11 Ways to Crash Your RC Plane

[@randall4411]

Good video Tim . I thought simulators were a great learnig tool . I wish I had them 40 years ago . I flew free flight for years before so I had my plane in flyable shape before flying .

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻 Tim

[@jlester42]

Oh my, loved this video. I especially like the "Full Throttle Flight" part. I see this so often, and I just don't understand why people do it. We have that one guy at the field that does this every flight, and he always crashes. I think he likes rebuilding his planes.

[@TimMcKay56]

Jim: Thanks for checking in! Tim

[@JamesRCPlaneTech]

Another great way to crash, if its not mentioned in previous comments, is to gun the engine on take off and try to get the plane in the air before the plane is stable enough to maneuver. This way you can do a tip stall or other cool crash trick to impress your friends. Nice video Tim, good tips and entertaining. 😂

[@TimMcKay56]

RC PT: Thanks for checking in and this flight tip! Tim

[@aurelioarenas6293]

Thanks for the video and tips. I would add 'lack of sleep and medication side effects '. Leo Arenas DVM.

[@TimMcKay56]

Leo: Thanks for checking in! YM and I finishing up a 12 day tour of Italy, home on Sunday. Safe flying! Tim

[@RC-Flight]

Yes lack of sleep has done in two of my airplanes this year! Too dopey and too slow of reaction time.

[@tedmoss]

@@RC-Flight I usually crash them one at a time.

[@SlowerBurrito]

Just flew my plane into the abyss yesterday. Lost all control and she just kept going. Keep on flying mustang ik you are in the heavens now…

[@TimMcKay56]

PB: So sorry to hear of this. Crashes of the nicer airplanes are never a happy occasion! Tim

[@darkdaze3860]

This was a hilarious video! Absolutely great ideas to bring on a great crash!!

[@TimMcKay56]

Thanks for checking in!

[@DonaldYEastArtist]

Excellent as always. I'm hoping my years of flying private aircraft will lead me to having fewer crashes. I'll keep you posted. smile

[@TimMcKay56]

Donald: Best of luck! Tim

[@bhushandudhane96]

Thanks for the valuable information 👍🥰🥰

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻😊 Tim

[@lancer2134]

Thanks Tim for going through with tips ... Few of them are really unnoticed several times .. too much of distraction 😄

[@TimMcKay56]

All good, thanks! Tim

[@starletzzang]

Great job tim, I saw the picture during the explanation and it looks like you're a boeing pilot. That's great.

[@TimMcKay56]

B-777F for a while, lots of fun. 😊 Tim

[@tyesai]

Not knowing how to actually fly and taking off with SAFE off is pretty common. Falls under skill set and flight control check but deserves honorable mention.

[@TimMcKay56]

Excellent point, thanks. Tim

[@free-birdrocker8809]

Tim, my man, you give us some very informative tips.

[@TimMcKay56]

FB: Glad you like them! Tim

[@williamrobinson7435]

Some nice sardonic touches in this, and lots of good basic advice. This workshop looks yummy. 😋👍

[@TimMcKay56]

William: Thanks for checking in! Tim

[@ottoMeansEight]

I'm going to need more aircraft to complete this check list ;-)

[@TimMcKay56]

😊😳 Tim

[@CliffHarveyRCPlanes]

I'll try and take all your advice on board Tim, cheers 😉😁👍

[@TimMcKay56]

Cliff: Fly safe! Tim

[@CliffHarveyRCPlanes]

@@TimMcKay56 Hi Tim, just to prove the importance of pre flight checks I've just come back from a lovely flying session that could have been a disaster. I connected the battery and would you believe it I'd connected one of the aileron extension leads back to front rendering it inoperative.. I may have got away with a short circuit of the field but as it happened the take off was less than perfect so who knows 🤔

[@TimMcKay56]

@@CliffHarveyRCPlanes Spot on, these things can happen to anyone. Tim

[@CliffHarveyRCPlanes]

@@TimMcKay56 The funny thing was Tim just before I set up the model I was telling the lads about your video!

