RC Glow Model Airplane Engine Tips

Well through the span of time in the hobby of remote control jets and airplanes, I have experimented and gathered few ideas and tricks which have saved me money, time and a lot of hassle when we talk of taking care of rc jets and rc airplanes. In my previous post of RC jet airplane maintenance tips I discussed some of my ideas, this post is a continuation of the same. Here are maintenance tips for RC glow model airplane engines, plugs and care for its fuel:

Through the experience I have developed a methodology for maintenance of my rc glow model airplane engine in a immaculate condition, this is what you can do:
You should run dry your rc glow engine of fuel after at least a day of flight. You must drain the fuel out of the glow fuel tank and then run the rc glow engine to burn any fuel left in the lines. This is very much necessary as glow fuel is an alcohol based fuel which draws water contents from the atmosphere and has the tendency of rusting steel bearings. When you run dry your glow engine clean of fuel, you should apply after run oil to replace any water contents in the engine. Marvel mystery air tool oil is the best choice for glow engines as an after run oil for displacing water contents in glow engines.

Marvel Air Tool Oil


4 stroke glow engine for RC glow model airplane:

You can use a small squeeze bottle with a small silicon tube fitted with it so marvel air tool can be applied to the glow engine. Your 4 stroke glow engine can be oiled by attaching fuel tubing to your crankcase breather so a small amount of oil can be forced to bearings. Keep the bottle attached through silicon tube and use electric starter or carefully hand turn to blow the excess amount of oil back to the oil bottle. You can cap off the breather tube with a plug to avoid losing any oil.


2 stroke glow engine for RC glow model airplane:
For your 2 stroke glow engine you do not need a breather tube to oil bearings, you can simply drop 10 to 12 drops of oil into the carburetor and hand flip the oil into the engine. For your RC Helicopters or ducted fan type rc airplanes, you cannot reach the carburetor opening but you can attach the squeeze bottle to their fuel line. You can squeeze some of the oil into the carburetor and then you can use electric starter to force the oil in. you must store your rc jet airplane models pointed upwards or crankcase horizontal because the used fuel residue makes a lower grade acid if not used for a while, this rusts the bearings.

Afterwards you can leave the carburetor in the open position so to allow any residue alcohol evaporates into the air and out of the engine. If your rc glow model airplane engines or any other type are not used for a few weeks, don’t forget to hand rotate engines in order to keep the bearing coated with oil to keep your RC Engines healthy. While you are hand flipping rc glow engines, you need to be very careful as they can kick with the glow ignition and cause an injury.



RC glow model airplane cleaning:
You can use any cleaners you are comfortable with but in my opinion green degreaser is the best and economical solution for safely cleaning glow fuel oil off your rc glow model airplane no matter how bad the covering they are in. you can use simple green degreaser on paint, plastic or even fabric without any side effects. You can just mix one part of green degreaser with 8 parts of water in a spray bottle and easily use it on your rc model airplane body. This mixture is not going to harm the finish of the aircraft which is a normal tendency of ammonia based cleaners. But simple green can strip glossy surfaces so you better use some non ammonia glass cleaner to clean up glossy surfaces.



Few Tips on Glow plugs:
There are numerous types and manufacturers available in the market to choose from and it can be a tough job to find the right one amongst them. Whenever you change the glow plug or even the glow plug igniter you need to tune your engine again with respect to the glow plug you have chosen as there is no standard of glow plugs available and every manufacturer is following their own standard. There is a rule of thumb for all glow plugs is that thinner the igniter coil hotter the glow plug and thicker the igniter coil colder the glow plug. Keeping in view this scenario the better choice is to stick to one manufacturer so you don’t have to re-tune your glow engine every time you switch to another one. Since glow plugs are used in remote control Trucks and remote control cars too and if you are a ground RC vehicle enthusiast, you may want to check out this site of Remote Control Trucks.

This is all for now from me, we catch you soon. Don’t be a stranger if you are reading this far, leave a comment to give me some feedback.

Happy flying!!

Zane

Free RC Model Airplane Plans

Construction Notes (Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-7) RC Model Airplane Plans
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-7 was a World War II era, Russian, fighter. Its fuselage was similar to the more popular MiG-1 and MiG-3. However, its wing was made much larger to fulfill its role as a high altitude interceptor. This increased wing area makes it an ideal subject for 1/12 scale combat. This model airplane plans outline is true to 1/12 scale with the exception that the wing has been enlarged by 5%, further improving its flying characteristics. This makes it legal for both the 2105 and 2610 classes of RCCA combat. Corrugated plastic, known by the trade name Coroplast®, is the primary construction material. While not indestructible, this does produce a tough airplane that will withstand all but the most brutal mid-airs and crashes. In addition the material is extremely inexpensive and lends itself to fast assembly. These characteristics make this model airplane plans a distinct and unusual in nature.
PLANS AND TEMPLATES for Model Airplane Plans:
This type of model airplane plan is built differently from most Radio Controlled model airplane plans designs; and as such has unconventional model airplane plans. Instead of views that you build the model over, there are a series of templates that you cut out and trace onto the plastic. The plans consist of three “D” size (22 X 34) sheets. A “.dxf” file is provided for those with CAD systems and access to large format plotters. Three JPEG image files are given above, click them to enlarge and download to your computer; these are three full-size plan drawing sheets. You can print these at reduced (letter) size as a guide to the larger rc model airplane plans, send them to a large format printer or print small and enlarge. The airplane plans are also available as tiled “.pdf” files for each sheet. Each sheet is divided into eight letter sized (8 ½ X 11) pages. You can print them out and tape the pages together to make the model airplane plans. It’s more work, but it’s cheap! Whatever method you use, take care that the printer, plotter, or copier does not distort or incorrectly size the airplane plan. Each sheet has a 6-inch scale drawn on it – check it with a ruler.

MATERIALS AND GLUES for RC Model Airplane Plans:
Coroplast® is inexpensive (about $7.50 for an 4 X 8 foot sheet) but can be a little hard to find. Try local sign supply shops, artist supply stores, or industrial supply houses. On the web: coroplast . com has more information and numbers to call for local resellers; cadillacplastic . com is a large distributor. You will need a 2 X 3 ft. piece of 2mm material for the wings and a 20 X 30 inch piece of 4mm material for the fuse and tail. With careful planning you can build six planes from one 4 X 8 foot sheet of each thickness. You can buy green Coroplast for the common MiG-7 scheme or white for the Russian winter paint scheme. If you have the 4 X 8 sheets cut to 2 X 4 for UPS shipping, make sure the corrugation pipes (or “flutes”) run the LONG (4 ft) dimension. Most glues don’t stick very well to Coroplast®, so if you anything use other than the suggested glues, make sure to test them first. I use Dap Weldwood® Contact cement for most of the assembly – spread it on each surface, wait 15 minutes (or up to 2 hours), and stick the parts together. “GOOP” or “Shoe Goo” is good for visible areas and those that need a little filling. Polyurethane glue (like Elmer’s
“Probond”) is used for strength in the wing joiners and the firewall. This glue requires moisture to activate and expands as it sets.



