Venturing Into R/C Planes
| Moving up a step higher from r/c cars to r/c planes is somewhat weird, I have to say. When I first got myself into the r/c world (cars), it was sheer excitement for me. Finally, being able to realize a dream took lots of effort and money. But it was worth every penny. Constantly surfing the web in search of better things and satisfying my curiosity, I started to check out and learn more about gliders over the net. | ||
| Somehow, I have the impression and understanding that gliders cost less than gas powered machines or electrics and could stay up in the sky much longer due to its nature as a glider. I know most people focuses on a particular field, ie., people who enjoys r/c cars don't mix their interest with r/c planes. For me, be it cars or planes or boats, remote control by itself strikes great interest in me. How I move up to r/c planes, honestly is still a mistery to me. I guess I wanted to try something different and to go for the challenge. Learning to fly r/c planes makes r/c cars a piece of cake, so to speak. | ||
| Flying r/c planes is totally a new ball game, so very different from r/c cars. What more the cost and time involved. With my tight budget, I searched for what I can afford. Sadly, I found out that controlling my budget is SO difficult. So, I ended up spending quite a hugh sum of money. If you have been in r/c for a long time, you would probably understand my situation. The urge for wanting this and that is simply great, it never ends. | ||
| Anyhow, armed with a tightly scrutinized budget, I went on a buying spree, ordering my first ever plane from the US - a glider made by Mad Aircraft called the Highlander EPP 2M. How I landed on this choice was simply due to the word EPP which has been defined as near-indestructable foam. Being a beginner, I know EPP would be my savior from many future crashes. It took me a couple of months before I finally got the package. Since it was not ARF, building it from scratch was a pain in the neck. The manual doesn't help much but thank god, I got lots of guidance from kind r/c flyers over the net. They were my constant advisers, guiding me through the rough stages of the building processes. | ||
| What was tough was that I wanted to convert it to electric from the very beginning. Since it is being designed as a handlaunch glider, the manual guidance was not enough at all. As I went along, I started to change many things. I wanted to incorporate the best ideas into my glider. With the best of my knowledge, I did what I knew and the end product was a master piece by my own standards. The only setback was that I mislook the importance of keeping it light and I ended up with a heavy glider at 4 lbs. I have to say that though getting an ARF set would be the fastest way to start flying but making it from scratch with zero knowledge and experience actually taught me a lot. | ||
| Unlike r/c cars where learning to control and enjoy the machines takes painless effort, it is not so for r/c planes. Luckily, I did locate a flying club in my area and corresponded with one of the members there who were prepared to help me. Knowing how difficult it is to learn the controls, going it solo for the first time is like committing suicide !! Though the club focuses more on gas than electric, still I was not ignored :) Where my glider is concerned, I was given advice on how to make it lighter and what modifications that can be done to give better performance. My first attempt was a sheer failure but after some modifications, it FLEW for the very first time. Pure excitement and joyfulness is inexplainable. Still, more modifications were done. Holes were cut on the wings and TE, greatly reducing its strength. | ||
| As a member of the Ezonemag.com site, I gained valuable advice and help from other members all over the world. I owe it to them to be able to complete building my Highlander the way that I wanted it to be. I was not afraid to ask even questions that is too easy to comprehend coz I wanted to be sure of what I was doing. If you are into electrics and have not heard of this site, it is indeed worth checking it out. I also correspond frequently with other flying enthusiasts through email to seek knowledge and exchange of ideas. | ||
| It's only the beginning and it's endless what one can do in the r/c world. I believe joining a club is a pre-requisite for flying r/c especially for beginners. Advice and help, even getting planes and radio equipments from other members are some of the advantages gained. | ||
| A word of advice from a beginner :) = EPP is good especially for beginners due to its indestructable foam material but it adds a lot of weight compared to balsa kits. Doing conversions on an EPP plane would end up with a heavy plane like mine. Weight is the main issue. Light weight is the goal. Sometimes it may be wiser to follow the original plan set in the manual. "Crash" is part of r/c flying and is inevitable. But with a balsa kit plane, making repairs are quicker and easier than foam. | ||
| Sadly to say, my first ever EPP foam glider is sitting on the shelf waiting for its fate. I have decided to retire it from future flying. Guys, if you are thinking of getting the Highlander, please reconsider. The fuselage and wings are very thick and bulky. Not aerodynamic at all and the wings construction are not good for thermalling. With filament tapes and the EPP foam itself makes the structure strong BUT compromised on flying performance. I was out on the field the other day flying my Highlander as a glider. An experienced flyer decided to let me try his glider and I just couldn't believe how easy it was to control and fly, lifting at the slightest thermal condition. I was amazed. Mine just couldn't maintain flight, came down within minutes. I think the notion that a beginner needs a tough strong plane (indestructable) and not a high performance plane is INCORRECT. What good can an indestructable plane do if it cannot fly well, thus not giving the beginner a chance to learn the art of flying or catching thermals ? | ||
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Since Highlander, I have increased my collection of r/c plane models. I got a gas powered trainer (1195mm wingspan) from a good friend of mine - Yokoyama san, who has been flying gas powered models for many years now. I thank him from the bottom of my heart for introducing me to r/c flying club and learning the many challenges of r/c flying. With his blessing, I have converted it to electrics. I have also received a HLG and an electric glider from two great flying experts. I actually have another electric glider but due to my stupidity, lost it with all my valuable electronic components on board while attempting solo flight up in the mountains. Recently, I scratch built two models, one is a 2 meter glider (basically to replace my Highlander) and the other is an experimental slow flyer. I managed to complete building them thanks to constant showering of advice from an internet buddy, Paul Bradley, an expert with many years of flying experience - a genius I would say :)
Cheers to all R/C Enthusiasts ..... *may the force be with you* |
| A little info about me: Hi. I am Ben, a Malaysian but currently living in Japan. I love remote controls. A real fanatic I would say :) I started off with r/c cars back in early 1999 and soon moved up to r/c planes at the end of 1999 when I got my first order of the Highlander from USA. Over here in Japan, there are quite a number of places to enjoy r/c planes or r/c cars. I am currently attached to the Komatsu R/C Flying Club, about 40 minutes drive from my home. I also go to the beach (Uchinada), meeting up with some other flyers on weekends, enjoying sailplane thermalling. For r/c cars, I love the sound of roaring engine but for r/c planes, I prefer the quiet silent flying. I am still a beginner in the world of r/c. If you have the time, email me via a special form and let me know what you think about my humble home. Some r/c products are relatively cheaper in the US than over here in Japan. I have a list of websites with comments in my links page that might interest you, if you are on a tight budget like me... |
