|
|
Up to date
announcments and the goings-on here are Dream-Flight:
August 6, 2010
Alula battery packs will
be in stock after August 11, 2010. We are currently awaiting a new shipment of
these. We have activated the add-to-cart buttons for all items including this
battery (i.e. Alula R/C flight packs, etc.) so you can place your order.
However, these will not ship until after the 11th.
Happy Skies!
Michael Richter |
|
|
July 5, 2010
Happy Summer!
We
are now back in the shop after having been closed for two weeks for our annual
summer vacation. It will take us a few days to sort through everything, but
we'll try to respond to all emails in the next few days.
All orders
placed between June 21 and July 5th will ship within roughly one week. Thank
you for your patience.
Happy
Skies!
Michael Richter |
|
|
May 24, 2010
Weasel-evo kits are now
in stock. Thank you for hanging in there during the long wait! Please expect a
2-3 day processing period until shipment of your order.
Price changes in effect for our EPP products: As of May 24th
you'll notice a $7 price increase on the Weasel-evo kit. Due to ever increasing
material costs and the more labor intensive manufacturing process required for
EPP foam parts, we've slightly increased our pricing. There are no
substitutions for EPP and we felt that this material, while more expensive and
difficult to process, is a large part of what makes the Weasel the Weasel. We
apologize for this change and thank you for your
understanding.
Happy
Skies!
Michael Richter |
|
|
 May 11, 2010
Weasel availability has been pushed out a bit to late May. Our
apologies for this inconvenience. If you'd like to be notified when weasels
kits are available for order, send us an email and we'll gladly add you to our
contact list.
Shown to the
right: A black weasel?! Several of you might have noticed me flying this
prototype at Weaselfest2010... same Weasel, different foam. We thought the
black EPP looked pretty sleek so we thought we'd give it a try. Look out for a
limited edition kit with a bit of "axis" flair!
Thank you for your
support!
-Michael
Richter |
|
|
April 22, 2010
Weasels to be available for order early May 2010, just in time for the
flying season. We apologize for the wait on these. However, Alulas are in stock
and can ship within 3-5 days.
Shown to the right: A black weasel?! Several of you might have
noticed me flying this prototype at Weaselfest2010... same Weasel, different
foam. We thought the black EPP looked pretty sleek so we thought we'd give it a
try. Look out for a limited edition kit with a bit of "axis"
flair!
Thank you for your support!
-Michael Richter |
|
|
March 31, 2010
Weasels are currently out of stock and we are expecting to have the
next round ready by roughly mid-April. This always seems to happen around
Weasel-fest! Hopefully we should have these availible in time for you to enjoy
what's left of the Spring flying season.
Alulas are in stock and
available for shipment within one week of order date.
Thank you for your
support and let us know if you have any questions.
-Michael Richter |
|
|
January 21, 2010
Business continues as usual... we are making
headway on orders and have been attempting to dodge the winter rains as we move
packages out the door.
Thank you for your support through 2009 and and
we look forward to serving you in 2010 and beyond!
-Michael Richter |
|
|
December 10, 2009
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Weasel-evo kits are now available for order via
the website!
Please note that if you
need something by the holidays, we cannot ensure delivery on a specific date.
International orders will experience the greatest delays in shipping time (1-3
weeks extra). If you are outside the US and place an order in the next few
days, more than likely your shipment will not arrive before
Christmas.
Sorry this took so long... it took us a bit longer than
expected to process all our waiting list orders.
-M.Richter
|
|
|
November 22, 2009
Our apologies for the delay in email returns over
the last few days. My wife and I had our first addition to the family (a baby
boy!) on November 18th of last week and as a result I had to step away from
work for a few days for the delivery and "transitional period".
After
catching up on a few hours of sleep last night, I'm back at work getting
Weasels kit pre-orders on their way!
