ge3740

i ask my wife at that time, mid 1960s. if she would make me a large pillar and always took a leaf rake, to Quarter midget races. silk and dope was the hot thing then, our newly elect adds to the imports, it just might be back, i still build what i fly...and purchased a ARF just to nag others for the fun of it...

lflf

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lflf

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ge3740

IFIF
no, you are telling the truth and this generation does not understand, when Trump gets in office friday they might be coming to you for instructions on how to build, with the extra price on items coming here from off shore. and i am one of them too, i am 75, and still building and enjoying it.

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ge3740

as long as the fun time is here, enjoy it.

and i would do the same thing and have for a long time..

UStik

The "Box-Fli" simulator model - won't get any better than that. Textures are taken from photos of models with clear-doped balsa and silk. The wing is not translucent, though, since that would be way too much work.

Or so I thought. Found a trick and now it looks not too bad.

lflf

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UStik

Yes, actually I should build a real model but probably that won't happen for some reasons. I'm still building simulator models, though. As to the Liddle Stik, this and the Flea-Fli seem to be made for the small KPS-10 servos, just to promote them. Of course I don't know, and today all servos are small.

Building a true copy of the Das Ugly Stik prototype is possible only now, having the information and plan from George Walker. Both Beppe Fascione and I were mistaken about the cowl's color, even though we could have taken seriously that the Ugly Stik resembles a Fokker Eindecker and that is known to have an aluminum cowl.

And at least I was mistaken about the vertical stabilizer's size. I had just taken the Jensen-version tail and put it more forward until it looked right, but I didn't make it bigger. The German cross has to be bigger as well. Now I have drawn a new outline in George Walker's vellum plan over the faint remains of the first vertical tail's outlines. For what it's worth...

grh_70

After reading here about the history of the development of the Ugly Stik, I would like to relate, for what its worth, an experience I had about 4 years ago.

I was in the Pasadena Harbor Freight looking at a drill press and had a question about how to adjust the spindle for runout. I spotted an older employee
(65 or so) and decided to ask him since he was more likely to know more about machinery than the young bucks working there. He asked me what I was planning
to use it for and I told him that I was into building RC model airplanes. His face brightened and asked if I knew of Das Ugly Stik. I said yes and he went to say that he was involved with it's design.
He said he was working for Phil Kraft back in the 60's and they were out flight testing electronics, when the plane crashed. Rather than leave the field and go all the way back to the shop,
he was able to cobble together the wreckage sufficently to continue flying and that this became the basis for the design of a new simple test platform -- Das Ugly Stik.

I did not get his name and never ran into him again, but now wonder if this was George Walker?
After reading about his exploits here, I did some checking and found a George A. Walker, age 65 plus, living in the Pasadena Sierra Madre area.
Possibly THE George Walker??

GeneH
Glendale, CA

UStik

Should be THE G. A. W., even if possibly not the man you met. (Do the math, I'm 65 and a tad plus, and I was a teenager in the 1960s.) But if I were you I would just visit him for a chat and see.

UStik

There's a simulator flight of Box-Fli at YouTube. Could have been like that, at least a simulator model is better than no model (and pictures and videos) at all.

UStik

Now there's also a simulator flight of George Walker's prototype (HD video):
And finally my article is finished and ready for download: http://time.hs-augsburg.de/cgi-bin/d...d=UglyStik.pdf

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UStik

Sorry, seems RCU messed up my post, and now I can't edit it. Please try again here for the article.



As to George Walker, he's quite happy with all that fuss I'm making about Das Ugly Stik. ;-) Actually, sometimes he seems to be even excited. And he contacted me after he had found my article in the Web. Unfortunately and to his regret, that was only last year - ten years after I had published it. (You find a lot of fishing rods if you search the Web for Ugly Stik.)



His job was graphics design and model aircraft were a hobby for him as well. Anyway, he's still proud on his idea how to embellish Kraft's test bed. In fact, he added several details to his prototype that have been omitted from the Jensen kit (cowl, pilot, gun, and even a funny remark on the wing center). So it was not only business but also fun for him and he has fond memories. From what he told me I could still see that it was a competitive business and it's interesting to look a bit behind the scenes. For instance, George is still proud to have been RCM's first art director, but he didn't tell me why Dick Kidd took over after one year or so. Then again, his job was graphics design in his own business and he left the model aircraft scene not long after the Ugly Stik project, so this may be one reason he's fond of that time.



Thanks again!

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UStik

Thanks for this nice abstract! (Both versions, by the way. ;-) )

I'm not able to write such a spot-on bottom line of something I wrote, at least not before three months or more later. And you were quite right that the artcle might have some bias because it is written with George Walker's point of view in mind. That's OK for me, though, since there are no contradictory facts or evidence, and that means there's no reason not to please George. I think he deserves it. Besides, all about the Stik is nothing scientific but only nice to know, so just enjoy.

lflf

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ge3740

Looks good Ifif, flat bottom wing and all..

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ge3740

on another note, if you have not bought anything from Aircraft- Spruce, try them on spruce, very nice wood and less costly than the hobby shop if you can find it.. my 2 cents. A.B.

lflf

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lflf

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51.50

Did George Walker work for Kraft Systems? There was a tech named George who worked there when I was first employed by Kraft Systems in 1964. I don't remember his last name. There were 6 employees, I was number 7.

lflf

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Better pictures of the new scratch built Sweet Stik 40 I just finished. Plans from outerzone.co.uk. Pictured on the salt flats near the Great Salt Lake after the 4th test flight.