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 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 2020-11-19
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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” .
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