Author: Mike Riggs
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/05
Page Numbers: 97,98
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Radio Control Aerobatics — 2011/05

Pattern economics

Mike Riggs <[email protected]>

Two-meter (2 m) RC aerobatics (Pattern) airplanes cost a lot of money. Naturally, some cost more than others. With a growing family and a middle-class income, the economics of flying 2 m models is very real to me. How do I keep costs at a reasonable level without sacrificing performance?

It is often said that the best way to keep costs down is to buy used. This is good advice for many; for me, a large part of the hobby is missed by buying somebody else's aircraft or an ARF. For most of my first season I flew a 2 m Sword ARF as a disposable airplane while I climbed the learning curve. Something bad did happen, and that model is no more. The Sword is currently available as the Fortana from Texas RC Planes. Because of weight issues I do not recommend electrifying it, as I did. But for $350 it is a low-cost 2 m Pattern option.

What about a budget-minded guy such as myself who occasionally wants to walk out to the flightline with a brand-new 2 m airplane? I like new models, especially those I have built. I'm an okay builder—not great. The best way I have found to keep airframe costs down is to build them myself. Time in the workshop has a direct correlation to dollars in the pocket.

Last winter I built a Mark Hunt Insight from a short kit. After buying the kit, landing gear, wing tube, finishing materials, and lots of balsa, my ready-to-fly airframe cost was less than $500. The reward has been a great-performing, weight-legal aircraft I hope to fly for a long time.

Hardware costs — servos, gear and wing tubes

We definitely don't want to skimp on wing tubes; they are costly, but breaking one in flight is even costlier. The same goes for landing gear. I fly electric, and anything other than tall, lightweight carbon gear is not an option for me. In round numbers, you can expect to pay about $75 each for a carbon wing tube and for landing gear. Keep your eyes open; salvage is an option.

Wheel pants are optional; however, I truly believe that judges prefer contestants to fly with pants on their models. ABS pants are inexpensive. ARF pants are reasonably priced, fiberglass is common, or build your own with balsa and plywood. I repaired and painted some beat-up fiberglass pants for my Insight.

One of the benefits of electric airplanes is lack of vibration, so servos can last seemingly forever. Digital servos aren't cheap, especially when they're the newest and best kind. Buying used servos can be risky. With new brushless digital servos out of my price range, for my current project I bought new servos of the previous (brushed digital) generation. The latest-and-greatest of yesterday are almost always cheaper than comparable units of today, and they fit the requirements of an intermediate pilot such as myself. For now my servo approach is to buy new what the top pilots were using about five years ago.

Powerplant choices and crash economics

When my Pattern adventure began two years ago, my decision came down to either learning to run a big glow engine or learning to run motors. Not knowing much about either, I chose electric for consistency and bought what I considered a bulletproof setup: an AXi 5330/FAI motor and a Castle Creations Phoenix HV-85 controller.

After my accident with the Sword I found that Castle Creations has an excellent crash-replacement program. AXi was another story. Many people told me there was no stateside service center for AXi, so Chris Moon of F3A Unlimited put me in contact with a guy at the factory in the Czech Republic. After e-mail correspondence it was determined that my motor had been ruined in the crash. The good thing about motors is that they have few moving parts. The bad thing is that if you bend the moving parts, it's often cheaper to buy a new unit than to repair it. Big AXi motors sell for roughly $275.

For my next airplane I chose a less expensive motor: a $160 Dualsky 6355DA-12T. My rationale is that if I'm going to be throwing away motors after crashes, they need to be less expensive.

Current project — Black Magic V3 electric

It's winter as I write this, so building is timely. I'm currently building a Black Magic Version 3 electric (BMv3e). Buying a second-hand (new-in-the-box) kit helped keep the cost down. After building my last few airplanes from plans or short kits, gluing together precision laser-cut parts is a treat. Paying full retail for a laser-cut kit can be costly—especially if it includes cool carbon parts, as the BMv3e does. I was patient and waited for a preowned BMv3e to become available. Black Magic kits haven't been in production for a while, but they come up for sale occasionally.

There are other wood Pattern kits available; it just takes some legwork to find them. InsightRC and Bridi both produce 2 m kits.

Getting into Pattern without buying everything new

What about the sport flier with a cabinet full of engines and radios who wants to try Pattern without buying a bunch of new stuff? My advice is simple: fly Pattern with whatever you have. A year or two before I entered a contest, goofing around, I was flying the Sportsman pattern with a flat-bottom trainer. Precision it was not, but it allowed me to get used to the idea of flying a sequence of maneuvers in the box.

Many Pattern contests do not charge an entrance fee to fly in the Sportsman class. A fellow member flew a SPAD in our club's Sportsman contest and had as much—or more—fun than anybody else. Box exits in that class give the pilot and model time to regroup.

Last year a good friend earned a couple of first-place Sportsman finishes flying a Bridi Killer Chaos. The judges told him to slow down several times, but he took home the wood nonetheless.

For those with an extra .46-size engine, the Tower Hobbies Kaos 40 is a great value. Sport Aviator, MA's online magazine, contains a great (free) review of the Kaos 40 ARF.

Cost-saving tips and community resources

The biggest cost-saving tip I have is to join the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA) mailing list. It's free, informative, and occasionally features good deals. Additionally, the passion with which rules are discussed is informative and often entertaining. If you're hooked on Pattern as I am, join NSRCA and receive the excellent K-Factor magazine.

Sportsman of the Month

The Sportsman of the Month is Tom Mitchell of Georgetown, Texas. He contacted MA to get information about and assistance with selecting a model to get started in Pattern. Ultimately, his wife gave him a Phoenix Model Sea Bee for Christmas. If you happen to see or meet Tom, give him a warm Pattern welcome.

If you or somebody you know is relatively new to Pattern, please tell me about the experience by e-mail or send a picture with a brief description so I can use it for Sportsman of the Month. Sharing our experiences lets others know about the obstacles we overcome in our quest to fly Pattern.

Events and closing

Shameless self-promotion: The Treasure Valley Pattern Contest will be held May 14–15 at the Boise Area Radio Kontrol Society field, southeast of Boise, Idaho. Besides being the first contest on the NSRCA District 8 2011 schedule, it will be my first contest as CD. I'd like to see you there.

By the time you read this, I hope I'm flying the pants off my Insight and BMv3e in practice and at contests. I hope you're flying too. In the next column, spring weather permitting, I'll be telling tales about learning the Intermediate schedule and springtime practice.

Flight complete. MR

Sources:

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.