Conference vmszoo::rc

RE:.88 Al, I was thinking of your story on my way home last
night; I think I know what happened.  The reason I'm the World's
Oldest Student ( that is, I've been fooling with RC for nearly
four years and haven't soloed yet) is that I spent the better
part of 2 1/2 years trying to design and build my own equipment.
Got it sort of working, but wound up buying some commercial
equipment in the long run (believe me, it takes more money than
brains to do it yourself).

Anyway.  One of the most critical parts of receiver design is the
connection between the output of the receiver, that is the
detector, and the input of the decoder.  This is because the RC
receiver has a big hairy AGC loop that picks off the signal
voltage at that point.  The AGC is generally fed back to, among
other places, the IF amplifiers.  Well, let me tell you, that
loop loves to oscillate.  There are generally some large
capacitors there to filter the signal into AGC, and often an
inductor as part of the filter.  The signal output, in turn often
is only capacitively coupled to the input of the decoder, which
usually has an OP amp as its input stage ( the normal decoder
chip, NE5045 has an op amp input).

What happens is that sometimes, for no apparent reason except a
strong signal, the receiver IF will oscillate.  The cure is to
either attenuate the input signal, or to turn off the
transmitter, either of which break the AGC feedback loop.  My
silver seven will oscillate upon very infrequent occasion, such
as when I'm setting up servos with the transmitter within a foot
of the antenna.  But if the receiver is not tuned just right, if
the receiver/decoder impedance match is not carefully engineered,
the receiver will oscillate under lower signal conditions.
That's what happened to your friend.

Chris,

Hmmmmmmmmm, you might have something there about circulating photos of our 
pride-and-joys.  My only problem might be I don't currently have any "good" 
shots of the MiG-3 that I'd care to lose if the worst happened in the good
ol' DEC goat-mail.  Most of the good pic's I have were given to me by others
who possess the good cameras (and the skills to use them) needed for taking
"really" good photos.  (I'm an instamatic-man as, if there is even "one" sim-
ple adjustment/setting to make on a camera, I'll blow more film that Kodak can 
make.)  At any rate, what I'm saying is that I don't have any duplicates, or
the negatives to print them, which makes the photos I have irreplaceable. I'll
look through what I do have and see if I have a good one that I could afford to
part with if it was lost.

What's a MiG-3 look like, you ask...wull', lemmesee', it's a real sinister look-
in' thing that was the first airplane designed by the (then) newly formed design
team of Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich.  It was optimised as a high-altitude
interceptor having the smallest possible airframe (32' wingspan) they could hang
on a grossly overweight Mikulin AM-75 V-12 engine producing 1750 HP but out-
weighing the contemporary Rolls-Royce Merlins and Daimler Benz's by over 500 
lb.'s.  The nose looks a little like a hybrid between a Sptifire and a Hurricane
with a 3-stack exhaust manifold on either side (mine have been made to be func-
tional...the exhaust from the O.S. .60 FSR is ducted to and exits from all 6-
stacks - trick, but awfully messy!).  

The wing looks a little like a Hurricane's, having a flat center section with 
dihedral in the outer panels from the landing gear out.  The empennage (tail-
section) has a little of the P-40 look to it.  The aft fuselage appears rather
short, an optical illusion created by the cockpit being located well to the rear
(to help compensate for the heavy engine).  The canopy is something on the order
of the P-40/P-51A&B greenhouse style except it has a one piece blown (rounded)
shaped windscreen and minimal framing in the sliding portion.  The canopy fairs
smoothly back into the turtledecking wnich then flows gracefully into the ver-
tical fin.  Due to the extreme aft location of the cockpit, the fuselage "ap-
pears" to have an extremely long nose and equally short tail moment but, as I 
said previously, it's an illusion...the moment arms are as nearly perfect as 
I've seen on a WW-II fighter

All guns were mounted in the upper nose:  it has two loooong, faired gun tunnels
running from just ahead of the windscreen to just behind the spinner backplate 
with a third gun opening off-center between the tunnels.  Just behind the spin-
ner and below the exhaust stack, a long cheek-scoop is located on both sides of
the nose (these housed oil cooling radiators.  Completing the picture is a P-51
like belly-scoop.  Naturally, it's a taildragger but the tailwheel is fixed (non
retractable).  Main-gear doors are a 3-section, triple-hinge articulated affair
that cost many sleepless nights to work out.

The full-scale MiG was one of the fastest fighters in Europe in its day.  It ex-
ceeded 401 MPH during an early test hop in April, 1940.  Unfortunately, it was
extremely heavily wing loaded and could be a man-killer in the hands of an inex-
perienced pilot.  While very fast and agile at altitudes between 26,000 and 
39,000 feet, most of the German/Russian air-war was fought at altitudes below
2,000 feet where the MiG was NOT in its element.  Nevertheless, the MiG-3 man-
aged to hold the line `til more suitable fighters were developed and made a num-
ber of aces to boot.  After being replaced and reassigned to home defense in the
Moscow/Leningrad sectors, several MiG-3 equipped units received the coveted
"Guards Unit" citation for having distinguished themselves in combat.  Russia's
2nd highest scoring ace, Col. Andrei Pokryshkin (sp?), scored 75 kills in the
MiG-3 before moving into Yak's and Lagg's and always said he preferred the MiG
(though he was almost totally alone in his preference).  See, ain't it neat all
the neat, historical stuff ya' learn when ya' research a scale project?

My model replicates a prototype flown by a Capt. Polyakov with a "Guards Unit" 
in the defense of Leningrad, summer of 1942.  It's brown & grey-green camouflage
on top with a pale blue underside. Blood-red stars are on top and bottom of both
wings and both sides of the aft fuselage.  Large white numerals "04" are just 
below the cockpit on both sides.  The model is 1/5.65 scale, spans 72 3/4", has 
960 square inces of wing area and weighs 11 1/2 lb.'s.  It's equipped with Rhom
retracts with custom-built scale oleo-struts; segmented, split-flaps, sliding
canopy and the aforementioned functional exhaust system.  I use an "ultra-relia-
ble" Futaba "J" series radio for guidance.  Fortunately, the modelexhibits none
of the nastiness of the original and is as fine a scale ship as I've ever flown.
(The light wing-loading makes it a pussy-cat in most parameters.)

Well, ya' asked "what time it was" and I "built ya' a watch!"  You now know more
than you probably ever wanted to know about the MiG-3. ;-)  Hope ya' found it 
interesting!

Adios,	Al

>    1.)  If taxying a taildragger, you must hold full up elevator when
>    taxying into the wind and full "down" when taxying downwind.  This
>    keeps the tailwheel anchored to the ground and is identical to full-
>    scale taildragger procedure(s). ** For tri-gear, neutral elevator
>    is usually adequate for upwind taxying but down elevator will still
>    aid downwind taxying. **

**  I gave you some bogus information here, Kay.  (It's been ages since I 
flew a tri-geared bird, full-scale OR model.)  With tri-geared ships, the object
is to keep the nose-wheel anchored to the ground so the opposite rules (from 
taildraggers) apply:  hold neutral or down-elevator when taxying upwind and up-
elevator when taxying downwind.  Sorry `bout that!

Adios,	Al

Well, guys, it appears to be more than two weeks since anything new was added 
to this topic so let me scan the memory banks and see if I can come up with
another yarn to rekindle the interest.  I hope to see some interesting/funny
accounts from all you snowbound noters regarding yer' winter activities in
the near future.

Lemmesee', I don't think I've told this one...I'm not about to rifle back 
through 266 replies looking for it so, if you've already heard [read] this one,
sorry `bout that.

A friend of mine, Glen Freeman [who appeared in the Beachcomber crash into
Roosevelt Lake episode], built several Bandido's over the years he and I flew 
together regularly and Glen had a propensity for building HEAVVVVY!  By the
way, a Bandido was/is a shoulder-winged, medium-to-high performance sport 
ship designed by Ted White based, loosely, around Doug Spreng's "Stormer" of
the early `60's.

Glen also had the uncanny knack for building the crooked-est R/C models I ever
saw and had the pleasure(?) to fly.  If you ever gave him a straight, well trim-
med airplane to fly, Glen would swear there was something wrong with it he was 
so accustomed to flying out of trim stuff of his own manufacture.

Anyhoo, we were flying from the Albuquerque field atop the Volcano Cliffs west 
of town on this occasion (probably around `67-`68) when, during a flight, Glen
got his crooked, overweight Bandido into a flat spin a coupla' hundred feet up.
"Hey Caso [his nickname for me], look at this," Glen hollered.  Looking up, I
saw his bird rotating flatter'n a sailcat at a pretty good rate but descending
verrrrry slowly.  After watching awhile, I said, "Well, are ya' gonna' get out 
of it or ride it all the way to the ground?"  "Guess yer' right," Glen respond-
ed, then, in the next breath, he exclaimed, "Oh Hell!  I can't get it out!"

Sure enough, the Bandido "helicoptered" down all the way to ground, coming to 
earth in the middle of the [fortunately] nearly empty parking lot with a muffled
THUUUUDDDD and a puff of volcanic dust.  We walked out to retrieve the presuma-
bly destroyed airplane but were amazed to find it sitting on it's tricycle gear
with the engine "still idling."  Aside from spreading the dural aluminum main 
gear a tad, the bird was completely undamaged! (That 1/4" hardwood dowel leading
edge and main spar had finally contributed something besides extra weight.  I 
told you Glen built heavvvvy!)

Walking back to the pits, I advised Glen what he "should've done" to recover the
spin; "Use full down elevator, full rudder opposite the spin and full throttle
[or bursts of same]," I told him.  "You think you coulda' done better, Smart
A**?" Glen asked.  "Why, Hell ya'," I replied.  Next thing I knew, Glen had the
bird up, put it into another flat spin, handed me the transmitter and said, "OK,
wise guy, get it out!"  With that, I tried "EVERYTHING" I knew or had ever heard
about spin recovery, then got creative and tried to invent something, all to no
avail.  The Bandido "autorotated" all the way down and thumped-in within a few
yards of where it had landed the first time, again with no damage.  We crossed
flat spins out of Glen's repertoire and finished up the session uneventfully.

That evening, we went over to Ted White's and, during the bull-session that in-
evitably ensues between modelers, we mentioned the flat spin episode of earlier 
that day. Ted began lecturing us on the dynamics of spins and spin recovery and,
before long, volunteered that any DUNCE should be able to recover a flat spin if
he uses the proper procedure.  Exchanging a knowing glance, Glen and I allowed 
as how we'd sure appreciate a demonstration from the Master.  Ted had, after 
all, designed the Bandido so he was supremely confident that he knew every last
intimate detail of the Bandido's flying characteristics and could recover the
spin with ease.  Smirks, grins and winks passed between Glen and I for the re-
mainder of the evening.

Next day found us back on the field; as he'd done for me, Glen put the Bandido
into a flat spin and handed the transmitter to Ted.  As had happened to both
Glen and I, Ted tried everything except for [and maybe including] prayer but,
again, the Bandido ignored all inputs and thumped to the ground, unhurt except
for a broken prop, a wrinkle we were quick to advise Ted had not happened to
either of us.

Ted was so fascinated he tried 3-more times with the same predictable result.
His fascination overrode his dented ego and Ted offered to swap Glen his own,
straight, well trimmed Bandido for Glen's.  Glen took him up on the offer in
a flash and, 20-years later, Ted admits he never did figure out this quirk nor
did he ever succeed in recovering a flat spin with Glen's bird.

EPILOGUE:  Glen "hated" Ted's Bandido with a passion; said it flew too easily,
felt slippery/unstable when he didn't HAVE to fly it every second.  Eventually,
Glen built another of his "propellor wing" specials and gave Ted's Bandido to
me...one of the finest flying ships I ever owned!

Adios amigos,	Al

Thanks for making me jog my memory, Al; I didn't do it before
because it slipped me.  But I got it now: Wolfgang Langschweise,
Stick and Rudder.  Published in the forties and still valid.
Thanks again, whoever recommended that one!

    Anker,
    
    I expect the ad you saw "was" for the Platt Jungmeister...I seem
    to remember the pic with Dave holding the model.  Design/engineering
    wise, the 1/4 scale Platt is nearly identical to the PICA since Dave
    designed them both but Platt kits are known for the wood/hardware
    quality.  Don't write off the PICA yet, however...pick through one
    for yer'self; the kit quality could've improved since mine was built.
    
    As to 4-cycle engines, that's not a good subject to get me started
    on as I'm "faaaaaaaar" from being sold on "any" reason whatever for
    running one.  Their primary advantage, namely less noise, has even
    been lost as power has increased.  For the very first time, I'm
    in total accord with an editorial by Norm Goyer (see "As I R/C It"
    in the current issue of Scale R/C Modeler) who feels that we modelers
    have been taken in by the engine manufacturers where 4-cycles are
    concerned.  Norm reasons that, with the reliability and longevity of 
    today's engines, mfgr.s came up with the 4-cycle to create a new
    market and "sell engines."  But, the kicker is that what they [the
    mfgr.s] are pushing off as 4-cycle engines are "not" that at all.
    How could they be when they utilize glo-plugs, thereby eliminating
    any way of timing plug-firing to the power stroke??
    
    When the initial fascination wore off, the modeling public demanded
    more power from their 4-cycles so the mfgr.s obliged, but at the
    sacrifice of the engines' claim to fame [low noise] and, throughout,
    4-cycles have had the disarming and dangerous habit of spitting
    the prop due to pre-ignition/detonation resulting from the absence
    of ignition timing which "would" be present in a "true" 4-cycle
    engine.  One only needs to read the "Safety Comes First" column
    by John Preston in Model Aviation magazine for a few issues to get
    a feel for the number and severity of injuries modelers have received
    as a result of this dangerous personality trait of the so-called
    4-cycle engine.  Serious eye, hand and finger injuries while operating
    4-cycles seems "much" too common for me to regard as an acceptable 
    risk.  Thanks, but no thanks!
    
    But enough of this...I'd better stop before I press someone's "Hot-
    Button" [if I haven't already] and that wasn't my intent.  It's
    just that this is one area where I have a very strong opinion and,
    though I've tried to keep it mostly to myself, the direct question
    was finally asked, so the above are some of the reasons I don't
    run 4-cycles and have no intention of doing so.  I realize many
    of you successfully run and enjoy 4-cycles and the last thing I
    want to do is crumb this in the least.  We're all free to choose
    whatever suits us, for whatever reason(s)...I'm just saying that
    until the day when a 4-cycle is a "true" 4-stroke engine with the
    current, common failings eliminated and the power-to-weight/size 
    favorably comparable to 2-cycles, I choose to have nothing to do
    with the 4-cycle engine.  I simply cannot justify the increased cash 
    outlay required to obtain a bulkier, heavier but less powerful and 
    potentially dangerous engine.  Just my opinion, but it makes sense
    to "me" and I'm the guy I have to live with, so there you have it.
    
    Adios amigo and keep us posted, maybe in the scale topic, if you
    take the plunge and get into a Jungmeister....,	Al
    

    Well, all is not lost if the network dies while you are typing a
    long note...
    
    Follow these simple steps and you should be able to recover that
    message... (This assumes that you are using a Notebook)
    
    	1) Get back to the notebook listing
    	2) open any other note file that you have listed (or return
    		to the original one)
    	3) give the command "Write/last"
    		This gives you an edit window with the text of your
    		last message in it.
    	4) press the "DO" key, you will be prompted for a "command>"
    	5) type "Write file.name" where file.name is the file that you
    		would like created in your local directory.
    	6) control-Z or whatever, then answer NO to "enter this note?"
    
    Later, when you are back in the offending conference, just type
    WRITE file.name or REPLY file.name and the file that you were using
    before will be used to start a new response.
    
    Good luck!!
    jeff
    
    Warning - the /LAST switch will NOT work if you exit notes in general.
    

    re. .420
    The AMA has available on timesharing systems like COMP*SER*E, a
    forum called MODELNET.  It is run by several SYSOPS, and started
    a few years back by the overall Special Projects Director, Doug Pratt.
    
    There exists an online database for program uploads/downloads,
    directories	of clubs thruout the USA, a section for AMA business,
    AMA contest results, AMA 'future publications in Model Aviation',
    Newsletter upload/downloads, and a recently added feature, 'ONLINE
    AMA application'.  There's much more, with forums that are for
    RC Flying, RC Cars, Boats, Plastic Modelers, Rocketry, Trains, and
    such.  You can even get verification of a club member's AMA membership
    if you are an club officer and use this service...
    
    So...if thats what AMA-NET  was discussed as, then its like our
    RC Notesfile, only worldwide, with access by others than DEC'ies...

    			-Mike
    

    Saw a very nearly serious accident at the flying field yesterday
    caused by the 4-stroke engine's nasty propensity for throwing the
    prop.  A fellow started his .90 4-cycle and had just begun to advance
    the throttle when the engine spit the prop which ran down this guy's
    leg, shredding his pant leg, then bounced off the ground into his
    face with a shower of gravel.
    
    This guy must've been really living right lately as the prop failed
    to break the skin on his leg and his glasses prevented any injury
    to his face or eyes by the errant prop and/or the flying gravel.
    
    This guy had used a second prop-nut as a jam nut but to no avail...the
    prop "still" came off effortlessly.  I mentioned that I'd read the
    only "sure" defense against this was to drill the propshaft outboard
    of the prop-nut and install a cotter key or safety wire to prevent
    the nut from becoming unthreaded and he allowed as how he wouldn't
    run the engine again `til this was done.              
    
    There seems to be only two kinds of 4-cycle engine users: those
    that have had the engine spit the prop and those who "are GOING
    to!"  Just a word of caution...if "I" were running a 4-stroker,
    I'd sure install this safety feature - eye's and hands are just
    too hard to come by!!!
    
    Adios,	Al

re: .428

A common reason for throwing props is ignitors in the fuel. (eg. acetone)

Most methanol purchased has a small amount of acetone (about 3-6%) to assist 
combustion in motor vehicles engines. This is bad news for model engines as it 
causes detonation and in sever cases backfiring and throwing a prop.

Things that can help is adding a spacer under the head to reduce the 
comp, checking the valve clearance and changing glo plugs.

John.

    I have seen several 4-strokes spit props at our field.  It has always
    been right after starting and it seems to me that the engine backfires
    due to being too lean while cold.  I am concerned about this nasty
    habbit since I just purchased my first 4-stroke, an OS1.2.  OS now
    supplies a special lock nut that prevents the prop nut from spinning
    off even if it loosens up.  I plan to use extreme care anyway, but
    I hope this lock nut works.  It's hard to drill crankshafts because
    they are harder than hell!
    
    Charlie
    

    This probably not the right place for this topic, but note 239.*
    is a conference in its own right.
    
    A few replies back there was a discussion of a reaction to [possibly]
    cured CYA [or something else; there really isn't enough data].
    
    The reaction described is called anaphylactic shock.  It is a common
    extreme of an allergic reaction.  It can kill and very quickly.
    
    Last summer I had such a reaction to a wasp sting after many years
    of being able to consider a sting a minor and temporary pain.  It
    happened again a few weeks later.  Both times I got to the medical
    center in time.  I now have several "sting kits" handy.
    
    I believe that for me the time between sting and termination is
    about one hour, but I don't intend to test the conjecture.  Death,
    when it occurs, is the result of extreme swelling of the throat
    closing off the windpipe.
    
    If, while flying, someone is stung and starts to have very, very
    intense itching, get medical assistance immediately.  Don't expect
    the victim to drive himself --- he may become unconscious.  He will
    certainly be an unsafe driver, distracted by the hellish itching.

    
    	John, What you will find in the future when you get into
    aerobatic flying is that there is a great deal of concentration
    involved. You really need to concentrat to use down stick for
    up while inverted. Any laps of concentration and your mind will
    automaticly do what comes naturally. It is at this time that 
    the plane is most vulnerable. The engine dieing causes the pilot
    to focus his attention on the engine rather than the plane.
    The plane reacts to the dead engine and begine to sink. Your
    mind notices this sink and reacts to it in a natural manor.
    If you don't have the presence of mind to run the planes input thru
    your brains attitude checker you will rekit the plane. If however
    you do use the checker rather than naturally react chances are that
    you can come out of the situation with only minimal damage.
    Unless you have considerable speed that correct thing to do would
    be to pancake the ship in inverted. If you have plenty of speed
    then a roll can be tried.
    
    
    						Tom

    Re: .-2.., John,
    
    I heard [third hand] that the Masters Qualifier would be flown from
    a 2500' aux sailplane runway at the cadet's sailport.  
    
    OK, Verner Kopp/Propwash Video is the one I was thinking of...thanx.
    
    
    
    Re: .-3..., John/Tom,
    
    If caught inverted when the engine quits on a high-speed low pass,
    yer' best bet is to push the nose up [using down elevator] then,
    almost simultaneously, do a little less that 1/2 a roll which leaves
    you higher, upright and banked to setup a deadstick landing.  I've
    used this technique successfully a number of times BUT, the key
    to it's success is SPEED...without airspeed to trade for altitude,
    yer' only hope is to go in inverted as gently as possible, per Tom's
    suggestion.                           
    
    Adios,	Al

    Ken,
                  
    Thanx fer' the great yarn.  I've seen wheels fall off, but floats?
    Lucky thing you weren't flying from water, eh?  You'd surely have
    survived it but gotten pretty water-logged in the bargain, I'd expect.
    
    On the subject of losing landing gear and/or parts of same, an
    interesting thing happened to several guys at the `88 Masters last
    October.  Brian O'Meara, Shailesh Patel, Charlie Chambers and a
    coupla' others were using Byron wheels/tires on their warbirds
    [a very nice looking wheel I might add] and a totally unexpected
    disadvantage to these tires was inadvertently discovered.
    
    (Remember that we flew in the rain Saturday and Sunday after a fairly
    nice day Friday.)  It started when we heard , Saturday morning, that
    Shailesh had conned the hotel restaurant into letting him "bake"
    his wheels in one of their ovens.  When we asked him what was going
    on, Shailesh showed us;  while they _appear_ nice and smooth, the
    Byron tire is actually porous, very minutely so, but porous nonetheless
    and, acting like sponges, his tires had absorbed so much moisture
    that they had grown in size sufficiently to no longer fit into the
    wheel wells.  You could actually squeeze the tires and wring "water"
    out of them...incredible!  Of course, they more than doubled in
    weight in the bargain also.
    
    For the remainder of the meet, both Shailesh and Charlie had gear
    retraction problems because of the rain-swollen tires and I believe 
    Charlie flew his last round [maybe two] with the gear down because of 
    this.
    
    Brian had a slightly different problem stemming from the same thing.
    His tires were so water-logged and overweight that the additional
    centrifugal force exerted on them caused one or both tires to spin off 
    the hubs every takeoff after the rains came.  Naturally, with the
    tire(s) gone, gear retraction was no problem but he still had a
    landing to get through PLUS Brian was using a touch-and-go as one
    of his optional maneuvers.
    
    Darndest thing you ever saw;  Brian'd extend the gear and your
    attention was immediately drawn to the tiny, undersized wheel [tire-
    less hub] at the end of the gear strut.  No one'd have criticized
    him if he'd scratched the touch-and-go but Brian perservered and
    setup anyhow.  Well, we could hardly believe our eyes cause, except
    for the funny screeching noise, Brians big Baker P-47 breezed through
    the touch-and-goes AND the final landings just as though nothing
    was wrong.  It was hilarious!  And he was well scored to boot, the
    judges apparently being aware of the many landings Jugs made in Europe
    with the tires shot away. 
    
    Incidental to Kevin:  Brian has committed to be here with his Baker
    Jug next month.  Shailesh may also attend with "his" Baker Jug and
    there's an offhand chance that Charlie Chambers may be here with
    his metal covered Platt P-51, "Contrary Mary."  Being an airline
    captain, Charlie's hedging until he knows better how his flight
    schedule looks.
    
    Adios,	Al
                                      

    Back to the OV10A/Ted White story; Brian (.551) and Glenn (.553)
    are verrrry close to what actually happened.  In fact, between the
    two guesses, you've hit on it exactly.
    
    I neglected to mention that. after installing the receiver, the
    Rx antenna was threaded out through the removeable hatch cover which
    was shaped as the continuation of the rear of the fuse pod, that
    is, it was very streamlined like the rear of an engine nacelle.
    
    After the wreckage was collected in was discovered that the Rx was
    _nowhere_ to be found.  This caused a tremendous amount of
    head-scratching `til we remembered that Jess Wright had video-taped
    the entire episode.  Reviewing Jesses tape through tha camera's
    monitor revealed that, as Ted had begun the descending approach
    to the low pass he'd intended to make, the increased low-pressure
    area formed at the rear of the fuse-pod had literally sucked the
    hatch off, whence it fluttered to the end of the Rx antenna but
    was restrained from flying clear by the knot in the end of the antenna
    wire.  Now handing in the slipstream like a drag-chute, the Rx was
    pulled out the rear of the fuse, naturally unplugging it from all
    servos and the battery pack.  Then, the video-tape clearly showed
    the Rx be safely "parachuted" to the ground, dangling from the hatch.
    
    Using the tape for a reference, we went searching in the pucker-brush
    and, sure enough, came upon the Rx and hatch cover, totally unharmed
    which, unfortunately, was a lot more than we could say for the pile
    of wreckage that had been the gorgeous Bronco only a few moments
    before.
    
    Two valuable lessons were learned, actually three, from the incident.
    First and most important was that there's wisdom in the AMA rule
    forbidding test flights during a sanctioned event...serious injury
    could've resulted had the flight been made while the site was packed
    with people and cars.  Second, rubberbands don't constitute a secure
    method of securing hatches in low pressure areas of a fuse.  Third
    and last, don't put a knot or other device at the end of the Rx
    antenna if it exits through a hatch, canopy or whatever that has
    the _remotest_ chance of coming off in flight...yer' just hangin'
    it out for "Murphy" to jump on.  But for the knot, the hatch wouldve
    fluttered harmlessly away, it's possible loss being the maximum
    extent of the damage.
    
    Adios amigos,	Al
    
    P.S Congratulations to Brian and Glenn for their astute guesses.

    Anybody ready for another yarn?  This one [fortunately] doesn't
    involve a crash, near crash or even a message of any sort.
    
    While vacationing in Albuquerque some 17+ years ago, I spent a week
    with Ted White [yeah, he _does_ move around a lot] and Ted was on
    a sailplane kick.  We went up to the top of the volcano cliffs west
    of town several times to fly Ted's Schweizer (sp?) 1-26 sailplane
    and had a good time but he wasn't happy just chucking the glider
    off the cliff.  Lift wasn't all that abundant and, more than once,
    We were unable to get the plane back up to an altitude where we
    could land atop the cliff.  This meant landing in the clearing 200'
    below and going after the bird in the car, a long, roudabout trip
    that took over 20-minutes.
    
    Incidentally, it's quite interesting/challenging landing way beneath
    yer' elevation like that...depth perception ain't worth a flip!  We
    learned quickly, however, it was pretty easy...all you had to do
    was flare and land on the airplane's shadow, simple huh?
    
    Anyway, Ted decided we should try launcing using a powered mother
    plane.  We found towing the glider, prototype fashion, to be extremely
    difficult and trying on both pilots so Ted went back to the drawing
    board and concluded that we should mount the glider in a cradle
    attached to the back of the mother plane and separate the two via
    an aux servo once desired altitude had been attained.
    
    A few hours later, we had soldered up a music wire contraption that
    resembled the buttresses of the Eiffel Tower, attached it to the
    back of one of Ted's Bandido and rigged an externally mounted servo
    to pull a pin out of a retaining ring arrangement.  A screw-eye
    was installed in the glider's belly such that it engaged the retaining
    ring in the saddle, whereupon the release pin was slid through both, 
    securing the glider to the cradle. 
    
    Out to the field we went to try out this Siamese contraption.  Not
    knowing what kinda' monster we'd created, Ted flew the mother plane
    on the test-hop, instructing me that, if anything went wrong, he'd
    instantly pull the pin and I was to pull the big sailplane up and
    away so he could [hopefully] regain control of the mother plane.
    "Yeah!  Right," I thought to myself.  
    
    The takeoff run was pretty conventional but it was weird to watch
    the big Schweizer's wings flex upward as lift was developed and,
    contrary to what we expected, the run was shortened considerably
    owing to the additional lift provided by the parasite glider.  Climb
    out appeared normal `til Ted tried to turn this monstrosity, "It
    won't turn!" he hollered and, indeed, hard as he tried, the contraption
    [which resembled mating dragonflies] bored straight on, becoming
    smaller all the time.
    
    Ted had warned me _NOT_ to touch the glider's controls `til time
    to separate but I thought, "What th' Hell," and fed in a little
    rudder.  That did it!  Ted hollered, "There it comes" and breathed
    a sigh of relief.  With the ship(s) safely climbing back towards
    us, I told Ted what I'd done and he replied, "Of course, we've got
    so much adverse yaw that the mother plane's rudder isn't enough."
    
    So, that became S.O.P., I'd leave the glider controls alone until
    time to turn then add appropriate rudder.  Anyhow, release altitude
    was reached and Ted throttled back, dropped the nose slightly and
    pulled the release pin.  Man, the Schweizer literally _popped_ outa'
    the cradle and I found myself jockeying the elevator stick
    back-and-forth to kill the porpoising that immediately developed. 
    
    Meanwhile, Ted spiralled the Bandido down and landed, then took
    over the glider.  _We'd_done_it!_  We polished the technique all
    that afternoon, taking turns flying either the glider or the mother
    plane and generally having a ball.  Now, _this_, I thought was alright;
    added a little spice and took some of the _yawn_ outa' glider flying
    [for _me_ at least].
    
    As far as I ever knew, we were the first to successfully use this
    launch technique in the southwest, certainly in the Albuquerque area.
    Nowadays, I see it all the time and the simplicity of some of the
    rigs really puts our birdcage cradle to shame......but it worked.
    
    Adios,	Al
                                         

    Dan,
    
    I concur with Tom's approach.  A flat-bottom wing, in essence, requires
    no positive incidence as it produces lift off the top of the wing
    _only_. Incidence is normally used only on symmetrical/semi-symmetrical
    sectioned wings where lift is produced from bith the top _and_ the
    bottom of the wing and positive angle of attack [incidence] is
    necessary to assure more upward than downward lift.  1-2 degrees
    of positive incidence is all that's needed with a symmet/semi-symmet
    wing so I'm sure that 3-degrees is way too much for the Pilgrim.
    
    Very likely, a zero-zero wing-to-stad decolage and 2-degrees or
    so of downthrust would be very close to ideal for yer' bird.   

      :
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Mornin' guys,
    
    In the interim as we _anxiously_ await inputs from Kay and Kevin,
    re: their thoughts, impressions of their recent visit to Phoenix
    and the 1/8 Air Force Scale Fly-In, lemme' ramble a bit.
    
    I'm eager to hear K&K's impression(s) of the way we handled flight
    rotation, frequency control and flightline safety.  Several years
    back, during my first term as Commander of the group, I recommended
    we buy 6 walkie talkie type radios; the kind with the lightweight
    headset and belt-mounted tranceiver.  These have become the cornerstone
    of our running/controlling the meet.  All flightline safety personnel
    wear a radio and coordinate traffic through use of them.  Flightline
    coordinators also wear radios so they can relay _who's_up_next_ info
    to the anouncer, who is also wired for sound.
    
    I put the headset on Kay for 5-minutes or so during my hitch as
    flightline coordinator and I think he found it fascinating.  The
    safety people sound like the tower controllers at any busy airport:
    "I have a P-51 waiting clearance for takeoff."  "Hold him, I have
    an F-16 on final...Ok, the F-16's down and clear, let the P-51 go
    after the Thunderbolt completes its low-pass."  "Roger."  [to the
    P-51 pilot] Taxi into takeoff position and hold; begin takeoff roll
    when the P-47's clear."                                   
    
    Three safety people control the 5-flightlines and do everything
    possible to ensure a safe, enjoyable meet.  They clear takeoffs
    and landings, clear the decks for deadsticks and emergencies and
    coordinate low-passes and aerobatics in the runway area with all
    other traffic via these radios.  If it sounds a little stiff/formal,
    believe me it really isn't...a pilot can do virtually anything he
    wants but he must coordinate through his safety officer first so
    maximum safety is provided for him and all other traffic.  All it
    requires of the pilots is a little discipline and they take to
    it like a duck-to-water.
    
    On another subject, this might interest Anker and other 495th members.
    In John Preston's "Safety Comes First" column in the latest Model
    Aviation, 495th newsletter editor, George Werber, has a piece of
    a discussion around safety while flying R/C in the presence of
    lightning.  No conclusion is reached regarding the issue but I,
    for one, wouldn't consider walking around in an open field holding
    a lightning-rod during a thunderstorm so I'm certainly not gonna'
    risk standing out there with a transmitter in my hands.  Besides,
    high static discharge [even though remote] has been known to squirrel-
    out a radio just like high-tension powerlines so, if I care nothing 
    for my life, I'm sure not gonna' risk losing my aircraft.  Just
    my personal opinion, but I'd suggest packing it in `til another
    day if/when a thunderstorm threatens while at the flying field.

      :
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al                   
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

Hey Al,
when Cam and I were driving back from the Spirit's Show and Tell, I asked him
what he was going to win with next year. He said he didn't know. Well, now he's
got a project to keep him busy till then. His new scale project is a 1/12 or
1/10th scale (hasn't been finalized yet) version of the Bell Osprey. If you're
not familiar with the Osprey, its the tilt rotor transport the services are
looking at buying. It takes off like a helicopter, tilts the rotors and flys
to its destination like a plane.I have no doubt Cam will succeed in building a
beuatiful working model of it. Whether or not it will actually get off the 
ground and be flyable by us normal mortals is another question. He calculated
that the wing loading will be around 42 ounces if that means anything to you.

Cam is also short on documentation so if anyone knows of some that describes
the Osprey in detail please let me know.

Just noticed that I goofed on something. The best of show at the Spirit's
show and tell was a B-24, not a B-26. Wing loading on that four engined
beast was 38 ounces.

Dan Eaton

    Well, we had a rather abbreviated flying session yesterday, mostly
    owing to the fact that "_IT'S GETTIN' HOT OUT THERE_!"  High temp.
    was 106F yesterday with today to be a carbon copy.  Sure hope it
    cools some by this weekend or it's gonna' be unconfortably warm
    at the Tucson Qualifier.
    
    Anyhoo, we arrived about 7:00AM and got straight to the business of
    flying as it was already pretty warm.  I put a coupla' more flights on
    the ol" yeller Peril, Bob flew the Stagspitoon and [would you believe]
    Chuck brought out the Byro-dactyl (Byron Pipe Dream) again.  Byron
    or someone back there musta' been smokin' sumpthin' funny when they
    "dreamed" that abortion up...Lord but it's UGLY!  Oh well.........
    
    Highlight (almost low-light) of the morning was that I finally got to 
    test-hop a buddy's Brian Taylor P-40 for him.  After a thorough
    preflight inspection and correction of a coupla' minor items, the
    S.T. .75 was brought to life and adjusted.  After just one fast-taxi,
    I felt confident enough in the ship's ground-handling to line up
    for takeoff.  As I smoothly but carefully advanced the throttle,
    the shark-mouthed bird tracked arrow-straight and rotated smoothly
    into the air for the very first time.  Gear and flaps up, I headed
    for altitude to trim and feel the new ship out.                    
    
    A little down-elevator trim was all that was required to get things
    feeling comfortable.  Descending a bit, I sampled the control responses
    and found them to be tolerable, though the ailerons felt slugginsh
    around neutral while being crisp at full stick deflection...if I
    hadn't known better, I'da thought they were on exponential.  (Later
    we discovered some flex in the aileron linkage which, once corrected,
    should eliminate or improve this one minor complaint.
    
    I did a few rolls and various point rolls, playing it conservatively
    as it _was_ the first flight on _someone_else's_ airplane.  On low
    passes, the sinister shark-mouth really showed up and looked
    convincingly wicked (I can imagine what a Japanese pilot must've
    felt when he saw these "Jaws" bearing down on him). 
    
    Back to altitude, a few stall-tests were made before setting up
    the landing.  Down-and-dirty, I set up the landing and found the
    ailerons very ineffective at low speeds, forcing the use of rudder
    to maintain heading on final.  Other than that, the landing was
    uneventful and the -40 touched down nicely, rolling-out straight to
    a stop.  (Gawd! I wish the Peril was that manageable on roll-out!)
    
    The owner was ecstatic but we were about to have our jubilation
    dampened somewhat.  Upon post-flight inspection we discovered that
    the left wing had a chorwise crack running just outside of the wheel
    well.  P-40's, Hellcats Corsairs and others had rearward retracting
    gear with the wheels rotating 90-degrees to lie flat in the wells.
    The problem this causes is you've effectively cut the wing in half
    and the leading edge and a spar running just behind the well must be
    stoutly reinforced to carry the flight and landing loads.
    Unfortunately, our buddy hadn't provided any extra beef in these
    areas and we must've been just a heartbeat from a spectacular crash
    during the maiden voyage;  just one loop or maybe even too tight
    a turn and the wing would, most likely have sheared off with obvious,
    disastrous results.
    
    The upside to this was that the guy still has an airplane to repair.
    He'll have to go into the wing, surgically from the bottom, and
    add some beef to the load carrying areas as well as tighten up his
    aileron linkage while he's at it.  With these repairs made, however,
    he's gonna' have a very fine scale ship...all-in-all, it flew very
    nicely, was smooth, stable and groovy.  I really liked the way it
    looked and performed.

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    It's been awhile since I've entered a real ramblin' style story
    so here goes one of those you wish you didn't have to tell...it
    happened just last Saturday at the Tucson Scale Masters Qualifier.
    
    Bob Olson, a good friend and real gentleman/sportsman from southern
    California attended the meet with his Bert Baker P-47, now a veteran
    of a year's worth of competition, including one Masters ('87).  Bob
    is one of the hardest trying guys I ever met and has had more than
    his share of grief finding just the right scale ship.  The -47 was
    definitely right for him, forgiving several cases of dumb-thumbs
    and falling asleep at the switch until, at last, Bob was totally
    comfortable with the ship and was doing very well with it.        
    
    After static, the flightlines were sorted out and Bob was first-up
    on his line, in fact, his was the first flight of the meet.  Firing
    up the big Webra Bully, Bob checked all the controls and taxied
    into position for his takeoff.  Easing in the throttle, the big
    Jug accelerated forward, the tail came up and Bob was making one
    of the best takeoff runs I'd ever seen him make, straight and true
    as an arrow.
    
    As the end of the pavement approached, I said aloud, "OK, Bob, rotate,"
    but the Jug thundered straight ahead.  "Now, Bob," I said as a nasty
    barbed-wire fence loomed dangerously close...still, the Jug roared
    straight ahead.  "Up, Bob," I cried frantically an instant before
    the beautiful P-47 ran headlong into the fence and simply exploded;
    I doubt the damage could've been much more extensive if you'da set
    a bomb off in the cockpit!!  The airframe was absolutely totalled;
    fortunately, all the systems survived with very minimal damage.
    
    Everyone on the field was honestly stunned and the contest halted
    temporarily as we all went out to help retrieve and carry back the
    wreckage in a "body-bag."  In the pits, we went over the wreckage 
    with a fine-toothed comb and finally, almost by accident, found
    the cause of the crash.  It seems that, just the previous night,
    Bob and Diego (Lopez) had added some fiberglass reinforcement to
    the stab center-section down through the tailwheel opening.  (Don't
    get ahead of me now, it's not what you think.)
    
    While trying to apply cloth and resin, the rudder pushrod kept getting
    in the way, so they bent it out of the way, temporarily, then bent
    it back as close as they could to the original position after they
    were done with the repair.  (Remember, Bob checked all the controls
    before taxying out and the elevator _was_ working.)  What had happened
    was this: as Bob advanced the throttle, the engine torque combined
    with the crosswind required him to feed in all the right-rudder
    he had and _that's_ what killed him; we discovered that, after bending
    /tweaking around on the rudder pushrod, application of full right
    rudder jammed the pushrod against the elevator pushrod, jamming
    the elevator solidly in neutral.  Helluva' way to lose a beautiful
    scale ship!!!
    
    Now, when I'm installing control runs, I always "stir" the sticks
    and assure that _no_ binding of the various pushrods occurs in any
    possible position/combination of control inputs.  But, I seriously
    doubt if I'da caught this problem after making a relatively  simple
    /routine repair.  I will _now_ though; I'm adding that check to my 
    preflight _anytime_ I've made repairs in the area of any control rods, 
    hinges, horns, etc. and I strongly advise all of you to do the same.
    Remembering Bob Olson's tragic loss of his P-47 could well save
    you an airplane!
    
    
      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Just a theory, here, but, If a film is designed to cover at a
    lower temperature, might this not imply that it would be more
    susceptable to stretch, and or sag, that a higher temp film ?  I
    know that BB claims not to sag or stretch, but it seems to me that
    there might be some immutable laws of nature here that simply
    cannot be circumvented.  Something that is designed to soften-up
    at a lower temperature, is by necessity, softer to begin with,
    isn't it ?

    Randy (:^D)

    Here's one to think about..  I was out flying my old clunker over
    the weekend and I finally figured out what was causing a "problem"
    that i've been having with this plane. The problem was that the rudder
    has always been squirley (sp?). Give it left rudder and it dives,
    give it right rudder and it climbs. This characteristic has made me
    refrain from using rudder on this airplane, until this weekend.
    I normally land pretty hot so that my ailerons remain effective but
    I recently re-trimmed it and I got down WAY slower than I usually
    land. So slow that the ailerons wouldn't do anything. The funny part
    is that I steered it in with rudder and it worked perfectly!. The next
    flight up I fooled around a bit and found that the rudder/pitch coupling
    only happened under power. The only thing that I can figure is that
    I was seeing "P" effect from the propeller. Normally you pitch up on
    take-off any the "P" effect veers you to one side. The same effect should
    produce a pitching force if you sideslip using the rudder. This is the
    first plane i've ever encountered that reacted this way. Has anybody
    else noticed something similar?

                     !
                   --+--
G. Schrader     o___<0>___o
                  *  *  *

    Dan,
    
    Yeah, I'd caught the reference and agree wholeheartedly regarding
    the uselessness of _ANY_ brand of ny-rods.  Like you, I was driven
    nearly to distraction by the d*mn things last weekend as we had
    a 40+ degree temperature delta from overnight-low to daytime-high
    and each flight was a little different from the last, trimwise.
    
    The things are so convenient and _look_ like such a good idea that
    they suck a lotta' people in but, until or if they can be absolutely,
    100% temperature stabilized (which is likely impossible), I STRONGLY
    recommend against their use.    

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

When you refer to "Nyrods", are you refering specifically to the devices which 
consist of a flexible plastic rod inside a hollow plastic tube, or do you 
include the ones with the stranded metal cables inside plastic? Does it make a 
difference if only the outer tube expands or if both the outside AND inside are 
sensitive to temperature? I just completed my first plane, a "Sophisticated 
Lady" and I use the metal cable variety of controls for both the rudder and 
elevator. The elevator control came with the kit and it is a thin brass colored 
cable inside a yellow tube. Ray (of Ray's in Worcester) told me that they 
shouldn't have used such a thin cable, and I think that if I'd known ahead of 
time, I could have modified the way in which the cable snaked it's way up the 
fin to the "TEE" tail. For the rudder, I used a much heavier (1/16" I think) 
cable.

Anyway, should I start to worry at all about shifting trim? I'm a TOTALLY 
inexperienced flyer and I expect to receive my RC gear from Tower tomorrow or 
the next day. With any luck, I hope to make my first appearance at the CMRCM 
field sometime next week. 

BTW, are there any experienced glider pilots out there who would be willing to
"take me under their wing" as it were and help me get started? There are
instructors at the Westboro field, but my understanding is that they are geared
towards powered flight. 

Dave (starting to get hot flashes and cold feet)

    Dave,
    
    The ny-rods Dan and I are bashing are the smooth or fluted 
    plastic/nylon tubing running inside a smooth-walled outer
    tube.  In these, the inner [moving] tube shrinks or expands with
    temperature change, changing flight trim all over creation.
    
    The type you refer to with the braided steel cable running inside
    an outer guide tube is not affected in this manner as the steel
    cable changes length only infinitesimally with temperature.

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    All of this talk of rudder/aileron stuff has got me thinking... 
    (watch out world  :-)  First of all, I too am guilty of forgetting I
    have a rudder.  This fact coupled with a strong wind is what (I
    believe) caused the crash of the Electrostreak.

    From another angle, I'm beginning to practice doing some of the
    simple pattern maneuvers and mostly concentrating on the slow rolls. 
    As many of you know, to do a perfect axial roll, you need to kick in
    a little up, then some opposite rudder, then a little down, then a
    little rudder in the same direction as the roll (if this isn't
    familiar to you - think about the plane rolling VERY slowly and
    assume that the nose will drop if you don't do something to correct
    it).  The problem here is that after you put in the aileron to start
    the roll, you have to wiggle BOTH sticks in a very coordinated
    fashion to do a perfect roll.

    So, it seems a solution to both these problems would be to switch
    which sticks rudder and ailerons are on.  In other words, rudder /
    elevator on the right stick and aileron / throttle on the left.  
    (Is this called "Mode-1"??)  

    The first problem (forgetting I have a rudder) would go away by
    itself since my tendency is to use the right stick while the left
    one sits stationary.  I would now have to concentrate on using
    ailerons.  Doing perfect axial rolls would also be easier since you
    would set the ailerons with the left stick (and hold it stationary)
    and then the proper way to wiggle the rudder and elevator would be
    to make a small circle with the right stick.  Mentally, this is much
    easier for my brain to tell my fingers what to do then the
    conventional way.  (Mode-2??)

    Now, before I get tons of hate mail, let me say I'm aware of some
    possible problems:
      - no one else (around here) will be able to fly my planes.  Most
        people fly Mode-2.  So I will have to "test pilot" all of my
        planes on their maiden flights.
      - I will not be able to instruct anyone else since they will
        probably set up their ship for Mode-2.
      - since I have learned using Mode-2 so far, I can get myself in
        lots of trouble by trying to switch now.
      - full scale planes fly more like Mode-2.  ie, the stick/wheel 
        works like the right R/C stick in Mode-2.

    For the moment, I'm willing to risk these issues at least for a test
    period.

    Any comments from the more experienced out there???????

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Caster Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

    Dan,
    
    What you describe in .897 is called mode-III.  Never heard of it?
    Neither had I 'til quite recently as a very small number of fliers
    like/prefer this setup.
    
    I won't try to discourage you from experimenting but you already
    fly the most widely and successfully used mode if you fly on mode-II
    and my advice is to stick with it for all the plusses you already
    described and more.  I'm able to fly both mode-I and mode-II but,
    having learned on mode-II, I doubt I could EVER be as capable on
    mode-I.  I believe the same would apply to mode-III.
    
    A perfect roll is no more difficult to perform with mode-II; yer'
    left stick will be nailed to the firewall (you don't/or shouldn't
    do less than full-power rolls is looking for perfection) so all
    you have to do is move it slightly one direction, then the other
    as the aircraft rotates through the roll.
    
    A roll should be thought of as being the composite of 4-separate
    components.  Let's disect an axial-roll to the right: 1.) the first 
    component is the roll to a knife-edge and "top-rudder" (left, in this
    case) is needed to hold the nose up; 2.) continuing the rotation
    to the right, we roll to the inverted and apply "down-elevator,"
    again, to hold the nose up; 3.) In the third component we roll to
    another knife-edge and, this time, "top-rudder" is right-rudder;
    4. finally, we roll back to the upright position and a little "up-
    elevator" is applied to hold the nose up on the recovery.
    
    The best way I know to practice/master the slow-roll is to use the
    above steps _literally_ and STOP the roll at each component, i.e.
    break the mechanics up into a 4-point hesitation roll, holding the
    necessary control inputs at each point.  Once mastered, its a fairly
    simple transition to flow all four points together into a perfectly
    executed slow axial roll.  
    
    Sure, it requires coordinating three-controls together to accomplish
    the maneuver but that _fact_ remains regardless of the mode being
    flown.  It's merely a matter of conditioning oneself to the particular
    mode being flown and I honestly don't believe it's easier/harder with
    any one mode as compared to another.

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Ken,
    
    Axial-rolls, at least good ones, with a trainer-type are not easily 
    come by.  The inherent stability and high dihedral of such types
    resist such aerobatics as, indeed, they were intended to by design.
    
    But, acceptable axial, aileron-rolls _can_ be done; you'll probably
    have to pitch the nose up 5-10 degrees to enter, then [in the case
    of a trainer-type] apply full [let's say right] aileron and hold
    it all through the roll.  As the plane approaches the first knife-edge
    you may need to apply some "top-rudder" [left] to keep the nose
    from dropping (if it doesn't need it, don't use it...this is a hand/eye
    coordination drill).  As the roll continues toward inverted, bleed off 
    the rudder [if any] and start feeding in "down-elevator" to hold the
    nose up as the plane passes through the inverted portion of the
    roll.  Continuing, bleed off the down elevator and start feeding
    "top-rudder" [right]  as the second knife-edge is approached (again,
    if you don't need it to hold the nose up, don't use any).  Finishing
    the roll, bleed off the rudder [if any] and feed in a little
    "up-elevator" to complete the roll.
    
    If performed in the fashion I just described, the roll will describe
    a gentle arc, being nose-up at the beginning, level while inverted
    and slightly nose-down at completion (thus the up-elevator].  This
    is a very graceful appearing roll and is the way most full-scale
    aircraft (except for world-class aerobatics ships) perform a roll.
    
    Frankly, I prefer the aesthetics of this type roll over one performed
    right down a wire with no altitude gain/loss.  And, it's a little
    easier to perform, not to mention that a trainer-type'd be hard-pressed
    to do any other kind.   

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    
    First off I'd get into aileron/rudder turns differently than what
    Al' has discribed. What I've suggested in the past is to fly a normal
    flight and feed in a little rudder in the turns. When your comfortable
    with this then reduce the throttle setting and continue to fly using
    ailerons/rudder in the turns. You will find that to do the same
    turn rate added rudder is needed. You will also find that added
    rudder lessens the needed for as must aileron. Continue to do this
    at each speed until your flying around at just over idle. Again
    you will find that more and more rudder is needed to keep the ship
    flat in the turn hence not loosing as much airspeed and to keep
    the ship from falling off. From here go to figure eights.
    Dan,
    	Latter on in future ships you will find that rudder application
    only yaws the plane as it shoudl. I agreement with Ken flying a
    chopper will difinately get you over the lazy left syndrome.
    I was flying one of the prototype Moonraker 60's sunday and my buddy
    the owner of  this proto had to tell me to get off of the rudder
    in the turns. Seems that I was unknowningly inputing rudder. Your
    see you have to use rudder all of the time when flying a chopper.
    I had forget I was flying a plane.
    
    
    						tom

    At the risk of raising the ire of any single-stickers as might be
    reading out there, I just have to say it:  I've _never_ been able
    to figger' out _how_ one can fly with any sensitivity/precision
    while grasping a "door-knob" 'twixt thumb and index finger!
    
    Of course, it's all whatcha' learned and became comfortable with
    but, in the few instances where I've had the opportunity to fly
    single-stick, I was able to fly competently but _anything_but_ 
    comfortably.  Now instead of having to coordinate 2-controls on
    one stick, yer' faced with _3_ and groping for rudder (twisting
    the knob) while feeding aileron and elevator was extremely awkward
    (for me) to say the least.  Also, yer' remaining channel (throttle)
    and any aux-controls are out of sight and must be manipulated by
    the Braille-system, kinda' like the left hand when playing an
    accordian.  I should add that the majority (not all) of the people
    I've seen using single-stick were looking for a crutch to accomodate
    for some other shortcoming in their piloting skill and, single-
    stick notwithstanding, they _continued_ to display the same short-
    comings (frequently to an increased extent) after the seitch.  The
    only place I've seen SS used where it appeared to be an asset (or
    at least not a handicap) was with sailplanes, R/C assisted Oldtimers
    etc. where the flight regime is so slow and gentle (most of the
    time) that quick, absolutely precise control inputs are not the
    norm.
    
    Nope, there may be some who really like it and do well with it,
    but single-stick is _certainly_ not for me and I'd argue against
    recommending it to anyone.   

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Al, I agree with only one item you posted. That whatever you get
    comfortable with is the best for you.PERIOD.  I tried single stick
    and liked it. Once I realised that you had to keep your arm away
    from your body to keep from inputing false rudder inputs. However
    at that time I started to fly during the winter and didn't want
    to sacrafice the single stick to the witer so I reverted back to
    my cheaper dual stick radios. After flying all one winter on dual
    stick I found the attempt to transition back to a single stick to
    uncomfortable so I kept up the dual stick.
    However if you look at the US Champions in both FAI pattern and
    choppers and the World Champion in choppers they fly single sticks.
    Bottome line is what you feel comfortable with.
    
    
    						Tom

    Dan,
    	I don't use a prop washer with the round nuts that Higley sells.
    They are large aluminum (or brass for weight) ama style 'safety'
    nuts that can be used instead of a spinner.  If you don't need or
    want a spinner then this will do just fine.  These nuts are available
    in the popular thread types and sizes.
      
    I agree with Al that it sounds repairable from your description.
    If it's a trainer, don't worry about looks, but only about structural
    integrity and get it flying again.  You will be less worried about
    pranging it if you have already done so.
    
    Charlie
    

    As Bill said, I finally flew my E-Cub.  Configured it with an
    Astro direct drive 05 on 6 cells, used the Futaba mini system.
    How did it fly ? well....

    The first flight was a REAL dog, with power on, the nose pitched
    WAY up, and it was all I could do to "horse" the sucker around the
    field to land it.  It looked like it was flying near stall all the
    time, until, for fear of hitting someone jogging through the
    field, I cut power.  When I did, the plane settled into a nice,
    smooth glide.  Ultimately, It snapped when I put power back on.
    Retrieved from the tall grass, however, with no damage.  I removed
    the cowl and cranked in some down thrust on the motor, flew it
    again, but the light breeze shifted 180 as the plane was launched,
    flew about 30 feet and snapped again.  Third flight went right
    away, the plane still seemed to want to stall all the time, and
    flew with a slightly tail down attitude.  All the same, I did
    manage about 7 minutes on a partly charged battery.  Saturday I
    cranked even more down thrust into the motor and went out to fly
    again.  This time it really looked like there was too much down
    thrust, but, I thought, what the H*LL.  Got a guy to hand launch
    it for me, and WOW, it flew GREAT !

    All told, I got three flights, each one for 7 to 10 minutes.  The
    other guys at the field said that the flights were the most
    successful electric flights they had seen.  I too was real
    pleased, and I'll probably fly it again today !

    As Bill mentioned, I am building the SS-90 to go with my SS-20 and
    SS-40.  I have been stalled at the almostreadytocover stage for
    about 6 weeks because I have been spending my spare time flying.
    I had a conversation with Great Planes about prop recommendations
    and they told me that they have had several reported failures of
    the SS-90 due to elevator Flutter.  I have gotten several letters
    describing the problem and some building advice to avoid it.  Most
    of it centers around eliminating any slop in the elevator controls,
    but their descriptions of what people did wrong sound like some
    of the defects were pretty minor.  They caution against making the
    plane too fast and they finally even suggest statically balancing
    the elevators.  THe newer kits include smaller elevators as well.
    I am not sure how soon I will get this bird flying, but I am excited
    about it.  I'm also nervous after all of this discussion about flutter.
    I'll talk more about it if there is interest.
    
    Charlie
    

        Re:< Note 239.964 by LEDS::WATT >

        Charlie,
        
                The F16  owner  who  helped me out on the "maiden flight"
        showed me a  real  neat trick.  Instead on nyrods he has retained
        the outer sheath and replaced the core with pianowire.  Where the
        pianowire enters and exits the  sheath he has covered it with the
        old  core.   The result is  a  super  firm  setup  with  ny  heat
        expansion problems. I plan to use it in the future.
        
        Anker

    anker, that nyrod trick is almost exactly what i did on the jug,
    except i retained the inner yellow nyrod the full length.  this
    yellow nyrod is "tacked" to 1 end of the piano wire which also
    runs full length.  this gets rid of temp variations and the yellow
    nyrod no longer "buckles" inside the red.  very tight, i like it,
    a bit heavy and overkill for many applications tho.
    kevin

    Dan,
    
    Placement of the nose-gear on the front-or-back of the firewall
    is not critical at all.  As to whether-or-not to remove the strut
    when flying from water, that's more-or-less a case of aesthetics
    and/or personal preference.  At any distance at all, the strut will
    not be visible but, though negligible, come amount of drag will
    result from leaving it in place.  Some water-flyers leave the strut
    in place and rig their water-rudder(s) to be driven by a take-off
    attached to the nose-gear's axle.  Shoot yer' best shot.........    

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Kay, 
    
    I'm not familiar with JR connectors but is it possible to get in
    them with a straight-pin and re-tension the female contacts, thus
    achieving a better/tighter fit?  This is a practice I've used since,
    virtually, day-1 of my R/C life, even with Deans' Connectors and,
    perhaps, this is all that's needed on the battery/charging connectors.    

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

I've noticed that my latest Dean's connectors, particularly the
3-pin ones, fit loose.  I think that success has spoiled Deans.
Anyway, an easy fix is to spread the first and last pins apart
very slightly to give some tension.  Only enough to give the
tension, no more.

    John,
    
    I assume you mean to spread the _male_ pins apart to provide some
    tension.  This'd work, I guess, but I'd feel uncomfortable about
    how good a contact the _other_ pins were getting.
    
    A better (IMO) fix is to simply insert a straight-pin between the
    female contact and the plastic connector body on both sides.  This
    pinches the fork-shaped female contact together making for a much
    tighter grip on the mating male pin.  I've done this for _years_
    with completely satisfactory results and have never had a problem
    associated with an intermittent contact.    

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Re: .1065, Tom, Kevin,
    
    First it should be pointed out that the U.S. Scale Masters program
    is separate and distinct from AMA scale events.  It uses, basically,
    AMA rules for sport scale except it has no Sportsman program, it
    combines giant-scale into the single (expert) category and allows
    only two, rather that three, mechanical options.
    
    The Scale Masters program was/is the brainchild of Mr. Harris Lee
    who wanted desperately to provide a viable substitute/alternative to
    the [then] foundering AMA scale events.  With the help of the Scale
    Squadron of Southern California, the first Masters was held at Mile
    Square Park in 1979 so the prestigious event will celebrate its
    1st decade next year with the St. Louis Championships.
    
    As is the case in the AMA scale events, no intentional prejudice
    for-or-against any particular type of aircraft was/is intended.
    For whatever reason, WW-II aircraft, particularly fighters, enjoy
    a competitive edge in the competition arena.  I don't agree that
    it _should_ be this way but the facts-of-life are that it _IS_ this
    way in the real world.  Other types of models have been successful
    as well;  a Kinner Sporster, Beech Staggerwing, J3 Cub, and a DC-3 are
    among the non-WW-II types I can recall off the top of my head tha've
    place in the top-10 finishers at the Masters.
    
    The point is that _it_can_be_done_!  But the modeler, enjoying complete
    freedom of choice when selecting a scale subject, should be cognizant
    of the 'fact' that a non-WW-II type will have a tougher-row-to-hoe in
    competition, not so much from a static point of view; these types
    static as well as any other type, including the WW-II ships.  Where
    they get short-sheeted is in flight judging.  Two reasons for this
    come to mind: 1.) these are generally slower, low performance types,
    incapable of performing fast, crisp, impressive aerobatic maneuvers
    for their flight options, making their flights sorta' mundane to
    watch; 2.) flight judging, in my opinion, is still [too] heavily in-
    fluenced by pattern and, with very few exceptions, only WW-II fighter
    types and jets have the kinda' performance these judges are used
    to and, if only subconciously, are looking for.  I percieve this
    situation getting better of recent years but the problem continues
    to exist; we simply do _not_ have trained, skilled scale judges
    who can equitably score varying prototypical performance from a
    Bleriot monoplane up through an F-18 Hornet.
    
    Prejudice?  No, I truly do not believe that _any_ aircraft type
    is deliberately discriminated against.  The presumed prejudice is
    simply the result of many factors, most significantly, the lack
    or good, comprehensive flight judging.  As I say, things are improving
    but we're not there yet.  K-factors have been suggested frequently
    but the rub here is how can I receive a difficulty bonus for a 4-point
    roll with the MiG-3 when the guy flying the Bleriot cannot use this 
    option, whether or not his model will do it, as the prototype would 
    _not_!  
    
    Until competition is split up into basic performance types, K-factoring
    won't work and, once such a split were made, it might not be necessary.
    
    It's a can-of-worms, to be sure.  About all most of us are doing at
    this point is hiding and watching as things improve, hoping it'll
    all equal out in time.

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Dan, You can't do a full roll to inverted unless your already
    inverted:-).
    What a roll pushed into a half outside loop called? = 1/2 outside loop.
    
    An Immelman is; level flight pushed into one half a loop with a
    one half roll at the top to come back to upright level flight.
    
    A split S is; level flight pushed up into a one quarter loop to
    vertical, travel vertical, then into a half roll followed by up
    elevatorfor one half of a loop. This gets you going in the opposite
    direction,upright in level flight..
    
    
    
    
    Tom
       

    Re: .1102, Dan (Miner),
    
    Wow! Deja-vu!!  Sorry 'bout yer' falling victim to the "Parsons
    Syndrome."  Yep' as many years as he's flown and as excellent a
    pilot as he is, ol' Dan'l Parsons _still_ falls prey to the "yank
    full up while inverted" knee-jerk response if something happens
    while inverted.  That's why it's CRITICAL one practices lots of
    inverted flight and conditions himself to "push" the nose up with
    down-elevator automatically...that's the only way to ever overcome
    that knee-jerk reflex.                                        
    
    Re: .1105 (I think), Tom,
    
    I still say what the Sno-man's referring to is called a "Reverse
    Immelman."  That's what we always call it, at any rate, because
    it's the exact opposite of a regular Immelman.  I thought I even
    remembered this maneuver being used in pattern at one time and being
    called a Reverse Immelman.  Also, I didn't understand yer' description
    of the Split-S at all; what's this pull up vertical in a quarter-loop
    business...or is that how they do it in pattern nowadays??  A Spilt-S
    to me was always performed by rolling inverted in level flight,
    then pulling under in a half-inside loop to the upright.  In scale,
    the Split-S is preceded by pulling up about 30-degrees, then rolling
    inverted and pulling under.  Whatever you described I'm not sure
    I ever heard of or saw before.
    
      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    I agree with Al on what a Split S is.  You enter it level, not at
    an up attitude.  I also think that the 1/2 roll pushed into 1/2
    outside loop is a reverse Immelman.  
    
    Charlie
    

    I agree that your basic split S is a half roll from level flight
    pushed into one half inside loop. However in pattern the split S
    is used to turn around. If one was flying at an altitude of 100
    ft and wished to do a split S, the exit of which coming out at the
    same 100 ft. altitude then one would have to pitch up into a vertical
    climb to gain altitude to perform the split S. What is typically
    done is something like a reverse cuban eight. After the judged manuaver
    and the exit you pitch the plane up into a 45 - 60 degree climb.
    On the way up you perform a half roll and then pull the ship into
    a one half loop. In this way you are at the same altitude and an
    opposite heading to get ready to perform the next manuaver.
    
    
    Tom

    al,
    
    just last night i received (finally) my carb adapter and shaft
    extension for the bully.  the carb adapter is pretty simple, unbolt
    old carb, bolt on adapter (with gasket), and install os7d carb with
    o-ring.  the shaft extension is more complicated.  it can't just
    be bolted to the prop driver of the bully because there is a bolt
    which sticks out too far. it serves as the prop shaft except its
    not threaded (six separate bolts sandwich the prop between the prop
    driver and prop washer, and yes, 6 little holes had to be drilled
    in the prop).  after some head scratching and looking at bully
    documentation i figured this shaft is threaded into the crank and
    holds the prop driver in place (a key keeps prop driver from spinning
    on end of crank).  i wondered where i could find a socket to fit
    this thingy so i could remove it and also wondered why gene didnt sell
    a replacement bolt for it.  then i found and read gene's instructions -
    no problem, just saw off the excess end of the shaft and bolt extension
    on.  not elegant but it will work.  the extension is 1 inch long
    and will allow the bully to set back enough to be mounted upright
    and to allow the exhaust manifold to clear the yet to be built dummy
    engine.  the extension is quite heavy so its not clear if the cg
    will shift backwards or forwards with the extension (i'd assumed
    the cg would shift backwards with the heavy bully).
    
    the only mystery remaining is where to find a scale spinner to fit
    the threaded end of the extension.  the spinner which comes with
    the baker kit fits the threads on my st2500, but the extension
    threads are different.
    
    kevin
                

Well, we had a white Thanksgiving!  We drove to Prescott (95-miles N.W. of
Phoenix) to spend the holiday with my Mom, Dad, brother and sister-in-law and, 
right on cue, Thursday afternoon while sitting around suffering from the ritual
gorging, it began to snow and continued to do so through the following day.  
There was 3-4 inches of the stuff on top of the car when we left Friday after-
noon and it continued to fall on the return trip back to within 40-miles north
of Phoenix where it changed to drizzle.

Friday evening we went to a private grand-opening party for a new CD store owned
by the daughter and son-in-law of my good C.A.F. buddy from Hereford, Texas,
Gerald Martin, who'd come over for the soiree and invited Kathi and I to attend.
Gerald, you may recall from past ramblings, is the fellow who flew Me-109's (ac-
tually Spanish H-1110's) for the movie, "The Battle of Britain," flew the Cor-
sair with the white vertical arrow on the fin in the TV series, "Baa Baa Black
Sheep," etc. and is also an avid R/C'er, devoting his energies to competing with
the R/C assisted oldtimers of late.

Weather permitting, we planned to go out flying Saturday morning but, as of Fri-
day night, it didn't look promising, the drizzle having fallen steadily for al-
most 48-hours.  Wonder of wonders, however, Saturday dawned bright, clear and
freshly washed so we proceded to Puckerbrush Int'l. Airport for [what was inten-
ded to be] a full day of flying.

Arriving at the field, we were horrified to find that the kids in their ATV's,
4X4's, etc, had literally destroyed the field; it was ripped up in every pos-
sible direction and was unuseable until it could be rolled/dragged flat again.
So, we moved a coupla' hundred yards south where we'd discovered an alternate
area for use in just such an instance some years ago.  A perfectly acceptable
field, it is, however, much tighter with heavy desert brush surrounding it and
limiting the useable length to maybe 350-400 feet where, before, we had probably
a quarter-mile of length to play with.  Keep this fact in mind as the story
continues.

After assembling the trusty Mig-3 and introducing Gerald around to the guys,
I began to prepare for flight.  Normally, I merely hand crank the engine with
the throttle and trim full low which chokes the engine and, upon firing, just
move the throttle up a bit and reset the trim to flight setting.  However, this
technique wasn't working and the engine felt stiff; I quickly attributed this
the cool 50-degree air and continued cranking (Mistake-#1).  Giving up, I ap-
plied the electric starter and the O.S. barked to life.  Checking the needle
setting, everything seemed fine so I taxied out and lined up for takeoff.  I
managed to get yet another textbook takeoff (haven't missed one now since the
fifth round of the Masters), hit the gear switch and climbed out normally.

Trimming the elevator slightly on the downwind, I turned onto the runway and
burned a really nice, rock-solid low pass for Gerald's benefit.  He commented
that the Mig looked like the most solid fighter he'd seen and I replied, "You 
ain't seen nuthin' yet!"  Lining up again, I did one of the nicer, full-length-
of-the-field slow-rolls I've done lately and Gerald offered, "Great! That's just
how I like to do 'em in the full-scale warbirds."  Of course, that puffed my
chest out a bit so I set up again and did a textbook 4-point roll.  Gerald
again complimented the bird, saying, "It sure likes to roll, don't it?"  I
replied, "Yep'!  Let's try an 8-point next,"  As the Mig was turning onto the 
downwind, I remarked aloud, "That engine really isn't peaking like it should
and I'm still a little concerned at the way it felt when starting it."  I
shoulda' kept my mouth shut!  Just as I turned back onto the runway and was
diving in for the maneuver pass..........

DISASTER!!!  Something flew from the nose of the ship and the comforting snarl
of the engine ceased.  I WAS DOOMED from that instant and I _knew_ it; I was
too high to land and too low to go around.  The engine had quit at the _WORST_
possible place and I knew it was now a matter of how badly the ship would be
damaged!  Had I reacted instantly and threw the bird into an immediate 360, I
_might_ have gotten away with it but all who witnessed it said they doubted it.
In any event, I hesitated and, in an instant, that option was gone (Mistake-#2).

I got the gear down, hoping the extra drag would help but, by the time the MiG 
was directly overhead, it was still 75' up and overshooting into the awaiting 
scrub-brush and gnarly, heavily thorned Palo Verde trees was now a certainty.
But, I didn't give up, I attempted a large "S" maneuver to try to slough off
the excess altitude but, when I turned back toward the field, the ship snookered
me, convincing me that I could make a 180 and land downwind.  I knew I was 
gonna' get hurt in any case, so I gambled, failing to consider that groundspeed
and _air_speed are not the same thing and not realizing that I was also tail-
heavy (I'll explain why in a moment).  That was Mistake-#3; almost the instant
I tried to suck the ship around, it snapped and went straight in from about 50'.

I was half stunned...just couldn't believe my faithful ship had just gone in!
Walking to the crash-site, I feared the worst; no scale ship I ever saw could
come out of such a crash less than totalled!  What'd happened, I wondered...?
It was almost as if the engine had thrown the whole front end off I thought.
Approaching the site, we were all amazed to see the MiG sitting upright, in one
piece.  Sure enough, it was all together though the nose was stuffed full of
mud and had obvuiosly been reconfigured a bit.  ;B^{

Back at the car, I disassembled the ship and scraped the mud outa' the nose area
to confirm what I already suspected, there was no crankshaft, bearing or any-
thing to be seen.  We walked out into the desert, looking for the spinner (which
we now knew was what we'd seen fall from the plane) and, almost unbelievably, we
found it.  The spinner, prop, prop-nut, weighted washer, everything was still
bolted up as it should be - back to the sheared end of the crankshaft with the
front bearing still in place.  _THAT_ was why I was tail-heavy; about 10-12 oz.
fell off the very nose shifting the CG aft...but, I never knew this was the case
'til AFTER the crash.  A bit of down-trim might've worked a miracle...who knows?

The crankshaft had sheared off right at the intake cutout...damndest thing I 
ever saw.  I'm sure, however, this was the result of the crank having been bent
and straightened some 3-times due to the inability to get a replacement for this
original small shaft, small carb FSR .60....Helluva way to have to ding up an
airplane!!

And, what _of_ the airplane.  Well, you never hurt one "good," but, all things
considered, it ain't hurt too badly.  No serious structural damage occurred
anywhere; the wing has a stress tear in the underside skin of one panel and one
tip is cracked...other than that, the damaged gear mount in the right wing is
the worst damage.  The firewall and all load-bearing structure in the fuselage 
in all intact but the nose from the firewall forward is a washout.  The most
serious damage to the fuse is that the right stab is cracked right at the fuse-
lage joint and this may be a bit tricky to fix.

But, though the damage is serious, it's a _Loooooong_ way from being fatal and,
after the hurt wears off a little, I'll definitely restore the Mig...it's just 
been too damn good a ship not to deserve it.  I expect a coupla' weeks of con-
centrated effort will have it airborne again, looking and flying as good as 
ever.

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

This month's Model Aviation has a differential mechanism in John
Devries column, page 38.  This one is used for Fowler Flaps, but
I think the principle is similar in the TBM, only the folding
wing would have two square pieces of telescoping tubing.  The
mechanism would push the wing out to disengage the two pieces,
then pull the wing up.  When folding, the opposite would occur.
Any, its a place to start speculating. 

    If anyone is interested in flying north of the boarder...
    
    Al and I will be at the flying eagles field in Merrimack tomorrow
    morning.
    
    -To get there, take Exit 11 (the tollbooth exit) off of the Everett
      Turnpike (rt 3).
    -Go left off of the ramp.  
    -Go straight through the lights and down the hill next to Thornton's
       Landing rest.
    -Take left at end of the road.  Follow the road around to the left
    -make hairpin turn down the dirt road.  Field is on your left after
    you go under the RR tracks.
    
    flying starts at 10:00.  Hope to see someone else there!
    
    cheers,
    jeff
    

    Kevin,
    
    Thanx fer' the info.  Chuck wanted it for comparative purposes to
    set targets for his Jug.  I'm sure it'll be heavier than yer's,
    if only due to the larger/heavier engine.
    
    On the nav-light lenses, I used a commercial-type heat gun like
    those used to shrink heat-shrink tubing.  Fact is, I salvaged about
    3 scrapped guns from the plant and built one good one out of them.  
    I'm not sure anymore what thickness plastic I used but I think it
    was about .020-.030 clear butyrate.  I finished the wingtips then
    carefully cut out the nav-light area and used the removed piece
    as the male plug by mounting it onto the end of a piece of dowel
    which could then be clamped in a vice.  Using the heat gun, I heated
    the plastic 'til it was real limp and saggy, then, wasting minimum
    time, I immediately pulled the plastic over the vice-mounted plug.
    
    Several tries were necessary 'til I had what I wanted but it left
    me with a coupla' spares.  Use wax or some kinda' mold release on
    the plug(s) to prevent the hot plastic from sticking to it.
    
    The inside of the nav-light cutout can be finished using thin balsa
    or card-stock covered with chrome monokote.  Undersize these pieces
    by the thickness of the lens so it (the lens) will fit flush.  Colored
    pegs from a child's "Lite-Brite" toy make very convincing lights...
    you'll need a red, green and clear one to do the job: red goes on
    the left tip, green on the right and clear on the rudder.
        

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    al,
    
    first thanks for the wingtip lens info.  as i was sneaking down
    the cellar stairs the other day with my wife's hairdryer, common
    sense told me i was waisting my time.  ignoring that, i spent
    many minutes trying to soften plastic with that wimping hairdryer.
    oh well, maybe next i'll try the propane torch!
    
    yup, the retracts in my jug are from gene barton.  i'm fairly
    impressed with them, but, until i try another kind, dont know how
    they compare with the competition.  next time i might try robart.
    they are a little cheaper but dont know if they are better or
    worse...   if chuck is in a rush, tell him not to order from
    bert/gene unless gene has a set already to mail.  i waited over
    3 months for mine.

    btw, you should be getting a book in goat mail soon.  has some
    excellent jug pictures and feel free to lend to chuck.
    
    kevin

    al,
    
    almost forgot, after comparing retracts with 3 views and temporarily
    installing gear doors, i wasn't real happy with size/location of
    scissors on the barton gears.  the scissors are too big and located
    too high (probably necessitated by complications around the sprung
    shock absorbers) so that the gear doors dont cover the scissors
    unless the doors are fudged.  looking at pictures of shailesh and
    brian's jugs taken last march, looks like they had similar problems.
    
    the robarts i saw in byrons catalogue looked better but am not sure.
    kevin

    Dave,
    
    I live roughly 3-miles south of the DEC plant (mornin' commute's
    a real bitch ;P^} ).  That puts the nearest field (Az. Mofel Pilots) 
    about 15-minutes NW of me (10 minutes from the plant); the next closest
    (Sun Valley Fliers) is about 20-minutes NE and Puckerbrush Intl.
    is about 25-minutes NE.  The Az. Model Aviators field is on the
    far east side, about an hour from me so I rarely visit this field.    

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

I gave a presentation to our local Church group last night - about 25 people
mostly senior citizens.  To say that it was warmly received would be an
understatement.  

I brought in several things for show and tell.  My Super-Aeromaster, my
Drifter II, the Berliner-Joyce under construction and 2 partially constructed
wings for it.  Some Zap and Zap kicker and debonder.  Example coverings - 
MonoKote, Super Coverite, and Fiberglass.  Also an OS .60 Four Stroke.
And last but not least lots of photo Albums including pictures of the
Scale planes in last years Spring Fun Fly in Phoenix - including the MiG 3.

I focused on what has changed in modeling in the last 20 years and in that
context introduced (1) Iron on coverings, (2) 4 Stroke Engines, and (3) CA.
We passed albums around the room in both directions while I was talking and
passed the glider around in one direction and the transmitter around in the
other direction.  Towards the end the questions seemed to focus more
on the glider than power planes.  They asked very good questions and it
was great fun.

Sooooooo  What good can this do.

Well ... Curley Gordan was one of the interested spectators and he really
wants me to come up to his farm in North Orange and fly my glider.
105 Acres of land with only wheat planted in the summer and on the
highest spot (think slope soaring) in Orange - approx 10-15 miles north
of the Orange Airport.  Curley had volunteered to let me fly on his
land long before but after last night I'm sure that he will be more
excited to see me take up a glider there than I will be.

The secret to giving a good presentation is to follow a bad one.
Last month they had a presentation and film about the Holocaust - yuck.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
================================================================================

Hi, guys.  I haven't been too active in the file of late owing to work and a
coupla' vacation days taken to bracket last weekend's oldtimer contest.  Thanx
fer' keeping Ramblin' alive and well.  Anyhoo, it's time to post an entry.

First, let's start things off with a joke that made it's way to me after
being many-times forwarded:
 
	A mother and her son were flying TWA from Kansas to Chicago.  The
	son (who had been looking out the window) turned to his mother and 
	said, "If big dogs have baby dogs and big cats have baby cats, why
	don't big planes have baby planes?"  The mother (who couldn't think 
	of an answer) told her son to ask the stewardess.  So the boy asked 
	the stewardess , "If big dogs have baby dogs and big cats have baby 
	cats, why don't big planes have baby planes?"  The stewardess asked, 
	"Did your mother tell you to ask me?"  He said that she had.  So she 
	said, "Tell your mother that TWA always pulls out on time."

Next, I have to report that, while it came off as scheduled, the oldtimer meet
last weekend was bummed-out by the weather, a rarity hereabouts.  Things started
out great with a beautiful, sunny, calm Saturday morning; before noon we were
running around in shirtsleeves as it'd become too warm even for a light jacket.

That changed suddenly, however, in the early afternoon as the cold front that 
enveloped most of the nation last weekend began moving in.  By mid-afternoon,
we'd scrambled to get the jackets back on and the winds became more than just 
a little surly.  The weather never improved from there on, gradually deteriora-
ting to an icy drizzle by Sunday afternoon, at which time, the meet was finally
called and we were able to drive back to a cozy, warm home.  The little motor-
home was a definite Godsend _this_ weekend, providing a haven from the incessant
cold wind.

BTW, I didn't make it with my Playboy; it's all framed now with only minor fin-
ish sanding required before covering...Oh well, wait 'til next year.  My C.A.F.
buddy from Hereford, Texas, Gerald Martin, did pretty fair, taking a 1st, 2-
2nd's and a 3rd in the various events he entered.  Gerald was flying two dif-
ferent sizes of the 1938 Lanzo Bomber and a 1936 Bunch Scorpion in a total of
about 5-events.

Lastly, in response to Kay's question about Bob Frey's running commentary during
his official scale flights, here's the story.  Bob likes to tie all the maneu-
vers, mandatory and optional, into the scenario of a combat mission with his
P-47D.  He uses the actual pilot's name, Dave Schilling, and says things like:

"After takeoff from Boxtead (or wherever), we'll do a holding maneuver while the
rest of the group forms on us." (Enters the Horizontal Figure-8.)  "Now that
we're all formed up, we'll make a last pass up the runway to get a compass fix
and set our gyro's."  (Does the Low Fly-By.)  Now into the optional maneuvers,
Bob ties them together in an imaginary combat with enemy fighters.

"On the tail of an FW-190, we begin to close and line up the shot.  But, this
German's good and we follow him through a slow roll, firing all the way."  (Does
slow-roll.)  "He's hit now so we make a level firing pass on him and see smoke
begin to pour from the wounded FW as we pass overhead. Now we loop and come back
down on him to issue the coup de grace."  (Does loop)  "The FW goes down in 
flames, the pilot just getting out in time.  In salute to our fallen foe, we'll
do a 4-point over the flaming wreckage."  (Does 4-pt. roll.)

"Our escort mission completed, we return to base and beat up the field with a 
victory-roll to let the crew know we scored a victory."  Comes in low and pulls
up into a victory roll.)

Bob's last optional is usually flaps; he likes to use this option as the Jug's
flaps extend nearly 90-degrees and he makes his approach, following a military
pitchout, from seemingly too high an altitude but the flaps allow him to descend
at about a 50-degree angle with no speed increase, flattening and flaring at a
nice slow pace from about the last 4' or so of altitude.

That's about the long-and-short of it, Kay.  I used to use a similar routine
with the MiG-3, the scenario involving Capt. Ivan Polyakov (my particular MiG's
pilot) strafing German supply columns, infantry and armor in defense of Stalin-
grad mhere my MiG served in the summer of '41.  Why'd I quit?  I dunno', I guess
I felt a little foolish but it seems to work for Bob...maybe I should resume
using it, eh?!  Bob used to complete the role-play by actually wearing a WW-II
leather helmet and goggles while flying but I guess he came to feel this looked
a little childish so he doesn't wear it anymore.

    P.S.  At yer' recommendation, I grudgingly picked up an RCM "catalog"
    for Dan Parsons' article on the '88 Masters.  As usual, Dan got
    some great pix and it was sure nice to be mentioned 3-or-4 times
    when, otherwise, it was such a miserable contest for me.  BTW, Dan's
    s'posed to make me an 8x10 of the great pic he got of the MiG with
    the gear coming up right after takeoff.

The current (July) issue of Scale R/C Modeler contains coverage of the Spring
1/8 AF Scale Fly-In, held this past March.  Matter of fact, it contains no less
than 4 articles concerned in some way with the meet.  Not bad!  We nearly got
the whole issue.

The articles are, for the most part, very complimentary.  At least three differ-
ent places, however, we received a little [deserved, IMHO] criticism for the
control-tower scheme we tried in an attempt to further smooth flightline oper-
ations.  The scheme was over-utilized, however, and was received more as addi-
tional, unnecessary control rather than a pilots' aid.  I still feel that the 
basic idea can be an enormous asset, safety wise, but couldn't agree more that
the guys running the scheme became carried away with the control aspect which
created a negative reception of the entire idea.

Buddy Irwin, author of the primary article on the meet, stated that he felt we 
should never stop trying new concepts like this one that appear to have good
safety possibilities but [accurately] described the idea as being somewhat un-
popular with the pilots.  

Of course, we are acutely aware of the fact, as a result of real-time feedback,
and have already cussed/discussed the issue at subsequent meetings.  The safety
folks have freely admitted responsibility and promise faithfully that it won't
happen again; that, aside from the safety aspects, they will refrain, ever 
after, from getting swept up in the _control_ area.

Some of us, principally yer's truly, allowed as how it's human nature to over-
use/abuse authority and that it'll be no mean task for the safety troops to
exercize the necessary self-control to avoid a repeat performance...and do so
consistently, from meet-to-meet.  So, the decision was made to try the system
one more time at this fall's smaller fly-in and, if it appears at that time
that it's too difficult to assume an observer posture, becoming involved ONLY
when a clear and present compromise to safety exists, the whole idea will be
scrapped and filed under "another seemingly good idea that failed."  The LAST
thing any of us wants or needs is MORE arbitrary controls lacking firm footing
in common sense/safety and we try to remain sensitive to that fact as much as
is humanly possible.

Anyway, pick up a copy of July's SR/CM and read about the meet...I think you'll
enjoy being at the meet by proxy.

Also in the issue is an article on Classic Glass' 92" Grumman Wildcat.  Kinda'
wish I could justify the expense of getting into one on those; I've always loved
the ship but, like most, was prevented from modelling it due to the complex
landing gear retraction system.  This kit seems to've removed at least _that_ 
obstacle as even the most basic, semi-kit includes the retract system.  It's
tempting but I still have a hangup for building an airplane that huge and I hate
the chainsaw engines so I guess I'll continue to hide and watch what happens.

I had a rather fortuitous phone call last night. For more than a week I've been
trying to contact either Clyde Baskin or Greg Namey of Innovative Model Pro-
ducts but have constantly gotten either Clyde's answering machine or no answer 
at Greg's number.  I just wanted to inquire at to the status of the 81" MiG-3 
drawings that Clyde started for me last November.

Greg called last night after I left a message with the answering service and I
learned that Clyde has been down with some sorta' abdominal surgery and will re-
main out of commission for another 6-weeks.  Anyway, Greg said he'd seen the
drawings and that "You're gonna' have one fine looking ship there, pard."  

Then the conversation drifted to the 80" Hurricane that Innovative kits (I 
wasn't even aware of it) and, before I knew it, Greg'd offered me a Hurricane at
a ridiculous price (which I had to promise not to reveal) if I'd write him a 
letter saying I'd fly it in competition and mention Innovative anytime a maga-
zine inquired about it.  I'm sure this is to use for tax-purposes - advertising/
promotional expenses.  

This was the first time I'd received such an offer from a manufacturer based on
whatever notoriety I've achieved in scale and I was really flattered by it.  At
any rate, when the next run of Hurricane kits is made (late July or so), one of 
them will be on its way to the ol' Rat and I can finally get busy on a new pro-
ject.  Actually, maybe this is the second such promotional offer I've received
since Futaba has offered me a new 1024 system for half price.  I may take advan-
tage of the offer...I'm still debating with myself whether I want all that 
microprocessor based fluff on a radio but this would certainly be a relatively
painless way to find out, wouldn't it?!

Other news from Greg Namey:  Greg mentions that it's his understanding that Bert
Baker has sold out to Yellow Aircraft (of Toronto) and all his molds, tooling 
etc. is on its way to Taiwan or some such place where Yellow has there kits
manufactured.  I've seen the Yellow CAP-10 kit and can say it contained the
very finest glasswork I've ever seen, bar none!  I should be able to get con-
firmation of the rumor one way or the other next weekend at the Scale Sqdn.'s 
Masters Qualifier at Mile Square Park.  Stay tuned.....

    Adios,	Al

                One Friday in June
                ------------------

    'Tis a fine Friday noon, a light breeze in the air,
    as I slip out of work (no-one does seem to care).

    Next week is the fourth - the long weekend has come,
    now I head to the field for some flying and fun.
    
    The Sportster is packed in the car with great care,
    a ten-minute drive and we soon would be there.

    I hadn't flown since that January day,
    when the Sportser had taken that dive in the hay.

    The week had been busy with minor repairs,
    new canopy, covering and hinges downstairs.

    Just yesterday eve had the work been completed,
    batteries charged, and fuel pump seated.

    So off to the club field where men become boys,
    but don't you dare say that our aircraft are toys!

    Now as I arrive I see Ajai is here,
    his trainer is ready and he has no fear.

    His aileron flutter is hopefully gone,
    (that low frequency hum is a sickening song).

    Some flips on his prop and his engine's alive,
    time for one flight 'fore the mower arrives.

    The rust in my fingertips has me concerned,
    but he has blind faith (he hasn't yet learned!).

    The takeoff is clean, a few passes for trim,
    now time for a lesson - hand it over to him.

    We talk thru some turns and a few minor swerves,
    as he gains some confidence and settles his nerves.

    Time to come down now - I take one more pass,
    then settle her gently on runway grass.

    Ajai is ecstatic, he flew his new friend,
    but now has to leave - an early day's end.

    Nice guy, that Ajai - he thinks I'm an Ace,
    he hasn't seen the times I fall flat on my face.

    The mower is running now - time for a rest,
    as others arrive for the patience test.

    He's finally done, Dan and Eric are here,
    the Sportster is fueled up and I am in gear.

    Range check ok, field check is done,
    lotion is on to protect from the sun.

    Up up and away, she flies straight and smooth,
    as Dan also takes off in vertical mood.

    I'm flying again, boy it has been so long,
    to have waited six months is simply wrong.

    Each flight's getting better, it's all coming back,
    the low passes look like a fighter attack.

    Now Anker is here and a few other folks,
    Jim brought out some wreckage to inspire some jokes.

    Harvey Thomasian joins our small group,
    and there's Eric performing an awsome square loop.

    The afternoon's filled with planes in the air,
    as all of the pilots seem to have not a care.

    Last flight of the day I was thinking inside,
    but you never should say that, it causes bad vibes.

    The flight is in progress as Eric approaches,
    he now wants to try it (he usually coaches).

    He goes thru maneuvers with ease - a surprise
    that the Mode-2 setup does not give him a rise.

    Wait - something is wrong - I see elevator trouble,
    Eric has lost her, she's looping double.

    I've got the transmitter, phew! plenty of time,
    she's levelling off now, we'll bring her in fine.

    Oh no, I was wrong, she is not in control,
    determined to find earth and make a new hole.

    The impact is awesome, like hit by a truck,
    the fuse is so deep it is actually stuck.

    The problem is clear to me now as I think,
    of how in my haste I had been such a dink.

    Those hinges I put in the elevator half
    had no pins holding them - oh my god what a gaffe.

    Well back to the work shop - she will fly again,
    and a couple of cold beers will help ease the pain.

    A great day of flying and a lot of fun,
    but I got what I deserved in the long run.

    But from this day forth I will live by the rule,
    that "he who does not pin his hinge is a fool".

    The End

    Ajai,
    
    Here's a little crutch to use when the plane is coming toward you
    (or any other direction, for that matter) if pushing to the down
    wing is a little confusing:  Always keep the transmitter antenna
    pointed in the direction the plane is travelling.  If this is done,
    right is _always_ right and left is _always_ left.
    
    You don't have to be real drastic about it...when the plane is coming
    toward you, just turn your back to it a tad such that the antenna
    points in the direction of flight and yer' kinda' looking back over
    yer' shoulder toward the approaching plane.  This helps immensely
    in sorting out the orientation problem and, in time, when you've
    become more comfortable, you can put this crutch down and stand
    flat-footed, regardless of the plane's direction/attitude just like
    the pros do.   

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    RE .1509 > ORIENTATION HINT <
    
    Ajai,
    
    this very method Al described helped me a lot when I first learned 
    how to fly an RC model. I don't want to criticize a comment of our
    great and famous Al Casey, BUT when I first got a chance to watch ME 
    on a film practacing this technique, I saw HOW foolish I looked and 
    tried to develop a method looking more 'like the pro's'.       
    
    It also may result in a safety problem when you try to watch the
    plane over your shoulder.
    
    My instructors told me to never let go of the sticks and to make
    sure that I am in command of the plane all the time. I tell the
    plane if it has to turn right or left and I must force it to do
    what I want. With this attitude, I learned how to control a plane
    that approaches me: Always bear in mind how the plane reacted to
    your last input and you know what you have to do next. If you just
    flew a right turn and the model is still turning, you know you 
    have to give some left to level the plane etc.
    
    Have you tried to imagine you're sitting in the plane? It's a great
    dream, and it may help, too.    
    
    Wish you good luck and a strong progress without any more aileron
    flutter. Happy to hear you solved the problem and hope that it's
    banned forever.
    
    Regards,
             Hartmut

I've spent hours, usually during the time it takes me to fall
asleep, visualizing shooting approaches and handling 
orientation.  As a result it has not been a problem to me --
despite all the other things that have piled up.  I do find that
sometimes I reverse the controls when the plane is flying *away*
from me!

I sometimes use the "prop up the low wing with the stick" method
and sometimes I visualize myself in the cockpit; I do these
interchangeably and without conscious thought, though the low
wing/stick seems to be the favored one on approach.

My point in this is that there is one thing that I can guarantee
you Ajai; don't worry about orientation; one day you'll find
yourself flying without a thought -- it just seems to take care
of itself. 

FWIW -- The replacement Son of Qwik Stik is on its gear.  Its
almost completely built of pine molding stock, plywood,  and
cardboard-- only a little piece of balsa under the tail.  I
painted it with yellow Krylon yesterday (I don't care about the
finish -- later this week I'll spray on some clear Acrylic and
let the mess fall where it will). 

I'll be installing the engine and radio this week for a first
flight Sunday.  The 2x4 glider wing will be on for the first
flights and I'll replace it with a foam wing as soon as I can.  The
foam wing will be covered with light cardboard, more when I learn
more about it. 

