Field Trip

Sunday was mostly a bust because of the wind, but we did manage a few flights. There's a picture below of Jerry & Phobi with Heinkel and Jimmie Allen yellowjacket, and of a beautiful bi-plane that someone is sure to identify.

Some of us headed over to Schellville to enjoy the open day and an opportunity to browse the hangar - pics below.

The military plane at the bottom is a Broussard MH 1521. We agreed that it would make a great build. George has subsequently obtained a plan for a peanut version from Bill Hannan, and we think it would make the perfect scale contest build to kick off the 2011 season.

Copies will be available soon - please let us know if you'd like a copy.

FROG Delta 16

I posted a picture of Mike flying his FROG Delta 16 last month and remembered that model from my first outdoor MAC meeting in 2006. That was before we started this blog, so my pictures from that day were never posted... until now. Here is Mike on May 14, 2006, in the field behind the St. Vincent's gym in Marinwood (we moved our outdoor sessions to Lakeville in 2007).



Mike built his Delta 16 from plans which are available to download free from the House of Frog website. The video below shows the model flying in 2006. I guess it isn't easy to trim a flying wing, but Mike is doing okay. (Tom: "The glide is superb." Mike: "Yeah.")

Sartorial elegance on the flying field

Jerry Long, shown here with one of his his Bostonians, doesn't usually dress as finely for outdoor flying sessions, but he was playing a gig right after,
And Roger, with an excellent Jimmie Allen BA Parasol has a kind of East Coast Ralph Lauren layered look.

Late Summer at Lakeville

Yesterday was a beautiful day in the Bay Area, an example of the great weather we usually get in September and October. If we had any control over the conditions, we would've turned down the wind a few notches, but it wasn't too bad. Models filled the air and we witnessed some impressive flights. Also new models on display, discussion of plans and building techniques, a trivia quiz, two dogs, a new car, and some R/C planes thrown into the mix.


Jim lets one fly.


Mike's FROG Delta 16 is one of my favorite models. I remember seeing it fly at my first outdoor MAC meeting in 2006.


This is Mike's newest model, a scale-ish looking Bostonian. Tom said something about flying ROW (rise off water) but in reality that seems unlikely, to say the least.


Ed had the runway all to himself until late in the morning when a few more R/C guys showed up. Here is Ed, starting the engine on his Tutor.


Daniel brought a couple of new planes: a Skokie and this nicely detailed Junkers D.I built from the Rocky Top kit.


Tom also has a new Skokie. This plane shows a lot of potential, possibly owing to the all-red tissue covering.


Expect to see more Skokies at the Jimmie Allen contest rescheduled for Saturday, September 25.

Small Rubber Contest

Some of us participated in the SAM 27 Small Rubber Contest at Lakeville on Saturday, August 7. (The contest was originally scheduled on July 24, but had to be postponed when the fire department set the field on fire early that morning as a training exercise.) Roberto Soncin Gerometta captures the atmosphere and action in this video:

Wassup?

The wind was up yesterday. No problem when you've got a trusty hound to track lost models.

Ding and Ray assess the wind conditions.

Does size really matter?

Brian had some long flights with his Flying Aces Moth, which handles the wind pretty well.

I think this is the first time I've flown my Born Loser embryo outdoors. This model seems to like the calm air inside the gym better. But it was a nice Sunday to be outside, windy or not.

Photos by my cousin Mark, visiting from Berlin

FABULOUS FREEFLIGHT ON A CALIFORNIA SUN DAY

The weather at Lakeville last Sunday was about as good as it gets. Hardly any wind for 4/5 hours, hot but not roasting and even a few thermals.

We were joined by Walter Hicks - visiting from the south - who is getting back into rubber free flight after a period dedicated to control line flying. He asked a lot of questions about tissue, dope, wood, shrinking, rubber and a lot more, and I think we managed to give several different answers to every question. Good to see you Walter - come back again.

Jim flew a variety of Prairie Birds, Mike had some great flights with the new Comet and almost went OOS with his Bostonian. Jerry's Heinkel is nearly under control, Dave Ks Albatross performed predictably, and Phobi's peanuts were delightful until one landed on the road right in front of a passing car. Dave W took most of the photos after the warps on the Mustang proved unfixable. My Gypsy is promising and George's Dayton Wright Racer put in possibly its best flight in 15 years.

Mike's new Volksplane looks like it will be tough to beat.

Tom

What a day!!!!!

Where were you?

Well I went to Lakeville. more to met Ed than with any hope of flying. And of course it was blowing and then raining. We didn't realize until it was too late that there had been enough rain to turn the parking area sticky.

We left without creating a mess, but not before Ed was wet and frozen, and Jim discovered that every step was building up half an inch of clay on his soles.

Baby Zephyr Reproduction

Ed Solenberger is working on a project to reproduce a kit of the classic Testors Baby Zephyr with the original K&B .020 Infant Torpedo engine. Ed sold ten kits/engines last year, and he says "They flew out of here like a flock of quail!" More kits will be coming from the laser cutter soon. With over 80 on the waiting list, that's good news!


Baby Zephyr ready to be painted

Ed tells us the original Testors kit came out in about 1949 -- especially for the Infant Torpedo. The little .020 was the very first pure glow plug engine on the market. As you can see in the picture, the kit sold for 98¢. The engines were $7.95. Considering that it had precut, formed parts and a full-size plan with plenty of instructions, that was a one heck of a deal, even in those days.


Ed's reproduction kit was featured in Flying Models magazine last year. It has laser cut parts, with rolled tube fuselage. You would have to make a special mandrel to roll such a taper, as the usual suggestion of a pool cue wouldn't work. Ed can do one per day, or maybe two, as the balsa has to dry well.

Ed has been busy building up an inventory of vintage K&B engines. Restoring these little gems is not a problem for Ed, a talented engine builder. But if anyone has spare parts/engines of this type, Ed can probably use them.

This picture shows one of the restorations -- an exact sized fuel tank. Some engines are missing parts such as this.

Ed is selling the laser cut reproduction kit without engine for $39.95 plus shipping. The price for kit with engine is $96.95 plus shipping. Anyone can get a kit without engine fairly soon, but if you aren't already on the waiting list it could take awhile to get an engine. Anyone interested in these kits should email Ed.

More highlights from 2009 flying season

The good flying days were infrequent, but we managed to get a few flights in.