David Hardaker

Bound correctly ???

Can't say that ATC or anything like that started me flying full size... My first passenger flight was in a Jodel 117 from Tholthorpe, with my model flying friend John W. In 1973 I began learning to fly, in the Rollason Condor, a tough and spirited trainer which would spin with gusto ! I'm still flying flying and have sampled many interesting types, all P1 I hasten to add. Well in a single seater you can't be owt else ! My first share was in a Chipmunk, £250 for 1/12 share . Followed by a 1/7 share in a Beagle Pup 150. Lastly, half a share in Jodel D117. Without doubt the nicest handling aircraft I've flown was a Bucker Jungmann. I also thought the Fournier RF3 was a lovely aeroplane to fly. Didn't need any large muscles (unlike some American offerings) , only a fingertip touch to do effortless 360's. Also flown.... Turbulent, Taylor Monoplane, Luton Minor, Tipsy Nipper, Currie Wot, VP1, Minimax, Rans S9 Chaos, CAP 21, Pitts S1, Flying Flea (how did that get in there ?) Slingsby T31, Kwiksilver MX, Lynden Aurora, Fred, Stolp Starlet, Aeronca C100, Cessna C120/140/150/152/172/182, Slingsby Firefly, Acrosport, Piper PA 12/15/17/18/22/28, Spitfire mk 26 (2), Europa Mono/ Tri, VP2 Jodel D112/D117/D119/D120/Dr1050/Dr250, Dr220, Auster J1/ J1N/J5, Beagle Pup 100/150/Airedale/ Terrier. Eurostar/Technam P92/Vans RV 6/7, Skyranger/Rans S6, Mistral, Banbi, Sipa 901/903. CAP 10, Citabria 7ECA, 7GCBC, Champ etc etc . I Includes wiring fires/faults, water cooling systems brewing up, disappearing oil pressure, spark plug blowing out causing a marked reluctance to climb at all, runaway trim, failed asi's, tailspring disc'd on one side causing spectacular arrival. And lots of crosswind landings.........Some more challenging than others !

Bear I agree with your last sentence... I know from teaching aerobatics that what some pilots perceive as straight and level has many variations ! I watched a comp a few years ago and saw some turn-round manoeuvres that were started with a vertical upline that wasn't, and then "rescued" with not-so-sneaky rudder inputs. Not good to look at !! David

Bear Gyroscopic precession ... (clockwise prop rotation as seen from cockpit) The effect is seen 90 degrees after the application. So with a clockwise rotation prop, a pitch-up applied at 6 o'clock will appear at 9 o'clock. So pitch up = yaw right. This is one of the forces acting on a tailwheel aircraft when the tail is raised prior to takeoff. (others are torque and P factor) David

Peter "Any others?" How about the Zwirbelturm ? Well you did ask ! Happy New Year. David

BEB I think Neil Willams' method is a good one. A minor variation I advocate is to do the rollout from inverted first because it's then the same direction rudder as aileron. It's not as easy to get wrong ! All this should be done at a sensible height............

BEB One little thing. The max required rudder input isn't necessarily FULL rudder ! David

Peter Best wishes to you and yours. I bet this Christmas involves plenty of "recovery from unusual attitudes" but it won't be anything to do with flying ! ......

Like Graeme, I fly Mode 1 and have largish hands (and long fingers, so I'm told) so have no need of a tray. Well not with a DX6i tx. I did once try a tray but it didn't help at all. I fly finger+thumb, both sticks.

But trimming isn't all of the road to better flying.. Mentoring, critiquing are also very important to develop piloting skills. Or recording results on paper. I've seen recording done at one of the international meets I went to. Either Belgium or Italy. The Japanese team manager had a multi-pen paper chart recorder mounted in a briefcase and was gathering "evidence" so they could learn about others' flying styles. They also did a lot of audio recording with various flyers.....(unbeknown to the pilots !) Peter you mentioned the elevator + rudder stick path through "point" rolls. Like a diamond I believe you said. My thoughts on this was no, more egg-shaped but then it's hard to describe something that you do on "autopilot"!! I hasten to add this is without any mixing, just a true, well sorted model.

