Peter Jenkins
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Posts posted by Peter Jenkins
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Wow - that's pretty good SR71! Echo L Plate's comment on a successful test flight. That's a darn good paint job!
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I started with 35 MHz Futaba and always used dual conversion Futaba Rxs - had the occasional glitch in the same part of the sky at one field.
Then moved to 2.4 and went JR as Futaba were taking so long to launch their module Tx. Used the JR DSM2 system (Spektum of course) and had problems using Speky 5 and 6 ch Rxs but none with the 9 Ch JR nor 9 Ch Spekky.r
Now moved to JR DMSS and use exclusively JR Rxs. Have an 11 Ch, 2 x 8 Ch and 3 x 6 Ch Rxs. So far, they have been bullet proof. I particularly like the speed of connection when you first switch them on (less than a second) - much better than the 3.5 secs on the DSM2 system.
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Oooh, that looks the job Steve. Sadly, having stuffed in my Ametyst, of which the HK model is a dead ringer, I am now without my much loved bipe. I hear the HK model is great in low winds but a bit of a struggle in gusty conditions - bit like I found its 2 mtr inspiration! Let's know how it goes, if not on this thread then on the Aerobatic thread.
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For what it's worth, I used a Wot4 with Irvine 53 for my B. I flew a totalof 80 flights and generally flew 2 B schedules per flight.
Safety, accuracy and full conrol as well as a thorough knowledge of the BMFA Handbook are what are the pre-requisites for a successful outcome.
Provided the aircraft you use can bunt and spin you can use any airframe that weighs more than 1Kg. However, flying a lightweight aircraft accurately on a windy day is a darn sight more difficult than something like an IC Wot4 type.
As has been said above, it's the pilot being tested not the aircraft.
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Have you tried Weston UK Bob?
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For many people, me included, when you first look at the B you feel, wow, that'll be difficult. But, break it down into bite size chunks and you soon find that it's not that difficult. The main problem once you have explored all the manoeuvres is to fly them as intended, once after another. However, you generally get a circuit to calm you down between most manoeuvres, the exceptions being the loop, bunt and the 2 sets of 2 rolls.
Andy Ellison wrote a set of articles in RCM&E which spanned 2010 and 2011. If you can access them they are well worth reading. Also essential reading is the BMFA publication entitled "Test Standards for Chief Examiners and Club Examiners and Guidance for Test Candidates - available here. This is updated every year so be prepared to check back in 2015 for any changes to the B Certificate if you are still practicing for it in 2015. I cannot stress enough the importance of this document - it's what the Examiner will be using to assess you on your B Test so best you download a copy and read it very carefully.
The other great aid is to find an instructor who will tutor you through the whole B - this will need an instructor who has a B cert of course. Ideally, you want to find someone who can still fly the B to the required standard as it is a lot easier to then understand what the requirement is. If you cannot find anyone in your Club to help you, don't despair, ask to be put in touch with your Area Achievement Scheme Coordinator (ASC) by your Club Committee. The ASC will be able to connect you with a suitably qualified instructor or Area Chief Examiner who will be able to give you some pointers on what's required. Be prepared to travel to their location at least for some of the time!
In order to limber up for the B, try flying consistent a rectangular circuits aiming to get the flight path accurately following the 90 deg turns at each corner while allowing for the wind direction and strength. You are aiming for the aircraft's ground track to follow the rectangular path. Your height must also be constant. Pay particular attention to the turns where you are aiming to roll in, turn through 90 deg (ground track remember) and roll out without any significant height deviation. You should also be aiming to fly each straight leg at constant height.
I often find that candidates have too much aileron and elevator movement so that the aircraft is "twitchy" to fly. Turning down the movement helps enormously. There is, of course, a great deal more to making sure your aircraft is correctly trimmed and if you have not worked through the front end of this thread where I have dealt in detail with trimming then please turn back and read those sections as I'll not be repeating them here.
Peter
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Hi Graham - while I have a Keil Kraft Phantom still, with PAW 149, sadly I cannot find it offered as a kit any longer. However, putting control line trainer kits into Google produced the fact that Sussex Model Centre still have a fair range of C/L kits. After looking at their offerings the Sig Deweybird looks like it will do the business. You will need a small engine (0.8 cc or .049 cu in) and I see that PAW still sell a 0.8 or 1 cc engine. Looks like you have to email them with your order details to get a price. They also sell a control line handle but not the lines. I Googled Lightweight Laystrate wire (what we used to use) and while I got some hits on E-bay all were sold. Sussex Models or PAW might know how to get such lines.
