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

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

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?

2011 MAC Schedule

Marin Aero Club meets on the 2nd Sunday of each month (outdoors, weather permitting) and on the 4th Sunday of each month (indoors) from April to November. Our winter break starts in December.

OUTDOOR FLYING
at the SAM 27 field near Lakeville

May 8
June 12
July 10
August 14
September 11
October 9
November 13

INDOOR FLYING
in the gym at St. Vincent's in Marinwood

April 24
May 22
June 26
July 24
August 28
September 25
October 23
November 27

The Livesay Files

A lot of people in the free flight community miss Dave Livesay's Briefcase, a huge online collection of free plans that disappeared in October 2009 when Yahoo pulled the plug on GeoCities. For the past month, there's been a lively discussion in the Small Flying Arts forum about making the files accessible again. The question is how to do it.

A group of SFA members is working on a project to distribute the files on CD in the same manner as a chain letter. That will get the collection (over 1200 files) into more people's hands, but it doesn't address the problem of making the plans permanently and readily accessible to anyone who wants them.

The Internet is obviously better than CDs for distributing digital media. So why doesn't someone create a new website for storing the Livesay files? That's what Chris Boehm decided to do. He just started the merlin236 Yahoo Group (Merlin's Free Flight Group) and has already uploaded hundreds of peanut plans. In so doing, he's used 78% of the group's storage space, meaning an upgrade will be needed to accommodate all of Livesay's Briefcase.

Incidentally, it is possible to view some defunct websites (or parts of them) using the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. For example, here's a snapshot of Livesay's Briefcase back in 2002. And here's a look back at another site we miss, Deathtrap Squadron Plans.

Hey, why not build one of these?!

An easy to build, all sheet model by Dave Thornberg.
From the pages of Model Builder magazine.

In the News

Ray Bazzurto on the cover of the current issue of Antique Flyer, the SAM 27 newsletter

Welcome aboard

We welcome Tom Ryan, a new follower of the MAC blog.

Tom is a pilot with a pretty neat blog of his own:

The Building Board

Dave K Wins Another One

Winners of the 2010 "G" Challenge were announced yesterday. In the words of contest director Howard Littman, "Dave Krinard flew away with the flying prize" with his Guillows 500 Series FW-190. This was Dave's first entry in the annual postal contest since 2007, when he won first prize overall with his 500 Series Hellcat.



If you're not familiar with the "G" Challenge, the object is to build a Guillows model from a designated series of kits. Builders are required to use kit wood, but pieces may be cut or sanded to save weight, provided the outlines remain intact. This year, prizes were given for flying, speed dash, and appearance. For more information see the Guillows "G" Challenge Yahoo Group.