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Charlie holding the plane back while I start it. This stops the plane coming towards me. Other objects in front of the wings serve as back-up.
The 'control surfaces' - rudder, elevator (at the back to climb or dive), ailerons (to tip the wings for turning) plus the throttle.
Having successfully got the Live Wire aeroplane in to the air, I now realise that the most sensible starting point for learning to fly is a dedicated trainer. The Live Wire was simple to fly, once in the air, but it will be a long time before I am able to take it off.
The Sky Star is known as an ARTF plane – Almost Ready to Fly – it only took a couple of evenings to put together and cost around £50. It is quite large & is supposed to be forgiving for a beginner.
The engine is also a Protech item. It is a .46 (7.5cc) engine, with a ball-raced shaft. It is a mid range engine, but certainly starts very well. The videos above are firstly of the engine – the first time it started – with Charlie holding the plane back by standing in front of the tail plane. The second video shows the moving surfaces on the plane, the front wheel is connected to the rudder, so when plane is taking off it can be steered with this at low speed.
The radio control transmitter can be linked to a second transmitter via a ‘buddy’ lead. This is rather like dual control, where the instructor can hand control back & forth at the touch of a button. This is how I flew the Live Wire the other day.
27th Dec. Took it out for it's maiden flight. After full checks (& great advice) from fellow club members, the plane was tested and trimmed (adjusted). I was able to fly (with the buddy lead) for about 8 minutes. Fantastic. Progress is being made. The plane flew 5 times that day. Plane & engine are faultless - highly recommended.
Rudder
Elevator
Aileron
Aileron
Steerable nose wheel.
Underside of the wing. Servo controls the ailerons - which tip the wings to roll the aircraft.
11/7 prop (ie 11 inches with a pitch of 7)
On/off switch for the radio control.
Rudder / steerable nose wheel servo.
Throttle (engine) servo.
Receiver.
Elevator servo
Protech sx46 engine. Easy to start. ABC piston/lining. Ball raced bearings. Throttles well. Very powerfull. Not too noisy. Got it from 308 Hobbies - see links.
I still cannot believe that they make this for £50! Two evenings to put together - just add engine, radio control and prop & you are off. Plus starting equipment - which could just be a bottle of fuel, a rechargeable glow plug battery & a 'chicken stick' to turn the engine over. They even do a deal for about £150 which includes engine & radio - although I preferred ro go up market on both of these items. I got this from Al's Hobbies - see links. If it crashes I'll just buy another one & refit the surviving parts!
I bought this radio control to be compatable with others at the club. A 'buddy lead' lets you connect transmitters - so that someone more experienced can take-off, land & get you out of trouble while starting - not to mention coach you while you are in the air. At my club you are not allowed to fly alone until you have passed to MPFA 'A' cerificate - see one of the other aeroplane pages for details of this. The transmitter was about £65 - which included a rechargeable battery. This is a basic computer radio - kit will store settings for 6 aircraft.
Box the engine came in. Although the brand is Protech, it says the engine is made by Force Engines.
The best way to practice & get the right 'reactions'. Not a substitute for learning 'in the air' though.
Inside of the box lid from the flight simulator. Gives some idea of what it can do. I really like the 'photo' air fields. They are genuinly photo-realistic & very close to the real thing. I have spent hours on this - which is how I was able to fly my own plane straight away (once it was up). This was not cheap - but a lot cheaper than crashing & less frustrating than having wrong reactions in the air. It requires quite a high spec PC to get the most from it. The best thing about this simulator is that it comes with it's own 'transmitter' - you can plug your own one in as well - but avoids the risk of damaging your own one.
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