I'll be leaving one week from today. It has been a fantastic journey to bring a piece of history together. Look forward to sharing good times/food/memories with friends old and new. Plan to represent Hobby King well with this one.

Bugatti Maiden (13 min 32 sec)

Been quite some time since I've done a blog entry here. I've been focusing my modeling efforts over at the Flite Test forums to help cultivate a higher level of scratch building and encourage new-comers to try their hand at it.

For those interested, My latest project is the Bugatti 100p and the build has been sponsored by Hobby King. I've completed the custom contra-rotating motor and mounted it in the fuselage. For a full write up of the motor's build please see this FT article. The build thread is located here. Hope to have this flight worthy by April and to make it to Flight Fest 2017.

Been a long while since I've updated my blog. I've been quite busy with a kitchen re-model that is complete now. I did start a build on the Saab B17. The build log I decided to publish over at the FliteTest forums since a lot of the subscribers over there are newer to the hobby and My intention is to help inspire builders!
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthrea...ching-everyone
I'll be getting back to this one as soon as I get the rubble from the re-model is removed from the garage.

I've completed a summer build with my kids. A 6-ft wingspan L-4 grasshopper.
http://flitetest.com/articles/72-l-4-grasshopper
I've done a flying demonstration for some scouts.

Flying RC at Camp Airy 2013 (9 min 38 sec)

I've made a FT Versa wing
http://flitetest.com/articles/ft-versa-wing
I made another combat foamy
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...01&postcount=3
The previous one I trashed but wanted another for winter. I built this one with dihedral and it flies great.

I've decided to hold off (again) on my Helldiver build. My next project will be a FFVS J-22. I started this build a long while ago and I really want to build it to refine skills I've acquired. Bungee-launched belly lander at around 60" wing span. Should be a fun build.

I posted my first Flite Test how-to today. Hope others find it useful. I see so many people put way too much work into hot wire templates. I just wanted to share how I do mine and get the same results... only faster, easier, and cheaper.

http://flitetest.com/articles/how-to...wire-templates

Ok, so I've had a couple things in mind while I've been wrapping up repair/builds this season and need some help on where to go next. So, The choices are:

1: Complete my already started SB2C-4 Helldiver Build and thread already started but I have been lacking motivation to get on it again.

2: Bristol F2B from Peter Rake plans. It will be a giant-scale plane as I will build it big 60+" WS and have some fun with some details.

3: Saab B17. It will be a smaller model but I've got the servoless retracts for it and a motor that will work. Bomb bay doors and bombs too since I LOVE dive-bombers.

Any input would be great!

Turnigy Plush 10A ESC
https://www.hobbyking.com/buddy.asp?c...3-794C0F92A7B9

JXF 7x6 prop
https://www.hobbyking.com/buddy.asp?c...8-E0B988419A3C

Saw this today. Not mine... Just spotted the video. Pretty cool. Language is NSFW. Several F-bombs but the audio is not needed for the cool factor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...v=ffEYqGGYXRk#!

Farewell and I hope to meet you one day beyond this life. Thank you for your inspiration not of your job well done but of your humble acceptance of commendation from everyone throughout the remainder of your life.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/sc...emc=rss&src=ig

What a great Father's day!

My wife has her own business and sometimes she just spends way too much time online.

Saw this news article today.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/...to-be-exhumed/

Some 25 Griffon-powered Spitfires have been located in Burma. They were in fact buried but are well-preserved, according to the report. Hope to have these historical pieces in the air soon.

Well, I knew the wind would be calm but overcast so I headed out this morning to get it done.

