The WORST plane you ever had?

[Flanker .]

So guys we and the press always go on about the fun we are having and the fine aircraft that we have and could own. But what was the worst that you ever built/flew/bought ?

The real pits, the total pigs. To kick off mine was an Inwood Improver I had two and it was only after the TOTAL destruction of the second one and the purchase of something else ( A TT Champion 45) that made me realize that it wasn't me, it was the plane that was causing the sudden flick rolls, the unrecoverable spins from level flight, the sudden loss of parts of the tail group, the flutter, the sensation of "oh my god help!" most of the time. (and no it wasn't tail heavy!)

So do tell what did you truly hate ?

LOL F 

[scott cuppello]

Oh easy, PZ Mustang.....oh dear [FW190 & Spit however are good], CC Lee ME262.....oh dear, GWS A-10 with stock brushed motors [good on brushless, odd, but good].....only because I couldn't get any of them to actually fly.......more a gentle glide to terra firma in the case of the latter 2, the Mustang flight was just plain nasty, 5 mins of tip stalling until the [inevitable] end came.

[dr jazz]

Really easy-planenutz Bobcat- a complete waste of chinese balsa/ply/fibreglass/plastic and money! 

[Engine Doctor]

Hi Flanker .I'm suprised you had bad experiences with Inwoods Improver. I had a kit  bought for me about 15 years ago and enjoyed it immensely. Always a good flyer from day one me and my sons flew it and abused it for about three years. We even reduced the wingspan by about 6 inches and fitted various motors with tuned pipes . eventually sold it at the Watford swapmeet .

The worst ever plane me or my sons have EVER had was the EZ Christian Eagle (the smaller one). Had to be flown like a ballistic brick .Total waste of time and money

E.D

[Erfolg]

Ely Super Fly trainer.

Needed the Merco 35 going flat out just to stay airbourne. Glided like the perverbial Iron Butterfly. Terra Firma would scream in agony at each soft landing.

Yes, everyone had one in those days!

Erfolg 

[Flanker .]

Oh god the superfly, I'd forgotten! Orange fiberglass Fuz ?

[Ernie]

Hi Guys, It was the taube in the wee photo on the left..Slow up, and it dropped like masonary..It was bizarre a mate of mine had one, and it was a purring pussycat (mind you, he was an ace pilot, so maybe it was my heavy fingers. We had a teeshirt made for the succesful flyers see picernie

[Tom Sharp]

Waterhouse and Ely Super Fly, ah yes, I had a Merco 35 in mine. I then fitted it with a K&B 40, transformed overnight. They also had a slope soarer, called Cliff Hanger, equally heavy.

[Al Dee]

Aint it strange that at the moment the worst models are trainers in one guise or another.  I am one of those people who spends time working out why they wont fly.  Reasons I have found  bad handling tends to be due to barn door throws, incorrect CG locations, engine thrust lines (eg, left side thrust).  The majority of problems seem to lie mostly in the first two areas.  Unfortunately I find that no notice is ever taken of the manufactures recommended throws.  I have never yet come across a model with too little surface deflection.  I read this months RCME and I heartily agree with Pete Miller,s diatribe on modellers not knowing about the physics of aircraft flight.  You could say I'm lucky that I learnt my flying back in the early 50's when free flight and control line were the disciplines you flew. You ran after and retrieved older guys models and in return they taught you about trimming.  I am not decrying todays modellers but I would suggest that they looked at Peters article and digested every word of what he says and you will probably find that the bitch of a model you have can be turned into a flying pleasure.

[001]

Worst model ever, Sailplanes International Ridge Racer kit, the wing was much too thick, the veneer was rippled and separating from the foam, the wingtip blocks appeared to be made of mahogany, both of the ailerons were warped in two dimensions, the balsa tailplane and fin blanks were misshapen and had strange yellow knots in.

 The cutouts in the fibreglass fuselage for the tailplane were about 2 mm. too deep and nowhere near 90 degrees to the wing seat, the two moulded fuselage halves were misaligned with a deep seam. I think that was the 'Ridge' in the name.  There was a large steel wing joiner and brass tube in the box that did not belong there and only one snake. Apart from that it was alright!    I couldn't return it to the shop because I took it with me from the UK to Spain unopened.

[Howard Tomlin]

Mine was a Pilot QB20HII (quick build 20 high wing),  we gave it a viking burial in the end!

