Ripmax Serenity any use?

LOG

I got a Serenity plane around Christmas but still can't keep it up for more than two minutes. I'm doing everything i was told ,but the slightest bit of wind at all and it's hitting the grourd like a ton of bricks. Am i wasting my time with this plane or do I need some serious lessons. Any feed back about the serenity or tips welcome

tallus

Have you called the place where you bought it and asked THEM for advice? maybe they can help a bitr more than we can

LOG

Cheers, but i asked them already and didn't get any new info

coolwings

LOG wrote:

I got a Serenity plane ..... but still can't keep it up for more than two minutes....

It will fly - once you know how to fly it.

It will never fly well in Ireland except on the very calmest of days, because we are a windy country and it is, unfortunately for you, basically a toy airplane.
So it just doesn't have enough power for penetrating the windspeed we have here, and may fly backwards on a breezy day. The AA batteries inside are just not up to flying in Ireland. We might be using 10 or 20 times the power you've got when we fly.

But it will fly, when you know how to fly it.

LOG wrote:

...I'm doing everything i was told ,...

What were you told? That it would "fly easy"?
You should know that flying is a balance thing, not an intellectual thing, so telling doesn't help. It is a bit like being told how to swim, or how to do the trapeze, or play the guitar. You need to be shown, and helped, and practise these skills, and flying is the same. All practical skills have teachers/instructors.

LOG wrote:

...but the slightest bit of wind at all and it's hitting the grourd like a ton of bricks....

Naturally. A gentle breeze is like a howling gale to that model. You need no wind at all.

LOG wrote:

.... Am i wasting my time with this plane...

Not wasting time. Any confirmed flier will not recommend you buy it, they know you will have to buy another very soon to do what it cannot do, and they would recommend a more serious plane for using your cash on. But, lots of newcomers buy this kind of model first, and find out about aeromodelling with a "toy" - no problem. It's true, maybe you might had been better advised. But you've got this one. Enjoy it. Fly it, crash it, use it up, and throw it out. Then get another better plane. Forget about cheap planes or the next one will just have different looks but fly the same.

LOG wrote:

.... or do I need some serious lessons....

Yes you do need lessons. You can teach yourself if you want, repairing your bashes, and it costs a bit in models!. Very few models fly well enough to be suitable for self-teach, but there are a few, like Daisy and Easy Star.
The best hobby shops will teach, otherwise you need a club where there are instructors available. Lessons are free, but club instructors won't want to crash your model themselves, so they will be reluctant to get involved until you have a plane and more powerful radio.

As Tallus says, the backup advice/help/lessons should come from the seller. Where did you get it? Have you contacted them? Did they help?
If they are no good you could ask for advice from the place you get your next model.
Often a good local hobby shop will help out. When the aircraft you got is bought elsewhere and unsuitable as well, they can't do much. The hobby shop sells planes and expertise together as a package .

May I suggest you give Green Hobby & Model a call? www.greenhobbymodel.com.
It is a big Irish model airplane hobbyshop in Dublin that stocks almost 200 kinds of model planes as well as nitro cars buggies trucks etc. (I work there some days in the week.) The staff fly themselves and know what they're talking about.
the Green Hobby guys often recommend different kinds of model plane - so as to suit different locations, and will usually ask you where you intend to fly it, so as to suggest the most suitable models for your particular needs. (eg west coast = more exposed than east coast)
If you don't know where you can fly - they will advise you on that too.
However - remember if you got the model somewhere else, you are asking a shop "to work for free" when you ask for advice. (Would you work for free for long?) So you may have to wait a bit while they deal with customers first , or even buy something ! But that is where the expertise is and flying planes is an expertise thing.
BTW Do you have a flying pal who can show you how to do it? :cool:

Hope this helps.

coolwings

LOG wrote:

...keep it up for more than two minutes. ....

That sounds wrong - those models usually go for longer. Is the battery flat after 2 minutes? Or is it that you strike the ground thus preventing a longer flight, and there was adequate battery power left?
On the duration of flights. Some people will say to you electric flies for short duration....
I am teaching my 10 year old young lad to fly with an electric model that cost €50 in a sale in Green Hobby & Model last Christmas. (That didn't include engine/radio/battery)
The last flights have been 20 minutes (slope), 40 minutes (slope), 45 minutes (slope) , 14 minutes (Dublin kestrel Club field).
It is not brushless (motor = €8.50) and uses conventional (good quality) nimh battery technology that cost €26 (not fragile lipo), micro servos, gold plugs, good TMM speed controller.
So duration a problem in electric? Not really. Not with decent gear.

Here is a vid clip:
http://www.greenhobbymodel.com/cessna400foamie.wmv
As you can see we're not pussyfooting around to get longer flights. What you see is 1/2 throttle circuits and 3/4 throttle to climb.

There are pics of it here on my own webpages,
http://uk.geocities.com/norm_flyer/what_to_fly.htm
As you can see it doesn't look special or expensive. It is nicely designed styro kit but a bit advanced assembly. We modified the styro kit by fitting a better Aeronaut geared motor and a bigger more efficient prop, and strengthened it with a few ribbons of fibreglass to make it more durable.