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It seems that Santy Claus was really paying attention when my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas, because I got not one but two new little indoor R/C helio-chopters! Ever since getting a cheapie pair a couple of Christmases ago I've been hooked...there's no better way to get through the long, cold winters than by waking up lazy dogs with strafing runs, doing "nose-arounds" around the foyer chandelier, and stealthily hovering in the kitchen to monitor and report in on dinner prep progress.

The one in the foreground is a cheapie J.C. Penney model that was like $19 and flies terribly with a semi-defective yaw control that won't go left when applying any forward pitch, but dealing with this challenge makes for a great way to enhance the skill set of the indoor heli enthusiast...plus, it has the cool name "SKY PATROL" emblazoned on the nose!

The one in the background is the real cream of the crop - a Syma S107 Metal Series in red, this bird has GREAT flight characteristics, a good transmitter for the price, (still pretty cheap, they go for like $30) and most importantly, is equipped with a gyro to stabilize the movement...it is totally cool and insane fun to fly indoors, it almost hovers itself! It responds to yaw control immediately, and also immediately stops right in it's tracks when you release the yaw input. Same for pitch. Absolutely freaky stability. Highly recommended!

One downside, the transmitters use infrared instead of radio freq.'s and apparently there is something in the vicinity of my son's XBox 360 that jams or overrides the control input, every time I cross in front of the TV the motor is shut down and the heli plummets to the carpet. I suspect something related to the XBox Kinect thingamajig we got him last year. So for now it is considered hostile airspace since several flights have been downed in that area.

Gotta scramble, reports are coming in about suspicious sounds coming from the kitchen area, Sky Patrol is enroute to check it out!

What...no weapons pods?!

Sky Patrol's immediate operational vision is to maintain a strict "observe and report" presence so as to ascertain the most effective forward plan in regards to current threat level vs. operational needs for risk mitigation measures via armament disbursal, as according to existing funding levels at this point in time.

Plus, Mrs. Stoopy won't let me use fireworks in the house anymore.

- JG300-Stoopy

Sky Patrol's immediate operational vision is to maintain a strict "observe and report" presence so as to ascertain the most effective forward plan in regards to current threat level vs. operational needs for risk mitigation measures via armament disbursal, as according to existing funding levels at this point in time.

Plus, Mrs. Stoopy won't let me use fireworks in the house anymore.

Oh, that's right...you don't have a cat.

Cool Stoopy. I got a parkzone RTF J3 Cub. This is my first RC aircraft. My Daughter and Wife got it for me. I haven't flown it yet because the snow melted and it's pretty wet outside. I have taxied it around the garage. I have the week off so I'll give it an attempt soon........

Most Awesome!!!!! What a great gift!!!!

Can't wait to hear how it turns out and if there's any quick advice I could give to someone new to flying R/C planes, it's two things: One, make many small control inputs rather than hold the stick over (unless the plane is exceedingly untrimmed and will crash if let go). Two, start a flight from Tower view in FS9 and take off and fly around some to get the feel. The weirdness will be the control transition when the plane is flying towards you. Even "real" pilots who get into R/C struggle with this and re-kit their planes due to it. To turn when the plane is coming toward you, tell yourself to "push" the wing up rather than "pull" it down like you do when it's flying away from you. Example, if the plane is headed toward you and is banked turning to your left (in a right turn from the plane's perspective), and you want to level it, simply "push the low wing up" (push left on the stick). With your stick time in sims and the real thing it'll be a breeze for you.

Very slick. Plus, I'm guessing there's ample space for a firecracker release mechanism to be added...

- JG300-Ascout

Oh, that's right...you don't have a cat.

Nope! And Sky Patrol™ will endeavor to make sure it stays that way!

Although we do have a Puggle, which is as close to having a cat as we ever plan on getting...

Maybe after I get good at it I could add some marker rockets on the wings......

- JG300-1Bullet

Maybe after I get good at it I could add some marker rockets on the wings......

I'll go halfsies with ya on a box of bottle rockets! We shall rule the skies once again, my friend!!!!

Roger That

Very nice guys, Looks like we scored. Gonna have to try and get me that Syma. I have an old "Fun Piccolo & Eco Piccolo" which were great for building and modding/tinkering with which I like to do but at some point I want to fly and they never really flew all that great. They wre harder to fly than the R22 I trained in.

