2009 Transition Year

Hey All

It has been quite a year since I last updated.. CRAP... it has been too long, that is for sure..... And a lot of changes have happened.

For one.. our Company has gotten together with YD-Models of Australia and are we are bringing out our own line of engines, designed, manufactured and assembled in the west. In fact the only components that will be used that are not sourced in the west are the bearings (Japanese), and the ignition system (RCEXL). The carbs are being sourced in the USA.

So why have we done this? Mainly because of the Asian business culture and how they operate.

Distributors have to be supported by the factory in parts and some warranty labor reimbursement. Manufacturers have to protect the distributors by not encouraging new dealers to sprout up in areas surrounding the original dealers. As a distributor we have to be able to make a profit on the engines that is large enough for us to concentrate on engine sales and service. An over abundance of distributors forces all to lower pricing to a level that will not support anyone, which detracts from the ability to effectively serve the consumer.

This is another area where the Chinese make some big mistakes. They do everything they can to leverage the distributor. If they are not buying what the manufacturer considers to be enough engines, the manufacturer will quickly look for additional distributors to expand the sales network.

What happens next is easy to understand. Several new distributors suddenly spring up seeing what they believe to be a great business opportunity. In reality what happens is the manufacturer makes a quick one time sale to the new guys consisting of a 25 to 100 engine units.

From that point all the new distributors, plus the original ones, have a lot of product sitting on the shelf that doesn't sell. The reason for that is due to the limited number of potential engine buyers, plus any negative publicity the manufacturer has managed to accumulate.

There's only so many people that fly gas engines, and that percentage is quite small compared to glow flyers. The manufacturers fail to perform any demographic studies to understand this beforehand. But, hey, they did dump off all that product on the old and new distributors, so the manufacturer got what they wanted. Doesn't matter that all of us will suffer for it.

We predicted this would happen to us too. We spent the money, time and effort, and the sales were expanding very nicely. So....if we were a company successfully selling a 100 engines a month, then heck... the manufacturer sees the almight $$ signs hanging like low fruit on the tree....& they will then go get a couple of more "distributors" and viola...... you will be selling 1000's of engines a month!!!!! Of course that is complete drivel.. but that is the Asian business culture way of thinking. "Sales for today.... worry about tomorrow next week"....

We did not wait for this to happen. The YD-A engine was born. So instead of contributing the engineering and manufacturing of overseas engines we took that energy and focused it on engines that will be considered best in class, made in the west, and all for a reasonable cost to the modeler.

And yes...We are still bringing in engines from Asia for now. Why? Because we can for now,still control a lot of the aspects in the whole cycle. As long as we can do this, all of us win. (that includes you guys too). The engines are built to our specs, inspected here, and serviced here. You can believe that there are quality variations in the engines.... but we cull them as best we can. I am only talking about how we are operating... I do not speak for any of the other distributors out there. (regardless which engine brand(s) they carry and sell). As more of our engine types come online, we will reduce the number of engines purchased overseas.

We also know that we can compete with offshore products... IT is time.

RC Aero Updates - What have WE been UP TOO

Hey All
WOW.. has it really been weeks since that last update. That is incredible! Time has definitely flown this coop.... Time to catch up with what has been going on here and everywhere.

In December, we penned a deal to be the EAST COAST DISTRIBUTOR for 42 Percent Products. We figured since we were always using their products why not carry them and share them with our customers!

Their product line is availabe for viewing at our website or you can go the their site -
www.42-percent-products.com/

I just love their remote electronic kill switch. All my planes have them, and for me anyway, it is a cheap insurance policy and peace of mind.

That said, all their products are great value. PLUS they are all made right here in the USA. Service is outstanding, as they will stand behind, and in front of any product they sell. Oh.. and they also design their own products too. Add to the fact that they are modelers too, and you get a win/win with this.

OK.. going on... We have also been testing a brand of servos... not just some out of the way, no name brand cheap servos either. These are class acts.

One of our distributors - Steve Cahill has been testing these for the last 2 months (yeah we are engineers and we do things the right way.) OK first about the servos themselves.

We are going to bringing out 2 types of servos..- both digital, metal geared, and all programmable too!!!!
Coreless and Ferrite Brush motor.
Specs -
Thrust @ 6.0V - Coreless - 276 oz/in
Ferrite - 193 oz/in

Not bad right!!!! OK... what about the cost.... Coreless - $48, Ferrite - $32.... and we are still working to get the pricing lower.

