How Has FT Affected Your RC Habits?

by mudman1959 | December 2, 2015 | (11) Posted in Just Fun

This might be a fun way to see what people really think about Flite Test... Well lets just say when I first saw their videos I was not really impressed. Here was a couple of guys taking nice airplanes and crashing them. To me a plane was a treasured item. I was upset about this... Well let's move the clock forward to present day. I now see where they were going with Flite Test and now have come to enjoy their videos and really enjoy their designs. I used to fly Balsa planes with gas motors.

I was never really comfortable with it. I could fly but was always on edge for every flight, afraid I would mess up my plane if I "Landed it with style".

Several years back I was introduced into the Electric Foamy World by Flite Test and I have not looked back. Yes I still have my favorite planes

but now they are made out of Dollar Tree Foam Board and I am no longer flying on edge. The cost of the airframe is minimal with a short build time. Flight characteristics and flight times are equal to the "Gasser" planes but with no clean up after a day of flying. Yes the initial cost of the batteries is high but when compared to $30 to $40 for a gallon of fuel it balances out quickly. Back to the foam planes... like I said, they are cheap to build and I enjoy building them.

I never thought that foam would stand up to my flying abilities. I look back on some of the foamy planes I have built and see an improved progression in my building techniques. I have went back and re-built several of my earlier planes but built them in the Flite Test way. They look better, fly better and last longer. Maybe why... I'm not as worried about what happens to the plane which has made me a much better pilot and more relaxed. I still get the knees shaking every once in awhile when I "Dumb Thumb" one of them in

but I just pull out the Hot Glue gun and melt it back together and if it is too tore up I either build a new one

or donate the electrics to another FT Design that catches my eye. I just want to say Thanks the Flite Test Crew for making this hobby fun again for me... Keep them coming Guys! I look forward to the next plane released from Flite Test. Chime in with your thoughts about Flite Test, I would be interested in what they are...

Lee Chamberlin Sr. aka Mudman1959

Pun Jet... Fast and Agile! Maybe a bit too much as it donated it's parts to another plane.

Storch #1... It flew fo almost a year. Made many mods and repairs to it.

The Explorer with its twin noses

The Versa... A fast little animal

The Fun Bat... My Son destroyed this one into the corn

Storch #2 with all the mods

Look familiar? It should... once a Bushwaker, now a Tri Pacer

The Beast... The Kraken twisted and turned into the Northrup N9M-B

Storch #1 in its better days

COMMENTS

The-One-Who-Never-Crashes on December 20, 2015

Very nice write-up. Thanks for sharing your story!

And thanks also to Flite Test for all that they have given us.
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mudman1959 on December 20, 2015

Thank You
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apnewton on December 20, 2015

Ooooh tell me about the Northrup wing, does it fly? Does it turn without differential thrust? So many questions!! I really want to try and build a rudderless wing with pro-verse yaw.
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Apnewton... Not flying yet unless you count a brief hop off of the ground, still lots to do. I had a extension shaft blow out the bearings while taxi testing so I had to fix that and then while that was apart I took the motor for another plane. I do have differential thrust but only when switched on for taxi. As for rudders this has a "Duck Bill" set up. The video shows this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXpAJ0uI2YQ
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Grizzly73 on December 20, 2015

Nice group of pic and I agree with you, been in love with RC avaiton for years now but never could afford it and now with Christmas coming I'm looking into getting a plane or two from Flight Test and seeing what I can do.

Without Flight Test I'm sure that RC Flying would still just be a dream for me.
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They have several that are good for first time flyers such as the Explorer or the Storch. Have fun!
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yeah I just bought 10 sheets of dollar tree foam board today with some of my Christmas money and was debating on which one to build first and the Storch is on my wish list to build.
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Yogenh on December 24, 2015

The Storch is a really great starter plane to learn to fly with. It flys nice and slow and will also land soft.
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Stingray Aviation on December 20, 2015

I basically grew up with RC (and full scale aviation too) because my dad was really into it. He started flying when RC was completely new technology, so most of his aircraft were the old-school, built-up balsa types. I dabbled in flying for a couple years when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old but lost interest in it after awhile. Like you, I was always kind of on edge when flying, and there just wasn't anything in the RC world that I found very interesting. About a year and a half ago, however, I found Flite Test while browsing YouTube one day, and at first I didn't like their lack of focus and organization. But when I looked through their website more, I realized that this was a totally different kind of flying than what I had seen before. It wasn't just the planes that were different, the entire atmosphere was much more relaxed. There is also a great creative element about those simple foam airplanes that the balsa world simply doesn't have because of its complexity. So I kind of rediscovered the hobby and started flying again using FT Flyers and the like, and this time there wasn't any of the tension surrounding every flight. Inspired by Flite Test's cool foamy designs and the laid-back way they approached them, I started designing some of my own planes and found that I really enjoyed it. I also started studying flight physics and aerodynamics to learn how to design better ones. I now plan to study aerospace engineering in college and also plan to pursue my private pilot certificate next year (I'm 16 now). So that's how FT has impacted me, and I think the same effects were felt throughout much of the hobby. Flite Test really is a revolutionary group of people, and we owe a lot to their work.
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mudman1959 on December 22, 2015

