Our models are all just sticks of balsa, tissue paper, a little rubber, and a propeller.\u00a0 We use some other hardware and accessories and we go out and have fun together.<\/p>\n
First off, we can’t go out and have fun, especially together.\u00a0 I don’t want to get sick – and I don’t want any of my friends to get sick.\u00a0 I am approaching 60 and I am one of the younger guys.\u00a0 Nearly all of my flying buddies are older, and therefore, at a higher risk of getting sick.\u00a0 Remember, the exposure isn’t limited to just “me, you, and Joe”.\u00a0 I need to travel to get to our club’s site.\u00a0 I have to stop and get gas,\u00a0 I might want a bite to eat.\u00a0 Each place is a point of potential contact.\u00a0 And not just the person you see.\u00a0 It’s like the old sex adage:\u00a0 You’re not just having sex with her (or him), but with everyone they have.\u00a0 How many people does the cashier come in contact with every day – or hour?\u00a0 Now it is you, too – and you will pass that on – the cost might be more than a burger. \u00a0 Extremist?\u00a0 Possibly, but I want to fly with my friends again – when it is safe.\u00a0 I am going to err on the side of caution for awhile.<\/p>\n
So, let’s stay at home and build.\u00a0 I think a lot of you are saying the same thing.\u00a0 While my sales had dropped for the first three months, I think that was due to many factors on my end, not with the modelers mindset.\u00a0 This has picked back up to normal, maybe even a little bit stronger in April.\u00a0 That is good for me – and good for you.\u00a0 However, there are many product issues that I am dealing with.<\/p>\n
Tissue:\u00a0 I am just about out of Esaki.\u00a0 I have a fair amount of Green and a little bit of Brown.\u00a0 Other than that, I have shut off sales for all other colors.\u00a0 I’ve kept a small reserve for myself (maybe too small, in some cases, like white.\u00a0 At the present time, I will not be sourcing any other tissue to sell.\u00a0 Personally, I have started using more supermarket domestic (I like FLOMO brand<\/a>, especially the white, I have some black and red, but haven’t tried it).\u00a0 EasyBuilt Models has sourced a Japanese tissue\u00a0 they are calling Mt Fuji<\/a>.\u00a0 I have some, but haven’t tried it.\u00a0 I have seen models built with it and they look great; I REALLY like the red.\u00a0 (Benefit to me:\u00a0 I’ll no longer have to figure out how to pack up a pound of rubber and two sheets of tissue into the same box without crushing the tissue.)<\/p>\n Propellers:\u00a0 I am still getting Gizmo Geezer Products.\u00a0 As you may know, they are now sold by a different company, still in Canada.\u00a0 That company is so close to the US that they will go across the border to ship TO US addresses FROM the US.\u00a0 Their packages have always arrived in about a day.\u00a0 However, now they are shipping from Canada and there will be associated delays – I anticipate about a week or so to receive shipments.\u00a0 That’s not terrible, but I need to be aware (just like all international orders).<\/p>\n Hardware:\u00a0 I am out of various K&P products, mostly nose bearings and the large 10\/4:1 winder (I still have many 10:1 and 15:1 winders).\u00a0 I ordered some this week – they cannot fill the order because they are also on lockdown and not permitted to go to the place of business (after all, this is not “essential” stuff).\u00a0 So, that stuff is on hold.<\/p>\n Rubber:\u00a0 FAI still has a good deal of rubber.\u00a0 I have been ordering about once a month, maybe more like every 3.5 weeks.\u00a0 However, I\/we are out of 1\/4″ rubber and Charlie tells me there won’t be any new batches of rubber for awhile.\u00a0 I took that to mean batches of any size.\u00a0 I am sure that when the rubber manufacturer can get back to work, Charlie will get more, just like normal.<\/p>\n Postage:\u00a0 I post this periodically – postal rates go up all the time, about every 9 months or so.\u00a0 My current postal rates just cover the reduced rate that I get through Stamps.com.