Good weather.

I have about 40 flights on the P-40 and it's doing better. I've been adding more elevator and wider spacing at the handle and the plane likes it. The turn is manageable and the plane is stable in level flight. Still the elevator only moves 20 degrees up and 20 down.
 I'm tempted to remove the mufflers on the hot rod and go with straight pipes. I think the quiet is turning off potential buyers. A pair of two chamber flowmasters are in my thoughts also. It wasn't easy finding ones with 2 inch in and out.
 I mixed up 5 gallons of fuel this morning. I had bought a quart of synthetic Klotz and removed a quart of castor and added the Klotz. The gallon of store bought/raffle won fuel has some synthetic also. 3 gallons of methanol 1 gallon minus 16 ounces of castor and 1 gallon of store bought 10% nitro fuel. I have about a quart of the last batch left.

It is winter.

The 63.5 foot lines worked very well. I took a bit of nose weight out to get more turn back. I haven't tried that change yet.
 the brake master cylinder on the El Camino failed as I backed it out of the garage so the roofers could work. As usual I had a time getting a replacement. I settled on one that is square not oval and installed it. Today I made sure all the brake cylinders were working and bled the lines to get it working right.
 I had the school make a full size copy of a template sheet that was posted on a forum. I got the parts cut out and the fuselage about half built. I figure to use the new wing jig building most of the wing panels before removing them from the jig rods. The Gypsy is almost ready to start finishing but I'm just looking at it right now. I don't want to close it up and find something that I forgot to do.
 The electric car is getting an aluminum skin at the moment. We got the sides installed and the top is ready to be bent. The bottom will be bent differently as it doesn't need to be removable to service the car. We will be turning in a wish list of parts before the Christmas break.

Happenings.

I finally got one of the kids to come and fix the garage roof. Then I finally got the picker to come and look at the stuff we want to get rid of. Both on the same day. The guy that I gave the rock stairs to came a few days earlier in the morning and took the stones with a roll back truck. That was not fun.
 The roofer kids got here at 0930 and I figured on using roll roofing so I went to Lowes and got two rolls. Then we found that the roof is 8 inches longer than the roofing so I took the rest back and got two squares or 3 tab shingles. Then the picker came. After she left we found out that even with three people doing the calculations there wasn't enough shingles to finish the roof. Off they went and got some left overs from someone and just had enough to finish the job. A few of the roof boards that were removed were very wet and punky. They figured that the water was getting in under an improperly applied drip edge. That excitement ruined a good flying day to top it all off.
 I changed lines on the P-40 and to 63 feet from 60.5 feet. It made a big difference.  The wind will be light and variable again today so I'll get in some more flights with it.

Electric car chassis.

The "design team" drew up a nose that looked like the geodesic dome at Disney World and had as many parts. I simplified things with two parts and got the same look and a lot stronger.One kid really took to welding. Uprights, cross pieces and diagonals to go. Then it's on to the front and rear axles and sheet metal skin.

New wing jig.

I used the Brodak wing jig on the Gypsy kit wing. I followed the direction book and things didn't come out right. This jig builds the wing in two halves. Each half is glued together with a minimum of parts installed. I should have added as many parts as possible before taking it off the jig to start the other half. I'll watch for that next time I use it.
 The P-40 is coming along, I'm adding more turn back into it. The controls are neutralized at the handle and the down line is a tad shorter than the up line. Too windy to fly lately.

Getting cold.

I  added an aluminum prop nut under the plastic spinner and got in two flights today. That calmed it down a lot and it's flying like I think it should. I removed the aluminum piece and installed a one ounce spinner nut under the plastic spinner for the next time out. Maybe tomorrow.
 The parts for the Gypsy should be in tomorrow also. I should be painting it by now.

Trim flights.

I sprayed the clear Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning I took the P-40 to the field for it's first flights. All went well and I've gotten several trim flights in Sun. and Mon. I'm working on softening the corners. I slowed the elevator down about 30%. The flaps and elevator move almost the same amount of degrees now, that's what the plans show anyway. I haven't tried that change yet. I am pleased with the way it flys.  I called Brodak about the missing parts in the Gypsy kit but no one is around. I'll call back around 3 pm. I could have built it by now.
 I did some work on the schools milling machine this morning. It can be made to work using the key pad. I found a vise for it and I need to get some bolts to hold it to the ways. I also fixed the parting tool for the lathe so it will work. I plan to make a 1/8" copper tube bender with it. I have been using a wooden one I made at home. The copper tube fix I planned to use didn't work out so now I have 6 feet of 1/8" tube to play with.

Winter camo in winter.

We had a little snow last night and I figured it was a good time to test the winter camo in actual conditions. I also found some pictures of the house just before the roofers finished roofing. No more ugly chimney. While waiting for the white to cure so I can spray the clear I started on the Gypsy. I had ordered a wing jig from Brodak and while waiting for that to arrive I started to build the fuselage. I quickly found out that the two formers that form the engine/tank compartment were missing. Then I took inventory and found that more plywood parts for the wing are missing also. I called Brodak this morning and they said I would have to talk to manufacturing and they are off until Monday. The wing jig came in today. I did build the elevators, fin and rudder, stabilizer and flaps in the mean time.

Winter camo.

I took a few pictures of the P-40 while waiting for the white to cure. Today would have been a good day to test fly the plane but it will be another week before I'll be able to spray the clear. I'll have to wait for some snow to get the full effect.
  At the end of the last school year I was using one of my radios to fly the students planes. I had the receiver installed in one and forgot to bring it home. The student brought the plane home and I didn't have it at the start of the new year. I saw one of the two students that were flying at the end of the year and she left her plane at the school but the other one was gone. The teacher had the email address of the student and sent a message. We found out that this one returned to Pakistan for college but left the plane here with a relative. That person said they would return the plane. They did and today I got the receiver back.
 

Building season.

After deciding on a plaint scheme for the P-40B I ordered some covering from Tower and finished covering it yesterday. I had to install the elevator before I could install the fin/rudder. This morning I masked off the primer grey that will double as the underside color and put fillets around the fin. I warmed the plane in an empty room and the paint was warmed by the furnace exhaust pipes. I applied three coats of white to the fuselage within the one hour window the paint allows. I was going to hit it with clear before the hour but I have to apply some stars and decals and wanted to clear over them. I have to wait until the white is dry before putting the decals on and at least a week before spraying the clear. I'll wait at least two weeks as the paint must cure thoroughly or it will wrinkle.

The fix is in.

The heater on the Dodge has been stuck in the vent position for a few years now. The defrosters barely have any flow and barely work. I was thinking of getting a fan, that used to be popular in the older cars 60 years ago or so. I'm talking 40's vintage. School busses had them and they probably came as standard equipment. Then I remembered the Gremlin and had the fix. I bought a preheater hose at NAPA. It's the one that connects the stove on the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner and keeps the carb. from icing up. Then I duct taped it to the far left vent outlet and bent it to point at the windshield. End of problem.

Half done.

 After school this morning I went to Lowes and bought two lengths of 1 inch EMT and 4 caps for the PVC pipe and two 50 lb. bags of cement mix. I got to thinking about the EMT and as I was digging the holes I changed my mind and went to the lumber store and bought a 10 foot pressure treated 4 x 4 and a 10 foot 2 x 4. I cut the 4 x 4 and the 2 x 4 in half and put a coat of paint on the ends of the 4 x 4's that would be in the ground as an added measure. After putting the first 4 x 4 in the hole and pouring both bags of cement in the hole and not filling it I went back to Lowes and returned the pipes and caps and bought 3 more bags of cement. It took 2 and a half bags to fill each hole and the concrete is curing now. I covered it with leaves and plastic to keep it from freezing. I was planning on getting some long lag bolts at Lowes but forgot. After the 2 x 4's dry out I'll sand them and paint them before installation.

Waiting for Monokote.

We had an appraiser go over the house and will figure how much the place is worth for future reference. He did mention that the porch stairs will need to have railings installed. I have a plan for that.
 The P-40B is ready for covering and paint. I made a fuel tank for it and had to lengthen the tank cutout. Then I had to bend the tubes as they were at the back of the engine. I got it so it will work.  I managed to make a venturi at school on their lathe. i ran it on an engine yesterday and it went well until the clamp loosened and the engine hit the ground. I made a brand new paint stirrer from a brand new propeller.

Dog house.

