Simply-RC - RC Cars, RC Airplanes, RC Helicopters, RC Electric Planes, RC Boats

Working and Painting Tips for Fiberglass

2010-05-02T12:14:00.002+08:00

Introduction to Fiberglass
When considering the strength compared to the space age canopies that are common on most pod and boom helicopters there is no contest. This plastic material is virtually indestructible at the penalty of being virtually un-paintable without specialized and expensive automotive primers and paints, there is also a very limited range of color available.

Flexibility
A wonderful attribute of fiberglass is in its flexibility. However, fiberglass parts will migrate (change shape) while inside the shipping box. When two mating components are brought together and they do not align or mate, the culprit is a warped part. Many become upset and wish to lay blame but dealing with this is very simple when explained a simple procedure. Using a heat gun set at the high setting at a distance of 1-2 feet away, evenly heat the warped part until the outside surface is hot to the touch and the part has become pliable (flexible). Using adhesive tape, mate the two fiberglass parts together and let both parts sit until both parts have reached room temperature. Remove the tape and now both parts are stable and match one another. In some instances, depending on the location of the warp, the part may need to be held in an overextended position to achieve the proper shape when the part is finished.

Working with Fiberglass
Difficult to work with, we disagree. Fiberglass is easier to repair than you think. Using today’s CA type of adhesives, a severe crack in a fuselage can be simply fixed and the repaired section is much stronger than in its original state. Add touch up paint and no one would ever know it had been damaged. There is a limit to this type of thinking where purchasing the replacement fiberglass part is simply cheaper and less work than performing major reconstructive surgery.

The Paint Job
There is no magic to a good paint job, the true secret is time, patience and common sense. A beginner who thinks that they can throw paint onto a fuselage Friday night before flying on Sunday is dreaming, the helicopter would be flyable but even that is a stretch. The average beginner will spend the better part of a month to apply a good clean paint job.

Preparing the Fuselage for Painting
Examine all the fiberglass components to see where work needs to be done to allow a simple "bring up" of the fuselage. "Bring up" describes the necessary steps to complete all the jobs in order to start priming the fiberglass parts. Typical work that is done at this stage is rough sanding on seams and jointed components, filling of surface imperfections, adding panel lines and rivets, cutting required holes and preparation for priming.

1. Start by thoroughly washing all fiberglass parts in mild detergent and warm water, this will remove any residue remaining from the molding process. Next wipe down all the parts with Acetone (from the hardware store). The Acetone will remove all traces of oil or grease that will affect the adhesion of two fiberglass parts or between the paint and the fiberglass. Now using fine steel wool or an abrasive pad commonly used for scrubbing dishes, scuff all surfaces that will be joined or receiving paint. What is important to note here is that we are breaking through the topmost resin surface and creating the best surface for adhesive or primer to adhere to. The prepared finish will have very fine score marks usually seen when the part is held to the light at a slight angle.

2. This is the time to rough sand any accessories or small parts, using the 320 grit sandpaper, that will be assembled and attached at different positions on the fuselage. These can be marking lights, engine exhausts, scale fuel tanks, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, guns, antenna or any scale details being bonded to the fuselage. These accessories should be test assembled to make sure that all parts are prepared, and you will be able to see any problems that may arise in trying to paint these parts. Some thought should be put into how to hold the part as it is being painted. Go ahead and bond these parts at this time using the slow CA glue. A quick note on adhesives, as the fuselage resin is polyester, do not use any regular 5-30 minute epoxies to bond two fiberglass components together. Stability is specially formulated for this purpose and excellent for fillets. Epoxy and polyester will not bond properly to one another, but epoxy is good to bond unlike substances like wood or metal to themselves or other parts.

3. Once the detail parts have been built into sub assemblies, they are ready to paint, use a filler in sections that have gaps or slight surface imperfections, occasionally there are voids (air bubbles in the resin) that occur near the surface that need to be filled. There are a lot of good fiberglass fillers on the market, it is best to check with your local hobby shop to get a recommended product. Try to stay away from porous fillers designed for wood as they will shrink and are not a good choice for large areas.

4. Most major windows and accessory holes have will have been precut, leaving only those that have a user dependency like the type of exhaust system used on the helicopter or the exact exit position for the cooling fan shroud.

4a. When making cutouts or holes in the surface of the fiberglass the best procedure is to drill a pilot hole using a 1/16" drill bit at corners or along a curve. Start with a permanent marker to draw the opening or window. The pilot holes serve to avoid leaving sharp corners which given the nature of a model will be the focal point for stress cracking originating from corners. Once the holes have been made, use the dremel-tool for all other roughing cuts. The cut off wheel is the best for straight lines and either the sanding drum or the curved stone is used for smoothing edges. If the cut out is a window, do not use the dermel-tool for the final work. Switch to a sanding block, square blocks of various sizes for straight edges and round dowels for rounded corners.

4b. In the case of the exhaust opening, it should end up being 1/8" larger across the outside diameter of the exhaust pipe that extends below the bottom of the fuselage. After drawing the circle, use grinding stone and move in small circles until the hole is at the size wanted.

5. Priming the fuselage accomplishes two tasks: firstly, the primer paint is designed to aggressively adhere to the surface being painted and provide the best surface for the colored paint to adhere to; secondly, all surface imperfections will become visible. Depending on the particular imperfection, light sanding with number 600 or 800 sand paper and the second priming will take care of 90% of the highly visible problems. The remaining 10% need to be filled, let dry, sanded again and then sprayed with the second coat of primer. The primer process will be repeated until the surface is as perfect as your patience and time permit.

6. Select your paint color and follow the directions on the particular brand of paint being used as each manufacturer has different requirements.

Jig for Cutting 45 Degree Angle

2009-11-17T19:21:00.002+08:00

This is a jig for cutting a 45 degree angle. Works especially great on foam, depron, etc.

Common RC Heli Control Configuration

2009-05-01T19:53:00.001+08:00

Co-Axial Heli
Co-Axial helicopters use a counter-rotating twin rotor design. Two sets of blades spinning in opposite directions eliminate the need for a tail rotor and provide excellent stability making these helicopters an ideal introduction to the hobby.

Collective Pitch (CP) Heli
Collective Pitch Helicopters alter altitude by changing the blade angle using pitch servo combined with increased RPM from the motor (pitch/throttle curves decide the exact input of each variable and can be altered depending on ability).

Fixed Pitch (FP) Heli
Fixed Pitch RC Helicopters only have 4 channels and they increase in altitude by increasing power to the motor. They have curved blades to create more lift and lack the collective pitch (blade angle) method of lift. They have a very simple servo configuration making them easier to repair than a CP Heli.

EVO 12 Troubleshooting

2009-04-25T14:41:00.009+08:00

Recently, my faithful EVO 12 decided to give up on me. Here are the symptoms. The right stick (for elevator & aileron control - I'm a mode 2 user) fails to respond. If you go under the Servos -> Monitor menu, both CH 1 & CH 2 show the bars in 100% end-to-end position. Similarly no respond by the right stick movement, but left stick movement shows the bar responding accordingly. I suspect to be the 74HC4051 chip or the Micro Controller (CPU) that is having problem.

However, thanks to Mike from http://www.modelradioworkshop.co.uk/index.htm.

Here's what he said.

The earlier production of the Evo's did have a problem with the wires to the stick pots, but this tended to only effect the horizontal stick pots. If your transmitter pots wire include yellow as the middle wire on the horizontal pots then this suspect wire. All of the main stick signals go to the main CPU chip, so I don't think it will be the 74HC4051 chip. I suggest that you measure the voltages at the pots it is around 3.28 across the pot and a centre voltage of 1.8 volts. Don't forget to remove the RF board from the transmitter so that the RF doesn'teffect the DVM reading. If that seems OK, I would then check that the voltages appear at the plug and socket for that stick on the main board. If that all seems fine then it's possible that the model data have become corrupt, so you could try sending a blank models data to the transmitter. Which is like resetting the transmitter to factory setting, this is available in the data manager program which you can get off the Multiplex web site.

All the hardware checks show things are in order & hence I tried reloading the software as recommended by Mike. However, after several software reloading tries, something new shows up. Like the Welcome Tone on powering up is now gone and the EVO keeps going into the Servos Menu after start up.

Luckily with Mike's advise again.

From what you are saying, it tell me that the transmitter has lost it's stick and slider calibration. Here is the proceeded to re-calibrate the sticks and sliders.

With transmitter off centre all of the sticks and the sliders.
Switch the transmitter on and then move each stick in turn to one end of its travel and wait for the LED by the ON/OFF switch to go out. If the transmitter tells you to move the throttle stick low, as you switch on make this the first stick to be move to its end of travel.
Do the same with the 2 slider controls.
Once you have completed this operation use one of the digi knobs to get out of this menu by dialling out to exit until you get to the normal display. The voltage level will show 0 volts at this point.
Now switch off the transmitter and the calibration data will be stored.
When you switch the transmitter back everything should be displayed as normal i.e. voltage and trims etc. If the transmitter goes back into displaying the stick data i.e. percentage numbers it means that the calibration was not completed or not done correctly.

And Walla! My EVO problems are solved & it works just as fine as it did before. My sincere thanks to Mike!

ClonePac for Futaba Radio

2009-03-14T19:42:00.002+08:00

A simple to built memory add-on for Futaba Radio. This is a cheap, simple & effective circuit to expand the memory for your radio which you can built over a weekend. To make fabrication even easier, you could consider using a veroboard instead of etching your own PCB.

The Wall

2009-03-01T03:30:00.001+08:00

What it is
The Wall or the Pop-Up: is when the airplane comes to a stalled stop into a vertical position from a horizontal flight path.

Plane Set-up
Full 3D Throws.

How to do it
Enter from level flight into the wind with power off. Pull full elevator, neutral on the elevator as soon as plane is vertical. You can also enter from inverted which is one variation. Another variation is the Wall Slide, which enters going downwind...you, can actually maintain altitude for a few seconds without throttle while the wind slides the plane down the runway. You can also do a Wall slide with a twist. As the plane slows down in the vertical position, add rudder to make the plane spin around heading back into the wind.

Trickiest Part
Don't over rotate. The idea is a vertical stop.

Recovery
Full power climb out.

The Terminator

2009-03-01T03:27:00.000+08:00

What it is
It’s when the plane is flying straight and level and then makes a 90 degrees dive straight down toward the ground. When the plane gets close to the ground, you pull up.

Plane set-up
Full 3D rates.

How to do it
You will start out by making a straight and level pass down the runway. This maneuver can be done from a lot of different altitudes. To start out you need to be pretty high till you get your timing down. Speed is something else that you can play around with to do different variations. It looks better at a slower speed. After you have established your speed and altitude you will give the plane full down elevator. This will make the plane dive straight toward the ground. Let the plane come down to where ever your comfort level is. You will then pull full up elevator and add power. Once you have mastered the basics of this maneuver you can play around with different variations.

Trickiest Part
Getting your timing down to just when to pull out.

Recovery
There is really no recovery from this. You either do it great or hit the ground hard.

The Roller Coaster

2009-03-01T03:26:00.002+08:00

What it is
Plane is rocking back and forth from full up elevator to full down elevator diving straight to the ground.

Plane Set-up
Full 3D rates

How to do it
Take the plane up to 100 - 150m of altitude. Bring the plane to a complete stall, as if you are doing an Elevator. This maneuver will be done with low throttle. You may need to give short burst of power to help control. Once you get the plane in an elevator you will be giving it full up elevator. You will then need to reverse the elevator input to full down. You will continue to reverse the elevator inputs pausing a little to let the plane get into either an upright or inverted elevator. Hold this till the plane reaches the ground. This is when you will decide to exit the Roller Coaster either in an inverted or upright Harrier.

Trickiest Part
Getting the timing down and keeping the plane straight.

Recovery
Full throttle, and slowly release some elevator.

The Yo Yo

2009-03-01T03:25:00.003+08:00

What it is
This is an upright Water Fall. There are a lot of variations with this maneuver.

Plane Set-up
Full 3D Throws

How to do it
From a Hover, power out vertical. After the plane has reached 30 to 50m, pull power back give full up elevator and give a short burst of power. The plane will flip around into an Elevator. Let the plane fall back to the ground and power up and do it again. This maneuver looks best doing it two to three times making the loop smaller and lower each time.

Trickiest Part
Getting the plane to flip over into the Elevator position when you are doing it low.

Recovery
Full power, flight out straight.

The Snap Up

2009-03-01T03:23:00.001+08:00

What it is
The Snap-Up is when the airplane comes to a stalled stop into a vertical position from a horizontal flight path with a snap-roll in the middle. This is very similar to a Pop-up or Wall.

Plane Set-up
Full 3D Throws.

How to do it
Enter from level flight into the wind with power off. Pull full elevator and full right aileron at the same time. (Neutral on the elevator and aileron as soon as plane is vertical) The plane does a snap roll into a wall basically.

Trickiest Part
Don't under rotate. If you do the plane will be pointing nose down toward the ground. That's not good unless you have plenty of altitude. Practice this up high until you get your timing down. This is a real crowd pleaser when done correctly.

Recovery
Full power climb out.

The Panic

2009-03-01T03:22:00.001+08:00

What it is
The Panic or Blender maneuver is a vertical diving roll that virtually stops its descent as it instantaneously enters into a flat spin. Presented at TOC 1998 and named by Blaine, I designed this maneuver always looking for the highest performance at what it is called surprise factor and I remember it did work very well. You climb high, guessing 300 feet idle and punch down to a perfect vertical line, add some left aileron to do a kind of slow rolls during that dive. Then when you reach an altitude that is good for you, the airplane will suddenly go to a flat inverted position.

Plane Set-up
Simple, nothing special here, you need to go to your set up that you use to do the 3D aerobatic, so high rate a a lot of deflection. I recommend you to have at least this numbers. Rudder 45 degree, elevator 40 degree, aileron 35 degree. If you can go for higher number it will be better because the quick spinning will be quicker and tighter. CG does not need to modify for this maneuver, I found a bit better when the CG is on the nose heavy for 3D aerobatic.

How to do it
Climb as I explained before, make sure before you push vertical to have all at high rate, this is important to avoid crashes!, so dive rolling slow left and when it is the time to spin, use this technique, full down elevator, full right rudder and full left aileron, this is the best sequence too. This sequence needs to be done continuously, this means as soon you reach full down you go right rudder and as soon you get with the rudder to full go with the aileron. All the movement of your thumbs needs to be quick. This is a very hard maneuver for the airplane and you actually can bend the wing tube! Or if the wing it is not strong enough even worse you can crash the airplane! so to reduce the G's when you decide to do the spin go with the sticks slower to the full position, this will make the airplane to start to spin with less angle of attack loading less the airplane. If you feel you putting to many G's to your airplane try this sequence, full aileron then full rudder and elevator at same time, but the rudder and elevator should not go so quick to full stick position, go a bit slower. Once you see your airplane it is spinning flat open the throttle to full position to increase the spinning and to maintain altitude, keep the power at that position till you feel the airplane wants like to fly out of the spin. From that inverted flat spin you can do any thing you want!, like go to a torque roll, Cobra, etc.

The Waterfall

2009-03-01T03:11:00.006+08:00

What it is
The waterfall is a maneuver where the plane pivots 360 degrees in the pitch axes with very little forward motion and altitude gain or loss.

Plane Set-up
The primary control surface is the elevator followed by the rudder and finally the ailerons. The control rates should be set for maximum deflection, not that you will need that much, but it's a good place to start. Later, if you find that you’re consistently not using max to do the maneuver, you can dial some out. Remember the plane will be VERY sensitive in these rates. There's two ways to manage this. One, is to have dual rates, the other is to have a lot of expo dialed in to make the plane less sensitive around the neutral point of your radio.

How to do it
The waterfall is a fairly easy 3-D maneuver to learn. There's two ways to enter. One, from a harrier, the other is from just above a stall. Let's start from just above a stall. From a safe altitude, slow the aircraft until you feel that it's at it's slowest CONTROLLABLE speed. When the plane is directly in front of you, push full down elevator and apply enough power to rotate the plane 360 degrees back to the upright position. How much power? That will depend on the type plane and engine. Start by using full power, after a while you will be able to tell how much it actually takes to get the plane to rotate.

Entering from a harrier will basically the same. It's actually a little easier because the plane is in a nose high attitude and will have more momentum as the nose comes down on the rotation.

Trickiest Part
The hardest part is keeping the plane from falling off of one side or the other. The rudder is the most effective control having the most air moving by it because of engine thrust. The first few that you do, the plane will probable fall one side or the other. Use rudder opposite to the fall to keep it upright. Ailerons help some, but remember, this is a 3-D maneuver and the plane's not flying. There's very little air moving over the wings so the ailerons are not very effective. The other tricky part is stopping the plane as it comes over the top. You can either fly out by releasing the elevator and keeping the power in, or go right into another by not releasing the elevator. With practice, you can get the plane to make consistent small tight circles in a very small space.

Recovery
This is a pretty safe maneuver if you keep enough altitude. The thing to remember is, THE PLANE'S NOT FLYING! If you over rotate the nose pasted level and want to recover, first get the plane flying by releasing the elevator and keeping the power in. If you fall off to one side, again, RELEASE THE ELEVATOR, use ailerons to get the plane upright, and use enough power to get the plane flying.

The Elevator

2009-01-02T17:20:00.001+08:00

What it is
The Elevator is when you completely stall the aircraft with a massive amount of elevator, either up or down, and it descends almost vertically down (Elevator) upright or inverted.

Plane Set-up
There are two things needed to do the Elevator correctly,.
1. The CG on the tail Heavy Side.
2. 45+ degrees of Elevator travel.
Of the two, the 45 degrees of travel is the most important to have. A straight Leading Edge wing will also make it easier along with having Counterbalances on the elevators.

How to do it
The easiest way to enter this maneuver is to go up a mistake or two high, and dive straight down. once the plane is pointed at the ground, after making sure the high rate elevator is on , pull full up, and hold it. Do not release it or hesitate when pulling, that allows the nose to come down and the plane will try to start flying again, then the wings will start rocking, and it won't look very much like an Elevator. If the nose comes up when you pull and then drops again, you can either add a click or two of power immediately after the pull, or move the CG back a little more.

Trickiest Part
There is not anything super hard with this maneuver, as long as the above is followed. Most of the time people will not pull and hold the elevator, and the plane tries to fly out of it, still at a stall though and then starts rocking the wings (PIN THE STICK).

Recovery
To get out of this maneuver, power can be added while releasing the elevator slowly and just let the plane fly out, or simply release the elevator, the nose will fall through, build some speed and gently pull out.

The Pogo

2009-01-02T17:08:00.002+08:00

What it is
Hover that climbs and descends.

Plane Set-up
Normal 3D set-up.

How to do it
Establish your controlled hover. Make sure the plane is vertical and stable before performing. Apply power (3/4+) for 5 feet. Bring the power back (1/4-). "Fly" the plane back down the line. Apply throttle as needed, but in short bursts. Make sure the plane remains vertical on the descent.

Trickiest Part
The descent. Trying to fly the airplane backwards without any prop wash over the surfaces can make for some very uncontrolled times.

Recovery
Full power (away from anyone or anything). It's just like getting out of a hover.

The Torque Roll

2009-01-02T17:00:00.004+08:00

What it is
Plane "Hovers" vertically in place, rotating left around its roll axis.

Plane Set-up
Full 3D throws in elevator and rudder are a must. An aft CG helps a little also. Some flyers will run their CG back to make this maneuver easier, however a plane that is balanced will Torque Roll just as good as one that is tail heavy. It all about getting the plane in the sweet spot. Once you get the plane completely vertical it become very easy. That is the hardest part is recognizing the true vertical plane. The pros will also tell you to add 3/4 degree of up thrust to your engine. This helps keep your plane from falling forward in the Torque Roll, and it'll fly straighter up lines in non-3D maneuvers, too.

