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1. Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks (washedoutgundampilot@poa.st)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2024 04:28:56 JST Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks

   I love how so many little experimental builder shops will make a big todo about how amazing their new custom mods are, and then when you start digging deeper it's the simplest stuff.

   "oh hell yeah we added structural bracing and a higher GW trailing gear."

   "but it's just a triangular reinforcement welded to the gear and a leaf spring with a bigger tire."

   Yes! Amazing isn't it? Four thousand dollars please"

   • Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks (washedoutgundampilot@poa.st)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2024 04:32:28 JST Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks

     in reply to

     I love clients like this because they have lots of money but they're very gun shy about spending it. I'm supposed to find the perfect AC for this older fella to fly between his home, kids, colleges, and retirement haven, and he keeps turning his nose up at pistons but immediately flinching when I tell him just the install for a beater turbine will be a quarter-mil

     Auto engines are cool but there's a lot of superstitious voodoo about them. When you've been flying long enough to know a handful of dead men, you get a little less trusting of anything that doesn't have 10 million hours of flight time backing up its reliability claims. If I were shopping, I can't say I'm very excited or not about this. The best "ownership" scenario is basically screwing someone, if you want to do it "right" you need 2 co-owners who split costs and only wanna fly it once a month

   • Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks (washedoutgundampilot@poa.st)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2024 04:33:59 JST Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks

     in reply to

     And another example of boomerism in this industry: They post "gallery" images but inevitably give you a 600 by 300 picture thinking that's high resolution

   • Paultron-3030 (paultron@poa.st)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2024 04:35:07 JST Paultron-3030

     in reply to
     @WashedOutGundamPilot ngl flying was a lot cooler when it wasn't boomers making things worse for everyone and more dashing mustachioed heros trying out this super reliable new engine (30+ hours between rebuilds!)
     Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks likes this.
   • Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks (washedoutgundampilot@poa.st)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2024 04:36:50 JST Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks

     in reply to

     • Paultron-3030

     @Paultron Back when you could buy ex-government stearmans with your high school job harvesting hay over the summer

     Not long ago I got an offer for an older tiger moth for a not-bad price but I don't have the reserves needed to keep it running. Too bad, when you see the buy-in it seems much more feasible than it is IRL

   • Anime Wong (elliptica@poa.st)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2024 04:47:52 JST Anime Wong

     in reply to

     • Soyak
     @HWABAG @WashedOutGundamPilot Yeah. I do astrophotography for a hobby, which I comment on here from time to time. Last month the last major telescope maker in the US folded. If you buy a telescope made in the US now it's a total boutique thing that you are probably either overpaying for (but you went on a wait list for several years to get it so it's fine). Everything else is either made in China, made in China, or made in China, or maybe even made in China.
     
     Maybe it's not completely their fault, but they didn't even try to compete, and they were overcharging. Like, imaging charging 50+ dollars for a threaded part. Ridiculous.)
     Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks likes this.
   • Soyak (hwabag@bae.st)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2024 04:47:53 JST Soyak

     in reply to

     • Anime Wong
     @Elliptica @WashedOutGundamPilot asia has unfortunately taken over in some niche hobbies, sad to see what has happened to those small businesses in the us and europe.
   • Anime Wong (elliptica@poa.st)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2024 04:47:54 JST Anime Wong

     in reply to
     @WashedOutGundamPilot You see this in a lot of technical hobbies, which inevitably are composed mostly of older men. Things like 3d printers and the Chinese have totally obliterated a section of the economy they carved out.
   • Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks (washedoutgundampilot@poa.st)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2024 04:52:05 JST Woggy's Zeonic Frolicks

     in reply to

     • Anime Wong
     • Soyak

     @Elliptica @HWABAG Even when I see companies selling me on US PRODUCED I don't buy it, I'd bet it's like any other industry bragging about MIUSA:

     They assemble parts from the global 2nd world in kentucky and tell you it's all american. In reality they're just doing the final 12% of work here