Very Slow Lately....

[gera]

Hi Woodchoppers!!!!

Man!!!! its been very silent around here lately!!!!!!.......is it that cold in Canada???...I can understand
those in the good old USA!!!!! being silent.... with those two nuts battling to satisfy their eager ambition to be "Presidente"!!!!!and solve all of America´s problems... what a sorrowful show they are making for all the world to see.....and here?--worse!!!!!!
we also have elections in 2009 and the regular two parties---Thieves No.1 and Thieves No.2" have started
making "promises of cats and dogs and offering to make all happy as kittens".......baloney!!!!! which no one beleives.......in the mean time a Helicopter crashes in a downown store, Taca runs off the runway in tegucigalpa in an airport so dangerous it should ha ve banned 50 years ago...before jets....Gasoline is now US$ 4.69 and its going up....soon we will all drive "Bikes" around here.---seriously: The world horizon is getting blacker by the day gents..............................

Model making?.................on with the SM-79 and have started a CA-101........see you all take care.

Gera

[lastvautour]

Being  very busy starting with brother-in-law visit, followed by sister's wedding (I gave the bride away) and brother's visit. Everyone is gone now and the house is pretty quite indeed. Starting tomorrow, as I have a dart banquet tonight, back to chopping, cutting,sanding etc etc etc...

Weather in Canada's east coast is spring like with apple blossoms aplenty and nice fragrance in the air.  Gazebo went up yesterday to shade myself while whittling outside. Must not get sunburnt. June's ping will be sparse to say the least.

Lou

[animek]

Hi Gera

I think everyone is here and there, doing their summer stuff, mowing grass and taking care of flowers, summer is mostly a general slow period for building scale models.

Politics.. it is mostly not a good subject to talk on a forum (joking),  I'm sure all Canadians knows about what is going on in the south, (me the first), but we don't talk about it much, just to make sure we don't insult anyone.

Gasoline, well here... it is at $5.42 a gallon and with our dollar equal to the US one, we are way ahead on the complaining side   Imagine, they even speak French in Plattsburgh and Burlington to make sure we go from Montreal to take planes in their airports, well they got my vote.  There is a $800 of economy per flight and it just take a 1 hour drive to Vermont or New-York.  Jet blue here I come...Sorry West Jet.  But the other hand, boy I'm I fighting like hell to keep those Chinese products out of the game regarding our jobs, this is killing us more and more.  And the pollution it create related to transport and their trow away products after usage, in the heavy vehicle industry, the Chinese don't recycle at all, and their items are dangerous, this is really bad.  Governments need to take action soon, because not all people are looking at this seriously.

Well I'm alway browsing here from time to time, later.
Ben

[R.F.Bennett]

Just the usual Spring/Summer slowdown Gents. Happens every year about his time.
Yes, Please let's try to keep the outside world off of our minds while we're here Gents.
In the meantime, Busy behind the senses. You may not that the Old SMM Homepage is now completely gone. The new one will be updated soon. Congrats to giving your sister away Lou, if you want another one you can have mine.

[teddon61]

Well, guys, i just finished up a two day show at the Veteran"s Hosp in Milwaukee yesterday. I truely enjoyed it, I took sixty planes there plus some patches, books and Music of WWII.
The commants I receive at these shows keeps me going, It is really exciting to hear the awe in peoples comments when they realize that the planes are carved in wood and not plastic, also, and perhaps the best, is the gratitude of vetrans who can show their grandchildren the planes they flew or worked on during the war.
A lot of planing and work goes into a show, but at the end you usually feel about ten feet tall. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Believe me, those small flaws that you are aware of in most of your work will not be seen by the general public.
I haver a small show at a Milwaukee High School tomorrow and on Wednesday, I will be a two different grade schools in Kenosha, then the outdoor shows start in conjunction with the 82nd Airborne assoc of Southern Wisconsin. Life is good.
Ted Billings
SHOW THOSE PLANES, THE PUBLIC WILL BE GRATEFUL!!!

[cliff strachan]

I think that Ray's suggestion that we all "keep the outside world off our minds" is well timed appropriate and well taken. But there sure was some comic relief in some of the comments made. If only there was a way to introduce the comedy of life into our hobby we would all likely enjoy it more. It was nice to have a chuckle for a change.

I'm still working on the Vedette. As the engine is such a significant part of this model I'm proceeding by trying to draft an engine - more or less - in a scale larger than the 1/72nd scale that I've chose. The intention then is to Xerox it down to the required scale and then try to carve a representation. All this would be impossible if I wasn't able to photograph the Vedette rebuilt by the WCAM. However, one aspect of this is that I doubt that there will be "an-off-the-shelf" perfect competitor to my attempt for a while

I've finally, completed the top wing with the ribbing and settled on a method to attach the rigging. Hope to be able to submit a photo - construction to the painting stage.

And Ted if you could it would be great if you could pass on this year's dates relative to the Oshkosh Airshow. I hope to make it one day and to see your collection.