The roofers came Monday and shingled half the roof and were off by 1:00pm. They returned early this morning and were finished by 1:00pm. No more ugly chimney either. The wood roofing boards were in perfect shape, I was surprised at that. They will be back in the morning to take all the leftover stuff and their ladders and stuff.
 I was asked to build a dog house big enough for two German shepherds. I built it during the day today and got a coat of paint on it and a piece of old rug inside. I asked the roofer helper to set aside a few shingles so I could do the dog house roof. He put three  fresh bundles and a partial roll of underlayment, sticky kind, under the overhang. That should help with fixing the garage roof.
 Real good flying weather this week. The planes that were flying to my liking now need drastic trim changes. At least I got them flying well again. 10 gallons of fuel burned this year so far. I have to mix another batch of homebrew soon.

Close but no cigar.

We headed for Louisiana a few weeks ago. The trip and weather were perfect. The contest brought in several heavy hitters but I almost got a third place in warbird stunt. I missed it by one point. I got two gallons of fuel and and a bunch of other stuff in the raffle. Plus three containers of food that was left over.
  I have been taking the planes that were left at the school from last years class. I got some of the left overs from two years ago today. I wasn't there for that build.
 The school did get me two kits for helping out. A profile of the P-40B and a stunter that is from the "classic" era called the Gypsy. Both will be powered by the .46LA. The P-40 is framed up and almost ready to start finishing.
 I did some trimming to the Privateer and that is flying pretty well.
I talked to a roofer about fixing the garage roof. I want to take 4 feet of shingles off the eves and replace the boards with plywood and re shingle. He should be getting back with a price soon. The last people that shingled the roof broke some boards and that is causing problems.
 I had another bite on the hot rod after we got home. That guy asked about getting spare parts for the body now that Minotti is out of business. I never thought of that. It soured the sale.The El Camino is running well.

It's bigger than I thought.

I had help with the driveway and after the sealer dried I saw that it needed a second coat. I had a full pail of sealer left and used that. It dried a different shade than the rest. I looked and found a date two years older than the other 6 pails. I bought another one and finished the second coat. Now my tendonitis is really acting up. The basement stairwell got a coat of paint and a new light at the top of the stairs. I never even considered that until I looked at it through the eyes of a buyer. If I could mix cement I would try and fill some of the low spots in the basement floor.
  I finally found a manual for the Cub and it explained in better detail how to level the mower deck. I got that done and lowered the deck to just above scalping and trimmed the grass in the areas that are not covered with leaves..
 The school is going well most of the planes are being covered and should be ready to fly by Thanksgiving.
 A new roof in a few weeks and it's almost done.

Fixing stuff.

After painting the milk room I looked at the basement. The ceiling was untouched since we moved here 45 years ago and who knows how long before that. I used the sticky tape on the patches I had made and filled a few more smaller holes. It took a couple hours to paint the ceiling. It looks better. Then my focus turned to the dark room. I had painted the walls a few months ago but the ceiling was in need of paint and filling. I bought some wall board joint compound and attacked the  basement stairwell first. Then I mixed the remaining partial cans of paint and started on the dark room. I had enough paint to get the ceiling and the cement knee wall that goes around the room. That looks better too.Now I'm looking at the floor. That could be a problem.
  As soon as the drizzle stops for a few days the driveway will get a coat of sealer.
  The little house across the street has a for sale sign on the lawn again.  

Still at it.

I was watching Mike Holmes fix some house when they were using a roll of fiberglass mesh sticky tape on wall board joints. There was a roll of the stuff left here several years ago and I got to wondering about it. I wanted to test just how sticky it was and put a strip over a hole in the basement ceiling. It stuck. I got the spackle and spread some on the tape covering the hole. It stayed put and is now dry. Then I started covering holes and seams all over the ceiling. One thing led to another and now the ceiling is painted and I patched the holes in the dark room ceiling too. That is drying and can be painted in a few days.
  The driveway still needs seal coating. I found some sealer at Benny's for $23.00 a pail. I need the ambition first.
  We made another video of me flying this morning. It came out blurred as I aimed it higher than the first outing and the camera couldn't focus. It was enough to show me where I need to work on. The overhead 8's go off center a lot.
 A fun fly at Wrentham next weekend.
  As with the El Camino the carb. didn't open all the way. The pedal assembly needed to be taken out and the arm slipped off the splined shaft and rotated one spline. The pedal sticks out a lot more but the carb. opens up now. Wicked power.

Well?

I found that several windows needed putty and paint. I got that done yesterday morning. The putty needed 2 hours before paint so I headed to the field to mow. The farmer had cut the hay the day before and I figured he would turn it that morning while I was fixing windows. We got to the field at the same time. I got the mowers hooked up and running and mowed the runway. Then I stopped the two pushers and the mower deck so I could get to the circle without messing up the hay that covered the pathway. I got the circle mowed and again stopped the pushers for the return trip to the shed. Then I went home and painted the putty and installed the windows.
 This morning I looked at the cracks in the driveway and measured the square footage of the drive and came up with 1960 sq. ft. I experimented with mixing some dry sand with the crack filler I bought several years ago. I had cleaned out two of the cracks and mixed the sand/filler to an asphalt like consistency. Then I put it into the crack. I liked the way it went and went to the river to get some more sand. I mixed  up all the filler with sand and filled the cracks I had cleaned out. It's drying now. I had poured the filler in right out of the bottle years ago and it is too runny to stay in the crack before running downhill out of the crack. Mixing it with the sand cures that problem. Now to see if it cures properly. I'm thinking of getting someone  to apply sealcoating  to the whole driveway shortly. If it looks good in a few days I'll get another jug of filler and fill the rest of the cracks before calling the "anything for a buck.ten" folks.(they raised their prices)
  We made a video of me flying and I saw several areas that were bad and have been working on them. The winds are getting stronger and blowing right into the sun which is normal here in the fall and winter and spring. Cloudy days are the best for practice for a while.
 The powers that be in c/l stunt have put another nail in the coffin of c/l stunt. The world has gone to ARF models in r/c and c/l stunt has made it mandatory to build your own plane for c/l stunt if you want to come close to winning. Nobody is building any more and the powers that be won't get off that band wagon. The international governing body the FAI doesn't even have a build you own model rule. Everything and everybody in this universe or the universe takes the path of least resistance which in this case is a ready built model and c/l stunt has jumped off the earth. In a few decades c/l stunt will be a thing of the past.

New roof coming.

I checked the email this morning and found one from our realtor that was sent last night at 11:00pm. It said there would be someone to look at the house at 0945 tomorrow. That is today, 2 hours from when we figured out what tomorrow really meant. I had scheduled a roofer to give an estimate at 10:00 am. That would show the lookers that the roof wouldn't be an issue.
  We went into a frenzy getting the house squared away for the lookers and finished with minutes to spare. Close to 10:00 a car pulled into the drive with two people in it. The roofers. They measured and talked and came up with a figure I liked and we signed the papers. I called the other roofer that was scheduled for 4:45 this afternoon and cancelled him.
 Still no looker.I went to the realtor and had a firm chat. It's bad enough he couldn't make this showing either and it was left to us to be the guide he found a text from the other realtor cancelling after the appointment time. At least we got something accomplished this morning. Then it started to rain.
  The Kaman property has been sold finally.

It is winter again.

45 degrees this morning. If it was Feb. that would be warm. I'm waiting for the temp. to get up into the 50's before heading to the field.
 I flew before the high school class last Friday morn. The battery for the trainer took a long time to charge but I had the big Ringmaster which didn't want to start until I used the starter. I got in two flights with that before the battery was charged. Things went well. The class is progressing rapidly building their planes.  A lot faster than last years group.
  The left hand taps came in and I finished the pushrod. I aim to install it in one of the kits that are on order. Probably the P-40B profile as I can adjust it easily and figure out what needs improvement for the full bodied kit.
  The Polynesian has been plagued with bad engine runs since it was new. I changed engines, tanks and fuels with no change. I built it with an r/c motor mount as that gives me a big bay for the fuel tank which allows me to use any kind of tank. It also removed the beams in the motor crutch that are 9 inches long and run from the spinner to past the wing leading edge. Which removes all the stiffness in the tank area allowing the fuel to be whipped into a frenzy. I made some pieces of 1/8" light ply to fit into the tank bay joining the firewall, fuselage sides and second former together just like the crutch would. I got in a few test flights and all went well. I'll fly it again today.
  The contests so far have been good. I've placed third in both which is good. Of note is that 'many' people tell me that my flying is great, even the judges. But the scores don't show it. One judge gave me a 38 out of 40 for my takeoff and level laps( he said he gave me 40) and the other gave me 30 for the same maneuver. The only thing I can figure is that after the third lap when the maneuver is over ,and the judges stop judging that maneuver, the low judge saw me climb the plane to see where if I was standing in the circle. Nats judge my ass. My second flight had even judging by the same two but not good enough for second place.
  At the next contest I was the only entrant in old time stunt and had changed props and not test flown the combo. I ended up pancaking it on the vertical eights. Still came in first. The first weekend in October is the next contest here.
 

