RC Plane Lab

Ron and Dave catch up after a busy couple of weeks. They talk about the separate interviews with AMA Executive Vice President candidates Phil Tallman and Randy Gibson, why members should hear from both candidates, and how easy it can be to overlook the election information and ballot. The ballot must be postmarked by November 6, 2026.

Ron shares his first experience as Contest Director at Illini Warbirds & Classics, including some memorable aircraft and what he learned behind the scenes. The guys also check out E-flite’s new Micro P-47 Thunderbolt and Dave’s new Strix Shadow Seeker X. They wrap up with an update on the new learning, troubleshooting, calculator, and podcast resources at RCPlaneLab.com.

In This Episode:

00:14 – Ron and Dave catch up

00:54 – AMA EVP candidate interviews and election information

05:40 – Dave’s weekend flying and a confusing fall fly-in

10:30 – Ron’s first time as CD at Illini Warbirds & Classics

21:34 – E-flite’s new Micro P-47 Thunderbolt

24:23 – Dave’s Strix Shadow Seeker X and its first hand launch

33:18 – New resources at RCPlaneLab.com

E-flite Micro P-47 Thunderbolt:

https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/e-flite-micro-p-47-thunderbolt-625mm-bnf-basic-with-as3x-and-safe-select/EFL07050.html

Listen to both candidate interviews, read their statements, and make your own decision. If you have a question, a topic you’d like us to cover, or just want to get in touch, visit https://rcplanelab.com/.

Until next time, may your landings be gentle.

Ron talks with AMA Executive Vice President candidate Phil Tallman about the Academy of Model Aeronautics and the challenges facing model aviation. They discuss declining membership, the value AMA provides, support for local clubs and flying sites, communication and transparency, competition and recreational flying, advocacy, and the financial decisions ahead. Tallman shares examples from his work as an AMA district vice president and outlines what he hopes to bring to the executive vice president position. This conversation is part of RC Plane Lab’s interviews with the candidates and gives AMA members a chance to hear directly from each of them.

Ron talks with AMA Executive Vice President candidate Randy Gibson about the Academy of Model Aeronautics and the challenges facing model aviation. They discuss declining membership, the value AMA provides, support for local clubs and flying sites, communication and transparency, competition and recreational flying, advocacy, and the financial decisions ahead. Gibson shares examples from his work as an AMA district vice president and outlines what he hopes to bring to the executive vice president position. This conversation is part of RC Plane Lab’s interviews with the candidates and gives AMA members a chance to hear directly from each of them.

Ron's Falcon 56 was supposed to make its first flight, but an old pushrod had other plans. That turned out to be a good reminder that just because an old airplane looks ready to fly doesn't mean it is.

We also talk about our trip to the SIRS vintage fly-in, some really cool old airplanes, and why it took Dave four tries to finally land his Wonder somewhere other than the bean field.

Then we take a look at a few new airplanes:

- "Skynetic Micro T-33 Shooting Star 30mm EDF" (https://motionrc.com/products/skynetic-t-33-shooting-star-micro-30mm-edf-jet-with-gyro-str-sky1075-003)

- "Freewing F-35C Lightning II 110mm EDF" (https://www.freewing-model.com/freewing-f-35c-lightning-ii-12s-110mm-edf-jet-arf-plus-rc-airplane.html)

- "Skynetic P-12E Pursuit 1100mm Biplane" (https://motionrc.com/products/skynetic-p-12e-pursuit-biplane-1100mm-43-3-wingspan-pnp-sky1076-001)

In This Episode

- 02:50 – Ron's Falcon 56 and its failed pushrod

- 06:22 – Bringing old RC airplanes back to life

- 08:58 – Nitro, four-strokes, and old-school setups

- 18:03 – Spektrum versus FrSky

- 22:57 – Our trip to the vintage fly-in

- 39:32 – Dave versus the bean field

- 52:34 – A few new RC airplane releases

If you enjoyed the episode, make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss the next one. If you've got a question, a topic you'd like us to cover, or just want to tell Dave how to keep his airplanes out of the beans, head over to https://rcplanelab.com/ and let us know.

Piper joins Ron, Dave, and Tom for a lively recap of RC Fest! She shares her adventures with the RC car “Try Me” courses and introduces the two new vehicles she brought home—including an ARRMA Mojave Grom BLX.

The crew also talks night flying, Tom’s new airplane trailer, Ron’s Falcon 56 nitro project, a pair of bargain FMS Super Scorpions, and the impressive new E-flite Pilatus PC-21. Ron returns to the Ring of Fire seeking redemption after his memorable crash two years ago, while Tom celebrates having his first review published in Model Aviation.

Along the way, Piper asks the important questions, the RC car collection keeps growing, and bedtime becomes increasingly negotiable.

