Sig R/C Fly-In...June 12-14...Montezuma, Iowa The Wrap-Up...

Marleysky wrote:WHOO-HOO!  I just put in for time off....in July. OOPs, that event is THIS weekend. Aww, dang. I used to walk a mile for a camel, seems like I should be able to drive 7hours to get a good stiff snort of burning nitro, and FREE diner Saturday night. Man, I hate missing a free diner, and watching airplanes fly.
Kim - please take lots of video and pictures, so in case I don't make it, it'll feel like I was there.

You Bet!  Gonna take my best shot.  My lovely girlfriend, Miss --"Never met a stranger---at home in any social situation---blend of girly girl and tomboy--" Beth is going to accompany me, and is worked up about it.  She's a fan of photography and video, so I got no doubts that I'll be sifting through reams of up-front and behind the scenes media on my return.

I'm hauling my Kadet Senior Sport...now christened "Big Red"....along with my Medallion .15 powered 3-Meter Bird of Time, and some little electrics for the evening.  Beth is taking her 'Scout' helicopter, which should provide entertainment for stationary targets as they try to relax later in the day.

We're gonna head out in a few hours, so I ought to have plenty of time to set up camp later today.  Pretty excited about the deal, as I've never been there, and really haven't done much model airplane socializing since back in my S.M.A.L.L. Fly-In days down in Little Rock.  

If you do Facebook, they've got some great stuff on their page at: SIG Mfg Co

Got these video frames of the big trainer, making laps around the hayfield behind my house a few evenings ago.  Need someone to remind me to tuck in the cables for the aileron servos...

COOL Kim , Those cow must really get a show from you out there fling , they don't seem to mind at all . Plane looks good , are you going to do any banner hauling for the spectators ? Hope ya'll have a save FUN trip we will be awaiting the report when ya return Mister retired and acting like it Bee glad when I get my status right

getback wrote:COOL Kim , Those cow must really get a show from you out there fling , they don't seem to mind at all . Plane looks good , are you going to do any banner hauling for the spectators ? Hope ya'll have a save FUN trip we will be awaiting the report when ya return Mister retired and acting like it Bee glad when I get my status right  

Thank you! I appreciate the Good Mojo!

Yeah the cows pretty much ignore the strange hijinks I'm usually up to. I DID have just a tinge of guilt as my landlord and his boys were hauling square bale hay in some serious heat while I played in their field !! But a boy has GOT to play !!

I haven't gotten the banner hook set-up and tested yet, so Big Red, and the B.O.T. will be mostly doing camera duty. Think I may try the Bomb Drop competition, but we'll see.

Do you normally leave your wiring hanging out the side window of your plane like that?

Greenie with envy.
Have a ball Kim. Can't wait for the pix/videos.

Vicarious Bob

VUgearhead wrote:Do you normally leave your wiring hanging out the side window of your plane like that?

Well, I COULD chalk it up to a 'Devil-may-care' attitude...but the truth is I just wasn't paying attention. On the plus side, I DID remember to hook them up in the first place !!!

Forgetful Kim

dckrsn wrote:Greenie with envy.
Have a ball Kim. Can't wait for the pix/videos.

Vicarious Bob

Thanks!!!! We arrived an hour or so ago...in a driving rainstorm...but we got here...and got the van set up with minimal hosing.
FUN tomorrow !!!!!!

Not- Drenched Kim

Looks like the weather is going to improve. Have lotsa fun.
Rusty

Let the Good and Soggy Times Roll !!!!!!



Initial Priorities...


First flight of the day...

Hazel and Us !!!!!

Awesome to see Hazel looking so well, tell her Hi from SoCal Piits Special guys. We remember!
(Wish I was there with my Maxey Hester P-63 King Cobra.)
Chris...

Jeez Kim, that's a photo!
It says everything I've ever read about Hazel.
Also, Beth's leopard Wellies weren't lost on me.
Bob

Kim wrote:

dckrsn wrote:Jeez Kim, that's a photo!
It says everything I've ever read about Hazel.
Also, Beth's leopard Wellies weren't lost on me.
Bob

Hey Bob ... its Beth. Hazel was so awesome, plus some!!!! (and shhhh....we'll keep the Wellies between us

Great photos Kim! The view from the B.O.T. was stunning.
Glad the weather cooperated, and have fun tomorrow.
Bob

That's the biggest Spacewalker I have ever seen!

