Help! Anyone near Austin/San Antonio TX willing to help me maiden FT Guinea Pig

[The4High2Flyer0]

I am in the process of building my first plane.… I decided on the Ft Guinea Pig. I thought how hard can then be josh and Peter make it all soo effortless in the build video. Well I ordered it and immediately slightly regretted this decision. However throughout the build process I encountered more than a few mishaps. these mistakes have me questioning if it will even be able to fly.
Rather then have me put it up in the air and then probably crash it. I was curious if anyone is in my area(1 hr west of Austin/1.5 hr north of San Antonio ) that’s willing to show me a thing or two. So I can build more confidence. I do have everything I need to get up in the air. I also have a 6-axis gyro that I plan on installing soon so that should help me quite a bit but I know it’s not going to fly the plane for me.

P.S. if you’re apart of a rc group I would love to join (however no AMA license)

P.P.S. For those of you telling me to get a simulator, my laptop is not working properly so I’m trying to download a different OS to hopefully fix the problem and download a free simulator like PicaSim. However I have spent the like $4 to get the PicaSim on my phone which I know is no where near the same as using an actual Tx but it’s better then nothing at the moment

 

[tamuct01]

The Guinea Pig was the first plane I built to get into the hobby. It's incredibly gentle with the standard 3-cell setup, but don't expect any fancy aerobatics with the recommended motors and 3-cell setup. If you get some larger motors and run on 4-cell it'll do some crazy flat spins, unlimited vertical, etc.

I did practice quite a bit with a simulator before flying, and I had a basic understanding of flight procedures for takeoff, standard flight controls, and landing. I wouldn't say that I "just sent it." I did my best to prepare.

The Guinea Pig is a flat wing with no dihedral, so it won't self-level. You can use a gyro if you want to get that feature, but I found the plane so docile that it was easy to control it without any gyro or flight assist. The wing loading is very low, so it flies gentle, slow, and very controllable.

I flew my Guinea Pig for many years and had fun on the 4S "power" setup I mentioned. I made a retractable bay door system as well. I recommend adding some reinforcements around the bottom inside of the fuselage where the landing gear connects to the fuselage. I found the foam A/B folds there to not be strong enough over time. A bit of triangular wood stock glued in the corners made the model last a lot longer. I flew the same airframe for years before sacrificing it in Flight Fest Combat a couple of years ago.

It's a great plane all around. Big, slow, and gentle.

 

[The4High2Flyer0]

The Guinea Pig was the first plane I built to get into the hobby. It's incredibly gentle with the standard 3-cell setup, but don't expect any fancy aerobatics with the recommended motors and 3-cell setup. If you get some larger motors and run on 4-cell it'll do some crazy flat spins, unlimited vertical, etc.

I did practice quite a bit with a simulator before flying, and I had a basic understanding of flight procedures for takeoff, standard flight controls, and landing. I wouldn't say that I "just sent it." I did my best to prepare.

The Guinea Pig is a flat wing with no dihedral, so it won't self-level. You can use a gyro if you want to get that feature, but I found the plane so docile that it was easy to control it without any gyro or flight assist. The wing loading is very low, so it flies gentle, slow, and very controllable.

I flew my Guinea Pig for many years and had fun on the 4S "power" setup I mentioned. I made a retractable bay door system as well. I recommend adding some reinforcements around the bottom inside of the fuselage where the landing gear connects to the fuselage. I found the foam A/B folds there to not be strong enough over time. A bit of triangular wood stock glued in the corners made the model last a lot longer. I flew the same airframe for years before sacrificing it in Flight Fest Combat a couple of years ago.

It's a great plane all around. Big, slow, and gentle.

Thank you so much for the information. I knew that because I am a beginner I was going to want to reinforce the wing. So there it’s a composite spar in the wing however because of the extra foam I had to put it to fill out the empty spaces. The bottom of tue wing that’s supposed to be flat… well it’s very. There is a slight gap whenever I attach the wing to the fuse in the front of the wing. There is a slight gap in the back tabs of the power pod where it slots into the wing itself.
There are a few more rings that I could list but those are my main concerns. I feel that I’m stressing myself out the more I think about crashing it of the take off. I have both 3s and 4s battery’s and I plan on running the 3s’s in parallel so I have more flight time (2x2200mAh)
I’m mainly scared I spent all this money and then I’m going to want to quit because my plane isn’t flying properly

 

[Foamforce]

Thank you so much for the information. I knew that because I am a beginner I was going to want to reinforce the wing. So there it’s a composite spar in the wing however because of the extra foam I had to put it to fill out the empty spaces. The bottom of tue wing that’s supposed to be flat… well it’s very. There is a slight gap whenever I attach the wing to the fuse in the front of the wing. There is a slight gap in the back tabs of the power pod where it slots into the wing itself.
There are a few more rings that I could list but those are my main concerns. I feel that I’m stressing myself out the more I think about crashing it of the take off. I have both 3s and 4s battery’s and I plan on running the 3s’s in parallel so I have more flight time (2x2200mAh)
I’m mainly scared I spent all this money and then I’m going to want to quit because my plane isn’t flying properly

If nobody from here is in your area, you ought to try emailing nearby flying clubs. There is likely somebody who would be willing to maiden your plane for you and give you an introductory flying lesson with a buddy box. It’s worth waiting for that opportunity because it increases your odds of not immediately crashing from about 3% to about 80% (* see footnote). If nothing else comes through, I’d be willing to look over your plane on video chat. I could at least confirm your control surfaces, throws, expo, etc. In any case, good luck. I learned to fly exactly the same way, by myself, a year and a half ago. I sure wish I had some help, but I didn’t know who to ask yet!

