I have one waiting for me to get to it after my Grand Esprit project.

CRAZY AEROBATICS with NEW PROP and LIVE DATA - Explorer Q (5 min 49 sec)

Col Robert E Thacker passed away quietly in his sleep on Wednesday 11/25/2020 at 102 years to rejoin his beloved Betty Jo. He is the most amazing person that I have had the pleasure to know over my life time. He was a true American hero who served his country and led by example throughout this life time. He inspired me to take a ride in a P51 Mustang and we had a beautiful conversation on my experience in it. The soaring community has last one of its icons. God speed Col I will miss your friendship.

11/30/2020 - Updated with more pictures

When I started to flying my dad used to take me to the sailplane meets in Southern California where he competed. I was always impressed with how certain people would always make their duration time. Being too young to compete I would walk around and watch the pilots launch and land. I’m not even sure how I found out that Mark Smith was a solid pilot but I do recall following him around Miles Square as he flew his Windfree. He was always so tactical when he flew. He never covered the same air twice and did a touch and go on asphalt to stop the time prior to landing. His Windfree was a very light version due to all the special wood he selected plus the top fuselage sheeting had lightening holes in it. He always was waxing the wings prior to flight and joked it was thermal wax.

As I progressed in the hobby my dad had someone at work who had a Windfree kit partially started. I looked at what was started and knew this was way over my head. It seemed like the build took an eternity to compete. My goal was to get it in the air and be like Mark. I had great objectives at that age progressing from a 2 channel Nomad 2 to flying like Mark. Too funny. To cover it I selected Red wings and White for the fuselage. I’m not sure what it weighed yet am sure it was in the mid 30 ounce range. One of the people we flew models with Jim Pearson had a Windfree and he helped me set mine up. It was so many years ago that I do not recall how long I even had mine or what it flew like. What I do...Continue Reading

Under the blistering skies of Visalia Phil Hill, Tim Johnson, with Chris and Steve George on the winches ran the 2020 CVRC Bent Wing contest and it is in the done column. Thank you guys! When it was postponed from May to June I knew it was going to be a warm weather event. The forecast was to 105+ degrees with 10 mph winds. The wind never showed up but the heat did. It was 102 on Friday, 106 on Saturday, and it cooled to 94 on Sunday which was wonderful. So many of us drank water by the litter on Saturday it was nonstop. I had to go to the store after Saturdays sizzle to get more sport drinks.

Saturday the lift was very spotty with very immature thermals starting all over the place and they just broke up. Several times I watched people start to climb then after 200 feet the lift broke up and it was glide to the landing. Steve George (Atomic) and Kent Nogy (Eagle) flew side by side at 200 feet fighting to work a thermal that did eventually allow them make their times. It was a great flight to watch as they coordinated turns together. Phil Hill drove his Marauder all over the site tracking for thermals multiple times sometimes finding lift and other times not. He fought like hell each flight. Larry Jolly brought his very nice Bird of Time come out to play with us. Unfortunately it had a soft steel joiner and took to Pigeon Dihedral on each launch. He eventually packed it away for another day. Don Northern was there with his Northwind. He literally was the three minute man....Continue Reading

Here is what is in work for us all:

Recreational Knowledge and Safety Test Update


The FAA announced on Monday, Dec. 9 that they have selected 12 organizations, including AMA, to make recommendations for the administration of the upcoming recreational knowledge and safety test. In September, AMA submitted a request for information (RFI) to show interest in becoming an administrator of the test. The knowledge and safety test is one of the eight statutory requirements found in the Exception for Limited Recreational Operations of Unmanned Aircraft to operate as a recreational flyer in the NAS. If you have questions, please contact us at (765) 287-1256 or amagov@modelaircraft.org.

FAQ:

Q: I have seen communications about an upcoming test. What is this?

A: Soon, all recreational flyers will have to pass the recreational knowledge and safety test. Completion of the test is one of the eight statutory requirements to operate under section 349, the exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft.

Q: When will the test become available?

A: There has not been a set release date for the test, but it will likely be rolled out in early 2020. We will continue to update our member communication platforms when new information becomes available.

Q: Who will have to take this test?

