A few vids of R/C jets when things don't go exactly right.

[Joe 1320]

Ya gotta feel for some of them. That's some serious damage and some serious bucks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTxz68zKBA

[bru333]

The reaction of the second guy says it all...stunned...

[Dave Vince]

I understand some of those can top 200 mph. It's like a not too well guided missle. Some of those boys need to practice on something a little easier before they move up to something like that. They must cost a small fortune to buy as they looked like they were 5-6' long.

[bru333]

They must cost a small fortune to buy as they looked like they were 5-6' long.

Planes that large, a true gas turbine engine is gonna run about $4000-$5000...that doesn't even include how much they have in the airframe.

[Joe 1320]

I understand some of those can top 200 mph. It's like a not too well guided missle. Some of those boys need to practice on something a little easier before they move up to something like that. They must cost a small fortune to buy as they looked like they were 5-6' long.

The thing is that at an event such as that, before they let you fly, there must be proof that the plane has had a successful flight. No maiden flights allowed. Scary..... huh? The way that a couple of them handled the plane, you would swear they were novices. I wouldn't want to be in the crowd, that's for sure. A couple did an admirable job with faulty landing gear.

BTW, it's not uncommon for the price tag on turbines (and even some props) to be in the $$ teens.

[MN6WS6]

You know, the more I want to build one, the more I DON'T after watching videos like that! I know they make safety chutes for prop versions under a certain weight. You'd figure that if these guys can spend tens of thousands on a plane the least they could do is figure out how to pack an emergency chute on them to at least minimize that kind of damage.

Although, there was no hope for that last guy. Chute or not, that hot engine caused that fire. It's pretty bad when you have to bring a firetruck for a 747 to put out a fire cause by something .0747 of the size!

[Joe 1320]

You know, the more I want to build one, the more I DON'T after watching videos like that! I know they make safety chutes for prop versions under a certain weight. You'd figure that if these guys can spend tens of thousands on a plane the least they could do is figure out how to pack an emergency chute on them to at least minimize that kind of damage.

Although, there was no hope for that last guy. Chute or not, that hot engine caused that fire. It's pretty bad when you have to bring a firetruck for a 747 to put out a fire cause by something .0747 of the size!

Don't think that way....... you DO want to do it, you just don't get into something like that until you are a skilled pilot. In every instance on that video of a bad crash, I could see pilot error. That F-16 doing an impersonation of a lawn dart was pure lack of experience from the pilot. Sooner or later you have to learn exactly what not to do and he learned it big time. In reality, the guy had no business flying that plane based on the way I saw him handle it. He was a danger to everyone around him.

There are many different things you can build that are made of a material called EPP. It is an energy dispersing and flexible foam that is perfect for a novice. You can plow the earth and in a few hours and some glue you are back in the air. In many instances they just bounce with no breakage. As a matter of fact, I've put hundreds of hours of flight time on EPP planes and they fly just as good as anything else, just aren't as pretty. The hobby of flight is a blast, can be done relatively inexpensively if someone guides you though the process. Once you are an ace pilot, then you move up to better looking but more fragile airframes.


Check out this vid of an F-16 that can be just as much fun as a turbine.

http://media.putfile.com/F16_Lake_Promo_Vid

[Trans Am]

man that guy was almost in tears

[MN6WS6]

A couple of those videos looked like some type of control linkage break or something, the way the plane was semi controllable but not enough to save it. That's why I'm saying they ought to come up with some sort of "Oh crap" safety feature. When they go haywire like that, two burst panels pop off (one front, one rear) and some chutes come out that won't completely save the plane's airframe, but will save all the expensive stuff in the plane.

[LarryMow]

I cant remember where I saw it, but one guy had a B52. Damn thing musta had a 12-16 ft wingspan. It really sucked to see $70 grand worth of R/C plane to crash and go up in flames. I'd hate to know how pricey it was to replace 8 engines for that.

[bru333]

Hmm...burns just like a real one...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...73582041454459

[Joe 1320]

A couple of those videos looked like some type of control linkage break or something, the way the plane was semi controllable but not enough to save it. That's why I'm saying they ought to come up with some sort of "Oh crap" safety feature. When they go haywire like that, two burst panels pop off (one front, one rear) and some chutes come out that won't completely save the plane's airframe, but will save all the expensive stuff in the plane.

They already have such a thing. However, it adds complexity and weight. Both of those for the most part deter the average person from incorporating these into the plane. What I mentioned before about the EPP material is what is used to save the internals. The true merit of EPP is that the material itself disperses the impact engery thoughout the airframe. There will be some breaks, but the componants have a much higher survival rate. I had an F-16 lose engine power right in the middle of a low altitude high G manouver. It crashed just like on the video, only no flames. All of the electronics and engines survived without damage, the airframe was back together and flying the very next day with only the cost of some glue and a few scars. I blew this thing apart and yet it was flying the next day! That's not going to happen with the models like what you saw destroyed in the vids. There are compromises everywhere, usually people try to keep things as light as possible. Lighter weight has less energy on impact, it's a delicate balance.

[Joe 1320]

I cant remember where I saw it, but one guy had a B52. Damn thing musta had a 12-16 ft wingspan. It really sucked to see $70 grand worth of R/C plane to crash and go up in flames. I'd hate to know how pricey it was to replace 8 engines for that.

Here ya go...............

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photoga...RCb52crash.wmv


Again, a huge mistake on the part of the pilot. First, the plane should not have been flown in that kind of wind. Second, that kind of manouver cannot be done in a B-52 turning down wind. Third, this was his second B-52 crash and the UK has since refuse his request to fly large scale planes. Go figure.


Here's a neat vid of an R/C Concorde complete with fighter escort.

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photoga...C_concorde.wmv

[Joshu]

Wow, those things are a work of art. I can't imagine building something like that then having the balls to put it in the air like that. The B-52 pilot seemed pretty irresponsible for putting a plane into a turn like that near spectators.

That concorde was just beautiful, Joe. Looked 100% real with those hawks. Made me miss that bird even more. Any idea how much that concorde could be worth?

[Joe 1320]

Any idea how much that concorde could be worth?

Best guess could be up to $10K. It's tough to tell exactly what the scale is, and whether or not it's turbine powered which I would doubt. So many factors can add to the price.

I could reproduce it with retractable landing gear, electric ducted fans and all electronics for probably close to $1000 in parts plus tons of labor. A hand launched park flyer could be built for under $500 in parts and tons of labor.