The Indian modeller

For those of u who have been in this sport,u must surely be knowing the difference in using a Aurora 2.5 and a O.S Max.How easy it is to get standard epoxy,monocoat,or a broken CR for your Sharma disel,if u are flying in some remote corner of the country.For those of who are very new to this sport let this page guide u ...u bet u gonna save ur self a lot of cash&energy.How much would u pay to get a R/C bird up in the air over here...say 25 grands.!!..u are hooked pal,ask me i'll save ten grands for u.Where to find equipment???..trouble to start ur Aurora disel...oops compressions down in six months!.How do i get a imported O.S/Super T/ASP....or a Futaba/JR PCM.U need free professional training...C/L..F/F,R/C ??

Well out here there aren't many aero clubs that will give u free intro to this art,or professional training..dont blame them cause equipment are as expensive and tough for them to acquire as for u.Even if u are ready to throw money still u might land up with the wrong stuff and eventually lose interest in the art.I have seen many people do that.I started off aeromodelling in a very crude way,sometimes i had to wait months to get a broken CR replaced.So if u have any personal questions shoot them right at me.Else i hope the following information should help u.Happy landings.

Your location


That's very important.It might be difficult for u if u are in some remote corner of the country.Mostly the equipment available out here are in the metros.So if u are stuck let me know ..there might be some aeromodellers around u.Still u can ask the local Air NCC guys for help, they have units all over the country.


Beginners

First try to decide on what kind of flying to start with ,for the novice control line ,towline gliders and free flight are a wise choice.Of course R/C is a totally different ball game and is much more realistic and expensive at the same time.If ur completely new i suggest u take help from a experienced modeller,if u really want to go into radio controlled flying.Else u might end up with a big bang!!More over for the beginner it is very important to choose the right equipment.Its a waste of money to make a huge investment in sophiticated equipment.U wud need sturdy and cheap stuff.


Tiny Tots


If u just wanna have some plain simple fun without much investment ..and make something that still flies...go for a small hand launch glider ..or a still better rubber band powered model.Few standard kits can be obtained from Aurora or the other dealers listed in india.Or u can even buy a readymade one.


Control line


Ok here..the fun part .u now got to choose a engine and a suitable trainer.u can always get a readymade trainer,but beter still be a modeller yourself ..build your own trainer.Wats the fun in flying something that someone else has made.U can get a kit,of the aurora kits i'd suggest u go for the sky bee medium,built heavy it flies superb & sturdy with a Sharma 2.5 cc disel.Dont use a glow at this stage even though u can afford it.Have fun with a disel!!!.U can also make the Sky bee senior,but make it light and use a 3.2 cc Sharma.Of course if ur a bit adventurous u can always try all the rest!!.Dont use nylon or cotton wires..use steel from the start ..alothough the response might be faster.And remember to dope your model well.There are a lot of other trainer models,and i have built a lot of them but i wud still trust a sky bee for a starter.Later on u can go to the aerobatic model.The peacemaker by aurora is one of the most common indian models.Its in good competition with the Win Son-H which is a bigger and more sensitive model.After u have built a few of them,probably u can design ur own.U can download some plans initially and one day try ur own design :).I myself have done a lot of control line flying.many people believe that its boring compared to R/C.Tryst me it surely isnt.Dont go for the looks !!.


Free Flight


The free birds ...nothing like the sight of a free flight soaring in the sky .U can start off with a towline glider ..but mind u dont fly these inside the city in a small area...u wouldnt get the real feeling.Well I never suggest readymade models ..so this part is not for the lazybones.The Aurora inchworm is a good start.U can try some National models also.U can try Aurora Lucifer if u want a bigger span.But most beautiful gliders are those built from scratch.Use light balsa,thin flim/monocoat and get some plans ..download them from the net.Or ask me !!.To build a good glider u need to have a lot of paitence and not try to hurry it up.U have to be very careful about wing warps,and trimming.The performance of a glider depends very much on the effort u put into it,or rather how well its built.A hard day's work surely pays !!!.Try to go out to some free area where wind is high and preferably uni-directional.A mountain slope or a piece of land where temperature difference is easily built is perefrable.Look out for birds !!.They surely know where to glide and climb.


Powered free-flight

This gets better and better.Start off with a small model,dont go in for the best ones,cause here first learn to trim your model well.Else u'll end up loosing it.Make sure u now the engine run timings,unless u want to see your model disappear into a tiny dot in the sky.I have lost models like that and although the sight is worth a million,its not always fun to loose ur hard work that way.Try with a Sharma 1.5/2.5 cc disel.Go for Y-bar,Eliminator,Eureka kits made by Aurora India.Or u can try to get some imported kits..they fly real well.Or better still try experimenting with your own models.Foam,light plywood (1mm),fiberglass,covered with heat shrink plastic.

This will be slightly more expensive.Keep 3 grands for a good engine and 1 for the model and the accessories.But u can always get one up in the air for half of that!


Radio Control


Now u got to choose a radio set too..!!i would suggest u go for an imported one straight away.Now u will see there are dozens of brands,with a zillion specifications.I assume that u have gone through the whole site and so by now u know what they mean.If u are planning to go for gliding,use a simple 2 channel R/C Set,rather i would suggest go for a second hand one if u are a beginner.But it is always wiser to get a 4 channel radio,cause sooner or later u would want to go into powered.If u are not too sure about your interest ,dont waste all the dough in getting a 4 channel PCM JR ,get a second hand damn thing that moves four servos.But if u are serious,for a start try to go for a Futaba 4 FM.'Sky sport'.If u really want to invest...there's a wide range depending on you budget.The list never ends.

Although u can fly a R/C relatively well with a disel,its wise to go for a glow,unless u r very tight on your wallet.Disels are not suitable for R/C flying.Use the easily abailabe,O.S 25,40 or the LA 40.If u can afford and winds are high at ur place go for a O.S .46 fx.

U better not try experementing with your own models,this time there will be expensive stuff on board.First learn flying with a built model,or use a kit.U can use Aurora School Marm,or one of the National models,if u are near Bombay.U can get a good trainer model from ENR Aircrafts,Bangalore.

A R/C setup could cost u anything between Rs 12,000-25,000 for a trainer,and the second figure can go up as high as u want!!U can get a old set for bout 6 grands at the minimum,3.5 for a old engine,rest for the model and accessories.Or u can get a new set for 10-15 grands (U'll get that cheaper if u get it yourself,rather than thru a dealer)


Engines


The Indian engines are the Sharma and Aurora builders.If u are going for disels go for the sharma 3.2,a kind of the British Frog,its the best proved till now.U cam also use the sharma 2.5 or 1.5.As for variety ,only aurora will give u that,if u fancy small mills then this is your only choice.But i'd always suggest a sharma 3.2 cc for a start.

There will be lots of glows avaiable,all imported,but go for the common ,in case u have only a few engines u might need spares etc.Use the trusted O.S series which is also easily available.If u want to import there are many.



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