Been looking for a house all week and while driving around I stopped at a hobby store to stretch my legs a little. While inside I saw this. They had a Stearman as well but the Stearman I wasn't so surprised about, but the Icon was definitely unexpected. They have three of them. Kind of want to buy one! The wingspan is 50-something inches with a 30-something length.

I miss my RC airplanes, it was a lot of fun. Life just got busy and I moved an hour further away from my flying field. I flew .46 glow planes, and had one on floats which was great fun at the lake or snowy field. I also got into electic helis, but not the planes. These little parkzone models are a good starting point, and pretty cool to have an anphibious one. I'd probably want to mod it with retractable gear.

I have a large electric heli too. I put my GoPro on it so I could take some aerial pictures. I've never flown an amphibious plane before, seems interesting. $200 doesn't seem a bad price for a plane of that size.

Lots of nice videos on youtube, very neat! You can even buy them directly from Icon.

 

http://store.iconaircraft.com/products/parkzone-icon-a5-rc-bind-n-fly

I have been flying RC for 35 years. I flew pattern and was an instructor for my club. Like Noffa I had to quit about five years ago due to time constraints. Please trust me when I tell you that the Icon is not a good fist choice to learn to fly on. You need a high wing (not shoulder) trainer with lots of dihedral in the wing that fly's nice and slow. Once you have masterd that you may move on to the Icon. If you get the Icon first Please just mail the $200 to me and save yourself a lot of time. lol.

Thanks

Ron

Well, Aerofly offers a computer version of RC flying. Not my cup of tea, but might be worth a look if you are into it and time constraints are a problem.........

 

"Want to play Flight in real life?" My answer is a straight-forward, "Nope!"

 

As CrewF16 points out, mass quantities of time and money are involved. And that's just for the model approach! I'm sure we've all Googled the Icon and pictured ourselves flying the real thing, but....

 

Flight is so much cheaper and so much safer! You can't pause a model or a real Icon. You can't fill 'er up for free. You can't practice musical instrument scales while the Maule is trimmed up and droning between islands. You can't get up and refill your coffee cup. And if you crash in real life, you don't get a crashtastic award; you get major orthopedic injuries!

 

I know some hold the opposite opinion, but I prefer Flight over real life because there's no ATC! You can fly where you want, when you want. There's nobody bugging you on the radio, "Aircraft over Hilo, state your intentions." What's not to like?

 

Time for me to withdraw from reality now :-)!

I've flown RC aircraft before, just never an amphibious one.

 

Stumpwiz while Flight has a lot of things you can do as a simulation, flying on a computer will never compare to the real thing.

Just for those who are not aware, you can simulate RC flying by pushing the "R" button at any point on the ground or in the air. You can find yourself outside the aircraft at 10.000 feet and still be in control. Hit the change view button and you are back inside. Try it, it is not easy but can be fun. Flying the real thing is fun also but Stumpwiz is correct, time and money big time, been there, done that.

time and money big time, been there, done that.

 

Amen! XCal, I know flying on a computer isn't the same as the real thing, and that's a feature, not a bug :-)! Much of the fun but not much downside. Also, (ahem) helps me recapture my lost youth :-).

That RC game looks nice! Of course it's just one photographic background. I wish Flight (or any other sim) would look that real. No matter how nice Flight (or other sims) look, they never look totally real. They look nice and/or awesome but not REAL. Well, Flight II maybe...

That RC game looks nice! Of course it's just one photographic background. I wish Flight (or any other sim) would look that real. No matter how nice Flight (or other sims) look, they never look totally real. They look nice and/or awesome but not REAL. Well, Flight II maybe...

 

Its also a cheaper way to practice, rather than just going out there and face planting an expensive plane.