Tips for Winter Flying

Mode 1

Active member
Hey All,

It's here. Winter has arrived. Other than dressing warm and finding (or modifying) appropriate gloves for flying are there any other tips that you guys can share to enjoy flying through the winter months?

What precautions need to be addressed as far as planes and gear? Shall planes be treated with something like minwax to provide some level of protection against the wet? If so, can minwax be added to planes that have already been painted?

Thanks!
 
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d8veh

Elite member
Good question. Hmmm! Let's try and apply some logic to get an answer.

Cost of half a pint of Minwax = $35. Cost of foamboard for new plane = $3

Fly it, crash it, build another one. Repeat.

Being serious, I've never done anything different in winter - just turn up and fly like normal. You might want to think about turning down your timer a bit unless you charge your batteries in the warm and don't let them get too cold until you fly. In flight, they heat up,so no problem.
 

Mode 1

Active member
Good question. Hmmm! Let's try and apply some logic to get an answer.

Cost of half a pint of Minwax = $35. Cost of foamboard for new plane = $3

Fly it, crash it, build another one. Repeat.

Being serious, I've never done anything different in winter - just turn up and fly like normal. You might want to think about turning down your timer a bit unless you charge your batteries in the warm and don't let them get too cold until you fly. In flight, they heat up,so no problem.

Well, when you put it like that I guess the answer is quite simple... Bundle Up, Throttle Up and go have fun :)
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
any other tips that you guys can share to enjoy flying through the winter months?!
In central IL, I’ll fly a lot in temps 20-30F (-7 to 0C). Keep your battery’s warm & reduce your flight timrs. In the summer I’ll get 10 minutes, in the winter, cut it down to 7, if your battery’s are cold, cut it to 5. I’ll keep my battery’s under my coats to keep them warm. I’ve never had any trouble with the foam or glue getting brittle. I don’t like to fly off the snow, a warm motor will quickly melt the snow & get your stuff wet.

For my winter opens new flying sites. Parks that are too busy in the summer are now perfect places to fly, if they keep the parking lot plowed. Your plane will faster in the dryer, denser, cold winter air.

I’m a thumb flyer, I’ll cut a slit in the thumbs of my gloves to poke the sticks through.

Everything is more difficult in the cold, just take your time and do it correctly. Don’t rush.
 

Mode 1

Active member
That's very true about opening new areas to fly. I Live within walking distance of a lake. Once frozen over it will be hundreds of acres of a flat, treeless, RC playground.
 

Bricks

Master member
The denser cold air planes will feel a little more floaty. Keeping me warm is the toughest part especially hands as I pinch most of the time. Crashing in powder snow saves a lot of repairs, I add skis to most of my planes made out of coroplast with a small lock glued to it with a hole for the landing gear wire, and use rubber bands attached to the front of the skis to keep them pointing up with a piece of string to the rear to keep the angle. Both of these are just hot glued to the wire landing gear.
 

Brett_N

Well-known member
Download Phoenix RC and practice?

But...what's this "winter" thing? It's 65 here today :)

(Just kidding - I grew up in western NY, I know cold...so, I moved.)
 

jaredstrees

Well-known member
Most of my winter flying involves me wearing shorts! Of course, Summer flying here in Florida is miserable.

Use packing tape on the planes, especially the bottom. It will help keep the wet snow from doing to much damage.
 

BS projects inc.

Elite member
Basically there are two main differences with flying in the winter, 1.) its cold 2.) snow it wet Flying off snow is very similar to flying off water so if you have done that before you should be fine. The snow however is not as destructive to foam so you can get by with some short-cuts. For example don't worry about waterproofing the entire plane. If it is flying off floats all you have to do if waterproof the floats. Also keep in mind that your lipo batteries will not be as functional (low temps slow down atomic movement, particularly electron movement) so your flight times will not be as long. Flying in the snow is AWSOME and I encourage you to do it! I have a durafly tundra coming in the mail and I can't wait any longer!!!!!
 

jaredstrees

Well-known member
Nice purchase! I have a Tundra and love it. I can still fly that one when it gets really gutsy. Take your time installing the wings. You want to make sure those connectors line up well. I fly mine off the wheels, as the only decent body of water around here is a river. Love to be able to use those floats, though. She's a peach to fly, you'll love it!