Ask Chad

[StoneKap]

Hello Everyone!

First of all... Thank you for being such wonderful people. I am so impressed by the helpful nature and the excitement of the RC flying community.

I thought it would be good to start a thread for me to answer questions, that might not pertain to Josh and Josh. Unfortunately I have had a really tough time responding to e-mails, YouTube comments, Facebook and many other forms of communication. So I'm hoping to funnel most the questions and communication through this forum. I was naive when we started the show. I wasn't taking in account the massive amount of questions that would be coming my way! And to top it off... you guys are a smart crowd. Many questions require research!

I will do my best to check this thread frequently and answer to the best of my ability.

Thank you!

 

[colorex]

I will do my best to check this thread frequently and answer to the best of my ability.

I'm hoping to funnel most the questions and communication through this forum.

Not in a manner of contradiction, but a forum is a mutually helping community. SO questions posted here need not necessarily be answered by Chad, but anyone who knows a confirmed answer. I'd be glad to help when I can.

 

[StoneKap]

Not in a manner of contradiction, but a forum is a mutually helping community. SO questions posted here need not necessarily be answered by Chad, but anyone who knows a confirmed answer. I'd be glad to help when I can.

Great point!
I welcome the help.

 

[jetpackninja]

Chad-
How do you decide which events and flyins etc. that you can take the team too?
Is it something that your sponsors suggest to you, or do you suggest to them?
I loved the California road trip and the SEFF stuff.
I'd love for you to bring the guys to one our semiannual UnCivil War Combat sWARm (Orem, Utah) but I also imagine you are flooded with these kinds of invitations

 

[StoneKap]

You're right... we do have a lot of invites. And if we didn't have day jobs, we'd do it full time.
This past year has been one big experiment. One thing we learned is road trips are fun! But they're expensive and extremely difficult to plan with everyone's schedules. There are many factors that determine what takes us on the road. Even though SEFF was a lot of fun for us, the videos themselves weren't that popular. A big part of the determining factor is the sponsor. Maybe in the future we'll get to go to more events. We'll see.

 

[JimCR120]

It seems that this is a hobby where only males show interest. I assume there must be some interest from the fairer gender to do some flying but since I don't see it I am oblivious to the quantity. Maybe it's less than I think. Maybe there about as many girls wanting to fly planes as there are boys wanting to have a doll that you can give a bottle to and change its diaper. I would hate to be unfairly sexist in my assumptions.

Any idea of how many ladies are in this hobby? Maybe you could give a guestimate of a percentage.

 

[StoneKap]

Any idea of how many ladies are in this hobby? Maybe you could give a guestimate of a percentage.

I can tell you that out of 10,000 subscribers to Flite Test... 3% are female. That's a pretty small crowd.

 

[JimCR120]

I can tell you that out of 10,000 subscribers to Flite Test... 3% are female. That's a pretty small crowd.

Small crowd indeed. I suspected only a few. Now I have an idea how few it really is.

Thanks Chad

 

[PTRogers85]

Chad, I was wondering can you guys sell more products in your "store" mostly Stickers, I would like to support you guys by having a Flitetest sticker on my field box and maybe some of my planes too I'm sure a lot of the other guys feel the same way
Thanks

 

[StoneKap]

Chad, I was wondering can you guys sell more products in your "store" mostly Stickers, I would like to support you guys by having a Flitetest sticker on my field box and maybe some of my planes too I'm sure a lot of the other guys feel the same way
Thanks

Hi Pat,
Yes, we will eventually. Hopefully soon. I'm trying to work out a system that we can provide quality stickers, shirts, jackets, etc. reliably and affordably.

 

[PTRogers85]

Hi Pat,
Yes, we will eventually. Hopefully soon. I'm trying to work out a system that we can provide quality stickers, shirts, jackets, etc. reliably and affordably.

ok sounds good! thanks chad

 

[ananas1301]

How do you decide, which plane there is going to be a review about next? Is it suggested by the sponsor or do you just choose?
I would find it really nice, if there would be a possibility for everyone to make a wish about what to see. (I don´t know if there is a section in this forum for it, but if yes, I haven´t seen it yet)

 

[StoneKap]

How do you decide, which plane there is going to be a review about next? Is it suggested by the sponsor or do you just choose?
I would find it really nice, if there would be a possibility for everyone to make a wish about what to see. (I don´t know if there is a section in this forum for it, but if yes, I haven´t seen it yet)

It's a combination of us throwing around ideas, sponsor input and the viewers. We just try to make every episode unique.

