Just another day at Alameda

[Larry Wong]

What big boys with small airplane's 

[Mike Scholtes]

Hi Larry:

That first picture MUST be a government project; four guys standing there with hands in their pockets watching one guy work!

No flying for me today, too much office work. Hoping for next Sat then Sun at Napa.

[Brett Buck]

Hi Larry:

That first picture MUST be a government project; four guys standing there with hands in their pockets watching one guy work!

No flying for me today, too much office work. Hoping for next Sat then Sun at Napa.

    I went back to my "government job" pretty much as soon as I had lunch! 

   This was the first 1/2A flights I have flown in about 25ish years. Last one ended in a crash.

   The engine ran great even with the weird tank for Jim's "special project". AP .061 with an RSM venturi - pretty good on 10% Powermaster, better on 15% powermaster, WAY better and much faster on Cox Racing fuel from a rusty can I found in my collection from, well, 25 years ago. ~22000 and pretty steady with a Top Flite 5.5-3. Not a huge powerhouse for an .061 but power is not the problem with the airplane we had it on or with Jim's project. With a less radical tank I think it would be a decent replacement for a Medallion .049. It started easily right from the beginning and there was very little break-in. That's a huge improvement over the engine Jim started with, it was hopeless.

     It was on a Brodak ARF flying clown, which flew pretty OK once we got the controls slowed down and enough tip weight. But boy, once the wing gives up, it really gives up!  The thin pointy airfoil works just like the books say - can't tell the difference until it stalls, a nice soft stall, and then, nothing. The regular stunt airfoils usually do something pretty dramatic and abrupt. This one, it will be doing fine, but then you cross the line, and there's no drama except that the turn radius went up by a factor of 10!  And to my surprise, sealing the elevator hinge line made a HUGE difference in the controllability. It was a pretty typical 1/2A twitchy and unpredictable, then we sealed the hinge lines, and even though it  was even more sensitive on the controls it was FAR more predictable and Jim and I both did far more respectable flights. Not good flights, but at least less-embarrassing. We both managed full stunt patterns, mostly recognizable but very very large. And Jim timed it, and we were finished in 2:45. Whee!

     I did have a few moments of terror when it did something unexpected and I lost sight of it, like exiting the 4-leaf, but we both managed to keep it out of the ground for 4-5 flights, so, successful day.

   Brett

[Mike Scholtes]

Had I but known we would have Stunt Luminaries at our humble aerodrome, trying to make a half-A stuff work no less, I would have run over some of the 35% fuel I run in the Cyclon 049 in FAI FF. Good for around 30,000 revs. That would make the 061 run like, well, an 061 on hot fuel. I live a quarter mile from the field so I am always going back to the shop for various stuff. And I have never seen Jim in long pants, near as I can recall.

[Brett Buck]

Had I but known we would have Stunt Luminaries at our humble aerodrome,

  Oh, yeah, we are super-big-shots!

     Brett

[john e. holliday]

Some o us would give almost anything to have you guys work with our planes.  You are todays heroes to me.   

[Brett Buck]

Some o us would give almost anything to have you guys work with our planes.  You are todays heroes to me.   

  Well, to be completely accurate, Jim worked on his own airplane, and I was just the tool-box carrier (a job for which I have abundant experience). Particularly after Jim tweaked his back. I just wanted an excuse to get out and see the Sun for a while instead of the interior of Lockheed building 158.

   But to be honest with you, while I appreciate the recognition )and when you get right down to it, this is the SOLE value of winning contests), "heros" is really a little off the beam. All of us, you, me, Billy Werwage, is doing the same thing out there. Some of us do it better than others or have more knowledge, but it's all the same activity. Any of the so-called "stunt heroes" is more than willing to assist anyone else regardless of their level of experience.

   The only thing that puts people off is when someone comes in with the notion that they are going to "tweak the big-shot". It's irritating because the same logic that leads to there being "heros" also leads to people figuring they can say or do anything they want to the "hero" because, heck, they're the big-shots, they can take it. But anyone who needs any assistance and doesn't come off like a complete jerk is going to be able to get it. Usually too much help, rather than not enough.

     Brett

[Larry Wong]

Yes, what Brett says , We get alot of help from guys like Brett,Ted, David,Jim, and PTG, this what keeps the hobby growing,are field range from 8 year olds to 80 years young. from Beginners /Experts.  Racers,Carrier,stunter(Ic & Ecl)     and from 1/2a to pipe P/A 65 , Electric

[Brett Buck]

I would have run over some of the 35% fuel I run in the Cyclon 049 in FAI FF. Good for around 30,000 revs.

     Cox Racing fuel is either 30 or 35%, depending on who you ask. It tremendously perked up the engine, but it did pretty decent on even 10%. 30,000 was not in the plan for this guy. I thought the venturi looked pretty small and could maybe have been bigger, but it ran pretty consistently in the air so I wouldn't do it in this case. Being able to run on suction through the maneuvers is a lot more important. But an average TeeDee .049 would blow it out of the water, maybe even a Medallion could get in the vicinity.

    Brett

[Brett Buck]

Yes, what Brett says , We get alot of help from guys like Brett,Ted, David,Jim, and PTG, this what keeps the hobby growing,are field range from 8 year olds to 80 years young. from Beginners /Experts.  Racers,Carrier,stunter(Ic & Ecl)     and from 1/2a to pipe P/A 65 , Electric

     One of the guys brought 1/2A (Black Widow), Electric "1/2A", and a Mouse racer, and even a Diesel Combat model.

     Brett

[Mike Scholtes]

My small-bore FF fuel is from AeroDyne and is labeled as 35% nitro. Very dependable, top quality fuel. I use AeroDyne 25% in the TD 049s and my regular 10%CL fuel in the Fox FAI 049s in Nos Gas. The Cyclon is an amazing piece of engineering and seems indestrucible even on very high nitro fuel.

As Larry W says, we have the good fortune of having some of the best flyers and builders in the world here in the Bay Area, and as Brett says, without exception they are most generous with their time and expertise so long as you don't act like a jerk. That rule pretty much applies to anyone, come to think of it.

I too hope to see more sunshine in the coming weeks.

[Howard Rush]

...they are most generous with their time and expertise so long as you don't act like a jerk.

Dang.  Leaves me out.

[Mike Scholtes]

Actually that leaves out the entire Jive Combat Team, except PTG of course. But wait a minute...