Anything can be a drone !

[Larry Wong]

[Kim Doherty]

A chanter can not be a drone.

Kim.

[Mark Knoepfle]

God knows I've been known to drone on.

I've always thought the banjo and bagpipes would make a nice duet.

[Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach]

I'm not into RC, but that is pretty cool!

[Mike Keville]

TEOMAWKI (The End Of Modeling As We Knew It).

That said, the folks in Muncie at the "Academy of Quadcopters" should love it.

[Dan McEntee]

    At the hobby shop I work part time at, we sell all sorts of these things in all sorts of price ranges, and I just don't see what the attraction is? The biggest thing I see that draws most people to them is they can hover and maneuver right in front of you. They give the impression that they are easy to fly, and in truth they are pretty easy to fly due to the advances in the electronics they carry. But believe it or not, there are still people that manage to screw them up and beat the daylights out of them! Once you get to the point where you can hover  and move around the room and land and take off from the end table a few times, what then? Put a camera on it and then watch the meaningless video you just shot! The whole forward point of view thing is another mystery. We used to sell the cameras and such for that, but again, most people aren't smart enough to be able to do it and crash their equipment. After all the complaints that followed, we quit carrying the stuff. I point out to people that ask for it that technically, you can't operate one like that out of visible sight of the vehicle due to FAA regulations, so what is the purpose of it? I can see the value of one with the proper cameras as a tool, but that is a whole 'nother ball of wax. I wish I was the one reaping the profits from selling them, but I guarantee you that there are truck loads of them out there that are just sitting now that the newness and novelty has worn off of it after a while. Maybe it's just me, but I just don't get it. I wonder if the guy put the wheel back on the bicycle when he was finished?
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Mike Keville]

Whatever.  It's evident that the "Academy of Quadcopters" is pushing them, along with that "FPV" thing.  They're killing true modeling as we knew it.

To be sure, there are others who will disagree with me on this.

That said, this MAY be my final year (since 1951) of being an AMA member.   

[Scott Richlen]

You get the feeling that AMA is run by a bunch of duffers that sit around, spending their time going "Hey! Look at this!"  "Oooh!  Oooh! Hey! Look at that!"  "Oooh! Oooh! Oooh!  That looks new!!"  "Oh wait! Look at this over here!"

"Look a duck!"

Good grief

[Sean McEntee]

Lame....   

[BillLee]

Sean and his buddies are the only ones not just out flying the latest toy.

Go, Sean! We're all behind you!

[Scott Richlen]

I am teaching an after-school class on building stick and tissue free-fight at the local Junior High.  Contrary to common belief, these kids don't have credit cards and money falling out of their pockets.  They can afford sheets of balsa and tissue to make free-flight airplanes.  They cannot afford RC equipment or the FPV that the AMA keeps touting.  Getting an RC ARF at Christmas for them is getting a fun toy, until it breaks.  But there is no education involved in getting an RC ARF, no investment in learning and skill building, and there is no longevity.  There is just some thumb twitching.  It is just a passing fad and then they are on to the next titillating thing.

They are awash in a short-term attention-span promoting culture.  Over-expectations confront them every time they turn on the TV.  Long-term investment in something?  What's that?

Building stick and tissue model airplanes begins to build attention span, patience, and willingness to invest over the duration to achieve a result.  In our present day culture, it is very hard for them to stay with it.  Someone is always shouting "Look!  A duck!" and off they drift.  But it is very rewarding for the few who stay with it.

This is why I am unhappy with the AMA.  They have the opportunity to do something really great.  But they don't.  "Hey!  Look!  A duck!"

Scott

[john e. holliday]

Lame....   

Sean, you and your compatriots are the greatest.   Keep, keeping us safe.   

[Joe Just]

Wait until a home grown terrorist manages to run one of these "toys" into a government building with explosives on-board.  Then the AMA can kiss a big chunk of advertising revenue goodbye and thousands of R/C guys will also loose their hobby.  What will be left won't be enough to keep CL, let alone the AMA, alive in this Country.
Joe

Boy I hope I'm totally wrong about this one!

[john e. holliday]

I am teaching an after-school class on building stick and tissue free-fight at the local Junior High.  Contrary to common belief, these kids don't have credit cards and money falling out of their pockets.  They can afford sheets of balsa and tissue to make free-flight airplanes.  They cannot afford RC equipment or the FPV that the AMA keeps touting.  Getting an RC ARF at Christmas for them is getting a fun toy, until it breaks.  But there is no education involved in getting an RC ARF, no investment in learning and skill building, and there is no longevity.  There is just some thumb twitching.  It is just a passing fad and then they are on to the next titillating thing.

