As RC pilots, it's often the case that the weather simply doesn't cooperate. High winds and gusty conditions sometimes crush our dreams of flying on a certain free day. But what if we can work around the adverse weather? Here are three types of RC planes that do just fine in the wind (and sometimes work better for it).
Flying Wings
With a low profile that easily defeats/ignores side currents, flying wings are pretty darn good at flying on windy days. Here are a few that you might want to try out if you live in an area that seems like it's always stormy!
FT Mighty Mini Arrow - A sporty high performance mini DIY plane for FPV.
FT Versa Wing - Our original flying wing design able to be built in either a pusher or tractor configuration
FT Spear - A high payload larger wing with a ton of space for electronics (or your lunch if you so desire).
Opterra 2m Wing - A very large model with lots of oomph and a long wingspan. A larger wing area may mean that there's more to be tossed about by the wind, but a powerful brushless motor helps plough this beast through the atmosphere without a problem.
Slope Soarers
Slope soarers do something clever when it comes to wind. They use currents of air rising quickly up the side of a hill to create a ton of lift. Instead of ignoring the wind, or seeing it as a bad thing, these aircraft turn the problem on its head and use it to their advantage. Check out the time Flite Test visited the West Coast to have a go at using the elements to our advantage.
Turns out you can slope soar just about anything if there's enough wind. Just check out how much there was in this shot below by the way Josh's hair blows majestically in the breeze. Ideally, though, you need something with lots of lift, like a glider. Here are a few planes that are great at gliding.
Ft Simple Soarer - purposely designed for gliding, this model is a great all-rounder. It can be thrown around a backyard or chucked off a hundred foot cliff both with satisfying results.
FT Explorer - A versatile FPV plane that can easily retain it's motor yet still have enough wing area to fly around for hours on the power of the wind alone. You can also mod this design super easily meaning you could customise it for the type of winds/hills you have near to you. Make sure you take a look at our How to Mod FT Designs article for some handy tips on how to do this.
Strix Strato Surfer - A ready to fly (RTF) plane that, like the name suggests, surfs. This plane can also hold a load of gear in its hollow fuselage and multiple cameras if you so desire.
If you have any particular planes that you fly on windy days, please do let us and everyone else know by commenting on this article or in our Facebook Fans Group. Remember, sometimes it's best to just sit the bad weather out and go another day - not that it's stopped me trying.
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Article by James Whomsley
FliteTest.com Editor
If the SS had ailerons, then it might be a good choice, but I haven't made that mod yet and can't promise anything.
High wing-loading and a good amount of power is the modus operandi for windy/gusty days.
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