bigdaddy Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 How do you take off? Run forward, once the wings forward i run, apply full throttle and lean back as much as I can. I seem to be taking a while to take off and my arse ends up very close to the floor before I start to rise. What am I doing wrong? Is my angle of attack wrong? Should I not lean back? If so, why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Have you had any training or flown with other pilots? What size wing/your weight/your motor's output? Is the wing overhead before you go for it? Are you applying any brake to lift off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_k Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Run upright or slightly leaning back so the thrust is pushing you forwards, the wing will provide more lift as you run faster and you should feel this with the weight on your feet lessening. With a reflex wing you generally have to apply a little brake to 'unstick' from the ground. With a conventional wing the increasing lift with speed will lift you off the ground. DO NOT raise your legs prematurely, think of the action as running into the air, keep the feet running until you are airborne. This will prevent any mishaps if you meet a slight downdraft on take off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodders Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 My - still novoce pilot - approach is to try to control the take off as much as possible, Get lots of speed on the ground and only then apply a bit of brake - me telling the wing when to take off, not the other way round. Deffo only raise the legs when you are well off the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdaddy Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 3 hours ago, Steve said: Have you had any training or flown with other pilots? What size wing/your weight/your motor's output? Is the wing overhead before you go for it? Are you applying any brake to lift off? I've had some training and I've had 6 flights so far. Wing is 27m apco lift. Wing is overhead before I start running but I think when I feel my legs getting lighter on the ground I try to get my knees up which will in turn tip the direction of the motor, maybe this is the issue. I've heard horror stories about people reclining and the motor turning away from the wing resulting in a stall, I want to avoid this at all costs but then others say you need to recline to get off the ground. I don't apply brakes at the moment, is it a quick/slow pull on both sides 3inch, 6inch hold for 1 second/ 5 seconds / 10... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 All of these questions suggest not enough training.......... I was taught ALL of these things before even being let lose near a motor! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 The first five words of the thread suggested the same. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin (Simon W) Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Who did you do your fist 6 flights with? :--) SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdaddy Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 The majority of the query is around how far back I should lean while running and when to lift knees up. What I do doesn't feel right and from watching falls on YouTube I'm just after a bit of clarity more than anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick1 Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Where do you live? It's well worth getting a couple of lessons with a local instructor or at the least find someone with more experience to fly with.. seriously. I'm NOT an instructor, I'm a relatively low hour fair weather pilot and I must stress the need for proper training, however, to answer the questions: Firstly, you don't lean back as such; most people have a tendency to lean forward with the weight of the motor which means the prop is less efficient, once you are ready to apply power, Aim for a straight back so your thrust is pushing you forward but not leaning back as such. Secondly, with regards lifting your legs - don't. Not until you are well of the ground, in fact your legs should still be running like a cartoon character in mid air as you go up, lifting legs early will result in your arse hitting the ground and your prop hitting the turf and breaking. Thirdly, once you have speed, in order to take off, it helps to apply a little break, equally on both sides and smoothly. Too much and your wing wont fly (or can actually stall after take off) so don't overdo it and force the takeoff. I'd guess around 10 inches, I pull down about level with my ears, but it may be different on your wing. Once you are off the ground, gently release the breaks (avoid a sudden release of break at low height). So, in summary, check wing level and lines clean, run, check wing still level, add power, run, full power and add gentle break, keep running into the air, gently release breaks and wiggle into seat when safe. Oh, and avoid trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolhand Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 ask someone to make a video of your take-off and analyse this afterwards. Will help tremendously in understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorehambeach Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 9 hours ago, AndyB said: Are these the first 6 flights ? ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 6 hours ago, coolhand said: ask someone to make a video of your take-off and analyse this afterwards. Will help tremendously in understanding. That's what instructors usually do! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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