Author Topic: More stunt in Alaska (Read 4204 times)

Mike Scholtes · « **on:** August 29, 2010, 11:56:58 PM »

Standing in the middle of the main street of Skagway about two weeks ago on a busy day, wearing 2009 Meet 'n Meat shirt, design by Jim Aron, featuring Dave Fitz' Thunder Gazer smashing through a hamburger, while being flown by the black spy from Spy v Spy. Of course. The other photos are what Misty Fjords near Ketchikan looks like from the front seat of a DeHaviland Beaver floatplane.

Kim Mortimore · « **Reply #1 on:** August 30, 2010, 12:59:48 AM »

Mike,
Getting a bit of a double chin there from all that lobster, caviar, cherries jubilee, twinkies and ho-ho's on the cruise ship. Was Misty Fjords the one from your senior prom? Or maybe I saw her name on a marquee in Las Vegas. Good that you could take a little time off to swing by the field today.

PJ Rowland · « **Reply #2 on:** August 30, 2010, 01:00:18 AM »

You know you have made it when your plane is on a tshirt.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #3 on:** August 30, 2010, 08:48:30 AM »

Looks like you are having way too much fun. The shots remind me of our trip to the big Island and the helicoptor ride.

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #4 on:** August 30, 2010, 09:40:07 PM »

Summer of '83, I worked in Ketchikan. Always wanted to take a ride on a floatin' Beaver out to Klawock...supposed to be real pretty there. Not that Ketchikan and the Tongass Narrows wasn't. Just never had any time off, at least none that allowed any planning. I'd like to take the Alaska State Ferry up, and fly back, or t'other way 'round. You can keep the helichoppers, Doc!

Steve

Mike Scholtes · « **Reply #5 on:** August 30, 2010, 11:09:24 PM »

Steve, now that you have more time presumably, the Alaska Marine Highway System (aka the Blue Canoe) will be happy to accomodate you. As for the Beaver they are beastly expensive to operate and go for around a million bucks on floats. I was getting a floatplane rating checkout. The cockpit is surprisingly cramped for such a large airplane, with levers and knobs and trim wheels jabbing you from all directions. They are not built for pilot comfort but to haul a lot of paying cargo. I have been fortunate to make it up there every summer for the last eight years. I feel the same way about helos; my primary flight instuctor was a Navy helo pilot who had been the sole survivor of a crash into the sea and hated them.

FLOYD CARTER · « **Reply #6 on:** August 31, 2010, 10:27:56 AM »

I lay claim of being the very first person, ever, to fly R/C in King Salmon, Alaska. That was in 1953. I built my own version of a "Rudderbug" design, and even built my own transmitter and vacuum tube receiver, with rudder-only control. The plane lasted a long time, because landings were always into deep snow without damage, except for getting waterlogged.

Floyd

Balsa Butcher · « **Reply #7 on:** August 31, 2010, 03:56:16 PM »

Aw, come on guys, helicopter aren't so bad...at least you can STOP before you land and as I always say:" If your wings ain't spinning, your'e in trouble!"

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #8 on:** August 31, 2010, 08:02:59 PM »

Parachutes and helicopters...for emergency use only...

Steve

Mike Scholtes · « **Reply #9 on:** August 31, 2010, 08:07:12 PM »

Pete, is this a new day job for you? Come on, we know those things won't fly in the thin air up where you live!

Balsa Butcher · « **Reply #10 on:** August 31, 2010, 08:39:58 PM »

Naw, that pic was in December of 2008, just before the TV station cancelled the helicopter contract

Decided then to hang up the headset after 30 years of sitting beneath rotor blades. Haven't flown since. But really C/L model flying does have a lot in common with rotary wing aviation. Aren't C/L models similar to rotor blades? Both go around in a circle. Lift is generated through rotation (Rotational relative wind) and both rotor blades and our wings have weight in the outboard tips for inertia (among other reasons). Early helicopters even had blades with fully symmetrical airfoils. Anyway Mike, thanks for the travelogue. If you get a chance try and get some stick time in a copter. Be sure to ask the pilot where the "hover button" is. Once you've found that, flying them is easy.

