Archive for January, 2007

He Says, He Says

Sunday, January 28th, 2007

Baylands Archers
Want to write a caption for this picture of Big Rick, Latin Dave and Robert? Post a comment!

For some reason, flying is all about guys. In almost two years of flying, I’ve seen only two women piloting model planes.

Most women just aren’t interested.

Which is why it’s never “he says, she says” at the field. It’s just “he says, he says.”

Mike says, “I fall in love again whenever my plane takes off.”

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Posted in Baylands | 6 Comments »

The C Word

Sunday, January 21st, 2007

Crash

On a recent evening I was talking to a flyer at a club meeting.

“I’ve crashed only three times in 14 years of flying,” he said.

That’s an amazing figure, I thought. My crashes number in the hundreds by now. But I didn’t tell him that.

On the ride home, I told Bruce how surprised I was by this flyer’s skill.

“He’s lying,” Bruce said.

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Posted in Baylands | 3 Comments »

A Bit of History

Sunday, January 14th, 2007

Baylands, 1993

That picture shows Baylands on June 16, 1993, courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey via TerraServer-USA.

Sunnyvale Baylands Park opened to the public a year later, showcasing 105 acres of restored wetlands and offering visitors a half-mile-long Great Meadow, a children’s playground and three miles of pathways.

In the fall of 1998, the Pioneer R/C Club lost its flying field in Sunnyvale, CA. The land was taken over by a developer.

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Posted in Baylands | 1 Comment »

Men With Hats

Sunday, January 7th, 2007

Men With Hats

After looking at this website, my friend Rand writes in an email:

So is it me or do all all RC planes come with hats for the pilots to wear ;)

Though I’ve never found a hat in an airplane kit, looking at the Faces pictures (which total 61 people as of today—I added 13 pictures this weekend), I count 34 people wearing hats and 27 without. That’s 55%.

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Posted in Baylands | 8 Comments »

OTF

Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007

Slough of Despond

I crashed my yellow OverLord wing Over The Fence (OTF) at Baylands today.

The Fence separates the park from the restored wetlands area, which I think of as The Swamp. In the rainy season it’s spongy and slimy. During the dry months it’s mostly cracked and crumbly dirt nursing a tangle of brambles, burrs and prickly weeds. A finger of brackish water runs though it and within that slip of water lie two miniscule islands.

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Posted in Baylands | 6 Comments »