After a lengthy period of illnesses and surgeries, OldManFlier is getting back in the game. I apologize for being inactive for such a long time, but I’m better physical condition now and I will sincerely do my best to regularly update this blog.  Check in regularly for more information on selecting, building, and flying RC airplanes.

I will be presenting more photos and videos of flying events and model plane building and re-building.  I hope to encourage more people to get into RC hobbies and I will be here to help in any way I can.  Soon, there will be several  series of RC flight instruction, model selection information, and many thoughts and reccommendations for how to best enjoy this exciting hobby.

From time to time, I will be adding links to informative and sometimes controversial News articles that are related to the radio controlled hobbies.

Please note the new layout and I hope you can bear with me while I am getting used to the new software that is used to produce this blog.  This is the OldManFlier and I hope to see you soon.

I received a question from someone who asked how to tell when the model aircraft is level when testing the CG.   So, I thought it best to explain how you go about doing this.  First, you should find the location of the center of gravity specified by the manufacturer.  It is usually about 1/3 of the distance back from the wing’s  leading edge.  Not all models have the same point where the model balances.  It depends on whether the wing is straight or tapered and if the wing is perpendicular to the fuselage or swept back or forward.  At the beginners level, it is best to go by what the manufacturer tells you to use as the center of gravity.

When you know where the CG is located, have a friend help you ( one person on each side of the model) and place one finger on the under side of the wing tips and lift the airplane up and see how it balances.  The person that asked the question wants to know what do you look at on the plane to tell if it is balanced properly.  What I look for is whether the “line of thrust” of the model is level.  This is an invisible line that runs through the fuselage from the center of the propeller and is usually shown on the plans.  This a difficult thing to visualize and I strongly believe  it is one of the things that is best learned from an experienced instructor who can help you learn by doing.

Another part of the question was,  ”What is the line of reference when determining the angle of attack of the wing and the horizontal stabilizer?”  This is something that is taken care of in the design of the model by the manufacturer and probably best not changed by beginners.  If you need to adjust these angles, I recommend that you seek the help of an experienced modeler that has dealt with this issue as it can get pretty complicated and can drastically affect the performance of your model.   You will also need to use an incidence meter to make sure you are correctly adjusting the angle of attack..  The definition of angle of attack or incidence is the angle that the wing is positive or negitive to the line of  the air that is passing over the wing or horizontal stabilizer.  This line is also difficult to determine and is usually the same as the line of thrust.

The purpose of this post is to help you get familiar with getting your “trainer” RC model airplane set up for proper straight and level flight so that you will be able to easily control it and therefore learn how fly more quickly and to avoid accidents.  This post is not intended to be a technical approach to model airplane design.  My intent is to help someone that is new to the hobby get started in the right direction and it is always my recommendation that you locate a flying club and an experienced modeler to give you some hands on advice and assistance.

As I have stated before, a good place to start when looking for assistance is your local hobby shop and local flying clubs.  The AMA has a list of all sanctioned clubs including the contact person for each club so it can be a great help in finding someone locally to help you with all aspects of RC model airplane flying.  We all want to spend more time flying than repairing and rebuilding.

    If you have been reading this blog for a while, you have seen the phrase “straight and level flight”.  So, I think we need to talk in some detail about this aspect of RC flying.  Straight and level flight is somewhat self-explanatory, but to understand what it is all about and how to go about achieving it you need to understand some of the terminology of the subject.

    You may not be familiar with the terms of pitch, roll, and yaw as it applies to RC airplanes.  Pitch refers to the nose up and down attitude of the RC model.  It is affected by the CG or center of gravity of the plane and by the up and down movement of the elevator control surfaces.  The Roll axis is around the center line of the fuselage.  The roll is affected  by the left and right “bank” of the airplane controlled by the movement of the ailerons. And the yaw is the nose left and nose right movement of the plane controlled by the action of the rudder control surface.  These are the actions of the RC airplane that determine the direction and the attitude of the model’s flight.

     Basically, if your RC plane is flying ‘hands off”, that is, with no control action being applied and it isn’t drifting to the left or right and it is not drifting up or down you are flying straight and level.   That sounds simple enough, but achieving straight and level flight begins with the design and building of the model.   Whether you are building a kit or assembling an ARF or RTF, you still have to be aware of what it takes to have a model that will fly straight and level when you are flying “hands-off”.

Why is it so important?

