The first flight was very successful.

Eternal 2008

Oki's new Eternal is almost done.
It is an electric powered model for the WCH2008 in France.

Wow! We are on a newspaper!
Thank you very much to Ed & Peggy Capitanelli for sending it to me.

We enjoyed a lot in this contest.

Yuhi got 483point of the score!

Nice color of the cakes,
and small party at a hotel room.

A master Bob Whitely.

We went to the "OLD TUCSON"too.

We went to the Desert Museum.

Appearance judging day.

kaz practiced for the OTS event.

After the sleep of 36 hours, Yuhi revived.
We practiced.

Yuhi fell down by vomiting ,diarrhea and fever.
A father nurses him.
As for Yuhi, he has one day for recovery to his official flight.

We had a chance to see a precious memento of Mr.Bob Palmer.

Masaru Hiki has overheating problem of his Fox35.
Smaller prop and larger size venturi should be worked for this problem.

A shopping day.

A practice flight start.

We ate Chinese food at once.

Two world champions were flying their model at the contest site.

This "Quality Inn" dose not have a quality.
Our room has many problems. But we have to endure it.

VSC-20

We are coming to Tucson Arizona!

Masaru Hiki 57Nobler Fox 35 (Classic)
Harumi Sasaki Oriental OS FP35 (Classic)
Akane Sasaki (Supporter)
Yuhi Minato Fancy Pants Brodak 40 (Classic)
Kaz Minato Humongous Stalker 40SE ( OTS & Classic)

Because it was a snow, the Fancy Pants's transportation box was made.

BM COMP-2 PROJECT

I have built a master mold of the BM COMP-2.
This will be a one piece structure
"UNKIND KIT".
This is that you have to spend some time to build. But the it's price will be lower.
I am hoping that it will be able to release on the end of 2008.

The Fancy Pants was completed.
It is ready to fly!

Yuhi pasted the seal of the character to the airframe, and sprayed the clear urethane paints on it.

A father cut out the character that will be pasted to son's airframe by his cutting machine.

After the thought, Yuhi decided to paint a simple blue line on the white base.

It came from the United States so that Mr. David Fitzgerald might purposely confirm the advancement condition of the production of Yuhi's Fancy Pants of playing an active part.

He began to cover the main wing and the tail with a plastic film.

Before spray the final white, he put a canopy on the fuselage.

Yuhi sprayed white paint on the fuselage after fihished sanding the base cort,

He is sanding the putty & sealer on the wood to make flat surface by using #240 wet sandpaper.
Not much baby power remain on there.

The putty is made mixing more baby powders with the polyurethane paints.
Yuhi rubbed it into to grained ditch.

After sanding the base coat,
He sprayed polyurethane sanding sealer that was made by mixing baby-powder into the white paint on the fuselage today.

Yuhi tried painting.
He sprayed clear Polyurethane paint as a base coat at first.

Yuhi's Fancy Pants was wood finished.
It took a little more than 3 months from laid the ribs on the plans
He did about 80% of the whole work so far and he will start covering & painting.
A father helped him to complete the control linkage & disassemble structure.

It will be wood finished with a little more time!

Today was very nice day for flying.
However the fuselage work was proceeded.
He is trying to complete the Fancy Pants till the end of this year.

Today a father was testing the performance of the Stalker 76RE engine with his Blue Max in windy condition.
After flight, Yuhi worked for the rear upper fuselage of his Fancy Pants.

The stab is ready to glue on to the fuselage.

The work for the simple "take-apart" construction was started by father.

Rainy day again.
He finished making stabilizer today.

Today was rainy so we did not go fly.
Yuhi tried to finish the work of the flaps.
It was too dificult for him to make hinge slots so a father did it instead of him.

Installing the weight box today.
He made a too big hole for the weight box by mistake.
A father helped him for fixing it.
And the center planking as next.

A father told Yuhi that the adjustable lead out
guide is the worthy item for CL plane.
So Yuhi decided to put it on the wing tip.

Yuhi is checking the fuselage. And father make the fuel tank.
Amica is looking how to use the solder.

I will help making the linkage and build as disassembleable structure
but he will build it by himself other than that.

