| RC airplane flying is a fun and challenging | | | | |
| hobby. The time and expense of learning to | | | | 6) If a maneuver goes wrong, try to complete |
| fly remote control airplanes has been greatly | | | | it. Don't just hit reset halfway through a |
| reduced in recent years. RC flight simulators | | | | botched loop. Try to recover from the |
| have been one reason for this. These are | | | | problem, as there is no reset bar in real |
| programs that run on your home pc, allowing | | | | life. |
| you to practice "virtual" flight. Here are | | | | |
| some tips for getting the most out of your rc | | | | 7) Have a lesson plan. Determine to fly from |
| flight simulator ("sim"). | | | | point A to point B while doing X, Y and Z. |
| | | | Don't just go where the airplane takes you! |
| 1) Read the system requirements before you | | | | Remember, this is radio "control", not radio |
| buy or install a simulator. Some of these | | | | "follow the leader". |
| programs need high-end personal computers to | | | | |
| make the most of their features. | | | | 8) Take breaks periodically. RC flight |
| | | | simulators can actually be hard on the eyes |
| 2) Use your own transmitter if possible, | | | | and body. |
| instead of a dedicated control box. It's good | | | | |
| to have the exact same "stick feel" on your | | | | 9) When you have mastered basic flying, |
| PC and at the field. | | | | deliberately put the sim airplane into |
| | | | unusual attitudes and try to recover. |
| 3) You may need to reduce the graphics | | | | |
| resolution, so that the plane's movements are | | | | 10) When you've mastered basic flying and |
| smooth. Realistic graphics are nice, but | | | | unusual attitude recovery, make the program a |
| flying realism is what you are really after. | | | | bit more challenging. Trying adding more |
| | | | obstacles, e.g. trees. Adding wind is a good |
| 4) Master the simple stuff first. There's no | | | | way to stretch your abilities. Wind speed and |
| point in doing loops if you can't takeoff | | | | direction can often be changed in the sim, |
| without crashing half the time. | | | | and this is something that happens in real |
| | | | life as well. |
| 5) Landings can be more challenging on the | | | | |
| sim than in real life. This is because of | | | | Visit the RC Airplane Advisor to read reviews |
| reduced perspective, i.e. you won't know | | | | of some common rc flight simulators. |
| exactly where the ground is till the very | | | | |
| last second. Just pick a flat spot of ground | | | | This article may be reprinted if proper |
| near where you're "standing" and go for it. | | | | credit is given and all links left intact. |