and of you guys into flyin the small scale stuff......
i used to ... waaaaaay back in the early '70's ... used to build my own from drawings in rcm & other mags ... then moved on to full size planes ... never went back to the rc type ...
I used to be but stopped in the late 70's..................I'd love to get back into it again, but for me, space constraints rule the day.
I was interested for a time, but stopped because any guidance or control above a certain speed or combined with some methods of propulsion draws the ire of a number of government agencies.
This spring the local RC group held an auction and I was able to pick up a finished plane and radio for about $150. I practiced with Clearview flight sim and a cheap Chinese computer controller. I didn't dare fly until I got used to turning opposite what is natural when facing the plane. It has been a fun hobby (only crashed it twice) and I'm now thinking about building a glider. The Goldberg Tiger II I bought turned out to be a sweet little R/C. Not your typical high wing flat bottom trainer but easy to fly and great for acro. Dave Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have a couple of them even though I have not flown them in the past couple of years due to moving and such. This winter I plan on fixing the hanger rash and putting some skis on them and flying them on and off the snow.
yeah i used to fly rc heli and planes. then started flying full scale. was going to get another heli but got this instead. http://www.realflight.com/. just as good cheaper and not have to worry about driving out, wx, crashing etc... just as fun too. lots has changed with technology though now you can fly them first person. turbine engines for the heli's all kinds of expensive stuff.
specially now which that dude they caught wanting to put explosives in large r/c planes. It's gonna screw things up for the rest of us who truly enjoy the hobby for what it is. R/C has been my favorites since I was about 10 years old. In the old country, my family use to pass by modelers flying planes. I'd be the wide eyed envious kid. My models, Bob Violett ( BVM) F-4 phantom 2 DF engines, F-86 BVM DF, F-18 RTF DF, F-16 an F-4 assembled by Bob Fiorenze, F-20 DF, Pitts 2SC, and a Snark that has survived multiple crashes ( my doing ) and been a trainer For 2 other modelers.LOL. Helis, Robbe and TSK 60 size copters, a Chinook ( dual rotor ), a Bell 222 by Graupner, NH-90 jet-cat powered partly assembled, and a Shuttle. Also a few electrics somewhere. The electrics are great. Quiet and with Li-Po can fly about 8 minutes between charging in my driveway. Don't do fancy inverted or 3D stunts so I don't need lots of room. Wish I have more time for my hobby! Ed
Last winter I got into the micro-size helis, perfect for flying indoors during the cold winter months. Amazing how cheap and fun these little things are. With tiny, fast charging LiPo batteries and even gyroscopes controlling them a breeze. The next step is "battle" helis with IR transmitters and receivers. These are still $125++ for 2 helis, when they're below $100 will get a set for me and the wife to have our own aerial combat. $25, 3-channel (up/down, forward/back, spin left/right no "rolling" left/right) Syma S108g cobra. Direct from China off Ebay. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oZsMLp_ksM[/ame] $45, 3-ch Syma S022 Big Chinook (no gyroscope, hence the 'wandering' heading) with $10 keychain camera taped to the bottom. Both survived this big crash with only cosmetic damage. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vjnm4CdOD8[/ame] ~$125, 4-ch (actually has a swashplate for true pitch/roll control but not collective pitch) Blade MSR [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4e1gNrKoOo[/ame] ~$125, 4-ch Nine Eagles Bravo SX Hughes. Bought in Japan, now less expensive on-line [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk3heUmQsoY[/ame]
Hey Kurt, gorgeous home you have there... I put a couple of vids on you tube also, although they didn't end so well... Dave [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJbxtefAlMc&feature=related[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAA7unBCpTk&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/ame]
Definitely liked the "nature documentary"-style commentary near the end of that video, Dave. All the best, Andrew.
Which will probably lead to regulation that would preclude even the small charge needed for say - a chute deployment on a guided rocket plane...
Always had the interest in R/C planes, but never bought one. After finding www.diydrones.com I think I will give it a shot. It would be fun to fly around my small town and see what's going on There's that RC flight simulator software that's comes with some controllers. That's always fun. Fly different model planes on your computer using the actual controller. Crash? Just hit reset
I started out a few years ago with a fixed-pitch RC Heli. It was fun to fly, good learner. Had plans to upgrade to a bigger collective pitch, 3D Heli...but never got around to it.
