Re: What 'skills' do you coinsider 'normal' for a modellerr?

You might add...

Use of computer to spell check..:):):):):):)

Dan Thompson (AMA 32873, EAA 60974, WB4GUK, GROL) remove POST in address for email

In the beginning, the only skills necessary are having an interest in the hobby in the first place, the willingness to learn, the patience to stick with it, and the perseverance to continue on through the failures. If you've got all that, you've got all you're going to need. Kind'a like life.

MJC

Don't forget being a competent liar - no dear this Multiplex royale is cheap German rubbish it really is the budget end of radio and its so much cheaper if you buy the digital servos with it as a package

Usually followed up by - no dear we don't seem to have a had a credit card statement for ages do we - (don't look in the glove box of the car PLEASE!!!!

This is a good point. My father fits this description perfectly. He built CL as a boy (50's), and builds beautiful RC models today, but can't fly them. He blames it on his vision, although the problem may also be that he'll only let me try to teach him. A son teaching his father stuff doesn't really seem to work well...

One day a few years ago, we were flying his PT 60 (he's a firm believer in bigger is better) on a trainer cord, and he had forbid me from regaining control until he said to. He put it in the trees. Not deterred, he then wanted to fly his Easy Sport 60 tail dragger, which was (note past tense usage) a fast ac that was much more responsive than the trainer. I advised him against it, at which point he said "I built it, and I want to fly it. Now get it in the air."

I did, under the same admonishment as before to not take it back over unless he said so. When he had it flying towards us and the flight line, I told him I was going to take it, he said don't, and then at the last second began yelling "Take it! Take it!" It was too late and it augered in between the flight line and where everyone had their cars parked, narrowly missing a retired pastor and his truck.

My father still wants to fly and still insists that I help him, but I only do so now well away from others (on his acreage), and with much lighter foam electrics. The shame of it all is that since I've moved a good distance away and he can't fly, he's really lost interest in building, which he's extremely good at.

Zman

Typing?

My god you do blow your trumpet.

being able to post without cross posting to multiple newsgroups

spell checker!!

When one is instructing, the instructor is ALWAYS the pilot in command. The instructor takes control when the instructor wants to. End of story. Student who don't beleive this when I teach them gt a new instructor!

David

Oh, I agree completely; but my father has a different view of his son telling him what to do, even in an instructional setting. As I said, it doesn't work very well.

When I was working taking full size flight training, I never hesistated to ask my instructor questions, but wouldn't have thought of arguing with him or not doing what he said. Same thing applied when I was learning to fly RC.

Zman

sounds to me like his interest was not so much in the planes, but, in you :)

Undoubtedly so, and for this and many other reasons, I'm blessed to have such a good man as a my father. Aside from the occasional balsa-splintering incidents : ), some of the best times a few of my brothers and I ever had with my Dad has been spent flying. I think he enjoys seeing his boys fly his creations as much as he would enjoy flying them himself.

Zman

Knowing it all Heavy drinking at the flying field Taking off and landing in the pitts Not using the peg board and switching on your Tx at any time Slagging people off behind their backs Taking 6 years to finish a model Letching at other members wives Heckling from the rear of the room at club meetings Late payment of subscriptions

Reading comprehension skills somewhat more advanced than that of a persimmon.

The ability to conclude that if three different people tell you what you're about to do is a bad idea, at least one of them might be right.

The understanding that a spinning propeller is a tool for marking stitch locations.

The knowledge that there is no such thing as a safe power tool.

The knowledge that sharp stabby pointy things always fall sharp stabby pointy end first.

The understanding of what could happen if you accidentally dump 2 ounces of super thin CA in your lap and then chase is with a quart of kicker so it will set before it gets to the naughty bits.

A knowledge of what usually follows "Hey guys, watch _this_ !".

The ability to read modelers' body language. There is a subtle difference between guys standing up to watch what they expect to be a precision landing, and guys standing up to get a head start for hard shelter.

The ability to hear and see things other than your own airborne model.

The innate ability to reason things out for yourself. Like, the covered shed on the flight line does not have a tin roof to keep the _sun_ off your head.

Lastly, the sure and certain understanding that ours is a four-stroke hobby : Buy, Build, Fly, Crash. Cheers, Fred McClellan the dash plumber at mindspring dot com

(a) normal reasonable skills that you have and expect to have to get a model in the air.

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I'm very new and recently started building my first kit [Great Planes PT-60]. I'm learning to fly an ARF trainer assembled by my brother, so this kit is my first time actually working on a balsa model of any kind.

I'm not a skilled builder and I'm deliberately going slow on my project. Lots of folks could probably build this plane in a weekend or two; I am not one of those folks.

Not on your list: I'm trying to be good at following the instructions for my PT-60.

From your list: I have done some cutting and shaping to make the sport wing joiners and dihedral braces. We'll see how accurate I was when I finish sanding them and actually try to join the wings.

I've been using pins to hold things in position for cutting, sanding, and gluing. Even though my plane has a lot of interlocking parts, I've used pins quite a bit.

I'm learning about adhesives as I go. It took me a while to learn to control the flow of thin CA. The GP manual tells what glue to use for the various steps; it should be a good resource for future projects.

No obscure materials for me at this point. Possibly in the future.

Sanding this thing will be a chore.

The type of planes I'm currently interested in will get iron on covering; no reason to learn the other stuff at this time.

No computer generated decals for me at this time; I'll stick with store bought graphics.

I can solder a little, but soldering is not needed on the planes I want right now.

Basic electrical theory - my knowledge is extremely basic. I know how to plug the radio components together [if I have the manual]. I know how to test for continuity in a circuit and a few other troubleshooting techniques.

Basic aerodynamic theory - I have little experience with this. I know the right people in the club to talk to about trimming a plane and know they'll point me in the right direction.

I would think reading comprehension is essential.

Red S.

SNIP

Also small clamps, clothespins, rubber bands, binder clips, books (wrapped in waxed paper) and anything else you can find.

How to sandpaper effectively, since this is the most commonly used shaping tool. I have a large collection of purchased bar sanders and homemade blocks of various shapes and sizes.

Basic metalworking so that you can drill out the hole in a tailwheel to fit the gear without the wheel wobbling (much). Advanced metalworking helps, if you need a strange washer, bracket, etc. It's also useful for drilling and tapping holes in crankcases for pressure taps.

Isn't it neat? I am not anywhere close to learning everything the hobby can teach. Maybe next year I will learn to cover with fiberglass and automotive paints. I will probably learn some new swear words doing this.

-- Mike Norton