RE: R.C Jokes
This one actually happened.... This guys flying his new r/c airplane, all of the sudden he shouts I gotta land!!!! We ask him if something is wrong, his reply was I gotta take a dump.. As we stand there watching him trying passes to make the plane land, he's got both legs crossed and clenching as tight as possible.... After 4 failed landing approaches, he just returns to flying around as normal. I shout to him "you going to land or what?" his reply... I just sh*# myself, I'm just going to keep going.. You can imagine the laughter down the flight line...
Posted on: 5/16/2012 5:13 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Humor"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11082762

RE: Century 50NX?
I was planning on using the 50nx for the mechanics on a Hughes 500D fuselage. I keep reading that century heli's have very low maintenance over other brands. I don't like the wire drive on the tail of the .50 scale mechanics they offer, so the 50nx was the better option I'm thinking..
Posted on: 9/22/2011 7:14 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10728733

Century 50NX?
I was wondering if anyone out there has one? I tend to go against the grain and not jump on "band wagons", so with that said... I'm pretty impressed with the design and style. I'm just fishing for others input on the heli.
Posted on: 9/15/2011 8:01 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10718820

RE: Merlyn by skybench?
I'm pretty sure I can build one for less than $250, just a little time spent cutting out a template for the plasma cutter. The starter motor will likely be the most expensive part, but worth making one if I get more serious down the road. If I can build a rock crawler cage and tube fenders for my cj7 and build the rig, a winch should be childs play.
Posted on: 3/18/2011 6:11 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10407509

RE: Merlyn by skybench?
Where I fly and my style is thermal hunting, I have a MEN gobbler kit if I want a racy ship. But aside from that I think the suggestion of ballast mods is a great idea. Up here in the northeast we have many windy days, so the field I like to fly at has a 70' high steep hill at one side, perfect for the "right condition" slope soaring, but I can venture out on the field to search for thermals on low wind days. I wonder if my pinnacle std hi-start will launch it, or should I build a winch. I can build a drum with the plasma torch and the miller 200 DVI with the aluminum spool gun and then hand it to my buddy to turn it true on the lathe. Or I could just buy a pinnical HD hi-start as well.
Posted on: 3/17/2011 4:58 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10406667

RE: Need advice on first sailplane.
It's a great plane to learn on, I would choose a .049~.10 tops for the pod. If you can find a AP .09 then get it, I think hobby people sell it still. That will pull it with authority, but if you want a histart, go for it, just read the first sticky on the top of the forum or go to northeast sailplanes site and read about setting up for launching using a histart.
Posted on: 3/16/2011 5:08 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10404571

RE: Getting back into the hobby - advice solicited
I second the airtronics, it's super lite and has so much more going for it in the programing department and lower voltage brown-out conditions that it's my #1 choice right now. I started out on futaba, then went to hitec and from there I went to JR b/c everyone swore by them, when I started to feel tired from holding that 6 channel brick I decided to give sanwa/airtronics a shot....I will stick with them, very egronomic and lite. On the heli, I can unlock 5 pitch curves and 5 throttle curves in all 5 settings via 2 switches. I can't imagine the sailplane programing installed.
Posted on: 3/16/2011 4:26 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10404472

RE: Gentle Lady Motor Glider
Vintage you say VIC? I started collecting vintage kits off the fleabay and now have 4 vintage bipe kits to add to the other ones, I'm finding that I'm collecting the stuff I remember as new and cool when I first started. Everything from davey systems to champion kits and flyline too. Now I'm in the mood for a merlyn 4M kit. too little time and too many planes, crap....I need a trailer when I'm done.
Posted on: 3/16/2011 4:08 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10404441

RE: Need advice on first sailplane.
Yup, a powerpod will rob performance, but for learning to fly the glider it's a great way to get in the air safely. A histart if done incorrectly will result in a dead sailplane in short order. The best way to have a good first flight is to hand launch the glider and trim it out to be hands-free. After your happy with the CG setting and MECHANICAL trims, setup your dual rate switch for low rates and high rates, or use expo on the sticks. Set the tow hook about 1/8"~1/4" ahead of the CG your set to. This should get you in the "ballpark" for very successful flights.
Posted on: 3/16/2011 3:43 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10404390

