Daily Archives: September 21, 2011

4 posts

Think Global, Buy Local

 

Honestly, I felt guilty ordering from that seller after thinking about all the local sellers I could have gone to first.  And I should have, because guess who came through and saved my sorry butt, yep, good ol’ Mike Morgan of DW Foamies!  He had the exact ESCs I needed and sent them to me pronto.  My friend’s project is now complete and flies like a champ.  See TNBT series.

This makes me feel a little ashamed I did not ask Mike first.  Along with DW Foamies, we have many great local hobby merchants that have taken huge personal and financial risks to bring the world of RC hobby practically to your door.  No need to buy from overseas when you can support the local folks who have been supplying the parts you need for years.  Sure, I know we all have a Pavlovian response to cheap cheap cheap.  I get it.  But I see more to the picture than just low prices.  I try to look at value: what you get for the money you shell out.  When you buy direct from cheap Chinese distributors you get a box of cheap goods.  When you buy from local folks, you know you are helping support the local hobby community.  Yes, the cost is sometimes higher but think about all the things these owners have done for the community.  For example: John Weaver has supplied ARFs, motors, batteries, etc for the Mini-Ultra Stick pylon racing series, I’m guessing, at or near his cost.  John has been doing this sort of thing for the decades he has been running Discount Hobby Warehouse.  John and the other local shops have donated to innumerable club raffles for meetings and other events.  Other great local folks include:

North to South
Lucien Miller of  Innovative Designs, importer of Scorpion and Cobra motors.  Customer service like no other!

Bill Woodfine of Hobby Town USA in Vista has a great selection of pretty much everything.

RC Hobbies in Vista

Steve Neu of NeuMotors, Manufactures the most technologically superior and powerful RC motors in the country.

Hobby Central in Mira Mesa/Miramar, great folks with a wide offering of just about everything RC and more.

Discount Hobby Warehouse as mentioned above, really well stocked and helpful folks.

Pandi of Sure Flight, specializes in electric helis and planes.

Hobby People has a general selection of everything hobby.

Mike Morgan of DW Foamies is probably the premier manufacturer and supplier of Depron foamies in the country, and one heck of a good guy.

Please email me if I have left anyone off this list and I will add them to it.

So go ahead and send your hard earned cash directly to the Chinese.  Those suppliers will gradually get larger and control more of the market.  Eventually none of the local folks will be able to compete, they’ll dry up and blow away thanks in part to all who decided to buy direct from China and not locally.  Then all we are left with is a box of cheap, cheap, cheap.

I mentioned “value” above.  Think about the value you get from the local folks compared to a box of cheap parts from China.  The local guys are here when you need them.  They are all modelers and consistently interact with the local modeling community.  Most of us know them by name.  They are our friends.  When we support them we are really helping ourselves and other modelers by ensuring their continued existence and well being.  When you get a box of cheap parts direct from China, ask yourself “what has this guy ever done for me or the modeling community?”

Help Kids Learn to Love Model planes

The goal is to create a CAP/AMA education web based model aviation program for all to access, and to link AMA affiliation with CAP units. The AMA TAG Program is a part of this. I have organized and run several TAG events with my CAP units in CO and CA.  The Model Airplane and Remote Control (MARC) program will encompass all aspects of building and flying model aircraft (not just RC).  The MARC program is going to be reviewed in the upcoming weeks and within 8 weeks be on both AMA and CAPs websites in one form or another. The goal is to get one of AMAs 2500 or so charter clubs to link up with one of CAPs 1600 units. These combinations become TAG-Teams, formed to work together for a common goal. Our goal is to promote model aviation to all CAP cadets and other youth in communities.

Please let me know how all this sounds to you sir. I am working on this project nationally in all 50 states, and have TAG-Teams in several states working presently. If you are interested, you will become one of several test-units across AMA/CAP that I am working with to literally test out ideas and theories. The Model Aircraft and Remote Control (MARC) Program will be unveiled to AMA/CAP in the months ahead.

