Expounding on the Expo
Some say that modeling is a
solitary sport, but a group of
friends can bring the fun to new
levels. Well, how about a really big
group?
I recently returned from AMA
Expo 2013, where thousands of
enthusiasts shared their enjoyment
of model aircraft. What a great event,
and what a great crowd! I was at Expo
as a spectator, local club president,
volunteer staffer, contest participant,
AMA committee member, and of
course, journalist.
I put on my columnist hat (yes, I
really have one) and roamed the aisles
looking for safety-related stuff in the
booths. There was plenty!
Tray Chic
Marcene Rankin demonstrated a
well-built rig for securely holding your
transmitter as you fl y. The RC Trayman
USA Transmitter Tray is designed to
prevent fumbled or dropped radios
Carl Rankin’s mother, Marcene, breaks into
print modeling by demonstrating a high-end
transmitter tray at AMA Expo 2013. Carl uses
the tray when flying his soda-straw RC aircra .
The simple, but clever, Helping Fingers tool holds whatever
you’re working on, and has a magnetic base.
resulting from mishaps and fatigue. It is pricey, but is built to last and will adjust to
fi t nearly any pilot. The steady transmitter tray creates a secure feeling, much like
being at a desk instead of standing with a box in your hands.
Marcene is the mother of Carl Rankin, who is famous for his incredible sodastraw
RC models. Carl always seems to be in a happy mood, and he must have
inherited his sunny disposition from his mom.
Helping Fingers
E-Power RC had a booth full of fun gadgets and tools. One item caught my
interest because it was a clever new combination of old tricks to help me avoid
burning myself with my soldering iron. The Helping Fingers tool has alligator clips
on two or three fl exible arms that stay where you position them, such as when
holding wires to be soldered. The arms go down into a central magnetic base, so it
stays fi rmly in place while you work.
I imagined plenty of uses for this octopus-like tool, and things it could do that
other similar gadgets could not. Having a component held fi rmly while I solder is
much better than trying to keep track of where my fi ngers are in relation to the
hot iron!
RcBearings.com
RcBearings.com had a display of beautifully made ball bearing sets for gas
engines. I saw a line of stainless-steel bearings that have nylon retainer rings to
hold the balls in place.
The advantage is that during a bearing failure, there are no metal shards ruining
the engine from inside—only loose bits of plastic. The engine will often continue
to run (although roughly), giving the pilot a better shot at a safe landing. Nice
idea!
Forget About Memory Foam!
The MemFo booth had a new product which I do not think is good for our
hobby. The company noticed how many 3-D and park fl yer models are made from
foam sheet these days, and took it one step further by using memory foam for ARF
airplanes. Although this material is great for pillows and mattresses, I do not think
it belongs in an airframe.
The MemFo people connected a small computer chip to the foam, and when
the pilot makes a good landing or a smooth aerobatic stunt, all he or she has to do
is hit the “save” button and the model will remember and repeat the maneuver
again and again.
After a series of fl ight segments is recorded in the memory foam structure, the
pilot can merely select numbers instead of fl ying the model.
A newbie pilot could get an expert
to fly a model, then save the program
and never learn to fly at all. It’s not
good for the new pilot, and not good
for our hobby. I think we should keep
memory foam in the bedroom and off
the flightline.
Shortcut to Trouble
Okay, the MemFo item was an April
Fools’ joke, but this letter from Matt
Bailey is the real thing. Matt wrote:
“Your recent story about a reversed
throttle servo reminded me of the time
I almost lost my Extra 300. I was 16
and the Extra was only my third kitbuilt
model, with about six flights on
it. My elevator pushrod was just barely
long enough, with just a few threads
into the clevis.
I had decided for safety reasons that
I would screw the clevis in a few more
turns, and just deal with the resulting
down-elevator with trim. With full
up-trim, I still had a tiny bit of downelevator
at neutral stick.
