Category: Angus Says

Pithy guidance and commentary from the Stealth Squadron mascot Angus Mac Schadenfreude.

October 8 Results & Indoor Season Kickoff

Outdoor season finale at Woodsom Farm is Saturday Nov. 5
(View Flyer)

click images to view larger

Oct 8 Results pg 1
Oct 8 Results pg 2

 

Tons of Flying Fun!

Whew, there’s so much going in our local free flight model airplane clubs that it’s tough to keep up!

Let’s do a quick summary.  First, despite a fair amount of wind at Woodsom Farm for the October 8 contest, there was a lot of good flying (and chasing).  A number of flights flew off the field and into the rough, but fortunately most of these were found and retrieved.  The Embryo Endurance event was hotly contested and sadly Steve E.’s Corvette was lost after putting in one of its best flights ever.  All wail!  Rumor has it Steve is already building a new and better Corvette.

We have one more outdoor meet at Woodsom on November 5 and the outdoor season finale at Whites Farm in Durham, CT is on November 13.   We’re betting on good weather for these meets.

Next, we have real reason to celebrate – after two missed seasons due to Covid, we’ll be flying again in the Glastonbury H.S. gym (CT) this coming indoor season.  The first flying session is this coming Sunday Oct. 23!  See all of the flying dates on the official flyer at the top of this post, or on the Calendar page of this website.

On top of all this, we’ll be flying a full schedule in the Penn Brook school in Georgetown, MA this indoor season as well.  Flying there will begin in January 2023 and run through April. Look for dates and flyers to be posted to the Calendar page soon.

On October 29, the Stealth Squadroneers will gather at Roma’s restaurant in Haverhill, MA to celebrate the 100th birthday of Golden Age Reproductions honcho and FAC Hall of Famer, Jim Fiorello.  Hit us up via the Contact Us form on the site and we’ll share the details.  We’d love to see you there!

Finally, keep your eyes peeled for more info, tips, etc on the one-design models for the indoor season.  Clubsters will be building the Nallen Potez 34 dimer and the Guillow’s Bird Dog.  Yessir, the balsa chips will be flying as the weather cools here in New England.

See you on the flightline skyster!

 

Recap: Aug & Sept Meets at Woodsom Farm

Next Stealth Squadron meet is October 8 at Woodsom Farm
(View Flyer)

click images to view larger

All Axis WW1 Mass Launch sortie
Chris winds Eph’s Fairchild 24
Rittmeister and Comet Arado dimer
Sean watches his Jackrabbit scoot by
Bill M shows his new GAR Albatros DV. Flies great with scale dihedral!
Steve E launches Goose, the Pinkham Field Stick event winner

 

Great Weather, Great Flying!

Well gang, the club flying events have been coming in rapid succession as the curtain begins to draw on the outdoor season. 

Yep, between Woodsom Farm (Amesbury MA) and Whites Farm (Durham CT) a whole lot of Free Flight model flying’s been going on.

And it’s not over.  Our next meet is at Woodsom Farm on Oct 8.  Check out the event Flyer and see you on the field!

Pinkham Field Stick

The inaugural Pinkham Stick event at Woodsom Farm was a success.  Steve Evans brought his new “Goose” and won the event.  Steve sent along a plan for the high-flying Goose and we’ve posted it for download on our new Pinkham Stick web page.  Build one!

read about the Winning flight

See it on Youtube 

Results

August 20 Meet

Kanone Report, Stealth Squadron Aug 2022, Page 1

Kanone Report, Stealth Squadron Aug 2022, Page 2

September 10-11 Meet

Kanone Report, Stealth Squadron Sept 2022, Page 1

Kanone Report, Stealth Squadron Sept 2022, Page 2

Kanone Report, Stealth Squadron Sept 2022, Page 3

See you on the flightline on October 8 skyster!

 

Flying Fun with Pinkham Field Stick

Fly Pinkham Field Stick at  the upcoming 2 day Stealth Squadron meet
(View 9/10-11 Flyer)

 

 

Steve E’s Cricket Stick model
The Rittmeister’s Pipit!
AMA Alpha available from Peck Polymers (see text)
John K’s record-setting Marchi Cloud Chaser.  Read more about the Epic Flight

 

Simple is Good!

A new event has been added to the upcoming Stealth Squadron meets – Pinkham Field Stick. 

This is an event for simple quick-to-build, stick fuselage models intended to maximize participation and fun on the field with minimal up-front investment in time and resources.  The rules/guidelines for this event are as simple as the models themselves:

The folks in Durham, CT have been flying this event for years and at the Mid Summer Melt meet a couple of weeks ago a new Pinkham Field Stick record was established with a 17min on-the-field flight.   This is the longest flight we can recall where the model was launched, landed and retrieved from the same field.

read about the flight

These simple free flight models can deliver thrilling thermal flights.  They’re a great first step toward a full-bodied FF rubber sport or scale model and a fantastic way to hone your FF flight trimming chops. 

There are many rubber-powered FF stick model designs out there.  The recent Pipit one-design is good to fly in the event so if you’ve got one bring it to the meet and you’re in.  The great flying AMA Alpha ready-to-fly model also qualifies and may be the quickest and simplest way to get into the event.  Plus the Alpha comes with a winder that you’ll be able to use with your next rubber powered free flight model.   The Alpha is available from local supplier Peck & Polymers .

We’ve set up a new Pinkham Field Stick Plans & Tips page on this site to support this event.  The plans are free to download – check them out and maybe one will catch your eye.  Or better yet, design your own model.  Keep your eyes peeled for design, construction and flying tips as well!

