Okie Air Model Products

[Crist Rigotti]

Anybody hear from Russell lately?  I've emailed him several times over the past week or so and all I got was crickets.

[john e. holliday]

Have you tried sending a PM here on the SH forum?  He might be busy.

[Craig Beswick]

Hey Crist,
Good question! I can't help though.

I don't know if Russell is incredibly busy or has other things going on. I emailed him on the 9th of February and he replied on the 24th.

I also sent an email on the 5th and I am still waiting for a reply.

Craig

[afml]

"I don't know if Russell is incredibly busy or has other things going on"
Correct on both counts.
If you need an order, call him in the morning.
Very knowledgeable and quick to fill orders.
"Tight Lines!"
Wes

[Craig Beswick]

Wes.
some of us aren't blessed to live in the USA. So my morning or his morning becomes problematic and expensive.

Russell Honea has been fantastic to do business with. Such an improvement over the previous option.

However, if you are going to list a number of contact options they should be monitored apporopriarely.

Craig

[Dave_Trible]

Just received an order from him 3-4 days ago.  He'll get to you.

Dave

[Crist Rigotti]

Have you tried sending a PM here on the SH forum?  He might be busy.

No Doc, I haven't.  If he's very busy, I doubt that he would be spending time on this Forum.

[Crist Rigotti]

"I don't know if Russell is incredibly busy or has other things going on"
Correct on both counts.
If you need an order, call him in the morning.
Very knowledgeable and quick to fill orders.
"Tight Lines!"
Wes

Wes, I've ordered from him before and have no problems.  But I take issue with your statement he's quick to fill orders.  The Details:

On Feb. 25 am I placed an order. 
I heard nothing from him and the need for what I ordered had passed.  I used what I had here.
On March 6 I sent an email cancelling my order.
The other day I called and left a message to cancel my order.
Nothing but crickets.  No refund either.
9 days passed from when I placed my order till I cancelled it.

[John Lindberg]

I have talked to him over the phone a few times over the last month; just got a package from him. Have you tried calling him, Chris? 

[Crist Rigotti]

I have talked to him over the phone a few times over the last month; just got a package from him. Have you tried calling him, Chris? 

Yes, I left a message on his machine earlier this week.

[Crist Rigotti]

I just received my refund.  Russell let me know he was waiting on a shipment of balsa that just arrived.

[Mike Morrow]

I spoke with him on the phone several weeks ago about an order I made in January. He said he is really backed up and filling them first come first served. I did receive my order last week .

Mike

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

[Kevin Wilfong]

 I just cancelled my balsa order & got a partial refund (didn't get shipping charge back). It's a shame; I enjoyed doing business with Russell but he's been setting on my order for three weeks & told me several times he was shipping it.

[Dave Rigotti]

Just to add to this thread...Order placed on August 6th.  I've heard nothing as of this typing. Sent email asking status today. Methinks 6+ weeks is stretching my patience......The need for the items I've ordered is almost past.

[George Grossardt]

Seems like resources for our hobby are becoming increasingly difficult.  If Okie is having problems, where does one go for quality control systems?

[Ken Culbertson]

Seems like resources for our hobby are becoming increasingly difficult.  If Okie is having problems, where does one go for quality control systems?

Learn how to braze, buy a wire bender, drill press, table vise and scroll saw.  Convince yourself that the first horn cost $800 and the rest are free.
Same logic you used to get the wife to let you buy a fishing boat.

Ken

[Dennis Nunes]

Seems like resources for our hobby are becoming increasingly difficult.  If Okie is having problems, where does one go for quality control systems?

One could learn how to make there own control systems. Download the article, "Turning to the Darkside - The Building of Circulas 46 IIe". It's available on the Flying Lines website at: http://flyinglines.org/nunes.circulas46lle.html Look at "Part 4 Control System". It's not that difficult.


Dennis

[Mike Griffin]

If you want to know about Okie Air, ask Tom Morris but you might not like what you will hear. 

