Blogs
- Monday, June 07, 2010
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Frank's EzFly Scratchbuild
Recently completed, the EzFly makes for one smooth flight! It's a scratchbuilt plane that is great for touch-and-go's. This sports the usual equipment for my builds:
- GForce 3s 1000mAh 25C LiPo battery
- 10A ESC (speed controller)
- 2712-17 (1700 KV) motor
- GWS EP 7035 (7x3.5) propeller
A Corona FM receiver and a Futaba 4YF Skysport transmitter is used to control it.
Here are some pics of the plane:
- Thursday, May 13, 2010
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The Toledo Show - Some pics
I took a few photos of some things I found interesting at the 2010 Weak Signals "Toledo Show". Enjoy the pics!
The place was pretty packed.
More R/C show enthusiasts.
Figured out a neat way to attach some LEDs to my helicopter blades.
Close-up of demo on installing LEDs on blades.
The Multiplex Funcopter!
The Multiplex Funcopter - Canopy/fuse pieces.
The Multiplex Funcopter - Head assembly.
The Multiplex Funcopter - Tail assembly.
The E-Flite Ultra-Micro 4-Site.
Another shot of the E-Flite Ultra-Micro 4-Site.
The Phlatboyz Phlatprinter - The MK-II.
The Phlatboyz Phlatformer.
Nice looking planes - 3D Hobby Shop's AJ Slick aircraft. We know some people who will love these pics!
A nifty scratchbuilt airplane - uses foam core for the wings, EPP wing leading edges to absorb abuse, covered with wing covering, a coroplast tail, and other inventive materials and techniques.
I'm looking forward to going to more R/C shows this year!
- Thursday, April 08, 2010
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New heli from GAUI: the X5/X-500
I just found a video of what looks like a new heli from GAUI. The X5 (or is it X-500?!) I believe it will run 500-530mm blades. I also believe it will run a torque tube for the tail. Yes, I want it.
I noticed 2010 and 4 in the video text but the video comment has 2010 and 5, so I guess the release date may have been moved from April to May 2010.
Here's a video of it in action!
References:
Super secret photo of the heli
new 500 heli from Gaui
- Monday, January 25, 2010
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The RCFC Phone Number
Sometimes having folks who want to join us for the podcast is tricky. Especially if a listener just wants to get on the air to ask a quick question. Setting up a microphone and all that can be kind of a hassle. In our experience, interviews with people on the phone are easier to setup, record, and get an acceptable sound quality. We decided to get our own number which listeners can call when they are listening to our live stream.
Here's how it works:
Every Wednesday at 9PM Eastern, go to: http://www.rcflightcast.com/live and you'll be able to hear the live podcast, as we record it. If you want to ask a question or comment on what we're talking about, you can simply give us a regular ol' phone call! The number to call is: 1-269-841-5421
We will then be able to add you into the conversation and you'll be recorded with us on the podcast. We may have a full house of people, so we might not always be able to answer right away, but we'll definitely try. We have "rented" this number for 3 months, so we'll see how the experiment goes.
As always, the regular podcast will be available for download once we upload it to the site after the show.
Thanks for listening!
- Tuesday, January 19, 2010
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Unofficial Response to Futaba
Nicholas T sent us a link to this unofficial Futaba ad response...
- Monday, January 18, 2010
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Let the 2.4GHz radio system flamewars ignite!
Skydive4ever sent us this rather interesting Futaba promo video.
- Friday, January 08, 2010
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Wings Across America: January 7, 2010 Update
Frank G. from Wings Across America writes in...
Since my last update, the WAA-08 plane has been flown by 9 pilots; pilot #172, Fred M of Albuquerque, NM, pilot #173, Mark J and 5 other club members of the Albuquerque Radio Control club, and Pilot #174, Bob H and Ted G of Rio Ranch, NM both of the Rio Rancho Radio Control Club. Bob and Ted's flight on 4 Jan 2010, marked the last flight of the WAA-08 airplane in New Mexico.
Bob made the drive north to meet pilot #175, Aaron C of Pueblo West, CO who met Bob in Raton, NM. Both had about a 4 hour drive one way to meet each other. That was our longest leg between pilots to date. The efforts to make the transfer is greatly appreciated.
Below are the stats of the WAA-08 adventure as of 31 Dec 09.
