Anyone Fly RC Airplanes?

[Tororider]

Have always been interested in rc airplanes. With my boys now getting older and us moving someplace with room to fly. I figure I will look more into it. Just wondering if anyone else flies.

http://homesteaddad.com/2014/03/28/remote-airplanes-and-youtube/

http://homesteaddad.com/2014/03/28/theyve-multiplied/

 

[Chooglin]

I flew them for about 4 years at a local club.My father and I flew them together and I really enjoyed the time I spent with him.

It is quite nerve racking when you first learn,I would suggest finding someone who knows how to fly,to be present when you learn!!!

 

[Tororider]

Chooglin, what kind of planes did you fly? By making my own I am hoping to cut down on the costs of crashing which I know is inevitable.

 

[Chooglin]

I started out with a trainer and then moved up to a stunt plane.

This is the best rc simulator you can buy IMO,this is as close to the real thing as you can get.
I used this to practice on and it really helped me.
RealFlight RF7

 

[Chooglin]

this is the plane that I started out with !!!!
Note:this does not include the engine,servos or radio !!!

TowerHobbies.com | Great Planes Avistar Elite GP/EP ARF 62.5" w/$15GC

 

[SPIKER]

toro:

At one point i was into it pretty good & still have my equipment and the one plane I built. It is a fuel .40 eng and flew real well. It is high wing mid level 52" wing span balsa & plastikote construction built in 1989... wow long time ago lol... Plane probably could still fly but has not been UP since 97 or 98.

Have all the dual controls for trainer setup with it but imagine all the batteries are shot and electronics might even be totally spent too?? Back then it cost 10x what it costs NOW for a similar setup & I walk by the 150 buck setups & think I spent more than that on the engine on mine...

Mark

 

[Blade Breaker]

Hi,
I have been flying rc planes for over 15 years. I would recommend going with an electric powered plane instead of glow powered. Here is a great practice plane. Got one of these for a friend of mine a while back and it has survived some rough flights. Just needs to be very calm outside.

HobbyZone Champ RTF (HBZ4900) | Horizon Hobby - Radio Control R/C Planes, RC Airplanes, RC Helis and Helicopters, RC Cars, RC Trucks, RC Truggys, RC Boats, RC Radios, RC Engines, parts, hop-ups, and accessories

 

[Chooglin]

This one is a little more affordable $99 (It is the basic simulator)
You can crash these planes all day and it doesn't cost you a dime............lol

TowerHobbies.com | Great Planes RealFlight Basic Mode 2

 

[npalen]

Another choice would be a multi-rotor copter. (quadcopter, for example) The small ones can be flown indoors and very inexpensive starting out at about $20 on up. The lower price copters fly with infrared control where the larger ones are radio controlled. Do a google on "quadcopter". Notice I didn't use the word "drone" for fear of an uprising.

 

[therealmjfox]

Chooglin, what kind of planes did you fly? By making my own I am hoping to cut down on the costs of crashing which I know is inevitable.

I dunno, you might hate seeing your building work broken just as much as your money.

Hobby stores sell beginner RC planes which are designed to be crashed. Make of a foam rubber like material and designed to come apart and be easily put back together after a crash. Maybe start your kids off on one of them?

 

[crash325]

To bad you are so far away, would be more than glad to help you.
I started playing with them in about 1958 ( Along with control line ). Its a great sport ( A downer now & then.) I have probably tough well over 100 people to fly.

Best advice is the join the AMA & find a club near you. Most clubs have instructors and are happy to have new members. Flying on your own field is great. But there is also a lot of fun to be with others that enjoy the sport. Before buying anything you might check with the locals and see what they recommend.

Just as a side note my first RC plane was a "Mambo" from a "Sterling" kit. Single channel Rudder Only, .10 Engine. Lots of fun & simple. May even have plans for it if your interested. Simple to build.
First control line was a "Ring Master" also by "Sterling"

Still have most of the planes in the picture.
-

 

[Tororider]

Thanks for all the tips. I think if I am going to purchase a simulator I would get one that would allow me to use my own transmitter.

I'm not too worried about being upset at crashing something I built. The current model I have build two of, the nutball, costs $1 in foam board plus some hot glue. Assuming I don't ruin the electronics they should be cheap crashes.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GGkJqT9-XEU

 

[JRobyn]

Not RC, but some of the best fun I ever had was with a group of guys that flew control line. We would all build very inexpensive .049 powered planes that were so light that they were hard to hurt in a crash. Highly maneuverable "flying wings" were the norm. We hand-launched them and flew in a grassy field, so no landing gear. Everyone except the "pilot" would stand in a ring about 3-4ft larger diameter than the control lines, holding a rag or towel. The "pilot" would dive-bomb and/or fly evasive maneuvers over all the others, who would attempt to kill the flight by tossing their rag (surface-to-air missiles) into the prop. Of course, the "pilot" was free to move the center of the circle in an attempt to fly behind the "SAMS" or scare them into moving too far out to be effective. The one who successfully killed the flight got to be the next "pilot".

Please don't tell the Safety Police!!

- Jay

 

[Tororider]

The battery charger arrived on Saturday, today the transmitter and receivers arrived. I'm getting closer to flying.

 

[Tororider]

Jay,
That sounds like fun. Don't worry, I won't tell the safety police.

 

[RobertN]

Does one wing count

Not planes, but have been dabbling with RC Sailboats(and real ones too) for a few years now. A Main Sail is really just a vertical wing, right

 

[/pine]

...A Main Sail is really just a vertical wing, right

Not really a "rag boat" guy myself...but I would think a main sail would have more use/names etc... than just as a "wing" i.e., air pressure differences over surfaces etc...?

 

[isaaccarlson]

I prefer the real deal over the models. The chances of crashing a model are pretty high and they are prohibitively expensive.
I took my 7 year old up flying last summer and he had a blast. We did zero gravity dives over and over and over again. His favorite part was seeing the phone float off my hand and sit in front of my face. Can't do that with a model!

 

[nk3t]

I have been flying for years, and have a mix of glow fuel and electric. I noticed the video you sent was Hobby King branded. They offer good prices on Chinese junk that you must be willing to part with if you have problems, as their customer service is extremely poor. I have had many items fail out of the box, and have paid for express shipping I did not receive, buyer beware.

If you decide to go the electric route, please do yourself a favor and keep Lipo batteries in a safe location. Please visit the following url on Lipo safety:
Understanding Lipo Fires

 

[Tororider]

Nk3t,
Thanks for the reminder about lipo batteries, I need to get a lipo bag. Also, early on FliteTest was sponsored by HobbyKing, at least in part. They have since distanced themselves from them. I ordered all my parts from US shops, which isn't to say they didn't get them from China. I believe HobbyKing now has a US warehouse so shipping times have been greatly reduced, not sure if customer service has gotten any better.