TOP 10 PLANS - JULY

One month down, two more plans added, a shake up in the Top 10 list and summer is quickly coming to a close. July was a fast month, it seems like only a few days ago we were talking about June and all the projects we have yet to complete sitting on our RC workbench.  So what are the most popular free RC parkjet plans that were downloaded in July?  Great question, and we have your answer.  All of these plans are fantastic, so if you are new to Parkjets and want to know where to start, this is a great place.  Take a look at the Top 10 and take your pick. Here we go!

10. Eurofighter by Tomhe - The Eurofighter by Tomas Hellberg is an excellent, fantastic RC design.  We have said it a million times, but the large delta wings of the Eurofighter give it plenty of lift and the abilty to slow down. The simple design allows the Eurofighter to be fast and very stable.  (June rank: #8)

9. F-14 by Jason Swisher - The F-14 is a fantastic profile design that lets builders build quickly and still have a very scale looking model.  This design doesn't have swing wings but who cares when you can be up and flying in just a couple of hours.  This RC model is beginning to be a main stay on the Top 10 list for good reason.  (June rank: #10)

8. Drongo by Marcel du Plessis - The Drongo is a familiar looking airframe with the ability to take off and land in water. Can't beat that.  The design is very simple and yet it is not a profile RC parkflyer.  (June rank: #5)

7. Alpha Jet by Jamie Rothwell - The Alpha Jet is one of the most unique designs on the entire website.  Featuring a double wing and no carbon supports, the Alpha Jet is one of the most aerobatic RC downloads out there.  Some have called it the ultimate RC parkflyer.  (June rank: #7)

6. Ultimate 3D - The Ultimate remains on the list for the 4th straight month.  A bi-plane with a pension for 3D flying, the Ultimate is simple yet effective.  The Ultimate combination for an RC airplane! (June rank: #6(

5. F-35 by RC Cal - With the real F-35's being delivered to Europe now and the integration of the airplane into the U.S. Airforce, the F-35 by RC Cal continues to be a popular download.  One of the best looking, simple builds out there and one of the best over all flyers on Parkjets, the F-35 is hard to beat.  (June rank #4)

4. F-14 by MDC - This RC plan has been popular since we posted it.  The F-14 by MDC keeps the scale movable wings in tact, but keeps the design about as simple as you can while making the wing move.  (June rank #2)

3. F-15 by Jamie Rothwell - Adding to the Alpha Jet, Jamie Rothwell cranked out a fantastic and unique design for the F-15 Eagle.  Its part profile, part full fuse and all fun.  It has a mid-mounted motor and full fuse nose.  (June rank: N/A)

2. Hydro - The Hydro isn't really a plane.  Or a boat.  Or a plane/boat.  Its everything and nothing at the same time.  It still amazes that this design is so popular, but its worth checking out.  Water capable, air capable, fun capable.  (June rank #3)

1. F-22 by Steve Shumate - Ho hum, again the F-22 by Steve Shumate reigns supreme.  A full fuse design, complete with thrust vectoring and plenty of support from folks like 6mmFlyRC (decals, clear canopies, etc), the F-22 is by far and away the most popular parkjet on the site.  Not a simple build, but well worth the effort.  (June rank #1).

There you have it folks, the Top 10 free downloads on Parkjets for the month of July.  We will be adding a couple more plans in August and are always on the lookout for more plans, so if you have some, shoot them our way.  

NEW PLAN - MIG 31 FIREFOX

Just in time for the weekend to be over, we got an E-mail from Chris Carpenter asking how to get plans submitted.  So we told him and here we are.  For Clint Eastwood fans, you might recognize the design he sent our way, the mythical MIG 31 Firefox. 

The MIG 31 is stable in flight at pretty much any speed and is a simple build, all out of a couple of sheets of depron or your favorite foam.  A simple firewall, standard motor and servo set up and you are off and flying.  One really nice thing about this free RC download is the fact that it contains an instruction manual with step by setp instructions so even the greenest building can acheive a great result. 

Check out the MIG 31 Firefox!

NEW PLAN-F-15 EAGLE

The designer of the awesome Alpha Jet, Jamie Rothwell, sent us his take on the popular F-15 Eagle.  One of the best platforms for parkflying, the F-15 by Jamie Rothwell features a semi-scale look and a mid-mounted prop with a full fuse nose design that takes simple design to the next level of scale looks.  A very smooth flyer and very simple to set up with two servos and elevons, the F-15 is an excellent choice if you are looking for a quick build and excellent flying.  

Like most our plans, we have video and pictures of the finished product along with suggested set up from the designer.  One great thing about the F-15 is the wide range of options for powering the Eagle.  Anything from a small 1000 mAh battery all the way to a 2200 mAh battery will get the job done, depending of course, on the motor you choose.  

Check it out!

INTERVIEW - NICO HOBBIES

For those of you that have been on Parkjets for very long, you have probably seen some of the great designs from the designer of Nico Hobbies, Pat Gagnon. We thought we would continue our series of interviews by brining in Pat to answer a few questions about his business, his designs and over all his contribution to the RC community.  

First off, thanks for doing this interview with us Pat.  We added in some of your designs about a year ago and they are popular spots for many builders.  But before we get into any specific questions, why don't you tell us about yourself and about your business?

I dabbled in RC back in the 80's as a teenager, but back then it was a lot harder to get into it with the initial expense for a radio and flight gear, so I didn't stick with it for very long. But at Christmas 2005, I walked into a HobbyTown USA and purchased a Parkzone Firebird Commander II, and was reaquainted with the joys of RC again. And it's been a wild ride ever since!

We knew you had lots of experience but your story is not uncommon, people get into it, drop out for a while then return with renewed passion!  That's fantasitic. Many of your designs are featured on Parkjets and are popular downloads, why do you think your plans and kits are popular?

Pusher Jets have been a popular design style for many many years. Around 2004 or 2005, a gentleman by the name of Steve Shumate (many of his plans are featured here as well) started drawing up easy-to-build planes using flat foam and a geared GWS power system. Soon after that came the advent of brushless motors, lithium batteries and depron foam, and the Pusher Jet craze really took off! The Pusher Jet design style is perfect for those who want a jet model, but not the hassle of an EDF power system.

