High Angle Of Attack
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Borrowed from the Dundee Model Aircraft Club

Perhaps the most useful flying 'trick' is flying at low speed, high angle of attack (AOA) or high 'alpha'. With a bit of practice, most model aircraft can be made to hover in fairly low wind speeds. The best way of achieving this is to turn straight into wind, close the throttle and try to maintain the same altitude using the elevator. Since you have cut the power, the model will slow down rapidly and go into a nose-up attitude. Now comes the balancing part. Gently use the elevator to increase or decrease the nose-up attitude, and the throttle to maintain height. The model will tend to stay pointing into wind but if it starts to drift off-wind, gently use the rudder to correct. With a bit of practice, you should be able to get the model to hover. If things start to get out of control, decrease the elevator and increase throttle to drop the nose and gain speed. You can then go round and try again.



Nice trick... but what's the use?

Well, the model doesn't know whether it's a couple of hundred feet up or a couple of inches. This is a nice way of really slowing up your model for approach and landing.

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