RE: Merlyn by skybench?
Hmm, I might have to do a little research, but if thats the only issues, I might just go ahead and order the "balsa overcast" merlyn and start a build thread on it. I think the selig 3014 wing option is the route to take, I heard the flat bottom wing had poor penetration in the wind.
Posted on: 3/16/2011 10:07 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10403739

RE: Bird of time
I hope you ment the BOT is what inspires people to build the sailplane, not me.. I don't think I'm that great at building. Here is the wing mod I also did to make the wing bolt on with just 2 rear nylon bolts. The front tounge of the root ribs fit into a slot in the bulkhead, it took a little time to make the slot for the two ribs, but it fits super snug and there is 0% wing rock or play to the fuselage.
Posted on: 3/16/2011 9:37 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10403661

RE: Bird of time
I added spoilers to mine, 3 bays long and 1&1/4" trailing edge stock, operated by 2 micro servos at the root of the wing via a pair of kevlar cables inside the small .030 sulivans cable tube. I have yet to finish covering it, but that's due to a lot of "life" getting in the way. I think I'll try and start covering soon, hopefully for the spring flying season. As far as weight....I had to hollow the nose block out and add 8ozs of lead to make it ballance, still it's under the specified weight of 40 ozs total. Maybe that's because I built it with the narrowed fuselage mod.
Posted on: 3/16/2011 6:58 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10403368

RE: Bird of time
I guess it really depends on how you want it to look, if you want to keep the nose clean and use a spinner, use a motor that fits within and changing the front profile to suit. If you don't care if the motor is exposed then any good outrunner will do with a folding prop. The problem is the fuselage, there is very little room inside for li-po's and esc.
Posted on: 3/13/2011 5:30 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10397891

Merlyn by skybench?
Has anyone built one from plans? Skybench sells a laser cut kit with a modern airfoil, just curious how it builds and performs?
Posted on: 3/13/2011 2:36 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10397571

RE: Name this Plane
Great planes skylane, older equipment in it, but definatly not a trainer plane.
Posted on: 3/11/2011 4:30 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10394086

RE: First thermal?
My first thermal was a small encounter, I remember flying the tracks back and forth across the field, at one point I saw the wiggle of the wings. I never found it again on that flight, the next flight I launched and headed just a little ahead of it, I got rocked out hard, so I cut around and caught it this time. All I knew was to keep the bank shallow and keep circling, since I used an upstart, I maybe had 150~200' of launch altitude... When I fell out of it I was higher than 700' roughly. I was hooked, that flight lasted over 30 minutes, to the point where your wishing it would come down because your eyes are watering and your neck hurts from looking up for so long. It's my opinion that if you want to be a better pilot then you need to fly a glider, it teaches you so much more than any engine powered plane could. Your reward is directly equal to flight times, the better you get, the longer your flights will be. Thermaling is a skill, reading the surroundings and the terrain, looking for birds flying in one area and feeding is a big clue, the smaller flying insects get sucked up into thermals and the birds will feed on that vortex of insects while doing the least amount of work flying.
Posted on: 3/11/2011 5:34 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10392855

RE: glider kits
Perhaps you should think of your fields first and then pick a glider that can suit the area. If using a up-start or hi-start, any 2 meter ship made from traditional construction will do, (no foamies). If you want a good easy ship to learn on a gentle lady, sig riser or a spirit 2M are all very nice and easy to build. If you take your time and have paitence, you can build a BoT, yes the wing is a little complicated with placement of ply and balsa sheer webs in the center, but it's a pretty straight forward build if you can understand what the plans show and how it's built. My BoT took about 1 month to build in my spare time, I did mods to it and built the speed version, but it's hard to ballast it now due to the thin fuselage. I would recommend a spirit 2M if you want something that can take a lot of abuse and has good all around performance, if you want a thermal hunter, go with a sig riser or gentle lady.
Posted on: 3/9/2011 5:09 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10388434

