Teach Your Troop to Fly an RC Airplane and help your Scouts earn their Aviation Merit Badge.

The thrill and excitement of flying an airplane, full scale or RC model, is like nothing else. A hands-on "Intro-to-Flight" experience unleashes a surge of excitement and wonder that can inspire greater things to come, just as it did for the First Man on the Moon, Neil Armstrong* when he was a young Boy Scout.

T-Hawk Trainer Aircraft with Buddy-Box With our AMA* approved and school proven* T-Hawk Trainer and Partner Buddy Box Radio system you will have what it takes to support a flight activity for troop events like the RC model airplane event at the Crossroads of America Council Fall 2006 Camporee*. For starters, it's crucial to entrust an aircraft like the T-Hawk which has a 5 year track record of excellence in flight performance, ease of use, durability and reliability making it the choice for organizational use. Add our Partner Buddy Box Radio Control system and your experienced RC pilot/instructor can with the flip of a switch, pass control of the aircraft to and from the student, for the most effective one-on-one flight experience/training possible. This Buddy-Box method also effectively minimizes crashes and hence the downtime associated with retrieving and/or repairing an aircraft.

Everything you need is included except the RC instructor Pilot*! We're not aware of anything else in the hobby market that includes such a complete training package, with buddy-box radio system, two flight batteries, charger for home and car, two landing gear types, two wing and tail sets and 3 propellers. The AeroHobby T-Hawk Trainer system with Partner Buddy-Box radio system is also priced right starting at $229.95 for our 27Mhz radio version to $279.95 for our professional 72Mhz radio version. *Also requires AA batteries for Transmitters.

Assembling and Flying a RC Model Airplane is now an Eligible Activity for the Aviation Merit Badge. See 3a in the Merit Badge Requirements.

Our standard T-Hawk kit is essentiallly Ready-To-Fly (RTF), but requires assembly of the tail, wing, landing gear, battery installation and charging. Please contact us if a more extensive assembly experience is desired.

We've put together the following suggestions so you and your troop(s) will get the most from your flying experience.

(1) Enlist an experienced RC pilot to participate with the planning and in the event. He should become familiar with the aircraft and radio system prior to the meeting. If you're unable to find an RC pilot, we suggest you contact your local AMA sanctioned flying club.
(2) Locate a suitable flying area and provisions for charging the flight batteries.
(3) Consider contingencies for bad weather and when winds exceed 15mph. Consider dawn or dusk for calmest weather conditions.
(4) Estimate the number of participants and the flying time allocated for each. Use a conservative figure of 9 minutes of flight time per battery even though typically the T-Hawk will fly 12 or more minutes in calm weather.. If you have many participants, you may choose to have 2 or 3 scouts trade-off during a full battery length flight, rather than stop and start a new flight with each scout.
(5) Ideally, hold a pre-flight and post-flight meeting with the participants. The pre-flight meeting should be used to familiarize the participants with the aircraft and controls, as well as the basic concepts of flight and controlling the aircraft in flight. Discuss how the buddy-box system works, and what will be expected of them. They should get practice with the basic maneuvers of turning, climbing and descending. Then, at a minimum we suggest the goal of flying in a circle while maintaining constant altitude. The AMA Sport Aviator Website is a great first resource for primary flight training.

Use the post-flight meeting to allow the boys to discuss their experiences and what they learned and ask questions.

We hope you find this information these suggestions helpful. Please contact us for further assistance.
ReadyToFlyFun
Scout Sales & Support
Toll Free 1-866-472-8697 M-F 10a-5pm MST
customerservice@readytoflyfun.com

*References

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong Biography

His support letter to the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) on page 17.

Crossroads of America Council Fall 2006 Camporee
Mission Radio Control Event sponsored by the AMA

Several of our T-Hawk trainer aircraft with buddy-box radio systems were selected by the AMA specifically for this event.
Read more about this event at
Crossroads of America Council, Boy Scouts of America Aug/Sept 2006 pages 2&4

AMA Model Aviation Online - View from HQ (November 2006)

For every Summer since 2005, North Carolina State University, after considering a number of products, chose the T-Hawk as the model participating students would assemble and fly as part of the weeklong aerospace study program. High School aged students learn about aeronautics, mechanical systems and radio control. The program is designed to inspire students who may wish to pursue aerospace careers.