Stealing another idea.

 At the Lee contest I saw a guy adjust the elevator push rod with a wrench through a small slot in the fuselage. I asked about it and he showed me what it was. The pushrod has a right hand thread on one end and a left hand thread on the other just like a turnbuckle. It just so happens that Du-Bro makes a 1/4 scale turnbuckle. I bought a package with 2 in it. The thread is 4-40. After looking at it for a while this morning I took a Dave Brown arrow shaft pushrod set and tapped the end plug 4-40. The left hand thread 4-40 tap I found on Amazon and ordered a set. I'll tap the other end plug left hand and It's ready to go. The plastic will act to prevent the rod from turning in flight. I figure some flats on the shaft for adjustment or some holes to poke a rod in to turn the shaft like a windlass.
 After watching videos made by a person flying alone I figured out how to do it. We set the camera up a few feet outside the circle on a tri pod  set at it's lowest position. The video came out very well just missing the very top of the overhead maneuvers.

Car show.

The club that hosted the show in Putnam for many years has moved to a field in Pomfret. We got there early and after an hour the cars really started piling in. I went to present the car to the public with a For Sale sign on it. The "car people" that I talked to don't know anything about "cars". But they had one thing in common and that is only original steel will do. One person asked "what makes this a 37"? No one knew that the 37 only came with 5 windows. An original came in and with the original roof line reminded me of a top hat. We chatted with a friend and left. A lot of cars were showing up. I guess I don't understand car shows and the people that go on a regular basis.
  I got the Stuka out and put a few flights on it the other day. I need it for the contest next week end. I'll fly it in the Old Time Stunt and Classic Stunt portion of the two day contest. I was using 58 foot lines but put on a 56 1/2 foot set to try maybe today. I also changed the 62 foot lines on the Guru  for a set of 61' 3" lines. Maybe today too if it don't rain before I get there.

Moving up.

The contest at Lee, MA had very good weather. Every flight had the same very light winds. I didn't get a very good score on my first flight and one of the judges told me what I was doing wrong on one maneuver. I made some changes on the second flight and ended up in 3rd place out of 6.
 I was out yesterday and today trying to fix the other areas of my flying that I discussed with the other judge after the contest.
  Another person came and looked at the hot rod yesterday. He brought along another set of eyes so they could compare notes on the way home. I got under the car this morning and wiped off 17 years of oily dirt from the frame. A can of semi-gloss black covered the bare metal areas of the frame. When I took the prospect for a ride I had the a/c going strong and it frosted up. I checked it a few hours later and it was running right. I had barely used the a/c since it was new. The car is running as good as it can right now.
  The high school called this morning and the model building class is on again. 18 students signed up and they will split them in half and build every other week rather than half building to completion then the other half building.
 The next contest is the weekend after Labor Day in Wrentham, MA. They have a profile contest scheduled for early October. Then it's Baton Rouge.

It is winter.

The month of August has been cold. The temp. in the morning has been in the low 50's getting up into the low 80's if we are lucky. This morning it's 48 degrees at 0700. WHERE'S THE GLOBAL WARMING? What a bunch of assholes.
 The winds have been kind and I'm getting some flying. The contest at Lee, Ma is forecast to be good weather with a chance of showers on Sunday. I have a rain plane ready to go.

Funny how it goes.

I planned on flying the Privateer today. I set it on the stand and looked at the neutral of the flaps and elevator. There was up at flap neutral. After a bit of thinking I set the flaps and elevator at neutral. I headed for the field even though the wind is blowing a bit more than I would like. The first flight was good but too much down. I moved the line two holes toward the center of the handle which put both lines at the same distance from the center. Second flight the engine went lean. The controls felt good though. I had to open the needle a turn to get the engine running and then another turn when the dirt got sucked through and I was able to set the rpm I wanted. With all the filters I have in the system dirt still gets through. The third flight went very well. Now the plane flew not too well since day one and now it flys very well at the settings I had on the first flight that didn't work then.
 I heard from the person who gave me the only offer on the hot rod. We may have a sale.

I have found the enemy and he is,well you know.

Dredging up the memory of making the last batch of fuel was painful to say the least. I didn't remember removing 16 ounces of castor from the mix. That gave me around 24% oil. That in turn was gumming up the engines. I grabbed some all synthetic fuel and ran some through the engines which has improved the run. I did some calculations and I think I diluted the oil % down to where it should be. I had used 2 gallons of the mix and now I have 5 gallons again, hopefully of the right oil %.
 The weather has been real good for flying. I've been out mostly in the morning but also in the afternoon on a couple of occasions. I plan on taking the Guru and the Legacy to the Lee, Ma contest. I think the Legacy is the better flyer though. The Privateer needs more trimming and I may bring that on Sat. and get some help with it.
  The dry spell is supposed to end in a few days. Most of the water will run off before it can soak into the dry dirt though. The grass hasn't grown much in the last few weeks which is good.
 I parked the hot rod near the road during the VJ day parade and got a lot of lookers and quite a few stop and looks and several get out and looks. Time will tell.

Engine run problems.

I've been flying the Legacy lately and near the end of the flight the engine takes off lean. I've changed tanks, cleaned tanks, filters and spray bars, changed engines, props and it still does the same thing. Today I'm going to the field with three kinds of fuel. That is the only constant in the equation. My latest batch of fuel fixin's was real cheap.

Finally got it.

 I changed the round plastic tank for a metal tank in the Privateer. The round tank wouldn't stay still and rotated throwing everything out of tune. I test ran it at home and the engine ran very steady. I got the chance to fly it yesterday and the engine ran very well in flight too. This was during the open house the club had and the winds were all over the place. I put the Privateer away and took out the big Ringmaster for a couple flights. On  the entrance to the wingover  the wind took the plane and I had to backpeddle to catch it. That became more like a backhobble quickly and ended up with me sliding on one knee and regaining control of the plane. I rolled up the lines after that flight.
  While I was talking to the owner of an El Camino, who stopped in, a former club member came in. R. Frechette. We talked for a while but I don't think he will rejoin.

Still more findings and a screw up.

The winds calmed down by noon so I went to the field with the Guru and the Privateer.  The Guru engine problems seemed to be solved but the wings are flapping in corners now. I had one ounce of tip weight so I removed half of it when I got home. The Privateer was next. I got the engine started and turned the plane upright and set it down. A bit of needle tweaking and the engine quit. I tried to start it but no luck. I drained the fuel through the uni-flow tube and all the fuel came out. That tells me I hooked the lines up wrong. The tank is a slide in and the lines are out of reach with the engine in place. When I got home I removed the engine and found the lines reversed and the tank in wrong to boot. That's all fixed now. I have to mow tomorrow so I'll give it a try then.

  I had trouble with my C. Crane wi fi radio so I sent it back for repair. I had bought a new one and used the packaging to send the old one back. I had bought the old one a while ago.  The old one came back today and they replaced it with a new one.  Still cost a repair charge but a third cheaper than the one I bought.

More findings.

I ended up with two turns to the up on the elevator pushrod. The engine now ran funny so I inspected the tank set up at home. I have an r/c engine mount which makes for a deep tank compartment. The tank is a four ounce round plastic item and it sits way too deep or above the spray bar. I put a piece of half inch thick foam rubber in to even the tank center line with the spray bar. The winds have been too high early in the morning for a test flight but I did run it here and it seems to be better.

Two more gallons gone.

I finally found a home for the S/T .60 that works. Mating it with the profile P-63 did the trick. Removing the .025 head gasket and installing a .010 helped too.
 I brought the Guru out yesterday and for some reason I have to make large changes to the controls. Up is good but down is way too much. All it's done is sit on the wall. Maybe my touch has changed. I added a turn of up into the push rod and will check that next time out. The Privateer engine ran funny so I removed the tank and put new tubing on it and put it back in. I have up and down pretty close on that one. The flying weather has been real nice lately. The smell of the fertilizer lingers at the field still.
  I did some research and found the water temperature sender that Dakota Digital uses with their gauge packages. They want $32.00 for one but I found it on Amazon for $13.00+shipping for a total of $20.00. It's been reading 20/25 degrees low for a while but steady so I could rely on it's reading.  The stud that the wire connects to is loose.

