Free Flight Basics #1 - Series Premiere - Braiding Rubber Motors

I've a few films to catch up with on your excellent channel Josh-something to look forward to over Christmas! Truly the Wakefield is a classic. This 1 blade prop certainly works well. Nice restoration! Happy Christmas to you and all the family. 🎄⭐👍

I am just amazed of the quality of everything you make....the plane,the filming,the editing....it is so peacefull to watch your videoos...love it !!..God bless from the Netherlands

Just getting into this hobby. Never wound any motors at all. Regarding length of motor being 3x the length of hook to peg, is that length of unwound loops before braiding or the length of braided motor. Thank you

Dear Max, your videos have fascinated me about this wonderful hobby, I'm watching your tutorials with my smartphone which translates to me, "unfortunately my knowledge of English is not very good", I hope to buy a model soon, I wanted to start with one from Guillows and following your advice, manage to make it fly. Unfortunately here in Italy the free flight with rubber engine is not very widespread and known and there is little or nothing to be found in shops, I am forced to buy abroad....goodbye and good flights.

Thanks a lot for your all your GREAT videos, now it's very clear for me wich was not the case when i was a kid ... THANKS🙏!!! Let's FLY !!! 😉 Sam

Hi, I'm back, I'm having a problem I can't solve: The motor bunches up towerds the rear. Is on a Guillow's Typhoon, the peg is at the stock location, the motor is 4 strands of 3/32 @ 150% peg to hook lenght, I can't use a "woble" tube because I don't have enough room at the back and because the hole for prop bearing is 8 mm diameter. I tried different ways of braiding, 150, 100, 70 and 50 "pre load" turns, then no braiding, still bunches up. I'm I missing something? Thanks!

Thanks a lot !!!

Where can I get such a long band?

You sir, are an incredible, model aircraft builder, flyer and film maker and teacher. Thank you for all you do in this regard. I have learned so much from you and I have thoroughly enjoyed your work.

Tom,
I've watched all of your videos several times over the years and I truly appreciate you sharing them. Your building skill is fantastic and I'm sure you and your father had many special times together building and flying models you created-fantastic memories..
Well, I'm 61 built many possible flying models in my life but have never flown one...
would you consider creating a video of very basic fundamentals of flight? sizing a motor to a plane by weight or wingspan. what equipment to use and where to get it, tying knots, rubber lube , building a winding jig -how to get a kit model in the air?
I've recently completed a walnut scale Dumas Fokker Eindecker using only the kit materials and without any rubber seems to balance correctly. I balanced the kit supplied prop (Sig prop) and I'd like to fly it. not looking for anything special, just a first flight...
I realise that, a lot to ask even if you could point me some where else for that info, it would be greatly appreciated.
You also create some beautiful art work for book covers - I do not have that skill at all.
Thank you and enjoy your day!
Steve Probelski

Square knots are best?

Love the videos! Learning a lot! What is the DT you’re using and where can I get some?

Thanks Tom for the high quality of craftsmanship you are sharing to us. I would like to ask you about the awesome pins shown on your builds. Are you using hot glue sticks for the pin heads? Very nice!

You build the most wouderful models an it raises my interest in rubber and free flight so one of my next projects will lead in this direction. thx 4 sharing these wounderful pictures that are really poison for my phantasie ;-) cheer Matze

Really nice countryside where you fly....

Thank you 👍

I don't have idea what are you doin but it works!

Comment traduire vos precieux commentaires en Français ? Magnifique technique. Bravo.

Comment traduire en Français ?

Great!!

fun to watch. I used to fly rubber powered models in contests in my younger days, even won a trophy or two :) Props were hand carved, about 2 feet long and folded back against the fuselage when the rubber was spent allowing less drag and longer glides.

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What is the advantage of the motor peg method over the motor stick or spar?

This was a very informative video for me! Thank you for showing and explaining how to do this.
I am new to rubber motor planes and need to keep learning.
Where can I buy the rubber and winder in the USA?

Where can I but lengths of rubber to make my own rubber motors?

😍😍❤❤❤✈✈✈

I had a Tipsy Nipper plane just like on the thumbnail. It was a kit that had a 2:1 gear ratio that automatically went to 1:1 when winding the rubber band. Quick to wind and flew for a while. It was a fun plane to fly.

Hello, it's a pleasure to greet you from Guadalajara, Mexico and congratulate you on the great work and teaching that you share with us; I will be very grateful if you teach us how to build the empennage system of an airplane so that the elevator goes up and goes down on its own and thus not lose the plane. Thanks.

The term 'wow' springs to mind, both for the motor technique AND the resulting flight. I have so much to learn.

Aussi je suis le seul à pratiquer cette passion sur mon île. Merci beaucoup pour cette belle démonstration et à très bientôt.

Congratulations Max.. the flight of your models is like a journey into the soul. Peace and relaxation.. Could you tell me where to buy these wonderful kits ready to fly or almost? Thanks

How do you choose size of rubber?

Thank you so much for this!! I'm a beginner and it's really saving my life :) Have you ever had any "nicks" in your rubber appear from stuffer sticks? Also, for different wingspan models, is there a chart or a way to calculate the number of loops in a braided motor?

So I’ve got a dumb question. How do you measure the loop? Single untied end, to single untied end. Or in a tied loop?
Say my model calls for a 10in loop. Would it be a 10in strand of rubber tied, ultimately making it 5in peg to hook. Or would it be a 20in strand tied, thus becoming 10in from peg to hook?

Do you need to back wind the motor to ease the torque - something friends of mine say they have to do, but which I've never understood?

anyone have a link for the junkers model ?

Q: How long can I put a motor into a model?
A: I start with three times the hook to rear peg length although sometimes it can go as far as 5X.

I'm a little confused. Is the length of a single strand or the length when it's looped once or more?

I have a question about the braided motor length. Your video says “the resting motor should relax in the fuselage but not touch the bottom. I see the motor in your video sticks out of the nose a few inches. I don’t see how the motor would not lay on the bottom of the fuselage when inserted. Using your recommendation for motor length I am having trouble getting the motor in the fuselage with out it laying on the bottom. Maybe I am not understanding this correctly. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your great videos.

Thank you so much for taking the time to teach us the greatness of free flight. Congratulations from Brazil!!!!

I am your student in rubber band airplanes and I have lost airplanes because they go very high and very far, I know that there is a protection system that raises the stabilizer and brings it back to the ground without damaging the model, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE THE SYSTEM, could you teach us to avoid losing more planes, thank you very much and I congratulate you for the wonderful manual work to do. . . . . I'll tie you up and build one of these days very, very dear friend.

Thank you for your great experience sharing.

How do you know the width of the rubber, and how many loops for a given airplane??

Great video as always :-) I have noticed that you turn the rubber counterclockwise prior to braiding. You also wind the rubber counterclockwise for flight. Shouldn't that be clockwise? Thanks.

Very nice..! Thank you. This video answered lots of my questions. Still have couple of questions.
How to determine maximum turns for a rubber motor?
How many times one can use rubber motor safely before discarding it?

To determine max turns on your motor, you get apprx 20 turns per inch of unbraided motor? What's the standard?

Very nice plane the Junkers J. I, who makes that one 😊

Is there a method to "un-braid" a braided motor so if you goof, you can try again ??