Help with fighting the wind

ThePhemoria

rebmeM roinuJ
I have been flying the Hobby Zone Champ and the winds down here rarely lighten up enough for a flight. I was wondering if there is anyway to change the Champ so it could fly in stronger winds.
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
The Champ is quite a small plane. Small planes don't cut through the wind very well. But a Bixler would be great for you as long as the wind is under 15 mph.
 

oagh

Senior Member
I have been flying the Hobby Zone Champ and the winds down here rarely lighten up enough for a flight. I was wondering if there is anyway to change the Champ so it could fly in stronger winds.



If you feed it good , it will grow up to be a super cub :applause:
But maybe a super cub would fly in the wind beter for you .
 

KKArioKA

Epoxi Flyer
Welcome to the forum !

You need to LEARN how to fly with the wind as your ALLY and dont fight the wind !!

if your problem is turning into the wind, do it quickly and with power while you turn, gentle turn you aileron to the oposite direction of the turn AFTER the turn is initiated and coordinate with the rudder :D

sounds like alot of work, but with practice you can get there !!

curva teorica2.jpg

remember flying is like riding a boat, if you have no traction/motor pulling, you will feel alot more the tide of the waves, at the moment you add throttle/power you start ripping the waves and move in a more predicted path, cutting in a straight line.
 

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
The Champ just doesn't have the power to combat more than a light breeze. Adding weight won't help. What you need is more power. Your best bet is to upgrade to a larger, more powerful airplane. Colorex's recommendation of the Bixler is a good one. I've flown similar airplanes in winds WAY over 15 mph!

You CAN control the Champ in moderate winds (10 mph or less) but, it will fly backwards! With some experience, you can learn to use gravity to your advantage and fly in winds higher than you can at this time. For instance, If you are downwind and need to gain ground, you can dive to pick up airspeed. But, again, even a moderate wind will overcome the ability of the little Champ.
 

jetpackninja

More combat please...
Mentor
Somebody beat me to recommending the Supercub.
Stock power can handle a little breeze but if you have a fair amount of wind you would probably want to upgrade it to a brushless setup.

What is your skill level. If you like warbirds the PZ Corsair does well in wind and has pretty good characteristics, almost as easy to fly as a trainer.

But if you really want to beat the wind, you can't beat a flying wing. EPP wings are tough enough to help you negotiate the learning curve and still have a plane to fly.
 

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
Ninja's back on his game!

I'll second his recommendation. The crashtesthobby.com flying wings are fantastic and cut through the wind like its not even there. Best of all, you have to work really hard to hurt them. I mean REALLY hard!

Flying wings are really intuitive to fly, so you can pick it up pretty fast.
 

lobstermash

Propaganda machine
Mentor
Yeah, wings are great in the wind. Well, pretty much any plane with low drag and reasonable power is fine in the wind.

Another tip is to find somewhere flat and clear. Trees, hills and buildings create turbulence that are really difficult to deal with - in 15-20mph winds a bit of turbulance can throw a plane 2-3 metres in an unexpected direction.
 

Ak Flyer

Fly the wings off
Mentor
Low wing loading works better in wind. Problem is a plane with low wing loading has lots of power to compensate. They also fly faster. If you only add weight without adding power you are going to hate it. I would just play with it in the wind, learn it's characteristics and enjoy it. Look for another plane for those really windy days. I haven't experienced flying wings but I can tell you the super cubs do pretty well in wind. Lots of throw on your control surfaces will help when you are going downwind.
 

ThePhemoria

rebmeM roinuJ
Now I've switched flying spots and the perimeter of the field is lined by trees. Will it effect the flight (other than increased chance of losing it in a tree) like if I get near one will there be turbulence?
 

lobstermash

Propaganda machine
Mentor
Yep, there'll be turbulence and you'll likely find the trees. Horses for courses. Try and find a bigger plane that can handle wind.
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
Now I've switched flying spots and the perimeter of the field is lined by trees. Will it effect the flight (other than increased chance of losing it in a tree) like if I get near one will there be turbulence?

Depends - if there are more than a few trees, the treeline will act like a cliff - provided there is wind. If you are the wind, when you see a hole in the ground, like a clear in a thick forest, you go down into the hole. Once you reach the other side, you go back up again.

So on the end of the field going into the wind there will be a sink area where the air is going down, and the end of your field going with the wind there will be a lift zone over the tree line.