In this episode:

Tom flies Dave’s fleet of night flyers

Tom finds a custom 7-by-12-foot tandem-axle trailer

Updates on Dave’s and Ron’s latest airplane projects

Piper tries RC NASCAR racing and RC soccer

New Axial and ARRMA vehicles join the collection

Ron scores two FMS Super Scorpions

A successful return to RC Fest’s Ring of Fire

First impressions of the E-flite Pilatus PC-21

Tom’s CAP 231 review appears in Model Aviation

A look at upcoming Warbirds, Classics, and vintage fly-ins

Tom is home and back in the studio with Ron and Dave—but only for this episode during his brief visit. Tom’s wife, Lori, is also there and briefly joins the conversation to settle an argument about exactly how Ron was persuaded to take a day off for their trip to Dynamic Balsa.

The episode begins on a personal note as Dave discusses the loss of his wife earlier that morning. He explains why he still decided to record with his friends and reminds everyone how important it is to spend time with the people closest to them.

Ron recaps his visit to the Illini Jets event at Eli Field, including the strong turnout, impressive turbine aircraft, a massive twin-turbine F-14, and some of the best food the guys have ever seen served at an RC fly-in.

The guys then examine the new Skynetic F-35C Lightning II Micro 30mm EDF Jet. Although its flight performance appears promising, they have plenty to say about its molding, oversized panel lines, painted canopy, unusual underside, and price.

They also preview several upcoming Illinois RC events:

Horizon Hobby RC Fest — August 29 at Eli Field in Monticello, Illinois

Streator Fall Scramble Warbirds & Classics — September 10–12 in Streator, Illinois

SIRS Vintage Fly-In — September 12 near McLean, Illinois

Illini Warbirds and Classics — September 24–26 at Eli Field in Monticello, Illinois

Finally, Ron and Tom recount their visit to Dynamic Balsa. Ron went looking for servos and a SIG Kavalier, forgot the servos entirely, and came home with an unidentified vintage glow-powered airplane. The guys inspect its K&B engine, old 72 MHz radio equipment, unusual appearance, and chances of successfully returning to the air.

Tom also adds a Slow Ultra Stick to his hangar, while Dave discusses his BluFo, Yak 55, Blue Max, Goldberg Cub, and the restoration of Reggie’s older E-flite Ultimate.

The episode closes with an important maintenance reminder: inspect the nylon clevises, snapper keepers, and other plastic control-linkage components in your airplanes. Heat, age, and dry storage conditions can make these parts brittle enough to fail in flight.

00:12 – Tom is home and in the studio for one episode

04:04 – A personal update from Dave

07:56 – Ron’s visit to the Illini Jets event

16:10 – The Skynetic F-35C Micro EDF

24:36 – RC Fest and upcoming Illinois RC events

35:59 – The SIRS Vintage Fly-In

40:17 – Ron and Tom’s trip to Dynamic Balsa

47:31 – Ron’s unidentified vintage glow airplane

01:01:42 – Tom buys a Slow Ultra Stick

01:03:44 – Dave’s building and restoration projects

01:06:33 – Inspecting brittle nylon control linkages

01:07:34 – Illini Warbirds and Classics at Eli Field

Ron and Dave catch up after a busy stretch and dive into a surprisingly full evening of RC activity. Ron rediscovers a long‑forgotten Carbon‑Z Yak in his basement and gives it a modern electronics refresh, while Dave wraps up his Beaver build and deals with a paramotor battery that’s well past retirement age. The guys recap a night‑flying session filled with great flights, blinding LEDs, and an unbelievable swarm of moths. They also talk about upcoming events, new gear—including Ron’s Losi NASCAR—and walk through how each of them powers and controls lights on their aircraft, from commercial setups to Dave’s homemade servo‑based switches. A relaxed, fun catch‑up episode with plenty of RC tinkering talk.

Ron and Dave return after a summer break to talk flying, family updates, and shop projects. They highlight five new or reissued RC airplanes and touch on the science of wing loading. The episode wraps with Dave’s $50 swap‑meet Beaver restoration. 

Freewing JL‑8 80mm EDF Jet

Durafly Curtiss P‑40 Warhawk V2 (Aleutian Tiger)

Freewing Eurofighter Typhoon V2 90mm EDF Jet

Skynetic P‑47 Thunderbolt “Passionate Patsy” 750mm

HobbyKing Kitfox Sportplane (Plug & Play)

Ron, Tom, and Dave cover extreme summer weather, camping with RC rock crawlers, a new UMX‑sized OV‑10 release, their local club fly‑in recap, and a deep dive into how each of them sets up their vehicles for hauling airplanes. 

The guys are back together — sort of — and this week they dive into one of the most common listener questions: How should you assign switches on your radio? After some classic RC Plane Lab banter (Tommy’s “witchy” mic, canceled night flying, and Ron rediscovering his forgotten UMX Viper), the crew breaks down how they each map flaps, gear, lights, rates, gains, and AS3X functions across their transmitters.

They compare Spektrum iX setups, talk about why consistency matters more than “the right way,” and share lessons learned — including how Ron’s F‑18 crash came down to one simple gain‑tuning mistake. Whether you’re new to programming radios or just want to refine your habits, this episode is packed with practical, real‑world insight from three pilots who definitely don’t always do it the same way.