Cobb County Fall Fly-In

I visited the doings at the Cobb Co. Sky Rebels contest today. Weather wasn't great, but a lot going on anyway.

I had a nice conversation with Bob Dixon - very nice man. The picture of his own design plane - "Crystal" - is below. O.S. FS-52 four stroke for power. I went over to talk to him because I thought he was running a pipe; it was so quiet. The four stroke was quieter!

Where do y'all fly?

Well I had no idea these pictures would be here. But the second picture is me and my red Viking and brand new Tucker.The Tucker made it's official flight on it's fourth flight.I had a very odd thing happen with my Viking.I had flown it on Friday and it ran out of fuel two times doing the old time pattern.When I got to Atlanta on Saturday and took a test flight it flew very odd. It was hunting and the outboard wing was dropping a foot in turns.I got through the two flights and the plane was almost un flyable. The outboard wing felt very heavy. I cut open the wing tip and out poured 5-6 ounces of fuel.The plastic wing covering had held it in as as none had leaked out.The outboard wing had the equal of five ounces of wing tip weight.Tom Luper said to me after I had flown THAT WAS A VERY STRANGE FLIGHT. I found it interesting that the excessive wing tip weight would make the plane hunt as the CG had not moved.The Tucker flies great and is powered with a Rustler 40.
Ed Ruane

Tom were you the guy that I was talking to as I was cutting open the wing tip in the parking lot across the srteet?
Ed

sorry - Bob was the only one I talked to - don't know a lot of people yet ...

hey is that derek's oriental sitting "flat" on the pavement in pictures 1 and two??

It was definitely somebody's Oriental. It looked like the asphalt didn't like the landing gear - some cracks in the wing joint, too.

oh man it must be derek's
i hope it wasn't messed up to bad...
the one thing about that site is the surface is not the best in the world, but it is a pretty good location for a contest.

Is it a secret where y'all fly? I live up here in Nashville and might like to cruise down sometime, if it's ok. Are there any combaters in the area? Thanks--JJ

That is Derek's plane on the pavement. He connected the lines up back wards but the plane still went into inside loops on take off and crashed after a few loops. It was totaled, broke the wing and the body and the controls are locked up and they would not move.There were a lot of flame outs and upside down landings but I think that was the only totaled plane on Saturday.I didn't stay for Sunday.
Ed

It seems two of those flame outs and upside down landings were mine. This has become a very very baddd habit. I had two short runs at Paducah earlier this summer and two at Marietta. Same engine, different fuel, same problem. Only this time much shorter runs. Finally, just as he launched it, Curtis Shipp noticed fuel foaming out the back plate of my OS .40LA. Opps, never did get around to replacing the plastic back cover with a metal one. NOW I WILL!! You betcha. Just have to say the TEOSAWKI is one tough bird. All I need is a new rudder, then it will be like 90% of my planes, all have new rudders. One flame out was very simple, the glow plug blew out!! When one places several drops of after run oil on the top of the piston, one is supposed to remember to TIGHTEN the plug. I did four engines one rainy day and the one I forgot to retighten is of course the one I chose to take to the contest for OTS, my blue trimmed white Barnstormer. I do have a check list, but I'll be darned if I can find it. Maybe when I really clean the shop work bench, naw.

Just look for Lockheed on I-75 just North of Atlanta.

I am a former Combat flyer - see the thread on "Bladder Tanks." My problem is that I live on the NE side of Atlanta - closer to the Carolinas. It's almost as easy for me to get to Nashville these days as Marietta - especially since I have a child going to college there. I would love to find someone else interested in flying combat planes around here. It doesn't have to be competition - just trying to fly the pattern with one is a hoot.

Funny thing is, I used to work at Lockheed. Boy, what a commute! I had a giant water tank built with the Lockheed Martin star on it (120 ft dia., 40 ft tall). It shows up in the background of some of the pictures of the Cobb Co. Sky Rebels flying site. Their flying site is actually what's known as the B-1 Parking Lot. The B-1 Bldg is the original building built in WWII to manufacture B-29's. It currently houses C-130 and F-22 final assembly. It's 2000 feet long, 1000 feet wide, and averages 45 tall inside. You can imagine how big the parking lot is! Unfortunately, it looks like a ghost town with the state of military production these days.

I guess the Sky Rebels figured out a good use for all the empty space.

