Model Aircraft Building Services |
For Flyers Who Like to Fly, not Build!
Welcome to Model Aircraft Building Services Web site, We hope this page is a helpful resource for both the beginner and experienced R/C pilot who hates building, but loves flying.
You will find pictures of model planes which we have built for customers, and other helpful information to enhance your experience in model flight.
We offer a complete building service from airframes to completed aircraft, ready to fly. Model Aircraft Building Services is a small company dedicated to the manufacture of high quality radio controlled aircraft. It is ran by Andy Lee who has been modeling since 1970.
All the models incorporate a very high build quality and manufacture to our customers requirements. You can visit our work shop to view your model being built at anytime during the process for your complete piece of mine.
We thank you for stopping by and hope you enjoy your visit.
For sales enquiries and service, please telephone, write or email us at: andrewlee@willenhall49.fsnet.co.uk
17 Davis Road, New Invention, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV12 5HA
Tel: 01922- 497495
Mobile: 07761-284967
Click on the photo's above to enlarge the images and to view more details on the examples we have build
I Want To Fly An
R/C Model Airplane! How Do I Start?
Find out if there are any
Clubs in your area and where they fly. HOBBY SHOPS are a good place to start
asking questions. Your local hobby dealer will know about the R/C activity in
your area and can get you in touch with the local flyers and model clubs. Check
in the yellow pages Of Your telephone book for the name of a dealer near you.
R/C MODEL CLUBS can also be of
great help to the newcomer. Go to their flying field and talk with the club
members. Don't be shy! Tell them that you are thinking about getting started in
R/C and ask for advice on a suitable first model for yourself. Learn from their
experience! For the name of a club in your area, write to the British Model
Flying Association, see there web site at
www.bmfa.org, for more details.
MODEL AIRPLANE MAGAZINES are also
excellent sources of information. R/C has its own language of terms and
nicknames, and reading model magazines will help you learn the terminology.
How Much Does It Cost, for
the Beginner?
Like any leisure time activity, R/C has some
one-time start up costs. The initial investment might seem high to the newcomer,
but once you are established with a model, engine, and radio, the costs
stabilize and can be as much or as little as you want to spend.
Engines and
radios last for many years. With a little maintenance they rarely wear out. In
fact, you can build and fly several different models and use the same engine and
radio in them all. So the question "How Much Does it Cost?" will
depend on your future goals in the hobby. To start, let's take a look at the
cost of a typical beginners package. You will need:
Mid-size R/C Trainer Model Kit |
100.00 |
.40 Cu. In. 2-Stroke Model Engine |
85.00 |
4-Channel Radio Control System |
225.00 |
Sundrys and Building Costs (approx) |
100.00 |
Fuel, Basic Field Equipment |
30.00 |
Approximate Total Start Up Cost |
£540.00 |
Which Airplane
Should I Buy First?
By all means, get a specially
designed TRAINER airplane! A boxy looking trainer may not be beautiful to look
at, it may not be exciting to dream about, but it will have the flight
characteristics that you need for learning to fly R/C. Most people starting in
the hobby have visions of themselves piloting a sleek, fast fighter plane with
retractable landing gear and dropping bombs. But that is exactly what they don't
need! Here's a true story that explains why-as told by Claude McCullough, one of
the model designers at SIG MFG. CO.:
"Not long ago, I was called
to the Sig retail department to talk to an R/C customer who wanted some advice.
Already selected on the counter was a scale P-51 Mustang kit, retractable
landing gear units, and the most expensive high-power .60 in the store. He was
looking at 7-channel duo sets and wanted to know what frequency would be best.
The conversation soon turned up the fact that he had never flown any kind of
model airplane before, but he had seen some R/C models flying at an airport
dedication show over the past weekend and was instantly hooked. As tactfully as
possible, I told him that he should not try to fly the P-51 without some
previous experience with an R/C trainer. "I'm not interested in those funny
looking trainers,' he said, 'I want a scale model of a real airplane. Besides, I
won't need a trainer. I've got 3,000 hours in full-size aircraft!' I tried to
explain to him that no amount of logbook time, even in actual P-51s could
adequately prepare him for the totally unique requirements of a fast and
responsive advanced R/C model. The reactions and reflexes are not the same.
Nothing except R/C flight time on a trainer could prepare him to fly the P-51.
But he wasn't persuaded. 'I'll throttle down for the first flights, that'll
slower down,' he said. At this point, tact was abandoned and I flatly predicted
that there was no way he could fly the P-51 by himself-the model would eat him
alive? All to no avail, his mind was made up. My parting recommendation was
that, by all means, he find a skilled R/C flier to help him and that if he could
not find one in his area then bring the model back when finished and we'd help
him."
"Several months passed
before the customer was heard from again. When he finally came back, it was to
pick up some accessories for a new trainer he was building. He sheepishly
admitted that his P-51 had been destroyed on the first attempt. Out of control
from the moment he opened the throttle, the P-51 had risen into the air, rolled
over and crashed into the ground before he could decide which stick to move on
the transmitter. In a few seconds his new airplane was completely destroyed.
After learning this expensive lesson, he bad located an experienced R/C flier to
help him start over and he would soon have his new trainer in the air."
This story is not intended as a
put-down of the beginner involved. Many others have made the same mistake with
the exact same result--a costly, heartbreaking crash on the first flight. So
resist the temptation to build your "dream ship" fight away, save it
for later! The U.S. Air Force doesn't start its flying cadets in F-15s and you
should take the same approach to learning to fly R/C.
Your first R/C model should be an
airplane that is designed to be a trainer. It should be a "high-wing"
airplane (wing mounted on top of the fuselage) for best stability in flight. A
high-wing airplane is more forgiving of pilot errors than any other type. Your
trainer should also have a flat-bottom wing "airfoil" (the
cross-section shape of the wing) so it can fly slow enough for you to keep up
with it. A generous amount of "dihedral" (the upward "V"
angle of the wings when viewed from the front) is another characteristic to look
for in a good trainer design.