Update on the big Nomad.

The plane has been sitting since I built new and larger elevators for it. Today the winds were calm for a bit so I took it to the park. The engine started up after a little hot water to warm it up. Two short flights to get the elevators set where I wanted them and then I got in a full pattern flight. It's more stable than ever in level flight and it has a good corner now.

More changes.

The Nomad 60 is flying well so I changed a few things. The larger stab. span is working and the elevators needed to be larger in my estimation. At home I cut the original elevators off saving the hinges which stayed in the stabilizer. I was just going to make the elevators a bit larger keeping the original shape. I gave up on that idea and made new ones that are constant chord and almost rectangular except for the tips. I gained 10 sq. in. over the ones that I cut off that had been lengthened. I will give them a test flight when it stops raining. Now the picture won't load. Some right clicking saved the day.

Opportunity strikes.

The temperature finally got above 50 degrees around noon today. I loaded the new Nomad and the Nomad plus that I enlarged the elevators on into the truck. We went to the park and up first was the new Nomad. There was no surprises in the way it flew. The larger stab/elev made the plane turn very well. I got in three short flights trying different engine speeds. At home I installed the metal tank I made for it yesterday and got it ready for the next outing.
   The Nomad Plus flew very well also with the larger elevators. I got in two full patterns with it. Learning has taken place. I got things to do tomorrow so Sunday will be the next chance to fly.

Dept. of corrections.

I added a half ounce of wing tip weight and weighed the plane again. This time I got 49.6 ounces instead of  the 42 I got yesterday. I had figured that it would be close to 50 ounces in the first place.
  There was some concern about the color of the canopy so I changed it and put on a white spinner plus some body stripes to break up the green and white. It's ready to fly and that is planned to be on this Sunday.
  On the second Nomad, with the nose wheel, I added 3/8" to the width of the elevators. That should do the same as adding to the span of the stab/elev and a lot lighter.

It's really winter again, again.

The temp. went down to 15 degrees this morning and is barely in the 30 at mid day. Colder than New England. But it will be in the 70's by week end.
  I got in three flights with the Nomad 60 the other day and it's flying very well indeed. I did change the rear ball bearing in the engine as the old one was making some noise. After I got it out I rinsed it off and the bearings are crunchy so it needed changing.
  With the cold and wind I've been able to get the new Nomad real close to finished. I finished the paint today and installed the engine and stuff to see where the balance point is and get a final weight. It balances right where it should and is much lighter than the rest. I don't know how that happened. Final weight is 49.6 ounces and the wing area is 626 sq. in. I'll call this one the Nomad Lite. All I need to do is drill a few holes for the hooks that hold the fuel tank in place. This Sunday could be the first flight.

It is winter, again.

I flew the Nomad 60 again 2 days ago and it's doing quite well. The Evo .60 engine is running just fine on the low nitro fuel I mix up. A little over 4 ounces for the pattern and several laps after. The only part I had left from the Strega ARF I re built was the canopy. I found a use for it on the Nomad X. I cut off most of the balsa canopy I made and glued the Strega canopy on over it. It is pretty scratched up so I didn't bother painting it on the inside. I did paint it on the outside once the glue dried enough.
  The newest Nomad is nearing completion. I assembled it and started the covering sequence. Initial weights put it in the mid 40 ounce range. Probably closer to 50 when it's all done. I made some changes to the plans though. i added 2 inches to the stab/elev span and widened the flaps a bit. The winter should be over by the time it's ready to fly.

Improvement.

I took the Nomad X and the .60 to the park for a test flight. I changed tanks on the 60 and that helped a lot. I managed to get in a full pattern on 4 ounces of fuel. At home I removed the tail weight and put a muffler extension on.
  The X has a much better turn rate with the larger elevators and is competitive now.
  I have the new wing almost finished. It's out of the jig and fits into the fuselage cutout snugly. I have decided not to use the salvaged stab/elev piece as it's not flat and no way to verify it's in line with the wing. I'll have to build a new one from the plans but with a longer span. 

Another salvage.

One of the planes I crashed this past summer was pretty badly broken up. I did manage to save the horizontal stabilizer. It's been sitting on the floor ever since. Yesterday I soaked the dope with lacquer thinner and removed most of the paint. I had a lazer cut rib set for the Legacy 40 sitting around too. I got the bright idea to build the wing and use the stab. from the crashed plane. So far I put the ribs into the wing jig and did some sanding on the stab to remove more of the paint. This one may take a while.
  I extended the stab. on the Nomad X today and that needs a test flight when the temp goes up a bit more.