Baron's Hobbies - Online Hobby Magazine

Getting Into FPV- A Few Links to Check Out

aaronredbaron — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:16:06 +0000

I have had a lot of people asking me where they can find more information about flying FPV, so I decided to compile a short list of places you should check out if you want to get into the hobby. There are many more sources out there, but these are some of my top sources of information and products for FPV.

Shops
www.hobbywireless.com
www.readymaderc.com
www.rangevideo.com
www.nghobbies.com
www.dpcav.com

Forums/Advice
www.fpv-community.com -Forum dedicated soley to RC First Person Video
www.rcexplorer.se – Tons of good advice on building antennas, tuning, hacking, etc
www.rc-cam.com - The original! Still has tons of good advice for today’s stuff. Has plans to build your own patch antenna, the “goof proof” (GP) patch.

Integrating Video and Control Together- Eagle Tree Systems Announces the Eagle Link

aaronredbaron — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:33:14 +0000

First person video flyers have always had to deal with a rat’s nest of wiring when building a model. Integrating a Camera and video transmitter in such a way that it won’t interfere with your control system while also providing clear video can be enough of a challenge. When you add an On Screen Display (OSD) with its associated GPS receiver, current sensor, and etc etc, it can become a huge stumbling block to integrate all the wiring in a organized fashion. Eagle Tree Systems announced the upcomming release of their new Eagle Link to address theses issues.

Full Function Control and Video All In One

Using the trainer cord plug from most common radios, the Eagle Link Ground Video/Audio/RC Transceiver offers up to 12 channels of control while also picking up the video signal from the airborne Eagle Link Transceiver. The unit will offer full integration with the Eagle Tree OSDpro and Eagle Eyes base station; together creating a complete, integrated system for FPV. Frequencies are going to be on 900 mHz and 5.8gHz, meaning users will have to obtain a proper FCC amatuer (HAM) licence for use.

For more information there is an ongoing thread about the products development here

Click here to see the Eagle Tree Systems website

FPVicious- Purpose Built FPV Parkflyer

aaronredbaron — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:19:27 +0000

FPVicious is the newest member of the Simplicious family, designed by Scotty Bouck Click here to see the article on the Simplicious. Specifically intended for First Person Video flying, FPVicious is set up with a pusher motor to keep the prop out of view, and a simple pan only configuration on the camera. Its meant to provide a slow speed, stable platform to cruise around with under first person control, but still provide plenty of aerobatic capability. Despite its odd flat airfoil sporting flat surfaces and angular leading edge, FPVicious is slows down with good control and does very well inverted.

All of the construction on FPVicious is 3mm Depron. It has top and bottom sheeting, with a vertical spar and a little tape in critical areas. Its all up weight ready to fly with battery is 15 ounces. For this prototype experiment we used a Purple Peril little screamer outrunner motor swinging a 6×4 prop. Powered by a 3 cell 1300mAh LiPo pack running through a 25 amp speed control, the flight time is well over 15 minutes. The video gear is a CX-161 camera and a 2.4gHz video link, all powered at 5 volts through the receiver. Although Pan and tilt for the camera is nice, Pan alone seems to be sufficient. I used an HS-81 servo modified to provide more than stock travel for pan, and HS-56 servos for the elevons.

FPVicious is capable of low and slow flying, stable inverted flight and more, but perhaps the most fun manuever is the full up elevator parachute decent. Set up with the proper amount of elevator travel to prevent a full stall, FPVicious will hold its nose up high without dropping a wingtip and just sinks nearly straight down at a moderately slow speed. If you have a soft landing zone, its not impractical to do the decent all the way to the ground.

Scotty is working on getting the plans available in PDF format if anyone is interested in building one. Construction is pretty simple, you could build one in a few evenings without much trouble. Email Scotty at GTRScottyRC@gmail.com if you want to build one, he is asking $5 for the PDF plans.