Thanks Dave! Wish we could take credit for building it, but that goes to the retired cop who put his heart and soul into re-imagining the modest little cape cod it began as in 1971. Entertaining vids, sorry they came to crashy ends. Great backyard you have for an RC airstrip! As you can see in Dave's vids, CP helis are quite a bit more of a handful than the FP ones in my vids... before I go CP I'd invest in a simulator. But for relatively relaxing, scale flying FP is more than satisfying for now.
Oh man...after car stuff, RC planes is right up there at the top of my hobby list. I started when in was in Jr. High/High school (early-mid 90's), and it is simply AMAZING how fast the technology has progressed in that relatively short time. I do have a few larger nitro powered models, but the last 5-6 years I have been flying more of the park flyer (35-45 inch wingspan) and ultra micro (12-15 inch wingspan) electrics. It is so much easier to walk across the street to the little empty grassy area, pop in a battery and fly a micro than it is to load up a big glow powered model, load up all the fuel/supplies/tools, drive to a big field, unload and assemble everything, fly, and then take it all back home. It is amazing they can build a scale like foam airplane with a 12 inch wingspan that weighs 1.5 ounces and have it fly so smoothly. I HIGHLY recommend any of the Parkzone or E-Flite electric planes. They are very good quality, fly great, and if a part fails or breaks you give them a call and their awesome customer support has a new part in the mail the next day for free. EDIT - pics: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wow, that is an AMAZING back yard you have. What a fantastic landscaping job. Shortly below RC planes on my hobby list is landscaping stuff/gardening, so your vids have certainly given me some inspiration. I love that overall informal but lush look y'all have there. Makes me want to get to work in my yard.
Thanks much - again, wish I could take credit for it.... all we did was prune the rose bushes after moving in this April, everything else just burst up out of the ground. A neighbor said the POs took a couple of their biggest hastas and iris with them too, we never noticed. They won the Mayor's award for best garden in Milwaukee a few years running, we've got some work to do to bring back that title but it'll be fun. VERY nice hangar you've got. A DX6i and some E-Flight micro birds are definitely in my future. Especially love the Mosquito! Here's a few pics of the Blade MSR (with alloy swashplate) and the Nine Eagles Bravo SX. The Blade is a bit more precise and smooth, but the Bravo looks great and isn't a bad flyer at all. Plus parts are cheaper, especially the PC board at $30 vs $50 for the Blade. Good thing the Blade's is tough, lived through 5 dunks in the pond before burning out a servo chip! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
BTW - here's the rig I use to take flight vids. Nothing but an old cap with a hole drilled through the bill for a 1/4-20 bolt. I don't use the cocktail-stirrer "gunsight" anymore; with practice you remember to move your head with the heli and keep it in the frame (most of the time at least). The wifey was always game to play cameraman, but with quick helis having the cam on the pilot's head makes for much easier-to-watch vids. Only the pilot can anticipate where these little buggers are going. She's come home from work a few times when I've been filming. I always feel a bit guilty, like I'm getting busted. At least she always gets a good giggle out of it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
+1. I have a couple of good crashes I missed filming. Of course they wouldn't have even BEEN crashes if I had not been trying to film with a camera in one hand, transmitter in the other, and watching the plane through the camera screen!
Great way to do it. Necessity is the mother of invention. Thanks for sharing! Reminds me when I mounted a 1.5 X binocular to my cap I use to spot fish.
Electrics have come a long way, mostly coz of newer Li- Po batteries. I have some old electric helis and when I compare them with the newer ones....just amazes me. Amazes me how they manage to filter out the RF that an electric motor makes that could interfere with your transmitter. Don't have to deal with fuel and leaks, less crap to carry, no fire hazard.... I wouldn't even be surprised if lots of jet turbine flyers switched to electric power. Ed
The jet turbine is worth it just for the start up sound. A turbine spooling up is one of the coolest sounds there is.