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Laughing Latin Dave

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

Laughing Dave

When Dave Melara flies at the Great Meadow, you can hear his enthusiastic glee a hundred feet away at the Pickleweed picnic tables.

It’s why most people know him as Laughing Dave. He’s explosively dramatic, a passionate pilot who audibly celebrates his successes and mourns his occasional disasters.

An engineer, Dave enjoys tinkering with his planes, which range from discus-launch gliders to electric ducted-fan jets.

“Look at that! Look at that!” he exclaims, watching his latest EDF jet go into a silent glide.

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Posted in Baylands | 6 Comments »

The Baylands Battle Bash

Sunday, June 17th, 2007

Slow Stick Chase

See photo gallery here.

Pete Lane is an impresario and master of ceremonies who hosts an annual party at Baylands: BBOB, the Baylands Battle of the Bay.

Only Pete knows why the word “Bay” occurs twice in the title. Perhaps he thought the acronym needed an extra B.

Weapon of Choice. The weapon of choice in this battle is the Slow Stick, a very popular airplane marketed by GWS. It’s cheap, it floats through the air and you can easily find replacement parts—wings, tailfeathers, aluminum or fiberglass fuselage pieces, motors.

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The Life Aquatic

Sunday, April 29th, 2007

Slow Stick Flying Over Lake Hennessey

Saturday, Gary and I drove north into Wine Country, seeking not wine but water.

Gary packed two Slow Sticks into his truck, one with a pair of standard GWS styrofoam and plastic floats, the other with a honkin’ big central float carved out of glued-together pieces of Blue Core foam and two smaller wing floats.

He’s flown both on the grass at Baylands, where floats work better than wheels for most planes.

I don’t have any planes with floats. Instead, I brought my two current favorite flyers, both of which weigh less than 7 ounces: a Mini Speed Wing and a blue foam space cruiser. They’re so small they can fly just about anywhere.

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Crazy Ted

Friday, December 29th, 2006

Crazy Ted

That’s Ted in the picture, holding one of his earliest planes, a Zagi wing. I met Ted soon after I started flying radio-controlled model airplanes nearly two years ago: spring, 2005.

A guy at D&J Hobby in Campbell, CA, had recommended a Slow Stick when I told him I was looking for a beginner’s airplane.

Tools don’t scare me. In fact, I like building things and I have a garage where I can work on projects. I’ll build airplanes, I figured, and then I’ll learn to fly. But I’ll always be a builder first, flyer second.

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Half Moon Bay

Wednesday, December 20th, 2006

Over the Cliff

Flew at Half Moon Bay with Bruce and, later, Mike. Arrived at about 9:30 a.m. Weather: cold (high about 50 degrees) and sunny, with some clouds. Light winds, very good flying. This was my fourth visit to the field, managed by Peninsula Channel Commanders.

Also there: Paul Lum, an excellent flyer, Charlie, 80+, who still flies, and Hans, a talker. With Hans was a friend whose name I don’t know. Neither Hans nor his friend flew. Hans brought his dog, Kiera, a miniature pinscher, and Mike was accompanied by his dog, Bradley, a Keeshond.

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