Many times weather conditions prevent micro airplanes from using their usual and dependable, outdoor, hard-surface landing strips. I have solved the problem by using the hard backed side of a length of carpet runner as an operational landing …

Sometimes it’s necessary to install a nut and bolt into a tight place. It’s often very difficult to hold the nut in position while it is being driven onto the bolt. Sometimes tiny wrenches don’t work well or …

Maxford USA Mentor-G V2 Giant-scale versatile trainer Author: Cliff Becker cliffb@flyrc.com Photographer: Walter Sidas NEED TO KNOW MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR: Maxford USA TYPE: 26cc gas trainer ARF FOR: Intermediate pilots PRICE: $239.99 NEEDED TO COMPLETE: Radio system, five servos, engine and …

Links: E-FLITE www.efliterc.com

Nitro Planes Fly Cat 90 is for those like me that want the Jet feel of flying without having to mortgage your lungs to fly turbines. Flying off a grass field posed some problems but the effort to overcome them is well worth. For me, this is not an every day flyer but she'll come out of the hangar whenever I feel the need for an adrenaline rush. Have fun, fly safe.

I found the Flame Wheel F450 to be quick building, with no issues during the assembly. The combination of the molded components and the central fiberglass plate structure produced a very strong and rigid structure. The included electronics seem to be of high quality, and I had no issues with any of them. The stability of the finished unit is uncanny, and the ability to have a gyro stabilized camera will be of interest to those wanting to try out aerial photography or first person view flying. The computer software installation could be simpler, but once installed, the unit is very easy to program and the default values worked very well.

The Stinger II is an absolute blast to fly. This old school aerobatic icon is born again. If high energy aerobatics isn't your thing...well is should be! Fit and finish is excellent, as you would expect from a Great Planes. I had a hoot at the field last week with the Stinger II and look forward to wringing it out again.

Hangar 9’s De Havilland Tiger Moth is a very complete, fine looking, sport-scale ARF with outstanding slow-speed flight characteristics that make it a joy to fly. Its near-perfect scale outline and many realistic details make it pleasing to the eye on the ground and in the air.

The Great Planes Gee Bee R-1 had a smooth feel from take off to landing and was surprisingly stable at low speeds despite the problems of real aircraft. I enjoyed watching the bright white and red racing colors tear through the sky no matter how much room was left between the aircraft and the ground.

Flying the T-28 is relaxing, fun and enjoyable. I have flown many scale models that look nice but are tricky to fly. It's not been my experience to find a well done scale ARF model that flies even better than it looks, but I have found that in the Airfield T-28. It's ease of handling and stable flight habits make it a good candidate for being one of your first low wing models; it's that good! Considering the features and equipment packed into the T-28 for the price, this is quite a bargain. Want to fly a military bird as your low wing trainer or weekend scale ride? The T-28 has you in mind.

Fly RC Magazine – June 2012 Collision Avoidance System Uses Android Phone App Links: Bruce Tharp Engineering www.btemodels.com Dryden Flight Research Center www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/

The Parkzone Radian Pro is perfect for anyone that wants to experience the performance and fly a full house sailplane. It gives you maximum bang for the buck and no time is involved building; you just go fly. I would recommend it for anyone's first sailplane or for an experienced sailplane pilot that wants a full house glider to knock around and just have fun with.