SloFly 22

I got my micro parts and was all set to build the Sim Sym Sam when I ran across the SloFly 22 on Flite Test. I must have it.

Here is a page dedicated to the design:

http://www.sdparkflyers.com/slofly/

New Club Blog

Visit the Cascade Model Aviation Student Club Blog at:

www.cascadeMASC.blogspot.com

New Pylon Rules

1. Pylons will be placed 15 feet apart.
2. A floor mat or sheet of foam, roughly 30 inches by 20 inches, will be placed in between the pylons, with the forward long edge of the mat falling on the line between the pylons.
3. While flying, the pilot must stand behind the line of infinity, which is a line extending along the bottom edge of the mat to the right and left.
4. Racers take off from the mat and make 3 laps. If a racer cuts a pylon they must return and round the pylon correctly or be disqualified. After 3 completed laps racers will land their helicopters on the mat, upright and on the skids.
5. If a helicopter crashes the racer may use the controls to right it or may right it
by hand. placing it upright where it crashed (facing any direction). Racers may not fly again until they are standing behind the line of infinity.
6. Racers who crash on the mat when landing must place the helicopter upright and on the skids off the mat and then land properly.
7. If the racers choose, two or more helicopters may race at once.
8. All races are for time, not placing.

There will be two classes: Open and Syma S107G. The Syma's time qualifies for both classes, but anything that is not a Syma S107G qualifies only for the open class.

Race results for our first tournament using these rules will be posted to the club blog after the showcase on Wednesday, May 1st at Cascade High School.

Amos Moses II

Well, I added gear, which made up for any weight I trimmed. It's still going to weigh 13 ounces. It'll have a 135 watt motor, though, so that's something.

Need to add the aileron servos and she'll be ready to test.

Project Priority List

I tend to flit from one project to the next. I have several half-built planes just sitting around. Time to fix that. A little discipline is required here.

1. Finish lighter Amos Moses scratch build
2. Build the Sim Sym Sam (scratch) once my micro servos show up
3. Build the Hobby King profile P-51
4. Resurrect my damaged Exceed Mig-15... that plane was cool
5. Build the Bixler
6. Finish my camoflage nutball (scratch)
7. Build the stinger

NO NEW PLANES UNTIL I BUILD ALL 7

I swear to the RC gods that I shall finish all of this by August.

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Image by botter used under a creative  commons license

Micro Helicopter Racing League

I'm getting a great response to the indoor RC thing. I may be on to something here. I have a lot of kids in my high school interested in purchasing a Syma S107G, and a couple who already have. I've also reeled in the principal, VP and a counselor, and I'm pretty sure I have a science teacher.

I'm going to start the Micro Helicopter Racing League.

These will be the rules:

• All racers will use the Syma S107G or an equivalent micro helicopter approved by the contest director.

• Two pylons, 15 feet apart.

• Competitors race 2 at a time, but they race for time. Matches are not head-to-head.

• Two foot-wide circles are placed at 6 feet and 9 feet along one edge, perpendicular to and 3 feet from the line between the pylons. Both helicopters are placed anywhere in the circle, such that each skid is entirely contained within the circle.

• Competitors stand directly behind their starting circle, no closer than 3 feet, and no closer than 6 feet to the pylon line.

• If a competitor cuts in front of a pylon, they must go back and round it properly or be disqualified.

• The pilot on the left side (facing the pylon line) will fly to the left and circle right. The right-hand pilot will fly to the right and circle left. Helicopters will thus pass head-on on the far side.

• At the start, time keepers activate their time pieces. Competitors race around the pylons three times, making three complete circuits, and at the end land such that each skid is entirely within the pilot's starting circle.

• If a helicopter crashes, and the pilot cannot or will not recover it remotely using the transmitter, the pilot may say "crash." Neutral ground crew will then place it upright where it crashed and it may continue.

• A limbo bar may be added at each pylon, three feet wide and three feet from the ground adjacent to and in line with each pylon. If a helicopter flies underneath it in the course of the race the pilot may remove a second from his or her time for each successful limbo. Pilots may not circle a pylon to remove more seconds. The maximum number of seconds which may be removed is 6.

Pilots may compete any number of times. The more you compete, the more skilled you become and the better your chances.