If your radio controlled model will fly straight and level, it will be much easier to control and your aerobatic maneuvers will be much smoother and more precise.  Also, flying and landing the RC plane will be easier and look better.  It makes flying a lot more fun if you don’t have to constantly make in-flight adjustments.  If a model is not properly balanced, that is, the center of gravity is too far forward or back, the airplane is impossible to fly and that may result in a serious crash.   Or, at least the radio controlled airplane that isn’t properly set up, will fly so badly that you may become discouraged and give up without learning how to fly.  A smooth flying, easy to handle model is a real pleasure to fly and that is especially important for beginners.

How is straight and level flight achieved?

It has to start with the building or assembling stage.  Actually, it really starts with the initial design. The best advice I have to offer is to be sure to closely follow the manufacturers instructions.   Several things in the construction of a radio controlled model airplane can adversely affect the quality of flight.  The completed model aircraft must be balanced as specified by the manufacturer.

    Of most importance is the front to rear balance or the CG.  The CG or center of gravity of the model will be specified in the assembly instructions.  Sometimes it is possible to correct the CG by moving the radio equipment forward or to the rear to help achieve the correct balance.  Other times it may be necessary to add some weight to either the nose or tail.  Either way, you need to get the RC model plane to balance where the manufacturer says it needs to balance.   Adjustments to the side to side balance can be made by adding weight to the wingtips where it is needed.

Also, in the building of a kit, it is important to avoid misalignment of the various parts and sub-assemblies.  Where the vertical stabilizer meets the horizontal stabilizer, use a small machinist’s square or the 90 degree corner of a drafting triangle to ensure the two surfaces are perpendicular to each other.  You need to give special attention to the alignment of the ailerons, rudder, and the elevator to the top and bottom surfaces of their non-movable counterparts.  I know that there is trim adjustment  within the radio system, but the closer you can get to perfect with the mechanical adjustments, the easier it will be to trim the plane in flight and the better it will perform.

In some models, it is necessary to add some right thrust to the engine.  Here again, follow the instructions and you will be okay.  The few degrees of right thrust is to compensate for the counter torque of the engine.  This helps to maintain the correct yaw of the model.  Some model and engine combinations require some down thrust as well as right thrust.  This helps with the pitch of the RC model airplane.

Total ready-to-fly weight will also have an effect on the flight characteristics.  Once again, I emphasize the importance of strictly following the included instructions.

This post is starting to get too long and involved, so I will stop here and continue with straight and level flight of the RC model airplane in the next post.  Until then read this material completely and see if you can come up with some questions on what we have been discussing so far.   Remember, you may submit your questions to me by email to   admin@talkingrchobbies.com .

    This is the OldManFlier and I will see you next time.

We all enjoy a day of nice weather and good flying and we share in the most exiting and fun hobby there is. Sharing in a common interest and having a good time with friends will create lasting pleasant memories and topics for discussion for a long time to come. However, an accident, fire, or careless flying or ground handling of remote control planes can ruin the day or even worse.

First of all, if you are flying at a sanctioned AMA flying field, be aware that safety rules are in place for the good of everyone on the site. They pertain to spectators as well as fliers. For instance there are certain designated areas that fliers are allowed access to and seperate areas where spectators need to stay. We need to learn what the safety rules are for the flying field and we must stay in compliance with them. This may sound a little harsh, but improper use and handling of rc model airplanes can cause serious injury. All we have to do is to use common sense and follow the rules. Everyone must stay in their designated areas and be especially careful that children are kept from wandering into the pit area or onto the runway.

Tips For Safe Flying And Handling Of RC Model Planes

When preparing your model for flight, try to limit the number of people that are in the immediate proximity of your plane. You shouldn’t have more than two people involved in starting and tuning the engine. The prop on an engine that is running at full throttle can be very dangerous. You can use some kind of anchoring device to hold the plane in place while it is being started and tuned or have a reliable person holding it until you are ready for takeoff. Be sure to use a “chicken stick” or an electric starter in order to avoid injury.

The area directly in line with the lengthwise direction of the prop should be cleared of any bystanders. Also, it is a good idea to dip the tips of the prop intp some white or yellow paint to help make the spinning prop more visible. Black propellers are almost impossible to see when the engine is running.

Don’t forget to do the radio function test before flying. Anything can happen when a pilot loses the ability to control the airplane. Having a crash is bad enough but if someone gets hurt it is much more serious.