Thanksgiving Holiday
Closure: Please note that we will be closed this week on Nov. 26 and 27th
for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
-M.Richter
|
|
|
November 15, 2009 (12:30 PM PST)
We are currently updating the site and will be
taking waiting list orders shortly. In the next few hours, ordering information
will be sent via email to all those on our email waiting list. As soon as all
waiting list orders have been processed, we will then activate the main
Weasel-evo order button for the public (we expect this to be in roughly two
weeks).
CURRENT WEASEL-EVO
STATUS AS OF NOVEMBER 15, 2009:
Below is the new timeline for Weasel-evo glider
kits:
1) Early to
mid-November: All pre-paid orders from June and July have been/will be
shipped. Shipment confirmations will be sent upon dispatch of your order. To
avoid any further delays, we will ship all these outstanding paid orders before
taking any new orders.
2) Mid-November and on: Waiting list orders
will be accepted and processed.
3) Sometime Late November / Early
December, 2009: After fulfilling wait-list orders, we will then proceed to
activate the weasel-evo kit purchase button on our website.
Thank you for your
patience!
-M.Richter
|
|
|
November 13, 2009
We're almost there! All those of you who are on
our Weasel-evo waiting list will receive an email this weekend with
ordering/payment instructions. We are currently attempting to build our
inventory of "ready to ship" Weasel-evo kits to expedite wait-list shipments.
Please note that mixed orders containing both Weasel and Alula kits will be
delayed slightly due to a back-order of Alula kits. The lead time of 10-14 days
for Alula kits is still in effect and will apply to a mixed
order.
We realize its been a long haul in bringing this
next wave of Weasel-evo kits to fruition... so, again, thank you for your
utmost patience!
CURRENT WEASEL-EVO
STATUS AS OF NOVEMBER 13, 2009:
Below is the new timeline for Weasel-evo glider
kits:
1) Early to
mid-November: All pre-paid orders from June and July have been/will be
shipped. Shipment confirmations will be sent upon dispatch of your order. To
avoid any further delays, we will ship all these outstanding paid orders before
taking any new orders.
2) Mid-November and on: After completing all
outstanding, pre-paid orders from June through July, we will start taking new
orders from our waiting list customers. It isn't too late to be included in our
waiting list, so let us know if you would like to be added.
3)
Sometime Late November, 2009: After fulfilling wait-list orders, we will
then proceed to activate the weasel-evo kit purchase button on our
website.
Have a nice
weekend!
-M.Richter
|
|
|
November 11, 2009
We've adjusted our timeline
slightly:
CURRENT WEASEL-EVO
STATUS AS OF NOVEMBER 11, 2009:
Below is the new timeline for Weasel-evo glider
kits:
1) Early to
mid-November: All pre-paid orders from June and July have been/will be
shipped. Shipment confirmations will be sent upon dispatch of your order. To
avoid any further delays, we will ship all these outstanding paid orders before
taking any new orders.
2) Mid-November and on: After completing all
outstanding, pre-paid orders from June through July, we will start taking new
orders from our waiting list customers. It isn't too late to be included in our
waiting list, so let us know if you would like to be added.
3)
Sometime Late November, 2009: After fulfilling wait-list orders, we will
then proceed to activate the weasel-evo kit purchase button on our
website.
Thank you for hanging in
there!
M.Richter
|
|
|
October 12, 2009
The gears are turning a little slower than we'd
like for the Weasel. We'll have more information later this week. Thank you for
hanging in there!
Meanwhile, we have been very busy processing Alula
orders over the last few weeks. Lead time on the Alula is 7-10 working days
(this does not include shipping time).
I wish you a happy Fall flying season!
M.Richter
|
|
|
September 11, 2009
We are currently making the following updates and
additions to the website:
-Updated Gallery with new pictures.
-Updated Testimonials page.
-Completion of Spare Parts page so that you can
order replacement parts to keep your Dream-Flight glider running like a well
oiled machine.
