Fine weather.

While waiting for the temp. to go up we went to the movies to see the new True Grit. We have never seen the original. I've seen parts of it on TV but only a few minutes worth. The new one is pretty good.
We got home close to 1300 and packed the truck with the Twister and Padre. I flew the Padre first and it flys better than before the tail mods but needs some trimming. It hunts a bit but I was flying over large patches of snow and bare ground. I did get a full pattern out of it on the second flight. When the Twister took to the air I could tell how much better it flys compared to the Padre in it's present condition.
I'm told that the magazine that is running my article is out. I'll get my copy next week at the earliest.
The lightning is back on the front burner. I have to get some tail wheel wire. I plan to cover the fuse with paper to cover the planking on the turtle deck. After that I plan to scratch build a Twister into ARF condition and mail it out.

First flight in a year.

I put the clear coats on the Padre this morning. I hooked up the controls and installed the landing gear and engine. We checked out the new school on the way home from Lizzy B's this morning. Not much snow on the grass. I loaded up the Eagle 63 and support stuff and went to the field in Dayville. Not much snow on the runway or pits. I had to carry from the Bolmet parking lot as the snow plow blocked the entrance to the field. I poured hot water on the engine and it started first flip. I got the plane off the ground and it is underpowered but flew around a couple of circuits and I landed. I wanted to see if it still flew before the new years day first flight. The old Enya .35 won't run on the control line fuel and wants 15% nitro. Forecast is for 40's on Sat.

Did it again.

I took the Padre that I flew to many victories in the last two years and cut the tail up to add thickness and an airfoil to it. I expect it to fly as good as the Twister. Before I got done I had cut the rudder and fin off, made a new one and sanded the paint off the fuselage. I put the LIghtning on the shelf while I'm finishing this one.

Another one ready to go.

I just finished the Ringmaster 576. I stripped the paint and removed the covering. Lots of filler and primer but it came out nice and smooth.

Cold again.

I had a blood test at the VA early this morning. Got a good parking spot and only a 30 minute wait. I stopped at Shady Acres to see if Earl Hopkins was there or Everett but no one that I knew was there.
I've been working on the Lightning and painting the Ringmaster 576. I stripped it a few weeks ago and spiffied it up a bit with new monokote and paint. Base color, white, is on and blue maybe tomorrow. The lightning is in the stab. installation stage. I've had to cut most of the formers away to get push rod movement. The plans are not the best for parts making but adequate. Maybe before it's too late I'll add some length to the stab. Can't hurt. I talked with someone yesterday and he had some info on the border patrol agent that got killed. It seems he was a part of a special unit that tracks the bandits. And not to be mean or anything they are armed with the newest and greatest bean bag guns. It's bad enough to bring a knife to a gun fight.

Two for one sale.

I had put up a for sale sign at the field for the Astro Hog and the Scratch built ugly stick. I got a call this morning and had an interested person. I started to gather the parts to get the planes back together and found just about all I needed. I had the Trainer 60 too and figured if I sold both planes I would throw in the Trainer 60. They came and bought both and got the other free. It was the same guy that bought the clipped wing cub years ago. Fred Foshay's son in law Brian Dalby.
I got the Enya .35 running in the Eagle 63. It took 15% nitro fuel but it runs good.
I went to the school and got in 4 flights with the Twister. 35degrees and cloudy, ready for some slight snow tonight.

Carb. trouble.

We packed a plane in the El Camino and headed for the Woods' to bring a gift. The car was running rough at idle. It ran well above idle so we went to Oneco. It started hard and we returned home and transferred things to the truck. I got in two good flights and one roofer. A too low pull out from the outside square loop. Broken prop and a scratch on the canopy. I replaced the prop and flew again without a problem.
I checked the float bowls for capacity and found the rear bowl was full and flooding the engine. I removed the carb. and removed the float bowl and everything checked out fine. I had a spacer from Burlington, VT show and put that on while the carb was off. It went on hard and I drilled the holes a bit bigger but could have gone even bigger. I started the car and it ran fine.

Cold but light winds.

I had been wanting to take a can of marker spray paint and the tape measure to the field and mark my circle in the un mowed grass to see where it goes. I also have been wanting to have copies of the Twister plans made and kept forgetting to do both. Today I finally got it together and did both. I got in two flights on the Twister and marked the circle at 70 feet and 55 feet from the center of the flying circle. It takes in the whold Heli pad and curves around to the end of the runway. Not bad now but in the summer the alfalfa will be in theway if the whole bunch isn't mowed.
I stopped at the new Staples in Dayville and got two copies of the plans made. Now I got one to cut up I got the flaps for the Lightning made and carved. I installed a plywood mount in each flap for the joiner wire to fit into and a piece of tubing in each so the wire is snug and the flaps are removable. I have to mount the wire joiner and then I can install the wing. My biggest problem is coming up with color schemes. The Tower hobbies book has real fancy designs with all curving lines and I want simple stuff with mostly straight lines.

Got the tree.

I waited until the temp. got above 30 and went to the Allen hill tree farm. This is the first year I was allowed to drive down to the tree lot. I was home in 45 minutes.
After that I packed up two planes and went to the field. After 2 flights with the Primary Force I flew the Twister. What a difference. Just plain steady. I'm mulling building another from scratch with the new tail and sending it down in pieces like the P. Force. I have an extra box that the Vector came in for shipping.
The Lightning is coming along. I'm building the flaps so I can install the wing in the fuse.
The castor oil came in today too. I have enough to last me a couple years.

Fast action.

Cold as a bitch today again. Windy too.
I started on the last of the scratch built planes today. More like started to assemble it. I have the wing, tail and small things built and only the fuselage needs to be put together. So that's what I did. Just about ready to trial fit the wing into it.
I started to write an article about the Twister I modified. That was yesterday. I started over this morning and got it together along with a drawing of the new stab/elev and a picture of the completed plane. I e-mailed it to the magazine Control Line World printed by Brodak in PA. I got a response almost immediately. They want to print the article in the January issue that is going to the printers tomorrow. I had to give permission to use my e-mail address and send a mug shot for the article. The mag. only comes out 4 times a year so I caught them at the right time.

Getting cold again.

Mid 20's all day and windy.
Got an update today. An upstream O2? sensor has failed. The down stream sensor was replaced not long ago. Worries about cascading failures abound. I wonder about the cat. being plugged if at all. An easy fix though. Pricey part.
I went to Lowes to get a can of Krylon and they don't carry it at all. I went to Benny's and got some that looked like the right color but it was too light. NAPA had some that came closest so I'll go with it. Top Flite Luster Kote paint is so thin it never covers. Only good for transparent stuff.

Gloomy day but usefull.

While at coffee this morning I noticed the winds were much lighter than forecast. I packed the Twister and headed for the field. I did a short flight to see how the wing twisting worked out and it looked fine. Then I got in a full flight with a respectable pattern. Temps. in the high 40's but dark overcast clouds that look like rain any second.
The right side mirror on the El Camino got trimmed and now I can use it to see in back of the car instead of the road side. Year One gave another one because they have others with the same complaint. The new one is the same as the old one but if I really ruined the old one I had a spare. I still have a spare. I used the die grinder and a small pointed burr to enlarge the hole the ball fits in.
UK update. The AAA came and gave an opinion on the car. It's running on 3 cylinders and the extra gas has plugged the cat. I think the fools that replaced the wiring harness in the engine compt. left a plug wire off or mixed two up. Could be a dead spark plug too. More as it comes in.
With the new year coming up I figured I would get a real r/c plane ready for the first flight shin dig. I took the Eagle 63 down and put wheels on and changed the tank and the trans. and battery are getting charged. The engine is an Enya .35 that has a messed up carb. and runs at half throttle and up. A short hop is all that is needed.

Great flights.

