RC Airplanes

Have you ever wanted to mod your RC airplanes, perhaps to carry an explosive payload? Too bad – it’s illegal. Don’t worry though, here at Draganfly Innovations, we’ve found the next best thing: you can mod inexpensive RC planes to carry containers of inert powder, which will shatter and make a super nifty effect on the ground. All you need are 5 minutes and some common household materials:

What You Need

• Toothpick – We’ll use this to make a mount for the payload, and a mechanism that lets us deploy it remotely.
• Plastic Easter Egg (or similar container) – Plastic Easter eggs work best, because they split in two easily. You can find them at almost every craft store. Improvising here is fine, just make sure that your container is a reasonable size, and will open up with minimal force.
• Cellophane Tape – This mod isn’t permanent, just peel off the tape when your done with it.
• Plastic Drinking Straw
  
• Vortex Extreme RC Airplane – You can get one on our website. Similar models will also work, but if they’re of a different design, you’ll have to adapt these instructions accordingly.
• Talcum Powder, Flour, or any (safe) Powdery Substance – Basically, anything that spreads out in the air and makes a big cloud will do.

How to Mod Your RC Airplanes

1. Start by taking the wing off your RC airplane. You need it out of the way, because your going to be building the drop mechanism on the bottom of the plane. Besides, breaking foam wings is no fun – store it in a safe place until your finished these steps.
2. Cut about a 1 inch length of straw, and tape it to the tail boom, 2 inches back. You want to get the straw aligned parallel to the tail boom, and hanging right on the bottom. What we’re trying to do won’t work if the payload rubs against the tail and gets stuck. You might want to click this picture, to get a closer view.
3. 

   Tape the toothpick to the round end of the plastic egg. The aim is to give the toothpick an upward slant, so that the egg hangs on to your RC airplane under gravity.Try to leave as much of the toothpick as possible free – this gives you a more secure mount. It’s very important not to tape the Easter egg shut, because the whole point is to get it to split open on ground impact.

4. Fill the Easter egg with powder, and then snap it shut.
5. Slide the “bomb” onto your drinking straw launcher apparatus (see the picture on the right), and get the plane ready for flight.

Dropping the Bomb

The Easter egg you mounted is held on the airplane by gravity and wind resistance. To drop it, simply take off as usual, fly to a safe area (free of people, pets, and vehicles), and put your RC airplane in a nose dive. The “bomb” should slide off the mount, hit the ground, and produce a nice puff of smoke. Watch Out: many RC planes have crashed because the pilot was looking at the payload being dropped, and not paying attention to flying. Let spectators enjoy the bomb, and concentrate on landing your plane safely.

Here’s what the result of a properly detonated “bomb” looks like (the best explosion occurs at about 1:12 into the video):

Need RC airplanes for this project? Get a Vortex Extreme online. Perfect for beginners to learn how to fly, and affordable, it makes the ideal first RC airplane.

These tips and tricks will save you time and money flying your RC model airplanes.

• Clean Your Transmitter - Everyone loves the way brand new transmitters and other RC equipment looks, but after a few trips to the flying field it can accumulate dust, grass, and other debris, You can make your transmitter look like new by brushing it off with some stiff paintbrushes. Get the dirt trapped in hard to reach places using compressed air, available from most computer stores in canned form. A soft cloth and some glass cleaner solution can be used to wipe off any displays.
• Secure an Antenna – Many RC model airplanes have long wire antennas, which need to be fixed to the fuselage to prevent them from dangling in the wind. Make a secure and adjustable attachment by taking a short (~1 inch) length of fuel tubing, and passing the wire through. Then push a small pinhead into the fuel tubing so that the wire can’t fall out easily. You can then glue the fuel tubing onto your airplanes fuselage wherever it’s convenient. Tighten the antenna by gently pullign on the end.
• Safe Storage for Wings and Fuselages – Keeping RC model airplane wings and fuselages out of harms way can be a hassle. Many hardware stores sell portable shelving units, which you can use to safely store your RC model airplanes. Install the shelves on a wall, but leave off the solid wood planks that create a surface. What you will be left with is a series of protruding beams, that you can set RC model airplane wings and fuselages on. The shelves let you stack several aircraft on top of each other for efficient storage.
• Securing Screws with Silicon – Ordinary silicon gel can be used to prevent screws from vibrating loose. As an added bonus, you can peel the silicon off easily when you need to undo the screw.
• Prevent Parts from Rolling Away  – You can prevent small screws and other metal parts from rolling off your workbench by taking any large, flat container and gluing some magnetic strip material to the bottom. Metal parts will stick to the magnet and will not be able to roll away.
• Remove Thread Lock Compound – Thread locking compounds are great for preventing parts from vibrating loose in flight, but removing screws secured with thread lock compound  can be a pain. Avoid stripping screw heads by first touching a hot soldering iron to the screw for a few moments. The heat will melt the thread lock compound, allowing the screw to come loose easily.
• Cheap Wingtip Protectors – Model airplane wingtips can get scuffed on grass and pavement runways. Prevent this by adding small strips of plastic, obtained from soda bottles. The plastic can be attached using glue or small wood screws.
• Secure Servo Leads – Having a servo lead come off in flight can be disasterous. Prevent this by tying the servo cable in a loose knot after you plug in the leads. This will prevent the cable from coming loose in flight, and removing them is a snap.
• Avoid Pulling The Connectors Off Servos – Pulling the wire off a servo connector is annoying. Prevent this by bending in the ends of ordinary tweezers, to make a tool that can grab on and pull of a servo lead. The bent ends can grab right on to a stubborn connector.

