Enjoy...
Pictures: Nigel Chippindale
Stetson Flyers Mall Show – May 2, 2008... The Stetson Flyers were out in force at the Place d’Orleans Shopping Centre on May 2 with a static display including a computer running RealFlight Flight Simulator 4.
The show was a huge hit with the mall patrons and there was a lot of interest from some in our hobby. Certainly we have raised awareness of our Club and may have some new guests at the next meetings.
Thanks goes to Dan Marcotte for organizing the event and attending the booth for the entire day, to Don Glandon and the many others who brought out the planes for display and also spent time in the booth, and to the members who attended the various shifts during the day to talk with the public.
A special thanks to Place d’Orleans Shopping Centre for making the space available to us.
John Jackson.
Pictures: John Jackson
The April meeting... was well attended perhaps due to the good weather lately and the need to get out of the house.
It was great to see and hear a large number of new members stand up and introduce themselves, the numbers are always a good thing for the club.
The field was discussed and although it is still very wet and marginal for use, hopefully the weather will hold and dry things out... fingers crossed for the next couple of weeks.
Bring 'n' Brag... featured Jim Brown's new Reaction 54 an as yet unflown Wren54 RIII turbine powered kit he brought and built from Bruce Tharpe Engineering.
Jim says the all wood kit is extremely well made and builds the same. The approximately 20lb model should fly very well with the 14lbs of thrust from the Wren.
There is around 100 hours of work in this to date and features Ultracote covering, all digital servos and Robart retracts & brakes.
The Reaction54 will be maidened in the next week or so... looking forward to seeing her fly and congrats Jim!...
Gerry Nadon... treated those at the meeting to a personal tour of the new hangar at the Canada Aviation Museum.
This is a wonderful look behind the scenes at all the aircraft that are being worked on, the new additions to the collection and those ready for the main floor display. This is certainly a not to be missed occurance...
Thanks a lot Gerry!...
Vintage Wings... have released their summer schedule for airshows and open days. This is a must-see for warbird and aviation enthusiasts alike!
The March meeting... contained a couple of surprises in the Bring 'n' Brag section. First up when walking through the door is Richard's four year old Ultimate, own design, plan and build is now two pounds lighter after being recovered with Ultracote, he replaced the landing gear and chopped 5" off the 80" wingspan. It will be good to see the ZDZ80RV powered bipe take to the air again this spring.
He expects it to snap and roll much better after these modifications... Well done Rich!...
Next up was Dave Asquini's mammoth 38% Great Planes Extra 330 measures in at 110.5" wingspan, 103" long and has a DA-150 twin engine.
It features a 32x10 prop, servos for the ailerons have 4x5945's, elevator 5955's and rudder 3x5925's. Dave estimates that it will weigh in at around 37 pounds. It will be great to see this monster in the air...
Lastly Jerry Nadon presents Richard Robichaud with a recognition award from the Stetson Flyers MAC for the support of the hobbly, the club and our members. Congratulations Richard...
Another worthy mention was Rene Lepage out at the field on Sunday March 30 practicing the basics with his Eagle 2 trainer to earn his wings. The field was covered with firm crisp snow and the sun was shining, almost warm! Yes, almost... I'm surprised there wasn't more out enjoying a break in the snow. Good job Rene, keep it up!
The February meeting... was met with enthusiasm, I'm sure in part due to the marvelous weather we have been enduring and the overwhelming desire to get out and do anything aeromodeling related.
Amongst the items brought along for Bring 'n' Brag was Gary Baughman's scratch-built Advance... a pattern plan from long ago. After a crash last summer that resulted in significant damage to the fuselage and wings, it was repaired to this condition for the upcoming summer (it is coming!).
It is powered by a SuperTigre 60, has a 63" wingspan and weighs around 7lbs... Good luck Gary!
Next up was Don's KMP Bearcat featuring a OS 120 for power. Currently its tail-heavy and will need around 4lbs of noseweight to balance. Looks great, can't wait to see it in the air...
Lastly, Wayne Smith receives a gorgeous framed print from Gerry Nadon for his Best of show aircraft during the Canada Day celebrations at the Canada Aviation Museum 2007. Congratulations Wayne...
