There's an RC bird in the hangar!

[jetmex]

A few months ago, good friend Wally asked me to do an RC bird for him.  The subject is the Legend Hobby (Seagull Models) 1/6 scale OA-1K Skyraider II.  The real thing is a ground attack version of the Air Tractor ag plane, which to me is a bit amusing.  118" wingspan, fixed gear, pretty simple airplane. It can be built as a crop duster as well.  I work on it in spurts as he starts to get me all the stuff I need to do it.  I'm a little rusty, but it is kinda nice to be doing that once more. I'm pretty much out of the hobby now, the fun to cost factor is way out of whack, and flying an airplane around in a circle while roasting outside just isn't fun anymore.

I did discover I have enough old radio stuff left over to convert my Lindberg Blue Devil destroyer kit to RC.  Just have to find a motor for it now.

https://www.legendhobby.com/products/air-tractor-oa-1k-skyraider-ii-118-60cc-arf-legend-hobby

[Onepoint]

"and flying an airplane around in a circle while roasting outside just isn't fun anymore." Or freezing. I have not flown in a couple years again. But my biggest hitch isn't weather, but ambition and time, takes me a lot longer and more energy to do what needs done that I have little left for fun stuff, and it feels better to just sit in the AC.  But I still have all the RC stuff hanging in the way and still mow the runway just in case. 

 That is a cool plane though, I have a E-flite air tractor I have flown just a couple times. Sadly my skill level is down to barely trainers again.   

Aside from almost every airplane known,  I'm kind of wishing I had a Beech C18 hanging the in the way as well. 

[jetmex]

Been a long time since I flew anything, so I'm probably sub-beginner by now!

I worked on Beech 18s for several years back in my traveling mechanic freight rat days.  Not normal Twin Beeches, though.  Ours were a mod called Hamilton Westwinds that had PT-6 turboprop engines instead of the usual R985s.  The extended noses made them look a little ridiculous, but they could haul some freight.  N432U was named Pinocchio, N926T was Cyrano. They were both instrumental in adding to my cache of bulls.....war stories!

[jetmex]

And here's Cyrano.  Both airplanes went to the boneyard a long time ago.  Methow got them a few years after the company I worked for went out of business.

[stetto]

I've got a butt-road of engines, mostly glow. I think the biggest one in an OS 91 fs. It used to lift a 72" Telemaster 2000 in about 10 feet of runway.

We'll have to talk, Jaime. Soon would be good!

[Onepoint]

You know what is sad though.  We have had a farm equipment auction company move in from Illinois. I think the owner married a someone from here is the story of how they found us. Nice people, churchy and all.  So I spent money on more junk I don't really need which is too easy since they have an online live auction app.  I went to pay for it and pick it up a couple days after, and as I'm standing there waiting for the 20 something guy (who is a good friend and partner of the owner it turned out), to finish on the phone with someone I spot a Real Flight box behind him.   I asked about it, and turns out he is beginning RC, he wants to fly full scale since they travel all over the country for auctions, but he loves all aviation and was drawn to RC, like many of us got started in it.  So we are chatting and he asked how long I have been flying, and I had to reply since the 1900s    I said I have not flown too much in the last few years though, but I still have a lot of planes, some back from the glory days of glow engines. He had the most blank look on his face and after a pause asked "what is that?" He had never heard of glow engines, like ever.    I explained what they were, what glow fuel was etc and he shook his head and muttered something like "huh, wild" and I could just hear it resonate from his head as his silent thought said man this guy has been around a looong time. 

 Kind of weird to realize you old enough to be part of an era that is gone entirely anymore, I'm sure the old timers thought the same when ARFs became more popular than kits,    which unfortunately seems to be extending to everything I do or have, except maybe guns. Kind of bouncing somewhere between legacy and relic I think.

[stetto]

You know what is sad though. 

 Kind of weird to realize you old enough to be part of an era that is gone entirely anymore..

Everything modeling that I own is 25+ years old or more, some of it MUCH more. I even have a couple of those little MVVS control line diesels still NIB. Also a selection of Duke Fox diesel conversions that have never been run, bench or otherwise. The only electric I've ever owned is a small laser cut Lazer 300 (yes, still in the box!).

I was really hoping to make a dollar on this stuff, but at this point I can visualize it all winding up in a dumpster behind Buc Ees or a museum of R/C relics.   

[stetto]

Oh, and I have never built an ARF, ever.

Even from our arcane era, that is weird 

[jetmex]

Nobody except us old guys wants glow engines anymore.  Everything has gone gas or electric.  There are very few kits available anymore, and no one scratchbuilds.  I have a whole garage full of old kits, plans, engines and hardware that I have slowly been selling off.  I'm hoping my old RC club has a swap meet coming soon.

For what my friend is paying for that Skyraider, motor and accessories, I could probably buy myself a new AR or an old clunker car to play with!