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Category Archives: RC Planes
What on earth is SAFE® or: How I hacked AR636 from V900 to fly the Freewing Mirage 2000, with SAFE and AS3X
Last week I was faced with a new AR636 challenge. I removed a locked-down AR636 receiver with SAFE® from V900, an E-flite speed plane. I wanted to make it fly my new EDF jet, the Freewing Mirage 2000 Tiger Meet. It would be a breeze to reprogram the AR636 today, presumably, with the advent of AS3X® firmware 2.27 made available in April 2018.
I honestly thought it would take me an hour to reprogram the receiver to fly a delta wing, given the new receiver firmware and upgraded programming apps, since I last looked into the AR636. I thought I would fire up the programming app, and change the aircraft type from normal to elevon. I thought I could then set AS3X rate gains, while keeping SAFE panic and self-leveling. Surely Spektrum documentation had caught up in the last three year, right?
No.
You cannot easily take an AR636 that is pre-programmed with SAFE for aircraft wing type X (say dual aileron), and reconfigure it for another wing type Y (say a delta wing with elevons), without losing SAFE in the process.
No one has done this before. Or at least no one had clearly documented how to do this online before. It took me some time to figure out how to do this. Thus this sequel to the 2016 article. Continue reading
Posted in RC Planes
Tagged AR636, AR636A, AS3X, AS3X-only model, Bank-angle limitation, E-flite, firmware 1.xx, firmware 2.xx, Freewing Mirage 2000, Freewing Mirage 2000 Tiger Meet, Hack, Heading gain, Heading hold, Open stock AR636, Panic mode, parameterVersion, PID Controller, pidAttitude, pidStability, Rate gain, rcgroups.com, Receiver, Reprogram, SAFE, SAFE Model Builder, SAFE-enabled AR636, SAFE-enabled model, Self-leveling, SMB, Spektrum AS3X Programmer, Spektrum Programmer Software, Spektrum Receiver Model, SPM, SPS, SRM, Stick priority, USB Programming Cable, V900
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How to master short-field landings with EDF jets such as the Avanti S
There is a real lack of information online about making successful short-field landings with EDF jets such as the Avanti S. I don’t know whether I should attribute this to search engines being saturated with merchant pages, or blame Facebook for hiding useful content from search engines. Looking for videos on YouTube for the same yields basically nothing. Last time I failed to find useful info, I wrote Learn to Skate the Two-foot Grapevine Analytically, despite being relatively new at ice skating. This time I’ll do the same without reservations on EDF jets and short-field landings, based on my personal experiences.
Posted in RC Planes
Tagged Aerodrome, Avanti S, EDF Jet, flaps, Freewing, go-around, Hempstead Harbor Aero Modelers Society, HHAMS, HHAMS Aerodrome, high alpha, high attitude, landing flaps, low-pass, Model airplanes, paintball, Port Washington, radio-controlled, Short-field landing, short-field takeoff, takeoff, throttle control, tip stall, touch down
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2018 XiSheng RC Extravaganza 西盛遙控飛行嘉年華
New Taipei RC Flying Extravaganza (西盛遙控飛行嘉年華會慶) organized by NTAMA (新北市航空模型協會) took place on Sunday, Nov 4th, 2018. It was joined by flying enthusiasts from all over Taiwan. I went with friends from the RC club from Kaohsiung 高雄市遙控運動協會, courtesy of 陳振國.
