Lockwood Aircam – Aircraft of the month

/ Spencer Gould

The Aircam was developed in the mind 90’s by Phil Lockwood for the National Geographic Society for photography & research in the rain forest of the Congo

The twin engine’s mounted close together coupled with its slower flying speeds adds extra margin for getting into areas that may be considered too risky for more conventional manned photo aircraft. The view out the front is very UN-restricted and bubble canopies are available for flying in rain / snow.

The home page = https://www.aircam.com/

The aircraft has a good amount of coverage in EAA’s Sport Aviation: https://www.eaa.org/eaa/aircraft-building/kits-and-plans/00—c/air-cam

Factory is in Sebring FL, i’ve been by it a few time for the LSA shows they used to hold at SEF

3DAeroventures YouTube channel made a 3d printed Air Cam

Interested in getting epic aerial videos from your aircraft? check out the new GoPro Hero 9 Black edition with all kinds of mounting accessories

And for a good aerial photography alternate to the GoPro that has served me well is the EK7000 by Akaso, It has a remote control wrist strap & blue tooth connectivity that helps with remote mounting on an aircraft (wing tip, tail, under the fuselage)

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Brügger Colibri – Aircraft of the Month

/ Spencer Gould

The Brügger Colibri is a small low wing, tail dragger aircraft powered by Volkswagen 4 cylinder engines. Its a Home Built that was designed in Switzerland by Max Brügger in the 1960’s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%BCgger_Colibri

For those interested in a RC version outerzone has a free plan for a 46″ version

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=11707

DJI Mavic Mini Combo – Product of the month

/ Spencer Gould

Looking for a turn key cinematic drone that you can easily take with you anywhere? Look no further than the Mavic Mini that is built on years of refinements from DJI.

This bundle contains the DJI Mavic Mini Combo with a Samsung 128gb MicroSD Card Drone:

Weighing less than 0.55 lbs (250 grams), Mavic Mini is almost as light as the average smartphone in the United States and Canada.

you can fly this camera drone without the need to register your drone with the government Drone:

Mavic Mini supports 12MP aerial photos and 2 7K HD videos A 3-axis motorized gimbal provides superior camera stability and ensures clear Ultra-smooth footage Drone: What you get DJI Mavic Mini Remote Controller 3x Intelligent Flight Battery 3x Pairs of Spare Propellers 2x Micro USB Cable Gimbal Protector RC Cable (Micro USB connector) RC Cable (USB-C connector) RC Cable (Lightning connector) Pair of Spare Control Sticks 18x Spare Screw Screwdriver 360° Propeller Guard Two-Way Charging Hub DJI 18W USB Charger Carrying Bag.

DJI Fly App requires iOS v10 0 Android v6 0 or above Compatible devices include iPhone 11 Pro Max 11 Pro 11 XS Max XS XR X 8 Plus 8 7 Plus 7 6s Plus 6s 6 Plus 6 Samsung Galaxy S10+ S10 S9+ S9 S8+ S8 S7 edge S7 S6 Note9 Note8 Huawei P30 Pro P30 P20 P10 Mate 20 Pro Mate 10 nova 5 nova 4 nova 3e nova 2 Honor 8X 10 9 20 Pro Magic 2 Mi 8 MIX 2S MIX 2 Redmi Note 5 Oppo Find X R15 Vivo NEX X27 X21 X20A OnePlus 7 6T 5 Pixel 3 XL 2 XL 2 LG V20 LG G6

SD Card: DEAL FOR RECORDING 4K UHD VIDEO: Samsung microSD EVO Select is perfect for high res photos, gaming, music, tablets, laptops, action cameras, DSLR’s, drones, smartphones

Cinema Drones like the Mavic Mini can provide excellent for independent film makers and you tubers, however locations that may look like a great place to get footage may be in controlled airspace or near an airport. Here are some resources for safe operation, keeping out of the news and staying in the good graces of the FAA

https://vfrmap.com/

https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/where_can_i_fly/b4ufly/

https://knowbeforeyoufly.org/where-can-i-fly

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Avro Vulcan – Aircraft of the Month

/ Spencer Gould

The Vulcan was a futuristic Delta Wing Bomber rolled out in 1956 Serving the Royal Air Force all the way to 1984.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/XH558_%28G-VLCN%29_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_%28cropped%29.jpg

Curious Droid did a very good 11 min documentary on the V Bombers

Its one of those Aircraft that I remember when I was a kid from the 007 movie Thunderball, compared to other aircraft you would see in movies or in person this one really made an impression.

While retired from active military duty the Vulcan shows up at air shows every now and then.

Interesting Cockpit view of the Vulcan on the Military Aviation History Channel

For the RC Community Outerzone has some options

60″ span from 1978 https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=12233

56″ span Glider version https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=7272

For those who don’t want to bust out the balsa wood or take up a lot of space in the house, there is a very accurate 1:144 scale diecast model

For the technical type Haynes has a “owners’ workshop manual”

There are also 2 history books both available in Kindle

The Avro Vulcan: A Hisotry by Peter G. Dancey

The Avro Type 698 Vulcan: The Secrets behind its Design and Development By David W. Fildes

Vulcan T-Shirt with the RAF logo

And lets not forget the shower in the Hangar man cave, a Vulcan Shower Curtain with a Union Jack Background

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XP-67 Moonbat – Aircraft of the month

/ Spencer Gould

The moonbat is quite the interesting WW2 Prototype Aircraft from McDonnell, the only functional prototype was lost in a fire during testing in 1944 and the project was canceled later that year. The Aircraft was distinguished by its large blends from the wing to the Nacelles & Fuselage.

This aircraft was influential for my Sr Design project at ERAU that had a 2 seat general aviation aircraft with large fairing between the wing and fuselage.

Outerzone does have a 1/10 scale RC model for the scratch builders out there.

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=6742

Grabcad also has a stl model that could be helpful for anyone wanting to 3D print one

https://grabcad.com/library/mcdonnell-xp-67-scale-model-1

Space Posters – Product of the Month

/ Spencer Gould

I found a company on Amazon that sells High Quality Space photos called New Horizon Aviation.

They offer posters from 11×17 all the way up to 24×36.

The posters are quite affordable and a must for anyone into Rocketry, Astronomy or even a Pilot Man Cave.

Here is a selection of some I found interesting:

Apollo 8 Earthrise

Star Cluster NGC 2074

NASA Andromeda Galaxy

Hubble Ultra Deep Field

LLC Pillars of Creation

Saturn

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Stinson Reliant – Aircraft Of the Month

/ 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.

/ 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.