|
|
The Wine Country Flyers are preparing to close their airfield at the Trentadue Winery and fittingly they hosted their last event so that everyone could get some flying and swap some stories. Oh, and shoot down RC airplanes with paint ball guns! |
|
|
Wine Country Flyers 2014 Open House Event Report. Come see the photos and brief article on this great day of rc flying ... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's been ages since I've been down to the Liberty Flyers Club field in Petaluma. So, when I saw they were hosting an event, I decided to take a drive. The event is their annual "Canvas Falcon" Fly In. The main theme of the event is WWI era airplanes. It's a scale event, where planes are judged for a scale build and pilots are judged in how they fly them.
|
|
|
|
|
The Wine Country Flyers Float Fly #3 was yet another enjoyable day at Sal's Lake. The weather was picture perfect, with blue skies and light winds. The lake was glass smooth at times and everyone seemed to get their fair share of flight time.
|
|
The 2nd WCF Float Fly of the 2012 summer season started off cold and windy ... But, as the pilots started showing up, the skies cleared and the wind died down, it ended up being a beautiful day at the lake.
|
|
Just when you think you got things figured out, the teacher of life's lesson smacks you on the knuckles with a heavy ruler, a quick reminder that there's still a lot to learn.... My pylon race day was a prime example.
|
|
It's been a few years since I've attended a float fly for rc airplanes... In fact, the last one I can remember was in Lakeport, sometime in the late 80's! But, having heard a lot about the quality of the Wine Country Flyers float flys, I decided it was time to attend another!
|
|
The WCF 2012 pylon season is under way and it looks to be a great one already. Something new this year, the season is split into two smaller series, hoping to keep attendance up and giving everyone two chances at top honors. The racing is off to a great start and with the addition of the faster classes, Dogfighter and EF1, the thrill of speed is definitely in the air!
|
|
Adverse conditions. Yes, those two words summed up the season opener for the 2012 WCF Club Pylon Racing. The Wine Country Flyers host an awesome 8 race Series and they hate to miss a race. I mean, they will do anything to fly. Even braving 25mph winds, scattered showers and a high temp in the low 50’s … there’s just no stopping these guys!
|
|
|
The first Indoor Fly of 2012 was awesome, absolutely awesome! The turnout was the best yet and the Helicopter turnout was by far the best we've ever seen. A rough guess was 30+ airplane pilots and 20+ heli pilots throughout the evening.
|
|
So, it appears pylon racers are slightly nutty... It also appears that I fit right in! It's raining and I'm watching the only patch of blue sky disappear into the distance. It's 8:30 am. I'm at the flying field, early as usual. Sitting in my truck, eating a PB&J, wondering if anyone else is going to show up? Nutty, yes?
|
|
Two things are becoming constants during the 2011 Pylon Racing season. 1) We race under gray skies more often than blue. 2) I'm an early bird compared to the rest of the racers!
|
|
Another gloomy day was in store for the racers who showed up at the Wine Country Flyers field looking for a day of pylon racing. The clouds never cleared and most of us thought there would be some rain at some point during the day. As luck would have it, no drops came down and only one plane was damaged during the races. Anthony McDonald's Spitfire lost it's tail half during a rough landing. Other than that, there were no racing casualties.
|
|
My learning curve continues and was a steep one today. It reminds me that I've got a long way to go in this sport, and while it was a semi-frustrating day, it's great fun learning to be good at something new. My day started off great. I flew the 1st round for both classes (T-28 and Reno 450) and won them both, but that's when the poop hit the fan (or prop, as it were!)
|
|
As with anything new to us, there's a learning curve. This can be embraced and enjoyed, or it can be cursed and dreaded ... As everyone should well know by now, I'm having a great time learning about racing r/c airplanes (otherwise known as Pylon Racing). The July race was another great learning experience that shows I've got to get more stick time if I want to get better. But, that's jumping ahead in this story, let's start at the beginning of the day ....
|
|
June 12th was a near perfect day for flying r/c airplanes. Beautiful blue skies, light winds, charged batteries and airplanes ready to fly. Well, ready to RACE is more like it. The 12th was the day for the monthly WC Flyers pylon race. And, I had been looking forward to it for the last 3 weeks.
|
|
I had waited almost a month. And, as it turns out, waiting for pylon racing is a tough chore for me. To fill the time gap, I flew my racer T-28 a couple of times, fine tuning the radio, practicing pylon turns and landings, etc ... But, there's only so much one can do flying a "racer" all by itself. This plane needs a course and other planes to race against! A month doesn't sound too bad, but in hobby shop years that's a long time!
|
|
|
WC Flyers, Pylon Racing Report, April 17th, 2011: As I left the house early Sunday morning, two things were on my mind ... |
|
|
Alright Pilots and flying fans, it's time for Indoor Fly #4. May 2st, at the University of Sports, from 6pm to 9pm. |
|
|
It was another fantastic Indoor Flying Event. We tried something new this time, scheduled flying time.... |
|
|
What a nice way to spend a Saturday evening, than flying r/c airplanes and helicopters. We flew from 6pm to after 9pm, at the University of Sports in Rohnert Park. This was our 2nd Indoor Fly Day, and once again it was a great success for all.
|
|
|
It was a cold, rainy, windy Sunday afternoon ... And, we were flying R/C airplanes and Helicopters! Yep, we sure were! Indoors at the University of Sports in Rohnert Park!
|
copyright © 2024