CONSTRUCTION of R/C Model Airplane Plans- MIG-7
Starting with the 4mm parts on sheet 3, cut the templates from the model airplane plans. Arrange the templates on the 4mm Coroplast sheet making sure that the pipe directions are as indicated. Temporarily tape the templates down and trace their outline with a fine point permanent marker. Use a pin to mark the intersections of internal lines and connect the marks after removing the templates. Make sure to make a second copy of the Aileron and Saddle Doubler parts. Cut out the Fin and Stabilizer parts using a sharp X-acto knife. Glue a stop onto a #11 knife blade so that the point will only penetrate through the top surface of the Coroplast. Use this to slice away the bottom of a corrugation pipe at the stabilizer hinge line, leaving the top surface in tact to act as a hinge. Glue the Fin to the Stabilizer with GOOP, making sure that the tab on the fin fits fully into the slot in the stab. Set the assembly up on small boxes or blocks to insure that the parts are perpendicular, and allow drying.



FUSELAGE - RC Model Airplane Plans- MIG7
Use the special knife, described above, to cut through the surface of each pipe in the indicated areas of the fuselage. Make sure you do not cut all the way through. I usually make these cuts, with the aid of a straight edge, before cutting the fuselage outline from the sheet. Cut out the fuselage outline. You can use a standard hole-punch to make the ¼” holes for the wing hold down dowels. Cut the fuselage former templates from sheet 1 of the plans and glue them onto wood with rubber cement or 3M 77. The Firewall is 3/16 hard plywood. F5A and F5B are stiff 1/16 balsa. The other formers can be 1/8 light ply or two laminated sheets of 1/16 balsa glued with the grain at 90 degrees. The latter is lighter and stronger, but takes a little longer to make. After cutting out the wood, you can leave the paper in place or remove it. If you do remove the plan paper, make sure to mark the vertical center lines for alignment later. Glue F5A and F5B to the top of F5, as indicated on the plans. Drill holes in the firewall for the engine mount, throttle linkage, and fuel lines.



Test fit the formers into the fuselage plastic making sure that the plastic curves smoothly over the formers’ curves. Now, lay the fuse flat and apply contact cement along all the former alignment lines. Spread the cement at least ¼ inch wide to allow for minor misalignment. Apply contact cement to the formers. I use a small squeeze bottle to apply the glue to the former edges. Let the glue dry for at least 15 minutes. Then, stick the firewall and F2 to the centerline and carefully pull the plastic part way around them. Add F3 and F5, again making sure the centerline mark on the formers aligns with the centerline of the plastic. Continue pulling the fuse sides up and into contact with the formers. Insert F4 and F6 to complete the fold up. Wrap masking tape around the firewall, F2 and F5 to pull the plastic tight against the formers. Install ¼ hardwood wing hold down dowels. Glue these securely to F2 and F5. We will return to the fuselage of model airplane plans of MIG-7 after the wing assembly.



2MM PARTS of MIG-7 (RC model airplane plans)
Cut out the templates on sheet 2 of the plans. Arrange, trace, and cut out the 2mm parts. Be sure to make a LEFT and a RIGHT wing by flipping the template over (print side down). Again transfer the guide lines and fold lines onto the plastic. And again, make sure the pipes are orientated as indicated. The fold line on the wings runs perpendicular to the pipes. Crease (but do not cut) the line with a pointy but blunt object (like a Philips head screwdriver). Another tool that works well is the roller used for repairing screens. Use a straight edge to insure the crease line is straight. Fold the wing over a table top edge, then all the way over. Using the same tool make creases in the Nose Doublers and the Wing Bottom Doubler. For the Firewall Doubler and the Aft Top part run the creasing tool along each and every pipe to ease bending.



WING ASSEMBLY of MIG-7 (Model Airplane Plans)
Cut the Ailerons where shown and create hinges on the outer sections using the same method as the elevator. Note that the moving part of the aileron does not extend all the way into the fuselage. Cut the wing spars form a yardstick or other suitable material. Using contact cement, glue the spar to the line on the bottom of the wing. Don’t glue the tapered tip of the spar down yet – let the wing lay flat. Also, glue the aileron to the bottom of the wing overlapping up to the hinge line. Now, apply contact cement to the top of the spar, the top of the in-wing part of the aileron piece, and all around the outer edge of the wing. Apply a nice ½ to ¾ inch wide band. When the glue is ready, the critical folding begins! While holding the wing bottom flat on your workbench, fold the top over. Start at the wing root and work toward the tip. Try keeping the leading edge held down against the table. Press the wing top against the spar; from root to tip. Then press down the trailing edge; again root to tip. Finally press the wing tips against the spar and squeeze them together. If you did a good job of holding the leading edge down against the table, you should have a nice airfoil with a slight under camber toward the trailing edge, and a few degrees of washout at the tip. Repeat the process for the other wing panel. Trim off any overhang at the tips and trailing edge. Make sure that the ailerons move freely. It is easiest to install the torque rods before joining the wing panels. Refer to the detail on sheet 1 of the plans. I use a 4-40 pushrod, (which is about 3/32 in diameter with 4-40 threads on one end). Since the rod would be too loose in the corrugation by itself, make a bearing out of hard balsa. 1/8 X 3/16 balsa fits snugly into the corrugation. Drill a 3/32 hole in a piece 1 ½ to 2 inches long and glue in place. Cut a hole in the top wing surface about ½ inch from the edge for the torque rod exit. Bend the threaded end at a right angle and slide the rod into the bearing. Create a notch (about ¼ “ deep) in the edge of the aileron by removing the inner webbing. Bend the outer end of the torque rod and cut off the excess. Glue the rod into the aileron notch with GOOP, and tape around the edge with packing tape. Cut out the three dihedral braces, shown on sheet 1, from 1/8 plywood (not lite ply).



Add scrap balsa fillers to the ends of the mid brace as shown in the drawing. Since the spars come together at an angle these fillers make for a better fit. Check the fit of the wing panels with the braces in place – trim as needed for a good fit. The mid brace goes against the front of the spar. Slide the aft brace back to where it is slightly snug in the wing without creating a bulge. The forward brace goes as close to the leading edge as possible. Using polyurethane glue, moisten the edges of the braces and glue into one of the wing panels. Make sure that the braces extend from the panel at right angles to the wing centerline. When the glue is dry, moisten the extending braces edges and the mating edge of the wing, and glue the wing together with polyurethane glue. Prop up the wing tips until the glue dries.



Make a servo cutout in the top of the wing, at the center-line and just forward of the aft brace. Glue small pieces of ply or hard wood to hold the servo screws. Trim about 1/8 inch off the center leading edge of the wing, forming a flat area to better fit the fuselage. Lay the wing into the fuse and trim the trailing edge center area for a good fit. Using contact cement glue the 2mm Wing Center Doublers to the top and bottom of the wing center line. To prevent rubber bands from crushing the trailing edge, glue 1/8 X 3/16 balsa pieces into the wing trailing edge corrugations in the area of rubber band contact.



FUSELAGE COMPLETION MIG-7 (Model Airplane Plans)
Glue the 2mm Firewall Doubler immediately behind the firewall using contact cement. After moistening the area, run a bead of polyurethane glue around the firewall-fuselage joint, forming a glue filet around the front and back of the firewall. Install the Aft Top fuselage piece. Use contact cement to attach the part to F5A and F6 and GOOP where the part attaches to the fuselage. I like to add ½“ wide strips of 2mm material to the inside of the joint between the formers for strength and a smoother appearance. Trim the wing saddle area for a good wing fit. With the wing installed, test fit the stabilizer and fin assembly of the model airplane plans. Make sure the tail is straight with the wing.



