Miroslav

Following some unintended but obviously wrong infractions of the forum rules on my part (for which I have apologised to David), I had told the moderator that I would refrain from further adding to my "rant/blowing off steam etc" on this thread. However, my final comment is to answer one of the posters on page 3: I did attend the aforemention AGM, I was physically accosted by the Club President prior to the AGM when he grabbed me by the arm and told me "not to fly without being under his supervision or I would be out of the club" (I left out the expletives he used to comply with the forum rules). Like I said previously, I am a very safe and competent flyer, demonstrated by my relatively minor number of crashes, i.e. 2 in three years of flying. I should have just turned round and gone home at that point but I then sat through an hour of listening to moans/gripes/sneers about Spektrum transmitters and "they should be banned", "vetting of new members to see if they fit in", "no helicopters", "no foreigners" etc etc. Ok, its their club, their rules and they can do what they want although certain remarks they made about foreign nationals are against Irish law, I wish I'd pointed out. For my part, I get along with 99% of the people I meet. I'm friendly by nature, willing to learn new aspects of flying and generally am happy to follow the rules. However I also have a sense of self respect and I don't think I was unreasonable to take umbrage at being sworn at, grabbed by the arm (I'm 43 and not an errant 10 year old) and generally spoken to like I am some sort of mindless idiot. As a former ATC officer, I can assure you that I am not. Now I think I've said all I can say on this subject. I picked the wrong club, had a bad experience and obviously still feel aggrieved. No point in trying to go back and mend fences as I don't think this lone foamie electric flyer would fit in with the balsa boys.

I'm the opposite to you. All I have are parkflyers up to 1.2 metre (with the exception of a 2 metre sailplane) and I'd love a large scale plane. The parkflyers are handy for throwing in the boot for an impromtu fly when the occasion arises. However, they do suffer more in the wind than larger scale planes I've seen fly. This does present a nice challenge to your flying skills, especially if trying to land in a gusting crosswind.

Posted by StevenH on 25/07/2012 16:14:57: Is it the one near the Sugarloaf, Wicklow? If so that is a real shame, I was a member there when I was a teenager and there was nothing like that going on, really awful behaviour. I now live in the UK, Milton Keynes and have recently taken up the hobby again and my club is great thankfully (WMAC) and I think a good club is a vital part of our hobby. Hope you find a decent club after your experience. No Steven, this club is based on the Dublin/Kildare border. While I am tempted to "name and shame", the rc flying community is a very small and tight knit one in Ireland. As I'd like to join another club at some point, I don't want to get myself blacklisted for openly complaining about a MACI (Ireland's BMFA) registered club. For the record, I did ring MACI and briefly told them of my experience. Their suggestion was to talk to the Club President. As he was the one who gave me the foul mouthed abuse, that suggestion was a non runner.

Had to get a wisdom tooth out yesterday afternoon, hence my absence from this discussion. The Leinster Model Flying Club in Dublin's Phoenix Park was one of the clubs I visited while searching for the "right one" to join. They were a nice friendly bunch of lads and I spent an enjoyable morning discussing all things rc flying. While they were all flying ic planes, they didn't sneer at my electrics and appeared to be quite interested in the "greener" side of the hobby. They invited me to join and gave me the application form. The reason I didn't join was that the field they fly in is open to the public and I'd feel concerned about a model going out of control and hurting someone. Even though I have insurance, I'd still feel bad if I inadvertantly injured someone. The club I did join fly from an isolated field on the side of a mountain miles from anywhere so no passers by and no one to injure. While I could go back and try and join the club in Dublin, I no longer work in the area and it would be out of the way to go and fly. There are a couple of clubs near where I now work so perhaps I'll put my bad experience behind me and go along and talk to them. Maybe I could be tempted to try ic eventually but on my terms and not because I'm being coerced. It would be nice to have a laugh and a banter, even when things go wrong and the plane gets broken. Its at times like that when a funny quip can help reduce the bad vibes you get when your beautiful model gets smashed up.   Edited By David Ashby - RCME on 26/07/2012 08:28:57

Bob I went up to see them three times before I joined. I told them what I flew and what tx I used. Zero comments on that until the first time I flew (post handing over my fees mind). I can understand a club being nervous of someone flying recklessly but that is not what I do, ever. My flying style would best be described as boring with nice circuits, loops (way up high mind) and very occasionally, I might do a roll, also way up high. I don't do low flypasts or inverted flight. Perhaps thats why my crash rate is so low. I did consider asking for my fees back but I thought stuff them, I wouldn't give them th epleasure of refusing to refund me. Saying all that, I'd still love to fly with some other rc enthuasiasts for the banter (good natured) and to swap hints and tips.