Looks like fun Kim. Enjoy.

FUN FUN FUN Looks like Ya'll are having a Great time Kim, nice place there lot of fine people too Thanks for the report . Did that guy build that plane in his garage and now cant get it out

getback wrote:FUN FUN FUN  Looks like Ya'll are having a Great time Kim, nice place there lot of fine people too Thanks for the report . Did that guy build that plane in his garage and now cant get it out

That big machine was one of at least two Space Walkers owned by Hazel herself.  This one, a two seater, was sold to a local pilot who keeps it there, and her single-seat Space Walker (Hazel says she preferred it!) was GIVEN to a friend of hers !  Forgot to ask if it's based on the field!

Assorted written ramblings with illustrations are in the works, but here are a few High-Lights:

Miss Beth gets her Dewey Bird kit autographed by the Lady Herself:






"The Magic Bus"




Erik Edgren arrives in his 'T-Clips".  One of Sig's latest subjects.












Hazel and Friend

Hey Kim, Crusty Rusty the ol salt checking in from the Right coast via "micro" phone. Thanks for the photojournalism. I'll give it a better look when I can get on the slightly bigger netbook. Meanwhile, carry on!
Rusty

RknRusty wrote:Hey Kim, Crusty Rusty the ol salt checking in from the Right coast via "micro" phone. Thanks for the photojournalism. I'll give it a better look when I can get on the slightly bigger netbook. Meanwhile, carry on!
Rusty

Thanks Crusty! Hope the fishing is good !!!

Well, maybe not a TOTAL Wrap-Up...still got video to crunch, but here's the write-up and photos I put on my Facebook Page:

The 2015 Sig R/C Fly-In


Sig R/C Fly-In 2015 at Sig Field, Montezuma, Iowa

Beth and I ventured up into the wilds of Iowa over the weekend to attend this
fantastic R/C Fun Fly at a small private field just south of Montezuma. A first
for both of us, never having been in that state before, we headed out on
Thursday, and had a great time all the way through to packing out on Sunday.

Miss Beth was totally into the whole thing, constantly out on the prowl...visiting and collecting stills and video...along with catching details about activities going that I probably would have missed in my model airplane-overload-haze...

There were only a few incidents...one apparently spectacular, model-shredding
mid-air that I heard, but didn't see (last note was that there was STILL a
receiver and battery pack somewhere out in the weeds).

There was also a German-marked something that went in vertically, narrowly
missing Miss Beth as she chatted with friends. Non-plused by the incident, she
bravely trooped on...

Included of course, were the assorted ground-loops, nose-overs, and dead-stick
landings (logged a few of those myself).

Scheduled Events:

The Toilet Paper Drop...Where a 'T.P. Bomber' (a Kadet Senior), climbs to
altitude with a couple rolls of toilet paper strapped to it's belly. A pack of
T.P.-hungry models circle nearby. A single roll is released, and the bomber gets
the heck outta Dodge as the other planes attack the T.P. roll like piranha on a fat
cow.

Judges closely watch to see who actually clips the T.P.---not as easy as you may
think---but one guy wasn't taking any chances about his win, bringing home a
trophy wrapped around the fin of his plane.
------------

Turf Tag...an aerial version of Musical Chairs...the competitors launch and circle
nearby. Upon the director's command of 'LAND'EM !!!!', the planes dive toward
the runway, all trying to be the first to touch the grass. The planes MUST,
however, do a touch and go, and launch back into the air to win the round.
They regroup and go at it again, until a the final survivor is crowned the winner.
__________________________________________________________

The following shared notes are totally reminders for my own particular situation,
but I thought some might also come in handy for other model airplane-crazed
fanatics...
-----------------------------------------------------------

Hits : My long-unused model airplane cart, for all it's troublesome bulkyness, was
priceless. Just like back in my S.M.A.L.L. Fly-In Days at Little Rock, it was a
quick way to get everything from camp to the flight line in one trip, and leave a
parking space along the rope for my buds and their vehicles.

