RE: Why does the AMA have to grow?
Well if you don't mind my two cents worth, I'll forward this observation. The hobby of aeromodeling is everchanging, and the regulatory agencies FAA et al, are now a bigger force than ever to reckon with. Any organization that doesn't grow, begins to die. As it dies, it loses relevancy, and prestige....it's clout so to speak. Sort of like the ball player who's best years are behind him, and all he can do is talk about his "Glory Days" (cue gratuitous Bruce Springsteen music). Yeah everybody talks about how good he used to be and how much influence he used to have in the sport, but not any longer. They become relegated to the sidelines, a footnote to the current scene. We need the AMA now more than ever to keep us from being regulated out of existance. As an ever increasing media hype of any accident that is R/C related are foisted on an unknowing public, somewhere the hue and cry goes up for for stringent regulation, rules that make no sense often times, and can be a death knell to your hobby as you know. So an organisation must grow, even if only slightly to offset the inevitable die off of older members, the drifting away of members who may get out of the loop for a while. In an increasingly populated society, we need a large professional organisation to keep our political relevancy. Weight of voting numbers is the only power that political entities still recognize. I'll get off the soapbox now. Bruce
Posted on: 10/7/2010 10:16 AM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "AMA Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10053576

RE: *** Florida Jets 2010 Event report and photos. ***
Did anybody get any pictures of video of the Habu that caught fire and burned???? Bruce
Posted on: 3/6/2010 9:11 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9560298

RE: Spacecoast Annual Big Bird Fly In Jan 2010
Nice photos. Winds must have been a bear today! I spoke to Fahim and he said he wasn't going out because he has only a few hours on the Bomber and didn't want to chance it. Looks like it was a good time, too bad I was stuck at work....... Bruce
Posted on: 1/24/2010 9:20 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Events, Shows and Fun Fly's - Airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9444921

RE: Questions about electric setup on Hangar 9 Spitfire 60
I recently converted my Spitfire from a troublesome Saito 100 4 stroke to a Turnigy 50-55 electric motor. I used this mount from Tower Hobbies, it's fully adjustable. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXLCL5&P=7 I run it on a 5S 4000ma 25-35C Zippy H battery and get flight times of about 7 minutes. I use an APC sport (glow) prop instead of an electric because my motor makes 1500 watts of power and flexes and cracks the E-props. I have a Motrofly 80 amp esc and run a separate battery (original flight pack actually) to power the servos (all digital) and receiver. Oh yeah the prop is a 14X7. By using the LiPo only to run the motor, I get a longer than expected flight time. Total AUW of the airplane is just about 6 and 3/4 lbs (you do the metric conversion.....) and I have a set of Spring Air retracts. They are SOOOOOOOOOOOO much better and stronger than the mechanical stock retracts. Plane flies great and unless the wind is dead, you really don't need the flaps. I use two position flaps for takeoff only, and have a little bit of elevator mixed in. Let me know if you have any other questions about it. You're gonna love flying this thing electric. There are so many trim layers of monocote that you don't have peeling up from fuel blowing across the wings and fuse. Just fly and go home at the end of the day............just doesn't get any better than that. Bruce
Posted on: 9/2/2009 11:13 AM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9064210

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
[quote]ORIGINAL: wedgewing Nope, that is the beauty of it. fit identically in the holes from the Park 480 X mount great motor [/quote] Just changed out my 480 for this Turnigy. Only large prop I had was an 11X8.5 so I installed it. With the Evo 25c 3s battery, it pulled 36amps at WOT. Got a 40 amp ESC so it should be in good shape. The column of air it moves blasts around the room like a mini tornado. This is gonna be good. Can't wait till Wed to test it out. Bruce
Posted on: 4/6/2009 10:48 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8656346

