During The Summer of 2002

A young Radio Control Model Aircraft builder and flyer emerged.

Benji Pipenberg, a 13 year old, showed up at the SCRC Flying Field during an SCRC Fun Fly.  He was seeking help with a partially built radio control trainer model aircraft.  He was looking for help to complete his model aircraft.  Benji had completed the balsa and plywood model to the point where it was ready to be covered.  An SCRC Member, Al Niessner, offered to help Benji complete the construction of model aircraft and then help him to learn to fly his airplane.  The following text and photos show a sampling of what followed.

These photos were taken by Benji's Mom, Lyn, and show some of the steps Benji took in completing  and learning to fly his model.  The model was built from a Great Planes Trainer 40 kit and is powered by an O.S. Max 40 engine.  A HiTec, Flash 5, radio is used to control the model.  The radio system controls the throttle, elevator, ailerons, and rudder.  Ground control is effected by a steerable nose wheel connected to the rudder servo.

Click on a photo to view full size

It all starts in the shop.  Here the wing is partly covered.  Benji, with Al's help, is checking the radio installation.  Considerable time is spent in the shop building and covering the plane then installing the accessories, engine, radio, and servos.	Preparing for the first flight of the day.  All aspects of the aircraft, including a range check of the radio, must be checked before the first flight of each day.  Benji's brother Nathan is watching the activity as he is preparing his own plane, a Delta Dart model, for a test flight.	The model aircraft flies and flies well!  Benji has done a fine job building the airplane.  Note both the student, Benji, and the instructor, Al, are following  the plane in the upper left hand corner of the photo.  A buddy box system, described below, is used to share control of the model between the instructor and student.	Finished for the day after several good flights.  Time to clean the airplane, go home, and reflect on today's flights.

A buddy box system uses two transmitters connected with a training cord. It is used during the training flights.  An experienced flyer uses the Master transmitter and the person learning to fly uses the Student transmitter.  Control of the plane is switched from the Master transmitter to the Student transmitter by the instructor by holding a trainer switch closed  on the Master transmitter.  Should a problem arise while the student has control, the instructor releases the switch and regains control of the model aircraft.  This transfer of control allows the training sessions to proceed with little or no risk of damage to the model.

In the first stage of the flight training, the instructor does the take-off and landing of the plane.  Once the plane is trimmed for stable flight, the instructor transfers control to the student.  Usually the first attempts at control by the student last only a few seconds before the instructor must take control.  As the student gets the feel of the airplane and the response to the controls, the student time grows longer until the student can fly following take-off until time to land.  Benji progressed very rapidly through this phase of the learning since he had used a flight simulator on his home computer and had driven radio controlled cars.  These two activities prior to learning to fly gave him the experience necessary to overcome one of the largest difficulties that people have when trying to fly a model aircraft.  When the model is flying away from the person flying the model, the flight controls seem normal since the pilot can envision himself in the airplane where right and left are as expected.  However, when the airplane comes toward the pilot, the controls are reversed from the visual perception of the airplane.  Learning to cope with this change requires considerable time when someone without Benji's prior experience is learning to fly model aircraft.

Shortly after the student masters control of the aircraft in the air, take-offs by the student are undertaken.  This is one of the easier phases of the learning to fly process.  Benji started making take-offs after the first couple of flights.

Landing, the most difficult phase of the learning process, is started once reliable take-offs are achieved.  The landing practice starts with alignment of the plane with the runway.  Typical landing practice follows the full scale landing.  When ready to land, the pilot flies the plane on a down wind leg, turns to and does a cross wind leg, then turns to the final leg and, by using the throttle, allows the plane to descend on to the landing strip.  During the descent the pilot must keep the wings level.  Just prior to touching down, some up elevator must be applied to cause the plane to slow down and flair on to the runway.  It is this phase of flying that requires good depth perception.  Benji has made several landing and after a little more practice will be ready to solo.

Once the student solos, the basic flight training has ended and the student/pilot must now practice to develop instinctive reactions to the various things that can happen when flying a model aircraft.