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Perfect Day For Flying At the Beach

aaronredbaron — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:33:41 +0000

On the spur of the moment my Fiance and I threw our stuff and the dog in the car and headed to the Oregon Coast, the day was simply too good to miss! When we arrived, we were treated to 60 degree weather and a mild breeze. I set about getting my ground station assembled, and proceeded to put in some spectacular flights. Not only was the scenery fantastic, but my video reception was super crisp. I was able to go out past 2000 feet (about as far as you can see it line of site) with minimal video breakup.

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Stay tuned, I’m excited to be introducing a scratch built depron flying wing purpose designed for FPV.

Early Video Of Thunder Tiger Mini Titan E325 V2

aaronredbaron — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:22:19 +0000

Thunder Tiger pilots everywhere are excited about the release of the new Mini Titan E325 V2. With many of the parts being compatible with the original Mini Titan, expect to see a lot of Mini Titans being dusted off and upgraded. With a new carbon fiber frame design and shaft drive tail, the updated version should a great option in today’s hotly contested 450 market. Take a look at this early video out of Asia showing the Mini Titan begin put through its paces. Internet rumors indicate the release to be mid to late March 2010, but there is no official word yet from Thunder Tiger.

Click here for an older article with more information on the new 450 and Thunder Tiger’s new 50 nitro, the X50.

FAA Looking To Clamp Down Heavily On Model Aircraft

aaronredbaron — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:51:35 +0000

Have you read the FAA recommendation for sUAS (small unmanned aerial systems) from April 1, 2009? If you like model airplanes you might want to, because the US government is trying to restrict your rights as a modeler. Please click here to read it, and read it thoroughly. While we as modelers have always had some restrictions, never have we faced such a huge clamp down from the federal government.

This is how the government defines us.

“Model Aircraft:

A sUAS used by hobbyists and flown within visual line-of-sight under direct control from the pilot, which can navigate the airspace, and which is manufactured or assembled, and operated for the purposes of sport, recreation and/or competition.

Visual Line-of-Sight:

Unaided (corrective lenses and/or sunglasses exempted) visual contactwith aircraft sufficient to be able to maintain operational control of the aircraft, know its location, and be able to scan the airspace in which it is operating to decisively see and avoid other air traffic or objects…

Model Aircraft are limited to unaided visual line-of-sight operations. The Model Aircraft pilot must be able to see the aircraft throughout the entire flight well enough to maintain control, know its location, and watch the airspace it is operating in for other air traffic. Unaided visual line-of-sight does not preclude the use of prescribed corrective lenses.

(This means the Government wants to ban the very concept of FPV flying under any circumstance!!!)

“Model Aircraft shall not use turbine-powered engines (e.g., turbo-fan, turbo-jet) as a propulsion source.”

(Since when did the government decide to BAN ALL TURBINES, and based on what???)

“Model Aircraft cannot be operated at airspeeds which exceed 100 mph (87 knots).”

(Um, excuse me? The US government wants to put a 100 MPH speed limit on ALL MODEL AIRCRAFT?????)

There is a lot more in this document, and no one who enjoys flying models should take this lightly. Keep an eye on the AMA website (click here) for the latest updates, they are batting for us. If there has ever been a time to support the AMA, now is it! Even if you don’t fly at a club field or think you need their insurance, they are the only ones standing up for our rights at a federal level. If this recommendation takes the leap to become policy, we all need to start sending letters to our congressmen (and women).

GET OFF MY BACK BIG BROTHER!!!

aircraft sufficient to be able to maintain operational control of the aircraft, know its location, and be able to scan the airspace in which it is operating to decisively see and avoid other air traffic or objects….contact withUnaided (corrective lenses and/or sunglasses exempted) visual

(This means they want to ban the very idea of FPV flying!)