Mike

[doug coursey]

Do what i do,build more than 1 plane at the time so you will always have something to build while your waiting for parts....i have everything i need for my Brodak Stuka Stunt so im on that one.......Doug

[Ken Culbertson]

If you want to know about Okie Air, ask Tom Morris but you might not like what you will hear. 

Mike

If Tom wanted the story out, he would have probably posted it here by now.  Now we all know that there is a story.  Sometimes it is better not to know, since neither party seems to want it public.  The only things that Russel provides that are not available elsewhere are control horns.  If that is all he does it is not worth the effort.  Make one from scratch then ask yourself if you can make a living doing that.  The controls have to be the reason to buy everything else, but that market is too fragmented now. Too many baskets, not enough eggs. WE are as much the problem as those we are bashing.  I wish I had an answer but for now, I am glad I was a machinist in my youth.

Ken

[Brett Buck]

I agree with what Ken said. Always 2 sides to every story. I really don't care to hear either one.

  I think I care what the bottom line is - is Okie Air a supplier, still in business, or not?

    Brett

[Mike Griffin]

  I think I care what the bottom line is - is Okie Air a supplier, still in business, or not?

    Brett

Brett, when you have a chance, check your messages.

Mike

[Mike Griffin]

If Tom wanted the story out, he would have probably posted it here by now.  Now we all know that there is a story.  Sometimes it is better not to know, since neither party seems to want it public.  The only things that Russel provides that are not available elsewhere are control horns.  If that is all he does it is not worth the effort.  Make one from scratch then ask yourself if you can make a living doing that.  The controls have to be the reason to buy everything else, but that market is too fragmented now. Too many baskets, not enough eggs. WE are as much the problem as those we are bashing.  I wish I had an answer but for now, I am glad I was a machinist in my youth.

Ken

Ken,

Tom is too much of a gentleman to "put the story out" and I will not either.  Just take the statement for what it is worth.

Mike

[Brett Buck]

Learn how to braze, buy a wire bender, drill press, table vise and scroll saw.  Convince yourself that the first horn cost $800 and the rest are free.
Same logic you used to get the wife to let you buy a fishing boat.

Ken

  To be picky, you only need a wire bender, hacksaw, files, hand drill, and a torch - i.e. hand tools. That's how I do mine and they are fine that way. You can do precision work with hand tools, you just have to be careful. Hack out the upright with a hacksaw, file to shape, drill holes. Get some wire, get some silver braze, braze with propane torch.  And, most of that stuff, anyone would already have. By far the trickiest part is bending the cross-bar, the later K&S bender, or the "vise with a notch in it" method are fine for that.

   It's not like you have to produce a bunch of them. If someone wants to build a bunch, then, yes, machine tools (particularly a CNC milling machine to cut uprights by the dozen), you could probably knock out 100 of them in an afternoon - which would be about the world's demand for the next 10 years.

        Brett

[Ken Culbertson]

By far the trickiest part is bending the cross-bar, the later K&S bender, or the "vise with a notch in it" method are fine for that.     

I plead guilty to "thread drifting" but I am curious if you heat/temper the wire before or during bending it?  I stopped using music wire some 30 years ago and use simple 1/8" steel rod from Lowe's for just about everything.  And I might add that if you don't have a drill press, get one.

Ken

[Brett Buck]

I plead guilty to "thread drifting" but I am curious if you heat/temper the wire before or during bending it?  I stopped using music wire some 30 years ago and use simple 1/8" steel rod from Lowe's for just about everything.  And I might add that if you don't have a drill press, get one.

Ken

   I have one, but my point was you don't need it for this task. The last time I worked on a control horn was last night, I used a 60-year-old "eggbeater" type hand drill.

    As far as bending goes, I do not heat treat or anneal/temper the wire before I bend it. I use A2 Air Hardening drill rod, it does not need to be treated before bending as long as you have a reasonable radius to it. I *do* temper it afterwards in an attempt to remove any hard spots around the braze, which gets far above the transition temperature.

