RE: Why Beginners Do Not Want To Join Clubs
I don't like clubs of any kind whether they're related to airplanes or not...too many politics, too much dealing with other people's issues, too much hassle. I'm no beginner, I've been flying for years but I taught myself to fly with no crashes immediately (they came later as I stepped things up) and I now have permission to fly off a local sod farm that's literally a half mile from my house. We have an agreement to only fly electrics and respect the property, etc, there have been no issues in the three years my friend and I have been flying there... also, no morons to deal with, and no one to pay, except for the x-mas goodies that my friend and I buy the sod farm folks every year as a thank you...perfect. I don't like the AMA either; go ahead and crucify me. It has too much of a NRA for RC airplanes vibe for me...too many paranoid folks yelling about the government and what they're going to somehow take away from all of us when 'the man' decides he's had enough. Totally turns me off and creeps me out. I just want to fly and have some fun while at the same time being safe and responsible and minding my own business..don't need a club for that, would rather not deal with it. And please don't tell me what I'm missing out on with good buddies and all the people and such...some of us like to find peace and solitude in our activities, not be part of a social scene or party. my .000000003 cents.
Posted on: 1/26/2012 8:48 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10929896

RE: Modeler or ARfer?
If this is all about some contest and the fact that your scratch built plane got beaten by and ARF, then, without knowing anything else, I'd have to come to the conclusion that you're not very good at scratch building (or 'modeling' I guess). Just sayin'...
Posted on: 1/9/2012 10:10 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10901183

RE: Modeler or ARfer?
If you actually care about or argue about this nonsense, then you probably need to get your Angry Crotchety Grandpa Discount Card renewed. This kind of idiocy does absolutely nothing. Period.
Posted on: 1/9/2012 9:34 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10901147

RE: E-Flite Pulse XT 25e on floats wrinkling covering question
Thanks for the info. I guess that confirms what my suspicions were. The covering on my tail is pretty ugly at this point but fortunately, the guy I fly with has an extra set of tail feathers for the plane as he dunked his this summer and decided it was too far gone, so he bought a new one. I'll check those over and seal them up. I won't be flying off water for a couple of months but in the mean time it flies great off of the snow.
Posted on: 12/26/2011 7:31 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10877408

RE: Gas or electric? Give it to me!
Electric only for me and I'm flying up to approximately 1/5 scale stuff on it...I'd go bigger but have no way to transport bigger stuff. Electric is higher efficiency (90-ish % for the right brushless) as opposed to 17% or so for IC. Electric is lower maintenance, cheaper, has more power/ torque and a flat power/ torque curve. Because it's clean and quiet, I can fly nearly anywhere without issue. The planes last forever... no vibration or gunk. Requires much less field gear. etc... Of course you need to understand basic electrical concepts to get the most out of electric airplanes (volts, amps, ohms, watts). There's the big argument about sound...Sorry guys but there's no way a glow engine sounds like a Merlin or Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major...I don't buy into the sound argument. probably 60% of the sound of an airplane is the prop anyway, not the engine/ motor. Electric airplanes sound fine to me. And yes I fly ARFs and no I don't build kits....I guess I'm one of those guys everyone complains about on these threads. I don't have time to build; I have a full time job and a 3 year old at home. RC is about flying aircraft for me, not fiddling with things endlessly. Electric ARFs let me fly, fly, fly, and then come home, hang the plane up, go about my business, and fly, fly, fly some more when I get the chance....good times.
Posted on: 12/23/2011 9:50 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10873959