They are awash in a short-term attention-span promoting culture.  Over-expectations confront them every time they turn on the TV.  Long-term investment in something?  What's that?

Building stick and tissue model airplanes begins to build attention span, patience, and willingness to invest over the duration to achieve a result.  In our present day culture, it is very hard for them to stay with it.  Someone is always shouting "Look!  A duck!" and off they drift.  But it is very rewarding for the few who stay with it.

This is why I am unhappy with the AMA.  They have the opportunity to do something really great.  But they don't.  "Hey!  Look!  A duck!"

Scott

What happened to the AMA Delta Dart program.   I remember Ken Wilson of RC Hobbies in KCK supplying and helping kids of all ages with those.   I even built one.

[Sean McEntee]

That there is the latest coming out of General Atomics: The improved MQ-1C Grey Eagle.  And improved it has.  TWICE the fuel! Test flights put max endurance time at 58 HOURS!!!  Also has dramatically increased payload capacity.  Can now carry 2000lbs of weapons, again over doubling the capacity to include the use of the 5th pylon under the fuselage. Can't remember what upgrades were made to the engine. Current airframe has a turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl Thielert heavy fuel engine, which cranks out 165hp. I think the power output is doubled as well but I can't remember the displacement.  My favorite upgrade is the addition of pneumatic shocks to the landing gear struts. Current model is a 5" square block of CF, which doesn't fair too well when rolling off runways/taxiways......ask me how I know  

[Dan McEntee]

I am teaching an after-school class on building stick and tissue free-fight at the local Junior High.  Contrary to common belief, these kids don't have credit cards and money falling out of their pockets.  They can afford sheets of balsa and tissue to make free-flight airplanes.  They cannot afford RC equipment or the FPV that the AMA keeps touting.  Getting an RC ARF at Christmas for them is getting a fun toy, until it breaks.  But there is no education involved in getting an RC ARF, no investment in learning and skill building, and there is no longevity.  There is just some thumb twitching.  It is just a passing fad and then they are on to the next titillating thing.

They are awash in a short-term attention-span promoting culture.  Over-expectations confront them every time they turn on the TV.  Long-term investment in something?  What's that?

Building stick and tissue model airplanes begins to build attention span, patience, and willingness to invest over the duration to achieve a result.  In our present day culture, it is very hard for them to stay with it.  Someone is always shouting "Look!  A duck!" and off they drift.  But it is very rewarding for the few who stay with it.

This is why I am unhappy with the AMA.  They have the opportunity to do something really great.  But they don't.  "Hey!  Look!  A duck!"

Scott

     I'm with ya Scott and proud of you. I try to do something similar when ever the opportunity presents it self. Patience has to be acquired, we are not born with it. teaches them to think and plan ahead, follow directions and problem solve. As much as I like C/L stunt, free flight rubber is the biggest bang for your buck in model aviation. Guess what this hot shot UAV operator  in the above posts does in his down time? I sent him a balsa and supplies CARE package so he could take advantage of the hangers they keep those things in. I couldn't get him to sit down at the building board when he was a kid  to do it, but I guess it's better late than never! Good luck with your program and keep up the good work..
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Greg McCoy]

My beekeeper Grandfather would put drones in his mouth.

[Randy Cuberly]

UUUUhhhhh...

Actually, I get it!  It's all about selling the latest toy to the generally mindless public who always have to have something NEW...and then Move On to the next NEW TOY!

In other words it's all about MONEY and appeasing the populace...remember when they threw some of us to the lions to appease the rest of us...nothing ever really changes.  

Randy Cuberly!  

[Mike Keville]

Ah, yes...the Academy of Money Accumulation, aka the Academy of Manufacturers' Appeasement.

[Scott Richlen]

The local junior high lets out at 2:30 on Wednesdays, so they have after-school activities for the kids.  I volunteered (actually initiated - it took some time to convince them) to teach model airplane building.  Here is what we build consecutively: a Delta-Dart from the kit, a scratch-built Delta Dart, a Z-15, a Yard Ranger, and a No-Cal (one of Paul Bradley's plans they are a free download, plus they have down-loadable "skins").  By the way, No-Cal stands for "no calories" - essentially the FF equivalent to a CL profile.

Each plane is progressively harder to build.  Once they complete the No-Cal, I'll have them build one more No-Cal and then a full fuselage plane (either a Dime Scale or a Bostonian).  After that, they should have the skills to build most anything (a Ringmaster?)

