RCGroups.com is proud to be the title sponsor of the ETOC this year.
Each year the shows founders and hosts, Tom and Kat from TNT Landing Gear, choose a charity to support.
This year they are supporting autism research.
This is near and dear to my heart since my 9 year old son has Asperger's Syndrome.

Please join us at the 2013 RCGroups.com Electric Tournament of Champions to have fun and help give autism the boot!!

This is great...

The Greatest R/C Car Chase Ever (2 min 28 sec)

"I think this is it."

26 Turn Flat Spin in a Tipsy Nipper (2 min 10 sec)

I just saw this in the footer of the site, "Currently Active Users (in the last 15 minutes): 5,276." One of the things I'm always watching on RCG are the stats. That was pretty close to setting an all time record for the most users ever online!

Another thing I like to watch is how many unique users we get a day. This is a mind numbing number that can sometimes be hard to believe. I use Google Analytics for my data so I know it's real. Yesterday we had over 172,000 visitors - CRAZY! It's great to think there are that many like minded RC pilots out there in the world!

Another interesting fact is that RCGroups.com gets between 1.4 to 1.7 million unique visitors a month. Wrap your head around that!

You can always check out our stats on this page:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/adver...tising-traffic

While I'm rattling off stats here are a few more:
Threads: 1,766,343
Posts: 23,499,123
Members: 453,440

If you want to put your finger on the pulse of the site we have an app that will let you see threads as they are created in real time on RCG. You can see the Forum Spy here:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/spy.php?

Finally to get an overview of where all these RC pilots are you can take a look at our user map to see the last 1,000 RCG users all over the world:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/usermap.php?

Interesting stuff!

new year!

There are many things which began in 1996 that changed the course of history forevermore. Dolly the sheep was born… er… cloned. Garth Brooks refused to accept his American Music Award for Best Overall Artist because he so firmly believed in the hot new group Hootie and the Blowfish. AOL was the way to access the exciting new thing they called “the internet.” You know, important stuff.

But unlike Dolly, the Blowfish or AOL, some things that began in 1996 had some real staying power, and RCGroups.com is one of them.

In 1996, Jim Bourke wrote the "Electric Flight FAQ." He was assisted by posts on rec.models.rc, in particular by Doug Ingraham and Dennis Weatherly.

After writing the FAQ, Jim decided to create a mailing list of people like himself who were interested in electric airplanes.

Once the mailing list was running, it quickly became very popular. Jim set up a website where he could keep the FAQ and the mailing list instructions.

He didn't know what to name the website and felt it probably wasn't important, so he called it "The E Zone." At the time, it was very expensive and time-consuming to get a domain name of your own, so the site was hosted at http://world.std.com/~jbourke/ezone.html. By today's standards, that was a mouthful, but in 1996 it was standard for web pages to have long URLs like that.

For a quick lesson on how to use this new technology called the "internet," check out the video below:

The Internet As It Was In 1996 (59 min 45 sec)

In a previous life I had a podcast called the "HellCast." I basically traveled around the RC circuit and recorded stories from fellow RC pilots. Today I was in a thread with Jim Smith and when I asked what he and Joe were up to he said, "Heading to Dubai in a few weeks to fly for the Prince. Joe is really excited and looking forward to meeting him and Doing Demos for the World Parachuting Competition there. Going to be an experience for both of us I'm sure.
The Prince saw one of Joe's Flying videos and contacted him about doing a show for them last Spring. Been making preparations since. We sent over a 103" 3DHS extra, DA120, And a Futaba 18mz. The plane arrived there last week."
That immediately made me think of one of the best RC stories I have ever heard...and I have heard a fair share. Bob Sadler tells a story of when he and a group of well known RC pilots were invited to fly for a sheik. The rest you have to hear!

