Teaching newcomers to fly.

When you are learning to fly a real plane, they have "ground school" that teaches you a lot of the basics. Should we be providing this, and, if so, what should be included?

Sometimes we make assumptions, and I have already mentioned this, but when teaching my daughter to fly, I had told her we give a little "up" elevator when we want it to go up. We give it a little "down" elevator when we want it to go down. It was her first flight and we were just going to fly it straight and level. My intent in my instructions was to help her keep it at a constant flying height. However, when the engine quit, she gave it "down", thinking that is what she had to do to land. WRONG! My error.

In another instance, a "newbie" and his "instructor" had shown up at our field one day, and the instructor helped him through several flights where the instructor would do the take off and then hand it over to the student. The student did fine for the rest of the flight. Thinking it was now time to solo, the instructor let the student do his first unassisted take off. He told him to give it a "little up" to get it off the ground. The student then proceeded to do his first unassisted take-off .... followed by a beautiful figure nine. He gave it a "little up", froze, and never recovered. WRONG!

OK, your turn. Any stories to add, and how should we prepare the new student for his first solo flight?

For an adult, tell them to "stiff arm" the controls, and perhaps to clamp their flying hand wrist in the opposite hand to remind themselves to merely point the entire arm where the plane is supposed to go. Younger beginners don't tend to have sufficient self-discipline for that, however.

So: tuck one end of the depresser stick in the palm, with the rest going up the wrist. Wrap it in place with the bandage - it need not be "tight," since the FEEL of trying to flex the wrist will keep the young pilot more conscious of what his hand and arm are doing! It shouldn't be necessary more than one or two flights (less so the older the youth).

For a five year old, however, this observation: if you allow too much time to elapse between outings, you may have to repeat the stick and bandage trick, since "Motor Memory" seems less easily retained with the very young when not practiced. (This latter observation is based on my oldest child's experience, not the middle one, whose physical talents were above average, and who did remember not to over-control, in spite of having a lesser interest in planes, and having gone a long time between flights.)

Kiwi

Is this Deja Vu? Didn't we have this thread before? Is this one that got trashed by the hacker?

My opinion is that a good instructor has to be a good left handed flyer, good at handoffs, and good at putting his left hand over the student's right hand as "guidance."

I favor the walk-through, explaining what's going to happen step-by-step. Then a demo flight (this only works with 1-3 kids at a time, though) with another adult, if possible, also explaining what's happening. THEN the hand-over-hand method if at all possible. And also emphasizing that crashes AREN'T good...they're the end of the day if the plane wrecks...this ain't video games - the plane actually gets hurt.

If the kid can just learn how to control (somewhat) level flight, they're in.....that's it. After that, it's a matter of watching 'em learn. As I learn, what I do is decide what I'm going to try that day - otherwise I end up just doing aimless circles and burning fuel. If you have a regular student, that's what you've gotta do...

It's just that first flight....................

I hope that those seeking to "teach" are licensed Intro Pilots and that a big deal is made of completing the form and explaining about insurance, our AMA and efforts to allow our event to grow.

A basic "ground school", teaching mostly etiquet regarding the ground peculiarities of our event (the lines and their fragility)and the different events that we fly. Explain about the dangers, too! And stress safety thongs.

I hope that trainees are using airplanes that ACTUALLY FLY!

The biggest thing that will bring these folks into our event is FOLLOW UP! Unfortunately, our AMA sucks at it, but you can contact them and encourage them to return. Mail them a schedule of the area events, as well as contacts who may help them.

Know where some reliable equipment is.... asking someone to break a FOX in for an hour is punishment and they will find something that isn't.

See Ya

I've had one or two attempts at getting a model to flying stage since but they usually 'fizzle out' after a while.

I now have a U-key 35 with a Fox stunt for my latest attempt.

Is it easier for a learner to start their first flight (ignoring the 'handle passing after takeoff route) from a hand launch or from the ground on the wheels?

My first flight (with a small 1cc diesel combat wing) was from a hand launch.

Does it depend on the size of model.

It seems that a ground launch gets over the initial 'heck what do I do know' feeling that I think would result from a hand launch the second the model is released.

So would you go for a ground or hand launch for that first flight?

Use the straight arm control method, and if you still see the plane porpoising, move the pushrod further out on the elevator horn, further in on the bellcrank, and move the handle outlets for the control lines closer together.

K.

I also vote for ground launch IF a "pass-off" cannot be arranged. Also, NEVER let your buddy fly your model. The UKEY 35 with a Fox is very noseheavy, even with the plywood doublers back past the TE that Nils recommends. And it comes with the controls set up at SLOOOOWWWW, so leave them alone for the first flights. In my youth, I flew a lot of combat models, and of course hand launches. The odd thing was that if the model was launched horizontal, it was about impossible to save a clump into the ground. But you could point one straight up and just let go, and it would be no problem. Nils and the boys at FOD use a 4'x8' sheet of 1/4" plywood for launching and to save a bare spot in their putting green (grass flight circle) from spilled fuel. Steve

Perhaps I'm just not suited to control line but I initially I found the tendency to follow the model with my hand even when it was not doing what I wanted almost irresistible. I.e when it climbed from a launch I followed it up and over before my brain got into gear. I've nearly figure-9ed into my launcher (brave fellow) more times than is sensible. I think I'm almost over that now which is a considerable relief to both of us .

Steve

The first DMeco Sportwing I had (A very fun swept forward flying wing. I have plans available.) was built by a High School principal in an adjoining town. He and I (I was still in High School at the time, but it doesn't hurt to "brown nose" to a principal--even if he is from a different school) would go out flying together. He was a very accomplished flyer and motivated me more than anyone to hone my skills. (We would even fly combat against one another and that is real motivational.) But he had this little "quirk" where he loved to take off giving the plane full up and immediately go over inverted. It was a real crowd pleaser (and back then we would fly on the local football field and the towns people would actually come out and watch us. Of course, that was before anybody asked, "Who shot JR?") But I digress.

Anyway, he built a Sportwing and I got the "privilege" of hand launching it (no wheels). He would hold full up as "normal" for him, and immediately do a beautiful figure 9, which, on a swept forward Sportwing meant one or both of the wings would shear. He repaired it several times and traded it to me. I just held neutral when he hand launched and it flew fine. It was a fun plane. So he traded me back for something. (I am quite certain he had to give me more to get it back than I gave him in the first place. After all, he WAS the principal from a DIFFERENT high school.) Well, a couple more figure 9s later, I had it back again at a real cheap price. And it flew fine when I held neutral at launch.

The moral to the story: When hand launching, have your launcher check how you are holding your controls before letting go. I still habitually do that even when launching Matt's planes on a normal take-off from the ground. He knows whether to give it "up" (tall grass) or neutral (normal take-off) but a "newby", such as yourself, may give too much control on take-off and not be aware of it. If you hand launch with the controls at neutral, the plane should go in the direction it is pointed. Then it is up to the launcher to make sure he launches the plane straight out or "slightly" at an angle up.