A league leader board will be kept and at the end of the season awards will mark first through fifth place. Maybe first place gets a helicopter.

Both students and teachers will race in the same league.

These rules have the advantage of allowing for flexible scheduling of races, and for official pickup races. I think that this could turn into a big deal.

Blade Scout Vs. Syma S107G: A Micro Helicopter Review

The 3D Amos Moses Scratchbuild, by Ewo

This is my 3D Amos Moses. Made from 1/4 inch construction foam, "Green Stuff," It weighs 13 ounces with the battery. It's 2 times as heavy as the designer intended, but it's fun to fly.

Mind you, it's underpowered with a 105 watt motor, but still, fun to fly.

I'm building a second one with a 130 watt Blue Wonder, and I'm trying to build it lighter.

I'll post more about this cool little scratchbuild in the future. In the mean time, here's a link to the RC Groups thread.

Syma Replaces S033G with the S33 3

Syma's S033G, the giant scale version of my beloved S107, has been replaced by the S33 3. $50 from Nitro Planes. You get 2.4 GHz with it. No reason to get the S033G. Spend $8 more and get this.

Buyer beware: it doesn't seem to like wind very much.

Here's footage of this thing flying at night... very cool

Here's an unboxing

Grayson Hobby: A Veteran-owned Business

I'm always reading about "Grayson Hobby" in RC Groups write-ups about home-brewed park jets. Today I checked out the website, and it's actually pretty inspiring.

The owner burned a ton of money at a local hobby shop when he was a teenager, buying an airplane that he never flew and accessories that he  never used. After his stint in the Army (serving in Iraq) he rigged up a cheap power system from a CD ROM motor, built a fan-fold foamy and flew it, and gave a few to his friends. They liked his work so much that they inspired him to turn the whole thing into a business.

Check him out here.

This "Disposable Foamy" combo includes a Blue Wonder type 1450 KV motor and 18 amp ESC for $20, and that's not bad. His range of economy batteries cost more than Hobby King, but he's not unreasonable, and one of them at least is actually cheaper. His receiver prices can't beat Orange Rx, but then who possibly could? He's selling a five pack of the cheapy 9 gram nylon gear servos we all use for $19.99, or about $4 each, while Hobby King sells them for $2.

A big question is shipping. I just ordered $29 of near-weightless stuff from Hobby King out of the US Warehouse and paid $9.99 shipping. If Grayson can beat that, it's a factor. Even if Grayson can't, it's a home-grown US business and I'd bet anything that the service is better.

His price on the GWS Slow Stick, a plane I'm considering buying for my slow-flying Discretionary Dad, is cheaper than many other places I've seen it. That's worth a look if you're a newbie. Also he carries the full line of the excellent Multiplex series of aircraft (featured in the picture is the Fun Jet).

So check it out. Nice outfit.

 

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Image taken from Wikimedia Commons under a creative commons license

Super Size Syma Helicopter

I'm very interested in the Syma S033G, a helicopter they're selling as a scaled-up version of the S107 family of helicopters, which I love. You can fly it outside. Otherwise it has the same tough aluminum construction and the clever horizontal tail rotor. It's on 27 MHz rather than 2.4 GHz, though, and for me that may be a deal breaker. My Mini Beetle Quadcopter was $42 and it HAS 2.4 GHz.

Check it out here. $42.95 at Nitro Planes.

Here's a great youtube review.

Syma-type helicopters seem to be marketed under a lot of different brand names, by the way. I can't say that the Gyro U6 is a scaled-up Syma, but it sure looks like one:

By the way, "Syma" seems to be prounounced "sigh-mah."

 

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Video by Luis Cosme used under a creative commons license

Indoor Pattern Flying: F3P

Photo of unidentified F3P plane by gareth.ky*

My next project will be an F3P plane. I'm thinking about building the Sim Sym Sam, a design only months old which uses peeled dollar tree foam and no carbon fiber. Check it out on RC Groups.

F3P is indoor precision aerobatics flying. I love the slow, relaxed pace of F3P planes, and I really love the idea that a guy can fly aerobatics indoors during winter months, and outdoor aerobatics in front of his garage, because these things are slow enough that they won't get away from you.

F3P is big in Europe, but hasn't taken off here. I read in Model Airplane News, however, that somebody in the Ohio/West Virginia district actually put on an F3P competition. They hope to qualify a US team and send it to the nationals in Europe.

