It seems all the panic about the "RC Terrorist" may have been premature.

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
That guy's gotta be mad... I suppose the aircraft + explosives cost more than the repair of the damage he would have caused...
 

JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
I dunno Monkey, lack of dependable detonation methods doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy and safe. A creative mind can readily sidestep a great deal of obstacles.
 

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JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
This was in today's paper. While I certainly object to terrorism and don't want to downplay its seriousness, I am selfishly curious about this store where he was buying his stuff. I have been looking for places in Maine and I only know of one, until now. I need to find out where it's at. We need more hobby stores that deal in RC Air in Maine for availability keeping prices down.
 

FlyingMonkey

Bought Another Trailer
Staff member
Admin
I don't mean to make too light of it either. They played this guy up to be some terrorist mastermind, and the details just don't add up to that. Could an RC plane be used in a terror attack, successfully? Absolutely. Like you say, anyone with enough intelligence can figure out, or find the answers to most anything these days.

I think they made a mountain out of a mole hill with this particular case.
 

JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
Oh certainly they can be used for reconnaissance. It's not an "either/or" choice but rather "this and the other." I had some recon experience in my Navy job. The thing is, when they are doing it they don't want you to know they are doing it; it kinda spoils the surprise. The military for example has the Predator and Global Hawk drones (RC on steroids) which provide a means of recon and attacking. The good news is that radio transmissions are detectable, exploitable, and open up vulnerability.
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
I once saw a video of a random guy driving a tank through San Diego, why can't terrorists get their hands on Predators and Global Hawks?
 

JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
Flying something like that isn't so simple. Those RC planes (UAV's) fly via frequencies that are line-of-sight, line of sight from a satellite that is. Satellite access is controlled and without it you cannot operate at those freq's over the horizon. Also, the gov't is aware of how many they've made and their locations. It's a controlled item. I think a better question is how someone got a hold of a tank. In this case the guy took advantage of a relaxed security situation.
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
I didnt expect it to be easy, but not to be that hard either... Well we'll just see what happens... BTW how much payload do you think Mac Hodges B-29(?) could carry? If it can carry Josh Scott? LOL
 

JimCR120

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Site Moderator
If it can carry Josh Scott? LOL

That thought had also crossed my mind. My son has also had thoughts of making a motorized glider big enough for a teen to ride in. Then I reminded him of the percentage of our rc planes that have crashed at least once.
 

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Jeffrey Saelee

Airplane Dope
Answer: Get a really streamlined glider (with folding prop), strengthen it with a lot of CF, and dive from 3000ft, then pull up and when you're high enough, add enough power so you don't stall, and level out....maybe