Other hobbies

[Aussie Mark]

Here's an unusual RAAF F111 landing...

For years the F-111 was our main strike aircraft (not that we had anything to strike at during that time), the trouble was the wings kept falling off and the darn things kept crashing.  A very expensive mistake by our defence department.

[Highlander]

It's all Mountbatten fault (although he paid the ultimate price) for persuading the Aussie Government not to buy TSR2 and trying to force the Bucanneer on the RAF...

... otherwise, we'd be looking at TSR2's at air-displays and marvelling at the roar of those Olympus engines...

[PhilT]

I'm very bad at hobbies. I was the kid who got the airfix kit for Xmas and stuck the two fuselage parts together, with that strangely intoxicating glue, before looking at the plans - and seeing all the other stuff that should be done first. Even my model railway was a misfit, my parents got the rolling stock from a neighbour, it was a Triang set modelled on a passenger train from the Canadian Pacific Railroad. The station was English Airfix and the platform sign said Oakham, which isn't in Canada, as far as I know.

[Barklessdog]

Any Build RC or Cox like tethered planes. I spent a week on this ME 109. On its first flight the engine caught fire & burned to the ground.

At a place I used to work, a guy there built this really cool huge RC Plastic model Tamyia Tiger Tanks. He had it sitting his bench and forgot to turn the tank off. He painted so cool with airbrushed, weathering it etc. The tank picked up a random radio wave and jump off his desk and smashed to bits. He was so mad he just threw the whole thing in the trash.

[uwe]

For years the F-111 was our main strike aircraft (not that we had anything to strike at during that time), the trouble was the wings kept falling off and the darn things kept crashing.  A very expensive mistake by our defence department.

Well, it could have been worse. Lockheed might have bribed them into buying Starfighters! Those really didn't even have wings to begin with.

[godofthunder]

Yeah but it sure looked the business !

[jmcgliss]

Any Build RC or Cox like tethered planes. I spent a week on this ME 109. On its first flight the engine caught fire & burned to the ground.

At a place I used to work, a guy there built this really cool huge RC Plastic model Tamyia Tiger Tanks. He had it sitting his bench and forgot to turn the tank off. He painted so cool with airbrushed, weathering it etc. The tank picked up a random radio wave and jump off his desk and smashed to bits. He was so mad he just threw the whole thing in the trash.

I used to be in a club that built and raced R/C replicas of Formula 1 cars that used Cox engines. We scratchbuilt bodies and parts that weren't available, or for lighter weight. They would hit almost 40mph. After 100-150 lap races that included refueling stops, we were so pumped with adrenaline!
Eventually Tamiya came out with electric kits so we could ease up and spend less time fabricating.

[Barklessdog]

Eventually Tamiya came out with electric kits so we could ease up and spend less time fabricating.

Tamiya really makes excellent stuff, but is really pricey now. I don't think there are many kids that can afford many of their kits.

Modeling is kind of a lost hobby nowadays with kids, much like Slot cars & Trains.

[uwe]

Yeah but it sure looked the business !

Not to me. It never looked like a warbird to me, but like the sky eqivalent to a convertible roadster car. Built for speed rather than durability or the ability to bear a lot of arms. I can't really fathom a Starfighter getting an aerial cannon barrage in a dogfight and still making it home like a MIG, Mirage or Phantom possibly could. A racing roadster of the skies, enticing pilots to do things with it they would have never tried with a Phantom. Hence a lot of the crashes as the Starfighter would go from "wow - this flies great" to "I can't control it anymore!" much quicker than other warplanes. Unforgiving of handling mistakes, vitriolic flight characteristics, but apparently huge fun to fly and be silly with.

[chromium]

Any Build RC or Cox like tethered planes. I spent a week on this ME 109. On its first flight the engine caught fire & burned to the ground.

At a place I used to work, a guy there built this really cool huge RC Plastic model Tamyia Tiger Tanks. He had it sitting his bench and forgot to turn the tank off. He painted so cool with airbrushed, weathering it etc. The tank picked up a random radio wave and jump off his desk and smashed to bits. He was so mad he just threw the whole thing in the trash.

That RC stuff is an expensive hobby.  I've always wanted an RC Heli, but one goof and .  I saw the Dragonflyer years ago (http://www.draganfly.com/industrial/products.php) and still think one of the smaller ones might be fun to try someday.  Terrorize the neighborhood and such.   

I had a great Aurora slot car set as a kid and wish I would have known to hang onto it.  My boys would love that now.  Still have my grandfathers old Fleischmann HO-scale train set in the garage that we'll have to setup one of these days.

[Highlander]

The UK equivalent was "Scalextric" which almost everyone called "Scalectric"

Well, it could have been worse. Lockheed might have bribed them into buying Starfighters! Those really didn't even have wings to begin with.

The "G" version was known for her "Vertical Landing" capabilities, too... 

A real shame there are none flying on the european circuit - they don't even allow the EE Lightning to be privately owned - just too damn fast... you can go to South Africa and take a "joy ride" in tandems, mind you... 

[godofthunder]

 I have a collection of Cox control line planes ( opps another hobby!) Corsairs, P40's etc. I carshed and burned so many of these things. Fond, fond memories ! I'll post some pics later.

[Highlander]

Only flying I did was SIM - building a few "spare PC's to run old games on, too, thru the TV... want to get back on some at some point this year - specifically want to get MSFSX and a Scottish scenery pack that won't run on earlier versions...

[Freuds_Cat]

Available time is the enemy of hobbies.  I guess you could call 10 years of mountaineering a hobby. I know supposed extreme sports are frowned upon by some of us here  so I wont dwell except to say that I (almost) resent Mountaineering being bundled under the same  banner as Base jumping. Regardless it was a hobby I got a lot out of and enjoyed immensly. These days My wife and I both record sightings of less than common birds like the family of Yellow tailed Black Cockatoo's living in an old River red Gum near our house.

Along with our two dogs and spending time with my wife and 5 year old boy Nicholas, work, Music and house maintenance takes up most of my time.

[Denis]

I love Great Northern livery!