More leaks.

I hadn't flown the A-36 in 9 months so I went to the field between the rain drops yesterday. The engine wouldn't settle down. start off strange and get stranger. I had to launch at 7400 and it would speed up as soon as it moved forward. After a few laps it would settle down but then speed up again. At home I removed the engine and checked the head shim. It was .020 thick so I installed a .010 shim. Then I removed the tank and pressure tested the engine and tank. The engine passed but the tank had 4 leaks. Two pin holes in the side wall and one in the end solder seam and one in the feed tube joint. Hopefully I can get out today to test it. I would like to put a plastic tank in but there isn't much room. If this fix doesn't work I may have to operate.

Making progress.

After switching engines on the P-63 and Polynesian things went better. I removed the head from the S/T and found a .025 shim. I figured that was too big and installed a .010 instead. The engine runs much better now. I had 65 foot lines on the P-63 and 64 on the other. I tried the 64 foot lines on the P-63 and found it flys a lot better and has a sharper corner too. The drag induced bow in the lines must have been causing springyness in the controls. I cut a foot off the longer lines. I may get out today between the raindrops.

I was shocked.

With the hay cut we can finally see the field. A couple new club members and a found plane that flew away. All good news.
 As I was reading the latest issue of Control Line World I took my time going over each page in order for some reason. Generally I just read what interests me and finish a magazine in an hour at most. Not this time though. In the early morning down in the basement shop I came to the end of the mag. and saw a plane on the inside back page, in full color, that looked like the Legacy I built with the same graphics. I thought I had been scooped again and reduced to the role of a copycat until I looked at the person holding the plane. There was yours truly standing with yours trulys plane. Not quite the cover of the Rolling Stone but pretty good just the same. I had sent a few pictures in to the editors a while back with no expectation of them being used. I had gave them permission to do whatever they want with anything I submit as we had several go arounds with other stuff they needed changed but didn't want to offend me by going ahead and changing it themselves. They know more about good english than I do so I told them go ahead and change anything you want. I don't think it hurt to have the designers name ,Allen Brickhaus, on the wing.

Test flights OK.

 I got out early today with both planes. First up was the Polynesian with the Evo .60. No problems with the run. A good steady run through the entire pattern. The P-63 with the S/T ran great as well. I only changed engines leaving everything else intact. I'm in the ball park with the S/T venturi as it now needs 6.0 ounces of fuel for the pattern. I have one more thing to test and thats the 13 x 6 prop. Maybe next time out.

Fuel tank test.

With the changes to the S/T engine it still had the same quirk. A good steady 4 cycle run until after the square eights. Then it slowed down to a good steady 5.6 sec. laps from 5.3.  Now that generally means some kind of tank anomaly and I have a six ounce round plastic tank just like the one on my P-63 which feeds the Evo .60 and gives great engine runs. Both using uni-flow.
 When I built the Polynesian I used an r/c motor mount and originally planned to use the Evo .60 until I got the S/T. I had drilled the mount for the Evo first and the s/t rear mounting holes are the same as the Evo rear holes but the s/t front holes are further forward and I simply drilled new ones ahead of the Evo holes. The exhaust ports are in the same location and I had made the needle hole for the Evo, which is  to the rear of the s/t, but covered it over. I opened that back up and installed the Evo and installed the s/t in the P-63 where the Evo came from. Now if the Evo does the same thing the s/t did I will be assured that there is some kind of tank problem.
  I added an extension to the Evo venturi and made a velocity stack out of some brass tube. I test ran it this morning and it's ready to go when the wind dies down.

  I brought the Dodge to the dealer to check on the fast idling. The engine won't slow down when  the clutch is disengaged. They found a bad MAP sensor and a bad sensor in the power steering pump. They don't have the MAP sensor so I have to go back on Thursday for that.

Not much of a hurricane.

I got a flight in with the new trim and things were a better but still a bit down on power. I removed the venturi and found it to be smaller than the ones in the OS .46. Then I noticed that the spray bar hole was not centered in the venturi. I drilled a new hole and it wasn't right either so I drilled another and broke the drill in the hole. I couldn't get the piece out so I threw it away. I got another from the parts dept. and got that installed. After some measurements I found the venturi was lacking in area and probably is the cause of the lack of power. I couldn't find a replacement so I did some figuring and came up with  enlarging the venturi to .300 from.274. After doing that I remembered the Evo .60, which has a true venturi and measured the area of that venturi. Then measured the area in the S/T venturi, subtracting the area of the spraybar, and came up with almost exactly the same thing. Real close to 15 sq. mm. The winds kept me from testing yesterday but an early flight today may be possible.

Went the wrong way.

The Super Tiger engine I got from Gil runs pretty good but has some strange traits. I didn't pay any attention to them as I had never run a S/T .60 c/l engine before. I did think it strange that I couldn't prime the engine by closing off the venturi and flipping the prop. I began to suspect a vacuum leak and today I removed the engine from the plane and pressure tested the intake system.  I found a leak at the O-ring seal and then another at the draw bar that holds the venturi in place. The draw bar doesn't fit well at all and I suspect it came from another engine. I put it back together and put a blob of  Plumbers Goop over the draw bar  end.
 As I was about to re install the engine I noticed a side thrust shim under the r/c motor mount I used in this plane. I almost didn't pay any attention to it but then took into account which way it pointed the engine and where the leadouts are. I had put it in the wrong side. I removed the shim and put the engine back in. I added a half ounce of tail weight yesterday so I need to get some test flights in, maybe today if the rain holds off. Dry so far at 0730.

Slowly but surely.

  The recent problem with remotely controlled drone aircraft has put the radio controlled modeling community in the spotlight. There are model airplanes that weigh over 100 pounds and require more than one person to fly it. It's not hard to see the concern of the feds here. The people who fly model airplanes using wires to control them are almost immune to being called a drone and therefore being regulated out of existence. A lot of these modelers dislike r/c as a general rule. I find it funny that these same people are finding ways to control control line planes using a radio. The Navy carrier group and others are using radios to control the engine speed for their slow flight and landings. Some using insulated lines and others radios and receivers just like an r/c model. I just read about one person that made a bellcrank with a Hall effect device that controls r/c servos that move the models control surfaces. And the building of 100 inch wingspan control line models is gaining popularity in a few areas. And the builders are using some form of radio control over the engine. Not many want to be pulled around the circle by that big of a plane though.
 But if all that is put together by someone that has no knowledge at all of the modeling hobby that person can only conclude that r/c and c/l are one and the same and should be regulated to near extinction.
 As Pogo once said "we have met the enemy and he is us".

26 gallons of fuel on the wall.

 Last Saturday we went to Wrentham, Ma. and donated 4 planes to their club. I stopped at the Hess station and got some cheaper gas on the way home.
 I started flying the Polynesian again. I had to go back to the original settings I had on it's first flight. I'm happy that I did as there were too many trim things added that said the plane was built crooked. Now the controls are where they should be for a straight plane. I'm still working on getting line tension on outside maneuvers especially the square parts. I had removed 0.4 ounces from the outboard wing tip and that made things a bit worse so I put it back in this morning. I also tweaked the leadout location a bit. The Super Tiger .60 ran good on 5% nitro during the cold weather but not so good in warm weather. I went to 10% and things worked better. I should try that with the Evo .60 as it vibrates more on 5% in warm weather.
 The .60 size engines use 5 ounces for the pattern vs. the .46's using 3.5. I've gone through another gallon.

Almost limbo.

 Today we head for Wrentham, Ma to get rid of a couple planes and fill the truck with less expensive gas. I believe the fly in starts around noon so I plan to get there about that time.
  I played my first horseshoe games Thurs. evening pitching from the 30 foot line. Women, kids and 70's men can move up to that line if they want. As I can't do any good from 40 feet I had to move up. Our opponent was the second best pitcher in the league and we managed to win two of the three games. After pitching so poorly for several years I was demoted to what we call the "B" player. As such I play against the other bad pitchers. I've been practicing a lot to get muscle memory and I'm getting pretty good here at home.
  I managed to fix the club mower with a new starter. The winds have been waiting for me to arrive with a plane again. I got in one decent flight yesterday and the second got a couple maneuvers in when things got too bad to continue. Good winds are forecast for the next 3 days.
  The 14 inch tires are still here and will be discarded as soon as no one is looking. Same with the Mustang rear window glass.
  We have a beam in the basement that looks kinda bad and I just figured a way to fix it.

The wait begins.