M.Richter
|
|
|
September 2, 2009
Weasel-evo Kit Availability:
Currently
still sorting through some production/supply woes, but we're getting closer. We
are now estimating that kits will be back online by late September/ early
October 2009. Yes, this has been a long haul and we truly appreciate the
patience you've all demonstrated. Please know that we are working hard to get
these kits to you as soon as possible. Just maybe we'll have weasels for you in
time to enjoy those Fall winds.
Alula-evo:
Orders for Alulas
are now shipping. All new orders placed on or after September 1st are subject
to a 2 week lead time.
M.Richter
|
|
|
August 18, 2009
We returned to work on Monday August 17th after a week's vacation, and
so the gears have once again started to turn. We have begun processing new
Alula orders and will start shipments today. Thank you for your
patience!
Weasel-evo Kit
Availability:
We are still working on the new time line for Weasel Kits.
Thank you for your patience.
Alula-evo:
All Alula orders
through August 3rd have shipped. We've decided to make partial shipments for
all mixed orders. As per our previous email, we have begun shipping the Alula
portion of your order to avoid further delays. We will pay for the extra
postage costs required to ship your remaining weasel kit(s) when
available.
M.Richter
|
|
|
August 4, 2009
Dream-Flight Closed August 5-14 for Summer
vacation
This is our last
update until we return after August 14th. Signing off!
Weasel-evo Kit Availability:
We are
still working on the new time line for Weasel Kits. Thank you for your
patience.
Alula-evo:
All Alula orders through August 3rd have
shipped. We've decided to make partial shipments for all mixed orders. As per
our previous email, we have begun shipping the Alula portion of your order to
avoid further delays. We will pay for the extra postage costs required to ship
your remaining weasel kit(s) when available.
Happy Summer!
M.Richter
|
|
|
July 31, 2009
Dream-Flight Closed August 5-14 for Summer
vacation
If you have any
special requests, please let us know by August 2. Website will remain open for
order reservations; however, please note that we will not begin to process and
ship orders placed during August 3-14 until we return.
Weasel-evo Kit Availability:
We are still working on the new
time line for Weasel Kits. Thank you for your
patience.
Alula-evo:
We've decided to make partial shipments
for all mixed orders. As per our previous email, we have begun shipping the
Alula portion of your order to avoid further delays. We will pay for the extra
postage costs required to ship your remaining weasel kit(s) when
available.
M.Richter
|
|
|
July 28,
2009
We are still
working on the new time line for Weasel Kits. Thank you for your
patience.
We've decided to make partial shipments for all mixed orders.
As per our previous email, we have begun shipping the Alula portion of your
order to avoid further delays. We will pay for the extra postage costs required
to ship your remaining weasel kit(s) when available.
Summer vacation
notice:
Dream-Flight will be closed for part of August for our summer
vacation. We are still working on the dates, so stay tuned. If you have any
special requests, please let us know by August 2.
M.Richter
|
|
|
July 22,
2009
Weasel Production Delayed,
yet again.
I fear I'm starting to sound like a broken record.
We've encountered yet another snafu due to a shipment of bad parts. All
outstanding weasel orders will be delayed until further notice. For those of
you who placed mixed orders, or Weasel-only orders, we apologize for this
delay. We hope to have more information within the next day or so regarding the
new timeline.
I apologize for letting all of you patient Weasel
customers down. If you would like to make any changes to your order or would
prefer to cancel your order, we will be happy to comply.
Alula shipments
will continue as planned.
Thank you for your understanding and
patience,
M.Richter
|
|
|
July 2,
2009
Alula kits now
shipping:
We have begun shipping Alula orders. Please note that
due to a high volume of pre-orders it will take us 7-14 working days to package
and ship all pre-orders placed between June 17th and July 2nd. All new Alula
orders placed after July 2nd are estimated to ship starting July 20th in the
order they are received. Thank you for your patience!
