leema

How come there no space shuttle rc out there ? I' m not talking about the electric one. Are they hard yo fly or built ?

The Ghost

Has been done. I belive that the plans are advailable from RCM.

Cheers.

ho2zoo

My Feedback: (5)

I've seen some plans and construction articles in one of the magazines. Radio Controlled Models (RCM) I think. Also saw one flying on the first 'Oops' video (from Propwash Video- shows various R/C crashes). As you might guess, it crashed. Seemed to be REALLY unstable in pitch and roll. Guess that's why...[:@][8D]

kdheath

Luther Hux did one for Model Aviation, lessee, about 1988 or thereabouts? Piggybacked up and dropped like the first STS test flights.

Rodney

The proportions are very poor. Hard to build one light enough so that the scale wing area will support it. The only one I've seen that actually flew (it was carried aloft piggy back on another model) had about a 45 degree glide angle and difficult to flair at landing.

Hughes500E

My Feedback: (16)

I have a set of beautiful plans for a shuttle. Been thinking about building it but I don't know.
Would be cool I guess!

GrnBrt

My Feedback: (5)

Yup been done. It was designed by parker Leung and the plans are available from RCM. Powered by a ST .40, futaba Super 8 radio and yes it flew like a pattern plane. I built this one back in '95 and was a fun project, all hand cut graphics.

tom czenthe

Shuttle proportions may not be very suitable for RC application........but......they are ideal for a "FIELD BOX" and gets lots of attention and is very functional

Tall Paul

When I attended the first landing of Columbia at EAFB, I got the impression the thing was just a big tool box, being dropped from a very high altitude, based on the time elapsed between sighting it passing overhead and the touchdown after a short 180 degree pattern.
Tom's field box is probably an accurate dynamic replica!
And would fly the same.
And a brilliant idea!!

Broken Wings

My Feedback: (20)

That's the coolest flight box that I have ever seen! (Smiles)

Dsegal

An aircraft with the flight characteristics of a road grader doesn't make a hopeful candidate for a smooth flying model. (G)

CP140

I think there was an article in MAN or RCM a year or so ago about someone who had built a model of the Russian version of the shuttle, complete with a ducted fan launch aircraft(AN-225?) to carry it up. One guy flew the mother ship and one guy flew the shuttle (Buran?) once it was released.

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Tom,
I'd say you have wa-a-ay too much time on your hands, and you might just be a little bit nuts, but that sure is sweet looking!
Dennis-

d_bodary

My Feedback: (85)

I did'nt get his name but someone at the toledo show had one on display. maybe someone else can give more info.By the way that is a way cool toolbox.

Jimmbbo

In a former life, I was offered a chance to aly a Space Shuttle simulator at NASA... when I was on final at 12000 feet 5 miles from the airport, at 300 kts on a glideslope 6 times steeper than normal, I got the idea this was not my father's glider... Crashed the sim twice before I finally managed to get it on the runway...

IMO, the shuttle orbiter makes a questionable choice for a "scale" glider...

Cheers!

Jim

CP140

True enough... I saw a movie(The Dream is Alive?) at the IMAX in Seattle several years ago. There was one sequence filmed out the cockpit windows on landing. Having been involved in "full scale" aviation, I have an idea of what a normal approach looks like. The view on approach through the windows of the shuttle is downright scary. When watching the approach, I kept thinking to myself that they were going to overfly the runway, do a 180 and then land.... but no...they just stuffed the nose down and kept going.

MajorTomski

I'm sorry, I HAVE to brag on this one. I just followed the command bars and made a slightly hot but acceptable landing on the first try. Not bad for a 300 hour Cessna driver

feihu-RCU

That just goes to show you that landing the shuttle simulator (or an RC model for that matter) would be no big deal. Since we're on the subject, thought you might be interested in the attachment which is part of my notes about the Space Shuttle approach and landing.