The interesting part is that these are programmable too. That will cost a whole $20 for the setup.

How is the testing going you ask?
Incredible - We have a couple of guys doing the testing and their results have been positive.

We are testing by attaching a dowel on the servo (12"). At the end we put a load of 2kg. Then we cycle the servo. Full extension UP - Center - Full Extension Down - Center - Repeat.

Steve also attached a precision protractor to measure drift. He has put in excess of 600,000 cycles on the servos - NONE have crapped out... and ALL are still hitting the 0/0 drift mark.

More on this soon. We expect to be carrying them by the end of the February. COOL stuff.

NEWS From Abroad

Working with global distributors like I do, I have the great opportunity of seeing what is happening with our hobby, the directions that it is going in and new products that will be coming out.

I also get to see the downsides too. With the economic meltdown that is affecting us globally, it too is having a significant effect on hobby. More directly.. our manufacturers.

Asia is shedding jobs at an alarming rate. Factories (of all types) are closing down. Hundreds of thousands of people are unemployed. In regards to our RC hobby, it is being reported that over half of the manufacturers that once made our aircraft, parts and accessories are gone.

That's right... gone... busted... closed for good. And the bloodletting is still happening now. Some reports state that 3/4 of our hobby suppliers (this includes manufacturers, distributors and trading companies) may be gone in January/February.

Overall, in the short term, this will mean less choice for us, less selection, and perhaps some higher pricing.

In the long term, I feel that this event will be seen as a good shakeout that was a long time coming for our hobby. The cheap manufacturers of substandard products will be gone and give those who do survive and provide decent products at a decent price, with decent service, a bigger footprint of influence.

We do live in an interesting time for our hobby!

Using Loctite and How

To use or not to use.... that is the question....
The answer is quite easy..... YES... use Loctite. But why....

My first experience in learning to use Loctite, came through practical exercises. A buddy of mine was flying his Quadra 35 in his beloved Fokker tri-plane. At about 1oo feet in front of a lot spectators the engine seemed to shift from its firewall location.

My buddy quickly shut the engine down and luckily landed the plane... though you really don't land Fokkers, you try to tip them over at low speed.....

The post mortem revealed that 3 of the engine mount bolts had vibrated off, and the fourth bolt was ready to depart.

Right there and then, it became clear that using Loctite was an imperative to good assembly practices.

Our gas engined planes experience a great amount of vibration. No matter how smooth you think your engine is performing at, vibration still exists, and it can be insiduous and it can be dangerous.

Anywhere you have metal to metal contact on your aircraft, a drop of Loctite is your best preventative measure. In conjunction with your usual and regular airframe checks, Loctite can save your day, by ensuring your connections stay and remain tight.

Is there somewhere that Loctite should NOT be used? Unfortunately... as much as like the product and use it religiously, there are areas NOT to put those insurance drops.

I do not apply Loctite to bolts that attach the propeller, especially if the props are made of wood. Wood props do compress and over time this may cause the bolts to loosen. By using Loctite the bolts will remain firmly seated even though the prop is moving within your bolts. No good....

Regular checks of Prop mounting bolts will ensure all is well and good..... Story time.
Prior to the above.... I did use Loctite on my prop bolts. LOTS of Loctite.... I used the good stuff too.. the RED Loctite... That prop was not moving for love or money....

I forgot that props break if you land poorly.... silly me..... Well it happened... My landing was not a graceful affair. No problem I thought... I will take the bolts off.. replace the prop and I will be flying in about 10 minutes.

Oh Oh....These prop bolts would not move... no how.. no way.... I broke the heads off 2 of them before declaring defeat. It took me hours .... plus applied heat that almost melted the washers and prop hub. Lesson learned well... so read on...

BUT WAIT... there is more.

If you go to your favorite hardware store, you will notice several grades (or colors) of Loctite. The natural choice is to use Loctite RED..... Resist this urge........ you must resist this urge....

Loctite is an excellent product that does exactly what it designed to do. Lock nuts and bolts in place. By using the wrong grade (color) can make your day a cussed filled affair.

The article on the ZRCGF web site link above, will provide you with all the information needed to make the right decision for the right product.

Using Loctite is a smart, preventative maintenance move for all of us modelers. A little bottle will last a LONG time, and it will save your model by working in the background to prevent loosened nuts and bolts from converting your flying time... into rebuilding time