Picking the right plane?
12-21-2008 | 08:46 PM
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From: Pheonix, AZ
Picking the right plane?
So Im friends with some of the locals at my airport. They all know Im into rc, and some have mentioned bringing a plane in and put it behind some railing to display it...
Well, Im after a plane but not an ARF...
I want a kit plane that is exotic, people will know what it is when they see it. But exotic is limited for me, I know I can fly an Edge of CAP but how long will it live?
Ive looked at the Sig 1/3 Spacewalker, and the Great Planes 90" Cub. I need a plane I can fly off of Futaba's S3004 servos. I dont have a problem buying more S3004's and putting two of them in the wing, just dont have the money to buy $100+ servos...It also needs to use a 2-stroke motor. If you have a mid to high wing plane let me know, I may buy it depending on its price.
All of your help would be apretiated.
Well, Im after a plane but not an ARF...
I want a kit plane that is exotic, people will know what it is when they see it. But exotic is limited for me, I know I can fly an Edge of CAP but how long will it live?
Ive looked at the Sig 1/3 Spacewalker, and the Great Planes 90" Cub. I need a plane I can fly off of Futaba's S3004 servos. I dont have a problem buying more S3004's and putting two of them in the wing, just dont have the money to buy $100+ servos...It also needs to use a 2-stroke motor. If you have a mid to high wing plane let me know, I may buy it depending on its price.
All of your help would be apretiated.
12-23-2008 | 03:08 AM
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From: Mount Juliet,
TN
RE: Picking the right plane?
Hmmm... maybe a better question is, what size motor are you thinking?
Are you looking for suggestions or are you asking to buy a kit from one of us or are you asking to buy something pre-built from a kit? Your post is not exactly clear.
I'm guessing here because the criteria in your first post were not very specific. But, if you want a BIG plane that can get by on standard servos, then you must limit yourself to something slow with limited aerobatics and a relatively small motor. Even then, you would need to be gentle. You do NOT want to fly a large Cap or Edge or Extra using standard servos. Those planes can go too fast and the forces can easily exceed the capabilities of an S3004. And I would not personally use S3004's on a 90" cub either. Please take a look at something like the Hitec HS645MG. These are ball bearing metal gear servos for around $30 ea. and they have twice the torque of an S3004. They are a lot of servo for the buck and would work well on a large Cub.
I take it from your comments that you don't really want to use a very expensive motor either? Probably the best engine deal going these days are the inexpensive Chinese gasoline 2-stroke engines such as the CRRC Pro 26cc at around $200. One of these would easily power a model such as an 80 inch Cub in a scale-like manner, and you'd save tons in fuel costs over the long term.
So, if we choose from airplanes with similar characteristics to the cub, and which might have a kit you can actually find....
By FAR, the Cub will be the most plentiful.
I think Tower Hobbies has a Top Flight Monocoup kit
and a Top Flight Stinson Reliant?
Harder to find kits
Bird Dog
Taylorcraft
Cessna 182 (26cc might be too small?)
Pt-19 (low wing)
Aeronca champ
many,many more.
You can find laser cut kits for almost ANY airplane from a custom laser kit cutter, but these are normally much more expensive than off-the-shelf kits, and they are not complete. When you consider all the nickel and dime costs for all the hardware you'll need, the price adds up quickly, and an off-the-shelf kit is muuuuch more affordable. Building any kit, custom or commercial, has additional costs associated with it. Here's a "for instance", A large plane will easily require 6 rolls of covering film. At $15 ea, that's $90. You'll use several dollars worth of glue as well. And so on it goes. Building an airplane, even from a commercial kit, is not cheaper than buying an ARF. Building your plane is, however, extremely satisfying. Taking a plane to the field you built yourself is an entirely different experience versus taking an ARF to the field. I love building planes.
Have you built a kit before? The straight wings of something like a Cub are easiest to build. You can make any plane look more exotic by choosing an exotic covering scheme. And the best thing you can do to make a model really stand out and POP is to add scale details. So even a plain ole cub can be very special with some extra effort.
And, if this is your first build, it makes a lot of sense to build a plane with light wing loading and trainer-like qualities (such as a cub). Then, even if you use too much glue and the plane is a bit heavier than it might otherwise be, it will still fly well.
Again, if you wish to use the cheapest possible servos etc., then many types of planes, aerobatic planes, warbirds, etc., are virtually eliminated unless you stay with a .40 size.
Hope some of this helps.
Merry Christmas!
Tom
Are you looking for suggestions or are you asking to buy a kit from one of us or are you asking to buy something pre-built from a kit? Your post is not exactly clear.
I'm guessing here because the criteria in your first post were not very specific. But, if you want a BIG plane that can get by on standard servos, then you must limit yourself to something slow with limited aerobatics and a relatively small motor. Even then, you would need to be gentle. You do NOT want to fly a large Cap or Edge or Extra using standard servos. Those planes can go too fast and the forces can easily exceed the capabilities of an S3004. And I would not personally use S3004's on a 90" cub either. Please take a look at something like the Hitec HS645MG. These are ball bearing metal gear servos for around $30 ea. and they have twice the torque of an S3004. They are a lot of servo for the buck and would work well on a large Cub.
I take it from your comments that you don't really want to use a very expensive motor either? Probably the best engine deal going these days are the inexpensive Chinese gasoline 2-stroke engines such as the CRRC Pro 26cc at around $200. One of these would easily power a model such as an 80 inch Cub in a scale-like manner, and you'd save tons in fuel costs over the long term.
So, if we choose from airplanes with similar characteristics to the cub, and which might have a kit you can actually find....
By FAR, the Cub will be the most plentiful.
I think Tower Hobbies has a Top Flight Monocoup kit
and a Top Flight Stinson Reliant?
Harder to find kits
Bird Dog
Taylorcraft
Cessna 182 (26cc might be too small?)
Pt-19 (low wing)
Aeronca champ
many,many more.
You can find laser cut kits for almost ANY airplane from a custom laser kit cutter, but these are normally much more expensive than off-the-shelf kits, and they are not complete. When you consider all the nickel and dime costs for all the hardware you'll need, the price adds up quickly, and an off-the-shelf kit is muuuuch more affordable. Building any kit, custom or commercial, has additional costs associated with it. Here's a "for instance", A large plane will easily require 6 rolls of covering film. At $15 ea, that's $90. You'll use several dollars worth of glue as well. And so on it goes. Building an airplane, even from a commercial kit, is not cheaper than buying an ARF. Building your plane is, however, extremely satisfying. Taking a plane to the field you built yourself is an entirely different experience versus taking an ARF to the field. I love building planes.
Have you built a kit before? The straight wings of something like a Cub are easiest to build. You can make any plane look more exotic by choosing an exotic covering scheme. And the best thing you can do to make a model really stand out and POP is to add scale details. So even a plain ole cub can be very special with some extra effort.
And, if this is your first build, it makes a lot of sense to build a plane with light wing loading and trainer-like qualities (such as a cub). Then, even if you use too much glue and the plane is a bit heavier than it might otherwise be, it will still fly well.
Again, if you wish to use the cheapest possible servos etc., then many types of planes, aerobatic planes, warbirds, etc., are virtually eliminated unless you stay with a .40 size.
Hope some of this helps.
Merry Christmas!
Tom
