Hi all,

I have been flying now for about two months and I have gone from being a crash, crush and curse flyer to - well - a bit of a noobie ace...

Seriously though the biggest question that beginners face is which plane should I learn on? Many of us look at the RC model websites and wonder what would be best, 3 or four channel? Push prop gliders or RTFs? High or low wing trainers etc etc... So I would like to help out with these suggestions.

I was in this same position in February (it is now mid-April) and I asked the 'friendly' sales guys at the hobby shop I liked the look of online. They said yes that Cessna is perfect for you, it is EPO foam so will repair easily if you crash it, it has all you need to fly in the box and as it has flaps it will be capable of slow flight and landings. So I ordered it as well as about $800 of other stuff for my entry into RC flying.

I then went to a local shop and bought Phoenix Flight Simulator (this was the best early purchase I'd made) and after screwing it up for an hour or so I was flying around in their Cessna 182 no worries. I scaled it to meet the weight, size and characteristics of the model I had coming and spent days flying in every spare moment I had. I actually became quite the 'screen' pilot.

So my Cessna arrived and I built it up after reading the Chinglish instructions and writing a sensible translation of the same. It pays to note this was supposedly ready to fly for beginners.

Once I built up the...Continue Reading

Hey All,

I decided to add another plane to the hangar a couple of days ago and I think I have found my best plane yet! I have been bitten by the cheap and nasty products too many times and now I want to make sure I get quality for my money.

The next plane I want to get is the E-Flite Scimitar Carbon-Z. Look it up if you have time it is a great looking and performing plane. After that I am getting the Habu 32 DF ARF (yes another EDF, but not a crappy foamie)...

I will add more to this blog later today, but I wanted to share with those of you who are not aware of these great manufacturers that they are out there and well worth a look.

I built this plane in less than two hours from start to finish and it looks grand!...Continue Reading

It has finally arrived! After the courier company crushed the first one my supplier immediately despatched another and I picked it up yesterday. Wow, what a jet!

I plan on changing out the clevises, servos, fans, motors and ESCs because I hear the stock stuff is rubbish, but the parts will be put to good use in my son's jet when he saves enough for the airframe.

Anyway on with the build...

On close inspection I noticed the contact area where the cockpit meets the fuselage is not much in area at all. So rather than have the front end separate at 150kph or the first harder than expected landing, I decided to get some balsa and fashion a couple of wide spars to adhere against the intake walls and keep the front end nice and solid.

I got a piece 950mm x 75mm x 12.5 mm and using a scalpel and 100 grade sandpaper I formed a light but strong support pair that I think will provide the right amount of strength without adding to the front end weight much at all.

Here are some photos, please tell me what you think.

I have bought some carbon spars for the wings which came with nothing at all... Can anyone suggest the best way to place these? I'd like to avoid cutting the wing away, but any input would be greatly appreciated.

I'm off to buy wing and tail servos and metal clevises now so hope to read some feedback on my return.

You can view the jet and specs at this website. (Banana Hobby has it for US folks.)

http://sydneyrcjets.com.au/rc-edf-je...f-rc-jet-p-...Continue Reading

Hello again,

I have finished building my AXN and it looks great to me. I put a few customised details into it, some I borrowed from others (like Bruce at RC Model Review), and some I did for myself.

As I decided to use the servos from my crashed FMS Cesssna 182, but they had longer leads than usual so having to use the Y lead as well I ended up with some significant excess lead to stash. I think I did okay with that and still allowed good air flow to the ESC.

On that note I put a 30A cheapie ESC in it because I was told the stock ESC is rubbish and the other one cost me less than $10.

I am having one issue though, when I fire up the motor and get to about 2/3 power the motor vibrates quite violently until I increase power. Can anyone offer anything to explain/correct this? (Yes I fitted and glued the prop spacer.)

Here are a few pics of my first AXN. I'll maiden it today (I hope) and let you know how it went!

I ordered it and now can't wait to build it!

As I said in my last blog here is my new workbench. Yes it replaces the old one located in the kitchen (somewhere around the vicinity of the dining table), which my wife is very glad about and it folds away to almost nothing too so it has her all-round consent, which is not often available where the boy's toys are concerned!

In all seriousness though this is a great workbench. It is made of a tough and durable plastic and the aluminium legs are really well made too. Each of the halves has locking mechanisms on the cross bar and is secure enough to hold 130kg+, while the bottom shelf will hold 9kg. It folds down to 100mm (4") wide, so it will fit into the space between the washer and dryer quite nicely (as long as you put a cloth over it to protect it from the enamel on these machines).

There is a table rule on each side (metric and imperial) and the cut outs are great for placing those screwy items that like to wander off while not being used. The vice on the end has independent winding action for those quirky parts with weird angles, like the wings and there is a surprising amount of control on the winder so EPO isn't crushed or marked while being held firmly for wiring or taping over bumps and bruises. There are four plastic inserts that can be used to keep your project off the surface so if you're painting, wiring or just admiring this is a great platform to have with you.

This manufacturer has thought ahead for us too and made the units so they can...Continue Reading

G'day everyone, I'm Hallmark (aka Jayson) and I am here to benefit from the experience of all who care to participate. I recently decided to get back into the RC Plane game after many years away and I have made some significant investments. Please feel free to comment on the following and let me know of any matters that may help me out etc.

I bought a Phoenix Flight Sim with the Spektrum DX5e. I like both items and have enjoyed learning to fly (again) with this tool. I feared that the real deal would not be quite so forgiving and unfortunately I was correct.

I bought an FMS Cessna 182 and an AR600 Rx, built it and decided to fly on my birthday. That flight went very poorly to say the least. By the time I noticed the flap servos were mounted wrong and I had activated the flaps in flight, it was all over (save for the swearing ). So now I am taking a step back and buying a AXN Floater - I'll let you know if that maiden flight is any better...

My next acquisition was a Futaba 10CHG Tx with a R6208SB Rx unit. Although I bought this at the same time as all the other gear, it arrived a week or so later. I have only played with it on my Phoenix Sim and so far it is pretty nice. I hope to use this radio for a turbine that I will begin to build later this year, but in the interim I shall use it for whatever I can get in and fly. (On that topic; if anyone knows where I can get an F18 Super Hornet and/or F14 Tom Cat airframe suitable for turbine please post or PM me.)

I have also put the Aussie Anniversary FA/18e EDF from Model Flight on Lay-by and will use that as my first detailed build. Nothing like jumping into the deep end huh? I hope to show pictures in the next week or two (got to go slow or the wife will feed me to the dogs.)

That will do for now, more later on as I have a great workbench I want to show you all, I found it in Bunnings and it is great!