weathervane grass – interesting photo

March 17, 2021 / Spencer Gould

I came across this interesting plan a few days ago. The conditions were just right for the tips of the grass to put circular lines in the sand

Stinson Reliant – Aircraft Of the Month

March 14, 2021March 14, 2021 / Spencer Gould

The Reliant is one of my favorite vintage planes, its also one of the few vintage aircraft I got some decent flight hours in.

In the 90’s and early 2000’s the Tillamook Air Museum in Oregon had aircraft rides in a few aircraft, one of them N1942A was owned & flown by a very nice man named Larry who sadly passed away a few years ago. He Knew I was a pilot and once the aircraft was off the ground I got to fly it around Oregon’s scenic coast line on trips my family made to Oregon every 2 to 3 years.

Flight characteristics are quite easy going with well balanced controls.

One of the best attributes of the Reliant is its “realistic” cockpit, cabin and useful load. It’s a common sad joke in the US that many general aviation aircraft when you divide useful load by seat plus small cabin sizes you end up having to be 5′ tall and 100 lbs per person. Not with the Reliant there is plenty of room and capacity to spare.

Here are some mint condition Reliants I saw at Oshkosh 06

Here i am standing next to one for scale.

Some of the Reliant’s where powered by a Guiberson A-1020 Air Cooled Radial Diesel engine, I came across this interesting video of them running one on the Cars and Engines YouTube Channel

There are some good RC options as well.

125″ Span by Dick Barron on Outerzone

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=5680

57″ Span from Sterling on Outerzone

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=2385https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=11765

Top Flite made a real nice 100.5″ version, its out of production but there are quite a few un-opened kits floating around.

One of my favorite Hobby Shops, Garves RC In Orlando has one you can order online, and they show up every now and then.

https://www.gravesrc.com/top-flite-stinson-reliant-sr-9-kit-1-08-1-99-100-5.html

Some Canada options for the same kit

https://www.greathobbies.com/productinfo/?prod_id=TOPA0310

and a good write up on the build and details

https://www.rc-airplanes-simplified.com/rc-model-airplane-kits.html

Søren Steinicke Sørensen YouTube Channel has some good videos on the Top Flite version

Some Interesting Finds about the Stinson Reliant on Amazon:

Hallmark Keepsake Ornament – 1936 Stinson SR Reliant

I Think I have this one, my mom bought it for me years ago.

Gearbox STINSON RELIANT GULF Airplane Coin Bank

1/48 Stinson Reliant Airplane

Plastic Model Kit

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Marco Polo Ultralight Drone/UAV/Model Rocket Location and Recovery System – Product of the month.

March 1, 2021March 1, 2021 / Spencer Gould

The perfect solution to help find a lost Drone or Rocket.

Everything is self contained and needs no external GPS or Cell signal.

Simple to setup and use, single button-push to begin searching for lost RC model with real-time distance and direction feedback
Works anywhere, totally self-contained, no GPS or cell network required, no monthly service contracts, ideal for remote areas
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery in transceiver tag gives you up to 15 days to find your lost model
Super small, compact tag transceiver easily fits on even small RC models, weighs only .42 oz. (12 g)
Does not interfere with RC radios – Marco Polo only transmits when you activate search mode from the handheld locator

Protect your RC aircraft investment with a Marco Polo RC Model Recovery System. Marco Polo is the only long range, up to 2 miles line-of-sight, tracking system that works everywhere you fly – or unintentionally land – with no need for GPS reception or cellular service and no monthly fees. The Marco Polo tag transceiver weighs just 12 grams so it will not affect your aircraft’s performance yet it gives you up to 10 days to locate your model. Marco Polo will not interfere with any of your on-board radio systems because it does not transmit any RF energy until activated by the hand-held locator from the ground. In the case of a long-range fly away you can place the locator into search mode and head off in the general direction of the crash or perform a grid search, Marco Polo will search every inch of the surrounding area as you move and then guide you to the exact location, within inches. Up to 2 additional tag transceivers can be added to the system at any time and the Marco Polo locator is compatible with both RC and pet tracking tags.

