I just received two of these LED controllers from RCGroups Member "Bombay". They are $5.00 each shipped. The controller works great and can control the type of flash, the speed and the dim/bright level. A good buy! He also has controllers for multi colored LED's along with good prices on LED's... Check it out.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1682549

LED Controller (2 min 1 sec)

Had two visitors today at work... The B-25 "Yankee Warrior" from the Yankee Air Force museum in Ypsilanti Mi. and a T-38 popped in for a fuel stop.

B-25 "Yankee Warrior" (4 min 12 sec)

...Continue Reading

I have a Brand New, never used "MaxAmps" 5450mah capacity, 5-cell 18.5 volts Lipo Battery that I'm looking to trade... Looking for...????? What do you have...????? I am in need of 2 electric motors for my PBY, something in the .40 to .60 size with ESC's.... Let me know what you might have... I will also sell it outright for $150.00, cash or Paypal only... Mudman1959

Finally got all of the LED's installed and wired today... now to fly it. The top is in the colors of the flag... Red, White and Blue, with the bottom being all green. The wingtips are Red and Blue and I plan to make them flash. This plane is blinding at night!!! I took it outside and turned the lights on and WOW!!!! Talk about Bright!!! I might put a remote controlled switch controlled by the "Gear" switch to turn the lights on after launching... I found a LED controller supplied by "Bombay" here on RCGroups... $5.00 each shipped... That I will use to make the tips flash. Mudman1959

"Freedom" showing her colors... (0 min 34 sec)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=t2yqQA_Hmrc

FOR SALE... $180.00 OBO... Mudman1959

See this link: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1900236...Continue Reading

Thanks to MaxAmps and a contest they were having I now have a new battery and it Fits! I had to cut and mod the inside a little bit but it fits like a glove. I will have to add bit of weight to the tail to balance it. The stickers added just the right touch to the plane, now lets see if they can stay on at 150mph. I charged the battery and hooked it up and ran the motor... Unbelievable!!!!! Let's just say the "Red Lady" likes her new heart! Thanks again to MAXAMPS!!!

Well here is a hint at what's on my build table... Can you guess what it will turn into? It was involved in WW2 and loved by it's crews... Well no guesses so I'll let the Cat out of the bag... Mudman1959

Update 02/21/13
The build is going good so far... The main structure is a sealed "I" beam with the frames slid down and glued. Working on the tail section now and the skin is real hard to do in the tight bend areas. I found if you take the foam and roll it in a U shape and work it back and forth the foam tends to be more pliable. The cockpit area is done and I was just goofing around with the marker. I still need to work on the nose a bit, it needs more of an angle cut for the top forward section. I need to get some long servo leads for the tail servos... Still lots to do! Mudman1959

Update 02/26/13
Working on the tail, I need to get the control rods installed. one side is covered while the other side is still open. Feels like it will be strong enough to fly... I hope!
Mudman1959

Update 02/27/13
Got the rudder covered and then looked at a few Cat photos... well it looks like the x-acto knife will be cutting again as the stabilizer goes thru the center of the rudder. I guess the plans I have simplified this area and did not show this area clearly. Good thing the rudder is mostly foam... Mudman1959

Update 03/03/13
Worked on the tail some more... looks closer to the real thing. Not perfect but it will do. Also got the wing support pylon glued in......Continue Reading

Thought someone might like this.... http://www.aviastar.org/index2.html

Well it's finally back on the build table... Started putting some color on it and trying to make it match the real airplane. Once finished it will get a coat or two of clear acrylic gloss coat spray to give it a shine. The wings are next, I think I am going to permanently glue them on as the plane will be more for display than a flying model. I will fly it at least once... maybe. More to come... Mudman1959

Finished painting the wings and temporarily installed them. Still lots to do but I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.... Mudman1959

11/29/12 The landing gear and wing struts are on and secure with the wings are glued on permanent. A little touch up on the paint and a good balancing and then if the weather allows... maybe a test flight... Mudman1959

Here is the links to the plans I followed to make this plane... Mudman1959 http://www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=1296

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...65873&page=311

Update 11/29/12 The wings are on permanently and the wing struts and landing gear are mounted and secure. Now for a good balancing and some ground testing and then we will see if it flies. The conditions will have to be perfect!...Continue Reading

In the planning stages for my next build for over the winter time... 120" wingspan, two motors, retracts. Can you guess what it might be?
Mudman1959

Ok well not a lot of guesses but the first and only guess was correct. Looking to build a Northrup N9M-B with 120 inch wingspan... Yep! 10 feet! It will be mostly foam and some balsa and lite ply in the high stress areas. Planning on keeping it all original as with the real Northrup N9M-B. It will have all of the flight controls and retractable gear. It will be all electric. The build will be done in three sections with the center section and two detachable wing panels. This one should keep me busy most of the winter... So stay tuned in for photos and updates on the build. Mudman1959

