Radio Controlled Parkflyers [Archive]

mfennell

07-07-04, 10:08 AM

We had a little thread running a while back about RC planes and I mentioned that I was planning to pick up a GWS Slow Stick (http://www.hobbyclub.com/GWS-SlowStick-arf.htm) to fool around with while recovering from my bicycle-car interaction. I did and I've been flying it around for about a month now. What a cool little toy. The wingspan is nearly 4ft but the all-up weight is less than a pound. If you know anything about model planes, you know that means it goes really slow and requires nearly still air to fly.

The most impressive thing about it is the electronics.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/fennell18/slowstick/quarter.JPG

At the top is the 2oz 7.4V 1200mah lithium polymer battery. Below the battery is the 20 AMP speed controller. I have no idea how that tiny thing can handle 20 amps but it apparently can do it continuously with a 30A surge. It weighs 0.3oz and is actually oversized for my application. I could get away with the 7A 0.11oz version. The receiver to the left of the quarter is 0.28oz and the servo is 0.34oz.

The batteries are just amazing, if a little touchy. Hear any stories about spontaneously combusting cell phone batteries? They're true (my Kyocera 7135 was recalled, in fact) and these are the same type. They have to be charged properly and can't be discharged below a certain level (the speed controller is programmable) and have to be carefully observed in the event of a crash. Many guys won't charge them in the house.

Anywhere, here's the ugly final product. Assembly took less than 3 hours and 1/2 of that time was spent soldering connectors to the batteries and speed controller.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/fennell18/slowstick/finished.JPG

I'm still amazed at this little thing. As long as the air is still, anyone can fly it with just a little coaching. At full throttle, it takes off in 6 ft or right out of my hand with just a flick of the wrist. It can take off at 1/2 throttle and cruise for 35 minutes. It slows down to a fast walk and can turn around in about 6 ft with the huge control travel I have (3+" rudder). I often don't even bother walking to the park and just fly in the cul de sac.

It does pretty shitty aerobatics. Loops are fine but I can't get a decent roll to save my life and inverted flight is more hassle than it's worth. There are much better planes for that. I'm stuck in the brace for a few more weeks and was thinking of getting a little pattern plane (http://www.modelflight.com.au/rc_model_electric_planes/gws_f3a_formosa.htm) but I can see the slippery slope ahead if I let myself get sucked in. :)

All up cost for 2 kits (spares), a 4 channel transmitter, the receiver, upgraded speed controller, 2 servos, 2 LiPoly batteries, and a proper charger was $350 from Allerc (http://www.allerc.com). It's possible to get started for <$200 by using a simpler transmitter and a bundled flight pack with NiMh batteries. You won't have to solder either.

Tommy R

07-07-04, 10:26 AM

onestep

07-07-04, 10:51 AM

Tommy I was still wondering if Dave might be interested in some sort of large purchase by the Corner Carvers aero geeks?

I am going to buy ones of these things one of these days!:D

Tommy R

07-07-04, 10:53 AM

I wouldn't doubt he'd hook us up with a deal. I guess it all depends on how many people would be willing to commit. I wouldn't mind helping set it up. If enough people chime in, I'll propose the idea to Dave.... :)

Tommy

onestep

07-07-04, 10:55 AM

I wandered over to the Allerc site and check out what they have!
This puppy is powered by twin ducted fans.

http://www.allerc.com/store/images/Pictures/GWSa10.jpg

Cannon

07-07-04, 11:11 AM

I had a park flyer Tiger Moth until a few months ago. They really are fun little toys. I currently have a foam GWS Zero under construction (it's been long enough that it may never fly at this rate....), and my two brothers-in-law have the same Stick that mfennel has. They really fly well, and they have the NiMh batteries. I've got a pair or LiPoly packs, and I can't believe how much smaller they are.

I think that we're right at the 'critical mass' stage as far as R/C electrics go. They really are amazing.

Craig

07-07-04, 12:16 PM

Mike-

What kind of batteries are those? I've got the same kit but use a small 150MaH NiCad battery with it that gives me about 12 minutes or so. But the batteries are cheap so I have a bunch of them charging while I'm flying.

I also have their slightly sturdier Piper Cub, it's got the same wings but the body is foam. The wings also have struts attaching them to the body so there isn't the flapping that you see with the Stick kits. It's better in wind, but won't themal well.

mfennell

07-07-04, 01:37 PM

Originally posted by Tommy R
Superfly R/C (http://www.superflyrc.com/SF_Frames.asp?HeaderFrame=SF_Header.asp&MenuFrame=SF_Menu.asp&ContentFrame=SF_Home.asp)

Good luck in your new money pit! ;)
I'm trying to hold off as much as possible. I want a kart to be my new money pit. :) Call me lame but as cool as the SuperFly is (and as cool as your buddy starting a business is) I just don't get excited about planes that don't look like...planes.

Originally posted by Cannon
I had a park flyer Tiger Moth until a few months ago.
I think that we're right at the 'critical mass' stage as far as R/C electrics go. They really are amazing.I was considering getting one of those too. It's even smaller and lighter than the stick, actually looks like a real airplane, and might be more fun for neighborhood flying. You can see how this goes...

Agree with the "critical mass" comment. Reading RCGroups.com (http://www.rcgroups.com), it sounds like the only real objection left is expense. Really big electric planes take expensive motors, expensive speed controllers, and expensive batteries.

Originally posted by Craig
What kind of batteries are those?
It's an Etec 2 cell pack (http://www.allerc.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=3_4&products_id=65) that allerc dubs the "classic" pack. I think that means it's last year's technology and won't supply as much current as the new offerings. It definitely doesn't supply as much as an old-school nicd. Once upon a time, I inadvertantly touched two leads together on a nice matched 6 cell nicd pack and the resulting arc burned my finger. Mmmmm...seared flesh. I did the same with the LiPoly pack and it didn't even spark although it got hot as hell in no time.

Anyway, they're relatively inexpensive in the small sizes. $23.95 each. The cheapest LiPoly charger that's versatile enough to do a bunch of different configurations is $54.95.

Ralgh

07-07-04, 02:07 PM

I also have the Slow Stick as well as the Cub and BN-2 Islander. I built 1800 Mah NIMh battery packs for the Stick and Islander. They will both fly a good 40+ minutes with those. I have flown the Cub with Cannon’s former Tiger Moth and they fly pretty much the same.

Apparently the A-10 does not fly well with the smaller motors. Originally that was all that was available. The Formosa got a good review in Model Aviation magazine and might be what you are looking for. You could probably use all the equipment from your Slow Stick if you didn't want to buy new stuff.

http://www.gws.com.tw/images/product/airplane_f3a.jpg

GWS also has a C-130 coming out.

http://www.gws.com.tw/images/product/airplane_c130.jpg

Tommy R

07-07-04, 02:11 PM

Originally posted by mfennell
I'm trying to hold off as much as possible. I want a kart to be my new money pit. :) Call me lame but as cool as the SuperFly is (and as cool as your buddy starting a business is) I just don't get excited about planes that don't look like...planes.

No sweat. I can relate. :) Personally, planes aren't my favorite, but I also have a tendency to have models and toys look like their true-to-life counterparts. But, once he showed me his flying wings I have to say he had me converted. I don't own one because flying isn't my gig, but if I did, I'd surely own one of this wings, as well as more conventionally styled models.

Tommy

captainoblivious

07-07-04, 02:22 PM

I have 2 small electrics sitting in their boxes just waiting to be built.

Electric ducted fan:
http://www.modelflight.com.au/pics/f86a.jpg

And this one just came in the mail yesterday, a small hand launch/slope glider:
http://www.arthobby.com/gliders/specs/kit/colibriV_Cmp.jpg (http://www.arthobby.com/gliders/specs/colibriV.html)

It's going to be a fun summer if I ever get time to build them./

914six

07-08-04, 04:36 AM

Why fight it? You know you'll eventually end up with something like this: :)

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/upfiles/76443/Nl28743.jpg

Batteries can't replace the smell of kerosene and the roar of a turbine. Here's video of a different F22. (http://users.ev1.net/~rwlewis/sean/barry.WMV)

Multiple warnings: It's 20 megs long, has some cheesy soundtrack, and truly shitty photography. The flying part is cool though.

Red Barchetta

07-08-04, 05:18 AM

Well, since we're bringing R/C jets back in this thread, I finally found a good video of this guy:
http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/images/threads/000/079/544/1129463-b_52_d_001.jpg
It's just over 29 megs. Get it while you can.

Right click and save as (http://www.mcgirt.net/RC/VIDEOS/Giant_B52/B52_flight2.wmv)

fspgti

06-23-05, 10:23 AM

Well, since we're bringing R/C jets back in this thread, I finally found a good video of this guy:

It's just over 29 megs. Get it while you can.

Right click and save as (http://www.mcgirt.net/RC/VIDEOS/Giant_B52/B52_flight2.wmv)

I just purchased my first R/C airplane and was searching around to see what others experiences were. I flew mine for about 10 minutes before I caught a nasty cross-wind and the plane ended up in some nearby trees about 50 feet up… Now to figure out how to get it down…

That video of the B-52 is great. Almost as interesting as it's crash (link below):

Main Page - take off, taxi, long flight, and crash videos (http://www.mcgirt.net/RC/VIDEOS/Giant_B52/)

06-23-05, 11:28 AM

I am waiting for these kits to ship - the best of all RC worlds:

video - http://www.baize.org/hfh.wmv
web site - http://www.michaelconnally.com

Pat Newton

06-23-05, 11:56 AM

onestep

06-23-05, 12:00 PM

Tommy any word on a group rate?

krichbaum

06-23-05, 12:04 PM

I am waiting for these kits to ship - the best of all RC worlds:

video - http://www.baize.org/hfh.wmv
web site - http://www.michaelconnally.com

That's pretty darn cool. I want one.

Ron L

06-23-05, 03:15 PM

Hey fellers, I've got a three-channel radio, a couple servos and a speed control that have been sitting around for a couple years. Free to the first person who wants 'em- you send me a Starbucks gift card to cover shipping.

Just PM'ed you. I've got a custom foamy waiting just for those parts.

I just purchased my first R/C airplane and was searching around to see what others experiences were. I flew mine for about 10 minutes before I caught a nasty cross-wind and the plane ended up in some nearby trees about 50 feet up… Now to figure out how to get it down…

Fishing pole and a tennis ball, depending on how thick the trees are. At least you still have it! My friend's first outing with his crappy 2-channel plane (throttle and rudder only) resulted in his plane getting carried up by a strong thermal. Went above the clouds and we never saw it again. So what does he do? He puts over $600 into a heli.

My first flight was chucking my slope soarer off a 200' beach cliff in Pacifica, CA. It's unnerving to throw all that time and money spent off a cliff when you've never done it before. The pros there flew it and trimmed it for me then handed me the controls. What a rush, and I got it back in one piece after a 20 minute flight.

Slope soaring is great as you can fly as long as your receiver has power, but driving to the cliffs is a pain in the ass, so I switched to powered flight.

fspgti

06-23-05, 03:21 PM

...
Fishing pole and a tennis ball, depending on how thick the trees are. At least you still have it! My friend's first outing with his crappy 2-channel plane (throttle and rudder only) resulted in his plane getting carried up by a strong thermal. Went above the clouds and we never saw it again. So what does he do? He puts over $600 into a heli.
....

The frustrating thing is that I can hear the motor when I blip the throttle (electric obviously). I know what tree it's in and what limb it's on, yet I can not see it from the ground or from climbing 30' up. I'm >this close< to sneaking out one night with a saw and cutting the whole bloody tree down... For now though I picked up about 65 feet of rope which I hope to tie high enough on the tree to hopefully shake it with some vigor from the ground.

mcato

06-23-05, 05:44 PM

Here is a topical video. Stick with it for a couple of minutes....
(lots of sound so - NSFW)
http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=HydroFoam

captainoblivious

06-23-05, 06:52 PM

I caught a nasty cross-wind and the plane ended up in some nearby trees about 50 feet up… Now to figure out how to get it down…

Happened to a co-worker who had $500+ glider. Sun glare + winds = landed the plane in an acre of woods (of course the only woods in the field). 2 days later by some strange power I spotted the glider about 130' up. There were no low branches so I couldn't climb up.

He called a tree trimming service, they climbed up and got it. Cost him $40.

He also had a $1200+ glider have the wings collapse at a few thousand feet above ground. I didn't come out to look for remains of that one, it was hopeless.

Fairmont Kevin

06-23-05, 07:32 PM

Here is a topical video. Stick with it for a couple of minutes....
(lots of sound so - NSFW)
http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=HydroFoam

Vid quality sucked but way cool subject. I'm DL-ing a hi-res now from here! (http://www.baize.org/hfh.wmv)

XHawkeye

11-30-05, 10:46 PM

Very cool video of a B-29 (see attached picture), does slow motion acrobatics after the X-1 lands.

right-click > Save as
http://video.helifreak.com/tmp/06261831a52a0d1ecc92dffc909eb037/B2911062004.wmv (14.9mb)

http://corner-carvers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8582&stc=1

Msquared

12-01-05, 12:40 AM

That video of the B-52 is great. Almost as interesting as it's crash [/URL]
That looks extremely similar to the crash of a full size B-52 during an airshow: http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photogallery/Videos/B-52%20Crash.mpg
Apparently the full-size version has a well-known "roll angle of no return," beyond which it will continue to roll and dive no matter how much opposite aileron is input. This pilot went too far.

Lewis Tanner

12-01-05, 12:46 AM

Very cool video of a B-29 (see attached picture), does slow motion acrobatics after the X-1 lands.

right-click > Save as
http://video.helifreak.com/tmp/06261831a52a0d1ecc92dffc909eb037/B2911062004.wmv (14.9mb)

That makes the B-52 guys look like amateur hour. Damn, that's nice.

Cannon

12-01-05, 01:51 AM

Yay, I thought, another big model flown by a shitty pilot.

As soon as that video started, I though I was going to be underwhelmed.

I was not.

That was very cool.

krichbaum

12-01-05, 09:28 AM

Well since this thread has come back up to the top...I'm happy to report that I've been flying for a couple months now after lots of peer pressure. Damn, its a rush. Almost like racing for the first time again.

I have a couple of RTF planes from Parkzone. One is the F27 Stryker. We put the combat modules on those and play laser tag in the sky. Unbelievable fun. Also just got the Typhoon 3D, which is a nice package for the money. I'm now officially hooked and will soon buy a real transmitter, a Futaba 9CHPS. I have to say I'm a big fan of Parkzone's stuff, even though the electronics are very basic and cheap for the most part, the planes fly well right out of the box.

Link to Parkzone (http://www.parkzone.com/) for those that are interested.

Tommy R

12-01-05, 09:40 AM

Tommy any word on a group rate?

Oh damn! I just saw this today for the first time. :o Well, if anyone is interested in a possible group rate for any of the Super Fly products, please let me know either by chiming in here or by PMing me. I'd be happy to help...

Tommy

scorreia

12-01-05, 09:53 AM

My favorite is the Zagi flying wing (http://www.zagi.com/).

Some are RTF (The Fixx) and others require some building but they are foam so it's easy. Nearly indestructible is an accurate term, I have flown mine straight down at full throttle right into the ground walked over with some tape (it's tape over foam construction) and had it in the air in a few minutes.

They are also rewarding as acrobatic planes. After my season 1 teardown and rebuild I covered it in ultrakote (stronger than tape) and the difference was astounding, no more Zagi-flap when diving and rolls were much quicker.

