Help

[kingsnake93]

I am new at this whole r/c plane/heli thing. I got this firebird commander2 and I just cant fly it. I have crashed it 5 times and 2 good flights. I can take of from the ground. Whenever I hand launch it it curves up and then does a nose dive. Does anybody have some advice for me.

[Dave Robelen]

Hi Kingsnake,
I am going to move this thread to the Park Flyer section where it will get more attention.
Dave

[BRKNARW]

After you hand launch the plane are you giving any left or right stick input to keep the plane heading into the wind?....... It sounds like your plane after launching is climbing to fast and going into a stall. If you have the owners manual goto page 24-25 and it tells you how to adjust climb rate with the tail screws and a wing shim. If you do not have the owners manual goto www.hobbyzone.com and you can view the manual online. Hope this helps, good luck

[Bark65]

You might be tossing the plane with the nose up too high which causes the plane to stall. Try to toss it level. Also, don't feed in too much up elevator. Pull back on the stick slowly. Make sure you are launching straight into the wind. If you launch at an angle to the wind, throw it too hard with the nose up, and apply too much up elevator the plane will curve and nose dive into the ground every time.

[Leo L]

I started this past April with a Firebird Commander, which I'm sure has the same flight characteristics as the FC2. Your problem is too much power, which causes the nose to go up, the plane stalls and then falls. When the plane stalls in this manner, it will gain speed as it falls and recover, but if it doesn't have enough altitude, it will hit the ground before it recovers. I always ground launch, so I can only advise you on how to correct your problem when you are launching from the ground. Give the plane full trottle, and the moment that the wheels leave the ground, cut the trottle to 50-60%. The plane will level out and then you should slightly increase the trottle, allowing the plane to slowly climb. Do not make any turns until you are well clear of the ground and do not make any sharp turns. Add trottle as you start a turn and then back off as you straighten out of the turn. You should make turns in small increments, then straighten the plane out, then turn a little more. If the plane is adjusted properly it should fly straight and level with the speed at 50% and no input to the steering. Use the trim tabs to adjust, but if they are not enough, you need to adjust the tail. Follow the instructions in your manual, or write back for more info.

My plane would always turn 90% clockwise as it accelerated for take-off. Once I got used to this characteristic, I would simply point it 90% to the laft of the direction that I wanted for take-off. It would then take-off exactly wherre I wanted it to.

Good luck. Have fun. Write back and advise of your progress.

[aeajr]

How much wind? That plane is best flown in calm conditions, especially when you are first starting. Perhaps you will find some tips here that will be useful.

First Flight Tips

Launch Advice - Best to have a friend with you who can help with the launch,
the range check and keep an eye on the plane.

1) RTFM - read the friendly manual if there is one- especially the launch
sequence.

2) Watch the video if there is one - sometimes the mfg has something on their
webs site on prep of the plane and your first launches

3) When you get to the field, do a range check. Turn on the radio - antenna
DOWN. Connect the battery in the plane and place it where it can't move, or
have a friend hold it, but be clear of the prop and the tail.

With the antenna fully collapsed into the radio, back away from the plane for
at least 50 feet or the distance recommended in your manual. Operate the
stick and observe the surfaces. If the tail seems to work ok, turn the motor
on - one quick rev to be
sure you have motor control, then off. Check the surface movements again.
Make sure they are moving in the correct direction (this one cost me a glider
crash) Turn motor on about 1/4 and check surfaces once more.

The whole process should take a minute or two. This is called a range check.
If you have control of the plane with the antenna down at this range, then
your radio and the receiver are working properly. You can launch.

Things to think about prior to launch - you want to launch, fly around and
land. No tricks, no loops. Safe up and safe down.

1) Do your first 10-20 flights in calm air. No more than 3 MPH wind. Dead
calm is
better. You want to fly the plane, not fight the wind.

2) Altitude is your friend. Don't be afraid to get it up to about 100-200
feet on
the first flight. (100' is double tree height where I live.) If you make a mistake, this will give you room to recover

3) slow easy stick movements, not big hard movements are best. Start your
turns early. Flying a plane is more like driving a boat than a car. You are
traveling in a fluid so it takes time for the plane to respond. And, it
steers from the back, not the front, like a car or a bicycle.

4) Speed is your enemy. Depending on your plane, it should fly nicely at 3/4
throttle and many fly nicely at 1/2 throttle. Once you are at the right
altitude, come back to reduced throttle and just cruise at that setting as you
get to know the plane. You will get much longer flights this way and you will
have more time to react to the plane. You can start to think ahead of it.
The faster it goes the less time you have and the more likely you will crash.

5) Bring a watch to time your flights. No more than 3/4 of you battery run
time for the first few. You don't want to take a chance on running out of
battery on your first few flights. Do you know how long your battery will
last? If not, fully charge it and run it at full throttle on the ground. Do
this three times to see how long it lasts. Now do it three times at 1/2
throttle.

