How easy to learn to fly fixed wing if you can already fly a heli?

[Paulo uk]

I've definatley had more dumbs since flying planks....

P

[dillwhacker]

Parkzone Extra is fine if you fly it fast on the power. It is a fast little bugger to land though.
The foamy WOT4 can be a bundle of laughs if you want - just keep the power at 100% all the time and I guarantee you will have a fun flight..fast, but fun...then kill the power and float home, easy.
Best hundred quid I ever spent.
:o

[sgwlm]

as everyone says, fixed wing is easy in comparison to flying a heli, i fly both and the heli definitely gives me more to think about.
the electric WOT4 or century RIOT will give you a lot of fun, both use battery packs you may already have, you can tame them down on the rates or tweak them up and wring them out.

i am also in Torbay if you need any help or just another person to stand by and talk to, (i also used to teach fixed wing)

[maddog7]

I flew helis 10 years ago got pretty reasonable at it, gave up after a couple of years. About 2 years ago I wanted to fly something but couldn't be bothered with the complexity and precision of heli flying, lots of money and time. I started flying planks instead, I find them so much more relaxing.
If you just want to fly basic circuits then most of what you do will translate straight over EXCEPT i'd be surprised if you don't fly a heading hold gyro, meaning you control the rudder all the time, many planks don't really need you to use the rudder much if at all (except 3d and landing etc) and some models (eg high wing with dihedral) may do strange things under certain circumstances if you use both ail and rudd together during a turn.

As I progressed through 3d I found as I internalised stuff I also found it harder to fly helis and now I'm back into helis I concentrate on only one or the other for a while. An example of this is, most aircraft bail outs involve chopping the throttle and rolling or looping out, do that with a heli and it's toast, especially down low.

I now have about 25 planks and the ones I fly the most by a significant margin are the Hyperion Sniper II ('bout 1.2m span) and the Twisted Hobbies Crack Yak (just about 80cm I think) they are both absolute nut job 3d aircraft and can really rock, they've taught me to tumble, rolling harrier, torque roll the lot and they just laugh at me too! They are both super easy to repair but quite tough in the first place and if you build em right they fly unbelievably well. They are perfectly at home doing big air/F3A type stuff too and if you turn the rates right down you could easily use them as trainers. I've had lots of club members fly the Crack Yak and three have bough them almost instantly! Only problem with it is that is small and won't handle much wind, converslely if it does go in (unless you put it straight in at WOT) you just pick it up and launch it again.

I've not had as much luck trying to convert peeps to the Sniper but I genuinely think it's because they see me ragging it about and assume it must be difficult to fly when in fact it's not, it's awesome. The good thing with the Sniper is because is bigger it can handle a lot more wind and i've flown it in 25mph before.

I have a few what you might call full on 3d planes (Sniper, Crack Yak, Extra Slick, Extreme flight edge, Sebart Sebach, Addiction and addiction X and the one thing they all have in common is what fantastic trainers they all would make if toned down a little, on low rates all of them fly like pussycats!

Vid of the Crack Yak [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUk2AVtCcd4"]Twisted Hobbys Crack Yak - YouTube[/URL]

Vid of the Sniper [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUk2AVtCcd4"]Twisted Hobbys Crack Yak - YouTube[/URL]

If you want something a little more traditional you could maybe go for a JP Prangster (not PranKster) Nitro and almost unbreakable! Flys really well bar a couple of very minor quirks to do with it being made of flexible materials but all you'll need is a few spare props!

If you want a Sniper I think Robotbirds has 'em and the best place hands down for the Crack Yak is parkearo, Other good thing about the sniper is that it uses 1300-2200 3s lipos which you might have from your larger heli.
If I totalled either of these two i'd replace them immediately.
I think most of the previous suggestions fly extremely well too but don't crash quite as well. If you got a Sniper it'd be almost impossible to outgrow/outfly and would give you the confidence to fly almost anything afterwards.

I hope this helps
D

[cjcj1949]

You might be ok but if you can I'd get someone to check it out and help you learn. It is different and takes some getting used to. There's no equivelent of takeoff, landing, stalling or tipstalling and you'll be flying further away and it will look different. You'll use rudder on the ground and mainly aileron and elevator to turn. There's no safe way to learn except with a buddy box. A sim will help a lot. Coordination wise it is much easier, but nothing will be automatic. I screwed up going from glider to power. After a few flights it was ok though.

[paulsouthport]

Take a look at the AXN floater from HK. about £55 delivered, hand launch, big, easy to fly, hard to break.

[WildWake]

I started with a parkzone Stryker, what fun..
it looked like this when I 1st got it..
[ATTACH=CONFIG]44713[/ATTACH]
after a few weekends it looked like this...
[IMG]http://img.tapatalk.com/5284e4de-7e98-6e8d.jpg[/IMG]

[Scooby1doo1]

I went from heli to plank, could never get out enough to improve with the heli so I was stuck in my learning.

