R/C hellcat

[crazyivan]

Good Luck with the Hellcat.  But by any chance you hit a tree with it. Just  look to the sky and yell. GO* Beeeeeeeeeeeep beep! you  

Lagger86! Whyyyyy. 

[Bosco123]

from what i can judge by seeing the stuff you fly, and seeing what you put in here, i'd say you're WAY past "just getting good".

 some of the old guys(and i say that with respect) in my club wouldn't fly some of the neat stuff i've seen you post about. 

ahh, your too kind I think the skill comes when your under pressure, such as a like an engine dies, or the wheels don't come down. When you can turn a bad situation into a decent one, that's when you are starting to get good. Most people fold under the pressure, and crash their airplanes when really, it was a manageable save. I think I found out how good I was a couple of weeks ago, when I was flying that 101'' Zero, and while I was flying with it, the wheel came off. I decided that it would be easier to leave the wheels down and try and land it on the wheel that wasn't off, other than landing it without the wheels and finding a rock out in the grass.
Little did we know,or at least the builder knew, that there was a filter in the fuel line, and what that was doing was that there was a little dirt in this filter, it would lean the engine, and at sometime it was going to die.
Anyways, I come in to land and had too fast of and approach so I decide to go around. at about 60 degrees of an angle when I was going around, the engine dies, with the flaps, and gear down, with no engine. At any moment, that airplane was going to stall, and at one point it stated to sagg, or stall. I put rudder in to pull a hammer head, and somehow, I got enough speed to keep it flying, and I pulled out of the dive. Oh, I forgot to mention I was only about 20 feet off the ground? Yea.
So after I leveled out, the first thing I could think to myself was to put the gear back up. I hit the gear switch and just as the geat went up, the airplane landed.
That's what made me think to myself how good I've become and it also showed everyone else how good I was. Its when your at the verge of a crash, and pull it out to a save, thats were the skill it.
To be honest, anyone can fly an airplane, or warbird for that matter, with the right amount of skill. The actual skill comes from being under pressure.

<S>

[CAP1]

ahh, your too kind I think the skill comes when your under pressure, such as a like an engine dies, or the wheels don't come down. When you can turn a bad situation into a decent one, that's when you are starting to get good. Most people fold under the pressure, and crash their airplanes when really, it was a manageable save. I think I found out how good I was a couple of weeks ago, when I was flying that 101'' Zero, and while I was flying with it, the wheel came off. I decided that it would be easier to leave the wheels down and try and land it on the wheel that wasn't off, other than landing it without the wheels and finding a rock out in the grass.
Little did we know,or at least the builder knew, that there was a filter in the fuel line, and what that was doing was that there was a little dirt in this filter, it would lean the engine, and at sometime it was going to die.
Anyways, I come in to land and had too fast of and approach so I decide to go around. at about 60 degrees of an angle when I was going around, the engine dies, with the flaps, and gear down, with no engine. At any moment, that airplane was going to stall, and at one point it stated to sagg, or stall. I put rudder in to pull a hammer head, and somehow, I got enough speed to keep it flying, and I pulled out of the dive. Oh, I forgot to mention I was only about 20 feet off the ground? Yea.
So after I leveled out, the first thing I could think to myself was to put the gear back up. I hit the gear switch and just as the geat went up, the airplane landed.
That's what made me think to myself how good I've become and it also showed everyone else how good I was. Its when your at the verge of a crash, and pull it out to a save, thats were the skill it.
To be honest, anyone can fly an airplane, or warbird for that matter, with the right amount of skill. The actual skill comes from being under pressure.

<S>

i hear that.

with my world models t34....i used to basicaly "yank" her off the ground, into a steep climb. generally, if i was in the mood, i'd do a snap roll on climb out. very low, and generally almost 0 airspeed coming out of the roll.
 well....i did that one day, and the engine quit in the snap. the nose dropped, and it was all i could do to NOT pull back on the elevator. she still crashed hard enough to break, but was fixable.

