From: bcoleman@hayes.com (Bill Coleman)
Newsgroups: rec.models.rc
Subject: Re: R/C Flying: Part 1 of 2/rec.models.rc FAQ
Date: 27 Aug 92 14:17:49 EDT
Organization: Hayes Microcomputer Products, Norcross, GA

In article <1992Aug24.194203.25944@rtsg.mot.com>, svoboda@rtsg.mot.com (David Svoboda) writes:
> 
> For instance, the Flightstar 40 is the most 
> popular ARF trainer in my area, and that airplane has a landing gear 
> which is completely insufficient to handle the hard landings of 
> training.  Now, not to say that the problem doesn't have a simple
> fix, but not having built the airplane themselves, the student is
> often overwhelmed by a simple solder job, and I have not had a
> *single* student *ever* take my suggestion to replace the darn thing
> with regular piano wire.  

I'm a student (well I guess not any more. I've been flying solo since
mid-May). I have a Flightstar 40. I'm kinda tired of the fragile landing
gear. I have replaced the nose gear arm with a longer nose gear, but it
also has bent rearward.

I'm not afraid of working on my plane. I've already made a number of small
modifications.

About this landing gear problem -- how do you suggest I improve the landing 
gear on the Flightstar?

> As far as a beginner not having enough skill to build a flyable
> airplane, I submit that a trainer is exactly the kind of kit that
> is best for a student to learn building skills on.  

The Flightstar does require some building. Indeed, I think that it offers
just enough building for someone to understand exactly what is involved
with building a full plane. My next plane will probably be a full kit.
My third plane may be scratch-built from my own design.

> The real solution to novice building troubles is to have an
> instructor involved with the building process, as well as the
> flying process.  

I don't think this is the problem. I really wasn't afraid to build a plane
from scratch. I just didn't want to learn to fly on such a plane. As it was,
it took me a solid week of evenings (about 20 hours) to build the Flightstar.
If I had invested 3 to 5 times more effort in builing a plane, I'd be 
afraid to fly it.

That's the appeal of ARFs! In a few hours you can go out and learn to
fly. If you crash, you just buy and build another one. When you get competent
enough to fly without crashing all the time, then you can think about investing
tons of time building a kit plane.

> Yes, a builder has emotional investment in a model.  I say that
> there is nothing whatsoever wrong with that.  Okay, the first
> few flights are nervous for the student.  

As someone who has just recently been there, the first few flights with
an ARF are nervous. With a kit-built plane, they must be terrifying.

> The fact is, students crash.  All of them do, sooner or later.  

Judging from the crashes I've seen at the flying field, ARFs are a better
idea. Many students get discouraged quickly from the crashes anyway. If
they had invested 50-100 hours building a plane, they would quit after
the first crash.

As for rebuilding ARFs, I've lost count of the number of Flightstars
I've seen that have obviously been recovered after repair. Whoever
says no one rebuilds ARFs is obviously wrong.

Perhaps I've been lucky. I've only had one "crash" and that was months
ago. (A cartwheel on landing, nothing came off, nothing severely broken)
Another hard landing broke the gear mounting block out, and popped the 
firewall loose. (this has since been massively reinforced with 1/2"
45 degree stock and lots of epoxy)

My wife claims my plane has lasted perhaps 3 or 4 times its expected lifetime.
Aside from the landing gear, it is practically new on the outside. I'm
still flying it. I want to get to the point where I can make consistantly
good landings before I rush out and get another plane. I've already
gotten complements on my take off and landing technique. 

I've only been flying since January. 

-- 
Bill Coleman, AA4LR                ! CIS: 76067,2327    AppleLink: D1958
Principal Software Engineer        ! Packet Radio: AA4LR @ W4QO
Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. ! UUCP: uunet!hayes!bcoleman
POB 105203 Atlanta, GA 30348 USA   ! Internet: bcoleman%hayes@uunet.uu.net
Disclaimer: "My employer doesn't pay me to have opinions."
Quote: "The same light shines on vineyards that makes deserts." -Steve Hackett.

Newsgroups: rec.models.rc