Flying Aces – Stealth Squadron FAC#49

Good-Bye Summer

One more outdoor meet –

11/17 Durham FAC Turkey Fly

Event Flyer HERE

Click to Enlarge Images

Flyers launch their Baby Gliders at last year’s Turkey Fly at White’s Farm in Durham, CT

It was windy for the WW1 mass launch event!

Mitch K’s Curtiss Speed Scout FAC Scale model flew well in the Glastonbury HS gym on Nov 3

Tom N retrieves his Commando from the top of the bleachers

Flying to the stars? Nope, a Pacific Ace floatplane rests on the West River in VT

Scrappy One Design flyers in the Glastonbury HS gym on November 3

Seasons go round & round..

And just like that, it’s over. The shadows grow longer as the days get shorter. The pitter patter of soft soled shoes on the gym floor. The first weekend of November was truly a transition – flying in the brisk air at Woodsom Farm on Saturday and in the calm, quiet space of the Glastonbury HS gym on Sunday. Whew!

There’s one more chance outdoors at the Turkey Fly in Durham, CT on Nov. 17. See you there!

Nov 2 Woodsom Meet Pics & Results

Despite the strong Fall wind, a great time was had by all. Steve E. extended his streak with wins in the Pinkham Stick, Embryo, Dime Scale and Chameleon Mass Launch events. Rich Z. mopped up most of the remaining events. Congrats guys. We won’t go so easily on you next time..haww!

Check out pics and meet results below.

Pics

Results p1

Results p2
Thanks for sharing Kim & Steve!

About those Indoor Dates –

All of the Glastonbury, CT Indoor dates have been posted to the Calendar page. Check the Flyer for dates in the Glastonbury High School gym, key contacts (John K) and address for the High School (your GPS/mapping will provide directions).

Don’t forget to build a Scrappy and get in on the One-Design Fun!

Georgetown, MA Indoor Dates are being finalized and we expect to have these posted to the Calendar soon. We anticipate one flying day per month beginning in January 2025 and running through April. The Scrappy One Design will be flown in Georgetown as well, so get building!

Saturday Nov 2 Season Close Meet @ Woodsom Farm

Don’t miss the final outdoor meet of the Season –

Event Flyer HERE

Click to Enlarge Images

Sam B launches his Super Capacitor powered Halberstadt D2. Sam’s a SuperCap pro!

Vance G lauches his Russian Kalinen K4 ambulance plane. Beautiful!

Another Boxy Bipe. This one by Steve E. Snidely Whiplash piloting!

Rich Z’s Corben Super Ace wheels above the Fall Colors.

Greve Race mass launch at Woodom Farm Oct. 20 meet

Outdoor Season Finale Nov 2

Tempus Fugit, gang! Yep, time sure is flying, just like one of Steve E’s Pinkham Stick models. Next Saturday Nov 2 will be your last chance this season to fly outdoors on the beautiful rolling fields of Woodsom Farm in Amesbury, MA. Don’t miss it!

The event roster has been slimmed some, but we’ll still be filling the sky with stick & tissue models. Check out the full Nov. 2 Meet Flyer.

See you at the field!

October 20 Meet Results & Pics

Gorgeous weather, good friends and lot’s of high flying models – what more can a flyer ask for? How about a bunch of great photos to help remember it all?

John R’s Google photostream

Kim W’s Google photostream

Thanks for sharing John & Kim!!

Pinkham Stick was arguably the event to watch with several new models and light-hearted competition. Steve E kicked it off with a one minute flight on his new Troubadour in the calm morning air and then upped the mark to 100sec plus soon after. Kim W got several nice flights with her Rocky-piloted Boxy Bipe. Then in the thermally afternoon Rich Z popped off a 2min plus flight with his Gabelschwanz Teufel (Fork-Tailed Devil) which unfortunately ended with the model 80ft or so up in a majestic pine tree. Steve countered late in the day with his Pelatowski Stork, catching a thermal and going OOS (out of sight) into a cloud. But alas, he forgot to start the stopwatch! Gremlins were surely riding Stork’s wing on its last flight! And it was the FT Devil for the win.

One thing’s certain. There’s a lot of flying smiles per build time invested in these simple Pinkham Stick models. Why not join in the fun?

