PSA: Go buy an Aero Ace

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Skiguy411

Originally posted by: michaels
has anyone got oone of those Storm Launchers?

I actually just got a storm launcher 2 days ago. I havent had too much time to play around with it, but from the first run it was pretty bad. Hardly moved through the grass and couldnt really get up in the air. I have read though that it takes a couple of runs to get the motors going. I'll report back when I have more time.

Yeah, definately, I'm interested to see how it handles too! Where did you buy it from? Most places are still pre-order...

 

[Skiguy411]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Skiguy411

Originally posted by: michaels
has anyone got oone of those Storm Launchers?

I actually just got a storm launcher 2 days ago. I havent had too much time to play around with it, but from the first run it was pretty bad. Hardly moved through the grass and couldnt really get up in the air. I have read though that it takes a couple of runs to get the motors going. I'll report back when I have more time.

Yeah, definately, I'm interested to see how it handles too! Where did you buy it from? Most places are still pre-order...

I preordered from Walmart before they changed the ship date to october.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: mugs
I got pretty good with the biplane and the wife was playing with it more than I was, so I picked up the jet last night. I haven't had much time to use it yet (didn't work so well in the dark), but it seems pretty cool so far.

Can anyone recommend a plane in the $100-150 range that's a bit better than these planes?

It's a bit more than your price range at $220, but here's a good one:

http://www.hobbyzone.com/rc_planes_parkzone_typhoon.htm

Includes everything, plus they have a special that includes a second battery. It can be upgraded later with LiPOs if you want to use those. I've read that the tailfeathers are a bit stiff at first and may strip the servos, so you may want to pick up some spare servos.

Oooh... interesting... couple of questions (since you seem to know a bit about R/C airplanes)...

1. How "crash-resistant" is something like that? Is it reasonably durable?
2. Do you have to have it on pavement to take off and land?
3. How big an area do you need to fly something of that size/power? I have 3 acres, which is more than enough for the Aero Aces - but the property is a rectangle with proportions of 3:1. The front acre has a lot of trees, the middle 1.5 acres is pretty open, and the back .5 acres is open but separated from the middle 1.5 by a line of trees. If that makes any sense.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: mugs
I got pretty good with the biplane and the wife was playing with it more than I was, so I picked up the jet last night. I haven't had much time to use it yet (didn't work so well in the dark), but it seems pretty cool so far.

Can anyone recommend a plane in the $100-150 range that's a bit better than these planes?

It's a bit more than your price range at $220, but here's a good one:

http://www.hobbyzone.com/rc_planes_parkzone_typhoon.htm

Includes everything, plus they have a special that includes a second battery. It can be upgraded later with LiPOs if you want to use those. I've read that the tailfeathers are a bit stiff at first and may strip the servos, so you may want to pick up some spare servos.

Oooh... interesting... couple of questions (since you seem to know a bit about R/C airplanes)...

1. How "crash-resistant" is something like that? Is it reasonably durable?
2. Do you have to have it on pavement to take off and land?
3. How big an area do you need to fly something of that size/power? I have 3 acres, which is more than enough for the Aero Aces - but the property is a rectangle with proportions of 3:1. The front acre has a lot of trees, the middle 1.5 acres is pretty open, and the back .5 acres is open but separated from the middle 1.5 by a line of trees. If that makes any sense.

1. Not really. It's made out of foam, but it also flies at much faster speeds. Depends on the type of crash though, how fast you were going, what angle, what you run into, etc.

2. Nope, handles just fine on grass. You can also hand-launch it. Here's a video of it taking off and landing in grass:

.mov video

3. Decently big area. This one flies a lot faster and is bigger. The Aero Ace can fly comfortably inside a gym, but you could hardly get off the ground inside a gym with the Typhoon 3D. It's a much more serious airplane. See the video above to get an idea of what it can do and the area it needs to fly in.

The Typhoon 3D has a few nice features: it's pretty cheap for a more "serious" airplane (electronics alone usually run in the $200 range), it's made of foam, and it's a "3D" airplane. 3D airplanes are fairly new due to recent advancements in battery and foam technology. "3D" basically means you can do a lot more tricks with them in 3D space, rather than just flying them around like the Aero Ace. For example, you can hover like a helicopter, do "slow" flying, and a number of other things (again, see the video above for a short preview).

If you really want to get into airplanes, I'd suggest joining a local club - they have people who can teach you how to fly and have big flying fields with insurance (you can seriously hurt or even kill people with these bigger airplanes, and also cause property damage if you're not careful). Barring that, pick up this book:

R/C Pilot's Guide

Some more nice things about this plane are that there is a low startup cost, replacment parts are fairly inexpensive, and you can do a number of upgrades to it (new radio system, better servos, LiPo batteries, better motor, etc.). Plus it's an aerobatic airplane, so you can learn how to do lots of tricks like spins, loops, hovers, and so on. I'm going to pick one up next month after I finish another project I'm working on, so if you haven't picked one up by then PM me with any questions.

