This time I would like to do a "show and tell" on one of my son's wrecked radio controlled model airplanes.   The model is an EDGE 540 made by Hangar 9.  Early last summer he was flying it at the local flying field and had to make an energency landing on the other side of a nearby cornfield.  Needless to say it didn't go too well.    The cause of the accident was an engine that wasn't running correctly and as he was coming in for the final approach to land it the engine quit a little too far away from the landing strip and too close to the ground.  Below are pictures that tell the story better than a bunch of words can.  But, I will mix in a few words just to point out what is going on.

    For those of you that may not know what an Edge 540 is, it is a 3D aerobatic model with a 78 inch wingspan.  This one is powered with a Saito 1.80 four cycle engine.  The plane has plenty of power and is capable of the whole range of 3D stunts.  The first pictures are showing the damage that occurred in the crash and it is taken in the shop just before repairs got underway.

    Damage to the cowl, the firewall and the structural members around the firewall.  The left wing is snapped off and shattered next to the fuselage.                                                         

     Here is another view of the damage to the wing and side of the tank compartment.  Note: the aileron is still attached to the wing.  Not very pretty, but Jeremy says it will be like new again. 

    The left side of the wing with the leading edge repaired and the badly shattered parts cut out ready for the ribs and center spar.  Also, the aileron has been removed to make it easier to repair the trailing edge.

     In a blog entry from last November or December, I talked about what to do after the crash.  One thing I mentioned was to pick up all the pieces of the wreckage.  This is especially important when the model is an ARF or RTF.  In all likelihood you won't be able to reuse any of the parts but keeping them may help you understand the structure of the aircraft and that can be a big help in the restoration process.  It is not too likely that you will have a copy of the plans and you will need all the help you can get.

    He does a nice job and tomorrow I will show you some of the steps he took to reassemble the plane and I will also have some pictures of it when it is all done.  Thanks for checking out my blog and I'll see you next time.

    How can we all spark the interest of radio controlled hobbies in young people's minds?  This is an area that we as RC modelers should be working on any way we can.   Some suggestions would be to set up some informational seminars or sessions at the local schools.  Approaching the scout troops in your area is another possibility.  It may be a matter of just getting the word out to people that would like to be a part of the hobby but just don't know how to get started. 

    If we can work together to create more activity on blogs, forums, and other means, it will help to explain the benefits and rewards of the hobby.  We need a way to get more of the young people participating in these blogs and forums.  Encourage them to ask questions and make comments as to what information they are looking for. 

    Not everyone is interested in all different types of RC hobbies.  Some will only be interested in one specific hobby such as RC model cars.  I don't know of too many people that are knowledgeable in all areas of the hobby.  I for one am not an all around radio controlled hobbyist.  My main area of interest is in RC flight.  I am encouraging all experienced RC hobby enthusiasts from all areas of the hobby to submit items of their interest and I will get them posted in this blog.  I am sure that everyone reading this blog has something of interest to share with others.  So I invite you to submit your comments and suggestions as well as any questions that you may have.

    Thanks in advance for your input.  See you next time. 

     As I get to thinking about building radio controlled model airplane kits, I remember back to my first airplane.  I not only built the airplane from a kit, but I also built the radio from a kit.  It was a Heathkit radio that I bought through a catalog, and when it came it was in a million pieces, more or less.  At first, I was frightened about this, but having just built my own airplane from a kit, a I figured I had a good chance of being able to build the radio, as well.  It was an eight channel radio system with four servos.  Building that radio was somewhat of a challenge.  Mostly because the parts were so tiny and my soldering iron was very large, but I succeeded in building the radio.  I still have that radio today, it is 34 years old, and it still works as good as it did when it was new.

     I flew many different airplanes with that radio, and I intend to keep on using it as long as it keeps on working.  It has survived many crashes, some were completely fatal to the airplane.  So apparently I must've done something right.  I have had to replace the battery packs a couple of times, but other than that, it has served me well.

     What I'm trying to point out here is that there is a lot of enjoyment and personal satisfaction to be gained from building your equipment from a kit.  I don't think the Heathkit company is even in business anymore.  I guess that means that if I should have a serious flying accident or a radio failure, I'll have to replace it.

     It is installed in an older plane that is mostly just junk that I use only when my other ones are out of service, so if I should have a radio failure and lose that airplane, it really won't hurt my feelings to badly.

     I still haven't got my kit yet, and needless to say I haven't started building it yet either.  I hope it shows up soon because I want to get on with building that kit and creating the video of the process.  I just talked to an old friend tonight, who has covered his airplanes with silk and dope.  That method of covering the airframe was used even in the construction of some full size aircraft.  In this day and age that seems to be a lost art.  I consider myself very fortunate that I will be able to learn that process from him and pass it on to you.  See you next time.

    Winter is fast giving  way to Spring.   Are you ready for the upcoming radio controlled modeling season?  Is your club or organization planning some events for 2008?  I will be happy to help you get the word out.  Just add your event list to your comments and I will post them in the upcoming blog entries.

