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FLYING
Whether or not the Antoinette is your first indoor R/C model, we strongly suggest that you pay close attention to the
following information! If you have access to an indoor basketball court or a clear gym space of about the same size, you
can quickly get the take-off and landing procedures understood with little problem. If you don't have this kind of indoor
space available, find a large paved surface outdoors, and remember you cannot fly this airplane in any kind of wind! In all
of the following instructions, remember that altitude is best controlled with the throttle. As you gain experience flying the
Antoinette, you will do this automatically. Finally, remember that the flight controls are on the right stick (for Mode II
transmitters) and that trying to correct with "rudder" on the left stick will do nothing! This might seem a little obvious but if
you are normally a 4-channel pilot, it can be a very real issue.
Taking off the Antoinette could not be easier. Simply throttle up smoothly (do not
"punch it"), correcting the take-off run with a little rudder, if needed, and it will lift
off by itself in a very short distance. Typical take-off runs for the Antoinette are
about 6' - 10'. As soon as the airplane lifts off, smoothly throttle back the motor,
WITHOUT TURNING IT OFF, allowing the airplane to lightly settle back down to
the "runway" for a landing under power. All of this should be done in a straight
line. Repeat this exercise enough times to become familiar with the way the
airplane responds to throttle and your small control inputs. If you learn nothing
else, learn this; the Antoinette will not continue flying with the motor off. With the
motor off, it will almost immediately stop flying and drop to the ground. This
characteristic is shared with the fullscale Antoinette, as well as most, if not all,
early pioneer aircraft.
Once you've mastered the take-off and landing techniques, you're ready to fly the
airplane. Take-off and use the throttle to establish a "cruise" altitude of about 6' to
8' in the air. Make the turns smooth, keeping the nose level or slightly down to
avoid stalling and to maintain forward speed. This turning technique is very useful
throughout the Antoinette's flight envelope. After making just a few turns, you'll
realize that the control authority is remarkably smooth and sure, without being
"twitchy". If flying indoors and the ceiling height permits, take the airplane up
higher, using throttle to seek and then, hold any given altitude. This is a good
exercise in learning how to fly this model. It won't be long before you're perfectly
comfortable with this very nice flying scale model. Make a few low, slow passes
and listen to your flying buddy's comments!
When you're ready to land, remember the landing technique that you practiced earlier - you must land under power! Set up
for a landing by lowering the throttle setting just enough to let the airplane begin descending on its own. Line-up the final
approach to take advantage of the longest part of your "runway", keeping the airplane straight while it settles to the ground
under low power. Use elevator input only sparingly to avoid killing off too much forward speed and to flare very slightly
immediately before touchdown. Turn the motor off, allowing the model to stop. On the smooth wooden floors of indoor
gyms and basketball courts we've learned to "taxi" our Antoinette back to the flight station, using coordinated rudder and
throttle inputs.
As you gain air time and experience, you'll be able to perform wingovers, touch and go landings, and of course, those
lovely low, slow fly-bys. We've tried to loop the Antoinette many times but its relatively low speed, high-lift airfoil, and lack
of mass tend to combine, making a loop nothing more than a powered stall. Hey, the full-scale Antoinette didn't loop either!
Remember, we’re talking 1909 - the first loop wasn’t done with any airplane until 1913!
Finally, make it a habit to check over the airframe of your Antoinette after each flight. Check for any loose joints, etc.
Bringing a little CA glue to your flying sessions is highly recommended for the first few outings.
CONCLUSION
We sincerely hope that building and flying your Antoinette has been a rewarding and interesting experience. We also hope
that you now have a little better appreciation for the very real contributions that early aviation pioneers made in refining and
furthering one of man's grandest dreams!
Want to learn more? During our research of the Antoinette and the other SIG Pioneers Of Flight models, we had a lot of
fun reading related books for scraps of information and to find the occasional grainy black and white photograph of our
subjects. One of the best books on these old aeroplanes is "Picture History Of Early Aviation, 1903-1913", by Joshua Stoff,
published by Dover Publications 1996. It’s probably the single best source of photos of the early aeroplanes, and it’s still
available new from book dealers.
Содержание Antoinette 1909
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