Radio Control Airplanes
This is the second generation "Diamond". 48 inch wingspan - 800 square inches. 3 lbs 10 ounces with Thunder Tiger .46 and single main wheel (this saves 3 ounces).
This is my own design I call "The Diamond". It is a .40 sized profile Fun Fly plane constructed of balsa and styrofoam. Weighs 3 lbs 10 ounces ready-to-fly with fuel. At 700 square inches of wing area, it has a very light wing loading. I have published a "build" thread here: http://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/fg248/23984-diamond-funfly-profile-40-glow.html. Powered by an O.S. 46 LA nitro engine. An interesting characteristic is that the fuselage is shaped into a diamond cross section - thin at the top and bottom but one inch thick at the center. This gives it a tremendous strength-to-weight ratio. Plane was destroyed in mid-air collision October 2008. Third picture shows the damage. It doesn't look that bad, the the wing was almost cut in two. The right wing ribs are all crushed inside the Ultracote. I kept the fuselage for the next generation Diamond.
This is my SD-Models Yak-54. Has a Desert Aircraft (DA-100) motor (twin gasoline 2 cycle). Plane spans 107 inches and weighs 30 pounds ready to fly (less gas). SD-Models built this plane in China (it's an ARF - Almost Ready to Fly) and I assembled it in about 40 hours. I flew it for the first time on April 29, 2007.
This is my own design "Edge 540" built from scratch. The wing tube is bent in the second photo after a pulled hard elevator at the bottom of a square loop.
This is the Cap 232 after the right wing broke off in flight. I think I cracked a spar on a bad landing. Three flights later, the right wing broke at the end of the internal wing tube. The plane was destroyed April 11.
This is me with my 33% Matt Chapman Cap232 built from parts. I scratch built the fuselage to match some ARF parts I got from Chuck. First flown October 21, 2006. In this picture, I still need to put the graphics on the fuselage side. Using the same 3W 100 motor that was on my original Cap. Prop is a Vess 27 "B". The Vess props have a varying pitch and airfoil throughout the length of the blade.
This is the Carl Goldbergh Ultimate 300. I built this for Scott in August 2006. Uses a ZDZ super 80 for power. All Futaba servos.
This is me with my brand new OMP (Ohio Model Planes) Edge 540 Profile. Powered by Mark 210 2C glow engine (2.1 cu. inches) and 80 inch span. Weighs 13 pounds rtf. Maiden flights performed March 25, 2006.
Solution Aeromodels "Santee" kit built December 2005. OS .46 with Macs tuned pipe for power. 4.5 pounds RTF less fuel.
82 inch span "Fat Boy" - my own design, powered with a Moki 180.
The Fat Boy was first flown in September 2005. Wonderful slow flyer. Was destroyed March 2006 due to elevator failure.
This is called an "Outlaw". I built two of these as a joint project with Jeff Rodgers. This is the second one. The first one crashed on its maiden flight. This fast delta wing is powered by a OS .32 with a 8x9 APC prop. Has large rudder deflection and does some wild flat spins. I build this from plans by Jerry Smith. There is no kit or ARF available at this time. First flown July 2005.
This is the first Outlaw I built. I forgot to put one screw in one of the servo arms and after about 30 seconds in the air, it fell off and crashed. It was totally destroyed.
Here I am with my buddy Quique Somenzini and his Yak 54. Powered by 3W QS - 106.
This Stryker, birthday gift from friends, had its maiden flight March 2005. Flies very fast on outrunner electric motor with 3-cell Lithium-Polymer battery pack.
This is me with a friend's airplane (Mark Trent). It is a 44% Yak 55 from Composite-ARF.com.
Homemade Cowl I fabricated from fiberglass. This is the "plug"
Homemade flying wing I cut from EPP foam. Similar to Unicorn.
March 2004 - the 35% Cap 232 after the main wing spar broke in flight about 50 feet up. Plane was a total loss. Cause of failure was stress fracture of 1.5 inch aluminum tube that carries the wings through the fuselage.
Shockflyer - December 2004
Tower Kaos - Lost all control on second flight. Total Loss. Another is in the build stages
December 2004 - Gift for father. This is just before the maiden flight on 12/31/2004. Plane was lost on second flight.
This is a carbon fiber spinner I fabricated for the 35% cap 232.
Results of mid-air collision with Pitts Bi-Plane (October 2003). The beautifully-detailed, 24 inch span, bi-plane hit the Cap head-on on the left landing gear leg. I was able to land the Cap with the Pitts wrapped around the gear leg. The Pitts was a total loss. The Cap sustained no damage and was back in the air a few minutes later.
April 12, 2003 - 35% CAP suffers mid-air collision with .40 sized trainer. Fortunately, the trainer hit such that no control surfaces were damaged. The Cap was able to land safely and the left fuselage side will have to be rebuilt. The other plane was totally destroyed. Most of the leading edge of the trainer was stuck through the Cap fuselage and remained inside the Cap. There was a large crowd on hand and they were quite pleased (if you're going to have a mid-air, you may as well have a large crowd watching).
Crazy Max electric flyer. Fully aerobatic with 800 mAh MiMh 8-cell 9.6 volt pack. Gift from co-workers in February 2003. All up weight is 13 ounces.
My own design Fun-Fly. First flown August 2002.
Uses Wasp wing with 6 inch profile rectangle fuselage. Total weight 53 ounces (3 lbs 5 oz) ready to fly with O.S. .46 and MACs muffler. Hovers very well.
Here I am hovering over the runway.
