hillflyer

I'm really excited, I'm finally attaching the station house to the coaster structure. As I'm making all the connections, I can see this particular area fall into place now. I'm starting to design some flotsam and jetsam to scatter about inside the station. It's pictures like this that help me go back and straighten some posts out...I see one sort of leaning to the left there...I could leave that, I'm sure that after years of service, that bent probably bowed out a little bit... Bird's eye view of the station flyby! Me sitting comfy at home working on a chunk. Sketching out debris and odds and ends to fill the station.

How cool is this? Your father respects your love for roller coasters! That is a nice piece!

My adrenaline is flowing already!!! I still can't get over what an awesome job you did on TC. Too bad you had to dismantle...

The new show on TruTv called Super Into premieres Oct 26. The Roller Coaster show will be on sometime late November early December. I can't say much more about it, but I think I can post a few photos taken during the shoot. http://www.trutv.com/shows/super-into/index.html Shooting location...a coffee shop on Melrose! The set up. Cameras loom. There were also dozens of go-pro ride-along-the-tracks that I can't wait to see what they do with. The host, Kevin Pereira, drills me with questions. Setting it up. That's a wrap!

We're in Hollywood!

Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day! I’m going up to Hollywood with my model and we’re both going to make an appearance on “Super Into”. They are doing a segment on roller coasters, including a mention of those who like to build models! It will be on TruTV, I have no idea when. Today is my first day back at work after taking a two-week vacation. I am very satisfied with the progress I was able to make during that time on the Airplane. Originally, I was going to have it set up as one solid piece before dissecting it into three main sections. Instead I decided to finish each piece off as its own stand-alone section. That involves taking a piece off one section and attaching it to another. A good example is as follows: The lift hill gets prepared for the addition of that transferred section. There was one lost bent that I finally found, #14, lying flat. I spaced the two parts in 10’ (2”) increments and added the white stringers, or “ribbon boards.” Bent #14 is fitted into place and the diagonal 2x4 shite supports are in. The structure for the new first drop valley is put into place. The red line indicates where I have to make a cut. Bents 11, 12, and 13 up the lift hill get cut. The structure that makes the beginning of the pull-out from the first drop was to get transferred too, but I decided to make that whole area new. So…OFF comes the portion to the right of the red line.

Hey thanks. I'm beginning to feel like completion is around the corner and I'm excited. I'm glad I'm not letting my attention to detail slip in the hurry. I'm even going back and fixing past mistakes. Trying out just an idea that ends up working is most fun. For example, the model will have to travel in three sections. How was I going to make the separations seamless? The Airplane is one of the only coasters I've seen that has vertical stringers nailed to the outside of the ribbon boards. I made flaps where one section plugs between the vertical ribbon flap.

Love the fan curve.

Leaps and bounds of progress on my vacation with most time spent on the first spiral area and the beginning of the lift hill. Footers have been added and now I'm in the process of linking the two sections together. The sticks to be used for footings have been painted to look stained, blotted with dirt, grease, and spilled paint. Footers cut to size The unfinished part of the track happens to be the pass under the lift hill It was easier to complete binding and painting the track now, than to try when it's harder to get to. Finally cutting away the stays I built for mounting while building to make room for footers. Ready to connect two pieces together. The bent on the left will slide inside the opening The two pieces are now joined. There are now only four main sections that will make up the whole ride.

Couldn't delete one extra double post so, here's a bonus photo.

At 11:40am on 10/10, the first footing was installed. You kind of have to look hard to see it. Thanks to the sharp eyes of consultant Randy Rasmussen, the footings appeared to be long blocks per bent, not one per post like on Belmont. Fellow ACEr came to visit, I put the pieces together for him to see. Haven't done that in a while so I grabbed some photos.

Woo hoo! I'm getting really close to start mounting pieces onto a permanent base. I finished up the crazy spiral but decided to rebuild the whole structure for the sling shot. I also test fitted the station to aforementioned spiral. The roof does not fit on the body of the station house...gonna have to figure out what's going on there. 1/3 of the total base where the station and spiral will be. The exit out of the first spiral, what I call the slingshot. Ready to test fit the station to the spiral. Random shot I liked. Aerial view.

Taking part in San Diego's Maker Fair this whole weekend. It's for anybody who makes anything come together and sell or display their stuff. I was originally just an exhibitor but was persuaded to assistbevause they were short on volunteers. In exchange I got a really great space outside the paid admission part of the exhibit! The Airplane got a LOT of exposure! My good friend Mike made sure kids kept their grubby hands off

Spent the last week powering through different parts. Please The white bent joins the left and right section. The left was originally attached to the lift hill, the right, the first spiral. I extended the lift hill track I had already partially built. I used the first half (painted ) as a template to expedite the process. . Adding the gating along the station side. Looks like I need to straighten it out a bit. Note brake handles and transfer table leverages. I like how the gating turned out. I can already hear the singing of the chain dogs.

