Even more progress.

 I reached the stage where I had to put the stab. in. After a lot of measuring and looking I tacked it in. Then while adjusting the elevator push rod I broke the stab off. After a lot of measuring and looking I tacked it in again. I made the back end of the turtle deck that covers the fin/rudder so that's ready to get glued on. I assembled the flaps and checked the throws on the elevator when set to the plans. 20 degrees up and down. I think it will need more but for now that's where it will be for the test flights. While I had it mostly assembled I weighed it and it's 55.5 ounces. Right where my calculations had it.

Waiting to go flying.

  I brought the tree in this morning and cleaned up where a mouse was spotted yesterday. I'm filling and sanding on the Strega/A-36.The cockpit, cowl and bottom hatch cover is just about done.  I added the wing fillets and the tail pieces are waiting for the last minute to reduce hangar rash. Weight is up to 54 ounces. Maybe more as I didn't get the weight with the fillets. That leaves me some room for the paint. I made up a wing tip weight a few days ago, it's 1.3 ounces and not figured in yet. The rectangular holes in the fuselage side are engine cooling air vents, one on each side and a hole in the top block. The engine muffler has a support bolt hole at the back. Nice touch.

Adding weight.

  Today was busy. I went to the store at 0730 to cash in the empty cans. Then I went to the bank to get more money and spent it at the gas station to fill the Dodge. Next stop was the barber. By then the tree farm was open and I stopped in to get the Christmas tree. Back to building the plane and it's time to go flying. First flight with the Banshee the muffler loosens and the engine runs lean for 10 minutes. I didn't dare do anything but level flight so I wouldn't lose any bolts. I had swapped the Fox muffler for a stock OS unit that didn't have the lock nut on the long bolt that holds the pieces together. That's what came loose. I jury rigged it and got in two more flights with no problems. I took a nut off one of the other planes and put it on the Banshee. Tomorrow looks like good flying weather too.

  I worked most of the day getting the top nose block shaped and hollowed and the molded pieces fitted and glued on. The canopy is a piece of a spray cleaner bottle. It's called Fabuloso from mexico. I got it at Benny's with a free refill bottle. It works OK. Works better as a canopy. I have to get some balsa for the bottom yet. After that it's final assembly and start sanding.

Some progress.

After waiting all week for the Strega instruction book to come from Brodak I found it on the porch Sunday morning. I don't know how long it had been lying there. I read through it to make sure I didn't miss any important steps. I changed the bottom sheeting from a molded part to a flat sheet on top of rails. I also made formers for the front section of the top fuselage and wrapped a wet sheet of balsa on it to form the top front piece. Weight now is 51 ounces. I should be in my target range of less than 60 ounces when it's done.

A dog.

 On facebook I saw a big black dog with a pink collar. Not as strange as it's name, "Danger". Right away I thought of the "professional stunt man" on Dumbest stuff on wheels. So I called the dog "Dangerwoof Ticks the professional black dog with the pink collar". Coulda knocked me over with the weather.

What next?

 A week or so ago I took Red Molly to the new school in Sterling for a flight or two. It acted real strange when I pulled a corner. I packed up and went home. I found that the tip weights had fallen out. I put some more in and all was well.
  Yesterday I went to the field to put air into the leaky tire on the mower using my new air tank. Too late, it was flat. I didn't have the right tools to re fill it as the bead had came off. I went home and found I had the right tools in the first place but got it filled from the compressor anyway. Back to the field to replace the tire and brought a screw jack so I dould get the wheel back on. After an hour or two the temp. had risen enough to let me fly in comfort so I went back to the field.
  This morning I decieded to make a new vertical stab. for the Banshee. The original didn't look right with all the mods I did to the model. I cobbled one together just like the one on the Guru. I wanted to fly it and Red Molly so I didn't cut the old one off. The color on the unit is Rustoleum John Deere green and takes a long time to dry. I planned to change and paint it after flying. I also wanted to test the metal tank on the Banshee using pressure and try a plastic one if that didn't work out. At the field I followed a car to the circle. The driver went across the circle and parked facing the center with the nose of the car inside the circle. He moved when I asked him to, he was letting his dog run around. I set up the Banshee and as I pulled the plane back to the stooge the rudder broke off. Less work for me later. The fin was still attached so I kept going. Once in the air it flew as well as ever. Except the engine ran out of fuel in the overhead eights again. I changed tanks and the plastic one, on pressure, blew the vent plug off and most of the fuel blew onto the wings. Red Molly is next. When I pulled a corner the wings flopped around. Tip weights again. I floundered through the pattern and upon inspection found the weights gone again. I didn';t have any others so I went home. I installed new weights and tightened the 4-40 bolt but it didn't tighten. I removed the weights and saw the blind nut was stripped out. Probably from being a metric unit. I got the glue and glued the weights in place. Then it was the Banshee's turn. I cut the fin off and sanded the fuse. top so the new one would have a good glue joint. Some super glue, epoxy and micro balloons later I masked off the area and sprayed the green paint on. I re installed the metal tank and will put 4 ounces in for the next outing. The rain had started before I finished the repairs so I'll have to wait to test the changes.
  I ordered an instruction book from Brodak for the Strega on Monday and figured it would be in today. Wrong again. The kit must have been donated for the raffle without the instructions. I want to double check my progress before assembling the plane.
 And the portable air tank I bought has metric pipe threads. I'll have to use hose barbs and couplers to change it over for the paint spray gun.

Yea for Poly Span.

   The play span finally arrived last Sat. in the mail. All 38" x 20' was neatly folded into a bubble wrap envelope. Not what I was planning on. I got it unfolded enough so I could wrap it onto a broom stick. It's a lot easier to handle when it's in a roll. I got the wing covered by Monday and started to seal the random weave with poli-crylic this morning. So far so good. I covered the flaps and they are drying.
  The new handles are working well on all the planes so far. 576 Ringmaster, Banshee, Twister, Red Molly and Honey Bee all are easier to fly with the newer handle. I did some research and found that the same design is used by most of the big boys. I did borrow the metal hard point design from a handle Brodak sells for $38.00. Mine didn't cost anything except a little band sawing, hack sawing, routing and drilling. I keep the same line spacing at the handle but with less overhang. It's working.
  I found a small can of gold glaze paint that was left from the previous owners. I mixed it up and made some test swatches with it. I sprayed clear over two of the test pieces and the brilliance of the gold faded severely. I need to put a swatch on one of the planes to see if it reacts with the fuel residue without being protected.
  I also ordered a 5 gallon portable air tank from Amazon this morning for $32.99 free shipping too. I will hook up the small spray gun and use the tank for the air source. The gun only needs 5 or less psi so a full tank should last a lnog time. This will save me from having to move the compressor into the basement. I can take the tank to the field and fill the tires on the riding mower. One tire goes flat about every 6 weeks.