MJD

My Feedback: (1)

Not sure who has done this with models, but it certainly common practice on UAV's, and I've often thought of doing this too as I am also a rocket geek. To bring in a typical model safely you'll need a reasonable size 'chute. Surplus 36" flare parachutes are reasonbly easy to find, fold up pinto a package about the size of a medium large potato, and a 4.5 pound model with a 36" round 'chute will descend at roughly 26 feet per second - which seems too fast for me. Moving up to a 48" 'chute the descent rate drops to 19-20 fps, about 13 mph, which may be safer.

There are several commercial manufacturers of small nylon chutes for sport rocket use.

MJD

Easystern

"Hi, my name is Lucas, and I am a Speed Plane Addict,hope so .
I have been a Lover of Speed Planes for 3 weeks or so.
The other 9 month were spent "sport flying" in my moms bally.
With the help of the Revvers Brother-hood I hope to
make my planes even FASTER !!! an in the next 8 years or so my dad will brake in the engine for me .

that's our new pilot , my son lucas born on 11.30.06 7.12 pm, hope he will me give some time in the future to break in his engine

Dave.... take your time ,you have 6 to 8 years to give me the revver brotherhood #,
lucas

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

....well, Easystern....since your Revver number is 132....

....we'll give your beautiful new son Revver Bro # 132.5 for now....[sm=thumbup.gif]

Rev on my Brothers (and sons)....

AVIATOR135

My Feedback: (18)

Hi, my name is Rick; I have a harmon rocketIII and I would like to make it sing. It calls for a 46, I own a supertigre 51 and 61. Do you think one of these will do it or should I look for a speed engine. It has to be side exhaust though.

LUDS96

My Feedback: (23)

Hey Ken Whos F-16 is that Nice looking bird. Also the camo bird hanging up looks like a mover

LUDS96

Revver Bro # 52

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

Rick....I think either one of those Super Tigers would work good in the Rocket. [sm=thumbup.gif]

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

Revvers membership will be closing soon for the year 2006, and what a fine year it was.

Sign-ups are still being accepted.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

How many numbered members? [8D]

Razor-RCU

My Feedback: (50)

Anybody got any extra Revvers stickers? I am getting both a Phenom ( and doing a full-review) and my Rifle. I would love to have the Skull Revvers sticker like I have on the Whip.

I will pay for them/it.

Vic? You still got any?

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

....164....

Desertlakesflying

My Feedback: (28)

"Hi, my name is Skip, and I am a Speed Plane Addict.
I have been a Lover of Speed Planes for 5 years,
and with the help of the Revvers Brother-hood I hope to
make my planes even FASTER !!!
Don't let my wife/girlfriend see this....I promised her I
would "tame it down a bit". : ( heh heh heh )

Signed Cowboylifesaver 12-14-06
Hangar 9 Mustang 60 size. OS 120 Pumper 15X7 3 blade 100mph @ 5000'
And, it will be faster after I get my 150 size Mustang

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

....HI, Skip....Welcome to the Brotherhood of Speed Freaks....[sm=thumbup.gif]

....your Revver Bro numberis #165....

Rev on, my Brothers....[8D]

Pablo2000

Hi guys

I'm pablo, I'm a speed plane addict. I was reformed, but I just fell off the wagon after 5 years of being good.

I MUST join the Brotherhood as part of my re-introduction to the ways of speed.. If I can get just 1mph more I HAVE TO DO IT... maybe one of you knws the way

Pic posts must wait for new camera, as mine just died... doh! Hanger is being restocked, but I have on my bench a refurb of my scratch built F-15 with a OS 91 VR-DF (yep a DF engine) up front turning an undisclosed prop at around 23,000. Was recorded last ime out (seems so long ago now!) at around 175

Also about to start the build of a AKM SU-27. Ordering a Jett 90LX for it next week... I'd call Dub up on Monday, but Christmas got in the way...