This article hosts pictures I took and edited of this event. Perhaps I’ll come back and finish it with additional descriptions. Perhaps I won’t. It exists for now as a place for enthusiasts to browse and download pictures I took of them, or their planes. I compiled two YouTube videos: a shorter one comprising video clips I took that day, as well as a longer slideshow highlighting some of the many exciting moments I captured in still pictures. As usual, some of the best pictures will eventually end up on Wikimedia. Continue reading
Posted in Being a Wikipedian, Fun, RC Planes, Travel
Tagged 3D Model Airplane, Boeing 747, Booth Babes, Bronze Tiger, Carf Eurosport, Change Fei, ChangFei, Dassault Rafale, Eagle ornithopter, Eurofighter Typhoon, Eva Air, 西盛遙控飛行嘉年華, 西盛遙控飛行機場, 西盛飛場, 高雄市遙控運動協會, F16 Fighting Falcon, F4U Corsair, F8F-2 Bearcat, Firecrackers, Flight Simulators, Fokker Triplane, Freewing Mirage 2000, Gee Bee, Kaohsiung, model airplane, New Taipei, NTAMA, ornithopter, P-47G Thunderbolt, P-51D Mustang, RC Flying Field, RC Flying Site, RC Turbine Jet, Reb Baron, sailplane, SBD-5 Dauntless, T-One Models, T1 Sport Jet, Tamsui, V2 Tiger Meet, XiSheng, XiSheng RC Extravaganza, Zero Fighter, 張菲, 新北市航空模型協會, 三重西盛環保公園
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NorCal for the model aeronautically-inclined
This is a guide and a preview to upcoming articles I’ll be publishing, on Northern California through the eyes of a New Yorker, with an inclination to see things from a model aeronautic perspective. It is similar to my model-aeronautic take on Ogunquit and its bipolar beach. Here I’ll examine various Napa Valley and Sonoma vineyards on their applicability to flying, while accompanied by my brother’s family. I’ll show you where to find legitimate flying fields manned by AMA chartered clubs, as well as secret flying places that fanatics frequent. We toured San Francisco, Golden Gate Park, Half Moon Bay, Point Lobos, Fort Ord Dunes State Park and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Continue reading
Posted in Being a Wikipedian, Photography, RC Planes, Travel
Tagged 360° panoramic photos, AMA Chartered Clubs, Artesa Vineyards & Winery, Bay Area, beaches, Bigfin reef squid, birds, Black-crowned Night Heron, Blue Wing Inn, Castello di Amorosa, Common starling, Conservatory of Flowers, Daiso Clay, Din Tai Fung, drone, Flying Fields, Fort Ord Dunes State Park, Foster City, Fundemonium, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Gondola lift, Half Moon Bay, Inner Parkside, Kennedy Park, Lollipot, Metal Sculptures, mimetoliths, Mission San Francisco, Model airplanes, Monterey Bay, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Napa Valley, Nightfall, NorCal, Northern California, oceanside bluffs, Peninsula Channel Commanders, Point Lobos, radio-controlled, sailplane, San Francisco, Sardine tank, Shells Dirt Jumps, Sonoma, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, Sterling Vineyards, Sunset, T. rex, Tyrannosaurus rex, UMX Radian, Vineyards, West Coast RC Flyers, Western gull, Wine Country, Wine Tasting, Wineries
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Droning at and around Ogunquit Beach
This article is a part of the Ogunquit in September Guide I am writing, for the model aeronautically-inclined. It is the main and the last installment in the series. Together with the modern beach equipment installment, it details everything you will ever need, before you head out to fly a drone or two in this beautiful beach town. Continue reading
Posted in Being a Wikipedian, Photography, RC Planes, Travel
Tagged 360° panoramic photos, Bald head Cliff, beach equipment, beaches, birds, Cape Neddick, Cliff House, Coast, Coastline, Drakes Island Beach, drone, Footbridge Beach, Gooch's Beach, Google Cardboard, great black-backed seagull, Kennebunkport, kites, Long Sands Beach, Main Beach, Maine, Marginal Way, Model airplanes, Moody Beach, Norsemen Resorts, North Beach, Ogunquit, Ogunquit beach, Perkins Cove, radio-controlled, Rock formations, sailplane, September, Short Sands Beach, Tidal Suites, UMX Radian, Wells, Wells Beach, York, York Beach
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Modern beach equipment for the model aeronautically-inclined
This article is a part of the Ogunquit in September Guide I am writing, for the model aeronautically-inclined. Obviously, those who enjoy flying radio-controlled planes at a beach will find this article useful. But I am also certain that any modern man or woman planning a trip to the beach will not want to miss this one.
I know it, because I’ve spent countless nights before the trip googling for the best beach equipment to bring, to no avail. If you are looking for novel contraptions that solve known problems with ancient beach equipment technology, you will not be happy with what you find online today. Even Google isn’t smart enough to weed out hastily-assembled, so called “top ten beach equipment” websites that simply scout Amazon for highest-ranking sales. YouTube is full of computer-generated videos with screenshots stole from above-mentioned “top ten beach equipment” websites. And most search engines nowadays only want to show you online shops, because… that’s how they make money. This leaves old fashioned research work as the only option. I read and combed through tons of user reviews, and wrote notes. The trip proved that I did find the right beach equipment to buy.