This is my "Flying Pizza Box. Made of 4 mm coroplast (a plastic corrugated material like corrugated cardboard). Purchased the coroplast at a sign shop for a few dollars. Flies quite well with elevons and Thunder Tiger .25. Must hand launch. Dimensions are exactly 24 inches square. There is a web site devoted to the Pizza Box design: http://mypage.yhti.net/~dmcdnld/pizzabox.htm
This Carden CAP 232 was completed in May 2001. It is a 35% scale model with a 3W 100cc gasoline twin cylinder engine. Swings a 28 inch prop. As of May 24 I have only flown it about 8 flights and am still getting it dialed in. All up weight is 26 pounds. Eight JR DS8411 servos plus a JR standard servo (throttle). Uses three nicd battery packs (1400 for ignition, and two 1800's for receiver/servos). No Smoke (yet). Wingspan is 102 inches.
This was after the engine quit in a hover. Destroyed the fuselage. I rebuilt the fuselage August 2002 and it is flying again.
This is a Cessna Cardinal ARF. We left the screw off the aileron control arm and it disconnected from the servo. Totally destroyed, now
Diamond Dust - this is Bill Cover's plane that I built for him. It was destroyed in January 2001 in a spectacular mid-air collision with William Adam's Cessna. We think the DD may have been going 140 mph with its O.S. 32 engine with tuned pipe. Engine would run 16,500 rpm on the ground with a 8x8 prop.
This is a Lanier Stinger 120 built in November 2000. 80 inch span with Moki 180 for power. Weighs about 13 pounds and flies well. Suffered a severe crash on its second flight when top wing cover came unglued from the front and twisted almost off. The drag of the top cover flapping from the one rear screw was enough to spiral the plane into the ground. These pictures were taken before the maiden flight. It is still flying, but it is not as pretty now.
March 2000 - Extra 300L from Aeroworks - 80 inch span - about 10 pounds with Moki 180. This one was built very light and only lasted about 200 flights. After one too many snap rolls, the wing folded up in the air like a butterfly. It was totally destroyed in the fall of 2000. This plane is engineered very lightly and the flight performance makes it worthwhile. Do not be tempted to beef it up too much, but if you put a large engine on it (like the Moki 180) you may want to reinforce the wing where it goes through the profile fuselage. Also, my horizontal stab broke in two on the second flight...again due I think to overpowering it. I rebuilt the horizontal stab using one size larger balsa sticks. You could also add flying wires. With a normal 1.20 size glow engine you would not want to add anything to this at all. Each wing detaches with a plywood joiner supplying the flight loads. the center section (about a foot) of the wing is permanently attached to the fuselage. I don't really like this connection (would prefer aluminum tube inside phenolic tube) but it worked out OK. This one will hover well and do just about any crazy stunt.
Wasp Fun Fly - January 2000
This is built from a design by Don Incoll. O.S. 46 for power. Weighs 4.5 pounds after a couple crashes / rebuilds. Still flies nice. Good hoverer.
Bottom view of Wasp before covering radio hatch
Son Matthew holding Wasp
Me holding Wasp
This is the Wasp after its last flight (and crash) - Summer 2002
Sig Wonder - 2000
This kit I built for a friend (Bill Cover) and it is on loan to me.
Morris Hobbies Giant Su-Do-Khoi
83 inch wingspan - suffered mid-air on January 31,1999
Was a very good flyer, weighed 12.5 pounds and was powered by Moki 180. This was my all-around favorite fun-fly plane. This would hover, torque roll, and do great inverted flat spins. It is built up with a lot of pieces and is much more complex than would appear from the picture. The fuselage is made up of dozens of strips of balsa into a egg-crate pattern, then sheeted on both sides. Uses three pull-pull systems (one rudder and one for each elevator half). Keeps all the mass of the servos near the CG. there are two standard servos in each wing and four in the fuse (1 rudder, 2 elevator, and one throttle). You could mount some servos in the tail, but it may be a little tail heavy. Each wing connects to the fuselage over two wooden dowels (about 3/4" diameter) that fit into the first three ribs. After a bunch of flights, the horizontal stab crushed the fuselage at the point of attachment. I was able to land. Probably I had fluttered the tail a bit. Anyway if I was to build another one, I would beef up the fuse sides just under the horizontal stab. Basically, the horizontal stab itself was intact, but the balsa sides of the fuselage were split and allowed the horizontal stab to wobble back and forth. The profile fuse is only about one inch wide at the horizontal stab attachment point so there is not a lot of area to attach the stab to. This kit from Morris hobbies (www.mvvs.com) came very complete including wheels, tank, all hardware (except the pull-pull systems), and hinges.
This was after the crash. The mid-air was from an stick-type plane that tore most of one wing off. Both planes destroyed.
Lazy Bee - Built for friend (Bill Cover)
Son Matthew with Lazy Bee
Beechcraft Bonanza - father's airplane
Michael and Andrew with their trainers (and Grandpa McQuinn)
Andrew's Midwest trainer
Mike's trainer - PT40
My first trainer, a "Solo"
Built about 1976, this one flew on and off for 20 years. Was missing once for two years after a fly-away. Now destroyed after one too many bad landings
Sweet Stick (shown here with Lynne) - R.I.P
Miss Martha - 1983 edition (R.I.P. - Rest in Pieces)
Quickie 500 Racer
Andrew is still flying this one after buying it from me a couple years ago. I originally built it about 1982 when I was into quickee 500 racing
Super Lucky Fly - also R.I.P.
Piper Cub 1/5 scale - when Michael was young
This one also still flying. O.S. 61 must be used at low throttle to maintain scale speed
Miss Martha - 1998 edition
Trainer 40 - about 1980