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.