next level

[David Soper]

Have had first season as a novice, flying apprentice 15e and also limited time on RIOT XL. learnt a lot and a couple of harsh lessons. How do i up my skill.. ie i dont want to do just circuits and landings. Flying sim is all good fun .. but you just do stuff you would never do in real flight.. and it ends in crashes because am novice.

How can i structure a real time training program (have club members who are helpfull but when trying a manouver am on my own. Everyone is gonna say have height... so time to recover if goes wrong .

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

David it's a great idea to have some sort of goal to work towards.

From your post I'm guessing that you haven't trained to pass your BMFA A cert?

That achievement would certainly be something to work towards as that is exactly what it's designed for.

Take one manoeuvre at a time and practice it lots, until you can string them all into a single flight.

Edited By Chris Bott - Moderator on 18/02/2017 15:39:14

[Dwain Dibley.]

Ditto...... .

You will have plenty to think about, like figure eights, and dead stick landings to mention just 2.

I always aim to make my take offs and landings as near scale as possible, as opposed to a steep climb-out and a rushed arrival.

Glad you are thinking sensibly about things David. Well done Matey 

 

cheers

 

D.D.

 

Edited By Dwain Dibley. on 18/02/2017 16:00:06

[Jonathan M]

'How can I structure a training programme? '
See http://www.rcflightschool.com/Solo_Manual.asp

[Ian Jones]

Posted by Dwain Dibley. on 18/02/2017 15:58:43:

Ditto...... .

You will have plenty to think about, like figure eights, and dead stick landings to mention just 2.

I always aim to make my take offs and landings as near scale as possible, as opposed to a steep climb-out and a rushed arrival.

Glad you are thinking sensibly about things David. Well done Matey

cheers

D.D.

Edited By Dwain Dibley. on 18/02/2017 16:00:06

[Brian Cooper]

Trainers are great.... for training. . However, even a humble trainer can be made to look quite agile in the hands of an experienced pilot.

The key to increasing the potential of an aeroplane is to increase the control throws (carefully at the start), and also increasing the power. After that, it is mainly down to getting some hours under your thumbs. . Flight sims are good but there is no substitute for the real thing and, sadly, there are no short-cuts to gaining experience. Nor can it be rushed.

Practice your manoeuvres with height to spare and, as skills improve, gradually lower the altitude. . You will probably frighten yourself a few times but it is all part of learning, and is part of the process of expanding the boundaries of one's "comfort zone."

Good luck . . . . and be patient and take it one step at a time.

B.C.

[bouncebounce crunch]

G'day David.

All above is great advice. What do you want to try first? a loop or a roll, maybe something different? my advice is have a plan of attack,take off do a circuit then on the back leg of your next circuit try a loop, calm down do another circuit and try again. if you can have an experienced flyer beside you all the better, but don't be afraid to give it a go and explore the flight envelope of your models on your own.

now get cracking, bbc.

[David Soper]

thank you for all advice much appreciated.. small steps and maybe find a forgiving next level model

[Jonathan M]

Posted by Jonathan M on 18/02/2017 19:14:55:
'How can I structure a training programme? '
See http://www.rcflightschool.com/Solo_Manual.asp

I meant to add more to this but was doing it on a smartphone browser's tiny text box and it sent before I finished... then I had to go out for the evening...!

Firstly, in the absence of a skilled club instructor (do you have one?), I'd suggest you look at the manual linked to above, which (from its table of contents, sample pages and very positive testimonials) appears to offer a most clear basis of instruction - including setting up beginners with an explicit method of understanding and practice.

Secondly, from the two models you say you've flown, I wonder if the Apprentice might be a bit lightly-loaded for all but calmer conditions? I trained on a standard Riot (also a bit light for our windy/gusty site) and found that it fell a bit between two stools: neither really powerful enough for intermediates, nor stable enough (no dihedral) to allow me to concentrate on other aspects of learning as a beginner, e.g. really learning the circuit, maintaining height during figures-of-eight, proper positioning for landings, etc.

Edited By Jonathan M on 19/02/2017 20:19:01

[Peter Jenkins]

David, you may also find the BMFA's new manual on learning how to fly useful. You can find it here where you can either choose to read it online or download it.

Peter

[Ian Jones]

Practising basic aerobatics, loops, rolls, stall, etc are very important, not to necessarily to achieve perfection in the manoeuvres (nice though) but more to learn how to sort the model out when it goes wrong. The model ends up in "unusual attitudes" and being able to recover from these will boost confidence immensely.

I would second using the BMFA "A Flying Start" mentioned by PJ.

[Denis Watkins]

Thanks for reminding us Ian, that is so important, to maybe mess up, then be able to get out of it, gives extra confidence and new found ability.

[Jonathan M]

I read the BMFA 'Flying Start' manual (or its predecessor) when first learning to fly about three years' ago. Its good as far as it goes and comprehensive in its covering of the wide range of stuff around and outside of the actual flying, BUT as effective step-by-step instructional-material for learning to pilot a model aircraft from the ground I think it falls considerably short of what it could be.

Whilst it contains over 27,000 words, it has only the grand total of 12 explanatory but very basic pictures! Every experienced teacher will typically employ a range of techniques to deliver a single topic - not just reams of verbal stuff (the hardest for most people to memorise) but an equal amount of clear visual material: pictures, diagrams, photographs, sketches, technical drawings, etc, etc (the easiest to memorise). For what is such a strongly visual and physical activity as radio-control flying, the balance of material in the manual is pretty skewed.

When trying to visualise a task to practice before takeoff, or deal with a manoeuvre once I'm in the air, its certainly no good trying to remember words: its pattern and shape and other instantaneous visual information that are the quickest to recall when things are happening fast.

That's why I think the commercial American material I linked to above is so much more useful. One example from the very many images:

By contrast, one of the 12 pictures from 'Flying Start':

Maybe the BMFA manual was/is always only intended to compliment instructor-led training, rather than provide a complete course of self-instruction, but if you're unlucky to have no instructor and are self-learning, or your instructor isn't terribly good, then the manual is only going to be of limited help.

Jon

Edited By Jonathan M on 20/02/2017 18:15:34