RCP Mig 29 v3 videos.

An advert just because I got bored.

 

 

Dialling in the control throws (Elevon + Aileron)

 





 

Regards,

 

Grey.



RCpowers Mig 29 v3



Sorry about the low quality video but I was flying the plane to fly rather than video it and with the amount of zoom needed there was no point in making it a higher resolution.

Not one for the beginners and I'd wager it's also not one for basic radios. At the speeds this is capable of reaching, easily I might add, expos or the ability to tone down or turn off the ailerons is almost a must. Expo doesn't quite cut it on the stock throws (after my first flight I increased elevon throws, decreased aileron throws and added a mix to turn ailerons off altogether).

As soon as I put on the KF2 airfoil the ailerons became VERY responsive at anything over half throttle. Beginners should probably side with the Mig 29 v2 instead. Alternatively a Microjet V3 or 2208 2600kv and a 1600mAh battery with no ailerons is about as complicated as it would be wise to go for this one. This will keep the weight down a little and take some of the responsiveness out of it.

This plane is very responsive and ailerons have the potential to cause issues for beginner builders too. Even slightly out they will give the plane some pretty hefty roll as soon as you hit about 20 mph.

It's a small plane so the stall speed will also be quite high for heavier setups (feels like launching a v1 sized plane on a 3s).

Still, it flies well at half throttle on my setup and will inside loop and roll well (doesn't like an outside loop at 1/2 throttle though). At under 1/2 throttle it does start to want to tail drag though... It's simply happier at higher speeds even though it remains fun and precise at lower speeds too.

The surprise is it still does everything at WOT without complaint though, as below, I have an odd feeling I'm going to snap my elevons sooner or later if I push it that hard when that fast.

Speed guys are going to love this one. It's deceptively quick on even this middle-of-the-road setup so I see bright things in it's future for the megajet/2836/NTM Propdrive 2700kv crowd.

It's also surprisingly precise at just about any speed until you get going fast enough for the ailerons to make it rather twitchy (turn them off and it stays precise on elevon only too). I imagine it's less than the F-18 V3 but it's still good enough to be impressed with.

So what did I think while I was on the sticks?

Well, fast isn't really my thing as many can tell by my previous videos.  I like slower with lots of throw on the elevons so the basic thrust vectoring of these planes bosses them around.  It's why I just don't fly my T-50 Version 1 anymore.  It's a great plane and I loved it while it lasted but it's now only flown really to blow the dust off every once in a while.

Despite this the Mig 29 v3 has captured me.  It still maneuvers well at high speeds which was more than enough to keep a smile on my face.  It's happy just eating up the sky in any serpentine pattern you choose to drive it in.  I don't think I'll ever make any decent videos of it because, simply put, flying this plane in a way that's conducive to video would just feel wrong.  Low and slow just isn't really it's thing with this much power at it's disposal.  Perhaps if I'd built simpler and with a lighter power plane... shoulda, woulda, coulda, didn't.

It's a great plane and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to the guys who decide to dump in a Megajet or NTM Propdrive 2836.

Regards,

Grey.

Mig 29 - Grey's Winter Project - 2012.

Ok, so I'm opening it up a little early.  There's a new page up top there, "Mig 29 v2 Project".

It's how I've kept myself busy over winter during the terrible weather!

http://greyaero.blogspot.com.au/p/mig-29-v2-project.html

It's not quite finished yet but I'll get there ;).

Mig 29 v2 project.

Recently many will have noticed a bit of a difference in what I've done.  I started making a few "how to" videos where I'd only done flight videos before hand.  They are a bit rought in spots but they achieve what I wanted them to achieve.

I'm not a pro or anything, I'm just a guy.  I'm not looking to start a business either.  I just wanted to complete a project that maybe would help a few people along in their quest for a Scratchbuilt Parkjet.

This is coming to a close and soon a new page will appear about the project.

I hope it turns out worth the effort ;).

"Near enough is good enough".

I see so many new guys in forums worried that their plane isn't "perfect".  So I thought I'd take a little time to say "don't stress"!

There are a few things that need attention to detail up front to be sure.  Your power system needs to be well balanced to prevent you burning anything up, your servos and control rods need to be capable of the job and your hinges for control surfaces need some extra love.  After that?

"A little bit out" isn't going to kill you.  It might change the way your plane behaves in a minor way with some things but on the whole most well-designed scratchbuilt "disposable' foamies will put up with you being on the learning curve.  If your cuts along a join aren't quite straight and it leaves gaps?  Fill the gaps with glue or cover them with tape.  Your throws aren't quite even?  You'll learn to live with it. 

 

I see a lot of people get really fussy about their weight too.  Don't.  A really light and floaty plane is a lot of fun of course but an ounce or two over the listed maximum weight isn't going to stop your plane from flying!  It might suck some of the low-speed performance out of it but it's not going to stop you getting into the air.

While it can be advisable to do things like bevel or round the leading edges of your wings, horiz and vert stabilizers etc it's not mission critical either.

Of course, as with all things, there's limits.  You can't go ridiculously out of whack without creating some major issues but little bits here and there simply aren't going to stop you from flying and having fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Worried about weight?



Sometimes things just don't turn out "right".  You're too heavy and your vertical performance is poor, something is warped and you need a lot of trim, who knows.

As long as it flies?  Don't scrap it, make use of it!  Next time is soon enough to get it right ;).

What a great time to live in!

I was in my local hobby store the other day picking up a few bits and bobs, readying myself for when I get off my butt and order a new case of foam.  The guy was out the back for a couple of minutes so I looked around the RC section and it hit me really really hard...  We live in a really great time to get into RC planes. 

I remember being younger and dreaming of being able to afford to fly but even a basic trainer was 100's of dollars before you even looked at a radio gear, a motor, servos and whatnot.  Window shopping in hobby stores and parking outside of club fields to watch the fun used to be a couple of my favourite passtimes.  I'm not talking as a child here, this was in my 20's and 30's. 

These are passtimes that I haven't indulged in lately and haven't really thought about either, I'm now flying after all.  It gave me a trip down memory lane though.

"Back in the day" I ended up taking the cheaper option which was getting into RC cars.  It was still 100's of dollars but fewer hundreds.  They were fun days too but of course I was always dreaming of flight while I was zooming around tracks or over obstacles in offroad courses.

Then I looked at the price tags on the cars and had another flashback;  Monty Python.



How great is it that building a foam parkjet, with such high aerobatic performance in comparison to the old "cheap" 3 channel trainers, can be done for about $120?  While I truly think my experience should be envied in many ways, fond memories and wistful dreams just don't have a price tag, there are times that I would have sold a kidney to get here if I knew these days were coming.

You live in a truly great time to get into RC planes, to get your kids into RC planes.  A time when you can take an afternoon or two around a table and build a parkjet, alone or with the yard monkeys, watching it take form out of a flat sheet of 6mm foam.

Revel in the age of technological wonders you live in.  It's kind of awesome ;).

New page: "Your first parkjet".

One thing you have to understand bout me is this;

In no way am I interested in building the perfect Parkjet.  All my planes are on elevons or a linked 4x4 setup.  I don't paint a lot of my planes.  I don't cleanly bevel all the leading edges at the perfect angles.

I'm about having fun.  It's why I build parkjets out of 6mm foam instead of building scale replica planes out of balsa and the like.

Even in the 6mm foam Parkjet community though, you'll still find people arguing advanced aerodynamics issues and the like.  Perfect this, optimum that, "the best" something else.  I sometimes dip an oar into that water and the number one mistake people keep making about me is in thinking I really think it all makes a huge difference.

You just don't need an advanced engineering degree to build and fly a parkjet made out of sheets of 6mm foam.

To this end I've started making some videos that concentrate more on the "fun" end of the spectrum.  The stuff you can get away with which allows you to spend more time flying and less time building or worrying!

http://greyaero.blogspot.com.au/p/your-first-parkjet.html

Regards,

Grey.

On reflection...

Think for a minute.  Just one.  What is it that gets you buzzing when it comes to RC planes?

If you go out there and look at Youtube channels, you'll see different people flying in different ways and all of them are having a ball!

I enjoy building.  Quite a lot.  I find it relaxing and I like to have something constructive to do. 

I enjoy flying.  Quite a lot.  Learning how the different planes behave and learning to get them doing interesting stuff.

I enjoy flying with friends.  Well, it's like flying, only with more laughing and joking going on ;).

What really gets me going about flying?  It's a couple minutes of excited nervousness leading up to a single moment...  That split second after the plane leaves your hand when you realise it's taking to the skies for the very first time.

What is it that gets you going?

For those of you without a Google or other compatible account, anonymous posting is enabled!  You can either post anonymously or put your name in the box ;).

RCPowers Mig 29 v2 re-maiden and review.

Sorry about the grainy quality! Cheap camera + low light conditions = poor picture quality. It's watchable in 480 or 720p tho.

RCPowers Mig 29 v2

• RCTimer 2826-6 2200kv outrunner.
• RCTimer 30A Programmable ESC (might need a 40A, might need plastic spoon scoops for the ventilation holes, I'll figure it out tomorrow!)
• 1600mAh 3s 20C battery (might be better off with an 1800mAh 20C or 1600mAh 25C).
• 2 servos - Elevon only.
• Stock KF2 aerofoil
• CoG is set 1 inch behind stock.
• Throws are stock 1.5 inch
• No Expo (stock = 30% on elevator).

A very nice plane. This setup isn't the fastest but is wonderfully aerobatic and precise at low or high speed on just elevons. High alpha actually takes less throttle than cruising speed which is nice.

I'm flying on no expos. The plane is just so smooth that having a bit of skill with fine control on the sticks was all it needed. For a plane so aerobatic it's very stable and IMO you just don't need expos on elevon only. If you are a beginner it's probably a good idea to start with the stock 30% expo on the elevator tho.

Enlarging the elevons was a good call. There's plenty of pitch and roll authority to have fun with as long as you don't expect to roll like a drill (mind you I mostly stuck to 3/4 stick being a "re-maiden", having made alterations). If you put on a 4x4 or linked elevons you should be able to cut the elevons down some for you guys who keep breaking them.

I'm being cheeky and I've flown it pre-bevelling of any leading edges just to show you don't need to go to the effort if you don't want to (or aren't sure what you are doing)! The speed suffers a little but the aerobatic capabilities obviously aren't being effected.

I've gone light because I don't have a huge field to fly in. Although by the time everything is bevelled/rounded I'll gain speed, I don't see the Mig 29 V2 having any problems carrying something like a Megajet V2 (or any generic 2836 motor). While I doubt a 3s and a 6x4 prop will provide any benefit over my setup, a 3s and a 6x5.5 prop or a 4s and a 6x4 will be a definitive speed boost. The stall speed will go up over mine but it's exceptionally low as it is, adding a few mph to it isn't likely to create any drastic issues.

F1 was spot on with the "1 inch back" on the CoG. The plane is about perfectly balanced. There's no nose or tail drop on a roll. It took the nose drop out of it on sharp turns and also took it out on a stall (I stalled it at the end of the high alpha run). I climbed at about 45 degrees on it's wingtip and the nose didn't drop there either. I prefer a touch nose heavy but I'm just under 1 inch back and it's perfect.

I also had zero trouble with orientation even with the light as low as it was and the plane being unpainted. The plane has a distinctive profile from most angles making it very easy to keep track of.

Even slowing down and dumping the throttle to make sure the prop was working hard there was little torque roll to deal with.

And when I say "effortless" in the video I mean it. This plane went from maneuver to maneuver smoothly without any complaint what so ever. Pitching and rolling violently just led to a quick but smooth change in direction. When it stalled at the end of the high alpha run it just sat there, you can't even tell in the video that it happened. Climbing at 45 degrees under nearly full throttle with a slow roll to invert for a split S, a 1/4 loop at about half stick and then a savage kick of full elevator for the rest of the loop out and.... well if you look at about the 3:15 mark of the vid you can see for yourself. It was happy to do it.

All in all this is a plane I'm really looking forward to becoming friends with.   
Regards,

Grey.

6mm foam parkflyers are toys?

Well...  Yes.

I've been to my local club a few times now and it's interesting to see how different guys approach the hobby.  Now don't get me wrong, I walk down the lineup of planes of everything from scratchbuilt 6mm foam planes through balsa gassers right up to a 15 foot turbine powered jet.  I get jealous, as jealous as all get out.  There's some absolutely beautiful planes on display whether they are 3D planes, warbirds or the turbine jets.

I'm sitting on the bottom end of the scale with my $70 odd worth of plane.  6mm foam with electronics stuck to it with hot-glue or strapped to it with velcro.  I'm happy with what I have mind you, even if I had 1000's of dollars to throw at the problem I'm not sure I'd move up for any other reason than I'm in love with the F4-U Corsair and Spitfire warbirds I'd love a beautiful example of each to fly.

Here's the reason.

I watch these guys fly their 1000's of dollars worth of planes and there's one thing they all have in common.  A look of absolute concentration on their faces when they fly.  You work your way down the chain to the many hundreds of dollars and they ease off a bit, the EDF jet and warbird mob who's spent around $200-$300 bucks and there's a smile or two.

Then there's a couply other guys and myself sitting on the bottom end of the scale with our cheapo scratchbuilt foamies (parkjets and warbirds mostly tho there's a 3D flyer in with us) and we are laughing and joking like idiots.

The main difference is that we play with our planes because deep down all of us know they are toys.  That we CAN play with our "toys" without risking large sums of money.  We can get out there, have some fun and even do a few stupid things every now and then.  Crashes aren't accompanied by a chorus of wincing groans and sympathetic comments, we throw our hands up in the air and cheer amid rousing comments like "that looked AWESOME!"

And you guys who like to show us your beautiful planes costing 1000's of dollars?  We see you.  We see you looking at us fly our cheap foam planes, taking risks you never would dream of betting 1000's of dollars worth of planes on working out.  We see the occasional spark of jealousy.

Now don't get me wrong.  I'm not trying to take anything at all away from those guys.  I admire their confidence, getting on the sticks for 1000's of dollars worth of RC plane and taking off, let along looping and rolling.  I'm jealous of their scale and absolutely beautiful planes.  My point is that there's plenty to like on the lower end of the scale too.

Scratchbuilt parkjets like I fly, and I'm told this often, are basically toys.  I occasionally get told this in a somewhat derogitory way meant as a putdown and I have to tell you, it never works.  They ARE basically toys but...  What's inherently wrong with that? 

It's not like I couldn't have afforded a couple decent ARF/RTF parkflyers with the money I've spent on my parkjets.  6 motors at $11 a pop, 6 ESCs at $11 a pop, a case of Depron at $215, bunches of servos at between 3 and 5 dollars each plus all the sundries like connectors, control horns/rods, glues, tapes, printing of plans etc.  So why do I stick to the scratchbuilt parkjets?

There is no doubt that flying a scale warbird or turbine jet around the field is an inherently satisfying thing to do.   It's an achievement to be able to do that, one that everyone who's ever had the opportunity to do so can be well and truly proud of.  Even a nice looking EPO EDF jet carries a certain amount of satisfaction just because of the scale look. But why would you deny yourself the carefree fun of flying a "toy"?

What's to stop you having the best of both worlds?

Just something to think about.

RCPowers Mig 29 v2 first impressions.

This morning was absolutely beautiful flying weather and, as things usually happen, I had a lot to do today.

We are headed out of town tomorrow so it's check over the car day. A bulb in the headlights of the car blew the other day and one indicator decided it wasn't going to work this morning. New bulbs in the headlights was easy but tracking down the problem with the indicator and installing the parts took a while.

2 cars to wash and packing ate up a lot more time.

By the time I was finished I had about half an hour of daylight left so I grabbed the Mig 29 v2 and ducked out for a quick fly. Sorry, no video!

Setup;

RCTimer 2826-6 2200kv motor (50g)
RCTimer 30A ESC (Medium timing)
Turnigy 2200mAh 3s 20C battery.
APC 6x4E prop.
Elevon only (2 x RCTimer 9018 MG servos)
Orange RX

I made 2 mistakes, one more easily fixed than the other.

First, I used a 50g motor and the mount/slot is for the next size down. I didn't recess the motor further like I usually do because the prop sat comfortably in the prop slot. Not centred but not riding the rear of the slot either. A 2200mAh 3s 20C battery put as far forward as it can go JUST hits the recommended CG after I reinforced the nose with hot glue in the seams to get a little more weight in the front.

If I want to use the 1600mAh battery I had planned on I'm going to have to pull the motor out and recess the mount.

The second mistake was I looked at the throws on the planview PDF and I always end up using more. Since I only put on elevons I though I was safe adding a bit. Nope. For your first flight, stick to the throws on the planview.pdf! After one short flight I popped the clevises off and moved them down a hole. The throws are still a little big but I flew anyway. I didn't mess around anymore because daylight was fading and I didn't want to get it all set up properly with about 30 seconds left to fly!

The Maiden;

This is a very surprising plane.

It trimmed out easily requiring very little to counter torque roll. I got it all trimmed out in a single lap of the field.

Impression number one? It just launches. Easily. I had plenty of time to get my hands back on the sticks, even though it needed up-trim once airborne and I'm using the stock CG (a bit nose heavy). It took me by surprise and I actually pitched the plane up into high alpha thinking I was going to have to counter the nose dropping. Nope!

The second launch was as Smooth with a capital "Smoo".

I have not bevelled or rounded anything yet. The front of the wing with the KF2 is showing 12mm of vertical foam to the wind, the vert stabs aren't rounded off and neither are the front end of the nacelles. Despite this it requires less than half throttle just to tool around the sky which is quite nice. At WOT it's still surprisingly quick too. I pulled the motor/ESC combo out of my RCP J-20 for this one and the speed difference is solid.

The ESC came back hotter than I expected (hotter than than it came back in the J-20). This is a good sign because it means the prop is breathing well and doing it's job, it's not starving for air (making the prop easier to spin) so it's getting the most benefit from the 6x4 prop.

It's not coming back too hot but it's warmer than I'd like so I'm going to move up to a 40A ESC when the opportunity arises though, just to be safe...

Even on elevons only the pitch and roll rate is quite good. I don't think I'm going to be adding Ailerons or putting it on 4x4, it's just not needed. Ailerons are nice because you can keep your roll rate up no matter what your elevons are doing but I just don't think the Mig 29 v2 really needs them.

I didn't push it hard but it had no issues with loops, rolls, a kulbit, an immelman or a split S. Vertical performance is also nice.

My only issue with the plane in it's current state is the large vert stabs. At WOT the drag is pitching the plane up making it climb but it's not savage at all and nothing trimming it out for faster flight won't fix (I trimmed it out at 3/4 throttle).

If you are sitting on an MJv3 and are looking for a v2 to put it in but retain some speed? This will be it. Just make sure you bump your ESC up to a 30A. This plane likes the speed.

I'm really looking forward to spending more time with this plane.

Motor installation how-to!

My newest "how to" video - Mounting a motor in your scratchbuilt parkjet.



This uses the RCPowers Mig 29 v2 as the sample plane and the RCPowers wooden motor mount though the same applies for any similar mount.

Regards,

Grey

Part one of the a build log for my latest project, the RCPowers Mig 29 v2, is up over on my other blog.

http://greysaerobuildlogs.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/rcpowers-mig-29-v2-build.html

Regards,

Grey

I'm a fanboy.

Recently on Flight Test's Youtube channel they reviewed a scratchbuilt F-22 foamy.  Looking at the comments section it became clear that the review got lost and it's become a pissing match on who is the best plane designer and whatnot.

I find myself wondering how Josh and Josh feel that their video is now somewhat redundant because of the replies.  That, despite their positive intent to bring a bit of fun and happy into the world it's been railroaded into a stream of back and forth rubbish from "fanboys" and "haters".

So you know what?  Here's my spin on things.

I'm an RCPowers Fanboy and I'm definately not scared to admit it.  My youtube channel being full of videos of the RCP F-22 V1 is probably a dead giveaway anywho.  I have about 5 of their planes and I enjoy most of them regularly.

What I really don't understand is when Fanboy crosses the line into OCD.  When RCP, RCFF, 6mmFlyRC etc becomes the only thing worth looking at.  They all have planes worth looking at IMO, even though I'm an RCPowers fanboy.

I mean, seriously speaking, what is the point of letting your like for a certain designer or website get in the way of looking at others where you might find a plane that you are going to like just as much?

I look at RCFoamFighters a fair bit.  I'm not really into the speed planes they seem to specialise in, so the majority of it I'll never build, but it's still interesting to go and read.  On the planes, the Nova is wicked fast but just doesn't interest me, sure.  The Aurora though?  Now that's a nice looking plane I could get behind.  It's by a different designer so it's not going to have the performance characteristics that I love in the RCP designs but...  It's sweet looking plane, slick and fast and it's something I'm not going to get from RCPowers.

So...  What's the point of not considering it?  It's not like I need to show some solidarity for starving kids in Africa, people suffering under oppressive military regiemes or trying to save the amazon rainforest.

It's an RC plane built out of a sheet of foam with some electronics stuck onto to it.  It's just a couple hours of fun with the lads.  So if I get a couple hours of fun with the lads out of it...  Why should who designed it really matter?

Do I tell people looking at getting into Scratchbuilt RC planes to go to RCPowers?  Sure I do.  If they are beginners that's about all I tell them because RCP specialises in beginner friendly planes.  But if they are looking for a speed plane?  I mention the RCP T-50 V1 but also send them to RCFoamFighters too.  Thats' what RCFF are good at so what reason is there not to?  If they are an SR-71 plan?  I'll send them links to popular SR-71's with good reports from people who built them regardless of the source.

I really, truly, think that a lot of people are cutting off their nose to spite their face.  There's a lot of good stuff out there, don't let your fanboyhood get in the way of you finding it.

Regards,

Grey.

New blog page

Later today I'll be adding a new page!  I'm putting the finishing touches on my first "how to" video  as one of the first upgrades to the blog to make it a source of info as well as someplace where you can see what I'm doing.

I apologise in advance because I really need to buy a better microphone!

Regards,

Grey.

Blog updates;

Still havn't managed to fix the "Followers" gadget :P.  The same fix that worked for the last template doesn't work with this new one.  It works in both Firefox and Chrome but I just can't seem to get ti working in IE...

Updated the RCPowers eCourse page to reflect the new "Ultimate Parkjet System" name, I'll fix the link for it tomorrow.

Have done some work to gadgets so I can get video working well in the sidebar (for future updates).

Well, it's 2am and the house is getting cold, winter is almost here.  I'm shuffling off to a warm bed for some well-earned sleep.  Nighty night ;).

Regards,

Grey.

An evening flying

I managed to make it out flying the other evening! 

The result is 2 new videos.  As usual, both are available in up to 720p.  The first needs fullscreen because of the video of the Funfighter Corsair from Hobbyking.  Those funfighters are quite small (600mm-ish wingspan) and wicked fast so the mrs has a hard time keeping the video camera pointed at it!

The music is the same because I was originally only going to make 1 video.  They both turned out OK (although they both have a couple issues with Image stabilization, one has a spelling mistake and the other is missing a transition :P).

Hopefully today will see me out again.  Batteries are charged and waiting, all I'm doing is waiting for it to warm up a bit!

Regards,

Grey.

Whare is this blog going and why hasn't much been happening to it?

So I changed the blog around a bit.  I've had some complaints about the old black format so I moved to something a little more colourful and cheerie (as well as easier to read!).

I've been toying with it off and on, between spending far more time on my wife's blog,.  Her blog has given me a chance to add and shuffle features to try them out and see what works and what doesn't.  I'm far more ready to begin some serious work on my own now.

I've got plans for some upgrades to the blog with more constant and more informative posts about my spin on the Scratchbuilt Foamy portion of the RC plane hobby. It will take a while though, it's a lot of fact checking to try to avoid spreading bad information! It also involves some Multimedia stuff which will take some time to produce.

My Youtube channel is also going to get more than just flight videos soon.  I plan on doing a few instructional videos and some opinion-based vids too.  Hopefully it all works out in the end!

Tax time is almost here too so I'll have a new case of Depron!  Australia is a bit of a bumer for Depron or other foams with a single sheet costing you about $25 after shipping :P.  The new case should see my Build Logs blog start to populate itself around late july or early august some time!

There should be a few RCPowers planes, I'm going to do some Tom Hellberg planes and there's a couple designed by the guys in the RCPowers and RCGroups forums I'd like to make too.  This should see my Youtube channel get populated with  larger variety of planes than the RCPowers F-22.  Of course, being one of my favourite planes, it will still make appearances!

Regards,

Grey.

Video Editor Comparison Time.

We all tend to look through things with rose-coloured glasses sometimes.  I'm going to make some recommendations BUT if you have a program you already use and like then STICK WITH IT.  There's no point in spending extra money for a "better editing program" if what you have keeps you happy.

Scenario 1; The Budget is tight.

Lets face it, when thinking about RC plane videos, video editing is a side pursuit to flying.  Every dollar you spend on a video editor and a computer to do it is a dollar less than you can spend on your planes.

Windows Live Movie Maker is the clear winner being free and working fine on any windows-based system.  Vegas is a good runner-up though.  It's got a nice and rounded set of features that allows you to take things a step further and make your videos look different to so many others using WLMM for their Youtube videos.

Scenario 2;  Throw together a Video and get it up on Youtube.

The 2 clear-cut winners here are Windows Live Movie Maker and Cyberlink PowerDirector.  Both are exceptionally easy to use for the basics of cutting together your video, adding a title, throwing in some transitions, adding some music and uploading it onto youtube.  Powerdirector offers a much wider variety of titles and transitions if you shoose to make your own but both offer to quickly and easily add a theme to your movie that adds titles and transitions on your behalf with only the text to be filled in.

Scenario 3; Add a little flair to your videos

Powerdirector, Vegas and Premiere Elements all allow you to do this, just to differing degrees of personal skill level and computer specs.  Powerdirector is probably the best "all round" but each of the others also have their advantages to make them desirable.  All will zoom and stabilize, have a variety of titles and transitions and a healthy range of effects to choose from.

Scenario 4; The family will want to use it too.

The results are just a backup of scenario 2.  Both WLMM and PowerDirector are easy enough to use that the whole family can get in on the action to varying degrees.  Not only will both do your plane videos they will also do the vacation videos, easily create slideshows from digital stills, etc.  The main difference in this area is that Powerdirector has event-specific titles on offer, lighting correction to help you spiff up those videos that came out a little dark and more in the way of effects that the kids will want to play with.

Scenario 5; You are looking to build video making into a hobby of it's own rather than just a sideline to your RC.

Adobe Premiere Elements is the winner here IF you can afford a computer to run it well.  The range of options and features is just far superior to the other 3 offerings.

PowerDirector and Vegas are both close runner-ups but I'd go with a better version of vegas than the stock.  Each has it's own advantages but the main one they have in common is the ability to run on lower-end computers.  Both of these run well on my setup which isnt' really designed around video editing. 

To bring my computer up to spec to run Premiere Elements well I'm looking at a better CPU, more ram and cleaning up my hard drives.  Overall I'm looking at about $350 for this upgrade to do "ok".  The only upgrade most people would need to run PowerDirector or Vegas on the average desktop computer is a video card with hardware video encoding to speed up the process.  You dont[' need anything flash and there's offerings from both nVidia (gForce) and AMD (Radeon) that will do the job admirably for $140-$160 easy enough.

My opinion?

Based on making RC plane videos quickly and easily so you can show off via the internet?

Free; Windows Live Movie Maker.  Honestly speaking?  For a good 95% of people this is all you are going to need in order to cut out the bits you don't want, put together the bits you do want and get your video online.

Paid; Look, I would LOVE to recommend PowerDirector, I really would.  At $20 more than Vegas it's worth it just for being so easy to use.  There's nothing "wrong" with Vegas at all it's just that PowerDirector is by FAR easier to use for 95% of everything you will likely find yourself doing with it.  The issue of it not wanting to work with multiple high-def files just makes it so I can't.  Sony Vegas therefore wins that race.

It's more fiddly to use but it's still a powerful piece of kit that allows you to get your video onto youtube with the minimal of fuss.

Do NOT buy Peemiere Elements unless you intend to get much deeper into video editing and have the money to splash out on a computer to run it.  Just because your computer runs games blisteringly fast it doesn't necessarily mean it will push Premiere Elements either.  If Adobe could wrap their heads around using video cards more effectively I would have little trouble recommending this over Vegas.  As it stands though, Vegas is far better for the average user if you want to take your first steps into a more professional-type setup for video editing.