WAA-08 Statistics (Current as of 31 Dec 09)
10,624 miles traveled
233 pilots have flown the WAA-08 plane
106 AMA Chartered clubs visited
28 states visited
381 registered pilots
234 AMA Chartered clubs represented
41 registered pilots in California –the most; followed by NY with 22
1 registered pilot in Delaware and Vermont
17 degrees –Coldest temperature that the WAA-08 plane was flown: Chuck W (#84) Gandeeville, WV
107 degrees –Hottest temperature that the WAA-08 plane was flown: Mike H (#127) Valley Mills, TX
5,750+ emails sent in support of the WAA-08 adventure
3,000+ thread posts on the online RC Forums in support of the WAA-08 adventure
76,951 hits on our WAA-08 Google Maps page
8,881 hits on our WAA-08 website
79 pages of notes taken recording my personal experiences and important events of the WAA-08 adventure
Major Events Attended:
Dallas Electric Aircraft Fliers (DEAF 23) 27-28 September 2009
Southeast Electric Flight Festival (SEFF) 1-3 May 2009
Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology (NEAT) 12-14 September 2008
That's the news for now.
Thanks!
Frank
- Friday, October 09, 2009
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Wings Across America 2008 Update for Oct 7, 2009
Here is the latest on our adventure.
Since my last update, the WAA-08 plane has not been flown. The SQuiRT now resides with pilot #161, Verne B. of Weatherford, TX. Unfortunately, Verne required surgery shortly after receiving her and is not able to fly the plane. Verne has emailed me and said he is recovering well and hopes to be able to fly by this Sunday. Of course I asked him not to push himself and when he feels able, then fly the SQuiRT.
That's the news for now.
Thanks!
Frank
Promoting the hobby
- One pilot at a time
http://www.WAA-08.org
- Friday, October 02, 2009
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New Time, Same Channel
We've moving! Well, just to a different day. We'll be planning to do our podcasts on Wednesday. You could think of it as getting the podcast just a little bit earlier in the week! :)
- Tuesday, September 22, 2009
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WAA-08 Podcast Update
From Frank Geisler, of Wings Across America 2008:
Since my last update, the WAA-08 plane was flown successfully by 2 pilots. Pilot # 156, Jim H of McAlester, OK and pilot #157 Mike L of Trophy Club, TX. We had an extended down time due to bad weather in OK, so we only had two pilots this week. As of tomorrow, the plane should be residing with pilot # 159, Tom B of Ft Worth, TX. Tom will be taking the SQuiRT to DEAF this year. I've been told that DEAF is one of the oldest electric RC plane events in the USA. It will be cool to see the SQuiRT at this historical event.
As mentioned previously, I wanted to bring you another story of dedication and commitment to our WAA-08 adventure. As you may recall, we could not recruit any pilots between Albuquerque, NM and Colorado Springs, CO. I emailed the two pilots that are affected by this, Bob H and Aaron C to let them know of the situation. Bob, who lives in NM emailed me back and said if I couldn't find a pilot between him and Aaron, he would make a fishing trip out of the transfer drive. Keep in mind that is no small commitment. Bob has just offered to drive the SQuiRT 350 miles which is approximately 5 hours and 55 minute drive one way. Once again, I am humbled by the commitment and dedication of our WAA-08 pilots. I appreciate that effort very much. I salute Bob and his willingness to keep the adventure alive.
- Wednesday, July 01, 2009
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Wings Across America 2008 Summer Update
We receive periodic emails from Frank G of Wings Across America 2008. His last update was packed full of information, so we decided to post it right on the site. The following is an email from Frank G himself. Enjoy!
Hello WAA-08 Pilots, I hope this email finds you well. I'd like to take a few moments of your time to update you on the status of the Wings Across America 2008 adventure and let you know the latest news.
Let me start off by saying the SQuiRT has been making excellent progress through the southern United States. I am very impressed by the way the Gulf Coast (FL, AL, MS, LA, & TX) pilots have safely flown and passed the plane along as quickly as possible. We have even had some great local newspaper coverage as the WAA-08 plane passed through south TX. At last count, we have had four local papers cover the project in central and south TX alone. That's excellent work fellas and much appreciated. Our goal in this adventure, as you know, is to promote the hobby of RC flying and using the supplied press release in an excellent way to introduce the hobby to your local community. Please take advantage of that when it's your turn to fly and help get the word out.
Speaking of news coverage, you should have already seen two articles about the WAA-08 adventure in this month's Model Aviation. I certainly appreciate MA for running those stories to help get the word out about our adventure and I also appreciate pilot #88, John R, of Statesville, NC submitting his flight summary of his time with the SQuiRT in our District IV's section of MA. Every time MA does a story on the WAA-08 adventure, we pick up a few more much needed pilots in areas of the USA that we have some big gaps. Be on the lookout for articles about the WAA-08 adventure in Backyard Flyer, hitting the streets 7 July, and also in October's Fly RC magazine. The inclusion of the WAA-08 adventure in these magazines is greatly appreciated.
