What a wonderful day full of maidens!

Finally caught a break with marvelous weather and manageable gusts on a day off. Flew the Stearman several flights, love that it has stabilization, and maidened the Goldberg Falcon and the long awaited Ultrastick! Only a few pics and didn't do any video (forgot the cam). 

One curious battery thin I have never seen before. Charged 4 3S 2200 mAh batteries at the same time (parallel? I can never remember). In all 4 batteries, one cell charged to only about 4v, the other full at 4.2v. This happened on all 4 batteries from the same charge. I decided not to fly with them so I didn't undevolt that one cell, ran them down on the bench while checking the voltage. At 3.8v on 2 cells, the third on was around 3.74v on each battery, so the gap narrowed. The IRs were all less than 6. They ran fine. I charged another set of 4, a different band, and they all charged normally. The affected batteries are about a year old. Curious if they won't charge properly again. Would be a bummer as in this eco no my I won't be replacing them anytime soon.

The gang is all here!

Little wheels and short nose make for easy flip over on landing when running into the clumpies at the end of the runway. The PT-19 flew like a charm! So love this plane. It's a shame Eflite moved away from these affordable balsa delights and sells overpriced foamies in their place.

The Falcon has flown, 4 flights. In the air 3-channel proved no problem for me to adjust to, just as John predicted. On the ground I kept trying to steer with the rudder instead of the ailerons. Of course I kept trying to coordinate my turns in the air. The Falcon has one issue that John is going to investigate. It has a constant hard right roll tendency that I had to control with left rudder. Wasn't able to trim it out with rudder in flight. The wing looks straight and not warped as far as I can tell, and the tail is straight.  The Irvine 40 runs like a dream, no issues at all and pulled some nice vertical. I tried the 11x5 Scimitar, and it flew great, but losing just that 1/2 inch of ground clearance lead to one prop stall on the lumpy Geotex. It flies so well on the 10x6, may just get some Master Airscrew Scimitars in that size, but I want some more flight time with the 11x5 first. One thing about nitro is that shit coats this wing thick. I have a muffler extender, chose not to fly with it, but I just might. Also need to bring paper towels.

The tail looks good, in this pic the right side of the main wing looks a bit higher, maybe that's it?  Maybe I do see a little warp, the ceiling edge on the right shows more underwing. I bet the wing does have a bit of warp and that would roll it right. The engine is rigged classic down and right so P-factor isn't an issue, and this roll tendency is constant. This made for challenging landings. Little dude is fast with both props. Once we get this roll tendency sorted, this will be a fun plane to fly!

I usually have bigger wheels on the Ultrastick, and am probably going back to them. Hit the taller grass and went right head over heels after a nice albeit floaty flaps landing. I am sooo happy with how it handled. Engine ran great, though it has a gravelly sound to combustion. This is the first time I have heard it without ear plugs. It was getting late what with all the waiting, I wanted another flight, but one of the leading edge wing pegs was a tad loose so I called it a day.  Overall all, I am very, very happy. I got used to it running a long ways out, though I hope getting my cataracts done improves my clarity of vision. I feel a lot more comfortable flying the 26cc Pulse XT60 and the 30cc Sbach here. I will probably overfly the parking lot at the business next door on landings with the big boys but no one is ever there.... The Evo 10cc ran great, though I did lean out the low needle a bit more. The idle improved (it was a bit untrustworthy today until I learned it) as did acceleration to FOT. Pretty sure a gasser is going with me every trip to the field.

I call this day a wonderful win!

What a wonderful, wonderful, day...

I had today off for an appointment with my eye surgeon who unexpectedly dilated my right eye, because you know, I had a car-full of airplanes I was taking directly to the field... Dammit... Winds were going to get even better and I was off on a sunny day. I. Am. Going. Flying.

But even though I am an idiot, I waited a while and made sure I could see well enough to fly. I had also brought the Ultrastick to maiden today, but not with one eye, no matter how perfect the weather. The field will require me to fly high with that one and I wasn't going to risk losing orientation.

I did get over a dozen great flights in, and even trialed my field charger setup.

Hanging in the gang cover at NH Flying Tigers Field,

Derry, NH

Wanting to tune up my go-to plane and continue to re-train my thumbs, as well as  make sure I can safely fly with one eye, I flew half a dozen packs on the Alpha Sport 450 first. I have flaperons on it, to slow it down on approaches, but it's already really, really floaty. I think I am going to try spoilerons, and see if that will slow it and make it less floaty. I am beginning to see this revived version really wants to be nose heavy.

