Seeking ideas of fun things to drop on people from RC planes

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
My project of the day is to build a drop system for my Super Cub. This is completely inspired by the opportunity to harass a friend as he coaches our middle school girls soccer team. My partner in running the RC club will not be able to participate for a few weeks due his coaching duties. Unfortunately for him, they practice on the same fields that we fly on.

Flying Monkey gave a great suggestion of a tube filled with powder. I like it! The tube can also carry a diversity or ordinances. I think grapes would be entertaining to drop on him and his team. At school, I also have a box completely filled with flour bombs just waiting to be used. These are about three years old, though.

In my quest for entertainment, I am turning to you, my friends of the flitetest forum. What creative and harmless ammunition can you come up with? This will definitely be on video.

Thanks!
 

Ak Flyer

Fly the wings off
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I was going to say powder filled tube with a guillotine lid on a servo arm. I think flour would be great. You could crop dust him LOL :applause: Itching powder?

OOHHHHH GLITTER!!!! I bet his middle school girls soccer team would be more than happy to provide you will ample amounts of glitter on the condition that you douse their coach in it :D He's spend the rest of the week getting it off and you wouldn't have to clean it off the field.
 

JohnnyV

Junior Member
I know this sounds like fun now but you really should reconsider dropping anything on anyone from an Rc plane. Just my humble opinion.
 

bicyclemonkey

Flying Derp
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Anything too light (flour, glitter) would have to be dive bombed or it might get blown down wind before it hits the target.
 

Ak Flyer

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True, and it's a possible danger to get in someones eyes. Something like nerf darts perhaps? You could load a ton of them under a cub.
 

Fishbonez

Active member
I like the gliitter/flour idea best, harmless and young girls have plenty of it. What young girl would not love to see the couch "bedazzled" by an RC Plane :cool: or if you wanna to go environmental you could hit him with grass seeds. Theya are light and cant harm the playing field.
 

Ak Flyer

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I like the gliitter/flour idea best, harmless and young girls have plenty of it. What young girl would not love to see the couch "bedazzled" by an RC Plane :cool: or if you wanna to go environmental you could hit him with grass seeds. Theya are light and cant harm the playing field.

EXACTLY!!! Bedazzle the coach LMAO:D
 

Ak Flyer

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I have to try this now. I have all kinds of ideas coming up and I just finished replacing my broken motor. Teach, let me know what you come up with. I can't wait to the kids with a flying water gun or something.
 

sandblaster

Senior Member
I will be the second to say, can you spell it, L-A-W-S-U-I-T. If some one is hurt it could become very expensive. Do a little math. Plane is flying at X miles per hour. Gravity accelerates the water balloon at Y mph. Impact force is OUCH are a lot worse. If you insist on dropping something how about glitter in the teams colors. Or streamers in the team colors. Something with no mass and will float harmless down.

I know the chance of really hitting some one is very remote, but if one does with a object of mass the results, well........ it could sure ruin someones day, week, month, year, life.

Remember the two kids who thought it would be fun to drop a shopping cart on someones head???????

Will take just one of these to have all park flying outlawed.
 

Fishbonez

Active member
I will be the second to say, can you spell it, L-A-W-S-U-I-T. If some one is hurt it could become very expensive. Do a little math. Plane is flying at X miles per hour. Gravity accelerates the water balloon at Y mph. Impact force is OUCH are a lot worse. If you insist on dropping something how about glitter in the teams colors. Or streamers in the team colors. Something with no mass and will float harmless down.

I know the chance of really hitting some one is very remote, but if one does with a object of mass the results, well........ it could sure ruin someones day, week, month, year, life.

Remember the two kids who thought it would be fun to drop a shopping cart on someones head???????

Will take just one of these to have all park flying outlawed.

I think your point is valid, I wont dare to try to debate it, and has to be considered but Teach is considering and seeking ideas in something harmless. I highly doubt he would be willing to put himself/school/district or any child at risk. Like you mentioned and others glitter or something to that affect I think would be fine just .02 worth
 

bicyclemonkey

Flying Derp
Mentor
Glitter in team colors would be cool if there's a bunch of it and you drop it so the team can look up and see it sparkling in the sunlight as it floats down/downwind.

My household is 50% female and I can't tell you how much glitter is in my house. Some people, you go to their house and sit on their couch and get pet hair on you. At my house you sit on my couch, you get glitter on you. Girls LOVE this stuff!!!
 
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Ak Flyer

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Agreed, this could go horribly wrong. However, seeing that he's a teacher at the school and a good friend of the coach/flying partner, I don't think his intentions are malicious. However we also do not want to inspire others who may feel differently. I certainly wouldn't involve any of the kids in anything, but I don't see the harm in pranking my buddy.

I highly doubt a water balloon dropped from a cub would be any worse than a water balloon from one of these.
launcher.jpg
Which claim to launch 100 yards.

My point is, it could be done wrong, very wrong. Or it could be harmless fun for all ages. I will agree that this may not be the best place to stir this type of idea. We do have a lot of young people here who may find themselves in a lot of trouble.

That said, I think that a soft object with little chance of getting in the eyes would be as safe or safer than the sport they are out there practicing.
 

Ak Flyer

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An aerial display would be cool, shiny confetti would probably work much better than glitter though as it will stay airborne longer and catch the light.

I still want to see a picture of the coach with glitter all over him trying to control the laughter of a team of girls.
 

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
First, I do understand the potential issues from a legal/safety standpoint. However, I don't see any more risk in doing this than in flying in a park with other people around. I will be the one doing the flying, not the students. I will maintain a safe altitude. I won't be dive bombing anyone - that is way too dangerous. And I will not be dropping anything that can cause injury.

Now, here's what I am going with. I'm attaching a toilet paper tube to the underside of the fuselage. The tube will be mounted on a flange that will screw into the battery compartment via the stock screw mounts. A servo will be mounted in that flange and connected to two hinged "doors" at each end of the tube. Upon energizing the servo, the doors will open and whatever is packed in the tube will blow out the back end.

Each wing will carry Nerf gun bullets. A servo under each wing will release the ordinance. Currently debating having separate channels for each wing drop or using a y harness.

I LOVE the idea of glitter! Definitely will be dropping some of that. I also am planning on making banners to tow behind the Cub supporting the team before homes games. (I will maintain a safe distance from all people).
 

sandblaster

Senior Member
Hope you can take pictures and post here.

Wonder if one can color flour. Think a toilet paper tube of it would make a floating puff of a cloud, if no wind.
 

Ak Flyer

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That sounds awesome!! I am sold on the tube idea. I was also thinking of a way to use a single channel for more than one drop on the regular drop modules. If you make your linkage so that it activates one first then the other, you can use a single proportional channel to make multiple drops. The example I had thought of earlier was using a cross style servo arm instead of a single arm, and putting a rubber band over two and having the servo set to my dial so I could make two separate drops on one servo on one channel.

You could do the same type of thing with a Y-harness by positioning one arm further back than the other. They would both move together but one would release first, as long as you have a proportional channel.

A 3 position switch for say flaps would work as well if you have one on your radio.