Goal
To teach members how to design, build, and fly remote control planes through hands-on instruction.
Plan
The plane team will devote one meeting weekly during the fall semester to guided projects. The goal is to have members building, flying, and modifying RC planes all on their own by the end of the semester. These guided projects will ensure that new members with no prior model aircraft experience will have a fun introduction to the hobby. We hope this introduction will prepare members for working on our team projects. Whether you want to build composite wings, program flight controllers, or design a solar array for a plane, an understanding of basic aerodynamic principles is critical. Members who want to skip the guided projects are welcome to go straight to the team projects or even work on their own personal plane projects in the club room.
Every Saturday members will have the opportunity to fly their planes with other club members. This is a great opportunity to get assistance from more experienced pilots. Members are encouraged to show up even if they don’t have their own plane since we can use a buddy box setup to help you learn to fly.
Guided Projects
Chuck Gliders
These are easy-to-build foamboard gliders. They are a great introduction to basic build techniques. They can be built in a couple of hours which makes them perfect for a first meeting.
AMA Racers
These are balsa free flight models which introduce more advanced construction techniques than foam board. They require more attention to detail but result in a model that responds very well to adjustments in CG and trim. There is no better way to learn than through hands-on experimentation which these models are perfect for.
RC Park Flyers
These are small inexpensive RC planes that can be built in about five hours. They are easily modified and teach all the fundamental concepts needed to design and build RC planes. Their low-risk nature ensures that new pilots can learn to fly without risking destroying a week or more worth of effort.