Without detracting from pages that will follow this one. This is a more condensed page covering getting into the swing of things for beginners to CL flying and trying to also get into carrier flying.
If you have ever flown a controlline model you will probably naturally drop into a habit of shuffling around on the spot as you circulate with the model. Nothing wrong with this stance under normal circumstances, but in a carrier competition things will be a little different.
Beginners:
No way is this a, "This is what you must do things" piece. Indeed if you are just starting out, just fly in way that is comfortable for you at whatever stage you are at. The only requisite is staying inside the centre circle. With experience you will naturally adopt some of the following techniques, if for no other reason than to try and improve those stubborn scores you just can't seem to improve.
The Pilot Circle:
Both for Junior, Basic, Class 1 and Postal, we are required to stay within a 3m diameter circle for the whole flight.
OK. this will still be okay and very useful if you are aging or just starting, out as you will be aware if you wander too far; it does happen! You can happily still shuffle round as usual, but it's possible to use that circle to our advantage.
The Fast Run:
Shuffling around on the spot is needed for the fast run. But it's easy to slip into a strait out arm or slightly bent towards yourself. This is not good for fast. Holding the handle as close to your body as possible and even leaning backward slightly, will effectively make the line radius as short as possible. This manifests in a faster lap time, even if the increase is slight it is an increase and that will count in the final score
The Slow Run
This is where the majority of the points you can score emanate from.
In what is almost the exact opposite of the fast run technique, the aim is to at the least extend your arm as far as possible for the whole run. I know this can be difficult in trying conditions, but some pilots have god like ability to do this come what may.
That is only the first part of getting the most out of the circle. The next, and I remember it well, was to learn to walk around the periphery of the circle at the same time. This is much easier said than done when flying in averse windy conditions..
The idea behind the process is, by walking around 1.5m off centre we in effect, extend the length of the effective radius of the lines by 1.5m plus the length of your arm, thus taking the model proportionally longer to cover the same distance.
Landing:
Probably the most daunting and fear ridden experience, especially if you have spent a lot of time and effort in building a model. There is no easy way to get used to this, if ever, but it is one of the most rewarding when it all goes right.
The ideal is to approach at just above deck height and cut the motor or engine so the model drops to the deck. Excuse me whilst I laugh hysterically at this point. The deck is always placed so the landing approach is downwind., meaning a usually pretty fast approach, with the model being a pig to control and keep at a steady height; unless you happen to be one of the god like beings I mentioned before,
All this sounds pretty hopeless and daunting in the beginning... But! there are things you need to tattoo on your brain. We are supposed to be doing this for fun! Unless you are pot hunting, then all bets are off! Taking a relaxed approach is much less stressful. Carrier comps are pretty laid back affairs anyway.
Doing things for fun means, not! smashing up a model just to get it on the deck. If you are not comfortable on the approach, go around again. all that happens is you will loose a few points off your score each time. Also the landing run only counts from the time you signal your attempt to do so. So take a few runs at it to get a feel for how things are going without landing and BEFORE you signal. Then if you still miss just go around and try again and keep trying. Even if you run out of fuel and never get to deck; think positively, you managed the through the other parts and can have another go.
Do not, as I see so many people do, and try to dive at the deck if you are too high. Diving only really works if you pretty low to start with, Tail dragger undercarriages can really suffer when doing this, tending to nose over and bury the prop in the deck on impact. tricycle undercarriages really do have an advantage in this respect.
The best approach is as slow and low as you can, and learn how to judge the right time to cut the throttle (it's somewhere around or just before the top of the stern ramp) so the model flops to the deck. In reality this presents an unpowered fast glide. The speed being faster with a higher sink rate on a heavy model and slower with lower sink rate on a lighter one. Be read to apply full throttle if it doesn’t hook up, so you can go around again ( a bolter ).
There is one other technique that can work, but it's not used often; just fly across the deck fairly fast, (very low). Sometimes that extra speed keeps the model on a more stable trajectory. I know it works because the first landing I ever made was was with a jammed throttle that would not close. And its happened since, inadvertently, when not meaning to land. Who knows? It may work well for you. It's something to keep in mind when normal things are just not working.
My own mantra has always been, "Its better to go home with a low score and an intact model, than a high score and a pile of bits; I can always try to do 'better' next time I fly".
There is always an exception
All this can get a bit muddy depending what class you are attempting to fly in. Class One and Postal are similar in that not arriving on deck does not loose any existing points; whereas in Basic you will loose the all points if you don't manage a landing and still be on the deck in whatever attitude you end up in.
It could be anything from pot hunting, to just enjoying a day out. Starting out you are unlikely to win, it can happen, but unlikely,
Winning in any field means slowly working on a technique that brings consistency. if you can get consistent reasonable scores it's possible to make small changes to improve.
Excluding the model and often overlooked.
Consistency means knowing you're equipment. Chopping and changing engines, fuel, or models, will not teach you much, just provide a new set of problems each time. Solving problems on one engine to make it start every time and throttle well are probably more important than the actual flight. If it won't do either, you are as good as dead in the water; If it does work, try to get hold of another of the same brand and capacity as a spare or for another model, then you will have two engines that you know how to handle and can rely on. The same incidentally goes for fuel and glow plugs, don't chop and change unless you have to.
To a slightly lesser extent this also applies to electric models. Excluding piloting ability ,propellers can make a big difference even between brands. The batteries are the thing that can make or break good scores, and require some work to find the best power to weight ratio and capacity, once found don't keep changing things. There are big differences between, some LiPo brands you will usually pay more for to get better performance. When starting out it's not necessary to go for the best when a ordinary cheap battery will do the job, there will be more pressing things to get right. The most common mistake is using too large a capacity battery (xxxx mah rating) , which just adds unnecessary weight (and cost) Unfortunately finding how small you can get away with means having various sizes available in the first place. Unless you are fortunate enough to have some means of having direct telemetry from the flying model to tell you what is actually happening in real time, it will have to be a suck it and see approach.
Weight
The model part of the equation is mainly about weight/wing loading, a lightweight, large wing area will always have an advantage in slow flight, downside is they can be not so easy to handle in a strong wind. Heavy models need more power, apply sods law, and that means a disproportionate amount of more power for a modest improvement in speed. Heavy = fast airspeed powered or not. Fast landings can be best described as; exciting arrivals!