Newbie Imac - Learning Basic Routine

[Vahn]

Hi,

My first post in the Imac forums. Please have some patience.

I have been (trying to) set up / trim a new 50cc Airwild Extra as an Imac ship. So far, I have been going it alone. Fortunately, their are plenty of resources for this type of thing. I have many of them printed and put in a binder which I take with me to the field (OCMA Blackstarr in Orange County, CA). Unfortunatly, their doesn't seem to be many Imac pilots where I fly. It's most Scale, helicopter, 3D, or just fun-fly/sportsman.

I never really realized how poor of a pilot I was until I tried to fly a perfectly straight line consistencly. I had no idea just how much altitude I dropped when I rolled my plane until I started practicing doing it perfectly straight.

I am set for 15 degress up and down and roll just about once a second (counted out loud as: "ONE one thousand") and easily drop 5 (?) feet without any elevator input. Yikes! Applying the correct amount of elevator, and at the right time, when inverted in a roll is actually far more complicated than most people would give it credit for.

Part of this might be CG, because it takes a fair amount of stick to hold an inverted line level. But, when doing the 45 degree roll-inverted test that many trim guides have, my plane slowly pull to the canopy. I moved the CG back today just a tad by moving the ignition battery and will re-fly tommorow to see if I like it better.

Basically, I am an embrassed sport flyer who desperatly wants to be a better pilot. I was thinking I would learn about Imac as a way to force myself to train to be a better pilot.

I am curious if the Southwest region has a directory of Imac pilots. I'd like to try to find one of them who flies at my field that I can poach some knowledge from.

You can read and read and read and watch videos all day long (and I have and do). But, what I could use is someone who flys Imac to compare and contrast some specfics with. I'd like to understand (and see first-hand) specfically how much a competitive plane pulls to canopy in the 45 degree, roll-inverted CG test. Etc., all.

The hobby is more fun because of the people at the field. I dearly love the "morning flying crew" that I see all the time, but all of them are as casual / sport-flyers as I am and none of them are that seriously intrested in becoming better pilots.

Summarizing my post:

1. Is their a directory of Imac pilots for the Southwest region? Or, maybe, a more regional message forum where I can try and figure out where these guys hang out and bribe someone to adopt me?

2. When your Imac plane has a good CG, how much input does a properly trained Imac plane need when in inverted flight (or normal flight for that matter).

2a. Is it possible to describe in words how much the plane should pull to the canopy (if at all) when doing the 45 degree upline, roll inverted test CG?

3. I really had no idea how much altitide I lost during a roll until I tried to fly the first manuver on 08 Basic sequence perfectly level at 100 or so feet and right in front of me. How embrassing! Is something wrong with my plane set-up, or is this typical.

Imac is way, way, more challenging than I think most recreatonal fliers would give it credit for. I was suprised, for sure.

My 09 goal is to fly the Basic sequence with a high-level of competence and perhaps enter a competition.

Thanks for reading.

David (aka Vahn)

[sweetpea]

No matter how bad you think you are flying......enter the contest anyway. Its the fastest way to meet folks. You may not do as badly as you think either.

Everything about IMAC is hard, except making friends


1. No list I know of with all the SW IMAC members names/cities. I do know that Camarillo, Riverside, Bakersfield are some of the top areas with pilots.

2. This is preference. My plane settles at 45 degrees. It took alot of trimming and CG adjustments to get it there.

3. Nope, its typical. Most people fly fast rolls to hide the drop in altitude. Personally I think this hurts you in later classes when you have point rolls and rolling elements to manuevers. Its better to score low now and learn to control the airplane instead of it controlling you. You can go slightly more nose heavy which tends to make things a little less pitchy. Also a roll should not just be elevator but you should be adding Rudder as well when you are sideways.


And lastly.....you are never done trimming a plane. Don't kid yourself there. As you improve you will change throws, expo, CG etc etc as the skills of your flying are tested in other ways, your plane will need to react and you will learn to feel what its missing or has too much of.

2 most important things in IMAC though.........Fun and Fuel. Without both you will never get better.

[Mike Busutil]

Hey Sam, I noticed your almost at 5,000 post! Sweet!

[HK the III Esq.]

i just started in IMAC last summer. I would have considered my self an alright pilot before getting into the sequence flying. One run through the 08 Basic sequence and i felt like a chump. The rudder has now become one of my best friends...

Like Sweetpea said.. Get into the contest no matter what. I got my a$$ handed to me in my first and second contest. The knowledge you gain from flying with the IMAC guys is unreal. I've flown ONE season in the NW with these guys and learned more about flying properly and accurately than I had in the last 3.

Be careful though... it's unbelievably addictive. It was all I flew this summer and IMAC planes took over in my fleet. (I've sold all but one warbird now)

I spend about an hour a day on the simulator now prepping for next season. There's nothing like flying against better pilots to drive you towards improving your own flying...

I had almost all the same problems you are encountering when i set up my first IMAC plane as well (87" Aeroworks Edge 540 kit). It took about 30flights to get that one reasonably trimmed.

If you can find an IMAC'r in your area with a little more experience, you can have them call for you a few times too, help with inputs for the start. (This helped me immensely when a higher class IMAC'r spent some time with me - and i still fly/call with him today).

Enjoy it! it's the best thing you can do with your flying time to improve your handle on the Sticks...

[bubbagates]

Vahn,

Go have a look at this thread

http://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/f...-neg-spin.html

They are all basically from your area and I'll bet any one of them will be willing to meet up with you and get you through some practice sessons.

IMAC will definitely make you a better pilot. I've seen 3D pilots go from stick banging barely in control to being able to place the place in whatever position they want without thinking about it

I've seen sport fliers that would balk at flying in winds above 10mph that happily now take off in 20+mph winds and in both the 3D and sport cases, all have been bitten by the IMAC bug

One thing to remember is while you will see lots of very large planes and you will be told in most cases that you need something bigger, I've seen guys that I helped with 50cc planes go to Intermediate with the same plane and kick major butt with it. Not that having something bigger is bad, quite the opposite but one must remember it's also plane setup as well as pilot skills that make the real difference

[zx32tt]

Keep an eye out for any contests or IMAC bootcamps in your area. That's where you will meet guy's that are serious about IMAC local to you. Get Paul Goldsmiths trimming chart, and folow it as far as you can in trimming your plane. Find someone with an incidence gage and check the engine thrust line, and wing to stab incidence. Once all this is in order, you can start to do the trimming. Even if you never fly competion, just learning to do the maneuvers will make you a better flyer. Practice with a purpose, and have fun.
zx32tt