went by, there came a point where the JART told me she was ready. It wasn’t a feeling of I gotta fly this thing or else, it was just, Ok, it’s time, I’m ready and lets go now – or maybe it was that screaming high speed pass I had just completed with the Pike.'

'So first things first – range check. Rock steady at over 200 feet with the aerial down, I’m happy with that! Jase then muscles in and clears the flight line (thanks Jase, Shane grabs the JART ready for launch, it’s a wiggle of the flappers, say three Heil Mary’s and then the march to the toss off.'

'Shane gets the go, and she’s off! A little up trim required, but she’s a pussy cat! Rose up straight and level. CG too nose heavy is the immediate perception. Turns are great, not real tendency to tip stall, in fact she had no bad tendencies at all! A few passes were run at moderate speed, no “whistle” then it’s time to bring her round for a land and CG adjustment.'

'Final turn no hassle, if anything the approach was a little short – I had to walk 12 metres… and she plopped right down there on the grass.'

'5-6 flights were had, where the nose weight was reduced, maybe took out about 7-8 grams. After which she started to feel much better. Then it’s time to get her moving!'

Rolls
JART rolls rock, low rates they are addictive and axial. High rates, they are staggering, accurate and awesome. Medium height pass, snap roll, and dive down for a turn into the valley is a lot of fun.'

'Upside down
As Reed says, “She fly good upside down” The JART has a presence in the air, the nose, fin, platform just looks very cool. Doing an inverted pass is even cooler! A little bit of up stick required on this day, but rock steady looking the wrong way.'

'Thermal
Believe it or not, the JART was thermalling! Turning with the uplift, gaining altitude – even with the ESV wings! Maybe someone should enter a JART in F3J…'

'Pumps
Split essing out from altitude after a thermal climb is where the Jart started to come into it’s own. Speeding past the flight line at a good clip she had that turbine whistle… not the moldy shriek, but that whistle a Jet plane off the burner would give – that’s a treat. Then it’s into a vertical climb, and the energy retention is staggering – for a 1 kg – 35 oz plane on a “soft” day. Stall turns there is substantial “hang” where rotation occurs and then it’s on again. She seems to build energy above a certain speed., beautiful!'

'Landing – the best part!
Wait for the video! First few landings were non eventful, belly lands – then I discovered something. Jase programmed the spoilerons setting in flight for me, then we were in for a treat!'

'Coming in under approach, spoilerons deployed, she assumes a nose up attitude and squeals like a pig, shrieking as she comes down! Then about a foot or so above ground, down elevator, and LAWN DART, wow. Precision Lawn dart 1 metre away from my feet. Brilliant.'

– Sam Sabey (aka Samotage)



September 16, 2006

Oh baby, that Samotage mold is done and parts are flying out!




September 13, 2006

"Just fly, don't get high."

For me, being a pilot is being a pilot, whether it's with a 3 pound RC toy or a full-scale airplane. Being a pilot means being responsible for an activity that is potentially very dangerous – yes, even foam: when you've seen a dude's head covered in blood and find out he's got a bad concussion from being hit with a foamie you stop taking them lightly.

Proper care of your equipment, habitual preflight checks, concentration, and mature attitudes will go a long way toward keeping our RC experiences safe and fun. There is a reason we don't allow full-scale pilots to operate their vehicles while intoxicated, just as there is a reason full-scale pilots always do a complete walk-around before they fly - it's the smart thing to do!

There are a lot of people in this world who've grown taller but never grown up, and they cost society a great deal in money and heartache – I hope no one reading this has ever lost someone due to foolish behavior such as drunk driving but it shouldn't take much imagination to know that this is no joke. Flying a 3, 4, or 5 pound RC plane is pretty damn dangerous and could easily maim or kill. So why, if we are any kind of responsible adult (heck, even my adolescent nephews get this), would we impair our concentration just when we need it most?