I have a CAP unit in your area that has expressed a desire to work with you. The Oceanside unit is commanded by LtCol David Boehm, and has an Aerospace Education officer and an AMA member Allen French .  They expressed to me a desire to have a working TAG-Team relationship with an AMA Chartered Club. We would therefore like to work with your club in this endeavor to promote model aviation in both groups. Please think about how this fits into your plans, and how you would like to proceed. My job is to facilitate bringing CAP and AMA groups together, in a best fit, and mutual advantageous manner.  I represent National HQ CAP/Aerospace Education and have the highest approval to work on this project. What I will ask is for your comments in due time as to what works and what does not. I cannot “tweak” the program if we all do not input the needed comments. I am not political and have only one purpose in CAP, and that is AE for cadets.

I would be happy to meet with, speak or present the CAP/AMA Model Aircraft and Radio Control (MARC) program to your club at any time.  Please feel free to email or call me if you have any questions. I would like a yes or no on this matter at your earliest convenience.

In the Sprit of Flight and CAP

Randall Carlson, LtCol, USAF (Ret), CAP
HQ CAP/AE Leadership Team Leader
Curriculum & Special Projects

Otto’s Videos

 

 

Thought you might enjoy the first flight on my YF-22.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCWilOcTJXM

 

Video of the Eindecker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akZ-ZU6hYkM

 

Parkzone T-28 pylon racing from airborne camera with clear view of Larry’s crash:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFjS4eHNz04

 

Thought you might enjoy video from the first two flights of my giant foamie F-15 built with $15 of Home Depot material.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIHFuiC2tew

 

Thought you might enjoy the sequel….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBTelEGIZEU

Editor’s Notebook for Sept/Oct, 2011

 

4.  For any of you who did not hear, this is some information on the Reno Air Race crash of a P-51:

check out this news site. In the picture of the plane heading straight down you can’t see the pilot, I think he’s out slumped forward. Check the control surfaces, no deflections, I’d be pulling full back stick if only to gain further separation from the crowd, you’re never going to pull out. Saw other videos, he did a near vertical pull up, snap to inverted, straight down. Perhaps an accelerated stall at top, it just snapped down with no forward motion.

www.rgj.com

http://www2.leewardairranch.com/racing

Reno 3

Reno

Reno 2

 

5.  Aletter from Larry:

Dear Friends,

There has been a lot of activity here in our district recently.  I hope you’ve had a chance to follow the events in the Blog on our District X website at ama10.org.

There has been almost 50 entries made in the Blog since I revamped our website in January.  My goal is to make the Blog your most up to date source of information for modeling news.  If you’re reading the Blog for the first time please keep in mind that the link at the top of any page in the website will take you to the most recent 10 Blog posts.  To see all of the past posts just click on the archive link and you will see all of the postings for you to choose from.

Some of the issues covered in the Blog were;

The Woodland Davis Aeromodelers Golden Age Fly-In.  This post not only includes a great write-up for the event but video too.

A new feature called Photo of the Week submit your best photos and maybe you’ll see it on the website.

A reminder to attend the upcoming Helicopter Scale Masters which will raise money to cure autism.

A great idea to promote modeling that your club should consider trying.

A very deserving award to a great modeler in Southern California.

I’ve also started something that no other district is doing and that is to publish expanded versions of the monthly column when I have more story than will fit in the magazine, along with more photos in color.  Here is the August column, and here is the September one.

There is a lot more stories in the archive so check them all out and if you have a story you’d like to share with the district please send it to me at ama.district10@gmail.com.

Happy landings,
Lawrence Tougas
AMA District X Vice President

 

6. The Electric Lazair?This EAA Video about the Electric Lazair with John Nicholson includes an interview with builder Dale Kramer and, for a time, was the third most popular video from AirVenture 2011. ?Watch the video

Earthstar Electric Gull 2000
Mark Beierle flew his Electric Gull 2000 at the Arlington 2011 Fly-In. Listen to the sound of the 36-coil, 42-magnet motor as it winds up, pulling 217 volts for takeoff. It can fly for 1.5 hours at a cruise speed of 65 mph. 
Watch the video

First Water Takeoff of the Electric Amphibious Lazair
On July 18, 2011, Dale Kramer’s Lazair became the first electric aircraft to make a water takeoff. This video of historic flight from Keuka Lake, Hammonsport, New York, captures the unique sound of the twin-engine electric ultralight.
Watch the video