What did you fly today?

[Elbee]

Yeah, it looked to be one beautiful day for flyin'.

Good to read your voice, been awhile.

Best, LB

[tab28682]

F106DeltaDart


Looks to be a great day, Sir.

Beautiful machines each and every one>

Best, LB

I was lucky enough to be at Thunderbird Field on this beautiful Sunday and fly with Mike. An exceptional day of flying in picture perfect fall weather. Put flights in on my new FW BAC Lightning and my 70mm F9F.

Watching Mike fly his scale helis is always a pleasure!

[Elbee]

F106DeltaDart


Looks to be a great day, Sir.

Beautiful machines each and every one>

Best, LB

[F106DeltaDart]

A few photos from flying on Sunday. Brought out the SR-71, B-17, MH-53, and Sikorsky HO3S.

[F106DeltaDart]

I know nothing about helicopters, but how hard are they to fly, like this one, or one a bit simpler?

Thanks,

Davegee

Very much depends the internals and flight controller. Some modern FBL controllers have GPS inputs that can make a heli have position and altitude hold like a drone. I haven’t messed with these. Generally, helis are considered quite difficult to fly, but my opinion here is weird. I learned to fly full scale helis first, then RC Helis, then airplanes. So helis tend to be more natural for me. Easier to set down from a hover than deal with the controlled crash airplanes call “landing” every time, lol. Helis also tend to have a larger wind envelope then most fixed wings, but that still depends on the machine.

[davegee]

Flew my FMS P-47D Penrod and Sam this morning, recording my 60th successful flight on this aircraft without damage (So Far!!). It's a wonderful airplane to fly, I like the big prop on it, and is a very stable platform in flight or takeoffs and landings. The experimental sliding canopy mod that I did works great, holds on with just magnets and hasn't budged a millimeter on any flights so far. It was fun printing up a scale cockpit for it and a printed pilot to match.

Here's a few pics from this morning. A fun warbird to fly, all of them that I have.

[davegee]

Got in a few flights Sunday on the new heli project, a 500 size MH-53M Pave Low.

I know nothing about helicopters, but how hard are they to fly, like this one, or one a bit simpler?

Thanks,

Davegee

[Elbee]

F106DeltaDart

That's just cooler than the other side of the pillow.

She looks very realistic and pure BA.

Great work, Sir.

Best, LB

[F106DeltaDart]

Got in a few flights Sunday on the new heli project, a 500 size MH-53M Pave Low.

[davegee]

Thanks, Hugh. I’ve been honored to work with the Smithsonian and other museums for over 50 years. I still have several models that will be a part of new exhibits opening at the NASM in time for our nation’s 250th birthday next year.

Speaking of special stories, you’ll likely enjoy this one. Before the NASM opened in 1976, things like the Spirit of St. Louis and the above-mentioned artifacts were housed at another museum on the National Mall. Many years ago I talked with NASM staffers who had worked there. The Spirit was hanging from the ceiling on display for all to see. As always, throngs of visitors would come through the doors to see these one-of-a-kind artifacts of aviation and space history. Sometimes, a tall, older gentleman would come through the crowd and park himself off to the side and stand quietly alone looking up at the Spirit of St. Louis. After several minutes, he’d disappear into the crowd and out the doors. Probably few, if any, visitors coming through the museum had any idea who that quiet, older gentleman was. But all the staff knew. He was none other than Charles Lindbergh himself! He just wanted to visit with his old faithful friend for a few minutes in anonymity and silence before he melded back into the crowd and out the doors. I will always remember that story.

davegee

[Hugh Wiedman]

Thanks, guys. We sat next to each other for months as they worked on the X-1 and we worked on LM-2. Eventually they moved GG back into its display spot high above the floor. Not so long before Yeager passed away in 2020 at the age of 97, he got permission for one last look inside his old plane. They lifted him on a Very tall hydraulic lift and he was able to get inside safely, somehow. I wasn’t there for that but I wish I had been.

In truth, the X-1 did more flying and testing for a few years after his flight in 1947. In fact, they mounted it on a pole at the gate of Muroc (later Edwards) AFB.

To do this, they took a cutting torch to remove the landing gear and mount a beam to attach the plane to a pole. In 1950, it was donated by the USAF to the then-NAS (National Air Museum) in Washington, DC for display. The work they were doing when I was there was repairing damage from the cutting torch and reinstalling the landing gear, even though it is still displayed with the gear retracted.

I just love your "window" into the incredible past!! Thanks so much for including us in your walk back through aviation history!

[davegee]

Thanks, guys. We sat next to each other for months as they worked on the X-1 and we worked on LM-2. Eventually they moved GG back into its display spot high above the floor. Not so long before Yeager passed away in 2020 at the age of 97, he got permission for one last look inside his old plane. They lifted him on a Very tall hydraulic lift and he was able to get inside safely, somehow. I wasn’t there for that but I wish I had been.

