The Flying Lawn Mower
RC airplanes don't always come in conventional shapes, and the flying lawn mower has to be one of the most famous 'non-airplane' aircraft that can be found at a flying field!
In fact, flying mowers of various shapes and sizes have been around for many years and have evolved from 'one-off' homemade models to production kits, such is their popularity.
The FlyingThingZ Sky Cutter is one of the better known kits, designed to take a 40 size glow engine and 4 channel radio gear with mixing ability, as the mower uses elevons in place of the conventional aileron / elevator set-up.
The kit comes in ARF form and can be completed in a weekend if you have a basic knowledge of rc airplane (or mower...) assembly.
See the Sky Cutter flying lawn mower in more detail.
Flying lawn mowers like the Sky Cutter are great crowd pleasers and a lot of fun to watch; they look just like the real thing on the ground when they're being taxied over the grass, and then after a short take-off run the mower gets airborne!
In the air the Sky Cutter is surprisingly stable and its thick airfoil wing allows great aerobatics, with loops and tail-slides easily performed (watch a Sky Cutter video).
Flying lawn mowers also have a great characteristic that many rc airplanes don't have - the virtual inability to stall! When the airspeed drops right off, the mower just sinks to the ground while remaining level (obviously with good transmitter inputs!), which can result in near-vertical landings when you get good at it.
Flying lawn mowers aren't the only novelty rc airplane of course- other favorites include flying flags, witches and flying vehicles such as racing cars. All are great fun to fly, and more fun to watch being flown!
See the Sky Cutter flying lawn mower and other novelty rc aircraft.
Do you own or have had experience with a flying mower? If so, let us know about it here!
