As a child I dreamed of flying RC airplanes. Of course, the hobby was prohibitively expensive and could only be done at certain flying fields, and you needed gasoling engines and dangerous fuel and all kinds of expertise.
While browsing around the internet one day a few months ago I found that things have changed. Battery and electric technology have improved and foam construction have put this hobby within my reach.
So, my kid and I bought an “Accipiter Badius.” Say that 10 times. Doesn’t that sound cool. This complete model RC plane came a few days later and the cost was like $72!!
http://www.raidentech.com/onsaye3acbar.html
We put it together and Goddamn! This thing could fly! We spent ten bucks for an extra battery and had a system worked out. I would launch the plane and fly it really high and hand the controller over to my five year old daughter who would then fly it around for 8-10 minutes until either the battery wore out or her aerobatics brought it too close to the ground.
My five year old girl could loop that sucker!
Then, at my encouragement, from 500-600 feet up, she nose-dive intending to pull a high speed loop. As she pulled up the wings shattered from the stress and the Accipiter Badius became a lawn dart. My daughter told Mommy that the plane “'Sploded!”
So, we bought one of these:
http://www.redrockethobbies.com/product.asp?ProductID=6866
Which is ok, but not too exciting.
So then we got this:
http://www.redrockethobbies.com/product.asp?ProductID=6739
Holy crap! This thing flies at 50 mph, can fly straight up, loop, roll, all that with ease (it’s too much for my daughter)
The best thing is, that I hit a tree at full throttle and 'Sploded it into 6 different pieces. If you buy the foam safe glue, you can put it together better than new and be flying 20 minutes later.
I’ve 'Sploded the f-27 five or six times so it’s mostly glue and tape, but endlessly fun. We have the bomb drop kit for the slow-flyer and that’s a blast. We try to bomb the cows next door.
Bonk!
MOOOOOOO!
Then we laugh about it for hours.
“Hey Vern, what’s the matter with the cows?”
“I don’t know Billy. They act all worried and they won’t stop looking up.”
Little do they know we’ve been strafing the herd.
Then of course I read on some forums about how deep this hobby is, and my daughter and I are currently building a flying model from a kit rather than a ready-to-fly sort of deal I’ve described so far.
We’re just learning, and my daughter is only five so we’ve had some problems in the building (I’ve had to undue an evening of her work and redo it, correctly more than once,) but we’re having a blast.
This hobby has really come around. The planes are cheap and easy and reliable and durable.
What fun!
