Tag: Amesbury MA

Gear Up for Indoor Flying!

Jolly Roger is the 2025-26 indoor season One Design!  Get the Plan HERE 

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Tom G’s big, beautiful Guillow’s SE5 climbs out into the blue Woodsom sky
Chris M’s neat little Stuka put up some great flights at the Oct 11 meet
Rick H with his high-flying “Flying Fool” NRE Tribute model
Richard B launches his Guillows Jetstream. Lots of Guillow’s models were flying at the Oct. 11 meet
Jolly Roger flight results from the first indoor flying session at Glastonbury HS on Oct. 12
Steve E watches his P-51 Mustang circle overhead at the Oct. 11 Woodsom Farm meet

Two More Outdoor Meets Coming Up!  

Yes, the Indoor flying season is right around the corner.  In fact, it’s already started – the first flying session in Glastonbury, CT was on October 12.  But there’s still a couple opportunities to fly in the cool fall air; check the Upcoming Events on the sidebar and plan to join us at the field.

Fabulous Weather at Woodsom Farm!

What wonderful flying weather we’ve had this Fall!  The Stealth Squadroneers put up many terrific flights at the Woodsom Farm Oct. 11 meet.  The Pinkham Field Stick event was a highlight with Steve E leading the pack by late morning with a near 2min flight on his Goose Canard.  Doug G chased him hard, eventually hooking a thermal with his Blue Ridge Special.  Unfortunately it flew off the field and into the top of a tall pine tree just 4 seconds short of Steve’s time.  Drat!  Pinkham Field Stick can be a tricky event as it’s easy to lose your model taking you out of the competition.  Fortunately, these models are quick to build and easily to replace.  The Jolly Roger is a great choice as you can also fly this year’s One Design model in the Pinkham Field Stick event!

Cast an orb over the Event Results below:

2025-2026 Indoor Flying Dates Posted!

Ah, they’re here finally.  The indoor meet dates for both the Penn Brook School in Georgetown, MA and the Glastonbury High School in CT have been posted to the Calendar on this site.  As always, you’ll see the next few upcoming dates in the Coming Events on the homepage sidebar.  Indoor flying is fun.  You can count on good weather, but those walls can get in the way sometimes! 

Jolly Roger One Design Downloads Available!

We’ve finally gotten around to posting the One Design model Plan, Construction Article and Rules for the 2025-26 Indoor season.  Download the Plan and Article – free as always – from the One Design page on this site.

Jolly Roger is an unusual pusher canard design, but it’s easy and quick to build.  A bunch of them have already been flying and putting up good times in the Glastonbury HS gym – see the October Results chart in the sidebar.

Hustle over to the building board and get yours ready for the next indoor flying session!

See you on the flightline skyster!

Come Fly With Us!

See you at the Saturday, Oct 11 Woodsom Farm meet! 

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A budding model aviation enthusiast at the Sept 13 Spencer Peirce Little Farm event. Event More Photos HERE
Flightline at the Woodsom Farm Sept 21 Stealth Sqdn meet.
Racers mass launch at the Sept 14 Durham, CT Pinkham Field meet
Steve E’s new Schweizer towline scale glider at the Sept 21 Woodsom Farm meet
Doug G’s Embryo launch at the Sept 21 Woodsom Farm meet
Chambermaid racer climbout at the Sept 14 Durham meet
Hawker S’s Flying Aces Moth flew in the FAC Sport event at the September 14 Durham, CT meet.

Join in on the Fun!  

The leaves are turning and the air is crisp.  Perfect weather for flying old time free flight model airplanes!  There’s been a veritable hurricane model flying activity going on in the Northeast.  Let’s do a quick recap. 

Sept 13 Flying Aces Take Flight! Event

The weather was perfect for this Guillow’s-sponsored public event at Historic New England’s Spencer-Peirce Little Farm in Newbury, MA.  Light winds made for lots of flying for the Stealth Squadron’s traditional stick & tissue models and the Guillows Jetstream models that were handed out with each Admission Ticket.  Full scale light aircraft flew overhead throughout the event, taking off or landing at the adjacent Plum Island airport.  A terrific time was had by all of the youngsters and the young at at heart.  Clubster John R kept things interesting on the PA system and has posted some great photos of the event HERE.   Thanks to all who participated – and see you at next year’s event! 

Amesbury, MA & Durham, CT model airplane meets

The day after the SPL event, Pinkham Field at Whites Farm in Durham, CT was buzzing with stick & tissue model airplanes filling the sky.  This field is the birthplace of the modern Flying Aces Club and has been the site of traditional rubber powered free flight model airplane flying for decades.  Mark your calendar for the November 16 “Turkey Fly” outdoor season closing meet.  It’s a classic!

The Stealth Squadroneers have been busy flying their models on the big rolling fields of Woodsom Farm in Amesbury, MA.   A few photos from the Sept 21 meet are presented in this post.  You’ll have another opportunity to fly and join the fun at Woodsom Farm this coming Saturday October 11.  Check out the FLYER for the contest event roster, directions, etc. 

Georgetown, MA Indoor Dates Coming Soon!