Currently the SQuiRT is with pilot #127, Mike H, in Waco, TX. She is headed northeast into OK and then AR. Those pilots have been notified and are on standby waiting for the SQuiRT to get to their location. Our short term goal is to make sure we are through Colorado before the first snows hit the Rocky Mountains. I don't know when that is for sure, but I suspect September sometime. We are going right along the continental divide so we should be seeing the highest flight the SQuiRT is going make in her journey. With that in mind, we need to keep her moving along so we don't get stuck in the high country of CO. Route maps can be found on our website.
Breaking News
As well as having WAA-08 T-shirts and decals, the Wings Across America 2008 now has patches! These patches are the embroidered kind that can be sewn onto a ball cap, shirt pocket or sleeve, or anywhere else you might like to sew one on. The patches measure 4 x 3.5 inches, are 100% embroidered, has a merrowed border, with white pellon backing. The cost for one patch will be $4.05 plus .84 cents for the mailing costs. Please note that we are not making any money from the sale of these patches. We have to order a minimum of 50 patches at a time so we are taking pre-orders right now. Once we submit the order, you should have the patch(es) in your mailbox within four week's time. Don will post ordering info on our website as well info for multiple orders of patches. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Don at waatreasurer2@gmail.com
New Sponsor
For those that haven't heard, we picked up a new battery sponsor. The Apogee batteries that we were using were puffing and at least one of them stopped taking a charge. I contacted Bill at Apogee about the possibility of sending replacement batteries, and was told that Apogee didn't want to support us anymore. I have mixed emotions about that. I'm glad they did step up originally to sponsor our adventure, but disappointed that their batteries only lasted a year and that they were unwilling to provide continued support. After Apogee's denial to send replacement batteries, I contacted Jason at MaxAmps and he immediately returned my email saying he'd be honored to support us. I asked for three batteries and he is sending four, as well as including the Deans connectors on them. Way to go Jason and MaxAmps! I certainly appreciate that and for MaxAmps helping to keep the dream going.
Photos
I'd like to remind each pilot that a good picture of you holding the plane by your club/field sign or other local landmark is appreciated. The better the photo that you provide, the better looking your flight certificate will be. Don does an excellent job with them and works with the photos provided, but if you can help him out with a good photo, I'm sure he will appreciate it.
RC Forums
If you'd like to join in the WAA-08 discussions, we have four RC forums with threads on them. They are; RCGroups, WattFlyer, Flying Giants, and RC Universe. I try to stop by all of them at least once a day to answer questions and post updates as well as photos. Feel free to stop in and post some comments if you'd like. They are all free and simple to join. It's a great way to share information as well as keep current on the WAA-08 adventure. Of course, we'll always have the current location of the WAA-08 plane as well as other important information on our website if you are not a fan of RC forums.
Statistics
Since I really enjoy statistics, I am including them below. I'm not sure what else you would like to see, but these are the few things I have been tracking since we started this adventure back in March of last year.
WAA-08 Statistics (Current as of 27 Jun 09)
7,038 miles traveled.
154 pilots have flown the WAA-08 plane.
74 AMA Chartered clubs have supported our adventure.
23 states visited.
371 registered pilots.
227 AMA chartered clubs represented.
35 registered pilots in California –the most; followed by NY with 23.
1 registered pilot in Delaware and Vermont.
17 degrees –Coldest temperature that the WAA-08 plane was flown: Chuck W (#84) Gandeeville, WV.
102 degrees –Hottest temperature that the WAA-08 plane was flown: Fred H (#126) Temple, TX.