How to do it
The easiest way to learn is to start by learning the "Elevator" and then the "Harrier". After you have mastered this it is an easy transition to the Hover. Once you can "Hover" then "Torque Rolling" is the next step. As your plane descends in an "Elevator" start adding power as your near the ground this will transition you into a Harrier. All you have to do from here is give a short burst of power and your plane should stand up vertically. Adjust throttle to keep the nose pointed up and make corrections with rudder and elevator to keep things straight. One thing to remember is that most planes want to fall off to the left and toward the landing gear. (Tip: Most of the inputs that you give are up elevator and right rudder.) The throttle curve is key for this maneuver. Set your ATV or Travel to the maximum %. You will then need to find a servo arm that enables you to open and close the carburetor completely without backing down your travel. This is getting your throttle mechanically perfect as you can get it. The next step is setting up your throttle curve. This takes a little time and patience but it is well worth the time and effort. The key is that once you find the stick position that the plane will hover, you want to set your curve so that your are hovering when the throttle stick is at half throttle. You adjust your curve from there as needed to barley let the plane climb or decent with one click up or down on the throttle. This really keeps you from fighting with the throttle and lets you focus on controlling the plane.

Trickiest Part
Recognizing your correction when the plane's belly is toward you. (Tip: Think push the rudder toward the low wing when the belly is toward you.) You have to be fast with throttle corrections. Most flyers add "bursts" of power, along with rudder/elevator corrections. If you simply hold full throttle, you'll climb out of the maneuver. One of the most common mistakes is giving wrong rudder inputs when the plane is belly in.

Recovery
Fly out at full throttle.

Airplane 3D Maneuvers

2009-01-02T16:40:00.005+08:00

3D maneuvers are performed when the airplane is in a stalled condition. These maneuvers are done with the airplane at nose high 45-degree angles, at hanging on the prop or a tumble tail-over-nose gyro rations.

For a good 3D airplane setup, start with having lots of throw in the control surfaces and a very powerful and reliable engine. Sadly some airplanes just 3D better than others. The Edge & Extra are examples of good 3D models to fly.

List of common 3D maneuvers.

"The Torque Roll"
"The Pogo"
"The Elevator"
"The Harrier"
"The Waterfall"
"The Panic"
"The Blaino Draino"
"The Snap Up"
"The Yo-Yo"
"The roller coaster"
"The Terminator"
"The Wall"
"The Harrier Roll"

How to Choose the Right Glow Plug

2008-08-03T14:25:00.005+08:00

The "right" glow plug for your engine is the one that gives you the best performance. And you can choose the right plug for any situation, just by following the guidelines below.

1. Engine Type - Know what type of engine you have. Is it a standard - or a turbo?

Standard engines (engines with a 1-piece head) are most common. Standard plugs are easily available, inexpensive and fit almost all standard engines. Standard plugs are installed with a washer, which creates a compression seal with the head.

Many new engines are turbo engines, which feature a special 2-piece turbo head. The biggest benefit of turbo plugs is superior performance. Unlike standard plugs, turbo plugs (identified by a "P" in the description) feature a tapered "seat" that matches perfectly with the head that will creates a superior compression seal and with it, maximum efficiency and power. Turbo plugs are the choice for racers who want and need top performance.

Caution : You should never install a turbo plug in a standard engine or vice versa. Doing so may cause serious (and expensive!) damage.

2. Displacement - What size is your engine? Is it .12? .15? .21?

Size matters to glow plugs. Big engines have more mass and retain heat better. Smaller, lighter engines don't, and need the help a hotter plug can offer. Therefore, the smaller the engine, the hotter the plug.

3. Fuel Nitromethane Content - What's the nitro percentage in your fuel?

High-nitro fuels produce more power than low-nitro fuels, but also produce more heat. Hence, the higher the nitro content, the colder the plug.

4. Temperature

Smart modelers tend to keep a variety of glow plugs on hand. Simply because the "right" plug for your engine can change with the temperature. To achieve top performance, your choice of plug needs to change, too. Also, the hotter the day, use a colder plug.

5. Other Considerations - A few other things you should know.

Hot plugs promote better idling and acceleration. If your engine runs rough or accelerates sluggishly, a hotter plug will help.

Cold plugs produce more power and may improve performance if your engine runs hot. The downside is rougher idling and more difficulty in tuning.

Where you run also plays a part. If the track/course has a lot of twists and turns, a hot plug is fine. If the track/course has long straights where you'll reach maximum rpm, a colder plug is best.

Fuel-air mix not only affects how your engine performs; it can also have an impact on how long your plug lasts. If you run rich, it means that you're using more fuel than necessary for top performance. Modelers are often advised to run rich during engine break-in, because it helps cool the engine. However, running too rich can also cause an engine to "bog down" or quit entirely. In addition, it also means that the glow element is being exposed to more contaminants than necessary, which shortens plug life.

Running lean means that you're using less fuel. "Leaning down" an engine has a positive effect on performance. However, care is needed here, because over-leaning an engine can harm it, by raising operating temperatures, "burn up" a plug before its time.

6. Finally

Choosing the right glow plug not only improves performance, but can also extend the life of your engine and the glow plug itself. Here are a few more tips for you.

Buy quality plugs. You're protecting your investment.
Store plugs where it's dry. Moisture can ruin them.
Use the right glow plug. Follow the guidelines above.
Follow proper break-in procedures.
Tune your engine carefully. Running too lean will make your engine "blow" plugs more often. Proper tuning helps extend plug life.
Never touch the filament of a glow plug. Doing so can break the filament and ruin a plug.
Don't overtighten your plug. Tighten it until just tight.
Be sure to shim your engine correctly. A plug that's too close to the piston can cause pre-detonation, which will quickly damage a glow plug.
Use only a glow starter or 1.5V battery to heat your plug. Otherwise, your plug may burn out ahead of its time.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. Experienced modelers have already "been there and done that." Their experience can save you time and money - and most are glad to help.

How a Glow Plug Works?

2008-08-03T14:20:00.002+08:00

Spark plugs in gasoline engines start ignition with a spark. In nitro engines, glow plugs cause ignition with heat.

Heat is created initially by connecting a glow starter or 1.5V battery to the plug. Once the plug comes up to heat, the battery is disconnected and the heat retained by the combustion chamber will keep the engine running. Engine timing is automatic and controlled by engine RPM. Running at higher RPM makes the plug hotter and "fire" the fuel-air mix sooner. At lower RPM, the filament cools and the plug fires less frequently.

Flying at Damai

2008-06-27T21:53:00.002+08:00

First flying video taken at Damai with Flycam One.

Removing Unwanted Epoxy Blob / Stain from your Model?

2008-05-03T07:51:00.004+08:00

How many times have you got that unwanted and excess epoxy after joining two joints together and leaving behind the ugly residue?

or

How many times have you got epoxied fingerprint all over your beloved models?

or

How many time have you tried to removed some dried out epoxy but failed?

Well here's the solution! Denatured Alcohol!

Denatured Alcohol is a gentle, multi-purpose solvent, which is essential for thinning shellac and cleaning brushes. It evaporates quickly, making it an excellent glass cleaner. Also works great for cleaning metal, water rings, color-safe fabrics, and it is even used as a hot, clean-burning fuel for marine stoves. Best of all it removes epoxy! Even for long dried out epoxy, just 'soaked' it using Denatured Alcohol and clean / scrapped it off after that.

So what is this wonderful solvent? A quick definition and explanation of Denatured Alcohol here in the Wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylated_spirits

Wing Fence

2008-03-23T18:38:00.005+08:00

The term “wing fence” may also be identified by the terms “boundary layer fence,” “potential fence,” or simply “fence.”

Wing fences have been used on swept wing aircraft for ﬁfty years. The MiG-15, one of the earliest examples of their use, incorporated two fences on each wing. The F-86 used them as well. Fences can also be seen on more recent production aircraft like the Fiat G91 and the BAE Hawk and Harrier.

Despite their use on aircraft ﬂying at supersonic and near supersonic speeds, wing fences are also of use on low speed swept wing aircraft such as man carrying sailplanes and RC models. The Akaﬂieg Braunschweig SB-13 and a rendition of Hans-Jürgen Unverferth’s CO8 by Glyn Fonteneau and Dave Camp serve as examples within those realms. Wing fences have both an interesting history and an interesting effect.

A wing fence is nothing more than a ﬂat plate which is attached perpendicular to the wing and in line with the free stream air ﬂow. Wolfgang Liebe is credited as being the inventor of the device, for which he received a German patent in 1938, during his work on the Messerschmitt Bf 109B. The Messerschmitt Bf 109B had a rather peculiar stall.

The stall initiated at the wing root, and a cross span ﬂow very near the leading edge then travelled outward toward the wing tip at high speed. The result of this aerodynamic behavior was that the entire wing stalled at essentially the same time, a very dangerous characteristic.

Installation of a wing fence prevented the cross span ﬂow, thus eliminating the stall problem. That a solid plate in the path of cross span ﬂow close to the wing surface would obstruct the ﬂow, as was seen on the Bf 109B, may seem obvious.

In actuality, however, the mechanism of operation was more covert in that the beneficial effect was provided by the initiation of a sideslip and the resulting vortex generated by the fence. Wing fences on swept wings have been found to be very beneficial to inhibiting the nasty stall behaviors which result from severe angles of sweep, but their operation in this environment is entirely different than on a straight wing such as the Bf 109B.

As we mentioned in the opening parenthetical paragraph, wing fences have had other terminologies applied to them. “Boundary layer fence” is the most common, so let’s take a critical look at that nomenclature for a moment.

The boundary layer is that region next to the surface of a solid body where there is an appreciable loss of total pressure. That is, the velocity is a fraction of the free stream ﬂow. The boundary layer thickness is usually deﬁned as the distance normal to the surface in which the velocity rises to 99% of that of the main ﬂow. The boundary layer is in reality not very thick, usually a matter of a few millimeters, even on full size aircraft.

With the above deﬁnition in mind :

If a wing fence is constructed to be the same height as the boundary layer thickness, it is not effective. In fact, fences must be quite high to have any effect at all.

The boundary layer gets thicker toward the trailing edge of the wing, so if fence height were based on the boundary layer thickness the fence would be highest at the trailing edge of the wing. Yet extending the length of a fence much beyond 50% chord does not increase its effectiveness in the slightest.

Wing fences are generally more effective when they wrap around the leading edge.

The term “boundary layer fence” is, as illustrated by the above points, a misnomer. Wing fences do not affect the boundary layer directly, but rather do so indirectly by having an impact on the potential ﬂow, the ﬂow in which the vorticity is zero.

The term “potential fence” is derived from the action of the fence on the potential ﬂow. Wing fences on swept wings work in a very complex way, and their action is not completely understood, but we’ll attempt to make the fundamental concepts easier to understand.

Begin by thinking of a swept wing panel mounted in a wind tunnel and its associated lift distribution, as shown in Figure 1. Note that if the right wall is removed we have a right wing panel for a swept back wing; if the left wall is removed we have the left wing panel of a swept forward wing.

From a slightly different perspective, by removing the walls and attaching a “mirror” wing panel to either the left or right end of the existing wing, we have a complete wing, swept either backward or forward, and an associated lift distribution as depicted in Figure 2.

We can consider a wing fence to be aerodynamically equivalent to a tunnel wall. This effect is demonstrated in a more comprehensive way in Figure 3.

Installing a wing fence changes the lift distribution on a swept back wing as depicted in Figure 4.

Note that on the inside of the fence the cl is higher while on the outside of the fence the cl is lower. This shifting of the load to the inside of the fence is very beneﬁcial to stall behavior. The clmax should be located in the area approximately 40% of the semi-span from the wing root. At a high angle of attack, this should be the area of the wing which stalls, leaving the wing root and the wing tip to continue providing lift and a slight pitch down moment.

When high angles of attack lead to separated ﬂow, the boundary layer is directly involved at a fundamental level. Corrective measures must inﬂuence the boundary layer in such a way that ﬂow separation is limited or controlled to some extent. As previously said, wing fences do not directly inﬂuence the boundary layer.

Rather, they inﬂuence the potential ﬂow which in turn effects the boundary layer. In general terms, the cl load on the wing tips is reduced, the boundary layer is maintained in such a way that separation is inhibited, and the stall behavior is made more benign. Rarely do wing fences extend farther than 1/3 of the wing chord. The forward third of the chord is the area of greatest lift. It is also the area where the sweep effect and the “mirror” principle, described in Figures 1 through 4, are most effective.

For use on RC sailplanes, wing fences are usually constructed using a proﬁle similar to those shown in Figure 5 and are fabricated of stiff cardstock or plastic. They can be conveniently attached with tape for easy removal, replacement, and/or experimentation. The most common location for wing fences is between 40% and 60% of the wing span.

A location directly in front of the inner edge of the aileron or elevon has shown to be very effective at controlling adverse stall behaviors and maintaining control surface effectiveness at high angles of attack. Installing two fences on each wing panel, at 1/3 and 2/3 of the semi-span, has been found to be effective on high aspect ratio wings with steep sweep angles.

Wing fences are sometimes not easily seen. Most airliners have their engines mounted below the wing on pylons. The pylon itself serves as a fence for the lower surface, and the leading edge pylon fairing often comes over the leading edge, serving as a fence for the upper surface.

Controlling air ﬂow to improve swept wing ﬂight characteristics can be accomplished through a number of means - wing slots (as described in our August 1994 column), leading edge slats, and the “saw tooth” leading edge to name just a few. Wing fences are attractive, however, because they can be fabricated quickly, attached readily, and modiﬁed easily without affecting the main airframe in any way.

So far as cost and ability to experiment, they are the best suited solution.

KF Airfoil Vortex

2008-03-23T18:06:00.002+08:00

How to Convert a 2 Blade to a 3 or 4 Blade Propeller?

2008-03-23T17:50:00.005+08:00

The conversion for a 3 and 4 bladed propeller is a simple tasked if you know what 2 bladed propeller you use on a given Engine or Motor. For example, on a three bladed propeller you would drop the diameter and keep the pitch. On a four bladed, you would drop the diameter and the pitch. For instance if you had a two bladed 24-10 propeller and you wanted a three bladed you would use a 22-10 and so on.

The performance on a 2 bladed verses a 3 bladed propeller is very little. A 3 or 4 bladed propeller will give you more thrust, and you will sacrifice a little speed. The big advantage to using a multi blade is that you have more ground clearance less noise factor.

3 & 4 BLADED CONVERSION CHART

*Two Bladed*	*Three Bladed*	*Four Bladed*
10-6	9-6
11-8	10-8	10-6
12-8	11-8	11-6
12-10	11-10	11-8
13-10	12-10	12-8
14-10	13-10	13-8
14-8	13-8	13-6
15-8	14-8	14-6
15-10	14-10	14-8
16-10	15-10	15-8
18-10	16-10	16-8
20-10	18-10	18-8
22-10	20-10	20-8

Thermal Soaring

2008-02-12T22:21:00.000+08:00

Thermal soaring is one of the most intriguing of all aspects. It can be hard for the average person to understand how a plane can fly for hours and gain altitude without a motor!

It takes a lot of concentration to thermal soar effectively. A sailplane can fly along the edge of a thermal and unless the pilot is carefully watching the model he may not realize the opportunity to gain some altitude. Because most thermals are relatively small (a couple hundred feet in diameter or less at 400' altitude) compared to the rest of the sky, the sailplanes will rarely fly directly into the thermal and start rising.Generally, the sailplane will fly into the edge or near a thermal and the effects the thermal has on the plane may be almost unnoticeable. As the sailplane approaches a thermal, the wing tip that reaches the rising air first will be lifted before the opposite wing tip. This causes the plane to “bank” and turn away from where we would like the plane to go.

When you are thermal soaring, try to fly as smoothly and straight as possible. Trim the plane to fly in a straight line and only touch the controls when you have to. Watch the sailplane carefully and it will tell you what it is encountering.When the sailplane flies directly into a thermal it will either start rising or stop sinking. Either case is reason enough to start circling (especially in a contest where every second counts). Fly straight ahead until you feel like you are in the strongest lift, fly a couple of seconds farther (so your circle will be centered in the strongest lift) and then start circling in a fairly tight but smooth turn. When the sailplane is low the turns have to be tighter to stay in the strongest lift. As the plane gains altitude, the turns can be larger and flatter. The flatter the turn, the more efficient the plane is flying, but don’t be afraid to really “crank” it into a steep bank when you are low. If you see the plane falling off on one side of the turn, move your circle over into the stronger lift. Thermals move along with the wind so as you circle you will be swept along with it. Be careful when thermaling, that you don’t get so far downwind you can’t make it back to the field to land. If the sailplane is flying along straight and all of a sudden turns, let the plane continue to bank (you may have to give it some rudder to keep it banking) until it has turned 270°(3/4 of a full circle). Straighten out the bank and fly into whatever turned the plane. If you encounter lift, and you won’t every time, start circling just as you did when flying directly into a thermal.

Thermals are generated all day long, but the strongest thermals are produced when the sun is directly overhead. 10:00 am – 2:00 pm seems to be the best time to get those“killer” thermals. Some of these thermals can be very large and you may find it hard to get out of them. If you find yourself getting too high, don’t dive the plane to get out of the lift. Sailplanes are very efficient aircraft and they will build up a lot of speed and could “blow up” in the rough air of a thermal. The easiest way to lose altitude is to apply full rudder and full up elevator. This will put the plane into a tight spin that will not over stress the air frame but it will enable it to lose altitude very quickly. This is especially helpful if the sailplane gets sucked into a cloud or it gets too high to see.The twirling action will give the sun a better chance off lashing off of the wing and catching your attention. When you are high enough and want to leave the thermal, add a little down trim to pick up some speed and fly 90 degrees to the direction of the wind. If you are not real high and want to find another thermal, you may want to look upwind of the last thermal. The same source that generated this thermal is probably producing another. Just watch out for “sink” which is often found behind and between thermals.

As you might expect, with all this air rising, there is also air sinking. This air is the sailplane pilot’s nightmare that can really make soaring challenging. “Sink” is usually not as strong as the thermals in the same area, but it can be very strong. Down drafts of many hundreds of feet per minute are common on a good soaring day. These down drafts can make a sailplane look like it is falling out of the air. Because of this, it is important that you do not let the sailplane get too far downwind.

When encountering sink, immediately turn and fly 90 degrees to the direction of the wind (towards you if possible). Apply a little “down elevator” and pick up some speed to get out of the sink as fast as possible. Every second you stay in the sink is precious altitude lost.

Facts About Thermal

2008-02-12T22:12:00.000+08:00

Thermals are a natural phenomenon that happen outside, by the millions, every single day of the year. Thermals are responsible for many things including forming several types of clouds, creating breezes, and distributing plant seeds and pollen. If you have ever seen a dust devil (which is nothing more than a thermal that has picked up some dust), you have seen a thermal in action. Their swirling action is very similar to that of a tornado but of course much gentler. Most thermals have updrafts rising in the 200 – 700 feet per minute range but they have been known to produce updrafts of over 5,000 feet per minute (that’s over 50 miles/hour straight up!) These strong thermals can rip a plane apart or carry the plane out of sight before the pilot can get out of the updraft.

