RE: Rant about getting started
I can relate to what SuperCub has gone through. While I'm sure all of the responders meant well, it must be remembered that not all clubs, or instructors, are created equal. In other words, there are many that are good (beginner-friendly) but there are also some that are clique-ish, don't welcome outsiders with open arms, and in some cases are a group of snobs whose only desire for new members is to have someone to mow the field for them. If you are fortunate to be part of a good club, that's great, but please don't assume that all clubs are good. Being in the military, I tend to move around a bit and I've experienced both kinds of clubs. Believe me, there are some really snobbish ones out there! Unfortunately, many localities have only one R/C club so simply going to another one isn't always feasible. On the other hand, I've personally witnessed lousy beginners too. I've seen guys show up at a flying field who expect everyone to drop what they're doing and cater to them. And like some of the instructors who've posted above, I've seen students who were less than committed to learning to fly. (R/C was just a passing fad for them.) And I'm not just talking about "kids"; I've seen adults and seniors act this way too. So, some of the blame can be shared by both the new-comers and the experienced. In an ideal world, the obvious solution would be for beginners to exhibit a little more patience and realize that the club is not there just to serve them, and the experienced flyers need to remember that the club isn't theirs alone either. Harvey
Posted on: 11/15/2009 5:00 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9254776

RE: Rant about getting started
Nice post, Dale! Harvey
Posted on: 11/15/2009 9:02 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9254882

RE: Maybe it's a sign that I'm just getting old...
By all means, Jim. Hop on your stick pony and join in as we talk about the good ol days. We got room for ya! Got any memories to add to this thread? Lawnmowers that weren't self-propelled? Ambroid glue that didn't need three paragraphs of warnings written by lawyers because we never even considered using it for anything other than building model airplanes? How about playing kick-the-can at the weekly cub scout meeting; not because were were poor but because it was FUN? Remember the cute girl in our third grade class who we were too nervous to talk to? Remember spending weekends mowing our neighbor's lawns so we could buy the latest Cox .049 offering? Remember building Estes model rockets? Archie and Jughead comicbooks (and how voluptous Betty was?) Remember My Favorite Martian, The Time Tunnel, and The Twilight Zone? Remember band class in Jr High school? Remember the time you finally got the nerve up to stand up to that bully in the 6th grade and even though he beat the crap out of you, you were still the hero of the day to all the rest of the nerds (your friends)? Remember when ice cream came in only three flavors and they were all packed in the same square cardboard carton? Harvey
Posted on: 11/2/2009 10:05 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9223927

RE: Maybe it's a sign that I'm just getting old...
I got the electronics experimenter's set where you connected wires to buzzers, lights, etc. That eventually led to a 28 year radar maintenance career in the USAF. Harvey
Posted on: 11/2/2009 1:02 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9222602

RE: Maybe it's a sign that I'm just getting old...
Anybody remember Big Daddy Roth and Rat Fink? The dragster craze of the '60s? The surfin' craze? Remember when you liked something it was either "Neat-O" or "Fine-O"? How about rushing home from school every day in October to check the mailbox for Lionel's Christmas Catalog? Remember aluminum Christmas trees and the mandatory red/yellow/blue/green rotating floodlight? Remember building a treehouse in your backyard and how frighteningly high up it was? (8ft :-) Remember the day the first color television came to your neighborhood? How about the blue-on-top, red-in-the-middle and green-on-the-bottom filters the rest of us had to put on our TVs in order to get "color"? Remember going to the convenience store with your dad to test the TV's tubes? Remember the Sunday evening when the whole world came to a stop in order to watch The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show? Remember the Tom Swift series of books? Remember your first dog? Your first two-wheeled bike? Your first kiss? Harvey
Posted on: 11/1/2009 9:51 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9221287

RE: Maybe it's a sign that I'm just getting old...
In Houston in the early 1960s, Channel 13, our ABC affiliate, had a feature every Saturday night at midnight called "Wierd". Each week they would show one of the 1940's horror movies and me and my best friend would stay up late (it was the only night we were allowed to stay up late) and have the crap scared out of us! Frankenstein, The Werewolf, The Mummy, Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon... Nobody wore ski masks and there were no chainsaws. Nor was there any graphic violence or nudity. (GOOD movies don't have to rely on such cheap gimmicks to prop up a bad script.) Just good ol' scare-the-crap-out-of-a-couple-of-ten-year-olds type of stuff! We had to keep the bedroom light on in order to get to sleep and we still slept with one eye open. And we couldn't wait until the next Saturday night! Harvey
Posted on: 11/1/2009 9:21 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9221275

RE: do you own a car just to transport your planes?
Welcome to RCU, Fighteracex. Harvey
Posted on: 10/30/2009 5:38 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9215668

RE: Question for Jim Casey
Hmmmm... Thanks, Jim, but unfortunately not a single picture or link could be opened. (I'm working with a very narrow bandwidth at this end.) I'll have to wait until I return home. Harvey
Posted on: 10/29/2009 5:14 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9211577