\u00a0 When I started in 2012, the cheapest Priority box to a close location (like Michigan or Ohio) was just about $5, like $4.90 or $5.10 – something like that.\u00a0 Now the cheapest is $7.56.\u00a0 I (explaining again) use Priority Mail.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because it is convenient (the Post Office will pick up at my house on their normal route) and because every package gets a tracking number.\u00a0 It is possible to ship some items by First Class, but they won’t pick those up, unless there are Priorities in the same pickup.\u00a0 And, I cannot ship anything over 1 pound by First Class.\u00a0 Anyway, my flat rates are something like $8, and $9 (regional)\u00a0 And that is almost always less than a dollar different than what Stamps.com charges me.\u00a0 Sometimes that difference goes to the negative – and that is happening more and more, recently.\u00a0 So, my shipping charges will have to go up soon.<\/p>\n Balsa:\u00a0 here’s a real punch in the gut.\u00a0 After months of hearing about the price of balsa, it is finally going to affect me and my products.\u00a0 I buy balsa from two sources (you’ve already heard this in the past): SIG and National.\u00a0 SIG always had good wood and gave great dealer discounts.\u00a0 I bought from them exclusively – until one year ago, they had a fire in their balsa shop.\u00a0 They have still not recovered and buying from them is spotty.\u00a0 Less than spotty, actually – I cannot buy from them in any reliable manner.<\/p>\n I can buy from National reliably – kind of.\u00a0 They always fill orders fast.\u00a0 And they always had a good selection of wood; I could even get light wood on demand (at a higher charge).\u00a0 And they were always double the price of SIG, sometimes more.\u00a0 Monday, I placed an order for a small amount of wood (most light wood was unavailable).\u00a0 Prices have doubled – at least (again).\u00a0 Yesterday, I received a box – about 12″x6″x36″ and it cost me over $450.\u00a0 I haven’t had a chance to weigh it yet, but I can be certain that there will be a significant amount that is too heavy for my stuff – and I am sure most of the 1\/8″ wood (used for Old Timer nose blocks, Jet Cat wings, etc.) will be on the “way-heavy” side – last time it was like 15-20 pound wood.\u00a0 I did buy some light-weight 1\/8″ – at $5.69 a sheet!<\/p>\n This is painful.\u00a0 Since I started offering kits, I have striven (now struggled) to provide reasonable quality for a reasonable price.\u00a0 I know my stuff is not perfect.\u00a0 And I know my customers get less with my kits than they can get from other manufacturers.\u00a0 And (in case anyone thinks this can actually happen) I am not trying to “get rich” selling balsa kits.\u00a0 I started out at $10 for my basic short kits and they are now up to $11 due to balsa rates increasing last year.\u00a0 I am now paying 3x to 4x more for balsa than I was when I started out with the $10 kits.\u00a0 Prices WILL have to go up soon.\u00a0 I don’t want to do it and I don’t know the next price step.<\/p>\n So, stay safe.\u00a0 Take care of those around you, even if that means avoiding them.\u00a0 If you are in self-isolation and are now building more than before, welcome to my world.\u00a0 That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 3.5 years.\u00a0 (I had a friend tell me “now you should have plenty of time to build.”\u00a0 I told him “my day-to-day has changed very little.”)\u00a0 Thank you for your continued business and for your words of encouragement and support.\u00a0 I am sorry that the reality of the world around us is impacting our hobby – in our ability to practice it and the cost of doing so.\u00a0 I am trying my best to help you continue to do what you love – build\u00a0 (and fly) stick and tissue.\u00a0 I hope we can get out to the flying field together this summer or fall.<\/p>\n –george<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our models are all just sticks of balsa, tissue paper, a little rubber, and a propeller.\u00a0 We use some other hardware and accessories and we go out and have fun together. First off, we can’t go out and have fun, … Continue reading