RE: H9 Spitfire Build
[quote]ORIGINAL: wedgewing [quote]ORIGINAL: jdhughen I bought my kit last fall and Horizon was still selling one's with the "old" blocky cowl. I ordered a "new" one but it's been on BO forever, now they are saying the end of April. I'll be real POed if I get the same boxy cowl. Joel [/quote] I have ordered mine from Wholesale trains and they come quickly http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detail.asp?ID=200481385 [/quote] Wish I'd done mine with the same Turnigy SK motor I'm going to use on my mustang instead of the inverted Saito 100.........Ah well maybe a conversion, maybe not. Bruce MUS is still my most flown bird.
Posted on: 3/19/2009 11:34 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8596244

RE: RCU Coverage of Florida Jets 2009
That little blonde was pretty fierce wasn't she ! Bruce
Posted on: 3/8/2009 11:32 AM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8555753

RE: RCU Coverage of Florida Jets 2009
I see you got my buddy Jose's MiG15 flight. Here's a link to the rest of the flight if anyone is interested. Bruce http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRWRdPGqtlw Oh and somebody asked for another picture of the girls of RCI.............here you go..............
Posted on: 3/7/2009 10:30 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8554586

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
I tore the landing gear off on a rough landing. I reinforced the area using popsicle sticks (the flat ones) and epoxy glue to make sure it would not happen again. It worked since it survived all future rough landings. Even when I crashed the plane trying to do some dumb aerobatics too close to ground, the fuselage was crushed, but the landing gear area was intact. I'm now flying the Ultra Stick 25E and I did the same reinforcement on the landing gear area. I've had no problems with all kinds of imperfect landings. [/quote] How do you like the 25E? What size batteries are you using? Bruce
Posted on: 1/8/2009 10:57 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8336725

RE: H9 Spitfire Build
[quote]ORIGINAL: RC Specialties Doug, I chose, in the end, to go with the Spring Air system. The struts still need to be cut down. I like the Spring Air features over the Robarts. If you loose pressure they come down. This hobby is full of choices, don't you think? Good luck. Jim [/quote] Did you see the advertisment in this months Model Aviation magazine (p15) for the Lado Electric retracts? No servos, no pumping air, and scale movement too boot. Says they are designed for Hangar 9 and Top Flite 60 size warbirds!! I am ordering a similar product from Electric Jet Factory for my Starmax F4 Phantom. You might want to check the Lado company website and see if these babies will do the trick for you. www.lado-tech.com Bruce
Posted on: 10/21/2008 11:39 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8072486

RE: H9 Spitfire Build
As am I, and my Brother is too. So don't take offense, none is intended. Bruce
Posted on: 8/26/2008 10:51 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7889985

RE: H9 Spitfire Build
[quote]ORIGINAL: LeeHunt Bruce try landing with the flaps on, but I agree it is hard to get a good landing all the time, try fitting air retracts as described further back, that has helped mine plus I rotated mine, by shimming them more forward. Lee [/quote] Thanks Lee, but even taxiing along gets it doing the "bunny hop" . I found that since I've got the flaps on my spektrum DX7 set for the two position switch, that I have two position flaps. Positon 1 is best for landing and 2 is great for takeoffs. But that ground handling thing, oy, I get teased mercilessly about having one of Jerry's Kids for a runway model....... Like the idea of the air retracts, but that will have to wait till another day. Wife insists the bathroom gets fixed first.........$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Bruce
Posted on: 8/23/2008 3:39 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7877412

RE: H9 Spitfire Build
Just found this thread recently and I want to know if any of you have experience the peculiar "hopping about" from one main gear to the other on taxi, or landing. I've stumped the local "experts" at the field. Plane flies well with a Saito 100 and a 14X10 APC prop. Sounds great, balance perfectely for inverted flight, but landing are a source of embarrassment as even the smoothest touchdowns and it looks like it's galloping along on the landing. TIA Bruce
Posted on: 8/22/2008 3:18 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7874400

RE: Draken Top Gun inflight video?
Ok, here goes, hope yo enjoy it. http://rcuvideos.com/item/DPHY3BQGGY3YM9V4 Bruce
Posted on: 5/3/2008 9:08 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7452753