Generally at the school the winds are stronger than other places as the school is on high ground. Today there was no wind to speak of and the temp. was in the low 40's or so it felt. The Evo .36 ran well but I don't think it needs less oil as the run was the same either way. Needs a little tweaking. The Twister flew great. Level flight is stable and it corners very well with the larger elevator. Coming out of a corner the plane stays put where before it would bobble and climb a bit. I tweaked the flaps and got a full pattern on the second flight. I flew another just to be sure. I twisted the wing and ironed the wrinkles out so I can put the flaps back straight. Hope it worked. After the first flight with the Twister I found the tail wheel at the start point. Didn't really need it I guess. I put a 11 x 3 prop on the Evo for the next outing. After the last flight I was winding in the stooge string and the oil smoke was still in the air. First time I've seen that.

Light winds today.

The temp. is supposed to get into the high 30's today. I have 2 planes to test and will head for the Sterling school this afternoon. The modified Twister and the Primary Force/Evo .36. I put another NVA in the Evo and want to try it. The Twister is the unknown item. I hope the new tail will help it hold steadier out of corners. I have to mix some fuel for the Evo as it runs better on less oil.

It's done.

I finished putting the Twister together this morning. The paint lines came out better than usual and I put spats on the wire landing gear to hide the wires.

Getting there.

31 degrees and gusting to 40 today. Bad all week.
I sprayed the orange this morning. I went to NAPA and got 2 cans of clear and a roll of fine line tape. $15.00 for the tape. 1/8" wide. I taped off the blue trim areas and applied the masking. That took 4 hours. I sprayed the blue and removed the masking leaving the fine line tape for after the paint dries. Maybe tomorrow morning. I'll use the heat gun to warm the tape before and during removal. Clear coats after horseshoes.
I was informed that my son in law bought a 1969 Camaro supposedly an SS. $12,000.00. He got miffed when I said he paid top dollar for it so I added fuel to the fire when he said it had a 10 bolt posi rear I said I had a 12 bolt. He said it has to run on Cam-2 gas I said bullshit, let me have it for an hour and I can straighten it out. I think the engine has been changed as well as the trans. It has a 5 speed now. Orange with white stripes. I have been looking at decoding VIN's and like the El Camino there isn't a lot to prove it is an SS or not. The build sheet or protect-o-plate. Brother Roy traded his truck for a Subaru car and really pissed off his wife. Richard figures he can sell the Camaro for a profit. Before or after he sells the Trans Am.

Cooler yet.

1130 and not 40 degrees yet.
I started the painting process on the Twister this morning. I got the canopy painted white and I'm trying to wait until it's dry enough to mask off and paint the next color. I may not succeed. I need a low tack tape and we have a lot of post-it note papers. Those may be the right thing to use as the tape always pulls off some base color. I'm still working on the final color design.
I'll go to the field in a bit to see what's going on as the wind is very light. I got some shopping to do at Wal-Mart in Putnam and at NAPA in Danielson.

Too cool.

I almost headed for the field when the grandson wanted to go fishing. I dug some worms and we went to Porter pond. 10 minutes later we headed home. Too cool and windy to fish and fly.
I started to cover the Twister. I got the flaps and elevator back on and working. I keep finding/making dents and filling them. I put half ribs between the ribs to better hold up the covering at the leading edge. I must have cracked all of them so far. I saw a big rig on the way to LA in Oct. that was painted orange with silver and blue trim. It really looked good so I am using those colors on the Twister. I also have those colors on hand.

Test flights.

I loaded the new plane and the Primary Force into the El Camino and headed for the old field. I had mixed 6 ounces of fuel with lower oil content for the Evo .36 and I wanted to check the new hinges on the new plane. I also shortened the elevator horn for more of a turn. I gave the engines the hot water warm up treatment and first up was the new plane. Very hard corners. I lowered the horn when I got home. The fuel mix worked a lot better in the Evo .36 but the winds are too strong to do much. I think it wants a different fuel tank as it speeds up as the flight progresses. It did it on the other fuel too.
I tried to check the trans fluid level when I got home but the chrome dip stick is useless for this. I had an original for the TH-400 but it's too long. After some filing and brazing it is now just right. I lowered the cap and rubber seal to match the 350 dip stick. Not hard at all. Now I can see the fluid level.

Bad weather.

I changed the hinges on the new plane. I went to monokote hinges and left them a bit loose. There's more travel in the elevator now and the gap is sealed.
I called Year One about the right side mirror on the El Camino. I doesn't articulate enough to let me see behind. I put it off for a long time but got to it today. They are sending me a new one, no charge and I don't have to send the old one back. They have had other complaints about the same thing on these mirrors. It will work fine on the left door. I also tried to get a new speedometer drive gear from TCI. They want the number of teeth on the output shaft. I will have to take the tail shaft housing off to get that info. I don't think they are right as GM wouldn't use more than one type of output shaft for no good reason. The same number of teeth on every shaft would make manufacture a lot simpler. I put the old gear back in. I have two more numbers to call when I get to it.
The Twister is coming along. I removed the flaps and will make new ones as the covering made a mess of the wood when I removed it. I'm still filling and sanding the fuse. Instead of building new planes I can re build and re paint the old ones.

Still flying.

I took the new plane to the field this afternoon and got in a flight. The winds were not too bad but it was chilly. I want to get a light weight electric spinner for it.
I had started to sand down the Twister and removed all the covering while I was at it. The new larger and thicker stab./elevator is done. I got more sanding and filling to do on the fuselage. I don't know what color it will be yet. Lots of rain on the way for the next few days.

Ready to go.

I taped and sprayed the red on the new plane last evening. This morning I removed the tape and the lines are good where the blue tape was and crappy where the yellow tape was. Bot are fine line tape but the yellow is older. Anyway it isn't too bad and I sprayed on two coats of Dupli-Color wheel coating clear. That really made it look good. All the sanding and filling helped most.
I went to the flying field with the Primary Force/Evo .36 this noon. I hadn't flown it in over a year. It started up, being warmed with hot water. I got in a pattern and made a needle adjustment for the second flight. Too much adjustment at 6.4 sec. lap times. I didn't do anything dumb this time. I tweaked the needle and got in another pattern except fot the over head stuff as it was still in the 6.1 sec. range. I have to try some fuel with less oil. I painted a circle to stand in so I wouldn't hit the flight box or the fence on takeoff and landing. When I got home I built a stooge that is a large nail with a clevis attached for the pin to go through. That way I can move the box out of the way and not have to worry about hitting it on landing.

So far so good.

After an hour and a half of taping and masking I sprayed the blue back on the new plane. I waited longer than usual to remove the masking and tape an the paint lines are nice and sharp. I could have waited many hours longer but didn't. The only thing left is a red stripe below the blue. It ends curving up the rudder like the blue. I can't decide on how wide the end of the red stripe should be. Should get that done tomorrow.

Some progress.

I got tired of sanding and filling as I couldn't see any more places that needed filling and sanding. I put the tack rag to it and mixed an ounce of Min Wax poli crylic clear using 10 cc of clear, 10 cc of water and 10 cc of alcohol. I brushed on a coat to seal the bare balsa spots. These bare spots look good but take paint differently than the rest of the plane. The clear coat took 5 cc of the mix adding no weight at all. I tested some spray tips and got one that gave a good fan pattern without heavy lines and put it on the white Krylon can. Two coats did the job and the bare spots were sealed well. Of course the places that didn't get filled and sanded didn't show up until the paint dried. I ran some glue into the cracks, that should fill them. I'm letting the white dry for a spell and then the red and blue go on. Lots of taping for a small area of paint. So far the finish is a whole lot smoother and will be more shiney after the clear coat of wheel clear. I didn't like the way the Min Wax clear felt on the original finish. The Dupli-Color wheel coating has fared very well on other planes. I should have used it on this one but luckily I dn't. The Min Wax sanded off like it wasn't there, maybe it wasn't. But it seems to be working very well as a base coat/sealer.
Forecast is for 5 to 10 mph winds today but cool in the 40's. With the dinner and clean up I probably won't be able to get in a flight.

Windy again.

I have been sanding on the new plane and filling in dents and cracks. I finally decided to re paint the whole fuse. It should be better as I'm smoothing a lot of orange peel looking areas. The unevenness is in the base not the paint.
I went to the r/c field this morning and mowed the corner off so I can have more room to take off and land without hitting the fence. I'm planning on showing up at the next meeting. It's been a long time. Christmas party maybe.

A sight I've been dreading.

I went to horseshoes this morning and road construction had the local streets I use blocked off. I wandered around a bit and headed for home. I saw a street that wasn't blocked and took it. I got around the mess but just barely.
The winds are light so I got home as fast as reasonable and packed up for the dog track. Both entrances have been blocked by very large piles of dirt from the big pile. A good 6 feet high. No chance of getting in at all. As I turned around a state cop and a local cop pulled up but didn't bother me and I left. I headed for the old school in Oneco but the grass hasn't been mowed in a while. I drove to the field in Dayville, no one was there as usual. I set up on the runway and got in two flights and came home. I should go back with a mower and trim the corners to accommodate my planes. At best I'll have 180 degrees of mowed grass to take off and land. I'll use that on week days and the new school in Sterling on weekends. It was good while it lasted.

Scratched one up today.

We went to the dog track around noon today. I wanted to try the new plane as I renmoved the stock muffler and put a tongue muffler on. It was running too slow but should have done a loop instead of coming through the circle duffing in inverted. It took 3 hours to get the rudder back together and on the plane. I had to splice a lot of balsa back in place and run some glue into the cracked balsa. It's going to need a re paint too. I flew the Snow Fox next and got a decent pattern in with the winds. This plane really holds altitude nicely coming into the wind.
I got the bell crank installed in the Lightning wing and flase ribs glued to the foam. When I get tired of building I can start sanding. I almost got two gallons of fuel used up. One a month is what I have planned for.

Johnson sucks.

I've had good luck flying this weekend. The planes that I fixed up have flown quite well. The weather has been almost good with decent winds and temps in the 40's. I pondered how to warm the engine for the first start and figured a generator to power the heat gun was too expensive, a hose from the car exhaust would take too long and look strange, the propane torch is too dangerous and blackened the nose of the Pathfinder. So, in desperation, I heated some water, put it in a hot cup and at the field poured it on the engine to warm it up. Worked like a charm.
The Snow Fox is the best plane in the wind. It goes up wind without changing altitude. All the others climb into the wind. It corners good too.

More findings.

I got home from horseshoes around 1330. We packed up and headed for the dog track. I brought the Pathfinder that hadn't flown in a year or so and the Snow Fox that I had the sticky ball link on. I flew the Pathfinder first and it flew well but the handle spacing is too wide. I'm using the same handle for all planes at the minute. It ran out of fuel early and the fuse. was a mess so I think there is a leak in the tank. When I hooked the Snow Fox to the lines and tested the controls I could feel a drag on the lines. I flew it anyway and got a full pattern out of it in spite of the draggy lines. When I retrieved it I worked the leadouts and could hear a squeak when the lines moved. At home I cut into the wing and had to cut 4 ribs for the back leadout and 6 ribs for the front leadout. I had to cut holes in the leading edge sheeting but they got covered with trim kote. A large patch on the wing and it's ready to go again. Rain and wind for a couple days though.

Light and variable winds.

I made the most of the weather today getting two planes trimmed pretty good. The new plane and the PT-23 fly well now. I changed to a tongue muffler on the -23 and it's tight corners came back. I installed a tongue muffler on the new plane when I got home. It turns OK up but slow down. Just the opposite of usual. The c/g change should help as it did on the -23.
During the flap tweaking sessions I was going too far each way. I could feel the leadouts rubbing on the wing tip slot and the plane would wander up and down because of it.
Some asshole deposited the old carpets and installation crap near the big dirt pile last night. I'll try and remove it on Wed.

One gallon used up.

The weather yesterday and today has been perfect for flying. I finished off the first gallon of fuel too. I flew the new plane today and it's a good flyer. I need to trim the wings to level but that's it. It could need tip weight or a flap tweak or a tab I don't know which. I got in a full pattern with it this afternoon and the wings are level in upright but outboard wing high inverted. That gives me loose lines doing outside maneuvers. I'll try tip weight first as I removed a half ounce between sessions. The Evo .36 is running nice with a bigger venturi and a fatter NVA. The small venturi ran nice but didn't have enough to peak the engine. Light and variable tomorrow.

Another finding.

The transmission in the El Camino has always shifted OK but not right. I have tweaked the modulator now and then with scant results. When the temps got lower the trans. really got finicky. Shifting at 2200 rpm and higher when warmed up. I tweaked and tweaked and it shifted higher no matter which way I turned the screw in the modulator. I know it's hooked up right, I got full manifold vacuum to the original metal pipe. I called Richard and he suggested getting a new modulator and to be sure there was enough vacuum. What does he know. I looked on line and the site said no or low vacuum signal causes late hard shifts. Sounds like my problem. I pulled the hose connector off the manifold and tried to blow through it, I removed the hose from the modulator. The metal pipe is plugged or bent closed somehow. I took the pipe off the engine and in the end at the manifold a mud daubber had filled the pipe with mud. The opening is necked down to 1/16" dia., must have been a midget bug. I cleaned the pipe, washed it out and replaced it on the engine with new hose ends. Shifts great now. The rubber connector at the modulator was the one that was on the car when I got it and was cracked badly to boot. But with no vacuum getting through it didn't matter. All good connectors now.

Smoky basement.

The washing machine finally died yesterday afternoon. I had put in a wash and shortly after something burned up in the machine. Probably the control circuits. The curcuit breaker didn't pop and the outlet still has juice in it. I syphoned the water out and we went to the store and bought a Whirlpool side loader to be delivered Sat. With all the wind we have had lately I opened the doors and windows to vent the house but the wind had stopped. It took a while for the smoke to clear without the wind. Nothing else damaged. The machine had stopped working before I found it but it's a good thing I was home to un plug it. I got my plane storage rack in that room under the black board.

Still windy.

I got tired of waiting for a pilot head so I painted the inside of the canopy silver and glued it on. To clean the installation up I used some silicone sealant as a fillet all around the canopy glue joint. Now if the winds will ever die down.
During the lull in flying I located a binding ball joint on the PT-23 and fixed it. As I found out with the Flite Streak any rubbing of the controls will lead to level flight problems. I went through the fleet and found other areas of binding and fixed them too.
Today I drilled out the other two venturis I got with the Evo. .36 and installed an OS spray bar in one and a Super Tiger NVA in the other. Both venturis are the same as the other engine got two smaller ones. Anyway the two units are different in diameter and will give different fuel flow rates. I have to choose the best one for power and fuel economy.
I had to order some balsa for the Lightning 20-10 as the stab. has a core sheet and other pieces added to the top and bottom. Ribs top and bottom too and it tapers root to tip and front to back. That will be a lot of sanding and carving.

Bad weather.

It snowed last night. over two inches of "there may be a wet flake or two overnight". And it rained to make slush. Windy too.
I took out the engine I won in the raffle last month and drilled the venturi to accept an OS spray bar. It would run about 5 minutes on 4 ounces of fuel in it's original condition. It used a spray bar with a nipple sticking into the venturi. Now there is a .136 bar going all the way through the venturi. I put 4 ounces in the tank and ran it to see the changes. 10 minutes on the 4 ounces now. I removed a Fox .35 from the Magician and the Evo .36 bolted right on. I removed the 2 ounce weight as the Evo is 2 plus ounces heavier than the Fox. I assembled the 3 ounce furl tank I won in the raffle and strapped it on the plane. With the snow and wind it may be a while before I can test fly it.
I searched the house for a doll head to put on the new plane but came up short. I sealed the cut outs and final assembled the engine and plumbed the tank so it's ready to go except for the canopy.

Findings.

I flew the PT-23 and the older Snow Fox yesterday. both wandered up and down in level flight. I remembered the Flite Streak doing the same thing and that I found the leadouts rubbing on the ribs. After an hour of looking and taking the control system apart I found the ball link that is on the bell crank was binding quite a bit. It should be loose. I loosened the nut on the bolt that holds it to the bell crank and all is well. A dab of super glue hopefully holds the nut on. I relieved the wood around the leadouts at the wing tip and put some grease on the leadouts as they pass through the leadout guide. I went through the fleet checking for binding and greasing the leadouts. I could feel some improvement on the planes. This should make level flight more stable.

I spent the morning assembling the new plane. Lots of holes for the muffler and needle valve were drilled and I didn't make a mess out of it. Although I should have cut the holes before painting. I did make longer landing gear, 1/2 inch. Now there is clearance for the 12 inch props.

Rain stopped for a minute.

I've been working on painting the new plane during the rain. The forecast said the raain would slow during the day and the wind forecast went up to 10 to 20. While it was sprinkling I noticed the wind was calm. I waited for it to stop and headed for the dog track. I had made some minor changes to the PT-23 to try and get it to be stable in level flight. I got in two flights and it was more stable than it had been but that may be because of the light winds. Anyway I measured the thrust line and found a bit of up thrust. I added a .015 shim under the front lugs of the engine. Now I need to test that change. I almost put in one of the new needle valve asm. but kept the OS unit. I did clean the in line filter.
I got the new plane painted in the scheme of Prettner's Calypso. The wing will be different as the original pattern doesn't fit with a control line plane.
I started the snow blower to see if it would still run and it started on the first pull. I have to put some air in the tires of the old one and get that running too.

Got a lot done today.

I removed all the signs before sun up. After breakfast at Lizzy B's I loaded a bunch of stuff on the truck and brought it to the dump. On the way home I stopped at the gravel pit off Rte. 12 at Hopkins Hill and got a ton of loam to fill in the ruts left by the logging truck. The truck weighs 5350 empty and I got 2670 pounds of loam and we used it all to fill the ruts. After that I went to the dog track and got in 3 flights with the PT-23. I brought the old wooden plane stand I made for the r/c stuff to hold the plane inverted so the engine is upright so I can warm it up easier. Starting it cold inverted is a pain. This works very well. I got in some horseshoe practice after that and tried some suggestions I got at the indoor league Tues. More of a back swing to stop the short shoes. It worked. The new plane is coming along. I am making a removeable section at the tail of the fuse. so I can get at the elevator push rod. Figuring out a way to hold it on is slowing things a bit. Tomorrow I get the new cap for Mr. Happy Tooth. Rain is forecast.

Got a roundtoit.

Well not the r/c plane but the sink drain. I tried to get a union so I could open the pipe over and over but the store didn't have any. I got a coupling and started in. I hacksawed the pipe about in the middle of the run. Then tried to force a water hose inside. After a while I got enough hose in the lower half of the pipe to get it flushed out. The other half up to the sink was a bear. I had to take the trap apart and stick a hose in there. It backed up and clogged the pipe. I ran a snake up the pipe and hosed it from the cellar and again from the sink. The clog finally came out and I kept hosing and snaking to get all the crap I could out. It smelle the basement and house up pretty good but I opened up some windows and it's airing out nicely. I used a 54 gallon barrel to catch the crap water and put about 30 gallons in it. I had to use a 5 gallon pail to get the barrel light enough to safely move. I think I'll try to get a union at Home Depot or 4 of them so I won't have to go around the elbows with the hose next time.

Some progress on the new plane.

I've had appointments three days in a row and that has prevented me from getting in any flights. By the time I get home the wind has picked up and I end up trying to figure the best way to use the poly-crylic instead of dope paint. I started to apply the first coat to the fuse. this morning by dabbing a small amount on the wood and then scraping it along the sides with a credit card. That really stretches the paint over a large area. I applied tissue to the rudder and fin using the stuff and it has stuck pretty good. I need to get some white dope for the base color. The hobby shop in MA may have a can.

Nice day again.

I had an early dentist appointment and stopped at The Home Depot for some water based paint that the big boys are using for base coat and fuel proofing. They are supposed to be less stinky that dope.
I got in two flights at the dog track, the winds wern't as bad as yesterday but still I used caution. I'm still working on the Calypso it's not going as fast as usual. Lots of little things to get straight before closing the fuselage up.
We went to Roys and borrowed his roto tiller. We dumped a bunch of maple leaves on the garden and I ground them into the dirt. I had spread 50 pounds of fertilizer on it yesterday. Should get some rain tonight.

Warm and windy today.

The sun came out around 1000 this morning and I headed for the dog track. The flag said strong winds but the bushes said light winds, at the same time. I got in a flight anyway without too much trouble. I'm flying the plane that screwed me up flying the Padre before leaving for LA. It's a lot more stable coming out of maneuvers.
I labored for several hours getting the latest plane aligned close enough to tack glue the wing and stab on. I set the push rods to the proper length and took a few pictures that have to be down loaded yet. This is the one with Ed Avena's pattern plane foam stab.
I checked the stash of headlights and found two square ones but none with replaceable bulbs. One is a halogen the other regular seaed beam.

First flights in a week.

We went to the dog track this morning and I got in 3 flights after installing a new needle valve assembly. I bought 3 at the contest from Tom Dixon who I bought many Bolly props from 20 years ago. The spray bar has 2 holes instead of the normal one. I put one on the Primary Force too as the one in it broke on the inverted crashes. I noticed that the extra hold allows fuel to flow into the venturi and flood the engine if I'm not careful. After the flights I had the engine set about right.
I mixed 5 gallons of fuel and am about a third through the first gallon. It works well. I used to mix in gallon jugs and found that to be stupid. I did lots of figuring to get the right oil and nitro plus the spills. Now I put three gallons of methanol plus 10 ounces in a 5 gallon plastic can and 1 gallon minus 10 ounces of oil, 118 ounces, and 1 gallon of fuel that has 10% nitro and 22% oil. Mixed throughly. A lot easier and faster.
The storms that went through here last week tore a piece of siding loose from the house. I nailed it back in place.
I'm getting to the point where the first plane will be glued together soon. I deceided on the paint scheme from the Calypso pattern plane. Simple to do. Might even name it Calypso.

Loaded up and packed/truckin"

We got the bike loaded after bringing Kyle home. My plan to use the wall and the picnic table top worked well. I was pulling it backwards and Ma was pulling on a rope. After it was on the truck the wall collapsed. Wouldn't have bothered the loading as the table top was way longer than needed. After getting it tied down I started filling in the open spaces with tires and boxes of parts and plastic 5 gallon fuel jugs. Very little space left.

A few changes.

As it's been raining for a while I've been doing things on the Lightning wing. I added the trailing edge sheeting and cored both halfs. On the right side I added a web on the foam between the spars and glued it in place. The left side has the controls running through it so I added a web at the front of the cut out and at the rear of the cut out. I figure the lines would hit a web between the spars on that side so I left it wide open.
Friday I have to clean the truck and Saturday load it up. So far so good.

Need design help.

The foam wing on the Lightning 20-10 has a m0lded leading edge glued on already. I plan to sheet the trailing edge 1 1/2" wide. Without sheeting the rest of the wing what is the stiffest or what will keep the wing straight during about 10 G maneuvers. Some spars top and bottom, or a geodesic pattern with 1/64" ply?? Or will it hold up with just the sheeting on the l.e. and t.e.?? Regular rib wings seem to do fine with a spar top and bottom.
I looked at the Twister plans and it shows much less than I have on the foam wing. So I will go with a 1/4" sq. spar top and bottom. The landing gear blocks will butt against the spar and will meet at the root glue joint. I plan to add some ply to the blocks at the joint too. After glueing the cores together I will sheet the center section so there will be an unbroken wood across the joint. The bellcrank post will attach to the landing gear blocks for strength. Should work.

Getting back to normal.

After the Wrentham contest I needed to tweak the Padre a bit for some reason. I've been trying to get it back to the way it was ever since. Flying the PT-23 changed the feel a lot. I gave up on it and only flew the Padre for the last two weeks. Yesterday we went to the new school in Sterling and the winds were not that bad. I lost line tension several times and the lines snagged a weed on takeoff causing the plane to fly across the circle and regain tension a bit before crashing. I had engine run problems between upright and inverted so I re did the fuel tank and the prop had some minor damage on the ends so I put on another new one. The old one lasted all summer. I went to the dog track this morning before the winds got out of hand and got in a flight. The engine run was very good and line tension was very good all through the pattern.

Mr. Happy Tooth gets his ass kicked.

The flying weather has not been that good lately. The winds at the dog track have been from different directions every 10 feet of altitude. I got in part of a flight today more to test the engine run than anything else.
The new plane, I'm calling the Lightning 20-10, is taking shape as a kit. I have the foam wings cut, the leading edges molded, the fuse. sides cut and the doublers cut plus the engine crutch made. I'm changing the name from Lightning 2000 to 20-10 as I reduced the plans 10%. It kinda fits.
I have been getting my teeth worked on by the new dentist lately. She worked on one last week and it was not happy. I figured it would calm down and it did but the infection wasn't going away fast enough. She got me some penicillin. I had another appointment today to finish up last weeks work and change a filling that needed it. She didn't like the situation after filling the tooth and attacked the infection with vigor to say the least. Anyway things are fine now, she did a good job. I did manage to bite her finger when she asked me a question and put her finger in my mouth at the same time. But Mr. Happy Tooth still got his ass kicked.

Getting organized.

I got the wing plans from Dave Cook at the contest in Wrentham. He designed a plane that is supposed to be good in the wind. It is a .60 size plane with an "I Beam" wing. Not something I want to tackle. I don't want a .60 size plane either. Staples reduced the plans 10% and now it has a 54 inch wing span and I am going to cut a foam wing for it. I'll keep everything true to the new scale though.
I have about 3 quarts of fuel left and may have to ration it until heading for LA. I want to have a quart for the contest and I figure I have enough for 19 full pattern flights from the 64 ounces I can spare. I went out in the wind and did a pattern with the plane doing 6.1 second laps. Well most of the pattern. In the reverse wingover it went richer inverted and I had to skip the second climb. I'm surprised it did the other stuff.
The guy that's taking the logs called and said he has someone to pick them up and should be here this afternoon. I'm waiting for a call from Gearhead, the place I got the distributor for the El Camino. It seems they raised the price of the free shipping. The credit card bill has $375.00 instead of $75.00.

Stuff from the car show.

The bug was normal looking with the lids down. A tube frame and all iron 427 chevy engine. No roll cage which I found strange. Bob Barry's 57 chevy, for sale at $60,000.00. The El Camino and the off white pick up behind with flames belongs to Dave Lombari. The wheels had to have been made from a Frank Frazetta drawing. They ruined a good looking Camaro. I think the El Camino is getting low 20's for gas mileage. It ran very well up and back. Going up hill really uses the gas as the torque converter is a bit loose. I filled at Brattleboro and again in Canterbury for the mileage check.
Carl Main had a large screen TV stolen from his new house on the hill. Lots of strange things going on after dark lately.

Click on this for all the pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/DamianSheehy/MassCupSept12_2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMSg8oPSpdHVMg#

Pictures from the contest.

This is Buddy. Same size as Shelbie almost the same colors.

To see all 78 go to http://www.brotherhoodofthering.info/ and click on the sign up for the forum link under the girls picture then click on Mass Cup in the general discussion section.

Making progress.

I went to the dog track early today with the Padre and the PT-23. I added a foot to the lines on the Padre and it flew better. I removed the one footers and put on two footers and it flew better yet. I also put a restrictor in the uni-flow vent so ram air wouldn't change the engine run so much. It seemed to work but there wasn't much wind. The PT-23 flew with the outside wing up. I tweaked the flaps and it got a little better. At home I really tweaked the flaps and the joiner wire broke at the 90 degree bend. I was lucky it didn't break inside the fuselage. I wrapped a piece of thin sheet metal around the wire and soldered it to the wire. then I epoxied the ends to the flap. I went back to the dog track and I had set the flaps the wrong way and it was banked like it was flying the circle by itself. I tweaked the flaps the right way and it was better but not perfect. I didn't dare tweak it again and I will have a tab on it to bend.
Flying with 63 foot lines gives me more time for the maneuvers. The plane is flying faster ground speed but slower lap times. Good tension overhead but I added another .4 ounce weight to the tip weight box anyway. I would have won the Mass Cup with this set up.

3 for 3 plus 1.

I entered three classes this weekend and placed in all three. Plus I got the award for best classic plane. As in best looking.
I got in my first flight after a test flight this morning. The test was right where I wanted it to be but the contest flight was too fast. I still scored a high of 480 Averaged to 453 which was posted. I worked on the engine and the second flight had better air and slower engine run which got me a high of 490 averaged to 471.5 but the 490 was posted which got me first place and a spot in the fly off for the Mass. Cup trophy. That flight was slower yet but the maneuvers were too fast somehow. I think the engine ran faster down wind but the lap time was 5.5 sec. Putting the tank on pressure may cure this problem. Ram air into the tank up wind and no ram down wind. I didn't win the trophy. But a first a second and a third plus the best classic plane isn't bad for one weekend. One judge said I should build a real plane and move up to expert next year. Real meaning a full fuselage plane. I just got here.

One for the high light film.

I got to the contest and there were several people ready to fly but only 7 willing to compete in old time and classic. I had engine failure at the same place in the old time pattern on both flights. The plane bellied in both times just bending the gear. On my flight in classic with the Ruffy I started the reverse wingover and pulled out inverted for a half lap then hit down for the climb back overhead. The plane came in on me and I started backing up quickly and got about ten feet when I fell over on my back. I re acquired the plane and pulled up. The airplane came back to level flight and I got up and back in the circle and continued the flight as if nothing happened. The Fox ran well through three of the four loops in the clover when it ran out of fuel and stopped. Even with the wingover the clover and the landing messed up I got 379 points. A complete flight would have produced 425 at least. I passed on the second flight and packed up. Enough excitement for one day.
I hit a key here and changed the type style again.
Tomorrow is the normal AMA classes.

Early morning flight.

I got to the dog track about 0745 in order to take advantage of the lighter winds. It was a little bumpy but no strong winds. I wanted to get a flight on the Padre to make sure it was still running right. I flew it twice and made a needle adjustment on the second flight of one click richer. Flying the other planes has made a mess of flying the Padre as I found out. I made a handle adjustment on the down line to lessen the control as I make too small outside rounds. Insides are pretty good. When I got home the wind had picked up just like yesterday.

Tough times.

We called a tree cutter and got no reply so I called another and am waiting for a reply. I have a guy that will take the logs so that should cost less.
I've been moving stuff down to the basement and I put up another shelf. I got another board but no shelf brackets.
I cut into the Ruffy and installed a bigger tank as I didn't have enough fuel to finish the pattern. The original came out hard. I also put the E-prop on to see how it works. I got in one flight and the engine ran rich but for 5 min. 30 sec. A bit leaner and I should get 6 mins. out of it. A bit less oil would help too but it seems to like my mix. The strap on flow through muffler don't fit tight and there's oil covering the bottom after a flight. Real messy. I put aluminum landing gear on the ringmaster and tried it today too. It didn't bounce and stayed on it's wheels which is a good thing. Hardly any wind here but a good 20 at the dog track. I need to get the Padre out Thurs. or Fri. to make sure it's running right. Then it's off to Wrentham on Sat. and Sun.

Basement upgrades.

I came across some posters from the lounge and had the idea to put them up on the basement walls. I had to install some wood strips to tack them to and after the pictures I put another strip along the end wall to be used as a coat rack. The first and second pictures were taken from the fuel tank end and the other fromthe stair end. The band saw was left by Mike. Nice tool as is the wood lathe behind the saw The electric plug in strips are barely visable over the desk and behind the saw.

More changes.

I painted the spinner I put on the Ruffy so it looks like it belongs. I put a longer elevator control horn on the ringmaster to delay the stalling in maneuvers a bit. It's kinda scary doing loops and the plane barely misses the ground. I'm looking hard at changing the gear on it too.
I figure I'll need 15 gallons of methanol for the coming year. Should cost about $100.00 with containers.

Still no hurricane.

I got to looking at the Ruffy and didn't like the fit of the spinner. I removed the engine, put a new sandpaper disc on the sander and trimmed the nose a bit. It looks better now. I put the original wheels on the ringmaster as the good looking ones are made of super ball rubber. I didn't realize how bouncy they are. The rules allow changing landing gear material but it would be a chore to remove the wire gear and install aluminum pieces. Another winter project.

Dead calm and sprinkles, some hurricane.

I almost got in a full old time pattern this morning. The ringmaster is so easy to stall it makes simple loops a challenge. The landing gear is so springy it's almost impossible to land with out bouncing several times. I've tied the legs together but I think they spring forward and outward still. I should put aluminum gear on it. The Ruffy is much better since all the adjustments. Good line tension in the overhead stuff. I added a bit more nose weight as it climbs when the engine stops.
I got my Tower order yesterday. I bought a 12 volt battery that straps to the electic starter. Getting the inverted engines going without a helper isn't easy. With the remote starter capability I can put a bit of pressure in the tank with the fuel syringe and hit it with the starter and it starts. No chance of flooding as the fuel drips out when the engine isn't turning.
The AT&T guy said he fixed the problem with our phone.

The Ruffy flys again.

I went to the dog track at 0800 today. I wanted to try the Fox .35 on the fuel I mixed. First flight went OK so I tweaked the needle two clicks, richer I think. The second flight was right on the money. A nice 4 cycle level and two cycle in maneuvers. There was very little line tension at 45 degrees up and higher. When I got home I cut into the wing tip to get at the leadout guide and made more travel available plus moving the leadouts forward about 3/8". I also added 1.5 ounces of weight in the right wing tip. That should keep the lines tighter. I also changed the lines to the 58 footers from the ringmaster and added a 12 inch extension which is still a 2 foot reduction in line length from what I had today. That and all the other stuff should get me good tension all around. I noticed that the hinge gaps were not sealed so I put some packing tape on the flap and elevator hinge lines. Windy weather headed this way and the party on Sunday will keep me from flying until next week some time. I haven't flown the old time pattern yet. The classic event uses the same pattern I'm using now.
Today should be the last day of the heat wave. 70's forecast for the weekend. I mowed the lawn this noon and it is hot.

It is summer.

Low 90's and high humidity. Start flying by 0800.
I've been shifting my building room into the basement lately. The dryness is almost as good as an air conditioner. I had to mix some fuel for the Fox .35 in the Ruffy. It needs a lot of oil I got around 30%. I'm running short of fuel with a gallon left. That should get me to the Baton Rouge contest if I'm carefull. I think I burned 13 gallons since last October. I'm going to get 15 gallons of methanol at the drag strip when we get there. The 2.5% nitro mix is working well for me. I finished wiring in two plug strips today. Now I have some place to plug in the drill and grinder and other stuff. I was able to remove an extension cord that provided power to the de humidifier and band saw and drill press.
I've been parking the Dodge between the garage and the tamaracks. I noticed today that one of the trees has a broken branch right above the truck. I moved it back to the hard top. Both trees are slated to be removed after the party this weekend.
I started the bike and ran it around the yard for a bit. Still running good but I haven't looked for a shorted wire under the tank yet.
You may know that the garage is sold finally. I have reservations on the deal closing.

Some progress.

I have the Padre flying pretty good again. I had to tweak the flaps to get the wings level and setting the engine took several flights. I got in 3 flights this morning and it's doings 5.4 second laps. I added a bit more tip weight and got more line tension overhead. Flying in the rain didn't do it any good. I cut the elevator travel down a tiny bit and hope to test that tomorrow morning. I have readied the Ruffy for the contest in Wrentham, MA next weekend. I may try the Ringmaster in old time stunt and the Ruffy in classic stunt. I have to get both in the air. I ordered a battery that straps on to the electric starter to get the inverted engines going without turning them upside down which takes two people. I also gave the Ruffy a coat of the clear wheel coating. Maybe good enough for another point for appearance.
The El Camino is running good with the new distributor. I tweaked the timing up until it ran the way I figured it should. No bumping on hot starts so I can tweak it more if I want to.

Non Sequitur Comic Strip on GoComics.com

Non Sequitur Comic Strip on GoComics.com: "OR COPY THE LINK"

Scuffed one up a bit.

I went to the dog track and got in 4 short flights with the Padre and 4 with the Snow Fox. I was mainly trying to get the engines running at the right speed and slowly came close. The wind was picking up and the turbulance was significant. Both planes wobbled around the circle as I made changes to the needle settings. The 3rd flight on the Snow Fox the engine vibrated the plane off track and pointed into the circle a bit. When I pulled the release the lines went slack and cought a weed. The plane flopped onto the ground and scuffed the chin under the engine. Luckily I had removed the stock muffler and put on a tongue muffler so there was no other damage besides the chin scuff and the broken prop.
The wheel clear seems to be holding up after the first outing but that can change after repeated use. I even sprayed the Fox an hour before flying and the paint stuck pretty good. I also painted the Jeep wheels.

Ready to go.

If the winds are reasonable I'll head to the dog track with the Padre for some test flights. I've looked into the archives and figure the Snow Fox is next in line so I got it out and cleaned it up a bit. I took a picture of the Padre and Ringmaster that were re painted lately. I've been moving into the basement slowly too. I found that I had angled the landing gear back to perpendicular to the wing chord when I built it. It has been a hand ful on landing, tipping up on it's nose or back. I noticed another set of screw holes for the gear straps and moved the gear forward to the original holes. That should keep it on the wheels on grass.

Still raining.

I applied the clear early this morning. When I sprayed the new clear on it fogged up really bad. I figured it had to be something with the paint as the colors didn't fog. I waited and the fog slowly went away as the paint dried. I put on a few more coats and now the question is how fuel proof is it. I put the engine/tank/landing gear back on and it's ready to go. Tomorrow looks good so far.

More rain and wind.

I picked the right time to re paint the Padre. It isn't fit for man nor beast outside. We were lucky to get one round in at the contest before the wind hit.
I got the plane painted by 1:00 pm today and I will let it dry until tomorrow before applying the clear coats. I found a clear I hadn't seen before at NAPA. It's Dupli-color wheel clear. I figure it should be tough for use on wheels. Working next to the de humidifier is working out nicely. There's warm air coming out of it and the air is dry as the paint didn't blush. The sun is supposed to come out Thursday.

I'm doing it again.

The contest yesterday was about the only one that gives appearance points. I had that in the back of my mind but took the best flyer anyway which is the Padre. The paint has started coming off in good sized patches and it deserved the 12 out of 20 appearance points it got. I thought about that all the way home and all night. At 7:00 am I took out the Cyclo brake cleaner and started stripping the fuselage. I cut off the rudder and fin and made a new one as the rudder pulled off as I took it out of the truck at the contest. I had glue. The brake cleaner melts the paint in seconds and it scrapes off with a credit card. I had spot putty on and drying by 9:00 am. I bought a new can of primer and at 3:30 pm I applied the first coat of primer. It's drying now. I'll sand that and probably give it a second coat before colors. Red top white bottom separated by a dark blue stripe. I weighed it before stripping to see if there is much of a change. I also moved painting operations to the basement where the de humidifier is. The paint fumes seem to be heavier than air as they always drifted down stairs. So far the fumes have not come up stairs.

Another first.

The rain slacked off while I got in my official flight at the Lee, MA contest today. Only me and another guy in the class and I won by about 40 points. The CD figures I should be moving up soon. I figure I just got here and the others should fly more. Most of the others flew in moderate rain and every one got in one round so we got the awards and went home.

One picture is of my winning form and the other is me looking at the certificate. I didn't get anything from the raffle though.

Ready to go.

When I flew yesterday the Fox .40 ran faster than it has been for no good reason. I didn't touch anything. I went to the Sterling school this morning and the engine was running faster than normal again. I tweaked the needle but it didn't change. I opened it a turn and a half and it cleared the obstruction and I turned the needle back to where it has been. It ran like normal for two flights. I took out the re did ringmaster and got in 3 trim flights. I had to put the tab on the wing as the twisting wasn't enough. I lessened the handle spacing to calm it down as it will stall on a normal corner. I got the speed up and the controls down and it flew pretty good. The old time pattern uses 60 degrees up instead of 40 so the maneuvers are a lot bigger which is what the plane wants. I cleaned and waxed the Padre so it don't look too worn. The paint is coming off the fuse. right side between the wing and stab. Another winter project.
I let the El Camino cool a bit and got into changing the distributor. I read the directions as I didn't need them to kneel on and when I hit the starter it started. I adjusted the timing and took it for a short ride. It works but I can't feel any performance change. I wrapped the old one in the new box and stored it up stairs. The air cleaner barely cleares the new cap.

Painted yesterday, flown today.

We went to the dog track this morning and I got in two short flights with the re conditioned ringmaster. I left the Fox .25 on it and it didn't work that well. The plane flew with the outside wing low. When I got home I removed the Fox and installed an OS .25 LA that was on the Super 80. I twisted the wing and heated out the wrinkles to try and remove the warp. If this don't work I will put a tab on again. It needed one to fly straight originally. I planned to paint the fuse. sky blue but I didn't have enough to get a full coat so I switched to insignia blue. I have trim kote to match so it worked out for the best.

I have been wanting to get a new distributor for the El Camino for a long time. I saw an ad in a magazine for a store I never heard of and they had new ones for $75.00, free shipping. It said 50,000 volt coil but it came with a 65,000 volt coil. I plan to install it soon and keep the original for a spare. A new fuel pump is next on the list.

No wind today.

I got in two flights at the Sterling school this morning. The winds were calm for the first time at the site.
I started to finish the ringmaster. I covered the wing with white econokote and will paint the wood parts with sky blue luster kote paint. I have some matching monokote to trim out the wings. I should have it painted by tomorrow maybe flying by next week. The old time pattern is quite different as nothing flows together. Each maneuver has to be set up as it comes. Sorta like r/c pattern.

Progress pictures.

Here's what I got so far. The rib picture shows what I had to leave when I cut back the leading edge sheeting. The ribs are cut to accept the sheeting and be at the same line after the spar.

Getting ready for Old Time Stunt.

The planes are flying well and the Lee, MA contest is this Sunday.
I started thinking about the contest this October. It is going to feature old time stunt and profile stunt on Saturday with regular stunt on Sunday. I don't have a plane for the OTS class. I looked at the fleet and the closest thing to a legal plane is my S-1A ringmaster. The shape is there but the wing ribs are a slightly different shape. The leading edge is sheeted back 3 inches on top of everything. That really stands out and gives the plane away. So I trimmed the sheeting away between the ribs leaving enough sheeting at the leading edge to look like the original leading edge. I repaired the ground off fin and rudder and canopy. The S-1A has a plastic canopy instead of a balsa canopy but I used balsa when I built the kit. I stripped all the covering off the wing and melted the paint off the fuse. with Cyclo Carb Cleaner. I had to repair some cracked wood and I'm in the process of filling holes and dings and coming up with a color scheme. I had a Fox .25 on it that I got off ebay a while back. Of course I threw the old time pattern away a while ago and can't find it anywhere. It's a lot different than the new one. I cut some wood away from the leadouts in the ribs while I was at it too. It should be ready for the contest.

Making progress.

My planes have not been keeping tight lines in the overhead maneuvers. I started moving the leadouts forward and the lines have been getting tighter. I re checked the balance on the Vicar and moved it forward a half inch with a 2 ounce heavy hub. It is more stable now and after moving the bellcrand push rod to center the handle it turns about the same inside and outside. I put a Hayes tank on it after flying today and will test it tomorrow if the winds are normal. I put a homemade tank on another plane and moved the leadouts forward but they didn't go far enough. I cut away the covering and removed some balsa from the tip and moved the guide forward an inch. Now I got adjustability. I flew the plane this morning and saw a leak in the tank when I put fuel in it. I fixed the leak when I got home and have to test it again sometime. I did get in a flight with it though.

Winter project.

I took some pictures of my winter project this morning. I am in the process of deciding where to place the landing gear, in the wing, which I'm favoring, or on the fuselage. The wing tips will be squared off some to better match the stabilizer shape. The specs that will be close to the final dimensions are; wing span 51 inches or so, area 550 sq. in., over all length including the spinner and rudder is 39.5 inches, the stab. has a 24.25 span and 152 sq. in. that makes it 27.56% of the wing area. Weight as it sits on the scale with the tank and spinner is what it is. I project the finished weight to be around 45 ounces. An OS .40 or .46 engine. I put foam in the rear of the fuselage to form it and stiffen it. There are two pieces there, about an inch thick, one on top and one on the bottom so there is a push rod tunnel between. Wing and stab are sheeted foam cores. The turtle deck is molded balsa and the canopy is the back half of a Sig WW-2 canopy, it's all I had on hand. The front half is not shaped right so I cut it off.

Summer is here.

I warmed up the bike the other day and found the Du Pont 77 and a piece of 0000 steel wool and started cleaning the crud off the exhaust and wheels. I gunked it after that and washed it after that. Then I put some wax on it and it looks pretty good. I keep finding pieces that go along with it and I have two boxes full and Roy's front wheel. I remembered the padlock today and got that loosened up after many years sitting in the garage window. The saddle bags are in the garage somewhere.
I made a few changes to the Padre and flew it this morning. I put it back the way it was. The Fox is running very well. I got 2 gallons of fuel left from the 12 or so I made up last fall. Most has been burned in flight, 3.75 ounces per flight. Richard Wood's grandson, Brandon, wanted to know how much fuel the engine burned in one lap. Richard came up with .02 ounces per lap at 6.5
minutes total and 5.3 seconds per lap per 3.75 ounces. I wagged it at 2 drops per lap.
The weather here has been quite warm and dry for a while. I have to get things done before 10 o'clock. The grass don't dry off until after noon so I get to mow in the heat of the day.

Did it again.

After about an hour sitting I went out and re started the bike and rode it around the yard. I looked at the tach. wiring and nothing looks out of place. It may have rolled a 7. It's the original that's been getting vibrated silly since '78.

Running again.

I installed the new battery yesterday and tried to start the bike. Nothing. I referred to the info I got last winter when I had trouble getting it started. I did the prescribed electrical test on the module and coil and got a good coil and bad module. I had gotten it running last winter after disconnecting the tachometer from the coil and had installed the module from Roys' bike. For some reason that module now is no good. I wired up the original module and it checked out good. I removed Roys' module and installed the original. After a bunch of kicks it fired a couple of times. I kept at it and got it running. It didn't want to stay running and I had to re start it but it finally kept running. I let it run for a while with a fan blowing on the engine and then rode it around the yard for a bit to get things loosened up a little more. The oil was hot so I ran it long enough. I checked the alternator and got 14.7 volts so it's good. I tried to connect the tach. and the engine started to die but I unplugged it before the engine stopped. I've got to look into that more.
I flew the newer Fox re build this morning. It flys nice and the engine runs well too. The needle valve asm. isn't very good and I have to find a better one. I weed wacked the circle while I was there. The oil killed the plant but new shoots were coming up out of the old ones.

Parts missing.

The order from fox came in the mail Monday. Only one of the rear covers I ordered was sent. I was charged for only one. I called Fox and ordered the last one I need and had another head button added to the order. I installed one of the engines on the kit built Primary Force and I hope to fly it today.
With the weather being cooler I started on the winter project plane. I got the fuse. pretty much framed up and the wing, stab. were built a while ago, both sheeted foam. I'll probably use wing mounted landing gear.
The motorcycle battery came in at the last moment Monday too. Now I need to find some electrolyte.

Two looking for three.

So far I've run two of the three engines. I need a front bearing for the third and rear covers for two of the three. I timed 3-1/2 ounces in the latest one and got 6 minutes or run time. Not too shabby. I have one plane without an engine and one on the drawing board. I may get the stuff from Fox on Saturday.

Stuff came today.

I went to the dog track this morning and got in a check needle setting flight. 5.5 sec/lap. Close enough. Then it rained off and on for a couple hours. Awful humid.
I found I didn't have the right front bearing for one of the re built engines. Then I founb I didn't have enough rear covers. So I called Fox and ordered the parts. I told the phone lady that if she thought of anything else I needed to just throw them in the box.
I was up stairs and went to get the mail and there was a box at the door. The UPS guy had come and gone and I missed him. Anyway I got enough parts to assemble 2 engines. Well, one without a rear cover. I put the plain bearing engine together and ran it for 7+ minutes. It ran well and miserly for 3-1/2 ounces of fuel. I started to put the other one together but the temp. up stairs is climbing and I gave up. All it needs is to put the only rear cover on.
I'm pretty sure I've settled on a fuselage shape for the new plane with the foam stab./elev. and foam wing. I am in the process of molding some balsa for the turtle deck behind the canopy.

Good weather.

We went to the dog track this morning and I got in 4 flights. 2 with the Padre and 2 with the Super 80. I had made more changes to the 80 and removed the trim tab on the wing as it was straight and didn't look like it was doing anything. The plane flew quite well until I inverted it and saw the wing high. I put another tab on when I got home. I tried the two tanks I got last week on the Padre. Neither holds as much fuel as the old one. They do hold more than enough to fly the pattern. They must be removing the tanks from the mold machine too fast or something to make them shrink a bit. I tried heating a spare tank and pressurize it to make it bigger but it wouldn't work.
I did order a battery from denniskirk.com. I need to run the Harley now and then to keep the oil out of the chain case. Should be here in a week.
The order from Fox is still en route. It was shipped last Friday.

On line shopping site.

After the success of moving leadouts forward on the flite streak I moved them forward on the Super 80. What a difference. I removed all the engine off set when I got home and hope to test that change tomorrow. I got new tanks and tried one today. It don't hold as much as the old one I've been using. I'm surprised there is that much of a change inthe same line of tanks. I got the other new on and will test it as soon as possible.
Roy stopped by today and told me about his new tires and seat on his HD. $50.00 each for the tires. Denniskirk.com he said. I looked it up and found some good prices on batteries but no acid. Kinda makes sense though.
I called Fox and my order had shipped Friday. I made another order for the parts I need for the third engine. Maybe tomorrow the first one will be in.

Not yet.

Nothing from Fox today.
I brought the Flite Streak to the dog track this morning and got in a flight in calm winds. It finally flys well.
The fuel tanks I ordered at the hobby shop came in today so I drove an hour and got them plus a few other things.
I started drawing a fuse. for the new stab. and it's taking shape.
We went fishing at Porter pond and I cought a tiny pickerel and Kyle got two small blue gills. It was raining lightly the whole time.

So far so good.

I went to the dog track with the Flite Streak this morning and got in one flight. The plane flew quite well even in the breezy conditions and turbulance. I'm on the right track finally. My order from Fox wasn't in the mail today.
I noticed the lawn mower not cutting evenly lately. The right side of the mower deck was lower and leaving a stripe as it cut. I gave it a look see this morning and found the right side supports that attach the deck to the tractor were broken off the deck. I pulled about 6 pins and pulled the deck out from under the tractor and set about welding the support back to the deck. Lots of things in the way but I got it welded on. I cut two pieced of sheet metal and welded them to the support and deck, like a brace. I mowed the lawn and it looks much better. In a few days the grass will tell if I got the height set right to the tow behind mower. It should be close.
I had a set of foam cores that go to a pattern plane designed by Ed Avena about 20 years ago. I took the stab. cores and sheeted them and will build a plane with an airfoil stab./elevator. I'll use the Cardinal wing I sheeted a while ago and build a new fuse. for them when the weather cools off a bit. The airfoil stab. is supposed to make the plane more stable.

Get the saw!!

I made more changes to the Flite streak this morning. I removed the washer that offset the engine thrust line,moved the leadouts forward a bit. sealed the hinge gap, tweaked the engine into a bit of down thrust and moved the pushrod from the middle hole in the bell crank to the inner hole. Zero to minimal flight difference. I had noticed that the controls were rubbing on something and couldn't see what it was. When I got home I cut into the wing tip and trimmed a little wood so the leadout guide would move a bit more forward. Then I saw the spot the leadout was rubbing on so I cut away some more balsa. Now the leadout was touching the next rib down the ling so I cut some more covering off and trimmed that rib too. One more time and the controls are free. I installed a patch over the wing and re set the leadout guide for the next time out. Hopefully this fixes the hunting problem. I'm still waiting for my stuff from Fox.

Cheap grass killer.

The grass and weeds at the dog track is dying. I mixed a few more gallons with more oil in it. I gave the weeds that were still green a heavy coat of stuff. I tried the Flite Streak again and it still flys badly. I got one other trick to try and that is to seal the elevator hinge gap. If that don't work I'll have to put the saw to it. I think I have made the Fox ,40 crank case usable. I'll be able to use a strap on tongue muffler. I have to get a new rear bearing for it. It uses a common R-8 bearing and Fox sels them but I didn't order one.

Did the right thing.

I tried to order parts on line from Fox. After a half hour I gave up. The site didn't know my e-mail and then it did. Over and over I tried to get it to work. I had Ma try it on the I-pad with a new e-mail and it went through. Hopefully by weeks end I'll have enough parts to make two .40 size engines.

Breakfast and a cow show.

I've been having problems with a Fox .40 on the big ringmaster lately. I changed tanks and got nowhere. I removed the spray bar and saw something inside so I put the brake cleaner to it and it vanished. Same thing again. I removed the spray bar and the thing was still inside. I put a torch tip cleaner through the bar and the thing was no longer there again. I looked at the cleaner and it wasn't there either. I looked at the exit end of the spraybar and theree it was. A tiny piece of fiber that would plug up the outlet hole in the spray bar and mess up the fuel flow. I flew it this morning and it went like the one on the Padre. I put a filter in the line too. I thought I had fixed the Fox .40 that I broke off a muffler lug but the JB weld didn't hold. I tried a different fix but it sould require some close machining and I don't have the tools to do it. I will order a new crank case from Fox on Monday along with more castor oil. I have parts from another .40 and may get a second crank case for those parts. This one is a plain bearing or bushing and the others are ball bearing engines. For the price of one engine I'll have two.
At breakfast this morning Ma sat facing the window. As I was eating she said there is a cow out side. Sure enough someones cow was walking along the side walk trying to get in. Luckily ol' bossey didn't have to go and spared somebody the cleaning of the area.