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5-Jun-17 23:55

After the discussion about 'drones' yesterday, I have been looking for a new model as well. My T-Rex 550E is about 10 years old, I'm at least the third owner and is not new and shiny anymore, but it still flies well. The problem is that the replacement parts for this model become harder to get every year.

This[^] would be a great replacement, but they obviously don't have it in stock yet.

And this is not a 'drone', nor should anything of this size and capable of such a speed (around 100 mph) be. Like multicopters it could be flown by a microcontroller and accomplish some 'mission' autonomously. It has GPS, motion sensors and a gyro to sense rotation, but it can't 'see' obstacles or other dangers.

I have already seen trouble coming while landing, like small children ("Go take a look!") or dogs ("Go get it, boy!") and very quickly took off again. People already have been killed in accidents and I will not let one of those things fly around under the control of a microcontroller, especially not as an excuse not to learn how to fly and keep it under control myself. Besides that, isn't learning and accomplishing something the actual fun part? Why would I want a microcontroller to automate it away?

So, yeah, I'm just ranting and don't know a thing. Smile | :)

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User 99160806-Jun-17 4:47

6-Jun-17 4:47

I agree. I, too, am an RC pilot. I fly T-Rex 500's and most fixed winged models. The main difference between a drone and an RC aircraft is the pilot. Drones are flying toys that someone else has built and the owner just wants to watch it fly with little participation. An RC pilot learns every detail about their aircraft, learns its characteristics, and attempts to master the control of the aircraft in any reasonable weather condition. Those who have never spent 100's of man-hours building an RC aircraft from the ground up will never understand.

When you are dead, you won't even know that you are dead. It's a pain only felt by others.

Same thing when you are stupid.

modified 19-Nov-21 21:01pm.

CDP18026-Jun-17 7:35

6-Jun-17 7:35

You just saved my day.

Unfortunately I must tell you that you don't know anything, just like me. This royal dickhead says so.[^]

If someone needs to report this: Go ahead and send me a copy. I will sign it, making him a certified royal dickhead.

User 99160806-Jun-17 8:33

6-Jun-17 8:33

I see that drones are something completely different from RC aircraft. Drones are automated tools used to collect information, while RC aircraft are all about the joy of flight. Anyone who says that drones are the same or better than RC aircraft have never experienced the white knuckle syndrome while trying to land a T-Rex in a 10 mph wind or gliding a fixed wing (dead-stick) hoping that it has enough altitude to bring it in safely. Even better, spending months building it and seeing it fly for the first time.

I, too, have worked in the aerospace industry. I've worked on fixed wing, rotary aircraft, and space programs. They have no bearing on what it's like to fly, whether it is a passenger aircraft or an RC aircraft.

When you are dead, you won't even know that you are dead. It's a pain only felt by others.

Same thing when you are stupid.

modified 19-Nov-21 21:01pm.

CDP18026-Jun-17 8:46

6-Jun-17 8:46

Donathan.Hutchings wrote:
never experienced the white knuckle syndrome while trying to land a T-Rex in a 10 mph wind

Or actually flying around for the first time after learning how to hover. I must have spent a month's ration of adrenaline. Smile | :)

Donathan.Hutchings wrote:
I see that drones are something completely different from RC aircraft. Drones are automated tools used to collect information, while RC aircraft are all about the joy of flight.

That may be, but one of those will fail sooner or later and I don't want to be the one on who's head it's going to fall, nor the one who is responsible for a bug that led to the accident.

For those who don't have any unlimited budgets and only access to equipment off the rack there still is no alternative to learning how to fly. No cool feature is going to get you off the hook when an accident happens.

Donathan.Hutchings wrote:
I, too, have worked in the aerospace industry. I've worked on fixed wing, rotary aircraft, and space programs. They have no bearing on what it's like to fly, whether it is a passenger aircraft or an RC aircraft.

My first job after school was more to learn how to knock aircraft out of the sky. Certainly the fastest things I will ever get to remote control. Smile | :)

User 99160806-Jun-17 8:55

6-Jun-17 8:55

CDP1802 wrote:
My first job after school was more to learn how to knock aircraft out of the sky. Certainly the fastest things I will ever get to remote control.

Required training. Big Grin | :-D

When you are dead, you won't even know that you are dead. It's a pain only felt by others.

Same thing when you are stupid.

modified 19-Nov-21 21:01pm.

CDP18026-Jun-17 9:09

6-Jun-17 9:09

Actually even the old MIM-14[^] was controlled by an analog computer. I just had to keep the radar pointed at the missile.

Later, the MIM-104[^] was even more automated. That's tech from the 1970s and 1980s. I don't want to know what a modern system would look like. It probably will only have a 'on/off' button and automatically posts your kills on facebook.

CDP18026-Jun-17 10:42

6-Jun-17 10:42

By the way, what do you think about your T-Rex 500. I'm asking because I might be interested in building a scale model with this body.[^]

And there are two more, also based on the T-Rex 500, a Cobra and a Sea King.

User 99160806-Jun-17 10:48

6-Jun-17 10:48

I love it. I built a replica of the Bell 222 (Airwolf) aircraft. It's really stable and I haven't had any real issues with rotor blade alignment and balance. Plus, there is a lot of third party support for it. I got the Bell 222 fiberglass cowling for it online.

When you are dead, you won't even know that you are dead. It's a pain only felt by others.

Same thing when you are stupid.

modified 19-Nov-21 21:01pm.

RossMW6-Jun-17 9:40

RossMW

6-Jun-17 9:40

Should be very nice. Its getting up there in size so I hope you have somewhere spacious and handy to fly it. This is the reason Ill probably stick to a smaller size 470 or so size.

Strangely the TRex 700 is the model I normally fly when I practice on my simulator (Intel NUC on the TV and USB dongle for the radio)

CDP18026-Jun-17 9:49

6-Jun-17 9:49

I will have to go out on a field. Just look for yourself: Flying with the old T-Rex 550[^].

RossMW wrote:
Strangely the TRex 700 is the model I normally fly when I practice on my simulator

Even in the simulator they fly just great. Did you have the opportunity to fly one of the bigger ones?

RossMW6-Jun-17 10:11

RossMW

6-Jun-17 10:11

No, the biggest Ive flown is my old one (230). I prefer the 700 on the simulator because its bigger and easier to see when it a little farther away. Also seems more stable then the 450 models.

Since my last one broke I havent been doing much flyng (just my little TRex 150 last weekend and thats about it.) Its winter here so I was going to waiting until spring and my birthday for my bigger replacement. Lucky I can just go out side and fly on my 1 acre block of land, and hence why I'm contemplating the 470. (big enough but not to big for my section)

CDP18026-Jun-17 10:24