FAA can't regulate small RC aircraft as "drones," judge rules NTSB judge strikes down $10,000 fine against man for unlicensed "commercial use." Raphael Pirker prepares to launch his " FPV " remote controlled plane in New York City in a video he posted in 2010. http://vimeo.com/17351140 In 2011, Raphael Pirker used a RiteWing Zephyr II  remote-controlled flying wing to record aerial video of a hospital campus for use in a television advertisement. That act resulted in the Federal Aviation Administration issuing a fine to Pirker of $10,000 for that commercial use of an unmanned aircraft. But now an administrative judge with the National Transportation Safety Board has struck down that fine , contending that FAA regulations can't be applied to the styrofoam drone Pirker flew.

Shinden by Bryan Hebert (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Hi all, I came across this spreadsheet containing rough estimates of common building materials used for scratchbuild of RC airplanes . Use it, don't use it. Here it is. What it doesn't have, is a updated list on LIPO batteries and common brushless motors but besides that it's pretty decent. Enjoy! Click the link below: https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flyelectric.ukgateway.net%2Fweights.xls

I Although I now have a Radian glider. It's quite difficult to find open places where you're able to practice your flying. So i decided to design a new airframe that will be able to keep my flight hours up without having to travel far. The aim was to make a cheap. light and yet strong powered plane that, if needed, would be able to carry the autopilot board. The airframe was made of foam core , 160gsm board paper, packaging tape and dowel sticks.