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yo- ross 12mph will be borderline for you ability if your learning which i take it you are-you'll be able to control the model - but what tend's to happen is (overcontrol)just to make it go where you want/do what you want---it'll not be as much fun as wnen it's calmer--have a go but be prepared or else it'll be  rip trainer.........
 
 
          ken anderson...
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The most important factor hasn't been mentioned- wind direction.
 
if it's 12mph straight down your strip then it should be fine.  If it's across the strip then things get far more complicated.  Also the nature of the wind- constant or gusty?  That makes a difference.
 
12mph is not too windy, but adds an extra factor to think about- so the other factors should be in yopur favour to balance.
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Flying in wind is an important part of learning. If you stick to flat calm you won't be doing much flying  
 
The important thing is the decision making. Go to your site, and if it looks too rough for you then don't fly. Don't get trapped in the mindset of thinking that just because you've turned up its compulsory to have a go
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I would say if you can buddy up with an experienced flyer then do so.  You can then get a feeling for flying in winds until you are confident to fly yourself.
 
I agree with all of the points mentioned above - especially Ians point.  In this country you need to be able to fly in winds - or you will never get much flying!.
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Early on when i had my PZ supercub i took to trying to fly in all sorts of winds.  I decided i didn't give a damn about the plane, so figured, why not?  The experience was really useful and i'd recommend it to anyone, but i'd try and fly in an empty field for when the model gets out of your control from time to time and crashes.
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I was flying yesterday in winds of around 20mph - but that was directly across the strip...  Not too much of a problem for my heli, it just jumped up and down rather a lot in the turbulence!  
 
But I was also flying my Limbo Dancer - not the best model for the conditions really.  Taking off was a challenge as the model weathercocks quite strongly and taking off across the strip (into wind) wasn't really an option.  Landing was "interesting" too.  It's probably the strongest crosswind I've flown the Limbo in and i reckon keeping track on the runway on final approach I had the nose pointing 45 degrees or more into wind! 
 
All good practice though - these days I tend not to bother if it's too windy, but as we had something pre-arranged I made the effort to fly.
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Hi guys, great advice.
 
Well i have just got back from flying it and it is still in one piece.
I took Polly's advice and just went for it, although i must say i also took Ian's advice and waited to see what it was like at the field before commiting myself.
 
When i got there it was about 6-8mph gusting 10-12 but...it was more crosswind than straight down the runway for where i was flying and there was no other option of a runway. I thought long and hard about your advice and as this hobby is a learning curve i decided to fly.
 
Take off's were not a problem but it was a bit lumpy when i got up there. I did however, manage to think of another thread recently which discussed losing height on the downwind leg turn for base/finals. I remembered to apply power because of turning into wind (Groundspeed v Airspeed) which helped massively and i din't lose any height most of the time so thanks.
 
I was then stumped a little on landing approaches as i couldn't seem to slow her down in time. First landing was good but just rolled and rolled off the end and luckily only into 1' long grass so no damage. It wasn't until i recovered her that i realised the wind had changed ever so slightly so my base leg and finals were slightly downwind, hence why i couldnt stop!!!
 
The next three flights were awesome and practising approach and landings into that wind were a dream. I was amazed how much easier it was to land with a bit of wind (All my other flights have been really calm) as you discuss above, the groundspeed was hardly anything so it almost glided to lovely short touchdowns
 
On the fourth flight, my confidence was building as it normally does (but i have worked out when to stop!!!) so i tried some more loops and stall turns like my previous days flying which all went well so i experimented with trying a roll.
 
At height, i flew level and fast and pulled up slightly and applied full right aileron. It would get almost inverted and then not want to go over anymore. Is this down to the dihedral or do you have to apply rudder as well??
I ended up inverted, cutting the power and then pulling full up elevator so it was now coming back in my direction. Does anybody know what that manoevre is called, is it an Immelman roll?
 
Anyway, a great day and great advice as always. Could have ended in distaster, didnt, but i now feel so much more confident i can handle a bit of wind.
 
Thanks,
 
Ross.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Edited By Ross Clarkson on 16/07/2009 16:15:26

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As my confidence has grown so has my ability to fly in stronger winds. Sometimes i wondered if i'd bitten of more than i could manage but it paid off in the long run as flying in the lighter breezes becomes so much easier. I'd recommend doing several intentionally aborted landing atempts early on in the flight getting gradually closer to touching down to get used to the conditions closer to the ground as they can differ completely to whats up above. Then when its time to come down there won't be any nasty surprises. Now i'm onto low wing a bit of wind is very much appreciated as it really helps slow the thing down. Take lunchtime today for example.... 1st flight in a 5-7mph wind landed first time. 40 mins later at the end of my 2nd flight wind had disappeared completely....4 attempts to get down and only the after i'd backed off the idle on my trim.

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Hi Ross
 
I have been putting off doing rolls for months now as I was being too careful with my lovingly created aircraft. The  I bought a GWS Formosa and cos its so cheap and cheerful, I don't really mind what happens to it, so I experiment.
 
I go for rolls in much the way you describe, but I had to increase the aileron throws to make them fast enough. If you do slow rolls with a minimal aileron movement, you have to put in some down elevator  while you are inverted else you end up doing an inverted dive ground direction. I don't think you ever need rudder unless you are doing a barrel roll - that is max up elevator and max rudder as far as I know. I'm just a lone flier, so its all a guessing game for me!
 
Yes, I believe a half roll and a half loop in any direction up or down is an Immelman turn, no doubt we'll get corrected if wrong!
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Well to be pedantic ... its a half loop then a half roll, rather than the other way around .
A true well executed very slow roll, or of course a multipoint  roll will require rudder input on most models, in the same way as the rudder acts as the elevator in knife edge - a slow roll involves a brief spell of knife edge. trying to get a neat slow roll from high wing trainer with dihedral is very difficult if not nigh on impossible. For these sort of aerobatic manouevers, you really need a well set up aerobatic type model, where pretty much everything is nice and neutral - amodel which is happy in almost any attitude - especially inverted, which means anice symmetrical or semi symmmetrical wing section. Your trainer probably has a flat bottomed wing, which is good for producing lift in normal flight, but lousy when inverted. This will result in it almost immediately diving when rolled on its back, requiring large "doen" elevator throwto compensate.


Edited By Timbo - Moderator on 16/07/2009 17:43:06

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Arrhhh, so that's the Immelman Tim, so what is a half roll followed by half loop called? Furthermore what is a half outside loop followed by a half roll called?
 
As far as I'm concerned, at the moment, as long as I get all the way round a roll without a disaster, I'm happy
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Split S ..  I think....
Outside loop is a bunt and quite scary when first attempted
Not sure about the rolling out of abunt, but I think a half bunt ( where you chicken out half way around and fly off straight is called, of all things, for some odd reason an " English Bunt"
of course we are not allowed to do those here in Gods country

Edited By Timbo - Moderator on 16/07/2009 17:52:19

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