Training begins in one week!

[thehaze]

One week to go before we start training. This season promises to be lots of fun, and hope for you new members an excellent introduction to the world of RC Flight.

Before we start I want to be sure that everyone is ready to go. When you consider the number of new flyers, the small size of the instruction team, and the short amount of time we have to fly each evening I want to ensure that the bulk of our time is spent flying models and not fixing problems. As a result I ask that everyone please come to the field prepared.

Here's how you can do that:

1. Make sure your model is fully assembled and the radio system is working. Before we will fly it will need to be inspected and certified as safe to fly. If you need help with your model, please ask beforehand, although some repairs of corrections can be done at the field, most cannot.

2. Charge your batteries! Make sure your flight batteries and radio batteries are fully charged the night before.

3. Mark the CoG (Center of Gravity) position on the wing of your plane. A small dot from a sharpie is all you need. The instruction manual for your plane will show you where the CoG is and how to measure it on the model.

4. Read the club and MAAC safety rules.

5.  BUDDY BOXES. We cannot train without a buddy box system. Therefore it is incumbent that all students provide a trainer cord and a buddy box that works with the radio system you intend to use on your model. There are simply too many models of transmitters out there for us to equip our instructors with a buddy box that is guaranteed to work.  In some cases, instructors will allow students to use their radios however, this is not a guarantee. I can't stress this enough. Do yourself a favour, go to the hobby shop and buy a trainer cord and a buddy box. Or share one with a friend. When you are done with it, there's always a market for used training equipment on the web.

If you have any questions about the training program or need help setting up your model or your radio system please don't hesitate to ask, that's the purpose of the club forum.

See you at the field!

Mike

 

[imran1042]

I use a Spectrum DX6, do i need a trainer cord and buddy box for that?

[thehaze]

Yes

One radio for the student, one for the trainer.

For Spektrum I'd consider picking up a DX5 or DX4, they are relatively cheap ($60) and can usually be bought used as well for less.

In the past, some instructors have used their own radio's as the buddy box. I can't guarantee that there will be one available when you are at the field. It's good practice to arrive at the field with everything you need to fly your model. Think of it like batteries. You don't show up hoping that someone has a charged battery for you to fly.

If you and your friends are using spektrum, buy one and share it. However it will mean you'll have to take turns flying.

Mike

[Gregor77]

Mike, I have a DX-5 and a DX7S, some of the students have DX8's.  Is there any known issues with the buddy cord on them?  I was going to asking if I can take John M and John P under my wing?  I was going to have John P/M use the DX-5e and I use my DX-6 for training only.  Students are going out to get the buddy box cords.

[sihinch]

Just as an FYI (and I'm not up to speed on this) but the DX5 only has on/off dual rates, and the other radios that you mention have programmable rates. So this would work, but may not be ideal.

I think there is a way to make the rates on the programmable radio affect the slave, but I'm not sure how.

[Gregor77]

I think it depends on model if a DX5E is ideal for training.  Some radio's might be over complex for a case of training with a small foam trainer ie: super cub. But if the student comes with an apprentice, I would also agree that the DX6i would be a better choice to calm the plane down.

[thehaze]

With Spektrum Radios you can program the master radio to control the rates and which channels you give the student box (Pilot Link Master function). The DX5 will be fine as a buddy box. And for a trainer like the Apprentice the features in the DX5 if used alone are sufficient to fly that model. You won't need anything other than the pre-set high and low rates. Expo isn't required either. However, I wouldn't recommend the DX5 for anything more complex than a trainer. As the lack of model memory and programmable rates and mixes gets to be an issue.

The general rule is that the better radio is used as the Master radio. This is the radio that is bound to the receiver in the plane and that is programmed with the rates and other settings for the model.