6mmFlyRC is Gone

As many of you know by now, the decade old Parkjet kit producer 6mmFlyRC closed their doors last month and stopped shipping out kits due to the difficulty of obtaining locally sourced Depron and a general slow down in the kit business in everything not "drone" related. 

But 6mmFlyRC didn't just have kits, they many cool files and downloadable content like decals and instructions and even some canopies that will be lost forever. 

Parkjets and 6mmFlyRC have been working together and Parkjets is working to keep that content and some of the smaller products alive. 

In the coming weeks, Parkjets will be adding the awesome decals for download, great pictures and videos, and looking to see if we can add canopies and perhaps some other small items for the scratch builder. 

Stay tuned for updates! And say goodbye to 6mmFlyRC, a good run and a good product!

Bye Bye Depron?

You might have heard through the grapevine that Depron is going away in the very near future. Well, it looks like it will be getting a lot harder to get, at least in the U.S., as the domestic supplier is closing down its supply of flat 6mm depron. 

Depron has been a great material and certainly sparked the parkjet revolution. The ease of use along with the smooth finish meant people could achieve crazy results that looked very scale while maintaining an easy building experience.

If you still want to get your hands on some depron, especially in the form of a kit, now is a great time to head over to our sponsor's website, www.6mmflyrc.com and pick up a parkjet kit. I know they will be making some adjustments soon to their product, but depron is on the shelves now, so get them while they last. 

So what now? Well, there are other alternatives on the market and there will sure to be some other similar materials to fill the gap. We like to use all kinds of different foams and each one has its strengths and weaknesses.  

Drop us a line at parkjets@gmail.com if you have some suggestions and some tips on handling the new foam that will surely come to the front of the builders worktable. 

LAST MINUTE GIFTS

Guys, we know ourselves. Many of you haven't even put together a Christmas list for your loved ones so they are likely strolling the local malls and big box stores looking for something that might catch their eye. That's why we men end up with cartoon character ties, wool socks, and some tool that we likely will never use. And that's on a good Christmas. A bad year we are looking a tin of popcorn and underwear. Don't let this be a bad year. 

So we are here to help you out. Just forward this E-mail to whoever to clue them in on a couple of ideas.

1. Get a kit from 6mmFlyRC.com. They have a lot of the best designs all laser cut for you, they come with goodies like clear canopies and hardware to get you a jump start on your build. Want a scale model, they got you covered with the F-22 Raptor by Steve Shumate (the number 1 design on Parkjets). Want a simple profile build, they have that too. Check them out.  But hurry, so they can get it in the mail in time for the big morning. 

2. Really short on time? Maybe you are new to building, maybe you want some premium support for your build, then might we suggest the RCPowers V4 Pro Pack. It will give you the plans, unparralled support, awesome beginners tips and tutorials and lots of goodies you might find useful. Check out our full review. Right now, it's $50 for everything and since it's an electronic gift, boom, it's done as soon as you click the mouse. 

Now, those are two gifts that you can enjoy for a long time. So let your loved ones know what you want, it makes things so much better.  And you don't have to fake liking that crappy gift that is headed your way right now, unless you do something about it. 

6MMFLYRC DISCOUNT FOR YOU

For those of you that have been with Parkjets for a while now, you know that our main sponsor, 6mmFlyRC.com offers some really cool kits for many of the designs right here on Parkjets. As a way to celebrate small business, and 6mmFlyRC is a small business, they are offering our followers/subscribers $5 off any of their kits, both full fuse (Original Series) and the profile style (Quick Build) parkjet kits.

Now, I'm told that in the nearly 10 years that 6mmFlyRC has been offering kits, they have never done a discount for anyone, but starting now, through the last minute of May, you can get a sweet $5 off. 

For example, you want the Steve Shumate F-22 but don't want to cut all that foam? Well, you can pick up a laser cut version from 6mmFlyRC that will get you all the stuff you need to get started. 

