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Radio Control

Lots and lots of planes to put here. I'll add them as I have time and probably update the descriptions as I remember more information. They will be organized in roughly chronological order with the oldest at the bottom of the page. Note: everything from the Decathlon on down are scans from prints and the quality isn't the best. Sorry about that but many of those planes don't exit any more so don't expect new pictures.

These are all pictures of airplanes that I've built or bought to be flown by me. Click here to see pictures of airplanes I've built for others.
This is a flying shot of my most recent review model for FlyRC magazine, the EVA which is short for Extremely Versatile Airframe. With a wingspan of only 31", it is a very portable airplane. I really enjoy flying this little airplane.
The White Knight project was a lot of fun. It started innocently enough, my editor asked if I had heard of a company called Nasty Toes Aviation http://nastytoesaviation.com/ and gave me a link to check out their web site. It turns out that they manufacture building blocks for airplanes. My editor asked me to think up a project to use some of their parts for a possible review. The end result was much more than either of us had anticipated. You can read the article from FlyRC magazine in PDF form here.
Decathlon: If the ASH-26E is my biggest airplane then the Decathlon is my heaviest and most powerful. This is a 1/4 scale, 84" wing span, 16 pound electric aircraft. With four pounds of NiCad cells on board and a monster brushless out runner style motor producing over two horsepower, it easily emulates the full scale prototype aerobatic prowess. It won't hang on the propeller or do 3D maneuvers but neither does the real one. Huge loops, long rolls, stall turns, spins, inverted flight, all are performed with ease. Eventually I plan to add a tow release and do some aero towing. It should be able to tow an eight pound glider like my ASH-26E without a problem.
ASH-26E: Just had to put this picture up to provide a size reference for this airplane. I figure I'm allowed the indulgence since it is my web site.
ASH-26E: My largest airplane at 4.5 meter wing span. See the picture above for a better sense of scale. I guess technically this was an ARC, almost ready to cover, kit. However, it took quite a while to get it ready to fly. I had to purchase a huge roll of covering since each wing is a little over seven feet long and normal covering comes in six foot rolls. The retractable main wheel took some work to make work reliably but adds greatly to the experience. All the markings on the fuselage were all masked and airbrushed, no decals on this baby. She isn't a hanger queen either, days after it was finished I hooked up the tow release to monster gas powered two plane and had her towed to about 1200 feet for here maiden flight. This is as close to true scale as you can get in soaring. The smile took days to fade.
DJ Aerotech Roadkill Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero: DJ Aerotech's Roadkill series are the realization of a childhood fantasy to radio control the little balsa airplanes we bought at the dime store. The Zero weighs in at 2.4 ounces and flies great. It can taxi since it has a steerable tail wheel and functional rudder. At an indoor venue this airplane is too much fun. It has a higher wing loading than some of the other Roadkill series and can be flown outdoors. I've caught a few early morning thermals flying from the parking lot at the high school.
Atomic Wedgie: If a Wedgie is fun then a Wedgie on steroids is going to be a blast. Stuff an Aveox 1005/3Y and an eight cell, 800 mAh battery into a Wedgie and hold on tight. Straight and level right at 100 MPH and well over in a shallow dive. My first Atomic Wedgie survived about a dozen flights. The last was at a Mid Winter in San Diego. I overheard a couple of fliers talking about the Wedgie while I was flying. The first said to listen for a "whap whap" sounds and make sure he was watching when he heard it. As it turned out, my next long screaming shallow dive resulted in a massive flapping of the wing due to a lack or torsional rigidity. The battery was ejected in a ballistic arc about 50 feet above the airplane which tumbled down much like a maple seed. Oh well, MkII will have a little more carbon fiber.
AT6-Texan: Converted to electric using a Jeti brushless motor and speed controller. I also used Robart pneumatic retracts. The air tank was squeezed into the wing so the entire retract system was in the wing. No connections to make when installing or removing the wing. There is nothing cooler than breaking ground and then sucking the landing gear up during the climb out. This was a fairly heavy airplane with a correspondingly high wing loading. It had to be flown with care as the stall could be severe. It suffered a GCI, ground contact incident, and was destroyed due to radio interference. It went straight in from about 100 feet at close to 40 MPH, it was a total loss except for the landing gear and the pilots.
Raptor Aerosports Falconet MkII: A replacement for my original Falconet destroyed in a mid air at a fly in in Canada. A good pylon racer and an excellent sport airplane with a Astroflight brushless 020 and a 4.7*4.7 propeller. Huge loops and screaming fast passes are staples for this little guy.
