Learn How to Fly RC Model Airplanes on Your Own
Additional tips on learning to fly by yourself with the ParkZone Ember
The ParkZone Ember makes a great RC trainer aircraft
Flying a lightweight model such as the ParkZone Ember RC airplane entirely removes the challenge of precise landings for the beginning student pilot. The Ember typically flies at a low altitude when you are indoors learning how to fly RC. Also, the top airspeed is a lot less with a lightweight indoor model such as the Ember. The combination of light weight, low altitude and low airspeed means that the pilot learning how to fly RC can never really get the Ember into a position where the airplane has enough energy (airspeed and or altitude) to cause any real damage in a crash.
Electro Aviator under construction
Another key benefit to the pilot learning how to fly RC by themselves is the very accurate construction of the Ember in its Ready to Fly format. Any model airplane has to be built right to fly right. When constructing an RC trainer airplane on your own, a lot can go wrong in the building process. Control surface alignment may be off; the center of gravity location in error; control throws improperly connected or adjusted. All of these common building errors can impact someone learning to how to fly RC on their own by causing an almost instant crash of the model after takeoff.
Ember comes ready to fly right out of the box - really!
The above model airplane construction pitfalls are bypassed with a Ready to Fly airplane like the Ember. The model is literally built right and ready to fly out of the box; all you need to do to learn to fly RC is charge the flight battery with the supplied charger. Rudder and elevator control throws, control direction, wing incidence, motor down and side thrust, and center of gravity location are all correct and perfectly in place. With an airplane like the ParkZone Ember, there is simply no worry of a common construction error leading to a crash when learning how to fly RC without an instructor.
Screen shot of electric park flyer on RealFlight RC simulator
All the above factors contribute greatly to success if learning how to fly RC on your own with the Ember. Start off your training by flying a lightweight, electric powered model with the RealFlight RC flight simulator. The key task with the RC simulator is learning orientation, and how turning with the rudder works when the model is coming towards you as opposed to flying away from you.
Indoor flying site at local community education center
When learning how to fly RC by yourself, ensure that you have a large enough indoor flight area. The Ember can be flown outdoors, but the wind has to be absolutely calm. To takeoff, simply apply full throttle, and either hand launch or takeoff straight away from you on the gym floor. The Ember will get airborne quickly. Set the throttle stick position to around the half to three quarter setting, and just leave it at this position. This throttle position will provide level flight for the Ember without going too fast, and allow you to focus on just the right transmitter control stick, for rudder and elevator controls.
Ember motor, battery and servo control brick
When learning how to fly RC, the elevator up and down control is easy to visualize and master, and does not depend on a model’s orientation flying towards or away from you. Before your takeoff, plan ahead to turn soon left or right, such that the small Ember model remains within your sight as you learn how to fly RC.
A winning advantage of learning how to fly RC by yourself with the Ember is easy way to get out of trouble if you lose orientation or control of the model. With the larger gas powered model airplanes, when you get into trouble as you learn how to fly RC, relying on your instructor is the only method to prevent a damaging crash, as the instructor can quickly take over control of the model to prevent a crash. There is no way to have this ready assistance when you learn how to fly RC on your own.
Ember motor, gear train and battery
With the Ember, however, there is a neat way to get out of a situation like this. Should you lose control or orientation of the model as you learn how to fly RC, simply turn the Ember’s electric motor off from the transmitter (left stick all the way down) and let the Ember settle to the ground. I say “settle” vs. crash. The Ember will be flying slowly, at a relatively low altitude (compared to a gas powered model flown outdoors), and at a light enough weight to simply drop out of the air down to the ground or gym floor without any damage. I have had midair collisions with my Ember and another lightweight indoor model airplane, and have never sustained any damage. The Ember is just too light weight, and flying slow enough, to have something break.
There is one procedure I must emphasize with the above technique of turning the electric motor off when you want to quickly stop flying and get to the ground. It is possible to damage the Ember, or any other airplane when learning how to fly RC, by failing to turn the engine off prior to the nose of the airplane contacting the ground. If you fail to turn off the electric motor and allow a turning propeller strike the ground, floor, gym wall, etc., it is very easy to cause damage to your model. This damage can range from a broken propeller to a stripped gear to the motor knocked out of alignment. As we discussed, there is a very simple fix: just ensure the motor is off (the propeller not turning) before the airplane contacts the ground.
RealFlight RC simulator
In summary, the combination of a precision built Ready to Fly, light weight indoor RC model airplane such as the ParkZone Ember, combined with the benign, no wind flight environment of an indoor venue and today’s very capable computer RC flight simulators all combine to give the aspiring student pilot a practical way to learn how to fly RC by themselves, without the need for a flight instructor.
How to Fly RC