Sunday, December 28, 2008

My First Successful Radio Controlled Airplane Flight

Last few days I have been practicing flying on my new RC airplane, Multiplex Easy Cub. It is a great beginner's plane and anybody interested in more details about this model may find further information here.
The few flights have been really exciting and as an Aerospace engineer, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Below is a video of my third flight.


The take-off and climb were smooth. The Easy Cub has a large wing area which enables it to fly at slow speed. Therefore, there was enough time for me during the loiter to adjust to the controls and the flight characteristics of the airplane. During the landing, however, I forgot to flare the airplane. This resulted in a rough landing. Due to the very compliant nature of the landing gear, this impact load was not transmitted to the fuselage; it was rather absorbed and later released resulting in a bounce !

I will suggest RC flying to anybody pursuing aerospace engg. One can clearly see the various concepts and fundaes that are taught in class at work. The experience will help appreciate Aerospace Engg. and foster interest in the subject.

3 comments:

  1. In the video,I could figure out the plane while take off and landing only...during free flight I tried hard but couldn't find it..anyways,It's astounding..:-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes..this plane has the special property of being invisible in flight! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ya, the camera didn't have zoom feature while recording.

    ReplyDelete