[@Cyberdyne_research]

Just destroyed my flight line p51. Made a rudder for it and the rudder got stuck and made me kamikaze. What do I do with it? I don’t really want to rebuild it because it’s only a 3 channel and I want all 4. Do I harvest it to build a new one? Or am I limited to repairing it to factory?

[@TimMcKay56]

Not sure what path to take. If not too expensive maybe try and repair? Tim

[@garethmatthews7939]

hi from the uk im a beginner and enjoyed your video could you do one about converting tthe gullow's sky raider

[@TimMcKay56]

If I recall, the Sky Raider has a short wingspan, around 18" (?). That is a very small model to convert to RC.

[@garethmatthews7939]

@@TimMcKay56ok i was just thinking has i was thinking of doing a gullow's kit

[@TimMcKay56]

@@garethmatthews7939 Try the Hellcat. Plenty of room, easy to fly. See my build video on this.

[@robguyatt9602]

Hi Tim, Please describe RC control from 50 years ago. I think it would make in interesting vid. I got into RC in about 1980. It was mainly AM with some early FM sets coming on the market. Here in Australia, it was only 27 MHz.

[@TimMcKay56]

Rob: Great idea, will add to the list! Tim

[@kingsleykronkk3925]

Some crashes I can remember. 1. The old reverse ailerons trick without a preflight check. 2. Hammerhead stall turn straight through a slow flying plane minding its own business. 3. TX screen brown out from a Taranis intermittent main switch and or battery connection failure and reboot. 4. Kk2.1 flight controller brown out and reboot on VTOL plane from a dodgy XT60 connector or 5V 3Amp UBEC overload. 5. An arrogant tree not watching out for my plane. 6. Moving my vehicle I backed over my plane at the field was definitely the least satisfying crash ever, and dont leave them on the car roof either.

[@TimMcKay56]

Ouch! Thanks for the update, sorry to read of the events in #6!

[@satan9474]

Hello Tim from Scotland I started trying to make rc plane you see my younger brother built rc planes but passed away last year so I am trying to make one to fly so as to keep it going for him and fly it one thing I must say is I never realised how much fun it is until I started watch videos on it I really can't wait to start my new found hobby I no my brother will appreciate it anyway Tim thank you for your videos they help me a lot Love and best wishes from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@TimMcKay56]

Very good, best of luck! Tim

[@MrFester63]

Thanks Tim! As a complete noobie, I really appreciate your videos. You're my favorite "go-to". 👍👍✌

[@TimMcKay56]

David: Welcome aboard, it is a great hobby! Be sure to join a club and get an instructor. Also, RealFlight simulator worth every penny. Tim

[@muzaffarmehmoodyahya6817]

Hi Tim, I think you will be alright 😊. Good basic lesson to fly R/C birds for the beginners. May God bless you with health and harmony ❤️.

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻 Tim

[@peterlehmannl5972]

The 12th tip ,try some combinations. Low and fast,fly low on a maiden,maiden in bad conditions with a plane above your standard etc. The more combos the better your chance of a crash 😁

[@TimMcKay56]

Peter: Combos, great idea! Tim

[@tedmoss]

I have high standards, so I keep them high. I put little x's on my models for every crash. Some are up to 15.

[@loddude5706]

Hi Tim, thinking of scratch building a pusher (F2b-ish), will the motor still need some offset thrust like a tractor mount?

[@TimMcKay56]

Hard to say, so much depends on the model, especially the WWI birds. Maybe start 0-0 and adjust from there. Tim

[@tedmoss]

@@TimMcKay56 These tend to be very elevator sensitive, like the real plane. The engine is practically in the center so needs little offset. Watch that center of gravity. I have an Arco DH.2.

[@calimlimfrancisnoah5352]

Hi Tim, I'm new to this hobby and I'm building my own plane. I want to ask if it's okay not to add aileron, just elevator and rudder, because I think it will be easier to control since you only control the motor, rudder, and elevator. I'm aware that it will be difficult, especially on the turn. Can you give me advice?