For the first time in years I took the vintage Eflite PT-19 Cornell out and up today. It's so light I put a Hobby King Orange stabilization system on it, and it makes a tremendous difference. Speedier and snappier than I recall, it flies on rails. Really enjoyed flying it after the first flight jitters, did about 3 packs.

Flight of the Cornell

I came with only four of ten or so 3S packs charged, so I got to trial the lead setup I ran from my hybrids auxiliary battery. I have to leave the engine "on" so the computer can sense when to, and to charge that battery. Worked perfectly!

I had psyched myself up to maiden the Ultrastick 10cc today, and by late afternoon the conditions could not have been better, and only one totally non-judgy pilot was there. I was sooo tempted, but my right eye didn't un-dilate until a couple hours after I got home. I was not adding that crash variable to the test flight. Benched. I am itching to get that plane up.

The even more exciting part of the day was when I got home, I used a suggestion from John Hayes to make it so the throttle closes when throttle cut is turned on. I had gotten the engine easily started on the first try after years of sitting, and tuned to to run superbly, quite easily. I did have to adjust both needles. But the throttle barrel would not close completely, so I had to manually choke the engine to stop it. John showed me which screw to adjust. There is a spring loaded screw on the back port side of the carb (top in the photo). This screw stops the throttle barrel at the desired position, which for me is fully closed. This is the last pic of that screw, because I didn't realize it was spring loaded, and to allow the throttle to close completely, it had to be fully withdrawn. Yep... Shot out of there like a bat out of hell... It went where screws go when the cross the edge of the workbench...  My vintage garage has a stone and dirt floor. 

It's in there somewhere, I think. Couldn't even find it with a magnet, but tons of iron chips and aged metals were everywhere.

Nice idle, nice slam to FOT, smooth mid-range, 

and throttle cut works now! I got an exhaust extender today 

and will install it soon.

Have to work the next 3 days. Sunday's weather is stormy, Monday winds 7 mph but not much gusting after 2p. Hope to maiden the Ultrastick. My rule is only one maiden a day, so the Goldberg Falcon 56 will follow that another day, unless the weather is pristine. A little nervous as I have never flown 3-channel and this field is tight. John says it will be fine!

Flight schedule is to get the Pulse XT60 26cc gasser, the Eflite Stearman (the real balsa one, not the overpriced foamie thing*), and the massive 30cc MX-Bach (MX2 fuse, Sbach wing). I also have the Cosmic Wind (I think a Great Planes 450 size speedster), and my helis airborne. Full summer. Need good weather matching days off.

* I so hate that Eflite went from making affordable beautiful and desired balsa ARFs to selling foamy overpriced crap. This is what kills this hobby. Foamies are fine, l just waaaay overpriced, and just don't fly like the balsa planes. Good small to medium balsa ARFs are hard to find. Muss my Eflite Ultimate, my Pulse XT25 (my all three me favorite plane), and eventually my Cornell and Stearman may expire with no decent replacement.

Vintage Irvine 40, and "Pop Goes The Weasel"!

This is the Irvine 40, a vintage (1980-1990's) British made nitro engine that John gave me on the Goldberg Falcon 40. It hasn't been run in ages, but started on the first try! Adjusted the high, and then had to adjust the low needles. There is a mechanical issue I will need to adjust later: the barrel on the carb doesn't close all the way, so I can't lower the idle and I have to choke the engine to stop it. But wow, as advertised, this motor runs so beautifully! This is my first nitro and first exhaust pressured carb, 

This was a interesting... I installed a fresh OS8 glow plug. On the second run I heard a pop and the engine quit. Turns out it failed! The top popped off and the base remained attached to the engine. This was a top shelf glow plug by OS. Fortunately had some N3 plugs and replaced it.

The top that popped off.

The base still attached to the engine 

I learned what happens when you fill the tank and fuel spills into the muffler and the carb floods.... Once I stopped filling to the top of the tank it's not a problem.

I am liking nitro. Simple no electronic ignition, seems to just run sweet.

Tomorrow weather conditions are expected to be awesome, so after an appointment I plan on flying the Alpha Sport 450, as many times as I can, then, gulp, I want to maiden the Ultrastick 10cc!

New Project Gifts!

At my visit today, John gifted me with three projects he thought I would be interested in. One ready to fly, one that will need some building, and one that's going to take a long time to refurbish. 

