$60 R/C trainer - recommended

[Radialicious]

My cousin sent me a link to a site that has plans for R/C aircraft made from bits and pieces that make building and flying a piece of cake.

www.spadtothebone.com will hook you up with a number of designs that take as little as an evening to assemble.

Simple Plastic Airplane Designs uses stormwater tubing, metre rulers and 'Coreflute' sheeting to make incredibly simple aircraft. I built the Debonair model and even though it took longer than the 'one evening' that it suggested, it was sooooooo simple.

My cousin test flew it for me recently and I have since flown it myself. I recommend these machines to those who want the basics first and appearance second.

[Naki]

Cool site -i'll add that to my favourites. Thanks for the link.

[flyjoe180]

Awesome, thanks, Im moving soon and there's a park or something nearby so that will occupy me for a while (probably spend more time repairing it than building it given my flying styles).

[Dave Homewood]

Kind of scary Joe when you're a commercial pilot! ;D

[flyjoe180]

Ive never had any complaints from the freight or the criminals

[Dave Homewood]

Criminals? Are you working for Chubb now?

[flyjoe180]

We do convict tranfers for the Dept of Corrections once or twice a week. A van backs up, you stand well clear, the crims march into the aircraft with their guards. Then you land, get out, stand well clear, a van backs up again and they march out. Simple, and they never say a word.

[Dave Homewood]

Interesting.

[flyjoe180]

Oh yes, intensely rivetting stuff. Especially in -2 degrees Christchurch weather.

[Radialicious]

For some reason, we occaisionally carry crims on the 1900. Usually they don't stand out in the crowd. We have to board them and their minder/escort/guard first, seat them down the back and Bob's your uncle. One day, it all went a bit pear shaped. As the captain on that day was positioning down from Auckland and wouldn't arrive until close to boarding, I was briefed on the prisoner we would be carrying. He was that bloke from Queenstown, father of the local police boss, who had murdered his mother shortly after release. Even though his parents had tried to prevent the release, he was allowed home and murdered his Mum a few days later.
WELL, on this day, he was brought out with all the passengers and was identical in appearance to when he was shown in court on TV. A very distinctive big bugger with a closely shaven back and sides, short hanging braids and a goatee. I was disgusted that we should have to carry this sort of scum and put him the same cabin as normal people when he was such a notorious, prominent and identifiable murderer. Against his name on the manifest was 'medicated psychotic murderer'. Just what you want! When I did the cabin inspection, he asked me if he was allowed to listen to his Ipod. I felt like saying "Jeez mate, you ignored most of societies major laws, like the one where it says you shouldn't kill your mother, and you are asking me if you are allowed to use your Ipod!

ANYWAY, back to the good stuff. I soloed in my $60 R/C trainer on the weekend in Hokitika. My cousin was my instructor and at Hokitika Airport, there is perfect landing conditions for student pilots - soft Sphagnum Moss and foot high rushes either side of a sealed runway. The SPAD Debonair survived 6 or 7 flights and is still in one piece. All I need now is some more glow fuel!

[flyjoe180]

I seem to remember that crim you refer to, his father pleaded for him not to be released but they did anyway. Scum they are, a good scenic ride on a clear calm day they do not deserve.

Glad to hear the $60 flier is sturdy and reliable. What is glow fuel comprised of?

[lumpy]

Glow fuel is basicly methanol , with special oil added ( often castor or more commonly a blend ) usually between 15 and 20 percent ( yes , thats a quite a bit ) . Also , depending on the application ,nitromethane may be added , anywhere from none up to about 25 percent

[Radialicious]

I've found a source of Methanol here in Blenheim. Chemists sell castor oil and right now, I probably don't need Nitromethane. Premixed glow fuel from a model shop can cost up to $15.00 per litre! It always seems unfair as you tend to wipe most of it off the aircraft at the end of a session. Model clubs and the like get it back to about $6.00 per litre buy buying and mixing in big quantities. My friend Ron Loader who built a monstrously big C-130 with four 10cc engines was probably Marlboroughs biggest user of methanol outside of the speedway season! It was a big big machine. It had an internal conveyor belt to offload parachutists and airdrop cargo through and operational ramp and door. I heard he could even carry a video camera to get air to air footage of his mates models. Radio problems caused a few writeoffs along the years and they were always spectacular. I see on the Kaiapoi model aeroclub site that he still has a C-130 and there is video footage of it on the 'net.

[Dave Homewood]

I remember seeing Ron Loader's first C-130 while I was at Blenheim in 1989, and then later I heard it crashed. Heartbreaking. Later while based at Wigram I saw his second one, same size, possibly using some parts form the first.

Gorgeous machine it was/they were.

Here are some poor photos I took of the second one, one Sunday afternoon at Wigram circa 1992/93







The chap in the tracksuit was Group Captain Gordon Wood, the Base Commander


Note there's also a nice Stearman, a Pawnee or Agwagon, and a Cosmic Wind

Ron loader is the one in the hat


The Hercules looked so real in the air. Especially when dropping chutes.

Al, with regards to fuel, my late father's business used to sell it very cheap (he ran GRH Hobbies, a specialist R/C business). When Dad died and Mum sold the business, a good percentage went to a chap called Glen who started a similar specialist R/C model business down the road from you at Havelock. I can't recall his business's name but it might be worth checking out if he sells the fuel in bulk cheap like Dad did.

[Dave Homewood]

By the way, in my second photo above, that trailer was what Ron loader used to carry the Hercules arround in. Serious stuff!

In that same photo can be seen the PTS caravan. They used to use it when deployed to other airfields etc till at one particularly boisterous party (I think it was Village Green 1992) someone from 3 Detachment threw a purple smoke bomb into it. Everything inside was painted purple in an instant, like Mr Bean's paint can trick! The windows were solid purple! I'm fairly sure it never recovered and was dumped. Funny to watch, but do not try it at home!

Here's the Cosmic Wind (Dad used to manufacture this kitset) and the Stearman.

[lumpy]

Biggest problem with pre mixed glow fuel is the hazardous goods charge on freight . As you say , best buy the methanol ( TNL freight in riverlands are the Mobil agents ( you need to buy 20L at a time though ) and then mix the oil in yourself . Personally I just buy a 4Ltr of oil from a model shop ( synthetic and castor blend ) and mix it up as required . Great photos Dave , I used to work with Ron when he started the first Herc - many hours were spent on " wee " bits and peices that no one had a clue what they were