Flying RC Planes Is A Safe Hobby

I don’t want to frighten anyone away from rc flying, but we all need to be careful. It is a safe sport but accidents can happen. If everyone does their part to help keep it safe, we all can have fun flying and still be able to return for another day of remote control airplane fun.

Tail Feathers Trivia Section

The “tail feathers trivia” section is where you will find the administrator-approved stories, questions, and photo and video links that you as readers can send to me at admin@talkingrchobbies.com. That’s right I am interested in what you have to say to me and the other readers of this blog about remote control airplanes. If you have photos or videos or stories of interesting or humorous remote control airplane events please feel free to submit them to OldManFlier and if approved, they will be presented in this blog for all to enjoy. Thanks in advance.

My 7-day eCourse is a series of daily emails that explain the seven basic steps in detail about how you can get started in the radio control airplane hobby. It will present everything one step each day so that you can have time to read, digest, and start working on what you need to have and what you need to know to successfully get started flying. The way to get started is to sign up for it in the far right upper corner of this page where it says “Get OldManFlier’s Seven Easy Steps To RC Flying”. As soon as you get signed up for it, you can expect it to be in your inbox in a few short days. Try it, I think you will like it. It costs you nothing and it is packed with useful information. This is the OldManFlier and I’ll see you next time.

Here we are well into the new year and the elections are behind us and now we have more time to focus on flying radio controlled airplanes.  It has been a while since my last post in this blog and I’m still having some medical problems and it will be difficult for me to get down into the OldManFlier’s workshop.   I apologize for all the delays, but I will do my best to get some interesting information out to all of you on a more regular schedule.  Thanks for being patient with me.  In addition to other problems, my blog has had some severe technical difficulties for the past week or so, but it has been fixed now and I am ready to get back to some serious writing about my favorite hobby.  And that includes anything and everything about radio controlled model planes.

Why WasTalkingRChobbies.com Created?

The reason that I started this blog about radio controlled hobbies is to help promote our hobby to as many young people and families as possible.  In doing that I am able to continue participation in the hobby by sharing my experiences, guidance and knowledge with not only those that are wanting to get started, but with anyone that is already into radio controlled flying at one level or another.

Some of the things you can learn about in reading this blog are all aspects of building kits, assembling ARF (almost ready to fly) and RTF (ready to fly) models, finding a place to fly, tips on finding an experienced RC flier to help you with selecting the right model plane to begin learning with, and with the actual flying.  You can learn much faster and more safely with the proper trainer helping you.  Reading the information in this blog will also help with repairing your radio controlled plane in the event of a mishap.  Installing and setting up the radio control system and the engine, battery maintenance, and generally speaking whatever you want to know.  There is too much information available here to list it all at one time, but rest assured you will eventually find everything you need to get you set up, ready to go, and out flying.

At times I will illustrate what I am talking about with pictures or videos and I will get as detailed as you want just to help you in this hobby of remotely controlling your favorite model airplane.  Sometimes I will present a short series of instructional steps so you will want bookmark this site or establish an RSS feed (see the right side bar) to help you get back here easier and make sure you don’t miss out on any of the information.  This blog will be run in such a way that you will find it both fun and informative.

Also, I would like to hear from you with any comments or questions that you have.   I am certain that others who read this blog will enjoy what you have to contribute.  All you have to do to submit a comment or ask a question is to click on the blue “Comment” link below, follow the steps, and type in what you want to say.  It will help make this a more interesting and enjoyable site for all of us if you choose to participate.  We can all learn from each other.

What is an eCourse and How do I get started?

    My 7-day eCourse is a series of daily emails that explain the seven basic steps in detail about how you can get started in the radio controlled model airplane hobby.  It will present everything one step each day so that you can have time to read, digest, and start working on what you need to have and what you need to know to successfully get started flying.  The way to get started is to sign up for it in the far right upper corner of this page where it says “Get OldManFlier’s Seven Easy Steps To RC Flying”.  Note: I had planned on starting this eCourse in November of 2008, but circumstances caused it to be delayed.  As soon as you get signed up for it, you can expect it to be in your inbox in a few short days.  Try it, I think you will like it.  It costs you nothing and it is packed with useful information.  This is the OldManFlier and I’ll see you next time.

    I know that this blog is read by people in many different parts of the world and for those countries that celebrate Christmas as we do here in the United States, I hope that you are having a happy and joyous holiday. 

