R/C's hottest year ever!

Model Airplane News, Jul 1999 by Atwood, Tom

At this year's annual R/C airplane trade show in Toledo-very well run, as always, by the Weak Signals R/C Club-the mood was upbeat, and the floor was flooded with new products. The sheer diversity was astounding, as you'll see when you peruse Chris Chianelli's special, five-page "Air Scoop" in this issue. The variety of new products ranged from a 1.3-ounce airplane from SR Batteries that can be R/C'd with an infrared system from Ztron, Master 3W150i B2 gasoline-ignia 16hp, 9.51ci Power Master 3W150i B2 gasoline-ignition engine-and there was an abundance of new kits, ARF and ARC airframes in nearly every size.

The indicators of dynamic growth for the RIC hobby reached beyond the dazzling array of new products-technology also continues to advance at a remarkable speed. Norvel, the now-famous company that has revolutionized the 1/2A engine community, introduced an allnew, .25 2-stroke engine with a ceramic matrix on the inside surface of the cylinder that lightens the engine and speeds cooling. AstroFlight introduced a tiny .010 brushless motor (lA draw on 5 or 6 cells) for indoor and small outdoor airplanes that has an electronic control attached to the back of the motor bell. The relatively new Airtronics RD6000 radio, although introduced prior to the show, is an example of how computer-processing power goes up as cost goes down-and there were other examples of this general principle from Futaba, JR and Hitec. New hightorque, precision-centering digital servos have come on the market in the last year, as have ultra-miniature microservos. And waiting in the wings to debut its radios in the U.S. later this year is Multiplex, the German R/C radio giant.

The miniaturization of electronics (see the discussion about the Hitec and FMA microservos in this issue's "Airwaves" department) and the ever improving glow- and electric powerplants for small planes may be helping to drive the groundswell in backyard, cul-de-sac and park "slow fliers." With time at a premium in so many people's lives as we approach the millennium, this new breed of small and slow-flying R/C aircraft may be poised for significant growth. The buzz at the show was that many more of these craft are in the planning stages.

While I'm on the subject of time, the emergence of "completely built" airplanes-with engines, radio receivers and servos installed-is providing still another solution that lowers barriers to entering our hobby. One vendor, Ace Hobby Distributors, offers eight of these kits (Thunder Tiger aircraft), and three more with servos and engine installed (but without a receiver). This, of course, is taking the ARF concept another leap forward, even as flight simulators such as Great Planes' "Real Flight" help the novice pilot avoid damaging his investment (on-screen crashes of airplanes and helicopters don't hurt the wallet!). This multifaceted technological growth and the apparent general upswing in the industry all spell more value for the consumer and easier entry into even more segments of the hobby and sport.

We at Model Airplane News are committed to keeping you informed of these exciting developments in R/C. Stay tuned for product surveys and reviews as we track forward, and look in this issue for a hint of things to come.

HIGHLIGHTS

Inside, don't miss Rich Uravitch's Florida Jets coverage; he gives us a look at new developments in the fast lane. And for those of you who-like the editors of this magazine-still spend a lot of quality time in your shop, see our how-to's on matching props to airplanes (Chris Chianelli and Dave Gierke offer complementary advice), and other features on building spinners, steerable landing gear, concealed mufflers and more!