Chris Ireland

Myron, You wouldn't happen to be the long-lost twin brother I never knew I didn't have, would you? We seem to be on the same wavelength.....

Doug, Yup, I appreciate that I shouldn't be able to affect any settings when I'm flying but of course whilst 'looking/paging' through all of the settings whose functions elude me, I may inadvertantly make a change whilst tring to 'back out' or get to the next function. You know how it is when you are playing with a new 'toy'.   David, As always, your recall and knowledge of the site contents far outstrip my poor search string construction and crappy 'thread recognition' capabilities.... That link was just the sort of kickstart I was looking for. My mate, another newbie whom I am hoping will join the community, has just got a DX7 and this will go a long way to assisting with the inevitable questions. It's a bit like the 'blind leading the blind' really but fortunately we are both fairly computer literate and neither of us are backward in asking newbie questions. Many thanks.   Timbo, As always, thanks for the support, it is greatly appreciated.....   Let the iteration begin.....

Frank, I hear what you are saying... but.... I'm afraid that I'm the sort of person who doesn't feel either happy or comfortable not knowing what all of the facilities on my Tx are for. I have this fear that one day I will 'accidentally' make a change and see my model(s) exhibiting some sort of unexpected behaviour (apart from my own joystick incompetence) which will take me ages to track down. If I knew what it all did, and why, I'd feel a lot happier if that condition arose.   Additionally, I'd not look so dumb when my mates/family ask "What's that for?" and all I can reply is "I haven't a clue..."   Phil, That's certainly one way of doing it, but I was hoping not to bother the forum membership with such an iterative method... it may come to it though.... Edited By Chris Ireland on 07/04/2009 00:54:38

Hi Guys,   I've had a bit of a layoff in the last year so I still haven't made much progress on the flying stuff but something which has always eluded me, as a newbie, is the terminology surrounding all of the functions of a Tx.   I don't want to get bogged down in what one Tx will do vs another TX.... it's even more basic than that....   I've been through all of the threads using search strings like 'programming' and 'tx settings' and there is a lot of useful information about how to do various things (cut-offs, travels, mixing, changing modes etc)   Yup, you've guessed it... it's even more basic than that !   What I would like to know is WHY?   OK, so I know that dialling in exponential helps soften the stick responses and makes for a much more manageable flying which is super for beginners (it worked wonders for me....).   What most posts don't tell you about is why you need stuff.... dual rates, mixing etc.... and the wealth of facilities available on even the entry level controllers is confusing to newbies.   When people at the flying field see that you have a problem they often offer advice like 'you need to dial in some xxx' where xxx is one of the many confusing facilities/options available on your transmitter.   If I am to rely on such helpful drip feeds of info I feel that it will be many a long day before I understand it all.   So, the question:- Is there a book/site out there which anyone can recommend which has the sort of info that I think I need? It's going to be a 'Ladybird' version of transmitters containing such info as:- "The ABC function is used to perform XYZ and will assist with control of IJK problems/behaviours"   It may be pie in the sky to think that this exists out there in one place... but if anyone can point me in the right direction I'm sure a lot of newbies would be very grateful. Thanks.  

Hi Ralph, thanks for labelling the picture, hopefully it will be useful to others if Tim can make a sticky incorporating it. I really should have used a better background rather than my grungy bench with a soiled mat on it.... I'm assuming that an on/off switch, if fitted, should live between the ESC and the Receiver to inhibit the passage of signals to any of the equipment. Of course this would still leave the possibility of a signal being passed in the event of an ESC malfunction. Am I right in assuming that if it was fitted between the Battery and the ESC there is the likelihood of getting too much current through it when the motor is working hard ?

Looks good, I'd love to have one....

When I used to run an electric racing cars we all fitted on/off switches. Is there a reason why electric planes/helicopters do not have one fitted? It would seem to make sense from a safety point of view, given that the machine is 'hot' while you are fiddling around with wings/covers/canopies etc in fairly close proximity to a prop or rotor which can easily be set in motion by a very small inadvertant movement of the stick (or someone else's transmitter if frequency control is ignored/compromised). Am I missing something (again) here ?

