US YouTuber unveiling incredible $20,000 RC jet narrowly avoids destroying it in harrowing near-disaster
Published on Aug 18, 2025 at 9:23 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Aug 18, 2025 at 12:44 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
US YouTuber Cleetus McFarland just filmed one of the most stressful RC jet flights you’ll ever see, putting a Pilot RC J-10 turbine jet through its paces.
The aircraft costs around $20,000 and looks and sounds like a fighter plane in miniature.
It took off clean, slicing through the sky with insane noise and speed.
Then it clipped live power lines and had everyone holding their breath.
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The $20,000 RC jet that almost didn’t make it
The star of the video was a Pilot RC J-10, a thrust-vectoring monster designed for extreme aerobatics.
Unlike cheaper foam models you can glue back together, this one runs a real turbine engine producing 50lbs of thrust.
That’s why it costs as much as a decent used car.
McFarland and his crew got it screaming down the runway, afterburner glow blazing, before disaster almost struck.
Mid-flight, the J-10 smacked into not one but two power lines, jolting violently as wingtips clipped and carbon bodywork took damage.
Against the odds, it muscled through on sheer thrust and made it back to earth in one piece.
The landing revealed plenty of scars – a dinged fuselage, fairings knocked loose, a clipped wingtip – but the turbine, servos, and electronics all thankfully survived.
In RC terms, that’s a miracle landing.
The alternative was twenty grand worth of smoking wreckage, which makes a few broken fairings feel like a win.
Why the J-10 is so intense to fly
Watching the close call drives home why this aircraft is considered one of the most demanding RC jets around.
The J-10 isn’t just fast – it’s narrow, tough to track in the air, and capable of extreme maneuvers.
“Got my legs shaking, dude. This thing is so intense,” Cleetus admitted.
And the risk is clear every time it leaves the ground.
“If you crash it, it’s done… There’s no throwing some super glue on it.”
And yet, that’s part of its draw.
With its afterburner glow and ear-splitting engine note, the J-10 delivers a scale-model version of fighter-jet chaos.
This time, it survived its run-in with power lines. But the tension that it might not is exactly what makes it so gripping to watch.
Subscribe to Cleetus McFarland on YouTube for more or watch the full flight below:
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