Me-163 Comet: A fully molded version of the German jet in miniature. The wingspan is less than 30" and even with a stock speed 400 it was a fast plane. The roll rate had to be seen to be appreciated,720 degrees per second is probably an understatement. Mine was shot down at a slope event and despite promises was never replaced by the other pilot. the wreckage is still sitting forlornly on the shelf in the garage.
Wedgie: My first Wedgie but not my last. A great little all around fun airplane. I always had a Wedgie in the car and a couple of charged batteries. If I had a few spare minutes I'd be flying. Usually low to the ground and inverted. A popular trick was the kick start where the Wedgie is set on your foot, a quick kick, and away it flies. We used to meet on Sundays for Wedgie racing on a half sized pylon course. We would run two three minute heats on a single battery and the most laps won each heat.
Robbe Limit: A more recent picture of the Limit after I added some color. Much easier to see at speed and altitude now.
No name chuck glider: I saw this hanging up in a hobby shop and asked if they had any in stock. I was disappointed to find out they hadn't had stock in years. The stickers were peeling off so they offered to sell it for $5. Sold! I bored out the nacelles to fix speed 280 motors with press on Gunther props. A single speed control run both motors in a parallel arrangement on eight KR600AE cells. Flights last over six minutes and always end with a simulated emergency landing since there isn't any landing gear. The year I took this to the Mid Winter it got more attention than any of my more advanced models. Still flying it long after I figured it would self destruct since I didn't add any structural reinforcements during the conversion to R/C.
Multiplex Pico Jet: Made from a tough foam called Elapor this thing is almost unbreakable. The stock motor was a speed 480 which I found to be a little tame. Too much power is just enough according to one flying buddy so out with the stock and in with an Aveox brushless motor. Now it sounds like a air raid siren and cruises at about 70 MPH and can climb straight up rolling the whole way. Now its really fun. Sold it ready to fly after a flight when a visitor made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
Dave's Aircraft Works Dragonet: A picture of the dragonet with four motors. Still looking for a picture with the eight motor configuration.
Wild R/C IFO MkII: Yep, another IFO. What can I say, they are cheap, fun, and perfect for indoor venues. This one had saran wrap on the tail for a little color. The frame is just carbon fiber rods bent and tied with Kevlar thread. A variety of motors, gearboxes, and propellers were used with varying levels of success.
Wattage Lite Stick: Another plane purchased for indoor flying and one design racing. We once had eleven of these racing indoor in the same heat. Dirt cheap and simple, the kit was $20, including the motor, gearbox, and propeller. You might just be able to see in the picture a thing piece of Kevlar string run from wing tip to wing tip to increase the dihedral angle to improve the turning.
Stinger 400: Purpose designed to go fast and turn left on a speed 400 motor. This was my weapon of choice for pylon racing. Fast, smooth, and very bright makes for a good racer. Flat and level is about 85-90 MPH depending on the motor. On the course it averages closer to 70. On a couple of occasions I've stuffed my Astro 020 brushless motor into it for a real adrenaline rush. Around 120 MPH and it gets really tiny really fast!
Sukhoi: I've forgotten the manufacturer of this depron model. I think it was from Hobby Lobby. In any case it was a great performer. It would hover on the stock brushed motor and the aerobatics were awesome. I was working on tail slides and ran out of ideas, air speed, and altitude all at the same time. The wreckage was impressive.
Dave's Aircraft Works Dragonet: Designed as a micro hand launch it was fun as a light lift slope plane. When I was really into indoor flying I decided to add a couple of N20 motors from an old Wattage B2 and see how it flew. I took it to Moffett and my buddy Thayer told me that indoor was about flying quietly. The next indoor session saw the Dragonet with four motors ;-)  (a picture above shows the four motor configuration) It currently sports eight and will ROG easily from most floors. The sound is worth the price of admission even if the duration is a little on the short side.
Wild R/C IFO Mk II: Another IFO, this time with Ultracote as the covering. A little on the heavy side but very robust and much easier to maintain visual orientation. This one was flown in the big hanger at Moffett regularly.
Trick RC Electric Razor: A small speed 400 powered flying wing from the creator of the Zagi. Since it is all EPP it is very durable and a decent flat field combat plane. I wore mine out grinning from ear to ear the whole time. At one of the Mid Winter fly ins in San Diego I was challenged to land it in a trash can held by a flying buddy. I started the dive at about 150 feet and at full throttle planted it neatly in the can. I just about laughed myself unconscious.