And I DO mean BUDS !! These are some of the friendlyest, most talented
guys and girls you could EVER hope to meet, and everybody was welcomed and
chatted up about their flying machines. My biggest problem was getting all their
names locked down in my brain...Beth and I are both challenged in this area, but
we're working on it.
------
The Frequency Board was diligently maintained for us 72.mghz dinosaurs,
(yes...there WERE others besides me!) with plenty of P.A. reminders of the need
to use it's pins. I flew the Big B.O.T. and Big Red (the now-official Beth-tagged
moniker of my Kadet Senior Sport) extensively on 72 with no problems at all.
-------------
While it may seem obvious, pack for Cold, Hot, Monsoon, Sahara, and any blend
thereof. My also-mostly-unused portable awning saved the day a couple times as
I hauled my wagon of stuff at high-speed back around the hangars to shelter of
it's rain deflecting protection. Lots of guys had theirs on the flight-line for
shade out there, so I may get another for next year, but I need one on the home
turf too. Only saw one damaged by the weather...collapsed under the wieght of
rain water that came during one the Niagra moments.
-----------
Pretend you're the Snap-On Tool Guy...take everything that will reasonably pack.
Back in the day, several of the guys at the Little Rock Fun Flys used to come
equipped to build an airplane if they had to...and many just about did.
-----------

_____________________________________________________________
Misses: Don't mess with loading bicycles...we ain't leaving anyway...and the road
into town ( 2 miles or so) is shoulder-less and NOT my idea of a bicycle-friendly
route! (If I can get my scooter going, it MIGHT get hauled up in my cargo
trailer.)
---------
Reference back to the cargo trailer...DO NOT disassemble models to minutia!!
Go equipped to haul them as assembled and ready-to-fly as possible. Casually
working with tiny hardware in your backyard shop is a world away from bolting
stuff together correctly when you're wild-eyed-as-a-horse-in-a-barn-fire-wanting-to-get-out-and-join-the-fun! Luckily everything worked, and I even
pulled off a repair to the B.O.T.'s stabilator that carried it on through the event.
-------------
Gonna budget for one of those small Honda generators. Cranking up to use the
van's inverter will work, but takes a lot of strategery to decide on the charging
priority of our assorted gadgets.
-----------
Rubber Boots...enough said.
-----------

A Great Time, and already thinking about next year....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Logo that has literally defined the term 'Model Airplane" for some 60 years...



Big Red gets a hosing from a summer shower as I crank it around toward the runway.



Back safe and under it's awning as the rains really cut loose...




The 'T.P. Bomber' hauling it's load to altitude.




The 'T.P. Bomber" exits quickly to the right as the piranha swarm in !



And the melee begins!



How low do you dare to go?



Not much doubt about this fellow's score...




Fame and Glory for the Victorious T.P. Ace.



Glory can come with a high price, however...



Beth and our new friend, Denny



The Big B.O.T. gets heaved into the action.



Cruising the field...



An event like this doesn't mean much without good friends. Keith, Sue, and Denny visit with Beth as Big Red and I perform amazing aerial feats....



Sue and Beth admire the machismo of my toy airplane...



The aforementioned Amazing Aeriel Feats...



The competition was getting pretty tough...



The Party's Over...Big Red makes a final circuit on Sunday morning before being loaded up for the trip home.
Fantastic Weekend !



Assorted other Good Stuff:























Still more to come...

Regarding your thoughts on the small Honda generator.... I like them but found a much lower $$ alternative at Harbor Freight

I know quite a few who travel to the various combat competitions around the country with this dinky gen set. Was worried about it after reading the reviews on Harbor freight site, and verified with two owners that they do screw up and parts are near impossible to get from HF.  Usual failure is the pull starter recoil assy... That said the little bugger is generally reliable if treated like any other engine driven yard tool ( kept clean, clean fuel, stabil or seafoam additive, and don't yank the starter so hard you fling the gen across the yard)

I have one that starts second pull every time.... total price was $89 cuz they let me double up coupons when I got it last year

http://www.harborfreight.com/900-Peak800-Running-Watts-2-HP-63cc-Generator-EPACARB-69381.html?ccdenc=eyJjb2RlIjoiMjg3MjYxMTciLCJza3UiOiI2OTM4MSIsImlzIjoiOTkuOTkiLCJwcm9kdWN0X2lk%0D%0AIjoiODk0MSJ9%0D%0A