HPA

General Forum => Introduce yourselves => Topic started by: Konrad on Dec 28, 2025, 05:09 PM

Title: Hi, I go by Konrad, I’m a toy airplane enthusiast!
Post by: Konrad on Dec 28, 2025, 05:09 PM
Hi, I go by Konrad, I'm a toy airplane enthusiast! Not a drone pilot!!!!

I started down this road when I was 8 with a small Comet Nieuport. 2 years later I finally got a model to fly. It was a Phantom Fury.
Along the way I was give many worn out or damaged Cox and Testor engines. These taught me the mechanics and chemistry of combustion. This reached its logical conclusion 15 years later with 4 invites to Road Atlanta (in several SCCA classes).
Developed the machining skills and engineering chops to have built the FAI F3D pylon engines that won  the 1998 USA Nats. (my 15 minutes of fame)
While in Everett Wa. I spent a lot of my free time converting many of the scale rubber-band models of my youth to full house RC ships.
Moved back to San Francisco Ca. and am now active in RC slope soaring. With a detailed focus on FAI F3F racing.
Still have a love of seeing my stick & tissue models fly on their own (assuming the winds are low).
Title: Re: Hi, I go by Konrad, I’m a toy airplane enthusiast!
Post by: Steve85 on Dec 28, 2025, 05:13 PM
Hi Konrad,

Were you by chance a member of RC Groups ten years or so ago?  If so, we had had some good discussions on converting Guillows models to RC...

Steve
Title: Re: Hi, I go by Konrad, I’m a toy airplane enthusiast!
Post by: Konrad on Dec 28, 2025, 08:07 PM
YES!
Those were good times trying to get those model to fly like we dreamed they could, in our youth. The RC technology was just starting to allow for the practical convertion of the Dumas, Guillow, and Comet kits to being real full house RC models.

BTW I really like my models to have control in all three axis. After all well fly in 3 dimentional space. RC assist just looks like an effort to cripple the natural advancement of this fine part of the hobby.

Back in the 80's I tried to control these models on single channel set ups. Today we can fly a Guillow's Piper Cub or Cheroke inverted is we so choose. Got to love how technology keeps moving forward. Otherwise we would only be flying "A" framed FF Pushers.