Hello from Ft. Lauderdale Florida... home of the ..... O.K. ... I don't know what it's home to... I have not lived here that long.

Reader's Digest version of my BIO :
California born, raised an Indiana boy, got out of the cold winters as soon as I could. Design Engineer by trade, Designer, builder, and dreamer by nature.

Owned a hobby shop with my dad when I was a kid. Got into fixed wing Ultralight aircraft during my young ages. Got interested in Gyro craft in my thirties, and designed/built an ultralight-tractor-gyro for myself at the start of my forties.

When I moved here, I did not bring the UL stuff with me (YET !) So to curb my flying desires, I started building foamies ! I have built 6 models in the past 4 months.

I just finished my own partial design. (based on an existing foamie)

I love to fly.... even when I'm stuck on the ground !!!

I love to design and build.... even if I can't get in it.... I can still fly it !

some pictures of my latest build.... F-22 Raptor with ducted fan/brushed motor.

More to come...... my name is Tim Blackwell. Nice meeting you all...... enjoy the Blog-blog-blog-blog!!!

http://www.mh-aerotools.de/airfoils/index.htm

Blog test entry.

I was born in Rome, Italy and emigrated to the US with my parents when seven years old. Spent my tender years in Honolulu, attended Tulane University in New Orleans majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and spent six years active duty in the US Navy. After leaving the Navy I spent 21 years as an Electrical Engineer working for various DoD contractors. I think I'm all spent out... but wait, there's more!

Then, I finally grew up... since 1995 I have worked in the games industry as Producer and Executive Producer at The Avalon Hill Game Company (pre-Hasbro aquisition) and at Hasbro Interactive which was bought by Infogrames and years later renamed to Atari. My proudest accomplishment was being the Executive Producer for Civilization III.

At age eleven I was bitten (severly, mind you) by the Science Fiction bug when I accidentally cast my eyes upon A Princess of Mars at the school library, and immediately falling in love with John Carter, the incomparable Dejah Thoris, and Barsoom.

Current builds on the workbench ****UPDATED 7/16/06****

-Received my new Futaba 9CAP Transmitter from ServoCity on 5-15-06. Has a lot more features than my Optic 6. I think I'll set up one TX (9CAP) for my DLG's and Gliders and use the Optic 6 for my "regular planes". Now I have to learn how to program it!

-Art Hobby Hybrid DLG - See build log


Build Pile


-QuickFlickII Discus Launched Glider - have a new short kit coming to build the wings w/o a warp this time

Built planes
-Goldberg Gentle Lady Glider - flies great!

EdgeRC Overlord 48" wing - Maidened it a few weeks ago, flies great.* Upgraded to a Warp4 4 turn, more speed!

Multiplex Easy Glider - Maidened it April 10th (my B-Day). First time ever using a highstart. It flew fine although there was no breeze or lift. No surprises.

Cox Micro Warbird - Spitfire - built in one evening, quick build. I'm using 2 GWS pico servos, 5 amp esc, GWS 4 channel RX and an Etec 2S 450 Mah battery. Balances fine, no dead weight needed. Still have to maiden.

E-Flite Ascent Powered Glider (bought from The Don - 3/11/06) - ready to fly now, need to maiden. 4-2-06 - maidened and crashed within about 2 seconds . Not sure what happened but it dove in hard from about 20 feet up. Servo was not reversed. Rebuilt - new speed 400 motor (bent the shaft on original) and had to re-epoxy the firewall since it broke free on impact. Ready for a re-maiden, hopefully with better success ***UPDATE -...Continue Reading

Alrighty a blog. Cool stuff? Not a lot to say about myself, except I'm a student. I'm a big Rush fan! Best bend ever. Other interests include... Photography. I've got a gallery here www.kyle90.fotopic.net .

Scratch the SS#3 idea. Too much work. The Slow Stick is a nice plane as it is, without too much modification. If you're going to go to the trouble of re-engineering it, might as well go with a whole different plane. I'm still thinking of that twin-boom pusher idea...

I am also re-thinking this idea of increasing the wing area that much. The current design is over 40% larger. I've modified it now to be only 15% to 20% (depending on how you measure it) more area. I shouldn't then have to modify the tail feathers, except perhaps to increase the throws. So the wing will just sort of replace the stock wing but not improve on it much except to make it portable. I don't have major complaints about the stock wing.

Over on the Pink AP1 thread, CrazyHerb suggested going with a thinner foam -- 1" or even ¾". In the interest of getting on with it, I'll keep this in mind for future projects, but keep with the 1½" stuff for now.