    Although I still find myself pushing the sticks in the wrong direction
    at times, what I thought was going to be a big problem for me (knowing
    which way to push the sticks depending on the location of the aircraft)
    hasn't been that difficult. My mind set is to do what comes normally
    when the aircraft is flying away from me, and turn toward the low
    wing when it's coming at me. There is one thing that I think helped
    me though. I've done a tremendous amount of practicing in my mind.
    
    I think I learned this when I used to "jump out of perfectly good
    airplanes". There are definate emergency procedures to follow when
    skydiving. But how do you practice?????? Your not going to go jump
    out of an airplane with a known bad chute so, you practice in your
    mind. The same holds true for flying RC. I might look like I'm just
    sitting in my chair watching the activities, but in reality I'm
    pushing that imaginary stick around all over the place while watching
    someone else fly. The only exception to that is if I'm watchig Eric
    Henderson. I tried following him one day and broke two fingers.
    
    
    Steve

    Steve talks of mental practice to improve his flying skills.  I
    strongly recommend this practice.  I spent lots of time doing this
    when I was learning.  I try to do this when I want to try something
    new.  My mental simulator gets better as I learn more about what
    happens when you do crazy things to the sticks.
    
    I have never broken fingers watching Eric but I have thought about
    reaching for the 'airsick bag', especially when he does his full power
    spins.
    
    Charlie
    

Gee, I thought I was the only one that was so old I could only
think of model airplanes...

There's one caveat on visualization techniques -- what you think
becomes very real in your mind.  This means that you must know
the proper moves and the reaction of the plane if you visualize.

For example, to turn a plane, you must visualize the plane
banking to the stick, then holding the bank and turning as you
neutralize the stick and hold back pressure, and finally rolling
out with opposite stick.  This must be very clear and complete.
I found this out when in visualizing turns I'd break off the
visualization after the plane was turning.  Sure enough, when I
actually did the turns I'd forget to roll the plane out again!   
No kidding.

In approaches, it took quite a few real approaches to be able to
visualize the plane dropping its nose as I pulled power on
downwind, the exact attitude of the plane as it turns on final,
and the look of the plane as it hit the "box" off the end of the
runway.  Once I knew what these looked like, I could visualize
the approach over and over again -- probably over a thousand
times --  until I could do it with the sticks.  Again, since I
broke off the visualization as it hit the end of the runway, this
is precisely where I'm now having trouble (we have a narrow
runway). 

To be honest, if I had my choice I'd simply buy one of those
computer simulators and practice that way. 

Ajai,

Congratulations on yer' continuing success.  I'm glad to hear the flutter
problem has been cured as I was feeling a little guilty, having recommended
the T60 to you (strange though, yer's is still the only T60 I ever saw or heard
of that had this problem...wonder if something's been changed since the old days
when Bridi kitted this bird as the RCM Trainer-60).

I'm particularly gratified to hear yer' noticing/enjoying some of the benefits I
ascribed to this [type] model, i.e. good size for visibility, abundant, reliable
power, etc.  (Although I'd still junk the fuel-pump, were it me.)  ;b^}  I'd by-
pass the pump and continue to fly on crankcase suction before I'd lose all this
crucial flying time by sending the engine back, were I you.  This is the most
vertical part of yer' learning curve and you need to stay in the air all you can
at this time as a delay now could slip you back almost to square-one (which is
why I recommended building another airplane).  If you need to send the engine 
back, wait 'til this winter when you'll be doing little, if any, flying.

Continued success to you and I hope to meet and fly with you one day.  BTW, it's
not a bad idea to immediately begin building another ship to be ready in the un-
speakable event that some disaster occurs to the T60.  This second model can be
slightly advanced of the T60, e.g. like being a low-winger if desired, even 
though the T60 will stay with you for a looooong time, aerobatics-wise, so it's
not like you'll outgrow it anytime soon...another reason I recommended it to
you.  Keep 'em flying!

Bill,

I watch yer' first go at teaching the two-stick method with keen interest as 
this is how I instruct...no mixing/coupling crutches and my students have become
accomplished pilots with no bad habits to UN-learn.  Average time to solo has 
been ~3-4 air-hours.  Sounds like Ajai is a pretty good student and is taking to
it like the proverbial duck-to-water.

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    
P.S. Re: .1517, "Shadow Flying" is what I call 'dry-flying' and I highly
    recommend it to my students.  I tell them to turn on the airplane
    and Tx, sit behind the plane, get comfortable and "fly" the plane
    through TO's, Ldg's, turns, aerobatics, etc., etc.  Not only is
    this imaging helpful to the learning process, it excercizes the
    batteries as well, helping to keep them fresh.    

    
    	Ajai ,
    
    		Dave was right on the money about "skip" . Ten meters
    (28-30Mhz) has been wide open and very active this year and 10 meter
    rigs have been selling like hotcakes . This condition does happen
    in cycles with sunspot activity , really opening the bands up for
    some long range communications . As Dave said though , this doesn't
    effect the above 50mhz range . Our radio's fall in the low end of
    the VHF band in which communication distance is usually "line of
    sight" . I've seen off and on , (about 1 time in the last 5 yrs)
    where short range skip opened up on 2 meters (144Mhz) and 440 Mhz,
    once being a couple of years ago on 440 mhz where the band went
    nuts , but it lasted only about three days and then was gone . Anyway
    I hope you solve your problem with getting RFI . Our local club
    has given all but given up on ch 16 because of some sort of RFI
    at the field . Good luck and keep em flying !
    
    
    	Carl   N8DWN

re: 239.1536
5 miles is not "short range skip", it's line-of-sight. Our signals are
so weak that we can tolerate fields as close as 5 miles to each other.
For example, from a height of a few hundred feet above the CMRCM field,
you can literally SEE (on a clear day) from Worcester to Boston to 
New Hampshire. There are probably a dozen active flying fields within
line-of-sight. So, to take a little stronger stand on this: THERE IS 0.00%
CHANCE OF TRANSMITTERS AT FIELD 5 MILES AWAY INTERFERING WITH
YOUR AIRCRAFT IF YOUR TRANSMITTER IS FUNCTIONING!  We keep our fields far 
enough apart. The one exception I know of is the CRRC fields at Crow Island 
and Taylor Drop Zone, which is why they are not both in use at the same time 
(they're about 1 mile apart line-of-sight. If you get shot down at the Drop 
Zone, I'd shoot over to Crow Island to see if somebody's flying there.

Meanwhile, in your Electrostreak you are carrying sources of RF energy
in your motor control circuit and motor brushes. Remembering some simple
physics, signal strength decreases as a cube of distance (ie, if you
double the distance from your transmitter, the signal is 1/8 as strong).
If you have a mild RF generator aboard, as all electrics do if the motor
is running (gas engines with spark plugs have the problem too), the
effect is to decrease your radio range, as at some distance away from the
transmitter the noise generator will be stronger than the transmitter's
signal.

A lot of things affect radio range, such as antenna orientation. I don't
believe that you should rely on your radio functioning perfectly if you
let your plane get so far away you can barely see it.

Another aside, Dan - I heard somebody suggest something to you about the
position you found your servos, when you thought that it proved that the
radio was "hit" because they were pinned against the stops. If the radio
receiver and servos were still connected to the battery, and the battery
ran down normally in a few hours, it's possible that the servos could go
to the stops as the voltage dropped. It's clear from your description of
your crash that the receiver did not seem to be responding to your transmitter,
but it's not clear why.

I guess this won't help you sleep better, tonite. Sorry.

Dave

    Wow Is this ever rambling.  Let me introduce my self Dave Taylor
    boater. and Getting the Plane Itch.  
    Enough formalities.  There are Many ways to have DX (Distance
    Transmission) on very high frequencys.  There is one phenomenon
    called "TROPOSPHERIC DUCTING" That occurs on hot days when there
    is a temperature inversion. with this type of propigation long idstance
    contacts/(receiver hits) can occur.  This mode of skip causes the
    atmosphere to act as a wave guide (pipe) funneling radio waves directly
    to your receiver. I beleive that the record distance for a contact
    of this type is from california to Hawaii on 220 mhz. This mode
    has been known to allow DX contacts in the 1-5 ghz range also.
    
    I am not suggesting that this is a cause but Dx in the 50 to 440
    mhz range is not uncommon.
    
    Dave   
    N1fcc
    
    

>    as they don't make this any more) I forgot to mention that one of
>    the 25's has a Sureflight foam J3 attached to it. I may fly that
>    monstrosity instead!

I had one of those (Actually the Cessna).  Had a ball with it.  
Bringing back some fond memories.

One time I spent all day hand launching it and landing with skis on snow.
Eventually my transmitter battery died and I spun in from about 200 feet.
Had it running by the next weekend.

One time I landed on water (large puddles in Acton) with the skis.

The OA-1 Bird Dogs (full scale) could land on water with skis - they
just couldn't come to a complete stop - documented in my recent Bird Dog
book - up till I read that I thought I was the only one who skis on
water?

I had ailerons and it would really spin great.

It's down fall was the foam couldn't deal with fuel soaking and I
had a tank leak a couple of times and filled the fuse with fuel.

I'd sure like to fly one again.
But - NO - I don't want to make you an offer for it.  I've got 4
planes flying now and two in the input queue.  Ruff life when you
have to make decisions about what plane(s) to take flying :-)

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
================================================================================

>    About that Sureflite Cessna you refer to in .1566;
>    I too have the Sureflite Bird Dog (I assume you refer
>    to the Bird Dog version).  It's not ready to fly yet-
>    I want to install ailerons.  The tapered trailing edge
>    is giving me a little problem, seems to negate strip
>    ailerons, so, I'll have to cut the foam for the "Barn
>    Door" type.
>    
>    How did you do it, and what kind of linkage ?  I'll
>    appreciate any comments, thanks,

John - mine was a Cessna 182 (Skylane?) but I suspect that any
thing that Sureflite calls a Bird Dog is probably the same plane.
It was a .20 size all foam.  They called it ARF - but it took me
quite a while to get it together.

I cut the Ailerons right on the formed scale aileron lines threw
the foam with an Exacto knife.  Then I cut a channel along the wing
from the bottom center where I mounted the aileron servo - out to the
beginning of the aileron.  I did this by just running a soldering
iron along a straight line.  (Probably should put a mask on when
you do this or run a cord outside - I didn't but then look what it
did to me).  Then I created a torque tube by putting piano wire
in brass and epoxied the brass into the wing.  One end of the piano
wire was bent and goes into the aileron (reinforce this
part of the aileron with some wood).  The other end was bent at approx
90 degrees to the first and linkage added to go to the servo.
Then I filled the rest of the slot I had carved with the soldering
iron with micro fill.  Then after I completed all the linkage I decided
that there was too much flex in the system so I tore it all up and
created the torque tube with a larger (heavier) piece of piano wire.

If I was doing it again I would use Nyrod tubes with flexible wire
(ala throttle cable) or just plane Nyrods - they would change size
with temperature changes but since they would both shrink or expand
together it would not be as frustrating as if they were elevator or
rudder Nyrods.

By the way - I had an OS .20 FP in mine and I sure wish I had a .25.
The OS FP .20 and .25 are exactly the same size but the .25 has
a bigger bore and more horsepower and less weight - and for that
it only cost about $4 more.  The only reason to make a .20 is
because of marketing.

Gee - I think all this was in my instructions but it's been a while.

Oh - one more thing - when your all done - be sure to add a piece of
strapping tape along the bottom of the wing - tip to tip.  These
foam wings without sheeting or spars will fold easy - right Kevin :-)

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
================================================================================

    RE: F-18 paint schemes
    
    I gave my neighbor who works in F-18 Engineering a call last night
    to see if he knew of any interesting paint schemes. This isn't that
    big of a deal, I just got curious. He said the F-18 can be found
    in three different schemes. The proto units were white with blue
    wing tips. The production units are done in low visiability grey.
    The third scheme is the dark blue, 'Blue Angels' paint job. 
    
    He did have some interesting info on the F-18's they sold to the
    Canadians. The Canadians have painted cockpits on the bottom of
    their F-18's with the idea of confusing the opposing pilot in a
    dogfight. He said they have data that shows it can make a differrence.
    
    Dan Eaton

    I was out at our flying field yesterday evening getting in some
    chopper time and I got to see the latest design one of our members
    created. He had a Batwing. It has about a 36 inch wingspan and looks
    just like the Bat signal. The engine and controls sit in a small
    verticle dorsal. The control surfaces are combined ailerons/elevators 
    (forgot the word that describes that). This plane was a big surprise
    to me because I expected it to be a tad bit unstable. It flew like
    it was glued to a track, just as smooth as can be. The profile in
    the air is definently different and I spent some time teasing it's
    builder about what a nice job he did on his B2 prototype.
    
    Dan Eaton

RE: <<< Note 239.1610 by PNO::CASEYA "THE DESERT RAT (I-RC-AV8)" >>>
>    If it stays in one piece, why don'tcha pack it up in another Nabisco
>    Saltines cracker-box and ship it to Phoenix via UPS (pronounced:
>    "oops!") so you'll have something to fly?

    No thanks!!!  I've had enough of shipping airplanes via UPS.

    As Dave Hughes mentioned, the 'streak is still in one piece because
    it didn't fly today.  :-)  This time I did a range check with the
    motor running and was getting hit severely with the motor on.  (With
    'streak #2, I only did the range check with the motor off.)  All
    surfaces went to full deflection and locked there.  The worst part
    was the motor locked to "full on" so I couldn't even throttle back
    to get away from the interference.

    So, it looks like 'streak #2 was shot down by its own motor.

    I decided to swap out the cobalt 15 at the field and try old the
    reliable cobalt 05.  This worked out better, but there was too much
    interference for me.  I decided to keep 'streak #3 grounded until I
    can sort this out.

    I think the problem with the Cobalt 15 is that I messed around with
    it instead of leaving it like it was from the factory.  When I got
    it, it was a "geared" motor but I wanted direct drive.  So, I
    removed the gearbox, switched the polarity of the wires (to make the
    prop spin the right way) and re-timed the motor the way Astro Flight
    told me to.  However, the guy forgot to tell me that I needed to
    break in the brushes again.  Thus, the brushes were arcing a lot
    which splatters RF all over the spectrum.  Since the crash of
    'streak #2, I have properly broken in the brushes, but I suspect
    that after being under water and so on, the brushes and maybe the
    armature need to be replaced and/or repaired.  I think it'll be
    wisest to send it back to Astro and let them do it RIGHT.

    The bummer is that I probably won't have a "Super" streak for the
    KRC Electric FunFly this weekend.

>    Come ta' think of it, you stil have the upside-down Stik here so all
>    you need's a radio, eh?.  BTW, I've gotten to the place where I kinda'
>    need some additional storage space for my birds...

    Yeah, I planned on bringing a radio down w/ me so I can fly the
    Stik.  But gee Al, I find it hard to believe that the Desert Rat has
    been building so fast and furious that his shop is full of finished
    airplanes already...  :-)  As I recall, when I was last down there,
    there was a MiG-3 that needed rebuilding and an Old Timer that had
    been 50% done for a year.  What gives?  Have you contracted "Dan
    Snow build a plane in a week" disease??

    Seriously, I'm pretty sure I can convince my future in-laws to store
    the _Ugly_ Stik for me.  Thanks for storing it this long (and not
    using it for firewood).

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Caster Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

Al - or somebody RCing in California.

I'd like some information on a model I saw in a IMAA magazine
yesterday.

The owner is Jim Metziger and he flys with the IMAA Chapter 99 
"Ninty-Niners". out of Whitter, CA.

He had a GROB powered sailplane.  I would like to know what
kit or plans it is based on and the wingspan and engine size.
Anybody know how I can get a hold of this fellow or this information.
If nobody knows now perhaps Al could send a message to the California
contingent?

Along another line I stumbled across the following in the most
recent Model Builder (an excellent magazine).  Page 10 of Oct-1989.

Quarter-scale builders who are especially interested in WWII vintage warbirds
will want to take a close look at the MiG-3 plans set being offered by
Roamin' Research.  The MiG-3 is an exceptionally clean and good looking 
machine drawn to a full three-inch-to-the-foot scale and engineered for
conventional balsa/plywood construction.  What you end up with is a 101-inch
span, 20 to 28-pound flying machine complete with operating wing flaps, 
sure to stand out on any flight line.

The MiG-3 plans set totals 65 square feet of paper (both wing halves are shown),
are shipped rolled, and include an instruction booklet.  Price is $30.00
which includes postage to anywhere in the U.S.  Some prefinished parts, such as
a molded plastic canopy and fiberglass cowl, air scoops and exhausts are also 
available, but you'll have to write for price quotes on these items.
From Roamin' Research, P.O. Box 104, Yale Michigan 48097.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
================================================================================

    Kay,
    
    I believe the 101" MiG-3 is the same one that's been advertised for
    several years (at least since '86), perhaps sold to another company or
    just advertised more energetically.  The ad also appears in this
    month's Scale R/C Modeler and, as much as I can tell, it's the same
    ship.  I've seen the plans for the [original] 101-incher and they are,
    not surprisingly, just blow-ups of the Spievak plans I based my MiG on.
    
    It's easy to tell as many of the sketches are the same and all the
    mistakes I discovered while building mine were repeated in the giant
    version.  They've simply enlarged the plans and re-engineered [mainly]
    the nose structure to accomodate the larger powerplant.    

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Tom,
    
    I wish it were so...about the factory drawings, that is.  The truth is
    that Spievak contacted Mikoyan-Gurevich about obtaining factory
    drawings and, you know those crazy Ruskies, they acted as if the MiG-3
    was still a classified aircraft...refused to provide any help whatever.
    
    Therefore, Spievak was forced to try to work from the several VERY
    contradictary drawings that existed, most of which were so different
    from each other as to make one think they were of a totally different
    aircraft.  Plus, these plans were done in '76 at a time when sport
    scale was much more liberal on the "sport" aspect than it is now.
    
    He did a pretty fair job under the circumstances but made a number of
    outline errors and/or concessions, some of which I caught and corrected
    as more documentation became available, others of which I didn't. 
    Suffice it to say I became quite intimate with the full-scale _and_ the 
    model MiG-3 and KNOW where the errors are in Spievak's plan.  The
    Roamin'-Research plan contains ALL the errors/concessions of Spievak's
    drawings, revealing them as nothing more or less than an enlarged copy.
    Were it a common practice to copyright these designs, Spievak would, no
    doubt, have a good infringement case going for him.
    
    The new plans I'm having drawn by Claude Baskin of Innovative Model
    Prod.'s are being done to the best (in my opinion) drawings currently
    available and should, therefore, be much closer to accurate than my
    current ship is.  

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    I've deleted .1650 to minimize file space and reprinted the article
    below with a few suggested revisions and with typos identified by
    DECspell and corrected.  This approaches the final draft that RCM will
    receive as soon as I receive the rest of the pictures I need to submit
    with it.  Very little has changed...it's just a lot cleaner.
    
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    
I am not a well person!  But, happily, my ailment is one that cannot be cured
by any miracle drug.  I've been literally sick with airplanes since back in the
"Great War" when my dad decorated our kitchen ceiling with profile WW-II fight-
ers he'd cut from the backs of Wheaties cereal boxes.  To borrow a phrase I 
heard recently, "from the Wright Bros. to the Right Stuff," I love virtually 
anything that flies; always have, always will!

This love, naturally enough, channeled itself into model building at a tender 
age and, without pause, I've been a modeler ever since.  I went through the 
usual progression from solid models, to stick-'n-tissue rubber-power, to free-
flight, to U-control, to R/C some 25-years ago and, specifically, to scale about
15-years ago.  Having competed in the U.S. Scale Masters since 1985, even manag-
ing to place in 1986, it was with no slight regret that I'd had to make the de-
cision not to compete in St. Louis in '89.  Last year's trip to Ft. Knox had 
convinced me it was simply too far to have to travel, while work and vacation 
remain primary considerations.

So, you can imagine my excitement when the opportunity arose to replace my close
compadre, Dan Parsons, as author of RCM's coverage of the 1989 U.S. Scale Mas-
ters Championship.  I love to write and have always wanted to do a magazine ar-
ticle...the opportunity had just never presented itself before.  Now the chance
had not only fallen into my lap, but my debut article would be on the most pres-
tigious scale event in the country and would be published in the largest R/C
publication in the world to boot; "Pinch me, I think I've died and gone to 
modeler's Valhalla."  I'd be able to participate in SOME capacity after all.  

"This'll be like bobbing for water," I smugly thought to myself, "I can do this 
with my eyes shut!"  Little did I realize how difficult it would be to condense 
four days of intense activity into a compact, yet concise, interesting article.

Kent Walters, still diligently working on a newer, bigger, better SBD Dauntless
with which to replace his 10-year old veteran, lost at Ft. Knox last year, would
not be competing this year and had agreed to serve as a flight judge in St.
Louis.  So, Kent and I traveled together from Phoenix, arriving in a very wet
St. Louis Wednesday afternoon preceding the contest which ran from 14 through 17
September, 1989.

Dumping our luggage in the room, we went to the welcome/registration tables near
the hotel lobby and immediately began running into early arrivals, renewing old
friendships and making many new ones.  Before it was done with, 76 competitors 
had registered making this, the 10th-anniversary edition, far and away the lar-
gest Masters yet.  

Pacer Technology Inc., makers of all those great ZAP products, continued its 
tradition of being sole sponsor of the Masters and Pacer's own Herschel Worthy, 
a most gracious gentleman, was on hand throughout the contest with a friendly 
smile and a handshake for all.  Herschel is justifiably proud of his company's
participation in the Masters program and is quick to mention that he receives
much personal gratification from Pacer's involvement.

The contest was hosted by the St. Louis R/C Flying Association Inc., Nate Fogel
President and Contest Manager, Charlie Baker CD, with assistance from the R/C
Spirits of St. Louis, Charlie Chambers President. The hard working crew from the
host clubs did a great job preparing the contest site, a 50' by 2500' runway at
Aero-Head Airport which was closed for the duration of the Masters, and were
conspicuous all weekend by their labors on behalf of a well organized and ad-
ministered meet.  The facility was excellent though some pilots found the paved
runway a bit narrow.  A large area had been mowed parallel to the far side of 
the runway for use by those aircraft which were designed to be operated from 
grass strips.  I'm glad to see this done but still harbor a concern for the
additional [human] traffic across the runway and the possible compromise of 
safety created by this accommodation.

Static judging was scheduled for Thursday, continuing into Friday as required.
Due to the continued weather threat, the judging was conducted indoors at the
hotel until Thursday afternoon when it was moved outside, though the murky over-
cast was little, if any, improved.  Quality of the models was extraordinary and
I had to believe that, properly documented and flown, virtually any of the 76
entries could easily have been the big winner.  (I know that a scale modeler is
his own worst critic but, quite honestly, I was secretly glad my trusty MiG-3 
was languishing in the shop at home rather than being compared with all these 
gorgeous examples of the scale builder's art.)  When static scores were posted
following the first round of flying, more than a third of the field, no less 
than 27 aircraft, had received static scores of 95 or better.  This contest 
would be won or lost in the air which is how it should be, in my opinion.

While I admire those who keep a veteran aircraft campaigning year after year,
it was good to see many new models in the fray this year.  No less than three
competitors, Jack Dorman, Bill McCallie and Dave Voglund entered great new 80"
P-40's from J.L. (Jerry) Bates plans.  Tommy Weemes entered his beautiful new
Curtiss Hawk-75 with a very convincing metal-like finish done with 168 individ-
ual panels of hand-buffed, chrome trim Monokote.  Hal Parenti's Ryan Fireball 
was new to the Masters as was Bob Violett's F-86.  Shailesh Patel had a brand 
new Tom Cook F-4 Phantom done in that gorgeous red, white and blue, Bicentennial
(bald eagle) paint scheme.  Scott Foster's new 9-foot B-17, done as a Borate-
bomber, was extremely nice and Chuck Fuller's new, metalized AT-6 was up to the
usual Fuller-standard of excellence.

Austin Cleis had his new Masterscale P-51D on hand and Claude McCullough entered
his expertly crafted WACO AVN-8, tri-geared, cabin bipe which earned the top 
static score of the meet, a 98!  Unfortunately, both of the aforementioned air-
craft were kept grounded most of the weekend by radio problems, and here's a 
first: Austin's wife INSISTED that he go out and buy a new, "modern radio" the 
very instant they get back home.  Charlie Nelson's new WACO cabin was accurate 
right down to the SCALE unmatched wheels on the main gear and a full lighting 
system.

Lou Proctor was well represented with five of his Nieuport-28c1's, a Nieuport-11
and a J4N Jenny in evidence.  Texan, Eddy Newman, whose nerves were so frazzled
last year that he could scarcely complete one official round with his P-38, flew
one of the -28's with ease and grace this year.  "There's a lot to be said for
having the right plane," Eddy remarked when I complimented him on his dramatic 
improvement over last year's performance.  Bill Setzler's 1/3 scale Fokker E-III
Eindecker and Tom Kosewski's magnificent, scratchbuilt Fokker D-VII added weight
to the proposition that WW-I aviation is alive and well in the hearts of R/C 
scale modelers.  While not in competition, a framed-out prototype for the forth-
coming, 1/4 scale, Proctor Albatros D-VA was displayed by Dick Heininge.  Watch 
for this one, WW-I buffs, it's a real honey!

As always, WW-II aircraft predominated the field but, perhaps, less so than in
years past.  New to the Masters were Art Johnson's very nice, and very large 
Martin B-26 Marauder.  Gene Barton's mount this year was the prototype, 92"
Douglas A1H Skyraider, designed and soon to be kitted by Rick Lewis under the
Accu-Scale banner.  The 'Raider was an extremely impressive ship and displayed
a realistic presence, sought after by all scale modelers but not as often 
achieved as we might wish.  Bob Fiorenze remarked that the Skyraider was a "tre-
mendous achievement" and would be "the plane to beat in the future."  Quite a
compliment from a jet-oriented top competitor.

Lawrence Harville campaigned a 21 year old Claude McCullough design, the Douglas
XTB2D-1 Skypirate and fellow Texan, Lee Rice, flew a very nice Kawasaki Ki-100, 
the radial engined version of the Ki-84 Hein (code-named Tony).  In its third
Masters, Jeff Micko's P-47, scratchbuilt from Mike Beaulieu's plans, looked and
flew as good as ever; if Jeff ever discovers how to shake the "lurkies" at con-
test time, "Katie bar the door," he'll be a commodity to be reckoned with!  Also
returning for the third year was Frank Tiano's Ki-84 Tony.  It's noteworthy to
mention, incidentally, that Frankie "T" is the only pilot to have qualified for

and competed in all ten U.S. Scale Masters Championships.  Bill Carper had a 
great looking Baker Jug done up as "Little Demon" and Corvin Miller flew an im-
maculate FG-1D Corsair, scaled up to 75" span from Royal plans.  

Dennis Crooks showed up with a simply outstanding F-14 Tomcat which everyone im-
mediately flagged as the plane to beat this year.  One can only imagine Dennis's
disappointment when the museum-quality model was lost in practice Thursday af-
ternoon.  Worse still was the fact that, since he wasn't scheduled to be judged
until Friday morning, he never got to know how well the plane would've scored in
static.  Undaunted, Dennis flew the Yellow Aircraft demo F-14 with abandon dur-
ing demonstration periods throughout the meet.

The Golden Age of air racing was ably represented by a terrific Wedell-Williams,
Red Lion Special by Wayne Jones and a Travelair Mystery Ship by Buzz Butler.  
These colorful ships were, not surprisingly, a handful on the ground but looked
just magnificent in flight.  I'm certainly glad there are those in our ranks who
will model the more challenging subjects.  Scale meets would be pretty ho-hum if
everyone chose to model only the friendliest subjects.

The weather remained murky and threatening but flying began Friday morning as
scheduled.  A number of pilots, mostly with light-colored or aluminum finished
aircraft elected to scratch the first round, gambling, I'm sure, that a better
sky to fly against would exist for the second round.  The gamble didn't pay off,
however and, since only 4-rounds were to be flown, most chose not to lose anoth-
er official flight and flew round two, though the sky had improved little, if
any.  Flying was halted for about an hour at one point for a "weather break" as
some pilots were having difficulty seeing through the mist that peppered their
glasses.  Those of us who'd endured it were heard musing, "They shoulda' been in
Las Vegas in '87" where we flew in the pouring rain.

One of the neatest things I've seen in awhile was the pitch-reversing feature on
the Short Sky Van by Jim Terrell of Anchorage, Alaska. The aircraft itself had 
all the aerodynamic and aesthetic appeal of a shoe box with long, skinny (high-
aspect ratio) wings, but when he'd demo the pitch-reversing feature by "BACKING"
the airplane out of the starting area and onto the runway, all else lost any im-
port.  It was simply fascinating to see this done with a model.  After landing, 
the performance was capped off by coming to a stop, then backing off the runway.
Jim really deserved the technical achievement award he received for his model.  

Starting the second round, Gene Barton (who'd had to scratch round-1 because he
just wasn't quite ready) went to the line with his impressive new 92", Webra 
Bully powered Douglas A1H Skyraider. Taxiing out, Gene hammered the throttle and
nailed a perfect takeoff...the first time the big 'Raider had flown in paint.
The plane's wing-folding mechanism is arranged such that both air-cylinder act-
uated wing-locking pins MUST actuate a microswitch completing an "AND" circuit
which turns on the nav-lights, strobes and rudder-mounted rotating beacon.  No
lights, no wing-lock...neat!  As the 'Raider bored by in the murk, the lights 
really stood out and lent an air of realism to the flight.  On landing, one of 
the 90-degree rotating main gear failed to lock and folded on touchdown but you
hardly noticed as the plane simply slid to a halt, using one of the huge ferry 
tanks as a skid.

Charlie Nelson's new WACO also had a great light-system that showed well in the
gloom of Friday's flying.  Taxiing into takeoff position, the nav and clearance
lights were all lit PLUS the retractable landing lights were extended from the
bottom of the upper wing, also lit.  As the pretty WACO rotated and climbed out,
the landing lights could clearly be seen to turn out, then retract back into the
wing...very nice, indeed.

Bob Violett's F-86 is, undoubtedly, one of the best engineered jets available 
today.  The inlet/fan/tailpipe ducting are designed to eliminate dead/stalled 
air and you can literally HEAR the cleanliness of Violett's plane as it sails
along noiselessly except for the sound of the quiet-piped KBV .82 engine.  Bob 
put in consistent, nearly flawless performances every round.

The only incident of the day was the crash, shortly after takeoff, of Don Bar-
ton's (Gene's dad) Baker P-47 which was heavily damaged following a stall-snap 
incident, possibly caused by a loose servo tray.

Saturday morning, the weather finally broke and good flying weather attended the
remainder of the contest.  Flying resumed, against blue sky for the first time
thus far, much to the relief of pilot, spectator and photographer alike.  No 
doubt about it; THIS was more like it!  A gentle breeze from the north kept
things from becoming too steamy (though the heavy humidity kept this here Desert
Rat oozing from every pore all day long).  

Ain't it terrific how much better colorful scale ships stand out against a nice 
blue sky, interspersed with fluffy white clouds?!  Tommy Weemes' polished alumi-
num Curtiss Hawk 75 with its blue and white, Argentine roundels looked just mag-
nificent against the sky.  So did Art Johnson's Martin B-26 Marauder, Roy Vail-
lancourt's Hurricane, Jack Buckley's CAP-10, etc., etc., ad infinitum.

Brian O'Meara just has to be the personification of Joe Bltzpflck, the little
guy with the perpetual black thundercloud over his head (from Al Capp's "Li'l 
Abner" comic strip).  After his Platt Mustang's wing broke in the center-section
on Friday, Brian went back to his room, beefed up and re-glassed the center-
section and was ready to try it again Saturday.  Forced to fly with the gear 
down on his first flight Saturday, naturally the engine overheated and, upon 
dead-sticking into the thick grass, the right gear dug in and ripped out of the 
wing, stumbling the plane onto its nose whereupon the fuse tore away and broke
in half right at the cockpit.  Now, I'd have figgered' someone was trying to 
tell me something and would've thrown in the towel at this point.  But, there 
ain't an ounce of "quit" in Brian and, next thing I knew, he was set up under 
Frank Tiano's tent with himself, his wife Jody, and Frank bent over the wreck-
age Zapping/epoxying it back together.  Unbelievably, they got it together in 
time for the next round.  

The -51 took off normally, the gear retracted, the engine kept running and Brian
actually got in a complete flight. BUT, on landing, he got slightly out of shape
and the right gear contacted the tarmac a little harder than usual, all in all, 
not a bad landing...but the right gear tore away again and, as the now battered 
but once pretty Mustang ground to a halt, the wing buckled in the center-section
again. As we left the field Saturday evening, Jody was dancing the Flamenco up 
and down the offending wing...all that was missing was the castanets.  Jose 
Greco, eat'cher heart out!

Diego Lopez, hoping to improve his 6th place finish at Ft. Knox, was an early 
leader with a respectable static score and a 90 for his first round flight. But,
adversity was about to loom its ugly head in Diego's, thus far, smooth path.  As
Diego began his second round takeoff, the big Hellcat hooked left a bit but he
caught it with rudder and rotated, JUST as he collided with Mark Harrell's big 
J3 Cub sitting on the edge of the tarmac. The Hellcat's main gear bore the brunt
of the impact and the big Grumman merely slumped back to earth, staying on its 
feet.  The Cub, however, seemed to literally explode on impact; wings, struts 
and undefined yellow shapes flew everywhere.  In miniature, we'd witnessed why
Grumman was referred to as "The Bethpage Ironworks" throughout WW-II...those 
darn Hellcats were/are tough!

Diego said he flat didn't see the Cub 'til it was too late and he apologized
profusely to Mark, then both pilots retired back to the pits to begin effecting
repairs.  Diego's damage was all pretty superficial except for the landing gear
damage but it took him several hours to get it patched up and working again.

Meanwhile, the much more heavily damaged Cub was also undergoing repair but it
didn't look too hopeful.  On a humorous note, at one point, as Diego was fever-
ishly working on his retracts, Mark walked up and handed him two small square
shapes of Hellcat-colored fiberglass, asking, "Do these belong to you?"  Diego 
turned them over in his hand, studying the pieces with a puzzled expression, 
then blurted, "Hey! These are two of my cowl flaps...where'd you find them?"
With a grin Mark replied, "Inside my plane."  We all broke up!

A coupla' hours after the mid-ground incident, I happened to look up and, "I'll
be hanged!  The Cub's back in the air!!"   There it was, looking for all the
world as if it'd never been hurt except for an occasional glimpse of silver duct
tape glinting against the yellow finish.  Shortly thereafter, Diego went up also
so neither participant lost an additional round.  Mark received an award at the
banquet that evening for refusing to give up and returning the seemingly total-
led Cub to the hunt.

Back at the hotel, Kent and I gussied up (as much as is possible fer' a coupla' 
ol' Arizona cowpokes) and went down for the banquet.  It was a pretty typical
banquet with pretty typical banquet fare.  But, hey!  You don't really go to a 
banquet for the food; you go for the camaraderie and, hopefully, some entertain-
ment.

After the usual introductions, thank you's, etc., the host club did something a
bit unusual and new; they presented each competitor with a nice plaque, person-
alized with a picture of the pilot's airplane.  Pilots' Choice awards were pre-
sented and, according to the competitors themselves, the winners were:  

	1. Best Military...Gene Barton - Douglas A1H Skyraider
	2. Best Civilian...Jack Buckley - CAP-10
	3. Technical Achievement...Jim Terrell - Short Sky Van

Don and Gene Barton were recognized as the first father and son to qualify for
and compete in the Masters.  Don was also jointly awarded the Gray Eagle Award 
along with Art Johnson as being the oldest pilots in competition.  As previously
mentioned, Mark Harrell and Jim Terrell also received special awards.

Harris Lee announced that, at future Masters, craftsmanship will be judged from
8 rather than 15-feet. He also announced that flight scores in the future MIGHT 
be the average of ALL rounds, after throwing out the low round.  This would tend
to eliminate the luck factor and identify the pilot who demonstrated he had his
act together with truly consistent scores.  Harris also revealed that, among 
other countries, Norway and Japan, have expressed a desire to hold qualifiers so
the Masters may be taking an even more international turn in the future.  

Frank Tiano took the podium and proceeded to deliver a hilarious historical re-
trospect on the previous 9-Masters, highlighting [unmercifully] the more humor-
ous events that took place at each event.  The place really broke up when Frank
graphically described the picture of Brian O'Meara, both feet planted against 
the TRUNK, trying to extricate his Baker P-47 from the Saguaro cactus he'd cen-
ter-punched at the '85 Masters in Mesa, Arizona.

Sunday morning was a carbon copy of the previous day.  On the field, a murmur
was going through the pits that the results of this meet should prove to be
"interesting."  Several dark horses were within striking range of stealing the
coveted championship and all could depend on the last flight being a good one.
Everyone was chafing at the bit to get under way and take their shot at ending
the suspense.

Gene Barton started things off with a textbook flight on the Skyraider and scor-
ed a 91 flight but, due to scratching the first round and having gear problems 
on rounds 2 and 3, Gene didn't have another high flight to back this one up 
with.  Otherwise, he'd have placed quite highly, without any doubt at all.  

Hal Parenti showed his Ryan Fireball well all weekend and his unusual steed de-
serves mention.  The Fireball was designed as a jet engine test-bed in the early
days when jet UN-reliability was the rule, hence the conventional recip power in
the nose backing up the jet in the tail.  Hal has a .25-size ducted fan mounted
in the aft-fuselage and, a'la the prototype, a conventional engine in the nose.
With both mills running, Hal taxied the Fireball into takeoff position and lock-
ed the brakes.  Then, as the prop engine idled, you could hear the internal DF
engine spooling up 'til it was screaming at top RPM.  A moment later, the ST .75
in the nose was throttled up 'til both engines were at full RPM and the ship

strained at the brakes.  Releasing the brakes, the Fireball accelerated and ro-
tated into a smooth takeoff.  Very nice presentation!

High score after high score was posted as the final round continued.  But, Bob
Violett removed all the mystery and put his own brand on the championship with
a sizzling 96 flight that removed all doubt as to who would be first.  All re-
maining discussion centered upon who would take 2nd-thru-10th.

And, where was defending champ, Bob Fiorenze, through all of this you may well
wonder.  Bob's own words sum it up better than I could; "I got a slow start but 
I managed to work my way down from there," he cheerfully remarked.

With the last official flight completed, demo's, including the traditional beat
up of the field with WW-II fighters took place while scores were being tabulated
and finish positions determined by computer.  Dennis Crooks put on a dazzling 
flight with the demo F-14, as he had done on Saturday, and all were convinced 
that, had the fates been kinder, this could almost certainly have been Dennis's
year to take the championship.

Demo's over, the winners were announced. In addition to the impressive trophies,
6th through 10th place winners received Airtronics servos and 1st through 5th
received Futaba-1024 PCM radios and kits from Yellow Aircraft, all donated by 
the manufacturers.

	1. Bob Violett: F-86 Sabre	   189.125		
	2. Hal Parenti: Ryan Fireball	   188.875
	3. Bill Carper: (Baker) P-47	   188.750
	4. Diego Lopez: (Lien) Hellcat	   187.975
	5. Bill Miller: DC-3		   187.625
	6. Bill Setzler: Fokker Eindecker  186.750
	7. Bob Fiorenze: F-18 Hornet	   185.975
	8. Bob Hanft: Nieuport-28c1	   185.625
	9. Corvin Miller: FG1D Corsair	   185.500
       10. Neil Snodgrass: Midwing Special 185.125

Talk about a photo-finish! a mere 4-points separated 1st and 10th places, making
this probably the closest Masters ever.

Don Barton was awarded the infamous (almost sought after) "Being Last Sucks" 
T-shirt and I should mention a youngster, Thor Thorensen from Norway, who com-
peted in this, his second Masters and finished a very respectable 13th flying 
a Laser-200.

Opinions/impressions/observations:
----------------------------------
Judging remains a thankless task and Bert Baker's static judges alongside Hal 
Okert's flight judges worked like Trojans throughout the contest. But I witness-
ed a new wrinkle that should gladden the hearts of judges everywhere: after sta-
tic was posted, a few contestants were arguing their scores with Big Bert when 
Lawrence Harville approached, tongue firmly embedded in cheek, complaining loud-
ly that he'd "received four TOO MANY points" and insisting this travesty be cor-
rected immediately. I understand Chuck Fuller filed a similar "complaint" some-
time later.  That's the right spirit, guys!!

The contest (as a Masters-level competition SHOULD be) was amazingly crash-free.
Only one total (Don Barton's P-47) occurred during competition.  Even counting 
Dennis Crooks' F-14 and Albert Kretz's Byron P-40, which both crashed outside of
official competition, only 3-totals occurred during the entire 4-days of the 
event. This would seem to indicate that the level of flying is improving which 
is another noteworthy trend; the Masters is truly becoming "the Masters!"

I noted with interest that several aircraft were equipped with gyros connected 
to the rudder channel.  "Dirty pool," I thought at first.  But, after only mo-
mentary consideration, I thought, "Why not?"  The safety enhancement aspect
alone, when applied to many of our squirrely tail-draggers, would make it worth-

while.  And, the pilot must still fly the aircraft, the gyro merely adds some
stability in the yaw axis.  I think I like the idea.

Jets continue to appear in greater numbers and this makes the 3rd consecutive 
year a jet has won.  However, contrary to the opinions of some, I do not believe
they are invincible.  A good pilot with a good recip-powered ship can still take
all the marbles and I have no doubt the recent string of jet wins WILL be bro-
ken in the near future.

WW-I is making a resurgence and I have the utmost respect for the exponents of
this era's machines.  They well may be the most challenging type there is to
fly successfully in competition owing to their notoriously bad ground-handling
and their extreme vulnerability to the fickleties of weather, mainly the wind.
These draggy, lightly loaded birds are blown about unmercifully by the slight-
est breeze and are particularly hampered by crosswind situations.  Still, no
fewer than 6 WW-I era ships were entered in the Masters and presented very nice-
ly by their dedicated and skilled builder/pilots.  Two of these managed top-10
finishes.

While a 5th name has now been added to the list of Masters Champions, it's still
interesting to note that Kent Walters remains the ONLY winner who did NOT have
any commercial interest in winning; all 4 of the others have been involved in 
kitting the aircraft they campaigned and won with.  Does this mean the Masters
Championship can be bought?  No, I don't think so, at least not yet.  Past re-
sults indicate to me that ANYONE can be beaten, on any given day, by any given
modeler, flying any given aircraft.  There're simply too many of us non-business
connected modelers around for this NOT to be so.  Still, I believe that the day 
may be at hand when a "Professional-class" will have to be instated so the man-
ufacturers will have an arena in which to throw money at each other while the 
rest of us compete among ourselves with more-or-less economic parity, a situa-
tion not at all unlike most other sports, i.e. golf, tennis, etc.  

One thing's certain, Harris Lee's brainchild has done a lot of growing up in its
ten years.  It'll certainly be interesting to watch the changes that occur as it
continues into its second decade.  

As of this writing, the site for the 1990 Masters hasn't been confirmed but it
appears a good bet it'll be held at either Las Vegas, NV or Fountain Valley, CA.
Hey! That's in my neck-of-the-woods.  I'd better get busy doing a few cosmetic 
repairs to the MiG-3 or start work on a new Masters entry....., now lemmesee', 
where'd I put that metric hammer and sanding-block anyway?

Here's the report on the Schneider Cup Races:

Chuck Collier and myself, accompanied by our mutual spouses, left in our motor-
homes early Friday Morning and caravan-ed across some of the most barren country
in Arizona west to the Colorado River basin.

The scenery changed rapidly as we approached the river at Parker, AZ and became
stark rock and mountain formations along the river's course, the river itself 
flanked on both sides by lots of uncustomary trees and greenery.  The Colorado
is quite a large river (by southwestern standards) and, as we paralleled it for
mosst of the remaining few miles to Lake Havasu, we saw many power boats, water-
sliers, jet skiers and a [full scale] Piper Super Cub on floats making use of 
its surface.

Passing Parker Dam (which forms Lake Havasu behind it), we presently arrived in
Lake Havasu City and could clearly see the large island, accessed by London
Bridge, where the races were to be held in front of a resort called the Nautical
Inn.  The trip wound up being 211 miles and took us about 5-hours including a
stop for breakfast in Wickenberg and a few rest stops.

We drove across historic London Bridge, followed the signs to the Nautical Inn,
parked the motorhomes and carried our chairs and cooler down to the beach front
and began checking out the models.  There were 4, perhaps 5 Supermarine S6B's, 
two 1914 Sopwith Tabloids, a 1913 Deperdussin, a Curtiss R3C (the Doolittle ra-
cer), 3 Macchi's: an M33 flying boat; the twin, in-line V-12 powered MC72 and
a third I don't know the designation of but it looked like a slightly earlier,
single engine version of the MC72.  In all, 21 racers had been registered but I
never saw more than a dozen of them fly and I can't say what the trouble may've
been with the others.

Time trials had been held on Thursday; each plane was flown against the clock 
and its speed had to be within +/- 1% of the proper scale speed for its par-
ticular prototype.  Adherence won nothing but failure to achieve scale speed
resulted in some sort of penalty.  This made things tough on the very early 
types; the 1913 Deperdussin needed to fly at 10-mph to receive no penalty and
its pilot, Dick Skoglund, told me the plane was on the verge of a stall at 17-
mph.  Dick said this effectively put him out of the running and I suspect the
Sopwiths and the Macchi M33 probably suffered similarly.

After time trials, the planes would no longer be timed but would still be sub-
jectively judged for correct [appearing] speed.  Each flight was judged on taxi,
takeoff, adherence to racecourse, altitude (10-80 feet), proper speed and land-
ing for a maximum of 100 points per round.  We saw two rounds after arriving at
~1:00PM and immediately picked out what appeared to be the three front runners:
the Supermarine S6B of Bob Heitkamp from Juneau, Alaska; another S6B by a fellow
named Bunt and Bob Martin's Curtis R3C (the name of which's pilot I failed to 
catch.

The planes were _huge_ 1/4 and 1/3 scale birds and were all easily of Masters 
quality.  Engines ranged from Sachs-Dolmar 3.7's and 4.2's, to an aging Kioritz
used in Heitkamp's ship, to a hopped up O.S. 4-cylinder opposed, to a twin, in-
line Supertiger 6000 in Bunt's racer.  Most of the planes I watched seemed to be
correctly powered to simulate the correct scale speed impressions...I'd guess 
the Supermarines were going about 90-mph which, at 1/4 scale, translates to 360
and the full scale's top speed was 406 so it was pretty close.

The only bummer of the event was that, between the Schneider heats, there'd be 
as much as 4-hours of sport fun-flying, which is fine _if_ you're participating,
but becomes boring in a hurry when you've come to watch something else.  

Saturday morning, they ran another round of racing around 9:00 and it was clear
that the pilots were becoming more comfortable as they were flying lower and
tighter around the 3-pylon course.  Also, luck of the draw had 3 contemporary
ships up during each heat, i.e. two S6B's and a Macchi MC72; a Tabloid, the
Deperdussin and the Macchi M33, etc.  Even though they weren't actually racing 
against each other, it was great to watch and the pilots began to get competi-
tive with one another, racing-wise, even though they were each flying their own
individual flights before the judges.

Another 4-hours of sport flying passed before the FINAL round was flown.  We 
were shocked to hear this announced as it was still early Saturday afternoon and
we assumed the meet would continue into Sunday.  But Nooooooo, the winners were
announced and the remainder of the day as well as Sunday 'til noon would be no-
thing more than more sport flying.  BTW, the winners were:

		1. Bob Heitkamp's S6B
		2. Bunt's S6B
		3. Bob Martin's Curtis R3C

So, we stayed the night, got up Sunday AM, had breakfast and drove back to Phoe-
nix, a bit disappointed that more Schneider flying hadn't been done but under-
standing that this was the first year, the [flying] turnout was small and [ap-
parently] they'd allowed an extra "weather-day" just in case.  All-in-all, it
was a great trip; the weather was beautiful (88F days - 50F nights), the scenery
gorgeous and the camaraderie just great.  I'm glad I went and will probably try
to attend again next year to see how the idea grows.


!!!FLASH!!! 

This just learned while at Havasu: ground is already broken for construction of
the new buildings which will house *K&B*.  Yup', K&B is moving its entire opera-
tion To Lake Havasu City and the word there is that they're out to make the city
the largest model manufacturing center in the world!  Certainly wouldn't hurt
this cowboy's feelings.
    
      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Terry,
    
    Yup!  The oldtimer (which may become an antique by the time I finish
    it) is a Playboy but I wasn't aware it was a Goldberg design...in fact,
    I don't think it was but I can't provide the name of the actual
    designer/kitter.  It will be powered by a replica Super-Cyclone .61 on
    ignition burning gasoline.  Due to the closely fitted [un-ringed]
    piston/sleeve assy, break-in must be done carefully over a rather long
    period or the engine can be ruined...this is true of most lapped-piston
    engines including those on today's market.
    
    I've never heard anyone mention the porpoising problem you allude to
    but can neither confirm/deny it, having yet to fly one myself. 
    Hopefully, I'll be able to make an experience based comment before much
    longer...I may have to hire out the covering/finishing to do it though
    :B^).
    
    MiG Progress:
    -------------
    
Not much of earthshaking proportion to report on the MiG-3 repairs from last 
night but progress _was_ made.  Most of the evening was spent wet-sanding and/or
steel-wooling the touched-up areas, cleaning up minor overspray, weathering, 
etc. following by one last airbrush pass to crispen up the camo-color separa-
tions.  The ol' bird looks great, if I do say so myself, and I'm well pleased
with the repairs...I'd defy anyone to tell it'd ever been hurt.

If there's one small area I could be happier with, it's the rivets.  I'd read 
somewhere that R/C-56 glue was great to use for glue-drop rivets so I tried it
and am not particularly impressed.  From the standpoint of application with both
hypo-syringe and toothpick, I'd have to say it handled better/easier but that's
where any advantage ceased.  R/C-56 rivets take longer to dry and, when they do,
the glues main claim to fame (its flexibility) becomes a problem; the rivets re-
main rubbery, defying any attempt to sand them down to uniform height and, after
painting, the same characteristic makes it difficult to sand through a bit to 
expose the sliver paint underneath and, thereby, highlight the rivets.

The only way anyone might suspect the MiG'd undergone repairs is the fact that
the new rivets are more predominant than are the old ones.  From now on, I'll 
stick with Elmer's or Pica Glu-it white-glues for this purpose.

However, I should mention that R/C-56 is mainly intended for attaching canopies
and, for this purpose, I believe it's the best thing since pop-top beer-cans.  I
re-glued the windscreen of the MiG using R/C-56 and am well impressed with the
firm yet flexible joint which resulted.  After re-doing the windscreen fairing 
with Epoxy-lite, I'll be very surprised (and disappointed) if the windscreen 
_ever_ comes loose again.

Having changed my mind, tonight I'll apply the K&B flat-clear coat to the fuse 
to seal and protect the newly finished areas, then, time permitting, get started
on the wing.

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    al,
    
    i used rc56 for all rivets on my p47.  like you i found that
    i couldn't sand them at first.  in fact, they often ripped off
    all in one piece!  but after a few weeks, they were on like
    rocks.
    
    i first observed the slow curing of rc56 when i tried to remove
    the canopy a year ago after flying the 47 in primer.  it was
    incredibly hard and strong after setting all summer.
    
    i found titebond shriveled like raisins when it dried, making
    sanding a necessity.
    
    good luck!
    kevin

    Re: .-1, Kevin,
    
    Thanx for the poop on RC-56 rivets.  Unfortunately, I haven't had an
    excess of time to wait on rivets to cure but it's helpful to learn I
    can go back over them with wet-or-dry (wet) later to highlight them
    here and there.
    
    I should mention that I used a variation of Eric's suggestion (which he
    may've made off-line) to repair a crack in the fuse-side; about an inch
    long, it ran vertically into the canopy frame and, since access to the
    area from inside the cockpit is all but impossible, special methods
    were called for.    
    
    Eric suggestied snaking a piece of CYA tubing into position attaced to
    the end of a piece of soft/bendable wire, then "piping" some ZAP to the
    crack from the inside.  But, my buddy, Bob Frey, made the additional
    point that the crack in the plastic canopy must be stopped from
    spreading so here's what I did:  I have some extremely tiny .011 drill 
    bits (remnants from our old boardshop days here at PNO) so I mounted
    one in my Dremel tool and drilled a tiny hole through the canopy right
    at the edge of the frame.  I found this hole was just large enough to
    snugly admit the needle of a small hypo-syringe so I sacrificed one...
    put some ZAP into it, positioned the needle through the canopy and
    directly over the crack, then carefully flooded the crack with thin
    ZAP.  The Zap wicked right into the crack and, as I withdrew the
    needle, I pressed the hypo-plunger, gently feeding a little CYA to seal
    the hole as the needle came out...worked like a charm.  Still not
    totally comfortable, however, I went ahead and "injected" the crack
    with ZAP in a couple places 'til I was content that the crack had been
    completely inundated with CYA.  (This latter action came from a
    suggestion by Tom T.)
    
    I then used a small brush I have that's been bent 90-degrees at the tip
    to touch up the zinc-chromate green along the crack on the cockpit
    side.  A little primer, wet-sand and paint and the repair is invisible...
    Even the hole I drilled to stop the crack is virtually impossible to
    see as it's sealed with ZAP.
    
    My thanx to Eric and Tom T. whose ideas (along with Bob Frey's
    assessment) created the basis from which the fix was developed. 
    Amazin' what a little brainstorming can produce, ain't it?!

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Kevin
    
    It's my understanding that the P47 featured Flush rivets. I always
    thought glue dots would be used to exhibit pop rivets. Am I missing
    something? I understand you have to overstate items but,... Let
    me know what the scoop is! I about to get started on a 75" Jug myself.
    
    
    Tom

    Just wanted to say a few things about the MiG-3's engine.  As those of
    you who've followed this saga from the day (Thanksgiving weekend, 1988)
    the MiG crashed know, a crankshaft failure was responsible for the crash.
    
    The O.S. .60FSR (not the .61) was O.S.'s first schneurle-ported
    engine.  Externally, it looks almost identical to the later .61FSR
    except for having a very small carb and a 1/4" (instead of 3/8") prop  
    shaft.  This was a great running mill but it had an "Achilles' heel:"
    when the pattern boys hung tuned pipes on this engine, it began
    breaking cranks...right in the middle of the shaft beneath the machined
    intake cutout.  O.S. responded by beefing the crank (and main bearings)
    at least twice but, in the end, redesigned the engine with a BEEFY
    crankshaft with 3/8" prop shaft, heavier crank-pin, piston rod and
    wrist-pin.  Also adding the [then] new "7D" carb, the engine re-emerged
    as the now classic .61FSR.   
    
    Now, it's a fact that the original .60 would out-turn the .61 UNPIPED
    and that fact held the little .60 in favor with sport and scale
    modelers...don't pipe it and it'll be fine.  But, though I don't run a
    tuned pipe (heck! I don't even like the things), I _DID_ equip the
    MiG-3 with fully functional, scale exhaust stacks.  Bob Frey, who had a
    similar set of stacks on a S.T. Bluehead .60 felt this system performed
    much like a pipe, providing low back pressure and, perhaps, even
    scavenging the exhaust gasses.  I had to agree since neither his
    Bluehead nor my .60FSR _EVER_ ran as strong on sport planes as when
    connected to the scale stacks.  My .60FSR tached 13.9K on the ground
    so, after unloading in the air, we knew it was turning well over 14K,
    perhaps crowding 15K...it was almost scary the way that thing ran!
    
    But, in the back of my mind I always wondered how long the engine could
    continue to run like that.  Finally, that rainy Thanksgiving weekend
    14-months ago, I found out the hard way when the entire front half of
    the crank, front main bearing, prop, spinner, weighted prop washer and
    all associated hardware (3/4-lb. worth) ejected from the plane in an
    awkward posision on a restricted field, precluding the crash which
    resulted from (unbeknown to me at the moment) a tail heavy scale model
    being "S" turned in an attempt to spill some altitude and speed.
    
    That brings us up to the beginning of the repair saga which commenced
    about 2-3 weeks before Christmas.  So, what engine did I put back in
    the restored MiG.  Well, I had no choice; the engine was so tightly
    shoe-horned into the airplane that NO OTHER engine'd fit, PERIOD!  Even
    the similar .61FSR wouldn't fit due to the huge 7D carb and the carbs
    couldn't be swapped due to vastly different throat sizes...I HAD to put
    a .60FSR back in..., or nothing at all.  Parts haven't been available
    for the .60 for years so what could I do?  Well, a friend had given me
    a .60FSR in unknown running condition a few years ago so I took the
    entire front housing, containing (beefier) crank and main bearings, and
    bolted it onto my original engine.  Then, since I wanted to retain a
    know commodity, I swapped my original (and pre-set) carb onto the new
    front end.  This, I reasoned, should give me back my original engine
    with the improvement of a stronger crankshaft...not a bad bargain if it
    worked out.
    
    And _did_ it work out?  I think you already know the answer to that. 
    The engine runs just like it always did, putting out almost scary
    levels of power and hauling a very large (72"-span/960-sq.") airframe
    through the air with great authority.  People continually ask, "What
    the heck engine you got in there?" and are aghast when I tell them it's
    a lowly little .60FSR.  Kent Walters had a radar gun at the field
    making speed measurements to confirm his theories on dynamically-similar 
    scale speed and he clocked the MiG-3 at 105mph...pretty respectable for
    the little FSR with small shaft and carb.
    
    Will it stay together...?  I can only hope the beefier shaft will be up
    to the task...frankly, I feel pretty comfortable about it.  And, what
    if the engine blows again...what'll I do for parts?  Well, I still have
    _part_ of an engine to use for parts AND, my C.A.F. buddy, Gerald
    Martin, happened to have a brand new .60FSR which he generously donated
    to the MiG-3 cause.  I _should_ be able to keep the MiG in engines for
    a very long time!

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    re .1849
    
    i don't know quite where to begin so i'll just start rambling.  first,
    thanks al for sponsering me (us) as members of the one eighth.  i am
    extremely proud to become part of what i consider an excellent group
    of people.  i will take my permanent assignment seriously.
    
    it was only the summer of 1986 when i began learning to fly rc.  in the
    last 4 years i've come a long way.  many local people have helped. 
    this notes file has helped.  but as for scale, al and other members of
    the 1/8th have been terrific help.  yes, theres lots of local (scale)
    experience but who in mass coulda told me a st2500 was not enough for
    a baker jug, or what rpm's a bully could turn an 18x6-10 prop, or...  my
    two visits to arizona have been a lot of fun, and fruitful.
    
    i can't wait to go back and meet all the guys again.  i never have to
    twist sue's arm to go, we like az better than fl now.  and yes, i'm
    fully prepared to throw my body in front of an errant scale ship to
    save wear and tear on the safety nets (it'll probably be eldon's
    wildcat).  B^) 
    
    kevin

  Here's a question for anyone who has a DC Aviation calendar...I just turned
to the page to February and the description says the plane is an Aeronca.
To me it looks like a J3 Cub!  The color, lightning bolt down the side..
everything looks like a Cub.  The question is....Is the Aeronca that similar
to a Cub, or did they screw up on the description?


     Jim

    Jim,
    
    The caption under February's pic _should_ have said Aeronca "K".  This
    was a _very_ early model Aeronca and is little more than a closed-cabin
    version of its bathtub-shaped forebear, the Aeronca C-3.  Similarity to
    the J3 Cub is purely coincidental and, if you'll study the pic with a
    J3 pic in hand, you'll see that's there's less similarity than you at
    first thought.  

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

  OK, I found a picture of a J3 in one of my mags. and I can see the 
differences between the J3 and the Aeronca K. But there to my eye 
the differences are not Earth shattering.  The door, position of the 
landing gear, and length of the nose are the big differences.  I suppose
the quality of the picture (in the mag) could have a lot to do with it
though.  
  Thanks for the clarification though.

     Jim

    Jim,
    
    I've done the same thing with the ol' Yeller Peril on occasion,
    i.e. leave it all together for extended periods of time/numbers of
    flying sessions.  I feel comfortable doing this as, after sountless
    hundreds of flights, I know what will or will not require checking and
    or maintenance.  Yet, I confess this is, primarily, a practice born of
    laziness as the Peril isn't much fun to assemble and is even less so to
    disassemble.  The truth of it is that something _could_ go awry and
    unnoticed causing a problem or [potentially] loss of the aircraft.
    
    Therefore, I don't advocate this practice and would recommend all to
    disassemble and throughly check out the aircraft and its systems
    prior to each and every flying session.  If one wants to save time at
    the field and, thus, preassemble their plane at home, I think that's
    fine but the ship _should_ have been disassembled and inspected prior
    to this.  I think we'd all be [much] more conscientious about this if
    our own butts were going to be riding in our planes.  
    
    On external charging jacks, I recommend these even if you _do_
    disassemble after each session.  Why?  Because they offer a quick/easy
    means of checking airborne battery condition/level at the field without
    disassembling the plane.  Many pilots will avoid disassembling to make
    a battery check when they _know_ they might be low on batteries.  The
    external jack fascillitates the making of this vital check at times
    when laziness (or other factors) might otherwise have precluded it. 

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

Re: Note 239.1906 by ELMAGO::TTOMBAUGH "High Plains Drifter" >>>

>    No,No John! It wasn't that bad! You were depicted hovering over
>    a rather strange looking old-timer called a Fineran Flyer, which
>    sounds Irish to me but guess it's not as the article explains
>    its Aussie origins. But it still looks like it was designed
>    by leprechauns.

Ah! An interesting story about that if it is the photo I think. Jack Fineran is
a WWAAYY back modeller in those days when a portable radio required a truck. He
designed the Fineran Flyer originally as a freeflight model and won a lot of
early contests. It is you might say a historic model as far as Australian Model
Aviation. 

Anyway we have an interclub contest each year where 5 club members make up a
team, one in each of Aerobatics, Thermal Glider, Old Timer Texaco, Scale and
Sport Pylon (Quickie 500 sort off). One additional rule applies and that is
"You cannot fly your normal event if you are a competition flyer's". As I am the
President of our State Association (like an AMA District) it was decided (not
by me I add) I should set an example and fly Old Timer. I thought I had my way
out when I said "but I don't have a model". Our treasurer apart from being tight
with the money also has another problem; a BIG mouth. I will lend you my
Fineran Flyer; he said. 

So on the day of the contest you see me, your average pylon flyer who is
happiest when controlling a 180+ mph model, 15' off the ground with a hot 40 up
front turning 28,000+; now flying a loan model of the 1920's era, powered by an
OS 20FS turning 6,000 flying so slowly I could watch other competitors. 

My assistant and timer the 12 year old son of the model owned kept telling me
where to go and stay in that thermal. Well I did manage to stay in a few and
scored a couple of max scores. I finished 5 which I considered creditable for
my first attempt at not only flying an Old Timer but also my first competition. 

It was an interesting experience for me as things happen so slowly. One thing I
had to learn very quickly was the lack of penetration you have with these large
light models even in moderate winds. It was an enjoyable experience and a
present day was had by all, after all that is really what our sport is all
about.
 
John

Well, amigos, it is with a great deal of regret that I must make the 
announcement that my days as a DEC employee and, therefore, a member of the 
RC notes_file are numbered.  Most of you have, no doubt, heard of the 
company's efforts to reduce corporate-wide headcount and the buyout 
incentives that accompany these efforts.

Manufacturing has been charged to reduce headcount by 3000 and, to my 
plant (PNO), that translates to the elimination of 230 jobs.  Since the 
future structure of PNO includes no place for manufacturing, it is 
inevitable that my services will not be required in the "new business."

We had a plant-wide meeting Monday wherein the options/alternatives were 
explained and the safest, most logical course for me appears to volunteer 
to go into transition then accept the buyout and leave Digital.  I must 
make my decision by Friday, March 23; then, on April 2nd, a 13 week period 
of transition begins wherein one may explore the various alternatives, none 
of which are viable for me and my personal situation. On or before June 29, 
I'll be expected to declare whether I will accept the buyout and my 
intention, at this juncture, is to do so...take the money and run, as it 
were.

Frankly, I liken PNO and its future direction to a sinking ship with little 
realistic chance of refloating itself and I fear that struggling to stay 
aboard will serve only to delay the inevitable another year or two down the 
line, at which point the only options will be to relocate or walk.  Logic 
strongly suggests to me that it would be foolhardy to stay with the ship 
(even if there were an opportunity to do so, which there really isn't) and, 
most likely, go down with it, when there's an opportunity to take a free 
lifeboat now.

So, the crux of this is that, sometime between now and June 29, I'll be 
bidding a sad farewell to you, all my friends in the notesfile.  I just 
hate the prospect of losing contact with all of you but there appears to be 
no alternative.  I decided to break the word now to give all of us a little 
time to get used to the idea before the inevitable occurs.

I expect to miss terribly the daily contact and camaraderie with you that 
this notesfile has provided.  It has been one of the few bright spots 
during the turbulent past 3 years or so and has helped enormously to 
brighten each day that, otherwise, has been filled with uncertainty, 
speculation and rumor as to the future, if any, of the PNO facility.  I'd 
never have left DEC by choice but have been an unwilling witness to the 
gradual decline of our facility's fortunes and, in a peculiar sort of way, 
I'm greatly relieved that _some_ end to the situation is finally in sight, 
even though it's not the end I would've chosen.

Again, I'll miss daily contact with all of you and I hope that some of you 
will keep in touch from time-to-time.  I'll do my best to respond promptly 
to any/all correspondence I receive from anyone.  Or, feel free to give me 
a call if there's anything I can be of assistance with...or just to kick 
tires and tell a few lies.  I can be reached at:

				Al Casey
				13148 N. 21st Ave.
				Phoenix,
				AZ           85029
				(602) 863-1456

We've still got some time to communicate/commune about our mutual love, R/C 
modeling, so let's try to enjoy the short time we have left.  I'll keep 
y'all posted as to developments/changes as they occur but, unless something 
drastic happens, it looks like a sure bet that I'll be ridin' off into the 
sunset sometime between now and June 29.

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Al,
     Your wit & wisdom are going to be greatly missed by all followers
    of the R/C notes file. Your contributions and comments have always
    been a point of great interest for myself, as well as others, I'm 
    sure. You have a writing style that I have found truly amazing. A
    style that very few people (that I know) could ever hope to achieve.
    I am a subscriber to RCM and am looking forward to seeing your article
    in a (soon to be released) issue. I hope we get to see others. Maybe
    you could become a regular contributor. Who knows? Your expertise in
    the area of scale has/is invaluable to many that have access to this
    file. The ability to provide others with helpful inside information
    on what it takes to really be competetive in the scale circuit is
    absolutely priceless. 
    
       I wish you the very best in whatever you choose to do after DEC.
    
    Bernie
    
    BTO
    Burlington, Vermont

    
    The path to PNO is down, so I'll continue my VAXMAIL here and perhaps
    test the reception of our friends thereby.
    
    To be more direct than yesterday's VAXMAIL, in addition to whatever
    else you do, you might consider writing a book on scale -- selection,
    documenting, building, competing, and repairing.  Our interest is a
    test of the market, albeit limited, and your name is recognized. You
    have extraordinary credibility.  You might have a set of photos for
    illustrations.  And, as several of us have said, you can write very,
    very well.
    
    When can I send a reservation for my copy?
    
    Alton    

    Re: last several,
    
    I can't begin to tell you guys what this outpouring over my [likely]
    imminent departure means to me...it's downright humbling.  I appreciate
    all the warm comments and well wishes more than you guys'll ever know.
    I'm convinced there really is life after DEC and, though I have no
    immediate plans or direction, I'm sure things'll work out fine and this
    unwanted situation may even be turn out to be a well disguised blessing.
    
    As Ken says, this really isn't a funeral, but we might treat it like an
    Irish wake, gag down some ignorant-oil a get blasted, eh?  :B^)  Ken's
    invitation to come east echos similar messages I received from some of
    you off-line and I should probably respond en masse.  Amigos, I a 100%,
    through-and-through desert rat and this is the only part of the country
    I'm happy in.  In my many travels, I've been to many pretty places,
    some of which even appeared to have some advantages over Arizona but,
    inevitably, I realize that these are nice places to visit but my heart
    is forever and permanently welded to the southwest, Arizona in
    particular.
    
    On the more practical side is the irrefutable fact that my wife's
    job now contributes more than half of our combined family income and is,
    for all practical purposes, non-transferrable.  I'm sure you can all
    see the folly in going to a lot of hassle (and expense), relocating to
    save my job at the sacrifice of over half of our subsistance.  Nope,
    relocation _anywhere-, even somewhere else in the west/southwest is a
    non-option...totally out of the question.   
    
    Ken's comments about opening a hobby shop also merit some response. 
    All my life I've had a little dream of one day owning a shop. 
    Unfortunately, I've done considerable research and learned that the
    initial expense required is enormous/prohibitive as are the odds
    against success.  I've watched on as two friends of mine have steadily
    gone right down the ol' dumper over the past 5-years trying to keep a
    hobby shop afloat.  The financial loads have turned two [once]
    reasonably normal guys into depressed, gloomy individual who are in
    debt over their ears and have jeopardized their homes and their entire
    futures trying to save what is rapidly deteriorating to a lost cause. 
    They may never live long enough to get out of debt.
    
    As a last resort, they've resorted to stocking "feathers and plastic
    grapes" in hopes that carrying crafts for blue-haired ol' ladies will
    salvage their foundering ship.  But to no avail and I could never stoop
    to that preferring a totally modelling oriented shop or nothing at all.
    
    So, don't hold'jer breath 'til Desert Rat Hobbies ads start appearing
    in the mag's...it ain't likely. 

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    The obvious way to float a hobby shop is evenings only with only the
    stuff YOU want to carry, eg, RC goodies.  Use it mainly to supply
    yourself and your friends, advertise by word of mouth, work out of your
    house, etc to keep costs low.  That's the way it is done up here
    in NH.  Only problem is the guy I'm thinking of has enough business
    that he now complains about a lack of flying time, but he's been
    at it for 10 years or so.
    
    Bruce Bretschneider 

Tom's and Ray's in Mass are run the same way. They started out humble and have 
evolved. One advantage you might have over your buddies is that I would guess 
your "word of mouth" mail-order business would be a little better than theirs...

I've thought about it too and it does require a good up-front investment. I'm
not sure about the PNO deal but some of the ones I've known people to take have 
been a single check...

Good luck in whatever it ends up being and continue to send "tall tales" and 
gossip through your DECcie contacts at contests and such.

Now hear this. Anyone running into the Desert Rat at future contests, get out 
a pencil and include the latest in your trip report!

    Al, just wanted to wish you good luck and also to tell you about two
    hobby shops here in Central Pennsylvania...
    
    Several years ago there was a shop called simply, Kenny Hahn's Hobby
    Shop.  It was in Ken's basement and was open _only_ Wednesday evenings
    from 7pm to 9pm.  There was usually a group waiting for the doors to
    open and he was usually late in closing due to the crowds.  He then
    sold everything to another guy who built and addition onto his house
    and called it the Hidden Hanger.  He's open 11-5 most days and seems to
    be doing OK.  I bet he's doing about the same volume as Kenny, but
    works much longer hours.
    
    Bottom line is this... the "feeding frenzy" at a well-priced hobby shop
    open a few hours a week can really generate a lot of business.  At
    worst, it will pay your way in the hobby with a minimal amount of time
    invested.
    
    Anyway...
    Take care and Good Luck!
                          |                                      
\                       __|__                       /      Regards-
 \________________________O________________________/       Frank.    

    

    Re: last few,
    
    Yeah, starting out and even staying small seems to be the best road to
    take with a shop.  The advantages of working out'a the houe, thus
    avoiding the overhead and myriad other burdens of renting a location
    are many and obvious.  However, I don't know how things are back there
    but hereabouts they're pretty fussy about a little thing called zoning
    laws.  It's pretty hard to keep something like that underground, at
    least for very long, what with cars parked all around and people
    coming/going all the time, leaving with bags/boxes full of "stuff." 
    All it takes is for one nosy neighbor to place an anonymous phone call
    and yer' in deep bull-chips!  I'm already aware of this as I parked my
    mini-motorhome in my front yard for exactly 3-days while I prepared a
    place to park it and some screwball put the powers that be on me.
    
    Nope, I'm afeared that, even if I had the place to run such an operation 
    out of my home, I wouldn't get away with it very long.  (Basements are
    real common back there, I surmise, but they're virtually non-existant
    out here.)  That's the catch-22; even if you want to start small, the
    rent and overhead on even a minimal site for a shop becomes a killer and
    prevents you from being semi-competitive with the mail-order houses.  I
    watched a small shop open about a mile from my house in what has to be
    a minimum rent/overhead location and he went under in a little over a
    year.  The one thing I dare NOT risk at this time is the funds I'll
    take away with me upon departure  

      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

>    During recent correspondence with Gordon (re. the Name the Plane
>    contest I won), he asked me to write some stuff for publication and I
>    responded that I'd be glad to if he'd suggest some possible topics but
>    felt that Jeff Troy was ultimately qualified to write the scale column
>    and didn't know what I could add to that.  If any of you'ns have any
>    suggestions for a topic, maybe I can gin something up for submission
>    and possible publication....

I second the idea that you don't need a major heading to concentrate on
like scale.

How about a "Rambling with the Desert Rat" column.

You could submit a chunk of this notes file - you would probably
need release forms from everyone that you didn't author but you would
have no problem getting them all collected and signed.  For starters
you could start with your "TALL" stories - the best of which I have
already gathered up in one place and will mail to you.

After filling a few issues with some generic rambling and stores soon
you would attract a cloud of enthusiasm and your readers would be sending
you some good stories - here's where you really become famous - take
each story and re-write it in your own words in your own unique style
and you have the beginnings of an empire!

I'll mail you some stores in a minute.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Aw, shucks, Kay,
    
    But seriously, Thanx...ah' really do 'preciate it!
    
    On another subject, I have the pleasure to announce that yer' not
    gettin' rid of the ol' Rat all that easily.  Just minutes ago, I was
    formally offered and accepted a position here at PNO so it looks like
    I'll be around awhile yet after all.  Ironically, as far as can be
    predicted at the moment, I'll be doing esentially the same thing I've
    been doing for the last 5-years but there's a chance I'll be involved
    with more integration/applicationss type projects and do some things
    I've really hoped to get more involved with, i.e. CAD.
    
    So, those who were looking forward to the event, sorry 'bout that...I'm
    still around and evidently will be for some time to come.  I want to
    thank all of you who offered warm thoughts and wishes at a time when
    things looked much grimmer in outlook.  Yer' words were greatly
    appreciated and reminded me (as if I _needed_ to be) how much I was
    going to miss the notesfile and all the friends I've made through it. 
    I'm perhaps happiest/most relieved that that eventuality won't be
    coming to pass after all.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Whatever happened to this, Al?  He's at least 15 months late.  
    Should we, your fellow noters, write letters to Innovative, expressing
    a great desire to buy a MIG, and asking about a rumor they were going
    to kit it?  We could create a "groundswell of public demand."
    
extracted from a note by PNO::CASEYA 30-SEP-1988 
    
   "At the Masters, I was approached (thru Greg Namey's goading) by
    Claude Baskin who operates Innovative Model Prod.'s (or something
    like that) which kits Greg's FW-190.  Claude was interested in,
    perhaps, kitting a true 1/5 scale Mig-3 and wondered if I had any
    suitable material upon which to base a set of accurate plans.  Claude
    also offerd that, since I've been sorta' identified with the MiG-3
    for nearly 5-years now, that he'd be happy to wait to release a
    kit 'til I'd had time to build and compete with one.  (Of course,
    this also means I get to be the Guinea-pig and sort out any/all
    problems with the design.)
    
   "The idea is admittedly quite attractive to me so I'm sending the
    material to Claude this weekend and we'll see what develops.  Claude
    called the other night to restate his interest in the project and,
    during the conversation, he reckoned it'd take him about 4-months
    to bang out a set of good plans which feels just about right in
    terms of timing.  So, if this works out, my problem may well be
    solved regarding what to do next.  I really like everything about
    the MiG and would love to do a slightly larger (1.08-size) version
    to more accurate scale than my present ship.  Time will tell.
    
   "(Wonder if, when/if he kits it, Claude will call it "Al Casey's
    Mig-3" as he presently refers to "Greg Namey's FW-190" in his ads?" 
    
    
extracted from a note by PNO::CASEYA 9-JUN-1989 
    
"I had a rather fortuitous phone call last night. For more than a week I've been
trying to contact either Clyde Baskin or Greg Namey of Innovative Model Pro-
ducts but have constantly gotten either Clyde's answering machine or no answer 
at Greg's number.  I just wanted to inquire at to the status of the 81" MiG-3 
drawings that Clyde started for me last November.

"Greg called last night after I left a message with the answering service and I
learned that Clyde has been down with some sorta' abdominal surgery and will re-
main out of commission for another 6-weeks.  Anyway, Greg said he'd seen the
drawings and that "You're gonna' have one fine looking ship there, pard."  

"Then the conversation drifted to the 80" Hurricane that Innovative kits (I 
wasn't even aware of it) and, before I knew it, Greg'd offered me a Hurricane at
a ridiculous price (which I had to promise not to reveal) if I'd write him a 
letter saying I'd fly it in competition and mention Innovative anytime a maga-
zine inquired about it.  I'm sure this is to use for tax-purposes - advertising/
promotional expenses.  

"This was the first time I'd received such an offer from a manufacturer based on
whatever notoriety I've achieved in scale and I was really flattered by it.  At
any rate, when the next run of Hurricane kits is made (late July or so), one of 
them will be on its way to the ol' Rat and I can finally get busy ...."

From the way you describe it  Al, it sounds as though they were
using FAI Precision Scale standards to judge the models.  Most
Master's Scale models, indeed most models in this country, cannot
compete in that environment.  I base this opinion on the fact
that our best gets skunked every year at the World's.  But it
does sound like they were looking for that kind of detailing.

I'm not one to talk, since I knowingly field some of the
sloppiest models going, but I think that the Top Gun standards,
if that is what they're doing, are another healthy step in
getting the USA to join the rest of the world.  AMA scale and
Master's scale is not going to do it, they are at least a full
cut below the best in the world.

    Re: .2018 & .2020, Dan's E. & S.,
    
    This was either Charlie Chambers' second or third Contrary Mary.  His
    original, which I first saw at the '86 Masters, was totalled later that
    same year at some meet back in Ohio or somewhere in that area.  His
    second was at the '87 Las Vegas Masters and went home pretty much in
    tact.  I've forgotten why but Charlie didn't make the Ft. Knox Masters
    in '88 but he was back in '89 at the first Top gun in Florida where he
    extensively damaged the bird following a stall/snap incident after
    taking off [again] with a sick engine.  He then appeared at the '89 
    Masters in St. Louis with a brand new Fiorenze/Yellow FA-18 Hornet which, 
    as Dan E. remembers correctly, never flew due, mostly, to engine problems. 
    I think Charlie became rather disgusted with the behavior of Jack Tse
    (owner of Yellow Acft.) as he gave/traded/sold/whatever the unflown
    model back to Yellow immediately following the St. Louis Masters.  So,
    now we're to the third Contrary Mary; I thought it was his second one
    restored but he claimed it was a new airplane.  Nevertheless, it did
    not arrive in Phoenix a virgin...three weeks before Top Gun, he
    shredded it through a barbed wire (pronounced Bob-whar out here) fence
    when he took off [again] with a sick engine - a bad plug was blamed for
    this one.  Three solid weeks of concentrated effort went into the
    repair but it was immaculate as it appeared in Phoenix.  At any rate,
    it's bent _again_ though it should fly again.  BTW, lest the wrong
    impression be received here, I _REALLY_ like Charlie Chambers!!  He's
    one of the nicest, finest gentlemen I've met in this sport but he _does_
    tend to create a lot of his own bad luck.
    
    
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Re: .2021, John,
    
    I'm afraid I can't agree with you, pard.  We ALREADY HAVE a museum
    level scale category: it's called precision [or sometimes AMA] scale.
    This category calls for absolute precision in outline and detailing as
    does FAI scale but it's almost extinct for lack of participation.
    
    The scale that dominates today is an evolution of "Sport Scale" though
    the term is seen/heard less and less these days.  Sport scale, as
    originally conceived, NEVER intended to compete with precision or FAI
    level scale.  And THAT's why judging is still done from a distance up
    to 15' as opposed to judges crawling all over the madels with
    micrometers, divider, etc. verifying the most minute detail and/or
    dimension.  This facet of the event literally explains why Sport Scale
    was simultaneously known by the cognomen, "Standoff Scale."
    
    Now, whether they like to admit it or not, what we have today, even at
    Top Gun and Masters levels _remains_ Sport [or Standoff] Scale and it's
    B O O M I N G where precision is all but dead and forgotten.  I say
    that, if someone's concerned about US positioning in FAI (which I, for
    one, couldn't care less about), then they need to
    ressurect/restore/pump some life into Precision/AMA scale, N O T try to
    prostitute the most successful facet of scale going (worldwide) to try
    to adapt it to something it NEVER intended to be.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

A word of apology for not getting a trip report in sooner; my wife just 
had back surgery last week and things have been hectic!  But now, on 
with the show...

WELL! What can I say about my first trip to Phoenix? The classes I 
attended were pretty standard stuff.  Now that we've gotten past the 
business justification, let me say that Phoenix was a blast.  First, I 
rented a convertible (Yes, it did cost .16 more per day that the sedan I 
had originally set up, but what the heck, right?) and Phoenix _is_ the 
place to have a convertible.  95-101 degrees every day, but so dry that 
nary a bead of sweat drenched my brow.  I could definitely see retiring 
here, as Al has :^)

Speaking of Al, I'll make him blush, but what an honestly _nice_ person. 
I went looking for Al the first day I was there, and found him working 
in his new position in engineering our new "Imaging" product.  I wasn't 
going to go into the details of this assignment partly out of common 
respect and partly due to Al's polite admonition (and I quote,"If you 
breathe a word of this on the notes file, I'll hunt you down and kill 
you!") So I was pleased when Al detailed his "Day of a Thousand Overhead 
Stands". (Well, at least 25 of them.)

We talked and made plans for the rest of the week while the stands kept 
materializing (he really got quite adept near the end) and decided that 
we would meet for a great steak dinner at Monti's after a run out to one 
of the nearer flying fields.  We were joined by Joe Marrone who is a 
silent but steady noter just learning to fly.  Joe was at the same 
course as I was and hails from the NE. The field are OK if you like about
25 miles of nothing around you with a 30' by 200' paved runway in the 
middle, with BBQ areas, Porta-Potti's and other such amenities on site. 
If you prefer 10'x50' tree lined fields, then forget about Phoenix.

The tour through Al's workshop was great! The MIG-3 is quite impressive 
in person.  No 72 pointer, that one! I'd have gone at least into the 
80's :^) :^)  The detailing is superb; Al you have every reason to be 
proud of the MIG and more than a bit miffed at your Top Gun score.

I have a few hours in a Cessna 150 and 172 and find it helps me put 
myself "in the cockpit" when I fly RC.  However, I only fly sailplanes 
RC and had never been in a full scale glider.  A friend had metioned 
that there were two good gliderports in Phoenix, and I knew I had to 
partake.  UNBELIEVABLE!!! It was everything I had hoped for.  

I had two flights during the week.  The first was in a GROB 103B Acro, a 
high performance acrobatic sailplane.  The tow, by a grumblingly 
powerful Piper Ag (Pawnee?), was a real roller coaster.  The Grob wanted 
to be free.  When we finally released at 3400' (MSL, the runway being 
1600' above MSL) we flew for about 30 seconds and felt a thermal.  We 
pulled into about a 65-70 degree bank turning about a 100' circle and 
proceeded to elevator in a thermal at about 1000 fpm straight up.  It's 
one thing to see an RC wing get bumped by the thermal it's another to 
feel it kick you in the shorts!  I had a lot of trouble with the Grob as 
it's quite responsive, really blowing the final, but the instructor 
behind me took over and saved my *ss.

The second flight was quite different.  It was with a Sweitzer 2-33, the 
standard boxy "school glider".  I was able to keep ahead of this one and 
was pilot-in-command from just before release through full flying and 
even "greased" the landing!  We rolled to within 10' of where we 
started! (I don't seem proud, do I?)  I did have some difficulty in the 
tow phase and we were afraid I would break the tow line, so the 
instructor took over until we were ready for release.  

All I can say is that I really plan on getting a license for real (I'm 
10% of my way to solo) and feel I'm hooked!  This was a perfect end to a 
really nice week.  Thanks Al for your hospitality; I'm really pleased we 
got a chance to meet and spend some time together.  I'm looking forward 
to it again!

                          |                                      
\                       __|__                       /      Regards-
 \________________________O________________________/       Frank.    

 PS- As Joe has been so quiet, I'm going to take the liberty of 
attaching a note he sent me several days ago.  -FB
========================================================================
 
    Hi gang:
    
    On Friday 5/11 after the DECtech course had ended, I had a few hours
    to kill before going to the airport to catch the red eye back to
    Boston.  I decided to go back out to Turf Airport to take another
    soaring lesson.  I arrived there at about 4 PM and signed up to fly
    with Bruce, the same instructor who had taken me up that morning.
    While waiting for him to get back on the ground, I noticed that there
    were two Grob's doing aerobatics high above the field, and it seemed
    that there were sufficient themals to keep them up for several hours.
    The conditions were just about ideal.
    
    When Bruce landed with his current student, I got back in the same
    glider we used in the morning, and we went back up.  We released at
    about 1000 feet above the field, found a STRONG thermal, and proceded
    to climb at a rate of 300 to 800 feet per minute until we reached
    8300 feet altitude.  At that point, Bruce pointed out that we were
    beginning to encroach on commercial airspace, and would have to leave
    the thermal to do some level flying.  I can't begin to describe the
    thrill of soaring to that altitude.  It was effortless, silent,
    absolutely wonderful!  I took over the controls during part of the
    ascent, and he let me do most of the flying for the better part of
    the flight.  We flew over the resevoir and then made a leisurely
    flight back to the field where I did a wide circle around the field,
    slowly descending to about 3500 feet.  If time permitted, we could
    have stayed aloft for several hours...the conditions were that good.
    But given the time and the fact that it was now 5:30 PM (Bruce
    started at 7:30 that morning and was getting tired) he wanted to cut
    it short.  With his guidance, I brought the glider down into the
    final approach, and when we were about 10 feet over the runway, he
    took over the controls and made the landing.
    
    This was a thrilling flight for me.  We were up for a total of 30
    minutes, but the conditions were such that we could have stayed up
    much longer.  I think this was the flight that really hooked me on
    soaring.  With two flights under my belt, I can't wait to go up
    again.  I didn't want to leave Pheonix!  Can't I find a job there so
    I can keep going out to Turf?  Al, are there any job openings I can
    interview for?
    
    TJ showed me a booklet containing all the locations of soaring
    schools in the US.  We found three in New Hampshire, one of which is
    in Nashua, which is only 12 miles from my home.  I think that I'll be
    checking them out soon and getting in some more air time.
    
    I owe Frank and Gary a hearty "thank you" for getting me started in
    this, as it was their sharing of this wonderful experience that made
    me want to try it in the first place.  I really enjoyed the time we
    spent together.  You guys are great!
    
    I also want to thank you Al for the hospitality and comraderie of the
    evening we spent talking "shop" and sharing RC war stories.  And the
    steaks were GREAT too!   
    
    Well, I'm back to the every-day grind again here in NH, but the
    experiences of the past week in Pheonix will linger on as fond
    memories of three great new friends and a new found love of soaring.
    
    Good luck to you all in your future endeavors. Keep soaring and stay 
    in touch to let me know how things are going.
    
    Signing off for now...there's a thermal I have to catch!
    
    Regards,
    Joe
    

    Attention all R/C noters:  One of our own has made it really big (as Ed
    Sullivan used to say).  Our very own Kay Fisher has a 3-page spread
    devoted to him and his Berliner-Joyce P-16 in the current issue of Scale 
    R/C Modeler!
    
    It's true...I received my subscription copy of SR/CM in yesterday's
    mail and noticed the words Berliner-Joyce P-16 on the cover among the
    other advertized features.  "Hmmmmmm..., I wonder," I mused as I turned
    to the article within and, Bingo, there in all its glory was a 3-page
    spread on the B-J complete with pix of Kay's model (one in color) and
    MANY references to Kay and his ship in the text.
    
    I'm tickled to death for Kay and maybe a bit envious...after all, _I_
    never got more'n a picture printed and _this_ upstart gets a full
    article with his very first scale model.  ;b^)  ;b^)
    
    Maybe this'll be motivation for Kay to get busy restoring his B-J,
    maybe both of them, back to service.  C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
    AMIGO!
    
    BTW, to those who're interested, this same issue also contains part-1
    of SR/CM's coverage of the 1990 1/8 AF Spring Scale Fly-In held this
    past March.  That doggone Norm Goyer...just when you get to feelin' OK
    about bad-mouthin' him, he goes and does something nice, i.e. he's VERY
    positive and complimentary of the meet and the 1/8 AF itself.  Also in
    this issue, Norm has one of the few editorials that I fully concur with
    regarding the AMA and its policy/rules making process.  And, there's a
    warning in the letters to the editor section about using Dyna-Thrust
    props, especially the very large ones.  Seems lately they've developed
    a propensity for throwing blades, thereby destroying aircra<ft and,
    bare minimum, presenting a great safety concern.
    
    Those interested in any of the above items will want to pick up a copy
    of this month's SR/CM...should be on the stands right now.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Re: .-2, Dan,
    
    Sheeeeesh!  That's the damndest run of buzzard luck I've heard about in
    quite awhile!!  In the first instance, sounds like ya thunk' yer'self
    right into a mid-air but that happens sometimes...lucky you came out of 
    it with a repairable bird.
    
    In the second scenario, I know ya'll never let it happen again but, if
    ya' do, don't take yer' eyes off'n the bird.  Keep it close in and high
    (remember yer' signal resembles an inverted cone) and holler for
    someone to come pull the antenna out fer' ya'.  Instruct him to do it
    quickly or in short stages as yer' signal drops to near nothing when
    the antenna is touched (grounded).  Tryin' to do it by yer'self almost
    always results in a sad ending to the story, as in yer' case.  Of
    course, yer' dead if it happens while yer' all alone but, again, get it
    close in and high before ya' start fritterin' with the antenna and you
    stand the best chance to be successful.  Whatever you do, don't try to
    land since yer' almost guaranteed to lose it when yer' far out and low
    during the landing approach.
    
    Good luck on gettin' back into the air (and staying there!).  Say "Hi"
    to Mary for us......
						 __
	 			|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    
    
           Regulations for operation of Aircraft - Jan, 1920
                 (With editorial comments)
    
        While this was an actual full scale list of reg's, many hold
        true for our 1990 RC machines. Enjoy and maybe learn some tips.
    
    
      1. Don't take the machine into the air unless you are satisfied
         it will fly. (Batteries charged, servo's solidly mounted etc.)
    
      2. Never leave the ground with the motor leaking (ie; K+B 20's)
    
      3. Don't turn sharply when taxiing. Instead of turning sharp,
         have someone lift the tail around.
    
      4. In taking off, look at the ground and the air.
    
      5. Never get out of the machine with the motor running until the
         pilot relieving you can reach the engine controls.
    
      6. Pilot's should carry hankies in a handy position to wipe off
         goggles. (Insect repellent and Sunscreen are also useful)
    
      7. Riding on the steps, wings, or tail of a machine is prohibited.
          (Only applies to giant scale)
    
      8. In case the engine fails on takeoff, land straight ahead
         regardless of obstacles. (exceptions: ponds, and tall tree's)
    
      9. No machine must taxi faster than a man can walk.
    
     10. Never run the motor so the blast will blow on other machines.
         (Example: Pointing Panic's towards Electrostreak's or any other
          plane for thet matter!)
    
