Resto on the Super Quaker I built about 40 years ago is done. It was mostly fix and patch except for recovering the wing, that and two attempts at getting the graphics on the wing right. Second attempt I went with an Art Deco style lettering to link to the time period of the plane. I'm going to go with the single wheel rubber band activated landing gear for now,if it gives me fits I'll do something else with it.

Power is a 1946 Super Cyclone .60 Model 'GR' with metal tank attached for burning methanol. Prop is a 14 x 6 Master Airscrew whch should turn up about 7000 rpm.Igniiton is being handled via a Larry Davidson module shooting the juice to a NIB 1940 Aero-Spark coil all powered by a 1800 maH single cell lipo.
It's not the best resto I've done but it'll work. Covering is Top Flite Mono Kote that turned out ot be very nice to work with despite the negative press about the new stuff. Guidance system is a Hitec Optima 6 RX with Hitec HS-325HB servos all linked to a Hitec Optima 6 TX.

Test flights will be in near future as weather and time allows.

.....An' he said: "I'm outa-site!"
He said, for a nominal service charge, I could reach nervonna t'nite
If I was ready, willing 'n able,To pay him his regular fee
He would drop all the rest of his pressing affairs, And devote His Attention to me
But I said . . . Look here brother, Who you jivin' with that Cosmik Debris?

Worked on the blue monster AKA Pulsar Pro 3.6 metre e-sailplane most of the day. It's another fine product of Vladimir's Models in Ukraine purchased at Esprit Models. Assembly is easy as anything, especially having built one before and knowing all the stumbling blocks. Photos tell the...Continue Reading

..............from across the sea
It lingered there, so warm and fair - to walk with me
All summer long, we sang a song - and strolled on golden sand
Two sweethearts, and the summer wind

Reminder by the Chairman of the Board that summer is on it's way...somewhere.
Been messing about trying to finish up the 1940 Megow Models Super Quaker as time allows. The wing is recovered with new Mono Kote and it went well even thought the new stuff is supposed to horrible. I had no problem at all getting it to agree with me and what I want to do. I messed up the vinyl 'Super Quaker" graphic on the port wing by placing them too low. It's not total disaster but it looks odd. Might get new ones made up or just leave them, I haven't decided yet. Left to go is install the igintion system, test the engine and then see if she flys.

The new Pulsar 3.6E Pro Competition RES E-sailplane has arrived bringing acres of blue Ultracote covering. Inspection revealed the top notch quality I have come to expect form Ukraine craftsman. Absolutely beautiful fit and finish at every turn. ZB and Miss Lucy at Esprit Model did thier usual fine job of packing and super fast deilvery, what a great outfit to do business with. All the bits to go with were packed in a seperate box inside so I have all I need to assemble her.
She will be next on the bench and I know she will be a fine sailplane, afterall, she is a Pulsar.

...Backwards forwards square and round.
Over under sideways down,
Backwards forwards square and round.
When will it end, when will it end,
When will it end, when will it end.


Mini update on the blog with opening lines by the Yardbirds from 1966.
the Sunracer Super 3 pylon racer is finished and ready to go when some decent flying weather gets here. She is another very nicely made product of the Czeck Republic with great fits and finish with carbon fibre abounding everywhere. Fitting the gear inside was a challenge as there is absolutely zero wiggling space. A Neu Neu 1112/2D motor will be doing the duties up front being governed by a Castle 70 amp ESC spinng an APC 4.75x4.75 prop, juice is provided by a 2250 maH Nanotech 3s 50C lipo.

Did some engine switching on the Rambler which required hacking some of the front fairing out to fit the O&R .60 . A new engine plate was cobbled up from some 1/8" aluminium and a couple 3/16' ply spacer strips added under that to get the engine to sit right. This will now be my entry for the SAM Ohlsson Sideport Event,she should go like the dickens as this .60 is a real good runner. The plane is an already proven thermal machine so she should bring home the trophies with no trouble.

The 1940 Megow Super Quaker is back on the bench undergoing partial resto. The Super Cyke is installed with a metal tank for burning methanol and BeNol. I retained the rertacting single wheel landing gear for now to see how it works out.
Servos are in and control surfaces hooked up, ignition system need to be made up yet as does the radio and ignition battery packs. Then the wing need covering and application of decals and she should be good to go.

