I confirmed that my gyro was working in the right direction, so that was a step.  I'll get her dialed in pretty quickly now that I know what to expect.  With the Pitts, I went back and watched Matt Maryan's take off in a big park.  By the time he got in the air he was almost 90 degrees to his initial take off direction.  So that tells me to watch for that pesky torque to the left.  It's a maiden thing.  Once you're up and can get a feel for the plane, you have a starting point, know what I mean?

Grossman56

[Flygirl]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

I'm sure hoping for a decent weekend.  I have had trouble on my takeoffs with the Pitts and the FW P51 and think I have it sorted out now.  The trouble, I think, lies in advancing the throttle too quickly.  This results in a severe pull to the left with both planes, so I was chatting with Lon and he gave me some good advice.  Start with the elevator back (which I do) and advance about 30% throttle, get her rolling and let up on the elevator to get the tail up and advance throttle some more.  The slightly less aggressive throttle advance, coupled with the elevator back to neutral should help minimize the torque to the left I'm thinking..  These being my two heaviest birds, I want to try it out.  I can get away with being more aggressive with the FMS Mustangs as they're lighter and just hop into the air, but I'd really like to get a more scale-like take off method.  Any other advice??

Grossman56

Hey there Grossman, not to contradict the advice that was given, but it's not actually a completely correct procedure. The Pitts has a very high torque ratio that yanks to the left very easily. The P-51's natural characteristic is to also pull to the left. As a matter of fact, because of the direction a prop turns, a plane has natural torque to the left. It's ok to use a little elevator, but right rudder in conjunction, is the correction to counter left torque.
And yes, easing into the throttle and keeping the plane in a straight path is the correct takeoff procedure, even in scale planes.
The Pitts is a great plane, as well as a trickier plane to take off. I finally did a maiden on my new Pitts too. It was way too windy for a maiden though. Take offs were impossible without being swept off the runway. Will give it a go again soon.
Do you have any video of any of your Pitts flights?

Totally agree with not advancing the throttle fast. I think what Lon was trying to emphasize with up elevator is to keep the tail wheel on the ground longer so it keeps it straight. Myself I just crank in some right rudder as the tail comes up and advance the throttle smoothly.

[Grossman56]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Thanks for all the advice guys and gals, I'll try it all out, nice to have folks who are willing to give a guy a hand, very much appreciated.

Grossman56

[OV10]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

G-man,
Tail-dragger take-offs, now that should have been a fundamental teaching at that flight school you went to unless you were sleeping during that part. Now Skywolf is for the most part correct but I can't help throwing in my club instructor two cents here. Flygirl's approach is fundamentally on the money.
You should smoothly/firmly advance the throttle(don't dog it but also no firewalling) using the rudder to keep the aircraft running straight. You should allow the tail to naturally lift all the while still using rudder to steer and then add some up elevator after the aircraft has reached speed enough to achieve lift.
The approach of trying to keep that tail wheel pinned to the ground as Lon eluded to is the nemesis of the majority of flyers that don't have the advanced skill set yet.
By keeping that tail jammed to the ground until airspeed is reached causes the proverbial aggressive jump into sky nose high attitude which as soon as the mains leave the ground is when the p-factor/torque takes control with a hard pull to the left routine because the pilot has not mastered the use of that rudder. You solicited some advice inputs so my contribution in all honesty is that I would recommend get your flying skills up to par without that crutch called a gyro. Once you have mastered all the fundamental controls skills then that gyro can become your best friend in flying in those 15+ winds out there in the wild west.
With Best Regards,  

[Grossman56]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Hey Charlie, I hear you and it makes a lot of sense to me.  Really appreciate your input, and I'll give it a try.  Just going to read your post a few times through and then run it through on the radio for practice.  I've experienced exactly what you alluded to when keeping the elevator back, so what I did to compensate was to time when she left the ground to returning the stick to neutral.  Your method makes more sense in that you get the tail up sooner, allowing the rudder to take over directional control.  Pretty quickly, your off the ground and in a more controlled assent.  Yep, I hear you and it sounds good to me, thanks buddy, appreciate this!!

Grossman56

[Rocketeer]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Hey Gman!!!!


Didn't they cover that in flight school!!!!  :D :D :D :D

Just kiddin' buddy!!


Bill L.
In Okla.