E-Flite Pulse XT 25e on floats wrinkling covering question
I put an E-Flite Pulse XT 25e on E-Flite's 25 size fiberglass floats this fall (new build) and have mainly flown it off of water with the occasional grass field take off and landing in there as well. The plane probably has 20 or so flights off of the water with no incidents. This is also my second Pulse XT, the first being a land plane that had several hundred flights on it before I killed it. I have noticed that the covering on this plane really wrinkles up in the days after I fly off of the water with it...mainly the ailerons and horizontal stab/ elevator. I always iron it back out but it seems to wrinkle up again after being on the lake. Is this because water/ moisture is getting into the plane and causing the wood to do funny things? Is this normal with built up seaplanes? The only other seaplane I've had was a foamie Seawind and I obviously didn't have this issue with that one. My other Pulse XT never did this but it was also never flown off of the water. This plane does get a lot of water spray on it when taking off, landing, and taxiing on step. Most of the spray is directed by the floats to the underside of the wings, rear fuse, and stab/ elevator. It flies fine and it still looks straight but I'm wondering what's going on. the stab/ elevator is probably worst off and I'm considering just buying a new one and putting it on since it is a bolt on setup. One final thing: I don't notice any liquid water in the plane/ wings/ or stab after flying so there's no huge leaks. I also live in Colorado which is a very dry- nearly desert climate for the most part so things tend to dry out very well and very quickly once they get wet. Thanks for any tips, this plane is a blast to fly off the water and looks like an old Schneider Cup plane with the floats on it.
Posted on: 12/22/2011 8:25 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10872402

RE: Back when model airplanes were cool...
I'm not that old, I don't think (41)...but I remember as a kid in the late 70's buying Testors control line airplanes at K-mart that had the .049 engines and flying them around in a cul-de-sac in my nieghborhood. I also bought (from the same K-mart) a tether car by Testors with a .049 engine. With the car, you pounded a nail into the ground (into the asphalt, actually) and the car would run in a circle attached to a string...no control, just let it run in a circle. One day the string broke and the thing went flying up into someone's driveway and hit their garage door at around 40mph, I think that was the end of it. Man the neighbors must have loved me. I used to ride my bike something like 10 miles to go to that K-mart and buy that stuff...good times. I had no idea that RC even existed, all I knew was that I liked planes, cars, and engines.
Posted on: 12/22/2011 3:17 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10871995

RE: Why Is 3D Hated?
I actually agree with the opinion that setup is a large part of it but any discipline requires a certain skill set, mindframe, and setup. It takes skill and practice to thermal, slope soar, fly patterns ,etc. I'm also kind of tired of people pulling the 'rudder card' out. The heli pilots talk that @#$% all the time. I don't fly 3D but I do all of the other stuff I mentioned above and if you can't fly with the rudder, you're pretty much screwed. I'm not sure how you can maintain any kind of precision in any discipline without the rudder...unless it's dead calm or you're always flying into the wind. I hate flying rudderless planes because you can't keep them straight at all. Since I don't really fly with anyone, I can't say how many folks there are out there that fly without using their rudder but I'm just kind of tired of it being used as a blanket statement.
Posted on: 12/20/2011 4:40 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10868854

RE: Why Is 3D Hated?
Motorcycles? They're loud, obnoxious, and in my experience, the vast majority of the people that ride them think they have something to prove. I don't actually hate the motorcycles, I used to have one. I just don't care for most of the folks that ride them (and that includes dirt bikes, harleys, and sport bikes). Maybe that's why I sold mine.
Posted on: 12/17/2011 6:11 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10864208

Helicopter simulator realism
Hey everyone. I'm what I'd probably consider an 'expert' airplane pilot with 5+ years of experience flying all kinds of RC airplanes in all kinds of conditions. I probably fly 3-4 times a week so I'm out there quite a bit. I've got some heli experience with a blade mcx 2 (which doesn't really count) and some real CP experience with a T-Rex 450 clone and a smaller CP heli. My CP heli experience wasn't the best...I was able to hover but forward flight led to disasters so I kind of quit the heli thing for about a year (other than my mcx 2). I've recently acquired a Phoenix flight sim and have been messing around flying the New Blade 450 3D in the intermediate mode. I've been flying it quite a bit and can hover, do figure 8s, fast forward flight, loops, brief inverted hovering at high altitude and the occasional roll. I always fly with a touch of wind and turbulence on to simulate (as best as possible) real outdoor flying, even on a 'calm' day. This has peaked my interest in possibly giving the heli thing another go-round as the Blade 450 3D BNF looks pretty enticing for what I want to do, and I'm a big fan of E-Flite/ Horizon. My question is this: How realistic is the sim for helis? I know for airplanes it's reasonably close but there are certain nuances missing. I'm wondering how well my heli skills on the sim will transfer to real life in this case. Will I be able to just take off and fly just like on the sim or am I fooling myself? I never had a sim when I started flying airplanes so I can't really draw from that experience and I'm not sure how accurate the helis really are on the sim. I don't want to think I'm going to be able to 'just fly' based on my sim experience and then just end up being frustrated because the feel. etc. is way different. Thanks!
Posted on: 12/4/2011 9:09 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10843624