Posted in Being a Wikipedian, Photography, RC Planes, Travel
Tagged Beach Chair, Beach Lounger, Beach tent, Beach Umbrellas, Collapsible Beach Cart, Collapsible Beach Wagon, Folding Beach Cart, Folding Beach Wagon, kites, Model airplanes, model sailplanes, Ogunquit, Ogunquit beach, Ollieroo Folding Beach Wagon, Pacific Breeze Beach Lounger, Pacific Breeze Sand & Surf Beach Shelter, September, Sport-Brella Versa-Brella, UMX Radian, Versa-Brella beach umbrella by Sport-Brella
2 Comments
Ogunquit in September – for the model aeronautically-inclined
This is a guide to upcoming articles I will be publishing, on Ogunquit, a small town at the southern tip of Maine. The guide serves as a preview to these articles, before they are written and published, showing this beautiful river, the town and the beach named after it, in September. This was when kids had to leave the beach, to go back to school, and just before the autumn arrived in full force. Some articles will explore the Marginal Way, Perkins Cove, Cape Neddick, York, Wells, Kennebunkport and plenty of public beaches in the area. Some will focus on hotels we’ve stayed at – the Tidal Suites at the Norsemen and the Cliff House at Bald Head Cliff.
I’ve also brought the current obsession of my life together with travel and videography. Most of these articles will be of interest to those who are model aeronautically-inclined. While I did not have room to bring big model airplanes, I did pack two micro airplanes and a variety of kites. While flying a sailplane on the peaceful and expansive Ogunquit Beach proved to be a relaxing pastime, fighting the precarious Bald Head Cliff in inclement weather against a stormy sea turned out to be quite challenging.
Did I mention that I adopted a pet seagull during this trip?
Pictures I’ve taken on a meager iPhone will be culled in time, and the remaining usable and useful ones uploaded to Wikipedia for illustrations on various relevant articles, continuing my series of Wiki Vacations (from here and there). Continue reading
Posted in Being a Wikipedian, Photography, RC Planes, Travel
Tagged 360° panoramic photos, Bald head Cliff, beach equipment, beaches, birds, Cape Neddick, Cliff House, drone, Google Cardboard, great black-backed seagull, Kennebunkport, kites, Maine, Marginal Way, Model airplanes, Norsemen Resorts, Ogunquit, Perkins Cove, radio-controlled, sailplane, September, Tidal Suites, UMX Radian, Wells, York
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A Resurrected Ornithopter – the Flytech Dragonfly
The Flytech Dragonfly was one of the most innovative flying toys when it came out in 2007. It was the first radio-controlled ornithopter mass-produced for the general public. Sadly it is no longer available for purchase. To add insult to injury, there has been nothing in the market for ten years that delivers remotely the same level of giddy fun for the money. Some event reminded me of the Dragonfly recently, so I went through boxes in my basement to find the two units I bought in 2007.
Unfortunately their tiny lipo batteries have since gone bust. With help from ancient posts on rcgroups.com, I managed to resurrect one of my dragonflies with a new setup. It allows me to reuse abandoned lipos from my Blade Nano QX which I have aplenty. Suddenly I no longer need to wait for 20 minutes between flying sessions, for the built-in battery to be charged. I can now fly it effectively non-stop. Continue reading
Posted in HHAMS, RC Planes
Tagged 150mAh, 180mAh, 50mAh, Aerodrome, battery, bird, dragonfly, flytech, Flytech Dragonfly, full river, HHAMS, lipo, MX connector, ornithopter, Port Washington, radio-controlled, replacement
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Ode to FlightLineRC 1300mm Focke-Wulf Ta 152 H-1
This is not a real “ode”. And I don’t know how to write one. Nevertheless I find myself compelled to publicize the greatness of this model warbird, after flying it time after time in the last month. I am talking about the FlightLineRC 1300mm Focke-Wulf Ta 152 H-1.
Unlike a few occasions in the past where I felt the need to praise some planes (e.g. Extreme Flight Laser) but sat on the idea, this time I actually decide to comment on rcgroups.com. It was then only natural that I turned that into a quick article here.
If I must use one sentence to describe this 3S-capable plane, I would say that, when run on a 4-cell 2,600mAh lipo, it transforms into a graceful speed demon in the sky. Continue reading
Posted in RC Planes
Tagged 1300mm, 3-blade prop, aircraft, FlightLineRC, Focke-Wulf, Landing, Model Aircrafts, model airplane, radio-controlled, scale, Ta 152, takeoff, tip stall, torque roll, war bird, warbird
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Hot Air Balloons in Search of a Landing Site
Flipping through pictures on my iPhone, I found a few interesting ones taken in August 2015. They were from an unexpected encounter with hot air balloons while I was visiting Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It turned out that they were from a balloon ride tour agency with a misleadingly official name, The United States Hot Air Balloon Team. Nonetheless, I found the ground crew to be professional, and the pilot to be knowledgeable and helpful. I uploaded some of these pictures to Wikimedia, as I often do with useful pictures taken in my free time. Continue reading
Posted in Photography, RC Planes, Travel
Tagged Bird-in-Hand, Hot Air Ballooon, Kodak Moment, Landing, Pennsylvania, Travel pictures
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Xinhai Dude 
