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2021-04-20-RC Airplane Week in Review

This is the week for Modelrama - One of the MIdwest's largest swap meets and auctions.

Here are YouTube videos I enjoyed this week:

Happy Flying!

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Wingmasters 2021 Modelrama

Ready to add a plane to your hanger? Want to see what industry vendors have this year? You need to join us for the 2021 Dayton Wingmasters Modelrama. With over 300 tables, Modelrama will be one of the Midwest's most significant RC-focused events.

We are hosting this event Friday from 2:00 - 6:00 and Saturday 9:00 - 1:00 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds (645 Infirmary Rd. Dayton, OH 45417). Based on demand and the desire for social distancing, we have expanded to two buildings. The cost is $10 for the entire show admission, including the auction, and $8 for one day. Our event culminates with an auction on Saturday afternoon.

Hope to see you there.

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2021-04-04-RC Airplane Week in Review

Here is a quick Spring Break edition of This Week in RC

Happy Flying!

 

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10 Reasons To Join an RC Club

Spring is here, and you want to get outside and shake off the COVID fog; why don’t you join an RC Club?

 Here are ten reasons why it makes sense:

  1. The camaraderie of like-minded hobbyists. - Regardless of your level of commitment or time for the hobby, joining a club gets you the camaraderie of other flyers. Just the ability to interact with other like-minded pilots, being outside, enjoying others, and growing in the hobby. What could be better?

  2. Learn from Others – I know our club has designated beginner nights where experienced pilots come out and help newer members or those interested in the hobby. The ability to Buddy-Box with an experienced pilot allows you to grow in confidence and reduce the worry of crashing that brand new plane.

    There is something called latent learning, where you learn from watching others and can put that knowledge and skill to good use. Don’t discount the learning you get from watching others fly, asking questions, and getting those little tips that will significantly improve your flying.

  3. You get to fly on a designated RC field. - Typically, the field is Academy of Model Aeronautics (“AMA”) https://www.modelaircraft.org/ certified and insured, has a designated runway (paved or grass), and the fields have areas to work and prep your planes. It beats flying at the local park out of the back of your car, worrying about the families playing, people walking…

  4. Fun Flies – Fun Flys are events typically around a theme (warbirds, 3d planes, a give holidays) where the club shows up, and they have food and fly—a great way to meet fellow club members, learn and see the latest planes.

  5.  Insurance As a member of AMA, you and your fellow pilots are covered by AMA insurance. As of 2021, the current coverage is:

    • Liability Coverage for the Operation of Model Aircraft, Boats, Cars, and Rockets

    • $2,500,000 Comprehensive General Liability Protection for model activities for members, clubs, site owners, and sponsors

    • $25,000 Accident/Medical Coverage for members

    • $10,000 Maximum Accidental Death Coverage for members

    • $1,000 Fire, Theft, and Vandalism Coverage for members

  6.  Try before you buy – Unless you benefit from a local, well-stocked hobby shop, you are relegated to looking at planes, tools, etc., online. Wouldn’t it be great to see that plane in person? Someone at the club may already have it.

  7.  We all crash. I don’t know how many times I’m at the field and need a small part or tool, and someone has one. That can be the difference between flying and packing up to go home. The ability to share tools, repair and maintenance insights is fantastic.

  8.  Many clubs and fields are multi-discipline - (RC airplanes, Helicopters, and RC cars). Wouldn’t it be great to have all those facilities? The wind kicks up, and you can switch to cars. You might be interested in exploring helicopters, and you can walk over to the helli section and ask questions.

  9.  Charge me up, baby – most fields have a charging station. You need power to fly. Unless you stay up all night charging your batteries, the ability to charge while you fly will keep you in the air for much longer. And you don’t have batteries stored a full power which isn’t good for them.

  10.  One person’s discards are another’s Treasures - Ability to buy, swap planes, transmitters, etc. Wouldn’t you rather get a used plane or piece of gear from someone you know? Exactly!

 I hope this helps, so get out there and find an RC Club to join. What are some benefits you see from your club? 

Add them in the comments below.  

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2021-02-16-The RC Airplane Week in Review

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It’s Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. So here is some YouTube goodness to get us through:

Jeff Cherry2020 Crash Compilation lots of RC Airplane Piece - As we turn to repairing our planes and getting ready for Spring, we are typically repairing because of crashes. Here are Jeff’s best crashes of 2020.

