The latest electric plane.

The original designer of this model said to make a few changes to the model. I still had the plans from when I built the kit several years ago so I used them to make this copy utilizing the changes and adding a few of my own. It is flying well so far with just a few flights on it. More trimming flights are required.
  I repaired the wing of the plane I wrecked and built a new fuselage and tail. I went with an engine this time and it's waiting 5 days before I can apply the clear coats.

A few things from the last 8 years.

Written by Matthew Costa

The president has done some things right -- for which he is properly receiving credit -- but he is far, far from scandal-free. 

Not all of these are directly or solely the President's fault, but some absolutely are.

The supine press chose to give the President a pass, and so history must judge the scope and importance of his scandals -- singularly and in toto -- in considering the President's legacy.

•IRS targeting political opponents, and the refusal of IRS employees to testify before the Congress

•DoJ's Fast and Furious gun-running operation to Mexican drug cartels which lost accountability of about 60% the 2000+ guns trafficked, one of which was used to murder Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry

•Illegally wiretapping reporters -- home, office, mobile phones; prosecuting reporters as political payback, without legitimate legal basis 

•Benghazi lack of adequate ground support; cover-up falsely blaming Benghazi attacks on a YouTube video rather than acknowledge it as a pre-planned terror attack

•Ignoring Russian blatant aggression in Ukraine, including illegal deployment of soldiers in "stripped-down" uniforms to hide national affiliation in violation of Geneva Conventions; the downing of civilian airliner MH-17 by Russian surface-to-air missile, at the loss of more than 280 souls

•Senator Clinton's private e-mail server to conduct State Department business while avoiding oversight -- and which carelessly put sensitive and classified information directly at risk

•Bombing Libya without even bothering to seek Congressional authorization -- then dismissing reporters inquiries saying the bombing wasn't an "act of war"

•Despite inheriting a stabilizing Iraq, half-heartedly pretended to negotiate for continued US troops to maintain stabilization force in Iraq, which efforts predictably failed -- subsequent withdrawal led to rise of the al-Qeada offshoot Da'esh, those cutthroats styling themselves ISIS, undoing six years of progress in Iraq, and destabilizing Syria; and emboldening al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants in Afghanistan to attack the fragile government

•Trading five Taliban combatant commanders for a deserter -- the search for whom led to the loss of American lives

•Illegally installing officials at the NLRB by unconstitutionally arrogating to the president the "authority" to determine when the Congress was in recess

•"DREAM Act" EO to shield certain illegal aliens from deportation, after correctly asserting earlier that the president didn't have the authority to do it -- it must come from the Congress; failure to enforce immigration laws by deporting criminals; failure to prosecute US officials who release illegal alien criminals despite a DHS hold

•HHS illegal activities

•Failure to investigate demonstrable voter intimidation and fraud

•Secret Service prostitution scandal

•"Cornhusker" bribes and other shady deals to force ACA through the Congress

•ACA deception -- "If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor." "If you like your health care plan, you can keep it." "Your health care premiums will go down."

•Illegal diversions of billions of dollars from the Treasury to insurance providers to prop up ACA -- without Congressional authorization and appropriation -- and against GAO guidance

•Unconstitutionally asserted executive branch authority to determine for churches who is a "church employee" -- Hosanna v. Tabor unanimous Supreme Court ruled against the president

•Deliberately targeting Catholic charities to force them to violate their consciences, charisms, and Catholic teaching -- Little Sisters of the Poor, et al. -- despite having assurances he personally offered the Catholic bishops -- and after offering more generous concessions and waivers to allies and unions

•Illegally overturned NH executive council decision to award contract to several qualified organizations other than Planned Parenthood -- "awarded contract" directly in violation of the law

•Solyndra preferential treatment and selection before bankruptcy

•Negotiating and signing "binding" international agreements with no intention of ever submitting to the Senate for ratification as required by the Constitution, by pretending these binding agreements are not "treaties" 

•Poor management of international relations -- not confronting our enemies, and appeasing our adversaries, while going out of the way to criticize our allies and abandon our friends

•Failure to respond to an act of war against South Korea, when North Korea belligerently and without provocation sank a ROK Naval ship, the Cheonan, to the loss of all souls aboard, or shelled a South Korean fishing village killing three fishermen and two ROK Marines -- and pressured the ROK to not respond -- emboldening North Korea to act with impunity -- all this despite our treaty obligations to defend the Republic of Korea

•Underhandedly pushing sequester, while encouraging Senator Reid to block budgets in the Senate for years, as a means of protecting his own priorities while advancing agenda to dangerously reduce US military strength -- not quite yet hollow military, but stretched terribly thin