CL Stunt is still #1 for me.  So, why did I get into free-flight building?  I wanted to learn to build lighter and building lighter is a discipline, not just ordering 6# balsa.

If you build CL, you can build FF.  And if you normally build your stuntships straight, you can build good flying FF.  And building FF does improve your building skills.  So, if you want to support Bob Hunt in "Reach One - Teach One" start at the beginning and teach some Junior High kids.  Just remember to pre-shrink your tissue for the simple stick models and don't get discouraged when you find lack of skill, short attention span, and inconstancy of interest.  That is what you are trying to remedy!  You're the doctor and the best equipped to help.

So, get going!

Scott

[Mike Lauerman]

Wife Joey and I are building some Bostonians now, she and I are both C/L builders/sport fliers.
 
I was the same way, couldn't sit down with my Dad to build rubber power planes...There were "Gas Motor Planes!" LOL

"Ve get sho shoon oldt, und sho late shmart!" ...My German Grandpa

[Scott Richlen]

Dan and all:

You can do an awful lot with a sheet of balsa, an x-acto knife, and some glue...but, too many kids (and adults) don't realize that.  You gotta feel sad for all the people who never get to have the fun that we do.

Share the fun!

Scott

[Sean McEntee]

     Pat Guess what this hot shot UAV operator  in the above posts does in his down time? I sent him a balsa and supplies CARE package so he could take advantage of the hangers they keep those things in. I couldn't get him to sit down at the building board when he was a kid  to do it, but I guess it's better late than never!

"One Knight in Boston" by Bill Hannan. Tried the inkjet tissue printing trick and it turned out great. Put the first flights on it this morning and it flies as good as it looks.

[Scott Richlen]

Sean:

Nice work!  The trick with the printer works really well.  If you build a WWII No-Cal there are dozens of 3-views on the web that can be adapted for covering.  I'm thinking about how to put the printer into banner mode and print off tissue for my next LA-46 powered profile.  Talk about easy ink-lines!

Here's one of the junior high kid's P-40 No-Cal.  (In a No-Cal you only cover one side of a surface.  In this picture you are looking at the back-side with the framework).

Scott

[Sean McEntee]

     If your printer has a "poster" mode, print on regular paper first, then lay the tissue over the image, noting the orientation of the paper in the feed tray.  Had to do that with the fuselage on the One Knight.

     This really is the way to go!  I went to a FAC meet up in Haslet, TX a couple summers ago and got bit by the Scale bug. Was working on a guillows zero and had it ready to cover, but training, NCO schools, and this deployment got in the way of finishing it.  Gonna get a few ink cartridges when I get home and go to town!

     If the phrase "guillows kits" bring back bad memories of die-crunched dollhouse wood, those days are over!  Guillows is laser cutting...yes, laser cutting most of their flying model line these days, and the wood in the kits are very good.  One of my FF mentors up in Colorado did a kit review of the Guillows Pilatus Porter.  He took the time to weigh the wood in the kit and it ended up in the 5lb range!  The plastic molded pieces are still garbage but can be scratch built fairly easily. 

      Good work with the kids!  Got a few Warrant Officers here that have been watching me fly and want to get their kids away from the TV. Well see if we can get something going down at Ft Hood.

[Ara Dedekian]

     Delta Darts  (Apologies if you've seen this over on the Hip Pocket forum.)

         The Owls Head Transportation Museum in Thomaston, Maine held its annual indoor model show this past weekend. All types of models were displayed by the Maine clubs; planes (RC,C/L, FF, Plastic), trains, boats, miniature steam engines,rockets etc.
         Flying demos alternated between rubber and RC. The RC guys flew Vapors, quads and helicopters and we flew whatever rubber planes we had that would work in the limited area we were given.
         The rubber flights stole the show! The kids showed a surprising amount of interest in them so we wound the Delta Darts we had and gave them the opportunity to fly. What a success! We also had a limited number of kits and gave them to the motivated ones. One five year old, accompanied by his modeler/grandfather, flew a number of times and was given a kit. He declared it the best day of his life! The museums curator is model airplane savvy and holds a Delta Dart building program during school vacation.
         Don't let the Darts fool you! Even though they're relegated to the bottom of the modeling food chain, those suckers can fly! We had one covered with wrapping tissue that when dropped to the floor in an attempted launch, consistently zoom climbed to the rafters, circled around and came in for a perfect landing. The kids were ecstatic at their success in launching and flying it.
         I gave out my contact info to a numbr of parents who want to get some sort of program going in their areas. Lets see what happens.

Ara