5/25/11

Origami, Broussard and Tigercat

It looks like Mike L has a firm grip on 2011 indoor flying and it's left some of us scurrying for the heaps of peanut plans.

You may remember towards the end of last season I waxed lyrical about the Holste Broussard we'd seen at Schellville. There was talk of a contest, plans were circulated - an outdoor version contemplated. Then nothing from any of us, until Mike revealed a 5/6g peanut that immediately flew on the rails in slow circles in the Gym on Sunday.


This was followed by an exquisite Tigercat also flying slow. Must be very light.




"Great props Mike. what are they made of?"

"Origami paper," Mike casually responded, and explained how you could laminate two sheets around an appropriate form, then dope.

I immediately thought of bad models I'd crunched that could have flown had I known this secret. Like this one that now works better on a tuk tuk courtesy of Georges' recent travels in the orient.



Who knows what other secrets lie in the pages of Mikes impressive flying log.

Tom

5/10/11

Outerzone


I just found out about Outerzone, a new website dedicated to the preservation of vintage model airplane plans. The website is run by volunteers who collect free plans from the Internet. The idea is to create a stable, easy to search, backup depository. The founder says Outerzone is built on an "industrial strength" platform with enough storage space for about 25,000 plans. There are already over 1,000 plans on the site. This could be the start of something special. Check it out: www.outerzone.co.uk

5/1/11

Season Opener


We were back in the gym last Sunday for our first meeting of 2011. Around 12 people were on hand, not a bad turnout considering it was Easter. Some of the regulars did not make it and were missed.




In this video: (1) Paul's modified Peck Polymers Bostonian Pup. (2) Mike's peanut scale Broussard MH1521, just built and making its maiden flight on Sunday. (3) Todd's Big Pussycat. Will it end up in the lights?