FPV With A Parkzone Stryker

aaronredbaron — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:15:28 +0000

The Parkzone Stryker has been around now for over 5 years. Originally just released as a low power RTF (ready to fly) model with a brushed motor and NiMh batteries, hobbyist quickly started snatching up the replacement parts for the bare airframe and outfitting them with much more power. I was one of them and beat the living daylights out of mine in full contact combat with other flying buddies. It didn’t take Parkzone long to catch up, the latest version of the Stryker, the F-27c, sits on store shelves with a brushless motor and LiPo batteries, and can be purchased either with full radio gear as an RTF (Ready To Fly), or a PNP version (Plug and Play). My Stryker started life at the beginning of the craze about 5 years ago, and after collecting dust for the last 3 years, it has been assign a new mission, FPV! (First Person Video)

Its hard to believe I let my poor Stryker sit and rot for so long with so much potential for FPV flight. As a combat veteran, my Stryker had a hard life and wasn’t treated gently, but despite its rough character, it flies excellent! For the most part the Stryker flies like other flying wings; its fast, aerobatic, and tracks very nicely. Slow it down, however, and the Stryker stands out in the crowd. Where as most flying wings don’t like to slow down and are prone to tip stalling, the F-27 can be flown in a high alpha (nose high) attitude to bleed off airspeed without dropping a wingtip (similar to the way the Space Shuttle glides). This slow speed ability is tremendously helpful for flying from the model’s perspective. Combined with the Stryker’s other great flying qualities and its low cost of easily available replacement parts, it would be tough to do much better! Outfitted with an Eagle Tree Systems OSDpro, my Stryker is proving to be a rugged, well suited model for FPV.

Stay tuned for an in depth analysis on my Stryker’s FPV setup.

Northwest Model Hobby Expo 2010

aaronredbaron — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:06:58 +0000

Monroe, Washington- There is no question the trade show portion of the event this year seemed to be less active than in years past, but the swap meet continues to grow in popularity. There were lots of deals to be had in the swap meet, the indoor flying was active with 3D foamies, helicopters and other slow flyers, and it was a generally good time. Custom Electronics was celebrating their 25th anniversary of business at the show, they were the first to sell aftermarket servos at a trade show. Eagle Tree Systems was present and sharing their lattest data logging equipment, including their OSD (on screen display) systems. Check back soon for an article on setting these systems up, and we’ll also be bringing you an in depth look at their new Eagle Eyes ground station and OSDpro. The Eagle Eyes ground station will offer diversity cicuitry for the Video signal, four video outputs, pan and tilt control for an antenna tracker (when combined with a OSDpro and GPS on the model), and telemetry from the model’s OSD sensors output on USB for your laptop. It should be exciting!

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Adding an On Screen Display for FPV

aaronredbaron — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:13:56 +0000

One of the recent advancements in the world of FPV (First Person Video) flying is the widespread availability of OSD (On Screen Display) systems. With a surprising variety on the market, hobbyist have a wide range of options from a simple display of battery voltage to a complete HUD (Heads Up Display) with return to home autopilot capabilities integrated. While adding a complex OSD system is hardly turn key, the final result can be very rewarding.

Features

OSD systems take input from a variety of sensors and super-impose graphics on your video signal to give you “instruments.” Adding a current sensor to an electric powered model gives the operator an accurate indication of the batteries health and remaining capacity. RSSI (resonant signal strength indicator) readings can offer a percentage value to indicate the signal strength of the RC system. Temperature, RPM, and a second battery voltage indicator can often be added as well giving the pilot a good information about flight time and battery health. GPS is a popular addition to an OSD. With a GPS receiver on-board, the model locks a home position before launch, and then provides directional aid during the flight to guide you home. GPS information can also provide speed and altitude readings, but these readings are not ideal. For an accurate indication of the model’s speed and altitude, some OSDs offer barometric pressure sensors; static pressure changes provide altitude readings, or they can be configured with a pitot tube for airspeed. A few OSDs even use a thermopile sensor to provide an horizon indicator.

Autopilots and Antenna Trackers

With all of these sensors on board, its only natural these systems began to offer return to home autopilots. Using the thermopile sensors to keep the model level, and GPS information to provide altitude and heading, a lost link with a long range FPV plane doesn’t have to mean it flies away. Although they must be properly configured, adding an OSD with a RTH (return to home) feature can help prevent lost models. Another feature becoming more popular is using GPS information on the ground to run pan and tilt servos for an antenna tracker. Some OSDs work in concert with a ground based antenna tracker and more are being developed to use them. With an antenna tracker you can use a higher gain direction antenna on your video receiver and get much better video signal.

