Jump to content
When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
  • Current Donation Goals

"I Believe I Can Fly..."


fraggle42

Recommended Posts

(after a hell of a lot of practice on the sim :)

 

Meet Big Daddy and The Kid.

 

Got The Kid a year or so ago, couldn't find any local clubs so spent some very frustrating months attempting to learn in my garage whilst praying it didn't do another suicidal bit for the concrete wall (always the corner that sticks out...), which it did with depressing regularity.

 

After spending the same as it cost new again in replacement and upgraded bits (bad idea - make something stronger and the next thing along in the line breaks or bends) I kinda let it rest in peace. (main shaft bent, replaced it, still crazy vibes from the rotors)

 

A few weeks ago I find out there are actually THREE local clubs! I did find one but they hadn't updated their website in 4 years so assumed they were dead.

 

So now I know there are clubs, and trainers, and help, I had a look around to see what was out there, and found Big Daddy... < grins >

 

 

post-50255-0-65441100-1410642141_thumb.j

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats some kit mate.  Very nice.  I used to have similar years ago, but first flight, lost almost £1k in damages after a crash, so cut my losses.

 

I am now planning on getting a drone, the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ Quadcopter with 3-AXIS Camera to be precise.  Then once mastered it, I plan on offering real estate aerial photographs, already looked into the commercial licence needed for this too. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was big into Competitive RC flying a few years ago, BMFA B certs in fixed wing & heli's. I competed in F3A precision aerobatics.

With competition planes well in to the £2-3000 mark and helicopters £1000+ it became hard to swallow when they hit the deck. The nail in the coffin for me was losing control of a helicopter (Raptor 50) and flying it through the flight line of my club chopping the aerial off my friends transmitter, it was less than 3 feet from decapitating him....That was enough for me :(

 

Great hobby but very addictive, expensive and occasionally...dangerous!

 

 

My last competitive plane ZN Line Comp ARF Integral

1937420_108554798252_1835496_n.jpg
 
2 metre XTreme Composite Edge 50cc petrol & my Raptor 50
X_Treme_Composite_Edge_2_Metre_Raptor_30
 
 
1st place at the GB RC Aerobatics Comp at Barkston Heath

10399357_18953163252_7290_n.jpg
 
 
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I built something similar to the big one from a huge kit when I just got my first job (always fancied one), cost about £600 in parts 25 years ago.

 

Loved building it, making sure all the bearings were free and lubed, balancing things and threadlocking everything. And then running the nitro engine in - tied the whole thing to a railway sleeper so it wouldn't go anywhere. Or that was the plan. It couldn't lift it fully, but it did manage to lift one end of the sleeper up in the air a few inches! Really surprised me as those railway sleepers are damned heavy things. This model was back in the days before carbon fibre, all alloy construction and the weight overcome by the simple solution of a bloody huge engine :)

 

After I ran it in I did try to fly it, but gyros weren't in my price range so didn't have one. I remember I actually did better than I have with The Kid - bigger = heavier = slower response = more stable, but I just couldn't bring myself to break something I'd loved building, couldn't find a club or someone to teach me, so it sat around for a while and eventually got sold.

 

Older and slight chance of being wiser now, plus if it turns into expensive fragments it's only a weeks wages :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The chap I got this off mentioned the poor chap in america who killed himself last year with his RC heli - looking at the YouTube video of him flying it close to himself he didn't seem to care or appreciate the tips travelling at 300+mph ain't going to stop very quickly when they meet squidgy human flesh or bone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...
Please Sign In or Sign Up