# Crofters Air Force



## Crofter (Feb 4, 2005)

Time to take off the wheels and put on skis. We have had a mild spell that packed down the snow so maybe I will charge up the radios and see how these birds go on skis. They are 4 ft and 6 1/2 ft wingspan. The larger is partially set up to take a camera aloft.


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## rb_in_va (Feb 4, 2005)

Those are cool Frank. I didn't know Canada had any UAVs.


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## Al Smith (Feb 4, 2005)

Well alrighty then,sky king!Did you do a super port job on those little beauties?


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## Crofter (Feb 4, 2005)

No Al the insides are untouched. A bit of road rash on the outside. That flight on another plane was an unauthorised takeoff from the rear of my truck. Traffic forced me a bit faster than planned. The Transport following me had to do a collision avoidance and wasn't too impresssed: boy you hate yourself for that kind of performance. They are .45 cu inch. The one is a high wing trainer and the other fully airobatic. Flying them is cheap; learning is expensive!


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## Al Smith (Feb 4, 2005)

Yea buddy,I used to fly on a string .It gets a little confussing,inverted.[which can't be done,for the full circle]The over the top recovery,is what drove a few in the dirt.  Itty bitty little 019 Cox.


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## MasterBlaster (Feb 4, 2005)

I watched a vid of this guy with his 8 foot RC F-14. That was pretty awesome, I can't imagine the price of the thing. And this guy is cool, too.


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## Toneman (Feb 4, 2005)

Very nice Frank!
I bet they are lots of fun to fly on a nice day like we had today
Tony


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## Crofter (Feb 4, 2005)

Almost all the movie crash scenes are done with radio controlled models unless they can be synthesized digitally. The detail and scale reality is awesome and the pilots skill is nothing you learn in a year either. As you say Al the problem with disorientation is very real. Some full scale pilots are pretty lost on remote control. It usually takes at least as long to learn as flying a real one. A competant model flyer can pick up a full scale in half the time, because the control inputs are the same, though the feedback and feel is different. my younger son is taking pilot lessons and progressing well. The model flying really helped. Course the 100 bucks an hour cost is a bit of a drag.


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## glens (Feb 4, 2005)

Well at least they're only Canadian bucks!

You gonna have Ed go through those engines for you?


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## Crofter (Feb 4, 2005)

I dont know whether he has any porting tools that small. But ya never know, he may have tricks up his sleeve we haven't seen; Ed plays a long game!


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## Crofter (Dec 8, 2005)

*The only difference in a man and a boy is the price of his toys.* How about some pictures of your toys or hobbies.


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## ShoerFast (Dec 8, 2005)

*Here is one hobbie*

Frank
Here is one hobbie, the only thing I ever seen that starts on the first pull, everytime. 
This is a Doc - Bar mare that could just hit 40mph


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## Crofter (Dec 8, 2005)

Now that would give you a rush! She looks in shape to go!
Ye Haw!


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## NYCHA FORESTER (Dec 8, 2005)

my hobby (minus the scope)


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## kf_tree (Dec 8, 2005)

NYCHA FORESTER said:


> my hobby (minus the scope)


 
that's about what i'd expect from a guy who works for the nyc housing authority, but i'm sure you leave the scope on when you keep it in your trunk. .

i'm surprised the nycha has a forester, i thought all there pruning and removal work would go to outside bid's. are you there to over see all the work performed and decide what bids go out? how bout a little job description?


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## Jumper (Dec 8, 2005)

rb_in_va said:


> Those are cool Frank. I didn't know Canada had any UAVs.



We did but they all crashed in Kabul while I was there.


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## 338RUM (Dec 9, 2005)

Crofter, I only have my Tiger 60 with an O.S. 91 4 stroke..Will have to see how it does with Ski's this winter as well...

Safe flying
Duane


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## NYCHA FORESTER (Dec 9, 2005)

> that's about what i'd expect from a guy who works for the nyc housing authority, but i'm sure you leave the scope on when you keep it in your trunk. .


That gun cannot be possesed in NYC.... it is considered an evil assault weapon.... thats another reason why I don't live in the city.


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## Crofter (Dec 9, 2005)

338RUM that should be a pretty hot performer. 4 stroke glo seem a bit crankier in the cold than 2 strokes, but may main problem is keeping my hands warm. Works good with two flyers so you can pass the transmitter back and forth and warm up your hands. never got around to making a radio mitt..I crashed the fazer this summer: flew it over my head and when it came out it was against the sun. Got mixed up in orientation and did a figure 9 into the ground. Fixable but waiting.


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## Kneejerk Bombas (Dec 9, 2005)

I saw a guy flying battery powered airplanes. The new batteries are really powerful, as are the new rare earth magnet motors. It was really impressive, and hard to believe it was battery powered. He could fly straight up, stop in mid air, then accelerate straight up.


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## Crofter (Dec 9, 2005)

Hey mike, you got that right. I have been drooling for an electric. The castor and alcohol ones are such a pain to clean up ( the oil mix is 6 to 1) Electric used to be so heavy that performance really sucked but the new Litium Ion batts and brushless motors are times more efficient. Still about double the price tho to put a plane in the air.


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## ShoerFast (Dec 9, 2005)

*Plane on hood can melt the tires!*

Frank
Did you know that if you put an electric plane on the hood of your truck, facing forward and start to drive as you throttle up the engine, matching the rotation of the tires with the speed of the truck, so the tire speed is zero. 
That you could burn the tires right off that thing, wrecking the hood of the truck!

A friend of mine is getting his true turbine F-16 just about dialed in, he got his time with an electric F-86,,,, he thinks that he will have very close to the same flight with the jet.

If money (and the art of making it,,,,,,,time) wasn't an issue, I would like to build a 4 moter Air force 1 out of spruce (747's are just my fav.) (and nothing has more slats and flap's, I think it could get right down and dirty slow!) This is just a dream idea, but use an engine out of a line trimer (or about) to drive a generator (and batteries) in the belly,,,,, An after the winning of the lotto idea!
,,,,, A dehaveld -7 is my second fav! a fine piece of Canadian engineering!


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