Building & Flying Indoor Model Airplanes

by Ron Williams

Book Overview

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0615202039
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Ron Williams
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Superbly illustrated and still the best book

As the other reviewers state, this is the book to get on free flight indoor model airplanes. The author illustrates / draws for a living; his well crafted and instructive drawings are better than photographs in showing you how to build such models. I agree with the other reviewer that Novice or Limited Pennyplane is by far now a better class to build and fly for your first competition class model. As others comment, some aspects are a bit dated but it is still the best book. I own two copies.

The best book on indoor aeromodeling!

Ron William's book Is an incredible resource for indoor flyers. Indoor models have seemed mysterious even to many outdoor flyers, but this book shows how to go from a simple Delta-Dart like glider to world class F1D planes weighing around 1 gram. Although the Aircraft types are a bit dated (Easy-Bee is now rather difficult, F1D planes are now much smaller and covered in plastic, Superthin plastics replaced many other coverings...)The building techniques are the same, and so are the formulas for loading and prop-form carving. Contest flyers should also get Lew Gitlow's newer book "indoor flying models" but William's Book is a truly indespencible resource.

A Classic Book!

This is a fantastic book. Although it's getting old, it's probably the best book ever written about building indoor duration models. It may also be the best book ever written about model aircraft.The author obviously put an enormous amount of effort into it, and it will be very useful to anyone who wants to begin building these fragile and beautiful models.The book is almost an inch thick, and contains detailed instructions on almost every step involved in building indoor models. If you've never built a completely successful rubber-power model plane before, this book might be a really good place to start. The first chapter starts with a beginner's model. Subsequent chapters cover more advanced topics, up to the world-championship F1D class. You could easily go from any skill level to being able to build any model in the book, using only the instructions and plans given in the book.Although the book concentrates on rubber duration, there is also a chapter on scale models and one on hand-launched gliders. There are many illustrations and they're excellent (I think the author is an architect).The only thing wrong with this book is that it is now getting old. For example, chapters two and three which describe the easy-bee class, were obviously written at a time when the class was was less competitive than it is today. Nevertheless, the building and flying information given in the book is pretty timeless. People who want more up-to-date information should probably buy Lew Gitlow's more recent book as well.

Useful, enjoyable, and still the best book on its subject.

Ron Williams' book is a pleasure that I've gone back to many times, both to enjoy his prose and his clear drawings and to answer questions and come up with ideas on my current project. A dog eared copy from the library was responsible for my entry into this hobby. Williams covers several types of indoor flying, with plans and instructions for a number of models, ranging from the easiest beginner's model to challenging F1D models with a couple of feet of wingspan that only weigh as much as a dollar bill. Both the prose and the artwork are clear and elegant; you might be tempted to copy some of the drawings to hang in your workshop. The book is showing its age slightly; it has no mention of Tan II, and the EZB designs aren't anywhere near as light as we have today, but it still serves as a wonderful introduction and reference. Williams also didn't seem to realize how easy Limited Pennyplane is, recommending instead EZB as the first serious model. Despite these small flaws, I recommend this book without hesitation, and I'm trying to get another copy to give to newcomers. This book should be republished!