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Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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west Texas
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Dave Taylor
Tonight I did something I haven't done in many years.
A friend's son wanted me to teach him how to fly a model airplane. Wow, that's a bit risky - to fly his model, me not being a teacher/instructor of any kind, and way out of currency. So I went out and bought my own! About 130$ ARF (Almost Ready to Fly). All you have to do is charge and install batteries, attach the wing with rubber bands, preflight and go.
I figured I'd learn myself, then try to teach the boy. (No instructors in this area, we checked).
Anyway I flung it in the air, climbed up under duress (it was way out of trim) and then lost sight of its direction a few times (its an RC thing) and managed a few bumps and screeches on the local soccer field!
What a kick! :D
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Anyway I flung it in the air, climbed up under duress (it was way out of trim) and then lost sight of its direction a few times (its an RC thing) and managed a few bumps and screeches on the local soccer field!
What a kick! :D
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Dave, keep us posted on how this goes. I was thinking of trying to find a fairly cheap ready to fly trainer, leave it in the box, and bring it to next years Gastons.

Take it out of the sealed box, and have first time flyoff competitions, see who could fly and land the thing the best...sounds like fun to me.
 
Many years ago my wife and I spent a week in the Smokies in the fall and we were driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway enjoying the fall colors when we decided to stop at a particularly scenic overlook. There was one car parked there and a man was standing at the edge facing a deep valley. As we walked up behind him we were wondereing what he was up to. (He was standing with his hands in front of him and we couldn't see.) As we stepped up to the edge of the overlook....Swoosh! A HUGE RC sailplane swooped up the slope just over our heads! We hit the deck! Scared the bejeepers out of us! :hairraise: The pilot laughed...we started laughing as we picked ourselves up. He flew that thing around, dove on us a few times and we were all laughing like kids! That thing was awesome, and HUGE! It had to have had at least a ten foot wingspan. He landed it on the grass along the parking area. After we examined it some he launched it again. He just sort of threw it down the slope and then started piloting it with the radio. That was coolest thing I'd ever seen! I'd love to do that but not to many hills to launch an RC sailplane in FLA.
 
Frank Browne said:
That was coolest thing I'd ever seen! I'd love to do that but not to many hills to launch an RC sailplane in FLA.
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As I understand, the electric RC planes have come a long way, and you don't have the noise and messy fuel of the gas powered planes. Go buy a cheap one and have fun.
 
I have three. An electric trainer, 40 inch glider and a two meter span glider.
The gliders have electric motors with folding props, climb till you find a thermal and play for 20 to thirty minutes easy. Check out tower hobbies for best prices. I still prefer the real thing, you can buy quite a bit of gas for what some of these R/C people spend. :eek:
 
Bill Jennings said:
As I understand, the electric RC planes have come a long way, and you don't have the noise and messy fuel of the gas powered planes. Go buy a cheap one and have fun.
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I'm thinking seriously about putting a starter RC plane on my christmas wish list.:yes:
 
I have some really little, almost indestrucible planes called "firebirds" and i also have some bigger ones, maybe i will bring some of the firebirds to Gastons too. I think I have 3 or 4 of them and if they do break it wouldn't be a big deal to me.
 
Bill Jennings said:
Dave, keep us posted on how this goes. I was thinking of trying to find a fairly cheap ready to fly trainer, leave it in the box, and bring it to next years Gastons.

Take it out of the sealed box, and have first time flyoff competitions, see who could fly and land the thing the best...sounds like fun to me.
Click to expand...

Unless you bring several copies, there will be some participants with nothing to fly but small pieces no longer attached to each other.
 
lancefisher said:
Unless you bring several copies, there will be some participants with nothing to fly but small pieces no longer attached to each other.
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Or, find a version cheap enough that several participants wound be willing to buy one and bring it along. Maybe this warrants some research.
 
Well Bill stay away from the J-3 Cub that Hobbyzone has, It's a handfull for even the experanced flyers. I've crashed mine twice in the two time i had it out. I think their Decathalon it just as bad. so watch what you buy.
Dave G
 
Frank Browne said:
Many years ago my wife and I spent a week in the Smokies in the fall and we were driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway enjoying the fall colors when we decided to stop at a particularly scenic overlook. There was one car parked there and a man was standing at the edge facing a deep valley. As we walked up behind him we were wondereing what he was up to. (He was standing with his hands in front of him and we couldn't see.) As we stepped up to the edge of the overlook....Swoosh! A HUGE RC sailplane swooped up the slope just over our heads! We hit the deck! Scared the bejeepers out of us! :hairraise: The pilot laughed...we started laughing as we picked ourselves up. He flew that thing around, dove on us a few times and we were all laughing like kids! That thing was awesome, and HUGE! It had to have had at least a ten foot wingspan. He landed it on the grass along the parking area. After we examined it some he launched it again. He just sort of threw it down the slope and then started piloting it with the radio. That was coolest thing I'd ever seen! I'd love to do that but not to many hills to launch an RC sailplane in FLA.
Click to expand...
An older gentleman of this town chases seagulls along the bluff with his RC glider. He's really good. He'll dive to full speed and pull up quick into a stall and then level out flying in formation and on speed with the birds, sometimes inverted.

Speaking of seagulls, if they can launch so can you. Hills are nice but if there is any wind you can stay aloft.

I played a trick on a RC guy I recently met. I pulled over to the roadside to watch him soar along a ridge. We got to talking 'bout flying and how I should get me one of those (a RC glider). He offers me the controls but takes it up to several hundred feet before he hands me the box. I immediately cross control into a stall and start silently counting spins as she falls. The guy is perturbed and getting moreso. I pull her out at about 20 agl and soar back to the starting alt. (The real funny part was that he was offer all kinds of advice--push that knob/pull this knob, no, leave that knob alone, now push that knob-----arrgg. An observer of that would have thought they were watching a Abbot & Costello routine.)

People are funny. His perception was I didn't know what I was doing and yet, in spite of that perception, he allowed me to continue towards the seemingly inevitable crash of his property. Boy, was he sweating!

I didn't dare tell him I used to fly gliders. We parted on the cheery note that I'd soon be back but with my own glider.
 
RC's are great fun to watch. My wife and I used to spectate when we were first married...no money. It was cheap fun for us. However, for many of the owners, there is quite an investment. Not so cheap. The kits, radio equipment, servos, TLC, etc.

I would like to try it, but my fear is that I would lose sight of the thing and it would be gone forever.

Jim
 
I took the photo(below) several years ago back in my home town here in Maine.
I didn't give any thought to it at the time, but note the strip of grass which is a darker shade than the surrounding area. I'd played in those fields many times during my younger years. This year I was invited for Easter dinner at the farmhouse about dead center. I took along a print of my aerial shot. Only then did I learn that it's a landing strip for the owner's** fleet of RC planes. He builds his own, from scratch, and they are gorgeous.

**(Nicholas Wyeth) [Yup; that's Andy and Betsy's house and dock at the water's edge].

HR
 
Harley, that is such a beautiful picture. When I look at the buccolic setting in that pic I think about all the neat things a kid could do. The various trees and wandering fields, the undulating shoreline and the water everywhere all are but preludes to the ample opportunity for the adventurous and young at heart. You could say I have been drawn into the picture. That and the human history of that spot, I understand why you like it so much.
 
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