Bob, Leonard, (and whoever else showed up Sunday morning) were tougher than most of us who wussed out on the earlier morning temperatures and wind. Later in the day, however, about a dozen LAFFers gathered shortly after noon and had a fine afternoon of flying, totally unlike many mid-November days. The accompanying photos show two of our newest members, Nathan Mills and his son, Brandon, as well as a mysterious masked figure who appears to have bad intentions toward Greg Steen’s new “Mini-Tundra”, out for its first flight. Also going aloft for the first time were Harold Anderson’s new “Gripen”, Mike Lights EDF “Viper”, and Greg’s re-constituted “Grand Tundra”. It was a nice reminder of how kind Mother Nature can be on occasion.... Read More

“Another beautiful day in the neighborhood,” as Mr. Rogers used to say. We had a good array of electric jets, thanks to Mike Light, Harold Anderson, and Leonard Baker. Steve Jakubiszyn had a great running OS .95 on his “4-60”; Don Haines got some stick time in with two foamies; Bob McFadden and Leonard Baker had their usual good flights on their gassers. Dan Nicar made his presence known up and down the flight line, and Tom Regan showed us things that an Ugly Stik shouldn’t even be capable of doing. Harold Anderson was kind enough to let me get some flight shots of my new OS-powered “4-40”. I’m happy to say it flies just like the other planes in the “Doc” Mathews series of designs from the 80s—in a word—“Well”! Here are a few shots of its maiden voyage. Good weather is forecast for tomorrow also, so join the group while you can!
–Larry... Read More

Well, it wasn’t exactly how we envisioned “Warbirds Over the Wichitas” weekend (postponed until Oct 9-10), but it still turned out to be a morning of good flying and good fellowship. Members flew sport planes, 3-D ships, WWII Warbirds, jets of several types, gliders, and the occasional egret, although no one claimed ownership of a flight close to 1000 feet up and riding a thermal out of sight. Mother Nature was kind to us again, and what started out a tad breezy in the morning, resolved itself to thermals and some nice glider flying as the morning went on. Attached are a few shots of the variety of planes assembled and flown by some 15 members present. As the adage goes, “A good time was had by all!”

— Larry

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This morning’s weather could not have been more beautiful, with a very light and shifting breeze that made everyone question which way the wind was coming from. I was pleased to get the long-awaited maiden flight on my “4-120 Bipe”, thanks to Harold, and I’m pleased to say the plane held true to the heritage of the whole ACE R/C series, kitted back in the 80s. The hit of the morning was Don Haines just-completed and gorgeous Sterling “Spitfire”, another kit from several decades ago. Don did a terrific job on the build, the covering, and the immaculate cockpit details. While it wasn’t quite ready to fly, it certainly was eye-candy for all who were there.... Read More

Fourteen LAFFS members showed up Saturday for flying and the May monthly club meeting at Elkins Field. While a major decision to postpone the highly anticipated “Warbirds over the Wichitas” until October was the major item of the business meeting (details will be forthcoming), three new airplanes also made their appearance for the first time at the field. Steve Bell’s new Freewing T-33, Harold Anderson’s Freewing F-16, and Mike Light’s E-Flite P-51 Mustang all put in successful maiden flights and impressed the spectators with their looks and performance.... Read More

Nine LAFFERS took advantage of the last of April’s weather today and flew at Elkins Field this morning. Light westerly crosswinds resolved themselves to being mostly from the south as the morning went on. ... Read More

Those of us who have been following Harold Anderson’s efforts to get his new Freewing AL-37 converted to its military counterpart have been anxiously awaiting its first flight. Fortunately, yesterday’s early fog cleared and allowed that to happen–in addition to three more flights! It was worth the wait. Attached are selected shots from those four flights. Harold is to be congratulated on doing an outstanding job of refurbishing the plane, and adding the appearance of the first jet airliner to the list of planes that have flown at Elkins Field.

— Larry

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Although our annual “Wingz-n-Dawgz” day was a bit on the nippy side early in the morning, by 10 o’clock after everyone was registered, it became more flyable–save for the crosswind from the west. Fortunately, that wind shifted to more of a southwesterly direction and didn’t seem to impact flying that much as the day went on. We were pleased to welcome participants from the West Side R/C Club in Yukon, and a contingent that made the long trek from the Amarillo RC Club to be with us, most of them for the first time. We heard many compliments on the field and particularly the Wichita Mountains flying backdrop that we tend to take for granted far more than we should.

Of special note, we were glad to welcome Matt Biga back from the Mid-East where he had been assigned to an air base in Qatar providing air to air re-fueling services in his capacity as a tanker driver. While we have always been astonished at his skill with fixed wing RC aircraft, we were even more impressed with his outstanding skills as a heli pilot. Who knew? He and Harold Anderson provided some entertaining team flying with their Cessnas, Avantis, and Vipers.

Probably the hit of the day was Kris Frost’s Tundra that was rigged to drop a sky-diver from a bottom hatch. Still missing in action are the parachute and its occupant, who, when dropped on their final flight from about 200 feet in the air, did not drift down as they had been doing, but snagged a thermal and disappeared out of sight overhead and to the north and east as the thermal refused to let go of then.

The considered opinion of all the LAFFS members present, was that this was the best and most successful “Wingz-n-Dawgz” we have had the pleasure of hosting. Thanks goes to Bob McFadden, who ramrodded the effort, and all of those members who volunteered in mowing the field; registering the participants; cooking the noon lunch; running the contest event; schlepping all of the equipment, tables, and shelters needed; and generally helping out in every way imaginable to make it an excellent event. We were heartened by the many comments from our out-of- town guests who expressed their appreciation for the event–and promised to be back again next year. Well done, everyone!

–Larry

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