A Guide for Beginners

These guidelines are designed to assist new entrants to miniature aviation in making informed choices when purchasing or building their first miniature aircraft.

Getting Started

The purpose of this section is to help you understand what is involved with miniature aviation activities BEFORE you spend you hard earned money. Only topics that are normally of immediate concern to a beginner are covered. The scope of miniature aviation extends far beyond what you will learn here. Most fields of human activity involve specialised terminology ("jargon" if you like) so a Glossary of terms is included to help you understand the terminology. Words shown in italics will be found in the Glossary. The term "Club" refers to the Greensborough Model Aircraft Club (GMAC). The terms "miniature aircraft" and "aircraft" all refer to flying machines owned and operated by yourself or by other Club members.

Do's and Do nots

Do	Do Not
Do visit our club flying field and observe how the Club members operate their miniature aircraft.	Do not purchase a miniature aircraft before discussing the issues and available options with the people who will be assisting you in learning to fly. Do not purchase R/C equipment until you have a reasonable understanding of the relative merits of each option. Like many other purchase decisions you make in life, the cheapest or most expensive is not necessarily the best choice for you.
Do talk to Club members and ask questions about their miniature aircraft and R/C equipment.
Do ask to be introduced to a Club Committee member who can provide any advice and guidance you might require.
Do ask for an introduction to an Instructor. Lessons are free but arrangements that suit both parties must be agreed to. Also see "Other suggestions" below this table.	Do not try to teach yourself to fly. It is simply not that easy. You are not permitted to fly at the GMAC field unless you have had proper instruction.
Do be certain that professionally constructed rechargeable battery packs are included when you purchase your R/C equipment.	Do not be tempted to use dry cells or battery boxes with loose cells. This is false economy because such systems are unreliable and you might lose your aircraft. Lost aircraft crash and in doing so may damage property or injure persons.
Do make an arrangement with your instructor to have your aircraft inspected, preferably before you bring it to the field for your first flight. Despite you best efforts, there might be something that will make the aircraft unsafe to fly.	Do not assume that the pre-built miniature aircraft you have just purchased is truly safe and ready to fly. It is in every bodies interest for an instructor to check the aircraft before it is committed to the air. Also see "Other suggestions" below this table.
Do learn to operate your engine safely. If your aircraft is powered by an electric motor, safe operation is not simply a matter of switching it on.
Do have your R/C equipment certified before you bring it to the field. ALL TRANSMITTERS MUST BE CERTIFIED and receivers should be checked for stability and ability to recognise your transmitter.	Do not assume that a second hand receiver is any good. It might have been damaged in a crash. For the safety of your aircraft and the people around you, second hand receivers should be checked by a qualified technician.

Other suggestions

If you purchase an "almost ready to fly" (ARF) miniature aircraft from a hobby shop, the shop proprietor may also offer a service for completing the assembly and installing the engine and radio equipment for you. This is a good way to go but it does not remove your responsibility for having the aircraft inspected by an instructor before it is flown. Some fault might have arisen between the time when you collected you aircraft from the hobby shop and when you bring it to the field.

Some of our club members have found benefit in gaining experience with a computer based flight simulator (as distinct from a `shoot-em-up" computer game) during the learning experience. At the very least you can get experience with the issue of control reversal and if the flight simulator is controlled with an actual or simulated R/C "transmitter", you can also investigate the relative merits of Mode 1 or Mode 2 operation. Most people can learn to fly with either mode but not necessarily with equal ease. It is not advisable to jump back and forth between modes but if you are having persistent difficulty with your current mode, talk to your instructor about trying the other mode. You will probably have to change instructors to do so.

Acquiring your Aircraft

This can be divided into three parts:

The aircraft.
The engine.
The R/C equipment.

The Aircraft

People have successfully learnt to fly with a glider but in our Club, most people begin with a powered miniature aircraft. It is better to begin with a `trainer" aircraft first and leave the Spitfire, Mustang (or whatever) for your second or third aircraft. You are far less likely to be disappointed if you follow this advice.

These days, you are spoilt for choice for your first miniature aircraft because there are many options available. Miniature aircraft can be acquired in the following ways:

Purchased ready to fly.	Recommended for a beginner.
Purchased almost ready to fly.	Recommended for a beginner.
Build it yourself from a kit.	Recommended but you should regularly ask an experienced builder to review your work.
Build it yourself from a plan.	Not recommended for a beginner but it can be done with assistance from an experienced builder.
Purchase a second hand aircraft.	Not recommended for a beginner. Unless the particular aircraft is known to your instructor.
Design and build it yourself.	Definitely not recommended for a beginner.

1. Be careful with these options. Not all pre-built aircraft are equal in every respect. Some can be more difficult for a beginner to repair than others.

Whatever you choose, your aircraft should have the following characteristics:

Be a recognised "trainer" type.
Be designed for and be powered by a 40 size (or 46 size) engine. (See "The Engine" for comment about electric powered miniature aircraft.)
Have a high wing layout.

Other non-critical factors to consider:

Aircraft with a tricycle undercarriage can be easier to handle on the ground than a tail dragger ..
Three function aircraft can be easier to handle in the air because they usually have more inherent stability.

The Engine

Most beginner miniature aircraft are powered by a 2-stroke internal combustion engine. Four stroke engines are available but they are much more expensive. An electric motor is another viable option which has many advantages (mostly to do with noise and cleanliness) but they are not necessarily cheaper.