You mentioned some of the advances in technology, for example the move from brushed motors to brushless and the cascade of changes that followed are pretty amazing.  Have you found an ideal set up for your models? 

The main series of kits I have right now is the Profile Mini Series. These are small ~18" wingspan models that have an AUW of 6-7 ounces. The perfect setup for these planes is the AX-1806N 2500kv motor paired with a 10A ESC and a GWS 4530 prop, using a Hyperion G3 3S 850mAh 25C lipo. This system will provide about 11 ounces of thrust, and will provide unlimited vertical performance on most of my kits. Two other series of planes that will soon be offered are the Pocket Jet Series (reduced versions of Steve Shumate's full-bodied jets, produced under license) and the Simple Build Series. The Pocket Jets will also use the same power system as the Profile MIni planes. The Simple Build Series is larger profile planes that have a wingspan of ~28", just like a lot of other popular designs from folks like Tomas Hellberg and Nick Cara. These planes use a Suppo 2212-6 2200kv motor paired with a 30A ESC and an APC 6X4E prop, using a Hyperion G3 3S 1300mAh 25C lipo. This system will provide about 24 ounces of thrust, and will also give unlimited vertical performance as the Simple Builds will be 13-18 ounces AUW. 

Mini F-22

That's outstanding.  A simple set up that doesn't cost too much money.  For most of the builders out there, a very important thing to consider is the price of the equipment.  In fact, we kind of touched on the issue with our "Buy or Build" post a few months ago.  With all the changes in motors and the rising and falling prices, what are your thoughts regarding using a less expensive motor vs. a high quality motor that might cost twice as much?  Is it worth it for most RC pilots?

This has been an argument on the scale of electric vs gas that has gone on for quite some time. It all really depends on the motor manufacturer. So far I have only found two manufacturers of the 2212-6 motor (Suppo and Welgard), and only one company producing the AX-1806N motor, even though these motors are distributed by many dealers with their own brand name. I've had better luck with the Suppo brand than the Welgard, and nothing but good things to say about the AX-1806N. The problem with motor selection for these pusher jets is that there are not many choices because of the high kv rating required. Many guys also use heli motors in these applications. 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.

We tend to agree, we have never had an issue with many of the cheaper motors. But your perspective on gas motors vs. electric is a great point.  At the beginning, electric was so expensive.  I can remember when batteries were $60 a piece. Now you can get them for $10.  And the same goes for motors and speed controllers.  Electric RC flight really is affordable. Let's shift gears a little bit, with all your different designs do you have a favorite? 

Yes, I do, and it's the Mini Profile F-22 Raptor. That is the most stable, but also most aerobatic plane that I sell. It is also my best selling plane to date. In fact, every time I attend a show where I have a booth set up, I build several RX-ready F-22s and sell out of them every time! A close second would be the Su-30MK Flanker-C as it is very similar in performance to the F-22.

One thing that makes your designs a little unique is the size.  Most of your designs are smaller, much easier to transport, especially for a quick run to the park.  What are the benefits and drawbacks of a smaller airframe?

Surprisingly, you can fit several of these smaller planes into your trunk or back seat. And since they are so small, you can fly them just about anywhere. I have an F-22 that has 168 LEDs on it, and I often walk out my front door and fly it around my neighborhhod at night. And as small and light as these are, you'd think they would not handle wind very well, but I have flown some of them in winds of 15mph steady, and gusts to 25mph without problem. In fact, I have more fun flying them when there is a bit of wind. The only drawback would be for the newer flyer, or some of our more aged pilots. These planes are quite zippy at full throttle and can literally turn on a dime. You have to be able to keep up with it if you want to fly fast. However, they all slow down real nice, and most of them high-alpha hover really well, especially with a breeze blowing. 

SR-71

I really like the idea of the LED's!  That really says a lot about your designs that you can squeeze in a flight right in your neighborhood.  One question we get all the time from folks is about glue and foams.  It seems like there are new adhesives and new foams out there all the time, do you have any recommendations for foam and glue for the builders out there? 

I strictly use white depron. I have a friend here in Mesa (Jim Wagoner of JTechLaser) who laser cuts all of my kits. Depron has very tight thickness tolerances and is not "wavy" like some of the blue foams. And white is stiffer than black or gray depron. Depron can now be found at most hobby shops, or online at RCFoam.com. As for glue, there are 3 primary types I use: 5-minute epoxy, high temp hot glue, and Beacon 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue. Epoxy is used only for the wing CF spar. Hot glue is used for the motor mount, servos and control horns. Everything else is put together using the Beacon 3-in-1. The Beacon glue is a contact cement, and must be used strictly according to the directions as it does contain a small amount of acetone. But this actually helps the bonding process as when it cures, the acetone "melts" the foam slightly for a good strong bond. You can buy 3-in-1 at most craft stores like Michael's or Jo-Ann's. You can also get it, as well as a new foam glue from Beacon called "Foam Tac" at RCFoam.com.

These are great tips!  I do want to talk about Nico Hobbies as bit more.  What made you decide to go into the kit business?

Well, back in 2009 a friend of mine designed the Mini F-22, based on a reduced size of Tomas' popular plan. He built it using primarily 3mm depron, with a little 6mm for the fuse to provide a solid "spine" for the plane. Soon afterwards he started up Nico Hobbies (named after his son Nicholas) and opened the web store in April 2009. During the next 10 months I helped him by doing prototypes of new designs and promoting the business. In February 2010 his personal circumstances changed to where he could no longer run the store, and made me an offer to take over the business. So I purchased the rights from him and kept the business running, and added many more exciting planes to the lineup. Today Nico Hobbies has 9 kits available in the Profile Mini Series. I am in the final stages of developing the Pocket Jet Series of planes which will consist of an F-15 Eagle, F/A-18 Hornet, T-38 Talon/F-5E Tiger II, and a Saab J39 Gripen. Also under development are several planes in the Simple Build Series, which will include the Concorde SST and the Su-47 Berkut that are already listed here, as well as an XB-70 Valkyrie and an Su-50 Pak Fa. And I have about a dozen other designs rattling around in my head that may make it onto the site eventually.