......Something to make us all happy
Do anything take us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar
Make it snappy
You are the one who can make us all laugh
But doing that you break out in tears
Please don't be sad if it was a straight mind you had
We wouldn't have known you all these years.

Cold weather is here already, it feels like winter even though we're only halfway into autumn. Gloom would be bound to happen soon if not for it being the building season. Sure, there are days when I can get out. Cold itself don't bother me, but wind and rain and s**w does put the brakes on getting into the big blue.

I've got the Siren rebuilt...well, actually it's a whole new one as the first one got pretty buggered up in the motor jettison occurance. While building the second one and installing the dihedral braces,the wing fell over and snapped the brace on the starboard wing clean off. It looked much like the end of a broken Kit Kat bar with the laminated plywood layers jaggedly staring back at me.
Attempted to mod the wing and insert CF tube joiners was thwarted when the drill bit went off on an excursion and the hole wound up being someplace other than where I wanted it. The rest of the kit was fine and went together nicely. So...I ordered a new wing kit and when I opened the box to my horror I saw a covering job that apparently was done by a 3 year old. Plus the wing roots and top sheeting didn't match by a long shot. Off came the covering, new ply and CF...Continue Reading

........The moon don't move the tides,
to wash me clean
Sun don't shine
The moon don't move the tides,to wash me clean
Why so unforgiving and why so cold
Been a long time crossing Bridge of Sighs.......

Song for a rainy day and dealing with dorked airplanes.
Caught the bug for hotliners or warmliner in this case. I've been playing with the GP Siren, starting out with a MVVS 4.6/1120, with a Aeronaut 12x6.5 on 3S l 50C lipo. Ths was a bit disappointing as I had the impression she should have been faster that it was. Soooo..reading on the Siren thread,I decided to take her up a notch with a 4S to get some more watts in the wires. I had about 8 flights on the 3S and she flew great, the spoilerons would slow her down to make nice landings and she'd get about 20 minutes of air time per battery.

I knew the plane a little by now, so plugged in a 4S and checked the CG, fired her up and tossed her in the air. Much better, she zipped right on up and sounded great. The Siren is notorious for having a weak firewall for high wattage power plants over the recommended 300 watts. She was now pulling 650 watts and all seemed fine. Then it happened...a bang while climbing out....hmmmmm. I saw the motor go soaring in a big arc out of the nose and plant itself in the ground. This of course now put the CG somewhere around the middle of the stab which resulted in a "slightly" tail heavy situation.

Initial inspection seemed as though the damage was limited to the...Continue Reading

........who seeks that which can not be seen,
you are in the company of those who relish the nuances of nature with long wings,
you gaze into the sky when cumulus clouds form their lofty beauty and hear them
beckoning you and your machine to roam high amongst them.
You have moved beyond the mundane,parted with the crowds and their need
for fumes and noise and have entered the envelope of silent flight.
You are a sailplane pilot.

A bit of encouragement I cobbled up above given to somene who was doubting his part in the soaring community.

Not much new besides fooling around with a GP Siren warm liner. It's not a high end machine but gets me in the door to explore a different realm of sailplanes I've not visited before. She's had a couple three flight on 3S batteries which gave a taste, however the 4S power supply has ariived today to take it up a notch. Preliminary investigation with 4S and current prop shows I have to go down a size or two. Bumped the 1000 watt mark for the first time but that is too much for the motor. Next sector I'm thinking of trying is a DLG of some flavour but still undecided on this.

A few snaps of the battery setup for my Pulsar for those who have asked are attached. Batteries are tacked in place on some 1/8" aircraft ply with Goop then wrapped in heat shrink. A 3mm blind nut is perfect to hold the battery as the 3mm thread is the same as the nose unit retainer screw, makes stuff simple.

......Watch lights fade from every room.
Bedsitter people look back and lament
Another day's useless energy spent.......