There was lots of action in the other competition events as well. Steve E’s Hellcat took the top spot in Dime Scale again and his Mad Maxine (biplane, n’est pas!) topped the Embryo Endurance field. George S’s Nassise Mustang edged out the Rittmeister’s Henschel 123 to win the WW2 Mass Launch event. George’s Guillows Fairchild 24 won the Golden Age/Modern Civil event too.

Rich Z’s wretched Roland D2 wreaked havoc winning the WW1 Mass Launch event. His silky smooth flying Ercoupe also won FAC Simplified Scale – the meet’s premiere competition event.

Sam B and Ara D made the trek from out-of-state to fly with us. It was great to see you guys. We sure did have FUN!

Stealth Squadron Oct 2024 Results Page 1

Stealth Squadron Oct 2024 Results Page 2

See you on the field at Woodsom Farm on Nov 2 tissue trimmers 🙂

Woodsom Farm Fall Meet Sunday Oct. 20

FLASH: The October 12 meet has been rescheduled to Sunday October 20

Event Flyer HERE

Click to Enlarge Images

A gaggle of Tribute Models soar into the Canadian sky! Harfang Squadron fliers have been busy at the building board.

Clive G. retrieves his GB.2 twin flying boat from the stream at the Sept 15 Durham meet.

Bern D. ready to send his Commando aloft on an early morning flight at the September Waywayanda, NY meet.

Jim W’s Scrappy One Design model. Many of these ships were seen at the recent Glastonbury indoor flying session.

Clubster Kim W. built this neat little Boxy Bipe as her 2nd model. Looks like Rocky in the cockpit…where’s Bullwinkle?

Fly at Woodsom Farm this Sunday

Heads Up Skysters! We’ll be flying on the big field at Woodsom Farm in Amesbury this Sunday, October 20. Last Saturday’s meet at Woodsom Farm was cancelled due to poor flying weather.

The contest event roster remains unchanged – check out the full Oct. 20 Meet Flyer. You’ll find directions to the field and key contacts on the Flyer as well.

Fall flying at Woodsom Farm is the best. See you at the field!

September Woodsom Farm Meet Results

The Sept. 7 meet saw a light flyer turnout, but nice weather. Several folks showed up to watch and fly gliders that were handed out. Chris helped Alec get his Sleek Streak flying and by the afternoon he was getting 30+ second flights every time. Way to go guys!
The contest events were hotly contested. In Dime Scale (pg2 below), a scant 2 seconds separated 1st place from second and second from third. An exciting event..

Stealth Squadron Sept 2024 Results Page 1

Stealth Squadron Sept 2024 Results Page 2

Novak Tribute & Scrappy One Design Models

Well, folks sure have been busy at the building board! Our Canadian clubsters from the Harfang Squadron have built and flown a whole gaggle of Novak Tribute Models. Rumors of several streamer-flying mass launches have been reported, accompanied by a mysterious photo (sidebar pic). Surely the pic was staged…could it be real?? That’s the Spirit skysters… NRE is smiling!

Check out the NRE Tribute Event page for pics of new Tribute Models built by clubsters. Send yours along and we’ll put it up for all to see. It’s all for FUN!

Reports are trickling in of lots of Scrappy One Design activity down in the Glastonbury. CT high school gym. The first flying session of the 2024-25 indoor season was this past weekend and Scrappies (?) were said to be bouncing off the ceiling and putting up nice flights. The excitement is building!

See you on the field at Woodsom Farm this Sunday skysters –

Tribute Plans & Lawrence Airport Event

Free Download Plans & Articles for 9 Tribute Event models – HERE

Click to Enlarge Images

Clubster Rick P is building this Rigid Midget from the 1952 Aeromodeller plan

Stealth Sqdn table at the August 17 National Aviation Day at Lawrence Airport

Commando launch at Woodsom Farm test field

Civil Air Patrol cadets at Lawrence Airport Aviation Day

Ryan STA launch at Woodsom Farm test field

Stealth Squadroneers exhibited stick & tissue models and handed out Guillow’s gliders at the Aug 17 Lawrence Airport Aviation Day

Aviation Day at Lawrence Airport

There’s been a lot going on gang and we’re doing our best to keep you informed. First up is a follow up to our last post A Tribute to Ed Novak.

Plan & Article Downloads Available!

