Park Flyers… Now Anyone Can Fly!
NOW… Let’s Get Flying!
Park Flyers:
With the advent of inexpensive, powerful electric motors and new lightweight batteries has brought us a new class of radio controlled airplanes (park flyers). These planes are small and maneuverable and need very little space to fly compared to larger nitro powered RC planes. Now anyone who lives near a park can enjoy RC flying without having to join a club or the AMA, but you still need to learn the basics.
If you would like to join a club or check out the AMA’s new park flyer program, we have links on our home page for both.
Getting Started:
1. The GWS slo-stick makes a great trainer but there are many styles of park flyer to choose but for the first timer we’re going to stick with the slow stick or similar trainer models. It’s up to you what model you start learning with but please start with an inexpensive trainer till you develop your skills.
The GWS slo-stick makes a good trainer.
There’s a few things to keep in mind when starting in the RC hobby. First is the cool-looking planes, WWII war birds and jets are not beginner aircraft. Start with a trainer, generally a high wing model with a light wing loading.
Because most of the weight of the plane is below the wing, the plane will return to a level flying if you take your fingers off the controls. The wing loading is a measurement of the weight of the plane in relationship to the size of the wing. A low wing loading plane will float and glide better then a plane with a high wing load. It will provide more stable flight.
Basic equipment:
2. Most park flyers need a four-channel radio system to control the throttle, ailerons, rudder and elevator. I recommend a 4 channel plane thou some trainers do not use ailerons and only require three channels.
(RTF) Ready to fly park flyers will include the radio and usually it will be a four-channel system. The transmitters generally run on eight alkaline AA batteries and they will only last for 6 or 7 flights. You may want to get some rechargeable batteries.
The battery that powers the motor and servos in most park flyers will more than likely be nickel metal hydride cells or LiPo cells; they both are rechargeable, and your park flyers kit will include the charger usually. Read the manual carefully about charging these batteries.
What to do at the field:
3. If you have a friend that flies RC planes bring him along; he can help you with your first flights. Or join a local RC club,they will be more than happy to help you start off in the right direction. If you are on your own, then please follow these preflight steps for park flyers.
Install the onboard battery and balance the plane by adding small weights to the front or back of the plane.They can be purchased through an online or local hobby shop, or you may be able to use some fishing weights as well. The center of gravity should be shown in the plane’s manual. This is a required step. If the plane is not balanced well it will not fly well.
Next, range check the radio by turning it and the plane on and moving the controls from about 75 to 100 feet away with the antenna down,. making sure the surfaces move in the proper directions; if not you need to make corrections before flying.
This is a good reason to have someone with a little RC knowledge with you. But if you have a problem look through the manual, I’m sure you can figure it out.
Now that you are ready to fly, point the plane into the wind. Advance the throttle to full and give the plane a firm toss. Some planes have landing gear, in that case roll the plane out slowly advancing to full speed and pull back on the elevator stick till your airbourne.
Allow the plane to pick up some airspeed before climbing to fast. Allow the plane to climb to about 40 feet and throttle back a bit; see if the plane is pulling to one side or the other and add some trim to get it flying level. Refer to the manual about trimming your plane. Do the same for the elevator. Before you fly your plane you should make sure the ailerons,elevator and rudder are straight in line with their none moving parts.
This should get you close to trimmed out. Then you should only have to make small adjustment in the air. Now that the plane is trimmed properly it should be easier to fly. Many beginners will look to an experienced RC pilot to help with trimming the plane.
Keep your first few flights short until you have a better feel for how long the battery will last. If the planes starts to slow down at full throttle you know it’s time to land. You don’t want to land your plane without power the first few times you fly.
To land the plane, fly into the wind again (take off and land into the wind) and slow down to about half throttle. The plane should slow down and start to loose altitude. Make any final adjustments to line the plane up with were you want to land and drop the throttle to about one-quarter. When the plane is just inches off the ground, kill the throttle. Your plane should glide in for a soft landing.
That’s it you just made your first. Or maybe you struggled a little, keep repeating these steps and before you know it you’ll be zooming all over the sky with your park flyers. One final point when choosing your first plan try to get one that is very durable. You will crash from time to time. I know I did, but now I fly huge nitro power stunt planes with no problem. Just keep practicing and getting planes to match your improved skill level an you will too.
Be Safe and Happy Landings,
Excellent website for park flyers (parkflyingfun.com)