RE: Nick Ziroli Plans
Well, no, I don't expect to have the order on its way already but I would think they would've sent me a "We have received your order and we are processing it..." Harvey
Posted on: 10/29/2009 5:06 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - General"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9211564

Nick Ziroli Plans
I've been led to believe that Nick Ziroli Plans is a good company so I placed two orders on their website this past weekend. However, here it is, Wednesday evening, and I haven't heard a word from the company yet. Is this normal for them? Thanks, Harvey
Posted on: 10/28/2009 8:41 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - General"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9210690

RE: Question for Jim Casey
[quote]ORIGINAL: JimCasey Since you have a beautiful scale subject, you might research a specific Stearman on floats to match his spacing. [/quote] Hi, Jim, thanks for your reply. Yes, I already did some research (I'm a member of the Stearman Restorer's Assn) but so few Stearmans were floated from the factory, little to no documentation exists. Just this sole photo of one (of six built) for the Argentine Navy in the late 1930s. Harvey
Posted on: 10/28/2009 11:52 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9209149

RE: Maybe it's a sign that I'm just getting old...
Bass1, I don't believe I ever heard of Bonamos Turkish Taffy. However, Ju Ju Bees would cement your teeth together just as well. Harvey
Posted on: 10/28/2009 5:22 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9208566

Scale Radial Supplier?
Hi Guys, I need a scale 7-cylinder radial engine that is 9" in diameter. (Non-functional, that is.) It's going on the front of a non-cowled Stearman so a vacuum-formed front relief won't do. It has to be "full-bodied". Any idea who makes one? (And don't say Robart! [:)] ) Thanks, Harvey
Posted on: 10/27/2009 9:23 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - General"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9207472

RE: Scale Radial Supplier?
9" scales out to 1/5th scale for a 7-cyl Jacobs R755. Thanks, Harvey
Posted on: 10/27/2009 9:19 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - General"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9207644

Question for Jim Casey
Hey Jim, My employer's firewall has blocked my access to your FAQ sticky. I'm building a 77" Ziroli Stearman with a fuselage length of 59". Does the 75% rule apply to biplanes the same as monoplanes; therefore resulting in an optimum float length of 45"? Also, how would I figure the distance between the floats since biplanes typically have shorter wingspans than monoplanes per fuselage length. Thanks, Harvey
Posted on: 10/25/2009 6:27 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9201313

RE: Eddie ..... Jalopaplane
Roll call... Who is building, or has already built a Jalopaplane? Also, my plans mention "optional floats" but there are no drawings or specifications pertaining to them. Does anybody have any info on them? Many thanks, Harvey
Posted on: 10/22/2009 8:17 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9194516

RE: Maybe it's a sign that I'm just getting old...
[quote]ORIGINAL: pd1 Harvey, maybe it's because the people here are nice. Paul [/quote] A lot nicer than over at the AMA forum, that's for sure! Harvey
Posted on: 10/16/2009 7:32 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9177464

RE: Maybe it's a sign that I'm just getting old...
Nice to meet ya, Bill. You can park next to me if you want and we'll chew on some candy cigarettes, drink sugar water from those little wax coke bottles, and talk about how the darned kids these days wear their hair way too long and listen to their weird music way too loud. Good thing we were never like that! Harvey
Posted on: 10/15/2009 10:27 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9176823

RE: Stearman on floats?
[quote]ORIGINAL: greggK I think 3 point (tail dragger type) would look better then 2 large. I am doing a 20% Jenny on these... The scale way is with a center float with tip floats on the wings. http://www.seaplanesupply.com/oldtimer.htm [/quote] Stearman built a dozen armed biplanes (note the two .30 cal Brownings in the picture in my first post: one mounted in the leading edge of the right wing and one on a flexible mount on the turtledeck pointing aft) six for Cuba and six for Argentina during the late 1930s. The picture is of one of the Argentine Stearmans and clearly shows the double floats. As for "the taildragger" floats, I put a set on my Antic and love their looks but they're not appropriate for a Stearman. As for the single main float with tip floats, you're probably thinking of the N3N which looks similar to the Stearman but is, in fact, a different aircraft and was built by the Naval Aircraft Factory and not "Stearman". Otherwise, the two biplanes are so similiar, most airplane buffs get the two confused. (Hint, the N3N has 4 ailerons whereas the Stearman only has two; on the bottom wing only. The main landing gear legs on the wheeled versions are different too.) Here's a bit of trivia for ya: The Stearman company was purchased by Boeing in the mid 1930s and it was under the Boeing name that the familiar WWII Army and Navy biplane trainers were produced. However, everyone was in the habit of calling the popular biplanes "Stearmans" and the moniker continued despite the manufacturer change, even to this day. The "correct" nomenclature for the WWII "Stearman" trainer is Boeing Model 75 but it's okay to continue to call them "Stearmans" since nobody outside of the Stearman community really knows what a Boeing Model 75 is. So, the next time you see an old oil-dripping Stearman cropduster out working a field, remind yourself that you're looking at the great-great-great-grandaddy of the Boeing 747. (True story!) Harvey
Posted on: 10/9/2009 6:24 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9156310