You can start with a 5C slope soarer to learn to fly and then swap over the servos to a powered version after you get the hang of it. I started with a Zagi XS and left off the motor and battery pack to learn to fly and then when I was ready I installed the go fast parts, rebalanced and was on my way. I taught myself to fly with no help at all in a few weeks time.

edit for spelling

onestep

12-01-05, 04:34 PM

Well I am out, no job, no money.

Bryon

12-01-05, 10:03 PM

I fly everything from park flyers to helicopters to a 90size electric (any larger IS really expensive) to 35% gas (40% is like a large electric, only even more expensive, think a small car expenive)

Don't be afraid of Li-poly. You need to be safe with it, just like you wouldn't smoke next to a container of open gasoline.

Get a coffee can, fill it halfway with sand, and put your batteries in it when they charge (and make sure nothing burnable is right overhead) as a just in case measure. Don't charge them unattended, and you will be fine. Also isolate batteries right after a crash as they are known to go from an internal fault as well.

On my larger electric plane I fly 12 li-poly packs in series for a 50V DC pack on a brushless 2.5KW motor. (Whats that like 3.5 hp?) You wouldn't believe how small the motor is for that amount of power. Like 1.75" diameter and 3" long.

If you want to really supercharge your park-flyer experience, get a himax brushless motor to go with your GWS gearbox and a brushless speed controller. 100$ for that. Longer run time and 50% more power.

Heres me in a assisted harrier... :D

RIP (She was destroyed doing high speed runs through a tree laden area, I swear I was in front of that tree, not inline with it...)

I built it out of Depron, Carbon Fiber Kite Spars and gorilla glue. Cost was about 25$ for the airframe, and 500+ for everything else. (Not counting my 9C radio, which you certainly don't need, but I reccomend it if you plan on flying other models or trying helicopters. I am counting a li-poly charger and a second battery) You can do it for much less if your not wanting to hover at 1/3 throttle.

Anyway, feel free to send me a PM if you need help with something.

Ralgh

12-04-05, 09:10 PM

Here is a picture of my fleet. Most are electric and I use the lipoly batteries with all of them. I use the battery bunker for charging. I have long cords so I can get it away from the house when charging. I have been having a hankerin to get out and do some flying but it has been windy here lately. Maybe tomorrow.
http://corner-carvers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8664&stc=1

mfennell

12-05-05, 09:46 AM

How is that little helicopter indoors? I read somewhere that they're not very stable low to the ground.

I've been idly thinking of getting one so I can put holes in the sheetrock.

Mark Worthington

12-05-05, 09:58 AM

I like the Sukhoi.

Ralgh

12-05-05, 11:48 AM

I am nowhere near good enough to fly the helicopter in confined spaces yet. I could probably hover in the garage without hitting anything but I don’t want to try yet. I don’t think it is any worse than the big one as far as stability goes. The Sukhoi is one of my glow fuel powered ones. I hardly fly it any more because all I have to do is go to the park to fly the electrics and the red one (Jumping Jack (http://www.fliton.com/new/product/jj.asp)) diagonally in front of it will do just about anything.

krichbaum

12-05-05, 11:54 AM

Generally, the smaller the heli is, the less stable it is. I have an E-Flite Blade heli, but I crash it a lot. I know guys that have a electric helis that are a bit bigger and heavier, and they are much easier to fly. Of course, they have high end electronics and heading hold gyros too. One guy has a few nitro helis, one of which is .90 powered. That thing is amazing. Its extremely stable, but when you do crash, the bill is a couple magnitudes more than a small electric crash.

onestep

12-05-05, 10:56 PM

Here ya go a drywall friendly indoor heli. O and it is cheap too.
http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2335565_rshalt1_dt.jpg
Ratshack special. (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2135190&cp=2032062.2032402.2032406&pg=2&parentPage=family)

imoz

12-05-05, 11:17 PM

I used to be involved with KRC and worked a couple KRC Electric Fly's. Saw some pretty amazing planes. There was this guy from Ann Arbor, MI, I think named Keith Shaw (I don't think any relation to the CC.com'er), who used to build some really amazing large scale electric planes. He had a giant flying wing with ducted fans one year that was just amazing.

Lately I've been thinking about getting back into the hobby. I live right on the river, so I've been thinking about building an electric float plane. Also thought about an electric helicopter, but they intimidate the hell out of me.

Pat Newton

12-05-05, 11:31 PM

Lately I've been thinking about getting back into the hobby, because that way I can go Predator-style and remotely fire a missile into my apartment complex management offices.
Fixed that for ya. :p

operator0

12-05-05, 11:54 PM

A little CC.com nostalgia. Here's the vid of that amazing RC Helo pilot that was posted a while ago on here. I could link the thread, but instead, I'll just link the link that's in the thread. So no smart ass comments about me Khaning.

If you haven't seen the vid, you really need to DL it and watch this kid. The stuff he does in the video is unreal.

http://rob.com/matt/rc/rc_video/alan_vegasfunflydemo_2004.wmv

Ralgh

12-06-05, 01:50 AM

Lately I've been thinking about getting back into the hobby. I live right on the river, so I've been thinking about building an electric float plane. Also thought about an electric helicopter, but they intimidate the hell out of me.

I did 95% of my helicopter learning on the Real Flight simulator. I did take a lesson also. From there I just keep flying around. You could probably do the same thing and save some money on crashes. It is a lot nicer to hit the reset button and to have to rebuild your helicopter. So far the only crash I have has was due to some settings on the transmitter being messed up. Now that I said that I will probably crash on my next flight.

Ron L

12-06-05, 06:00 PM

Here ya go a drywall friendly indoor heli. O and it is cheap too.

My 7 year old daughter wants one of those for Christmas. I wanted the Bladerunner but the Radio Shack one is more kid-friendly. Much more fun than every "flight" costing over $40 in broken parts on the Ikarus.

scorreia

12-14-05, 08:23 PM

I searched, didn't find it, so I give you Pixelito (http://pixelito.reference.be/), a very small RC helicopter.

6.9 grams
4 channels
full carbon
no servo's
no swashplate
InfraRed control

There is a video (.wmv), but I had trouble viewing it. If you get a not found error try again later. Very cool, except for the wailing 15 second wailing guitar intro.

Sam Lin

12-14-05, 08:32 PM

I toyed with R/C planes for a bit a few years ago and didn't have problems flying them, but did have problems landing them and was not happy with how short the battery life was. I suspect this was mainly due to how crappy the plane I had was.

I'd like to pick up one of the "flying wing" type aircraft like in the links at the beginning of this thread, as I've seen them being flown around my local hobby shop's parking lot and they're pretty different from my experiences, incredibly agile, seem to be very simple and durable, and all in all a ton of fun. Is there a good beginners writeup or FAQ at a site that someone could point me to? I haven't found any "mainstream" sources of comparisons or information on these planes.

I'd like something that's forgiving, that I can launch from hand and land by catching (so a pusher prop with very low stall speed), yet agile. Price isn't much of an issue.

Thanks
Sam

Ralgh

12-14-05, 08:48 PM

You could try a Zagi (http://www.zagi.com/) . Go back to page one of this thread to see a picture of mine (Zagi 400X). They are pretty durable and can be caught but be careful about that. You may just end up hitting yourself. They land fine on most surfaces. Construction is fairly simple but it can be time consuming to get the tape/covering on with no wrinkles. It is worth the effort to get it smooth though. It is available with a brushless motor now which in my opinion is worth it. With a 2100Mah Lithium Polymer battery it should fly a lot longer than the planes you remember.

scorreia

12-14-05, 10:55 PM

Plus, the 400x on the right day can fly for quite awhile, I've had flight times of 45 minutes. With winds over 25mph or so you only need half throttle to climb and you can just glide most of the time. If you cover it in ultrakote you can fly in some pretty heavy winds and have some real fun.

The foam and tape construction makes it easy to fix on site for even the worst crashes, just have a spare canopy because that's the part that breaks that is harder to fix immediately. When I first got mine I knew nothing of flying rc planes, and I set mine up sans battery and motor, balanced it and learned the basics just throwing and gliding it. Once I felt comfortable with that I put the motor on and started flying around.

edit for spelling

Bryon

12-14-05, 11:13 PM

Servocity is having a 20% off hitec servos if anyone cares. I stocked up on a bunch of digitals.

Ron L

12-14-05, 11:46 PM

Is there a good beginners writeup or FAQ at a site that someone could point me to? I haven't found any "mainstream" sources of comparisons or information on these planes.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php has just about anything you want to read about.

Bryon

12-15-05, 12:11 AM

Combine that with RCuniverse which is more gas and giant scale related (and cars and boats) and you pretty much have the two largest r/c sites there are.

Sam Lin

12-15-05, 10:53 AM

Thanks guys, off to do some reading. Will be back with questions.

Sam

krichbaum

12-15-05, 11:33 AM

I did 95% of my helicopter learning on the Real Flight simulator. I did take a lesson also. From there I just keep flying around. You could probably do the same thing and save some money on crashes. It is a lot nicer to hit the reset button and to have to rebuild your helicopter.

Yep, an r/c flight sim is the way to go if you want to minimize the money spent learning how to fly. That's what I did. I crashed my first plane on its first flight, fixed it, and I haven't had a real crash since then. Maybe a few rough landings, but no crashes, and no repairs.

With helicopters its a different story though. I have an E-flite Blade CP, and I'm still not very good with it even after a lot of sim time. While its hard to fly, its also very cheap and easy to fix, so not a bad one to learn with. E-flite also has another Blade model, the CX, which is a counter-rotating main blade design (no tail rotor). This thing is extremely stable and easy to fly, so I'd recommend it as an excellent one to learn with, even flying indoors. You can more easily learn things like hovering and flying nose-in, because its so user friendly.

krichbaum

12-15-05, 11:34 AM

Servocity is having a 20% off hitec servos if anyone cares. I stocked up on a bunch of digitals.

Thanks for the heads up...I'll have to check that out.

Flätsix

03-09-06, 07:50 PM

Stop buy you local Target or Toy R Us:

Air Hogs Aero Ace $30

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3368184/mpage_2/tm.htm

http://www.aeroacemods.com/aam/

I can't remember the last time I had this much fun with $30... well, that time at Cheetah's is close.

I've been flying figure eights in the living room with this thing, bugging the cats, and beaning my friends in the head with it. If you have access to a large garage/hanger/wherehouse pick one up, and two more for your buddies.

Random

03-09-06, 08:05 PM

Sweet. :D

cgrant26

03-09-06, 11:58 PM

Ralgh

03-10-06, 12:34 PM

The gas helicopter is a Raptor 30 and the electric is a Zoom/Shogun 400. I think the T-Rex is supposed to be better than the Shogun but they did just come out with the Shogun V2. It has a belt drive tail rotor opposed to the shaft drive mine has. You don't want shaft drive. The gear strips out and you loose tail rotor control. I did almost all my helicopter learning on RealFlight. I haven't flown my helicopters in a while. I kind of hit a learning plateau. I need to get back into it. I hear the Raptor 50 is easier to fly but the parts are more expensive. It's still lots of fun though.

Flätsix

03-10-06, 01:12 PM

I almost bought a Blade CP a couple weeks ago but I ended up instead getting RealFlight G3. Since flying the .46 and .90 helis in RF, now I'm hooked and starting to put money away for a Raptor 50 or possibly an Align T-Rex. (I believe the helis in Ralgh's photo are also a Raptor and a T-Rex)

Dammit, yet another crack pipe hobby to spend money on.

For $219 the Blade CP looks pretty dam sweet. The owner of the local hobby store took one out in the parking lot and did a demo for me. I came close to getting into another hobby, but my friends did an intervention and dragged me into the gun store next door.

I'll stick with the the Aero Ace for now. If it keeps my interest I'll step up to a trainer.

mfennell

03-10-06, 04:41 PM

For $219 the Blade CP looks pretty dam sweet. The owner of the local hobby store took one out in the parking lot and did a demo for me. I came close to getting into another hobby, but my friends did an intervention and dragged me into the gun store next door.Most recommend avoiding a collective pitch 'copter as a beginner. I don't know if they're all that much harder to fly or just more fragile.

I know what you mean about the hobbies. I don't have enough time to handle what I'm into now. The AeroAce is perfect in that sense - it's not a hobby, just a diversion. Important distinction. :)

I'm still fooling around with my 3.6 gram indoor plane. Through the living room, down the hallway to the bedroom, back again, etc. My wife says I have a stupid grin on my face the whole time.

cgrant26

03-10-06, 04:56 PM

Most recommend avoiding a collective pitch 'copter as a beginner. I don't know if they're all that much harder to fly or just more fragile.

Yeah, flying a collective pitch heli is akin to balancing a marble on a piece of glass.

Rara

03-10-06, 05:51 PM

well, I was at target today, and saw one of the aero aces, and couldn't resist the urge . . . so, the first charge cycle is finishing up, and I'm about to head out for a first flight. If I'm not back in 20 minutes . . . just wait longer.

Rara

03-10-06, 06:41 PM

Ron L

03-10-06, 06:52 PM

AeroAce-powered custom planes thread:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=476593
A few nice plans, too.

Yeah, flying a collective pitch heli is akin to balancing a marble on a piece of glass.
Plus everytime you drop the marble it costs >$50 to fix. With the money spent on two gyros trying to keep the damn thing stable we could've spent it towards a 6-channel radio and set it up for CCPM.

cgrant26

11-04-06, 11:42 PM

I guess this is as good a place as any.
For any of you guys that own Realflight G3, Knife Edge just released Realflight G3.5 and anyone with RFG3 can upgrade to it for free. Its got some new aircraft and some cool new features including night flying.

You can download it from here:
http://www.realflight.com/updates.html

Ralgh

11-05-06, 12:04 PM

I just updated to 3.5. It's pretty cool. Don't forget about the plane with the variable pich propeller. You can fly straight at the ground and then pop it into reverse. The plane backs up then flips around and you can fly away. There is also a blimp now. Not quite as exciting as the other new stuff but it is entertaining. I tried to see if you could go fast enough to crash it. You can. The gondola fell off and the rest of the blimp just floated away.

number9

11-05-06, 12:20 PM

I almost bought a Blade CP a couple weeks ago but I ended up instead getting RealFlight G3. Since flying the .46 and .90 helis in RF, now I'm hooked and starting to put money away for a Raptor 50 or possibly an Align T-Rex. (I believe the helis in Ralgh's photo are also a Raptor and a T-Rex)

Dammit, yet another crack pipe hobby to spend money on.A few weeks ago on MythBusters they had a couple of RC helis on the show, including one considered to be "unbreakable". Don't suppose anyone knows what it was..?

captainoblivious

11-05-06, 03:07 PM

A few weeks ago on MythBusters they had a couple of RC helis on the show, including one considered to be "unbreakable". Don't suppose anyone knows what it was..?

Lite Machines Corona maybe? Fixed pitch highly, highly durable for learning how to fly but thats about it. And yes it's breakable, just easily repaired.

cgrant26

11-05-06, 06:30 PM

bc88

11-06-06, 10:29 AM

The Multiplex Easystar is a great trainer. Foam construction, easy to build, easy to fly, and cheap, about $150.00 when on sale. I had my friend put it up in the air ( three crashes high) then I took over and have been doing great ever since.

Bob.

mschlang

11-06-06, 09:46 PM

man, this little plane is badass. I was flying it around the front yard, and the breeze was a bit much for it, but it was still flyable and marginally controllable in the wind.
Tons of fun for $30 and super simple too. I'm getting all sorts of crazy mod ideas in my head now too, lol.

