dominicm

I've used the RunCam2 micro camcorder quite a bit over the years to get some great onboard shots from some of the larger models at the shows and events. Here's a first compilation of some select clips from recent projects. For this season I've got a HD 360 camera that will enable the viewer to pan the view themselves! Looking forward to trying that out on a few large scale models.

At 1.7m wingspan this is one BIG foamie. Bigger is better and this Grand Tundra flies much like it's original 1.3m version from 2 years ago but in a BIGGER much more stable way. Same big Bush wheels, same big barn door flaps...but there are some awesome new enhancements. 6 part light system is one nice addition as are the turbulators on top of the wing to reduce the stall speed.

The riskiest part of any flight. Sometimes pilots get it wayyyy wrong while others keep it glassy smooth.

A highlight of many UK RC Shows is the Panic Display Team flying their radio controlled Avicraft Panic biplanes in formation in various aerobatic manoeuvres. How they don't collide is anyone's guess. Skill of the pilots and their coordination is key to them all arriving back home after a superb flying demonstration. Seen here at the Southern Model Show 2017.

Durafly D.H.100 Vampire from HobbyKing. Has sold really well since it first came out. Second improved version now available. If it flies like this on a rough day, roll on Summer for more fun with it.

When my wife and kids come down to the local RC club for an annual picnic they only come to watch the crashes! Has them rolling around. All in good fun. You can't take the hobby too seriously. All these models end up in a bin bag eventually.

Final installment in the low pass compilation series...enjoy !

Another slice of low pass awesomeness...

Some the amazing flightline passes from 2017...some of them quite low !

Filmed at the Large Model Association Cosford Show. You can't deny the effort and skill that must go into designing, building and flying this superb giant scale models. It was a challenging day for flying with the cross wind but nothing deters the pilots from putting on a display for the paying public.

Flown by Dave Wilshere of Motors & Rotors.

HobbyKing and the Avios Team collaborated with RC Groups to provide this excellent rendition of the real Extra 300 LX owned and flown by RC Groups founder Jim Bourke. The original planes color scheme was worked on by Italian designer Mirco Pecorari and is based on the RC Groups color scheme. This latest plug and fly Extra is made of EPO foam with a realistic color scheme and is big enough at 1.4m wingspan to provide great presence in the air. It is powered by a 4240-600KV brushless outrunner with a 14x7 wood propeller. No glue required. Takes minutes to assemble using a small number of screws. Wings lock into place and are released by using a button under each wing. Rudder is on closed loop system which I think is unique for a foamy but the mechanism used by all large scale composite aerobatic models so great to see. The scheme is great for visibility AND is well applied. My flying in the video is from a first maiden flight using a 4S2700 pack which made it super light. I think 4S3300-4S3800 is probably the optimum pack size for weight for 3D/aerobatics and good flight time. I didn't go crazy being a first flight but the way it flew did inspire confidence to get it relatively low for the camera and have immediate fun with it.

My buddy James brought his new radio controlled DC-3 out for its maiden flight on Christmas Eve. It didn't quite go to plan...good outcome in the end though. A bit of fibre tape and persistence pays off.

It really is VERY good for the money. CG is very critical to it flying well and the downside is the battery strap is fixed so not easy to move the battery around to get perfect CG. I guess you would have to move the VTX around if you needed to. Good luck if you do get one.

I tried to fly the 'Alienator' forward swept wing RC aeroplane from about 15 years ago. I never got it flying. I feel redeemed having assembled this awesome wing in a few minutes and it flew brilliantly. Great fun on a Winters day.

You're welcome Chris. Always great to get positive feedback. Looking forward to capturing more great RC and full size aviation in 2018. Have a good Christmas.

A compilation of the best giant scale RC warbirds seen at UK shows this year. Corsair, B-52s, Lancaster bomber and P-51s to name a few. Enjoy !

These guys are trying to keep within the legal weight limits for a model. Scale it up any more, exceed the weight and they wouldn't be allowed to fly it.

2017 was a good year for giant scale model aircraft. Travelling around the country to several shows I got the opportunity to film some of these monsters in action. Most of these take several years to build from scratch. Quite amazing engineering achievements. Here are my top 10 in no particular order of preference. What's your favourite?

Nice! What cam do you use? Runcam, Mobius?

It's been a great year for RC. Was difficult deciding what clips to pull into my annual crash and thrill action compilation. Mostly likely I'll make another because there were so many! But here are my best bits. Looking forward to 2018 already.

Got my hands on the new version of the Bixler 3 a few weeks back ahead of its launch yesterday (6th December). Minutes to put together. Apparent changes from the original are larger space up front for bigger lipos, so more flight time. Re-designed for FPV. It comes with a pre-assembled ply mount for your FPV gear. Designed with optional flaps. I dropped my RunCam 2 and its docking station onto the nose and it worked well. Great view from my FPV goggles like I was sitting in the cockpit and flying the plane !

Was sent this to try out. Decent size and comes with 2.0MP cam that transmits to your smart phone with a downloadable App , captured to a micro SD card in the drone. 2 flight speed modes. Comes with 2 batteries each of which give a good 10 minutes flying time. I thought it was good if you want to try out FPV and aerial video on the cheap for the first time (i.e. only $55 !).

Always great to see scale models of full size aircraft I've not seen before. This scratch built Agentine FMA IA 58 Pucará being a twin was especially interesting. Considering the weather it flew really well.

1:3 scale Piper J-3 Cub flown at the Large Model Association Show at RAF Cosford. Scratch built and without the context of the owner in the background you would think it was the real full size aircraft. Amazing.