Goodness gracious! Learning to fly a heli is not a walk in the park fer me. I’m not sure if this will register with anyone, gawd I hope it does, but there are different ways to teach, and different types of learners. I’m a tactile learner. It won’t matter if I hear someone say the same. thing. over. and. over. It won’t matter if I read it before I do it. I HAVE TO DO IT. I’ve tried to outsmart my own learning method but I only wind up banging my head against the wall or throwing my hands to the skies, screaming “Why?!”
Airstar’s main man, Josef, has the patience of a saint, I tell you. It’s gotta be frustrating to teach someone something that comes second nature to them. Where am I going with all this? Well, I still can’t keep the goddamn heli from flying over the hills, off into the wild blue yonder. *sigh* Now, the guys I train with seem hell-bent on teaching me to hover. They want me to hover. I say, “Show me how to bring back the heli!” Show me. Move my fingers for me. Let me watch YOU manipulate the sticks so I can copy your moves. There’s a lot to be said for muscle memory. I know my learning style! Even if I screw up royally, Josef can always take over- he’s got a manual override switch that puts him in the pilot’s seat.
Airstar’s main man, Josef, has the patience of a saint, I tell you. It’s gotta be frustrating to teach someone something that comes second nature to them. Where am I going with all this? Well, I still can’t keep the goddamn heli from flying over the hills, off into the wild blue yonder. *sigh* Now, the guys I train with seem hell-bent on teaching me to hover. They want me to hover. I say, “Show me how to bring back the heli!” Show me. Move my fingers for me. Let me watch YOU manipulate the sticks so I can copy your moves. There’s a lot to be said for muscle memory. I know my learning style! Even if I screw up royally, Josef can always take over- he’s got a manual override switch that puts him in the pilot’s seat.
Somehow, Rainmaker doesn’t sound so convinced this is a good way for me to learn. Anyhoo…
It’s rained these past two weekends in a row. I’m not complaining about the weather in California. We need the rain. But it really cuts into MY play time. Outside, anyway.
Meanwhile, back at the shop… Saturday and Sunday, I helped Rainmaker and Josef piece kits together. What I most enjoy about this entire experience is that it’s an immersion method that I take to quite well. I can see which parts are needed, what the parts are called, I know what LocTite is, and I want to get my hands on that soldering gun and do some damage. (Not really, but you know what I mean.)
I don’t know if many people use their phones to photograph on a regular basis but wow, my phone takes some of the most awesome pictures. There’s a lot to be said for natural light. The sun came out for a brief spell and we were able to take Rainmaker’s Mongoose on its first test-flight. Ohmigod. Oh. My. Gawd. She’s beautiful! Beautiful! And I got to help. What a feeling! I’m imagining calling up the factory, saying, “Yeah, I think I’ll try a black frame this time, with a white canopy.” A kit! I could paint my own dragon on it. How awesome would that be?!
FLIGHT TIME:
25 mins
It might have been a little more productive on my part had the transmitter been adjusted prior to training- a previous student tweaked everything and didn’t reset. Josef was constantly making adjustments as me and Rainmaker practiced/trained. In the end, it was all good. It’s all part of the learning experience. I just thought I was doing really, really bad but it was all the transmitter's fault. LOL
TECHNICAL TERMS:
Torque
Rotor blades
Carburetor
TOOLS:
Belt sander
Heat gun
Cap Screws
G5 Real Flight simulator (Gotta get one!)
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