The best event you’re not attending!
Greg Gimlick
Where were you? When I told you to stay home last year so I could have Triple Tree Aerodrome to myself, I was kidding! Please come back and keep me company. eWeek 2016, held September 28 through October 2, 2016, in Woodruff, South Carolina, was the best ever in terms of weather, but attendance was down. Maybe it was the result of bad weather the previous two years, but this time we had perfect weather all week. The Triple Tree venue is big, and with four flightlines in use, it appeared emptier than it really was. Preliminary numbers look as though there were approximately 300 pilots this year, but it sure didn’t seem like it.
What’s the Fix?
Please let the Triple Tree staff know if you have any recommendations to improve eWeek. I can assure you that they will listen and respond. They work overtime trying to organize the best events possible at the finest venue in the country.
People at the other flightlines don’t seem to venture up to the main area to shop and look around. Should we close one or more flightlines to consolidate the pilots? The tight schedule of events doesn’t really allow for it to be moved. If you have suggestions, please forward them to Mike Gregory at the email listed in “Sources.”
The Good Stuff
The flying and the number of airplanes was excellent. With float flying close at hand and the finest runway anywhere nearby, there was no excuse for pilots to not fly all they wanted—and they did! Any time, day or night, you could see something in the air—everything from helicopters and gliders, to foamies and scratch-built scale airplanes.
Perhaps the most popular aircraft at the event, judging by the number I saw,
The Extreme Flight RC Legacy Aviation Turbo Bushmaster really put on a show!
was the E-flite T-28. Every day at noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m., anyone with a foam speedster was welcome to participate in a mass launch and race. These pilots provided some of the best entertainment anywhere.
Crowd Standouts
Tim Hanstine flew his Extreme Flight RC Legacy Aviation Turbo Bushmaster from the company’s Legacy Aviation line. Spanning 84 inches and weighing 9 pounds with floats, it tore up the sky above the 3-D pond. Power is a Torque 4016/500 motor on 6S 5,000 mAh LiPo batteries, spinning a 16 x 7 propeller.
The Model Airplane News electric columnist, John Kauk, brought his Top Flite Corsair from Kansas and put on quite a show. With a Power 160 motor and a Castle Creations Edge 120 ESC on 12S LiPo batteries, there is no lack of power. John has built a fleet of large electrics, and his column targets that audience.
Jesse Cofer showed off his KMP OV-10 and Halifax in grand fashion. I lost track of how many flights he made, but it seemed that one of them was always in the air. The OV-10 had two Power 160 motors, each with a Castle Creations Edge 120 ESC and 12S 5,800 mAh LiPo battery pack. The propellers are 19 x 8 and the current is approximately 80 amps at full throttle.
The Halifax sports four Skyshark 75 motors, four six-cell 5,800 mAh Zippy Compact LiPo batteries, and four Turnigy Deluxe 100-amp ESCs. The custom landing gear is made by Shinden Machine. The Halifax has a 146-inch wingspan and weighs 45 pounds. The three-blade 16 x 8 propellers are by Master Airscrew.
Quique Somenzini presented his new Cessna 170 from Flex Innovations and put on quite a show. He and Dave Ribbe spent much time answering questions and teaching in the booth. The 87-inch EPO foam Cessna comes as a complete package with perfectly matched components for an incredibly good price. Powered by 4S to 6S LiPo batteries and the recommended power system, it is spectacular!
Quique Somenzini showed off his new design of the Flex Innovations Cessna 170 like nobody else can.
Jesse Cofer’s 12-foot Halifax was extremely impressive!
More Throttle Safety!
Michael Crovello sent me a tip that I had forgotten about. It’s an effective method and certainly easy. Here is what he had to say:
“... to keep the throttle stick on my transmitter from being bumped, I use a couple [of] rubber bands that are tied (looped) to the transmitter handle and routed around the bottom of the transmitter and attached to the throttle stick. This is the quickest (and cheapest) way I have found to apply tension to the throttle and keep it from being accidentally bumped from the off position. I just remove the rubber band from the throttle stick when the flight begins and leave it hanging from the transmitter handle during the flight. I reattach it after the landing is complete.”
It doesn’t get much easier than that! Thanks, Michael.
Wrapping Up
Put eWeek on your calendar for September 25–October 1, 2017, and keep those safety tips coming! I’ll share more photos soon.
SOURCES:
Triple Tree Aerodrome
www.tripletreeaerodrome.com
Mike Gregory
(864) 313-6572
mjoelgregory@gmail.com