A: All recreational flyers will have to pass the test once it comes out. It is written into law and required of all recreational flyers to pass the test...Continue Reading

As you go through life there are moments in hind sight that define our lives. Meeting Jim Smith in the mid-seventies on the Southern California Soaring Circuit (SC2) was a life changing experience an eighteen year old could have never know. Jim belonged to the Soaring Union of Los Angeles Club (SULA) and was a notable member. My father had ties to that club through the Parzik’s who were the JP Models family (Dart 2 and Javelin) and the most fun guy around Rick Norwood. As the years ticked by the contest traveled all over Southern California while I was in pursuit of the contest wins for the League of Silent Flight. Jim was LSF 1849 and obtained Level 1 on 3/12/76, Level 2 on 2/19/77, Level 3 on 6/21/80, and Level 4 on 7/11/07. SULA always had a strong membership that attended these events. At their Cal State Dominguez field we always had a huge attendance. I was in awe of all the soaring people I saw at these events. Many of them were in the soaring columns or in the news letter sent to my father. Jim was in RCM at one point and that is how I recognized him. My first few attempts at the SULA field were not the best. They had something I had never seen before at my home field called a wave. Jim was the first person to explain how that develops on their field and how to use if for the long duration flights. That changed my techniques on flying in the wind forever.

As the landscape changed due to population expansion in the Los Angeles area his SULA club faced its challenges....Continue Reading

F-15C "Grim Reapers", 493rd TFS 48th TFW, RAF Lakenheath in the LFA7 Low level training area in Wales near Dolgellau F-15C The 493d FS is a combat-ready F-15 Eagle squadron capable of executing air superiority and air.

F-15C "Grim Reapers", Low Level Mach-Loop (3 min 54 sec)

My sincere congratulations to Terry Koplan LSF 496 for completing his Level V in LSF. It’s a wonderful accomplishment and it’s great to see him get it done!

After several conversations on how to set up the throttle for F5J I quickly found that there is no one stop set of instructions to do this. ALES and F5J are the electric sailplane events where having an arming switch tied to throttle is very beneficial. ALES (altitude limiting electric sailplane) can use the standard motor setup in the DX9 / DX18 using the bind button or switch designated to power on the motor to 100%. That is pretty standard. What happens when you need to launch with a low power setting? Throwing the sailplane and going to the slider on the right or left is cumbersome at best. Another solution is to set a motor curve with a value on the low throttle setting. When you enable the arming switch it turns the motor on and you can then fly away with ease by not fumbling for the slider switch. Using a 3 position switch to select one of 3 motor speeds: loiter, cruise and climb (low medium and high) will make it easier to fly these events.

I have attached a series of instructions that will give you the basic idea behind what to do for this programming. With so many ways to do things this is just an example. You can use this to tailor toward your needs using various other switches.

Another CVRC Bent Wing/WOODY event has drawn to a close. The field and the weather was unbelievable once again. We had light wind for the two days and the lift cycled through in the usual fashion. Our resident Red Tail that Joe nave named “Mary” after he had his encounter in October was present again. She took to the air on a regular basis to let us know her nest was in process.

Friday was the ALES kickoff event with 5 rounds of 8 minutes. It’s a fun way to start the weekend and learn new things. The lift was light and several people found the cycles of sink. I took the ballast out of the 3.8 Explorer I was using which made working air much easier. Steve George used his E Pike Perfect SL and had no problem making his times against the ultra-light F5J models. I love watching his ALES flights with his Neu motor swinging a huge prop as he makes those sweeping right hand turns around the guys moving to the east to gain distance and altitude. It’s so cool to watch. With my new center panel from a midair in October and a dry weight of 43 ounces made my approaches a bit inconsistent. Pulling the flaps on the normal Explorer wing stopped it inflight. That really messed up my timing. I cannot imagine what the Big Flap version would do.

New this year was the additional round that Chris Platt added to Sunday. An 8 minute round was added as a reward for flying the others so quickly. WOW another 8 minute round. I’d already checked out when the 10 minute was done. It seemed like...Continue Reading

I was sending messages back and forth this morning to Fred Weaver about everything sailplanes. He tells me he has a friend up from Sunnyvale who is out watching the Wild Turkeys walk through the property. they make this walk two to three times a day. Fortunately his friend capture this video. AMAZING

Fred’s Turkey Farm (1 min 9 sec)

What could be better than the two best allied fighters together in one place. Sit back and enjoy the sight of these two warbirds.

