Windy weather,my first plane??

[GreyAce]

I am flying Helis but I am getting frustrated on windier days where I have to retreat cos of it getting bad but I am thinking of goin to planes and getting this fw-190,anyone tried it? Any good? It would be my first plane but I have been flying Helis months now but I want to fly something on windier days. 

[Chris Walby]

IMO, go for something that's simple and easy to fix with plenty of spares, probably something like a flying wing (delta). If its blowing the no UC and hand launch is easy.

 

Have a look at what the slope soaring guys use and quite a few are easily converted to powered flight, but are tough as nails. I have a Flite Test Versa with a motor at both ends and the increased wing loading and plenty of power is good up to 30mph gusting 45mph all on a 3S2200. Plus the plans can be downloaded so cut 2 or 3 out at a time!

FT Versa Wing - Build | Flite Test

 

Benefits of cheap and tough

• Low cost
• Easy to fix
• Parts available from multiple sources, failing that use a glue gun
• Because its the above you fly more relaxed and crash less! 

[GreyAce]

Hmm that's a interesting idea thanks I will look at that direction to,I am very competent now at flying the Helis I have only crashed the md500 once and after I repaired it myself I have not had another incident and it's probably got 60 flights on it now or more but as soon as the breezes hit 15 mph it's not capable of coping with it and on a nice day I'd like to fly something? 

[GrumpyGnome]

I have that little FW190 - it flies great but is challenging in 'expert' mode, 'beginner' mode is horrid (for me) as control is ao restricted, 'intermediate' is great.

 

Although it flies well in the wind you mention, because it is so light, I wouldn't say it's easy. 

 

Hopefully someone will chip in with some examples.

[GreyAce]

19 minutes ago, GrumpyGnome said:

I have that little FW190 - it flies great but is challenging in 'expert' mode, 'beginner' mode is horrid (for me) as control is ao restricted, 'intermediate' is great.

 

Although it flies well in the wind you mention, because it is so light, I wouldn't say it's easy. 

 

Hopefully someone will chip in with some examples.

I have seen the p51 version of the same make of plane and they say it's better than the fw-190? And I have watched a few vids of both,still looking but yeah they both seem really good,if they can at least not get blown backwards like a heli in heavy breeze then that's a start. 

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Not an easy question to answer GA, planes like helis have a learning stage, will the 190 fly well ? Answers most likely yes, normal route is a high winger with some stability to help you through the learning stage, choice is yours but it's worth giving thought to.

[GreyAce]

3 minutes ago, john stones 1 - Moderator said:

Not an easy question to answer GA, planes like helis have a learning stage, will the 190 fly well ? Answers most likely yes, normal route is a high winger with some stability to help you through the learning stage, choice is yours but it's worth giving thought to.

I took my small c129 v2 helicopter out tonight and it can handle heavy breeze quite well compared to my bigger heli and I can fly it very well but obviously a plane I'm a complete newb so would have to learn,at the moment I am really liking the p51 of the same make,very interested in it at the moment. 

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

FW 190 or Mustangs fly well and I'm sure you'd enjoy both GA.

[GreyAce]

4 minutes ago, john stones 1 - Moderator said:

FW 190 or Mustangs fly well and I'm sure you'd enjoy both GA.

Yeah I reckon they would both be great and vids on YouTube speak very highly of the p51,I am doin my research and I do really enjoy this flying hobby,I've flown my Helis 5 nights in a row at the moment,that's how much I enjoy it 🙂

[Wookman]

I doubt that a 400mm span foamy warbird will handle windy weather any better than your helicopter.

I would also respectfully suggest that your obvious competence as a heli pilot will not be any guarantee of your competence as a fixed wing pilot. A bit like swimming and fishing, both water based but no crossover in terms of skills. 

[GreyAce]

15 minutes ago, Wookman said:

I doubt that a 400mm span foamy warbird will handle windy weather any better than your helicopter.

I would also respectfully suggest that your obvious competence as a heli pilot will not be any guarantee of your competence as a fixed wing pilot. A bit like swimming and fishing, both water based but no crossover in terms of skills. 

Yeah I am just wanting something to handle really strong breeze of like oo 15 to 20mph for example and not mad conditions but just a strong breezy day which my Helis just can't cope with but a warbird could fly into the wind and at least let me learn,sure I gotta learn I accept that but yeah I gotta start somewhere,I have found a F4U with quite advanced features and it certainly won't break the bank but yeah I am still looking and thinking. 

