Adrenalin Rush

[Mike Griffin]

 Adrenalin Rush

[frank williams]

Mike
One of my biggest regrets in modeling is not flying a two line sport jet model when I had the opportunity.  We had national quality jets flyers in Houston and I was capable of fling a fast rat.  All I had to do was walk 100 feet over to the speed circle and grab the handle for a flight cause we had numerous at any contest.  Its got to be a blast.
Frank

[Brett Buck]

Mike
One of my biggest regrets in modeling is not flying a two line sport jet model when I had the opportunity.  We had national quality jets flyers in Houston and I was capable of fling a fast rat.  All I had to do was walk 100 feet over to the speed circle and grab the handle for a flight cause we had numerous at any contest.  Its got to be a blast.
Frank

   We built one, and I flew it (the day before Christmas in about 1986-7, in the Lockheed Building 104 parking lot) for them. It was devilishly difficult to get off the ground without killing the engine, but with the smoothest of smooth control movements I managed it. In the air, it flew like a primary trainer, and was not inordinately fast, just above 100 mph, as I recall.

    The blast part of it for our effort was not flying it, but watching the spectators (a bunch of Lockheed engineers who never heard one run before) on the video. Only the late George Xenakis (yes, *that* George Xenakis of FF Wakefield fame) and I had heard one run before, George was videoing the experience. They had some trouble getting it started, but on the first pop, everyone jumped back. The launcher was wearing a nylon windbreaker, he starts out holding it by the fuse and wingtip, and after a few seconds he is spreading is arms away from it, because the heat was going to melt his jacket.

   Great fun!

     Brett

[Dennis Leonhardi]

I flew one years ago in some wind, 70' lines.  The crazy thing was that you had to anticipate the control needed about 180 degrees ahead.  In other words, flying into the wind - when our planes would normally climb - I was feeding in UP control for the downwind part of the circle.  Similarly, doing exactly the opposite of what we'd normally do on the downwind leg.

Quite a change from the combat models I usually flew at the time.

[john e. holliday]

After watching and hearing a pulse jet I was not to enthused about being around them.  I remember Charley Wilson telling of a husband and wife team back in the 50's flying them until one blew up on a start.

[Mike Griffin]

You can literally feel your eardrums vibrate when it starts.  Notice the pit guys wearing ear protection.  Mike flies this a lot at our field and it is always a blast to watch.  I remember on day the dolly did not separate from the plane....that was something to watch.

Mike

[Mike Griffin]

   We built one, and I flew it (the day before Christmas in about 1986-7, in the Lockheed Building 104 parking lot) for them. It was devilishly difficult to get off the ground without killing the engine, but with the smoothest of smooth control movements I managed it. In the air, it flew like a primary trainer, and was not inordinately fast, just above 100 mph, as I recall.

    The blast part of it for our effort was not flying it, but watching the spectators (a bunch of Lockheed engineers who never heard one run before) on the video. Only the late George Xenakis (yes, *that* George Xenakis of FF Wakefield fame) and I had heard one run before, George was videoing the experience. They had some trouble getting it started, but on the first pop, everyone jumped back. The launcher was wearing a nylon windbreaker, he starts out holding it by the fuse and wingtip, and after a few seconds he is spreading is arms away from it, because the heat was going to melt his jacket.

   Great fun!

     Brett

Brett we timed this one on a flight at 149.5 MPH one day.  I dont remember if it was this flight in the video or not.

Mike

[Ken Culbertson]

I flew one years ago in some wind, 70' lines.  The crazy thing was that you had to anticipate the control needed about 180 degrees ahead.  In other words, flying into the wind - when our planes would normally climb - I was feeding in UP control for the downwind part of the circle.  Similarly, doing exactly the opposite of what we'd normally do on the downwind leg.

Quite a change from the combat models I usually flew at the time.

I flew one back in the 70's and you are right about anticipating the controls, especially in wind. Once it starts that tilted plane it is really hard to stop. One of the guys I fly with has one, he makes it look easy - It is not!.  Flew a "C" speed model once as well.  Same problem.

Ken

[Larry Wong]

I flew one back in the 70's and you are right about anticipating the controls, especially in wind. Once it starts that tilted pane it is really hard to stop. One of the guys I fly with has one, he makes it look easy - It is not!.  Flew a "C" speed model once as well.  Same problem.

Ken

. I flew in Jet speed in WAM in the late 50's early 60' but I used Mono-Line we could not fly them before noon , great fun 

[Steve Dwyer]

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo had an engine outside their Aero Engineering hangar in a concrete bunker in 1968.  While flying my Sterling Starfire with a McCoy 35 on it on the grass strip they started it. Rump Rump Rump Rump and loud, this one was about 10' long, I wonder if Burt Rutan had anything to do with it, he was there before my time. I think they may have fabricated the engine from scratch.

Steve

[Dave Hull]

A little surprised these guys are parking where the dolly would likely go when it falls away. We regularly "unstuff" dollies from the chain link fence at local speed contests. (They came up with some "noodles" to use as berms or curbs that really seem to help.)  At this site, maybe if the dolly tumbles when it hits the grass it stops the forward motion before going too far?