RE: Batteries from China!
Yep, they're Chinese and not any better or worse than the Zippy or Turnigy batteries from Hobby King or the Blue Lipos from Hobby Partz. I personally like the Sky Lipo and Gens Ace batteries from Hobby Partz they seem to hold a slightly higher voltage through the discharge time, have a truer C rating, and never puff when kept within the proper discharge parameters. I've had both Electrifly and Hobby King Batteries puff and have only 30-40 recharge cycle lifespans in the past. I'm not sure how they sell many Electrifly batteries at something like $54 for a 2200 3s 20C when all of the others mentioned are anywhere from $10-16 for the exact same battery.
Posted on: 12/4/2011 6:28 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10843427

RE: Batteries from China!
I don't think the Electrifly ESC that he's using is programmable other than turning the brake on or off. If you were to look in the instructions for the ESC, you may see a feature where you can program things such as battery type, voltage cut off, and motor timing either through the Tx or with a program card but, lf memory serves, I don't think the Electrifly ESCs can do that. In some ways this sounds like a motor timing issue (which would be a problem with the ESC) but have you also tried a different motor? If you have another motor, plug it in and run it up with a prop on it so that it's loaded and see if it does the same thing. I was thinking that your Electrifly battery stats look pretty sad...as though it's worn out and voltage is really sagging under load, hence the low voltage and amperage readings. The new batteries are producing much more power...higher voltage under load equals higher current and more power (wattage). It sort of just hit me that you may have a [b]bad bearing in the motor[/b], it can sometimes get into a weird kind of vibration that occurs when you throttle up fast and won't show up when you throttle up slowly. I've had this happen on more than one motor as the bearings wear and it does exactly what you describe. You would only see it with the new batteries because the old one isn't putting out enough juice to hit the rpm or resonant frequency that makes it happen. with the motor off, see if you notice very much play in the bearings by holding the prop at 3 and 9 O'clock and gently 'rocking' it back and forth (pushing and pulling each blade toward and away from the fuselage) if you feel any perceptible play, the bearings may be the culprit. This wouldn't explain why it didn't happen with the other radio unless the throttle response on the other radio is somehow different and it doesn't throttle up as fast or as completely.
Posted on: 12/1/2011 7:38 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10839036

RE: Why Is 3D Hated?
[quote]ORIGINAL: DenverJayhawk actually, there's lots of new 3D models. Several airframes have been released over the past year from Extreme Flight, 3dhs, and PA with several more in the works. [quote]ORIGINAL: Farmer Ted I was actually wondering whether 3D was starting to fade away a little bit. I haven't seen nearly as many new 3D machines being released as I did a few years ago
Posted on: 12/1/2011 10:17 AM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10838141

