A Walk in the Park

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

A ground squirrel pulls a stalk of grass near and starts nibbling.

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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New Birds

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Frank checks out the landing gear, his favorite feature.

Frank checks out the landing gear, his favorite feature.


The other day, Frank D 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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Getting Warmer

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Mark hovers his helicopter just above the sand.

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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Tackling the Volcano

Monday, April 27th, 2009

Flanked by her team, Emily pilots the helicopter toward the volcano.

Flanked by her team, Emily pilots the helicopter toward the volcano.


Remember the team of young women who intended to learn to fly a radio-controlled helicopter in one month?

Saturday was their day of reckoning, when they had to guide a payload of six ping pong balls to a target inside a model volcano 20 feet away.

It was Tech Challenge 2009, sponsored by the Tech Museum.

More than 1,000 students in grades 5 through 12 competed, 250 teams from around the Bay Area and as far away as San Diego and even New York.
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Snow Melts Back East

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

Norman’s helicopters pose on a checkered tablecloth.

Norman’s helicopters pose on a checkered tablecloth.


It’s raining today so I’m cowering indoors, but Norman McKinstry, our East Coast Correspondent, checked in recently to remind me that we’re sissies when we complain about California weather.

Regular readers will remember Norman, an inveterate flyer who who recently celebrated his 85th birthday in Amherst, New Hampshire.

Here’s his breezy email:

Hello friend. Today is first time this year: NO SNOW ON GROUND around here. Been a rough, long, cold, snowy one! I bought 3 indoor helicopters as outdoor flying was impossible.

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