This morning I took pickup load number 4 to the dump. Things are settling down a bit now.
 I removed all the shrouds from the broken mower and found the starter pinion gear jammed into the engine flywheel. I found a replacement on Amazon and ordered it.
  I bought a small bag of Quick Krete and patched up the front and side steps and a couple other spots that needed attention.
  Saturday I'll go to Wrentham and give 4 planes away. That will bring me down to 9 left. Not counting the 2 r/c planes. I flew the newest one that the school bought and it's a good flyer. It's the Apprentice-S from Horizon Hobbies. lots of stabilization things on it, all through the radio. Electric powered and comes with everything needed to get it into the air. $299.00. Not a small plane either.
  I have two 14 inch tires on the lawn free but only one looker. Not too many cars with 14 inch tires anymore.
  I've been able to get in some flying as the chores are tapering off. I also changed my horseshoe pitching style. Being at the age that in the rules you are allowed to stand 10 feet closer to the stake I moved up. Not as easy as I figured but I found a pitch that works. Much better ringer percentage. I'm not the team leader this season but if I pitch much better I'll be moved back up.

M.L.S. here we come.

After unloading the second pickup load of stuff at the recycle center I did some touch up painting. The realtor came on time and got the pictures taken. Then I went back to painting that went on for two days. I had the right color paints and didn't have to buy any. I removed the storm door to the milk room and painted it and the 12 panes of glass in it. Then I got the handle and lock working. That hasn't worked in way over 45 years. I shaved some wood off the door edge so it would close without binding and relocated the lock striker plate so that would function. As long as I was at it I used up the gallon of UGL Dry Lok on the stucco wall. I finished that this morning as well as putting the door back on the milk room.
 Then I went to the field to get the mowing done and the riding mower engine locked up and won't budge in either direction. Right now I don't feel like trouble shooting it.
 We are getting another load of books and stuff ready for the dump. Some things will be offered to the person that bought stuff from us a while back. What don't sell gets loaded on the truck.

No backup lights.

  I've gotten the Bearcat flying pretty good. I added two turns of down elevator to the push rod and an APC 12.25 x 3.75 to replace the APC 12 x 4 and two more prop washers under the heavy hub. After that session I added another turn and a half of down elevator. I'd like to test that soon but were waiting for the realtor to show up at the moment.
 I did some cleaning out of the overhang and there's another full pick up load of stuff ready to be loaded.
 Yesterday we were about to go for a ride in the hot rod when my wife said the back up lights aren't working. I checked and sure enough the stop lights were out. Both sides, which didn't sound right. We changed to the El Camino and went anyway. When we got home daughter and family had arrived a few minutes before we did. Son in law and I got busy on the lights and found that the ground wasn't good anymore. After some fiddling we got them working properly. The third brake light was working which I can see in the mirror so I figured the others worked also. They probably haven't been working right for some time.

First load.

It took about an hour to get all the stuff loaded into the truck. I emptied a set of shelves and a 6 pack of lockers. I was able to put most of the stuff in other lockers.  I found two mouse nests and vacuumed them up. I had caught the mice earlier. The dump opens at 0700 so I'll be out early.
 After loading the truck I painted a beam in the basement that was put there back in the 70's and I didn't paint it when I did the room last year. Then I got the edger and ran it around the horseshoe pits and driveway. I still haven't got to check on the bird houses on the hill. Maybe tomorrow. I hope to get in some flying then too as it's supposed to rain Thurs.

Started the process.

We decided to put the house on the market and should it sell move south. I What that did was light a fire and I threw out 5 bags of stuff that was quite valuable a day earlier. I managed to empty a couple cabinets and then it was off to the garage. I have a big pile of stuff on the floor ready to load up and take to the dump Wed. morning.I have a couple more planes to get rid of as I don't know what kind of house we will get. I also want to sell the 37 street rod. 4 vehicles is too many to move. How far we will get is not known at this time.
 This morning I put two of the rubber connectors I bought a few years ago to use. I cut the kitchen sink drain and ran a snake up as far as it would go and flushed the pipe out. Then I ran the snake in the other direction and ran into trouble flushing that end. I had to cut the pipe just before it goes in the big drain and run the snake up that to meet the snaked out portion from the first cut. I put the garden hose to it and it still didn't want to flush but after several tries it puked the crap out. Emptying the flushed water was a chore. A hand cart with small wheels and a heavy load over the lawn was work.
 Tomorrow I'll load the truck with the former valuables so I won't have to do it in the morning. Then it's off to check the bluebird houses. I have to run the edger over the pavement sides too.

Changes worked. Burned another gallon.

I did what the directions said to do. I adjusted the elevator on the Privateer. First I put 4 turns into it and that gave a ton of up elevator. It didn't look right so I gave it some thought and took 2 and a half turns out. I moved the leadouts back a bit and added another piece of tip weight. I flew it a few days later and all was well. The turns are just about equal now and easy to control. The plane is steady in level flight both ways.
 I took the P-63 out today and got in 3 flights. That is flying pretty good too. The turn could be a bit sharper so I removed the Big Arts muffler and put the tongue muffler that came with the engine on. That took about one and a half ounces off the nose.
  I have to mix another 5 gallons of fuel. I emptied the container a few days ago and the last gallon is going down.

Close call and wet feet.

The Privateer has been flying pretty good except for the difference in up and down. At the field the other day I flooded the cold engine and it let me know it by kicking the prop loose twice. I finally got the spinner and everything lined up and tightened and the engine started running normally for a second when it kicked the prop, spinner and hardware off the engine. The ensemble zipped by my face and hit me in the temple which was covered by my hat. No damage and I found the parts several feet away.
  I made a turn and a half adjustment to the elevator pushrod which brought things into sync. The pressure line fell off half way through a flight but I finished the maneuvers without too much trouble.
 I took one of the fish poles I got at the dump and went to the river. I caught a brookie about 8 inches long and slipped on a rock putting both feet into the water. The ensuing antics that looked like some old guy break dancing caused my hat to fall into the water also. Then I loaded up the plane after fixing the pressure line and went to Lowes and got a handle for the conduit bender and got in another flight with the Privateer that was pretty good...

Almost free to a good home.

Because of the weather we didn't go to the fly in at Wrentham on Saturday. I did pack up 4 planes and go on Sunday. Two of the planes I hoped to sell, $30.00 a piece of two for $50.00. Both served me well and did fly pretty good.
  I got in 3 flights with the Legacy and did sell both for $50.00 by noon.
 I packed up and went to the Hess station and put the money in the gas tank. Then we stopped at the 99 restaurant in Dayville.
  Windy today but I managed to get 4 students in the air. One plane had a warped wing and was a real handful to fly. I used a heat gun on it and got the warp out.
  I cut the welds on the electric car frame and will redesign it. The bender and weld wire should be in tomorrow.

Another bad weather project.

The new Privateer  paint scheme is a bit bare. I figured  a set of wheel pants would help a bit. I took the outline off the plans and got some  light ply and  some scrap balsa and started cutting. I made them like the Primary Force wheel pants and got them painted and installed today. Little bit is right.
  I went to Lowes and bought 5 pieces of 3/4" EMT tubing and started to rough out a frame for the electric car. I bought a hole saw to cut the tube ends to fit into the other tubes and that went bad quick. My drill press isn't  strong enough and the teeth are too far apart to cut the round tube. The chuck fell off and a couple teeth broke off the saw. I ended up cutting the ends with a  hacksaw and finishing on the bench grinder. After a couple pipes I was faster than  the saw was. Then I looked at the wire in the welder and There wasn't much left. I just ordered two pounds more. The  ten pound spool ships in 3 to 6 weeks. The spool of wire that came with the welder lasted about 5 years.

Good day before the bad.

  The weather for the next 3 days at least is forecast to be rainy and windy. With the meeting tonight and the winds way down I went to the field and got it mowed. I brought the Legacy and the Privateer for it's maiden voyage. I moved the leadouts back a 1/4" on the Legacy and with the added tip weight it flew very well. The engine burped in the first loop of the clover so I bailed out and let the fuel run out.
 The Privateer was up next and I put in 1 and a half ounces of fuel. It felt good on the lines and had lots of down and just right up. The engine ran poorly and the second flight was a bit better but the engine still leaned out a bit too much. Not a runaway as such more like some object flopping around in the tank. I may try uni-flow on the next outing as that will open the needle a turn more or so.
  With the meeting date change from Thurs. to Wed. I figure the turnout will be light.

Last one for the winter, really.