LAST EDITED ON Oct-10-04 AT 06:54 PM (CDT)
 
JJ, being in Nashville puts you in PAMPA district 5, but there is a very nice and closer flying site near you in Paducah, KY. Contact the Dist 6 Rep, Allen Brickhaus, at [email protected] and he can tell you were his club flys at. It's in a park and isolated, so no noise problems. Just off I-24.
As to the site at Marietta, it is, from the north, exit 261. Go west for 3.7 miles and the parking lot is just off the highway. to your left.
Two large contests there each season, usually in May and Sept, but there is a question by the CD as to moving it to Oct due to the weather (hurricane season) and it affects on many of the contest goers. I think this site is only available for these two contests. Best bet is to call Tom Dixon or Bob Dixon and ask them where they fly in the Atlanta area.

Jet Jock
Tom Dixion and the Sky Rebels fly most of their contest at the Lockheed-Martin facility at Dobbins AFB in Georgia.

Jet Jock
Where do you fly at in Nashville?

Charlie Pate

Say hey big guy, it seems Derek and I had a series of conversations Saturday and during that time he was infected with my strange type of contest luck. All bad. He had a very small but dark cloud over him all day Saturday. On Sunday it was a truly new day for him. He stayed away from me. Ha:P

Ty and I helped each other all day and I had no flame outs or upside down landings,BUT my wing did fill up with fuel, hummmmm. Just kidding Ty and I hope we can help each other in Huntersville in two weeks. See you all in two weeks. Be nice to me as I will be one of the judges.
Ed

LAST EDITED ON Oct-10-04 AT 10:53 PM (CDT)
 
"Be nice to me"? Hmmm. Will 50.00 be nice enough??

Just so no one gets their knickers all up in a twist, as Fog Horn Leg Horn used to say, " Ah say boy, ah say, that's a joke son, a joke"

Remember the big white rooster and Henry Hawk?

Ty,
What kind of turn out did Tom have?

HI Mike. It was not as big as last falls. The reschedule and hurricane mess in FL has caused a few to not make it and I know of one that has NASA commitments last weekend. But it was bigger in numbers of contestants than the spring meet, or it seemed like it. Some guys showed up that haven't been to the last few and a few regulars missed this one. School duties, etc.
It went very smooth, with flyers getting into and out of the circles like coreography. One of my club memebers made it this year and since he was the only beginner, went into intermediate and did quite well for his second contest ever.

Anyone have the list of winners yet?

stevie boy

What I have heard, do not know if it is "official"

Expert
1 Derek B.
2 Dale B.

Advanced
1 Roy Tranthum

Intermediate
1 Alex Courtney

hope the skins game was fun...
later,
a.l.

>stevie boy
>
>What I have heard, do not know if it is "official"
>
>Expert
>1 Derek B.
>2 Dale B.
>
>Advanced
>1 Roy Tranthum
>
>Intermediate
>1 Alex Courtney
>
>hope the skins game was fun...
>later,
>a.l.

Dude, the skins stink. It was a debacle. And the parking arrangement is a complete fiasco-thanks Mr Snyder.

I would have better off at Marietta or just out practicing....

Ty,
Did you keep Curtis Ship Straight? Most of the Birmingham group wanted to attend but all the work from the Hurricanes has still got us bogged down. I hope by next week end I will be in Huntersville!

LAST EDITED ON Oct-11-04 AT 04:48 PM (CDT)
 
HI Mike. Curtiss Shipp entered Intermediate because there were no other beginners. Holly launched, I crossed my fingers, and Kent Tysor called the maneuvers by laying next to Curtiss. He did great, kept the Cardinal high, not like me, and did a credible job. His head can't swell, but he is happy. For only his second contest I am impressed. Of course he was last, but up against much more experienced flyers, yet he got a high 300 + score. I think it was a 354 or more. I predict by this time next year, if he is able to practice, will be in the top five of any group of six. Ha ha. I'll probably be in 6th.

For those that don't know me or Curtiss, we are in the same club and he can handle this.

The Cobb County Sky Rebels have a site with the local RC group which is now known as the whomever Modeling Club vice the former Radio Control Club. Honestly though, I think they still fly on a practice soccer field in Cartersville (exit 288, go far west, veer right, more west then a bit north...or so).

For the overabundance of talent in the area, there really isn't much for flying sites.

Jet Jock, I'm ALWAYS looking for someone to fly with and have my own grass circle. I'm located about 1/2hr south of Chattanooga, in Chickamauga, so I'm about halfway between you and Atlanta. I don't fly combat...yet...got some combat models at Brodaks last year and will be killed if I don't know how to fly them by next June.

I'm guessing we have something in common as I'm also a former tailhook airline dude. However, I'm VERY junior and don't have a lot of weekends off (just returned from furlough). Give me a shout.

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