RE: Draken Top Gun inflight video?
[quote]ORIGINAL: Frank Alvarez Hi Mike, Thanks for the info on the video. I'm eager to have a look from a differnt point of view to clean up the flight program, and to make it even more appealing to the spectator as well. Frank. [/quote] I sat down at the far end of the field and have some video as well, would you like me to post it? I'll need to reduce the quality somewhat to keep the size manageable, but if you'd like it, I'll post it up for you. Bruce
Posted on: 5/2/2008 8:32 AM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7447104

BVM Electra at Top Gun(video link)
Went to Top Gun 08 and saw the new BVM Electra flying for the first time (for me that is). I never knew that an electric ducted fan jet could run with the big turbine guys, but this guy seems to have power to spare. I apologize that I don't have a better video, but the plane only made one appearance on Friday. http://www.rcuvideos.com/item/HCX944LLLNTF5W1F Watch the climb rate this joker has, it's amazing. Bruce
Posted on: 5/1/2008 12:03 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7443822

RE: O.S.55AX whos got what with what?
I've got mine in a Hangar 9 T-34 Mentor running a 10X8 APC prop and even with the bulbous canopy, I can get it clock 104-109 on the radar gun. I've also got it mounted in my NitroPlanes BobCat with an 11X7 APC pusher prop. It has fixed gear so the best I ever got out of it is 94 on the radar gun (but that was with the smaller 10X8 Pusher prop. You can see the radar gun passes posted here: http://www.rcuvideos.com/item/PKL6R966CS9VTMJS
Posted on: 4/8/2008 10:32 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Sport Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7354152

RE: Rotating digital videos?
[quote]ORIGINAL: BaracW Also Windows Movie Maker (Free with XP) has the capability. [/quote] I need to flip the video over. When I shoot with the mirror on the FlyCamOne, all my video is backward to the way it actually looks. So unless I view it in a mirror it's backwards and I'd like to flip it over. Is there a way to do that with Movie Maker?? Bruce
Posted on: 4/8/2008 9:46 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Digital Video (DV) & Video Editing Software"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7353902

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
[quote]ORIGINAL: wedgewing I had to use a Y harness and switch the servo arm side to get it to work, but it did the job and I set the FLAP SYS menu to Norm = 0%, Mid = 50%, and land = 120%. I use the three position (Flap Mix) switch and never really ever had to use the Land setting to have it come in at a very slow speed. this gets you "close" but I have sealed up the spaces between the surfaces, and fly without the flaps. As you become more confident in moving the CG back with this plane, it does a lot more in the air and I have also found that I can trim it on final to come in at a nice angle and bring it in fairly slow for landings. if someone ever does contribute the perfect flap set ups for the DX7, I would be interested as well. This set up above worked as a band aid Good luck KP [/quote] Well I"ve taken your advice about the engine upgrade from a 450 to a 480. Makes it a little more nose heavy, but the brute hp is worth it I think. The other mod was to take my tax return and stimulate the local economy of the LHS and upgrade to Spektrum DX7. Had 7 a/c to get receivers for but the new capabilities are definetly worth it. Also not having those antenna wires dangling anymore is nice. Coolest thing is the mixing function. Got my ailerons set up now with the three position switch. Up for Spoilerons, center for standard Aileron function, and down for Flaperons. Makes for the biggest jump in what I can do with this a/c. I've been able to harrier land in during mild winds (10-15 mph) and can take off at 60% throttle in about 4 feet! I've also finally been able to get it to do a real, high speed, flat spin! Gotta be high for that one but it really looks wicked. Thanks for your suggestions. 6 brand new FlightPower 2170 batteries, and 2008 looks to be a very good year. Bruce
Posted on: 3/23/2008 8:51 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7271705

RE: New E-flite Sea Fury
Saw that the other day when I was looking for a new wing for my Eflite P47. Love it to death, and the 480 makes leap into the air. However it's now discontinued so this new Sea Fury is gonna be on my "must have" list. How long before they become readily available do you think?? I know what the press release says, but it's usually optomistic. Bruce
Posted on: 3/1/2008 10:09 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7163190

