Which type of flying do you do the most of?

No one really does any CL flying around here anymore. It is only the old folks...

Whenever I see a CL plane in the air, I have a sudden urge to cut the lines and set it free!
It just looks so restricted to be confined to a circle/semisphere, kind of like a tethered animal...

Depending on the setup some planes also fly with a constant outwards angle, like they really do not want to be on that circle, and constantly tug on their leach...

I started C/L as a kid in Labertouche, Australia during the 70s.  R/C was way out of my reach and as poor dairy farmers we even had trouble keeping up with fuel & starter batteries.  All I wanted was an R/C plane.  I'd get to the city a couple of times a year and just drool over the kits & Futaba radio gear in the big hobby stores.
Forward 35 years and I dragged my old planes out in the hope of getting my 2 boys interested. (Didn't work)
I decided that times were different & R/C was much more affordable, so I went out & got and ARF electric foamie.  They say altitude is your friend, but I'd never had a plane get more than 50' away from me before.  I started to panic.  Did I really have control?  I mean, you can't see radio waves.  You can't feel what the plane's doing.  Orientation is hard to figure out with my aging eyes.  After 3-4 flights, I wasn't satisfied and started to settle down & build some cheap 1/2A C/L models. That's better.  I feel confident again.  It doesn't hurt near as much when you crash.  When you do crash, you have no-one (or nothing) to blame but yourself.  Few technical glitches.  No flat batteries & radio drop-outs to worry about.
Given a chance, I might get the hang of R/C & learn to enjoy it, but the monthly pictures of $500 models smashed to confetti in our local R/C club newsletter doesn't raise my enthusiasm.   

Rod.

The 1/2A planes (RC) are very crash resistant too as long as you fly over grass (preferably tall). The planes are so light that they don't really reach solid ground. I have had too land out of sight a few times and could just walk over there to pick the plane up without any damages.

I started with RC in the early 80-ties (borrowed a radio) and I still have that plane in one piece.
The trick is to learn on a high wing plane with a large wingspan. Think of it as a "guided" free-flight and very little can go wrong...

Hi, After 30 years with RC only, I fly Cl more than RC, more exciting, good feeling...

and never problem with rx battery.

Right now I fly 100% RC & 100% electric, hope to change it up a little this year

Currently, the wet season here. So, I'm flying more RC eclectric powered sailplanes (ALES contests mostly, they run year round). But things will be drying up a bit soon and the CL contest will start soon.

I've been flying 100% RC; glow from 1/2A up to .46 sized planes; electrics, foamys and builtups and electric helis.

However, this past weekend, I pulled out an old 1/2A C/L, stripped the silkspan covering (well, much of it was gone and the rest came off easily) and recovered it with doculam.  I think I built it while still in high school --- it has a lot of hours on it and it is pretty well beaten up -- still needs a couple of fuselage holes patched and a new fin.  The sewn hinges were rotted away -- I replaced those with a new high tech surface hinge (DUCK brand storage tape   ).  It's the plane version of Kim's War Dog engine.  I plan to give Rusty's stooge design a try when the weather clears a bit.

Surfer_kris wrote:No one really does any CL flying around here anymore. It is only the old folks...

Whenever I see a CL plane in the air, I have a sudden urge to cut the lines and set it free!
It just looks so restricted to be confined to a circle/semisphere, kind of like a tethered animal...

Depending on the setup some planes also fly with a constant outwards angle, like they really do not want to be on that circle, and constantly tug on their leach...

Kris,

I will be the first to admit that there is a restriction when flying in a hemisphere with only an elevator for control.

The thing is it's very challenging to do and even more challenging to perfect. If you haven't flown CL before it's worth a try.

You will find that the majority of those who fly CL are older, mostly a generational thing I presume.

I have flown RC and CL and there is a connection with the plane in CL that is not possible with RC. You feel like a part of the plane while stunting.

I am not knocking RC as I think both disciplines have their merit.

