Paul Witco from New Jersey has designed a very interesting flying wing model (image attached). He says that he was inspired by my discussion of the Inverse Zimmerman wing planform in RCadvisor’s Model Airplane Design made Easy:

“This prototype has a GoBrushless MiniGBx motor, 7x3.5 GWS-DD prop, 2s300mah Lipo, and weighs about 3-1/2 to 4 ounces. The wingspan is 24” and it glides really well. I plan a larger (about 48”) one for further testing.”

I don’t know why I hadn’t done this before, but now Flight Pack purchases include a free three month calculator subscription. Get them while they are hot!

While I was at it, I made a couple of other website changes.

I added the ModiFly airplane video to the ModiFly book page. It does a good job of showing just how nice a flyer it is.

I’ve changed how the website keeps track of the calculator subscriptions. They used to be called “Subscriptions” and were tied to specific products. Now they are tied to the “Subscribed User” role. It makes no difference from the subscriber’s point of view, but the change decreases the amount of manual website maintenance that I have to do. With hundreds of paid calculator subscribers, even a little bit of maintenance can turn into a time consuming chore.

The October 2009 issue of Model Aviation magazine mentions my latest book twice. Page 14, Worth a Closer Look, says:

 “If you’re like many of us, you need to read RCadvisor.com’s new book about designing and building RC models.”

On page 90, Small-Field Flying column, Paul Bradley had some more nice words:

 “Even experienced designers and builders are likely to learn something from this book; I did.”

Writing my second book, RCadvisor’s ModiFly, was at least as much work as writing my first book. Based on that, I priced both books the same.

But it is clear to me now that the ModiFly model airplane design was just the first of what I hope will be many new designs. I’m close to finalizing the designs of a motorglider and a pylon racer, for example. These new designs will be published as smaller books of about 100 pages, selling for $9.95 each. The books will form a “Designer Series”. Each one will cover the motivations, design tradeoffs, detailed building instructions, and ideas for modifying the design.

In light of that, a price adjustment on the ModiFly book was in order. Effective immediately, the price for that book has dropped to just $14.95. It is longer than the books that will follow, and it will continue to be a great starting point for new scratch builders.

I just got an email from Ken Myers, editor of the Ampeer. He reports on the ModiFly’s ability to handle high winds:

 “Hi Carlos,

Thanks for a fun little plane that can handle the wind,
Ken”

Bob Aberle mentioned my first book, RCadvisor’s Model Airplane Design Made Easy, in his Frequenty Asked Questions column in the August 2009 issue of Model Aviation magazine. He said:

 “Carlos has a nice, easy-to-read style that is often humorous, to keep your attention. I give it top marks and I’m glad to have it on my shelf for ready reference.”

By my count, this is the fourth mention of my book in Model Aviation magazine. Wow! That must be some sort of record!

Ken Myers, one of the reviewers for the ModiFly book, just published the August 2009 issue of his Ampeer newsletter. He liked the model airplane design described in the book so much, he went ahead and built one! The newsletter discusses his impressions of the book, the modifications he made to the design, and the result of his flight testing. His conclusion?

 “All in all this little plane has been a very pleasant experience and well worth the build.”

Link to August 2009 Ampeer - PDF

The books arrived yesterday and the flight packs just got here. All of the orders that haven’t shipped will be going out today. Right before I take an order to the post office, I change the status to Completed and an email goes out.

How does an original model airplane design get created?

I’ve always wanted to read a book that answered that question. A book that takes me by the hand and shows me how it’s really done. One that tells me not just the what and the how, but also the all important why. Since nobody had ever written such a book, I decided I had to do it myself. This is that book.

Experience firsthand the joys of building and flying your very own model airplane design. Put into practice the lessons from my previous book, RCadvisor’s Model Airplane Design Made Easy. Follow along as we design, build, and fly a modern radio-controlled model airplane.

Design Goals

Incorporating the latest innovations and research results, the design is deceptively simple in appearance. However, 20 prototypes and 15 hours of flight testing were required before a design finally met all the goals:

• Build it in just one day for less than $5.
• A joy to fly with no bad habits.
• Sturdy enough to survive hard landings.
• Build either a park flyer or an indoor slow flyer.
• New pilots can fly it without ailerons.
• Easy to build for new scratch builders.
• Kid-friendly free flight glider version.
• Use inexpensive electric power systems and radio gear.
• Great starting point for your own unique designs.

You can easily find the construction materials for the airplane at local discount or craft stores. So what are you waiting for?

Design Process

The book starts by describing the goals and the long prototyping process that led to the final design. Along the way you get to see firsthand the challenges that creating an innovative design presents. Learn the reasoning behind all the decisions that led to this unique design.

A stand-alone book, it is complemented nicely by RCadvisor’s online model airplane calculator and my first model airplane design book. Picking up where that book left off, it takes a very pragmatic approach to the entire design process.

Advance Praise

 “This is absolutely A MUST READ!” - Bob Aberle

 “I am so excited about the design that I just have to build one to try it out.” - Ken Myers

 “Carlos kicks out another winner with this one.” - Jamie Burke

 “Even if you have some model airplane design experience, you are likely to learn something from this book. I know I did.” - Paul Bradley

 “Carlos Reyes has done it again!” - Richard Kline

 “Lots of great info!” - Michael “Crash” Hancock

 “Carlos’ latest book is like a well written mystery novel.” - Red Scholefield

Special Offer

The book is just $19.95. That is a lot less than the price of a new kit! As a bonus, I’m including a free six month subscription to the premium features of the calculator. That is a $12 value! This subscription unlocks the optimizer and all the other advanced calculator features. Current subscribers can extend their subscription for another six months with this offer.

Flight Pack

As a service to the RCadvisor community, I’m making available flight packs suitable for the model described in the book. These are the same high quality components I used in all my flight testing:

• HXT 5 gram micro servos (4 each)
• Flightmax 500 mAh 2S1P 20C LiPo battery packs (2 each)
• Turnigy 10A speed controller
• Turnigy 24 gram brushless outrunner motor
• Slow flyer 8x3.8 propeller
• Prop saver and other connectors

The price is just $74.95, a real bargain. Bonus: for a limited time, I’m adding an extra propeller for a total of two.

Bonus Stickers

While supplies last, I’m throwing in free high quality vinyl stickers with every order. They are three-inch high copies of the RCadvisor logo in full color. The vinyl is only 0.002 inches thick and is self adhesive. They look great!

Click here to order now!