Author: tomnallen2

Make a Q-Tip Indoor Prop!

ALERT:  March 3 Glastonbury date will be a FULL DAY contest & flying session!

Feb 4 Contest Results in this post.

click images to view larger

Components of the Halley prop.  6 in. dia. Ikara prop shown for comparison.
A Bristol Brownie Peanut Scale Model fitted with a Halley prop described in the featured article.
Brownie’s prop & noseblock close up. Note brass tube bushing and latch free wheeler
Ray’s outstanding Voisin Hydro Peanut Scale model uses an efficient paddle-bladed prop.
Kash builds a Crossbow Embryo model at the Feb 5 Club Mtg at the Georgetown Public Library
Steve E’s unique Kyushu Shinden Canard NoCal at the Feb 4 Georgetown meet.  Note the lightweight indoor style “pusher” propeller.

I Need a Better Prop!

OK, before we get into how to make that better prop, let’s share some important updates.

FIRST: The Sunday March 3 Glastonbury H.S. indoor event will be a Full Day 8am-5pm Contest and Flying Session .  This is a make-up for the cancelled January full day session.  Remember, there is no February Glastonbury indoor flying session, so be sure to make the March 3 Full Day session.  Hooray, and thanks to John K for setting this up!

SECOND: Results from the Feb 4 Georgetown, MA meet are below:

2/4 FAC Kanone Report – Sheet 1

2/4 FAC Kanone Report – Sheet 2

Make a Lightweight Indoor Prop

At the Glastonbury, CT high school indoor sessions, you may have noticed a tall gent flying some incredibly small (isn’t that always the way), beautiful and well-behaved models.

Well, on very small and light models such as those that clubster Doug Halley flies, the right prop is critical.  A commercial one-piece plastic prop (eg Peck, North Pacific, etc.) can sometimes be just too heavy, or maybe a different pitch is needed.  Our Stealthy roving reporter caught up with Doug and asked for more info on the unique adjustable paddle-bladed props on his models.

Doug came through with a detailed article outlining how to make his “Q-Tip Prop” and where to get the components used to build it.  Tom N built a Q-Tip prop for his Peanut Scale Bristol Brownie and can attest to its ease of construction.  The Brownie won a Peanut Scale event outdoors at a recent FAC Nationals with this prop.

Paddle-bladed props like this work great on lightweight models such as the super cool Kyushu Shinden that Steve E was flying at the Feb 4 Georgetown indoor meet.  Be aware, however, that these props are not “legal” for some competitive events – Dime Scale, Chameleon One-Design, for example – they’re too good!

Many thanks to Doug H for sharing his excellent lightweight indoor propeller design with us.  And better yet, how to make it and set the pitch!

How to Make a Q-Tip Prop 

Jan 14 Meet Results – Feb 4 Meet Next Up!

Sunday Feb 4 Indoor Meet at Penn Brook School, Georgetown, MA

Be there!

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Winter Georgetown Indoor Meets Flyer
Kash and his Comet Step 2 stick model. Flew well!
Luc and wife Annie trekked from Montreal to fly at the Stealth meet
Richard launches his Pussycat in the Penn Brook School gym
Luc’s Dewoitine WW2 fighter on the winding stooge
Top competitors in the Skelly hangar!
Animal themed models on Steve E’s table at the January 14 indoor meet

New Models, New Flyers!

The Stealth Squadron indoor flying season kicked off with a rush on January 14. 

The first serious snowstorms of the year must have spurred a flurry of model building activity as several new flyers brought a bunch of new models.  There’s nothing like the satisfaction of seeing a new model fly successfully. 

There were a raft of new One Design models flitting about.  Steve’s “Tony the Tiger” Chameleon was a crowd favorite and a fitting stablemate to his infamous “Cow” Pussycat model. 

Kash brought a table full of new models including a nice flying stick model from the old Comet Build & Fly series.  He had another all-sheet balsa stick model flying – an original design we think.  Oh, and only a burst motor kept him out of the WW2 mass launch winners circle.  Way to go Kash!  

Intrepid Canadian flyer, Luc, trimmed his French Dewoitine fighter to circle nicely in the gym, but a burst motor also kept him out of the finals.  Rich’s steady flying Comet P-40 held the course to win the WW2 mass launch event.

Richard B. had a nice Chameleon that was dealing with some nasty wing warps.  A new Taylorcraft Dimer looked promising in flight – now if only it can be convinced to turn!