Weasel Kits
delayed until July 20: Due to an unfortunate delay in production, new
Weasel kit orders will not ship until July 20 at the earliest. For those fo you
who placed mixed orders, or Weasel-only orders, we apologize for this delay.
Our apologies for this change to out initial time
schedule.
M.Richter
|
|
|
June 29,
2009
Bad News and
Good News:
Weasel Kits delayed until July 20: Due to an
unfortunate delay in production, new Weasel kit orders will not ship until July
20 at the earliest. We are however still on track to begin shipment of Alula
kits this week, with first shipments starting as early as Wednesday (July 1st).
For those fo you who placed mixed orders, or Weasel-only orders, we apologize
for this delay.
Our apologies for this change to out initial time
schedule.
M.Richter
|
|
|
June 21.
2009
Finally, I've uploaded two Alula movies to the homepage -
finally proof that these things actually fly! I am honored by the fact that
many of you placed your orders before actually seeing the video. Thank you for
your trust - it means very much to me! I was hoping to have had all the filming
and editing done by the 17th, but unfortunately it didn't work out.
I
wasn't satisfied with just one video, since I think the Alula has dual
personalities. It can be a floater and also a no-holds-barred, fly wherever the
heck you want R/C glider. So, pick your fancy and enjoy! Of course we're not
done yet... there are so many other creative flying scenarios that are possible
with this quirky, inexpensive, lightweight, and tight turning glider. The need
to drive far for a suitable soaring location is no longer a requirement for
flying R/C gliders; in the right conditions, a large empty parking lot, wall,
row of trees, large structure, small park, or schoolyard can all provide the
Alula with sustained flight.
Of course, we always encourage safety and
considerateness when flying R/C gliders in unconventional locations. Always ask
permission wherever you fly and avoid flight scenarios and locations that may
prove hazardous to your and other's safety. If you are learning how to fly R/C
glider's, always seek advice and training from experienced local R/C
pilots.
M.Richter
|
|
|
June 17. 2009
Got up at 5AM this
morning to finish up a few last things on the website. Looks like we're on
schedule to open up the purchase links at 9AM PST (approximately).
We
are also working on a little teaser movie for the Alula. We hope to have that
posted by the weekend.
Thank
you for your patience!
M.Richter
|
|
|
June 16.
2009
We finally managed to upload information on the new re-designed
Alula. Enjoy! I had so much fun with the graphics that I made a little extra
teaser below.
Order pages should be up and running tomorrow, June 17th
after 9AM PST. Please know that all new alula and weasel kit orders will not
ship until on or after June 29th. We are only taking pre-orders. So, if you
don't get your kit 3 days after you click "add to cart", that's why
:)
In addition to kit pre-orders, we'll also have flightpacks for both
kits. Please note that we are currently working on updating the R/C Gear Page,
so you may not see these items currently.
Happy Skies,
M.Richter
|
 |
|
June 11.
2009
We are happy to announce that pre-orders will be taken starting
June 17th (Wednesday) for both the new Alula kit and the Weasel. I'll attempt
to get some more info up on the new Alula so that you can take a peek before
you decide.
Our apologies for the lapse in kit availability. This first
month of business has been a learning experience and there have been some
hiccups along the way. Please know that we are gearing up for the summer flying
season!
Happy
Skies,
M.Richter
|
|
 June 7. 2009
We've really enjoyed
seeing the new build pictures roll in. Check out our Gallery page for the new
pics that cusomers have sent us during the past month. Thank you for sending us
snapshots of your unique creations!
Happy Skies.
M.Richter
|
Richard Gryde's unique design (above right)
caught our "eye"! |
June 1. 2009
Things have finally
returned to normalcy and we made good headway over the last week with our
current backlog of orders. Unfortunately, we mis-judged the demand for the new
weasel kit and as a result we are currently sold out! Weasel kits are planned
to back in stock by Mid-June.
