Computer simulators are very helpful for beginners who can crash repeatedly without having to repair a real aircraft. They needn’t be high end expensive versions, programmes costing £20-£30 are available that are very suitable. They consist of a disc and a transmitter that plugs into the computer via a USB lead. They’re especially helpful when it comes to practicing your left and rights when the aircraft is flying towards you!

If you would like to practice on a real model plane before flying Roprey, inexpensive trainer aircraft, often called “foamies” in the RC world, exists just for the purpose of training beginners. They tend to fly very slowly, be very lightweight, and be exceptionally stable meaning they can’t be inadvertently rolled and plunged into the rising ground.

Those of you already involved in the RC world will be aware of how big the hobby is. For those of you new to the RC world, there will likely be an RC club within a 30-60 minute drive from your home. Many clubs have highly skilled resident pilots with a number of relevant qualifications. They can be a great resource when it comes to aircraft information and flying advice, also most memberships to these clubs include insurance against RC related mishaps.

Should someone be absolutely convinced that they couldn’t be a pilot, and yet still want to participate in Rofalconry, an experienced member of such a club would take your hand off for the chance to fly for you! Equally, those of you with young kids born in the Xbox generation will already know that using electronic devices is in their DNA!

1. MOTOR AND FAN

• Does the motor look, sound and feel like it is running well?
• Have you accidently run the engine for a moment when it was stuck in mud or sand?
• Is the fan clean and spinning freely?
• Are the edges of the fan blades becoming worn?
• Is a blade loose or missing? If so, replace the fan.
• Is the engine securely in place and in proper alignment?
• If it has shifted forward, put hot glue under the rim and push it back into line.

2. BATTERY

• Check the battery is fully charged using a voltmeter.
• Is the battery puffed, swollen or damaged in any way?
• Old or weak batteries can greatly decrease power and shorten the flight time.
• Have you used an empty battery instead of a new battery by mistake?

3. RECEIVER AND TRANSMITTER

• Is the transmitter charged?
• Is the receiver bound to the transmitter?
• If not: Turn the transmitter on, turn the model on. Press and hold the little black button on the back of the receiver for 3 seconds. Then turn everything off and on again.
• Are all electrical connectors tight, secure and in good repair?
• Is the stabiliser exactly horizontal and secure?
• Does each control give the right response from the model?

4. SERVOS AND LINKAGES

• Do the servos move smoothly without grinding?
• Do the servos give the right amount of movement on the flight surfaces?
• Is the reflex trimmed properly with the elevons slightly up?
• Are the servo wires in good repair and well-secured?

5. MODEL INSPECTION

• Is there any structural damage to the model that needs to be repaired?
• Is the rubber band secured and still strong enough for hard flying?
• If the rubber band is weak, you will see wing flutter during hard manoeuvres.
• Are all of the horns on the surfaces intact and well secured?
• Is there smooth airflow over all wing surfaces?
• If any fluttery feathers are added they must be on the head or trailing behind, but NOT on the wing.
• Are all repairs strong, smooth and correctly aligned without adding weight?
• The all up weight should not exceed 650g.
• Did you hold the fuselage level when connecting the battery, until the stabiliser established?
• Have you checked that the stabiliser is working by tilting the model?

6. PROPER TRAINING

• Do you need some help to fly this type of model?
• Have you spent time on a buddy cord or simulator with a similar model?
• Do you have a qualified trainer who knows what they are doing?
• Do you understand what they are telling you?
• Do you know how to launch your model properly?
• Can you handle a radio controller in one hand while you launch the model with the other?
• Having an assistant to launch the model in the early stages can be very helpful.

7. READY?

Go through this checklist before you fly, and go through it again after any accident or model modification.

For more information regarding everything you need to know about the Rocrow see the video below!

A sample of a few checks:

• Is the battery is fully charged?
• Are the wings straight and level?
• Is the head firmly attached?
• Check that there is no gap between the body and the wings
• Check for any damage to the Roprey, especially the elastic bands
• Are the control surfaces trimmed correctly?
• Do all the control surfaces move smoothly and in the correct direction?
• In the case of the robara, are the battery wires the correct side of the elastic, away from the fan?

