I say 'Plane(s)' because I have only been at this racket since August of 2003.
okay not true: Back in 1977 I was stationed at Castle AFB with the F-106 / T-33 squadron there, and my friend from Modesto Danny Norton got me to try R/C gliders. So I *think* I built in the barracks a Wanderer. I honestly don't recall exactly what it was but I think it was two meter. I flew it on a slope and once in a contest. I wish I knew if it was Visalia but I again I don't remember. All I recall was Danny, myself, and a thin guy in a pith helmet named 'Roger', flew there. After I left for F-111s in England I lost contact with Danny. Don't know what happen to him. Or Rogers last name... or the plane, or the radio... etc. Fast forward to August 2003: First was a DAW TG-3. Still have it. To this day I am haunted by my inability to turn it in a thermal without dropping a wing tip really really fast and falling 10's of meters in the process. :D Yes I have washout in it... gotta be something else... dunno what. Anyway it's a good sloper like all foamies! And it looks impressive at the LSS slope site amongst all those smaller planes! I wish I had bought a 1-26 or KA-6 when I had the chance... Next was an Easy Answer. A Global Hobbies 'price point' ship loosely based (I think) on Blaine Rawdon's Mirage. (If I got the history of the ship correct.) I know the guy that knows the guy (grin) that penned the plans for it. Anyway I flew that for 5 months. Never broke nuttin'. Really served it's purpose as I learned to 'launch, fly, and land' with it. Even winched it and competed once or twice in novice/sportsman class with it. Just R/E. No 'S'. :D Great plane, really. Pretty strong. I built it stock and was pretty aggressive on the end of the winch. Memorial day weekend 2004 I was too aggressive. I folded the wing at the dihedral brace IIRC. I was right over the winch turnaround when it folded. Another lesson learned. Thinking I was only a few weeks away from having a 2 meter Gnome RES ship ready to fly, I gave the peices, minus the radio, to a guy that said he could rebuild it and use it to teach. I gather many people dislike the straight center panel designs, but I am looking forward to building my Mirage as I liked flying the Easy Answer. And the fact I built it with me own two paws made it that much more enjoyable. BTW: It would be more like 3 months before the Gnome (and therefore I) flew. :( So.... my favorite so far is my current 2 meter Gnome. Am I lying when I say these old build up brick 'poop-houses' of a sailplane can be winched -almost- like a molded ship? Pedal to the ground? A friend at last weekend's SWSA fun fly did just that. Just had me throw it and he kept the pedal down for almost the entire launch. :D Only mod I made was to build the spar like the darkstar spar is built outside of the plane and drop it in. I used 007 carbon top and bottom captured in the spar. Almost not worth using, but I did not know that then. Others build them stock and winch the heck out of them too. It seems to fly wonderfully, seems to have good legs for a woodie, seems to slow down nicely for landing, and seems to circle in thermals with almost no bad habits. LOL! Truely a joy to fly. And the fact that I built it with me own two paws makes it that much more enjoyable. :D But the best is yet to come. See I've flown a 3 meter Gnome a few times and a Paragon. The big Gnome has all the qualities of the 2 meter, plus seems to fly smoother and thermal as well if not better than the 2 meter. And it winches like a molded plane. And I have a kit! :D And I am working on a Gambler+ built up 2 channel DLG. Speak of to come... (Purchased) California Sailplanes F-20 Houston Hawk Mirage short kit 3 meter Gnome Recent Dynaflite BOT kit Old CraftAire Winddrifter 99 Kit Old Marks Models Windfree Kit Old Marks Models Wanderer 72 kit Old Gentle Lady Kit Spirt 100 Too bad we don't really have a 'building season'... Best wishes, ===== --------------------------------------- Jeffrey D. Gortatowsky La Habra Heights, California "Madam, there's no such thing as a tough child -- if you parboil them first for seven hours, they always come out tender. " - W.C. Fields "What wretched scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?" - W.C. Fields RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off.
