RC AEROBATICS
AEROBATICS IN THE NEW YEAR!
By Justin Wells | justinwells@mac.com
WELCOME TO 2025! This is the time of year where I like to do two hobby-related things before the flying season arrives. I know that there are some of you reading this who say that the season never really ends. Still, these are good objectives on your journey to being a better pilot.
Set Flying Goals
I try to set my goals for what I want to work on and accomplish for the year. I don’t always accomplish them, but it’s good to have something to aim for. Sometimes the goals stretch into a second year, depending on how hard it might be. I usually take a setup and/or a set of maneuvers that I don’t do well and make it my goal to improve it. For 2025, I’ve given myself the task of learning the rolling circle. It is a maneuver that is not really called upon in any of the AMA classes, but it’s a part of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)-F, or Finals, sequence. I have no intention of flying FAI anytime soon, but I have set my sights on learning the rolling circle.
My approach to learning new, never-flown maneuvers is to start on the simulator. I do this just to get the feel for the stick inputs and sort of loosen up my fingers. I’ll do this to start, but nothing replaces practice with the real thing. Once I move on to flying it with my airplane of choice, I do not go back to the simulator.
I encourage you to think through how you want to better your flying in 2025 and pick a goal that is achievable.
Always Have a Plan
There are some sessions where I will go out and just blow off steam—it feels good and I’m free from the chains of whatever my day has been. I’m normally not doing this with an RC Aerobatics (Pattern) airplane. Blowing off steam is usually about 10% of my outings for the year; for the other 90%, I go out with a plan in mind. What do I want to accomplish with my flying today? This could be as simple as, “I plan not to crash.”
My current plan has been to go to my local field. During the first hours, I charge my batteries and use that as social time with fellow club members. Once I start flying, I’m either going to do the same maneuver for the entire flight or break the sequence down into smaller sections and repeat. For those watching, it can be quite boring, but we all know that practice makes perfect. I’m usually the last one to leave, or next to last, because part of my plan is to wrap up flying as the sun goes down.
The following are a few ideas for a plan:
- Practice the first three sequences of the Sportsman pattern.
- Determine whether your airplane needs trimmed. (After flying an airplane for a
RC Aerobatics
long time, some trim issues become natural corrections for you.)
- Work on getting the center of gravity (CG) in its optimum location for your fleet.
- Adjust or add radio mixing for better knife-edge flight.
- End your flying day doing touch-and-gos.
The above are just basic ideas for you to think about. Make sure that you work your goals into your flying plan. I might not practice rolling circles each time I’m at the field, but it is a part of my plan depending on my flying session.
Aircraft Maintenance
At the start of each year, I like to perform some deeper airplane maintenance. We all have things we check on occasion, but I use this time to really break the airplanes down and make sure that there are no failures ahead. Below is a high-level list you might consider as you go through your annual maintenance:
- Check all surfaces, hinges, pushrods, and connectors. Make sure that there are no cracks or slop that has developed.
- Check the CG, wing and stabilizer alignment, and incidence.
- Check the motor/engine mounting and confirm that it’s sound and no bolts or parts are missing.
- Check all of the servos for gear slop and centering.
- For a fuel-powered airplane, check the fuel lines, pull the tank, and inspect the stopper and internal lines.
- Check your wheels and axles for wear and tear. Some axles will rub down and eventually break.
- Inspect your propeller and spinner for cracks and even balance them.
In conclusion, this is the time of year to think about how you can better your skills, save an airplane from its demise, and learn a new trick or two.
I look forward to continuing down our RC Aerobatics journey in 2025. Drop me a line if you have an idea for an article or RC Aerobatics topic that you would like to see covered.
Until next time!
SOURCES:
National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)
www.nsrca.us