Summer is still in full swing around here. The kids are in the pool and having fun. I have a Taboo GT that I purchased at the Bruce a few weeks ago. First I needed an rx and waited a week. Then I smoked a servo and waited a week for the new one. Then after all that I broke my cf ele rod and waited another week. The good news is she is finally ready to go! So this morning I woke up and looked outside. No rain and fluffy clouds! The only hitch in the get-a-long was that I had to mow and then we were headed to the river. So I still haven't been able to chuck the Taboo but I did get in some wake surfing!

River Surfing with my Cowboy Hat! (0 min 40 sec)

I was invited to hang out at the world's largest DLG (Discus Launch Glider) contest. I drove up to Shelbyville, KY and had a great time. The temperatures were HAWT but the amount of fun everyone was having seemed to exceed the heat so all was well. Bruce gave me a tour of the Thermal Farm and explained the rules of an F3K contest. Luckily for all of you I got it all on video, along with some hearty DLG throws so you can see how they do it. Thanks to everyone at the event for being so hospitable and we even ate dinner at Col. Sanders house!!

The Bruce - The docudrama:

The Thermal Farm - The Bruce 2012 (13 min 27 sec)

Myth of Fact:


Link to The Bruce website

Here are some direct links to the event photos:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...&postcount=250

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...&postcount=251

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...&postcount=265

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...&postcount=266

I was able to get my DLG higher than usual at Joe Nall. Josh Price offered to throw my DLG on Friday during the afternoon. Prior to this I thought maybe I needed a lighter plane but deep down I know it was just my throwing ability. Josh proved that on the first throw. He must have put her up around 150 to 180 feet. Cruising around at that altitude really showed me what I have been missing out on with my low throws. Unfortunately he was throwing it so hard he ripped out the pegs but evidently the style of pegs on my DLG are prone to ripping off. I went to Skip Miller Models and ordered the Steigeisen Power Peg. I'll have to get the Dremel tool out and do some wing work but I'm anxious to get the plane back in the air and see if I can get better altitudes!

Here are some DLG photos from that day...

I know the weather has been warm earlier than usual but after my visit to the field yesterday I know for sure it's officially flying season! Usually when I run out to the field to get in a couple of flights no one is around. I was surprised to find the field crowded with pilots! I asked one of the guys if it was a special occasion and his reply was, "Nope, just a pretty day." Right after that they got some combat going and everyone was laughing and having a great time. It really makes you appreciate your hobby and having a field where we can all meet. I got an email today from a pilot that flew there in the 1930's. He had read my article about our field and was reminiscing. If I'm lucky he will send me some photos that I can share with the guys. I say all that to say this - have a great flying season!!

I feel lucky to live in Nashville, TN. The people are genuinely nice, it feels like a small town even though it's a big town, you can't spit without hitting a great guitar player and the weather is nice, oh yeah, it's in the South and I like that a lot too. At the club I fly at I used to do maiden flights for people. There was this one guy named Bobby. He was from Texas and always had a new plane. Doing the maiden on one of Bobby's planes was always an exciting experience. You never knew what you might be getting yourself into! I would walk up on Bobby telling stories and it became pretty clear that Bobby was in the music business. Once I walked up on him talking about how Yoko Ono couldn't stand him but he and John Lennon were good friends and how playing his sax like frog for her album won him back into her good graces. Then I found out Bobby was the sax player for the Rolling Stones. It's gets better - Bobby got his start with Buddy Holly. I thought I better interview Bobby while I had the chance. To say he has some interesting stories is an understatement. I almost got to go on tour with the Stones as Bobby's roadie. The real plan was that we would build a road case that housed all of Bobby's planes and chargers. When we got to a stadium my job would be to have everything ready so Bobby could fly whenever we wanted. Can you imagine touring the world with the Stones and being in charge of the RC planes? We thought we had the green light but Mick ultimately shot the idea...Continue Reading

As the father of a boy with autism (Aspergers) any effort to help with research is near and dear to my heart. Each year the Electric Tournament of Champions (ETOC) has a special raffle to benefit a children’s and adult organization in the area to help their cause to help find a cure. I was surprised to find out that this year's raffle is for the fight against autism with their “Give Autism the Boot” campaign. They will have a special raffle to help benefit the fight against autism and help the Great Lakes Collaborative for Autism.