That's a great story.  Seems like you kind of fell right into it and here we are 3-4 years later and you are plugging away.  What have you learned, maybe a tip or insight for our readers, in running your business?

The main lesson I have learned is that you should always treat your customers right. So far I've only had a few complaints about defective merchandise, and I have always rectified the situation in a prompt manner. I have also learned that running a one-man business is not easy sometimes, especially when this is just a side business and not my main source of income. However, I love doing this, and enjoy meeting many of my customers at shows and sharing my love of pusher jets with the flying public in general.

You know, you bring up a great point.  I think this really parallels nicely with the satification of building an RC parkflyer from scratch.  You have kind of extended that feeling to your customers, seeing them be successful in building and flying.  That must be very rewarding!  What would you say to someone out there trying to get into a side business?  

My advice would be to find a niche and start there. There are so many online shops these days that all offer the same planes, so the market is already pretty much saturated there, but if you market to a specific group of flyers you can get into the business fairly easily. For example, I only sell electronics that match up with my kits. This means I only sell two types of motors, ESCs, servos and lipos and don't have to worry about carrying a large inventory of various parts.

Excellent advice.  Parkjets.com is pretty much on the same glide path.  We simply have focused on the parkjet style RC airplane and have tried to gather up designs from across the internet into one location.  And your point about carrying inventory is important.  I can imagine with all the price fluxuations in RC, its important to stay focused.  So after someone goes to your site, buys a kit and gets it in the mail, do you have any tips or number one piece of advice for folks? 

Read the directions! LOL! But seriously, I actually created a general Tips & Techniques thread on RCGroups that covers many of the tips I use when building. That thread is located HERE.

Oh come on, as builders many of us only pull out the instructions after we have screwed up!  Seriously, a no brainer but one that is over-looked by many builders.  One thing we sometimes battle in the vast world of the Internet is people taking the plans we have on Parkjets, and then people bundle them up and sell them online, like on E-Bay or even through various forums.  We know you have really been fighting some of this behavior lately.  It's really sad to think that there are a few people out there doing this...do you have anything you want to say about this problem?

This would not be such a problem if people would just simply ask permission. Half of my kits were actually originally designed by someone else. I simply asked their permission to do reduced size versions which I then drew based on the original plans. I puruse eBay often looking for those who are selling unauthorized copies of plans. The worst offender seems to be "luis6688". He was found to be selling many of the plans found here on Parkjets and on RCGroups, including my Concorde. He has since taken down all of those plans, but continues to sell others that he mined from the internet.

That is very frustrating.  At Parkjets we always ask permission and always comply if someone wants them down for various reasons.  Then someone comes along and tries to profit on the backs of others.  You know, I'll take the opportunity now to point people to our terms HERE and remind everyone that we encourage people to donate to the designer on each page too.  

Okay Pat, this has been way more than we expected.  One last question and I know that people will want to know is if you have anything on the drawing table right now that you can share? 

As I stated earlier, the Pocket Jet and Simple Build Series are in the final stages of design and testing now and should be available soon. Other planes that I have toyed with are an F4D Skyray and an F-100 Super Sabre. I'd really love to have a full line of all the Century Jets, but a prop-in-slot design on those is proving to be a little tricky. I require a little more thought on those designs.

Excellent.  Well, thanks again, a thousand times for taking such an extended time and answering my questions. Remember, you can pick up Pat's kits at Nico Hobbies and some of his designs are available right here on Parkjets to download for free.  So if you like smaller sized parkjets and want just a bit of help, go to Nico Hobbies and pick up a kit and power system.  

Thanks!

TOP 10 PLANS - JUNE 2012

June proved to be an interesting month for the top 10 plans on Parkjets.  We have got some feedback that these posts are helpful for folks wanting to know what others are doing and really, its a simple check for us, so sharing the information is no problem.  This month we have a new arrival, a new plan exits the top 10 list and some familiar plans remain at the top of the heap.  Let's check it out.

10. F-14 by Jason Swisher: A simple profile, fixed wing version of the F-14 is a great looking model.  Fast to build and stable in flight.  A real winner for beginners or seasoned pilots. (May's rank #9)

9. F-14 by Steve Shumate: The Steve Shumate F-14 is one of the most popular all time downloads on Parkjets. The ability to swing the wing keeps this plan in the top 10 for years.  And with custom canopies available and custom decals, your model can look excellent. (May's rank #10)

8. Eurofighter by Tomas Hellberg: The Eurofighter is quite possibly the ideal parkjet.  Large delta wings and simple design keep it coming back into the top 10 every month. (May's rank #7)

7. Alpha Jet: A new comer to the top 10 list is the Alpha Jet.  It's not the Alpha Jet you might be familar with though, a unique design with two wings, no carbon rods and a mid mount motor give the Alpha Jet some unique qualities.  (May's rank: unranked)

6. Ultimate 3D: The Ultimate is the only 3D model on Parkjets but remains in the top 10 for very good reason. It looks great, its a pretty easy build and it performs great.  Those three factors keep it downloaded thousands of times a month. (May's rank #6)

5. Drongo: The Drongo made its debut a few months ago and has remained a popular free plan on Parkjets.  And it's climbing in the rankings!  The drongo has the ability to fly off water or land and has a familar wing pattern.  Check it out. (May's rank #8)

4. F-35 by RC Cal: The F-35 is an excellent design that combines the lastest air design with the simplicity of profile style RC building.  And one feature we love...the F-35 is a great platform for parkjets, the large wings and high aerobatic capability make it a personal favorate. (May's rank #5)

3. Hydro: The Hydro is one of the older plans on Parkjets but people keep coming back for this water borne flying boat thingy.  (May's rank #3)

2. F-14 by MDC: Featuring a profile style build WITH the ability to swing the wings, the F-14 by MDC gives builders a great bridge between a simple profile build and a more complicated Steve Shumate build.  (May's rank #2)

1. F-22 by Steve Shumate:  Honestly, its been at the top and will stay there for a long time.  An excellent design, with the ability to get custom canopies and decals keep people coming back for more. 

