RC Airplanes

[Cummins Pilot]

Anyone have RC airplanes? I'm currently running a Kadet Senior on floats with an engine twice the size the kit recomends. . 70 4 stroke. Boy it performs. Looking to put it on skis this winter. Haven't tried wheels yet.



I'm looking for a Dehavilland Beaver kit to build this winter. Anyone know where to get a good one. Either that or a Super Cub.

 

[JB @ C and L Machine]

I saw Mini fighter planes with real jet engines on them... . this was on a show on the DYI network. I image they are not cheap

 

[klenger]

I know a guy what was working on a B-1 bomber. I think the wing span is something like 12 feet. Many $$$ invested. I don't know if he ever finished it or not.

 

[Jengle]

I have an old Goldberg trainer, but it is a low wing. Haven't flown it yet, but have taxied around the driveway. One of these days, I'll take it to a big field that has enough room to get it off the ground. Been looking at how to mount a set of floats on it. Once I get the hang of this one, I'll try to put the guts in a ME-109. My span on this one is 54". Would like to have a real Cessna 180 on floats.

 

[boonsur]

Finally munched my Avistar that's been faithful for years. Got a bunch of others on the bench, just about ready to go:



Sig Kadet LT-25, just need to paint engine bay, and take pictures (it turned out beautiful)



Sig Fourstar & Tower Hobbies Uproar kits, in various build stages (not very close to completition)



Great Planes Dazzler, just need to finish mounting engine (Saito . 50). Bought it from a friend to get me flying right away. Radio already in-place.



Great Planes Venus ARF w/O. S. . 46 AX (new). Just received. Haven't had the motivation to assemble it.



I fly with a JR-631

 

[boonsur]

Computer Simulator

BTW, everyone should learn on one of these!



I got the Great Planes RealFlight G2 a few years ago. I still fly it once in a while, to try new stuff or just to relax during lunch break.



Waaaaay better than learning with a lot of money on the line (if it should crash). Also, be sure to find a good instructor to "buddy-box" with on your first flights.

 

[Cummins Pilot]

My buddy and I bought the real flight simulator. Pretty nice.



We are running the same airplane. But he's got a . 40 2 stroke. Mine is modified for the bigger engine. It also weighs about 2 lbs more than his but I can out perform his. I lined up behind him last weekend as he started his take off run and then I went for it. I was off in 20' and went right over him as his just got on step!



We never got lessons. We just taxied them around on water a few times and worked up to getting on step and then powering down. Well one time mine lifted off. I didn't think it was going to be a big deal since I am a pilot anyways. Wrong, its not that easy the first time up. But the principles of flying are the same. I brought it around on 3 approachs until I was confident I could put it down safely. I did. Ever since we've been flying all the time.



I just ripped the floats off last weekend. We've been putting them down in really thin and curved water channels. Its fun to get really precise with them. But I caught a float after I touched down and it turned me into the mud. Its on my bench being repaired for this weekend.



Jengle, I'd like a 185 on floats. But right now I'd take anything. Trying to figure out how to get me a super cub though.

 

[MCummings]

I have a Hangar 9 Extra 330L. It's 33% of scale.

It has a 3w-75i (75cc). If I remember right, making about 3. 5HP.

Swings a 24"x10 prop.



Plane weighs about 27Lbs.



They are great fun to fly. My favorite type of "Flying" is called 3-D. Controlled Stalls, "Hovering", and many other types that have to be seen to be believed.



My plane has redundant 10 channel recievers, each powered with a 5 cell 3000mAH battery pack. I have 8 servo's, and all but two are 150/oz Digital servo's.



Plane is a BLAST to fly. A show stopper everytime it is up...



I've gotten trophies at nearly every airshow I have flown at, anything ranging from 1st place in lowest inverted flight, most unique stunt, best looking planes, to most miles traveled for air show.