Goldberg Falcon 56 Mark I or II

PS: I did up the wing to give some top-bottom contrast. The AMA sticker is patching a small hole. I don't have matching cote. I out down the black cote because the back rubber ands leave black dust.

This Carl Goldberg design originally from the 1960s is a famous classic beloved model. A wingspan of 56 inches, there were three revisions, and I think this is a Mark II. 

This one has a vintage British made Irvine 40 nitro glow engine turning a 10 inch (? Pitch) wood Top Flite prop, a Spektrum AR 6200 Ultra lite receiver and Spektrum DS821 digital servos. It flies old school 3-channel (rudder, elevator, throttle). The recommended prop is an 11x5 or 10x6. This prop is a 10x6. I want to put a 11x5 Master Airscrew Scimitar on it. I have an extra 11x7 Scimitar for the Evo 10cc I might use.

It is in amazingly good condition. This will be my first nitro plane, and I am psyched! I love the smell of nitro. I did have to wash out the tank, had some mold (?) and the stoped was badly degraded. I ordered a nitro starter kit, comes with a NiCd igniter, fuel bottle, and glow wrenches. I also ordered black size 32 rubber bands to secure the wing, and a spare OS8 glow plug in case the current one is bad. All arriving tomorrow. I am hoping the carb is good and doesn't need refurbishing. John gave me a quart of "historically old" 10% nitromethane fuel, hoping not to have to head out to the hobby shop for a fresh gallon. I put a nose cone on it, and may get a more yellow one. Hoping to get it running tomorrow! This is going to be a lot of fun! What a gift!

Morane Saulnier N

This partially completed kit is framed out, but missing the rudder, wheels and nose cone (that I have no idea what I will do for...)  and I believe is flown 3-channel, though the wing has no dihedral. The scale WWI French built monoplane fighter used wing warping for roll instead of ailerons.  I will probably be building it electric, but gas puks be nice. It has plastic cowl and fuse top. I think I would want to do the wires too. It has no plans so I will be making it up as I go along. It will require a lot of cote work. I would like to do it these British colors. ​Even though the aircraft is a French-designed Morane-Saulnier Type N (popularly called the "Morane Bullet"), this specific profile represents an aircraft operated by the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in 1916.

Here are some pics of the model. Somewhere between loading the car and getting home I lost a plastic bag with the plastic parts (cowl, top cockpit).

I will need to build the rudder. Worried there isn't much dihedral for 3 channel and wonder if I should try to convert it to ailerons. Not sure how to power it: there isn't an easy place to install and access the battery, though I could permanently install one and charge it after each flight. I also am not sure where the CG is. Looking for a manual. John is looking for the bag with the parts... I am so annoyed with myself.

Links to this plan and a nice article are 

at the bottom of the page the image links to.

PS(05/31/26): John found the bag with the Morane's plastic parts init this morning, thank goodness. I was about to head out to the trash bins to rn they then to look, expecting. To find them all crushed. He also suggested moving tool a bigger rubber an, from the 32 3" x 1/8") to the 64 (3.5" x 1/4"), noting it the more traditional size for this purpose. Wne I saw how narrow the 32 is stretched, I wondered if I should have done that, but thought I could get by as 8 seemed really sturdy, if stressed. His advice pushed me to do the right thing and just get the 64s.

Fairchild PT-19 Cornell,1/4 scale

This is an unholy-huge plane. It has been framed out but needs some serious refurbishing. All the major parts are there, rudder, elevator, ailerons (not installed),and a plastic cowl.. But for the tail, all the cote is missing, and I will need to find landing gear, windshields, cockpits for it.

I measured the wing, it's 88 inches, 2.25 meters.

I am passively looking for parts. Cockpit stuff, windshields, landing gear mainly. 

Gemini thinks a 50-60cc gas engine, or a 120-130 amp 12S 180kv motor. A large, low-KV outrunner designed specifically to swing big props (22" to 24") on high-voltage setups.

"Top Options: RimFire 50cc or RimFire 65cc, Dualsky GA6000.8 (180KV)

E-flite Power 360 (180KV) or Hacker A60-18 M .A KV rating between 160KV and 190KV. This ensures the motor spins slowly enough to safely handle a massive propeller without drawing excessive amps."

Both of these planes deserve to be fuel planes. Now that I am getting into nitro, maybe the Morane should be nitro. Might be less expensive.

I am excited to get started on the Morane. It will be a while before I get to the PT-19.

All set for the crying! I mean, flying!

