# Do you RC?



## LRSbm146 (Jan 17, 2022)

After talking to a couple members here, I noticed RC come up in conversation more than once. 
What kind of RC stuff does everyone play with?
I started with rockets and control line planes in school. That eventually led to nitro helis and as battery technology progressed, electric helis. My long range vision is terrible so I’ve been building and flying fpv drones. 
Plus a couple of nitro monster trucks in there somewhere


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## deleted_user (Jan 17, 2022)

I too started with control line planes.  Dabbled in everything except drones.

I have plans for steam tug, and electric working fireboat Wm Lyon Mackenzie King


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## LRSbm146 (Jan 17, 2022)

@TorontoBuilder flying fpv has been a lot of fun. And just to clarify these are NOT the picture taking, spy on your neighbors kind of drones. 
I’ll never legally fly a manned aircraft and this is probably as close as it gets while staying on the ground. Flying circuits with fixed wing and helis was getting too hard to see... loosing orientation or just plain loosing it in the sky. That’s getting a little dangerous


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## deleted_user (Jan 17, 2022)

LRSbm146 said:


> @TorontoBuilder flying fpv has been a lot of fun. And just to clarify these are NOT the picture taking, spy on your neighbors kind of drones.
> I’ll never legally fly a manned aircraft and this is probably as close as it gets while staying on the ground. Flying circuits with fixed wing and helis was getting too hard to see... loosing orientation or just plain loosing it in the sky. That’s getting a little dangerous



I know I have considered a drone in the past, but haven't gotten around to them yet. I use a kite for aerial photography still but I'd love to have real time video view.


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## PeterT (Jan 17, 2022)

Guilty as charged. Pattern (aerobatics), Pylon racing (Q40/Q500 methanol & electric F5D), bit of E-heli dabbling in my confused years haha. Actually I really liked heli's & was comfortable with left stick collective, but switching back & forth was fragmenting my airplane throttle DNA. So felt I had to choose one or the other or else just a matter of time before something expensive got buried deep in the dirt. Past couple years I got into F5J/ALES soaring ~4m moldie ships chasing 'the invisible stuff' (thermals). I've found the man-vs-nature stuff quite challenging & often humbling. Last season I dabbled in DLG (Discus Launch Gliders) to compliment the soaring thing which I've quite enjoyed. Other than launching them is physical & my not-so-great shoulder lets me know. This is probably the first year in many I haven't had a winter build project on the go, but part of that is trying staying focused on the radial.


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## neer724 (Jan 18, 2022)

My dad got my brother and I started off with line control in the late 70's, then we moved to RC planes in the early 80s.  Then 1/10 off-road racing in the mid-late 80s.  Then switched to racing r/c boats (outrigger hydros) in the mid 90s.  We actually won the 11cc world championships in 97and finished top 3 in many US regional and national events.  We - being my brother and I.  After I got married in 2003 no more r/c 

Racing the hydros introduced to metal working.  We setup a small machine shop in my moms basement.  We started off with a Taig mini lathe - really pushed this poor machine to the max.  Then we found a Emco Compact 5 - great little machine.  We also found a busy bee benchtop milling machine (circa late 80's / early 90s).  Having a real milling machine opened up whole new possibilities.   We made all kinds of parts, modified engines, etc.  I remember one of projects was balancing a 90 crankshaft - had to drill to holes for tungsten plugs in a hardened crankshaft.   When my brother moved to the US he ended up taking these machines with him.

Always wanted to get a metal lathe again as they are so damn useful.  I was lucky to find a Myford ML7 last year and a CX605 mini-mill a few months later.  At first I thought the 605 was toy, but it is actually quite capable if you only take off small amounts.  Hoping to upgrade to a bigger machine if one pops up.  The Myford was a wonderful project over the past year.  My son and I stripped it down completely and cleaned it up and, repainted it and reassembled it.  Amazing how well a 55 year machine works. I was going to get an off-shore lathe but after some research an old lathe is still better than a new one.

The best part of setting up the new machine shop is my 15 year old son as really taken a huge interest in machining.  He took grade 10 metal shop this year and absolutely loves it.  I have to brag a bit - he is actually got 100% so far.  One of his side projects was a tap follower with a MT2 taper which blew is teacher away! 

