A public "Thank you"

[crb]

Hi all,

Other than thanking all the people who went to the RIFF for making it such a great event for so many reasons, I wanted to keep this particular thank you for after the RIFF rather than mentioning during it ('cos only the people at the RIFF would have known otherwise):

I'd brought along a bunch of very ordinary bits bought second-hand that should have been able to be made into a Pro. I cleaned them up and put them together, threw on a battery pack and headed for the flying area. IMMEDIATELY I was inundated with offers of help to get it going! (That I gratefully accepted as I've absolutely NO experience with Pros at all!) What a lovely bunch of people we had at the RIFF and on these BBSs - I knew I'd be able to go and ask around and get some help, but I didn't have to.

You have to see Paul work to REALLY appreciate his talents - others have commented on his piccoboard work, but his Pro knowledge is awesome (I don't use that word often but it is very appropriate here).

The one I really want to single out, though, is Erez. He stepped in and helped out one afternoon when Paul wasn't around and spent a considerable amount of time with me "tinkering" with the Pro - it had some glitching that resulted in it smashing into some chairs, breaking the blades I had. So what does Erez do? He just goes over to his box and gets out a set of Carbon blades and hands them over! He then helped me change the head and the blades and then set it all up again afterwards. Thanks, mate. It really made me stop and think.

I'll hopefully get to write more about the RIFF, my impressions of it, and the people there sometime soon, but I wanted first to acknowledge Erez.

Words won't be able to do justice to some of the flying skills demonstrated during the week (the fast forward flight through the open door into the kitchen being a particular highlight!) but hopefully some of the video that others shot will be "clean" enough to be posted and some of the pictures will give you a hint of how people were flying.

Just hope I get time to put it all down.

[Qema]

I almost forgot about the piccolo "buzzing" through the kitchen. :grin:
So much happened, it is hard to summarize the events, but i must agree with crb about the pure generosity of the group.

[rdn1153]

Those are the stories I like to hear most of all, it brings me that much closer in person to you guys. Really appreciated it. A few more and I'll feel like I WAS there... thanks for sharing... :cool:

[Erez]

crb, you are welcome. Much of my enjoyment of this hobby comes from helping people. The reason? I need more helcopters to buzz and knock into the ground with my downwash! Ah, that was so much fun. Keep me posted on your problems/progress with the pro. It's a pretty good tool for learning.

[BertVK]

So much happened, it is hard to summarize the events, but i must agree with crb about the pure generosity of the group.

That is one of the reasons I brought more spares than I needed. Hey Qema, did you put that carbon ribbon to good use yet? Those five meters will make MANY piccolo blades, not to mention carbon frames. :grin:

[Qema]

Hey Qema, did you put that carbon ribbon to good use yet? Those five meters will make MANY piccolo blades, not to mention carbon frames. :grin:


Last night for the first time I actually looked at the carbon fiber. I laid it out on the floor and was totally blown away to find that it was NOT five FEET as I thought.

I now fully understand the strange conversation we had that night about the carbon fiber. I did not realize it was five METERS . I have a piccolo frame in mind. I will make a prototype from thin plywood tonight.

Mucho Gracias Senoir

[BertVK]

Ahaaaa, now you understand my reluctance to exchange five meters of 12cm wide carbon weave for 2 home made but perfectly balanced carbon Piccolo blades. :grin: :grin:

Make sure you build something beautiful with it and let me know if you need advice or help.

[Bejay]

"I almost forgot about the piccolo "buzzing" through the kitchen."


OK...It's about time this came out into the open. For all you guys that didn't go to the RIFF here's the story behind all the inuendo's (SP).

One day, whilst flying the Piccolo in the lodge, Nanny opened the door from the kitchen to the flying area. This wouldn't have been too bad were it not for the fact that the back door to the kitchen was also open and it sent a blast of air straight through to where I was flying the Piccolo.
Now there are those that would like you to believe that this blast of air made me loose control and crash the Piccolo into the kitchen through the open door.
What actually happened was this.
I could see that Nanny had actually done this on purpose, which infuriated me, so I made a purposeful and planned attack. Zooming from high, using the sun as a backdrop, I dived towards the kitch. Unfortunately Nanny saw it coming and dodged this way and that. I had to pull some violent high "G" maneouvers, but managed to strike her fair and square in the middle of the back.

Of course, as you would expect, I went immediately into the kitchen and lied through my teeth about loosing control, said how sorry I was and hoped that she wasn't hurt.

BUt she didn't open the kitchen door again !!!!

[Carol]

OK BUSTER! the door was already open

and I opened it plenty more times after that.

I THOUGHT THE KITCHEN WAS A NO! FLY! ZONE!!!

[Carol]

By the way? I still have the scar to prove it.

If you did it on purpose? Why?

[BertVK]

<<BUt she didn't open the kitchen door again !!!! >>

No she got Erny, her husband, to peek through the door before she came out. It was funny to see how scared that guy was of those little Piccolos. LOL

[Carol]

Bunch of foreigners that dont know how to fly their toys. And when they crash they yell at you for getting in the way.