Where I fly, the consequences of a moment's lapse in concentration could easily find my plane pile-driving into the roof of an expensive home or, and this is the real deal, find me stooped over a bleeding child who was doing nothing more than enjoying a day in the park. Ok, so that's dangerous and risky and perhaps I shouldn't place the joy I get from flying at such a unique and powerful slope above the possibility that these dreadful things may happen. But once I've taken on the risk it is my duty as a member of society to reduce the risk in whatever way I possibly can. I fly safe lines, I fly within my abilities, I practice thoughtfully, I maintain and preflight my equipment carefully, and I don't drink or smoke while I'm flying.

And just so no one (including my nephews, who may be reading this) thinks I'm a Victorian prude who's never explored the edges of his psyche, let it be known that I'm a child of the '70s and I was "there," man. Been there, done that, brought back two Pink Floyd t-shrts and a hookah. So I know what I'm talking about when it comes to drinkin' and druggin'! But when it comes to flying an RC plane or driving a car or even riding my bicycle, I take responsibility for my actions because I don't want to bring suffering and misery down on anyone else due to my childishness. And let's face it, getting high is pretty childish.

But what we do in our own homes is one thing, and what we do when other's can be affected in dramatic and deleterious ways is something else. So rather than defend our drug of choice or our "right" to do whatever we choose, we should spend more effort making the world a more enjoyable, less painful place. There are so many good reasons to be mindful and to make sure our impact on the world is a positive one. I hope my nephews are thinking of a few of them right now.


August 17, 2006
Although it's been a month's time since my last entry, there are many others in JARTWORLD who are not afflicted with such laziness. Sam in Melbourne has been creating a gorgeous mold and Russ in Utah has been showing us how to take it old school with a built-up version of a JART fuse. If that weren't enough JARTY goodness we've finally seen one these LEG JART-EPP planes take to the air at the thumbs of a fellow whom I only know as turpentine dog. And don't forget to follow oldpilot's (Patrick/Paddy) LEG JART-EPP build right here on the JARTWORLD forum!

		Love this one by Russ in Utah. It takes good engineering to make a built-up work. I think this baby will be strong and fast.
		Sam has been steadily working on this for a few weeks and it's really coming together. His research and attention to detail are going to pay off with a sweet JART mold.
		Others have gone deep-JART and made their own EPP versions, but this is the first of the LEG kits to fly AFAIK. Markus has done this JART-EPP justice by building clean and straight. You'll see by his comments that he's a happy pilot – build 'em right and they'll fly right.
		Patrick has been going through the kit very carefully and has made some good suggestions. Head over to the JARTWORLD forum for a look at his build.

My own building and flying have been steeply curtailed by the recent dry weather. HUH!? You say? Well, the lack of rain has done two things: 1) it's made the ground harder so I've been breaking planes 2) it's made the streets/trails a fun place to ride my bike, cutting into my repair/building time!

All this on top of a list of clients that seem to think I'm a reasonable facsimile of a designer plus a new, decidedly non-JART plane I'm working on and I haven't had time for many JART activities in the past 2 months. No worries, though, I'm keeping up with all the requests for plans (nearing 150 worldwide) and there will be a lot of good stuff to announce this Fall. Keep the faith, the JART abides!


July 11, 2006
With a bit of prodding from Down Under (hmmm, that doesn't quite sound right) I'm at the blog desk again. Several interesting developments in JARTWorld: Andy Ellison's article in RCM&E came out and has stoked quite a bit of interest in JART plans; a very interesting online RC source is coming soon and it looks like the JART will have a prominent featue; I'm writing an article by request from RCSD for inclusion in one of their upcoming issues; JARTWorld hopes to make the trip to Soar Utah at the beginning of September for some airplay with the happy slopers at Point of the Mountain; production has begun on the JARTWorld DVD which will be out sometime in early Fall; and of course, several JARTs are being built around the world, including quite a few JART-EPP kits from Leading Edge Gliders.