Some flyers prefer to fly with an unobstructed, uncluttered view without the complexity of an OSD, but OSDs don’t have to be horribly distracting. If you want a complicated setup with all the bells and whistles, the technology is available at reasonable prices to satiate your cravings. Whether you just want simple battery data or a full F-16 simulated cockpit, the FPV community is evolving to meet your needs.

Click here to take a look at a fantastic spread sheet comparing all the OSDs on the market. Compiled by Daniel Wee

The following video uses the RVOSD from RangeVideo. This is version 2 with a 5hz GPS. New V3 RVOSDs come with a 10 hz GPS, providing more accurate altitude and speed data. This RVOSD is not set up with thermopile sensors, and RTH functions are not available for helicopters.

FPV Flyer Ventures Into Restricted Airspace and Gets Busted

aaronredbaron — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:26:42 +0000

Flying a model by First Person Video (FPV) can lots of fun, but its critical to pay attention to where you are operating, and do your best to operate like any other model aircraft. All model fliers, including FPV fliers, are subject to FAA regulation. AC 91-57 outlines the legal definition of a model airplane. While using AC 91-57 for any commercial use is forbidden, we are able to fly a model from the video link for a hobby as long as it complies with AC 91-57. This means staying under the 400 foot altitude limit and out of restricted airspace. You cannot fly any model within 3 miles of an airport without first contacting the control tower, and many larger airports have tighter restrictions. The following YouTube video shows an RCer getting a little too brazen by flying around Newport Beach, California. With a low lux camera ( can see in very little light) this pilot flew around Newport Beach at night at altitudes up over 400 ft. He may have been caught anyway flying within 5 miles of the Class C restricted airspace around John Wayne International airport, but when he popped up over 400 feet he really caught their attention. Within a few minutes, a police helicopter had identified his model and was in search of their base station. Fortunately for everyone involved, there were no foul intentions, the police told them not to fly in restricted airspace anymore, and the issue wasn’t blown out of proportion. It does, however, serve as a reminder that all RC models, not just FPV models, must be treated with a degree of respect. When you put a model up in the air, its up to you, the pilot, to know the regulations and follow them, or you could be subject to significant fines or possibly even a charge of negligence if you put people in danger. While its never recommended to fly above 400 feet, flying at night with a model lit up for navigation within a Class C restricted airspace is much more likely to draw attention than most RC situations.

Thunder Tiger Gearing Up To Release New Helis

aaronredbaron — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:48:58 +0000

Thunder Tiger has long been a major player in the radio control helicopter scene. With an entirely new 50 sized heli, and an all new version of the well received Mini Titan, Thunder Tiger means business! TT’s new 50 is billed the X50, and its a complete departure from the Raptor family. While the newest version of the 50 sized Raptor, the Raptor 50 Titan SE, is a very capable heli, its still based on the same plastic fram design and mechanical rotor head mixing as Thunder Tiger’s original Raptor 30 V1. The X50 has a stacked carbon fiber frame, CCPM rotor head control, an underslung flybar, and improved features over older TT models from the clutch stack to the landing gear.

The Mini Titan V2 is a fully featured high performance 450 sized electric based on the already nice Mini Titan. It appears to use the same metal head and tail from the SE version, and includes a torque tube tail drive system and a stacked carbon fiber frame. A sleek new canopy covers up the mechanics, and if the original Mini Titan SE is any indication of how nice this heli will fly, it should be a real winner!