[@TimMcKay56]

FN: Sure, you can fly an RC model with 3 channels, rudder, elevator and throttle. Most models will fly just fine with this. This type of control should be for slower aircraft, mostly trainer type airplanes. If you have any sort of high performance aircraft, like a low wing airplane or a WW2 fighter, always a better idea to have ailerons for roll control. These low wing faster models will not react quickly enough to rudder control alone, thus the need for ailerons. Tim

[@christopherknee5756]

To Calimlim, I know exactly how you feel. Here is my story. My first plane was a Graupner Taxi (the first one or Mk 1). I didn't choose the plane, my Dad succumbed to salesman pressure from the local terrible hobby shop. I was disappointed that it was a 3 channel rudder, elevator and throttle trainer. I flew at a field that had an asphalt runway which was great to take off from, but I could never control the plane to an accurate landing. When coming in for a landing, if a gust of wind dropped a wing (made it quickly roll to one side) I would have to correct with opposite rudder. The problem with this is that it turns the plane away from its original heading. When coming in for a landing, everything is slowing down, so sometimes I would have to add throttle totally throwing my landing plans off. This made it very hard to land where I wanted to. I hated the stupid rudder-only turns. Then one day I tried to fly in a tight space and flew into a tree - totally disintegrating one wing panel. (Hmm, Tim was right - a definitely easy way to crash your plane). When I undertook to repair the wing, I decided to convert the plane to 4 channel aileron, rudder, elevator and throttle. I reduced the dihedral from 6 degrees to 3 degrees (I copied the Cessna 182 look) and made built-in ailerons driven off a mechanical linkage from a single servo. This was a lot of work but it turned out to be work every bit of effort. This was the best thing I ever did to that plane. Now my landings were much simpler and my flying so much better. Also, now I could do aerobatics like a simple roll (not possible with just a stupid rudder). Another problem I had with Taxi was that it was actually too light for landing. My plane was 3.5 cc powered with a 59 inch span wing and just 3 lb in weight. When you pull back the throttle the plane should sink predictably. My plane would refuse to sink, then the controls would "mush" and all direction would be lost. To add ailerons simply, just add rectangular movable surfaces behind the wing. Use balsa, foam-board or even cardboard and tape hinges with double sided tape for your servos and you are in business. If it is your first plane, function is more important than looks. Good luck with your plane.

[@calimlimfrancisnoah5352]

@@christopherknee5756 Thankyou sir appreciate your effort

[@tedmoss]

There are many models that are designed for 3 channel, use those, or modify the appropriate plane to make it safe to fly 3 channel. For instance, add dihedral.

[@merailla6210]

Is this a to do list? :)

[@merailla6210]

5/11, 6 to go ;)

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻😊 Tim

[@CAHelmer]

Thank you for this. Going to make my flight students watch this.

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻 Tim

[@markpatterson4917]

Thought you might have mentioned popsicle sticks don't make great wing spars. 😆 More practical the rearward CG best way to kill a model. Also warbird lesson keep up airspeed on land as tip stalls a very regular among these aircraft. Great Video as ever Tim

[@TimMcKay56]

😁👍 Tim

[@tedmoss]

Rearward CG. I have seen it happen.

[@sirfinnscott9287]

My first crash ever was with my first selfbuild/designed aircraft. I took a turn to fast and a wing snaped off. Wouldnt have happend if i had thought about wingload in turns, while building the aircraft.

[@TimMcKay56]

Live and learn, all good! Tim

[@TimothyLSmith810]

Make me feal bad I haven't been able to get it done yet fallowing all the rules may be me too anxious

[@TimMcKay56]

Patience and practice! Tim

[@johnlandbeckjr3736]

You are BANNANAS!!! John

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻😊 Tim

[@neilstern7108]

The big problem I see in landing is that a lot of people dip down to land at the last moment that makes it tip over. When you should be bringing the nose up( on a tail dragger). Of course tri pod gear is a bit different but you still want the ground to come up on the plane. On my carbon cub I land as if in a short landing, come in at a somewhat steep angle with engine off flair up and let it touch down softly. I watch fliers destroying their landing gear on grass and on hard surfaces, there's no need. Practice short landings even aircraft on carrier's do this . Anyway just a thought.