Posted by Pete B on 24/07/2012 11:55:55: That's very sad to read..... I agree - name the club, David. There's a more than even's chance that at least one member looks into this forum and will recognise the situation so it won't have gone unnoticed. Of course, clubs are entitled to make whatever rules they like but the treatment given to you is inexcusable. Perhaps the club President would like to offer his version of events and a justification for the behaviour? Pete I followed all their rules Pete, i.e., no more than three planes in the air, no flying over the pits, all circuits to the left, land when told etc. I had demonstrated that morning that I could fly safely in a controlled manner and despite the cross wind, I was the only one who landed on his wheels and thus demonstrated that I had good control of my model. The rest of them, including the Club President, all cart wheeled or flipped over on landing. I'm a reasonable guy, who was prepared to do what was necessary to abide by their code of conduct but junking my fleet of 14 foamies, binning my tx and shelling out hundreds on a balsa plane, motor, starter, new tx etc is not within my financial means at the moment. I made my decision to quit and not go back. The elitest snobbery I found up there at that club is not to my taste. RC flying is a hobby thats meant to be enjoyed, not endured. David

While I would never claim to be an ace flyer, I know I am a good flyer and more importantly, safe at all times. 2 crashes in 3 years is a good record imo, especially as I fly as often as I can, up to 4 times a week. This club experience has left a real bad taste in my mouth tbh as I love this hobby but have become a little jaded flying alone, constantly aware of passers by in case they try to nick my flight bag (you know how helpless you are when flying, do you respond and risk losing the plane or let them leg it with your batteries, etc?). I live just outside Dublin and the choice of model flying clubs over here is sparse to say the least. For my part, I visited this club three times before I joined. I told them I flew electric foamies and used a spekkie DX6i and there wasn't a single negative comment. They did say that they flew balsa and used Futaba radios but they never said that was the way I had to go if I wanted to "fit in". I'm well used to banter between grown men, trust me you had to have a hard shell working in the ATC environment when tempers would fray when things got busy.  So I'm not a shrinking violet and I can take a ribbing.  However the comments directed at me at the club were not meant light heartedly and were downright mean and nasty.  Perhaps I'm cynical but their mask slipped only after I handed over my club fees of a hundred quid. As for naming them, rc flying is a very small minority sport in Ireland and Joe Public wouldn't care. All I'd risk doing is alienating myself from the rest of the model flying fraternity in Ireland if and when I try to join another club. Edited By David M on 24/07/2012 11:56:54

After three years of solo flying, I joined a club to fly with like minded souls. Unfortunately it has turned out rather badly. They were all nice as pie when I visited them before I joined, and all appeared to be welcoming. So I paid my club fee, showed them my insurance and thought, finally, hassle free flying at a private flying field without some dog walker moaning or his mutt trying to eat one of my planes. My first trip to the club had me waiting an hour to get into the air, despite the fact that I was there before most of the others. "Its a seniority thing" they smirked. Ok I thought. So I finally got into the air and then all I heard from the pits behind me was: "look at the little foamie, its not a plane, more like a toy" "electric planes sound so asthmatic" "aah, its getting blown around, no one fart, har, har, har" "He's using a Spektrum tx. Wonder when he'll lose control?" "Land that thing and get a real plane" All that during my ten minute flight where I took off, did circuits, loops, rolls and had a perfect landing. Then the Club President wandered over to say he had just rung the local model shop and said that I could get a real plane, (i.e. balsa) and motor for 200 quid. He might also do me a deal on a new transmitter as "everyone at the club uses Futaba". I said no thanks, I was happy enough with what I had. The following week, I went to my first club meeting and it was the most uncomfortable hour of my life. Comments about restricting flying to balsa planes, banning foamies, uniformity of transmitters, vetting of new applicants. Now as I was the only one who had a foam plane, the only one who didn't have a Futaba tx and was the only new member for the past 6 months, I'm pretty sure those comments were directed at me or am I just paranoid? The coup de grace occured after the meeting when the Club President called me aside and said I could only fly under his supervision as the other club members were not happy with my choice of tx and felt it could lead to an accident. I told him I had been flying for three years with only two crashes, and furthermore I was a former Air Traffic Controller with over ten years experience and therefore I knew more about flight than most. He got a little foul mouthed then and said "You aren't to (swear word removed by moderator) fly unless I'm there". I said "I was the only one who managed to land on his wheels last week unlike you balsa bashers who all ended up going ar$e over t!t, and futhermore, there is more to flying than going full throttle in a circle". I haven't gone back since. I did get a text from him a while back telling me he would be at the field to supervise me. I said no thanks and that was the end of my club flying. Edited By David Ashby - RCME on 24/07/2012 18:46:19

Spektrum DX6i is what I use at present althought it only has a ten model memory and I now have 14 planes! Like others have said, a transmitter is a personal choice and you may prefer the look and feel of one model over another. Be aware that if you later decide to change to another brand of transmitter, it will mean changing all your receivers too. In my case, I like Hitec's Aurora transmitter but the thoughts of changing 14 receivers (and the cost) is preventing me from moving to the Aurora.