     11. Learn to guage altitude, especially on landing. (I can see how
         this has it's advantages!)
    
     12. If you see another machine, get out of the way (Dan Minor?)
    
     13. No two cadets should ride in the same plane together (Usually
         not a problem)
    
     14. Do not trust altitude instruments. (Especially if they are
         cardboard, or cut out of a magazine)
    
     15. Before you begin a landing glide, see that no machines are under
         you.
    
     16. Hedge hopping will not be tolorated. (Except at the Westboro
         field)
    
     17. No spins on back or tail slides will be indulged in as they
         unnecessarily strain the machines. (Exception: Panic's)
    
     18. If flying againt the wind, and you wish to fly with the wind,
         don't make a sharp turn near the ground, you may crash. (I have
         confirmed this though personal testing with my Electrostreak)
    
     19. Motor's have been known to stop during a long glide. If pilot
         wishes to use motor for landing, he should open throttle.
         (Especially with a bad glo plug in sub-zero weather.)
    
     20. Don't attempt to force machine onto the ground with more than
         flying speed. The result is bouncing and ricocheting.
    
     21. Pilot's will not wear spurs when flying. (Al Casey?)
    
     22. Do not use aeronautical gasoline in cars or motorcycles (Or Glo
         fuel!)
    
     23. You must never take off or land closer than 50' from the hanger.
    
     24. Never take a machine into the air until you are familiar with it's
         control's and instrument's. (When learning, get an instructor)
    
     25. If an emergency occurs while flying, land as soon as possible.
    
                                                               

    Dan, 
    
    Great stuff...gracias, amigo.  But, you forgot some very important ones:
     
    * If you want the machine to go up, apply some up elevator.  If you
    want the machine to go down, apply _more_ up elevator!  Think about it,
    friends.... :B^)
    
    * Never use the relief-tube over populated areas.
    
    * Never attempt to land in a silo.
    
    * Do not make airplane noises with your mouth while flying as the
      windscreen wipers only clean the _outside_ of the windscreen.
    
    * If you encounter severe weather conditions, perform a 360-degree turn
      and get out of there.  To make doubly sure, do a 720!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Al was flaming my favorite magazine again lately so I just gotta post the
following.

This is a quote from the "From the Shop" section by the RCM staff
that is the first thing in every magazine.  You have to ask why no other
magazine is on top of this...

=========================================================================

In our March 1990 issue we printed an article written by Bob Wallace on
Warbirds Aviation located in Connecticut.  Immediately after the article
appeared in print, we started to hear from modelers who had ordered the
aluminum P-51 Mustang kit for the sum of $3000.00.  Some had even ordered 
two kits.  Much to our surprise, it seems like Gary Lavarack, owner of 
Warbirds Aviation, and the designer of the Mustang, had moved and left no
forwarding address.  Needless to say, there are many modelers anxious to 
locate him and receive their kits, or to get their money returned.

We would like to hear from those who we haven't already heard from.  No phone
calls, just a short letter stating what was ordered and how much money was
sent.  We have started a file on Warbirds Aviation and would like to hear
from all of those modelers who have sent money for a kit.

==============================================================================

So Al - is our buddy Norm sleeping thru all this or still carrying adds
for Warbirds Aviation?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Kay, 
    
    Ironically, RCM was the only mag (that I know of) that printed such a
    glowing article on the all-metal P-51 so it seems only just that they
    pursue what th' heck's going on.  I may be a bit more up on this
    situation as a friend from Albuquerque who visits the valley frequently
    is a real P-51 nut and had ordered one of the first 5 kits.  (Roy
    Orbison bought [or at least paid for] the first one.)
    
    My Albq. buddy, Jim Malek, never received anything for his money beyond
    bits and pieces with which to build the left wing panel minus covering
    in nearly two years.  So, understandably, Jim began to get a little
    nervous about his $3000 and started voicing his concerns to Gary
    Lavarack.  Gary, apparently a smooth operator, stilled Jims qualms a
    coupla' times with promises of great forthcoming strides but, again,
    little or nothing arrived.  I recall Norm Goyer cautioning modelers in
    an editorial against getting involved in cottage businesses that were
    funding their operations with advance order monies and related this to
    Jim who, by now, was beyond just being concerned...he was mad!  He'd
    just received the latest/greatest newsletter from Lavarack expounding
    the intended powerplant which would consist of 6 O.S. 1.20's ganged
    together with a Mickey-Mouse belt and pulley setup.  Jim decided it was
    time to pull in his horns and called Lavarack one final time requesting
    his money be refunded.  Lavarack tried to persuade him to hang in there
    saying that Jim was "the only one" who felt any concern but Jim held
    fast and _did_ receive a refund in full.
    
    This was about 8-months ago and, though he'd gotten his investment
    back, Jim continued to monitor the situation and one day, _before_ the
    RCM article hit print, he called to tell me that Gary Lavarack had
    vanished lock, stock and barrel!  I found it mildly amusing when RCM's
    article came out knowing that Lavarack had already pulled the plug and
    vanished, taking God only knows how much money with him from trusting
    investors.  He may not have intended for things to turn out the way
    they did but, by his disappearing act, I feel Lavarack pulled a giant
    scam on his investors and, when caught, should be prosecuted to the 
    fullest extent of the law! 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

It is  38  long days since I last posted a rambler, and decidedly, Al's been
having  to  fight withdrawal symptoms, having been deprived of his favourite
supply  of  Injun  hashish.  I  can  easily tell, for that is when he starts
chumming  up to Shiva, to loan him a coupl'a bolts 'a lightening to chuck my
way and watch me do the Injun fire dance! (I just made up that dance :-))

I don't blame Al for thinking I might be a follower of Shiva, the destroyer.
What with  the manner in which my T60 was smashed up last year, I could have
fooled anybody.  However,  to  be  technically  correct,  I am a follower of
Vishnu,  another  God  who hangs out in the Hindu Trinity. He is regarded as
the preserver, and this year, I have had better luck at keeping my FS alive,
barring a few minor misadventures, to do justice to Vishnu's reputation.

In fact,  since  I  last wrote on 3rd May, I have put in nearly 7 - repeat 7
hours  of stick time, all in the past 3 weeks, doing a few hundred take-offs
and  landings  in the process, including 2 dead-sticks. Steve Smith did take
(not   the   2   that  I  did)  over  a  dead  stick  landing  for  me,  and
Charlie-the-guru  did  one  in  heavy  cross  wind, when 4 of my attempts to
assuage  the  wind Gods failed. For someone who used to count each and every
landing  to  now  be  so  imprecise  ["few  hundred"], something had to have
changed  drastically!  I  feel  very wealthy indeed, now that I can dispense
with  my  scrooge-like  habits,  counting  every landing, going over all the
details every night.

I have  many stories to tell, and am guilty of not having told them earlier,
as charged  by  the  Reverend  Casey.  I  only seek to mitigate the blame by
pleading  to  2  weeks  in  Puerto  Rico,  extra  workload,  and  running an
unexpected  errand  for  a friend (buying a used camera). In my defence, any
spare  time  found  was  fruitfully  used  to  notch  up stick time, and not
squandered  in  non-rc  activities.  I  humbly submit to the Reverand that a
verdict  sentencing  me  to 4 hours of flying in a stiff cross-wind, will be
harsh enough to prevent future recurrance of such transgressions!

Now let  me  tell you how it all happened. Friday, 25th May, 1990. After a 2
week stint in PR at DEC's behest, and some bad weather bringing it to nearly
3 weeks,  I  was  again  rusty.  My  take-off  was shaky, and made with much
trepidation.  I figured I would be useless for a landing, if I couldn't even
handle a  take-off with calm and composure. Steve Smith was substituting for
Charlie, and  doing  a real professional job of it. I did a lot of circuits,
each  lower,  until  finally I felt confident enough to give landing a shot.
Land,  I  did  with a bounce, that killed the engine. A light cross-wind had
made the FS drift towards the pits unknown to me. 

As it  rolled,  I could have steered it back to the middle of the field, but
my  left  thumb  had become comatose, when, usually, it is pretty good about
steering after touchdown. The right leading edge thwacked Dave Walter's leg,
who was  "hiding"  and  flying at the next pilot station. He did a great job
learning  the  first  step  in  the  ceremonial  injun dance that you see in
movies, usually with someone tied to a stake in the center. But he continued
flying his  plane,  and  that  immediately  earned him 10 extra points of my
respect  for  his flying skills. After he landed, he was very gracious about
it,  while  I  was  red  [you  gotta  learn  to  look  under  the  tan] with
embarrassment. We couldn't find any damage to his shin or to the FS. He even
offered to let me confess in the notes file voluntarily. I'll read about it,
he said. I promised to mail him a copy. I decided to take a break.

Meanwhile, Steve  Smith was playing test pilot for Jim Cavanagh's WOT-4 with
amazing  ease.  Clearly,  the  beginnings of a future Chuck Yeager. After he
landed, I ambled over. Say Steve, I said, isn't this the first time that you
are  playing test pilot? Shhhh! I thumped him on the back. Fellow noters, we
now  pause  for  a  round  of applause for Steve new rc career, and wish him
all success.

On my  next  flight,  the  only  event  of  import  was  that I did my first
successful  right  to  left landing. Of course, it did help that the pricker
brush  had been trimmed down. No torn monocote. The third flight, the engine
quit  about  10  minutes into the flight, about 40 feet over one edge of the
field.  I  paniced,  not being accustomed to an unreliable engine, and Steve
took  over.  The master of the deadstick landing flew a semi-circle out over
the tall grass and back for a greaser. I packed up for the day.

Unlikely as  it  may seem, after such humble beginnings, I did not know that
the  RC  Gods  had decided to smile on me the next time I flew 2 days later.
Sunday, 27th May, 1990, I got to the field at 10:30 AM. Charlie tuned out my
engine for  me,  which  he  said was set way too lean. He also re-trimmed my
plane,  since  I  had  used washers as shims to give an additional degree of
down-thrust  to  the  fibreglass  wedges  that I had already put some months
prior. I don't know if this alone was responsible for the tremendous success
I had flying that day.

I did  a right to left landing, my second ever, and this time successful, on
my third  attempt.  Next  flight,  2  left  to  right  landings, including a
bouncer.  Gawd!  I'm becoming a monster, switching directions with the wind,
at  will! Charlie was kinda' hangin' back, so it felt a little strange bein'
alone. Those of you who are/were full scale pilots, know the strange feeling
of dealing  with  an  empty  seat on the solo, while you were always used to
having  it  occupied during flight instruction. Flight #3, my finger slipped
off  the stick near flare-out, the FS hopped and bounced around, and I broke
my  nylon Master Airscrew prop! I used to do that 3 times a day at one time,
so I must have suddenly remembered again!

Flights 5  through 10 were all right to left. My log says "Lots of landings"
for all of them, as I was too busy flying! Things were going like clockwork.
Charlie left and Eric was with me for a flight, and directed me to the right
point in the sky for the approach. He also suggested that I throttle up when
I came  close  to  touching  down, and was sure that I could make it, and go
around, and try again. Once I nailed the point in the sky that he mentioned,
the landing  was easy. Eric left. I thought I was being deserted, but he was
kind enough  to  leave word with Harvey to help me out. I heard a voice. "Hi
A.J.",  it  said.  Continuing to keep my eyes glued to my plane, I enquired,
"Who  is  it?"  "It's me, Harvey," said the friendly voice. He too gave me a
few pointers with my approach, as I continued to do touch and go's, and left. 

Boy, this was becoming fun. I would never have thought landing could be fun.
That single-minded  devotion was no longer required, and I could entrust the
FS to  Autopilot  to  keep it on course all the time, while I looked out the
window,  and  enjoyed  the  view.  :-)  Throttle  correction  was automatic.
Amazing!  And  all I could see was wanting to do more touch and go's. Gee, I
had done only one right to left landing 2 days prior, in my life, and here I
was doing  it  _every_  circuit,  I  mean  _every_ circuit, and enjoying the
pleasure of predictability that every T&G brought with it. Didn't I say that
to land  was  *TORTURE*,  and  that I dreaded the four letter word everytime
Charlie  decided  to  call  it  out,  just  a  few  notes back? Who? Me like
landings? C'mon, get real! Did I not say that the INTENSE CONCENTRATION of a
landing SAPPED  me  out, and it only took a few in a row to turn my brain to
mush?

The more I flew, the more difficult it became for me to deny the one helluva
big  kick  that  I was getting out of it. I even heard someone behind me say
"Gee,  I  wish  I  could  land  like  you". Whoa! Hold your hosses! That's a
compliment  in  any language! Someone wanting to imitate me, a bottom of the
rung  rc'er? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I can't say it
any  better.  The voice of my new found admirer belonged to Ron, who I later
found  was  only  5  hours  [approx]  behind  me, having just started on his
landing attempts.  We shared experiences, and became friends.

His instructor  was  this real big, tall guy, wearing long hair and a beard.
Blue-grey  eyes. A piercing look. On an arm that is bigger than my thigh, he
sported a  colourful  tatoo. He reminded me of Vikings (or Norsemen). All he
needed  was  one  of those helmets with horns sticking out each side, and he
would  fit  the  image perfectly. He had a real friendly face, and was doing
T&Gs  a  million  times  better  that  myself.  He  was  also doing a lot of
aerobatic  manoeuvres,  though  not  quite the Charlie Watt level. He didn't
know  the  names for most of them, but he certainly knew his bird well. That
alone  qualified  him  to  stand  next to me on the next flight after Harvey
left.

I approached  the  Norseman.  Never  having  approached  Norsemen or Vikings
before,  I  decided  to  try  my usual approach that has served me well with
non-Vikings.  Excuse  me, I said rather lamely, overcoming the psychological
barrier  of  being intimidated by his size. Yes, anything the matter? Yipes,
he  understood  English!  I  re-assured him that I had no complaints. Noting
that  he  flew  exceedingly  well,  I wondered if he would do me a favour. I
asked  if  he would stand by me for moral support, while I flew the plane. I
explained  my  few  hours  old  2nd  nirvana  was  the reason for my lack of
confidence.  I  re-assured  him that for the most part, I might not need any
advice  from  him,  but  should  I  get into trouble, I would appreciate his
inputs.

Mark, the  Viking/Norseman  turned  out  to  be a real fine fellow. Being of
exceedingly  gentle  disposition,  besides  being  a  great pilot, we became
instant  friends.  I  flew  right  to left as usual, doing T&Gs, without any
major  incident.  Having  gone through different people during the course of
the  day,  I  _knew_  I had reached the point where even a statue next to me
would  have  been  just  as  adequate for moral support. Flight completed, I
thanked  Mark  for his help, and stood by while he assisted Ron. I found out
that  he had been flying 2 years, and that Charlie Nelson had showed him how
to  do turns, and he had learnt the rest himself. He made it sound so simple
he could have fooled me.

I had  intended  to  be at the field for 4 hours or so, but with the RC Gods
being  on  my side for a change, I decided to forego lunch, and stick it out
[pun  intended].  The  highs from my feeling of independence - breaking away
from  the  crutch  of having an instructor - was all that I needed to ignore
the  hunger  pangs. I could actually go out on my own, whenever I wanted, so
long  as the conditions were reasonable - something I had been hungering for
all the time.

More flights.  Mark  and I were the only pilots in the air, and we were both
doing  T&G's.  I  once  _just_  missed the edge of the field, and the bushes
ripped  the landing gear off. The LG is held by 4 rubber bands, and this was
the first  time  they  had  ALL  broken.  Too  oil  soaked,  no doubt! 4 new
rubber-bands,  and  I  was  back  in business. That is what I like about the
design of the FS LG.

We often  did  carrier approaches, with me following him, or vice-versa. The
base  leg  and  final  was against the setting sun, and the aircrafts became
mere  silhouettes.  On  a  few occassions during the 50+ landings that I did
that day, I would sometimes have to deliberate whether to give left or right
stick to  get onto final from base leg. The answer was always - You are in a
right hand  pattern,  apply  right  stick  - at least that is waht my flight
computer  was  printing  out.  I  would  then wonder if the plane was flying
towards me on final. The black silhouette would grow imperceptibly larger by
the  second, and finally, I would be able to see the colours of the FS - the
red fuselage and the yellow wing - alleviating the gnawing anxiety.

10 flights  in all, and a total of a whopping 92 minutes of flying time. 50+
landings from  a  new  direction,  that  eclipsed  the  total  number  in my
lifetime!!  Entire 10 minute flights of T&Gs on EVERY pass of the circuit. 2
new friends.  An  intact FS. 8 Hrs and 30 Min at the field. I was tired from
the  lack  of  food,  but I was not exhausted, no doubt being physically fit
[from  my  bicycle  ride  for  the  second time in PR, this time through the
mountains  -  I  bicycled 150 miles one weekend, going from sea level to the
highest point at 4389 feet, and back to sea level. The feeling upon crossing
the highest  point  was  similar, which is why I mention this]. A feeling of
euphoria swept over me. I was ecstatic. I was on top of the world. 

This is the point that I hoped to reach, when, as an 8 year old in Calcutta,
I witnessed   an  RC  plane  fly  for  the  first  time  at  the  All  India
Aeromodellers  Rally,  in 1971, and hoped someday to be piloting one myself.
Of  course as with other things, the higher you go, the more you see and the
more  you  find  how little you know. The challenges are never ending, and I
can see I have barely begun!

It has taken me 5 hours on the T60, and another 7 hours on the FS last year,
and again another 5 hours this year to finally be on my own. Perhaps that is
slow from most people's standards, and I don't have any reasons to offer.

It is  indeed a strange co-incidence that taking the FIRST STEP that took me
nearly 20  years  in  the  hobby,  was done using an aeromodel with the same
name.  I  have always maintained that I rowed across the 7 seas in a tin can
to  reach  the  shores  of  America  with  a  purpose  in  mind.  It  is the
aeromodelling  capital of the world, as also my other hobbies, and venerated
gurus  and  top  quality  materials  are  found  in plenty. 

I had vindicated myself, and brought meaning to the Great American Adventure
that I am on.

7 PM.  I  decided  to  quit.  I  left  feeling  very  pleased  with the days
happenings, and what it bodes for the future.

ajai

NEXT:The saga of the remaining 5 hours of flying time continues...

    Well, Friday (which I'd taken off at Kathi's request) was my birthday
    and I was to find she hadn't finished with gifts for our Anniversary,
    my birthday and Father's Day, all of which fall in June.
    
    We went out for breakfast Friday AM and, at the restaurant, Kathi
    presented me with a birthday card which contained a gift certificate
    for an aerobatic sailplane ride at Turf Glider Shool, the same place
    where Kevin, Kay, Frank (Benson) and Joe (Morrone), among others, have
    taken glider rides in the recent past.  I said, "Hey, great! I've
    always wanted to fly a glider...it's one of just a few types of
    aircraft I've never flown or rode in."  The certificate said good for
    1-year and I figgere'd I'd cash it it sometime downstream.
    
    But Kathi then volunteered that we'd better get on out to Turf as we
    had a 10:00 AM reservation to take the ride.  "Oh." I said rather
    lamely, surprised at the revelation that the appointment'd already been
    made for me, and we proceeded out to the soaring field morthwest of
    town about 15 miles.
    
    Arriving at the field, I was to be the first flight of the day which
    turned out to be an advantage.  Donning the backpack parachute
    (mandatory for aerobatic flight), I proceeded to shoehorn my 6' 4", 235
    lb. frame into the tiny front cockpit of a sleek ASK-21 aerobatic
    sailplane, tightened the 5-point harness to a point just at the
    threshold of discomfort, slumped down in the seat as much as I could
    and closed the front canopy which _still_ touched the top of my head.
    The canopy sides were only inches from my shoulders and I concluded
    that this would be no place for a claustrophobiac.  My knees were just
    below eye-level but I found I could operate the rudder pedals without
    banging my shins against the instrument panel and it took full aileron
    deflection before my knees interferred with the stick.
    
    Thus situated and with the pilot sitting behind me, the towline was
    hooked to a converted Piper Pawnee and, in no time, we were trundling
    down the runway in hot pursuit of the towplane.  Quickly airborne, we
    obediently followed the towplane, mimicking its every move until we'd
    attained 4500' above the runway, whereupon we disconnected from the
    towline and banked smoothly away to the right as the Pawnee banked away
    to the left.  Being the first flight of the day and with no one waiting
    below, the pilot said we'd stayed on the tow longer than usual, normal
    disconnect altitude being ~3500'.  I allowed as how I didn't mind a bit!
    
    We'd talked during the tow and the pilot now knew I'd flown power
    planes for almost 20 years and R/C models for 27 so he gave me the
    stick immediately after releasing the towline.  We floated around in a
    coupla' lazy 360's while I got the feel of the plane...responsive but
    not quite as crisp as a power plane...about what I'd expected.  I then
    gave it back to the pilot and asked him to show me some aerobatics.
    
    He poked the nose down 'til we had about 110 kts. on the airspeed
    indicator, then pulled up into a giant loop.  I noticed immediately the
    differences in the sound of the air rushing by in various attitudes...
    all became absolutely silent as we hit the top of the loop and airspeed
    fell to zero - then the noise began to pick back up and the airspeed
    rapidly built back to 100+ on the backside of the loop.  At the bottom,
    we pitched up into a graceful roll then levelled out as the pilot
    played some lift he'd noticed (I sure didn't).
    
    I tightened my shoulder harnesses some more to take a bit of pressure
    off'n my ol' cabeza (head) during the inverted.  The pilot then asked
    if I'd like to try something.  I replied "You bet!," I'd like to try
    the same thing he'd done.  "Go for it," he said, so I pushed the nose
    over, watching for 110 Kts., the hauled the nose up and over the top. 
    I deliberately pulled the loop a little tighter than he'd done as
    keeping it more positive throughout the maneuver kept the pressure off
    my head during the inverted.  At the bottom of the loop, I pulled the
    nose up, neutralized the elevator and cranked in right aileron for a
    roll.  Again, I kept the roll rate a bit faster and used little or no
    down elevator during the inverted to keep the weight off'n my scalp.
    
    Resuming level flight, the pilot allowed as how I'd done pretty good
    for someone who'd never flown a sailplane before...I thanked him and
    asked him to show me something else.  The remainder of the flight went
    pretty much like he'd do a Hammerhead - I'd do a hammerhead, he'd do an
    Immelman - I'd do an Immelman, etc. 'til we were down to about 800'.
    At this time, he assured me that he had a waiver for aerobatics clear
    to the ground (as opposed to the usual 1500'), then pushed the nose
    over and dove at a short, dirt crosswind runway that ran 90-degrees
    across the paved runway.  Levelling of at about 10', we did a hot pass
    at just over 130 kts. (~150 mph), then swooped up in a Chandelle to the
    left and levelled out at pattern altitude.
    
    "Wanna' land it?" he asked.  "Sure'" I replied, "Just call the critical
    points for me."  He agreed and I did a standard rectangular approach,
    turning where/when he told me to and rolling out of the last turn onto
    final.  I thought we might be a bit high but found that was by design. 
    As we crossed the highway about a half-mile from the end of the runway,
    the pilot called "Partial spoilers."  "OK," I thought to myself, "Now I
    know what were up to."  As we descended, he called for full spoilers
    and I found myself flairing right on the numbers.  After rolling out a
    bit, the pilot took it and used brakes to stop the ship with its left wing
    laying exactly on the tiedown rope.  "Neat trick," I thought.
    
    And, that was it.  Twenty-five minutes of almost totally silent flight
    with plenty of aerobatics thrown in.  The plane seemed to manage
    altitude so well I found I never gave a thought to the absence of an
    engine up front.  So, I've joined the ranks of all you glider guiders
    who've taken rides while visiting Phoenix and it was a ball.  However,
    before anyone pipes up and suggests that I'll be all hot to go out and
    get a license, lemme' quickly say that that's not likely.  I gave up
    flying in 1975 because it'd become just too expensive and I'm afraid
    that hasn't changed in the last 15-years (except to get even _more_
    costly).  So, I'm content to add the experience to my list of great
    flying experiences and pretty much leave it at that...a very pleasant
    memory.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    
     Ok guys,
    
       A couple of years back I was in Saudi Arabia where the temperature
    during the summer was regularly above 120. ZERO on the humidity though.
    This made for some interesting aircraft operations.
    
     o Engine sizes were almost always smaller than nessesary.
     o Transmiters required shade, else they were to hot to handle.
     o You always wore shoes and sunblock.
     o You always carried water wherever you went.
     o Everyday was a flyers dream, only ran into one "tasmanian devil"
       aka sandstorm. The car didn't fair to well.
     o Good fuel was hard to come buy.
     o Lots of melted people and planes. Just plain heat exhaustion.
    
    Absolutley the BEST place in the world to fly! Not like this Maryland
    place where it's perfect during the week and windy on Sundays. 8*(
    
    Mike Z.                                                         

    Well, no flying took place over the weekend...just too stinkin' HOT! 
    But, I had the opportunity to meet another noter, Bruce Bretschneider,
    "The Crazy Hawaiian."  Bruce is in town to visit his mom who lives in
    Sun City about 10-miles west of me.  We sat in the workshop for talking
    airplanes for 2-3 hours and looking over the Cleveland plans for the
    30's era racing biplane, the Laird Super Solution Bruce'd brought along.
    He wants to R/C the ship but my personal opinion (which he suspected
    himself) was that it was too small to make a good model.  He's now
    looking at blowing the plan up (with permission) to 1/4 scale which
    would produce a 60" upper wingspan...much better for modeling purposes.
    
    While Bruce was there, I received a call from my aviation artist
    buddy from Sedona, Jerry Crandall.  Jerry and wife, Judy, had just
    arrived back from their trip to Russia where they got Marshal Ivan
    Kozhedub to sign the prints of Jerry's latest painting of the former
    shooting down an Me-262 in his La-7.  While there, Marshal Kozhedub
    sent his chauferred limo to take Jerry and Judy to the Moscow military
    air museum.  It turns out this museum is not open to the public and
    Jerry and Judy were the first Americans ever admitted (with Kozhedub's
    string-pulling)  Jerry said the entire trip was fraught with
    frustration as the Russian officials seemed to almost go out of their
    way to make things as difficult as possible.  For example, at the
    museum what should Jerry spot sitting right next to Kozhedub's La-7 but
    (EUREKA!) a MiG-3.  Now, I've read in print in several sources that
    "there are no surviving MiG-3's" anywhere!  I even know of a fellow who
    requested help documenting the MiG-3 from the Russians and was given
    the same response.  Yet, there it was in all its glory along with a
    Shturmovik, an Il-16, Yak-3 & 9, and other well known WW-II Russian
    fighters.  
    
    But, Jerry hadn't even finished drooling at the prospect of being able to 
    photo-document all these great ships when they were hustled out.  He
    did manage to get 2-or-3 pix of the MiG-3 and I'll be getting copies of
    these.  Crazy Ruskies!  Seems like they never declassify anything and
    treat all these WW-II warbirds as if they were still viable weapons
    today.  Sigh!  What a lovely opportunity for documenting the MiG-3...lost
    forever!
    
    Jerry said they were then taken to an outdoor display area (where they
    were prohibited from taking their cameras) and came upon the Soviet
    copies of the B-29 (Tu-??) and C-47 as well as Bear, Badger and
    Backfire bombers and all the jets from the earliest Yak-15 up through
    the MiG-29.  Jerry emphasized that he felt awed at the knowledge that
    his and Judy's were apparently the first western eyes to fall on these
    prizes.  Fascinating!!
    
    So, Jerry has accomplished quite a coup; several other artists are
    offering autographed/signature series paintings of WW-II fighter pilots
    and their aircraft but Jerry is the first (and may be the only) to have
    a Russian ace in his series.  And, here's a good point for the ol'
    Rat...Jerry's gonna' lay one of the signed prints on me for documentation
    help and encouragement should I go ahead with the La-5FN/La-7 project. 
    Not bad, eh?!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    I was paging thru thle latest issue (Issue #16) of Radio Helicopter USA
    and a fello noter's name caught my eye. Tom Tenerowicz is listed as the
    contact for the Pioneer Valley RC Club Helicopter Fly-In. The only USA
    event listed on their calender.
    
    That same issues has a item that may interest Kay Fisher. They have the
    Tangerine coverage in this issue and guess who showed up competing in
    the Novice helicopter event? Bob Fiorenze of F-18 fame. Bob has taken
    up helicopters cause Yellow Aircraft is going to give him a fully
    functional ducted fan Harrier to fly. The Harrier is going to be their
    new kit. Since Tangerine was held six months ago now, I wonder what the 
    status of the project is?

    Re: .-1, Kay,
    
    Yeah, I had similar thoughts and I'm sure that a multitude of good
    Russian plans _do_ exist as they've always been active (and rather
    successful) in world modelling competitions.  The problem, as I
    perceive it, is getting the Russians to loosen up and share with the
    rest of the world.  There exists within the Soviet Union such an 
    atmosphere of intrigue and distrust of the west that they treat the
    most trivial of items as a threat to security, should knowledge of it
    reach the west.  Proof of this is the fact that the Soviets have yet to
    declassify their WW-II military aircraft as though they still
    constitute viable weapons in a modern conflict.  You and I both know
    the total folly of this but, try to tell that to the Ruskies!
    
    Hopefully, a day will come when what you suggest comes to pass.  Then
    people would begin to appreciate some of the _very_ unique and
    interesting aircraft the Russians had in WW-II.   Of course, that'd
    mean I'd lose my advantage so maybe we should just forget the whole
    thing :B^).
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				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Well, I received the latest (August) issue of Scale R/C Modeler in
    yesterday's mail and read Stormin' Norman Goyer's account of the Top
    Gun competition held here last April.  The article is filled with the
    usual number of little inaccuracies but Norm can be forgiven to some
    extent owing to the fact that he was only able to be there for one day
    (Sat.) of the contest and was unaware of some of the happenings.
    
    For example, he wonders aloud (in print) why none of John Gunther's
    flights with his Me-109G were recorded.  The answer is quite simple:
    just like his performance at the St. Louis Masters last year, Gunther
    never got off the ground...he'd fire up, start a takeoff, lose it in a
    ground loop (or whatever) and break something, then retiring to the
    pits to repair the damage for another attempt the next round which
    would be a duplicate of the preceding attempt.  I gotta' say that I
    don't know Gunther personally except to know he was a static judge at
    the Las Vegas Masters in '87 who embraced the premise that judging
    outline along with color and markings, thereby exposing a model to
    double-jeopardy in the accuracy of outline category and making himself
    _very_ unpopular with the contestants.  He is also the president of
    NASA (no, not the space agency...the Nat'l. Assoc. of Scale
    Aeromodelers or some such) which is a small organization with no
    apparent purpose other than to attempt to be the spokesman for scale
    modelers without such a franchise from the majority of same.  Anyway, I
    said all that to say that John _might_ be an OK guy (with some odd
    ideas) but he certainly is no scale pilot.  With 8-rounds to have seen
    him fly ('89 Masters & '90 Top Gun), I've yet to see the man get
    airborne...one has to wonder how he manages to qualify for /be invited
    to these high-level events!  Norm also speculates that Steve Sauger
    must've had problems during his 1st-round flight as no flight scores
    are posted for his Stinson Tri-motor either.  Fact is that Steve
    crashed during a practice round before even getting static-judged.
    
    Oh well, as I say, Norm can be forgiven to some extent for not knowing
    these things though, were I the reporter, I'd either seek out the facts
    or omit printing any speculation which is very likely to be wrong. 
    After all, SR/CM _IS_ a national magazine and the readers have every
    right to expect that what they read is accurate.  However, it
    apparently doesn't matter all that much whether Norm is supplied with
    the facts or not; he _still_ takes enough litererary license as to
    change the truth of an incident.
    
    Case in point:  Norm stopped by under the awning of my motorhome and
    asked why I wasn't flying.  I told him the whole story in detail
    including the point that I'd intended [after the ridiculously low
    static] to fly for pride but, in the attempt, had had an oil leak occur
    in the hydra-lok lines to my Rhom retracts and had _ONLY_THEN_ decided
    to hang it up and save the MiG-3 for a better day.  I was _very_
    surprised to note that Norm'd mentioned me at all in his Top Gun article 
    since I was just barely even there from a competition standpoint. 
    However, he uses me as an example that several contestants who received
    very low statics packed up and either went home or made no attempt to
    fly.  Now, folks, that's not how it was.  Yeah, I was very disappointed
    with my static but I fully intended to fly until I encountered
    difficulty with the airplane while preparing for my 1st-round flight.
    
    Frankly, I've never had too much patience with modelers who decide
    whether or not to fly based on whether or not they think they can win 
    with whatever static score they received. I'm sorry but I see that as a
    kinda' prima-donna, crybaby attitude...you know, "I'm not winning so
    I'm taking my ball and going home!"  Now, Norm has publicly put me into
    that category of folks I'm none too fond of to begin with and I'm
    afraid I resent it.  I intend to write good ol' Norm and leave no doubt
    about how I feel about the way he painted me to look at the meet but
    I'll bet money here and now he'll never print either the letter or a
    retraction.  But, that's alright...I'm _CERTAIN_ to run into him at a
    meet before too long and I'll be able to let 'im have it then,
    face-to-face!  Not that it'll do all that much good...that kinda' stuff
    runs off Norm like water off'n a duck's back - he's in his own little
    world and impervious to what people say to him or think of him.  But
    _I'LL_ feel better.  ;b^)
						 __
			       	|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    After all, SR/CM _IS_ a national magazine and the readers have every
>    right to expect that what they read is accurate.  However, it
>    apparently doesn't matter all that much whether Norm is supplied with
>    the facts or not; he _still_ takes enough litererary license as to
>    change the truth of an incident.

Can you believe I just sent $40 off for a 2 year subscription.  And now you
tell me it's not perfect :-)

As an asside I went thru RCM and SR/CM this weekend and counted up the
Add to Article space.  I left the paper at home so I get back on the
results but Al is right - SR/CM has a lot less adds in it than RCM.

>    I'm taking my ball and going home!"  Now, Norm has publicly put me into
>    that category of folks I'm none too fond of to begin with and I'm
>    afraid I resent it.  I intend to write good ol' Norm and leave no doubt

Hey - he called me a Propeller Head - what do you have to complain about?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    
    -.1
    >>Hey, he called me a Propellor Head
    
    
    
    In your case Kay Ol' Stormin' Norman was actually quite accurate!! ;8^)

    
    > As an asside I went thru RCM and SR/CM this weekend and counted up the
    > Add to Article space.  I left the paper at home so I get back on the
    > results but Al is right - SR/CM has a lot less adds in it than RCM.
     
    Say, Kay, did you ever watch Sesame Street? There's a character on
    that show called "The Count" who I think you'd identify with...  :-)
    
    Dave

>    Say, Kay, did you ever watch Sesame Street? There's a character on
>    that show called "The Count" who I think you'd identify with...  :-)
    
Dave - it's worse than that - my home town in Minnesota (Hawley) is only
25 miles away from another famous Sesame Street Character - Fargo North
(Decoder).

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Re .2105
    
    Ugh!, that's a pun of the worst kind.
    
    I think I got it, didn't you ?
    
    John
    

OK - here are the results of counting the Articles and Adds in RCM
and Scale RC Modeler magazines

RCM (August 1990)
    91.5 pages of Articles
    186 pages of Adds
	.49 Article to Add Ratio
    $2.95 Advertised price/issue at news stands
	31.5 Article to Dollar Ratio
	$1.96 price/issue of with 2 year $47 subscription
    46.6 Article to Dollar Ratio with subscription

Scale RC Modeler (July 1990)
    64.3 pages of Articles
    20.6 pages of Adds
    3.1 Article to Add Ratio
    $3.95 Advertised price/issue at news stands
    16.2 Article to Dollar Ratio
	$1.66 price/issue of with 2 year $40 subscription
    38.7 Article to Dollar Ratio with subscription

Sooooooooo

Summary.
  Al is right - RCM is a catalog and you get 6 times the article/add
ratio with Scale RC Modeler.  But you do get more articles in RCM
so the end result is more adds per dollar with RCM.  But... RCM
covers all aspects of RC and if you are passionate about Scale and just
skim or ignore articles about gliders or sport planes or pattern then
Scale RC Modeler is a much better choice.

Now some day I would like to count the pages in the other magazines
and update the chart.

The Count from Fargo...

             --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

* With the exception of Tower, RCM is indeed the only place where
one can "catalog shop" and compare prices.  I say Tower because
they do publish their own catalog, I know that Sheldon does too,
but most of us don't have one (I do).  RCM is the best shopping
guide there is, and is probably the best shopping guide in the
entire hobby industry.  Try comparing the cost of sending away
for individual catalogs and flyers from each company versus the
cost of an RCM subscription.  Many mail order houses, such as
Mutchler's do not have a catalog or flyer.

* RCM has serious construction articles that can be used to build
real model airplanes.  Scale RCM prints bad reproductions of
plans, often incomplete, which are thinly disguised
advertisements for plans and products.  (This holds true also for
Model Airplane News, alas, once a great mag, now simply one big
advertisement.)

* RCM has real honest-to-god columnists who print informed,
expert opinions on current subjects.  Scale RCM is filled with
the half-baked opinions of one of the biggest a**holes in the
modeling industry, if not the world (well, there is Kadaffi(sp)).

* While RCM has printed pretty girls in its pages and cover, the
past history of Scale RCM, at least until the latest excess in
Sept 1988, has been one of printing little more than cheesecake.
I don't object to this, and I can even show one very outstanding
issue of RCM...but Scale RCM has taken it beyond the limits at
times.

IMHO, the best bang-for-buck mag on the market is Model Aviation,
followed closely by Model Builder, but if you insist on RC-only
contents, you cannot beat the quality of RCM, no way.

I buy about 3 RCMs a year, mostly for the catalog contents.

    I should add here that my criticism of RCM should, IN NO WAY, be
    construed as promotion or defense of Scale R/C Modeler.  I'm sure 
    most of you know from my numerous previous comments that I don't
    suggest that SR/CM is a great magazine...on the contrary, it's probably
    one of the worst edited mags on the scene for all the reasons John
    points out in .-1 and many more.  To repeat what I've said many times
    before: I only take SR/CM because it's the ONLY mag available devoted
    exclusively to scale and even a bad mag is preferrable (to me) than
    none at all.  Like I consider the AMA to be a necessary evil, I
    likewise fell that SR/CM is a necessity to anyone interested in scale,
    if only for the purpose of keeping up with what's going on and that's
    as close to a recommendation as I'll get.  Were a competitive scale 
    publication to come upon the scene, I'd switch camps faster'n a scalded 
    dog!!  :B^)
    
    However, while I agree that RCM may have some good things to offer the
    newer R/C'er, my opinion remains that, if I want a catalog, I _MUCH_
    prefer the Tower Hobbies catalog as each page of ads is NOT cluttered
    up with a few lines of non-commercial text.  Kay's survey confirms what
    I'd never have taken the time to prove; that RCM is little more than a
    catalog with just enough text thrown in to give it the facade of a
    magazine.  I totally agree with John that, if one feels the need to
    keep up with ALL the mail order outfits within the covers of a single
    publication, one should _buy_ (not subscribe) 2-or-3 issues annually.
    Beyond that, one quickly tires of the plethora of look-alike sporty
    planes that proliferate each RCM issue.
    
    As to Model Airplane News, if it weren't for the "Sporty Scale
    Techniques" column by Frank Tiano, I'd have cancelled this mag the
    instant they devoted the last third of it to a helicopter section...not
    a column, mind you, but a mini-mag within a mag.  Now, before all you
    heli-whopter types out there gather to lynch me. let me hastily offer
    that I have nothing whatsoever against choppers!  They're simply not
    _my_ thing and I resent their presense in Model *AIRPLANE* News as much
    as I would resent a section being devoted to basket weaving.  Hell, MAN
    took out all the boat and car stuff and gave these interests their own
    magazine years ago...why can't they do the same thing for choppers?!! 
    What they've done is no different than if, sometime before receiving
    an issue of the mag (remembering that I pay for _every_ page), the
    mailman tore out 30% of MY pages and threw 'em away!!!!
    
    I have to agree with John that, for all around, best balance of
    coverage per interest area, AMA's Model Aviation is arguably the best
    mag going right now.  Model Builder is OK but has too much non-R/C
    content for my tastes.  So, what it seems to boil down to is that,
    apparently, a really good, well balanced magazine which caters to the
    modeler first is really needed.  Well folks, I'm here to tell you that
    such a rag exists...it's called R/C Report, published by Gordon Banks
    out of Huntsville, AL.
    
    RCR is not a thing of beauty, printed on plain old newsprint with
    minimal use of color (which ain't that great anyway).  But wait!  Don't
    judge this book by its cover..., it's the CONTENT that makes RCR a
    standout.  Gordon Banks wild, irreverant, self effacing brand of humor
    flavors the entire mag but humor isn't the only recommending feature;
    what's really made RCR is its frank, honest, hard hitting, no holds
    barred, tell it like it REALLY is product reviews.  RCR truly doesn't
    care if a manufacturer gets offended and pulls its advertising, if an
    item is junk, by gawd RCR says so!  No other magazine I can think of is
    that conscientious about the integrity of its advertising.
    
    For those that are tired of all the flowery field and bench reviews
    common to all the other mags, give this homely little rag a try...I
    think you'll like it.  You can subscribe at:
    
    			R/C Report
    			Subscription Dept.
    			P.O. Box 1706
    			Huntsville, AL  35807
    
    Subscription rate is $10.00 for 1-year; 2-years for $18.00; or $8.00
    per year for 3-years or more.
     
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Re: .2110
    
    This is to bolster your favorable comments about R/C Report.
    
    I've been hooked on this publication since I first picked it
    up a couple of years ago.  It's downright 'readable'.
    
    As for M.A.N., I feel the saddest about the loss of that once
    great 'news' medium.  It used to be an automatic buy at the
    bookstand, not any more!
    
    John

    I have to add my agreement to the foregoing replys.  Upon reentering
    the hobby, I devoured this note file and went looking for some good
    magazines.  I used to buy MAN, FM, and occasionally AM when I was 
    younger, and paricularly liked MAN.  (Remember the U2 three-views
    published in March of '56, with commentary about the rumored flights 
    behind the iron curtain?)
    
    Well, I bought everything I could find for over a year, and finally
    subscribed to Model Builder, RC Reports, and of course Model Aviation.  
    Virtually every issue of MAN and FM was a disappointment.  A few RCMs 
    had some content I valued, but not enough to continue buying them.
    
    As for Norm's rag, I have two copies which I keep to remind me why I 
    don't buy it.  I'll get my scale inputs from somewhere else.

    Well I'm headin' out for the Nats right after work. It's amazing
    how much stuff you think you need to take.
    In addition to four airplanes, 60", 76", 110", 112", I've got a
    large tackle box crammed with every conceivable tool/part, 90%
    of which I'll never touch. Another box full of 6 rcvr. batt., 4
    motor batts., fast charger, Ace Multi-charger, Ace ESV, extra
    xmtr. batt. A pistol case containing two xmtrs. Hi-start and dog
    stake, in case I find a suitable field to practice in, along with
    the 317 other people who found the same field.
    Add in clothes, camcorder, ice chest, and the ol' Honda wagon is
    going to be full up.
    
    As of earlier this week 950 people had signed up and they're expecting
    1100. Using past years as an example, this means there should be
    around 300-400 entered in the soaring classes. Hooo-boy.
    
    I'll enter a full report around Aug. 1 , after I get back. 
    I'm outa here.
    
    Terry
    

    If this catches you before you get gone, best'a luck, Terry...
    kick some butt and take names back there!  :B^)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

I would also like to wish Terry the best of luck.  Hope we end up reading
about you in the magazine coverage later!

P.S.  Could you please expound on each of the planes your taking - for
instance you mentioned a Traveler (I think).  Which wing span corresponds
with that?

===============================================================================

New Topic = Magazine Article to Add Ratios
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK - here are the results of counting the Articles and Adds in 
RCM
Model Aviation 
Scale RC Modeler
Model Builder

What counts as Articles
    Self serving adds like adds for a subscription or pages of pictures 
        of plans for sale by the magazine or the front cover.
    Indexes to advertisers.
    Table of contents 
    Articles about new products like "What's New, Over the Counter, etc."
    Reviews.  If one were to be ethical here only Negative reviews would
        be counted as articles because for the most part all magazine reviews
        are positive product promotions - paid for or not.
    Trade show coverage.
What counts as Adds
	Obvious Adds but also...
    Adds like Scale RC Modeler advertising several other books and/or 
        magazines that are covered by the same parent publishing house.


RCM (August 1990)
    91.5 pages of Articles
    186 pages of Adds
	.49 Article to Add Ratio
    $2.95 Advertised price/issue at news stands
	31.5 Article to Dollar Ratio
	$1.96 price/issue of with 2 year $47 subscription
    46.6 Article to Dollar Ratio with subscription

Scale RC Modeler (July 1990)
    64.3 pages of Articles
    20.6 pages of Adds
    3.1 Article to Add Ratio
    $3.95 Advertised price/issue at news stands
    16.2 Article to Dollar Ratio
	$1.66 price/issue of with 2 year $40 subscription
    38.7 Article to Dollar Ratio with subscription

Model Aviation (August 1990)
    126 pages of Articles
    70.8 pages of Adds
	1.78 Article to Add Ratio
    $2.50 Advertised price/issue at news stands
	50.4 Article to Dollar Ratio
	$0.75 price/issue of with 1 year $9 subscription
    168 Article to Dollar Ratio with subscription

Model Builder (June 1990)
    77.33 pages of Articles
    36.66 pages of Adds
    2.11 Article to Add Ratio
    $2.95 Advertised price/issue at news stands
    26.2 Article to Dollar Ratio
	$1.96 price/issue of with 2 year $47 subscription
    39.5 Article to Dollar Ratio with subscription

Sooooooooo

Summary.
  Draw your own conclusions - numbers are not everything.  For my
money Model Builder is the most enjoyable reading.
Since I first made a note with statistics Scale RC Modeler has been
getting a lot of criticism which was not my intent at all.  In fact
I was surprised how much better the article to add ratio was in the
magazine compared to all others.  Another hidden number (one I didn't
count) is the number of Color photographs and the quality.  Model airplane
news has the best paper and I doubt if any of the above magazines have
any where near the number of color photographs in them as Scale RC Modeler.

Poor Norm Goyer has been getting a lot of flak lately.  He is opinionated
but he is passionate about Scale RC.  You probably don't agree with
everything he says - but thank God he is saying something and stirring
the pot.  I've bumped in to Norm on several occasions now and I really
think a lot of him.  Could his magazine be better - sure - but they
all could be better.  Plan to attend the Scale Qualifier if Westfield
on the 28th and 29th of July.  If Norm is there introduce your self
and tell him what you don't like about his rag.  He will shake your
hand and listen.  Now look around and see if you can find the editor
of any of our other magazines!  Where are they?  If fact when you find
Norm he will probably be crawling around on his belly trying to get
a good photograph of some local's (Maybe Kevin Ladd's P47) scale job.
When the final curtain falls I expect Norm to be in Heaven (trying
to change the God's rules) :-)

The Count from Fargo...

             --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

Douglas Corrigan's Stuck Compass

An ex-welder from an aircraft plant in California hopped into his
$900 single-motor Curtiss Robin plane, and 27-plus hours
later...on July 9, 1938...landed at Roosevelt Field in New York.
Douglas G. Corrigan, a 31-year-old flying buff, explained he was
on a "vacation flight," and had made the trip non-stop.

For a week, he stayed with a friend.  Then, on Saturday, July 16,
he took his nine-year-old plane to Floyd Bennet Airfield in
Brooklyn, and sought permission to take off at 2 a.m. for the
return flight home.

"I want to fly by the light of the moon," he told the field
manager, "and be over the desert in the cool of the morning."
He was denied permission to take off..."too dangerous at that
hour," he was told.

At 4 a.m., he was given the go-ahead.  He had had five new
spark plugs put in, paid $62.26 for 218 gallons of gas (the craft
now had 320 gallons, plus 16 of oil).  A single United States map
was pinned to the instrument board.  There was no wireless, no
special instruments.

Corrigan asked a boy from the hangar to swing the propeller, but
he couldn't get it going.

"Here, you hold the plane throttle.  I'll swing it," Corrigan
instructed, and he got the craft going.  After it started, he
took a flashlight to check the motor to see that nothing was
coming loose.

At 5:17 a.m. on Sunday, the plane left.  Flares lighted the
runway, and a fire truck and ambulance stood by.  Corrigan used
3,000 feet of the 4,200-foot runway before getting his craft
airborne.

For some reason, the ship headed east, and the field personnel
wondered why.

A little more than 28 hours later, he sighted some fishing boats,
then found himself over land; he searched for an airfield,
spotted one, and came in for a perfect landing.

"I'm Douglas Corrigan," he told some field personnel who had
gathered around his plane (which had no permit to land).  "I just
got in from New York.  Where am I? I intended to fly to
California."

He learned he was at Baldonnel Airfield in Dublin, Ireland.

Wearing oil-stained gray pants and a leather jacket, the flier
was taken to the American Legation, and there he tried to explain
to newsmen what had happened.

"My compass stuck.  It didn't come loose 'til the end of the
flight.  I took a wrong turning...I headed as I thought for
California.  I had no intention of flying to Ireland.

"For almost 26 hours, I was at 5,000 to 6,000 feet...in the
clouds.  I came down to 1,500 feet only when I ran into rain.  I
glimpsed some water, then rose back to 5,000.  I came down and
saw fishing boats.  I thought I was over the Pacific Coast.

"A half hour later, I sighted land.  It didn't look like what it
should look like to me.  I hugged the coast, and coasted around
to find an airfield.  And here I am, far from Los Angeles, where
I had planned to go."

Despite probing questions from skeptical reporters, the American
stuck to his story.  Few believed him.  Corrigan was known to
have wanted to fly to Ireland (he had been denied permission the
year before).  And there was that eastbound takeoff in New
York...

Soon nicknamed "Wrong Way," the personable welder-pilot had
injected a bright note of levity into the dour, war-shadowed
world of 1938.

Corrigan and his crate made history.  And the Burlington,
Wisconsin, Liars Club made Douglas Croce Corrigan a life member.

---Copied verbatim from the June 1983 issue of Model Builder
magazine, who in turn quoted it from an newsletter article from
James M. Murphy.

    Just when you thought it was safe to.....HE'S BAAACK.
    Well, I survived the Nats. A very interesting experience, exhausting
    but more fun than I anticipated. Poor finishing positions, but I
    flew all my rounds and didn't break anything;
    
    Monday- F3B: I didn't have anything to enter so just spectated.
    Actually it was more like a multi-task event rather than full
    bore F3B. Plenty of thermal duration types were entered and weren't
    outclassed. About 30-40 entries.
    
    Tuesday- Handlaunch: 45 entries. Rather breezy. The heat and humidity
    were really noticeable. 90/ 60-70% humidity. I survived the first
    round with a batt. plug nearly falling out of the rcvr. Lost the
    remaining time in the 10 min. working time looking for the problem.
    Task for the round was max. accumulated time with 5 launches.
    Remaining 3 rounds went ok, never had more than a 45 second flight.
    Tasks all had 10 minute working times and ranged from three 2 min
    maxes, with unlimited launches, to one 10 min. max.
    With 2 hours out to let the scale guys complete their rounds( 10
    entries) we were out there for 11 hours, running, throwing, running,
    throwing. By the end of the day my feet were killing me. Finished
    38th. The Orbiter withstood an amazing amount of abuse. Orbiters
    were the most popular kit, but most of the kits now available were
    represented, and there were a lot of own-designs.
    
    Wed.- 2 meter. I signed up at the last minute after deciding to
    enter the Orbiter. About 120 entries. All tasks, 4 rounds,
    were 7 minute precision duration with tape landing inside a 100"
    X 25 ft. box. Nose position anywhere along the tape was good for
    a max of 100 points.
    My first launch went well, had to really milk the winch but got
    over 3 min. and 52 points on landing. Next two launches popped off
    at 100 feet due to tow hook twisting. Finally CAed it in and 4th
    round was a repeat of the first. Finished 98th out of 101 survivors.
    Planes were in the trees downwind and on top of the nearby 4 story
    high school. The fire dept. cherry picker was kept busy plucking
    planes out of trees and the high school custodian discovered none
    of his keys would unlock the roof access door.
    Thornbugh was in the top 20 in both HL and 2 meter. Had everything
    from Mariahs (ugly but flys great) to GLs. Only took 9 hours to
    complete the 4 rounds.
    
    Thurs.- open class. I didn't have anything to enter. On the first
    round Taylor Collins had radio lockup at 800 feet with his Westwind
    and spiraled into the parking lot behind the school tennis courts.
    3 or 4 wings were shed on launch. The winds were lighter and a lot
    of people were getting their maxes. The winners were determined
    on spot landings. Thornbugh took 13th with a stock Southwind. 130
    entries, about 110 survivors.
    Thornbugh was kept busy signing autographs and having his picture
    taken, but book sales were brisk (he brought 120 copies) and every
    body who knew him from the old days had war stories to tell.
    
    Fri. - Open class- I had two good rounds (for me) with my 110"
    Southwind. Finished 84th out of 110 survivors. Thornburgh
    finished 7th with a stock Bird of Time, no moveable wing surfaces,
    that proves something. Taylor had two popoffs with his Windsong,
    and retired. Event called after 2 rounds due to squall lines
    moving in. But it had been  a good week with very consistent
    wind direction, never had to move the 6 winches. 
    
    The Tri-Counties R/C club did an excellent job of hosting and 
    officiating, and I'd definitely do it again, but please less
    humidity next time; it sure is funny to wonder why your wing rods
    are fitting tighter than normal then notice the rust on them !
    
    General observations: I went over to the airport in Illinois
    where the pattern, C/L, and rubber events were held, and on several
    visits was struck by the low number of entrants. Pattern had the
    most, but in general there were 5 to 10 times as many soaring
    participants. What does this mean? Your guess is as good as mine.
    All entries were computerized, with some fairly impressive hardware,
    80387s with math co-processors, and results at the end of a round
    were ready in a few minutes. All sites were linked by hand held
    shortwave tranceivers and weather conditions in the area was passed
    between sites.
    The effort, especially by the host club, to run these things is
    massive. My hat's off to them.
    Ran into one other Deccie. John Wilson, a consultant from Marlboro.
    Also several customers, who saw my DECAF cap, and wondered why I
    wasn't at Dec World. Sorry, I don't fly indoors.
    Man, I'm tired.
    
    Terry
    

    Re: .-1, Terry,
    
    Glad yer' back with everything in one piece.  That's _ALWAYS_ my first
    priority in any competition and I feel like a winner just having
    accomplished that.  Sorry to hear you didn't collect any hardware but,
    as we all _should_ know, there're damn few trophies (if any) around
    that are worth the money and [to ME] the TIME required to replace one's
    aircraft!  Congratulations on competing well and coming home intact!!
    
    Re 1234.1,
    
    As I mentioned in the reply mentioned above, it looks like, once again,
    I may be going to the U.S. Scale Masters after not really expecting I'd be
    able to do so.  My buddy, Bob Frey, after damaging his Holman P-47 in
    the process of placing 3rd in our qualifier held here last January, had
    decided not to compete anymore this year, opting to build a new ship
    before fixing the old one.  But, Bob [like me] has yet to settle on
    what to build next, therefore, has nothing in the ol' queue at present.
    
    So, Bob had been saying that he was not going to the MAsters but would,
    instead, be going to a High School reunion in Syracuse, NY which was on
    the same weekend.  But, out of the blue while coming back from our
    annual 1/8 Air Force summer pool party weekend-before-last, Bob suddenly
    allowed as how he "might" be persuaded to ride along with me to the
    MAsters after all.  I was a bit surprised and figgeres' he'd have a
    change of heart after the Colorado Cool-Aid wore off.
    
    However, Bob surprised me again by arranging with Harris Lee for a job
    while at the Masters and was offered to replace a static judge who will
    be unable to attend due to illness.  All that remains is for Bob to
    make up his mind, call Harris and accept (or decline) the static
    judging job.  If he accepts (and I think he's gonna), he and I will be
    driving together to Dallas; he to judge and me to compete...of course,
    we'll _both_ take full advantage of the all the partying too.  ;b^)
    
    Soooooo, I gotta' dust off the ol' MiG-3, replace all the retract
    air/oil lines and recharge the system with oil.  Once the retracts are
    working again, a practice session or three will be in order and I'll be
    all set to go to Dallas and [hopefully] restore the faithful ol' MiG's
    pride after the bashing it took at the hands of the Top Shun - oops...,
    er..., I mean Top Gun judges.  (You'd be surprised at the correspondence 
    I've received from all over the country volunteering that the judging 
    must've been a real travesty for the MiG to've been insulted so.  I
    tend to agree, but then I'm prejudiced.)
    
    I'm hoping Kevin and/or Kay qualified back there last weekend...it'd be
    a real hoot to be able to compete in the Masters Champs together!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Rat,
    
    	I didn't write to much in the hopes that Kevin and Kay would
    reply. I don't think Kay was flying. As stated before I watch Kevin's
    Jug fly and it did look good in the air. At last years Qualifier
    I thought it was underpowered on one flight but it a cracker Jack
    now. That Bully pulls...............
    	I didn't see a flight from him yesterday but also didn't check
    where he was in the running.
    
    
    Tom

    Re: .-1, Tom,
    
    Yes. the Bully is quite an amazing mill.  I'm not sure at this point
    just how far Kevin's gone with the power-enhancement mods but am sure
    he's running an O.S. 7D carb which makes performance/dependability
    quite good.  The California troops are using yet another O.S. carb, the
    model number of which I'm not sure but it goes on a ducted-fan engine,
    and are hauling aroung 36-38 lb. Skyraiders with plenty of authority
    with this comparatively small mill.  Shailesh Patel uses a Bully to
    haul the 39-lb. bulk of his Baker Jug around; it's a bit limited in the
    vertical but has _plenty_ of authority straight and level, producing a
    radar-gun verified 105-mph level flight speed.
    
    As an update, Bob Frey has accepted Harris Lee's offer to be a judge at
    this year's Masters Champ's in Dallas so it appears confirmed that I'll
    be going...and to compete this year.  (I've already told Harris I'm not
    interested in doing another article, at least for RCM, as I have better
    things to do with my time than to work my buns off preparing an article
    only to have it snubbed by this ostentacious "catalog.")  So, any of
    y'all who have any desire to attend the finest scale contest in existance,
    by all means plan to come on down to "Big-D"...I'd be tickled to see
    ya's!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

For the  past  3~4  weeks, my trusty OS SF46 ABC engine on my First Step had
been acting funny. It would quit mid-flight, even though there was plenty of
gas in  the tank, and I would have bring in the plane dead-stick. Apart from
this "vague" statement, I am unable to specify the symptoms any better.

Suffice it  to  say,  that  at every scene of misdemeanour by what had until
_then_  been  my faithful engine (it's motto being - Never say Die), I would
consult  with the local honchos in my efforts to mollify the beast. Perhaps,
it had  picked  up  a virus from some of the other unreilable (promiscuous?)
engines  at  the  field?  AIDS?  Before you jump to conclusions and say that
engines  can't/don't  get  AIDS,  allow  me to remind you that we don't know
every  thing  about  AIDS  yet!  With impeccable OS lineage (blue blood) and
upbringing, I was sure that my SF46 would have its sense of values straight,
and known  to  keep away from some of the shady, unsavoury engines that hang
out  at  the  field.  The  very  same  ones  that  get  drunk on alcohol (no
self-control  or  social drinkers these!), refuse to start, or idle, or quit
before the tank is empty and they have done their time.

I fought  hard  not  to succumb to my worst fears, for it had served me well
through  the  training  stage,  pulling  my plane out of trouble on numerous
occassions,  and  purring  like  a  cat  on the idle stretch coming in for a
landing, only to be ready to roar as a lion at an instant's notice. So, like
a distraught  mother  trying  to  comfort  her  baby plagued with an unknown
illness,  I  too wrung my hands, prayed, and tried not to despair. [Author's
interjection: Normally, in stories, soaps, movies, etc., it is at THIS point
that events take a turn for the better.] However, that was not to be so. :-(

As my  engine  grew more and more recalcitrant, my dead-stick landing skills
improved measure-for-measure. This from someone who used to get paralysed at
the thought  of  an  engine going dead mid-air! In fact, my first dead stick
happened  when  I  was  on  finals  for  landing. As my plane drew closer, I
wondered what the black vertical line on the nose might be. Last year, I had
seen what  looked  like magnetic tape streaming from the plane, only to land
and  find  that  it  was trim that come off! Baffled by the vertical line, I
continued  my approach, unable to "hear" the dead engine over the din of the
other planes  at the field. It was only when I was just over the edge of the
field that my predicament became clear. Instantly, my blood pressure shot up
at the thought of a possible calamity overtaking my FS, having just given me
the second  nirvana.  Then, just as quickly, my BP shot down, as my approach
was perfect, and I greased in my FS.

From those fledgling hops, the dead-sticks got more and more tricky. No more
final approach ones. The atlitudes got horrible. The attitudes got worse. It
even happened  on  windy days. Up wind. Down wind. In cross-winds too! Right
hand  patterns.  Left  hand patterns. Aircraft inverted. Precisely why I got
the  dead-sticks  hitting me in PROGRESSIVELY difficult altitudes/altitudes,
remains  a  mystery to me, but every challenge was met. If not perfectly (by
bringing  back to the field most of the time), then atleast most of the way,
by dumping in the tall grass _just_ off the edge of the field.

A few  days back, I had it quit on take off, with 3 feet of altitude! Things
had proceeded  from  bad  to worse, and Friday and Saturday was torture. The
engine  would  run  at  full  throttle for the first 5~6 minutes, then begin
dropping in RPM and eventually die unless I cut down to half throttle, where
it would be happy. Boy, this was taking all the fun out of flying, just when
I thought  I  was  beginning  to have fun with my new found independence and
flying skills.

I have't  mentioned all the things I tried to assuage the SF46 ABC. Early in
the game,  a genuine bad plug was discovered, when the engine would quit the
instant you  took  off the plug-warmer. Later, as things worsened, I changed
the  plumbing,  cleaned  out  the  tank  and fliter. I took off the carb and
cleaned  it  in  new fuel. I tried different fuels. I tried different plugs,
including  3  different ones last Saturday! Every time I used a new plug, [I
am talking past week now] the engine would seem to run better, but 5 minutes
into the  flight,  the  engine  wouldn't  want  to  run at full throttle any
longer,  and  unless I reduce to half throttle, would quit. Once, I saw fuel
streaming  from  around  the  plug! A McDaniel Ni starter I had borrowed had
actually  unscrewed  the  plug!  I even took out the filter, and replaced it
with  a  brass  tube,  but that didn't mollify the spirits. I borrowed an OS
40FP  muffler  from Charlie Watt - it has mounting bolts on the muffler side
for  which  my  SF46 exhaust was surprisingly enough, drilled out and tapped
for - and that too, failed to make a difference!

Harvey Thomasian  had said that with all the take-off/landing practice I had
been doing, the engine needed to be cleaned. Remember that I have put nearly
60 hours  on  that  engine,  30+  coming in the past 2 months alone! Charlie
suggested  I look into the muffler. Sooo, I took the muffler apart, but that
was clean.  I  also took the cylinder head off, to find some deposits around
the  plug  hole.  The  top  of the piston was black, except for some whitish
green  crystalline  deposits about .5 mm thick, that covered less than a 1/4
of  the piston top! I got that off with a screwdriver tip, using a vacuum to
suck up the debris and prevent it from falling into the crank case!

Nothing worked.  There  were  two  things  left  on  my  list - cleaning the
exterior  of  the  engine (I have seen cruddier engines than this run fine),
and  replacing  the  tank itself. My efforts to locate Sunbeam metal cleaner
had been infructuous, and so the cleaning had got postponed. Charlie offered
to lend me some, so I drove home from the field with him. Then he offered to
clean up  the  engine  right away. I was counting on using cheap third world
labour,  instead  of  the  more  expensive  American  one, but jumped at the
opportunity.

The cleaner  [which  stinks]  was  spread with a brush and the goop attacked
with  a  toothbrush. After that we washed away the sins of the engine in the
holy waters of Charlies garden hose. The solemnity, and religious fervour of
the ritual  would have made even the Pope turn green with envy! Just to make
him more jealous, we did it a second time!! 

Eager to see if this had indeed been the panacea, I rushed back to the field
at Charlies urging. Fueled up, set the needle a tad rich, and took off. Then
I got  the FS into inverted flight so the blood would rush into the cylinder
head, and rejuvenate the cells. My engine was hummin' away, and the 5 minute
deadline passed.  6  minutes.  Still going strong. Next time I see my timer,
its  been up 10 minutes, all of it inverted, and at full throttle! I decided
to keep goin' until the engine quit, circling high like an AWACs. The engine
quit at  13 minutes,and I dead-sticked [deliberately] back to the field in a
minute. Defueled the tank to find it dry!

Since Eastern  Mysticism  is  skeptical  of  White  Man  magic  [:-)], I was
unwilling to celebrate as yet. Just to give it the full shakeout, I repeated
the routine two more times, with identical results! Not quite - deadsticking
with a lot of altitude isn't the same as deadsticking low, and I came in too
high on one, and ended up in the tall grass.

Soooo, my baby had pooped and simply needed a daiper change, and mama didn't
know! Charlie  agrees that my engine wasn't all THAT cruddy, but definitely,
the cooling  must  have  been  marginal! Either that, or the crud, which was
unevenly  deposited on the engine, resulted in uneven cooling (and therefore
binding of the ABC piston and liner), leading to grief! 

That's ABC MAGIC!!

Well, now  I  know  I'll  never  get  my  US  citizenship.  I actually tried
(conniving  with Charlie) to fix my engine instead of going out and buying a
new one,  charged  on  plastic! Tsk. Tsk. Now jess who is left to save those
starvin' S&Ls?

Can't win 'em all. Sigh!

ajai

ps. My  thanks to Charlie for doing me a(nother) good turn. Third world debt
    is goin' up agn.

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    Interesting chronicle, though I still fail to fathom exactly WHY the
    "fix" worked or what it could possibly have done.  Naaaah, you must'a
    inadvertently disturbed/vanquished the REAL culprit somehow in the
    process of scrubbing the engine up without even being aware of it.  And
    now we'll never know what it _really_ was. ;b^{  [;b^)]
    
    Another thing I just learned last weekend about ABC's might be of some
    interest to those who've been having problems with them (are yoo
    listening, John T.?).  This could explain some of the trauma
    experienced during the early hours of a new ABC's care and feeding. 
    According to a good flying buddy, whose opinion I readily seek when
    sorting out engine problems, mentioned that an ABC _CAN_ be run
    _TOO_RICH_ during break-in, thereby extending/complicating the process
    or causing permanent damage to the engine.  He explained that running
    an ABC engine gurgly rich for too long causes seating problems between
    piston and cylinder; says that the rich mixture keeps the top of the
    piston too cool, preventing it from expanding and seating in evenly
    with the rest of the piston body.  Friend guru also offers that most
    manufacturers of ABC's recommend cycling the mixture from rich to lean,
    rich to lean, rich to lean for a tankful or so, then lean it out (not
    'til the head turns blue, of course) and go fly.  Mayhaps some of y'all
    have been babying them too much with the exact reverse of the desired
    results.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Ajai, one can never accuse you of being a man of few words!  Look
in the Engine Wizards topic for a discussion of this malady.  But
the bottom line, from this raving maniac at least, is that you're
blowing plugs: you can't run an ABC engine at full lean, you must
run it at the point where its kicking glow-glop out or you'll
blow the plug.  Switch to the K&B plug and loosen up the needle
valve.

I first entered this note before I saw Al's previous note.  He
could have something there as its my practice to run the engine
slobbering for the first 45 minutes or more.  But I can guarantee
you that if you're not careful in leaning out the engine, you
will blow the plug.  The OS .40 that caused me so much grief has
been purring like a kitten these last few weeks.  But it does get
hot if I'm not kicking out some glop.

I did 2 things: I switched to Byron's fuel and I use a K&B plug. 
This last Sunday I had a left-over though new Fox plug in my OS
.25 (for the unsuccessful first flight of the Tutor -- film at
11!) and it blew the seal out after the first run.

BTW -- The good news is that you can use the plugs that won't run
in the ABC in any lapped piston or well run-in engine.  Its just
the higher compression that's causing this mysterious bugaboo.

    I decided to forego the Caribbean vacation next winter and instead
    buy the Soarcraft Glasflugel 604 kit that Mark Antry had in the
    for sale note.
    Thinking about this now very rare specimen really brought back
    memories.(This will definitely be a ramble, so it belongs here.)
    Hugh Stock from N. Cal. sold scale, and a few non-scale, kits as
    Soarcraft in the early and mid 70's. He was, I believe, the first
    to achieve LSF level V. Max Mills convinced him to come to Albq.
    to try for the x-c task in level V. I think it's 10km or 10 mi.,
    goal and return. Hugh came and did it in one day. Don't recall if
    he needed more than one launch, don't think so. North Wyoming blvd.,
    where he accomplished it, was a dirt road in those days, now lined
    with shopping centers and sub-divisions.
    Max had been featuring Soarcraft kits in a series of cover photos
    that he shot for RCM, featuring that most effective of all attention
    getters, a girl in a bikini perched on a rock in the foothills east
    of town. Where in h*ll he got those models we could never figure
    out. The rest of us never encountered such creatures.
    The last cover he did for RCM featured his wife Gloria, an ex-model,
    posed in  semi-transparent gown at the approach end of Albq.
    International, silhouetted against the setting sun with a 727 on
    final with its landing lights on in the background. The RCM editor
    said RCM sales jumped when a Max Mills covered appeared, but Max
    got burned out on photography and sold all his equipment, never
    to this day to take up the editors standing offer to submit more
    cover shots.
    In those days all the Soarcraft kits that Max had were flown rudd.
    and elev. only so the required dihedral kind of messed up the scale
    appearence, but they flew great. The rather flexible wings bowed
    alarmingly on launch, but a little carbon fiber will take care of
    that and ailerons with a couple of itty bitty servos will take care
    of the dihedral problem. I'm looking forward to building this beast.
    
    Terry
    

Al,

Remember that hanger queen old timer that you had tying up your work bench
for a few years?-)  Is it still?

Anyway - as I recall - it had an elliptical dihedral wing right?

If so could you please tell me (us) how one could go about building
a jig like the one you had and how you use it.  And please go deep
into detail as I've been thinking about trying to make a similar
wing for my Chuperosa.

If you think this is going to turn out to be long (I hope so) you might 
want to start a separate note on building custom one design wing jigs.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .2136, Kay,
    
    I'm not real sure what you mean by "an elliptical dihedral wing."  The
    Playboy wing you refer to is a constant chord, polyhedral wing with
    nicely rounded tips
    
    Be that as it may, there's precious little I can tell you about the jig
    as I didn't make it.  Some of the local antiquers made it _many_ years
    ago at a time when they were almost mass-producing Playboys.  So, I
    can't tell you a thing about how the jig was layed out and built...sorry.
    The deal was/is I have to store the jig after using 'til the next guy
    wants to use it (which could be some time as the Playboy isn't as
    popular as it used to be, having been eclipsed by the Lanzo Bomber and
    several other great oltimers).
    
    As to using it, there was no magic; simply taped the wing plans to the
    jig, pinned down the parts and assembled the wing the same as you'd do
    on a flat surface...all the jig did was allow you to build the wing in
    one piece with the polyhedral built right in. 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Been awful quiet today.

Let's see if I can't stir up some conversation.

I was reading in Model Aviation Sep 90 and came across the following
goodies.

In the CL Aerobatics column by McMillan.
Under the topic of painting prop tips (everybody's favorite subject).
They were talking about acrylic lacquer and said "This type of lacquer
needs the addition of flex-all and fish-eye killer to all mixes for
absolute world-class results.

Gee - no wonder I haven't been getting those "Absolute World Class" results.

What is fish-eye killer?

Here's a quotable quote for you.  From the RC Giant Scale column by
de Vries:

The subject is gasoline engines...

"Petro, The Main Benefits"
    Low initial cost
    low running costs
    rugged design
    reliable
    long lasting
    good low-end torque
    swings large props
    no batteries needed
    built-in fuel pump
    self-contained ignition system
    no more oil-sodden model
    no needle valve fiddling
    easy starting
    longer life for your model
    minimum support equipment needed at the flying field (all
        you need to take to the field is your model and a petrol can)
    light weight
    sheer power

If that doesn't cause some controversy - I give up:-)

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, Kay,
    
    Thanx for breaking the monotony, if nothig else.  The file's been a
    veritable morgue of late.  What's become of all our active noters, I
    wonder??
    
    As to acrylic lacquer finishes.  I've mentioned in 288, "Let Us Spray,"
    that I lately prefer acrylic lacquer as it has most of the attributes
    of dope with virtually none of the disadvantages.  However, the MA
    columnist was absolutely correct in recommendeing the use of a
    plasticizer...I use the stuff formerly from Southern R/C products,
    currently from Dave Brown Products.  Regarding "fish-eye killer," I
    haven't the foggiest notion what this might be...I can speculate as to
    its purpose but, having never experienced a problem with fish-eyeing, I
    don't see it as a necessity.
    
    Been awhile since I've rambled about weather, mostly because ours has
    monotonously constant...HOT!  However, it's noteworthy to mention that,
    in addition to the premature arrival and subsequent continuous presence
    of our monsoon season, we've actually been getting rain out of it
    regularly for the past month.  Why noteworthy, you may ask...well, it's
    rained heavily almost without a letup for the past 48-hours and the PNO
    plant manager sent everyone home yesterday just after lunch due to
    street flooding and closures and the resultant monumental traffic
    snarl.  This morning I fully expected a call telling us not to come in
    but, unfortunately, it never came though the weather, if anything, was
    worse than it was yesterday when we were sent home.  Currently, it's
    decreased to a slight drizzle but the sky's still ominous looking and
    more rain is forecast through tomorrow.  
    
    This probably doesn't sound like any big deal to you'uns back there but
    it's VERRRRRY unusual out here and, since the city wasn't built with
    excesses of precipitation in mind, continued, heavy rain wreaks havoc.
    Many neighborhoods and the homes therein are flooded with 3-to-4 feet
    of water and trying to drive almost anywhere is a real zoo.  Already,
    several fools who've ignored barricades and warnings to the contrary
    have tried to cross flooded [normally] dry washes and have had to be
    rescued when their vehicles were washed away by strong running waters. 
    Fortunately, no one's drowned yet but that usually happens too when we
    get one of these gully-washers!  BTW, while we've lagged behind our
    normal rainfall aaverages all year, we've more than doubled it in just
    the last week!!
    
    I'm glad to report that I'm still high and dry and expect to stay that
    way...I've never even seen water standing in the streets in my
    neighborhood but I've had as much as 6' of free standing water in my
    yard during the hardest downpours.  But, I haven't been totally
    unaffected either; a month ago, I had all the plastic vent covers on
    the roof of the motorhome destroyed by hail and, just a week ago, my
    entire back fence was blown down.  Fortunately, these are fairly minor
    events and they've already been taken care of during the break between
    the two most recent storms.
    
    The extended forecast includes possible thunderstorms through the end
    of the week so I may have to postpone practice flights on the MiG-3 as
    the local fields, Puckerbrush Intl. Airport in particular, may be
    inaccessabledue to unnegotiable access roads.  We'll just have to hide
    and watch....
    
    While there's a side benefit in the form of [much] lower than normal
    temperatures, the humidity is WAY up above 80% and I dread the
    temperatures getting hot again as it's gonna' be a muggy mess!  Oh well,
    just 6-8 weeks longer and we're back into our 8-month shirtsleeve season 
    and THIS cowpoke can't wait!!!!!!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Kay, the Colonel ,as he is affectionetly known (whats the mildly sarcastic smiley
face symbol?), is the scribe and newsletter editor for our club the PPRCC. This
is pretty much par for the course. He's highly opinionated and uses both MA
and our club newsletter as a soapbox from time to time. Two months ago it was
an editorial in our club rag about the evils of over-engining models. Came out
right after I had displayed a tiny bipe with a Super Tigre .75 bolted to the
nose. You just have to take some of what he says with a grain of salt. He's a
nice guy generally and anybody who'll put together a good newsletter on a
monthly basis for free goes in my good-guy column even if I don't agree with
his opinions all the time.

Randy

If so, that's the nicest description I've seen in a long while.

RE: Note 239.2139  KAY::FISHER "Stop and smell the balsa."              
    
>>>...They were talking about acrylic lacquer and said "This type of lacquer
>>>needs the addition of flex-all and fish-eye killer to all mixes for
>>>absolute world-class results...
>>>What is fish-eye killer?

    Some forms of contamination like the silicon often found in car waxes
    will cause dimples in the new paint job.  Fish-eye killer is an 
    additive which helps the paint bridge the contamination.  One little
    bottle contains a lifetime supply for a modeler.  As with a 
    flex-additive, you don't always need it, so its not premixed in the
    paint.  Some people routinely add some when repainting a car, and
    others don't bother unless they get in trouble.  
    
    As for any disadvantages, you'd have to ask a dealer who supplies paint
    to the body shops.  Those guys are a wealth of information on how to
    correct all kinds of possible problems in a paint job.

Yes I had brought my Panic for Show-n-tell and in the next newsletter was the
article on the evils of too much go.

> If so, that's the nicest description I've seen in a long while.

Are you referring to my description of the Panic or of Jack DeVries?

I don't know Jack so that might be true also ;^)

(I'm about to drag my Panic back out again after flying other things)

    More about ignition engines:
    
    I've had a few of'em - Ohlsson, GHQ, Syncro, O.K., Sky Chief,
    Dooling, etc. (darn, never had a Super Cyclone), and believe 
    me, the GLOW PLUG was devoutly welcomed.
    
    All of those advantages mentioned certainly must be flavored
    with a little 'tongue in cheek'.....although, you know.......
    it's all in your point of view !
    
    
    I've had a real hankerin' lately to try my hand at it again.
    So much so that I've ordered a reproduction 'Super Cyke' -
    always dreamed of owning one of those.  Gonna' hang it 'real
    proud like' in the nose of a "Spook".  Always wanted one of
    those too!  (It'll be RC assist-R.,E.,Th.).
    
    Actually, once you get the hang of it, ignition is real simple.
    I never had a problem startin'em etc.  Yes, there's more fussin',
    glop, (in spite of comments to the contrary), and 'phernalia -- 
    but they run real smooth and can swing huge hunks of lumber!
    
    Delivery of the 'Cyke' is not expected until next spring - about
    the time the Spook will be ready.  You can be sure I'll keep you
    posted.  I'm really looking forward to this nostalgia trip.
    
    (The Spook is that severely gull-winged cabin job, 72" span, that
    was a real contest winner in its day, ca. '40's)
    
    O.T. John

    Kay, as Bob says, silicone in the culprit in "fish-eye". In the
    electronics industry you find it everywhere; insulation in capacitor
    cans, mold release in all manner of parts, frequently a component in
    wire insulation, etc, etc. The bad part of silicone, particularly when
    used as a mold release, you really can't clean it off with solvent,
    only spread it thinner.  In a prior job we made a lot of rack-mounted
    instrumentation and despite degreasing, etc, we used to have a terrible
    time with "fish-eye" on front panels.  That is, until we learned to
    add a very small amount of silicone oil to the paint.
    
    Chuck
    

I don't know about u'uns but I'm an avid prop-tip painter.
Started off with scratching a little red on the tip; now I'm into
red/white/blue tips.

I do have some things to contribute though... Firstly, I've tried
several paints and I've found that good ol' Pactra plastic model
enamel is as good as any.  The prop is out in front and doesn't
get the fuel, and the paint covers in one coat, is shiny, and
bright, and it cleans up easy.  Here's the Real Genius though...I
paint the BACKS of the prop with day-glow yellow.  Great idea
huh?  Ain't I smart?  Neat stuff! 

Now some joker is gonna try to take me down a notch by
wisecracking about how short a life my props have.  Pooh to you!

    RE: .-1, John,
    
    Why the day-glow yellow?  Is this to make the prop more visible when
    viewed from behind and help keep fingers/knuckles out'a the prop while
    adjusting needle valve??  Inquiring minds wanna' know.....
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Well sir, I'm sure you've been at this game so long that you
don't have any fingers left.  But it is indeed for us clumbsy
long-fingered types who don't know instinctively were the prop
is.  Works great too.  BTW the glow color I use is made for
model rockets, comes in red-orange and yellow.  The yellow is
easier to see and less obtrusive.

Anybody still remember puce and chartruse?

    Paint front half of prop, say, red-orange and the back half, say,
    yellow.
    
    The reason for this is for us learner types to tell which way the
    aircraft is facing in flight. Thus, if all you see is a red-orange
    propellor tip circle, then you know the aircraft is heading toward you,
    else if its yellow, you know its heading away from you.
    
    Angus

    Re: last-2
    
    John,  Nope!  Hate to disappoint'cha but I still have all muh' digits,
    though they're well adorned with the cicatrices of countless #11 X-Acto
    cuts.  Messin' with gas-powered models nigh onto 40-years, I learned
    quite early the folly of matching flesh 'n bone against a whirling wood
    or plastic buzz-saw!!  Worse fileting I ever received was from an OK
    Cub .049 diesel but it wasn't from getting _hit_ by the prop...it was
    the relust of the prop sticking dead at max compression as I flipped
    it, my fingers thence sliding along the length of the plastic blade,
    laying my fingers open as though I'd purposely slid them under pressure
    along a butcher knife blade.  When I ran out of fingers, I canned the
    engine and never fooled with it again!  That's why I have an aversion
    to the Davis Diesel conversions...I determined my problem, those many
    years ago, was bad fuel, i.e. the ether content was low (evaporated), a
    particular problem here in [normally] hot 'n dry Phoenix.  Therefore, I
    have no desire to fuddle with fuels containing ether.
    
    Angus,  I don't know whether the colored prop would be readily visible
    in flight.  Maybe, but I wouldn't depend on it being a reliable way to
    determine which'a way the aircraft is heading.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Well, having the expertise in losing my T60 at distances approaching a
    few light years, I'll say the prop painting scheme will fail when
    theory is put to practise. Here is why.
    
    1. At distances where you expect to see the [dim] prop colour, you'll
    be able to make out the orientation of the a/c anyway.
    
    2. Sooo, you really want to make out which way the plane is heading
    when it is faaar away. At such distances, the entire model looks black
    [silhouette], so the even tinier prop has nary a chance. One exception
    to the rule is when the model is close, but being flown against the
    sun, in which case, the model still appears devoid of colour [black],
    and you won't know the heading of the a/c.
    
    You are best off giving, say left aileron, and watching which wing tip
    drops. Left wing tip dropping sez the model was heading away, and
    vice-versa. Usually, by the time you get worried about this, the a/c is
    fast becoming a speck (or refusing to "un" speck :-)), so your
    immediate concern is to bring home the baby. To continue, if the left
    wing tip dropped, I would complete a 180 deg turn, level out, and wait
    out the agonising "hours" for the return to base. If right wing tip
    dropped, I immediately neutralise (i.e. level wings) and wait.
    
    Left-right orientation given wrt pilot on ground, facing a/c.
    
    ajai
    
    ajai

Well, as one who has lost orientation many times, the first thing
I do is add power and give the stick up for a climb, then
I go right stick and see if I get a right or left turn.  The
reason for the climbing turn is because of the rattlesnake Eaglet
I used to own: it headed for the ground nose first every time I
tried to turn it without elevator.  Also, I found that up was
safest because, especially as a novice, its hard to determine
what the actual altitude of the plane was when its out that far.

I agree with you though on the color being hard to see at that
distance, though its worth a try -- if you can stand all the
guffaws in the pits!  Be surprised at how bright that dayglow
stuff is, though it does depend heavily on the sun striking it
(being at your back, which is where it should be anyway).

I've also marked the bottom of my transmitter with yellow dayglow
(small stripes) and the trim levers too.  Both for identification
on the rack, and in the case of the trims, because I took off
recently with a trim lever bumped and had a bit of a time the
first few minutes.  I notice the the dayglow right away as
opposed to the black on black of the unpainted levers. 

    Monday morning wake up joke:
    
    Q : What's the difference between a good pilot and a bad pilot ?
    
    A : A good pilot breaks ground and flies into the wind.
    

    "ACES"
    
    Since contributors to these notefiles have had some comments
    recently concerning WWII aces, I thought I'd add to it all
    with something I've just located in a May, 1983 issue of 
    "Air Classics", excerpts from an article entitled: The
    Unknown Ace.
    
    Overshadowed by Dick Bong and confused with other Johnsons,
    Jerry Johnson scored 22 victories, yet he remains relatively
    unknown.
    
    Second among the leading aces of the 49th Fighter Group, 5th AF,
    Gerald R. Johnson was often to find his exploits in the air over-
    shadowed by the groups top ace, Dick Bong.  Furthermore, he had 
    another problem, there were two other top scoring aces with the
    name Johnson, Gerald W., and Robert S.
    
    Jerry first encountered the enemy when he was assigned to the 57th
    Fighter Group, 11th AF, operating in the Aleutians.  Jerry flew 58
    missions in P-39's and P-40's, under horrendous conditions.  At least
    two of Jerry's claims were not counted because no one could see the
    action in those murky skies.
    
    He was eventually reassigned to Australia where he joined Bong,
    McGuire, and the P-38.  Also active in the area at this time was
    another ace, Tommy Lynch.  Jerry's first kill with the P-38 was,
    ironically, another twin engine fighter, the Japanese "Nick".
    (anybody know much about that one?, I don't).
    
    The article goes on top describe some more kills, and interestingly,
    while the unit operated out of Luzon, the P-38's proved to be a
    devastating ground support weapon in the battle to get Formosa.
    They were particularly effective in laying down rolling waves of
    napalm, so much so that the 100 enemy airfields on Formosa were
    rendered useless, and an invasion was deemed unnecessary.
    
    When the war ended in Aug.,'45, Jerry Johnson was assigned base
    Commander at the occupied Atsugi Airbase, in Atsugi (just outside
    of Tokyo)
    
    [Aside: This writer just learned this as I read the article, I just
    missed meeting Jerry, as I was assigned to Atsugi in Nov.,'45, as a
    shiny new Infantry 2nd Lt. - Gawd that were a long time ago!]
    
    On Oct.7, Jerry took off in a B-17, into the teeth of a raging typhoon
    where they had to ditch.  Jerry made the crew jump, but being short
    1 parachute, gave his chute away, and elected to go in with the ship.
    
    Sometime later, Lt. Gen. G.C. Kenney, commander of the 5th, met 
    Jerry's father. "You are the father of the bravest man I ever knew
    and the bravest thing he ever did was the last thing, when he did
    not need to be brave"
    
                      - - - - - - - - - -
    
    There are many of us "Grunts" who deeply admired, and devoutly
    loved those brave and daring jocks that brought those monster
    machines right down on the deck.  I never saw the P-38's in
    action, but did see what Mustangs, and "crazy" marines in
    Corsairs could do !   Awesome isn't a big enough word.
    
    john

    Well, the storms finally broke up and left the valley area last
    Wednesday leaving the remainder of the week with very nice weather.  I
    went over to Bob Frey's Friday night and we recharged the Hydra-Lok
    system with A/C compressor oil, bled and tested the retracts...every-
    thing was go.  But, we BS'ed way past midnight so we postponed our
    flying session 'til Sunday, not wanting to endure the early get-up 
    required for a Saturday session.
    
    We arrived at Puckerbrush Int'l. Airport about 6:30 Sunday AM and found
    the way in dry but much rougher than usual as the string of recent 
    thunderstorms had eroded the roads away.  But, the runway looked great,
    flat and smooth as if paved with asphalt.  I assembled the MiG, checked
    everything out, then fired the O.S .60 which snarled to life for the
    first time since last JAnuary's Masters Qualifier.
    
    The takeoff was straight and clean and, with a flick of the switch, the
    wheels tucked neatly into the wing.  A pass or two to fine-tune the
    trims and I began my contest routing.  After a maneuver or two, the
    "lurkies" vanished, I relaxed and began really enjoying the flight.  The
    ship was solid, smooth and reassuring and I'd have taken the flight in
    competition.
    
    Completing the maneuvers, I ran back through the slow, 2-point and
    4-point rolls then pitched out for landing.  The gear came down
    normally (always comforting to see) and I dialed in full flaps as I
    flew the approach.  Rolling onto final and began my descent.  I
    deliberately kept the ship in towards me to avoid getting into the
    bushes on the far edge of the runway but this turned out to be a
    mistake.
    
    I failed to note a slight crosswind that'd come up directly at my back. 
    As the ship slowed up, the crosswind pushed the tail out/nose in and I
    was dialing in left rudder even before the wheels kissed on.  The
    touchdown was perfect but Chuck shouted the alarm and only then did I
    realize I was too close in and the ship was angling off the runway
    towards a large puckerbush.  The tail was still up so the tailwheel was
    ineffective but the speed wasn't high enough for the full left rudder
    to counteract the crosswind so I watched helplessly as the MiG
    centerpunched the bush!  Man, was I PO'd!!
    
    Retrieving the bird, I noted with disgust that the leading edge of both
    wings was all barked up and further inspection revealed a myriad of
    little scrapes and dings!  Arrrrrrrrrrgh!!!  I did NOT want to have any
    touch up to do before the Masters but now I was faced with [probably] a
    week of evenings to repair the cosmetic damage.  Even the plywood
    tailwheel mounting platform was broken free when the tail slammed down
    following the sudden stop.  The bird stopped quickly enough to double
    up the clunk in the tank if that tells you anything.
    
    I was so mad at myself I could'a spit but I wanted to fly more and
    would have except for the broken tailwheel which really needs to be
    fixed in the shop.  Also, I needed to inspect for shifted equipment,
    stressed wiring/connectors before flying again so my day was finished
    after a 15-minute flight.  NUTZZZ!!!
    
    But, except for going to sleep a bit on my heading at landing, it _had_
    been an excellent flight and I felt good about that so I'll just have
    to keep reminding myself of that as I repair and touch up the dings this 
    week.  Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)
    

I just got back from two weeks of vacation in Upper Michigan. Like last year,
I took advantage of the fact that BALSA USA is down the street from my in-laws
and got some building done. This year I built a plane called an Artic Tern. It's
a .25 sized high wing stand off scale model of a bush plane manufactured up 
in Alaska. Take a look at the DEC. 1989 issue of RCM if you're interested in 
what it looks like. I've got the plane ready for covering with the exception 
of some carving that needs to be done on the cowling. Looks pretty good so far.

While I was at Balsa USA I got a chance to see their new 1/3 scale Cub. Boy is 
it a monster. It must stand about 18 inches high at the wing. I guess if you 
own a compact car and buy one of these you'll have to tow it to the field 
because there's no way it will fit in the car. I got to wondering about the
note in the ad to call them about the scale documentation so I dropped by
the Menominee County airport for a look see. Sure enough, there's a clasic
yellow cub sitting  outside of one of the hangars. Dumb me didn't bring a 
camera along on the trip so I missed an opportunity to get some pictures of it.
The Cub wasn't that big of a deal but what really hurt was Helstrom Helicopter
is also located on the field an they had their new turbine powered chopper 
sitting on the ramp where I could have gotten some pictures of it.

I did remember to bring along my Concept 30 so I got some flying in at the 
local RC field. Nice place, they have about 4 acres of grass in the middle of
about 80 acres of open land. Dues are $20 a year and there are around 35 
members. Lots of Balsa USA ships as you'd suppose but also a lot of Walt Mocha
(sp) designes as well. It turns out Walt use to work for Balsa USA and split
off on his own. I never noticed the Menominee address in his ads. The local 
RC'ers are tickled pink about having two places to buy stuff now. One guy 
pointed out to me that Walt was a great fellow to deal with because unlike Balsa
which is strictly business, Walt loves to talk and is very likely to have you 
pull up a chair, offer you a beer, and chat for a couple of hours if he's not 
busy.

