I found PassTime Hobbies on the internet
http://www.mybloo.com/coosbay/laser/beaver.htm

Does anyone have experience with this vendor?

I love the Perigee, I lusted after it in High School when Tom won the WC.

Also notice in the link for the ads, that Pass Time is also introducing a Curare. Beta plane has been flown.

I've been e-mailing him for a while now on the Curare...Seems like a pretty darn Knowledgeable fellow...

I'm sending my money for a Curare "semi" kit...He's packing my kit up right now...I hoped to have it by the end of this up coming week...But I ain't gonna make it I'm afraid...Expedited shipping just costs too much...I thought I'd have it Air Mailed..But the shipping would cost twice the price of the kit..he he

I can let you know how it goes after I get mine...But my personal opinion is you would be alright just ordering today if you wanted...

Drop him an e-mail...I think he'll answer any questions you may have...

Have Fun...

Chuck

I notice he says that the Perigee is tricky to fly...not my experience at all. I have been flying one for about 7 years and it is one of my favourite models, light, quick and capable of taking on most of the modern ones.
Evan, WB#12.

I sent him one last Thursday, haven't heard back yet.

I can't imagine it being tricky, either. Where did you get yours?

From the AAM plan, simply enlarged it from Tom's article. Modded a bit with an inverted LA.46, just over 5lb. Really nice airplane, made me go and build Nimbus as well. Now theres a sheep in wolfs clothing.
Evan, WB#12.

I don't mean this to sound like I am trashing the vendor, but I have e-mailed William 2-3 times over several months about the Perigee, trying to get one. He always cites the fact the fuse sides are too long for a normal box, and will only sell three kits. He suggests I find two other people wanting kits, and reuse the original box. I have suggested the fuse side could be cut at an angle and shipped in a smaller box then spliced later. I have also inquired what the three kits he says he will sell would cost, but have never been sent a reply. I still don't know what a kit, (or three kits), would cost. I don't really know what the problem is, or why I can't work something out with him, but this has been my experience.

Bob Harris who started Early RC before selling to Wing Mfg has an original kit, and has said he will develop a Perigee kit at some time in the future, but he has a pretty full plate.

I knew Tom Brett as a young teen as a fellow member of my club. I saw the Perigee and its sister ship the Apogee fly first hand. As I said in my May 2006 Model Aviation article, Tom Brett was an inspiration and a role model. The Perigee is a very special plane to me, and that's my picture you used on your thread--taken at the AMA museum in Muncie where the original resides. The picture comes from an earlier thread discussing the plane, and its flight characteristics.

The Perigee was small, sleek, and fast--especially for the times. I remember at the time some magazine critics saying you HAD to build it light, otherwise there was a high chance of stalling at slow speeds. Part of the "blame" was perhaps placed on the kit itself where wood selection was not always the lightest possible. The die-crunching was not the best either, and the plans drawn by Tom were quite complex compared to other planes of the day.

My father built and flew an original kit back in 1965 that I inherited, but it is quite brittle now. I really would like to build a new Perigee, but I'm not quite up to the time commitment involved in scratch-building.

Duane

I was only a few years old when the Perigee was designed and I don't own any vintage radio gear. But, I'm going out on a limb anyway to say that in the early sixties any model with a wing loading in the twenties was probably seen as a challenge to land at slow speeds. With today's computer radios and their huge reductions in weight I bet the Perigee isn't any more difficult to fly than modern low-wing sport planes.

My experiences with William have been great. He is very knowledgeable about CAD drafting and laser cutting and has been a great help to me whenever I've had a question. If I was going to fault him for anything it would be that he's a very determined perfectionist. But, then, that's what you want in a draftsman and kit manufacturer.

Duane,

I'd gladly buy 3 and sell you one. It is now a week and I have not heard back from him. I will try again.

Nic

That would be fine--there may be another Perigee enthusiast out there for the other. If William will give you he price for three, (please make sure there are three sets of plans as well), just PM me, and maybe we can work something out.

I have no axe to grind about William--I believe he is active in the Vintage R/C Society, and I'm sure he's a great guy. He may have taken issue with something about my e-mail and chose not to respond, I don't know, but those are the facts of what happened in my case.