I flew for 5 years before I got into the diesel trucks, and started my own business. Although I'd love to get flying again, but two hobbies are alot to support! LOL



If yall need any help or tips flying feel free to ask. I used to be an instructor in our local R/C club.



I'd like to see some of yall fly... .



Merrick

 

[NPloysa]

I just went to the Chatfield Aerodrome for the annual fly in on Saturday. I didn't fly but still had a blast. I actually went to fly my new 30 class heli (Raptor 30) but coincidentally, it was the same day as the fly in.



Lots of planes. One guy there said he owns 5 helis, 10 sailplanes, and 25 airplanes. He flew one of his XCell 60 helis and his favorite (and mine), a Bob Violet Models Bobcat with a 30 lb thrust gas turbine on it. She will hit 250 mph top speed and burns 8 ounces of fuel per minute!



Saw a few crashes, saw a couple aerobatic planes. One of my favorites was an old bipe with smoke, also a huge bipe with a 5 cylinder radial and a couple warbirds. One of the P-51s had his left gear stuck open and the right gear stuck closed. Made an excellent crash landing with minimal damage. Saw a few Cubs and a ducted fan F-86 Sabre. Awesome!



Nick

 

[TxDieselKid]

Merrick,



Bring that sucker to the Texas Rally. I use to go and watch RC planes with my grandfather when I was about 9, and havn't seen them since, but sure would love to.



Also I am planning to have a present for you at the Rally.



Andrew

 

[Jengle]

I haven't flown much, just a couple of flights with a guy who could take off, then handed me the box at a safe altitude. Within minutes, I was doing sloppy aerobatics, but had the principles down. He landed it, but had trouble, because he was forcing the plane down, so I watched him and talked him through some slow flight manuevers, then talked him into the landings, some of the nicest he has done. Like Cumminspilot, I know the principles, but lack the hands on the two sticks time. Once off the ground, I should be ok. Mine was bought after the owner crashed it, don't know the circumstances, but the nose was hit, and during a pre taxi run, I found the control for the elevator was wired backwards. The stick would give it a nose down command, when you pulled it back from center and nose up, when you pushed it. I rewired the control linkage and modified the nose wheel steering line, and now it taxis just fine. Haven't had time to take it to a big field yet.



CumminsPilot, I worked with an A&P and we did a tundra tire conversion on a supercub. Man, that thing would come off the ground in a hurry. I am thinking more like getting a 180 instead of the 185, since most of the time, I am by myself or one other person, and having a chat with the local IA, A&P, he told me the 180 has a whole lot less ADs to keep up on. That looks better to me. I just want to get back into a taildragger again. My boss here in CT got his DC-3 type rating a few months ago, now that's an airplane.

 

[Cummins Pilot]

Jengle, Next summer I'll get my tail dragger endorsement, along with a float rating. Right now I'm working on my IFR rating.



So does your boss fly a Doug-3 commercially or just something to have? I'm a loadmaster for a company that flies Doug-6' and C-46's (Curtis). I love old radial birds. I'd love to have enough money someday to own a Beaver. My girlfriend wants a Supercub. She says we NEED one. But I can't get her to even touch the yoke when I take her up. I tell her if we get one she has to get her license.



A subercub in the hands of a true profesional is a thing of beauty. The things that one can do with them is amazing. Then some rich sucker buys one and puts amfib floats on them. What a waste.



Merrick, know of any place to get a Beaver with a wing span of around 80"? I want to build one this winter. Either that or I'll build up the Doug-3 my roomate bought. Thanks

 

[Jengle]

Ever see one of the flying shows, Flying Farmer act with a clipped wing cub? That is incredible. The guy we did the Tundra Tire conversion for, was Alan Wolfe(sp), son of Lee Wolfe, who used to teach fly fishing in NY, somewhere. He gave us videos of where his dad used to fly to remote places all over the northeast country, Canada and NS among others, searching out locations for fly fishing camps. He got some good fishing in untouched waters. The son would load up the Supercub with camping gear and take off for a week, when he came back, the plane looked like a truck in a mud bog race. I learned to fly taildraggers when a bunch of friends had some at a local farm with a 3000ft grass strip. That was loads of fun, most of my hours are in a C-140 and a couple of Taylorcrafts. Also got some time in a Luscombe. I am thinking about taking a bush pilot course in NJ. In a Supercub. He he he. But I'm jealous, you are where I would love to fly.