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How to start a 737 Jet Engine – Video Share

February 27, 2021 / Spencer Gould

Interesting video on how a Jet engine is started

This video is brought to you by the Aircraft Science YouTube Channel

De Havilland Mosquito – Aircraft of the Month

February 24, 2021February 24, 2021 / Spencer Gould

One of the most unique Propeller driven aircraft of WW2 I think is the De Havilland Mosquito. While most of the aircraft where classified into fighters or bombers, the Mosquito has an in between status with out the typical draw backs of combined use aircraft.

One of the other unique features of the Mosquito is it’s built out of wood. Despite being seen as an inferior material, performance numbers for top speed where in the same ball park at over 400 mph & a service ceiling of 37,000′. This aircraft also served all the way up to 1963 well into the jet age.

https://www.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/minisite/static/7522/RAAFmuseum/exhibitions/restoration/current.htm

With 8 forward facing machine gun’s right in the nose this aircraft packs a serious punch.

For the RC readers there are some options:

Outerzone has a great free RCM Plan from 1978, this model has a 67″ span and would likely make a good electric model, preserving the streamlined cowlings.

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=5482

There are also some discontinued kits that may pop up on ebay or at an RC auction:

Freewing de Havilland Mosquito 1400mm (55") Wingspan – PNP

https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/mosquito-mk-vi-bnf-basic/PKZ6350.html

Kenwood DMX4707S 6.8″ Touch Screen – Product of the Month

February 6, 2021February 6, 2021 / Spencer Gould

Modernize an old car with a infotainment system or add AM/FM Radio, Blue Tooth connectivity with streaming & cell phone connection & even a camera hookup to your experimental aircraft.

Apple CarPlay is a safer way to use your iPhone in the car. Simply talk to Siri or touch the receiver’s display to get directions from Apple Maps, make phone calls, listen to voicemail, send and receive texts, and listen to music from Apple Music or your favorite 3rd party streaming services like Pandora and Spotify, all in a way that allows you to stay focused on the road. With the latest iOS version (iOS 12.0 and higher), 3rd party navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze are also supported
Android Auto was designed with safety in mind, helping you to minimize distractions and stay focused on the road. KENWOOD’s multimedia receivers combine an intuitive voice controlled interface with a large touch screen and superior sound quality, making it the perfect complement for your in-car life. You can even listen to and control music from your favorite streaming services like Pandora and Spotify. Navigate to where you need to with Google Maps or Waze
Using the Mirroring OA for Kenwood app, you can mirror the content from your Android (OS 7.0+) smartphone onto the touchscreen monitor of the Kenwood DMX4707S, you’ll be able to enjoy video and audio playback. Your compatible Android smartphone must be connected to the DMX4707S via USB and Bluetooth. In addition to mirroring content from your Android smartphone, you’ll also be able to control your Android device from the in-dash receiver’s touchscreen
Rear View Camera Input with Parking Guide Lines – An optional rear view camera enhances safety while backing up and monitoring behind your vehicle. Built-in, adjustable parking guidelines further add to its effectiveness. 13 Band Graphic EQ and Time Alignment – Use the graphic equalizer to tailor the sound quality to your unique tastes. Additional sound staging is available with the Time Alignment feature, designed to provide optimal sound performance
The Kenwood DMX4707S features a fixed 6.8″ widescreen capacitive touchscreen LCD with LED backlighting. The LCD touchscreen has a resolution of 800 (H) x 480 (V) x RGB with 1,152,000 total pixels. The capacitive touchscreen LCD provides a high contrast ratio, crystal clear display, and vivid text as well as highly responsive touchscreen operation

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Olive drab – web site share

January 29, 2021 / Spencer Gould

I found a cool public access military reference website today at work that could be of use if you need to source or site surplus parts, history etc

https://olive-drab.com

Wittman Tailwind – Aircraft of the month

January 15, 2021January 20, 2021 / Spencer Gould

The Tailwind is one of the more older Home built designs that is still being flown in numbers today. It proves you can get a lot of performance out of simple shapes and simple construction. Visually the fuselage has very similar lines to the Hyperbipe

I can’t think of a Oshkosh or Sun-N-Fun I’ve been to with out seeing at least one of these aircraft at the show.