A pretty little Super Ace parasol was seen flying out of the Maine corner of the gym.  Some nice first flights for this model.  Ara thrilled the gang with his CO2 powered model.  It’s not often we see these  expansion engine powered models.

Bill’s Chameleon was pretty in it’s blue and yellow US Army Air Corps livery and his big new SE-5a World War 1 fighter wowed the gang by flying in stable flat circles.

Sam brought his new WW1 Bristol Fighter that some of the gang got to see fly in Glastonbury, CT a few weeks back.  Tom’s DH-4 another new WW1 recon biplane was also making circuits in the gym.  Tony’s neat Halberstadt fighter flew in the WW1 mass launch event too.

Alec, another youthful local flyer, flew several models from a Guillow’s stick job, to a Pussycat and an Embryo Endurance ship.

The Rittmeister challenged Ray’s indomitable Pussycat with his own new Pussycat model in the mass launch event. 

William, busy preparing for his 2nd year Engineering studies, flew his old reliable and highly competitive fleet of models.  He shared some neat new tong tools – a design/make exercise at school.  Thanks William!

In between all of this flying, a number of competition events were held.

Steve shared the Official Results below:

Remember, we’ll be back flying in the Penn Brook School gym on Sunday February 4.  See you on the flightline skyster!

1/7/2024 Glastonbury Meet Cancelled!

Legendary model magazine editor Bill Winter shares his perspective.  Read Now

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Bill Winter – pioneer rubber scale modeler and long-time editor of American Aircraft Modeler magazine.
Clubster Matt K. launches his 54in Comet Taylorcraft at Waywayanda, NY.
Chris M. readies his Whitehead pioneer scale model. It flies!
A 50in Waco biplane soars at Woodsom Farm in Amesbury, MA. Built from a pre-war Megow Models plan.
A Nieuport 17 peanut scale model climbs for the gym rafters. Built from a 1930s vintage Peerless Models plan.

1/7 Glastonbury Meet Cancelled

Due to SNOW forecast.

Don’t miss the Jan 14 Georgetown Indoor Flying!

Sunday January 7, 2024 – CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER!

Sunday January 14, 2024 – Stealth Squadron Winter Meet (Georgetown MA)

Why Free Flight Rubber Scale?

When asked if he flew “those remote control models”, Free Flight Rubber World Champ, Bob Hatschek replied:
“No. The ones I fly are much more advanced. They’re fully automatic.”    

Great response Bob, but what about those Rubber Scale Models – why make the effort?

Way back in April 1969, Bill Winter -legendary 1930’s rubber scale modeler and long-time editor of several international model airplane magazines – shared his perspective.  His editorial is as relevant today as it was 50yrs ago.

Check out Mr. Winter’s editorial below and share your thoughts via the Comments to this post.

Straight & Level,  AAM April 1969

See you in the gym in early January skysters!

Indoor Flying is Here!

Check the Calendar for the Georgetown, MA and Glastonbury, CT flying dates.

See you in the gym!

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Baby Glider mass launch at the Durham Turkey Fly!
Kash with the Rittmeister’s winning Roland D2
A pretty Guillow’s Piper Supercruiser at the 11/4 Woodsom Farm meet
Bird Dog launch at Spencer-Peirce Little Farm, Newbury, MA
Another Chameleon One Design model. Check the One Design page for Plan & Rules download.

Club Meetings too!

Hey there clubsters, Turkey Day is long passed and we have a lot to catch you up on.  Let’s get on with it!

Club Meetings @ Georgetown MA Library

Yep, we all miss the meetings at Jim F’s Golden Age Repro headquarters.  So we’ve started up a new monthly club meeting at the Georgetown, MA public library.  Check the Coming Events in the sidebar, or the Calendar for the Monday 6-8pm meeting dates. Click the event link for the library address.

Indoor Dates Posted

All indoor flying & contest dates for both the Georgetown, MA and Glastonbury, CT gyms have been posted to the Calendar and will appear in the Coming Events in the sidebar on this site.  The Georgetown Event Flyers will be posted soon.

Better get cracking on your Chameleon as these indoor flying dates are here!

Outdoor Flying Season Closes

The outdoor flying season closed with a rush of activity.  Two excellent meets were held on Nov 4 and Nov 12 at Woodsom Farm (Amesbury, MA) and Whites Farm (Durham, CT).  Memories of fine weather and great flights will help keep clubsters inspired during the winter months.   Check out the pics in the sidebar and the Amesbury Nov 4 results below.

