R/C airplanes (was: RPM Challenge)

[Martin Naef]

On 09.01.2012 09:17, Jay Vaughan wrote:
> Cool, Martin!  We've been really enjoying the Lego Mindstorms NXT
> that Flynn got for Christmas .. hell yeah, robotics with a four year

Mindstorm is cool indeed! Last year I had the chance to buy a kit at a 
reasonable price but decided against it - not another hobby... ;-)

>> or building R/C aircrafts (with my son either watching happily or

> Which kind?  As you know I'm quite a fan of park-fliers and I'm super
> keen to know what you've been building ..

Check out my Facebook profile for a few images. On the one hand, I 
dusted off some birds from my teenage years. I already flew a Robbe 
Progo (trainer with 10cc 4-stroke glow engine) that needed quite a bit 
of repair, and I just replaced the receiver and battery in a 3m glider 
yesterday.

I also acquired some used planes: I got a 1.5m BF-109 (electric, foam) 
that was in questionable shape and a 1.4m CAP-232 (8cc 4-Stroke). I 
tried to fly the BF-109 once but couldn't get it off the ground on the 
narrow runway. It's now fixed and optimized (e.g. the motor mount should 
now have the proper angle to counteract the torque), I'm waiting for 
some proper weather. The CAP has to wait - I think I should work on my 
reflexes a bit more before I fly this rocket.

I also acquired a new electric Extra 300 (.9m wing span, balsa/plywood 
construction). It had a successful maiden flight already. It's quite 
"twitchy", but definitely fun to fly. Let's hope it survives for a while...

For the near future, I'm lusting for another electric foamie that's 
robust and fun to fly. I'm slightly worried that my aerobatics planes 
(the CAP and the Extra) are stretching my current skills a bit, whereas 
the BF-109 with its retractable gear is a bit delicate for the field 
that I have in front of my house. I was scouting for an option where I 
could re-use my existing batteries (3S 1000mAh and 4S 3300mAh), but I 
think that's not going to work, so I might end up with a tried and 
tested Parkzone Corsair instead (and another 100 bucks for batteries...).

Martin