When it snowed last month I had just received Control Line World with the plans for 2 more of Allen Brickhaus' planes. I enlarged the Privateer as it has a straight wing with the same rib throughout. Yesterday the tem. got into the low 80's and the plane was masked off for painting. I let it warm up with the paint all day and gave the fuselage 3 coats of white and 3 more of clear. I was going to apply Chevy engine orange to the fuselage top but deleted that thought and went with all white. Today I masked off the wing for some orange stripes and got that done a couple hours ago. I installed an OS .46 LA and had some trouble getting the muffler off so I could remove the engine from another plane. All the holes lined up with the engine holes which is good. The c/g is very close to the spar and with a half ounce of tip weight it weighs 50.6 ounces.  Next good day I'll give it a flight or two.

Happy_______ing mothers day.

Fed Ex stopped a few minutes ago and delivered two boxes. Both from Sharies Berries. Upon opening them we found one from our son and one from Tom, Sharie and Zeke. I checked the shipping label and both had our address on them but one was supposed to go to a mother in Naugatuck, CT. I called Sharies Berries and they couldn't find any record of the wayward order and said to keep both and they would square it up when the other people called. Just for giggles I googled Margaret Dasilva, the non recipient, and found a phone number and had to leave a message. I told her, I hope, what had happened and what was said and what Tom, Sharie and Zeke should do. Before I ended I did wish her a happy mothers day.
  I have the Polynesian flying pretty good. I had to ad one ounce of tail weight and ended up with about one and a half ounces in the wing tip. I made up a shorter set of lines, 65 to 64 feet eye to eye, and it flew well. The warmer weather made a half turn in on the needle and the lap time dropped exactly 0.1 seconds. Just like the big boys said.
  I also installed the rigging to tow the extra mower behind the Cub Cadet. The Craftsman goes way too fast in 4th and too slow in 3rd.

Now the hard part.

I had just enough Monokote to cover the wing, stab., elev. and flaps on the Privateer. I masked off the wing and stab and gave the fuselage a coat of primer. Some sanding and filling and more sanding and I'm stuck trying to figure out a paint scheme again. After some pencil work I think I have something that will work. As usual it's not fancy. Just enough to hide the primer.
 I got three of the high schoolers into the air  with their planes this morning. Between hyper ventilating, high fives and huge smiles it went well. Them not me. Tomorrow the teacher and me are heading for Lime Rock race track to check out "Electrathon CT". It's a competition between schools that make their own battery powered vehicles. The high school may have found a source for money for the program. It should be interesting.

Houston, we have fillets.

  After school this morning the winds were not too bad so I packed up two planes and headed to the field. As usual when I pulled the release the winds started to move around. Up high I couldn't tell which way the winds were coming from and almost lost a plane  in the square eights. Next up was the Legacy. I wanted to check the adjustments I had made and the winds were getting worse. I ran the tank out and went home.
  I started to put the covering strip on the wing in preparation for the fillets.  I finished that and mixed the 5 minute epoxy and micro balloons and continued with the fillets. One thing led to another and I installed the stab and secured it with the fillets and then the fin/rudder. I was on a roll. Now it's on with the Monokote.

Back to school.

 I got the call and went to the school to give my presentation on weight and balance math. The school bought the King dvd's and I had reviewed them here at home. I worried after I did that that the video's might not work on another computer and I was right. The teacher should have called King schools and got the code to activate the course on the schools computer. I charged up 5 batteries getting ready to fly the planes when the opportunity arises.
  I made the trip to Hog Heaven and got some light fiberglass cloth for the Privateer. I wanted to cover the fuselage before installing the wing but that wouldn't work. I used Polycrylic to adhere the cloth and it went on very well. I put 4 total coats of slightly thinned Polycrylic and the weave filled nicely.  I think I have enough Monokote to do the wing and stab and that is the next step before adding the fillets. I'll put an inch wide piece around the wing roots and then the fillets just to the edge. The main sheet will stick to the strip and will be removable without lifting the fillets, if the plane lasts long enough to need re finishing. I contacted the person that built the model for the article that appeared in Flying Models a while back and he suggested moving the stab back an inch. I had the push rod installed and it's not that adjustable. I was able to extend the elevator clevis about 3/8" longer though. The clevis was kinda far into the threaded end and was hard to get a pry into to remove it from the control horn. That is fixed not by lengthening the push rod.
  I was going to sell one of my planes that didn't fly that well. I've been flying it to get it ready for sale and I got it flying pretty good and I'm having second thoughts about getting rid of it. But it has seen it's share of use.

Almost an ARC.

I glued the pieces together today. I had the flaps and elevators mated to their horns and removeable from the horns. I had glued a 4-40 nut onto the flap pushrod so I can use the nut driver tool to r & r the pushrod. It's a pain to count turns and install it using a pair of pliers. I cut a drinking straw from McDonald's to fit over the ball link on the bellcrank and jam the bellcrank full forward and then remove the pushrod and fit the straw end into the pushrod cutout to hold the bellcrank in position for the trip through the fuselage cutout and to hold the ball link in place for the re installation of the pushrod. I generally do this with the wing fully sheeted and not being able to see the ball link.  I cut the bellcrank pivot rod 1/8" longer than the wing is thick so it will stick out 1/16" on top and bottom so I can put a brace on the wing sheeting and the rod and fuselage sides. As the rod gets to the fuselage side I push the rod down to sheeting level and flex the thinnest side over the rod and push it back up inside the fuselage so the other end will slip through. Nothing new there. After truing the wing to the fuselage I tack it in several places. Then I install the pushrod into the ball link. I only go a couple turns before twisting the straw to check that it's free. If it isn't free to turn remove the pushrod because it got threaded between the straw and the ball link. Put the push rod back in and try to twist the straw again, repeat as necessary until the straw is free then turn the pushrod in the number of turns you counted when you removed it. You didn't think of that did you? I didn't and that's why I put it there instead of at the beginning. in this case I needed 15 turns to reinstall the pushrod. What this does is give you the strongest fuselage possible as there isn't any cuts to scab over after the wing is installed.
  I've tried several different ways to true up the wing to the fuselage over the years and stumbled on this method today. I have four pieces of marble broken from the same large piece and two of the biggest ones are under the smaller two that the wing is resting on. The engine crutch area of the fuselage is the only parallel part of the whole thing so I put two framing squares on the marbles next to the wing panels and wiggled the fuselage until it mated to the squares. A couple glue tacks and I'm done. I rechecked the alignment with a tail to wing tip measurement and it's good. Any flat board with a hold in it for the nose can be used.

Save that balsa.

Many years ago I built an XLT r/c pattern plane. It was designed by Joe Bridi and the construction techniques he used are still relevant today. I don't like to waste wood by hollowing out a large and expensive block of balsa. What Bridi did was to use triangle stock and a top plate of suitable size to take the place of the inch thick balsa that will be reduced to a tenth of it's original size. Bridi trimmed one of the 45 degree ends so the triangle could be glued to the fuselage side in place of the block. then a top plate is glued to the tops of the triangles and the proper radius drawn on an end. After carving the outside to a rough dimension I used the shoe shine method with a strip of 80 grit sandpaper to smooth the outside then the piece is removed and the triangle stock is hollowed saving tons of balsa and time. There are lots of kits on the market that have blocks of balsa that can be replaced with this method and the blocks saved for something better, like selling them on ebay or making your own triangle stock.

And the times are hard to change.

I'm not too surprised at the stunt "powers that be" not making c/l stunt or c/l in general more interesting for the r/c crowd. The ARF and ARC models appeal to the new modelers of today just as the Scientific hollow log kits apealed to the new modelers of yesterday. I started by trying to build a print wood stick and tissue kit when I was about 5 years old, 1949. Trying to cut out the formers with their many 1/16" square notches for the stringers outside with a double edged razor blade was futile to say the least. I got a plastic ready to fly when I was about 8. The good part is it had an engine. I got it to fly a couple times before the fuel destroyed the plastic, but I had an engine. The many hollow log kits were my first successful attempt at building and flying. From there I climbed the ladder of kits and finally gained enough skill to start scratch building planes. A logical and methodical progression that is the proven way to advance any kind of learning. I think the 'powers that be' should embrace the ARF/ARC models as the path to being a successful c/l flyer. Do away with the builder of the model rule in the classes below expert and have a logical progression from beginner to expert not just beginner and expert like it is today.  By that I mean distinct and separate skill classes for each group. Each class having a tougher group of maneuvers than the last. For a beginner to move up to the next class today he needs to fly the expert class pattern. It's like having a 20 foot ladder with one rung at the bottom and one rung at the top. It just doesn't make sense to me. I crashed several models between beginner and intermediate trying to learn the expert class pattern. Most people don't have as many planes as I had to keep going and after crashing or thinking they would crash they are gone, back to r/c. I know the argument put forth by the "powers that be" and most of it doesn't make sense to me either. Arguments should be made on how simple c/l is compared to r/c, how much less costly, the small area needed to fly, the interchangeability between r/c equipment and c/l equipment, the ability to "feel the model", never losing a plane in a tree, only having to walk 60 feet to pick up the pieces, that building a good flying c/l model will make you build a better flying r/c model and when r/c is stopped by NOTAM or some other regulation you can go into your back yard and still fly.

