DIY Network

Radio-Controlled Aerobatic Flying From "Radio Control Hobbies" episode RCH-405

The Super Sport Senior® from World Models is an ideal plane for aerobatic maneuvers.

In this episode of DIY's Radio Control Hobbies, host Chris Chianelli visits the Academy of Model Aeronautics in Muncie, Indiana. The AMA has over 1200 acres and multiple flying fields, and is the perfect venue to demonstrate basic aerobatic maneuvers.

With some basic experience and training, learning to fly aerobatics is not as difficult as you might think. Chris shows some basic maneuvers as well as some more advanced ones. Chris is then joined by Tom Schwyn from the Academy of Model Aeronautics to discuss specialized radio-transmitter setups for aerobatic flying and how to balance your plane for precision flight.

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Chris introduces three top RC aerobatic planes.

Aerobatic Planes

Several RC planes that are ideal for aerobatic flying are:

• Hangar 9 Funtana ® from Horizon Hobbies

• Dehavilland Chipmunk ® from Great Planes

• Super Sport Senior® from World Models

In inverted flight, the pilot must remember that the controls are reversed. "Down" is "up" and "left" is "right."

Aerobatic Maneuvers

To take the first step toward flying like the pros, lesson number one is understanding the three axes of control: Pitch, roll and yaw. Pitch (nose-up or nose down) is controlled by the elevator, roll (banking to one side or the other) is controlled by the ailerons and yaw (movement along a horizontal plane) is controlled by the rudder.

Chris Chianelli demonstrates the fundamentals to get the beginner started. He first peforms a basic maneuver using the pitch axis--the loop. He then shows how to perform the basic roll. Getting slightly more advanced, he describes and demonstrates how to perform a stall-turn around the yaw axis.

Mastering these maneuvers takes some practice, and you should only try them after you've mastered the basic flying skills. But here are the basic moves:

• The basic loop, a pitch-axis maneuver, is performed using the plane's elevators (figure A). Start with level flight, then pull up (figure B). At the top of the loop, chop the throttle until the loop is finished. Try to keep the speed the same all the way around, then add throttle again once the airplane reaches level flight again.

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

  Figure C

• A simple axial roll is, not surprisingly, a roll-axis maneuver, and employs the plane's ailerons. Start out with level flight. Pull slightly up-elevator, then go full-aileron to achieve the roll (figure C).
  

  The stall turn looks difficult, but it's actually fairly easy to learn. It uses the yaw axis. As the airplane pulls up, you'll cut the throttle and give full rudder so that the plane rotates around on the yaw axis (figure D). Just remember: pull up, add full rudder and chop the throttle. When the plane rotates and starts heading down (figure E), then pull out into level flight and add throttle.

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

  Figure F

• To perform an Immelman: Do a half-loop with a roll-out at the top, so that the plane is then heading in the opposite direction from where it started.

• To perform a Split-S: Pull an eighth-loop, climb out a bit, do a half-roll, then pull out with a loop so that, again, the plane is heading in the opposite direction.

• To perform a Cuban-8: Start from level flight. Pull into a loop, then at about 3/4 of the loop (figure F), do a half roll. Then begin another loop, and pull out with another half-roll--preferably at the same spot as the first half-roll, then head off in the same direction the plane was originally flying.

Tom Schwyn of the Academy of Model Aeronautics.

Chris is joined by Tom Schwyn from the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) to talk about setting up the radio transmitter for accurate aerobatic maneuvers. These steps include setting up for two types of control: dual rate and exponential rate.

Specialized radios allow you to adjust the flight characteristics of your aerobatic plane while it's in flight. Dual-rate controls provide the operator with two choices of throw--high rate or low rate--from a single stick-control. This enables you to select between two different styles of flying, either more smooth or more aggressive, while in flight using a single radio.

The linear control of this rate is indicated graphically on the transmitter with a straight-line graph (figure G). Exponential rate correlates to the movement of the control surfaces (rudder, aileron and elevator) along a mathematical curve, and is indicated graphically by a curved line (figure H). The exponential rates can be custom set according to your flying preferences.

Figure G

Figure H

Figure I

Chris and Tom also talk about the importance of lateral balance and adjusting the center of gravity. All planes must have proper center-of-gravity (CG) balance to fly correctly. But for best performance on an aerobatic plane, the side-to-side balance of the plane is critical as well.

To test lateral balance, the plane can be suspended using a piece of string attached at the prop (figure I). If it leans one way or the other, small weights or brads can be attached on the appropriate wing-tip to bring the plane back into level balance.

Important: This demonstration provides some basic information on operation of these radio-control model planes. There are variations in operation for different types and brands of RC models. Read and carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions that come with yours -- whether it is one of these models or another. Additional information about assembling, operating, troubleshooting and fine-tuning your model can typically be found in the manufacturer's instructions.

RESOURCES :

Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA)
Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA)
Website: www.modelaircraft.org

Horizon Hobby

Horizon Hobby is a supplier of radio-controlled planes, cars, boats, etc.

Horizon Hobby
Website: www.horizonhobby.com

Great Planes Model Distributors

Distributor of radio-controlled model planes, cars, boats, trucks etc.

Great Planes Model Distributors
Website: www.greatplanes.com