We are in the process making a few minor
tweaks to the Weasel: Firstly, we are decreasing the foam density to bring the
glider back to its original design specs. This will allow one to achieve a
lighter weight, even with tape or iron-on film covering the majority of the
glider. Lastly, we are working on replacing the current clear plastic used for
the belly-skid with a more durable substitute.
In other news, the Alula
kit is nearing completion, so keep an eye out!
Happy Skies!
|
M.Richter
|
May 11, 2009
Dream-Flight shop experiences near miss encounter
with wildfire.   
UPDATE: After a harrowing last
few days and sleepless nights we were finally allowed back to our property on
Sunday, May 10. Saying that my parent's house, neighborhood, and the
Dream-Flight shop experienced a near miss with the Jesusita's flames is
definitely an understatement. The flames literally came within feet of the
Dream-Flight workshop and my parent's house and many of the surrounding trees
were scorched and/or burned - AMAZING! On the evening of May 7, the flame front
was pushed into our neighborhood by dry offshore winds. After spending several
last hours dowsing the property with fire hoses and roof sprinklers, my sister,
cat, and I were forced to flee the property upon seeing flames shoot over the
last ridge bordering the canyon that surrounds our house and shop. Upon
evacuating, I was about 70% sure that our neighborhood would lose many
structures. In the end, thanks to the amazing work of our firefighters, all
structures on our street were spared.
I can't thank the firefighters
and law personnel enough for their brave work, and my father for having had
enough foresight to have kept our property cleared of low-lying vegitation and
prepared with fire hoses, roof sprinklers, and a plan. I can't help but think
that every last little bit helped. My heart goes out to those that lost their
homes in this fire and I am eternally thankful that no human lives were
lost.
DREAM-FLIGHT BUSINESS STATUS:
As of about 3PM, Monday May 11,
we have set up reserve power, Internet, and have re-installed equipment and
merchandise. The surrounding power lines were severely damaged during the fire,
leaving our neighborhood without power. It looks as if utility crews will be
able to re-store full power in about a week, but we are going to do our best to
continue work under reserve power conditions. Our apologies for the delay in
Email response. We will try to respond to all inquiries over the next few days.
Our priority in the meantime will be to complete all outstanding orders that
have not yet shipped.
Thank you for your patience!
-M.Richter
   
The pictures above were taken two days after the fire pushed
through our neighborhood. You can see the burn line which made it to within
feet of our workshop. The first picture (top, far left) was taken on the day
the fire broke out. |
May 11. 2009
The worst of the
Jesusita fire appears to be over, yet as I write this helicopters with water
buckets fly constantly over the shop on their to make water drops in the high
country where the fire still burns. The cooler weather has surely slowed the
pace of the flames. Fortunately, it seems that structures are no longer
threatened, yet our area continues to remain in an evacuation warning
zone.
We have setup reserve power and Internet, and
have re-stocked the shop, which now stands at the edge of completely
incinerated terrain.
I understand that many of you are anxious to
receive your orders. Please know that we are as anxious to deliver them.
Unfortunately, the fire emergency has set us back by 1-2 weeks. We still have a
little re-organization to do, but it looks like we will resume processing
orders tomorrow.
Thank you for your patience!
|
M.Richter
|
May 6. 2009
Closed temporarily due to Santa
Barbara
Jesusita Fire emergency.
UPDATE: We have evacuated our shop. We will back in
production as soon as we receive clearance from fire officials that our area is
no longer at risk. Please note that all merchandise is being staged, so we will
be able to continue shipments as soon as our area is out of evacuation order.
Thank you for patience! The picture to the left was taken about 50 yards from
above our shop on May 5!
|
May 5. 2009
Happy Cinco de
Mayo!
Its been a busy time at Dream-Flight... the blue boxes continue
rolling out the door. It looks like all orders through May 2 will have shipped
by the end of the week. All orders placed on May 3rd, or after, will experience
a longer lead time of up to two weeks as we gear up for the next production run
of parts. The interest in the new kits has caught us a bit off guard so we do
appreciate your patience with us as we work towards catching
up.