The stab leading edge should be tight against F6. Remove the wing and glue the tail in place using GOOP. Push the aft top fuselage up against the fin for a good smooth fit. Before attaching the fuselage Aft Bottom section, install the elevator horn and pushrod. Drilling a hole through the fuse at F6 allows a completely straight pushrod installation. Before installing the control horn onto the elevator, push a couple of short pieces of balsa into the corrugation pipes to avoid crushing by the horn screws. Now, glue the Aft Bottom onto the fuse with GOOP. The Forward Bottom fuselage section is next. Use GOOP and securely tape the nose section inward until the glue dries. The Nose Doublers are attached to the inside of the engine area with contact cement. Bend the doublers inward as you install them to give the fuselage nose a more rounded appearance.



Trim the plastic around the engine compartment to fit your engine. Use contact cement to glue in the Wing Saddle Doublers. Trim them to the same profile as the fuse sides to provide a close fit for the wing. Since the plastic wing tends to slide around easily in the saddle, I usually apply Silicone Sealer (RTV) to the saddle. Simply tape plastic wrap to the wing, apply a nice bead of RTV to the wing saddle, attach the wing with a few rubber bands, and let dry overnight.



FINAL ASSEMBLY of the MIG-7 (Model Airplane)
Use packing tape (or covering trim strips of the appropriate color) to cover the open pipes along the leading edge of the stab and fin. Also cover the seams along the aft top fuse and fuse bottom pieces – to give the plane a finished look. Tape the edges of the nose area to keep fuel out. Then, coat the engine compartment with a thin coat of epoxy to fuel proof everything. The canopy is an off-the-shelf 11-inch WWII design (Sig Manufacturing Co. #SIGWC811). Cut it down to 6.75” as shown on the plans. Paint it as desired and glue in place using GOOP. The front of the canopy is 3 5/8” forward of F5, the back is 3 1/8” aft of F5. Install the servo tray between F3 and F4. The holes shown are sized for Hitec HS-80 servos – adjust them as needed for your servos. Glue scrap balsa rails to the formers to support the tray, and add hard wood strips for the servo screws. Install the engine and throttle linkage. The hole in F2 is sized for a Hayes 6 oz fuel tank. Wrap the battery and receiver in foam and install behind and beside the tank (or where needed for proper balance). The center of gravity (CG) is 3 ¼” back from the leading edge of the wing – measured where the wing meets the fuselage. Set the control throw on the elevator to about 3/8” in each direction. Set the ailerons to about 3/8” each way too. Measure the throws at the widest part of the control surface. If the elevator or aileron hinges are too stiff for smooth, twist free operation, cut ½” slots every inch or so down the hinge center-line.



FLYING of MIG-7 (Radio Controlled Model Airplane Plans Execution)
Have someone launch the plane for you for its first flight. Once you have the plane trimmed, it is easy to self launch. I grab hold of the aft wing dowel from under the fuse and use an overhand throw. I’m sure that you will enjoy the MiG-7 made through given rc model airplane plans. It is the best flying scale combat plane I’ve flown so far. So, go out and cut a few streamers. Just be safe and Happy Flying!

Copyright Note: This plan is developed by David West. Feel free to construct models from these plans and distribute the plans to others. However, commercial rights are reserved. You may not sell the plans, or models made from the model airplane plans, without permission from the copyright holder.

Your comments are always welcome.

Zane

RC Jet airplane Maintenance tips

When getting into the hobby of flying radio controlled or RC jets, many come across the stress of keeping the stuff together because of technicalities involved in the hobby and they usually do not have experience of doing technical stuff. This post will help you in describing how to keep the things in a proper way so that you get the least stress and most enjoyment out of the hobby of RC jet flying. Here are some tips:
You can make a better tweezers tool if you bend the end of it. This bent tweezers tool can be used to pull the annoying connector. This will help you in pulling wires from the servo connectors of your rc jet or rc airplane.



Always secure your rc jet or rc airplane leads in a knot so they don’t come out during flight of your rc jet. This can be disaster and the better way of keeping it safe is making a knot.
Your rc jet wing edges can get rough through colliding with runways be it a grass or hard surface. This can be avoided by attaching plastic strips cut out of old plastic bottles and attached with the help of glue on the edges or tips of your rc jet or rc airplane wings.
While securing screws with thread locking material is a great solution of screws coming out due to vibration, this is a tough job when you want to remove screws. The solution to this problem is simple, just heat the tip of the screw with a soldering iron for a few seconds and then try loosen the screw with screw driver. This will help in saving the edges of the screws used on your rc jet airplane.
Although tiny and simple tip but for those of you who don’t know it, you can avoid screws and other parts from rolling here and there while working on your rc jet airplane. The tip is that you just take a container and glue a magnet beneath it. This will save you from freaking out searching for a lost screw.
If you don’t use thread lock material for securing screws from vibrations, here is a great tip. Use silicone gel for preventing screws of your rc jet airplane from coming out due to vibration of engine. This is better than thread locking compound and can be peeled out easily when you want to loosen the screw.
If you want a better storage for your rc jets and rc airplanes, just buy some portable shelves from a hard ware store near you. This shelve can be fixed on the wall and if you remove the planks out, you can store rc airplanes and rc jets’ wings and fuselages on top of each other for better storage.
Securing long rc airplane and rc jet antennas can be annoying and dangerous too if not done properly. You can secure antennas properly by cutting a soft plastic tube of around an inch and pass the antenna wire from it. You can glue the tube with the fuselage at the length where antenna stretches easily. Secure the antenna wire with the tube by pushing in a pin head.
Avoid accumulation of dust on your radio transmitters and rc airplane and rc jet internal parts. You can use some stiffed brushes and canned compressed air. First remove dust, debris of grass gently with stiffed paint brush and then use compressed air to blow it away. Canned compressed air is easily available in the computer stores.



I hope the tips given above will help you score to save you time energy and top of all saving your rc jet and rc airplane from degradation of wrong handling. You must be able to appreciate that this hobby of rc jet flying is a demanding one. It not only demands your time and money but also requires you good attention. In turn yes the reward is great through the thrill and joy you get by flying these incredible machines and of course learning a lot about many things which definitely increase you level of understanding things around you in a better way. These tips account in a good maintenance of your rc jet and rc airplane, make good use of them.

Happy flying

Zane

RC Jet Airplane Landing Procedure

In the last post we had some good time practicing smooth take offs, today we will land our flying airplane jets (They have been flying for so long :D). A great landing skill comes from practicing like any other skill but knowing the right steps to avoid any disaster surely helps in saving you from a crash landing. The term “good landing” is a relative term, relative to the conditions applied to the rc jet at the time of landing. Means if you land your plane smoothly in a absolutely good atmospheric conditions, it will still be called a good landing but relative to those very ideal conditions. On the other hand when the wind is very rough and atmospheric conditions are not good at all but you still manage to land your remote controlled airplane jet safely without any damage or any bad maneuver, this a good landing relative to those bad conditions. Anyhow to master the skill you still need to be practicing lot and this post is definitely going to help you:
Making a Good Approach:
If you can get your rc plane approach the runway straight with right altitude your landing will be darn easy, so the key element is approaching the runway at altitude which while descending your rc plane comes to zero while you still have good length of runway in your hand. The following steps will make it more digestible:
1. You need to see the runway where your rc airplane will land, get to the center line facing wind.
2. You need to mark a reference for your rc airplane to start descending altitude. It may be a bush, tree etc
3. Make sure that the reference point you choose is located before the quarter length of the runway so you have good length available for your rc model airplane to land.
4. Judge the appropriate altitude required for your rc airplane to descend from your reference point, on the runway making an approximate angle of 35 degree.
5. Make your rc jet or airplane aligned from the center line of the runway before it crosses the reference point.
6. Higher wind will require lower descent and vise e versa.
7. Winds gusting from right or left of your center line will require correction of placing your rc plane from opposite side.



