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Rapidly growing range of planes, varying cost and quality. - Some slow fliers good to learn on. Cheaper craft have novelty value which may wear off. |
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Type of plane : various light electric planes with a motor smaller than Speed 400, a span of about a metre and a weight of 200 to 400 grams.Indoor models are generally in the 200 gram range and can be flown in double basketball courts*. (*See "Locations" article.) Flight Times: This will depend on your propulsion unit, weight, size and setup of the plane, the conditions, the thermals and your ability to stay in them.Expect 3 and a half to 4 minutes minimum for a basic plane, or up to 15 minutes for a well set up light docile model. Location requirements : reasonable area without trees, roads etc etc. Although referred to as a park flier, it is illegal to fly in some community parks or school playgrounds.Indoor models require at least the space of a double basketball court - and the walls come up real quickly - more quickly than the beginner can handle. Cost : varies considerably. A$70 will buy you a LiteSTICK - but you will then need to add a couple of A$40 servos, a A$30 speed controller, and a A$100 receiver plus a battery pack or two, so you're up to around A$300 plus charger.There are some el-cheapo "instant" units around - from about A$130 including el-cheapo radio. These are a cheap entry into the hobby but you do get what you pay for. BEGINNERS' MODELS Some slow fliers are particularly good for beginners because they allow you
Easiest to fly - Models with channels for elevator, rudder and throttle. (Aileron and sporty models are not for beginners.) Will usually have polyhedral wings (bent about a third of the way out). - these are particularly stable.Least prone to damage - Models which have pusher props - as the gear is well protected.Cheap Models - Some models may be cheap initially but they can be false economy because of their fragility and the difficulty in repairing them. These can quickly lose their novelty value. This particularly applies to low powered 2 channel models.Radio Gear : The better kits require a minimum of 3 channels, so this means you will end up with a multi-channel radio.Cheaper kits can cope with 2. Some come complete with a cheap 2 channel radio, which provides steering and throttle control only. Increasing throttle increases climb. Some have 2 motors, turning off one causes a turn, but this is of no use if you have run out of battery. In Australia, the frequency that some of the cheaper 2 channel units operate on (27 mhz) is not a recognised frequency for model aircraft and may be subject to interference form other legitimate transmissions. May not be welcome at some clubs. Alternatives : there are a range of planes within this type. Or you can build/rebuild to your own design, within the parameters of the power plant that you have.Moving on to other planes : more of the same - or something else less docile - perhaps Speed 400.Further resources : The gear available for indoor is constantly improving - so speak to those who are currently flying them.Search the net and read articles and reviews in the magazines. There is a discussion group devoted to indoor and slow flying models, called SFRC (Slow Flight Remote Control) See SFRC archives at the addresses below. Can be sorted in various ways, which is helpful. http://freeciv.ultraviolet.org/mail-archives/sfrc.2000/index.html http://freeciv.ultraviolet.org/mail-archives/sfrc.2001/index.html http://freeciv.ultraviolet.org/mail-archives/sfrc.2002/index.html To subscribe to SFRC go to http://www.mindspring.com/~thayer5/ffpages/lists/listfaq.html#subscribe BUT subscribe in DIGEST and only receive 1-2 emails a day - not 20!!! |
To see lots of pictures of park flyer models, simply look at the Australian magazines. Thes models are now being produced at a great rate - but vary in cost and quality.
Wayne Hadkins holds up is GWS LiteStik
A group of indoor fliers in Melbourne |
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