My goal for 2008 is to become a proficient helicopter flyer. I’m starting from zero—perhaps less than zero, since I found learning to fly a fixed wing plane so difficult. But after two and a half years I’ve become a capable airplane flyer, and I’d like to stretch my horizon.

In the year 2007, I accomplished two compatible goals: I trained myself to fly lower and much closer. I’m now very comfortable with that style of flying.

I also learned how to fly inverted, another early aspiration.

(more…)

Using a $30 disposable camera, a 65-cent pic chip, a resistor, some wire and a servo cable, Ben Levitt upgraded his Easy Star with aerial video capability.

See two sample movies.

Learn how he did it, see more videos and get his pic code here.

Whenever it rains, as it did last night and early this morning, a puddle of slimy mud bars the entrance to the Great Meadow. Compounded from a mixture of clay, goose droppings and water, it’s worse than simple dirt-based mud. One of these days, I’m going to turn a not-on-purpose somersault as I negotiate this hazard.

Wild Combat. In the wake of the storm, Thursday’s north wind was quite frisky, gusting up to about 15mph. Dave and I waged wing warfare for three flights, alternately whacked around, stalled and accelerated by unpredictable blasts of air. We didn’t make much contact—I think we hit each other only once—but agreed that this is the best kind of combat flying.

(more…)

After flying combat sessions for about three months, Dave North and I are gradually figuring out Small-Wing Combat.

Mike Nadler liked to say about streamer combat: “The only rule is there are no rules!”

We’ve adopted Mike’s no-rules-rule as a starting point, but you gotta have some definition.

So far, these are the rules:

• In order to qualify for combat, your wing must be 24-30 inches in span.
• If you hit another wing, good! If your hit smacks the other wing to the ground, you score a kill unless you also immediately crash, in which case it’s a no-credit event.
• If your plane lands prematurely it’s a kill, but no one gets credit.
• Flying sessions are 9 minutes in duration. If you’re still able to fly after a premature landing, launch your plane!

Obviously, the rules are in flux as we gain experience. I suspect that as we refine the guidelines we’ll probably add limits on motor size and over-all weight.

(more…)

Bob Schleimer is telling me how he got involved in boats. “I moved to Fremont in 1980,” he says. “I had a garage full of planes because I’d been flying since I was 12 years old.

“A neighbor comes by one day, sees the planes and says, ‘Hey, man. You’ve got to get a boat so we can race!’

“He was building a boat at the time. I say, ‘No—I’m just interested in planes.’ But he persists, and he drags me to the hobby store where he bought his boat.

“Next thing I know, I’ve spent about a thousand dollars and I own all the stuff you need to race boats, including a monohull boat with a .21 engine.

(more…)