Woo! I second the above. Having never flown before, I'm impressed. I've been outside flying above the streetlights and then dive-bombing my dog. It has survived many unfortunate landings also. They are closing them out at Toy R Us, so I went back and bought a spare.

With something this slow, is it even worthwhile to clean the flashing/bumps from the top of the wings?
http://www.maxconrad.com/AeroAce/aeroclip.jpg

Niles

11-06-06, 10:29 PM

Not to be too off topic but..
I've got a seven channel radio, servos,(including the special retractable gear servos) recievers, batteries, a trainer plane, an old version of RFC, and all kinds of goodies I would very much like to be rid of for very little coin. If anyone would be interested, shoot me a PM and I'll give you some details. Some of this stuff probably wouldn't take well to shipping (specifically the plane) without dissasembling some of it, but anyway... I also have a starter, some sail plane parts (folding props etc) hardware etc. Pretty much all of it is really high quality stuff.
I built and flew a model A10 for a while, it was great. Then the car bug bit and I haven't really looked back.

Ralgh

11-06-06, 11:09 PM

Have you tried night flying or flying one of the streamer equipped planes yet? Also, in multiplayer they added collision to the models themselves so you can crash into each other. :)

The night flying is kind of cool. What impressed me the most was the streamers. They got the physics pretty realistic. You can do some wacky aerobatics and watch them follow along. That 3.5 is an excellent update.

kppolo

11-06-06, 11:28 PM

Woo! I second the above. Having never flown before, I'm impressed. I've been outside flying above the streetlights and then dive-bombing my dog. It has survived many unfortunate landings also. They are closing them out at Toy R Us, so I went back and bought a spare.

With something this slow, is it even worthwhile to clean the flashing/bumps from the top of the wings?
http://www.maxconrad.com/AeroAce/aeroclip.jpg

You should try removing the bottom wing. All you have to do is gently pull the bottom wing from the fuselage and remove the strut connecting the wing. The plane will be faster, more maneuverable, and it will fly longer. It is definitely worth the hassle and will make your plane more fun after you get used to the controls.-Kevin

imoz

12-07-06, 01:13 AM

I had to go to Rat Shack today to pick up an RS232 cable, and while I was there I saw the micro heli's and had to have one. $50 got me the extreme rescue chopper. It is about 10" or so in blade diameter. 2 channel (up/down and left/right). Had some fun with it in the office at the end of the day. Good thing I bought the extra blades for $10 because I already broke one of them when I flew it into a trash can.

It generally doesn't want to fly anywhere. The guy at rat shack told me to tape a dime to the front of it, but I tried sticking a pushpin in the front of it instead. Not enough weight. I could get some forward momentum by going up/down a couple times. With no fore/aft cyclic control it is tough to transition from hover to forward flight and back again without it dropping out of the sky.

It came with a little green man and a small piece of string you put between the skids and try to pick him up with. I think it must be impossible!

I'm tempted to buy the BladeRunner now that has the fore/aft cyclic control. I really want the big RoboRaptor but I don't think the box will fit in my car. My coworkers think this is all quite amusing.

Ron L

12-07-06, 01:36 AM

The fore/aft controls on the micro helis seem more of a gimmick to me than anything. I have the Micro Mosquito and I have had more fun after adding weight to the front and letting it go forward on its own, than using the "cyclic" controls. Even without using fore/aft controls I can land it on a stack of books.

My friend has a BladeRunner 2 and has the same issues. There really isn't any cyclic, just a tail prop that tilts the whole heli forward. Since the helis are made to be dynamically stable, adding any instability to it, e.g. a "tilter" rear prop just makes it swing back and forth like a pendulum. I'm wishing I bought the Rescue Chopper instead and saved $30.

Instead of a push pin I'd suggest something longer, like a sewing needle. Then at the free end of the needle stick on some weight. That'll bring the CG forward easier with less total weight because of the leverage.

When/if gyros get small enough to fit into micro helis they will be much more fun. Seems like most people do more trimming than flying these guys.

Mark Luna

12-07-06, 10:26 AM

Ron L

12-07-06, 05:35 PM

The hobby store close to me just acquired the CX2. Too tempting, but I shall pass. I think...

AWilliamson

12-07-06, 05:52 PM

It generally doesn't want to fly anywhere. The guy at rat shack told me to tape a dime to the front of it, but I tried sticking a pushpin in the front of it instead. Not enough weight. I could get some forward momentum by going up/down a couple times.

Stick some canards to the front of the fuselage. The downwash from the rotor will push the nose down and let you get some forward movement.
Here's a site (http://www.piccoztoolbox.no-ip.com/) for a similar mini chopper I was looking at, with a list of mods (under Hop ups) to make it more manoeuvrable and lighter.

Adrian

imoz

12-07-06, 06:11 PM

Stick some canards to the front of the fuselage. The downwash from the rotor will push the nose down and let you get some forward movement.
Here's a site (http://www.piccoztoolbox.no-ip.com/) for a similar mini chopper I was looking at, with a list of mods (under Hop ups) to make it more manoeuvrable and lighter.

AdrianCool site, thanks! We were able to fix the rotor blade and get it to fly a bit more stably today. I was able to hover and move around a bit without it crashing, but it seems that I could only get maybe 2 minutes of consistent hovering up and down before the twin rotor blades would spin out of alignment, hit each other, and thus cause it to fall out of the air. Great entertainment for $50 though.

RicePimp

12-07-06, 06:48 PM

I have the Blade CP and the CX2. The CX2 is a great trainer and can literally be flown right out of the box. It doesn't prepare you for the collective pitch per se, but it helps cover all the other bases so you have less to deal with. I have the FS One flight simulator that I bought my son (cough) for Christmas and it has these two heli's on it. I'm trying to get him to learn so I can give him the CX and upgrade to the Align.:D
I went to an RC show a couple months back when the Autobahn snowed out. They are putting cameras on these things and paint ball guns. :eek:

I have a Blade CP pro and practiced on a free sim called FMS. The flight model isn't up to par with RealFlight or Reflex, but are great for learning hovering and nose in etc. The graphics out of the box aren't too great, but I found a blade CP model and photo scenery online. Worth a look to save $300 on the big name sims. There are also instructions for making the wire to connect the controller from the blade to a soundcard for input.

Also, I've tried a small 2.4 ghz self powered camera on a stock cp pro and it will only fly out of ground effect for a couple minutes before it becomes too much weight. but very simple to install. Just strapped the thing underneath the battery and it worked fine.

Instruction for building the cable:
http://www.urbanastronomer.com/bladecp/

FMS sim:
http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html

Blade CP Model:
www.heli-shots.com/BladeCP.zip

Photo scenery:
http://rcwayne.atspace.com/fmsscenery.htm

JSKEARNEY

12-07-06, 10:20 PM

FMS sim:
http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html
Photo scenery:
http://rcwayne.atspace.com/fmsscenery.htm
I
http://biosphere.biologydaily.com/help/images/a366024055e25bfcd7ffb9005e0fcaa0-5409.jpeg
You.

Ron L

12-07-06, 11:35 PM

Well I sent the link to my wife and to mention to Santa in case she runs into him, that he needs to pick up a CX2 for me on the way here. She just gave me a "ha - ha". I guess that's a no.

pcrussell50

03-06-07, 03:18 PM

Rara

03-06-07, 04:14 PM

Can it fly as slow as a fast walk or maybe jogging speed? Maybe even slower?

-Peter

Yes, if there is a decent head wind, it can fly backwards, though, it takes a lot of fun out of it.

Ron L

03-06-07, 04:41 PM

Just a heads-up on the Aero Ace, and maybe it's just particular to mine, but I left the charger plugged in for a few days because I forgot about it. Now the battery won't take a charge. The light doesn't even come on when plugged into the charger.

As for walking pace, it's not likely without headwind. That would require some fancy airfoil design and powerplant which would in turn mean the aircraft would lose control in the slightest breeze. This thing flies in a small area, but it flies fast to keep it aloft. It's more like a controlled paper airplane.

Phil.Gail

03-06-07, 07:18 PM

Just a heads-up on the Aero Ace, and maybe it's just particular to mine, but I left the charger plugged in for a few days because I forgot about it. Now the battery won't take a charge. The light doesn't even come on when plugged into the charger.

Mine did the same thing, except I didn't charge it for a month or two. Wouldn't take a charge, so it wouldn't fly. I ended up handing it to my 2 yr old, and he took care of it for me. SMASH!

P

fspgti

03-07-07, 01:29 PM

Yes, if there is a decent head wind, it can fly backwards, though, it takes a lot of fun out of it.

Say, what would happen if you put the plane on a treadmill???? ;)

Bryon

03-07-07, 02:00 PM

Well it never takes off ;)

Flätsix

03-08-07, 12:32 AM

Damn True

03-08-07, 12:35 AM

Yeah, flying a collective pitch heli is akin to balancing a marble on a piece of glass.

Try the real thing someday. I used to liken it to standing on a semi inflated basketball.

cgrant26

03-08-07, 12:42 AM

Try the real thing someday. I used to liken it to standing on a semi inflated basketball.
I've got lots of chopper hours in FS2K4 and FSX. :) It certainly something that takes a good deal of practice to get good at. The hardest part to get used to is the delayed vehicle reaction to cyclic inputs. Its real easy to overcorrect and by the time you realize you did, its too late to do anything about it. It takes a lot of experience to get good at adding the right amount of cyclic for a given situation.

Damn True

03-08-07, 12:48 AM

onestep

03-08-07, 07:05 AM

Well that sailboat captain is not doing all that well himself.

Damn True

03-08-07, 11:29 AM

Yeah, he's havin a bad day. But then pretty much any time the USCG is involved someone is having a bad day.

prohydro

03-08-07, 12:20 PM

Man, that was my dream in high school. I was going to get out, join the Coast Guard, and fly rescue choppers. Unfortunately I didn't follow through, went to art school instead.

But every time I watch a USCG chopper fly overhead, I get a big twinge of jealousy.

Damn True

03-08-07, 12:42 PM

Ralgh

03-08-07, 01:05 PM

I've got lots of chopper hours in FS2K4 and FSX. :) It certainly something that takes a good deal of practice to get good at. The hardest part to get used to is the delayed vehicle reaction to cyclic inputs. Its real easy to overcorrect and by the time you realize you did, its too late to do anything about it. It takes a lot of experience to get good at adding the right amount of cyclic for a given situation.

I have never flown a full size helicopter but I have spent some time with the ones in Flight Simulator 2004 and previous versions. I also have a couple R/C helicopters. From everything I know about helicopters the ones in FS are not good/realistic. By all accounts I have heard they are very sensitive and not slow to respond. They are actually easy to over control. That is where people get themselves in trouble. Try the Bell 412 from Hovercontrol (http://www.hovercontrol.com/). I think it is closer to real and its free.

More on topic I just finished and started flying my T-Rex 450 and that thing is cool. Anyone thinking of dropping an obscene amount of cash on a fully capable helicopter should look closely at the T-Rex.

cgrant26

03-08-07, 01:12 PM

By "real thing" I meant something a little more like this:

http://www.uscg.mil/d11/sectorlalb/images/SARHH65A.jpg
Awsome image!
I truly envy you.
I went up with the UH-60 medivac crews attached to us in Bosnia a bunch of times. Those guys absolutely loved taking people up. One time I bet the LT flying he couldn't make me sick. I won $20 bucks on that one and got one awsome ride. Also after that there was significantly less reluctance for the crewchiefs to let me use their CVCs. :D

blown84gt

03-08-07, 02:06 PM

More on topic I just finished and started flying my T-Rex 450 and that thing is cool. Anyone thinking of dropping an obscene amount of cash on a fully capable helicopter should look closely at the T-Rex.

I'm planning a build in the near future, trying to decide if I want to go nitro (Raptor) or stay electric (Trex 450). I have G 3.5 simulator and I've been flying my AXE CD for a few months now and I'm ready to try a bigger heli. Any recommendations? Which Trex 450 did you build, X, XL, SE? Is it HDE or CDE?

Mark Luna

03-08-07, 03:33 PM

I recently started a business called Aerial View Photography. We use radio controlled helicopters to fly video cameras and still cameras to take shots of auto racing, real estate, golf courses, etc. Flying a radio controlled helicopter is one of the hardest things I've done. It's very mentally draining, but a lot of fun. Below is a picture on top of the AI car. The car give you reference to the size of the heli. Below the heli is the camera mount which pans 360 degrees and tilts 160 degrees. This is controlled by a separate operator. Pretty cool actually. The other picture is with smaller blades, but the doors give you an idea of it's size. Keep in mind though that I wouldn't necessarily call this a park flyer. They are big and very dangerous. The blades are 710 mm each and are made from CF. They are very hard to handle, and you can lose control quickly. I never fly over people within a 200 foot radius and rarely if ever over someone's property.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pf170e25cadf1f1d2a4338aa359932d23/ea63efe8.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p74861af59f3139267af9b14b01d0efb7/ea63e6b5.jpg

Ralgh

03-08-07, 07:41 PM

I'm planning a build in the near future, trying to decide if I want to go nitro (Raptor) or stay electric (Trex 450). I have G 3.5 simulator and I've been flying my AXE CD for a few months now and I'm ready to try a bigger heli. Any recommendations? Which Trex 450 did you build, X, XL, SE? Is it HDE or CDE?

I have a Raptor 30, Zoom/Shogun 400 and just got the T-Rex 450 S-CF flying. If I have done my research right the only new T-Rex 450s being made are the S (aluminum frame) S–CF (carbonfiber frame) and the SE (carbonfiber frame and all aluminum rotor head parts). There may be more designations but the X, XL, HDE and CDE are no longer being made. They don’t make the Hiller (HDE) typed rotor head at all any more. All the new ones have the CCPM. My cousin has an XL I think and it is pretty different than mine.

The electric pros are that it is easier to transport and cleaner. The Nitro helis are nice because they are bigger and a little more stable. There was a guy at the field with a T-Rex 600. That is about the same size as a .50 size heli but is electric. It is a lot more expensive to get a big electric helicopter flying than a nitro or small electric.

I learned to fly helicopters with the Real Flight G2 but now I have the G3.5. I also got a little instruction. It was a big deal psychologically going from the sim to a real one but they fly about the same.

eBell

03-08-07, 08:18 PM

Man, I gotta quit reading this thread. I'm weak willed, have an insatiable appetite for toys and don't own an RC helicopter.

HELP

Ralgh

03-08-07, 10:17 PM

Man, I gotta quit reading this thread. I'm weak willed, have an insatiable appetite for toys and don't own an RC helicopter.

HELP

This hobby can be like crack. I have 10 planes and helicopters and counting. My transmitter can take 20.

Rara

03-08-07, 10:26 PM

Man, I gotta quit reading this thread. I'm weak willed, have an insatiable appetite for toys and don't own an RC helicopter.

HELP

My local Wally World has a new little RC Helicopter for like $40, same idea as the Aero Ace, and I'm tempted to get one, lol.

Patrick Olsen

03-08-07, 11:00 PM

I recently started a business called Aerial View Photography. We use radio controlled helicopters to fly video cameras and still cameras to take shots of auto racing, real estate, golf courses, etc. ... Below the heli is the camera mount which pans 360 degrees and tilts 160 degrees. This is controlled by a separate operator.
That's pretty cool stuff, Mark. I assume the camera operator is getting real-time feed from the camera(s) so he knows what the hell he's shooting?

