Hi Guys,

I know it’s been a little while since my last post, but I wanted to get you an insider’s tip on one of the best ATC training websites that I’ve seen in awhile. It’s called ATCTrainer.com and it’s going to blow up in a big way.

If you’ve ever considered becoming an air traffic controller, I highly suggest visiting the site. It’s got everything you need from ATC exam advice and certification tips along with a whole lot of real life experience from being an air traffic controller.

If you’ve ever wanted to land a great job with the FAA I highly recommend checking out this site. Until next time, put’em where they ain’t.
Peace.

Radio controlled aircraft are so much fun to play with. Be it an airplane or helicopter, it is truly amazing for both young and old enthusiasts but did you know that there are also radio controlled blimps for hobbyists like you and me? Yes, they also make radio controlled blimps. Comparing them to RC airplanes and helicopters, these things are much slower and less maneuverable but that does not make them any less interesting. In fact, there are so many things that you can do with an RC blimp.

A blimp is an airship, dirigible or a self-propelled aircraft capable of being steered by using rudders or propellers. Blimps are lighter-than-air (LTA) aircraft because it weighs less than the air it displaces due to the helium gas which keeps it floating. There are basically two parts to a blimp which are the envelope and the gondola.

The envelope or hull is the upper portion of a blimp. It is actually a balloon filled with helium. The gas contained in the envelope gives the blimp its lift which enables it to float. Nylon is the most common material used for the envelope but other materials can also be used. The main thing is that the material should be strong enough to hold the gas inside and be able to take a little punishment to prevent it from being punctured easily. The envelope comes in various shapes and sizes.

The gondola on the other hand, is the lower portion of a blimp. This is where the motor, battery and the rudder are located. Motors are attached to the gondola to allow maneuverability. These motors allow the blimp to go forward, backward or stay still. As far as maneuvering is concerned, it is very easy to get used to.

There are quite a number of hobbyists who owns these RC blimps. It attracts a lot of hobbyists because of its simplicity. It is easy to assemble and prepare. All you need to do is fill it with helium, check the batteries and you’re ready to go. It is also very quiet which is also a desirable feature. RC blimps are also ideal for indoor use. It does not move too fast so you don’t have to worry about it knocking over the stuff in your house. It can also be used outdoors but it should be at times when there is absolutely no wind because it can easily be carried away by strong winds which will make it harder to control.

One advantage with using blimps is that you can attach a small camera to it to capture stunning images or even video. Imagine being able to do aerial photography at very little cost. It is so rewarding. You can afford to be creative with blimps. All you need is to use your imagination so why don’t you buy one for yourself and experience the joy of flying an RC blimp.

Every now and then your RC battery is going to die. Instead of worrying about what happened your power source, it’s usually more efficient and inexpensive to purchase a replacement. A few years ago batteries were expensive, but in recent years the cost has come down considerably. When  in need of an affordable, high-quality solution here’s where I go.

CheapBatteryPacks.com: The name says it all. There is a wide selection of RC battery packs available and I’ve never experienced a problem with service. My destination for RC batteries.

PriorityElectronics: When I need a laptop or cell-phone battery, this is my first and final destination. Incredible customer service and on-time delivery is what I’ve come to expect. I was even able to find a 312-0416 Dell laptop battery here. Kudos!

SkyGeek.com: My second choice for RC airplane batteries. Pretty good prices, although they did mess up an order one time. They quickly sent me a replacement free of charge.

These are my top picks for replacement battery solutions. Feel free to add your recomendations in comments section.

Keeping our skies blue is one of the primary concerns of many eco-friendly pilots. There’s nothing quite as beautiful as seeing your rc airplane fly against a clear blue backdrop. For those of you pilots interested in protecting our environment long term, here are a number of websites that can help.

EPA.gov: The United States Environmental Protection agency works to protect human health and the environment. They are involved with mandating a variety of government regulations and increasing awareness about threats to our planet.

Nelliefay.com: Involved in raising awareness about organic products. They also distribute clothes, pet toys, and other all-natural products through their website.

DefendGreen.com: Regularly updated blog providing information about green products and news.

