Home Choosing a model Choosing a Radio Launching methods Membership Information

Free instruction for Beginners and "Wings" certification tests Junior member Marc Ryan was recently awarded his MAAA Bronze Wings by Instructor Robin Simpson. We have many senior members who are happy to help beginners learn to fly - and four MAAA certified Instructors who can help more experienced pilots hone their skills and undertake the formal MAAA model aircraft proficiency tests which lead to the award of Bronze or Gold Wings. There is no tuition fee - but you must be a member of the club. Downloadable Training Booklets for Beginners Beginner's Guide: The Principles of Flight This six page booklet is a great introduction to the basic Principles of Flight, put together by our own Chief Flying Officer Martin Bradley with help from Peter Smith, Andrew Baber, Barrie Hill and Tony Brown. "Principles of Flight" - 6 pages, Adobe Acrobat PDF file, approx 330 K bytes Beginner's Guide: Electric Up & Away We are delighted that the British Model Flying Association has given us permission to reproduce their very comprehensive 40 page beginner's booklet on electric flight. Please note there are a few important differences to keep in mind when using this document as a training guide: The biggest difference is that in Australia most pilots fly "Mode 1" or "Throttle Right" (see the Electric Up & Away booklet for an explanation of what this means). It will make your training simpler, especially when using a "buddy cable" - a dual control cable that allows your instructor to take over if you get in trouble - if you follow this convention, since very few people (or instructors!) are able to master both Mode 1 and Mode 2. Most transmitters sold in Australia are Mode 1 - and all instructors at Sunset Soaring Club fly Mode 1. In Australia the frequencies used for radio control aircraft are mainly in the 36 MHz or the 2.4 GHz bands. We may NOT use 35 MHz (UK) or 72 MHz (US) radio control equipment in Australia. Check our Frequency Table for a spare frequency before purchasing a new transmitter or crystal set. In Australia we do not use the BFMA "A" and "B" Electric Flight certificates. While the tests are very similar, the equivalent of the "A" Certificate in Australia is the MAAA Bronze Wings, and the equivalent of the "B" Certificate is the MAAA Gold Wings. There are different tests for gliders and for electric powered aircraft. There is more detail available in the MAAA "blue book" (the "Trainee Pilot Logbook") which you can obtain free-of-charge from one of our instructors if you join our club. "Electric Up and Away" - 40 pages, Adobe Acrobat PDF file, approx 300 K bytes R/C Flight Simulators A great aid to flying at all standards is a radio control Flight Simulator. They are available from most model shops - and although somewhat expensive, they are cheaper than a crashed model! The Club has one of the best commercial simulators (for Microsoft Windows computers only, sorry) available for weekly loan for a small fee. A free alternative for Microsoft Windows computers is "FMS", which you can download from the internet, but you will need to purchase or make an interface cable to connect your computer to your transmitter. Make sure when buying a Transmitter that it has the relevant buddy cable socket to permit use of a simulator or a "buddy cable". Cheaper models may not include the buddy cable socket, and sadly all manufacturers use different socket standards. Recommended Beginner Model At present we recommend the Multiplex Easystar as a beginner 's first aircraft - from which you can graduate to either gliders or powered aircraft. We DO NOT recommend buying the sub-$50 "Ready-to-Fly" models with included transmitter that you may see in chain stores - while they are cheap, they are fragile, they use 27 MHz transmitters which we do not allow at our field, and they often do not fly very well. However, our most important advice is to come to the Club and discuss your requirements before parting with your money! Ten club members are now flying Multiplex Easystar electric glider trainers. It's made of super resilient elapor foam which members like Mike Laurent & Robin Simpson above have shown can withstand the severe punishment of learning to fly! It requires a 3 channel transmitter and receiver, and 7 or 8 HE1100 or KAN1050 NiMH cells to drive a speed 400 motor and two mini-servos for rudder and elevator control. If you are looking for the ideal first radio control trainer, this is it. Ask one of us for a demo any Sunday! Recommended Intermediate Glider Model After an EasyStar, the next glider aircraft we recommend would be a 2 channel polyhedral wing glider such as a Gentle Lady, a Great Planes Spirit or a Multiplex Easyglider. Club members Karl Miller (left) and Chris Mort (right) show off the kind of polyhedral gliders typically flown in our 2 metre competition. While members do fly electric powered sport models, almost all members have at least one glider, and the club's field often provides excellent thermal and occasional slope soaring conditions. Most of our gliders are launched via a bungee (sometimes called a "hi-start"). We would be happy to give any budding modeller advice on getting started. Come along and watch the glider competitions, or ask us for a demo any Sunday! Recommended Intermediate Electric Power Model If you want to progress to an electric powered aircraft our recommendation would be a high wing, cabin type aircraft such as the Mulitplex Mentor, the Modeltech Fledgling or the E-Flite Apprentice. More beginner's information and pictures Choosing a model - more information on selecting the appropriate first model. Choosing the radio - more information on selecting a radio, servos and other gear. Launching Methods - information about the different ways to launch your new model. Last updated 14 March 2010 by Robin (Webmaster)