h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi, have you ever built balsa wood rubber band powered model planes? They are great fun, though I hardly ever fly the finished product for fear of breakage (and when I do they usually break). I have built many plastc cars and about five planes.

Hi! Yes, I have, with the inevitable results. Great while they lasted, though. When I was a kid, my father spent hours building me a Kiel Kraft balsa and tissue dope aeroplane, with a Jetex solid fuel rocket engine. After weeks of waiting, we made a test flight in the park. After it landed, Dad made an adjustment to the wings, as it had been a little unstable. Second flight, the thing went into a full power series of widening loops, finally smashing into the ground at high velocity...

Kinda put me off!

Currently, I have a loft full of plastic model aircraft, and a livingroom full of spaceships.
One of my efforts can be seen at;
http://freespace.virgin.net/martianmacrae/eagles.htm
It's a site put up by a freind, but he's lost interest in it now.

I got an error msg for that site? I don't have any pictures of mine but I wrote a bit about my first one, link through my home page.
Rocket power!?! Yeah! the problem (aside from the instability) with the craft I've built is the under powered prop. I'm in the final stages of a Spirit of St.Louis with about a 2.5 foot span, working door, and stabilizer. It has provisions for gas motor, but I figured I would only crash it that much harder so I'm going with the rubber band basically just to hold on the prop.

UM, try putting a full stop between "martian" and "macrae", see if that works.
The afore mentioned friend and myself once spent half a day with some Estes rocket models. Great fun, but a lot of running about on a windy day! He also lived for a while in Newark.
The BBC has a very good little documentary that they show sometimes about model aircraft. It features soap bubble skinned planes being flown in a hangar, and a guy who's radio controlled plane crashes. He walks from the camera to the wreck, and proceeds to kick it to pieces!

Well, that's a good way to insure it won't crash in the future... Maybe it's a good thing he's into models and not the real thing. I saw an interesting program about RC helicopter cameras, that seemed like a fun job. But, also not without frustration, as you saw one of the craft attempting to underpass a bridge, clip a support and tumble to the water. (And Cpt. Kick thought he lost an investment!)

I always wanted to try R/C model aircraft, just couldn't afford it. When I lived in Surrey, there was a guy up the road who had one, but all he did was taxi it up and down in the park. It went too fast one day, and a gust of wind made it take off. He went into a total panic! Brought it straight back down.

I later learned that this was his second plane, he had actually flown the first one, and watched it dwindle into the distance...

So all he did was taxi up and down.

Did you try the link with the extra full stop? On my bench at the moment are: USS Enterprise CVN65, USS Enterprise NCC 1701-C, MIR space station, Space 1999 Eagle Transporter.

And I agree that they should bring back Dangermouse, and also Count Duckula, also by Cosgrove-Hall.

Count Duckula... Hmmm, the name seems familiar but I can't place it.

Yeah I saw the sight, that's a pretty cool model spaceship (Space 1999) I've not heard of the show (movie?). I'll have to take some photos of mine and put them up. I like the Idea of a modelers convention to swap parts and such. I'd never thought of building a spacecraft from scratch but it sounds like fun. The closest I've done is a car kit I bought once came with 3 early (40's?) cars. my friend and I built two of them and left the third and the odd bits in the box. Somewhere along the way I lost the instruction sheet, so when I went to build the last one I made it custom, bit of a lift in the rear, duelie rear tires, and a super charger on the motor.

Oh, I nearly forgot one of my neatest airplanes I made from scratch, I modeled it after a Cessena 150 and made it very small scale, about a 5 inch span, but it has a rubber motor! (and working wheels). I like to think if the atmosphere was a bit thicker it too might fly.

Ah. Nearly all my models are from kits. I've scratch-built a few small space ships. I also have an "Aliens" TM Dropship, to which I added an interior, and lighting, some years back.

You've never heard of Space:1999? But it was made for the American market, in the late sixties/early seventies! It starred Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, straight from Mission:Impossible.
On September 13th, 1999, the Moon is blown out of orbit by a huge explosion. The survivors on Moonbase Alpha are then doomed to meet differnent B grade actors in silly make-up every week, where they are about to be destroyed, but just manage to escape as an alien planet explodes for no particular reason.
Actually, some episodes were not bad in the first season, but they brought Fred Frieburger, (the man who wrecked Star Trek) toproduce the second series. Que even more preposterous stories, costumes and C grade guest stars. After the show with the talking bushes, I gave up.

Talking bushes, you say... Sounds like an interesting premise but I guess it got lost in the exicution.?
don't think I've seen the show though.

I tried to send you an e-mail through your web page, (nice, bye the way,) but due to the stupid way my machine's configured I dont think it worked. I was going to attach one of the scenes I've made as a GIF file. I'll try again later.

Whay SF shows have you seen and liked? We are currently getting "Farscape", which I think is rubbish. The BBC are also re-running "Blakes 7".

Farscape is one of my favourites, really the only show I make an effort to see, what turned you off to it?

I was rereading about Space1999; is the whole moon crusing around in space?!

Yep, the whole thing goes flying off! There are a lot of sites for the show, I'll try and find some addresses for you, or type Space:1999 in your search engine.

Sorry I dissed Farscape, but I just don't think it's very good. We are on the first season, I have read that it gets much better. The Luxan is quite clearly based on Worf, he even talks the same. I HATE the Muppet, as it's clearly what it is. Quite like the women, though...

I went to a local model shop yesterday to get some Evergreen plastic bits. It's actually an R/C shop, and you can barely walk around the place for large model aircraft. I was particularly struck by a large P51D Mustang, one of my favourite planes. Well out of my price range, though.

Cool, I built a balsa P51D and an F4U corsair that came with nice dark blue paper that is just slightly transparent, nice effect. I've also made a Messerschmit and I have a Focke Wulf thats about half way done, but I want to be sure the Allied forces keep superiority. (no offence to any Germans, it's a joke of course.) I have a habit of leaving things halfwa

Did you know the P51 was pants with it's original Allison engine, and only became the plane it did when they fitted a Rolls Royce Merlin engine?

Don't forget the Hurricane and the most beautiful plane ever, the Spitfire! I love hearing them fly over, that engine makes a marvellous sound!!! (Not when they're rubber band powered, obviously.)

Yes, I think I heard that before about the RR motors. Their cars are nice also, I helped work on a silver shadow II, I think it was, the thing was built like a tank and twice as heavy!

I would love to do more flying, must be nice to pilot one of those warbirds, but I'd be happy in a Cessena. I took an introductory flight lesson once, it was $35 for a half hour and the guy went over pre-flight with you and let you do as much as you felt you could. I had a hard time pushing the nose down on final approach, just doesn't feel right heading straight for the ground!

I used to work for the Army, at Middle Wallop airfield, and sometimes I got to go flying. I flew in Bell 47Gs belonging to Bristow Helicopters, and Lynx and Gazelle helicopters. I wish I'd been able to fly more often, but I did see a few accidents, so maybe it was for the best.

McDonnells F/A18 Hornet demonstrator crahed on the base. It had been at the Farnborough show, was heading off somewhere and went wrong. I think the pilot was trying to reach Boscombe Down, but ran out of luck. I saw both the pilots in their parachutes, plus various bits coming down.

That is why planes are in a different category from cars or boats. Planes don't take well to breakdown or the unforseen. Though a boat may sink it's not going crashing to the bottom.

Exactly! If you are on a boat, and it sinks, at least you can try to swim. If you are on a plane and it breaks, you are in a naturally untenable position!