Pony Express Field – Stealth Squadron FAC#49

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

Ipswich Pony Express Photos – June 25 meet

Clubster John R. took some great photos! Check them out HERE

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Sean R launches his spiffy new Nassise P-40

Vance Gs beautiful Kalinen ambulance a/c.

Tom N’s new Sopwith Tabloid fell to George S’ SE-5 in the WW1 Combat event

Great weather, Light Turnout

Some folks were on vacation. Some folks were at the beach. And some folks were enjoying a long leisurely bike ride (clubster Steve K did stop by on his Cannondale to check out the flying action).

Maybe it was the rescheduled date from the previous weekend which was very windy. Regardless, it was a terrific flying day with light winds and thermals. A couple models landed in the nice shade trees ringing the field, but were retrieved without damage. Flying at the Pony Express field was low-key with lighthearted yet keen competition. A fine time was had by all.

A hearty thanks goes out to Rich Z who made the arrangements for the field and worked with the town to reschedule the meet to a day with better weather. Well done!

Genial John R. drove up from Boston and had his iphone working overtime capturing the action. It’s always fun to see John’s pictorial take on our meets.

Check out John’s pics at https://photos.app.goo.gl/dQHaAjcxEN1vfAuT7

John says have some fun with the pics – go ahead and post your comments/captions, etc.

Thanks skysters!

Stealth Squadron Early Summer Meet, Ipswich MA June 25

rescheduled to June 25!

Due to high winds, the 6/18/2022 meet at the Pony Express Field in Ipswich has been RESCHEDULED TO SATURDAY 6/25/2022. Same place (Pony Express, Ipswich), time (9AM start) and events (view the full Contest Flyer with Directions to the field HERE – note this flyer still carries the old date).

The weather is looking much better for the 25th and we hope to see you all there!