Thermals are formed by the uneven heating of the earth and buildings, etc. by the sun. The darker colored surfaces absorb heat faster than the lighter colors, which reflect a great deal of the sun’s energy back into space. These darker areas (plowed fields, asphalt parking lots, tar roofs, etc.) get warmer than the lighter areas lakes, grassy fields, forests, etc.). This causes the air above the darker areas to be warmer than the air over the lighter areas and the more buoyant warm air rises as the cooler, denser air forces its way underneath the warmer air. As this warm air is forced upward, it contacts the cooler air of the higher altitudes. This larger temperature difference makes the thermal rise quicker. The thermal is gradually cooled by the surrounding cooler air and its strength diminishes. Eventually the thermal stops rising and any moisture contained in the once warm air condenses and forms a puffy cumulus cloud. These clouds, which mark the tops of thermals, are usually between 2000 and 5000 feet high.

A Beginners Guide to RC Soaring

2008-02-06T21:55:00.000+08:00

Sailplane or Glider?

A glider is a ship you launch to good height that gently floats back to earth. A sailplane, on the other hand, is a ship you launch to good height and it goes on up from there!

Which one you experience largely depends on whether you have taken the time to set that new lead sled up correctly. Let’s start in the workshop.

You’ve just finished building your latest sailplane masterpiece and have installed your radio gear. All control surfaces seem to be working, your battery is charged and you’re ready for the field, right?

Wrong!

There are some subtle and important steps you need to take to insure optimum performance. First of all, did you weigh your wings separately? Lateral balance not only makes your plane fly straight, it helps it perform better. Add small amounts of lead to make both wings weigh the same.

Your stabilizer should be parallel to wing leading edge and equidistant from stab tip to wingtip. Use your eyeball for the first part and a string to measure the last part. Line everything up first, then glue. Have you set your control surface throws correctly? Look at the manufacturers recommended throws.

Buy a gage and set these up--adjusting holes on the control horn or servo arm or with travel adjust on computer radios--so you don’t get more throw than you need. More throw means you’re more likely to over-control, with subsequent loss of performance and possibly even a crash. Less throw makes your flying smother.

If you are prone to over-control, dial in some dual rates with exponential on computer radios so that a large stick movement results in less control surface movement. If you don’t own a computer radio, you’ll just have to be VERY careful not to move the stick too far or too much.

While were at it, center your servos, then center your control surfaces using clevis adjustment, not sub trim on your computer radio. Did you check for proper control surface movement? Viewing from the rear, stick forward, elevator down; stick back, elevator up. Stick right, rudder right; stick left, rudder left.

I am sure you balanced your ship, but let’s take a second look anyway. If you had to add lead in the nose, you might as well get a larger capacity battery that weighs more. Why not have more juice than lead? You’ll need it anyway for those longer flights you’re going to get after reading this!

While you’re into batteries, consider getting a larger capacity for your radio. Those small 600 mAh batteries are for wimps! New battery? Did you prime and cycle it for maximum performance? Old battery? Did you cycle and charge for the new season? Best to cycle three or four times to condition the battery for the new season. (NiMH batteries don’t need cycling but do need priming.) Also, double check that balance point. Many newcomers incorrectly balance their plane because they read the ruler wrong or because they read the directions wrong! Use a good CG machine to do this.

Don’t take chances with finger balancing or a homemade rig.

After that, make sure that tow hook is in FRONT of the CG. A good rule is 3/8 inch in front, but if you have an adjustable tow hook, you may move it back to within 1/8 for higher launches. You might want to wait on moving the hook until you have a few launches under your belt.

Now to the field.

At the Field

You’ve just arrived at the field with your spanking new Glider. You put in a lot of hours building it into the perfect ship and now its time to test it out. Scary, isn’t it? Well here are a few tips to help insure your success.

Check everything carefully. Is everything nice and tight? No loose servos or batteries? You did follow the “Before You Get to the Field” instructions, didn’t you?

Always start with a range check, but before you turn on your transmitter, find out if anyone else is using your frequency!!! After assuring yourself that no one is using your frequency, turn on the transmitter, then your receiver (reverse that order when turning everything off). Keep your antenna down and walk out onto the field about 200 feet. Facing the antenna away from the model, have a helper check to see that the control surfaces are moving. O.K.?

Go back to your ship and check for proper directional movement of control surfaces. Remember, look from rear to front. Stick forward, elevator down; stick back, elevator up. Stick right, rudder right; stick left, rudder left. Do all of the control surfaces line up with their stabilizers?

Now you are ready for the next step. It is helpful at this point if you have a buddy to assist. Pick up the sailplane and run forward with it about 15-20 feet. The idea is to get the plane up to flying speed. When you have enough speed, toss the plane out in front of you, keeping it as level as possible. Whether you or a friend does the toss, be ready to input some control surface movement to compensate for dives, stalls or veering left or right. Some guys will run farther and let the ship “bounce’ up and down in their hand to get some idea of what the plane is going to do when released.

Ideally, your ship will glide straight out ahead of you and gently come to earth about 50 feet later, with little or no control surface input. If not, you may have to check your CG, lateral balance, or compensate by adjusting your trims. If you throw the plane hard and it pitches up immediately, you probably have too much nose weight.

Once the toss proves satisfactory, it’s time for the true test. Launch! But first, check to see if your tow hook is in the proper position, hang the plane upside down from the tow ring. It should hang slightly tail down. If it hangs tail up and wants to slide off the ring, you’ll need to move the hook forward. (Note: if one wing hangs down more than two inches lower than the other, see the previous section on lateral balance.

When you do launch, toss the plane hard on launch to get it up to airspeed. Don’t just let it go from your hand. You may want an “old timer” to take her up for the first time, but if you do it yourself, try to launch and fly hands-off as much as possible. Remember, you’re not looking for thermals at this point. You are just trying to get a good feel for the flight characteristics and trim needs for this particular model. Fact is, you should launch and land that new ship 20 or 30 times before you really start thermal hunting.

One thing you don’t want to do in this sport is hurry things up. Take your time. Explore your ship slowly and you will be rewarded with better piloting skills. Practice makes perfect.

Check out the “Trimming” instructions from here.

Trimming Your Lead Sled

Little at a time method.

Try several flights with no wind (early morn or evening). On each flight, try a few tight thermal turns at altitude with slow speed (some up elevator slows your ship in turns). Remove ¼ ounce lead on each flight until plane becomes unstable or tip stalls in turns (Note: dial in additional down trim as you remove weight)

Pay attention to slow speed handling and pitch characteristics. When plane gets mushy, tip stalls a lot or starts slow oscillated pitching, add back in a ¼ ounce lead and call it good.

Note: you will probably need to add nose weight under windy conditions, try ½ ounce at first OR Start with dive test –launch and trim for slow flight (up trim). Come around and fly perpendicular to yourself.

Perform a shallow dive, about 30º then let go of stick. Gradual pull out = O.K. Immediate pull up into a climb = too much up trim holding too much nose weight land and remove nose weight, then re-launch, re-trim and do the dive test again repeat until the pullout is very gradual (teaching point; if your ship is flying too fast, move CG rearward by removing nose weight; if your plane porpoises a lot, you probably need to remove nose weight) (during the dive test, if the dive angle increases—tuck under-- add nose weight) When it is flying more smoothly, go to early morning test.

Early morning test.

Again, this involves several flights under no wind conditions. Launch (no zoom) and fly straight ahead, hands off as much as possible. Trim the rudder to fly perfectly straight. When she sinks far enough, turn straight back and land. Time each flight and change the elevator trim to optimize the flight times. Once you have determined the optimum trim setting (close to stall), remove 1/8 ounce of nose weight and start the process all over again. Your flight times will increase throughout this process. Eventually, though, she becomes unstable and you have to give so much input to keep it straight and level that flight times start to decrease again. When this happens, put ¼ ounce weight back in the nose and your good to go.

Note: if you’re having to fight for control of your plane all the time (as with porpoising), you’ve either got too much nose weight (probably the case) or too little. Either way, you’re going to have to adjust the nose weight to get smooth control.

Flying for Fun

Unless you are a competition pilot with a flat wing, full house sailplane, you’re probably just out to have a little fun soaring. Here’s how to enhance your experience. Let your sailplane do the flying. The number one problem with beginners is overcontrol. Too much up elevator will cause a stall, leading to difficulty in trying to regain control to get the plane flying smoothly again. Near the ground, this problem spells BIG trouble. Move that stick in small increments. (Usually, just letting go of the controls will right your ship, without any input from you.) Also, if you overcontrol, you’ll never know when your plane passes through a thermal. Again, let the plane do most—but not all--of the flying. If you read “At the Field,” you will find that it is important to get a good feel for the flight characteristics of your model. You can’t do that when you are constantly yanking the stick. Also, you should have already trimmed your rudder for perfectly straight flight. If you move rudder very much, you won’t be able to see the signal your plane makes when it hits a thermal.

Fly a pattern search. When you’re off launch, turn to the left or right and fly at about a 45° angle until you find thermal activity. If you are getting uncomfortably far out, turn into the wind and come back. Don’t turn with the wind, as you will lose ground and fly in air you’ve already flown in.

Stay out in front of yourself, unless you’ve found that elusive thermal and follow it downwind to gain altitude.

When you see your plane coming down significantly, you have a choice. Either find a thermal quick or join the landing pattern. My advice for beginners, join the landing pattern. In fact, you should practice landings more than anything else, and this should be a separate activity from hunting for thermals.

Landing

Landing can be a scary time for sailplane pilots, especially if you’re new to the sport. If you’re at this point, try these tips:

Don’t bother using spoilers or flaps, if you have them. These will just confuse the issue (and possibly cause a crash). Deploy spoilers and you’ll dive; deploy flaps and you’ll balloon or stall.

Wait to use these until you have some flying experience and can quickly compensate for these effects. (A computer radio can be programmed to automatically compensate for these effects)

Be careful when using up elevator to slow down. You can easily stall this way and, close to ground, that usually means a crash. When landing, avoid using the elevator.

Mentally create your landing pattern and practice it as often as you can, This should be a separate operation from flying for fun and hunting thermals. That’s because your mind should be focused on this one task to get good at it.

Start by entering the pattern at about 50 feet up for a good safety margin. Put in one or two clicks of down trim. This will speed things up but increased speed means better control. Going slower may give you more time to react, but it also creates more opportunity for accidents like stalling. Come to your left or right, as you prefer, and sink to about 20 feet. At this point, you should be about 100 feet out to your side. When you get about 40 feet behind you, start a gentle turn to the left (or right). When your ship gets about 20 feet out from your side, make another gentle turn toward you. Watch that up elevator!

If you are too high on approach, you can turn downwind slightly and come around from the other side of you. You can also zig-zag behind you on final approach to bleed off altitude and energy. If you are too low, shorten the approach by spending less time between turns. Practice, practice, practice!

Keep the wings straight and level, then let her settle in. You can give slight up elevator when she is about a foot above ground. This will slow the model. (Remember, when you are looking at the nose of your plane coming toward you, move the stick in the direction the wing is dipping. This is opposite of when you are looking at the tail of your plane in front of you.) If it rolls right past you and seems not to want to land, just let it go. It’s better to walk a distance to your plane than to pick up the pieces at your feet. Next time, fly a little further past yourself before making the turns.

When it’s windy, don’t fly past yourself. Make your first turn when your ship is at a right angle to you or even in front slightly. That’s because the wind will carry it downwind by the time your make your final approach.

Have fun!

10 Simple Flight Safety

2008-02-04T18:54:00.000+08:00

1. No flying overhead.

2. Avoid flying over any spectators.

3. Before executing a low pass or low flying stunt, always check that the path is cleared of other flyers or park users.

4. Always fly within the perimeter defined by the boundary of the park, never over highway or roads.

5. Always sound out ("Landing") to alert others before coming in for landing. Always sound out ("Man on Runway") before going onto the runway while others are flying.

6. To avoid mid airs collision when flying as a group, always makes your intention clear and fly in the same direction as others.

7. Ensure frequency is cleared before turning on your radio, this is especially so when someone else is already flying.

8. Do not to hog the runway.

9. Avoid flying alone at the field, accidents do happen, your flight buddy could well save your life during such emergency.

10. Remember your model is not a toy but a piece of potentially lethal machinery, never compromise safety of human life, crash your model to abort flight if need be.

Clubs' Rules

2008-02-04T18:52:00.000+08:00

Model Airplane Clubs Rules

• The flying field must always be well maintained and kept free from debris. Club members are responsible for keeping trash picked up and properly disposed of.

• All automobiles are to be parked in the designated area and behind the pit line at all times.

• Transmitters in use on the field must have the proper frequency ribbons displayed.

• When arriving at the field, you are responsible for checking that your frequency is not in use prior to turning any RC equipment on.

• Flying is only allowed at designated club sites.

• No flying is to be done behind the pit line.

• People learning to fly, who have not yet been cleared by a club instructor to fly solo, are required to get assistance from an experienced flyer prior to flying in front of any spectators.

Nitro Powered RC Cars - Tips for Choosing Your First Gas RC

2008-01-10T18:51:00.000+08:00

RC (radio controlled) cars, especially the nitro or gas powered RC cars, are becoming increasingly popular. With speeds up to 70 mph, realistic looks, and racing clubs in virtually every large city, it's easy to see why.

If you want to join this exciting hobby, there're a few things you should consider before you buy your first nitro-powered RC car. The basic considerations are: size, type, 2 or 4-stroke motor, maintenance, 2 or 4 wheel drive, and ready-to-run (rtr) or kit cars.

Sizes
The two most popular sizes to choose from are 1/8 and 1/10 scale. 1/10th scale is the industry standard for on-road racers, while 1/8th is more popular for off-road trucks and buggies. The larger 1/8th scale on road car comes standard with a 2 or 3 speed automatic transmission.

Types
The touring and racing cars are are the popular choice for on-road use. For best performance, they should be run on a smooth surface.

Trucks and buggies are the choice if off-road action is what you want. Though not as fast as the touring and racing styles, they are still very impressive and extremely rugged as well. And since a smooth surface is not required, they also have the advantage of being able to run just about anywhere.

Motors
Nitro powered RC motors come available in the popular 2-stroke or the less conventional 4- stroke versions. The primary difference is that the 2-stroke motor, much like a weed eater or chain saw, requires a fuel oil mixture. The 4-stroke motor has an oil reservoir and can run on straight fuel. The 2 stroke engine has the advantage of producing higher rpm's (revs up faster) and is more suitable for racing. The 4 stroke engine has more power and torque and is better for offroad use.

The most popular 2-stroke motor is the 23cc (cubic centimeter) displacement engine. It's popularity is due to the amazing 2.5 HP of output it produces. The resulting high speeds and acceleration are what RC racers love.

Additionally, motors come with or without a pull start. The ones without a pull start are cheaper, but you'll also need a starter box.

Maintenance for Nitro Powered RC Cars
Maintenance is a definite requirement of running a nitro powered vehicle. Most hobbyist love tweaking and tuning their vehicles. In addition, you'll need to maintain certain parts such as:

Clutch
Differential
Air Filter
Header and
Pull start cord

2 or 4 Wheel Drive
If you're new to the hobby, you'll find a 2wd car less expensive and easier to work on. The 4wd car has the advantage of better traction and handling in turns which makes it a better choice when you're ready to race.

Kits or Ready to Run (RTR) Rc Cars
Nitro powered rc cars come in kits or ready-to-run right from the box. The primary difference is the whether you want to save time with a RTR car or save money with a kit. However, because of the assembly process, kits better prepare you for required maintenance.

If you choose to build an rc car, don't expect to finish in one sitting. To avoid mistakes, familiarize yourself with the instructions first and get your work area prepared. Some of the things you'll need are:

Small No. 1 and 2 Phillips and flathead screwdrivers
Soap - as a dry lubricant for tight parts
Extra fuel line - to hold screws while positioning
Needle nose and regular slip joint pliers
Flush cutter
Hobby knife with no. 11 blades

When you assemble the car, make sure to work in a well-lit, uncluttered area. You should keep the parts and tools separated using tin boxes, trays, or even an old fishing tackle box.

These are a few of the basics you'll need to know before you buy your first nitro rc car or truck. You should expect to pay around $400 for a complete beginner setup. The price will vary a little depending on whether you choose a kit or RTR and how many tools you need.

Whether you race or just practice by yourself, get ready for a lot of fun!

What Type of RC Car

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So you’ve you decided you like the simplicity of the electric RC’s, or the realistic sights and sounds of the nitro class. Now the next decision is just what type of RC vehicle is best for you. Choose according to what you plan to do with your RC, and your level of experience.

On-Road
On-road cars are the most popular type of RC cars. The standard for on-road cars is 1/10 scale cars, though 1/8th scale RC’s are not uncommon. The recent increase in micro and mini RC’s means there are hobby quality on-road cars made as small as 1/18 scale. Both nitro and electric RC’s come in on-road versions, and are available ready to run or as build your own kits. Built and geared for speed, an on-road RC should be your choice if you plan to race your car. Touring cars need a smooth, paved surface on which to run though even running up and down the street you’ll be amazed by their speed.

Off-Road
If you want to be able to run your RC just about anywhere, you’ll definitely need the rugged construction of an off-road vehicle. These sturdy cars and trucks will handle jumps, uneven terrain, and hills, even sand. They come in two- or fourwheel drive versions, and are perfectly capable of driving in your back yard, a vacant lot—just about anywhere.
Like their on-road counterparts, off-road RC’s can be purchased ready to run or as build your own kits. There is a wide variety of both electric and nitro cars and trucks from which to choose. Off-road RC’s, though not the fastest cars available, are durable, rugged and can be run practically anywhere.

Touring and Racing Cars
The touring and racing cars are perhaps the most common type of RC's. The wide variety of styles and cars in both electric and nitro kits makes them an easy choice for the beginner, and the higher end build your own models can be great for advanced hobbyists. Lightweight and fast, these are the ideal racers.

Trucks
If off-roading and rugged, sturdy vehicles were what you had in mind, then a truck is likely to be the RC for you. Both electric and nitro monster trucks are fast, tough RC's for running off-road courses. The ready to run RC trucks would be suitable for beginners.

Buggies
These durable little RC's are powerful enough to handle on- and off-road terrains with speeds up to 60 mph. Usually only available in nitro kits, they are a lot to handle for a beginner.

RC Car Sizes : Standard, Micro or Mini

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Once you know what type of RC you want, you need to decide what scale it will be in. Hobby quality RC cars come in a few different sizes: as small as 1/18 scale and as large as 1/8 scale. Nitro and electric cars are usually made at the industry standard 1/10 scale. This can be confusing for a newcomer, but if you’re in any doubt about the size of the RC you’re interested, just as at a local hobby shop and make sure it’s what you want before you buy.

To give you an idea of the amount of variety available when it comes to scale, this is a brief rundown of the sizes of nitro RC’s on the market today, as given by a prominent web retailer (http://www.shipshewanatoys.com):
• 1/10 scale touring cars:
Engine powered touring cars can be extremely fast, reaching speeds up to 55mph. As with electric touring cars, nitro vehicles feature 4WD and realistic body lines, and are only meant for on-road use.
• 1/10 scale stadium trucks:
Nitro stadium trucks are identical to electric stadium trucks, except for the engine power. They're suitable for racing or recreation, on or off road, averaging a peak speed of about 30mph.
• 1/8 scale monster trucks:
These monsters are equipped with major horsepower. Consequently, they can travel on-road and off-road up to 40 mph, tearing through and over anything in its path!
• 1/8 scale buggies:
Similar to other 1/8 scale vehicles, they have the power to traverse rough terrain on-road and off-road, are very durable, and travel up to 60mph.
• 1/8 scale on-road cars:
The revolution of RC performance, these vehicles reach speeds of close to 80mph, coming standard with shifting 2- or 3-speed transmission. Intended for experienced enthusiasts, their foam tires provide tremendous grip, and they are suitable for smooth on-road courses only.