There is a misconception of landing rc model airplanes with the wind not facing the wind instead. This approach makes the radio controlled airplane especially jets off the course because of their speed. The factors which require corrections like wind direction, speed are always to be taken into account. The rc airplane jets landing steps stated above will certainly help you polish your skills of making a good landing, you just need to focus and keep the factors in mind when practically doing it.

Happy flying

Zane

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RC Helicopter

Taking off your Radio Controlled Jet

Okay I take it on me, my bad, I have been writing about all the things but the simple basic maneuver which is taking off your rc jet. Yes ofcourse take off is the first move anyone in the hobby of radio controlled flying hobby would do. Although it is the most basic and easy maneuver but still some of you will face some difficulty in taking off your rc airplane specially smooth take offs because one will require some practice in overcoming irregular take offs and becoming a consistent rc jet take offer. So no worries because this post is all about smooth, sleek under controlled take off doesn’t matter which model you are flying. See this step by step guide:

- As we know the basics of any take off that they are performed into the wind. You need to have a windsock to know the direction of wind. Although all major air fields have but you can take a hint from your hanky. Intensity of the wind is to be judged as well, too much of a wind can make the moves erroneous. You need to position your rc jet into the wind and also mark any land mark not of much height because you are going to make a turn above it after climbing a height.

- Positioning your remote controlled airplane is very important. Make sure that it is placed in the middle of the runway because sometimes rc airplanes go cut sides and go off the runway. Your rc aircraft is facing the wind and positioned between the runway.

- Some of the air fields have marked pilot positions, these are the spots from where you fly your rc airplane if you are using an airfield, get there, choose a nearby your rc plane.

- Better take offs are always about swift speed catching. You need to give smooth but full throttle in a short time so that air cuts the controls surfaces faster and give you edge in lifting your rc jet in the air.

- You will be required to use a little rudder here and there to keep your remote controlled aircraft in the middle of the runway and in a straight line so it can catch up speed faster. Use a small up elevator if you are flying a tail dragger, this will keep your rc plane to nose down.

- After seeing your rc jet gaining full speed, you need to pull back smoothly and gently, if you make it climb too steep, your rc airplane can catch a stall which can happen due to low altitude. Keeping it in a gradual climb and straight for a little while will give it stability. You may want to apply correction to bank by tapping the rudder or aileron stick. You will have to plan your height from where you want to take a turn over the land mark chosen earlier.

- After reaching the land mark location for the turn, reduce the throttle to half and level off. Take the turn in the direction you want by banking your rc jet or aircraft while maintaining the altitude so you don’t find your remote controlled plane ditching on the ground.

That’s it; you have made a very smooth take off. You deserve a pat, enjoy flying.

Zane

RC Jet Planes – Rolling Loop Aerobatic

In the last post we covered up all the previous knowledge we had shared through this blog of rc jets. I can ascertain that many of the readers of this blog by now may have been doing great maneuvers with their rc airplanes and some might have reached and finished their skills to the level of flying rc jets. There will be some of you who might have become experts in doing some awesome maneuvers but there are some who need to learn them and that is why I thought to write some posts for how to do some advanced maneuvers with your rc jet. For today we all take a look into some very known aerobatic move made by all rc jet lovers, those fighter jet planes out there which carry real human pilots use the same technique to perform this move, you must have seen them doing this move in real at some air show or in television. Let me tell you something which I have never shared and that is if it was not for this cool move of real fighter jet plane I saw in an air show back then when I was 8 year old, I might not have been in the hobby of rc jet planes. The great move of rolling loop was made by the pilot so immaculately while passing by the main center of the ground that it got its deep impression on my brain. Okay enough of rambling, now let’s take a look at how the rolling loop aerobatic move can be achieved with your rc jet:

The rolling loop is very cool when you see it performed by any rc jet. To perform this cool move you must know how to do it precisely so you may not lose your rc jet. To be safe and as a rule of thumb, you should take your rc jet at a high altitude before trying to learn any new maneuver on your rc jet. This rolling loop move can be done on your park flyer, your electric rc jet, scale rc jet and model rc jet. Taking your rc jet to a sufficient height/ altitude ensures that recovering time from any mistake made is in your hands. You should try this move in the direction in which feel most comfortable, after doing it for few times. Follow this step by step guide to perform the move:

- Make your rc jet plane into the wind and remember that your scale rc jet is on high altitude.

- Rolling loop is achieving a vertical circle while rolling your rc jet simultaneously.

- For making a round vertical loop with your plane of reference, while making a 360 roll, give full throttle and begin climbing the altitude more.

- You would want to use a little rudder to up hold rc jet in a vertical position while climbing the altitude.

- Up elevation and aileron is to be used to make rc jet roll while climbing.

- You want to watch the climb with respect to the roll rate carefully as wings need to be at horizontal level when rc jet is at the top of the vertical loop.

- When your rc model plane is at the top you should decrease the rudder input, this is to make your plane descend from the top of the loop.

- At this point you should decrease the throttle but continue to use aileron with rudder input to make rc jet maintain its rolling with a constant rate.

- From the top of the loop where you started descending your rc jet till the cardinal point (from where you initiated the vertical climb) your plane should complete one more 360 roll and achieve its horizontal reference level upon reaching the cardinal point.

- In other words your rc jet makes 2 rolls of 360, each on half of its way completing the vertical 360 loop.

Was that difficult? I don’t think so (well only in reading :) ) when you will practically go doing it will take a little time in mastering it. This rolling loop move is more difficult to perform on rc jet planes as they are faster than rc airplanes and other rc model airplanes. Doing it on scale models look cooler as they give the feel of making a real jet rolling in a loop. Try roll looping your rc jet plane in an open ground so you can perform it with ease with the stress of getting into electric wires, buildings and towers.

RC Jet Airplanes - Explained

RC Jet Airplanes:

I hope that all the information that we are sharing here on this blog are giving a good value to all of the readers who are in the hobby or intend to fly rc jets. Well, when I started this blog around two months ago, I wasn’t expecting to have this kind of a traffic in this short span of time, but yes this blog about rc jet airplane flying is doing good and hopefully continue to do better in coming days. In this post I just want to have a refresher of all the things which we have discussed regarding rc jets flying earlier and have good value in getting them read again specially for the new readers of this blog.

To begin with I want to establish something first with all who are new to this blog and are intended to get the feel of flying rc jets soon. The thing to establish here is that we all who are attached to this hobby of rc jet flying are in this hobby because we have love for flying and not only flying but flying fast, speedy in the fastest flying machines which rc plane hobby has to offer and those are definitely rc jets , not the rc helicopters. No offence to rc helicopter lovers out there as I like rc helicopters for doing maneuvers which rc jets cannot do but they lack the element of speed which has all the thrill attached. With flying radio controlled jets you can achieve speed in access to 200 miles per hour, now that I call a real fun with this kind of speed only can give and else not.

