Throttle input

[Glenn Shepherd]

Hi I'm about to receive my plane soon. I was just wondering when actually flying, is it ok to keep on full throttle for the whole flight? or will this strain the motor ? Cheers.

[Major]

You don't have to keep max power at all times. Of course it will drain battery much faster. When flying my PZ Spitfire, to hand launch model I used mostly half throttle. Also the time from one battery varied even 3 minutes when it was flown reasonably. In fact, the only model I flew on full power is Cox- powered Sharkface...

[avtur]

If all the components are rated correctly then full throttle should not necessarily cause damage to the motor, however from experience I would say the pilots nerves might take a hammering ...

I have to say I've never flown in a competitive situation but flying for fun I've found that all flights involve a range of throttle settings; plus operating at less than full thorttle will result in longer flight times

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Hi Glenn,

have you managed to make contact with your local club yet? I really would advise that you take your first flights with them. It would be a pity to make your first flight with that new model your last!

BEB

[Barrie Dav 2]

I strongly support BEB's view Glenn. Even a millionaire would get fed up with continually having to buy new kit following un-tutored flying. By joining your local club you should receive tuition, advice, support and insurance. You will also gain in confidence and be able to move to other, more challenging/interesting models.

[Glenn Shepherd]

Posted by Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 19/03/2013 00:06:22:

Hi Glenn,

have you managed to make contact with your local club yet? I really would advise that you take your first flights with them. It would be a pity to make your first flight with that new model your last!

BEB

hi. Yes I went to my local club on Sunday. Got a real insight into how much wind and orientation can affect people. I'm planning on setting my plane up and doing all the pre flight checks. Then have my first flight at a club, hopefully on a buddy box set up just in case.

Cheers for the info guys. I plan to do some slow flight and fast circuits etc. really excited

[Glenn Shepherd]

Posted by Barrie Dav 2 on 19/03/2013 09:41:45:

I strongly support BEB's view Glenn. Even a millionaire would get fed up with continually having to buy new kit following un-tutored flying. By joining your local club you should receive tuition, advice, support and insurance. You will also gain in confidence and be able to move to other, more challenging/interesting models.

That's exactly the way I am going to go about it. I want to move on to 3d planes once I am ready. I saw a guy fly his e flite visionaire. Looked great.

[GrahamC]

And... I would say that a common mistake I see new pilots making is flying too fast. I've done a fair bit of buddy boxing with people and it seems to me that the most common thing I find myself saying is "slow it down a bit" or "a little less throttle." If you are wanging round the sky it can all get very frentetic, but a nice steady pace gives you time to think and get used to controlling a model

[Glenn Shepherd]

Posted by GrahamC on 19/03/2013 13:58:33:

And... I would say that a common mistake I see new pilots making is flying too fast. I've done a fair bit of buddy boxing with people and it seems to me that the most common thing I find myself saying is "slow it down a bit" or "a little less throttle." If you are wanging round the sky it can all get very frentetic, but a nice steady pace gives you time to think and get used to controlling a model

Thanks for the advice. All taken on board.