Nailed the CG with no adjustments! Came in a 7.7 lbs dry, much better than the 10 lbs of versions 1 and 2 that had the tail servos in the tail, requiring a lb of lead up front, and weighing in at 10lbs. I am optimistic this one is a keeper.

I kept referring to the Evo 10cc as a "single needle carb, but I had forgotten that there is the obvious HI sped needle on the port side, and the low speed needle is tucked into the center of the carb vent barrel on the starboard side. I rediscovered this last night as I kept wondering why the manual refers to both needle settings. I saw the engine diagram and slapped my forehead (not really, I was in bed and I sat up). I had forgotten all about it.

Today I set the HI at 2.5 turns, ended up tweaking it once to about 2-1/4. It screams with the 11x6 Master Airscrew Scimitar prop. Keeping the throttle at about 1.5 mm open at idle, I tweaked the low speed needle leaner, no idea where it ended up, and I found this to be the best I can get. Clean initial slam with a small stumble just before peak rpm, quite acceptable. Reliable and no thrust generating idle, and a screaming full throttle.

I am pretty sure that the recent crash of the Alpha Sport 450 bent the engine shaft almost imperceptibly, enough you can see a wobble, not enough to affect performance. I decided this needs perfecting. And therein lies my latest frustration with this hobby: finding parts. Why is this so fucking hard?

It has an aluminum nose cone that can with a 4mm to 8mm prop adapter with a threaded center hole for the M3 screw that secures the nose cone. China doesn't even sell these. I have to buy a whole new nose cone, about $20 on Amazon, with its own adapter. I could use a 4mm to 6mm adapter and a spinner nut that has the same M3 hole, but none of the 4/6 adapters tell you how long they are. I need 30mm. I bought 6 4/6 adapters on Amazon, the same ones that you see everywhere, and they are 25mm long, so they can't accommodate a base plate for the nose cone. I hate the bullet ends these come with, suitable for drones and tiny planes, but not on a 450 size. Doesn't matter for now, the current nose cone adapter is not bent, but it annoys me I can't have spares.

Okay, moving on. Replacing the 4mm x 49mm c-clip end electric motor shaft on this DY2836 electric motor (same as I need to replace on the original motor). Not in America you don't. Took some looking and on Walmart, selling for a Chinese vendor, I found 4mmx50mm c-clip end shafts at a reasonable price, but they are still two weeks out from arriving. I ain't got time for that, but they are on there way, and I need two now 

So I did what every RC addicted boy does and just ordered another DY2836 880kv motor from Amazon and it will be here tomorrow. 

Look, I just want to get this thing flying right, get my thumbs retrained, get used to the field, improve my confidence, so I can maiden the Ultrastick. I am confident in that I wasn't the cause of the last crash, and I managed a lot of crazy attitudes in the bad winds before that crash. But I want some clean flights under my thumbs before then. Matching up weather and my days off hasn't been in the favor of flying, which is probably why I chose poorly to try to fly in those winds last Sunday, but I am sure that day will come, hopefully with no one else at the field (I hate an audience).

OH, BTW: THE engine has a bit of low end resolution, but once the throttle gets to 50% it's pretty much screaming at full throttle. I tried a Throttle curve and it worked nicely to smooth the power curve. I may lower it in the mids a bit more.

Ultrastick 10cc Almost Ready

It's kinda tight In there. The LiFe 2100 mAh 2S receiver pack turned out to be a smidge too big to fit in the well behind the tank over the landing gear, but it fit below the wing and is clear of the throttle servo. I made a shelf of thick closed cell foam CAd to the bottom of the battery and snap-lock velcroed to half that shelf behind the landing gear well,  and used a glue gun along the edge of the fuselage. It's secure and accessible. The leads are clear, the two loose ones are the ailerons and flaps. Going to be delicate closing up with the wing I place and the long wing leads.

Just a quick video of the 10 cc running with the Master Airscrew Scimitar 11x6. I don't have a lot of experience tuning these small 10cc single needle engines. Not a fan as it's hard to find the sweet spot between a nice safe and consistent idle, and a max full throttle setting. 

All that's left is to set the wing up, find and adjust CG and get a final weight. Without the wing it's at about 5.8 lbs. Designed all up dry weight is 7lbs.

Hoping to finally get to the Flying Tigers field today. I don't enjoy flying with an audience, so hope it's not crowded.