The two weeks went by all too fast but as a night cap to make the trip home (9.5
hours) a little better I got to take along a couple of old Comet rubber power
kits that were sitting in my father-in-law's basement collecting dust for the 
past twenty years. The first kit is a Spitfire and is in prety good shape. The
second kit had been started 20 years ago  by one of my brother-in-laws and needs
some patching before it can be finished. Its worth a little work since its a 
Douglas A-26 Invader. I'd have never gone out and bought something like this 
but I sure am happy to have to have that big twin bomber.


                                           

    Dan, can you enlighten us on the quality, construction, ease of
    building, etc. of the Balsa Cub.  I would like to read your opinion of
    this kit!
    
    Regards, 
    
    Ollie

    Yea, Walt Moccha is a great guy...  Actually, I was under the
    impression that he used to own Balsa-USA but it got too big for his 
    liking....
    
    Walt is an *avid* WWI enthusiast.  He attends Rhinebeck EVERY year, 
    including the year his house burned down....  He left for Rhinebeck
    just a few days later, figuring there wasn't much more he could do
    at home...
    
    Walt and Nick Ziroli are even better together...  Always willing to
    talk and have fun.  Good people!
    
    cheers
    jeff
    

    Re: .-1, Jeff,
    
    You must be right about Nick Ziroli.  He was at Top Gun flying one of
    his B-25's in Team Scale and he came right up to me out of the blue and
    began complimenting me on the MiG-3; said he'd always liked my model
    (though I'm not sure where he might've seen it before except in
    magazines) and was anxious to see it fly.  I was sorry things worked
    out the way they did and I was unable to show it off in the air for
    him.  At any rate, I was really impressed by the apparent warmth of the
    guy and wish he had something I wanna' build so I could patronize him a
    bit.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

RE:-.2
I wish I could tell you more about the Cub, but I didn't take a close look 
at it. The fuselage was sitting on the floor behind the receptionist/order 
handler and the wings were sitting in Ron ?????'s (the owner) office. However,
I',m sure it can't be to far off the mark from their proven 1/4 scale Cub so
you might want to talk to someone who's owned one like Kevin Ladd.

    This note might be better off elsewhere, but I was in here and decided
    to end a long period of silence.  I'm one of those noters who basically
    has enough time to read all the new notes, but VERY little time to type
    in replies. (I guess that makes me a read-only noter)  However, my
    enthusiasm is overflowing today, and I've just got to spill it out.
    
    I've been learning to fly since April using a CG Eagle2 with OS 40 FP,
    and have had about 35 flights.  Last week I bought a new OS 46 SF and
    put it in the Eagle2, and boy, did that ever make a difference. 
    Completely transformed the performance.  At any rate, last night I got
    a little cocky, and decided I wanted to finally do a take off.  So far
    I've had my instructor do all the take-offs and landings while I
    concentrated on learning the basics.  Actually, last week, I did bring
    the plane down during one low pass approach, but that was something I
    did at the last minute, and it was something of a milestone because it
    was the first time.  But I still hadn't taken off.
    
    Well, as I said, I got a little cocky and decided to take off myself,
    with instructor by my side.  First attempt was terrible, I almost put
    it into a group of trees, and was only saved from disaster by a
    quick-acting instructor (thanks Jeff) who grabbed the xmtr and made a
    few panic turns to avert disaster.  Well, I wasn't going to let a
    mistake stop me, so again I tried, with a very similar type of
    right-turn, squirrily take off that looked for a minute like it was
    going into the trees.  But with the new 46, it had enough power to give
    me a chance to nurse it over the trees and up and away.  Whew!!  Just
    made it!
    
    I did a few approaches at low power, and getting my bravery up once
    again, decided to bring it in for a landing.  Pretty good approach,
    speed right, a little high...how about just a little down elevator
    #@*&%$#.  BIG mistake, I dorked it.  The wing popped off (love those
    rubber bands), landing gear slightly bent, but other than that, my
    birds OK.  
    
    Although what I just described wasn't very pretty at all, it was my
    FIRST solo flight!!!!  (Waiting for the applause).  Folks, I'm
    absolutely hooked now, and I wanted to share this tender moment with
    all of you who have been a major part of my education and enjoyment of
    this hobby for the past 8 months.  And many thanks to Glen Schrader my
    very first instructor, Mike Stains who has given me over 30 flights,
    and lately Jeff Fredricks who talked me through my first solo flight.
    
    Regards,
    Joe

    Joe, here is a suggestion that you should first talk over with your
    insturctor which is pointing the nose up just a little to bleed off
    your air speed (this is the quickest way down without picking up air
    speed).  Otherwise, if you point the nose down excessive airspeed
    causes the plane to "float" forever.
    
    Sounds like on your take offs a little left rudder would prevent the
    plane from going to the right and causing all this trouble.  Can you
    trim in left rudder on your take offs and then concentrate on just
    giving up evelator?
    
    Also, sound like you have really lucked out by having some very good
    instructors!!!
    
    Regards,
    
    Ollie

Congratulations Joe. It's been a while since we've gotten together, let's set 
something up. That first solo flight is always pretty tense so if you got 
the plane back then you did good.

Happy flying,

Glenn

    Anyone have a spare Tower 1990 catalog they can snail mail me?????
    
    My son decided to take mine back to Vegas with him.
    
    Steve Smith
    HLO2-2/C07

    Re: .2163, Joe,
    
    Lemme' add my congratulations.  That first solo is always a thrill
    that's never quite duplicated ever again.  As you already have learned
    the hard way, never, NEVER, repeat, N E V E R use down elevator to try
    to force the plane down on landing!
    
    As you found out, down elevator takes all-of-a-sudden and you seldom
    have time enough to get the nose back up before dorking it.  I tell my
    students to forget that down elevator even exists 'til much after solo;
    to use varying degrees of up but NEVER, EVER use down as it reacts
    differently (much quicker) and, as Ollie points out, doesn't buy you
    anything anyway.  Had you gotten away with it, you'd have decreased
    yer' altitude but increased yer' airspeed and (most likely) drifted
    right over the field into the puckerbrush anyway.
    
    The best thing to do when landing approach is too high (for right now
    while yer' a fledgling) is power up and go around...be picky and
    _don't_ land unless yer' happy with the approach.  Besides making for
    better landings, this conditions you to recognize a good approach and
    teaches you to put the airplane where _you_ want it.  Good luck in yer'
    further flying/learning.
						 __
       				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Yes - contratulations Joe.  Now you're well on your way in the hobby.
    The next thing you have to do is somehow resist the temptation to
    build a P51 as your next plane.

    Back on the topic of Rambling a bit.
    At a recent glider contest they were giving Lee Renaud memorial
    metals for prizes.  When Jim Tyre won his he remarked how it was
    special because he knew Lee.  

    OK - I'm guilty - I have one of these metals in my office from
    a fun fly and I don't know anything about Lee Renaud.

    Can somebody tell us about this fellow?  Where was he from
    and what types of models did he build and fly?  What was his
    area of expertise?  Isn't there a Renaud in Airtronics management?
    Any relation?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################
    

    As my instructor, the infamous Charlie Watt told me, the secret
    to a good takeoff is a good takeoff roll, and the secret to a good
    landing is a good approach. As Al stated, if your approach isn't
    good, go around and try again. You have enough to do without worrying
    about making all kinds of corrections just to hit the field. A little
    common sense, determination, and PRACTICE will have you greasing
    them in before you know it.
    
    SOLO......It's a great feeling isn't it?????
    
    Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Steve

    re .2168
    
    Lee Renaud was the founder of Airtronics. He designed all their
    glider kits, through the Sagitta. He died about 6-10 years ago,
    I think. His son now runs the company. His wife Mary (?) also has
    a hand in it. BTW the Legend is supposed to be available in Sept.
    
    re .2156
    
    The "Nick" built by Kawasaki as the Horyu, was a twin radial engine
    heavy fighter. Two place, long greenhouse, similar to Me-110. Single
    fin, pointed nose. Nice looking airplane as were most of the Japanese
    twin engine fighters; and there were quite a few different models
    too, but most were built in limited numbers later in the war as
    anti-B-29 weapons. About 1380+ Nicks were built and saw service
    in many S. Pacific areas.
    
    Terry
    

    This is my first note in this conference after having gone through it
    fairly thoroughly.
    It's pure gold.
    My modeling days started in Africa way back when I was knee-high to a 
    sparrow. As most of you have done I went through Kites, rubber, rubber
    duration, scale, first powered free flights, Control line, and my first
    radio!, donated by a friend of my father's.
    
    It was an old ED Remote control. Tx was a red wrinkle-enamel finish 
    aluminium box about 10"x10"x10". About 9' of tubular aluminium antenna 
    stuck vertically out the side of the box and 12' of twin multicore wire with
    a pushbotton was fed into the box through a grommet.
    The Tx. needed 22.5v, 6v and if I remember correctly a 1.5v source for
    the "heaters" in the valves.
    
    The Rx. was housed in a clear perspex (now very yellow with age) box.
    Single valve driven, one relay with a bunch of other gubbins. Two power
    supplies. Motive power for the rudder was a rubber powered "bang-bang"
    escapment that needed careful winding before each fright (pun intended)
    and careful "resource management" (don't run out of turns!)
    
    Control sequencing was:
    Push (on the botton) and release - rudder left. (actually it did not
    matter if you released or not. The rudder stayed left, you just used
    more battery if you held the control)
    
    Push and release again - rudder neutral
    
    Push and release again - rudder right  etc. etc.
    It worked after a fashion.
    
    From there to an OS Pixie radio and soo on. Let me hasten to add here
    that although the ED radio gear was out of the very early fifties as 
    I remember, I was flying it in the late fifties and early sixties. 
    We in Africa (Zimbabwe)  -  suffer from stunted growth since
    development at all levels is about 10 to 15 years behind Europe and the
    USA.
    
    The other thing is that most of our kit were from the UK, Keil Kraft,
    ED, Mills, Mecury  ad infinitum...
    Then the reeds started arriving from the USA.
    
    Anyway to cut a long story square, I was reminiscing with some
    colleagues here in Valbonne on the French Riviera, about the great
    times that we had building the former, stringer, tissue rubber powered 
    and jetex (remember the Jetex 50, 150, and scorpion motors?) kits, that 
    never flew well but gave us so much pleasure building.
    The upshot is that we would like to locate some of these kits or
    similar and see if we can do a better job on them now than we did then.
    
    Noter .2158 mentioned this topic and the Comet range. As a follow-on to
    that can anybody help locate sources for us? USA or UK.
    
    Thanks - I shall now register in the conference. 
    
         regards  George Frost.
                                                                      

    Welcome aboard, George,
    
    I knew right off you we're one of our UK friends for yer' use of the
    word "valve" for what us yanks always called [vacuum] "tubes."  BTW,
    what're "gubbins?"  Is that what we refer to as gizmos, doo-dads,
    what-nots, et al, ad-infinitum?
    
    Interesting bio you gave us.  Sounds like you got into radio
    considerably before I did.  I started with a 4-channel F&M proportional
    in ~'63 and, then, after learning propr, reverted and fooled with some
    single-channel and even taught a guy to fly on 8-channel reeds (after
    teaching myself to fly it first).
    
    As to Comet kits, to the best of my knowledge, these are still around,
    essentially unchanged except for the addition of plastic props and new,
    eye-grabbing packaging.  Of course, the prices have changed radically
    too.  A Comet Sparky kit I used to buy for $.50 back in the 1950's now
    sells for $5.00! :B^(  Some of the larger U.S. based mail-order houses
    should be able to provide any of the long line of Comet rubber powered
    sport and scale kits.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Thanks Al, both for the welcome and the Comet data. 
    
    Yes gubbins are exactly as you describe - although not too well known 
    even in the British punkah wallah. (tongue).

    A few weeks ago, I repeated a word of mouth story I'd heard about the
    descovery of the sunken wreckage of the U.S. Navy airship Macon.
    
    Well, it's true.  I just read an article on this subject in the current
    issue od Air Classics.  The Macon went down within sight of land just
    off Point Sur on the northern California coast.  A flight of
    4-Sparrowhawks had just been taken aboard when one of the airship's
    stabilizing fins broke loose and damaged the envelope.  According to
    the accident board's findings, the crew over-reacted by releasing too
    much ballast which caused the ship to rise to over a mile in altitude
    when it was designed to operate at 2800' and below.  The increased
    altitude caused automatic compensation valves to release gas from the
    cells and the airship headed down with too little remaining gas to
    produce neutral buoyancy when lower altitudes/higher pressures were
    encountered.  The ship mushed into the water gently enough for all but
    two of the 84-man crew to escape.
    
    The wreckage was discovered this past June in 500' of water by the Navy 
    salvage sub, "Deep Cliff."  The discovery was made after it was determined 
    that underwater currents had drifted the sinking airship north of the crash
    site rather than south as the surface currents indicated.  Two of the
    four Sparrohawks aboard at the time of the crash have been discovered
    in the wreckage and are said to be in excellent condition.  Studies are
    being conducted to determine the actual condition prior to launching a
    recovery operation to raise the tweo rare little biplane fighters. 
    Nothing was said about the other two aircraft but I'd have to guess
    they lie somewhere on the bottom between the crash site and the final
    resting place of the huge airship's wreckage.
    
    The loss of the Macon signalled the end of the airship program in the
    US as it closely followed the crash of the Shenendoah which claimed the
    lives of 77 crewmen.  I certainly hope they're able to raise and
    restore those Sparrowhawks as a tribute and memorial to the age when
    sailors went aloft in these lighter than air, steel and fabric giants. 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Ok, it's like this. I spent last weekend driving 938 miles. I rode
    a diesel-hydraulic train for 3 hours, to 14,110 ft., and back. I
    rode an authentic old time steam engine (built in 1936 by Henschel).
    I got ahold of a pair of the strangest looking chili rellenos I've
    ever seen, at a so-called "Mexican" restaurant in Colo. Springs.
    Then I'm expected to drive out to the PPSS contest on sunday morning
    and put everyone on the trailer. I did (drive out there,that is).
    The first thing I see is Mark Antrys shorts ! Arrrggghhh !
    After all that, what do you expect? That I take last place in the
    open class ? D*mn right I did, and proud of it!
    Actually we had a good time, and with only 21 entrants from Ks.
    Colo. , Tenn., N.M. and Germany, how could you have a more motely
    crue , er crew.
    Bernd finished very high in the novice class, 2nd I think, flying a
    borrowed Oly, the perfect choice for the high winds.
    I popped off the line twice, flexing towhook, then broke a control
    horn and was allowed to switch to my backup which should have been
    my primary, and got in one halfway decent flight.
    7 1/2 hours later I was back in Albq. wondering if it was all a
    dream. Still haven't decided.
    
    Terry
    

    A note of congratulations is due.  Our own Kevin Ladd and Kay Fisher
    got their pictures in Model Aviation this month.  Turn to the
    District-I VP's report on page 125 and you'll see a picture of Kevin
    and his Baker P-47D, "Little Demon."  Just below, you'll also see a pic
    of KAy's Berliner-Joyce P-16 sitting alongside Charlie Nelson's Waco...
    the pic ain't the greatest but, hey!, any press is better than _no_
    press they say.  I haven't read the text as yet but the pix apparently
    came from a 495th Squadron scale show of some sort some months back. 
    Actually, the event must've taken place _before_ last March as Kay
    brought his B-J to Phoenix for our 1/8 AF Spring Scale Fly-In and tore
    it up in a deadstick landing in the puckerbrush.  Since he never
    repaired the model (boo-hiss, Kay), the 495th event _had_ to've occurred 
    prior to March 1990.
    
    Congrat's to both of ya's, guys!  And, Kevin, though yer' being
    exceedingly quiet I _know_ yer' making preparations and I expect to see
    ya' at the Masters Champs in Dallas in just over 3-weeks.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    Actually, the event must've taken place _before_ last March as Kay
>    brought his B-J to Phoenix for our 1/8 AF Spring Scale Fly-In and tore
>    it up in a deadstick landing in the puckerbrush.  Since he never
>    repaired the model (boo-hiss, Kay), the 495th event _had_ to've occurred 
>    prior to March 1990.

I don't recall exactly when the event happened but I did repair and
fly one of the BJ's since Phoenix at the 495th Tewksbury Scale Fly In.
That is when I landed hot and it ballooned up after and stalled in.

I plan one last repair to retire it in my office.  It (they) has been to
Phoenix twice, two Scale qualifiers (Westover and Philly), 3 scale fly
ins (Tewksbury, Hadley, and Salisbury), two static shows (495th and
N.Y. RAM show.  It has won two trophies, had a 5 page article in RC Scale
Modeler, and the small picture in Model Aviation this month.  Granted
it hasn't had nearly the flight time of models owned by better flyers
but all in all I am going to quit while I'm ahead on this one.

Also in the Oct-1990 Model Aviation.

Another thing worth looking at after you check out Kevin's beautiful
P-47 in the District I news is the Soaring (page 44) and Slope Soaring 
(PAGE 50) columns.

If you have never had an interest in gliders and never will - check
out this month's columnS anyway.  They have some absolutely outrageous
scale planes.  I don't want to say anymore and spoil the surprise.  
You don't even have to read - just look at the pictures - unbelievable!

Also - I was really impressed with the compressed air plane on Page 91.
Anyone care to share some comments on this.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Kay, Sorry 'bout the mis-info I passed out; I'd forgotten you'd
    repaired, flown and re-crashed the B-J after Phoenix.  Also, if it
    sounded like I ewas demeaning you, I apologize...that was not my
    intention.  Of the two B-J's you built, can't you "paste" the
    poorest/weakest components together for yer' office display and keep
    one B-J flying?  BTW, I agree entirely that you've gotten a pretty good
    ride with yer' very first scale effort(s).  Good goin'!
    
    As to the weird/outrageous models featured in the two soaring columns
    of this month's M.A., I have to let the cat out'a the bag on just one
    count because that guy static displayed the A6 Intruder at Top Gun in
    April.  Lemme' tell ya's that it's even bigger than it appears in the
    pix.  When I heard he was planning to slope-soar it, I thought this guy
    was some sort'a looney and the little men in white couldn't be far off. 
    Just goes ta' show ya', eh...??  BTW, I have some pix shot by Dan
    Parsons of the powered versions of this ship built for/used in the
    filming of the movie, Flight of the Intruder.
    
    Regarding yer' request fer' comments on the compressed-air plane, it
    looks like a flying pop-bottle ta' me.  I'm sure it'll appeal to some
    but it shore' don't do nuthin' fer' this here cowpoke!  ;b^)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    repaired, flown and re-crashed the B-J after Phoenix.  Also, if it
>    sounded like I ewas demeaning you, I apologize...that was not my
>    intention.  Of the two B-J's you built, can't you "paste" the

No apology necessary - I never read deep evil meaning into notes.
Alot of missunderstandings come about because somebody thinks your tone
of voice is wrong in a note.  I've had several occasions when people
thought I was angry with them when in fact I was not.  In my case this
is mostly because I am not nearly as gifted a writer as you so I don't
do nearly as good a job of converting thoughts into words.

>    poorest/weakest components together for yer' office display and keep
>    one B-J flying?  BTW, I agree entirely that you've gotten a pretty good

I could but I won't.  Too many hours to just get it flying.  Lots more
hours to maintain.  Besides I really have the hots to finish the three
projects in my input queue.

>    Just goes ta' show ya', eh...??  BTW, I have some pix shot by Dan
>    Parsons of the powered versions of this ship built for/used in the
>    filming of the movie, Flight of the Intruder.

I wouldn't mind having an 8x10 of those turkeys throwing the 1/5 scale
intruder over the cliff.
    
>    Regarding yer' request fer' comments on the compressed-air plane, it
>    looks like a flying pop-bottle ta' me.  I'm sure it'll appeal to some
>    but it shore' don't do nuthin' fer' this here cowpoke!  ;b^)

Huh - guess I'm the odd one here but I sure have a compelling desire
to try one.  Transparent cylinder head, Piston with no wrist pin,
one pump per foot of altitude, etc.  Sounds fun to me.
What do you think about the little pressure warning device he
had hooked to his foot pump?  I've never heard of one of these before.
Where can we get them?  Price?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, Kay,
    
    I hadn't read the article on the compressed-air plane, probably
    wouldn't have but will now to see about the pressure device you
    mention.  Yer' taste in airplanes really runs to the weird side,
    don't it, amigo...??!  ;b^)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    The Las Vegas meet in October promises a treat to those of you who have
    not seen the superb SAAB twin turboprop intercity built by the Wild
    familly of Switzerland.
    
    I have pics and a building article on this monster if anybody is
    interested. It is amazing to see husband and wife fitting themselves
    into their home to accomodate the model!
    
    	regards George Frost
    

        Re:                     <<< Note 239.2171 by ULYSSE::FROST >>>

        George,
        
                Where in  Africa,  and when?  I spent 7 years in Joh'burg
        from  1848  to    1955  and  4  years  in  Tanzania  (Iringa  and
        Daressalaam) from 1963 to 1967!
        
        Anker

Well - It's official - I have non-refundable airlines tickets to Dallas.
I'll get to wear my 1/8 Air Force shirt once again - this time as Kevin
Ladd's pit snake.  

It was easy - Kevin's wife Sue convinced my wife to go and this trip
doesn't even count against my model airplane credits!

Won't have much time to do anything in Dallas except see the Masters
but Al Casey promised that every body would get to meet the Dallas
Cowboys cheerleaders!

I just checked my Museum list and Harlingen is the place to be but it's
a long long way from Dallas/Ft. Worth.

There are two in Fort Worth but they appear to be mostly jets.

If I have a free day (will I?) what should I do in Dallas?

I don't suppose they would be willing to have a Vikings/Cowboys
game on my schedule?

Now let's see - what do I need to bring?  Cowboy hat, boots, slim jims...

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, Anker...*WOW!* You were in Africa from 1848 'til 1955?  That's
    107 years!  I knew you was pretty ancient, but....... ;b^}
    
    We had a pretty weird weekend here in Phoenix this weekend.  Saturday
    was pretty normal but very humid as our seemingly endless monsoon
    season continues.  Sunday, it rained in the early AM and water stood
    everywhere on our 1 1/2 hour drive to visit my parents and my brother
    up in Prescott, AZ.  We drove through several small showers on the way
    home also but nothing to write home about.  
    
    But last evening about 4:30PM, all Hell broke loose;  we got almost 4"
    of rain in about 3-hours of steady, sometimes violent, thunderstorms. 
    A tornado was officially reported as touching down just a coupla' miles
    west of Chuck Collier's house but it touched down in a vacant/open area
    so there was no reported damage.  However, a golfer was struck by
    lightning and killed during the height of the storm.  Today's forecast 
    predicts more of the same.  We were almost 2" over our annual rainfall 
    average _before_ this last storm so we must be significantly over it now.  
    Gettin' pretty boring for this here _desert_ rat!  If this keeps up,
    I'll haf'ta change my personal name to "The Swamp Rat."
    
    Anyhow, between the storms, we managed to get a little flying in.  I
    took the MiG-3 out yesterday AM, meeting Chuck and arriving at the Sun
    Valley Fliers field just after 7:00 AM.  The air was perfect with just
    a breath of a breeze right down the runway.  I wasted no time taking
    advantage of the ideal conditions and got three great flights in before
    8:00 while Chuck did the same with his Staggerwing.  We both had just
    great days; my takeoffs were arrow-straight right down the centerline,
    the maneuvers were crisp and precise and the landings as near perfect
    "grease-jobs" as I can make.
    
    Soon, the regulars began showing up, the skies became crowded with
    sport and pattern jobs so we cleaned up our ships and spectated for an
    hour or two.  A fellow had a giant Byron Corsair with a Sachs-Dolmar
    4.2ci mounted to a Byron Purr-Powr mount/muffler and swinging a
    monster 3-bladed prop.  He said he had about 20-flights on it and
    number 21 was a real beauty; the takeoff was straight and precise, the
    gear retracted nicely and the speed was just about perfect for realism
    (~85-90 mph) though the vertical performance was a bit limited.  He
    made diving passes on the field that looked for all the world just like
    those combat films we've all seen of F4U's dive bombing and dropping
    napalm on hillside enemy emplacements.  His landing was a real honey
    too...just a real nice flight.
    
    Another guy had a fairly nice Royal Cessna 182 which he flew very
    realistically.  Actually, we had quite a nice little scale gathering
    for the first coupla' hours of daylight until traffic became more than
    we wanted to risk this close to the Masters.  BTW, the reason we went
    to the SVF field instead of Puckerbrush Int'l Airport was we felt we
    needed a taste of paved runways as flying from dirt (or grass, in most
    of your cases) can spoil you and let the asphalt have its way with ya'
    'til you find the handle again.
    
    I'm happy as a clam with the Mig's performance and have only some minor
    weathering to do over the repaired/touched-up areas and repainting the
    landing light to be all ready to go to Big-D.  We'll be leaving just
    two weeks from yesterday and I'm chafing at the bit to get started, not
    only because of the meet, but owing to the fact that I really NEED some
    time away from this place.  Also looking forward to flying with Kevin
    Ladd in this, his first Masters...should be a real hoot!  The latest
    from Kevin is that Kay Fisher's decided to tag along and be
    pit-lizard/caller for him (as well as to keep him out'a some Texas
    jail, no doubt ;b^} ).  Should be a real good meet with DECRCM fairly
    well represented to boot.      
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    OK, all you WWII buffs... I had a real treat yesterday morning. 
    According to the literature, there were 8000 B-24's made of which
    approximately 25 survive, three are flyable.  I spent about 20 minutes
    aboard one that had FLOWN into the area for display.  It was called
    "North American" and was absolutely beautiful!  I started in through
    the tail belly door.  Immediately behind me was the tail gunner turret.
    To the right and left were the open side gunner areas, with machine
    guns at the ready.  They really are perfectly balanced and swung in an
    enormous arc both up and down as well as fore to aft.  I could imagine
    the feeling as enemy fighters strafed by.  The ammo boxes (with loaded
    ammo belts) were about six feet forward and passed their belts via a 
    kind of conveyor to the guns.  I walked forward via the _very_ small
    and narrow catwalk between the open bombay doors.  The bombs were a
    little wobbly as I balanced against them.  The belly turret was next,
    with the warning "to be vacated during take-off and landing"; I guess
    you didn't need to tell him twice!.  The cockpit was spartan and had
    little visibility, with small high windows.  The bambardier (was he
    also the nose gunner?) had a real view of everything, although with
    flak around, I suspose he wasn't envied by the rest of the crew.  All
    in all, a gorgeous piece of work and one that made you proud of the
    brave men that went to war in such a small fragile ship.  
    
    PS- Kay, I've been in FW during my time with Tandy; if you're bringing
    boots to FW, better bring your boot scraper as well :^)
    
    PPS- Alton, I got your mail re the parks report.  I don't know the
    final outcome, but I'm trying to find out.
    
    PPPS- Al, how did that pilot from Turf fare, and do you remember his
    name?
    
                        __|__                              Regards-
 \________________________O________________________/       Frank.    

    

    Gee, not wanting to be feeling left out or outdone, I feel compelled to
    establish my Afro "roots", Bwana!
    
    I was born in Ghana, West Africa, in 1962. Was there for about a year,
    before my folks decided to head back to India, so I don't remember 
    much, mastaah. Pictures attest to my sleeping most of the time, and
    when I was awake, I would either be overworking my drool glands, or
    generating poop to keep my folks busy or getting sozzled swigging milk.
    
    Time to take off that African mask of mine, and resume playing Injuns
    and Cowboys again.
    
    ajai
    
    ps. Coupl'a tripla replies back, I Mr. Frost uses the phrase "punkah
        wallah". In Hindi, this refers to the person who used to manually
        power a fan to keep the "burra Sahib's" cool during the hot
        tropical summers. The "fan" was a sheet of cloth hanging from the 
        cieling, with a [bamboo] pole weighing down the bottom, which would
        be moved back and forth by the "punkah wallah".
    
        They wouldn't make good propellors for rc, but dunno whatcha wan'ed
        to convey, since the original meaning made no sense in the context
        used!
    
    pps:Pre-emptive answer #1 to question#1 from mah 'merican fren's
        No, I haven't seen a punkah or punkah wallah, except in a museum.
    
    ppps:Yes, we make electric cieling fans in India. :-) :-)
    
    

    Re: .-1, Frank,
    
    I don't mean to be nit-pickey but I have to make a few corrections to
    yer' statements about the B-24:
    	First, the -24 was T.H.E. most extensively built U.S. aircraft of
    	WW-II, something more than 18,000 (not 8000) examples of it being 
    	built.
    	
    	Second, 25 examples may survive in museums, etc. but the one you
        toured is the ONLY one flying currently.  The CAF also flies what
    	they _call_ a B-24 but, in actuality, this ship was the C-<mumble>
    	cargo/transport version of the -24 which is steadily being modified
        to resemble the bomber variant.
    
    	Last, the B-24 you toured is named "All American," not North American.
    
    The only reason I know all this is that the restoration of this magnificent
    ship was featured in a recent issue of Air Classics.  I envy you being
    able to see it close up as it appears to be a real beauty in the pix
    accompanying the article.  I got to tour, then ride in the Arizona CAF
    Wing's B-17, "Sentimental Journey," early in its restoration and it was
    a thrill I'll NEVER forget.
    
    Regarding the Turf Soaring School tow pilot who was seriously injured
    some 6-8 weeks ago, I'm afraid I can't recall the name and, as is
    annoyingly ALWAYS the case in these kind of stories, no more has been
    reported since the initial crash.  I have to think this is _good_ news
    as the media would likely have reported it if he'd died.  The Pawnee
    tow-plane, BTW, appeared to be a total writeoff!!
    
    
    
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Al, thanks for the corrections, of course no offense taken.  It really
    is a gorgeous ship.  I would like to have been around when it landed or
    when it takes (took?) off as it must sound fabulous!
    
                        __|__                              Regards-
 \________________________O________________________/       Frank.    

    

    Re: .-1, Frank,
    
    Yeah, you bet...the sound is really something to hear.  A few years
    back, we had a WW-II airshow out at FAlcon Field in Mesa (site of
    Champlin's Fighter Museum) and the highlight of the show was when they
    put the B-17 (Sentimental Journey) up with a gaggle of other WW-II
    craft, mostly powered by "round-motors."  Besides the B-17, the
    formation consisted of a B-25, A-26, P-47, F4F, F6F, F4U, AD-1, P-40,
    P-51 and others.  This formation made pass after pass up the runway and
    the sound(s) were simply breathtaking!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Looking through the Oct. issue of Model Builder while eating lunch:
    On page 36 is a 1951 photo of a group of young modelers. The kid
    on the far right, Frank Townsend, was one of my best friends in
    jr. high. One of the kids in the middle, Hal Cover, was my neighbor
    in Calif., 16 years ago. Jeez talk about a deja vu trip or something.
    Frank has an auto speed shop in Tucson now. Don't know what Hals'
    doing now but 16 years ago he was still into modeling, and was
    restoring a '59 Ferrari 250 GT. If he had the good sense to hold
    on to the Ferrari for 10 or 12 years before selling it, I'd expect
    he'd be sitting on the beach in Puerto Vallarta about now, watching
    his yatch bobbing at the anchor. Sigh.
    
    Terry
    

    Don't really mean to pick a nit with the mighty Casey, but there are
    TWO B-24Js flying, All American owned by Bob Collings of Stow, MA and
    the other by Dave Tallichet of 94th Aero Squadron restaurant fame. 
    Both of these mighty birds were parked side-by-side at the New England
    Escadrille's Warbird airshow in Manchester, NH last year.  All American
    was as pristine as could be after a 97,000 man-hour restoration and the
    other one looked like it had just returned from a raid.  The ship that
    the CAF has is listed as an LB-30 (according to what is painted on the
    aft end of the fuselage).  It is much the same as the C-87 cargo
    version of the B-24 without the many turrets.
    
    As far as I know, the All American will be at Manchester again this
    year, but I don't think that the other B-24 will be there.

    Re: .-1, Bret,
    
    No sweat, amigo...I _enjoy_ being wrong about such things as this. 
    It's good to learn there are more 24's flying than was thought. 
    Besides, I was just quoting from Air Classics so _they_ are the ones
    who are wrong!  ;b^} 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

re Note 251.19 (BUILDING AIDS) by Andy MAMIE::Fraser 
    
>>  I bought a couple of sheets of Homasote .... 
    
    Does this mean that the retired modeler and [full scale] glider guider 
    is about to come out of retirement?  Or remodeling his house?

    Ok a quick synopsis, I realise it is not correctly placed but am
    responding to the .2182 and others. Perhaps Mr. Moderator you can move
    it to Who's Who later?
    
    I was born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and doing VErrrry well
    thankyou), did three years of my junior school education in Nakuru,
    Kenya. Built and flew gliders/rubber/jetex - anyone remember a jetex
    powered helocopter? It was basically a rotor with a jetex at each tip
    but flew well and autorotated badly.
    Also my very first RTF (1957). It was a Fury (I think) framed up in balsa 
    but with an Aluminium shell for the fuselage.
    Wings were paper covered (about 100gram light card).
    All came in a sturdy box into which was built a geared winder
    mechanism. Put the plane in the box, slot in the crank and wind on the
    desired number of turns. The damned thing NEVER flew!
    
    Spent my Kenya years on Safari with my old man (dad to you lot, not
    husband) since he was gainfully in the employ of the Kenya Govt. water 
    conservation and research.
                                           
    Soooo, yes I did visit most of the then East African Federation of
    Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika from Lake Victoria in the North (Kisumu,
    Kitale) down through the rift valley Eldoret, Molo, Nakuru, Nairobi
    down to Arusha.
    One holiday in Dar es Salaam and several in Malindi. Fabulous memories
    and a wonderful upbringing for a 9-10 year old. 
    
    Senior school and College in Salisbury (now Harare) back in Zimbabwe.
    Joined the Salisbury Model Club - member #11 (I still have my card),
    and flew everything but was never good at anything.
    Won a trophy or two in competitions in S. Rhodesia, Zambia but not much
    more.
    
    I know Jo'burg, Durban, Capetown as holiday places but no more.
    
    Matter of fact a company called "Southern Cross Hobbies" manufactures
    kits and exports them I believe to the US. I cannot remember the name
    of the founder of the company but do know that he is resident in the
    US. Roger Stern is the Zimbabwian running the company and office bearer
    in the Harare Club. He does travel in the US a lot and by chance some
    of you may know of him. He was flying a scale Pitts Special when I was
    last there in '89.
    
    Flying in Harare is superb. Altitude approx 6000', winter lows of -1 or
    -2C summer highs of 30-35C. (roughly 32F and 100F). Winter is two
    months, Summer is two months and the rest is blue skies and all the
    flying time you can get in.
    If you get a chance, visit the country. It is something very special,
    plenty of animals, Falls, archeology, ramblin, rafting, Safari's, weather, 
    people and flying. "Thinks - sounds like Arizona?"
    
    	regards George Frost
    
    
    

    Ajai,
    
    	you are quite right about punkah wallah, my error. My family were all 
    born in India and spoke Hindi or Hindustani? or Gudgerati. As a
    consequence when I came along I was forever trying to keep up with any
    of the above or English or Shona (another story).
    
    Punkah Wallah came to mind I think instead of Pukkah Wally (English)
    which is not too.. disparaging to those of us who speak it. Hope its
    clearer. btw my family were based in Nainital.(sp)
    
    Forgot to add in my previous note, S. Rhodesia to 1954, Kenya to 1958
    S.Rhodesia again to 1965, then Europe and the rest to date.
    
    		regards  George Frost 
    
    
    Back to modelling.. 

    Re: las-2, George,
    
    Thanx fer' the fascinating background...it's always a treat (for me at
    least) to learn about other modelers and pick out the parallels and
    differences to my own beginnings.  Yer' right, there are a few
    similarities betwixt yer' home turf and mine.  However, we're lower
    (mean altitude of ~1500') and, unfortunately, warmer/hotter.  Our
    summer is longer than yer's but winter is very hard to identify as the
    8-9 months that are _not_ summer all feature very mild, shirtsleeve
    weather...only rarely does it freeze here and an overnight temperature
    lower than 30F is almost unheard of.  Daytimes are normally in the
    70-75F range.
    
    Oh, another dissimilarity is the total lack of elephants, giraffes,
    zebras, etc. in Arizona.  ;b^)
    
    Welcome to the notesfile.  I hope yer' return to modelling will bring
    you much satisfaction. 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    I'll get this out of the way before I forget it.  I'll be away from
    mother-DEC from this coming Friday. Sept. 14, 'til Wednesday, Sept. 26.
    
    Kathi and I are going camping up in the mountains this weekend with my
    brother and his wife.  We'll be driving the mini-motorhome up there
    Friday AM and returning Sunday evening.  That'll leave me Sunday night
    and Monday to rest up and get things in order to leave for the U.S.
    Scale Masters in Dallas, Texas early:thirty Tuesday AM.
    
    We should arrive in Dallas Wednesday afternoon/evening and start the
    festivities immediately thereupon.  Wish me luck; I make no projections
    other than the usual to show well and bring the MiG-3 home alive but,
    who knows?  A place is certainly within reason to contemplate.....
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    festivities immediately thereupon.  Wish me luck; I make no projections

Just to start this off right - I plan to go to Dallas and wish you luck!

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

>   <<< Note 239.2193 by BRAT::RYDER "perpetually the bewildered beginner" >>>
>                        -< re-modeling or remodeling? >-

>re Note 251.19 (BUILDING AIDS) by Andy MAMIE::Fraser 
    
> >>  I bought a couple of sheets of Homasote .... 
    
>    Does this mean that the retired modeler and [full scale] glider guider 
>    is about to come out of retirement?  Or remodeling his house?
        
        Neither, Al  -  my  wife confessed that she had always wanted a
        model railroad - Homasote makes an ideal roadbed...
        
        Andy
        
        PS. I could be tempted by an electrified glider thingie...hmmm!

    Good luck, Al!  I hope you get second place.  

    I've already given Kevin my best wishes for FIRST place...  :-)

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Caster Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

     Good luck to Al and Kevin. Hope you both place well and bring your
    birds back home in the same condition as when you left with them.
    
    Bernie

    I have just finished going through the "Scale" topic 271 and the Snow man
    in note .721 mentions the Dalotel from Model Products put together in
    Zimbabwe. 
    
    That was my reference in note .2195
    
    	regards George F

    A funny/scary story heard at our club meeting last night:
    
    Earlier this summer Buzz Averill was flying his DG-600 at 17,000
    ft., on oxygen, in wave over the Sandia Mtns. The Sandias are also
    a popular launching point for local hang gliders.
    Overtaking a hang glider, Buzz noticed the guy had a box strapped
    to his chest and was raising something to his lips periodically.
    Sliding in for a closer look, Buzz was able to discern that the
    hang glider pilot was drinking Bud, and the box was a six-pack !
    No oxygen of course, but he seemed to be having a good time.
    
    Terry
    

    Well, this is my last day at work before taking 8-working days of
    vacation.  Goin' campin'/fishin' this weekend then, bright 'n early
    Tuesday AM, it's off to Dallas, Texas for the U.S. Scale Masters.
    
    Naturally, I just _had_ to come down with a dreaded summer cold this
    week just when I'm tryin' to get things lined up for vacation.  But,
    I've been saturating it (the cold) with every patent medicine known to
    man and, hopefully, have it on the run now.  I guess that's preferrable
    to coming down with it _at_ the Masters. :B^(
    
    In any event, all is ready to embark on the trip and I won't be talking
    to y'all in the Notesfile until a week from next Wednesday so you'uns
    play nice and don't fight while I'm gone.  ;b^)  I sure hope I can come
    back with the news that Kevin, Chuck or I have placed well in the
    Masters (or all three of us) but will be content to be able to report
    that all went well and the trusty MiG-3 is back from the wars in one piece.
    
    That's especially important as I'm signed up to display the MiG at the
    big Artists' Symposium at Champlin's Fighter Museum next month...I'd
    sure hate to miss out on that!  We (the 1/8 A.F.) are putting on a
    static display of over 20-scale aircraft at this shindig, the
    centerpiece of which will be Kent Walters' magnificent, 13', 100lb.
    B-17G, Shoo Shoo Baby.  The highlight of the show (besides the model
    display, of course ;b^} ) will be the rolling out and running up of the
    museum's Fw-190, Bf-109, P-51 and P-47.  Not as good as seeing them
    fly, of course, but I'm really anxious to hear those two German engines
    run.
    
    Anyhoo, wish us all luck and I'll be talking with y'all a week from
    Wednesday.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    All the best to Kevin and Al for the Scale Masters.
    
    ajai

    re: 2196 a week ago...
    
    >   Oh, another dissimilarity is the total lack of elephants, giraffes,
    >   zebras, etc. in Arizona.  ;b^)
    
    Gee, didn't I see some of each at the Phoenix zoo a couple
    years ago? I don't remember any polar bears, though.
    
    Dave

    Yes, as noted in another topic, the Rat'z back and trying to retrain
    himself about this work sh*t!  I'll put a full report on the Masters in
    "Ramblin'" sometime later today.  For the time being, suffice to say
    that Kevin, Chuck Collier and myself fell a little short of conquering
    but we came, we saw, we participated, we had one helluva great time and
    we all brought our ships home in one piece.  I placed somewhere probably
    in the upper-middle of the pack with Chuck about 2-points ahead of me
    and Kevin about 2-points behind.  More later; film at 11:00.......
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Following a pleasant weekend in the cool mountain country near Williams, AZ 
(~1-hour S.E. of the Grand Canyon), I spent Monday the 17th of Sept. getting
all my final preparations in order to leave for the Masters Tuesday morning.

Struggling out'a bed at 3:30 AM Tuesday, I had all my junk hauled out'a the 
workshop and house, all stacked up in the entryway by 5:00 AM.  Bob Frey showed 
up a few minutes later and we had his classic '61 GMC Suburban loaded and 
headed towards Dallas just a coupla' ticks before 6:00.  We took the southern 
route through Tucson and Wilcox Arizona, Lordsburg, Deming and Las Cruces New 
Mexico, then on through El Paso and, 11-hours later, reined-in our trusty steed 
at Pecos, Texas, there to spend the night.  After a good steak dinner in a 
place modelled after Judge Roy Bean's Jersey Lily Saloon, we turned in for a 
good night's rest and were on the road again early Wednesday AM for the final 
8-hour drive into Dallas.

We drove through considerable rain Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and the 
skies were overcast and threatening when we pulled up in front of the Holiday 
Inn in Irving, Texas just after 3:00 PM.  When we stepped out of the Suburban, 
I was almost felled to my knees by the HEAVY humidity.  The mugginess seemed 
only slightly abated by the air conditioning when we entered the hotel but we 
immediately began greeting and being greeted by many old friends and 
acquaintances.  After registering, we were all steered up to Harris Lee's room 
where the bathtub had been iced down with an untold but copious quantity of 
Colorado Cool-Aid (and other beer substitutes that shall remain nameless).

I ran into Kevin Ladd and Kay Fisher shortly after their arrival and, after 
they got all their junk stashed, they came up to the bash in Harris's room.
The beer, tall tales and much camaraderie flowed to the wee hours but I split 
moderately early (sometime around midnight) to catch some needed shut-eye and
recuperate from the drive.

Thursday AM, static was held in the back parking lot of the hotel and I must 
say that I'll never (wellllll, _maybe_ never) complain about our Arizona 
monsoon season and its accompanying humidity again.  Though overcast all day, 
the humidity was oppressing..., stifling..., almost debilitating!  The human 
mind has the wonderful capacity to subtly erase our remembrance of pain and 
suffering so, though I may have felt mugginess like this before, I honestly 
couldn't recall ever sweating so profusely in all my life!  I was almost 
unbearably miserable the entire day but, somehow, was able to struggle through 
static judging.  Thursday night, another go at hospitality in Harris Lee's room 
with a freshly iced down bathtubful of ignorant-oil and some entertaining 
videos of model and full-scale aircraft.  Incidentally, Static-scores were
posted following completion of round-1 and I was pleased to receive a 92.0,
thus exonerating the MiG from the drubbing it took at Top Gun.  Chuck also
received a 92 and I think Kevin got an 89.5. 

Friday AM, we got to the heart of the matter as flying began.  The field was in 
an Irving city park and the runway had been newly paved just for the Masters.  
A goodly sized lake fronted the north end of the runway about 3/4 mile distant 
and the facility was quite attractive with one slight exception; for some 
reason, they hadn't bothered to level the runway before paving and it had a 
pronounced hump near the north end, the strip falling away downhill on either 
side.

It was quite gusty and my first takeoff just sort'a jumped airborne and flew 
away with wings rocking in the gale.  The flight maneuvers came off pretty well 
though and now it was time to land.  As fate would have it, the gusts increased 
just about now and I was fighting the 12-lb. MiG-3 through numerous lumps and 
holes in the air on final approach.  The resulting touchdown was a bit firm but 
it stuck and was rolling out when the left gear collapsed.  Arrrrrrrgh!  
"Flight complete."  

Inspection revealed the nylon sliding block in the left gear had broken so I
spent the next 2-hours hunkered down in the grass with Bob as we cannibalized
the spare Rhom-Air parts I'd brought trying to repair the crippled gear.  We 
finally thrashed a gear together and were ready for round-2....we hoped.

On round-2, the wind had changed and was now crossed 90-degrees to the runway.  
The MiG is a bit short in the rudder department and is _not_ good in a 
crosswind so, after a knife-edge takeoff, we were once again airborne.  Again, 
the air maneuvers went extremely well but, on landing, this time the right gear 
collapsed.  Pulling the wing I found that the Hydra-Lok had apparently burst 
filling the air-side of the gear system with oil which was puked out the air 
switching valve every time the gear was actuated.  Whatta' mess!!  ^(&^*^$^%#!!
Oil all in the center-section of the wing, even puddled in the fuselage...ugh!

Meanwhile, though nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking-chairs,
Kevin proceeded to put in two trouble-free flights and, though feeling he could 
do better, was happy to have them under his belt.  The Evil One, our own Eric 
H., had by now arrived and was taping everything we did, attempting to blackmail
us with the tape.  Frankly, it almost worked with me;  so far, I wasn't terribly
pleased with my fortunes though I had a 77 and an 86 flight score.  Chuck was
having his usual run of landing gear problems, one gear hanging most of the 
time but he got in two uneventful if not high scoring flights (though higher 
than mine as at least his gear stayed locked on landing).

That night, the cocktail party rather fizzled as the hotel was asking $3.00 for 
a lousy beer and much higher for mixed drinks.  We broke up _very_ early and 
once again wound up fishin' ice-cold beers from the bathtub in Harris's room.  
This was not the first time I've seen problems with the Holiday Inn and more 
was to follow.

Saturday AM, I bypassed the Hydra-Lok in my gear system and went to straight 
air.  I could'a checked the Hydra-Lok for leaks but, even if it checked out OK, 
that would'a indicated a problem with the gear Bob and I had rebuilt and I had 
no more parts for it so it was academic.  When my turn came, I had a nice 
breeze right down the runway and mused that, if I couldn't get a takeoff in 
_this_ condition, I simply wasn't gonna' get one.

I checked the gear and it still had 80-lb.'s of pressure after sitting most of 
the day so I figgered' I was all set.  Then, I went to start the engine and, 
for the first time ever, the engine backfired and spit the prop, spinner, etc., 
breaking the spinner cone and cracking the prop.  I went to the bottom of the 
flight order and went to the truck for a fresh prop and my spare spinner cone, 
returned to the flight line and installed same.  My turn came back around 
shortly and I fired up (uneventfully this time) and taxied into takeoff 
position.

The takeoff was almost letter perfect and I was smiling to myself until I hit 
the retract switch and nothing happened. (**&%&%$#!!  I cycled the retract 
switch several times but no joy.  So, I flew the entire flight with the gear 
hanging down and managed to get some pretty nice maneuvers but the flight would 
not score well in any case due to the loss of realism points by way of the gear 
not working.  Now to grease a landing for a change; I had it wired on final and 
made an acceptable touchdown only to have the d*mn gear fold _again_!  To date 
I'd only had three gear-folds in the entire life of the MiG and they'd ALL 
happened at THIS Masters!!  Only thing we could figger' was that, in checking 
the air pressure prior to the aborted attempt of a few minutes earlier, the 
fill-valve must'a stuck open enough to bleed off all the pressure.  It checked 
out fine afterward and is still working perfectly.

"Murphy" had really had his way with me through this entire meet!!  Still, I 
somehow wasn't all that bothered by it and continued to enjoy the meet to the 
hilt.

Saturday night's banquet wasn't all it should'a been either.  The drinks were 
still pretty high, though slightly cheaper, and we were disappointed to learn 
that, for the first time in 11-years, Frank Tiano didn't do his traditional 
roast.  No one knows (or is saying) what happened, probably some political 
thing, but Frank didn't even attend the banquet and he'd been collecting 
material for his roast and the P.A. at the field had been announcing it all day 
Saturday...still, no Frank.  Dunno' what happened but am really curious. 

Sunday AM was actually a bit chilly, the most comfortable day to date.  
However, an extremely stiff wind (probably 20 knots, gusting to 30) prevailed 
all through round-4.  I decided there was no future to risk the MiG further as 
a perfect score wouldn't have gotten me into the top-10, especially in front of 
the toughest judges, but I _could_ bugger up the plane or worse and, with the 
Art Show/Fighter Pilots' Symposium static display we're doing coming up weekend 
after next, the risk didn't seem justified.  Therefore, I scratched round-4 and 
became a spectator.

Kevin put in a pretty fair flight considering the wind but was nearly upset by 
it on landing.  The wind raised his Jug's left wing and the big P-47 lazily 
rolled to a stop on the right wheel and the right wingtip.  Chuck's last flight 
didn't help him either; he was all over the sky fighting the wind and bent both 
gear on landing.  But, we all got through it with only a minor scrape or two to 
show for it.

I finished with a 174 and change with Kevin close behind with a 172 and change.
Chuck edged us with a 176-point-something by virtue of a 92 flight on Saturday.
But we were all out of the money...though solidly located somewhere in the 
middle/upper-middle of the pack.

Winners as best I remember them were as follows:

1. Charlie Chambers	P-51 "Big Beautiful Doll"  (This was a _very_ popular 
win; Charlie flew his heart out and was easily the most improved flier I've 
seen in some time...he deserved it!)

2. Eugene Job		Baker Zero
3. Hal Parenti		Ryan Fireball
4. (unsure)
5. Diego Lopez		Skyraider
6. (unsure)
7. Bene BArton		Skyraider
8. Mel Whitley		Sea Fury
9. Ron Gillman		Violett F-86  (Same one that won Top Gun)
10. Rick Lewis		Skyraider

Maybe Kevin or Kay can fill in the blanks and/or correct the above but it 
should be pretty close.

At the banquet, Charlie Nelson received the Best Civilian award and Charlie 
Chambers got the Best Military again (and again, and again, and.....).  :B^)
Chambers also won the Pilots' Choice Award so he took home a ton of hardware.

Highlights:  

* Charlie Chambers' much improved flying.
* A gorgeous, well flown Sea Fury.
* Ted White and son Tony's terrific noontime demo flying each day.
* A magnificent save of the SR-71 Blackbird with one aileron stuck full down by 
  Dennis Crooks.
* A great demo flight by the three Skyraiders.

Lowlights:

* High attrition rate on Friday seeing fatal crashes by Frank Tiano (KI-84 
  Frank), Skip Mast (C-130), Jack Buckley (CAP-10) and others.
* The off-field/social activities were just a bit flat compared to past years.
* The Holiday Inn sold us drink tickets for the banquet then closed up their 
  bars leaving us holding the bag for the now worthless tickets.

Bob and I swung by Ted White's place Monday AM and spent a coupla' hours having 
breakfast together and BS'ing before getting homeward bound at ~11:30 AM.  We 
pushed through 11-hours to our first-night goal of El Paso, had another great 
steak dinner, a good night's rest and were on the road again by 8:00 Tuesday 
AM.  

Deviating from our outbound route, we swung off Interstate-10 at Lordsburg and 
retraced the route I used to take driving home from Walker AFB in Roswell, 
N. Mex. some 29-years ago while I was in the USAF.  Either I'd forgotten how 
beautiful the country is in this area or [more likely] I'd looked at it through 
younger, less appreciative eyes those 3-decades ago.  The scenic vistas and 
panoramas were magnificent and waves of the most pleasant sort of nostalgia 
washed over me as we made our way through the route I was once so intimate 
with.  Finally, we arrived home just a few ticks past 3:00 P.M. and I was, at 
the same time, glad to be home but sorry the adventure was over.

All-in-all, it was one of the most pleasant trips I've ever taken.  It's a 
shame I didn't have a little better luck on the field but those things happen 
and it didn't put a damper on my having a super time anyway.  

Hopefully, Kevin and/or Kay and/or Eric will add their impressions of the meet 
and fill in the many blanks I know I've left so you can all have a more 
complete picture of the Masters.  I believe it to be a fine program and look 
forward to continued participation in it.  Who knows, maybe I'll even be able 
to place in it again one day in the not too distant future......
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    As an addendum to .-1, I remembered that Jeff Foley placed his Zero in
    the top-10 at the Masters...I think his name can be plugged into the
    4th place blank.  I'm still struggling to remember who was 8th.  A
    little help Kevin.....Kay....?
    
    Additionally, I should mention that two of our party displayed some
    fantastic luck-of-the-draw.  At Saturday night's banquet, pilot's names
    were drawn from a hat for some nice merchandise prizes and the second
    name drawn was Chuck Collier who won a neat CAP-10B kit from Yellow
    Aircraft.  Our buddy from Denver, Brian O'Meara, was drawn for the
    Spitfire kit, also from Yellow Aircraft.
    
    Then, after competition was completed Sunday, the cash raffle was drawn
    and the first name out'a the hat was none other than our own Kay Fisher
    who became the proud owner of a giant-scale Aeronca Sedan kit.  (I
    think that's right...correct me if I'm wrong, Kay.)
    
    
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    This is a great report, when I read through I felt I participated this
    Masters. Thanks a lot. With all of Murphey's Interfernce I think you did  
    SUPER !  Congratulations to you, Kevin and Kay !  It feels good to know
    some of the best model RC'ers work for the same company !
    
    I'm very sorry to hear Jack Buckley crashed his gorgeous CAP10. I got
    some pictures of the original from him when I met him at one of his 
    club's meet in Berlin/Mass.
    
    
                      \\
                       \ \                    __
                        \  \                  \ \
                         \  \                  \ \
                          \  \                / \_\
                           \  \              /LO |
		       .o^^^--------==========___/
		      <      \  \-''
		       '-___-'\  \            
			       \  \
                                \  \          Holm- und Rippenbruch,
                                 \ \
                                  \\                          Bernd
            

    Without Eric's permission but I'm sure with his blessing, I'm
    reprinting his report on the Masters here for the benefit of all those
    noters who don't check out the WEWAND::DECRCM conference regularly. 
    Oh, and thanx fer' the very kind words, Bernd...ah' 'preciate 'em!!
    
================================================================================
Note 114.134       Week-end Wonders (and other flying stuff!)         134 of 135
CSTEAM::HENDERSON "Competition is Fun: Dtn 297-618" 130 lines  24-SEP-1990 22:46
                            -< 1990 Scale Masters. >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   IT IS NOW THE MONDAY AFTER THE 1990 SCALE MASTERS COMPETITION. MANY IF NOT 
   ALL OF THE CONTESTANTS WILL BE WINDING THEIR WEARY WAY HOME AFTER FOUR HARD 
   FOUGHT DAYS OF GOOD SOLID COMPETITION. SOME WILL BE HAPPY AND SOME MAY BE 
   SAD BUT ALL WILL BE PROUD THAT THEY TOOK PART IN ONE OF THE BEST EVER SCALE 
   COMPETITIONS IN THE USA.
   
   I will write about my experiences and those people who came in and out of 
   my range in that time. I shall leave the placing's and prize information to 
   the other writers.
   
   This Scale Masters was my first scale competition that I had really seen 
   all the way through. I had casually observed the 85 NATs but all that I 
   knew about scale competitions I had either read or seen on video tapes.
   
   It all began late Friday afternoon when I raced from the office to the 
   Dallas site. I arrived to find dull overcast clouds but planes flying and a 
   full parking lot. With standard silver tongue work, I talked my way into 
   the contestants area and was soon in possession of an "Official's" badge 
   courtesy of Jack Buckley. It was a tough start for me because I arrived 
   tooting and smiling only to find Jack putting the remnants of his CAP into 
   his MAss registered truck. Thirty four hours of driving and he had not got 
   through his first flight. The theory is that the RX x'tal failed. Jack is a 
   hell of a guy and took it better than many of us could have.
   
   I soon had touched base with all the HTA gang and the Phoenix reprobates 
   and was on the flight line with my oft lugged VCR. It was cool and dull but 
   shoot I was going to. It only took me ten minutes to brush with officialdom 
   again. I could be in the ready area as an "official", but not on the flight 
   line. Others were there but they had "Press' badges. Dulled but not daunted 
   I sought out the resourceful desert Rat. He was given an initiative test 
   and passed with flying colors. In ten minutes, no less, I was back on the 
   firing line with a Press-pass. The official immediately saw me and headed 
   towards me. I smiled, thanked him for his attention and glanced  downwards 
   at my chest where now was pinned a shinny new yellow "Press" badge. He 
   faltered and then said O.K. at about 33rpm.
   
   I was to be dogged by him for the next three days but the cameras were 
   rolling and clicking and I had access to the greatest models and their 
   flying from the closest that a person could be. I was inches behind the 
   judges, the pilots and their callers. Behind was good, because they could 
   not see me. To the side was not so good because I think that all the 
   cameras made them a little nervous. I got to know my other reporting peers 
   very well and they never asked me what "HTA NEWS" really was!. I think that 
   the accent and the T-shirt did it.
   
   The flying standards were high and the models were all first class. It was 
   going to take some good judging to separate them all. The MiG looked good 
   in all this company. Little Demon stood proud and solid as the winds blew 
   less planes around a bit. The returning WACO of Charlie Nelson was highest 
   in static and all were wondering if he could do it this year. Tom K was 
   looking good with his Old Fokker bipe, (No panics this time??). Jack 
   Buckley was helping all the MA guys and I was impressed the way he kept his 
   chin up.
   
   I saw contestants from Japan, South Africa, Canada, and all points of USA. 
   As in many of these competitions there was a lot of attrition. Most of 
   which was due to the weather. Some, however, were due to the pilots. I saw 
   a couple of BZ's which is my name for a total wreck. BZ stands for beyond 
   ZAP. (ZAP was the main sponsor. What impressed me was the repair skill of 
   many of the first day wrecks. I saw U/C blocks being glassed back in, wings 
   being joined again and an amazing patchwork quilt job on a somewhat doomed 
   P38.
   
   The mood was a good one with many wisecracks and a terrible "Ring" joke 
   from the master of bad jokes, the Rat himself. The room number 819 was 
   infamous as the "Hospitality Suite" of the Scale Master's HQ. All drunks 
   and scale groupies headed there for free drinks and even free'er Bull!.
   
   Jack Buckley and I hatched a plot to use his flight box battery as a supply 
   for my VCR/Camera. I might have worked if I had gotten the polarity right. 
   Thankfully the fuse blew and we were able to by-pass it despite losing a 
   few screws in the Texas grass. My VCR will never be the same again!.
   Still I was happy because I got 2 hrs of reasonably good footage, not to 
   mention what the desert Rat did!.
   
   There were many Zero's and Jug's in the comp. I soon saw that they, the 
   Skyraiders, the Sea fury and the JAP' bomber, all handled the wind the 
   best. I decided in my own mind that a mono-winged fighter with a wide wheel 
   base was the best plan for my entry into scale.
   
   I shot 2 hrs of video using two packs that I charged three times, six rolls 
   of slide film and two rolls of prints, bought five hats two shirts, five 
   raffle tickets, bought nine Cokes two hotdogs and a burger as well as 
   getting paged five times by my wife and secretary. But who's counting!.
   
   The people that I knew were flying well. I think that Charlie N. was up 
   in the tenth zone. Al, Kevin and Chuck were duking it out in the middle 
   with a lot of, perhaps, pride at stake. The judges would decide that one 
   and I expect the results will be very close.
   
   Al C. did have a tough time and it was really as simple as a gust of wind 
   kicking the tail on his first flight. I then saw his gear fail on one 
   landing, his engine shaft run on start, his wheels stay down and then 
   collapse after being down for the whole flight. All in all he was very 
   lucky to get away with only a door or two off and a couple of scrapes. I 
   saw him fly very well, as I always knew he could, but skill sometimes needs 
   a bit of luck as well.
   
   Kevin kept his end up well but needed more stick time with his routine. The 
   stall turn did not go well and the Immleman was tough to do with the wind. 
   He was very smooth though and I can see a star in the making if he improves 
   his static scoring. Flying in windy old MA certainly helped the guys.
   
   The banquet saw MA do well with Charlie N. getting a plaque for highest 
   static along with Charlie Chambers, Who was probably second in the comp.
   I got to photo our gallant friends and will bring the pic's to the next HTA 
   night. The South African contingent gave an after dinner speech that broke 
   about ten rules of etiquette and did not go down too well. Otherwise it was 
   fun with lots of sponsor type prizes, Zap, Yellow aircraft, Futaba etc.
   
   Sunday was windy, nay, let us say BLOODY WINDY. Al C. wisely scratched his 
   last and un-needed flight. Kevin flew, but I bet he wished he had not???.
   I ran the VCR batteries dry again and headed for the airport with my head 
   full of many memories. Most of all I learned how to compete in Scale. Then 
   I learned how chose my retracts and then I learned how to humor officials.
   
   Now I don't usually try to make money out of my videos but how much would 
   you pay to see Al C. mess up a little. Or even better how much would Al pay 
   for the original tape??.
   
   My first, but not my last scale comp. A New England winter and the 
   Hurricane could be born. The battle of Britain squadron is catching my eye 
   the most right now. Especially because the documentation availability and 
   even the paint. So all I have to do is build a plane win a qualifier and 
   go to the Scale Masters. Sounds easy****!
   
   best regards
   
   
   Eric H.

I was hoping to beat Al Casey in to the trip report so that he could fill
in the missing blanks.

Oh well - here goes.

We (My wife Pat and I and Kevin Ladd and his wife Sue) Left very early 
Wednesday morning (Kevin was never up before the sun before) and we
arrived in Dallas at about 2:00 PM.  It was 34 degrees at Orange and we
arrived in Texas with our Sweaters on and it was about 90.

First we took the Holiday Inn shuttle from the airport to the wrong
Holiday Inn.  We arrived at the correct Holiday Inn and Kevin started
registering right away.  We started meeting famous people right away.
Burt Baker, and Harris Lee, and Dave ________ who was from Canada and
machined his own 5 cylinder radial engine for his beautiful Kinner
Sportster.

As Al said there was a sort of party going on in Rm 819.  For supper we
had tacos in the bar (free) while some local Dallas girls tried to sell
us raffle tickets for the bathing suits they were modeling.  After a couple
of bad (but free) tacos we went up to 819 and visited a bit.  As I recall
I had one beer (shared Pat) and Kevin stayed late (till about 2:00 AM) and
had several more.

Thursday was static day.  As Al said it was very hot.  I got blisters on
my feet from standing all day on the hot blacktop of the parking lot.

Static judging was Bob Frey (Craftsmanship), Norm Goyer (Accuracy of outline),
and some lady we didn't know (but we talked to her husband) did Color and
marking.  I felt that static went very well and was optimistic about
the results.  Although Kevin got the highest static ever on his Jug it would
have been better but we knew from talking to the Color and Marking judges
husband that they were against self made color chips.  Also Kevin changed
his documentation on Charley Nelsons advice and his three view only
had a top and bottom view.  Charley probably new best - after all his
WACO took top static this year.  The idea was the pictures showed the side
and front views and the plane had some problems with matching the existing
side view.  Norm Goyer commented in the score sheet that there was insufficient
documentation for judging some things.  For all the praise Kevin has been
getting about his rivets - at this competition everybody was saying
"Nice plane - too bad about the rivets" because real P-47's have flush
rivets.  Oh well - Kevin was in his basement last night working on the
next P-47 and I guarantee it will have flush rivets.  Besides the
expertise is local - Chuck Collier's rivets looked great though slightly
too big for true scale.

Interesting planes at static were...

The CD (forgot his name) entered a "Storch" (a really interesting German
recon plane with full length leading edge slats and little flying surfaces
below the horizontal stab and a bubbling greenhouse canopy.  Wild landing
gears that looked more like a preying mantis.

Dave (the Canadian) with the Kinner Sportster had a crowd around his
plane all day.

One fellow brought an electric Porterfield Collegiate.  Nicely done but
I'll have to agree with Al Casey that it was too small and too plane
and too quite and too slow.  It seemed out classed in every respect but
the guy did get a good static score and good flying scores and did manage
to put it up in some incredible winds.

There was another Burt Baker P-47 done up in the "Little Demon" color
scheme of Kevin's.  It was amazing how different the paints were - but
we got good color and markings scores as did the other "Little Demon".
Both matched the documentation.  If you looked at them side by side
you would quickly agree that there is something wrong with our present
system of color documentation.  What we need is AMA sanctioned color
chips and numbers and cross references.  A good case in point would be
the controversy about the various olive drabs lately.

P-47's
	Kevin Ladd-------Little Demon
    Bill Carpenter---Little Demon
    Chuck Collier----Big Chief?
    Scott Foster-----Little Chief?
    and a silly looking gray bubble top 

Later that evening everybody went to Rm 819 again (after they figured out
that you could pay for drinks at the cocktail party or you could go
upstairs and get free ones).  We (Pat and I) stopped
in for a bit and went to bed - exhausted from the heat.

Friday - Pilots meeting at 8:30.
   
Pilots were permanently assigned to 1 of 4 flight lines based on frequency.
We were on flight line 2 right behind Chuck Collier and Al Casey was on
flight line 1.  Anybody who wanted to fly off grass could go first
and we all waited for all the grass flyers.  This seemed like a good
idea but didn't work out for two reasons.  (1) There were not an even number
of grass flyers in each flight line so after they started the flight
order on the tar our flight line was way behind and ultimately every body
had to wait for flight line two to finish.  (2) The grass facility was
very poor.  It was very bumpy and muddy (clay).  Bye the last flight
on Friday - none of the grass fliers flew off grass.

It was pretty windy.

Kevin put in a GREAT flight and my score was much higher than the judges
gave.  We landed a little hot because of the strong wind so we came
in with very little (if any) flaps and the runway was down hill so we
couldn't stop at the end and overshot into the grass.  As it turned out the 
score was 83.5 and that put us in the top 1/3.

But (partially due to wind) there were several fatal crashes.  Jack Buckley
lost his CAP 10 due to his Futaba PCM 8 receiver going into permanent
fail safe.  After he picked up the pieces he still couldn't make
the receiver come out of fail safe.  He had been using that receiver
for several years.  Maybe it was the antenna connection inside or a
broken crystal - who knows.

One poor fellow folded the wings on his Bucker right in front of us.
It was spectacular.  Frank Tiano's "Frank" (from 50 feet it looks like
some variant of a Zero) went in and Frank said it was pilot error.
One guy had a P-38 crash bad - but he stayed up till 2:00 AM and fixed it
and flew again the next day.  It was a real shame to see Masters quality
planes dropping left and right.  You've got to figure an investment of
$2,000 per plane minimum and untold hours of work.

I wandered over to the concession stand and checked out the raffle.
They had 4 jars to buy raffle tickets for.  One was for an ARF sport
plane ready to fly with a K&B 40 in it and Futaba radio.  One was for
an A-4 skyhawk kit.  One was for an FA-18A kit.  One was for an Aeronca
Sedan with a $100 gift certificate for "Roy's Hobby Shop".  I purchased
three tickets for the Aeronca and was thinking it would be a great plane
for me.  Giant scale (84" span) and gentle and I really liked the looks
of the one modeled on the box (an Oshkosh champion).

The wind had changed to 90 degree cross wind for the second round.
But it wasn't nearly as strong.  The static scores were posted and I think we 
were actually ahead of Al and Chuck.  But that didn't last long.  On the 
second flight with the cross wind we scored an 84.  Although the score was
good the better wind conditions caused all the scores to come up and we
lost a lot of ground.  The only saving grace was for both rounds the engine
started on the first flip of the prop and even ran frontwards.  We looked
like we knew what we were doing!  But that wasn't going to last long either.

Exhausted we made it back to the motel and went to the cocktail party.
Saw no real food so we went to the restaurant and back to Rm 819 then to bed.

Saturday not nearly so windy though we heard it might rain.

Our wifes took an organized shopping trip.  They are still talking
about it.  Went to some fancy store "Nieman Marcus(sp)" where a belt
cost $125.00!  Fortunately they also went to some "normal" mall and
I earned some more airplane credits.  So they had a good time and made
some new friends.

Very few crashes today.  After waiting several hours during which
time I check out the raffle and it seems like every body wants a jet
or the ARF so I figure my odds on the Aeronca are improving.  So I purchase
some more Aeronca tickets.  Eventually we near the end of the flight
order and we're up.  Great - Kevin can't get the engine started.  We had
a flight timed the day before and with the engine starting on the first
flip we still took 11'45" to do the flight out of an allocated 12'.  So
we abort and fall to the back of the pack.  We are each allowed to do this
one time during the entire masters contest.  Now we're worried.  After
fiddling with the engine we start it with a fresh prime.  Fortunately we
were so far back in the list that falling to the back only cost us about
a half hour.  The guy in front of us aborted and it cost him 5 hours.
So when we're up next it starts right up (backwards) and we're off.

Kevin turns a 76? and the rest of the pack catches up.  Oh well - three
flights in - no damage and we (Kevin) didn't win the "Being last sucks"
T-shirt.  

Oh yah - the guy with the rebuilt P-38 flys again.  I heard him say that
the plane has never landed.  When he brought it in it landed a little hard
and stopped in about 6 inches.  Both cowls fell off and I heard others
say the the entire insides fell out onto the runway.  I didn't have a 
chance to take a close look but I saw the landing and it was pretty
amazingly funny.

Back to the motel to get cleaned up for the banquet.  I really was
disappointed that Frank Tiano didn't do his roast.  Instead we had
a session of jokes from Digby Cranke (really that's his name) from
South Africa.  Now those who know Digby probably no better but
I didn't notice any laughing when he made a joke about the "black"
wood on his "young buck" trophy and pointed it at Charley Chambers
(who is black).

Bye the way Charley Chambers won the pilots choice award which included
an Airtronics Vision radio.

Charley Chambers and Charley Nelson tied for Top Static and Charley
Nelson also won the Top Civilian award.

The award for technical achievement went to Hal Parente for his Ryan
Fireball.  Alto I wouldn't deny Hal the award I couldn't personally
see anything close to the technical achievement of Dave _______'s
Kinner Sportster with the hand build 5 cylinder radial engine.  In
his qualifier he also earned a 100 in static as he machined all the
landing gear struts to match the original specifications.  By the way
the engine has spark plugs and a distributer.  Dave talked to us about
the problems of building a spark system that small and not have the
spart jump to all the terminals at once.  WOW.

The Japanese delegation talked for ever and gave a Komona(sp) to Harris Lee.

Sunday - weather man says high will be 80.  So we don't take any coats
to the field even though it seems a bit nippy.  It was about 60 and real
REAL windy.  The flight order is reversed today and the grass flyers
are last (but there are no more grass flyers because of the bad grass).
So were up 4th.  The wind is at it's peak just as Kevin takes off.  I
had to walk the plane down to the end of the runway because there was
no way it could taxi in this wind.  In fact only one flyer landed and taxied
back with any realism at all - Charley Nelson.  Anyway the flight was
great and I really thought we would pull back towards the top of the flight
scores with this one.  The wind was really cooking now and Kevin's figure 
eight was nice even though you had to wait forever while the Webra Bully
pulled the giant P-47 ever so slowly up wind.  When he turned down wind
he had to nearly give full up and a 90 degree bank to not be blown
past the figure eight cross over point.  I forget the score but it was
a really exciting flight.  When he landed the wind lifted the port wing
and the P-47 was sitting on the runway at a dead stop with the wind
howling and holding the port tip up and resting on the starboard tip.
Kevin is banding the rudder back and forth but the only thing that lets
it drop is a drop in wind.  Flight complete.

We were really freezing but forgot about the cold during the intense
flight.  Four flights in - no crashes - no damage - good scores.

Hey the raffle is looking good so I purchase my third set of tickets for
the Aeronca (one set each day).

We hang around and kick tires for a few more hours waiting for the
awards.  Normally I would say this is not a good spectator sport.  You have
to be a flyer or like me a pit snake for a real flyer or like Eric
get involved and meet everybody and video tape.  It isn't much fun to just
watch - BUT.  During this final day we had a ball watching the other
flyers cope with the wind.  In truth it peaked during Kevin's flight and
although it was a harsh wind it was slowing up slowly through the day.
Every landing was exciting.  But you could tell you were watching
the best of the best.  But many incurred some damage to landing gears.
Dennis Crooks put on a demo flight of a new Yellow Aircraft F15.
It could fly circles around the slow oversized overweight underpowered 
Byron's F15s.  The day before Dennis flew his SR71 Black Bird but had
an short flight and emergency landing.  Each day one fellow flew a
Newport 28 very nicely at lunch time and Al's favorite one guy
flew a toy looking electric.  Good time to get a cheeseburger and Coke.

Came award time and ...

I won the Aeronca and $100 gift certificate!

11th place got the first annual (I hope not) "Young Buck" trophy
donated by the South African delegation and supposed to be passed on
at each masters.  Though they didn't volunteer to automatically qualify
the 11th place or pay transportation!

10th thru 6th place each got a nice plaque and Futaba Servos.  10th
won 1 servo and (1 servo back ordered) all giant scale servos - appropriate.
9th won 1 servo and 2 servos back ordered...

5th thru 1 won Futaba radios with their plaque.  I believe the radios
varied from 7 AUP's to 9 VAPs as you worked your way up.

Interesting was that all 3 AD1 Skyraiders made it to the top 10!

Charley loaded up his WACOs (one for practice one for competition) and
Kevin's Jug and my Aeronca and we said our good byes.

Monday we went the the airport and checked in and I took a cab
to Roy's Hobby shop and spent my $100 gift certificate on an OS .90 FS
Surpass (Yes Al - I really have a brand new engine) for the Aeronca.

The really interesting thing here is Roy's hobby shop said their prices
were the same as Towers.  I checked several engines and they were the
same or LOWER.

We waited in the Airports forever and got home at 2:00 AM Tuesday morning.

Now tell me guys - is an Aeronca Sedan the same as an Aeronca Champ
or Chief or ???.  I was looking at Scale Model research's catalogue
and they don't list any "Sedan" - just C-2's, C-3's, Champs, Chiefs,
and L3's.

OK - Kevin and Eric - please make necessary corrections and fill in
the details.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  | Scale Masters Mechanic
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, Kay,
    
    Great report, amigo.  In answer to yer' query, no, the Aeronca Ssedan
    is not the same as the Champ, Chief, etc.  As I recall, the Sedan
    seated the passengers side-by-side where the Champ has tandem seating. 
    Not sure about the Chief anymore but I know it's also different in some
    way.  The C-2, C-3, Collegiate series were the 30's era "flying
    bathtub" looking planes so, again, no ceegar.  A sedan is a Sedan is a
    Sedan and that's the long 'n short of it.  Yer best bet may be to start
    haunting small airports asking around about full scale Sedans...I have
    an idee they're probably fairly rare but who knows?  Also, write the
    EAA at Oshkosh...if the kit illustration was modelled after an Oshkosh
    winner, pix must surely exist an be available.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Thanks, guys, for those VERY comprehensive reports on the masters.  For
    a relative newcomer like me, this type of reporting sure does wonders
    in creating an impression of what it's like to be there.  
    
    Let me add my own congrat's and att-a-boys to the DEC pilots who
    proudly and skillfully flew in this world-class event.  I have a dream
    of doing the same some day hence.
    
    Again, great reporting...I loved every word of it!
    
    Regards,
    Joe

    I know of an Aeronca Sedan in Hudson, MA, and I am already trying to
    get Kay access to it...  But he is going to have to build the 
    float-plane version if he wants to use this one.... :-)
    
    jeff
    

    Re: .2213, Kay,
    
    I meant to make a correction to yer' Masters report but forgot to do so
    in .2214.
    
    You were listing the Baker Jugs in attendance at the Masters and 
    had a minor glitch in the aircraft personal names.  The following is 
    correct:
    
    1. Kevin Ladd	"Little Demon"
    2. Bill Carper 	"Little Demon"   (Bill Carper, not Bill Carpenter.)
    3. Chuck Collier	"Little Chief"
    4. Scott Foster	"Big Chief"  (This was the "silly looking
    				      bubble-top" you mentioned.)
    
    Also, the Canadian with the handmade 5-cylinder radial was David Pape.
    Dave received the Technical Achievement award in 1987 (Las Vegas) so
    don't lament his efforts being overlooked...they were recognized the
    first year he debuted his Kinner Sportster with its magnificent engine,
    which, BTW, was built from the plans from the engine's designer,
    Forrest Edwards.
    
    Not much mention has yet been made in the reports of the aircraft at
    the Masters, save for those of the reporters.  Lemme' mention a few
    that caught my eye:
    
    1. As always, Charlie Chambers' P-51 "Big Beautiful Doll' is without
    peer.  Even at close examination, the workmanship stands up as
    flawless, the real metal panelling giving it a realism seldom (if ever)
    achieved.  Charlie has obviously been doing his homework as his flying
    was almost as flawless as his model this year and he truly earned the
    Masters Championship.  His was a very popular win as Charlie is just
    plain one helluva nice guy.
    
    2. Mel Whitley's scratchbuilt Hawker Sea Fury was only a step or two
    behind Charlie's Mustang.  The craftmanship was very good and the model
    presented very well.  Powered (quite adequately) by an O.S. .240,
    opposed-twin 4-cycle, the Sea Fury performed well in all wind
    conditions and Mel flew it very well.  This model had probably the
    nicest retraction speed of any model I watched during the Masters.
    
    3. Somehow, the Violett F-86 of Top Gun winner Ron Gillman came up a
    little short at this meet...it just didn't seem to present as well as
    it had in previous meets and Ron did well to hang onto 9th place.  BTW,
    Bob violett didn't show up to defend his Masters-crown...no one seemed
    to know why; someone said he'd gotten mad at something(?) at the
    Southwest Fan-Fly held in Dallas the previous weekend but no one could
    explain how/why this had anything to do with the Masters.  Oh well....
    
    4. I've forgotten the pilots name but a fellow had a really great
    looking and flying P-40 _highly_ modified from the Byron kit.  He told
    me he'd had to modify the wingtips extensively (to narrow the thickness)
    to get them closer to scale and had replaced all the control surfaces. 
    The model was painted in Canadian (RCAF) WW-II colors and was quite an
    eyecatcher.
    
    5. I should mention that I've heard much about Kevin Ladd's smooth
    flying but had never had the opportunity to see him fly, save for a few
    minutes on my ol' Yeller' Peril (which is no indicator whatever).  I
    must say that the reports were true...Kevin exhibits an innate
    smoothness that will stand him in good stead the further he journeys
    into the realm of scale competition.  All he lacks is a little
    seasoning.  Just to tell on him a little, you should'a seen his
    too-low stall turn and resulting eye-level pullout...he tightened more
    than one observer's pucker-strings with that one!  :B^)
    
    I'll put more observations in as they come back to mind...for now,
    adios.....
    						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Kay,Al:
    
    		What was so "Silly Looking" about he P47D-40 Bubble
    canopy?  
    
    
    Tom

>    4. Scott Foster	"Big Chief"  (This was the "silly looking
>    				      bubble-top" you mentioned.)
    
Nope - that's not the one I was talking about.  I like Scott Fosters Jug
just fine (actually it is too glossy for me - but accurate).

The silly looking one was all silver and had an extra vertical surface added
before the tail fin that looked like 1/4" balsa.

>    Also, the Canadian with the handmade 5-cylinder radial was David Pape.
>    Dave received the Technical Achievement award in 1987 (Las Vegas) so
>    don't lament his efforts being overlooked...they were recognized the
>    first year he debuted his Kinner Sportster with its magnificent engine,
>    which, BTW, was built from the plans from the engine's designer,
>    Forrest Edwards.

As I talked to Dave quite a bit I have to add that he started with a Forrest
Edwards design and couldn't get it to run very good and produce much horsepower.
So he changed it from a 5 carb design to a one carb design and changed from
glow plug to spark ignition - hence he had to design and build a distributor.
He spend many revisions on re-porting the casing such that the single carb would
supply the correct amount of fuel to the top cylinders as well as the bottom
cylinders.  By the way he had an onboard tach and transmitter to since
RPM remotely and when he started it he would check to see if all five
cylinders were firing by...



Feeling the exhaust of each!

Dave said he will be (or already is) offering this updated design to anyone
who wants to take a crack at it.  He now believes that he has the fuel 
distribution solved to where he could be successful back on glow plugs.
Glad to here he already received the award.  I didn't realize he was a
masters veteran.

One thing my trip report didn't touch on was the general attitude and
atmosphere at the masters.  Like most RC events - you find a very
nice class of people.  I've always maintained that it takes a special
person to work hundreds of hours in their workshop and then go and risk
everything flying.  All your work can (and does) get wiped out "in a 
heartbeat" as Al Casey would say.  But in the case of the Masters - you
are really looking at the Best of the Best - in all respects.  As in
most competitions if anyone needs help (including spare parts) there
is always someone ready to help - even though their help may in fact contribute
to their own defeat.  We even had more fun with the judges here than
in previous qualifiers.  Harris Lee was making it a point to personally
welcome everybody and make you feel comfortable all through the event.

We bumped into Harris at the Airport while leaving and he was wishing
us all a nice trip home - what a great guy.

The Arizona crew are the nicest bunch of gentlemen you will ever come
across.  When Chuck Collier passed Kevin in the standings he made me
feel proud to be behind him.  What a great guy.  Bob Frey and Kent
Walters were both judging.  We had the greatest confidence when they
were at work that there was none better that could do the job.  The only
drawback to being in the competition is that you miss a lot.  For instance
I never saw any complete flight of Al's MiG.  If fact until the final
round where we finished early I never say anyone's complete flight.
It would have been really nice if Al didn't have retract problems.  
I did see two things Chuck Collier did with his Jug.  One was a VERY
low pass down wind on the last day when it was really windy - WOW.
Also on his last landing he really stuck it in - ALA glider style
for the 100 point bonus - I gave him a hard time about that but I
could tell from his response he hasn't been to many glider contests!

Well - I'm rambling again.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, Kay,
    
    Yeah, I _knew_ there was a 5th Jug but couldn't remember whose it was
    'til Kevin jogged my mind off-line.  And it _would_ be Bob Olson, one
    of our long-time California friends, I managed to forget.  Frankly, I'm
    not sure what Kay saw that was so silly looking...Bob modelled the only
    restored P-47N model currently flying and I always thought the N was a
    pretty nice looking ship.  It was developed primarily for Pacific
    operations and had the wing stretched into squared-off tips for added
    wing area.  The long dorsal fin which ran forward from the base of the
    fin and stayed parallel with the fuse rather than tapering into it was
    to provide additional side area/lateral stability.  Also, fuel capacity
    was increased to provide the longer range needed in the Pacific Theater.
    
    Olson's model recreates the restored aircraft and, hence, is too shiney
    and clean for my tastes (as was Scott Foster's "Big Chief") but,
    otherwise was a well executed model.
    
    I wasn't aware of all the extra engineering David Pape had had to do to
    Forrest Edwards' basic design of the 5-cyl. radial.  Hafta' give him
    plenty of credit.  BTW, David has competed the Kinner Sportster in every 
    Masters since I first met him in Vegas in '87 so he and the plane are
    definitely veterans with 4-notches in their guns.  Which reminds
    me...the MiG-3 has now flown in 6-Masters and has accumulated almost
    30-hours of airtime, 10-to-12 minutes at a time.  Guess that bird don't
    owe this ol' cowpoke a thing, does it...??!!
    
    I like yer' comments on the atmosphere at the Masters with everyone
    eager to help the other guy, even if it jeopardizes his own chances. 
    That's quite the opposite of some other facets of our (an others')
    recreations.
    
    No one's yet mentioned our friend, Tony Arand.  Tony rolled his Brian
    Taylor P-40E into a ball after snapping on takeoff in round-2 Friday.
    But, he and his Dad, John, labored into the wee hours and got the
    substantial damage repaired, finishing up the retract repair and even
    repainting the glassed repair areas AT THE FIELD Saturday AM.  Tony
    never missed a round and, in fact, put in one of the best flights I
    ever saw him make with that ship AFTER the crash!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

well i will just add tidbits here and there.

the most memorable moments, without question, were in the bar wednesday
night.  you see, it was bikini night and these young beautiful women
who'd obviously spent half their entire lives on an exercise bike would
saunter up to us, demonstrating their functional zippers and soliciting
for $2 raffle tickets.  jack buckley, tom kosewski, kay, herschel the
zap propaganda man (nice guy), and me, all were subjected to severe
moments of torture.  it was awful, sorry you missed that al.

i met bert baker which was great fun.  i told him his kits were so awful
that i had to buy 3...

i had many conversations with gene barton (my retract/bully accessory
supplier) and enjoyed them all.  he's a great guy, offering to repair/
readjust my retracts for free and offering spare parts (even complete
engine) if i needed during competition.  also met don barton, gene's dad,
another baker jug fan.  don and gene were the first father-son team last
year at masters, don also got the "being last sucks" t-shirt last year.

there were 5 baker jugs at the masters (you guys forgot bob olson's
p47n bubble).  on saturday we lined them up together for pictures.
also beside the jugs were all the other wwII hardware, zeros, corsairs,
skyraiders (well, almost wwII).  that was fun.

chuck colliers jug looked great.  it sure came a long way from last
march when i saw it in phoenix.  i really liked how bob, i mean chuck,
did the weathering.  flew good too, even fast enough for chuck.  gene
barton says chuck can be hard on retracts 8^).  i've been accused of
accusing chuck of using a toggle switch for throttle.  who me?

one of my favorite machines was eugene job's baker zero.  i believe
its modeled after a restored bird in the chino museum.  a bit too
restored and shiney but i loved the camo scheme and the building job
job did.  flew great too, i think it finished 2nd.

tom kosewski had engine troubles and dead-sticked the first 2 flights.

i managed to forget my engine bolts (had to remove bully to fit little
demon in charlies van) and had to bum a set off the hotel maintainence
guys.  charlie gave me a hard time since he'd reminded me not to forget...

room 819 was a bastion of bullsh*t.  i remember many humerous stories,
like when diego took off his skyraider with the wings unlocked.  or
bob frey explaining how much fun it was torturing contestants during
static judging (he was craftsmanship judge).  he claimed the best
reactions came when he stood up out of his chair, raised his glasses,
squinted, then frowned and shook his head.  i was holding my sides.
best movie video went to tom street (another character) who had mounted
a camcorder in the nose of a 10 foot b17.  it was thrilling to ride
round and round the field looking out the nose.  it was really really
thilling when the radio went into failsafe, killed 2 engines, came out
of failsafe, and put the big 17 into a spin.  the gound sure rushed up
fast.  tom says a professional camera repairman was needed just to
remove the tape from the remnants of the camcorder.

charlie nelson was really really tickled to get high static.  i felt
real happy for him and everyone rallied around him at the banquet as he
dragged all the trophies back to his chair.  i think he was under more
pressure than me, i was just happy to survive and not crash, while he
was scrapping to make the top 10 (came in 12th overall i think).  few
fliers handled the wind better than charlie, even the warbirds, so i'm
surprised he didnt finish even higher.

jack buckley, as you've all heard, lost his rx first flight and stuffed
the cap10.  sometimes life just isnt fair.  jack jinxed himself by
explaining to kay and me the day before how that radio has worked
flawlessly for 6 years.  i guess pcm-failsafe works great unless the
failure is in the rx or rx batteries or somewhere in between.  sigh.

my first flight i was real nervous.  it was windy, there were 3 other
planes in the air, and i just never did feel remotely comfortable.
at one point while doing my fly-by i noticed the other little demon
was in the air at the same time.  everything went ok until the landing.
determined not to come up short against the wind like so many before me,
i kept on the gas and managed to overshoot, touch down hot, and roll
downhill to the end of the runway and 20 yards beyond.  only my pride
was hurt.

i got to watch al fly several times (and the mig fly for the first time).
i thought the mig flew fast and smooth.  its just amazing how quickly
an ancient os .60 can pull a 72" warbird.  al does a whole bunch of
"difficult" maneuvers.  on the first landing al couldnt have picked a
worst time.  as he came down to 4 ft off the deck the wind started
gusting and the ole mig was tossed around.  al and the mig deserved
better.

after round 1 the scores were posted and i was amazed to find myself
in 31st place, ahead of chuck and al and scott foster.  my static stunk
(89.5 sounded good until i noticed it was about 70th of 75) but the
flight score of 83.5 was one of the best.  shoot, this was easy.

my balloon burst on flight 2.  the weather changed drastically, a few
people were lucky to fly in dead calm air as a thunderstorm approached.
scott foster was one of those, and he made the most of it by flying
once of the best routines i've ever seen and snagged a well-deserved
95.  it was only slightly windy when i flew and i should have taken
advantage, but i could not.  i can't remember all the details but no
aerobatic maneuver was really right.  the immelman was sloppy at the 
top. the stall turn stunk too, i tried to get cute and start and end it
at 20 feet altitude, i finished it at 6 feet but heh, the crowd was
entertained.  in short i was lucky to get an 84.  rats,
i'd wanted to fly well for dennis crooks, one of the flight judges.
by now i'm plumetting in the standings as almost everyone on the board
improves by 5+ points on the second flight score.

the third flight was more of the same but i dont know if it was as bad
as the 76 flight score.  another tragedy as that was done in front of
the "easy" judges.  again, everyone else was now scoring at least in
the middle to upper 80's, with several more scores in the 90's.

the last flight on sunday was crazy.  it was much windier than even
that last round in westover a year and a half ago.  i'd wanted to fly
well for kent "the champ" walters but ended up just happy to survive.
i actually did a pretty good job on the figure-8 and swapped the stall-
turn for flaps (got 9.5 average for flaps instead of typical 6 for the
stall-turn, hmmm, maybe its time to fly simpler routine).  everything was
ok, not good, not bad, just ok.  the landing was interesting.  i touched
down 20 yards short and came to a stop directly in front of me and the
judges.  somewhere along the way the wind picked up the port wing and
it just stood there, idling and sitting on one wingtip and one gear.
as al suggested afterwards, a bit of left aileron might've done the
trick - i've programed myself to use rudder instead of ailerons
on landing approaches (a reason i still have the plane) but need to
learn how to fly the plane once its on the ground.  experience/practice
will fix that.

all in all i was pleased.  i flew all 4 rounds and had only some missing
paint under a wingtip for damage.  the experience will help me next time.
i hope that the next p47 can static in the middle of the pack and, if
i can fly almost in the middle of the pack now, imagine what some practice
could do.

i had a great time.  i always enjoy the company of the arizona rebels,
and this was no exception.  hard to believe but i also got to know
locals like jack buckley and tom kosewski for the first time clear down
in texas.  now i have to think how i 'm going to qualify for las vegas...

    Saw on the news last night that a full-scale P-51 crashed here in
    Massachusetts and killed both people on board.  

    They showed all of the twisted wreckage.  Until they said "P-51" I
    had _NO_ idea what kind of plane it was.  It was mangled that bad.
    The details of the cause of the crash were not given.  

    There was also a second civilan plane crash that was fatal.  I don't
    remember any of the details here...

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Caster Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

I heard that they were excessively low due to the fog and the terrain came up 
to meet them.

    I keep forgetting to make this announcement, probably because I wish it
    weren't so.
    
    It is with extreme regret that I must announce that DC Aviation, makers
    of those beautiful R/C Scale Calendars have gone out of business. 
    According to owner/operators, Dennis and Linda Crooks, the work-to-profit 
    ratio was just too great to continue and 1990 was the last calendar
    they will have produced.  I picked this tidbit up at the MAsters in
    Dallas but, unfortunately, didn't find the time or opportunity to
    discuss it at any length but the bottom line is that the calendars no
    longer exist.  A damn shame, in my book!  I'm just glad I managed to
    make the calendar at least once but regret there'll be no opportunity
    to have any subsequent model become a calendar-girl.
    