Anyone who loves and can appreciates the Perigee is OK in my book.

BTW--The Perigee pictured at the top of this thread also appears in one section of William's web site. It was published as part of the May 2006 VR/CS---SPA Model Aviation magazine article I wrote. They own the rights to it. He might want to ask for permission to use it on his website.

So I'm just pondering here, at 5 pounds, Perigee could probably sport some lightweight retracts. I think it would look extremely good flying like this:

Hey---a little image manipulation---how 'bout that!!

Most planes, (all planes) look better in the air without wheels. I don't know if I'd do that though in the real thing, first because the original never had retracts, and secondly, because I would not want to add ANY extra weight to this airplane. A light wing loading will allow it to fly better.

Don't know if there is a whole lot of room for retracts either, but I've never had a plane with them. The fields I fly from would tear them up in no time.

Duane, you're right, the wing is relatively thin (compared to things like the Taurus and Kwik Fli) so you would need some shallow retracts. But the construction of the wing would be easy to modify for retract mounts. You gotta love the way it's sheeted.

You're right Dave---I love the cut-outs and the capstrips.

The colors chosen were also very attractive. For my first trainer at 16, I copied Tom's colors and yellow silk, Silron, or whatever it was. Even my present Taurus has a similar cutout with yellow transparent Monokote, and dark blue on the bottom of the wing. Sometimes with the see-through wing showing the ribs, you get disoriented about which side is up and which is down---but it's still worth it.

Duane

Duane, a question:

Your yellow/blue Taurus has an enlarged rudder. Your idea? Someone else's? How does it affect flight characteristics?

PS - got an Email from William, he hopes to have some Perigee kits by the end of June. Now I gotta find an engine. Any modern .40 should do just fine.

I started that Taurus in 1981---and finished it in 2005, (long story that has to do with losing interest in the project to pursue AMA competition in the mid-80's). Back in 1981, there was no "vintage movement", and what I was actually trying to do was create a more modern--looking Taurus with a side-mounted cowled engine, less wing dihedral, and vertically-hinged rudder on a contemporary-looking fin. The fin looks a lot like a Mach 1, but it's my own design----I didn't know what a Mach 1 was back then.

The plane flys beautifully, and does Knife-Edge, rolls etc better than the original. An Expert class SPA pilot once put it through its paces, and the plane did the whole Expert pattern like it was on rails---4-point rolls, slow rolls, figure M, the works. I was very proud of what it could do, and now I'm sure that any aerobatic problems of the plane are caused by my lack of skill, not the plane itself.

Very interesting!

Kingaltair, I had much the same thing happen to me, one of our `ace' FAI pilots put my poor old Astro Hog through the (then) FAI pattern, and I was having trouble just doing a stall turn... Funny thing was the airplane managed it ok, it was just the pilot...hate it when that happens...
Evan, WB#12.

Just picked one up at a sale, where is the CG on this plane? Thanks.

CG is 3.5" from leading edge at wing root.

Ray

Maiden flight was a sucess!! Flies great with no bad habits at all. It is very lively and maneuverable. Landing are just like any other modern pattern plane. I came in just a little hot to be safe. Real cool Vintage plane!

Scott R

You flew the first (one of the few remaining kits), of what promises to be many new Perigee(s).

I hope the new kit does well, and the plane will get a new "lease on life".

Duane

Excellent! Fantastic!

Funny - did you pick that up at the Bristol auction on Thanksgiving Eve? Sure looks familiar

I'd never seen a Perigee before that auction and I was really taken by it. What a beautiful aircraft! I wasn't too interested in buying it ready-to-fly - was more interested in finding a set of plans. Did a little research and came across a few threads - sweet! Very nice build though, and from an original kit based on what the original owner told me.

I'm going to have to add this to my build list, and find a few guys to split a 3-pack I was amazed at how light this plane was with radio and engine. I'm an electric guy, and this plane would be absolutely awesome with about 750W in the nose.

All I need to do now is build the Eyeball I have as well and I'll be ready for some Vintage events...

Rob