Still trimming.

I started full flights after 4 short ones. I noticed that the ESC was quite warm after a flight. I opened the front air intake but it didn't matter so I opened the exhaust hole. Still no change. Then I moved things around so the ESC was close to the air opening but that didn't help either. Yesterday I removed the ESC and attached it to the bottom of the fuselage and rewired it. I got in three flights this morning and there was no problem with the ESC. After a flight or two the power would lower from 5.2 seconds per lap to 5.9 seconds. That battery would not be discharged as much as the others that ran at the proper power level and it happened to different batteries. It seems to be fixed now that the ESC is getting a lot of cooling air. It could be a quirk of the ESC. I have two others of the same brand and size in a full fuselage plane and it gives me no problem being inside the fuselage. And one on a profile and it's out in the breeze. I've been looking at the electric Nomad's paint scheme and I don't like it. It took a lot of hemming and hawing but I finally removed all the paint from the wings and tail. I'm in the process of re painting the trim in a different scheme that won't look so grammar school. Maybe early high school now.

First flight, finally.

The green only nose repair went fairly well and will stay that way. I was ready for the first flight of the new Legacy yesterday, 3,7,20. I packed the plane in the truck and around 3 pm we headed to the park. When we got there a soccer game was going on. Cars and people everywhere. We went home. I waited until afternoon as the winds were forecast to lessen. At home I checked the report for Sunday morning and it was good. With the time change that put things even closer to sun up and guaranteed light winds. After breakfast the wind was very light so I headed for the park again and this time it was deserted. No witnesses if something went wrong. That's important for a first flight. I had set the timer for the minimum flight time, 2 minutes. The first flight went very well. Even with too much handle spread I could hold the plane steady in level flight. On the second flight I reduced the spread 1/4 inch top and bottom. That made it easier to hold steady but still had a good turn. The wings looked level upright and inverted, the line tension was a bit more than the first Legacy but I didn't go above 45 degrees. Lap time on the first flight was 5:35/lap, the second was 5:75/lap. I'll watch that and reset the power if needed to maintain the first flights time. At home I weighed the plane and it's 68.1 ounces. Too much paint. Next time out I'll try a vertical eight if that goes well I'll increase the time for full patterns.

Almost done.

So far I've painted the hatch cover three times and the nose piece just in front of the hatch 4 times. The hatch cover came out all right after the clear coat but the nose didn't change. Something was coming through the color when I applied the clear. Today I hit on a fix for the nose. I sanded it some and then brushed on two coats of color. Now in a few days I will color sand the paint and polish it without putting on any clear. If that don't work it will be that way until it's through it's flying days. I've been experimenting with the first Legacy. I had painted the nose black after putting in the electric system. I sanded the black off and then got some enamel spray paint to go over the original paint. Spraying the same paint over itself causes a lot of problems. So far the enamel hasn't attacked the other paint. It will take a few weeks to harden but should look better than the black. I had to do a lot of filling and sanding to remove the openings for the engine.

That will leave a mark.

Either the new gun was too big or the paint wasn't thinned enough. The mess that followed was painful to look at. I needed to re paint the hatch cover and nose but when I sprayed a clear coat with another gun the green almost faded out. I don't have any more green so that is on the to do list. Several other areas needed shaping up and I just have the nose and hatch to fix.That won't stop me from a test flight when the winds calm down a bit. This time of year, in the deep south, is generally a bit breezy. If I get out before 8 am on Tuesday I should be golden. I just need to turn the flight time down to minimum, 2 minutes. I did cut another vent hole in the bottom sheeting for cooling. I'm working on the first Legacy getting it sanded and primed, mostly for experience in painting. Plus the nose looked real bad. I could use it as a back up for the new one if need be.