For all the new comers in radio controlled hobby, I want to tell them that with advancement in technology now we have radio controlled planes which fly with the power of radio controlled electric motors. Okay that is an advancement and a very good one but what we have established in the opening of this post about the speed and faster flying; the radio controlled jets with the propelling power of electric rc motors, lack that speed element so we can call them electric rc jet, not the real rc jets with turbo rc jet engines. The rc jet airplanes which use real gas engines, are the ones which go higher on speed and in proportion to thrill. There are types of rc jet engines, which we although have already taken a very detailed insight in earlier post dedicated to them, but we will again go through it, for our new readers.
Radio control rc jets which use gas engines are faster and are near to the real jet. The types of rc jet engines which these planes use, make them called with names which are associated to the engine type, and these are:

Rc jet airplane-Pulse:

This type is very simple in design, it only has one moving part which is its opening and closing valve. Rest of the engine only consists of a tube with a fuel igniter. These types are very noisy and are inefficient hence not used much. Especially the sound is so irritating that this can only be flown away from population unlike the park flyers which are less in sound and use electric rc motors for propulsion.

RC Jet Airplane – Turbo

This one is which I called the real one as it uses a turbine engine which is as same as the ones used in the actual jet. The little difference is of the stages of compression used. Axial flow is used in the real jet and the centrifugal flow is used in the rc jet turbine. This rc jet has all the speed we require, with the top speed reaching more than 250 miles per hour. This is also not a park flyer. These are big radio controlled airplanes, require fueling with kerosene or Jet A-1 fuel, same as used in the real ones. Also the maintenance of these rc jet airplanes is of the greater concern for few who just like to fly but don’t want to get their hands dirty. We will see this aspect a little later.

RC Jet Airplane – Turbo Fan:

This type is almost the same as the turbo one but with a slight twist in the burning cycle. To make this type more efficient on fuel, some quantity of cool air is mixed with the heated air fuel mixture to increase the fuel efficiency but reducing the exhaust speed.



Okay, we have seen what are the types of rc jet airplanes out there which use gas engines. Let’s now see what is electric powered radio controlled plane has to offer since not being great on speed. The ones which use electric motor as a propulsion means are also great flyers, they are able to do some very advanced kind of moves. They are very efficient on pocket as they come cheap as compared to the gas types. The electric motors are now made very efficient by the use of brushless technology. Yes the brush less motors use have made the electric loses of these rc jets very less, hence increasing the flying time. These types of rc jets now have kind of batteries like lithium polymer, which are able to give very long duration of flights having bigger Amp hour charge holding values. When you use these kinds of rc jets you do not have to worry about fueling them and maintain them every now and then, even you don’t have to clean them more often as compared to the ones which use gas engines. Electric rc jet airplanes are very good park flyers as they are very low in noise and can be flown in your neighborhood so you don’t have to go far in the air field and grounds from your home. These are also called park flyers as they can be flown in a park nearby you and amaze children out there, if you have to .. hehe

The radio control jets which use gas engines on the other hand are not the park flyers if you are looking for one, these are real speedy rc jet airplanes, which make sound and look same as of a real jet. These rc jets are for you if you are not afraid of getting their hand dirty as when you keep this kind of rc jet airplane, you will have to take a good care of it in maintenance, fueling and cleaning of exhausts and engine oil. Although these rc jet airplanes are heavy on pocket and are not suitable for ones who are just starting the flying hobby, but these are the real ones on which you will have to shift eventually after having some learning done on the propeller type electric airplanes and electric rc jet airplanes.
I now call it a post for rc jet airplanes as this has really gotten long. Those of you who are enjoying the good times of flying rc jet airplanes may want to contribute their experiences by commenting here. Till next time..

Happy flying!!

Zane

Types of RC Jet Engine

The most impressive technology that the Remote control industry has yet created is RC Jet engines. The look and the sound of Remote Controlled Jets enable them to be an amazing sight at the flying field. In this post we will look at the differences between a real full scale jet engine and an rc jet engine. Remember that we are not talking about electric rc airplanes or electric ducted fan models electric rc jets those are found in hobby stores out there but we are only taking into account the real jet engines which are scaled to be used in radio controlled or rc jets and burn kerosene or jet A-1. Many a times EDF jets (electric ducted fan jets) are confused with real gas rc jets, though EDFs are great models and can perform advanced aerobatics.

You must know that rc jets having gas turbo engines are the most complicated and expensive radio controlled airplanes available before you go buy one. A beginner should clean their hands on the slower kind of beginner rc airplanes before getting an rc jet as to fly one you will require a huge budget and many hours of flying experience to be a successful rc jet flyer.

How radio controlled Jet Engines Work:

In order to have an understanding of radio controlled jet engines, we are required to have an insight look at the real full scale jet engine used by passenger carrying jets. The definition of a jet engine is that it is a device which operates in a medium of fluid which is air, and discharges it at a higher rate, to achieve propulsion. This is simple Newton’s third law of motion which is “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. In other words radio controlled jet engine expels air at a higher rate than it sucked in, hence getting propulsion. This is the basic principle on which all jets and radio controlled jet engines work.

Now take a little deeper look; since we know that volume and temperature are directly proportional to each other, the heated air will have more volume as it expands. That is why when the temperature of a given volume of air in a chamber increases, its pressure increases as well. When we release this heated, pressurized air, it exits at a greater speed then the speed it entered the chamber, as a result the engine gets the thrust to move forward.

Now let’s discuss the types:

Pulse Type:

This one is a simple kind of a radio controlled gas engine, consists of a tube, a fuel and igniter. The tube has a shape which makes the inner flow of air more in velocity and less in pressure. An radio controlled or rc pulse jet engine works by igniting air and fuel mixture at a very high frequency of air bursting in from the inlet. The air coming in from the inlet has more velocity and less pressure but when inlet closes and fuel gets ignited in this air, the air gets hot to escape from the outlet which is a converging opening. This makes the escaping air high velocity. The escaping air from the chamber leaves a low pressure, which upon opening up of the inlet makes the air to rush in. This whole cycle continues to keep the rc pulse jet running.

This process is described in the diagram below:



Though radio controlled pulse jet are very simple in design but are very loud and not very efficient. Mostly hobbyists use them because they are simpler in design and do not have moving parts. They are built in small scale to be used. They are not much used in full scale jet airplanes.

Turbo RC jet:

In this type of radio controlled jet engine, turbines are used to compress the air, adding fuel and then igniting it to get the thrust. A turbine is actually a compressor which consists of a set of many blades which when spin, move the air through each other and towards the closed end, this builds up the pressure and compress the air.

This figure shows the working cycle of a Turbo RC Jet Engine:



A typical cycle of a turbo is:

1. Air is compressed when it enters the turbo chamber.
2. This compressed air is then enters the combustion chamber where it is mixed with fuel.
3. Upon ignition, the compressed hot air leaves the chamber at a high speed, giving the turbo rc jet engine propulsion required.
4. Interestingly, the hot air leaving the chamber is routed through a turbine which drives the compressor which was used to compress the air in the first place.

Turbo rc jet engines are very efficient as it is evident from its working cycle where the energy produced is also initiating the process. Though these are very efficient but are not in subsonic speeds, turbo radio controlled jet engines require higher operating speed than sound to give their optimum performance. That is why turbo engines are not used in the subsonic operations.


Turbo Fan RC Jet Engines:

As we discussed the working process of a turbo radio controlled jet engine, turbo fan also works on almost the same principle. The cycle gets a bit different where not all the air intake is taken through the combustion chamber but some of the air is made to exit not burned. Some cool air is mixed with the air fuel mixture to increase the fuel efficiency, reducing the speed of exhaust.