Props & Wheels - Rage R/C Defender 1100 EP RTF - Part 6: Flying over Snow on Floats - Snow doesn’t stop us completely from flying as Props & Wheels puts those warm-weather pontoons to use.

RC Channel AYUB - RC PLANE FLYING | RC PLANE NIGHT FLYING RAPTOR - You don’t typically see flying in the dead of night. Here is an excellent video of flying in the dead of night.

DAD - RC Jet Airplanes Hobby 180mph+, Many of us get into the hobby for the speed. Here is some turbine engine 180mph+ speed.

TheRcSaylors - DEMOLISHED RC PLANE IN 5 SECONDS -The RC Saylors don’t let Winter or a little bit of snow slow them down. Here is how you demolish a plane in 5 seconds

As we are in repair season, share your workshop or what planes you are working on in the comments below.

Happy Flying!

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2021 Modelrama

It’s winter, and we need a way to renew our RC airplane excitement. We want to add new planes to our hanger but need to clear out some of our current planes. Want a way to do this in person safely? 

 The 2021 Wingmasters Modelrama swap meet and auction is your place. The Dayton Wingmasters Modelrama is on April 23rd and 24th. As one of the largest RC airplane shows in the Midwest, we have expanded the space under roof (over 42,000 sq. feet) to allow for social distancing and to accommodate all the current vendors and other sellers. The venue is the Montgomery Fairgrounds 645 Infirmary Road, Dayton Ohio 45417.  

 If you have gear or planes you want to sell or pick-up new gear and aircraft, this is the show for you—a tremendous in-person opportunity to rev you up for the 2021 flying season. In 2020 we had over 275 tables sold. 

 As the Club’s treasurer, I encourage you to attend, and if you want to reserve a table, see the attached flyer. Tables and spaces are going fast, so if you're going to get your hanger ready for 2021, here is a great opportunity.

 All the proceeds go to support the RC hobby with the Dayton Wingmasters. A long-time AMA sanction club here in Dayton.  

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Mittens for Winter-Time RC Flying

Don’t stop flying your RC airplanes or drones this winter.  Although, nothing sends chills through your hands like holding on to a metal transmitter box. 

Just get yourself some fold-over mittens. 

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I use the Simms flying fishing fold-over mittens in, and they work great.  IMAGE.  I have the necessary feel for the sticks with these fold-over mittens while protecting my hands from the cold bare metal.  I can fold them over when I’m done flying and can warm my hands up.  I get the benefit of the “glove fingers” for control and the warming impact of mittens when I fold over the cover. 

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These mittens are 100% polyester and are not waterproof.  They have half fingers and a mitten overlay.  The mitten fold-over provides the warmth of a mitten while the fingers give control and dexterity.  The Simms mittens have an elastic band to secure the fold over for both your fingers and thumb.  They also have a snap that allows them to be snapped together.

 The gloves can be machine washed and tumble dried on low.  I have used these for fly fishing, and washing the gloves got all the fish smell out. 

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 I have larges, and they seem to be true to their size.  Come cooler temperatures, these gloves/mittens are permanently in my car.

An inexpensive item for your cool-weather kit allows you to extend your flying season and get out there year-round.

 I hope this helps and keep flying.

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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.

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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

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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.  

 

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Weekly Beginner's Taxiway 2020-12-05

Reviews, thoughts, and events from the week in RC Airplanes



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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 

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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. 

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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. 

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Weekly Beginner's Taxiway 2020-11-27

Reviews, thoughts, and events from the week in RC Airplanes

Term of the Week - Servo

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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

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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!

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Weekly Beginner’s taxiway 2020-11-19

Reviews, thoughts, and events from the week in RC Airplanes

 

Term of the Week – Receiver

 Last week, we covered the transmitter. The other half of the electronic puzzle is the receiver. The receiver is the on-board component that receives the electronic instructions sent from the transmitter in your hands to operate the RC aircraft.

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 The receiver either has an internal or external antenna that receives the transmitter pulses. To ensure maximum connectivity, these antennae must be extended and, best case, away from the battery and at right angles to each other. Proper placement of the antenna gives the receiver full capability to receive the MHz signals. Keeping the antenna away from the battery (which can block the signal) will help. 

 The receiver has ports that correspond to the number of channels. These ports receive wires from the plane’s servos. The servos are what activate actions on the plane. For example, a landing gear servo mechanically raises and lowers the gear based on radio signals you give the aircraft through the transmitter. The transmitter’s signals are decoded by the receiver and activate the throttle, flaps, or other servo-controlled activity.