Yep, all 9 Tribute Event plans (incl. articles) are now available on this site for download FREE. Not since Comet sold kits for a dime have we seen such a deal! Those keyboard wizards at HQ even put a NRE Tribute Event page on the top menu of this site to house the plans, tips, rules, etc. Several Tribute Models have already been built – Rick P’s Rigid Midget is under construction (sidebar pic) and Tom N’s got a video of his Commando flying. Better get building now as rumors are the first Tribute Event will be held this Fall at a Durham, CT meet.

Aviation Day at Lawrence Airport

Stealth Squadroneers continued their outreach to air-minded folks of all ages with a stick and tissue model airplane exhibit at the Lawrence Airport National Aviation Day on August 17. Our roving reporter was there and managed to snap a few pics of the action (sidebar). Steve E. brought a box of Guillow’s gliders left over from the terrific Spencer-Peirce Little Farm event earlier this summer. These gliders were handed out to interested kids and parents who came by our table. And what a hit they were! Kids just love these simple flying models — we’re hoping to do more of these events.

Fun Flying at Woodsom Farm

OK, you’ve finished that model and you just can’t wait until the next club meet to fly it. You’ve glided it into the couch and maybe over that patch of soft grass in your backyard, but you need a bit more room to wind it up and try a test flight or two.

Sure, you can venture to your local playground or ballfield – heck that’s where our Tribute Models were intended to be flown. Another option is the back field off the parking lot at Woodsom Farm. A few clubsters have been gathering recently at this “testing field” on calm mornings. They’ve been having a ball just flying for fun, and getting their models ready for the club flying meets (see Calendar for dates & flyers). Often this group finishes with a cup of coffee at a local shop in Amesbury. If you’re interested in getting on their group text, reach out via the Contact Us form and we’ll fill you in. Remember, this hobby and our club is all about having FUN!

Keep building and see you at the field!

A Tribute to Ed Novak

A New Tribute Event for all-sheet balsa sport flyers –

Stay Tuned for More!

Click to Enlarge Images

Ed Novak at White’s Farm (Pinkham Field) in Durham, CT in 1979

NRE Tribute Event Rules (click to view larger)

Commando from the 1943 Air Trails magazine Victory Squadron. Original model is to left; new model by clubster Tom N. at right.

The Spirit of the FAC

This post is dedicated to Ed Novak, an original member of the modern Flying Aces Club (FAC), and a long-time friend. Ed passed on earlier this summer at his home in CT.

But First….Upcoming Flying Meets!

With the FAC Nationals in Geneseo, NY in the rear window, the local New England flying meet schedule is heating up. Hope to see you at our August meets – click the links below for the details.

Aug 11 – Durham, CT

Aug 24 – Amesbury, MA

The Modern Flying Aces Club – Early Years

In the mid-late 1960’s a small group of free flight modelers in southern CT began flying rubber-powered scale and sport models in the style of the pre-WW2 era Flying Aces magazine and the original Flying Aces Club. The emphasis was on fun as characterized by the adventures and tongue in cheek humor of that fictional Flying Aces hero, Phineas Pinkham. Building and flying unique and unconventional models was encouraged, and a sometimes schmaltzy newsletter was started. The spirit caught on, the little club grew to national status, and the modern Flying Aces Club (FAC) was born. Eddie Novak was a key member of that early, wacky and creative crew of flyers.

In fact, Ed was perhaps the first FAC junior flyer not related to the club founders Dave Stott and Bob Thompson. His parents would drive him to the first FAC meets at Pinkham Field in Durham, CT. Yes, that Pinkham Field is the same Whites Farm field that we fly at in Durham, CT today!

The Spirit of the FAC!

Ed was a relentless advocate for the Spirit of those early wacky and adventuresome Flying Aces. Flying model competition was important and as this aspect of the FAC grew, Ed was there to remind us there was more to our Flying Aces Club – Fun!

To celebrate this Spirit and Eddie’s influence over the years, the Pinkham Field Irregulars (as that group of local flyers is known) have come up with a new Ed Novak Tribute Event. This is a fun celebration of the simple all-sheet balsa sport models popularized in WW2 era model magazines.

Rules for the Tribute Event are presented HERE. A number of construction Plans and Articles for these models will be made available for download (free) from this website soon.

The Louis Garami “Commando” published in a 1943 issue of Air Trails is one of these Tribute models. At the top of this post, we’re happy to share a photo of Louis’ original model and one recently built from his plans by clubster Tom N.

We’ll let you know when the downloads are available on our club website here. Stay tuned and keep that building board at the ready!