Time for a blog update I suppose. Been messing about in the shop with little things that needed to be done. Right now I'm just trying to get the fleet in good flying shape, especially the contest planes. The two ALES sailplanes,the Avia and Pulsar are all sorted and running like well oiled clockwork. Took a day last weekend and hauled all the old timers out to the field to see how they were flying.

After much arguing with the Brown Junior in the Rambler it saw the errors of it's ways and came round to my way of thinking. I thought the engine was the culprit, but after a bout on the test stand this was dismissed. She started on the third flip and ran like a champ. Further investigation found a partly broken wire on the points lead that was causing all the headaches.

Installed my ebay chepo Forster .99 in a 30 year old Sal Taibi 1938 Powerhouse that was given to me. Sal designed this plane for the Forster and it's a classic Old Tmer setup. She also needed a radio install as well as new ignition system and some tidying up including new wheels and homemade wheel covers. I was going to do a full monty recover job, but after looking at her some more decided to leave it as is. She has a veteran patina about her that is kinda attractive and fits her well. She has yet to recieve the name and AMA number graphics which are being made by the Tall...Continue Reading

Thought I had a good stand all made up, but it was while very sturdy indeed, it was also way too large to pack in the Tahoe with all the gear. Sooooo, off to the shop and do some re-engineering with the challenge being to come up with a smaller version that folded up . Bought a sturdy camera tripod for cheap, cut some of the old a parts down, cobbled up the rest to fit. This one breaks down to a package of 5" x 24" and is well good for the job. It's made from white pine and some aircraft ply then finished off in natural clear polyurethane. The only thing left is to make up a nice box to keep all the bits in one place. Reminds me some of a rubber power winding stooge,works for me.

Been working on a couple projects the last few weeks,one is ready for maiden and the other is moving along. I picked up an Electrafly Rifle to fill my need for speed,went with a 350 watt Neu motor which is just a tad above stock. She should be in the 110 to 120 mph range if all is right,we'll see.

The other plane is a Taibi Powerhouse that was given to me by an old friend to go with my recently purchased Forster .99. The Powerhouse don't need a lot as it's in pretty good shape with only minor patching and cleaning up done or to be done.

Lots to know to fly this bird.

How To Fly The B-17 - Flight Operations (1943) (28 min 45 sec)

Leaves are falling all around, It's time I was on my way.
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay.
But now it's time for me to go. The autumn moon lights my way.
For now I smell the rain, and with it pain, and it's headed my way.
Sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do...

Ramble On, And now's the time, the time is now, to sing my song.


Messing about in the shop today with some Led Zep cranking at Warp 9 from the speakers while making up a field stand for my sailplanes. I had all kinds of visions of this way over engineered gizmo but went simple again. Simple build that is, I'm already simple. A nice 1" x 10" x10' piece of white pine from Homer Depot gave itself up to be cut to bits in the bandsaw for the project. The stand itself is a Rigid outfeed slider for a table saw and it too was from Homer Depot for around $29.00.
I might redo the side pieces to make them adjustable so it will fit a wider variety of sailplanes. Then some paint and it's done.


The other items I picked up was some sailplane vinyl decals for the Tahoe. They are just right and look pretty slick. They're made by a guy in his spare time and are available in different sizes,colours and sailplanes. Check 'em out at sailplanestickers.com.


7.3.12-Little update: I notced the window sticker was off centre in the photo. Even with laying it out with tape and measuring from about 6 points I got it wrong. Removed and replaced it today, got it right this time.

Almost done on the Pulsar "build" or assembly. Used some 65 mm clear heat shrink tubing to make up the battery assmeblies on trays with t-nts for reatainer mounts in plane. Changed the servo covers on the tail as I didn't care for the suppied ones plus they wouldn't fit with the changes made to make better geometry on the control linkages. I managed to bump the horizintal satb and crack the tip, fixed it by making a pin hole on the bottom covering and wicking some thin CA in, it's fine now.

The barn door spoilers should stop this bird like a brick. Had to do some fiddling with to get the then to close evenly. Had thought about a long ,way over engineered fix however I went with simple. Two strips of 1/8" x 1/4' balsa CA'ed to the top of two ribs on each side and it too is fine. Also had to rebuild the spoiler servo bay that I had hacked to pieces because I'm an idiot and installed the servo backwards first time round. You'll never see it as it's hidden under the wing.