    If anyone has already sent in the reorder blank (which was placed in
    the October page of the 1990 calendar), I'm sure the Crooks will return
    the check.  A letter or a call will surely produce this effect if you
    feel it necessary.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    (re. last reply)

   > If anyone has already sent in the reorder blank (which was placed in   <
   > the October page of the 1990 calendar), I'm sure the Crooks will return<
                                             -------------------------------<
   > the check.  
   > ----------

	
   Al,  I thought they were your friends!!!


   Sorry, I just couldn't resist.  I'm overtired and when I read that it broke 
    me up.
 
   Ken
   
    

    Dear "Ramblin'" readers.  On occasion, I receive a missive from my good
    friend, Don Huff, fraught with a wild array of barely connected
    thoughts which, invariably cracks me up.  I've accused Don of smoking
    his underwear on more than one occasion but, this time, I'm sure Don's
    outdone his'self and is only a centon or two from requiring
    professional help.  :B^) :B^)  This latest blurb from "the Huff" is
    just too wild not to share so, without his permission but, I trust,
    with his blessing, here's Don's latest essay.....:
    
    
    Author:	DONALD W. HUFF                
    Date:	02-Oct-1990
    Posted-date: 02-Oct-1990


      \|/
      00
      (O>o
 \__(O_\_                   now this little fella is supposed to look


                  terrified, but can you imagine the pure, really pure terror


                  of this troup if he were looking into a wall of radial


                  cylinders tightly enclosed by a chrome-moly framework,


                  cotten covered, taughtened with butyrate dope and sprouting


                  two streamlined wings (we know they are streamlined because


                  they are held together by streamlined bailing {flying/landing}


                  wires).

Such was the plan put forth by that aeronautical genius, MiKoyan, when 
submitting the follow on model of the MiG 3 (to be known as the MiG 3/Rw2w)
[MiG3/radial with 2 wings]. But Traditionlism and secret jealousies of the
the subversive "etu Brutae" engineering groups shot him down (stabbed him in the 
back).

Actually, MiKoyan got his job after unsuccessfully designing the American
P-40; his real name was Curtiss Mikoyan. There were rumours of deportation,
being run out of town on a rail, etc, etc. And, of course, there is absolutely 
no truth to the rumour that CM could make better vodka than anybody and that
had nothing to do with his elevation to "HERO OF THE SOVIET UNION". He just 
built a better mousetrap.

And that's why there are no mice in the vodka potatoe storage bins in the USS of 
R.

Now that's crazy.............


(or, am I just teasing)


(signed)

Napolean Huff



						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)
    

	re:-.1

	Speaking of MiG-3s...

	You did it again Al. Your in the press.  This time in November's
	R/C Modeler. The title of the article is "Ducted Fans 
	Dominate TOP GUN 1990".

	Page 120 picture of MiG with caption "Al Casey's very nice, and 
	unusual MiG-3"

	Page 123. Caption of paragraph "The Russians Came From Phoenix"

	 "An Unusual Russina MIG 3 was entered by Al Casey from nearby 
	 Phoenix, Arizona. Al scratch-built this plane from balsa covered 
	 with glass cloth. Finish was K&B primer, Ditzler automotive
	 laquer and finally K&B clear coat. The plane is powered by an
	 O.S. 60 FSR swinging an 11 x 7 prop. Rohm-Air retracts clean
	 up the airflow after take-off"

    RE: -.1
    Yeah, Al's Mig got mentioned again! I notice that all of the
    accompaning pictures, except two, had titles with just the aircraft name and
    builder's name. The two exceptions were the MiG-3 which rated a "very
    nice" and Larry Wolfe's F-4-C which rated a "beautiful". The MiGs done
    ol' Al pretty good.

    
    
    To everyone I usually correspond with via mail, as of today, I am
    on a new node. You will now need to send mail to SNAX::SMITH and
    not the old RVAX. It's a pain, but what are ya gonna do.
    
    Steve

    Wull', nutz!  Looks like ah'll haf'ta go out 'n buy a copy of my
    "favorite catalog" so's I kin' add the pic 'n blurb to the pile of
    stuff I've collected over the years with the intention of one day
    putting together a scrap book on the ol' MiG-3.  Too bad this coverage
    comes from a meet where Murphy once again threw some "stuff" in the
    game causing me to decide to retire and not fly in the meet.  Oh
    well.....
    
    As Dan E. says, the ol' MiG's been awfully good to me over it's 7-years
    (6 in competition) and, though a bit dated in today's competition
    arena, has a lot of life left in it yet.  I gotta' get a new 1st-line
    ship underway but, barring the unthinkable, it's a good feeling to know
    the ol' Ruskie bird is waiting faithfully in the wings anytime it's needed.
    
    Received a great videotape on the Dallas Masters from the Evil One
    yesterday and it was great fun getting to see a lot of things I missed
    during the meet.  There was one aircraft (a Citabria) that I never saw
    the entire 4-days of the meet.  Eric's "clever" editing-in of the crash
    and rescue squad (fire-trucks, ambulances, etc.) each time the MiG's
    gear folded on landing was a real crack-up!!  Great tape...gar-cee-ass,
    ay-mee-go!!!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Could this tape be passed around through the DECRCM world like the
    ones from the meetings ?  I really like to see your planes moving.
    
    (new Mailstop until end of December CXO1-2/N27 )
    
    
    Bernd
    

    Bernd,
    
    The tape Eric sent me was edited/shortened to highlight the "Arizona 
    contingent's" activities.  I'm sure he's preparing a more complete tape
    of the entire meet and that a copy of this one will be available for
    DECRCM distribution.  (I just hope he edits out my knife-edge takeoff
    in the crosswind in that copy :B^}.) 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Al,
    
    	I've already spoken to Eric and a mysterious thing happened. Seems
    that when he was putting the "distribution" version together, all of 
    the editing features on his equipment seemed to be non-functional.
    Imagine that!!!!!!! 8^)
    
    Steve
    
    

    Well, all traces of my landing gear fiasco at the Masters has been
    eradicated as the faithful ol' MiG-3's skint-up wingtips have been
    repaired/repainted to their original state.
    
    The irony continues, however; you may remember my mentioning in my report 
    that, for reasons unknown and unfathomable, the gear failed to retract
    _or_ stay locked down (on landing) on my round-3 flight due to loss of
    system pressure.  Well, I pumped up the gear one final time ~3:00 PM
    Sunday, 23 Sept. as we loaded the models into Bob's GMC Suburban for
    the last time prior to returning home the next morning.  I never
    touched the system again until this past Monday evening, 1 Oct...8 days
    later, and guess what?  Yup'!  The system still had a full head of
    pressure in it.  I cycled the gear 3-times and then left them in the
    down position.
    
    Each successive evening, prior to commencing with wingtip repairs, I've
    cycled the gear twice and the system continues to hold pressure.  This
    AM, before leaving for work, I checked 'em again and I can still hear
    the air pressure as I operate the air switch/valve but the pressure is
    finally down to where it's inadequate to operate the gear.  But, I got
    7-cycles of the gear out of the Texas air that was left in the system
    after sitting for over 2-weeks!
    
    So why'd the system leak down in round-3 Dallas.  The only conceivable
    answer is that the fill valve failed to reseal when the pump was
    removed just prior to the flight.  This flukey behavior (never before
    experienced) seems just another of the indignities Messr. Murphy
    imposed on me during the Masters.  I received an 83.5 on that flight
    and that was with the gear hanging down through the entire flight, then
    failing on landing, which amounted in severe points loss in the Flight
    Realism and Landing maneuvers.  Arrrrrrgh! I might'a had a 90 flight
    there.  Oh well......
    
    I don't remember if I commented on it directly but, in contrast to the
    misery of the Ft. Knox trip in '88, this trip was a real pleasure.  Bob
    and I had a great trip both ways, splitting the drive into an 11, then
    an 8 hour drive, stopping overnight to rest.  This made the trip a
    breeze and the time and miles melted away unbelievably fast.  Of
    Course, Dallas is a bit closer, 1100 compared to 1600 miles, but, had
    we applied the same strategy and took [say] 2 1/2 days to drive it, the
    Ft. Knox trip may have been much more palatable.
    
    We met or bettered every estimated ETA, never made a wrong turn and got
    everywhere we needed to get to without a glitch...the trip portion just
    couldn't have been better...especially when I add in the nostalgia
    drenched deviation on the return trip down the route I used so
    frequently 29-years ago driving home from Walker AFB N.Mexico.  The
    short of it is that I enjoyed this Masters to the hilt despite Murphy's
    attempts to sabotage me on the field.  Sure, I was a bit disappointed
    at my buzzard-luck but I was having such a ball otherwise I simply
    wouldn't allow it to dampen my good time.
    
    It was great being (and competing) with Kevin, Kay and Eric on foreign
    soil, as it were.  As always, I enjoyed reacquainting with Charlie
    Nelson (I really thought he'd place this year), Jack Buckley (whose
    luck was _FAR_ worse than mine), Tom Kosewski (did he fly the Fokker at
    all after round-2?  I never saw it again) and my many friends from all
    over the country.  The camaraderie and social aspects of the Masters
    are, to me, far more important than what goes on at the field (though
    I'd dearly love to have a trouble-free contest and place once more).
    
    And so, new plane or not, I'll do my best to qualify again and attend
    the 1991 Masters which is tentatively planned for Las Vegas.  I just
    hope it doesn't rain again; the Masters has been threatened by rain
    every year since Vegas started the trend in '87 so it seems apropos that
    Vegas should break the string.  Hope to see Kevin there in '91...and,
    hey, what about you, Kay?  And you, Tenerowicz...stop plannin' and
    start buildin' so you can qualify and attend the Vegas Masters next
    year.  I'll be there even if I don't qualify for some reason...Vegas is
    too close not to go for the kinship and camaraderie!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    
    	Thank's Al for the added report and your findings in trouble
    shooting the retracts.  I have one final purchase before starting
    the building of the P47. Last week or was it two ago I got my canopies
    from Holman and pulled the plans out. I've finally decided to build
    the wing out of Foam and balsa.  I think I'll be using your buddies
    idea with the two plywood formers to help keep then in.  The ailerons
    and flaps will be built up and the stabs made of foam. Elevators
    and rudder built up.
    	I was really curious what you thought of Scott Fosters bird
    as that is the exact ship I plan to model.  I have sent a letter
    off to Scott asking for help with the paint documentation but as
    yet not recieved any reply. I've even enlisted my girl to help by
    sketching the indian head on thin paper so I can transfer it to
    the fuse. A local modeler runs a decal service so if I can get his
    to show me how to use his equipment I may just do decals.
    	I figure I'll start to cut parts to develop a kit a little at
    a time over the next two months and then starts construction in
    ernest sometime in December.
    
    
    	Tom

    Tom T.,
    
    Scott's Jug looked just fine.  My only problem with it is the same one
    I have with _any_ model of a currently flying restoration: they're just
    too damned perfect and shiney!  I know lots'a folks like this
    appearance but I much prefer the "rode hard - put away wet, war weary
    look" of a _real_ bird-of-prey.  We have a grat looking P-47D Razorback
    out a Champlin's Fighter Museum in a really knockout scheme called "Big
    Stud" but, unless I could find documentation of the actual combat
    aircraft, I'd never model this ship as I don't like the too-perfect,
    flawlessly shiney finish.  Just a personal preference though, properly
    documented, neither type has any advantage over the other at
    static-judging time.  In fact, the restored example may have a slight
    edge since you can get all the up-to-date, accurate documentation you
    could imagine on it where documentation of an actual WW-II combat aircraft 
    can be difficult to find.  So, get started, amigo......
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    luck was _FAR_ worse than mine), Tom Kosewski (did he fly the Fokker at
>    all after round-2?  I never saw it again) and my many friends from all

As far as I know he flew rounds 1-3.  I understand he dead sticked
on 1 and 2.  He didn't fly round 4 because of the wind - said "He
had nothing to prove".  I think it was a good choice.  Tom plans
to take the Fokker to a few scale fun flys then retire it.  We'll see.

>    Vegas should break the string.  Hope to see Kevin there in '91...and,
>    hey, what about you, Kay?  And you, Tenerowicz...stop plannin' and

You have to remember I don't profess to have any way near the flying skill
of any master's competitors yet and I am just developing my building skill.

My goal is to make the Optica a masters competitive ship in two years.  

The other day someone was talking to my wife Pat and asked if I had
one of those RC planes.  She said "ONE - more like TEN!".  I took
exception and said don't exaggerate.  She said "OK - How many do you have?"

"Hmmmmmm - well only 4 in commission Sagitta 600, Hobie Hawk, Chuperosa,
and Thermal Charger!"

So she said "OK - how many are on order?"

"Well - 2 sorta - the Aeronca Sedan I just won and the a Panic."

Yes - I'm the guy who just bought the Panic that was for sale in note
6 a few days ago.

On a tangent - do you realize that I won two Aeronca's this summer.
The first one at an electric contest for winning the pylon race with
my thermal charger.  I gave it to a 15 year old kid that I've been 
taking around to all the local contests this summer.  He almost finished
it when - guess what?



His dog - ate the fuselage.

Anyway 4 in commission and 2 on order - that's only 6 - not TEN!

So she says - "OK - now how many are under construction?"

Hmmmm - "Well 2 - the Lovesong and the Zero."

"OK - that's 8" she said - "Now what about the BJ's"

"But I'm going to retire one and I'll never fix the other one."

She said "That's 10".

I figured I better be quiet since nobody counted the Optica and I haven't
yet cannibalized the parts out of he Aeromaster - tho I expect to any day.

It's hard to feel guilty when I spend some time nearly every night
in the workshop.  Last night I put the first coat of Epoxy on the tops
of the Lovesong wings.  Since I'm rambling - I tried something that
seemed to make since - but I don't know if anybody has ever done it
before.  I put ladies nylon stockings over the wings and put the
Epoxy on that.  It turned out to be more difficult than I expected and I 
won't know the results for several days.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, Kay,
    
    OK, but the only way to become Competition caliber in building and
    flying is to keep on working at it.  All that other stuff is great but
    you should try to have a scale competitor in the stable all the time.
    
    BTW, on the Nylon stocking idea, I never tried it but I read about it a
    buch of years ago in one or another of the model mags.  The author used
    his wife's discarded pantyhose (one leg is almost always good) to do
    fuselages and wings.  I've forgotten if he had any trick to getting the
    hose stretched over the desired parts but I seem to recall that he used
    heat to further shrink the material to a form-fitting snuggness before
    brushing on the clear, resin or whatever he used.
    
    There was some other guy about the same time espousing the use of
    Ceconite bags just like they do on the full-scale fabric covered jobs. 
    This sounded a lot more fiddly as you had to cut/trim the material to
    conform snugly about the component to be covered, then use the wife's
    sewing machine to stitch it into a bag or sock.  This was then slipped
    over the component with the seam aligned on the bottom out of sight,
    then heat was applied to shrink the bag over the structure.  From her,
    you procede as usual with your clear dope, epoxy or polyester resin,
    primer, etc.  BTW, he was using sailplane-weight Ceconite which is
    still fairly heavy for model use to make up the bags.  This thechnique
    might work OK with some of the current -Tex products but still sounds
    like a lot of work (and a seam that'd be hard to hide).
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

     A couple of questions on your MIG Al. Never having seen pictures of a
    Mig-3 before, is it the angle at which the pictures were taken for the
    article in RCM, or does your aircraft really have that long a nose on
    it? Also, with the, what appears once again in the photo, seemingly
    radical rake angle to your landing gear, what are the ground handling
    caracteristics of such a setup like?
    
     Aside from my questions, may I say the MIG looks beautiful. Especially
    since us regular noters are aware of repairs you've had to make after
    some unfortunate episodes in the past. She certainly doesn't show her
    age. Sounds like you would've placed much better had it not been for
    some unfortunate landing gear problems. Congradulations anyway Al, you
    still made a fine showing and the MIG's still in one piece.
    
     I was also wondering what scale you built the MIG to, and whats the
    wing span? I'm sure you've mentioned it somewhere in a past note, and I
    may have seen it but don't recall.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Bernie

re .-1, -< Question's About the MIG >-
    
>>  what scale you built the MIG to, and what's the wing span? 
    
         1:5.6                                        72 3/4
    
    Alton, who did a      $ SEA RC11.A MIG      to find it in seconds.

    Bernie,
    
    Grass-ee-ass for the kind words regarding the ol' MiG-3.  Yup', it's an
    old soldier but it still looks pretty good for 100 flights, most of
    them being in competition.  I get accused of repainting it after every
    flight but, the way I hate touching up, I can assure you there's no
    truth to that dig.
    
    The MiG-3 was an extremely small fighter, smaller than an Me-109, so
    even at a relatively large scale of 1:5.65, the model spans just 72"
    but carries a whopping 960 sq." of area.  It began life at 11 1/2 lb's
    but I expect it's probably close to 12 lb's today.  It still amazes
    everyone (including me) how well (and FAST) the little O.S. .60 FSR
    hauls it.  Inspect the pic in RCM closely and you'll note that the
    exposed cylinder head looks ridiculously small for the size of the
    plane.  Though a bit small by today's standards, the MiG is quite large
    for its engine and, when first built, was one of the largest ships
    you'd find in a given contest.
    
    The RCM picture is pretty accurate, thoush the low camera angle
    emphasizes the ship's more obvious features.  Yes, the nose really is
    that long.  However, the obtical illusion is that is has a short tail
    moment and that _is_ just an illusion...the bird has ideal, almost
    pattern-ship moments which is why it flies so solidly/responsively.
    
    The forward rake on the main gear is as per the 3-view and makes it
    look dicier than it really is on the ground.  Note that the axle is
    almost exactly under the leading edge, the ideal wheel location for a
    taildragger.  Ground handling?  Well, in ideal-to-moderate conditions,
    it's just fine...much friendlier than it appears.  However, staying
    with scale elevator outline restricted the maximum amount of rudder
    throw I could build in and the truth is that it doesn't have enough
    rudder to cope with anuthing much above light-to-moderate cross-winds
    (as Eric can attest, having witnessed my knife-edge takeoff in a
    crosswind aat Dallas), it hooks sharply into the wind and hasn't
    sufficient rudder to stop it.
    
    I could have fixed this single bad characteristic by fudging the
    elevator shap adjacent to the rudder but I chose not to alter the scale
    outline and, unfortunately, have to pay the piper occasionally for that
    decision.  Should I build a new, larger, MiG, I'll do what's necessary
    to get MAX rudder throw.  If there is one, this is the biggest secret
    to handling skittish WW-II taildraggers.
    
    Hope this answered all yer' questions and thanx fer' yer' interest.....
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Al,
     The kind words are well deserved. Anybody that can take a bunch of
    sticks and assorted pieces of balsa and turn out such a fine piece of
    craftsmanship deserves a good deal of praise and a round of applause
    in appreciation for there abilities, and without question you have
    proven that yours are right up there with the best. 
    
     As you also noticed in the pic in RCM, the tail moment does look very
    very short. I wish they had done the pic at the same angle, but a top
    side view instead. I think it would have done the MIG more justice, but
    who am I to say.
    
     I forgot to wish our other DEC participants at the NAT's a
    congradulations in my last note. A fine job gentleman. Keep up the good
    work. You made an excellent showing. I only wish I could have been
    there to cheer you on. Or better yet, to partake! Sounds like all had a 
    wonderful time, and thats what its really all about. Isn't it?
    
     I did notice the head out the bottom of the cowl seemed awfully small,
    but I again attributed that to the camera angle. Guess I was wrong, it 
    really is small compared to the size of the ship.
    
    
    Bernie

    Bernie, I wasn't zinging you --- sorry to come across that way.

    Yes, a     DIR/TIT=MIG 239.*    would find what I found.

    What I did was, as it happens, even faster and much more powerful.  The
    technique is described in 2.2 and modified in 1.19.   It involves a set
    of files I create each weekend and MAIL out to people who have asked to
    be on the distribution list.  I'll put you on it now (until you ask to
    be taken off).  Myself, I damn near wear out the files in daily use. :-)

    Alton, sometimes zinging, sometimes doing a commercial, always helping

    Re: 2246, Bernie,
    
    Awwwwwww! What kin' I say after that except Thanx a heap?  Ah'
    'preciate it!!  BTW, the meet just past was the U.S. Scale Masters, not
    the AMA "NAT's." Just an expression of personal opinion so, please, don't
    anyone take offense, but I wouldn't fly in the Nats if they held 'em in
    my own back yard.  The only one I attended was the last Western Nats, held
    in Riverside, CA, (1976) and it was so fraught with red-tape and political 
    BS, not to metion total lack of ANY consideration for the contestants that
    I was bummed for life and will _never_ even consider attending again, let 
    alone competing.  My #1 flyin' buddy, Bob Frey, normally a very even
    tempered, give-the-other-guy-the-benefit-of-the-doubt kind'a guy, was 
    provoked to such intense rage as to tell a particularly offensive official 
    that "They ruined a perfectly good a**hole by putting teeth in your mouth!"
    then added that "It'd be an _honor_ to be ejected from this meet!!"
    
    Anyhoo, that cooled _my_ hash regarding the Nats and I'll work overtime
    avoiding it and spreading the bad press about it as long as I draw
    breath!  (Don't hold back, Al, tell us how you _really_ feel!  ;b^} )
    
    Wow!  Talk about a digression!  I hadn't intended to go off on a
    tangent like that but this is a pretty emotional subject to me (no
    kiddin'?).  More in line with Bernie's comments, I meant to mention
    that the 1/8 Air Force fielded 23 scale ships for static display at the
    1st Annual Art Show and Fighter Pilot Symposium held at Champlin's
    Fighter Museum this weekend.  As usual, perhaps aside from Kent Walters
    magnificent 13', 100-lb. B-17, the MiG-3 drew the most attention...people 
    simply don't know what it is...they _think_ they recognize various of its 
    features but are normally blown away to learn what it really is.
    
    However, through my artist buddy, Jerry Crandall, I met 4 visiting German 
    WW-II fighter aces and the two who'd flown in Russia recognized the MiG
    immediately!  Kinda made me feel like I've captured the model fairly
    well if these fellows recognized it almost 50-years after the fact.
    
    Saturday night, they had the panel symposium with 3-American and
    3-German aces...simply fascinating!  The highlight of this, however,
    was the running-up of the museum's Bf-109E (Daimler-Benz DB-601) and
    the Focke-Wulf FW-190D-13 (Junkers Jumo) as well as two P-51D's
    (Rolls-Royce Merlins...what else?).  The Mustangs fired up
    simultaneously and what sweet music those smooth, throaty Merlins sang?!
    Then they lit off the FW-190 after a disclaimer that they were still
    lacking some critical, original parts and the mixture control was
    marginal.  The Jumo sputtered and backfired, belching big balls of
    flame from the stacks but, if the Merlins had raised goose bumps, the
    gutteral rumble of the big German engine made the air stand up on the
    back of your neck.  The effect was the same when the lit off the Bf-109.
    That DB-601 had a similar but sharper, not as mellow crack to it as the
    Merlin but it spoke of massive power!  Quite an experience.
    
    I wound up becoming quite close to one of the Germans, a Bf-109/FW-190
    ace named Ernst Sheufele (Shoi-fell).  Ernst was a real comedian and
    was really scarfing up this new found celebrity...I'll bet he climbed
    into the -109 for pictures no fewer than a dozen times during the
    weekend.  Before we left, Ernst gave me a black and white picture of
    himself standing on the wing of an FW-190 circa 1943.  He wrote a real
    nice note on the back and signed it too.  Need I say I was thrilled?!!!
    
    For Kathi's and my assistance to him and his wife, Judy (who organized
    the show), Jerry Crandall gave me a print of Ernst's Messerschmitt
    Bf-190, personalized and signed by all four of the attending German
    aces...PLUS a print of his new Lavochkin La-7 painting signed by Ivan
    Koszhedub himself.  I'm ecstatic, or could you tell.....??
    
    The show had to be termed a success; Friday night was strictly for the
    sales of original works and $56,000 worth was sold.  Saturday and
    Sunday almost $24,000 worth of prints were sold for a total nearing
    $80,000 of sales.  I learned that aviation art is a _BIG_ business.
    
    I also had the pleasure to meet many of the top aviation artists like Keith
    Ferris, Bill Hunter, Joe Adams, etc.  All in all, though VERY tiring, I
    had a very rewarding weekend! 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

     Al,
    
        My most humble appologize's kind sir. I assure you it was an honest
      mistake. How could I have miscon-screwed these two events up? I
      remember quite well your rendition of the AMA "NAT's" and your
      opinion of same. Rest assured I WILL NOT make this mistake in the
      future.
    
        How could the AMA be so highly regarded by nearly the entire 
      modeling community, and be so screwed up when it comes to running
      such an event as the NAT's?
        Please, don't anyone go of the deep end answering this. Its meant
      to be more of a comment than a question.
    
    Bernie

I never got around to posting about the 2nd life of my FS, so here goes...

Fixing it  wasn't  too  bad,  and took me 10 hours in all, spread over a few
evenings.  To  get  at  the  cracks, I cut through the covering, and in some
cases,  even  pryed  at the broken/unstuck piece of planking to allow better
access.  Before  covering  again,  I decided to sand down the joint so there
would be no bumps underneath, but hell, I was no plastic surgeon. I can well
imagine the  pain  and  trouble  the  scale gurus have to go through to undo
superficial,  leave  alone structural damage. No such care need be exercised
with a beater plane!!

I think  the  tail  feathers emerged being stuck on better than ever. All of
the  servo  bearers  popping  off  certainly  helped  absorb  the  shock.  I
re-epoxied  them  back  without additional braces, so should a similar thing
happen...

Some of  the  control  pushrod ends, made of wire, needed straightening out.
The  Engine bearers were still mounted solid. I decided to re-caulk the wing
seat on the fuse.

Tom Percuoco  (sp?) was present one lunchtime when I decided to test fly the
bird. First a range check with the engine off, then with the engine running.
I  decided to take it up for the trimming flight, thought TOM was willing to
assist. No big surprises. I wasn't shaking either, when it came to landings,
so scars from the crash had healed rather quickly!

Two Sunday's back, I had my record flying time _for_a_day_ 2 Hrs and 3M!!

It happened  this  way.  I  was at 93 minutes for the day , when I figured I
would go up for another 7, and log my (4th?) 100-minuter. Guess what? By the
time I  came  down,  I  was  at  113 minutes. Sooo, despite being already in
personal  record  territory, I said I would go up for another 7 M and get it
to 2 hrs. 

My Tx  transmitter was in the orange area, ready to red line anytime. I have
discharged the  tx in the past to red line in 2H 30M, so I felt I could push
it. With  just  3  minutes  to go for my 2 hrs, the engine quit on a loooong
hover  session,  and  I  dead-sticked.  Up  again. Ever so frequently, I was
eyeing  the meter to check on the battery condition. Finally, I landed at 2H
3m with  the battery still healthy and yet to red-line. Took me 7 flights in
all.

One of  these  days,  this horsing around is gonna get me inta beeg trouble!

What a day!! :-)

ajai

ps. Mean while,  I  have  been  learning  to  side slip. I side slip here and
there,  but  rarely  back to the field. Like my rolls of early days, it is a
random aircraft position generator! Any tips?

    RE: .2249, Bernie,
    
    If it sounded as though my bombast against the AMA Nats was somehow
    directed at you, please accept _my_ apologies.  I took no offense at
    yer' unintentional faux-pas...I was merely reminded of why I disliked
    the Nats so intensely, especially when compared with such a fine
    program as the U.S. Scale Masters, and went off on a tangent which
    may've made me appear ungrateful for yer' kind remarks.  Sorry 'bout
    that, amigo......!!  I honestly, most humbly appreciate yer' too kind
    remarks regarding the MiG 'n me!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Speaking of the AMA.

In the back of the last Model Aviation (Nov-1990 page 210) there is an
advertisement for Torpedo plans.

"Score a Direct Hit with the new super shark TORPEDO
  o Automatic Motor Start at Launch and Shut off at Target
  o NICAD-540 Motor Power
  o 25 MPH - 300 yard range
  o PVC Pipe Body - 4 to 6 hr build
  o Mount and Launch system incl'd
  o Great on Float Planes"

OK guys - what do you think of this.

I have several safety concerns.  If one of our Vortek bombs full of
flower hit me on the head I would probably be upset but if one of these
PVC pipes (filled with nicads and a 540 motor) with a pointed nose (sharper
than the fictitious AMA min-radius guide line) hit me I would probably
die.  

Sure looks like you could sink your next door neighbors full scale boat
by hitting it at 25 MPH with a sharp object!

If you think about it boats are probably more sporting targets than blimps :-)

Just what our sport needs - more hair brained ideas.  Maybe we should all
get together and place an order at the same time.  Then stop payment on
all the checks.

I just called the AMA and spoke to Bob Underwood.  He had'nt been aware of
the Add and was going to investigate and bring it up to the safety committee
and get back to me.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    I met an interesting gentleman at the art show last weekend.  My artist
    buddy, Jerry Crandall, introduced him to me as "Col. Jerry
    Braddock(sp?), the only man to survive a 75G impact in an F/A-18
    Hornet.
    
    As the Col. told the story, he suffered spatial disorientation while
    performing at an open house/air show at the El Toro Marine Base in So.
    Cal. sometime in 1988.  This resulted in a crash right in front of the
    large crowd of civilians and military personnel.
    
    Jerry said the impact launched his face directly into the stick,
    breaking the stick off cleanly and pushing his entire face in about an
    inch.  He also had 3-bones broken in his neck, the L-1 vertebra in his
    lower back was disintegrated, 5-ribs were broken, both legs and both 
    ankles were broken, the heel was torn off his left foot, his left arm
    and shoulder were broken and, in short, about the only major part of
    his skeleton undamaged was his right arm.
    
    He called himself "the real bionic man" as his body is now full of
    teflon and stainless-steel components.  Jerry said he now has teflon
    and stainless rings which hold his eyes and most of his facial
    structure has been artificially rebuilt.  (He looks completely normal
    though I can't testify whether he looks the same as before the crash.)
    He also has several solid stainless rods in his back, neck and legs
    plus an artificial joint or two.  All in all, I thought it remarkable
    that he was back on his feet in just 2-years looking and getting around
    as well as he does.
    
    But the kicker to his story is that he now walks 3-4 miles daily and
    rides a bike on a 15-mile circuit about twice a week and, two months
    ago, he had an accident an fell off his bike.  Taken to the same
    hospital that patched him back together after the F/A-18 crash, the
    doctors informed him that he'd managed to break the only part of him
    not injured in the Hornet crash....he'd broken the forearm and wrist of
    his right arm!  It was one of those you-had-to-be-there things but, the
    way he told the story, all of us listening broke up BIG TIME!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    This story (complete with footage of the F-18 crash itself) was told
    on the TV show "Rescue 911" that is hosted by Captain Kirk, er... I
    mean William Shatner.  Charlie Watt brought a video tape of the TV
    show to one of the DECRCM meetings last spring(?).

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Caster Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

    
    
          Speaking of "launching" things such as missiles. There was
       a sentence in the Oct 90 RCM article on the F4 construction that
       states something like " and I have plans for the misiles that
       actually fire". I might be a little off on the quote but the jist
       of it is there. There was no further mention in the construction
       article but this caught my attention.
    
    
      kevin p

    Thanx to Kay Fisher, here are a series of notes from the FLYING
    notesfile relevant to the F-18 crash I referred to in the previous note
    where I mentioned having met the pilot involved (and his very lovbely
    wife).  I mentioned to Kay off line that, according to his wife, Jerry
    Braddock's biggest regret over the incident is that, save for the Blue
    Angels, the F-18 has been banned by the Navy/Marines from airshow work.
    
    The following topic ran into several ratholes concerning ejection
    seats, F-104s, etc. and I've edited these out to keep the replies
    relevant to the crash.  This should explain the lack of continuity of
    the note numbers, should anyone notice them. 
    
                <<< MEIS::NOTES$:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FLYING.NOTE;4 >>>
                             -< General Aviation >-
================================================================================
Note 1724.0               F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                38 replies
CSC32::S_HALL "TANSTAAFL....."                       19 lines  25-APR-1988 11:16
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    
    	Anybody see the news film of the FA-18 that pancaked-in out
    of a loop at an airshow in California ?
    
    	I hear the pilot survived, with serious injuries.  The plane
    'almost' made the loop.  Another 50-100' and he'd have made it.
    
    	From what I've seen of the F-18, it's a marginally maneuverable
    'truck' of an airplane.  The Blue Angels' shows with these new
    planes are slow and stodgy (compared with their shows with the
    agile A-4).  Typical pull up seems to be a mushy pitchup, followed
    by a gradual climb.
    
    	What role are these planes slated for?  I wouldn't want to
    get into a fight where the 'F' part of the plane's designation
    was required !
    
    	Steve H
================================================================================
Note 1724.1               F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                   1 of 38
MISFIT::DEEP                                          9 lines  25-APR-1988 11:26
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Last report I heard said the pilot was alive, but in critical condition.

Some speculation that control was lost much earlier than apparent on the 
news clip.  Reports were saying he made some last minute manuvers to avoid
hitting the crowd of 150,000 plus who were watch at the time of the crash.


================================================================================
Note 1724.2               F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                   2 of 38
STAR::IANNELLI                                        7 lines  25-APR-1988 12:26
                 -< I wonder if he rode it in on purpose.... >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    RE: Last minute Manuvers.....
    
    Whatever the reason, he stayed with the plane right to the ground.
    At least there was no sign of an ejection on the news coverage. Hard
    to believe anyone could survive the fireball... I hope he makes
    it!
    -Fred 
================================================================================
Note 1724.3               F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                   3 of 38
VIDEO::MEDRICK                                        8 lines  25-APR-1988 12:57
                       -< Nose High with a down vector. >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Saw the film on the Today Show this morning, second time for the
    same type accident. I was #1 for takeoff at Torrejon AB, when the
    Northrop Pilot smacked the runway in a dual-seat F-5 in a demo
    for the Spanish Air Force. In that case, the Pilot changed from
    a low altitude loop into an attempted Cuban-8 at the 90 degree
    dive point; almost made it. Neither crewmember survived.
    
    Frank    
================================================================================
Note 1724.4               F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                   4 of 38
MISFIT::DEEP                                          8 lines  25-APR-1988 14:22
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>    Hard to believe anyone could survive the fireball... 

Thats what I thought when I first saw the footage, but in watching it
a second time, and hearing the comments of some spectators, the plane
remained intact, and the fireball seemed to stay rearward during the
skid ... Anyone heard an update on the extent of the pilots injuries?


================================================================================
Note 1724.9               F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                   9 of 38
ANDREW::OSTROM "Andy Ostrom NAC Marketing 226-5091"  14 lines  27-APR-1988 13:39
                     -< Impressive F-18 show last summer. >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've never got to ride in any of the above, but they ALL seem like pretty 
impressive aircraft to me!  Anyway...  At last year's Hanscom Air Show there 
was a Canadian F-18 and pilot.  SOme of the things he did were unreal.  I 
particularly remember a square loop with SQUARE corners.  Besides the Harrier 
which is super impressive just on the basis of NOISE I thought that the F-18
was the highlight of the show.  Now it may have just been that the guy flying 
the plane was pushing harder than the others, but he did stuff that made the 
other guys look poor by comparison.  They didn't fly the F-14, but there was 
the Thunderbirds, F-15, A-10, and F-111 demos.  (To the best of my 
recollection).


			Andy

================================================================================
Note 1724.10              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  10 of 38
PORT::HARVEY                                         22 lines  23-JUN-1988 18:33
                            -< Update on this one >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    
    
        Did anyone else see a update on this accident where a Marine
    pilot in a F-18 that crashed during a airshow in southern California.
    The article stated that he was flying down the runway at 100' and
    400 mph, at midfield went vertical then at 1500' or 2000' he went
    into a inside loop. At the bottom of the loop he didn't have enough
    altitude and his tail hit the runway. He tried to gain altitude
    but the plane wasn't giving any and it hit the runway hard a second time.
    
    	That second hit was so hard his head hit the stick, broke the
    bone around his nose/eye sockets, broke his right ankle (simple
    break), a compound fracture of his left ankle, broken ribs, compressed
    spine and internal bleeding and more. When he was air lifted to
    the hospital the doctors gave little hope of survival, but, he is
    recovering and may fly again. This incident was about two months
    ago and he is up and walking around.
    
    	I don't have the newpaper in front of me but the Marines and
    Navy said they are investigating the accident and will decide if
    these type of areobatics will be allowed in future airshows.

================================================================================
Note 1724.11              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  11 of 38
TRCO01::FINNEY "Keep cool, but do not freeze..."     15 lines  23-JUN-1988 18:57
                                   -< Alas >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Reply
    oops, typed that once already ... anyway
    
    I'm pleased to see that the pilot will probably fly again. If he
    gets back into fighters again then GREAT.
    
    I find this personally ironic, because I injured my knees in a 5
    foot fall and that put the kaibosh on any more *real* fast mover
    flying ( as opposed to punching in flight pay time foozling a T-Bird).
    
    I don't think the pilot in .0 is going to see anymore single-seated
    fast mover time either.
    
    Scooter
    
================================================================================
Note 1724.15              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  15 of 38
NRPUR::FORAN                                         10 lines  28-FEB-1990 09:30
                      -< TV show '911' shows F-18 crash >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    	Anybody else out there see 911 last nite???  I tuned in a little
    late but caught a spectacular jet crash at an airshow, I believe
    on the west coast, I dont know when it happened and I'm not sure
    of the aircraft type but it looked like he slammed into the ground
    at the bottom of a maneuver, someone must have been video taping
    and there was VERY spectacular footage.   Fortunately the aircraft
    did not erupt into a fireball, the bottom line is that in spite of
    severe injuries the pilot survived.  But the Corps didnt want him
    flying again!!
    
================================================================================
Note 1724.16              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  16 of 38
SMURF::PINARD                                        13 lines  28-FEB-1990 10:31
                            -< Quite the footage! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Yes I saw that, it was an F-18 doing a square emulan sp? or something
    like that. He flew straight up, then upside down, then straight down
    then was suppose to flatten out at 500 ft, but pancaked the ground
    and slid quite a ways. He hit flat with forward motion still going,
    I don't know if he shut the engines or they quit on impact. But he
    did have alot of forward velocity. I kept saying "Come on  Stop"
    Kind of like what I was thinking when we had the engine failure and
    went of the end of the runway... :^) I was trying to figure out 
    after that if the rest was recreation or actual footage when they
    removed him. It was interesting the person in charge of removing him
    from the plane said to make sure his of his hands because if he comes
    around he may try to fire the ejection seat.
    His wife watched the whole thing in the stands. 

================================================================================
Note 1724.17              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  17 of 38
HOTAIR::SCOTT                                        10 lines  28-FEB-1990 10:50
                     -< Yes, but he's in the air again!!! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I saw it too.  They called it a square immelman, but it looked like a
    square loop to me.  It appeared that he got an accellerated stall
    while trying to recover from the vertical portion and pancaked it in
    with what they said was 200-250 mph forward speed.  Pretty spectacular 
    footage.
    
    						Jeff
    						N24699
    						N4030 (hopefully by July
    
================================================================================
Note 1724.18              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  18 of 38
TRCU11::FINNEY "Keep cool, but do not freeze"        20 lines  28-FEB-1990 14:01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I didn't see the show, but saw the footage on the news after it
    happened.
    
    It was the famous F-18 Square Cornered Loop.
    
    The bit about the hands and the ejection seat is a phenomenon not
    widely known outside of military circles. There have been a few cases
    of pilots being killed in ground ejections. One fellow who survived
    such a case (it was originally thought to be an attempted suicide) said
    that he was sitting in the cockpit and fell asleep (while memorizing
    switch and dial positions - a common practise when learning a new
    bird).
    
    He woke up, in the dark, and thought he had blacked out in flight, was
    totally disoriented, and was unable to recover his aircraft ! He tried
    once or twice to fire his seat, couldn't cause it was safety'd, so he
    armed the seat and ejected through the canopy and the roof of the
    hangar (wooden) and ended up on the roof with massive injuries.
    
    Scooter

================================================================================
Note 1724.23              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  23 of 38
FSDB00::AINSLEY "Less than 150 kts. is TOO slow!"     8 lines  28-FEB-1990 15:46
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I'm confused.  Is .0 talking about a real accident that happened
    recently, or as something staged for some TV show, or footage of an
    accident that happened a few years ago, being used as part of a TV
    show?  I guess I'm confused because I thought I heard about there being
    some TV show called "911".  I case you haven't guessed, I don't watch
    much TV.
    
    Tooslow_the_confused

================================================================================
Note 1724.24              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  24 of 38
SMURF::PINARD                                         9 lines  28-FEB-1990 16:09
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    reply .8
    
    It's a tv show (911) that recreates rescues etc... The rest of the
    show last night dealt with Charles Stuwart shooting in Boston... I 
    didn't watch all of that. Some of that was intersting to watch and
    listen to actual things from back then knowing what we know now...
    They use actual footage if they have it and recreate some I believe...
    I don't know when the airshow occured, probably at least a year ago,
    considering his recovery status...

================================================================================
Note 1724.26              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  26 of 38
NETDOC::REID "Straighten Up and Fly Right!"           5 lines  28-FEB-1990 17:48
                                  -< deja vu >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    ..I thought this all sounded familiar.  See NOTE 1724.* from April '88
    "as it happened".
    
    Marc

================================================================================
Note 1724.34              F-18 Hornet crash at airshow                  34 of 38
NRPUR::FORAN                                          7 lines   2-MAR-1990 08:03
                             -< No re-creation!! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    	Re;.11, thanx, I guess I hadnt seen that Note. It is indeed
    the same incident.  Someone else asked was it a recreation? if you
    saw it, you wouldnt ask that question!!  Dont know about the rescue
    scenes but they looked pretty authentic to me.  He's VERY lucky
    to be alive!!  
    

RE:-.1
Yep, you're right about the plane's owner mentioning firing rockets from the
F4. It's also in there that he's from someplace like Czechoslovakia so its not
too likely he's an AMA member or for that matter violating AMA rules. He may 
have a perfectly sound reason (like a sanctioned pyrotechnic display) for having
the rockets on the F4. Fortunately, he didn't include the details of the rockets
or else some fool would be out there rolling in on the pits for fun.

At the  DECRCM  (HTA?)  meeting  at Boxborough, Dave Walter flunked the quiz
that he voluntarily took, by saying I flew for 2Hr 4m, being off by a minute
:-) That reminded me of something I forgot to mention to ya'll. 

You might recall that my OS SF 46 ABC engine troubles started about the same
time that my car's engine also started acting up, (stalling/bucking), giving
me plenty of practice doing deadstick landings.

Well interestingly,  the  symbiotic relationship seems to be alive and well,
when  you  consider  the  mechanic changed the carb on my car THE SAME DAY I
replaced the broken carb on my OS!! The replacement carb for my car cost $50
at a junkyard, while a new 4D carb cost $40 for the OS!

The first  couple  of days I flew with the new carb, I was wondering why the
engine  wasn't  delivering  enough  power.  I  would have to limp along to a
take-off, and the engine would run better when the tank got near empty!

The needle was screwed out 1 1/4 turns on the old carb, and that was where I
set it  on  the replacement. I did tune the engine, but did not go too lean,
figuring  that  things should be the same. My idle wasn't as low or reliable
as  before.  I  even  fiddled  the  low speed needle a bit, but to no avail.
Maybe the engine knew of the carb transplant, and had rejected it, perhaps
even attacking it with anti-bodies, suspecting it to be a carcinogen!

What had  changed  was  that  I  was swinging a Graupner prop instead of the
usual  Master  Airscrew that had served me faithfully for over 50 air-hours!

Getting  a  lot bolder, I found that I needed to have the needle screwed out
just 1/2 a turn on the new carb. Ever since, the OS runs like a champ.

The operation was a success despite initial complications.

ajai

    Hey, I just happened to remember that Kay Fisher alluded to Kevin
    having a [possibly self incriminating] story to tell about flying his
    P-47 from a week or so ago.  I even saw the story hinted at in Eric's
    report of the last HTA meeting in the DECRCM notesfile...something
    about bellying in on takeoff......???  
    
    But, what's this?  Kevin hasn't come forward with the tale of his own
    accord and "enquiring minds want to know."   So, c'mon, Kay, since
    Kevin is either indisposed with work or too embarrassed to tell on
    himself, it falls upon you to rat on yer' buddy and let us in on the
    story.  
    
    We await with 'bated breath..............................
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    But, what's this?  Kevin hasn't come forward with the tale of his own
>    accord and "enquiring minds want to know."   So, c'mon, Kay, since
>    Kevin is either indisposed with work or too embarrassed to tell on
>    himself, it falls upon you to rat on yer' buddy and let us in on the
>    story.  

I guess I gave him time enough to do the honorable thing.

At the Orange Airport a couple of week ends ago Kevin was getting
in a practice session with his big Jug.  It was a little windy
and for some reason we had terrific down drafts on the runway.

I know because I threw my HLG Chuperosa out over the tar several
times and it was sinking so fast that I couldn't get back to my feet
so did several landings with my tow hook on the tar.

On Kevin's second flight he was trying to be cool and have the retracts 
come up as soon as he rotated.  Now he has this lame excuse about
7 second servos and extra high air pressure but the fact was he was
hot dogging and the retracts started coming up before he was airborne.

So it dipped a bit (I think the down drafts were helping) and he shortened
the prop, blew off one gear door on the runway and was in the air.  Then we 
hear the engine over revving so he pulls power and touches the tar again.
But it is really cooking so it just scrapes a bit and it's up again. 

By now it's 100 feet past the initial rotation (bounce-ation) and crossing
the runway threshold.  Now heading towards a harmless little bush.
Kevin claims it is a large tree!  Anyway he forces it down in the gravel
road that goes around the runway - before the tree and it ricochets
off the ground and flys another 15-20 feet then slides to a nice gentle
stop 5 feet short of the tree and perhaps 200-250 feet after rotation.

No damage to retracts or wing.  Some fiberglass cracks and lots of scraping
done to the bottom of the Jug and all the little scale do dads were scraped
off.  Dan Miner turned out to be an expert at finding all the little
parts.  Kevin estimated 40 hours to be back in Masters condition.

I have to admit - if he had gotten away with it - the take off would
have been spectacular.  As it was it was a spectacular crash!
Pass the humble pie please.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, 
    
    Sheesh, talk about a hair raiser!  If someone'd gotten it on videotape,
    it'd have made some spectacular, realistic footage of a takeoff
    accident that probably happened to the 1:1 Jugs more than once in
    operation.
    
    Glad to hear the damage was minimal and mostly cosmetic.  Sounds like
    Kevin needs his'self another Pee-47 to hot-dog with and save the Jug
    for Las Negas next year.  ;b^}
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Gee, I'm doin' my rounds in the rc notes file today, am I not? :-)
    
    Well, I have to complain about Steve Smith, and what better place than
    the rambling column with the Rat? :-)
    
    Yesterday, for the THIRD time, Steve lost his prop, spinner, and nut.
    The engine shrieked for an few seconds and died, and Steve brought in
    his Fiesta dead-stick. On one earlier occassion last year, he had the same
    thing happen to his [now late] Sueper Kaos 60, at Crow Island. Some one
    found the spinner for him, and I was there when it happened late
    October.
    
    So far so good. What's my problem, you ask? Gawd! I hate Steve's
    guts... Well, lemme get on with the story - Steve had, on Charlie's
    sage advice, put on a plastic washer - like fuel tubing - on his engine
    crank shaft to prevent the drive nut/washer from falling off and
    getting lost, like on previous occassions. The trick worked, and he
    still had the drive washer. Still, no prop/spinner/prop-nut.
    
    Sooo, what do you think anyone would do when faced with finding a prop
    in the woods of New England? What do you think anyone would do when
    searching for a needle in the proverbial haystack? What do you think
    Steve did? He went off into the woods, to look for it!! Aaaarrrgh!
    
    He asked some spectating pilots to line him up after waking out a bit,
    and took off into the woods. One [ex-Israeli fighter] pilot offered
    Steve a few $ to buy him a new prop! I was incredulous at Steve's gall,
    and Charlie was smiling.
    
    10 minutes later, Steve returns with the prop, spinner, and prop nut
    rattling within!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And a grin from ear to ear on his
    face! 
    
    I thought I had an advanced degree in searching downed planes, after
    last year's T60 mishap. After nearly 20 man-hours of my time, and 100
    man-hours of everyone's combined time of hunting, we could not find it
    until 77 days later when a hunter stumbled across it!
    
    This guy goes off and finds his prop in 10 minutes. Sob! Sob! Why is
    life so unfair? I am thinking of filing an anti-discrimination suit
    against the forests of New England for being so partisan in not liking
    Injuns. Grrrrr! Bah!!
    
    :-)
    
    ajai
    
    ps. Hint - If you lose your plane, you know whom to contact! At the
    very least, Steve will find you the prop. The rest of your plane will
    usually be attached to the prop, or by lying near by.

    Well, either Steve's prop finding abilities have improved in 15
    months or his abilities don't work on a broken prop.

    In July '89, Steve helped my look for my downed ElectroStreak and he
    wasn't sucessful.  Of course, the plane was actually under water
    with a broken prop and we didn't (at the time) have any hip waders.

    I suppose Steve MIGHT have found my plane if he had hip waders on...

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Caster Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

Maybe I should ask Steve to look for a recently lost engine. One of the Charles
River club flyers took his Cap 21 with OS 120 Surpass out for its maiden 
(almost) flight at Crow Island and proceeded to spiral it into the beautiful
Assabet River. A passing canoist recovered the plane, but the engine mount had
broken and the OS was somewhere on the bottom. IS somewhere on the bottom, that
is. 

    Gee, that's a hell of a way to loose a 120 surpass. It's probably in
    about 5 feet of mud. Sounds like a job for the Navy Seals to me.
    
    

    Hey Steve,
    
    Could you find my propeller for me? It is somewhere in the woods near
    Lake Chauncy, near the CMRCM field. There should be an OS SF 61 pumper
    attached to the hub of the prop.
    
    I couldn't find it last year even though I used a helicopter and a
    metal detector.
    
    ajai
    
    ps. You can keep the prop, but I'd like the have the [now junk?] engine
        back tho'... Thanks in advance...
    
    :-) :-)
    
    

To regulate/licence or not to, that is the question in the ARF SOAPBOX note.
I  do  not aim to provide any answers, but it triggered something that is RC
related that I was soo used to India, but have forgotten to post here.

Just as   there   is   prohibition   (no  sale  of  liquor)  on  Sundays  in
Massachusetts,   some  time  back,  in  India,  there  was  a  move  towards
prohibition a decade+ ago. One of the things I have seen is that poor people
would spend  (and  still  do)  their days wages guzzling booze, leaving them
with  little  or  no  money  for other, more crucial needs, including family
responsibilities,  etc..  Perhaps  the  boozers  figured  that  drowning the
sorrows  of their hard life was MORE important - dunno. At any rate, curbing
this social  problem might have been a motivator for legislating prohibition
- I am not sure now, but lemme get on with my story...

Guess what  happened?  Bootlegging, big time. OK, so what has making illicit
liquor  to  do  with  RC?  Well,  one of the bootleggers got real smart, and
decided  to add methanol to his brew for giving an added kick. A few hundred
people  died/were  blinded  at  the  next party. More new legislation - THOU
SHALT NOT BUY OR SELL METHANOL WITHOUT A LICENCE, OR YE SHAL HAVE SINNED.

Ho! Ho!  Much  as I was aghast by the tragedy, it also meant that I couldn't
get  alcohol  for  my engine [it drinks all the alcohol for the two of us. I
get  tipsy with anything stronger/older than fresh orange juice. :-)]. 

We used  to mix our own fuel, and besides methanol, castor oil was available
in plenty,  India  being the largest producer in the world. I would buy some
castor  oil "loose" by the "kilo" at the local grocery store, bring it home,
heat it  in a pot so it was no longer as viscous (usually the consistency of
honey  at room temperature!), and strained it through a few sheets of cloth.

I needed  Methanol.  Sooo,  I  dug through my mafia files, and found I had a
distant  relative who ran a Chemical Solvents company not too far from home.
I stopped  over,  and  told  him  why  I needed methanol (my baby OS is on a
liquid  diet,  and  will die if I don't feed it soon). Of course, he had the
licence to sell, but I didn't have the licence to buy. And getting one would
have  meant  enjoying  navigating  the  deeply entrenched Indian bureaucracy
(that  the  British  so  kindly  left  us, and which the current politicians
exploit to their full advantage), instead of aeromodelling.

The mafia  nevers  gives  NO  for an answer :-), and I got my methanol, with
assurances  for future supplies as well. Being a good citizen, I supplied my
other RC "drinking" buddies with Methanol too...

ajai

    re. .2268
    
    Ajai,
    
    	My finding my prop, spinner, etc. all in tact is just a matter
    of practice. I probably hold the record for spitting props. I really
    had no hopes of finding anything, but figure it's always worth at
    least one shot. Actually, I found everything after only about 5 minutes
    in the woods. I figured if I was going to be that lucky, I'd spend some
    more time just looking around to see if I would come up with anything
    else. I did find someone's aileron but that was about it. My props are
    now held on with 2 nuts. If the engine goes lean again, it'll burn up
    before it spits another prop.
    
    Steve

    As I look back through the "RAMBLIN'" note...date 14-Mar-1990 I 
    found a note regarding the possible departure of a "well famed 
    noter" named Al Casey, a victim of TFSO!  Well the RC noters were
    fortunate in the news only being a scare.
    
    Unfortunately, the TFSO bug has struck again!  I was notified this
    AM that I am officially in TMP.  I volunteered for various reasons,
    but none-the-less I volunteered.  This package only allows 4 weeks
    to make the final decision.....$$$ or relocate.  I love Vermont and
    do not plan on leaving, so I am opting for the $$$.  My last day as 
    a DECie will be NOVEMBER 21,1990.
    
    I can't say how much this notesfile has meant to me.  It basically
    taught me the hobbie!  Even though I'm not a "hot" noter, I still
    enjoyed the stories, hints, directions, instructions, flames, and
    all the pickins that went on here.  I've managed to get most of my
    equipment through the sale of items in this file.  I'll will miss
    that benefit for sure.  
    
    Unlike Al, there is no turning back for me.  I'll bid adieu in 4
    weeks.  Until then, I will be stll active in the notesfile.
    
    Ken

    Re: .-1, Ken,
    
    Awwwwwwwwww RATZZZZZ!!  I'm really sorry ta' hear that.  I wish I could
    hope that things might change but it sounds like you've pretty much
    made up yer' mind and are resigned to leaving.  By all means stay
    active 'til the day you leave.....I'll miss ya', amigo!
    
    Re: .2271 (I think),
    
    Here're the results of the 1/8 AF Fall Scale Fly-In last weekend:
    
    Peoples' Choice (spectators' vote)
    ----------------------------------
    1. Dennis Crooks	SR-71 Blackbird
    2. Dave Linne'	Byron Ryan STM (beautiful metal-looking paint
    					technique he wouldn't reveal.)
    3. Jim Hildebrand	Terrific P-51 Mustang
    
    Best General Aviation Flight
    ----------------------------
    1. Chuck Collier	Byron Staggerwing (Chuckie finally became a bride.)
    2. C. Sallee	Morrisey Bravo
    3. Dave Smith	Waco Cabinaire (cabin biplane)
    
    Best Military Flight
    --------------------
    1. Dennis Crooks	SR-71 Blackbird
    2. Dave Smith	Byron Corsair
    3. Jim McCarter	P-51 Mustang
    
    Frank Scioscia Memorial Craftsmanship Award
    -------------------------------------------
    1. Dave Linne'	Ryan STM (mentioned above...it was gorgeous)
    
    Smacked Ass (worst crash)
    -------------------------
    1. Bill Glover's Holman P-40 who [jokingly] acknowledged pilot, Bob 
       Frey, for making the award possible.  (I'm glad I didn't see the
       trophy in advance; it had a crashed MiG-3 on it and I was thrilled
       this fact didn't predestine anything evil, beyond balky retracts
       that is, for _my_ MiG.)
    
    BTW, the plans for the 1/5 scale, 81.1" MiG-3 arrived yesterday.  I
    haven't had time to look at them too closely yet but a cursory glance
    looks pretty good for starters.  Gawd! That thing seems huge!!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

re Note 239.2272  by Ken BTOVT::SOUTIERE re TFSO 
>>  I volunteered for various reasons, but none-the-less I volunteered.  

    I understand.  Last spring I asked to be included and couldn't be.  I
    didn't really want to leave, but a twenty year DECie at 55 cannot
    reasonably pass up a chance for early retirement with two years pay up
    front.  Well, I didn't get the chance.  Hence the envy.  
    
    But we will miss you.
    
    Good luck in your next job.  Before you leave, update 4.4 with your
    home address and phone so that you may be haunted by us forever.
    
    Alton, from the Northeast Kingdom

      On a related note,Ken's not the only one here making a change.I'm
    also in TMP but am relocating from BTO to FXO(Franklin)instead of
    going the TFSO route.My girlfriend,who by the way wants to learn
    to fly R/C,was offered a job in the FXO area,so th timing was perfect
    for relocation.
    
      While alot of you won't recognize my name as quickly as Ken's,I've
    been a mostly read-only noter with a reply here and there for the
    past 3.5 years.Like Ken I taught myself how to fly,but the knowledge
    from the experienced helped me greatly.
    
      My last day at BTO is today,then a week off.I will most certainly
    continue my participation here,and am glad that I can!
    
    Regards to all,
    
    Kevin Colburn

Some interesting news/history from the usenet.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

Article         3359
From: irwin@m.cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: rec.models.rc
Subject: Hobico purchases Top Flight Models
Date: 23 Oct 90 15:50:00 GMT
 
 
I am a member of the Champaign County R/C Club. We meet twice a
month and last night was one of the meeting nights.
 
I heard at the meeting, that Hobico has purchased Top Flight
Models and will be moving them to the Champaign facility.
 
I can remember when Bruce Holecek (founder of Tower Hobbies)
was at war with Top Flight over the pricing of Monokote, now
they have bought them out.
 
By the way, if you do not follow how this all stacks up, Bruce
sold Tower to Clint Atkins, a major real estate holder in our
locality. Clint formed Hobico, as a parent company over Tower,
purchased Great Planes Distributing (Don Anderson founded
Great Planes and still holds Great Planes Manufacturing and
while founding GPM, bought out Bridi).
 
Clint upon purchasing Great Planes Distributing, talked Bruce
into buying back into the company (Hobico), but Clint remains
major stock holder. 
 
As it now stands, Hobico is parent over Tower, Great Planes
Distributing and now added to the pyramid, Top Flight Models.
 
Clint (Hobico) also has a major link-up with Kyosho as major
importer of that line of products.
 
.........and I can remember when both Bruce Holecek and Don
Anderson were students here at the U of Illinois and I was
their flight instructor in the club, teaching them to fly
R/C. This was in 1967. Time sure changes things.
 
Al Irwin
irwin@cs.uiuc.edu

    Ken,
    	I take it that going into transition and having a job assigned
    to you locally isn't an option they are allowing. Hers in spo we
    are having our problems.  We've been told that we won't be getting
    any new disk products and that has the desig group in NKS jumping
    for joy. Funny thing is the (design) haven't realized that they
    are on the chopping block as well.  Ya know, what goes around comes
    around...
    
    SPO is supposed to place 100 IL in transition by Nov.1st. We'll
    have to see how thing fall out...
    
    
    Godd Luck Ken.

    Good luck to both of you, Ken and Kevin. We're sorry to see you
    go.
    Ken, your descriptions of winter flying and flying from "frozen
    lakes", whatever they are, ;^) were interesting and your narrow
    escapes from virtual disaster on seemingly every flight, ;^),
    were always good for a few heart stopping moments.
    My sister lives in Shelburne, and one of these  summers I'll
    have to get up there and see what VT. is all about.
    
    Terry
    

    Geesh, you guys sure know how to make a guy feel wanted.
    The funny thing about it is I've never met the majority of 
    you noters.  I guess being a pen pal (terminal pal) creates
    some sort of bond.  Anyhow, thanks for the kind words.
    
    Terry, I live about 15 minutes form Shelburne so if you ever
    make it up this way give me a holler.  If its in the winter
    I'll show you what a "frozen lake" is :^).
    
    Tom, due to the fact that I volunteered I only get two choices, 
    1 - Relocate to another facility
    		or
    2 - Take the $$ and run.
    I chose to take the $$.  I've got two possibilities of employment
    which I should "hopefully" hear about before my 4 week window
    closes.  In the mean time I keep lookin' for work and fly my RC's.
    
    Kevin, good luck in Franklin.  I know its not BTO but at least you
    will meet more of the noters and get to fly with them.
    
    
    Ken

    Ken
    
    	To expound on one of your points...
    
    
    
    	THIS NOTES FILE IS THE BEST CLUB I'VE EVER HAD THE OCCASION
    TO BE A PART OF.
    
    	I say this because this file is a club. No matter what anyone
    else says it's a CLUB.   As a club it probably one of the best modeling
    clubs in the world. It's 90% modeling,5% bullshit and 5% politics.
    I belong to a club that used to be the opposite and it's not fun
    come monthly meeting time and all that's talked about in politics.
    
    This file is like the monthly meetings of a modeling club. Fun part
    is that you don't have to wait for next months meeting. Ya just
    have to wait for the next day.
    
    Good luck in your next job.
    
    Tom

    
    
Well, Dan and I had an interesting and somewhat different day Saturday.
First off, we met at the new hobby shop in Westford to check things out.
As has already been stated, they were giving away prizes for the Grand
Opening. What they were doing is, when you walked in, you could roll a
pair of dice and the number you rolled gave you your prize catagory. Well,
lucky me, I rolled a 2 which was the for the best prizes. Being an RC
flyer, there were two prizes that appealed to me. One was a JR MAX 4
radio and the other was a SIG Ninja kit.

I really wanted the radio. I mean I REALLY wanted the radio but ended up
taking the Ninja. Why, well first of all, the radio was AM. This didn't
concern me as much as the fact that it was also on channel 20. Now I
know the shop is aware of the channel 20 situation around here and he
had a channel 18 on the shelf, but wouldn't swap it. I also asked if I
could upgrade to an FM and pay the difference but he wouldn't go for that
either. I have my opinions as to why they seemed to be forcing the channel
20 radio as the prize, but it's just my opinion and I don't want to say 
anything negative about a business in this file. He has also made the 
comment during my negotiating that he didn't have any other crystals in
stock. Hmmmmmmmmm does that mean he would have swapped them if he did?????
Are these people really knowledgable??????  When you think about it, the
only way there going to get rid of that radio is to give it as a prize to
some unsuspecting beginner who doesn't know any better and is planning on
flying without benefit of instructor or club. Otherwise, as soon as he
hits the club field, he'll be told about channel 20 and the hobby shop will
be getting the radio back anyway. In my opinion, they should have given the
channel 18 radio as the prize and sent the channel 20 radio back to JR for
a replacement. Whooops, I forgot I wasn't going to say anything bad. Oh
well, it's just my opinion.

I decided to start building the Ninja Sunday and the fuse is almost 
done. The only problem I'm having is the bottom fuse piece, which is
full length has a warp in it, and is giving me fits keeping the fuse
straight. So far so good though. The entire fuse is light ply with balsa
tail feathers and foam wings with 1/16th inch sheeting. I plan on skinning
the wings tonight. For those that don't know, the Ninja is a 58" span 2
pound 2 channel slope glider. It has an Epler 374 wing section. It's a
pretty straight forward kit, and someone with the propper tools and work
area could probably build it in three nights.

Anyway, after leaving the hobby shop, Dan and I and the video camera took
a ride over to Pepperell airport to watch the local glider guiders (full
size) and also the last weekend "boogie" of the local skydivers. They
brought in a twin Otter for the jump plane and were dropping people 20
at a time. Talk about a sky full of parachutes. There were a couple of
malfunctions where the people has to cut away their mains and go to the
reserve, but they were fine and the rest of the day went without incident.
After about an hour or so, I couldn't take it anymore and got myself on
the flight manifest as a passenger. I had hopes of standing back by the
door (I have 112 jumps myself) and getting a shot of everyone going out 
the door, then leaning out and getting people falling away. No such luck.
They wouldn't let me back there. So, I had to ride shotgun up in the
cockpit. I still managed to get some decent shots on the way up, and
possibly more so on the way down. It was my job to relay heading correction
orders from the jump master to the pilot while on jump run. Once everyone
was out, the pilot practically does a split S and heads for the ground in
a very tight spiral. I got some good shots of the altimeter unwinding at
a furious pace on the way down. Can't wait to see it.

>flying without benefit of instructor or club. Otherwise, as soon as he
>hits the club field, he'll be told about channel 20 and the hobby shop will
>be getting the radio back anyway. In my opinion, they should have given the

    Hardly.  A seller has no legal obligation to accept returns or
    exchanges.  In order to successfully generate sales, almost every
    retailer does offers a return/refund policy for non-functioning goods,
    but they don't have to.  Many a store has a strict "No refunds on
    Electronics" policy.

    Since these guys claimed to understand the channel 20 problem, it seems
    likely they were just trying to get rid of an item they thought would be
    difficult to sell.  Maybe they got it shipped to them before they found
    out about channel 20.   In any event, I see nothing wrong with their
    refusal to exchange it.  At least when they give it away, they can
    deducted it as a promotional item, and it's not sitting on a shelf
    collecting dust.

    Sheeshe, you were getting it for free, afterall!  And it's not like it
    was defective, just undesirable.  I'de have taken it, and spent the $10
    or $20 for Xtals from JR.

    

Well, now  that  Steve has given ya'all the details of the prizes at the new
hobby store, lemme tell ya my story.

I had  bought  ply  and  piano  wire  for  my  WOT4 at Fish's in Framingham,
transporting the materials on my trusted bicycle, so what better way than to
do likewise with the balsa for the built-up wing?

Sooo, I  hopped  on  my  steed  and  rode the 16 odd miles to the store in a
little over an hour. I was fully covered from head to toe, with gloves, face
mask, ski  goggles  and  all to the battle the 40 deg temperatures and wind.
Your typical regulation issue uniform for a member of the Starfleet :-)

I figured  the  wood  would  be comparable in price to Tower's after the 20%
discount, but I was surprised to find it was still 150% as expensive! I keep
saying this hobby is free, so I shouldn't be fussing, right? Well, I figured
that  for  the  same  $$,  I could donate 1 1/2 times the wood I needed to a
balsa-starved  Injun aeromodeller, and consequently didn't make the purchase
despite having gone prepared with a roll of corrugated cardboard to pack the
wood  in.  Yeah, I know you can pick and choose at a store, but even then, I
figured I would be ahead with Tower if I dumped half the wood.

OK, prize  time.  I  rolled  and got a total of 11, that put me in the third
prize  category.  Had  I  rolled  a  12,  I'd  have got into the first prize
category,  and  deprived  Steve  of that Ninja (glad to have lent it to you,
Steve  :-)  ).  No AM, plane swallowing radio's for me, thank you, last year
was  bad  enough!  Oh  Well!  I got an Xacto look-alike knife at least. Hey,
don't  believe  all that stuff about making pilgrimages - I bicycle 32 miles
in 40 degree weather, and Steve _drives_, polluting the atmosphere, and look
at the results!

I bumped  into  Jim  and his yf at the store, and left after browsing around
for  nearly  an  hour. Certainly, the store was well stocked, and one of the
guys  there  was  telling me how he would buy $600 ($400 usable) of balsa at
one  shot,  and scratch build a Sig Kadet in a day. He had everything jigged
out, and said he took 45 minutes for the wing - covered!

Rode home  empty  handed.  En  route, I spotted a quaint used books store in
Stow,  off  117.  Decided  to  take  a peek, and guess what? I found book on
aeromodelling  -  an  encyclopedia!  Published  in 1979, it had lotsa colour
pictures  and  drawings,  and  a  coupla plans. Ideal for talking to someone
about the hobby. Picked it up for $8.50. The previous time I got a used book
on aeromodelling - was in Ottawa, Canada, back in 1984. This is a book on RC
Soaring, and I paid $2~3 Canadian at that time!

Feeling quite  pleased,  I  continued homeward. Aha! A garage sale!! Time to
get  my  face  mask  off again! You never know what you find at one of these
sales,  and I can't resist. Most of the time, I find little of interest, but
when I do, I get a kick out of it.

There was  a  box  of junk. Wires, stereo jacks, and yes, a Cox .049 engine!
The  kind  with a plastic back, w/o tank, which you find in their ARF CLs. I
asked  if the lady was selling the junk by the box, or by the item. 50 cents
a piece, she said!

The engine  HAD  been  neglected, for sure, but there was no rust on it. The
compression  wasn't  great,  but  then, the lubricating oil had dried up. At
worst,  I figured I would have spare parts for an identical engine I already
have.  Can't  go wrong for 50 cents. I put down the money, and picked up the
engine  with  a  grin  on  my face (She even told me that it was for a model
plane! :-) )

I figured,  if  nothing, I could at least brag back in India how I picked up
an  engine for 50 cents in rich America. At min wages of $4.25/hr, that is 7
minutes  of  work.  Say  10  minutes if you throw in taxes, for an item that
costs $15 odd brand new. There was a time back in India when I'da killed for
such spoils! Haven't had a chance to clean it out and see how it runs.

Never mind  all  this, the following evening, I called Tower to find that my
OS  SF  61  ABC  pumper was in stock! For the past few months, they had said
that  they  had  only the non-pumper in stock and I would be back ordered to
Jan    1991!    I    was    beginning    to    get   suspicious   that   the
I-like-simplicity-and-pumpers-are-trouble Al Casey had contacted his buddies
at  Tower,  and  told them to give Ajai from Boston a story so he bought the
non-pumper.  May  be  his buddy called in sick at Towers that day, dunno :-)
:-)

The latest  Towers  annual  1991 catalog has a $20 discount coupon for their
_in_  catalog items. The pumper was listed for $225 in the catalog, and $220
in  Tower  Talk, so I paid the $225 - $20 = $205. And did I spend $0.50 just
he previous day for the Cox 049?

ajai

ps. Say Kay, how'm I doin' on the accounts? I know I am nowhere close to ya,
but,  heck,  do  you  think I overspent on the OS after the Cox engine? Do I
get any brownie points on the coupon technology I used? :-)

Gee Fellas,  I  was  wondering,  that if we elected Kay for President of the
good  ole  US  of  A, there wouldn't be any more budget over runs, and hell,
they'd  even  get  their  accounts  right  the  first  time!  Anybody giving
wishy-washy  answers  to  Kay  about  where  the  $$ went would promptly get
crucified! Wow! Way to go!! :-)

I was  amused  to  find  the  following fine print on the back of the latest
Tower Talk.

    "Printed on recyclable paper"

No doubt,  they  assumed  that people wouldn't read it carefully, and assume
that it said RECYCLED paper, and give Tower Hobbies brownie points for being
so environmentally concious.

Why the marketing hype? As far as I know, all paper is recyclable so long as
you  are  willing to try. In India, which is paper-pulp poor, *ALL* kinds of
paper is recycled. Newspapers, notebooks, junk mail (the limited amount that
there  is),  magazines  are  all  recycled. You actually sell these (and old
bottles,  tin cans, plastic bags that milk comes in, old tires) to merchants
based  on weight/count. I forgot to mention that newspaper/magazine paper is
also  used  for bagging at stores (packages tied with jute string), and some
are  even  made  into bags specifically, getting additional use before being
reconverted  to  pulp. For some reason, the ink does not come off newspapers
in India, unlike my experience here.

I read  just  yesterday  in  the  Wall  Street  Journal, that after the Gulf
crisis,  auto  garages that used to have to pay to have their used oil taken
away, are now _being paid_ by the same people that they used to pay to!!

ajai

><<< Note 239.2282 by LEDS::COHEN "There's *ALWAYS* free Cheese in a Mousetrap!" >>>
>                 -< Seems like it'de been a good deal, anyway >-
...
>    Hardly.  A seller has no legal obligation to accept returns or
>    exchanges.  In order to successfully generate sales, almost every

In Massachusetts there is an implied warranty of "reasonable service".
If you "Can't use a radio because channel 20 is banned in your club"
you can return it.  If the seller refuses you can take him to small
claims court and be awarded up to 4 times damages.

Of course - if you get a free radio you can return it for exactly what
you paid :-)

>                <<< WEWAND::$56$DUA0:[NOTES$LIBRARY]RC.NOTE;1 >>>
>                  -< Welcome To The Radio Control Conference >-
...
>reconverted  to  pulp. For some reason, the ink does not come off newspapers
>in India, unlike my experience here.

Must be the India Ink.

While I have your attention I have to put in a plug for a couple of magazines.

Latest Model Airplane News (November-1990?)
	Not usually my favorite magazine but...
    In this months issue (their largest ever) they have included the plans
    catalogue for all the plans available thru their service.  Worth a trip
    to a good news stand to pick it up for your plans library.

December-1990 Model Builder
    A normally great magazine - imho.  This month has several interesting
    things.  1.  The front cover has this really great model holding a 
    really great model.  If you can get past the front cover 2. More outrageous
    stuff is being thrown off a cliff in scale slope soaring - on page 10
    you see a B-2 Stealth Bomber - on page 11 a Canadian Snowbird paint job
    CT 114 Tudor.  3. On page 52 a CO2 Free Flight model which uses a aluminum
    shaft for a fuselage/compressed air tank.  Lastly my favorite - on page 53
    is a rubber powered Canadair CL-84 Dynavert STOL.  This is a twin engine
    that "employs a timer to (get this): actuate wing tilt, retract the landing
    gear, and eject cargo during flight!".

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

Some weekends  back,  I  had  put  in 3~4 flight of 15 minutes each, and was
landing,  when  I heard a "gunshot" - someone's plane smacked into the woods
nearby.  Done with my flight, and since my frequency would be in use anyway,
I  offered  my  [limited]  expertise  in  tramping  through  the  woods  and
retrieving  the plane. The owner was the first to come across the wreckage -
fuse and wing were both hanging vertically from a tree! 

Some pricker  brush  separated  us  from the tree and the owner wanted to go
back  for  a  heavy  jacket,  but  as  I was wearing a thick cotton shirt, I
volunteered  to  bushwhack. We got all the pieces and got back to the flight
line just as my frequency cleared up.

Took off,  and  found the plane wanted to turn/bank right big time! I had to
feed  in almost all the left trim I had!! Having already put in 3 successful
flights that  afternoon,  and  given  that  I  use balsa pushrods (no golden
rods),  I  was  surrrprised,  but continued to fly, wondering as to what had
happened.

Then it  happened.  I  wasn't  doing any fancy stunts, but I found the plane
"disconnect"  from  me. In my tenderfoot rc pilot days, I would "disconnect"
from the plane, unable to "keep up" with it, but now, after over 70 hours on
the plane (and 60+ for the year), I am usually mentally "ahead" of the plane
most of the time.

What I am saying is this was distinctly different! I yelled out "I have lost
control!  Heads  up!!",  and  just  as  I  finished,  the rc Gods decided to
"reconnect"  the  plane  to  my  Tx.  Shaken, with images of a smashed up FS
zipping  through  my  head, I decided to land right away. My flight computer
was scrambled with that hit by lightening, so I came in too high, and had to
go  around  again. AFter I landed, I checked all the controls out, including
moving the sticks slowly, looking for dead spots, but found none. Everything
was  fine!  Rather than risk anything further, I packed up and left. So what
if I had flown for only and hour instead of an hour and a half :-)

I set  the  plane  on  my  rack  in my bedroom - it holds the fuse and wings
horizontal.  A  few days later, when I happened to look at the fuse, which I
place  on  the  rack  so  the wheels are on the wall, like some giant fly, I
could  see  what had created the tense moments a few days prior. I found the
wire  at  the end of the rudder pushrod, where it attaches to the servo, was
bent,  effectively  shortening the length of the pushrod, "feeding" in right
rudder, and which was why I had to re-trim giving left rudder!

OK, so  that explained the change in trim - what about the momentary loss of
control? Well,  the  end  of  the  "balsa" portion of the pushrod was reeeal
close  to  a  vertical member reinforcing the fuse side, and, with vibration
during  flight,  must  have got stopped by the vertical member as I operated
the  rudder!  Later, it "freed up" as I moved in the other direction! I took
out the pushrod and straightened out the wire end.

I can  only  think  of  one  way the wire might have got bent - when someone
kicked the rudder during my absence plane hunting. The servo could only have
"straightened"  the  wire  (assuming  it  had the torque - unlikely) had the
balsa end jammed, it couldn't have "bent" it.

The plane was parked in front of a gap in the hedge by the flight line, that
sees a lot of people traffic as they go to/return from their cars.

ajai

    When at the Masters in Dallas, I had at least two occasions where, upon
    landing, just at the critical point where I needed to begin flaring
    out, I experienced a funny kind'a momentary visual black out that
    caused me to miss the flare and muff the landing.  It's hard to 
    describe it but it was as if I'd actually lost a second or so of time
    and the airplane which had looked well set up to land was suddenly
    sinking rapidly or boiuncing back into the air.  It was kind'a spooky
    and, because of other things I'd been noticing, I became suspicious
    that something was very wrong with my vision.  I even mentioned it to
    Eric as he was video taping me but I'm not sure he thought the comment
    was much more than a cop out for a rather dreary performance at the
    Masters.  And, to be honest, I not certain that I was sure either.
    
    However, upon returning from the Masters, I immediately made an
    appointment with my eye doc and that appointment took place yesterday
    afternoon.  [Here's where the good news and bad news comes in.]  The
    bad news is that, while I hoped otherwise, my fears were confirmed; I
    have a cataract in my left eye...BUMMER!  The good news is that the
    surgical procedure for removing the clouded lens and replacing it with
    an implanted intra-optical-lens has become almost child's play with a
    success rate of 98%.  The procedure is done outpatient under local
    anesthetic, takes little more than an hour and full recovery occurs in
    a relatively short time. 
    
    Therefore, as soon as I can possibly get all the pieces in place, I'll be 
    going out on STD for a week or so to get this taken care of.  I want to
    get it done before tha end of the year, both because I want the bucks
    I've already spent on exams etc. to count on this year's deductible and
    because I want to be fully recovered well in time for our Masters
    Qualifier next January.
    
    Though I know it's a fairly simple, highly successful procedure, I have
    to admit to being a bit depressed and a little apprehensive at the
    thought of having an eye cut on but I'm confident everything'll go just
    fine.  It's just that if I ever had my vision screwed up to the extent
    that I could no longer fly, I'm afraid that'd be devastating to this
    ol' Rat who's been modelling since he was 4-years old.  
    
    I'm not sure why I'm putting this in here...I'm not looking for
    sympathy.  Maybe support/encouragement.  Maybe stories of others'
    experiences with this procedure, I dunno'......
    
    Anyhoo, that's the name of that tune......wish me luck, mi amigos! 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Well Al, I can understand that; guess its part of the process of
time.  I had the knife just a couple of months ago...this was for an
undefined substance in my throat.

Needless to say I did a lot of soul searching to figure my next
move if it turned out to be a nasty one; this one wasn't.  Its
tough when you've been healthy all along.

Anyway, Al, I just want to say that the experience happens and
then its over and you can get about your normal life; its helpful
to look past it all.

    I have an uncle who had this done. He had to lie in bed "looking" up,
    until the cornea healed, so the juices in the eye (vitreous humour)
    wouldn't spill out. He has since had to wear *real* thick glasses, and
    is in fine fettle.
    
    Since your description is a little different, I suppose they may be
    inserting a lens in lieu of the old one. I have a cousin who is an
    opthalmologist, and you could have got a free second opinion - the only
    hitch is that she is in the middle east!!
    
    I had my first (and only) operation when I was 4~5, and boy, was I
    terrified! The tonsils were removed, and I had a hard time eating
    anything until the "scar" healed. I hate people messing around with my
    body, qualified or otherwise - as there is something downright unsavory
    about it. 
    
    For the most part, my philosophy has been to eat right, and exercise
    regularly, and let the body take care of most minor changes in
    equilibrium (cold/fever) without confusing it with chemicals
    (medicines). Fortunately, I haven't had to see a doc in 6+ years
    (though I do go to the dentist, and did have a coupl'a eye exams).
    
    At any rate, from what I gather, occlusion of the lens with age is
    fairly common, as also the procedure to do a cataract operation, so you
    should count yourself lucky that it isn't some vague/bizarre/flako
    rarely done operation.
    
    Every cloud has a silver lining. Hang in there, and you'll make it
    through fine.
    
    And do keep us posted.
    
    ajai
    
    ps. Did your doc say that being a model aviator (and staring at the
    sky, even with dark glasses) might have contributed to or 
    speeded up the occlusion?

    Al,

    My wife's grandfather had this operation a couple of years ago and had
    no problems(he was 80 yrs old at the time). After the patch was removed
    from his eye, he was amazed at how bright the colors he saw were. He
    was really excited about how well he could see out of the eye and was 
    very glad he had the operation. I know every operation is different,
    but thought you'd like to hear a success story to strenghten your
    decision. Best of luck with the operation!

    -Lamar

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    Yes, this procedure is [apparently] different than the one yer' uncle
    (Habeeb?) had.  The make a tiny incision at the edge of the cornea,
    then go in, open the lens capsule and remove the lens.  Then, a highly
    polished plastic (polymethylmethacrylate - PMMA) intraocular lens in
    implanted into the lens capsule.  A coupla' microscopic stitches and yer'
    done.  You must avoid lifting, stooping, anything that might irritate
    or strain the implant for about 3-months and, barring complications,
    you should be back to almost good as new.
    
    Yes, the doc said that anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors,
    especially looking into the sky like we do, may have a higher incidence
    of cataracts.  However, he was quick to point out that it still isn't
    clearly understood just what mechanism actually causes a cataract.  He
    commented that it may be partly hereditary (both of my parent have had
    cataracts) and many other unknown factors could certainly accelerate
    the formation of cataracts.  He commented that I was quite young to
    have one but that that fact improves my odds for having the procedure
    with no complications.  BTW, according to the brochure on cataracts I
    was given to read, cataracts _will_ affect over 80% of all persons over
    age 60.  Bottom line, the doc said that modelers should protect
    themselves by wearing UV-screen sunglasses or having their prescription
    glasses UV-screen coated.
    
    Oddly enough, I've been wearing UV coated glasses for the past 10+
    years but, apparently, even that wasn't enough in my case.  Again
    according to the brochure, cataracts CAN start from birth, in which
    case, little you do can more than forestall their eventual formation. 
    It would appear that that's what happened in my case.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Re: .2290,
    
    Thanx a heap, Lamar...I really appreciate it!
						 __
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Sorry to hear of your eye problems Al. My uncle had this same operation
    done a few years ago when he was in his late 70's, and he said it
    was pretty much a piece of cake. Wore a patch for a few days, then
    was amazed at the improvement in his vision. The deterioration
    had been so gradual he hadn't realized what he was missing.
    Good luck.
    
    Outdoor types in the s.w. are constantly bombarded with messages
    about U.V. eye damage, skin cancer, etc. Residents of murkier
    climes can take heed too. I'm a believer, let me tell ya'.
    
    Terry
    

Al,

Well, as  I  had suspected, your operation involves putting in a lens, which
is  why you can "walk away" as soon as the operation gets done. My Uncle got
his done  nearly  a dozen years ago, so things must have improved. I DO know
that  putting  a tiny lens inside the eye means you don't have to wear "soda
bottle"  glasses! My Uncle had it done on one eye, so when he wears glasses,
his one  eye  looks bigger than the other, as one "magnifying glass" is more
powerful than the other! Dunno what Habeeb means - and comes from Persian or
Arabic. One of the 20+ odd languages in India, comes from a mixture of Hindi
and Persian (The Persians ruled us for 600 years before the British), and is
called Urdu.  I am not sure if Habeeb exists in Urdu, but if it doesn't, you
missed by a coupl'a thousand miles :-) I'll check.

So your  brochure DOES confirm my info - that older people are more prone to
getting it!  I would think genetics has a role to play, besides environment.
My _nearly_  90  yr  young  Grandma  hasn't  had  cataract, though she wears
glasses.

From all  the  encouraging replies, it appears that you have little to worry
about. You'll do fine, and it'll be over before you know it.

ajai

ps. A  piece  of  trivia (not directly related) that I just remembered - the
cornea  of  the  eye  is  the ONLY part of the body that can be transplanted
without fear of the recepient's body rejecting it. And that's because it has
no  blood  vessels plumbing the white blood cells that are only too eager to
declare war on foreign invaders!

Just a minor nit on Ajai's last note.  There is always a chance of rejection
for a transplanted cornea - though they don't do any tissue matching before
the surgery.  The rejection rate is real low - less than 1% - but it is 
there.  They have anti-rejection drugs that can be used for cornea rejection,
but they are not used after the surgery unless there are indications of 
rejection.

Steve
(Cornea transplant expert)

    Re: lase several,
    
    Thanx for all the encouragement, amigos.  I think I'm a little more at
    ease with it but am learning first hand why the medicos told us to
    expect my dad to be a real bear to live with when he was facing serious
    eye surgery about 1964.  They said that nothing is quite so traumatic
    to one as a threat to his eyesight and I can now attest from experience
    that that's a gross understatement!
    
    BTW, Ajai, while the brochure says that 80% of all persons over 60
    _will_ have cataracts, it is also specific in stating that they don't
    yet understand just what causes the formation of a cataract and they
    say further that cataracts in children, even newborn infants is not
    uncommon so go figger......  All I know is the doc says I'm pretty
    young to be having a cataract but it's not all that uncommon and, given
    that a person _HAS_ to have the implant procedure done, the younger
    it's done the better.
    
    The implant is a real Godsend as, like you mention, the coke bottle
    glasses and/or contact lenses (in addition to glasses) are a thing of
    the past.  My dad has to wear the thick glasses but my mom, who had the
    implants done about two years ago, wears a normal prescription.  Ain't
    medical science great?!  Now if they could just cure cancer......!!!!
						 __
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    an implanted intra-optical-lens has become almost child's play with a
>    success rate of 98%.  The procedure is done outpatient under local
>    anesthetic, takes little more than an hour and full recovery occurs in
>    a relatively short time. 

Think of the good part.  This will give you a chance to parade
around looking just like John Wayne with a patch for a while.

In case of failure - you're next plane will have to be a model
of Wiley Post's (Was that Mr. Mulligan or something close)?

One of the soaring plane authors (sorry - I forgot which one) recently
had this done and was amazed at how much better he could see after.

Let us know the day you go under the knife and we'll all take
our glasses off for a moment of silent staring.  And maybe just
for support we will attempt a couple of one eyed landings.

Seriously - I sincerely hope you have a easy time and 100 percent success.

Back to rambling.  I just read through (or tried to) all the proposed changes
to the scale rules in the last issue of Model Aviation.  What do we have to
do to vote against some of these rules?

One guy wants to force the "if the pilot is visible" rule on the "FUN"
scale rules.  Another wants to...

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, Kay,
    
    Thanx..., I think.  ;b^)  Yeah, I'm hearing _many_ similar stories;
    apparently a cataract forms so slowly/insidiously over such a long time
    that you aren't really aware of the vision loss taking place and, once
    the occluded lens is removed and the artificial lens implanted, the 
    improvement frequently exceeds the expectation.  I've even heard of
    people whove been able to quit wearing glasses after the implant
    procedure (except for reading).  Unfortunately, that won't be possible
    in my case as I'm only having one eye done...the other one checks out
    fine.
    
    Regarding AMA rules proposals, you may express your opinion (preferably
    in writing) to your district VP and to the Scale Board representative for 
    your area/district.  This latter person should be listed among the
    associate VP's etc. in the header of your dist. VP's monthly column in
    Model Aviation.
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Reprinted without permission from the Washington Post.


    Sex & the Bomber
     'Northrop Takes Offense at New Stealth Condom'

        The Northrop Corp. has taken legal action to prevent a
    Texas company from marketing a new product Northrop says
    might be confused with its B-2 Stealth bomber.

    The product: Stealth Condoms.

        In opposing the company's application for a trademark,
    Northrop contends that the use of the name "is likely to
    cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive" people
    in the marketplace.  It does not specify how this confusion
    might occur, or how dire might be the consequences of such a
    confusion.

        Northrop also charges that the Stealth Condom slogan
    could bring the military hardware manufacturer, and its
    products, "into disrepute."

        The slogan?


    
        "They'll Never See You Coming."

    Al-
    
    One word of caution regarding your surgery.  Please have a full caridac
    workup before you have the procedure done.  THIS IS IMPORTANT!  Please
    see below:
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Your eyesight will be so improved that you will be in for a severe
    shock every morning as you look into the mirror and see _yourself_!
    
    It really is easy for all of us to say, but, it _is_ a piece of cake
    these days...
    
                           __|__                              Regards-
    \________________________O________________________/       Frank.    

    

    Since the CMRCM elections were to be held last night, Charlie Watt
    wanted lots of DECckies to show up and support some of our crowd who
    were standing to be elected to be a Board Members. Things turned out
    differently.
    
    Well, it turned out there weren't enough people, and someone proposed
    my name! I accepted primarily so that I could "repay", in some manner,
    for this ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING year I have had in terms of flying.
    Stick time is currently 13 minutes short of 70 hours, and what with the
    super warm spell on Friday/Saturday/Sunday, I notched up 5 hours in
    just 3 days this month! October was only 1/2 hour more productive!!
    
    5 of the 7 board members are DECk hands, so this looks like a  corporate 
    take over! What the hell, I know I'll never make it to being DEC BOD
    member, so this should do for starters.
    
    And besides, I'll bring sorely needed third world representation to the
    club to help steer decision making with policies concerning minorities.
    
    :-) :-)
    
    ajai-the-club-corporate-ladder-climber
    
    ps. Hey, the view is *much* better from up here!! :-)

Local (well not so local) boy (well not so young) makes (well earns) good.

Al Casey is again in the magazines.  This month in Scale R/C Modeler Al
and his MiG get honorable mention in of all things the article "Warbirds
at Byron's Expo".  I won't tell you exactly where so that you have to scan
the whole article to find it :-)

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, 
    
    Whaddya' mean "not so local?"  I'm plenty local around here!  :B^) 
    BTW, I ain't so old neither!! 
    
    Yeah, I was surprized to get a mention from ol' Stormin' Norman in his
    article on Warbirds at the Byron Expo this year.  That's about the last
    place I'd have ever expected it.  Norm gets on a kick about why more
    Russian fighters aren't seen and mentions that mine is the only one he
    recalls seeing.  Frankly, Norm, hush you face!  I *LIKE* having the
    only one around anywhere I go!  ;b^)  But seriously, for once, Norm's
    right...there's an untapped treasure trove of damned interesting and
    good flying fighters to be had merely by looking into what the Ruskies
    were doing in WW-II.  The Yaks, Lavochkins and MiG's were all pretty
    good looking ships with pretty fair performance to boot.  The Ilyushin
    Il-2 Sturmovik tank buster is also a pretty good subject and the
    Petlyakov Pe-2 is a nice looking twin-engine light bomber/attack
    aircraft.
    
    But, as usual, Norm's off base and reveals how little he really knows
    about RC scale because Bob Underwood quite successfully campaigned a
    Sturmovik about 10-years ago and followed that up with a Russian
    bomber; I _think_ it was a Pe-2 but am not positive at the moment.  Bob
    was winner of the AMA Nats and an FAI contender with both ships.
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Re: -.1
    
    Al, you mentioned your cateracts again, and it reminded me I was remiss
    in joining those who have sent their best regards for a successful
    operation and a speedy recovery.  From everything I've heard from
    relatives and friends, your chances of coming out of it with total
    success is very high, and I wish you the best.
    