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Banana Hobby Bringing Out More New Jets Frequently

aaronredbaron — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:50:02 +0000

Banana Hobby had a huge presence at the 2010 AMA convention in Ontario, California. A few years ago when I first met Pete Young, lead R&D pilot for Banana Hobby, I was living in the LA area and Banana Hobby was just getting off the ground. At the time, Pete only had a few models to test, but it seemed like there was always something new, and the quality was steadily improving. After I moved away I occasionally looked at the Banana Hobby website, and liked what I saw, but I didn’t realize how much they had grown until I saw Pete’s booth at the trade show. Taking up nearly one entire side of an isle, Banana Hobby had one of the busiest booths at the show all weekend. While they are offering a variety of models from helis to gliders, manyof their latest offerings are ducted fans. The lineup is impressive, with impressive features to match. Beginning with several smaller models to be released in February, you can get into a jet at Banana for under $100 ready to fly! Stepping up there are some great looking models, most of them with retractable landing gear, and all of them looking incredibly well detailed for a foam airframe. I have included some pictures here from the Banana Booth at the AMA show, be sure to check out their website for more information!

click here to see Banana Hobby’s website

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Tsunami Build Project Gets a Motor and a Pilot

aaronredbaron — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:00:03 +0000

At the 2010 AMA convention in Ontario, California I took some time to look for components I need for my Tsunami long term build project. With the fuselage nearing completion, I was looking for a few items to proceed with construction. I was not able to find suitable retractable landing gear, yet. There are several great options for electric retracts looming for release, but I was asked to keep details zipped by both sources. The wing is going to wait until I acquire a set of retractable landing gear, so I can make design changes from the start to accommodate them. I was, however, able to find a great motor option, and a fantastic looking pilot that is intended for RC jets.

Tsunami plus Scorpion should equal good times

Scorpion motors from Innov8tive Designs have gone from a few small offerings a few years ago to one of the major players in electric RC motors. With a wide selection to choose from and the man behind the scenes, owner Lucian Miller, at the trade show to speak with directly, I decided to take the plunge and go with a Scorpion S-4020-8 to power the Tsunami. The 4020 series is actually 48.7 mm in diameter (the 40 refers to the stator diameter), which is larger than I had intended to go, but Lucian assured me the S-4020-8 would be a great option for my 40 sized nitro power plane electric conversion. Innov8tive also offers the 4020 series in 10,12, 14, and 16 turn versions which provides a wide range of options for running different voltages and/or larger propellers. Using a motor calculator made expressly for the Scorpion motors, I was able to play with the same tool Lucian used to help me select the motor in the first place. (click here to go to the Scorpion motor calculator). The 8 turn motor is 790 kV, so with a 6 cell LiPo pack I should see about 100 mph with a 10×6 propeller spinning over 17,000 RPM. My concerns about the motor fitting my airframe were justified, but it just squeaked in there and I’m only going to have to make minor adjustments to the airframe to mount the motor.

Click here to see the Innov8tive web page for the S-4020-8 motor

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Made For RC Jets

I wasn’t really in the market for a pilot figure for the Tsunami, but the RC Jets Direct booth caught my eye with their incredible turbine powered models. While the prices seem reasonable for what they are, the Jets are simply way out of my price range. But wait, whats this? They sell a pilot helmet meant to fit their super accurate 1/7 scale pilots (They even make a George W. Bush pilot so accurate you can’t help but laugh), it comes on an unpainted pilot bust, and its in my price range! Their normal retail price is $30. While it would be very cool to someday have a real turbine powered model, I am excited to have this cool little jet accesory on my simple little balsawood prop job.

Click here to see the RC Jets Direct website

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AMA Show 2010- A Snapshot Of The Hobby Industry

aaronredbaron — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:00:38 +0000

Ontario, California- The Academy of Model Aeronautics hosts their annual trade show to give vendors chance to show their latest products, and I was there to get a look at all the goodies coming out for you, my readers. I have tons of great information from the show, look forward to seeing some feature articles about these exciting companies and products in the coming weeks. We were treated this year to several remarkable speakers this year who were all modelers in their youths, and grew up to become icons in the aviation industry. I had the incredible fortune of meeting Burt Rutan, a man who has more than made an impact on modern aviation, and that alone made my weekend.

