Here is the Status of Our Current and Future PHOENIX Conversion Projects
Joe Konefes’ Buzzard Bomshell #1 — 72″ Wingspan
Status: PHOENIX Restoration in Progress
Buzzard Bombshell. We are glad to announce that work has begun on this PHOENIX restoration. Work began around July 23rd, 2019 when Suman Saripalli brought it out of his storage Facility. Jeff Nisley provided some of the inital work of clean up and some repair, but essencially the plane was originally built to the state you see in the photograph above but stopped short of applying any tissue. Suman purchased this one and a similar one, but this one was by far the better of the two.
The Webmaster for this site, Jeff Nisley, has a copy of the October 1940 Air Trails Magazine shown below that has the original article about the Buzzard Bombshell.
The National Model Aviation Museum Blog has a good article about the Buzzard Bombshell.
Copeland Wakefield
Status: Viable Candidate but not in the Queue Yet
Copeland Wakefield. This model airplane, along with the plane at right has been donated by Jeff Nisley to undergo a PHOENIX Restoration to occur some time in the future. As a restored Free Flight rubber powered aircraft it enjoyed somewhat of a successful life at the 2019 Marion Contest where it reached a height of approx 130 feet and a flight time hovering around a minute—nothing to brag about but I can say it felt my heart soar when I gazed upon it in the air!
Earlier when it was being trimmed in it’s maiden flight whit the invaluable expertise and experience from fellow HAFFA Member Mike Basta, it famously escaped serious damage to itself and injury to bystanders at the 2018 HAFFA Picnic when the fortunes of the wind gods turned the aircraft around toward the modelers aiming at their tables and proceeded to miss a fellow HAFFA member—Dana Fields by a couple of feet.
Roy Nelder’s Moffet
Status: Viable Candidate but not in the Queue Yet
Moffett designed by Roy Nelder. This plane also has been donated to the cause by Jeff Nisley. Both the Copland Wakefield at left and the Roy Nelder’s Moffett were given to Jeff Nisley to restore in 2017. Below is the original state of the Moffett before the work to restore it to it’s former rubber powered glory. Restoration was completed in early 2018.
Anxious to see these converted
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