Radio De-thermalizer for Rubber Powered Free Flight Model Airplane

Radio Dethermalizer (RDT) allows a modeler to terminate a flight when desired. It is only used on free flight models. The model carries a tiny RF receiver that triggers a small servo when the flier pushes on a button on a small hand-held RF transmitter. The servo arm momentarily swings through a 90-degree arc, allowing a ring or loop on the DT line to slip off under spring tension. This permits the horizontal stabilizer to pop-up to a forty-five degree incline. The model then gently floats down in horizontal orientation. This video shows the activation of the RDT on my Korda Victory Old Time Rubber (OTR) model. RDT has several advantages over a DT activated by a timer. You can terminate a trim flight and make adjustments without a long retrieval. In a full flight, you can terminate the flight if the model starts to get into trouble, e.g., it heads toward a freeway. If you are in a contest, you can terminate the flight when the model has achieved a max, thereby shortening the retrieval walk. This model also carries an RF locator beacon. You can see the Yagi antenna in the video and hear the beeping emitted by the receiver. If the model flies a long way away, and/or is buried in tall alfalfa, the antenna and receiver allow the flier to determine its location by moving the antenna so that the audio signal and/or the meter show maximum strength in a given direction.