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Balsa USA Stick #5
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I don't remember when I got this plane, but I have had it for many years. Someone from the flying club I belonged to saw
the Hobby Hut show (see
Stick #4) and he knew I had a fleet of Balsa USA Sticks - apparently from talking to other
modelers in the club - so he thought I might be interested in this one. I was, because it was unusual, so I bought it from
him. It is a Stick 30 - something Balsa USA doesn't even make anymore. I even have the plans for it, somewhere.
I like this plane because it is small. It is easy to transport and manipulate when working with it on the ground. It is a
blast to fly, but it has some very peculiar flying characteristics. I can do stunts with this plane that I have never
seen any other plane do. But that's probably because the left wing panel is very badly warped...and sometimes I like to
fly it that way.
I have a rather warped flying style as it is. When I am flying a plane with which I am comfortable (like a Balsa USA Stick),
I will push the thing to its (and my) limits. I do bizarre loops, rolls, stalls and spins, trying to manipulate the
aircraft into positions no airplane was meant to fly. A friend of mine keeps telling me that one day I'm going to lose a
wing in flight (and he's probably right), but that has yet to happen. I pretty much know the limits of these planes by
now, so I don't push the stress limits - only the psychotic antics threshold.
This plane currently has a very unique engine on it. It is an O.S. .26 four-stroke engine that a friend of
mine converted to diesel (after being told by others that it couldn't be done). It is the smoothest, most reliable engine
I have. And it can run for over 30 minutes on four ounces of fuel! And the engine has a generator attached that provides
enough power to keep the batteries charged while it's flying, so the only batteries I have to worry about are the ones
in my transmitter.
It is a fun plane to fly. Fortunately, I have not crashed it, yet. I have come close, however! But, like all my other
planes, I intend to fly this plane long into the future.
Copyright 2002
11/20/2002