Terms and expressions used at the flying field. What do they really mean?

Have you ever heard a term or expression and stopped to ponder, what do they really mean by that?  Well I have and the flying field is one of my favorite places to scrutinize things people say and the monikers … Continue reading →

R/C Now and Then

It’s been over 30 years since I was first been bitten by the aeromodeling bug. Every once in a while I think back to my early days and the changes that have taken place in the hobby since then. Even … Continue reading →

Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) – Simple Way To Know When One Affects You

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Most aeromodelers in the U.S. know about Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) and understand flying an R/C model in one specifically prohibiting “Model Aircraft Operations”, can subject them to criminal prosecution. This article will NOT address what a TFR is, why … Continue reading →

Shipping an oversized R/C plane (with updated info)

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Recently I sold a four meter sailplane online. For the metrically challenged, like me, that equates to roughly a thirteen foot wing span. As you can imagine the problem with selling something this big online is shipping it to the … Continue reading →

Toledo R/C Expo 2013

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Anybody with an interest in aeromodeling that has never been to the Toledo R/C Expo is missing out. Anybody that’s been in this hobby for awhile has probably heard those words many times before. Well it’s that time of year again … Continue reading →

The Free Flight Fiasco

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The name of this site is All R/C flight but have ever seen free flight models in action? I have and will say it’s pretty damn impressive. To build a plane and set it up to fly proper on its … Continue reading →

Cool Animated Wind Map

Flying in the wind stinks. I don’t mind a mild wind but when it starts approaching 15 knots, flying R/C simply becomes unenjoyable. I’m always watching the forecast to predict what the winds will be doing a few days down … Continue reading →

Use your smart phone as an incidence meter

For many years I used the Robart Model Incidence Meter to measure the incidence of my airplanes. To make the process of taking measurements slightly easier, I eventually bought a second Robart so I could use the two in conjunction with one another.

Those meters served me well however I always thought accuracy was sacrificed since the pendulums in both meters had developed a habit of sticking. Plus the so called “precision pointer” wasn’t the easiest thing to read even with good eyes. 

Top ten list for March Madness

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To an aeromodeler that has been cooped up inside all winter March Madness is a condition of not being able to get out and fly. And you thought it was about men’s college basketball.  Even if you have not been … Continue reading →

A lesson learned from a cheap garage sale airplane

One Day I received a call from my dad, he was at a garage sale that had an R/C airplane for sale. “Five Dollars!” he said. Since my dad knows very little about R/C stuff I asked questions to draw clues as to they type of plane and its condition. The most I got out of Dad was: “It’s red, the wing is on the bottom and the upright part in the back is broken, but still attached by its skin”.

They are called Discus Launch Gliders and I’m hooked

This is no exaggeration; I have logged more flying time in the past year than I have in the combined previous 25 years I’ve been in this hobby. You’re probably wondering how in the heck I was able to accomplish that? Easy, I got rid of the motors from my airplanes.

Preflight checklist

My flight box has seen several tools / equipment go in and out of flavor over the years. However, there is one notable item that has remained constant nearly from the very beginning; a laminated preflight checklist. It’s actually two … Continue reading →

Airplane Turning Effects

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Almost every modeler above rank beginner understands that a propeller-driven airplane has unwanted turning tendencies. Most unfortunately are only aware of torque. Torque is but one effect that causes our planes to stray due to physics of a turning prop. … Continue reading →

Model aircraft engine noise. Is it an important issue?

How many of you are concerned with the amount of noise your airplane makes? Every year flying fields are lost because people living near them don’t like the noise created by powered model airplanes. These people end up going to … Continue reading →

Examples of what NOT to say at the flying field

If you witness the crash of a fellow modeler’s aircraft there there just some things you shouldn’t say… At least not right away. Here are a few examples. LOWER!! That hit so hard dirt flew out of the transmitter. Once … Continue reading →

Swap Meet Season

It’s that time of year. For many modelers winter weather means a halt to flying season, but at the same time it means Swap Meet season. I’ve been to numerous R/C swap meets over the years and don’t typically go … Continue reading →

Aircraft visibility

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When a model airplane crashes, fault is sometimes loss of radio contact or even a mechanical failure. Quite often the cause is simply that the pilot misinterpreted  the airplane’s orientation. It happens to everybody. What modeler hasn’t tried to straighten out … Continue reading →

Thumbs vs. Fingers – Part 2

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So is the grass really greener on the other side of the transmitter sticks? If you fly thumbs would you really get better control with fingers? If you fly fingers would thumbs make you quicker and more nimble flyer? Not … Continue reading →

Thumbs vs. Fingers – Part 1

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How do you hold the transmitter sticks? Are you just thumbs flyer or do you use the index finger and thumb also know as the pinch method or fingers (which is term we’ll use for this article)?  This discussion consistently … Continue reading →

Murphy’s Law of R/C

Those of you familiar with Murphy and his law of “Any thing that can go wrong will go wrong” understand how true this can be applied to aeromodeling. Maybe you’ve personally experienced some of Murphay’s Laws concerning R/C? At any rate here … Continue reading →