Pica Model Manufacturing Me-109: A nice stand off scale warbird. This was a review model for the eZone. The review is currently still available on the eZone but you have to register to search or read back reviews. Click here to read a PDF of the review text. It was recently damaged pretty severely during a hand launch. My grip slipped as I was launching and it pitched into a stall and rolled onto its back. There was not enough altitude to roll it upright and it never gained enough speed to fly out inverted and arrived hard. I probably won't rebuild it at this point as the structural damage to the fuselage is pretty bad.
MiniDiscgo: An own design based on the bigger Disco made by Marc Thomson from the great white north (Canada, eh?). As I recall it was about 18" in diameter and way faster than it should have been. Indoor was right out! It had a tendency to tuck under certain circumstances and that was the downfall of the MiniDiscgo. It tucked while on a high speed pass down the centerline of a paved runway. If you are going to crash at least make it spectacular!
Hobby Hanger Super Cub: This is a great little laser cut kit. It was framed and covered in about 20 hours. It flies great on a cheap speed 400 motor with plenty of power for ROG (rise off ground) and prototypical aerobatics. Six minute flights on KR600AE cells with plenty of touch and goes for fun.
Fly Baby: A depron indoor flier. Very light and flew very well in still air. It cruised at a little above a walking pace and could maneuver very well even though it was only rudder and elevator for control. I sold it at an indoor event as I was running out of room to store small airplanes.
Dave's Aircraft Works Extra 300: From first glace it is hard to tell that this is a foamie. High density EPP (expanded poly propylene)  for the fuselage and normal EPP for the wings. Designed for a speed 400 it now has a small brushless motor swinging a bigger, deeper pitch prop for more thrust. At 36" wingspan, it is small and fairly fast. Not a beginner model by any means. Aerobatics are what this little guy is all about. It does incredibly violent snaps and tumbles. It is also very tough and easily repaired if I lose my focus.
Robbe Limit: A Christmas gift from my wife, this one is really a hot liner. An Aveox F7LMR on ten 2000 cells with a Rudi Freudenthaler propeller it draws right at 100 amps. Straight up climbs at 45 MPH and it is a dot in just few seconds. Point the nose back down and 100+ MPH passes are the order of the day. Clocked on radar at 127 one day at the slope. Fun, fun, fun. BTW, the sound it makes tearing through the sky at those speeds makes it a perennial favorite when I go flying.
Wattage B2: You guessed it, another foam model and yes it is a twin. What can I say, I love the sound. A lot of people had problems with flying these little planes but mine flew great. Short flights were the norm and other than an ugly loop aerobatics were basically out. Just cruising around was still pretty neat.
Positron: Here is a cute little balsa delta. As pictured it has a speed 300 motor with a planetary gearbox swinging a 7*7 prop. A small hop up over the stock speed 400 setup was desired as if it was slowed too much in turns it could stall. The extra pitch allowed for a little more thrust to accelerate of of the turns better. It is fun to challenge people to count the rolls, I can them twinkle because they are over in twinkle of your eye.
ME-163 Comet: Originally build for Dave but was eventually traded back for building another airplane. Graupner speed 600 motor with a planetary gearbox swinging a 12*10 propeller on nine cells. The climb rate was decent at about 35 degrees but once the motor was shut down the fun began. For a foamie, it was very fast, over 85 MPH clock on radar.
Multiplex Twin Star: Sheesh, did I build anything but foam during this time? Another twin, electric aircraft with speed 400 motors. At about three pounds the wing loading is almost that of a glider and it is a very easy airplane to fly. I've even put a small Styrofoam float on it flew it from water. This one has been waiting for it's new owner to bring money and take it home for a little over a year.
Mattes Models Blue Foamie: Designed for one design pylon racing. Certainly not sleek or fast but as a "low emotional attachment" airplane it was hard to beat for about $20, including shipping. You can see a review on the eZone here. Stupid fun about sums up the airplane. Want to learn how to fly inverted inches off the desk, try pylon racing for the first time, this is your airplane.
Wingo: I bought this colorful little plane for a one class race that was to be held locally. It turned out to be a great park flier and the only one my daughter showed an interest in learning how to fly. Wingo races are a blast and trading paint rarely resulted in damage. Most repairs were a batch of five minute epoxy and some tape as a clamp.

I sold it to a new pilot after a year or so. He wanted to learn how to fly now and how to build airplanes later.