All you have to do is enter the discount code: PARKJETS at checkout and you will be all set. 

TOP 10 PLANS - JANUARY

So the first month of 2014 is already over and we are just pressing halfway through Feburary.  How time flies! Hopefully many of you trapped by the mountain of snow in much of the country have had a great opportunity to get in some much needed build time on your spring fleet.  

As always, let's take a look at the most popular plans for January 2014.  We have a couple of old friends crack back into the list and the reigning king is de-throned for the top spot.  Here we go.

10. Cargo Twin - The Cargo Twin keeps on being popular in part because of its easy build design and also because it offers a cool way to hve a unique plane at the park. Using twin motors and rock solid building techniques, the Twin Cargo is a nice change of pace for any fleet.

9. F-22 by Tomas Hellberg - This profile F-22 design is an excellent weekend project or for more experienced builders, just a few hours. It features tabbed designs, thrust vectoring in the simplest terms, and great durability. Oh, and if you really want to accelerate your build time, pick up a laser cut version from 6mmFlyRC!

8. Hydro - The Hydro is part boat, part park flyer. Available in EDF or tractor designs, the Hydro will impress at the local duck pond, unless its frozen over!

7. SAF-14 - A unique design, a unique flyer. The SAF-14 might not be a real jet for you or me, but a model that mixes up several modern designs into one great looking model can't be a bad thing. 

6. Mermaid - The Mermaid, like the name implies, is a parkjet that is comfortable in the water as well as the air. With a motor mounted high above the body, your electronics are protected. 

5. F-35 - Simple profile design plus thrust vectoring plus quick build time plus modern looks equal one heck of a parkjet platform. 

4. SU-37 MK2 - Featuring a score and fold method (like the F-15 up next) the SU-37 is all Russian and all great performance. The design achieves a full body look with minimal build time.

3. F-15 MK2 - Like the SU-37, the F-15 brings the American version of air superiority to score and fold building. 

2. F-22 by Steve Shumate - This design is usually #1, and we have no doubt it will keep pushing for top of the heap. Scale design and thrust vectoring and you can get a laser cut kit means the F-22 is a winner every time at the flying field. 

1. Hotspot - The Hot Spot is in the TOP spot! One of the newer designs on Parkjets, the Hot Spot is a funjet spinoff that has a large delta wing and easy to set up controls. Check out the design and get to building. 

That wraps up another Top 10 for Parkjets. Check back in a few weeks, with the awesome YF-23 uploaded at the beginning of Feburary, we think we might have another strong contender for the top slot. Now, get to downloading!

TOP 10 PLANS - JUNE

It's that time folks.  Last month, we had a new king of parkjets, the SU-37 (updated version) by Jamie Rothwell. It knocked off the long-time king, the Steve Shumate designed F-22 Raptor.  Can the Russian beauty hold back the Raptor? Let's find out!

10. F-22 by Tomas Hellberg - The F-22 is one of the best designs on Parkjets.com.  This version features simple constucture, tabbed thrust vectoring and tabbed construction. A very versitile airframe and good looks makes this a great place to start.

9. F-35 by RCCal - The F-35 keeps on being popular. We figure the modern looks, plus the awesome performance for slow and fast flight make this design a winner. 

8. SU-31 by Tomas Hellberg - The SU-31 is not your traditional parkJET. Rather, a throw back to the time of warbirds and props. Like all of his designs, the SU-31 is simple to build and provides a great amount of smiles for the buck.

7. Mirage F1 by Marcel du Plessis - The F1 has to be one of the better looking parkjets in the air. The sharp nose, the rounded intakes, the large vertical stab.  Oh, and all that means it hauls rear too.  

6. SU-37 by Steve Shumate - The Terminator, the Super Flanker, whatever you want to call it, the SU-37 by Steve Shumate is one impressive design. One of the most scale designs on Parkjets, the SU-37 features twin thrust vectoring, twin motors, and great looks. And don't forget, you can skip cutting out the 80 parts by ordering a pre-cut kit from 6mmFlyRC.

