Skies are blue, winds are low so let's jump right in and look at some important characteristics of an appropriate, first 3D aerobatic plane

I remember with great clarity the first time I saw a competent 3D pilot in action, performing wild tumbles and inverted harriers and hovering within inches of the ground. My jaw hit the floor and my concept of this hobby changed forever.

I like to use flaperons or spoilers on my models but don’t like to look away while flying to see if I have the correct knob or to check its position. My transmitter has a dial for channel six, and it is very …

I often read about using triangles or squares to align the fin while gluing it in place. What I’ve never seen is how to get around the contours of the fuselage or prevent glue from squeezing out. I glued pieces of …

Whenever you are using epoxy for assembling large sections of a model, like joining the horizontal tail to the fuselage, put some low tack masking tape on each side of the joint. Wipe up the epoxy that squeezes out with denatured alcohol. If …

I have used dress snaps as lightweight switches for many years. By soldering a wire to the rim of each half, you only have to press the two parts together to get a problem-free connection. You can attach one side to the …

The classic technique to keep your modeling knife from rolling off your bench is to use the triangular “pen grips” available at most office supply stores. Unfortunately, that won’t help you late at night when you have a …

When cutting out the sections of covering for the fitment of your servos, instead of cutting a rectangle shape to match the servo, cut a simple X instead and then slide the servo into the servo bay. As you push the servo into the fuselage or wing, the fabric goes with it and gets pushed neatly inside with the back of the servo, leaving no nasty fabric edges where you have cut the rectangle area out.

Most new RC transmitters are delivered in a cardboard box with a form-fitting foam insert. I throw away the box and make an easy transmitter case using the insert. Just fasten plastic packing or duct tape all the …

Need to mix up that perfect batch of paint, thinned just so for your brush or next air brush job? Or perhaps now that the model is finished you want to store any leftover for future touch ups …

Recently I had to balance a foamie glider. Taping lead or coins to the plane always looks a bit crude. This time I balanced the plane using the tape method, but then took it a little farther. When …