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Glow To Electric Conversion Tips - Part II: Avistar |
Last month, I discussed a generic 10-step process to convert a glow model to electric. This month we will deal with the specific things you may need to do with any model, but concentrating... |
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ParkZone T-28 Float Conversion |
Throughout history, engineers have added floats to proven aircraft designs in an attempt to make them more versatile. In some cases, such as the Piper Super Cub, the results are spectacular and the... |
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Scaling out the SIG Waco SRE ARF |
We brought you the first part of this feature in the June issue of Fly RC, hoping to inspire our readers to consider their next ARF not as a finished product, but instead as a starting point for a... |
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Digitize Your Robart Incidence Meter |
If you are an avid model builder, you most likely have an important instrument in the toolbox called an Incidence Meter. For you newcomers, this device allows you to measure the alignment angles of... |
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Glow To Electric Conversion Tips - Part I: Theory |
It is now summer 2011 and still there are two questions that crop up in my emails. Can you equate an electric motor to a glow equivalent? How do you go about converting a glow model to electric? The... |
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Finishing Foam |
Once upon a time, in a land across the sea, there lived a little foam ice chest. Deep in its heart, the ice chest dreamed of flying like the birds. Lo and behold the wizard of ARFs visited the ice... |
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RC On The Road |
Why not fly radio control planes when you are away for work? If you enjoy model planes and occasionally have to travel for work, keep reading. |
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Making Hatches |
I’ve been a sport modeler for 30 years. Along the way, I have discovered some simple techniques for making hatches. Here are a few that I’ve relied on. Given the expansion of onboard widgets of all... |
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Soldering Wire Landing Gear |
Spring steel wire, also known as music wire, is one of the most popular model landing-gear materials. It is readily available at most hobby shops, inexpensive, strong and easy to form into just about... |
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Build A Custom PVC Stand To Protect Your Model |
Once I finish building an airplane, I immediately build a stand for it. Why? Because such a stand stabilizes the fuselage and makes it easy to attach the wing, or connect the servo wires, etc., and... |
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Glow Engine Maintenance |
This month I will discuss how I overhaul a basic two-stroke glow engine. I will be disassembling an O.S. .46 SF, cleaning the various parts, doing an inspection and replacing the bearings before... |
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Anderson Powerpole Installation Secrets |
Anderson Powerpoles are among the safest, most reliable and most useful of all connectors for electric- powered airplanes. They are easy to disconnect (you won’t damage your plane pulling them apart... |
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First Timer's Crash Repair |
RTF planes are great for introducing new folks to the hobby, but as a former hobby shop employee, I’ve heard several folks comment on how if they somehow crashed a plane like Hangar 9’s P.T.S. P-51... |
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Glow Engine Tuning & Setup |
This is the first installment of a series of articles on general engine care and maintenance of both glow and gasoline engines. I will cover most of the basics, including setting up your engines,... |
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Optimize Your Fuel System For Best Performance |
The fuel system is one of the most important parts of your airplane, but how much do you really know about it? |
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Aerobatic Trimming |
One important but often overlooked aspect of flying precision aerobatics is setting up your aircraft—“trimming” it. This isn’t trimming in the general sense of adjusting flight controls to hold level... |
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Hold A Club Pylon Race |
Many people often think of one word when they talk about racing: expensive. It’s a common misconception that one should overcome, because when you think of racing, it should be FUN! |
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Cutting Gaskets |
To run properly, 2-stroke engines rely on perfect sealing in critical areas. In an ideal world, gaskets would not be needed. With two perfectly machined mating surfaces—much like the old Dick McCoy... |
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Dress Up Your Model With Trim Stripes |
If you are anything like me, when you near the end of a new RC project, nothing seems more important than getting to the field for that first flight. I have been known to cut many corners late at... |
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Flying The Rolling Circle |
If there’s one maneuver that’s feared more than any other in the full-scale competition aerobatic world, it’s the rolling circle. I’ve actually been happy with scores of 4 out of 10 in competitions... |
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Building A Balsa Cowl |
Even in today’s world of ARFs, modelers still enjoy creating their own aircraft. Many of these projects require a little creativity to enclose the powerplant. It may seem old-fashioned to build a... |
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The Two Finger Solution |
Opinions vary regarding the “best” transmitter handling techniques, but if you could compare them all based on the results obtained within a oneweek time period, you would quickly discover that... |
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Scaling Out the SIG Waco SRE ARF |