*Footnote: 83% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

 

[FlyerInStyle]

Thank you so much for the information. I knew that because I am a beginner I was going to want to reinforce the wing. So there it’s a composite spar in the wing however because of the extra foam I had to put it to fill out the empty spaces. The bottom of tue wing that’s supposed to be flat… well it’s very. There is a slight gap whenever I attach the wing to the fuse in the front of the wing. There is a slight gap in the back tabs of the power pod where it slots into the wing itself.
There are a few more rings that I could list but those are my main concerns. I feel that I’m stressing myself out the more I think about crashing it of the take off. I have both 3s and 4s battery’s and I plan on running the 3s’s in parallel so I have more flight time (2x2200mAh)
I’m mainly scared I spent all this money and then I’m going to want to quit because my plane isn’t flying properly

Don’t be scared, it’s part of the process, no one gets it right instantly, you will crash, but fix and fly again, try again, that is what makes building your own planes so great!

 

[The4High2Flyer0]

If nobody from here is in your area, you ought to try emailing nearby flying clubs. There is likely somebody who would be willing to maiden your plane for you and give you an introductory flying lesson with a buddy box. It’s worth waiting for that opportunity because it increases your odds of not immediately crashing from about 3% to about 80% (* see footnote). If nothing else comes through, I’d be willing to look over your plane on video chat. I could at least confirm your control surfaces, throws, expo, etc. In any case, good luck. I learned to fly exactly the same way, by myself, a year and a half ago. I sure wish I had some help, but I didn’t know who to ask yet!

*Footnote: 83% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Unfortunately the only near by fields are all AMA fields and I don’t necessarily want to pay $200+ for the certification and club fees.
I would really like to have this plane fly able before thanksgiving. I’m going yo visit the girlfriend and I’d like to introduce her to the hobby a little bit.

 

[The4High2Flyer0]

. If nothing else comes through, I’d be willing to look over your plane on video chat. I could at least confirm your control surfaces, throws, expo, etc. In any case, good luck. I learned to fly exactly the same way, by myself, a year and a half ago. I sure wish I had some help, but I didn’t know who to ask yet!

That would actually be awesome I have discord if that works for you?

 

[Foamforce]

That would actually be awesome I have discord if that works for you?

Yeah, I have Discord. Same username, you can add me and we can find a time to talk.

 

[Crazed Scout Pilot]

Hey Bro, Don't worry about crashing it's something that we all go through and it makes it sweeter when we do actually get a successful flight. Crashing is not only something that beginners deal with. I have been flying on and off since I was 7 years old and I still crash big time. I would say as long as the CG is right and you have everything on the ground figured if you crash fix it and try again. out go for it and have a great time!! Fix and try again.

 

[The4High2Flyer0]

Yeah, I have Discord. Same username, you can add me and we can find a time to talk.

I’m fairly certain I added the correct person I’m the account with the dog pfp

 

[The4High2Flyer0]

Hey Bro, Don't worry about crashing it's something that we all go through and it makes it sweeter when we do actually get a successful flight. Crashing is not only something that beginners deal with. I have been flying on and off since I was 7 years old and I still crash big time. I would say as long as the CG is right and you have everything on the ground figured if you crash fix it and try again. out go for it and have a great time!! Fix and try again.

I feel like mainly what people have been trying to tell me is to just bite the bullet and put that friggin plane in the air. It’s not a $1000 plane.

 

[tamuct01]

Thank you so much for the information. I knew that because I am a beginner I was going to want to reinforce the wing. So there it’s a composite spar in the wing however because of the extra foam I had to put it to fill out the empty spaces. The bottom of tue wing that’s supposed to be flat… well it’s very. There is a slight gap whenever I attach the wing to the fuse in the front of the wing. There is a slight gap in the back tabs of the power pod where it slots into the wing itself.
There are a few more rings that I could list but those are my main concerns. I feel that I’m stressing myself out the more I think about crashing it of the take off. I have both 3s and 4s battery’s and I plan on running the 3s’s in parallel so I have more flight time (2x2200mAh)
I’m mainly scared I spent all this money and then I’m going to want to quit because my plane isn’t flying properly

I started off with 2x 2200mAh 3 cells, but I had to mount them way forward in the nose to balance at the marked CG. When I switched to 4S, I used 1x 4000mAh 4-cell and got 6-8 minute flight times. and didn't have to have the battery so far forward.

 

[Shurik-1960]

The4High2Flyer​

A novice climber chooses Elbrus for his first outing, and not a small hill next door.To the perseverance of the brave we sing a song..(words from the song). The ending is only: I'm afraid to break, HELP!! What were you thinking about earlier? You were offered to set up the model and equipment via video chat. Then you need to throw the model for planning on snow or tall grass .And when the model is planning, you can quit and smoothly add the engine , and if there is an inadequacy in the behavior of the model, quickly remove the gas. I myself learned how to fly a simple Cessna 150 assembled, before smashing a purchased Piper.