Bought a tutor 40 trainer and tbh is was fun, went out in to much wind. I taken off turn round and landed, and thought stuff that it was way to windy.

But on minimal wind it was fun, found it easy to land and take off.

Spent 5 hrs making it into a tail dragger, fitted an Irvine .53 was fab with that engine. Sadly it only lasted 10mins before it went 90mph into a tree, that plane had well over 15 flights with me.

The crash was cause by lose of control, later found out the battery connector come out under vibrations.

Replaced that with a jumper 25 cost £55 bargin pound, cost mire then that just for raptor 60 blades lol. The OS LA .46 should be plenty for this, was abit under powered for the turtor. Still yet to maiden so no comment on the jumper.

If your into air vids then planes can get you some nice vids, helis can but not piloted be me lol.




Sent from the Iphone via talktapa

[paulsouthport]

[QUOTE=WildWake;868755]I started with a parkzone Stryker, what fun..
it looked like this when I 1st got it..
[ATTACH=CONFIG]44713[/ATTACH]
after a few weekends it looked like this...
[IMG]http://img.tapatalk.com/5284e4de-7e98-6e8d.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

That Stryker is a work of art! Looks like you flew it in a tumble dryer!

[loopking]

i learnt to fly helis then thaught id have a go at planks and found it easy started of with a trainer and now on to sport planes i found after flying planes it made my circuit flying alot better on the helis as for planes when you take of theres no going back you cant stop and hover and have a think about it so you have to fly or crash i also found flying nose in was much easyer on the heli after flying planes i still fly helis the most but do get enjoyment of flying panes and they are cheaper if they go in

[spudly]

Thanks for all the replies. I didn't expect to get much of a response. Will research a plank to get now. :hurray:

[WildWake]

[QUOTE=spudly;869032]Thanks for all the replies. I didn't expect to get much of a response. Will research a plank to get now. :hurray:[/QUOTE]
Spud did you get a plane?

[philhguk]

I was thinking of giving a plane a go this year.

I currently have a DX6i to use with my helis and at first I was thinking of getting a Parkzone Spitfire the bigger version not the tiny one, then I had a go with one on Phoenix and decided it was too difficult.

Then I was in the model shop and they suggested the Hobbyzone Super Cub LP so again I had a go on Phoenix and I quite like it and the parts are easy to get hold of, apart from the fact that it dosent have flaps on the wings so it seems a bit limited on maneuverability and sluggish so the opposite of the spitfire I guess so will I just get bored with it as soon as I master it.

The one thing that bothers me about a plane is all I can think about is this image of the plane flying off and me not been able to turn it round and it just goes off into the sunset.

[dillwhacker]

[QUOTE=philhguk;1007607] is this image of the plane flying off and me not been able to turn it round and it just goes off into the sunset.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't worry about it doing that - if you can do a banked turn on a CP heli, you will find it a breeze on a plane - the tail follows the nose, and you don't need to faff about with the collective / power stick.
I wouldn't get a high wing trainer though - the inbuilt stability actually makes them harder to fly after 10 mins practise.
Only thing to get used to is lining it up for the 'arrival'...!!!
Get a foamy leccy WOT4. You will love it.

[WildWake]

[QUOTE=philhguk;1007607]I was thinking of giving a plane a go this year.

I currently have a DX6i to use with my helis and at first I was thinking of getting a Parkzone Spitfire the bigger version not the tiny one, then I had a go with one on Phoenix and decided it was too difficult.

Then I was in the model shop and they suggested the Hobbyzone Super Cub LP so again I had a go on Phoenix and I quite like it and the parts are easy to get hold of, apart from the fact that it dosent have flaps on the wings so it seems a bit limited on maneuverability and sluggish so the opposite of the spitfire I guess so will I just get bored with it as soon as I master it.

The one thing that bothers me about a plane is all I can think about is this image of the plane flying off and me not been able to turn it round and it just goes off into the sunset.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=dillwhacker;1007637]I wouldn't worry about it doing that - if you can do a banked turn on a CP heli, you will find it a breeze on a plane - the tail follows the nose, and you don't need to faff about with the collective / power stick.
I wouldn't get a high wing trainer though - the inbuilt stability actually makes them harder to fly after 10 mins practise.
Only thing to get used to is lining it up for the 'arrival'...!!!
Get a foamy leccy WOT4. You will love it.[/QUOTE]
wot 4 is good fun, but a Bogey is nearly indestructible..
here's mine
[ATTACH=CONFIG]58809[/ATTACH]
[url=http://www.splash1bogey.com/]Almost indestructible ARTF planes, Almost indestructible sport planes, Almost indestructible combat planes, a cheap way to get into the hobby of Radio Controlled Flying, new hobby, RC planes, radio controled aeroplane.[/url]