My wife on the other hand is not too thrilled with all the swarf coming up from the basement 

Sorry to ramble on....but yes was into R/C


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## CWelkie (Jan 18, 2022)

Another one here ... seriously into RC aircraft from the early 70's until about 5/6 years ago. Before that, control line and free flight.  (Think I've still got a couple of RIngmasters hanging in the garage.) My time and attention slowly shifted more towards machining projects.  Flying had always been something done to just complete a project and I found myself disillusioned with the hobby as ready-to-fly stuff became mainstream.  Not that there's anything inherently wrong with that approach ... it's just not for me. (Full disclosure - I've had a few ARFs in my day as well.) 

Here are a few that are hanging from the shop ceiling right now ... BTW - the yellow Antic was built in the mid-70's!


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## deleted_user (Jan 18, 2022)

I forgot the real genesis of my RC addiction.

Modeling is a gateway drug. 

At some point you ask, wouldn't it be cool if this did more than sit there? Then you can only blow up so many models before that gets old.


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## Dan Dubeau (Jan 18, 2022)

I used to have a couple cars/trucks in my early teens.  Never flown anything, but always wanted to.  My 9yo son is starting to get into my old stuff, and I'd like to build a new kit with him.  I can see this being a pretty fun adventure for the both of us.  Maybe build a track through the garden around the veggies next year.  So much has changed in 30 years.


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## kevin.decelles (Jan 18, 2022)

My son and I did the ready-to-fly kit route years back, great fun and pretty forgiving in terms of repairs and cost.  We spent a lot of time patching them and sending them back up.  Could never get my brain to adapt to the 'flying away from you' and 'coming towards' you adjustments.  Having an acreage and empty quarter section across the road helped lots to.  Just throw them off the front porch and fly.


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## MrHermit (Jan 18, 2022)

I spent years building and flying FPV quadcopters and wings. Such great fun and I have been thinking of pulling my stuff out. Have just been using the small DJI the last couple years. 





I haven't been able to stay out of the air thought!


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## David_R8 (Jan 18, 2022)

I used to fly RC but there's no where to fly where I live now so I sold all my planes and gear.


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## deleted_user (Jan 18, 2022)

David_R8 said:


> I used to fly RC but there's no where to fly where I live now so I sold all my planes and gear.


NIMBYs are why I got rid of my planes and took up RC boats. with model sail boats and steam launches


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## MrHermit (Jan 18, 2022)

David_R8 said:


> I used to fly RC but there's no where to fly where I live now so I sold all my planes and gear.


Victoria would be pretty challenging! I can understand why you would have moved on.


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## David_R8 (Jan 18, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> NIMBYs are why I got rid of my planes and took up RC boats. with model sail boats and steam launches


There is a local club that has an airfield. They had a maximum membership of fifty people the waiting list was fifty people long. And super-snooty so I didn't even bother applying.


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## Alexander (Jan 18, 2022)

Right now I am mostly playing with my RC Crawlers. I just 3D printed a trailer for my 10th scale. Next I'll make a hitch for the 6th scale jeep. I also fly drones and nitro airplanes.


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## CalgaryPT (Jan 18, 2022)

I just got into RC recently for a specific purpose: I wanted to build an RC lawnmower to do under the trees in my backyard due to some back issues I now have. Turns out it worked so well I got rid of my gas mower altogether and now just mow the full lawn with the RC one now. It was a fun winter project a few years ago and it is still running. It has a couple of Arduinos onboard for sensors as well. I have all sorts of improvements I'd like to make, but haven't started any yet. I didn't expect it to work so well out of the gate—so I was kind of stunned when it performed the way it did.


