Planes Dropping Bye

Easytiger T-50 Golden Eagle

This was among the few models I never got round to flying.  The T-50 looks beautiful and is used in the Republic of Korea Air Force. It has a motorised canopy and retracts which made it pretty cool.  The power system swapped in was under-powered when I bought it.  To fly it would require a hefty runway that I did not had a convenient access to.

Windrider BD-5J

One of the cutest plane in the hangar.  I got the BD-5J from another RC pilot.  I did not fly it as I was advised that the plane lacks the static thrust for a regular hand launch but flies fine after being airborne.  Not wanting to risk smashing this chubby chubba model from a mishap, I decided to let it go its separate way.  It is my aim to fly the BD-5 one day!

Kyosho Illusion

A small and fast zipper.  So small and fast that I decided that I would not fly it with the piloting skills I had back then.  Sold it off to another hobby member.  Kyosho is known for quality and I do miss this plane now.  Buy another - who knows?

Good Folks and Good Blokes

I had observed that as when compared to RC Car hobbyists, RC Plane enthusiasts are generally more helpful and generous.  Basically a bunch of nice people. Several I know are working professionals who need to cope with family commitments. Hence, it is no surprise that they bunch together and strive for a good flying session at each opportunity.  I was blessed with the kindness of other RC flyers to help me for my first flight and I will certainly be extending the same courtesy to others.



Speaking of which a nice bloke sold to me two of his planes at a great price.  He even self-delivered them. The two planes are:


AXN-Cloud Fly - a superb all-rounder. Easy to launch, easy to fly.  Floats very well with long flight times. Accommodates a range of battery sizes.  Resistant to crashes and does basic aerobatics.  A good trainer.  Economical too!



Red Eagle Gee Bee 3D EPP - an aerobatic plane. Unfortunately, I had removed the electronics on this plane and used it for others. No experience flying this birdie to report for now.. I will get it up one day!

The Fighter Jet Experience

Starmax F/A-18E Hornet


For the life of me, I could not remember why I had decided to increase my learning curve exponentially just as when I am starting out.  Anyway, I got my Electric Duct Fan (EDF) fighter plane with some poor conditioned Lithium-Polymer (LiPo) batteries for a song.  I did not attempt to fly it until a few weeks later.  The results were awful. Consequent repairs using strong glue and tape did not work and the outcome of the second attempt was calamitous. It was then obvious to me that I had some way to go before flying EDF jets. I had decommissioned this plane since.

On to the First Flight

EP Sports Flyer

24 April 2010 - on this day, I managed a flight proper. This was accomplished with my second plane - an unknown marque so I shall call it the EP Sports Flyer. A very exciting moment coupled with the fact that it was not a slow plane by any means made it all the more memorable!



Second flight with the EP Sports Flyer ended in a bad crash. On hindsight, I nailed it down to my lack of piloting skill and experience in not ensuring that the bundle of wires in the fuselage would not tangle with the aileron push rods. After a few more hits and misses, I salvaged all reusable parts before decommissioning it.  It was good while it lasted!

Learning The Basics

Comparing the Two Modes(Source: About.com)

As a beginner, it was not easy wading through tonnes of online material how to kick-start this hobby alone. Flight Simulator to the rescue! The tricky bit was that the Transmitter I had was for Mode 1 users. In common speak, that means the control sticks did not suit me cause I am a Mode 2 user by nature (see above diagram). Incidentally there are at least two other flying Modes, 3 and 4.  I practiced a few hours on FMS (a flight simulator) until I felt that I was ready for my first flight.


On to the field! Attempts to Rise-Off-Ground (ROG) or hand launch the E-Sky Nemo were poor. Chucking the model mightily into the wind helped minimally. The air time never lasted more than a short moment. At that point, I did not fully comprehend how the flaps worked together so it either the propeller broke or it was other repairs.

My First Plane

E-Sky Nemo

My choice as a first plane came after some research.  It came from a good offer that I could not pass up. This Ready-to-Fly (RTF) model E-Sky Nemo costs $100, and comes with:

• Transmitter and Receiver
• Brushed Electronics Speed Controller (ESC)
• Brushed Motor
• Plane Kit
• Battery and Charger
• Flight Simulator CD and Cable

--------------------------------------------------------------------------



Not a true beginners plane but Nemo's solid-as-a-tank fuselage helped it survived many crashes (all part of flying anyway) and remains air-worthy till now.