Jump to content

RC Flying?


Jimalberta

Recommended Posts

Just wondering how many rc flyers we have on this forum. If so what do you fly and where ?

 

I am just getting into it and have a Hobby Zone Super Cub as well as an ARdrone quad copter with 2 cameras on it. Been hanging around the flying field at Quatzsite and found a nice one just off boulder in Las Vegas today.

<p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well.

IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 60
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I don't consider the quadra copters to be much of a skilled R/C vehicle but they are a bunch of fun if you connect a camera. Otherwise, they go up and down. No my cup of tea.

I don't fly much any more but used to fly giant scale R/C planes which does not play well with the full time life style. I was an instructor and loved that part of it as it was not until I found a really patient instructor that I was able to successfully enter this hobby. I got bored of take-off, fly, land and needed to move into extreme aerobatics (i.e. too low, too close, too many crashes) and extreme airframes (getting a GeemBee to fly and land successfully). I got into twin engines and really big gas engines but I think that's why my hearing is slipping (what did you say?). I don't regret any of it and I really miss having my hands on the sticks. I have considered getting into some simple electrics or similar but I think I would bore myself to death in short order. It would have to be an extreme fun fly type plane and I would need to be able to find competitions along the way to test my skills.

Don't get me wrong, R/C flying is GREAT fun. You just need to be a somewhat less Type A personality than me to keep from needing more and more and being better and better. It's just like when I took up bowling. That was fun, but I was not good enough. Hire an instructor, practice everyday, bowl in league 3-4 nights per week and repeat. The good news (for me) is that I have my 300 ring!

Bill Adams
Full timer since 1997

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have never been involved in RC flight, but I want to change that after I get on the road and get settled into my truck and trailer in a couple months. I would like to be able to shoot video like this on from the town where I grew up in the Finger Lakes of NY.

 

Volvo+and+Travel+Supreme+400+x+103.jpg

 

2001 Volvo 770, Detroit 60 Series, Gen 2 Autoshift

Passenger assist elevator to enter cab - for when we need it, or sell it?

'05 Travel Supreme Select 40 RLQSO 5th wheel

2016 smart car

 

We started full timing on December 1st 2014

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness - Mark Twain
Not all that wander are lost - J. R. R. Tolkien

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My son is an avid RC flyer and once in a while he lets me take the controls. I must admit I’m not very good at it. Being a pilot for the past 40 years I just can’t get used to making a control input and not feeling something in the seat of my pants. I do enjoy going to his RC club events and I’m amazed at the equipment some of the members have as well as their flying talent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I picked up a cheap RC helicopter. In fact 2, one is very small and I can fly it around the motorhome LOL!. I mainly wanted to hook my gopro up to it and take pictures but it hasn't been the perfect world so I think I will be buying a Phantom quadcopter.

I do go hang around air fields when we are in an area that has them. And have gone to a couple RC Airshow. But because I mainly want to take pictures and normally don't seem to hang in one spot that long the helicopters or quadcopters enable me to fly pretty much anyplace we go.

Dave & Diane

2020 New Horizon Majestic  5th wheel

2018 Ram 5500

2014 Tiffin Phaeton 42LH (SOLD)
2012 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited (SOLD)

http://daveanddiane.wordpress.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWqRmO1rO4cu3rFANF1iG6Q

 

http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/4;10752;80/st/20120701/e/Went+fulltime/dt/-2/k/271f/event.png
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fly electric whenever I and use Flight Sim 6 when it's not possible to fly.

 

Adam,

 

Take a look at some of competitions on youtube. Modern electrics are fast fun and more durable. There are park flyers that enthusiasts use to fly in parks and create a obstacle course. Slow and highly maneuverable.

 

I'm also been trying my hand at building a home made "foamie".

You can build one from plans or your ideas with $1.00 foam board from multiple places like WM/$$ General and online sources. Use new electronics or if your like me, your growing stock of 5g / 9g servos, ESC's and receivers.

 

There is a fantastic forum here; http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php The members are friendly and help full.

 

 

 

Dave & Tish
Beagle Bagles & Snoopy

RIP Snoopy we lost you 5-11-14 but you'll always travel with us
On the road somewhere.
AF retired, 70-90
A truck and a trailer

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion” -unknown

HoD vay' wej qoH SoH je nep! ngebmo' vIt neH 'ach SoHbe' loD Hem, wa' ngebmo'. nuqneH...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My friends are into spads and I want to get good enough at flying to be able to control a spad. Then it gets fun as the spads dogfight. Spads are so cheap and easy to build that it kind of changes the sport a bit. For those of you not aware of what a spad is, it is a plane built from a rain gutter and coroplast sign board. Add a gas engine and electrics and away you go. They are fast and maneuverable and loads of fun. If you crash its no big deal as you can fix it or rebuild it in a few hrs.