OK to launch -

Fully extend the antenna. Make sure the wing is on straight and centered.

Make sure the trims are centered - the moveable surfaces should be even with
the stationary part of the tail. If they are not, follow the instructions in
the manual to adjust them. You MUST adjust them with the battery in and the
radio on with the trims centered.

You need a large open space - most parkflyers should be given at least 600X600
with nothing in the way. Stand
in one corner of the space. You MUST launch into the wind. MUST! While you
are flying keep the plane in front of you, up wind.

If you have a friend with you, one should launch the plane and one should work
the controls.

The launch is a firm LEVEL throw from the shoulder straight out or slightly
inclined, maybe 10 degrees. NOT UP! If you throw it up, it will likely stall and crash.

Full power to the motor. Take two to three steps and throw the plane
straight out at shoulder height like you were throwing a spear or a javelin.
Make sure the wings are level. If they are not level, the plane will turn and
probably crash. The plane will go out, may lose a little height then rise up.
Only use the
stick to keep it going straight., left and right.

Make big lazy circles as you climb and keep the plane in front of you. Use
the whole field.

When you get to about 150 -200 feet, take it back to a reduced throttle where
it will hold altitude, typically 1/2 to 3/4 throttle. It should fly about
level at this throttle setting. You can use the elevator to take it
up and down in small movements, but if you pull the stick back too far or too
fast it will stall and the nose will drop, just let the stick go to center and
it should recover on its own.

When you turn, use the smallest stick movement possible and don't hold the
stick in the turn for more than about 2 seconds then let it come back to
center. The plane will take a moment to respond. The more wind the longer it
will take to respond.

You are flying.

After about 3 minutes from launch, you want to prepare to come down. Bring
the throttle to about 1/3 or where the plane starts to descend. You can use
the elevator to control the attitude, nose up and down, but for now, let the
plane just come down slowly.

You must land into the wind. MUST! So plan your circles so that you will end
up into the wind as you get close to the ground. When you are bout 10 feet
up, cut the throttle way back, but not off. Just line up for your
landing. Let the plane come down gently. A couple of seconds before you
land, turn the motor off and just let it glide in.

You are a pilot!

New Electric Flyer FAQs
http://www.ezonemag.com/pages/faq/a105.shtml

[aeajr]

A critical piece of advice to you and to all two channel pilots. Respect the
wind! REALLY RESPECT THE WIND!!!!!

These planes either have throttle and rudder or throttle and differential
thrust, which does about the same thing.

If you fly on a windy day you have a very high probability of losing the
plane. Why, because you have no way to fight the wind. If the plane gets
down wind from you, and it will, here is what happens. You hit the power to
fight the wind, but these planes climb when you hit the power, so instead of
coming back to you, they climb and as they climb, the wind pushes the plane
further away.

A very very experience two channel pilot can work around this through a series
of maneuvers called the death spiral. However, this is a difficult thing to
control for a new pilot. There is a fellow in our club who has lost two
Firebird Commanders to the wind. We finally convinced him to get an Aerobird.

A three channel plane with elevator control can push the nose down and dive
into the wind to come back. This is how gliders can fly against the wind
without motors.

So, don't fly your rudder/throttle or diff thrust plane in wind over 5 MPH
until you are very good with the plane. Don't get over 7 MPH until you can
easily fight your way back from a down wind position.
TIP

I don't know if this works for that Outlaw or the Scout, but for the Firebird,
II, sT, XL,
Fighterbird and Commander, if you put a popsicle stick under the back of the
wing, it lowers the angle of attack of the wing and the plane will not climb
as much on power application. If you learn to manage the plane well, this can
give you better penetration into the wind, but it still will not let you put
the nose down into the wind.

Enjoy these planes but remember, they are best flown in little to now wind.

[kingsnake93]

After you hand launch the plane are you giving any left or right stick input to keep the plane heading into the wind?....... It sounds like your plane after launching is climbing to fast and going into a stall. If you have the owners manual goto page 24-25 and it tells you how to adjust climb rate with the tail screws and a wing shim. If you do not have the owners manual goto www.hobbyzone.com and you can view the manual online. Hope this helps, good luck
It is fully adjusted and I am going to a club park in raligh.

[aeajr]

You might be tossing the plane with the nose up too high which causes the plane to stall. Try to toss it level. Also, don't feed in too much up elevator. Pull back on the stick slowly. Make sure you are launching straight into the wind. If you launch at an angle to the wind, throw it too hard with the nose up, and apply too much up elevator the plane will curve and nose dive into the ground every time.

FYI, the Firebird Commander does not have an elevator. Throttle/rudder only.

[kingsnake93]

And I make sure that I toss in to the wind and level.