Electric Flying Models
Combining an interest in flying plus radio one arrives at electric radio controlled flying models as a solution to satisfying both.
With the advent of good electric motors both brushed and brushless, plus the advancements in battery technology electric flight of quite long duration is now possible. No more messy diesel or glo-plug fuel!
The Formosa plane above uses a 11.1volt Lithium Polymer battery with a capacity of 1500mAhr, giving a flight time on moderate throttle of 20-30minutes. It uses a brushless motor with an electronic speed controller, which also doubles as a means of powering the receiver and 3 servos. It has elevator, rudder and aileron control, as well as throttle, thus is fitted with 4 channel 35Mhz radio. The plane itself is made of expanded polystyrene foam and is very light but tough as a result.
The Air Blaster shown below uses similar electronics to the Formosa but flies with a slightly larger prop and larger control surfaces, which makes the performance "interesting" giving near vertical climb from a hand launch, together with fast aerobatic performance.
This can sometimes catch one out as shown below! However everything is repairable and its flying again!
A recent addition .........the Parkzone Spitfire
I thought I would give a ducted fan model a try so put together this "foamy" called the Panther by Wings Maker. It flies very well and FAST too!
Then of course there is now the Trex 450, Esky Honeybee amd Blade mCP X helicopters to try and master...so far it is 3 nil to the heli's ! Although if you click here you can see what can be done flying off Barton Cliff top at dusk IF your a good flier!
Aign Trex 450
ESky Honeybee
Blade mCP x flybar-less aerobatic heli
A FlyCamOne miniature camera which can be attached to the plane is also interesting. This takes standard SD memory cards and has its own internal LithiumIon rechargeable cell which is charged via the USB connection to the PC. This can produce up to 30 minute long, 200Mb movies of ones exploits for downloading later into a PC via the USB port.
The result is some still shots from a 20 minute movie taken over the New Forest / A35 from a glider at about 500 feet altitude, with the Isle of Wight on the horizon. One shot shows the "pilot" gazing skyward to ensure all is under control, while another shows the shadow of the plane on the landing approach.
View the full video here:
Then of course one CAN fly in the real thing! A freebee flight in a Pitts special with Brian Lecomber could not be turned down. Is it a grin of excitement or a look of trepidation ....?