RE: Eflite P-47
SAY IT ISN'T SO E-FLITE !! [:(] I was at the LHS today talking with a fellow RCU member about the new Eflite Sea Fury 400 size electric with retracts, yes retracts! We were discussing ordering a new wing for my P47, when he looked it up on the store PC. Lo and behold, the listing for the much loved P47 foamy is no longer there. A quick check at Horizon Hobby, and Eflite's own website show that it isn't listed any longer. So I"m wondering if this means the end of my favorite foamy? Has anybody heard anything about it? Bruce
Posted on: 2/27/2008 10:23 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7148120

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
That's cool, do you get fairly long flights if you use a little throttle management??? Bruce
Posted on: 2/8/2008 9:21 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7045978

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
[quote]ORIGINAL: sgf323 As it turns out the motor is fine and I plan on using it in my P-47. [/quote] I got the P-47 and dumped the whole geared/brushed setup and stuck a 480 E-flite motor in it. I run the same 10X7e prop that I use on the MUS. It doesn't even have to be thrown to launch, just run up the throttle and let it go and it shoots upstairs very quickly. Sorry for the crosspost, but my two most used a/c are my MUS and my P-47. Bruce
Posted on: 2/7/2008 10:43 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7041671

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
[quote]ORIGINAL: sgf323 11x7 on a PNP?!? Have you metered it? I've got a 10x7SF on my Park 450 and at WOT with a new battery I'm pulling 18 amps. I haven't tested it with my 10x8 yet. With a 11x7 you've got to be over-amping that motor.... Although, if you're not then I'll have to pick up one of those props! [/quote] I use the 10X7e on mine, and it stays well below maximum amps. I have the PNP version with the stock 22 amp (never seen it before or since) and I've flown lots of good flights with it. I'll include a link to a couple of the videos I shot with the FlyCam One (one ounce worth of weight) and my old ThunderPower 2100mah pack. http://www.rcuvideos.com/item/MFL1B17YRTLTXNJ8 and http://www.rcuvideos.com/item/8STMNFSKW8XLYYD1 No it isn't the extreme flying you see from Doc Austin or some of the other guys who have the "insane" set up, but it works well for me. As Dirty Harry once said, "a man's got to know his limitations". I'm not afraid to admit that I probably don't possess the thumb control to master the hotter "insane" set, but hey that's just one old fart's opinion. Bruce
Posted on: 2/7/2008 10:39 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7041642

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
[quote]ORIGINAL: wedgewing Adrians flyer lots of choices. I think the wheels that come with the MUS are a little whimpy for the grass I land in so I went out and found MPI brand wheels 2.5 inch. I bought them at a LHS, but I am attaching a description from a link http://aeromicro.com/Catalog/mpi_indoor_light_wheels_2_50__3045117.htm I have also used the 3 inch wheels. benefits here
Posted on: 2/7/2008 10:30 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7041578

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
worried about the cold I brought it back in around the 12 minute mark and retrieved it after the float in landing. Man I love this plane. I think I am done with the skis. going back to the 2.5 tundra wheels for the winter Happy flights KP [/quote] I've often wondered about what kind of wheels I could put on this a/c. The originals don't last very long, particularly if you do a lot of cross wind landings. They burn off pretty quick. I tried to order spares, but you have to order the whole assembly just to get the wheels. Do you have any recommendations for replacement standard wheels that have a little more staying power? I used to have some Dave Brown wheels, but they were causing a lot of drag and that ate into flight time noticeably. Do you have a light, thin profile, fairly durable wheel that you like to use?? Bruce
Posted on: 2/4/2008 2:16 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7023030