I don't care if you tell my wife, my kids or my preacher..... I've returned to the dark side! [>:]

Hey... I could be the last Revver of 2006 [8D]


Pablo

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

....Pablo, welcome to the Revvers Brotherhood....[sm=thumbup.gif]

It looks like you fell off the wagon just in the nick of time....

....Revver Bro #166 is yours.

Rev on, my Brothers....

Razor-RCU

My Feedback: (50)

Pblo- Welcome back to the insanity! You got it good it seams... I will rise a shot of Centenario (Anejo) to you tonight!

Easystern

Hey Pablo UK,
you are an OUTLAW !!!

and welcome to the fast side !!

show us some pics of the df revver
a couple of my colleges in the club fly this df 91 in some speeder's , thats one of the finest mass produktion engines around
and lots of bang for the bug .

mary X to all

nitro junky

My Feedback: (3)

"Hi, my name is Charles, and I am a Speed Plane Addict.
I have been a Lover of Speed Planes for 5+ years,
and with the help of the Revver s Brother -hood I hope to
make my planes even FASTER !!!
Don't let my wife/girlfriend see this....I promised her I
would "tame it down a bit". : ( heh heh heh )

I need all the help can get on the DD. I MUST break 200mph

Signed Nucking Futs (12/27/06)
....Sonic 500, Viper 500, DD....

TEAMERICA

My Feedback: (77)

I almost forgot my Revver Bro Speed Freaks. Just to keep you up to date on the speed we were able to get up to at the USRA World Finals Giant Scale Air Race at Parker, AZ in October.

Who knows how fast we were. There weren't any radar guns out on the flight line that I know about but we were F-A-S-T!

My Unlimited Class racer this year was a rebuild of an Ed Rankin Designed Vendetta that was converted to a Miss Ashley II by covering over the belly scoop to make things nice and smooth under there. I dusted off the Aerrow 200 that I flew at Madera in 1995 and has been sitting on the shelf since then. I got laid off from work so I had plenty of time to get things done so I just kept taking on things to do with the limited budget. Getting the Ashley finished in time was a juggling act that ran right up to the last minute and the last weekend to get the test flight in.

My Formula I GT GR-7 was a solid performer and has been ready since the last race in 2005. All it needed was a little touch up paint and some new sponsor stickers. I knew that if I didn't get the Unlimited finished I would at least still race F1 GT. But I found myself getting enthused about the Biplane Class and a local friend wanted to sponsor a Pitts Special that I would have to build too. I also needed to finish up the restoration of an old (1985) golf cart that would get us around the pits at the races in 1966 Mustang Style. My plate was full.

The Pitts came together easily. It started life as a Great Planes Christen Eagle II ARF. We stripped off all the covering and beefed up where needed and while we were there, we moved the canopy back to where the single place Pitts would be and purchased a GP Pitts cowl to further the transformation. Truthfully, the Christen Eagle never raced at Reno since it has a constant speed prop but the USRA is allowing the GP Christens to fly with the Christen cowl just to encourage participation in this class. This turned out to be a pretty quick way to get into racing with the ARF and a Zenoah GT-80 engine purchased on RCU. We got it flying a month before the race so I had plenty of time to learn how to land the slightly nose-heavy Pitts with only one set of ailerons - on the bottom wing. We mounted the servos in the tail to counter the weight of the 80cc engine. With no dead weight, we came in at 20.8lbs - just over the 20lb minimum dry. At 150 MPH you have to de-sensitize the elevator so that it hardly moves. Then we add about 20% travel for high rates for landing. Great Planes makes a pretty straight wing and this little puppy would turn on a dime with no bad charactoristics. With only 5 entries in the class, we raced against the same biplanes each round and as attrition took it's tole, we ended up in 2nd place with $300 and a trophy.