RE: Why Is 3D Hated?
I saw this thread and couldn't resist the post. I don't 'hate' 3D but I also either fly alone or with a friend so I don't have the issues some of you do with people hovering over the runway. For me, the whole 3D thing just doesn't do it. I like airplanes when they're flying on the wing, not hanging on the prop. A flying airplane has a grace and elegance about it that the 3D thing doesn't have for me. It obviously takes considerable skill, but it's a skill I've never had any desire to learn. I've got a couple of Extras that are considered '3d' planes but I have the CG in a sane location with reasonable control throws and fly them in a manner that I call 'faux precision' (and I love the way they fly...my favorite plane of all time, the Extra). Things like big loops, slow rolls, point rolls, and flat spins are what do it for me. 3D just doesn't float my boat. I was actually wondering whether 3D was starting to fade away a little bit. I haven't seen nearly as many new 3D machines being released as I did a few years ago. I'm actually more intrigued by 3D heli flying but that's a skill set that I have neither the time, patience, or bank account to support. [:)]
Posted on: 11/30/2011 8:35 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10837419

RE: Hobby King - Dispicable Service
I had placed around 10 orders with them and didn't have a problem except for a couple of defective items where it wasn't worth it to send them back. The end came when I ordered and paid for around 12 lipos and they only sent one. I also tried the live chat and got the runaround for over a week. I then called their 800 number and got someone who instructed me to send pictures of what I received, etc. Nothing happened, still got the runaround. I finally dialed their international number and paid for the call...I got someone who would listen and they eventually (after a couple of weeks) credited me the $100-ish dollars they owed me but wouldn't credit me the shipping so I still lost out around $30 or so. I had threatened to get the Hong Kong version of the better business bureau involved with them if they didn't work with me. I learned my lesson and the last batch of batteries I got from them was mostly bad right out of the box although I had used some of their other batteries for years with no issues. It's a very helpless felling when someone on the other side of the world has your money and doesn't seem to care. I quit doing business with Hobby King, they will never get another cent of mine. I decided that I will only deal with companies who are based in North America so I don't have to deal with the shipping and cultural gap. I will also only deal with companies where I can talk to a real person. I typically buy a lot of my stuff from my LHS where they know me and give me great deals but I still do buy batteries and electronics (motors, speed controllers) from online companies such as Value Hobby and Hobby Partz. I'm much happier since I've stopped dealing with Hobby King. When my issue occurred, I tried to get Pay Pal to help but they said I had no recourse through them...only if I had purchased the item on ebay...Also frustrating.
Posted on: 11/29/2011 6:00 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10835366

RE: Batteries from China!
You might have a bad connector on one of the batteres. I've had issues with Dean's connectors where the little spring part loses tension and they either won't make contact in the battery or make poor contract. If you have voltage drop through the connector due to a poor connection (or bad solder joints) the higher resistance it creates under load would explain the lower voltage and current readings off of the one pack. If you know how, see if you can do a voltage drop test with a meter across the positive and negative connections (2 tests) of the connector with the motor at full throttle to see if that's where your issue lies. With that being said, there's (usually) nothing wrong with the HK batteries. For the most part, all lipo batteries are made in China, including the Electrifly ones. I've used Electrifly, Zippy, Turnigy, and the Gens Ace, Sky Lipo, and Blue Lipo from Hobby Partz and for the most part, they're all the same. I find that the Gens Ace and Sky Lipos are a little better quality. I also feel that Zippy and Turnigy batteries are kind of hit or miss...you either get a good batch or a bad batch. Due to the inconsistency, I've quit buying them. Hobby King's customer service is also horrible which doesn't help things. Electrifly batteries are just overpriced Zippy or Turnigy batteries and I wouldn't be surprised if they're not all made in the same couple of factories. A lot of people swear by 'name brand' batteries that cost 5 times as much as your generic Chinese batteries. I don't buy it at all...the 'name brands' may be a little better, but not 5 times better. If it weren't for the el cheapo batteries, I couldn't afford to fly nearly as much as I do. I was looking at the issue again...I wonder if you actually do have a bad battery. What may be happening is that when you open the throttle fast, the current drawn by the motor causes the battery voltage to drop to a point where it can't supply enough current to continue to accelerate the motor and everything just kind of fizzles out. Advancing throttle slowly wouldn't draw as much current and may not have the same effect. Just kind of thinking out loud. Of course, you mentioned that both Turnigy batteries did this so I guess it would be unlikely that they would both be 'bad' in the same way but not impossible. You'd really need to look at minimum battery (or individual cell) voltages of each battery as the throttle is advanced quickly. If you have a meter with a 'min/max' setting you could do this. The only other thing I could think of would be a motor timing issue but that shouldn't be affected by changing batteries. Don't know if any of that was helpful or not. Good luck.
Posted on: 11/29/2011 4:24 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10835249