I work at a high school with three large gyms, and F3P is cool, so there might be something here for the kids to get into.

Here's a link to the Sim Sym Sam. It's a prototype but the designers offer full size plans which you can tile and print.

Here's a link to youtube footage of the European F3P Championship. The pilot is a Chinese kid and he does amazing things.

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Image: Approved for commercial use by gareth.ky on a creative commons license...

*I don't know what kind of home brew F3P plane this is, but it seems to be a hybrid flat foam/full fuselage design. They split 2 layers of depron with a spacer up front and stick the electronics in there, rather than hang them off the side of the plane.

Syma S107: The Best Deal in RC

It's been tough to get my school's RC club off the ground, probably because everybody does sports and things after school. That being the case, I'm going to try to shift my emphasis to indoor RC, maybe fly in the gym during lunch. This has the advantage of having complete RC setups available for $20-$100 all in.

The absolute easiest thing in the world to fly is the Syma helicopter. Put it into the hands of a newbie and they'll feel accomplished after one flight. Kids absolutely love it.

Get the S107. It's $20 from Amazon, so if you have Prime there's no shipping charge. NO EXCUSE not to get this; it's the best deal in RC.

http://www.amazon.com/Syma-S107-S107G-Helicopter-Red/dp/B004A8ZRBA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365043034&sr=8-1&keywords=syma+helicopter

The only problem is that the Syma is not actually radio controlled. It uses infrared, like your TV remote, so if you lose line-of-site it falls out of the sky. Also it only has two "channels" available, so you can only fly two at a time. On the plus side it has breakaway blades and is more or less indestructible. Kids in my class abuse mine all the time and it looks brand new. It's a year old.

Buy the Syma immediately if you have ANY INTEREST AT ALL IN RC. Even if you're an old hand, it's great fun flying this thing around the living room and irritating your wife and pets.

It's slow, so don't expect a hotrod. I read that some guys glue a little metal nut to the nose to give it more forward momentum. Haven't tried it, but at $20 per it might be worth a shot.

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Image Credits:

Image 1: Creative Commons License, approved for commercial use, attributed to wwarby's photostream

The Pizza Ball

Electric Flight Basics

I fly electric power exclusively. I enjoy the convenience, the cleanliness, the total lack of messing around with a mixture or trying to start a balky engine, the quiet, the throttle response... there's a lot to like.

My Dad is an electrician, so it's embarrassing to say that I JUST BARELY HAVE A GRASP OF HOW ELECTRIC POWER WORKS. Lack of knowledge hasn't ever stopped me before, so on I plunge.

You can't go wrong with a Blue Wonder motor, a 10 amp speed controller, an 8x4 prop with prop saver, cheap 9 gram servos (only had 1 fail ever after two years, out of at least 20), an Orange Rx, and a 500-1000 milliamp battery (20 C, 3 Cell). Most of what I fly uses this setup.

I buy from Hobbypartz.com or Hobby King. Here's a list from Hobby King:

hexTronic 24 gram motor in 1500kv ($8.53)
Hobby King 15-18 Amp Speed Controller, which is overkill, but cheaper than a 10 amp ($6.50)* OR
Turnigy Plush 12 Amp Speed Controller ($10.01)
8x3.8 Prop ($2.79 for 5 of them)
800 mah battery ($6.32)
9 gram servos ($1.99)
Orange Rx 6 Channel ($5.89)

Most of this can be had from Hobbyking's US warehouse.

A great primer on electric flight, which includes a formula for judging how many watts you should have versus how much your model weighs, can be had for free from Model Airplane News. Click on this link.

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*I've had one of these fail, though

Image: No rights reserved... I hereby release it into the public domain

Welcome To My Blog!

Hi there! I'm David Medlock, a teacher from Oregon's lovely Santiam Canyon, and this is my blog. I'm a relative newbie, having returned to the hobby after a 20 year hiatus. I'm in year 2 of my current stint and still growing strong, so it doesn't look like I'm going to shake this thing.

I hope you benefit from my adventures (and misadventures) in this hobby, and that it inspires you to reach out to your fellow enthusiasts. RC people are great people.

Thanks for your attention, and enjoy!

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Image: Copyright David Medlock, 2013, All Rights Reserved