Hi guys,

I am interested to find out what else everyone flies. Are you a dedicated jet pilot or do you fly helis, park flyers,imac, hotliners or other types of gliders, FPV planes for a bit of light relief?

I am looking for some vague justification for calling myself normal given that I love all of the above! Will help explaining things to the wifey!......"see other guys do this too!"

Craig.

need a warbird tickbox

m

I am a training captain and check airman on the DC-9.Old school,pilots airplane.Flew the 727,A320,and the 757 also.I'm very lucky to get to do what I love for work also.Many find it hard to believe that when I get home from work,I want to play with "toy airplanes " on my time off.Kind of like the Harley thing.If I have to explain,you just won't get it.

Hey Erik,

That can't be you flying that airplane! The flaps and gear are down! Can't go 299.99999 MPH that way!

Jimmy

Welcome to Delta Air Lines.

FPV planes?

I think those are UAV types...

Hi Craig,

First Person View models.....have camera mounted in the cockpit and the pilot wears video goggles to get view from cockpit in order to fly the model. Camera is mounted on 2 servo gimble controlled by headtracking gyro via the radio. Awesome fun and a great new emerging technology. Have a look at rc-tech.ch in the video section or FPV.com...we have gotten into this a while ago. It really is awesome fun. A mate of mine is a full size fixed wing and heli pilot and he loves it too even though he flies full size. We have OSD's (on screen displays...bit like a HUD image that overlays the camera picture that you see in the video goggles. All GPS based data. The units even have inbuilt autopilots that will fly the model home in case your model loses radio signal (ie. fail safe).

We love having dogfights with Multiplex easystars...have taken each other out a few times and spiralled to earth in a flat spin minus one wing from 160m up! A bit of zap and tape and you are back in the air 10 minutes later to do it all again!

Also have a look on vimeo.com and do a search under "Daniel Wee"....he has a video on there of a 40 sized FPV plane flying 4.3 km out over the ocean off Singapore over an oil rig and then flying back home under autopilot. Have a look at this stuff (which we are using now) and imagine where this hobby will be in another 10 years! I predict we will have ILS or autopilot based landing systems on our model aircraft....now that would be cool! the guys over here are doing his now with trainer aircraft in UAV competitions. As the technology matures it will filter into the mainstream also.

I had to laugh when I was watching a doc on foxtel recently on the marines in Iraq using much the same sort of gear to do recces of villages before moving in.....made me think I am in the wrong job!

Let me know what you think. i would think that with your A10 experience you would love this stuff.

Regards,

Craig.

Not to get off topic, but the AMA just recently made a decision regarding FPV flight. The basics are this, you Must have someone who can see the model on a buddy box, AND the "buddy" must have the aircraft in visual range at all times.

There may be additional info, but this much I remember. The only reason I know is we had a guy at our field flying FPV. This generated numerous complains from other club members and the AMA was ultimately involved.

Bottom line.......Stay safe, Have fun.

What, no scale or warbird box?

I fly one of these
weve had one over 200mph but this one is nice around 160


brian

L39,Scorpion,F22 and a 1/4 scale ME163 waiting to be built for an AMT mercury Turbine
Oh and a very understanding wife that cost me a small fortune this christmas

That's cool, what is it? Where do you get it?

Not off topic at all. I had no idea guys were getting into "FPV" from a hobby perspective.

Craig B, I've wondered what it would be like to remotely pilot a full scale (such as an A-10). Normal flying around wouldn't be a big deal but agressive maneuvering and even landing would be interesting since you rely so much on "feel" in a full scale. Still would be fun to try it.

Now this may be off topic, but once upon a time a guy in our club had a contraption that you sat in/on which had a full scale stick, throttle and rudders. They were mechanically hooked up to an r/c transmitter. Pointed at the runway you could "fly" your moldel with the same controls as you would a full scale. It felt a little awkard sitting there but it worked and was relly kind of fun. Wish I had a picture of it but don't.

Craig

Fox-Composites ME 163
3300 lipo
2w20 ducted fan motor + 80amp opto ESC
3.75 x 3.75 Graupner cam prop
JR ds161 wing servo`s
Spectrum radio with regulator
and brown out capacitor
800 mah lipo for radio.

http://www.fox-composites.com not shown on site you need to email them for details
flies like a jet requires energy management just like a jet to land
or it just keeps on going great fun

Brian

Full scale...the crates I have flown range from a "Weedhopper" ultralite to a 767-300ER.

R/C, It's foamies (both EDF and prop), nitro trainers, Giant Scale Warbirds (Ziroli ETC), IMAC clappers, gliders, jets, nitro and electric helis, nitro on road 4WD racing, electric 2 and 4WD off road racing, 1/2th scale on road indoor carpet GTP...heck...I even now race nitro airboats (Now that is big fun!)

Beave

Missing a few categories including:

Scale (civilian)
Warbirds
Pattern
Pylon
Control Line
Plain ol boring sport flying

Just to name the ones I can think of.

I am building a P38 Lightning (or will be once I finish off a couple other projects)
And I have planes that I just sport fly, 50 size sport stuff.
I love Pattern and would like to fly pylon again sometime.

So I couldn't add a vote to your poll.

I hav

Mostly jets now but still the foamy, electric heli, 33% Staudacher, U-Can_Do etc...

For the FPV stuff check this out:
http://www.rangevideo.com/index.php?...a0593d7ddd07a6

Hey Craig,

I fly all of the following with varying degrees of regularity:

- jets
- f5b hotliners
- f5d pylon (frighteningly fast but a huge buzz)
- 2x2 pattern
- hand-launch, slope and thermal gliders
- indoor electric including a cool little ornithopter
- park flyers
- glow helicopters and I used to fly micro electrics as well.

I have both a 1/5 spitfire and 1/3 scale bipe under construction but far from completion so scale does appeal as well.

I'm one of the club instructors, so I also tend to be asked to maiden a fair range of models that are a big step forward for their owner compared to their existing models such as 25% imac, etc as well as teaching people on trainers.

I love flying them all, although I do love the turbines the most.

Regards,
Garrett

Actually jets are the 'sideline' for me, my main interest is scale models. Eventually the two types will come together I guess, after flying a jet my old Gypsy Moth is not what I'd call an excitement machine.

For most scale competition in this country you actually have to build the model (no I don't mean screw the servos, retracts & turbine in) so most of the ARF jets are out. Fibreglass & foam kits like the Yellow Aircraft kits are about as 'pre fab' as the rules allow.

I fiddle with electrics as well. - John.

planes that I can put a JETT engine into.

I forgot about the fullscale. I used to own an Ercoupe and five different ultralights, but I THINK I'm over that stage

I fly Full scale. Received my Private in 1989.

Guys,

Added Pylon/ pattern categories and Scale/ Warbirds as requested. Interesting responses from everyone. Bevar, I love nitro cars (on and off-road, electric, nitro and gasser helis also and am also into gas powered boats too...interesting. Oh and I forgot about model rockets.....I think I have a problem

Craig

Oh, I forgot about cars. I used to race 1/8th nitro on road some time ago. Those were a blast although high maintenance.

As for rockets, an interest in rocketry when I was young developed into RC when a leader in my club built a rc shuttle as a glider with rocket motors in the boosters that launched it. The ejection charge on the motors caused the boosters to separate from the shuttle body. It was all scratch built and quite a sight. The launch was very hit and miss from memory.

Regards,
Garrett

John, love the B-36 .. I had to look twice at it. We have an old guy out here that has built 3 or 4 of those things and I have had the pleasure of flying one of them.. what a hoot.
Here is the only shot I have of his ...