Around the Patch - 2014/11
Summer is in full swing as I write, and this year saw something new on my schedule. I made my first pilgrimage to the Flying Aces Club (FAC) Nationals in Geneseo, New York. Geneseo Airport is home to the National Warplane Museum and it is on those very grounds that modelers from across the country and around the world converge.
AROUND THE PATCH - 2014/09
At this time last year, I was well into my Caudron project for last fall’s Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology (NEAT) Fair Air Racing Society demonstration. I barely got the model flying before our scheduled slot. I was frustrated enough to take a number of cosmetic shortcuts at the end of that project to ensure that it actually made it into the air. Once I returned home, I sat down with a pencil and paper and made a list of things I wanted to improve.
Around the Patch 2014/07
This summer marks my 36th year of building model airplanes. My first projects were plan-built, based on magazine articles. Inevitably I moved on and bought a few kits, but I’ve always enjoyed turning raw stock and a set of drawings into a completed flying model. Truth be told, many of the kits that I could afford as a young teen were close to plan-built anyway.
Perfect Scarf Joints 2014/06
After you have been this hobby for a while, you will find there are certain details of building and assembling models that may require extra attention to get “just right.” Although some may struggle with covering or installing a canopy cleanly, others might stumble while aligning the wing and tail surfaces to the fuselage.
Around the Patch 2014/05
Giving back: My son is approaching the end of his Cub Scout career and we recently enjoyed his last winter camping trip. Although camping may not be quite the right term, because we inflated our air mattress in the dining hall of a local summer camp then topped it with flannel sheets, feather pillows, and a down comforter. Technicalities aside, I was on the hook for another afternoon activity for the 20-plus Scouts and, of course, I wanted to do something with airplanes.