The next time you go flying, remember to keep in mind the environment. If the skies weren’t blue, it just wouldn’t be the same. Thank you for reading.

Since the beginning of the internet people have searched for ways to connect with one another online. Today “Way_Kill,” of PilotSpeak.net, has created a social-networking site for members of the aviation community that combine elements of the old-school interweb with on-topic forums and classifieds amid essentials of Web 2.0 like profile pages to engage visitors.

PilotSpeak.net makes it easy to create a profile and join the conversation quickly. But unlike large social sites like Facebook or MySpace, PilotSpeak.net delivers a more personal experience for members. The community is small, but friendly and quick to respond. It really is like a club. And if you come across any problems, you can get in contact with the owner Way_Kill himself.

We sent Way_Kill a list of questions via email about PilotSpeak.net, the community as a whole, and the benefits of his site. Here are his responses:

RA: Tell us a little bit about your background in aviation.

I grew up wanting to be a fighter pilot and that’s all I ever wanted! I flew F/A-18 Hornets in the Navy and retired in 2002. I was then hired as the Chief Pilot for a CAT tractor dealer in CA and still do that now. My boss owns many planes I get to fly: Cessna 210, P-51D, T-28B, C-1A, Pitts S-2B, T-2C, Beaver. We are building more! I am an ATP, CFI, CFII, MEI, with tail wheel, seaplane, many type ratings and warbird LOA’s. I also fly in air shows with the warbirds.

RA: You operate a social-networking site called PilotSpeak.net where members can join to discuss almost any aviation topic. Tell us a little bit about your site and what type of audience it attracts?

It’s like MySpace or Facebook, only better (in my opinion) and designed by a pilot (me), for pilots. It’s supposed to attract pilots, aviation enthusiasts or anyone having anything to do with aviation/flying/airplanes etc. Here is a list of some things you have access to on the site, all for free:

Your own Profile Page with pictures, work and bio information. You choose what information you want to show on your page

Your friends and family (connections) list which connects you to them. You can then easily see when they are online and what content items (blog, classifieds, reviews, gallery) they have published.

A Private Messaging System for direct interaction with other members.
A very robust, easy to use Forum with topics relating to aviation including various Pilot Affiliations, aviation humor and video links.

A categorized photo gallery including airplanes, member pictures and member’s pets!

Online calendar providing information for aviation related events and Pilot Hookup where you can meet other PilotSpeak members who may have the same interests as you.

A Classifieds section where you can buy or sell anything you want for FREE! That includes airplanes.
A user supported PilotSpeak Blog, organized by categories. Think of it as our own online magazine with articles on every imaginable topic in aviation, written or supplied by our members. Share your stories with the world!

Polls and surveys which will be regularly conducted on a myriad of topics including a professional salary survey.

A reviews page for FBO’s, Hotels and Restaurants supplied by our members, for our members, linked to the reviewer’s profile page with google maps included.

RA: What sets PilotSpeak.net apart from other social-networking sites of its kind?

1. There isn’t any other social networking site for pilots/aviation as far as I know. There certainly wasn’t 2 years ago when I made PilotSpeak.net.

2. It has everything you could want as a pilot, all in one location. It’s like Facebook, Ebay, Flicker, Yelp, Weather (working on a new weather module right now), Airnav, Blogging, Youtube and email websites all rolled into ONE site. Yes, you can even have a yourname@pilotspeak.net email as a member. It’s a very robust and complicated site, yet very easy to use.


RA: How long have you been operating PilotSpeak.net?

Two and a half years so far.

RA: How many active members are there?

Active? About 6 LOL! People get excited about the site, then fizzle away. I am by far the most active member but all it would take is a few people to start using it on a regular basis, get their friends on here and so on and this site could be an amazing all in one location for the aviation community. Instead of getting on Facebook they would come here (or do both perhaps as non-aviation friends would probably not use our site).

RA: You’re not just the operator/creator of PilotSpeak.net, but also an active member of the online community. What is your user name? What kind of people have you met or connected with through the site and have you forged any long term relationships because of it?