I got some 1/8" plywood for the joiners at the LHS today. Also picked up a Sombra Labs Shadow 7 receiver (was surprised that they're keeping them in stock now). Made in Canada, eh?

Onward and upward.

Swap Meets

First Saturday in Feb means Tri-City Swap meet. Getting started again means cleaning up the workshop. In doing so I was able to segregate out things I don’t need and can live without. The swap meet would be a way to trade some of that off.

For someone who never, typically, had more than two planes flying at a time, I had a lot of radio stuff. Since the newest piece was 5-6 years and since it was old connection Airtronics, I knew it would not be worth much. Still I priced it for what I would take and let nature take its course. I didn’t sell much radio stuff but that was OK.

What I did sell a lot of was junk. I took lots of things I did not want and put them in a $1 box. I made most of my money from that. All my stuff was priced fair so I knew I would be taking it home but I made my nut (entry fee for me and my son and breakfast for us both) in the first half hour and everything else was gravy. Kind of like flying, the social aspect was a key part of the deal. The $1 box proved to be a real conversation starter. Besides the junk, I took a box of magazines, 50¢ - $1 ea., and sold $2.50 worth (thus putting me $2.50 ahead of the garbage can).

Some people sold a lot of stuff. Those are the people who had their “come-to-Jesus” moment and knew that if they wanted to sell their junk, it had to be priced right. Other people cling foolishly to the thought they can recoup their investment and go home with everything they brought with them. I felt particularly sorry for a lot of owners of finished airplanes. The good, well-priced stuff left early leaving only the overpriced hangar queens and war weary.

The swap meet is a good way to rotate your junk stock. Sell yours, buy someone else’s. I only did a little of this but I was happy. Left with most of my junk, some new junk and some extra green in my wallet. If you can get the right attitude you can really enjoy a swap meet.

Had the day off work today so used some time to tidy up the workbench and start recovering the top of the club trainer wing. The model is a VMAR Discovery trainer which we (Maidstone MFC, Kent. England) use to teach newcomers and those who are temporarily without a model. It's 4 years old now and needs a little TLC. The old covering was that horrible sticky backed plastic stuff that VMAR just love but at least it came off easily.

There was quite a bit of split sheeting and one shattered rib underneath but nothing that a little cyano won't cure. Tomorrow I'll get some solarfilm on the top and she should be flying by the weekend. In the air the Discovery flys well, albeit in an almost slow vintage fashion - nothing wrong with that trait in a trainer.

So I dropped in at the local home improvement store today and picked up a few things. The attached pic shows everything I've got so far. I've got:

Hot Wire
1"x2"x6' Pine
#10-32 x 2" Bolts and Nuts
Eye Screws
Alligator Clips
Speaker Wire
Power Supply
Foam
Cat

I just need to dig around a little and, with luck, find a big spring and some non-stretch material to use for a tracer wire.

The cat is "Monzo" (don't ask), and is included in the pic because, well, he's just got to be a part of the project.

I want to introduce myself. I'm George Wilson from San Antonio. I've been a modeler for over 40 years and like most of us, this has been an on and off proposition. Right now its on again so, hence the title of this note, I'm a retread.

I have been on the sideline for nearly four years, starting from when I found the need to taper off. This includes two years when I did not even hold a transmitter, even the ones in my shop.

But the allure of modeling runs deep in me, just as it has since I saw the Cox control-line demonstration ring at Disneyland when I was a kid or my first R/C model at the San Jacinto Battleground Park.

I'm a modeler, not an expert but not a beginer either, more than a flyer. I like to fly too but with a casualness that relaxes me even when the airplane is in risky situations. A great afternoon is 3 flights and 3 hours of conversation.

My club, the San Antonio Prop Busters, has just gone through some troubling times, loosing two fields in relatively short order. We now have two again, one of which is a peaceful countryish venue that I really like and the other is a joint use agreement with a private airport.

I intend to use this blog to talk about modeling and flying. To talk about the retread process. To discuss modeling politics in a disengaged manner. To tell (and show hopefully) about the things I do. Some specific topics will be become threads in the regular group sections.

Hello there, this is Gizmo,
Just to let other builders know that I own a kern 130 laser.(table 50in x 52in) If you have a design and and the cad work completed, I will cut the kit for free, you only pay for the wood and shipping. I will only cut one kit for free per design, but I will give you a great deal on your other repeat kits. This is a picture of my laser and a pic of my zero on my gaint scale balancer,work stand and plane holder. This is my design and I cut them for people. I have designed a flight box, starter box with just a power panel and a battery, light for the flight line. I will post other project I have built in the last few months. I have finished a 34 foot wing span 19 ft long rc plane. It is powered with a 11 hp motor. I have not flown it yet. This is the last photo, it is called "The Birdman Tl-1A", I have plan for the kit

For the purposes of keeping this interesting, I'll post a "link of the week" every Monday. I've got a phenomenal number of links in my favorites folder, on many different topics, so it ought to be pretty interesting.

