Your latest creation

[J Duda]

RIP

[stoned]

I think you meant pieces!

[Chago_N20P]

It was an 11th lap victim. I have been there and lost a Q40 the same way

[kane]

Seeing the pictures of the Shark Tim Lampe built for Jason reminded me how good that airplane looked!! Definitely think this would have won best of show this year. Sorry it didn't last.

leading into this season I set out to design an EF-1 that moved away from the eliptical wing format. Perception rules our events, right or wrong. So I went for a more traditional wing plan form. Growing up around HOB Daras & Shoestrings, these models shaped my ideas of what a racer looks like. IN the end I still love F1 type airplanes. The Rickey Rat was inspired by the old D&S QM15. With a small shift back then theirs had higher aspect ratio wings than most QM15 models of the time and mine has short stubby wings. The wing design was dictated by using 36" long stock. The 18" panels allows for optimization of spar material and sheeting. Overall wing span is around 44". Contrary to some reports at the NATS, neither Jack nor myself used stabilization with this airplane. Short coupled/short wing airplanes don't particularly fly awesome. I thought stabilization was going to have to be a must with this design. Unfortunately, the new Spektrum RX's didn't provide enough comfort with the new programs to keep it turned on. So we flew them without. Jack was really worried about flying without stabilization this year. And yet this was probably the best he had flown. In retrospect, I asked him why he thought he did so well, and his comment was due to all the practice. Due to field limitations and timing of busy schedules we normally don't get to just test fly. This year due to Covid that's all we could do. We made a couple trips to Muncie to just fly, and I agree with Jack, this is why he flew so well this year. That coupled with good airplanes that were well trimmed. I don't want this to turn into a stabilization debate. The irony of all of this is the number of people using gyros was greater than I had thought, in fact some very vocal against were stabilized at the NATs.

I love designing airplanes. I love seeing if something I thought of, designed, built and finished take flight. I accept the good the bad and the ugly. Sometimes I over complicate construction in an attempt to simplify. In the end it turns out OK. I am very pleased with the way the Rickey Rat turned out and how it performed. Carolina Custom kits will have short kits, and the plastic parts are available from Park Flyer Plastics. Wood should be around $90, and Plastic around $20. You will need to find Shoestring landing gear and wheel pants, to complete the model.

DK

[kane]

On the Q40 front, I wanted to show a new design. Tom Scott and I worked on this new design. CMAD will be selling two versions of the Miss Foxy Lady. The Miss Foxy Lady will be manufactured by Steve Taylor and sold through CMAD. The "Sumthin Else" will be manufactured by Gary Freeman Sr. and sold through CMAD. Gary JR flew the Sumthin else at the NATS this year and I flew the Miss foxy lady. Unfortunately, mine didn't last one heat. However, Gary's did and you guys can talk to him about how it flew. The goal with this design was to keep all of the good of the DARA and none of the bad. I think we nailed it! Extremely pleased with the flying and the speed of this design. Inspiration and motivation was provided by AJ Seaholm. AJ has a couple of the Sumthin Elese that he has been flying and hopefully we can get a couple more Miss Foxy Ladys flying this year. Huge shout out to both Harold Sattler and Chuck Bridge for helping with all the prototype stuff over the last year. Without either of them, we would not have been able to have prototypes flying.

Here is a picture of the two airplanes at the NATs this year.

DK

[KRProton]

[Dave Yost]

All the airplanes look good Dan!

The Rat has a special place in my memories, Kieth Davidson was a very close friend and did all of the crown molding, wallpaper and plaster work on the first two houses that my wife and I owned in San Diego in the 90's. He was an absolute perfectionist. The owner of the Discount Hobby Warehouse in San Diego has one of the Ricky Rats and a pristine QM15 Prather Toni built by Kieth in his possession. I have been trying for years to get him to part with them, but he wont budge......

Dave

[kane]

Dave,

My dad knew Keith from the 70's. I met him in the 90's and always enjoyed talking to him. Definitely on top of the perfectionists list!

Thanks for the kind words about the planes. Your brother's trophy is still going strong!!

DK

[Laird]

DK,

The picture of the Ricky Rat you built instantly brought back memories. I was just getting started as a 14 year old standard pilot when Steve Seca and Keith Davidson (D&S) were flying F1 Rat's. Shinohara was into late model stock car racing before he got turned on to pylon, so he had this awesome pin-striping/lettering guy doing all the hand painted graphics on their airplanes. Some of those had the the most elaborate murals on them. I'll have to see if I have a picture of one of Steve's airplanes. They were awesome!

When Steve and Kieth stopped racing, I was fortunate enough to start getting Shinohara's support, as was Bob Smith, and Dave Shadel. That was the genesis of Team Samurai.

Good times......

Thanks for the smile.

Laird

[kane]

Laird, I am glad it brought back some good memories! We have an amazing past, and some amazing stories. My goal has always been to bring the past back forward. If you look closely at the NMPRA logo, you will see the Eric Meyers, Polecat in the the Pro-line magazine ad. Or even why I did a Q40 DARA. Little reminders of the way it was, always bring a smile to my face. Unfortunately, unless we write down or store the history somewhere, we lose part of ourselves. Thank you for mentioning the pin stripe stuff. So many good times, made us all what we are today!

DK

[rocket]

I didn’t create it Steve Taylor did. I didn’t order it, AJ Hemken did. I wasn’t planning on flying the team trials as a Competitor but AJ saw to it I wont be Traffic. Bless his heart. It’s a Taylor Typhoon FAI in AJ/Gino colors. Ima make it FAST..

[LittleViking]

I got a Sweet One in a raffle a while back at the champ race before I even raced 426, but only now did I get to building it. Gonna run Futaba gear and a Nelson. It's the first Q40 that I have that wasn't secondhand. The stand that Tim Lampe sells sure does make working on it easier!

[KRProton]

I got a Sweet One in a raffle a while back at the champ race before I even raced 426, but only now did I get to building it. Gonna run Futaba gear and a Nelson. It's the first Q40 that I have that wasn't secondhand. The stand that Tim Lampe sells sure does make working on it easier!

Ha ha! Thanks for the plug on my racing stand Leo! The Sweet 1 looks great! Did you paint the horizontal stabilizer on that Sweet 1? If so, what kind of paint?

Okay!

Tim Lampe

[LittleViking]

The whole airplane was painted in the mold. Yellow fuse and wing with blue tail and wingtips. In person the blue looks lighter at the edges, and I think it adds character though it might have been a mistake!

[KRProton]

Well it looks good to me Leo! And Gary Freeman is GREAT to work with!

Tim