Red Scholefield was kind enough to recommend my book in his July 2009 Battery Clinic column in Model Aviation magazine. He said:

“[The book] uses straightforward explanations to teach important design tradeoffs. The latest research and techniques are explained in clear language.”

This one was a total surprise! Small-Field Flying columnist, Paul Bradley, mentions my book in the June 2009 issue of Model Aviation magazine. This is what Paul had to say:

“The book reads more like a conversation at the flying field than a presentation of information with technical underpinnings. Essential technical relationships are explained, but they are easy to follow and presented in a context that relates to real-world applications.”

Thank you.

I just got the June 2009 issue of Model Aviation magazine. In the Electrics column (pages 108-110), Greg Gimlick gave my book some wonderful compliments:

“If you’ve ever thought about designing a model and shied away from it because you thought it would be too complicated, think again. I don’t remember being so impressed by this kind of book in a long time.”

Dereck Woodward mentioned my book in his May 2009 Over Here column in the British model airplane magazine Quiet & Electric Flight International. Dereck said that “it provides a good all-around grounding” to aeromodelling. Thanks, Dereck!

If you have a copy of my book but are not a calculator subscriber yet, I have a deal for you! You can get a one year subscription to the calculator for just $9.95. That is 50% off from the regular price.

My friend Bob Aberle just published a new eBook:

The World of Indoor/Micro Radio Controlled Model Aircraft
(The Why and the How)
http://www.cloud9rc.com

The CD is just $13 including shipping. He sent me a review copy and I have to say that it looks really good. The 118 page book is full of beautiful color photos showing the model airplanes and R/C equipment mentioned. Intended as a reference source for this rapidly changing subject, it is full of timely information. I found it to be a great overview of these fascinating models.

I’m proud to announce that I’m sponsoring the April Give Away over at All Things That Fly. Jamie and Diggs do a terrific job with their free R/C podcasts, so please give them your support.

The Internet sucks. Don’t get me wrong – I love computers. I bought my first PC in 1980 and graduated with a computer science degree from an ivy league school. But the openness of the Internet lets anyone share every idea that enters their head. There’s a reason why some call it the “world wild web”! The problem is that there is no quality control in place. Everything gets thrown out there, no matter how good or bad the idea really is. It’s up to you to sort it all out, and that takes a lot of time. I hate it.

A year ago I dived head first into the scratch-built foam airplane world. There’s a million designs out there, all available for free. But I guess you get what you pay for. I got the impression that these designs were being put together on a whim. Throw some ideas together, then if it’s actually flyable – success! Publish it on the nearest discussion group. I always want to know “why”, and none of these designers do a good job of answering my questions:

• Why should I build this design?
• Why those materials?
• Why not a wing with a different shape?
• Why not a longer tail?
• Why not a bigger size?
• Why? Why? Why?

My first book, RCadvisor’s Model Airplane Design Made Easy, gives a new model airplane designer a solid foundation of design knowledge. They can now think about their designs and answer questions like the ones above. Three months have passed since I finished writing my book, and I still wouldn’t change a word. I’m extremely happy with how it turned out.

What is missing now is a book that describes in detail the design process for a new original model airplane design. A book like this has never been published. My upcoming book, RCadvisor’s Model Airplane Design In Practice, fills that void.

The airplane design had to be a good one. Accordingly, I laid down demanding design goals:

• Buildable in one evening for less than $5.
• Fun to fly with no bad habits.
• Sturdy enough to survive hard landings.
• Can be built as a park flyer or indoor slow flyer.
• Kid-friendly free flight glider version.
• Every design decision supported by flight testing *and* aerodynamic theory.
• A great starting point for many other unique designs.

Could you design such an airplane? I flight tested over a dozen prototypes before I knew I had a winner. Let me tell you, watching your own airplane design take to the air for the first time is an amazing experience. Come June, you can read all about the interesting twists and turns that this new model airplane design went through before being declared a success.

I don’t know how I missed it, but my book was mentioned in the March 2009 issue of RC Micro World. Thanks!