I recently decided I needed to take a break from my usual time sinks like the computer, television, and reading and came to the conclusion that I need to pick up a new hobby. Well, need is a strong word, perhaps it's better said "I would like to" pick up a new hobby.

I considered robot building as a kind of tinkertoy hobby, but quickly dismissed the idea as overly expensive. So instead, I decided on building RC Aircraft...initially not as expensive, but after a few mishaps I imagine it's going to cost about the same :lol:

Here's a pic of the original that I'll be building to model (http://www.airplanemart.com/Arlington-Northwest-EAA-Fly-In/2007-Fly-In/aircraft-images/DeHavilland-Canada-DHC-2-Beaver-Amphibian-Airplane-N9028.jpg)

Once I get the ball rolling on this I'll try and post some pictures and feedback here.

Anyway, I was curious if we have any talented hobbyists in the cove here that do anything similar to this, either to share pointers or just share stories etc..

Are you buying a kit, or are you going to do this from scratch?

Are you buying a kit, or are you going to do this from scratch?

Craig,

This plane is a DeHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Amphibian Aircraft.
Don't know of model kits are available...

Stijloor.

Craig,

This plane is a DeHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Amphibian Aircraft.
Don't know of model kits are available...

Stijloor.

Oh, yes, I knew that and confirmed it with the thread name. They are very popular in Alaska, I am told.

Since I live on a lake, a RC float plane has crossed my mind more than once. I have even wondered if one could be rigged to drop water balloons....

:notme:

Oh, yes, I knew that and confirmed it with the thread name. They are very popular in Alaska, I am told.

Since I live on a lake, a RC float plane has crossed my mind more than once. I have even wondered if one could be rigged to drop water balloons....

:notme:

I'll ask my son, he lives in Anchorage, AK. Many, many of these things there...:D

Seeing as how this will be my first attempt, I'll likely purchase a kit and then modify it to fit the paint scheme and style, I may keep it as regular landing gears with a pontoon setup as a changeover kit, there's some really great lakes nearby where it'd be a blast to fly this. I'm going to keep looking for a while to see if a better paint scheme might appeal, but for now I'm happy with the choice of the de Havilland Beaver, should be a steady flyer with good looks, versatility and fun flight characteristics, plus it has a great name ;)

There are CAD prints available for those who want to build from the ground up, but I think I'll wait on that until I learn the basics :cool:

Oh, yes, I knew that and confirmed it with the thread name. They are very popular in Alaska, I am told.

Since I live on a lake, a RC float plane has crossed my mind more than once. I have even wondered if one could be rigged to drop water balloons....

:notme:

...to scare off pesky critters, right? :notme: :biglaugh:

For water landing aircraft there are a lot of great options out there at reasonable prices. Some of the kits all you need to do is install a set of servos and reciever and you're good to go.

http://www.raidentech.com/seseaai60alr.html

Well, I have one of the remote control helicopters I put together. I tried to fly it once, and it crashed.:crybaby:

It's still on the shelf. I can't figure out how to adjust it where it will fly right.

Helos are much more difficult to fly from what I hear....you might want to try and download a simulator Brad....

http://www.realflight.com/free-g4-demo.html

This one is a demo that has a very realistic sim of chopper flight, give it a whirl, pretty tough to stay in control on those till you get some experience :)

Since I haven't built or even worked on a scale model of anything since balsa wood kits more than 50 years ago, I'm curious what scale you'd like to build to. I spent an hour parked in a local forest preserve by a very large open field (forty or fifty acres) last summer watching some enthusiasts flying models that were nearly ten feet in wing span. They were too far out in the field from the parking strip for me to go out comfortably in my business suit to ask questions and none came back to the parking lot while I was there.

Well in the model building world the word scale can be defined as not only the proportion of size between the object and it's representation but also as proportion that a representation of an object bears to the object itself, in regard to all it's attributes.

I'm looking to build something that is true to the original design of the Dehavilland Beaver aircraft, the true aircraft is a rugged design that proved to be arguably one of the best bush planes designed. I'll hopefully achieve something that is close in detail and design, being that I'll be working with a kit for a base I'm certain some things will be different, such as angle of the cockpit window cowl or nose length.

In regard to size there are many different options...for a beginner though I think electric powered park flyers are the best route as you can fly these at any open field....there are limits of course, if you're flying a glow plane (nitro aka slimer) you are expected to join a club and fly in designated areas, you can not fly anything over 40 pounds without certain permits....can't fly within 3 miles of an airport, etc. There are quite a few 'rules' to become aware of if you want to fly a gas powered craft or a giant + sized.

There are lots of giant scale aircraft, but that gets quite expensive, moreso if you crash :lol: which if you try the g4 demo (btw I have no affilliation to that company, just found it to be a neat simulation) you'll know crashing is a very real possibility.

Anyway what I'm looking at is a finished model with about a 44" wingspan. There is a base model kit with a 68" wingspan but this would be a sizeable aircraft and more appropriate for designated clubs and flying areas...and I'm not sure it would fit into my Honda CRV quite well. :D

<snip>

Anyway what I'm looking at is a finished model with about a 44" wingspan. There is a base model kit with a 68" wingspan but this would be a sizeable aircraft and more appropriate for designated clubs and flying areas...and I'm not sure it would fit into my Honda CRV quite well. :DYou could always tie it on top and fly to your destination with the CRV as cargo!:lmao: