The RC Pilot's Lament

Low winds, comfortable temps, and this white crap all over the place. Sitting here, eating my Captain Crunch with one of my cats (who, incidentally, just stunk up the Bat Cave litter box with a funky turd), after snow blowing this heavy white crap off the driveway wondering why Nature chose to tease me with acceptable flying conditions covered in show stopping white crap.

(Man, Zaphy... If I am going to stay down here I have to do something about your stinker...).

RCGF 10cc and 26cc Engines Up, Pulse XT60Ready!

After breaking the sparky on the Stik's RCGF 10cc engine, I replaced it, and she started right up, runs sweet! Ready to take her back out again!

Next order of business was getting the Hangar 9 Pulse XT60 out and get the engine started. After a bit I sprayed some gas into the carb air inlet, and she started right up! Yes, that's snow on the table. 

Checked out the engine, fuel system and battery. After the engine run I discharged the receiver-ignition pack and am recharging it. I am hoping to get a break in the weather tomorrow and get a flight in at SNHRCC.

All back together!

My favorite aircraft!

Running the engine up. The idle is tuned a bit better. She runs perfectly! I had to keep my foot on the back rung of the table to keep the engine from  pulling it off the ground and dragging it off! Power baby.

Day after tomorrow the Spektrum iX12 arrives!

Spektrum iX12 On It's Way!

My Spektrum DX8 gen 1 is now over 8 years old, and it still works great. I have replaced the frickin' antenna at least 3 times and am about to again, and the flap switch once. Other than that, despite drops and knocks, she has functioned perfectly. But I have been looking at the pretty young things Spektrum is producing, liking the new technology, and the pretty red dress on the Spektrum iX12 for over a year now (that red dress costs $60 more than the plain pretty black dressed one, which is NIS right now). The bugs seem to be worked out, she is a reliable and go-to platform, and Gary Hoffman pushed me over to it with his kind advice, biased though he be as a Horizon Hobby brand pilot rep who flies an iX20. So today, with a little coin approved by the wife, I ordered one, two-day shipping, baby! I am excited!

Sweet. I really like the red, so paying the extra for it was worth it. I don't know that I will ever need 12 channels, but I see this one lasting me 10 years at least, so no telling what the future may hold.

For the life of me I don't know why such an expensive radio doesn't come in a case, but it certainly needs one, better than the Harbor Freight aluminum one I have been carrying my radios around in for the past 10 years, and will likely continue to use for the DX8. I may try to sell the DX8 for about $150? I can't really use it as a buddy box, the software is too outdated, and the DX7s on the flight sim is more than it needs.

Hitting the YouTube Instructional Vids!

Excited! 2 days to the unboxing, likley 3 because of Sunday. Psych!

It was still an awesome day!

52 deg  up from 35 this am. After spending some time this morning re-tuning the engine I took her out to Wason Pond field after my nap (2 hrs, if you must know, I ain't no slacker).  Of course it was now 20 deg warmer so she ran for crap. Re-tuned. I then flew a good 30 min! The idle is still a bit fast so landings were hot and floaty. But man, she flew perfectly, and with much agility! Happy me! Honestly the field is a little tight for a gasser, but I wanted to get her in the air.

Bounced one and broke the sparky.  Guess that counts as a crash. Resetting the Crash Clock!

Got home and wanted to fly the Pitts. Flew around with no wind she was fast. Took the sun to the eyes, damn fool, and when I could see she was heading for an Ent. And there she is. She was fine, but coming out of the tree trashed her up a bit...

Need new wing struts, that's about it. Could make some out of egg carton foam, if I had any. I'll call the LHS tomorrow, see if they have any, else will order some.

All in all it was an awesome day!

Stik RCGF 10 cc all set!

Yesterday I started tuning up the Stik and her RCGF 10cc engine. She ran ok, but I realised there were a few maintenance issues that needed attending to.

The clunk was kinda solid, as you can see, stiff as a rod. I check them every season and this one had two. This year it needed replacing, so I used some Tygothane. 

This meant pulling the tank which was a bit of a project. I pulled a few unnecessary structural modifications, and removed the defunct Orange 3-axis stabilizer system (don't recall why I am not using it...). Had to remove the throttle  servo, then was able to pull the tank with some elbow grease. On replacing it I had a bit more room, and used a simple cross bar screwed into the frame to hold it forward. I changed the fuel line, kept the vent line. I broke the cheap 3-way and replaced it with a filtering one ai had on hand. Inspection of the carb got me thinking that maybe the vestigial connection for vacuum on the carb, whcih was just squished, might be leaking air, creating some of the idle issues. I CA'd a piece of snug tubing and screwed the end closed. Removing some of the framework made the throttle more accessible and I noticed that it had been rubbing and catching on the motor mount. I realigned this and moved the throttle connector in a spot cleaing the motor mount. This morning I rest the end poi ts while running the engine and tuned the needles. She is running nice and reliably!

Price of foam to tidy it all up!

Eflite UMX Timber Maiden

I took the UMX Timber up for the first time today. A little power wimpy for aerobatics, and not enough elevator throw to loop from high speed level flight. But she really was able to handle some pretty gusty winds in a very narrow space in my front yard. I also like the pulsing the motor does when the battery is at or below 3.8V in full throttle! Fun to kick out the flaps and land at nearly a stand still in a steady wind. Her lack of authority in rudder and elevator made for some moments when I thought the Ents were going to eat her or my neighbor would have a plane on his roof, but she managed.

I wonder if reversing the gear channel would change SAFE MODE and AS3X MODE around? Stock is Gear 0 = SAFE, and GEAR 1 = AS3X. Kinda like my cut outs and SAFE to be a flick up, not down.

Nice little plane!

The rudder wheel is off center and quickly broke through the foam, I stabilized it with CA and a styrofoam patch and then secured it with 5 min epoxy. I threw a construction staple across the rudder-fuse gap as this was already pulling away. Tossed some hinge tap across both sides in the bottom.

Another fun addition to the fleet!

Eflite UMX Turbo Timber

Have been so impressed by my Eflite UMX Pitts S1S that I was looking at another UMX, and I liked the Turbo Timber. Today Instopped at my LHS, ABC Hobbies in Windham and after touching it I bought it.

Very nice!  700 mm wingspan.

Pleasant surprise was that it comes with the VSTOL leading edges!  Bound and programmed her today, and tomorrow plan to maiden! She looks so fragile, the horizontal stabilizers are really thin, but word on the street is she is sturdy. The Pitts is rugged.

Excited!