Went a bit over the top and treated her to a RFM CF spinner and prop, these are absolutely beautiful pieces purchased from Soaring USA. Set up the Castle ESC via Castle Link, another brilliant item with all the ESC programme features you can think of. It's set for hard brake for the folding prop and soft start/ stop to keep from throwing the spinner or hub.

Being a RES ship there isn't a whole lot of radio programming to do. The throttle is on the gear switch for off or on operation and...Continue Reading

Some new goodies and a progress report on the Pulsar. Picked up a nice clean post war Forster .99 for not a lot of money. She seems tight with no bearing wobbles and has great compression. Probably going to put it in a Taibi Powerhouse as one has been available to me. Video maybe later of it running,although after the last fiasco of posting a engine video, I am not sure. People who were not here while I am running them and know absolutely zip,nada,nothing about the oddites of running the old engines have to have their blab and ignorant comments about this and that, so mabye...maybe not.

Picked up a NIB RxR Flyzone foamie FW-190 from a good guy in the RCG classisfeds. It's pretty nice for a foamie and has split flaps along with retracts. Stock motor seems strong with the scale looking 3 bladed and the reviews says the power is more than suffient. Stuck a Opitma 6 channel RX inher and setup all the surfaces and landing gear, now only need a nice day to put her in the big blue.

The Pulsar sailplane is moving along and only being held up now while awaiting the arrival of a RFM carbon fibre spinner and matching folding prop. I have to make the servo covers yet and finish up the elevator pushrod. To make tomorrow will be 3 or 4 battery plates to for the 2200 mah 3S 50C lipos like the one in the below photo. If i can find some large diameter heat shrink, I think I'll use that to make up the assemblies.

Update on the Stevens Aero XS 480, she has flown and needed a few...Continue Reading

Well, she finally got here. Stlll need motor,Castle 60 amp ESC,RAM 3 data logger,CAM Altitude switch and some other small bits and will start on finishing her after the holidays. It's a beautiful aircraft with top shelf workmanship and lots of carbon fibre everywhere. She is supposed to come in at 7 oz./sq.ft wing loading and with a MVVS 4.6/840 spinning a 14x8 folding prop should climb at around 1500 FPM which is right in the ballpark for an ALES Contest ship.

Buying a new sailplane of this calibre is not an easy process and this was one of the harder choices I've had to make. There are so many very capable ships to choose from be it an ARF like this one or a woody build. Cost was a consideration too or rather I should say value. Spending awad of cash in a cavilier fashion on the latest fad aircraft is not a wise approach. The decision had to be made in a manner that is subjective in that it is felt that I am getting the most for my money for what I want to do.

The goal was to add a light air floater RES ship in the 3 metre size to compliment the full house plane already in the fleet. Designed application,performance,serviceability,full house or RES,v-tail,x-tail,t-tail,flying stab or elevators,flaps or spoilers,servos with pushrods or servos with wire leads,stickbuilt wings with open bays,sheeted stick built,sheeted foam core,vacuum bagged epoxy foam core,looks and many other parameters went into the decision. Considering after the sale service from a vendor and...Continue Reading

Found a vendor that I think deserves a look at for model building supplies, in this case drill bits. They have very good prices,ship fast and the vast majority of thier products are made in the US. Check'em out here https://www.buydrillbits.com/ Disclaimer-Just to be safe I have no connection with nor financial interest in them.

The Axis is ready-ready as in couldn't be mo' ready for flight tests. Winter is fast approaching but we still have nice sunny days with low wind and bearable temperatures, just not recently.
I picked up the vinyl graphic for the Axis and the soon the be constructed Yankee Clipper from our local sign shop. The Axis is very plain looking but I'm happy with it as it could meet an early demise doing stupid stuff. The very light structure of the Axis caught up with me again and this time I had to remove the covering and make a repair. I hate having patches on a brand new machine but had to do it.

