Trouble flying 3 channel rudder?

[Warbow]

I started watching my father try to fly RC plane in the early 1980’s. He bought a 2 channel Cox .049 Cessna. He never flew well and spent most of his time patching it back together with foam egg cartons and a soldering iron. He finally destroyed it completely and built a balsa frame and installed the motor and electronics. He never completed it and in the early 2000’s, I finished covering it with MonoKote and attempted flying it. I ended up with a 4 foot trench in a gravel pit. I then bought a 4 channel Tower Hobbies trainer and found a few guys that actually knew how to fly. They helped me with the assistance of buddy boxes and I was able to fly. The strange thing that has I’ve never been able to fly solely with the rudder. I’m very proficient with ailerons , but if I’m limited to 3 channels with rudder only then it is a guaranteed crash. I’ve tried model with massive dihedral and only rudder, only to fail miserably. I’m able to use the rudder with ailerons but can not control the roll with rudder only.

Am I the only one that has this problem? I’m dumbfounded that most people start with only rudder and 3 channels.

 

[quorneng]

I would suggest that when flying with RET put the rudder on the aileron channel and then fly it as if it had ailerons and you were lazy so didn't use the rudder.
It works for me.
Indeed the majority of my planes are effectively 3 channel - aileron, elevator and throttle (AET or bank & yank) with no rudder.
In fact I have just got back from a longish flight (25 minutes) and although the plane actually has a working rudder I never touched it at any time during the entire flight.

 

[slowjo]

first off Welcome, it does seem ur not normal but neither am i, 3ch planes usually are much more stable, self leveling, when you turn does it dive or what exactly happens?

 

[slowjo]

I would suggest that when flying with RET put the rudder on the aileron channel and then fly it as if it had ailerons and you were lazy so didn't use the rudder.
It works for me.
Indeed the majority of my planes are effectively 3 channel - aileron, elevator and throttle (AET or bank & yank) with no rudder.
In fact I have just got back from a longish flight (25 minutes) and although the plane actually has a working rudder I never touched it at any time during the entire flight.

good point, I assumed you would b flying a 3ch with the rudder on the right stick

 

[LitterBug]

I have an FT Tiny Trainer and everyone is amazed after they see it fly that it is only a 3 channel with Throttle, Elevator, and Rudder. You can build it out as 4 channel, but really isn't necessary.

 

[Warbow]

Yes, all planes I build are now “yank and bank”. I was just curious if I’m the only one that has problems with rudder only control.

 

[Warbow]

I always have problems with excessive roll, even with massive dihedral. The only thing I can figure is I’m too heavy handed.

 

[sprzout]

Try building a Nutball and fly that. Those things are really simple to build, are simple 3 channel controls, and they fly with almost no effort.

Only thing with them that I’ve had an issue with is a ground takeoff (and that might just be me being a little ham handed with the throttle, as it wants to pull to the left), but they’re fun to fly...