Weekly Beginner's Taxiway 2020-12-23
Reviews, thoughts, and events from the week in RC Airplanes
Term of the Week
Electronic Speed Control (“ESC”) is the on-board computer that controls the speed of your RC airplane. The ESC plugs both into your battery and into the throttle port on your receiver. RC Airplanes has an excellent description of the ESC.
ESC’s are differentiated by brushless vs. brushed and by the maximum current they can take. The price increases as the maximum current rating increases. Using a battery with a current above what the ESC is rated for can cause the ESC to malfunction and catch fire. Both are unintended consequences. If you are changing out an ESC, if your ESC with the battery and motor you are using, you should be fine.
Plane Reviews and Tips
Best RC Airplane Tool for 2021 - RC Beginners - This is by far the best tool for getting into the RC airplane hobby, hint, and you don’t get cold in the winter!
Need to teach yourself to fly? Here is a great series to help RCGS Chapter 1.2 Choosing a Model - Teaching Yourself to Fly-
Are you confused by all the RC airplane acronyms? Here are all the essential acronyms defined. RC Hobby Acronyms for Beginners | Quick Tip | Motion RC
Tool of the Trade
Ball link pliers - These pliers are familiar to helicopter pilots but are useful for us RC airplane pilots. Loosening and attaching the servo arm clevises on a control service can be challenging, and as most of them are plastic and can break if you aren’t gentle.
These pliers can get in the clevis and release the attachment point and allow for adjustment. And the simple press of the plyers applies even pressure and secures the clevis attachment.
A simple, inexpensive tool that is a toolbox must-have.
Weekly Beginner’s Taxiway Final 2020-12-12
Reviews, thoughts, and events from the week in RC Airplanes
Term of the Week
Flaps, like ailerons, are another control surface on the aircraft’s wings. I covered ailerons in last week’s post.
Wikipedia describes a flap as. “a high-lift device used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight. Flaps are usually mounted on the wing trailing edges of a fixed-wing aircraft. Flaps are used to reduce the take-off distance and the landing distance. Flaps also cause an increase in drag so they are retracted when not needed”.
The flaps are located closer to the fuselage than the ailerons and extend out and down when deployed. RC airplanes typically have three settings; full flaps, middle flaps, and no flaps. Middle flaps can be used for takeoffs with mid and full flaps deployed on landings. If there are stronger winds, the flaps may not be needed for landing.
On an RC airplane, each flap is controlled by a servo and is considered a channel on the receiver. The flaps leads are connected to a “Y” harness with the “Y” harness lead inserted into a channel on the receiver. Thus, the type of transmitter or radio you have will determine if you can put flaps on a channel switch.
Plane Reviews and Tips
Mike NCRCF - Thinking about building your RC airplane? This video from Mike NCRCF is the first in a series to get you started. Episode #1 Introduction to the Build Series.
Why do you Fly? Why did we get into the RC Hobby? Here is a good thread on why others have gotten bit by the RC airplane hobby.
RC Plane Lab - Here is a great weekly RC airplane podcast with hosts Ron Hull and Tom Dale
Tool of the Trade
RC Inexpensive Power Screwdriver Although not necessary, having a battery-powered screwdriver is an excellent addition to the toolbox. From installing wings after you get to the field to removing the wings at the end of the day for transport home, you are constantly using a small screwdriver. You may be adjusting a control surface, centering a servo, adjusting landing gear; a screwdriver is a key tool; why not make it a powered screwdriver. The powered screwdriver is indispensable when paired with a set of interchangeable heads.
Weekly Beginner's Taxiway 2020-12-05
Reviews, thoughts, and events from the week in RC Airplanes
Term of the Week
Aileron is a French word that means “little wing: or “fin.” The aileron is on the trailing edge of the wing and controls the roll of your aircraft.
Essentially, activating the aileron causes your plane to bank and thus turn.
There are two ailerons (one on each wing) that work in tandem to control the aircraft. These act differently from the rudder that also turns the aircraft. The rudder controls rotation around the vertical axis of your plane. The rudder controls the yaw of the plane and used while taxiing.
The ailerons are controlled by individual servos that are activated by the receiver. The receiver decodes the electrical directions from the transmitter in your hand.
Typically, both individual aileron wire leads are plugged into a “Y” harness, and the lead from the “Y” harness is plugged into a single receiver slot.
Plane Reviews and Tips
Turbine engines and beginner may be a bit of an oxymoron, but here is a quick flight video of the Bobcat Composite. Turbine engines are fast and would be considered a speed step up from EDF jets.
Fast RC Turbine Model Jet Bobcat Composite for beginner into Turbine Aeromodelling RC Airplane
Tim McKay has a wonderful video on airplane hatches. If you want to geek out on airplane parts, this is a video to watch. Model Airplane Hatches for Newbies
Your brushless motor not working? Here is a good description of a brushless motor and how to rewind it.
Tool of the Trade RC Airplane Stands
Airplane Stands come in all shapes and sizes and are something you need to quickly work on your planes and protect them from bumps and bruises. There are two types, the homemade and purchased. The homemade version is typically made from PVC pipe.
If you are making a stand, measure your planes and make sure you build the stand the right height and length.
Too low, and the plane’s rear wing will hit and too long and the plane will not be adequately supported on the fuselage.
The manufactured stands are typically adjustable and typically allow for assembly and disassembly in the field, thus allowing easier transport. This inexpensive tool is invaluable at the field. Whether you build a custom stand or purchase one, this is a key tool.