Ron

I started with free-flight gliders, building and tuning them for a nice flight is pretty rewarding, but it is even better to have some type of in flight control, and hence the interest for RC. There was no need for advanced maneuvers just enough to guide them home/down. The sense of freedom is still there, but now you can control it too.

CL was always available but it just never interested me, it doesn't feel much like flying (to me) and anything will get airborne with short enough lines...

Retired from second career at age 57

As a teenager was flying CL but always dreamed of RC.... got a turn a few times with a older guy who latter gave me a Kraft radio-- but I soon got married and kids so never got to use it

When I retired I decided to join a club and learn to fly RC.... I suck at it cuz the field is too far away to do it often enough to gain skill

Setting up the hobby shop I built a Sig Skyray and found CEF in my search for Cox engines

Plastic handle, dacron lines, Sig champion 25%, Bernie's black widdo remake with plastic back
Damned thing flew and I had a ball

Thousands of dollars later the Futaba FG8 radio and a Tower 60 sized RC trainer sits collecting dust

I will probably never do a competent stunt pattern as I don't like memorizing a routine

7 to 10 minuets taking off and landing a RC got boring to ME

3 to 5 minuets zooming around a circle is more fun to ME

Old farts fussing with sound pressure meters annoyed ME

Two in a circle chasing each other is fun to ME

Nitro infused Glow fuel smells good to ME
24,000 RPM un-muffled sounds good to ME

Smacking into mother earth at full speed is fun to ME
(except when I have a LOT of time building the model)

Control liner of one in 5 counties FRED

The poll is tight, 10-9 CL right now. We forget there are members who've been here to read only and never post

Surfer_kris wrote:I started with free-flight gliders, building and tuning them for a nice flight is pretty rewarding, but it is even better to have some type of in flight control, and hence the interest for RC. There was no need for advanced maneuvers just enough to guide them home/down. The sense of freedom is still there, but now you can control it too.

CL was always available but it just never interested me, it doesn't feel much like flying (to me) and anything will get airborne with short enough lines...

  

If you ever want to have some fun post that last statement on Stunthangar.

Of course if you want to install a .40 size engine to a sheet of plywood on 5' lines be my guest. It's not just centrifugal force    

It's cool if it's not your thing, I get it.

Ron

...there was no box for "desk flying"?

I consider myself pretty rounded (no pun) out in terms of aeromodeling, I've had the airplane bug pretty bad since childhood, and have built, flown or competed in:

Control line: Stunt, PAMPA Advanced. Also some Racing: Mouse, Hazel/Sig Fox 35, slow combat & Carrier

R/C: Q500, 1/2a pylon & Pattern, as well as gliders, fun fly, sport, etc.

I'd have to say any one of the more advance disciplines were no harder or easier then the other and at the end of the day you were only as good or as bad as the guy you were competing against. I would say Q500 was the most adrenaline producing and Stunt was the most rewarding and time consuming. And my little Amber R/C electric is the most relaxing!

Mark Boesen wrote:...there was no box for "desk flying"?

I consider myself pretty rounded (no pun) out in terms of aeromodeling, I've had the airplane bug pretty bad since childhood, and have built, flown or competed in:

Control line: Stunt, PAMPA Advanced. Also some Racing: Mouse, Hazel/Sig Fox 35, slow combat & Carrier

R/C: Q500, 1/2a pylon & Pattern, as well as gliders, fun fly, sport, etc.

I'd have to say any one of the more advance disciplines were no harder or easier then the other and at the end of the day you were only as good or as bad as the guy you were competing against. I would say Q500 was the most adrenaline producing and Stunt was the most rewarding and time consuming.

Yes, but the point is, our tastes change from season to season, and I was wondering what people were leaning towards at this particular time.  I've been doing R/C since '76, but lately I've been taken with C/L mostly.

The Changeling Mark

drinkin beer and posting on this site!!!

I checked R/C (electric)

My post was mostly in response to Kris's, in that the medium is only as difficult as the competition.

Now here's a BA plane:

I clicked the R/C button...more a "Time Logged" choice because of the long stretches of flight with the sailplanes and such, but really think it's about 50-50 on an "Event" basis.

