No Beginner's Luck

by Joe
(NH)

Thanks to a friend's generous Xmas gift card, I at long last bought my first R/C plane - electric trainer, 4 ch. I'd been wanting to try R/C flying since I was my kids' age. Did I have the patience to join a club and get some initial lessons? Nope. Bad move? Perhaps.

On the maiden flight it took off with more power than I expected, and when the nose went higher than I thought it should, I tried to level off. Except I over-corrected and dove back toward the ground - yanked back (rule 1: don't 'yank' anything in beginner R/C flying) to try to miss the ground, but the tail smacked and broke the rear part of the fuselage. That was about 2 seconds of in-air flight and it's already in 2 big pieces.

Glue ... tape ... glue ... tape. (this thing was z-foam, not something more delicate). Second try:

Better take-off. Slow left turn - maybe a little too slow. Trees approaching, but I'm this side of 'em... WHAM! Oh - it was further away than it looked...

Cracked cowling ... lost rubber band ... tape ... straighten ... I think it'll fly again. Third try:

Better yet. Turning, turning, trees again (WHY am I flying where there are trees??) Tighten the turn - yup, I'll be this side of 'em. Um. Uh-oh, I'm BEHIND them? WHAT? But the creek is over there... DIVE-SMACK-SPLASH (I can't believe how much that thing appears to be closer than it actually is. Maybe I need one of those passenger side rear-view mirrors to compensate.)

Cap'n Sully does it better -- a 'Miracle on the Hudson' this was not.
My plane was 'twitching' in short-circuited death as it half-floated on a stationery branch. I didn't think R/C flying would get my shoes and pants so wet and muddy.

30 seconds in the air, 3 long walks, and a pile 'o pieces.
Primary lessons learned: Less throttle. More rudder. Bigger field with fewer trees (and creeks).
My son said, "Well, at least we'll have some stories to tell."
Good Day.

Oh, and I'm going back out as soon as my parts come in!