How to Buy Free-Flight Model Aircraft

Free-flight enthusiasts take great joy in watching fragile, winged replicas they built themselves stay aloft for minutes at a time. You can take wing with something as simple as a $10 hobby store kit or a sophisticated near-replica. Free-flight models can be sailplanes and gliders or have rubber-band-powered propellers. Many smaller models can be flown indoors in arenas or gymnasiums during foul weather.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Film
• Binoculars
• Binoculars
• Internet Access
• Computers
• Camcorders
• Videocassettes
• Disposable Cameras
• Internet Service Providers
• Glue Guns
• Hot Glue Sticks
• Digital Cameras
• Internet Explorer
• Internet Explorer
• SLR Camera
• Airplane Glue
• Single-edged Razor Blades
• Telescopes
• Superglue
• Superglue
• Dremel Rotary Tools
• Polaroid Film
• Binoculars Cases
• Razor Saw Sets
• Razor Plane Sets
• Modeler's Tools And Supplies
• Model Aviation Subscription
• Electric Screwdrivers
• Screwdriver Bits
• Phillips Screwdrivers
• Slotted Screwdrivers

1. Read about aerodynamics. A basic understanding of why something heavier than air can fly will enhance your appreciation of the free-flight hobby.

2. Cruise the Internet to find Web pages featuring free-flight models.

3. Check out local free-flight activities. Join a club, if one is available.

4. Start simple. Gliders, both hand-launched and catapult-launched, offer entertainment and excitement.

5. Check out local hobby stores and e-retailers such as eHobbies.com for kits and ready-to-fly models.

6. Ask knowledgeable store owners and clerks about clubs and local activities.

7. Progress in the free-flight hobby by moving up to larger, towline-launched gliders or rubber-powered free-flight models.

8. Remember, you can find rubber-powered kits that are near replicas of actual aircraft such as the F4U Corsair, the Piper Cub, the Tiger Moth or the P-40 Warhawk.

9. Study literature from kit manufacturers such as Cox, Dumas, Easy Built, Estes, Great Planes, Sterling, US Aircore and others.

10. Remember, you can also find rubber-powered helicopters.

Tips & Warnings

• Free flight offers an excellent opportunity to teach youngsters building skills and the theory of flight dynamics.
• Take along a camera, video camera and binoculars to enhance free-flight model enjoyment.
• As early as 1916, a rubber-powered model flew more than a mile.
• Sophisticated free-flight hobbyists use "stretch winding," extending the rubber band to maximum length and then lubricating it before rewinding to gain maximum performance.
• The mixture of sharp tools and young children requires supervision.
• Free-flight models should be flown in open, uncrowded areas or in a controlled indoor environment.
• Consider a free-flight model lost if it lands where it's dangerous to attempt retrieval.
• Power lines can be deadly. Call the power company or fire department if a model becomes stuck on power lines.