    I am not sure that the A2 is the right thing to use, unhardened for most of the length, it is pretty darn easy to accidentally tweak.

      Brett

[Brett Buck]

  I think I care what the bottom line is - is Okie Air a supplier, still in business, or not?

    Brett

Brett, when you have a chance, check your messages.

Mike

So the answer is, without going in to the details, probably not.

    Brett

[Mike Griffin]

So the answer is, without going in to the details, probably not.

    Brett

I think it would be safe to say that.

Mike

[Teodorico Terry]

Last order I placed with him was six months ago. It was on a tight schedule as I was ordering parts for a friend who lives in Peru and my brother was going to hand carry them  with him on his trip.  I called the day after the order was placed, spoke to him about the urgency (we had 2 weeks I think, maybe 3) and got the parts within a week. The first order that I ever placed with him took a little longer, about 4 weeks I believe. The parts were well made.

[John Skukalek]

I placed an order on August 7 and received notification of it being shipped on September 20. The USPS tracking system shows that it is in transit.

[doug coursey]

I ordered stuff june 13 and still havnt got yet

[Dave Rigotti]

August 6th order cancelled October 1st.  PayPal dispute for refund given on October 15th........

[Crist Rigotti]

I've have received 2 orders of balsa wood from Model Aviation Products and the wood was very good and all of it averaged under 6 pounds.

[Bill Morell]

I've have received 2 orders of balsa wood from Model Aviation Products and the wood was very good and all of it averaged under 6 pounds.

What does this have to do with Okie Air?

[john e. holliday]

Yep, bad way to do business.

[Crist Rigotti]

What does this have to do with Okie Air?

If people were going to Okie Air for balsa wood, this would be an alternative source. 

[Dennis Toth]

Guys,
I got an email from Russell today indicating that he is working through his backlog and my order should be out shortly. Fingers crossed.

Best,    DennisT

[Dave Rigotti]

Dennis,
When did you place it?

Guys,
I got an email from Russell today indicating that he is working through his backlog and my order should be out shortly. Fingers crossed.

Best,    DennisT

[the original Steve Smith]

I heard from Russ today.  He called me back after I left a VM a week or so ago.  He is backlogged.  He has a regular full time job and is doing the model accessories gig on the side.  I hope folks can be patient with him, he is working through the backlog.

Steve

[doug coursey]

its been almost 5 months since i placed my order......im working a couple different models so its not too bad. the quality of his parts is good.....

[Mike Griffin]

its been almost 5 months since i placed my order......im working a couple different models so its not too bad. the quality of his parts is good.....

Just out of curiosity Doug, what did you order that is taking 5 months and still is not delivered?

Mike

[john e. holliday]

5 months and I would be using the phone to ask why.   Even a month is a little long.

[doug coursey]

I emailed him and he replied he would get it out to me,it was a couple of control horns a bellcrank and some flying lines custom length.. 

[dale gleason]

About two years ago I ordered some wood from Okie and never received the package, yet the post office had photos of the package at my gate. Someone had stolen it.

A few weeks later, the package of balsa and ply was found floating in a nearby creek and was returned to the post office.

I ended up with two packs of wood. The wet wood dried out nicely!

dg

[Howard Rush]

Captain,

If you have time, go to the creek and look for my toolbox. Thanks.

[Crist Rigotti]

Captain,

If you have time, go to the creek and look for my toolbox. Thanks.

LOL!

[dale gleason]

Will do, Howard!
glad to be of service....

dg

[BillLee]

Captain,

If you have time, go to the creek and look for my toolbox. Thanks.

Howard, did you think to check the port-a-pots for your toolbox when it went missing?

[Maksim Dubovitsky]

Hi guys! Does anyone know Russell's email? I couldn't find an email address on his website. I've been waiting for more than two weeks for the order to be sent. I want to write Russell about it

[Craig Beswick]

russell@okieair.com