Preliminary checks include:

• Battery charged and correctly installed
• Everything is secure (including motor) and nothing is flopping about
• Wing, tailplane and canopy correctly attached to fuselage
• Left is left, Right is Right, Up is Up and Down is Down
• Control surfaces are firmly attached and there is no slop in them
• Control surfaces trimmed to centre - with trim switches centred
• EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - is the Centre of Gravity in the correct place?

If the Centre of Gravity is too far back then there is more than a 50% probability of a crashed and damaged plane - because it will fly like a dog, particularly at landing speed - close to that very hard thing called the ground.

Be aware of the areas that you may launch from, may and may not fly over and where you are to land (remember your Square Landing Approach).

DON'T attempt the test throw (as is done with unpowered gliders) as an electric glider is likely to have a higher wing loading and need more speed than an unpowered glider to stay in the air. Leave the test glide for your expert to do - if s/he feels it appropriate to do so.

My personal preference is to not do a test throw at all - but, after doing the preliminary checks above, to launch it and get it WELL away from the ground before seeing what it can do.

Aerial up?

Check the fliers and planes around you (and that there are none in front). Flick the levers so you can check your plane is definitely on.

Loudly call "launching" and wait for any response.

With you (or your assistant) holding the plane firmly, and pointing straight into the wind, stand clear of the propeller and switch on the motor. Launch the plane forward and just slightly upwards. continue forwards and slowly upwards - making no sudden movements with the sticks - keeping the plane in a gentle climb until is around 250 feet (80 metres) in the air and the motor is turned off. It is important that the climb be into the breeze, so you don't lose orientation and the plane does not loose airspeed in a downwind turn.

In the early stages, your trainer will be doing all this for you, which is just as well as electric planes can have foibles which the inexperienced pilot is not equipped to deal with.

In particular, if the motor is not pointing about 8-10 degrees downwards (or throttle to down elevator appropriately mixed on your computer radio), it may be necessary to "ride" the down elevator in the climb.

(Are you starting to see the advantages of a computer radio??)

NOW THE PLANE IS UP

When the plane has gathered sufficient height for a decent flight, the motor is turned off and the plane flown around and trims are adjusted if necessary for level unpowered gliding.

Your trainer may have you do a lot of unpowered gliding before letting you attack flying with the motor on.

Under the guidance of your trainer, you will be able to take over more of the flying. First the bit at the top (17 mistakes high!) and get used to the feeling of the controls.

GENTLE!!! is the key word. Don't TUG on the sticks, SQUEEZE them.

Squeeze in some gentle left until you notice the plane starting to turn, then IMMEDIATELY centre the stick and watch your plane keep turning.

If you turn your car to the left and then straighten the steering wheel the car will straighten out, - but not so a plane. Left rudder will put the plane in a bank. Centre the rudder stick and the plane will generally stay in the bank and continue turning. You may need some opposite rudder to flatten the plane.

Providing you are turning gently, you will not need any elevator in the turn. However if your turn is tighter (or your plane is on which required it), you will need a little up elevator.

A common mistake for new fliers is to bring in the up elevator at the wrong time. (Too early causes the plane to stall. Too late allows the nose to drop.)

Here's how it all works:

1 - Initiate the turn with some rudder.

2 - AFTER noticing the plane starting to turn, bring in and HOLD a LITTLE up elevator.

3 - Centre the Rudder but MAINTAIN THE UP ELEVATOR

4 - To take the plane out of the bank, give it Opposite Rudder. You'll probably centre the elevator stick at the same time, but you will soon get to know what works best for your plane.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE DOING ALL THIS 17 MISTAKES HIGH - SO THAT IF THE PLANE SUDDENLY DOES SOMETHING UNEXPECTED YOU WILL HAVE PLENTY OF ROOM TO RECOVER!!!

A well trimmed plane will be trimmed to fly at its most efficient glide angle - which for most beginners' planes is just a little faster than stalling speed. Beginners often hold in up elevator in the belief that this will stop the plane from coming down - but all it does is to slow the plane to the extent that the wings are no longer performing efficiently - so the plane ends up coming down quicker.

Before taking your plane up, your trainer would have determined where it is to be landed, as per the "Square Landing Approach diagram" in the Learning to Fly section.

As it lost height the plane will have been allowed to come downwind of your trainer and then turned back into the wind for its final approach. If there are other fliers about, your trainer will have called "Landing!".

A well trimmed plane will be stable and come down gently and slowly and will require only a little rudder to keep it its nose into the wind. Your trainer will show you if any elevator is required to bring the plane down - to stop it hitting the ground too fast or too hard.

A common mistake of beginners is to try to land the plane as slowly as possible, keeping it off the ground for as long as possible, with a view to the gentlest of landing.

There are two risks in this, the first is that the plane will stall completely, and drop its nose sharply, or worse, will tip-stall and drop one wing only, with sad results.

Alternatively, if there is any turbulence about, the plane will be picked up and tossed into an attitude from which there is no opportunity to recover because of both lack of height and lack of airspeed over the control surfaces.

The better way is to let the plane maintain some speed, giving a consistent and appropriate glide path, no risk of tipstalling and plenty of airspeed over the control surfaces.

After landing, remember, switch off the receiver first and then the transmitter.

Keep building on your pyramid of success until things become quite natural. Soon enough you too will be launching, thermalling, "aerobaticing" and landing yourself. Be prepared for the occasional setback but reduce the probabilities of this by taking note of your instructor, flying in calm weather, maximising your safety parameters and practicing at home in the lounge getting a feel of the controls.

Keep your plane out of trouble and undamaged by knowing when the wind is too strong to fly. Polyhedral gliders are easily carried downwind and outside your cone of safety.

Get plenty of airtime, practicing your manoeuvres plenty of height from the ground, so that orientation and the manner in which your plane behaves becomes second nature to you.