VSC 2K3 The Stuka Stunters

LAST EDITED ON Mar-22-03 AT 07:23 PM (CDT)
 
Our coverage of VSC XV begins with a note of appreciation to our forum host and fellow forum members.

Here is the first known photograph of the Stuka Stunt Works Forum Users Group.

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De Hill (third from left) leads the Stuka Stunt Forum into web history.

This was an experiment in forum community. I posted a note here stating time and place and wanted to see who--if anyone--would show up. I purposely did not make any other announcement, wanting to restrict attendence to those who actually read the forum threads. I thought it would be good to put some names and faces together on the forum and VSC was the only place I knew that forum members would be in one place in any number. As for those of you who read the forum and were at VSC and are not in the picture...well, only you know who you are.

The only person from the forum I had ever met face to face was the redoubtable Serge Krauss. I made arrangements via email to meet Serge and he and I were chatting at a table at the north end of the swimming pool in the courtyard at the appointed time and place.

What I had not figured all the way out was nobody knew me, either. So when nobody came over and asked if this was where the SSWFUG photo was, I kept on talking to Serge, not paying a lot of attention to a small group of stunt pilots that quietly assembled at literally the next table over on the swim deck. When the appointed time came and went with no overt SSWF activity, I figured the plan was a bust and continued to plot stunt design with the physics prof.

Suddenly the group clustered up and one of them got out a camera and took a photo. A dim light bulb went on inside my castor soaked brain and I asked one of the fellows as they were breaking up what had just happened.

"Oh, we're the Stuka Stunt Forum guys getting our picture taken." came the reply.

Chagrined that my plan had unfolded in front of my very eyes without my realizing, I jumped up and got everyone to come back, commandered Tom Morris as ad-hoc digital photographer, and reassembled the gang for the shot above. They laughed, accused me of being a 'lurker' and shuffled into position while Tom peered through the viewfinder.

I said "Smile", no one really did, Tom clicked the digital shutter and the historic moment above was committed to smart media storage.

Then everyone split to check out the appearance judging in the courtyard.

So....

... if you were in the photo, sent me an email and I'll get the caption properly written---I STILL don't know who everyone is! I have a small token of my appreciation to share with the folks in the photo. Lenoard, you are going to have to go in and edit this once the names come in. Some folks will be several days getting back and onto the computer and my edit time limit will be up by the time I find out who they all were.

And thus, modest though it may be, begins the Stuka Stunt Forum User's Group. In one way, the piece was a great success. It went on under the noses of the biggest assembly of stunt pilots outside the Nats and Brodak and no one knew it was happening--including the guy who instigated it. It would be nifty if the other forum members would put together similar efforts at other contests.

In addition to the bodies, here are some other Stuka Stunters at VSC 15.

As always, this and the postings that follow are designed to elicit participation. I don't know the details of the airplanes and people shown, so those of you who do, jump on the thread and add your insights to my images.

Enjoy, all--Here comes VSC 2K3!

Cy

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First of two Stukas on display at the judging and a cockpit detail.

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The prototype RSM Stuka Stunt on display for judging.

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The prototype RSM Stuka Stunt at the airfield. (Steve Holt Photo)

I'm the guy in the hat next to you.
Steve Holt (shholt)

Cy, I'm the one on your right with no hat. I can't believe you didn't get a picture of my Smoothie.

John

>Cy, I'm the one on your right with no hat.

Everybody without a hat was to my right.

Which one were you?

>I can't believe you didn't get a picture of my Smoothie.

I can.

I recall a Smoothie getting away. But then a lot did.

My images and impressions are but one day's worth out of a week, a flash in the pan, a glimmer in the darkness, a fleeting glance at a shimmering mirage.

Someone must have attended the banquet.....

And hats off to the Cholla Choppers for carrying the flame handed off by Mike and JoAnn!

That is the true story I didn't even try to write.

The Cyberflyer

Tucson John, What was the color of your Smoothie? I've got a photo of one that I didn't get the builder's name to go with it. I think it was purplish with yellow trim.

The two Stuka's with clear canopies at VSC belong to Tom and Jerry Chambers and are take-apart ships. I think the yellow nosed one belongs to Tom.