Rumor is that the Rittmeister has received confirmation on the Indoor Flying Dates at the Penn Brook Middle School in Georgetown, MA.  Keep an eye on the Calendar page on this site for the updates.   The Indoor Flying season is almost upon us (gasp!) 

See you at the flying field!

Gear-Up for New England FAC Meets!

See you at the Sunday, Aug 24 Woodsom Farm meet! 

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Check out the latest flyer for the Sept 13 Spencer Peirce Farm event with Guillow’s. Tell your friends!
The Rittmeister’s Henschel HS123 off on it’s incredible 2:45 flight at the Midsummer Melt Meet! Pic courtesy Chuck I.
… and the Rittmeister’s Flying Fool NRE Tribute Model
Clubster Doug G has a laser cut short kit of the Flyiing Fool. See him at the August Woodsom Farm Meet to get one!
Clubster Tom N flew his diesel powered RN Consolidated PT-1 at the 2025 FAC Non Nats in Geneseo
John K launches his colorful Potez 34 dimer at the Midsummer Melt Meet at Pinkham Field in Durham, CT. Model is available as a laser cut kit from local supplier Peck Polymers.

Lots of Flying Action!

Whew, it’s been awhile since our roving reporter’s last update.  He’s been busy flying models and enjoying summer as we hope you have been. 

So pull back on the stick, gear-up, and let’s do a quick summary of goings-on.

July 17-19 FAC Non Nats in Geneseo, NY

Never been to an FAC Nationals in Geneseo? Well, you’re missing out on some of the best stick and tissue model flying and free flight camaraderie in the world!  Several clubsters attended, participated and took home awards from this year’s Non Nats.  The winds were challenging on Thursday, but the weather was near-perfect for flying on Friday and Satuday.  Flyers traveled across the U.S. and Canada to attend, with friends new and old enjoying their common interest in free flight model airplanes.  Check your Flying Aces Newsletter for in depth coverage of the Non Nats.  

Midsummer Melt Meet at Pinkham Field, CT

The weather was perfect with light winds all day.  Rich Z’s epic 2minute and 45 second flight with his Henschel 123 biplane got everyone’s attention, and a flock of all sheet balsa NRE Tribute Models were seen flitting around the field.  If you haven’t yet attended an FAC Meet in Durham, CT plan to join us at one of the meets this Fall.  Oh, and don’t forget the upcoming Woodsom Farm Meet in Amesbury, MA on August 24!

New Spencer-Peirce Little Farm Event Flyer

Don’t miss this Guillow’s-sponsored public event at Historic New England’s Spencer-Peirce Little Farm in Newbury, MA on September 13.  The new Flyer tells you everything you need to know.  Kids or grandkids in your family?  Forward the Flyer to them and suggest they attend – the kids and yes, even Mom & Dad, will have FUN! 

Flying Fool Short Kit

We mentioned the gang having fun with their NRE Tribute models at the  Midsummer Melt meet.  Well, longtime Flying Ace and DC Maxecuter Doug G has moved to the Northeast and joined our Stealth Squadron club.  Welcome aboard Doug!   And guess what?  Doug has a laser cut short kit for the Flying Fool NRE Tribute model.   The Rittmeister built one from the kit and it flies great.  Come meet Doug at the August 24 Woodsom Farm meet in Amesbury, MA to learn more about the short kit and how you can get one.  Use the Contact Us form on this website if you can’t make the meet and are interested in the kit.   

 

See you at the flying field!

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!

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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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May 21 Amesbury Meet & Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Sunday May 21 – outdoor season opener meet at Woodsom Farm.  Contest Flyer  HERE

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May 21 Woodsom Farm Amesbury, MA Contest Flyer
A Sopwith Pup and Fokker DVIII at ORA. The Fokker was flying with an original rotary engine!
A Curtiss Jenny takes off from the grass strip with a kidnapped Trudy Truelove (dummy) holding onto a wing strut!
A New Standard biplane hopped passenger rides before and after the airshow.
This Golden Age Morane Saulnier aerobatic aircraft was spotted in one of the hangars just up from the ORA airstrip.
The grandstands at ORA line the grass airstrip. Here the return of the ribbon-cutting Tiger Moth and Fleet biplane is announced over the PA system.
Stealth Squadroneers with Old Rhinebeck Pilots & Cast, July 2022

May 21 at Woodsom Farm; 2023 ORA  Trip Planning

Finally!  The daffodils have bloomed and spring has sprung.  Clubsters are blowing the cobwebs off their outdoor models and looking to get outside and fly in the warm sunshine.  

Our first outdoor meet of the season is right around the corner – Sunday May 21 on the big rolling green fields of Woodsom Farm in Amesbury, MA.  Check out the Contest Flyer and plan to make this one as we expect to see many new models built over this past winter.

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Field Trip

A few clubsters made the trek to Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (ORA) last July and had a great time.  They got to see many terrific WW1, Golden Age, and Pioneer aircraft flying off the legendary grass strip.  More of their great pics are posted on the Photos page of this site.  What an airshow!

We’re hoping to make another field trip to ORA this summer, perhaps with a few more clubsters this time.  We’ll be discussing the details at the close of the May 21 meet at Woodsom Farm.  Show up at the meet and let us know if you’d like to join in the fun.

See you on the flightline skysters!