HD CAMERA + MIG 29 = VIDEO LOVE

This video is an excellent example of the excellent platform that the Tomas Hellberg MIG 29 provides.  We know that one of the trends in RC is strapping on an HD camera on to the fuse and capturing some video.  In this case, the pilot takes excellent video of Cardigan Bay.  Most of the time our video turns out to be rather boring, but the view in this video is worth a look.  One of the great things about the MIG 29 platform is the low wing loading, so you have a lot of room to add a rather large and heavy camera and still not impact flight very much.  The large wing pattern and twin tail give it excellent stability and the thurst vectoring tabs make it very nimble in the air.  

Give it a try and just try to beat the scenes in this video.  And if the MIG is not your style, you can go with the excellent F-18E Super Hornet.  

GLUE BASICS

This post was originally created a long time ago, so updating felt like a good idea. After all, over the past several years, new adhesives have come onto the market.

But, no matter what RC glues are out there, TRY IT OUT ON A SCRAP PIECE OF FOAM FIRST, so you understand how it reacts with the foam your using!!

Someone once said, "There is a glue for every job", well they must have been a R/C Hobby Shop owner (or a home improvement store salesman).  When building a lot of the models featured on Parkjets.com, there are so many different glues you can use and a lot you should use.  So lets give the quick run down.   

Epoxy Glue - There are several types of epoxy on the market, all of them come in two parts that you have to mix together.  Parkjets recommends getting some of the 5 minute stuff from the local hobby store.  These glues are rated by the "Pot-life", or the amount of time you have to work with the stuff before it turns as hard as cement.  5 or 6 Minute and 30 Minute Expoy glues are most common.  One good thing about epoxy is that it is very fast (5 minute variety) and creates a very strong bond.  When we build, we like to use epoxy to bond in any carbon wing support.  It is pretty much going to lock the carbon rod or spar into place for good.  It can be a heavy glue, but when used to bond regular joints or for repair jobs, a good bond with minimal weight gain is possible.  We like to use it at the field when a repairable crash occurs.  You do need some disposable cups (the small bathroom plastic cups work great) and some small wooden sticks help too.  

It's not the cheapest stuff in the world, but its not overly expensive either.  For us, epoxy is a must have glue in the tool box and the #1 glue we use when building parkjets. 

Cyanoacrylate (CA Glue)   These are part of the "Super Glue" family of adhesives.  "Normal" CA glue is NOT safe for foam, it melts foam on contact, so use it only on parts that do not come in contact with foam.  Normal Store bought "Super Glue" is NOT Safe for foam.

There are however some CA glues which can be used with foam, and they are sold as "Foam Safe Glues".  Most of these glues require the use of an accelerent or "Kicker" to activate the chemicals to get the glue to dry fast.  One great benefit of CA glue is that with a kicker, the bond is almost instant.  But, like super glues, the dried glue is brittle and will break off.  This glue is not good at filling gaps but doesnt weight much either.  It can also be difficult to find in stores, but its never a bad thing to have a bottle or two in your bag of tricks. For us, its totally optional.  We know a lot of folks swear by the stuff, but honestly, we have had very little success using this type of glue. 

Polyurethane Glue  This type of glue when mixed with water, will expand slightly and foam up to fill any cracks or seams in the glue joint, and it drys to a hard finish which is sandable (much easier than epoxy).  The glue sets up quite fast, and it is much easier and safer to use than expoy.  There are several brands of polyurethane glue (sort of looks like maple syrup) with Elmers Probond, and Gorilla Glue being the most popular.  One big drawback of this glue is that it can make a mess.  And when using it, it does take some time to cure, so using pins to keep parts in place is always a good idea.  Also, with many of them the color of the dried product is pretty ugly.  The bond is excellent, but ugly.  We barely use this stuff.  

Hot-Melt Glue:  This type of glue works very well, but it's main drawback is that it is VERY Heavy compared to other glues. So if you decide to use it, just use it in small amounts, as lightly as possible. Hot glue is really pretty great though for many of the plans on parkjets.  Especally those that are simply tabbed for construction, like the Tomas Hellberg models or many of the profile type shock flyers.  One draw back, if you are wanting to create invisible seams, hot glue is not for you.  Also, it can melt the foam because its too hot, but most of the time its really obvious your gun is too hot.  

A big advantage is that the bond is decent and flexible.  The flexible bond has advantages and the bond is almost instant.  If you are throwing together a park flyer for a weekend project, hot glue is a good choice.  Just remember at the flying field, its useless for repairs unless you have a cordless version, or one that can plug into your car, so pack the epoxy.  

You can also check out the GLUE RESULTS TEST on RC GROUPS to get more information.  The above is a great starting point, but with new glues on the market all the time, chances are, there might be something you might like better.

After spending the past 5 years building pusher jets, there are other glues not mentioned here that I've found to be very helpful when building with depron, or other types of foam:

Beacon 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue - This is a contact cement, much like the GWS Glue included in the GWS foamy kits. And since this glue has acetone in it, you must follow the directions closely to prevent any foam melting. Simply apply a thin layer of glue on each surface to be joined. Press the parts together to allow the glue to spread evenly and then pull apart. Wait about 20-30 seconds, then press the parts back together. This glue grabs pretty hard right away, so be sure to align the parts properly as you may not be able to separate them again. This glues sets in about 20 minutes, and fully cures in 24 hours. We typically glue an entire plane together in one sitting if we use this glue, then let it sit overnight to cure before continuing the build.

Beacon Foam Tac - Very similar to their 3-in-1 glue, but with less acetone. This glue was specially developed by Beacon for use on foam products, especially depron.

UHU Por (also called "UHU Creativ for Foam" in the US) - Another great contact cement manufactured in Europe. It is very hard to find in the US, the "Creativ" version is no longer sold at all. Works pretty much the same as 3-in-1.

3M Super77 Spray Adhesive - This glue is pretty easy to find and works great if you are printing off plans and glueing them down on your foam.  However, be sure to spray the glue from a distance as the propellant can melt the foam.  Super77 comes in a large aerosol can. Super77 is great for laminating several pieces of foam together (such as making a block for a nosecone or canopy), or for parts where heavy sanding will occur. This glue holds strong, but will not ball up when sanding parts to shape.

Beacon 3-in-1 can be found in most craft stores such as Michael's and Jo-Ann's, but you can also buy it online at places like RCFoam.com, among others. Beacon Foam Tac and UHU Por are a little harder to find, but a Google search will show several shopping results. RCFoam also carries these glues. Super77 can also be found in craft stores, as well as hardware stores.