[@TimMcKay56]

Neil: Good tips! Tim

[@ap2760]

I have found that there is a force of attraction stronger than gravity and magnetism itself. It occurs when flying a RC aircraft near light and electric poles, trees and buildings. Basically anything your aircraft can run into, no matter unlikely - it will crash into it. Its called "Airtractionism'

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻😊 Tim

[@tedmoss]

Charles in the comic strip "Snoopy" ran across this phenomenon. It is actually true. The downdraft from evaporation causes kites and model airplanes to sink into the tree.

[@peteroloughlin8692]

Yes I’ve crashed all those ways. Been flying 19 years, building 45ish. When flying cross wind and landing. When the wind is blowing at me and turn to come in, I’ve just run out of lift, oops into the trees. Destroyed, After 3 years still sad about that. Was a really good plane. Thought I’d charged the battery for methanol burner. No I didn’t understand what the charger was trying to tell me. Loss of control. No power left in batt. Into the reeds. Luckily no damage. Took a year to work out what I was doing wrong. I’m very diligent with batteries. But still can’t miss the guys and and the flying. Magic.

[@TimMcKay56]

Peter: All good, thanks for sharing! Tim

[@johnblythe6453]

Many years ago "I live in UK" I used to attend a model show regularly every year one year Multiplex had come up with a parachute system that was loaded into the fuselage it was spring loaded to guarantee release by r/c this intrigued for ages . As I know target planes use this system to recover engines ,my best crash was into a tree it took me 3 days to recover "what a hobby" ha ha .

[@TimMcKay56]

John: Great idea, thanks! Tim

[@tedmoss]

My best crash I didn't even see, it was in the next county, I got it back three months later. This was about April,1959, thirty miles away. It was my first design, I didn't think it would thermal.

[@ricknoah9184]

Absolutely agree 100%, even though I've been guilty of a few.... I have one for FPV folks-- Never check the batteries on your goggles, heck they seem to last forever. Same with onboard equipment-- why bother... it works. Oh, and if your VTX has multiple power output settings, crank it to the max. No one will care. And never check your tiny memory card if you are recording video. They never seem to fill up. Last, but not least-- FPV pilots don't need no stinking spotters. I can see fine. No problem... ooops... sorry kid...

[@TimMcKay56]

Rick: Good words! Tim

[@dieterweik6858]

For me, crashes are preceded with me calling out, "Watch this!"

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻😊 Tim

[@RubyS.1]

I've never crashed either. The big bag of foam I had last weekend was not from a crash it was for ease of story

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻😊 Tim

[@tedmoss]

Storing, maybe? I always carry a parts bag.

[@tedmoss]

Reminds me of the book, "Don'ts for Boys" (pub.1902).

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻😊 Tim

[@darkiee69]

"I never crash my rc airplane, however, they do sometimes fall with style"

[@TimMcKay56]

All good! Tim

[@ap2760]

My aircraft always land - sometimes they experience unplanned rapid disassembly.

[@darkiee69]

@@ap2760 They return to the kit stage once again.

[@mgas1237]

It seems like you missed the most likely cause of most of those crashes in the intro. CG.

[@TimMcKay56]

👍🏻 Tim

[@TailHeavyProductions]

If you aren't crashin' , you aren't learnin' !

[@TimMcKay56]

Roger that! Tim

[@EJ-74]

50yrs and you have never crashed 😳😱 I've only been flying a couple years and I crashed yesterday lol That's what I get for flying in strong wind lol I knew you had to be kidding 🤣 sorry but nobody is that good lol Thanks for all the tips etc 👍🏻✌🏻

[@TimMcKay56]

Erric: Thanks for checking in! Tim

[@jazldazl9193]

You forgot the best method which is to spend years of tedious work and lots of money on your model

[@TimMcKay56]

JD: Roger that, good point! Tim

[@tedmoss]

I saw a guy do that.

[@gdcp300]

Aerobatic not Acrobatic

[@TimMcKay56]

😊👍🏻 Tim

[@philipmorgan5050]

Video your flight with your phone

[@TimMcKay56]

That will work! 😳😊 Tim