Anybody else flying the SDM Yellow Bee? It's a 2-channel, 2 prop, pusher-type electric available from Harbor Freight for under $30 USD. This plane has got me addicted to RC flight. I've spent a good deal of time fixing the plane from crashes (with CA, hot glue, tape, and an aluminum rod) but a lot more time having a lot of fun flying it. You just have to be careful of winds over 10mph. I'm too antsy and take it out whenever, including at night. I've attached LEDs to the wingtips for night flying, which works really well assuming you know where obstacles are (trees, poles, etc.). I highly recommend this plane as a starter for anyone that may someday start to fly the real RC planes. I've got a bunch of videos posted on YouTube; just search "Yellow Bee." Please share any mods, videos, pics, etc related to this plane. Thanks!

Ive had this plane before and loved it while it lasted. I hated it though once I got my first three channel plane. Because its 2 channel, when I launched my first three channel plane my natural instinct was to pull back on the stick, well that caused a vertical stop and spiral. Scary. it is a real floater though, you really have to give it a good 50 metres to land! I have looped this plane aswell. You wingover and enter a huge dive and give full power. Do this really HIGH up! Trust me, I know from experience. It is a great plane. Just remember though if it is your first plane, when you pass onto three channel be weary to not pull back on the stick.

Yeah, I totally agree about the switch to 3-channel. I almost destroyed my SDM Piper Cub by hitting forward on the elevator stick thinking it would give me up pitch, but I realized what I was doing about 10ft above the ground and quickly adjusted. Thanks for the tip about doing loops, I'll definitely have to try that. I almost was able to do one by hand-launching into strong winds, but it crashed. What 3-channel plane(s) are you flying now?

Ha Ha thats a funny story, they're all in their graves. Im saving for the c stryker now. I do remember some other tricks I could do with this plane though. Roll, touch'n'goes and even hovering. Only for a couple of seconds though. For the rolls, you have to yet again enter a dive and give full righ/left. For the hover, enter a dive and give full power, as soon as it goes nearly dead vertical, let go of throttle for a extremely short time then give full throotle. looks pretty cool.

Wow, you've done quite a few things with it. I thought the Yellow Bee was only good for scaring spectators by flying too close . On Thanksgiving, my cousins from out of town actually grabbed the plane in midflight as if they were playing "500." One of them cut their finger on the prop. Serves him right! I was trying to do a loop the other day (following your instructions) and it almost made it (stalled at the apex). I think the plane's center of gravity is a bit off now that I've repaired it so much, as well as being slightly too heavy. I'll give some rolls a shot and maybe adjust with the CG and the elevators to do a loop.

Hey Im glad your enjoying it. Just remember, do the loops early on in flight and with huge altitude! Ive totalled mine after I did not gain enough altide and yep, youve guessd it. Receiver, esc, left motor, body and wing totally gone. good luck!

yea there pretty cool little planes i think mine was only like $25 from harbor frieght i've got at least 15 min. flight times out of mine. my nephew did about 5 loops and smashed his in the ground and definatly not !!!!(under powered)!!!!

I actually think it is adequately powered considering the cost of the plane. That thing can really haul and gain altitude quickly, and yield some high-speed flybys in excess of 35mph. I can't get enough of this plane!

I have a Yellow Bee too, it is awesome for the price, I highly recommend it. My first flight lasted until the battery died, I usually keep it up about 100-200 feet, doing figure 8s and such. The only problem is you need to get on the stick about 5 seconds or so before you REALLY need to change direction

Santa got this plane from the elves at Harbour Freight. My son and I took it out and even after he crashed it in a full rolling dive into the sidewalk before we even left the house for the park, it still worked fine, shatter front nose and all!

We were able to get the plane up about 20 times. And the best flight was my kids 2 minute or so flight, that went WAY WAY up and WAY WAY out there, finally ending up in huge Douglas Fir trees, coming crashing out of it and then he SAVED IT! Swooping out of the pure death dive 2 feet from the ground.