4,500+ emails sent in support of the WAA-08 adventure
Major Events Attended
Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology (NEAT) 12-14 Sept 2008
Southeast Electric Flight Festival (SEFF) 1-3 May 2009
The oldest and youngest pilots
Youngest Female: Nicole H: 8
Youngest Male: Aydin T: 7
Oldest Female: Sherilyn P: 45 (yes, we asked and it was OK)
Oldest Male: Frank J: 93
Club with the most WAA-08-pilots
Hawks R/C Junior Aviators
News Coverage
15 Online news stories
12 Local papers
5 nationally publicized magazines have run articles on the WAA-08 adventure
1 Weekly RC podcast that provides WAA-08 updates
1 Local television news story
Forum Members
149 on RC Groups
40 on WattFlyer
3 on RC Universe
Plane statistics
Plane: Simple Quiet Robust Trainer (SQuiRT)
Wingspan: 38"
Motor: GWS sp400
ESC: Castle Creations Pixie 20P and for a backup Spectrum 18 Amp from Medusa Research
Batteries: MaxAmps 1100 mAH 7.4V 25C LiPos
Props: GWS 7x3.5
Receiver: Spektrum AR6200
Servos: 2 Ea Hitec HS-55
Radio: Spektrum DX6i
Battery Charger: DBC-14 from Common Sense RC
AUW: 16 ounces
Built from: Balsa and vinyl covering
Manufacturer: Stevens AeroModel
Year Built: 2008
Sponsors
Stevens AeroModel
Horizon Hobbies
Redneck RC
Common Sense RC
Big Al's Hobby Supply
RC Pro Racing
MaxAmps
Hobby Hangar
Castle Creations
Grumpy Monkey Designs
E Cubed R/C
FliteLine Hobbies
R/C FlightCast
Vinyl For RC
Medusa Research Inc.
Steve Cranford (WAA-08.org Domain creator)
Desert Eagles Model Airplane Flying Club
That sums up my second quarterly update about the WAA-08 adventure for this year. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me and I will respond as soon as possible.
Thanks again for participating in our adventure and helping to "make it happen."
Frank
Promoting the Hobby
- One Pilot at a Time
www.WAA-08.org
- Monday, April 27, 2009
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Go A123! Electric Power Rocks!
A123-powered Drag Racing
- Sunday, February 22, 2009
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The Swap meet
Brian and I participated in our first swap meet. It was fun hanging out.We had some people that came by to let us know they listen to us. Here is a snippet of that trip on Sat.
The swap meet
- Thursday, February 19, 2009
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Multiplex Funcopter Heli Video
James Fassino wrote in to tell us about a video released from Multiplex highlighting the new Funcopter's abilities to withstand crashes. Check it out!
http://www.multiplex-rc.de/cms/vorschau/upload/d_videos/www_Funcopter.wmv
Note: Give the video a few seconds to show the actual Funcopter.
- Sunday, November 02, 2008
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Our forum
Hey check out our forum. It's growing slowly but surely. Lots of great info on the phlatprinter and some great downloads that work with the phlatprinter also. Good all around talk on things that deal with the electric rc plane and helicopter. Check it out at www.forums.rcflightcast.com. Hey, don't forget our podcast each Monday night too. Bit of a recap after each show in the forums under rcflightcast. See you there folks!
Frank
- Thursday, October 23, 2008
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21,000 plus downloads! Thank you everybody.
That's right 21,000 plus downloads since we started in late April. As a matter of fact our latest show has had the largest download by a wide margin of our average daily downloads. So thank you for continuing to listen to our podcasts each week folks ;) Also to the people who frequent our forum and add to it each day. Membership is growing nicely. You can check the forum out by clicking on the button at the right side of the screen.
- Friday, October 03, 2008
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Hey check our our new Forum!
Brian was good enough to come up with a site that works for everybody. Please visit it at:
Or just look to the right side of this page and click on the "RCFC Forums" button-------->
RC FlightCast Forum
- Saturday, September 27, 2008
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My hands free launcher
This is a launcher I made out of 3/4" PVC pipe. The launch pipes are at a 45* angle so it slides off and up into the air. Now I don't have to launch with just one hand and dive for full control of the transmitter. I know, I'm lazy. ;)
Frank
Launcher pic 1
Launcher pic 2
Launcher pic 3
- Thursday, September 18, 2008
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Funky flier gets airborn
Finally got my Funky flier up in the air. Lots of power and very stable. Noisy though.
Ready to fly: 14 oz
Motor: 2409-12T
Prop: 8X4.3 slow prop
Battery: 1000 3s
Frank
- Sunday, September 14, 2008
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Funky flier
Just been working on a scratchbuild called "Funky Flier" 36" wingspan. This one is another I got off of RCG scratchbuild thread. tony65x55 did this design. Waiting on a couple of items in order to finish this build. Will also use some new spray paint I have been on the lookout for. Rustoleum AQUA water based. See how that will work on the Fanfold Foam.
Frank
Funky flier 1
Funky flier 2
- Sunday, September 14, 2008
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Mikes own breakdown of the Phlatprinter assembly
Mike and others are finally getting their Phlatprinters from Mark and Trish. Mike did a great job of doing a build explaination and shot pictures along with it as he progressed. Here is his own post he started over at RCGroups.