He wasn't afraid, He was the only sane one there.

[Carol]

I saw Stallion's elbow.(bleeding) Was that your fantastic flying skill as well?

[gonper]

<< www.paginadejuanma.tk >>

I totally agree with that Nannie :-)

[BertVK]

Nah, that was Qema prooving that he could hit a moving target. :grin:

[BertVK]

For the non-Riffers I think we need to shed a little light on the truth here.

Buzz lost control of his Piccolo buzzing around and improving his skills. His Piccolo slamed into the open kitchen door as Nannie came through it. She ducked but got hit in the back.
You can't believe how we were all ran to the kitchen door and appologised to Nannie for the incident. I'm not sure she heared it but some people even offered to give her a back rub. We were all very much concerned for her well being.

[TONYSILVA]

Thank God Buzz's piccolo was the lightest of the RIFF, that thing looked like a feather.

[Radd]

I coulda swore I heard Buzz saying..."Watch this!"..and then he nodded towards Nannie and flew straight at her....He was laughing as she screamed...

[Bejay]

Errr Nannie....errr Hi, how's the back. Do you know, the strangest thing's just happened. I PM'd Radd saying how much crashing into you in the kitchen had spoiled my week and the next thing I see this post about me doing it on purpose.....I don't know ANYTHING about it....HONEST !!!!

I'm British...I couldn't have done anything like that to a LADY !!!!

[SeismicCWave]

>>but managed to strike her fair and square in the middle of the back.<<

Hey Buzz, let's clarify something here. I thought you hit the nice old lady that cooked for us. I didn't realize you actually hit nanny! Now I don't feel quite as bad. :grin: :grin:

Muahahahahahaha.....

[SeismicCWave]

>>By the way? I still have the scar to prove it.<<

Oh no Buzz, now you are on the black list. :grin:

[Qema]

"I saw Stallion's elbow.(bleeding) Was that your fantastic flying skill as well?"

So it was a pre-existing condition that was not caused by me. Aha !!

[Radd]

come to think of it?.....everytime Buzz crashed it was right by that door?....I wonder if he was practicing?.....

What were you trying to do?....get our cook to poison us?

[Carol]

You know Bones, I thought you were a nice guy. And if it hadn't been for me you all would not have eaten all week.But now that I know that your into OLDER WOMEN I'll make sure next year to leave it in the hands of a bunch seventy year old grannies

[rdn1153]

OHHHHH NOOOOOO!!!! Not the head chef! What will happen @ RIFF '05??? Maybe I should hold off until RIFF '06! Until all the dust settles. Maybe we should have an official food taster... Buzz maybe??? ;-)

[Bejay]

I'm NOT coming without Jenny, so if you want me to be the whipping boy then it won't come cheap.


Right Nannie, there's a few things you've just got to know.
OK so I thought I could get the guys on my side if I admitted to a bit of "expert" flying through the kitchen door, but the truth is every single guy there bet me $50 I daren't do it. The idea was originally cooked up (forgive the pun) by Radd and if I remember right he bet $100, but I haven't seen it yet. Well, me being a poor guy that had just spent his life savings getting to America for a ance in a life-time trip, what could I do but accept.

OK, so I've blown it....I won't come again I promise. Even if I could afford it (which I probably won't be able to), it will be my penance to just sit and hope to see a few pictures on the Internet.

[SeismicCWave]

>>I'll make sure next year to leave it in the hands of a bunch seventy year old grannies<<

That old granny sure can cook. I was enjoying the food so much I didn't even think about going out to town to eat. I actually gained a lot of weight during that week. My pants won't fit anymore. :(

[Carol]

You've got a whole year to save up. AND A WHOLE YEAR TO PRACTICE FLYING! And I've got a whole year to heal up. I'll be expecting you both.

[Radd]

Bones....Nannie just walked in and read your post and she said to tell you to get some suspenders!!..LOL


my pants didnt fit before the RIFF..now thanks to you guys.....my hat doesnt

[Bejay]

How much more of a better shot do you want me to be ?????

But I'm not falling for that one......I can just see the headlines now, "British model helicopter pilot and his wife vanish while on vacation in Tennesee"........

[SeismicCWave]

>>she said to tell you to get some suspenders!!..<<

Hmmmm....suspenders and shorts in Hawaiian print. Do you want me to get chased out of Gallatin or what!

I was at the Save a lot with my bright Hawaiian print shorts on Thursday and those checkout girls were having a fit. ;)

[Bejay]

In the UK suspenders are what ladies use to hold up their stockings.

Men use bracers to hold up their trousers !!!!!

I can just picture Hansen in Hawian shorts, stocking and suspenders LOL.......

[Radd]

I'd rather have a red hot poker stuck in both eyes....

[SeismicCWave]

>>I can just picture Hansen in Hawian shorts, stocking and suspenders LOL.......<<

Just imagine the newspaper reporter walking in. ;)