November 4 Meet Results 1

November 4 Meet Results 2

See you in the gym(s), or at the club meetings skyster!

One Design Plan Posted & Oct 9 Meet Results

Outdoor flying finale
Nov 4 FAC Meet at Woodsom Farm, Amesbury

See you there!

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We try to avoid this by rescheduling our meets when necessary!
Ric P shows off his Baby Flea FAC Sport model at the recent Durham meet
Steve B shows off his high flying Laird LC-DE at Durham meet.
John K and Fairchild dime scale model at Durham meet
Jim and Marc show their Jimmy Allen FAC Sport models at the Fall Durham FAC meet

A beautiful flying day!

One of the best features of Woodsom Farm is the ability to reschedule flying meets if the forecast is bad.

This was the case for the October 7 scheduled meet.  Rain was forecast, so the meet was moved to Columbus Day 10/9.  It was sunny, cool and calm in the morning – perfect flying weather.  A gentle breeze picked up in the afternoon and all events were flown.  A group of flyers had a lot of fun and friendly competition with their towline scale gliders.  Our stealthy roving reporter was there –

“Steve E led the pack early with an 85sec flight on his new Megow Primary in the light and calm morning air.  Sam B (Waco CG-4), Bill M (Slingsby) and Tom N (Ruby homebuilt) chased him in the breezier afternoon air.  Bill’s Slingsby had probably the straightest tows, but he held off going to full line length and the glide while good, needed some tweaking.  Tom’s Ruby went up straighter on the tow and managed a 49sec flight, but Sam came on with a 70sec final flight on his Waco to force Steve to bring out his little Primary in the wind.  Snoopy climbed that Primary fast and high, but just couldn’t get any lift in the late afternoon air.  Steve’s last three  mid-20sec flights were not enough to catch Sam who won the event.” Wow!

October 9 Meet Results 1

October 9 Meet Results 2

Don’t miss your last chances to join in the outdoor flying fun – Nov 4 at Woodsom Farm in Amesbury, MA and Nov 12 at Whites Farm in Durham, CT.

One Design Page Updated

We finally got around to updating the One Design page for the 2023-24 one design model, the Phantom Flash II Chameleon.
Check out the page for the free construction plan download along with the Parts page and the 2023-24 One Design Rules.Oh, and the Calendar page on this site has been updated for the Glastonbury High School indoor flying dates.  We expect to add the Georgetown, MA Penn Brook School indoor flying dates soon.We heard the first indoor flying date in the Glastonbury HS gym had around ten  Chameleons flying around nicely.  Start building yours and join in the fun!

Amesbury Meet Changed to October 9!

WEATHER ALERT!

Woodsom Farm meet rescheduled to Monday October 9

Be there!

            Click to Enlarge Images

A Chameleon on the building board
Mitch K’s Chameleon has already put in test flights!
A pretty pair of Phantom Flash “Chameleon’s” by clubster Jim W.  Look for these in the air at the upcoming Glastonbury Modelers indoor flying sessions (see Calendar for dates)

Meet Resched to Monday Oct 9!

ALERT!  Due to forcast rains, the Woodsom Farm free flight model airplane meet has been rescheduled to Monday Oct 9, 2023. 

Check out the Contest Flyer for the competition events, directions to the field and key contacts.  NOTE: OLD DATE STILL ON FLYER.

See you at the field skysters!

2023-24 Indoor Season One Design

The Norman Phantom Flash II “Chameleon” is the one design model for the upcoming indoor season.  We’re in the process of updating the One Design page on this site, but we’re sharing some early progress from our clubsters.  Yep, at least three have already been built!  And initial test flights indicate this model is a fine flyer.

 

Keep your eyes peeled for more updates on this years One Design model!

Aug Amesbury Meet Results – Sept 9 Meet Next Up!

Saturday Sept 9 FAC Meet at Woodsom Farm, Amesbury

Be there!

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Sept 9 Amesbury Meet Flyer (click to enlarge)
Two Richards at Woodsom Farm showing off their models
Steve K and Lulu glider at the Woodsom Farm August meet
The Pelatowski Stork – look for a free Plan Download here soon!
Sam B won the Goodyear Mass Launch event with his Little Gem
Final heat in the National Air Race mass launch event

Towline Event FUN!

Saturday August 26 dawned wet with the promise of rains to come through the day.  With seemingly better weather coming, the meet was pushed to the next day.  Sure enough it rained hard Sunday morning, but a stalwart group of flyers showed up at Woodsom Farm and waited it out.  Yep, the skies proceeded to clear yielding a nice flying day with afternoon sun and thermals.   Don’t trust the weatherman – better to show up and be ready to fly.