Do you do any Peeping Tom stuff? Could I hire you to keep an eye on a sorority house, for instance? :D

Pat

Ron L

03-09-07, 12:31 AM

Don't get the Radio Shack Micro Mosquito heli. It flies better when thrown across the room. Yes I've done all the tweaks and it flies almost as good as a $20 toy. Too bad I paid $70 for it.

Mmmmm, Blade CX2 (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=609934)...

Mark Luna

03-09-07, 11:04 AM

That's pretty cool stuff, Mark. I assume the camera operator is getting real-time feed from the camera(s) so he knows what the hell he's shooting?

Do you do any Peeping Tom stuff? Could I hire you to keep an eye on a sorority house, for instance? :D

Pat

Yes the camera operator has an adjustable mount that hods a small 11" screen powered by a lipo battery and the controller mounts to the bottom of the mount. This is sent by a 2.4 Ghz transmitter hooked into both a Sony V3 still camera and a JVC video recorder. They see what they shoot before they do. They control shutter, zoom, and focus on the cameras, and control the pan and tilt of the mount under the helicopter. We can record using the cameras, or record on a laptop in the trailer. The quality is far superior using the cameras which is what we do.

Uh, that might be unethical for me to say that you could hire me for that. I will say though that I can confirm that it can be done. :D Before you and your significant other ever get undressed, make sure you don't hear the whipping of blades outside your window. :eek: My video recorder does have 32x optical zoom and pretty good night vision though.:D

Tim G

06-12-07, 05:02 AM

So the RC infection has returned after a 25+ year hiatus.

About eight years ago I gave my father, in the hopes to give him a hobby in his retirement, a four channel Futaba radio (72MHz). It has set, unused, for all that time and about a year ago he gave it to me.

So I charged up the batteries overnight expecting the worst. To my surprise they seem to have charged up fine. Last night I turned on the radio/receiver and every now and again would play with the controls, and feel the torque that the servos still had.

In the end it took about 3 hours for the transmitter to drop to about 80% charge. The servos/receiver battery, expectantly with their limited use, still had the torque that they had to start with.

So my question are: Is this about right for battery use? Should I replace the batteries? I checked TowerHobbies.com and it would cost me $50 to buy new Futaba batteries, or $35 for TowerHobbies branded one. What's the difference? I think nothing, but the Futaba is 600mAh vs TowerHobbies' 500mAh-- but the Futaba product also has a note in the comment section that says "These used to be 500mAh, but are now rated at 600mAh." If you did not already know, TowerHobbies has been re-branding Futaba radios since at least 1980. I think TH gets there engines from O.S. as well (O.S. is a Futaba company as well).

Then I think, if I am going to buy new batteries... would I just be better off getting an entirety new, modern, radio as I am over 25% of the way there anyway?

What do you think of these new 2.4GHz models? I'm not a big fan of 2.4GHz as too much shit is on them already. The idea of flying a plane in an already overcrowded frequency does not give me warm and fuzzies.

/tg

Ron L

06-12-07, 12:32 PM

3 hours? I fly for 20 minutes and my neck hurts already. I never bothered to check how long it lasts.

Will it take regular AAs? Sometimes the pack can be replaced with an AA holder that plugs into the original connector. With a set of 1800mAh NiMH AAs you wouldn't have to worry about battery life. Or make your own connector if it's a pigtail.

Mark Luna

06-12-07, 12:55 PM

Off subject a bit, but some people have been asking how the heli is doing.

We raced at Grattan this weekend and put up the heli. We had some video problems but took some still shots on Saturday night. Here's a couple raw un-edited (except size) shots.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pcd36580c74306f44f3880303725a9178/e91a150b.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pfb0b5e7c099d2ed0fcbf324b02361077/e91a11cf.jpg

We're still working on editing software, and stabilization. That's been the hardest part so far. By the Mid-American Motorplex event, we should have the new electric heli and the platform stabilized.

Josh L

06-12-07, 01:14 PM

Woo! I second the above. Having never flown before, I'm impressed. I've been outside flying above the streetlights and then dive-bombing my dog. It has survived many unfortunate landings also. They are closing them out at Toy R Us, so I went back and bought a spare.

With something this slow, is it even worthwhile to clean the flashing/bumps from the top of the wings?
http://www.maxconrad.com/AeroAce/aeroclip.jpg

I bought an Air Hog a couple of weeks ago. I've been told if you remove the lower wings and struts from the biplane model it becomes very, very quick. I'm going to try it on mine once I get a little better at controlling it.

Wherearemykeys?

06-13-07, 08:38 AM

I've had the X-Twin Bi-plane for a few months now, I've got 2 now and they are pretty friggin' sweet. I can get them from Toys R Us for $40 AUD. They also have the Pico Z for $40, but they haven't been in stock the last few times I went.

I left one of the biplanes sitting for a few weeks with the plane on, so I thought the battery would be toast. It wouldn't charge, you could turn the transmitter on, but the charge light would never come on. It actually turned out to be the transmitter, as leaving the batteries sitting in it rusted some of the terminals. There was enough voltage to turn the power on, but not enough to charge the plane. I ran the plane through a few charge cycles and everything worked fine again. The speed of the plane is a bit sad compared to the newer one, but it is actually more fun to fly because it is easier to buzz past objects - poles, pets, passing cars, your friends, etc.

My friends and I have all of the channels - A, B and C, and flying them together is a blast. Dive-bombing people, buzzing them close, it is pretty damn funny. And when you get the rare mid-air collison, it is all the more worthwhile.

Toys R Us also has the X-Twin Eagle. Same electrics as the bi-plane, just a different body. Pic here (http://www.galaxymodels.co.uk/new/images/products/detail/eagle.jpg) These planes are pretty bad-arse. They seem to be significantly lighter than the biplane, and they also have relatively large wing area when considering the shape of the plane and its mass. You can get the biplanes up to about 20m or so if you are lucky, but the Eagle can be taken much, much higher. Easily 50m +. They ultimately are not as much fun as there needs to be absolutely no wind, not even the slightest breeze, for you to be able to take it up to those heights with confidence. We've only taken them up that high a handful of times, because two thirds of the time you are getting them out of a tree once they actually come back down. They are also incredibly unstable in flight, and they exhibit the tendenct to fly straight at the ground, motors screaming if turned to hard either direction. If you use them at half throttle though, you can buzz them around a few metres up without too much stress.

Ralgh

06-15-07, 10:39 AM

What do you think of these new 2.4GHz models? I'm not a big fan of 2.4GHz as too much shit is on them already. The idea of flying a plane in an already overcrowded frequency does not give me warm and fuzzies.

/tg

Tim

I and many of the guys out at the field have been flying with Spektrum 2.4 GHz radios with no problem related to the radios. From my research I have found that the benefit to the 2.4 GHz is that it is more closely regulated by the FCC. There is a lot less chance of getting interference than on 72 MHz. Plus in the unlikely event there is some problem with the frequency you are using it will automatically change to another one without you ever knowing something was wrong. I still have my Futaba 72 MHz radios but I can’t see going back to them after having the Spektrum.

Tim G

06-15-07, 01:02 PM

Tim

I and many of the guys out at the field have been flying with Spektrum 2.4 GHz radios with no problem related to the radios. From my research I have found that the benefit to the 2.4 GHz is that it is more closely regulated by the FCC. There is a lot less chance of getting interference than on 72 MHz. Plus in the unlikely event there is some problem with the frequency you are using it will automatically change to another one without you ever knowing something was wrong. I still have my Futaba 72 MHz radios but I can’t see going back to them after having the Spektrum.

I did some googleing and reading. For others benefit here are the links I found:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=841

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=856

http://www.spektrumrc.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleID=1624

Sounds really good. And with your words boasting it should be somehting I should look into. I was looking into another 72MHz radio, but I think I will switch my plans now. The one I currently have I am going to get crystals for and use for my sail boat.

So with the new 2.4GHz stuff you can have unlimited people flying now?

/tg

Ralgh

06-15-07, 04:52 PM

There are 80 frequencys and each transmitter is using two so the limit is 40. Of course if there are already 39 others planes up I think I will wait until 20 or 30 of them land first.

Patrick B.

06-15-07, 07:39 PM

The only thing to keep in mind with 2.4 GHz is that it's license-exempt spectrum, so depending upon what area you're in, you may be facing competition from things OTHER than RF flyers.

If you're out in a park etc, then I wouldn't expect too many issues, unless one of the guys there is running a WiFi Hotspot at the same time. :D

Pat

onestep

07-13-07, 06:35 AM

Well I just picked up my first little flier for $20 from Woot.
How much of a hunk of junk is it?

http://www.woot.com/Images/Sale/DragonFly_Mini_RC_Helicopterk9aStandard.jpg

Matthew Thompson

07-13-07, 07:46 AM

Well I just picked up my first little flier for $20 from Woot.
How much of a hunk of junk is it?

http://www.woot.com/Images/Sale/DragonFly_Mini_RC_Helicopterk9aStandard.jpg

At that price point, I think it's directly related to the level of fun you have.

onestep

07-13-07, 08:43 AM

Hmmm I wonder if it has enough lift to carry a cherry bomb?:D

Mark Luna

07-13-07, 01:01 PM

Those are fine for flying around the house and irritating the pets. They don't do much though for preparing you for flying a real (rc) helicopter. A small heli that is good indoors is the Blade CX-2 by E-Flight.http://www.bladecx2.com/?gclid=CLmWmuaApY0CFRlmWAodX1Xs0A It has counter rotating blades like the one pictured but also comes with a Gyro and a bit better controller. They help teach you tail orientation, hovering using the tail, and then changing to learn to hover by the canopy.
I would recommend going to your local hobby store and trying out their simulators. Most carry either www.fsone.com or http://www.realflight.com/. Both are good simulators and can give you a feel for flying a helicopter or a plane before you put up real money in the air. At the last Fun Fly, we had three helicopter flown by experience pilots crash. About $6k in damager between the three. These were top end helicopters of course, but even with a low end heli, it's cheaper to crash on the simulators. :D

mfennell

07-13-07, 01:48 PM

Those are fine for flying around the house and irritating the pets. They don't do much though for preparing you for flying a real (rc) helicopter. A small heli that is good indoors is the Blade CX-2 by E-Flight.http://www.bladecx2.com/?gclid=CLmWmuaApY0CFRlmWAodX1Xs0A It has counter rotating blades like the one pictured but also comes with a Gyro and a bit better controller. The heli pictured doesn't have counter rotating blades. It has a little 4mm (?) pager style motor in the tail and an electronic mixer. The tail rotor is just barely visible in the pictures. It's limited of course but still an amazing bit of technology for $20. I gave out a bunch of them (well, the Silverlit equivalent) for Christmas presents.

Ralgh

07-13-07, 07:46 PM

I would recommend going to your local hobby store and trying out their simulators. Most carry either www.fsone.com or http://www.realflight.com/. Both are good simulators and can give you a feel for flying a helicopter or a plane before you put up real money in the air.

I have tried Fsone at the local hobby shop a few times and have owned Real Flight G2 and G3/3.5 and without a doubt I would recommend Real Flight. All of my friends who have tried both feel the same. I learned to fly helicopters on Real Flight. There is also Aerofly http://www.aerofly.com/ which I think ranks somewhere between Fsone and Real Flight.

Ron L

07-13-07, 11:24 PM

FMS (http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html), the free simulator mentioned in a post last year is up to version 2.0.

captainoblivious

07-14-07, 09:29 AM

FMS (http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html), the free simulator mentioned in a post last year is up to version 2.0.
FMS isn't good in the real physics department of RC planes and helicopters (better for planes then helicopters though). However, it is free and it is great for orientation.

Ron L

07-14-07, 11:24 AM

FMS isn't good in the real physics department of RC planes and helicopters (better for planes then helicopters though). However, it is free and it is great for orientation.You mean letting go of the controls of an electric 2-meter sailplane and getting it up to 70,000+ meters altitude isn't realistic?

Mark Luna

07-14-07, 01:17 PM

The heli pictured doesn't have counter rotating blades. It has a little 4mm (?) pager style motor in the tail and an electronic mixer. The tail rotor is just barely visible in the pictures. It's limited of course but still an amazing bit of technology for $20. I gave out a bunch of them (well, the Silverlit equivalent) for Christmas presents.

Ah, thanks for the clarity. I ASSumed because most of the small dollar little heli's don't run mixers.

I have tried Fsone at the local hobby shop a few times and have owned Real Flight G2 and G3/3.5 and without a doubt I would recommend Real Flight. All of my friends who have tried both feel the same. I learned to fly helicopters on Real Flight. There is also Aerofly http://www.aerofly.com/ which I think ranks somewhere between Fsone and Real Flight.
I would agree. I definitely like the Real Flight in comparison to the FS one. The real flight has more mechanical mixing helicopters where the majority of the FS one heli's are CCPM. It makes a large difference in feel.

pcrussell50

07-30-07, 01:25 AM

Those are fine for flying around the house and irritating the pets. They don't do much though for preparing you for flying a real (rc) helicopter. A small heli that is good indoors is the Blade CX-2 by E-Flight.http://www.bladecx2.com/?gclid=CLmWmuaApY0CFRlmWAodX1Xs0A It has counter rotating blades like the one pictured but also comes with a Gyro and a bit better controller. ...snipped...

Is it just me, or can I find nothing at all on their web site about pricing or how to order/where to find a dealer? Oh, under the "support" tab is something about a $9.95 flat fee for shipping, but that's about it. Please tell me I'm not crazy. I'm looking at the AirHogs Havoc Heli:

https://www.spindirect.com/product.php?productid=16237&s=havoc

It looks kinda similar in many ways.

-Peter

Tighe

07-30-07, 05:58 AM

I got that exact one in the link you posted at Wal-Mart for thirty bucks. Mine didn't come with the landing pad and soldiers if those are key features to you. :D

I've also seen them at Toys 'R' Us for similar prices. They seem to be just a tiny bit less capable than those commercials would lead one to believe. No suprises there, and mine has mad up for it in durability after many crash landings, including an accidental splashdown in the toilet. Washed it off, set it on the gun cabinet to dry for a couple days, and I was back in action.

Rara

07-30-07, 10:05 AM

I picked up one of the Air Hogs havoc Helis last night at wally-World on a whim.
Pretty cool once you get the hang of it. After about 2.5 full battery charges of flight time, I could pretty well get the thing to do what i wanted it to, though it definately behaves differently in turning left vs. right.

Mark Luna

07-30-07, 01:07 PM

Is it just me, or can I find nothing at all on their web site about pricing or how to order/where to find a dealer? Oh, under the "support" tab is something about a $9.95 flat fee for shipping, but that's about it. Please tell me I'm not crazy. I'm looking at the AirHogs Havoc Heli:

https://www.spindirect.com/product.php?productid=16237&s=havoc

It looks kinda similar in many ways.

-Peter

Try this one. Same site, just under upgrade parts.
http://www.bladecx2.com/upgrade_parts3.html

Rara

07-30-07, 01:54 PM

Try this one. Same site, just under upgrade parts.
http://www.bladecx2.com/upgrade_parts3.html

Not the same model at all. The havoc is even smaller, has a foam forward body, and the bulk of the tail boom "structure" consists of a plastic rod w/ a sticker "flagged" around it to improve stiffness.

Jered

07-30-07, 03:33 PM

I've got 3 of the Air Hogs Havoc Helis. they're great for indoor flying in the winter. I'm really not much of a flyer, but I couldn't resist the price when I got them. It didn't take long to learn the basics, but it does seem to have a mind of it's own at times.

