Losing Orientation
Which way is it flying? The new pilot panic set in. Unfortunately, it was flying away and was quickly going to be out of range. I helplessly watched it disappear into the setting sun. I had misjudged the direction my RC plane was flying. I turned the plane away from me instead of towards the landing strip. In less than 30 seconds, it was gone.

I Had Lost Orientation
The definition of orientation, according to NASA is:
"Since we live in a three-dimensional world, it is necessary to control the attitude or orientation of a flying aircraft in all three dimensions. In-flight, any aircraft will rotate about its center of gravity, a point which is the average location of the mass of the aircraft. We can define a three-dimensional coordinate system through the center of gravity with each axis of this coordinate system perpendicular to the other two axes. We can then define the orientation of the aircraft by the amount of rotation of the parts of the aircraft along these principal axes."

Simply the orientation is the plane's direction, pitch, and which way it's flying. As a beginner, I haven't built the muscle memory to know which way to turn the plane. Also, as a beginner, I tend to fly at a safer, higher altitude. The "2 mistakes high" altitude. This helps with crashing and puts the distance between you and your plane at a dangerous edge of losing radio contact. With this higher altitude and increased distance from your plane to the transmitter, you don't have much time to correct before the plane quickly gets out of contact.

Why do I have a hard time with orientation?

With a dark underside, I can't always tell which way the plane is turning. And my muscle memory isn't there to instinctively turn the plane in the correct direction without thinking. Since I enjoy warbirds, their typical darker plane underbelly and the sky are not a good combination for me. My P39 with a gray underbelly and F8F-1 Bearcat blue underbelly are troublesome.

How did I Improve my Orientation with a Quick Fix?

I painted the wingtips yellow to help with seeing the orientation of the plane. I use yellow as that seems to be an excellent color for me to quickly identify the plane's direction. I haven't lost a plane since. I use Rust-Oleum spray paint and mask off with Frogtape brand tape. This tape is highly recommended across the hobby to provide clean lines and not pull off the existing paint.

Other Ideas
If you don't want to paint, you could try a distinctive decal with bright complimentary colors. That will help if you're going to stay "scale." As a beginner, I am more interested in leaving the field with my plane vs. "being strictly scale". The choice is yours.

This was just a practical tip to help improve your RC flying. What advice do you use to help with the view of your plane in flight?

Improve Your New Pilot RC Plane Orientation with This Practical Tip