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On cloud #9

Old 07-06-2004, 01:39 PM
  #1  
afineman
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Default On cloud #9

Greetings all my name is Brent

I just found the forum while doing s search on RC planes, my brother and I have been tinkering in this sport since we were teenagers ( we are both in or mid 40’s now), we both still love the rush of getting a plane in the air, but all of our flights never lasted long and would result in a pile of match sticks in the end, this did discourage me more than my brother who has still been crashing for the last 30 years. Some may laugh at my next story but that is OK because we are having a blast.

On a lark I went to the Discovery store at the mall and was looking around, I saw a Cox/Estes ??/Ranger, I figured this would make a nice pile Styrofoam dust so I bought it.
I went to the local field did the 2 minute charge and discharge 3 times like they said then on the 4th charge tossed it and let it go, I got my typical 30 seconds of flying RUSH but with a very different outcome, it landed in one piece ( a first). I flew it multiple time that evening and the next one too and for the most part the same results ( I have broken 2 props ). Now here I’ve been tinkering in this sport for 30 years, spent thousands of dollars ( planes, remotes, motors, etc use to much more expensive 30 years ago ) to end up buying a plane for $39.99 that is a 1 ch pulsing remote, and log more flying time on this one little plane than I was able to log in the past 30 years.

Well let me tell you this has rewet my appetite for this sport, so I ended up in the internet veraciously searching/reading about the next RTF plan I want to try ( it took me 30 years to find out what my problem has been, I never allow the planes to come up to speed before trying to control them), while on the phone with my brother we were looking at some planes on the internet and we decided to get a pair of cheap Chinese planes from here http://www.raidentech.com/sp2setofrare.html , we figured $100 total we can relive the old days and crash and burn together. The following Saturday off we went to the park.

My brother went first ( he selected the green on with the smaller wing span), WOW was he over controlling, BUT it flew, he did crash it a few times and we had to go in the trees and retrieve once. But by the time his battery went dead he had now logged more flight time with this plane than he has in the last 30 years. I was up next, learning from my brothers mistakes, off it went and in 10 minutes of total flight time it only hit the ground 4 time and only broke 1 prop. We looked at each other and called it a VERY successful day, as we were both sporting a child like grin, we didn’t have quick chargers so we went home.

When I got home I realized I had a quick charger that plugs in to my car, so off I went back to the park ( my brother went to his house 17 miles away) to fly some more. And fly I did, with each charge I got better (or so I think Hee Hee Hee) on my last flight of the evening ( 7 charges) it was getting cool and NO wind at all, I took the plane up high ( I had a hard time knowing if it was coming or going), killed the engine and floated up there for 14 min, I had to bring it down because it seemed it wasn’t coming down on it’s own. In all that evening I logged 1.5 hours of flight time (in the last 4 flights it only touched the ground when I landed).

I am in a cloud because it has taken 30 years to realize the childhood fantasy of flying, so forgive me if I ramble, this may be one of the only places where I can recall this story and have people understand what I am feeling/talking about

Brent
Old 07-06-2004, 03:21 PM
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destinyy
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Default RE: On cloud #9

Brent, I think that is so cool. What a great story. Congratulations! When I was a girl, I used to be the same way. I was always a little tom-boy, always thought the "boys toys" were a heck of a lot more interesting than the ones they made for girls! I was always building things and taking apart my parents toasters and VCRs (boy did I get it for that one). Anyway, I used to BEG my parents for a real, remote controlled air plane.. but of course back then those kits were VERY expensive and there weren't any of the great relatively inexpensive introductory opportunities for young or inexperienced pilots that there are today. I vowed when I was 8 years old that "WHEN I GREW UP" I would buy MYSELF a plane! lol

