Just thought I'd share a little about one of my "other" hobby interests – R/C planes.
When I’m not messing around with 1/24 slot cars or trying to tune a vintage chassis, I like to spend time building and flying remote-controlled airplanes. Been into it for a few years now – mostly foam warbirds and some four-channel trainers. I recently picked up a Dynam FW-190 and it’s been a blast to fly!
There’s a surprising amount of crossover between the two hobbies: motor setups, weight balancing, control surfaces… feels familiar but in the air instead of on the rails.
Any other R/C flyers here? Would love to hear if anyone else has dabbled in R/C planes, or has stories from back in the day. I’m always open to tips or just good ol’ hangar talk.
Attached a pic of my latest flyer (and no, it doesn't fit on a slot track ).
Dave, when you say Ultra 300 did you mean Extra 300? The Ultra 300 could just be something someone came up with so they wouldn't have to pay royalties to Extra.
Check out what a Pitts S2C costs new. In 1982 I bought an S2A brand new for $58,000. Some of the differences between the two are the S2A had 200hp and S2C has 260hp. The S2C has a three bladed prop and a larger rudder. The S2C will do a double hammerhead, I've never even seen someone do a double hammerhead. The S2C was not even on the market when I was competing but the S2B was.
I found this video of a guy doing a double hammerhead in an S2C, very disappointing. If he did it like that in a competition he would zero the maneuver. In a competition he might have scored a 5 out of 10 in his single hammerhead. He's obviously an airshow pilot and not a competition pilot. To do a hammerhead you go straight up with full power. When the plane comes to a complete stop you kick full left rudder, full opposite aileron and then full forward stick. This keeps the airplane from torquing on it's back. The airplane has to come to a complete stop, rotate 180 degrees and then straight down. For a simple maneuver it has a fairly high difficult factor, K factor of 20. His double hammerhead looks more like a maneuver I used to do in my Pitts S1T. I'd go straight up, slam it into an outside snap roll and hold on. It would go round and round until it quit climbing and then it would flip end over end one time. When it pointed at the ground I'd neutralize the controls and fly away from it. It was fun. If I didn't neutralize the controls it would go into an inverted flat spin.
But these days my hobby besides slot car racing is CNC routing in wood.
Jim "Butch" Dunaway
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit. All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded. There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't. No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
Yes,the Ultra 300 is a copy of the Extra, modified from the real thing to make it a more responsive model for R/C acrobatic competition. If I recollect correct, it was a kit offered by Great Planes.
The Pitts is also not a perfect scale model. Perfect scale models generally don't make great flyers. My F-4u is a good example of that.
Good video. Probably easier in an Extra 300. Sukois were popular for a while with the radial engines.
I never did care much for the Sukoi. They were made in Russia and you know their quality control is lacking. They did real good in competition but I wouldn't have wanted one. Rick Massagee was on the U.S. Aerobatic Team and was test flying a Sukoi 31 and a wing broke off. I never did meet Rick, he came along after I quit competing.
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit. All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded. There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't. No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
it is a well known fact that slot racers are the best fishermen.
John, I don't think that's what they meant when they said "slot car racer's are a bunch of masturbaters".
Jim "Butch" Dunaway
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit. All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded. There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't. No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
The terminology they use is all together different than what we use. They are not doing "stunts" they are doing precision aerobatic maneuvers. A stunt is flying threw an open barn door. She calls a slow roll a barrel roll which is altogether different than a slow roll. She calls a four point slow roll a locked barrel roll. She calls a "lomcevak" an abbra kaddabra (it's when you flip the airplane end over end). She did take it easy on this guy, there's a lot of maneuvers she could have done that she didn't do. The only real advanced maneuver she did was a lomcevak.
Jim "Butch" Dunaway
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit. All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded. There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't. No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
Interesting video. I was able to have a short conversation with Patty Wagstaff way back at an EAA Airventure meet at Oshkosh. She was U. S. National Champion several times. She flew an Extra 300. What impressed me most was how available she made herself to the public. She told me the best way to get into aerobatics was to first spend as much time on roller coasters as I could. To get my body acclimated to sudden changes in direction. Also, that the single most important thing is spacial orientation. Without it, you'll be dead soon. She also loved flying WWII warbirds. My friend and her had a lot to talk about on that subject. He had an F-4 Wildcat he fished out of Lake Michigan and restored. He always impressed me on his ability to fly that plane. Big round engine, narrow gear and stubby wings.
Incedently, the EAA Airventure fly-in is this week.
I just bought an R/C airplane called an Aero Scout, it's a trainer. I've got it all together, batteries charged and ready to fly. I'm going to try and fly it today. I've never flown one before, any bets on how long it will last.
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit. All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded. There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't. No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
Happened across this video. It's cell phone video of what is supposed to be a Sukoi SU-26 shedding a wing, except that it has a pancake motor, not a radial which I think all SU-26s had. What is really amazing, is that the pilot landed safely by essentially turning the plane into a VTOL, using the motor and prop to keep it airborne.
Dave, you are right about the engine, all Sukoi's had radial engines. The video is phony, no aircraft can fly much less land with one wing. I'd say that's a Staudacher 300 in the video, I remember when they came out. Hell of an aerobatic airplane with both wings. LOL.
Jim "Butch" Dunaway
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit. All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded. There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't. No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
I stand corrected. It was still creating some lift on the right side from the air intake and engine. I wouldn't try it in a Staudacher, I know for a fact they don't have afterburners. LOL
Jim "Butch" Dunaway
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit. All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded. There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't. No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit. All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded. There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't. No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
A lot of hobbies there. I'm in the same boat. Some of them I consider "incidentals". Collecting sports and racing cars was at the top. But that has taken a back seat in the last ten years. Model railroading and slot racing are now at the top. But declining physical condition has put a damper on the slot racing. Still like to build, though. R/C cars, planes and boats were high on the list, but I backed off there a bit because of time. Have a pretty good collection of 1/43rd, 1/24th, and 1/18th die cast models. A few 1/12th and 1/8th in there, too. Have about a dozen guitars, but those I mostly acquired when I was playing in lounge bands. Never went to too many concerts. I'm not a good spectator, so I preferred to be on stage instead.
In my '20's I used to restore old trains. Real ones. Made it my job for a couple years. But it couldn't support me in the lifestyle I wanted to become accustomed to. Also had an amateur recording studio in the basement, with a Teac 1-inch reel-to-reel, Tascam 16 channel board, crown amps, Electro-Voice monitors. All E-V mics. All ruined in a flood in 1987. .