“The next flight was hair-raising! I
had to continually hold up-elevator, and
the sensitivity of the Extra, combined
with my relative lack of experience
at the time, made for brief spurts of
control loss, a number of unintentional
loops, and a rather hard landing.
These stainless-steel ball bearings have nylon retainers, allowing the engine to survive a
bearing failure.
“Lesson learned! I’ve since become
very unaccepting of less-than-optimal
control configurations, ‘minor’ servo or
linkage issues, etc.
“I am now 30, and I still have that
Extra 300, in flying condition … and
the Tiger II that I received on my 14th
birthday. Crashes are optional!”
Many of us have been tempted by
such a situation—some minor problem
that we know should be dealt with
before takeoff. However, our ego
assures us that we can handle it.
It takes good judgment and humility
to make the right choice on a safety
issue. Sometimes we might get away
with doing the wrong thing, but that
only reinforces the problem with the
quick-and-dirty option the next time.
During moments such as this, true
friends should give wise counsel and
support a pilot who decides to avoid
a risk. When it is your airplane and
your flight, the temptation to ignore a
problem can be strong. We need to stick
together and help each other avoid the
“dark side.”
Solving a Mystery
An anonymous reader and I
corresponded for many weeks about
a mysterious radio problem he had.
No one was hurt, thanks to his stick
skills. However, some airplanes were
damaged.
An RC model sometimes uses mixed
brands of transmitters, receivers, and
servos. All of the electronics have their
own programming and settings, and
when things don’t work together it can
be difficult to find the problem.
My friend suspected a manufacturing
flaw in one part, but couldn’t isolate it.
The factory said it wasn’t the company’s
fault. After much investigation, the
trouble was at last located.
To his credit, he wrote back to me
and admitted sheepishly that it was
all caused by his failure to read the
instructions. In his own defense, he
said it was in small print and buried in
cautionary boilerplate, but there was the
answer.
Ego and experience were no help in
this case. Having successfully flown so
many models, the pilot trusted his own
know-how and confidently skipped a
detailed reading of the programming
manual. It takes courage to admit
something embarrassing such as this,
but he did so in hopes that we would
learn from his adventure.
Please consider sharing your own story
with me. You can choose to be famous
or nameless, as long as the information
on a close call or preventable incident
gets shared with other modelers. Email
me or write a letter to me via AMA
Headquarters.
SOURCES:
RC Trayman USA
(818) 982-5518
www.rctraymanusa.com
RcBearings.com
(480) 788-7416
www.rcbearings.com
E-Power
(714) 982-4547
rcmicroflite.com
MemFo
Come on, that was just a gag!
Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/04
Page Numbers: 97,98,99
Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/04
Page Numbers: 97,98,99
Expounding on the Expo
Some say that modeling is a
solitary sport, but a group of
friends can bring the fun to new
levels. Well, how about a really big
group?
I recently returned from AMA
Expo 2013, where thousands of
enthusiasts shared their enjoyment
of model aircraft. What a great event,
and what a great crowd! I was at Expo
as a spectator, local club president,
volunteer staffer, contest participant,
AMA committee member, and of
course, journalist.
I put on my columnist hat (yes, I
really have one) and roamed the aisles
looking for safety-related stuff in the
booths. There was plenty!
Tray Chic
Marcene Rankin demonstrated a
well-built rig for securely holding your
transmitter as you fl y. The RC Trayman
USA Transmitter Tray is designed to
prevent fumbled or dropped radios
Carl Rankin’s mother, Marcene, breaks into
print modeling by demonstrating a high-end
transmitter tray at AMA Expo 2013. Carl uses
the tray when flying his soda-straw RC aircra .
The simple, but clever, Helping Fingers tool holds whatever
you’re working on, and has a magnetic base.
resulting from mishaps and fatigue. It is pricey, but is built to last and will adjust to
fi t nearly any pilot. The steady transmitter tray creates a secure feeling, much like
being at a desk instead of standing with a box in your hands.