They come with aluminum tape to put on the nose to increase forward movement. As stated before, they turn much differently from left to right, and each different helicopter behave different from the others.

Mark Luna

07-31-07, 02:11 PM

Not the same model at all. The havoc is even smaller, has a foam forward body, and the bulk of the tail boom "structure" consists of a plastic rod w/ a sticker "flagged" around it to improve stiffness.

I wasn't referring to the Havoc, I was referring to the E-flite Blade CX-2. Did I miss something?:confused:

Sam Lin

07-31-07, 02:16 PM

I'm looking at the AirHogs Havoc Heli:

Uh, that?

Sam

Rara

07-31-07, 03:03 PM

I wasn't referring to the Havoc, I was referring to the E-flite Blade CX-2. Did I miss something?:confused:

pcrussell was trying to find a price on his link for the Havoc, and you posted a link to a different model after quoting his "request". Didn't make much sense to me.

rupps5

07-31-07, 04:03 PM

One of my friends has the havoc and it is fun to fly around the house. My trex 450 se v2 kicks its ass though.:D

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/align%20trex%20450%20v2/DSCN8655.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/DSCN8601.jpg

Mark Luna

07-31-07, 05:01 PM

Uh, that?

Sam

pcrussell was trying to find a price on his link for the Havoc, and you posted a link to a different model after quoting his "request". Didn't make much sense to me.

That would in fact be the detail I missed. Thanks. :)

The T-Rex 450 is a nice machine.

Cannon

08-02-07, 02:16 AM

One of my friends has the havoc and it is fun to fly around the house. My trex 450 se v2 kicks its ass though.:D

So how exactly do you shrink the T-Rex to make it fit in the case? Cold water? That always works on me.

Bad Habit

08-02-07, 02:36 AM

Chris, It is a different case silly.

;)

rupps5

08-02-07, 06:42 AM

Haha, there are two different cases.

Well I am taking the plunge today. After work I am going to my lhs and hopefully coming home with a plane. I would like a nice foamy biplane but we will see what they have in stock.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/align%20trex%20450%20v2/DSCN8656.jpg

rupps5

08-03-07, 06:58 AM

So I ended up with a MS Composite Boom. Got the plane together last night now it is ready for the electronics.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/ms%20composite%20boom/DSCN9142.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/ms%20composite%20boom/DSCN9140.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/ms%20composite%20boom/DSCN9144.jpg

rupps5

08-05-07, 07:33 PM

So got the plane up and running. It is pretty fun, you crash it then glue it back together and it is ready to crash again. Here is a video of it.

ms composit boom epp foamy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jD2zRU5rbs

Houstonnw

10-09-07, 06:42 PM

My seven year old wants a RC helicopter for Christmas. There are a bunch out there, even Radio Shack has several.

Anyone have experience with one that is very easy to fly, indoor use only?

rupps5

10-09-07, 07:15 PM

Well you can get the picoo z, air hog from target or kmart. They are about $30 but you can find them for $20. They are just little copters that don't really break. I laugh the whole time I fly a friends.

Helicopter Test - Air Hogs Havoc vs. Reflex
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epCiKIs5i5s

mfennell

10-09-07, 07:23 PM

The new hotness is 2 of the things with "lasers" on them.

http://www.amazon.com/Spinmaster-Hogs-Battling-Havoc-Helicopters/dp/B000SOW55G

captainoblivious

10-09-07, 07:33 PM

My seven year old wants a RC helicopter for Christmas. There are a bunch out there, even Radio Shack has several.

Anyone have experience with one that is very easy to fly, indoor use only?
E-sky Lama V3 (http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=V890236)
E-sky Lama V4 (http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=B2111394)

I have the Lama V3. Really easy to fly for a helicopter, but I can't comment on how it would be for anyone. I have plane experience and flight-sim heli experience. Still the new coaxil design heli's coming out are *supposed* to be easy. Also, I've only had it a few days so far and no crashes yet so I cannot comment on durability.

The PiccoZ's and AirHog Havic are really fun also. Very durable, but still breakable. The only thing I don't like about them is that you have to tune them to either hover or forward flight. It's more of one or the other, not both (good).

SHOboy

10-09-07, 07:45 PM

I bought a Havoc this summer when I was staying at our cabin, and it's a total riot. Indoor is great, outdoor at night or in the evening when there's no wind is also great.

After the vid that rupps5 posted I'm also tempted to go get a Reflex. FWIW, I was at Fry's electronics a while back and they had a very wide selection of comparable little helos. They all look like they're based on the same basic electronics/control as the Havoc, with a few differences.

Also this summer I bought one of these:

http://www.ericjacobsen.org/pics/Estest_Parkflyer.JPG

Made by Estes, available at Wal-Mart for about $20. It needs a lot of open space and no to light wind, but it was a ton of fun as well. I wore it out in a hurry, though, as unless you can fly it exclusively in tall or thick grass it takes a beating whenever it hits something. The damage eventually accumulates...I repaired it a zillion times with Gorilla Glue and cellophane tape, but finally it broke apart enough that it's not really repairable. That was about three or four weeks of flying it nearly every day, often several times a day. I retrieved it from high up in spruce and aspen trees several times, too. Well worth the $20, IMHO.

Mark Worthington

10-09-07, 08:09 PM

Bryon

10-09-07, 08:17 PM

My latest electric plane is the Fliton Extra 300s with a Neu 1515/2Y that I am running on a 12S Li-poly pack and pumping out over 1.5KW. Should be a fun ride.

Msquared

10-09-07, 10:18 PM

I cleaned up my hobby room a few weeks ago and realized that I really want to experience the satisfaction that comes from building a balsa model airplane again. I got into the hobby in 1976 and have quite a bit of experience building and flying, even though I've been out of it for ~10 years. So after I finish up a Goldberg Ultimate Biplane that I started back in the '90s, I'm going to build either a scratch-built Curare, a mid-70s vintage pattern ship designed by Hanno Prettner with retracts and a piped Rossi .60 (2.9 hp @ 15,000 rpm!!!), or a Bud Nosen Aeronca Champ, which would be my first giant scale effort. Meanwhile I'm helping my kids finish up their projects - a couple Sig Kadets for my boys and a Hobby Lobby motor glider of some sort for my daughter.
I learned on a Kadet (Kadet II, I think?) that I built as my first plane. That was true kit building, and by the time I was done I knew not only how to fly but also how build a wood airplane. Great times! I always used to read about the Curare and a few other pattern planes of that time, but by the time I attended any contests the change to F3A-style had taken place and 4-strokes were beginning to take over. I went to a contest in Lafayette, LA, and remember seeing Dave Von Linsowe fly his home-designed plane (can't recall the name of that). It was huge - way bigger than anybody elses, and slower as well. But it was clearly pointing toward the future of the sport. Oh, and he creamed everybody.

Mark Worthington

10-10-07, 12:09 AM

Yeah, the pattern planes have really changed. The Curare is of the generation when patten ships were blistering fast (120+ mph)...I love the sound of a piped Rossi or OPS at 16,000 rpm - raises the hair on the back of your neck.

Something else that's missing now from back when I first started learning RC is the Formula 1 and Quarter Midget pylon racers. I used to call for a buddy in Texas who raced a Prather Lil' Toni powered by a Supertigre X40. We used to spend long evenings tuning props and getting airplanes ready for the races. And most of the guys who raced them would put a finish on that was just outstanding. The high-nitro fuel (60% nitro???) used to cost close to $50/gallon, and we would replace an expensive racing glow plug after every heat. There was some intense competition, but usually you could get a podium finish if you could just start and finish all your races, which was no simple feat. I think RC pylon racing is almost dead in the US now, but for one or maybe two regional Q500 events per year.

If I can find a photo of my Aeromaster or Dalaire Sportster all framed up and ready for covering I'll post it up - if for no other reason than to bring some symmetry to today's universe of foam airplanes.

Msquared

10-10-07, 08:50 AM

Yeah, the pattern planes have really changed. The Curare is of the generation when patten ships were blistering fast (120+ mph)...I love the sound of a piped Rossi or OPS at 16,000 rpm - raises the hair on the back of your neck.
I suppose it's analogous to the difference between an airshow display from an F-4 Phantom back in the day and an F-22 Raptor now.

I think RC pylon racing is almost dead in the US now, but for one or maybe two regional Q500 events per year.
The only racing I ever watched was the giant-scale Reno series when they came to Scholls Field in Galveston, around 1994. That was pretty impressive stuff, but I don't think they were really any faster than the F1 .40-size planes. Years earlier I went to a control-line competition where they had both Speed and Pattern contests, and that stuff was really insane. IIRC, the Speed planes were .15 engines, also usually Italian rear-exhaust designs, but the planes were teensy.

If I can find a photo of my Aeromaster or Dalaire Sportster all framed up and ready for covering I'll post it up - if for no other reason than to bring some symmetry to today's universe of foam airplanes.
Do it!

Houstonnw

10-10-07, 06:58 PM

The new hotness is 2 of the things with "lasers" on them.

http://www.amazon.com/Spinmaster-Hogs-Battling-Havoc-Helicopters/dp/B000SOW55G

Although the Reflex in the Air Hogs video (thanks rupps5!) might be the better helicopter, how can I turn down two 'copters with dogfight capability?

The wife already warned me that if I shoot him down too often he'll lose interest. Yeah right, he's seven, in a month or two I have no chance!

Edit to add: The Havoc Heli's are in the house. How am I going to wait two months until Christmas? I bought mine here https://www.spindirect.com/product.php?productid=16350&s=havocbattle, included some 3D obstacle pieces and a landing pad.

rupps5

10-14-07, 11:59 AM

Started flying my new battle wing. I must say it is pretty fun, fast, and agile. I did some dog fighting with it Saturday and it was pretty damn cool trying to hit someone out of the air.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/rc%20air%20planes/DSCN9674.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/rc%20air%20planes/DSCN9670.jpg

and a short vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw63YLEJIlc

Mark Worthington

10-14-07, 01:16 PM

Jeff, that little beast looks like fun. When dogfighting are you using streamers or are you just trying to tag the other guy's plane?

Do it!

I did find a VHS video that I shot in 1991 (!!) of my Super Aeromaster all framed up and then the next sequence showed me getting ready to do the maiden flight (my wife was going to record the maiden flight but apparently she didn't). Anyway, I've been meaning to convert a few vids from VHS to digital so if I get ambitious I'll actually be able to post up a picture or two or maybe even a video. The Aeromaster still sits in my basement, and the OS .91 Surpass still turns over just fine (I must've put after-run oil in it after my last flight). The cowl is damaged from a hard landing but I have a new (old) fiberglass cowl for it and with a couple hours of work and a new flight battery pack I could probably have it flying again in short order. That was a GREAT flying biplane.

Meanwhile, I just purchased a bunch of RC stuff from a local GT40 guy who wants the "junk" out of his basement after it's been sitting around for 20+ years. For the grand sum of $100 (plus a case of beer) I got the following:

A new in box (NIB) Bud Nosen P-51D Mustang kit. This sucker is huge - 105" wingspan. NIB Nosen kits are going on ebay from $150 to $250. I'm going to work out a deal with a guy in CT to trade it for a NIB 109" wingspan Bud Nosen Aeronca 7AC Champ. I'm going to put a .90 to .120 4-stroke engine in the Champ, cover it with fabric, and paint it in the exact color scheme of the 1946 Aeronca Champ that I learned to fly in. The Curare will have to wait.

A NIB Royal Piper Colt 75" wingspan kit. The old Royal kits are highly regarded by serious scale builders. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this one. It is quite rare; there's one on ebay right now with a couple of bids at $228.

A NIB House of Balsa .40-size P-51D Mustang kit. That makes three P-51D Mustang kits I have in the house now including the Top-Flite kit I bought a few years ago (which I'll build some day) and the Nosen kit. This one will go on ebay.

A NIB OS .60 FSR 2-stroke engine. Turns over OK. Slightly heavier, slightly less power, and slightly oversquare compared to the current line of OS engines. Still an excellent, relaible powerplant.

A completely built RC helicopter with a .60 engine of some sort with a training tripod. It's so old that it has a Kraft receiver and servos in it - I haven't seen a Kraft radio in 20 years. This obviously pre-dates computer radios and gyros and I have no idea what it would take to get this thing ready to fly or if it would be worth the effort. The wife really likes it though and asked me not to sell it.

A well-built-but-in-need-of-refinishing .60-size sport plane of some sort - I think it might be an old Kaos. Needs a little work but it could be a great test bed for new radios and engines.

A .25-size beater sport plane. THis will either go in the trash barrel or be used with a beater radio and engine for fun flys and dog fighting.

A box full of hardware, tools and spares (hinges, rod ends, clevises, ball links, Sullivan starter, hex and propo wrenches, etc.)

Msquared

10-14-07, 08:25 PM

I always wanted an Aeromaster, Mark. Sounds like you made quite the haul there, too! Yeah, the Nosen kits were some of the earliest "giant-scale" kits around. IIRC, I think a lot of the early ones used geared .60 or .90 engines (or two geared together) to swing a bigger prop slower. We've come a long way in that regard. But they make beautiful planes. Enjoy your new toys.

Ron L

10-15-07, 12:12 PM

Started flying my new battle wing.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/rc%20air%20planes/DSCN9674.jpg
Where did you get that outrunner motor mount? I'm converting my slope wings to powered and that looks like the ticket. It looks like you can attach a normal motor in the inside as well?

rupps5

10-15-07, 05:47 PM

Jeff, that little beast looks like fun. When dogfighting are you using streamers or are you just trying to tag the other guy's plane?

we are trying to tag each other.

Where did you get that outrunner motor mount? I'm converting my slope wings to powered and that looks like the ticket. It looks like you can attach a normal motor in the inside as well?

It came with the plane. I will take some more detailed pics of it for you in a minute. It is just a few pieces of plastic that you glue together. You could make them yourself out of some spare plastic pretty easily.

You can get four of these swift wings for $117 on MS Composits web site thats pretty cheap for a bunch of friends to get together and smash eachother.

http://www.mscompositusa.com/swift-ii-combo-buy-3--1-free.html

rupps5

10-15-07, 06:06 PM

Here are two pics of the motor mount. It is just 4 pieces of plastic that are glued together. I think you could make these with some scrap plastic and a dremal. I used Goop to glue everything because it stays flexible.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/rc%20air%20planes/DSCN9684.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/rc%20air%20planes/DSCN9689.jpg

On MS Composits web site they have a couple different transmission mounts for the Swift but there are no pictures.
http://www.mscompositusa.com/cat~--spare-parts.htm

Ron L

10-16-07, 12:17 AM

Thanks, that does look pretty simple. Based on those pictures I can probably laser cut my own at work from some scrap acrylic. Once I buy a brushless motor and controller that is, like I always plan year after year.

pcrussell50

11-06-07, 06:33 PM

Who wants in on this with me? I'll broker it, place the order, and pay up front. You can paypal me when you get yours.

http://www.superflyrc.com/sale.htm

I want the superfly, because it's bigger, and more likely to have better/easier slow flight characteristics. These things have an amazing envelope from incredibly slow, to amazingly fast, and they have the p/w ratio to hover. You gotta check out the video links:

http://www.superflyrc.com/SuperFly/superfly%20movies.htm

-Peter

Drew Manzella

11-08-07, 11:28 AM

onestep

11-08-07, 11:39 AM

Have you contacted Tommy, it is his buddies company.

I do not think those kits include batterys, controls, etc.....