    As I was reading the last note regarding your experiences of having
    difficulty seeing the plane as it blended against certain backgrounds,
    I felt a certain kinship with your situation.  I don't have cateracts,
    but I do have a bad case of "floaters".  Floaters, for those who may
    not have heard of them, are harmless pieces of debris inside the eye
    that become suspended in the viscous matter.  When one or more of these
    floaters become positioned between the lens and the retina, your vision
    is blocked.  My floaters are like thin hairs, so my vision is like
    looking thru a group of randomly positioned strings as if I were
    looking through a spider web.  At times is gets bad enough that I have
    trouble focusing on distant objects, like airplanes coming directly at
    me 100 yards away.  On more than one occasion, I have almost lost the
    plane because I could not make out the change of orientation as I made
    small corrections, and then cranked in too much thinking it had not
    responded.  However, I am learning how to live with this inconvencience
    as I have too much fun flying to let this stop me.  I have not been
    aware of any problems when flying high or at top speed; its mainly a
    problem when landing.
    
    Haqs anyone else experienced the problem of floaters?
    
    Best regards,
    Joe

Yeah Joe, I got em too.  Comes from years of sailing and being
too macho to wear decent sunglasses.  Dumb.  Got big ones dead
center in both eyes, I compare it to looking out through a screen
door.

When they first came on about 4 years ago, I couldn't drive at
night because they cut too much light.  Now I can drive because
I've adjusted my habits to drive slower -- I am also much more
tolerant of "old fogeys" when they creep down the road at 20. 
Now I'm one of them, let me tell you its like being crossed up
through a 100 mph turn; stark raving terror, except its no fun.

The heck of it is that the doctors can't do anything, can't even
give me a straight answer on how long they'll be there.  They'd
go away fairly quickly if they were indeed floating, but these
hang down like curtains from the top of the eyeball, so they're
pretty much unchanged in the 4 years.  What's supposed to happen
is that they settle down onto the lower part of the eyeball, then
the white blood cells, or whatever, gobble them up and keep the
eye clear.

The medical procedure for getting rid of them involves sucking
out the fluid in the eyeball and pumping in new stuff.  Its very
risky, and is not worth the trouble if you can still see.

As far as flying goes, it contributes to loss of orientation
quite a bit sooner...the plane disolves into a glob.  That's not
so bad but sometimes, when I make the turn onto base especially,
its hard to judge the bank angle, even up close like that.

Joe, I have a pair of yellow/rose tinted sunglasses that works
wonders in bright sunlight.  Its the one that intensifies
contrast and deepens colors (like being stoned :-)), and it seems
to boost contrast enough to compensate for the floaters.  If you
don't have any you should try some...get a cheap pair from the
drug store to try out and see if it helps. 

    Re: .-1, Joe,
    
    Thanx fer' the well-wishes, and those of everyone else who expressed
    them here...it helped a lot.  I'm now as comfortable with the prospect
    as I'm liable to become and am confident everything will turn out OK. 
    Based on the many inputs received herein and from other sources, I'm
    anticipating a very noticeable improvement in vision and just hope I'm
    not building myself up to be disappointed.  But, I can live with the
    vision I currently have _IF_ I can just get shunt of this visual
    blackout thing that the cataract caused in certain light/glare
    conditions.
    
    Floaters, eh?  If I remember my high school biology, everyone has
    floaters to some greater or lesser extent.  Some merely aren't aware of
    them.  I have them to the extent that I notice them occasionally,
    especially when reading, but can't say my overall vision has been
    impacted to any degree.  It's kind'a like tinitis (ringing in the
    ears), most of the time you completely unaware of it but, if you
    concentrate on it, you can't seem to _stop_ noticing it.
    
    I guess we might all look forward to flying large, slow, brightly
    colored planes someday, if we're lucky, but I'm in no hurry for that
    day to come.  I never did care much for red-hot, scalded-dog
    performance from my models but I do prefer them to be pretty "warm" and
    crisp in the performance area so keeping the ol' eyebones tuned as good
    as they can be is of primary import to me!
						 __
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Al, my best wishes also.

Joe, I've got a good case of floaters too but I have exactly the opposite
problem with them. On landing I can see fine but up high where the plane is
against bright sky they are VERY distracting, if I'm not wearing sunglasses.
With the sunglasses I usually don't even notice them. When the plane is down 
low it is against a dark background and they don't bother me.

G. Schrader

    IT'S OFFICIAL! THE CORPORATION HAS MADE THE DECISION TO CLOSE THE
    PHOENIX PLANT.  THIS WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE PNO PLANT MANAGER IN COMPANY
    WITH FRED JOHNSON, U.S. MFG. PERSONNEL MGR. AND LOU GAVIGLIA, V.P. OF
    U.S. MFG. JUST MINUTES AGO.
    
    Timetable for closure is being worked on but is as yet undetermined. 
    Speculation is that it could take from 3-to-6 months to transfer all
    the businesses to other locations (which are as yet undetermined also).
    A financial assistance package is also being worked on but the details
    of such a package are also undetermined at the moment.
    
    Bottom line, this will end it for the ol' Rat as far as my Digital
    career is concerned.  There's nowhere else within the corporation I'd
    even consider relocating, even if relocation were possible which, in
    the present Digital business climate, appears very unlikely.  It
    appears I'll be around at least into next year sometime but the end is
    imminent!  Happy Holidays, eh......?!  :B^(
						 __
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Al, I find myself also remiss in wishing you well on your forthcoming
    operation. From the sounds of several fellow noters I would hazard to
    say the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of a wonderous outcome on your
    behalf. All the best to you my friend.
    
     Gee Al, aren't you supposed to sound gloomy about the closing? 
    
     Sounds more like your ready to celebrate!
    
    Bernie

      I also have a floater in my left eye,but I can only see it
    when I'm looking at one solid color.At least I think it is.
    I'd also like to wish you well,Al!This conference will not be 
    the same without you!!
    
    Kevin
    

    I saw it on the news last night that they were closing the plant. It
    REALLY ticks me off how this company has just adopted the attitude of
    "screw the employee". JUST THE DAY BEFORE good ole Jack was on the 
    DVN network and didn't say squat. As usual, we have to hear everything
    in the news. They also said DEC admitted that layoffs were probably
    inevitable. Do you think Jack had anything to say about that????? Not
    a word. If you want to know what's going on within DEC, don't bother
    listening to our "leaders", watch the news.
    
    Sounds like it's time to start planning on an HTA reunion next fall in
    sunny Arizona.
    
    All I can say at this point is don't give up hope yet. You thought you
    were gone last time too but your still with us.
    
    Your invited to my house for Thanksgiving.
    
    Steve

    Floaters: So that's what they are called, eh?
    
    I can't say I see hanging curtains/screens, but once in a loong while,
    I see an elongated bubble "go by". Of course, trying to "look" at them
    is similar to a dog chasing its own tail. If I don't focus on it, I
    don't see it. At any rate, it is transparent even when it is there once
    or twice a year.
    
    So, they are slamming the door on your face again, huh? My roomate told
    me last night that DEC was going to keep just 4 of its MFG plants open,
    but I didn't translate that into the Phoenix plant getting nixed.
    Should'a known.
    
    Well, Al, assuming this time they ain't playin' horrorwood, an' all's
    fer real, we DECkies can still keep in touch with ya if you happen to
    work for another computer company, since I routinely send e-mail to
    non-DECkies nationwide. I hate to be a realist, but I don't think
    miracles will happen this time.
    
    ajai
    

    Oh! Oh! I knew I had forgotten sum'pin'.
    
    So we are goin' to lose the GREAT NANOOK OF THE NORTH, too, huh!
    
    I have in the past always gone to [warm] India during Nov/December,
    since, that way, I get to combine the local holidays and extend my
    vacation. Besides, it is *WINTER* in India, which means (depending on
    where you go) 70~90 degree weather in my hometown, Bangalore, where
    it is lush and green.
    
    Everytime I return back to the US - and I see the dank, monotonous
    white, desolate landscape way below the plane,& I wonder how life is
    possible in such harsh climes. I step out of the terminal and shiver
    due to the cold, as I have gone from instant "summer" to instant
    "winter" during the course of 24 hours of travel!
    
    Just as I am amazed at how life goes on despite the cold, I am _even_
    more amazed when I realise I am now a PART of it too! I then think of
    RC, and tell myself, gee, there's Ken , the GREAT NANOOK OF THE NORTH,
    somewhere up there, flying his planes.
    
    I hope to do some winter flying this time, and will sure be thinking of
    you dragging out your field kit on a sled. Will sure miss ya, but good
    luck 'n' all the best in whatever you choose to do.
    
    ajai                                      

    An' one las' thing.
    
    You guys jes' remember that there is an Injun you "met" who said this
    is the best place in the world to be to pursue the "free" hobby of
    aeromodelling. 
    
    Yeah, jes' think of that, and you'll be aw'right fellas...
    
    :-)
    
    ajai
    

    OUCH!!!!!!!!!
    
    The news about closing the Pheonix plant really hurt.  This company is
    certainly going through troubled waters, and I wince every time
    somebody or something gets jettisoned in the interest of keeping the
    ship afloat.
    
    My heart goes out to those who have or will be affected by these
    changes, and to you , Al, and all your co-workers, I wish the best of
    luck as you face these changes and deal with them.
    
    And now let me do a bad thing and feel sorry for the rest of us who are
    not leaving.  Its been people like Al (and he's by all means not alone,
    and I only single him out because I met him personally) who have made
    this notes file a treasure trove of invaluable information that I as a
    newcomer this year, found to be my "school" and my electronic mentor to
    help me get started and to help me progress.  I feel such a personal
    bond to all of you that the thought of some of our prolific members
    leaving this conference is making me feel sorry for me.  It's going to
    be like loosing my mentors and friends and not being able to learn from
    them anymore or ask all those probing questions that they always come
    up with answers for.  Their wisdom and experience will go with them,
    and this conference will be a lot poorer.   Geeeezzzzz...am I
    depressed, or what???  Sorry, I got carried away.
    
    Good luck to all of you who are leaving mother DEC.  Keep flyin', and
    try to stay in touch.
    
    Regards,
    Joe  

    
    Al, About the eye, my girld dad had the operation and was driving
    in two weeks. He had his patch off and recovered in four.  Chin
    up.
    
    Work... Ya it **** sorry but it too bad they didn't have their shit
    together three months ago. It cost ya probably 30 wk of pay.  I've
    been here 15 yrs. and DEC sure isn't the company I came to enjoy
    in the late 70's.  Where's the company gone?  What do we really
    make and sell these days?  I'm sure the Rat will pull out of it.
    
    
    I'm also sure that Al has spawned a number of future Masters Qualifiers
    from the DEC Noters. Where will be a meeting in the future.  Looking
    forward to reading about a larger Mig 3 :-)
    
    Tom
    
    P.S. Al, I may be in the same boat. Spo is to loose app. 143 IL
    out of 300.  

    It's official today.  I turn my badge in at 4pm.  I'll miss the 
    bunch of ya!  Good luck to everyone....
    
    
    Ken (who learned how to fly through these notes.....thanks)

    Best of luck to ya Ken. Keep em flying.
    
    Steve

    Next time you bump into an Injun model aviator, it might be muh'self,
    so don't feel shy to introduce y'self :-)
    
    All the best. Seek opportunity in adversity.
    
    ajai

    
      Good luck to you. Carry on the Tradition.
    
    
                                          Dan
    
    

  Did anyone else catch Wings last night?  The missiles they showed in this
episode were AWESOME!  Imagine a small 14 pound hand launched missile taking
out an enemy tank!  The cruise missiles (especially the Harpoon anti-ship)
were also incredible.  

  I thought it was a great show.



                     Jim

Yeah, that one was spectacular.  I especially liked the one that
penetrated the fully loaded tank, then blew up.  The missle went
in and it was quiet for a second or so, then there was a group of
major explosions, then quiet again then another group of
explosions.  Really took that sucker out.

I had a couple of thoughts on that.  The scatter bombs/cruise
missile looked like a great way to take out (a certain
middle-eastern country's) anti-air and other missile
installations.  And the sub-launched multiple warhead missile
looked like a great way to do first-strike against munitions
plants, nuclear and posion gas plants, etc.  A certain country I
can think of would be left defenseless with only their foot
soldiers, and without a single attacker stepping over the line.

I've seen the shipboard cruise missiles damage, since I used to
work at the west coast missile engineering center where they did
the testing.  Rather awesome.

But as I've said many times, the only two weapons that are not
obsolete in this world are the atomic submarine and the foot
soldier.

    I feel just terrible that I was unable to send my good luck wishes out
    to Ken before he left.  If anyone should see him or know how to contact
    him, _Please_ pass along my thoughts to him.
    
    It has been one Helluva tough holiday for th' ol' Rat.  First I lose my
    job, then I lose my father.  Just moments before the plantwide meeting
    where the PNO closing was announced, my brother called telling me he
    had admitted my [our] dad to the hospital for an evaluation as to
    whether he could tolerate an operation to repair an aneurism of the
    aorta in his abdomen which we'd been aware of for several years.  I 
    attended the meeting then went to the hospital only to learn that dad
    had become disoriented and complained of a severe headache as he was
    being dressed in hospital garb.  He'd already been taken for a C.A.T.
    scan and this revealed bleeding in his head.
    
    Next morning, he was to undergo a cerebral angiogram to determine the
    cause of the bleeding and determine what (if anything) they could do to
    stop it.  (They suspected another aneurism in the arteries to the
    brain).  Unfortunately, dad became sick in the elevator as they were
    going to perform the procedure and it had to be postponed while they
    tried to get him restabilized.  About 2-hours later, we were told he'd
    passed away.  The doctors felt certain it was a combination of the
    hemorrhaging in his skull and, finally heart failure that took him.
    
    In any event, Thanksgiving was a grim time for th' ol' Rat, what with
    the DEC decision to take away my job, then being pole-axed in the
    forehead with the loss of my dad.  I hate to spread gloom and doom but
    I'm having a little difficulty finding much to be thankful for right
    about now.
    
    Anyhow, thanx to all who've expressed yer regrets at my imminent
    departure...I _DO_ appreciate it a HEAP!  As I said initially, I'll be
    around awhile longer; speculation is that it could take over 6-months
    to get the way clear to close the doors.  But, after that?????????????
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Sometimes, there just doesn't seem to be an end to the stream of bad
    news/times. My heartfelt condolences to you, Al.
    
    But this too, shall pass.
    
    Hang in there.
    
    ajai

   Al,

   I'm terrible sorry to hear about your dad, you have my deepest sympath
   during this sad time. It was this time last year that my brother-in-law
   started on his down turn with his illness. Really puts a damper on the
   holiday season. Hang in there bud!

   -Lamar

    Al,
    
    My deepest regrets too.  I'm very sorry to hear about your Dad.  We
    recently lost my father-in-law.  Our thanksgiving blessing included
    thanks for keeping us strong as a family.  Keep strong for each other.
    
    Things can only get better.
    
    Marc   	`-----/*\-----'

     Your grief is felt by all of us in this file Al.  Having lost my Dad
    three years ago, I know how it feels. My best to you and yours. Keep 
    the faith my friend.
    
    Bernie

My condolences also. I lost my brother to a tumor a couple of months ago and
it really sucks the life out of you for a while. Things DO get better but the
healing takes time. Hang in there.

-Glenn

    To all those who responded with condolences and words of support, on
    and off-line, please accept my heartfelt appreciation.  I appreciate it
    more than you will ever know!  A special thanx to Steve Smith whose
    leg-pulling call (which I fell for lock, stock and barrel) did wonders
    for raising my flagging spirits yesterday, adding a little humor to an
    otherwise dismal day.
    
    The climate here at PNO is understandably grim.  Bad news has been
    dumped on us just prior to the holidays with such predictable
    regularity as to suggest it _must_ be more than coincidence...either
    that or someone(?) has incredibly little consideration for peoples'
    feelings.  A general bitter undercurrent runs through the plant at the
    apparent gross insensitivity of the "they" who would seem to have gone
    out of their way to deliberately throw a damper on holiday spirits for
    the past several years.
    
    Most folks I've talked to wouldn't accept another position with DEC if
    their salary was doubled!  And why should they?  After enduring the
    trauma of uprooting one's lifestyle and moving to somewhere they'd
    probably never choose to live otherwise, what assurance is there that
    the same thing won't happen just about the time they get settled in??
    Not much, I'd have to venture!  We have several folks here who only
    just transferred to PNO (one of whom has't even made the first payment 
    on his new home yet) and the rug has been jerked out from under them.
    
    Now I ask you, wouldn't a really caring company, who _surely_ must have
    been considering this closure for some months prior to the decision...,
    wouldn't a company like that have declared some kind of moratorium on
    transfers into the affected location until it's fate was known??  I'm
    sorry if this sounds excessively bitter but I can't help it; where I
    was once proud to tell people where I worked, I'm afraid my impression
    of DEC (which I joined almost 12 years ago, mainly due to its reputation 
    as a "people company") has been irrepairably tarnished.
    
    Anyone with one remaining active brain cell can tell you it's not the
    workers' fault when a company falls upon hard times.  Au contraire,
    it's too much (and/or incompetent) management that inevitably brings
    about the downfall but how much activity have _YOU_ witnessed to trim
    the fat from DEC's top-heavy management pool??  I watched a succession
    of poor managers MIS-manage PNO to its present state and not once did
    the corporation intervene in the best interests of its plant and its
    employees and, therefore, its own.  More's the pity that, most likely, 
    all the management types who brought about PNO's downfall (and cost 479 
    people their livlihoods/careers) will remain with DEC and continue to
    contribute to its difficulties in the future!  Until someone at the top
    finally accepts the undeniable truth of the management situation, I
    fear DEC is doomed to continue suffering a declining position in the
    industry.  The irony is that those charged with rectifying the
    situation are, in far too many occasions, the very ones who've caused
    the problem in the first instance and are, therefore, little inclined
    to slash where the _real_ slashing's most needed.  A sad testimonial to 
    a once vital, energetic and proud company.  Such a pity!!!
    
    Well, it seems I've gone off on another tirade when I hadn't originally
    intended to do so.  The thoughts voiced are, I believe, more motivated
    by the remaining vestiges of pride I once felt in DEC than by the
    bitterness I feel at being cast out by that self same entity.  They are
    my personal opinions and, I don't know, I may well come back and delete
    this reply.  Meantime, I'd consider it a LARGE favor if no one would
    reproduce or forward this note, copy to another notesfile, or etc.  I
    just needed to get some things off my chest in the company of friends
    and would prefer _NOT_ to have these feelings come back to me via E-mail
    with several dozen forwards on it.  Gracias, amigos.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    As a contractor I have a less personal view. I can see all the things
    you're listing elsewhere in DEC (and other companies I've worked for)
    and they get ignored. Maybe one of the requirements of being middle
    management material is ignoring the obvious waste of a reporting
    structure that is a chain of managers with < 4 (lots of 1 or 2) direct 
    reports. I've seen people with several "dotted line" managers but no 
    ONE manager responsible for telling them to get SOMETHING done. I've
    seen a local startup with a D*MN good product, slowly fire all the
    indians until just the chiefs were left and nothing got done BUT
    management. I don't know what all the MBAs are supposed to accomplish,
    but they're getting taught the wrong stuff if they let this type of 
    thing happen over and over.
    
    Anyway, my condolences on your loss of your father and your job situation. 
    As has been said before, life goes on and there will be good times yet
    to come. Stay in touch (there are ways to send email into the group
    from the outside commetrcial services) and review our winter building
    contest next spring when the photo album gets put together (the
    "awards" were GREAT last year) and keep settin' 'em down on the wheels.

  Ya' know Al...it's funny you should mention the manager-to-WORKER ratio..
a few months ago when they were hanging the buyout over our heads here in
Corp. Finance, one person asked the boss (my former bosses, bosses, boss 8^)
why we had so many managers with only 1 or 2 people reporting to them.
They gave the old..'we realise there is a problem here....blah..blah..blah..'
and 2 weeks later hired 2 ADDITIONAL managers!!!!!!!!!!!

  Well, I've decided to cover my a$$.  I'm taking Unix and C programming
courses through Northeastern University right now.  If worse comes to worse
there are a LOT of open jobs out in the world for Unix and C.

  I hope it doesn't come to it but I'm getting prepared.  As you said, this
use to be a great 'employees' company.  I've got over 9 years here and can't
believe how things have changed in the last year or so!


   My condolences also.  It's never gone, but the pain does dull after a while.
My father passed away from a massive heart attack when I as 13.  I have always
felt better knowing it was a quick end, instead of a long drawn out ordeal.


  

  Now...on the lighter side........



The year is 1972, and the British Government's policy of socialized
medicine has been extended to include "Proxy Papas," that is, any
married woman not having a child within the first five years of marriage 
must receive the services of a Government Man, who will attempt to be 
the means by which she becomes a mother.
 
The Smiths have no children and are expecting the Government Man.  Mr.
Smith leaves for work.  He has a "hang-dog" look as he gets ready to leave.
He pecks his wife at the door.  "I'm off for work.  The Government Man
should be here early," he says.

He leaves and his wife pretties herself, putting on her most attractive
negligee.  But, instead of the Government Man, a door-to-door photographer
specializing in baby pictures knocks at the door...

Mrs. Smith:  Oh, Good morning.
Man:         You probably don't know me, but I represent---
Mrs. Smith:  Oh yes, you needn't explain.  My husband said to expect you.
Man:         I make a specialty of babies, especially twins.
Mrs. Smith:  Oh yes, we agreed that it was the best thing to do.
Man:         Well in that case, we may as well get started.
Mrs. Smith:  (Blushing) Just where should we start?
Man:         Leave everything to me, Madam.  I recommend two in the bathtub,
             one on the couch, and a couple on the floor.
Mrs. Smith:  Bathtub?  Floor?  No wonder Harry and I---

Man:         Well, my dear lady, even the best of us can't guarantee a good one
             every time.  But one out of six is bound to be a honey.  I
             usually have the best luck with the one in the bathtub.
Mrs. Smith:  Pardon me, but it seems a little impersonal.
Man:         No indeed -- in my line a man can't do his best work in a
             hurry.  (He opens an album and shows baby pictures to her) Look
             at this baby -- it's a good job, but it took almost four hours.
             Isn't she a beauty?
Mrs. Smith:  Yes, a lovely baby.
Man:         But for a tough assignment, look at this baby.  Believe this or
             not, it was done on top of a bus at Piccadilly Circus.
Mrs. Smith:  My God------

Man:         It's not hard when a man knows his job.  My work is a pleasure.
             I spent long years to perfect my technique.  Now take this baby,
             I did it with one shot in Alexander's window.
Mrs. Smith:  I can't believe it.
Man:         And here is a picture of the prettiest twins in town.  They turned
             out exceptionally well when you consider that their mother was --
             difficult.  But I knocked off the job in Hyde Park on a snowy
             afternoon.  It took from two in the afternoon until five in the
             evening.   I never worked under such difficult conditions.
             People were crowded around four and five deep, pushing in to get
             a look.
Mrs. Smith:  Four and five deep?

Man:         Yes, and more than three hours.  I had two bobbies helping me.
             I could have done another shot before dark, but the squirrels
             kept nibbling at my equipment and I had to give up.  Well, Madam,
             if you're ready I'll set up my tripod and get to work.
Mrs. Smith:  Tripod?
Man:         Yes, I always use a tripod to rest my equipment on.  It's much
             too heavy for me to hold for any length of time.  Mrs. Smith?
             Mrs. Smith?  Good Lord, Mrs. Smith, have you fainted????


       

    Re. .-1:
    
    I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT!!  
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Let's see. My wife called in sick today. I called home and there was
    no answer. There was this guy pulling up as I was driving out. She
    said she wanted to take a LONG bath.
    
    WAIT TILL I GET HOME. 8^)

    I'm hearing rumors that the company is going to shut down all 
    non-business related notes files. Anybody else hearing anything?????
    
    Steve

    Close down non-business (= rc) notes file?
    
    Oh! No!
    
    There goes another benefit.
    
    ajai

    Al, I've been on the road for the past week and I'm now trying to catch
    up with things.  I just wanted to let you know how saddened I felt at
    the double upheavals in your life in such a short time.  Please accept
    my condolences at the loss of your father.  I offer my heartfelt
    wish that the pain you feel now will ultimately be replaced with only
    the long-lasting memories of the good times.
    
    I also want to say that leaving your job at DEC will no doubt be a
    tramautic situation, but keep your eye on the new possibilities for you
    and your family.  Keep focused on the future and don't look back.
    
    Hey, I just thought about a great idea....why not start a new kit
    company offering an exclusive line of Rusky fighters.  Wouldn't that be
    unique!  Of course, the MIG-3 would no longer be alone in the skies
    over America, but they'd all be your kits!
    
    Anyway, as I said before, I for one will really miss you from this
    conference.  To your credit, you've built a massive body of knowledge
    for the rest of us to use and enjoy, newcomers and veterans alike, and
    we owe you a debt of gratitude for expending so much time and effort to
    write it all down for posterity.  I therefore, acting entirely on my
    own, but hoping that others will join me in this, hereby declare that
    Al Casey, alias The Desert Rat, be elevated to the high office of
    "Aeromodeler Emeritus" for his enormous contribution to this
    conference!
    
    Take care.
    
    -Joe   

    Here's a copy of the much forwarded message that I received via e-mail.
    

From:	SYZYGY::SOPKA "Smiling Jack  26-Nov-1990 1811" 26-NOV-1990 18:15:52.53
Subj:	IM&T's Dan Infante commenting on non-business related notesfiles

From:	LEVERS::HRONES 					26-NOV-1990 16:44:18.43
To:	@GROUP.DIS,JOHN
Subj:	Potential restrictions on non-technical notes files

                    ****** THIS MEMO IS FROM DAN INFANTE ******
      
       - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
        
      Some background on notes usage:
        
      Each and every notes conference runs on a computer owned by a cost 
      centermanager.  It is the responsibility of the cost center manager to 
      ensure that Digital's assets within his or her cost centers are being 
      efficiently and effectively used. 
        
      . Basically, there are two kinds of computer conferencing (notes files): 
      technical/business and non-technical/business.
        
      Technical/business notes files are used extensively in support of the 
      companies business -- product development, strategic collaboration, 
      business conferencing, reduce time to market, and shorten problem 
      resolution time, business planning, etc. These are clearly valid reasons 
      to encourage conferencing/notes file use as a productivity tool.
        
      Non-technical/business notes files are those covering personal 
      interests.  These files have grown to unreasonable levels and in many 
      incidences does not contribute to our productivity objectives.  This 
      type of use is consuming valuable network capacity and consuming 
      disk/storage space.  Both of these are increasing costs to the company.  
      
      . All cost center managers and system managers must monitor 
      non-technical / business notesfiles.  Effective immediately, I am 
      instructing all IM&T managers and system managers not to back up 
      non-technical business related notesfiles.  Additionally, they are to 
      cut back on capital required for notes access and monitor the 
      optimization of their computer capital.
        
      Our Corporate Security and Personnel policies are very clear and my 
      expectations are that our Cost Center Managers will comply with their 
      managerial responsibility.
        
        
        
        Regards,
        Dan
    

    Re: .2338, Joe,
    
    Thanx for the thoughts and the too, too kind words.  I really do
    appreciate them but I think I must graciously decline the office of
    Aeromodeler Merry-tush, or whatever you called it.  I'm afraid I'm way too 
    impatient to be a good politician/office holder.  ;b^)          
    
    Regarding a line of Ruskie fighter scale kits...*I* love the idea  but
    I'm afraid I'd go pretty broke pretty quick if I didn't (as a kit mfgr.)
    offer kits that would sell in profit-making quantities.  That's
    precisely why there's such a glut of Cubs, Mustangs, Jugs, Corsairs,
    Spits, et-al available on the market.  That's also why the really
    different stuff you see in scale is unanimously scratchbuilt.
    
    Quite honestly, I think one of the surest/quickest ways to starve right
    now (in the present economy) would be to try to do something connected
    to the hobby.  People just flat doo without luxuries like hobbys,
    eating out, etc. when money gets tight!  Ask me about it!!  ;b^)
    
    
    Re: .2339,
    
    OK, we've read the words. Now the question is, "What does this mean to
    the RC notes_file?"  Perhaps Alton can shed some light on the
    situation.....??
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    RE - what does this mean to RC.NOTE...

    First and foremost, the information already posted will *not* be lost!
    In the last month or so, I started making a "shadow" copy of RC.NOTE on
    a regular basis.  This copy is on a disk that is on my local machine,
    that I back up myself, in the off hours.

    In terms of WEWAND::RC's future, it is hard to tell...  Dave Rene' was
    nice enough to set up the conference, but as far as we can tell, no 
    backups were ever made of it.  WEWAND does appear to be a "notes" 
    server, so it is possible that as a result of the memo, it will go 
    away, with or without notice.  (These are all reasons that we have
    the backup copy going..)

    I talked with Al Ryder this morning, and neither of us has been told
    anything definitive regarding RC.NOTE, and without local representation
    regarding it (I don't think Dave Rene' is still with that group...) we
    may not be told..

    So, bottom line is, we will tell you when we know something definitive.

    I believe that our work in forming DECRCM will help our position in
    regards to the future of this conference, but it does not guarantee
    it.

    In the mean time, please *do not* use additional company resources by
    making additional local copies, as that is counter to the spirit of 
    the memo.
    
    cheers,
    jeff
    

I think I've been working too much lately. Last week was one of those looonnngg
weeks and I didn't leave work till 10:00 PM Friday night. Arriving home, tired
and beat, I promptly sat down and started building an A-26 invader. Me, a mild
mannered helicopter enthusist building a twin engine bomber that dates from the
forties and was used up through Vietnam. I just don't understand where my head
is. 

It's not as though I don't have enough to do in my shop. My Jet Ranger still 
needs some paint and the windows put in before its done again. The .25 sized
Artic Tern bush plane I built needs a coat of orange paint before its done. The 
25 sized pusher prop F-18 I started building two years ago needs to be sanded 
and painted. And then of course, there's the Skybooster motor glider that's 
sitting up in the rafters waiting to be repaired. I need radios, I need engines,
I don't need another plane.

Something just snapped Friday night while I was waiting for my cluster to 
reboot for the 4th or 5th time that day. I whipped out a set of plans I just 
happened to have from an old Comet A-26 rubber kit and blew them up on the 
copying machine. What I ended up with was a plane with a 59" wing span. To 
show you what a state my mind was in, I intended this to be a tow launched 
glider. Only lately have I come sort of to my senses and decided to put a 
couple of .25's up front. 

Friday night I got the fuselage pretty well shaped up with the exception of the
front end. I still have to figure out what to do about the nose gear. Saturday
I went out and flew my Concept 30. I actually had the thing in a nose-in hover 
for about 5 minutes before my brain turned to mush. Saturday evening I got 
back to work on th A-26. By the end ot the evening I had the tail surfaces 
finnished up. A happy coincidence Saturday was the latest issue of RCM arrived 
in the mail. Inside was a review of Wing Manfacturing's short kit for the A-26.
The Wing kit is a bit larger at a 68" wingspan vs 59" for my version. From the
pictures it looks like they stuck to the scale rudder and elevator sizes as I
did on the tail surfaces. They used balsa sheet for the tail structure and I 
used a built up structure to keep things light. 

Sunday was a gloomy day so instead of painting or flying I worked on the A-26
during the evening. I wasn't sure what to do about the wings but Sunday I 
decided to try building a set of foam wings for the ship. Sunday afternoon I
gathered up the parts for a foam cutter and that evening I got my wife's help
in cutting out one wing panel. I ran out of foam or else I'd have both panels
cut out buy now. Tonight I'll pick up som more foam and get the other panel 
cut out.

I don't need it. I don't have engines or a radio for it and probably coundn't
fly it if I did. But building the A-26 is making me feel pretty good so I guess
it can't be all bad. 8^)

Dan Eaton  

    Re: .-1, Dan'l,                      
    
    Whaddya' mean you probably couldn't fly the A-26?  It's just an aiplane
    AS LONG AS *BOTH* ENGINES ARE RUNNING.  Seriously, with trike gear,
    generous mid-to-shoulder mounted wing, the -26 should fly like a
    trainer if it's set up properly.
    
    BTW, you might wanna' consider using plug-in/removable landing gear. 
    Retracts would only needlessly complicate a fun project but flying
    around with the gear hanging down is kind of a bummer also.  With the
    abundance of grass flying sites where you are, you could (when the mood
    struck) remove the gear and hand launch the bird.  This way you'd get
    the thrill of flying the bird "clean" and could belly into the grass
    with no damage.  Only tricky part would be you'd want to adjust both
    throttles so you could kill both engines with low trim once on final
    approach.  This would help save the props (if you set them properly,
    they'll stop horizontally) and it should be obvious you wouldn't want
    to fly around waiting for the engines to quit as this is just _begging_
    for a dangerous engine out situation.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

RE:239.234

Al,
the 'twin' part of the A-26 doesn't bother me near as much as the high wing 
loading does. Along those lines I've been real careful about keeping the weight
down. In part because of the weight factor but also because I want to keep this
a simple relaxing project this is a stand off scale project. Of course, 
considering the squarish appearance of the original, I won't be too far off 
the mark and in the air no one will be able to tell.

Funny you should mention the plug-in/removable landing gear. That's exactly
what I had in mind. Another keep it simple save weight idea. I haven't finished 
the nose because I haven't figured out how I want to do the plug in gear. Any
ideas in this area would be appreciated. 

    Dan'l,
    
    Re. plug in gear: never did anything like that but the first thought
    that comes to mind is simply a friction or press fit with a lug or
    whatever to hold it aligned when plugged in.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Dan,
    
    Read the scale column in the latest Model Aviation. It talks about
    using gyros for the rudder in twins since they can react faster to an
    engine out situation that the typical pilot. You should have a few
    hanging around that you could try it out without much of an investment.
    I'm considering it for my P-38 to reduce the pucker factor.
    

    Re. .-1:
    
    I, personally, like the idea of a gyro on the rudder/nosewheel/tailwheel.
    Some folks within the scale community are violently opposed to it but I
    feel anything that enhances safety while adding realism, within reason
    of course, can't be all bad.
    
    As Jim refers, the ideal application for a rudder gyro is on a twin
    where power doesn't always come up equally from both engines. This makes
    keeping the takeoff roll straight quite an adventure at times and puts
    the plane in great jeopardy due to the pilot's temptation to _yank_ it
    into the air, too often stalled.  The rest goes without saying but
    damage sustained from a stall-snap-crash on takeoff is frequently
    extensive and not uncommonly total!
    
    I had every intention of trying a gyro in the big MiG but, unless
    things change, probably will not.  A recent statement of rules for the
    1991 Scale Masters prohibits gyros on *ANY* control surface, PERIOD!
    Of course, for sport flying, you can do anything you want so give it a
    try if you want to.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

RE: .2347

Hi Jim,
I saw the MA article but don't plan on using the gyro. Flying helicopters is 
good exercise to keep the reflexes up so I'm not too worried about the A-26
getting ahead of me should it drop an engine.Another good thing flying copters
has taught me is to program myself for automatic reactions. In the case of the
A-26, my automatic response to any problems will be to bring the throttel back 
to idle. I've become convinced over the years that accepting a landing out in 
the surrounding farm fields is a lot safer than trying to milk it back to the 
field (Unless of course, the farmer's planted soy beans. Gawd, I hate walking
thru soy beans).

Another reason for not using a gyro is weight. As I said before, I'm more 
concerned about flying a plane with a high wing loading than it being a twin. 
The gyro by itself doesn't weight too much but it and the larger capacity
battery pack you need add up. I'll keep with the keep it simple, keep it light
idea on this one and omit the gyro on the A-26. 

I didn't get too much accomplished last night. I tried cutting out an engine 
pod  from foam but it didn't work out. Not enough wire tension  produced a 
cylinder that looked somewhat like an apple core. I'll have to try again with 
more wire tension. I spent the rest of the evening working on the landing gear.
What was giving me problems was figuring out how to keep the gear removeable
while retaining the ability to steer the nose gear. I got that squared away 
before I went to bed so tonight I should be able to finish off the front end of
the fuselage.

    I received some off line encouragement to relate this story, so here
    goes.
    
    Last Friday, I received a call from someone who identified himself as a
    newcomer to RC and, thus far, a read-only RC-Noter.  The caller said
    he'd read some of my advice on various subjects and thought I might be
    able to give him some help with his first RC project, a PT-40.  I've
    received similar calls in the past so I said "OK, shoot and I'll be happy 
    to help if I can."
    
    His initial question was, "How do I get the aileron servo wire down
    through the wing to the inside of the fuselage?"  I conjured up a
    visual image of the PT-40 and responded that there should be no problem
    there as the PT is a high-winger with the servo well in the bottom of
    the wing, thus the wire should just hang right down into the fuse of
    its own accord.
    
    The caller stammered around a bit and offered, "Well, mine (the servo)
    seems to be on the top of the wing...and I also wanted to ask you if
    the wing was supposed to droop the way it does?"  "Huh?  Wait a minute...
    looking from the front of the plane, what does the wing look like?" I
    asked almost increduously.
    
    "Well," he sez', "it looks kind'a like the letter 'A'."  "Oops!" I
    replied, "it _should_ resemble the letter 'V' with the proper dihedral
    built in."  I then explained that, with one wing panel pinned flat to
    the bench, the other wingtip should be 2-3" above the benchtop.  He
    replied that it _was_ that way.
    
    So, I'm thinking to myself, "What kind'a dildo have I got on my hands
    here?  It sounds like he built the wing correctly, then installed it on
    the fuse *upside-down*!"  "Tell me this," I asked, "is the flat side of
    the wing up or down?"  "Up," he replies!
    
    "Oh Jeez!"  I'm thinking, "is it possible this rube actually put the
    wing on upside-down?"  So I tell him, "Listen I think you've done
    everything correctly, yer' just setting the wing on the fuse
    upside-down...turn it over."  He says, "I can't...that'll leave a big
    gap in the fuse under the wing!"
    
    "Huh?" I respond, increasingly amazed at this guy's apparent total
    incompetence, "did you carve out the wing saddle or something?  The
    saddle area of the fuse should be dead flat!"  "Well, yeah," he sez'...
    "when I put the wing on with the flat side up, it kind'a rocked
    frontwards and backwards on the fuselage so I had to carve it out to fit 
    the curved side."
    
    "YEEEE GODS!"  I'm flabbergasted by now at this guy's stupidity and 
    obvious inability even to think to look at the picture on the kit box.  
    But, I don't want to be condescending to someone seeking help so I say, 
    "Listen, I think you need to link up with one of the experienced noters 
    back there...where are you located anyway?"  "Massachusetts," he sez'.  
    
    So, I start giving him names and E-mail nodes for Dan Snow, Kevin Ladd, 
    Dan Miner, Eric Henderson... "Oh, is he the one they call the Evil One?" 
    he asks. "Yep, that's the one," I reply.  "Get in touch with one of these 
    guys and arrange for him to look yer' model over...he'll give you a sanity 
    check and advise you what you need to do to get back on the right track."
    
    Then I say, "Oh, there's another one you could look up, Steve Smith...
    lemme' see, his node used to be RVAX but it just changed to...ah...er..."
    
    "SNAX?" he asks.  "Yeah, that's the one," I reply.  "That's _my_ node
    too," the caller sez.  "Great!" sez' I, "you must work in the same
    facility with Steve."
    
    "This _IS_ Steve, "he sez!
    
    It took a second to sink in, then I thought, "Arrrrrrgh, he got me
    hook, line and sinker...lock, stock and barrel!"  "Steve, you SOB,
    you..." I sputtered.
    
    "Just thought you needed a little humor to brighten yer' last coupla'
    weeks," Steve said.  And, indeed I DID!  We had a great laugh and a good
    conversation afterwards.
    
    Then, I hung up and went back to reading "Gullible's Travels."  ;b^)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    What a riot! Well, Al, looks like you got it back with compound
    interest for your first few e-mails to me in Tamil a coupl'a years ago!
    
    :-) :-)
    
    ajai
    

    Sorry Al, but I just couldn't resist giving the old leg a tug.
    
    I must say I was absolutely AMAZED at your self control. I fully
    expected to be told that I had no business whatsoever trying to put an 
    airplane into the air, and probably shouldn't be breathing it either.
    
    The only bad part is.......pay backs a b*tch.
    
    While were on the subject of practical jokes, I'll relate one that was
    played on me that has absolutely nothing to do with flying, but was so
    perfectly excuted that it deserves to go in the record books.
    
    Did any of you know that about 3 years ago, I won the state Megabucks
    lottery jackpot????? It's true. Here's the story.
    
    At one time, I was an avid lottery player. I had all kinds of systems,
    statistics, notes and records. I could tell you the lottery number for
    any given drawing since the lottery started. There were also a couple
    of guys here at work that liked to play the game also. One was a person
    I worked with here in the computer room, and the other was a field
    service engineer here at this facility. The field service guy had a
    radio in his office that had the TV band on it, and every drawing
    night, he would go up to his office, tune in the TV station, and get
    the number. Then he'd call it down to the lab for the rest of us.
    
    Well, one night we were all at the cafe having dinner. My wife had 
    also stopped in to keep me company for awhile. It was a night they 
    were going to have a drawing, so when my wife was getting ready to 
    leave, I wrote down a couple of numbers on a napkin for her to play 
    on the way home.
    
    As I was sitting there writing down the numbers, the guy on my left,
    who had finished his dinner, got up with his empty tray. Certainly nothing
    unusual there. What I didn't know was, he stopped behind me, looked
    over my shoulder, and copied down one of the numbers I had written.
    After saying good bye to the wife and going back to the lab, the phone rang.
    It's the field service rep. He says "you want the number????". I got a
    piece of paper and said go ahead. He then begins to read off the
    numbers. As he's reading me the numbers, I'm saying out loud, "I got 
    that number"......"Gee, that one too", "that number sounds
    familiar", "I think I got that one too", etc. etc. By the time he's
    done, I'm thinking that at the very least I've got something like $500
    bucks, possibly $50,000, and MAYBE the jackpot. As a matter of fact, I
    was almost CERTAIN I had all six numbers. So certain, in fact, that my
    hands were shaking like a leaf.
    
    The first thing I wanted to do is call the wife and find out EXACTLY
    what numbers she played. I picked up the phone and dialed THE WRONG
    NUMBER I was so excited. Dialed again, and got a busy signal. I thought
    sh*t, she must be logged on so I ATTEMPTED to log into a terminal. I
    was shaking so bad, I literally couldn't type. I had to stop, take a
    few deep breaths, and try again. Finally I was able to log on. At that
    time the phone utility was still usuable so I "phoned" her. When she
    answered, I said "QUICK.....WHAT NUMBERS DID I GIVE YOU TO PLAY". She
    proceeds to type the numbers back to me. There, before my very eyes,
    one at a time, appeared all six of that nights WINNING lottery numbers.
    
    Needless to say, I was absolutely beside myself. I can't even remember
    all the thoughts that were racing through my mind. I was so excited, in
    fact, that the practical jokers began to get worried. One of the guys
    sitting behind me calls out my name. I turn around to look at him and
    with this unbelievable grin on his face simply says "GOT CHA".
    
    It took a second to sink in but when it finally did, several choice words
    flowed from my lips and everyone was rolling on the floor in tears.
    They thought I was going to have a heart attack or something. I just
    couldn't believe how perfectly they had pulled it off. The guy that had
    copied my number gave it to the field service rep. When he called to
    give us the number, which he did every Wednesday week after week, he
    read me back MY OWN NUMBER.
    
    My wife, meanwhile, is typing furiously on the terminal saying "did we
    win??????? "where are you"..."Did we get anything????". When I informed
    her of what had taken place, the screen cleared and two words slowly
    appeared in capital letters.......OH F***K!!!!!!!!!!!!
    

    Re: .-1, Steve,
    
    *I*LOVE*IT*!!!!!!!  And it couldn't have happened to a nicer (more
    deserving) guy!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Well here I am again trying to drive the moderator nuts.

When in doubt I just drop my notes where ever I happen to be or
in rambling...

The subject now is...

Gatling guns.  

I entered the following in the Woodworking notes file but the only
answer I got was Jim Reith (from our notes file) who also was
interested in the real answer.  Anyway...

       <<< DELNI::WORK$01:[NOTES$LIBRARY]WOODWORKING_AND_TOOLS.NOTE;1 >>>
                           -< Woodworking and Tools >-
================================================================================
Note 139.53                      Plans Exchange                         53 of 53
KAY::FISHER "Stop and smell the balsa."              36 lines  29-NOV-1990 15:56
                   -< Wanted - plans for Rubber Gatling Gun >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for a set of plans for a Rubber Gatling gun.

In the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua NH there is a small store
called something like "A Bit of Texas".  It is only there from
now till just after Christmas.

They were selling rubber band guns.  They had a little pistol
that had a clever plastic star wheel and trigger mechanism that
worked like a clock escapement.  This was in a routed wood handle.
Worked neat - you would put a rubber band on the end of the barrel
and stretch is over the star wheel and bring it back one notch then
you would place a 2nd rubber band on the barrel as before - till you
put 6 or seven rubber bands on the pistol.  Then you could
rapid fire the thing.

OK so far.

This cost about $6.00 - I didn't buy one but now I wish I had.

But - it gets better.  They had this huge Gatling gun that was
really a work of art.  Looked like a nice piece of furniture.

Had a set of barrels that were cumulatively about 12-14 inches in
diameter and about 2 feet long.  But it cost several hundred dollars.
I asked if they sold kits or plans - no.

Does anybody know where I might obtain a set of plans for the device?

I have never written any notes in this file before so if you answer please
also send mail to me at Tallis::Fisher.


Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .-1, Kay,
    
    'Fraid I can't help with the rubber Gatling gun plans.  However, I _DO_
    have some drawings for a silly-putty crossbow.  ;b^}
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    'Fraid I can't help with the rubber Gatling gun plans.  However, I _DO_
>    have some drawings for a silly-putty crossbow.  ;b^}

Nobody in Woodworking is taking me serious either.  Do you suppose it's
because I spend every night in the basement playing with my toys?

I really would like to build one of these things.  And just to frustrate
our moderator - let's ramble a bit about escapements.  A device build
like the pistol could in fact be a mechanism for releasing multiple
bombs one at a time per servo activation.  If fact an escapement design
multiple bomb release was published and reprinted in one of the RCM
Hints books - but I think the pistol rubber band scheme could be adapted
to be a simpler implementation.

THAAAAAAAAAWACK !!!

All right - who's the wise guy with the ...

Besides if a full size rubber Gatling gun is 2 feet long by 10" diameter
couldn't we put a 1/3 scale one on Kevin's Sopwith Pup?

Now how to synchronize the gun so that the rubber bands clear the prop...

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

Just occurred to me, we know that the use of pyrotechics is
illegal in competition, there's no law against strafing the
judges with a rubber band gattling gun! 

    Couldn't find a more appropriate place to ask this question, so I'll
    ask it here.
    
    I know where there's a 60 inch scale model of the Rutan Long-EZ for
    sale. I forget the name of the manufacturer but it's in the Tower
    Catalog. I say scale because the info given says the wing is a true
    scale airfoil.
    
    Anyway, what I'm wondering is if there's anyone out there that has any
    experience with this ship or has even seen one fly. It should be pretty
    docile given the cunard configuration and all, but then again........
    
    The current trivia question is what's prompting this.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Steve

    Obviously we inherited Al's weather this weekend minus 20 degrees.
    
    Yesterday was our 2nd winter contest. 17 ol' reprobates (whats that
    mean?) showed up to do a 3-5-7 minute thermal precision duration
    event, with a possible max of 75 landing points per round.
    A cobalt blue sky, the nearest clouds were probably in Madagascar,
    and dead, I mean DEAD calm. It was almost uncanny.
    With a possible perfect score of 1125 total points for 3 rounds,
    Thornburg takes first place with 1120. Come on, already !
    Of course he does it with his 2 channel Bird of Time, lending
    credence to the old axiom of knowing your plane well and sticking
    with it.
    Taylor Collins took 2nd with his verrrry ancient Windsong, or which
    ever one came first in the Wind/Lovesong duo, never can remember.
    His thermal hunting technique was impressive. Fly west until lift
    is detected or the Az. border is reached, which ever comes first.
    
    I struggled with an overly sensitive elevator on the Cirrus all
    day, and not until I was packing up to leave, did I noticed that
    a 15 year old metal to plastic glue joint on the elevator wire ferrule
    had let go, giving me 1/8" more travel than normal.
    
    After the contest I gave my resurrected Pulsar its maiden flight.
    Stayed up until 1:30 AM getting it finished and was a little bleary
    eyed, but after 2 hand tosses, it was up the winch and an effortless
    15 minute flight. With a 125" poly wing, 1050 sq. in., and 8.4 oz.
    loading it turned out to be the predictable floater I was hoping
    for, but with the S3021 airfoil, a little flap reflex, and away
    she went. Roll rate was way more than necessary , so cut back on
    the rudder throw by 30%. The smaller than stock stab (90 sq. in.)
     had plenty of authority even with the 20% greater wing area. Just
    goes to show you, this is more magic than rocket science.
    
    The flight was not without incident. I was out beyond the 5 ft.
    chain link field boundry fence as I turned from base leg to final.
    Then I realized that I might not have time to level the wings before
    I passed over the fence, and rather than judge clearences I elected
    to fly parallel to the fence until I reached the field access road
    then turn away from me and fly over the arroyo that the road passes
    through, instantly giving me an extra 4 ft. of altitude and landing
    in the road beyond the arroyo.
    This all went according to plan until I was flying away from me
    down the road still about three feet high. Then I realized that
    the plane was well below fence height, was about to go below my
    line of sight, and was almost disappearing behind 3 large bushes.
    The xmitter decided it was tired of straining the signal through
    all that clutter as it gave me a blip of down elev. and planted
    the plane on its nose just out of sight. No damage done though,
    other than scraped paint and I went home pretty happy and ready
    to start on another wing for the Smoothie fuselage so that I'll
    have two birds ready for the S.W. Regionals next month.
    
    Terry
    
      

Speaking of engines.

In Al's favorite magazine (Jan-1991 RCM) Clarence Lee's engine clinic
column they show a 1/4 scale Offenhauser.  It will be available in
kit form for $3000 but - it gets better - the guy is thinking that
the next engine he designs might be a 1/4 scale Rolls Royce Merlin!

Just the thing to go in your partially completed Aluminum Mustangs :-)

Actually - I wish the guy well and would love to see (and here) it
run.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    The machinist I visited on sunday has a 1/4 scale 9 cylinder radial on
    his project list. He has several miniature engines magazines that show
    many examples of these. Most of them weigh a lot and are only run on
    test stands at shows and meets, but they ARE impressive.

    Just a quick note to let y'all know I go in for my eye surgery tomorrow
    and it's just possible I could be out until after Christmas.  Just in
    the event that that should be the case, my best wishes for the very
    Merriest of Christmases to every one of you.
    
    (I intended to use my traditional Christmas card one last time but it
    appears I've unintentionally deleted it, perhaps back before June when
    it appeared I'd have no further use for it.  Oh well.......)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    You also Al. Just think, you'll be able to "see" the new year in a
    whole new light.........8^)
    
    Best wishes and a happy holly,
    
    Steve

    
    	Well I found out why you haven't heard from Dan Eaton all that
    much. Seems he's been off working on becoming a video star. I came
    across him a Customer Services Magazine segment. 
    
    	Nice 10 seconds Dan. What's it worth NOT to send a copy to the next
    club meeting. ;^)

RE:-.1
Hey! Treasure that tape. That was back when I had time and DEC thought they had 
money enough to afford sending me on trips to the Springs. That was way back in 
April I think. I had to go out there for two days to work with a group on the 
VAXcluster portion of the CDP manual. Ahh for the good old days.  Now I don't
get to go anywhere and training comes on a tape but at least I still have a job.

I'll make a deal though. Don't use that tape at the club meeting and I'll send 
along some video of the maiden flight of my Artic Tern. It might happen this
weekend if the weather cooperates.

  

><<< Note 239.2366 by MABERY::JETRGR::EATON "Dan Eaton St.Louis,MO,USA, 445-6522" >>>
>                   -< Lot's of blessing to count these days >-

Dan - give us a break.
JETRGR is not in the network node name database anymore.
MABERY isn't in it either.  I checked on ANCHOR and neither
nodes are listed.  I can't send you mail anymore.  What gives
with the network numbers?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    I just got off the phone with Al. He had the operation yesterday and
    the doctor rated it a "10". He was awake through the procedure
    (wouldn't be MY choice) and is supposed to get the bandages off today.
    He'll have to wear a bandage over it while sleeping ("Hey Hon, whannna
    play Pirates tonight") so it doesn't get poked during sleep for a while 
    and expects to be out until after the holidays. His address is posted in 
    .1909 if you're inclined to contact him yourself. (he sounds in good 
    spirits but this is the first time I've actually HEARD him ;^)

I just got off the phone also and I quit talking when there was yet another
incoming call.  Probably another RCer.

He said - "Keep trivia moving".

Just to save poking back a few notes - his home phone is (602)863-1456.

If you miss him today - take the number home and give him a ring tonight.
I'm sure he'd love to hear from any and all of you.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

RE:.2367
Hey Kay,
Beats me what a MABERY:: is. It should say STOSPT::JETRGR:: both of 
which are alive and well on the net. JETRGR lives in a hidden area since two
weeks ago so STOSPT acts a a pass thru node when JETRGR wants to talk to the
real world. Somebody's DECNET data base needs updating to reflect our move from
area 34 to 16. STOSPT is really 16.772 or if you prefer 17156::

    As of last evening Al had the bandage off and could see light and
    color, but vision hadn't really come "on line" yet. He expects
    to be out until after Christmas.
    
    Terry
    

    Wull, yesterday, I decided to give the rat a call, so he wouldn't feel
    that 800 million Injuns had chosen to ignore him. I would'a used smoke
    signals, but he isn't used to reading them (unless it is a burning wire
    or an electronic component), so I decided to use the WMM (White Man
    Magic) telephone, and play injun medicine man [since no other rc noter
    seems to be qualified].
    
    "Hi Al", I said, "How are you doing?". 
    
    "Fine", said the Rat in what to me seemed the most un-rattish voice,
    and he wanted to know who I was.
    
    "Guess", I said defiantly, but my injun accent was a total cop out.
    
    "It couldn't be Ajai?", said the Rat, nailing me in his first attempt.
    
    We rag-chewed [ham lingo for shootin' the breeze] for a while. Hell,
    the Rat's rag-chewing ability only complements his writing skills, and
    I am sure, were he a ham, he would'a likewise had a devoted
    following...
    
    Among other things, he told me I was caller #9 from the RC noters. It
    isn't the easiest thing in the world to be caller #9, mind you! I
    was ready to say my favourite station where they play 10-in-a-row
    commercial free, was W-R-A-T, and collect my $100, but somehow, I knew
    it wouldn't pan out, so I kept quiet on that score...
    
    Coming to his X-ray vision... Al said he had been to the doctor's
    yesterday morning, and the prognosis was grreat. He was asked to read
    sump'in through an optical machine, and eee could read the smallest
    print, eee said. Can't see focused with the naked [operated] eye as
    yet, but hey, if the doc's appy, eee must be doin' aw'right!
    
    He again mentioned how he would miss the camraderie in the notes file
    when he has to leave DEC sometime next year, an' said he'd be back
    notin' 26 DEC 1990.
    
    ajai

    Hey Al, Since you're rapidly scanning notes after being out, how about
    a "birds eye view" of how things are recovering?
    
    Or do you need another 6 zillion phone calls? ;^)

    Re: .-1,
    
    Right choo' are, James...I was just a gittin' around to posting a
    post-op report, as it were.
    
    First, Many, _MANY_ thanx to the noters who so graciously called me
    during my convalescence.  It was most gratifying to receive calls from no 
    fewer than 10 of you even though I was out to the eye-Doc. when Dan
    Snow called and had to settle for a recorded message on my answering
    machine.  As it happens, [the non-existant?] Chris Spohr was caller
    number 10 and, as such, receives absolutely nothing save for the
    knowledge that he was, indeed, caller number 10.  Try yer' local radio
    station, Chris..... :B^)
    
    The eye operation was, how should I say this, neither the most pleasant
    nor the worst experience I ever went through.  I always get annoyed at
    all the pre-op rig-a-maroll you have to go through and this time was no
    exception.  Donning the cutsie little gown and cap required all but the
    last ounce of patience I possess and that last ounce was used up as the
    little medical aide flooded my eye with at least 2 1/2 gallons of
    assorted eyedrops then proceeded to _miss_ with the IV needle she
    attempted to install in the back of my left hand.  Fortunately (for
    me), the anesthesiologist took over and inserted the needle in the back
    of my other hand virtually painlessly...experience tells I guess.
    
    They fed me some sodium pentathol through the IV (burned like a mother
    in the forearm as it coursed up the vein in my arm) which was supposed
    to make me just happy enough not to notice the local anesthetic
    injections all around my eye.  I never honestly felt any effect from
    the pentathol but it must'a worked as the injections around the eye
    were painless (thankfully).
    
    Finally, after probably 45-minutes or an hour, I was wheeled into the
    operating room which (typically) was so cold you could'a hung meat in
    it.  They placed a sheet over my face covering everything but the eye
    to be operated on and away we went.  The worst part of this part of the
    thing was just plain boredom!  I could make out light through the eye
    they were working on but couldn't really _see_ anything except
    movement.  I'm sure this is the way I'd have preferred it as I'm not
    sure how I'd have handled actually _seeing_ the scalpel as it neared my
    eye.  
    
    It was eerie as I was fully aware when the doc installed the implant
    (intra-ocular lens); I couldn't see anything, mind you, but everything
    became a very pleasant blue color with undulating, ever changing
    patterns coursing through it...almost like the old Kalaidescope toys
    you could get for the kids.
    
    Then it was over; the doc began taping on the bandages and the
    protective metal cup and, as he worked, I said, "Best one you ever did,
    right Doc?"  "I'll give it solid 10's," he replied..."everything went
    just just as it should have."
    
    They wheeled me out to the recovery area, fed me a cinnamon roll and
    coffee, I got dressed and, barely two hours after reporting to the
    clinic, I was out the door being driven home by my wife, Kathi.
    
    The worst of the post-op effects was that, after the anesthesia wore
    off, I had a terrific skull-cramp (headache) that lasted almost
    48-hours and I was forbidden to take any aspirin (it thins the blood
    and could promote bleeding).  Tylenol has NEVER worked for me and this
    was no exception...I went through a small bottle of the stuff over the
    next 2-days and I may as well have beek taking surgar-pills...the skull-
    cramp sneered and totally ignored these placebos.  I finally slept it
    off and it was gone the second morning after surgery.
    
    Since then, I've yo-yo'd between elation and slight anxiety (brought on
    by my own impatience) as vision slowly returned to the left eye.  I'm
    sure I expected more immediate results where, in reality, change for
    the better has come in small daily increments, frequently too small to
    notice, thus my anxiety/impatience.
    
    The doc is happy as a clam with the results though he wondered out loud
    at the amount of redness in the eye...it was redder 'n a fireman's
    suspenders up until just 2-3 days ago and is still pn the pinkish side
    but 1000% better than it was.  Since the headache dissipated, there's
    been no pain and only minor discomfort at the sensation of something(?)
    like a hair, small dirt particle, etc. feeling like it was in the eye. 
    I'm sure this is just illusion, perhaps caused by the micro-stitches in
    the eye, but it felt all too real sometimes.
    
    At this stage, I can tell that the uncorrected vision (no glasses) of
    the affected eye is far superior to the [so-called] good eye.  But,
    with my glasses on, I continue to depend on the right eye since the
    prescription in my glasses is now too strong for my left eye and the
    eye is fighting the prescription with blurry vision resulting.  I have
    to wait 5-6 weeks before the doc'll write a new prescription for the
    left eye and I'm here to tell you that won't happen a day too soon to
    suit me!  Whether with or without glasses, one eye or the other is
    dominant and it can be very disorienting at times.
    
    I went out with Chuck last week to see how my vision/depth perception
    seemed for flying and, while I didn't take the sticks of the plane, I
    had to say that I felt like I could've flown with little, perhaps no
    difficulty.  If the weather doesn't get lousy for the weekend, I hope
    to take the ol' Yeller' Peril out and give it a try in an attempt to
    determine honestly whether I should attempt to fly the MiG in the
    Masters qualifier which is barely 3-weeks away.  If I don't feel
    comfortable, I'll probably just have to pass on it unless I can get the
    my new prescription and new glasses made before then.  Even then,
    However, I'll have precious little or no time to practice so it's a
    kind'a touch-and-go situation...just have to play it by ear I guess.
    
    Regarding the future, I feel like, if anything, my overall vision will
    most likely be superior to what it's been for probably the past 3-5
    years and I'm anxious, excited, impatient for that to happen.  It seems
    little short or miraculous that such a procedure is now commonplace
    where people were still going blind from cataracts barely more than
    2-decades ago.  I actually find myself almost looking forward to
    getting the right eye done someday as it appears likely I'll be able to
    all but throw away my glasses at that time and what a blessing THAT
    would be.
    
    Thanx again to all who wished me well in the notesfile and on the
    phone.  It was, as I said, extremely gratifying and I really DO
    appreciate it!!!!!!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    I WIN! I WIN!
    
    The above announcement is dedicated to Dan Snow, who got Al's answering
    machine.  
    
    You see Al, I did win something - the satisfaction of being # 10.  But,
    best of all, I got to talk to a living legend (?).  I'm glad to see you
    back even if I don't appear to be looking in notes all that often.
    
    Here's to your health Mr. Casey,
    
    Chris - who is'nt nonexistant

    Al,
    	Glad to hear your surgery went well!  I don't know if I could have
    hacked having someone messing with my eye while I was even semi
    conscious.  I hope you get back in the air soon as I'm sure that will
    be great therapy.  
    
    Gotta Run
    
    Charlie
    

Saturday AM,  22nd  Dec  1990,  the mercury climbed to 60 deg F, and after 6
years  in  the  temperate  latitudes, even a tropical bird like myself knows
that such winter temperatures in these latitudes, is a gift of God.

Soo, I  hauled  my  plane  out  (having  had  the foresight to charge it the
previous night) and headed out to the field. Yeah, the leaf-shorn tree limbs
were swaying in the wind. It was a perfect day to hoist a big flag, the kind
that  is  3~4 cars in size. But it was a 60 deg day, and I was determined to
make the best of it.

There were  a  couple  of others at the field. The winds were ferocious, and
every  time  I  flew  down-wind,  the  control  surfaces would become nearly
ineffective! Soon, I grew comfortable with my radio controlled leaf. I dared
not to  land or do touch-and go's right away, as I was just 13 minutes short
of the  magic  75  Hour mark for flying time for 1990. No point breaking the
plane in an attempt before that - for that would be a sure cop out.

The cloud  ceiling  was  low - 500' perhaps. I decided to practise my spins.
Each  time,  I flew higher into the clouds, and the plane grew fainter. Each
time, I would come out spinning, recover, and go at it again.

Finally, I  felt bold enough to let the plane _really_ disappear from sight.
OK, time  to  spin  out  with  full  down  elevator, right aileron, and left
rudder,  with the engine idling. Seconds passed, but they seemed like HOURS.
I had  to let go of the sticks soon, or the plane would crash. But where WAS
it?

Eventually, it  emerged  from  the  clouds, 200' down-wind of where it first
disappeared  from sight! The howling winds had carried it, and as luck would
have  it,  the  cloud cieling was lower at that point, with the FS having to
bore a longer hole before emerging! Whew! What excitement!! Anyhow, with 75+
hours  on the plane, the building mortgage had been effectively paid off, so
I could fool around...

I logged  1H45M  that  day,  with  brief showers interrupting the flying. Of
course,  with  the  day  being overcast, it was more like flying really late
into  a  summer evening on a continuous basis. Everything was grey, with the
a/c  being a black silhouette. The son of one of the pilots was asking me if
the  plane  would spin to the ground if the engine was to quit mid-flight. I
suppose  this  is  a  reasonable  question to be expected even from adults -
isn't  it  how they show it in the cartoons? I decided to end my last flight
with  a dead stick demo, to dispel any wrong notions, and proceeded to do it
without a hitch.

New Englander's Revenge Fun-fly 
===============================

Sunday was  a  record  breaking  65  degree day. The rest of the America was
freezing  or being snowed upon. My neck was aching with all the flying I had
done  the  previous  day,  but  I  was not to be thwarted. It was off to the
field.  I  could tell I must be an RC desperado, as I was the only person at
the field. I had a couple of flights, when it began to rain (drizzle, if you
are  from  the  tropics). So, I turned my back to the wind, shielding the TX
from  the  rain drops, and flew my usual 15~20 minutes, and landed. Gee, the
plane  seems  to be doing fine, and you _really_ shouldn't be wasting the 65
deg  weather  in the middle of December. So, I continued. The rain never got
any  worse,  so why complain? My xerox-paper container field-box was soaked.
My  flying  became  efficient,  as  I  would land, only to re-fuel and go up
again. Sometimes, the rain would abate, but the wind would pick up. At other
times, the rain grew worse.

A family,  out  walking  through the woods stopped to watch me fly. "Is this
the  best  day  for  this kind of thing?", he asked, referring to rc flying.
"Oh! It certainly makes you a better pilot!", I countered. Later, after they
had  left  to continue with their walk, I wondered if flying in the face of,
and  during  a  storm would make me a better pilot, or a better builder! The
wind would get *REALLY* bad at times, but never once did my FS mis-behave on
approaches  or  near  ground, though the wing did go vertical at altitude on
many occassions.

After 1H  57m,  I  called  it  quits, making it my 2nd longest flying day in
1990.  This  was the first time I had flown in the rain, but heck, should be
good  practise  for  the  Scale  Masters  n years down the road. My neck was
gonzo,  but I was content having defended the skies from Saddam Hussain, and
not wasted another precious day lolling around at home (or even building the
WOT4).  

I returned home bereft of any guilty feelings.

I should  point  out  that  the t.e. of the wing, near the root, where it is
held by rubber bands, had begun to sag, perhaps as it had got a little wet...
Overnight, drying on the rack, it was back to normal...

Christmas fun-fly
=================

40 degrees,  and  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky!  Dead calm! Got to fly. Santa
couldn't have been more thoughtful or kinder.

Again, I  was the only flyer at the field! Now you know why Christianity was
invented!  So  us Hindus could fly during Christmas without being hassled by
them kwis-chuns - 

 [Brief pause for mild attempt at starting a religious war :-) ]

It was  dead  easy  flying compared to the previous two days. My radio glove
came  in  real  handy,  though I need more heating packs if I want to fly as
long as the 1H 18M that I did. I am going to research into the lighter fluid
operated  heaters,  as  also  the cartridge type, but I think the nice thing
about the re-activateable ones I have is that they are totally sealed and do
not consume any air.

The ground  was  frozen,  so  landing on the grass field felt like pavement,
with  the  plane  shuddering unless your touch-down was super-s m o o t h. I
hate using a starter, so after getting the engine to run the first time with
one,  I  was  landing, refuelling, and going back up. That way, I could flip
start  it  by  hand. I practised some more side-slips, but felt unhappy with
the renewed feeling of lack of control it gave me. 

I would  have  loved to continue flying, but the lack of fresh heating pads,
as  also  my  not  wanting  to  take chances with the batteries at the lower
temperature, tempered my enthusiasm. 5 hours of flying through varied climes
on a 4 day wkend ain't doin' too bad. I packed up, not bothering to clean my
plane too carefully as the oil deposit was too viscous anyhow, relegating it
to the warmer confines of my apartment hallway. It is surprising how quickly
my fingers  froze  up  without the protection of the radio glove to keep the
North American Winter at bay.

All in all, a verry merry Christmas, indeed.

ajai

>Again, I  was the only flyer at the field! Now you know why Christianity was

Ajai - one good safety rule is Never fly alone.  

Besides without any witnesses we don't believe you did :-)

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    	
    Al, I have an idea to help you solve your dilemma! Install a smoke
    system in the MiG, then, instead of calling landing for your last
    manuever of each flight, pull on the smoke, declare an in-flight
    emergency, and that way any landing you make would be a "good" one!
    
    
    (Only kidding of course!)




         __       *   *        *
    * __|__|__  *    *    *     *
  *     (**)   V *  _______|_______ *
   *   (    )--| *         0  *  	   	
 _____(______)_|_________U___U______*___
	                
      "The Sno-man"			

    Sounds like the prudent thing to do is skip the qualifier in favor of
    keeping the Mig in it's present condition.
    
    There is one possibility though. If your constantly flaring late, try
    flairing a little high instead of trying for a normal landing. The
    landings may not be pretty, but if you can consistatly get down on the
    wheels, at least the qualifier might be a possibility.
    
    Sounds like the difference in vision between the two eyes is causing a
    depth perception problem and from what you write, your about a
    foot/foot and a half off (late) on the flare. Touch down would probably
    be a bit of a surprise as you would likely "see" the plane still a
    foot or so in the air, but it is workable.
    
    I still say the prudent thing to do is pass on the qualifier.
    
    Then there's always this possibility. As I understand it, your "new" is
    is pretty much normal vision wise. If you have one of those 1 hour
    vision centers around there, have them make up a set of glasses that
    have your normal prescription in the "bad" eye, and clear glass in the
    "new" eye. With that combination, your combined vision should be much
    more "normal" that what you have now.
    
    I STILL say the prudent thing to do...........................
    
    
    Steve

    Why not run a series of tests with an assistant.
    Make a series of low level passes, starting at a safe height and
    working gradually down.
    See if you and the assistant can agree on the flying height.
    If a discrepancy suddenly occurs, then you've got a vision
    problem. If not, then it's something else.
    Of course if the problem only occurs below ~ 2ft. altitude,
    it may be a little tricky. Good luck Al, whatever happens.
    
    Terry
    
    

Take the patch off your eye and you'll have better depth perception :-)

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Re: .2380, Dan'l,
    
    Interesting idea - hmmmmmmmmm...?  Naaaaaaaaaaaah!
    
    
    .2381, Steve,
    
    Foreging the meet is probably the best course to follow.  Howsomever, I 
    have some pretty powerful arguments in favor of competing working on me
    so I can't guarantee I'll take what you and I _both_ know is the more 
    prudent course.
    
    
    .2383, Terry,
    
    There seems to be no problem problem whatever 'til the last foot or so
    when, evidently, I misjudge my height and miss my flair (late every
    time) blowing the landing.
    
    
    .2384, Kay,
    
    Since when did Popeye wear an eyepatch?  I think you have 'im mixed up
    with Rooster Cogburn.  (BTW, I haven't had to wear a patch since
    24-hours after the surgery.)
    
    
    But, keep them cards 'n letters comin', friends...................
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    re  your dilemma, Al, about the local qualifier

    Perhaps you can call the doctor and tell him you want an interim
    prescription.  He is probably holding back to avoid wasting your 
    money, but the cost of a cheap new pair is less than almost any 
    travel expense, let alone employment problems.

    Can you qualify if you take a zero on the landing points and pass off
    control for landing to a buddy?

    Welcome back.  My doctor tells me that it isn't a question of *if* for
    my Prednisone-induced cataracts, only *when*, so I read your account
    with queasy interest.  Next time skip the detail about the approach of
    the scapel; I didn't need that!

    Well, if you insist on trying to make the qualifier (not that I blame
    ya), I think the suggestion to get a temp prescription is a good one.
    
    Also my suggestion to take an old (spare) pair of glasses and have one
    lens (the new eye) replaced with plain glass. Your "old" eye would see
    normally with the perscription, and the "new" eye, being just a tad off
    should be managable. Both together, should allow you to see things pretty 
    much the way you would with full glasses.
    
    Then again, I've never worn glasses, so I could be talking through my
    hat here. Sounds logical though.
    
    
    Steve

    Re: .-1, Al,

   > Perhaps you can call the doctor and tell him you want an interim
   > prescription.  He is probably holding back to avoid wasting your 
   > money, but the cost of a cheap new pair is less than almost any 
   > travel expense, let alone employment problems.

    *  This is more or less what I'm gonna' try to do.  I have my next
    appt. with the eye Doc. next Monday and I plan to talk like a Chinese-
    geometry teacher to get him to write me a new prescrition, even if I
    have to re-do the left one later on.
    
  >  Can you qualify if you take a zero on the landing points and pass off
  >  control for landing to a buddy?
  
    *  Nope!  If anyone besides the pilot touches the transmitter for _any_
    reason during the flight, the flight is disqualified.  Besides, a zero
    on one or more maneuvers will kick that/those flight(s) to a
    non-competitive level anyway so it'd be wasted effort.
    
  >  Welcome back.  My doctor tells me that it isn't a question of *if* for
  >  my Prednisone-induced cataracts, only *when*, so I read your account
  >  with queasy interest.  Next time skip the detail about the approach of
  >  the scapel; I didn't need that!
    
    *  According to what I've learned first-hand on the subject recently,
    cataracts are a normal part of the aging process and are inevitable for
    _everyone_ "if they live long enough.  The rate of development varies
    with different people depending upon such factors as heredity, climate,
    etc., e.g. the incidence of cataracts is higher in the SW than in other
    parts of the country due to increased exposure to the sun...UV
    radiation is the number-1 contributor to the problem!  (So, all you
    guys get AND WEAR a pair of those UV-blocker glasses, with or without
    the blue-blocker, and you'll reduce your risk of UV caused cataracts
    considerably.  Those who already wear glasses should get their lenses
    UV coated for the same reason but should understand that these won't
    provide as good a protection as the wrap-around style sunglasses such
    as are advertised as pilots' glasses in the model mags.)
    
    If you re-read my note, Al, I think you'll see that I said I COULDN'T
    see the scalpel approaching the eye which *I* was very happy about too.
    The procedure is really a snap; I know, having been through it myself,
    that there's no way to put anyone completely at ease about it but,
    please believe me, it was one Helluva lot easier than almost _ANY_
    dental procedure...there was NO pain and only minimal discomfort and I
    haven't the slightest apprehension left toward getting the right eye done 
    one day.  The minor post-op inconveniences, i.e. eyedrops, eyepatch at
    night etc. are worse than the procedure itself!

						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Re: .2386, Steve,
    
    Believe it or don't, I've experimented with just what you suggest and
    it doesn't work very well.  As you said, it "sounds" logical but, in
    practice, it doesn't pan out.  I think the biggest problem is that the
    image seen with the right eye through the prescription lens is magnified, 
    thus is larger than that seen with the naked left eye.  The end result,
    again, is a distorted image or dependency on one eye or the other and, 
    hence, loss of depth perception.  A new prescription seems the only
    viable answer, even if I had to get the left lens redone sometime later
    on.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    The Rat seems to be afflicted with that late-on-flares problem that
    confronted and confounded me during the early part of 1990, albeit for
    a different reason altogether. Everytime that I would dork it into the
    ground [it is hard to see how much clearance you have left, since you
    are looking *down* at the plane], my spine would shudder like an arrow
    that hits a tree limb and comes to a stop. Uggh!
    
    Well, here is an idea - how about lying prone on the ground near flare
    time, so you can actually see the height remaining before touchdown?
    While people are going to give you wierd looks, your [lack of] depth 
    perception will be a non-issue. You could use your interest in
    Dinosaurs to advantage, in developing a thick skin so you ignore what
    others feel/think/say :-)
    
    Incidentally, during my flying session on New Year's day, it was pretty
    calm, and I decided to entertain myself by doing stall turns, one
    up-field and one down-field, touching down when I went through the
    bottom portion of the manoeuvre, with the result that I was doing  a
    left-to-right followed by a right-to-left landing followed by a l-t-r
    etc..
    
    Well, a wee bit o' wind began to blow on the r-t-l leg, and the plane
    refused to settle down. So, on the subsequent r-t-l leg, I decided to 
    let the FS sink further before flaring out - too late! The FS bounced
    up 6 feet like a scalded cat, I let it dive to pick up stick before
    pulling back on the stick for an OK touchdown. Broke the prop in the
    frigid air, on the frozen ground though, in what must have been my
    worst ever landing in the past 1000.
    
    I notched up another 4 hours of flying this past wkend. There are some
    beginners who have just got past the solo stage, and are learning to
    fly by themselves, but once in a while, esp with x-winds, they ask for
    help. 
    
    One day, one guy asked me to trim out his plane, as it felt wierd
    after take-off. The plane was really slow in responding, but I trimmed
    it out somewhat, regretting that I couldn't do any better in the wind.
    But flying the machine was crazy - I would have to hold full stick
    deflection and wait a few seconds before the plane would bank. The
    owner said others had complained that his throws weren't adequate as
    well, so I figured this must be his normal setting.
    
    Eventually, he took it back, and after a few seconds, said things were
    out'ta hand, and gave me back the box to land the plane! The engine
    refused to respond to chopping the throttle or trim on finals. Soo, I
    got it up,and worked the throttle up and down a few times, so whatever
    it was got unstuck, and the darned engine shut off, so the landing
    would be less hairy in the wind.
    
    I brought it
    in [staggered through the door like a drunkard, actually], and a quick
    examination revealed that only one alieron was working [screw on EZ
    connector fell off!!] and also, the elevator had worked out of the
    hinge on one side, so the elevator hinge gap actually looked like a
    "V", with the gap end of the "V" being 1"!!!
    
    His b-i-l was making a lot of fun of him. I resumed flying.
    Subsequently, while I was yapping with some of the other pilots, the
    b-i-l is, I detect, yelling out "AJ, AJ, I need some help". His plane
    was also outta trim! OK, so I trim it out, but again, I ain't happy.
    These two guys have the same planes, too. He doesn't like it when I
    give it back to him, so I land it. Sort of. Turned out that his RUDDER
    had the same "V" hinge-gap problem that the other guys ELEVATOR did!
    There was effective rudder deflection, as the hinge had moved wrt the
    horn, though it is usually intended to be the other way around!!!
    
    The ailerons were not deflecting enough. In fact, they had differential
    throw, but the wrong way, i.e. more down throw than up! Turned out that
    he had shrunk the tape covering the hinge gap, while doing repairs to
    other parts of the wing, and consequently, since the tape was stuck
    along the bottom, there was restricted up movement of each aileron!!
    
    Yet another day, the same guy yelled out for me right after take off.
    This time, I wondered why, since there couldn't possibly be any problem
    with his plane now. Turned out that he had forgotten to connect the 
    aileron servo!!! Luckily, the ailerons were neutral, and so didn't need
    much rudder re trimming to fly straight. I had to lean heavily on my
    10s of hours of hovering practice to do my turns with the rudder
    instead of the aileron, and land - something I hadn't done before...
    
    Gee, you'd think someone like an Al Casey would gimme a fabulous Mig-3
    equivalent, and ask me to trim/land it, but instead, all I get is
    broken planes to see if my oriental mantras will revive them from the
    dead. I suppose that is the difficulty with trying to break out of the
    mould and stirring out of injun reservations into pale face model plane
    fields. You have to be content with the left-overs, sigh!
    
    Ah' noo ah' should'a stuck to ridin' me muh' hosses...
    
    :-) :-)
    
    ajai

    ps. I asked the guys, who experessed their gratitude, to write off
        a portion of the third world debt, so we could square up accounts.

        Of course, if Charlie Watt and Bill Lewis and Steve Smith didn't 
        bother to bill me for the umpteem times they saved my plane, then 
        I am happy to have been able to return the favour, and all charges
        will be waived. :-) :-)
    

    Re: .-1,
    
    It hardly seems possible, does it guys?!  Barely a year ago we were
    listening to lengthy, detailed diatribes from our E. Injun amigo 
    extolling the countless woes and pitfalls of learning to fly.  Now,
    this self-same individual is helping beginners and making saves of
    their airplanes.  Is this really the same Ajai we all know and love or
    has he performed some strange oriental ritual and reincarnated Charles
    Lindbergh to co-habitate his skinny l'il frame?
    
    But, there's a lesson here: the greatest teacher of all is practice,
    practice and still more practice.  I've preached this to beginners for
    years and the sermon has been redeemed as I watch the ones who follow
    the preaching advance and excel at flying while those that just get out
    every once in awhile seem never to learn.  Good job, Ajai, and I hope
    you continue to grow as an RC pilot so's I can meet'cha in Masters
    competition one day.
    
    BTW, except for the extreme distance problem, I could sure use some
    landing assistance here lately.  Off-line, Eric (who once trained to
    become an optician) explained that I'm experiencing a problem with both
    depth perception and accomodation which should pass in a month or so. 
    But, that doesn't help for the upsoming Qualifier, unfortunately.  If I
    can get the eye doc to write me a new prescription, I'll have one
    weekend left to practice/try out the "bionic-eye" before the meet and,
    if I'm still having problems, looks like I may have to take a bye on
    this one...dammit!
    
    That'd mean that I may not have another opportunity to qualify this
    year as my employment (or lack of same) problem may well preclude
    traveling to any out-of-town qualifiers.  Mumble-mumble-razzafratzle...
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Early summer......1990
    
    	Charlie Watt takes the first step up and hands radio to Ajai. A
    	few minutes later someone is heard saying " is that Ajai's plane
    	up there?????". Answer is "Can't tell. Pass me the telescope will
    	ya". Thirty minutes later, Charlie takes radio back to land first
    	step. Thirty minutes later, he get's it down to approach altitude
    	and lands.
    
    Some weeks later
    
    	Ajai is now taking the first step up himself. Steady climb to 7,000
    	feet and cruise for 30 minutes. Satelite tracking centers in
    	Colorado report UFO over central Ma.
    
    Still later
    
    	Ajai now only needs help landing the First Step. Charlie gives
    	instruction. Ajai panics and feels certain the first step is about
    	to crash every time it dips below 1,000 feet. EMT'S are now present
    	every weekend in case Ajai suffers from heart failure.
    
    Mid Summer
    
    	Ajai is now making actual landing approaches to field. The first
    	step is lined up on final. Decent rate is good. Ok Ajai, level out
    	and get ready to flair. Level out Ajai. Ajai.....UP.....UP....DORK.
    
    	Next landing, Ajai is determined not to be short and starts his 
    	approach at 100 feet 3/4 of the way down the runway.
    
    A short time later
    
    	Ajai takes off, flies around a bit, makes a landing approach, and
    	wait......what's this.......that was a grease job.......it must
    	have been Charile.....nope.......it was Ajai alright......The pits
    	can be heard cheering and clapping in downtown Northboro. Ajai has
    	a look on his face like he just had sex for the first time.
    
    about 3/4 through summer
    
    	Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor dead of night can keep Ajai
    	away from the field. He is now SOLOED and is making landings
    	leaving grease spots all over the field. Cruising altitude never
    	exceeds 1,000 feet. Many times looking at Ajai's plane in flight
    	requires a second glance. Yup......he's inverted alright. You see,
    	Ajai, now bored with level flight has taken to spending all of his
    	flying time upside down. First step is upright for takeoff and
    	landing only.
    
    summers end
    
    	Windy weather does not deter Ajai. He's still leaving all those
    	grease spots on the runway. Flying around upside down so much 
    	were afraid he'll accidently forget and land that way. Last fun
    	fly of the year and Ajai does the bomb drop for the first time.
    	Rolls inverted over the target and lands his bomb within a couple
    	of feet winning that round hands down. Ajai is heard saying "gee
    	I don't know how I did that. I was just flying by and all of a
    	sudden it went upside down. RIGHT AJAI.........
    
    1991
    
    	Now look at him. Trimming out peoples planes, helping students, 
    	checking for problems, etc. etc. etc.. All I've got to say is
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    			CONGRADULATIONS AJAI. YOU'VE HAD A FANTASTIC
    			YEAR. THE PROGRESS HAS BEEN AMAZING AND YOU
    			DESERVE A HEAP OF CREDIT FOR THE HOURS YOU
    			PUT IN. (BELIEVE ME, WERE ALL VERY MUCH AWARE
    			OF THOSE HOURS 8^)). I SALUTE YOU AND HOPE 1991
    			IS AS FRUITFUL.
    
    Steve
    
    
    

Re -.1 and -.2

Gee guys,

Mumble...Uhh...mumb.e. You  ...duh.. You really shouldn't.. uhh... shouldn't
really be heaping...mum.l.e...uhh... platitudes on me like that, fellas, but
...uhh.. thanks for the very kind words all the same.

Yeah, the  T60  crash has faded into being a memory from the distant past. I
had  logged  5  hours on it, and was about to solo, when the RC Gods decided
they  were  hungry for a sacrifice. Then I built the FS fuselage, and thanks
to  the  loaner wing from Charlie Watt, got airborne without losing too much
of  the season that year. I logged 7 hours on the FS in 1989, with the first
few being  *HELL*  as I kept getting flashbacks of the downed T60 whenever I
flew  near  THE  woods.  I re learnt the ropes and got to fly the FS without
Charlie's  intervention,  but  I needed him next to me, just in case trouble
happened!  Unfortunately,  with  the  hunting  season  of 1989 commencing in
October,  we  had to go to different fields, and I was in no shape to handle
landings in alien fields, and threw my landing attempts out of kilter.

1990 spring, I got back to flying, but with the notion that I had landed the
FS at least a dozen or so times since 1989. I still had a way to go before I
could go fly BY MYSELF. 

3H and  10 minutes of getting re-acquainted with the FS in early 1990 was my
final ticket to RC NIRVANA. 15 hours in all, of needing Bill Lewis', Charlie
Watt's and Steve Smith's assistance, before I could graduate.

It has  been  a long and rocky road, but when I look back, I can smile, even
if  it  is  a  tired  one  at  that!  I  will  remain forever indebted to my
instructor  gurus  -  mainly  Charlie Watt and Bill Lewis - for having given
freely  of  their  time and putting up with someone who must have been *THE*
_s l o w e s t_ student pilot they ever saw/had.

I dedicate  the 81+ hours of flying I did in 1990 in their names, for having
persevered with  teaching  me, when other lesser mortals would have given up
on teaching me to fly as being an exercise in futility.

I will  also  remain  ever  grateful  to the many words of advice, hints and
kinks that I read in this notes file, and that often saved my flying day and
plane.  Most  notably,  many  thanks to the Rev Al Casey for his unstinting,
prompt,  and  liberal advice that he gave both on and off line, drawing upon
his many decades of experience in the hobby.

Last, but  not  least,  is  the friendship and comraderie that I have got to
enjoy  with  people  around  the  world  in  this notes file, faces seen and
unseen.

1990 has been a    d y n a m i t e     year in aeromodelling for me, and has

definitely brought  meaning  to  my  trip  to  America  [the  Great American
adventure,  as  I  would like to call it]. I left Indian shores to pursue my
hobbies  in the company and tutelage of gurus, and while I still have a long
way  to go before I can contemplate competing at a Scale Masters event, 1990
has made it feasible in more ways that I could have ever hoped for.

America has  truly  been  a  land of opportunity, and will continue to be so
unlike  any  other  nation  in  the world. To those of you who have heard of
this, I wish to assure you from my own personal experience that it is indeed
so!

And to those of you who take it for granted, I say don't.

ajai

This time, it is rambling of a different kind, and publicise a secret...

I am  off  early next week to git muh-self a squaw at the Great Indian Slave
Market.  At least, if I can read between the lines, you married men just sit
back, an'  everything  is laid out for ya, so why not muh'self? :-) Ah' don'
wanna lose out, fer shoor...

Heck, not  too  long  ago, the Rat advised me to get a female roommate, so I
wouldn't  have  to  waste  time changing apartments during the flying season
when the male roomates get lynched by women :-)

I'll even  write  up  an  RC clause in the contract that will be binding for
life.  She'll haf'ta build planes, help me build planes by holding odd parts
at weird angles while the glue dries, and of course fly planes...

[A round  of chuckles from the wise ol' married men, heard saying, yeah, an'
ees gonna succeed where we boys failed :-):-)]

OK, so   I'm   dreamin'.  No,  that's  not  why  I  started  the  WOMEN  AND
AEROMODELLING  note  :-)  Besides  sending Sridevi [what, no Sue or Carol or
Jenny?  You  mean  we  got  to  learn a whole 'nuther nooo injun name again?
Darn...  you  injuns are stickin' it to us in the back all the time] umpteen
photographs  of  my  being  inebriated to excess in different aspects of the
hobby,  one  of  the  "dates" we had been on included the South Central Zone
Aeromodellers  competition  (Bangalore, India) in November of 1989 - some of
you  saw  the slides [she wasn't in 'em] at the previous DECRCM meeting! She
loved  the planes, though she got tired in a coupla' hours under the blazing
tropical sun...

Oh! Well,  I'm  off  Too's'dy,  Jan 8th night, via London. It takes about 30
hours,  once  I start the stopwatch at Boston's Logan airport, until I reach
Bangalore,  and  includes  about  19  hours  of flying time. I have 8+ hours
between  flights to while away in London's Heathrow, unless I decide to step
out. I  should  be  able  to  sneak by the Gulf before Saddaam and the world
decide  to take pot shots at each other, and waste more human beings, in yet
another meaningless  war.  India  used  to  be  100s  of warring kingdoms at
different points in its 5000 yr history. The injuns invented Chess so people
could duke it out on paper, but nobody, injuns included, listens anymore.

ajai-whose-bachelore-days-are-numbered.

tick. tock. tick. tock. tick. tock...

... I'll be gone for 6 wks, some w/o pay... sob...
    

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    Ah, you finally let the cat out'a the bag, eh'?  I was a' wunderin'
    when you'd do so...being the first of yer' friends to be let in on the
    secret, I've been chafin' at the bit to be able to offer you my sincere
    congratulations and wishes for a happy life together with yer' new
    bride.
    
    Since you say you'll be gone 6-weeks (Sheesh! Ya' could'a got'ter done
    in about 48-hr.'s if'n ya'd have just flew over to Reno or Vegas),
    there's a fair to middlin' chance that I'll be history, DEC-wise, by
    the time you return.  Should that, indeed, become the case, let this
    reply serve as my farewell to you.  I wish you continued success in
    yer' RC endeavors and anything/everything you do in the future.  I'll
    seriously miss muh' l'il Injun buddy and hope it becomes possible to
    meet one day.  Adios, mi amigo...vaya con dios!
    
    PS: The invitation to yer' nuptial rites came in yesterday's goat-mail
    (why does that seem appropriate?) but, unfortunately, I'll haf'ta beg
    off attending same.  It seems that all our cowboy airlines out here
    have regulations restricting them from flyin' to any Injun Territories.
    ;b^)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Congratulations Ajai (I think) 8^)
    
    Seriously......the best of luck to you and the new bride (or should I
    say RC widow).
    
    Steve

     Congradulations Ajai.............. 
    
    Bernie

    This is a trivia subject, but I can't wait to ask it there.
    
    On the cover of the Feb. issue of RCM, in the background of the
    bottom picture there is a silver high-wing observation type plane
    that looks a little like an Aeronca on steroids, with a radial
    engine. What is it? (I  don't know).
    
    Also what is the silver low wing trainer type with red/white
    rudder ? I would guess a BT-13 with the greenhouse removed.
    
    Terry

    Hi Ya All,
    
    Thanks much for your best wishes, both those received off line, on
    line, and even those delivered personally.
    
    I still have 10 days to change my mind, but since none of you have
    dissuaded me, I'll assume that I am on the right track :-).
    
    I would have gladly settled for the Rat representing the American
    clan of aeromodellers, but it appears he is reluctant to risk being
    outnumbered by injuns in a strange distant land, with strange customs.
    I bet he fears we'll boil him for supper, when I have assured him to
    our vegetarian proclivity, and has settled to contemplate the next
    Scale Masters under the shade of a saguaro cactus. :-) :-)
    
    Ahh! 'tis but mortal to fear the unkown... Anyhoo, I'll have my Injun
    aeromodelling gurus present at my wedding - My brother, currently
    living in Sydney, Oz, and a good friend of his of Bangalore - both of
    whom were instrumental in guiding my fledgling steps with chuck gliders
    and towline gliders back in 1970 in Calcutta. Bereft of aeromodeller
    attendees, I would certainly consider something amiss with my wedding.
    
    Perhaps most of you do not realise that it is Indian custom to invite
    relatives with common ancestors going back 4 to 5 generations, as also
    friends, and sometimes even their relatives!! The ceremony, while
    involved and rather protracted (6to 8 hours, spread over 3 days, in my
    case - mileage varies based on where injun comes from - even 200 miles
    makes a difference), is rather chaotic compared to the super-organised,
    class-room style kwis-chun everybody-sitting-at-the-pews weddings.
    Also, there is a lot of dazzling colour, with the women wearing multicolored
    saris.
    
