What can I say, Las Vegas is a mess!!! Started to snow about 11 and at my place they are saying it's going to keep falling all night then freeze. You should see the flat landers trying to drive in this stuff. I put on my hunting boots and over coat and went for a walk just to watch them. I dug around in my plans and found some nice planes I have never built and started cutting wood. Next new plane is the Daddy Rabbit, winner of the class 3 pattern nationals in 1966. Joe, you need one of these!!!!

What can I say?

Here in my part of Oz I have just returned from a magic mornings flying it is around 32 degrees celcius, (eighty something farenheight) and the wind was along the strip at no more than five knots, a couple of puffy white clouds and flocks of pelicans spirialing in the thermals. Does it get any better than this?

We have to drive for the best part of a day to go for a ski and that is only in mid winter to be sure of good conditions.

Merry Christmas,

Colin

2 1/2 weeks ago I was in shorts and a tee shirt flying. Stuff happens!!!

A snow storm in Las Vegas... I thought people moved there to avoid that?

No snow here (not on the valley floor anyhow but the mountains looked gorgeous on the drive home today) but the weather has been lousy. It is a great time to build an airplane. If only I didn't have a job...

Looks like a calm day Saturday though. I'm going to head out to the field and take advantage of it.

Gray Beard,

Nice! The Daddy Rabbit is a great airplane! The SPA would be proud of ya! You can get a short kit if your not into cutting so many parts. At our last SPA contest the CD gave away a short kit of the Daddy Rabbit, kind of wished I'd of won that drawing.

How about some pics as you progress with build?

Well Chuck they were saying snow on the valley floor here for the past couple of days. I guess its not going to happen now. the mountains do look great. I am going to Sierra Summit friday to snowboard.

Grey Beard, dont you miss the freezes here?? that pattern plane sounds cool, were can the planes be bought from??

GB,


Good building weather here too. It's been raining
for 2 weeks off and on, and some lite snow ocassionally.
I'm plugging away at my astro hog.


Bob

great. keep us posted on the build and a pic when done. I have a old kit out with the idea of finishing it this winter.

good luck

sticks


don't know how but some how I posted it twice......

great. keep us posted on the build and a pic when done. I have a old kit out with the idea of finishing it this winter.

good luck

sticks

Since last Saturday, Alaska and it's weather has moved into Washington. It has been in the mid 20 for almost a week and today we got 6 inches of snow, with the promise of more coming. It is supposed to freeze again tonight which will make all the roads a skating rink. this sucks, however building time in the heated garage has greatly improved. They are telling me winter has not yet started, cannot wait. Good Luck Dave

"Building season" has come early here in Kentucky, my last flying sesion was Nov 2nd. I can't believe
it snowed in DFW last week, global warming my @$$! At least I have two kits to build. BTW, I'm into
those vintage models. I'd like to build a Kwik-fli or a Kaos.[sm=shades_smile.gif]

Chuck & Draft, the idea of leaving Mariposa was to get off that mountain and get away from the snow and rain, for the most part it worked but sometimes stuff just happens. Last night I had almost a foot of the stuff but it's all compacted this morning and we have a breeze blowing so with luck it could be gone by tomorrow. David, I moved from Wash. when I was 11, I'm now the only one in the family living out of state. I spoke to my sister yesterday, she took the time to remove her body from around the wood stove to speak to me. I'm not going to do a build thread on this plane because my building method has changed over the last couple of years. I no longer go out to the shop and spend the whole day, I go out and glue a few parts together or squirt some epoxy then walk out, it could take me months to build a plane these days. Draft, I got the plans sent to me in a file and had the plans printed from them. I may still have them in my puter, I'm sure I do but I will have to look for them. I also think I have the Bridi Sun Fli too. I will look then you can send me your email address and I can get them to you or tell you who to ask for the plans. Most of the Bridi kits are still made so there is no problem getting the Kaos kits. No short kits for me, I can cut my own kit in a few hours and I enjoy doing it all myself. Remember, the old pattern planes were pretty heavy too but today you can build them lighter if you want. I wish there was a SPA here but it hasn't caught on in the west.
Gene

Sounds like a retirement plan to me I thought I might like building a kit, but the last two days of working on an ARF I'm wishing I was done two days ago. Besides, my hangar is half a small room; pretty much the length and width of a Venus II

Enjoy the snow while you got it (though it sounds like you already are!). I think of moving somewhere easier one day, but it is nice to have variants once in a while. Snow is beautiful; I just wish the temp would stay at a balmy 30*.