I do want one though.

pcrussell50

11-08-07, 03:08 PM

I recently purchased a Hobbyzone Super Cub (http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=HBZ7100). It is pretty easy to fly, quite forgiving and it glides quite well. A couple of the local guys have them with brushless systems and have even added ailerons. With the added power they are more than capable of hovering and are quite aerobatic with the added control surfaces.

Personally I am having a hard time getting into flying it. Not sure why. Maybe it is because I am getting older and would rather do the things I am good at instead of learning something else but when I have the choice of taking my MP777 SP2 (http://www.drewmanzella.com/777sp2.jpg) to the offroad track or taking the plane to a flying day I always seem to prefer taking the buggy out to the track.

I think I am still a bit nervous flying the plane and that has something to do with it. I also sort of feel like I am watching a NASCAR race when I am flying since all I do is fly around in circles, except for when I am trying to regain control of it after a wrong input.

Additionally - I don't mind beating the shit out of the buggy because I know I can fix it. The one time I crashed the plane I tore the nose/motor off the bulkhead. One of the other flyers slathered some high-strength goop onto the foam halves and I was flying again in about 5 minutes but still - not sure what the issue is.

Any thoughts/advice? I do think I would enjoy aerobatics but I need to get to a point where I can handle an aerobatic plane.

Heh. You and I are battling the same problem but with opposite circumstances. I am drifting from buggies to parkflyers for convenience reasons. I have a school playground practically next door, where I have already been flying my air hogs aero ace, (just a toy, but what a hoot)! otoh, with my buggy, I get bored without some kind of "terrain" to drive on, and that means bmx track or dedicated offroad rc track. There is a park with both, about 2 miles from my house but still...with an electric airplane, I charge up a battery pack or two, and mosey on over next door, on foot. Sometimes I fly my plane over to the school yard, walking beneath it. No muss, no fuss, no cleanup, no packing tools or kitboxes into a car. But I'm new to this flying thing, (models, anyway), so it remains to be seen if I get bored or not.

Drew Manzella

11-08-07, 03:25 PM

I have been driving RC cars for 20 years and racing for 19. I have pretty much gotten to the point that I don't drive them unless I am at a track anyway. I don't really ever get the urge to fire one up in my driveway and cruise it around. A bunch of the guys here do some parking lot racing at night, which I'd like to get back into but currently I don't have anything to take out since I sold all of my touring cars. If you know of any electric TC3s for sale for cheap let me know.

It's funny - I bought the plane because I couldn't find any RC car activities in the area and then a few days after I bought it I found the offroad track. I had sold most of my stuff before I moved but kept my 1/8th scale buggy, my 1/12th scale pan car and my 1/10th scale electric buggy.

It is odd that I found a place right down the street where the 1/8th scale buggies are the big game in town - and I still had one.

I have a school at the end of my street but the yard isn't big enough for me and my skills to be comfortable flying in currently. They local club has recently acquired a new location to fly which is practically on the opposite side of the same block that the offroad track is on.

pcrussell50

11-08-07, 03:42 PM

Have you contacted Tommy, it is his buddies company.

I do not think those kits include batterys, controls, etc.....

I do want one though.

I haven't talked to Tommy, but it was his post that put me into superfly. I'm meaning to do so, however.

In the mean time, did you want to partner with me in a purchase? Superfly does sell everything you need right off their web site, and the "buy one, get half off" plane at least comes with a brushless dc motor and it's controller, IIRC. (my smartphone's version of IE is incompatible with parts of superflyrc.com, so I can't verify anything till tomorrow, when I get home).

-Peter

onestep

11-08-07, 03:53 PM

I wish I could but can not afford to right now.

elbert

11-08-07, 05:47 PM

As good of a thread to ask as any: Any recommendations for good online hobby stores?
I used to go to Tower Hobbies when I was into r/c cars 10 years ago but their selection isn't quite as good as it used to be.

Something I've noticed: it seems most buggies and trucks have gone from electric to glow engines, while airplanes and helis went from glow to electric :p

rupps5

11-08-07, 05:47 PM

Drew Manzella try doing some figure 8's instead of circles. That might take away the nascarness of flying.

As for some online hobby stores, I like:
-tower hobbies
-horizon hobby
-redi heli

i have never ordered anything from ms composit because I can get them at the lhs but I love their planes.
http://www.mscompositusa.com/

edit to add hobby stores

Drew Manzella

11-08-07, 06:12 PM

Something I've noticed: it seems most buggies and trucks have gone from electric to glow engines, while airplanes and helis went from glow to electric :p
That isn't entirely true.

Both have always been around. Nitro had a surge in popularity with the 1/10th scale RTR touring advent about 6 years ago but electric stepped up its game and now the electric brushless stuff is easily faster than the equivalent nitro stuff. Add in the new crop of LiPo batteries and electric run time far eclipses nitro run time. The trade-off is cost. Yeah my electric buggy screams BUT the brushless motor and controller ALONE cost as much as a basic HPI or Associated nitro RTR touring car. The battery is an additional $130, my controller is $200, servos are about $60 and then the car is about $350. A comparable brushless RTR touring car will cost you about $350 to the nitro RTR at about $270 and you'd still need a battery charger.

Nitro is good for backyard bashers since it doesn't require a box worth of support equipment. Bring a jug of fuel, your choice of starting apparatus and a glow igniter and you are ready to go. This is where nitro's popularity is at its peak. It shares probably 40% of the total RC racing market however.

I have raced both nitro and electric extensively, both offroad and onroad and I admit that in general I have always preferred electric indoor racing over nitro outdoor but I do love some 8th scale offroad. The 2 cars I am racing currently are a 1/8th scale 4WD nitro buggy and a 1/10th scale brushless 4WD buggy. The electric is noticably faster than the nitro but it is a good bit more fragile as well.

As for the aircraft - 6 years ago a 540 motor and NiCD was A) too heavy and B) not powerful enough to be worthwhile for anything but the slowest, most basic airplanes. Now with brushless and LiPo the electric planes will almost ALWAYS be lighter and yet more powerful than the equivalent sized nitro.

elbert - What are you looking to buy? I get my stuff from Carolinas RC but they deal almost entirely with offroad cars/trucks. Tower and Horizon are probably still your best bet for airplanes, boats, onroad stuff, etc.

elbert

11-08-07, 09:37 PM

Thanks for the store recommendations, Jeff and Drew.

Drew, I think I'm looking for an electric truck (I saw some really cool rock climbers) but I wanted to find a really big online store to browse what's out there nowadays. Things sure a different from the days of 1200mAh SCR battery packs!

Drew Manzella

11-08-07, 10:10 PM

Ha! I still have a couple 1400SCR and 1700SCE packs in a box. They won't even hold a charge anymore.

I hated those fucking SCEs. 1 slow charge a week and store them in the freezer on a resistor in between. That was back when I was running 4WD modified oval. I actually dropped down to stock because, at 15 I couldn't afford the batteries. I got 3 packs for Christmas one year and that summer one pack died so I no longer had enough SCEs to race on Sundays. The SCRs were so much more user friendly. You could beat the shit out of them.

Then with the NiMH cells there were no stock or modified batteries. I just ran the same packs. So much easier. I think NiMH are up to 7000Mah now. When I was racing 12th scale heavily 2.5 years ago I was running 3300Mah IIRC.

rupps5

11-08-07, 10:43 PM

hell i got some pti 1200 scr's and they still kick ass.

you want to get into rc crawling....check out www.rccrawler.com I have a few threads there. A good friend down the street works for the crawlerstore.

and a thread on my first attempt
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28389

version 2
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45121

some youtube vids on the truck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYcHOS8tbLk

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

this crawling vid for some good entertainment that eepee made
MUST WATCH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8D0pKXli6w

ok beer kicking in must go to sleep

Drew Manzella

11-08-07, 11:00 PM

hell i got some pti 1200 scr's and they still kick ass.
By "kick ass" I assume you mean "Barely power a glow igniter anymore".

Identify this vintage stuff:

#1 might be tough since it is fairly heavily modified
http://corner-carvers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16869&stc=1&d=1194580618

This one should be easy
http://corner-carvers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16867&stc=1&d=1194580447

http://corner-carvers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16868&stc=1&d=1194580447

I embarassed/pissed off many a 40 year old guy with this one. I was the annoying 15 year old kid who never talked to anyone, just got dropped off at the track and beat the piss out of everybody because all I did in my free time was practice, clean, adjust, polish, tinker and read.

It took me almost 2 years of saving gift money, cutting grass and doing odd jobs to get the $500 to buy the rolling chassis. I lucked out because by the time I had enough to buy it, they released the Pro Comp version, which was better than the original that I had started saving for.

cgrant26

11-10-07, 01:52 PM

By "kick ass" I assume you mean "Barely power a glow igniter anymore".

Identify this vintage stuff:

#1 might be tough since it is fairly heavily modified
<img snip>

This one should be easy
<img snip>

<img snip>

I embarassed/pissed off many a 40 year old guy with this one. I was the annoying 15 year old kid who never talked to anyone, just got dropped off at the track and beat the piss out of everybody because all I did in my free time was practice, clean, adjust, polish, tinker and read.

It took me almost 2 years of saving gift money, cutting grass and doing odd jobs to get the $500 to buy the rolling chassis. I lucked out because by the time I had enough to buy it, they released the Pro Comp version, which was better than the original that I had started saving for.
#1 looks like a Schumacher Cat. I remember when they first came out. The break-resistant, bend-back A-arm design was revolutionary at the time and they were pretty much considered the #1 car to have. I believe around the time that car came out the Twister Hurricane was the cat's ass in electric motors as well.

The second car is actually a bit harder for me to ID as I was never really into road cars. The chain drive AWD makes me think Kyosho but the 3 bolt hubs and suspension bits don't look like Kyosho. Like I said, I'm not well versed in the pavement pounder cars. That and I don't remember any Kyosho chassis costing $500 bucks.

I wonder if I could have shoe-horned one of these into my Turbo Optima?
http://www.rc-unionen.dk/nytforum/uploads/9302/2006918173952_Aspach%202006%201.JPG

Drew Manzella

11-10-07, 02:13 PM

#1 looks like a Schumacher Cat.
Schumacher Cat XLS to be exact. The rear end has been converted to a hybrid JRX2/Optima style. The original design used static upper and lower arms w/a rear toe link that would induce wicked toe in and out with suspension travel.

The second car is actually a bit harder for me to ID as I was never really into road cars. The chain drive AWD makes me think Kyosho but the 3 bolt hubs and suspension bits don't look like Kyosho. Like I said, I'm not well versed in the pavement pounder cars. That and I don't remember any Kyosho chassis costing $500 bucks.
It is a dirt oval car and it is American.

I wonder if I could have shoe-horned one of these into my Turbo Optima?
I tried shoe-horning just about anything I could get my hands on into my Turbo Optima so why not? That poor car had a rough life. It was my first RC car and I had no idea what I was doing when I got it.

elbert

11-10-07, 02:21 PM

I was going to guess #1 was a Schumacher based on the sticker :p but the rear wheels look like those from a JRx2 (but no 5 link suspension).

I am really stumped by #2.

edit: dammit didn't type fast enough!

elbert

11-10-07, 02:24 PM

It is a dirt oval car and it is American.

Oh I vaguely remember that car. Dominator or something like that. There was a 2wd car that came out a little bit later on.

Drew Manzella

11-10-07, 02:29 PM

Yep - Custom Works Dominator IV Gen 2.

The Intimidator came out in 1990 I believe and it is back in production now since Tony Stewart bought the company.

The Dominator is a legend relegated to obscurity now. Still one of the most bad-ass RC cars of all time.

rupps5

11-10-07, 02:31 PM

Just got back from flying the battle wing at the park. 3 vans unloaded 3 hot air balloons and took off. I have never seen that before, it was pretty cool. The balloons are now flying over the osu game.

pcrussell50

11-20-07, 12:15 AM

Been using my havoc heli a lot. It's a big hit in my all adult household. I bought it, thanks to this thread, and I've learned about modding it, thanks to this thread. The mod I'm most interested in is this one:

http://www.instructables.com/id/E98MRHZKUUET9K6056/

Replacing the "toylike" bushings with "hobbylike" real ball bearings. So I searched and searched and only found one place that had the right ones:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130133625412&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=003

These bearings are 3mm OD, by 1mm ID just like the plans call for:

http://www.mygoodstuff.com/kit691-2.jpg

They ain't cheap. I got the set of 10 and only need two. That leaves 8 that I would like to sell to cc'ers. If I ask $8 each bearing, that will be about right, since after tax and shipping, I was $72 delivered for 10. Shipping should be nominal, could put in a reinforced envelope, insure, and be done with it for about a buck, I'd imagine. PM or email if interested.

BTW, the 1mm carbon rod should be easy to find. Even my little tiny local shop with small inventory had it in store. More than I'll need for $6.

Admins, feel free to move me to sale/trade if you think it warrants. I just thought this was sooo specific to this thread that it fit best here.

-Peter

rupps5

11-20-07, 06:17 AM

Have you tried to look for bearings here?

https://securehost4.hrwebservices.net/~mcintos/rc-bearings/catalog/

pcrussell50

11-20-07, 01:07 PM

Have you tried to look for bearings here?

https://securehost4.hrwebservices.net/~mcintos/rc-bearings/catalog/

$1.57 each! :eek: followed by :mad: and finished with :(

Well, you live and learn. I searched using the string and all variations i could think of based on, of 1 x 3 x 1 bearing[s].

-Peter

rupps5

11-20-07, 05:52 PM

you can always sell them back on ebay.

rupps5

11-24-07, 09:34 PM

target is selling the havoc for $15 this weekend. My girlfriend picked one up for me today.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/DSCN9768.jpg

pcrussell50

11-24-07, 10:40 PM

Looks like you'll be needing a couple of 1 x 3 x 1mm bearings then. I happen to have about 8 spares.

-Peter

pcrussell50

11-25-07, 06:47 PM

pcrussell50

11-25-07, 06:55 PM

Mike,

I'm not sure if I contributed to the prior r/c plane discussion, but I may have a very viable solution for you. One of my good friends started a business selling electric and gas, lightweight stunt planes. They're "wings", really. Check out his site and look at some of the videos. They can fly very slowly, do some amazing stunts, and can even perform in heavy winds. If you do happen to order anything, definitely mention my name when you talk to Dave. :)

Superfly R/C (http://www.superflyrc.com/SF_Frames.asp?HeaderFrame=SF_Header.asp&MenuFrame=SF_Menu.asp&ContentFrame=SF_Home.asp)

Good luck in your new money pit! ;)

Tommy

Tommy,

Your "viable soluton" was just the ticket for me. I took advantage of the "black friday" sale and bellied up for the whole enchilada: superfly, radio, pre-assembly, free shipping. And I wouldn't even have known about superfly without your specific post with the link I followed. Since I ordered online, I didn't have a chance to give you recognition to your bud, the owner. How should I do this?

-Pete

pcrussell50

04-06-08, 07:12 PM

For havc heli/picooZ folks this is worth a look:

http://www.piccoztoolbox.no-ip.com/

It outlines the carbon shaft/ball bearing mod as well as a bunch of others that lower it's "toyness" factor and raise it's "hobbiness" factor. Some of those guys bring some pretty good tech, all the way up to and including microelectronic mods. And the s/n ratio is a whole order more tolerable than the corral or bimmerforums.

