Flying for Real..

[Garry Russell]

The human body is a strange thing...some people walk away from horrific car or aircraft crashes, survive frenzied machete or knife attacks, other times a small knock in the wrong place and it's curtains.

All you can do is keep away from the crowd line and be careful.

The potential dangers of any airshow are there, just on a smaller scale.

[DaveB]

Another reason why I fly early morning before most of the world is awake. Also.. fewer folk are around to see you f**k up

ATB
DaveB

[Garry Russell]

Second one mostly

Only kidding

[DaveB]

Absolutely

ATB
DaveB

[DaveB]

Here's a 'quickie' of the latest model in the hangar.. the HobbyKing ASW 28 EPO PNF.



I'd just got back from a couple of batteries worth this morning.. my Lab went out and didn't feel moved to rush back so I took this shot

It's been up 8 times now though in all honesty, the first 4 were not what I'd consider 'flights'.. more a steep learning curve of what NOT to do 'First time' launches of any new model are cautious times and I guess I was over confident. How could this be any more difficult to launch than a P51 or Wildcat?? The answer is, it's not but it IS completely different. The major difference is throttle setting. You put the P51 and Wildcat throttle on full to hand launch if you want to risk crashing that much faster 80% is adequate. With the ASW 28, if you DON'T launch on full throttle, you won't have enough thrust/airspeed and risk a stall which on this model.. is a sudden and irrecoverable wing-over.. irrecoverable at launch alt anyway.

It's 4ch, EPO so easy to repair and as standard, takes 1000-1300mAh 2S lipo's. The motor can be described as 'adequate' rather than powerful. Out of the box.. the battery recess isn't wide enough to accept the battery (I'm using the smallest too) so space under the canopy is limited. This causes additional problems.. mainly with the CoG. Without cutting the battery recess allowing the battery to sit lower, in order to keep the model within it's CoG, it has to fit perilously close to the rudder and aileron servos and risks fouling (wing servos are in the wing roots). I've got it as close as I can to being bang on CoG at it's fwd limit without cutting the battery recess out but the model still seems a little nose heavy. Better that than tail heavy! I've got some sticky-backed velcro coming and once it's here.. I'll have a dig around and get everything more secure.

Flight times on battery with mostly full throttle are limiting at 5mins on the 1000mAh battery.. not spectacular. I obviously didn't overwork them this morning as the first one has fully charged in 29.49mins.. the second has just taken 25.47mins. Yesterday, charge times were 39.26min and 42.47min so I had rather more than 5mins flight time to play with today. Better to be safe than sorry though I fly early morning to avoid the rash of trolls so this isn't ideal.. everywhere is still quite cool and any thermals are still in bed. Were I to go out now.. just 2hours later, I'm sure I could get a great deal more flight time out of a battery but the trolls are starting to crawl from their holes so that aint gonna happen Old chaps walking dogs I can tolerate.. just. Trolls.. I can't

So.. to complete this mini-review.. the HK ASW28 EPO (ex ST ASW28 EPO) is no Parkzone/Hobbyzone model. With those, everything fits.. the CoG is bang on and you lob a charged battery into the well defined recess and fly.. straight out of the box. For this to happen, you pay a premium. If you want to try a cheaper way of flying.. theres the HK/ST ASW28 EPO. It came with no manual.. no underwing decals (I got a stunning $5.18 credit for this!) and the battery recess isn't big enough. As a comparison, the PKZ Radian PNF can be bought for around £100 and the Radian Pro PNF is just a little more expensive at £104 (up to around £170.. aint that ridiculous). The HK model was $80 or £49 in real money plus around £7 postage. This comes considerably cheaper from the US site but they add a considerable chunk of postage on and you're then liable to import tax e t c It's not an ideal 'beginner' glider despite the blurb but it's cheap enough to learn on

ATB
DaveB

[TSR2]

That looks huge Dave... are you planning to airlift poppy with it

I'm so tempted by these, but the imminent house move to Sunderland is eating all my pennies. I'm about to become a mackem, how ironic.

If you were doing it all again Dave, can you get one transmitter that will do all? The danger I see is that I'd end up wanting lots of different a/c over time and each one would require a different TX

[Tomliner]

Hangar,house and doghouse.Wonder which one you spend most time in Dave? EricT

[GHD]

If you were doing it all again Dave, can you get one transmitter that will do all? The danger I see is that I'd end up wanting lots of different a/c over time and each one would require a different TX

Transmitters are available which can store settings for multiple aircraft. They are not cheap though

[DaveB]

It's marginal Eric.. I'd be hard pushed to say where I spent most time. I like to keep on the move