Here are some useful links:
Manual (PDF)
Manufacturer site
Parts listing
Optional accessories
Big thread over at R/C Universe
Heavier-duty replacment servos ($22 each)

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Got the bi-plane for my birthday today :thumbsup:

 

[SWScorch]

I bought one last week. Fun as hell, but it doesn't stay aloft for very long. I can get it to fly for 5 seconds or so then it just drops to the ground... Gotta tweak it I guess.

 

[vi edit]

I let my wife take control for a while today. She giggled like a school girl messing around with this thing. She was doing pretty good until she was laughing so hard that she landed it on the neighbors yard shed. Ooops! I bought the last one from Target the other day. I'll have to check back in and see if they are in stock to pick one up for her.

I was doing bombing runs over the street today entertaining the walkers that were out for their evening stroll tonight.

This thing is about the best $30 I've spent in a while

 

[TXHokie]

I got the jet but isn't the joystick sort of backwards? Normal tendency is to pull the joystick back to fly up and push forward to go down. Anyone mod the joystick control?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Got the bi-plane for my birthday today :thumbsup:

Happy birthday Jello Man!

 

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Got the bi-plane for my birthday today :thumbsup:

Happy birthday Jello Man!

sweet!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: TXHokie
I got the jet but isn't the joystick sort of backwards? Normal tendency is to pull the joystick back to fly up and push forward to go down. Anyone mod the joystick control?

For normal r/c, yes, but this is just a toy. The left stick is both the throttle and the climb (up elevator, for lack of a better word). There is no "down" aside from cutting power. Takes a bit of getting used to, but you'll have it mastered in no time. Most people are pros by their 3rd or 4th flight

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: SWScorch
I bought one last week. Fun as hell, but it doesn't stay aloft for very long. I can get it to fly for 5 seconds or so then it just drops to the ground... Gotta tweak it I guess.

Jet or biplane? Both should stay aloft for as long as you want, or until the battery dies (10 minutes usually).

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Got the bi-plane for my birthday today :thumbsup:

Happy birthday Jello Man!

sweet!

I my gf's little brother and sister (5 years old) wanted to see it fly after I opened it, but it was waaay too windy in their backyard so it made its first 10 flights in a garage. Didn't go so well. I was mainly trying to get the trim set up, but it ended up running into things so fast I never got it right in there.

Took it home to the backyard where the wind was a bit weaker. Made a few dozen short flights with it never getting much above 20 feet for fear of it blowing away. Ladybuggy tried a few times too. She might end up with one soon

Waited a bit and it got calmer out...
Had a bit more luck and even tried getting it higher. Had a couple close calls with it landing in trees and the garage roof. The wind was still pushing it around.

Waited until after dinner and it was dead calm.
Awesome!
Was flying it around over our house and over the neighbor's too. I can see why these things are more fun in an open space. It's a lot easier to stay up once there isn't anything in the way

Maybe tomorrow I'll bring it to work and try it in the parking lot

 

[Skiguy411]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Skiguy411

Originally posted by: michaels
has anyone got oone of those Storm Launchers?

I actually just got a storm launcher 2 days ago. I havent had too much time to play around with it, but from the first run it was pretty bad. Hardly moved through the grass and couldnt really get up in the air. I have read though that it takes a couple of runs to get the motors going. I'll report back when I have more time.

Yeah, definately, I'm interested to see how it handles too! Where did you buy it from? Most places are still pre-order...

I ended up returning the SL to walmart. The next couple of runs were a lot better, but not as well as I imagined it. Perhaps I was just expecting too much. Plus with classes getting ready to start I won't be having much time to fly it.

I'll stick with the Aero Ace and maybe get the AA Jet.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Skiguy411

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Skiguy411

Originally posted by: michaels
has anyone got oone of those Storm Launchers?

I actually just got a storm launcher 2 days ago. I havent had too much time to play around with it, but from the first run it was pretty bad. Hardly moved through the grass and couldnt really get up in the air. I have read though that it takes a couple of runs to get the motors going. I'll report back when I have more time.

Yeah, definately, I'm interested to see how it handles too! Where did you buy it from? Most places are still pre-order...

I ended up returning the SL to walmart. The next couple of runs were a lot better, but not as well as I imagined it. Perhaps I was just expecting too much. Plus with classes getting ready to start I won't be having much time to fly it.

I'll stick with the Aero Ace and maybe get the AA Jet.

if i were to get one like that i would spend the extra money and get the other thing that was linked here in a video. for only $80 more you get something that seems to be truly awesome

 

[AgentUnknown]

I got the one with the jet version. It doesn't have the 2 wings one on top of the other. Which one is better? The original or the newer one?