im new but hooked already

[cessna96836]

hey evryone iv been flying flying rc for about 4yrs now and am a student pilot at western air.... little place in cali.......anyways im 19 and sold all my rc stuff cause im savin up for a jdt mini max. and when you do that ya kinda feel like somethings missing well i found the cure i went into my local hobby shop and bought a javelin once i started puting it together i couldnt stop im hooked to freeflight rubber powered models i just went out and bought the build by number cessna 180. and the messerschmitt bf-109. i completed my javelin and let tell ya it isnt pretty but it flys. ok my question is about how long until i start getting good at this to where they look like the ones i see in the pictures is it all about practice or are there certain things ya jus gota know yall know but i dont know. and can i paint my model or will that make it to heavy. and is it ok to use elmers glue and water for covering. and how many of you guys actually fly theese do ya use um for display or flying. man i have a lot of questions.

[supercruiser]

i went into my local hobby shop and bought a javelin once i started puting it together i couldnt stop im hooked to freeflight rubber powered models

YEEEHAAAHH! And by the way, good choice for a first balsa model.

how long until i start getting good at this to where they look like the ones i see in the pictures is it all about practice or are there certain things ya jus gota know yall know but i dont know. and can i paint my model or will that make it to heavy. and is it ok to use elmers glue and water for covering. and how many of you guys actually fly theese do ya use um for display or flying. man i have a lot of questions.

How long? Who knows? But, each time you will learn a little and improve a little.

Painting? A light mist coat of spray paint probably won't make that much differcence in weight. I suggest using different colored tissue, instead of paint.

Elmers glue/water is o.k. for covering.

Display or flight. There is a poll somewhere on this forum about how many fly or display. I fly mine. There are a couple of recent posts from flyers or potential flyers.

[cessna96836]

thanks. and with covering how many layers do you use just one or do i use more

[supercruiser]

Just one layer of tissue is all that is needed. You can post pictures of your model on
www.virtualaerodrome.com

[thymekiller]

Most of what I learned, I got from pics and posts from other people.
Its amazing how much fun can be had out of a box of sticks. It is even more amazing what you will learn when learnig to fly. I think supercruiser said it best:
YEEEHAAA !!!
For sticking the tissue to the frame , I found Elmers glue stick to be easyest for me.
Your mileage may vary. Do what you can with what you have. Being creative is one of the best parts.
There are MILLIONS of tips in the older posts on this site. Be sure to follow the links. Just be sure to come back.
When I photo my stuff, I have learned to step back away from it just abit. It helps. They all look good in the air. All my stuff is stand off scale. The farther back you stand, the better it looks.
thymekiller

[BugEater]

Yea! Another college student! I build for fun, to get my mind off of school and the hustle of the frat life. It's a great way to relax after tests.

[supercruiser]

By the way, you screen name contains 96836. I presume thats a "N" number. Would that airplane be a Cessna 172P model?

[Greyhound]

Its amazing how much fun can be had out of a box of sticks.

True.

[RG WILLIAMS]

Supercruiser has very good advice.
Don't paint the tissue. A very light spray of clear coat , cheap Home Improvement store brand. works fine.
Indoor flying models may not need any finish coat at all.
Think about keeping the model light in weight with special attention to the tail areas.
rg

[FLYBOYZ]

Very true indeed!I got a beatiful plane but she decendes fast due to spary paint!I did every thing by the book.deguting it cutting my gules for lightness sanding bulk heads before in staling trimming access wood but I killled it with paint with put me back to step one!Knowing it would have been the perfect flyer.Thats ok the next one will be super light.Think light Iam a RCer too untill I got into these little babies.Such a challeng and alot to learn

[supercruiser]

You can do a lot with just colored tissue and you can print your own markings directly onto the tissue. Take a look at my hangar at
www.virtualaerodrome.com and see my Guillow T-28.

Of course, I say all that and my Guillow SE5A, which I built to fly, has 3 coats of sprayed on green paint.

[cessna96836]

yep its a 1984 cessna 172 that i fly but as of tomorow im getting singed off to fly the cessna 150 so i can cut my costs down its 160 an hour in the 172 compared to the 150 at only 99 bucks but im little nervous to fly the 150 cause yesterday the motor quit with a student and instructor in it they had to land on an old drag strip jus outa sacramento ca. the mixture sping snaped and became to lean so down they went. lol i guess the emergency procedures they teach us does have a purpose sqwak 7700 trim for 65 hope you live!

[thymekiller]

Funny thing about airplanes. You cant just pull over and fix it with duck tape.
How do those real ones glide? Anything like their model counterparts?
Do they "deadstick" very well?

thymekiller

[supercruiser]

How do those real ones glide? Anything like their model counterparts?
Do they "deadstick" very well?

thymekiller

I guess it depends on who's models you are talking about

Typical small airplane glide ratio is 11:1, I'd say most balsa models do much better.

I used to rent N96816, Cessna 172P. Nice airplane, you can see it near the end of the James Bond Movie, "GoldenEye".

[thymekiller]

Do you mean that it drops 1 foot for every 11 foot forward?

Are you in the film?

thymekiller