Any R/C airplane flyers here?

[2door]

I got into R/C right after getting out of the Air Force in 1970. I flew for about 15 years then abandoned the hobby. I still have four radios, four planes and a few 2 and 4 stroke engines.

I've been considering getting back into the hobby but it has changed a lot. From what I'm reading my old radios, late 70s and early 80s vintage are obsolete. I've been researching and the technology has passed me by. The radios are now so complex and sophisticated that I don't even know what to order. Futaba seems to be the leader but there must be others.

I still have three Kraft radios. The local hobby shop guys have never heard the brand name I have two kits I never built. One is a scale Cessna Super Skymaster and the other an 82" span Sig Four Star 120. I have an FS 120 4 stroke and three 60 2 stroke engines, all in perfect condition. I have three planes ready to fly but will need a new radio. Any suggestions?

And I was an odd-ball who flew Mode 1. Today's radios are all Mode 2 and have to be special ordered to make them Mode 1. Rats!

Any advice would be appreciated.

Tom

 

[racie35]

I don't fool with them much since I moved here but, since I he early eighties always had a few around. Always favored electrics before the hey we're modern. A modern radio can be set to either mode I think. I know my dx7 does a ton more than I need.
For now I just play with parkflyer size and indoor.

 

[ElGallo]

I'm into 1\10 rc drifting but a few of my group members fly I will ask them to what transmitter/ receiver combo works.

The new stuff looks intimidating but its not, its a trick to get you to pay the shop guy for ' getting it to work '

 

[2door]

The new radios have features that I'm not interested in. For me flying precise maneuvers is a result of pilot skill and not his ability to push a button. There are some things they do that older radios didn't. Servo reversing and coupling is nice and being able to adjust servo throw. This used to be something you had to do manually when installing the radio and hooking up the control surfaces. Now it's a matter of programming via the transmitter. I just hope they work better than Windows 10

I'm going out to the local flying field Saturday and talk to some of the flyers and see what they're using.

Thanks for the input guys.

Tom

 

[racie35]

Expo on your radio is a nice feature. Lots of stuff is almost unmanageable without it. Sometimes though I turn it off and just battle an indoor foamie.

 

[Tony01]

Yeah when I was a kid I got into 1/2a size planes. I had a norvel .074 which was a great engine, also a norvel .061 I converted to diesel using a davis diesel head. It made the .061 go from a 5x2 or so up to a 6x3 comfortably!!

The technology for radios and such has changed dramatically since I was a kid. modern rc helicopters no longer use flybars for damping control inputs due to advanced gyroscope systems, radios now have adjustable frequencies for both tx and rx so you don't have to carry sets of crystals anymore, etc.. I was fortunate to have sold all my old school radio stuff before these advanced radios came on the market! I think any new radio will meet your needs. The mode change is just a matter of switching the throttle ratchet assembly right?

 

[platinum_vmax]

Hi Tom
I too was big into RC planes and might get back in this summer. I also have a Trex 500e helicopter. For your radio upgrade, I would go with a spectrum dx6i. You can fly ten different models with it. There are also a bunch of bind and fly models you can get that come with a receiver you just bind to the spectrum and go flying. You can still use your crystal radios but you will like the 2.4 GHz technology much more. The signal to your plane is tight and interference free. I used to fly with a crystal radio not far from a truck stop and I swear the CB chatter was making my plane do unexpected aerobatics.
Have Fun!
Kevin

 

[ElGallo]

So my group member said to use the spectrum DX-6i

 

[FFV8]

Don't forget your FAA license for R/C

http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/ua/

.

 

[D.J.]

I have a Spektrum 5e. If I was buying a new radio, I would go for a 6i or go to Hobby King and buy an orange series radio. It is Spektrum compatible.

Just for your info, an organization called Flite Test has designed many planes that are made out of foam board. The foam board is available at Walmart or dollar stores. They look like they are fun to build and fly. They are assembled with a glue gun.

They have made build videos for many planes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEJH6Da7in8


They offer free plans for many planes, as well as kits from their website.
http://www.stonekap.net/ftplans/index.cgi

 

[sportscarpat]

Hi Tom,
I really don't know much about the old radios, but enjoy flying RC gliders. Bought my first one 30 years ago. Anyway, the new "ready to fly" foam stuff is great. Very tough, and considering what I went through years ago keeping them flying, the new equipment is much improved. I prefer the folding prop gliders. Zoom up to altitude, shut down the motor, and hunt for thermals. Fun stuff.
Pat

 

[allen standley]

I can't help but think of the times when I was a boy spinning round and round out in the back yard with a control line plane. Probably 11 or 12 years old. I loved it!

