CCRC1

My Feedback: (13)

I was responding to a poster about the Florio Stunt Wagon and just realized that you don't see the competitive "Fun Fly" airplanes any more. Not only do you not see the planes, but the contests seem to be gone. The Hots started the trend and then the planes evolved into the "wing on a stick" airplanes. I guess 3-D flying knocked it off the map?

RCJake-rcu

My Feedback: (7)

I've gotta Yard Dart kit waiting to be built...

Jake

CCRC1

My Feedback: (13)

Well, just one responce[]
Competitive Fun Fly Aircraft R.I.P.

ZAGNUT

My Feedback: (1)

along came li-pos, brushless motors and depron.....



dave

RCJake-rcu

My Feedback: (7)

CCRC1,

I was spnsored by TJ Manufacturing while flying competition fun flies in the '80's with Yard Darts that I built. My last one had a Webra 32 with a mousse can mini pipe, mini servos and a 270 MAh RC pack. All up weight? Around 2.75lbs. The Yard Dart has 4" ailerons, elevator and rudder and is set up with 70 degree deflection on all surfaces...expo is a MUST on this aircraft when set up in this manner. We learned that the lightest covering was the transparent colors with the lighter colored ones being lighter than the darks and clear transparent being the lightest. When I quit flying in competition fun flys, the guys were starting to use the HP 40 Gold Cup with great success. The Webra 32 powered ship ws the best one that I had.
It is tempting to me to build my last Yard Dart and show the guys at the field what a competition fun fly ship can do. Hey! I could even electrify it! Naaaaaaaaaw!!! As much as I like electrics, I couldn't do that to a yard Dart!

Jake

CCRC1

My Feedback: (13)

Thats what I was thinking. With 3-D flying style and profile planes being as popular as they are, I would think the interest would still be here. Some of the outrageous things the competition fun fly airplanes could do surely beats just hovering over the runway.

Kaos Rulz

I remember in the 80's a plane called Mrs. Martha. I belive it was available only as a scratch built plane, but I thought I saw one, or very similar, as an ARF last year. Does anyone have more info on the plane? Specifically either plans, kit, or ARF available.

CCRC1

My Feedback: (13)

What a coincidence, I just opened my latest issue of Model Airplane News and found a complimentary set of plans for the original Hots by Dan Santich.
I checked through my stash of plans and found the following airplanes:
The Stickit VI and V
The Smith Super Special
The Wild Weasel
Several different cousins to the Hots
The Notforsale
The Wild Thing .40
The Hot Dawg
I also have the Florio Stunt Wagon and Coal Hauler kits NIB.
Folks coming into the hobby in the last couple of years really never got to see this type of aircraft perform. I think if the die hard 3-D guys could see these in action it would give them a whole new nitch in the hobby. I think I might throw one of these together and see what kind of looks I get when I put it through its paces!

zx32tt

My Feedback: (9)

It was a Miss Martha, and I have plans in cad form. Not my design, someone else did the cad plans. I built one of the original kits. It is one of the most "honest" flying planes I ever had, and a blast to fly. Mine was a rocket with a Magnum .36 . It does not as much wing area as most of todays planes, but it does have a removable wing and full fuselage. The plans (cad files) are available on the internet, or I can send them to you if you can't find them. You will need to be able to read and print .dwg or .dxf files.
Z

BadBill

My Feedback: (89)

They are still around, there is quite a few folks in GA that fly them at Hodges Hobbies, including Mac Hodges. It doesn't hurt that the guy that designed the Stickit flies there ( Dan Stevens ) and also many times former National champ David Grantham. They are all preparing for a trip to the Nats soon. I have heard talk about how participation in the events are down, and that the events are sparse now, but I believe it will survive.

Kaos Rulz

Hello-Bill,

In your opinion, is the Miss Martha as good, or better than the Thunder Tiger Stick for fun-flys? I see so many of the TT sticks, I'd like something a bit different without sacrificing fun-fly performance.

Does Mac have plans?

BillyGoat

Yep still own one of those "wing on a stick" One large single landing gear and wires at the wing tips to hold the wings level during take off and landing. However I don't fly it... want to buy it?

I bought it in the late 80's and a few years later took a hiatus from R/C due to transfers and such. When I got back in the sport a few years later I showed up with it at a fun fly and realized the events have changed and flying that type of plane was more of a hinderance than anything.

BadBill

My Feedback: (89)

Ed, The MM is a far more capable airplane than a Tiger Stick. I don't think Mac has any plans, but Dan might.

I think a few folks are getting confused in the thread, between local stuff ( such as the Tiger Stick contests at Mac's ) and NCFFA events, where the stick boom and wing airplanes still rule. These contests are far more competitive and serious than the local ones.

The Tiger Stick contests started out as a one design thing to level the playing field for fun competition, but as they have progressed they are letting different planes be used in the lower class to encourage more participation.