5. Hydro - The Hydro keeps on trucking. A unique blend of a parkflyer and a boat. What else can be said?

4. Eurofighter by Jamie Rothwell - The Eurofighter has broad delta wings, cannards, and a simple design. That all adds up to a great platform for modification, motors, power supplies and anything else you can throw at it. This design is a full fuse version with simple score and fold method construction. 

3. Mermaid by Marcel du Plessis - The Mermaid, an unusual plane for Parkjets, but a great design. Featuring the ability to take off from grass or water or be hand launched, the Mermaid looks great in the air and performs well. One thing is for sure, you will have a unique plane with a Mermaid in your fleet.

2. F-22 by Steve Shumate - The F-22 has been on top for a long time, and now it's two months at #2. The Raptor is a scale build, with some complex building techniques, but the results are just awesome. Add in performance and you have a great parkjet that will wow the crowd everytime.

1. SU-37 by Jamie Rothwell - The SU-37 retains its top spot! This design has a full fuse, but simple construction notes. The plans also allow for modification to an SU-35, making this a 2 for 1 download. Performance is excellent and you can't go wrong with the most popular download in Parkjets!

Okay, that wraps up the Top 10 Free plans on Parkjets.com. As always, if you have plans you want posted, give us a shout and we will get them up in no time!

INTERVIEW - TOMAS HELLBERG

For those of you that have been following Parkjets for a while, you will be familiar with our interviews with popular RC airplane designers that have allowed us to host their awesome designs right on our site.  It has been a while since we posted an interview and so we thought its time for a fresh one.  

We reached out to Tomas Hellberg and he gratiously agreed. Tomas has designed some of the most popular and rock stable designs on Parkjets, including the F-22, F-18, SU-31, SU-37 and more. His designs feature simple build techniques with tabbed construction and profile looks. His unique thrust vectoring tabs allow for excellent acrobatics without a lot of fuss. And we should mention that our prime sponsor, 6mmFlyRC, features many of Tomas' designs as kits, so you can get your hands on a laser cut version.  Okay, that's enough of an introduction, let's kick this off....

Tomas, can you provide us with a little background with yourself? It's always so interesting to see the designers background and what they do for a living, not to mention the global nature of the hobby!

I am 41 years old and I live in a small village on the country side in Sweden with my wife and three kids. I work as a software engineer for a company that develops safety systems for cars that help to prevent traffic accidents.

I’m somewhat of a gadget geek but my true passion besides RC flight is photography. I also enjoy outdoor life and trekking/hiking.

So you have an engineering background! That makes sense. As you know, you have 6 models on Parkjets right now, but I believe your F-22 is by far the most popular download. Your design of the simple thrust vectoring tabs really changed the way a lot of RC planes were designed, you sacrificed some scale for some really unique performance. Can you take us through your design process and some of the inspiration for your models?

It all started when I saw a video of someone flying the Ikarus Su-27 on YouTube. The Ikarus model is a simple profile pusher jet that uses tabs and slots to help the builder align the parts. I thought to myself “I can build something like that”. So I began working on the F-22.

I chose Google Sketchup for designing my model as it was free and I already had some experience with it. I found some three-view diagrams on the Internet and started outlining the wing and the fuselage. When I finished the outline I put the parts together in space to form the actual aircraft. Then followed the process of creating slots and tabs to help with alignment during assembling. And that is basically the design process I’ve used with all my designs.

We have seen lots of designers are using Google Sketch Up. It's a great tool. And we like the "maker" attitude you brought to the table. Many hobbyists have the same experience, we see something and believe we can make it. Okay, out of all your designs, which model do you prefer to fly or which model are you most proud of, you get the idea? 

I’d say the F-22. It looks great and has a great flight envelope handling both high and slow speeds really well.

