Fleet Status

PML Pterodactyl Junior
The Bel Aero
PML Intruder
PML D Region Tomahawk
PML Tiny Pterodactyl
3x Upscale Quest Intruder
Estes Big Daddy
1.36 Upscale Quest Intruder
Quest Intruder
Estes EchoStar
Aerotech Sumo
PML Ariel
PML Io
PML Quasar
PML Eclipse
PML Explorer
PML Phobos
PML Patriot
PML Tethys
Aerotech Arreaux
Aerotech Warthog
PML Small Endeavor
Estes Maniac

Sorry, no pictures, blame Best Buy
I'd love to show you pictures, but Best Buy misrepresented the service agreement they sold me and have had my camera for over two months. Along with this, they sent it to a third party for repairs instead of the manufacturer, this third party repair center returned the camera without making the requested repair.

Their customer service was been appalling. The local store did not return a single call. I had to initiate every correspondence regarding the camera. I called their main customer relations number and was repeatedly cut off in mid-sentence by a very rude woman who kept saying, "Sir, are you trying to tell me how to do my job?". Well, some one ought to. I asked to speak to her supervisor and she refused.

Best Buy has definitely lost my trust and business.

48 Hours and officials in Florida have found that Best Buy's salespeople have misled their customers about the value of a manufacturer's warranty vs. Best Buy's paid one. And if you do buy one, it might not do exactly what you think it will do. CBS News Correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports.

August 12, 2002
I spent the summer moving, working and soul-searching. The debate was over what the base color the SkyPirate should be. The choices were Dupli-Color Ultra Silver and Dupli-Color Pewter. The Ultra Silver has a bright almost brushed aluminum finish, but the shadows reflected off it are a little light. The Pewter has a unique 19th century, industrial quality and is a bit darker. I went to NAPA Auto today and ordered five cans of Dupli-Color Ultra Silver.

April 13, 2002
NAPA was fast. I now have five cans of Dupli-Color Ultra Silver and can begin painting.

The strake/wing joints are still having problems. Now they're bulging from compression.

Looking back, I wish I had taken more photos. Especially, the ugly parts, like how messy I get when doing the epoxy, the Elmer's Fin'N'Finish phase, the painting and all the cussing.

August 18, 2002
The humidity and mosquitos have produced a fairly comical approach painting. I dash outside, and lay down a coat of paint. Before the wet paint can fog from the humidity, I rush back inside and let it dry a couple of minutes. Then I walk it out to the storage unit to cure.

From the "do as I say, not as I do" department, I switched horses in the middle of a stream, twice.

I tried some Krylon Silver on an aluminum can and was impressed, especially at the lack of streaks. So, I tried some on the SkyPirate. It didn't do as well with larger areas and seemed a little soft. Now it's back to the Dupli-Color. The Krylon Silvers still looks like it has its place somewhere in another project.

The size and complex fin arrangement are right at the limits of what I can successfully paint with spray cans.