This figure illustrates working cycle.




How Model RC Jet Engine Works:

Until recent years, Model radio controlled jets were not true Turbojet engines as previously, the look of the rc jet airplane was spoiled by electric motors or gas engines with a propeller, Pulse engines or Ducted fan airplane types. Now we have real turbo rc jet turbine engines for our beloved radio controlled airplane flying hobby.

The little difference rather an advantage for our radio controlled jet engine is the type of turbine. The small rc jet engine uses the centrifugal flow turbine as compared to the axial flow turbine used in bigger passenger jet planes. The difference between the two types of turbojet turbine is the stages of compression. In a centrifugal flow rc turbojet turbine, the air when passes through the rotating impeller it is thrown outwards after entering into the turbojet turbine. The air is compressed when it hits the inner walls of the turbojet turbine chamber after that the air is passed to the turbojet combustion chamber. This greatly compressed air has an increased temperature and in turn pressure which upon ignition gives immense energy.


The Combustion Process:

As like real jets, the fuel which is used in all types of rc jet engines is Jet-A1 commonly known as kerosene. To mix this fuel with the hot pressurized air, the fuel is entered in the turbojet combustion chamber in form of a fine mist. A small glow plug just as used in the 2 or 4 stroke engines is there in the combustion chamber to ignite the mixture of hot air and fuel. The fuel air mixture, upon ignition explodes within the turbo radio chamber. The shape of the chamber is such that it compels the hot gases rearward the turbine and in turn increases the velocity of hot air through the turbine. This all makes the pressure of the hot gasses to build up at the narrowing cone pipe to exhaust with a great thrust from there.

This figure below shows the basic working of a centrifugal rc jet engine:

Electric RC Jets - Your First Option

We are moving steadily towards our goal of flying an gas rc jet which is not far off as today we are going to have our hands on a regular kind of a remote controlled airplane which will be an electric remote controlled jet. In last post we discussed the start off period for deciding how you should go for selecting your type from RTF (ready to fly), ARTF (almost ready to fly) and the kit (where you actually start to fabricate from scratch). I hope that you must have decided your type of remote controlled airplane and if at all you like to do things with your hands and decided to go for a Kit, by now your first rc plane must have taken some shape and it is very much possible that your rc airplane is now ready to fly and you have tested it. Today we will discuss the two types of power sources available for flying our rc jets. One is electric powered remote controlled jet and the other is called gas remote controlled jet both as their name suggest have different power sources electric powered have electric motor fitted in it and gas one has a gas engine. I will keep my focus to electric remote controlled jets more and in the next post my focus will be gas powered remote controlled jets. But before discussing directly the electric rc jets and the gas ones, I am feeling somewhat a historian today and want to discuss the early hobby models of airplane power sources. Don’t worry, I won’t barrage about it and try to keep it short… here it comes…

Since the flight of the first practical rc airplane, progress with performance depended on technology as like any other field. All remote controlled airplanes require to be constructed of strong but light materials, like their big brothers, the passenger carrying airplanes, and require some kind of power to achieve their quest of flying in the air.

Early form of light weight and very inexpensive power source for model airplanes was twisted rubber bands, now don’t laugh as we could have been the ones living in that era too (lucky us, we are not :) ). As the rc airplane models progress and grew in size, weight and require more power, enabled small gas rc engines to become the preferred means of powering them. Having gas rc airplanes very powerful, these also require a heavy airframe to handle the engine’s vibration. The advantages of gas rc jets and the disadvantages will be discussed in my next post as for this one I just want to focus on an electrical powered airplanes more. Sure we will have to discuss the cons of gas ones to come up with the pros of electrical remote controlled jets.

As I said the gas ones require a heavy and strong airframe to handle the vibrations of the engine, it also requires proper maintenance, cleaning of messy oil leakages and the fuel smell requires handling too. In addition they produce a lot of sound which may be a problem for some of you living in a close neighborhood, though gas one is always required to be flown in a ground or an airfield away from the population. And the main problem which the beginners face is that the gas rc airplane do not come cheap, yes they are costly, one drop on the ground and you will be seeing yourself repairing your gas rc jet, where as electric remote controlled planes are more robust, few drops from quite a height does not shatter them easily. The benefit of electric power is it being cheap, makes them the beginner’s first choice. But there are many other benefits attached with electric remote controlled jet besides being cheap and here they are:

The Advantages of Electric Powered Jets:

We have already discussed that electric driven remote controlled jets are reliable, don’t break easily, their convenience of operation, low maintenance, low vibration, low noise and light on the pocket. However some of you engineer brains might be thinking that where is the aspect of speed in them, which is our main concern since we are only striving to reach our goal of flying a real rc jet, with real turbojet engine and further an rc rocket, if possible. You have very right concerns over speed of electric remote control jets, because we have examples of electric cars that they don’t speed that much so how can an remote controlled jet powered by electric? Well gone are the days of bulky electric batteries which used to hold little amp hour of current, now we have Lithium batteries which are lighter and hold a longer charge for your electric powered planes. The other concern you might have is the power of the electric rc jet motor, as we all know that an remote controlled electric motors cannot beat the gas remote controlled jet engine when it comes to power. Well, cutting the weight in electric rc jet and replacing the brushed motors with brush less motors have enabled electric rc jet to be lighter weight thus enhancing its speed. Let’s see what a brushed and brush less motor has to play in electric rc jets.

In the common brushed motors, sliding contacts are used to provide current to the conductor in the magnetic field so that the conductor can rotate. These sliding contacts most of the times are carbon brushes which are in contact with the conductor of the electric rc jet motor all the time, this contact makes the brushes and conductor to produce heat and wear tear. This causes current losses in the electric rc jet which makes it lose power. With the introduction of brushless motors this loss of power has been taken care of in electric rc jets. The switching of current to the conductor happens electronically in brushless motors by using electronic switches in electric rc jet motors.

Now let’s take a look at the other factor of power saver in electric rc jets which is the battery. Three main kinds of batteries are used in electric rc jets, Lithium Polymer (LiPo), Nicel Cadmium (NiCad) and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH). Though three of them are lighter and hold long charge for electric rc jets, LiPo batteries are lighter and hold more charge than the rest of the two.

Electric rc jets come in different shapes and sizes like powered sailplanes, aerobatic models, scale models and ducted fan type. Let’s discuss the types of electric rc jets with respect to the option given to maneuver an electric rc jet, which with respect to radio controls called channels, yes right more channels more options you have to maneuver your electric rc jet.

First we have simple 2 channel electric rc jet, simple and easy, only yaw and pitch controls are available with 2 channel electric rc jet. This one is great for very initial electric rc flights as 2channel electric rc jet comes really cheap. Then we have 3 channel electric rc jet, which gives you controls over yaw, pitch and altitude of your remote controlled jet. The 3 channel is good for occasional flyer who wants a better control over their plane and still keep a not very heavy load on the pocket. Well the 4 channels electric rc jet is what a real enthusiast require, this one offers full control over the yaw, pitch, bank and throttle acceleration.

Okay, enough for today, I will go for gas rc jets in the next post. To conclude this one, I would say that if you are new to flying rc airplanes then electric rc jet is for you after trying out the slower electric pusher airplane and also you should clean your hands on 2 or 3 channels electric rc jets and then spend your hard earned money on 4 channel ones.

Happy flying !!!