Marcene is the mother of Carl Rankin, who is famous for his incredible sodastraw
RC models. Carl always seems to be in a happy mood, and he must have
inherited his sunny disposition from his mom.
Helping Fingers
E-Power RC had a booth full of fun gadgets and tools. One item caught my
interest because it was a clever new combination of old tricks to help me avoid
burning myself with my soldering iron. The Helping Fingers tool has alligator clips
on two or three fl exible arms that stay where you position them, such as when
holding wires to be soldered. The arms go down into a central magnetic base, so it
stays fi rmly in place while you work.
I imagined plenty of uses for this octopus-like tool, and things it could do that
other similar gadgets could not. Having a component held fi rmly while I solder is
much better than trying to keep track of where my fi ngers are in relation to the
hot iron!
RcBearings.com
RcBearings.com had a display of beautifully made ball bearing sets for gas
engines. I saw a line of stainless-steel bearings that have nylon retainer rings to
hold the balls in place.
The advantage is that during a bearing failure, there are no metal shards ruining
the engine from inside—only loose bits of plastic. The engine will often continue
to run (although roughly), giving the pilot a better shot at a safe landing. Nice
idea!
Forget About Memory Foam!
The MemFo booth had a new product which I do not think is good for our
hobby. The company noticed how many 3-D and park fl yer models are made from
foam sheet these days, and took it one step further by using memory foam for ARF
airplanes. Although this material is great for pillows and mattresses, I do not think
it belongs in an airframe.
The MemFo people connected a small computer chip to the foam, and when
the pilot makes a good landing or a smooth aerobatic stunt, all he or she has to do
is hit the “save” button and the model will remember and repeat the maneuver
again and again.
After a series of fl ight segments is recorded in the memory foam structure, the
pilot can merely select numbers instead of fl ying the model.
A newbie pilot could get an expert
to fly a model, then save the program
and never learn to fly at all. It’s not
good for the new pilot, and not good
for our hobby. I think we should keep
memory foam in the bedroom and off
the flightline.
Shortcut to Trouble
Okay, the MemFo item was an April
Fools’ joke, but this letter from Matt
Bailey is the real thing. Matt wrote:
“Your recent story about a reversed
throttle servo reminded me of the time
I almost lost my Extra 300. I was 16
and the Extra was only my third kitbuilt
model, with about six flights on
it. My elevator pushrod was just barely
long enough, with just a few threads
into the clevis.
I had decided for safety reasons that
I would screw the clevis in a few more
turns, and just deal with the resulting
down-elevator with trim. With full
up-trim, I still had a tiny bit of downelevator
at neutral stick.
“The next flight was hair-raising! I
had to continually hold up-elevator, and
the sensitivity of the Extra, combined
with my relative lack of experience
at the time, made for brief spurts of
control loss, a number of unintentional
loops, and a rather hard landing.
These stainless-steel ball bearings have nylon retainers, allowing the engine to survive a
bearing failure.
“Lesson learned! I’ve since become
very unaccepting of less-than-optimal
control configurations, ‘minor’ servo or
linkage issues, etc.
“I am now 30, and I still have that
Extra 300, in flying condition … and
the Tiger II that I received on my 14th
birthday. Crashes are optional!”
Many of us have been tempted by
such a situation—some minor problem
that we know should be dealt with
before takeoff. However, our ego
assures us that we can handle it.
It takes good judgment and humility
to make the right choice on a safety
issue. Sometimes we might get away
with doing the wrong thing, but that
only reinforces the problem with the
quick-and-dirty option the next time.
During moments such as this, true
friends should give wise counsel and
support a pilot who decides to avoid
a risk. When it is your airplane and
your flight, the temptation to ignore a
problem can be strong. We need to stick
together and help each other avoid the
“dark side.”
Solving a Mystery
An anonymous reader and I
corresponded for many weeks about
a mysterious radio problem he had.
