True Story
The Way Forward
Getting The Gear The Aircraft The Engine The Radio Starting Gear The Cost True Story
Once Upon A Time....all good stories start this way.
A father and 10-year-old wanted to take up aeromodelling. They contacted us about a visit and spent an afternoon looking around and chatting to various club members. They duly left with both a conviction that they wanted to take their interest further and a list of requirements.
They decided to go mail order and bought a Kyosho Trainer, OS 40 LA and a JR 652 radio as well as a starter, remote glow starter, failsafe, fuel etc. They had an old car battery so some money was saved here.
About a week later, the nearly complete model was brought down to the flying site for some construction advice. A couple of hours later and with some assistance, the model was near ready to fly. Weather permitting, the test flying was arranged for the following weekend.
The model was duly checked out and announced fit for flight. A couple of tanks of fuel were run through the engine to run it in. The OS 40 LA started easily and was soon ready for flying. While the day had started out fairly breezy, it was obvious that the wind was dying so it was just a case of hanging around until the wind died enough to allow a test flight.
Now for the smart bit! Instead of using the JR 652 transmitter, the test pilot set up the model using a spare model memory on a second transmitter (a JR 3810) which would also be used as the "master" for "buddy-boxing".
The original JR 652 transmitter would eventually be used as the "slave". The trainer was successfully flown, trims adjusted and adequate throws set up for both full and partial rates. Once the model was set up to the test pilot's satisfaction, the model was landed and checked out again. Going into the programming modes of both the 652 and 3810 transmitters, all the settings were copied from the 3810 to the 652.
The two transmitters were then connected together using a training lead and, using the 3810 as the master, both transmitters were found to have exactly the same effect on the model.
With the buddy box system set up, the trainer took the model off again and gave control to both father and son for their first flights. Inevitably, there were the odd deviations from the desired flight path which required the trainer to regain control but father and son were delighted. Most importantly, the model went home in the same number of pieces that it arrived in.
Does it get any better than this?
Since then, the model has continued to be flown with a minimum of fuss and the only times the engine has stopped in the air is when the trainer had forgotten to set the timer decided to demostrate "deadstick" landings.
The cost for two "happy budgies"? Dad reckons about £380.00 all in.
This story, as a lot of good stories are, is set a long time ago. The transmitters mentioned are both obsolete and discontinued now, but the principle, and funnily enough, the costs, remain much the same.