SKS VIDEO OFFERINGS
Warbirds Over Delaware
Warbirds over Delaware has grown into a sizeable event featuring some of the best scale models from around the country. If you missed this year’s show, you can still get up-close and personal with 20 of the event’s best models and their owners and pilots with SKS Video Productions’ 103-minute video DVD! Learn about the unique features of each of these aircraft and watch from the flightline as these magnificent models take to the skies!
Among the airplanes featured are Thomas White’s scratch-built 1/5th-scale Horton 229, Ken Karpinski’s ‘Terry-dactal’, Carl Bachhuber’s Canadian Convair 580, and Aleksey Lomov’s P-51 modeled after WW II ace Don Bryant’s “Little One.”
Coverage of the event includes noontime demonstrations featuring grouped flights of warplanes from WW I and WW II, bomber, and WW II Heavy Iron classes as well as Mack Hodges’ B-29/X1 and an interview with Authentic Scale’s Antonio Silva.
Sit back and relax as announcer “Fast-Eddie” Leuter brings the flightline to your living room!
IRCHA Jamboree 2013
The International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Jamboree is the largest single-category event in the United States, and this year boasted an attendance of more than 1,100 RC helicopter and multirotor pilots. The Jamboree is a must if you enjoy a multitude of demos, competitions, and, of course, flying. But if you missed it, or you were there and missed bits and pieces of the excitement, look no further than the SKS Video Productions IRCHA Heli Jamboree 2013 DVD.
Held at the Academy of Model Aeronautics in Muncie, Indiana, the IRCHA Jamboree is the mecca of all-things helicopter, whether it is FAI, scale, 3-D, or multirotor. Scott Stauffer and SKS Video Productions covered it all on this 100-minute DVD. SKS captures the essence of the event, with interviews from the pilots, up-close peeks at their helicopters, and views from the flightline as pilots take to the sky.
SKS not only shows a wide and diverse variety of types of helicopters, they also give glimpses into the companies who are behind-the-scenes and make it all happen. Interviews with vendors are dispersed throughout the video, showcasing new and exciting products.
Highlights also include the Speed Cup competition, the Auto-Rotation contest, noon demos, and three of the main attractions: The One Competition, the night-fly contest, and the Saturday night finale of fireworks. Awards and the prize giveaways were also shown as part of the video.
If you love all things rotor and haven’t visited AMA in August for the IRCHA Jamboree but wondered what it was all about, check out the SKS Video Productions IRCHA Jamboree 2013 DVD.
NEAT Fair
The NEAT Fair is held at the Peaceful Valley Campsite buried deep in the Catskills of New York. The flightline includes separate heli and park flyer areas, as well as six center stations for the main event.
The video opens with the CD, Tom Hunt, welcoming everyone to event and then gets right into the action with interviews, flight footage, and some onboard video. Over two dozen models are featured as well as segments covering the popular warbird gaggle, night fly, and the indoor event which is hosted by MA’s own Micro columnist Joe Malinchak.
A few of the highlights on the 102 minute DVD include: Adam Woodworths completed Eurofighter, Don Belforts Ercoupe, Dave Perrone's Fokker D.VIII, Adam Lilley's Hellcat, Chris Susicke's Wyvern, Mica McCathy's Extra 330, Jason McQuistion's B-17, and Robert Caso's Bulldog pylon racer.
The NEAT Fair coverage is also available from SKS on Blu-ray with an additional eight minutes of footage.
SKS Video: 85 Pine Rd., Abbottstown PA 17301; Tel. (800) 988-6488; website: www.sksvideo.com
Estes Proto X Nano Quadcopter RTF
To most people the Estes brand is synonymous with model rocketry and with good reason, but now they also can lay claim to having the smallest production quadcopter we have ever seen.
Don’t let its small size of 1.8 inches x 1.8 inches and a flying weight of .40 ounces fool you into thinking it’s difficult to see and fly indoors. The Proto X is equipped with LED lights that are quite visible and useful for orientation. The quad is also surprisingly stable and provided a lot of enjoyment to eager pilots, of varying skill levels, who lined up in the office to give it a try.
A couple of minor mishaps that involved indoor shrubbery and other obstacles had no lasting effect on our quad, with the worst being a propeller coming loose, which was easy pressed back on the motor shaft.
The Proto X comes with a small 2.4GHz radio, USB charge cable, and four extra propellers (two gray and two black). Not included are the two AAA sized batteries required to power the tiny transmitter.
During the charging process, a red LED on the USB plug will remain lit. Once charging is complete, the red LED will no longer be illuminated. Charging takes approximately 25 minutes.
Due to its very small size, the Proto-X has a built-in LiPo battery that is not designed for replacement. Attempting to remove or replace the LiPo battery will likely damage the quadcopter.
To fly the model, simply switch on the transmitter and then the Proto X via the on/off switch on the bottom of the quad. As soon as it is powered, set the Proto X on a level surface until the blue LEDs change from blinking to solid and you are cleared for takeoff.
In flight, our Proto X only required two clicks of trim and it was hovering with minimal drift. White it is tame enough to easily be flown in a small space; it is also quite agile and can zip around larger open spaces in a hurry.
The quad provides enough enjoyment to make you wonder where the five minutes you’ve been flying it went in such a hurry. The Proto X also lets you know when it’s time to land as the LEDs will begin to flash. This handy warning provides the pilot enough time to maneuver the model into a final landing without an immediate loss in power that is common among other micro quadcopters.
We have been pleasantly surprised with the Estes Proto X Nano Quadcopter both in price ($39.99) and in performance. It should prove to be a popular gift this holiday season and beyond!
Hobbico: 3002 N. Apollo Dr., Suite 1, Champaign IL 61822; Tel. (800) 637-7660; website: www.estesrockets.com
