My “All the sick-slick mods” -- As easy to fly as walking backwards in a slow-motion. That might be from reviewing all my crash videos.

Post #1. Oh ok I skipped over my slow-stick story, don’t everyone have one? Problem is I did so many mods to the SS that now view it like having 14 different planes. Already said I didn’t find it a good learn-on-your-own trainer. It might be good in club setting where buddy-box it and trainer can convince trainee of its limitations (never flown one, but I’d start with a T-Hawk: http://www.readytoflyfun.com/thawnimwssfm.html). Seems every hobby store has replacement parts for Slow-stick, but now I’m into making my own parts. Then it’s over 100 miles to any club or Hobby Store, ha its 70 mi to a $Tree store. Regular SS is good for hopping up after bouncing on ground for 4 ft then can turn in the small field have near house.
Think I also talked prior about some of things learned while reading “SS Help” XX Thread and applying to other planes…but now thread is soooooo long ..if I read its after do a specific Search.
I’ll unsubscribe and go with links here. Other’s have better answers to newbie questions.
The ULTIMATE SS help thread! First-Time-flyer must-read!-Part1
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...hreadid=122951
Post#1 Aeropenguin 6/04/2003 -pst#2 has many good links. Total Pgs=61 pst #902
Ultimate Slow Stick Help Thread -Part 9
http://www.rcgroups.com/...Continue Reading

The Foamy Frogy was my first flying full-plane scratch-build. Became my best trainer & air-time getter while out in Arizona. Original Blue Foamy Frog was posted by Hippo way back Jan 2002. It has 3 parts in RCG. I was reading that back in 2010 when built mine. I’m finding stuff I didn’t before-and w/o plans I went on my own for lots of modifications. Started with drawings in June 2010 but took till 09-12-2010 to maiden. It flew in six states before I tore it apart in Apr 2011. Parts from my Frogy went into making next pusher a Blu-Beagle.

Tore down the Firebird when motor started glitching in March 2010, repaired and flew two more months till bent the boom, so started looking for another pusher idea. My Slow-stick was getting air time, but still wasn’t happy with how that did in wind. l don’t think SS is a good beginner cause more often overpowered motor, it climbs-up an stalls the wing. When do get it up, think it should go faster or wind can push around. The forums talked about the Frogy being able to handle wind better than the SS –I’d agree maybe up to 10mph. Even with prop-savers was loosing‘em on my modified SS! Prop-savers should be called motor shaft savers. Then for a beginner that pusher prop idea just so easy a solution.

WS: 38.5” Chord: 8” Length: 34.25”
Motor BL: BM2410-9 Batt , 2c Li-po: 7.4, 1200mah
AUW: abt 350gm

a. This was my first full aircraft scratchbuild. Ended up being 5th plane I got flying. Maybe that alludes to why call it Erro-O and not Aeronca Champ. Started piecing it together in fall of 2009. Maiden flight was 9/20/10 after took paper off foam. Don’t seem like many building 40sz foam planes with brushed motors now but plenty RTF still came with them in 2009. Have a SuperTigre BL 380 been thinking about fitting on but then--could make full BL bird for the cost of $tree foam sheet.

SET-UP:
WS: K-fg 48”x5.5” & Clark-Y 38”x5.75”, V-Stab: 14cm, H-Stab: 32cm
Fuselage Width: 6cm Height: 13cm Length: 57cm
AUW: about 333gm
Motor: (85g) BRUSHED 380 Hobbico HCAG1053
Prop: (08g) Master Airscrew 7x4 ( w/- original alum mount-from FZ J3)
Batt: (70+/-gm) 2C Lipo 7.4v, 1200 mAh Prodigy
ESC: (21g) CC Pegasus 35amp (had used Efly35 & Tactic)
Servos: (10+10gm) Both Tactic TSX101 leftovers /or Eflts EFLRS75 (7.5gm)
RX: (1.5gm) Spectrum ARS6100e

Gear: Usually toss w/o, but have tried 3 approaches:
1. Skis -$T foam & .47 wire (also FZ J3 Alum Bar & Wheels-wgt =21.4g, or FZ 182 Alm 22g)
2. Made .47 wire w/CF enforced foam wrapped w/beer tin (13.7g).
3. Now mounted on flipflop foam & Skewers w/rubber bands. Usually bust or twist off on landing.

