So, you're mad...

A friend posted this on Facebook, and while its got nothing to do with RC it bears posting after how bent out of shape some constantly angry people had gotten over what they percieve as my calling them out in my post 12 Angry Men.  This cartoon was originally posted here and is way too apropo to pass up! I got off at Level 2...

Toolin' about

It started a a vid of me doing elevator's with my Alpha Sport 450, but the best ones were too high to be seen well, as to elevator a trainer there has to be a good headwind and that's where the wind was. After editing out what wasn't really clear due to the altitude, here's what's left. A couple minutes of me having fun toolin' about! Can you recognize the soundtrack (until Youtube pulls the audio)? Enjoy!

4 outta 5 ain't bad!

Today I started early, flying the Trojan, the Sopwith, the Stearman, the Cornell, and tried to maiden the Super Cub. They all flew marvelously, except the Super Cub.

She would roll hard right, and nose up in a loop immediately after takeoff. I think its a bad torque roll. Every single time, 'cause you see, if you keep doing the same thing over and over again things don't change... I ended up spending a couple of hours rebuilding the wing and firewall as she isn't very sturdy. She did it one last time, broke her prop. I accidentally throttled up and the motor shook itself free of the airplane. Damn. I'll rebuild the broken parts, including resetting the wing (a cracked spar). I think I'll try a right cant to the thust vector and see if that exorcises this recent voodoo. She is soooo pretty... I know once I solve this problem she will be sweet!

 I flew the Trojan several times, on the last flight I flipped her inverse a little low, which would have been fine if she climbed well inverted. She doesn't, and she dips when I roll her back up, this time right into the ground. Cracked wing (the old one, already beat up) and trashed her prop. That was it! Sturdy little bugger. Found her gear down, cockpit ejected, sitting pretty.

I also flew the Sopwith a couple of flights. She is so dainty. She struggles on the ground but once she breaks free she flies so gracefully and with such beauty! She lands like a child doing somersaults as she just can't deal with the terrain. At least she handles it well!

The Stearman flew marvelously! The first flight my heart was pounding and I held my breath in turns as that would be when she would spin the spin of death. But she never even hinted departing stable flight, and I just had a ball after that first nervous flight! She makes a wicked cool sound in the air, and is something else to see flying. I even managed to land perfectly every time! Wicked fun!


It was with a little apprehension, but a heckuva lot of determination that I rolled out the Cornell to the flightline. She kept getting tripped up with the turf. I got her running off and pulled back a bit more on the stick, and she lifted gracefully into the air! On rails! I took her to altitude and trimmed her a bit, and she was like the dream I have had again and again. She flew perfectly with excellent manners, predictable and stable, fast, slow, glides forever and stalls only with difficulty! On landing she comes in sweet to a nice controlled flare, even with a cross wind, and sets right down. I was thrilled! She flew consistently again and again, and finally I set her aside and counted myself very lucky. I need to tighten up her cote on the wing a little, but other than that she is primo. I am glad that Bobby got to see her fly today, after the craziness of Cornell #3.

I'll be away from flying this weekend doin' family stuff! Can't wait until I can get back and fly some more!

PowerlineHobbies-Green RC Models Super Cub

After completing the Cornell this morning, I set about building the Powerline Hobbies-Green RC Models Super Cub. There was no manual, really, just a build video. I did the best I could. It was rather straight forward, really, just not sure which screws went where.  I made one mistake, missing putting the tail wheel assembly together before I put the tail feathers on, but it worked out. I did change the aileron servo to a spare EXI D213f as the stock one didn't center well. The red wing struts didn't fit, being too long, and one side broke (the black shrink wrap over CA repair. I decided not to cote over it).  I took an AR6100 from one of my heli's and installed it. The quality of the kit is good, very good for the price I got it for all up! The pics aren't so good... it was a bit dark for pics in the workshop. I had fun adding stickers!

She looks really, really good! She is very light weight, but the landing gear are sturdy.

Check out the very cool articulated and spring levered tail gear.

I'm looking forward to flying her tomorrow!

