David Bathe

Don't worry about a guaze filter... these lovely simple engines will run with untold junk in the fuel, sand for example.. don't ask me how I know that. They do need a good running in though as they tend to be rather tight so give it time. I know Nitro isn't the norm in the UK but these engines really enjoy/ benefit from a slurp. 10%-15%, much less needle critical, rock solid idle. The best plug I've found is Enya nr3. That and the OS F are the only plugs I carry. Nitro and the Enya 3. Stand by for a revolution.

Ahh... Mode 1. Gods own mode.Mind you, there are many excellent players flying mode 2, often referred to as: the ladies side... if that has any influence?

Now that was fast... faster than any other jet I've seen? Couldn't tell. Still it looked simple, low-ish tech compared to average engineering orgy one finds in a jet-head's hanger. Safe? who know's, one things for sure...  I want one!

Posted by Danny Fenton on 13/11/2010 11:14:34: Well Herri is of course right, after publicising Davids work how could I use a freebie so I purchased a download from David's site also  Cheers Danny  Hey, I appreciate that.  

The PC9 flys very well considering it's a scale design. One of the best. Having said that, you'll be VERY happy with the Excelleron which is a dedicated sports aerobatic design. Different kettle of fish. Contry to popular belief, well designed aerobatic planes (pattern type) are pussy cats to fly. My F3A planes are so smooth and gentle, they'ed make an ideal second plane/low wing trainer... yet at the same time can perform all the aerobatics you can dream of. Once you've got into the grove, I'd guess you'll love that plane.  

I would look at expo/DRs as two completely separate things.Dial in a little (10-15%) expo to soften the sticks around neutral... makes things a little less jittery... good for the nerves (specially if your try flying in a comp') And use dual rates to set throws.  Choose a simple set-up at first. Rate 1: normal throws. Rate 2. More extreme throws. Nice way to get to know the model.After a while you'll notice that less throw is used 95% of the time so... set rate 1: normal as before and 2: less. Experiment with that for a while and you'll discover somethin' quite interesting... you'll be able to fly very well  with less throw! Reason... normally we only you very little stick movement... and that not so good. Less throw will allow you to use far more stick movement. Try it. It's strange at first but once you've got the hang of it, your flying will smooth out considerable.... Just remember to leave enough elevator for landing. CG thing... different story.  

Here's an old chip of CPLR flying an F3A routine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPuM0Ffphq8&feature=related Notice how slow and drawn out the areobatics are... not just rushed. A great tip for beginners is to notice how the aerobatics are joined together with deliberate, straight and level flight. Take your time, don't just fly around in circles, fly an nice straight line infront of you and do a stall turn at each end. When that's in the bag, add a roll, then a loop in the middle. Keep doing the same thing over and over again. What most sports flyers don't understand is that the aerobatic pilots are following a pre-set routine: Take off, followed by an exact series of 'batics followed by landing. NO deviation! We all fly the same routine(s) practice and competition. That way one doesn't have to rely on visual reference to see what your model is doing. You know exactly what it's doing because you put it there in exactly the same way you've put it there 1000's of times before. Difficult to explain. very cool to do. Try a simple routine as mentioned above and your flying will improve 100 fold over adding aerobatics at random.Edited By David Bathe on 09/11/2010 20:55:22

What you should do is first check you right thrust... you need the air craft to maintain a nice long decent vertical hands off. It to wonders to the left, add some more right thrust to in engine, if it goes right do the opposite. No big deal.. your looking for a plane that'll track reasonably straight. Once you've got that, go for the stall turn. Thing to remember is: don't throttle all the way back until you've gone over the top and are pointing down. Here how we do it in pattern: Straight and level fight- pull up to vertical- establish vertical heading- start reducing throttle to slow aircraft to stop at the point you want to perform stall turn- Now the Secret... leave the throttle at 1/3rd power, wait for aircraft to slow down, then just as it stops apply full rudder untill the plane yaws over. As it goes over the top release all rudder and take engine to idle. Let model decend vertically, increase throttle as you pull out to horizontal flight. Bobs your Uncle.  You need to allow some engine/prop wash over the rudder to create the yaw.