Why my cheapest, most beat up plane is the most fun to fly
I have been flying RC aircraft for over 10 years now and began with a cheap electric Styrofoam model. There have been so many advancements in both technology and types of models available and I got sucked in. I went from flying cheap, underpowered foamies to huge, glow powered models. I own over 20 planes and 5 multi-rotor aircraft now. Every time I tried something new I learned more and had a great time with my friends but I also noticed things began to get more complicated. Prep time to go flying increased, crashes became more costly and the increased risk of losing a coveted aircraft began to interfere with the fun factor. That was until I found the F9F Panther, a 65mm ducted fan foamie. If number of flights and fun are measurements for what make a good RC plane then the Panther has taken the prize. This little beast set me back about $80 bucks. All I had to do was add an $8 receiver and a battery. So what makes this plane a favorite in my fleet? Not only is it cheap; it has amazing fight characteristics. Its fast, takes off in about 30 feet and its incredibly stable despite being beat to crap. Last night I counted no less than 17 epoxy repair jobs but this plane just doesn’t quit! It has suffered busted wings, tail and the nose is as crooked as the wicked witch herself but even after all that, it flies great.
If I want to run to field and do some quick flying, all I have to do is grab my radio and some batteries. The Panther being so cheap and beat up means I can relax a bit when I fly. Its like picking up a load of gravel in your old pickup truck. You don’t need to tinker with it much; it just works. If I dork it in, no big deal. The Panther calls for 1300 mah battery. I found they didn’t last long so I carved out some Styrofoam and jammed a 2200 battery in the nose. You would think this would screw up the flight characteristics. No problem for the Panther, just a couple of clicks on the elevator trim and she was good to go.
One day the Panther may suffer a fatal crash but if it does, there’s another sitting in the box in my workshop. Funny, its been there almost 2 years but since this plane is the zombie that won’t die, it can just sit there a while longer.
My point is this; it is easy to get captivated with all of the dazzling technologies currently available in the world of RC flying. It’s easy to get sidetracked and forget the reason we get into this hobby. It reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite shows, Firefly. The crew shared nostalgia for the ship that got them through plenty of tough scrapes. The first officer, Zoe said it best, “She’s tore up plenty, but she’ll fly true.”
