Hi all, Well my spitfire is redy for her maiden flight (tomorrow) I'm a little nervous, but really excited to see her soar! I think she turned out pretty well! Any last minute advice?
Nice job! Watch out for that torque roll when you launch.
Whichever way you think you can throw harder. It'll likely drop the left wing (from behind) if you overpower the motor on the hand launch. The technique that works well for me:
Spin up you motor to half, aim for just above the horizon, then throw as hard as you can into the wind. Once it's out of your hands, keep the wings level and slowly move up your throttle and climb.
Getting air moving over the airframe will help counter any torque roll.
I've had airframes with bad torque roll, and if I gave it too much throttle on launch, it would climb and roll -- If I just let it go, it'll twist and fly back at me (and likely hit anyone who's standing next to me onlooking). If this starts to happen to you, back off strongly on the throttle (1/4 to 0), level the plane, then slowly bring the throttle back up.
If it *does* head back at you, even if it's gonna miss ***Ditch the plane*** -- cut the throttle, and counter roll and bank. Hopefully it's got enough energy to turn and bank to stay in front of you, then regain control -- all before the forced landing (only when you have control, throttle back up). It's far better to smash into the ground than hit someone who might be standing behind you.
It's a special feeling, isn't it? There's something very cool about flying something you built!this was my first ever flight, on any plane,
I'M HOOKED!:black_eyed:
It's a special feeling, isn't it? There's something very cool about flying something you built!
Congratz NewZee!!! You did an amazing job for your first plane ever! What size battery where you running? Hope your down time is minimal.
Thats so awesome man congrats on first flight! What kind of radio are you using? Where do you fly(roughly)...I grew up in West Seneca...
Congrats NewZee! You’ve got your first flight out of the way. It’s impressive to know you did it with the Spitfire. Sorry to hear about the crash, but consider each crash a learning experience. I crashed and destroyed my first Spitfire a few weeks ago. Now, I have 4 of them on the assembly line. I’m building a customized one with a non-removable wing and fixed power pod. All the great paint jobs I’ve seen here (yours included) have inspired me to go out and get an airbrush setup. My next Spitfire will be the guinea pig for this endeavor. This is an awesome plane. That’s funny coming from me, because I did not like the Spitfire until FliteTest released this swappable.
You have my adreniline pumping waiting for the weather to cooperate for me to maiden my first scratch build FT Slinger with "The Beef" setup. I have never hand Launched anything other than my Super Cub which is a slow flyer.