•Failing to protect our allies while China runs roughshod over them in the South China Sea, illegally "building" islands then claiming larger and larger swathes of territory; failing to back up Japan when China makes aggressive moves against Japanese islands; failing to back up the democratic Chinese government on Taiwan

•Continuing to release al-Qaeda fighters from Guantánamo Bay after it was proven some returned to battlefield to fight against US -- more than 115 thus far

•DoJ stonewalling Congressional oversight, ignoring subpoenas

•NSA spying on foreign political allies

•VA incompetence & scandal -- neglect and poor treatment of veterans and falsified records; some veterans died whilst vainly awaiting treatment

•Lopsided Iran nuclear "deal" which didn't end threat of Iranian nuclear weapons programs -- with side deal surreptitiously doling out hundreds of millions in non-US currency loaded into pallets in secret payment for hostages illegally held by Iran -- even after it was proven Iran had supplied terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan with weapons which killed American and Allied soldiers

And,
•Accepting a Nobel Peace Prize he did nothing to earn, in any office, having been nominated six weeks after his inauguration.

History may judge the president better than mediocre, despite his uneven domestic and sclerotic international record, especially given the hand he was dealt -- a shaky economy, a burst economic bubble, two unpopular wars, and resurgent adversaries on several fronts. 

But history WILL take note his scandals, those of his own making and those he did not decisively act to squelch.

One imagines the press will suddenly and collectively discover a spine, and declaim their deep and abiding love for journalistic ethics under the administration of the president-elect...!

Contest winnings.

The local contest was well attended. I had doubts because of the new location but everyone seemed to like the spot.
I got a third place in Warbird with the new Chipmunk. Then I won a gallon of fuel in the raffle. Not much for the $40.00 in tickets.
 On Nov. 5 and 6 we went to El Dorado, Ar for their contest. The weather was really good and the competition even better. I scored my highest ever and only ended up 8 out of 9.
 But in the raffle I cleaned up. 5 bottles of glue, an 8 pack of screwdrivers, 70 foot lines all made up, an ARF kit of the Oriental model with a sticker price of $130. Then there was another ARF already assembled with an engine all but ready to fly but never flown. I won that too. I built the same model from a kit several years ago that I won in the raffle at the local contest. I figure the total value of the prizes to be around $500.00. That makes up for the poor showing here.
I have flown the Oriental and the other, a Strega, is ready to fly tomorrow. I had to re do a lot of control things on it plus install a new rear bearing in the engine. It really didn't need it but I didn't know what was causing the bumpy feel until I got it out and cleaned off. Lots of castor droplets in the race that had solidified. A bunch inside the engine as well. If it flys well I may end up stripping the covering off and fixing things during the winter or what passes for winter here.

Contest bound.

I've been testing my planes to see which ones to fly at the local contest this weekend. I stripped and repainted all of the old ones over the summer. I had flown the Hound Dog a few weeks ago and it went well. i flew it again two days ago and it was a mess. Somehow I had swapped  the lines around. I got that fixed and flew it again today. It flew well and is the plane for Sunday. The Chipmunk is getting better and I had some good flights on it today and I'll fly that on Saturday. The electric powered Shark is my choice for the second event on Saturday as well. I'm going to the site in the morning with the big Shark 665 and the Mo'Best. Others should be there setting up and other competitors will be arriving later in the day to get a feel for the new location. I'm bringing the Gezer to put in the raffle along with a Fazer kit and two smaller items. The Gezer flys pretty good and would make a good beginner plane or a sport plane.

Another new plane.

The DeHavilland Chipmunk. I scratch built it from plans during and after the flood of the ages here. It's in the flight trimming stages now. It's getting heavy as it's hard to balance properly.

Things are drying up.

Two weeks ago the floods messed things up here in the Baton Rouge area. The park was under 5 feet of water and closed for two more weeks. I found it open and usable yesterday. I'm all  loaded up and ready to go flying.
 I had ordered plans for a new plane three weeks ago and had them printed out at the local Office Depot when the rains came. I rummaged through my balsa stash and started to build it. I almost got the wing done, the fuselage is ready for assembly and the tail pieces are waiting for hinges. I've been taking my time as other needed parts had to be ordered. Everything is here and ready for the final push.

Early morning rain, almost.

We generally get sunset skies here but this morning I took some pictures of the cloud covered sunrise.
The temp. was in the low 80's at 0700 so we went to the park for some flying. The cloud cover stayed and we went back in the early afternoon for more flying. Then the sun came out.

