DIY RC Airplanes from Scratch: The Brooklyn Aerodrome Bible for Hacking the Skies

This book is very thorough - from the basics of aerodynamics and electronics, through the build of your first RC airplane, how to fly (and how to crash), and into advanced customization of your creation. The book promotes creativity and individuality. Easy and enjoyable to read for makers of any skill level. The book has plenty of photos detailing the procedure.The build instructions walk you through every step of the process, and head off all potential mistakes that a reader/builder could make. It covers parts availability, alternatives, and suggestions for purchasing. This isn't like the instruction manual for a pre-fab RC kit - you can easily succeed even without every part and every tool. Anyone who has access to items like wire hangers and packing tape can end up with a very flyable plane.In a way, the book also promotes making mistakes. Nothing that's worth doing in life isn't without making mistakes. The book (and the flack) show how easy it is to recover from a mistake and improve from it. This is a better alternative than being intimidated away from a project for fear of screwing it up.I find it hard to write this review on only the book and not the design of the flack airplane - but both exert the same idea: doing a lot with just a little. Sometimes people just need to be shown that it's possible, in order for them to be inspired to try. This is the basis of the maker movement.I first saw the flack (or the "towel" back then) at Maker Faire 2011. When I saw the kit available at the Faire in 2012, I immediately purchased the kit, and am glad that I did. Fun to build, fun to fly, and recovers easily from crashes. The plane travels well and I know that it's good for plenty of flying for years to come.Keep up the good work Breck!

This is a great book and I'm anxious to get started building my own RC plane from scratch. I've run in to a problem right off the bat. A lot of stock is placed in this book about the utility of Dow fan-fold HPU insulation with plastic bonded to both sides (a.k.a. Blue foam or Bluecor). The problem is, I just can't seem to find it anywhere. Not online, and not at any local bricks-and-morter builders supply store here in Northern California. My understanding is that it's really not building code compliant and there just isn't much commercial use for it. Does anyone know of an on-line source for it? Has anyone built the "Flack" using a reliable substitute? How about Owens Corning Foamular 1/4 inch fanfold (Pink Foam)? That is available locally. Has anyone had success with that?

Breck Baldwin's "DIY RC Airplanes from Scratch" book is an absolute game changer. This is not your ordinary RC experience, but a unique process that is fun and easy to build, quick to fly, fun to decorate,and is highly adaptable to experimental designs if you want to take it to the next level.Early on my kids and I had a chance to test drive an early draft of the book. The step by step instructions, complete with detailed photographs, made the process fun and educational.Now that the book is complete, it raises the bar in delivering clear, concise and detailed information in a fun and inspiring way.We first saw Breck Baldwin's Brooklyn Aerodrome at the Maker Faire, where creative and innovative designs are showcased.His demonstrations were drawing huge crowds and rave reviews.The design, the precision flying capabilities, the off the shelf components and his description immediately inspired us and we knew that we had to build our own "Flack" (a Flying Hack).The innovative design is well thought out. The design of the plane is unique in its ability to bring together stability, high performance acrobatics with an interchangeable components platform.It is very light and has a large wingspan with significant power to dive, spin and loop. The soft frame has the components set further back on its own removable platform.This innovative feature is not only safer, but allows for a quick change to another frame or design.The modular approach, combined with inexpensive foam board, allows for quick experimentation with many design and decorating options.This unique approach sets this book apart and will hopefully do its part in inspiring another generation of life long learners and help bring out the scientist in each of us.Not only is it a great book for DIY enthusiasts, RC builders and model makers, but I would highly recommend this to parents, student groups and schools as a project that is fun to build and fly,demonstrates the principles of physics, aerodynamics, electronics and brings out the creativity and passion for learning.

Just one basic design.

I like airplanes and fly RC now and then. This text gives a simpler, more basic method on how to fly. Elevon control with 2 servos is not the "standard", yet is quite effective and simpler [if one does not have the "standard" method in practice]. A wing's shape can be flat and still work. I plan to take a paper airplane design and apply some of this book's information to make a balsa and plastic covering model. The book indicates many sources of airplane parts, such as the electronics.