PODCAST · leisure
RC Plane Lab
by Ron Hull, Tom Dale, Dave Taylor
Welcome to the RC Plane Lab podcast, a show for anyone who likes RC airplanes! We’ll share tips and tricks on how to build models and how to be a better pilot. Visit us at RCPlaneLab.com to sign up for our email list and to ask us questions.
Episodes
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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 interference and Piper’s Halloween projects on the laser cutter. Dave has joined the turbine club with a $600 Boomerang Intro,...
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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 and talk through their reactions. Would selling the property make sense? What should members be told, and should they have a say?...
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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, why members should hear from both candidates, and how easy it can be to overlook the election information and ballot. The ballot...
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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 membership, the value AMA provides, support for local clubs and flying sites, communication and transparency, competition and...
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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 membership, the value AMA provides, support for local clubs and flying sites, communication and transparency, competition and...
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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 ready to fly doesn't mean it is. We also talk about our trip to the SIRS vintage fly-in, some really cool old airplanes, and why...
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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 home—including an ARRMA Mojave Grom BLX. The crew also talks night flying, Tom’s new airplane trailer, Ron’s Falcon 56 nitro...
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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 to settle an argument about exactly how Ron was persuaded to take a day off for their trip to Dynamic Balsa. The episode begins...
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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 gives it a modern electronics refresh, while Dave wraps up his Beaver build and deals with a paramotor battery that’s well past...
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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 wing loading. The episode wraps with Dave’s $50 swap‑meet Beaver restoration. Freewing JL‑8 80mm EDF Jet Durafly Curtiss P‑40...
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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 each of them sets up their vehicles for hauling airplanes.
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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 classic RC Plane Lab banter (Tommy’s “witchy” mic, canceled night flying, and Ron rediscovering his forgotten UMX Viper), the…
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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, repairs, and the ongoing saga of Reggie’s questionable preflight habits. Ron shares the dramatic loss of his X‑Fly Hornet…
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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 quick repairs, and plenty of hangout time, Episode 210 is all about enjoying the hobby and the moments that come with it.
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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, including the rooftop AC and the new Spektrum S450 charging setup. Dave makes progress assembling Ron’s RACores Yak‑55, and we wrap…
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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!
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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 project that inspired it. From there, the guys dive into a wave of new releases hitting the RC world: Dynam’s E‑2C Hawkeye with its...
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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 the event has evolved since last year, the behind‑the‑scenes work that keeps a 700‑plus‑table swap meet running smoothly, and…
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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 meet—including a couple of irresistible new additions to the hangar. **************** Get your Electrostreak Short Kit from RC...
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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 jet, the new little E‑Flite UMX GeeBee, and talk through Dave’s rebuild of Ron’s old E‑Flite Cub. Then we wrap with a fresh...
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EP 203 - What the Fish??
Happy New Year! Tune in as we talk ElectroStreak kits, the BF109 giveaway, FCC rule changes, new plane releases, RRAMS (Beloit, WI) swap meet finds (a flying fish!?!?), Brazilian flying friends, and a handy Spektrum battery checker! Get your Electrostreak Short Kit from RC Plane Lab! 13th…
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Ep 202: The 13th Squadron with Jack and Steve Niezgoda
Ron & Dave chat with Jack and Steve Niezgoda from the 13th Squadron about squadron life, RC aviation, and building passion that lasts. 🎁 Plus—we’re giving away a 13th Squadron BF109 kit! Enter now at 👉 https://rcplanelab.com/bf109giveaway Tune in, join the fun, and don’t miss your chance to…
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Ep 201: 2025 End of Year Wrap-Up, with the Wives!
Tune in to hear our annual Wive's Episode! Here's to a wonderful 2026!
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Ep 200: Listener Questions and Other Stuff
Tune in as Ron and Dave answer listener questions and talk about some things that are coming up. E-Flite Gee Bee 1.0m: https://www.horizonhobby.com/e-flite-gee-bee-r-2-1.0m-rc-airplane/
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Ep 199: Swap Meets and Stuff
Tune in as Dave's brother, Daniel, joins us as we talk about a couple recent swap meets, and other stuff.
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Ep 198: Winter Plans
Tune in to hear what the guys have planned for the winter, and some other stuff, too!
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Ep 197: REPLAY: Halloween Special; Scary RC Airplane Stories
It's hard to believe it's already Halloween again! We hope you enjoy this replay of our first Halloween episode from 5 years ago! This one was fun to make, so we hope you have as much fun listening as we did recording it. Happy Halloween!
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Ep 196: AS3X+ with Miguel Alvarez
Tune in as we sit down and talk with Miguel Alvarez about all things AS3X, AS3X+, Safe, and Safe Select. Miguel is an Electrical/Firmware Engineer for Spektrum and Horizon Hobby, so as the guy who writes the code for the stabilized receivers Horizon Hobby offers, he knows all about the ins and…
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Ep 195: Greg Stone, Candidate for AMA President
We reached out to the 3 candidates running for President of the AMA and invited them to each come on our show separately to tell us a little bit about themselves and to state their case as to why they would make a good President. Tune in to this episode to hear our conversation with Greg Stone.
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Ep 194: The Last Fly-In of the Year... Probably. And Other News... :(
Tune in to hear how the last fly-in of the year went for the guys, and Tommy has some news.
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Ep 193: Let's Talk Vintage!
Tune in to hear about the recent Vintage RC Fly In Ron and Tom went to, and also hear a trip down memory lane about what vintage equipment the guys started out in the hobby using.
