We got into RC models when my nephew received a wire controlled truck. He has several electric planes he has built over the years. We have had the most fun with the Kitty, marketed in some areas as the Canario. This is an excellent choice for learning, as it has a Styrofoam shell which can be repaired in minutes with epoxy.  As the battery is in the nose, radio damage  and structural damage is reduced. We have modified the original Kitty into what we call a Super Kitty. The mods. are direct drive 380 motor, a 4X6 prop, and going to a 6 cell 1000 mAh battery from the original 5 cell 450 mAh.  Flight times are around 6+ minutes under full power. The maximum  altitude we have attained under power is 1200 feet. It's hard to see at that range. When flying in logging slashes we either use a tarp or fly into the bushes to land. The Bat Plane ( a polyethylene toy baseball bat) pictured above evolved from the Bottle Plane ( a 1 litre pop bottle).These were built in our search for the most durable plane to fly in rough areas. One idea we are developing is a remotely deployed parachute,  eliminating having to find a good runway. We have a helicopter and as time permits I will try to become more proficient in flying it.  To date, we have control problems which we suspect may be due to static discharge   problems.

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