Parkjets would like to thank Pat Gagnon of NicoHobbies for his contribution to this article.

SU-47 UPDATED

Just a quick notification that we recently updated two of the plans on Parkjets.com. First, the Concorde SST by Nico Hobbies as well as the SU-47 by Nico Hobbies. I guess some were having some issues with the .zip file. That should be fixed now. And while updating the plans, we noticed an excellent video of the SU-47 on YouTube, so we thought we would share.  

You can see the excellent and unusual lines of the park flyer, the thrust vectoring capabilities as well as the smaller size of the model.  That makes it perfect for those quick trips to the park or flying field.  

Both of these plans are excellent choices for a quick and unique build for a weekend.  

ALPHA JET - IN DEPTH

Last week we got an E-mail from another designer with another excellent plan up for posting.  You might remember the last plan submission via E-mail, the EADS Barracuda from Germany.  This plan comes all the way from the U.K. and is one-of-a-kind unique.  We asked the designer for a quick interview and he was kind enough to help out.  Let's get to the interview.

Before we get started talking about your design, tell us a little bit about yourself?  

OK, so I live in North Wales U.K, and I have been building and flying radio controlled planes for allmost two years. I started with a profile Extra300 style depron plane and flew it until it was more tape than foam.  I then moved quickly onto the parkjets that I fly today. I first saw the parkjet style plane on the RCPowers forum and a YouTube channel gstrysky. Those two things really got me hooked.

Alpha JetJamie, you sent Parkjets an E-mail with your designs.  First off, thanks so much for sharing your plans with the RC Community.  But we have to ask, what prompted you to send us your plans?  

I started to put my plans on my own blog page, frcfoamies.blogspot.co.uk, and I was doing okay.  I have been on parkjets.com a few times and thought I would send you the plans to see what you thought.  I never thought you would put them on your site so I was very pleased when I got the E-mail saying you were putting the plans up.

That's pretty funny.  We actually don't get that many plans submitted via E-mail and am happy to post just about any plan that has some good documentation (PDF plans, pictures, video, instructions, etc).  The Alpha Jet certainly meets those qualifications.  Is this the first Parkjet style RC plane you have designed?

No, this is the sixth out of seven planes I have designed. I started with a profile Euro Fighter, profile F-16, profile SU-30, and a profile A-10 Warthog. Then I designed the cargo twin and then the Alpha Jet. My latest is a 3D scale F4F Wildcat warbird.

Wow, we are going to have to take a look at your other designs.  They sound great and would have a nice home on Parkjets!  Your Alpha Jet is a very unique design. First off, it doesn’t require carbon fiber rods because of the design: it has two wings, the motor mount is adjustable and its a simple looking build.  I mean, this has to be one of the most unique and original designs out there.  Can you briefly walk us through the design process?  How did you come to the design conclusions you did for this design has to be a story in itself. 

Alpha JetThat's correct the Alpha Jet is designed in a way that does not need any carbon as the two wings support each other. I wanted the motor to be mounted between the two wings. So that meant there had to be a propellor slot in the top and bottom. I wanted to keep the slots as slim as possible and the only way around that was to make the mount adjustable. The original design had a cheese wedge style nose with a air intake on the nose, but straight away that caused problems.  So the new slim line nose was designed and fitted. Additionally, the air intake for the prop was a big problem in early designs, so triangular intakes were cut into the centre section and almost doubled the performance. After many hours making small changes I finally had the plans ready.

What computer program did you use to design the Alpha Jet?

I use Google Sketchup to design all my planes.  It's free and very easy to use.

You have some videos on the Alpha Jet, the incredible high angles of attack and the ability to flip on itself immediately grabbed our attention.  Why does your design have the wide range of flight characteristics that it does? 

The alpha jet is amazing at loops and acrobatics because of the large thrust vectoring elevons. 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.

One thing we like about the Alpha Jet is the unique motor mount design.  And although the builder can adapt the motor mount to just about any size motor, have you found a sweet spot in terms of set-up?

Yes, I have been using a light 2600kv motor and I know the Micro Jet v3 works very well with a 2200mah 3s mounted up front.

We have noticed a lot of builders, especially new builders going for EPP foam because it is so forgiving when it hits the ground.  And a lot of hobbyists are using simple foam board with paper on both sides.  Have you tried to build your Alpha Jet out of any other material other than Depron?

To be honest, no! I've only ever used depron, but I've seen the alpha jet being built out of other materials and has worked very well.

What is the build time for the Alpha Jet?  

The Alpha Jet can be cut and assembled in 3 to 4hrs.

Only 3 to 4 hours!  That is a fantastic weekend project.  I know a lot of builders like the short build times. Another great thing about the Alpha Jet is that a normal set up requires just two servos, that is very appealing from a cost and set up perspective. However, we have found on a lot of parkjets, the inclusion of a rudder really helps performance.  Do you recommend a rudder on the Alpha Jet?

On my model i did not install a rudder, but Greg strysky installed a rudder with great success but is definitely not needed.

Okay, that is nice to see.  Like we said, some park flyers just perform a lot better, but it looks like on the Alpha Jet it's totally optional.  Are we going to see more designs from you in the future?

Definitely i will be designing more planes.

Awesome, we can't wait.  Hopefully you will let us post them.  Okay, thanks so much for your time!  Keep flying!

That's all folks.  One thing we do want to mention is that designers like Jamie are posting their plans for free so be sure to donate to all the designer on the site if you enjoy their plans.  At the top of every plan page is an opportunity to donate.  Parkjets doesn't get any of the donation, but it keeps the designers posting new plans. So be sure to send Jamie a few bucks for his hard work.

One other thing Jamie mentioned is the RCPowers forums.  You may have seen recently that Parkjets has been promoting the excellent E-Guide for parkjets that was developed by the folks at RCPowers.  If you find yourself wanting to design some parkjets, there is a whole module on designing parkjets in the E-guide, so pick it up. We are an affiliate so we do get a little commission, but you know by now we only promote products and plans we stand behind.  The RCPowers E-Guide is excellent.