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
[quote]ORIGINAL: patnchris I have flown it both ways and prefer the Park 450 set up with a smaller battery. I'm using a TP 3S1350, but for someone else I'd recommend 1500 to 1800 MA...The loss of the weight of the PArk 480, 40 amp ESC, and 3S2100 ma battery is substantial when compered to the overall weight of the plane. Using the Park 450, 22 amp E-Flight Pro ESC, and 3S 1350 battery decreases the wingload considerably. This make the plane very nimble, and manueverable. With the power setup I always felt that you needed to fly it like you stole it, to keep it under control. This required a larger field and more altitude. With less wingloading, I'm able to fly the plane a lot slower, and still have to punch, I want, when needed. I even moved the cg further back than stock, and now I can float it in so slow, that I could easily grab it out of the air, as it flys by. Flight times didn't change, all that much, as I usually am content with 10 min. I can almost hover the thing. Vertical, while not unlimited, is more than enough for strandard aerobatics. After applying this to several other planes, I can truely say that when forced to choose between more power, and less weight, always choose less weight..... On one of my larger planes I was going to build it with a 850 watt set up....after it was built, I found the plane came in at 6 lbs....The yielded me slightly over 150 watts per lb. , flying weight. This was about 8 oz heavier than the advertised weight of the glow .46 set up.....I was worried about this as while to power was fine, the wingload would be higher. I then thought about downsizing the power system. By going with a 700 watt system, I was able to use a smaller ESC and battery. This brought the flying weight to 5 lbs. 6 oz lighter than the advertised glow weight. Doing the math, I really didn't lose much performance as with the lighter weight, I was still around 145 watts per lb. but the wingload was now way lower. This actually make the plane fly better and more versatile....So as far as I'm concerned, lighter wins out over more power......JMHO......Pat [/quote] I agree with a lot of what your saying here. I used to have the MUS with a 480, and find the lighter weight of the 450 largely offsets the power difference. I still use the 2100 3s ThunderPower 20C batteries, but I have a plane that I can fly a lot slower than the one with the 480 and flaps/airleron set up. No I don't have the unlimited vertical I used to, but I can get it to a height where its only a speck, and that while draging along the flycam mini camera system. If you go back to a few of my earlier posts, I put up links that are all done on the stock PNP with a replacement 450 (Courtesy of E-flite). I stuck with the bigger battery because I'm a "time aloft junkie" and the extra time the bigger battery affords me is worth a few extra grams. BTW check out the weight of the batteries you fly. I have a buddy that bought some inexpensive 3s 2100 batteries and at 238grams compared to my more pricey ThunderPowers at 170grams that 50 grams of extra weight makes itself known really quickly. Thunder Power also makes a Pro-Lite series that are under 150 grams, but they are only rated at 15C, and occasionally I find myself needing a burst of power (usually to get out of something stupid I did) and have not used the Pro-Lites. Does anybody else have a similar experience with battery weight varying enough between manufacturers that they care to share?? Bruce
Posted on: 1/2/2008 8:42 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6844362

RE: Eflite P-47
[quote]ORIGINAL: hyperdyne Yeah I have around 5 of those Loooooooong-Max batteries. LOL Great price and they even come with the Deans connector attached. They are very good from my tests, hold a good charge and run in everything from my spit to the stryker. [/quote] Is that the large Deans or the mini's Bruce
Posted on: 11/30/2007 8:32 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6697043

RE: Eflite P-47
[quote]ORIGINAL: rick88ss ://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=658 Battery: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=5607 [/quote] Is that price correct?!!!!! 27.95 !! Is it about the same size/weight at the ThunderPower 20c 2100 that have been costing me 75 bucks apiece? I may have just found my new battery supplier....... Bruce
Posted on: 11/29/2007 10:07 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6693023

RE: Mini Ultra Stick
[quote]ORIGINAL: wedgewing The Stick is fixed forgot to post these post wreck shots. All better now after some much needed woodwork. alignment and balance is perfect. just waiting for the winds to get below 25 mph and some sun so I don't need to douse it with deicing fluid here in sunny Cleveland. KP [/quote] That is a really good repair job. None of mine look that well done. But hey they fly and land as before and once I get it a little way away, you can't see the goober repairs anymore :-D Bruce
Posted on: 11/17/2007 9:05 PM by Author "Adrians flyer" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6638291