A Fun Hobby

[Swamp Critter]

I was thinking about Big Boy Toys, but yes I've been to Cajun RC also. That guy actually used to sell the plane I have. Had I known that at the time I'd have bought It there. Bought my replacement wing and tail from there. That guy knows his stuff. Both rc stores in Lafayette have some cool stuff.

[Swamp Critter]

Originally Posted by Feesherman

That pic makes me wanna go sky diving again.

Just wondering, since you're a sky diver, from the picture, about how high does it look? I know sky divers carry altimeters. Just curious.

[Reel Bender]

Originally Posted by Swamp Critter

Hey Reel Bender, sounds like you're a teacher. Maybe you could pass around a petition. Who knows? Worth a try.

Yep.

They are going to keep control line airplanes in 1 more year to see if we can increase the participants.

We will also try toi do an indoor RC demonstration to see what type of interest it generates.

[Swamp Critter]

Well, still waiting on the camera I ordered. I think It'll be 2 weeks on Friday, but I understand that it can take a while in the mail. Anyhoo, I've had lots of practice, got chased by a small bird, and a crash. Ran out of battery the other day in too much wind. Almost managed to put it down in some long grass, but it hit someone's wooden fence. Minor damage, and after I repaired it, you'd never know it crashed. Still flies just fine. I just wish my camera would get here so I can get some new videos.

[Swamp Critter]

Even though I crashed it reinforced something I already knew. Watch the time, easy on the throttle, and as soon as the motor starts to slow just a bit, LAND! ASAP! Better to lose a little flight time than crash. I figured I had enough "juice" for one more lap. I was circling to land when it quit. It saves power to steer, and the motor can be restarted from the transmitter but only for brief taps of throttle to line up and land. BUT, if it's too low or windy, not enough. Well, lesson learned!

[Feesherman]

Originally Posted by Swamp Critter

Just wondering, since you're a sky diver, from the picture, about how high does it look? I know sky divers carry altimeters. Just curious.

Looks low, like 50-75 feet.

[Swamp Critter]

Originally Posted by Feesherman

Looks low, like 50-75 feet.

If you're talking about the aerial shot, the altitude of the plane is much higher than that. Those are baseball fields on the left and the light poles at the fence are probably around 50 - 75 feet high, about the height of mature trees. My truck at the bottom right is a GMC Sierra king cab, which is around 17 - 18 feet long, and that's me standing in the parking lot, and I'm 6' 3". This is at LEAST 150 - 200 feet up, if not more. The roof peak of my house is 27 feet tall and even at twice that height I wouldn't be looking down on baseball field lights, even at a distance. I circled the field at maybe 300 feet out from where I was standing.

[cricket]

i used to race the RC buggies, we would go to houston every weekend and run with the big boys. i still have my car. i heard they have a track somewhere around here but it is a very expensive sport. i'd like to get into RC airplanes. i've seen a cheap one at harbor freight. they have one in lafayette also. Check it out if your just wanting something to learn on.

[Feesherman]

Originally Posted by Swamp Critter

If you're talking about the aerial shot, the altitude of the plane is much higher than that. Those are baseball fields on the left and the light poles at the fence are probably around 50 - 75 feet high, about the height of mature trees. My truck at the bottom right is a GMC Sierra king cab, which is around 17 - 18 feet long, and that's me standing in the parking lot, and I'm 6' 3". This is at LEAST 150 - 200 feet up, if not more. The roof peak of my house is 27 feet tall and even at twice that height I wouldn't be looking down on baseball field lights, even at a distance. I circled the field at maybe 300 feet out from where I was standing.

Alrighty.

[Swamp Critter]

Hey Cricket, I was a bit suspicious of Harbor Freight planes, but after looking into them online I found out that they sell what seems to be some fairly decent ones. There's the 3 channel (throttle, steering, and elevator) Wild Hawk and the 2 channel (throttle/climb, and steering) Yellow Bee. Both are beginner planes with proportional control (important) and with the exception of maybe AA's for the transmitter, come with everything in the box to get started. The Wild Hawk is the bigger of the two and goes for around $99.00 and the Yellow Bee around $40.00. Now, that being said, Harbor Freight always has some kind of sale and/or coupons available, so sometimes they might go for around $75.00 and $30.00, maybe less. I read some reviews where the Yellow Bee was $25.00. At those prices, you really can't go wrong. I started with a 2 channel plane similar to the yellow bee. I enjoyed it but crashed it ALOT. So, if you opt for the Yellow Bee (or any 2ch plane), just fly it in a huge area, preferably with some grass about knee-high to protect it on landings, and maybe take off the landing gear at first. Same goes for the Wild Hawk, but you'll get less crashes and more control with 3 channels. The 3rd channel (elevator) is not any more complicated to learn and might save some repairs. Look into it and weigh the pros and cons. I say if you fine either of these on sale, go for it!