RC Micro and Mini Cars
The most recent development in RC in the last decade or so has been the introduction of micro and mini-sized RC from Japan and throughout Asia. These tiny but powerful little RC’s offer the same racing excitement as the big boys for only a fraction of the cost.

Only recently introduced to the North American market from Asia by companies like Radio Shack, micro RC’s offer an extremely low price-point for out-of-thebox racing fun. Priced at $50 or less, these are a great choice for a driver not ready for a full-sized RC or a newcomer to RC racing who wants to see what all the fuss is about.

Measuring only 2 ½” inches long, micro RC’s feature the same kind of motor that makes your cell phone vibrate. Best of all, these little engines are interchangeable, so you can tweak you micro RC with a different motor for more speed. Specialty tires and hubcaps can be added to customize the look of your micro RC, as well as enhancements to the torsion and steering controls. Mini and micro RC’s are always ready to run, right out of the box. Your little RC will come with the following:
• rubber non-stick tires
• micro scale working engine
• realistic, running chassis
• receiver and circuit board
• transmitter
• customizable body

The greatest advantage these little cars offer is their versatility. Unlike the noisy, smoky nitro cars, or the load hum of an electric race, micro RC’s are clean and quiet. They can be run indoors or out, even in your garage or basement. This means you don’t have to wait until the next race to run your car—these are small enough you can drive them anywhere.

Mini RC’s, like their standard-sized electric cousins, run on rechargeable battery packs. When your car is out of juice, it usually pops into the controller itself, which is then plugged into the wall. With your transmitter doubling as your charger, your car will be ready to race again in under a minute. If you want to race longer, the fast recharge time for these tiny RC’s is a great selling point. Overall, though they are not as customizable and intricate as the larger 1/10 and 1/8 scale cars and trucks, micro and mini RC’s have the same acceleration, controls and feel. Their tiny size makes it possible to run them anywhere from your garage to the kitchen floor so you can race any time you like—down the hall or up the street!

For about a quarter of the cost of a regular RC, you get a car with responsive controls, tunable suspension and customizable exterior But, like their larger counterparts, you can still get the kind of car you’re after: mini and micro versions of all the most popular vehicles are available. They’re the ideal option if you’re on a limited budget, but are still eager to get to the race.

Electric or Nitro Powered RC Cars

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Just like buying a real car, deciding on an RC car takes research, price comparison and evaluation of your own needs. Though all RC’s have the same components—transmitter, receiver, motor, and power source—they vary widely in size, type, and degree of difficulty.

The first, most important decision to make is whether an electric or a nitro car is right for you. Nitro powered rc cars tend to be faster and more powerful, though their engines require a lot of maintenance and tuning. Electric powered rc cars, on the other hand, don’t run quite as fast, but they’re easier for beginners and run much quieter. Secondly, once you’ve decided whether an electric or a nitro car is best for you, you need to choose between a car that is ready to run right out of the box and a kit that you build from scratch. Ready to run cars are easier for beginners anxious to get to the race, though the build your own kits give you a better understanding of how RC’s work since you build it from the insides out. If you’re not sure, keep in mind that most ready to run kits still include full instructions should you ever want to take apart your RC or replace some of its parts.

Next, you need to decide just where you’ll be driving the car. Just like you wouldn’t buy a gas guzzling SUV if you live downtown and have a long commute, you’ll want to make sure you buy the RC that suits the kind of driving you’ll be doing. On-road RC’s are built for speed, so if it’s racing and road running you have in mind, you’ll want to stick to these lighter, faster vehicles. If you want to practice on rugged terrain and with jumps, the more rugged off-road RC’s are probably best for you.

The last thing to choose is the size and type of RC vehicle you’d like. The most popular class of vehicles are 1/10th scale, but there are also larger 1/8 scale and smaller mini and micro sized cars. Plus, the best part is you get to decide just what kind of RC vehicle you’d like best—there are cars, trucks, buggies, boats, planes and even helicopters to choose from.

Electric RC Cars

2008-01-06T18:47:00.000+08:00

Electric RC cars and trucks are generally considered best for beginners, since even if you choose to build your own car, they tend to be simpler and easier than nitro cars. They’re also a great deal quieter and run much cleaner, meaning you’re less restricted by where you can run them. In terms of speed and power, they do have a great deal of pickup, though not as much as the nitro cars.

Electric RC cars use rechargeable battery packs to power their motor and steering, which are usually recharged from a 12-volt car battery or wall socket. Batteries run for about 5-10 minutes, depending on the type of engine your car has, and charging the battery usually takes 15-30 minutes. Because of this, it is strongly recommended you have at least two battery packs, to allow for quick replacement of the battery. This means your car can keep running while the other battery is recharging, giving the car more overall running time.

At first glance, getting started with an electric RC car can be much less expensive than a nitro vehicle. But there are other costs to consider as well, such as additional battery packs, a battery charger and other accessories that will add to the cost, making it closer to the price of a nitro car in the long run. Of course, this cost also depends on what kind of car you end up purchasing and what kind of battery pack it requires, as well as how often you run the car and the quality of the batteries you get. Though the initial outlay of cash can be steep, but you’ll want to get quality battery packs and a good charger to save replacing cheaper batteries.

The main reason electric RC’s are said to be easier than nitro is in the amount of maintenance and tuning their engines require. Though the care, maintenance and cost of battery packs is steep, it is still less trouble for the new driver than the air filters, tuning, fueling and various other engine parts that require attention on a nitro car. Instead, careful conditioning and proper storage of your battery packs will keep your electric RC car running smoothly for years. Always consult your manufacturer’s instructions to make sure you’re getting the right battery packs for your car, and that you’re caring for them properly.

Easier and cleaner, electric RC cars and trucks offer the genuine racing experience to the beginner on an easy learning curve. Proper conditioning and maintenance of the car and its battery packs are still easier than the many parts and problems often associated with nitro RC’s. If you’re a beginner, or if you just want to get to the races, an electric RC can offer you the speed and fun you’re after for less work.

Also keep in mind that if you think you’d prefer an electric RC, but still want the experience of building your own car, that you can also purchase electric kits. These include complete instructions to build your own car from scratch, and because their systems are less complex than the nitro cars, they are a little easier to build yourself.

Electric RC Car Motors In order to prevent unnecessary wear and tear on your electric motor, it is important to always break in your motor, before you drive it for the first time, and every time after you change its brushes. One easy method is to run the vehicle with the wheels off of the ground at about 1/4 power for about 5 minutes. This will slowly get the brushes fully seated to the commutator without causing wear and tear on the engine, and will allow your motor to run at its full potential. Your electric car will come with instructions on how to change the brushes on the motor, as well as guidelines for how often. Remember, if you change the brushes on your motor, be sure to break it in again. How often you replace the brushes—and the motor, for that matter—depends on where and how much you’re running or racing your car. Generally, a motor should be replaced after it has gone through five or more pairs of brushes, but it will always depend on the individual car, its motor and how well they’re running.

Nitro Powered RC Cars

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Nitro RC cars are named for the special type of fuel that gives them and their motors such kick. Though not the best choice for beginners, they are the choice if speed and power are what you want from your RC. The great popularity of nitro RC cars and trucks is due not only to their speed, but is also because of the realism they offer—sights (smoke), sounds (tuned pipe) and smells (exhaust) just like the real thing! Over the last several years, the quality of nitro RC’s has been greatly improved, making them safer and more reliable than in the past.

There are four defining features of a nitro RC car:
• special nitro fuel
• high horsepower nitro engine
• tuned exhaust pipe
• Realistic, replaceable air filter.

Two different power sources are required for a nitro RC car, starting with battery packs for the transmitter and receiver. The car itself, as the name suggests, really does use gasoline as its fuel: an oil and gasoline mixture, much like a real car. There are two kinds of nitro motors: the 2-stroke and the 4 stroke engine. The more popular 2-stroke engine is similar to the kind of engine found inside motocross motorcycles, chain saws and weed whackers. This type of engine has no separate oil reservoirs, so the oil that lubricates it is included in the fuel mixture. Conversely, the less popular 4-stroke engine does have an oil reservoir and therefore depends less on a gasoline/oil fuel mixture for lubrication. When running or racing, the car’s fuel tank will need refilling every 5 to 10 minutes.

The engine seen most frequently in nitro RC cars today is a 23cc (cubic centimeter) displacement, 2-stroke engine. Its popularity stems from the fact that it’s among the most powerful engines available for nitro RC cars, putting out approximately 2.5 HP from its 23cc displacement (23cc means that the engine has about 1.4 cubic inches of engine displacement). This engine would be certainly powerful enough to impress you with its speed.

You’ll need a starter for the engine, of which there are two types:
• a pull-start nitro engine (these use a process like your lawnmower to start)
• Or a non-pull nitro engine (these fire up with a starter box).
The pull start nitro engines cost a little more, but you don't have to buy a starter box and it's less you have to carry around to run your vehicle. Just take it out, pull on the starter, and you're ready to go! Be sure to check your instructions to choose a starter that’s right for your car.

To keep your nitro RC running at its best, constant maintenance is necessary. This includes keeping the engine clean and well-tuned, setting it up correctly and using good clean fuel. As well, if you’re running your RC off-road, you’ll need to make certain it is properly cleaned after you run it, otherwise dirt and grit can slow down or even ruin your engine. Any special procedures particular to your car will be outlined in your owner’s manual. Remember that your engine will only run as well as you treat it—so take great care of it, and you’ll never have trouble on race day.

Fuelling Your Nitro RC Car
Nitro RC cars run on a blended fuel easily available at local hobby shops or online. It is made up of a blend of methyl alcohol (methanol), nitro-methane (nitro), and oil. In order to understand how nitro fuel work, you need to know what each of these three components does for the car:
• Methanol provides the main power to the engine and is the main ingredient in model fuel. It has an ignition point that allows it to be ignited with the kinds of platinum-element glow plugs used in RC engines, and it releases more energy per pound of air than gasoline. Because it’s easy to get, it’s not expensive—you’ll find model fuel much more reasonably priced than regular gas.
• Nitro-methane is added to assist the idle and acceleration and to enhance power output. Nitro is referred to as a “hot fuel,” and is only used in small amounts in model fuels. It can be explosive if not handled correctly, so take care to read the fuel tips offered here, and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when filling up your RC.
• Oil is need as a source of lubricant for all the moving parts in the engine. Here 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines will require different fuels, since 2- stroke engines have no separate oil reservoir, and need oil mixed in with their fuel. There are two types of oil found in model fuels- castor oil and synthetic oil. These can be used by themselves or in a blend, with synthetics being far more common these days. This is mainly because synthetics are cheaper and less gummy than castor oil, which used to be the only oil used. For some engines, a blend with a large percentage of castor oil may work best, since it is actually a better lubricant at higher temperatures. The synthetics are far less messy, however, and leave less gum on your engine. You’ll be able to choose from blends of synthetic and castor oil that vary in their percentages- try out a few to find one that runs your engine best.

RC fuel blends are expressed in percentages based on the amount of each component ingredient used, and of course the one right for you will depend greatly on your car and engine. Most model fuels contain mainly methanol, to which about 20-22% oil and 10-15% nitro is added. Be sure to check your owner’s manual for suggestions and guidelines about which blend is correct. Bear in mind that you may have to try out a couple of different types and blends before you find the one that’s right for the way your engine is tuned. And if your engine isn’t running properly, one of the first things you should do is change the fuel. Taking proper care of your nitro car’s fuel is extremely important. Not only will it help your car run better and make for less wear on the engine, model fuels are flammable and could be dangerous if not properly stored.
• Nitro fuel should not be stored in unsealed containers. Because methanol mixes easily with water, the container you store it in should be completely air tight. Otherwise, air could get in and evaporation or condensation could occur, ruining the fuel. It will cause your engine to run too hot and be quite damaging to your car’s fuel and exhaust systems.
• Store your fuel at room temperature, and at a constant temperature. Again, you want to avoid any air in your container or in the fuel, which temperature swings can cause to condense. Do not store your model fuel in a room that varies widely from hot to cold or vice versa.
• Keep model fuel away from light. Nitro methane degrades in light, which means you need to store your model fuel in a cool, dark place. If you leave it exposed to sunlight or store it in a brightly lit place, the nitro will degrade completely, as though it hadn’t even been added to the fuel in the first place. This will cause your engine to run very poorly, or cause poor starts or stalling.
• Do not store fuel more than a year. In addition to following all these steps, you must also replace your model fuel frequently. Though proper storage will keep your fuel fresh and running clean, it cannot be stored for years and years. Most manufacturers offer some guarantees on their fuel, but these will not apply if you have stored it for an extended period of time. Most importantly, old fuel can be dangerous, so don’t leave it stored indefinitely.

Nitro Engines: 2-Stroke
The 2-stroke is the engine most commonly found in nitro RC’s. “Stroke” is meant by the number of times the piston travels through the engine sleeve in the combustion chamber. 2-stroke engines produce power in one cycle, which is divided into the two “strokes.” The piston has two positions: top dead center where the cycle begins and ends, and bottom dead center, which is the middle point of the power cycle. Combustion causes increased pressure in the chamber and forces the piston down. As this occurs, the exhaust ports are opened so gases can escape through the manifold. The second stroke begins when the piston reaches bottom dead center and the crankcase and then moves back up the engine sleeve. This causes the pressure to build up again as the piston approaches TDC once again, completing the power cycle. The next stroke occurs as soon as combustion from the glow plug sparks it again.

Nitro Engines: 4-Stroke
Less common but more powerful, 4-stroke engines are more like what you’ll find under the hood of your real car or your lawnmower. Though similar to a 2- stroke, a 4-stroke engine has 2 full cycles with 2 strokes of the piston each (for a total of 4 strokes). Unlike the simpler glow-plug ignition that a 2-stroke uses, a 4-stroke regulates the air and fuel in the chamber with a geared cam mechanism. Intake timing is how much and when this air/fuel mixture enters the cylinder, while exhaust timing refers to the escape of hot gas from the cylinder. The easiest way to understand what happens in the 4-stroke power cycle is imagine the 2-stroke cycle simply stretched out to get the most out of each segment of the piston’s movement. The piston begins at TDC and as it travels down the cylinder the geared cam allows fuel and air into the combustion chamber.

The intake valve closes when the piston reaches the bottom of the cylinder, which is then forced back up by the flywheel and drive train components. This compresses the air and fuel, and the pressure causes combustion as the piston reaches the top of the cylinder again, completing what is referred to as the compression stroke.

As the fuel mixture ignites it initiate the so-called combustion-stroke, during which the piston travels back down the cylinder and up again. In the final “power” stroke the gases are forced out to the exhaust systems—just as in the 2- stroke engine. The cycle is then repeated.

4-stroke engines rely on intake and exhaust valves to complete their power cycle. This is combined with a number of other features—a moving crankshaft, several valve-train components, camshaft, rod and pistons and the geared cam mechanism—to make a more powerful, but more advanced engine. The improved management of fuel and air flow in and out of the engine makes the 4- stroke more efficient, though their advanced mechanisms mean they require meticulous attention and maintenance.

Nitro Maintenance and Tuning So now that you know what’s under the hood of your RC, there are few more tips that will help your car run better:

! Improve your acceleration by proper preparation of your clutch. Over time, a glaze can form on the clutch and the clutch bell, which causes the car’s acceleration to noticeably decrease. Scuffing both the clutch shoes and the clutch bell with fine-grit sandpaper or steel wool and a good cleaning with motor-spray will remove this glaze, and prevent the clutch from slipping against the clutch bell.

! Extend the life of your car’s differential by breaking your motor in gently. Your car’s differential filled with small, complicated gears that make them both complicated and expensive. This is not a part you want to replace frequently, but carefully breaking in your car before racing or running it full out can greatly extend the differential’s lifespan. To break in your engine, run it at ¼ power a few inches off the ground, and then run some slow, steadily powered figure-8’s. This should set the gears in the differential and you can run it full out without damaging the engine. Make sure you keep your header in position.

Your car’s header is attached with a tiny spring, meaning it comes off very easily if you hit something or if your car gets hit by something. If you’re racing, this can be a huge problem to put back on in a hurry, so be sure to attach your header to the engine block more firmly using a small piece of safety wire. Make sure you twist the wire firmly around the header and be sure to cut off any excess.

! Brace your air filter to prevent losing or damaging it. The small piece of the same safety wire that secures your header should also be used brace your filter. Again, twist it tightly to prevent the filter from becoming loose and remove any excess.

! Protect your pull-start cord from fraying and breaking. Over time, the cord of a pull-start engine can often become worn and frayed. This can be prevented by covering the edges of the opening- try duct tape or cutting up a small section of fuel tubing. Make sure not to obstruct the opening, but rather create a smoother edge to the opening for the cord get in and out of with out fraying. Never leave your pull start cord pulled all the way out- if this happens, it could get stiff or be impossible to reinsert

! Follow your manufacturer’s instructions for the best results. Your car will come with complete instructions and owner’s manual, which you should read carefully for all specifications and any technical issues you have with your RC. Should you run into something you can’t fix or an engine that simply won’t run properly (or at all!), it’s best to consult your local hobby shop for some expert advice and help.

There’s nothing like the realistic roar and smoke of a nitro RC, which are fast powerful enough to make for some exciting races. Bear in mind however, that nitro cars and the engines that power them are very complex, and as such require frequent tuning and meticulous care—much more so than an electric RC. Because of greater complexity, you will also find they tend to be more expensive, as well. What this means to you as a driver is that you need to decide in advance what your budget is and just how experienced you are with engines and RC racing.

If you’re beginner but you still have your heart set on a nitro car, they can be purchased in ready to run versions that will get you in the race as soon as you open the box. Although these still require the same ongoing attention and maintenance, you will be saved the initial trouble of building the car from scratch.

Ready to run nitro cars and trucks are more expensive than the ones you build yourself, but they’re far easier if you’re still unsure about your mechanic ability. Also, since even ready to run kits contain complete instructions on how they go together, you can rest assured you’ll be able repair, maintain and add on to your car for a long time to come.

The main attraction of nitro RC cars is their realism and their power—they’re fast, they roar and they smoke—just like real cars! They can be tuned to reach speeds up to 60 mph and they can race as long as you keep filling the gas tank. Though not recommended for complete newcomers to RC racing, nitro RC’s are by far the most popular.

Introduction to RC Cars

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Whether you’re seven or seventy, if you enjoy cars and tinkering with things, you’ll get hours of fun and excitement from RC cars. But there are a lot of things involved in getting to the race, and if you’re new to RC vehicles and RC racing, you’ve probably got a lot of questions. This website is a beginner's guide to purchasing and racing radio control (RC) cars. You'll find answers to questions you might have, along with the information you need to help you make decisions about just what to buy.

There's tons of RC vehicles from which to choose, and if you’re a newcomer, you may need help choosing between off and on-road, electric or nitro remote control cars. The more you know about RC cars, the better you’ll be able to choose the correct vehicle for you. Most people don’t realize just how exciting RC vehicles have become—the hobby quality RC cars made and raced today have can get up to speeds of 60+ mph and feature suspension systems that can be tuned just like a real car. Perhaps the most intriguing part is the wide variety of types of RC vehicles available. You can drive a race car, or run a monster truck on dirt tracks. Because of this, though, you should consider just what you plan to use your RC for before you decide to buy.

On-road or racing cars are made for speed, while off-road vehicles like buggies are meant to take more rugged terrain where timing your jumps between hills are the coveted skills. Plus, you can choose to buy your RC ready to run (rtr) out of the box or as a kit to build it yourself. These and many other aspects are important to know before you buy your first RC.