RE: ARF's ruined my hobby
This is stupid. Who the @#$%^ cares?!?! Do any of you Super Pro Expert Extreme* 'modelers' with 6587 posts even fly planes or do you just come here to complain about things?! I think most of you need to get outside; the glue fumes from your exquisite creations that you've 'skillfully crated' out of belly button lint have gone to your heads. My favorite thing is to fly alone, enjoy the solitude, and not have to deal with anyone's issues. * Super Pro Expert Extreme is a trade mark of the Age of Entitlement RC Modeler's Association.
Posted on: 11/28/2011 8:27 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10833894

History of Horizon/ Tower/ Great Planes, etc...
I've always wondered what the history is of the Great Planes/ Hobbico/ Tower Hobbies conglomerate and the Horizon Hobbies conglomerate. It seems that it's too much of a coincidence that they're both located in the same town in Illinois. Does anyone know the story behind this or just behind the two companies in general. I've also always wondered whether John Redman from Horizon is the "JR" in JR radios and how that all fits in. I'm sure this has all probably been discussed to death in the past but since I've only been flying for the past 5-6 years, I've never heard the stories.
Posted on: 11/23/2011 6:54 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10826328

RE: if your glow engine was in your car
Wow, this thread is a little scary with misinformation. A two stroke "Glow" RC engine is (basically) just a 2 stroke diesel. A four stroke "glow" RC engine is (basically) a four stroke diesel...very similar (in principle and operation but without fuel injection) to the 4 stroke diesels in cars and trucks. Diesel engines use the heat of compression for ignition, the glow plug is just there to provide an ignition source to get the thing started. In glow airplane engines, the glow plug does continue to act, to some degree, as an ignition source along with the heat of compression. Gasoline engines use an electric spark for ignition and can be run with minor modifications on alcohol, natural gas, and most any other flammable vapor The 'nitro' fuel you use in a glow engine is not the same as a Top Fuel Dragster...it is mostly (if not completely) methanol with castor oil mixed in for lubrication. Obviously, some nitromethane is mixed in some fuels but it's not 100%. IF it was even close to 100% nitromethane, you'd have to mortgage your house to buy it...plus it's extremely explosive and volatile. The stoichiometric (or ideal) air/ fuel ratio for gasoline engines is 14.7:1 by weight, not volume. This means that it takes 14.7 pounds of air to burn one pound of gasoline. The average gasoline automobile strives to achieve this as much of the time as it can as this is where the best combination of power, emissions, and economy exist. The vehicle's powertrain management system will intentionally run the mixture richer and leaner than this under different conditions but stoichiometiric is what it's shooting for as much of the time as possible. Ethanol makes a great fuel in some respects but it has about 34% less chemical energy than gasoline. Therefore, an engine would need to burn about 20-30% more on E-85 or 50% more on E-100 to give power figures that are comparable to gasoline. Because of it's lower volatility, engines that are designed to run on 100% ethanol can benefit from increased compression ratios to get back some of the power. Ethanol, like everything in life, has advantages and disadvantages. It is a cleaner and renewable fuel when compared to gasoline but we currently expend more energy producing it than we get out of it, this could change in the future as new technologies develop. Gasoline engines in cars today are more powerful (not to mention cleaner and lower maintenance) than they've EVER been. When you compare apples to apples by comparing power output per unit of displacement, you'll see what I mean. Plus, you can almost breathe the exhaust on a new engine once it's warmed up because they run exponentially cleaner than they did 40-50 years ago. Don't believe me? drive behind a 50 year old car and tell me what you smell. Now go drive behind a new car. With that being said, the best internal combustion engine's efficiency is only 18-20%. That means that only 18-20% of the chemical energy in the fuel goes to the wheels, propeller, etc. The rest is wasted mainly as heat. Compare that to the average brushed electric motor at +/- 50% and a brushless electric motor approaching 90%. Factor in the flat torque curve, simplicity, and reliability of electric motors and I'll ditch all of the internal combustion engines that I own, including my car, for one. Electric cars, along with steam and gasoline, were prevalent at the turn of the 20th century. Gasoline won because of it's cost, availability, and range. Gasoline did not win because if it's superiority. The thing that held electric cars back 100 years ago is the same thing that holds them back today...the battery technology. Because gasoline won the contest 100 years ago, that's what was developed. Battery technology has exploded in the last 20 years, wait and see what it does in the next 20. If I had a glow engine in my car, I'd ditch it and ride my bicycle instead, it's a theoretical 98% efficient (an actual 88% or so).
Posted on: 11/13/2011 1:01 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10810162