Here's the first link:

Colorado Gliders Links & Calculators Page

This site is a very useful resource. There are tons of links, articles, calculators, etc. on this site. So bookmark it!

noodle

I've never done this before so I'll try to keep it interesting.

Well I started on my PCW again yesterday afternoon. I had actually glued the wing together and added CF spar about a month ago, back when I first received the kit from EdgeRC.com but have been working on other projects since then.

I plan on using the following components: EDP-50 motor w/supplied props, 2 HS-55 servos, 5 Amp ESC, GWS 4-channel RX and a ThunderPower 2S 1320 Prolite.

I did the covering on the bottom of the wing last night. The top will eventually be solid yellow. I am using UltraCoat.

Well my little Wattage Harvard is no more - it dived in yesterday having stalled a wing, something it was very good at doing despite my best efforts to throw as much weight in the nose to cure the balance point prob. Not sure if I can be bothered to repair it, we'll see.

Nice place to visit at length on current builds, etc. I am new to the hobby. About a year now. I have a Hangar 9 Alpha 60 trainer. I have about 6 flights with an instructor. Time and distance constraints don't permit many flying weekends. I have recently purchased a simulator which I hope will help me
to remember what my instructor tought me last time. It is helping me to lose some of the nervousness. The first time I flew I think I held my breath the whole time. My knees were shaking when that 10 minute flight was over. It's harder than I thought it would be.

I am currently building a Top Flite Contender. I have a GP Super Decathalon 40 to build, also. I like building. That I can do at night.

My Flashback - though for the moment I can't find any flight pics or pics with the canopy on it... . I'll post more pics when I find them.
I love this plane. Best electric flyer I own and the model I fly the most.

Himaxx 2025-4200, 4.3:1 GB, 10x7 prop, 3S 1550 mAh Tanic lipo, CC Phoenix 25 ESC.
Hitec HS55 servos, Berg Microstamp 4L Rx.

Some pics of my Slow Stick.
I wasn't totally happy with the stock SS so I thought I'd try to "fix" it. I ended up with a pretty fun flyer. I went a little overboard with the two aileron servos (flaperons) but whatever. It'll do loops and rolls effortlessly and other weird epiletic maneuvers, but it's still easy to handle. At very high speeds the wings flutter badly, but full throttle isn't really necessary. The only thing I don't really like about it is the Rx, which, after trying two of them, I'm pretty sure is the worst receiver made.


Clipped wing tips, full length ailerons cut into wing, 0 dihedral, strengthened landing gear, carbon fibre wing spar, nicer wheels, and other miscellaneous fixes.

Himaxx 2025-4200, 5.5:1 GB, 3S 1500mAh Tanic lipo (sometimes 2S 1250 lipo), CC Thunderbird 12 ESC, 2 Hitec HS55 servos and 2 GWS pico servos, GWS naro 6 receiver.

I got some great feedback from Dark Overlord on my Slow Stick replacement wing thread. I have made a number of decisions now.

• The joins will be made with 1/8" ply screwed together with nylon bolts as per Dark Overlord's thread Wing build for SSV2 Dedicated AP aircraft.
• I've modified the wing profile a bit. Joe was of the opinion that the "winglets" would produce a smaller force than a polyhedral wing. For some reason I thought the force would be proportional to the height above centre and independent of actual area. Come to think of it, I've never seen a wing with that profile, so there must be a reason. So, the current design has 25% of the wing area for each "winglet" (50% total) and 50% on the centre flat section. The angle of the winglets is now 15°, down from 30°.

I was at Home Depot today and picked up a 2' x 8' sheet of 1½" pink foam. I also found that they have a good selection of nylon screws & nuts, which kind of surprised me as I have head a hard time finding them up till now. I got the 1/4" X 20 Nylon bolts and nuts for the wing joiners. I'll pick up the 1/8" ply at the LHS tomorrow.

Another bit of advice I got was that the increased wing area might require lengthening the fuselage and/or increasing the area of the tail feathers. So my current plan is to "retire" my old Slow Stick (SS#1) and use the parts to build a new bird with longer fuse and larger tail feathers (SS#3). SS#2 will remain my "workhorse" AP ship while the new one gets built. For the tail feathers, I could use balsa if I feel like being old fashioned, but I'm itching to give Depron a try. I think there's a Canadian supplier here somewhere....