There are RC cars and trucks for most any kind of driver: nitro engines for the speed demon, or reliable, ready to run electric cars for touring. The electric cars run quietly and so are better suited to run right in your neighborhood, while the nitro motors give you the real feel of the racetrack.

What you buy should depend on your experience—choose your RC according to your experience to avoid frustration later on. Something to keep in mind from the outset is that RC vehicles are a high-end hobby, and can get quite expensive. If you plan to race your car, there are additional costs that come with competition. But if you’re prepared for the cost, and you buy carefully, you’ll benefit from an amazing new hobby whose rewards certainly outweigh the cost. Here are the decisions that need to be made before you buy:

• Do you want a kit car or a ready to run (rtr)?
• Do you want an on-road or an off-road RC vehicle?
• Which is right for you- a nitro or an electric RC?
• What kind of RC vehicle do you want- and what size?

No matter what you decide, if you keep your own experience and commitment level in mind, you’ll be certain to get the car that’s right for you. Whether you race them or just tinker with their engines, RC cars are a great hobby for kids of all ages. Though it might seem overwhelming at first, you’ll find that the more you work on your car and the more times you race, the more fun and exciting this hobby can be! The Race Is On!

Choosing And Buying An Electric RC Car or Truck

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The important thing to remember when buying an electric rc car or truck is to choose a vehicle that suits your needs, budget, and the conditions in which you plan to run the kit. There are kits available for onroad and offroad, different sizes, and many different styles including Stadium Trucks, RC Monster Trucks, Buggies, Sedans, and other popular RC Cars and Trucks from many different manufacturers. I recommend beginners start with a vehicle from a reputable hobby quality manufacturer like Team Associated, HPI, and Traxxas but there are also cheaper toy style kits from companies like Tyco and Nikko available.

Ready to run kits are great for beginners. They come prebuilt and with just about everything you need to get started. For Electric RC Cars and Trucks, this should at least include a motor, a radio, servo, receiver, and an electronic speed control for sending the power from the batteries to the motor. If you decide to go with a build-it-yourself kit, make sure these items either come in the kit or purchase them seperately.

Between Gas and Electric RC Helicopter

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RC helicopter has become one of the more popular “boy toys” that hit and hit big. Its popularity is not surprising at all. Imagine fulfilling your dream of flying an aircraft without spending too much. And most of all without leaving your foot off the ground. Now that’s a good plus factor if you simply don’t want to risk your life flying with a spinning rotor above your head.

RC helicopter usually come in either gas or electric powered. Here are the things you should know about the two:

Electric RC Helicopter

If you are a novice RC enthusiast, then the most advisable thing to buy is the electric RC helicopter. The reasons are simple. Electric RC helicopter is simpler than other types of RC helicopters especially the gas RC’s. With the electric, you don’t have to deal with the engine and the gas it will consume. You would not need to have proper knowledge about mechanics just to make it fly. You don’t have to spend a lot of time reader the manual just to understand how it works. And if the helicopter fails, you don’t have to figure out how to fix it.

If you are thinking that electric RC helicopter would not fly for long then you should change you perspective. Most modern electric RC’s are powered by lithium batteries and coupled with brushless motors. This makes it fly much longer. In fact it can out last some of the gas RC’s.

And lastly, it is quiet on air thus you cannot disturb other’s privacy.

Gas RC Helicopter

A more experienced RC helicopter pilot prefers gas powered RC helicopters for several reasons. One is, flying gas RC helicopter flies like flying a full-size helicopter since the sound that the engine creates can trigger excitement. Oh! You might think that it is quite absurd. But no! The sound of the engine makes it more exciting to fly. Another reason is that gas RC helicopter is more complicated that keeps its pilot more addicted with it. Why? This is because the pilot is not only limited to flying the helicopter alone. Pilot is involved with how the mechanics of the RC. This gives him more reason to become excited on the RC.

Choosing between an electric RC helicopter and a gas RC helicopter is up to you. Evaluate carefully so that you get most out of your RC flying experience.

5 Reasons to Fly Electric RC Heli

2008-01-04T18:39:00.000+08:00

RC Helicopters capture people's interest since thseir very first inception. They stand as one of the most fascinating field of the RC hobby world. Very few can resist its charm. Nevertheless, not too long ago they also carried an extremely heavy price tag and required more maintenance than a ten-years-old car. To make matters worse, flying one required countless hours of practice and tremendous amount of patience. However, all that is about to change. With the introduction of electric RC helicopters, flying these amazing models are not as far-fetched as they used to be.

Here are five reasons why.

1. Low Cost

Flying RC Helicopter used to set people back thousands of dollars. People had to buy the helicopter kit (which comes in hundred small pieces - unassembled), servos, engine, starter, gyro, receiver, radio controller, a hundred other equipments, and of course - fuel. When everything has been purchased, you still have to assemble it!

On the other hand, electric helicopters almost always cost less than 200 dollars with cheaper but better versions coming out regularly. Even better, most of these helicopters come ready to fly right out of the box. In addition to that, every necessary equipments and accessories often come included as well. Finally, by using batteries, the running cost of these helicopters is greatly reduced as it is no longer necessary to buy gallons after gallons of gas.

2. Silent and Clean

RC Helicopters might be amongst the most fascinating radio controlled models, however, one undeniable fact still stands against it; they make more noise and create more pollution than a breaking down truck. This makes flying around the neighborhood almost impossible.

The problem of noise, pollution and size is almost entirely eliminated with the electric models; the amount of noise greatly decreased while the amount of pollution vanished altogether. These two facts allows these machines to fly anywhere without causing too much annoyance to other people.

3. Reliable and Easy to Fly

With gas helicopters, countless crashes occur not because of pilot errors, but because the engine fail in midair. Who's to blame? After all, everybody knows that gas engines aren't the most reliable thing in the world. They also notoriously require constant tinkering to run smoothly. On the other hand, electric helicopters fly undeniably more reliable. They almost never cut out in mid air, even when the battery runs down. Moreover, you can forget about having to crank up the engine over and over. These electric motors will run anytime anywhere as long as there's battery. There's nothing more frustrating than taking your helicopter to the field only to find that it won't start because it is too cold, too humid, or just because the engine wants to act up.

Electric helicopter are generally easier to fly than gas models, making them ideal for beginners. Some model allows beginner to start out with only 2 or 3 channels to worry about as oppose to 6 or 7 that the gas model requires. Avid pilots won't have to worry though, as professional fully 3D-capable electric models also exist.

4. Easy to Maintain

Maintenance used to be one of the biggest hurdles for anyone wanting to start flying RC helicopters. Thankfully, electric RC helicopters tremendously decreased the amount of repairs required. These little wonders were specifically designed to keep the amount of fixing necessary to minimum. Therefore, repairs can usually be made with just the bare hands or with only one screw driver. Even more impressive is the fact that these types of helicopter rarely need repairing at all. They can survive most types of crashes without any problem.

5. Small Size

Before electric helicopters, indoor flights and flights in your own backyard were next to impossible. Now, they are quick and easy. Newer versions are so small that even flying in the bedroom is possible. The smaller size of these helicopter means that it is easier to transport as well. However, for pilots who prefer big aircrafts, there are electric helicopters as big as.50 size gas models available.

The advantage of flying electric RC helicopter does not end with these five points. With new technologies becoming available, these aircrafts are improving at surprising speed. All in all, it is not hard to see why electric RC helicopter is the fastest growing field of RC hobby.

Learning 3D Heli Tricks

2008-01-04T18:38:00.000+08:00

People will look at you with envy when you perform RC 3D flying tricks

3D flying is the most appealing feature for a Radio Controlled Helicopter flyer.

Usually the flyers starts from basic flying methods like hover tail in and then go on for other advanced 3d flying like figure eight flight or fly circles around you.

The more advance one becomes in RC helicopter flying, the more 3d flying technique he can perform.

Initially the beginners practice most of basic stunts like hover tail in, hover nose in , hover side-on, etc but later on when they have attained much of eye and hand movement , then they move on to more advanced flying techniques like Figure Eight, 180 degrees stall turns, 540 degrees stall turns and so on.

Usually the beginners will follow 3d flying in this order which is simplified for simple aerobatics from beginners level to intermediate and then to advance or expert level one for the 3d level

1. Hover Tail-In
2. Hover Side on
3. Circle around yourself
4. Hover Side on
5. Flying a Figure 8 pattern
6. Doing a 180 degrees Stall turns
7. Doing a 540 degrees stall turns
8. Loop and Roll-Ins

This is the list which one can follow but since everyone has a different interest and skill level, there can be 100 variation of order on this list but it's recommended to first know all the various aerobatics before trying to practice one.

Hover Tail In is the simplest move that a beginner makes as it is very easy to understand and commit both. But advanced 3d flying like 540 degrees stall must not be performed unless one has enough experience in the lower list i.e. the 180 degrees stall turns.

Beginners will feel little afraid to first try a 3D flight, but once they do so they are easily addicted to the thrills provided by the 3D flying. Just make sure to cover the basics like hover and the rest of the good stuff. Also remember that it will take some time to try to learn some 3d moves, but when you do it, it will be rewarding.

Flying Toy and Hobby RC Helicopters

2008-01-04T18:37:00.000+08:00

Basic Flight Controls for RC Helicopters
In the RC hobby, flying RC helicopters is often considered the hardest RC skill to master. This might make the marketing claims for easy-to-fly toy RC helicopters hard to understand. The difference is in the helicopter design, the controls, and the range of movement that the helicopter is capable of performing.

Hobby-grade RC helicopters are designed to look and operate very much like full-size helicopters. Toy-grade helicopters are configured and operate a little differently. They are designed for more stable flight so that children can more easily use the transmitter and control the flight. These changes mean that the helicopter is not capable of the same speed or maneuvers as hobby-grade helicopters. Both can still be fun to fly.
Controlling RC Helicopters
What you can do with an RC helicopter (such as going up and down) are actions initiated by radio signals from the transmitter.

The number of channels on a transmitter tells you the number of actions that you can control on the RC.

These actions usually involve things like changing the pitch (tilt) of the rotor blades or making the blades spin faster. A hobby-grade RC helicopter normally requires at least four or five channels for normal flight that closely mimics the controls and flight of full-size helicopters. Toy-grade helicopters may have only 2 or 3 channels and much more limited actions.

Flying Toy RC Helicopters
The typical toy heli is a 2- or 3-channel model that can fly up and down, maybe forward and sometimes backward, and go left and right. It may run at a constant speed. It can hover in place but it's probably not going to be able to do high speed chases, loops and rolls, or inverted flight.

In order to provide more stable flight, the tail may not have the familiar tail rotor and blades of real helicopters that are set perpendicular to the main rotor. Instead they often have fixed pitch, counter-rotating dual main rotors (ringed for safety). These rotors eliminate the need for the operator to use tail rotor controls to counteract a natural phenomenom of helicopter flight that makes the body of the helicopter want to spin around and around.

Because the main rotors are fixed pitch (blades don't tilt independently), there are no cyclic controls -- tilting of the main rotor -- for climbing and diving or doing banking turns. Instead, the dual main rotors provide level turning. Some models have a small rotor on the tail (parallel to the main rotors) or vertical rotors in other locations that control forward flight and provides further stability.

These design changes sacrifice some of the maneuverability found in hobby-grade helicopters but it also means that the pilot needs to perform fewer actions to keep the helicopter in flight. Simpler controls, slower speed, and less aerobatics ability makes these toy helicopters easier to fly and provide children and novice pilots with more entertainment value. It doesn't mean that you can master RC helicopter flight right out of the package though. Even with the toy helis it takes patience and practice to hover, fly around the room, and land upright.

Flying Hobby RC Helicopters
With hobby-grade RC helicopters there are many more actions that the pilot can do and needs to perform to keep the helicopter aloft. Variable pitch rotors and other design features allow the helicopters to do more diving, climbing, rolls, and loops in addition to going up and down and hovering. These actions along with adjustable speed make hobby helicopters extremely challenging to fly but also more exciting.

Transmitters for hobby RC helicopters may come with many channels to control basic helicopter functions, provide more precise control of mixed actions, and change settings on the helicopter from a distance; but, for basic flight four or five channels is normal.

RC Heli FAQ

2008-01-04T18:36:00.000+08:00

Q: How long do they stay up

A: Normally they can fly 15 to 20 minutes on one tank of gas.

Q: How far do they go

A: They go as far as the transmitter can broadcast, which is about 2 km. They will go very high and far out of sight before the radio looses contact, unless your batteries are low.

Q: How fast do they go

A: Same as a average plane, the record top speed is under 90 mph straight and level (without diving first) I think. Most 30 sized helicopters can do around 40 mph fairly easily.

Q: How much do they weigh

A: Most .30 sized helicopters weigh in around 6 lbs empty (no fuel or electronics)

Q: How much can they lift

A: A entry level (30 size) helicopter can lift 1-2 lbs with a significant performance hit. A typical 60 size can lift 5-8 lbs with a significant performance hit. A specialized 60 with flat bottom blades and designed to lift can lift around 15 lbs.

Q: How fast are the blades moving

A: Most .30 sized helicopters spin their main blades near 1600 rpm for easy flying around, and for sport loops and such closer to 1900 rpm. This calculates to over 200 mph at the blade tips and near 300 lbs of force pulling on the center of the blades. The average .30 engine produces a mean one and a half horsepower.

Q: How much do they cost

A: Starting the hobby from materials and tools, goes about $1000. You can get by with a .30 size helicopter for around $800 complete.

Q: What kind of mechanical experience do you need to build a heli

A: Minimal by , following the directions very closely and double checking everything will seems to have worked.

Q: How long does it take to build

A: About 2 - 3 days. With a pre-built ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) kit like the Raptor, you're only a few hours from ready to hover when you get it in the box.

Q: Are they much harder than planes

A: They are more complicated to fly than airplanes, however it is possible to learn to fly a helicopter by yourself which is next to impossible for an rc airplane because with a helicopter you can fly a little bit, 2 inches off the ground and land safely, but with an airplane it's all or none. Helicopters become more complicated because of the fact that there are more ways to fly them, and thus, more orientations you must get used to.

Q: How do you learn to fly

A: By use of a computer simulator which hooks up to your real transmitter through the trainer interface and large training gear which prevent the helicopter from tipping sideways when learning to hover a few inches above the ground.

Q: Do they run on gas

A: Not so much gasoline, as they do on a liquid fuel made of alcohol and nitro methane. They do make r/c helicopter engines that run on regular gasoline, but they're not as common due to their increased cost, weight, and lower power output. They are however much cheaper to buy gas for and can stay up longer, since the regular 2-stroke model engine gas can cost any where from $13 to $23 depending on the mixture. Model engine fuel (glow fuel) produces more power than conventional gasoline because of the high contests of nitro methane, which is why it is more popular than gasoline for model aircraft.

Q: What kind of engines do they run on

A: Special remote control helicopter engines. They come in 2-stroke and 4-stroke glow burning engines as well as 2 stroke gasoline models. They range in size from .06 cu inches to .91 cubic inches. The most common of these are glow fuel .30 and .60 two stroke engines. The O.S. .32 SXH runs at a peak power RPM of around 18000 RPM with 1.2 horsepower, while the 60 size engines can make 2 to 3 h.p.!

Q: Whats a glow engine

A: An engine that uses a glow plug instead of a spark plug. A glow plug does not require a spark to ignite the next cycle, it has a small coil which remains hot enough to ignite the next cycle when the fuel is compressed in the cylinder head. In order to start the engine, you must use a glow heater which heats the coil in the glow plug like a coil in a light bulb, and once the engine is running it produces enough heat by itself and you remove the glow heater.

Q: What happens when you crash

A: In a light crash (bad bounce) you might break the landing gear and a couple other things, in a average crash (lands on it's side) the first things to go are the main blades, the tail boom, the main shaft, the flybar, possibly the landing gear and the boom supports. Then there are the bad crashes where you look for the parts that aren't broken

Crash Etiquette

2008-01-04T18:33:00.000+08:00

While bent over your model tweaking with the needle valve, too often you hear "What the f***...," followed by a low frequency thump. Usually, several expletives will be inserted, some used imaginatively. A hand-crafted masterpiece of airframe miniaturisation crammed with state of the art electronic equipment and powered by an exquisitely machined engine is no more. The pilot, who is frequently the builder/owner, has made an unscheduled landing or has discovered the radio in his hands has a greater range than the eyes in his head.

Your immediate problem is how to react. Generally, it is considered bad form to immediately ask if you may borrow the pilot's glo plug battery. Similarly, you probably shouldn't ask if he's finished with the clip.

Any equipment related reasons for the crash you hear are by definition reasonable. Pilot error is too rare and sensitive to suggest, so don't say, "That's odd, I haven't had any problems on that frequency today," until at least an hour after the crash. Offer to help go look. Don't say, "It sounded like it hit something solid." Note that most lost models are found and returned. Don't ask if he had his name and phone number in the model or wonder out loud if the model hit a house or car.

If it looks like more than enough people have "volunteered" to help with the search, try to weasel out of going. There are ticks and poison ivy out there, and seeing a grown man cry isn't pleasant. If the pilot takes a plastic bag with him or comes back empty handed to get one, assume the worst. Actually, in a really bad crash, two hands and a pocket are enough space for everything worth salvaging.

Whatever you do, don't hold a postmortem on the spot. The pilot probably doesn't want to discuss:

* Battery condition
* Poor construction
* Pilot error
* Used rubber bands
* Fuel tank capacity
* Light blue covering
* Model selection vs. pilot skill

As best you can, avoid specifics, sound supportive, and look appropriately grave. You'll want the same consideration some day.

How to Get Started in RC Night Flying

2008-01-04T18:31:00.000+08:00

Before you begin night flying, it is important to understand some basic concepts about how the eye works. I am certainly no optometrist, and I couldn't describe the differences between the cornea and a cone, but I can convey to you what I have learned through experience.

The eye is sensitive to contrast. The greater the contrast between objects, the more detail the eye can discern. That is why it is important to fly only when it is very dark (preferably on a clear, moonless night, away from the city) for your first few flights. This will actually make it easier to see your airplane, because the darker it is, the wider the pupils of your eyes will open, and the easier it will be to see the lights of your aircraft, for they will present a high contrast against the blackness of the sky. Also, it is important to keep in mind that your eyes can take up to 25 minutes (or more) to fully adjust to darkness after being exposed to bright light. The brain works in conjunction with the eye to protect the optic nerve and the retina from over-stimulation, therefore the eye is much quicker to respond when adjusting to light than it is when adjusting to darkness.

Many night flyers will argue that you need intense lights on your airplane to make flying at night possible. While this may be true within one school of thought, I say there is a better, more effective (and efficient) way. It takes a lot of power to generate intense light, and it is unfortunate that many night flyers configure their high power lighting systems in such a way that about 99% of the generated light is wasted!

A good lighting configuration is essential to a successful night flight. Remember that when you fly at night, your perspective will be very different from what you are used to seeing during the day. In the daylight, you can see your entire aircraft. At night, all you can see are the lights that you have on your aircraft. In other words, you don't fly an aircraft at night - instead, you fly a pattern of lights. You have to use some imagination to translate that pattern of lights in the sky into something that resembles your aircraft so that you can determine its orientation.

I have found that the simplest effective lighting configuration consists of four (4) points of reference: wing tips, nose and tail. The wing tip reference lights help you determine the orientation of the aircraft along the roll and yaw axis, whereas the nose and tail reference lights help you determine the orientation of the aircraft along the pitch and yaw axis. The combination of all reference lights forms a sort of "T" pattern, making it relatively easy to judge the orientation of the aircraft. I suggest you start with a simple, effective lighting system until you determine whether you like night flying or not. If you decide to continue, then you can pursue a more elaborate lighting system.