P-51 Mustang & Spitfire @ Dunsfold Wings & Wheels 2014 (HD) (9 min 54 sec)

Let’s start 2019 with the Messerschmitt Bf-109 G6 flying low and loud in the second half of the video. Stream that section to your AV system and crank the surround sound you won’t be disappointed.

Messerschmitt Bf-109 G6 Low & Loud - DB605 SOUND (12 min 42 sec)

The Bf 109 G-series was developed from the largely identical F-series airframe, although there were detail differences. Modifications included a reinforced wing structure, an internal bullet-proof windscreen, the use of heavier, welded framing for the cockpit transparencies, and additional light-alloy armour for the fuel tank. It was originally intended that the wheel wells would incorporate small doors to cover the outer portion of the wheels when retracted. To incorporate these the outer wheel bays were squared off. Two small inlet scoops for additional cooling of the spark plugs were added on both sides of the forward engine cowlings. A less obvious difference was the omission of the boundary layer bypass outlets, which had been a feature of the F-series, on the upper radiator flaps. Like most German aircraft produced in World War II, the Bf 109 G-series was designed to adapt to different operational tasks with greater versatility; larger modifications to fulfil a specific mission task, such as long-range reconnaissance or long-range fighter-bomber.

To learn more visit:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messer...f_109_variants

Another amazing CVRC Fall Soaring Festival (a rolling circus) is in the books. This is the 45th annual event and once again the entire CVRC Club has pulled it off. Several of the original members are pulling a heavy load to pull this event off. They are the people everyone still in the sport needs to reach out to for help. We may not think this is a team sport but now is the time we all have to pull together and do more than ever to keep our events rolling. It getting serious.

I’ve had my good cups of coffee in the morning while enjoying the cooler fall air. There is nothing like being in the central valley this time of the year when the air is cooler. One thing that I can report is that everyone I saw was happy to be at the FSF and see everyone. It might be a sign of the times with so many of the people we have known in the past no longer being with us. I’m not really sure. All of the guys I know who have had personal challenges told me they were glad to be here and flying again. That says something to me about how special the FSF is to so many people in this activity.

With the cooler temperatures we enjoyed a full 3 days of head winds. Friday kicked off the rolling circus with all the typical smack talk and light conversations as people arrived. The guys all gathered in various sections of the field to sport fly prior to the ALES fun event. I use the word fun lightly because this was a very competitive group. Many have flown in 5FJ events and we did have members of...Continue Reading

I saw a thread on the topic of winch launching and decided to add this to my blog to remind myself of the good launching habits. Joe Wurts is the best at launching in my mind. He gets maximum tension and then releases the launch with a smooth easy motion. I used to use the boom launch prior to seeing Joe launch his Supra. After seeing the numerous pictures of Jo Grini on the Samba and his web site I switched over to their techniques. Boom launching is the easier way to go when you are not confident of the launch process. As you watch the video you will see how off balance one is as the line tensions up. Jim Monaco put together a super clean video to show how to use the proper launch technique that really does make it easier to launch. Joe Wurts shows how to pull massive line tension on his Maxa.

Boom throwing

Pike perfection winch launch (1 min 59 sec)

Jim Monaco

F3J Tips & Trick - Launching (3 min 10 sec)

...Continue Reading

I have been working with a few of the Horizon team guys to clarify how to properly set up the Telemetry feature in your Spektrum transmitter and how to use the telemetry receiver ports. This series of instructions might help you get it right the first time.

* For the Receiver voltage to be read plug in the receiver battery (harness with switch or magnetic switch connected to the receiver battery) into the Battery or Bind/Data slot.
* For the Flight Pack Power voltage to be read connect the supplied extension between the battery and the speed control power leads; then install the JST connector into the port for FLT PK Volt.
* For the Temperature telemetry to be read you will need to install the Temperature harness JST connector into the port for TEMP.


In the Transmitter:

• Access the telemetry menu
• In each of the telemetry positions 1 – 9 select the EMPTY option
• Position 10 will always be RX Volt
• Keep the transmitter powered on
• Turn on the Receiver power
• In the Telemetry menu of the transmitter select the Auto Configuration function and wait for it to connect to the receiver and configure the Telemetry Menu
• Select the values that you would like to use for the Receiver voltage limits and alarms menu

That is all you need to do to make Telemetry work

This is a P-51 Mustang Tailchase taken from the Flying Legends Airshow at Duxford in the UK. Sit back and just enjoy the sounds of the glorious Merlin Engine.