-Peter

Ok, on Christmas day, [the day my new [to me] m5's window wouldn't roll up], I also, as per the link above, replaced the steel rotor shaft with 1mm diameter carbon rod, and replaced the top and bottom main bushings with a couple of the little 3mm OD x 1mm ID precision bearings. The result? OMFG what a difference. The controls are sooo much more responsive and precise, it's amazing. And battery life is better too. This jives with the whole idea of performing the mod in the first place...reducing friction and vibration. It feels and sounds like an actual precision device now. Very satisfying.

-Peter

pcrussell50

04-06-08, 07:30 PM

You guys are going to sh*t, and if you don't you should...I did...

I found a Blade CP new in box yesterday at a yard sale. Bought it for $40 cash. Already been trying to learn how to fly it. They are like $220 normally. It is the RTF, [ready to fly version] which comes with a NiMH battery. The guy also threw in a 3s LiPo upgrade battery and the "crash kit", worth $25, which comes with spare main blades, spare tail rotor, and replacement skids. Hell, the LiPo battery alone was worth the $40.

I'm still pinching myself to see if this is real. I totally suck at flying it, and am just trying to discpline myself to run it up till it's light on the skids, not airborne, and keep control of it that way. I can already visualize it flopping around like a chicken with it's head cut of, scattering pieces all over my driveway.

Here's a random link (http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/blade-cp-rc-helicopter.html)

-Pete

rupps5

04-06-08, 10:29 PM

Good find on that blade cp

I have been messing around with a trex 500 for about a month now. Got about 43 flights on it. Its a nice copter.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/trex%20500/DSCN0039.jpg

Bryon

04-06-08, 10:40 PM

I moved back to planes recently and have been working on my 92" Carden Extra with a ZDZ 80 for power. 50lbs thrust anyone?

(Plane weighs 19lbs)

Ralgh

04-07-08, 01:31 PM

I totally suck at flying it, and am just trying to discpline myself to run it up till it's light on the skids, not airborne, and keep control of it that way. I can already visualize it flopping around like a chicken with it's head cut of, scattering pieces all over my driveway.

Here's a random link (http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/blade-cp-rc-helicopter.html)

-Pete

Do you have training gear for it. It is basically two rods fromed into an X with ping pong balls on the ends that you attach to the landing gear. It helps a lot when you are first getting used to things. Heck even after flying helicopters for a long time I still used them on the first flight of my T-rex 450.

Mark Luna

04-07-08, 01:38 PM

Do you have training gear for it. It is basically two rods fromed into an X with ping pong balls on the ends that you attach to the landing gear. It helps a lot when you are first getting used to things. Heck even after flying helicopters for a long time I still used them on the first flight of my T-rex 450.

Agreed. That CP is very very twitchy and very tough to fly. I CANNOT fly it well outside. I have to fly mine inside. I'm only able to fly it well with a different transmitter that I'm able to program to help get rid of the twitchyness. Another option is to change where the links are in the servo's. Moving the inward will make them respond more slowly making it easier to fly.

I ultimately got rid of mine and went with the T-rex 450 as a trainer/practicer for my larger nitro's and electrics. My smallest bird is a Blade CX which I still fly on occasion when I'm having problems flying nose in up to my Maxi-Joker which has 800mm blades on it to give you an idea. The one I enjoy flying the most is a Raptor 70, but that's another story.

If anyone wants a small nitro trainer helicopter, let me know. I have a Century hawk Sport sitting around collecting dust since I don't need it any more.

pcrussell50

04-07-08, 01:46 PM

Slovo

04-07-08, 01:56 PM

No, I don't, but it sounds useful. Is this the kind of thing you make yourself out of wooden kebab skewers, or do you buy it? I'm new to helis, in case you couldn't tell.

Also, I had a thought...as you and I are in the same line of work, we have heard how "altitude is your friend" or the like. Well, I feel like I'm nearly at the point where if I had some altitude with this thing, I could "fix" any upsets before impact with the ground. Is this a legitimate training idea?

-Peter

In my case this is a big no. The Blade CP is IMO and from what I have read a very touchy Heli. When things go wrong it is better to be near the ground so you can drop it with less impact. The parts, especially the blades, are expensive. I doubled the price of my initial investment with parts after a month of practicing. I never really got the hang of it, but I was starting from no RC experience in the last decade. YMMV.

Matt

rupps5

04-07-08, 05:54 PM

If anyone wants a small nitro trainer helicopter, let me know. I have a Century hawk Sport sitting around collecting dust since I don't need it any more.

I want to move up to a nitro copter, how much do you want for it?

Here is how I made some training gear: carbon rod, fuel tubing, plastic golf balls, and zip ties.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/align%20trex%20450%20v2/DSCN0107.jpg

Ron L

04-07-08, 07:16 PM

Here is how I made some training gear: carbon rod, fuel tubing, plastic golf balls, and zip ties.

That looks better than mine that's made out of two aluminum arrow shafts, whiffle balls, and tape.

The training gear also adds a lot of polar moment which tends to dampen the controls. I got the thing two stories up and putted around for a bit, having a good time. The first time I removed the gear I struck the ground with a rotor blade right at take-off. Cha-ching! I'm glad it was a borrowed chopper which helped me decide on that particular hobby - I'm sticking to cars and foam planes.

Bad Habit

04-08-08, 01:39 AM

rupps5

04-08-08, 06:41 AM

Real Flight 3.5 has paid for itself many times over. It is a worthwhile investment if anyone is going to get into rc copters. After a year of flying, I still use the sim to learn the next move.

pcrussell50

04-14-08, 09:43 PM

Peter,

Stop by Tom's on your way to work one day and have him show you how it's done. He is right off the 101. I'll stop by to watch :). I have killed several helis and would rather stick to the real thing. Got a Blade for the son for Christmas and he has no problem with it in the hangar although there isn't a tail rotor on it. Also got the family Real Flight G4 to curb the costs. Has forced me to stick with the 3D electrics (aircraft). Even the 6 year old flies off the driveway. The kids are amazing when they don't have a clue about the cost of damage.

Scott

Sounds like a plan! I usually commute straight from SBA to PHX on Mesa. But not always. And I drive down to Carlsbad to visit fairly frequently too. I'll let you know. Sounds like you got your son a BladeCX...dual main rotors, no tail rotor. Vice my BladeCP, with tail rotor and complex collective controls and all that jazz. Wish I had a CX as my intro to helis instead of the CP, but the deal on the CP was too good to pass up. If I don't get the hang of this thing soon, I may suck it up and get a CX as well.

-Peter

Bad Habit

04-15-08, 02:09 AM

Peter,

You are correct. It is the CX. It is nothing like the conventional/traditional heli setups. Maybe I am getting old or just don't have the patience anymore, but I find the standard heli's just downright troublesome and expensive to continually repair for what is to me, little fun. Electric 3D flying on my property with the boys for an hour at a time has become pure joy even after several whiskey's and a crowd. Start with the acro and end with the slow stick for some roof top touch and gos. On with the heli, the blade CX works great and with the training gear, we haven't even damaged a blade yet. Hope to have the same time off when you get this way. I am no good with conventional rotorcraft unless you just want to t/o fly around and possibly crash somewhere near where I started. Good thing the "real" ones are easier to operate.

Scott

pcrussell50

05-03-08, 06:29 PM

Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later...perhaps a dubious rite of passage in the RC flying world? A loss of a model. The story is anti-climactic in the end, so lower your expectations now.

Some background. I got my first real RC airplane for Christmas, this last Christmas. It was NOT a beginner airplane, but it was very durable and survived many bad crashes with easy repairability. It is this one here. that Tommy R's buddy makes, and the Tommy recommended early in this thread. This thing is AMAZING. Last weekend I was to the point where I had near mastery of upright flight, both fast and slow, and was working on developing the coordination for sustained inverted flight...when I flew it into the top of one of the light poles for the local softball/baseball complex. And there it was to stay. It was SOLIDLY up there. I could run the motor and waggle the controls and to no avail. And the pegs to climb the pole didn't even begin until at least 12 feet up, probably more...not that I was up for climbing a 75 foot pole anyway. So there it sat. I waited a week stewing over whether I should call the park service, because I didn't want to get in trouble for it. But eventually, call I did. Hither and yon. I was transferred at least 3 times, culminating in a dead end. Nobody claimed any responsibility for maintenance of the light poles!?!? WTF?! So I've given up. Oh, and it was wedged in so tightly I can't imagine how it could come down...but a week later, it's not up there anymore!? Weird. I'll be shopping for it's replacement soon.

Anyway, my colleague for the month back in January was an old-timer RC guy from "back in the day". Some kind of champion pattern flier. And I sat riveted as he told stories of total losses caused by the sketchy equipment of the day. Radio glitches that lead to crashes. Spurious loss of radio "contact" where you plane just flies away never to be found again. All manner of stuff. I guess it's sort of happened to me now.

-Peter

pcrussell50

05-03-08, 06:30 PM

Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later...perhaps a dubious rite of passage in the RC flying world? A loss of a model. The story is anti-climactic in the end, so lower your expectations now.

Some background. I got my first real RC airplane for Christmas, this last Christmas. It was NOT a beginner airplane, but it was very durable and survived many bad crashes with easy repairability. It is this one here (http://www.superflyrc.com/SuperFly/superfly.htm). that Tommy R's buddy makes, and the Tommy recommended early in this thread. This thing is AMAZING. Last weekend I was to the point where I had near mastery of upright flight, both fast and slow, and was working on developing the coordination for sustained inverted flight...when I flew it into the top of one of the light poles for the local softball/baseball complex. And there it was to stay. It was SOLIDLY up there. I could run the motor and waggle the controls and to no avail. And the pegs to climb the pole didn't even begin until at least 12 feet up, probably more...not that I was up for climbing a 75 foot pole anyway. So there it sat. I waited a week stewing over whether I should call the park service, because I didn't want to get in trouble for it. But eventually, call I did. Hither and yon. I was transferred at least 3 times, culminating in a dead end. Nobody claimed any responsibility for maintenance of the light poles!?!? WTF?! So I've given up. Oh, and it was wedged in so tightly I can't imagine how it could come down...but a week later, it's not up there anymore!? Weird. I'll be shopping for it's replacement soon.

Anyway, my colleague for the month back in January was an old-timer RC guy from "back in the day". Some kind of champion pattern flier. And I sat riveted as he told stories of total losses caused by the sketchy equipment of the day. Radio glitches that lead to crashes. Spurious loss of radio "contact" where you plane just flies away never to be found again. All manner of stuff. I guess it's sort of happened to me now.

-Peter

Cannon

05-03-08, 06:50 PM

With the old AM stuff, it wasn't uncommon to get 'hit'. Usually it was just a brief glitch, but I've lost a few models because of it over the years. The most spectacular one was an EZ P-51 Mustang I had with a Rossi .60 and retracts. It was very fast. I got hit while at full throttle about 20 feet up. Unfortunately, the hit caused a down-elevator command, and the model was utterly and completely destroyed. You know it's bad when even the servos are wasted.

Since going first to FM, then to Spectrum stuff, I haven't been hit once. The reliability of the new systems is really amazing.

I did have one model where the receiver battery unplugged itself while I was inverted. It proceeded to do outside loops for several minutes until it finally crashed. Got crasher of the month for that one.

SHOboy

05-03-08, 08:02 PM

I wonder whether that's not what happened to my Goldberg Eagle. It used to do occassional sudden full-up elevator events. I held the wing on with the usual massive gobs of rubber bands, forward-backward, and criss-crossed. I landed in the middle of a tank once to adjust the carb, noticed a couple of rubber bands had broken, thought, "I'll fix that on the refill", and took off again. My brother was flying it, learning on the buddy box, when it did one of its sudden full-pitch-up maneuvers and the wing separated from the fuselage.

I still have the wing, which landed pretty much 100% intact. The fuselage toothpicked the first third, and it broke the carb off the front casting of the OS Max 0.45. I had the motor and the same servos back in a very nice T-34 about a year later. That airplane lasted about a year, but in that time it never repeated the full-up "hit", if that's what it was.

This was the Eagle (a long time ago) and it's replacement T-34:

http://www.ericjacobsen.org/pics/Eagle.JPG
http://www.ericjacobsen.org/pics/T34_crop.JPG

I still have the wing from the T34, too. :(

Cannon

05-03-08, 08:32 PM

How old were the rubber bands?

I've seen that happen when the rubber bands were starting to lose their tension. In flight, the wing leading edge lifts slightly, increasing lift, which lifts the wing more, increasing lift more, etc. The process takes a fraction of a second, and only stops when the wing either stalls, fails, or comes off the airplane. The airplane makes a violent pitch up when it occurs.

SHOboy

05-03-08, 08:42 PM

How old were the rubber bands?

Not very old. I'd cycle through them frequently, and that was the only time I'd ever seen one break during use. Since I had so many of them on there I figured there was adequate redundancy.

I've seen that happen when the rubber bands were starting to lose their tension. In flight, the wing leading edge lifts slightly, increasing lift, which lifts the wing more, increasing lift more, etc. The process takes a fraction of a second, and only stops when the wing either stalls, fails, or comes off the airplane. The airplane makes a violent pitch up when it occurs.

It's possible that that was what was happening, but I'd gotten wisdom from some of the old salts to use large numbers of bands and make them all tight, change 'em frequently, etc., which I did. It always seemed like it was on there pretty solid. It'd done the spontaneous pitch-up maneuver quite a few times previously but never resulted in the wing separating.

That was long enough ago (about thirteen years), that I can't claim that things were hunky-dorry for that particular flight. There's no way of knowing now, but your description is consistent with what happened.

Ron L

05-05-08, 12:43 AM

My friend's first experience into RC planes was a "cheap" 2-channel throttle/rudder plane that he bought for a whopping $120, before the price dive RC planes took just a few years ago. We took it out to the field and gave it a nice toss and off it went into a nice, gentle climb. Then he says "This wind's too much, I can't steer it". The plane then kept climbing. Cutting the throttle didn't help as it kept gaining altitude anyway, and the rudder did nothing due to the winds. The plane was actually hovering above our heads; it wasn't moving forward or blown back by the wind, something you see hawks do when stalking prey. It continued to climb up into the low fog and disappeared. We still wonder if it came down after we left an hour later, or maybe it rode the currents into the Pacific ocean somewhere. How does an un-powered plane keep climbing anyway? It must've been a thermal, but it was a cold and foggy day plus that toy had a pretty high wing loading considering it had a motor and undercarriage. I wish I had that kind of luck when I was trying to hand-launch thermal my Zagi.

Msquared

05-05-08, 08:36 AM

pcrussell50

09-11-08, 05:13 PM

...I punched holes through it, and soaked it in salt water for several days. Then I threw it in the trash. That's how the instructions said to dispose of it. I wonder about the lithium though. Is it eaten by the saltwater and thus rendered "safe" for landfill?

Why was I throwing it away? I left it plugged into my blade cx-2 (http://www.ultrahobbies.com.au/store/product.php?productid=17499&cat=352&page=1) and it ran down too far, swelled up, and wouldn't take a charge. The link is from a hobby shop in oz that came up early in a google search. I didn't get mine from there.

-Peter

gt40

09-11-08, 05:17 PM

I still remember an Estes rocket I had as a kid (the Honest John missile model). A friend and I went to fly on a day with lots of clouds and unstable air - not the day to pick, of course. Anyway, I launched it and it went a lot higher than I'd expected it to, right up into a cloud. We kept our eyes glued to the spot where it entered the cloud, and sure enough after a short wait we saw it emerge riding down on its chute just as we hoped. But then an obvious updraft caught it. It juked left and then right, and then quickly rose straight up back into the cloud, never to be seen again.
I feel your pain...

the Honest john was not an easy kit to built -- lots of little fiddly bits and the fins were a pain in the ass, as I remember.