I think that I will go with the full size Deans solution as that will fit in quite nicely with my current charger connection rationale and avoid having to make up yet another converter lead. Thanks.

Thanks chaps, I've fallen into the trap again of assuming you can make sense of my inadequate descriptions... DOH! Indeed the 'bare' wires are colour coded black and red. I guess I was trying to imply 'bare' = 'wires without fitted connectors' rather than 'wires stripped of insulation'. The ones on the battery are also insulated with heatshrink so there is no immediate danger of shorting. I will only be uncovering them one at a time for connection purposes and recovering/insulating each before I move on to the next step. I had lost sight of the BEC aspect of ESCs so your reminders are both welcome and make me feel a bit dumb. I had looked through several pages of posts on the subject but nothing had triggered my personal "Doh, that's it" circuitry. Additionally, there was nothing mentioning BEC connectors on the comprehensive instruction sheet which came with the ESC. I guess the manufacturers assume a basic level of knowledge  which I appear to have slipped under... Old age, don't ya know... well that's my excuse for the moment... Fortunately, I am of the "measure twice, cut once" school of engineering so there was no chance of me connecting a LiPo without seeking advice or knowing what I was doing. Here's the equipment in question I am proposing to use a couple of 'mini' deans type connectors with the negative from the battery connected to the protruding pin as layed out in the picture. Do you think that I would be better off using full sized Deans connectors, of which I have a supply, with the protruding pins coming from the ESC, as per standard battery practice, given that we are talking LiPo's here?  I think that I have probably just answered my own question as the weight saving aspect is more than outweighed by the safety considerations. Bruce, Timbo and Eric....  as always, thanks for the informative replies and being there to assist us all when we cry for help. The greatest danger is when we don't know that we need help and don't cry out!

Hi Guys,   given the appalling weather whenever I was available to go to the field in my attempts to learn how to fly this year I have made very little progress so I thought that I might try to do some indoor stuff over the winter… So having asked around, done some research etc I finally made a purchase of a ‘foamy’ and all of the attendant gubbins I needed to get it into the air. Building the thing is no problem; snip, cut, glue, pin, trim, swear etc in all of the right proportions as dictated by the instructions, or lack of them. My problem arises in wiring the electrics. Obviously, the servo to receiver connections are straight forward, as are motor to ESC and ESC to receiver (‘Thro’ socket). My problem, and hence my question, lies with the battery.   The battery is a very slim 400mAh 3S 20C 11.1v LiPo with only two bare wires and no balance lead. My ESC, as previously mentioned, has easily identifiable motor and receiver connectors plus two bare wires (sounds like a battery feed to me).   Since this is an electric airplane I am presuming that I need to power both the receiver and the motor. Is it just a matter of using a ‘Y’ connector to couple up to both the bare ESC wires and the ‘Batt’ socket on my receiver or am I missing something vital?   Thanks in anticipation…..

Yes please... me too...

Looks good... and I'd like it please... so you can dump my name in the drawmaster's hat too... Thanks.

Hi David, I did scour the forum with several searches for subscriber and subscription related posts before I let off on this one but didn't manage to turn up the thread you kindly provided the link to. I obviously need to go back to 'diligent search school' for some more lessons..... There is merit on both sides of the argument and I stand by my comments whilst realising the validity of the others, except the more emotional ones... but what is life and discussion without a bit of emotion ? If the truth is known, I probably will subscribe sometime in the future but just lately the freebie incentives have not taken my fancy enough to push me in that direction. Ok, you're going to ask me "What incentive would you like to see?", sorry, don't bother, I don't know... but I will when I see it... not much help really. Heaven only know how long it will take me to trawl the breadth and depth of the site so I'm sure I won't be missing out on the locked and eventually unlocked content anyway. Thanks for the reply and I, for one, now consider this topic closed.... until the next newbie chirps up....

