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Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / April 2004Right - Left - Your OTHER Right!
I was asked to help a guy out with his plane, a Four Star 60 with a new Saito 100. The plane had flown before, he swapped engines and radios. I dialed in the engine and did a pre-flight, Up elevator, right rudder, Right aileron. Everything fine, so he taxied out and flew the plane. Immediately after take off, he started shouting about reversed alierons. ??? Amazingly, he managed to get the plane back intact. First time I have seen this happen without destroying the plane. (I attritibute this to the wonderful flying Four Star and a LOT of luck) Since I had helped him, and the controls had all moved to their proper places, I was quite upset. Before he even touched the plane on the ground, I said "Give me RIGHT aileron." Sure enough, the right aileron moved up. Still puzzled, I had him do it again, this time I had him hold it and looked at his transmitter. He was holding the stick FULL LEFT aileron. One week later, he was again getting ready to fly, I walked by and said "Give me right aileron" this time the right aileron moved down. He was still holding full left. I now call him "Lefty" In the future, when asked to do a pre-flight, I will now hold the transmitter myself. I had a similar situation happen to me recently with worse results... A guy with a newly-built SPAD (put together while his crashed trainer is being rebuilt) held the radio during the radio check while I watched the control surfaces. I called "up elevator" and it went up, etc., etc.. We fired up the engine and he hand-launched it for me. It plunged hard into the ground. As I walked up to the bent-up SPAD, I pulled back on the right stick and watched the elevator go DOWN. When I questioned him about this phenomenon, he said, "Yeah.. it was working OK when we checked it... when I pushed the elevator stick up, the elevator went up!" He had several flights on the buddy box previous to this and does pretty well. Silly me for not wiggling the sticks myself before take-off. I accept full responsibility. Good flying, Bob Scott > I was asked to help a guy out with his plane, a Four Star 60 with a new > Saito 100. The plane had flown before, he swapped engines and radios. I [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > left. I now call him "Lefty" In the future, when asked to do a pre-flight, I > will now hold the transmitter myself. Most newbies fly with the right stick only once they're off the ground, at least in the Mode II world. I've been telling them "right stick" or "left stick" to indicate the direction they should move their transmitter sticks. Oh, and use the word "correct" for the affirmative when they're in the air! :-) Morris Wouldn't it be better if a newbie set up a rudder only trainer, and put the rudder on the left stick so he learned early on to use the rudder? I have often thought that that would be a big advantage later on. > > I was asked to help a guy out with his plane, a Four Star 60 with a new > > Saito 100. The plane had flown before, he swapped engines and radios. I [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Morris >I have >often thought that that would be a big advantage later on. It would be. In fact, my students learn both rudder and ailerons. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!" >Wouldn't it be better if a newbie set up a rudder only trainer, and put the >rudder on the left stick so he learned early on to use the rudder? I have >often thought that that would be a big advantage later on. IMHO that is the best way to start a novice. I've found that if novices learn to steer with the left stick _at all times_, there's no issue cropping up later vis a vis cross-wind landings and having to learn the rudder after mastering the ailerons. It's hard to un-learn a bad habit. Cheers, Fred McClellan The House Of Balsa Dust http://home.mindspring.com/~the-plumber > I was asked to help a guy out with his plane, a Four Star 60 with a new > Saito 100. The plane had flown before, he swapped engines and radios. I [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > left. I now call him "Lefty" In the future, when asked to do a pre-flight, I > will now hold the transmitter myself. I have seen that, myself. Only once. |
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