    I'll be back Feb 18th, but until then, ya's kin send me messages via a
    cousin at DEC in Bangalore (QCAV01::RANGARAJ - use nmail pref), who
    will relay them to me.
    
    Now, all I kin hope is that ah' kin "git me to the church on time".
    
    ajai
    

    Now I KNOW why he put in 70+ hours in the air last year (married and
    harried modeller humor ;^)

    What was that Ajai was saying a couple back. Something about a slide
    show and his bride to be being there but not in the pictures.
    
    Didn't he also say that after 2 hours she drug him away from the field?
    
    Ah yes......a sign of times to come. 70 plus hours this year, 10 next.
    
    Steve

    ... you guys are merciless. Bah!
    
    I'd take along an RC model to fly while honeymooning on some remote
    tropical island, just to spite'cha all in thuh fay-ce, but I admit
    defeat when it comes to dealing with the Indian Customs.
    
    ajai
    
    ps. Maybe I better work on those 2Hr flights of mine, so I don't get
    left behind.
    

    Hookay guys,
    
    'tis time for me to hitch up my hosses and join the wagon train to
    Boston's Logan airport. 
    
    I'll be happy to say HI to Saddam Hussain for y'all, as my flight
    skirts his neck of the woods (desert?). Meanwhile, the balance of power
    between Injuns and pale faces in this conference will be severely
    skewed during my temporary absence. Don'choo guys feel tempted to take
    over my Injun reservations, like Saddam did Kuwait. Remember, y' gotta
    be fair. We can duel like ole' times once I git back.
    
    I am sure the tribal chiefs at the biggest Injun reservation (where I'm
    headed) will be more than pleased with my rc exploits for 1990.
    
    See yas all mid-Feb.
    
    ajai
    
    

    Well, I've got my new glasses; picked 'em up last night and I'm not
    sure that I haven't made a big mistake.  I've worn bifocals for
    10-years and adapted to them instantly...never had the first problem
    with 'em.
    
    But, the eye-doc and the eyeglasses center both felt I might benefit
    from a progressive lens, i.e. a lens that is ground progressively from
    the distance prescrition down to the close up prescription, leaving no
    line.  Many people get these out ov vanity (they don't like advertising
    that they have bifocals) but the doc and the vision center thought I'd
    get the benefit of varying correction from near to far, effectively
    like a multi correction lens.  Sounded logical to me so I tried it.
    
    But ARRRRRGH! I hate 'em.  The distance lens seems fine but the close
    up is a nightmare of distortion; I'm unable to pull a full page (or
    terminal screen) into focus at the same time!  I can get a small area
    in the center of a line sharply focused but both ends of the line are 
    blurry.  People who wear progressives say this "is the way they are,"
    period.  If that's the case, they're B*llsh*t as far as I'm concerned!
    
    I realize I've only had a day so far to adjust to them and will give
    them a bit longer but have already called the vision center and laid
    the groundwork to have the lenses replaced with conventional bifocals.
    Fortunately, there is no cost to do this within 60 days but my dilemma
    is that, with the Qualifier coming up next weekend, I won't be able to
    give them a fair test before making the decision.
    
    Tomorrow will tell a lot as I try some practice flights on the MiG-3 to
    get a feel for where I stand, visually.  Here's hoping........!!!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Hey Al, 
are you going to try the new glasses out with the Yeller Peril before 
commiting the Mig to the sky. Considering the probles you've had so far I'd
hate to see you dork the Mig due to an unforseen complication with the 
new glasses 

    Al,
    
    	The problems your describing all seem to be "close up". Have you
    given them a good "flight test" yet????? Outdoors, the distances
    invovled between flight station and runway may make a big difference.
    
    Steve

    Re: last-2,
    
    Nope, the new specs will be flight tested tomorrow.  I won't be
    pre-flighting them on the ol' Yeller' Peril as it's still down for
    repairs after the abuse I gave it the last time out with the old
    glasses and, besides, I neeb to know whether I can fly the MiG, not the
    Peril.  But, Chuck has graciously offered to lemme' try his big 1/3
    Laser if I feel I need a test ride before committing the MiG.  I'm
    playi' that part by ear as I surely don't want to scarf up someone
    else's ship trying to determine whether I'm able to fly.
    
    In any event, I'm playing it completely by ear for tomorrow; I'll take
    the MiG out, assemble it, then stand by and watch the flying to try to
    assess how well and how accurately I'm seeing things.  Based upon that
    assessment, I'll either commit or stand down but I feel like I want to
    try if if at all possible.  I'm confident the worst case would be a
    scraped wing tip, blown gear doors, bent gear or some combination of
    these, which doesn't thrill me a lot, but the point is that I really
    doubt I'd do any really serious damage since the major problem I've had
    is just timing the flare at landing and it'd be pretty inconceivable
    that I'd total the ship due to a blown landing.
    
    Thanx fer' the concern...I'll let'chas know how it went Monday.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    <<< Note 239.2403 by PNO::CASEYA "THE DESERT RAT (I-RC-AV8) 551-5572" >>>
>                   -< NOT IMPRESSED WITH PROGRESSIVES..... >-
...
>    But ARRRRRGH! I hate 'em.  The distance lens seems fine but the close
>    up is a nightmare of distortion; I'm unable to pull a full page (or
>    terminal screen) into focus at the same time!  I can get a small area
>    in the center of a line sharply focused but both ends of the line are 
>    blurry.  People who wear progressives say this "is the way they are,"
>    period.  If that's the case, they're B*llsh*t as far as I'm concerned!

I was fitted for progressive a few of months ago - took them back for
a refund.  I am now back to single focus glasses - but need to get a 
pair of reading glasses.  I tried them for almost a month.  I wouldn't
give you a dime for a truck load of the things.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

     Congradulations !!!  Sounds like the ole eyesight is back at 110%.
    Glad to hear your gonna be in the Qualifier this weekend. Sure would
    have been a bummer if you'd had to pass on it due to some screwy new
    glasses. Also glad to hear everything went so well with the Mig's
    outing and that nothing got pranged or bent. Would surely be a shame 
    to finally get everything working right and then bend the Ole Mig.
     250 flights on the Mig you say. Anybody got any idea if there's any
    kind of record kept on who/what ship holds the record for the most
    number of flights on a masters class aircraft? Also, how many years
    has the same aircraft been entered in a masters meet?  Sounds to me
    like 250 flights on the Mig should put it somewhere near the lead if
    any such records are kept. Just goes to show ya. When good, sound,
    quality craftsmanship are incorporated, it shows! 
      The very best of luck to you this coming weekend Al. I'm sure you'll
    do just great.
    
    Bernie

    Re: .-1, Bernie,
    
    Gar-cee-ass, senor...ah' 'preciate it!  As to records, I have a ways to
    go as yet to catch ol' "Cowboy" Kent Walters; he had over 400 flights
    on his Dauntless when he finally lost it at Ft. Knox at the '88
    Masters.  His faithful Dauntless campaigned in 7-Masters, winning three
    of 'em so, while I'm approaching his number of appearances record with
    5-appearances, I've got a ways to go in that category as well. 
    However, I'd bet I'm far and away in solid 2nd place for number of
    Masters flown with the same ship.  Now, if I can just get back into the
    winners' circle...I placed 10th in '86, my second Masters, and have had
    lousy Masters-luck ever since!  Time that string be broken, I'd say...!
    
    But, first things first; I must qualify this weekend or possibly not
    make the Masters this year owing to the unpredictability of my job
    situation, therefore my ability to travel to out-of-state qualifiers. 
    If I blow it here, I may not get a second chance!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

alright al.

somehow i just knew you'd be ready for the qualifier.
its the same story here, you get only one shot to qualify
unless your willing to drive 16 hours for the second, or
24 for the second, or...

good luck and tell chuck i'm still sad i missed his low
downwind pass...

kevin

al,

i didnt know gene had a new version of p47 retracts.  i vaguely remember
him complaining about how SOME people were pretty hard on them tho. 8^)
mine do ok as long as i don't dork them up.  once dorked, inevitably
something rubs against something (struts against cyclinder, doors against
wells, wheels...) and its a lot of fussing to get them back.  i bring the
standard retract tools: file, oil, big hammer, to every scale contest now.
luckily i havent had a major failure yet other than having the whole wheel/
axle assembly fall completely off on takeoff on the jugs 2nd flight.

what do you think of the hoopla over gyros?  did you respond to the privately
funded questionair.  i vote to allow gyros on rudder and any other surface
you see fit.  i figure the masters already has profesionals vs non-
professionals, cubs vs p38's, and humans judging against ambiguous rules.
so what if someone has complete autopilot?

kevin 

    Re: .2413, Kevin,
    
    I'm not sure it was Gene's intention to make a new set of retracts.  He
    took Chuck's battered gear home with him from Dallas and _my_ impression 
    was that he was just going to beef them up.  However, Chuck had
    specifically complained that the gear's ability to raise the heavy struts/
    wheels-tires/doors was marginal so Gene installed a larger/longer/higher 
    volume piston/cylinder assemblies and this precipitated re-doing the
    entire unit.  Thus far, they appear to be a superior unit; with Chuck
    acid-testing them, the results should be conclusive!  ;b^)
    
    Re. gyros:  For those not aware of it, there is a controversy raging as
    we speak concerning the use of rate-gyros on the rudder/tailwheel of
    scale models.  Let me just say, briefly, that a gyro on the rudder does
    NOT make an arrow-straight takeoffs automatic.  What it DOES do is sense
    heading changes and introduce a correction BEFORE it's physiologically
    possible for a human pilot to see and react to said change.  The pilot
    must still feed in his correction or the gyro will simply assume a new
    heading...the gyro keeps you ahead of the plane by sensing changes you
    cannot since you're not _IN_ the aircraft.  The rudder gyro also
    smooths out the flight of the model, especially in maneuvers like the
    fly-past, horizontal figure-8, rolls, etc. by starting the rudder
    correction when it's required, not when you _think_ you need it.  In
    the case of _some_ pilots, it feeds rudder in places where he was not
    in the habit of using it, again, making him look a lot better.
    
    It's without question a fact that the pilot with a rudder gyro has a 
    distinct advantage over those of us who don't.  I've watched pilots 
    whom I've regularly beaten in competition _suddenly_ make a quantum 
    leap in the quality of his flying.  Until recently ('89 Masters), I'd 
    attributed this dramatic improvement to practice on the part of the 
    individual being observed and/or the lack of same on _my_ part.  But, 
    it's now become known that these individuals had installed rudder gyros 
    and, literally overnight, began looking like real pros!  In a way,
    that's bugged me and I've even questioned the ethics of the gyro's use
    but have felt there were several advantages to be realized.
    
    The most obvious is safety; observation of the dramatic improvements in
    takeoffs by Frankie T., Gene Barton, Diego Lopez, Rick Lewis, Charlie
    Chambers, and others who have been known to scatter the judges with errant
    takeoffs with fair regularity but who, now, make arrow-straight runs
    with complete predictability proves the worth of the device for a
    safety enhancement.
    
    To me, it also enables a level of flight realism and perceived pilot
    professionalism that was previously the domain of only a few.  To my
    mind, that improved perception makes us ALL look a lot better in the
    eyes of the spectators.  Nothing bugs me much more than to know that
    the crowd goes home feeling like they've witnessed a circus, not a
    flying event.
    
    As you might guess by now, I tend to be _for_ the gyro but, for the
    time being at least, think it should be limited to rudder/tail or 
    nosewheel until the ramifications of allowing it on more or all
    surfaces can be assessed.  However, I almost feel like, if it's allowed
    at all, it should be made mandatory, not optional.  Why?  Because, if
    we espouse the safety enhancement of using a gyro and someone _without_
    one has an accident, there could be a liability question arise as to
    why _wasn't_ this pilot using all known safety devices?
    
    Kent Walters borrowed a gyro and has been flying it on various control
    surfaces in an old Ugly-Stik formulating his opinion on the issue in
    his usual quantitative/qualitative manner.  Like me, Kent was initially
    against the gyro when we learned of them at the St. Louis '89 Masters.
    But, again like me, he quickly acknowledged the safety ramifications
    implied by gyro use.  Since running his flight tests, Kent feels gyros
    should be pernitter on all flight controls...he feels there is MUCH to
    be gained in the area of flight realism through their use.  Kent is
    quick to point out that we're talking RATE gyros here, _not_
    navigational gyros which will hold a preset heading/attitude/altitude
    come Hell or high water.  Rate gyros will NOT hold headings, etc.; they
    merely sense changes of rate in the axis to which they're assigned and
    feed in a preset correction...most often, a new heading, etc. will be
    assumed without pilot intervention so the control(s) must _still_ be
    flown; this is NOT an autopilot.  Kent has authored an article on his
    opinion(s) of gyros which will be published in [probably] RCM in the
    coming months and also submitted a proposal to the AMA Scale Board to
    enact a rule allowing rudder gyros (only) in scale competition.
    
    Most of the VERY strong opposition to gyros stems from a basic
    misunderstanding of the difference between a rate and a navigational
    gyro and/or a dogged personal position that "A real man flies his own
    airplane, period!"  Quite frankly, I'd like to try one just for giggles
    but won't 'til the controversy is settled.
    
    The AMA has yet to take any position in the gyro issue but the U.S. 
    Scale Masters has outlawed gyros from it's qualifiers and the
    championship for 1991.  Much discussion continues as to the rightness
    of this decision but, for now, that's how it is.
    
    Gene Barton is conducting, at his own expense, a poll of opinions of
    active scale competition pilots (I voted to allow rudder gyros only)
    and his (and others') efforts may well work a change to the Masters
    position, but not this year.  I have it from the horse's mouth that the
    gyro-ban WILL be enforced through all of '91 while further study of its
    implications is conducted.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>    Re. gyros:  For those not aware of it, there is a controversy raging as
>    we speak concerning the use of rate-gyros on the rudder/tailwheel of

I do love controversy.

My opinion is that we should not disallow gyros because to do so is to
stifle advances in technology.

Now - given that they are illegal for 1991 scale - what if...

I build a mechanical device that gives rudder correction opposite
to any sudden change in yawl.  For instance I could suspend a pendulum
that is hung from a potentiometer and use the analogue signal to alter
my rudder servo.

Or - I could suspend a pendulum and have it's swing mechanically move
a lever that changed a trim tab on the rudder.

Or - if the rudder had a HEAVY counter balance that had a pretty long
moment arm - then any yawl movement would tend to apply opposite rudder.
Of course this would be fighting the servo so would probably have to
have the principle applied to a sub-rudder or linked to the trim tab.

What say you to this?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

RE: last few on gyros for scale ships

It's interesting to note that the same thing that is currently happening with 
the controversy over gyros in scale ships has happened before with helicopters. 
There are still a few die hards out there who feel that you're cheating to use
 a gyro on a helicopter. I say use em. They make controlling a helicopter a lot
easyier and therefore safer to fly. I think they'd give the same benifit to
scale aircraft. 

I think a lot of mis-understanding comes from the mistaken notion that the gyro
flies the tail for you. I've seen novice heli flyers come to grief because they
ignored the tail and the ship eventually swung around on them and they 
became dis-orientated. Then they blamed the gyro because it didn't keep the tail
straight. As Al has pointed out, the gyro does a great job of keeping you ahead
of the ship but it won't fly the tail for you.

I sayest - how you gonna get a two masted sailboat in an RC airplane?


methinks thou meanest yaw not yawl. :-)

Randy

>methinks thou meanest yaw not yawl. :-)

Randy - of course you are correct - sorry.

Yawl come back now - hear :-)

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    re. 2418
    
    Getting closer but quite right yet, Kay.
    
    > Y'all come back, heah ? < 
    
    The question mark is important.
    
    FWIW, our new governor talks like this.
    
    Terry
    

    Re: Kay's comments,
    
    I tend to agree that to arbitrarily outlaw gyros is tifling to
    technological advancement of the sport.  Regarding any o yer' several
    Rube Goldberg devices: technically, none of these is a gyro by
    definition...therefore, I'd have to say that a literal interpretation
    of the rule would have to allow them.  BTW, the idea you proposed using
    a device to mechanically drive the trim tab opposite to the control
    surface's movement _HAS_ indeed been done on both U-control and RC
    models and it _does_ work to some extent.  The idea utilizing a
    pendulum to drive the rudder opposite to the direction of yaw has also
    been used for _many_ years in free-flight (mostly scale) models though
    I'm unaware if it's still used today.
    
    As Dan'l E. points out, this is not the first time such a controversy
    has arisen.  It wasn't that many years back when a similar brouhaha was
    hard fought within the pattern ranks; at issue was the use of rates,
    exponentials, mixing, etc.  Of course, all these features are now used
    as a matter of course (though gyros _are_ outlawed).
    
    I feel sure gyros _will_ become permissible (if not standard equipment)
    in RC scale ships, probably sooner than later.  Personally, I don't
    view this as any kind of threat or detriment to piloting a scale ship. 
    Once everyone is on equal footing regarding basic operation of the
    model, we'll have to look elsewhere (higher) to identify areas in which
    to excel and, thus, beat the other guy (looking a lot more proficient
    in the process).  This, actually, would benefit me and others like me
    as I've long professed that we should be flying "maneuvers," not just
    steering around the firmament doing babysh*t stuff like procedure
    turns, straight flight flight out/back etc. which is precisely what the
    majority of the high finishing "names" in scale choose to do.  Hey, if
    yer' seriously after "the gold," that's the way to go; choose the
    simplest, highest percentage, lowest risk maneuvers you can.  It's just
    been a point of honor/pride with me that I "choose" to do it the hard
    way, i.e. by flying maneuvers!
    
    It should be interesting to see how things go at the qualifier this 
    weekend.  Several of the "gyro-fliers" will be here and they will NOT
    be permitted to use their gyros.  I'm most curious to see how well I
    fare against them now that we're gonna' be on equal ground once more.
    Look out Shailesh, Gene, etc...., Chuck and I are 'a gunnin' fer' ya's!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    I'm off to the S.W. regionals as of tomorrow morning. Full report
    when I get back to work on the 24th.
    
    Al, when you go down to Eloy to watch the Antique sailplane events,
    I'd be interested to know what sort of models are competing, if
    any. The only gliders from that era that I can think of, that would
    be half-way suitable to RC conversion would be some of the Frank
    Zaic Thermic series or maybe Some of the Jasco stuff.
    Wouldn't it be a blast to see an R/C Jasco Trooper ? Then
    again, maybe not.
    
    Good luck at the Masters, sounds like you might be 'a gunnin for
    bear this time.
    
    Terry

    Re: .-1, Terry,
    
    I'll try ta' bring back some names of the models but those you named
    are, indeed, of the gernre the event is targeted toward.  Surprisingly,
    there are [apparently] many more model types in this category than one
    would think and some of 'em are real beauties.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    	I think the idea of banning gyros is totally WRONG.  Improving the
    controlability of our planes only allows us to do that much more with
    them.  Also, most modern full scale planes use flight controls to make
    the plane more flyable.  Besides, they could very well save someone's
    airplane on takeoff in gusty conditions.  They can also give you a
    little more time to react to an engine out situation with a twin.  As
    Al says, they do not fly the plane for you.  All they do is respond to
    reduce the change in direction induced by wind gusts or engine torque.
    Making a rule like this also creates an additional problem for the
    judges.  How do they confirm whether or not someone is using a gyro?
    If you didn't turn it on until after the engine is running, noone would
    hear it and you can easily set up the system to disable the gyro from
    another channel on your radio.
    
    Charlie
     

    I tend to agree with everything Charlie sez in .-1.  I'd forgotten to
    mantion that the single most natural application of the rudder gyro
    would be in twin/multi engined aircraft since they'd help offset the
    takeoff problems caused by the engines not coming up together and, as
    Charlie points out, would give you a better shot at dealing with
    engine(s) out situations by feeding in the rudder to counteract the
    asymmetric thrust before you were aware of the problem and could react
    to it.  You'd still have to fly it, understand, but the rate gyro would
    give you a headstart, possibly saving the aircraft.
    
    BTW, I just spoke with Kent Walters a moment ago and he said his
    article promoting gyro usage to enhance safety and realism is slated to
    appear in the April '91 issue of Model Airplane News.  Because of
    normal magazine lead times, this means the issue should hit the stands
    in mid-to-late February.  Watch for it.......
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

  Not to be the bearer of bad news...but I just received this memo.



                   Jim

-----------------------------------------------------------------


        
                P H O E N I X   P L A N T   C L O S I N G
        
                      O F F I C I A L   N O T I C E
                
        To paraphrase Lou Gaviglia, U.S.  Manufacturing Manager -  We
        could use load balancing, but we've found that it doesn't work.
        All that you would have is jobs, not careers.  We're doing this
        for you...
        
        We were given our notice today and had to sign for the four pages
        of paper summarizing the closing of the PNO facility.  This is
        required by the WARN law, enacted last year.
        
        The Plant will close on 29 March 1991.
        
        Excluded organizations from the closing process - they are
        expected to begin working at the Tempe facility on or before 1
        April 1991, these organizations are -
        
                . Financial Management Center.
                . Corporate In-House Educational Services.
                . Customer Services.
                . Customer Account Management.
                . Competitive Sales Team.
        
        All other employees must have elected to terminate service with
        Digital or have accepted a job elsewhere within Digital by 29
        March 1991.
        
        A financial package will be made available to all regular
        employees that will be terminated.
        
        Employees of businesses that are transferring locally have ten
        working days from 21 January, 1991, to decide if they will
        transfer or elect to leave Digital.  If they elect to leave,
        their jobs will be posted in the Phoenix facility and all
        eligible candidates may apply.
        
        Employees that find jobs elsewhere within Digital will have their
        relocation paid for out of Phoenix.
        
        All employees, regardless of whether they are currently active
        or not, e.g. Leaves of Absence or disability, are affected by the
        closing and subject to the same rules and processes.
        
        Employees cannot leave Digital until after the business transfer
        date set for their organization.  This date will be communicated
        on 18 January, 1991.
        
        Eligibility for re-employment (I assume this to mean either as a
        contract worker or full time) prior to the end of the period
        represented by the lump sum payment under the financial package.
        
                             Financial Package Summary
        
        1. Lump Sum     Years of Continuous Service      # of Weeks
        
                        0 - 2                           13
                        
                        3 - 10                          13, plus 3 for
                                                        every year
                                                        between 3 and 10
                                   
                        11 - 20                         37, plus 4 for
                                                        every year
                                                        between 11 and 20
        
                        21+                             77 maximum
        
        2. Insurance    A continuation of current medical, Dental and
                        Life insurance coverage for a number of weeks
                        equal to the number of weeks used to calculate
                        the lump sum per the table above, not to exceed
                        52 weeks.
        
        3. Restricted Stock  An opportunity for holders of restricted
                        stock grants under the restricted stock option
                        plan to participate in a five year acceleration
                        of those options which may be exercised without
                        restrictions on sale, during a five year period
                        commencing upon termination.
        
        4. Outplacement Employees may use the services of Mainstream
                        Access Inc. for job search for a period of six
                        months after their termination.
        
        In addition to the above, a Career center will be opened in the
        east lobby on Thursday, manned by Digital personnel and companies
        from around the area.
        
        Outplacement workshops will begin next week and time will be made
        for all employees to participate in these workshops.
        
        It is the intention of the company to market the Phoenix
        facility, either through a direct sale or a lease-option plan.
        
        Ironically, one of the plants that we are transistioning
        businesses too, has refused to pick up product because - "We
        don't have the space."
        
        Another curious thing was that at no time did I hear any manager
        admit that this was or say the word - "Layoff."
        
        Wish the approximately 400 of us that will be leaving Digital
        luck as we go to find "careers."
        
        Bob

    Sorry to hear it. Seems to make it rather final. The "layoff" word
    being used is "involuntary severance"

Cross posted, fyi, from the flying notes file.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################
                <<< MEIS::NOTES$:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FLYING.NOTE;4 >>>
                             -< General Aviation >-
================================================================================
Note 3149.21            Warbirds under Greenland glacier                21 of 21
DENVER::SCOTTJ                                       46 lines  29-NOV-1990 15:10
                                  -< update >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    From todays issue of "The New Mexican", reprinted without permission.
    
    		WIFE GETS MEMENTO FOR ARCTIC ICECAP
    
    AP Chamlee, Ga. - A piece of a B-17 bomber buried for 48 years in the
    Greenland icecap was presented Wednesday to the woman whose name was
    painted on the piece of metal by her pilot husband before he flew off
    to fight the Nazis.
       Explorers who found the bomber buried in the arctic icecap presented
    the keepsake to Phyllis Arlene Hanna this morning at Peachtree-DeKalb
    Airport north of Atlanta.
       In return, Hanna, who lives in St. Louis, gave keys to the plane to
    the explorers who set out nine years ago to find eight American
    warplanes that crash-landed in Greenland in July 1942 on their way to
    England.
       The two B-17s and six P-38 Lightning fighters ran out of fuel after
    recieving false radio transmissions form German submarines.  The crews
    camped on the ice for nine days until rescuers arrived on dog sleds.
       One of those rescued was Hanna's husband, Joe D. Hanna Jr., who had
    painted her name under his cockpit window.  Joe Hanna died in 1981, the
    year the Greenland Expedition Society was formed to find the planes and
    maybe even fly them out.
       "They've been in my basement 48 years," Hanna said of the keys. 
    "I'd much rather have a piece of the plane with my name on it."
       The expedition, which raised funds for its mission through
    donations, found the bomber with radar in 1988 and used a borer to cut
    a nine-inch-wide hole and take the piece with Hanna's name on it.  Last
    summer, the explorers cut a cavern 20 feet long on one side.
       The bombers fuselage was found to have collapsed under the weight of
    250 feet of ice.
       "It was, of course a disappointment," said Pat Epps, co-founder of
    the expedition.  Explorers removed the top turret of the B-17 and two
    machine guns, ammunition, instruments and other memorabilia.
       "The B-17 is certainly not flyable," Epps said.  "We expect when the
    P-38s are excavated, they would not be flyable from the icecap."
       Because of technical problems and the fact that water from the
    glacier filled their hole as fast as they could pump it out, the
    expedition did not get to the fighter.
       "Next year, we are giving our full attention to the P-38," Epps
    said.
    
         The article was complete with a 1942 picture of Joe Hanna, taken
    by a crew member, standing next to the B-17 after landing in Greenland.
    The plane looked perfect except for the props being bent back from the
    slide in on its belly.
    

    Gee Kevin, can I have your autograph??????? And to think, you work
    in the same building as me so I can walk over to your office and
    actually touch you. 8^)
    
    Seriously folks.........Congratulations to Kevin. For those of you who
    have never seen Kevin's Jug up close and personal, the fact that the
    people from Scale Modeler thought enough of it to give it magazine
    space should give you an idea of the quality of this plane.
    
    Cripes........with all this publicity, next thing you know Kevin will
    go off and build some silly thing like a huge Sopwith Pup or something.
    
    Steve

    First, congratulations to Kevin for getting his Jug published in such
    monumental fashion (I never got a 2-page, fulol color centerfold). 
    Also thanks to Kay for posting the blurb.  Now I gotta' look at the pic
    again and closer this time as I thought it was Bill Carper's "L'il
    Demon" and failed to look closely enough to know for sure.  But I will
    now........
    
    FLASH: (Wellll, _belated_ FLASH)
    
    I'm thrilled to report that the MiG-3 performed flawlessly in 6-rounds
    of the Arizona Masters Qualifier last weekend and received nary a
    scratch for its trouble unless you count a loosened gear-door mounting
    bracket.
    
    Our turnout was about the same as last year (15) but was down from what
    we expected.  I thought sure we'd have 20-25 entries this year.  My
    opinion is that the new "NO GYROS" rule may've been partially
    responsible for this.  But, this is a very nice size for a contest and
    6-rounds were flown with ease with the lowest possible level of
    pressure.
    
    Weather was TERRIFIC!  Both days were clear and calm with afternoon
    temperatures in the 70's.  It _was_ a bit cool in until about 9:30-10:00
    AM but shirtsleeves were the uniform of the day from then on.
    
    For the secind year, I felt no real nerves/nervousness though it
    appeared the competition would be intense.  Gene Barton headed the list
    of potential winners with his magnificent Skyraider and there were many
    others who looked like they could make a run for the gold.  There
    wasn't a dog in the bunch, though 2 pilots entering their very first
    contest fielded _true_sport-scale_ ships (a Top-Flite P-47 and a
    CAP-10B) and, even these were very nicely done...just not competitive
    static-wise.
    
    Adam Gelbart (Son of Larry Gelbart who produced M.A.S.H.) had his ultra-
    detailed CAP-10B on hand; Adam's buddy and fellow Hollywood special F/X
    artist, Paul Curley, had a real nice Fw-190; Bob Olson and muh' bud, Chuck 
    Collier both had very nice Baker P-47's; a newcomer from California had a 
    nice Northrop Gamma, etc.  It was a quality field and, again, I had
    misgivings as to whether my tired ol' Rooskie Warrior could be
    competitive in such a field.
    
    But, my apprehension was unfounded; when static was posted following
    completion of round-1 flying, I found mysely with 3rd high static of
    94.50, just .25 points behind Paul Curley's Fw-190 and a little over a
    point behind Gene Barton's top static score of 95.65.
    
    My first flight was a very respectable 88.5 but Barton had already
    posted a 90+ flight.  Round-2 I flew a 91.75 but Barton posted a 93+.
    Round-3 was far and away my best flight of the day but, as frequently
    happens in competition, it was my lowest flight score of the meet, an
    87.0.  Go figger'!  From the first flight on, I was firmly in second 
    place and ended Saturday in that position.  But, Gene had charged out'a
    the blocks hard and posted another 90+ flight...he was just about
    uncatchable if he didn't fly another round.
    
    Sunday, I posted another 91.75 on the first flight (round-4) and, for
    once, had the high flight score of the round.  Gene had difficulty
    starting in the cold and lost enough time before getting the Skyraider
    running that he told the judges to take a break and just flew a
    practice flight.  Paul Curley had lost round-3 and 4 due an intermittent
    remote plug wire problem but, though it would be tough, he still had a
    shot at bumping me out'a second place.
    
    Round-5, I had to replace a plug on the starting pad and this changed
    my needle setting such that I flew the entire flight nursing a
    marginally lean engine and using only 2/3 throttle.  I still managed an
    87.0 but this didn't improve my position.  Paul put in a very nice
    flight but blew his landing so I was still secure in second.
    
    On the 6th and final round, I watched with keen interest as Paul tried
    to pull the score he needed to knock me out'a second.  Man, it was
    looking tough but, this time, Paul got on his nose on landing and I was  
    solidly in secind place.
    
    Even a perfect 100 flight couldn't have caught Barton at this point so,
    when I hooked a little on takeoff (thus losing points), and knowing I
    didn't need this flight to hold second, I just flew the pants off'n the
    ol' MiG-3 at the encouragement of one of the pilots watching who
    hollared "Showtime!"  It was the last flight of the meet and I had the 
    air to myself so I burned my low-pass right down the runway at about 3' 
    altitude! 
    
    Then, like a late friend of mine used to like to do, I had my way with
    the judges; Bob Frey'd call a roll and I'd do 3-rolls...he'd call a
    4-point roll and I'd do an 8-point, etc. through the remainder of the
    flight.  I even threw in a Lomcevak where my flight plan called for an
    Immelman.  Finally, I did my Victory roll, pitched out while dropping
    gear and flaps and landed (the best landing I got during the meet).
    All my fellow pilots had been watching and gave me a hand which simply
    felt tremendous!!
    
    I'd had 5-of-6 arrow-straight takeoffs and outstanding airwork but was
    still a tad off on my landing flares; I continue to be a little late
    and the touchdown is more firm than I prefer.  But, the judges didn't
    seem to mind so I guess I shouldn't mind.
    
    Finishers and qualifiers for the Las Vegas Masters coming in October were:
    
    1. Gene Barton......Skyraider
    2. Al Casey.........MiG-3
    3. Paul Curley......Fw-190
    4. Doug Crumley.....Cessna L-19 Bird Dog
    5. Chuck Collier....P-47
    
    Muh' bud, Chuck Collier got hurt in static (for reasons we haven't
    completely figured out as yet) and had to work his butt off flying to
    place from a deficit position...his static was 87.75.  Chuck flew
    pretty well but, as usual, not nearly as well as in practice.  I don't
    know if the stress gets to him or what...in any event, he did well
    enough to recoup a 5th place even though he had to scratch rounds 4 & 5
    due to losing the aux channel for the inner gear doors on his JR radio 
    and not feeling like tempting fate by continuing.
    
    You should see the trophy I got.......outstanding!  It's a bronze
    statue, about 13-14" tall, of a WW-II pilot in full flight gear
    standing with his thumbs hooked in his parachute straps, looking
    slightly skyward.  This is mounted on a beautiful wood pedestal with
    the engraved brass plate identifying the event and finish position. 
    1st place was an almost identical statue with the pilot "flying his
    hands" as if describing a dogfight.  3rd, 4th and 5th places were
    similar sculptures but were just busts, from shoulders up, of pilot
    figures.  Neat tropies!!  I'd been wanting one ever since Bob Frey won
    one of the bust-style trophies at a meet in Pueblo, Colorado several
    years ago.  The sculptures are by noted sculptor/artisr, Michael Garman
    and _this_ is one trophy Kathi is glad to allow in the house.
    
    Monday, I went down to Eloy, AZ and spent the day flying antique
    gliders with my CAF buddy, Gerald Martin, and it was a relaxing, very
    enjoyable contrast to the heat of competition the previous 2-days. 
    Yesterday, I vegetated and tried to relax from 4-continuous days of
    great flying activity...WHATTA" WEEKEND!!!!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

  Congratulations Al!  Try not to sound too disappointed about your 
showing or the trophy!  8^)


   Way ta' go!


                  Jim
  

Excellent Al.

What was the point spread between 1st and 2nd?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Barton finished with 189 points and change while I had 185 and change.
    Gene surged ahead with flight scores of 91+, 93+ and *96+* in the first
    three rounds making him virtually untouchable and these were the three
    scores averaged for his final flight score.  On Sunday, he took a zero
    on round-4, had only a fair flight on round-5 and, due to a landing
    gear problem, got on his nose on his round-6 flight so his Saturday
    flights held up and he needn't have flown Sunday at all, if he'd so
    desired.  I wound up beating Paul Curley fo second by ~3.5 points. 
    From 3rd place on down, the spread became quite a bit closer.
    
    I meant to mention that three Gyro-pilots came to the Qualifier but, of
    them, only two flew; in practice Friday, Jerry Ortego was unable to
    consistently get his Violett F-86 airborne without at least 1-or-2
    takeoff aborting ground-loops (I've witnessed Bob Violett himself have
    the identical problem before he installed the rudder gyro).  Jerry
    elected not to enter because of this problem.  Bob Olson had better
    luck in the takeoff department with his Baker Jug but couldn't buy a
    landing all weekend...an elusive air leak in his retract system finally
    forced Bob to retire after round-3.  Gene Barton was the only one of
    the three who was effectively unhandicapped by the lack of a gyro but,
    even then, you could see that his takeoffs were not quite as
    predictably perfect as they had been formerly.  The gyro _DO_ make a
    significant difference and those who've come to depend upon them have a
    rude awakening coming under the 1991 Masters rules prohibiting use of
    the rate gyro.
    
    Also new to Masters rules this year is the elimination of flaps and
    retracts as optional maneuvers.  HOORAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!  Flaps and
    retracts are now lumped into the flight realism category and represent
    only a fraction of a single 10-point score.  This forced the guys to
    fly more maneuvers and tended to benefit the few who, likel me, have
    always done aerobatic maneuvers as optionals rather than the mechanical
    options and other gimme' maneuvers.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

As always Al, congrats.  I still haven't forgotten the sight of
that MIG tracking through the maneuvers with nary a wiggle.
Obviously, old age and fading eyesight hasn't hurt your ability
to fly a plane!

On your comment about retracts and flaps not being counted as
optionals; does this mean that models of prototypes without these
options are now more competitive?  Or that those models that do
not have retracts, but the proto did, are more competitve (I know
that no self-respecting Master's scaler would seriously enter one
of these)?

Also, I have a book on scale modelling that I picked up over the
weekend -- read it during lulls in the war -- that has a MIG-3 as
one of the illustrations.  Is this yours?  The one shown is very
light colored, possibly white, while I remember yours as being
closer to a brown/olive drab.  I suspect that you know of this
pix, else I'll note down the name of the book tonite -- its
something like "Basics of Scale Modelling".  

Finally, Pike's Peak RC is sponsoring the Meyers qualifier this
year.  We'll either be at our field or at a new one, tbd, but not
at the AF Academy.  

    
    Now I ask you.......was there REALLY any doubt in anybody's mind????
    
    Congratulations Al.

    Thanx to all for the comments on my qualifying for the Masters.  If I'm
    able to compete in Las Vegas this year, it'll be my 7th Masters.  I've 
    been very fortunate in successfully qualifying for the Masters every
    year I've attempted to.
    
    
    Re: .2434, John,
    
    Nope, my MiG-3 has always been in the summer camouflage, i.e. green &
    brown upper surfaces with light blue undersides and the white numerals
    "04" on both sides of the fuse.
    
    The white one you saw could be either Alan Spievak's prototype built from 
    the plans upon which I based my model or a very plain Sunday/sport
    version built by Jimmy Blackburn from the same plans in about 1981 or
    so.
    
    Regarding the new flap/retract rule: it simply means that a pilot can
    NOT claim either of these mechanical options as optional flight
    maneuvers...if his model is equipped with either/both of these
    features,the realism of their operation will either enhance or detract
    from the 10-points max awarded for flight realism.  A model not
    equipped with retracts/flaps where the full scale prototype WAS so
    equipped will suffer considerable deductions in realism (as it would
    have before).  The motivation for this rule was to force pilots to do
    more for a scored optional maneuver than simply flip a switch and
    expect an automatic 10-points.  This works to my advantage as I have
    NEVER used retracts/flaps as scored options, choosing instead to do
    aerobatic maneuvers.  Now, many of the ol' switch-flippers will find
    themselves searching for optional maneuvers to replace flaps/retracts
    and, since these same folks are generally already using other gimme's
    like straight flight out/back, procedure turn, etc., they'll find
    theselves forced to pick an aerobatic maneuver which forces him into MY
    ballpark.  I can now compete my maneuver against his like maneuver
    head-to-head instead of putting my [say] 4-point roll against his
    straight flight out, etc., which always placed mw at something of a
    [self-inflicted] disadvantage.  Now, the impetus is to force the switch
    flippers and the gimme'-grabbers into MY balliwick where I can deal
    with them on equal terms...my terms.  Ah' like it........!!!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Congrats Al, I thought those throphies you described sounded familiar.  Michael
Garmen's studio is right here in Colorado Springs (or Old Colorado City if you
prefer).  The statues are regulars of his, the one of the guy with his thumbs
in the harness is called "Another Mission" if I remember right and the one
with him olding one hand behind the other is titled "And there I was.." great
statues, I would be proud to have one, If you ever come up this way again like
for the Colorady Qualifier that John's group is hosting bring it with you and
stop by Garmen's place and see if you can get him to sign it.  We bought my 
father in law "Another Mission" for christmas two years ago "he used to fly
weather recon (radioman)" and had it signed and he displays it proudly.

Congrats again.

Now Were is Terry's report !!!!!!

    Re: .2437, Mark,
    
    Thanx for the info, compadre.  Yes, the trophy came with a tag hanging
    on it that gave an abbreviated bio of Michael Garman and, on the back,
    his address is listed, simply, as: Michael Garman, Colorado Springs,
    Colorado.  That'd be neat if'n I could get him to personalize it for
    me.  I sure think it's about the neatest thing since canned beer, I'll
    tell ya'!
    
    BTW, what's the deal on the Colorado Masters Qualifier?  I know it was
    "supposed" to be in Colorado Springs but we just heard at the Arizona
    Qualifier last weekend that Brian O'Meara's group had gotten it and
    would be holding it in Denver.  Now John mentions it's still in the
    Springs...Ah'm cornfuzed!  Whut's up....??
    
    
    Re: 2438, Alton,
    
    But, I'm a mere babe, a veritable adolescent in yer' venerable shadow! 
    ;b^)  Seriously, Gracias fer' the supportive words...ah' 'preciate 'em!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

I had understood from our board meeting several weeks ago that we
had it.  Sounds like something's happened...but hey, we can get
it straight from the Horse's Mouth, since its Randy Oswald's turn
in the barrel this year as club pres.  Randy?????? (He's probably
out of town or he'd be in here already.)

We had been discussing an arrangement with the Denver clubs that
we would use our field and they would pitch in with support, such
as flight judging, field support, etc.  Ivan had mentioned that
this would have to be a condition for us taking it.  We'll see.

I'm going by Phlyin' Phil's this afternoon, maybe I can get some
word from him.

If you come up to this one Al, maybe you can get your shiny
trophy autographed???? Hey, I'll stoop to anything.

Speaking of Ivan...that's Our Boy's A6 in Flying Models this
month.  The article really undersells this plane, I've seen it
fly in the Coleraddy winds and I'll tell you, its beautiful.  I
was all hot to build it and then got a priority interrupt and
went off on another tack (mixed metaphors acknowledged; please
don't turn me in to Vogonballs).  But if anybody's interested in
this plane, I'd say build it and you won't be dissappointed.

I highly recommend the Basics of Scale Modelling book, it
contains some sound advice on how to train for the flight
maneuvers, and some good skinny on color mixing and spraying.
The book was however, written in the late 70's -early 80's and
some of the finishing data is obsolete.

I had thought that the retracts/flaps portion would count less
because it would be lumped in with the general category of
Realism, thus having less effect on the total.  In the flight
portion, it would count as a whole maneuver, and have more
effect. 

    Re: .2440, John,
    
>I had understood from our board meeting several weeks ago that we
>had it.  Sounds like something's happened...but hey, we can get
>it straight from the Horse's Mouth, since its Randy Oswald's turn
>in the barrel this year as club pres.  Randy?????? (He's probably
>out of town or he'd be in here already.)
    
    * Well, y'all should certainly know if anyone does.  But my info seemed
    good as it came from Jim Sortor, one of yer' local club members,
    through his dad, Bob, who's a good friend and current commander of the
    1/8 AF.  It's certainly possible the info was scrambled in the
    transmission, however.

>If you come up to this one Al, maybe you can get your shiny
>trophy autographed???? Hey, I'll stoop to anything.
    
    * Yeah, Mark's already tried the same ploy.  I seriously doubt I'll be
    able to do much (if _any_) travelling this year due to this job business.
    But, if I could, I wouldn't need a bribe to come...I had a great time
    up there in '88.  (Sheeesh! Has it been that long ago already?!)

>Speaking of Ivan...that's Our Boy's A6 in Flying Models this
>month.  
    
    * We talking A6 Intruder here, as in ducted fan?  Seeing that D/F's are
    already a tad marginal at yer' altitude, Ivan must have something there
    for it to fly well in Colo. Spgs., especially in the wind.  Can you
    give us more details, i.e. size, weight, engine/fan combo, etc.?

>I had thought that the retracts/flaps portion would count less
>because it would be lumped in with the general category of
>Realism, thus having less effect on the total.  
    
    * Stop right there!  That's exactly how it is _now_.  But, previously,
    you could use flaps and retracts as optional flight maneuvers, worth
    10-pt's each, PLUS positively effect the 10-pt. flight realism score.
    Not anymore!  Retracts/flaps now can only be judged as a small factor
    contributing to the overall realism score, period!  No more gimme'
    options where you flip a switch and receive an automatic 10.  
						 __
				|      |        / |\   	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

OK on the Master's Al, I'll check up on that this weekend, though
it does look like snow (stop gloating).

On Ivan's Intruder, no its not ducted fan, he has a .40 stuck in
to the A6's radome.  As far as the specs go, I dunno, 50 inch
wingspan maybe?  Nothing to get too excited about, just a nice
looking and flying ship to scratchbuild.  Catch the article next
time you're in a shop.

Ivan is known for his ducted fans, of course, but you're quite
right, the air up here is very marginal.  He has 2 F102s, both of
which provide royal entertainment by crashing off the end of the
runway every time he tries to fly one.  Someone recently brought
a Violett (I think) F-86 out, which I understand flew nicely,
though I didn't see it fly.
    
>* Stop right there!  That's exactly how it is _now_.  But, previously,
>you could use flaps and retracts as optional flight maneuvers, worth
>10-pt's each, PLUS positively effect the 10-pt. flight realism score.
>Not anymore!  Retracts/flaps now can only be judged as a small factor
>contributing to the overall realism score, period!  No more gimme'
>options where you flip a switch and receive an automatic 10.  

Yeah, we'ns are talking the same thing...read it again, us
technical writers sometimes don't type too clearly :-).  It is
nice to hear that something like a 1/6 scale Curtiss Robin would
have a better chance against the usual flock of warbirds.  Though
nobody I know would be building any such thing.

    Re: .2442, John T.,
    
    Wellll, whut' did'ja find out about the Colorado Scale Masters
    Qualifier?  Izzit' gonna' be in Colo. Spgs. or in Denver?  Inquiring
    minds want to know; I doubt I'll be able to make it but there may be
    other locals who'd be interested.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Its going to be held in Denver, at the same location as last year. 
    This year the event will be run by a group of members from several
    Denver area clubs, instead of the host club.  As I understand it,
    this is goodness, and may be important information for someone deciding
    to go there.
    
    We will be doing something different.  Several weeks before the
    qualifier, we will host a tune-up event, which will have the hot
    dog scale classes, plus a novice event open to anybody who has never
    before entered a scale contest.  There will be mock judging for
    this class, where the contestant will get scores for static and
    flight, plus a critique of why the model didn't score higher.  We
    will invite the qualifier judges down for this, as a warm-up for
    them too.  The prizes, as I understand, will be real.  The hot doggers
    will be invited to fly, but will not be competing.  
    
    I've been asking for something like this for quite some time, and
    it will be very nice to see it happen.  Odds are, I won't have anything
    to fly there, but it will be nice work the event.

						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>     <<< Note 239.2440 by CLOSUS::TAVARES "John--Stay Low, Keep Moving!" >>>
>                       -< Coleraddy Masters, and Stuff >-
...
>Speaking of Ivan...that's Our Boy's A6 in Flying Models this
>month.  The article really undersells this plane, I've seen it
>fly in the Coleraddy winds and I'll tell you, its beautiful.  I
>was all hot to build it and then got a priority interrupt and
>went off on another tack (mixed metaphors acknowledged; please
>don't turn me in to Vogonballs).  But if anybody's interested in
>this plane, I'd say build it and you won't be dissappointed.

So I went straight to my local newspaper store and to pick up a
Flying Models and guess what - he didn't have any copies.

But I'm gonna get one yet.  John - give me a hint exactly what
month am I looking for "Jan" "Feb"?  Anything special on the front
cover to help me spot the correct issue - like a lady with two large jugs?


P-47's of course.

Having spend many hours on A6 Intruders I have a continuous interest
in the airplane.

And since I'm in the rambling topic.

I have in my office something I would like to give away.
So if someone has a real BIG interest - not just a "I might want
to take that on" but more of a "Wow - just what I needed" kind
of interest.

I have here from the "step by step", fully illustrated construction and
flight manual and plans for a



The tension builds...



Grumman F9F-8 Cougar

These documents are very old but usable.  They were produced by Jet
Hanger Hobbies and given to me with a large sack of misc plans by
Jack Buckley.

It says on the front of the manual:

============================================================================

Length: 56"
Wingspan: 47"
Wing Area: 755 square inches
Wing Loading: 28 to 32 ounces
Weight: 9-10 lbs.
Gear: 3 Gear Rhom Air Retracts
Ducted Fan: J.H.H. Turbax 1*
Engine used: K&B 9100 (7.5cc) Ducted Fan Engine with K&B Muffled Tuned Pipe

============================================================================

First mail to Tallis::Fisher gets it.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    KAY,
    
    I may be the first input who says, "WOW, that's great and I'd sure like
    to have the plans", knowest that they would join the group of "will
    build in my old age or whenever DEC fires me, whichever comes sooner".
    So, even though I drool about building anything from the plane as
    described to a non-flying solid display model of white pine, you really
    should disregard my passions and give it to someone whom will actually
    build it in the near-forseeable-future, the purpose of which would be
    to pleasurize spectators, satisfy the ego of the builder/flyer, pollute
    the ozone layer, deplete the balsa forests, and provide bio-degradable
    woods to the landfills of America (after the crash).
    
    There, I've had my say, and that will prove that Al Caseya was all
    wrong about my mental stability (Actually, I'm just a typical,
    frustrated, grounded airplane nut)!!!!
    
    
    Don

    Re: .2456,
    
 >   There, I've had my say, and that will prove that Al Caseya was all
 >   wrong about my mental stability (Actually, I'm just a typical,
 >   frustrated, grounded airplane nut)!!!!
   
   *** AH' REST MUH' CASE!  ;B^)  ;B^)  ;B^) ***
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Al proved his "rested case". Good man!!!!
    Now where's my case of Co......-K...-A..! (i takes bribes)
    
    dwh

    From an Amory, MS newsletter,

    ".... he received this massive 12 volt, heavy duty, maximum output,
    crank-up-a-diesel starter.  Jacky proceeded, one fine weekend
    afternoon, to place said starter on the spinner of an eensy bitsy
    little 15 (on a foam fuselage) and twisted the engine (actually the
    whole front end) right off the plane."

    Last November we learned that John Nataloni, a DECie modeler, had
    needed surgery and was going to be out of work [and worse, out of 
    RC notes] for quite a while.  Saturday John and I went to my club's 
    new field, John as a spectator, myself to check out the rebuilt K&B 
    and stir the sticks.

    John looks pretty good.  He's on a recovery path, albeit still a bit
    unsteady and certain to be out the rest of the month.  His spirits are
    up, and the sight of the varied flying Saturday must have inspired him;
    when I called Sunday, he was down in his shop working on his planes.

    We haven't heard from him because he doesn't have a terminal at home. 
    Does anyone in the greater M-M-M area have a spare terminal and modem
    at home they can loan John for a couple of months?

    To tidy up topic 4, I'll extract some info from the notes about John 
    and append it to this note.  Then I'll delete the digression in 4.*

================================================================================
ZENDIA::REITH "Jim Reith DTN 226-6102 - LTN2-1/F02"  10 lines  15-NOV-1990 17:49
                  -< Are you still out there John Nataloni? >-
================================================================================
ZENDIA::REITH "Jim Reith DTN 226-6102 - LTN2-1/F02"   3 lines  16-NOV-1990 15:07

    Well I got my answer from his secretary today. He is out on short term
    disability and has recently had major surgery at Mass. General and will 
    be out for a few months.
================================================================================
ABACUS::RYDER "perpetually the bewildered beginner"   8 lines  26-NOV-1990 22:03
                           -< John Nataloni update >-

    I just talked to John's wife.  Long term prognosis is good, I think.

    He came home last Wednesday after 10 days in the hospital ---
    recovering but slowly --- weak and resting a lot.  She thinks he should
    be ready for visitors after this week and would appreciate the company
    of people who talk planes.  Call before visiting.

    His phone is 603-673-5521; he lives on Bloody Brook Road in Amherst, NH.

    Re. .-1:  Glad to hear John's coming along well on the road to
    recovery.  Did we ever hear what the problem was...or do we really want
    to know?  Whatever, be sure to pass my best wishes to John.  Chances
    are I'll be history before he gets back to work so be sure to tell him
    I was thinking about him.
    
    Chuck Collier, Bob Frey, Kent Walters and I, along with a few other
    mutual flying buddies went out to Puckerbrush Int'l Airport Sunday and
    had a real nice session.  I put 4-flights and about 9 takeoffs/landings
    on the ol' Yeller' Peril before the tailwheel strut broke off (again)
    and brought my day to a close...there was no sense in scraping up the
    bottom of the fuse and rudder in the dirt/gravel so, resisting the
    temptation to fly more, I retired at that point.  I think I'll rename
    the ol' Peril "Audie Murphy;"  it's sure been "To Hell and Back" in its
    400+ flights and has been subject to just about every Murphy's Law
    there is, perhaps writing a few new ones of its own!  I was _VERY_
    pleased that I appear to have rediscovered the handle for landings (or
    have completely readjusted to the new bionic eye, or both); my flare
    was right on and every landing, even a couple in a fairly stiff
    crosswind, were real "paint-jobs."  Now, to fly the MiG and see if'n
    the trend transfers to it too (I'm sure it will).
    
    Chuck put a coupla' barnburner flights on his big Baker Jug.  The wind
    was fairly brisk and, with the Zenoah G-62 fairly howling, the downwind
    low passes were little short of heartstopping.  As is frequently the
    case, Chuck and I both flew much better than we had at the Masters
    Qualifier a month ago.  Battle-rattle is a very real thing, I guess,
    and you never get enough experience to completely overcome it. Even if
    you're not aware of it, you just never seem to fly as well as in
    competition as in practice.
    
    Bob had his new warbird racer out for it's maiden flight.  It's a
    modified (truer to scale) Top Flite P-47 with an Enya 1.20R 4-cy in it.
    The rules allow double displacement for a 4-stroke so an advantage is
    to be had with a .60 2-cy ship by installing a 1.20 4-cy.  Bob had some
    minor teething pains with the bird but, overall, it did quite well and
    should be competitive.  Even running the brand new engine rich, the
    little Jug really hauls the mail!  The next warbird race is this coming
    weekend so we'll see how Bob does with his Kamikaze T-bolt.
    
    Kent, as usual, just flew his [world's oldest and ugliest] Ugly-Stik
    and, for about the first/only time I can remember, was a little rusty. 
    He hasn't been flying that much as most of his time is taken up with
    finishing his new SBD Dauntless.  Speaking of which, Kent expects to
    begin painting next weekend...he's gon all the panelling/rivets, etc.
    done and lacks only a few minor details to be ready for color.  That
    should make Kent a sure thing for getting qualified and entering the
    Masters againb this year after a 2+ year absence following the loss of
    his previous Dauntless in practice the day before competition began in
    Ft. Knox in 1988.  Should be interesting to see how long it takes Kent
    to get back into the groove but, when he does, look out all ye
    pretenders to the Masters crown...The "Cowboy" will definitely be a
    factor to be reckoned with! 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

On the front page of this past Sunday(Feb,17) "Living/Arts" section in the
Sentinel & Enterprise newspaper(Lemonster/Fitchburg MA area), was a story about
a man from the Quinapoxet Model flying Club and the scale B-17 he is building.
The article was accompanied by 4 color pictures. The man in the article name
is John M. Deery and he's from Sterling, MA. Most of the article talks about
the B-17(Royal kit 77" wingspan). Towards the end of the article, he says "A 
lot of people will go out and find a neat modellike this, build it and try and
fly it." He continues, "You can't fly a hot, fast plane until you learn to fly."
The article then goes on to talk about the Quinapoxet club(making note they
have several instructors available) and the AMA. It's great to see an article
such as this, especially after the bad press our sport received after the
blimp incident.

-Lamar

  Just saw this in the Defense Issues notesfile...



  Panic at Iraqi bingo = B 52     8^)




                 Jim

RE: Note 239.2463 by ESCROW::PHILLIPS 

>> [...] was a story about a man from the Quinapoxet Model flying Club
>> and the scale B-17 he is building. [...]  The man in the article name is
>> John M. Deery and he's from Sterling, MA.

    Hey!  I know this guy!  He was the secretary of the QMF club until I
    took over his position at the elections last week.  He's a great guy
    and has been working on the B-17 for over 2 years now.  He's hoping
    to *MAYBE* get it flying this summer...

    I'll have to congratulate him on his fame in the newspaper!

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Castor Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

VNS TECHNOLOGY WATCH:                           [Mike Taylor, VNS Correspondent]
=====================                           [Littleton, MA, USA            ]

                         Two-Way Wrist Videophone

    Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have concocted a video
    camera-on-a-chip. Together with lenses no bigger than a match head,
    the 8mm square chip lays the foundation for a wrist-watch size
    videophone like the one used in the comic strip by Dick Tracy. That
    is the most gee-whiz use for the chip. The Edinburgh team, headed by
    Peter Denyer and David Renshaw, sees a big payoff in less dramatic
    products, ranging from miniature night-vision goggles to $50 video
    cameras for home security systems. Even "seeing" toys could show up
    under the Christmas tree. The chip is so small and inexpensive
    because it sees digitally right from the start. Other imaging chips
    first record an analog picture, then digitize it. The university
    has setup a company, VLSI Vision Ltd., to license the technology.
    {Business Week February 18, 1991}



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Sounds like it was made for R/C flying!!!!!!


                    Jim

    I tried to enter this yesterday but our entire cluster crashed just as
    I was nearly finished and I lost the whole enchilada.  Sooooo, here
    goes again.....
    
    I'm tardy getting this written as I've been literally under water doing
    a Capital Equipment physical inventory and tracking the transfer(s) of
    same...been busier than I've been in probably 5-6 years!
    
    Anyhoo, after having to jump-start the motorhome, I arrived to pick Bob
    Frey up about 4:00 PM Friday.  He was still working on/finishing his
    Enya 1.20R powered Top-Flite P-47 but found a place to stop and we
    loaded up, hoping to get on the freeway ahead of the bulk of the rush
    hour traffic.  Unfortunately, the motorhome battery had bitten the big
    one and was still deader'n a sailcat.  As luck would have it, Bob had a
    brand new Delco battery, still in the box, he'd just bought for his '63
    Chevy Super Sport with the 409 engine.  Half an hour later, with the
    new Delco aboard, we plunged headlong into the very teeth of rush hour
    and it took an hour and a half to travel the 35 miles to Falcon Field
    where static judging was being held in the Confederate Air Force's
    hangar.
    
    Then Bob was informed his frequency (ch-48) was one that could not be
    used due to the 3IM matrix they use to establish the racing order. 
    This is the last time the matrix will be used, as a C.Y.A. measure to
    cover anyone who might unknowingly have bought a radio with a non 1991
    receiver.  In any event, Bob was in a pickle but a friend (Lewie Kear,
    the drummer in our 1/8 AF D&D Band) drove him back home to get another
    radio while I hustled his P-47 through static judging.  We were having
    a hassle getting the weekend off the ground but, thankfully, this was
    the last difficulty we were to encounter.  Static closed at 10:00 and,
    after partying for awhile in the parking lot, we drove the motorhome
    out to the field, parked and turned in a little past midnight.
    
    Next morning the racing began at 8:30 sharp, as advertised.  There were
    55 aircraft entered and I was surprised to learn that they intended to
    fly 7-rounds of racing, each round containing _14-heats_!  It seemed a
    daunting task but the race was well organized and they accomplished it
    with comparative ease, flying 4-rounds Saturday and 3-rounds Sunday.
    
    Bob's first race was the 6th heat of round-1 and he did just fine,
    finishing 2nd for 3-points.  It was clear from the outset that Bob's
    Jug was not the fastest airplane on the field; a P-63 King Cobra, an
    F8F Bearcat (Rare Bear) and a '20s era Martin MO-1 immediately stepped
    ahead of the pack as the planes to beat, being 30-seconds and more
    faster than the average 10-lap race times.  But, the secret(s) of
    warbird racing is to get a good static, then make every race and place
    as well as possible without cutting pylons (which reduces/eliminates
    finish points).  As with most other competitive endeavors, consistency
    is the name of the game.
    
    I was gratified to note a young gal named Kathy Meyers racing a P-39
    Airacobra and, though she flew the course high and wide, she made every
    race and finished without a mark on her airplane.  Her husband was
    flying an A-26 Invader with twin piped .61's and, after sorting out
    some bugs, looked pretty good but too little, too late.  Another guy
    was flying a Royal P-38 and did well enough to place somewhere in the
    top-15 but I didn't catch his exact position.  BTW, they gave trophies
    through 5th place but awarded merchandise prizes through 15th.
    
    ARF's (EZ's) and Fun-scale kits made up a large hunk of the field but
    the trend appears to be toward more scale-like racers, regardless of
    speed.  Static being half the final score, scale fidelity is a big
    factor and many racers have become sensitive to this fact.  Aside from
    Bob's P-47, there were 2-Super Corsairs built from the Royal kit, a
    number af various warbirds from the old Jemco kits and quite a few
    scratch built racers, e.g. 3-Bearcats, 3-King Cobras, etc.
    
    Racing was interesting to say the least; they used an air start like
    they use in Reno and, when 2 or more similarly matched birds were in
    the same heat, things became "interesting" to say the least.  The
    amazing thing was that, in 2-solid days of racing, 98 10-lap heats,
    there were only 2 mid-airs.  One occurred when a P-40 ate the tail
    feathers off a very nice Corsair and sent it full throttle into the
    puckerbrush...the P-40 went on to win the heat and the Corsair was
    repairable.  In the other mid-air, a very fast T-34 essentially landed
    atop a Dago Red P-51 on the back straightaway.  The T-34 lost a wheel
    in the encounter but neither plane was hurt and both finished the heat
    and landed safely.
    
    Bob had no problems whatever, flying every heat and scoring at least 3
    (2nd place) or 4 (1st place) poins in all but one heat.  In this race,
    Bob's P-47 was in a real shootout with a big Royal Super Corsair, also
    powered by an Enya 1.20R, and He managed to cut the pylons "5" times
    for a zero.  But, of 6 rounds, they throw out the lowest one so that
    one was Bob's throwaway.
    
    When the dust settled, Bob finished 8th, not bad for a brand new
    airplane and engine with only two shakedown flights prior to the race
    and a pilot brand new to racing.  Bob won a new Sullivan starter and a
    host of other miscellaneous hardware, etc. for his fine finish.  There
    were three airplane tied for 1st place, the P-63, Rare Bear and Martin
    MO-1 I mentioned earlier.  Since there was a frequency conflict, they
    couldn't flyoff in a tie-breaker heat; rather each plane flew alone
    against the clock in 10-laps around the pylons.  Lewie Kear (our
    drummer) won by 5-seconds over the 2nd-place Rare Bear, the P-63
    finishing 3rd.
    
    Awards over with, Bob took the P-47 up and he and I had a ball trying
    to outdo each other with various maneuvers and, finally landings.  We
    called it a draw, packed up and headed home, satisfied with a great
    weekend of warbird racing.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Hi Ya all. The Injun is back.

Unfortunately, with   the   recently  acquired  squaw  left  behind  at  THE
reservation. :-( :-(

*STRANGE* pale  face  laws  *prohibit*  a  person  _legally_  married  to  a
permanent  resident  [PR] (i.e. green card [GC] holder) from living together
as husband and wife in these United States. Such prohibition applies for the
first two years (in the case of an Indian born spouse), which is the time it
takes  for  the spouse to get the green card. Precisely why such waiting has
to  be  done  with the couple being kept APART, rather than allowing them to
stay  TOGETHER, and delaying giving the green card to the spouse by the 2 or
whatever number of years, remains an enigma to me.

STRANGER yet,  is  the  fact  that  men and women in these United States may
choose  to  cohabit  without the benefit of marriage, and no one may object!
Hah!  Inane  laws.  Yeah,  yeah,  I  am  well  aware  that animals have done
splendidly  well  without the benefit of matrimony for millions of years, so
it is not the marriage angle I am harping about, but the stupid LAWs.

Sorry if  I am sounding like I am biting someone's head off, but heck, I got
to get it out of the system, and this is cheap therapy! :-)

Actually, there  was  a time when spouses of citizens and Green Card holders
were   treated   with  parity.  However,  people  saw  that  as  a  business
opportunity,  and  for  $5000 - $10000, would "marry" outside the country to
bring  the  person  in as a PR. Sooo, someone passed legislation to increase
the  delay  and  slow down the business. Of course, for those outside the US
opting  this  route, the 2 year delay would hardly deter. After all, what do
they have to lose?

The funny  thing is that this delay applies only to PRs and NOT to citizens.
Those  wimpy  senators figured we PRs couldn't touch them as we may not vote
(though  PRs  pay  taxes).  Mess  around with citizens, and they'd get voted
outta office... That's the problem with taxation without represention. Sigh!

Besides, it  looks like these dudes in Washington weren't listening when the
Good Lord said "Do unto others as ye would others do unto you". Same problem
with Saddam. Whoops. He's muslim, and he'd have been reading the wrong book.
:-)

Too bad  the  US  and  the  world  hasn't  shown the same degree of zeal and
enthusiasm in enforcing a trade embargo on South Africa, or for that matter,
given a  deadline by which AIDS/poverty/hunger/illiteracy/etc.. will have to
be eliminated  in  the  world,  failing  which  large  scale attack would be
mounted  on  all these fronts. 

Don't get  me  wrong.  I  certainly  don't condone the invasion of Kuwait by
Iraq, but without a doubt, the morality being touted in the world rushing to
the Kuwaiti's  rescue,  is  merely  skin  deep.  Hah!  I'm just a mere third
worlder, so who is going to listen to me? I better shut up... [Who? Me?] :-)

At any rate, the laws are being changed again this October to bring back the
parity that  existed  earlier  in  the waiting period for spouses of PRs and
citizens.  Until  then,  I'll  just have to sit & stew, and learn to do some
violent Eric-type of aerobatics to periodically let out the steam. Bah!

It was  more  of  a  hectic  trip than rest and recreation, visiting umpteen
places,  and  being  invited  out to umpteen relatives houses for breakfast,
lunch  and  dinner,  and managing to lose 4 lbs inspite of the the excellent
and sumptuous food! Now, to recover from the trip...

Prez Bush  and  Saddam  Hussain  sent me a wedding present that I will never
forget  -  the  Gulf  War  erupted  on  the  17th  of  January, 1991, nearly
coinciding to the moment when the marriage ceremony began.

800~1000 people  attended  my  wedding, held in my tiny village of 7 million
people  -  actually the 5th largest city in India, and about 400+ years old.
It was a 3 day affair, and I was zonked out by the end of it all. There were
even two  Amerikanskis  present,  so  not  to  worry,  the western world was
represented :-) Likewise, the southern hemisphere was also represented by my
brother's family currently living in Sydney.

I drove  800  miles  in all (more like 2400 US miles, given road and traffic
conditions),  including a trip to 8860 feet above sea level, where it was in
the  low  50s  at night. It was 80s to 90s in the plains when I left, so the
30s to 40s of Boston has been a shocker, though it is not cold for this time
of the year.

The flight  back from Madras was not the customary 747, but the much smaller
albeit new  767, due to the reduced traffic. Also, instead of coming in from
Kuala Lumpur,  it  *bagan*  from  Madras. After crossing the Arabian sea, it
stopped  for  refuelling in Muscat (used to be Kuwait at one time...), which
is  the  south eastern tip of the Saudi Arabian peninsula that you have been
seeing on TV for the past 6 months.

Then, keeping  the  war  zone  nearly  1000  miles  away,  we flew along the
southern  border  of  Saudi Arabia, crossed the Red Sea, then flew along the
western  coast  of  the  Red Sea, keeping 20 miles west of Cairo, across the
Mediterranean over Crete, Greece, Italy, France and on to London. The London
to Boston  flight  was  a 747, which was only half full, so I could sleep on
the  seats  in  the  middle.  Flight timings were changed as the reduced air
traffic had been consolidated into fewer flights.

I still  have  to  get  over  jet  lag  (India  is  10.5 hrs ahead), and the
post-separation  blues, but once over with, and once I fix the tail wheel, I
am  reporting  with  my  First  Step  for  non-combat sorties over the Gulf.

Provided I haven't forgotten to fly.

ajai

[There!  Now  I  can  justify all that political rambling, if not my wedding
experience, being input in this notes file :-)]

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    Welcome back, amigo.  Glad'ja made it 'afore I depart permanently. 
    Sorry ta' hear about all yer' tibulations with the immigration red 
    tape.  Sounds like another case of a few abusers ruining things for the
    honest majority.  Hope things work out for ya' real soon.
    
    Meanwhile, get back ta' modelin' and flyin' and the time will pass more
    quickly.  I look forward to seeing lots'a notes from ya in the 5-weeks
    I have left in the notesfile.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Tonight at UNM, the chief test pilot on the F-117 project is going
    to give a lecture on his experiences with the plane. I hope he has
    a Q/A session afterwards as I want to ask plenty of sensitive questions
    that would put even Sam Donaldson and the NPR babes to shame.
    Watch this space for further reports.
    
    Terry

    I can hardly wait, Terry, and will watch with piqued interest for yer'
    report.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Friday night I went to the lecture by Hal Farley, the chief test
    pilot on the F-117A. He's also director of flight ops. for Lockheed
    Advanced Developement Co. (Skunkworks)
    
    It was interesting but not startleingly informative. He would answer
    about 50% of the questions.
    The F117 was designed and built in 31 months by 15 engineers and
    105 production people.
    It has quad-redundant fly-by-wire flight controls. On the first
    test flight he had some of the fly by wire functions switched off
    but had to switch on immediately when he noticed there was no rudder
    control. The vertical fins were enlarged by 50% before the next
    test flight. They are entirely graphite and thermoplastic construction,
    no metal at all.
    The plan-form dimensions (but of course not the shape) are almost
    identical to the F-15E. It weighs ~30,000 lbs less than the F-15.
    
    He showed a video of manouverability and air refueling.
    
    Almost more interesting was a slide show and video of the SR-71.
    Some of it shot on its last record transcontinental flight. St.
    Louis to Cincinnati in 8 minutes is one number I remember.
    One series of slides showed (unclearly) the D-21 which was a ramjet
    powered unmanned recon plane that rode on a pylon on top of the
    SR-71 and was launched and guided by the SR-71 pilot in order to
    penetrate high risk areas. It seemed to have a diamond shape plan-form
    and a massive tail cone, probably for the cameras. He said it saw
    very limited use.
    
    59 F-117As were built, total cost $6.5 billion. Interestingly, security
    is one of the highest cost areas, and is included in the price.
    
    Terry

    Re: .2472, Terry,
    
    Fascinating stuff...wish I could'a been there.  What really gets me is,
    even with the tightest security, the plastic model companies are able
    to release model kits for super secret airplanes, subs, etc. _long_
    before they're made public.  Makes one wonder if they're just making
    good guesses or whether they actually get info leaked to them in
    advance.  Either way, one has to seriously wonder how responsible such
    early releases are when considering the compromise of security
    ramifications of such one-upmanship.
    
    Chuck, Bob and I went out for a short session yesterday.  I didn't take
    anything as I'd spent all day Saturday flogging the motorhome back into
    shape, washing, waxing, vacuuming, cleaning, etc., etc., ad nauseum.
    and just didn't get around to picking up a fresh gallon of fuel and
    repairing a broken tailwheel on the Yeller' Peril.  Bob put several
    flights on his new 1.20R powered P-47 racer and I put a flight on it
    too..._very_ nice flying little ship.  
    
    Chuck only got one flight on his big Baker Jug, though not by design. 
    He made a perfect-10 takeoff and was flying just great while Bob and I
    kibitzed in the background as to how Chuck always looks just unbeatable
    in practice.  Then came the landing: For reasons unknown to everyone,
    including Chuck, he got his angle of descent too steep and nearly hit
    a bush at the threshold of the runway, zooming to about 10' to avoid
    it.  This put him too high to land and not roll off into the
    puckerbrush at the other end of the runway but, instead of powering up
    and going around, to our astonishment, Chuck cut the power abruptly and
    the big bird sagged nose down, hitting **HARD** on the main gear.  Upon
    impact, the right gear strut broke at the stud that attaches it to the
    retract unit and fell off and the Jug bounced 6' into the air.  Instead
    of adding a touch of power and re-flaring, Chuck again astonished us by
    slamming the throttle to full power.
    
    The big Zenoah G-62 roared to full throttle and the Jug labored up, all
    the while rolling sharply to the left in the beginnings of the classic
    stall-snap-crash maneuver.  "IT'S ALL OVER," I thought and I even took
    a step, beginning the short walk to the crash site.  But, after making
    two rookie errors, Chuck finally did something right; he came in with
    full right rudder...the big bird rolled level and climbed out, out of
    danger for the moment.  
    
    Chuck retracted the remaining gear and set up a belly landing which
    came off without a hitch except that he damn near hit the same bush
    again and forgot to close the inner gear doors.  The 30'lb. bird ground
    to a halt on the decomposed granite runway and was completely undamaged
    save for some scraped paint on the belly and 2 rather scarfed up inner
    doors.  Had he remembered to put the doors up, a little touch up
    painting would'a been the only repair necessary.
    
    Oh well, I guess it was Chuck's day to be humbled!  It happens to all
    of us from time to time, no matter how much experience we've had. 
    Luckily, Chuck didn't have to lose an expensive airplane in the process!!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

al,
glad to hear chuck survived a close one.  funny you should mention inner gear
doors.  just last night i was repairing the damage to those on my baker jug.
as you may recall (from kays graphic description), on my last takeoff attempt
i retracted the gear a hair too soon.  the gear came up just about at rotation,
and the jug settled enough to shave a half inch off the top of each door as
they ripped off at the hinges (and shave the prop down to about a 12x10).
i think if i had less toe-in, i'd have made it. 8^)
well, at least this is the first "incident" with the jug where i didnt have to
take a hammer to the studs for the stuts (for me they bend but dont break).

kevin

    Re: .-1, Kevin,
    
    Wull' howdy, stranger.  Where th' heck ya' been hidin'??????? 
    Loooooooong time, no hear from.
    
    Yup', I remember Kay's graphic description of yer' near disaster. 
    Undoubtedly, yer' inner doors and Chucks look like members of the same
    family as he also ground about an inch off'n 'em during his belly
    landing.  I don't know what was the matter with him...he commented
    several times after taking off that he was a nervous as a cat and, sure
    enough, he blew it big time on landing.  Then, after the near fatal
    go-around, instead of going up and cruising around a bit to settle his
    nerves and think things out a little, he turned directly back onto
    final for the belly landing.  I remember thinking "I bet he forgot to
    put the inner doors up" but it was too late to say anything and I
    watched as he ground them to nubbins!
    
    Oh well, hopefully he won't soon again pull another boner like this one.
    Chuck's called me every day since the near disaster to tell me he's
    "still sulking" about it. :B^)  Bottom line is that Chuck's near fiasco
    was living proof of the old adage that "A bad approach = a bad landing"
    almost every time.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    For those who might be interested, the latest issue of Model Aviation
    contains a short article and some pix of our 1/8 Air Force Scale Fly-In
    of last October.  Chuck Collier will be tickled as his Byron
    Staggerwing appears in two color pix, one in flight and the other in
    the pits.  To Kevin (Ladd) and Kay, the Corsair in the 1/2 page
    masthead is by the same guy you've seen at prior fly-in's (Dave Smith,
    the Hog-farmer from Show Low, AZ).  This is his new Corsair with which
    he plans to try some scale competition so he's a bit more conservative
    with it but is still partial to low inverted passes.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

I was rambling thru a magazine in some random section (free flight or
maybe indoor) and came across something that I'd like clarification of.


I'll quote a bit out of context (I copied one page).

==========================================================================
TRIMMING PLASTIC FILMS:

Heat has proven to be the best way to trim the plastic films used
on Pennyplanes, Intermediate Stick and Easy B models.
...
Plenny Bates has experimented with discarded medical cauterizers to trim
this film; a typical cautery uses two pin cells for power.  Three volts
brings the nichrome cutting tip to a red heat, which is far too hot for
cutting film.  Plenny has developed a temperature control modification
...
==========================================================================

OK guys - what kinda plastic are they talking about on Pennyplanes and
Easy B models?

Can this apply to Monokote or any of the technologies we use?
Do we have any generic use for a cauterizers?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    I know of one generic use of cauterizers...
    
    Stop blood flow while the Snowman is trimming a sailplane 8^)
    
    Seriously, I didn't think anything special was needed for trimming
    microfilm and wasn't aware that the indoor guys had found anything
    better. I'd be very careful before melting any of the commercial films
    to trim them. Many plastics give off nasty (read poisonous) fumes when
    burnt.

    The type film they're talking about isn't Monokote or anything we
    use. I don't know the trade name but it's like a thin celluloid
    or cellaphane. Note the type of plane they mention, these types
    are too heavy and fast for microfilm, but too small and light
    for Monokote, etc.
    
    Cauterizers may be one of the few tools on the face of the earth
    that we don't need...yet.
    
    Terry

    Well, Chuck and I went out Sunday for a short session with our friend
    Jim Bridgewater.  I had the ol' Yeller' Peril, with new tailwheel strut
    and fresh rudder hinges (the 3rd set of hinges and about the 4th-5th
    tailwheel strut), Jim had his Saito-twin powered Super Cub, and Chuckie,
    who's still sulking over the near fatal stunt he pulled with his Baker 
    Jug last Sunday, didn't bring anything...said he was still mad at
    his'self and he wasn't gonna' give his'self another chance to screw up! 
    ;b^)
    
    Nothing special to report about the session except to say I wanted to
    assure myself I was over the late-flare-on-landing-syndrome I'd lapsed
    into and this turned out to be an ideal session to do just that.  For
    some as yet unknown reason, I never quite got the O.S. .61 FSR-ABC
    exactly dialed in and landed 3-4 times per flight to tweak the needle
    valve so all those landings gave me ample opportunity to make a
    judgement regarding my recent flare problems.  In 12 or more landings,
    I'm tickled to announce I flared every one of them and every landing
    was from better than average to a real paint job.  This being the
    second session where this was true, I know feel like I'm over what ever
    it was that was causing the problem and my self-confidence has returned.
    H'ray, h'ray....!!
    
    Still don't quite know what was going on with the engine; I went
    through 2-plugs in just 4-or-5 flights and _still_ never quite got 'er
    dialed in.  I'd just bought 2 fresh gallons of 10% Cool Power fuel so
    I'm really hoping it's not a fuel problem...it _shouldn't_ be but you
    never know.  It was a weird day, starting fairly cool, warming to
    T-shirt level then cooling off again so it _could_ just be that I was
    chasing the temperature and never quite caught it...we'll see the next
    time out (which will be for the 1/8 AF Spring RC Scale Fly-In, 15-16-17
    March). I can't go out this coming weekend...gotta' go to a big camp
    out and BBQ at a friend's property NW of Cave Creek, Arizona.
    
    Oh, I nearly forgot, After Chuck and Jim had left, I finally got the 
    chance to cross another thing off my list of "Things I Always Wanted 
    To Try...At Least Once."  There was a guy flying a powered Rogallo-wing 
    ultra-light a coupl'a hundred yards away and, after he'd finished, he 
    taxied it over to our strip and parked to watch.  Turns out he's a modeler 
    too and had a glider with him, waiting for this guy who comes out with his 
    glider tug with which he piggy-backs everyone's gliders up all afternoon.
    
    We got to talking about his ultra-light and other things aeronautical,
    flying the Peril between times, and eventually, I mentioned that
    someday I hoped to try an ultra-light, if the right opportunity ever
    popped up.  "Hell, you wanna' try mine?" he asks.  "You bet'cher l'il
    red wagon!" I responds.  Next thing you know, after a short ground
    school, I'm strapped into the seat, reach up for the pull starter and,
    with a yank, the 2-cylinder, 35 HP snowmobile engine comes to life.
    
    Reassuring myself I _really_ wanted to do this and appreciating how
    angry Kathi's gonna' be if I kill muh'self, I taxi across the runway
    and over to the area this fella'd been flying from earlier.  Repeating
    the instructions, I advanced the throttle, waited to feel pressure on
    the flight-bar, then pushed it forward and rotated skyward.  That was
    the only thing that felt a bit peculiar: pushing the bar to go up and
    pulling it to go down but the adjustment came instantly.
    
    Climbing out, I tried my first gentle turn and it was no sweat so,
    staying clear (upwind) of the model area, I continued a series of
    climbing turns until I was about 1500 feet up (no altimeter). 
    Throttling back, I just floated around with the wind in my face and
    felt like this was probably just about as close to pure flight as a
    human was ever gonna' experience.
    
    I stayed up about 25 minutes, then pulled the power to just above idle
    and began a circular descent.  Sailing out over the thick puckerbrush
    before turning onto final felt a little lurky but I had the luxury to
    power up and go around if I blew the approach so I didn't get excited
    about it.  I'd deliberately set up final a little longer than I thought
    necessary so I could drag in under power and this worked to perfection.
    With the tops of the Palo Verde trees just a few feet beneath me, I
    reached the edge of the clearing, eased the throttle off, then pushed
    the bar forward, flaring to a perfectly acceptable landing.
    
    What an experience!  I asked Loren (the owner) why he'd risked his
    machine on someone he'd only just met and he replied that, watching the
    ol' Bucker and talking about my years as a licensed pilot, he knew he
    had nothing to worry about.  I thanked him profusely for providing me
    the opportunity and, awhile later, left for Chuck's to tell him what'd
    happened.  Now we were even for the Staggerwing ride he got and I
    _didn't_ after the Masters in Dallas last year!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Re:

>    Reassuring myself I _really_ wanted to do this and appreciating how
>    angry Kathi's gonna' be if I kill muh'self,...


  My wife would wouldn't wait until I killed -myself-, she would have done
it for me when she found out what I had done! 


>    the bar forward, flaring to a perfectly acceptable landing.

  'perfectly acceptable'......sounds kinda' fishy to me.  I would say that
any landing you can walk away from is 'perfectly acceptable'!!  8^)


   Glad to see you've got your 'flare' for flying back!



                          Jim

    
    

    Wow! Al, 'nother great story from the master!! Felt like I was with ya'
    as you putz'd aroun' thuh 'rizona sky.
    
    Gee, I wonder what my wife (can't believe I got one :-) ) would'a done.
    I know she refused to go up in a tandem glider with my gliding
    instructor in Bangalore, but then, she had _never_ flown in a plane.
    
    I suppose she might let me go up in a glider as I used to fly before,
    but ultra-light? Dunno...
    
    ajai
    

    Re: last-2,
    
    Well, I haf'ta admit ta' having a few misgivings about the adventure
    but was totally confident of my ability to fly th' thing.  Having
    somewhere around a thousand hours in light aircraft before quitting the
    full-scale stuff 16-years ago, I had no trepidation about takin' the
    ol' bod up into the blue and I knew the control system was extremely
    simple and easy to adapt to...just pretend the flight-bar (trapeze) is
    stationary and move yer' body in the direction you want to go.  Fact
    is, I'da been a lot less likely to take off solo in a light plane as
    there's a far greater possibility I'd overlook something important.
    
    But, with this simple machine, it'd be nearly impossible to overlook
    something as there just isn't much to be concerned with; the only
    instruments were a tach and cylinder head temp. gauge.  Also, this
    ultra-light was equipped with an emergency parachute rigged to the top
    of the kingpost and stored in a neat canister behind the seat...if all
    else failed, pull the ripcord.  Anyhoo, I felt completely confident
    with the idea and jumped at the opportunity since it might well be the
    only one I ever get.
    
    The flight was just plain splendid!  As I said, other than a hang
    glider, this has to be just about the purest form of flight a human can
    experience, just floating along with yer' entire bod exposed to the
    slipstream.  The air was almost dead calm and smooth so the ride was
    especially enjoyable; after almost a solid week of rain and wind, the
    air was particularly fresh, the sky a startling deep blue like I've
    only seen in the southwest with just a few fluffy white clouds to
    decorate the firmament.
    
    It was a kick, to be sure, but don't jump to any conclusions, I'm not
    gonna' run right out and buy one (though Loren said his total
    investment was about an affordable $5K).  I've got enough expensive
    pastimes as it is and, with unemployment a certainty in just 3-weeks,
    Kathi'd skin me for sure if I did any sush a foolish thing.
    
    Oh, another thing I should mention; the last 5-6 times out to
    Puckerbrush Int'l Airport, we've been visited, sometimes more than
    once a day, by a gorgeously restored Stearman PT-17 in beautiful yellow 
    and blue, WW-II trainer colors.  The guy relishes in making low passes
    (wheels just 6' off the ground) right up our 700' dirt strip so, as
    soon as he appears, we ground all the models and let him play.  He
    comes by waving and wagging his wings and we all wave back while
    drooling in envy over his airplane...I'm not sure who enjoys it more, 
    him or us!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Al-
    
    Fly an ultralight!!  After you wouldn't go out to Turf with us to fly
    in a "real" plane (glider).  Are you sure when they did your eye, the
    scalpel didn't slip and gouge your brain?  I don't think I'd like to go
    any higher than I'm willing to jump in a hunk of fabric and sticks.
    
    Anyway, it sounded neat!  :^)
    
                           __|__                              Regards-
    \________________________O________________________/       Frank.    

    

    Re: .-1, Frank,
    
    That's not quite accurate.  It wasn't a case of "wouldn't go."  It was
    more a case of couldn't _afford_ to go at the time.  And remember, my
    sweetie (Kathi) gave me an aerobatic glider ride for my b'day last
    June.
    
    To be real honest, I think I felt more secure in the ultra-light than
    in the sailplane.  I think it has to do with the engine granting the
    freedom to land when and where you want to without concern for finding
    lift 'n all that jazz.  Let's face it, I'm just a "power man" througn
    and through and just don't get much of a kick out of the gliders in any
    scale.  No criticism, that's just the way _I_ am and I certainly won't
    knock those who enjoy gliders.  (I'm not _that_ stupid!)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    I just had ta' show y'all what someone did to my Desert Rat logo. 
    ANTIQUITY is another notesfile I participate in and I posted a parting
    message in it's noters sign-in last week.  One of the foreign noters
    (from Norway, I think) named Mauritz, did the following mod's on the
    ol' logo and I thought it was a riot so I wanted to share it with you. I
    should mention that the allusion to "Vikings" stems from the fact that
    I'm half Irish and half Danish and that "The Vikings" with Kirk Douglas
    and Tony Curtis is my all-time favorite movie.  The "horned helmet"
    reference refers to a discussion where it was revealed that _real_
    Vikings seldom (if ever) had horns on their helmets.  Enjoy......
    
                         __
	|      |        / |\	     >-%        (\___/)       /--
      	|______|__(o/--/  | \	        \       / o o \      /
       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | ----------\______\ `-' /_____/
        |\)____/___|\_____|_/             \ O O O O O O O  /
        |	  |___/	 o	           \______________/
			

                There goes the
             "Desert Viking" on his
            last voyage to Valhalla      (Funny, he doesn't look
            (you can tell him by his       like Kirk Douglas)
                horned helmet)                   /
		     /	                        /
      	            /                          /
      | |        00                 | |     00
    |_|_|        (O>o	          |_|_|   o<O)
      |     \__(O_\_	            |      _/_O)__/
    


          Adios from the far north also, Al.

    Mauritz

Hey Al - the good news is I've found a way to eliminate some of your
excess money.

Just poking thru last nights edition of the Zenith Books catalogue and
came across the following MiG related stuff.

==========================================================================
Air Enthusiast Quarterlies
  There are several issues available but one I'll quote

  NO.29.  Moscow's remarkable museum; JU 88; V-Bombers; Army Neptunes 
  in Vietnam .............................................110197C  $8.95
==========================================================================
OKB MiG
A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft

Butowski/  A comprehensive history of the famous Soviet MiG design bureau
and its products.  A noted Polish aviation historian, the author has had
access to much previously unreleased MiG reference data.  Includes all 
prototypes, testbeds and production aircraft, but with special emphasis on
the jet era.  Over 300 photos capture many details including cockpits, 
powerplants, etc.   Hdbd., 8.5"x11", 216 pgs., 300+ ill....115252  $39.95

==========================================================================

Their order number is (800)826-6600

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Thanx, Kay,
    
    I may order the air Enthusiast as the Moscow Museum is, according to my
    artist buddy, Jerry Crandall, who's seen it, pretty fantastic and they
    have either a MiG-1 or -3.  I'll probably pass on the other one as 40-
    Samolians is a bit stiff for a book mostly about jets.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

While were waiting for Al's report on the 1/8 Air Force Fly In here
is an interesting note copied from the Flying notes file.

I found it fascinating - here goes...

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################
                <<< MEIS::NOTES$:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FLYING.NOTE;4 >>>
                             -< General Aviation >-
================================================================================
Note 2395.1               Concorde loses tail at MACH 2                   1 of 6
SHAPES::BOARDMANK "I hate quotations"                90 lines  15-JAN-1991 06:50
                          -< Some notes on Concorde >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    (Mr Moderator - do you want to make this the generic Concorde note?)
    
I have just come back from our monthly PFA meeting.  Tonight, as a speaker
we had arranged a BA Concorde pilot to give us an overview of flying the
beast.  This was the lucky guy who flew P2 to Oshkosh last year.

Much of his talk was "standard" stuff, but I noted the following points which
I, at least, thought were interesting.  Noted as he spoke...

*  Last week I flew to Lapland (Concorde does "Santa" flights).  The route
   took us at Mach 2 up the coast of Norway, right up towards the Russian 
   border.  I spotted 2 fighters converging from the right.  Bodo radar
   advised us they were Norwegian F16's.  Here I sit, in my shirtsleeves
   with 100 passengers behind me sipping champagne, watching two F16's slip 
   astern - unable to keep up with me!

*  Recently I flew a charter load of Dallas businessmen on a 21-day 
   circumnavigation of the world.  Cost was $41K per head.  We did 39000
   miles in 33 hours flying - breaking 12 world records.

*  Concorde conversion training lasted 6 months, of which 5 weeks is
   simulator training at Filton.  Landings cannot be adequately simulated
   so this is followed by 6 hours of actual circuit practice at Prestwick
   in an empty Concorde - at $60K per hour.  Conversion costs $1M per
   pilot.

*  Concorde utilisation is very low by subsonic commercial standards - 
   about 100 hours/month.  Highest BA airframe has 13K hours, and the
   lowest just 7K hours.  Several planes have had a major overhaul at
   12k hours.  The inspection revealed absolutely no corrosion whatsoever.
   Heating of the surface to 125 degrees C on every supersonic flight
   drives away all moisture.  Next inspection is due 2003, and extensions
   are expected.  No parts of the airframe are lifed.

*  Concorde burns 21000 kilos of fuel per hour with reheat on takeoff - 
   per engine!

*  During cruise the engine intakes suck in air at Mach 2.  This has to be
   reduced in the space of 11 feet to a subsonic speed (around 500 kts)
   before entering the compressor.

*  Following engine failure, the intake air is automatically vented downward
   to bypass the inoperative engine.  This vectored thrust is so powerful
   that the plane rolls away from the dead engine, not towards it.

*  Push-back from the ramp is effected with just two engines turning.  Four
   engines at idle generate enough thrust to overpower the tractor.

*  In cruise the sonic boom track is forty miles wide and seventy miles long.
   The horizon is 300 miles away, and the view from 60k feet covers a quarter
   of a million square miles.

*  Last year I travelled on the QE2 across the Atlantic.  I visited the bridge 
   and arranged to talk to a pilot colleage who was flying Concorde.  The
   plane was vectored to fly directly overhead the ship, and I spoke to my
   colleague at 50k feet using a hand-held!

*  The plane is rather slippery with no airbrakes - but at 31000 feet we can
   go to reverse idle thrust on the inner engines, to increase the rate of
   descent.

*  The plane is full Cat 3, with autoland.  Decision height is 15 feet (with
   the pilot 35 feet above the wheels); RVR is 1500 feet, and crosswind
   limits are 30 knots.

*  We flare by holding the nose at 11 degrees AOA.  12.5 degrees hits the
   tailwneel first, and slightly more scrapes the thrust buckets.  We ease
   the nose down and as soon as it hits we push the control column fully
   forward and hold it there while we activate the thrust reversers.  If
   you don't push the column the nose rises when you go into reverse thrust!

*  In Concorde you get to see the sun rising in the west, and setting at
   three times its normal speed.  You can clearly see the approaching 
   shadow of night.

*  Concorde is twenty years old and uses fly-by-wire technology - but dosn't
   have any software second guessing the pilot.  You try to roll the plane
   on its back, and it will try to do it.  You wouldn't get me up in an
   A320!


The MD81 tomorrow won't be quite the same...

