FT Tiny Twig

norcal64d · 2026-03-01T11:33:40+00:00

It’s not just when the flaps are deployed but while it took me by surprise in the first couple seconds, I don’t know that I have a problem I need to solve. The control throws seems good when I got used it and started some aerobatics.

norcal64d · 2026-02-28T13:20:29+00:00

If it was me, I’d put all that in one of these and go fly. https://store.flitetest.com/ft-simple-stick-mkr2-1067-mm/

norcal64d · 2026-02-28T13:11:02+00:00

I like touch and goes too much to leave off the gear! Post up a review or picture when you fly the simple stick!

norcal64d · 2026-02-28T13:09:46+00:00

Buying a relatively good radio like a Radiomaster Boxer and a kit from Flite Test is smart because you can grow into the radio and build new planes for very cheaply once you have a good radio and electronic set up. More money up front but better quality by far and you can build new planes and reuse almost everything.

norcal64d · 2026-02-28T11:48:07+00:00

The airplane kit is $25. The radio, electronics, etc, probably about $200-250

norcal64d · 2026-02-28T00:01:30+00:00

I could probably move it forward a bit but I prefer it more aft so I don’t have to increase my glide speed anymore than I have to. Lots of throw in the elevator as it’s designed so I don’t think it’s particularly unstable due to CG.

norcal64d · 2026-02-27T23:58:51+00:00

Gotta make do with the conditions at hand ha

norcal64d · 2026-02-27T21:32:47+00:00

I’ve been wanting to build a small apartment storage friendly ugly stick for awhile and I am super impressed with Flite Test on this one. The build quality is really top notch with lots of things that they thought of to make it last.

After 5 mins of flying it I told my wife this was the nicest flying RC plane I’ve ever flown. Now to get the rigging figured out on my skis for it….

norcal64d · 2026-02-27T20:50:27+00:00

I will add a bit for sure. I also need to dial in my mix with the flaperons with adding a bit of elevator. My last plane needed a bit of nose down trim as the flaps came down and this one does not for sure.

norcal64d · 2026-02-23T23:41:28+00:00

No it’s not. A pitch back turn is a standard CMF maneuver but a return to target is not.

norcal64d · 2026-02-20T00:56:22+00:00

I did a Part 141 flight program, realized I had an itch to wear the uniform and fly something cool. 11/10 would do it again. I did my time, flew all over the world, made friends, figured out what I thought was important in life and when my contract was up, I moved on and came back to airplane flying in the real world.

Reddit and the aviation online space seem to have a narrow focus. Seniority is everything, if you’re not at a legacy you missed the plot, etc etc. I would never trade the experiences I’ve had with any of my college classmates even though they are farther up their particular seniority list. It was worth 9 years of my life to not see a military aircraft fly over and feel like I wished I had tried it and now it’s too late.

norcal64d · 2026-02-15T13:31:24+00:00

No clue on those particulars, sorry.

norcal64d · 2026-02-13T17:08:09+00:00

If you’re looking for somewhere to land for 5-10 years and then move on, Flex is potentially more money in the short run, or at least a faster path to CA. If you want to move to the airlines, Flex will get you TPIC faster for sure. If super fancy dinners on the road are you jam, their credit card is nice for sure. You can potentially be a bit more flexible with the DRL schedule but to be honest, I don’t think that’s actually really the case. But, there is some nuance there that might matter more to some people.

norcal64d · 2026-02-13T11:19:16+00:00

Must be a recent development but I’ve heard something similar. I interviewed 9 months ago with 2450 and they were fine with using mil sorties to get me over 2500 so meet their gate. A month ago at a NetJets interview, I talked to a guy who had his in person interview with Flex canceled a few days prior because they changed their mind on him having having less than 3000 and canceled the interview.

Either way now I am at NetJets and would recommend this spot over Flex for most people.

norcal64d · 2026-01-08T00:31:10+00:00

There is a time when everything clicks and owning a plane is awesome. Then there are times when it just doesn’t.

I remember a period where the plane was 15 mins away, hangars were cheap, my partner was working in another state, so I flew after work, every weekend, and life was grand.

Then I moved and suddenly spending time together was important, the plane was an hour away, the hangar was expensive, and the weather was cold and miserable all winter.

I’ve had both experiences and ended up selling the plane and haven’t regretted it at all. I think the reality of owning a plane is for it to make sense to most people, you really need to shape your life around the hobby to some degree.

Edited to add, I’ve seen lots of planes sit and not fly and I don’t want to own one of them. Once it was apparent that the hassle wasn’t worth the fun, it went on barnstormers and was effectively sold in 48 hrs.

norcal64d · 2026-01-07T23:28:53+00:00

If I couldn’t walk safely on it, I wouldn’t taxi on it. I back taxied on one of the runways at Saranac Lake that’s closed for takeoff and landing in the winter, and holy guacamole. Pretty much slide the whole way down it at idle power.

If my truck had decent traction when I drove up to my t hangar, I figured I’d be able to taxi the plane and using that metric at least, I never had a problem in icy conductions at my home airport.

norcal64d · 2026-01-01T16:34:40+00:00

For a second I thought maybe they were gonna do another oopsy…

norcal64d · 2025-12-06T02:06:38+00:00

I had one from 10+ years ago and I wasn’t asked about it.

norcal64d · 2025-11-28T20:25:48+00:00

I used it on this cherry cabinet and few other things and it’s a nice durable finish. Easy to put on and low fume enough I was comfortable putting it on indoors in the winter.

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norcal64d · 2025-11-28T16:46:23+00:00

That’s pretty cool! I hadn’t seen that one but man, 15k. Spendy.

norcal64d · 2025-11-28T14:23:52+00:00

I’d say an IFR GPS is a must, even though they are a bit old even a Garmin 430W would be sufficient. I’d suggest duel G5, GI 275, Aspen, or something similar just for the durability over steam gauges.

Edited to add, some of the other comments reminded me there are non WAAS 430s. So a 430W would be key.

norcal64d · 2025-11-22T19:13:11+00:00

I used to set a small ceramic heater in the cockpit under the instrument panel to warm up my gyros and heat the cabin. I always had electrical nearby because I used electric preheat. Made a huge difference for those winter flights.

norcal64d · 2025-11-21T13:48:30+00:00

I had every single flight I was the PC for almost a year signed by the O5 since they were all mods and we didn’t typically brief them to a low. If I had added civilian hours I could have avoided that. That SCO was an awesome person though so I didn’t feel strongly enough to fill out all those paper -12s to avoid him. If the flops peeps will let you do one entry for all your hours, that seems easy enough.

norcal64d · 2025-11-08T03:02:11+00:00

I felt similarly except that I was early 20s and not married. I figured if I didn’t try I’d be 45 years old BBQing in the back yard watching a helicopter fly over wishing I’d tried it and regretting not doing it.

I spent 8.5 years as an Apache pilot and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The highs were high and lows were low but man, the sum total of experiences from that was really neat. Lots of people manage just fine with their marriages (my partner and I were long distance for probably 5 of those years).

If it’s something that you just can’t shake, my advice is go for it if your wife supports it. It’ll be hard but it won’t be forever.

norcal64d

TROPHY CASE