Time marches on.

We spent the last week of July in Waterford, Ct. We revisited some friends and places. I had our grandson take a few pictures of the old mill that is being torn down. I was taking pictures of the progress before we left town last December.It's always sad to watch something destroyed that has been around for so long even if it's in the way.

The building season, southern style.

I finally got the courage to attack the Hound Dog. I sanded most of the paint off and dissolved the paint off the wings. More sanding and filling and sanding and it was ready for paint. White with orange and black trim this time. I waited 4 or 5 days before spraying the clear this time and it went well. What helped me wait is I stripped and repainted the Shark 560. Getting the monokote trim off the wings was really hard. The glue didn't act like it used to and took a lot of rubbing to come clean. Acetone used to melt it off quickly but not now. That one is waiting for clear in a few more days. So far I've stripped and re painted all the older models.

It is summer.

I get to the park before 8am. The temp is not bad but after an hour I'm ready to go home.
I removed the Evo .60 from the 665 and put an OS .46LA on and that cured the problems. The plane is flying very well with that combination. I put the Evo back into Tom Dixon's Thunderbird. I had to put some thread locker on the motor mounting bolts on the electric motor in the 610. The bolts were working loose after a few flights but now they stay put.
After the Banshee paint job I grabbed the Polynesian and sanded the color paint off and stripped the yellow covering from the wing and stab. I covered those areas with blue monokote. After wet sanding the fuselage and filling dents I sprayed blue on the fuselage and half of the blue covering. I just finished spraying the clear and it's hanging up drying. I need to get some 2 inch wheels for it.

Ready to fly.

I got the Banshee painted and put back together yesterday. I plan to fly it tomorrow at the new club field. I'm going to bring the Polynesian and fly that too. I haven't flown it in a long time.
  The 665 is flying nicely but the engine run isn't the best. Maybe the temperature and fuel are not cooperating.  I'll wait for a cooler day.
 I mixed up another 5 gallons of my fuel blend today. I have about 4 gallons of methanol left, enough for another 5 gallon batch.

Stripping.

I bought some acetone to remove the paint from the Banshee. The paint didn't loosen like I figured. I had to let the acetone soften the paint and then scrape it off. That caused some divots that I'm now filling. Cured Rustoleum is rugged stuff.
  I got the 610 trimmed pretty good and it flys quite well. Only 3 full flights so far.It turned out heavier than I had figured but it's quite light without the battery. Engine powered planes are weighed without fuel in the tank but electric is with the battery ready to fly.
  I got in a few trim flights on the 665 yesterday and managed to get a full flight. The engine quit at 3 laps so I tweaked the needle and tried again. It was a bit fast but I got some usable information and made some changes when I got home.

Building and flying season.

I got the two planes built and the electric 610 sq. in. has 3 flights on it. I'm still trimming that one and the bigger 665 sq. in. is ready for a test flight. I get out before 0800 to fly and then into the shop to make changes. I will strip the paint off the big Banshee and re paint it. It flys well and I can use the extra appearance points here. New England contests don't give appearance points so my crappy paint didn't harm me. In the south and lots of other areas they do give extra points on how nice the planes look.

Started to paint.

I got the covering today and covered the 610 wing. Then I sprayed a coat of primer/sealer on the fuselage and tail. Tomorrow I'll spray the white.
  The club has a new field to call their own. It's the same place that we saw the kids that were victims of attempted murder. Their parents were not so lucky. It's further out than the old spot but it's a place to hold the contest.
I got the new lift supports in from Craftec and put them on the El Camino tonneau cover. I'll start using it to go to the park in the mornings.

Slow going.

The balsa order arrived just as the band saw blew a tire. I tried to fix it but the spray glue wouldn't hold. I ordered two new ones and the other one split. I can't cut the fuselage parts until I get that fixed.
I've been working on the 610 wing halfs and I skinned the 610 fuselage with balsa just to keep things moving. My back is coming along now that I figured out what is really causing the problem. My bed is too soft so I put some boards under the mattress. This is making me miss a lot of good flying weather.

Wrong calculations.

It seems that my way of figuring things wasn't quite right. The wing area I was hoping for won't come out using my 109 figure. The person that designed the original I was trying to enlarge says my figure is 665 sq. in. not 610.. He agreed to lazer cut me some parts for the right size and sent me the plans. While waiting for them to arrive I started on the larger model. The plans answered some questions on where the parts go and how the wing should be constructed. Anyway I have the wing half built and the tail built and some of the nose pieces. I need some 1/2 inch balsa to make the fuselage and that shipped today.

