Uttam's Aeromodelling Website

Hi, and welcome to my aeromodelling webpage. My previous webpage was meant to remain just that, a web page, but then it kept on growing, more and more pages and pictures were added and things became haphazard. As promised, this is my updated webpage, with a better interface and pictures arranged categorically with thumbnails. I'll keep updating my webpage so do visit now and then! It's all the kind words that keep me going! I you have any suggestions feel free to mail me at uttamchandrashekhar@yahoo.com This updated website also doubles up as my final semester Project in Web page design .

OK, now something about me. My name is Uttam and I'm from India, Bangalore. I'm 20 years old and have been building and flying aeromodels for about 2 and a half years now. I started out with a glider called the Gnome. The kit wood was very heavy, added to that my generous gluing and lack of knowledge resulted in a super heavy model that didn't fly all that well! But that got me hooked!

I then subscribed to an e-group called the FFML ( Free Flight Mailing List )where a discussion about a model called the Minnow was going on. I got a link to the model plan, downloaded it and built it out of locally grown Balsa wood. Dad was completely against me building a rubber powered model because he was under the impression that the prop would just spin up for a second or two and not produce enough useful thrust to propel any model forward! At that time, I didn't have Tan II rubber and decided to power it with bicycle valve tube rubber. Dad made the prop using a blank cut out from a Polycarbonate sheet which he then heat formed and eyed in the proper Pitch. He tried a few launches outside our house and each time we got a powered glide. Dad then decided to thin the prop and smoothen it out, it started to climb then!! We took her to the field and trimmed her out and consistently got about 25-30 secs of powered flight consisting of a steep climb and then setting in for cruise. This was my 1st flying model!! I owe it all to dad and the FFML and Mr. Eshwar. I'm proud to be a part of a group with so many people with many decades of experience with building and flying aeromodels, all willing to help.

Then I happened to come across a really cute electric model called the Thistle. Fell in love with it and decided to build it. I didn't have the little motors that I have now and sourced the motor and small batteries from local sources. This resulted in a model that would just power glide. There were many such models, all built with a lot of enthusiasm , but none flew.

Slightly disappointed with my results, I decided to get some small motors and batteries. I happened to spot some Mabuchi N20 motors from allelectronics and some Sanyo 50mahr NiCd's from Cloud 9 RC and placed an order for those. Then, using one N20 motor and 2 50mahr NiCd's, I built a Guided Mite. At 13" span, and using standard Balsa ( I had realized the importance of light weight by now ) construction, resulted in a model which I now know was over weight by just 2 gm's. 1st flight, launched her into the wind, not expecting too much , but surprisingly did one full circle! It was still under-powered and didn't climb at all. So I added one more cell and charged up the batteries completely so that I'd have ample motor run time to trim her. Dad and me went to the field behind our house and I launched her into the slight breeze and to my amazement she started to climb, and climb fast. Then happiness turned to shock when the breeze carried the Guided Mite further and further away from me, across and over a road and electric lines. I tried, out of sheer desperation, to try and catch her but, hey, the Guided Mite was more than 20' high, there was no way I could reach her. It then encountered a coconut tree across the road and still continued to fly in circles, for a couple of secs we lost sight of her and at that second we thought we'd lost her, but then a little model in Pink and Purple appeared from behind the tree, did one more circle and went into the concrete wall of a house and stopped. My heart was beating so fast, I really couldn't tell what was happening, I ran out of the field and across the road and into the wrong house! Dad followed but went to the right house and found the model in one piece(!), nose first, without the U-80 prop, motor still running! I'll never, ever, forget this day ( Saturday, August 4th 2001, 3:30PM ). Many models followed, all flying very well and giving consistent flights. I was completely hooked, and from that day, there hasn't been a single day, a single minute I haven't thought of an aeromodel.

Many people have e-mailed me asking for some Mabuchi N20 motors and 50mahr cells. Before you shoot me an e-mail asking for N20 motors, please be informed that these motors are NOT available in India, at least not easily. They don't have any application here. They are available on-line, at ALLELECTRONICS for 75cents each and it's really easy to place an order using a credit-card. If you are not willing to use your card, I can't help you. I'd be more than happy to help you with the building, and flying if that's possible. As for the cells, Sanyo 50mahr cells are also not available here, at least not in Bangalore, and although Sanyo have some dealers here, they wouldn't entertain you if you weren't in need for a few thousand of them! They are available from many online sources, including Cloud 9 RC ( Check the links section ). A better alternative, at lease for people in India, would be to order some High-capacity capacitors from RS Components ( they have many branches all over India. ). 3.3Farad Panasonic Gold cap capacitors are very good and can power a small model very nicely. I have built many capacitor powered models and they are simply great fun to fly!!

NOTE: Click on the thumbnails for larger pics. If you are using Windows XP, when the larger image opens, maximize the new window if it already isn't, to view at full res. Also, move the mouse over the thumbnails for a little description on the image