Instead of IC engines you could also try using an electric motor and LiPo batteries. The problem comes with getting the ESC to work without radio input but I believe that there is a Horzon Hobby E-flite "Motor Timer" (ref EFLA172) costing £9.99 - but nothing beats the simplicity of a diesel engine in a small control liner.
Take a look at the links I've supplied to see if that's what you were after. I have to say that learning to fly C/L on your own is quite difficult - at least I found it so. It was ages before I could go more than half a circuit without crashing - that's where small and light aircraft that are easy to repair are a great help! Best though to find a local club which flys control line and go along there to find out more information. You can learn to fly with an "instructor" and control is easily passed between the two of you by having a two handle set up - best way to do it. Use the BMFA Club Finder to find a C/L club near you. Use the dropdown to select Control Line as the discipline for which you are looking.
Another problem with C/L is the dizziness problem. Don't try and fly more than 3 circuits to begin with otherwise you'll get dizzy. Gradually get used to watching the model and ignoring the background whizzing past!
Finally, there is the wind. Always take off going downwind so that the aircraft is accelerating up to flying speed as you fly into wind and be prepared to step backwards to maintain line tension if the wind blows the model inwards at the upwind end of the circle.
As you can see, there's quite a lot going on when learning to fly C/L. I taught myself but broke a lot of aeroplanes in the process!
Peter
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Hi David
The thing with the builder of the model rule is where do you draw the line? Foam wings, fibreglass fuz etc. I believe that there are still a few raised eyebrows sometimes in the scale world over the veracity of this rule in some cases! Of course, in the past, there would be extensive reporting in the modelling press of the World and European aerobatic champs and then the publication of the winning design as a plan. Today, the winning design has already been turned into a finished product for the pilot who designed it and his performance helps to sell the aircraft. I for one could not build a 2 mtr airframe to the required standard of accuracy so I'm happy to buy one ready made and focus on flying the darn thing. There is one UK pilot who has designed and built his own 2 mtr aerobat and he's doing very well with flying it as well. I know there's a lot of satisfaction in building and flying your own creation and I have two models on the build track - a Gangster 75 (untouched original kit with foam wings) and a Taurus (the last kit of parts from a US enthusiast).
It's a bit like cars these days. I used to do all my own standard servicing. Now, you need a computerised diagnostic tool to find out what's wrong and how to fix it - quite often a software fix. So - take it to the garage who has the kit and whose manhour rate has to reflect the required training and equipment amortisation costs!
As there seems to be some interest in the B and some folks are having difficulty in getting help with understanding how it should be flown, I'll write a few words about that topic next.
Thanks for your support.
Peter
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Generally not. The display will be be the subject of a NOTAM giving the location, timing and horizontal and vertical airspace restriction that will be in force. The Formation will have entered it's proposed flight plan into the civil/military ATC system (that will give call sign, aircarft type, no of aircraft, and if flying in formation). For example, when the Red Arrows travel around only Red Lead transmits to ATC but every time there is a frequency change, the formation checks in with the leader before he proceeds to talk to ATC. The flight plan is not available to the general public unlike the NOTAM - assuming that you have access to a source of NOTAMs.
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David
You and Graeme are quite right about the Tutor 40 - I still occasionally want to get one to use in lieu of my Wot4 to give newcomers a go while providing an entertaining aeroplane for me. I would take issue with Graeme that doing the B is easy enough for anyone contemplating flying aerobatics competitively. You need a B to fly comps so that's the connundrum. On the other hand, the B is not that difficult if you approach it in a disciplined way and have either a good mentor or access to some well written advice. Many club pilots tend to look on the B as being a "bridge too far" for them which is a pity since with a bit of application just about everyone ought to be able to reach the required standard.
Absolutely agree with you on your description of F3A flying but I would add that the satisfaction to be gained when you get it right is fantastic and more than rewards the effort you have put in. I am lucky in that both of the Clubs I fly with have sites which are ex airfields and are superb for F3A. Also, being retired, I can get to fly mid-week when the pressure on flying time is less. I rarely have a problem with having the sky to myself or even sharing with a couple of others as they generrally fly closer in than my 150 mtr track - not that I can always keep to that! I am also usually higher than my club colleagues so we manage quite well to operate in two environments.