At it again.

I got to the park to fly every day this week. Almost, Sat. I went to a friends house to fly. I took the electric plane out this morning after some trimming. I put 2 ounces of weight in the nose and it flew quite well. I made a change to the lead out location after getting home. I flew the Shark a couple times. At home I got the plans out and went to Office Depot and had them enlarged 109%. That should give me 59/59 inch wing span and a bit over 600 sq. in. of wing area. It builds very light so my usual engines should have no trouble pulling it around. The Mo' Best is that size. I ordered some wood and forgot to get some 1/16 plywood. I have enough balsa to cut the ribs out.
  I ordered two more batteries for the electric plane. That will help.
  The weather has been great all week and is forecast to turn windy and warmer shortly. I'll have to get an air conditioner for the shop pretty soon.

El Dorado weekend.

It started raining about 70 miles from El Dorado. It stopped mid morning the next day but the wind was strong. The coast of La got over a foot of rain and there was over 5 inches at our house.
  I managed to tie one of the best flyers in the south in the warbird stunt  event with my own design P-39 and had to fly again to break the tie which went to the other guy. I'll take a second anyday. Late in the day Sat. the winds died down and we got in the flying that was delayed in the morning. On Sun. I got the Hound Dog out and got some very good scores with it but not enough to get a prize. I got two gallons of fuel in the raffle, I wanted a kit.The GPS and WAYZ took us over to Monroe then down through Natchez, Ms to home. Nice country, even has hills.

Early flights.

I left for the park earlier than normal today. The forecast is for rain. I flew the Hound Dog and then the Mo'Best. I couldn't find the balance point on the plans so I emailed the kit maker. He didn't know either. I flew it anyway and it flew well. When I got home I remembered that I had an article on the model written by the designer a long time ago. Included is a half page set of plans that has the balance range on it. My model is within the range so I'm happy.
  After cleaning things I was thinking how to improve the performance of the Fox .35. In my collection is an Enya .35 with an r/c carb on it. It took an hour to free it up from the gummed up castor oil. I removed the carb and looked for a venturi but didn't have one that will fit. I noticed that the one I do have the spray bar holes line up with the holes in the engine. I put a larger O-ring on the venturi and chamfered the i.d. so things would line up. Then I spread some blue silicone on the venturi and stuck it in the engine followed by the spray bar to keep thing in place while the silicone cures. Then I made a test mount for the engine and bolted it to the mount. The muffler has long disappeared  so I rummaged through the spare stuff and measured several other mufflers before coming to a muffler for the OS .25LA. It's a perfect fit. Now I have to find a place to clamp the mount so I can run the engine. The prop shaft is .025 larger than the rest of my engines so I drilled out an old prop so as not to ruin a good one.
  I had to make some line length adjustments on the Dog. At home I swapped the two lines and removed one of the larger clips I used for the adjustments and put the original back on. I have to get in a test flight before going to the contest this weekend.
  The builder s that put up my shed are working on building a neighbor's shed. The neighbors looked at mine and I gave them the name of the builders. They haven't come over and borrowed any tools yet.

Shorter seems better.

I took the Legacy out yesterday and it only has 60 foot lines. I consider those short. The plane flew very well which caused me to rethink the length of the lines on other planes. I took the lines from the best plane and shortened them a foot. then I shortened the leadouts 5 more inches. I flew it this morning and I noticed an improvement in how the plane flys. I also flew the Shark/Fox .35 with a Zinger wood prop and is still don't have any zip when released for takeoff. I put another design prop on for the next time out. I also put a 10 x 6 wood on the Gezer/ OS .40. It ran very steady on the test yesterday. I changed lines on the Shark to 58 feet. With the new flying site (South park) 5 miles away and open at 0700 I can get in flights before the heat set in..

A Phoenix flys again.

Several weeks ago I was given a plane that was crashed by the owner. The nose was snapped off at the rear engine mounting holes in the wood mounts. I installed a firewall and r/c motor mount then filled in where the cowl had been. The balance seemed good and the control throws gave me cause for concern. I put enough fuel in the metal tank to run for 3 minutes and pulled the release. My initial set up was pretty close so I put another 3 ounces in the tank for a second flight. After some maneuvers I ran the tank out and landed. Next time out with it I'll try a full tank and try the pattern.
 I also brought the Shark that I put the Fox .35 in. I did a short test flight and then a 3.5 ounce flight. I got the pattern in and 1.5 laps extra before the engine quit. I don't have the right propeller and that will effect the flying ability a lot. The local hobby shop opens in 90 minutes.