The January meeting... was a chance to catch up with friends and fellow flyers post Christmas and New Years, and let everyone know what each other has been upto. A good selection of items were bought along for Bring 'n' Brag following the official meeting.
Richard Barlow, MAAC President and Claude Melbourne, Zone director presented Gerry Nadon with an award recognising his significant contribution to the hobby, the Stetson Flyers club and aviation in general... Congratulations Gerry!
Scott Brought along his new Extra for all to admire. Made by Extreme Flight R/c, this 88.5" wingspan monster features a DL50 for power, state of the art construction and laser cutting and should have a ready-to-fly weight of around 15lbs. Very impressive!
Dan literally unboxed his KMP FW-190 before our eyes and unveiled an amazingly complete ARF including CNC hardware, functional struts and a complete air retract system! The glasswork is exceptional and I'm sure many are looking forward to seeing this addition to the every growing number of warbirds slated for summer.
Andre Matte and Dave Martin discuss Dave's Super Beaver project. There is a lot of work in this aircraft as there is little in the way pre-shaped anything. Good luck with this one, keep at it!
Finally yours truly bought along a DL50 sporting a Keleo Creations scale functional exhaust, a Sierra Prop extension and NRG Soloprop unit featuring a ground-adjustable pitch 18" propellor. Yes, this is a flying setup and should prove to be interesting. I have a thread in RCU if you are interesting in following the project, there is plenty to keep you interested or laughing...
I went to the club field today... something I haven't done since the snow started and was not too surprised about how much snow there was. All of us who live in Ottawa and have been out shoveling it since it started in late November, but for those who haven't been out lately or live in warmer climates, the following pictures say it all.
Scott, Ed, Eric and I arrived in somewhat tropical temperatures (+7C) and caught up on happenings over the Christmas period, followed by Ed and Scott flying their heli's for a while.
Rick Ramalho had the prestigious honour of being the First to Fly 2008 on New Years day, congratulations Rick!
All good fun, I highly recommend putting ski's on your plane or heli and get out there on the milder days... winter is not just for building... Goose.
The October club meeting... went very well and included voting in a new executive. The club is in good stead with over 100 members and continues to be a great organisation in which to belong.
Thanks must go to Scott and his work over many years as the club president along with the entire executive who all put in plenty of free time and money to ensure the smooth running of the club. Stepping down to spend more time building and flying, his title has been handed over to Don Glandon... Good luck!
The 'Bring 'n' Brag' included three interesting items including George Landry's plans for a 1/4 or 1/3rd scale cub 
, Don's Hurricane 
, and a gorgeous scratch built electric ME109 by Rick Williamson. 
The after meeting movie was How to assemble a P47 Thunderbolt in the field which was both entertaining and amazing. See you all next month!.
Autumn flying at the Stetson field... has continued with excellent weather for this time of year, evident by the numbers who are showing up to fly.
The club continues to have an excellent safety record due almost entirely by members continuing to uphold the rules and safety regulations however some days just don't go to plan. Poor ole Dan lost his Great Planes Yak 54 when it went into the trees at the West end of the runway. It sounded like a gunshot as the trees reduced this lovely ship to nothing...
Not too long afterwards Mike successfully executed what is quickly becoming his signature move... the Outside snap-roll at 50' AGL followed by a power stall. Affectionately called the pancake, Mike's Hangar 9 Extra 260 is the second aircraft this move has planted firmly in the ground.
Fortunately the damage is minimal and it should be back in the air soon. Good on ya Mike...
It wasn't all doom and destruction, some great flying was had and we got closer to the warbird formation shot... something I have yet to achieve...
I was very happy to see the size of the crowd at this years memorial day, many thousands ventured out and the good weather, I'm sure, was a contributing factor in the turn out. The same was true for the field on the same day. It seems the 'fly before the snow' curse struck Ed's gas heli in the form of gear failure and a subsequence crash and Joe's Camel ground looped and destroyed the landing gear. I can't tell if its coincedence or the subconscious desire for a new model for next spring. Either way a great day of flying was had by many...
Stay tuned for the next update and look out for the new 'For Sale' page that is under construction...
Cheers... Goose.