Live Wire

You look at the planes at a fun fly and they do what the person flying them wants them to do Its not the planes and how they look its the people that change things to fit what they want at a Fun Fly, and are taking the fun out of it[&o]

bob_nj

My Feedback: (62)

Man CCRC1 , you bring back sweet thoughts with that list of planes. I've flown several of them myself. Competition Fun Fly was popular here in south jersey in the late 80's and early 90's. We had the state competition here in 1990 I think it was. I'll check my plaque whe I get home. I took third that year.

Ahhh, memories...

CCRC1

My Feedback: (13)

Well appearently I was wrong, the competition Fun Fly airplanes are still around. I just opened my latest issue (August) of Model Avaition and there is a featured article on them. Its shows several pictures of an airplane called a "Minus" from Turner Performance Products that looks real interesting. Anybody know where to buy one and maybe a price?

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

I remember it quite well, it was designed by a couple guys in the club I used to belong to. They did make a kit version. I'll check with some people in the area to see what became of them and if there are any kits lying around.

GEEBEEPILOT

My Feedback: (21)

CCRC,
Interested in selling some of your plans?

Mark

CCRC1

My Feedback: (13)

I never get rid of plans, but what were you interested in. Most of them are still readily available from the magazine sources.

Kaos Rulz

Chuck - That would be great!! I was told that the plane was named after the designer's wife. I was introduced to the plane when I was a member of the Myrtle Beach club back in the 80's. As I remember, it used counter weights on the ailerons to prevent flutter, and boy would it spin and loop. [X(]

rcpileit-RCU

[/quote]

Chuck - That would be great!! I was told that the plane was named after the designer's wife. I was introduced to the plane when I was a member of the Myrtle Beach club back in the 80's. As I remember, it used counter weights on the ailerons to prevent flutter, and boy would it spin and loop. [X(]



You are correct on the design being named for the designer's girlfiend at the time who later became his wife. I used to hang out with the designer and you are so right about how that plane could spin!!

George

gizmo8012

My Feedback: (15)

I'm turning 28 next week but I started flying around 14 and had a stick-it VI and I enjoyed it more than anything other plane I had. Cant find one now, unfortunatly. I plan on building a hots from the pullout plan, looks like fun!!

Luke

[8D]

RCJake-rcu

My Feedback: (7)

Luke,

Wanna NIB Yard Dart kit?

Jake

toprudder

Lots of questions about the "Miss Martha" here. Thought I would comment.

I designed the Miss Martha back in 1979. I would call it the first generation of competitive fun-fly competition planes. Before that, most people were flying Little Sticks with 40s or chopped Ugly Sticks with piped 60s. The Martha was intended to fly very well at slow speeds, but still crank out a lot of spins as well. Later on, spins as an event was dropped at competitive fun-flies. Probably because I have only seen one other airplane outspin a Martha (and I won't say what the other one was!!!) Yet the Martha had a thick wing and generous wing area, so it slowed down quite nicely, and also slowed down quickly which was very important for most events.

As for plans availability, I have plans. The CAD plans being sold elsewhere I can't comment on since they did not originate with me. Possible copywrite infringement, but does not really bother me. I don't intend to make money selling plans.

I partnered with a friend of mine, Robert Vess, to produce kits in the early 80s. We sold about 250 kits in one year, by word of mouth. I sold my half of the business to Robert after that first year, he produced a few runs of kits by himself, but then contracted with a company to produce the parts for the kits, I think it was Off-the-ground Models. I believe that business was bought by Ace RC, which continued to produce the parts. These kits were sold under the manufacturing name of Model Engineering. Sadly, the Martha kit is no longer produced, but there is a guy that laser cuts the ribs and various parts for the Martha.

BTW, I still have all the jigs that were used to produce the first kits.

The early kits had balsa fuselage sides with 1/16 ply doublers. There was also a slight bit of reflex in the airfoil due to the aileron stock used. There were also counterbalances used at the tip end of the ailerons, due to flutter in the original. With the counterbalances, the plane could dive straight down at full throttle without any hint of flutter. (This was with a single aileron servo with strip aileron linkages!). Robert changed the design to incorporate lite ply fuselage sides, and changed the ailerons slightly to try to get away from requiring counterbalances. It still fluttered, but most people by that time were using two aileron servos, out in the wings, which seemed to help with the flutter problems. I personally prefer the original design, especially with a light engine like an OS .32.

Yes, I named it after my (then) girlfriend. Actually, I had not decided what I was going to call it. I had spent so much time with the prototype that my girlfriend was just a little upset with me, so I painted her name on the side of it to appease her. Of course, everyone started calling it the "Miss Martha" so the name stuck. We dated for 5 years, and have been married for 22 years.

Bob Richards. [link=http://www.toprudder.com]http://www.toprudder.com[/link]

PS: rcpileit-RCU, aka George, howya been???

JohnRCox46

You posted about having a Yard Dart kit back in 2003. I'm trying to build one and I'd like to know what the fin and rudder look like. I would appreciate any info you can give me.