We used to have a lot more activity here and seems posts declined when the COVIDs came to town.
HeadBuzz, do you have any website analytics showing posts/day over time?  Maybe it was declining prior and I had not noticed.
I still check in at least once every day, enjoy the ETLB family, but I'm not the type to start a build thread or post pictures of what I worked on today, more of a lurker, learn what I can from you-all, or perhaps help with a reply if I can.
Maybe some have finished there project and don't come by anymore?
No new builders?
Stupid, useless Facebook groups stole everyone away?

I still check daily, I just don't have as much to say until I start working on the project again when it gets cold out  

Winter is my down time. Too cold in an un heated shop for comfort or epoxy. Summer heat can be oppressive too. Bet it would be nice to have a shop with heat and AC.

Quoted from flydog

Stupid, useless Facebook groups stole everyone away?

The Facebook MiniMax group is VERY active. I think discussion forums in general are not as popular as they once were.

I didn't even know there was a facebook minimax group..

I am not familiar with the Minimax group. I follow the Airbike group and find it useless. Same with another non aviation group I follow. Makes no sense that the collective brain power is spread out across multiple groups ( I think there is a Himax group?)
Vs. ETLB forum for ALL the ISON designs, plus the archive/searchable data. Actually I do find the whole Facebook thing pretty useless. Just a big ol' time suck so Bill Gates can get rich on my data....but I keep going back.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/955881991214481 - 2100 members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MinimaxUK - 579 members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/854639341365483 - 191 members

There may be more, but I belong to all three. John Riley who was the agent for TEAM in the UK is the admin of the Minimax UK group and while there are only 500 odd members, the files section includes all the original newsletters which contain a host of information.

I still monitor ETLB but lack of new material means a 'listening watch'. FB is a serious waste of time but like much of the internet still provides a mine of info as long as you choose what you accept with care!

Necessary evil as far as I can see  

I look back 15 years to when I first joined the forum. There were dozens of active pilots and builders back then with new flying stories posted daily and lots of good times and grand adventures. New builds were popping up everywhere and aircraft being completed monthly it seemed. What happened?

I think most have aged out of flying, moved on to general aviation, or moved on with life in general. Its been ages since we have heard from people like djohn, Ed Gil, Kevin Wilkinson, Doug and his Muse, Bat Cave Dave, HimaxFlyer, Dick Rake, Randy Lewis, Harless Greear, Bill Metcalf, and I'm sure many more that I am forgetting. I can only hope all are alive and well and enjoying life these days.

I joined the forum at age 15, there were 2 other young members here at the time, Levi Self and MiniMaxMan. I keep in touch with M3 via facebook and he has moved on from ultralights and into the corporate aviation world. Has anyone heard from Levi in the last decade?

anyway, I'm still here and still flying. In the last 16 years I've owned as many planes, starting with a Legal Eagle, transitioning to a Minimax 1100, and moving all the way up to a 172 before finding my way back to the ETLB group with the Vmax I am flying now.

Fly Safe out there everyone, I still enjoy the flying stories when they get posted!

Chris

Here I am still alive and kicking..
Keep safe everyone!

Hi Chris all, Still around but do to age and health issues I've stopped flying full scale and have my Max stashed away in my shop. I joined Face Book several month ago so I do keep up with with all of my various aviation interest and on a pretty regular basis I have cool dreams where I'm flying some of the airplanes I flew during my career. Boy "O" boy I get to do some crazy shit in my dreams. Luckily for me I have built and flown r/c since 1958 and enjoy that as much as full scale. My most recent model is a 150" wing span glider called the Sailaire that was designed and kitted in the mid 70's. For all of you that are building or thinking about it get off you butt and do it. The satisfaction you get will last you a life time so the sooner the better. Chris had the right idea.......start when your 15 and go like a mad man from there. Here's a couple pic's of my glider. She's a real floater.

Wow, beautiful sail plane Dick. I've taken an interest in RC sailplanes in the last year or two. Currently flying an 40'' Apogee,
a Mark Drealla design.
I've seen model designs, including a RC Minimax by a guy named Peter Rake.  Any relation to you?

Sure it would have been nice to start flying at 15 but at the time could not afford a car or gas let alone an airplane. Regrettably finances are tight to this day.

Quoted from flydog

Wow, beautiful sail plane Dick. I've taken an interest in RC sailplanes in the last year or two. Currently flying an 40'' Apogee,
a Mark Drealla design.
I've seen model designs, including a RC Minimax by a guy named Peter Rake.  Any relation to you?

Sure it would have been nice to start flying at 15 but at the time could not afford a car or gas let alone an airplane. Regrettably finances are tight to this day.

The Apogee is a good looking design. I understand that Mark Drela Is quite the guru when it comes to airfoil and glider designs. I'd like to build one but I don't think I could handle to hand launch.

About 10 years ago I got email from Peter Rake asking about the same last name but we couldn't make any connection. He was a busy bee when it came to cranking out small scale electrics. I read that he past away from cancer about a year ago. He was way to young.

I know the feeling about money and airplanes. It takes awhile before some of us can afford to start building/flying r/c let alone full scale stuff. Its great that there was a guy named Wayne Ison that helped us poor folks have a chance to build a wonderful airplane like the Mini-max/Hi-max.

I'd like to build one but I don't think I could handle to hand launch.

