I just met the father and son team of Lance and … umm, I think his name was Joe … from 3dBiplanes.com while flying out in Grantsville’s Mistway Field (also called Grantsville #2). I was there to gently putt around with my gentle, stable J-3 cub and fast, unstable F-27B Stryker. Once I saw these guys in action, I did more watching and talking than flying!
They are about hot-dogging as much in real-life as they are in the videos on their web site (Check out the hot flying on that link! The videos are big, high-quality, and fun to watch — like the planes.). They custom-build plane kits for about $200-$300 out of 4″ “pink” foam and sell them online. They don’t have many more of the planes in stock, unfortunately. I was really impressed with the handling characteristics of the birds. Harriers were entered and exited quickly, and they dragged the tail on the ground several times. The plane flies equally well inverted and right-side-up, and can hover forever. Waterfalls begun a scant 50 feet over the ground were completed with room to spare.
Wow. Not only for the flying skills of these two pilots, but also for the planes they designed. “3D Flying” is all about flying low, flying slow, and doing aerobatics while at or near stall speed in the plane (unlike the usual aerobatics seen at airshows, which are generally high-speed “pattern flying”).
The plane excelled. I drooled, but alas, the kit is nearly $300 for the larger aircraft. Then, of course, once you have the plane, you have to put in a big motor, a big 16oz fuel tank, and buy some hefty servos to power the large control areas.
But man, once it’s kitted out, it sings. I’m partial to biplanes anyway, and these flew like biplanes should: stable, predictable, and yet able to roll and perform any aerobatics you could throw at it with minimal fuss.
I think they could be converted to electric with little trouble. To swing the large props necessary, it would probably have to have a really large outrunner, or a geared inrunner, and I hesitate to think how expensive the LiPo battery packs would be. But it’s a nice plane, pretty, and flies great. Harrier landings are simply something else with these things. Landing at stall speed in a partial hover, with only a big prop on the front, and a 10-foot touch-and-go. Who’d have thought?
Blown away.
— Matt B.