The F-22 is one of the favorites in our hanger too. That and your F-18E.

One design we recently added is your SU-31. I have to say it’s a great, simple design that has a lot of versatility. Do you have any advice for those pilots looking to build and fly your SU-31 for the first time?

Make sure your servos are glued properly. :-) I crashed mine on one of the first flights when one of the servos came off during a dive. Other than that I don’t have any particular advice for the Su-31.

I designed the Su-31 mainly because I wanted a less noisy plane to fly. Most of my other designs are of the “prop-in-the-slot” type, which are really loud.

Servo failure. What can we say, it happens. Great tip though. And the SU-31 remains a popular download each month. Not including the SU-31, all of your jet designs feature a mid-fuse engine design. What was your primary reason for going with a mid-engine design?

It’s mainly about center of gravity. With the engine mid-fuse I can have the electronics farther back. For the F-22 and Mig-29, this means having the electronics inside the main fuselage compartment.

The mid-fuse placement of the engine also means that there will be a direct airstream from the propeller over the rear control surfaces which increases the plane’s agility. This is in a way like the thrust vectoring nozzles of the real F-22. The tabs on the elevator increases this effect, at least in theory.

Based on performance, we would guess you can put that theory in the "confirmed" catagory.  We can tell you that your designs are downloaded from all across the globe and that has to be rewarding to know that your designs are flying in just about every place around the world. What would you say makes your designs appealing to such a large audience?

First of all, my plans are free, so that is important. Other than that it’s probably the fact that the depron airframe is cheap to build and often quite easy to repair. And perhaps that my designs can be assembled rather quickly.

Also perhaps the fact that at the time when I first published the F-22 and the Mig-29 there weren’t that many good free plans available for pusher profile jets.

With a family and work, do you find the time to get out and fly anymore or design anymore?

I don’t find the time to design at the moment. I do try to make time to get out and fly now and again. My latest passion is flying DLGs, or discus launched gliders. There’s something special with flying a glider with no motor. Here I am flying the ELF DLG from Vladimir’s Model.

Gliding is considered the purest form of flight by many and we know lots of people have modified your F-22 by increasing the wings to turn them into gliders!  

Do you think you will design anymore RC airplanes in the future? I know a lot of people have been inspired by your designs but having you crank out another would certainly be well received in the RC Community.

At the moment there are so many other things in my life that I just don’t have the time required for doing new designs. But I’m pretty sure that I’ll get back into designing at some point. I just don’t know when.

Well, when you get around to it, Parkjets would love to host it! I'm sure it would be an instant hit.

One of the cool modifications we have seen to your designs is that people are using Electric Ducted Fans instead of the propeller and simply mounting it in the same place. Some of these EDF’s are getting pretty good performance because your design is very light weight. Do you have any experience or advice for builders wanting to modify your design for EDF?

I’ve been wanting to get into EDFs, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. So, no, not really. But I’m following the development with interest.

EDF's are finally getting good, but we have to admit, we like a good pusher as much as anything.  We don't want to take up too much time, is there anything else you want to add? Tips? Advise for new builders? Etc?

I’ll leave you with this tip: More or less any design with enough wing surface will fly as long as you get the center of gravity right. It might not have superb handling, but it will fly. So don’t be afraid to experiment.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions Tomas! It was a real pleaure and gives our readers some insight into your designs and your life. We can't thank you enough!

That's all folks, if you want to check out Tomas Hellberg's designs right here on Parkjets, you can sort by designer and of course you can visit his website for great pictures, manuals, and of course, you have the opportunity to donate directly to him from Parkjets too.  And if you are not wanting to cut out your airframe, visit 6mmFlyRC and get a laser cut kit shipped to your door.  

INTERVIEW ROUNDUP

One of the more popular resources on Parkjets is the various interviews we have conducted with designers and companies in the RC Community. A lot of people enjoy reading the interviews for ideas 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.

