Dean,
What's wrong with you? There's no substitute for a big pair of T* T* s!!!

Now paint another one, and this time DON'T SHOW IT TO YOU'RE WIFE. Just show it to US! LOL

John Pavick
Team Black Magic

Hey John,

I've got the canopy from the ill fated V1 prototype, once I get things wrapped on my V3 - I'll paint up the prototype canopy as a demo.

using the redneck mud flap hottie - I'll make her extra perky

cheers !!!

Dean Dude,

I told you, you need help in the babe department. I thinking.... well you had better just call me.

Uncle Larry

I had a busy weekend taping, papering, and painting. Finally got all of the colors done and can move on. I have a little bit of sanding left then I can put on the vinyl, clear coat and move on to final assembly. With a little luck and a lot of elbow grease I should be able to have this baby ready to fly soon (fingers crossed).

Here are a couple of recent pictures.

Mr. Hester, since these were shot I have cleaned up almost all of the overspray from the canopy area and the carbon fiber face surfaces. The inside is now ship shape and ready for some electronics.

Anthony
NSRCA #759

Hey Anthony looking great so far.
Mark Atwood had the sister plane at our contest this weekend and it's very impressive. I can really see why all the people in this thread are bragging on the plane so much now. The plane really presents well in the air. Good luck with yours. Mike Mueller

Hey All,

I had a chance to fly Mike Hester's personal V3 at the the first annual Kirk Gray Memorial Pattern Contest held in Lake City, SC this past weekend (The home of the Flying Tigers club,...wonderful job!)

The V3 is flat out "AWESOME" I was very,...very impressed on how it locked lines, rolled. snapped, rolling loops, etc,...especially in 10-20MPH winds that were quartering all weekend. This will be my next choice of plane for next year without a doubt!

Now I just need to find some time to build a couple,...

Thanks Mike and Melissa for attending the contest and providing the opprutunity to fly your machine,..... Super machine!!![8D]

Best of luck at the NATS!

Bill Holsten
Dist#2
FAI/F3A

Bill,

Amazing how flying that plane in the wind spoils you huh???

Arch

Yes it does Archie,....understand why you like so much! I just did a re-do on a pre-owned Partner with a YS170DZ,....had 3 flights on it before the contest,...flies great,...but love the V3! Been searching all year for a bird that suits me,...IMAC unlimited guy for years and it reminds me of flying a big bird on how it sucks air (very tight and locked in)

Hope to see you at the NATS next year and be safe!

Bill Holsten
Dist#2

hey guys,

I had a BLAST in SC this weekend. it's always a lot of fun to get out and fly with people you normally wouldn't be able to see much of.

I'm glad you enjoyed the plane, it was a lot of head scratching, blood sweat and tears to get what you see. Sometimes the simple approach is the best one.

I had more fun watching all of you play with it than I did flying it myself. I had some pretty rewarding flights, but watching you all have fun was much better. It's hard to believe how many flights that plane has on it, and how many people have flown it. Especially in contest rounds, this thing might have some kind of record LOL

Now back to the build part....

Wow Anthony that looks cool! So how did you clean the overspray? Inquiring minds want to know. Especially if it works!

I'm playing with something cool for this plane and if it works I'll let you guys know. Something I wanted to play with from day one and never took the time to fully test it. We'll see if it does what I think it will.

In the meantime, I'm getting ready for the Nats, and I hope all of you are too! I had long talk with Dave G this weekend and we have some great numbers in spite of the economy. I am sure some will back out at the last minute, but still it's great to see you can't kill our spirit!

See you all there...
-Mike

Mike M,
Thanks for the kind words. I am not at all unhappy with how the plane is coming out. I am hoping that it flies just like Mark's. I still have a ways to go on it but will be spending every spare moment getting it ready to fly. The Black Magics have been representing themselves very well and I hope to continue that trend.

Mike H,
I tried a little bit of everything to get the paint off. I started with light steel wool and that worked fairly well for most of it. It was mainly the dry slightly gritty feeling overspray and that can off relatively easily. The heavieer spots were removed with a little Goo Gone on a scotch bright pad. I was very careful to not drip it all over the place. After that I cleaned the carbon fiber up and very lightly sanded it. I will finish it off with a little clear to make it shiny and glossy.