I was accepted into the San Diego Maker Faire the weekend of 10/03 and (10/04

Maybe by April, but I said the exact same thing a year ago. Good timing on the question though. Earlier today I photographed each section and made a check list of repairs and finishing touches for each. Aside from a joint by joint inspection, work might include replacing a missing stick to realigning a whole run. The lift hill Repair bottom of dive and cross over combo Repair/replace post tops Add chain troughs , top and bottom Add top chain rollers Catwalks up and over the top 2x8 planks over buttresses 1st spiral. Reprofile/rebuild the slingshot frame. Serious strengthing of dive on lift side. Reattach frame lead up frame. Replace interior buttresses Replace missing catwalks. Match up upper slingshot with station house frame. Add patches Design where track comes up from underground Repair exit of check brake Replace missing catwalks Realign cross over bridge Add handrail Anti rollbacks. Glue and secure track Add brake skids Repair hump up to brake frame Bottom of lift Add gears, chain, and trough Reattach to first spiral Catwalks Tunnel walls up out of ground Bottom of first drop Rebuild bottom run. Brake run and garage. Reprofile and replace track in dip Repaint outter shed walls Replace missing wall sections Slant roof Align with station. Consider building new if not aligned.

Along with my article in the upcoming summer edition of Roller Coaster magazine I get to be profiled. I just took my ACE profile pic. That's funny, the article has nothing to do with the Airplane. One of my two dogs Joey. The White one is not mine.

I thought it was best to make a scaffold to ensure the roof will be held at the same height above the ground front to back while I connect it to the bottom. Just testing here, I see some adjustments have to be made. If you look closely you can see the levers I made for the brakes and transfer table. To get this view, you would have to be standing on the track where it slingshots out of the first spiral. Showing more of the temporary roof support scaffolds. A butterfly paid me a good luck visit

Razor sharp work!! Can't wait to see what it looks like finished! What are you going to do with it when it's done?

FBF: Taken a little more than a year ago. Morgan Manufacturing took a few of the original coaster cars from Belmont Park Giant Dipper at the start of the 1990 restoration project and restored them. San Diego Coaster Company is donating one of those cars to the National Roller Coaster Museum (where my other model resides). From L to Right, Paula and Dana Morgan (formerly of Morgan Manufacturing - builders standard rolling stock for coasters and other rides), Charles Canfield (owner of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and San Diego Coaster Co.), ME, and Bob and Julie Mazurik (accountants for San Diego Coaster Co.) I wrote about this exact moment in an upcoming RollerCoaster magazine article about my 10-year experience with the Save the Coaster Committee. Due next month. I was already nervous after seeing all these people after many many years and at this second, Dana is saying something to me that struck a nerve that piqued my anxiety to an all time high and I had skip the rest of the event. Plus, my (now ex) partner Dennis was there who was always a kill-joy anyway and had already done his work when we got there. If anyone is interested, I'll tell you about the time Dennis ruined the day my last model was unveiled at Dollywood. And I might throw in a new photo of the model

I love long weekends. I love making a huge visual impact working on something easy in a short time. A roof support column before painting Laying out where the ceiling joists meet the header board so I can cut the slits After cutting out the shape of the ceiling from a sheet of plastic, I begin to add the box beams. Slipping through the 2x8 ceiling joists through the slits mentioned earlier. Flip it over and adding the roof trusses. Adding the actual roof. Laying the roofing across the curvy part. Behind the scenes of the drop tunnel. Reminds me of my set building days. The attic The front view Painted the roof that familiar institutional green. I love long weekends. My final ceiling joist pattern based on educated guesses.

I've been wondering that too.

I made some grude tool to square the front portion od the station so i could a) keep the roof supports straight so I could b) best fit the main beams. Detailing the main roof columns. This is getting all like hard and stuff

I don't know what to call these red and white supports except huge-ass headers. I like to paint them after making them. Painting the red sticks before gluing was messier than just painting then afterwards. I aged the ceiling. Soon to add hardware like pipe conduits and lights etc.

More station photos. My staircase turned out nice I think. It's SO much better than the old one. Baby miče are now able to make it into the office/break room. I've been trying to make the station look old and abandoned so I like the photos of the debris scattered on the floor. I've also made temporary roof post stabilizers to keep them from leaning until its time to lock them in place. Remains of old staircase. I've been trying to make the station look old and abandoned so I like the photos of the debris scattered on the floor. I've also made temporary roof post stabilizers to keep them from leaning until its time to lock them in place.