“Props” to Some of my Flying Friends

Today seemed to be the day to get news on accomplishments of some of my flying friends.

The first one I will mention is good friend and fellow Cloudbuster, Ted Allebone.  Ted’s 2012 AMA Nats winning P-30 design was finally published in the AMA’ Model Aviation.  His “Centaur” is a traditionally built and covered P-30 based on the flying surfaces of the old Keil Kraft “Senator” (note Ted’s play on words, there).  I would post a photo of Ted flying at the AMA Nats, but I was his timer for most of his flights.

The second person’s accomplishment may be even greater.  Today via email, I received word of an event winner at the fall Wawayanda, NY FAC contest.  I’ve never been there as it is roughly 12 hours to the east of me.  However, I understand it is held at a fine site and attracts some of the best flyers from the east coast.

Apparently, it attracts some of the best flyers from the Toronto area, too!  The email traffic simply illustrated the winner in WWII Combat at the Wawayanda contest.  It showed a series of photos that included several competitors in the WWII event and then specifically identified the winner.  Below is one of the photos.  That is young Maria Kondrat, daughter of Gerard Kondrat.  She is in her early teens and is a regular at FAC events and, apparently, she has learned enough to beat some very good flyers!

Maria Kondrat and her father, Gerard

Maria Kondrat and her father, Gerard

Congratulations Maria!  and thank you to Ronny Gosselin for sharing the news and photos.

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New Products – Reproduction National Air Races Decals

I have had an eye on these for a long time.  I thought it would be great to have these, but all I could ever find were authentic decals – and I wouldn’t destroy an antique.

Recently, I came across a supply of REPRODUCTIONS of these three decals.  I can offer these for very reasonable prices – cheaper than I bought my first 3 for!

So head on over to the Basement and look under Books-Audio-Video.  Buy just one type or buy all 3 for the price of 2!

1932, 1937 and 1939 National Air Races Decals (reproductions)

1932, 1937 and 1939 National Air Races Decals (reproductions)

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New Product – Tufoil Lubit-8 1/4 ounce Pen Oiler

As flying season winds down here in the midwest, I am starting to focus more on expanding the business.  I have some big plans that will, hopefully, come to fruition around the New Year.

But, right now, I have obtained a distributorship for this general-purpose lubricating oil.  My flying friend and fellow Cloudbuster, Ted Allebone suggested that I start supplying this oil to modelers.  He uses it on his prop shafts.  Use it on yours – or anywhere around the house.  You aren’t likely to find it at a cheaper price!

Find it in the Basement under Accessories/Miscellaneous.

Tufoil Lubit-8 1/4 ounce Pen Oiler

Tufoil Lubit-8 1/4 ounce Pen Oiler

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Video of Bf109e NoCal at Muncie

I arrived at Muncie Friday night, just in time to get a couple of test flights on my brand new NoCal.  The performance in the video looks promising.  I went to a lighter longer motor on Saturday and didn’t get the improvements I had hoped for and ended up in 3rd place for the NoCal event.

I took this video with my phone in my left hand and launched with my right hand.  It wasn’t easy, but I think it turned out ok.

Saturday was a great day, not quite as nice as the remains of the day shown in the video.  Sunday was a complete wash-out – it rained all day.

 

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Last Prep This Year for Muncie

This weekend is the Ted Dock Memorial FAC contest in Muncie, IN.  I love flying at Muncie because of the 2-mile square AMA National site.  “Most” of the time, that’s big enough to keep the planes on the field.

I’ve been meaning to build a new NoCal for a year and a half, but I had my trusty and dependable P-39 left over from years ago.  It was built in 1995 and even won me 3 events in the last year and a half – so why replace it?  Well, the domestic tissue finally started to crumble and the plane suffered more damage at Geneseo than could be repaired.  So I taped it together and put it on the shelf.

So, I planned to build a NoCal, but contests keep coming!  I dug out my last viable old plane, my Ohka.  It is even older (1993) but not very reliable.  But it eked out two more NoCal wins in the last couple of months.  But I need something that won’t break in a mild gust.

Tonight, I finally built that New NoCal.  Here is my new Bf109e, slapped together in a few hours tonight.  It weighs about 8.5g for the 42 square inches – I purposefully made it beefy.Tomorrow, I will pack it up and head down to Muncie for the last FAC contest at the great site this year.  With any luck, I will be competitive!

bf190e NoCal - 8.5g w/o rubber

bf190e NoCal – 8.5g w/o rubber

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Blue Max!