In truth, the X-1 did more flying and testing for a few years after his flight in 1947. In fact, they mounted it on a pole at the gate of Muroc (later Edwards) AFB.

To do this, they took a cutting torch to remove the landing gear and mount a beam to attach the plane to a pole. In 1950, it was donated by the USAF to the then-NAS (National Air Museum) in Washington, DC for display. The work they were doing when I was there was repairing damage from the cutting torch and reinstalling the landing gear, even though it is still displayed with the gear retracted.

[boomer108]

That is awesome davegee!

[f4u ausie]

Yes very niiiice Dave great. Pics of some very historical craft

[Elbee]

Very nice reminder and thanks, Dave.

[davegee]

Today, October 14, and every year, is special to me. Today marks the 78th anniversary of the first powered manned flight through the speed of sound, courtesy of Chuck Yeager. In honor of the event, although my Freewing F/A-18C was not ready to fly today, I took out my FMS F-86H, which (the real one) wasn't built for mach flight, but could do so if you pointed the nose down on the real thing. It was fairly chilly, but very light winds today so it flew great. I recorded my 30th flight on the model since I bought it back in July.

I'll attach a couple other pics taken several years ago at the NASM in Washington, DC. I was on the restoration team for their real lunar module (LM-2) that could have flown in space but had its flight cancelled in the rush to get to the moon before 1970, per John F. Kennedy's edict.

At the same time, they had the Glamorous Glennis X-1 rocket plane on the floor next to us, for restoration work and I got to have the NASM photographer snap a pic of me with it, and I took some shots of the cockpit. Pretty cramped in there for ol' Chuck! In one of the pics you can see the hatch lying on a table. There is a inner handle that had to be pushed down by the pilot inside to lock it. If you've seen the movie The Right Stuff, he had broken some ribs and couldn't use his right hand to pull the handle locked. That's where the broom handle came in so he could lever a section of it with his left hand and arm to close it securely without anyone being the wiser!

Cheers

Davegee

[davegee]

Davegee-Elbee,

I heard that Chris Wolfe (RC GEEK) is working with Motion on new projects. His experience and background with scale aircraft may bring some nice models in the future. Just rumors no official confirmation that I'm aware of.
Elbee, a P-51B with all the whistles would be a must have.
Best Regards, Rex

I'm heartened that they signed Chris Wolff for future projects. Considering all the spectacular stuff he's come up in the past for his own airplanes, having him work on some new warbirds would really be great. I'll keep my fingers crossed he comes up with something many of will want to buy.

Cheers

Davegee

[jetfool]

Davegee-Elbee,

I heard that Chris Wolfe (RC GEEK) is working with Motion on new projects. His experience and background with scale aircraft may bring some nice models in the future. Just rumors no official confirmation that I'm aware of.
Elbee, a P-51B with all the whistles would be a must have.
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

Congrats on the 100th flight.

Quite an accomplishment or would be for me.

I get your "hobby malaise" feeling.

Good to take a break now and then and like f4u ausie, I can't imagine you not chiming in or posting a build.

I don't know about any new scale aircraft releases from any manufacturer.

It would be nice to have something new, fresh, and exciting from someone.


I'd like a P-51 B with the Malcolm Hood in 1600-1700mm, but figure I'll have to build that from scratch.

Similarly to jetfool, I have a Brian Taylor kit (Tempest short kit) if things get too dull building foamies .

Hang in there, Dave, we've all been there, heck I was thinking about 3D printing a submarine.

Best, Steve

Thanks, Steve. I value your comments, along with Craig and Rex, too. For the moment, I have been happy with the new FMS F-86F, and Freewing F9F-8 Courgar. Both excellent kits, and they fly very well. They still take a beating on our runway, but it is what it is. I wouldn't know what to do with a Smooth runway to fly from!

I recently lost my nearly 9 year old Spittie, "went down in the Channel, mate!" It had a long standing stress tear in the fuselage just behind the motor that I patched for years, but I think after this latest repair, it was just worn out and went in. Saved the printed and handpainted pilot, though! It was worth every penny I paid for it back then, and I certainly got my money's worth. No regrets.

Regarding the FMS 1700mm P-51D, I had one of those, their P-47D bubbletop, and their Corsair in Korean War markings for several years. My P-51 right after takeoff and climbing out at full power, all of a sudden the entire motor and spinning prop departed the airplane like a cannonball, leaving the rest of the airframe to crash unceremoniously on the ground a few seconds later. I had flown it so often for a long tiime, I couldn't be too put out by this spectacular demise. The plastic motor mount just failed at that point.

I think that P-51 is still available as a Red Tail, but I do remember it was sluggish at almost 6000 feet MSL operating out of our Denver field. I probably wouldn't get another one because of that, but it whets the appetite thinking what they "might" come up with that we might like for our next projects, as modelers.

Cheers

Davegee

[Elbee]

jetfool

She'd be a top-notch build, but I'd do the same for the P-51B or P-47D.

To me, there is a lot to be said for the muscly look of the turtledeck WW2 aircraft.

Best. LB