Progress while waiting.

Last night I figured that I could build the back half of the fuselage for the new Nomad but not gluing it to the front half. I pinned the front half over the plans and cut and sanded the pieces for the back half. I left that pinned to the table and removed the front half so I can make the wing cutout when the ribs get here. The wing trailing edge is built in one piece using 4 pieces with the scarf joints at opposite ends and the hinge pockets sanded in. The flaps are built as is the stab and elevators. The wing jig is set up and all I need to do is poke the jig rod holes in the ribs. Some assembly required.

Nomad 2. or MK-2 or maybe MK-11 or Nomad 55, Nomad 56, or Nomad 57.

As I was preparing to leave the northeast I had a bunch of planes to pack. I managed to get two in the Hyundai back set. After the trip to Dallas and spending a lot on gas with the truck, I found out how to remove the back seat from the car. I was able to get 3 of the planes I use in competition in the back and close the door. The trunk didn't have anything in it and could easily hold the suitcase and flight box. This will cut the gas bill by more than half and be easier in slow traffic.
  I got out the drawing I made of the Nomad and re drew it to match what I ended up building. Then I got the idea to build another one using wing mounted landing gear and laser cut ribs. I went to the Brodak site and ordered the ribs and several pieces that I will need to complete the plane. It generally takes a week for the stuff to get here so I built the front part of the fuselage with the motor mount installed. I can't go any further until I get the ribs so I can mark the location for the wing cutout and cut it out with the bandsaw. I did get the flaps, wing trailing edge, stabilizer and elevators built and hinged. Charles of CFC Graphics sent 4 different fonts of the word Nomad so I got 3 left to choose from.

Double up.

After the GPS and WAZE led us astray trying to find the field from the hotel we got there with time to spare. I got the planes ready and fueled. I was first up for the Classic event and that went pretty good even with a 10mph breeze. The event went through both rounds and went right into the Profile event. I was first again and the Nomad handled the wind better than most of my other planes, all 19. I didn't like the way it flew the corners so I spread the lines further apart on the handle. Which is where they were  a few days ago. That was too touchy when I flew it at home so I reduced the spacing but that changed for some reason. On my second flight I came out of the reverse wing over about 2 feet from the ground but held it there as a climb in the middle of the maneuver would have given me more points off. The plane flew better than the first flight. As it turned out I won first in Classic and first in Profile. Seeing as the Nomad is my design and barely 2 weeks old I was happy. There was 3 contestants in Classic and 6 in Profile.
  We waited for my relatives to arrive and talked with them for a few hours before going to Red Lobster for dinner. I haven't talked to either for over 10 years. They moved to Texas several years ago and real close to the flying field. C an't beat it with a stick. A picture of my planes. Wing span is 4 1/2 feet on each.

Made the deadline.

That's the Pay Pal e-mail that the graphics cutter I do business with uses. And the graphics came in today. If not I would have to go to Dallas with a naked plane. As it is we have just about everything loaded in the Dodge except for the planes. I'm bringing a spare profile, the Shark 665, just in case. I removed the landing gear and the tail gear as it will be suspended on bungee cords just under the tonneau cover. I don't have anything that could fly in Classic, just the Gypsy. I washed the truck while I was at it.

Off to the races.

We drove the 60 miles to No Problem Raceway for the first time. Nice set up. Big money bracket race going on all weekend. I met Jay Robinson the Footbraking Fool that produces video's under the name "American Bracket Racer". He won the gamblers race Friday night using his fathers 68 Barracuda. Stroked 440. His Nova isn't ready, the heads are out for maint.
  There must have been over 200 race cars there. He waded through 67 cars to win the gamblers race. I put one of his decals on my Dodge.

Ready to go.

The plane flys well on 65 foot lines. Near the end of the flight the engine sagged a bit which is not right. At home I was going to remove the metal tank and put the round plastic tank on when I came across a couple rectangular tanks. They both would fit inside the cutout the metal tank sat in so I changed the internal tubing as they would be sitting 90 degrees from what I usually used them. I decided on one tank and installed it. Today I got the chance to fly it and it works very well. I got in two flights and the plane flew well enough for competition, in my opinion.

Happiness is.......

I went to the field in the afternoon and got in two short flights. A slight flap tweak after the first and a good second flight. I didn't push it and at home I figured on longer lines for the next session. As it happened the longer lines were not even and two more short flights before getting them right. After that I filled the tank and got in a respectable pattern flight. This is the second plane that has been close to perfect from the start. The other my design Tennessee Hound Dog is still my choice for competitions. The new one is a profile and will fly in the profile events starting next week in Dallas. I've been flying several others to see which is best but this one out shines them. That makes my job easier as I can concentrate on flying instead of choosing. I have a set of even longer lines that I use on the two Shark designs and I want to try those out on the Nomad next time out. I have been trying to get in touch with the graphics guy but no luck so far. The forecast is for high winds for a few more days so I'll have to wait.
  I'm planning on going to the dragstrip this weekend to watch a big money bracket race. I haven't been to a track in a long time. I still like the way it was years ago and not the set your time racing of today. Too much sandbagging today.

Waiting game.

I finished the new plane today and it's ready for a test flight. I had other things to do this morning so I missed that chance. The winds are not too bad right now but I never know when a hard gust will come up and ruin my plans. I'm going to watch and wait for an opportunity to get in a flight.
 I removed the .40 engine from the new plane and removed a .46 from the Bearcat and put the bigger engine in the new plane. It hasn't been run in several months but should be ready to go anyway.