Backyard micro flight

After we've been flying successfully for a while, we all get the itch to fly more often! Without dispute, in the rc community (at least online) the most inexpensive "scratch" is the AirHogs Aero Ace, which can be purchased for between $25-$29 at Target, Toys-R-Us, and K-Mart (watch for coupons for 10%). What makes these little planes better than the rest is it has differianted speed control; others only have speed #1, speed #2, and speed #3 buttons. Don't buy any other version -- trust me, I did and I was disappointed. The Aero Ace comes as a bi-plane and a jet.

Available at aeroacemods.com are all sorts of upgrades, including wheels (it will ROG -- roll off ground) and night lights. I often use the night lights to fly in my backyard:I usually can climb about 40-50 feet high on a no-wind evening and have a seven minute flight with "throttle maintenance."

In the picture above I added floats to my Aero Ace. You need styrafoam, hobby knife, fine grit sandpaper, balsa, and waterproof glue -- and a hot glue gun to mount the floats. The secret is to make the floats as small as possible in every way, but length. Floats should be 70-75% the length of the plane. CG (Center of Gravity) is tricky, but a visit to the forums at rcuniverse.com or rcgroups.com will be very helpful. Keep playing with it until it flies stable. My plane is a bit rocky and nose heavy, but some adjustments should result in better flight.