Interview: Sabastian Gulde, Designer of the EADS Barracuda | Advise on achieving beveled cuts on EPP foam: “I did build a hot wire cutter, however I noticed later that a utility knife and sanding paper works just as well if you take your time and mark the cutting line before. It is best to first cut out the part straight, and in a second step do the beveled cut.”

Interview: 6mmFlyRC – Company and Sponsor of Parkjets.com | On lessons learned running your own RC business: “This won't be that popular to say but honestly the number one lesson we learned is that just because you have some people asking for a product, it doesn't mean it will sell. In some ways, it’s totally unpredictable.”

Interview: Jamie Rothwell, Designer of the Alpha Jet and more | On the Alpha Jets incredible high alpha capability: “The incredible high alpha is achieved because the leading edge of the top wing is slightly in front of the leading edge of the bottom wing. So when the plane is in high alpha, the top wing is scooping the air over the bottom wing and the propeller is also pulling air through the air intakes, which are in the middle of both wings.”

Interview: Nico Hobbies – Company and designer | Advise on purchasing an expensive brand name motor over cheaper models: “Personally, I see no reason why someone would need to purchase a Hacker or E-Flite brand motor just for better reliability, as I've had almost no issues with the cheaper brands.”

Interview: Steve Shumate – Designer | Advise to hobbyists: “The only thing I'd add is to encourage guys who are used to flying RTFs to try building a foam model from scratch or from a kit. The sense of satisfaction you'll get from the end result will probably give you a whole new appreciation for this great hobby.”

SPONSOR INTERVIEW - 6MMFLYRC

We have been reaching out to various folks in the RC community and doing some interviews and it hit us that we have not done one with the folks from 6mmFlyRC, our primary site sponsor. Some of you may know that 6mmFlyRC provides parkjet style kits that are already cut and ready for assembly. Let's get started picking the brains of the folks behind 6mmFlyRC!

First off, what is with the name, 6mmFlyRC?

Ha, that is a question we get all the time actually. You know, when we first got started about 6 or 7 years ago we were looking for a URL, or website address, that was not taken and had something to do with what we were looking to get into. Obviously, no one had taken 6mmflyrc.com. Now, the idea here is that all of our kits are made out of 6mm depron foam. And at the time, depron foam was a new type of building material. The whole thing was pretty much taken to the next level by Steve Shumate. And the "FlyRC" is pretty self explanatory. It's not the easiest name to remember, but it gets the job done. And it's unique.

You mentioned you got started quite a few years ago. Exactly how did you get started..walk us through it.

Another great question. At the time, we were spending a lot of time on RC Groups and saw the awesome designs that Steve Shumate was cranking out. Additionally, we were doing a lot of selling and buying on E-Bay. Well, we had cut out a few of the Steve Shumate designs and actually had built them and loved how they flew. So the idea hit that maybe Steve would let us cut out some kits and sell them. So we contacted him and we worked out an agreement. Then we set to getting some metal templates made. Using some plate metal, we cut out templates and began hand cutting them and selling a few kits on E-bay. That worked pretty well until it got real old. I mean, cutting out model after model was a lot of work. An then by the time E-bay took half the money, it was really starting to be a grind.

So after that, we looked into getting the kits laser cut. We actually experimented a little with CNC router cutting as well, but frankly that was so messy and the results were not the best. But that was a short lived experiment. So we moved onto the laser. Then pretty soon, we had other designers contacting us to kit their designs and so we gave it a shot. Right now, we have designs from several different folks, and we have agreements with everyone too. It's really an unique business model.

F-22 by Steve ShumateAfter a few years, we started getting requests for upgrades to the kits, things like clear canopies. So we reached out and had some custom forms made and they really add a lot to the models. One of the things that we think is pretty neat is that we had a graphic designer from Australia start putting together a bunch of decals for the different models. He agreed that we could ditribute them for free on our website as long as we kept them free. Sounded good to us. So we have now a full line of decals. It was really neat when we saw someone had used them to put on a custom motorcycle. Others have used them in different forums, like of all things, there is a G.I. Joe modeling forum out there that uses those decals a lot for putting together models. It's really crazy.

