I was having fun.

One of my motto's is If I'm not bleeding I'm not having fun.
  I charged the batteries for the electric planes and found that the nose wheel installation was causing some interference. I started to trim some of the wood away when the Exacto slipped and cut into the palm of my left thumb. After stemming the flow I sewed the cut together with super glue. After that I got the idea to water proof it with some rubbery glue. That did sting for a while but did the job.
  I went to the park late because it was sprinkling when I finished breakfast. I did some cleaning then went to the park with the electric Pathfinder and the big Shark. On the last flight with the Shark the line that pressurizes the fuel tank fell off and the engine went lean and fast for 10 minutes. I was happy to find it was no more than that. Next up was the electric and I had two batteries unused from yesterday. The first flight was good but a tad slow. I tweaked the power pot and installed the last battery. Just as I finished the square eights the battery left the plane. During the construction of the model I was in my usual hurry and glued the battery tray facing the outside of the circle. The flight loads were trying to detach the battery on all the previous flights but this one succeeded. At home I got the chance to use the spare hacksaw blade to cut the battery tray side out and glue a new side on the proper side. New Velcro straps and some white paint and it's ready to fly again.
  I've had lots of good things happen when I install a nose landing gear on my profile planes. The Pathfinder was designed for three wheels but I scratch built this one with two. I put the third one on last week and flew it yesterday, Saturday. Nice and stable just like the others. I used two smaller batteries on it yesterday and had two bigger batteries left from the P-40-B that didn't fly right. That's why I used the bigger ones. Anyway they aren't going anywhere now.
  I had to send the second wrong fuel tank back to the store as they sent the same number that was the wrong one in the first place. The right one may be here Monday along with my balsa order.

Project.

I started sketching a plane and then drew something else on the glass table. It started out to be another profile but that got changed to a full fuselage plane. I dug out the plans for the Nomad/Legacy and found two sheets of rib templates. I ordered some balsa and cut the ribs out of some wood I had left over. They are installed in the jig waiting for some 1/4 sq. sticks. Brodak is sending me some parts I don't have for the wing.  I plan to use one of the .52's in this one.
  I found some cassette tapes and found a player. I forgot all about them. I've been listening for a couple hours instead of 50's on 5 XM.

It worked.

I got to the park at 0700 and the grass had been cut yesterday. First up was the Wildcat and the modified needle. It worked a lot more like I'm used to. It's a winner. Then the nose wheel Nomad. It is a bit more stable with no reduction in performance. I got in a full flight with it and I like it. It needs a cover like the main gear.

Adding to success.

I went to the park this morning but the mower was mowing in the spots where I fly. All three of them. I poked around trying to find the glow plug that blew out of the engine but didn't come up with it.
  As I was doodling a side view of a model I drew a nose wheel on it. Then it occurred to me that the newest Nomad was prime for a nose wheel conversion. I've had good results adding nose wheels to other models so why not. After a bit of measuring and bending and drilling the new nose wheel was installed. I had to remove the main gear and switch it side to side as it's bent forward and now it's bent aft allowing the plane to sit on three wheels. I'll give it a try in the morning. The scratch built electric powered Pathfinder should be a three wheel plane but I made it a tail dragger instead. If this works out with the Nomad I'll put a nose wheel on it also.

It's much better.

I waited a day before trying the Wildcat. It flew much better. I was able to get in a full pattern finally.
I removed the needle valve assembly from the Wildcat engine and installed one of the new ones that I don't like. I had cut the needle shorter and tapered the tip a bit. I ran it at home and it held a steady rpm so I'll try it in the air soon. If that works out I'll shorten another the one on the ASP engine.

Cut and paste.

I installed the new carb. on the little tiller and got it running. The gas tank had crap in it and the fuel lines were clogged. The carb. came with new lines. For some reason the old lines had a smaller line inside. That smaller line was bent and twisted. The fuel filter was full of dirt and I cleaned it out and re used it. The new lines went on without the smaller lines and when I pushed the primer bulb fuel showed up. 4 pulls on the starter cord and it started and kept running until I shut it off. I tilled  the dirt where the vines were and it did a good job for what it is.
  I went to the park with the Wildcat and got in two short flights. Working on the stabilizer helped but still not good enough for a contest. I got the plans out and started cutting the stab. out and making a place for it where the plans say it should go. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

A find, maybe.

