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North
West Model Aircraft Club (Derry). |
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| What kind
of airplanes are there? There
are many! Actually, more than you can imagine. There's sport designs
of many shapes and sizes, scale designs that resemble actual aircraft
(World War II aircraft are popular), jets, gliders and helicopters.
There's also flying lawnmowers, witches, doghouses, spaceships, Porches
and road signs for the experienced pilot wanting something different.
What kind
of airplane should I get first? A
medium to large (40 to 60 size) high-wing trainer with a flat-bottom
wing makes an excellent first airplane. (see photos below). If you
want to build the plane from a kit, there are many available. The
one in the photo was built from a kit. If you don't want to build
a plane, you can get an "ARF" (Almost Ready To Fly) that
requires minimal assembly before flight. In either case, talk to
an experienced modeler, who can offer important advice.
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This
is a Seagull Arising Star sport/trainer plane.Wingspan-160cm
/ 2stroke engine.
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| What
powers the airplane? Most
RC planes are powered by small two or four-stroke engines that
run on glow fuel, which is alcohol-based. The size of an engine
is expressed as its displacement in cubic inches. The most popular
size is 0.40 to 0.60 cubic inch more commonly known as "forty"
"sixty" size engines. Engines range in size from tiny
0.01 cubic inch, to larger five cubic inches. Some airplanes
also run on electric motors with rechargeable batteries. Recent
advances in motor technology have produced electric motors as
powerful as their internal combustion counterparts. |
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This
is a two stroke engine.
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| How
far and how high can RC planes fly? The
range of the radio signal is farther than you can see the airplane
- over one mile. Most airplanes are flown not more than several
hundred feet from the pilot - if you can't see it you can't
control it. AMA has an article on a flyer that says a 5 foot
wingspan on a trainer will appear as a speck at approximately
1400 feet. Care must be taken with altitude when full- scale
aircraft are in the area.
How
long can a RC plane fly on a flight? This
depends on the type of airplane, the type and size of engine(if
any), the weather, and even the style of flying, but 5 to
15 minutes is the average fuel supply. Batteries must also
be monitored, but will last many hours on a full charge if
properly cared for.
How
does the radio work? The
radio of an RC plane consists of two main parts - the transmitter
which you use to control the airplane from the ground and
the receiver inside the airplane. Both operate on rechargeable
batteries. When you move a stick or switch on the transmitter,
asignalis sent to the receiver. The receiver interprets the
signal and commands small motors called servos to move the
control surfaces (rudder,elevator,etc.) which make the airplane
maneuver. Each control command requires a "channel",
which is a very small slice of the radio sprectrum. Radios
have anywhere from one to over ten channels, but four and
six channel radios are most popular. The most popular type
of radio is FM.
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This
is a radio transmiter.
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How many
airplanes can fly at one time?
Radios are designed to operate on a specific "channel",
or frequency, that allows the transmitter and receiver to communicate.
There's 50 channels, but only one channel can be active at one time.
If two pilots have a radio on the same channel, they must share the
frequency one at a time. However, for safety reasons, not more than
six airplanes are allowed in the air at one time.
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