 another time, flying my hangar 9 t34(she weighs 7.5 pounds with an os 50sx), the timer went off telling me i was low on fuel. pull the gear switch, do a slow low flyby to verify wheels down n lockes. nose was, left main was. right main wasn't.
 so i take her high, wobble the wings hard, snap roll, yank into sudden climb...anything i can think of to get that wheel down. nothign worked.
 i thought about pulling the gear up, but decided against it, and landed on the 2 wheels. so i line her up on a long shallow approach, cross the "fence" with the wheels almost brushing the weeds there(they're about 2 ft tall), and killed the engine as i crossed. pulled into a flare, and kept a little left aielron in it to keep it on the left main. touched down nice n gentle, held the nose up as long as i could, then it settles, then the right wing finally drops, as the speed is super low now.
 zero damage. then i turned around, and saw that about 14 people were watching me to see if i pulled it off or not. had i known they were watching, i'd probably have screwed the pooch on that one.

 another time, larry and i were flying formation. both with t-34's. we were trying to keep it tight. well......we sorta collided coming down the runway at about 30 ft alt.
 neither one crashed, we just veered off, and landed.....then laughed our tulips off. 

 i won't even go into the aircraft carrier we had built at one time. suffice it to say, that it ate 7 planes in it's first day of use. 

<<S>>

[legoman]

I had my left elevator chopped off on a branch of a tree, how the wing still made it idk, but as i came around the low battery singled the engine to quit and i had to come in for a glide. A was able to land on my lawn with a lot of damage done to the rear of the plane, i must agree i do not fold under pressure and that i can solve most problems providing i have the time to think about what to do next. Now it seems instinct to land it in my lawn if a piece breaks off, I'm hoping i can use this to my advantage when i get my hellcat.

[mtnman]

That's what I thought.. before trees and powerlines became an issue.

Trees and powerlines?  You got off easy!

Try radio-interference, leading to a loss of control and a high speed impact (P51 Mustang) with a third story doctor's office condo window in Missoula, Montana (1993?).  Over $10,000 damage- to the window, ceiling (a plant hanging from the ceiling was hit, and the plant ended up upside down in the ceiling), computers, door on the other side of the office, glass 15 feet down the adjoining hallway, etc.  What a mess.  The office had closed and emptied of people about 1/2 hour before I hit it...  Imagine turning a 6x8 ft window, several panes thick, into the consistency of sand/flour (sharp, though) and distributing it across three keyboards, into the vents on the top of the computer monitors, etc...  Glass shards were impaled in the hardwood door across the office.

Fortunately, when the doctor/owner of the building found out I was making $4.75/hour (after two raises and a promotion) at the local Burger King, he let me work off the deductibles at his llama ranch for $10/hour.  Nice guy!  I got off lucky!

Don't fly by "stuff" you can't afford to hit!

[thndregg]

Trees and powerlines?  You got off easy!

Try radio-interference, leading to a loss of control and a high speed impact (P51 Mustang) with a third story doctor's office condo window in Missoula, Montana (1993?).  Over $10,000 damage- to the window, ceiling (a plant hanging from the ceiling was hit, and the plant ended up upside down in the ceiling), computers, door on the other side of the office, glass 15 feet down the adjoining hallway, etc.  What a mess.  The office had closed and emptied of people about 1/2 hour before I hit it...  Imagine turning a 6x8 ft window, several panes thick, into the consistency of sand/flour (sharp, though) and distributing it across three keyboards, into the vents on the top of the computer monitors, etc...  Glass shards were impaled in the hardwood door across the office.

Fortunately, when the doctor/owner of the building found out I was making $4.75/hour (after two raises and a promotion) at the local Burger King, he let me work off the deductibles at his llama ranch for $10/hour.  Nice guy!  I got off lucky!

Don't fly by "stuff" you can't afford to hit!

I laugh, but I feel for ya' man. That is a harsh predicament to face.

[CAP1]

Trees and powerlines?  You got off easy!

Try radio-interference, leading to a loss of control and a high speed impact (P51 Mustang) with a third story doctor's office condo window in Missoula, Montana (1993?).  Over $10,000 damage- to the window, ceiling (a plant hanging from the ceiling was hit, and the plant ended up upside down in the ceiling), computers, door on the other side of the office, glass 15 feet down the adjoining hallway, etc.  What a mess.  The office had closed and emptied of people about 1/2 hour before I hit it...  Imagine turning a 6x8 ft window, several panes thick, into the consistency of sand/flour (sharp, though) and distributing it across three keyboards, into the vents on the top of the computer monitors, etc...  Glass shards were impaled in the hardwood door across the office.

