Kendalf
Well-known member
I tried to start with RC planes about a dozen years ago, but new kids and school and jobs caused me to put the hobby aside for a number of years. Now that my kids are older, I'm getting back into it! It's always nice to have someone to share the hobby with, and provide enthusiasm while building and flying. A few months ago I got a HK Bixler 1.1, but after a couple successful flights a 40' tree ate it. I got a Walrus to replace it and my son and I took it for a short test flight, but the neighborhood parks and fields where I live just aren't big enough for something that size, plus it just barely fits inside the back seat.
And then I came across the Flite Test foam models. My kids and I enjoy crafting and building. My son especially has made a number of things with scrap cardboard delivery boxes, foam, duct tape, and anything else he can find around the house. This looked like a perfect (and more budget friendly) way to get some RC planes to fly and gain skills while building. I ordered a Tiny Trainer as well as a Mini Scout speed build kit, and we've also been combing the various dollar and hardware stores looking for cheap parts to use for scratch building. I picked up a few sheets of DTFB and over the past two weeks my son and I have been building two Tiny Trainers, one from the speed build kit and the other from scratch. The scratch build one served as a beta or prototype for us to figure out the build process before applying them to the kit. I traced out the pattern for the scratch build pieces onto the black foam board using the speed kit as a template, but since the paper on the speed kit extends out from the foam a tiny bit my tracing was a bit off, and some parts weren't as even as they should have been. I had to sand various edges to line things up, but it wasn't until I was test fitting the wings that I noticed that the tail section was not horizontally level. What's a beta without a few bugs, eh?
I'm also learning how to solder to add connectors for batteries and ESCs, and that's another learning curve by itself. But we finally got the servos and pushrods and other electronics into the beta model and yesterday had the chance to take it to a nearby park for the maiden. And it actually flew! Mind you, it was a bit of a handful--mainly due to the tilted tail section, as it constantly wanted to roll and dive to the left--and I will need to tweak the throws and expo settings, but we got over ten minutes of actual air time before my battery was low, with a couple soft landings and a couple mild cartwheels in the grass.
And now I need to finish soldering the electronics for the speed build kit which is otherwise done, and once the weather clears we will hopefully have a successful maiden with that one, with my son on the sticks.
We're already thinking about building the Mini Scout kit, and I've got a box of 25 sheets of DTFB on order. I have printed out the plans for the FT Sportster and the Simple Scout (leaning more towards the Sportster due to looks and reportedly easier flying at slow speeds), as well as a couple of NerdNic's chuck glider plans. As you can see, we've really caught the foamie bug, and we're enjoying it immensely!
And then I came across the Flite Test foam models. My kids and I enjoy crafting and building. My son especially has made a number of things with scrap cardboard delivery boxes, foam, duct tape, and anything else he can find around the house. This looked like a perfect (and more budget friendly) way to get some RC planes to fly and gain skills while building. I ordered a Tiny Trainer as well as a Mini Scout speed build kit, and we've also been combing the various dollar and hardware stores looking for cheap parts to use for scratch building. I picked up a few sheets of DTFB and over the past two weeks my son and I have been building two Tiny Trainers, one from the speed build kit and the other from scratch. The scratch build one served as a beta or prototype for us to figure out the build process before applying them to the kit. I traced out the pattern for the scratch build pieces onto the black foam board using the speed kit as a template, but since the paper on the speed kit extends out from the foam a tiny bit my tracing was a bit off, and some parts weren't as even as they should have been. I had to sand various edges to line things up, but it wasn't until I was test fitting the wings that I noticed that the tail section was not horizontally level. What's a beta without a few bugs, eh?
I'm also learning how to solder to add connectors for batteries and ESCs, and that's another learning curve by itself. But we finally got the servos and pushrods and other electronics into the beta model and yesterday had the chance to take it to a nearby park for the maiden. And it actually flew! Mind you, it was a bit of a handful--mainly due to the tilted tail section, as it constantly wanted to roll and dive to the left--and I will need to tweak the throws and expo settings, but we got over ten minutes of actual air time before my battery was low, with a couple soft landings and a couple mild cartwheels in the grass.
And now I need to finish soldering the electronics for the speed build kit which is otherwise done, and once the weather clears we will hopefully have a successful maiden with that one, with my son on the sticks.
We're already thinking about building the Mini Scout kit, and I've got a box of 25 sheets of DTFB on order. I have printed out the plans for the FT Sportster and the Simple Scout (leaning more towards the Sportster due to looks and reportedly easier flying at slow speeds), as well as a couple of NerdNic's chuck glider plans. As you can see, we've really caught the foamie bug, and we're enjoying it immensely!