 

[2door]

It was a good day. After 18 years away from the hobby I took a plane out to the local flying field today, made four good flights and brought it home all in one piece and without a scratch.
I'm feeling pretty good tonight. Radio control planes is a good hobby that gave me many, many hours of fun and satisfaction. It's good to know I can still do it.

Our fearless leader is also getting back in the hobby. Ask Paul what he's flying.

Tom

 

[mogollonmonster]

Sounds like you've got some great planes there Tom! I've always wanted to get into RC aircraft, but so far, I'm still earth bound as yet. I can, however, add a +1 to the recommendations for Spektrum radios. 2.4Ghz systems are great, they require "syncing" with the RX, but once set up, they change frequency 10 times a second, resulting in longer range with zero, and I mean zero interference. They also get longer battery life TX wise, half the batteries and twice as light.

My 1/16 scale slash was recently stolen when my house was robbed, along with my 1/24 scale Losi Trail Trekker. The slash I did a "BigBlock" upgrade on, basically replacing the 380 size brushed motor with a 550 size brushless and compatible ESC. With speeds around 70Mph, interference equates to replacement parts. The speed made it a maintenance princess, must have dropped $500 or more replacing worn and broken parts, but never my radio, or at the fault of my radio.

The TrailTrekker is a crawler, with about a seven inch wheelbase, absolutely tiny. Because of worm drive axles and the Spektrum radio, it was a precise little machine, although I did get some odd interference there. The RX and ESC are an integrated unit, which the servo plugs into (duh for RC techies) and if your servo takes a poop, strange things happen. I never had that problem with my slash, which I drove across the bottom of a pool before the rather pricy upgrades. Traxxas said it was water proof, so I tested it! Flawless in case you were wondering.

Enjoy your planes Tom, RC is one of my favorite hobbies, and when money picks up again, there's a new one in my future. Lots of good forums online, personally I recommend RCSparks.com, lots of VERY knowledgeable people over there, into all kinds of radio control.

 

[johnnywheels]

So awesome to hear the rust wasn't too hard to shake off didn't have as much luck myself this past weekend...went flying with a couple of buddies (one of which hasn't flown before) and I turn my back for one second to see if plummeting downward full speed. Grabbed the handles and pulled up enough to not crash but scuffed up one of the wings from dragging a little. Looks like I have some touching up to do next weekend now at least!

 

[2door]

I didn't have a great day today. Only one short flight due to high winds. At first I decided to give up and go home, nobody was flying. The winds were gusting to 28mph and moving around the compass. One guy took a big 3D plane up and he said even it was a handful. There were two giant scale jets and they flew once each and went home.

I gave it an hour and the winds calmed a bit. I took off and the winds returned. It was no fun getting a light, high wing plane back on the ground but I did it. I packed up and left the field to two guys who said they had also had enough. Too bad because there's a front moving in and its supposed to be poo-poo weather for the next three days. Rats!

Tom

 

[mogollonmonster]

Sorry to hear that Tom, but at least you've still got the skill to save your plane, I'm sure that made you feel good in a way. Fear not, the weather will turn to your favor, to quote an old cult film, "it can't rain all the time."

The blue and grey Cessna model you showed off earlier was beautiful (to me, anyway) let's see some more pics!

 

[ckangaroo70]

Old thread but good to see some fellow RC pilots on here. I have built over 100 model airplanes and have flown near 300 or so I suppose. People have asked me many times over the years why I wanted so many different planes? I always say that if you have to ask...then you wouldn't understand.LOL

 

[ckangaroo70]

a few more....

 

[Slogger]

Those are some nice planes, ckangaroo! I like the super Sportster and wanted to build one but got out of it before I ever did. Yours looks great, bet that one's a good flyer.
I built a Sig Kadet Senior, a big Stinger, a Stearman bipe, a 1/5 scale P51 (best warbird with retractable gear I ever built) a bunch of small .25 and .40 size semi scale fun planes and a couple of old timers, one from scratch.
I wouldn't care to just buy one and go fly it, the building and covering was half the fun. The guys today do have a lot of electric options that we never had back then.
I've been playing with those quadcopter drones lately. meh.
I miss the smell of nitro and castor oil. I was into the planes for about 20 years I guess. I could fly well enough the guys had me do their first test/trim flights when they were nervous about it.
The Stinger once veered hard left on takeoff right toward my buds standing around and they just watched it coming.. I had to do a jerk save to keep that 15 pound thing from killing them. They thought that was pretty cool, I about wet myself!