The light overspray on the inside was removed with a little light sandpaper. It looks good in there now.

Very cool!

BTW in reference to a post ya made earlier, "Mr Hester" is my dad

Dean....breastesess are cool. More breastesess.

Now I'm wondering what our Alabama bro's looks like.....I know he got a quart of DCC Viper red, so.....heh...

3 weeks!

-Mike

Mike,

From me and everyone else from District 2, a HUGE thanks for coming up to support our district, we always love it when you and Melissa can come up here. Glad to see you and Melissa got home safely though. Now just move back here and it won't be such a long drive... I was reminded this weekend about why I love how that airplane flies. Thanks for letting me fly it!! It really is almost like cheating, I think that you have sold a couple more up this way by the looks of things!

Anyway, thanks again, call me sometime.

I'll call ya soon Ryan...

Yeah I miss NC. You guys have a real swell going on up there, and I enjoy dropping in to fly with you guys. Great flying too! Makes me wanna burn some more fuel, maybe next time I can hold on to that 1 pt squeak-lead instead of it turning into a zillion point deficit LOL You really cranked it up the last few rounds!

I hated to see Blair lose another plane though. But it's good to see good people around to take care of him, hopefully making catastrophe just another bump in the road.

Sorry to hear you guys aren't going to the Nats, but I'm sure I'll see you guys again sometime this season. Y'all know how to find me

-Mike

Bill,

Wish I could be there, but unfortunately I'm in the giant sandbox right now in the middle east. I wont be home til Mid August. My airplane will be there with Mike though....he is doing some touch up stuff on it for me that he didnt' have time to do last year. He glassed and painted the thing in only 8 days...and it still looks amazing....

Arch

Here is another BMV3 ready for it's maiden flight.

Graphics courtesy of Dean Funk!

WOW!!!

Well, you ain't gonna mistake that plane for an ARF LOL

Sweet.....

-Mike

George!!!

That looks AMAZING!!! Dean does a heck of a job on the graphics doesn't he!

Mike,
I think I am going to freak out when someone asks me if my BM V.3 is an ARF[:@] I know that shouldn't bother me but it does.

Are you guys sure that this Black Magic is not an ARF. It's got to be, look at that shop. Man that's the nicest shop I've seen in a long time. I know my shop doesn't look that nice.

Old Dean "Chicken Joe" Funk does a great job on those graphics. Great looking Black Magic there George.

Larry Odom
Team Black Magic

Looks great George.

Okay Larry,

It's time to call in the nickname police, I guy can have only one nickname -

first your going to have to explain who "Chicken Joe" is and

second you going to have to decide if I'm "Chicken Joe or the "Dude"....

yea thanks in advance "Uncle" Larry

Thanks guys (including Uncle Larry) !!!

George did a great job applying about 50 feet of 2m vinyl graphics, I am even more impressed with his "Huevos Rancheros" for wanting and encouraging me - to push his "Fire Dragon" scheme over the top. And best of all it seems like the "Black Magic" guys out there like it and enjoy it - that makes me happy !!!!

I have to say I've been working on the "Tribal Fire Dragon" Scheme for a couple of years now and I am really happy to see this version come to life thanks to George Miller - It's actually not done yet, I am tweaking a few more pieces to the scheme. There is close to 50 feet of vinyl and another 50 feet of transfer tape and god knows how many hours to make every curve spell "Fire Dragon" BABY !!!

thanks again all......

The Fire Dragon Has Flown!

Four flights today and it flies GREAT! (of course<G&gt.

I have learned a LOT about vinyl application in the last 24 hours<G>.

G

George
That looks just awesome. Wish I could've been at the field today to witness the "maiden"
it looks SOOOOOO much better in the pictures than it did on the mock-up sheet you showed us at Nederland

Eddie

It was a long night last night, but I finally got the vinyl and the clear cote on my Black Magic (Dean, thank you so much for the wonderful lettering). I have 4 - 23 hour days coming in which to get it sanded, rubbed out, and the tank, radio, pushrods, switches, and etc installed. Oh yeah, I also have to get the canopy masked, shot, and clear coated. It is going to be a long holiday weekend where I celebrate our country's independence by locking myself in the basement.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Anthony