September 03 The Way It Seems To Me (Some Observations for Beginners and Improvers) By OLDTIMER. Over many years I have taught a fair few people to fly and watched with interest the progress of other budding pilots, either self taught or taught by other flyers. Once they have been able to "go solo" on a trainer of some sort, many of these have progressed to low-wingers, usually "adequately" powered and with powerful control surfaces. All to often they get into difficulties with these, although managing their original trainer without problems.    Why is this? It's not because their newer models are in any way harder to fly - often they are easier and the certainly respond more accurately to control inputs. It is due, I believe, to a few basic mistakes, which I will deal with in turn. 1) Failure to use the throttle control. Most low wing sport type models are well overpowered on full throttle. Half throttle is usually ample for everything except take off and manoeuvres such as large radius loops. In the case of these the throttle should be closed on the down going leg. It is amazing how a "twitchy" model can calm down on reduced throttle! 2) Flying too far away. I have seen many people attempting to control their model when it is a tiny speck in the distance or at some ridiculous altitude! If you cannot see the attitude of the model clearly then you can't send it the correct signals to control it or to recover from a dangerous situation - by that I mean proximity to a stall or even not being able to tell which way the model is turning. Remember, that low wing model has far less built in stability than the old trainer! Keep it near enough at all times to clearly see what attitude the model is in.        Many crashes I have witnessed have happened with the model far out over adjacent field, when the flyer has blamed the crash on loss of control or radio interference. However, I feel that the usual cause was simple pilot error - the radio always works when the pieces are recovered! Keep it near, keep it in one piece!! 3) Control surfaces with excessive deflection. It is a common mistake to think that because a model is billed as a sport/aerobatic type that it needs huge control surface movements. The only type of model that needs these is the fun-fly - not recommended for beginners and improvers. In fact, it is surprising how small the control surface deflections need to be for ninety five percent of the flight and your flying will look far smoother and more accomplished with smaller control movements. If you feel you will need more eventually for things like spins (elevator) and stall turns (rudder) get used to flying the model on low rates or with reduced deflections. Remember, the object is not to flit about the sky from one wing tip to the other like a demented blue bottle, but to fly smoothly and accurately. 4) Idle setting too low. If you suffer from engine cut-outs on low throttle it is often because of trying to set too low an idle speed. A fast reliable idle is fine for all flight regimes except landing, when you can slow the motor down on the trim lever. Again, never take off with the engine peaked out to absolute maximum revs'. ALWAYS back the needle valve out two or three clicks from maximum R.P.M. setting - the motor will lean out in the air as the propeller unloads and the level of the fuel drops in the tank.    Well, that's all I can think of for the moment - I honestly believe if you consider each of the above suggestions in turn and act on them, your flying will improve rapidly and your crash rate diminish. But above all it is down to practise, practise and still more practise, for which there is no substitute Farmer's radio-controlled chopper cuts off his leg SAGA -- A farmer lost his leg on Wednesday in a freak accident when a radio-controlled helicopter he was operating came crashing into him, police said.    The injured man, Narichika Aoki, was operating a crop-dusting helicopter over rice paddies in Takeo, Saga Prefecture, when he suddenly lost control of the aircraft shortly before 8 a.m.    The helicopter flew straight into the 35-year-old man and cut off his right leg with its rotor blade, police said.    Investigators said the radio-controlled aircraft, which is 2.4 meters in length and has 1.35-meter blades, belongs to the local Saga Midori agricultural cooperative.    Aoki was working with three other men when the accident occurred. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, July 30, 2003) Lubricants and Rust Most bearings come packed with a light, rust inhibiting grease. When replacing bearings, it is perfectly acceptable to leave this grease in the bearings to protect them until you run the engine. Your normal two stroke lube will eventually wash out the grease and replace it. If you like, you can also clean the bearings in regular fuel and apply some high quality oil such as Klotz Super Techniplate, or Sig Castor before installing. I would not use WD-40 as it can turn hard after a while.    Bearings rust for one reason: oxygen reacting with the iron in the steel. Certain chemicals can accelerate this action. Water and acids are the most common culprits. Most modern fuels have rust inhibitors either added or as a property of the oil used. Castor oil is a good rust inhibitor as are many modern synthetics. There are several ways to prevent or minimize rust in your engine. Two of the best are to run your engine dry after each flying session and store your engines in a dry location. For most of us, our engines are stored in a garage or shed. Not the ideal place! As extra insurance, an after-run oil may help reduce rust during longer periods of storage. Some fuel and aftermarket companies sell after-run oils and you can use oils made for air tools such as Marvel Air Tool oil. For this to be effective, the after-run oil has to reach all of the steel parts in your engine. A couple drops in the glow plug hole won't do that. A better approach is to open the throttle (two stroke) and place about 1/2cc (several drops) down the throat and let it run into the crankcase. Then spin the engine briefly with your starter or flip a few times by hand. Short of removing the backplate, there is no way to assure adequate coating of the steel parts. Four strokes with a breather nipple on the crankcase can have a small amount of oil injected there. Normally, this oil will reach the cam and bearings. The pushrods and rockers should be periodically cleaned and lubricated separately. Summary Engine bearings should be chosen for their particular use, not by hype and superstition. Most standard quality bearings will perform just fine in your engine and spending a lot of money for "high precision" bearings may only make your wallet a little lighter. Ceramic bearings are becoming popular for their low friction and long life. Costs for these bearings are getting close to that of premium steel bearings and will continue to come down as more people start using them. James Hunt. The Next Meeting The September 2nd club meeting will be held at the St. Andrews Rugby Club, Ash Lawn Road, Rugby, at 7.45 pm as usual. Quote: I'll run my hand gently over the wing of a small airplane and say to him, "This plane can teach you more things and give you more gifts than I ever could. It won't get you a better job, a faster car, or a bigger house. But if you treat it with respect and keep your eyes open, it may remind you of some things you used to know -- that life is in the moment, joy matters more than money, the world is a beautiful place, and that dreams really, truly are possible." And then, because airplanes speak in a language beyond words, I'll take him up in the evening summer sky and let the airplane show him what I mean. - Lane Wallace, 'Eyes of a Child, Flying magazine, February 2000 G :-)