RE: do you own a car just to transport your planes?
I always wanted a nicely varnished wooden flight box so I'm building one of these. It's a 1930 Ford Model A Huckster "Van". The second picture shows the chassis as I bought it last Spring and it is currently being restored. I have the prints for the oak body and I'll be starting it this Winter. As you can see, I've got a long ways to go before picture #2 equals picture #1! [;)] Harvey
Posted on: 10/7/2009 8:19 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9146077

Deleted
Yep, I deleted it (botched posting) but don't hesitate to drop by anyway to say hi.
Posted on: 10/7/2009 8:11 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9153188

Stearman on floats?
Hi All, I'm contemplating building a 77" Ziroli Stearman (fuse length 59") and putting it on 45" Sea Commander flat-top floats. Any thoughts? Harvey
Posted on: 10/7/2009 8:00 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Seaplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9153192

RE: What’s up with Tower?
I was wondering why the two largest R/C distributors both came to be located in the same city. Thanks w8ye! Harvey
Posted on: 10/7/2009 5:47 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9153183

RE: do you own a car just to transport your planes?
Yeah, I've been interested in Model As for several years now and I thought this would be a neat way to combine the two hobbies (and justify building an A.) I just hope it turns out half as nice as the one in the two photos I got off a Model A website! I'd do a build thread but I wouldn't know whether to put it in the R/C Planes or Cars section of RCU. [;)] Harvey
Posted on: 10/4/2009 4:17 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9146112

RE: What’s up with Tower?
There's no doubt that Tower's website is the best in the business. It is easy to navigate around in and the amouunt of information on any particular item is outstanding. I don't see how Tower could produce an equivalent paper catalog without it being an inch thick! I can always go to the Tower site and find the latest information and price (sometimes lower!) of a product that I'm interested in. That being said, I like to keep Tower's latest paper catalog in my car because I can take it to lunch with me when I simply want to take a break from my job and just have some "dream" time. Of course, a laptop with an aircard would do the same thing but a laptop lacks the simplicity of a paper catalog. (And nobody will steal it if I go to the bathroom.) I know that this thread wasn't intended to be a Horizon-bash but I have to agree with others in that Horizon's website is hardly as easy to use or as informative as Tower's. But I feel that Horizon's website reflects my opinion of their attitude towards the consumer: We don't care if you buy from us or not. That may sound a little harsh but every time I've called them on the phone to ask a question or place an order, I couldn't help but think how much of a difference there is between Horizon and Tower. Tower's phone employees are always friendly and helpful whereas Horizon's seem to have a bit of arrogance in their voice and sound like they can't wait to get me off the phone. And that's too bad because Horizon has some very good product lines of its own. Products that I'm not buying. Are you listening, Horizon? But I can't say a single bad thing about Horizon's Saito Service Department! Those guys are EXTREMELY customer service oriented. They are friendly, attentive, and interested in me as a customer. They don't seem to forget that I've sent in my little baby for service and they are good at communicating the details back, be it by phone or e-mail. Nor do they act like they're the only authorized Saito service around. Harvey PS Tower's OS Service Dept is great too!
Posted on: 10/4/2009 11:48 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9145586

RE: Ziroli 77
Gordon & Edwin, How are you guys doing on your 77" Ziroli Stearmans? I am contemplating doing the same and was wondering what others thought of the build. I, too, am an experienced builder but would like to enter the project with a little pre-knowledge. Thanks, Harvey
Posted on: 10/4/2009 10:55 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - General"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9145476

RE: Cessna 195
Beautiful 195, Jim. Here's mine, a 1951 LC-126C. The B&W picture was taken sometime in the late 1960s when she was still in the Army. Presently, she is disassembled and waiting to be restored back to military condition. Harvey
Posted on: 9/25/2009 5:05 AM by Author "H5487" in the forum "RC Scale Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9122383

RE: Source for large wire wheels?
Thanks, Augie, but I've heard too many bad things about Arizona Aircrafters; to begin with, their prices are unrealistically high. After reading your reply, I checked their 9" spoked wheels - $195/pr. For a KIT???
Posted on: 9/11/2009 10:45 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9087849

Source for large wire wheels?
Anybody know where can I get a set of 9" dia wire spoke wheels for a Jalapoplane project? I looked at the Balsa USA website and they don't have spoked wheels that large. Neither does Proctor or Tower. Any suggestions besides the baby stroller section at Toys-Backwards R-Us? Thanks Harvey
Posted on: 9/11/2009 6:30 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9087705

RE: Where to buy old R/C systems (but with modern electronics)?
[quote]ORIGINAL: spaceworm I have a Futaba 7FGK, a Futaba 4FG, a Kraft KP-5c, a Heathkit 5 0r six channel, and i believe an Orbit. All with metal cases, but not converted. Any and all of the above radios are available if you want to convert, or have them, converted. Contact me by PM. Sincerely, Richard Smith SPACEWORM [/quote] Richard, I sent you a PM last weekend. Did you receive it? Harvey ("5487")
Posted on: 9/2/2009 6:47 PM by Author "H5487" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9065213