Flying towards youself

[Keith Evans 3]

I have no problem with the prop it up approach when it comes to the ailerons.

Is there a similar suggestion when it comes to the use of the rudder ?

All I'm doing at the moment is slightly turning my back to the model which I think may not be the best thing to do when I'm coming into land !!

[Engine Doctor]

Hello .Turning your back slightly or pointing your Tx the same way as the model is travelling is fine . I often suggest that method to students when Im teaching as an aid until it all comes naturally. If it works for you then its fine

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

When its heading towards you, think of the model's tail as following the stick - so move the stick left and the tail goes to the left.

BEB

[Essjay]

Before flying planks I learnt to fly on helis, where using the rudder is compulsory all the time. My method of learning to fly towards myself was simply to imagine myself sitting in the pilots seat, and after a while it became second nature to coordinate all the controls. I still find myself using this analogy, although its pretty much subconscious now.

[Mr.B.]

If it's flying towards you working out which way to move the stick is not as important as working out which way to run.

(I use the "imagine yourself in the aircraft" method. This has the advantage of still working when it's upside down)

[The Wright Stuff]

Upside down coming towards myself still makes my heart beat like crazy. The prop it up still works for the ailerons, but now the nose follows the rudder stick, not the tail.

I'm not sure how imagining myself in the aircraft can be done. It's easier said than done, surely. I could imagine myself doing lots of things but it wouldn't make them any easier.

These days, I think just resorting to the sim is the best bet, and doing it over and over again until you stop crashing. It's like riding a bike. We could spend all day talking about the theory and suitable analogies, but the only way to get it into the subconscious is to practice it...

[Dave Hopkin]

Just think to yourself "left, NO the other left..............."

[Tim Hooper]

Work out what you need to do. Then do the opposite.....

tim

[Stevo]

What helped me is to remain facing the front, and only turn your head towards the aircraft which is approaching you. If you fly it at yourself and miss, you were lined up for a good landing!!

[David Perkins 1]

I talk to myself, telling me which way the Plane should turn, and apply the controls accordingly - works for me with controls and all directions

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Posted by Dave Hopkin on 24/10/2014 16:59:01:

Just think to yourself "left, NO the other left..............."

You may laugh - but I have had actual experience of that! I was instructing a chap, he had only just started learning, so very early days for him. We were just trying to fly and do the turns etc. We get to the end of a run - he's a bit "all over the place" more or less in the middle of the field width. So I say "Turn right".....he starts going left. So I say, "No right".....he turns tighter left. I take control as he is now heading towards the flight line. Sort it out, bring it round and say "Now turn left".....he goes right! And then,....honestly...I found myself saying "No, the other left"!

BEB

[Pete B]

.....and if Keith was a tad confused to start with, it's probably a great deal worse now.....

Simplest solution is to never fly towards yourself.... those things hurt!

My solution? I mumble a lot....

Pete

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

I always ask my wife "which left" when she attempts to give me directions - 50% of the time it is the "other left"...

The real answer Keith, is plenty of practice. Like most people, I struggled at first, being advised to prop the wing up (which works well) until at some point it "clicked". I realised that I was thinking from the point of view of the model - which is what those advising imagining yourself in the cockpit are saying in another way.

This was brought home to me one afternoon while perusing a pair of telephone operators returning to the exchange after lunch. As you do, I was discussing the relative merits of their general demeanour with a non-aeromodelling colleague and expressed my preference for the one on the right - at which point my sanity was raucously questioned - and I realised that I was referring to the one on their right i.e. I was thinking about them from their point of view!

Oh, and P.S. well done for being aware of your rudder - unlike so many model flyers who only use their rudders while taxying or during the occasional stall turn!

Edited By Martin Harris on 24/10/2014 19:36:15

[Keith Evans 3]

One thing I forgot to mention is that I suffer from a form of direction dyslexia .

Left and right mean nothing to me .Passing my driving test was a nightmare , the concentration immense and I needed an aid to help me .No it wasn't another person in the car with me .

The system that woks for me is MY WAY YOUR WAY

I informed my instructor when learning to fly and this worked out well for both of us .

If you are a fellow sufferer then tell your instructor ,it is not a mark of shame just plain common sense .You are not alone .

If you are an instructor an having a pupil who is having direction awareness problems then this may be the answer .

[Chuck Plains]

Heh, since I started with RC cars about 30 years ago it wasn't a prob for me when I started flying. Overall control of the plane is the problem. So I, sort of, observe and react, then react the other way if it's wrong and there's room/time. Otherwise, DUCK!!

[Phil Green]

Posted by Chuck Plains on 24/10/2014 20:12:41:

I sort of observe and react, then react the other way if it's wrong and there's room/time.

Back in the day of rudder-only single-channel flying with a sequential escapement, this is exactly what you did.
Press & watch, if its wrong, release & press again! (Quickly!)

[Engine Doctor]

Remember this Mantra " Aim at the ground and miss grass hopper" and all you flying will be fine . It also helps repeating the said Mantra when picking up all of the wreckage . Have fun practicing and whatever method you choose if its legal, safe and works for you then its fine .

Edited By Engine Doctor on 25/10/2014 10:35:32

[Stevo]

Phil,

Should this be "Beware of the Grasshopper doing a loop"

[Josip Vrandecic -Mes]

Dear Keith, in my club,some members ,are all less experienced, they have a similar problem.
My sincere advice is to use the simulator as much as possible. After a few hours of training, you're going to fly in all directions without any special considerations.

Cheers

Jo

Edited By Josip Vrandecic -Mes on 25/10/2014 12:42:19

[The Wright Stuff]

Here's a funny thing. I usually have no problem whatsoever with left and right.

However, when renting cars for business trips in the US, although I generally have no trouble adapting to driving on the right, when following directions over there, I get left and right muddled up. It must be something to do with my brain referencing 'left' and 'right' relative to the side of the road I am driving on. My brain says something like "if I need to cross oncoming traffic when turning off a road, that direction must be right", which, of course, in the US, is left!

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has noticed this...

Cheers, TWS.

[Philflyer]

TWS

Glad its not just me! Been driving overseas for years but if someone says "next left" I still take the next turn on my side of the road. I find it reinforces her opinion that I am special needs.

Pf

[Cliff 1959]

I've just made a video using my flight sim, it may help somebody.

[John Bisset]

I'd suggest that whenever you use aileron to 'prop up the wing', use a little rudder in the same direction. Always left aileron with left rudder, right aileron with right rudder , since the aircraft doesn't care which way it is facing.

The only times to use rudder independently of aileron are when sideslipping, doing certain aerobatics or when taxying.

[Denis Watkins]

For landing, no matter whether from the right or the left

That moment when you feel all is level, and the speed has fallen off, but the model is drifting slightly, taking line towards you and the pilots box occupants

Just move the rudder stick gently towards the models incoming direction

And the model will take a new landing line safely away from you

[Geoff S]

For some years I rarely used the rudder. It was for use on the ground (taxiing or take off) or, in the air for stall turns. Then I started flying small indoor helis during the winter - just simple, cheap as chips, V911s and learned to use my left hand to steer them. I now practice head in hovering (I still can't fly 'proper' helis and have no real interest in them). It's helped my fixed wing flying no end.

Somehow, I'm able to fly straight towards myself without any thought of putting the aileron stick under the wing. I think, with practice, it just happens, though using the rudder is still a bit less automatic but it's getting better, which is just as well as I like biplanes.

Geoff