Launching

Roprey, like any aircraft, must always be launched into the wind. For beginning pilots, it’s best if someone else launches the model. The pilot can stand directly behind the launcher, both facing into wind.

The model must be held flat and level. The Robara must be launched at 100% power, but the lighter Rocrow should be launched at 50-100%. The launcher must throw the model horizontally. The temptation is to throw the model steeply up, the nose pointing skyward. This is unsuitable, and the model is likely to stall, turn sharply and fall to the ground.

When the pilot is more experienced, the model can be launched by one hand, the other holding the transmitter. Attaching a lanyard to the transmitter to avoid it being accidentally dropped is a good idea.

Don’t forget your pre-flight checks!

Basic Manoeuvres

For the first few flights, start the flight in the middle of the biggest space possible, above a soft surface such as grass. It is advisable to take the model up to a height where a mistake doesn’t immediately lead to a crash. Beginners often try and keep the model as low as possible but this can be counterproductive.

Always start with smooth and gentle turns. Aim to apply gradual pressure to the sticks, rather than poking and jabbing at them. When it comes to steering the model, it’s very much like a car. When turning a car left, the wheel is turned left. When you’ve turned enough you must start turning the wheel to the right, or else you will continue to turn left! Like a car, when steering the model one way, be sure to straighten it up again to avoid flying in circles.

Inexperienced pilots should avoid flying in the early morning or late evening. Although it may be light enough to easily see the falcon, low light levels can quickly make the pilot lose his orientation, as it’s difficult to tell which way up the Roprey is. These times of day also have a low sun, which can make flying difficult.

As the pilot becomes more experienced, more daring manoeuvers can be attempted. These should be practised at height initially, so that any mistakes can be corrected before the ground rises to meet you!

Landing

The great thing about Rofalconry is that you hardly ever need to land the model, the hawk tends to take care of that part for you! However, when practicing, landing is required.

Always land into the wind, this makes the flight more stable. Pick a landing area, approach it into the wind, and shut off the throttle. In most conditions the model will continue to glide forward. In very windy conditions, a small amount of throttle may be required to stop the model from stalling.

As the model moves towards the ground, an especially soft landing can be produced by pulling the nose up. Slowly pull the nose up, gradually applying more pressure. A perfect landing would see the aircraft touch the ground at the exact same time as the right stick meets its lower limit.

Try and land on a soft surface, such as grass, whenever possible. Always check the opening towards the fan after every landing to ensure nothing is causing an obstruction. Experienced pilots can often catch the Roprey rather than having it land on the ground, but mistakes can be embarrassing!

Like many practical skills, it can be more confusing reading the techniques than seeing them. Outside the world of Rofalconry, RC flying is a hugely popular hobby, and there are many clubs to be found. These clubs often provide beginners with opportunities to learn with trainer aircraft and experienced pilots to help.

Weather Conditions

Wingbeat’s Roprey models are designed to fly in the weather conditions that would be possible for the falcon. The Roprey have been flown in wind conditions where both the prey and the falcon are stationary despite going full guns ahead!

As has always been the case, it’s important not to over face a young, unfit or inexperienced hawk. Slipping a youngster in a gale at quarry it’s very unlikely to catch is fruitless. The same goes with the pilot! Asking an inexperienced pilot to fly in strong winds, or in turbulence, is going to result in knocked confidence and an hour in a dark room with the glue gun. However, watching an experienced falcon fly against an experienced pilot in strong winds can be a real spectacle.

Light drizzle is normally shrugged off by both falcon and Roprey, but any more tends to detract from the flight. The electrical components in the models are reasonably well protected from the rain, but if they become wet they may fail. After a crash in the mud, Nick has on occasion sprayed a hose pipe through the centre airway in the Robara & Rocrow to clean it with no ill affect, but we certainly don’t recommend it!

Launch Practice

It is always best to begin your RC flying journey with a simulator and/or a trainer plane. This will help you get started and means you won’t have to make your first beginner mistakes on your brand new Roprey! Once you start with your Roprey, there are some simple flight exercises that you can do to help you get a feel for it. Be sure to start with your battery fully charged, and be sure to keep your model level and still for 5 seconds after the battery is connected to ensure the stabiliser is set up correctly.