Your final question is one that is often cited as the reason for lack of competitors in F3A. I accept that it is the perception but I disagree. There is no need to buy into a full 2 mtr size airframe to be competitive certainly up to Masters (next up is FAI) standard. Last year's league winner flew a SebArt Angel 50 more competently than those flying 2 mtr ships. It does, as you point out, require dedication and practice. There are a number of relatively low cost suitable machines around the £150 mark that can be used to fly Sportsman and Intermediate levels with standard engines and servos. My experience of running 3 New Pilot Open Days has shown that there is the appetite out there to take part in competitive precision aerobatics - the problem is that there isn't the opportunity for many club pilots to have seen F3A style aerobatics. While some will be unmoved, others are just blown away and want more. We have had 3 pilots graduate from NPODs to flying in full Competitions and a fourth would have made it this year but for lack of time. What we need are more NPODs around the country - Wales perhaps? That's the other problem - the location of competitions - they tend to be around where the centre of gravity of the community is. IMAC comps appear to be focused in N Wales and NW England, F3A to Yorkshire, the Midlands down to Essex. This can only be resolved by building up interest in F3A and therein lies the problem.
At my Club, I was the only one flying a 2 mtr F3A machine three years ago. We now have another 2 mtr machine as well as one of the 120 size machines being flown and 2 pilots who fly in comps regularly. Once you start to get that sort of interest it can start to introduce some new blood into the sport.
If you focus on the top end in F3A where you are paying a lot of money for big name designs, contra rotating props, top end servos, then yes it is expensive. But then again, to compete in Free Flight competitions is just as expensive today. Entering competitive F3A flying doesn't need you to go on and compete for a National team place. You can get just as much enjoyment lower down the ladder at a fraction of the cost. At the end of the day, it is how much practice you put in and how well you have trimmed your aircraft and that determines your competition position and not, in my experience, how much you have spent on your aircraft. It's nice to have a flashy aircraft but it's not essential.
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Lindsay, I don't think the video is misleading - the person who posted it has misled viewers. This is not how to fly a perfect B it deliberately had errors built into it. You need a very good pilot who can make these errors that have been agreed before hand as teaching/discussion points. What we have here is one of the pitfalls of the internet. Anyone can post anything without putting it into context. The viewer then is left to make up their own mind on what they are seeing/hearing. All very liberating but not terribly helpful when you search for B Certificate flight video.
In any event, I don't believe that you can learn very much from watching a video of even a perfect B Certificate since you cannot, for the most part, see the aircraft within the context of its position relative to the required flight path. If you unzoom, to be able to see that you can't see the aeroplane as anything other than a small dot on the screen.
There is a concerted effort being made by the BMFA to achieve standardisation, at least within an Area, which is a good start. I suppose the next step will be to achieve standardisation across all Areas so that there is one accepted standard for BMFA achievement tests. I don't suppose that we'll ever achieve that but it's worth trying to get somewhere close.
All of these tests are a bit like an MoT on a car. On that day, you proved to an examiner that you were competent to be awarded a pass. The Achievement Scheme tests are not a measure of continued competence which is where you get a B pilot who has allowed their skills to become rusty for what ever reason but who still holds a B. But that's a completely different issue unconnected with the OP.
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Al - go ahead and remove the spats and small wheels in favour of big wheels. I doubt it will make much difference to the flying characteristics - just a couple of clicks on the elevator trim and you'll be set. If you keep the speed as constant as possible then the drag will stay in balance with your trim state. Remember, drag increases with speed squared!
Mal, if you Club Sec says he's not had anything from your ASC and is reluctant to approach him, just find out in which Area your Club is and approach your ASC directly. In our Area, our ASC would welcome such an approach.
What an amazing coincidence - I was out practicing the Masters Schedule this afternoon with my 2 mtr a/c and I don't think it was a speck at the top of the box - I could see every over vigorous use of rudder while I tried to keep her at a constant distance out! Al's point about Hanno is probably bound up with the lack of safety rules in those days. From what I remember of the photos in the modelling press about Sandown, the crowd seemed to be right there in the front row.
Oh yes, I ought to mention that if you are serious about doing a B then you absolutely must down load a document entitled "TEST STANDARDS for CHIEF EXAMINERS and CLUB EXAMINERS - GUIDANCE for TEST CANDIDATES". You will find this on the BMFA website and you will find documents for the A, the B and the C. Also covered are Silent Flight, Helicopter, Multi-Rotor etc. They are re-issued every year so make sure you have the current year's document. They provide invaluable help to candidates as they will be able to read the standard the Examiner is required to use. Do not even think of doing a B, or A for that matter, without first downloading and then thoroughly reading the relevant guide.