  I could not get any significant height or duration by hand launching. Modified it for Discuss launching. Tried only a few launches that way and I was lucky not to crash it. Likely my technique, or the tail boom is too skinny for DLG. Then modified it for Hi-start launching. Wow! I'm loving the high start launch!

Hi there!
Long time since I posted here and 2.5 years grounded.
Too much work plus Covid at work made thing real hard.
Finally I quit working for a family business and I’m just taking care of my small farm.
Last February, after 2 years I stared the airplane engine and it did right away.
Anyway, I’ll have to make a throughly inspection of the plane before flying it and also review  my rusty skills 😁

Hi Ricardo; it has been a while. We have missed your posts. Welcome back.

Hi Aeronut! The site has become very lonely as I can tell.
My Hangar was robbed a few months ago, they took away all the tools that I had in, fortunately the plane remained untouched.
Is going to take a while before I make plane flyable . My main concern is the Fabric, it seems a little loose to me, I will lend a fabric tester from a  friends and see how good it is. The little thing costs over $ 500 at Aircraft Spruce, plus S & H to Peru.
Fortunately the plane has been kept in a hangar for her  entire life ... So far 14 years since I finished building. Engine has very little flying time since new some thing around 250 hours  I'll take a test power also, see if that engine is strong enough to put us in the air.
Spring time is here but weather is still cold, working in the hangar should be just fine.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your tools. Nothing is safe any more.  

Hi Ricardo;
Sorry to hear about your tools too. I would imagine your fabric is ok. If it has been dry in the hanger, low humidity, probably the wood has shrunk some. As the humidity starts to rise it might just get back to normal. I wouldn't do anything till you see how that goes. Good to hear from you. This place has gotten quiet. Covid I am sure had something to do with it. I stop in ETLB every day to see what is going on. I fly a Chief now, but still love these little birds. A great design by an extraordinary man. The entire Ison crew were great people!!!
Keep us posted on the progress with your plane.
Stay safe, Bob

Quoted from Ricardo

. . . .  My main concern is the Fabric, it seems a little loose to me, I will lend a fabric tester from a  friends and see how good it is. The little thing costs over $ 500 at Aircraft Spruce, plus S & H to Peru. . . .

I used the pencil/eraser method to test the fabric on my Max. My build is not very old, but the unused fabric I got with the project, was over 20 years old. I covered the wings with this fabric.  The fabric was supposedly stored in a box, away from sunlight, by the previous owner of the kit.  But you never know ...

The pencil eraser method assured me that fabric was still good. It made a dimple in the fabric which filled back out in a few minutes. I am assuming the pressure applied is about 150 psi, because a pencil's cross section area is about 1/15 of one sq inch, ballpark.



It was radfordc who wrote the following in an earlier post:

Quote>>>

Re: Hi-Max 1700H     
Posted by: radfordc
Date Posted: March 31, 2019

Chuck Slusarczyk once described how he tested fabric on the CGS Hawk wings.  He used a regular pencil with eraser (1/4" dia).  Place the eraser against the fabric and place a 10 lb weight on top of the pencil.  If it doesn't go through the fabric is good. This method puts about 50 lb/sq. in. on the fabric.

Seems like the QS tester will punch through at a much higher value than the pencil eraser.  If the tester tip is 1/8" it will put about 200 lb/sq. in. force on the fabric.  Is that right?

http://www.lonesomebuzzards.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1534811738/s-14/highlight-fabric/#num14

Thanks for the tip Keith
However they lend me the Quicksilver fabric tester, some device that costs much less than the other. I tested wings, ailerons and tail surfaces and everything went just fine. Anyway the fabric on my Max is Poly fiber medium strength. It only has three coats of latex paint and the plane has been kept always in a hangar.
Now I’ll follow a list of inspection and maintenance of the plane as well as the engine . On Nov 12 will be ten years after the maiden flight . I hope I’ll be ready for the anniversary flight.
My GoPro that I used to attach to the wing was also stolen when the burglairs entered my hangar. Maybe I ll get a second hand camera. I enjoyed watching my videos as much as making them 😄

Quoted from Cy V

The Facebook MiniMax group is VERY active. I think discussion forums in general are not as popular as they once were.

I'm not on FB. I need forums like this...and also links to builder sites would help (to see photos).

John C

My first real plane was a Himax so I joined the forum and got really good advice and lots of information on wood and fabric repair. Jump to 2021. I’ve since sold the plane and moved on to bigger and better things. Bought a C-172 to get my PPL, then switched over to Vans RV. I owned 2 RV-4’s, an RV-8 and built a RV-6. Got my A&P and after getting laid off from my oilfield job due to things beyond my control I had to switch careers to full time A&P. I still troll the ETLB site on a regular basis though.

I still fly a MiniMax although it is for sale just not pushing it.  Still fly and see airbike ace and Chris Duncan.  We are still killing huns that attack our airports just getting older and it is harder to get in and out of the max and the Tcraft.  I still check the board once in a while

Sold mine for a divorce, but I still Troll here. maybe I'll find a junker and fix it up.

Wait. You got rid of the wife and the airplane?

Quoted from flydog

Wait. You got rid of the wife and the airplane?

I got an authentic WW2 AAF leather jacket for my wife.

Best ... trade ... ever ...

Quoted from flydog

Wait. You got rid of the wife and the airplane?

Yes, Long story. I had an attorney advise me that Half of Something is better than All of Nothing.

Meaning that if your Better half drinks and drives and refuses to stop, you can become liable for her actions thru marriage.

Cost me an airplane and a house, but my retirement is intact.