Extra skid cover in
kit? (this is not a mistake)
Please note that you may have received two
thermo-formed belly skid covers in your kit. This is not a mistake. Please note
that we are still fine-tuning the material choice for this component. The
current recycled plastic we are using demonstrated good qualities initially
(like that of polycarbonate), but over time it may become more brittle. As a
result we've given you two until we detemine a good substitute.
|
M.Richter
|
April 28. 2009
Orders are now
rolling out the door. Due to our long closure we are currently processing a
larger number of orders than usual. As a result, it will take us
approximately7-10 days to process all current orders. Our apologies for the
delay.
Extra skid cover in kit? (this is not a mistake)
Please
note that you may have received two thermo-formed belly skid covers in your
kit. This is not a mistake. Please note that we are still fine-tuning the
material choice for this component. The current recycled plastic we are using
demonstrated good qualities initially (like that of polycarbonate), but over
time it may become more brittle. As a result we've given you two until we
detemine a good substitute.
|
M.Richter
|
April 21. 2009
WHEW! What a kickoff
to the week. I commenced shipping of the first kits this morning. Looks like a
few weaselfesters might actually get their kits in time!
Extra skid
cover in kit? (this is not a mistake)
Please note that you may have
received two thermo-formed belly skid covers in your kit. This is not a
mistake. Please note that we are still fine-tuning the material choice for this
component. The current recycled plastic we are using demonstrated good
qualities initially (like that of polycarbonate), but over time it may become
more brittle. As a result we've given you two until we detemine a good
substitute. I may have forgotten these extras in the first batch of kits that
went out this morning - sorry about that (if you are weaselfest, remind me and
I will give you an extra). All in the name of R&D! :)
|
M.Richter
|
April 17. 2009
I just uploaded a
new demo video for the Weasel-evo. Hope you enjoy it! We apologize for the
fancy royalty-free soundtrack :)
As of now, it looks like the bulk of
shipments will go out the week of April 27th. I'll do my best to get any
pre-weaselfest shipments out in time, but it still looks very
tight.
|
M.Richter
|
April 16. 2009
Thanks to those who
pointed out the missing page link so quickly. We've fixed the problem since and
for those of you who were wondering about that error page that popped up upon
completing their order, this problem did not actually affect the order process.
We simply forgot to upload our "thank you" page which pops up after you submit
your order.
In other news, we received word that a shipment of glider
kit parts scheduled for delivery on Friday is now scheduled for next week!
Unfortunately, this will set us a few days behind schedule, so pre-shipments in
time for WeaselFest may be difficult. Please stay tuned though, as I will do my
best to expedite things.
Thank you for your patience!
|
M.Richter
|
April 15. 2009
Good
Day!
Order pages are up and running now. I'm currently working on a
little movie for the homepage, so stay tuned. I know many of you like to "see
it fly before you buy", so I apologize for the delay.
Additionally,
please let us know if you encounter any difficulties with the site / order
pages. Its still a work in progress, so we apologize for any unforeseen hiccups
that may occur.
Hope you enjoy the new site and
products!
|
M.Richter
|
April 14. 2009
Welcome!
The
new website is finally up and running. I hope you enjoy it!
We will
activate our online order pages and purchase buttons at 9AM tomorrow (April
15). Yes, I know, its tax day... So, make sure to pay your taxes, but don't
forget to buy a Weasel too!
Looks like we have a busy week/weekend ahead
of us... weasel kits to finalize and package, new orders to process, etc. At
the moment, there are a few things remaining to be done on the website, so
we'll also continue work on those unfinished "coming soon" pages.
Thanks
again to all who were so patient during the re-design / overhaul of our
business and products.
Its good to be back!
|
M.Richter
|
|
|
|
