In the 60's today.

We decided to go to the hobby shop today instead of Wed. I got some decals for the Super 80 and props, wheels and a tank. We stopped at a breakfast/lunch place next to the Woodstock Fair grounds for a bite as we have never been there. Nice place. When we got home we headed for the dog track. I got in 4 flights with the the Super 80 and the wind was picking up in good shape. The last flight the engine quit so that touch down was up wind. The turbulence pushed the plane towards the ground and I gave it up but the wind forced it onto the ground and bounced it 4 feet high. I managed to keep it hitting on the wheels the second time and it bounced up a foot, came down on the wheels again and the wind flipped over. No damage to speak of. I didn't take the other plane out at all.
I installed the new tank on the 80. It's a 3 1/2 ounce tank. I also re set the leadouts by using a tape measure to see just how much the nose hangs below level. I think this will be a much more accurate way of doing it.

Spring is still springing.

Mid 50's today.
We headed to the dog track in the El Camino for a change. I got in several test flights with 2 planes. I had to change a few things when I got home but nothing special. I had the elevator flutter on the bigger plane and I found the horn not that tight. I'll keep an eye on it next time out and cut the elevator shorter if the flutter is still there. Tomorrow should be nice too.
Dave Miller and family stopped in while I was flying and we chatted for a bit between flights. He put Richard Woods engine together and installed other go fast goodies in the Monte Carlo. They are looking for mid 11's so Richard can race during the night shows. 11.50 E.T. min. for the big shows at night.

Spring might be springing.

Low 50's today and light winds.I went to the dog track and got some flights with the Super 80 and the Flite Streak. I took the engine off the 80 and the Streak and put the LA .25 on the 80. It is a lot more powerful than the older OS .25. The 80 is more stable than the Streak so I will try it with the better engine.
I washed the car and the truck, played some horseshoes and had an early supper.
I have been watching a different repo man show on TV and switching between the public access channel which has Polka music. These bands must be from the 60's as they all have beetle hair cuts. The worst ones played Willie Nelson's "Blue eyes crying in the rain". As bad as they were they are still better than Willie. Must have been the dual accordions. I can't wait for the Baton brothers to come on. Too bad there not on u tube. They are probably banned for life.

More crappy weather.

Sat. is looking good so far.
I used some JB Weld and made the push rod for the Super 80. It's still curing. By tomorrow it will be flyable. I put the old OS .25 that I found in the dump in it for the first flights. The LA .25 is in the Flite Streak for testing. I'll have to check the hobby shop in Groton for some decals as the Super 80 looks bare with nothing on the wings.
I did some adjusting on the oil lines on the Harley and put it back together.

Crappy weather and hot paint.

Mid 30's and snow showers and windy.
I read in one of my magazines that heating dope paint will allow it to flow in longer producing a smoother finish. After applying the color coats I put the plane in a heated room and the clear dope in hot water. When I figured it was hot enough I sprayed on a wet coat of clear. The dope took a long time to flash off meaning it was flowing out smoother. I put on a second coat and after it dried the finish is much smoother. I would have thought the heated paint would have dried very fast but that isn't the case here.

Nice weather today.

The forecast was for temps in the high 40's and light winds. Rain and snow for tonight.We headed for the dog track around noon and I got in 4 flights with the Flite Streak using the tank I got at the hobby shop. The engine wouldn't cooperate but did run. I didn't make any trim changes this time but I did swap engines. I put the needle valve on the exhaust side so an inverted landing won't break it. A little tricky to set it though with the hot muffler and prop in the way.
I glued the wing, stab and rudder on the Super 80. I also covered the wing. I'm going to paint the fuse. bright silver from a Krylon can and then clear dope it to make sure it's fuel proof. Orange on the wing and tail like the PT-19 and other trainers from WW2. Calculated weight is around 25 ounces.

Back to 'dark and stormy' weather.

When I got up Sat. morning there was 2 inches of snow on the ground. I drove to East Hartford for the horseshoe tournament and got third place. $10.00 richer, it cost $15.00 to enter and $20.00 for gas. The snow was clinging to the tree branches and was still there at noon. Dead calm all day. Half the snow was gone by the time I got home so we went to the dog track. I got in 3 flights with the Flite Streak and noted some changes that were in order. I replaced the needle valve assy. as it got bent during the inverted landing. I removed the tail weight that was needed to put the balance at the suggested spot and added another washer under the engine for more out thrust. On Sun. the snow was gone and we went back to the dog track. The changes worked very well. I think it could use some more nose weight as the corners are very sharp but the plane is a lot more stable. I put on an aluminum hub spinner and an APC prop for the next session. The kit came with a fuel tank, which is still leaking from another seam, and a pre formed push rod. There is no way to adjust the controls with the push rod. I remembered some solder on 2-56 threaded adapters and cut the rod and soldered one on with a clevis. Now I got adjustment to center the handle. It's a pain to hold up or down to get the plane to fly level.
I got the Super 80 wing sheeted, controls installed, glued together and tips installed over the weekend. The bellcrank pivot rod extends out of the wing top and bottom and rests against the fuse. side so it wont pull out.
Weather forecast for the next 5 days was sunny but that changed to 30% chance of rain and snow. WTFD.