Like Fred, I wanted BADLY to get into R/C, and finally managed to do so, with the C/L's getting stuffed in the basement for a while.  In the early 1990's, for the heck of it, we fired up my Uncle's very rough Goldberg Buster, and I had a "Whoa, wait a minute!" moment while flying the battered stunter.  I dragged out my rough little collection of circle-turners, and started having fun with the old dogs.

We caught all kinds of crap (some good-natured...others no so much) for being "Throw-Backs", and often had to endure a particular old fart that made it a point to come out and tell us his looooong story of how he made a shoebox fly just as well on control line as anything we were flying.

We were always polite, and would suffer through his lectures 'till being saved by the bark of Wayne's un-muffled Fox .29 cranking up. Wayne always 'came to fly'.

I'm not an evangelist for either, but will talk the stuff and help if someone shows an interest. I HAVE gotten a lot meaner in my old age though, and will not burn myself out, trying to argue people into the hobby! "Yeah, you got lots of sim time, and want to skip the trainer and start with a P-51 with retracts and bombs...well, knock yourself out...but I'm gone!"

Currently, Patrick and I are the only Control-Liners close around here. I joined the Paducah Club for a year, but the drive just kept it from being practical. I hope they can keep their Control Liners going strong after the loss of Allen and his Passion for that pursuit.

So, it still just comes down to whatever you like, and I consider myself to be very fortunate to have a foot in both boats!

I apologize if I came off a little negative earlier, it was meant to be a little tongue in cheek...

We have one CL flier and one 1/2A RC flier (me) in a club with about 65 members. The rest is dominated by electric and large glow/gas planes...

My post sounds like I might be a CL only snob and I would like to say:

I will fly RC again

I am OK with the new technology and micro stuff

I tried and crashed (-$$$$) helicopters before the excellent on board gyros so will probably do that again

I prefer to watch well executed flying maneuvers and think 3D fixed wing and rotary wing is not very realistic

Building is an important aspect for me but as a kid I flew a bunch of RTF ( cox plastic) and have no real angst against this aspect of the hobby...In fact I wish some of the great small foamies I see today had been available as they fly much better

On the other hand the Cox .049 RTFs lead to my learning to build balsa n dope planes that flew well

I have met many real good gents but like every social circle, there are the know it all butt-heads or the safety/Noise Nazi that can make an unpleasant day at the field or in a meeting

Tether cars are control line... Team Associated RC10 is not... I have and play with both

It is true, enough engine will horse anything into the air and sling it around a circle. But as a wise C/L guy told me, "Funny thing about RC is you can build an OK plane and use the trim on the radio to make it fly well. If you build an OK plane in CL you can fly it level and that's about it."

Kris, I knew you knew there was more to it, because you used to give me all sorts of advice over at RCG when I was getting back into it a few years ago.
Rusty

I always find it interesting to observe the deep seated feelings generated in a thread like this. Although I do think that because of our different cultures and senses of humour sometimes the written expression can be taken the wrong way.

I fly almost exclusively RC all electric but will soon have completed four control line models (not including my spin around the pole CL/RC hybrid).

50 years ago (for a period of 10years) - I was exclusively CL with almost all being diesel powered. I have done powered Free Flight of all variations and enjoyed all the experiences.

I left the scene for around 10 years and returned to find that (despite a return to CL) IC engines had been banned.

I tried RC gliders and found the RC equipment unreliable and the flights themselves tediously boring. I did, however, recognise that the glider pilots were on a differnet "wavelength" to me - searching out thermals, looking for long flight times and drawing on skills they had developed to keep them in the air.

I tried electric RC and found it difficult to get any performance at all. Heavy models, underpowered with incredibly long charge times and expensive. I gave up!

My return to the hobby was with the modern digital DSMX systems, the lipo battery and the powerfully reliable and controllable electric motors. The ability to fly in a local park is ideal for me, not to mention the garden, the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom .....................