Peter
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You may be relieved to hear then Lee that we failed him! I agree that the variability of the B standard needs addressing and that is what is currently in hand with the new Achievement Scheme Controller via the use of Examiner/Instructor workshops. The video of the B flight was at one such event.
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Just one point on the Video, the flight was to allow the Examiners and others present to discuss whether they would pass or fail the flight. There were some deliberate errors introduced into the flight, some obvious and some more subtle (like flying out of bounds on the landing leg) which were designed to generate discussion as to whether the flight was a pass or "I think you need a bit more practise before you go for your B".
However, watching the video shows the limitations of video as you cannot see how accurately the fig 8 cross over was nor whether the aircraft track was good enough on the 2 rolls. But, it does give some guidelines particularly in the smooth way the aircraft is rolled into and out of turns plus holding a constant height.
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Max5o, the BMFA Achievement Scheme Controllers (there are 2, one for Power and one for Silent Flight) are encouraging Area Achivement Scheme Coordinators to run at least one workshop per year. In our Area, we are about to run the second one this year. If you go to the BMFA website, click on The BMFA and go down to Areas you can then select your Area and you will find that every Area, apart from Mid West, has contact details for their Achievement Scheme Controller. If when you click on the Send Email link nothing happens (depends on how your PC is set up), look at the bottom left of your screen and you will see the email address displayed. Copy that down and you can then email your ASC. Ideally, though, this should be done through your Club but if nothing happens, go direct!
Our ASC has sent information out to all Club Secretaries but this doesn't always get circulated within the Club. Indeed, some Club Secs have said they always bin any communication from the BMFA. To overcome this, our ASC now has sent snail mail messages to all Examiners to advise them of the workshops and to request an email poc to allow easier communication in the future.
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L Plate, you might like to go along to the East Anglia Area's Examiners/Instructors/Candidates workshop being held at the Ramsey Model Club's site at Warboys on 7th Sept. WillyUK is going there to see first hand the standard that will be required. This will cover the pre- and post flight checks as well as the flying of a B Cert. Contact Phil Gutteridge if you are interested in attending.
Peter
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Hi Graeme
The Triple Crown is a team event with 4 teams actually! England, Ireland, Scotland and International (made up usually of the 5th placed person in the Eng/Irl/Sco team trials - I dare not open the question of a Welsh team! As such, it will not be open to members but only to the 4 selected teams. 4 rounds of FAI P15 over 2 days to find an individual and team winner.
There is a re-jigged competition at Hurley on 5th October where Clubman will be flown by 2 pilots. I hope to be flying there as well so it depends if you want to see some top pilots flying or four classes being flown. Same distance to drive though but you will be able to see Clubman flown and to chat to all the competitors who will be only too happy to chat to you. If time and the CD permits, you could always try and sneak in a flight over lunch and get one of the pilots there to give you some coaching if you wanted. Alternatively, wait till the end and then have a flight.
Peter
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Another route to follow if you are having difficulty getting B instruction is to ask your Club to get help from the Area Achievement Scheme Controller. They can identify a suitable Area Chief Examiner or Area Chief Instructor to come along and coach you from time to time. You may, though, need to travel to where they fly. They will be able to demonstrate the required standard and to run the rule over you, so to speak, to identify which areas need improvement and how you can achieve that improvement. They will certainly help you to set up your aircraft trim so that you are not fighting the aeroplane. The role of the ACE and ACI is to encourage take up of both A and B certs and C certs come to that and not just to examine candidates.
At the end of the day, as has already been flagged up, there needs to be a drive from within the individual to achieve a higher standard of flying. Sometimes, with the pressure of work or family issues you just cannot devote the time to practicing for, say, the B Certificate. I know that for me, while I was working it was just too difficult to maintain the required currency so that I used to spend my time doing the same old stuff - badly - again and again! Very demoralising!
I like the use of an intermediate step between an A and a B - a useful form of encouragement.
Peter
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Hi Graeme
I think the B cert is not as simple as saying you can use a Tutor 40. You need to have someone explain and demonstrate what the required standards are and these are not limited to flying but include pre and post flight checks not to mention the questions at the end. The same problem exists with practicing for your B when you have a pattern that crosses the main flight path e.g. fig 8 or reverse low level circuit. You do need a Club with some understanding that the B practice needs to be encouraged and for the general flyers to take appropriate action to stay out of the way.