Good weather equals flying, bad equals building.

 Thursday and Friday I got in a bunch of trimming on the Polynesian. After the wholesale changes it flew better and a few more tweaks here and there produced more results.  I got it flying 5.5 second laps and using 5.0 ounces of 10% fuel per flight.  I think it still needs more tip weight as I only have 3/4 ounce in it.
 The Privateer needed stuff and I ordered it from Brodak and it came in yesterday. I installed the horns into the flaps and elevators this morning, installed the leadout slider and tied the leadouts, made up the tip weight box and installed the wing tips. I still need some triangle stock so I'll stop at the hobby shop when we bring the grandson home today.
 Between the 10% fuel and my  2% fuel I've gone through another gallon.

A few good days.

I've been flying the Polynesian tying to get it trimmed. I've made several changes and test flights with a bit of improvement. The weather has been awful and I've read some more on trimming and made wholesale changes again. Tomorrow looks like it will be flyable.
  I ordered some stuff from Brodak for the new Privateer. The wing is just about ready to install but I need the control horn to go in first. That stuff is almost here.
 The new metering rods on the el camino carb. seems to be working. It runs a bit better.

Still looking for spring.

 The winds have been kinda strong lately left over from the blizzard. I've been working on the Privateer and it's coming along nicely.  I took the wing out of the jig this morning, Easter, and got it to fit into the fuselage. The controls are in loosely. I need to add shear webbing to the spars and build the tips. I need control horns and a few other items before I can call the wing complete.
  I went fishing for a few minutes yesterday and only got one bite. The river is still too high and it was below 32 early in the morning. Typical opening day here.

The blizzard.

During the storm a few days ago I got into the building season mood and started making a kit of the plans I had enlarged the day before. So far the kit is looking like a plane. I got the wing about 1/3 built with the molded leading edges drying and the fuselage sides starting to go together. The stab/elev are cut out and hinged as well as the flaps/wing trailing edge. Fin/rudder are cut out and set per the plans. I made doublers like the Legacy with 1/64 ply going past the trailing edge of the wing cutout and 1/32 ply from the nose to the wing spar. The rest of the construction is similar to the Legacy.
  The rain has swollen the river for opening day of fishing season again. All that remains is for temps in the 20's for Sat. morning.

I broke the 'Easy Button'.

 I took a trip to Stales to get the plans enlarged. All went well until I walked into the store.
There was a customer at the counter where I wanted to do business. I waited and after 5 minutes the attendant took my plans and I gave her instructions on what I wanted. About 5 minutes was the reply. I meandered around a bit and found Bounty paper towels on clearance, 8 rolls for $5.00. Then I found  a stack of 12 rolls for $10.00 in another location. I did the math and found the 12 rolls were the better buy. Then I noticed the enlargement was on the counter. I looked at it and it was only half of the page. She said it was being redone. Finally it came out and it was perfect. I paid her and then tried to make a small copy of the rib as all the ribs are the same. It took a minute to get the machine to 335% and several copies to get the rib on the page. I ran out of credit card (Staples) and had to get help to put more money on the card. As I now realize the card is still in the machine. I finally got a copy of the complete rib that I can use. I picked up a bundle of 12 rolls of Bounty and went to the other pay here place. Three stations and only one is working and that by a trainee who is being helped by a manager. I was third in line and the manager bailed out calling for more cashiers. One arrived and took the guy in front of me and then the copy girl arrived and took me on the last cash register. There I stood. For 5 minutes she tried in vain to get the thing to open the drawer. Another person said it takes 30 minutes to get that to work first thing of the day. I suggested going to McDonalds. Then going to the second register. Good idea. That one had been working and as she checked me out I said the old "Easy Button" broke today. I haven't been to Staples yet that I didn't have some kind of trouble. On top of that the sheets per roll on the 12 pack are the half sheets vs. the full sheets on the 8 pack. I got screwed again.

Rain and wind, right on time.

Every year just after the state stocks the waters with fish it rains enough to raise the water level close to flood stage just before the opening day of fishing season. In turn the rushing water washes the new fish out to sea before they can adapt to river living. Today it started raining and is forecast to be heavy so bye bye fishys.
 I managed to get out the other day and the spare parts plane is flying well but the tank isn't quite right. I removed that one and installed a metal tank. I have to remember to make the fuselage wider as the tank is a tight fit. The P-63 is flying well as well. The longer lines did the trick.
 I fired up the Cub Cadet and ran it over some leaves to limber it up for the season. I put a tube in the left front tire and it's holding air now.
 On the El Camino I ran a wire from the fuel tank sender ground to the frame as the body ground may not be good enough causing the erratic readings on the gas gauge.
  The latest issue of Control Line World has two more plans of Allen Brickhaus' models. One from 1977 and one from 2011 if I read it right. I have figured out how much to enlarge the center folds to get them back to full size.

Too much tweak.

After 3 hours of splitting wood for the park rangers I cut 18 inches off the lines and changed the P-63 lines to 65 footers. Then I headed for the field. First flight with the spare parts plane was not pretty.  I should have left the flaps alone. I gave them a tweak for the second flight and it went much better. The winds were causing problems so I went home. I put two sticks on the flaps and found them to be even. I gave them a little tweak and will check it next time out.  I didn't get a chance to try the P-63 because of the winds.

29 gallons of fuel on the wall.....

Take one down and run engines with it and get in flights with it and it's time for another gallon of fuel. I went to the field this morning with the spare parts engine and plane and the Evo .60 powered P-63. I got in 4 flights with the spare parts and figured I need to shorten the lines and adjust the plastic tank a bit. I tried the 12 x 4 on 3 flights and the 12.25 x 3.75 on  one flight. I put the 12 x 4 back on as I don't have any spare 11.5 x 4's. Ground clearance issue. The Evo started right up and ran well for 3 flights but the tank seemed off a bit. When I got home I adjusted the spare parts tank and took the P-63 tank apart and found the vent out of position and the uni-flow way off. Things should be where they should be now.  I figure the P-63 needs longer lines. I have 63 footers on it and 63.5 footers on the spare parts plane. Kinda backwards. I'm thinking 62 on the spare parts and 65 on the P-63. I also put a half ounce of tip weight in the P-63 as it didn't have any, but the engine hangs out a bit, and the flaps on the spare parts plane were tweaked into alignment. I found 1.5 ounces of tip weight in the spare parts wing and reduced it to a half ounce a few days ago. I may have bent the flaps to carry the load a while back and without the weight they don't need to be twisted.

In the early morning rain.

Except it wasn't raining. I took the spare parts engine and plane to the field before the wind got out of hand this morning. I put up 3 flights and each one thought the first loop of the clover was a cut off loop. The plane flew pretty good in spite of the problem. I had a 4 ounce metal tank installed and could only get 3-5/8 ounces of fuel in it. Even at that I should have had enough to finish the pattern. At home I removed the tank and found a cut in the vent line at the tank nipple. I had a 4 ounce Du-Bro plastic tank made up and it just fit inside the fuselage and holds more than 4 ounces. I installed it using new fuel tubing and pressure tested it to make sure it doesn't leak. With the clunk tank I can put in an ounce of fuel and fly it if I want. I'll check the winds and maybe get in another session.

Parts interchangeability.

After messing up the spray bar hole in my new .46LA I ordered a new block from Tower. Having nothing to lose I elongated the spray bar hole  and got the spray bar close to the center of the venturi. The engine runs pretty good. Now what to do with the new block. I carefully drilled the spray bar holes and got them right this time. Then I took all the parts off the other engine and installed them into the new block except for the nva. I still had a spare block doing nothing. I started getting other spare parts together for the .46LA and came up a crankshaft short. I looked on Tower and found one for the .35 and .40 FP engines when I clicked on the .46LA crank. That gave me an idea and I checked the specs for the .40LA and found them exactly the same as the .46. I have 4 .40's doing nothing so I removed the crank and back plate which gave me enough parts to make a .46.  I tested it on a board and then installed it into the spare plane and tested it there. The winds are a bit too high for a flight today.
  I made a mask of my AMA number and painted it on the Legacy wing. Still waiting for the two graphics cutters to come through. Not much hope though.