No one was hurt, thanks to his stick
skills. However, some airplanes were
damaged.
An RC model sometimes uses mixed
brands of transmitters, receivers, and
servos. All of the electronics have their
own programming and settings, and
when things don’t work together it can
be difficult to find the problem.
My friend suspected a manufacturing
flaw in one part, but couldn’t isolate it.
The factory said it wasn’t the company’s
fault. After much investigation, the
trouble was at last located.
To his credit, he wrote back to me
and admitted sheepishly that it was
all caused by his failure to read the
instructions. In his own defense, he
said it was in small print and buried in
cautionary boilerplate, but there was the
answer.
Ego and experience were no help in
this case. Having successfully flown so
many models, the pilot trusted his own
know-how and confidently skipped a
detailed reading of the programming
manual. It takes courage to admit
something embarrassing such as this,
but he did so in hopes that we would
learn from his adventure.
Please consider sharing your own story
with me. You can choose to be famous
or nameless, as long as the information
on a close call or preventable incident
gets shared with other modelers. Email
me or write a letter to me via AMA
Headquarters.
SOURCES:
RC Trayman USA
(818) 982-5518
www.rctraymanusa.com
RcBearings.com
(480) 788-7416
www.rcbearings.com
E-Power
(714) 982-4547
rcmicroflite.com
MemFo
Come on, that was just a gag!
Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/04
Page Numbers: 97,98,99
Expounding on the Expo
Some say that modeling is a
solitary sport, but a group of
friends can bring the fun to new
levels. Well, how about a really big
group?
I recently returned from AMA
Expo 2013, where thousands of
enthusiasts shared their enjoyment
of model aircraft. What a great event,
and what a great crowd! I was at Expo
as a spectator, local club president,
volunteer staffer, contest participant,
AMA committee member, and of
course, journalist.
I put on my columnist hat (yes, I
really have one) and roamed the aisles
looking for safety-related stuff in the
booths. There was plenty!
Tray Chic
Marcene Rankin demonstrated a
well-built rig for securely holding your
transmitter as you fl y. The RC Trayman
USA Transmitter Tray is designed to
prevent fumbled or dropped radios
Carl Rankin’s mother, Marcene, breaks into
print modeling by demonstrating a high-end
transmitter tray at AMA Expo 2013. Carl uses
the tray when flying his soda-straw RC aircra .
The simple, but clever, Helping Fingers tool holds whatever
you’re working on, and has a magnetic base.
resulting from mishaps and fatigue. It is pricey, but is built to last and will adjust to
fi t nearly any pilot. The steady transmitter tray creates a secure feeling, much like
being at a desk instead of standing with a box in your hands.
Marcene is the mother of Carl Rankin, who is famous for his incredible sodastraw
RC models. Carl always seems to be in a happy mood, and he must have
inherited his sunny disposition from his mom.
Helping Fingers
E-Power RC had a booth full of fun gadgets and tools. One item caught my
interest because it was a clever new combination of old tricks to help me avoid
burning myself with my soldering iron. The Helping Fingers tool has alligator clips
on two or three fl exible arms that stay where you position them, such as when
holding wires to be soldered. The arms go down into a central magnetic base, so it
stays fi rmly in place while you work.
I imagined plenty of uses for this octopus-like tool, and things it could do that
other similar gadgets could not. Having a component held fi rmly while I solder is
much better than trying to keep track of where my fi ngers are in relation to the
hot iron!
RcBearings.com
RcBearings.com had a display of beautifully made ball bearing sets for gas
engines. I saw a line of stainless-steel bearings that have nylon retainer rings to
hold the balls in place.
The advantage is that during a bearing failure, there are no metal shards ruining
the engine from inside—only loose bits of plastic. The engine will often continue
to run (although roughly), giving the pilot a better shot at a safe landing. Nice
idea!
Forget About Memory Foam!