A Beaver R/C would be cool. Would you have it on floats or tires, or switch? The real ones are supposed to be going back into production again, at $650K. Too rich for me. What engine would you use? You know they have real miniature radials that would be perfect for it.

 

[Cummins Pilot]

A Beaver was made for floats, wheels were an after thought. So it would have floats. As for an engine, well I'll take the recomendation and probably almost double it. Can't have to much power. As for those radials, my roomate says if I build the Doug-3 he'll buy the engines and radio gear. I told him we need the radials. But they are really spendy. They even make 4 cylinder horizontally opposed RC engines that look like the real deal.



Flying in Alaska is great. But right now we have so much smoke from forest fires no one is flying much. My current ride is a Cherokee 180. Not the best bush plane but it works. The guy I rent it from got mad one time when I brought it back with grass stains all over the wheel pants. Oops.



It will be neat to see some new Beavers being produced. Anyone that has one now won't like it. Just the news of that dropped the price for one. I'll have to have a job flying one on floats for a summer or longer someday. Dehavilland hit the nail on the head with the Beaver and the single Otter.

 

[Jengle]

Yeah, I was just kidding about the mini radials, knowing they are very high in price. But the cool factor takes care of that. I have seen the opposed minis too. Also seen an electric starter that is on board. Now that would be cool with the radials. Don't recall the price. My uncle in Germany could teach me to fly one of these R/Cs, if he were over here, since he used to compete in aerobatic competitions with a plane that spanned his driveway, maybe close to 10 or more feet. He has a shelf full of trophies, so he does know what he is doing. Once long ago, when I started flying, a buddy and I thought about selling everything and going to AK to fly bush planes. Sometimes I wonder if I made the wrong decision in not doing it.

 

[Cummins Pilot]

Most every pilot I talk to about bush flying loves it. It gets into their blood. There is an older Jet Captain that takes summers off from the jets and climbs into a Lance or Navajo for us.



Another Jet Captain has an 185 on floats he flies when ever he's off.



Not many people know what I feel when I load up a plane or just see them taking off heading off to the bush. I hate knowing I'm not to that stage yet. I so badly want to do that.



Well I just finished fixing my Kadet. Ready to crash again this weekend. I'm going to try out my new wings that I put flaps in. Hopefully they work out good. At least make my approaches better. I have to drag it in since it glides so well. Sometimes you have to drive it onto the water to get it down instead of stalling it on. But a big prop and big engine even at low idle will still make a lot of thrust.

 

[Jengle]

You know, I keep thinking about floats on my RC, but what do you do if you crash it out there in the water? Need a R/C boat with a net off the side to scoop it up and recover it. That's one idea. Or fly where you can wade out and get it.



185 on floats, now that is nirvana. I have one as my background pic on the computer. Could be in AK.

 

[MCummings]

1 Hobby + 1 Hobby = R/C Airplane's w/floats.



Get a boat.



Merrick

 

[Cummins Pilot]

You either swim for it or have a small inflatable boat you ride ride out into the lake. Some of places we go are only about 12" deep so you can walk to it.

 

[Cowboy Medic]

I remember when I was little my Grandparents took my brother and I to the Aviation Expo in Ida Grove, Iowa. There was a ton of the model planes there. It was a blast. I would guess that was about ten years ago or more. They had a reenactment of the bombing of Hiroshima with a huge model of the Enola Gay and everything. I still have a souvenier video thing that we bought and have watched it a few times just because I remember that trip as one of my favorite summers with them.