Anyone Fly RC Airplanes?

crash325 · Mar 30, 2014

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.

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Tororider · Mar 31, 2014

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 · Mar 31, 2014

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 · Mar 31, 2014

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

Tororider · Mar 31, 2014

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

RobertN · Mar 31, 2014

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 · Mar 31, 2014

...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 · Mar 31, 2014

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 · Apr 1, 2014

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 · Apr 1, 2014

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.