June 23rd, 2009
Dennis pivoted the wings on carbon fiber rods, rotated by servos.
Many of us fly cheap airplanes, but few fly anything as cheap as the Multiplex Fox.
Looking a bit like a scaled-down Multiplex Easy Star, it’s sold as a $15 glider: no motor, no control surfaces. Throw it hard and high and wait for it to come down.
But it looks so much like a small version of the planes we fly that inevitably people began tinkering with it.
Matt Abrams had the first one I saw. His was blue, a work in progress on the day I saw it at the PCC airfield.
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Tags:
Airplanes,
Baylands,
Combat,
Flying.
Posted in Baylands | 1 Comment »
June 13th, 2009
A novel about a writer who moves through the world of special interests.
Acrobats, Beekeepers, Campers, Divers, Fossil Hunters, Glass Blowers, Hikers, Kite Flyers, Lego Builders, Model Railroaders, Numismatists, Orchid Growers, Poker Players, Rollerbladers, Skydivers, Tinsmiths, Videographers, Wind Surfers…
We live in a world of enthusiasts, special interests who flock to their own websites, discussion groups, activities and magazines.
My friend Charlie Haas has written a novel, The Enthusiast, about Henry Bay, a writer who works for magazines of this sort. Bay jumps from specialty to specialty, learning the language and meeting the players.
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Tags:
Life,
People,
Writing.
Posted in Elsewhere | 2 Comments »
June 9th, 2009
A ground squirrel pulls a stalk of grass near and starts nibbling.
After flying a bit, as the wind rises in late morning I often take a walk around Baylands Park, giving the chargers time to top up batteries while I enjoy the local sights.
Monday I saw lots of California Ground Squirrels, Spermophilus beecheyi, harvesting and eating seeds from tall stalks of grass.
Spermophilus, their genus name, means “lover of seeds.”
They sat upright, grabbing stalks and pulling them close to nibble the seeds.
They were so intent on feeding that they let me get close with my camera.
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Tags:
Baylands,
Gallery,
Snakes.
Posted in Baylands | 3 Comments »
June 3rd, 2009
Frank checks out the landing gear, his favorite feature.
The other day, Frank Ducker arrived at Baylands carrying a new work in progress, a flying fire engine.
It’s a handsome scratch-built twin-engine OV-10 Bronco, all dressed up as a fire-fighting plane used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Frank admired the plane at a recent airshow, so he bought a small non-flying model and scaled it up into something that will someday fly.
His favorite feature is the retractable landing gear, three rubber wheels which bounce on spring-damped shock absorbers.
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Tags:
Airplanes,
Baylands,
Gallery,
People.
Posted in Baylands | No Comments »
May 27th, 2009
Mark hovers his helicopter just above the sand.
Mark Indiveri writes:
If you like the beach AND you like to fly helis, I highly recommend a combination of the two. This was a really great flying day, my best so far. Flyin’ ’er over the ocean is a total rush. Plenty of spectators. Some even got fly-overs (against AMA regs!). Watch out for loose dogs! Check out my nose-in hover (last pic).
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Tags:
Flying,
Gallery,
Helicopters,
Weather.
Posted in Elsewhere | 1 Comment »
