First Flight of the Season

 

It feels like I got off to a late start this year... 

I usually fly almost all year around, but work this past year took so much of my time that I left most of my hobbies behind. Now that I am "on sabbatical"  between gigs, I have some time.

I updated the iX12, expecting that to derive any number of nightmares, but it actually went pretty flawlessly. I think. It may have this new trick where it needs to have the battery unplugged and plugged back in to turn on, but we'll see. I charged it up completely having let the batter die over the winter. Update done. Cleaned out the planes I killed last fall, no need to be reminded every time I scroll looking for today's aircraft.

I took the Eflite Alpha Sport 450 out, as the first plane I fly every season. It was my first real plane, the one I learned to fly some 11-12 years ago, and I know it so well that it's comforting to renew my thumbs every season, and settle the "new field jitters" when I fly somewhere I haven't before. I thought I had taken a photo at the field, but alas... I did take a pic of the Cubbie. I flew several packs on the Alpha, and then just one on the Cubbie. It was a bit gusty, so the Cubbie took a beating, but landed fine. The grass at Wason Pond, in Chester, NH, where I went today instead of hauling all the way out to Hudson, was long and clumpy, so I took off from the dirt on the baseball diamond. 8 packs in all, about 40 min of flight. The first flight I overcontrolled a little, but by the end I was hand launching with no issues. It really felt good. A dad with some kids had just finished flying a Blue Angels F-18 Kite, enjoyed the show and I invited them over for some show-and-tell!  They loved it, and it was good to see them so happy. The dad has found a new hobby!

Tomorrow I think it's time to get the 10cc Ultra Stick flight ready, see if I can solve the "flickering left aileron" problem. Then the 26cc Hanger 9 Pulse XT going. Think the two 30cc's will follow. I am scared of maidening the 10cc Spitfire... past being prologue, but that too will come. 

And not let us forget the babies, my helis!!!!