Do you have a lesson learned from starting an RC business?

Yes, we have lots of lessons. This won't be that popular to say but honestly the number one lesson we learned is that just because you have some people asking for a product, it doesn't mean it will sell. In some ways, its totally unpredictable. I can't tell you how many people have said they love the BD-5, and when we had it in the catalog, it wouldn't sell. Now maybe it was the design or maybe the price point wasn't right, but either way, it wasn't selling. So we spent a lot of time and energy into getting the model up and created, because we were sure it would sell. And then, nothing. Another one is that you have to keep your costs down. It's very easy as someone who is into the hobby to buy things and justify it because you are working on a new model or something. But really, if you approach it from a hobby perspective, good luck, because it's a very competitive space.

Is it a full time job for you?

Heck no. It's really a part time venture. We try to spend a few hours every day working on it. But if we plan right, the thing pretty much runs itself. The thing is, we have positioned 6mmFlyRC into a great little niche. With all the competition from China, with RTF (ready to fly) models, if we had tried to compete there, we would have failed. Where we set up our space is really where Parkjets is positioned. Right in that space where people still want to build. Not too long ago, if you wanted a plane you had to build it. So we planted our flag into that space of providing builders a little bit of a leg up, a little short cut. We would provide laser cut kits, very precisely cut, with some things like decals and clear canopies that the average modeler can't design or create themselves and see what happens. So here we are!

Why did you decide to sponsor Parkjets.com? I mean, it seems like the two are kind of at odds with each other. Parkjets offers no kits, but we provide over 100 free plans for download. Your site offers those kits from some of the very designs we give away.

Seems a little odd huh? Well actually, we figured the same people would be visiting Parkjets that might like to check out our kits. I mean, there is the whole idea that parkjets needed a sponsor and we truely believe that parkjets is good for the community. But more than that, there is a business component too. I mean, parkjets instantly became our biggest referrer for web traffic. That one banner provides a lot of people check out our site. The Steve Shumate designs continue to be popular on Parkjets and many of our kits are right from those designs, so it makes sense! I don't want to brush over the service that Parkjets provides. What, Parkjets gets something like 3 million page views a year right? So a lot of people use it. Heck, we have used it. Lots. And we figure a little thing we can do to give back to the community is the sponsorship. If it keeps the lights on at Parkjets, we are happy to do it.

That's great. We had no idea that Parkjets was your number one referrer. That's tremendous. Before we wrap up, do you guys have a secret to your longevity?

Secret? No not really. Frankly, we are really shocked that we are still selling kits. With all the change out there in RC, it doesn't seem possible that some of our designs are getting up there in age, but yet, they still sell. I think it has to do with the fact that people are always coming and going in the hobby. And it seems that in the continuum of RC, parkjet style jets seem to cross just about every hobbyist and it grabs them. With everyone's busy schedules, spending a little money to cut down a lot of time and frustration in the form of a kit makes a lot of sense. In terms of longevity, I guess the secret would be to just deliver what people expect. Most people out there are good people and if you just try to treat them right from a business perspective, they will return the favor 10 fold. Most of our customers come from referals from people right out in the field. In that way, we really get connected to the community. We have never even done any advertising and yet we have a steady stream of people coming to our site. Well, if you don't count Parkjets.com as advertising.

Anything else you want to mention?

No not really. I guess the thing is that we love Parkjets.com, keep up the good work. We love that you are adding new plans all the time and working hard to bring more information to the community. We are proud to be the sponsor of Parkjets and wish you continuted success!

Thanks a lot. There you have it. Be sure to visit 6mmFlyRC and check out their kits. They do provide a great product and great time saving way to still build but keep your trips to the hobby store down to a minimum. Thanks!