RC Plane Lab

Ep 223: Tom’s Home, Dave Bought a Jet, and Ron Goes Scale

Tom is home, and Ron and Dave had no idea he was about to walk through the door. Once the surprise wears off, the guys talk about AMA’s investigation into suspected radio

Ep 222: Is the AMA Selling Muncie? Our Questions and Concerns

The AMA is considering an opportunity involving its Muncie property, and we've got questions. In this short episode, Ron, Tom, and Dave read the October 9 member email an

Ep 221: AMA Candidates, Warbirds & Classics, and Dave’s New Shadow Seeker X

Ron and Dave catch up after a busy couple of weeks. They talk about the separate interviews with AMA Executive Vice President candidates Phil Tallman and Randy Gibson, wh

Ep 220: Phil Tallman, Candidate for AMA Executive VP

Ron talks with AMA Executive Vice President candidate Phil Tallman about the Academy of Model Aeronautics and the challenges facing model aviation. They discuss declining

Ep 219: Randy Gibson, Candidate for AMA Executive VP

Ron talks with AMA Executive Vice President candidate Randy Gibson about the Academy of Model Aeronautics and the challenges facing model aviation. They discuss declining

Ep 218 – Vintage RC, Nitro, and a Few Bean-Field Landings

Ron's Falcon 56 was supposed to make its first flight, but an old pushrod had other plans. That turned out to be a good reminder that just because an old airplane looks r

Ep 217: RC Fest, Ring of Fire Redemption, and Piper Takes the Mic

Piper joins Ron, Dave, and Tom for a lively recap of RC Fest! She shares her adventures with the RC car “Try Me” courses and introduces the two new vehicles she brought h

Ep 216: Tom’s Home for One Episode—and Ron Bought a Nitro Plane?!

Tom is home and back in the studio with Ron and Dave—but only for this episode during his brief visit. Tom’s wife, Lori, is also there and briefly joins the conversation

Ep 215: Night Flying, A Found Yak, and DIY Light Switches

Ron and Dave catch up after a busy stretch and dive into a surprisingly full evening of RC activity. Ron rediscovers a long‑forgotten Carbon‑Z Yak in his basement and giv

Ep 214: Old Beavers, Ironic Howls, and Wing Loading

Ron and Dave return after a summer break to talk flying, family updates, and shop projects. They highlight five new or reissued RC airplanes and touch on the science of w

Ep 213: New OV‑10, Rock Crawlers, Fly‑In Recap, and Our RC‑Ready Rigs

Ron, Tom, and Dave cover extreme summer weather, camping with RC rock crawlers, a new UMX‑sized OV‑10 release, their local club fly‑in recap, and a deep dive into how eac

Ep 212: Switches, Knobs & Chaos: How We Actually Set Up Our Radios

The guys are back together — sort of — and this week they dive into one of the most common listener questions: How should you assign switches on your radio? After some cl

Ep 211: Tom Returns (Remotely), Crashes, Cap Builds, and Field Adventures

Tom makes a surprise remote return to the show from his extended deployment in the U.S. Southwest desert. The guys catch up on flying, mishaps, new airplanes, swap meets,

EP 210: A Trailer, a Charger, and a Great Day Flying

A couple of new releases hit the RC scene, and a day at the field turns into a mix of flying, tinkering, and trailer‑powered success. With a few maiden flights, some quic

Ep 209: The Beginner’s Lounge, Trailer Upgrades, and the RACores Yak‑55 Assembly

In this episode we talk about the sudden closure of WACO Aircraft Company and what it means for full‑scale aviation fans. Ron goes over the latest trailer upgrades, inclu

Ep 208: 2026 Toledo Wrap up, with Daniel and Reggie

Tune in to hear how the 2026 Toledo RC Swap Meet and Expo went for the guys!

Ep 207: From Trash to Treasure, New Releases, and Swap‑Meet Fun

In this episode, Dave kicks things off with the story behind his April Model Aviation article, “From Trash to Treasure,” and finally shares the full tale behind the proje

Ep 206: Inside the 2026 Toledo R/C Swap Meet & Expo with Hank Rauhaus

In this episode, we sit down once again with Hank Rauhaus, the man behind the Toledo R/C Swap Meet & Expo, to get an inside look at what’s new for 2026. Hank shares how t

Ep 205: Farewells, Finds, and a Free BF‑109

A bittersweet week in the RC world as we announce the BF‑109 kit winner, talk through the closing of Grayson Hobby after two decades, and recap the Fox Valley Aero swap m

Ep 204: What’s in our Hangar?

This week we remind listeners that Electro‑Streak short kits are back on the bench and available now. We take a quick look at Banana Hobby’s X‑Fly new 4‑channel business