I'll second that Martin !

Hi John Interestingly the 112/117/119/120/1050 don't have "inset" ailerons. None of those Jodels have any such thing ! The aileron extends right to the tip. Also the inner (flat portion) is washed out from right from the root to dihedral break. Plus the washed out tip portions of course.. Well, mine is ! The VW powered D18 does have a non-washed out centre section. The washout is all in the ailerons and tip dihedral section. I just thought I'd mention it in passing ! David

Hi Peter Why struggle with Mode 2 when you could avoid all that pain !! It's never too late to change. I'd flown 10-channel reeds so when I got my first proportional set it came with throttle left (cos they all did). So I taught myself to fly with that gear. I was at a comp at Elvington and one of the Lancashire lads was there when I handed in my tx. He asked me why I flew "that" Mode and I replied "well what other way is there ?" So he enlightened me, wherupon I swapped the stick units around and re-learnt how to fly Mode 1. That was 40+ years ago. The plain advantage for Mode 1 is the 2 primary controls are physically split so this guarantees no interaction. I'll admit you still have to stir the rudder when using elevator but that's a minor problem. What Mode 2 isn't is like flying a real aeroplane. (Which is also something I've been doing for 40 years) Why the BMFA promotes Mode 2 is beyond me ! You mention tx trays and thumbs or finger and thumb. I've flown finger and thumb for a long while. We flew in Belgium Internats in 1973 and saw numerous fliers using trays. I tried a tray and found it alien. But having quite large hands I have no problem holding the tx and using finger and thumb as well.. I was never keen on soft sticks ! Doug Spreng once said "soft sticks sell radios, hard sticks win competitions"... Food for thought. I will say this only once, the essence of all aerobatics is to be smoooooth !! David

If they had to buy their own tyres they'd sharpen up their handling...

Hi Peter Interesting thread. You mention the hardships of dinosaurs (like me) having no fancy radio facilities. We managed quite well, so we just got on with the flying ! Fact is you need a really "straight" well designed model. I don't believe you can make a good-flying model out of a second rate or twisted model however hard you try. I still have Lightnings 2 and 4 in my cupboard. I remember the first flight of #3 model. It was unbelievable, and needed virtually no tweaks apart from minor throw alterations. Flew as if on rails. (It was so good Ken Binks eventually borrowed most of the design and called it a Pacemaker !!). You draw a parallel between A380 's automated aids, and models. I'm very sceptical about airliners that do all the thinking for the pilot. Recent events prove you still need to be able to revert to basics when all the fancy stuff calls it a day, or ties you in knots. I can live with being called old-fashioned ! David

Hi Peter Like Martin MacIntosh , I noticed this thread a few days ago, so watched with interest. I regret (!) having to have stood on a draughty airfield practising F3A aeros when it could all have been avoided if I'd had a computer radio ! The nearest Martin and I got to "advanced technology" was rate switches on aileron and/or elevator. My normal flying was on both low rates. High rate elevator for spins, and high rate aileron for upward rolls. I noticed you recently mention adverse yaw and using aileron differential. Good idea on some aeroplanes. But why would you employ differential when the model has a symmetrical wing section, with centre hinged ailerons ? The more up that down aileron logic doesn't work when the model is inverted, which is about half the time. The nearest I'd get to alleged adverse yaw would be to make sure both ailerons are not displaced up or down from centre, which could cause any rolls to be slightly barrelled, either pos or neg. Certainly this is something I'd check for. My 10 penn'orth so far. David .

Hi Martin Regarding Mark Redsell. Mark came to live in Baildon, West Yorkshire. (not far from me) I last saw Mark on Baildon Moor, flying a slope soarer. I believe he also flew with the Keighley club. Baildon Moor was where I started my r/c flying, albeit single channel. I even remember trying to test-glide my first multi model (APS Tauri) but discovered my legs wouldn't go fast enough ! It had 4 channels reeds (aileron and elevator) I soon discovered that not having a throttle was "not a good thing ". The learning curve was steep, or even vertical !!