Information Articles

Hacker has recently revised the design of their popular A20 series of brushless electric motors. The new Evo series features several interesting modifications, listed here:

• Revised Can Design - Hacker has revised the motor’s external case to allow for better airflow and cooling towards the back of the motor.
• New Stater and Magnet Material - Hacker has re formulated the material used for the stater and magnets in their brushless motors. The new material has a lower internal resistance, which gives the motors more power and efficiency.
• Collet Style Adapter - The new evo motors use a new style of prop adapter, which is more secure and easier to use than the previous versions. The new adapter also allows the motos to be more easily mounted either in front or behind an RC model airplane firewall.
• New Mount - All of the A20 series motors now feature a new type of mount which allows the new can design to work.

All of the Hacker A20 brushless motors except the A20XL incorporate this new design, including the A20, A20S, A20M, and A20L.

All of the A20 brushless motors we sell will be revised to this new design, so why not get one for your electric RC model airplane today?

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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The rolling loop is a challenging aerobatic maneuver to perform with your RC model airplanes. This article will show you how to do it safely and precisely.

Like all new aerobatic maneuvers, perform the rolling loop at a high altitude when you first learn it. This ensures that you have sufficient altitude to recover from most mistakes. Try the rolling loop in the direction that you’re most comfortable rolling. After you become more familiar with it, you can roll in any direction you want.

Follow this procedure to perform a rolling loop:

1. As with almost every aerobatic maneuver, begin by climbing to sufficient altitude and facing into the wind.
2. The objective of this maneuver is to execute a round loop and a 360 degree roll at the same time, so increase throttle to full and begin climbing.
3. As you’re RC model airplane climbs, use a small amount of rudder to hold it in a vertical position.
4. Continue to use up elevator and aileron to roll and climb. Control the roll rate so that the RC model airplane’s wings are level at the top of the loop.
5. Decrease the amount of rudder input so that the RC model airplane “falls” over the top of the loop.
6. Decrease throttle, and continue using aileron and rudder to maintain a constant roll rate.
7. Aim to have the wings level again at the cardinal point (the point at which you first started the maneuver.)

Congratulations! You now know how to successfully perform the rolling loop!

Are you interested in some cheap, fun RC model airplanes? Foamies have been built by DIY modelers for years, who have created an abundance of free plans and patterns on the internet. Most of the time all that you need to build a great foamie is a sheet of wall insulation, some radio and engine gear and a printer. This article will show you a general procedure that you can follow to construct foamies using common household and hobby supplies.

1. Download and print one of the free patterns available on the internet. The one that you choose largely depends on your personal building experience, the supplies you have, and the amount of time that you are willing to put into the project. Some plans need to be scaled up or down. If you don’t want to do this yourself most print shops will reproduce and scale images for you.
2. Transfer the paper pattern to the foam core you obtained earlier. There are several ways to do this, but if you want to preserve the plan you can lightly score over the outline with a ball point pen. This indents the foam below and creates a pattern for cutting.
3. Cut out the pattern that you made with a sharp hobby knife, being careful to follow the lines accurately. If you make a mistake round it out using medium grit sand paper and a sanding block.
4. Round out the leading edge of the wind a fuselage by first using medium, and then fine grit sandpaper.
5. Give the wind an airfoil by making three bends along it’s length. Some patterns include the desired airfoil section – so if yours does use it as a reference.
6. Sand some dihedral into the wing and glue the wing halves together using either foam safe cyanoacrylate or hot glue (available in most craft stores.)
7. Assemble the model using your adhesive of choice.
8. Unless your model’s pattern was meant to be glued to the foam – you will probably want to add some color. Spray paint is a great way to decorate your finished model, but be sure to use satan paint – not enamel. Most enamel paints react badly with foam.
9. Mount your servos by cutting rectangular holes in the wings and fuselage, and pressing them in.
10. The brushless motor is usually mounted by on a wooden dowel glued to the fuselage, and the radio and batteries can be secured to one side of the fuselage with velcro.
11. As a last step add the control surfaces and hinge them with clear packing tape.

If you want some free patterns and instructions, check out this RCGroups.com thread. Many foamie fans have contributed great models and posted them for everyone to use. Have fun with your foamie RC model airplanes!

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© Daganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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Like with RC model airplanes, RC helicopter transmitters have different modes of operation, which determine which stick does what. This article will show you the four different transmitter modes.

Mode 1 RC Helicopter Transmitter

Mode 1 RC helicopter radio transmitter: the left stick controls fore and aft cyclic and left / right yaw, and the right stick controls the throttle and left / right cyclic.

Mode 2 RC Helicopter Transmitter

Mode 2 RC helicopter radio transmitter: the left stick controls the throttle and left / right yaw, and the right stick controls the fore / aft cyclic and left / right cyclic.

