I still remember the first time a plane was put in my hands. I was out with my friend at a baseball field. He was flying his umx turbo timber and asked if I wanted to fly. I said no the first time. Yet, he was adamant that I would like it. Little did I know I would love it!
Coming from drone flying, fixed wing was a different perspective to take.
However, at the time I started, the Eflite convergence was still in production. I had figured this was the best way to transition from drone to fixed wing. My first flight went into the bushes. I had to sift through a pricker patch to get it out. My second flight went into the bushes at the opposite end of the field. Haha. My 3rd attempt that did I didn't come out of drone mode. Just wanted 1 success for the day.
The next time out, I went to a more wide open area. Due to 'safe' mode I was able to transition and fly and when I got worried I could go right back into drone mode. This went on for a while until I was very comfortable flying around in safe mode. From there I would fly around and take it out of safe mode. When I got worried I would put it back into safe until my heart would settle down, haha.
I got more and more comfortable within that first month. I was ready for something new. I got a v900. Everyone told me that it was too much plane so early in RC plane time. However, I found the v900 FAR easier to fly than the convergence. I found that the faster I flew the faster the plane would respond to input. This made corrections much less, much smaller, and more immediate. As I progressed through that plane (only crashing it 1 time) I wanted to move up.
I ended up getting the eflite dual 64mm A10. Again, everyone said it was too much plane for flying so little (only 2 months). For me, flying became a thought of 3axis flying instead of fixed wing. There are only 3 positions to worry about where drone there is 4. When I simplified what it takes to fly it made it very easy to fly. Within my 3 months of flying I ended up joining my first flight club, passing the advanced flying test with the A10. After finding out about all the regulations I felt I needed to fly at a club for safety. It also opened up my abilities because at clubs there is more open air space to do more flying styles.
As time progressed I flew may different planes with many different envelopes.
There were only so many foamies I could get that interested me. So I looked elsewhere, sort of. I starting getting involved in FliteTest. Their program back then launched me into a new avenue. I started building their foamboard planes, reading up on all their articles (even extending outward) about electronics, aerodynamics and more. Their STEM (not called that at the time) program was a phenomenal learning pattern that allowed me to really understand what it takes to get flying.
I got through many of their planes and wanted more! So I started doing research. I ended up coming across 3DLabPrint. I already had a 3D printer for printing things for surface so figured why not. I had parts from the v900 to make my own. I ended up getting my first 3D print plane. Back then, PLA was the preferred filament to use. I spent a good 40+ hours printing. Since I didn't know anything about building a 3D print model but had the experience with FliteTest foamboard, I was able to get it done. More than 90 hours of work and I was ready to take to the skies. I was so excited! I went out to my test field, powered it up like it was the v900, tossed it ... immediate roll and crash. 90+ hours of work gone in 3 seconds! I ended up putting 3D print away for about a year because that seemed like a HUGE waste of time where foamies were guaranteed.
As the year passed I was reading up more and more about 3D printing. Since I was still doing a lot of surface printing I was able to keep up on it. I then came across Eclipson-airplanes.com. They had a model that turned everything around for me. I build their model A. I was very nervous about it because of what happened last time. I took a deep breath, powered it up, and it just took off out of my hand. It was AMAZING!! Again I was hooked! From there I printed as many planes as I could from Eclipson. All their planes were great! All of them flew to spec! I wanted to more!
After some more research I came across Cults and started doing searching. I came across quite a few models. Nuckin Futz, C130, and a few others. Unfortunately, not everything from Cults will fly. They just aren’t tested/vetted like Eclipson does. Which make sense when you think about what Cults is.
I ended up getting in touch with a modeler through one of the Facebook community pages I was on. He was great. At the time the Maverick movie came out and I was adamant on getting the dark star. I printed one of his models, the Buggati 100P, and it was phenomenal!! From there I took all I learned from FliteTest and was able to work with him on mods to go faster and faster. As we worked together we talked about the Dark Star and he was willing to take on the challenge.
After about 10 failed attempts we couldn’t get the CG right at scale. We got it flying but it wasn’t pretty. As we went through many iterations I saw some things that just needed to be done that weren’t. It is no fault of his, I was just looking for something that I couldn’t explain. So, I decided to learn to 3D model. How else was I going to get what I want if I can’t explain it? And who knows if what I want is even possible? I went into it blind but hopeful. I first learned how to model a plane and just did a basic one. It took 200 (no exaggeration) before it got flying.
Within those 200 tests, it pushed me to read more and more and more and more about aerodynamics. Just because it “looks” like a plane doesn’t mean it will fly!!
As I got through a few models I started using more tools, like the NACA website for foils, reading up on NASA data and more. Aerodynamics is like a constant puzzle, where the parts can be slightly altered and still come together to make a working model. It was amazing; “the sky is the limit!” Well technically the ground is the limit, haha.
It has been about 3 years since I started modeling and my skills are growing more and more with each model. I still do a lot of beta building, flying, testing for others like Eclipson. I try to make sure that my feedback is to ensure a wide range of skills when they release. I am also regularly in beta with my own models, pushing my modeling skills, print concept, build concepts further and further! Usually when one model is ready for release I am already in 1 or 2 other models and getting them ready to fly.
I have learned A LOT over the past 5 years and the biggest takeaway for getting into flying is “learn what is comfortable for you.”
All the people that have been in it for a while will tell you “this is the way.” That is not always the case. Everyone sees things different, reacts different, handles things different. You have to find your comfort and enjoy it.
I have also learned that what you are told isn’t always an absolute. I have learned that what works at a certain scale may not work for another scale, and vice versa.
When talking with people about getting into flying I have learned that you have to work with their skills, not your knowledge. As a fellow pilot, don't push your style on to someone. You aren’t helping them. Talk to them, get to know them, learn how they think. Sounds like a lot but you can learn a lot about a person in just a few short interactions if you are listening. Gear your knowledge in a way they can understand it and let them do some figuring out. In that process you will learn what they can do, and then you can build on that. Don’t hang on to what you feel they aren’t doing right.
If they are flying, then it isn’t wrong. Sure it might need work, smoothing out, but that is up to them to learn.
Now, I am regularly in beta flying. I am trying out new concepts, trying new models. Looking to take comic book, movie, and other planes you see and getting them to fly. I try to keep the overall cost down so that anyone can build them. I have since launched a website to be able to allow people to try out what I am doing - kmi3dprint.com. That list of models is ever growing!
FliteTest gave me more than I could ever ask for to get going. AMA allows me to keep going!