My Administrator name is “Way_Kill” and my regular user name is “Kila”. I have personally met 5 or 6 different people I met through PilotSpeak.net. Mostly local CA folks, but a couple from out of state as well. I am still friends with all of them. One of the ideas for PilotSpeak.net was that, as a pilot, I travel a lot and am often alone in a different city. I made a category on the calendar called “Pilot Hookup” that is to be used to “hookup” with other members at airshows, aviation events or just get together, meet and go do something fun when anyone happened to be somewhere where another member was. How much more fun would it be to go see a concert, while your stuck in Chicago for a few days, with a few members of PilotSpeak.net who happen to live there or are also there for work, instead of going alone? And you could forge many friendships that way as well. I think it’s one of the best things about my site and if it would start getting used, the aviation community would be better off for it.

RA: What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you as a result of creating PilotSpeak.net?

Nothing really crazy has happened. I guess the one thing was/is having to deal with all the spammers out there. I was getting a LOT of porn spam in the old forum, LOL!

RA: What benefits will the rc airplane enthusiast find on this site?

Other than all the normal benefits that everyone gets, it would be a good way to integrate your hobby into the aviation community as a whole. I could easily make a category in the forum just for you guys. You could get advice for example from a C-17 pilot if you were designing a C-17 RC plane on the characteristics of it or the paint scheme or whatever. Many air shows I fly in have RC plane shows there and they are cool…you could put in the calendar where the RC shows were. Use the photo gallery to show off your work!

RA: Is there anything you would like to add about yourself or the website? Are there any facts that might be useful for the story?

Just that I listen to all users on the site, fix any problems, offer help and add/remove things they don’t like. I am always improving the site to make it better and easier to use. I check it nearly every day to make sure things are ok and no one is abusing the site in any way. Read the rest of this entry »

When I finished my first remote-controlled airplane (which I had dubbed “Jenny”, named for the college girlfriend I wound up marrying many years later), I was so excited to get out and fly the thing that I never bothered actually learning how to fly it. It was a (supposedly) simple to fly, high wing trainer airplane that I built from a kit over the course of about a month in my college dorm room. With a sloppy green-on-white finish along with the custom strobe and nav lights purchased from radio shack (and the 9-volt battery that powered them), I was off to the local R/C airport.

The first lesson I learned was that an old toothbrush is a much, much better tool for turning a prop than my finger. I had been trying to get it going for a while, and I was surprised when the prop spun to life. The index finger on my right hand was interestingly sliced open, but it was so cold out (I was in North Dakota, after all), the bleeding was pretty minimal.

Lesson number two came after several failed takeoff attempts and going through my “just-in-case” collection of propellers. One of my friends explained it best: “You don’t fly a real airplane with full deflection of the flight controls, do you?” Of course not . . . so why was I trying to take off with this airplane by using full deflection of the elevator? Fortunately, the damage was minor each time.

My first trainer was destroyed when I learned my third (and most expensive) lesson. I had finally gotten the airplane into the air and was enjoying the challenge of straight-and-level flight and thinking about the upcoming landing. Right over the top of the landing strip at about 500′ AGL, the engine quit. Best glide speed was too hard for this novice to figure out, and within seconds the airplane was in a spin. The wreckage consisted of balsa wood and various engine fragments scattered within 20 feet of the impact site. The ensuing investigation revealed that I ran out of gas. That makes sense, since I had only filled the tanks once, but attempted flight several times during the preceding couple of days. Whoops.

If you’re new to the sport, don’t feel bad if it takes a little while to get the hang of it. The moral of the story is to relax and don’t rush into it. Slow down and enjoy the project and learning how to fly. That is, unless you really like building R/C airplanes.

Trying to find an rc airplane manufacturing news blog in Spanish? If so, chances are you could find it at at ThirtyThousandFeet.com.  I caught up with Max Flight, the Creator of ThirtyThousandFeet.com and co-host of the Airplane Geeks Podcast for a conversation about airplanes, the history of the internet, and how he’s viewed and categorized 15,000 aviation websites over the last 13 years.

RecreationAviation: What’s your background in aviation?

Max Flight: I’ve been in the aircraft engine business for over 30 years and I’ve been lucky enough to have flown all over the world. I love airlines and airports and traveling to other countries.  There’s so much to see and do out there in the world.