Ultrastick Evolution 10cc First Start

This Evolution 10cc gas engine hasn't been started since I crashed the last Ultrastick back in 2021, some 5 years ago (damn, has it been that long?).  It hasn't been my favorite as I find the single needle carb a bit of a challenge to get a safe idle out of, but it's a good smooth running engine.

Today I installed the RCexl Opto Kill with BEC, and it lit up perfectly.  It's plugged into the gear switch, and the kill works great. 

Filled the tank, powered it up and it started on the first try! Spent hours today trying to find a decent idle, as setting the high is easy. Managed a decent run up, but at idle it tends to idle high and drop off, settle, then after about 20 secs stall out. I don't think it should do that. 

But IT RUNS! After a few hours, I am giving it a rest. My understanding of gas engine tuning is rudimentary and I tend to waffle around settings. Part of my issues is I don't know quite what is acceptable. My goal is a low enough idle to not create roll away thrust, and not quitting.

We'll get there.  For now I consider this a win.

I am thinking the 12x6x3 is too much prop and may be causing my tuning issues. I need to check inventory, but Gemini thinks a good 3 blade is 11x6x3. For now I threw on a Xoar 12x6. On Tuesday we'll see how this does. In further discussion with Gemini, I think I will be going with the Master Airscrew Scimitar 11x6.

UPDATE: While discharging sime batteries I never got around to flying, I ran the Xoar and it scared me how many rpms it must have picked up, it was insane. It also found a great idle, likely as it didnt koad up and the smaller prop produced less thrust. I can't imagine what the 11x6 will do... EVO manual says 12x6 is the recommended prop, Gemini sees that but thinks the 11x6 will be a better performer. I agree after reading the arguments 

I made Master Airscrew's Facebook page!

 

My second Hangar 9 10cc Ultrastick is pictured here. I am using that specific prop on my current third build.  So cool!

Ultrastick Wiring: RCEXL Opto Kill Switch is NOT an BEC

Spent some time in a conversation with Google Gemini (their AI) and learned a lot I hope I knew and forgot about how the opto kill switch is not an IBEC.

The diagrams for the RCExl Opto Kill Switch look like this:

The RCEXL Optical Kill Switch does two things. It uses a light junction to separate the hard wire electrical connections so the 20,000 volts of noise generated by the spark plug do not flow back into the receiver and electronics interfering with them or frying them altogether, AND it serves to kill the power to the ignition. Power to the OKS passes through, so my 2S 7.4v LiPO would send up to 8V to the ignition, if the light sensor inside the is on. Here's how Gemini explained it:

The RCEXL unit has two sides that are "optically isolated" (connected only by a beam of light inside the chip) to prevent electronic interference from reaching your receiver:

1. THE RECEIVER SIDE: It plugs into your receiver to  get a signal and a small amount of power just to run the internal LED and the "gate."

2. THE IGNITION SIDE: It has a "Battery In" and an "Ignition Out" lead. You must plug a battery or regulator into the "Battery In" lead.

What happens when you flip the switch:

1. Switch On: The RCEXL unit closes the circuit, allowing power from the ignition battery to pass through to the ignition module.

2. Switch Off: The unit breaks the circuit, cutting off power and killing the engine.

I had my circuit like this:

This works, but apparently it allows interference noise hardwired back into the circuit. Options are a separate battery (two battery system, nice in big airplanes) or one battery and an BEC. Note that with this setup the RCEXL unit LED did not light up... so I think the RCEXL is bad.

Above is how I will be doing this circuit. I purchased a RCEXL Opto Kill Switch with BEC (see below). from Valley View RC. Curiously they are the only place that carries this.

Apparently this (above) is the OPTIMAL way to do this. It protects the circuit by filtering out the feedback, and offers a kill switch. I have one of these on the Pulse XT60 (need to see if I also have a RCEXL switch as this would be redundant).. Pictured below is the Tech Aero one I have, and is most recommended, in that its one of the few out there. Problem is its over $70 delivered, which is why I went with the RCEXL one.  IBEC's, especially one with a LED indicator light, are very hard to find, and nothing under the Tech Aero price.

I did drop by the workshop to check a few things, like do I have a IBEC. I have a UBEC but Gemini did not recommend this with the kill switch, and it added more complication to the circuit. I built a little holder to secure the receiver pack, and removed the RCEXL kill switch. I will likely return the one arriving today from Amazon as I don't need it, and am waiting for the one from Valley View, coming by some dude on a bike from Indiana, maybe 3-5 days?  Tomorrow I may try firing up the engine without the kill switch, wiring in directly to the battery through a 5V regulator. I am concerned that the touchy EVO 10cc will try what little patience I have left (hence today a day of rest).