June 9, 2006
Spent a little time with Dave Reese (of "Lift Ticket" fame) and top European pilot Andreas Herrig today. Dave took a spin on the JART. His comment: "Rock solid stable with a high roll rate....sweet! Suits my style of flying." If I'd had my head on straight I'd have gotten some video but, alas, no camera. Andreas is a mode 1 flyer – combine that with the fact that he'd recently broken a hand while hangliding and it was obvious he wouldn't be flying. He did seem impressed by what he saw of it, though. I feel like a dad bragging about his kid's baseball game.

It was fun to see these guys and talk toy planes with them. Harry Sandoval hobbled out for a few minutes as well. Just enough time to tell us that he'd broken his foot parasailing. C'mon, dudes, stick to the RC!

Here are a couple of pics Dave took:






June 6, 2006
"What is the best/fastest/hottest slope plane?"

The answer is: "Just fly, brother. Just fly."

There is no best. There is no fastest. There is only the builder, the pilot, and the air. I'm sure you've heard the story of Joe Wurts winning a big thermal contest by outflying all the top-shelf moldies with his EPP TG-3.

And comparing slope planes, even of a similar size, has the same relevance as comparing shoes (even of a similar size). To each his own. A Banana and a Nemesis look similar, but each actually calls for a very different style of flying in order to get the full potential out of the plane. Each begs for different air. I love the JART (is that obvious?) but it clearly isn't for everyone in all conditions. It is what it is. And even with that everyone builds them more or less clean, more or less straight, more or less balanced, with more or less weight, and more or less control throw. This is true of every sloper the planet has ever known - no two are exactly the same. If they were the sport would be far less challenging and therefore far less worthy of countless unrecoverable hours of this precious human life!

The point, beyond unwieldy flights of hyperbole, is to enjoy flying. And something more: Just as one can enjoy art or music or wine or baseball more thoroughly by understanding it more deeply, so it is when flying our toy slopers. Get into it. Learn the subtleties of CG, differential, wingloading, drag, planform, moment. Learn how it feels to load and unload the wing. Discipline yourself to explore aerobatic routines, rather than just flopping around in the sky without a plan. There is beauty in precision, in knowing. Be a pilot, not just a big kid with a stick. Rather than ask what the hottest plane is, start asking what aspects of the design suit your flying conditions and aspirations. Longer tail moment or shorter? Big tail or small? How does the planform affect stability? How much stability do you want? What airfoil and what wingloadings work well? How does the pitching moment of wing airfoil affect tail size?

Obviously, there is a limit. Few of us will become truly adept at aeronautics. But there is quite a bit of basic info that can be helpful in understanding your planes' behavior and therefore make you a better pilot. In fact, if you open your mind to the possibility that you could be an excellent pilot rather than a mediocre hobbyist, you may find that the pleasure and satisfaction you gain increases dramatically. What can it hurt to try? What plane you fly is important, but secondary to the enthusiasm you bring to learning about flight. And in any case, if you are one who would ask the type of question which prompted this mini-tirade, let me say that an ounce of experience will prevent a pound of embarrassing and useless questions.


June 3, 2006
Hoooooweeee!! That was a fun weekend. Halfpipes at Fermin. Halfpipes at Cajon Pass. Hangin' with all my slope bros (you know who you are!). Took second place at the PSS Fest with my little P-39 after spending hours at my buddy Todd's house the night before drawing panel lines and grease streaks. Many thanks to the Inland Slope Rebels for hosting this world-class slope weekend.






May 24, 2006
Time to head on down to the classic ISR PSS Festival. The first day will be a fun-fly at the legendary Point Fermin, home of the go-fast-class. Credit is often given to Brian Laird for showing people down there just how heavy a sailplane can be and still fly. I finished up a new JART for the occasion, although I must admit it is not as impeccable in finish as I would have liked - I just ran out of time! The picture hides the flaws, thankfully, so it looks pretty cool. Weighs in at a svelte 50 oz, so it won't keep up with the 100 oz monsters that populate Fermin, but it'll do what it was always meant to do - fly great!





I also tried to finish up a P-39 but again, I just didn't have time to make it as detailed as I'd intended. Looks good from 6 feet away and that'll have to do. It's based on an actual plane that flew in the South Pacific during WWII, although I had to take a few liberties just so I could get it done in time to fly.



