Remote Control Park Flyers

Park flyers are a type of remote control airplane that does not require a large open space to operate. They are designed to be slow flying and therefore can be flown in smaller areas such as a front yard, parking lot, and local park.  Generally a park flyer is powered by a small electric engine and controlled by a simple 2 channel transmitter. They are either have a Styrofoam body and wings or a straight stick fuselage with balsa wood wings. They are easy to fly with simple controls and do not require the same effort as large nitro and gas powered RC planes.

I recently purchased a Fundango® park flyer kit from Great Planes. I recently completed the frame work for the wings and tail section and I have gotten a majority of them covered. I am using the engine, servos, receiver, and ESC from another small remote control that I recently crashed. I am hoping to have this park flyer completed within the next week.

-Tim

Remote Control Watercraft

RC watercrafts have many perks, but a few major draw backs. On the positive side, RC speed boats, sail boats, and hover crafts do not have the same dangers associated with taking off, flying, and landing as remote control helicopters and boats do. They have simple 2 channel controllers that only require the driver to direct the speed and direction of the boats. They are made of several different materials including plastic, fiberglass, and wood.

On the negative side, running an RC boat, especially a fast one, requires a large open water space. It is best to operate one in a pond or lake of some kind that does not have heavy traffic. Additionally if the boat runs out of fuel or wrecks you will have to go into the water to retrieve it.

All concerns aside, remote control watercraft offer a great experience that can be enjoyed by RC enthusiast of all ages. They come nearly every color, styles, and design imaginable. Below I have listed just a few of the many types that are available…

• military style
• sail boat
• speed boat
• hover craft
• tug boat

-Tim

RC Drifting Cars

Drifting has developed over the past few years into a major automotive sport that originated in Japan, but has since spread all over the globe. Drifting is basically a controlled loss of control while driving your car thru a turn. The main goal of drifting is to place your car into an over-steer situation when going into a turn and then accelerating to keep the back of the car chasing the front around the turn. Recently drifting has transitioned over into the world of RC cars and has now gone mainstream. RC drifting is a great hobby that tests your skills as a controller and can be done on a small scale in a garage or on a large scale on the street. Now before you start trying to make your RC car or truck drift around the corner let’s talk about a few car specs that can greatly improve your cars drifting capabilities:

• Electric cars that have shift transmissions are preferred over nitro powered or belt driven RC cars because of the increased control and reduction in the risk of overheating the engine
• A 4 wheel drive car is easier to control while drifting
• Having a high torque engine that is built for acceleration increases the drifting power of the car
• Make sure to outfit your RC car with tires that a designed specifically for drifting

A good example of a starter RC drift cars is the Extreme Drift Lamborghini Gallard. It is a 1:24 scale electric RC car that comes ready to run. This car also comes with a transmitter and 4 cones so that you can make your own mini drift track anywhere you want. You can also get this model as a Carrera GT, Nissan GT, Ferrari F430, and a Bugatti Veyron.

For the more experienced I recommend something along the line of the Drift GT Porsche 911. This car is a larger 1:10 scale electric that comes ready to run from fractory. You can also get this model as a Lamborghini Gallard, Chevrolet Silverado, Ferrari FXX, Audi A4, Nissan Skyline GTR, and a BMW M3.

I hope my advice helps to open your eyes to the exiciting world of RC Drift Cars.

-Tim