Anyway, if you have any park flyer plans you want posted on Parkjets, send us an E-mail and we can get them up in short order.

ALPHA JET PREVIEW

We are getting the next parkjet plan all prepared for upload onto Parkjets, but we wanted to give our visitors a sneak peak of the newest plan on parkjets.com, the Alpha Jet.  Featuring a unique dual wing design, with excellent stability and incredible high alpha abilities, this incredible design is one of the most unique on the entire site.  So watch the video, sit back and check back here in the next few days for the Alpha Jet!

Update on 2012-06-10 18:17 by ParkJets

We posted the Alpha Jet to our Free Plans page!  Enjoy!

MAY 2012 ROUNDUP

May was a busy month for Parkjets. We have been adding to the home page and giving you more and more information about parkjets. As a recap, we posted several new plans to Parkjets, posted some new videos and wrapped up an interview with 6mmFlyRC.com. Want a full run down? Read on....

F-14 by MaybzFirst up, we added what everyone wants to see, new plans. We posted the F-14 by Maybz and the Drongo water parkjet by Marcel du Plessis. These are two excellent plans and each offers something totally different. The F-14 is a more complicated build but with swing wings, it's a great addition to your fleet. And for those of you familar with the popular Funjet, the Drongo will be very comfortable. A cross between the Funjet and the Steve Shumate Polaris, the Drongo brings the Funjet to the water. Awesome!

We also posted an article about using Parkjets.com, along with some common questions and answers we usually give to those that drop us an E-mail.

Recently we sat down with our sponsors, 6mmFlyRC and did an interview about their experience and how they built their business. Check it out!

Drongo ParkjetLastly, we did a quick round of up videos. The designer of the EADS Barracuda sent us a video of his mini version flying around. The mini Barracuda is already included in the free plans download, but the video gives you a little better idea of the size of the finished park flyer. We also found a great video of a Steve Shumate F-18 and of course the Drongo and the F-14 by Maybz made for an excellent line up of park flyer videos.

One last thing, we added a YouTube Channel to our home page. If you have any videos you want featured, be sure to send them our way.

Check back often on Parkjets, we are always adding videos and more content. If you have any suggestions or topics you want addressed, be sure to E-Mail us and we will see if we can get something down.

And if you want to get a regular monthly update of all the goings on at Parkjets, sign up for our free newsletter.  

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TOP 10 PLANS ON PARKJETS - MAY

Last month we checked out the downloads and put together a list of the top 10 plans downloaded for April. Well, May is a new month and let's see if there are new plans that have cracked the list. The rundown looks in many ways the same as last month but with some moving up and some moving down on the Iist and some making a first time appearance.

10. The Steve Shumate F-14: This is still on the list and frankly has been on the list for years. The timeless design and the ability to add decals and customize the park flyer makes it a favorite. Oh and swing wings do make it one of the most unique parkjets out there.

Steve Shumate F-14

9. The F-14 by Jason Swisher: This simple design has been a favorite since we added it months ago. The simple design and excellent performace makes it a no-brainer for a great first time parkjet or just an easy weekend build to take to the park.

8. Drongo by Marcel du Plessis: A new plan has made an appearance this month. Of course, this is the first month it could make the list. Time will tell if it will remain a parkjets favorite, but right now, it looks good. The Drongo features a great design along with simple methods for construction. And unlike most parkjets, this one takes off and lands in the water (or on land), something that is pretty unique.

7. Eurofighter by Tomas Hellberg: This is one of the best designs for park flyers around. The large delta wings and very large flight envelope make it a great candidate for any beginner or pro for a parkjet that stands out.

6. The Ultimate 3D: This is the only tractor type parkjet we have on the site and maybe that is why it is a popular download. Either way, an excellent design and great flying ability make the Ultimate a top 10 plan month after month.

5. F-35 by RC Cal: Between the Eurofighter and the F-35, these two airframes are just about ideal for park flying. Large wings, stable flight, and an ability to maneuver well make them both winners. The F-35 of course has global appeal too. Maybe that's why it continues to be popular on parkjets.

EADS Barracuda4. EADS Barracuda: It's a new plan, but a popular one for the last 60 days or so. One of the reasons has to be that this is one of the only designs we have ever seen for this upcoming drone from Germany. This factor combined with the dead simple and scale design makes it a no brainer for a great EDF park flyer.

3. Hydro: We have to be honest, this design is and concept has been around for a long time now and so it is a little surprising that it remains so popular on parkjets. But something about a boat that can also fly is so interesting that it's downloaded all the time.

2. F-14 by MDC: Dead simple design, fixed wing, great lines. You can't go wrong if you want an F-14 in your hanger to download the free F-14 plans here. And by the looks of it, lots of people have the exact same thoughts.

1. F-22 by Steve Shumate: Can anything top the F-22 by Steve Shumate? It's been a popular download for a couple of years now and it's place at number one seems cemented. The option for thrust vectoring on a park flyer is certainly one reason. The other is the incredible scale lines of the design. If you take your time, you can faithfully recreate the look of the real thing.

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F-18 PARKJET - VIDEO

As we were checking out YouTube, we noticed this recent video of the Steve Shumate F-18 Hornet in action.  The F-18 is one of the oldest parkjet designs and is an excellent parkflyer. 

The great thing about the F-18 is that there is so much documentation out in the internet land.  Everything from the Blue Angels decals (as featured in the video) to clear canopies from 6mmFlyRC.  The excellent design means easy construction but also excellent flying characteristics at the park. 

So check out the free plans right here on Parkjets and get to building the F-18 Hornet this weekend!

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!

MINI EADS BARRACUDA

The designer of the EADS Barracuda sent us this video of his shrunk down version, the mini Barracuda.  The plan file already contains the smaller version, but the video shows a couple of things.

First, hand launching the mini Barracuda is an adventure!  The running start and toss is certainly a great way to do it.  But also, the use of EPP foam might be a good idea as it does allow it to bounce quite nicely.  One option is to build a bungee launcher, but what fun would that be?  The excitement of pushing up the throttle, running and chucking the Barracuda looks very exciting.  

So check out the mini Barracuda!