May 18, 2006
Well, now we've gone and done it. Jack Cooper over at LEG has agreed to produce JART-EPP kits.

I had a big internal debate over this. Just wasn't sure I wanted to get into JART retail and I'd still rather encourage scratch-building. But building a kit also requires a great deal of dedication and it helps one to understand the plane better than buying an ARF. And it's still cool to throw out something you've sweated over for a few hours; you know where it's straight and where it isn't, you know if it's clean or bumpy, you know if the linkages are tight or not. As the wise ones say, "If you build it right, it will fly right," whether it's a scatch-build, a kit, or an ARF.

I contacted Jack about doing an EPP version because I thought it would be the easiest way to get something JART-like into the hands of more pilots – I believe in this design and want more people to enjoy it. And EPP is probably the most popular building material for slopers right now. Plus Jack has a very established production method so he seemed to be the logical choice. But I should tell you all, kits will only be produced for six-months. If either Jack or I are not happy with the situation the deal sunsets at the end of the year. I want the name JART (and my name, for that matter) to be forever associated with integrity and quality and I know Jack feels the same way. My main reason for doing this is to allow more pilots to enjoy the design. If it goes well I will consider developing a composite kit later this year.

There are some subtle variations from my original plan to accommodate EPP building techniques. Mainly, the nose is a tad more blunt, and the wing has a slightly wider chord. These changes will make the plane more durable and allow it to fly in lighter lift. Still not a floater, but you won't need 20 mph winds to get it in the air.

The kits will start going out June 1.

Kits go for $135. Jack will sand the fuse to shape for an extra $30.

Here's a link to some pics of the kit.

And here's a link to Leading Edge Gliders.

Thanks, JARTists. Hope you enjoy.


May 14, 2006
Anybody getting in on the "Early Bird Special?" If you've missed it don't worry, the secret is still a secret. Only you JARTists know at this point. We'll be making the main announcement this Friday.

May 6, 2006
Swamped with work and haven't had a chance to update the site in the last couple of weeks. As a freelance designer I have to take the work when I can get it. Last week I was in Dallas doing A/V work for a big convention and this week I've been buried with design work for some of these political campaigns (Vote June 6th!).

Somehow, in the middle of all that I've been making progress on a new JART and refurbishing the old one (the red one in the logo above). The fuse and tail feathers of the original JART still exist but it needs a new wing so that will wait till after the May events.

May Events! Did I mention that every year I go to the ISR PSS Festival over the Memorial Day weekend? Great event: planes, pilots, slopes are all world-class and the Festival always runs like clockwork. I know it takes a lot of work to make something like that go so hats off to the Inland Slope Rebels for putting on this spectacular excuse to do some PSS BS.

The JARTs won't fly on the day of the event so I'm also preparing a P-39 Aircobra to show and fly at the competition. I'm no great scale master so I'm not sure how well I'll do up against the pros, but it'll be fun to get a plane ready to fly. This event is one of the great opportunities to do some ballistic half-pipe formation flying and I never miss the chance to tap tips with top pilots like Carl Maas, Brian Laird, Tim Neja, Jeff Fukushima, Ralph Roberts, et al.


April 24, 2006
Another cool JART sim model. Here is Julian Kent's SSS version (check out SSS here).



April 17, 2006
Want to see something really cool? Check out Tony Elms' Real Flight G3 version of the JART (find the Real Flight simulator here). You can see a video of this baby in action on the JART videos page. I feel like my baby is growing up!




April 14, 2006
Check out the fancy new forum function. You can now attach pictures to your posts without having to use a url - easy to use and very cool!

April 1, 2006
It is perhaps more than passing strange that the first thing I do on my birthday is send JART plans to someone in another country and write in the JART blog. It's 5:30 AM here in San Francisco and I'm up just before the sun. Low clouds scud across the hills of the city, moving south, portending rain. Yet, despite what may seem a literary foreshadowing of ill win