Modern beach equipment for the model aeronautically-inclined

Posted on October 22, 2017 by

This article is a part of the Ogunquit in September Guide I am writing, for the model aeronautically-inclined. Obviously, those who enjoy flying radio-controlled planes at a beach will find this article useful. But I am also certain that any modern man or woman planning a trip to the beach will not want to miss this one.

Hauling your beach equipment through sand shouldn’t be hard labor

I know it, because I’ve spent countless nights before the trip googling for the best beach equipment to bring, to no avail. If you are looking for novel contraptions that solve known problems with ancient beach equipment technology, you will not be happy with what you find online today. Even Google isn’t smart enough to weed out hastily-assembled, so called “top ten beach equipment” websites that simply scout Amazon for highest-ranking sales. YouTube is full of computer-generated videos with screenshots stole from above-mentioned “top ten beach equipment” websites. And most search engines nowadays only want to show you online shops, because… that’s how they make money.

This leaves old fashioned research work as the only option. I read and combed through tons of user reviews, and wrote notes. The trip proved that I did find the right beach equipment to buy. I don’t monetize my blog. I have no skin in the game. You can trust that when I talk about a product and link to a page, it’s simply because I personally like the product.

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Ogunquit in September – for the model aeronautically-inclined

Posted on October 16, 2017 by

This is a guide to upcoming articles I will be publishing on Ogunquit, a small town at the southern tip of Maine. The guide serves as a preview to these articles, before they are written and published, showing the beautiful Ogunquit river, the town and the beach named after it, in mid September. This was when kids were force off the beach, back to school, and just before the autumn arrived in full force. Some articles will explore the Marginal Way, Perkins Cove, Cape Neddick, York, Wells, Kennebunkport and plenty of public beaches in the area. Some will focus on hotels we’ve stayed at – the Tidal Suites at the Norsemen and the Ocean Terrace Rooms at Cliff House. There will be plenty of 360° panoramic photos that can be viewed with the Google Cardboard – some scenary simply cannot be experienced without the use of VR.

I’ve also brought the current obsession of my life together with travel and videography. Most of these articles will be of interest to those who are model aeronautically-inclined. While I did not have room to bring big model airplanes, I did pack two micro airplanes and a variety of kites. While flying a sailplane on the peaceful and expansive Ogunquit Beach proved to be a relaxing pastime, fighting the precarious Bald Head Cliff in inclement weather against a stormy sea turned out to be quite challenging. Equipment for the pursuit of a frustration-free beach flying will be presented as well.

In short, these will be articles I wished someone had already written, for people like myself. But I did not find them online, despite vigorous googling before I departed for vacation.

Did I mention that I adopted a pet seagull during this trip?

Pictures I’ve taken on a meager iPhone will be culled, and the remaining usable and useful ones uploaded to Wikipedia, for illustrations on various relevant articles, continuing my series of Wiki Vacations (from here and there). Articles will then be revised to link to full-resolution images on Wikimedia, for what these mediocre iPhone pictures are worth.

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A Resurrected Ornithopter – the Flytech Dragonfly

Posted on June 29, 2017 by

The Flytech Dragonfly was one of the most innovative flying toys when it came out in 2007. It was the first radio-controlled ornithopter mass-produced for the general public. Sadly it is no longer available for purchase. To add insult to injury, there has been nothing in the market for ten years that delivers remotely the same level of giddy fun for the money. Some recent event reminded me of the Dragonfly from WowWee, so I went through boxes in my basement to find the two units I bought in 2007.

Dragonfly With Remote

Brand new Dragonfly with remote control

Unfortunately their tiny lipo batteries have since gone bust. With help from ancient posts on rcgroups.com, I managed to resurrect one of my dragonflies with a new setup. It allows me to reuse abandoned lipos from my Blade Nano QX which I have aplenty. Suddenly I no longer need to wait for 20 minutes between flying sessions to charge the built-in battery. I can now effectively fly it non-stop by plugging in replaceable batteries.

Resurrected Dragonfly ready for its maiden flight. A 1S 180mAh lipo is inserted from behind.

Resurrected Dragonfly ready for its maiden flight. A 1S 180mAh lipo is inserted from behind.

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HHAMS Paintball Event by DMS Films

Posted on June 26, 2017 by
HHAMS Paintball Event - video by DMS Films

HHAMS Paintball Event – video by DMS Films

One of our newest members turned out to be a professional filmmaker and FPV guy. He made a short video of our annual paintball event where kids turn up in droves to try to shoot at model planes. In a decade we had not had a film made of this event at the Hempstead Harbor Aero Modelers Society. Everyone at the club are duly impressed. Click on the image above, or this link, to watch it.

