Rough day at the office: Field Sucks

Two flights, two ripped off landing gear. The field is major clumpy... its a soccer/lacrosse field, and its not rolled. Hopefully it will be, or there will be some twisted ankles.

That dark spot is the pothole, about 4" deep, that my plane rolled into on a beautifully executed touch-and-go rollout.  Pulse XT25e.

I kinda own this one. First flight with the Master Airscrew 13x8x3. Runs sweet and smooth as glass! But in vertical, still runs out of steam, and this time gas: the engine quit in vertical. Did it overload the prop? Engine quiet, downwind landing with looooooong approach, touched down, bounce and ripped off the gear when she came down again. Of course, she ends up in the only smooth area...

Here's what she sounded like though!

Real snow, same issues

Got out today and flew, hoping to get some airborne video off the key cam.

It was kinda gusty.
The key cam failed to turn on.
One of the skiing toed down....

Winter Swamp

Went out to fly...

Field was a swamp. Ice, snow, watery grass, mud. No place to launch or land.

I am disappointed.

FAA UAS Registration

I am now officially registered as a sUAS pilot with the FAA. The FAA recently set out regulations that required pilots of drones to register with the FAA as do pilots of full scale aircraft. I really could not care less about the issue, it took me seconds to register. I would like not to have to put another registration number on my aircraft (as an AMA pilot my AMA number has to appear on all my aircraft). As of now the FAA has agreed to the AMA's request that AMA  members only need to display their AMA numbers, but I still have to register with the FAA and have my registration on me in some form when I fly (ie a pic on my phone is fine). Curiously there is no means in the registration process to link my FAA reg number with my AMA number... I sent an email and await a timely response from the FAA and the AMA. I got in under the "reimbursement" period where my $5 fee will be reimbursed, and in the future I will not have to pay the FAA as long as I am an active AMA pilot.

Oh, and of course the website crashed and I may have paid a dozen times as it told me to keep trying.

Keychain Camera Love-Hate

I love and hate these keychain cameras. They are cheap and lightweight, and the video is so-so. My one gripe is that they are designed to be clandestine, so you can't tell if it's on or off, or if its recording. You get a steady light if its on and in standby, then hitting the other button should make the light blink and turn off noting its recording. But one never knows if it actually is.

I attached mine level on the underside of the Cub wing. First flight didn't record, and I didn't bring my computer to check so had to drive home to check it. Drove back out with my computer, flew and checked, got video but it was almost all sky. Need to angle the camera down.Back to the house, made a wedge and back out for another flight. Forgot the computer. So, didn't know the video didn't record, despite all of the appropriate lights, until I got home.  Ran tests and sometimes it records, sometime it doesn't. Of course all three flights were perfect.

All I want is a light that it's recording...

Cubby

While yes, I lost the Twinstar to a lack of focus today, I had a blast before that with the Eflite Cubby.

Getting better remembering to keep the plane closer for the vids. The lens still makes it look much further away than it is.

I made some changes, having over engineered the springs on the skis. I realized how light the springs that came with the Dubro skis were, the ones that didn't fit. I thought about just using an electric tie, and it worked out great. One did freeze and snap in flight, but was easily replaced.

The tie is long giving it nice spring.

I wrapped the tie around the axle used a little superglue to help keep it in place.

One of the other issues I noticed this morning was that the prop was all askew. Turns out the last landing the other day must have jarred it loose. I epoxied it back this am, and she flew perfectly.

One of the other issues was the rear ski came off. I notice it rounded a bit too, not sure how. I re-secured it, stronger. On the ice it isn't making any difference, but it will help taxiing control in snow.

Icarus learned nothing.

Every pilot knows that near the sun lives death. To fly inverted, then outside loop into the corona of the sun is death. And here's the evidence.

I powdered this one...