We are all aeromodellers whether or not we build from balsa, foam, depron ...... or buy "ready to fly". I like to see models of any description flying - control line combat, team race, stunt ....... is fascinating to watch and participate in. RC for me is more relaxing - 3D flying (which I can't do yet!) is amazing!

I am a great believer in don't knock it unless you have tried it! Then feel free but remember that you will also highlight your own deficiencies when you do. Look at me - bored sensless flying gliders but for some chaps it is a way of life and they are expert at it.

The "Ready to Flies" are a quick way of getting out there and flying. Some are superb - very tough and easy to repair. They lack the self pride generated by constructing a model but if flying is your thing then do it.

To me there are also degrees of "Ready to Fly" - All models are ready to fly when they are finished!

They follow this order roughly:

Your own design
Buy a plan and build
Buy a kit and build
Buy a ready built model and add the bits to finish it off
Take one out of the package - add a charged battery and fly it.

There are numerous variations involving your own modifications but this is a hobby:-

Add flaps
Take flaps off
Make it bigger
Make it smaller

To me it doesn't matter what you do as long as you get something in the air and enjoy it.

I will now engage a little upset by saying that you can also undertake a quick build by making one of those profile slab sided thingies (yes, I made the Wizard) and if you fell it absolutely necessary to rush skywards - a flat wing thingy!

Anyway, I will end this comment by saying that I do not believe you are a true aeromodeller until you have built your own engine from lumps of metal and flown and aeroplane with it!

ian1954...that last statement (and I bear you no angst over it) put you in a very very small circle of aeromodellers. A group that I have only ever met one of.

On the other hand:
Might I ask if it counts that some of us have retrieved discarded slag from the trash heap, and either by replacing parts, or fixing parts, to then resurrect a working engine to good enough condition to pull an aircraft through the air again....naw probably not....

That was a great editorial, Ian, thanks.

fredvon4 wrote:ian1954...that last statement (and I bear you no angst over it) put you in a very very small circle of aeromodellers. A group that I have only ever met one of.

On the other hand:
Might I ask if it counts that some of us have retrieved discarded slag from the trash heap, and either by replacing parts, or fixing parts, to then resurrect a working engine to good enough condition to pull an aircraft through the air again....naw probably not....

That was my question too. I've certainly never made pistons, crankshafts, etc. from lumps of metal, but frequently rummage through piles of parts and put a complete engine together.
Rusty

My last statement was meant to emphasise the degrees some of us go to. There are degrees of difficulty involved in every step but just like choosing a "Ready to Fly" as opposed to building one - I view engines the same way.

The easy and quick approach

Buy an engine of known provenance that some one has "run in" and is little used - You are ready to fly!

Buy a brand new engine and then go through running it in. Almost ready to fly but you need time and effort to prepare it.

Buy new parts and build one - the kit approach. It will still need running in.

Buy, find, borrow, beg used bits and assemble an engine - almost ready to fly.

Take an engine - repair it, tune it, modify it - new or old parts - may or may not need running in but will certainly need fettling.

The longer approach

Part build - make a mixture of your own parts but use some "off the shelf"

Full build from a plan

Design your own

As with models, I wouldn't criticise anyone for buying a "Ready to Fly" engine or aeroplane. I do all of the above. An engine takes me months to build - I have several on the go at the moment and a couple that I am still drafting designs for.

Using and reusing parts that would otherwise have been thrown away is admirable. I hate waste and the destruction or discarding of worn out classics but realise that some have no choice and limit what they do with the hobby due to cost and the time they have available.

Now, here, believe me I don't want to offend anyone by not mentioning them or even mentioning them or putting one above another.

I have learned a lot from this site. I can't always comment on postings because they are beyond me but there is a wide range of contributors that make the site stand out for different reasons.

We have avid builders, collectors, historians, engine experts, story tellers, control line experts, RC experts, flying video experts, photo experts, tuning experts together with novices in all categories. This is like the club I was a member of as a young lad - a pity we are all thousands of miles apart.

We have the shy, reserved individuals and the extroverts. The young and the grumpy old men.

What a combination!

It is all in varying degrees - Aeromodelling!