I'm from NJ originally, and I get a kick out of seeing people drive in the snow down there. Route 208 is usually filled with SUVs stuck on the side of the road with drivers that don't know the first thing about how to use them. I used to do better in my 2WD toyota pickup, and still do better in my Civic.

Actually it's a lot like flying planes - when I was a kid and it snowed, I'd go to a parking lot and mess around and do donuts and stuff - not realizing I was actually learning how the car responds in the snow. Similar to getting plenty of altitude and trying to get the plane to stall or recover from strange 'aerobatics'. Both give you a feel of the vehicle in abstract conditions.

Gene.... it will be 120 degrees at 1:00 AM again before you know it.

Well, it did hit 40 and I was able to get to the market in my old mountain van with the traction control. I only saw two dumb dumbs trying to cut into parking stalls that are on an incline, I just came to a halt and watched. Joe, the fire department used to put us into old CHP cars with racing slicks on them then turn us loose on what was called the skid pan, a small, flat race track coated with teflon and hidden sprinklers hoseing it down. That's when I learned cars drive better in ice and snow backwards!!! That was a big hoot. When I got home today I finished cutting out all the ribs, got them sanded and slotted. I started to build the stab and discovered I was missing some wood for sticks and stringers so tomorrow I will go to the wood shop and start cutting. I live in an over 55 area and you should see the rec center and the wood shop we have!!!!!! I'm building using nothing but my scrap wood that I keep in supply so I will be at the wood shop a lot ripping wood for this build. Spruce spars custom cut and all the LE & TE stock. Retirement does have some rewards!! No money but rewards!!

Hey Gray Beard==he is still a kid by our standards. Gee, wish I was a kid again. Nah, then I wouldn't have anything again. I just have to learn to accept old age graciously.

It isn't for the week or faint of hart.

We've been in a cold snap for the last week and its not supposed to let up for another. Temps have been stuck around -25 to -30 celsius.....-40 with the wind chill. For all you southerners that haven't converted yet...thats -40 farenheit. Either way its d*mn cold. Too bad the building shop is in the basement cause its chilly down there now too.

Does that officially make that a dungeon?

Ok I can officially join this thread...school's out!!!

We just got a bunch of snow yesterday, and a bunch more's on it's way. I got my Yak out, covering ironed up, stabs glued on (least favorite part, but at least it's out of the way). Next will be hinging the control surfaces and working on the glued-in control horns. Probably plumbing after that since I'm waiting for some more cash to make another order from Tower. Hopefully with the holiday I'll have enough to keep me busy until then.

There's nothing like working in the hangar with nothing else looming over my head. It just feel so good to be working on planes.

Let it snow!

Snow! Whats snow? I'm on my way to the flying field in about an hour nice day out there should be about 75 with a light wind out of the east.

Gray Beard we have started a pattern interest group at our club. A non exclusive group that includes all types of pattern since everyone flies the same maneuvers whether its IMAC, AMA, BPA, or SPA. The idea is to get folks started into pattern and to learn the maneuvers they can go on from there. Right now we are using the idea that we are not worried about competition, just learning to fly better and have fun with pattern. SPA is less demanding since the turn arounds at the ends are not judged, just center maneuvers for the most part. This morning I'm going to be flying with some new guys. We'll be starting with learning to fly a level line and how to get turned around. So far we've got about 20 guys signed up for the group. We also have a very strong IMAC contingency at our club who compete quite often, their presence helps a lot.

If you PM me I can send you the latest SPA newsletter. Membership is just $20.00/yr and it only takes a little work to get an interest group going. IMO sure beats drilling aimless holes in the sky.

www.seniorpattern.com