The Miss Ashley was a real adrenaline rush. Two test flights at Rabbit Dry Lake the weekend before showed that not only did the Aerrow 200 engine run after 10 years on the shelf but the airplane was straight and true. It would take full up elevator at 200MPH and turn on a dime. No squawks so let's go race. The only thing is I only had one prop and that was a RacePro 23 X 23 that was left over from the Madera race - so I need to be very careful or my racing will come to a sudden stop. That just forced me to pay close attentinon on landings. I mixed up a 5-gallon jug of 5% nitro Alky to fill the twin 40oz fuel tanks each flight. It turns out that after the two test flights and the 6 rounds of racing we had a little fuel left over in the jug.

Parker is the biggest race of the year for the USRA since it is the final points race for the 3-race World Championship Series. Plus there are a few West Coast guys that show up that don't want to take part in the series points game. Parker has the highest attendance in all the classes and is the only venue that includes all the classes that USRA offers simply because there are enough entries to support all the classes (except the Thompson Trophy racers so far).

We found that the Aerrow 200 would start on the first back-flip every time. We didn't even take an electric starter out to the starting line. You never have to get your fingers in the prop. We simply use a small squeeze bulb and squirt a blast of alcohol in each exhaust header with the glow batteries attached. Practically snap your fingers over the spinner and it roars to life first time every time. It never failed us. That is one of the necessities to winning - you have to start every race and you have to finish every race. We may not have been the fasted Unlimited racer there but we did start and finish every race and accumulated points. Enough points to get us into the Gold Trophy Race on Sunday. That means that we were among the top 5 out of I believe 12 entries. There is a pretty good bet that Fred French was doing over 240MPH since he was radared at 240 at Ashtabula, OH just two month earlier. I am content in believing that I was doing 200MPH. No way I could catch him this year but it was awesome trying.

The Gold Trophy races always have 5 airplanes to start and two more on the starting line just in case one of the top 5 fails to get in the air. All seven engines are started and after the 5th airplane gets airborne the two alternates shut down and move back behind the safety line. Once the 5 airplanes are in the air, a 1-minute countdown clock starts and the pilots jockey for position so that they are just about to cross the start line as the clock reaches zero. During this time, we try to simulate a race course traffic pattern for safety but on this day, two 200 MPH racers tried to occupy the same space at the same time while traveling in opposite directions. Yep, that is a 400MPH closing speed. Nobody saw the other guy coming. They hit nose to nose. The impact occurred right behind me with 37 seconds on the clock. I was going down the front straight and maintained my race course circuit and rounded turn 1. As I returned on the back stretch I noticed 30 seconds on the clock and suddenly, the nose of my airplane exploded. Only 7 seconds after that explosive mid-air and the debris was still falling. I hit something that took my prop out causing a massive imbalance that shook the engine right off of my airplane. I was now flying a falling leaf. There was nearly a dozen mid-air collisions that weekend and most people just keep racing. It never occurred to me that the debris would still be in the air and that I could hit it. But I did. I was out and there was only two airplanes left to settle the outcome of the Unlimited class. For 7 seconds, I thought I had at least 3rd place sewed up. All I had to do was finish the race, but, instead I was one of 3 that didn't even start the race.

My nice Laski prepared Aerrow 200 engine hit the ground from about 200 ft at just under 200 MPH. Surprisingly it can and will be repaired. The ariframe was totaled so I will select another airplane to run next year. I am still weighing all the choices. I am leaning toward a P-51 Stiletto from Dick Sizer at Starr-Racing.

Strykaas

Wow nice report I wish I had been there, that must have been rather spectacular !

Easystern

Teamamerica.......

wright a book
very interesting to read,lots of action and lots of show

must be a blast just to watch as a spectator !!
if i can make into the states i will yoin a formula 1 race ,thats for sure.

how many often do you guys have glitches on a race like that and loose a plane because of glitch.

