smokey99

Hi Everyone,
I am looking for info, and have to admit I know very little about RC flying,
what is available, or how things work.
I would like to know if there are any electric planes that fly by wire, where the power is supplied through the wire, instead of onboard batteries.

What would be the life span of one of these planes and motors, if run continually for 10 hrs a day?

Here is my Idea, It maybe crazy, but lets see what you think.

I was thinking about an electric plane that flew circles around a pole.
How long a wire can I use (how big a circle can I cover)
Could a plane such as this be modified to pull small streamers on the wire as well as from behind the plane?
Could it survive flying with variable winds with no one controlling the plane.
(maybe set it up, so it is always trying to climb, so that it is always at max altitude and will attempt to recover from winds)

Please forgive my ignorance, if I have asked stupid questions.
Thanks
Scott

WolfeWind

It would seem that whole point of RC flying is that you have no tethers to the airplane. What you are describing is more akin to flying U-Control airplanes, where the plane flys in a circle connected to you by control lines that allow you move the elevator to make the plane go up or down. The max distance you can let the plane out away from you is determined by the size, weight and speed of the plane - and the wind conditions.

When we were kids we tried hooking acouple of .049 U-control planes to static poles and letting them fly themselves around the poles. We were ordered to stop when one came off the pole and went through the neighbors kitchen window.

Basically your concept is a bad idea. At least my mom though so when she had to replace the neighbors window LOL. I was only 9 at the time so I got no vote in the matter. After that we were restricted to mounting .049 engines in plastic cars and letting them go down the street until they crashed into whatever. LOL That seemed like a better idea at the time, but we were still only 9 years old.

smokey99

Wolfewind,
Yes thats exactly the type of plane I am referring to, U-control (thanks didn't know what they were called)
LOL at your bad Idea.
I will promise to make sure mine doesn't come off the static pole.

If I used the right combination of electric motor, power supplied by U-control line, plane design and weight, would you expect the unit to fly for hours without needing any Pilot intervention?
Obviously dependant upon winds.

Thanks again

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

What you're looking at is a "tether plane" not a U-Control. With U-Control, you hold on to a handle that's attached to the wires that run to the airplane, and spin around in place while the plane flies around you. The handle and wires are attached to the plane's elevator through a bellcrank so you can control the plane's flight path. Sometimes a third wire is included for throttle, but that's on engine-powered planes.

Tethered planes are an obscure facet of model aviation. I'm sure if you can find a tether plane enthusiast, he'd be tickled pink to tell you everything you want to know With a pole anchored to the ground, and a couple of bearings and brushes to transfer the electricity from a battery on the ground (or an AC power supply) to the airplane, flights of several hours would be easily possible. The trick is trimming the airplane to fly straight and level.