Another , my 3.2 RES/M Pulsar was here this morning, but I was not. Fed Ex dude left note saying he stopped by to taunt me with a note about the sailplane being almost in my possession and that he shall stop by and perhaps taunt me again on the morrow. Ain't gonna happen again, I'm ready for him this time

A couple photos of my other hobby at...Continue Reading

The Axis or XS 480 as it is also called is ready for flight. I am not entirely happy with the way it worked out,but it will have to do. The trailing edge of the wing has been a pain in the butt from the get go and it didn't stop with the covering. When shrinking the Solar Film the trailing edge bent this way and that and then some.

I straightened it out as best I could and it's seems structurally sound but it's kinda ugly. I almost replaced the lumber with something a bit harder and thought about some CF strips to anchor it straight and I should have done one of either.
I find the wood in the fuselage cracks awfully easy also and I've made some repairs already I am not about to strip the covering all off right now, however it might come to that. The graphics are at the sign shop and should be here this week.

While waiting for my new electric sailplane to find it's way here, I have my old Super Quaker wing on the bench in winter quarters and will start recovering it this week. Graphics are here and ready so it should be a quick job. The Super Quaker fuselage needs some work however it's not take a whole bunch to get her redone and ready for the SAM Old Timers...Continue Reading

As promised by the weather prophets, it blew and rained pretty much all day.Did some house stuff this morning and then whipped up a Malyasian beef and berriani rice dish for lunch. Right after noon time I sat down and started applying some Solar Film to the wing. It was pretty much straight forward except for the front corner of the wing tip which had just one too many curve in it, so it had to be done with a seperate piece.

You find all the little bumps and nicks you thought you had all out when covering and I had a few. Just some minor backtracking by lifting up a piece that had been stuck down,sanding then cleaning and resticking. Not much to go now,install servos in wing,tape the ailerons in place,put the forward wing keys in,set all the control surface throws then she'll be ready for crash testing.
Now for the weather phrophets ...I'm waiting...Continue Reading

Another off day and after getting the leaves cleaned up off 4 acres of lawn,taking the truck to the garage,cooking lunch for The Queen and helping our 4 year old grandniece with her computer stuff I found some time to work on the Axis. Don't look like I did whole heck of a lot, but the fiddly bits seem to take the most time. Got the Hacker A30-28S motor installed, soldered up the connections on the 25 amp Castle ESC,installed the HS-65HB servos for the elevator and rudder, put the Hitec Optima 6 RX in place,powered the system up and connected the bowdens. The fuselage is live and ready to go except for setting the control surface throws.

I still have to come up with a bullet proof battery hold down and I don't trust the upside down hatch bit with only a magnet holding it in place. If the battery comes loose it's gone to take out the cover and not good things could happen. I'm a bit sensitve to this happening as I have lost aircraft either to batteries bailing out in the air or coming loose and hanging by the wire changing the CG to some unknown location.

I ran the motor to check for roatation and I think for the first time ever it was right from the get go. I didn't think the motor would be as powerful as it is. I don't know why but this thing should scoot nicely. Tomorrow promises to be a rainy day and I have nothing big on the order boards, so hopefully the wing will get covered and servos intstalled. After that....flight tests!!!!


Oh!! And the colour scheme?? I now know what it reminded me of. My boat which is not longer with us. No, Backlash didn't go the Davey Jones' locker, we sold her to a good home and and captain.

Started covering the Axis with Solar Film and it don't look too bad. Striping is from an automotive shop and is a real easy way to get multiple colours on the plane in one shot. It has a backing and a facing,you apply the tape then take off the facing and you're done. At the somewhat tongue in cheek ( I think) suggestion of a flying cohort, I am going with simple covering and trim. He says I have a penchant for not being kind to stick style aircraft having dorked or tree planted a few Mini Ultra Sticks. Maybe this one will last a while, we'll see. Servos are in route,motor has arrived and the wing has to be covered still. I might be pretty much done this week,or not.

Next up is either the 78" Yankee Clipper by Richard Tanis for old timer electric competiton from a partial kit by Klarich Kits or maybe continue on with my Super Quaker refinishing for Class Ignition with a Super Cyke doing the duties ooorrrrr the Pulse 3.2 metre electric sailplane for ALES contest and sport soaring.