Good, cheap model airplanes to teach with

[RipCurl]

We're looking for some little cheap model airplanes with moveable control surfaces to teach students about the basics. All of the models we have found on line are close to $25. Multiply that times 15 and it really starts adding up. Any good sources would be appreciated.

 

[WARMBEER]

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?t=9860

 

[Gorilla]

Mike, I assume you're talking about ground school static models. These are really easy to make. Get some 1/4" sheet poplar from home depot, find a guy with a bandsaw, and cut out as many profile fuselages, wings, and tail sections as needed. Spray paint them if you want. Add elevator, aileron, rudder, and flaps, by hinging them with a soft metal pin like copper MIG wire, a paper clip, whatever. The control surfaces will remain deflected and can be repositioned easily. The cost shouldn't be more than $3 to $5 each, the problem is the time to make them.

By stacking the poplar sheets, you can bandsaw 5 or 10 fueslage profiles at once. That'll speed things up. You can airbrush or use decals to put your flight school logo on them.

 

[RipCurl]

Yeah I may end up doing just that and sticking the control surfaces on w/ 100mph tape. Maybe the boss man will send a few $ my way for the effort...

 

[AirBadger]

A few years ago at my school (I wasn't there at the time) a CFI bought a bunch of toy airplanes from Toys-R-Us and resold them to the other CFIs to break even.

In our CFI ground class they make us build our own model. They give us a few blocks of wood generally shaped like airplane parts and we sand them, glue them, and paint them.