We went to the park this morning and I flew the Shark and the metal tank. It worked very well and held more than enough fuel.
  The Wildcat I built a few months ago has a problem on some corners. It will stall and fall out of the air coming close to crashing. One of the guys noticed the push rod was floppy so I added a stiffener but that only helped a little bit. Today I took it down and checked the alignment of the wing to the stabilizer. It was off. I considered cutting the stab out and setting it level with the wing for a while. I dove into it and cut the stab loose and sanded some clearance so I could shim it to where it needs to be. Anyway I got it where it should be and the fillet stuff is curing and I need to paint the repair area in a day or so.
  In one far corner of the property some of the neighbor's ground cover plants have migrated through the fence and covered a small area. I tried weed killer from Tractor Supply to no avail. Round Up didn't do anything either. I ended up covering the patch to keep out any sunlight which killed the patch. I went in and ripped out most of the vines and roots cutting the branches that went through the fence. I used a potato digger/clam rake to get more roots out and when the new carb. for the tiny tiller comes in I'll really chew the ground up. If it has enough power.The area there will be a good spot for a tiny raised bed garden which is what was there in the first place.

A miss and a hit.

The door locks to the new shed/garage and the house have locks that are upside down. The key is inserted with the teeth pointing down. That isn't right. The other locks are reversed and the key is inserted with the teeth pointing up. This way dirt won't fall into the pins that the key meshes with to turn the lock. Having gone to locksmith school and worked at the trade for a few years the upside down locks have been bugging me since we moved in. I had an extra lock set that was on the old shed door. The key for that got lost and we never got it. I had to remove a window and reach in and unlock the door. I made a new door later on and the lock set sat on the floor since. I checked it this morning and it's the same brand as the others, Kwikset, so I could use it for parts. One of the doors has been easy to open after locking it simply by turning the know a few times. I figured I could use the shed lock set to replace that one and turn the lock around so the lock would be in the right orientation. I got the lock removed from the spare set and removed the bad set and removed the lock from it and put it in the shed lock set right side up. That set was right side up to begin with but needed a better unit. Now I have a working door lock on the door. I attacked the new shed/garage lock and took it apart and turned the lock cylinder 180 degrees and reinstalled it. Then I did the same with the house door lock. I'm happy now.
  Because of the locksmithing I missed the temperature window and didn't get to go flying. I removed the 4 ounce plastic tank from the Shark and put a metal 5 ounce tank on. I wanted to try it as the 4 ounce tank didn't hold enough fuel. I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

I can't explain it.

I flew the 665 with the new nose wheel this morning and it was more stable than ever. Somehow the nose wheel stabilized the plane in flight a noticeable amount. I had something similar happen several years ago when I put larger wheels on a plane so it's not uncommon. The plane landed as well as it had before but tended to tip onto the tail when the tank was empty. I bent the main gear some and now it stays on the nose wheel.

A nose wheel.

The Shark 665 has always tipped up on it's nose when landing on grass. When I built the wing I put the landing gear behind the spar instead if in front of it. That makes it nose heavy on landing. Today I finally put the fix to it with a nose wheel. The original Shark 560 was designed for three wheels but I took the nose wheel off and went with just main gear. After crashing the Shark 610 and building a new fuselage I installed fuselage mounted aluminum landing gear and that is working very well as it's located at the wing leading edge. This will be the first time it flys with the nose wheel and should stay upright on landing.
  Flying in the morning has one problem, the grass is wet and my shoes get wet and so my feet. I ordered a pair of rubbers that are small enough that I can wear them as shoes. I got a pair of flip flops big enough to fill the inside of the rubbers and trimmed them to fit. The flips act as an insert and cushion and fill the space so I can walk without the rubbers flopping  around.