I want to take this blog post to thank all of you for reading my blog and ask you to keep reading and learning from it throughout the new year.  I have some medical problems that have kept me from doing all the things that I wanted to accomplish in our hobby this year and I am hopeful that things will be better next year. 

    As I have pointed out in the past, I will be doing more things with video as soon as I am fully recovered from a recent surgery and I can once again get downstairs to my basement RC airplane workshop.  I still have some kits to build, some broken airplanes to repair and other things to do that are sure to be of interest to you.

    So, please bear with me and keep checking back to this website for more new and exciting information from our world of flying radio controlled model airplanes.

Thanks so much to all of you and remember –  this is the OldManFlier and I’ll see you next time.

Please keep in mind that the whole idea of this website is to promote the fun and excitement of RC flying.  My goal is not to make you ready for competition, but to help you learn some basic maneuvers that will give you more opportunity to further enjoy this hobby.   In the interest of having fun, remember to maintain adequate altitude while learning and practicing each of these maneuvers to help avoid accidents.

It is advisable to begin the Immelman Turn flying into the wind.  The turn starts out like the inside loop.  Flying straight and level pull up elevator the same as beginning the loop and hold up elevator until you reach the top of the loop.   Without completing the loop use some down elevator (plane is inverted at this point) to level out and then use aileron control to roll the plane to its upright attitude and continue on straight and level flight and when ready, try another turn going the other direction.

You can keep practicing the Immelman Turn and each of the other maneuvers that we have discussed here.  And if you wish to pursue competitive RC aerobatics, I would advise you of two steps you should take.  First, find someone who is an accomplished competitive RC aerobatics flier that is willing to help you as you learn the maneuvers in the kind of detail required for competition flying.  And secondly, check out what the current AMA rules are so that you will know that you are moving in the correct direction.  Be aware that the AMA does make changes to these rules and if you are striving to be a competitive aerobatics flier, you need to stay current with any changes that may occur.

Next time we’ll talk about how to get started in radio controlled model airplane flying in order to accommodate anyone that may have missed out on our earlier training blog entries.  This is the OldManFlier and I’ll see you next time.

Some of the more durable and adventurous of RC modelers actually do some flying outdoors during the frozen months.  It is sometimes done on frozen lakes or if you have a large enough building available, you can fly some of the smaller electric powered models indoors.   And don’t overlook the sport of indoor RC model car and truck racing.  It is also a lot of fun and very much doable in any weather.

You may have the desire to build a new kit this winter or maybe you had an accident with your favorite model last summer and it needs some repair work.   Either way, the winter months are ideal for model building or rebuilding.  I have a couple of kits to build and one model that had a radio failure and it is in need of some serious repair.  My intent is to make a video of kit building and another one of rebuilding crashed radio controlled model airplanes.  However, these videos will be delayed for a while because I am in need of some serious repair on my right ankle.  I will be going in the hospital on the 13th of November for surgery.  I expect to be in a cast for several months and that will limit my ability to get into the basement to my airplane workbench.  I will prevail and the videos will be available as soon as possible.   Please bear with me and keep reading my blog for more RC information and be sure to sign up to receive my 7 day eCourse on getting started in RC flying.

Now, let’s get on to flying the stall turn.  It is also called the hammerhead because of the similarity to the shape of a hammerhead.  Begin with straight and level flight and make sure you are flying at a high enough altitude to give you time to correct any mistakes that may occur.   When you are ready to make the stall turn pull the nose up with full elevator and begin vertical flight and at the top of the hammerhead or at the point of the stall, reduce the airspeed with the throttle control and simultaneously give the rudder full left to make a sharp left turn without using the ailerons.  You will have to use some elevator control to head the plane straight downward.   Increase the throttle to get control of the model, but not too fast, because you will need to pull it out of the dive and you need to be careful not to overload the wing at that point.  At the bottom of the hammerhead, pull up elevator to return to straight and level flight in the opposite direction from where you began the hammerhead.

The hammerhead or stall turn is actually fairly simple to perform.  Just remember to start at a sufficient altitude to allow for mistakes and don’t dive at full throttle in order to avoid excessive G-forces on the wing when you pull out of the dive to return to level flight.  You can practice this by turning either to the left or the right at the top of the stall, but I think it is more common to turn to the left.

