by Jack Upchurch | Sep 18, 2021 | Events, For Beginners
The Eastern Shore Aeromodelers Club in Vienna, Maryland held a giant scale fun fly on Sept 11th and 12th. The two-day event had good weather both days with clear blue skies and light winds. This was the first time the club offered an open fly Giant Scale event, and results were encouraging. Group gatherings, even outdoors can be unpredictable this time of year with schools starting and each state having different rules on what is allowed, so the club decided to just roll the dice and see what happened. Thirteen pilots attended the event. Among the spectators, was a local family including three young people interested in flying. We got out our trainer plane and buddy box and took all three up one at a time. They loved the unexpected opportunity to fly and said they will be back again. Lunch was served both days. A good time was had by all and it made us all feel a little bit more normal. The club hopes to make this a yearly event with some more publicity next...
by Jack Upchurch | Oct 16, 2015 | AMA National News, For Beginners
Next year, AMA will celebrate its 80th birthday. This is a great accomplishment, and one that AMA staff, its leaders, and strongest supporters are very proud of. Our members have been instrumental in ensuring that our organization and the model aviation hobby continue to grow and advance. For some, model flying has been a lifelong passion. For others, its introduction led to a career or to pursuing full-scale flight. For many, the hobby is brand-new and something they are eager to start learning more about. Each story is unique and special, and AMA wants to share the different facets of these stories with the public. Your AMA leadership team thinks it’s important to share the message that AMA continues to grow because of these stories, and to remind everyone that our passion is fueled by ideas and imagination that have impacted so many. Please visit www.discoverflight.org to view AMA’s new video and informational website, developed with the general public in...
by Eric Johansen | Sep 12, 2015 | For Beginners
Hello readers and welcome to my blog. It is my hope to share first hand suggestions to pilots who are looking to start flying R/C planes for the first time. When I started flying, the computer flight training tools were primitive at best to today’s simulators. Slow speed computers and poor graphics compounded the complexities of take off and landing, but with anything new like that, it was extremely fun. Most importantly, “reset” got us a brand new airplane. Simulators are your best hope of learning how the transmitter functions, and develops a feel for the sticks. Most of my best students had a lot of computer time before coming to the field, and this helped with flying immensely. But flying a real plane at the field is so different than the simulator, and much more costly if you rush into getting into the air. An important consideration before take off is a good choice of aircraft. As a guide, the “cooler” the plane looks, the harder it may be to fly. Start with a 40 or larger trainer, fat wings, big dihedral. I can’t advise on tricycle gear vs. taildraggers, as I find no real challenge between the types. If you already have that first plane, do yourself a great favor and practice ground skills first. Take the wing off to avoid accidental take offs, and drive the airframe around the yard or field like a car. This is more challenging than most think, but the natural and smooth use of rudder is extremely important during successful takeoffs and landings. I did so much of this early on...
by Jack Upchurch | May 2, 2015 | For Beginners
For whatever reason, you are thinking it would be fun to fly a Radio Controlled aircraft of some kind. What you do next will affect your chances of success and how much fun you will have. Most of us start thinking about the “What” — What do I want to buy? What can I do with my new purchase? What will my wife or my girlfriend say? My suggestion is to think first about the “How”, and then some of the What questions answer themselves. How to start: Check out the Academy of Model Aeronautics website, particularly the following link http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx which will help you locate a model airplane club near you. This might seem like overkill at first, but the truth is that your success flying model aircraft depends on having access to people who know HOW these things work. The second “How” that you need to understand is How to fly safely. There are two components to flying safely- knowing what can go wrong, and learning to control your aircraft. Both of these activities can most easily be accomplished by a visit to your local RC club. After making contact with the local club, then you can begin choosing “What to start with” and “Where do I go to buy what I need.” Both of these concerns will be easier to answer with your new found friends at the...