Happy New Year TO ALL

TEAMERICA

My Feedback: (77)

Radio glitches aren't usually a problem. We have a very strict Safety inspection prior to each race which includes an engine-running radio check. At this time you start your engine and while your helper holds the airplane, you walk back behind your airplane with your antenna colapsed to one segment. When instructed you throttle up and demonstrate each of your controls in turn and then prove that you can kill your engine on command. Any jittering or failure to kill your engine when instructed and you go back to your pits and try to figure what is wrong and then try again. Hopfully you have done this at home and know that you can do it.

Each airplane is initially Tech Inspected and issued a log book. In that log book, you are required to make an entry each year stating that you cycled your batteries and noting the capacity. In addition to that, I still keep my batteries peaked between each flight with a Sirius Pro peak charger. This battery rule is new I think last year and it saved my airplane. I read the new rule and went out to cyclce my batteries in my, then 6 year old F1 GT airplane. The 2000 Mah battery on board only showed 800 Mah capacity after cycling twice over two nights. I gladly installed a NEW 2300 Mah battery.

Most racers understand the importance of what we do and instal only the best radios you can buy. I have been flying Airtronics Vision and now Stylus radios for 15 years. My GR-7 is now 8 years old.

The first photo was taken in 1999 when it was powered by a 75cc Bully engine. The second was in 2003 with the new Zenoah GT-80 twin installed for the new rules that allow 80cc. And the last picture was two months ago just prior to the USRA Race in Parker, AZ. A good radio and defensive flying adds up to long airplane life.

Razor-RCU

My Feedback: (50)

You know we (Revvers) saw you at Rabbit--- It was when we were having our Revvers get together, I remember the VERY loud Biplane doing 2 turn pylon stuff and I was actually flying when that Team America bird went up- I landed as a courtesy---

SMALL WORLD!

TEAMERICA

My Feedback: (77)

Thank You Razor, Ya know we need some decals to put on our planes to identify ourselves. I would love to sport one on my racers.

I appreciate the courtesy of giving me the air time. I try to telegraph our intentions to fly so that others can offer us that clear air. That seems to be getting to be a practice at Rabbit where the Jet guys will all get up at the same time and then the trainers or park flyers will get up and get down so as not to mix the speeds and flying styles up too much. We don't have a club at Rabbit so mutual cooperation is the key to happiness.

Most people know where I will be flying when I put one of the racers up. Usually 150' out and a 1600' two pylon course about 50' off the ground. Ocassionally one of the turbine guys will come out and give me a run but I always out-turn them. I don't mind that kind of traffic cause that is also good practice. It's just not so good when someone hovers a helicopter right over where the start/finish line would be.

Come on up again for a visit. I like all those quick little speed deamons you guys have. I believe Rabbit Dry Lake was a gift from the almighty for us to fly all kinds of large, loud and fast models. Hope to see you again.

[link=http://protopage.com/rabbitdrylake]Rabbit Dry Lake info[/link]

Razor-RCU

My Feedback: (50)

Sweet attachment! I remember cruising the flight-line and seeing you guys with 2 Team America birds + that killer biplane and a cute girl working the video camera

Good times! The louder the better as far as I am concerned... Dang that Biplane was on rails--- Are you the "mature" gentleman that was flying the bipe?

happy New Year to Team America and all Revvers all over the world! (Even Crasharama in AUS.) Just kidding mate

TEAMERICA

My Feedback: (77)

Yea, that's me with the folical pigment challenge.

The girl, Michelle, belongs to Eric, the owner of the "Parker Pitts". She was our launcher for both the Pitts and the Unlimited. After the first heat race, the flagman, Holly, came over to me and asked "are you sure you want that little thing holding on to your plane? If you rev the engine it might pull her over" I told him that she was a solo pilot and and knew what she was doing and that I had no intention of reving the engine while she was holding on to it. She did a great job. Then she would hop in the golf cart and drive back behind the safety line where all the helpers waited until the end of the race. Then she would bring the cart up to the runway and take Eric out to retrieve the airplane if I landed it too far away.