Well ... I'm somewhere between 20 and 30 right now (we won't say where!) and though I did go into the computer sciences as a profession, I only re-discovered my first "real" remote controlled airplane last year. When I saw it, I was with a friend who I'd recently met and he flew a lot more. I realized that I could finally have my airplane and the little kid inside me was sooo excited. It felt like I was 8 years old all over again (not that I'd ever have TOLD anyone that!). Naturally I bought it (an Aerobird) and I was HOOKED again. Totally hooked. Except my new friend moved to B.C (I live in Canada) and none of my current friends could even fathom what I found so appealing about the hobby, so I was on my own again. Ahhh well ... I still drag a friend or two out with me to hang around while I fly most of the time these days, or I take my dogs, but I'm just now getting into how great this hobby really is and can be. I'm very new at it, so I've started on a GWS SLOW STICK kit and I'm quite excited about that. Once I master the SS, I want to learn to fly with 4 channels and ailerons, then... the sky's the limit. I suppose I never did grow out of toys either. THANKS for sharing your great story. It made ME realize that I wasn't alone out here!

Cheers,
Daphne

Proud owner of:
Aerobird Challenger (slightly beaten up)
Gold Eagle 2XL (also slightly beaten up)
Aerobird Xtreme (still in the box until I'm a better pilot!)
GWS Slow Stick (awaiting mail-order servos!)
Old 07-06-2004, 03:38 PM
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afineman
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Default RE: On cloud #9

Daphne

I was looking at both the GoldEagle XXL + the Aero Xtreme as my nest step.

How do you like them, are they the natural next step, I want to stay with RTF ( the ONLY planes I have had any luck with). I am looking for input for the next step.

I'm glad you liked the story oohh the saturday I am refering to in the story was 7/3/04.

Thanks in advence for any input you may have

Brent
Old 07-06-2004, 03:59 PM
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destinyy
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Default RE: On cloud #9

Well, to be honest, even though you prefer RTF... I was told that one of (if not "the") best entry level plane was the GWS SlowStick for someone who wants to get into the hobby. The Aerobirds and GoldEagles, etc.. are fun, they're great ready-to-fly kits, but I think you might find, as I did, that while they're great for a lark, once you start to actually put together an ARF (almost-ready-to-fly) kit like the Slow Stick, pick your own servos, your own receiver (all of which the guys here helped me with HUGELY), and see how much more you can do with a plane than the RTF models allow you, it's even MORE fun. And the SS will probably stay in the air even LONGER for you, I'd bet. Since it's a true park flyer.

That, and a Slow Stick kit complete with everything you'll need to fly it is also probably going to run you less than an Aerobird Xtreme. What I decided to do was pick a radio control that I could use for any number of future planes I might buy and assemble (ARF). Basic ARF planes can be pretty inexpensive (they can be very expensive too, but many of them are quite affordable). For example, the Slow Stick is around $34 for the kit. But that's just the plane itself. After that, you still need a radio (I purchased a HITEC Laser 6 model ... good for future flying too, since it has 6 channels, and it came recommeded by a friend). Later I was told that a 4 channel would've been just as cool to use, but now I have 6 anyway so it's all good.

After that, I got the servos and the receiver and the crystal (same channel as my radio), the speed controller and all the various Ni-MH batteries, etc. It seemed a bit daunting at first, all that "extra stuff" to remember, especially when you I could've got it all at once with something like an Aerobird, but I think you'll agree that once you start to pick your own radio out and look at how the various components of the plane come together (especially since you were building them as a kid already), you'll have more fun this way. And to make it even easier, a few places sell planes like the Slow Stick complete with flight packs already assembled so all you have to do is put it together. Like GWSExpert.com for example:

[link=http://www.gwsexpert.com/product_info.php?cPath=34&products_id=345]http://www.gwsexpert.com/product_info.php?cPath=34&products_id=345[/link]

The above kit can come with a radio transmitter if you want it to, or you can get it without one and just pick your own out separately (I recommend this). But as you can see by the price, it's about $108 ... which isn't bad. Then you can reuse your radio on your next ARF plane, and if you wanted to, you could even pirate parts or batteries from the original kit if you didn't feel like buying new and the next plane was about the same size and motor type. So you can save some $$ that way.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. I suppose it depends on what you want to do ... and since I'm about the newest newbie here on these boards, I'm probably the LAST person who's qualified to give advice on this subject! I can just tell you what I did, and let you go from there.

Cheers!
D.

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