This guys model flying skills are truly amazing

[scootrd]

I was simply awed especially around 7 minutes into the video.
This guy is simply amazing


http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=tzowQtqOM_I

[Old Syko]

Without any doubt this young man has a talent and far be it from me to try to take anything away from him because I've flown RC since the early 70s and know what goes into it.  But without today's electronics, engines and building methods it just wouldn't matter.  When I started in the 70s the best radios were iffy at best and we didn't have much that was dependable to build with.  Even with the best of equipment I assure you he destroyed a fair amount of equipment getting to the point he is now.  $$$$$$$$$  and more $$$$$$$$$.  Guess how I know!!!!!!  

[Conan The Librarian]

I'll check it out later, but I still have a fondness for control line. When I was about 13 and 14 me and three friends would fly control line in the middle of the street all day every saturday and sunday, and the neighbors never complained. We had so many hours on our .049s it's amazing that they lasted as long as they did.
 
My biggest memory of using those planes was the absolutely harrowing experience where one guy broke his plane so that the tail was torn off. He tied a baloon behind the wings, started the plane, and let it fly. Meanwhile there was a very old man out for a walk across the street on the sidwalk. The plane was headed right for him. We were horrified because the man didn't see or hear the plane coming. He was truly old and moving very slowly. We thought it was going to hit him dead center, and there was nothing we could do about it. Fortunately, the plane veered a little to the right or left and missed the man. We were all extremely relieved.
 
Ah those were the days, back when it was perfectly normal for a school kid to go to the store and buy a gallon of nitromethane.

[rockbilly]

Old Syko hit it dead on the head!!! This hobby is likely more expensive than shooting,. That’s speaking from experience.  I remember fly RC at Zaragoza AB Spain, we flew off the end of the aircraft parking ramp, if the maintainer people were working certain systems on the F4 aircraft we could kiss our RC good-by.  The signal from some of the radar and communications systems on the F4 caused the RC control radio to go wild and the model would just fly off to never-never land. Yep, its costly!

[Old Syko]

The old radios (Heathkit and Pro Com) that most of us used back in the day covered a bandwidth for 1 channel that nowadays is used by over 100 channels and were operating on the same frequencies as the CB radios of the day.  The analog navcom used in the F4s and all the way up to the A10s were most dangerous when the pilot changed from one frequency to another as it swept through the whole spectrum with a deadly vengeance.


I started out flying ukies with an .049 and cotton control lines and quickly converted to a .35 McCoy redhead and steel cables.    Nowadays it's Futaba and Airtronics computer radios with programmable fail-safes and engines that are more dependable than some new cars.      

[Empty Quiver]

Show off.


Kinda brings a new perspective to hanging on the prop.

[Glanceblamm]

The big expense used to lie in the crashes, and especially if you are a helicopter pilot. It does not have to be that way anymore as good RC simulators are avalible for your PC that will include the radio.