Well, that's a pleasant surprise!

After breakfast (and some couch napping) this morning, I waddled up to my workshop and this happened...

The new fuse had arrived over a week ago, I think, and I had repaired the minor damage to the wing. I started with recoting the wing section, and before I realized what was happening, Cornell #4 appeared over a couple of hours! The tail feathers are from Cornell #1, the cowl from Cornells #2 and 3, the wing from Cornell #3, the motor and ESC from Cornell #1, as is one of the servos, the rudder one. I changed the elevator servo to an EXI D213f metal gear servo, as the rudder servo is. The TP SG90 that was on the elevator was fine, but I still don't know what happened to Cornell #3. I found that the elevator rubbed hard on the new fuse and had to grind out some clearance, and there is a little more friction in the control rod tube than I would like, but I slipped some silicone lube down both tubes and loosened things up a bit. I did what I could to straighten out the control rod to control horn geometry a bit. For all intents and purposes, she is essentially a new Cornell! All in all I think she'll be okay this time. In these pics I have an APC 10x6e prop. I decided to change it to one of the stock 10x7e props. I moved the pilot to the front cockpit, to take some of the bad karma off her. You should know I did all this while in my boxers!

The new batteries come today too! 3000 mAh 3S 30C Sky Lipo's from Hobbypartz. This brings me back up to 3 for the Stearman and the Cornell!

Sopwith Rocks! Stearman Rolls!

I took the newly built Tiny Sopwith up today, after some hemming and hawing trying to work up the courage.

She had power, but struggled with the terrain. She had trouble getting around, and would twist left, ground looping. I finally found some flatter ground and a good headwind and she took off easily! She is very touchy. I quickly found, however, that I had too much expo (35%) and too little rate. I clicked to high rates and regained some control, but marginally, and I ended up in bringing her down in a controlled crash. Her landing gear popped off, but that was it! Took her to the bench, reattached the gear, changed the rates and dropped the expo. Took off again sweet and she flew wonderfully in a light breeze. She is very easy to fly but can be unforgiving if my attention wanders. I landed her like I land the Stearman: gear touched in a flare, but her gear stuck and she went ass over tea kettle! Not wanting to push my luck I put her away for the day, but I am very happy with her!

I also took the Stearman up twice. On the first flight I had to trim in a lot of nose up; the mechanical nose down I had in seemed unnecessary. Once I had her tuned up, she flew marvelously! Brought her in for her carthwheel landing. Took out the mechanical nose down in the elevator, and took off again. Holy crap! She flew severely tail heavy! Got her under control and trimmed in a lot of nose down, and got her under control. Landed her once with another carthwheel, and took off again. This time I landed spot on! Back in love with her again! I did find that in one of the cartwheels I broke a wing securing tab again, but that's and easy fix! Can't wait for the 2 extra 3S 3000 mAh batteries I ordered to come in.

I will take tomorrow off and work on that tab, rebuild the Cornell with her "new" wing, and new fuse. She should fly like she did when I first flew her! I also want to build the PowerlineHobbies-Green RC Models Piper Cub!

Kenny Chandler's Seagull Edge 540

Kenny Chandler has been biting at the bit to fly his Seagull Edge 540, and today he and Greg spent time tuning it up. Greg took it up first, then Kenny flew it several time. He did an awesome job with the build and the flying!

Kenny and Greg working it up.

Kenny after his first flight today!

Sweet plane, proud pilot!

Unfortunately, and much to his chagrin, he was trouble shooting motor problems when it struck again at the worst possible moment. As he was finishing his downwind leg and about to turn to base the motor quit. This plane does not do well without power and tip stalls in turns fast. He was trapped. The trees were coming up, he could not climb, and it would be a sharp turn. The plane chose for him and started to turn left, away from the runway. Running out of altitude, she stalled. He got the nose up and got her leveled out so she hit the ground flat, but hard. Her gear sheared off and her wings bounced down hard enough to bend the wing tube and crack the fuse along the wing slots. All repairable, but Kenny was dying... You saved her, Kenny, and she is fixable!