I normally store my planes up high suspended from the ceiling of my garage and thus out of reach of my kids!. However I had my Parkzone Me109 down on my workbench for some maintenance and I left it overnight. Next day, I discovered that part of the cockpit had been eaten away by mice. I set traps and over the space of a week, I eventually caught 21 of the little beggars!! Needless to say, I don't leave my foam planes down where the little furry ones can access them.   Edited By Steve Hargreaves - Moderator on 24/07/2012 10:43:44

I've been happy with 90% of my purchases from Hobbyking HK, escs, retracts, batteries etc all aok and working well. I've bought three planes from them, a Stinger edf which I haven't flown yet, and two Kinetics (powered 900mm wingspan gliders). The first Kinetic (which is a Multiplex Merlin clone btw), I flew on a three cell 850mah battery and it always put a smile on my face. Very fast, very agile and long flight times. The stock esc blew on her while I was doing a pre-flight motor run up (lucky for me it went on the ground and not in the air) and I then put in an eflite 30amp esc and no problems since. The second Kinetic arrived from HK with two dead servos in the elevator and rudder which I had to replace. I flew this as a two cell 500mah battery configuration for slope flying and for some inexplicable reason, she flew like a dead whale, all over the place and frequent unintended ground interface events (into heather so no damage). I can't figure this out at all as Kinetic 1 flies like a dream but its 2 cell counterpart (which is the way it was designed) flies terribly. However this wouldn't put me off buying from HK as their Durafly range of planes make their PZ equivalents look positively spartan in comparison. Just make sure the spare parts are available and they'll be a sure fire winner.

The OP's issue sounds like he definitely had an esc brown out which resulted in his plane having an unfortunate plane/ground interface. FMS models come with all the bells and whistles, e.g. flaps, retracts etc all pulling (via the rx) on the esc. Surely a separate bec is a good idea in case the esc goes into brown out mode (and thus cuts power to the rx) due to a sticking servo, retract etc or from flying wot for too long? In this instance, while you might lose the motor, you have a chance to land her by having the control surfaces still working as they are getting their power via the rx which in turn is being powered through the separate bec. An esc brown out is hard to find post crash as it would have cooled down and resumed normal function, albeit amongst a pile of foam that once looked like a plane.

I worked in Air Traffic Control for years and even though I left that job, I never lost the love I'd developed for aviation, and how planes fly, in particular. A couple of years ago, I saw a Parkzone Radian soaring over my local park and I stood watching it for ages. When it eventually landed, I talked to the pilot who was only too happy to answer my questions. As it turned out, he taught me how to fly and I was quite surprised that I was actually rather good at it. I suppose having an understanding of flight mechanics helped in avoiding stalls etc. Lately though, my enthusiasm has waned. While I do spend hours tinkering with my planes, adding flaps, retracts etc, I don't fly much anymore. Tbh I think I've lost my confidence to throw a plane into the air and enjoy the flight like I used to do. Lately, I just think about "what if she crashes? ". A mate has told me to "ignore the voices and go fly. If it comes to grief, so what?" he says. Wise advice but more easily said than done I'm afraid.

The Carbon Cub is a real looker alright Chrissie. I'll do some research on her when I get home. Brian, the Beast looks great but is probably too fast for my small area. Just want something nice and slow for some "backyard" flying.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. While I'm not really very keen on micro planes (too weather dependent and I've no indoor area to fly them in), I have 5 kids and I'm finding that opportunities for getting away to my club field for a fly these days are getting rarer and rarer. So having a small plane that I can do touch and go's with on my patio/driveway and some general flying is becoming almost a necessity. I had considered the PZ Night Vapour but it looks so fragile. The Ember looks sturdier but it was the Champ that caught my eye. I don't know if I really want to spend time building my own (although I have built larger scale warbirds) and control line isn't for me as I get dizzy just looking at other guys fly their planes in circles. Ill have a closer look at some of the kits suggested and perhaps have a think about scratch building my own from odds and ends in the work dump. Getting the Champ is the quick and lazy option though