heli to airplane

[camarohrod]

ive been flying helis for about 9 months, forward flight, loops, rolls, and a few other menuvers, five years ago i had a plane and tried my hand at it and even with a buddy box and everything i put it in the ground twice in a matter of two weeks. well yesterday my neighbor who is also into helis and airplanes a little, he basically threw his radio in my hands when one of his birds were in the air and said try it. well with my experience with planes of course i was just freaked out and thought i was goin to put his plane into the ground. turns out i was able to fly it very easily and i even brought it in and landed it very nicely. i couldnt believe it seemed so easy after my past crashes with airplanes and couldnt really figure out why it seemed so easy. after some stick time with the helis do yall think i just got used to the controls better or was it just a fluke?

[Mojappa]

It's not just you, I had the same ease transitioning to planes, in fact my first plane was a micro 3D and it still flies.

[rojack]

I think the biggest hurdle in RC is having your fingers know what to do when the model is nose-in. Once you learn that, whether car, boat, plane or heli, I think you can do reasonably well without losing control of the model.

I also found that flying planes on the sim helps me with my FF flight and the timing for loops, rolls, etc. when flying helis too.

[GimpyGolden]

FF is basically the same for both.
Was your first plane checked for proper setup?

I dable with planes on and off, more off than on. Just bought an A-6 Intruder from HK. So ugly, like a Retarded Pigeon. Looking forward to it though. Just plane relaxing to fly a plane now and then, almost don't have to pay attention.

In the winter for our indoor nights I am flying an e-Flite Extra. Seems all the regular plane guy's are flying micro heli's MSR, CPX etc... The gym is so crowded I couldn't move around with my 250 for fear I'd tangle with a little guy(all over, out of control).
So sold that and bought the Extra.
Now there is maybe two other planes up at the same time as opposed to like 8-10 micro heli's

[BigIreland]

Yup. I had almost the exact same first fixed wing experience. Been flying helis for almost a year and one day my buddy grabbed his controller and his Parkzone Corsair. I said something about liking to watch it fly and his reply was "That's good cause YOU'RE taking it up this time." I went from utterly nervous to completely relaxed in less than 20 seconds of flying it.

[rockinar]

Have been thinking of plank for fun. They look like they might help scratch the itch without all the pucker factor and endless building and repairs. If you put it in the dirt, you can buy another ARF and be back up and flying in a day.

I have always like the old Warbirds and though it would be cool to have a scale warbird gasser.

[Dorantana]

As far as I can tell, If you can fly a plane then you will be much better off when you try out your first heli. Goes the same for the opposite. It is really just up to how good your fine motor skills and Hand Eye are.
I went from flying Planes for 8 years and jumped straight to a T-Rex 450. 30 flights and no Dirt Naps *KNOCK ON WOOD*
Simulator time is priceless as well.

[2000SS]

One of the biggest parts of flying RC is the whole orientation thing. You have to be able to put yourself into the cockpit.

I've been flying planes for about 15 years. An advantage I had was being a boy, I grew up with RC cars. I wasn't dumb thumbing it because I didn't know what way to turn. I just had to learn how to fly. I've had a T-Rex 250 for 3 years but hardly flew it. 99% of the time it's been waiting on parts. The last month or so I've been really into it and went and bought a 450.

Planes are harder than cars, helis are harder than planes, but one thing they all have in commen is putting yourself into the cockpit and not looking at the TX trying to figure out what way to push the sticks. You have to do that naturally and you've already honed that skill.

On a side note. I've seen first hand, people who fly real planes or helis that thought that meant they could fly an RC. "I already know how to fly". That's only half the battle. Then they crash and burn because they can't put themselves in the cockpit while looking at the plane/heli from a stationary 3rd person view.

Oh, and get yourself a plane. A Parzone T-28 is a must have for anyone flying. Cheap, stable, and easy to fix. You can get out further away and higher than a heli. Landing is fun. Different everytime. I can spend all day just landing, take off, loop around and do it again.

[azezeil]

I went straight from a heli to a 3D epp foamie and it worked out great. I just set my throws to 30% for the first flight while I got used to it. 2 months later and I'm working on rolling circles and looking to go from my 32" Edge to the 48" Extra from twistedhobbys. My Edge has taken a serious pounding and just keeps coming back for more. At this point it might be more welder's glue than foam!

[Full Montee]

Good friend threw a lightly used Parkzone T28 in my car when I wasn't looking. Week later I had a receiver in it and flying.
The topic always comes up and I've found flying a heli is like a sprint in a packed stadium and flying a plane is like a walk through the park.
I purchased a Twisted Hobbies 32" Extra Slick a few weeks ago and have flown my friends TH Crack Yak and they are so much fun! To me they are the mCPx of planes. Welder glue fixes everything and now I'm working on inverted flight and soon rolling circles.