Probably the simplest way to prepare a model airplane for night flying is to purchase some cyalume chemical light sticks and use clear packaging tape or strong rubber bands to affix them to your aircraft. It is important to be able to see the light sticks from most any angle, regardless of the orientation of your aircraft, so the number of light sticks you use may vary depending on your aircraft. I would also suggest you fly a slow-flying trainer type aircraft for your first time up until you get a feel for it. Just like anything, you have to learn to walk before you can run.

It is best to affix a light stick on the very end of each wing on the edge of the wing tip and/or have them protrude from the wing, preferrably toward the nose of the aircraft. This gives them maximum visibility from above and below, and also allows them to be visible from the front and sides. You will need visibility from the front for when it comes time to make your landing approach. It has been my experience that the orientation in which the plane is least visible at night is when it is coming directly toward me. Therefore, all of my lighting configurations include some forward-facing wing tip lights and a light in the nose. I might also suggest that you use a different color light stick on each wing tip (traditionally, red on the left and green on the right). This will help eliminate disorientation problems that accompany certain aircraft positions.

The lights in the nose and tail should be visible from above and below as well. You might think at first that you would only really need to light up the bottom of the aircraft, since one has to look up to see the airplane. However, the top of the airplane is actually visible perhaps more of the time than the bottom, since it tends to bank toward the flight line when making turns around the field. The bottom really is only visible when flying overhead. But it is necessary to be able to see both the top and the bottom of the aircraft. Therefore, there is a good chance you will need two light sticks in the nose. You can generally get by with only one on the tail if it is mounted vertically up high on the fin.

I cannot fully emphasize the importance of being familiar with the plane you want to fly at night. The more comfortable you are flying it during the day, the easier it will be to make the transition into the night. But don't be fooled by your confidence. No matter how well you feel you know your aircraft - no matter how long you have been flying it - it will be a different experience flying it at night for the first time. Do not plan to do anything fancy during your first few flights, because your first few flights will be used to learn some new skills (or at least sharpen ones you already have). On my first night flight, I flew a plane that I had been flying for many years. Taking it up at night seemed almost natural. But that's only because I was already so familiar with the aircraft that I knew what to expect and could accurately predict its movements and orientation. However, on that first night, I felt confident enough to attempt a loop. That's when I learned just how different night flying was. I almost lost my airplane, because the lights fooled me and I lost my perspective of the plane's orientation (mostly because both wings were the same color). I gave it quite a few incorrect control inputs before I regained perspective and recovered. I did nothing more than fly around in circles after that.

Probably the most important thing you can do before making your first flight at night would be to relax, close your eyes, and imagine your first flight. Plan your flight so you know exactly what you are going to do, and don't plan to do anything more than take off, fly around in circles, and land. That will be enough for your first flight. The objective of your first flight should be to become familiar with how your plane looks in the sky, and how the pattern of lights can play tricks on you in certain orientations. The important thing is to remain calm. Be as aware as you can be of the orientation and direction of the plane. If you lose perspective, the disorientation should be only temporary - watch the plane come around until you can identify its orientation in a new position before issuing additional control inputs.

It also helps immensely to have someone with good eyesight stand next to you to help talk you through any disorientation you may experience. An extra pair of hands is also helpful when preparing your aircraft for flight. Chances are, you will need a flashlight or some source of light to use while refueling and starting your engine. If you have an assistant, have him or her hold your plane for a few minutes when it is ready to launch, to give you a chance to close your eyes and allow them to adjust to the darkness after having been exposed to the light in the pits. When you're ready, give the signal to launch, and enjoy the ride!

Perhaps I should have mentioned before this point that once you get the aircraft into the air, there will certainly come a time when you will have to bring it back down to the ground. Landing is probably the most difficult night flying maneuver, especially if you cannot see the runway. Before flying at night, you should have a good mental picture of the runway as it looks during the day. Pay close attention to how your plane looks on approach, touch down, and taxiing on the runway during the day. This will be of some benefit to you in the dark, especially if you stand in the same place to fly at night as you do during the day.

Aside from having a mental picture of the runway, it is good to have some reference of where the runway is at night in case you tend to turn or wander from your post while you fly. Some night flying enthusiasts may argue that you need to be able to see the runway in order to land. I have heard some amazing stories related to this. One in particular involved lining up ten automobiles with their headlights on just to light up the runway. This, to me, is ludicrous. Pardon the judgement, but ten automobiles lined up on the flight line is overkill, not to mention inefficient! It could also present itself as a safety hazard, creating lighting conditions that could interfere with the pilot's ability to see in the dark.

My experience has demonstrated that one does not need to be able to see the runway in order to land, any more than one needs to be able to see the airplane in order to fly at night. If you can fly by lights, you can land by lights. Therefore, all you need are a few (or just a couple) reference lights on the runway to let you know where the sky ends and the ground begins. Probably the simplest way to add reference lights to the runway would be to crack a couple chemical light sticks and toss them out on the ends (or wherever they work best for you). A friend of mine uses a couple of homemade lights consisting of a few LEDs and some old rechargeable NiCd batteries, providing just enough light to mark the runway, and they last all night long!

Chemical light sticks have a relatively short usable life span, but they should be adequate enough to get you through your first night flying experience. And don't push it! If you notice the light begin to diminish in the light sticks, making it even a little difficult to see your plane from a distance, then it's either time to land the plane and go home, or put on some fresh lights.

Flying with light sticks is not the best way to fly at night, but it is probably the simplest. Unless you happen to know someone who flies at night and can quickly rig up a lighting system for you to try out, using light sticks is a good quick-start approach to use. The ideal situation would be to fly with an experienced night flyer who has a proven lighting design and who would be willing to let you fly his plane (just make sure you fly the plane during the day to become familiar with it).

Your success and enjoyment with night flying will be solely up to you. Relax, have fun, and progress at a natural rate. Don't try to push it. There are a number of safety considerations to keep in mind while flying at night that you may not have considered in your daytime flying. If you are sensible, reasonable and patient, you can expect to be flying happily at night long into the future.

2008-01-03T14:16:00.000+08:00

It been a long long while since making a post. Marking the beginning of 2008 will be a series of Montages of my collection of RC Planes, Heli, Cars and etc all the way back as far as my memories recall and photos are still available.

BlueBird Servos Comparison with Hitec & Futaba

2007-06-16T19:09:00.000+08:00

For a more economical, high performance, high quality & good after sales support Servos check out BlueBird Technology Servos at www.zhobbyshop.com.

See how our BlueBird Servos compare to other brands in performance. Most importantly, check out it attractive price at www.zhobbyshop.com.

Some Beginner Tips

2007-06-09T16:19:00.000+08:00

The following list of quick tips should help newcomers to our hobby eliminate some of the problems that beset their first attempts.

• Roll test steering in a driveway or car park. If it doesn't roll straight at home, it won't roll straight on a runway. Set steering control to the least sensitive position.

• Put small marks at the CoG. (Centre of gravity) on the wing to indicate balance location. Makes it easy to check at the field

• Balancing laterally (side to side) will help aircraft track better in manoeuvres. Hold at spinner and tail with glow plug removed. Add wing tip weight as necessary.

• Check receiver battery every 2-3 flights. Make a chart of how long you have flown vs. Voltage drop. Do not operate below recommended voltage level.

• Always turn on transmitter 1st, receiver 2nd. Always turn off receiver 1st, transmitter 2nd.

• Range check your system before 1st flight every time out. This should be performed with engine running at both idle and full throttle.

• When using the buddy box system, make sure both boxes are set identical. Never turn buddy box power "on"!

• Remove transmitter neck straps when starting engines.

• If you don't have a starter, at least use a "chicken stick". Do not hit it against the propeller; start your flick with the stick touching the propeller.

• Never jam a running starter onto the spinner. Back up the propeller, and place the starter cone against spinner before turning on.

• When you start your engine, look at your watch and keep track of time. After flight, check fuel level to assess maximum available flight time.

• Do not reach over propeller to adjust needle valve do it from the rear of the propeller. Do not position yourself (or others) to the side of a rotating blade. It could fail on run-up or kick up debris.

• Taxi while holding "up elevator".

• Always fly with a co-pilot/spotter.

• Never practice manoeuvres at low altitude. Fly 2-3 mistakes above the ground.

• When trimming an aircraft in flight, trim only until it stops the incorrect movement.

• Most trainer aircraft will recover from unusual attitudes (mistakes) by killing the power and pulling up elevator (depending on altitude). Be ready to level out and apply power.

• Remember, unless you are "dead stick", you do not have to land. If it's not right, go around. It's much easier, and safer, to try again rather than try to salvage a bad approach.

• If you get nervous for any reason, climb out and do some simple circuits over the field. When you calm down, try again. Don't' push yourself to try again too soon. Take your time.

• Do not fly too far away as it is easy to get disorientated. This is especially true when the sun is low on the horizon and the aircraft becomes a silhouette.

• Installing larger wheels on your trainer will :
1) Make taxiing in grass easier.
2) Improve your visual orientation in the air.
3) Improve your landings as gear won't bend as easily.

• Maintain your flight path. Do not make any erratic manoeuvres to avoid faster, more manoeuvreable overtaking aircraft (experienced pilots etc.). It is their responsibility to avoid you. However, make a conscientious effort to not be a hazard either.

• If it is obvious that you are going to crash, kill the power to minimize damage.

• If for any reason your aircraft is in trouble and headed for the pit area or spectators: Do your best to kill the power and ditch it. Don't try to save it. Planes are cheaper than people. It's a small sacrifice to make.

• If your aircraft does go down in the field or trees-Don't move! Note where you are standing, and pick a far distance reference point or object. Follow a straight line in your search and rescue effort.

• If you are searching in the trees, listen to glow powered aircraft overhead to orient yourself to the flight line and runway.

• When you do recover a crashed aircraft, be sure to pick up every last part, piece and splinter. You'll be glad you did when you decide to rebuild it after the shock wears off. All those little pieces can be glued together to make templates to create replacement parts.

• If you have adjusted the elevator trim to compensate for lower fuel weight during the later part of the flight, immediately reset the elevator trim to the "full fuel tank" position when you have landed. You probably won't remember until you are about 10 feet off the ground on the next take-off and struggling to maintain climb out.

Hints & Tips for Happy Flying

2007-06-09T11:45:00.000+08:00

Seal down loose covering
This should be the first step in the assembly of any ARTF model that uses heat-shrink covering. Use an iron or heat gun to remove wrinkles that may have appeared during shipping, and then turn the heat up and go over all the surfaces where the covering overlaps or ends on bare wood. Be sure you don’t melt or shrink the covering too much, and pay particular attention to the engine compartment and wing seating areas. After you’ve sealed the covering where it ends on bare wood, apply Superglue (Cyano) along the edges to ensure that it stays that way.

Fuel proof the engine compartment
After a few flights, the firewall or engine compartment of diesel and glow powered planes can incur damage if left unprotected. Check these areas, and if needed, paint, epoxy and even cyano can provide the necessary protection. (Heat-shrink covering material will not sufficiently protect these areas from repeated exposures to fuel and oil residue.) The paint can be sprayed or brushed on. Epoxy should be thinned with a little rubbing alcohol and applied with a brush. Thin Cyano can be dripped on the surface and allowed to soak in, but thick Cyano should be rubbed in with your finger. It’s a good idea to wrap your finger in thin kitchen film.

Check high-stress glue joints
All visible glue joints should be checked for cracks or stress breaks when you unpack a new kit. Damage can easily occur during shipping; changes in humidity levels from one part of the country, or even the world, to another can warp parts and cause cracks or other damage tojoints. When checking the joints, pay particular attention to high-stress areas such as the wings, stabilizer, rudder, firewall, landing-gear attachments and servo trays. Repair the damage with Cyano or epoxy, and reinforce the area with balsa triangle stock, plywood, or fiberglass cloth.

Protect your antenna
If you have a high wing trainer, run your receiver aerial through a small hole behind the wing. Take a small screw and carefully screw it into the top of the vertical fin. Next take an old servo arm with three holes and weave your aerial through two holes and adjust it up to the little hole behind your wing inside the fuselage. Take a small rubber band and a small piece of fuel tubing and feed the rubber band through the fuel tubing. Push the end of the aerial through the loop of the rubber band protruding from the fuel tubing then slide your tubing up the rubber band till the loop holding your antenna is in the middle of the tubing also hook the other end of the band to the screw on the vertical fin. Your aerial is now held firm and should your model crash, the rubber band will pop off the screw and your aerial will be safe.

A good cleaner
In an empty spray bottle, add a tablespoon of dish washing detergent, then fill the bottle half way with surgical or rubbing alcohol, and top up with hot water. This recipe works really well for cleaning the oil off of the wings and fuselage after a flying session. It is a strong cleaner but will not hurt the covering or remove colours.

Simple propeller blade balancing
Here is a simple way to balance props. You will need to obtain or borrow a decent prop balancer. Once you have determined which blade is heavier, apply clear nail polish or clear dope to the LIGHT blade. Add thin coats until they are balanced. It should stand up to fuel and cleaners as long as the prop is cleaned thoroughly before applying the fluid. If not simply remove it and rebalance it.

Receiver battery pack precautions
Most radio control systems come with a 600 - 1100mAh battery pack. The latter is fine for a few good flights but if you are using digital servos, there are times when the current drain from the airborne system can reach several amps. An 1800mAH pack should give up to two hours of continuous flying for just a little extra weight penalty. So if you want more safe flight time, get a bigger battery pack..... JUST A SUGGESTION!

New life for old landing gear legs
It is not uncommon for your wire landing gear legs to get gradually weaker and weaker. A possible solution is to remove the gear from the airframe and remove all the hardware from the legs (i.e. - the wheels, collars, spats, etc). Preheat your kitchen oven to 235ºC (450ºF). Place the wire on a baking tray in the oven for one hour. Turn off the oven and toss the wire into cold water to cool it off quickly. What you have just done is to re-temper the piano wire and you should have put new life into that old gear. Note that soldered joints should not be harmed as solder doesn't melt until about 700ºF.

Clear Canopy polish
Toothpaste makes an excellent polish for the canopy. Smear a liberal amount of toothpaste on the canopy and use toilet tissue to buff it to a glossy finish. The process will not scratch the clear plastic at all. Then use an alcohol cleaner to remove any residue left by the toothpaste.

Covering trick
Have you ever had trouble peeling the backing from polyester covering materials when you have cut away all the edging paper? The easiest way to peel the backing off is to use two pieces of masking tape. At a corner of the sheet, stick a piece of masking tape on the front and back of the covering, with about half hanging over the edge so that the pieces of tape stick together past the edge of the covering material. Then peel the two pieces of tape apart. As the two pieces of tape come apart, the backing sheet will come away also.

A flying tip for new pilots
Control reversal is when the inputs on the transmitter sticks must be reversed when your plane is flying toward you. When flying away from you, there is no problem, just move the stick in the direction you want to turn. Many new pilots become disoriented when their plane is approaching them. To help with this, remember to always move the stick towards the low wingtip. This will level the wing when your plane is coming toward you, avoiding a sharp bank, and possibly a crash.

If you want to make a turn when flying toward yourself, then you must push the aileron control stick in the opposite direction to which you want the plane to turn. E.g. If you want the plane to turn to your right, you must push the stick to your left.

Propeller Selection ChartHOW TO USE THIS CHART

1. Find your engine along the bottom axis.
2. Follow the line up to where it intersects with the shaded area.
3. Each point within the shaded area corresponds to the appropriate prop size range on the left axis.

Note: Four Stroke engines are typically higher torque engines and should use the larger props indicated in the range. Recommended prop ranges will vary depending on your particular engine and airplane. This chart represents average prop usage and should be used only as a general guideline. Always refer to the manufacturer's instructions included with your engine.

Temperature sensitive items
In warm summer months, bear in mind several RC items that deserve a temperaturecontrolled environment. Batteries left in airplanes that are hung in the garage can get too hot. Fuel can evaporate quicker. Some covering films can separate from their backing. Cyano glues can age quicker. Try to keep these things cool so they’ll be ready to use in good condition when you need them.

Rubber band storage
Put your rubber bands in a Ziploc bag and cover them with Talcum Powder or Corn Starch. This will soak up the any fuel or oil residue, condition the rubber and help them last longer.

Cyano or Superglue storage
One popular method is to store the Cyano in the refrigerator. Another possible answer may be to simply keep moisture away from the opened container. This can be done by storing the opened Cyano bottles in a polythene bag with a silica gel desiccant bag. The silica gel keeps the moisture out and the CA flowing. The silica gel can be revitalized by baking in your oven.

Bearing removal
The best way to remove bearings from your motor is to heat up the case. This can be accomplished by using a propane torch, a small butane pencil torch, or in an oven @ 235 - 260ºC (450-500º F) for only a few minutes. Be sure to remove EVERYTHING that can come off the motor. i.e. Carburetor, cylinder head, back plate, everything up front and all paper gaskets. Just give no more than 7 minutes at these settings or it may warp the case. Be sure to use an oven mitt to remove it from the oven. Once out, have a piece of wood handy and while the engine is still hot, just firmly tap the back of the motor on the wood and the bearing should fall out. The bearings will be hot also so take care.

Tip for cleaning bolts
Place the bolts in a fine strainer (stainless) and immerse it in a pot of boiling water with a strong liquid detergent for about 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and dry when complete. The parts are VERY, VERY clean when done. No further prep work is needed. This leaves the bolts clean enough for the application of Loctite.

Cleaning fuel soaked balsa
Remove the fuel tank and try to dry as much as possible from the affected area. Take some corn starch and fill the compartment. Also coat external affected areas and leave for 24 to 48 hrs. After that, tip out the excess or use the vacuum cleaner. You will probably have corn starch stuck to the balsa where the fuel was. Push the tank in and then remove it again and use the vacuum to get the rest out. If it is still damp reapply fresh corn starch for another 24 hrs. Repeat as you feel necessary.

Another method is to blow a heat gun on the affected area to bring the fuel to the surface. Then you can easily wipe the fuel away. A covering iron works as well.

Avoiding screwdriver damage when installing control horns
There is a simple tool that you can make that will eliminate this damage. Take a small piece of thin plywood and cut a rectangular opening in it just slightly larger than the base of the control horn. Place this opening around the control horn base before tightening the mounting screws. Now when the screwdriver slips there will be no damage to your new model.

Firewall fuel proofing
Firewalls are normally coated with epoxy to help prevent fuel and oil damage to the wood. Apply a coat of epoxy on the firewall after you have covered the plane with film covering. Ensure the film overlaps a little onto the firewall. The epoxy seals the edges of the film covering.

Mixing epoxy resins
If you use an old coffee can lid, when the residue of epoxy hardens, flex the lid and the epoxy will pop off.

Marking hinge positions
Use a marker to draw a black line across the middle of Mylar strip hinges. This will indicate whether the hinge is being pushed into the wing when you push on the control surface. If you can't keep the hinge from being pushed into the wing stick a pin through the middle of the hinge. This will not weaken the hinge in any way.

Correct fin alignment
To get a fin in correct alignment with a fuselage, try using thread. Make sure you have an accurate centre mark near the top-front of the fuselage, and tack-glue a long piece of thread to the top near the nose half the thickness of the fin away from the centre-line. Run the thread back to the tail, and hold it against the side of the fin. The thread should touch the side of the fin evenly overall. If it doesn't, then rotate the fin until it does, then tack glue the fin into place, reinforcing it later. Finally remove the thread you tack-glued in place.

