Parkjets

#1 in RC Parkjet Plans

NEW PLAN - CUTLASS

New PlansParkJets

A few months ago, we got permission from SD Parkflyers to post his free plans to our site and although it has been a long time coming, we kicked off the postings by throwing up his awesome Cutlass park flyer.  

The Cutlass features a funjet style design, with a large delta wing and twin vertical stabalizers. The design is for 9mm EPP foam, which as you might know, is a lot for forgiving when crashing. But with some modifications, the Cutlass could be accomadated for 6mm Depron or other types of foam board.

INTERVIEW - CHRIS CARPENTER

InterviewParkJets

F-95 Morningstar

It's been a while since we posted an interview with a designer or company here on Parkjets, so to kick off the new year, we thought you might like to hear from a designer that is running a business! It's like a two for one. We reached out to Chris Carpenter, designer of the MIG 31 "Firefox" and the F-95 "Morningstar," and he is the guy on the other end of the line when you contact RCProfilePlanes.com.  He recently sent over the plans for the Morningstar and we asked him a few questions. So without boring introductions, let's get started with the interview!

2013 - WHAT DO YOU WANT?

AnnoucementParkJets

 

It's a simple question really, what do you want to see with Parkjets in 2013?  We have been kicking around some ideas but need your feedback.  For example:

  • Do you want to see more "warbirds" and traditional tractor style park flyers? 
  • Would you particiapte in a Parkjets forum?
  • What about a video series or PDF on how to expertly finish depron?
  • We experimented with having a few motors for sale on Parkjets, do you want to see Parkjets have a store with RC gear for sale?
  • Do you want more videos?  For example, some how-to's on getting your plans to planes?
  • What do you want to see in our monthly newsletter?
  • Can we improve the way the site works?  For example, is the navigation easy for you to find what you are looking for?

These are just some things to consider, but we welcome all input.  We will continue to work to make the site more user friendly and more helpful, but we want Parkjets to reflect what you want!  Comment away!

2012 - A YEAR IN REVIEW

AnnoucementParkJets

It was a busy year for Parkjets in 2012 so we thought it would be a good idea to put everything in a nice little capsule so our visitors can see what happened over the last 12 months and hopefully look forward to the next 12 months!  Now, this is the one time of the year we want your input, so be sure to add your comments, we want to hear from you - what you want to see in Parkjets in 2013 (more after the break).

TOP 10 PLANS - DECEMBER

Top 10ParkJets

Every month, we have been posting the Top 10 list of the most popular plans on Parkjets.  So now its time for December 2012!  So how do we determine the most popular downloads?  Simple, we analyze the intenet traffic and rank the plans based on popular plans for the month.  

So let's not waste any time, after all, its nearly 2013.  Here we go:

TWO NEW PLANS - HUSTLER & FIREFLY

ParkJets

Parkjets just added two new plans to round out 2012!  We added in the Firefly and the B-58 Hustler.  Both plans are designed by SGTalon but that is where the similarity ends.  First, the Firefly from the popular Sci-Fi western by the same name.  His simple profile design of the "Serenity" is like nothing you have seen before.  It doesn't even look like an airplane, or rocket, or shuttle.  It is a totally unique design that gets around the park just fine. Even though its not exactly an aerobatic champion, it is still a capable flyer.  

 

INTERVIEW ROUNDUP

InterviewParkJets

One of the more popular resources on Parkjets is the various interviews we have conducted designer and companies in the RC Community.  A lot of people enjoy reading the interviews for idea and inspiration for their next build.  We thought it might be a good idea to do an “interview roundup” and pull out some of the best tidbits from each interview, link them all and create an easy resource for you to go to time and time again.  And since we are reaching out to designers and members of the RC Community all the time, this is one resource that will continue to grow, just like the number of free downloads in our catalog. 

If you have never taken a few minutes and actually read through these interviews, there is almost something for everyone, so get a cup of coffee or something and read over a few. 

CHRISTMAS PROJECT - FLYING SANTA AND SLEIGH

Building, New PlansParkJets

When October rolled around, we put up a great project (suggested by a reader) and he sent over another project that is appropriate for Christmas.  Rather than post in our regular free RC plans page, we like the idea of simply putting them right here in our blog.  

This particular build is pretty limited to the pictures in the build thread and doesn't actually have a maiden flight! So maybe you could classify this build as purely experimental.  If you do end up building this one, be sure to send over some finished pictures and results.  We know the designer would love it and we would love to post the results. 

Here is a video of a simplier build (two deer) that inspired the design.

TOP 10 PLANS - NOVEMBER

Top 10ParkJets
Like every month, when the first of the month rolls around, we take a look at the most popular plans that visitors to parkjets have looked at and downloaded. It gives news visitors a good idea about what others are doing and a good place to start exploring. Without wasting too much time, let's see where the most popular free RC airplane plans reside on parkjets for the month of November.

AMAZING HELLBERG F-18

BuildingParkJets

Our sponsor, 6mmFlyRC, sent us these amazing pictures of one of their customer's modification to their kit, which is based on the Tomas Hellberg F-18E Super Hornet.  Of course you can download the plans here for free, but this customer chose to use his time doing some customization rather than cutting foam.  I think we can all appreciate his efforts. 

The F-18E by Tomas Hellberg is a very popular download, although it doesn't ususally make the Top 10 every month, it's always lurking just behind the leaders.  The F-18 just doesn't look good, it flies great, is very easy to assemble and from the looks of these modifications, a great platform to let your imagination run wild.

NEW PLAN - F/A-241 SHRIKE

New PlansParkJets

We just added in a new plan inspired by a personal favorate, Macross!  The F/A-241 Shrike is a unique looking design that certainly is true to the popular series.

The free download features a simple to build parkjets that requires only 3 channels and pretty standard power equipment.  The result is a stable but nimble flyer that you can put together in short order and have something no one else will see.  

TOP 10 PLANS - OCTOBER

Top 10ParkJets
With October closing out with some massive storms and the winter build season upon us, it's time again to check out what RC Hobbyists from all across the globe are downloading and building.  This month's top 10 list of the most downloaded free RC airplane plans features a lot of familiar faces.  Let's get started.

NEW PLAN - STARFIGHTER

New PlansParkJets
Maybe all that news coverage about the amazing space jump the last few weeks has inspired our Free Plans Catalog, or maybe we just like these fantisy type park flyers?  Who knows.  Either way, the SGTalon designed Starfighter from the TV Series "Buck Rogers" is a winner.  The design is very simple, the construction is pretty straight forward, but the look is unique.  What more do you need?

TOP 10 PLANS - SEPTEMBER

Top 10ParkJets
With summer quickly coming to a close and the winter build projects beginning to take shape, it's that time of the month to look back and see what plans have been the most popular in the month of September.  For the new builder out there, sometimes it can help to see what other builders are tackling to help narrow down the pool of over 100 free plans on parkjets.com  Let's get to it!

NEW PLAN - SUKHOI SU-31

New PlansParkJets

After taking note that something like 4 of our top 10 plans for the month of August were really not "jets" but rather warbirds, the Hydro, and some 3D aircraft, we decided to upload a great design from a familar name, Tomas Hellberg.  He designs some of the most popular parkjets on the site, including the F-22, Eurofighter and the F-18E.  So we have added to his hanger here on Parkjets for you to enjoy.