You can still build a tailwind today with plans & components from Aircraft Spruce

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/kitspages/wittail.php

Steve Whittman was one of the pioneers in the Home built aircraft movement, read more at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wittman

and a nice documentary

The landing gear on the SP-500 was highly influenced by the tailwind for its simple construction, read more at: https://gouldaero.com/eaa-e-ab/sp-500-e-ab/sp500-construction-photos-toc/sp500-landing-gear/

RC option:

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=7831

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ANYCUBIC Chiron 3D Printer – Product of the Month

January 6, 2021January 7, 2021 / Spencer Gould

I found quite the interesting large capacity 3D printer for home and small business use.

In the late 90’s / early 2000’s I got some exposure to stereolithography 3d printing at ERAU. while a novel concept making small desk display models the technology has advanced greatly since then.

What really got my attention recently on this is a video from flitetest on using 3D printers to make full RC aircraft built in sections and bonded with CA glue. This can open up all kinds of possibilities for RC aircraft, Drones & even parts on Home Built aircraft. Contour, trapped features, complex geometries are a non issue with this technology. There are also some online sources where you can buy or freeware the .stl files to make these aircraft. more details below.

More info on the Chiron printer:

Extra Large Build Volume, ANYCUBIC Chiron 3D Printer comes with one of the largest build volume of 15.75 x 15.75 x 17.72 inches, you can print models that 90% of other printers could not, The unique high precision nozzle of 0.4mm hot end with straight through design reduces the weight on the X axis which delivers better performance even on very tall prints, Your creativity will be maximized
Semi Auto Leveling and Resume Print, Equipped with an auto leveling module which automatically detects 25 points, supports real time adjustment compensation of nozzle height, Chiron 3D Printer can resume printing after power outage or any other unexpected stoppage, One click to resume from the last recorded position when suffering power outages, And the sensor pauses prints and sets off an alarm when you run out of filament which greatly saves time and material
Easy to Assemble and Use, Full metal body, stable and durable, modular design and only take 5-10 minutes to assemble, TFT Touch Screen with brand new friendly UI to preview model and printing process on screen, offline printing, We use high grade Titan Extruder, smooth feeding and not easy to plug, which can provide you a better printing experience of flexibility
Printing Precise and Safe, Equipped with Y Axis Dual Sideway and Z axis dual screw rod design, the height on both sides of the Z axis will be recalibrated before each printing which can reduce the probability of releveling before each printing and our Chiron 3D Printer’s print precision is greatly improved, 24V DC high power heated bed, heating up to 100℃, Independent high-power mosfet drive, taking into account safety and heating effect
More Function, Ultrabase Pro, Coated with a special composite coating make the printed large model not easy to warp and easy to demold, All ANYCUBIC 3D printers backed with lifetime technical support and 24 hours professional customer service

PLA seems to be the main filament or “stock material” for the printers, here is a good starter option:

【Premium 3D Printer PLA Filament】Clog-Free, Bubble-Free, Tangle-Free, Low warping, perfect 3D Printer PLA Filament 1.75mm for smooth and stable 3D printing experience, making printed parts an outstanding surface finish.
【4 Colors 3D Printer PLA filament】Comes with 1KG/2.2 lb 1.75mm 3D Printer red, white, blue and black PLA filament bundles, 0.25KG/Spool 4 Colors. Note: The roll hole in the middle of the filament is 1.26 inch/ 32 mm, please check whether it fit on the holder of your printers before you order it, the spools may not fit on the holder of some printers.
【Dimensional Accuracy & Consistency】LABISTS 3D Printer PLA Filament, 1.75 mm in diameter, Minimum demission tolerance +/- 0.02mm to ensure consistent feeding and smooth printing.
【3D Printer PLA Filament Using Tips】 Recommend Printing Temperature: 190℃-220℃. Recommended Print Speed: 50-100mm/s.
Note: The roll hole in the middle of the filament is 1.26 inch/ 32 mm, please check whether it fit on the holder of your printers before you order it, the spools may not fit on the holder of some printers.

Some more info on the flitetest P38 build

https://www.flitetest.com/articles/3d-printed-p-38-lightning

Beyond Flitetest, Troy McMillan’s YouTube channel has a ton of 3D printed aircraft content, as you can see from this Tucano video the level of detail is only limited by your imagination