I have been out to the airfield a couple times since my last post. Nowhere near as much as I would have liked to but you can’t control the weather!
I am gaining more experience and have gotten well beyond the circle pattern I have been flying in both directions. I moved on to figure eights and have been doing them in both directions. It’s now where I start when I first get control of the aircraft for the day! I have been doing boxes the last few times out, which consists of flying in a box formation where you go down the center of the runway do a quick turn, fly out, do another quick turn, fly to the other end of the field, another quick turn, and then you do another quick turn as if you are coming in for a landing and you want to be lined up with the center of the runway and fly right down the middle. Essentially this is practicing for landing the aircraft. As I get better with the key turn (coming into the runway) the box will get lower and lower until I am finally landing the plane.
Quick Turn
What I mean by a quick turn is that you bank the aircraft to the inside of your turn, as you pull up on the stick a little giving some up elevator to keep the nose level/up, and then immediately straighten the aircraft so it is level.
This is required so that you are lined up properly with the runway and are level. If for any reason something doesn’t feel right you abort the landing. This is why you should always land with fuel in the tank and avoid those dead stick landings! When you dead stick you just pray you get it right on the first try and go with it as there is no second attempt.
Equipment
I have finally bit the bullet and purchased the gear I require, which consists of the following:
- Sig Kadet LT 40 ARF
- 2 O.S. Glow Plugs
- Glow driver
- Spektrum DX6 Transmitter w/ AR610 receiver + 1 Free receiver (Gotta love this promotion as then I already have one for my next plane!)
- Accu-Cycle charger
- Charger leads
- Fuel Pump
Thank-you to Peter who had the battery and switch for the plane as well as the servos, better landing gear (both wheels and assembly) along with a stronger push rod for the throttle, more on that in the next post about assembly!
Next Flight
Looks like my next flight is going to be with my very own plane! More on that to come with the next post.