Finally the battery wore out. Am going back for another plane just to have an extra battery, and then the extra plane when this one is shot to hell.

Yeah, I bought an extra one two for the battery and spare parts. I've been just repairing the already really damaged plane and using both batteries, but eventually I'll take out the other one. They're a lot of fun.

mine is 20% plastic 60%tape 20%glue 100%trashed and still works fine.

Haha, exactly, mine too. It takes some patients and a basic knowledge of aerodynamics to keep the thing flying after devastating crashes (like slamming straight into the ground going 35mph), but you can always tape/glue it back together and get it flying great again.

we should make a official yellow bee forum posting our mods and stuff like that. some one needs to get some vids on here!!!!

I'm flying mine today, i'll try to take a vid if I can remember

i would be flyin but theres like 25-35mph wind gusts here!!!!! (oh well thats a risk im willing to take) LOL!!!!

-michael-

I flew mine today in wind I should not have, it was a fight. The forecast was 3-6 mph, but it was much stronger, and many times I just had to hover it over my head to keep it from blowing away.

My father flew a hobbyzone super cub, and the wind just pushed it 200 yards away into the top of a tree.

I have tomorrow off from work, and I'll try yet again to get a video, today my hands were full fighting the wind.

the trick ive found to flying in really hard winds is get about 300 feet upwind of yourself so you can alwys see where your at and if a gust trys to take you away........do all the stuff your not supposed to do cuz the closer to the ground you are the less the wind(more junk to break up the gusts)you have a better chance of savin it at ten feet off the ground then at 100 foot off the ground on a windy day



werks fer me at least... ive crashed more planes than anyone i know....so eventually you figure out what to do thrue process of elimination(literally)


-kuzi-

Yea, I normally would do that, but unfortunately the wind was coming in the same direction as the sun

well then close your eyes lol its what i always do when the sun is in them lol[>:]

Took out the Bee on Saturday for its "final" flight..... My seven year old was controlling it (it is HIS after all from Santa) and the first hand launch was about 4 seconds.... 2nd hand launch lasted maybe 5 seconds, then came down wing first into the edge of the soccer field. Not so bad...except it caught the water pipe. Ripped the damn wing right off!

Kid didnt cry.... I will be getting another 1 or 2 planes soon!

Make sure you tape up the wing with a good 3m clear packing tape, makes it nearly indestructible. Where you throwing it into the wind?

Yeah, packing tape fixes all damage. The weather report always seems to be wrong. I always see 5-10mph on weather.com but it always is more like >10mph. I've crashed my Yellow Bee at least 100 times. Every once in a while I have to do a major overhaul and undo all the quick fixes I've done to do more permanent repairs. Right now, my Yellow Bee is unflyable but it will be fixed soon enough.

I posted some new vids on YouTube.com: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VPnOXLpnYxI . This video is of a plane that has the entire wing wrapped in packing tape, which, as you can see, allows it to survive some pretty bad crashes.

You could also click on my user name to see all my vids: vega2614.

I have been extremely lucky as far as crashing goes recently, I haven't cartwheeled or buried the nose in dirt in the past week or so

Vega, are you crashing on purpose? Why do you make such sharp turns so close to the ground ? I have been bad with mine though taking it so high and far away that we sometimes need binoculars to see where it is and which way it is pointed. Doing a spirrel dive from 5 mistakes high and then a loop is always fun [>:]

The video I just posted isn't me flying. It's the pilots second day flying, so I think the sharp turns were just inexperience. Maybe he was wanting some nice crash footage too, but he never said anything about that. The rest of the Yellow Bee videos I've posted are me flying, except one where my friend Jon (and usual cameraman) flies.

For the life of me, I can't get my Yellow Bee to loop. I've tried wing-overing it and the thing is going pretty fast, but I think the elevators are set too low to do an actual loop. The plane always stalls before it can go inverted. Any advice?