The Club recommends a 40 size engine because a trainer aircraft designed for that size engine is a handy size. It is big enough to handle rough air well and small enough to fit into the average family car. If you prefer to begin with an electric powered aircraft. there are at least two options: a normal 40 size trainer aircraft powered by an equivalent electric motor or a glider which should be a bit bigger than a 40 size aircraft (about 2 metre wingspan) but it will not need an electric motor equivalent to a 40 size engine in power.

The R/C Equipment

Here the scope for choice is enormous. Basically you are limited by your wallet.

Besides the fact that there are many different brands, there is also a very wide range of equipment types. At one end are the very tiny radios designed for miniature aircraft flown indoors (very definitely experts only) and at the other end are the computer radios with all possible bells and whistles (very expensive). The Club suggests you look somewhere near the middle of the range because the equipment is less expensive. Until recently beginner R/C equipment was very basic but these days affordable computer radios are readily available.

The Club strongly recommends you only consider equipment that supports a minimum of four channels .. If you are absolutely certain that you will only be flying gliders (whether electric or not) you could consider purchasing two channel equipment. The advantage of four channel equipment is that you are not prevented from having aircraft controlled by three functions or even two functions .. The principal disadvantage of four channel equipment is that it costs more than two channel equipment.

Whether you purchase new or second hand is entirely up to you because the most important criteria are reliability and safety in operation. ALL R/C TRANSMITTERS MUST be certified by an approved person BEFORE they are used at the Club field.

If you choose to purchase second hand, you should do the following:

Take an experienced friend with you to evaluate the equipment before you purchase it but do not expect your friend to warrant the equipment to be fault free.
Have the equipment checked and serviced by a recognised service person before you attempt to use it. This will obviously cost but it is cheaper than crashing your aircraft because the equipment was faulty.

Glossary

40 size engine

An engine that has a swept capacity of 0.4 cubic inches (about 6.5 cubic centimetres). Common miniature aircraft engines range in size from about 0.1 cubic inches to about 1.0 cubic inches; the most popular size for beginners being engines in the range 0.4 to 0.46 cubic inches. There are bigger and smaller engines but they are less common.

Aileron

Movable control surfaces on the wings of an aircraft that cause it to roll about an imaginary axis along its fuselage ..

Certification

A procedure whereby your transmitter is tested for correct operation at its nominated point in the radio frequency spectrum. If your transmitter passes the test, the inspector will afix a signed and dated sticker to the back of the transmitter.

Control Reversal

A phenomena you experience when controlling an aircraft from the ground.
Your R/C system is set up to cause the aircraft to behave the way you would expect if you were sitting in it or observing it from behind but if the aircraft is coming towards you, it will appear to react opposite to your aileron or rudder control inputs.

Elevator

A movable horizontal surface, usually at the tail of the aircraft, that causes the front of the aircraft to pitch up and down.

Four Channel

Normally four channels are required to control a Four Function aircraft.

Four Function

A term often used when a miniature aircraft is controlled all four primary controls ..

Fuselage

The body of the aircraft as opposed to its wings and tail surfaces.

High Wing

An arrangement where the wings of the aircraft are mounted on top of the fuselage .. This arrangement offers the most natural stability which is a desirable characteristic of a beginners miniature aircraft. Closely allied arrangements are a "parasol" wing and a "shoulder" wing.

Mode 1, Mode 2

These are labels that refer to the way the four primary controls of the aircraft are shared between the control sticks on an R/C transmitter. Mode 1 usually refers to the situation where the aileron and throttle are controlled through the right stick and, the elevator and rudder are controlled through the left stick. Mode 2 usually refers to the situation where the aileron and elevator are controlled through the right stick and, the throttle and rudder are controlled through the left stick. Other arrangements are possible but these two are the most common.

Nose Wheel

A wheel, usually steerable, that supports the forward end of an aircraft on the ground.

Primary controls

Most miniature aircraft utilise two, three or four primary controls ( rudder , elevator , aileron and throttle ). If three are used, they are usually rudder , elevator and throttle .. If only two are used, they are usually rudder and elevator (also see, Two Function ).

Propeller

A device that rotates about a central axis and in doing so, generates a propulsive force as it reacts on the surrounding air.

Pusher

An arrangement where the propeller pushes the aircraft through the air.

R/C

Radio Control

Rudder

A movable vertical surface, usually at the tail of the aircraft, that cause the aircraft to turn in the horizontal plane, essentially similar to the way a car or boat is steered.

Skid

A stick or other structure projecting from the underside of the aircraft to support it on the ground.

Tail Dragger

An arrangement of the wheels of an aircraft where the main wheels are towards the front and the rear of the aircraft is supported by a tail wheel or skid ..

Tail Wheel

A small wheel that supports the rear end of an aircraft on the ground.

Three Function

When the miniature aircraft is controlled by rudder , elevator and throttle (also see, Two Function ).

Tractor

An arrangement where the propeller pulls the aircraft through the air. In a miniature aircraft, the most common arrangement is for the propeller to be at the front of the aircraft and the engine is usually immediately behind the propeller ..

Tricycle Undercarriage

An arrangement of the wheels of an aircraft which is essentially similar to the arrangement of a child's tricycle.

Two Channel

Normally the minimum number of channels required to control a two function aircraft.

Two Function

When the miniature aircraft is controlled by rudder and elevator. Note that some electric miniature aircraft flyers also control the electric motor (on/off) by rapidly and momentarily operating one of the primary controls, usually the elevator ..