December 2015 Pilot of the Month: Ed Luhrman, Cambria, CA
My interest in flying started when I was about five years old. My father was in the US Air Force and a model airplane enthusiast. I remember the days when he would take me to the air force base where he and his friends were flying single channel airplanes. Yes, that was a very long time ago. After my dad left the Air Force we moved to Long Island, New York, where he had taken a job with the airlines and continued to fly RC model airplanes. He would always take me along with him to the flying field. I got to mingle with the other club members such as Nick Ziroli. I was able to attend the Wrams trade show several times. One year I got to hang out in a Vendor’s booth all day. I really thought I was special J.
When I was 11 years old, our family moved from New York to the Atlanta area where my dad started and organized the model airplane club “The Flying Griffins” in our town of Griffin, Georgia. It was then when I flew my first RC model, a glider produced by Graupner and powered by a Cox .049. That airplane is still being flown today! As my skills improved, I graduated to more advanced and powerful aircraft -eventually moving up to fly a “Tiger Tail” powered by a Super Tiger Blue Head .60. I liked that airplane so much that I have owned three of them. Over the years I have flown several pattern designs. Of course, I have flown other types of aircraft, scale, foamies, ¼ scale, etc., but have always returned to my favorite, the pattern plane.
I started competition pattern flying in 1989, when I entered a pattern contest in Florence, South Carolina, flying the Novice Class and placed 1st. I flew a .45 size pattern design by IM known as the “Corsair Acro Knight 45Mk III”, powered by an Enya .49 and running 35% Nitro fuel. Needless to say, that engine had a very short life. However, the plane lived on, and I eventually sold it.
I continued in the hobby, but did not fly any more pattern events until 2000 when a seasoned pattern flyer “Emory Schroeder” joined the Flying Griffins and took me on as his protégé’. Turnaround pattern was in full swing, and I started flying a 2-meter YS powered Storm EX. It was with the Storm EX that I won the 2001 Sportsman District 3 Championship. I continued in pattern, moving up to intermediate classification. I started flying an Executive Airframes Patriot and an RC Model Enterprises Silhouette. I still own both of these planes, which I flew in recent contests in district 7.
In the year 2003, I moved to the San Francisco Bay area where I continued flying pattern in District 7. I was a member of the Santa Clara Tomcats Club, and the Hollister Wave Masters. Many of the modelers I was flying with in 2003 are still active in the pattern community. Unfortunately, life changes caused me to stop flying for several years.
Three years ago I picked up the hobby again, and started to fly pattern, using my older YS powered 2 meter ships, and a 72 Mega Hertz radio. I was having fun and did well in a couple of contests, but clearly things had changed. Electric motors, 2.4 gHz radios, LiPo batteries, arming plugs, ESCs, Power Curves? Thank goodness, I knew how to solder. At first it was overwhelming, I am more comfortable now, but still have a long way to go.
Today I am flying an Oxai Beryll acquired from Jon Bruml, and a Sebart MythoS which I assembled myself. Both powered by Jeti speed controllers, 5000 mah 10S 25C LiPo batteries, a Hacker C50 in the Beryll and a Plettenberg Advance 30 in the MythoS. Both setups have been relatively trouble-free. Beats glow, that’s for sure!
For many years, I was loyal to JR radios, but when I purchased my 2.4 system I went with a Spectrum DX18. The radio is reliable and it has all the features that I would probably ever need. Currently there is nothing new in progress on my work bench, as I need to make room in my work shop for some new planes. I am hopeful Santa will bring me a new 2 meter ship this holiday season.
My motivation for flying pattern is threefold. (i) I like the way the planes fly, (ii) I enjoy interacting with some of the top names in the hobby, but most of all (iii) I enjoy the comradery, social aspect and friendly competitive nature of the hobby…it’s all about the fun. Currently I will remain flying the Intermediate class at least till the end of the 2016 season, and competing at the Nats is at the top of my bucket list.
My current home field is located in Paso Robles California, near San Luis Obispo. The President of the local club, Joe MacGregor, is also a competition IMAC flyer. He is also my current mentor and a good one. In 2015 I was lucky to get in two practice sessions each month. In 2016 I intend to change this frequency to three practice sessions a week. One thing is certain - I will always be learning! I am still struggling with the whole electric thing, how the brake should be set on the ESC, what is acceptable current draw, etc. When I first started using the electric solution all I did was plug everything in and bingo - it worked! Later I have learned that there are ways to tune the set up to achieve better results, but I am still operating somewhat in the dark here and I am looking for some tutoring. In addition to the electric set up, it seems that trimming/setup/mixing is also a little different than glow setups. The Beryll seemed to be for the most part already dialed in when I acquired it, however the MythoS still needs some attention.
There is always something new to learn and exciting in this hobby! I look forward to the coming year!