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## LRSbm146 (Jan 18, 2022)

@CalgaryPT we might need to see some pictures of the mower


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## YYCHM (Jan 18, 2022)

LRSbm146 said:


> @CalgaryPT we might need to see some pictures of the mower











						RC Mower Complete - On to Next Project
					

Paint and reassemble now done. Blade fires up nicely and I can't wait for the grass now. I'll park it and start hoping for warm weather.  I'm going to miss this project...6 months of work and lots of fun metal fabrication.  On to the next project...




					canadianhobbymetalworkers.com
				












						First Test - DIY RC Lawnmower
					

Fired it up for the first time after completing some shop tests. Not much grass to test on yet though.  It's just temporarily wired for now. Next step is to write the Arduino code for the tilt and strike sensors, test those and tweak the code. After that comes a complete tear down and painting...




					canadianhobbymetalworkers.com
				












						RC Lawnmower Nov 18 Progress Update
					

Well, made some more progress and received my batteries for fit-up these past few weeks. The motor mounts are test fitted and just tacked to the group 24 battery tray I made and I'm tweaking a few things on the frame as I go. Discovered one of my split rim tires is mounted backwards for my...




					canadianhobbymetalworkers.com
				












						RC Lawn Mower Progress
					

Slow, but at least some progress, with my RC Lawn Mower.  I had originally hoped to automate the deck height on this mower. It took almost two months to get the HD actuator and RC transmitter to talk to one another properly, but I finally got it working. Sadly, as expected the geometry of the...




					canadianhobbymetalworkers.com


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## CalgaryPT (Jan 18, 2022)

LOL. Craig, you beat me to it 

You're getting faster with age, not slower my friend.


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## PeterT (Jan 19, 2022)

Wow, lots of diverse RC interests amongst the Brethren of Geekery. HaHa. Why am I not surprised.

Obviously not a forum member, but I'm just gunna drop this here...


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## Susquatch (Jan 19, 2022)

It's AMAZING what some of you do! Puts my RC life to shame. 

I started with control wire like many others here. That phase ended when I built a huge balsa wood Grumman Corsair that I put so many hours into that just couldn't bring myself to flying it lest it get smashed to smitherines. So it hung from the ceiling above the bed at my parents house until I got married and moved out. The wife was already flexing her muscles and wouldn't allow that plane above our bed in our first apartment. I think my brothers had a party and destroyed it the day I moved out. 

I didn't have anything for years after that. When my first son was born, I used it as an opportunity to get into trains. That was a Christmas to remember - track laid under the tree and around the gifts, a little boy that only wanted to chew on the cars, and a proud dad unsuccessfully showing him how to use the controller! 

Years later I got two RC cars - one for my middle son and one for me. We created a dirt course in the back yard and had a riot together.

Many many years later, I got a small counter-rotating chopper at TSC for 20 bucks (maybe 50). It was an evil device. It generated some kind of vapour that instilled an insane desire for bigger faster more expensive and more dangerous choppers. I have a half dozen now - mostly collective pitch from micro to 450. Flying CP was a huge challenge, but it helped to start with micro because they would crash and survive. The bigger choppers..... Not so much. 

I got my first FPV drone to evaluate crop problems and drainage issues on the farm. And ya, I wrote it off. I absolutely loved it. It was as close to flying like a bird as possible. Then one day, the F$&%g thing went absolutely stark raving mad and just buggered off. I could swear I saw it shooting me the finger as it disappeared from view. It had an auto return to home feature that it somehow turned off when it decided to run away.  I've been looking for it ever since. I have not developed the courage to buy another one.


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## GaryE (Jan 19, 2022)

Flew RC planes in my early 20s for one summer after watching the local club since my teens. Couldn’t afford to get into it until I had my first real job. After one summer flying, I realized that there were a bunch of other things that I wanted to try that were much more suited to my young body (dirt bike riding/racing & mountain biking) that would be tougher later in life. Sold the planes and went riding for 10 years. Plan to get back into flying in retirement.  There’s a small flying club 3 minutes from the retirement home, and a larger club 15 minutes away that have an air field, and another site on water for float flying.  Thought about doing flying scale models but I’ll just wreck hundreds of hours of work in an instant, so I think I’ll just stick to some fun ARF flying. Bought the rc plane & helicopter simulator for the computer a couple of years ago and having fun with that for now.


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## SomeGuy (Jan 20, 2022)

Obviously you've all seen what I'm working on already...






I don't have much previous RC experience though unless you count the toys as kids...I had one of these:








I also do have a DJI Mini 2 now, so I guess that counts as RC but is very out of the box and use it sorta thing.


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## Snocrusher (Jan 20, 2022)

I have a rock crawler and a couple of drones.
crawler video


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