So you want to learn how to fly 3d?

[RCImportBot]

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""So many times at Fly-in's or at the local field, I'm asked this question about 3D flying: ""How did you learn to do that?"" Well it's not really an easy question to answer. The question should really be ""How can I learn to do that?"" I have been flying R/C for close to 30 years, but 3D flying has only been around for the last 10-15 years. There is lots of debate on who started this craze, some say QuiQue Somenzini started it all. QuiQue first demonstrated it at the TOC (Tournament of Champions) in the 90's. I first saw 3D flying through videos of the various profile planes that Morris Hobbies sold in the 80's and 90's. Profile planes have a flat fuselage (to save weight), larger wings, and big control surfaces. Add a lot of power to a profile plane and they are capable of nearly any manuever that you can think of. Profile planes evolved from early profile control line designs and from the competition fun-fly designs of the 80's"", add a flat fuselage to these stick and boom designs and now you have plane that can do some crazy aerobatics. The pilot of the Morris Hobbies planes was Tony Ayers and he had skills that were beyond belief. In nearly every hobby shop in the country these video's were playing. R/C Flyers just couldn't believe what they were seeing, it was amazing. Some of the planes that Tony flew included the Sudokhoi (a profile Sukhoi), Fun Design (a profile of the One Design full size aerobatic plane), Morris the Knife, plus several other design. At the time they were calling this style of flying ""Hoverbatics"". We probably will never know who started this craze, and it really doesen't matter. Some people don't like it and will say ""Real planes can't do that, so models shouldn't either."" Regardless if you like it or not, it's here to stay. It's fun, exciting, challenging, and most importantly it draws young people to our wonderful hobby. So back to the question ""How did you learn to do that?"" I learned to fly 3D with a Sig Fazer and a Morris Hobbies Sudokhoi (both profile planes) powered by O.S. .46 2-stroke motors and later using Saito .72 4-stroke motors. It was a long and sometimes bumpy road with lots of repairs along the way, but technology has made things much easier. Now you can learn these manuevers with a simulator. There are several simulators on the market and they all work well. You can practice at home on rainy and snowy days and never have to touch a bottle of glue. Oh, how times have changed!!!! Sims are great , but they are not exactly the same as flying 3D with a actual R/C plane. Maybe because there is no risk with a simulator? This is enough for now: Start practing on your simulator, and the next time installment will discuss which foamy you should begin flying 3D with. Yes you can actually learn to fly 3D, and I'm going to teach you how!

Happy Flying

Troy
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[Admin]

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It's time for the second installment for learning how to fly 3D. I recently was asked the question "What is 3D?" That is a really good question, because isn't all flight in three dimensions? My best answer to the question is this; 3D is a name given to a type of flying that relies more on the lift coming from the thrust of the propeller than the lift provided by the wings. Again the 80's term "Hoverbatics" is a very good description of this style of flying. OK, back to the lesson. Let's learn how to hover! The sim is the best place to start. A really good flyer can hover just about anything, I have seen Dave McDonald from Eldon Missouri hover a Carl Goldberg Eagle 2 trainer for a entire tank of fuel. Dave has exceptional skills, he has flown for years and he practices a lot. You can check out some of his video's on youtube, he has crazy skills. Picking the right plane on the sim. will help make hovering easier. I own both Realflight and Aeropro Deluxe sims, with either one I have found that the giant scale aerobats are the easiest planes to hover. I pick the 3D version of the Yak 54 on realflight and the giant Extra 330 on Aeropro. So lets get started. Hovering is a balancing act that takes lots of practice, but nearly everyone can learn to do it. I have found that on the Sim keeping it close to the ground really helps with the orientation. If you have the wind function on, now is a good time to turn it off. Calm conditions are the easiest to hover in. Hovering while looking at the top of the plane is also the easiest orientation. You will need to use all four controls to keep the airplane in a hover attitude. When the airplane is perfectly vertical it will have a tendency to torque roll (basically a left aileron roll caused by the torque of the motor/prop), if you hold a little right aileron you will counteract that tendency. There are no big secrets in hovering, just lots of practice. You will find that a little burst of throttle will help keep the airframe straight if you get a little out of sorts. While hovering, I look at the middle of the canopy, this helps me with orientating the aircraft. I recommend practicing 15 minutes a day, every day for a week or two. You will be shocked at how fast this will become natural for you. While your spending some spare time practicing on the sim you also need to be picking out your first EPP (Foamy) airplane. There are several companies that make some really good planes out of EPP foam. EPP is very durable and easy to repair. You can check out Fancy Foam and WM Parkflyers website for the choices. Fancy Foam (http://www.fancyfoam.com) has a line of 32"-34" Wingspan planes that fly very well and are easy to assemble. Choices include: The Yak 54 or Yak 55, Sbach, Edge, and the Freestyle. West Michigan Parkflyers (http://www.wmparkflyers.com) has several easy to assemble and good flying planes including: Yak 55's, McFoamy, and a MX2. Both of these companies sell all the equipment that you need to get your new toy in the air. So here's your assignment: Practice hovering on the Sim for at least 15 minutes a day and start looking at EPP Foamy's so you can decide which one you want to assemble. There are some plans on the Internet for scratch building foamy's and this is a route that you could take. I would recommend starting with a easy to assemble kit, it will save you a lot of time. Remember; right now you need to spend your free time flying not building. So lets start practicing and I will have another installment in a few weeks. The next installment will include foamy building and repairing tips.

Happy Flying

Troy

[Troy Hamm]

While were deciding on what EPP Foamie to purchase we should still be practicing 15 minutes a day on the Sim. We will also need to start gathering some equipment. If you don't already have a radio system now would be the time to get one. I would recommend at least a 6 channel 2.4 ghz system. Really good choices would include the Futaba 7C, Spektrum DX-8, Airtronics SD-6G, or the Hitec Optic 6 2.4. All of these are computer radios that are loaded with features. You will need a mini/micro receiver, 4-6 channel receiver will work fine. The best glue that I have found for EPP is Welders contact cement, it's available in tubes at home improvement stores. It glues EPP quickly and stays pliable. Foam safe CA also works but it makes the EPP hard and brittle. One other thing that you need to be doing: you need to ready a place in your workshop, garage, etc. to build your new foamie. It should be at least a 2' x 4' flat work surface. Even a card table will work, but it needs to be flat.
Happy Flying
Troy