Sounds like to me you know what you want. Glad to see that there is some of the Younger generation taking a interest in aviation. Just remember this... Wings Up, Wheels Down and you will be good... Mudman1959
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ericemn on December 21, 2015

I just tuned 61 a couple of weeks ago, (not sure how that happened), and built a balsa plane from a kit about 30 years ago. Had a local flyer take it for its maiden flight at the local flying field. I decided to fly it once myself before winter socked me in. After a few patterns with a scary moment in practicing landing, I decided to fly a wide pattern practicing slow flight, and stalled in a turn and that was it, re-kitted. I've always wanted to learn to fly and become a pilot, studying all about flying from books and articles, Unfortunately flying never got high enough on the priority list to spend the money for lessons.. Last year I stumbled on the Flite Test web site, and I was smitten. First I built a Storch, but wasn't happy as the fuse was not straight. Built a second one, and had a local RC club trainer take it up for a maiden, then I flew it after that with no problems. The instructor like the plane so much that he asked me to build one for him, which I did in exchange for his help. I next built the Spitfire, wow, what a sweet airplane. I added landing gear based on the Mustang plans. I flew the maiden flight myself, and it was amazing, what a wonderful flyer.
http://1drv.ms/1OiQJyT

Build a Tiny Trainer that had a malfunctioning motor, and have added floats for snow, and water next year. Waiting for a nice day to re-maiden that one.
http://1drv.ms/1Joy0uq

I've built a Mini Scout, and the Swappable Messerschmitt Bf109 by ultramicrobe, that is just about finished:
http://1drv.ms/1OiQOm9

Also, I have just cut out the pieces for the Mini Sportster last night. I am hooked on building, and having so much fun!

I got an extra Turnigy TGY-i6 transmitter (great, inexpensive transmitter) and buddy cable, and am planning on teaching my grandkids about flight as a couple of them are very interested! (PASS IT ON) Probably hook their dad too!

Thank you Flite Test for making this possible... :-)
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mudman1959 on December 21, 2015

Great to hear your having fun... I also have the mini Sportster and somehow a mini P51 found it's way onto my work bench... Mudman1959
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Freddef on December 21, 2015

Without Flitetest I wouldn't even been in this hobby. They made a very expensive hobby affordable and attractive.

Though my first plane this summer, after many hours of Flitetest viewing, was a Hubsan SpyHawk RTR, wreaked beyond repair three times, flying horribly (aka me stering ;-) ), the most fun one was my "IKEA Guinea". A mini-Guinea made out of a large IKEA book shelf packaging carton, since getting one from US was prohibitively expensive and local boards to thick and heavy. Also made an FT Speedster out of the rest of the IKEA carton.

Unfortunately they both got to heavy, needing a double resp single C Power Pack with 3S/11.1V and my Hubsan receiver is made for exclusively 2S/7.4V, a problem not yet solved. Yepp, I am reusing my Hubsan radio system - made a conversion kit to use with ordinary servos to the two extra receivers I got with the reserve bodies. But the Guinea has some nice glide slope until she reaches stall speed, then it's right wing-over into the ground.
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Good to see you have found a substitute for the Dollar Tree (Adams Foam Board) where you live. I have seen someone also using the corrugated plastic sign board to build with, strong but yet still lite.... Mudman1959
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Shawn95GT on December 21, 2015

FT has got me in the air again after a long hiatus. Things have changed a LOT since I was building up balsa planes with FM radios.

After watching the original F22 video I started figuring out how all of the electronics worked (ESC with BEC is way cool) and started collecting parts.

I scratch built a F22 tweaking the plans to fit materials I could source locally and had a blast. I've scratch built several FT designs from the free tiled plans as well as some stuff from RC Groups.

I'm now getting into multi-rotor and I'm still eager to watch the FT videos as they post on Mon / Wed.

Thanks guys!
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I have looked at the Multi Rotors and have tried flying them... Not sure I am cut out for how quick they are. Die hard Planker here so I think I will stick with the Fixed Wing... Mudman1959
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flightofphx1 on December 21, 2015

I crashed and burned a cox .049 powered foamy on its maiden when I was 12. That was 30 years ago. Flitetest AND flight sims are what got me back in the saddle.
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Lots of changes in 30 years... 30 years ago I was flying a Craft Air Scout 15 with a Super Tiger 20 on it controlled by a Futaba 4 channel Fm Radio. Nowadays I fly the Spektrum DX6 and all electric... Better equipment and a whole lot funner!
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So far all of the comments have been positive towards FT and the impact they have had on people. Not a Surprise... Keep the comments coming, good or bad. Just remember this... Keep Building and Flying. Live to Fly... Fly to Live!
Mudman1959
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Ron DuBray on December 22, 2015

