Sitting in the plane or not ?

[Bob Pastorello]

I'll throw in my .01 here....I've worked with some folks through the years who have become pretty notable fliers...and with them, as other students, as soon as they can fly I start whispering about "get in the cockpit"...and STAY THERE !!!
    My experience, and those I've worked with would reinforce the value of that "situational awareness" that the mental picture of being "in" the cockpit provides.
    For those ready to claim it doesn't work - you have to do it enough, until it is a ritual...when running up the motor, until shutting it down...you work at keeping your mental perspective as if you're in the plane.  It can't be learned well in a dozen flights;  probably not 50...but once learned, many, many corrections that were troublesome before (like "wrong rudder") gets a LOT easier.

Don Lowe has a long experience and history of many credentials and wins in aerobatics!  He wouldn't make that recommendation lightly.

Bob Pastorello, Oklahoma
NSRCA 199, AMA 46373
rcaerobob at cox.net
www.rcaerobats.net


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Xavier Mouraux 
  To: discussion at nsrca.org 
  Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2004 7:49 PM
  Subject: Sitting in the plane or not ?


  Hello again,

  I was reading Don Lowe's column in RCM and was surprised at his recommandation to beginners RC pilots: "establish yourself as in the cockpit ... and then the control motions required never change".

  I havn't flown outside for a few month now so I can't try to verify what I do. I am asking you guys who may have notice it before. Do you fly like you are sitting in the airplane or you look at the plane and move the sticks automatically ?

  Another question related to flying: Were do you look when you pilot an RC plane ?
  a) The plane in general
  b) The nose of the plane
  c) The tail of the plane
  d) Some distance in front of the plane (were you want it to go) 

  Thanks 

  Xavier

  note: I have not been in this hobby for very long so I don't know everybody's history. If someone could give me a small resume of Don Lowe, I will appreciate.
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