       	       	       	       Sigh...Keith

 

This weekend I did a number of RC related activities. First off was Friday 
night I watched the latest DECRCM tape and got a look at Eric's new creation.
He's topped himself. I think this 1-IM is even uglier than the PANIC. In fact,
its so ugly I like it.

Saturday, two big local clubs were having a combined auction. I was really 
looking forward to going since I'd never been to one of these shindigs before. 
It was suppose to start at 3:00 PM and run to 11:00 PM. The weather man was also
predicting rain so it sounded like an excellent way to spend the afternoon. 
About 2:00 PM I started getting depressed because the sun was shining and it was 
absolutely gorgeous outside. The perfect day to be out flying instead of cooped
up in an auditorium. 

I went anyway and found something I wasn't quite expecting. They had the 
auditiorium set up with rows of tables and the 'auction" turned out to be more
of a swap meet. I found out later that the actual auction didn't start until
8:00PM that night. I was looking to pick up a couple of OS25's if I could find
them but I didn't have any luck. Nothing else really caught my eye and the 
beautiful weather outside was beckoning so I left empty handed and went home
to fly. 

The flight was the first one for my Concept since I mounted it in the Hughes 500
fuselage my wife gave me for Christmas. I managed to knock the rust off of the
sticks with three flights that afternoon. The fuselage made things interesting
because I noticed the effects of wind more. Hovering crosswind I noticed a 
definite change in trim I had never noticed before. In forward flight it was 
great. The fuselage really improves the visibility of the ship. I spent a lot of
time doing low level high speed passes because they looked so neat.

Sunday it rained all day so I spent the time pondering what to do about engines 
for my A-26 Invader. I had intended to use the OS25 FP. Now I find I may not be
able to get them and the price seems to have gone up too. Tom T. mentioned a
rumor about OS a couple weeks back about the engines not being available. I 
checked with one of the local hobby shops and the fellow there stated that the
workers at OS were threatening to go on strike. In response to this, the owner
decided he didn't need the grief and shut down the plant for a year. The owner
views the glow engine business as just a sideline to his large scale live steam
locomotive business. The hobby shop owner said that he and other shop owners
were spending time at auctions buying up any OS engines they could find because 
of this. Has anybody else heard this rumor?

Anybody got a recomendation for a good .25 engine other than OS? Chris Spohr 
suggested the Royal .25  It's cheaper than the OS but is it CHEAP?

I finished off the weekend Sunday night by starting in reading a book about 
Jackie Cockran (sp). I picked the book up at one of those travelling book store
deals. My wife needed another book to get a bigger discount and this was the 
only aviation related book I had seen so I figured what the heck and got it. I
really like it so far. It's made several of the golden age racing planes come 
alive for me.  

OK, here goes on my last report of a 1/8 AF RC Scale Fly-In in Notes.  Any 
subsequent reports will haf'ta be entered by Kevin, Kay, Eric or Dan Miner,
assuming they're able to attend future events.  BTW, don't look for coverage 
of this meet in Scale R/C Modeler; as a result of Norm Goyer's recent [almost 
racist] suggestion that the chairman of the Scale Rules Board should be an 
American citizen (a direct attack on Dave Platt), the One-Eighth Air Force  
authorized a letter to Challenge Publications' publisher, Ed Schnepf(sp?) 
requesting that he admonish Mr. Goyer for this latest in a long series of 
attacks, inaccuracies, misinformation, uninformed commentary, ad nauseum and 
that he direct that a retraction/apology be printed and restraints be placed on
Mr. Goyer in the future.  The letter also stated that, until these things
occur, Mr. Goyer is no longer welcome at any 1/8 A.F. event.  

Let's start with the weather.  Once again, we seem to have proven the comment 
of a regular participant several years ago who commented that, if a hurricane 
descended on the Phoenix area the weekend of our fly-in, the hurricane's eye 
would hover over the field long enough to pull off the meet.  We had a cloudy, 
windy and finally rainy day Friday before the meet and the weather forecasts 
didn't appear too optimistic.  However, Saturday was just fine, though a bit 
cool during short periods when cloud cover would block the sun.  Sunday was 
clear as a bell, warm and sunny so we got away with another one.  (Note: the 
weather has socked in again - it's raining outside as I write - and we're 
expecting three storm fronts to move through the area this week!)

Saturday AM dawned crisp and partly cloudy; snow was clearly visible on the top 
third of the Superstition Mountains about 20-miles to the east as testimony to 
the storm that passed through during the night. (I slept like a baby Friday 
night with the rain beating on the roof of the motorhome.)  I rose early and 
made breakfast while the coffee brewed, getting out among 'em about 7:45 AM.
Registration signed up some 150+ airplanes and flying commenced about 9:30. We
got started a bit late due to the fact that our transmitter impound person 
failed to show up with the spectrum-analyzer, freq. control board, etc. At last
we decided that this was 1991, we were requiring 1991 equipment ONLY, so we let 
everyone pick whichever of the 5 flightlines they preferred...all we would do 
was assure that only one transmitter at a time was issued on a given frequency.
This proved the theories as we had not a single case of frequency/radio problem 
all weekend.

Many of our regulars from California were absent this year due either to the 
weather, committments to attend Top Gun next month or both.  The slight down-
sizing, however, made for a more comfortable, easier managed meet...there was 
opportunity for more flights per pilot and I think that fact was appreciated by 
all.

Early into Saturday's flying, an ENORMOUS C5B Galaxy, powered by what appeared
to be 4 PUNY .61 engines (the 11" props barely cleared the perimeters of the
nacelles and were invisible in flight and even fairly close on the ground), 
roared aloft.  This thing had about a 15' span and every jaw on the field was 
heard to hit the asphalt when the pilot kicked it into a beautiful 4-point roll 
at barely 15'altitude!  I KNOW, it wasn't prototypical but this guy proceeded 
to put on one sizzling aerobatic routine with the big bird; perhaps the topper 
was the inverted low pass with the "T"-tail sraping along barely a foot above 
the runway, seemingly scything the weeds that grew along the edge.  Terrific 
show!

Later, a guy with a huge Ziroli C-47 deposited paratroopers straight along the 
runway centerline to the delight of spectators and pilots alike.  Dennis Crooks 
put in a blistering flight with his SR-71, recently re-engined with the new O.S.
.65-size .91 ducted fan engines...the flight was just flawless as is the norm
for Dennis when everything's really cooking for him.  The F-Troop guys had
brought 5 identically finished Citabrias.  I had the pleasure to test-fly
F-Troop Commander Pete Sepulveda's on Friday and the supreme DISpleasure to be
at the helm of another that was totalled Saturday afternoon.  The ailerons were
backwards but I never caught it because the plane had been flown successfully
on Friday and I _assumed_ everything still had to be OK...little did I know
that the servo-reverse switch had been thrown during some maintenance Friday
night! 

Saturday night, we all trekked out to "The Miner's Camp," a famous local 
restaurant styled after an 1880's miner's mess hall.  It was dusk when we 
arrived at the site, directly beneath the massive vertical west escarpment of 
the Superstitions and the sight of the snow-covered summits was breathtaking.
Inside, for $12.50 a person, we feasted on beans, salad, rolls, BBQ'd ribs, 
roast beef and chicken, ALL YOU COULD EAT!!  We had some announcements, gave 
away some door prizes, then I was humiliated before God and everybody when Pete 
Sepulveda presented me with a "trophy" hastily made by gluing the tailfeathers 
of the totalled Citabria to a wood plaque with the milled-wooden numbers, 
3-16-91 at the bottom.  Pete's definitely in for some comeuppance the very next 
banquet program we throw!  ;b^}

Sunday AM was clear as a bell with a cloudless, bright blue sky to fly in.  
Most of the flying was a repeat of Saturday with the exception of a couple of 
crashes, most notably the C-47 which tore off a wing and hair-lipped the nose 
by careening full throttle into the safety netting (and poles) when the pilot 
failed to "get out of it" as it hooked severely on takeoff.  Fortunately, it 
will fly again.  A gigantic Stuka with onboard sirens was nearly lost to a flat 
battery pack but excellent pilotage on the part of Bill Hemple Jr. of Tucson 
saved it after a harrowing ride.  Dennis Crooks had to land the Blackbird 
prematurely after the gear failed to retract and one of the tuned pipes blew in 
flight but it came off well and no damage was sustained.  Amazingly, Brian 
O'Meara flew all weekend without incident (but only after having the entire 
stab/elevator of his Baker Jug flutter severely Friday in practice).  Brian had 
a gorgeous new Vaillancourt Hurricane but it wasn't quite ready to fly.

Flying was stopped at 3:00PM and awards were given.  Col. Bob Thacker repeated 
a previous win (or two) and received the Gray Eagle award for the oldest 
registered pilot.  People's Choice went to the C5B Galaxy of Bill Hemple Jr., 
followed closely by Dennis Crooks SR-71.  Best General Aviation Flight went to 
Rick Anderson's Lazer with Bob McClung's gorgeous giant-scale Liberty Sport in 
2nd-place.  Best Military flight went, again, to Bill Hemple Jr's C5B.  The 
Frank Scioscia Craftsmanship went to F-Trooper Doug Crumley's L-19 Bird Dog.
Oh yeah, this year, everyone who crashed severely was presented a "Smacked Ass" 
T-shirt and, naturally, it was felt I'd earned one so I shared the honor(?) 
with the plane's owner, one Terry Helberg from F-troop, and am the proud owner 
of one of these splendid(?) articles of apparel.

With everything over with, and with nothing more on my mind than getting home, 
Chuck Collier's wife, Heidi and Linda Crooks got a wild hair, took up a 
collection and went after pizza.  So, after dark, the Crooks, Colliers, Bob 
Frey, Kent Walters, myself and several others were hunkered around a campfire, 
eating pizza and leftover pork ribs, beans etc. Heidi'd feted us with Friday 
night.  Seemed like a fitting conclusion, somehow, to another fun filled 1/8 AF 
RF Scale Fly-In.

P.S.  We sure missed our Massachusetts 1/8 members this year...hopefully Kevin 
and Kay can make it next year - and anyone else who'd like to attend.  Y'all 
come!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Mark Antry is on the east coast for some training. A group from the
    full-scale Flying notesfile will be getting together with him at DB
    Coopers in Nashua NH tomorrow (3/20) night around 6pm. I'll probably 
    stop up to say hi (I can justify a day/afternoon at ZKO ;^)
    
    We don't have a keyword or topic for visiting noters so this seemed
    like the best place for it.

As always Al - your descriptions are the next best thing to being there.

Tell us more about...

The C5 Galaxy:  What kind of 60's.  Any published plans?  Color and markings?
  Westover AFB in Mass has scads of C5's and they have been going over
  constantly to support the Golf War.  Were these .60 rotating in different
  directions?

Norm Goyer:  I know he is controversial - but aren't you guys making a big
  thing out of nothing?  What does (did) Dave Platt have to say about this?
  What issue and page was the controversial comment on?  You may not agree
  with Norm but you have admitted in the past that at lease he creates 
  controversy because he CARES about scale.  I've been think about Dave
  Platt's Zero lately as I slave over my Royal Zero nightly.  Was Norm
  or any of his people at the fun fly?

Rubber power:  Wasn't there suppose to be a face off between you guys and 
  the F Troop with a rubber powered competition?  How about some rubber 
  details?  As my planes get bigger and harder to transport I've been 
  thinking of bringing a rubber plane to go against the F-Troop with.

Was Eldon Wilson there?  If so what did he bring?  If so you must remember
  at least one Eldon Wilson joke.  If not do you now why?  I think he
  has a son that might be in the Golf?

Any models of Iraq planes?

Was Brian's "Rudder Flutter" (try saying that 10 times fast) on a Platt
  Zero?

SR-71:  Tell us about .65 sized .91's?????

Dan Parsons:  Was he there - what did he fly?

Al Casey:  Did he fly the MiG 3?

Col. Bob Thacker:  What did he bring (I assume it was something new)?  There
   has been some press about his building a VTOL plane.

Your T-shirt:  Please tell us all the vivid details.  How high did you get
   the Citabria before you earned the shirt?  Did you since trouble right
   away?  Did you know what was wrong before it hit the ground?  Do they
   have enough dihedral to have saved it by only using rudder if you had
   realized the fowl up?  How big was this Citabria?  

Radio stuff:  Anybody have any new odd channels?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

Well, I see Kay's had his morning coffee...

    Re: .2493, Kay,
    
    Sheeeeeeeeesh!  Are ya' sure ya' can't come up with anymore questions
    that that???  :B^)  That's what'cha get for not attending this year! 
    ;b^)
    
    Seriously, I'll try to respond to yer' "20 Questions" but will take it
    off-line to do so and post the response later.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>Tell us more about...
>
>The C5 Galaxy:  What kind of 60's.  Any published plans?  Color and markings?
>  Westover AFB in Mass has scads of C5's and they have been going over
>  constantly to support the Golf War.  Were these .60 rotating in different
>  directions?

*  I never looked at the bird that closely so I didn't take note of what kind'a 
.60's were used...all 4-engines rotated the same direction.  The plane was, to
the best of my knowledge, scratchbuilt by Bill Hemple Jr., son of Bill Hemple
who owns Hobby Barn in Tucson...I know of no plans being available for it.  It
was done in a green/gray/black camouflage scheme and was a tad on the rough
side viewed close up, perhaps from past encounters with terra-firma, which
isn't too hard to visualize when you've seen the low-level aerobatics performed
with the big ship. 

>Norm Goyer:  I know he is controversial - but aren't you guys making a big
>  thing out of nothing?  What does (did) Dave Platt have to say about this?
>  What issue and page was the controversial comment on?  You may not agree
>  with Norm but you have admitted in the past that at lease he creates 
>  controversy because he CARES about scale.  I've been think about Dave
>  Platt's Zero lately as I slave over my Royal Zero nightly.  Was Norm
>  or any of his people at the fun fly?

*  I'm not sure I've ever said that Norm creates controversy out of love for 
scale.  More correctly, he usually creates controversy out of bad, limited or 
nonexistant knowledge of the subject.  I had nothing to do personally with the 
letter sent to publisher Ed Schnepf; in fact, it was a done deal by the time I 
got wind of the situation.  The letter highlights many past instances where 
Norm's seat-of-the-pants style has probably done actual harm to RC and asks
that he either be made to be more responsible/accurate in his commentaries or
replacesd with someone who will.  Frankly, I have no problem with any of that
but have gone on record with the 1/8 A.F. that I don't condone banishing Norm
from our events as I feel this is taking a more political posture than the
group ever intended; also I feel places us at the same level as Norm by taking
such action.  In any event, Norm nor no one representing SR/CM attended the
meet altough an article _is_ being prepared for _some_ magazine. 

>Rubber power:  Wasn't there suppose to be a face off between you guys and 
>  the F Troop with a rubber powered competition?  How about some rubber 
>  details?  As my planes get bigger and harder to transport I've been 
>  thinking of bringing a rubber plane to go against the F-Troop with.

*  Yes, there was "supposed" to be a rubber shootout but the F-Troopers didn't 
bring any planes so it was postponed 'til the October Fly-In.

>Was Eldon Wilson there?  If so what did he bring?  If so you must remember
>  at least one Eldon Wilson joke.  If not do you now why?  I think he
>  has a son that might be in the Golf?

*  No, Eldon didn't attend this year and I was unable to find anyone who knew 
why.

>Any models of Iraq planes?

* NO.

>Was Brian's "Rudder Flutter" (try saying that 10 times fast) on a Platt
>  Zero?

*  Nope!  Did I forget to say it was on his Baker Jug?  Oh, and it was the 
entire hoizontal stab and elevator, bot the rudder that fluttered.

>SR-71:  Tell us about .65 sized .91's?????

*  I don't know any more about them except to direct you to the engine review 
on this engine in the current Model Airplane News.

>Dan Parsons:  Was he there - what did he fly?

*  No.  Dan missed his firsts Spring meet in history by accepting an invitation 
to visit a mutual friend of ours, Bruce Schamber, down in Naples, Fla. and go 
boating/scuba-diving in the Keys.

>Al Casey:  Did he fly the MiG 3?

*  Yes, once Friday in practice.  I was kept just busy enough during the actual 
meet that I never even got either the MiG or the Bucker registered.

>Col. Bob Thacker:  What did he bring (I assume it was something new)?  There
>   has been some press about his building a VTOL plane.

*  Col. Bob had an old beat up Kfir along.

>Your T-shirt:  Please tell us all the vivid details.  How high did you get
>   the Citabria before you earned the shirt?  Did you since trouble right
>   away?  Did you know what was wrong before it hit the ground?  Do they
>   have enough dihedral to have saved it by only using rudder if you had
>   realized the fowl up?  How big was this Citabria?  

*  The T-shirt is COLORFUL, to say the least:  a crashed biplane lies in the 
desert before a bright sunset/rise in the form of the Arizona flag, i.e. bright 
red and gold rays radiating across the horizon.  "1/8 Air Force Smacked Ass 
Award" is lettered across the top and bottom.

The Citabria was a fairly small one with a 4-cy .80 in it and was grossly 
overpowered.  All controls were set WAAAAY too sensitive and it came off the 
ground rolling.  I knew immediately something was wrong with the ailerons and 
tried to rudder it out inverted but the rudder and full down elevator produced 
a high speed inverted snap into the ground...it was over in a micro-second and 
the plane never got more than eyeball high!

>Radio stuff:  Anybody have any new odd channels?

*  Yes, I believe there were 3-or-4 lower end odd channels used.  No problems 
were experienced.

PHEEEEEEEEEEW!!

    Hey Chief,
    
    I hate to state the obvious, but it seems like you forgot your
    pre-flight check - perhaps 'cuz the Citabria was flown the previous
    day! :-)
    
    I try to be religious about pre-flight checking, including wiggling
    sticks to ensure appropriate control surface responds, checking clunk
    is free, radio  antenna is fully extended, antenna is screwed in tight
    into base, ESV shows TX battery [at least] to be healthy, etc.. etc..
    
    Invariably, I end up forgetting a coupl'a items on the mental checklist
    every now and then, which I remember *after* my plane is airborne!! Maybe
    the cure is to tape a list to the TX back or something...
    
    'tis, alas, the human factor in the equation. Sorry to hear about the
    mishap - it could have happened to anyone of us.
    
    ajai
                                                

    Ajai,
    
    >I hate to state the obvious, but it seems like you forgot your
    >pre-flight check - perhaps 'cuz the Citabria was flown the previous
    >day! :-)
    
    *  I think I admitted as much in my note covering the 1/8 Fly-In.  As I
    stated, the aircraft _HAD_ been flown the previous day and I made the
    mistake of "assuming" that things must be OK owing to that previous
    flight.  But, a-HA! The owner (who is a novice, not yet capable of solo
    flight) had done some(?) kind'a maintenance Friday night (which fact he
    failed to mention until AFTER the fact) and had inadvertantly thrown the 
    servo reverse switch.  Not much of an excuse, I've admitted, but one that 
    highlights the folly of "assuming" ANYTHING in this sport of ours.  Yes, I 
    _should_ have caught the backwards ailerons (which I _would_ have, had this
     been the test-hop, as I ALWAYS check for this on a brand new bird) but it 
    was made all too easy for me to overlook it under the circumstances I was 
    dealing with and I simply made the wrong assumption.
    
    I felt so bad about it that the F-Troopers went out of their way to
    assure me that I felt a lot worse about it than the plane's owner did. 
    But, even so, I'd lost any desire to fly _anything_ for the remainder of 
    the meet until, bless their pointy heads, they MADE me get back on the 
    horse and forced me to fly another one of the 4 surviving Citabrias.  I
    was _more_ than a tad snake-bit at the beginning but soon warmed up to
    the bird and put in a good aerobatic routine with it, concluding with
    as nice a landing as I've made recently.
    
    Moral of the story, going back to discussions way back when I was new
    to RC_notes: You're never so experienced in this sport that you can't be 
    humbled in a hearbeat!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    For the past few weeks, I've been putting together a last ramble.  I
    started early enough to have time to include everything and everyone I
    wanted to mention (which I hope I accomplished...please forgive me if I
    missed anyone/anything).  My intention was to post this last ramble on
    my last day (one week from this coming Friday) but, the IM folks have
    been systematically shutting down our cluster, a little more every day,
    and I can no longer be certain just how much longer I may be able to
    access NOTES.
    
    To miss out on getting my farewell ramble posted would upset me almost
    as much as my having to leave NOTES in the first place.  So, rather
    than risk any unfortunate surprises, I've decided to go ahead and post
    the farewell in the following reply.  Perhaps this is just as well as
    I'd like anyone who hasn't already done so (and who desires to do so)
    to put yer' vital info in the Desert Rat's Mailing List topic so's I
    can extract it before they turn off the lights for the last time.  I
    don't recall the topic number off hand but a DIR/TITLE="*MAIL*" should
    pull it up fer' ya's.
     
    Please don't procrastinate as, like I alluded above, I don't know how
    much longer I'll have to access notes before they pull the plug.
    
    Gracias, amigos!
		    				 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Al,
    
    Don't get me wrong - I posted my note with an intention to
    commisserate!! It could have happened to _ANYONE_, and I tried to
    portray that through relating my personal experiences with my 
    numerous flights last year...
    
    Who are these F-troop guys? Is it similar to the Civil Air Patrol?
    
    ajai
    

    Best of luck, Al.  I feel like I know you even though we have not yet
    met.  I speak for all of the local HTA's when I say that there will be
    a big void in RC notes when you depart.  I was really moved by your
    farewell note and I feel lucky to have been a part of RC notes the past
    four years.  
    
    
    Keep 'M Flying,
    		Charlie
    

    The reply note number didn't look quite right, so I went back and
    looked to see you have posted your farewell note, Al!
    
    Cripes! It is that time already, huh? You can be sure that I personally
    learnt a great deal from your lucid, articulate, and very informative
    if not funny posts all these years! I have admit I even learnt a few
    "tricks" when it comes to the art of writing, from reading all that you
    wrote. Thanks too for being soo prompt and liberal with giving me (and
    others) advice when I got stuck.
    
    It felt good to know that you were "watching" me as I progressed,
    stumbled and finally soloed last year. Kind'a like Luke's guru in
    Starwars! I am sure you will be "there" whenever I fly  - maybe you now
    realise the effectiveness of your postings!
    
    Anyhow, leaving DEC is not the end of the world. We'll keep in touch.
    
    ajai - the - injun
    
    

    Re: .2501, Ajai,
    
    No sweat, pard', I wasn't upset...it just sounded like you were saying
    the same thing I'd already said as if I hadn't said it.  Huh....??????
    
    Who are those F-Troopers, you ask?  They're just a bunch of crazees
    from So. Cal. who have a VERY loose orginization that does essentially
    NO thing except build, fly and promote scale (mostly military).  They
    began, actually, as a parody of the 1/8 Air Force but the concept has
    persevered/flourished.  I was flattered to have been "drafted" into the
    group at last March's 1/8 AF Scale Fly-In and have enjoyed every moment
    of my association with it.
    
    Pete Sepulveda is the prime motivator and commander (4-star General) of
    the group as well as editor of the group's newsletter, "The F-Word." 
    Tht should give you some idea of the basic complexion of the group; the
    F-Word is the funniest, most entertaining newsletter going, bar none and
    the group in toto are just a bunch of fun-loving, loveable goof-ups!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

>  <<< Note 239.2504 by UPWARD::CASEYA "THE DESERT RAT (I-RC-AV8) 551-5572" >>>
>                 -< CIVIL AIR PATROL....?  HARDLY....!!  :B^) >-
...
>    Pete Sepulveda is the prime motivator and commander (4-star General) of
>    the group as well as editor of the group's newsletter, "The F-Word." 
>    Tht should give you some idea of the basic complexion of the group; the
>    F-Word is the funniest, most entertaining newsletter going, bar none and
>    the group in toto are just a bunch of fun-loving, loveable goof-ups!
...
More like the "Uncivil Air Parole".

Hey Al - how about burning a copy of all the F-Words you have and DEC
mailing them to me.  I will in turn copy and distribute to anybody that
wants one.

P.S.  It is official my mail stop has finally changed to match my office
      change that happened several months ago.  

Kay Fisher
BXB2-2/E06

Remember what Yogi said


It ain't over till it's over

Or was it the desert rat that said


The flight isn't over till the propeller stops

Hey - what is that high pitched screeching sound


Oh No - The Fat Lady is singing...

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    
    
    	Al,
    		Over the years your "Ramblings" and aid to fellow noters
    	have been both enlighting and inspiring to one like myself just
    	a few years into the hobby. And, YES ! , we just had to try
    	some of them new tips, especially the one about glassing. Son-
    	of-a-gun if it doesn't make ya wanta give the ole "Plastic"
    	stuff the boot in light of a nicer finish. Just wanted to mention
    	that so ya know for sure those "tips" sure helped a noter like
    	myself stuck remotely somewhere between Arizona and Mass.
    
    		And we'll miss those updates too! Great stories told
    	like a real entertainer. So, with that, thanks for everything
    	and good luck to whatever comes your way !
    
    
    	Carl
    

    Firstly, I did the DIR/TITLE="*MAIL*" to be sure it worked and, sho'
    nuff', it pulled up "THE DESERT RAT'S MAILING LIST," topic number 1281
    so all y'all who haven't yet and wish to, please put yer' address etc.
    in 1281 soon so I can extract it before they pull the plug on our
    cluster.  Gar-cee-ass!
    
    Re: .2504, Kay,
    
    "Uncivil Air Patrole," I love it!  :B^)  Sounds like a perfect
    nom de plume for the Troopers.  Regarding copies of the F-Word, I have
    a single copy from sometime last year in my desk which I kept for the
    mailing list of the members.  I could copy this one and send it yer'
    way.  Unfortunately, I just recently cleaned house of model mags,
    newsletters, etc. in the "Library."  It'd gotten to where I couldn't
    raise the lid on my skivvy-hamper anymore.  ;b^)  Therefore, one copy's
    the best I can do currently.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    
Al,

	Well, I've started a reply about 15 times now and it never comes
out right. I guess it never does when you have to say goodbye. 

I don't think there's any doubt in anyone's mind that RC NOTES and AL CASEY 
are synonymous. The humor, expertise and guidance you've provided will be 
referenced for as long as RC NOTES exists.

As you mentioned, the ability we have to communicate with fellow RC'ERS
across the globe is truly amazing. In a way, I know how you feel. With
everything that's been happening in the company these last couple of years,
the thought of not being a DECIE has crossed my mind more than once. Every
time I think about it, one of the first things that comes to mind is
BUT......I WON'T HAVE NOTES ANYMORE. It truly is a resource to be treasured.

Even though we have yet to meet face to face, I would not hesitate to say
Al Casey????? Sure I know him. He's a good friend of mine. That's really
the way I feel and is one of the great things this notes file does. After
talking back and forth for so long, meeting becomes just a formality. Every
one already knows each other.

Be assured you will be missed and I wouldn't be surprised at all to hear that
your phone is all of a sudden ringing off the wall with people calling with
their questions instead of using notes. I look forward to continuing to
read about you in the mags and watching you scoff up win after win. I will
also make certain (as I'm sure others here will) that you receive video's
once in awhile of the antics going on back east. See, even leaving the
company won't get us out of your face. We'll haunt you forever.

Damn sam, there's so many idiots in this company that still have jobs, why'd
they have to pick on you!!!!!!!!! I know, that's life and we all go on. It
sucks anyway.

Be well my friend. Keep em flying and keep em winning. As Spoc would say

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER.

Adios......

Steve

    I agree with Steve, it really is hard to say goodbye. I've been amazed
    at the breadth of knowledge Al's contributed and the humor that has
    brightened the day at times when I've needed it. Being a contractor,
    leaving the company from time to time is more of a reality for me and
    several times I've nudged a job decision towards a DEC position due to 
    the wealth of info in notes.
    
    It was funny hearing your voice after the eye operation and being able
    to talk to you as though I knew you even though we've never met or
    talked before. Through notes I really DID know you. Had the same thing
    happen last night meeting Mark Antry. "Hi, how are you? How do you get
    the glass to lay up when bagging?" ;^)
    
    I look forward to the time when I can walk up to the ol' Rat himself
    and say Hi and thank you for all the help I've recieved through your
    notes with a proper, firm handshake. Until then, I'll be watching the
    mags for tidbits of news and hoping people will share bit of
    corrospondence from you.
    
    Best of luck, Al and may you get as much out of the hobby as you've
    already contributed.

    
    I too, wish to extend my thank you for all your help, both personally,
    when we flew together and thru your input into the notesfile.  If, or
    when, I actually relocate to Phoenix (and that's now questionable
    again), I hope to see a lot more of you and some of your 1/8th Air
    Force buddies I have met.  As long as I am with DEC, I'd be more than
    happy to act as your conduit into RC Notes and post "write" and "reply"
    for you.
    
    Let's be sure we stay in touch.
    
    My very fondest regards, Chuck
    

    Re: 1281.44, Randy,
    
    I'd love ta' meet you on CompuServe.  Onliest hitch is I don't own a PC
    and right now isn't the time to be making the investment to buy one. 
    Oh well, good thought.......
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Al, the PC is optional. You should be able to get in with just a terminal and
modem I think. Maybe we should all take up a collection and get Al a VT100,
modem, and Compuserve membership as a going-away present?

Randy

    Al,
    I have been a read mostly noter in this conference for the last 2 years
    but I feel in that time I have gained 20 years worth of knoledge thru
    your notes. You will be deeply missed by this noter.
    
    Randy, great idea!
    
    -Jerry
    

    Re: .1281.46, Brian,
    
    Thanx, Pard'.  I don't know when I'd ever have occasion to be in
    England but it _is_ one of my ambitions so who knows?.  BTW, I
    recognize yer' node (KERNEL::) from the days when Bob Day was a regular
    noter from Basingstoke.  I heard a rumor he was back in the UK...have
    you heard anything of him?  Should you happen to run into him, please
    say hello and goodbye from the ol' Desert Rat and tell him the T-shirt
    he sent me continues to provoke questions anytime I wear it.  Gracias.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    I'd hate to have Al feel lonely, being the only one (so far) leaving
    Digital, SO...
    
    I wnated you guys to know that I've put in my resignation from Digital 
    to management effective 3 Jun 91.  Now, that means I may be here until 
    then, or I might be out the door tomorrow!  I'm leaving Digital to 
    assume control of our family owned business consisting of a retail 
    jewelry store located in Center City Harrisburg (PA) as well as a 
    jewelry manufacturing and goldsmith facility located nearby.  It's an
    opportunity I simply can't pass up (and don't want to!), but be assured
    I _will_ miss all of you!  Thanks for all of the friendship and
    knowledge; I won't soon forget ...
    
                           __|__                              Regards-
    \________________________O________________________/       Frank.    

    

    Adios, Frank,
    
    Need any help??  :B^)  :B^)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Hi Al!
    
    I have been asked to announce this here today so it doesn't get missed
    in your last couple of days...
    
    Please be on the look out in the next couple of weeks for a package
    from me.  In it will be a small token of appreciation from all of
    us radio control modelers here at DEC.  We hope that it in some small
    way shows you the great appreciation we all have for you for all of the
    knowledge and fun that you have shared with us.
    
    We had hoped that we would get it out to you by now, but things are
    coming together more slowly than we expected.  But we did want to 
    let you know about it before you left.
    
    Thanks again from all of us Al, we are all really going to miss you!
    
    cheers,
    jeff
    

    Oh, didn't I mention what it was??  Oh well, you will just have to
    wait and see.. But we are pretty sure you will like it... :-)
    
    Cheers,
    jeff
    

    Hi Al,
    
    Along the same lines, I've been collecting things for another group
    gift. I'll even tell you what it is ;^)
    
    Parallel to Jeff's efforts, I've been collecting pictures from noters.
    The idea is to put together a "yearbook" where each set of facing pages
    will have pictures/stats of each noter. Since most of us are just
    getting out of the workshop, things have been a bit behind in getting
    it together but it's coming. It will also have a looseleaf format so
    that additional pages can be easily added as people get their pictures
    in (hint hint) and events happen that we want to include pictures from.
    This will hopefully put some faces with all those noters out there you
    infuenced over the years. This will probably get into the mail at the
    end of April.
    
    To the rest of you:
    
    Keep those pictures coming in 
    
    Jim Reith
    LTN2-1/F02
    
    and please send me email at imokay::reith stating what's coming from
    whom so I can plan ahead.

    Re: .2517 & 18, Jeff,
    
    That certainly isn't necessary but I really appreciate the gesture (or
    will I?).  ;b^)
    
    Re: .2519, Jim,
    
    Sounds like a winner, amigo.  I'd love such a keepsake as a reminder of
    the ol' notesfile.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
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      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    I suspect you will very much enjoy it...  and don't thank just me..  it
    is from all of us...
    
    cheers,
    jeff
    

    Well, to be perfectly honest, just having access to notes and being a
    part of it for the past [almost] 4-years is really reward enough but,
    you got it, Pard', THANX IN ADVANCE TO THE ENTIRE NOTESFILE FOR WHATEVER 
    IT IS YER' 'A COOKIN' UP!
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

  Gee Al,  it's too bad you don't live in the greater Maynard area.
Then we could give you a 'proper' send off.  I know of this belly
dancer that we'd hire for you.  She is something else!!!!  We've
hired her for numerous going away parties and ton for ton, she's
worth every penny she charges.  The only problem is she has a habit
of renting out her gut to advertisement agencies and shows up at our
parties with billboards plastered to her navel (full size billboards).
When she gets moving to that music....oooooooeeeeee...everyone steps
back (about 50 feet).  

  It's quite the scene...and your gonna' miss it!  Too bad......8^)





                           Jim

  P.S. One time we called her and asked for 2 of her dancers...she showed
       up alone! We're talking a BIG! 8^)  
                  

    Well, there's no more avoiding it.  The day I've dreaded but had
    deluded myself might not _really_ come, is here at last...my last day
    at Digital.  I'm a mere 4-hours or less from walking out the door for
    the final time.
    
    But, for the first time all week, the weather is bright, clear and
    sunny...and, strangely, so is my mood.  As I sit here, resplendent in
    my temporary badge, I find I feel like I've at last been disconnected
    from an anchor I've been dragging around for the past 5+ years, during
    which time I've/we've been forced to be witnesses and unwilling
    participants in a crash course on how to mismanage a once flourishing 
    plant into extinction.  That fact has, perhaps subconsciously, kept me
    in a low-level state of depression all the ensuing time and I've had
    little-to-no ambition to do much of anything except kick back in the
    recliner and doze the evenings away in front of the boob-tube.
    
    Now, however, with the imminent prospect of having this burden lifted
    once and for all, I find I'm being recharged with motivation I haven't
    felt literally for years.  I'm actually looking forward to replacing
    leaky faucets, cleaning up the yard and doing other fix-up projects
    that've gone wanting for far too long a time.  AND, I can't wait to
    muck out the workshop, clear the decks and start laying up a new
    airplane or two!  I feel rejuvenated!!
    
    Taking that last walk out the door will be quite easy but logging off
    from this notesfile for the last time, deleting my notebook entries,
    and shutting down my VAX account will, I fear, be one of the most
    difficult things I've EVER had to do in my lifetime!  I just don't know
    how I'm going to get along without my daily "fix" of RC-notes and all
    you terrific noters...I expect the withdrawal will be scarcely easier
    than that from a hard drug.
    
    At the 11th hour. yet one more benefit came my way:  Pat Robinson up in
    Canada is sending me a 1949 Andersen Royal Baby Spitfire .049, the very
    first gas engine I ever owned at age 11-12.  I managed to ruin that
    engine doing uneducated "kid things" to it but, with a tremendous flush
    of nostalgia, I now have an opportunity for some convoluted kind of
    atonement and this little reminder of my modeling roots will be treated
    like the most valuable of gemstones!
    
    But enough of this, I've already posted my farewell in .2500 and can't
    really add much to it except to say, one final time, THANK YOU all so
    very much for allowing me to be a part of RC_notes...I'll miss it and
    all of you much more than mere words can ever express!  Allow me to
    once more include my address and phone number and PLEASE, Please, call
    or write me any time, for any reason whatever.
    
    Adios, mi amigos and vaya con dios,
    
    		AL CASEY
    
    		13148 N. 21st AVE.
    
    		PHOENIX,
    
    		AZ	    85029
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Good luck, y'all,
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Just because Al is not here doesn't mean we can't ramble!

Anyway - one of the Rat's last deeds was to send me a copy of
the F-Troop's news letter the F-Word.

I made several copies.  Part if this issue includes Frank Tiano's
answer to Al Casey's complaints about the static judging of his
MiG 3 at the last Top Gun Invitational.

For your very own copy send me mail at Tallis::Fisher and let me know
your DEC mail stop.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    I used pieces of this in my last newsletter and got several reactions.
    I loved the little box, "If you fly, you crash. If you ain't crashed,
    you haven't been FLYING. Plain and simple!"
    
    I think the most reaction came from my posting of the "10 ways to kill
    an organization". We got volunteers for both field cleanup materials and
    the fun-fly P^)

Yesterday I went to heaven! It all started when my beeper went off at 6:30 
yesterday morning. Normally, that be the pits and it certainly didn't help that 
I suspected the page was about one of our FE's in trouble at a rail yard. 
Fighting rush hour traffic to drive across town to a slum where the yard
is located so I could cross a picket line to get to the broken computer didn't 
sound like any  fun at all. 

But fortune smiled on me because when I answered the page I found out that the 
problem was one of our engineers had been working all night at Flight Safety.
Yippee! If you're not familiar with Flight Safety, they provide simulator 
training for the airlines. This office houses six simulators for various models 
of airliners. The VAX that was broke was hooked up to a 727 simulator. These 
are the large full bore simulators that sit up on a hydraulic platform and have
a complete cockpit set up on the inside. Pilot views are provided by 
projection monitors hooked up to the windows. 

With the help of the engineer I was supporting, we started working down thru 
the problems present on the VAX. At first the simulator wouldn't work at all.
Then I got that problem resolved and most of the simulator would work but the 
landing gear wouldn't come down and engine 2 would affect engine 3. It was 
fascinating working thru this with the customer because to analyze the problem
you have to know what the indicators are telling you. Was the problem a real
hardware problem or was something screwed up in the aircraft being simulated?
After looking at the engineer's board on the simulator, the customer decided 
that he had everything he needed to extend the gear so therefore we had a 
hardware problem. Eventually, we traced this to a bad Unibus cable.

Now it was time to see if all the problems were gone. Back to the simulator 
with me being invited to take the co-pilots seat. Close the door and next thing
you know we're in the night sky over Kansas City International. The lights of
the cars travelling on I-29 in front of the airport are clearly visible as is 
the landmark radio tower to the south in Kansas City proper. No problems so far.

Next they punched a few buttons and we're sitting on the ground in Washinton
D. C. The Washington Monument looms menacingly close at center-right while the  
Capital building is visible off further to the right. The customer shoves the 
throttles forward, the gages jump to full power and the 727 starts cruising
down the runway. At about 140 nauts he pulls back on the stick and up we go. 
Now, in the back of my mind, I know the bridge to the simulator is down and 
therefore the hydraulic  actuators are locked out but when we when we started 
climbing out I could have sworn I felt the cabin tilt back.

Then we saw the original problem that the customer was trying to fix. As the 
lights of the city wheeled smoothly across the windshields, every now and then
they'd halt and suddenly jump ahead. The customer called this stepping. They had
eliminated the obivious in their equipment and needed help eliminating the 
possibilities on the VAX end. We had to try several different things to 
eliminate all the possibilities from the VAX end and each time we had to troop 
over to the simulator and take it for a spin to see if the problem was still 
there. Rough work but somebody had to do it. 8^) Unfortunately, we couldn't 
find anything in the VAX to make the problem go away. They have to go to the 
simulator manfacturer  for help. I was hoping we'd get to fix it because if 
you fix it you fly it.


                                    

I realize this has little to do with RC modeling, but the facts are just
so astounding that I thought I'd repeat them here. The May issue of Car &
Driver had an article on Top Fuel dragsters that caused my chin to continually
drop to the floor. The "4 Minute Mile" of drag racing these days is 300 MPH,
and what they have to do to get there in just 1/4 mile is astonishing.

Here are a few facts gleaned from the article:

ACCELERATION:
	When the dragster leaves the starting line, it does so with 5.5 G's
	of acceleration. That's similar to what a jet fighter pilot 
	experiences in a high G turn. The driver's foot has to be lashed to
	the pedal so he won't back off inadvertantly. It reaches 100 MPH in
	one second... that's about 79 feet, or 3 lengths of the dragster. As
	it screams through the 1/4 mile mark at over 280 MPH, its on board
	computer dutifully notes that it still is producing more than 1 G of
	acceleration, which is more than a Porche 911 Turbo pulls in first 
	gear.

FUEL:
	97% pure nitromethane, $950 per 50 gallon drum, and they use over
	2 drums in a weekend of racing. The dragster consumes 8 gallons of
	fuel in 2 minutes... AT IDLE! At full power, the engine snorts down
	1 gallon of fuel PER SECOND. How do you get that much fuel into the
	engine? Well, you start with fuel lines which are - are you ready for
	this? - 1.5 inches in diameter. You then have a custom fuel pump 
	built which delivers the nitro at a pressure of 150 PSI or more. The
	fuel tank is in the front of the dragster, so the acceleration helps
	push the fuel towards the monster engine. 

DECELERATION:
	At the conclusion of the run, the driver has two stopping options:
	the $7000 composite disk brakes used in the F-16, which deliver 3.5
	Gs, and the twin parachutes which pull on his tail with up to 6 Gs.
	The driver says it feels like hitting a brick wall. The force is so
	strong that it throws the fuel to the front of the tank, effectively
	starving the engine and acting as an unintended kill switch.

ENGINE:
	You think your YS45 pumper with tuned pipe is pretty hot? Or maybe
	your Corvette ZR-1 is unbeatable? This 500 cubic inch monster is
	believed to produce in the vicinity of 5000 horsepower... they haven't
	been able to find a dyno that can measure it. And even if they did,
	the engine's life at that power level is only about 60 seconds. The
	engine is capable of spinning up from idle (2000 RPM) to 6800 RPM in
	one tenth of a second.  And it certainly needs all that power... the
	dragsters relatively high Cd of 0.7 requires 2,500 hoursepower just
	to pull it through the air at 250 MPH. The engine is completely 
	stripped down after every run, and the following items are checked:

			ITEM				EXPECTED LIFE IN RUNS

		Crankshaft and connecting rods			20
		Transmission				   75 seconds
		Clutch ($7000)					1
		Differential					4
		Supercharger ($3500)				1
		Tires					   20 seconds

		Cost per 1/4 mile run = about $7500
		Cost of a single chassis plus engine = $87,000

There's plenty more interesting facts in the article, like how do you
actually get 5000 horsepower down onto the track without melting the tires,
and what it feels like to blow over backwards at 170 MPH, and what happens
when the fuel system delivers too much fuel (which is a liquid after all, and
incompressible) to a cylinder, and what kind of Rube-Goldbergian device
controls the clutch, and how much downforce is created by the rear wing,
and.....

But you'll have to read it yourself.


Dave, who has new disrespect for his K&B .20

    I don't know Dave, your Skoota would be pretty untouchable with the K&B
    on 97% nitro...
    
    The flames are invisible!

    
    
    Just in case anyone get an idea to try some additional Nitro I priced
    some 60% for a guy in my club who wanted some for a formula 1 race
    plane.  Our cost was 68.00 a gallon ready for your glow engine.
    
    
    Tom

Here's a hot item.  From the June RCM page 144.

An add for Air Combat Units - little devices that you strap on your top
wing and they emit an infar-red beam.  Your flying friends strap one on 
their aircraft and they likewise get a beam.  The back of the unit receives
only the others pulse stream - that is allies can't shoot each other down.

Kinda like a high tech version of the paint war game.  Looks like great fun.

There a little big (3.5x1.5x1) and a little heavy (6 oz) and a little
expensive ($64) but hey - that kinda describes every plane I own :-)

If you get hit your unit trails a 3 foot streamer and ceases firing.

And just in time for father's day!

Check it out!

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

Speaking of wind tunnels.

For folks who care about such things in the Jun-91 Model Aviation
the Control Line Aerobatics column by McMillan has a section
about a guy who works for NASA and has a portable wind tunnel.
Check it out.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

Re: 239.2528  

Interesting about the Top Fuel dragsters. I did not realise they were quite 
that powerful. Unfortunately in Sydney our do-gooder noise abatement lobby has 
successfully eliminated the event from our sporting calendar.

The quoted figure of 5000bhp from 500cui percentage is probably more than we
can achieve in our motors. FYI the F3D Pylon .4cui engine I use produces 3.1bhp
at 29,000rpm, measured on a dyno. That is 7.75bhp/cui compared to 10bhp/cui
for the Top Fuel dragsters. We use 80% methanol 20% castor oil; no nitro.

Did the article say what the remaining 3% of the fuel was. I imagine it must be 
some form of igniter to get the nitro to burn, also did it mention the danger 
of pressurising the nitro. I cant recall exactly but I thought it was critical 
at 4 bar.

John

	The article didn't say what the other 3% of the fuel was, but implied
	that 97% pure nitro was about as good as you get, so the rest must be
	unwanted impurities.

	There was no mention of danger in compressing the nitro. Considering
	they're running the fuel line at 150 PSI or more, it can't be too
	critical.

	Dave

I am declaring a VIDEO Emergency!

For the last 3 years we have been using the DEC mail system to ship our 
DECRCM video tapes around.  In order to avoid the legal problems dealing 
with copyrighted data I have made it a policy not to back up our tapes
and be our own insurance company.  We have so far lost 2 tapes
that I have replace - an acceptable loss in my opinion.  However
at this moment 3 others are long over due.  

Several people have send me copies of a memo which expounded how
Digital will be throwing away non-business related mail.  I don't
think this has affected us because the missing tapes have been
missing since before the "idle threat" mail started circulating.

But sadly I must admit that the DEC mail system has broken down.
Being an authorized user doesn't negate the fact that our
tapes are missing.  So - things gotta change.

I have slowly been circulating the tapes back to myself in order
to re-label (changing volume numbers and my address).  At this time
I would like to take the opportunity to also re-organize the
Video Tape distribution system.

Sooooooo

For the next week or so I intend to do NOTHING.  I would appreciate
your suggestions.  My current vision of the new revised Video
distribution goes along the following lines.

I would find volunteers to represent geographical areas (ZONES).  My only
contact with the volunteers would be to coordinate the inter Zone 
transfer of tapes. Each Zone representative would maintain a distribution
list (chart - whatever) for each volume in his possession and return
the updated list to me and the next Zone representative to receive
each tape.  Also it would be nice if the Zone representatives would
collect donations and just forward me a check every so often.

The problem comes in when you have large geographical areas with
only one member or so.  Of course nothing says you can't be a zone
representative and the only member - but this can only work if
we have a reasonable number of zones.  For instance I envision
a Zone for Marlboro, a zone for BXB/LTN/Mill, a zone for Southern NH,
etc.  Between individuals and facilities within a Zone the method
of transportation of tapes would be up to the Zone representative.
That is - I'm a results oriented kind of guy.  But using the DEC
mail system does not appear to be a viable alternative (in general).

So - think about the problem a bit and if you have any suggestions
pipe up.  

If anybody reading has no idea what I'm rambling about please read
note 1204.*.

Respectfully,
Kay R. Fisher - your volunteer DECRCM video librarian.

    Legally, you can make copies of video tapes, audio tapes, etc. for your
    own use. You can make a backup copy of the tapes. This was originally
    settled in the case of software and has since been expanded to include
    audio and video tapes. As an example, if you purchased a CD, you can
    copy this onto a cassette and play the cassette in your car.
    
    The manufacturers and the holders of the copyright want you to buy more
    tapes/CDs/cassettes. That way they make more money.
    
    Since DECRCM has purchased the tape, DECRCM can make a backup copy.
    Don't be fooled by the warning on the tape, they all overstate their
    legal rights.
    
    So, I suggest that a single copy of each tape be made and that this
    copy be the one that is circulated. In order to avoid the legal
    problems, another copy should only be made if the first copy is somehow
    destroyed.
    
    	Marty Sasaki

    Last night at our club meeting a guy from the city parks & rec.
    dept. showed up and asked for our (written) input as to what we
    wanted in the way of a glider field on city property, other than
    those parks we currently use. 
    After picking ourselves off the floor in surprise, we formed a small
    committee who will meet next week and draft a reply.
    
    It seems the city needs input as to how to develop several thousand
    acres of land earmarked for future parks and the areas to be developed
    are not suitable for horsemen and shooting range enthusiasts (the
    two large and most vocal groups), and the power fliers already have
    a city developed facility, so now the glider guys have a chance
    at a land grab.
    
    This will take time to come about, but it will be interesting to
    see what happens.
    
    Terry

    What city? This is amazing. I didn't think that cities did this
    anymore, hard econmic times, etc...
    
    	Marty Sasaki

    Alburquerque, NM

    Only one "r" in Albuquerque since the 18th century, but the Dukes'
    decendents occasionally visit.
    
    The power field was built over 20 years ago, but the glider guys
    just used vacant lots here and there until 4-5 years ago when it
    was demonstrated that we didn't violate the noise ordinances that
    banned model planes from city parks. Since then we've used one ~20
    acre soccer field in the off season and smaller parks other times.
    
    With the new areas to be developed, it will give us a year-round
    large field(s).
    
    Terry

i finally got around to reading the article in the latest issue of
srcm about last spring's 1/8th af fun fly.

the actual article is by bob/marty? petro but norm has an editors
forword.  in it he "profusely" thanks the 1/8th and roy pratt (president)
in particular.

if you didnt know the story behind the story (roy wrote a real flaming letter
to the publisher of scrm, among other things, saying norm was a turd and
never again welcome to 1/8th events (this mostly over norm's attack of dave
platt)) you'd probably be confused by some of this "praise".

but given that context norm clearly has his thumbs in his ears and is wiggling
his fingers...  i especially like the part where norm says that thanks to the
letter to the publisher, i have been assigned more work.  that is code for
'hey, your stupid letter to my boss didnt get me fired!'

i can't say i approve of 'ole norms behavior, but when not taken too seriously,
his shenanigans are amusing!  i wonder what al thinks?

Maybe that 'more work' is that he is assigned additional tasks to
get him out of the SRCM drivers seat...like washing floors and
windows, for instance.

The desert rat will be happy to know Kevin just qualified and should
meet him in Las Vegas.

Sooooooo

I will ramble a bit on the Scale Master's qualifier in Westfield
this last weekend.

Both days were nice - sunny Saturday and mostly cloudy Sunday.
Wind was modest and generally not a factor altho it was mostly
a cross wind and gave some of the lighter tail dragger pilots
some problems.

There were 4 categories and from the total of all entries they
were able to qualify 5 for the Masters.

The five qualifiers are selected from the top five of the combined
Expert and Giant Expert classes.

There only 9 entered in Expert and Giant Expert.  
Charley Nelson won Expert and Tom Kechevski(sorry) won
Giant Expert.  Kevin was 3 points behind him in 2nd place
in Giant Expert with his P-47.

Kevin's jug got an 87 static (about what he expected) and we flew
two rounds Saturday and 3 Sunday.

Kevin had a major problem trying to make the jugs natural pattern fit into 
the limited airspace allowed.  In the first round we got a 84 or 87.
and one red warning flag.  In the second round we got a 44 because along
with our 2nd red warning flag they zeroed the rest of the flight.

Had we ever flown on flight line one we probably would not have had
any problem.  I must note that even they had two flight lines they were
close together and we were literally flying our pattern at the same
time and in the same space as another plane every flight.  Not only
did we have to spot the other contestant and abort and go around before
starting some maneuvers but we had to try and guess what the other
contestant was about to fly.  If he did a loop then we might have to go
around again.  So frequently we were entering the judging area to perform
some maneuver while the other contestant was in front of us finishing
his last maneuver.  Very hectic and hardly what I would call safe.

Anyway on day two Kevin puts in 3 good flights (not counting the fact
that on one landing the gear wouldn't come down so he had to yank
the stick a few times to force it out).  The last flight was a 91
and tied with Charley Nelson for the highest flight score of the meet.

Saturday during static judging there was a scale fun fly.
This was great and there were maybe 3 times as many planes Saturday
as Sunday.  One of the nicest was a 1/3 scale clipped wing Taylor-Craft.
Beautiful.

One fellow had a scratch built Warthog that had a OS .32 heli tractor
on it and he used the jet engine nacelles as speed brakes.  He had a
butterfly valve in each nacelle and it flew great.  6 flaps!

Gotta go - Kevin will fill in details.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

I was off on vacation the last couple of weeks. The time leading up to our 
departure was pretty hectic so I didn't have a chance to prepare for my 
annual building spree at my in-laws. So at the last moment, I thru my Xacto 
knive, some extra blades, CA, and a razor plane in my flight box and off we 
went. First chance I got, I went over to Balsa USA and  bought a kit and 
some other supplies. I was really tempted to buy their 1/4 scale cub except I
don't have an engine that pull it and I couldn't figure out how to truck 
the thing back from Michigan with out leaving behind a couple of the kids.  

I've got too many flying machines sitting in my basement unflyable because
I don't have the engine or engines to fly them. So, after giving some thought
to what engines I had available and what they were selling, I decided on the 
Force One. If your not familiar, that's their mid-engined delta winged pusher. 
Since most of what I've built has been a roll-your-on type affair, it was 
pleasent working with a kit were everything is already cut out for you. The 
kit itself just had some minor problems like the wood for the TE cover strips 
had been cut 1/4 inch too short.  

I tried to imitate Dan Snow and have the thing done in a week but other things
got in the way. Three weeks into it, I've got the top of the fuselage/wing half
covered. With a little luck, I might get the thing finnished in time to fly 
this weekend.  I've decided to have one of the more experienced fix wing pilots
take it up for it first spin. Despite assurences by the designer that it's easy
to handle when throttled back, a 45 powered delta wing is a far cry from the 
Goldberg Electra that I have most of my fixed wing experience on.

Having someone else fly it first will also allow me to get some video of it for
Eric. Hopefully, I'll do a better job than the friend I had taping one of my 
Concept 30 flying sessions last week. He didn't do too bad untill I suddenly
pulled up vertical to do a stall turn. On the tape you see the heli 
cruising along horizontally, and then you hear a loud "ARRG" and the camera is
pointing all over the sky.

I got  lot of heli flying in over the last coupla of weeks. It's really helped 
my skill level to be able to go out every day for some flying. Not that there 
haven't been some shakey moments. The worse was while flying up in Michigan. The
field is out in the sticks and while the chopper was crusing along about 80 feet
up this huge horse fly lands on the end of my nose. Now, I've gotten use to 
things chewing on my elbows while flying and not being able to swat them but 
there was no way I was going to be able to ignore that horse fly. They hurt! 
I dumped the collective and did an emergency landing way out on the field 
before the fly decided where to bite. What a relief.  

>I don't have the engine or engines to fly them. So, after giving some thought
>to what engines I had available and what they were selling, I decided on the 
>Force One. If your not familiar, that's their mid-engined delta winged pusher. 

WOW - R U in for a surprise.

Kevin Ladd picked one of these up at an auction and WOW.
It is one hand full - perhaps he can send you a copy of the
video he made of it.  The thing goes like lightning and
every landing is a controlled crash - course he has enough
power in it to accelerate vertically!

WOW!

May the "Force" be with you.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

RE:239.2546

>WOW - R U in for a surprise.

>Kevin Ladd picked one of these up at an auction and WOW.
>It is one hand full - perhaps he can send you a copy of the
>video he made of it.  The thing goes like lightning and
>every landing is a controlled crash - course he has enough
>power in it to accelerate vertically!

SH*T!!!

The kids are cute. I'd probably been better off to sell a couple 
of them at a good price and bought the 1/4 scale Cub. 8^)

Oh well,
At least it should make for some entertaining video footage.  

ignore the force-1 bashing for now.
i've only flown mine twice.  in violent wind and with a completely
unreliable engine.  my force-1 has a glide rate of a brick i
believe because its nose heavy.

the force-1 MIGHT be a good ship once i set it up right.  with a
como 51 mine sure does scream...

kevin

>ignore the force-1 bashing for now.

Actually, when I bought mine another fello walked in to order something 
and started telling me how much he loved his and gave me all sorts of tips
on it. From that I figured I wouldn't be too bad off. Still, I haven't heard
a lot of positive things about it since then.....
 
>i've only flown mine twice.  in violent wind and with a completely
>unreliable engine.  my force-1 has a glide rate of a brick i
>believe because its nose heavy.

How much does yours weigh and where you got the CG at according to the plans?

>the force-1 MIGHT be a good ship once i set it up right.  with a
>como 51 mine sure does scream...

I've got my old Enya 45CX on it. The plan calls for a 45. We'll see what 
happens.

    I went to the (full-scale) airshow at Hanscomb (sp?) Air Force Base
    this last Saturday.  The Thunderbirds were the grand finale but
    there were various other planes flying throughout the day.  One in
    particular caught my eye.  After it flew, I went to where it was
    parked and tried to identify it.  Painted under the tail was
    "YAK-11".

    Horray!  I can be a hero of Al Casey's if I can get a bunch of
    pictures and send them to him - 'cause I remembered that this is the
    object of his next scale project.  So I spend a few minutes taking
    the last 12 pictures I have left even though I know I won't have any
    film left for the Thunderbirds.  Ah, it's for a good cause though...

    After waiting almost 3 hours to get out of the parking lot, I get
    home and call Al.  Excitedly, I tell him that I've got a bunch of
    pictures of a YAK-11 that he can use for his next project.  I was a
    bit surprized that he didn't sound excited, but just replied in that
    Arizona drawl of his "Well, there were some similarities between the
    YAK-9 and the YAK-11, such as the landing gear..."  After a few
    minutes of conversation back and forth, I come to realize that he's
    building a YAK-9, _not_ a YAK-11.  Rats!  Oh well, most of the
    pictures I took should be of some help to Al anyway.

    The ol' Desert Rat said to say "Howdy" to all the noters...

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Castor Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

	  The past 2 weekends were spent playing host to a
	  continuous stream of guests from as near as Boston, and
	  as far as Detriot, and pretty much wiped out further
	  progress on the WOT4 for the past 2 weeks.

	  However, I had prior knowledge that two of my guests
	  would like to get a taste of RC flying - and used the
	  excuse to get my First Step back into shape.

	  During the frozen finger fun fly on Jan 1st, 1991, I had
	  broken my tail wheel hinge. It is the kind where the
	  hinge 'tongue' is sandwiched between the fuse
	  side-skins, where they meet at the aft end, and the wire
	  that supports the tail wheel is bent in an inverted "L"
	  shape, and stuck in a hole in the rudder.

	  I couldn't find the same type of hinge, and besides, my
	  rudder hinges - the plastic strip variety - were in
	  shambles after 90 + hours of air time. It was time for
	  major reconstructive surgery.

	  The Du-Bro variety of tail wheel assembly lends itself
	  to easy on field replacement. I decided to steal the one
	  I had got ready for the WOT4 to save time bending the
	  music wire, and fiddling with wheel collars. The rudder
	  needed some patience before I could yank it off the two
	  remaining strip hinges that secured it.

	  I decided to go the Robart hinge route, partly because
	  it appears sturdy, and partly because I wanted to
	  rehearse glueing a control surface prior to doing it on
	  the WOT4. Unfortunately, I couldn't use the
	  jig-and-drill-in-press route, but the manual brass tube
	  twirling technique went rather quickly, and more
	  important, painlessly. Also, I was surprised that I
	  drilled all of the holes straight, without gouging the
	  covered sides. I put in 4 hinges, compared to the
	  previous 3, so I must have been in a real mean mood!

	  The tail end of the fuse, that originally held the
	  tongue of the previous hinge, was a bear to drill. Not
	  only was there residual plastic material, but I also had
	  to deal with rock hard 'wood', thanks to the generous
	  drippings of CA that had been applied during the couple
	  of field repairs.

	  Resorting to a twist drill didn't help. The plastic
	  ridge in the centre would get me off centre, and it was
	  impossible to work my way back! Then it dawned on me to
	  use the tiny ball shaped bit that comes for my dremel
	  tool.

	  At 30,000 RPM, CA met metal. CA fumes (surprisingly
	  enough!) filled the air. Metal won. CA lost. I had to,
	  and could recentre the bit a number of times, but it was
	  a snap compared to trying that with a twist drill! The
	  neat thing is the dia of the spherical bit was 1/8",
	  just right for the Robart hinge I was using!

	  I sealed (with film) the now defunct slots for the old
	  hinges, to eliminate one more path for getting the
	  aircraft fuel soaked. I used 30 minute epoxy, and
	  everything was going fine until the 20th minute, when
	  terror struck in my heart!

	  I had trial fitted all the hinges (stole one from the
	  WOT4 to make up a shortage:-) but decided to seal up the
	  old hole in the rudder that coupled it to the (old) tail
	  wheel wire. Despite my care, some CA found its way to
	  the last hinge hole, and made it unsquishable to
	  accomodate the fat hinged portion of the Robart hinge,
	  ever so slightly.

	  I couldnt get the rudder on flush with the hinge line!
	  Besides, I had carefully wiped off all the excess epoxy
	  with an alcohol swab!! I quickly grabbed a scrap balsa
	  block, and using a Vise-grip as a make shift hammer,
	  whacked the rudder on! I had this sinking feeling of
	  having to undo the mess, and redrill all the holes, that
	  can only be matched by a beginner pilot's landing
	  jitters!! :-)

	  Getting the tail wheel assy was a snap. I epoxied a 1/8"
	  ply platform, after uncovering the rear bottom of the
	  fuse for the right length, used a pin to poke a hole in
	  the bottom of the rudder for a quickly bent hook, so I
	  could use a rubber band to 'drive' the tail wheel!

	  Inspection also revealed that I had developed a nick in
	  the wire insulation, just where it exits the fuse. I use
	  the Du-Bro hardware that looks kinda cute, but a quick
	  conversation with Jack Albrect (to find out the
	  procedure to change the antenna) confirmed the obvious -
	  he recommended that I use a piece of fuel tubing, which
	  is much softer! 

	  I had these images going through my head of my FS flying
	  with a 6" stub for an antenna, the remaining 33" being
	  lost to failure from vibration! He reassured me that the
	  insulation provided minimal additional strength. He also
	  advised *AGAINST* opening the RX box to solder a new
	  antenna, saying that you might end up bridging a
	  circuit. Also, they cover the RX components with
	  silicone, to immobilise the parts from vibration.

	  At that time, I merely used some scotch tape, but must
	  use heat shrink tubing instead, and toss out the Du-Bro
	  part for fuel tubing...

	  My first POST MARITAL FLIGHT :-) :-) was on 4th July
	  1991, late in the afternoon. Blue skies. A light breeze.
	  No other pilots at the field! Perfect conditions!!

	  I expected to experience the shakes, but much to my
	  surprise, I was confident. I range checked without and
	  with the engine running, then took off. The fuel is old
	  - but usable. The engine seemed to load up on idle, and
	  hesitated a few times, during take-off, but I didn't
	  re-adjust the idle mixture, since I will need to do that
	  with the new batch of 12% fuel anyway!

	  The first flight was for 15 minutes, and I loosened up
	  with some spins, loops, rolls, stall turns, and
	  touch-and-gos. Heck! POST-MARITAL FLYING feels _just_
	  like PRE-MARITAL FYING :-) :-)

	  The next two flights, totalling over 45 minutes, I let
	  my friend from Pittsburgh try turns. He made his share
	  of mistakes common to any rookie pilot, and was amazed
	  at the extent to which he got disoriented :-) We had to
	  run to Boston to see the fireworks, so we left
	  reluctantly, after the 3rd flight ended in a dead stick
	  at stratospheric beginner altitudes...

	  A buddy box would have made for more elegant
	  instruction, but what the heck...

	  Someone at the field told me of an interesting flight
	  instruction aid - apparently from an rc magazine.
	  Basically, the idea is to have a board that can be
	  tilted along the X and Y axis. You put a ball bearing
	  and try to keep it from falling off the board - perhaps
	  centred if you can. Then, when you get good at that, do
	  the same thing after walking around to the other side
	  :-) Gotta build one of those - a first year anniversary
	  present for my [where IS she?] wife, perhaps?? :-) :-)

	  I flew again on Sunday, 7th July evening. In the
	  rain/drizzle. The ceiling was low - under 200'. The
	  plane kept disappearing into the clouds, and I would
	  have to spin it out! Reminded me of flying last
	  Christmas in 60 deg weather! This time, I had another
	  friend from Detriot. Once he saw it take off, he said
	  "Wow, this thing is no toy airplane. It doesn't fly by
	  itself"! :-) :-)

	  IT wasn't flying weather for the pros leave alone a rank
	  beginner! But this was my only chance to give my friend
	  some stick time despite the unideal conditions! This
	  time, we had all the time, but faced lousy conditions!
	  No wind though!

	  I had to grab the box back more often, but what the
	  heck, he got his adrenaline pumping! He promised to
	  check out some clubs in the Ann Arbor area in MI...

	  I don't like to proselytise, but, am willing to expose
	  the people to bugs that bite :-)

	  ajai

    Dna,
    	Don't feel bad,  Al probably wouldn't have been excited if you
    had photo's of a Yak 9 either.  He doesn't like modeling repro's
    or rebuilds.  Rather like to model the plane as original 1940's
    
    Geat news however.  Was this the Yak from Texas?  I'd heard
    someone from texas was in the process of restoring one.
    
    Tom

    Tom,

    No the YAK-11 was from NH.  Al says that there are a large number of
    them being imported from the USSR now.

                                    - Dan

    							Al Casey
    							13148 N. 21st Ave
    							Phoenix, AZ  85029
    							602-863-1456

    							18 July, 1991

    Dear Jeff (and everyone in the notesfile),

    A package arrived today, quite unexpectedly, and I must confess that,
    upon opening it, a bit of moisture crept into the ol' bionic eye.  What
    can I say beyond the hackneyed and much overused, "Aw shucks, you
    shouldn't have, guys."

    While an occasional call from Kevin Ladd, Kay Fisher, Dan Eaton, Dan
    Miner and the [not so] Evil-one has served to keep the memory of the
    beloved notesfile alive, I'd managed to somewhat push the loss of that
    institution back into the deeper recesses of my feeble grey matter. 
    But, today, it all came flooding back with the receipt of the package
    and its too thoughtful contents.

    To have been that well thought of by such a great bunch of guys, most
    of whom I never had the pleasure to meet, is truly a humbling feeling
    and I'm touched and gratified far beyond my meager ability to express
    it.

    The clock/plaque is just beautiful and the sentiment expressed means
    the world to me.  Please believe that the feeling is 100% reciprocal! 
    The pen & ink drawing of the MiG-3 by Al Ryder's son-in-law is just
    terrific and will be framed and hung in the workshop among all my other
    MiG memorabilia.  The $50.00 gift certificate to Tower Hobbies REALLY
    was too much but comes at an opportune time as I'm in the process, at
    last, of beginning a new scale competition machine and it will be used
    in pursuit of that project (more on that in a moment).

    I greet the news of the diminished activity in the notesfile with greatly
    mixed emotions.  On the one hand it's gratifying to note that I
    apparently contributed that much to it but, on the other hand, it
    saddens me not a little to learn that its vitality had diminished with
    the loss of one person.  Tell all the guys that I intend to be very put
    out at them if they let the conference dry up like an Arizona dust
    storm.  Keep that information sharing, tire kicking, etc. goin', y'all!
    THE OL'RAT is A' WATCHIN'!

    I share with you the wish that all the DECRCM guys would help
    revitalize RC.NOTES.  As I know yer' aware, I was against the splitting
    into two conferences from the outset, except, perhaps, from the aspect
    that the DECRCM conference could serve as a bugle for all the local
    activities, in the central Mass. area..you know, stuff like "Let's fly
    at lunch today", or "The next meeting will be ....", etc.  In fact, to
    the extent that they used it, I had (and have) nothing against the
    DECRCM file save for the abstinence of several of the principal
    contributors from RC.NOTE.

    I always felt their participation and contribution was sorely missed
    and NEEDED and share your hopes that it will be enjoyed again one day. 
    Egos are very necessary but very delicate things and I believe they
    were at the root of the split, on BOTH sides of the issue(s), if anyone
    can still remember what they were.  Hopefully a little fence mending
    can/will return unity to RC.NOTE and make it the great resource for ALL
    DEC R/Cer's as it used to be and should be again.  No, I'll never
    enjoy its fruits again but I still care very much about RC.NOTE and
    hope to hear of it flourishing once again in the near future.

    As to my new scale project, I told this to Dan Miner on the phone last
    week (VERY long call on Dan's nickel) so he may already have put the
    news out but, if not, here's the scoop:  I've got the plans and am
    gathering materials and hardware to start the 80" span Yak-9D (or
    -9T37, they're almost identical) that was published in last month's
    Scale R/C Modeler.  (Yup!  Another Ruskie bird!) I've been in touch
    with the designer, John Bolle, up in Washington (state) and, since I'll
    be building the prototype, he's being very helpful (and generous) in
    providing such things as wing/stab/fin cores, fiberglass cowl, custom
    retracts, etc.  Yes, it has a foam wing and, as you may surmise from
    knowing me and my preferences, I'd have preferred a built-up wing but
    he's taken a bit of a different tack at it that combines a plywood box
    spar and other internal structure inside hollowed foam cores which
    bears all the flight and landing loads at minimal weight so I'm gonna'
    giv'er a shot.

    The fuselage structure is VERY light in design with a very small parts
    count, owing to the prototypical construction which entails
    fabric-covered open structure on most of the rear half of the fuselage
    below the turtledecking.  I'm confident a very robust airframe can be
    cranked out at a weight of around 15-to-17 pounds.  This should make it
    ideally suited to my O.S. 1.08.  It appears that framing out should go
    rather more quickly than some other types (including the MiG) and I'm
    hopeful of having it done, perhaps as early as next year's contest
    season.  I've not started cutting or gluing as yet but am actively
    gathering together all the materials and hardware I can anticipate
    needing to get a good leg up on it and hope to get started in a coupl'a
    weeks.

    On another note, I was disappointed to learn of Chuck Baldridge's, then
    John Chadd's forced departures from DEC (and, thus, the notesfile). 
    While my personal feelings toward DEC are a bit tainted, I still hate
    the thought that many folks I think a lot of are still in jeopardy and
    probably will continue to be for quite some time to come.  When will it
    ever end, eh?!

    I remain unemployed but, to be quite honest, I haven't exactly burned
    up the woods looking for something.  The plain and simple fact is that
    there just isn't very much out there in manufacturing anyway,
    Digital-PNO being about the last big outfit to cave in locally.  Truth
    is, however, I simply loathe the very thought of going back into the
    manufacturing rat-race anyway; I'd really like to get into something
    completely new and different!  Problem is, I haven't really identified
    just what that "something" is... I'm just drawing my unemployment (for
    the first time in my life) and hoping I'll recognize that "something"
    when it presents itself.  I HAVE been hanging around a hobby shop quite
    a bit the last few weeks, trying to discover, once and for all, whether
    that's something I'd feel secure about doing.  The owner, a friend
    these past 5 years, is wanting to sell and things I'd do great with it
    but, then again, he WANTS to sell.  So, I'm doing all the investigative
    things I can think of (and are recommended by others more knowledgeable
    of business than I) to determine whether this would be a good, safe
    move for Kathi and I.  Frankly, I don't believe it will come to pass
    but I'm checkin' it out.

    Otherwise, not much exciting to report hearabouts.  Thus far, we've had
    the latest (and mildest) lead-in to summer in more than 6-years.  This
    is how it USED to be (and SHOULD be)!  Here it is past the middle of
    July and we've had just a handful of day 100-degrees or more where,
    last year, for instance, our first 100-degree temperature was in March
    and we'd set consecutive all-time high's of 121 and 122 by mid-June! 
    It's 108 as I write but very dry which makes it survivable.  We've only
    had 3-or-4 days of monsoon humidity thus far and that too is unusual...
    but I'll take it!!!

    Well, as ever, once conversation boils down to the weather, it's about
    time to quit.  Please pass on my warmest, humblest, sincerest thanks to
    all the guys in the notesfile...  I'll cherish their most thoughtful
    gesture always.  In fact, Jeff, please feel free to print all or parts
    of this letter in RC.NOTE...  it'd be a way of my posting a proxy reply
    therein.

    I miss you all and wish you the utmost success in R?C modeling and in
    your individual careers and lives.

    				Adios, mi amigos,
    				   (signed by Al..)
    				The Ol' "Desert Rat"

    P.S.

    Damn!  Sure wish ah' could'a signed off with muh' ol logo :B^)

    (here's your wish Al!)

						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    What a sweeeet, Sweeet, SWEEET letter from the master aeromodeller!
    
    Truly, this notes file has lost the lustre it had when the Desert Rat
    was around, constantly nourishing it!
    
    On yet another note, Al points out quite rightly, that Aeromodelling
    should come first, and egos second, and I agree.
    
    Personally, I have undertaken this journey to America largely to seek
    out the best RC opportunities - both in men, and materials - in the
    world. I am willing to listen and learn from anyone who has something
    to teach me about RC or aeromodelling, but COUNT ME OUT when it comes
    to politics and politicking!
    
    I can get all of that and more if I ever wanted, back in India, where
    at least a dozen parties flourish, compared to the 2 party system in
    the US or UK.
    
    Time to get back to the WOT4.
    
    ajai
                                                    

    Re. .961/.963
    
    Yes, F3B is certainly a lot of fun. I mean, if it doesn't get spoiled.
    Martin Weberschock, who is one of the best German F3B pilots, recently
    wrote an anecdote for a glider magazine here that I would like to share
    with you. To illustrate it a little, he has some of the most advanced
    planes (SPARK), made in beautiful colors, and always the nicest
    computer R/C system available.
    
    He was (in Northern Germany which is mostly flat) training a bit on a
    canal slope with his F3B contest plane when a 5 year old girl showed 
    up. She asked him whether he was a man or a boy. He suggested that 
    she wanted to know whether to call him 'Du' (as one would with a kid or
    a friend) or 'Sie' (for an adult person you don't know well). Martin 
    preferred to not creating a distance, he answered: 'A boy.' So she said:
    'Yeah, that's what I thought since men don't play with this kind of
    baby-toys.' You can expect that he nearly lost his plane... He just
    asked himself who educates this sort of kids. And he experienced a
    psychological bummer that kept him in the workshop all weekend.
    
    If you spend all these $$$ to get into F3B, make sure you don't rely on
    all people admiring you...
    
    Best regards,
                   Hartmut

You can sure tell when Al doesnt have anything on the building board!!!!!

Thrust to weight ratio on High Starts when yesterday it was linear Quantum 
physics of servo travel.....

Just kidding Al, keep it comming, I've wondered about both subjects and knew
the answer to the servo quest after getting my first computer controlled 
transmitter that doesnt bother to limit the pulses to only 90degrees adressable
so to speak.

I have also as most every glider guider in this conf as to "Holy Cow this must
be 200lbs of tension on this highstart, I wonder if my balsa and mylar wonder
ship will take it...."

Thanks, we couldnt live without ya!  Next time I'm in BOS, I'll bring more 
napkins to write on and we'll solve the rest of the worlds problems....

    Actually, I'm designing a sling-shot to toss road apples into the foot
    hills of Pike's Peak.
    
    
    
    Alton, who as moderator will zap this later.

>   <<< Note 423.30 by ABACUS::RYDER "perpetually the bewildered beginner" >>>
>                    -< road apples are not prairie oysters >-
>
>    Actually, I'm designing a sling-shot to toss road apples into the foot
>    hills of Pike's Peak.

I was listening to some college kids talk about using hi-start tubing
for water balloon launchers.  Apparently they make a sling shot out of
hi-start tubing and anchor the ends on each side of a window and
pull it back to the other end of the room - then varooooom.  Out the window
and across the campus and pow - some poor dude gets blasted and there are no
suspects within the expected range.  

Sounds dangerous to me.  I would think if you got one on the side of the
head it would break your ear drum.  Also I can see some failure modes where
the g force is sufficient to explode the water balloon on launch.

I wonder if Galliger(sp) has investigated the natural aerodynamics
of a water balloon?

If you know anybody doing this - put a little cut on one side of their hi-start
and see what they do when one half lets go!

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    Yup, I have seen such uses of surgical tubing...  Once at an
    Amherst-Williams football game (major rivals).  The launched from
    behind the home bleachers all the way across the football field and
    into the visiting team bleachers..
    
    The second time was a fun little team game...  Each team is given
    x number of balloons and 6 empty pails.  A launcher built out of a 
    couple of 2x4s is manned by other team members..  The object is to
    preserve as much water as possible by catching the balloons in the
    buckets..  The distance was perhaps 100'..  WOW!!  When that balloon
    hit the bucket, you REALLY had to hold on!  (BTW - my team won!)
    
    This was at the 1988 Digital SWS Excellence Awards in Hawaii..
    (See, this conference IS work related!)
    
    cheers,
    jeff
    

  I can tell you from personal experience that it hurts like a bas***d
when you get hit by one of these balloons!  A friend brought one to my
sisters annual 4th of July party and we had a great time with it!  But
it REALLY DOES HURT!!!  Aiming it is very difficult...especially when 
your lobbing them over a house! 8^)

  If anyone tries the sling shot idea...have fun...but be careful.  NEVER
SHOOT IN THE DIRECTION OF SMALL CHILDREN!




         Jim

        re: .31
        
        I remember hearing stories from a former coworker who used to use
        a similar slingshot to loft loaves of Velveta across the campus!
        At last, a real use for "cheese food".

    We used to put 2x4 in the tail of a pickup truck ,used sugical tubing 
    and a funnel. the 2x4 would be mounted in the tailgate of the truck,
    used a funnel for the launcher . It could shoot about 60 ft in the 
    air and as far as a city block. We used to go in the ally across the
    street form school , shot it over the roof tops , and would hit the
    front steps, we used a guy with a CB to help us line up shoots. Two 
    or three people could realy start a barage of water ballons.
    (some of the best days in college spent this way  8^)
    
    Bob in Pho

	When I was a freshman some guys on the seventh floor of the
dorms had said slingshot and lobbed old oranges across the basketball courts
and a 5 lane road into a parking lot.  Good thing they didn't hit any cars.

My dad told of a group of folks at a fathers/sons type outing who shot
water and mustard balloons several hundred feet.

Chad

  Not to get off the subject here 8^), but while looking through the latest
Tower Talk I found 2 things that might be of interest to some of the
glider guiders.

  First, the Gnome sailplane is now available from Tower.  There was time
about 6 months ago when quite a few people were looking for them in the
Maynard area.

  Second, Great Planes has come out with a 100" version of the Spirit.  The
kit costs $70.  It also has a different airfoil (S7010 I think).


  
  Just in case anyone is interested.................




                           Jim
   

    The Gnome is the 2M version, not the HLG. The interesting thing about
    the Spirit 100 is that they supply you with the ribs for both the flat
    and Poly wings so with another set of leading edges, spars and
    sheeting, you could get two wings out of it.
    
    Tom was ordering more Gnomes after I went up and asked about them a few
    weeks back.

    The Spirit "kit includes parts and plans for two wing options: the
    proven Spirit wing with S-3010 airfoil; and an advanced version with
    highly efficient, new S7037 airfoil, plus flaps and ailerons for
    greater control."
    
    Regards,
    
    Ollie

    Announcing the arrival of the newest R/C noter!!!

    Christa Anne Miner was born at 3:15 AM on Saturday, Sept. 7 after
    Mom labored for over 16 hours.  Still that was not enough so the
    doctor was required to use the ol' X-acto knife and remove her.

    All up flying weight was 6 pounds, 2.5 ounces with a wingspan of
    17.5 inches.  That's quite a heavy wing loading but she still flys
    OK (for short distances only...)

    Mom, Dad, and Christa are doing fine.  Mom and baby are coming home
    tomorrow, so I won't be into work again until next Tuesday (Sept. 17)

    Looks like my flying season is nearly over this year...  But the
    building season is beginning.  Let's see, is the cockpit of the 1/3
    scale Cub at least 17.5 inches tall???  :-)

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Castor Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

    Another Miner --- wonderful!    Congratulations, Dan.

    Congrats, Dan!  Glad to hear everyone's healthy and recovering.  I
    guess you had a good excuse for missing our funfly on Sunday. :-)
    Get her started off right with plenty of flying toys.
    
    
    

    
     Congratulations Dan!
    
       A survival priority list for the next year ( or 20 years )
    
              1. Mom/baby (and all associated requests )
    
              2. Minimal building
    
              3. Next to no flying
    
       Now that I have listed what you SHOULD do, disregard and use your
    worst judgement as the rest of us do. 
    
                                                                 DW2

    Congrats Dan.......

    WAIT'L YOU BECOME A GRANDPA; IT'S EVEN BETTER!
    
    DH

    Excerpted From the USENET ...
    
>From The Wall Street Journal

_A Scud It's Not, But the Trebuchet Hurls a Mean Piano_

Giant Medieval War Machine Is Wowing British Farmers And Scaring the
Sheep

By Glynn Mapes, Staff Reporter of the Wall Street Journal

ACTON ROUND, England--With surprising grace, the grand piano sails
through the sky a hundred feet above a pasture here, finally returning
to earth in a fortissimo explosion of wood chunks, ivory keys and
piano wire.

Nor is the piano the strangest thing to startle the grazing sheep
this Sunday morning.  A few minutes later, a car soars by - a 1975
blue two-door Hillman, to be exact - following the same flight path
and meeting the same loud fate.  Pigs fly here, too.  In recent
months, many dead 500-pound sows (two of them wearing parachutes) have
passed overhead, as has the occasional dead horse.

It's the work of Hew Kennedy's medieval siege engine, a four story
tall, 30 ton behemoth that's the talk of bucolic Shropshire, 140 miles
northwest of London.  In ancient times, such war machines were dreaded
instruments of destruction, flinging huge missiles, including
plague-ridden horses, over the walls of besieged castles.  Only one
full-sized one exists today, designed and built by Mr. Kennedy, a
wealthy landowner, inventor, military historian and - need it be said?
- - - - full-blown eccentric.

A Pagoda, Too

At Acton, Round Hall, Mr. Kennedy's handsome Georgian manor house here,
one enters the bizarre world of a P. G. Wodehouse novel.  A stuffed
baboon hangs from the dining room chandelier (``Shot it in Africa.
Nowhere else to put it,'' Mr. Kennedy explains).  Lining the walls are
dozens of halberds and suits of armor.  A full suit of Indian elephant
armor, rebuilt by Mr. Kennedy, shimmers resplendently on an
elephant-sized frame.  In the garden outside stands a 50-foot-high
Chinese pagoda.

Capping this scene, atop a hill on the other side of the 620-acre
Kennedy estate, is the siege engine, punctuating the skyline like an
oil derrick.  Known by its 14th-century French name, trebuchet
(pronounced tray-boo-shay), it's not to be confused with a catapult, a
much smaller device that throws rocks with a spoon-like arm propelled
by twisted ropes or animal gut.

Mr. Kennedy, a burly, energetic 52-year-old, and Richard Barr, his
46-year-old neighbor and partner, have spent a year and #10,000
($17,000) assembling the trebuchet.  They have worked from ancient
texts, some in Latin, and crude wood-block engravings of siege
weaponry.

The big question is why?

Mr. Kennedy looks puzzled, as if the thought hadn't occurred to him
before.  ``Well why not?  It's bloody good fun!'' he finally exclaims.
When pressed, he adds that for several hundred years, military
technicians have been trying fruitlessly to  reconstruct a working
trebuchet.  Cortez built one for the siege of Mexico City.  On its
first shot, it flung a huge boulder straight up - and then straight
down, demolishing the machine.  In 1851, Napoleon III had a go at it,
as an academic exercise.  His trebuchet was poorly balanced and barely
managed to hurl the missiles - backward.  ``Ours works a hell of a lot
better than the Frogs', which is a satisfaction,'' Mr. Kennedy says
with relish.

How it works seems simple enough.  The heart of the siege engine is a
three-ton, 60-foot tapered beam made from laminated wood.  It's
pivoted near the heavy end, to which is attached a weight box filled
with 5= tons of steel bar.  Two huge A-frames made from
lashed-together tree trunks support a steel axle, around which the
beam pivots.  When the machine is at rest, the beam is vertical,
slender end at the top and weight box just clearing the ground.

When launch time comes, a farm tractor cocks the trebuchet, slowly
hauling the slender end of the beam down and the weighted end up.
Several dozen nervous sheep, hearing the tractor and knowing what
comes next, make a break for the far side of the pasture.  A crowd of
60 friends and neighbors buzzes with anticipation as a 30-foot,
steel-cable sling is attached - one end to the slender end of the beam
and the other to the projectile, in this case a grand piano (purchased
by the truckload from a junk dealer).

``If you see the missile coming toward you, simply step aside,'' Mr.
Kennedy shouts to the onlookers.

Then, with a great groaning, the beam is let go.  As the counterweight
plummets, the piano in its sling whips through an enormous arc, up and
over the top of the trebuchet and down the pasture, a flight of 125
yards.  The record for pianos is 151 yards (an upright model, with
less wind resistance).  A 112 pound iron weight made it 235 yards.
Dead hogs go for about 175 yards, and horses 100 yards; the field is
cratered with the graves of the beasts, buried by a backhoe where they
landed.

Mr. Kennedy has been studying and writing about ancient engines of war
since his days at Sandhurst, Britain's military academy, some 30 years
ago.  But what spurred him to build one was, as he puts it, ``my
nutter cousin'' in Northumberland, who put together a pint-sized
trebuchet for a county fair.  The device hurled porcelain toilets
soaked in gasoline and set afire.  A local paper described the event
under the headline ``Those Magnificent Men and Their Flaming
Latrines.''

Building a full-sized siege engine is a more daunting task.  Mr.
Kennedy believes that dead horses are the key.  That's because
engravings usually depict the trebuchet hurling boulders, and there is
no way to determine what the rocks weigh, or the counterweight
necessary to fling them.  But a few drawings show dead horses being
loaded onto trebuchets, putrid animals being an early form of
biological warfare.  Since horses weigh now what they did in the
1300s, the engineering calculations followed easily.

One thing has frustrated Mr. Kennedy and his partner:  They haven't
found any commercial value to the trebuchet.  Says a neighbor helping
to carry the piano to the trebuchet, ``Too bad Hew can't make the
transition between building this marvelous machine and making any
money out of it.''

It's not for lack of trying.  Last year Mr. Kennedy walked onto the
English set of the Kevin Costner Robin Hood movie, volunteering his
trebuchet for the scene where Robin and his sidekick are catapulted
over a wall.  ``The directors insisted on something made out of
plastic and cardboard,'' he recalls with distaste.  ``Nobody cares
about correctness these days.''

More recently, he has been approached by an entrepreneur who wants to
bus tourists up from London to see cars and pigs fly through the air.
So far, that's come to naught.

Mr. Kennedy looks to the U.S. as his best chance of getting part of
his investment back: A theme park could commission him to build an
even bigger trebuchet that could throw U.S.-sized cars into the sky.
``Its an amusement in America to smash up motor cars, isn't it?'' he
inquires hopefully.

Finally, there's the prospect of flinging a man into space - a living
man, that it.  This isn't a new idea, Mr. Kennedy points out:
Trebuchets were often used to fling ambassadors and prisoners of war
back over castle walls, a sure way to demoralize the opposition.

Some English sports parachutists think they can throw a man in the air
*and* bring him down alive.  In a series of experiments on Mr.
Kennedy's machine, they've thrown several man-sized logs and two
quarter-tone dead pigs into the air; one of the pigs parachuted gently
back to earth, the other landed rather more forcefully.

Trouble is, an accelerometer carried inside the logs recorded a
centrifugal force during the launch of as much as 20 Gs (the actual
acceleration was zero to 90 miles per hour in 1.5 seconds). Scientists
are divided over whether a man can stand that many Gs for more that a
second or two before his blood vessels burst.

The parachutists are nonetheless enthusiastic.  But Mr. Kennedy thinks
the idea may only be pie in the sky.

``It would be splendid to throw a bloke, really splendid,'' he says
wistfully.  ``He'd float down fine.  But he'd float down dead.''

For the last few weeks, there have been a couple of people up on the hill
here flying the new stunt kites at lunch. Today, I went out to see what it
was all about. These things are incredible. The two that were out there were
about 4 and 5 foot span kites. One with spectra line and graphite frame. I'm
not sure what the other one had for line, but it had fiber glass rods in it.

The wind is blowing pretty good up here today, so they were really moving. The
best part is, I even got to fly one. They are unbelieveably sensitive and will
snap on ya in a heart beat. I was also amazed at how much they pulled. I was
getting yanked around all over the hill. One of the guy's was saying that on
the bigger 12/13 foot kites, you have to wear a harness and anchor yourself
down. I believe it.

The down side is, these relatively small kites cost about the same as a Max6
FM. Fun though.


Steve

    Speaking of exotic flying machines....
    
    Last evening my house was buzzed by a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Creamland
    Dairy cow with a small crescent moon hanging under it, a large red
    apple with several white worms emerging, several beer cans and whiskey
    bottles of various brands, a flying saucer with a winsome green
    alien standing on the entrance stairs, and a Burger King burger.
    
    In the vacant lot across the street, the ice cream bar companys'
    polar bear did a neat face plant on landing while dodging the ~30X
    sized Case-International Model 7130 tractor which in turn had dodged
    the 10 story Statue of Liberty, itself having impacted the west
    side of the Motorola plant.
    
    A repeat performance due this evening.
    
    BTW, I live 1/2 mile from the Balloon Fiesta field.
    
    Terry

>The wind is blowing pretty good up here today, so they were really moving. The
>best part is, I even got to fly one. They are unbelieveably sensitive and will
>snap on ya in a heart beat. I was also amazed at how much they pulled. I was
>getting yanked around all over the hill. One of the guy's was saying that on
>the bigger 12/13 foot kites, you have to wear a harness and anchor yourself
>down. I believe it.
>
>The down side is, these relatively small kites cost about the same as a Max6
>FM. Fun though.

    I've been a stunt kite flyer for a few years now.  Once or twice I've
    gone to the field to fly, found it too windy, and flown my kites
    instead.

    I've done Rainbows (small ripstop nylon/aluminum spar diamond kites with
    really long tails.  I flew mine in a "train" of 6, 6 kites stacked one
    behind the other, each separated by about 1.5 feet), and Triblys (slightly
    larger, plastic versions of the Rainbows)

    Currently I own two FlexiFoils and my newest kite, a Revolution.

    The FlexiFoils are 2x4' ripstop nylon "bags", they're sewn closed along
    three edges, the leading edge has a gauze/netting material sewn in, so
    when air blows across the kite, the bag is inflated to the shape of an
    airfiol.  A Fiberglass rod runs through a pocket across the bottom
    leading edge, and the kite strings (500 Lbs test Kynar) are tied one to
    each end of the rod.  I often fly the two kites ganged together with a
    few feet between them.  My favorite time to fly is right after a
    hurricane.  If you don't have someone to hold you down, the kites will
    drag you easily.  A fun game is to sit with your feet out in front of
    you and let the kites pull you across the ground.

    The Revolution is the coolest thing I've ever seen.  It flies on 4
    lines, not two.  Each hand holds a "joy stick" that has a string
    attached to both its top and bottom.  The strings go to the leading and
    trailing edges of the kite.  Since you can change the angle of attack of
    the kite at will, you can do all sorts of incredible things with it,
    like flying backwards, flying sideways, and pinwheels (the kite rotates
    about its center), as well as the standard stunt kite regimine.

    FlexiFoils sell for about $100 each.  There are larger versions, the
    Hyper-10 and Hyper-16 (the number refers to the square feet of sail
    area) that are much more expensive.

    The Revolution was even more than the FlexiFoils (which is why I only
    own one).

    Stunt kite prices range from $50 for a Trilby or similar, well up into
    the $100s for some of the more advanced delta's or 4-lines.

    They are a *LOT* of fun, a nice alternative to planes or helis, almost
    impossible to damage in a crash (a big plus!), quiet, flyable in small
    areas, and flyable in winds strong enough to slap even a fast slope
    soarer out of the sky.


    Randy