[GreyAce]

In regards to learning I am flying on a sim on my tablet cos obviously I gotta learn etc. 

[Learner]

20 mph winds grounds many pilots with large planes unless you want to go slope soaring

[GreyAce]

35 minutes ago, Learner said:

20 mph winds grounds many pilots with large planes unless you want to go slope soaring

Fair enough,well 15mph or near wind I guess but wind that's just a tad too much for a small heli,something like that. 

[GrumpyGnome]

@GreyAce  That F4U is pretty much the same as the FW190 and P51 - all around the 400mm mark. 

 

I think one of those would be too challenging as a first plane, in the wind, but it's not a huge investment, and as long as you're not around people or livestock for when it gets away from you, it'll cause little damage.

 

You'll need a much bigger field than for your heli though, and the range is supposedly quite limited - I only mention this because it WILL get blown downwind. Truth be told they're so small, visibility becomes an issue before range.... and they do bounce well when crashed. 

 

Although they are sold as 'ideal for beginners' or someone such blurb, they really aren't, as they need to be flown relatively quickly.  Given your perseverance with helis, I suspect you'll be OK, but it's not ideal.

 

Something like the Volantex Ranger may be more suitable as it's bit bigger and slower. Probably even more affected my the wind though...... hmm, you are setting yourself a challenge!

 

Yesterday, the wind was between 15 and 20 mph at my flying field, and my little FW190 stayed in the car....... it would have flown, but I wouldn't have had much pleasure from it.

 

 

Edited April 27 by GrumpyGnome

[Matt Carlton]

My go to for windy weather would be something like a Max Thrust Aggressor or similar. Using a powered glider may seem counter intuitive but they tend to be a bit more slippery. 

Alternatively, an original (as in Chris Foss kit, not foamy) Wot 4 or similar is tough to beat and makes a decent trainer to transition. 

I think the small foamy models you suggest are going to just be a frustration ultimately, and no more capable in a wind than your heli. 

[GrumpyGnome]

Good suggestions, but GrayAce doesn't fly in a club environment, and it's pretty much certain those planes, with their greater inertia, will be damaged (possibly terminally) very quickly if he's going it alone. And they will need an even bigger flying site for any element of safety.

[Piers Bowlan]

If GreyAce wants too fly in strong winds, better get one of these.

 

The Wildthing 46 being EPP is as near indestructible as you can get. They have been around for a long time and most slope pilots have had one at some time. Designed by Alan Head of SAS (Soar Ahead Sailplane) fame they are now still available from The Balsa Cabin fortunately.

 

No suitable slopes to fly from? No problem, just saw the nose off, attach a ply bulkhead and screw the BL motor to it (20 mins work). I think he may get addicted to slope soaring however if he is able to make the journey to a slope.

 

If he can build/rebuild/set up a helicopter, an electric Wild Thing will pose few challenges. Also, if he has logged 60 hours on his helicopter without crashing it he has obviously got orientation and coordination hacked, so I can’t see him struggling, even in a blow.

Tip:- fit a folding prop and have fun 👍😁

[GrumpyGnome]

All GreyAces stuff is, I believe, under 250g and flown in public spaces.

 

Not sure a Widthing falls into that category. Yes, he could build it as a sloper and bung it off a hill, but I think we'd be advocating he gets some guidance - a bit like a club!  Also, I don't think he's shown any interest in building a model aeroplane...

 

@GreyAce if you do buy one of the tiddlers you're interested in, I'd suggest you learn to fly it in calm weather, before trying it when your helis are grounded. Very early mornings, and evenings have been calm around me, even though the wind appears fir the rest of the day.

[Ron Gray]

The Volantex type models are excellent, I have the Corsair and it's great fun. But they do rely on the gyro to help keep them in the air, even more so when it is windy and landing them in those conditions can be somewhat challenging. They are not, imo, a suitable first time fixed wing model for those windy conditions and if it is going to be flown in a public space then the 3rd party risks are quite high.