The question has arose as to if I am Obsessed with RC airplanes... There are more stuffed into two closets for later use and rebuilding. What do you think? I think there is room for more... Mudman1959

Started gluing this one together today since it was just to hot to go outside. This one is for my second oldest Brother using parts and pieces from a plane of his that had too many "Landings with Style"... More to come... Mudman1959

I now have Twins... The Rascal with the metal gear has been the test build, the other will go to my Brother... So it's a Win Win situation. He gets a plane built better than the original design due to changes I made and I get another plane to add to my hanger collection. The second one is defiantly looking better! Mudman1959

The wing is finished, I used flat stock carbon fiber along the leading edge and on top and some at the trailing edge to strengthen the wing. Going to have to see how much flex the wing will have in flight. So far this is the lightest plane I have built to date. Should be a good little flyer, next will be the maiden flight and then tear it all back apart for a paint job... Mudman1959

Well I have good news... It flies! I did some taxi tests with it and everything looked great so I did a short hop with it and it flew straight and level. Rechecked everything and launched it... the only issue is how I had the radio set up with the throttle and rudder on the left stick and aileron and elevator on the right. Normal layout for a full control plane but this one only has elevator and rudder and throttle control so after missing a tree by mere inches after realizing... Hey why is it not turning... Oh ya I got to use the...Continue Reading

It's that time again!!! My Favorite time of the year!!! The Battle Creek Michigan "Field of Flight" Airshow and Balloon Festival... http://www.bcballoons.com/air-show-2012.html

I'm going to be there... Are you?

2012 Battle Creek Mi. Airshow #22 (1 min 9 sec)

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I had a Customer fly in with his personal Airplane the other day for a visit. It is a 1940 Culver. Originally came with a 70 hp Continental but was upgraded to a 90 hp Continental. Sweet little airplane! This would make a good RC airplane! Maybe someday...

Mudman1959

The first photo is around 1985 and the second is present time. I was just starting into RC airplanes and I am still flying today and so are my Boy's... Mudman1959

Started building this P-51D over this last week... It is coming along good. I like the Lazer cut and tab construction, it is going together quickly and you do not have to build it on the prints like the old style balsa build-up planes. There is a little confusion with the instructions over the wing build-up since the kit I have has the modified wing which is different from what the plans show. It is stronger in design and sheeted instead of just covered with monocote. I am not real keen on the upper fuselage section since it is lite molded plastic and fairly thin. We will see how it holds up. I am electrifying this one with a spare 1400kva motor, going to have to figure out a way to mount the battery for easier access so that I can change it out quicker without having to take the wing off every time since this model was designed to be a gasser with a .10 to a .15 engine. Going to paint it silver with probably blue highlights around the nose area. Stay tuned... More to come.
Mudman1959

Update 05/29/12
Worked on the wing and got the Ailerons on and working. I need to sheet the wing first and then I can form and sand down the leading edge and the wingtips. Not to sure about the landing gear... I modified them a bit by turning the axles around 180 degrees so that the wheels were on the outside and a little wider of a stance. I think they are to short for the plane and the nose is a bit long, but it is a stand off scale so I guess it will work... Mudman1959

Update 06/13/...Continue Reading

Having a bit of fun with my Divinity Wing... Started adding Led's to it to highlight the Red, White and Blue paint scheme. I still need more Led's to finish the other side and a couple of strips of orange for the bottom... Mudman1959

Update 06/13/12
Well back to the building table with this one... I was out flying with some Friends at a park the other day and got hit on my Spektrum DX6i. I was low coming around for a landing and it decided to plow into the ground from about 25 ft up... Not too much damage but it did crack the wings again. After looking it over I decided to build another "Divinity II" #2 since this one has got quite heavy from earlier repairs when learning to set up and fly a wing. It will still have all the same looks as the old one but with a few mods I learned along the way building this wing for other Friends. She was a good Wing and survived for 2 years... Mudman1959

Update 08/25/12
Well the new Divinity is built and almost ready to fly. I need to balance it and do a final control check then it's time to fly. I think I finally figured out why the old one crashed... I found out that one channel the Aileron had just quit working. The receiver had come out of my Sons old blade 400 and it had several crashes on it. So it now has a new receiver installed... More to come for "Freedom 2"... Mudman1959

I won this in a contest from MaxAmps on Facebook last week. It works Great! A short video of it running... Mudman1959

MaxAmps 47 Amp, 12 Vdc Power Supply (1 min 15 sec)

http://www.maxamps.com/

I like visiting RC flying fields when I am on road trips. I got a chance to check out the flying field for the Wichita Kansas RC club. Nice facility, just wish they were out flying the morning I visited.......Continue Reading

Over 12000 visitors to my Blogs site... That's a bunch of RC crazed people! I can say that because I resemble that remark... Thanks to everyone that visited!!! More to come... Mudman1959