RE: Wing Sanding
A small 5.5 is for most shaping, the 11" is the most used sanding bar I own, and the 22" is only used for sanding ribs even and leading edges. I even have the contour sander, but rarely use it, unless the plane has that exact prfile on the leading edge. Start light and stop frequently, run your hand over the work piece with your eyes closed, you'll feel the imperfections before you see them. It's better to under sand the plane than over sand it, going thru cap strips and making sheeting too thin will cause problems with durability of the model.
Posted on: 3/8/2011 7:08 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10386434

RE: New Great Planes Waco?
Get the larger motor, it's going to need the power for the drag and the weight to help balance it.
Posted on: 3/8/2011 5:49 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10386296

RE: How Many Builders Are Left?
There still is a huge amount of builders here in the USA. But our hobby has become flooded with arf fliers & planes. What I choose to do is continue to build kits and help teach the next generation entering the hobby that building is the core of the hobby, if you learn to build, you can repair. It also makes them more careful and perform inspections more frequently, they will spot the problem b/c it isn't the way they set it up. Currently I've been buying vintage kits for my nostalgia of when the hobby was only kits and nothing prebuilt. I also started a future student entering the hobby on a eaglet 50, after that plane is finished, he will build a more advanced kit, building his skills as he learns the hobby and has fun.
Posted on: 3/8/2011 5:44 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10386288

RE: Antique Train Air 40 Model kit
fossil..... [;)]
Posted on: 3/6/2011 5:45 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10383219

RE: Golberg Eagle 2 Build Questions
I'll send you a picture of a satio .56 throttle install. A little tight but a ball link and small cable.
Posted on: 2/26/2011 3:07 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10365718

RE: Hello
Fantastic job kiddo! This is what any hobby is about, doing something that captures the mind, you can learn and have fun too. I see this and it gives me hope that the future of model airplanes will not be limited to just ARF's, building is a great way to teach the core of how it works and how to make something that you can call yours.
Posted on: 2/25/2011 6:41 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10362488

RE: Golberg Eagle 2 Build Questions
Your going to love the Eagle 2, I learned on one back in 90-91, I ran a supertigre gs 40 ring, could hand start it by just snapping your finger on the spinner. I would fly about a gallon a day on that bird, doing touch and go's. Got so good at it that I could tap the high grass at the threshold of the runway everytime. My habbit of flying all day finally killed the bird, I flew till the RX battery died while in flight, it went full bore into the gravel driveway, it was my cue to upgrade to a sport plane.
Posted on: 2/25/2011 6:35 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10362474

RE: Pica Waco?
$25???? I sold mine to a hobby shop owner for $600! you got a steal my friend. Mine was powered by a MDS 1.48 2 stroke, had pull/pull on rudder and elevators with a hatch just behind the cockpit for the bell crank system on the elevators. It was a big bird and it took me about 4 months to finish it, I got bored with it and sold it to fund another project.
Posted on: 2/20/2011 10:02 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10350183

RE: A TRIBUTE TO MY SON, CHARLES IV
As always... all that served and gave their lives are heros to all of us. Thank you CP for letting us know.
Posted on: 2/19/2011 7:10 PM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10348998

RE: If an astronaut threw a balsa chuck glider....
Wait......I'm gonna be pissed at all of you if I see my taxes go up due to some new NASA experiment.
Posted on: 2/10/2011 7:25 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10325669

RE: T/F wood pecker???
I used it, didn't care for it, I went back to using my balsa block with pins spaced every 3/4" , 4 rows and 10 pins per a row.
Posted on: 2/10/2011 6:52 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10325598

RE: Lanier Ultimate Pitts .91-2.2
I do believe its a pitts fuslage with ultimate wings and tail feathers, very good combo, I wouldn't worry about it "dropping out of the sky", I had a GP pitts with a zenoha G45, it weighed around 15 LBS and still floated in. Drag is why you keep the power on, not weight. With all that wing it still flies, but the cabanes and fuse add alot of drag to the aerodynamics of the plane. Just remember, it's a short coupled bipe, gradually feed in the power, until the rudder is more effective. I look forward to seeing this built, I wanted to get one but great planes disolved lanier before I could buy one.
Posted on: 2/10/2011 6:39 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10325570

RE: Spencer’s World Record 468mph Kinetic100DP flight video!!!
Insane, I couldn't keep track of that.
Posted on: 2/8/2011 5:02 AM by Author "planebuilder66" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10320475