 

Sam’s Trimming Guide for Challenging Aircraft

Remember: Meets at Woodsom Farm in Amesbury on August 20, and September 10-11, 2022.  See you there!

 

BY  
Sam Brauer

Look for the “smile in the trailing edge of the port wing- but a straight line in the starboard wing

Advanced Flight Trimming Techniques

You may have seen clubster John Koptonak’s 10 Step Trimming Guide in a recent Flying Aces Club newsletter.  It’s a great piece and has been helpful to many folks in getting their Free Flight models to fly.

Sam Brauer goes a bit further with his article presented here.  Sam focuses on low-winged models which we all know can be tricky to trim out.  In his article, Sam discusses on-field aerodynamic adjustments (washout, decalage, rudder, thrustline and weight) and their impact on model airplanes in free flight.
(NOTE: Webster’s defines decalage as the difference in angle of incidence of the two wings of a biplane, but for our purposes decalage is the difference in angle of incidence between the wing and the horizontal stabilizer of a model airplane.)

Sam knows what he’s talking about.  At the recent 2022 FAC Nationals meet in Geneseo, he ran deep into the final heats of several very competitive mass launch events. 

Great job carrying the torch for the Stealth Sqdn, Sam.  And thanks for sharing your flight trimming techniques!  

Click the link below to read the article.

Read Article Now

 

Supercapacitor Electric Power for FAC Models

Supercapacitors offer many advantages as power systems for lightweight Free Flight models

 

A typical supercapacitor power system

BY  
Sam Brauer

Sam’s supercapacitor powered free flight models

Not Your Grandpa’s FF Model!

How often have you heard a bystander say “I used to build models like that as a kid”?  

Of course we know our simple stick and tissue models are a combination of art, craftsmanship and engineering.  And yes, that rubber strand power source has been around since the beginning of the hobby itself. 
A rubber motor is a simple, cheap and incredibly efficient power source, but advances in small electric power systems provide us with an alternative.    
Clubster Sam Brauer has been messing around fitting simple and cheap supercapacitor power systems to his small Free Flight models.  And he’s had tremendous success as witnessed by our roving reporter at a recent Pinkham Field meet in Durham, CT.

Sam is back with another article sharing his learnings, explaining the advantages of supercap systems and even recommending where to get the components to make your own system.   Many thanks to Sam for sharing!

Click the link below to read his article and do keep us posted if you try out a supercap power system!

Read Article Now

 

A Different Paradigm for Propeller and Rubber Motor Selection

“certain props work with certain motors”

 

BY  
Sam Brauer

Using Plastic Props

Clubster Sam Brauer flies all types and sizes of free flight rubber powered model airplanes, both indoors and outdoors.   In this article, he presents his experience with commercially available plastic propellers and the rubber motors that power them.

The prop and rubber motor combination is one of the strongest contributors to flight duration.  Certain props and rubber motors work better with certain models.
Sam has tried most all of the combinations over his modeling career.  His article presents many thought -provoking ideas (e.g., easily made prop mods) and includes an informative Table listing different plastic props, key specifications and suitable rubber sizes.  
This is really good stuff for anyone starting out in the hobby. 
Experienced modelers will benefit from a new perspective on prop/rubber that may help increase their models performance.

Click the link below and learn something new!

Read Article Now

 

The Scourge of the Witch Doctors

Another ripping Jack Sharpe Mystery from the author of “The Cursed Squadron”

 

BY  
William Skelly
 

A Jack Sharpe Mystery

G-2 was facing a menace that threatened its very existence: Mysterious ships, piloted by witch-doctors that could shoot down a man without a single bullet. Jack Sharpe knew something was amiss – and it had something to do with those long-range Gothas!

 

Read Story Now

 

Outdoor Flying Season Kicks Off!

April 18 AMESBURY MEET!
(was 17th)

Update: The April 17th Stealth Sqdn meet is moved to Sunday April 18.  Same location, Same Time, same events (see Flyer

Season opener is the  April 18 meet at Woodsom Farm in Amesbury MA.

This is due to predicted poor weather conditions on Saturday 17th.  And better weather predicted on Sunday 18th. 

Mass Launch events will be moved up and begin at 10:30 and hopefully wrap up by 12:30 when Scale judging will begin. The ML schedule will be as follows WW1, Thompson, Greve, and WW2 all run consecutively.

Rubber-powered Free Flight Models Only

 Stealth Sqdn is a rubber FF club and we welcome all who want to try this hobby.  Flying rockets, drones, choppers and fixed wing RC is not permitted. 

“Angus says… Check upcoming dates for meets and contests on the Calendar page or sidebar of this site”

wOODSOM fARM aMESBURY ma

wHITE’S fARm
dURHAM ct

 

The Cursed Squadron

Written in the classic Flying Aces style of Arch Whitehouse – this WW1 mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat!

 

BY  
William Skelly
 

A Jack Sharpe Mystery

Four pilots had been assassinated in the air during the sortie of their fifth kill. The 10th Pursuit was cursed! But Jack Sharpe was on the case, and something seemed fishy about the ghastly Hun and his ultimatum:

NO MORE ACES.

 

Read Story Now

 

BLUE 4 Escape

“When he (Will) hit the water it was like hitting concrete, and he went under, getting a nose and a mouth full of water. “

 

BY  
Dr. Richard Zapf

Rescue on the High Sea

Saved from certain death in the skies over the English Channel, Will Smythe of RAF Blue flight manages to live, love and fight another day.  While Will burns through a few more than his allotted lives, love interest Melissa Wells fights her own battles as an ambulance driver on Mother England’s home front.  Are they destined to see each other again?  Only fate knows for sure.

Read Story Now