“Scaling Out”? What is that? It offers a new category of RC model maybe, and certainly a super way to increase your modeling skills without taking the deep plunge into scarycomplex building from... |
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The Ups And Downs Of Retractable Landing Gear |
At one time, there were perhaps a half dozen or more procedures associated with building model aircraft that were considered difficult, unusual and sometimes downright intimidating. These included... |
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Kick That Canopy Up A Notch! |
Flying Styro Kits (FSK) makes a series of fantastic electric single-motor and multi-motor small scale warbird models. They’re highly prefabricated, but I do not consider them to be ARFs. I classify... |
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Flying The Snap Roll |
One of the most challenging individual maneuvers to fly cleanly is the snap roll. It also happens to be one of the most misunderstood of the different aerobatic elements. Also known as a “flick” roll... |
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Making Custom Servo Extensions |
Setting up a new model involves many unique steps, each one with variations based on the individual project. One of the most common variations is when installing the servos. Some models are designed... |
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Mounting A Cowl With Blind Fasteners |
Like many modelers, I am always on the lookout for opportunities to add a little personal touch to help make a new project my own. Even with the latest ARF, there is usually a chance to finesse a... |
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Make Your Own Diesel Conversion Head |
Most modellers have heard of or seen magazine ads for diesel conversion heads for our two-stroke glow engines. Although running model diesel engines hasn’t been extremely popular in North America,... |
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Flying The Sharkstooth |
One of the hardest aerobatic maneuvers to fly is the straight line. I’m guessing you think I must be kidding, so I’ll ask that you go out and give it a try. Fly a perfectly straight line with no... |
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Workbench Risers - Prevent Workshop Rash |
Here’s a quick little project that will go a long way toward keeping your latest aircraft looking good, whether you are finishing up the latest ARF or
swapping a servo in a model you have built... |
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Build a Wing Washout Jig |
Build a Wing Washout Jig |
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Flying The Humpty-Bump |
I would love to be able to tell you why fully grown adults gave this maneuver the name Humpty-Bump. To tell the truth, I have absolutely no idea. As best as I can tell, it must have something to do... |
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Flying The Crosswind Landing |
As an airline pilot, I get to fly with pilots from every background imaginable--some are civilian trained like myself, and others are military trained pilots who have flown heavy tankers, helicopters... |
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Beginners Guide To Pushrods And Connectors |
For those people who are new to the hobby, the simplest things can cause a great deal of confusion. I have recently noticed that a lot of newcomers are baffled by the assortment of pushrod connectors... |
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Light Up Your Plane With LEDs |
Every now and then, I hear a little voice that commands me to do things. My little voice came up with a winner recently. I had a Multiplex Acromaster kit waiting to be assembled. I noted that the... |
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Build A Connector For The Astro Blinky Balancer |
Just a few years ago, LiPo cells and packs without balancing connectors were available. If you own any of these early birds and want to bring them into long-term service by adding a balancing... |
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A Stanley Work Center Becomes An E-Power Field Box |
As I approach my 50th birthday and reflect on the 35-plus years I have been flying RC models, I have decided to make things a little easier for myself. Somewhere around my fifth year in the hobby, I... |
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Building Balsa Wheel Pants |
In the January 2008 issue, we looked at a quick and easy way to
make a balsa cowl. Now let’s build a set of wheel pants.
Beyond the basic satisfaction of crafting airplane parts out of raw... |
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Make Your Own Z-Bend Pliers |
Z-bends are a traditional way to attach pushrods to control surfaces, but they can be a little tricky to make, especially when working with smaller sizes. For light models using .020 - .032 music... |
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Bending Perfect Pushrods |
If you have ever tried to set up solid aileron pushrods with Z-bend linkages, you know the frustration of trying to get the second bend in just the right place, or adjusting a V-bend in the middle of... |
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Flying the Harrier |
As 3D flying becomes more common, I see pilots from every conceivable realm of RC flight expressing a guarded interest in learning how to fly some of the more basic 3D maneuvers. Damping this... |
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Expand The Versatility of a Dremel Tool |
Most modelers consider the Dremel tool to be a must-have accessory for the workshop. They use them for any number of routine tasks, from trimming music wire to sanding, drilling, grinding and shaping... |
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Build an Engine Test Stand |
This engine test stand was featured in the December 2010 issue of Fly RC magazine. It was designed for glow and gas engines of all sizes and can be quickly made out of 3/4 plywood cut to shape on a... |
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Measure Your Electric's Power |
Here are many variables that can be adjusted when configuring an electric power system, and the choices are growing given the avalanche of new motors and batteries coming to market. |
