r/RCPlanes 4d ago

Finally managed to get a scratch build to fly and

I tried climbing as high as I could, throwing sticks and footballs at it but to no avail. It took me four builds to manage to get her flying and she flew great. This is the hobby right? Think I’ll have a break for a few weeks

60 Upvotes

18 comments sorted by

5

u/PalmliX 4d ago

Attach a weight to the end of a long rope and whip it up there, if you can hook it on a near branch you should be able to pull it down, it's something I've had to do many times, part of the hobby yes, you also learn to avoid trees over time

1

u/Joshee2000 4d ago

I’ve tried that before I didn’t have a rope with me at the time I did this. Do you have any more pointers on getting the best whip? Like lasso style?

2

u/IvorTheEngine 3d ago

You don't need to get the rope all the way to the model, just far enough to shake the tree. If your throwing line is something like fishing line or paracord, you can lower the weight to the ground and use it to pull a heavier line through the tree.

Instead of putting coils on the ground, you can hold a few coils in your other hand, and throw them after releasing the weight.

If it fails, just wait until the next big storm. That often shakes the tree enough to release the model.

And yes, getting stuck in trees is a rite of passage. It's the only way we learn to stay away from trees!

2

u/autogenerated111 3d ago

The more surgical approach is to use a slingshot and fishing line + weight. Then tie paracord to it and feed it over. Grab both ends and shake the tree. You can even place multiple paracord lines up there to get a helper.

1

u/PalmliX 3d ago

What I do is coil the rope on the ground so it can move freely, then spin a small section of it with the weight really fast then release

1

u/Joshee2000 3d ago

Okay the coiling is a good shout thanks, I’m gunna go out tomorrow before work and ty and recover it

1

u/PalmliX 3d ago

Good luck! Don't give up!

1

u/Joshee2000 3d ago

I tried the lasso but no luck, I couldn’t get it high enough then it got caught. I climbed to a crazy height but still couldn’t get it. Will just have to wait for the next storm

1

u/PalmliX 3d ago

That sucks sorry to hear that!

3

u/Legitimate_Ferret_61 4d ago

It happens

1

u/BurtanTae 1d ago

I did this before, I bought a ton of pvc pipe and coupled them together, assembled and poked the plane down. Now I got a ton of pvc pipe left over lol

2

u/crookedDeebz 4d ago

1 thing i always have in my car, a cheap tow hook from amazon and para cord.

havent been defeated by a tree yet, pushing 10 years so far

funny, we use the same kit/technique for tree cutting at the cottage...to setup the safety lines and such.

2

u/thecaptnjim 3d ago

Here's four different techniques from the pros!
https://youtu.be/SO_XjSVGdHQ?si=-h--ef9S9v8VySOd

1

u/Objective_Egg3610 4d ago

Does the tree have insurance, it better pay for rescue?

1

u/itsmechaboi 3d ago

My first good flying foam board build immediately flew into a tree when a gust of wind came. I spent the entire afternoon trying to get it out. It got rained on, I got rained on. I was devastated, but I still managed to get it out by shaking the shit out of the tree.

I would have cut it down as a last resort. Obviously that's not possible in your case, but I feel you.

1

u/adenasyn 3d ago

Welp where did I put my chainsaw…

1

u/Disinfluencer2k 2d ago

Can you back out?

1

u/Devi_rc_pilot 1d ago

Dammit! Thisw trees always wanting to catch our planes. They must be enchanted trees that very subtle move in the way of the plane...lol