This build has been no fun at all...

Seriously. This is my third build of the Ultrastick 10cc and this one has been one pain in the ass after another. It has been three days of total immersion: I get started and hours go by before I realize it. Today was build final, but I have, yes, some issues to resolve before its a wrap.

My shabby workshop in my garage from the1700's 

(yeah, my apartment is in a house over 250 years old).

The tail assembly looks great, but it was one little thing after another. It starts with my habit of replacing CA hinges with pin hinges. Lets just say I should have stuck with the CA hinges. Despite perfect dry fitting, once the epoxy went on nothing went as planned. I am honestly am some what shocked at how clean it looks. The discerning reader will note the cote patches and kindly say nothing about them...

I was so annoyed at the process I was prompted to put this missive here as a reminder. See that space just aft of the vertical stabilizer? There was one in the front too, with the deep attachment point in between. Seems the epoxy lifted it and let it slide back a couple of mm, despite my taping the entire thing down. This, of course, placed the rudder-fin joint back a couple of millimeters, making the tail assembly a couple of mm aft, which it bore grudgingly.  Yeah, its been that sort of build...

The dual switch assembly went in, also with a few minor issues. One of which I found the wiring for both switches to be Y'd together into one Futaba style connector to the receiver. One is supposed to be receiver, the other ignition. This switch came from the last Ultrastick. Did I do that? It does have one Y;d lead for the lead from the battery to the switches, but the outputs should be separate. This issue became obvious when I was trying to wire in the optical kill switch: there was no lines from the switch to a connector for the kill switch power input. If I did that weird Y, kudos as the solder work was so perfect I wondered it if came that way, how could that possible work, and how did I set this up last time? I am still not sure I know WTF is happening...

At the end of the day this is what I had, the optical kill switch not installed at this pic.

Because this is only 17 seconds of flaming hotness You Tube made it a short, and I can't figure out how to get teh embed code for a short, so you'll have to click the pic for the video. Sorry for my tone, I had had enough of cockamaemee BS.

Then there was this little gem. I expected a tube from the electronics bay to the rudder control rod exit point, and likewise on the elevator side. The first segment of the tubes is visible, but the wire hit every frame as if it was NOT in a tube. Took forever. I had no idea where it would come out, but the rudder, then elevator exit points popped thru when I finally got the rods there. That likely was because there was a least a tube at the end, or it would never have exited. WTF? Well, it works... The control rods are cut to exact length so you have to use the metal clevis provided. Which led to this problem...

             

Sorry for the video quality, doing a two-handed thing one-handed. None of the metal clevis's fits tightly enough. I had to crush them all down more tightly then screw them in, and secured them with a littler CA (one still came apart today).  FFS. This was true for all of the small gauge clevis's, I didn't use the large ones.

So, that was yesterday.

Today wasn't as bad, but time flew. I went in at around 930a, looked up and it was almost 2p, blinked and it was 630p. Hadn't even bothered to stop for lunch (and I had skipped breakfast). 4

I finished up installing the electronics, (will get a pic tomorrow), and mounted the engine. I installed the optical kill switch. When I turned on the power to the switch the LED didn't light up. Checked to make sure my switch assignment was good (Gear to H button on my iX12). Checked to make sure the ignition switch worked and had power by swapping it to the receiver. It did. So maybe the LED is bad or the kill switch is, though one means the other as I don't have a spare LED. So I ordered a new one that will arrive tomorrow. I don't think the status of the electronic ignition matters, but if the new switch doesn't work, maybe? All of this, mounting the engine, unmounting it as I drilled the throttle control rod tube whole too high, remounted it. I also painted and gas proofed the firewall. All of this seems to have take more time than it should. 

I did take a moment to paint the prop tips. I did the classic red strip on white background, but it didn't go well and re-did it as just white. Not sure I will bother with the red center stripe.

I pulled the DC-3 from the loft. Haven't flown this in years... started thinking about it last night. It doesn't like grass for take-off and landings, so I haven't been able to. It tended to lift off before it had quite enough airspeed to stay aloft because of the grass. Now that I have access to a geotex runway, that may not be a problem. Its a simple foamie. Pic tomorrow.

And now I am starving...

Tomorrow I will install the new optical kill switch. I hope it just works. Then will come the challenge of getting the EVO 10cc engine to start, run and tune easily... not looking forward to that. I may take a day off depending on weather and go fly or sail or both.