FT got me back into building and flying RC after 30 years off. before spending months building a kit only to have it break and fall out of the sky never to fly again got to be to much for me, Now with foam board I have had 3 crashes and have had the plane back in the air faster then it took to do the build to start with. With out the videos and foam board plans I would have never started flying again.
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Another satisfied Customer... Glad to hear this! Welcome back to the air.
Mudman1959
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ftwingnut on December 22, 2015

As I'm reading all these stories about guys who flew 20 or 30 years ago, but hung it up because of cost/complexity/fear of crashing/etc. I feel like I am reading my own story. My dad flew both RC and full size aircraft, and that is what fueled my love of aviation. I got into it more in my early twenties and loved building with balsa and monokote, but hated accidentally re-kitting the planes. I got married and had kids and the hobby took a back seat. One day I was you-tubing around, and came across these guys calling themselves FliteTest. This was in the early years, shortly after Josh and Josh started hosting the show. I fell in love not only with the concept of building with foamboard, but with their fun, laid-back style of flying. I have been hooked ever since, and have had quite a fleet of planes over the last several years. It has also allowed me to share the hobby with my sons, and my oldest two love to fly as well, building FT Mustangs and Spitfires so they can have mock combats.

Life is good, thanks to the entire FT crew, and FliteFest is the annual celebration of that!

Mudman, I see you are located just north of Climax Michigan. You are just a stones-throw away from me, well, if you can throw a stone about 60 miles. I live just East of Benton Harbor and mostly fly my planes on my small 10 acre farm. We should get together next summer and have a fly-in.

FTWingnut

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FTWingnut... I will be flying this next summer in Saranac for the CIFI Fly In. It's over the 4th of July weekend but anything is possible. Glad to see I am not alone... My Dad was also a Pilot and I grew up around planes. After he died I went to the Antique Aircraft Association in Ottumwa Iowa tracing some of his adventures and talked with the owner there. He had a lot of stories about my Dad. I was able to get my Dad's lifetime membership transferred to me. I have been working in aviation now going on 30 years. Never got my real Pilots License but have flown quite a bit with other pilots. The Red plane in the third photo is the RC Replica of my Dad's last plane he owned. Love airplanes and always will I guess... We will talk again. Mudman1959
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mudman1959 on December 30, 2015

Well so far 3160+ views and only a handful of remarks.... Good or Bad, Hopefully all good, lets hear your comments please.
Mudman1959
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Ron B on January 9, 2016

i also flew balsa and fm over 42 yrs ago and got out because life got in the way. I got hurt and forced to retire and found FT one day and how much cheaper it was to fly now than it was then. I spent about 3 months on the PC day and night checking out the new build methods and found that on my limited budget I could still fly. I have been building and flying now for 2 yrs. and could never have gotten back into the hobby if it had not been for FT. I can build faster than before and repair faster also. I like flying more than building so I can get in the air quicker and spend more time flying. It also gets me out of the house and out from underfoot of my wife (I was an over the road truck driver and she still isn't used to me being home all the time). i have met a number of others interested in flying and have helped them to get started as well as meeting people who were already flying so I have made a number of friends that I wouldn't have if it were not for this hobby.
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mudman1959 on January 12, 2016

Ron... RC is definitely therapeutic! My Youngest Son came back from Afghanistan suffering from physical and metal injuries. With some help from some friends he was able to get back into RC. It has been more than two years now and he is doing much better. I understand about the the limited budget... My Wife limits me all of the time.... So yes printing the FT plans and cutting the planes out by hand is a whole lot cheaper and I really do not mind. Only problem right now is all of my planes and stuff are out in my shed and it's Winter here and my shed has no heat. So I dream of Summer and fly on my RC simulator. Welcome back to RC!
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FoamTest on April 13, 2016

I started into the hobby of RC when I was 6-7 years old flying the cheap helicopters from toy stores, this is before they had aluminium frames and gyros. And i thought it was the greatest thing ever and wanted to get into flying planes instead of helis, but at the time they were way too expensive. When I was 11 I got my stepdad into the hobby, he bought a Dx-8 and he started making foam board planes from Flite test. At the time I thought that he was designing his own models and I was really impressed. Then I searched up adams foam board on youtube, found flite test and then I started making models out of the stuff. About a month went on before I figured out that my stepdad wasn't making his own designs when we both built deltas on the same night. That's when I found out that we both knew about flite test. After this I built a Mini Guinea and it flew amazing. Then on Christmas i got a FT Mustang and i have yet to fly it (I can't wait!) I would have never got into the hobby of RC planes with out flite test.
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loftbuckley@gmail.com on July 3, 2016

The inexpensive and quickly built flite test models take the stress out of flying!

I love my new mini mustang. I fly it behind the house, and land it in the 3ft. High grass.

Some models are easily scratch built, the Bloodies, for example. The mustang a bit trickier, I bought the 18 dollar kit.

Although I like balsa builds, I just crash too much.
Flite test is the best thing that happened to this hobby. And the guys are are all very entertaining characters!
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