Team Volare again ventured north to Flint to attend our local Cloudbusters FAC outdoor contest.  We had a successful day.  The promised sunshine was missing, but we had a good day flying, in any case.

I took 2nd in WWII Combat with my Peanut Stuka, 2nd in Phantom Flash, and 2nd in Embryo.  I was in first place but good flying buddy, Winn Moore couldn’t resist getting out a second Embryo, his best Debut (he has two).  He proceeded to take first away from me, but I feel I had a good performance for the limited motor I chose to run due to the short field.  I also took 1st in NoCal with my ancient Ohka.

But the highlight of the day for us was Jack winning his 16th kanone!  This has spanned about 15 years or more, since he took a break from flying when I did and came back last years with me.  Most of his wins have been in Embryo, with a couple NoCals tossed in.  Recently, he has started picking up more in a new category to us: Dime Scale.  I’ve never flown Dimers, but Jack wanted a new plane and we selected Rich Weber’s Beech Staggerwing.  It’s a winner for sure!  Jack decked his out in Jackie Cochran’s Bendix racer colors and he again took home Dime, beating Jack Moses and Winn Moore.

Contgratualtions, Jack!  You’ve got that Blue Max coming to you now! Jack16 kanones

 

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Sky Rockets in Flight…

The weekend before last week’s FAC contest in Muncie, the Cloudbusters had a regular meet in Flint.  We were all preparing for Muncie.  Jack lost his Big Cat Embryo in the very same plane-eating tree that I lost mine in a month before!

So…he had to do another furious building session in time for Muncie.  I designed a quick building embryo.  I assembled the first test fuselage in 20 minutes – that’s 20 minutes from a pile of parts to ready to cover!  The entire structure can be built and covered in less than 4 hours.

Jack built the flying prototype, finished it on the Muncie flying field, and after test flights, put up two maxes and then dropped his third official.

I built this second prototype and have yet to test it under power.  With any luck, this should be the next Volare Products kit – this one for anyone that wants a easy and quick to build Embryo that is capable of maxing.  We call it the Sky Rocket.  Check the Gallery for more photos.

Jack test flying his prototype Sky Rocket at Muncie

 

Sky Rocket Prototype #2

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September 1st, 1939

I have been wanting to do a Stuka model for many years; the plans I drew up for one are dated 1994.  So, after the last August Cloudbusters meet (on the 4th), I understood that the next Cloudbusters meet would be on Sunday, September 1st.  AND, I was reminded that would be the anniversary of Germany’s invasion of Poland.  What a better time to build a Stuka?

So, on the 19th, I started cutting balsa apart and gluing it back together – and I ordered a special t-shirt for the event.  It turned out that the contest was actually to be held on August 31st, a day early, but I pushed on.  On Friday night, I vacuformed the canopy and did final assembly of my Peanut Scale Junkers Ju-87D “Stuka” and we headed north to Flint with it yesterday morning.

At the field, I looked through my model box and found a short length of discarded motor that looked about right.  I tied a second knot in it and loaded the Stuka.  After a few test flights, I was very happy – the plane climbs out well and flies great.  The rubber even locked the prop once and we were provided with a typical Stuka dive, but the pilot flew it right into the ground.

I’ve got the add many more details, but I should have a great Peanut for Muncie and the FAC Outdoor Champs next week.    I will get more photos of the model loaded into a gallery later.

Here is the URL for the artist’s web site.  He has some pretty sharp designs, and not only of aircraft.  I got the shirt through his CafePress shop.  He didn’t have the design on shirts, but I contacted him and in a couple days he told me I could order.   Give him a look.  http://www.mercenarygraphics.com/

Pstuka01

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Vintage Prop Blanks

I was just able to pick up a batch of VINTAGE prop blanks, from 12″ to 15″.  These are available at roughly $1 per inch.  I don’t get these very often.  Go to the Basement and look under “Specials/Other Wood Props”

props

 

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New Embryo – BC Special

At the Cloudbusters contest at the beginning of the month. my Big Cat Embryo got caught in a tree.  So I decided to build another.  As I started, I thought “maybe I should make some changes to the Big Cat and see how that works”.

This “BC Special” is designed around the Big Cat, but it has a longer fuselage (for more rubber), and a higher aspect ratio wing (I’ve heard they are more efficient).

I’d like to fly this on a thinner and longer motor.  I built into this a pop-up wing.  This is my first real attempt at a DT set up.  We will see if I did good or should go back to the original.

BCSpecial05

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