It was meant to be a trainer but it only flew at one speed, fast, anything less than that and it fell out of the sky. I went on to a super 60 ( 3 channel) and learnt to fly in a couple of afternoons!.

 Also the precedent Bi-Fly we had handled like a brick with wings

[Flanker .]

Ah the Bi fly I had forgotten! I only had one flight with mine, the engine cut on take off and it fell out of the sky like a brick. I rebuilt it but never put an engine or gear back in as I had moved on. Took it to Spain with me 10 years back and me and the kids set it on fire last week!

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Tim Mackey]

Mine was a Stanley...I think it was called abrafile or summat like that NOT a bra file

Had little teeth all along a flexiblade in a sort of "proper plane's chassis" - it gave up at the first sign of anything remotely resembling hard wood.

[Erfolg]

Al

The problems with most trainers is not the build, as most if not all clubs will thoughly check out the model before flight. The problems often are

• The models are often very heavy to try to make them rugged
• Very thick sections are often used (in conjunction with well a rounded LE), again to give strength and good lift characteristics), these often require tremendous power inputs just to keep flying.
• Due to the poor glide, power off, the model is often subjected to heavy landings and consequent repairs, which often increase weight further.

I often think that a light robust build, such as the old "Hot Pot 52", in conjunction with a section with a good speed range and stall characteristics makes a better trainer.

I also think that airolon contol can be better on a trainer than rudder alone. As the positive control can be helpful, and tends to disguise little. The model can still have desirable flying and ground handling characteritics (not trickey).

Regards

Erfolg 

Regrads 

[Slopetrashuk]

DB Gringo - My modelling reached a whole new low on every landing approach.......

Tip stall city if you didn't land at warp factor 9!

[Peter Christy]

I can't remember what it was called - I won the kit in a club raffle back in the 70's! It was a swept wing, low-winger designed for a 40, and looked a bit like a Super Sabre. It had the most vicious tip-stall I have ever encountered! You could do consecutive flick rolls just by applying the elevator sharply (and not even fully!) in level flight!

One of our experienced club flyers had a go with it and managed three consecutive flicks (before it hit the deck) just by lifting off to quickly! 

 It was great for club spin contests though! In fact thats how it met its end! I had got it up very high, and it was spinning like a top. I decided to go for one more turn before recovery. As a result, I pulled out a little lower than I intended, hauled on the elevator to level out, and it just seemed to vanish before my eyes! Then there was a loud crunch from about 50 yds behind me! (luckily on open moorland!)

Yes, the dreaded snap-roll finally caught me out, and destroyed the model! I can't say I was sorry to see it go. It looked gorgeous, but the handling was lethal!

 --

Pete

[Mike Rolls]

Two stand-outs. VMAR Stiletto, which had about one joint in three with some glue in it and appeared to have been buikt from a mix of surplus orange crates and matcboxes - never seen such brittle wood before or since.

Aerotach SU26 45" supposedly for 25-45 - I used a 38. Despite a light all film finish the weight was horrendous - 5lbs equating to 33 ozs/sq.ft - and that was before the first flight when I discovered that the advised CG was too far back and over 4 ounces of nose weight was needed - pushing the wing loading up further still. It had to be flow flat out on the 38. Entered a loop at about 200 feet altitiude, pulled in gently round in view of the laoding - snapped out at the top and recovery took well over the 200 feet - just as well it was a big, gentle loop. Just about the only model I have flown which would not shown even the slightest sign of recovering from a spin by neutralising the controls - full spin recovery was needed. Gave it away, with a health warning to a clubmate who intended to put a 70 f/s in it, but never got round to it.

Mike

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Slopetrashuk]

I'll second that for the Kamco Kadet but this thread is about crap models so I'm going to go again with MFA New Yammamoto.......Not a patch on the original.

Andy

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Doug Ireland]

Calypso mk 3 from Aviomodelli. Trully horrible!

[Dead-stick]

The Sig Ninja; The most aweful  die-crushed kit I have ever had the misfortune to come across. The bits that weren't crushed hardly fitted either!

 It was described as an 'aerobatic' sloper, but in reality it was nothing more than a fair weather aileron trainer. To be avoided at all costs!  

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Slopetrashuk]

Slopers? How about the Ripmax Stargazer?