has anybody ever flown in rain?...is it bad for the plane if Its done?.......

It would be bad for the transmitter for sure! Getting the balsa wet isn't something I'd do on purpose.....

And it probably wouldn't be very good to get a non-combustible, corrosive substance (water) into your combustion engine.

1. Yes.
2. It depends....
As far as the plane itself, it should be ok as long as the rain isn't too heavy, and there's absolutely NO LIGHTNING<===IMPORTANT, read it again.
Make sure that any wood is very well sealed(fuelproofed). Make a good seal between wing and fuse, balsa soaks up water quick, and gets heavy. Water(yes, even rainwater) is BAD for electronics, including transmitter. If you insist on doing it, bag the electronics inside the plane(ziploc baggie or equivalent, rubber band tight around bag opening to allow wires to exit), same goes for the battery. In effect, you're waterproofing the plane. A plastic garbage bag over the transmitter, with a small hole for the antenna works well, but be sure to point the antenna slightly DOWN so water doesn't run into the Tx, instead just drops off the end. The engine should be fine as is, as long as it's not raining too hard. Keep in mind, it only takes one fairly good sized drop of water to kill the motor.... always be ready for a deadstick landing. (N/A for electric- no problems there, usually) Keep your fuel sealed up tight, it attracts moisture and ruins the fuel. When done flying - dry everything off thoroughly as soon as possible!
If it's been raining for a while, watch out for mud. As it builds up, it makes a plane progressively heavier&heavier to the point where it won't get off the ground. (don't ask how I know )

Other than that, have fun!

Edit for spellering...

Not usually much of an issue with brushed motors... running them underwater is an accepted method of breaking them in(to seat the brushes). There's not usually enough bare conductor or power in our models to be affected by rain, as long as the battery, speed control and receiver are kept dry.

I have flown my wingdragon in rain
The weather was ok at the start but the final minutes it was raining cats!
Nothing happend with the radio gear.

Did you dry it off when done? Solder corrodes pretty quickly... over time can cause really weird things and crashes when connections come apart.

I did not know that. You learn something new every day.

Back in the days when most transmitter cases were metal rain would occasionally cause a problem in shorting out the antenna to the case and causing a serious reduction in power output (loss of range). Had it happen once to me. With the plastic cases, with the exception of lightning, I doubt you will have much immediate trouble.

I try to... sometimes it even sinks in!

In my opinion this boils down to a case of flyable and funable. There is a lot of weather that is flyable, but it's not always fun to fly in it. If it's not going to be fun then I'm not going to fly. Biggest problem for me in weather like that is actually visibility, it just get's hard to see the plane.

Ken

Good point. Who in thier right mind wants to stand out in the rain anyway? [&:]

Regarding water in the fuel:

Recent articles in Model Aviation have described studies that indicate water in fuel is not a problem - it can in fact increase performance (water injection being used in piston aircraft as early as WWII). These studies were done by deliberately adding water to the fuel. Most fliers will never do this, so the amount of moisture absorbed is limited the the humidity of the air trapped above the fuel, in the fuel can. Even at 100% humidity, this is a very small amount of moisture. Of course, if one pours the water into the fuel can, one can pour so much in that the fuel will eventually be ruined. I believe one of the articles indicated that their test engine would still run at up to 25% water - I don't have the article handy, so don't shoot me, and I don't recall whether the engine ran well - I think it just ran.

The articles were not advising anyone to add water to fuel or giving any guidance on how to add water to improve performance - they were just reporting that 'water in the fuel' does not have the negative impact that it is commonly thought to have, and that fuel in a can absorbs a lot less water than one might think.

Now, a big drop of rain down the carb mixing with the small amount of fuel coming out of the spray bar? Yes, this could stop the engine. But there's plenty of room at the top of the combustion chamber for a single drop of rain - you won't be bending/breaking any crank pins.

Visibilty hasn't been mentioned yet - rain and the darkened sky that come with it will reduce visibility. And, the cloud layer can be alot lower than one might think.

This of course leads to liability - if you hurt someone or cause property damage, the definition of 'safe flying conditions' will probably be in the hands of an attorney trying to make himself and his client rich beyond the limits of sanity. Airplanes fly in the rain all the time, and people fly RC off lakes and in the winter - but in the rain? That's pretty rare.

If you decide to do this - please make sure you and everyone around is safe. Previous writers offered some real good advice for weather proofing your plane and transmitter - good ideas that should help your case if something does go wrong.

Oh, in addition to pointing the antenna down, wipe it dry before you collapse it at the end of your flight(s)/day.

A bunch of drunks and little kids got on three-wheelers years ago, without helmets, and proceeded to hurt themselves. The vehicle was blamed, the manufacturers sued and production ceased. A real shame - the very thing that got the drunks and little kids hurt was what made the things such a blast to ride for those of us that were sober and helmeted.

So if you really must fly in the rain - please do it safely - for all of us.

Why would you want to walk around carrying a lightning rod? Sounds just plain stupid to me. But hey, it's your funeral.

It doesn't rain without lightning in Memphis? We're not talking about thunderstorms(I hope) here, just a light rain.

I see some experinced guys saying its ok here, perhaps it can be safe. I know of a guy with a Futaba 9ZWC2 that lost a plane due to a Tx antenna short while flying in a light drizzle. The water slid down the antenna and into the case and that was it....

I have done it but it was unintentional. It started to sprinkle while in the air. I finished the flight and landed. I just don't think I would fly in rain on purpose. To many things can go wrong.


David

There has got to be something better to do than standing out in the rain

"Water(yes, even rainwater) is BAD for electronics"

Actually, WATER isnt bad for electronics at all...ive seen a computer working in a fishtank filled with water....the thing is...it was PURE Water with no impurities...

Its a misnomer that water is conductive, it isnt, however, the impurities found in 99.9999999% of water on earth are...

im not being a jerk...trying to be funny but its comming off wrong...i hate the internet...but yeah....food for thought

I can't imagine why you would bother, unless you were caught by a rain squall by accident.

I've flown in mild rain. The key point, as most people have suggested, is keeping the radio dry. I stuck mine in a shopping back with the antenna poking through it. Worked well and actually kept my hands warmer.

You don't want heavy rain though, it will get into the plane an get at the RX and servos. You need to figure out how moisture resistant your plane is.....

LOL!
Very true... and that not so pure stuff wreaks havok.

I wonder what acid rain would do to a radio? hehehe! [>:]

It never is a lightning storm until the first bolt and I have no desire to be on the receiving end of it. If it starts to rain, I land. Besides, I might melt.

or float away

A chicken has a brain the size of a pea and even they wont fly in the rain. Of course they wont fly when its not raining either. Maybe this isnt a good example.