ThirtyThousandFeet.com is one of the best resources for discovering new RC and general aviation sites online. We use it all the time to find new sites. What encouraged you to get this aviation resource started and what challenges did you face putting it all together?

In the early days of the World Wide Web, it was hard to find aviation websites. I was building my own collection of favorites and finally decided to “publish” my list as a web page that would be helpful to others.  I had to teach myself HTML, then I had to spend a lot of time finding sites.  In the beginning that was hard, and so was keeping the links valid. People didn’t usually have their own domain name back then, but as that became easier to do and the links changed, it was hard to keep up with it all.

When did you get started with ThirtyThousandFeet.com?

I started the website back in the early days of the Internet - 1996.  At first it all fit on one page, but as I added links I soon had to split it up into sections. It just grew and grew!

Of all the informational RC aviation sites you have listed, do you have one or two reccomendations for us?

I like Marston PteroWorks (http://www.pteroworks.com/) because the designs are so intriguing. I think that should inspire others to be creative with their own designs.  I like the philosophy behind Hip Pocket Aeronautics (http://www.hippocketaeronautics.com/) that encourages people to build their own planes because you learn more than you do if you go RTF.  The Shay RC site (http://www.shay-rc.com/) has a pretty large RC plane photo gallery, and RC Down Under (http://www.rcdownunder.com/) helps show us that this is an international hobby and we should look pretty widely for help and community.

You have a number regularly updated of niche aviation blogs on your website. What audience does each blog cater to?

The number of RC blogs I have listed really understates what’s out there. They’re all different but the ones that have staying power and real appeal to me are ones that have regular posts, have valuable or at least interesting content in each post, and offer some sense of community - usually by way of lots of comments by readers. I have trouble finding good RC blogs and I’d invite people to send me their favorites so I can build up that section of the directory.


Do you know how many aviation websites you have listed so far?

I’d estimate about 15,000. It’s hard to imagine that I’ve looked at 15,000 websites!

Do you have anything else you’d like to add or plug?

If you’re interested in aviation you can follow me on Twitter where I’m @MaxFlight. Also, I co-host the weekly Airplane Geeks Podcast at www.AirplaneGeeks.com. Podcasting is a fascinating way to get people engaged in an activity they are passionate about. I highly recommend it for anyone considering expanding beyond their web page or blog.

If you’d like to learn more about ThirtyThousandFeet.com, log on to their website. You can also email Max Flight direct at maxflight.30000feet@gmail.com.

Across the internet and around the world rc airplane enthusiasts are taking their models to the sky and their video clips to popular sites like MetaCafe and YouTube. After all, it’s a great way to share everything from custom airplane modifications to intrepid flight techniques. Below, we take a look at the top-five flight videos I found online (ranked here in no particular order).

In this video aptly titled On The Edge, Israeli pilot Dor Friedman exhibits some of the most technical flight skills I’ve ever seen with an rc. Check out 1:30 where he makes his aircraft appear weightless against the clear-blue sky. It’s easy to see why this video has received over 1.5 million page views on YouTube..

Ever wonder what it’s like to be strapped into the cockpit of an rc airplane? Us too. Skip over the weird 10-second intro to get a first-hand view of indoor rc combat via the onboard camera.

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No top-five rc flight list would be complete without a chopper clip.

If you’ve never experienced an rc combat competition first hand, get ready Here is a clip of the first of its kind held on Clear Water Bay in 2001. Their planes will never be the same again.

At Recreation Aviation, we’re huge history buffs. The thought of a full-scale Pearl Harbor re-enactment is a fantastic and lofty idea. This is by no means a extensive depiction of what is possible. But it gets our gears turning for what type of rc exhibitions could be possible with appropriate planning in the future.

Bonus: Honorable Mention Video

Precedent T180 First RC Flight - More amazing video clips are a click away

For our honorable mention video, we selected this heartwarming father-son clip complete with Learning to Fly by Tom Petty to set the mood. This video gets bonus points for great production.

Did we miss anything? Post your favorite rc flight videos in the comment box below and we’ll consider it for our best of 2009 videos.