Fiberglass Wing Joints
Give the cloth a light spraying of 3M Spray Adhesive, then apply it to the wing. Now you can apply the epoxy resin without wrinkles appearing. This method works extremely well, and it's safe for foam.

Installing triangular stock
Triangular reinforcements can been difficult to handle due to their shape, especially when they're coated with epoxy.

Try sticking your modeling knife loosely into one end of the triangular stock. Lay it on the bench so that the wide part of the triangle (the hypotenuse) is against the bench surface. Now apply the epoxy or other adhesive to the sides that will glued to the airframe.

Using the knife handle to insert the triangle into position in the airframe, press down with your finger onto the wide side that has no glue, and carefully slide the knife out of the piece. This way you can cleanly install triangular stock, and not get any glue on your fingers.

Rib maker
Cut two ribs from thick litho plate or a similar hard material. Drill two holes along the center line for 1/4-inch bolts to pass through, one near the leading edge and one near the trailing edge. Make sure both ribs are identical.

Use one of these ribs as a template to draw ribs onto balsa sheet leaving a small margin of waste wood around each rib. Cut each rib "block" out of the sheeting, and drill the holes in each.

Assemble all ribs on the correct length bolts, and sandwich all between the template ribs. Using nuts, tighten the assembly down, making sure it's straight.

Using a belt sander (a disk sander will work too) or hand sanding block, remove the extra wood around the ribs down to when the templates begin touching the sander. Cut out the spar notches with a hand saw, and clean them out with a file.

This will make all the ribs for a wing in one go, and they'll all be identical. This results in a straight, uniform wing. This method can also be used for a tapered wing (with all the ribs of different size). Multiple bulkheads and formers can be made using this method too.

Making holes in polyester covering
Holes for wing bolts, switches, hatch screw holes, pushrod openings, etc. can be difficult to finish neatly. You could cut the hole/opening with a modeling knife, or razor blade, but then you have to seal the fresh cut covering to the surrounding wood. Take an old soldering iron tip (pointed preferably) in a 25 watt soldering iron and cut the hole/opening with it.

Be sure to clean the tip after each cut. A wet sponge similar to that used for soldering is fine. Do not use the same sponge that you use for cleaning your soldering tips. If you don't clean the tip regularly the burned covering will cake on. It will not only smell badly but will inhibit the cut, as you will not have maximum heat. Thoroughly clean the tip with a wire wheel or wirewool after each use once it completely cools down.

Cutting covering
For laying out sheets of heat shrink covering for cutting intricate shapes or just straight lines, nothing beats glass for a surface to cut on, it will not dull the knife or slow it down when cutting. The covering material will stick to the glass if the backing is removed all by itself for easy cutting. You can also use a little low heat from a hair dryer to make it stick even better for critical cutting. You can use solvent to put together large panels of covering without it sticking to the work surface. An old rectangular glass coffee table top is ideal. Try to get safety glass or plate glass.

Vertical rib supports
Obtain a piece of aluminum 1 or 2 inch right angle that can be found at most hardware stores. Make sure it is really square (90%) then cut off 1/2 inch wide pieces. Drill small holes in each end about the size of a modeling pin. Use the angles to hold ribs perpendicular to the building board by putting one on each side of the rib and then pinning it to the board.

Cutting clean holes in thin balsa & plywood
Do not try to use a common wood drill as it will usually leave a ragged hole that is the wrong size. Purchase a piece of thin wall brass tubing the same outside diameter as the hole you want to drill. Mount the tubing in an electric drill (preferably a drill press) then hold a piece of sand paper or a file against the end at 45º while running the drill to sharpen it. Use this sharpened tube to drill your holes it will cut perfect holes.

After cutting several holes you may have to push out the wood that collects inside the tube with a stiff wire. If you can find a drill that is the same size as the inside of the tube, push it in the top of the tube so that the drill chuck does not crush the tube. Also watch that the tube does not flare out at the bottom and change the size of the hole.

Better Screw Holes
When you have to use screws that will be removed often drill the holes for the screws large enough to allow you to insert a small length of Sullivan Gold-N-Rod and glue the rod in the hole. The screws can then be removed and reinserted with out weakening the wood.

Easier Plastic Bolting
After cutting a plastic wing bolt to shorten it, use a pencil sharpener to give it a beveled tip. This makes it much easier to insert the bolt and cleans up the start threads.

Covering Iron Cleaner
To remove the residue that accumulates on your covering iron, use a Cyano cleaning fluid. Brush on a thin coat on a cool iron and then wipe off with a clean rag.

The following list of quick tips should help newcomers to our hobby eliminate some of the problems that beset their first attempts.

Skeldar V-150 UAV

2007-06-09T11:21:00.000+08:00

Based on the Apid 55 from Linköping's Cybaero, Saab took over the rights to the product and development.

Skeldar V-150
Lenght : 4 m
Height : 1,2m
Weight : 150kg
Payload : 25Kg @ 3500 meter altitude @100km range @ 100km/h.

http://www.saabgroup.com/en/MediaRel...ortunities.htm

http://www.corren.se/archive/2006/5/...=1096984640-7&

Saab launched at Eurosatory 2006 the Skeldar V-150 lightweight unmanned helicopter, designed for military and commercial applications. The Skeldar is currently in final testing and is expected to be ready for operational use by mid 2007. The maximum takeoff weight of the Skeldar is 150kg, including 55 kg of fuel and payload. It can fly a 4 - 5 hour mission, up to a range of 100 km, dashing at maximum speed of 100 km/h. The basic system includes two unmanned helicopters, EO/IR payloads and a control station. The platform can accommodate an optronic, stabilized payload, or a SAR or various electronic sensors (ELINT, EW etc.) Saab is working with the Swedish Airworthiness Authorities to establish the necessary procedures and regulations to certify Skeldar UAVs to operate in civilian airspace.

The Skeldar is designed to take off and land vertically, and maneuver precisely even in tight airspace. The system uses a water cooled two cylinder, two stroke fuel injected gasoline engine located in the front of the fuselage. The rotor system uses a Bell-Hiller configuration, with stabilizer bar and paddles. Navigation is performed by redundant GPS and IMU system, air data and magnetic heading indicator enabling autonomous operation while maintaining total radio silence.

Too Lean or Rich for Nitro Engine?

2007-05-25T02:38:00.000+08:00

Nitro or glow engines use nitro fuel but it's actually a mixture of fuel and air that goes into the engine. The right fuel/air mixture keeps the engine running at its best. The wrong mixture can cause overheating, excessive wear, or cause the engine to stall. This fuel/air mixing takes place in the carburetor.

Lean and rich refer to the mix of fuel and air. To lean out or richen a nitro RC engine means to adjust the mixture of fuel and air going into the engine. Lean is the addition of more air to the fuel/air mixture. Rich is the addition of more fuel to the fuel/air mixture.

Lean
When you lean out a nitro engine you are adjusting the mixture so that there is more air going into the nitro engine than there is fuel. This provides a little more horsepower but can result in very high engine temperatures. If you are not careful leaning out a nitro engine you could run it too lean. This will wear out the glow plug prematurely or cause engine failure.

Rich
When you richen the nitro engine's mixture you're adding more fuel than air to the nitro engine. This can give you better results for some kinds of races because this method, unlike leaning out, will give you cooler engine temperatures.

But if running too rich you can not only bog the engine down and stall out but also flood it and foul the glow plug.

When to Lean Out or Richen a Nitro RC
You might be running too lean if the engine dies while idling, you don't see a light stream of blue smoke from the exhaust, or the engine gets so hot that a drop of water on the engine immediately starts sizzling and popping.

Too much blue smoke or a lot of unburned fuel from the exhaust and an inability to reach top speed are some some signs that you may be running too rich.

How to Lean Out or Richen a Nitro RC
Engine tuning and adjusting the fuel/air mixture involves adjusting the high-end (high speed / engine temperature) and low-end (low speed / idle speed) needles on the carburetor. This is also called dialing in your engine. There are usually base-line settings for each nitro engine that provide a good starting point for adjusting the needle settings. You'll turn each needle in very small increments to lean out or richen the fuel.

Turn clockwise to lean out or add air and counterclockwise to richen or add fuel. The low-end needle controls idling and low speeds. The high-end needle controls how the engine accelerates and runs at high speed and has a greater effect on engine temperature.

Lean, Rich, and Engine Temperature
You want to adjust the fuel/air mixture so that your engine runs at an optimal temperature which is generally somewhere between 225-250 degrees Fahrenheit for most nitro engines. Much over 250 degrees could cause a lot of damage and also shortens the life of your nitro engine.

Check your nitro engine's temperature often to keep it at optimal temperature for longer runtimes and overall better life for your nitro engine. If the running temperature is less than 200 degrees you need to turn your high-end needle adjustment clockwise to lean out the mixture a bit to get the temperature up a little. If your temperature is above 250 degrees you would bring it down by adjusting the high-end needle to richen the mixture by rotating the high-end needle counter-clockwise. The ambient temperature outside and the elevation according to sea level will adversely effect the nitro engine's temperature so adjust accordingly.

Nitro Engine Break-In Procedure

2007-05-25T02:31:00.000+08:00

Proper nitro engine break-in is critical for long-lasting performance of your RC. Every new nitro engine should undergo a break-in procedure. Breaking in a nitro engine takes anywhere from one to two hours and about 3-5 tanks of nitro fuel. If you do the nitro engine break-in properly, the up-keep on your RC vehicle is less costly than if the procedure is done hastily and incorrectly. Be patient.

For your nitro engine break-in, choose a clean, flat, paved or smooth surface. You'll be doing the initial break-in with the body off so you don't want to be kicking up dirt or doing flips during break-in. During the first couple of tanks of fuel focus on varying and limiting your speed. Don't run your engine past half-throttle. Don't run at a constant speed.

During break-in deposits build up and can foul out the glow plug so your engine might seem like it's stalling or not running properly. This is normal. Proper break-in alleviates these symptoms. Do have an extra glow plug or two handy in case you need them.

Operate Safely
Here are simple safety checks you need to do before starting:

1. Turn on the Controller First
Turn your transmitter/controller on first followed by the receiver on the RC. When finished running your RC, turn the receiver off first, then the controller. This sequence will keep your nitro RC from running amok if someone nearby is running on the same frequency. Do yourself a favor though and check frequency before running your RC.

2. Put The Engine in Neutral
Move the throttle forward and reverse to ensure your nitro engine is in neutral and is in the idle position when the throttle is released.

3. Check Your Steering
Move the steering controls from side to side. If steering seems sluggish or hesitant, replace the receiver's batteries before proceeding.

Prime Your Nitro Engine
Start up your RC. Watch to see if fuel is moving through the lines. If fuel doesn't reach the carburetor after 3-5 seconds place and release your finger over the tip of the exhaust for a couple of seconds to help the engine start. This is known as priming the engine. Be careful when doing so because if too much fuel goes into the engine when priming, it will flood causing the engine to lock up.

If the engine does flood use your glow plug wrench to remove the glow plug. Place a rag over the engine head. If equipped, use your electric starter. Start the engine to get the remaining fuel out and wipe off the head with a dry towel to remove any remaining fuel. Reinstall the glow plug and start on the first tank of the break-in process. Your nitro engine shoudn't be primed for more than 1-2 seconds at a time to avoid flooding.

Do Five Tank Nitro Engine Break-in
With each tank of fuel you'll increase the amount and duration of throttle. Use these tank-by-tank guidelines for your nitro engine break-in.

Tank 1
Give the engine one-quarter throttle slowly for 2 seconds. Apply the brakes. If you pull back on the throttle too fast you may cause your engine to stall.

When there is a nice trail of blue smoke coming from the exhaust it means your fuel mixture is properly set and the engine is being lubricated. If no smoke is present, richen the fuel mixture by giving the air/fuel mixture needle a quarter turn until smoke is present.

Continue running the first tank of fuel, repeatedly giving it one-quarter throttle then braking until it is almost empty. Do not run the tank dry because this will result in a burned out glow plug from the fuel mixture being too lean and can also lead to damage from high engine temperatures.

Shut off the engine by pinching the fuel line to the carburetor and let it cool down for about 10-15 minutes before you start on your next tank of fuel.

Tank 2
Advance to half-throttle for 2-3 seconds for the second tank of fuel. Remember to accelerate smoothly through the entire break-in process. Do this repeatedly as long as you have fuel. When the second tank is done repeat the shut-off and cool-down steps as you did in the first tank of fuel.

Tank 3
On the third tank of fuel you will run for a 3-second count at half-throttle then brake. By this time the engine begins to loosen up and the idle may need to be adjusted down.

You will know an idle adjustment is necessary when your nitro RC won't sit still when idling. Use your tuning screwdriver to turn down the idle by turning the idle adjustment counter clockwise to reduce the idle speed. From this point forward you don't have to let your engine cool down between tanks.

Tank 4
For the fourth tank give your nitro RC full throttle for a count of 3 seconds and then brake. If your nitro RC is equipped with a multi-speed transmission and tries to shift into another gear let off the throttle and then brake. When doing a 3 second count on tank 4 remember to accelerate smoothly to avoid doing wheelies or flipping the RC over.

Tank 5
For this final tank of fuel you will repeatedly accelerate to full throttle in 3 seconds and hold for 2 seconds then brake. After this tank is done you will have completed the break-in process.

Maintain Your Nitro Engine After Break-in
After break-in and after each session with your nitro RC you'll need to perform after-run maintenance. For a nitro engine this includes :

* Drain the fuel tank
* Clean and oil the air filter
* Add after-burn oil

BlueBird Technology Servos & Products

2007-05-25T02:00:00.000+08:00

Exclusively by www.zhobbyshop.com.

All Sales & Products enquiries are welcome at enquiry@zhobbyshop.com.

RC Kites - In Various Design

2007-05-20T23:51:00.001+08:00

RC Kites available in other Design.

For Sales & Products details contact www.zhobbyshop.com.

RC Kites - Some call it IFO

2007-05-19T18:43:00.000+08:00

Looking for an inexpensive & affordable RC Kite?
Look no further now, contact www.zhobbyshop.com for details.

The only RC Kite that comes bundle with Lipo Battery, Charger, Radio, Servos & Motor.
All you need to do is to charge the battery & it is READY TO FLY! What's more, it comes with pre-installed LED light for night flying!!Light up your day & night with this low-cost & high performance RC Kite. Contact www.zhobbyshop.com for details now!

Hurry!! Don't miss it!

Dreamz....

2007-05-15T23:19:00.001+08:00

....In my Dream, my Angles tell me I cannot fly, cos' I aidn't got Wings ;

I took my Planes out to fly at the Field to join my Angles when I woke upz....

Gyro Confusion?

2007-05-15T22:52:00.000+08:00

What is a Gyro?

This is the device that the rudder servo is connected to. The rudder servo connects to the gyro and the gyro plugs into the rudder channel of the receiver. It is used to sense sudden movements of the tail and it commands the rudder servo to compensate for it.

Why Do We Need Them?
Most people think it is to compensate for the wind, but that is not the real reason. I myself give examples of a gust of wind hitting the helicopter from the side, this is to keep the explanation simple but the real reason is to compensate for sudden loads on the main rotor. The tail spins at over twice the speed of the main rotor so if you lose 100 rpm from the head then you dropped over 200 rpm from the tail. The tail rotor is a lot smaller then the main and its effectiveness is highly dependent on the speed. So every collective and cyclic change you make effects the tail. Now keep in mind just because we have highly advanced gyros now does not mean you do not have to take this effect into consideration. Any gyro will work its best when you can keep the head speed constant. This means fine tuning both the throttle curve and cyclic mixing is important to achieving the maximum performance from your gyro.

Gyro Types
Basically you have two types, mechanical and piezo. I do not think anyone still sells the old mechanical gyros but if you bought a used helicopter it is possible you may have one. The mechanical gyros will have a buzzing sound coming from the sensor unit. They use an electric motor with two flywheels, one on each end of the motor shaft. And this is where the noise comes from. To understand how it works hold a spinning bicycle wheel by the axle and try to turn it, you will feel it resist you moving it. The flywheels in the mechanical gyro are mounted on a pivot and a sensor measures the deflection of the motor/flywheels when the helicopter makes a sudden movement. The piezo type gyros work with no moving parts. It uses a triangular crystal with a piezo element on each side. The piezo element is used in a lot of watches to make the beep sound from the alarm function. The material not only can make sound but also sense it. So it is used in both speakers and microphones. Two of the piezo elements on the crystal are set to sense vibration and the third one is setup to vibrate. When the helicopter is not rotating the vibration travelling through the crystal hits the other two piezo elements at the same time. When the helicopter is rotating one sensor will have a stronger signal then the other. It is a very efficient design and has a lot finer degree of resolution then the mechanical type. In addition power consumption is greatly reduced as there is no spinning motor to power.

What is the Difference between Heading Hold (HH) and Standard Rate (Non-HH)?
In Non-HH mode the gyro just dampens unwanted movements of the tail. To keep things simple let say you are hovering and a constant wind hits the helicopter from the side, the gyro will keep the helicopter from suddenly swinging nose into the wind, but the helicopter will eventually drift nose into the wind. All the gyro does is to prevent any jerk type reaction.

In HH mode the gyro will keep the nose pointed in the same place until you tell it to move. You can fly sideways with the rudder stick in the centre and the nose will remain pointed in the same direction.

If you have not used heading hold before then you will notice in fast forward flight that when you make a turn, the tail will not follow the helicopter, you have to give some rudder in your turns. Another thing is that you'll notice the rudder stick feels different. In heading hold, the amount you move the rudder stick from centre tells the gyro how many degrees per second that you want the helicopter to rotate. The gyro moves the rudder servo however much it needs to obtain the requested rotation rate. With a standard rate gyro if you did a slow pirouette (one rotation) with the wind then to keep the helicopter spinning at the same rate you would have to move the rudder stick more as the tail is going upwind and less as the tail goes downwind. But with a heading hold gyro, it will tell the rudder servo to move more or less to maintain the constant rate; you just keep the rudder stick in one place.

Due to typical marketing ploys you will see many names for heading hold. They all are just different names for the same thing. The different names are just because each company wants to make it seem like their version is more special then another companies.

AVCS = Tail Lock = Smart Lock = Heading Hold

Rudder ATV (End Point, Travel Adjust) Values?
On a non-heading hold gyro this function in your radio is used to set how far the rudder linkage will travel.

On heading hold gyros this function works completely different. It is used to set the maximum rotation rate. So what do you do about limiting the travel so as not to allow the servo to bind? Some gyros have a limit adjustment on them that you use to set this. The ones that do not require you to move the ball on the servo arm further or closer to the centre of the arm to limit the travel.

Can I Use Rudder Trim?
If you are using a heading hold gyro then the quick answer is no. The reason is that heading hold gyros are looking for a centred command from the radio to keep the helicopter from rotating. If you move the rudder trim a few clicks one way or the other then a gyro in heading hold mode thinks that you wanting it to spin in that direction.

Example: Say you have switched to non-heading hold mode and the helicopter is rotating left so you add a little right trim until the helicopter is still. Now when you flip back to heading hold then you will find the helicopter now constantly rotates to the right.

So how do you make it so the helicopter is trimmed in both heading hold and non? This confuses a lot of people because they often do the setup out of order. The first step is to centre the trim and zero the sub-trim. Next with the gyro in heading hold mode adjust the sub-trim so the helicopter does not rotate. Normally this should be zero but due to small differences in the radios as well as some gyros you may find you have to adjust the sub-trim. The next step is to switch to non-heading hold and if the helicopter drifts, then adjust the rudder linkage. If the helicopter is drifting left then turn the link clockwise, opposite if drifting the other direction.