    I want to remind you of the purpose of this blog and that is to promote the advancement of our exciting and fullfilling hobby.  If you are an experienced modeler, I ask for your input (use the comments at the end of the post) on your special interest within radio controloed hobbies.  As stated before I am interested in all areas of the hobby including boats, indoor and outdoor cars and trucks, tanks, helicopters, and last but not least radio controlled model airplanes. 

    For the new people that have an interest in joining the sport of radio controlled modeling, if you have questions regarding anything in the area of radio controlled hobbies, use the comments at the end of this and all subsequent entries to ask your questions or request information on the area of your interest.  I will be glad to help you in any way that I can and will help you seek  answers from others int he hobby if I need assistance.  We are all in this together.

    Currently I am waiting for a kit to arrive so that I can start producing a video of all the steps of building a radio controlled model airplane from opening the box to getting it into the air.  I will explain each step as we go along and record the process on dvd and make it available to anyone that wants it.  My plan is for clubs and individuals to have the video for use in instruction and training.  In this effort, I ask for assistance from anyone with experience in building and flight training to provide the best information possible.  Thank you in advance for your help.  Please communicate to me and others through the use of the comments.  I'm the OldManFlier and I will see you next time.

      Last time, I started out to present a few more different RC trainer kits to build, but I kind of ran on about the Carl Goldberg kits.  Today, I will tell you about a few more excellent kits that are available. 

     There is one more Goldberg trainer available in kit form that I want to tell you about.  It is the Eagle 2, formerly it was called the Eagle 63.  In the early eighties, I purchased two of these kits and helped my two sons assemble them.  They are also an excellent trainer that is easy to build and comes with full-sized plans and a comprehensive instruction manual.  The Eagle is a .40 sized model with a flat bottomed wing that spans 63 inches.  Easy to build and easy to learn to fly with. 

     The Great Planes PT-40 Mark II is another easy to build and fly trainer that is available in kit form.  It too, comes with full-sized plans and a well-written instruction manual which includes several photographs.  As the name implies it is a .40 sized radio controlled model airplane with a 60" wingspan that is designed to built either as a true trainer or as a sport flier.  Both types can have ailerons installed and can be flown with rudder, elevator, and throttle or as a four channel model.  This is another excellent trainer that ca also be built as a sport flier for that aerobatic second airplane.

    Sig Manufacturing's Kadet LT-40 kit built trainer is another of the fine trainers that I am somewhat familiar with.  It is a .40 sized radio controlled model airplane that has a 60 inch wing span.  The Kadet LT-40 is an excellent trainer to get someone started flying.  It flies slowly and it has built-in inherent stability that allows it to restore itself to straight and level flight if the beginner finds himself in trouble.  All that is necessary to regain control is to let the control sticks return to the center position.  This gives the flier a  little extra time to rethink what he needs to do.  This is just one more of the airplanes that works very well for the beginning radio controlled model airplane flier.

    There is one more type of trainer that I will talk about and that is the Telemaster 40 available online from Hobby Lobby.   The Telemaster is a well designed trainer kit that if well assembled can almost fly itself.  It is a big trainer that can be built either as a tail dragger or a tricycle with steerable nose wheel.  The kit also includes flaps if you want to use them.  It is a slow flier and once it is headed in for a landing it will be capable of landing itself (depending on crosswind conditions).  Easy to build and fly it makes an ideal trainer for someone that is trying to learn to fly by himself.  I don't recommend doing this but this radio controlled model airplane is very stable and quite large making it easy to see what is going on in the air, people have learned to fly this model by themselves.  I still think it is much easier, faster and safer for the plane and flier to work with a qualified instructor.  

    I will mention another huge model that can make a real good trainer and that is the Senior Telemaster.  It is the original Telemaster and it is said to be so controllable that with the right wind conditions, it can be landed flying backwards.  One of my sons built this kit and it is a big kit with a lot of balsa parts, but he managed to build pretty much all by himself as his first radio controlled model airplane.   It was a very successful trainer for him, but we learned a couple of things that make it a little more difficult to deal with.  Did I say this is a huge model?  It has a .60 cuin engine and a wingspan of 95" and the fuselage is 63" long.  The size makes it necessary to have a pickup truck with a covered box or a van to transport it to and from the flying field.  Otherwise, it is truly an awsome model.  My son built a trailer to haul his telemaster in.  A great flying model very lightweight and rugged.  If you choose to build the Senior Telemaster, plan on a longer construction time and a little more expensive to complete, but it will provide a flying experience that is amazing.

     The models that I have talked about should give you enough information to select a radio controlled model airplane that will work best for you.  It is not too early to locate a club near you and find someone to help you get started on the right path.  If you choose to go it alone, remember you can always ask the OldManFlier at this blog site by using the comments option.  I am always open to comments and questions.  Keep reading and I'll see you next time.