I did some work.

We hit the park around 8 this morning. I flew the P-39 and it flys pretty good. The Gypsy had two short flights to check the performance and two busses emptied kids out so we packed up and left. I got the repaired plane out and got the engine running. I found the spray bar loose after running and tightened it. That should improve things a bit. Maybe try flying it in the morning along with the Legacy.
  I went to Home Depot and got a bale of insulation. It is the only stuff 23 inches wide and is kraft faced which proved to be much easier to handle. I put the 93 inch long batts in the rafters and pushed each out to the eaves leaving a gap in the middle. I'll fill that gap with the leftover stuff I used for the walls. I also found a loose 2 x 4 resting on the center beam. More extra stuff.

Don't have it.

After the morning flying session I went to Lowes looking for the 23 inch insulation. I didn't see it on the shelf so I asked the less than knowledgeable service desk person. After some phone calls I was told they don't have it in stock. I looked on line again and didn't find it at any of their stores. Home Depot has something close.
  I was doing some cleaning on the planes when I found a loose part on the wing. I fixed that with tape. Another plane needed some covering repairs and I removed an engine from the Banshee and put it on the P-39. The big plane is ready to test also.I'm in the process of finding out which plane is flying the best so I can take it to the contest. I need a profile, a classic and the regular stunt plane to get in more than one event.

Found some insulation.

I've looked at the two biggest stores for 23 inch stuff but they don't carry it. I checked the Lowes site and they have it in stock. 39.something feet long. I figure I'll need two rolls to finish the attic. I hauled the plywood up onto the rafters today and finished the wiring on the car side.
 I put the finishing touches on the crashed plane and got it ready for a test flight. Just by looking at the control throws I don't expect much performance out of it and more cutting and moving things to get more throws.

Close to done.

My son and I got some sheet rock and a lift and covered the walls of the shed. It is a lot of work to put sheet rock on the ceiling and walls. That stuff is heavy for half inch stuff twelve feet long. Having an automatic screw gun really helped. I checked on a door and found it is an order thing. the store doesn't carry the 24 inch doors. I'll probably get the shelf brackets and wide insulation for the attic today.
 It's been windy lately and I'm not able to get in any flying. The repair plane is coming along with a new nose.
 I have an answer to the heavy table saw dilemma. But it may not pass the approval vote. It will take several people to get it into the shed and under a cover on the deck may be the only option.

South Park.

We went to South Park this morning and I got in several flights. Two full patterns with the electric and a couple short flights and one long flight with the Gezer. The .40 that's on it doesn't run well enough to do any worthwhile trimming. I may try 10% nitro next time out.

Flying in the wet.

I went to the park with the P-40 and the Fazer/Gazer/and now Gezer. I couldn't put two e's in. The P-40 was first and the controls are good. The battery ran out of amps and slowed to a crawl before the timer shut it off. The Gezer had engine problems and still flew well. I flushed the spray bar when I got home and tested it in the yard. I had a hard time figuring out the charger for the plane batteries but finally got it. I charged both batteries and I'm ready for another go at it. The rain had just stopped before I went flying and the ground was wet which soaked my shoes.
 The barber may stop by and see what I'm talking about with control line planes. He has a bunch of electric stuff I may be able to use.

First flight.

I had the chance to fly the electric plane and we went to the park. I felt the controls rubbing against something in the wing and went anyway. Once in the air the plane was barely under control. The timer shut the motor off after a minute or so and we went home. I cut into the covering and found the leadout wire rubbing on the wing shear web. I ripped that out and cut away some of the ribs. Now the controls are a lot smoother and worth another test flight.
  I bought some Krylon paint and hosed the Fazer down. After it dried a while I installed an engine and tank and got it ready for a test flight too. The balance point for the r/c version is quite a ways back so I don't know what will happen.
  I plan on seeing the neighborhood barber as he has some electric planes and might want to sell some of the motors and stuff.

Shed is wired and insulated.

The electrician arrived Sat. morning and we got to work. I had run the conduit and cable into the house panel and the sub panel the day before. That took a few hours. Then it was decided to drill a larger hole through the brick and put a piece of conduit in it. We got a masonry hole drill and in a few minutes there was a hole.  After running out of wire we made a trip to Home Depot for wire and fittings. Their machines wouldn't take credit cards which really bogged things down but we were able to find a check in the truck and got the stuff. I now have power in the shed but no lights yet. I got some insulation today and installed that in the work shop area walls. Now it's ready for sheet rocking.
 I finished the electric plane and it's ready for a test flight. All up weight is 55.5 ounces including  one ounce of tip weight. The battery weighs 9 ounces so the comparable weight of a gas plane would be 47 ounces about. Not bad for a Chinese built plane. The wind has been high all day now that I have the time to fly it.

