My third first airplane.
- Thread starter Cypress
- Start date
First off, you will crash. That is part of the hobby and it is to be expected. So don't tear yourself up when that happens. Besides, repairing crash damage can be as much or more interesting then building the plane in the first place. I never built a tiny trainer, but I have had good luck with the Storch. Before you buy your first plane though, I would recommend you buy a flight simulator. Preferably one that you can use your radio with. Life is easier with a reset button and you can learn a lot about basic flight and more advanced stuff that way.
Maybe consider buying a plane like the Sport Cub S with AS3X. ( Horizon Hobby) Planes like that have gyro's in them which with the flick of a switch can go from total novice to regular pilot mode. They even have a chicken switch which will cause the plane to fly straight and level regardless of what kind of trouble you get into. The Sport Cub S is a very light plane and will not handle winds well, but it is a great starter. By the way, at least for Spectrum compatible stuff, you can buy receivers with gyro's in them. For instance... https://www.motionrc.com/collection...mx-compatible-receiver-with-6-axis-stabilizer . I use these in a couple planes and they work great. Have fun with the hobby and good luck!
Maybe consider buying a plane like the Sport Cub S with AS3X. ( Horizon Hobby) Planes like that have gyro's in them which with the flick of a switch can go from total novice to regular pilot mode. They even have a chicken switch which will cause the plane to fly straight and level regardless of what kind of trouble you get into. The Sport Cub S is a very light plane and will not handle winds well, but it is a great starter. By the way, at least for Spectrum compatible stuff, you can buy receivers with gyro's in them. For instance... https://www.motionrc.com/collection...mx-compatible-receiver-with-6-axis-stabilizer . I use these in a couple planes and they work great. Have fun with the hobby and good luck!
Cypress
Member
Great idea with the flight simulator. I will definitely see what I can find there. As for the gyro, It does appear there are ones compatible with my flysky radio
but they're another $25 so I'll add that to the wishlist for now along with the battery. I'd like to use as much of what I already have as I can...I may regret it as a gyro sounds like a nice thing to have :SI've seen enough flight test videos to know the phrase 'embrace the crash'. We'll see how that works out in reality but to touch on the long story I don't want to tell: Plane 1: into the only 4-inch-deep puddle of water within miles, completely fried immediately. Plane 2: Directly into a brick wall at fully-panicked speed (was a SAFE trainer but they don't do walls very well)...again the only brick wall within view.
Last edited:
evranch
Well-known member
If you're running into walls with SAFE on, I'd recommend some sim time first and foremost. The easiest way to wreck a trainer is by turning towards yourself and not having the instinct to reverse your control inputs. This is totally unintuitive and only buddy boxing or sim flying can get you ready for it. I would recommend sim as you can put in as many hours as you want.
This skill can even be learned on such free and basic simulators as CRRCSim or Picasim. Honestly, Picasim is a pretty good sim either on mobile or on PC, and on your phone can be pulled out in a moment of boredom to crash some planes.
This skill can even be learned on such free and basic simulators as CRRCSim or Picasim. Honestly, Picasim is a pretty good sim either on mobile or on PC, and on your phone can be pulled out in a moment of boredom to crash some planes.
Javiester
Elite member
I started like you with the TT
the one that has helped me a lot to learn (I'm still doing it) is this
https://www.flitetest.com/articles/the-fish-a-scratch-built-slow-flier
now I fly the TT almost without problem although I keep hitting
I have given up flying any other until my abilities improve
and program the EXPO on the radio, it is very important as well as the RATES
the one that has helped me a lot to learn (I'm still doing it) is this
https://www.flitetest.com/articles/the-fish-a-scratch-built-slow-flier
now I fly the TT almost without problem although I keep hitting
I have given up flying any other until my abilities improve
and program the EXPO on the radio, it is very important as well as the RATES
Last edited:
Tiny trainers are pretty accepting of most batteries. Just need to be creative with where you put it for cg reasons.
When you said you ordered the reccomended motor, did you order the flite test power pack they reccomended or what? Power packs are great because you know it will work. But if you have the same motor at least, you can probably get the cg right with other electronics with help.
Good luck! Your in for a treat!
When you said you ordered the reccomended motor, did you order the flite test power pack they reccomended or what? Power packs are great because you know it will work. But if you have the same motor at least, you can probably get the cg right with other electronics with help.
Good luck! Your in for a treat!
Cypress
Member
I ordered the motor separately. I expect hitting the CG won't be too hard, it's just how heavy it is when I get there. I don't want a fast plane. Yet.
Cypress
Member
Hah, I hadn't noticed the fish. I kinda like the look of that. No more plane suggestions though because I just added this one to my list and I have too many as it is.
Cypress
Member
Thanks for the recommendations! I'll have something to do in the rain tomorrow.
Cypress
Member
Just an update - Dug through my garage and found another box of old parts a couple days ago, in which there was a gas motor (not interested) and a small landing gear that should be perfect for my trainer! In addition to that, I found that my servos are junk which was disappointing, but just today I got a $25 amazon gift certificate as a pat on the back from work, so 10 new servos are on the way!
Very excited now. I've already started on the fuselage.
Very excited now. I've already started on the fuselage.
Cypress
Member
Question: Do some ESC's power the receiver? I seem to be getting that impression from some of the info I've been seeing.
My 2003 crash salvaged 60A ESC has a 3 wire (BK RD WT) connector for the receiver which I assumed was just a signal wire for throttle -- is it possible I don't need my voltage regulator to power my receiver?
My 2003 crash salvaged 60A ESC has a 3 wire (BK RD WT) connector for the receiver which I assumed was just a signal wire for throttle -- is it possible I don't need my voltage regulator to power my receiver?
Yes, All 5 I have do but some do not. Hook a battery to the ESC and check for ~5 volts Black = ground, Red = plus. The white will be signal from the Rec to ESC
Cypress
Member
I cranked it out today. The 60A speed controller and cheap servos made things a little tight, but I got it all in. I think it's a few grams heavier than it needs to be but hopefully I can make it work.
Found a way to mount my landing gear using the hole in the belly for hand launches - it plugs right in, straps on with rubber bands, and should hold pretty well, I hope.
Also added a chunk of barbecue skewer to the tail to save on wear as I drag it around with the landing gear.
Other than that, every idea I had ended up being in the video at some point. Love this thing already, going to be sad to watch it crash into a thousand pieces.
I also added a switch for flaps because I am learning and it was fun.
Found a way to mount my landing gear using the hole in the belly for hand launches - it plugs right in, straps on with rubber bands, and should hold pretty well, I hope.
Also added a chunk of barbecue skewer to the tail to save on wear as I drag it around with the landing gear.
Other than that, every idea I had ended up being in the video at some point. Love this thing already, going to be sad to watch it crash into a thousand pieces.
I also added a switch for flaps because I am learning and it was fun.