I am lucky at my Club in that it is never a problem to have the sky to myself as there are many gaps in the flying "progamme"! The same problem is faced by swimmers and ice skaters but we cannot always do what they do and fly early in the morning to avoid peak periods. It is a problem but one that could be discussed within the Club and an equitable arrangement arrived at to help the aspiring aerobatic pilot - most of the time!
Yes, judging 150 mtrs, or any other distance for that matter, is difficult. One way that has been tried is to have someone with a flag system standing at the required distance out. They can then indicate with the flags if you are too far out or too close in. Once you have "sighted in" your distance that is a great help. Hope that helps but you need to find a suitable volunteer to wave the flags!
Peter
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My goodness Rob, you sound like a well balanced chap - chip on both shoulders!
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Hi Martin
I have mentioned earlier on this thread that the 150 m flight path requirement relates to the 2 mtr class aircraft. An Acrowot, or Wot 4, is usually flown at between 50-80 mtrs as otherwise, as you mention, you have a tough job seeing it. A 110 size aircraft will be flown at around 100-120 mtrs. It is only the full 2 mtr class that are flown at 150 mtrs.
It is rare in a Club environment to see a 2 mtr aircraft being flown in an aerobatic scheduled way as this tends to jigger up flying for the rest and risks collisions unless either flown on its own or with only one or two other aircraft operating out of the way. I have seen at one club a 50 cc aircraft being flown around 20 mtrs away and I find that rather too close for comfort. Most people who have attended an NPOD have been surprised at how far out and how high up F3A is flown without the aircraft becoming a speck in the sky. It is difficult to gauge how far away an aircraft is in a video given the use of a zoom lens so the only way to really see what an F3A schedule should look like is to watch one of the better pilots fly. Pilots with relatively little competition experience suffer nerves (I'm told that even CPLR suffers nerves!) and can, and do, frequently end up in the wrong place in the sky - this might be overhead the judges or way out in "speck" territory. Being in speck territory does not mean this is the norm in aerobatics today. If the judges can't get a good view of your aircraft you don't get a high score - and quite rightly so. However, if you are standing a good hundred yards further back than the judges then you might expect to see just a speck in the sky. Incidentally, you mention that the 150 mtr distance equates to 600 - 750 mtrs out for full size. I did mention that the full size aerobatic box is a 1 km cube with 500 mtrs on each face and on top for safety reasons. Since they also fly manoeuvres across the box it is probably the case that full size can be up to 1 km away on the far side of the box. Spectators are no closer than 200 - 500 mtrs from the box - so around 1.5 kms range. I don't get your argument Martin that full size aerobatics would not be as far out as 600 - 750 mtrs when it can easily be up to 1.5 kms away using the distances laid down by the FAI. So please don't drag in an Acrowot at 150 mtrs as an argument as to what is wrong with F3A today when this is not the case.
I'm sure that if you were watching the FAI or FAI P&F schedules you would not see the aircraft appearing as a speck as these pilots are amongst the best in GB - and you used to be one of them. The Nationals, however, is open to all BMFA members and not just GBR/CAA members which is the norm for all other F3A competitions in GB. So the aircraft you, and the person who spoke to you, may have observed could have been flown by a low hours competition pilot who was struggling to put the aircraft in the right part of the sky - I guess we'll never know now.
I appreciate that you are trying to solve why aerobatics is in steep decline - but only in the UK it would appear. I can offer one thought and that is that I understand that only 10% of BMFA members hold a B Certificate which is an essential requirement to fly in competition. I was surprised at that situation. If we can encourage more club members to go after a B they might then be tempted to have a go at flying in an aerobatic competition but only if they are exposed to someone in their Club who flys F3A.. The attraction of the New Pilot Open Days is that you don't need a B to fly in one. Quite a few who have flown in NPODs have been sufficiently motivated to press on and get their Bs before entering a full competition.
I think there are a lot of misconceptions about what is involved in flying in F3A competitions and I hope that this thread has gone part way to demystifying the art of aerobatics. The Royal Aero Club runs sponsorship for young people (21 and under) interested in pursuing Air Sports - this includes aeromodelling which is recognised by the RAeC as an air sport. Last year, there were no applicants from the BMFA as no clubs put forward names.
One comment made to me by a Free Flight competitor is that F3A relies, like ice skating, on a subjective judgement rather than an objective timing mechanism as in Free Flight which is judged by the stopwatch. He would not participate in a sport dependent on subjective judging - e.g. size, accuracy and gracefulness as used in F3A.