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Ep 192: Tommy fixes his jet, and other stuff
Tune in to hear how Tommy's jet fix went, and hear what else he's been working on.
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Ep 191: It is a crash if it breaks!
Tune in to hear about the recent events we've been to, what we have coming up, and who crashed!
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Ep 190: It's not a crash if it doesn't break!
Tune in as the guys discuss some upcoming fly-ins, and what they've been up to the last couple of weeks.
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Ep 189: New Plane Releases, Drone Shows, and Model Aviation Day
Tune in as we talk about some new plane releases, a drone show Ron saw, and what we plan to do on Model Aviation Day.
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Ep 188: Rain, Rain, Go Away... Little Tommy wants to Fly!
Tune in to hear some exciting news from Tommy. Plus, a shout out to a listener that sent us something pretty cool.
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Ep 187: Man Down! lol
Tommy's gone this week, but tune in to find out what Ron and Dave have been up to over the last couple of weeks!
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Ep 186: Rambling on
Tune in as the guys talk about the last couple of weeks and some new plane releases. **************** Join our Discord server: https://rcplanelab.com/discord Take a moment to fill out our listener survey: https://rcplanelab.com/listener-survey/ Support us by becoming a Patron!...
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Ep 185: 2025 Joe Nall Wrap Up
Tune in as the guys talk all about their trip to Joe Nall this year!
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Ep 184: The Good, the Bad, and the Muddy; From Joe Nall with Lee and Fitz!
2/3rds of the RC Plane Lab crew were able to meet up with 2/3rds of the RC Roundtable crew and record together on the final day of Joe Nall 2025! Tune in for the fun! **************** Join our Discord server: https://rcplanelab.com/discord Take a moment to fill out our listener survey:...
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Ep 183: FrSky Steve
Tune in as the guys sit down and chat with Steve Schlesinger from FrSky as we learn about the history of FrSky, how to pronounce it, and some of the cool things Dave's new radio can do. Link to the Ethos 1.6.2 Simulator for the X20RSS:...
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Ep 182: New Planes, New Radio, New Trailer!
Tune in as the guys talk about them setting a new record for number of maidens in one day, Dave talks about his new FrSky radio, and Ron talks about what he's done with his new trailer so far... **************** Join our Discord server: https://rcplanelab.com/discord Take a moment to fill out our...
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Ep 181: 2025 Toledo Wrap Up!
What sold? What's new? How was racing? Tune in to hear how the 2025 Toledo RC Swap Meet and Expo went for the RC Plane Lab guys!
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Ep 180: RC Planes for Beginners, Revisited
Tune in as the guys revisit one of their beginning episodes covering RC Planes for Beginners. A bit of a warning: This episode goes back to basics, covering terms and topics that are familiar to those of us that are not starting out in the hobby. They talk about what to look for as a first...
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Ep 179: Spring's here. Now what?
It may not really feel like it for those of us in the mid-west, but Spring is finally here! Tune in to hear what the guys have been up to and what we have coming up. **************** Join our Discord server: https://rcplanelab.com/discord Take a moment to fill out our listener survey:...
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Ep 178: Dan Landis from Boomerang RC Jets
In this episode, we sit down with Dan Landis from Boomerang RC Jets to learn about Dan and to talk about this history of Boomerang and what's in store for their future. For more information, head over to their website: https://www.boomerangrcjets.com/ **************** Join our Discord server:...
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Ep 177: Planes, Boats, and Automobiles
There are lots of new airplanes to talk about this week, along with a boat Ron recently received, planes Dave has refurbished, and a new purchase Ron is excited about! Head over to https://rcplanelab.com/ep177 to see pictures of the flying wing Dave recently refurbished tat used to be long to...
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Ep 176: Henry Rauhaus from the Toledo R/C Swap Meet & Expo
Mark your calendars for April 4 & 5, 2025 and head over to Toledo, OH for one of the biggest swap meets in the country! In today's episode, we sit down and talk with Henry Rauhaus, the face of the Toledo R/C Swap Meet & Expo. Tune in to hear all about the resurgence of the show in Toledo and what...
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Ep 175: Snow Way!
We got some snow here in Central Illinois, and decided to make the best of it by doing some snow flying. We also made it to the Rock River Aero Modelers Society swap meet in Janesville, WI. Tune in to hear how it all went! **************** Join our Discord server: https://rcplanelab.com/discord...
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Ep 174: 2025, Here we Come!
2025 starts off with some new plane releases, a few flights, and a few crashes. Tune in to hear how the last couple weeks have gone! Airplane releases: https://tinyurl.com/64mmf18 https://tinyurl.com/80mmf22 https://tinyurl.com/UMXCirrusSR22T **************** Join our Discord server:...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to the RC Plane Lab podcast, a show for anyone who likes RC airplanes! We’ll share tips and tricks on how to build models and how to be a better pilot. Visit us at RCPlaneLab.com to sign up for our email list and to ask us questions.
HOSTED BY
Ron Hull, Tom Dale, Dave Taylor
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does RC Plane Lab have?
RC Plane Lab currently has 223 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is RC Plane Lab about?
Welcome to the RC Plane Lab podcast, a show for anyone who likes RC airplanes! We’ll share tips and tricks on how to build models and how to be a better pilot. Visit us at RCPlaneLab.com to sign up for our email list and to ask us questions.
How often does RC Plane Lab release new episodes?
RC Plane Lab publishes regularly with 223 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to RC Plane Lab?
You can listen to RC Plane Lab on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts RC Plane Lab?
RC Plane Lab is created and hosted by Ron Hull, Tom Dale, Dave Taylor.
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