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Ode to FlightLineRC 1300mm Focke-Wulf Ta 152 H-1

Posted on June 8, 2017 by

This is not a real “ode”. And I don’t know how to write one. Nevertheless I find myself compelled to publicize the greatness of this model warbird, after flying it time after time in the last month. I am talking about the FlightLineRC 1300mm Focke-Wulf Ta 152 H-1.

Battle-tested TA 152. It has suffered runway rash, and has lost all plastic guns and cannons.

Battle-tested TA 152. It has suffered runway rash, and has lost all plastic guns and cannons.

Unlike a few occasions in the past where I felt the need to praise some planes (e.g. Extreme Flight Laser) but sat on the idea, this time I actually decide to comment on rcgroups.com. It was then only natural that I consolidated my comments into a quick article here.

If I must use one sentence to describe this 3S-capable plane, I would say that, when run on a 4-cell 2,600mAh lipo, it turns into a graceful speed demon in the sky.

Update 2017-07: the ESC on the plane they shipped me was apparently faulty. It burned up midair and the plane crashed. Sigh. After making some noises on rcgroups.com, I got a call from MotionRC. And I explained that the product pages (for the plane, for the 2-blade prop, etc) should clearly say that the 2-blade prop can only be used with the motor upgrade, as part of the “High Power Upgrade Set”.

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Restaurants – Sarasota wiki vacation part 5

Posted on April 5, 2017 by

This is part five of the Sarasota Wiki Vacation series. This trip to the Sarasota barrier islands yielded a large number of pictures which I’ve added to various Wikipedia articles. The unusually-long post I wrote became too long and unfocused. It is about 90 pages long. I am now breaking it up into specific posts by location and theme.

This one is about restaurants we we stumbled upon in this trip. I loved them, and their food. In the order we visited them: Mar Vista, Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar and Ophelia’s on the Bay.

Ophelia's on the Bay

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Siesta Key – Sarasota wiki vacation part 4

Posted on April 5, 2017 by

This is part four of the Sarasota Wiki Vacation series. This trip to the Sarasota barrier islands yielded a large number of pictures which I’ve added to various Wikipedia articles. The unusually-long post I wrote became too long and unfocused. It is about 90 pages long. I am now breaking it up into specific posts by location and theme.

This one is about Siesta Key. We visited three beaches on this barrier island: Siesta Beach, Crescent Beach and Turtle Beach.

Folks Enjoying Sunset at Siesta Beach

The immensity of Siesta Beach

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Lido Key – Sarasota wiki vacation part 3

Posted on April 5, 2017 by
Adventure Kayak Guided Tour Cormorant among the Fleet

Watching a dolphin breach

This is part three of the Sarasota Wiki Vacation series. This trip to the Sarasota barrier islands yielded a large number of pictures which I’ve added to various Wikipedia articles. The unusually-long post I wrote became too long and unfocused. It is about 90 pages long. I am now breaking it up into specific posts by location and theme.

Chatting with Locals at Lido Beach

Enjoying lobster rolls at the beach

This one is about our trip to Lido Key, comprising an ecotour in the morning of the Sarasota Bay and its red mangrove trees, and a visit to the Lido Beach in the afternoon.

Previous posts on this series can be found at:

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World’s Largest Miniature Circus – Sarasota wiki vacation part 2

Posted on April 4, 2017 by

This is part two of the Sarasota Wiki Vacation series. This trip to the Sarasota barrier islands yielded a large number of pictures which I’ve added to various Wikipedia articles. The unusually-long post I wrote became too long and unfocused. It is about 90 pages long. I am now breaking it up into specific posts by location and theme.

This one is about The Howard Bro. Circus, undisputedly  the world’s largest miniature circus, located within John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Ringling Museum Scale Model Circus Entrance

1:16 Scale Model Circus – Main Entrance

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Anna Maria Island – Sarasota wiki vacation part 1

Posted on April 4, 2017 by

This is part one of the Sarasota Wiki Vacation series. This trip to the Sarasota barrier islands yielded a large number of pictures which I’ve added to various Wikipedia articles. The unusually-long post I wrote became too long and unfocused. It is about 90 pages long. I am now breaking it up into specific posts by location and theme.

This one is about Anna Maria Island, also known as the Anna Maria Key, where we explored Coquina Beach, Cortez Beach, and marveled at cast-net fishing at beautiful sunset.

Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island

Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island

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