My blew up on its maiden launch -- due to a heat cycled motor, apparently. It didn't so much ignite as it exploded.

cgrant26

09-12-08, 12:13 AM

I feel your pain...

the Honest john was not an easy kit to built -- lots of little fiddly bits and the fins were a pain in the ass, as I remember.

My blew up on its maiden launch -- due to a heat cycled motor, apparently. It didn't so much ignite as it exploded.
I remember building and launching one of these years ago:
http://www.oldrocketplans.com/estes/est1931/est1931.htm
On it's 3rd flight, the chute deployed and then the rubber band securing the chute to the body broke and the rocket plunged into the ground.

After that I bought tubes, cones and sheets of balsa to make cheaper rockets. The experimentation was lots of fun. One rocket had a wing configuration copied from the F-15. Upon leaving the guide rod, the rocket went horizontal and did it's best impression of a cruise missile. It flew level at about 6' above ground for about 250 feet and then abruptly climbed to around 20 feet before diving straight into the ground. :)

rupps5

09-12-08, 06:41 AM

Msquared

09-12-08, 09:01 AM

I feel your pain...

the Honest john was not an easy kit to built -- lots of little fiddly bits and the fins were a pain in the ass, as I remember.
Now that you mention that, I remember it being just as you describe. And it was my first model, too - I think my parents or some relative gave it to me as a present, unaware of the skill level ratings. It flew great...a little too great, as it turns out.

One rocket had a wing configuration copied from the F-15. Upon leaving the guide rod, the rocket went horizontal and did it's best impression of a cruise missile. It flew level at about 6' above ground for about 250 feet and then abruptly climbed to around 20 feet before diving straight into the ground.
Yep, I quickly became a budding aero engineer, too. One of my bright ideas was to make the smallest rocket possible that would hold and engine, inspired by one of the Estes kits that was so small it didn't need a chute (can't recall the name, but it would eject the engine and tumble softly to the ground after the CG change). Except I didn't know about the minor requirement for the CG to be ahead of the fins. A (dumb) friend decided to launch it so I could stand further back and watch it go into orbit. It went about 10' up and started making 5'-diameter loops at hypersonic speed, creating a cloud of smoke and certain death for my friend, whom I could no longer see. Finally (it seemed like forever, anyway) he came bounding out of the smoke cloud and the engine finally fizzled out and the crisis was over. And then we couldn't go check it out for a couple of minutes because we were laughing too hard.

Ralgh

09-12-08, 10:07 AM

About a month ago I added another copter to the hanger....600n. It is my first nitro anything and the learning curve is not as bad as I thought. Overall it is a nice flying bird and so far I like it a lot, so much so I plan to sell my 450 V2.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/rupps5/trex%20600%20nitro/DSCN0907.jpg

OOOOH I've been eyeing one of those for a while now.I have a T-Rex 450 and a Raptor 30 but everyone seems to agree that the .50 size helis are better for aerobatics. It will have to be put on hold though because I just destroyed my good old Sukhoi 31.
http://corner-carvers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=19541&stc=1&d=1221228168
The plane just stopped responding to my controls. My original theory was that the receiver battery came unplugged. I was using a Lipo through an electronic speed control as a voltage regulator. The other theory is that the servos were pulling to many amps for the Thunderbird 9 ESC and it over heated and quit. Either way I think I am going to just get a new NiMh receiver pack for the new plane.

mfennell

09-12-08, 11:02 AM

One of my bright ideas was to make the smallest rocket possible that would hold and engine, inspired by one of the Estes kits that was so small it didn't need a chute (can't recall the name, but it would eject the engine and tumble softly to the ground after the CG change). Mosquito, I think.

In a similar vein, one of the guys in my club added a second stage to the Estes 6 footer that used "D" size engines. In retrospect, the 2nd stage needed much bigger fins...

Msquared

09-12-08, 12:48 PM

Mosquito, I think.
Good call!
http://members.aol.com/djadamson9/mosquito.jpg

XHawkeye

09-18-08, 08:30 PM

Worlds largest model RC plane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz4uqvy6wNg

B29 Dina Might

Ron L

09-19-08, 12:43 AM

I forget what thread this plane is buried in since I only check their site every few months, but the Su-27 finally got its maiden flight this month.
http://www.su27.de/seite81.htm

For those who aren't going to d/l the video, it shows a failed landing gear and he had to land it on one nosewheel and the right gear. After it landed the plane bobbed up, stalled, and deployed the stuck landing gear. I'd bet his pucker factor was really high at that point! Amazing plane and I'm glad to finally see the end product.

cgrant26

09-19-08, 03:25 AM

XHawkeye

11-08-08, 08:53 PM

Crappy music but a nice job flying.

R/C Turbine MIG 29 Hovering

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFypnPK1dPU

pcrussell50

11-08-08, 10:14 PM

Tried one of these palm-sized eFlight Blade series helis. It's just a micro-sized BCX2. But amazingly, it's even _more_ stable. It's amazing...searching for words to describe it. Like a dragonfly...it goes where you put it. If you let go of the controls, it just stops in place. I've never seen stability like that in an rc heli, much less one so small. Just saw one at the LHS, where the proprietor flew it all over the store. Really cool. It's called the Blade MCX.

-Peter

XHawkeye

01-10-09, 03:44 AM

Turbine Vario CH-53
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka__0ANPqFw

RC C-17 At Coltishall 2008
After tackoff watch from 3:40-5:10, 6:30-6:45 & lands at 7:35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8VJkKOSb6E

Sea Fury with a 20hp 250 CC radial engine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFDr_fwmfAg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylCtXK0z9us
http://www.milehirc.com/O%27Meara_Scale_Masters_2006/Brian_O%27Meara_Scale_Masters_2006.htm

Bad Habit

01-10-09, 08:44 PM

Went to the AMA convention at the Ontario convention center today. Ontario, CA. 1-9/1-11. What a mistake. I really want to build a 60% scale now. Found a 40" F-18 electric ducted fan ARF from banana hobby with full retracts, motor, and servos for $270 that looked very interesting. $460 get's the RTF including transmitter and li-po pack. I'll pick one after the honey forgets what I did today. I went with a DW Foamies 48" juka as a friend did the development work on it and it will suit my style better than the 55". Both of these places have websites utilizing their names. The show was fun with indoor 3D heli and 3D electric aircraft flying.

Scott

Mark Luna

01-14-09, 01:25 PM

Thought some of you might enjoy my newest addition to the heli "fleet".
Built by Joe Howard at Vario scale helicopters. Finished 2nd at WRAM show.
Vario Big Carbon Airwolf.
I'm planning on modifying it with working machine guns as well. Otherwise I'm just going to show it and fly it. It's not really a park flyer but thought you guys might enjoy it.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6e0FeHIylbE/SW4q-uD3NUI/AAAAAAAAHoE/AQlnj4C2EJU/s720/DSC_0995.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6e0FeHIylbE/SW4rBYdOHeI/AAAAAAAAHoU/UrKRB7KH-x8/s720/DSC_0997.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6e0FeHIylbE/SW4rCBb3QAI/AAAAAAAAHoc/ljTXjrMA25U/s720/DSC_0998.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6e0FeHIylbE/SW4rCjwDk6I/AAAAAAAAHok/3XtzkqkQtgI/s720/DSC_0999.JPG
Gives you an idea of the size.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6e0FeHIylbE/SW4rExxOj2I/AAAAAAAAHo0/W5du0MKxfDs/s720/DSC_1001.JPG

Ron L

01-14-09, 07:07 PM

Finished 2nd at WRAM show.
Vario Big Carbon Airwolf.Does it only come out during the last 5 minutes of the show?

If you gave the pilot a tighter squint you could've won 1st.:)

Msquared

01-14-09, 08:16 PM

I'm planning on modifying it with working machine guns as well.
I think we're going to need more tech on that nugget of info.

Mark Luna

01-14-09, 09:45 PM

Does it only come out during the last 5 minutes of the show?

If you gave the pilot a tighter squint you could've won 1st.:)

I'm not getting the point, or joke.

I think we're going to need more tech on that nugget of info.

I should have stated retractable scale plastic machine guns. In the movie/tv series Airwolf, the "lady" had both retractable machine gun coming out of the side pods and a retractable rocket launcher. Vario did make a working rocket launcher using homemade fireworks in the launchers, but I don't plan on shooting anything.
Here's a link to the guns.
http://au.vario-helicopter.biz/shop/product_info.php?products_id=35742
Here's a link to a company who builds these things.
http://www.variohelicopter.com/
http://customairwolf.com/
Here's a video of one that has the guns. Turn down the sound, the soundtrack gets really annoying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVagmBvFLig&feature=related
Small version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDEgsXlWlKw&feature=related
Large version. Again turn off the sound. What is it with these people and their songs..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLo-sOssPyM

Ron L

01-14-09, 11:31 PM

A Grue

01-15-09, 08:34 AM

I'm assuming the Airwolf helo is electric, since I don't see any airflow openings for an engine heatsink (or a muffler)?

Mark Luna

01-15-09, 02:15 PM

My lame jokes were about Jan Michael Vincent's mail-slot eyes, and that in the TV show the helicopter only came out in the final minutes of the episode. I always thought that was a bummer, sort of like Mr T's contraption not being built until after the 3rd commercial break. Yep, who still remembers watching TV for 15 minutes straight during a 1 hour episode?

Anyway, got any galleries on the latest WRAM? Your 2nd place was for a static contest, yes?

BTW your links have double HTTPs in them.

Ah, I get it. Thanks for the clarification and you are right about the timing of the bird.

I'm not sure, it got second before I owned it. I didn't build it or show it, just bought/traded for it. I'll just modify it to make it better. Thanks for the heads up on the links, I'll fix them.

I'm assuming the Airwolf helo is electric, since I don't see any airflow openings for an engine heatsink (or a muffler)?

It's a gasser motor. GZ230. Basically a weed wacker motor. They are quite powerful and reliable compared to the smaller nitro versions. The ultimate would be a turbine, but I don't want to deal with those. They do make electric versions of these, but because of the power draw, they can't fly long.

Matthew Thompson

12-17-09, 08:37 AM

http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=810078&postcount=6914

FPV flying

Apexcarver

01-07-10, 11:59 AM

SHOboy

01-07-10, 12:29 PM

I've been looking at those for a while but never picked one up because I was unsure of the degrees of freedom in the controls. Now that you've provided more description than I've seen elsewhere I'll probably grab one the next chance I get.

emohn

01-07-10, 12:33 PM

I got one of the new Air Hogs Twin Thunder helicopters for christmas. It is a dual rotor helicopter that has ended up being a lot more controllable then the Havoc I picked up the other year. Anyone else toying around with one of these?

http://image2-8.rcuniverse.com/e1/forum/upfiles/329074/Mk25768.jpg

It can turn left/right, go up/down, and forwards (and reverse after a damn simple mod I hear, gonna try it later).

Turning is controlled via pitching the front rotor left/right. I think F/R is controlled by differential rotor speed.

My brother-in-law got that exact model (and color) last year at Christmas time, and I had the single rotor. While he was busy figuring out how to fly the damn thing, I was tormenting the dogs and flying mine deftly through rungs on the stairway. His twin rotor didn't ever seem to trim out to a manageable, stable flying condition. I think one of the rotors was tweaked or one of the motors (the rear I think) just spun easier and ran faster than the other, causing the thing to pitch forward and plow into the ground over and over.

Msquared

01-07-10, 04:57 PM

I guess there's a lot of variability in the setup of these things. I've had two Havocs and neither turned out to be very reliably controllable. And it's not like I haven't flown r/c equipment before, plus a number of people tried their best and couldn't do much with them. It's not like I can fly them, but doing things like weaving through stair rail rungs would be impossible. I would like to hear more on people's experiences with the twin-rotor version.

pcrussell50

01-07-10, 06:35 PM

I find that to be expected, with only yaw and thrust control, and no longitudinal cyclic control.

It's been a couple of years, but I modded mine, replacing the heavy stainless driveshaft with common carbon fiber from a hobby shop, and the REAL improvement, replaced the sloppy Chinese bushings with actual, micro precision bearings. All I can say is, OMFG what a difference in controllability. I attribute it to friction and inertia reduction. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ct9QVXx_Ac)

This guy shows the bearing mod (http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5648287/anchors_5648287/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#5648287), and I forgot where I found the carbon main shaft mod, [but it's pretty self explanatory].

FWIW, I have several sets of bearings left over, [I paid $70 for several sets, cheaper in bulk, from VXB bearings, local Socal company]. I'll sell them for a little less than I paid for them... $10/pair. They're tiny, so shipping is negligible.

-Peter

Apexcarver

01-07-10, 09:58 PM

With the Havoc I was lucky to be able to keep it from running into things. With the Twin Thunder I have been able to fly it down hallways, buzz the cats, and land it in 1ft square areas with relatively little practice.

I think the tail rotor on my Havoc stopped working, I'll have to pull it back out and see if it still flies. I havent flown my Havoc in a year or 2, but the Twin Thunder is a bunch more controllable to me.

Note on the Twin Thunder. In initial configuration you cant go in reverse. Getting reverse seems to be as simple as popping off a plastic cap.

Mark Luna

01-08-10, 01:18 PM

I've flown heli's from my 6 plus foot Airwolf Gasser, to this E flite mini copter.
http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLH3080

For what it costs, it's a pretty impressive and responsive little heli. This is not an outside flyer. It is strictly an inside heli but far more responsive and quicker than it's sister the coaxial heli's are. Lost of fun.

Flew the Blade 400 again the other day outside. Great starter heli.

rupps5

01-08-10, 05:11 PM

I second the blade msr as a good beginner heli. We were messing around with one at the field and it was great fun. It does blade stop autos no problem too :D Its not so great with fast backwards flight though but what do you expect?

it takes a beating
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rmFE-F4Glc

Mark Luna

01-09-10, 11:45 AM

I haven't done any auto's with it with the exception of when the battery dies and it's WAY up there. :) F.Y.I. it will do a loop if you get it going fast enough and high enough. :D

A Grue

01-09-10, 12:46 PM

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "DSM2 Compatible Aircraft Transmitter?" I haven't been into RC aircraft since about 1995, and all I remember is stuff like Futaba and JR.

Pach95GT

01-09-10, 11:03 PM

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "DSM2 Compatible Aircraft Transmitter?" I haven't been into RC aircraft since about 1995, and all I remember is stuff like Futaba and JR.
DSM2 is what Spektrum/JR 2.4ghz transmitters use, its nice since you dont have to swap crystals out, the transmitter binds to the receiver or in the case of a multi model computer radio each memory location can bind to a specific receiver.

pcrussell50

01-09-10, 11:05 PM

on edit, bastard! beat me by 2 minutes :)

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "DSM2 Compatible Aircraft Transmitter?" I haven't been into RC aircraft since about 1995, and all I remember is stuff like Futaba and JR.

It's da bom, yo. The upshot is, no worries about who's on what frequency, or transmitters inadvertantly left on or suddenly turned on, causing you to crash your model. As for how it works, I'm not 100% sure, but I think they all use the common 2.4GHz or so that cordless phones and wifi use, but they modulate the harmonics according to a pre-agreed upon "decoder key" that only your transmitter and receiver have. This "key" is established between the two when you go through the act of binding them.

Am I right?

-Peter