 

My ARDrone I bought mostly because of the 2 onboard cameras. It will take still shots or a video of the flight. It sends a direct picture to my Ipad as well as the ability to record directly to a plug in usb flash drive onboard. I want to do aerial shots of places we visit.

<p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well.

IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They just had the 2014 Tucson Jet Rally last weekend. I took the flight line tour and listened to the particpants explain their hobby and got a close-up look at a lot of V-E-R-Y expensive toys. The jet engines alone cost several thousands dollars. The Tucson club's flying field is really first class.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They just had the 2014 Tucson Jet Rally last weekend. I took the flight line tour and listened to the particpants explain their hobby and got a close-up look at a lot of V-E-R-Y expensive toys. The jet engines alone cost several thousands dollars. The Tucson club's flying field is really first class.

We attended that as well. Those guys had a lot of money wrapped up in the toys.

Dave & Diane

2020 New Horizon Majestic  5th wheel

2018 Ram 5500

2014 Tiffin Phaeton 42LH (SOLD)
2012 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited (SOLD)

http://daveanddiane.wordpress.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWqRmO1rO4cu3rFANF1iG6Q

 

http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/4;10752;80/st/20120701/e/Went+fulltime/dt/-2/k/271f/event.png
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't flown for years now, I did some powered flying but really liked gliders best. I did run across this article a while back, don't drool on your keyboards!

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/26/drone_plane_madness_with_canon/

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've tried and tried this flying thing........and about all I have is a pile of scrap and a lot of parts left. And I know your going to say get an instructor. Wish I could but traveling doesn't work well for that either. But the few flights that I did actually make it fly and landed without crashing were enough to make me want to do it more.

 

Dave

Dave & Linda

2011 Bighorn 3670

2000 Ford 7.3 PS diesel white and tan in color Now Fulltiming since May15, 2010

 

Semper Fi Marines!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did the same thing for many years. Tried and tried and tried but mostly crashed. I found a flying field not too far from home and met someone willing to help. He taught me to fly and we became fast friends for many years. I, the student, became an instructor and passed as much knowledge and skill along any time I could as I remember the struggles I faced trying to go it alone.

Flying in circles bores me now so I make the maneuvers the show as well as flying very close to the ground (inverted!) or entering fun fly type competitions. That means I will make periodic unexpected encounters with Mother Earth and my current life style does not allow for the planes, parts and necessary repairs.

Bill Adams
Full timer since 1997

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as learning goes. I bought a phoenix flight simulator that goes in my laptop. I hook up my rc transmitter to it and learn to fly that way. Its much cheaper :) . The simulator has many planes and helicopters to choose from. I like that it has my plane as a choice.

<p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well.

IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was interested in RC flying in my younger days, but the equipment was out of reach for me ($$). In summer 2012 I was volunteering in Colorado and the assistant refuge manager was an RC enthusiast and introduced me to the new generation of electric motors and aircraft. Suddenly the hobby was affordable and the electric motor aspect eliminates most of the noise and fuss that was associated with the old glow and fuel planes.

 

So I bought a Hobby Zone Super Mini Cub ($99 including radio!) and flew the wings off of it. Literally, in a couple of cases folded the wing on an aggressive loop. But the repair parts are cheap and easily available and I had a ball. You also learn that a bit of reinforcing tape here and there makes the thing bulletproof. In Colorado I was at a NWR that had the advantage of a several thousand acre field immediately adjacent to our campsite, so I could fly whenever I wanted.

 

I decided to "move up" to a larger, faster, more capable 4-channel Park Zone T-28 that is capable of most aerobatics including loops, rolls, spins, knife-edge, inverted, etc. and still very durable with affordable replacement parts. The T-28 has a 44" wingspan and weighs in at about 2 pounds, and fits very easily in our RV. Broken down and in the box it is about 18" wide, 12" deep, and 48" long. As noted above I also purchased a Flight Simulator for my laptop, and I can "learn" the most difficult maneuvers on that without destroying my airplane over and over again.

 

At our current volunteer assignment I found a local RC club with an excellent flying facility and have joined. There are a couple of dozen very accomplished flyers there with an amazing variety of planes and I have learned a ton. They do offer basic training with "buddy boxes" for new members, and that would be the very best way to start if you are interested.

 

In the many hours I have flown there I have seen exactly ONE fuel plane, and it had a wingspan of about 8 feet! Electric power has completely taken over the RC flying arena and if you think those planes aren't capable check out some of the "3D" flying videos that are available online. Those guys are doing maneuvers that look more like a video game than flying, so Bill I'd say that there is plenty of challenge left for you!