Fortunately, when the doctor/owner of the building found out I was making $4.75/hour (after two raises and a promotion) at the local Burger King, he let me work off the deductibles at his llama ranch for $10/hour.  Nice guy!  I got off lucky!

Don't fly by "stuff" you can't afford to hit!

can you imagine if you did that now? they'd have had ya drawn n quartered.


i've been lucky...the only thing i've ever hit, was other planes, the ground, and the aircraft carrier deck we used to have,.

[mtnman]

So...  I hit the building...  I go into the hospital and ask for a maintenance person to help me get in.  He sees the problem, calls the owner, says" We need you to come back in, someone crashed a small airplane into your building...".

So, the doctor gets there...  Says "Ah! I was expecting a bigger "small plane" (airport is nearby...).  See's the wreckage of my plane as we walk into the office.  Is pretty fascinated...  Wants to know if I can salvage it (No!). 

As he's perusing the scene, and examining my plane carefully, he says "Is your name/ID on this plane?" I say "No sir".  He thinks about it and says, "Had you left, and not come looking for someone to help you get into the building, how would I have ever figured out who was at fault?"  "I'm not sure, sir...  You probably wouldn't have...".  It turns out that MtnMan is an Eagle Scout, and doesn't walk away from his responsibilities, even if it sucks at times.

Honesty...  He says "Let me reward your honesty, with some help.  I'll have this taken care of, you just pay off the deductible by helping out on my ranch, for $10/hr credit".  When I was done with the deductible, he offered to keep me on for the same wages.

I no longer fly near populated areas.  Period.  Bad things can happen very quickly. 

As my plane headed toward the hospital, it passed directly over a soccer field full of kids at about 20-30 feet altitude.  Somehow it stayed level, but was not in my control.  It then flew past the hospital, just missing the parking lot full of cars, so low that I thought it had gone down.  Once past the hospital, it turned around, climbed, and hit the top level of this building.  A ten pound plane flying fast, with a big ol' prop on the front.  I shudder to think of what could have happened.  I've had interference before, and it's always ended with a quick, sudden crash.  Never with sustained, long distance flight.  Except for this one time...

[CAP1]

So...  I hit the building...  I go into the hospital and ask for a maintenance person to help me get in.  He sees the problem, calls the owner, says" We need you to come back in, someone crashed a small airplane into your building...".

So, the doctor gets there...  Says "Ah! I was expecting a bigger "small plane" (airport is nearby...).  See's the wreckage of my plane as we walk into the office.  Is pretty fascinated...  Wants to know if I can salvage it (No!). 

As he's perusing the scene, and examining my plane carefully, he says "Is your name/ID on this plane?" I say "No sir".  He thinks about it and says, "Had you left, and not come looking for someone to help you get into the building, how would I have ever figured out who was at fault?"  "I'm not sure, sir...  You probably wouldn't have...".  It turns out that MtnMan is an Eagle Scout, and doesn't walk away from his responsibilities, even if it sucks at times.

Honesty...  He says "Let me reward your honesty, with some help.  I'll have this taken care of, you just pay off the deductible by helping out on my ranch, for $10/hr credit".  When I was done with the deductible, he offered to keep me on for the same wages.

I no longer fly near populated areas.  Period.  Bad things can happen very quickly. 

As my plane headed toward the hospital, it passed directly over a soccer field full of kids at about 20-30 feet altitude.  Somehow it stayed level, but was not in my control.  It then flew past the hospital, just missing the parking lot full of cars, so low that I thought it had gone down.  Once past the hospital, it turned around, climbed, and hit the top level of this building.  A ten pound plane flying fast, with a big ol' prop on the front.  I shudder to think of what could have happened.  I've had interference before, and it's always ended with a quick, sudden crash.  Never with sustained, long distance flight.  Except for this one time...

you sir, then deserve a <<S>>. you are a rare breed. too bad there's not many like you left.

 one of our club members had a pitts.....it was giant scale. he had never set the failsafe. lost control on take off. it continued to climb straight out.

 one of our members is a helicopter flight instructor. he went to the airport, grabbed a schweizer, and went off in the direction it was headed. they found it in a guys back yard right next to lenape high school. or what was left of it.
 thankfully, it hit nothing, and no one.

