Tactic TTX650 Radio


Posted by Vintauri

Tactic TTX650-5

Last year Hobbico brought out a great new product with the Anylink radio adapter.  The AnyLink allows you to use your favorite transmitter to fly any airplane with a Tactic SLT receiver like those found in the Flyzone TX-R airplanes.  This opens up many aircraft to pilots without the need to buy a brand specific radio.  This year Hobbico has brought out a new option in the Tactic TTX650 6 channel computer radio.  This radio is full of features that will allow pilots on a lower budget to still have a radio they can grow on for years.  But don’t let it’s low price make you think it’s not worth a look for the experienced modeler.  Just check out these features.

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Twisted Hobbys Crack Pitts


Posted by Vintauri

Crack Pitts

 

One of my favorite segments of the RC hobby is 3D / IMAC flying.  I’m nowhere near the skill of the pro pilots such as Andrew Jesky or Joe Smith but I have fun with it and find it challenging to try out new maneuvers.  It helps keep things fresh when I go out and fly.  I have most flown 3D Hobby Shop aircraft and have been very happy with them.  However sometimes I love to have something smaller and durable to fly and that is where EPP comes in to play.  I had heard about Twisted Hobbys airplanes but I never really took a close look at them until a few guys were flying them at WATTS over Owatonna.  I was impressed at how well they flew but retained the durable and flexible qualities of the EPP foam.  They also impressed another club mate of mine and so much so that he had to have one.  Lucky for me he does not like to build so after some talk about which one he wanted we struck a deal that I would build it for him.  Continue reading →


Ford Tri-Motor


Posted by Vintauri

WARNING!!! Non RC related content to follow!

However it is still aviation and might inspire a smaller scale project in the future.

The local EAA club in town sponsored the Kalamazoo Air Zoo Ford Tri-Motor stop at the local airport.  They were here for four days showing the plane and giving rides.  I have stopped out to see other aircraft that have come in to town but often the price for a ride in them is just too much to justify.  However this time was different.  The cost for an adult was only $80 and kids under 6 rode for free with a paying adult.  My middle son is still 5 and he loves riding in airplanes so my wife suggested that I take him out to the airport and check it out.

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FLOAT – Documentary Film


Posted by Vintauri

 

Float is a documentary that is still in production.  Their goal is to document the indoor free flight airplane hobby and the people who participate and compete with ultra lightweight airplanes.  While it’s something I have never tried I am amazed at the skill and patience demonstrated by the people in this segment of the model airplane hobby.  Here is a brief description of the hobby from the Float website:

Current designs of these airplanes can fly for over 30 minutes on a single wound rubber motor, and the world record for time aloft is over one hour. These planes fly indoors, in large open spaces such as sporting arenas and aircraft and blimp hangers. The majority of participants in this hobby are over the age of 50, and the hobby itself is aging. As the digital age envelopes the younger generations, this hobby is becoming a lost art.

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I’m excited that they are producing this documentary and their skill with videography will make this a high quality film.  However they need our help!  Even a film of this scale can be expensive to produce.  So they have started a campaing on kickstart to get funding to see them through.  I have jumped in and pledged support and now I want to get the word out.

Click on the following link to see the kickstarter page and please help out if you can.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bensaks/float-documentary


RC Floatplane flying


Posted by Vintauri

 

Flying off of water can open up a lot of new areas to fly and expand the enjoyment of the hobby.   Your nearest lake can now be a go to spot for that perfect flying day.   To me nothing beats that nice smooth landing into the water and taxiing up on shore.  As an added bonus for me the backgrounds you find around a lake are generally much more photogenic then your average RC field.   Living in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, means I have plenty of opportunities for new flying site and new places to explore.

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Wings Across America – 2008


Posted by Vintauri

 

You may wonder how something called Wings Across America – 2008 comes up on a blog in 2012.  Well that just happens when an adventure is soo big it takes that long to get even this far.  Wings Across America – 2008 or WAA-08 was the brain child of  Frank Geisler of Gloucester, Virginia.  He started the idea as a way for RC pilots to connect with other pilots around them and as a way to promote the RC airplane hobby.  So far it has traveled over 21,000 miles has been flown by over 500 pilots in 44 states! Continue reading →


E-fest 2012


Posted by Vintauri

 

It’s seems this winter has been a busy one for me and the RC hobby.  Most years wintertime is a building season for us in the northern US states.  However with the unseasonably warm weather and many indoor venues becoming available I have maintained regular flying throughout the winter months this year. One of the highlights for this winter so far has been my recent trip to Champaign IL for E-fest. Continue reading →


Tactic Anylink 2.4 module


Posted by Vintauri

 

For the past 8-10 years I have mainly flown JR and Spektrum radio gear.  This is mainly due to the fact that my club is mostly JR people and it makes it easier when helping each other out if your familiar with the equipment.  When we were back on 72mhz being brand specific was not as big of a deal as on 2.4ghz.  Many brands of receivers would still work with other radios due to the analog nature of the technology.  PCM and frequency shift issues changed this a little but 2.4 was the real killer.  Things are digital now and need to speak the exact same language.  So now we’re stuck with brand specific receivers.

This can be a big problem with bind and fly airplanes that are setup for a specific brand radio.  For example a person with a new 8FG radio from Futaba would not be able to fly any of the Parkzone micro airplanes that are so popular.  So they are stuck either not enjoying those planes or they have to buy a separate radio just for them.   Tactic RC decided to do something about that for their receivers and airplanes.

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I Design a plane in Google Sketchup


Posted by Vintauri

 

I’ve been building RC airplanes for a number of years now.  It all started back when I was in grade school and my dad started building a radio controlled glider.  I was intrigued and as all little boys do I bugged him all the time about it asking questions every time he woudl work on it.  Luckily for me (and an attempt to save his sanity) we went to the local hobby shop and picked up a Guillows free flight airplane kit for me to work on while he worked on his RC glider.  Once we were finished we took them both out to a big grassy field and both airplanes took flight!  From that first kit I was hooked!

Since then I have built and repaired many planes.  I do enjoy the building side of the hobby which helps during what normally is 5 months of cold and snow up here in Minnesota.  However what I have always toyed with doing was scratch building in the truest sense of the word.  To me scratch building is starting from nothing more then an idea or a picture and creating the airframe yourself.  While I have always had ideas rolling around in my head I could never seem to get them drawn out on paper or on the computer in CAD. Continue reading →


RC Expo in the UNI Dome


Posted by Vintauri

The Black Hawk RC Flyers of Cedar Rapids Iowa put on an indoor fly in at the UNI Dome each winter.  It is billed as the largest indoor fly in of the Mid West.  The UNI Dome is a great venue for this type of fly in as there is ample space and a high ceiling at 162 feet with few obstructions.  The air is calm and the temperature is a warm relief in what is normally the dead of winter in the midwest.

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