[doctormike]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

This technique also gets your plane off the grass without nosing over. Doc

[Lon]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

I'm sure hoping for a decent weekend.  I have had trouble on my takeoffs with the Pitts and the FW P51 and think I have it sorted out now.  The trouble, I think, lies in advancing the throttle too quickly.  This results in a severe pull to the left with both planes, so I was chatting with Lon and he gave me some good advice.  Start with the elevator back (which I do) and advance about 30% throttle, get her rolling and let up on the elevator to get the tail up and advance throttle some more.  The slightly less aggressive throttle advance, coupled with the elevator back to neutral should help minimize the torque to the left I'm thinking..  These being my two heaviest birds, I want to try it out.  I can get away with being more aggressive with the FMS Mustangs as they're lighter and just hop into the air, but I'd really like to get a more scale-like take off method.  Any other advice??

Grossman56

Hey there Grossman, not to contradict the advice that was given, but it's not actually a completely correct procedure. The Pitts has a very high torque ratio that yanks to the left very easily. The P-51's natural characteristic is to also pull to the left. As a matter of fact, because of the direction a prop turns, a plane has natural torque to the left. It's ok to use a little elevator, but right rudder in conjunction, is the correction to counter left torque.
And yes, easing into the throttle and keeping the plane in a straight path is the correct takeoff procedure, even in scale planes.
The Pitts is a great plane, as well as a trickier plane to take off. I finally did a maiden on my new Pitts too. It was way too windy for a maiden though. Take offs were impossible without being swept off the runway. Will give it a go again soon.
Do you have any video of any of your Pitts flights?

Totally agree with not advancing the throttle fast. I think what Lon was trying to emphasize with up elevator is to keep the tail wheel on the ground longer so it keeps it straight. Myself I just crank in some right rudder as the tail comes up and advance the throttle smoothly.

YES! Just long enough to help keep it straight(more pressure/weight on tail wheel = better steering control) during initial rollout. And as I'm throttling up slowly and the plane stays straight, I'm letting the elevator back to neutral and the tail then raises on it's own, I keep throttling up, speed picks up, a little up elevator, and off into the wild blue she goes!

[Grossman56]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Cool guys and gals, I love it when we get into a topic and everyone gets together for a virtual clinic like this.  I imagine how many others read this and gain the collected knowledge of the people who contribute.  This is so 'team spirit' to me!  Thanks everyone, and don't stop, we're raising the level of everyone here by sharing our skills.

Grossman56

[Grossman56]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Back from the field, great day this morning.  Got five flights in on P-1 and one on Shangri-la.  I made some adjustments to the flap setting on one side and it seemed to really help.  BTW, those new aluminum retract sides are great!!
We had some trouble with the Apprentice today.  She lost her prop just shortly after take off.  Diane managed to get her down safely, no small feat in itself, no damage to the plane.
Upon investigation (CSI Cody), the grub screw that holds the outer prop shaft to the inner shaft that comes out of the motor, was stripped. the threads actually came out of the aluminum shaft , on the grub screw.

To heck with this, thinks I.  I get out the thread lock Red version.  Now I know enough to keep it away from the foam and plastic, never fear on that account.  I ran some on the flat part of the engine shaft and some in the hole for the grub screw and threaded the grub screw back in.  If that doesn't work, I'll drill a hole and run a screw right through the whole thing.

This is actually the only silly thing about the plane that I found so far.  Why isn't the shaft one solid piece, screwed onto the engine with four screws like all the other planes I have.
The last thing a newbie wants to worry about is losing his or her prop.
Much to Diane's credit, she remembered the first rule, fly the plane.  She hit the panic button to straighten it out and guided down onto the sage brush.  It landed right on top of one and flipped it over, but it was going so slow that there was no damage, she did a great job!
So, I'm letting the lock tight cure and then I'll tie the airplane down and run a battery through her on the bench. 

Grossman56

[Flygirl]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

This technique also gets your plane off the grass without nosing over. Doc

Spoken like a guy who has flown full size off a grass strip often. Always had to do that with a tricycle gear like a 150 on a grass strip. :)

[Grossman56]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Well, the lock tite seems to have worked on the shaft, we got a couple of flight in on her on Sunday before the wind came up and all is well again. I'm pretty proud of my gal for keeping her cool.
Got the Waco all together again.  Hopefully the Foam tack will help to hold everything together.  I have to admit that she flies so much better now that I have more experience and I've got her dialed in.  The gyro was just the icing on the cake and I'm sure one of the big reason why I was able to minimize the damage on a shaky landing, heck, didn't even break a prop!
Where's the fun in that?

Grossman56

[Rocketeer]

RE: All us newbie pilots, lets share..

Greetings,

I think you'll really like the foam tac.

Good Luck.


Bill L.
In Okla.