Power to the shed.

We have been building a partition between the work area and the car area lately. I've also been getting ready to bring power to the shed. I installed some outlet boxes and the sub panel, got out all the wire I brought from Ct. I had to buy wire to connect the house panel to the sub panel along with plastic conduit and fittings. I dug a trench to bury the conduit and cut it to fit yesterday. After a lot of drilling I got a hole through the brick below the house panel. Then a lot more work getting the wire through the conduit and 90 degree fittings and into the panel. I had to get a hole saw to bore through the shed wall and drill a small hole for the ground wire. Home Depot only sells ground rod in 8 foot lengths. I cut off 5 feet and pounded 4 .5 feet into the ground without hitting a stone. I also found the house ground corroded off the it's rod and shined those up and installed a new clamp. Today a friendly electrician is coming to do the technical stuff. Which management won't allow me to do.
  I finally got a motor mount that fits and got the firewall installed on the rescue plane. I also got an electric  ARF and that is Almost Ready to Fly. Not to mention the Fazer which needs paint.

Stuff happening.

At the end of the street that connects with the main road someone had run off the road and smacked a small cypress cracking it at the base and causing it to lean over. It's still alive. On the same property Friday night someone drove off the road and got stuck  about 100 feet from the cypress. He called a friend and that guy pulled him out, right across the lawn leaving 100 feet of deep ruts in the lawn. One of the perps. was found at a car wash and didn't have insurance so the truck was impounded. The property owner has no recourse but to fix his lawn himself.
  The flying circle at the park has been torn up in favor of a parking lot. I've found a new place to fly and the club may have a place at another park on grass. I flew there today. It's the same place that we found the kids that were left after their parents were murdered in the woods very near by.
 I covered the Fazer and made a mess of the fillets. I whipped up some gooey stuff and covered the mess. It's a lot nicer now. Maybe get it painted this week.
 I tried a different style handle to fly the planes with today. Zero overhang. It worked very smooth. I made a change to it putting the line clip so the overhang is less than a half inch.
Still waiting for the right motor mount to come in for the rescued plane.

And another.

The  engines I use on my planes and a lot of others don't run well in hot weather. I've been pondering that dilemma for a while now. With the finding of the park to fly in I have a place 8 miles away. I came up with the idea to get an electric powered plane that is immune to weather of any sort. It should be here next week.
I started to cover the Fazer today. That could be made into an electric plane without too much trouble. The second kit is still untouched and could be changed easily.
With the loss of the circle at Independence park we are trying to find an alternate within the park. I've been measuring ball fields and two are big enough for any size control line plane. The ideal field is too small for the bigger planes. We need to form a club to have more clout.

Got another plane.

I had to wait until the new shed was completed to get the new/crashed plane. It was owned by a famous person that has a small business selling engines kits and plans. It looks like the plane hit nose down and inverted as the front has damage to the top block and the canopy is broken open. He had the same engine I have and I should be able to fix it up without messing up the balance.
  I noticed that the controls are very smooth operating and there is no  slop at all. That made me take a look at mine and I found the good plane has a lot of slop. I got rid of most of it and have made several trim flights. It does make a difference. I checked all the planes and found one other with too much slop and fixed that. I flew it today and the controls are much better.
  I put the new plane on the band saw and trimmed the nose back to accommodate a firewall and nylon engine mount. Hopefully I ordered the right size this time.

It fits.

I had concerns about the ground being firm enough to support the El Camino on it's way into the garage. After washing the dirt off it I gave it a try. The ground held up and I got it in without any extra maneuvering to line it up with the door. I marked the tire tracks on the ground so I can ad a concrete path at a later date.
 Moving the table saw proved to be troublesome. I removed the spindly base and then flopped the thing onto the hand truck. Once inside I put the base back on and it's ready to go. I took the bricks that were piled up and made a step of sorts for the side door.  The holes in them are set so any water can flow through without a problem.

Moving day.

The builders put the finishing touches on the roll up door and removed the forms and debris. I started taking stuff out of the storage area I had been using as a work shop and putting it in the new work shop. I found a few things I had been looking for. The hand truck I bought at Harbor Freight came in handy. I need to buy some shelves for the stuff in the boxes. At least I can get to the boxes now.