Cliff.

[RyanShort1]

Well, I posted some new plans last week.

Ryan

[gera]

Hey that was neat................I see you´ll are having fun in summer. Good!

The last show I took one of my planes is quite a story of intrigue, desseption and success!!!! ...

Time: Dec/ 2006........Place: Milan, Italy....Show: Milanese Cavalry Celebration...

Built the SM-81 for the show and got a friend in Latina (below Rome) to take my model for me, when finished went to the local FEDEX office and paid US$ 102.09 to have it shipped to Italy....Box went to
Paris...Amsterdam and entered Italy through Malpensa airport in Milan....went to customs office------
The great Carabinieri or whoever in that forsaken terminal desided it would be a good idea to check the box for dogs, cats, or whatever and proceeded to breake the wings and tail feathers----what on earth did those goons think there was "inside"a solid Model???..........broken model now flies to Rome and is taken to my friend´s home by truck.....when the guy opened the box he almost fainted!!!!! "What do I do Now!!!!!??" was his awfull thought........Show is now only three days away!!!!....He is a "plastic model assembler" so he knows nothing of wood stuff!!!!!!!! aaaaaaaaaaaaRGH!!!!!!!!!....calls a scratchbuilder friend in Rome..." Hey, Gera´s model is a mess!!!! can you try to fix it???....." Sure" he says..."bring it over tonight"............Salvatore (that´s his name) drives 40 km to Rome that evening....work starts around 8Pm
salvaging the messed up "bat".........." Gera asked me how his model had arrived" he tells the salvaging director " Jesus!!! don´t tell him its a mess!!!!!...I´ll patch it up as best as possible and re-paint" he responds wih bulging eyes!!!!!..."when are you leaving to Milano?"......"Tomorrow at 9:00PM"..."What?!!!!!!", well you better call your wife.....this is going to take all night!!!!!!....go get some pizza and a jug of Capuccino!!!!!.............................the plane got fixed, thanks to the talented hands of the scratchbuilder....went to the show.......and got first " Mention" ( what???) for it was the only scratchbuilt job in the show.....................really I was never told this story until we all had dinner in
Latina in July of 2007..............hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..........we had many a bottle of great
Italian "Vino Rosso di la casa" that night.....................great guys!!!!!....
Enjoy your Summer Gents!!!!!............the rainy season is starting here....and not only water is raining!!!!something very nasty hit the fan around here!!!!!!!!!!!..........

The SM-81 "Bat" in its FEDEX box ready to fly to Italy..........



----------------------
Gera
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[Oceaneer99]

Amazing story, Gera.  A bit horrible to hear, but quite a tale!

Garet

[teddon61]

Cliff, this years Oshkosh event is scheduled from July 28th thru Aug 3rd.
They indicate that among many other things, the F-22 Raptors and the Goodyear blimp will be there again this year.
The rocket racing league  will have exibition races as well as the Nemesis NXT "speed blast" world record arttempt.
Warbirds in review programs, with historic aircraft and personalities, pyrotechnics, and flybys.
over 2500 showplanes and more than 800 exibitors.
Am I gonna see you there?
Ted Billings

[gera]

Amazing story, Gera.  A bit horrible to hear, but quite a tale!

Garet

That´s why I am not participating in any model competition anymore!!!!!! hahahahahaha...crazy

[cliff strachan]

Thanks Ted for the dates for this year's Oshkosh Airshow and the outline of main events. At this time I'm still in the consideration or planning stage. But if other plans that seem to be conflicting at the moment can be sorted out I will then be asking for your phone number and will contact you.

Cliff.

[cliff strachan]

Hi Ted,

As there seems to be at least 85% chance that I'll get down to Oshkosh this year at least for a couple of days I'd really appreciate if you could email me your phone number or any other way we might meet. I'm hoping to attend the Winnipeg Fringe Festival (July 16 - 27) for a couple of days and go down to Thunder Bay for a couple of days on the way down or back  to Oshkosh. Yet, anything can still change.

Cliff

[teddon61]

Cliff, my phone number is XXX XXX XXXX, but I must tell you that I will be out of town most of this month. If you call and I don't answer leave your phone number and I will call you sometime around July 14 or 15. I will be at Oshkosh on the 30th of July for sure but can arrange to meet you on almost any day you can make it, I live two hours from Oshkosh.
The info that I have is that the CAF is planning on bringing their Curtiss Helldiver up this year. I hope this is true, the only one I ever saw was at Pensecola Naval Museum in Fla, It will be exciting to see one flying!!!
Ted Billings

Admin Note: Ted, Please send your ph number to Cliff through a personal message. This is not a hidden forum and I'd hate to think of all the calls you might get. You can do so by clicking the pm icon to the right of the small envelope icon under Cliff's name in any of his postings. You must be logged in to do this.
RFB

[cliff strachan]

Hi Ted,

I got your phone # OK. I'll give you a call from the 'Peg soon as I can be a bit more definite about dates.
Cliff