Flying from your backyard
It is not just parents who will be badgered this summer for the latest in high-tech model aircraft. These are serious toys for big boys
Time to land: autopilot off, turn slowly into wind, throttle back and line up on the strip. Coming in a little too quickly, so add a touch of flaps. Oops, nearly forgot to lower the undercarriage. Then down with barely an embarrassing bounce along the grass. Flying light aircraft can be challenging and fun, even when the plane only weighs a few pounds and will fit in the boot of your car.
A spoof letter published in a British newspaper even claimed Saddam Hussein had developed Iraq's unmanned drone aircraft from plans given away in an aeromodeller magazine. While the latest radio-controlled models might not be quite up to the CIA's standards, they cost a lot less—and if you did want to do a spot of aerial surveillance, a miniature camera system able to transmit real-time video can be ﬁtted for around $300.
Model planes have ﬂown a world away from the balsa wood, tissue and rubberband-powered variety that entertained many in the past—and in some cases still does. Today, the newest models are tiny technological marvels, some of which are pushing the frontiers of ﬂight to where even full-size aircraft have yet to venture.
For a start, you don't have to spend weeks gluing them together any more. The term now heard in hobby stores is “ARTF”. That means what comes out of the box is “almost ready to fly”, with all the fiddly bits done for you, probably in China or Vietnam. After a few hours with a screwdriver most kits are ready to go. Some are called “foamies” because they are made out of light, but strong, expanded foam. They are being moulded into anything from A-10 tank busters to Fokker tri-planes.
The toughest choice is not just picking a plane from the array of models appearing on the market, but choosing an engine to power it. Forget the screeching little diesel engines that used to power model planes. Nowadays the choice can range from a realistic sounding four-stroke to a multi-cylinder radial. And, of course, they now nearly all start first time.
The innovation in model engines has already caught the attention of other industries. RCV, a British company, has developed a new type of compact power unit for model aircraft that uses a rotating cylinder to drive the propeller shaft of its engines. The firm's rugged design is now being adapted for scooters, motorcycles and surveillance drones.
But one of the biggest breakthroughs is silent flight. The modellers have succeeded in turning electrically powered aircraft into a reality by combining high-tech motors with a new generation of lighter and more powerful batteries, such as lithium polymer batteries. Fully charged and with one of the latest brushless motors turning the prop, certain electrical models will out-fly their internal-combustion-engine rivals.
Some model helicopters are now powered by electric motors. Part of the success behind electric flight is the development of miniature electronic speed-controllers which use technology similar to that which carmakers are exploring for use in electric vehicles. These devices, some not much bigger than a book of matches, meter out the power, but safely retain enough voltage to keep the model's radio receiver and servos working for a controlled landing should the battery pack go flat.
Electric power also makes it much easier to build multi-engine models, including electric-fan jets and ornithopters, which fly like a bird by flapping their wings. With complex radio-control equipment, some top-end models can end up costing several thousand dollars.
Or they can be as simple as the 40-inch wingspan Firebird Outlaw, which distributors Ripmax say almost anyone can fly. The model costs about £50 ($90) and includes electric motors, battery, charger and basic radio-control equipment. Gentle flight times of over 15 minutes are claimed for this diminutive flyer. Too tame? Similar models can be fitted out with combat systems for dog fights with your chums. Some simply record how many “hits” you have made on your opponent while others will cut your engine for a few seconds if you are caught in another's gunsights. It's then up to you to regain control before crashing.
Even pilots of big aircraft have taken to ﬂying models. Jim Martin, a former United States Air Force pilot, admits on the website of his ﬁrm, Hobby-Lobby International, based near Nashville, Tennessee, that he prefers ﬂying models to full-size aircraft. “You don't get to do the fun stuff, which is contact ﬂight doing Cuban eights and split Ss while you're listening to Strauss waltzes.”