[leccyflyer]

Couple of things. Firstly the wee Volantex 400mm that GreyAce describes are some of the best models that I have ever had for windy conditions. We regularly have a gaggle of them up at the club in 10mph+ windspeeds and they are superbly stable with the switch in Beginner mode, under conditions that would keep many other models grounded. It is vital not to let them get downwind though, because they don't have the power to penetrate a very strong headwind - great fun though, provided that you keep them in the right bit of the sky. Since you are at full throttle the whole time the flight time drops from ca 12 minutes dawn to about 8 minutes when it's windy.

 

Piers advice to take to the slope in strong winds is sound, assuming that you have a suitable slope an EPP wing is an ideal model and, with a bit of tuition in slope flying, real or virtual, should be no problem to someone who is successfully flying a helicopter. The thing is that it opens up the number of days suitable for flying. However making the conversion to an electric powered model of that size and weight requires more careful selection of flying site and carries additional responsibility. It should be very robust though and forgiving of all but the worst arrivals.

[leccyflyer]

FWIW out of all the wee Volantex models I fly, I've found that the most recent - that F4U1 Corsair pictured above - definitely has the hippy hippy shakes, with the stabilisation working overtime, in strong wind and at speed. The Spitfire, Me109, Fw190, P-51s and Zero do not exhibit that characteristic at all, they are rock steady. With the switch in Beginner mode they all fly and look like the usual manoeuvres of the real life warbirds as exhibited in modern airshows , which are typically broad sweeping turns which display the aeroplane perfectly and tighter turns when combatting. If you want more realistic loops you need to go to Middle mode and personally I find Expert mode virtually uncontrollable. For flying in formation Beginner mode is where it's at for us,

[GreyAce]

3 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said:

@GreyAce  That F4U is pretty much the same as the FW190 and P51 - all around the 400mm mark. 

 

I think one of those would be too challenging as a first plane, in the wind, but it's not a huge investment, and as long as you're not around people or livestock for when it gets away from you, it'll cause little damage.

 

You'll need a much bigger field than for your heli though, and the range is supposedly quite limited - I only mention this because it WILL get blown downwind. Truth be told they're so small, visibility becomes an issue before range.... and they do bounce well when crashed. 

 

Although they are sold as 'ideal for beginners' or someone such blurb, they really aren't, as they need to be flown relatively quickly.  Given your perseverance with helis, I suspect you'll be OK, but it's not ideal.

 

Something like the Volantex Ranger may be more suitable as it's bit bigger and slower. Probably even more affected my the wind though...... hmm, you are setting yourself a challenge!

 

Yesterday, the wind was between 15 and 20 mph at my flying field, and my little FW190 stayed in the car....... it would have flown, but I wouldn't have had much pleasure from it.

 

 

All your advice is awesome guys I really appreciate your thoughts and this morning I've found another plane which is really cheap and a trainer with very good reviews and yeah I figure it be very light and not like strong winds but yeah goin out late at night with less wind may be the way to go as I do with my Helis and maybe I'm jumping into it too hard ie wind at 20mph but if I start off slowly ie low winds it could be the way to go,but flying Helis I find easy now in some respects but fixed wing could potentially be a good direction to go,but this plane seems good? 

[Piers Bowlan]

1 hour ago, leccyflyer said:

Piers advice to take to the slope in strong winds is sound, assuming that you have a suitable slope an EPP wing is an ideal model and, with a bit of tuition in slope flying, real or virtual, should be no problem to someone who is successfully flying a helicopter. The thing is that it opens up the number of days suitable for flying. However making the conversion to an electric powered model of that size and weight requires more careful selection of flying site and carries additional responsibility. It should be very robust though and forgiving of all but the worst arrivals.

Sorry, Leccy I didn’t realise GreyAce’s Helios were sub 250g in public open spaces. A Wildthing with big motor and LiPo would be something of a missile and not suited to a public open space by a beginner- agreed 👍 

 

[GreyAce]

3 minutes ago, Piers Bowlan said:

Sorry, Leccy I didn’t realise GreyAce’s Helios were sub 250g in public open spaces. A Wildthing with big motor and LiPo would be something of a missile and not suited to a public open space by a beginner- agreed 👍 

 

Yeah my two Helis I have are the sub 250g and I admit were a real handful at first for me but now my small v2 I can throw around the sky and do nap of the earth flying ie skimming the grass quite well,don't really struggle any more but yeah I am practicing on the sim at the moment and I am gona do that a few days so to speak till I figure out just what plane I would like but the high wing one above seems a good bet.