R/C Airplanes

[IndyWS6]

Anyone fly? I think I tried this before, but I’ll give it another go.

I flew 30+ years ago and still have all my gear and several planes. A few could be easily made airworthy and a few probably need to be stripped of engines, servos and receivers.

All my radios are the old FM variety. I have no desire to update - unless I’m forced to. I have a couple of small, electric park flyers that I could buzz around a school yard. Most of the rest are .40 size glow engine trainer and sport planes, although I do have a .90 glow sport and a .90 3D model - that I have no business flying. Those would need to be flown at a club field, which may not allow FM. Not sure of current rules. I’m OK with buying an updated multi-model transmitter, but buying receivers for each plane really adds up.

I’m in no hurry - honestly looking at it as a hobby for future retirement. I could tinker with putting them back in order between now and then.

Any pilots around here?

 

[IndyWS6]

No one seems to be engaging so, unlike Kid, I won’t post 29 more times . Just one. I did some research. My older FM radios are fine, unless a club restricts use. My club closed years ago, so I’ll probably be flying in school yards. So, no problem. OCD made me go deep and I bought a new tech 2.4 GHz 14 channel radio, batteries, receivers, etc., plus batteries for the FM radio to resurrect some older models. I also bought a 3D capable foamy profile plane and another wide flight envelope model (E-Flite Slow Ultra Stik). Going to start assembling this week. I haven’t flown in decades, so I’m going to get a slow park flyer ready first to build some confidence. Wish me luck…

 

[Alpha Stryke]

My wife bought me a little RC F-22 at xmas. I keep forgeting that i have it LOL>

 

[IndyWS6]

I lied . One more post if anyone is interested (government overreach content)

Seems the government is now all up in your shit - because “drones”. My FM gear is still legal, assuming it’s not banned by a club in favor of 2.4 GHz. I thought I could just sneak into a schoolyard when I’m ready and fly the small stuff. Maybe, but it is private property. If they call LE, and you don’t have proof that you passed the TRUST exam AND proof of “Small UAS Certificate of Registration” with the FAA, it is (literally) a federal offense. Oh, and you need to be aligned with a “Community Based Organization [CBO]”. So, I renewed my AMA membership, took and passed the TRUST exam and registered with the FAA. Fuckers already know who I am, so

I plan on flying R/C planes, not drones, but with heightened school security, it’s probably not worth taking a chance and flying on their property. I found a club a few miles away (my old one closed years ago). So I’ll probably join. It’s going to be a while before I’m ready and have time - figured I’d get the paperwork out of the way…

 

[Floyd Eye]

My dad was into it. His club had an airport and runways. The real ones, not the little toys, are about as difficult as flying a real plane. For Father’s Day about 10 years ago I paid for my old man to fly one of those WW1 trainer planes. Flying Tiger or something. Two cockpits. He went up with the owner and he got to fly. It was a highlight of his life.

 

[VonBonfire]

I lied . One more post if anyone is interested (government overreach content)

Seems the government is now all up in your shit - because “drones”. My FM gear is still legal, assuming it’s not banned by a club in favor of 2.4 GHz. I thought I could just sneak into a schoolyard when I’m ready and fly the small stuff. Maybe, but it is private property. If they call LE, and you don’t have proof that you passed the TRUST exam AND proof of “Small UAS Certificate of Registration” with the FAA, it is (literally) a federal offense. Oh, and you need to be aligned with a “Community Based Organization [CBO]”. So, I renewed my AMA membership, took and passed the TRUST exam and registered with the FAA. Fuckers already know who I am, so

I plan on flying R/C planes, not drones, but with heightened school security, it’s probably not worth taking a chance and flying on their property. I found a club a few miles away (my old one closed years ago). So I’ll probably join. It’s going to be a while before I’m ready and have time - figured I’d get the paperwork out of the way…

Wow. What a hassle.

I love RC planes and could probably fly something basic out my backyard but I got more pressing matters and limited disposable income that usually goes back into guitar moneymaking gear or home improvements.

 

[IndyWS6]

My most advanced plane - again, I have no business flying it until I take gain skills - is fully 3D capable, has a 72 inch wingspan, is nitro powered, has a 4.8 HP engine and swings a 13 inch carbon fiber prop. It has high torque servos on all control surfaces (extreme deflection), flap and flaperon control plus exponential dialed in. It really needs a gyro for me to have confidence that it doesn’t auger into the ground…

 

[VonBonfire]

My most advanced plane - again, I have no business flying it until I take gain skills - is fully 3D capable, has a 72 inch wingspan, is nitro powered, has a 4.8 HP engine and swings a 13 inch carbon fiber prop. It has high torque servos on all control surfaces (extreme deflection), flap and flaperon control plus exponential dialed in. It really needs a gyro for me to have confidence that it doesn’t auger into the ground…

I'd love to see some pics of that beauty. Thing is a beast!

 

[IndyWS6]

I'd love to see some pics of that beauty. Thing is a beast!

I have some from the pre-digital age. I’ll have to look…

 

[IndyWS6]

I have some from the pre-digital age. I’ll have to look…

It’s not my picture, but this is one version of that model…

 

[VonBonfire]

It’s not my picture, but this is one version of that model…

That's awesome.

 

[IndyWS6]

I’m going to rationalize and strongly say I’m not like Kid responding to my own posts since there has been some engagement.

I wasn’t satisfied with the battery mount so I added another Velcro strap and epoxied the side force generators (the two little slats on each wing). I have the radio mostly programmed, including triple rates for control throws, throttle cut, etc. I think it’s basically ready to crash . I’ll park it and try to find time to re-learn to fly on the slow one this summer before giving it a go, but here it is.