 

Our summer volunteer gig is at Farragut State Park in Idaho, and they have an RC flying field in the park and my planes are already packed up and ready to go. I plan to fly several times a week and hone my skills. Then back here next winter and more flying with the club.

 

So I'd say that the current crop of foam, electric powered RC planes are a great fit for RV'ers like us!

 

Mark

Mark & Teri

2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350

Mark & Teri's Travels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have run into a number of RC enthusiasts wherever we have gone. We stayed at the Granger, IN KOA last summer and the owners fly RC power and sail planes. One of the weekend campers that saw me working on mine stopped and told me he has and flies a control line model.

 

I have a several glow planes and a couple of electrics. The glow are a Morris the Knife, a BalsaNova 120, a Speedy Bee, and a Kadet LT40 trainer. The electrics are a Horizon Carbon Cub SS and a Lazy Bee. The Carbon Cub SS can be stored and go anywhere as it stays in its shoebox sized case until I want to fly it. We have a toyhauler so I can keep a couple back there and a couple in the Volvo. Electrics are the way to go today......clean and long flying. I will be converting the Speedy Bee and the Kadet from glow to electric this year. The new small, electric, gyro stabilized heli's and quadcopters are very simple and fun to fly around the campsite. And the new cameras and first-person-view (FPV) systems are adding a whole new dimension to the hobby. The FPV gives you a view and lets you fly virtually from the cockpit. Some really cool stuff.

 

A great way to start is with one of the RC plane & heli simulators; it eliminates the pain and nausea associated with seeing dollars and days or weeks worth of work re-kitting itself and turning into a pile of parts. If not a simulator, most AMA affiliated clubs have a club trainer and instructor at their flying field to work with newbies and get them interested. AMA affiliated clubs and fields can be found on the AMA website at http://www.modelaircraft.org./clubsearch.aspx.

 

It's a great hobby and garners interest wherever you go

Mike & Joan
2006 Volvo 780
2008 KZ Escalade Sportster 41CKS
2001 Honda XR650R
2018 Kymco Spade 150

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are on I-95 near St Augustine, FLorida, the Stagecoach RV park has an RC field behind it. Joe Petty, the owner, used to have 4 complete air fields and hosted a lot of events but now, he just keeps 1 field up. Great park, too. Mostly pull thrus and can fit most RVs.

RVBuddys Journal Our progress into full-timing.
Budd & Merrily ===-> SKP# 088936 Other Websites:---> Hub of all my blogs
Clifford - 2000 VNL64T770 :: DakotR - 1999 C40KS King of the Road :: $PRITE - 2013 Smart Passion w/cruise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

If you are on I-95 near St Augustine, FLorida, the Stagecoach RV park has an RC field behind it. Joe Petty, the owner, used to have 4 complete air fields and hosted a lot of events but now, he just keeps 1 field up. Great park, too. Mostly pull thrus and can fit most RVs.

Sharlene and I have stayed at Stagecoach RV a few times over the last couple years. I have flown with Joe a number of times...he is a very nice man and the we find the park to be superb!

Ken and Sharlene Stapleton

Lake Dallas, Texas

1999 Damon Intruder

 

1990 SP36 Blue Bird Wanderlodge (Gone but will never be forgotten)

"The Great Escape"

1941 Taylorcraft BC12-65

http://kenshar.blogspot.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

I'm just getting more serious, now have a flight sim and plan to buy a beaver electric in the spring, been flying little foam planes for a year, it's lots of fun!

2014 jayco siesmic 3914

1998 volvo 610, singled short ( bought in 2005)

14 speed volvo tranny

2014 Toyota yaris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am now carrying three foam RC planes with me. One is a Parkzone T-28 that is a great warbird capable of most "normal" aerobatics. Next is a Parkzone Visionaire that is more of a Pattern/3-D plane capable of doing pretty much everything. Both of these planes break down back into their original cartons when I'm on the road which makes them very compact to store. My newest plane is a little 32" Twisted Hobby Crack-Yak . This one is a small 3-D plane which stay assembled all of the time and can be flown within the confines of a baseball or soccer field (or even a gymnasium, though I've not tried that yet), so it is pretty much ready to go at any time.

 

All three are electric, so all I have to do is charge the batteries and go flying. Great hobby for RV'ers as the whole lot doesn't weigh ten pounds. And when I'm not out flying I've always got the simulator on the computer to work out the really tricky stuff. Better to crash 100 times on the sim than once in the field!!

Mark & Teri

2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350

Mark & Teri's Travels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


RVers Online University

campgroundviews.com

RV Destinations

Find out more or sign up for Escapees RV'ers Bootcamp.

Advertise your product or service here.

The Rvers- Now Streaming

RVTravel.com Logo



×
×
  • Create New...