IFO Mk I: The original IFO or Indoor Flying Object designed by Dan Kreigh of Wild R/C. Designed for indoor flying it is very light and highly maneuverable. Mine served as an introduction to Dan who has been a flying buddy since. We flew together regularly in the big hanger at Moffat Field before it was closed to RC. Dan is a great guy and an excellent pilot. IFO combat with streamers tends to leave the participant short of breath from laughing too hard and trying to fly.
Nemesis: Designed as a fast, small, slope wing and fills the role very well. It has the wing loading of a brick but once it is on step it rips up the sky with the nice molded models. My favorite use for it is as a bungee launched plane. Not the hi start you might be thinking about though, three pieces of 3/8" diameter surgical latex well anchored in the ground, no string, just a solid ring at either end of the latex. I use an archery release connected at the ring on the trailing edge. I walk backwards until I have about 60 pounds of tension on the bungee and then push the release. 0 to 150 in the blink of an eye, yeehaa! A crowd favorite it to pull vertical right after the launch and roll so fast you can't count them until it is almost out of sight. Dive straight down and do screaming high speed pass or two, land, and repeat.
Ultra Mk IV: One of my early review models for the eZone. A two meter gasbag with an Aveox F7LMR motor and competition controller. On seven cells it climbs straight up at about 25 MPH. It has won a few LMR (limited motor run) competitions over the years. It is a constantly good thermal duration airplane.
ASK-21: One of the few used airplanes I've ever purchased. The was originally built by Dave Garwood, he and his wife are piloting this model. Other than when a flying buddy, no need to mention Frank's name here, flew it out of sight and then handed my transmitter back and said, "here you take it". I've flown it slope, flat land from a hi start and winch and even aero tow. It is a blast on the slope, it retains energy well and performs aerobatics smoothly.
Roswell Flier: From twin to quad and look ma, no wings! A unique aircraft from Area 51 Technologies. The frame is constructed from foam core and is light and tough. The circuit board on the top has four independent speed controls and three gyros to stabilize the aircraft in pitch, yaw, and roll. It is fairly stable and easy to fly but doesn't like fast forward flight, it balloons. Mine is on it's second frame which was included with the original purchase. I said the frame was tough, not unbreakable.
Jim Ryan P-38: My first twin motor electric scale model. Two speed 400 motors in series running off sixteen KR600AE cells. Jim kits an entire line of stand off scale electric airplanes. You can his web page here. An easy hand launch was always followed by a great 4-6 minute flight. The long, shallow, strafing runs were my personal favorite, you just can't beat the sound of a twin. Mine succumbed to the dreaded loss of control shortly after launch one day and slowly rolled inverted and performed a graceful ballistic arc into the soccer field. I hung on to the parts for a long time but eventually decided not to rebuild it due to concern over possible structural issues in the wing.
Trick RC Razor: Smooth, fast, and clean describe the razor very well. I learned to dynamic soar with this airplane. Normally unbreakable, at DS speeds, it is possible to break the spars. Made a pretty impressive thud when it hit too. Oops.
Talon: I kind bought this used over the net by accident. I had a e-mail conversation about the plane with a guy who was selling it. There was some confusion and I ended up with an airplane. Thanks George! I sent off a check and fitted the airframe out with radio gear. It was a fun, light lift, slope plane. It could fly a lot of times when other were grounded due to lack of wind. I sold it to another beginner.
Predator: I bought this airplane to be used for combat but wasn't happy with it in that role so I lopped the nose off and grafted in an electric motor. It became a fun flat field electric airplane. I flew it a lot and sold it to a guy at work who was excited about learning to fly RC. He needed several stitches in a couple of finger after finding out that a spinning propeller is hard to see but blood isn't. He flew it out of site shortly after and never found it.
Dave's Aircraft Works ME-163 Comet: My first Comet. A favorite slope combat plane for a long time. The battery ran flat during a brutal combat session in Riverside and it drifted away behind the hill. A searched for a long time without joy.
Raptor Aerosports Prion: When my car was broken into and my airplanes stolen I posted on a BBS hoping to track down at least some of the parts. A received a response from Brian Buass, the man behind Raptor Aerosports. He didn't have any info on my items but offered me any plane he made at just over cost so I could get flying again, what a great guy. This little plane is an absolute rocket. I have countless hours on the Prion and all of them have been a blast. I've also bungee launched this, 0-100 in a heartbeat anyone? Wheee!
Trick RC Zagi: My second of many Zagis. The airframe is considered expendable and I started buying them in six packs. Full on contact combat is hard on them. That is not to mention the contact with the ground, cars, pilots, etc. Arron hold the plane for the picture.
