| By the time you read this article, it is possible that | | | | ready for my first flying lesson. My flight instructor |
| Christmas will have come and gone. Many individuals, | | | | taught me how to ground-check the aircraft. He then |
| unfamiliar with radio-controlled(RC) airplanes, will be | | | | made the maiden flight to trim the flight controls. After |
| looking forward to flying new aircraft. These lucky | | | | completely flight testing the aircraft, he safely landed |
| future pilots, and those who are still thinking about | | | | the plane and taxied it back to the flight line. |
| entering the hobby, might benefit from the experiences | | | | The next flying day, and after recharging the flight |
| of an RC pilot still in flight training. | | | | battery, my instructor taxied the plane onto the runway |
| I am now a senior citizen and have been interested in | | | | and, after a successful take-off, allowed me to |
| model airplanes since I was a youngster. Although I | | | | assume control and actually fly it. I could do this safely |
| had many false starts in the past, I never earned my | | | | because my transmitter was linked to the instructor's |
| wings as an RC pilot. In July, 2008, I decided to try | | | | transmitter by a cord that allowed him to resume |
| again. | | | | control at any instant. What a thrill! After about 10 |
| My first step was to join the local RC club, the | | | | minutes, my instructor resumed control of the aircraft |
| Sanderson Field R/C Flyers(SFRCF). I knew that I | | | | and made a safe landing. |
| would need help in selecting a training aircraft and in | | | | Since my first flight, I have had many more training |
| learning to fly. Learning to first fly something other than | | | | sessions. There have been a few "close calls" but I |
| a trainer aircraft and without an experienced flight | | | | was "saved" each time by my instructor. A few times, |
| instructor can quickly end, at the very least, in a crash. | | | | I let the plane get too far away and lost "orientation": I |
| Besides the club-membership fee, and since the club is | | | | was not sure just what stick control to use to bring the |
| an Academy of ModelAeronautics(AMA) sanctioned | | | | aircraft back. Again, my instructor resumed control and |
| club, I also had to join the AMA in order to fly at the | | | | brought the plane back so that I could continue flying. |
| club's flying fields. The AMA has defined rules for safe | | | | Once or twice, particularly when it got a little too |
| flying and also provides insurance for flight-related | | | | breezy, I had the instructor "bring it back alive" and |
| personal injury or property damage. | | | | safely land the plane. |
| My next step was to determine what kind of plane | | | | After several sessions, I was allowed to control the |
| and equipment to buy. Since I wanted to make the | | | | plane during take-off. Ramping up the engine to full |
| right purchase decisions, but wanted to explore the | | | | power and trying to keep the plane rolling straight |
| many possibilities first, I initially attended club meetings | | | | down the runway was a little scary--particularly if there |
| and flying events as a spectator. At the meetings and | | | | was a breeze. Because of the large rudder/stabilizer |
| events, I was able to look at many kinds of aircraft | | | | area, a cross-breeze could cause the plane to turn off |
| and benefit from the advice and suggestions of the | | | | the runway. This required learning how to manage the |
| pilots. | | | | throttle, rudder, and elevator in order to achieve a good |
| While I was accumulating the information I needed to | | | | take-off. |
| purchase my own plane and equipment, I decided to | | | | At the end of the flying season, I did manage a couple |
| invest in an RC flight simulator. | | | | of landings. True, the landings were "bouncy" but I was |
| Using a flight simulator is a great introduction to RC | | | | still able to land the plane and taxi it back in one piece. |
| flying -- without the risk of an expensive "real" crash. | | | | The day I was able to complete a take-off, flight, and |
| The simulator I purchased ran well on my old | | | | landing (still attached to the safety of my instructor's |
| Windows-2000 computer. Using the simulator helped | | | | transmitter) was a "red letter" day! I had previously |
| me learn the basics of RC. Most importantly, the | | | | been concentrating on keeping the airplane in the air |
| simulator helped me learn the correct stick control for | | | | and it was quite a switch to cut the power and allow |
| an approaching aircraft (something even "real" pilots | | | | the plane to fall towards the ground--on purpose. I am |
| find difficult). As I progress in my flight training, I will be | | | | looking ahead to the next good flying days to continue |
| able to practice more advanced flying maneuvers on | | | | my landing practice. |
| the simulator first. | | | | In the Pacific Northwest, our flying days are somewhat |
| By the end of August, I found a suitable training aircraft | | | | limited. I will need a lot more flight training before I can |
| at a price I could afford. I was fortunate in finding a | | | | qualify for my "wings." I am looking forward to some |
| newly released, Ready to Fly(RTF) package that | | | | good flying weather so that I can resume my training. |
| included an electric-powered aircraft with a new | | | | In the meantime, I will continue to practice on my flight |
| technology 2.4GHz RC transmitter and receiver. | | | | simulator. At the same time, my flight instructor can, I |
| After receiving and assembling my new aircraft, and | | | | hope, fully recover from the stress of protecting his |
| on the next good flying day, I reported to the field | | | | student from catastrophe. |