This turn is fun to fly and fun to watch and it often comes in handy when you have a limited amount of space to fly in.  As always, it is much better to have an experienced flier with you when you are first learning any of the aerobatic maneuvers to provide advice and emergency assistance when needed.

One more point on winter flying fun is to purchase one of the excellent RC flight simulators and practice these maneuvers in the comfort of your home and you won’t have to worry about crashes at all.

This is the OldManFlier and I will see you next time.

I am currently working on creating a video presentation about building a radio controlled model airplane from a kit.   When completed, this video will show all details of building, covering, and installing the engine and radio.  And it will be followed later by a video of the model being put through its paces.  It will be packed with information and will be presented in a pleasing and educational manner.  It will take some time yet to finish it, but it will be worth the wait.

There will also be a video presentation of repairing my crashed Goldberg Anniversary Cub.  It has been around since the middle 1980′s and has crashed once before and was rebuilt.  A few years ago, because of a broken servo wire, it crashed and sustained some damage to the nose, cowl, windows, and wing.  Although, it is not seriously damaged, this will be an interesting video about crash repairs, because this model is equipped with a 2 cylinder 4 stroke engine and it will require some extensive work on fitting the new fiberglass cowl to the plane and a new radio installation.  Watch for it to  be coming out soon.

Additionally, I am working on a 7-day Ecourse on how to get started in radio controlled airplanes.  It will be sent out to anyone who signs up for it on the right side of this page near the top.  It costs nothing and it will help newcomers to the RC hobby get started.  It will be sent out in seven consecutive daily emails and each one is filled with what you need to know such as locating an experienced trainer, RC flying club and field, and how to decide on which type of model to start with.  There will be discussions on electric powered as well as nitro powered engines, the size of your first airplane with some suggestions on different models, and much more on all aspects of obtaining and flying radio controlled model airplanes.  Be sure to sign up for it as soon as possible and it should begin in the first week of November.

I know I kinda got sidetracked with this post that really started out to be about doing the stall turn or “hammerhead” and the Immelman turn, but I wanted to let you know about some of the future plans for this blog.  This is information that is important to the continued success of this blog and I will get right back into some more aerobatics in the next post, and I will try to get back on a more consistent weekly schedule.

Thanks for bearing with me.  This is the OldManFlier and I will see you next time.

As I started thinking about writing this post, I realized that we haven’t talked about how to do the horizontal roll.  Like the simple loop, the roll is part of many of the other more complicated aerobatic maneuvers and you need to learn that and practice it until it too becomes instinctive to you.

Being able to successfully and gracefully complete the roll is necessary in order to perform the Immelman turn, the cuban 8, and  other more advanced aerobatics.  I would also suggest that you practice some long oval loops as part of the preparation for more advanced maneuvers.

Start a loop and at the top of the circle, add some down elevator to maintain a straight and level inverted flight then at the point where you want to end the long oval loop, feed in up elevator and complete the long oval pattern.  Remember to decrease the airspeed as you start the down side of the ending loop.  At the bottom of the second half of the loop, use down elevator to level out and continue straight and level flight back to the point where you began the long oval.

This long oval pattern is suggested here just to provide you with another kind of practice to help you become proficient in flying inverted.  To make graceful, smooth rolls you need to keep the plane flying level whether it is inverted or right side up.

Okay, now let’s move on to discussing what it takes to roll your plane 360 degrees horizontally.  Please remember that each model behaves somewhat differently and you may have to modify these steps to get the smoothest performance from your own airplane.

Start with straight and level flight and it is advisable, at least at first, to be flying downwind and feed in a little up elevator just as you begin the roll.  Until you gain some experience, it will be the tendency to end up in a steep dive, so it is good to start with a slight nose up attitude.  Quickly give your plane left or right full ailerons and as you enter the inverted portion of the roll, be sure to give it a little down elevator to maintain level flight.  Continue the roll until the aircraft has righted itself and is flying straight and level.

I don’t want to overload you with too much new material at one time and I encourage you to practice each maneuver as I have described until you are completely at ease with each new step before moving on to more advanced aerobatics.

Watch this blog for a new option to sign up to receive my new 7-day Ecourse on how to get started in the radio controlled model airplane hobby.  It will consist of one new step each day for 7 days and will give you enough information to get a good, knowledgeable insight as to what you need to do to get started flying RC.   Also, be sure to take a look at my “about” page and let me knpw what you think by using the comments button below.  I will be glad to hear from you.

This is the OldManFlier and I will see you next time.