DRONGO PLANS

We just added to our growing catalog of free downloads of RC plans, the Drongo.  It's designed by Marcel du Plessis, who already designed the BD-5, Sea Dart, and the Draken.  The free file download includes full size drawings as well as tiled plans for A4 and letter size printers.  That way, you can print them off at home, piece them together and get to cutting.  

What the heck is a Drongo anyway? Besides the newest free plan on Parkjets, thanks to wikipedia, its a type of bird that hangs out in the old world tropics.  Who knew?  But its a great name for the water born parkjet.  This, along with the Sea Dart and Polaris gives you the opportunity to land and take off from the water.  A unique experience and a heart racing one.  

So check out the Drongo, you won't be dissapointed!

DRONGO WATER PARKJET

A sneak peak of the Drongo Water Parkjet designed by Marcel du Plessis, the same parkjet designer that brought you the excellent BD-5, Draken, and Seadart. So you know this one is excellently designed and will perform flawlessly.  

The idea of taking off an electric powered parkjet from a body of water is a little strange to some, but since the body is made of Depron foam, it makes a lot of sense really.  This design is inspired by the Steve Shumate Polaris and the Funjet and it shows.  

We are adding in this design in a few days to our Free Plans page so check back soon and get to downloading.  

Using Parkjets.com - What You Need to Know

Parkjets.com gets a lot of traffic.  Nearly 3 million page views a year.  And lots of downloads.  So sometimes we get questions along the lines of "where do I start?"  Some free RC airplane plan sites can be confusing, so we thought a little guidance would be helpful. 

Steve Shumate Designed SU-37 TerminatorFirst, its important to understand that all the plans on Parkjets are available freely in the public domain.  Check out our post about it in detail.  We have posted them here with the permission of the designers and don't provide direct support for any of the plans.  Basically, we created Parkjets because it was difficult to find all the great designs out there in an easy to navigate website.  We do try to answer basic questions we get, but sometimes we have never tried to build some of the designs, so we really don't know much about them.  

The number one thing you need to know is that Parkjets is 100% free.  We like to say its the number 1 site for free RC airplane plans out there.  We don't require registration, we don't ask for your personal information or anything like that.  We put out a monthly newsletter (please sign up at the end of the post if interested) but we view Parkjets as an RC plan resource for the community.  So use it.  It doesnt cost you a thing.  We manage to get by on a few ads, but also largely from a generous site sponsorship from 6mmFlyRC.com (please visit them).  

Lets break down the site itself a little...

The home page is pretty basic but contains blog posts, twitter feeds and "I want to know more about" section in the center.  Just see something you want to explore and away you go.  The blog is divided up into different catagories "getting started," "motors," and "building."  You can click the top links in the top navigation to sort through the different posts quickly.  Check out the post on flying safety, it is a must read.

The most popular page is of course the "Free Plans" page on parkjets.  You will notice the grid layout and also on the right side bar a section that says "Show me Parkjets in" which is really just a fast way to sort though the various designs we have.  You can select by designer name, build matierial, if a kit is available, etc.  It's a fast way to narrow down your hunting.  You will notice at the bottom of the grid you can go to the next page of designs, or skip around.  Pretty standard stuff.

Once you click on an RC plane to view in more detail, the selector "show me parkjets" moves to the left.  It's not the best web design, but it gets the job done.  

On each RC plan page, you can see details on the design like pictures and video and also other information on the page too.  Some of the plans even have recommended electronic equipment.  Its important to note that some of these recommendations are quite old in RC years, like 3-4 years old, and the hobby has evolved with different motors and standards.  So do a little homework or just send us an E-mail and we should be able to help you out with making a more modern choice.  With parkjets, we compressed all the files and have them available for download in the standard .zip format, so anyone can get to them.  Once inside the zip file, all the plans are in the standard .pdf format that is widely used with a free reader from Adobe.  

We don't want to skip over an important part of the individual rc plans pages.  For most plans, there is an opportunity to donate directly to the designer via Paypal.  Parkjets doesn't get a cut of this donation.  Its just a nice way to say thanks to the designer of your favorite RC Parkjet.  So donate please!  Sometimes just a few dollars means a big difference.  

That is the short version of navigating around the site.  So now let's get to some of the questions we get from parkjets newbies or just people wanting to build for the first time...

So which plans do you recommend for beginners? 

If you have never flown and RC airplane before, we highly recommend checking out RC Powers for the awesome E-book and video series they have put together.  Full disclosure: we are an affiliate and will get a little commission if you buy through us, but the important thing is to get it.  It will save you money. It really is the best resource available for beginners.  Having said that, Parkjets has many options for great plans for beginners, and depending on how much time you want to spend building, the answer varies.  For some people, they like to build for months, doing a little at a time.  For others, they want to start the build on a Friday and be out flying on Saturday.  However you want to approach your first scratchbuild, we have some guidelines you should consider:
Tomas Hellberg Designed Eurofighter

• First, make sure the documentation is up to your abilities.  What we mean is that some plans on Parkjets are pretty basic RC plans.  An experienced builder can fill in the gaps, figure it out and come out with an excellent model.  But there are plans that include build instructions, comprehensive pictures, even build videos that will help the beginner be succesful.  Excellent examples include any of the Tomas Hellberg models, and Steve Shumate designed planes.  

• Make sure you understand what it will take to build the model.  This typically not only includes the necessary foam and the equipment to put into your model, but also the right kind of paper or printer.  A lot of the plans on parkjets are available in what is called "tiled" plans, meaning you can print them out on a home printer and put them all together.  However, some plans are available in the A4 format (Europe and elsewhere) and some are available in "8.5" x 11" sheet format common in the U.S..  A lot of plans offer both, but just check out that detail as well, right by the link to download, it typically says what format the plans are availabe inside the .zip file.  

• For beginners, we also recommend going with a profile or shock style model.  You can see examples here and here.  They are easy to build and are very stable in flight because of their design.  And WHEN you crash it, it won't really be too depressing because you only spent a few hours putting it together.

Which models do you generally tell beginners to stay away from?

This is a sensitive area because we don't want to sugguest that any of the models are too difficult, but there are some really challenging models on parkjets.  One of the more complicated builds is the Steve Shumate F-14.  The swing wing is awesome but it can mean an extended build time.  Same for the Steve Shumate F-22 and SU-37.  Complicated builds.  There are other similar models too, all with long build times and complicated finishing processes.  Does that mean those RC plans should be off limits?  Absolutely not.  Just consider what you want and what you are willing to sacrafice when the model gets a little damaged. 