Zane

Gas RC Jets - Pros and Cons

Gas RC Jets:

The post before the last one had me make a promise with all of you that the coming one will be about gas rc jets, so here it is. In the last post we have already discussed about the gas rc jet engines, i.e. turbinejet and other kinds which are used in gas remote controlled jetplanes. In today’s post I will only make my focus to gas remote controlled jets, not gas engines. Like the post earlier than the last one, we put all our focus to electric side and discussed all the positive sides of them, today its gas remote controlled jets turn and unlike the concept which was developed in the electric remote controlled jet post that gas powered jets have all the disadvantages attached and who are the smart guys out there who even try them; this concept about gas powered planes is going to change because these are the ones which are called veteran in the rc jet hobby and nobody can get the crown away from them. There are jet properties which electric remote controlled jets don’t have and those features and properties make gas rc jets a hard core choice for the enthusiast hobbyist. Let’s talk about what they have to offer: first the cons.

Gas RC jets- The disadvantage side:

The new comers to remote controlled airplanes hobby always make gas rc jets look at a disadvantageous side, though it’s not that gas powered planes in general do not have any but it will only be logic if we see them in the right perspective. Gas rc jets have complaints of being noisy, yes they are, but they also give more power than the electric ones. The maintenance of these gas types is also a concern for some flyers, well I don’t think one who doesn’t want to take care of his stuff in whatever field he is has anything good going for him there, individuals like these are better advised to leave the hobby and start flying paper planes . Yes I know gas rc jets give smoke, you have to clean the exhaust, change the engine oil etc etc. One rather disadvantage for beginners is that nitro planes are expensive, they are expensive to buy and expensive to keep… and for a beginner it is a big No. Beginners must get the slower electric ones first and once they are all done with it, then they should try the gas rc jets because once the gas rc jet is broken you as a beginner gets a broken heart and a hole in your pocket. You will require a full scale repair kit and an indepth working knowledge of gas engines in order to maintain them and repair when they get broke. Gas rc jets possess a real threat of fire when they crash because of the fuel they use. Gas rc jets use A-1, which is kerosene and is highly flammable. Despite of all these disadvantages, gas remote controlled powered jets have something to offer which electric ones do not have in them, the advantages are here:

Advantage side of Gas RC Jets:

Are also called nitro remote controlled airplanes, these are very close to the real ones out there. The things which you must take into account are that for a nitro remote controlled airplane you will have to deal it as like owning a real airplane. You will have to fuel it and then refuel it (which requires money), change the engine oil for keeping it clean, tweak it adjust its parts to get the optimum. I hear some of you are saying hell that is a lot of work to do. Well I would say it is good for people who like doing things from their hands; I think all of us who are in this hobby are the ones who like to do things with their hands, it is possible that you don’t know it unless you do it. I actually like building something with my hands and get my hands dirty, but once it is repaired or made, I really enjoy it and I hope it does the same for alike in this hobby.

Gas rc jets have longer duration of flight as compared to the electric powered, nitro rc airplanes once fueled can fly for hours, where electric ones only can last for half hour or so. Though electric powered are now coming with longer battery times and with brushless motors the loss of current is very less and so their flight time has increased but they still can’t beat the duration of gas rc jets.
The factor that gas remote controlled aircrafts are the stamp for a hobbyist that he or she is really into the hobby if they possess one. This authenticity factor is what makes gas rc jet a must have for all of those who want a more realistic experience of flying. Their engine sounds like the full scale passenger carrying jet, they operate and fly like them too. They have much more torque and speed than the electric ones could have ever. Yet another advantage to be used in gas rc jet races and for the thrill which comes out of fast machines. A good finely tuned gas remote controlled jet can go more than 200 miles an hour. Now that really thrills and if you remember what brought us in this hobby? Yes exactly… the speed.

I believe all the advantages which I have described above are enough for those of you who were reluctant to have a try for a gas rc jet but again you must learn the skills on a slower electric airplane and a electric rc jet one before going for a gas rc jet. It is all worth taking the hassle of cleaning and maintaining your gas rc jet when this pretty machine gives you the thrill of speed while flying it.

You just have to take care of few things and sure your gas rc jet will never break on you. Keep the it and its engine as cleaned as possible, dirt is bad for everything moving and gas powered planes have many moving and rotating and spinning parts. Do a little maintenance before and after the flight, the maintenance procedures come with every plane and are easy to follow. Change the engine oil regularly for keeping your remote controlled jets clean from inside, tune the engine for better performance and longer life.

Happy flying!

Zane

Small RC Jets

The feeling of flying is something which is linked with flying small rc jets, many folks think in this manner, well they all have some reasons. Remote controlled jets are the machines which are the best in the world of remote controlled airplanes. The thrill which flying wonders give, drives people crazy because of the joy which it brings. You can always ask somebody who has flown an remote controlled airplane the joy it gives. The experience is out of this world. It can be categorized into two categories:

Types of small rc jets:

Pusher type and electric ducted fan type. The remote controlled jets which use gas turbine are bigger in size. Well I have mentioned the two because you need to select the right one in the beginning with respect to the speed, so selecting a pusher is advisable for the ones who have just started the remote controlled planes hobby. When you have gotten an idea of how to fly rc jets on a pusher type then you can shift to the ducted fan type. The ducted fan type are more speedy than the pusher type. Only when you have cleaned your hands on the small rc jet of ducted fan type, you can go for the gas turbine rc jets which are bigger in size and also in speed.
The point in telling you to select the small rc jet for learning is that by doing this you will be good to your pocket. Because buying a bigger gas turbine remote controlled jet with a gas turbine engine is very costly. If at all you have bought it, maintaining it is again not a cheap idea.
The small remote controlled planes of pusher type is handled with much ease by a newbie. The ones available in the market are very quiet and also very handy in flying them in parks, and near by fields where you cannot fly gas rc jets. In fact any place is good for this remote controlled airplane because even being a beginner you are very less susceptible to crash it. You would want to avoid flying your small rc jets in windy and stormy days because you would never want to lose this little wonder.

After the pusher remote controlled jet, you would want to switch to a little faster electric ducted fan type. While you can enjoy flying the rc jet of ducted fan type with a little faster attitude you can never compare it with the gas turbine rc jets. The gas ones are super fast flying machines. By the time you have acquired skills on the small ducted fan remote controlled jets you will be very good in flying gas rc jets. The aspect which cannot be neglected is that there are some of you crazy as me out there who can make a mistake of buying gas rc jet as your first remote controlled plane and then repent, as it can never be handled if you have not flown any slow speed plane. I am saying all this from my experience of flying rc jets of all types. You must remember that you are here to stay in this hobby so it is better to start right and give yourself chance of learning the flying skills with right kind of flying machines and those are definitely small rc jets. Some of you, who always go with the right start, can buy a learner remote controlled plane and after having a taste can shift to any kinds of rc jets.

Happy Flying!!