Here is what Tom Kroggel the founder of the ETOC has to say about it:

Tom and Kat - thanks for all that you do and thanks for your efforts to "Give Autism the boot!"

Link to the thread:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1614176

Greg Tanous and I were talking last week about his RC design the RCSuperHero. On Sunday he sent me an email and told me to keep an eye out for a video that was about to come out on YouTube. That was 2 million views ago! The SuperHero video was released as a form of viral marketing for the new move Chronicle and it looks like it worked! Congrats Greg and here is the video:

Flying People in New York City (2 min 38 sec)

I just wanted to wish everyone out in RCG land a happy holiday season. I hope Santa brings you what you want and you have a good time with family and friends.
Here is a song I put together with my friend Brian B and a video featuring our wild hooligan children.

Jingle Bells - The Remix (2 min 1 sec)

You can download the song here if you want it:
http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_6266403

I'll take two of these please:

World's first manned flight with an electric multicopter (3 min 56 sec)

My Lamyak 60 is a big electric profile plane. The tires on it were really small didn't really match the plane. Earlier this week I was at our local field flying it. We have a paved runway and on my last landing I got a little bounce, no big deal. It was a big deal when I saw my beautiful Xoar 16x9 E prop was splintered. My flying time was over for that day. Since I won't be on grass again until the next NashBro I figured I needed to upgrade the tires on the Lamyak. I went all "Alaska" on it and put on a huge set of Graupner inflatable tires complete with chrome wheels. MAN IT LOOKS GOOD! I'm pretty sure these will keep my prop off the ground, it improved my AOA and it totally fits the look of the Billy Hell Lamyak. It looks very "off road" now. The CG is still around 6.5 inches back so all is well! Now I just need a few more Xoar 16x8 props for back up. I also put a bigger tail wheel on it and next I think I'm going to modify it so the battery packs connect on the top of the plane instead of underneath - not as pretty but much more safe and easy.

It's that time of year again! I am in the lovely country town of Leipers Fork, TN. Every year we have the world's largest profile plane event. In the past this was pretty much a glow event but the large electric profiles are everywhere this year. I picked up a 60 inch Lamyak profile that weighs in 5 pounds without batteries and 6 pounds with two 3 cell 4,400 packs.Crazy. Enjoy the photos!...Continue Reading

The wife and I took a leisurely drive to lovely Champaign, IL last week. I'm usually there in the snow season so it was nice to see the town while the grass was green and the sun was out. We had dinner with Chris and Carol from Hobbico in the downtown district. The downtown area had a cool vibe was very relaxed. Thursday we got the grand tour of the Horizon facility. Can you say huge?! Kim and Steve spent the day with us and could not have been any nicer. It is amazing how much RC stuff flows out of that one huge building. We also toured the halls of the main office. It's sort of mind blowing to know that pilots like QuiQue Somenzini, David Payne, Seth Arnold and many more are quietly designing away in the Horizon offices creating new RC products for all of us to enjoy. Horizon is chock full of great pilots doing what they love to do - designing aircraft. I had no idea my friend AC Glenn even worked at Horizon, and I looked up and there he was! After our big tour Kim Payne drove us out to Eli Field where they were preparing for the Illini Super Jets event. They had a giant hangar area, a large paved runway and everything a good RC field needs. Sitting at a picnic table were a passle of blue shirted Team Horizon members. My good friend and fellow bandmate Pete Goldsmith was there. David Payne was there prepping a jet. David and I used to do the RC show circuit together for Hobby Lobby back in the day. The keyboard player for the Nallman Brothers, Pete Bergstrom, strolled up...Continue Reading