Kim Mortimore · « **Reply #11 on:** August 31, 2010, 09:13:56 PM »

Mike already has copter stick time. I was there. Mike, tell 'em about it. Better yet, post a pic. Very impressive stuff.

Mike Scholtes · « **Reply #12 on:** August 31, 2010, 11:14:52 PM »

Yes, I risk my life every time I take the "little widow-maker" aloft. Makes my hair stand on end, or at least my memory of hair.

E-Flite Blade MCX, fully digital proportional RC, hovers hands-off. A little easier to handle than the gas heli I learned on long ago.

Pete, any chance you will make the Golden State in October? With your Olympic?

Balsa Butcher · « **Reply #13 on:** September 01, 2010, 07:52:51 AM »

Nice copter Mike, I've been tempted to get one of those but they make me nervous. I know I'd be crashing it and I don't like to see helicopters crash, even model ones. Golden State, a definite maybe but I plan to attend the Meat and Meet and Jim Tichey contest. Hope to see you there. Undecided as to bringing the Olympic or Ryan SC.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #14 on:** September 01, 2010, 01:16:57 PM »

Quote from: Pete Cunha on August 31, 2010, 03:56:16 PM

Aw, come on guys, helicopter aren't so bad...at least you can STOP before you land and as I always say:" If your wings ain't spinning, your'e in trouble!"

Amazing what we learn about our fellow modelers. My first ride in a chopper was a trip into the Grand Canyon from Vegas. Yes it was expensive, but the wife wanted to do it until she discovered she was next to the door. Each of us had to weigh in so the computor would tell them where to seat us. First half of the trip was fine, which took us into the canyon for lunch. Then coming out staying in the shade because the air was supposedly denser. I did not like flying the length of Lake Mead. Same in Hawaii flying along the cliffs with nothing but water below. You look good Pete, you should be doing the canyon flights.

Kim Mortimore · « **Reply #15 on:** September 01, 2010, 06:44:57 PM »

Quote from: Pete Cunha on September 01, 2010, 07:52:51 AM

Nice copter Mike, I've been tempted to get one of those but they make me nervous. I know I'd be crashing it and I don't like to see helicopters crash, even model ones. Golden State, a definite maybe but I plan to attend the Meat and Meet and Jim Tichey contest. Hope to see you there. Undecided as to bringing the Olympic or Ryan SC. 8)

The Ryan SC is an interesting plane, a somewhat different look from the usual (p.110 of the PAMPA Classic book). Pete, with the recent discussion on trimming planes with a lot of forward sweep at the TE, I'm curious if you have flight trimmed the plane, and if so, how did it go? Thanks.

Tom Niebuhr · « **Reply #16 on:** September 01, 2010, 06:53:03 PM »

Mike,
I would love to see a picture of the Ryan SC

Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach · « **Reply #17 on:** September 01, 2010, 07:23:42 PM »

The mini sidebar discussion reminded me of a description of what a helicopter is......10,000 parts flying in close formation!

Kim Mortimore · « **Reply #18 on:** September 01, 2010, 08:46:08 PM »

Quote from: Tom Niebuhr on September 01, 2010, 06:53:03 PM

Mike,
I would love to see a picture of the Ryan SC

Actually, it's Pete's. Me too.

Balsa Butcher · « **Reply #19 on:** September 01, 2010, 08:52:02 PM »

Actually Tom, you may have. I had it up as my avatar for awhile. Here 'tis again. It was flown at VSC 2009 and wasn't ready for prime time. Recently refurbished. Interior pic was taken during refurbishment. Jack liked it.

Tom Niebuhr · « **Reply #20 on:** September 01, 2010, 09:20:06 PM »

Pete,
Very nice! Do you have it trimmed out yet? It should fly nice.

Howard Rush · « **Reply #21 on:** September 01, 2010, 09:25:33 PM »

You gotta take that to the Golden State. See you there.

Balsa Butcher · « **Reply #22 on:** September 02, 2010, 08:25:40 AM »

Plane is pretty much trimmed out. Jack remembers it as one of his better flying designs...I'd have to agree. Power is a Brodak .40. Roger that, Howard. Hope to be there. And Doc, thanks for the compliment but another flying job would cut into my building time...it's a matter of priorities.