First up was the Windrider SBD Dauntless. I modified it to have split flaps and a dropping bomb. Flight went fine. I made sure to get up some peed before a gentle pull back of the stick. Needed some trim on roll but nothing major. Tried bottom flaps... some lift but not a wild amount. Top flaps... slows down wildlybut makes the tail control surfaces a bit mushy. I tried using both flaps... bottom then top. She started to roll unexpectedly and ailerons would not recover so I removed the top flaps and pulled out. I dropped the bomb and the magned system worked flawlessly. Though it took awhile to find a green bomb in green grass. The yellow stripe gave it away. Landing I made sure to keep the prop going to have speed over the tail. No flaps deployed but touched down nicely with no tendency to vary on its path.

Second up was the Goldberg Eagle2. Take off really required a lot of juice but once up I was at 1/2 throttle or less. Really a pussy cat and wonderful trainer. SHe had a very bad tendency to toll and maxed out my trim to get her to fly level. I'll be adjusting the ailerons mechanically to correct this. Needed to up trim as well but on power off she had a nearly level glide path right into the wind. I had to wave off my first landing attempt and had about 2" of runway left when I finally got her down. I also notice the roll rate was not fast at all so I upped the travel to 125% on my Tx. Took her back up and all was well. Really no bad habits and just a great afternoon lazy plane to fly.

Ok, so recently I ordered the infamous HXT900 servos just to try them out and I have to say they are literally a carbon copy of the Tpro servos over at Hobbypartz. Even the same color case. The only difference is the sticker on the outside. The included hardware and length of wire as well. Cheaper? not by that much... it pays off in the speed of delivery. From hobby king? 2.5 weeks. HP? 6 days.

No in defense of HK I also just received one of the new SK3 motors.
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...dProduct=18161
Seriously one of the nicest and smoothest running motors I have ever encountered. It comes very well packaged and the accessories are well padded in the box as to not come loose and scratch anything. The finish is perfect and quality looks good. The stator windings are not perfect but pretty close. With up to 560W on tap it sure will make anything I put it in go fast. I think I'll get this one next.
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...dProduct=21286
755 watts could be useful.

Completed the first successful flight of my first all-scratch build from no plans. Flight report is in the build log.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...2#post20888439

I know she is not much to look at now but I wanted to make sure it flew before I started paint and other details. Forgot how maidens make the adrenalin rush.

So, Awhile back I got a call from my brother-in-law (who frequents any dumpster diving party) and says he has something for me and he will be over soon to give it to me. Turns out it was an old Goldberg Eagle 2 kit... Die "Crush" and all. Complete kit and undamaged. I saw it as a great opportunity to build a trainer for my kids and have some fun on.

I finished the build and spoke to a firend about a suggested covering that was light. He brought me a whole box of coverings to play with. So this is the result. The plane itself is finished. The propeller and battery are on the way. The flames were a fun little test experiment that my wife and I collaborated on.

So now I am making floats. Scratch built as is my custom when I need something done. This last picture shows the work so far. Simple thin ply top plate with $Tree foam formers nd covered with $Tree foam as well. I have since completed this one with exception of final treatment of glass and paint. She weighs in at a hair under 5 oz. Pretty nice if I do say so myself considering that commercial ones weigh around 10-12 oz finished.

Anyways just thought I would share.

So I placed an order on the 15th of December knowing the item was backordered. So what I did not know was that they would hold my ENTIRE order until this one item comes back in stock... Checked again tonight only to find the picture below... same one I saw so long ago now.

you have been warned.

A couple Buddy Codes from HK.

Its for the 11x8 wood electric prop.
https://www.hobbyking.com/buddy.asp?c...8-1B501A6B4A18


Hatch hinges!!! everyone needs those right?
https://www.hobbyking.com/buddy.asp?c...6-F65D1465D87D

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...2#post20339347

Check the progress.

More pics over at the thread:
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...1073753&page=2
I needed a new park plane and I love this one so much I decided to go for it. Mostly pink foam (obviously). CF arrow shaft for spars. EFlite Power 15 motor with a cut down 9x9 prop to be a 8x9. Simple bank and yank but should be quite fast. Sitting at just under a pound now with all parts on the scale. Hoping to stay right at one pound with everything to be finished on it.