RE: Is Hobbico Attempting To Monopolize The Hobby Industry?
I refuse to buy from Hobbico/ Tower because all of their products that I'm interested in are inferior and usually several years out of date. Besides that, their quality control is horrible and customer service is just average. With that being said, I doubt they'll ever create a monopoly by buying up dying brands (more inferior products) and sticking their name on what they don't discontinue. If you want to talk about big distributors, Horizon is a much better company to deal with, has a better business philosophy, typically cutting edge products, top notch R&D, great customer service, and reasonable pricing. I usually buy Horizon products at my LHS.
Posted on: 9/25/2011 9:39 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10734174

RE: E-flite Super Cub 25e ARF
I maidened mine this weekend. Beautiful plane. Cockpit kit is great but I didn't do the lights, they seem cool but I've heard they're not worth the hassle. Plane flies great. I'm actually running mine on 3S with a Hoffman motor that's equivalent to a Power 25, 40A ESC, and 13x6.5 prop. I'm at 5000 feet above sea level in Colorado. Total power is 385 watts at around 34 amps WOT and approximately 64 watts/ lb. Flying weight is right at 6lb with this setup. Mine will take off on a rough grassy field at 3/4 throttle and cruise slowly at 1/2 throttle, and will loop from level flight. I used this stuff because I had it lying around and I figured it would fly the plane fine. I didn't want to invest in a bunch of 4S batteries just for this plane as I have a ton of 3s. After 9 minute flights, I'm only putting 2000mah back into a 3600 battery...sweet. I've got planes that are 200 watts/ lb, I didn't need that for this plane. The recommended power setup should be more than adequate. I'm no 'scale nazi' but I think my power setup is probably closer to scale and I kind of wanted to see what that was like. The shock absorbing landing gear is great, the plane flies slow well, stalls are predictable. Some folks on another forum were complaining of 'tip stall' but you've got to fly this with the rudder, coordinate turns, and keep the power on in turns...just like the full scale version. I saw a video of some guy blaming the plane for augering in after he tried to make a very tight downwind turn in a 10mph wind with about 15mph of ground speed...of course it's going to spiral in at that point. The flaps work great for landing and you can just about deadstick it, point it down, and land like a feather. Mine takes off best with no flaps. My only gripe is that the silly springy tailwheel, while scale, just doesn't provide adequate ground handling during takeoff...it's squirrely as all get out and forget trying to take off in a stiff crosswind. The springs could be stiffened a little bit but it would also stress out the rudder servo more. I haven't come up with a solution yet but I haven't really tried either. I have about 10 flights on mine so far and I like it for what it is. E-Flite/ Horizon's ARFs ar absolutely top notch in my book and this one doesn't disappoint; they really do their R&D.
Posted on: 9/5/2011 6:59 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10703304