P-51 Mustang Tailchase NO MUSIC -PLAY LOUD!!! (3 min 24 sec)

It is the times in life where you meet people who for some reason you cannot understand provide a prescience when you are with them. Adam Nelson did that to me. We lost Adam last night when he succumbed to his battle with Brain cancer. Three years ago was when I had first met Adam. He was known to me as the guy who takes a ton of pictures and post them to Dropbox for all of us to see. I learned more about Adam through Steve George as he mentioned Adam was going to take the role as CD for the Fall Soaring Festival. That is a huge responsibility and one I have seen Phil Hill and Claude Turner fill year after year. Learning that Adam had been a successful Lawyer made it clear to me that he was more than capable of handling these duties as well as dealing with people. Adam had a way of taking the events energy then redeploying it back to the pilots who were in the event. He was also very good at talking to you and making an idea seem like it was yours and you went away with a smile. His passion for the sport was always present wanting to give back to make the sport move forward. In his last role as a CD for the 2018 Bent wing event he created a special event to promote a sailplane design. This year it was the Aquila. You can read my prior post on this experience.

In life we have regrets and mine is not taking the time to walk over and see Adam on the Friday ALES event thinking he would be around the next two days. Adam was not able to make it out the next two day and I regret...Continue Reading

Under the spring skies of Visalia this past weekend we flew the 2018 Bent wing contest. It was a little more special to me this time having completed the Aquila that I have been wanting to build for over 40 years. At the time of its release in RC Modeler Magazine with the picture of Lee’s Aquila up against the water fountain in the Monastery Mater Dolorsa in Sierra Madre Califiornia I have always wanted to build one. Don Edberg took his Aquila out at the SWSA clubs flying site in San Dimas California so pictures of the snowcapped Mt. Baldy in the back ground were in the RCM article. Several of the guys in my club knew Lee Renaud since he was a member. Being just a little guy back then I had no way to buy a kit for $59.95 with my allowance. Some of you might know that my dad wrote the soaring column for RCM. I’m pretty sure that he had spoken to Lee at some point and was able to get me a fiberglass fuselage to scratch build a kit. At the time the building skills needed for me to fabricate the Aquila were well above my head. I was building simple sailplanes around that time. As the needs for other competitive sailplanes came across my mind to stay relevant in club contest the Aquila slipped to the back burner. I never forgot about it though. Years later when I had been seeing kits go for larger sums of money I started to keep an eye out for a kit. With the passing of one of our club members Harvey Jenkins I was told our club would sell off his kits in an auction. When I saw he...Continue Reading

When the plans for the Aquila were first drawn all of the radio equipment was very large by today’s standards. The inside of the glass fuselage reminded me of the lunch box I used to take to school with so much room inside. It took me a while to settle on the final version of the equipment installation. A few areas concerned me with a fuselage that was made 30 years ago. One was the wide open structure would crack in the area by the rear canopy opening after several hard landings. Another was how to make the ballast go in and out quickly. Originally the Aquila wood fuselage had a small ballast box near the leading edge. The Grande had a similar provision on the glass fuselage. That design idea just seemed to limit my choices for the servo installation and receiver mounting. All of the current fuselages I have for modern designs use a plywood stiffener in the canopy area to mount servos and ballast. This looked like a promising compromise for my Aquila. I needed a robust reinforcement in the front and a way to easily install ballast. In the pictures you can see the servos are mounted on the .125 inch plywood using servo frames from Soaring USA. I created a 12.5 ounce ballast bar from sheet lead secured to the plywood with an 8-32 pan head screw. I’ll have to make the final receiver and wire placement in the next building session. The tow hook is a more up to date version that we use on all of the expensive molded sailplanes. I wanted to have a little more adjustment and strength than the original Airtronics adjustable tow hook. I was a little disappointed with the final canopy fit. My canopy frame was spot on when it sat on the fuselage. The allowance for the plastic thickness was incorporated but upon the actual test fit of the canopy it was obvious that shape was not a perfect fit to the glass fuselage. It would be interesting to know if the canopy plug was different between the buildup fuselage and the glass fuselage. If you know send me a note!