The MemFo booth had a new product which I do not think is good for our
hobby. The company noticed how many 3-D and park fl yer models are made from
foam sheet these days, and took it one step further by using memory foam for ARF
airplanes. Although this material is great for pillows and mattresses, I do not think
it belongs in an airframe.
The MemFo people connected a small computer chip to the foam, and when
the pilot makes a good landing or a smooth aerobatic stunt, all he or she has to do
is hit the “save” button and the model will remember and repeat the maneuver
again and again.
After a series of fl ight segments is recorded in the memory foam structure, the
pilot can merely select numbers instead of fl ying the model.
A newbie pilot could get an expert
to fly a model, then save the program
and never learn to fly at all. It’s not
good for the new pilot, and not good
for our hobby. I think we should keep
memory foam in the bedroom and off
the flightline.
Shortcut to Trouble
Okay, the MemFo item was an April
Fools’ joke, but this letter from Matt
Bailey is the real thing. Matt wrote:
“Your recent story about a reversed
throttle servo reminded me of the time
I almost lost my Extra 300. I was 16
and the Extra was only my third kitbuilt
model, with about six flights on
it. My elevator pushrod was just barely
long enough, with just a few threads
into the clevis.
I had decided for safety reasons that
I would screw the clevis in a few more
turns, and just deal with the resulting
down-elevator with trim. With full
up-trim, I still had a tiny bit of downelevator
at neutral stick.
“The next flight was hair-raising! I
had to continually hold up-elevator, and
the sensitivity of the Extra, combined
with my relative lack of experience
at the time, made for brief spurts of
control loss, a number of unintentional
loops, and a rather hard landing.
These stainless-steel ball bearings have nylon retainers, allowing the engine to survive a
bearing failure.
“Lesson learned! I’ve since become
very unaccepting of less-than-optimal
control configurations, ‘minor’ servo or
linkage issues, etc.
“I am now 30, and I still have that
Extra 300, in flying condition … and
the Tiger II that I received on my 14th
birthday. Crashes are optional!”
Many of us have been tempted by
such a situation—some minor problem
that we know should be dealt with
before takeoff. However, our ego
assures us that we can handle it.
It takes good judgment and humility
to make the right choice on a safety
issue. Sometimes we might get away
with doing the wrong thing, but that
only reinforces the problem with the
quick-and-dirty option the next time.
During moments such as this, true
friends should give wise counsel and
support a pilot who decides to avoid
a risk. When it is your airplane and
your flight, the temptation to ignore a
problem can be strong. We need to stick
together and help each other avoid the
“dark side.”
Solving a Mystery
An anonymous reader and I
corresponded for many weeks about
a mysterious radio problem he had.
No one was hurt, thanks to his stick
skills. However, some airplanes were
damaged.
An RC model sometimes uses mixed
brands of transmitters, receivers, and
servos. All of the electronics have their
own programming and settings, and
when things don’t work together it can
be difficult to find the problem.
My friend suspected a manufacturing
flaw in one part, but couldn’t isolate it.
The factory said it wasn’t the company’s
fault. After much investigation, the
trouble was at last located.
To his credit, he wrote back to me
and admitted sheepishly that it was
all caused by his failure to read the
instructions. In his own defense, he
said it was in small print and buried in
cautionary boilerplate, but there was the
answer.
Ego and experience were no help in
this case. Having successfully flown so
many models, the pilot trusted his own
know-how and confidently skipped a
detailed reading of the programming
manual. It takes courage to admit
something embarrassing such as this,
but he did so in hopes that we would
learn from his adventure.
Please consider sharing your own story
with me. You can choose to be famous
or nameless, as long as the information
on a close call or preventable incident
gets shared with other modelers. Email
me or write a letter to me via AMA
Headquarters.
SOURCES:
RC Trayman USA
(818) 982-5518
www.rctraymanusa.com
RcBearings.com
(480) 788-7416
www.rcbearings.com
E-Power
(714) 982-4547
rcmicroflite.com
MemFo
Come on, that was just a gag!
