I've been out of the hobby for close to 10 years. When I last was involved, the fun fly competitions had just begun to have an "unlimited" class of plane that flew very wild and fast. Nothing like the Stickit and Smith Super Special style of boom and hershey bar wing planes. What happened to these planes? Did they become deltas like the Diamond Dust, Outlaw, Whiplash, etc.? Something else, or just disappear completely from lack of interest?


Thanks,
Mark

They did'nt dissappear because of lack of interest.........I think it was more "Too Specialized", or too radical for the general flying masses. I was around during that crazy time......Yard Darts were were the rage..........Fun-Flys started popping up everywhere! You could fly a contest almost every weekend, if you wanted to. Then all of a sudden these special hybrids started popping up.......Stick-its.Smith specials..and finally the Gilbert-Diamond Unlimited!!! To Me, it was almost like the sport had outclassed me..........lighter, faster.......... MORE PROFESSIONAL!!!

But as in fashion trends, things always come full circle. just take a look at the 3D Profiles! The hottest, most durable, and funnest bird to own today is the MOJO. But take a look at the guts of that bird..........it's just a Stick-it, or Yard Dart with a carbon rod for a fuse,bigger wing, and bigger control surfaces!!

I think thats why I love this hobby soooooo much...RC guys just love pushing the edge and trying new stuff..and sometimes the perfect idea just keeps coming back!!!

RC FOREVER

[sm=thumbs_up.gif]

Got any pics of the Gilbert Diamond Unlimited?

Thanks for the reply,
Mark

After the Stick IT version V everyone went to Lil Rippy's and then the Menace as well as the other Smith and Gilbert designs. I have a Stickit V, Lil Rippy, and Manace hanging on the wall. I don't fly them as much as there are cheap ARFs that are almost as fun to fly and I don't go to the competitions anymore. One of my fav's is a .46 U-Can-Do with a Saito .91, with all the mixing it is a hoot to fly. There are a lot of choices out there nowadays, alot of ARFs so yo don't have the investment in them when they do a figure 9.

I've only been involved with RC planes for about 4 years so I'm not familiar with the planes you guys are talking about but I picked up an older fun fly plane called a Coal Hauler this last summer. It has a carbon tube fuse and a fat wing, is this anything like the planes you guys are talking about? It really is a fun aerobatic plane to fly but isn't a fast plane by any means.

It is like the Smith Super Special ( http://www.rcmmagazine.com/store/sto...akBFusgyA8I6J0 ) and the Stickit ( http://www.rcmmagazine.com/store/sto...akBFusgyA4e8t4 ) planes. They are slow flying, incredibly agile planes, but they are so lightly built they will flutter in a heartbeat if you don't watch the throttle.

The unlimited FF planes were more like the Diamond Dust or Outlaw deltas in that they flew FAST and wild, not slow at all. Picture a quickie 500 plane set up with big control throws and that is more like it.

I was just wondering what became of the unlimited type planes, because I do not see them around at all anymore. The current profile planes are obviously developments of the original SSS and Stickit type designs, but there is nothing that is an obvious descendent of the unlimited type FF planes. I guess they just disappeared as trends drifted away towards 3D flying and slow speed maneuvers.


Mark

IMHO, the king of the unlimited fun fly planes was Don Muddiman's Flying Machine, which was a "Go-Where-You-Point-It-Right-Now-Competition-Fun-Fly-At-120 mph" type of airplane. I sorely miss mine. []
http://mypage.yhti.net/~dmcdnld/flyingmachine.htm

Fortunately, Don Muddiman is once again selling plans for the Flying Machine.
http://www.eagle-i.us/fm

So I guess the original Hots would be included in this class, as well? With a strong 40/45 on the front, they were almost insanely ballistic and you didn't have to worry about flutter at full throttle... I have an almost finished Hots airframe in my basement, maybe I should pull it out and show the guys at the field what REAL funfly aircraft are all about.[X(]


Mark