Phlatprinter build thread
Phlatprinter home site
- Friday, September 12, 2008
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Funder and Lightning
This is the Funder and Lightning I have been fooling with over the weeks. Aileron and elevator only controls. Brian flew this. Ailerons are still my kryptonite. Definitly needs more overall aileron and elevator control surface. I'm working on that now. Just thought I'd show what it looks like when there is minimal control. Also can you see the really STUPID thing I over looked? (hint: it's by the battery)
- Thursday, September 11, 2008
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E-sky King 3
From the better-late-than-never dept...
I was just browsing JAGHobbies.com for a part on my E-sky King 2 helicopter when I noticed the King 3! It's up for PRE-sale at the moment.
Judging from the specs, it looks like the King 3 is E-sky's response to the
popular Blade 400. The King 3 comes with a brushless motor, brushless ESC, a headlock gyro (looks like it's an updated version), 4 digital servos, a 3s 1500mAh LiPo, and a 2.4GHz radio system.
Some structural things of note, "improved whole rotor head design", "improved tail rotor control system", and the motor mount area has been strengthened. Definite areas that were in need of improvement on the King 2. From the photo, it looks like an aluminum swash is peeking out too.
I would venture to say that given the Blade 400, and now the King 3, the new heli enthusiast has excellent options to get into collective pitch helis. No more rate gyros, glitchy radio systems, or tail motors.
Looks pretty cool.
http://jaghobbies.com/rc_planes/hbk3.htm
- Friday, September 05, 2008
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Mike's Workshop
Here is Mikes workshop. He's got it all ready for the Phlatprinter I do believe. Must be nice.
Mikes BLOG site
Workshop 1
Workshop 2
Workshop 3
- Monday, September 01, 2008
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Some Funster and Lightning build shots
Just some shots of my next project. This one is of the Funster and Lightning that I got off of the RCGroups site. Lot of fun so far. I've actually gone from 2 aileron servos used to just one servo. Notice the linkage from the servo to the ailerons. It tested out with no problems at all. This plane only uses aileron and elevator control along with throttle.
Funster 1
Funster 2
Funster 3
- Monday, September 01, 2008
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Brian flying my scratchbuilt 4S-Bipe
Here's Brian flying the scratchbult Bipe that I got off of rcgroups. Had fun building this one as it is my first biplane.
4S-Bipe
- Sunday, August 24, 2008
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Getting crowded
Just some shots since I discovered Fanfold Foam. This stuff is very easy to work with and even more fun to test out and fly with.
Brian with his scratchbuilt "Hover machine" Don't watch if your squeemish!
My office/building area
Another shot/angle
The reason it takes so long at times to get anything done.
- Saturday, August 23, 2008
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SKYPE has been added
It's now easy as ever to give us a SKYPE call. Just click on the skype button right below the email button on the right part of this page------->
More info on getting and using SKYPE to call in while we are recording our show is below.
If anybody would like to get on the show for a minute or so to talk about a construction hint, a new favorite plane, or maybe you want to plug a great site you have dealt with recently, we'd like to get you on.
You'll need to download a program called http://www.SKYPE.com. Very easy to install and register. It costs no money to use. You will need a microphone and headphone, or combination of both, to be able to contact us. SKYPE on its own is great just to talk to your friends also. When you get it installed, just do a search for frankrcfc and add that name to your contact list. OR you can give us a number where we can call you and get you on that way also.
We do the show every Monday night at 9:00PM till 10:00PM EST sharp (that's New York time). Just give us about 15 minutes to get the show rolling. Hey, if it works, great! If not, we could always say it should have, right?
Thanks for giving it a try if you do get through!
Frank
- Saturday, August 16, 2008
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My first scratchbuilt with FFF
Just been doing some easy planes. Just got done scratch building this one. It's called the Nutball. 21" version. The Fanfold foam is real easy to use. Just have plenty of utility blades available. Here is the plans and some more info on this at RCGroups.
- Thursday, August 14, 2008
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Like to call in?
If anybody would like to get on the show for a minute or so to talk about a construction hint, a new favorite plane, or maybe you want to plug a great site you have dealt with recently, we'd like to get you on.
You'll need to download a program called http://www.SKYPE.com. Very easy to install and register. It costs no money to use. You will need a microphone and headphone, or combination of both, to be able to contact us. SKYPE on its own is great just to talk to your friends also. When you get it installed, just do a search for frankrcfc and add that name to your contact list. OR you can give us a number where we can call you and get you on that way also.
We do the show every Monday night at 9:00PM till 10:00PM EST sharp (that's New York time). Just give us about 15 minutes to get the show rolling. Hey, if it works, great! If not, we could always say it should have, right?
Thanks for giving it a try if you do get through!