Ben..
It can be a complicated process and one you have to decide.. difficult if you don't know the first thing about RC flying. Don't worry with your first one. Buy something easy to fly and labelled RTF.. Ready to Fly. RTF kits come complete with everything you need in one box.. many include the batteries for the txer so quite literally, all you have to do is charge up the flight battery.. plonk it in the model and off you go

As I said, don't worry with the first model you buy. Think of it as disposable. You'll bend it, crash it and do all sorts of things with it but the most important thing is that you'll learn to fly When you're ready to move on, it's then that you have to decide what sort of tx/rx combination you want to go with but not before then I'm in no-mans land at the moment. My little Champ (RTF) uses Spektrum DSM technology.. the Mustang uses 27mhz technology (this was also RTF) and the Wildcat, Super Cub and ASW28 share an FMS DSSS tx/rxer. Not ideal but all I can afford. Dale gave me the tx/rx as he doesn't use it. He went down the Futaba path (2.4gig) and all his models use Futaba rxers which he controls with his Futaba txer. Eddie went down the Spektrum path and controls all of his with a Spektrum txer. I'll be going Spektrum too Nothing wrong with Futaba but advise in this game is always given in good faith and I was advised that Spektrum is probably the best way to go.. expecially if you're starting out. Again though.. don't worry about this with your first model

The way these things work.. Spektrum (for example) uses it's own system same as Futaba uses it's own system. The two don't meet. An advantage of going Spektrum is that they got into bed with 2 of the bigger RC manufacturers.. Parkzone and Hobbyzone who sell models as PNF (Plug N Fly). These are full, working models that come with everything in one box except a transmitter. You get the battery, charger, the model kitted and ready fitted with all control servo's AND a Spektrum rxer. All these receivers are compatible with the mid to high end Spektrum txers so.. once you buy your txer, you know that all models that come with a Spektrum rxer will work with it.. pretty much anyway

Other models you can buy are listed as ARF (almost ready to fly). With these, you get a model with all servo's installed (by and large) but no battery and no rxer. If for example, you were a Futaba fan.. you could simply add a Futaba rxer to it and you'd be ready to go.. assuming you have the correct batteries. The ASW is listed as PNF but doesn't come with a battery or receiver so really, it's ARF

There are cost implications too. RTF models will cost more in the long run because you get everything in one box. PNF are less expensive because you don't have to buy a txer. Spektrum's models can be RTF or what they call BNF.. Bind N Fly. With these, you get everything except a txer. Just to complicate things.. you could, should you desire.. buy a BNF model, take the Spektrum rxer out and put whatever you like in there. You'll end up with a Spektrum rxer you don't need (say, if you're a Futaba user) but you can plonk it on ebay and sell it for a good price. That's where I'm going to get the majority of my rxers from when I go Spektrum at Christmas (the wife doesn't know yet)

So.. in answer to your question, no.. you don't have to end up with a shed load of different txers and rxers. You may end up with at least 2 (counting your first model as a disposable) but you don't have to have more than 2

As a first choice.. go for something small, light and not too fast.. the Hobbyzone Champ is all of these things, though there are others from different manufacturers. Beware of everything you see listed as a 'trainer'. Check the specs and watch vids online. Many 'trainers' will go like stink and you'll soon have to get the glue out I used to think the Champ could be fast but it's not. It's because things happen that you've done.. eg, put the model in the wrong place.. and you run out of air to save it. The Champ only weighs 38g with battery but will still break if you put it in the wrong place. Imagine what will happen when you put something weighing over 500g into the ground. You get lots of separate bits of foam to take home I mention the Champ but it's not the only 'beginner' out there. I have one.. I still fly it and it's still 'fun'. The major downside of the Champ and most models of it's type is that you need still or near still air to fly with any authority. They say 'up to' 5mph but I can assure you that flying anything weighing 38g in a 5mph will not be you flying it Even so.. you get to learn control so all is not lost.

Any advice at all.. there are at least 2 good blokes on here.. Dale and Eddie who can answer more technical stuff. You can ask me if you're daring. I can tell you everything you shouldn't do from recent experience

Oh.. can't remember if I mentioned it but the ASW28 (that model) has a 6ft wingspan.. par for this class of model

Tks for that last input George. Yes indeed.. the Spektrum DX6i (for example) will store up to 10 different models and you can pick one up for around £80.. a bit more if you get one with a rxer. The advantage of the Spektrum DX6 (and higher) is that you can't fly the wrong model with it. If you take out the Cub and have the Mustang set in the window.. you're Cub won't go anywhere. I believe it's much easier to do this with some of the Futaba txers as Dale will confirm when he lost his Zlin!
ATB
DaveB

[TSR2]

I'll need to see what Mrs Claus can do at Christmas. I just know that if I start, I'll end up spending a fortune

I always fancied a big multi engine prop, a Belfast or Vanguard, something that's rugged, but I think the cub would be a good start

Thanks Dave