Finishing touches.

The cement ramp was covered during the rain Friday night and today, Sunday, I uncovered it and all is well. The roll up door needed tweaking on the tracks and I found that the spring cables are not tight enough to hold it in the up position. The inside handle is loose and that also controls the unlock function. The screen on the new window has a tear in it and the builder was supposed to get a new one. They should be here Monday to do the final clean up and fix the problems noted above.
  When they set the forms in place for the ramp they dug some of the turf away and put the clods aside the ramp. I found a place to put them to good use. The trash truck had run over the circle grass a few weeks ago leaving deep ruts and raised sides. I had flattened the raised areas a little and used the clods to fill the ruts. It really needs a roller to  go over the tracks to level the place out.
 Yesterday, Sat., I helped Aaron install two storm doors on the entrances to the house. The doors have a screen that rolls down when the top window is lowered. Plus the lower glass is just a few inches from the bottom of the door letting in maximum light. Anderson 2500 series doors that hinge on either side. They are well engineered and the directions are very good. I needed one hinged on each side and didn't know what to expect but the doors are not hinged at all so you put it where you want it. The door handle and lock has a mortice cut out on both sides and a cover plate for the one you don't use. You drill the handle holes where you want them using the supplied template. After we got the tools we needed installing the first door the second only took 90 minutes. The box says 2 hours so we beat the average.

All over but the cleanup.

It was assholes and elbows for a while getting the forms installed for the ramp. Then it started to rain but stopped a bit before the cement truck arrived. A flexible wheelbarrow was used to transfer the concrete to the forms and it proved a handfull. You can see the overage poured on the sand. I spread it out so it would be easier to break up later. It started to rain again so I put a cover over the cement.
I didn't like the way the door was installed and looked at the directions and found the tracks too far apart. It will be easy to fix that.

Getting close.

Some trim work and the concrete ramp should finish the project. The boys are off on a mission to stop a leak nearby right now. Yesterday the 2 x 6 they were working off of broke dropping both two feet. No real injuries but a learning experience just the same.

Almost.

Window's in, most of the siding is on. Tomorrow the roll up door should get installed. After that the entrance ramp gets poured and I'm in.

Siding install.

A view from the other side. The a/c hole is visible along the left side. If they can get a full day in they should be able to finish this week. Lots of overhead work with the soffits and things.

Door is in.

The builder came alone today and put the door in. He did have to trim the side and top to get the casing to fit. The other guy framed the opening for the door a size smaller. I went to Home Depot and got a lockset for it. The siding was delivered today also.
It stopped raining around noon but it's still cloudy.

An off day.

We had dentist appointments this morning. As we were filling out the same old history stuff there was loud talking and jocularity going on around the corner. It continued until after I was seated having my teeth cleaned. I asked the hygenist if that was the dentist. She said it was. I have never seen any professional person act this way. After my session he chatted with me in the waiting room for several minutes. Hard to get used to.
  We stopped at a cajun eatery and had catfish Po Boys. Pretty good but a bit pricey at $26.00 for both of us.
 When we got home I noticed that the side door was delivered and the window. I measured the width of the door casing and the opening in the garage and found a 3/4 inch problem. I don't think they will be here tomorrow as the rain is forecast to be here still.

More done.

They arrived early today and got the whole thing covered with the OSB. The eves needs a few pieces yet.

A rush.

With the threat of rain things were moving along today. Early on I saw there would be little progress with only two men putting the roof on. One on the roof and the other climbing up and down the scaffolding to get the roof panels and hand them up then climb back on the scaffold to screw the bottom of the panel to the roof. I started handing the panels to the guy on the scaffold so he didn't have to climb all over the place and that speeded things up a lot. I found out on the first panel that it has sharp edges and that the wind caused problems too. Together we got the roof installed. I moved all their tools and 5 sheets of OSB into the garage which gives me more room in the car port. With the rain that's forecast I doubt anything more will get done for a few days. They could install the roll up door and the window.

No rush.

A bit more got done today. A window, the roof pieces and the other end got covered. Maybe tomorrow the tyvek will get installed and some of the roofing.
The remodelers finished up and left. We signed the check over to them. We got a call shortly after and the bank wouldn't cash it without us being there. Off we went to Walker and got that straightened out.

Closer and closer.

After 3 hours of cutting and nailing the rafters are up. On Mon. they are planning on wrapping the building with Tyvek and putting the roof nailers on. Then the siding and roof Tues. to Fri. The ceiling is 9 feet high and I'm not sure on how to insulate it. It will need to be covered first with something so the insulation stays put.