Anyway, having banged on at some length on this topic, it is not what those who have been reading this thread particularly want to hear I guess - so this is my last word on this topic - promise!
Peter
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Well, after reading this thread and hearing that there was a run on vacuum cleaners, I went to Curry's and found a Hoover which claimed to have 2,300 watts of electrical power and 300 watts of suction! Now, how do they measure that? The clincher was the price £89.99 - a 55% discount! I wonder why? However, I shall have to wait until next week for them to get one from their warehouse. The cheapest Dyson they had was over £200. So, our long serving Hoover Junior may have to replace the expensive but heavy and generally useless machine in my shed! We bought the Hoover Junior to replace this expensive white elephant in the first instance!
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Martin, a few points if I may.
Firstly, comparing an F3A model (1.85 mtr span) with, say, an equivalent full size aerobatic aircraft, like an Edge (7.4 mtr span), makes it a 1:4 scale. Top of the box 260 mtrs translates to a full size height of 1.04 Km or 3,412 ft. The aerobatic box for full size aerobatics is 1 Km cube with 500 mtrs on each side and the top as safety margins. So, the top of the box is virtually identical between the two disciplines of model and full size aerobatics. If you want to compare display flying with aerobatics then that is a different matter altogether for both full size and model aviation - and you know that! Top of a loop for the Red Arrows is around 10,000 feet I believe - but they do use smoke.
Secondly, given the size of a today's F3A aircraft, if it is flown at the distances set out by the FAI then they are not a little speck in the sky. However, as I pointed out in my earlier post, if you allow the wind to push you out of position so that you do become a little speck in the sky, your score will be downgraded as the judges cannot see what is being flown. If you had said that the flight you witnessed scored top marks you would have plenty of grounds for your comments. So is it fair to damn the whole of today's F3A based your comment that you saw one speck in the sky from the F3A flight line? The current guidance in the FAI Sporting Code merely sets out the geometry for the aerobatic box and states that the predominant flight path shall be at 150 mtrs from the pilot with a downgrade in score if any of these parameters are infringed. As you know only too well, the FAI Sporting Code is the bible!
Thirdly, we are where we are with technology. You might just as well complain that you don't like the look of a modern F1 racing car as you cannot see the driver and how he moves his arms to control the car. Sometimes technology drives rules and other times rules drive technology. What is clear is that nothing stands still and wishing we could go back to some previous golden age is just that - a wish. Currently, most F3A motors produce around 3 Kw or approx 4.5 HP.
Other European countries have a thriving F3A scene. The Far East and the USA also have large numbers of F3A participants. We may be down in numbers in the UK today compared with the numbers who participated in the past and there are probably a large number of reasons for this beyond the "you need mega thousands to participate in F3A" which is plain wrong - else I wouldn't be able to afford it. As in all hobbies, you can, if you want to, spend mega thousands of pounds on a set up but it won't make you a better pilot - practice does that.
I am trying to encourage interest in precision aerobatics through this thread. If it encourages some to participate in F3A competition, so much the better.
You have stated on here that you do not like today's schedules and the FAIs rules which is why you no longer compete. However, I'm sorry to say that I think your comment above is both misleading and inaccurate and I would not have expected either from someone of your stature.
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Yes, I'm lucky to have two flying sites that are great F3A sites albeit one of them is not usable in some wind directions due to turbulence from a line of trees.
If you are looking for a 2 m ship, I recommend that you join the GBR/CAA forum since you will find that is where many 2 mtr airframes will appear as the competition season ends. There are a couple of YS powered 2 mtr offerings on there at the moment.
Are you intending to get into aerobatic competition flying or do you just want to fly a 2 mtr aerobat?
Peter
Ever wanted to get into or improve your aerobatics?
in In The Air
Posted
Welcome to the world of specifically designed aerobatic aircraft Terence. As you have found, they fly like they are on rails. However, even they can be improved by proper trimming as I have described earlier in this thread. The first, and most important area being the CG position. Get that right first and then set about the other areas I have described and you will be surprised at how much you can improve and already excellently flying model.
Be warned however that the Wind 50, like all lightly built aerobatic aircraft of today, is not overly robust on its undercarriage mounts so you really do need to keep your landings light! It is also helpful to reinforce the landing gear plate attachment with some carbon tows before you do any more flying.
Enjoy and let us know how you get on. Are you intending to get into competition flying?