Bruce & Eric, I've spent the last two weeks on holiday thinking, quite often, about the lessons to be learned from my 'tail hanger' landing and have come to a couple of conclusions. 1. My memory if the event is complete rubbish, and of no practical use. 2. It happened so quickly, producing the first conclusion, that I can't pull any lessons out of the sorry incident... apart from getting the walking/running sequence correct. Hopefully my next 'damaging arrival', which I am realistic enough to expect sometime in the future, will be slow enough for me to gain some insight into the process. I do, of course, take your comments onboard and will action them appropriately. Thanks. 

Hi Simon, Thanks for the explanation which makes perfect sense to me... however it does almost present a challenge to get my flying skills to the point where the moves can be executed even with a non ideal wing section..... Of course that is a long way in the future as I have just crashed my 'Star' due to getting too frustrated waiting for the weather to be suited to my minimal abilities. See the 14th post on this thread:- here  I have decided that the quickest way to get back into the air is to purchase another Arising Star and keep the new wing as a spare (in case I decide to have a go at repairing the broken fuselage over the winter). Hopefully I will have finished the build and radio swapover by tomorrow night so that I can get it checked out at our local clubnight when I go down there. Given my current attrition rate, I may have something completely different by the time it comes to thinking about doing the tests. 

Simon, I gather from your comments that a flat bottomed high wing trainer does not meet with your approval for A/B test passing... Could you explain please ? At this point I have to declare my interest as an owner (I think) of one of said flat bottom wing machines, a Seagull Arising Star. Thanks.

Hello all, I'm sure this post is not adequately answerable, but here goes.... I can see the business reasons behind the 'subscriber-only content' on this site as obviously the magazine needs to have a handle on income and subscriptions are a way of ensuring a predictable income stream. Also, it is a 'reward' for those people who do subscribe. However there are two points I would like to throw into the pot.... 1. In many instances, and in many different hobby forums, the fact that the availability of internet purchases are driving hobby shops out of business is constantly mentioned as people use the expert advice available in hobby shops (contest this if you like, but people do ask questions in hobby shops and must therefore regard them as centres of expertise) in deciding what they want to buy and then go and purchase from the internet. 2. We bemoan the fact that the local newsagents/shops are disappearing when it is ourselves who do not support them with purchases... such as for RCM&E. I personally have, so far, made all of my RCM&E purchases in hobby shops and like also to spread my hardware purchases around the 4 or 5 shops which are within easy travelling distance. Yes, I know that I am lucky to have so many close at hand. I undoubtedly spend more in petrol getting to and from these shops than I would do if I made internet purchases and I certainly don't benefit from the discounts on subscriptions and obviously don't have a clue what is in the 'subscriber-only content' section of this forum.  Magazine subscriptions are a great way of ensuring continuity of delivery, discount (usually, on purchase price) and availability of 'extra' information, but given the above, can also be another small reason why specialist shops are having a hard time in today's marketplace. There you go, I've said my bit, probably more of a 'devil's advocate' than a complainer as I know I'll be able to see the 'subscriber-only content' if I take out a subscription which, for the reasons above, I do not currently chose to do..... Over to you.....

And me please....

Hi Guys, as I am about to be absent for a couple of weeks just when the weather looks to be getting better I decided to go to the field today and 'give it a go'. Well, I'm now a 'veteran' of one take-off and zero landings. Almost as soon as I had got off the ground, quite successfully with a minimum of drama if I am immodestly permitted to say, the wind started to get up and do some of those 'gusty' things that wind seems to be keen on doing. It all got to be rather more exciting than I had expected but I managed to survive one inversion and a dive. Shortly thereafter it was the second flip and dive which put paid to all thoughts of converting the undercarriage from one layout to another. I am now the proud posessor of a truncated, bicycle-undercarriaged fuselage and a monocycle engine and fuel tank combination. I can't see how, even with an injection of superhuman skill, I'm ever going to get either machine off the ground in the near future..... whatever their wheel arrangements are. On the positive side. I'm looking forward to trying my repair skills during the winter but for now I think it's another visit to the 'what's suitable for a newbie' threads on the forum and a refresher course at the self-control school. I think I've just got the running/walking sequence confused. Another positive... all electronics and servos have checked out ok, so I've got something to be thankful for. There were no pedestrians, dog walkers or children at the site so no third parties were in any danger..... I would not have attempted my first 'solo' if there had been. 

