Flitetest

January 26, 2016 6:54 PM

Flitetest is a project that makes RC flight fun. Their Youtube channel includes 'Crazy Projects' like the Super Circle Plane.

Some more I've been browsing through:
DIY Giant Cargo Plane
Star Wars RC Destroyer
The Decaplane
Avengers Helicarrier
More goodies (podcasts, reviews, etc.) at their website.

posted by carter (8 comments total)

That was a perfect combination of old-timey and new-fangled. I'd have had a blast if this sort of tech had been available to me as a kid. I guess there's no reason not to look into it now.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:46 PM on January 26, 2016

I've only watched a couple of their vids, but I like what I've seen a lot. Guess I ought to try this newfangled radio control stuff the kids are all talking about.
posted by gamera at 11:21 PM on January 26, 2016

Rarely is newness so fangled
posted by clockzero at 11:42 PM on January 26, 2016 [1 favorite]

RC Aircraft (I'm talking real planes, not those silly "drones") has really improved just in the last 10 years. First with 2.4Ghz digital transmitters, then LiPO batteries, then increasingly strong varieties of foam (EPP, EPO, etc.). Basically you can get an excellent plane and everything you need to fly it for $300 (or even $100 if you don't mind a small plane.)

Definitely a far cry from the $2000 balsa-and-cloth gas-powered things I fantasized about in high school.
posted by mmoncur at 4:06 AM on January 27, 2016

The thrust to weight ratios that you get with modern RC electronics is amazing. I'd have never thought that electric helicopters were possible 30 years ago... and now they're so cheap that even kids have them.

I see myself binge watching this stuff after work tonight... especially the flying cinder block.
posted by MikeWarot at 4:06 AM on January 27, 2016

That circle plane video was great once they got the large version up in the air. The pilots of the other smaller planes were impressive, actually flying through the circle wing.
posted by Mr. Big Business at 6:55 AM on January 27, 2016

Don't often comment on my own posts, but one thing I really liked about these videos was that when you see RC aircraft videos on YT, these often feature very detailed and realistic models that have obviously taken many hours to put together. These projects are built on runs to the hardware store, time limits, community involvement - and a very solid understanding of the relationships between foam, tape, frames, struts, and flight dynamics.
posted by carter at 7:22 AM on January 27, 2016 [1 favorite]

one thing I really liked about these videos was that when you see RC aircraft videos on YT, these often feature very detailed and realistic models that have obviously taken many hours to put together.

Yeah, when my brother and I were kids we would mess around with balsa "Sleek Streek" airplanes and balsa scraps: Making a tandem plane out of two planes, making biplanes or planes with short or elongated wings. It looks like modern materials, super-light RC gear, and small electric engines let (suitably skilled) people do the same sort of thing on AN AWESOME SCALE.

Also, while I still love the aesthetics of stick and tissue construction, I fucking hated the ear-shattering dentist-drill whine of the old gas engines.
posted by gamera at 1:11 PM on January 27, 2016