I've decided to finally try building something. Been interested in gliders over the past year or so and we've been trying to get more people in our club involved as well. Figured I'd get something larger and more "scale" in general and this one came to mind. Simple design and hopefully simple to build as well. It's not going to be exact scale in final product or livery.

Stunt wing, 48 inches.

I ran into Wayne, the creator and designer of the unique Toughjet plane. Originally configured with a pusher prop (along with a one of a kind sound) we are now able to get a 70 mm 12 bladed ducted-fan unit with the plane. Wayne is well known in the New England area and is a fixture at many local fun fly events, including the Neat Fair.

The addition of the EDF unit is a game changer for the plane. Much quieter, and it also feels faster. This can still take off from the ground in a vertical position which is a blast to see and try! This flies with a 22oo or 2650 4 cell pack, I would recommend at least a 45c discharge rate. Flight times are anywhere between 4 and 7 minutes. All up weight is about 2-5 pounds and the fan kicks out about 3 to 3.5 pounds, so guess how this thing moves out?

As usual Wayne passes off the sticks to whoever wants to give it a try and of course I couldn't say no. A nice toss into the wind and the plane took off like a a rocket! The newer planes also have extra control surfaces so they are very maneuverable. I loved hovering the plane into the headwind and then killing the power and gliding right in. It was a pleasure to fly. I've owed two of the original prop versions and they really are tough, they take a beating and are easy to repair if damaged.

These are configured in the original F-14 model, in addition to the F-15 and now the F-35.

I decided to pick up the F-15 version of the EDF along with the gear. Once the servos arrive I'll get this together.

Special thanks to Wayne for generously donating two Toughjet kits to the AMA for our Aviation Day fun flight in Muncie!

Stop by the Toughjet site and check out the videos of these things flying!

https://toughjets.com/

Picked up the bi-plane last year and had it custom built/covered by Tom. I call it "Evil Kenevil" inspired, lol. It flies like a dream, totally scale. With a nice headwind it can literally float in place with appropriate throttle and rudder. I also picked up the Pilatus Porter, another very light plane flown with a 1800-2200 3 cell pack. This one is a 3 channel set up, and coats in for glorious landings. Finally I picked up the low wing variant this past weekend after seeing this fly at the Warwick Fly In. Hoping to get in touch with Tom and see if he would build a larger scale Porter for me. The quality of the builds and covering job are superior.

Attended my third Warwick NY event two weeks ago and had a great time as usual. This event is really shaping up to be a nice lead in to the NEAT Fair. Great electric flying, camping, killer views, and a great collection of folks who love the hobby. The location is spectacular and offers something for everyone into RC.

I shared some space with some longtime RC friends from Sawn Craft. Jonathan was kind enough to gift me a sweet (literally and figuratively) little bottle of golden elixir, fresh from his small batch production. Ahhhh maple syrup how I love thee so! His newest creation flies into your mouth rather than into the skies above. I just ordered 4 more bottles to give away in our raffle for our upcoming electric event.

Hartland Hollow Modern Homestead is the name. Small batch production pure maple syrup from the woods of East Hartland, CT. Amber in color, and graded as an A. I prefer the A over the B for general consumption, especially on the classic pancake. This settles in nicely on the cake and doesn't overpower it. Nice light hints of maple syrup vaguely reminiscent of Log Cabin or Aunt Jemima except here are no chemicals or high fructose corn syrup here. I like a good hearty B grade when using the syrup as a cooking agent.

I did take a little bit of this and cook it down to about half the volume, and in doing so really thickened up the consistency. I take a little bit of it and spoon it onto pieces of thick slab cut bacon. The bacon...Continue Reading

I came across these earlier this year at the AMA Expo East. They are made by the following company, E-aeromotive.com, run by Dennis Andreas. I grabbed a couple to bring back home to fool around with. A few weeks later I took them an indoor free flight event I was co-CD'ing and they were a big hit. I gave some to kids who came through, and a few to other modelers. They really do glide very nicely indoors, an easy 30-40 feet nice and level.

They come in foam sheets very similar to depron, but a little more flexible. The sheet is a about 11 by 14 and has 5 pieces laser cut into it. The pieces pop out and go together very easily. I've used Foam Tac and tape to put them together. I'm going to experiment with making them a bit lighter, not that it really needs it. Also, I think I'll make a notch to let these be launched with a rubber band/catapult.

I ended up buying 100 of these they were so much fun. We'll save some for give aways at events, perhaps for some classroom/Cub Scout demonstrations as well. They would be a great little fundraiser too at events for clubs, they are less than $2.00 and could easily be sold for $3-5 bucks. Id' rather have this than the small balsa planes that break almost immediately.

We had some fun painting a few up with some old paint and stickers we had laying around. We'll use these as our display models at events.


Once built, the plane is about 13.5 inches long, and has a 10 inch wingspan.

Dennis can be reached here. I have an order in for some more of these which I believe he makes to order. Shipping is pretty reasonable too depending on how many you buy.

http://e-aeromotive.com/STEM.html


*I paid for these items, I'm not affiliated with the company in any way other than buying from them and enjoying their products.

White one is a NES Enigma. 78 inches, about 32 ounces. No issues noted. Receiver ready.

Multicolor one is a Tekoa shadow, 2 meter.