Now it’s Time to do some Flight Excercises

Select full stabiliser, face into the wind, select ¾ throttle, and launch hard and level into wind. Don’t throw the model up, throw it flat! Let the model travel a short distance, turn the throttle all the way down, and allow it to land. Repeat this process a number of times, allowing the model to go further each time. Be sure to always throw it directly into wind, walking back to the start point if necessary.

As you do this, take note of what the model is doing in flight. Is it going left, right, up or down? This can be corrected by using the trims on the transmitter. Change the trims until the model flies dead centre and slightly up once it is thrown.

Once you are comfortable flying the model in a long straight line, it’s time to turn in a circle! Set up and launch as before, but this time as the model flies forward pull back on the stick and allow it to climb. You may want to move the power up to full. Once you are “2 trees” high, steer the model to the left or right. It’s important to commit to the turn. A small press on the stick will do very little with the stabiliser on full, after all it’s supposed to make the controls numb and more forgiving of twitchy fingers! Move the right stick ¾ or all the way to the side, and hold it there until the model does a full turn back to the original direction. If the model starts to lose height in the turn, pull it gently up by moving the right stick down.

Once the model is facing back into wind, turn the throttle down, maybe off, and glide the model into land. Congratulations! From here it’s just a case of building up the flight time, getting more of a feel for the model, and getting your falcon started.

Figure of 8

Once you are happy flying a few circles, it’s time to try figure of 8’s. Flying this pattern makes you practise flying the model when it’s facing towards you as well as away. When the model is facing you, the lefts and rights are reversed so it’s important that you have practised on a simulator first!

Keep the model in front of you at all times, not over your head or behind you. Also try and keep the model at the same altitude the whole time. This will test your ability to manage the throttle.

Launch the model, and do a complete circle back round to straight. Then turn a complete circle in the opposite direction. These imaginary circles should only just touch, and should be the same height from the ground all the way around.

Predator and Prey

When two pilots get together, one can act as the predator, and the other the prey. One must lead and the other follow. The leader may only use ¾ throttle, and must move smoothly and gently to begin with. The follower may use full throttle, and has to stay as close to the leader for as long as possible. Be sure to know which model is yours, confusion can make for a spectacular crash!

With practice, the flights start higher, go faster, and get closer to the ground. Sometimes there is contact, and both pilots must act quickly to regain control. A great display can be put on with two skilled pilots, one Rocrow and one Rofalcon.

With practice, the flights start higher, go faster, and get closer to the ground. Sometimes there is contact, and both pilots must act quickly to regain control. A great display can be put on with two skilled pilots, one Rocrow and one Rofalcon.

As has always been the case, it’s important not to over face a young, unfit or inexperienced hawk. Slipping a youngster in a gale at quarry it’s very unlikely to catch is fruitless. The same goes with the pilot! Asking an inexperienced pilot to fly in strong winds, or in turbulence, is going to result in knocked confidence and an hour in a dark room with the glue gun. However, watching an experienced falcon fly against an experienced pilot in strong winds can be a real spectacle.

Light drizzle is normally shrugged off by both falcon and Roprey, but any more tends to detract from the flight. The electrical components in the models are reasonably well protected from the rain, but if they become wet they may fail. After a crash in the mud, Nick has on occasion sprayed a hose pipe through the centre airway in the Robara & Rocrow to clean it with no ill affect, but we certainly don’t recommend it!

Consider how the wind is behaving at your flying site. If the wind is blowing over a wooded area just before reaching you the air will be turbulent and very unpleasant to fly in. If you are at the bottom of a sloped field with the wind blowing down it, you will find yourself in a down draft and the wind will fight you.

Wind can either be “dirty” or “clean”, turbulent or laminar. Laminar wind, regardless of strength, allows for smooth controlled flying for both the pilot and falcon. Beginners of both should be flying in pleasant conditions until both gain experience.

It’s also important to consider the airspace you are flying in. Airspace use in some areas is limited, often due to the proximity of airports or other airspace users.

A simulator will allow you to practise various flight exercises, like those described here. One of the trickiest thing to get the hang of is steering a plane that is flying towards you. This is because left and right are reversed. A sim will allow you to learn and make mistakes before you start flying your Roprey.