Hi flytilbroke, I guess I'll have to have a serious talk to the guys at our strip (Hanworth, West London) about how smooth the patch actually is. Larger wheels do sound like a sensible precaution though. Currently they are at manufacturer supplied 2&1/2in(6cm) diameter, any suggestions as to an alternative/preferred size?       I guess I'll only be able to asess it myself when I've got some practice in, which at this rate feels like it may be next year sometime. I'm away for a couple of weeks at the end of July so it will probably be ideal weather when I'm not here.... Rick, just checked the chopper out and it looks like I got off lightly, just a broken blade holder and a bent main shaft.. about 5 quids worth... could have been much worse.

Hi Rick, Thanks for the advice. Am not currently experiencing any problems landing as I haven't done one yet. I'm just getting my ducks in a row in case I decide to go down the tailwheel route. The replies so far would indicate that this is not the preferred route for a beginner so I would be foolish to ignore it. I've just crashed my chopper today, largely due to having my first outing outside on grass. The training wheels dug into a rough bit as I was arriving a bit faster than I should have been due to getting out of shape after getting caught by a gust of wind close to the ground... not much damage, but a salutory lesson in not getting impatient... should have waited for a flatter day and flatter strip of grass... ho hum! I guess, in one way or another, most crashes have a high element of self-infliction, and it's only self-control that stops you ploughing unnecessary money into the ground... especially if you are not a farmer! (newbie now grabs yellow pages in attempt to find local self-control classes)

Myron & Bruce, Thanks for the info and pics. My Arising Star looks to be very similar to the Boomerang and the pictures give me a very good idea of what is involved. I can see how it could be achieved on my kite...... now, do I want to proceed along these lines? Only time will tell, but at least I have most of the info needed to make the decision.  Thanks

Thanks Eric, you've confirmed my thoughts that this is not just a simple job and as such I think I will abandon the idea of a conversion. I've looked at the restraining structure already in place and the idea of replicating it further forward in an already finished fuselage does not fill me with glee. (PS. I'm obviously not very good with this english lark as I was trying to imply in the original post that I was starting off with a 'trike' not finishing up with one, sorry if I didn't make myself clear.) I think I'll consider this thread closed and retire to my darkened room before the 'daft idea' fairies decide to attack me again.

I have been studiously scouring the 'getting started' and 'beginners' posts and noticed in several places that some people recommend starting out your fixed wing life with a tailwheel aircraft (high wing, of course). A lot of training type aircraft seem to be of the tricycle undercarriage variety, including the Seagull Arising Star which I have purchased, built/assembled and flown once, albeit with an instructor performing the all important departure and arrival phases. Before I get to the take-off and landing bit of my fixed wing experience I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice about the best way to convert my tricycle undercarriage to a tailwheel setup. Is it just a simple matter of bolting a 'castor' type wheel on the back of the fuselage and removing the nosewheel, or is it more complicated than that ? I can find only one thread on the forum which mentions such a converson. It is entitled "C of G etc" and one of the replies suggests that the main wheels should be positioned more forward to prevent the model tipping over. Is it sufficient to just bend the legs forward by a suitable amount or should I be thinking about rechannelling the mounting slot and physically moving the whole assembly with its attendant strengthening/bracing problems ? I have read David's excellent article on getting started in the New Beginners area, and the replies to it suggesting that if you start off with a 'trike' your skills are a bit sharper due to the unforgiving nature of the beast (as far as learners are concerned) . I have not yet decided if I am going to do the conversion but, being the sort of person who likes to have all the facts to enable informed decision making, I thought I'd put some feelers out to help me decide. Thanks in advance 

Ah, yes... but 'hope springs eternal', doesn't it? Or is it just a triumph of optimism over harsh reality that keeps us entering.... 'just in case'?  yup, way off target (exit stage left, before moderator appears brandishing large wet lettuce in an effort to make us see the error of our ways)