Seebreeze: A tiny, lightweight slope soarer. I made it full house or four channel, ailerons, elevator, and rudder. It's maiden flight was at Snake Hill and about 30 minutes into the flight I saw two black dots on either side of the Seebreeze and before it registered what they were the Seebreeze exploded into chucks of foam attached with the wiring for the radio gear. Mr Zagi himself was flying a huge all glass flying wing and tried to occupy the same space as the Seebreeze. he didn't even notice the collision, 12 ounces of foam meets eight pounds at 100 MPH, no contest. The Seebreeze was put back together like a puzzle and flew again the next weekend. I eventually put a speed 400 motor in it and flew it as an electric until it wore out. Tia models the plane for Dad.
Robbe Gnat: I'm starting to sense a trend, foam airplanes are cheap, easy, and fun. The Gnat sounded like a dust buster on steroids, spinning a tiny four blade impellor at 22,500 RPM. Too bad that wasn't enough thrust to match the piercing whine. I flew it quite a bit but finally sold it rather than do the upgrades needed to make it truly jet like. I later heard from the buyer that he had turned it into a pink snow storm by running it into a large stationary object, the earth!
Trick RC Zagi: When I moved to southern California I had to get a slope soaring airplane. The Zagi sounded ideal so I took a trip out to meet the man behind the Zagi, Jerry Tiesen. A quick tour of his shop and I went home with a bag of Styrofoam. In about three hours the foam blocks were turned in the picture shown here. An almost indestructible, combat ready, airframe. I spent almost every Saturday of the 16 months we lived in SoCal playing at Snake Hill. My son Arron and my daughter Tia hold the Zagi with Moorpark spread out in the background.
Spark: A warm liner, not enough motor to qualify as a hot liner. I used a Graupner speed 600 motor with a gearbox driving a 12*10 folding propeller. My first flight went well enough until the end when I apparently got it a little too slow and tip stalled it in. It only required some minor repairs but I was a little gun shy to fly it. Doug asked if I wanted to travel with him out east to the KRC electric fly in. My brain hurt for days after the event while it processed all the information Doug dished out on the trip. Doug flew it there and gave me the confidence to fly it. I flew it a lot until it was stolen. Well most of it was stolen, the thieves left the wings. I sold them to someone who wanted the longer wings for his Spark II. I still miss that airplane.
Graupner Mini Viper: I had heard about pylon racers, turn left and go fast, and my wife gave me one for Christmas. Unfortunately, the sales person picked all the wrong gear for the aircraft. As it was only my third electric airplane I didn't know any better so I built it and tried to fly it with the predictable results. I posted a message on a BBS and was answered by Doug Ingraham. Turns out he was on his way through my little patch of Iowa and made time to stop and bring his Mini Viper. He explained what needed to be done to make mine go and then gave me a flight demo of his. A minute into the flight he hands me the transmitter. Yikes! This is a little tiny airplane that goes about 60 MPH. His bravery will always be remembered. My son Arron is holding the airplane for the picture.
Wasp: My first hand launch glider. Very light and fun to fly. Yes that is snow in the background and yes that was when it was test flown. It was a blast to come in host and do a slide-n-go and bank it around for a hand catch. I caught my first thermal from a hand launch on a 20 degree day and climbed it to a little dot in the sky. What a rush, I'll never forget that flight!
Goldberg Gentle Lady: A classic gas bag. I used this for my League of Silent Flight (LSF) level one flights before I lost interest in the program. I still have this and use it primarily as a trainer. That would be my son Arron holding the Gentle Lady.
Goldberg Mirage: Electric, 540 can motor, six cell, 1200 mAh nicad battery. It would easily ROG on a smooth surface but not enough power for the grass. Hundreds of hours were on the airframe when it was retired. The details of its demise are foggy, I'll add them when I remember.
Goldberg Electra: My first electric radio controlled airplane. Box stock with a Goldberg 540 can motor and a six cell, 1200 mAh, nicad battery from a remote controlled car. Seriously underpowered but I flew hundreds of flights on the airframe before a radio failure turned it into a lawn dart.

This was my second real radio controlled airplane. The first doesn't have any pictures. It was damaged at one point and the movers assured me they knew how to pack and ship delicate items. When I unpacked the box I found the airplane wrapped tightly in moving blankets and cinched down with strapping tape. The covering material made a neat little bag to contain all the toothpick sized bits of balsa.
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