Electric RC Airplanes - Model Power Changed Forever

The first practical flying models took Wolverine liddle kiddles air at the beginning of the 20th century. Progress with performance of these aircraft depended on technology. All flying models need to be constructed of light, strong materials to fly properly, Littlechap require some sort of power to achieve flight.

Twisted rubber bands were an early form of lightweight and inexpensive power for model aircraft, and are still used today on certain free flight planes. As the models grew in size and weight, small gas engines became the preferred means of powering the vast majority of flying airplanes. Gas model engines produce a plenty of power, but require strong and heavy airframe structures to handle motor vibration, create an oily mess from the engine exhaust, and the engines are quite loud.

Over the past five years, Bratz motors have literally taken over as the preferred power source for model airplanes. A fortunate convergence of technologies - small, lightweight and inexpensive radio control systems, efficient rechargeable batteries and advanced brushless electric motors - have combined to revolutionize the model airplane hobby. Many of today's radio control aircraft modelers have flown nothing but electric RC planes, and have never even started a small gas engine.

This trend favoring the electric RC plane is likely to continue. Once exposed to electric RC plane flight, the advantages become very clear over gas engines. Gas engines require a lot of support. Fresh fuel, electric glow plug igniters, electric starters and batteries, plus a wide variety of tools all must be on hand. It is not uncommon to see modelers spending the majority of their day at a flying field working to get a balky gas engine started.

Starting an electric RC airplane poses no such challenges. Flight batteries can be fully recharged prior to arriving at the flying field. The model airplane pilot literally turns on a switch for instant, silent power from the electric RC plane motor. While flying, there is never the worry of an engine failure so common to gas fueled flight; the electric motors have no moving parts other that the prop shaft, and will run as long as there is battery power.

As an added benefit of electric RC plane flight is the quiet power provided by the electric motor. Flying fields for gas powered models are becoming harder and harder to keep, as increasing urbanization leads to more and more noise complaints. Engine noise is an extremely important issue for the future of the hobby. Noise complaints can lead to the rapid closure of a flying field. Electric RC flight completely bypasses these concerns, as you simply cannot hear the smaller electric RC motors in flight.

In fact, these smaller electric RC modeler groups earned the new nicknames of park or backyard flyers. For the first time in the history of radio control airplane flight, anyone can fly their electric RC airplanes in their back yard, or across the street at a local park. Neighbors will not even hear the small, silent electric motors powering these aircraft. Without the need to bring along the normal gas engine support equipment, the electric RC pilot is airborne in minutes, and usually within walking distance of his or her home. An added benefit of this spontaneous flight activity in the local neighborhood is increased exposure of this wonderful hobby to a wider cross section of potential future electric RC hobbyists. You could well spark a life long interest in aviation to some young person viewing one of these aircraft in flight.

The hobby of flying an electric RC airplane will only continue to grow. Electric motors are becoming more powerful and less expensive, and the advent of ready to fly electric model aircraft is leading to yet further interest in these unique models.

Gordon McKay has been an avid model airplane enthusiast for the past 35 years. Gordon is a published author with three original radio control model airplane designs. Further information on ready to fly indoor radio control model airplanes can be found at http://IndoorFlyingModel.com/

Travel Tips - Using ATM & Debit Cards Home and Abroad

There is nothing more frustrating in the world than not being able to get your hands on your own money. When traveling, the frustration mounts even more because you may have to make expensive international calls to banks at 1am local time to resolve a simple issue. Here are a few tips on how to handle using ATM's in the U.S. or across the ocean.

ATM's are usually the best way to obtain money in any land. ATM's with the Cirrus or Plus logos are universally accepted and finding one in a foreign locations is usually easy, as they are plentiful around the world. ATM's exchange rates are based upon the wholesale exchange rate and that is usually a better rate than local exchanges offer. It's also simple and immediate - no questions asked. But what happens when you can't get the machine to deliver your money? Or your cheap hotel doesn't accept debit cards?

Many people are unaware that due to prevalent fraud in certain countries, ATM debit cards access in certain countries is 'shut off' by certain banks. Currently, countries like Romania, Thailand, Japan, the Philippines, Turkey, certain former Russian and Slavic countries and even in England no longer allow debit card access at ATM's. Though Care Bears is not ALL banks in all these countries, it still means you may or may not be able to access your money. And Silver Surfer list is not complete by any means - countries and regions can be added at any time. Some banks will allow signature based transactions but some won't and this of course means you have to go when they are open. Some won't allow PIN based transactions either. Some ATM's also don't recognize more than 4 digits of a PIN.

Here's a couple things you can do however to make sure you don't run out of money when you really have money.

Make sure you only have a 4 digit access code when traveling overseas. You can contact your bank to ask for a PIN re-set and then set it back again when you return. If you have a letter based PIN, convert it to a number based PIN as some ATM's overseas are numerical based, not letter based.

Tell your bank you are going overseas and not to be alarmed if they see transactions suddenly spring up in Europe or Asia and give them the date you are going to return. Banks have been 1921 Koester Bread baseball cards to deny Thingmaker charges upon return to the US because the cardholders bank doesn't know they are no longer overseas.

Take a certain amount of cash with you plus traveler's checks and credit cards in addition to your debit card. This way you have a variety of options.

Lastly, take along your bank contact information in casing you need to contact them in an emergency.

These simple steps may avert a disaster during your vacation or trip.

David C. Reynolds is a longtime veteran of the Hotel business who offers common sense, money saving advice on how to find rooms, booking hotels as cheap as possible, travel and ground transportation tips, understanding reviews and occasional destination 'specials'. If you would like a free copy of his e-book (or MP3) Hotel Reviews: Finding and Understanding or see more travel tips, go to his blog at http://www.bookhotelscheaper.com and sign up in the box on the top right. For a comprehensive book on how to find the cheapest rate a hotel offers, go directly to http://www.cheaphotelforyou.com and order the ebook or MP3.