Tips 5 : Landing

The most important thing to know about landing a model airplane is that it must land into the wind - just like the real thing. Think back to the section on lift and you can see that wind is effectively free lift that is available for you without using engine power.

To bring your plane in, start by lining it up with the place where you want it to land, either grass or a runway. Then reduce the power, without turning the engine completely off. Use just enough engine power to maintain a gentle rate of descent while keeping the airplane in the landing attitude (that means wheels down - not nose down!), use the rudder to keep the plane in a straight line, allowing it to glide down to the ground gently. Remember that the amount of engine power you need will vary according to the strength of the wind you are flying into - and that can change from day to day.

Some model airplanes have an elevator control. In this case, you can adjust the height, but if your plane doesn't have this feature, don't worry--the engine will do the same thing if you power up briefly to help slow the descent down. Otherwise, it's best to use the elevator to pop the nose up lightly as you touch down, this drains excess speed from the plane.

If you're uncomfortable with landing, turn the engine back on to full power. Then, circle around and try again, lining up again with the runway or grass. Remember that even the experts make mistakes and have missed approaches, and you'll do far better to circle three, four, or five times than to crash your plane. However, you want to make sure you do not run out of fuel or battery power before landing, or the plane could end up somewhere you do not want it to go

Again, thank you for subscribing to this special 5-part report. Hopefully, you have read each of the previous instalments in this series and are now fully aware of five ways you can increase your enjoyment of this great hobby while protecting the safety of your plane and of those people on the ground.