Stetson Club Meeting at Vintage Wings September 25 2007. Oh boy! If you missed this night, you missed a treat!.
The September meeting was held in the main hangar at the absolutely amazing Vintage Wings of Canada. This superb facility is home to Mike Potter's collection of incredible flying museum pieces and is run and maintained by a modest group of individuals, most of which are volunteers.
Apart from the visual feast for aircraft enthusiasts, staff pilot Rob Erdos generously gave his time to talk us through each of the aircraft in the hangar including true stories about the specific aircraft, and very interestingly, all the quirks and tricks to flying these magnificent machines.
Below are some pictures from the night, look out for the Hurricane project in the background, our own club legend Stu Poulin being reaquainted with his mounts and of course the kings of WWII;- the Spitfire and Mustang.
Enjoy these few images and be sure to see the rest here...
Stetson Flyers Giant Scale Rally 2007. is a two day event that draws pilots and spectators from wide area to partake in flying
in a relaxed atmosphere with friends, catch up with old friends, make some new ones and enjoy a roast pig dinner at the end of it all.
Being giant scale requires that aircraft be over 80" in wingspan or 1/4 scale or larger... 60" for biplanes. These large aircraft are equally
awesome to watch for builders and pilots as they are for the public. This years attendees bought a fantastic array of planes from all vintages and types.
This year started as it has for the last two... cold, windy and raining. Quite frustrating as we have been flying all summer in shorts and T-shirts getting
sunburnt and enjoying all day flying till sundown. Despite the weather, pilots showed up, registered and went about the business of flying. Nothing was
going to deter this two day fest.
Sunday lived up to its name and bought clear blue skies and warm sunshine with the wind running down the strip, bringing many back for another days flying.
Enjoy these few images and be sure to see the rest here...
Vintage Wings Open Day. Whilst this was not a Stetson event, many members were there, taking in a great day of aircraft and nostelgia.
A perfect day saw temperatures in the high twenties and a cool breeze convincing hundreds of people to attent and enjoy the festivites.
The highlights for your webmaster was (of course) the Mustang, Spitfire and Hurricane, but I very much enjoyed the Pitts Special, Parachute display, F18 Hornet and many others!
Take a pictorial look at what happened here...
The Stetson Heli Fun Fly was a great success this past weekend.
An 8"x10" Print ready version of this picture is available here...
A beautifully sunny and warm day with a steady breeze blowing in from the WSW saw around 35 helicopters and pilots along with another 20 or so spectators for the Stetson Heli Fun Fly on Saturday the 11th of August.
The usual gamut of aircraft was present, including everything from 400 sized electrics to scale, to glow and gas powered ships to the mighty turbine. A favourite of many was Jeff's T-Rex 600 with a Thunder Tiger MB530 fuselage made for the Titan... it looked and flew fantastically...
Michel Carrière managed to win an awesome JR radio in the pilots draw generously donated by Richard from Discount Hobbies! See more pictures from this great day here!
High-res versions of my pictures are displayed here...
Canada Day was a great success July first...
This was a chance for the Stetson club to give thanks to the Aviation Museum in Ottawa and there was a good turn out for the event.
Plenty of full scale aircraft were present including Mike Potter's Spitfire to keep the crowd entertained followed by the Stetson pilots putting on a demonstration of
flying all types and sizes of models.
I didn't get as many shots as I would have liked due to user error, but there are a few shots below to give you an idea... enjoy! (click the DC3)
Field Day! was a great success this past weekend.
22 volunteers showed up for a good hard days work and left at the end of a beautiful day leaving the field looking awesome.
A delightful mix of blood, sweat, paint, bugspray and burgers (thanks John) I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised the next time you are at the field.
Have a look at some pictures that were taken on the day here...
Take a look at the effort that Michel Carrière has put into his new field box!
This impressive piece of work sports all the neccessary items such as a padded plane cradle, large fuel jug and pump, power panel and that all to important area in the middle to carry all the bits and pieces needed for a day at the field.
Michel didn't indicate if this is a kit or not, but do check out the excellent artwork and metallic paint job... very nice!
Here are a couple more pictures of the fieldbox (1) & (2), time to move on to some planes Michel!