More test flights..

Conditions were about perfect for test flights yesterday morning. I changed lines on the Bearcat and brought the Legacy that had minor things done to it after the first flight a couple weeks ago.  The Bearcat fuselage is so fat it's hard to hold on to when starting inverted. I tried the starter but the Higley Heavy Hub was too small for the large diameter of the cone and too big for the small end. I took a 5/8 inch piece of 3/4 inch heater hose and pounded it into the large end of the starter cone reducing it's diameter enough so it would grab onto the hub. I got it started by hand inverted for the first flight and used the starter for the other two flights. It spun the engine for a few seconds and when the fuel reached the engine it fired off. The new lines worked well and the plane was a lot more stable. A tweak of the needle and I got in most of the pattern doing one lap between maneuvers as I didn't put in enough fuel. On engine shut off it dives towards the ground so I checked the engine alignment today and it had a bit of up thrust. I put a 1 degree shim under the engine. It's flying pretty good otherwise.
  The Legacy didn't need much from the first flight except for a bit more tip weight and a handle adjustment. I got in 3 flights with it and all the maneuvers with one lap between. It's a very stable plane and, to me, it presents well and turns well.
  The gas lift supports for the hot rod hood came in today. The retainer clips gave me some trouble but they fit perfectly.

First flight jitters.

After our noon snack I loaded the Bearcat into the truck and headed to the field. I knew starting would be troublesome as the engine is cowled with no room to heat the engine with water. Also the engine hasn't been run since installing it into the plane. I had to straighten the needle to get it to stick out of the cowl and jammed a piece of brass tubing on so I could turn it. I loosened the engine with primed fuel and had to start it inverted. The fuselage is big and hard to get a grip on. After spitting the prop off I got it running. Back on it's wheels the needle extension had fallen off so I had to use pliers to turn the needle. Out at the handle I gave the release and then noticed the glow battery still attached. I flew the 2-1/2 ounces out and landed. The engine started better on the second flight

and I leaned it out a bit more after removing the battery. As I walked the lines to the handle they twisted and caused a lot of problems to un twist.  Luckily I put enough fuel onto the metal tank and the engine stayed running. The second flight was hunt city as I think the lines had wrapped up again after I unwrapped them. I should have held them tight as I un wrapped them in the first place. The ground isn't too flat and as I landed the ground rose up as the plane touched down knocking off the right side gear door. Other than that it flew well. The wind  knocked it around a bit on the second flight so we packed up and went home. I removed the cowl and brazed a cross piece on the needle and put a landing gear strap on each gear door.

I can tell it's spring.

The fuel gauge in The El Camino is a bit strange. It only works in warm weather. From October until today it wont work. To get the cars loosened up after sitting most of the winter I took the hot rod out for a spin. Then I took the El Camino out and after a few miles the gas gauge started working. I have 3/4 full tank. I really have to look for a new tank sending unit.
  I went to the field this morning with the Honey Bee and the Ringmaster. I had put the new engine back on after trying to get the spray bar closer to center. It ran well on the board and real good on the plane. The Honey Bee has been sitting for several months and after the hot water it started on the first flip. That's the thirstiest .46LA I have. It takes 3-3/4 ounces of fuel for the pattern.
 While I was getting the hot rod ready to run Mike K. from the dog track stopped by. He's still working but the plant is slow. He's bottom man with only 20 years there.

Battery tender test.

After the long winter I figured it was time to get the hot rod running. I had put a battery tender on the battery around Dec. It took some cranking but it finally caught and stayed running. The tender did a good job.
 I took the Ringmaster up to the field and the ground is too soft to drive down so I walked and got in a flight. The winds were messing things up so I went to the shed and removed the mower battery so I could charge it. I measured out a circle at the east end of the runway and will probably move to there. There's never anyone else around when I fly so I don't see a problem. This will cut mowing time quite a bit and the farmer will be happier and less likely to create trouble. We had a talk last year and he said this place is a pain to mow. I took the hint. Both parties have permission to use the property but he can mess things up if he stops mowing the hay.

More snow, rain, wind, low temps and engine tests.

 The forecast was for winter warning for the north west section of the state. This morning it snowed there and then moved to the CT river valley and stayed. Good for them.
  I went to the Hyundae dealer for an oil filter and then had to go home to get money for oil. As I got off the highway I could see a column of steam or smoke ahead of me. I couldn't recall any industry left that would be making steam so smoke it had to be. As I neared Plainfield Rd. I could see black smoke rising from near the intersection of River Rd. and Sterling Hill Rd. Out of town fire trucks were coming and more trucks were coming from another direction. Probably under control by now.
 I save any engine parts that are salvageable after I toast an engine. I had a piston and liner for an OS .46LA doing nothing plus two for the .40LA. The new .46LA had not been running right and I found that I had drilled the nva hole off towards the front where the exit hole is. I ordered a new block and venturi then proceded to put the hole where it should have been. I got it close by elongating the original hole and sealed it with fiber gaskets with the exit hole in the proper place. I tapered a piece of popsicle stick and jammed it between the spray bar and venturi to force the spray bar towards the middle as much as possible while I tightened the spray bar nut. I took the engine apart to do this because of the filings I created. I took the spare P&L and installed it and saved the new set. I put the heat gun to the engine and set it in the test stand and fired it up. A great run by any standards. I'll have to mount it back on the Ringmaster in a couple years when global warming kicks in.

Almost a flying day.

With the temp. near 30 degrees this morning I packed up the Ringmaster 576 and heated some water and headed to the field. I had removed the engine from the Ringmaster and swapped it into the Legacy and it was a good thing I did. The new .46LA ran awful. I got in one flight and came home. I tied the plane down and ran 4 tanks of my fuel through it. I didn't like the way it was acting and removed the needle valve asm. and installed another. I enlarged the hole a bit and ran a couple more tanks through it  and it ran more to my liking. Hot starts by hand are coming along and it runs the tank out at a steady rpm. Maybe I'll get out again this weekend.
 I was putting the 200 foot tape measure back in the garage and something bumped near by. Nothing should have bumped as I was alone and the bump was from an unusual place. I looked around and saw nothing at first the there was movement inside the El Camino. A squirrel got inside through the open drivers side window and was trying to get out through the closed passenger side window. I went to the right side and the culprit egresses through the open window. I shut the window. Now that I think about it I'll check for a nest.

Muffler's here.

The  tube muffler for the Super Tiger .60 came in today. No rush on getting it on the plane with the wind at 30 gusting to 40.

Finally found a muffler.

After looking for several months and coming up with empty promises and no gots I put a wanted ad on a forum and bought a "Big Art's" tube muffler. It should be here later in the week. The only reason I want one is that it will direct the exhaust away from the wing. The tongue muffler I made works well but messes up the wing.
 The weather has gone back to winter in January. 16 degrees this morning with a brisk wind. Tomorrow night there could be a bunch of snow depending on how the storm tracks. My son is heading back home early Tues. morning. We hit the Bridgewater, MA swap meet on Sat. but didn't find much of interest. We did find a better way to get to the MBTA station at South Attleboro. Going from here to Providence to get on I-95 north is awful on a good day. Now I'll take I-295 around to 95 bypassing Providence altogether.

Good first flight.

  My son and I went to the local high school track/football field this morning with the Legacy 40 I built over the winter. I had a brand new engine in the plane and then smartened up and put an old one that I'm confident with in. After some hot water warming it started right up and ran very well for the 3 ounces I put in the tank. Aaron and I both liked the way it looked in the air and I liked the way it handled. Especially the part about not quitting when inverted. Aaron says the outboard wing is very slightly high upright and inverted. Maybe a bit more inverted than upright. Anyway I'll put a bit more tip weight in for the next test session. I am surprised about how much pull the plane has with the LA .46/APC 11.5 x 4. A real good start. Tip weight, wider handle spacing and lower the tank a bit for the next time.

Another greater than great invention that won't make me rich.

I bought an ethernet cable for the wi fi radio and today I ran it from the router upstairs through the sun porch window down through the floor then through the wall and around the room to the radio. I followed the directions and it worked. While listening to the radio it occurred to me that I could cut some foam into thin slices and use the slices to insulate the wing tip weights in my planes. I've been using pieces of foam up until now and they are quite bulky and get blown away at the field during changes.  The picture says it all.