RE: NEW!! The Official Pulse XT 25e ARF by E-flite thread
I ran a Turnigy motor that was about equivalent to a power 25 on 3S ( I think it was a 35-48-1100) with a 12x10...great speed and decent vertical but not unlimited. I enjoyed it a lot and I'm at 5000 feet above sea level. I had also run my old Pulse with a 12x8 on 3S but didn't like it as much. For my altitude, the 12x10 was the ticket. I'm going to be getting another Pulse that will be going on floats. The plan with that one is to run the same motor on 4S with a 12x6 prop. A friend of mine is running his with this setup (and his Diamante as well) and they fly very nicely with power to spare.
Posted on: 9/5/2011 6:43 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Electric Aerobatic & Sport Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10703281

RE: Hangar 9 RV-8 .46 ARF
3003s should be fine for servos. I just have some cheapos from hobby king in mine that are comparable to a 3003...works fine. For the flaps, I flipped one servo around and moved the pre-installed control horn inboard a little bit. It looks funny from the bottom as the horns are at different positions on the span of the flaps, but it works fine. I've probably got 100 flights on mine with this setup and haven't had any issues.
Posted on: 7/14/2011 3:21 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10621333

RE: Am I missing something here?
to. That stupid Farmer Ted guy thinks that it's OK for the government to maybe limit certain kinds of RC
Posted on: 2/28/2011 3:30 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "AMA Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10370342

RE: Am I missing something here?
Ok, ok , I got it. I'll go on my blissfully ignorant way and think everything is peachy keen when actually the world is coming to an end because I'm not as smart or worldly as everyone else here and I'm incapable of reading and understanding a document. Good luck with everything.
Posted on: 2/27/2011 2:13 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "AMA Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10367914

RE: Am I missing something here?
I'm going to make one more statement and then I'm done with this because I'm not going to get sucked into a bunch of nonsensical bickering about things that may or may not happen. My main point in posting this was to clarify something for myself. If you read some of the 'discussions' out there, everyone is acting as though RC flying is going to be banned and that the world is going to end and it simply isn't so. I understand that those who fly turbines or giant scale or high speed pylon racing planes are probably a little freaked out as they should be and I would expect those folks to fight to prevent any regulations that might forbid them to fly but.... what percentage of 'average' rc pilots actually fly tubines or giant scale? I bet that it's very small...I would bet it's less than 5%...maybe 10-15% as a whole. I'm not saying these folks should lose their ability to fly but everything sure gets blown out of proportion very quickly when everyone starts saying 'the sky is falling'. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that a little regulation and control isn't necessarily a bad thing and I don't buy into the argument that a little bit of regulation now leads to overbearing regulation in the future...I'm sorry but I'm just not that paranoid. I'm going to pull in an example here that will probably also get blown out of proportion but if you look at the gun end of things...do you really thing anyone should be able to go down to the corner store and buy a machine gun? Do you think that it's probably a good idea for people who buy certain kinds of guns to have a background check? I think it probably is a good idea to regulate the sales of guns to some extent. These laws have been in effect for some time and, I'm no 'gun nut' or gun laws expert but as far as I know, most anyone without a criminal record can still go buy a gun if they follow the rules. A few rules aren't necessarily a bad thing. As always, and as stated by another post on this thread, I'm sure that cooler heads and common sense will prevail and we'll all still be able to fly what we want. We may have to do it in a certain area for certain kinds of planes but I'm sure it will work out. I just wanted to know for myself what this was all about and now that I feel I understand it, I'm feeling comfortable. I understand that others may not feel that way and if you don't, go fight. Personally, I don't think that some of the proposed rules are a bad idea. Currently, the only thing that keeps someone from flying a giant scale plane is cost. I know plenty of people with money and very little common sense and what's to keep them from trying to fly something big and fast off the street in front of their house and doing some serious damage to people and property? Perhaps a competency check before someone were to fly something like that wouldn't be a bad thing. Isn't there already some kind of licensing in place for turbines anyway?
Posted on: 2/27/2011 8:16 AM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "AMA Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10367065