I apologize for the delay in this content. I always try to keep this website as fresh as possible, but I have been dealing with a private family issue since I returned home from the AMA show in California. Thank you for your patience, please continue to look here for the latest in hobby news.

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Revolutionary Quadcopter Controlled From Your iPhone

aaronredbaron — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:26:52 +0000

Launched at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas on Jan 5, 2010, wireless company Parrot introduced an amazing new product. While information is very limited right now, here’s what we know. The AR Drone is a quadcopter with many autonomous features such as auto landings and automatic altitude control. Control is via 802.11b, and the included software uses inertial sensors, ultrasound sensors and a vertical video camera on the model for stability augmentation. The ultrasound sensors provide precise vertical stabilization at altitudes up to 6 meters off the ground, and the vertical video camera (64 degree field of view, with 60 fps) provides the on board flight computer with the information it needs to maintain precise speed control and static stability, even in moderate wind conditions. It features an on-board CMOS camera with a 92 degree field of view which encodes and streams the 640×480 video onto the iPhone at 15 fps. All control is managed with the iPhone’s built-in motion sensors and touch screen interface, simply tilt your iPhone (or iTouch) and the craft responds likewise.

While all of the above is truly remarkable and allows out of the box FPV (first person video) flight by virtually any beginner, its really only the tip of the iceberg with this remarkable new product. With a tag line of “When video games become reality” this company is looking to do much more with the AR Drone than just bring an FPV model to the masses, they want to bridge the gap with the video game community. With the AR Drone, not only is FPV flight done through the iPhone, but a video game is integrated in. Called Augmented Reality (that’s where they get the AR in the name) the software super-imposes a video game over the real video image, allowing you to fire imaginary machine guns and missiles at your adversary. Capable of playing alone against the computer, or with a friend over a Wi-Fi network, this system is unlike anything ever seen in the hobby world or video game industry. This product is truly remarkable; I along with every other tech geek or hobby nerd is salivating waiting for its release!

Click here to see Parrots website

Click here to go to Parrots fanpage on Facebook

Futaba S Bus Technology; Like USB For Your Model

aaronredbaron — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:07:56 +0000

Futaba usually does not talk about new products until they are nearly ready for market. The Asian market often receives the first line of new technology out of this established Japanese manufacturer, and Futaba’s new S Bus technology is following that same trend. While no word is available about when we might see these systems in the US, the Asian magazine RCTech got their hands on one of the new R6108 SB Futaba receivers, and along with a Diagram Futaba Released in Japanese, was able to confirm the function of the S Bus system. USB (universal serial bus) connections allow multiple peripherals to connect to your computer through a single USB port; in a similar fashion Futaba’s S Bus allows a group of servos to function independently when ganged together on a single servo connector. Special Futaba servos (Futaba’s yet to be released PG series with an SB code in the name) will be used, and programmed through a PC, each servo is assigned a function. Using this configuration, a single signal wire carries the entire PPM data stream for all the channels. Each servo will only respond to is assigned function, even though they can all be ganged together with the signal wires in parallel.

This could greatly simplify things like a complicated wing with multiple servos. With Futaba’s S Bus technology on board, all of the servos on the wing could be ganged on one signal wire, meaning a single servo connector could be used for the whole wing (assuming adequate power can be delivered). S Bus technology will also allow modelers to deliver power directly to the power bus of the servos with a separate power source, preventing demanding setups from relying on the receiver’s power bus. For helicopter pilots getting into the latest flybarless technology, the Futaba S Bus technology will allow the receiver to connect with a flybarless stability system with a single servo connector, simplifying setup dramatically. While S Bus technology is sophisticated and will likely come with a matching hefty price tag, its exciting to see advanced technology competing in the market. With the new line of Mikado V-Bars already able to accept a signal directly from a Spektrum sattelite reciever, Futaba is playing their cards that incoperating the serial bus concept right into their recievers will be the ticket.