I ended up getting the Great Planes "Fling ARF hand Launch" glider for myself before Christmas since getting back in touch with an old RC buddy. We went out a few times and got some good flights with it and then...that whole flying towards you things are reversed thing Stoopy was talking about got me. It came around behind us and was heading towards our trucks. No problem, I'll go right and bring it back over the slope away from us and back into the wind...I went right alright, my right, it's left and bam! right into the side of my truck. At least it was mine and not my buddy's truck. Left a nice ding in my truck and snapped the tail.

For%20Christmas%20my%20son%20got%20me%20the%20\"Fling%202M\"%20which%20was%20a%20surprise%20and%20now%20I%20have%20the%20big%20one%20and%20the%20small%20one%20which%20is%20awesome.%20Now%20I'll%20have%20a%20backup. Also%20got%20a%20Guillow's%20Fairchild%2024%20and%20was%20thinking%20with%20todays%20micros%20how%20cool%20it%20would%20be%20to%20convert%20it%20to%20an%20electric%20RC.%20The%20box%20and%20instructions%20say%20\"electric%20Power\"%20but%20other%20than%20that%20there's%20nothing.%20Found%20a%20forum%20with%20guys%20that%20have%20done%20the%20conversion%20and%20fly%20them%20them%20RC%20so%20that%20will%20be%20my%20next%20project.

Awesome gliders dude!!! And as far as this part goes:

- JG300-fr8ycat

Also got a Guillow's Fairchild 24 and was thinking with todays micros how cool it would be to convert it to an electric RC. The box and instructions say "electric Power" but other than that there's nothing. Found a forum with guys that have done the conversion and fly them them RC so that will be my next project.

OH, DUDE!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!

WOW! I haven't thought about or seen a Guillow's kit in years but I built a bunch of 'em as a kid! Holy Cow, they're still around! Unreal!!!

Just saw they have a website and it was like memory lane going through the kits. Several of planes I remember building are still there... 16" Bf109 and Spitfire, (neither flew that well on rubber power) the 30" Corsair (set it up for Cox .09 U-Control but never flew it) and the 24" Aeronca Champ (the little crafts store that sold these kits in Willits CA gave me the kit to build for them as a display model to hang from their ceiling - think I donated them the '109 to hang up as well). The Aeronca Champ was a fantastic kit and really came out perfect - came with yellow tissue and looked really sharp when done. I bet that Fairchild is gonna build and fly really well too!

What company was it that made cheaper kits in mostly-white boxes with the part outlines shown in ink on the balsa wood sheets instead of die-cut? Built a lot of those too and have permanent scars on my left thumb and fingertips from the razor knife slipping and going into my thumb when cutting out formers or slicing a piece of 1/4 stock.

I built a Curtiss Robin from (someone's) kit that was a lot like that Fairchild, and had landing gear struts very much like it. Was pretty cool when done but I threw a ton of Candy-Apple Red spray paint on it for some reason and made it too heavy to fly. Ahh, the smell of "aircraft dope" (Testers brand?) in the morning...

DANG, man, that is so cool. Building and finishing those kits was so cool and rewarding. When it came to using anything but rubber power they pretty much left you up to your own device as far as how to get it done. Now that you mention it, Electric power opens up a whole new door to re-vitalizing these kits. I need to find a cheap drafting table and set up a building board!

WAY cool! Very much interested in your progress and details bud!!!

OMFG talk about potential (and cheap)!...

www.usahobby.com/aircr...alsa.php/7

And it was "Comet" brand kits I started out with and built a ton of...almost lost my left thumbtip building a Neiuport-17

Man, the DREAM was, to find some way to get them to fly with something better than rubber bands, and then be able to control them....MUST LEARN MORE about this electric motor conversion stuff!!!!

Stoopy,

If you go to the Guillows site they have a link for electric conversions. I'll post the link I have when I get home later today.

here's the link I found. Checked it out since it specifically deals with the Fairchild but others have checked in with other aircraft. The first post is from 2005 so they have been doing this for awhile now and there are some great pics of some nice work.

www.rcgroups.com/forum...6&t=374028