 

[2ADoc]

I was flying my B-400 in a baseball field that was not being used, and a Soldier ran thru it as a short cut.  I had to punch out so that he would not hit it as he ran by.  He never saw it.  THat would have been really bad, 2200 RPM at the head and carbon fiber blades, that would probably hurt a little.  So I started flying out behind the shop.  3 weeks before I was supposed to come home I was doing some light 3D and the tail rotor belt broke, while inverted, I mailed the peices back.

[Bear76]

So...  I hit the building...  I go into the hospital and ask for a maintenance person to help me get in.  He sees the problem, calls the owner, says" We need you to come back in, someone crashed a small airplane into your building...".

So, the doctor gets there...  Says "Ah! I was expecting a bigger "small plane" (airport is nearby...).  See's the wreckage of my plane as we walk into the office.  Is pretty fascinated...  Wants to know if I can salvage it (No!). 

As he's perusing the scene, and examining my plane carefully, he says "Is your name/ID on this plane?" I say "No sir".  He thinks about it and says, "Had you left, and not come looking for someone to help you get into the building, how would I have ever figured out who was at fault?"  "I'm not sure, sir...  You probably wouldn't have...".  It turns out that MtnMan is an Eagle Scout, and doesn't walk away from his responsibilities, even if it sucks at times.

Honesty...  He says "Let me reward your honesty, with some help.  I'll have this taken care of, you just pay off the deductible by helping out on my ranch, for $10/hr credit".  When I was done with the deductible, he offered to keep me on for the same wages.

I no longer fly near populated areas.  Period.  Bad things can happen very quickly. 

As my plane headed toward the hospital, it passed directly over a soccer field full of kids at about 20-30 feet altitude.  Somehow it stayed level, but was not in my control.  It then flew past the hospital, just missing the parking lot full of cars, so low that I thought it had gone down.  Once past the hospital, it turned around, climbed, and hit the top level of this building.  A ten pound plane flying fast, with a big ol' prop on the front.  I shudder to think of what could have happened.  I've had interference before, and it's always ended with a quick, sudden crash.  Never with sustained, long distance flight.  Except for this one time...

ace pilot

[PFactorDave]

I saw a Quickie500 pylon racer go out of control and pass through one side of a full sized van back in the early '90s.

[Flench]

Ok , I am getting back into RC Plane's . Time to pull out the old SPAD's ....!!!! 

[Phil]

Low wing R/C planes are advanced level.

You need to learn the basic with top wing trainer then gradually go down to mid wing model.
After many hours of flying, then build/fly your WWII low wing model.

PFactorDave wrote some good advice for you to follow.
Unless you are a rich man and can afford wasting your time buying many model and spending many hours at the R/C field, go for it !

ps. I've seen accidents and the R/C owner being civilly responsible. $$$$$$.00 You would be wise to belong to a club with insurance coverage.
I've seen an 81" wingspan Spitfire fly thru the side of a barn ! The 120/OS engine was a meteor at 80mph dive ! Livestock went crazy inside the barn ! The farmer provide him with the damages estimate. Well over $3000.00 No one was was injured

The film you posted seemed to be a fairly small electric plane. This was done in a local park. Cross your fingers you don't hit any else in the area !


I have 3 Spitfires ranging from 65" up to 81"  wingspan. They are "funscale"  with many realistic details such as rivets and panel lines. Fiberglass finished with airbrush paint schemes. Markings belongs to a neighbor Spitfire pilot Hap Kennedy who is still amongts us today.

Enjoy the R/C sport Logoman. Be safe.

If you want to see a real good show of WWII RC planes only, attend the N.Y state Schenectady RC show ! These guys are serious flyiers and put on a darn good event !

CYA !
Phil / OPP7755

[Rich46yo]

I used to live a few blocks away from a park that had its own section for these planes and was a major meeting place for flyers. I used to sit there for hours watching these aircraft fly and talking to the modelers/operators.

A really great hobby. Congrats on the Hellcat.