RE: Am I missing something here?
This is kind of the 'sky is falling' kind of thing I was talking about... Nobody I fly with has a turbine or a plane over 15lbs, let alone 55lbs. I'm pretty sure none of us have a 100mph+ plane either...I don't think 80% of 'average' rc aircraft are capable of breaking the 100 mph speed limit. the recommendations said that you could fly within 3 miles of an airport and that there was no restriction for under 2lb 'park flyer' electric planes. (If I remember correctly) I think the 400' ceiling is perhaps a little unrealistic but it would be hard to enforce and I probably only get above 400' when thermal gliding anyhow. The proposals may effect a number of specialty types of flying but for the average RC pilot, I don't think it would 'eliminate a good portion of what we are currently able to do' It would pretty much eliminate flying a giant scale turbine at 100+ mph over a local airport. I realize that that is a silly and oversimplified statement but there's also a touch of truth there.
Posted on: 2/26/2011 10:46 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "AMA Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10366514

Am I missing something here?
I have seen a lot of "discussion" on the proposed FAA restructuring/rules facing RC aviation and I have to wonder... It seems that there's a whole lot of speculation and arguing over unknowns, a lot of egos, opinions, and paranoia. I'm pretty sure the FAA isn't going to ban RC aviation but, hey, that's just me. I did a quick search to see what was going on and I found this document from a couple of years ago. http://www.modelaircraft.org/faa/recommendations.pdf It's basically recommendations on how to regulate RC models under the new FAA 'restructuring' if that is the correct word. If you look at section 3 which outlines recommendations for the regulations for RC aircraft not operating under the umbrella of something like the AMA, it doesn't really seem that 'out there' to me... It kind of makes sense. I'm sure that those who fly turbines will not be happy and the "400 foot altitude limit" may be a touch unrealistic but beyond that, it kind of seems like common sense. Is the uproar just a bunch of irrational paranoia like the guy I knew who cashed in his house for gold, bought every gun he could, and moved to the hills when Obama was elected? (this is not a joke...true story and totally insane) Or am I missing something?
Posted on: 2/26/2011 8:16 PM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "AMA Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10366285

RE: >Question: Why do you love rc aviation?
Pretty simple: I have always loved aircraft but can't afford (nor will I ever be able to afford) An airplane Hangar Maintenance costs Annuals FAA physicals Basic license IFR rating Multi Engine rating Aerobatic license etc. etc. etc. I spent some time as a kid/ teen hanging out with full scale pilots and growing up on a lake in Minnesota, my neighbor and best friend's dad had a Cessna 185 on floats. We used to take day trips into Canada with an inflatable strapped between the floats and then plop down on some random lake and fish until we decided to go home. I used to fly us all the way there and Pete(the owner) would do the take off and landing. I could navigate, keep the plane on course, fly coordinated turns, etc. I never did any stalls though...it was scary enough when he did them. I quickly realized that I could probably never afford to fly on my own, especially the way I wanted to fly (aerobatics, etc.) so 25 years later, RC seemed like the thing to do. For me electric and ARF planes have been the reason I can fly. I have no interest in building kits and I personally like the power and convenience of electrics. I've got a range or planes from micro to 1/5th scale, all running on electricity and it allows me to do the type of flying I've always wanted to do, enjoy the science of flying, and do it close to home and on my own terms.
Posted on: 1/25/2011 11:01 AM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10287438

RE: E-Flite or Hangar 9 Pattern or 'faux pattern' plane?
Thanks for all the info. I am currently leaning toward the 3DHS Aspera as I have pretty much everything to put in it although I do wish it were just a tad bigger. I've currently got 3 planes that are in the 60" category (although they're not pattern planes) and even though I like the larger planes, they're harder to transport and I'm running out of space in the basement to store them so the smaller plane may be a good idea for the moment. The Seb Art stuff looks nice but it's a little pricey and I'm on a pretty tight budget at the moment so perhaps that will be something I keep in the back of my mind for later this year.
Posted on: 1/21/2011 11:06 AM by Author "Farmer Ted" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10278414