Your First Flight - The Maiden Voyage
Conduct a Ground Check
In order to complete a ground check make sure you do all of the following:
- Turn on your radio, and make sure you raise your antanne completely.
- If your radio is programmable for multiple receivers, make sure it is on the right setting.
- Plug in your battery.
- Look at your control surfaces (rudder and elevator). Make sure they are positioned properly. If you need to make minor adjustments, you can do this with your trim tabs.
- Test your motor. Make sure it's not running in reverse. If it is, you can just swap any two of the 3 wires connecting the motor to the speed controller.
- Test your servos. When you pull back on the control stick, your elevator should point up. When you push forward, on the control stick, your elevator should point down. If you are standing behind your airplane and push the control stick to the right, your rudder should point to the right; and pushing it left should move your rudder left.
- Make sure you have sunglasses if it's bright out.
- Make sure it's not windy at all!!! As you get more experienced, you'll probably enjoy flying in the wind, but now is not the time. Just walk away.
Trim Out Your Airplane For Straight Flight.
If this is also your airplane's first flight, you may need to make adjustments to the trim tabs on your radio to make it fly straignt. If you can have somebody help you with this, it's best. If nobody is available, I would recommend you put a little bit of up trim in your elevator (push the elevator trim tab down a little so the elevator points up a little bit). Since your airplane needs to be flying to trim it out, don't bother with it until you get the hang of flying a bit. Once you get the hang of things, make sure you are at a high altitude and let go of your control stick with your throttle set at about 1/3 power. Your airplane should fly straignt and not gain or loose altitude. make adjustments as necessary to the trim tabs.
Instruction is Advised, Although Not Mandatory With EZRC Airplanes.
It is always best to have a little help the first time you fly.
It's Time To Fly.
Raise your throttle to about 1/2 power, and give your airplane a gentile to medium strength toss straight ahead. Your first objective is to safely get to a high altitude. Yes altitude is your best friend when you are learning to fly! Gently pull back on your elevator to make your airplane climb. You don't want your plane to climb too fast, just gradually.
Once you get up to a high altitude, your goal should be to gently fly your airplane in circles while keeping at at a constant altitude. Once you get good at circles, try figure eights. When your airplane is flying towards you practice telling yourself which direction you want it to go, and then try to make it go that way. One of the hardest things to get used to is making your airplane go where you want it to while it is flying towards you.
Once you get comfortable flying, it's time to land your airplane. Gently decrease your throttle to 1/4th or less. Allow your airplane to gradually loose altitude, and continue to fly it in large, slow circles.
When your airplane gets one or two feet off the ground, decrease the throttle until it turns off, and gently pull back on your elevator to achieve a soft landing.
For more flight tips, see our beginner flight tips