This is not a favorite model of mine. Have only put in the air six times since 2008 as a 3 channel. Became a challenge to see what could do to it. The “Difficulty to Fly Rating ( v2.0)” thread gives it a 9 (that is if leave it as sold). I’d like to know if anyone really picks it as their 3rd plane. Agree -it is NOT a Beginners Plane! TH ad still says, “For beginning fliers 14 years of age and older.”-ha ha. There were plenty of post back in 2008 in Wattsfly that say -DON’T BUY THIS FZ CUB, some on RCG liked its looks, but then got and didn’t like anymore. I don’t like how FZ make servo gears bigger than most-can’t use any of these extra servo arms on them! ESC wires in switch started glitching, so took it out. Throttle cntrl stopped working but did put Tactic TRX600 RX in a glider. Since the Bro bought three of these, I’ve cut it up till call it a J3 Major Mod--have plenty of spare parts still sitting in boxes.

See it’s still out there, now with 2.4GHz radio, don’t know if they changed anything else. Anyone getting air time with this yellow brick? Know some now like their C182 w/BL motor. The FZ C182 I now have still hasn’t got any air time --well plenty of toss to ground glides to more glue. Don’t have a paved landing strip so haven’t started on mods for it. Figured I post what did to get the J3 workable for a noobie like me.

- Haven’t got back to this in ages, was summer --time to fly! Then so many things going on in family. Lost my #1 flying partner to cancer. He got 8 months more flying time than they told him out in AZ! He pretty much kept up on the Helis cause could step out the back door. Did also venture into trying UM s. Gonna miss sharing crash reports...well then the...I’m getting more air time than you! Peaceful cruising!
- Don’t know where to go on this blog story. So far back chronologically makes for confusing facts. Sept 2008 is when started getting into other planes. By 9-13-08 bro had cracked up 3 copies of that Flyzone J3 Cub. Toss that day was more a “what the..it wont” - it didn’t. He ended up saying that’s it and giving me the parts. So end of month I bought a Slow-Stick. He gave up on planks, well got a Vapor to fly over the pool in Nov. Didn’t take a plank to park until flew P-47 Razorback on 12-13-09. Then he hung that and packed the C182 until 2010. It was table-time take-over of Heli freak! I wasn’t getting the idea of staying in one spot for a min--but that is harder than floating around. I did break down and get a MCX-S300 co-axial so could hit the apt walls.
- Got into doing repairs with $tree foam after reading scratch-build threads. Think would be better to go with building logs of what did with each plane. Firebird got two different wings, other than that mods were more repairs. It became the consistent flyer that sat in box in van -- if...Continue Reading

FC2 Four Months -Till Make Mods:
. Most vids the first month were flights under a minute. It’s a 50/50 on if javelin toss & sometimes even ran with it --most times bad toss led to climb then stall nose dive. Also see in vids few times right on initial climb that nose dips and thing gets into the roller-coaster/porpoise. Didn’t listen to warnings about wind either. If drove to park, and breeze kicked up…well I’m already there…toss plane it’s going slow into wind then noses up --and that its. In most cases feel it was ACT taking over. Got in my FC2 flight log and even on videos start confirming that “Turned ACT -Off!”. It might be a great thing to have at 3mistakes high (like using a buddy box), but there’s no saving when low. Like most newbees I worried that if got it too high it’d drift over above parking lots, stupidly try flying ovals at only 10 feet up -and it dips when make turns. Then…I’d rather try a hail-Mary pwr up arch, then a guarenteed pwr off slow fall -pray got room deal.
-First thing that broke was the canopy inside rubber holder. I just made tie-strap hinges and used a rubber band on outside.
- Got first 2.5 min flight 6-15-08, No ACT, got up high and flew like a glider.
-The next weekend while plane was in air lost prop and it just glided down - after about 20 nose dives guess should’ve put on pre-flt to check if tight. Oh and also that you pull weeds out between control joint! Its also a good deal to unpug batt & walk back to...Continue Reading