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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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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

Takeoffs are one of the easiest maneuvers to perform with your RC model airplane, but some pilots still have difficulty executing smooth and consistent takeoffs. This article will show you a surefire way to perform smooth, controlled takeoffs – no matter which model you’re flying.

1. Plan the Takeoff – All takeoffs are performed into the wind. Most flying fields have a windsock near the runway so that pilots can accurately judge the direction and intensity of the wind. Be sure to check the windsock before flying and position your RC model airplane accordingly. You should also look for a landmark (a bush, tree, or other object) over which to complete the initial turn after climb out.
2. Position the Aircraft – Position the RC model airplane on the centerline of the runway so that it’s nose faces into the wind
3. Choose a Pilot Station – Some RC model airplane flying fields have marked positions for RC model airplane pilots to stand on when flying. If this is the case at your location, choose one close to your RC model airplane.
4. Advance the Throttle – Smoothly and rapidly advance the throttle to full. Advancing the throttle quickly gives you better control during the takeoff, because it moves air over the control surfaces faster.
5. Accelerate – As the RC model airplane accelerates down the runway keep it aligned with small taps of rudder. If you are flying a tail dragger, then hold a small amount of up elevator during your initial takeoff roll. This can prevent the RC model airplane from nosing over into the ground.
6. Climb – After your RC model airplane gains sufficient speed pull back gently and begin climbing. Do not climb too steeply, or you risk inducing a low altitude stall. Just hold the RC model airplane in a straight and gradual climb. Correct any bank by tapping the aileron (or rudder) stick briefly. Plan your climb so that you have sufficient altitude to make a turn over the landmark chosen earlier
7. Begin the Initial Turn - After your RC model airplane arrives at the target location, level off and reduce throttle to ½. Turn in the desired direction by banking the aircraft and letting it turn while maintaining altitude.

Take a look at this video, which shows a takeoff done by the above procedure.

We hope that this procedure helps you perform great takeoffs, every time.

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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

You should always balance your RC model airplane propellers before using them. Running your RC model airplanes with properly balanced propellers will increase motor or engine lifespan, prevent fuel from foaming, and even extend the life of your electronic components. This article will show you how to balance your RC model airplane propellers using simple and inexpensive equipment.

The best way to balance your RC model airplane propellers is to use one of the many prebuilt balancers available. Blade balancers usually come in two varieties:

1. finger prop balancers – sufficient for most modelers, you can get good results using a simple blade balancer for 5 to 10 dollars depending on the supplier. Great Hobbies has a balancer which works sufficiently well to balance most model airplane props.
2. magnetic prop balancers – produce highly accurate results and are usually more expensive than finger balances.

Use the blade balancer by unscrewing the two metal rings and then placing your propeller in between them. Tighten the metal rings so that the prop doesn’t move and support the entire apparatus with one finger tip on each hand. The prop is balanced if it remains motionless. If it tips forward or backward then you will have to adjust it according to the following procedure:

1. Mark the heavy side (which tips downwards) with a felt tip pen.
2. Sand one side of the propellers heavy end with medium to fine grit sandpaper. Do not sand the propeller tip – this will cause a dynamic imbalance when the engine is running.
3. After removing a very small amount of material from the heavy side of the propeller, test it again using your blade balancer.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the propeller remains motionless while held in the blade balancer.

This procedure will balance your propeller accurately enough to eliminate the most severe vibration during flight. 3D aerobatics, racing, or other demanding flying requires propellers to be balanced more precisely. You can get a higher end magnetic balancer for 20 to 30 dollars. It’s usage is about the same as the finger balancer except that the propeller is held between two magnets.

Check your propeller’s balance using the above method and be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions when putting the propeller in the balancer.

——
© 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