Having a fire extinguisher nearby can also be handy....

Dave

[frank williams]

I think that's the old NaOrleans site ... you either park there or you have to shoo the gators out from under your truck when you get ready to leave.

[Mike Griffin]

I think that's the old NaOrleans site ... you either park there or you have to shoo the gators out from under your truck when you get ready to leave.

You are exactly right Frank.  Between the gators and wild boars we are always Semper V.

Mike

[Gordon Van Tighem]

Never got to fly one, but we did fire one up in the school gym for a few seconds. The sound echoed for more than a minute or so and adrenaline was high!
G

[Dave Hull]

Wow. You need to fly jet for speed for an adrenaline rush---when you got gators double-parking your vehicles...?

[Dan Berry]

Alright.
Who didn't see the subject and assume there was a birth announcement coming?

[Steve Helmick]

I know Howard, but not Adrenalin Rush. Would have been a great name for a Rush kid or pet.

I've flown .65 speed, .29 speed, .29 Proto, .15 speed and flew (the late) Jerry Thomas' Jet model one or two flights. Jerry often held the AMA record and was looking for a pilot. Jerry setup his models to have only "up" control, making it difficult to fly in any sort of wind. I didn't like it and didn't mind not getting "hired". No, not at all!   

All the speed models (and one stunt model) I flew were Monoline. IMO, the Stanzel units were the major reason for the upwind/downwind control issues. I'd seen 2-line Jets fly (about 1964) and those were the only speed models that I saw break lines. The reason was obviously that the models were not setup correctly and were flying on full up elevator...one line. When the up line broke, the down line broke immediately after it smacked the ground. IMO, if you have a flying site and wish to keep it, do NOT fly jets there.  Steve

[mike londke]

So easy a 12 year old can do it. Samuel soloed on the Dynajet last summer with the help of the Detroit crew. A year later and he has about a dozen flights under his belt with it. The kid doesn’t care about what type of CL it is, if it has a handle and lines he’s game.

[Dan Berry]

I know Howard, but not Adrenalin Rush.

Thank you.

[phil c]

After watching and hearing a pulse jet I was not to enthused about being around them.  I remember Charley Wilson telling of a husband and wife team back in the 50's flying them until one blew up on a start.

A number of years ago I attended the North Carolina Tournament or what ever they called it.  Very nice site around the Coliseum, but not very safe.

Combat was pretty well situated over grass.  There was some really good flying all around.  One flyaway, pre-thong days.  It flew out of the fenced in area and over the trees, hitting pavement about a 100 yards away.  No one hurt.

Later, I was standing around watching speed.  They included jets.  One was making what sounded like a terrific run.  The lower the pitch the faster they go!.  After about the 7th lap, at top speed,  it began to yo-yo and the pilot lost control.  The plane kissed the ground, flew over the safety fence about 12 ft high, engine stopped, over my head, and over another fence behind and into the trees.
 
In addition, at one point I was walking to the concessions.  I'd heard an ambulance come in.  There was a rat race pitman lying flat on a bench.  He had a tourequet on his right arm, with bandages turning red from the blood.  The med techs got the bleeding stopped and he got carried out to a stretcher.  The pilot did recover OK.

The worst was at the NATS.  Circa mid to late 70's. The AMA was running short-handed, but they got a safety line set up around the combat circle, about 75ft from the circle.  There was a solid line of tents along it.  An Aussie flyer and his wife were sitting there, right at the line.  The two flyers got a bit mixed up.  One went low, the other guy did a wing over and cut the low plane lose.  It went straight for the spectator at about 3 ft off the ground and flew up his right arm, something like 4 very bad gashes before it slammed into his body and broke up. It took barely a second.
That was one of the prime movers behind the safety thong and better pull testingl

Csn you tell I'm feeling great?  Not!

[John Park]

I heard of some fliers in, I think, New Zealand who made (and, I hope, still make) a practice of welcoming in the New Year wih a Dynajet flight.  It probably looks as spectacular as it sounds!

[richardm]

It was a tradition that saw the New Year in at the NZ national champs, very spectacular.

I have been privileged to fly a jet, the model was set up by one of the best jet speed flyers in the world Andrew Robinson, it was very stable and easy to fly

[Steve Helmick]

It was a tradition that saw the New Year in at the NZ national champs, very spectacular.

I have been privileged to fly a jet, the model was set up by one of the best jet speed flyers in the world Andrew Robinson, it was very stable and easy to fly

Was it monoline or 2-line? Most the problems are caused by the conventional layout (jet on top of the fuselage) with high thrustline and low center of drag. My guess is that tilting the tailpipe upward would help get the nose up, but could be wrong. I started to build an "Old Ironsides" (Jerry Thomas design), but remembered how noisy they were and gave it away. Jerry was a draw bridge operator in Tacoma, WA. I guess he had a lot of time to ponder new trickery.  Steve