Pylon Races

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

A wing circles the pylon as pilots on the flying line vie for position.

A wing circles the pylon as pilots on the flying line vie for position.


Kasra was excited.

He and a group of wing flyers staged an impromptu pylon race last weekend.

“You have to come Saturday,” he insisted. “We’ll do it again, with more people.”

I don’t normally visit Baylands on weekends. It’s crowded and I generally enjoy a two-day break from flying, as fun as it is. It’s a chance to do some repairs, maybe build something new, or just read a book.

But Kasra was insistent, as was Mike Bowns, whose tall Battle Wing banners served as course markers for the pylon race.

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Fresh Wings for Sale

Saturday, April 11th, 2009

Mike Bowns waits for customers.

Mike Bowns waits for customers.


Mike Bowns has entered mass production with his Wild WIng replacement, the Battle Wing.

The other day I asked him how many Battle Wings he was working on.

“Forty eight,” he said, deadpan, and I believed him.

He shows up at Baylands two or three times during the week, often with a small stack of his basic wing kits. I think he sells them on weekends, too.

His hard work is keeping the combat tradition alive, a much-needed development since Wild Wings disappeared from the market.

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Jet-Propelled Kite

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Dennis Castleman holds his latest project, a Rogallo Wing with two vectored EDF motors.

Dennis Castleman holds his latest project, a Rogallo Wing with two vectored EDF motors.


Dennis Castleman likes electric ducted fans. He’s inclined to attach them to servos, using the motor vector in lieu of an elevator.

He also likes wings.

In the past, we’ve seen him add a swiveling EDF to big wings such as the 100-inch Tricycle Bee.

When I wrote about the Tricycle Bee, I mentioned that he was inspired by my little IFO to develop something similar.

“If he proceeds,” I wrote, “I’m sure his design will end up covered in vulcanized rubber. It will feature a servo-controlled ducted fan powered by a 4S LiPo pack. It will weigh at least 5 pounds.”

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Mike Bowns’ Battle Wings

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Ready to Build. Mike Bowns holds one of his meticulously-crafted Battle Wings.

Mike Bowns holds one of his meticulously-crafted Battle Wings.


After months of trial and error, Mike Bowns has developed a replacement for our beloved-but-no-longer-available Wild Wing: he calls it a Battle Wing.

He built a hot-wire foam cutter, then practiced cutting, turning out lots of variants of the Wild Wing airfoil.

As weeks went by he flew each one, obsessing about performance, tweaking his designs until he had a perfect-flying, balanced aircraft that could outmaneuver our acrobatic Wild Wings.

Last week he brought out his final version. He gave one to Dave North for testing.

Today Dave said that he thinks it’s the best wing he’s flown.

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The Wild Wing Mothership

Friday, December 12th, 2008

Streamer Combat. Dave North and Mike Bowns added streamers to enhance the combat experience.

Dave North and Mike Bowns added streamers to enhance the combat experience. See the movie.


This Saturday (that’s tomorrow!) we’re hoping that the weather forecast (possible rain) is wrong.

Kasra has invited our Dublin/Livermore Wild Wing compatriots to come down and battle at Baylands. That would include Boomer Butch, who started this craziness with his Boomer design and Wild Wing variations, and Kevin Chin, who first introduced Baylands flyers to the Boomer.

We just might top our record of 11 simultaneous combatants.

In preparation, we’re repairing our battered combat craft and considering a few events beyond combat: a pylon race, perhaps, a limbo contest, spot landings, perhaps more.

Mike Bowns has his own ideas. He brought orange crêpe streamers to extend the combat target area. He also designed a Wild Wing Mothership, a jumbo Wild Wing which he hot-wire cut from EPP.

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