Weekly Beginner's Taxiway 2020-11-27
Reviews, thoughts, and events from the week in RC Airplanes
Term of the Week - Servo
Servos are what allow you to control and pilot your aircraft. The servo takes the decoded electrical pulses from the receiver and performs the desired mechanical function. Servos activate the landing gear; they move the flaps, ailerons, and elevator. The servo connects to the receiver with a 3-pin connecter, and the electrical pulses are decoded in the servo and move the servo arms through the gears.
The servo consists of a small motor, gears, and a servo arm attachment secured to the servo wire. Servos are denoted by how much weight or force they can actuate. According to Wikipedia, “if a servo model is described as “0.2 s / 2 kg”, that should be interpreted as “This servo rotates the shaft for 60° in 0.2 seconds, and it is able to pull up 2 kg weight using a 1 cm radius pulley”. That is, that particular servo model rotates the shaft with the angular speed of (2π / 6) / 0.2 s = 5.2 rad/s while producing 2 kg × 9.81 m/s2 = 19.6 N force at 1 cm distance, i.e. it produces 19.6 N × 0.01 m = 0.196 N m torque.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servo_(radio_control)
There are two construction types of servo gears, metal, and plastic. A good rule of thumb is that a plastic servo will typically have a useful life of approximately 100 hours. If a servo is going to fail, generally, the failure relates to stripped gears. Stripped gears are more likely with a plastic geared servo vs. metal.
Hard landings or a crash typically cause stripped gears.
Tip – When you have a crashed plane, always test the servos to see if they are functioning and save them. Most are interchangeable.
Plane Reviews and Tips
FlightTest has a great post on 8 ways to improve your RC flying skills. We can all learn from these.
Pilot Ryan Media - Looking for a beginner EDF jet? Check out this video review of the Eflite Viper 70mm EDF Beginner EDF Jet Maiden with Capt. Mike
Check out these kids. It is refreshing to see talented young people in the hobby.
A tool of the Trade - Servo Tester
My servo tester is a crucial tool. A small 4.8V (4 Cell) 2000mAh NiMH battery powers the servo tester and allows you to test/actuate a servo to see if it is working or center the servo. A servo tester typically has three settings, manual, center, and automatic.
Using a servo tester is safer and more efficient than hooking up a lipo battery to supply power to the servo. The only way a servo can be tested is with applied power.
Connecting the 3-pin connector to the servo tester and activating the tester will allow you to test the servo safely.
Here is a link to the $9 servo tester I use.
Servo testers and inexpensive and a must-have tool.
Until next week safe flying!
Weekly Beginner’s taxiway 2020-11-11
Reviews, thoughts, and events from the week in RC Airplanes
Term of the Week – Transmitter
The Remote-control transmitter is the device that sends instructions to the remote-control airplane’s onboard receiver. These transmissions are how you control your airplane. Current transmitters are on the 2.4GHz band. The 2.4GHz band is used for most RC transmitters because the FCC has designated this band as free.
Transmitters are further designated by how many channels they support or can control. For example, Throttle control is a channel; Flaps are a channel; Landing Gear is a channel. Etc. The more channels a transmitter supports, the more functions on an aircraft it can control, and the more expensive it is.
A 6-Channel transmitter is a good beginner transmitter. I would not go below six channels, and I would consider 8-Channel a good sweet spot.
A receiver and transmitter from the same manufacturer will give you optimal performance. For example, the Spektrum brand of transmitters requires receivers that use the DSMX or DSM2 algorithms. It is best to stay in the family once you decide on a transmitter.
The transmitter is more costly, so first, pick a transmitter brand and then the receivers.
Plane Reviews
The RC Saylors posted a great review of the Carbon Cub S 2 Beginner RC Airplane. Check out their review here. This plane is one of my top 6 beginner/trainer planes. Check out the other planes on my Top 6 Starter and Beginner Remote Control Airplanes post.
RC Informer posted a review here of the FMS CJ-6 V2 1200mm aircraft. This is another good beginner / intermediate plane.
Events
This year, in-person RC fly-ins have been canceled. One that took place was the celebration of National RC Day. Here is Merry Boozer’s review of the National RC Day at IRCC.
A tool of the Trade
The Metal Ammo Box – Incorrect handling of LiPo batteries could potentially cause a fire. I store and transport my lipo batteries in a metal ammo box. I use the Harbor Freight ammo box. These boxes are inexpensive and are easy to transport in my car. I sort my batteries by box.
A quick tip – add Velcro to the inside of the ammo box lid and on the back of your lipo tester, and you will always know where your tester is, and it is safe and out of the way. No more digging in your pockets to test your battery.
Until next week safe flying!
Secure Your Battery
Over on Youtube I have a quick video on why it is critical to secure your plane’s battery. This is the first of what will be a series for the beginner in the RC airplane hobby. In the video I also have a couple of tips that I use to help keep my battery secure. You didn’t know that hockey tape would make its way into the RC airplane hobby. Enjoy
My First EDP Jet Solo Flight
I finally soloed my first EDF jet. EDF stands for Electric Ducted Fan. Instead of a propeller, these planes have a motor with a multi-bladed fan. Typically you move to EDF after mastering propeller planes.
The Freewing 6S Hawk was the jet. I was thrilled with the flight and excited about improving my EDF piloting skills. The landing was a bit bouncy with a slight crosswind. Here is the video of that flight - The video is from the past president of our club, The Wingmasters, here in Dayton, Ohio.