 

[ryramZ]

Chad, great job. Ive been following since the Wildcat video and noticed the excellent production quality right away. i'll say again how awesome a job you all do at injecting fun and learning into this hobby. it is evident that you all love what you are doing and thats super cool. This summer in Muncie at the AMA headquarters they had what was the first if I am not mistaken NEFI, National Electric Fly In. a good number of folks showed up, there was warbird combat, soaring contests, night flying, some vendors, pylon racing, and pizza for crying out loud. Being that it is in Muncie, Indiana you guys should come. I could introduce you to the owners of a couple hobby shops, and the museum and facility is a thing of wonder. Your visit and coverage of the event could be a great thing for the Academy of Model Aeronautics. As im sure you know the AMA has representatives in contact with the FAA and legislative bodies which govern regulations on UAV's and other aspects of model aviation. The exposure to the AMA through the platform that is Flite Test, could help add volume to the modeler's voice that needs to be heard and defended. I personally enjoy being a member of the AMA receiving the magazines and belonging to a 75 year old organization has been great. I appreciate the comraderie i now can experience at my clubs flying field. When i started i was alone in a soccer field with no one to give me advice. Club flying and efforts like those of you all at Flite Test make it possible for those with experience to help those without, something I wish I had when i was getting familiar with the hot glue gun, over and over and over.

wow long winded huh? ok lets review, good job, come to NEFI. let me know, i can put you in contact with the events coordinator

 

[StoneKap]

wow long winded huh? ok lets review, good job, come to NEFI. let me know, i can put you in contact with the events coordinator

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement! It would be really great to get out there next year. You have to keep in mind... I'm a relative noobie myself. I just started flying last year about 4 months prior to starting Flite Test. My learning process was VERY frustrating and quite often discouraging. My only experience with any mentors before Eric and Josh Bixler were grumpy old men that bark at you. While Josh Bixler is our resident veteran, I'm still learning who's who and what events are when.

So we can't make any promises right now, but we're definitely interested.

Thanks!

 

[Jay]

Gyro Cierva C30 Gyroplane EP Balsa ARF

Hi Chad,

Just saw that HobbyKing got the gyroplane back in stock. Any chance we'll get to see the lost footage to go along with the repair pics?

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__14291__Gyro_Cierva_C30_Gyroplane_EP_Balsa_ARF.html

Thanks,
Jay

 

[StoneKap]

Hi Chad,

Just saw that HobbyKing got the gyroplane back in stock. Any chance we'll get to see the lost footage to go along with the repair pics?

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__14291__Gyro_Cierva_C30_Gyroplane_EP_Balsa_ARF.html

Thanks,
Jay

Hi Jay,
I totally forgot about that one! That was going to be our very first review from Hobby King... But then we wrecked it and didn't have the proper parts for repair, and we had to keep moving forward. Maybe we'll revisit it. I'll check.
Thanks for reminding me.

 

[jetpackninja]

Hi Chad,

I wonder if you could get a follow up interview with Anthony Hand?
There are things that sometimes leave me confused and scratching my head with Hobbyking.

What is the relationship with Hobbyking, Turnigy and HXT- at times they all seem to be the same company and then at times they seem to be somewhat in competition with each other- Example the HobbyKing ECO-6 charger and the Turnigy Accucel 6-

Are there ongoing issues with Hobbykings ability to get products from China. It seems like certain items have been out of stock for a longgg time.

I'm sure I can think of other questions and other folks will too if you announce an upcoming interview in advance.

OH- How about an ask Hobbyking section added to the forum where Anthony or another HK executive or manager can answer questions.

 

[StoneKap]

Hi Chad,

What is the relationship with Hobbyking, Turnigy and HXT- at times they all seem to be the same company and then at times they seem to be somewhat in competition with each other- Example the HobbyKing ECO-6 charger and the Turnigy Accucel 6-

Are there ongoing issues with Hobbykings ability to get products from China. It seems like certain items have been out of stock for a longgg time.

Hobby King, Turnigy, Quanum and hexTronik all have the same owner. They are just different lines of products. It's a little fuzzy as the exact differences in the products. But I was told the Hobby King brand is mostly the "standard" no-frills brand. Where Turnigy is the higher-end, higher tolerances brand. Quanum is mostly cars but still spills into other areas as well. And hexTronik is the older brand... I think they are phasing out this name.

Anthony is a very busy man that is hard to get ahold of. I doubt we'll see another interview soon. I do know that he's been working very hard to increase the quality of his business. He's very passionate about this hobby and I'm excited to see his business mature.

 

[J McGuire]

Hi Chad,
I've noticed that Flite Test tends to focus on the middle to smaller sized models. I can't argue with that preference because smaller models are more economical and they offer a better 'bang for the buck' return on investment. However I'd like to see an occasional episode that features a larger electric model, maybe even something that fits the giant scale category. Now that large powerful motors, HV speed controls, and high capacity lipo batteries are very reasonably priced at Hobby King and elsewhere, I'm sure that many people would like to try a large scale model.