Model planes

[Joolstacho]

So Greybeard, are you a flyer or what?
(Slope and electric here)
-Jools

[Greybeard]

So Greybeard, are you a flyer or what?
(Slope and electric here)
-Jools

PM sent

[RichardL]

First, of course, continuous kudos to Erling.

Second, I had to check to be sure we were in"Chat" before commenting on model airplanes.

Jools,

How is it a gear head like you, with no less than eight motorcycles (not to mention chain saws, brush cutter...), ends up flying model airplanes without internal combustion? Back when I was into model airplanes (in a circle with a handle control and 40-odd years ago) the smell of the fuel, the sound of the Cox motor and the danger factor of flipping the middle finger for a good cause was a lot of what made it fun.

Richard L.

[bsa-bill]

Think I'll watch in in this one , me being of amateur Kiel-craft rubber band era

[Topdad]

oh nostalgia ,nostalgia,  same here Richard/Bill went from Keilcraft to control line , final was a cox powered airocobra , made the mistake of filling it to much and went dizzie from circling ,nearly took a friends head off ! before stuffing it into the ground which was on the edge of the local cricket teams square , I wasn't popular !!

[Joolstacho]

Keil Kraft... oh what memories of more innocent daze! I remember that beautiful perfect balsa airframe built with such care, then... the tissue... then the water shrinking... then the dope... then the twisted distorted 'orrible thing... all that work stuffed! Grrrrr!
Ah well, find a bridge, light up a tuppeny banger, stick it in the fuselage and quickly chuck the Keil Kraft thing off... ... ... BANG!!! Little burning fragments floating to earth. Meander back home to ponder the futility of life.   
Well Richard I don't deny I'm a 'gear 'ead' but there may be another side to me (like most people). Sensitive, artistic soul (!) 
Actually, flying an aerobatic slope-soarer inverted a few meters from the rocks at the edge at something like 200k's airspeed while standing on top of a windy hill can be just as exiting as punting a ballsy motorbike around a twisty mountain road.
To do it without writing off the aircraft, your brain has to be so re-orientated as to be consciously 'inside' the model, so the adrenalin certainly pumps!
Over the years I've got a big buzz out of designing and moulding my own RC aircraft. Maybe the ultimate was designing and developing a jet turbine powered jet-fighter type for a manufacturer here in Melbourne. (Typically these things can be worth thousands of dollars, - maybe ten grand in the air, so one wrong move!!!) - It's pretty well past the 'toy' stage at this point!
Nowadays, electric power has transformed the sport. Brilliant.
Now, back to bikes....

[WozzA]

Now, back to bikes....     Hang on a mo....
you have anything to with these Jools?

[orabanda]

Wozza,
Nice pics as always!
I remember the RAAF DH Vampires coming over our house at 200 feet, on their landing approach. Absolutely the loudest engine I have ever heard!

Richard

[cyclobutch]

Used to fly control line with my old man. He died at 61 and I put all that to one side to spend more time fooling around with motorcycles. Figure I'll get back to it when I'm too old for the bikes (does that happen?).

Got a pulse jet engine in my study I picked up a couple of years back, maybe a couple of feet long; along with some V1 plans. Figure that should wind me into the ground. Kind of itching to bench test it some time, another project on the list I guess.

[bsa-bill]

I think I posted this before, never mind
yes De Haviland Vampire, around 1951 to 1953 ish, Newcastle airport hosted "The Kings cup", we had a very large flat roof on one of the farm biuldings onto which we climbed to watch the aircraft ( was a turning point of the race circuit).
 The vampire won, they stuck another engine in and called it the Venom, later or similar development led to the Sea Vixen.
in those days Newcastle airport was called Woolsington IIRC.

Not sure I like all this Drone stuff that is about, think there's a strong possibility of horrendous accident's if there allowed to fly them just anywhere, (think traffic) then they'll go to severe restrictions and they not be worth having

[Topdad]

Every year up here until 2013,RAF Woodvale used to host an open day ,the usual vintage bikes and cars ,ww2 army vehicles etc but by far the biggest pull was the Southport model aircraft . They took over a section of runway and had such an assortment of planes it was mind blowing. I remember particularly the 4 jet engine Vulcan, which when taxiing turned it's tail towards the crowd and it was like looking , hearing and smelling the real thing , so much had work and attention to detail . Flew beautifully .They also staged a bomber raid with about 6 large scale Wellingtons which with the explosions made a fine sight. It also brought back memories of being a kid , the end of the runway used was the one I landed back on after my very first "air experience flight " with the ATC ,grand national Saturday 1966.

[Greybeard]

Hi, I have a part finished Ben Buckle, (previously Keilcraft) Falcon that I will finish when I get some time. It will have an OS 60 open pushrod diesel and three channel radio. I haven't flown models since I was a kid.
The pictures and video are from the web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCoUyq8my_A

Re Topdads post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeL3LhrmeME

[morris]

Where the bloody hell do you guys find the time...!? 

[Greybeard]

Where the bloody hell do you guys find the time...!? 

Well, promise you won't tell anyone else. I have this special wardrobe with fur coats hanging at the back and as I push my way into the back of the wardrobe time stands still. As I move forward the fur coats become fir trees and then I come to a clearing and I see standing in the snow under a gas street light a gleaming shiny brand new 1955 classic motorcycle. For a moment my breath stops...but...then I see that it's a flippin Triumph....You wanna buy an old wardrobe? 

[Joolstacho]

Now, back to bikes....     Hang on a mo....
you have anything to with these Jools?

Wozza, nothing to do with those. But I did design and develop a turbine jet sport aircraft for Trim Aircraft (of Ramtec fame).
And that Vampire? Well a mate of mine recently bought a 1:1 scale... yes, a full-size Vampire, and I was amazed to find that the fuz is made from balsa wood!!!

Here's one of mine.