As i prepare for my very first Plane flight i wonder what throttle and elevator value to put on the transmitter as i throw the plane into the wind. Should i give 100% throttle and 100% elevator in manual mode or what is the standard procedure here [Finwing penguin].
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Hi Damo
I have built a bunch of Foamies for FPV as well as owning 3 store purchased FPV planes. My routine is as follows. My APM experience is new but have several other branded auto pilots.
1.) Make sure CG is right. Double check.
2.) Check control surface positions. Will vary from plane to plane. Ie... Wings need reflex etc.
3.) Enable stabilize or FBWA for takeoff. This will keep your plane is a good orientation even if your off a little on your control surfaces.
4.) 60-80 throttle depending on your plane and weight. Heavy plane needs more throttle. Stabilization will keep your plane level as you launch. You may need to add a little up elevator after throwing.
5.) Get it up to altitude. Switch to manual. Trim the plane. Switch back to your various flight modes and test each one to make sure they are working.
6.) Have fun.
* if you do 100% ele and thr and you forget to stabilize ( In manual mode ) you may loop or stall right off the bat.
B Richter
Don't do 100% on throttle or elevator. Just learned this...yesterday, the hard way. First ever plane flight (Bixler2) ended into a tree & then straight drop from about 30 feet. It stalled and wind blew it away...within seconds. Full throttle will make things worse when it goes out of control due to stalling. Luckily only rudder snapped with right wing & fuselage scraped. All within repairable limits. BTW 'AP' setup was not installed as I wanted to test just the plane first.
Throttle is just there to make you get to the accident quicker. For your first model it should glide from a hand launch very well. No power no touching the RC. If your model glides well then there will be more change of success under power. Fold a handful of paper darts and experiment with them before you fly your plane. Also if there is any slope at all that allows you to launch into wind chuck it off that, instant altitude. If there is a really decent slope, forget powered flying and go slope soaring for a bit that will get you used to flying. All the better pilots fly on the slope ;-)
Use stabilize or fbwa, 70% throttle and slight Elevator, 2-3mm max typically.
Go back to Manual for trimming once you are secure in the air. fbwa is a nice start mode typically as it controls the angle well and avoids stall.
Not 100% elevator ... I take off with neutral elevator and then hold the controller with left hand (ie on throttle in case of a disaster), launch with right hand and then get to the elevator / ailerons PDQ. That works for me so far. If you take off with 100% elevator I would suspect you would stall within a few seconds and end up in all sorts of trouble...
Launching done at about a 30 degree angle btw.
Not trying to be funny but just making sure you can fly ok ? Could be a very short flight if it all goes a bit wobbly....
so when you throw it into the air do you give it much or any elevator?
I gather from the nature of your question that you have not flown RC aircraft before. If my assumption is correct, I strongly encourage you to invest in some flight simulation software and make your mistakes in a virtual world... Consider that when the plane is flying toward you the aileron controls will appear to be reversed to the way they work when the plane is flying away from you... It's a good idea to master the ability to fly manually before trying to fly with an autopilot.
Google "rc flight simulator software" and pick one of the options.
Best of luck
Steve