FANCY PANTS PROJECT

I decided to come with my 3rd kid Yuhi Minato(11 years old) to the VSC-20 on Mar-2008.
So I chose the "Fancy Pants" for him to bring there.
The reason of this choice is that it says the Fancy Pants flys good in wind
and he will have to fight with famous "Arizona wind"at there.

競技結果

王樹がセニアの部門で優勝しました！
こちらに来てかなり上達しました。
Open:
1. Orestes Hernandez (Walker Cup winner)
2. Derek Barry
3. David Fitzgerald
4. Paul Walker
5. Brett Buck
Sr.:
1. Oki Minato
Jr.:
1. Ryan Young
Advanced:
1. Josias Delgado

TOP5 DAY

いつものようにホテルのコンチネンタルブレックファースト、お気に入りはワッフルにメープルシロップ。
会場では６：３０から飛行可能なので、それにあわせて夜明け前の移動です。
朝は微風、昼近くなって強風条件となりました。

ＴＯＰ２０ DAY 晩

明日の出番は王樹のみ・・夕食はスーパー、アメリカ時代に良く行ったＭＥＩＪＥＲに買出しにゆきました。
・・といってもワインとパンのみ、ついでにガススタンドへ１ガロン３ドルと以前の３倍の価格になっていました。
ちなみにアサヒスーパードライはカナダ製

TOP20 DAY 終了

風は強くなく、良条件の１日でした。
オープンの部　比気８位　ミナト１２位
アドバンスの部　王樹３位
・・みんながんばりました！
皆、それぞれにベストフライトが出来たと思います。
３人がそれぞれ違うサークルで２回づつ、次々に飛さざるを得ないスケジューリングでとても忙しく助手の確保が大変でした。
明日、王樹はセニア（１５～１８才）の部で飛ばします。
・・やっぱり、食事はいつものように一昨日も、その前も、昨日も、今日も「レストラン四川」・・バフェ形式で、スープと大皿山盛り２皿、最後に、クッキーとチョコと山盛りアイスクリームをたいらげます。
明日もかな？？

さて、Nat'sクイズ、「ミナトは何回エンジンをおろしたでしょうか？」の答えは「２回」・・でした。
残念ながら正解者なしでしたね・・パイプの長さ調整の回数は数知れず、持参したインシュロック６０本くらい・・は
ほとんどすべて使いきってしまいました。プロペラも何回変えたことか・・・今思えば、原因は燃料かも？？と思ってます。帰国してからいろいろ実験してみるつもりです。

電動機

PAUL WALKER 氏の電動インパクトのパワーシステムはカナダのスタント屋のKIM DOHERTY氏とコンバット屋のPAT MACKENZIE氏が共同で作ったものだそうです。
今日はKIM DOHERTY氏の機体を見せてもらいました

調整が終わらない・・

今日から競技が始まってしまったのにまだセッティングが煮詰まっていません。
ランディ・スミスのアドバイスでチューンドパイプの同期位置を中間のバッフルに
合わせるために２５ミリパイプを伸ばしまして調整をやり直したのですが、どうもスムーズに
エンジンが回らないし、メリットが実感できなかったので、当日の朝練習で、パイプの長さ
を元に戻し、タンクの位置も変え、ベンチュリーを７．８から７．５にしたらマアマア良く
なったので、これで本番に臨んだところやはりダメ・・
ひとり２軍練習場でアクセクしていて、比気さんの本番の助手もできずじまい・・（すんません・・）
明日にそなえて、プロペラで再調整することにしました。

ひとつの「救い」は王樹の機体は手間いらずで、最初からセッティングがばっちりだったこと・・
私のと王樹のはすべておなじはずなのに、同じようにいかない原因はなんだろう？
たぶん帰国してからその原因が判明するのでしょう・・・

練習日終了

比気さんと王樹はセッティングが決まりましたが、いつものことながら私はジタバタしております。
パイプの長さやプロペラ、プラグに燃料・・・大風の中何回も飛ばして疲労困憊です。
ランディ・スミス氏にいろいろお世話になりました。
とりあえず・・写真のみ投稿します。