How much does it cost to get started in RC Airplanes?

One post that is a good read is our "Buy or Build" post.  It helps outline some of the differences between an out of the box solution found in a local hobby shop or online and building from scratch.  But let's assume you are building from scratch.  The cost of the plans are free.  But you have to buy some foam, typically a couple of large sheets of Depron can be had for about $20.  You need a motor and speed controller: About $40.  A transmitter and receiver:  About $200  Battery and battery charger: About $150  Servos and misc gear: $50.  All told you can see that there is some upfront costs involved.  But after that, you can take that gear and put it in just about any suitable airframe and have some fun at your local park.  If you do it right, purchase the correct equipment up front, yo will save yourself a lot of lost money and frustration. 

Getting started in RC, especially RC airplanes can be overwhelming. But if you take a little time, you can learn a lot real fast. And if you want the extreme short cut, again, check out RC Powers Online Course. 

The important thing is to keep building, crashing, and learning!

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F-14 BY MAYBZ

We just added in the awesome profile style F-14 by Maybz.  Honestly, we have no idea why haven't posted this great plan before to our Free Plans Page.  It is one of the best designs for the F-14 that combines a fully functioning swing wing as well as a simple design.

This particular RC airplane plan has been around for several years now with lots of people building over time.  In fact, you can find more than 100 pages of discussion on RC Groups on this one model. 

The performace is excellent with a mid-mount prop that is a little rearward than most of the designs we have on Parkjets.  The plane performs well with as little as a 4 channel radio but those with more channels will have more options for the wing swing.  The design allows for excellent high-alpha and drill bit rolls.  The speed is excellent for an airframe that can tend to get a little draggy. 

So check it out.  Download and build!

Top 10 Plans on Parkjets

We have over 100 different RC plans for free download on Parkjets.com and the most popular plans have changed over time. So what is the most popular download on parkjets.com. Ahhh, well, why don't we review the top 10 free downloads on parkjets? Easy enough. For the month of April, here is the list.

10. The F-14 Tomcat by Steve Shumate. This design has been on Parkjets since nearly the beginning and has held a top spot for a long time. With the ability to go swing wing, just like the real deal, the F-14 is an all time favorite. The plans are very well documented, with build instructions and drawings. And over time, so many RC flyers have built the F-14 there is plenty of support; everything to decals, build videos, clear canopies and even laser cut kits straight from our site sponsor 6mmFlyRC.

9. Bandit by Steve Shumate. This download is one of the few fictional RC parkjets on the website. But it's a proven design and looks good in the air. Many modelers have built this great and versatile design. Everything from a prop pusher to an EDF has been put through the paces with this RC jet. The bandit features good speed and above average acrobatics. But more than that, this one of the easiest of the Steve Shumate designs.

8. SU-37 by Steve Shumate. This is one of the most impressive parkjet designs out there. It features twin engine design, but you can adapt it to a single motor, twin thrust vectoring, awesome scale design and a size a little larger than most. As with all Steve Shumate designs, the plan drawings, the build instructions and the parts drawings are all very well documented. Not a beginner plane, but one of a kind RC parkjets. If you want to cut down on the build time, there is a kit available as well.

7. EADS Barracuda by Sabastian Gulde. Obviously the last few weeks have been pretty busy for the Barracuda. It's been downloaded a lot in April. It's still a new design, so time will tell if it will remain popular. Our guess? Because its an EDF and because it's a design that is not seen out there very much, it will be on the top 10 list for quite a while. The instructions and build drawings are excellently put together and provide RC modelers the opportunity to build it full size or go smaller with mini plans also available for download. The Barracuda is designed for a 68mm fan or larger and looks great.

6. F-14 by Jason Swisher. A great alternative to the Steve Shumate F-14, the profile F-14 gives builders the ability to fly a great looking RC airplane without the extended build time. This download doesn't offer the ability to have swing wings, but the stability and great looks more than make up for the moving wings. An excellent design and easy to understand plans make this a popular download.

5. Ultimate by Mr. Flash. While 3D flight peaked a few years ago, the Ultimate remains a popular download on Parkjets. And why not, it's a fantastic design with great stability and great looks. If you are looking for a 3D style parkjet, look for the Ultimate.

4. Eurofighter by Tomas Hellberg. The profile style Eurofighter is one of the best designs for a parkjet out there. It has a lot of great features. The large delta wing give it exceptional stability, the easy to set up control surfaces make it ideal for a simple RC set up. Here is a great video of the rock solid flight characteristics of the Eurofighter. The drawings are easy to follow and the build is an easy process. And as a bonus, there are some decals out there ready for you to print off your computer and apply for a little extra polish on your model.

3. The Hydro plane. Another design that has been on Parkjets for years, the hydro plane is an oldie but goodie. Mixing the hobbies of boats and airplanes, the hydro gives modelers as little bit of both and a lot of fun. This is one case where you have to watch the video to see exactly what we are talking about. The concept is pretty neat, so give the hydro a try.

2. The profile F-35 by RC CAL. This really makes sense. The F-35 Lightening II is the newest multi- role fighter from the U.S. and features some pretty unique looks. The design here is easy to build and easy to cut out. The documentation is good as well and there are a few decals and other goodies for those downloading this great little design. It's a mid-motor mounted pushed that works well with a cheap brushless motor and 6 x 4 prop. Laser cut kits are also available for this model.

1. F-22 by Steve Shumate. It's no surprise here. The F-22 is one of the best looking jets out there and this RC design is one of the best. The design features thrust vectoring, super scale looks and excellent performance. It's not an easy build, but the challenge is worth the effort. Like a broken record, the documentation for this parkjet is top notch. It has a lot of parts/pieces, but for the scratch builders out there, this one is a crown jewel.

Do you have a favorite design or parkjet? And if you have a design, be sure to shoot us an E-mail and we can get it posted. And check back in early June and see if the deck gets shuffled. And remember, you can pick up quite a few of these design in kit form from 6mmFlyRC. So be sure to check it out.