Two men and a nail gun.

Most of the sheathing nailed on after the ceiling joists. Tomorrow, Sat., the roof rafters.

More progress.

The builders brought a pile of 2 x 4's and started framing. They were just about done when their compressor seized halting work until a replacement was got. They  got the new one working and nailed a few more boards before leaving. The lumber yard brought OSB and more boards for the rafters and things.

Peace and quiet.

The builders arrived around 8:30am and finished leveling the sand and laying down plastic and reinforcement. The GE guy came around 9:30 and may have fixed the problem with the ice dispenser. He claims it's the door switch and ordered a new one. Meanwhile it is working. Early afternoon the Terminex guy came and put some more traps in the ground while the builders were waiting for the second cement truck to arrive. The house put back together guy finished the baseboards and departed just after the Terminex guy arrived. The cement crew finished up pouring and spreading and they all left. I went to Dollar General and got some Power Aid. Just as I finished cleaning the driveway the cement workers came back to float the cement. I took another picture today to show the progress. The lumber should start arriving tomorrow.

And then there were four.

I got a picture of day 3 on the new shop work. Day 2 got bypassed because of the water problem.
The ice maker still isn't working right and the tech. is coming today again. Also the builders, the Boyle Bros. are putting the house back together and Terminex may come to pre treat the workshop before pouring the concrete. So I'm here until at least 5 pm. And I have to call Bose repair as the CD changer won't let go of a disc and won't play the others. The weather is very good though.

Day one work.

The builders arrived about 1030 today. They got started on the foundation pad and brought reinforcement wire and rods. They will have some sand dumped in to level the ground before pouring the concrete.

Things are moving along.

I made some calls the other day to find someone to build a garage/workshop next to the house. I called several General Contractors and left messages. One called back and said I needed a remodeling person and gave me a name. I called that person and he was here the next morning to check on what I wanted and came back the next day with a quote. It was below our limit so he will start the job tomorrow.
 The storage room isn't big enough for my stuff. I still have 12 boxes of stuff to unpack and I'm out of room.
 I bought a new work bench with 4 drawers that I was able to fill with tools and things and I put the building board on it and opened up a kit. Too much happened today that I was unable to get started on it. I called the VA in RI and talked them into letting me mail my hearing aids to them for a tune up, our son installed two new bathroom fan/lights, the builder came with the quote, then the GE repairman came for the fridge ice maker, I am waiting for a call from the ADT people, I called the Jewett City Bank and got some paperwork to transfer some money into another account and a couple from Slaughter came by for a visit. It went smoothly as one came as one left all day. To start tomorrow off I have to go to the post office and fire off the bank paperwork and get a photo for a passport renewal.

Well said.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EiXUei5ZMyA?feature=player_detailpage%22

Winding down.

We are still finding things that we forgot we had or lost. I found some triggers and bolts in a box I brought in the Dadge. The computer got running last Monday and the TV yesterday, Sat. Just in time to record the ARCA and unlimited races. Now I have to figure out how to recall them on the new system. Winternationals this afternoon. I'm still figuring on the best way to get the garage foundation/pad put in. I have the location chosen. The Sears delivery was the last call of any importance on my cell phone and with the wall phone working I shut the cell phone off. It's back in the truck for emergency use where it belongs.

Deep south house.

We signed the papers a week ago last Wed. I called the movers immediately and got them into action. 10 days later the moving van arrived and unloaded twice the stuff that we now have room for. I'm looking at a prebuilt garage at Home Depot.I need the room for a workshop and plane room.
The neighborhood seems quiet and is in the town of Denham Springs, La about 10 miles east of Baton Rouge. Aaron is 31 miles north east. The weather has been really good with daytime temps in the 50's and 60's. There is about an hour more of daylight compared to Ct.

Moving along.

I went flying at a friends house yesterday. I was testing a change to one of my planes and helped him with one of his planes. The plane was way out of balance and once brought closer to spec it flew quite well. He has a plane that was crashed and given to him. He asked me to rebuild it and I will do that when I get settled. The nose is gone and the engine crutch needs to be removed and replaced. I think he has the plans which will make things easier.

Buying a house.

We are well into the buying process. The house is located about 30 miles from our sons place. It takes about a 45 minutes to get there from here. We had the home inspection last Thurs. and the appraisal should be in two days. I have to make sure money transfer won't hold things up.
  I have been flying a couple times and today I was at the circles in the park. The weather was about perfect. Temp. about 60 and light winds. I made several changes to the planes when we got back.