Zane

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Beginner rc airplanes

In the last post we discussed the beginner basics of an rc jet flying and today we will take a step further and get our hands on to selecting a beginner rc airplane. Remember that our level to achieve is an rc jet flying … I hear you say why…? The answer is simple. It is because we are up to an ultimate experience of remote control airplane flying, as till of today remote controlled jet is the fastest and the sleekest form of an rc aircraft. Yes you are right we are in this hobby for flying and flying fast. But then we should raise our level to rocket flying…. Well …yes! Rockets can be installed with radio controls and rockets have really fast speed, faster than remote controlled jets, but there is one thing which gets in between flying remote controlled rockets and that is the maneuverability. Speed of rockets is so fast that they vanish from the sight of our eyes in seconds. While seeing and controlling is the main aspect which contains all the fun and excitement of radio controlled flying machines. Well ….. If not today but if I am to be a little enthusiast and think of achieving a higher speed, tracking an rc rocket on a real time satellite map grid on the display of my laptop will be a real fun. For that we will have to install a satellite communication device in our rc rocket….. hey…… one minute installing a device which will control our rocket through a satellite will make it satellite controlled rocket, a superior kind in radio controls. What that will cost…???
But before we go wild any further, I should hold my horses and get back to the main topic of this post which is selecting a beginner rc airplane.
Okay, since you have made up your mind to get yourself into the ever thrilling hobby of rc airplane flying, this is the time that you decide to either make a purchase of your first beginner rc airplane, ready to fly RTF(ready to fly) or ARTF (almost ready to fly) or a Kit(requires constructing from scratch).
Ready to fly rc airplanes are like plug n play gadgets, just charge and fly, no hassle of getting into fabricating and assembling. Just buy the RTF airplane and get into the flying business. You will definitely clean your hands on this one as the speed is supposed to be a little slower so you can get the feel of it in true sense before you can step up and buy a little faster one. To see the types see beginner basics.
Almost ready to fly remote controlled airplane needs a little assembling of parts. There are few choices which are given for customization and practice on assembling the parts. This is a good way to know your machine; the more you know the better will be your understanding of flying. You will be able to add your own features in your future models. That is why ARTF is a better option when getting your hands into remote controlled airplane for the first time.
Here comes the kit. If you decide to go for a kit, you will have to start from scratch. I agree that building anything from a box full of parts, pieces of balsa and plywood with a plan can be a little discouraging, in addition to that for the first timers building remote controlled airplane from a kit will require some building material like adhesives and some tools as well. This will bring the cost of your project on a higher side. Considering that the good aspect is that you will have a tool kit prepared for your next project and these will help you in repairing your other remote controlled airplanes too.

First RC Airplane Types: The decision.

Now let’s compare all the three options we have. The deciding factor is your passion and the eagerness to learn for flying hobby as the finished cost of a ready to fly airplane is the same as of a kit built rather a kit built may go on the higher side. If you will go on your hunt of buying rc airplane, a good size kit will cost you in between USD 70 to USD 90, this price may lead you to the conclusion that a rc kit is more economical than buying an Almost or Ready to Fly kit, which may cost you around USD 120 to USD 130. But the point to consider is that with a kit you will still have to buy some building material like covering and adhesives, fuel tank and tubing, wheels and wheel collars and tools which are not included in your kit. Always look for the items which are not included in your rc airplane kit which you will have to purchase in order to finish building your first remote control airplane. This hassle of purchasing things separately and assembling them will make most of you steer towards a ready to fly ones.
So, why somebody would want to buy something which will take days to a week to build and will cost the same as of a ready to fly rc airplane?? The answer again is the same …. Your passion!! The feel of the building process, if you are a person who likes to do things with your hands then the option of buying a kit is a little easier for you. But for those of you who do not like to do things with their hands and can’t wait till the building process is finished, I would advise to take a chance and do it at least once so that you get to know the inner working of your rc airplane and come to know the basics which implies on almost all the types you will use in the future. To give you a little heart, all the building plans come with good beginner rc airplane kits are very well written and will take you by the hand in finishing your project, so a person with average skill level can do it easily. I can’t emphasize enough that how learning this experience of building your own aircraft is…. If you don’t go for building in the first place and instead get a ready to fly one, should consider building one by your own self a little later, it will definitely take you to the next level. Personally building one all by myself has taught me a great deal about the techniques, designs and aerodynamics of remote controlled airplanes in general. Once you are done building some with some kits, you will find yourself making modification on your own, getting ideas from other models and improving designs. How would that feel??
The propulsion of an remote controlled airplane is an important factor as well. Consider between electric airplane, gas propelled, nitro or nitro methane powered. Some are meant for indoors and some are for outdoors. Cheaper the rc airplane less features it will have. The basic features will always be the same but cheaper rc airplane may have only maneuvers of left, right, up and down; most of them come with forward and backwards controls as well. Also if you see a real cheap one, must check if it is not missing any key item like battery as purchasing a battery separately will cost you more than the one included with the kit or ready to fly rc airplane.

Now this has become a very long post.... before my fingers tear down I leave you till next time.

Happy flying!!

Zane

RC Jet - Beginner Basics

Imagine owning a toy RC Jet which can speed in excess to 300 miles per hour!! It really thrills, huh?

RC jets and RC helicopters have become very popular in past few years as a hobby, thanks to the advancing technology. Now you can have a model airplane which can fly using only electricity but that lacks that extra speed element.

In remote controlled planes world, RC jet is the most exciting and thrilling remote controlled airplane one can have. RC jets are available in different shapes, sizes and types of engines but before going to have your hands on a RC jet you need to understand that flying a RC jet is a skill which needs to be learned first. Since these toys are really fast, beginners should have some cleaning of hands on propeller driven RC planes or through an instructor. A slow pusher jet is recommended for novices.

If you are reading this far that means you definitely have an interest in this hobby and want to fly RC jet! This blog will certainly help you in learning the basics to get started and later the tips and tricks of pros. Fist thing first; you need to know the different types of RC jets and their engines those are available in the market. First let’s take a look at how the Remote Control works:

A remote control works on three basic elements the transmitter, the receiver and the servos. Sophisticated electronics and electronic speed controllers have now taken the controlling of an RC airplane to the next level and convert these toys into hi-tech flying machines.

The types of RC Jets

RC Pusher Jet:

This kind is slower, inexpensive and easy in use. The aerodynamic design gives it a great maneuverability that makes this kind to be loved. It has a propeller dead center in the back of the body that propels it all though the air.

Ducted Fan RC Jet:

The most popular kind and an easy going too. Since the propeller and engine are located inside the duct, makes it a lot less dangerous. Ducted fan jets have smooth operation, very quiet and top of all require less maintenance.

Turbine Ducted Powered RC Jet:

In other words when you own this kind, this is the closest you can come to owning a real jet, unless you have a plan to buy a real jet one day :). Turbine ducted engines run and sound like a real jet, they use real jet fuel too. This type has the ultimate flying experience, if you want a realistic taste of jet flying, this is for you. Don’t forget that you need experience of flying RC airplanes of slower kind before you have the joy of flying this machine. Since these jets involve great speeds, they are really fast, so while you are flying it you are dealing with a potential weapon, you must know what you are dealing with or otherwise you will do yourself a monetary loss by destroying it additionally you can hurt yourself and others too. It is like car driving, you need to know how to drive a regular kind of car before you can grab the driving seat of a formula-one.

Some basic maintenance guidelines are necessary to keep your first jet rolling. Your RC Jet will love you for keeping it in a maintained condition and will never fail on you. Always use a high quality fuel with right amount of oil. Make sure that your RC jet engine remains properly tuned cleaned and kept in a cool dry place. These machines have high speeds, avoid too much use in one flight, this may over heat your engine or motor and fail.

Before I finish my post I want to add that RC Jets can be so extreme fun that they get dangerous while flown near people because of the flammability of fuel and their speed. Update for detailed information on real rc jet engine visit the post types of rc jet engine.

A special treat of watching this maiden flight of rc jet tornado.




Happy Flying :)