Hi Elwyn, The purple Smoothie is mine. Here's a pic of Bob Palmer holding it. It was good to meet you guys.
John

LAST EDITED ON Mar-26-03 AT 00:11 AM (CDT)
 
>Hi Elwyn, The purple Smoothie is mine.

Isn't the elevator/stab a little larger than normal?

P.S

I still need to know which one you are, L to R in the group photo.

eMail me.

Cy.

LAST EDITED ON Mar-25-03 AT 11:33 AM (CDT)
 
Would everyone except De Hill, Serge Krauss and Steve Holt who is in the photo in the first post on this thread, please send me a private email and tell me which person you are, left to right looking at the photograph.

And De, will you clean out your email? I tried to send you some and it bounced back as mailbox full, can't take any more...

Thanks in Advance.

Cy

De is still out of town, he is extending his VSC vacation and seeing some of the country. He is supose to get back Thursday I think....

LAST EDITED ON Mar-25-03 AT 01:06 PM (CDT)
 
>>"Oh, we're the Stuka Stunt Forum guys getting our picture
>taken." came the reply.
>
>

Cooolllll....

Like a family of its own. Kinda neat.

Brad

Isn't the RSM Stuka a profile plane? Do you remember the wingspan?

Thanks
BobM

>Isn't the RSM Stuka a profile plane? Do you remember the
>wingspan?
>
>Thanks
>BobM

The model at VSC is the prototype for the new RSM kit for the Don Still Stuka. I was not a profile, and the wingspan looked like about 48". Still's original was powered by a Fox 29, so it is not a large airplane.
Steve

At least one of the originals had a Fox 25 in it!

LAST EDITED ON Mar-26-03 AT 04:25 PM (CDT)
 
>At least one of the originals had a Fox 25 in it!

Don Still preferred the 29 over the 35 between 1951 and 1957 or so. The plane he took to the World Champs had the Fox 25 in it (1960?)

The 25 came out in 1955 or 1956, and shortly after that it was changed when the 19's case changed. The first one-piece 19 and 25 had a unique, narrower mounting pattern. After 1957, those two shared the same bolt pattern as the 29/35. The Ares kit (I meant "Ambroid", of course, sorry about that silly goof) came out after he was using 25's, I believe.

That 25 was a sweet-running engine, liked much better than the 35 was, by those familiar with both, although it was just slightly fragile (I bent the cases on a couple of my own from only moderately severe ground impact accidents). Don also liked the 25 very well.

.
Kiwi

I have a Johnson 29 - can't wait for the RSM kit....

>I have a Johnson 29 - can't wait for the RSM kit....

There is a current thread about a Twister flying at 4.7 seconds per lap with an SSW FP 35 and comparing that to the more typically used 5.0-5.3 range. Within that thread, I added a comment about the OTS era's speeds and how it took until roughly 1965 before the average competitors were flying that slowly. I would guess that Still's planes seldom flew as slowly as 5.0 (as I said elsewhere, no one was keeping single lap time marks back then).

Don Still continued flying a faster, smaller, and lower (3 feet in level flight, and most of his Stukas showed scrape marks atop their vertical fins from low outside pullouts) style of pattern. He did run a 4-2-4 with the 25's, although my recollection is that he ran the 29 in a wet two-cycle, rather than in a "classic" Fox run. Thus, your Johnson (small case, right?) should do just fine on a Stuka - the wet 2-C is that Johnson's favored mode.

.
Kiwi

The ones we have fly about 4.7 second laps on 60 foot lines. There is a certain air speed that you must maintain. Excellent flyers at that air speed. It is not all just lap times.

The RSM Stuka, ready to fly, weights 32 5/8 ounces and is pulled by a Leonard Neumann Thunder Tiger .25 doing a 2-2-2 cycle, swinging a Master Airscrew wood 10-5 clipped to a 9 3/4" diameter. It flies great with killer corners and is really fun to fly. At 60' center to center 0.015" braided lines the lap time is low 5's with fairly light but steady line tension, even in a fair wind. With heavy winds 0.012 solids work better. The judges blessed it with 17 appearance points. The quality of the laser cut kit and wood was excellent.

Any pictures or specs on the P51D Mustang that will be coming out also?