Basically all flight simulators that you can find online are perfect. You can buy a load of cheap chinese copies at ebay. Cables are provided and you can use them with our transmitter.

Very common simulators are Reflex and Phoenix, but others will work just as well. There are also a load of simulators that you can download for your phone. It’s a good place to start and doesn’t cost you anything! For phones and tablets we reccommend PicaSim. You can always send us a email if you want to find out more about simulators.

If the model comes down out of sight, try to mark where it was last seen – what can you see in the distance behind it to use as a reference point? Where possible, walk in a straight line towards the model, a second pair of eyes walking alongside you can be a great help!

Often the model can be recovered by listening to the sound of the engine. Walk to where you think it may be and rev the engine for just a second, listening closely. Try and rev it as little as possible, you don’t want debris being sucked through the fan blades. With a bit of luck, you will find the model before it gets dark!

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), is the body that governs all things flying, that aren’t alive at least. In the eyes of the law, there are no categories when it comes to the type of model. It could be a quadcopter, a foam aeroplane or even an RC jet – as long as it’s under 20Kg it’s called a Small Unmanned Aircraft.

There are two articles you need to be aware of – Article 94 & 95. Please read both now.

Article 94 – Small Unmanned Aircraft

(1) A person must not cause or permit any article or animal (whether or not attached to a parachute) to be dropped from a small unmanned aircraft so as to endanger persons or property.

(2) The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft may only fly the aircraft if reasonably satisfied that the flight can safely be made.

(3) The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft must maintain direct, unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft, persons, vehicles, vessels and structures for the purpose of avoiding ollisions.

(4) The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft which has a mass of more than 7kg excluding its fuel but including any articles or equipment installed in or attached to the aircraft at the commencement of its flight, must not fly the aircraft:

(a) in Class A, C, D or E airspace unless the permission of the appropriate air traffic control unit has been obtained;

(b) within an aerodrome traffic zone during the notified hours of watch of the air traffic control unit (if any) at that aerodrome unless the permission of any such air traffic control unit has been obtained;
or
(c) at a height of more than 400 feet above the surface unless it is flying in airspace described in sub-paragraph (a) or (b) and in accordance with the requirements for that airspace.

(5) The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft must not fly the aircraft for the purposes of commercial operations except in accordance with a permission granted by the CAA.

So, it’s all common-sense stuff. You can ensure that you know the flight can be done safely by:

• Charging the batteries to full before flying
• Checking that all the controls work before you launch the Roprey
• Confirming that the flying area is appropriate before launch
• Pre-planning where you intend for the Roprey and the falcon to come down

The Roprey is <1kg in weight, and therefore you are exempt from number 4 (and therefore 4a, b and c). However, despite having no legal height limit, you must still be able to ensure that the flight can safely be made. For example, this means no flying into clouds where you lose line of sight – this would break 2 and 3.

Article 95 – Small Unmanned Surveillance Aircraft

(1) The person in charge of a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not fly the aircraft in any of the circumstances described in paragraph (2) except in accordance with a permission issued by the CAA.

(2) The circumstances referred to in paragraph (1) are:
(a) over or within 150 metres of any congested area;
(b) over or within 150 metres of an organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons;
(c) within 50 metres of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft;
or
(d) subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), within 50 metres of any person.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), during take-off or landing, a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not be flown within 30 metres of any person.

(4) Paragraphs (2)(d) and (3) do not apply to the person in charge of the small unmanned surveillance aircraft or a person under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.

(5) In this article ‘a small unmanned surveillance aircraft’ means a small unmanned aircraft which is equipped to undertake any form of surveillance or data acquisition.

Unless you have added a camera to your Roprey, it is not a Small Unmanned Surveillance Aircraft. If you choose to add a camera (and it’s great fun!), please make sure you understand A95. It’s all about data protection and not inadvertently filming people going about their day.

Be sure to check the legislation in your own country, and understand that such legislation is always changing and evolving as RC technology becomes more prominent.

We recommend that those flying in the UK join the British Model Flying Assosiation (BMFA). This body acts like the BFC of the model plane world. Membership offers you public liability insurance for non-commercial flights carried out in accordance with the above legislation.