PremierRC; Thrusting Kites Into The World Of Radio Control

aaronredbaron — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:43:40 +0000

Combining the best of the Kite world with the latest RC technology, Premier Kites cut the tethers for their new division, PremierRC. Using a Patent Pending Gimbaled Thrust System which is interchangeable between their three RC offerings, Premier RC has developed radio controlled kites called Vector Controlled Kites which have little resemblance to conventional aircraft. Despite the lack of any moveable control surfaces, the kites are quite maneuverable with their 2 axis gimbled thruster. While speed isn’t exactly their forte, RC kites offer slow speed control that is truly remarkable!

RC Kites differ from conventional RC aircraft in many ways; here are some of the highlights

Vector control does not rely on airspeed, virtually eliminating over-control situations. The aircraft can be fully stalled and the pilot retains complete control.
Kites tend to be slow, large and durable. Combining vectored thrust with such an airframe allows the control system to work to its full potential.
PremierRC Kites can be broken down for easy transportation, much like their tethered cousins.

PremierRC has launched the product line with three offerings, the aerobatic “Pyramid Racer”, the “V-Wing Box” and the graceful “Canard” (shown in the picture above) that sports an immense 7 ½ foot wingspan. PremierRC offers the kites as complete “Ready to Fly” packages with 2.4 GHz transmitter/receiver/charger, as well as “Almost Ready to Fly” packages that are ready for the hobbyist’s transmitter of choice. Airframes without any power system or radio can be purchased as “Vector Ready.” Once you have one of the Vector Powered Kites, the interchangeable power system can be swapped for any of their airframes. Entirely unique, with great performance and plans to release more “Vector Ready” kites in the near future, it seems PremierRC has a winning combination on their hands.

Please click here to see PremierRC’s website

Help, I’m Being Plane-napped!!!

aaronredbaron — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:50:27 +0000

In one of the best videos I’ve seen to date from on board a model, the only reason this airplane was returned to its rightful owner was the airplane’s onboard camera. When YouTube user JoeVSvolcano had radio trouble with his little foam easystar airplane, the model went down. Although the model did have a camera on board, it was only recording and was not transmitting a video signal back to the ground, this camera was just going for a ride. The model kept recording its journey as two wonderful young examples of our society picked the model up and… proceeded to talk about how they could sell it on eBay. The conversation goes on until one kid realizes there is a camra on board and they are being recorded, at which point the kids start backpeddling and head out looking for its rightful owner. One YouTube comment posted described it as “… situational ethics- once they realized they were on video they turned very helpful…” This video clearly proves it doesn’t take the best quality if you have the right content!

Incredible Buy- Under $40 For a Quality 450 Heli!

aaronredbaron — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:56:26 +0000

Although there is no guarantee how long this deal will last, there is an amazing price right now on Hobby People’s website for the Dragonus II 450. Normally priced at $120, the all plastic Dragonus II is on sale (at the time this article was written) for $39.99! The Dragonus is a nice little helicopter that uses industry standard for a 450; 325mm rotor blades, a 3500kv motor, 3 micro servos in a ccpm configuration, and a 3s 2100 mAh LiPo (not included in kit). Despite these commonalities with other 450’s, the Dragonus offer a unique, aggressive appearance, and a rotor head with lots of ratio options to fine tune it from mild to wild. While metal upgrade parts are popular, the Dragonus II is actually a very solid, capable little heli in its stock configuration. For any modeler who would like a nice 450 heli that can be fine tuned and doesn’t follow industry trends, you can’t go wrong with this deal!

Click here to see the Hobby People website for more information.

FlyCamOne2 To Go Around The World!

aaronredbaron — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:21:41 +0000

Just because we can, a group of modelers from around the world are compiling video from a single video camera. A FlyCamOne2 video camera will begin its journey in Australia, and make its way from one hobbyist to the next. I have volunteered to provide a view from my neck of the woods, the Pacific Northwest, and I’m looking forward to sharing my corner of the world with the rest of the hobby community. The project is a invnetive way to spread the word about the Mongrel Gear website, which is an Australian site geared around onboard video cameras. Are you an experienced RC flyer, and do you have an exciting corner of the world that should be included?

Please click here for more information and to submit a request to join the fun!