At least three new Megow Primary Gliders showed up.  The towline winches were brought out and soon gliders were going up high over the newly hayed field.  Clubster Steve E. led the pack from the beginning, his Snoopy-piloted Megow Primary putting up long flights.  He capped off the win with a massive flyaway 5 min+ flight into the late summer clouds!  Alas, no pics of the high-flying Primary were taken before it went OOS.  Perhaps Steve will build another. 

We’ll be flying the Towline Scale event again at the Sept 9 Woodsom Farm meet in Amesbury, MA.  Come and see what it’s all about!

Steve K brought his nostalgic Lulu towline glider and flew it several times.  Fitted with a mechanical DT and Auto-rudder, Lulu showed the gang what a fully-fitted out towliner can do.  Word is FAC GHQ is considering a new event for these classic non-scale gliders. 

Towliners are Fun!

 

The Pinkham Stick event was flown once more and sure enough Steve E copped this event again.  His canard Goose got the win, but his new Stick model, the Stork,  developed with FAC veteran Ed Pelatowski, finished a close second.  Plans for the Pelatowski Stork will be offered for free download on this site soon.  Keep your eyes peeled for it’s release skyster.  And congrats to Steve’s double-Kanone day at the August Woodsom Farm meet!

Remember there’s another Flying Aces Club free-flight model airplane meet coming up on September 9 at Woodsom Farm in Amesbury MA.  Full Flyer with Directions and Contacts HERE.

Fall is the best time to fly rubber-p0wered model airplanes outside and the season will pass by quickly.  Don’t miss an opportunity to fly, or check out the action on this big beautiful field!

Build a Towline Glider for the August & September Amesbury meets!

Download free full-size plan for the Megow Primary Glider HERE!

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August 26, 2023 Contest Flyer
Light card stock pilot adds realism!
Multiple tow hooks for different towing conditions
Tow hook mount is simple and works great!
Underside view of the Megow Primary Glider model. Thread rigging is functional.
Megow Primary Glider model by Peter Kaiteris FAC.

Towline gliders are Fun!

The gang had a blast flying FAC Scale Gliders at the recent FAC Non-Nats in Geneseo NY.  So much so that our local flyers convinced skyboss Angus to add the event to the August 26 and September 9 meets at Woodsom Farm in Amesbury. 

What, you don’t have a Scale Glider?  No problem.  The simple, quick to build and great flying Megow Primary Glider plan is available for download free below.  The file prints on an 11×17 sheet of paper.  Think of this as a super simple dime scale model.  It doesn’t have a propeller or noseblock and the fuselage is a simple flat frame.  Sure, you can easily make one in time for the late August Woodsom Farm meet!

Building Tips

We’re including several pics of clubster Pete K’s Megow Primary model to help get the juices flowing.  Look closely and you’ll see a few simple mods Peter made to his Primary.

Build the model directly off the plan.  Use stiff 1/8 square balsa for the upper longeron that the wing sits on.  This can be a weak point.  Peter added thin card stock gussets at the fuselage upright joints to make it even more robust.  Don’t forget to add the thread flying & landing wires per the plan after the model is covered and assembled.  This rigging is functional and keeps the model from twisting while going up on the towline.  Consider reinforcing the rigging points on the wing with tissue discs.

Towline & Tow Hooks

The towline is lightweight braided fishing line attached to a simple hand winch.  The club will provide winches for flyers to use at the August and September meets along with some easy training on how to tow your model to altitude.  It’s fun!
The towline has a ring on the end that slips onto the wire tow hook on your glider.  Pete mounted three tow hooks on his Primary to make it easier to tow the model in different wind conditions. 

That’s it skyster!  Download the plan now (below) and get to the building board so you can join in the fun at the upcoming meets.  Join the club Zoom meetings, or use the Contact Us form if you have any questions with the build.

Download Megow Primary Glider full size construction plan

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Megow Primary Glider

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Latecoere Rescue & June 24 Ipswich Meet

Fly at the Pony Express Field in Ipswich, MA on Saturday June 24!

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John K. came with a trunkload of models. The near-finished Howard Ike racer from the Cleveland Plan shows a lot of promise!
Rick P and his Flying Aces Flea rubber sport and duration model. Love that color scheme!
Sam B. with his SuperCapacitor powered Dumas Aeronca Champion
Vance G’s beautiful Latecoere 26-2 before being treed in Durham
Flying Aces Scale and GHQ Peanut Scale results from the Jun 11 Durham meet..
Vance G’s Latecoere teeters at the end of a 50ft retrieval pole. Model was brought down to the ground with minimal damage.