 A receiver and transmitter from the same manufacturer will give you optimal performance. For example, the Spektrum brand of transmitters require 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

 RC Saylers have another beginner video with their take on the Must-Have RC beginner planes. Check it out here. Also, check out my post on Top 6 Beginner/Trainer Planes.

 I Just Got Here has a video on flying the Flex Innovations Mamba 10. Awesome trivia point - He just completed 365 days straight of flying RC airplanes outside. Here is I just Got Here’s video.

João Dias de Carvalho has an informative video on How to land RC plane on grass, How to fly four-channel planes, and land a plane. Great in-flight video with extensive notes, tips, and explanations in the comments. Don’t miss this video.

  

Events

 No events this week.  

 Tool of the Trade

 

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Cushion Foam: Foam is not just for sitting on! Our RC airplanes are strong, but the foam construction material is easily bruised and damaged. I rest my plane on top of a piece of foam when I’m working on it, or even changing the battery. 

 If the PVC rack doesn’t work or the landing gear isn’t activated, the foam is the go-to tool. Foam always goes with me to the field. Here is a video of what I take to the field. Check out the video description for a downloadable checklist so you don’t forget anything as you pack for the field. 

 

Until next week safe flying!

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Top 6 Starter and Beginner Remote Control Airplanes

New to the RC airplane hobby? Looking for a good trainer plane? Here are my top six trainer RC airplanes. First, here are the features I look for in a trainer or beginner plane:

  • Tricycle landing gear

  • High wing (wing on the top of the fuselage) as opposed to a low wing aircraft

  • Larger wingspan (1.0 meters to 1.6 meters). – larger wingspan makes the plane more stable, especially in the wind. You might think small planes are easier to fly, that isn’t the case.

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 1.     Apprentice – Tricycle landing gear and high wing make this an excellent trainer plane. The wing is attached with rubber bands, which gives the plane more forgiveness with rough landings. Also, the Apprentice is easy to transport with the wing easily removed from the fuselage.

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 2.     Pandora – Tricycle landing gear and the Pandora is convertible from a high wing to a low-wing aircraft. As you become more confident in your piloting skills, you can convert the plane into a low-wing plane—all these features for a reasonable price. Typically priced below the Apprentice.



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3.     Timber – There are three versions of the Timber. I like this plane’s versatility as you can take off and land quickly, commonly known as STOL (Short Takeoff and landing), do all the acrobatics you want, even 3D flying, and has a large wing area for stable flying. A nice plane you can grow with as your skills progress. Flaps allow for slow landings, which help reduce the damage associated with hard landings.

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4.     AeroScout. - With a 1.1-meter wingspan, a great starter plane. AeroScout’s unique feature is that it is a pusher plane. The motor and propeller are on top of the wing facing the tail (“pusher”). This design helps protect the propeller and motor from damage on heavy crashes. Starting out, you tend to go through a lot of propellers. 


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 5.     Carbon Cub S - Another larger plane at 1.3 m wing with tricycle landing gear. Civilian scale plane so looks excellent in the air. SAFE mode is exclusive to Horizon Hobby, as is “Sensor Assisted Flight Envelope) technology that helps to prevent over-control, loss of orientation, and crashes so nearly everyone can learn to fly successfully” .


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 6.     Air Titan 1600mm (63”) Large wingspan at 63 inches (1.6 meters). All around nice plane to fly and grow into. Stable in the air and easily repairable.

 

Conclusion - You cannot go wrong with any of these planes, so it comes down to some of the unique features they offer. Also, what looks good to you, and what are you going to be excited to pilot. If you have a local hobby shop, what brands, models they stock to get replacement parts quickly can be critical. I have made many stops on the way home from the field to pick up or order replacement parts.

Disclaimer - None of these links are affiliate links. Links are only included for your convenience; I have no association with the vendors linked. Thanks

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7 Great YouTube Channels for RC Airplane Content

If you are new to the RC airplane hobby like I am, you are continually looking for great sources for information. These 7 YouTube channels are an excellent place to start to keep up on the RC airplane hobby. Rather than beginner-focused content, these channels focus more on product reviews and on Motion RC and Horizon Hobby product releases. The RC Saylors cover all things RC, including RC Boats, RC Cars along with RC airplanes.

Pilot Ryan Media

Merry Boozer RC

RC Informer

The RC Geek

The RC Saylors

Motion RC

Horizon Hobby

I also publish videos for beginners to the RC airplane hobby over at JD Hayes.

Any other good resources that you have discovered?

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