Mode 3 RC Helicopter Transmitter

Mode 3 RC helicopter radio transmitter: the left stick controls fore/aft cyclic and left/right cyclic, and the right stick operates the throttle and left / right yaw.

Mode 4 RC Helicopter Transmitter

Mode 4 RC helicopter transmitter: the left stick controls the throttle and left/right cyclic, and the right stick controls the fore/aft cyclic and left/right yaw.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed

Slope flying is an easy and fun way to fly your RC model airplanes. This article will show you what slope flying is all about, and how to do it with almost any RC model airplanes.

Choosing a Flying Slope

As it’s name implies, slope flying involves launching an RC model airplane from the top of a slope. Slopes are great flying locations, because wind blowing up the slope causes updrafts which RC model airplanes can use to fly.

If you’re interested in slope flying, the first thing to do is to find a suitable place to fly. An ideal slope has an elevation of at least 100 feet, a gradient of 30 degrees, and is relatively free of trees and other obstacles. Most nearby slopes are unlikely to be perfect, but any slope that is relatively high and steep should do. Almost any RC model airplane with a large wing area will glide well enough for slope flying. Both the Multiplex EasyStar and the Vortex Extreme are well suited to slope flying, and can glide for large distances with their motors turned off.

Launching and Flying the RC Model Airplane

After you’ve found a suitable flying location you can begin slope flying. Most RC model airplanes are hand launched for slope flying, so you may want to read our other article: Hand Launching An RC Model Airplane for some pointers. When hand launching your RC model airplane face into the wind and apply full throttle (if the RC model airplane has an engine). Toss the RC model airplane overhand, and use up elevator to enter flight.

Immediately after takeoff, turn the RC model airplane so that it flies parallel to the slope. This puts the RC model airplane in a position where it can catch the maximum amount of upward airflow. If sufficient wind is present, the RC model airplane should begin to climb gradually. After the RC model airplane has gained sufficient altitude, begin a gradual turn away from the slope. Continue the turn until the RC model airplane is parallel to the slope, and continue climbing. This circuit can be repeated as long as the wind remains constant, and the batteries powering the radio components are charged.

Landing the RC Model Airplane

Landing after you’ve finished flying is challenging due to the sloping ground, so follow this procedure when landing your slope flying RC model airplanes:

1. Approach the top of the hill at an altitude of about 10 feet.
2. Make one wide turn into the wind, and begin your descent so that the plane will land near the center of the hilltop.
3. Continue flying into the wind, and gently let the plane settle on to the ground. Have fun slope flying with your RC model airplanes.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed

Every RC model airplane transmitter has a mode of operation, which defines which sticks control different surfaces. This article will illustrate the differences between them.

Mode 4 Transmitter

On a mode 4 transmitter, ailerons and throttle are controlled with the left stick and rudder and elevator are controlled with the right stick.

Mode 3 Transmitter

On a mode three transmitter, ailerons and elevator are controlled with the left stick and rudder and throttle are controlled with the right stick.

Mode 2 Transmitter

On a mode two transmitter, throttle and rudder are controlled with the left stick, and ailerons and elevator are controlled with the right stick.

Mode 1 Transmitter

On a mode one transmitter, elevator and rudder are controlled with the left stick, and throttle and ailerons are controlled with the right stick.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed

Paper airplanes are cheap, easy to make, and fun for both children and adults. This article will show you how to make excellent paper airplanes, and allow you to download and print some exciting models. All of the paper airplanes shown here are free for download, so click, print, and enjoy!

• The Best Paper Airplane In The World - Michael O’Reilly provides instructions for folding an excellent paper airplane on his website. This plane is a little challenging to fold, but it flies as well as the balsa wood gliders found in craft stores. Once you get the hang of folding this paper airplane, other paper airplane designs pale in comparison. After you manage to fold it, try downloading some printable patterns and making colored airplanes.
• Scale Piper J3 Cub - Building this scale model makes a great weekend project, and while it’s not a flying model it makes a great display piece. The model prints out on one sheet, and includes instructions. You will need: scissors, a hobby knife, a ruler, a pencil, and some white glue. Print the model off on card stock - available at most craft stores.
• World Record Paper Plane - This paper plane design holds the current paper airplane flight duration record, at 27.6 seconds. Folding this paper airplane is relatively easy, but try to crease the nose folds firmly - it helps prevent crimping the nose later in the folding process.
• Flat Nose Paper Airplane - The flat nose is extremely easy to build, and flies well without much adjustment. The flat nose flies best indoors, tossed gently from an elevated platform. Try bending one wing slightly downward, which will cause a gentle downward spiral and very long flight times.

We hope that you enjoy folding and flying these great paper planes.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed