Drop Planes
Senior Frontier ARF
This plane is an ARF. It is a rather large plane but it is supposed to only
have a 46 in the nose. Tony beefed it up and put an OS 91 on and three drop
boxes and it is the best three dude drop plane that we have. It is easy to
convert any good 40 size trainer to a good drop plane. So if you have been
looking for something a little different in R/C modeling you might want to try
skydiving. It isn’t difficult to prepare a plane to drop them and it is
possible to purchase a skydiver ready to jump…less the radio equipment, and
it only takes a two channel for him, but you can put a 4 channel or any other
that you have around, but it must be a 2 stick radio.
Robin Hood 99
Drop planes are not as big a problem as you might think. It is a simple
matter to build a drop box for this purpose. A very good one with a positive
and reliable release mechanism can be built easily in one day of leisurely
modeling.
Here we see a Robin Hood 99 being loaded with three dudes for another
mission. This plane has a drop box under each wing, and one in the belly. This
plane has a Quadra 42 and is well suited to carry the weight of 3 jumpers. But
it isn’t necessary to have a plane this large to haul three dudes.
Kadet LT40 ARF
This is a Cadet LT 40 ARF with an OS 46 FX.
This combination is perfect for lifting one skydiver. It carries the two
pound jumper with complete ease.
This particular model has been modified with a
cut out in the bottom to allow the parachute to fit up inside to allow extra
clearance underneath. But that isn't really necessary. All that is
needed is a stronger landing gear, the one that comes with the kit is a little
soft, and allows the jumper to bump the ground.
A flat aluminum gear and a Fultz nose gear is
a perfect combo for handling the weight, then all that is needed is to screw a
jump box underneath the plane and you are ready to jump.
We have the plans and a video tape to show you
how to build a very simple jump box and a good drop mechanism. This can
be done easily in one day.