Air/Tree Rescue in Durham!

Free flight model airplanes and trees.  An inevitable combination. 

But first, remember there’s another meet coming up June 24 in beautiful Ipswich, MA.  Check the Flyer HERE for Directions and key contacts.

OK, back to Pinkham Field in Durham on June 11.  The weather in the morning was near-perfect, with light and variable breezes.  Many high and long flights were put up.

The breeze picked up by afternoon, however, and Vance G had only to get one more official flight in on his Latecoere 26 FAC Scale model.  The inverted flight time scoring should give it an edge against higher bonus point models.  Unfortunately, the wind carried the Latecoere off course and it was last seen disappearing into the top of a tree at the edge of the field.   The famed Stott Air-Tree Rescue Service sprang into action. 

The youthful eyes of William S spotted the Latecoere deep in branches and leaves 50 feet up an un-climbable tree.   The outlook for recovery was bleak.

Paul S broke out the old aluminum pole and, aided by Tom N, began bolting the telescoping sections together.  The fully extended pole  was snaked between branches eventually reaching the model.  A superzoom camera was used to guide the hook on the pole tip directly underneath the model.   A gentle arms-length push and incredibly, the model was lifted out the topside of the tree.  Retrieval still looked doubtful.

Vance weighed his options as the model swayed back and forth on the whippy tip of the pole.  He trusted the team.   With Tom holding the base, Paul used both hands and all his strength to pull the pole out of the branches.  Miraculously, the pole came out of the tree and the model mostly held together.  The Latecoere was mercifully released from the tip as the pole was brought to the ground.  An exhale of relief and laughter – the Stott Air-Tree Rescue Service had come through again!

Stuff like this is what makes the Flying Aces Club great.

Check out the sidebar pics for more on the June Durham meet.

See you at the Pony Express Field in Ipswich on June 24!

 

Waywayanda Meet Pics & June Meet Flyers

See you at the Sunday June 11 (Durham, CT) and Saturday June 24 (Ipswich, MA) Contests!

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Contest Director Matt K retrieves his Embryo model on his motorbike
Sam B launches his electric supercapacitor powered ducted fan scale model
Vance G flew his 54in span Nene Viking in the Giant Scale event.
PA-based Tom H scans the field as he works on his new Boeing twin flying wing. This model won the Giant Scale event.
Oliver S. prepares his high-flying Folkerts SK3 Greve Racer for a morning flight.
An idyllic early morning scene at Barron Field in Waywayanda, NY
The lush sod glimmers as the sun comes up over Barron Field in Waywayanda, NY. Eight hardy fliers, including your Stealth Sqdn correspondent, camped out on the field.

Fine Weather, Field & Friends

What more can a Free Flight Model Airplane enthusiast ask for?  Yep, all model meets are fun, but weekends like May 27-28 on Barron Field are what memories are made of. 

Two consecutive days of sunshine and sub-5mph winds enabled spectacular thermal flights and friendly competition between some of the top flyers on the East Coast.  The FAC Scale events created a quandary as competitors had to decide whether to put in official flights on a beautiful Saturday, or wait for the even better forecast weather on Sunday.   Kudos to Contest Directors Matt K and Vic N for setting a tone that encouraged keen competition, lots of fun flying and good ‘ol Flying Aces Club camaraderie. 

Many “max” flights (2 minutes or longer) were to be seen.  Several  models were lost OOS (out of sight), but many max flights stayed on the field due to the light drift.

Eight flyers camped overnight on the field.  Friday night was cold with the temp  dropping to 42 degrees, but the early morning and late evening flying more than compensated.  Michael S’s birthday was celebrated with no fewer than three of Soon’s Orchard best pies.  Delicious!

Check out the Photos Page for more pics in addition to those shared here.

June Meets Coming up!

If you haven’t got your calendars marked yet, hop to it as time is flying!  Don’t miss another opportunity to fly Free Flight with the Stealth Sqdn gang.  No worries if you don’t have a model – we’ll set you up if you show up at the field.

Two meets – click the links below to view the Event Flyers with Directions and Key Contacts.

Sunday June 11 at Whites Farm in Durham, CT

Saturday June 24 at Pony Express Field in Ipswich, MA