--From Purchase till Maiden Flight--

Not sure can really say “all by myself” taught. Had the brother nudging me to get into same pains he was experiencing. Maybe we taught each other. [ I’d forgot a plane he’d got from friends at Xmas, HF Yellow Bee. That thing on its maiden --Feb 08--did few circles then found a tree. Next toss sailed away, never to be seen again.-but it flew better than them Flyzones! ]

We’d take videos and most times laugh at mistakes but also review what should do or try next time. I am finding that didn’t take much pix --unless parked thing in a tree. Really too much ribbing between us for those videos to help anyone else, but maybe that’s what kept us going. Also started reading these forums! Got lots clues from Aeajr about watts up, 6 Keys to Success from Ed Anderson, Floated around investigating what was good beginner plane -read a lot on The Ultimate Slow-Stick Thread. Oh and: http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/fly...ightandbalance

Had already decided to go cheap and not get bros giant 60" Corsair in the air and stay away from gassers. Back in 2008 the minis were more for indoors still not many RTF with Lipo, BL or 2.4 G radios! So much has changed in 3 yrrs! Since moved from AZ back to MI not that close to any club or others that might fly. Now I’ve got open fields to myself! Have to avoid trees, not other fliers planes. It’s only better in them sims! But miss swapping & sharing w/bro.

Can’t say fly...Continue Reading

Before I made it out to Phoenix in August 2007 the bro said had tried the C182 two times.
#1. Showed his coworkers how to roll it right into a street lamp --needs new wing.
#2. Got it to ROG and go in steep climb…then cowling & motor fell off. He forgot the rubber band. Broke another wing.

He did flight #3 once I was out there. Did a hand toss got 15 ft up, doing first turn and wing split in half. He’d forgot the struts. (Can we make a Triplane from all these broken wings yet?). Hes started reading in forums that it didn't have much lift and was touchy in turns.

Guess that was where got the hint might need to check out this hobby. But after seeing how much room the planes got in the apartment was only fitting to start carving out some of my own space.
Not much flying till got job out there & moved to bigger apt. In Feb '08 I started on a Guillows Cessna 150 Balsa kit just to see if could do the monokote stuff right. I was still working on it in April. (I did get it done! it flew!)
I was cheap on my first rc purchase - got two Airhogs at the start of May. There little 8” WS foam plane -U-build it & Havoc Mini Heli. Oh but then Chopper bug bit the brother. Brought a CP Pro home next. Oh that sound of a upside-down lawnmower in the middle of apt floor. Just like a leaf blower at 5am out in AZ. hun? what'ca say...can't understand ya...

We took his new heil to park and someone was flying the Parkzone 3 channel J3 Cub around....Continue Reading

Been reading Forums since about 2008, but just signed up this May… got to start posting something.

Let’s see… as kids the older brother & I both got into building plastic warbirds. Ah Master Molders, that challenge of gluing in a clear canopy and camouflage painting. Don’t think we built 4 balsa planes between us--just couldn’t figure out the cover & dope and they always warped in box while sat waiting. We sold xmas cards a few times and got the cox control-line planes. A PT-19 & Southwith Pup - too many broken props and never any full circles. Oh and mom’s worry over our slashed fingers. Gas cars were easier!
The bro sent me an email in 2007 about moving out to Phoenix, AZ where he was. Included a pix of his new purchase--a Top Flite F4U Corsair WS 62” 4-7channel, 7-9.5 lbs. He didn’t have engine or electronics yet--so asked if he knew how much that would cost-nope. Saw it in store when friend bought parts for a rock climber truck. Said didn’t know anyone that flew planes either. Reminded me that I got a Cessna like thing out of mail-order mag back around ’95. That was $150 or so and it never flew, just tossed and flipped over, broke parts.
I had a friend in service that was into electric gliders back in early 90s. He was always cutting balsa to repair some damage. Few times went to the field with him seen what troubles was keeping in view w/o sun blinding you, then when bring down its heading for a tree or building not the field. He...Continue Reading