Helicopter spins out of control as soon as it gets light on the skids
This is another very common question I get. The cause is the reverse setting on the gyro. Do not get this confused with the reverse settings in the radio, that is not the same. To check the gyro move the rudder stick to the right, the control rod for the tail should be pulled toward the front of the helicopter. Next pick up the helicopter by the rotor head. Grab the tail boom and quickly rotate the helicopter so the nose goes to the left. Watch the control rod, it needs to move forward. If it does not then the gyro is backwards. Most gyros have a reverse switch or jumper located on the gyro, this is not done in the radio. A few gyros require you to turn the gyro upside down.

What is Gyro Gain?
This refers to the sensitivity of the gyro. When the gyro senses an unwanted movement it commands the tail servo to move in the opposite direction to compensate. How much it tells the servo to move is the 'gain'. Ideally the amount of gain should match how much the helicopter was rotated so that it stays pointed in the same direction and does not move. If the gain is too high then the helicopter over compensates. The effect you will see is the tail will bounce back and forth (wag). If the gain is not enough then you will notice the tail does not hold very well. When setting the gain, you want to turn it up until you see the tail 'wag' (bounce back and forth) then turn the gain back down until it stops.

How to Set the Gain?
Gyros with Remote Gain :
This depends on the type of radio you have and how you set it up. Some radios do not have a dedicated gyro function such as the Futaba 6X, 8U (not Super), and JR 622/642/652/662. For these you adjust the gain in the travel adjust (End Point, EPA, ATV) menu. In this menu select the gear channel (channel 5) and use the switch assigned to it to toggle between the gain setting for heading hold and non heading hold. For radios with gyro menus leave the ATV set to the default values (usually 100) and then use the gyro menu to set the gain

Gyros without Remote Gain :
This type will have an adjustment on the gyro. It is usually a small pot that you use a screwdriver to turn.

Gain Values
Different radios treat the values differently. On the Futaba 8U(super) the range in the gyro menu is 0 to 100. From 0 to 50 is one mode (such as heading hold) and 50 to 100 is the other. To fully understand this you have to look at it just as the gyro does. That radio sends a pulse from 1ms to 2ms to each of the connectors on the receiver. From 1ms to 1.5ms is one mode, say Non-HH, and 1.5ms to 2ms is the other. The further it is from 1.5ms the higher the gain. On the 8U(super), 0 would correspond to 1ms and 100 would be 2ms. Now on the Futaba 9C it has 0 to 100 for HH and 0 to 100 for Non-HH. So in the Non-HH position 0 would be 1.5ms and 100 would be 1ms. In the HH position it sends pulses from 1.5ms to 2ms.

Now to add a little confusion some radios allow the end points (ATV) you set to effect the setting you made in the gyro menu. So in other words if you have the gyro menu set at 100% but the end point for channel 5 is at 100% (with a range up to 150%) then instead of sending a 2.0ms pulse to the gyro (for maximum gain) you are only sending a 1.83ms signal which is about 65% of the actual gain in the gyro.

So to help unconfused you now, don't worry about the details. Just set your end points to 100% and 100% for the gyro gain too. Then if the tail wags lower the gain from there. If you have to go below 85% then move the ball on the servo arm in one hole toward the centre and try again.

What is the Delay Setting?
This is a setting found on some gyros such as the popular Futaba GY401. It is used to compensate for slower servos. To set it do a quick pirouette and when you stop watch to see if the tail stops still or bounces. If it bounces then increase the delay to stop it. For a fast servo like the Futaba 9253 leave the delay setting at 0.

Cessna 182 (Crash)

2007-05-05T22:41:00.000+08:00

A begineer plane the Cessna 182. Very stable flight performance & scale looking. Fly well even on Stock setup. However, better performance can be achieved with Brushless setup.

The foam is rather brittle and do not sustain a crash well. Then again, spare parts are available.

Tips 5 : Landing

2007-05-05T16:10:00.002+08:00

The most important thing to know about landing a model airplane is that it must land into the wind - just like the real thing. Think back to the section on lift and you can see that wind is effectively free lift that is available for you without using engine power.

To bring your plane in, start by lining it up with the place where you want it to land, either grass or a runway. Then reduce the power, without turning the engine completely off. Use just enough engine power to maintain a gentle rate of descent while keeping the airplane in the landing attitude (that means wheels down - not nose down!), use the rudder to keep the plane in a straight line, allowing it to glide down to the ground gently. Remember that the amount of engine power you need will vary according to the strength of the wind you are flying into - and that can change from day to day.

Some model airplanes have an elevator control. In this case, you can adjust the height, but if your plane doesn't have this feature, don't worry--the engine will do the same thing if you power up brieﬂy to help slow the descent down. Otherwise, it's best to use the elevator to pop the nose up lightly as you touch down, this drains excess speed from the plane.

If you're uncomfortable with landing, turn the engine back on to full power. Then, circle around and try again, lining up again with the runway or grass. Remember that even the experts make mistakes and have missed approaches, and you'll do far better to circle three, four, or ﬁve times than to crash your plane. However, you want to make sure you do not run out of fuel or battery power before landing, or the plane could end up somewhere you do not want it to go

Again, thank you for subscribing to this special 5-part report. Hopefully, you have read each of the previous instalments in this series and are now fully aware of five ways you can increase your enjoyment of this great hobby while protecting the safety of your plane and of those people on the ground.

Tpis 4 : Trimming the Plane

2007-05-05T16:09:00.001+08:00

The word “trimming” refers to the adjusting of your airplane controls during a flight so that the plane flies straight and level without you making any control inputs. Sometimes a model airplane will want to veer in one direction or another because of the motor's torque or perhaps some distortion or construction defect is affecting the aerodynamics. This may not be critical but you'll need to learn about this characteristic of your plane, and fast, so you can fly it properly.

The small trim tabs located on the transmitter are used to fine-tune the controls. These too can vary from one transmitter model to another. What you are doing is putting in a constant adjustment to the flying controls to balance the defect affecting the airplane.

Once the trim tab has been moved, allow your model plane to fly on its own for about 10 seconds to check that it is flying straight and level, and then, if necessary, you can make further small adjustments until you get it right.

Tips 3 : Taking Off

2007-05-05T16:08:00.001+08:00

The way you take off will depend on a number of things. For example, if your model plane is designed with an undercarriage and you’re ﬂying from a ﬂat, smooth surface, then you would do better taking off from the ground instead of using a hand launch. To do this, you go through all of your pre-ﬂight checks and then set the plane on the “tarmac,” facing into the wind.

Next, stand directly behind the plane. Turn the engine on to full power, allowing the airplane to accelerate while on the ground. If necessary, use the rudder to keep the plane headed straight down the runway. Just as with a full size plane, the model will gain speed and eventually lift off the ground.

Lift Off
When the plane starts to take off, give it just a little bit of up elevator. Typically you see beginners make the mistake of climbing too steeply, which causes the plane to slow down, stall, and crash. A gradual climb, as stated before, is much better. So go light on the up elevator.

Launch
If you plan to hand launch your model plane, be sure you never throw it angled up. Instead, it should be thrown firmly --but not too hard--with the nose pointed straight ahead. You want it in a nice stable flying position while you get your hands back on the transmitter box.

Tips 2 : Test Glide

2007-05-04T21:10:00.001+08:00

Although not all ﬂyers will perform a test glide at every outing, you will certainly want to consider this whenever you are dealing with a new model. The test glide is designed to assess the glide characteristics of the plane, so you know what to expect if the engine should unexpectedly quit for any reason. To do this, you want to work over a long area of grass, so if something happens, the model airplane will not be seriously damaged.

For the pre-ﬂight check, turn the transmitter on ﬁrst, followed by the receiver switch. Then, pull the transmitter antenna out so that it's completely extended. Next, make sure the rudder or elevator is working properly, moving in the correct way then centre it in a neutral position.

Now hold your airplane facing away from you, at head level and into the wind. Very gently launch the plane from your hand, making sure it is level or pointed slightly downwards. If the plane is right and ready to ﬂy, it will gently glide to the ground after a short, smooth ﬂight.

Tips 1 : Weight and Balance

2007-05-04T21:09:00.001+08:00

For RTF kits (that's Ready To Fly), you don't need to worry much about the weight and balance when you first buy the plane. However, you should always check the balance before each ﬂight. If the airplane is not balanced, it will likely crash. Planes, whether model or full size passenger jets, all have a center of gravity which must be within certain limits for the aircraft to fly successfully.

This has a direct impact on the plane's balance. As a general rule, the center of gravity should be about one-third of the way back from the front edge of the wing (and two-thirds of the “wing-chord” forward from the trailing edge). To test, place the tips of your index ﬁngers under the wing tip, about one-third of the way back from the leading edge.

Then, very carefully, lift the model airplane up, balancing it on your ﬁngers. If the balance is good, the plane will be level, with the nose pointing horizontal, or maybe just a bit downward. If the plane's tail is pointing downward, then you have a balance problem and should not ﬂy the plane until it is ﬁxed.

Before adjusting it, think of what might have caused it. If you tested your model before leaving home and it was OK but now it isn't then what might be the cause? A loose screw or piece of material which has moved around during transit can be enough to affect the CG. If you now adjust it back to balance by adding another weight then you may have left a loose item inside your model which will surely come back to haunt you when it moves again during a flying manoeuvre.

If you are sure you have nothing loose and you do need to adjust the CG, add weight to the nose, something like ﬁshing shots, plasticine, or even modelling clay. Add just a little at a time, checking the center of gravity after each addition. (Or, you can move the engine more toward the front.) If you do not want to lose control and maybe crash and ruin your plane, this is a crucial step.

Benefits of RC Flight Simulator

2007-05-01T18:31:00.001+08:00

A flight simulator is an excellent tool if used properly. The big mistake that so many people make is to believe that the simulator will teach them to fly. A simulator cannot teach anything. They are simply not programmed with that ability. Many software packages have a built-in tutorial that allows the user to step through the functions of the program as it explains how to use each one. The simulator does not have this feature. For instance, the simulator does not explain that stick movements should be gentle and only enough to get the model to perform a maneuver. It does not explain that the model must be controlled into and out of a turn with the ailerons. These are the functions of an instructor. The simulator is a tool to practice the maneuvers that have been taught by an instructor. A student pilot, especially a beginner, can develop some very bad habits while using a simulator that are difficult to break later.

For beginners, flight simulators are excellent tools for building spatial orientation, motor skills, and confidence. For more experienced pilots, flight simulators help in building motor skills required in doing the more difficult maneuvers. The amount of benefit that the pilot can gain from the simulator depends entirely on how well the simulator emulates the model. On most simulators, the flight characteristics can be adjusted so that it more closely emulates the "feel" of the model. None of the simulators have progressed to the point that the flight physics are perfect but they are close enough that they can be of significant benefit.

Dne of the most difficult things to master for the beginning pilot is approach orientation. There is a natural tendency for the beginner to move the stick in the direction he wants the model to go. When the model is moving toward the pilot, the aileron and rudder controls are reversed. This means that in order for the model to turn to the pilot's left, the stick must be moved to the right. Using a simulator allows the pilot to practice approaching maneuvers for hours on end so that it becomes second nature to move the stick in the correct direction for the model to take the desired flight path. After approach orientation has been mastered, all other maneuvers start to become easier to accomplish, especially landings.

The primary benefit of flight simulators is that of building motor skills. The pilot, whether a beginner or experienced, can practice specific maneuvers for hours without having to be concerned about weather, time of day, temperature, or number of people at the field. The motor skills that are developed through hours at the simulator are basically the same as "muscle memory" in golf. This means that the skills are related more to the muscles reacting to a simple command than the brain sending a series of commands to the muscle. For instance, the pilot wants to perform a snap roll with a Giles 202 model. He thinks "snap roll" and his fingers simply move the sticks to the appropriate position rather than his having to think in what position the sticks need to be. The end result of the muscle memory is where modelers get the term "feel" for a model. Since there is no positive feedback system built into a transmitter, there is not true feel for a model. The feel of the model comes from the difference in the expected feel based on muscle memory and the actual feel from the movement of the sticks.

Many beginners do not progress as well as others simply because of a lack of confidence. This is especially true if the student is not able to fly very often due to conflicts in scheduling time to devote to learning to fly. With each trip to the field, he must re-learn some of the things that he has forgotten during his absence from the field. He must again reinforce his motor skills and regain his muscle memory or feel for the trainer. Since his progress may be much slower than that of other students at the field, he may become frustrated and much less confident. The simulator allows the beginner to practice what he has learned to maintain or improve his motor skills and not lose his confidence. When he goes to the field, he will subconsciously think, "I can do this."

If pilots get proper instruction and use the flight simulator to practice what is taught, it can be of significant value in learning to fly or to perfect various maneuvers. It can greatly increase the "stick time" that the pilot is able to achieve in given period of time. It is a tool that if properly applied can help a pilot to progress at a much faster rate than normally possible. Above all, it is up to the pilot to make sure that this tool is properly applied by getting the right kind of instruction and not try to learn on his own.

RC Switch for Radio Control

2007-05-01T09:41:00.006+08:00

Parts List
All resistors 1/4w / 5% tolerance, unless otherwise posted.

R1 = 47K
IC1 = MC14013B
R2 = 1K
Q1 = BUZ11, IRFZ42, NTE2395, or ECG2395
R3 = 10K
S1 = on/off switch (optional)
P1 = 100K
Servo Lead
C1 = 22nF

The MC14013B dual type D flip-flop is constructed with MOS P-Channel enhancement mode devides in a single monolithic structure. Each flip-flop has independent Data, (D), Direct Set, (S), Direct Reset, (R), and Clock, (C), inputs and complementary outputs (Q and Q-not). These devices may be used as shift-register elements or as type 'T' flip-flops for counter and toggle applications. The MC14013B CMOS SSI is a low-power complimentary MOS.

This device contains protection circuitry to guard against damage due to high static voltage or electric fields. However, precautions must be taken to avoid applications of any voltage higher than the maximum rated voltages to this high-impedance circuit. For proper operation, Vin and Vout should be constrained to the range Vss [much-smaller-than] (Vin or Vout) [much-smaller-than] Gnd. Unused inputs must always be tied to an appropriate logic voltage level (e.g. either Vcc or Gnd). Unused outputs must be left open.

Description
The circuit, as described above, is a so-called "Radio Controlled Electronic Switch". It can be used to switch on/off anything electrical, whatever it is. Here are a couple of examples : navigation lights, landing gear, sound systems, glow plug driver, bomb release, parachute, search lights, gyros, and so on.

Fig. A shows the regular setup for common accessories such as motors, glow plugs, bomb-doors, relays, etc. If you like to hook it up to a camera, see Fig. B. Note that for the Camera Shutter version the value for R1 and R2 is different (100K). Please note that this system will not work with PCM.

Heart of the circuit is a CMOS Dual 'D' Flip-Flop MC14013B. The input Flip-Flop is designed as a monostable pulse generator by means of R1, P1 and C1 connected between 'Q' and the RESET input, which produces a preset pulse-length set by the adjustable potentiometer and starts at the rising edge of the input pulse. When this monostable times out it's inverted 'Q' signal goes high and clocks the output stage of the Flip-Flop, which is used as a normal type 'D', to sample the input pulse. If the duration of the input pulse is longer than the preset monostable pulse, then a logic high level will be clocked to the output of the 'D' type. A shorter input pulse will cause a logic low to be clocked to the output. In short, both halves of the IC perform two different logic functions.

The output drives the output device which in this circuit is the IRFZ42 TMOS FET. It needs only 2-volt on it's gate to fully turn-on and has an rDS-ON resistance of only 0.028 ohm. To invert the operation of the r/c switch, you can connect R2 either to pin 12 or 13 of the MC14013B. This circuit is easy in design and to built and can easily be done using vector board, vero-board, or whatever. The complete unit measures 5/8" by 1-1/4" but it can be a lot smaller by choosing SMT components, probably 3/8" x 1/2". You can use a case or heat-shrink. This unit is NOT meant as a motor-switch for electric flight.

Adjusting the Switch
To test the unit hookup a light and a battery, making sure the + of the battery goes to the Drain of Q1. Adjust the potentiometer P1 to somewhere in the middle and set the transmitter function of your choice (say the throttle) to the point where you wish to switch the unit. Now adjust the potentiometer P1 to the point the light comes on. If it does, your unit functions properly and you can play with whatever other setup you have in mind. If you intend to use this unit as a on-board glow driver, make sure to use heavy wiring between glow plug, battery and r/s switch. A 'Y'-lead to the throttle servo is required. If you use this unit to switch relays or a small dc-motor, then a 'spark eliminator' diode (1N4001) is required. Cathode of the diode goes to the '+' side of the battery. (See diagram).

At the top you see the Surface Mount version (SMT), measuring 15mm x 17mm!

The IRFZ42 is a TMOS Power FET and can be costly (approx. S$18). Other substitutes like the IRFZ44 will work too. Watch for static discharge with this one!

IC1, the MC14013B, is a CMOS SSI type Dual Flip-Flop. It features a direct pin-for-pin replacement with the CD4013B, NTE4013B, ECG4013B, and others.

The output signal can be inverted by selecting either pin 12 or 13. To make life easier, you could install a miniature on-on switch.

The middle contact going to R2, and pin-12 & 13 to the other two contacts.

My Raptor 50

2007-04-29T20:51:00.001+08:00

(All photos courtesy of Jo)

Raptor 50 with a fully bling aluminium rotor head and tail boom. My first Nitro and biggest flying heli. But it will definitely not be my last. It is used to be fitted with an Electric power plant. Due to the limited flying time with an electric setup, she now sees a brand new setup with a Nitro engine. More economical to run and longer flight duration. With a TT50 sizer, she could do 20 - 30 minutes of flight in one full tank. This is certainly a lot of flight time for me for I'm not an agressive Heli pilot. It is an awesome flying machine!

Spinning up for take off (left) & up she goes into a steady hover (right).

Hovering at 30cm off the ground.

In Flight!

Closing in shot. Isn't she Gorgeous!

Simple Foam Cutter

2007-04-29T20:48:00.001+08:00

A very simple to build & handy foam cutting machine good for building model airplanes.

FMS Simulator Interface

2007-04-29T20:44:00.001+08:00

Flying Model Simulator (FMS) is a popular freeware RC Flight simulator that is easily available. However, in order to make FMS a more realistic RC Trainer, it needs to be interfaced to a transmitter.

There are instructions in the install directory of FMS on how to build a serial interface but it does require much more electronics experience. For a novice in electronics, this can take sometimes to figure out.

The other option is to buy a ready made cables off the shelf but do bear in mind they do not come cheap.

Well, here is a simple circuit that is low in cost and easy to build.

Notes: This cable is not supported by in Windows 2000 or Windows XP. However Deon van der Westhuysen has created a program called PPJOY that will allow this interface to work with Windows 2000 and Windows XP. PPJOY will also allow many various controller interfaces to work as virtual joysticks in Windows which means that the interface can be used in other games too!

Component Required
1. NPN 2222a Transistor (Many NPN transistors will work)
2. 1/2 watt 5% 10k-Ohm Resistor
3. DB25 Pin Male D-Connector
4. Shielded hood for DB25 Connector
5. 6-Pin DIN Male Plug (For FUTABA)
6. Approximately 2m of Wires

Circuit Diagram

Tx Signal and Tx GND to be connected to the appropriate Tx connector of your choice. The connection diagram for the different Tx connectors are shown below.

NPN2222 BJT DataSheet