Large Scale Central

RC AIRCRAFT.. Fun Money Pit Hobby

Financially worked my way up to Intermediate flyer. I fly 4 CH Heli’s and 2-6 channel Airplanes. I fly well … landing, not so much. I started with the two channel baby planes. I prefer scale planes and don’t dare touch jets yet. I could just as easily throw $400 cash in the air as a skeet shoot.

My Dynam Grand cruiser

http://flic.kr/p/e9weqg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZlTlDdZfbg

If ya can’t afford to wreck’em, your in the WRONG hobby.

Sage words of wisdom given to me by a long time RC guy

:wink:

I have flown RC planes for years and I can tell you without question those guys in the video are trying to mid-air those planes. I have been around it long enough to know that’s whats going on.

Maybe, but that doesnt make my sage advice any less truthful

:wink:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmcJCKvkrq8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-TxinZt2cI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqk1yf_iXqk

That’s a fact, that’s why it’s a 3rd hobby LOL. My home made plane built by plans from mikeysrc.com and the Grand cruiser fly & land the best. The guys in the videos have one thing I don’t … a support team.

Many years ago, we bought our son a Stinson RC airplane, he said he wanted one…he flew it maybe twice then found something else he was interested in… maybe if we could have found this one in RC, he might have stayed with it…

Happy Rails.

Dave

I am enjoying the electric powered rc planes here , 3 and 4 channel biplanes mostly .

Some I have flown for years , some never made it one flight intact .

I’ll stick to my RC truck and my tank. It’s way cheaper!

Terry

I used to race r/c boats in the I.M.P.B.A. International model power boat association . That was fun for a couple of years but all the time it took to dial them in and then drive all around to attend the races only to screw up in the first heat and be out of any hope of winning your class wore on me and my wife so we got out of that hobby / sport. I did win a few times and that was cool. It was always my driving and never the boat that caused me to lose. Still have a 3.5 outboard tunnel boat that I take to the local pond once in a while.

Videos don’t embed. They preview fine but don’t show up.

When model planes get stuck in trees…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6yabGntNKs

Andrew

Oh, that’s just too cool Garratt

[youtube]http://youtu.be/l6yabGntNKs[/youtube]

Taking the hobby one step further…

[youtube]http://youtu.be/FJBzbdeexdA

What a cool video, Wonder what powered the catapult?? Steam pressure??

Thanks for posting.

Doc Tom

My son and I have flown RC airplanes for many years, link below to a contest Josh was invited to. We got started in small electric stuff back in 2003 before it was common. The plane in the videos all up flying weight was sub 4 ounces, Josh designed and built it. We also fly giant scale gas powered RC planes, typically 40% scale aerobatic models weighing in at 38lbs or so with 150cc flat twins spinning 36" diameter props.

The videos are from 2005 if I recall and predated HD video, so quality could be better.

Small electric video
[Youtube]http://youtu.be/NpKjR_TZbQs

40% Carden Aircraft Edge 540T video
[Youtube]http://youtu.be/p7VTfM1c07w

Michael

Just had an aircraft modeller (UAV) in the UK fined for infringing Civil Aviation safety rules…

Charged with:
• Flying a small unmanned surveillance aircraft within 50 metres of a structure (Article 167 of the Air Navigation Order 2009).

• Flying over a nuclear installation (Regulation 3(2) of the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying)(Nuclear Installations) Regulations 2007).

The CAA said the conviction sent a message to recreational users of UAVs that the devices are subject to aviation safety rules.

The police recovered the model when it crashed and ran the SD disc and used the visuals it as evidence!

FINED = $7000( including court costs)

Some never learn…

Most RC aircraft flyers know that when they get into this hobby that they will likely wreck a few here and there. That is the price of flying an RC aircraft. Whether fixed wing or helicopter. I respect these guys allot because many are actual pilots and like the challenge RC flying generates. Cost is obviously a huge hang up for the novice, but there are really nice affordable RC aircraft out there and they take little to no time to construct and are really made very well. So, if the unthinkable occurs, the aircraft can be repaired and often, within a few hours or less depending on the type damages.

I encourage people interested in this hobby to hookup with a flying club first. Learn all you can by watching everything these men and women do. (Yes women fly RC).

If you decide its for you, invest in a pre fabricated kit aircraft first. One that is almost assembled and requires minimal effort to put into action. I suggest flying with someone that can take her up first to make sure she is airworthy. Landings are by far the hardest thing a pilot does. Whether real or in scale. So, it is very important that you practice them as much as possible.

I flew a FW190Dora. Scale was roughly 1/8. Take offs were a breeze. Landings I needed work. I broke one blade prop on my first landing, but had her repaired in seconds with a spare prop blade. Weather was sunny, little wind and visibility was awesome. I like scale WWII German aircraft allot. They just look cool and I have seen some really first rate German RC aircraft.

My favorite was a 1/10 scale Stuka this fellow built from a kit. This aircraft looked real menacing painted in black with a swastika on its tail. Just very real looking.

Anyway, RC flying is fun, but requires a certain amount of manual dexterity and situational awareness to handle the aircraft. Helicopters are by far the hardest depending on level of build and type. I tried a helo once and hovered on my first try, but soon learned that like real flying, these helos operate on a whole new level as far as control is concerned. I crashed the one and only helo I ever purchased and never purchased another.