Still crappy weather.

We got steady snow all day but the suns rays through the clouds have been melting it so it's a wash.
I got both wings sheeted and one cored out. The other is still in the shucks under pressure curing. We are planning a trip to the new hobby shop on Sunday.

Still raining.

The snow is gone except for the piles left by the snow blowers. I reported the same thing a while back. The temps have been above freezing through the night with light rain all day and night. Another storm is going to be here tomorrow.
We cut a mold for the leading edges of the foam Ringmaster cheater wing and got one piece of balsa wrapped on and drying. I should be able to get one half sheeted and cored tomorrow. Sat. I have a horseshoe tournament. I got the fuse. just about done. The engine is ready t go on and the landing gear is made and the wood is rounded and smoothed somewhat. On the forum there is a variant called the +P. It has a foam wing and I have asked what airfoil it uses. It looks like the original airfoil, thin and lousey.

Snow is melting.

It rained and snowed all day and night and day so far with the same for the next 3 days. The snow is being melted away and that's good.
I cleaned up my collection of model plans. I found one set that was 80% of the Ringmaster 576 plans. It brought the big one down to the size of the original Ringmaster. I found some foam and made templates for a foam wing. The airfoil of the 576 is light years better than the original. I am in the process of making a mold for the leading edge so I don't have any carving to do. I'm going to extend the fuselage an inch to bring it in line with the 80% plans. Should be a good flyer.

Bench trimming and stuff.

The Brodak tank I put on the Flite Streak worked well but I figured there should be more capacity. I grabbed one of the tank plugs and made a tank that holds 3.5 ounces.
I was thinking about the way the Flite Streak flew and that it has a weak looking push rod that comes with the ARF. I did a loop or two and the plane felt sluggish. I flew inverted and when I pulled out using down control the plane turned very sharp. Up control is a push on the rod and down is a pull. I held the elevator in neutral and pulled the up lead out. The push rod bent before the supplied guide and after it. That explains the less than stellar inside loops. I sanded the push rod and soldered on two pieces of wire, one before the guide and one after. Now the push rod is much stiffer. I'll give it a try next time out. I would have made a carbon tube push rod but I don't have any. It's on my shopping list.

Best weather of the winter so far.

As forecast the temps got into the high 30's with light winds. I packed up the new repaired plane and the new Flite Streak and went to the dog track. The repaired plane went first. The engine started kinda easily and ran steady for the 3 ounces I put in the tank. It needs a flap tweak but flew well. The Flite Streak only has one wheel but I had put a skid on the out board wing tip. The lines pulled the left wing down and after flying I put a skid on the left tip also. I had some trouble with the engine run on the first two flights but finally realized I was going the wrong way with the needle. After re tuning it the engine ran very well. I flew it on 54 foot lines and that seemed to be close to right. It's a smallish plane, the same size as the Ringmaster. OS .25 in the nose. The plane comes with a fuel tank but it only holds 1 and 3/4 ounces. I found a tank that's larger and flew with that. Very little room for the tank so only certain ones will fit.
I started the hot rod yesterday. First time since putting it away. The battery may be going bad as I have been charging it almost weekly and it was real low. I put the charger on it for 15 minutes and it started the engine. I didn't want to use the start feature of the charger as the Mallory ignition doesn't like high voltages. I have a voltage spike suppressor on it but I don't want to take a chance. I've had to replace two modules already. About $100.00 a piece.

The Eagle flys.

The temps today are in the low 40's and it's still windy. We went to the dog track anyway and I brought the old Eagle 63. After a fashion I got it assembled and started the engine. The take off was not straight and I had to add all the down trim and reduce power to keep the nose level. Then I realized I was doing a range check the hard way and extended the antenna. I flew it around a bit and it needed a lot of down tweaking so I landed it and put it away. It's good to know that I can fly if the winds die down. But next week has 3 days of possible snow as of now.

Warmer weather.

The temps are in the low 40's today. The wind is only half that, in the 20 mph range so flying is not possible.
I got the Eagle 63 ready to go and took it to the dog track yesterday. I had the skiis on it and the snow was 3 or 4 inches deep. I fueled it up and found lots of bubbles in the fuel line. I couldn't find the leak so I took the plane apart and headed for home. After some searching I changed tanks and lines. I ran it to make sure the leaks were gone. Later I found a hole in one of the lines that caused the leaks.
The mail brought my ball end mills and UPS brought the Flite Streaks later on. I have been working on them today changing the leadouts and making and installing adjustable leadout guides. Engine mount holes are drilled and one fuse. has the tripler installed. I had to cut the covering away to get the guides in the wing tip and I had an old piece of black covering to repair the repair.
At the auction last week I found a new hobby shop in Sturbridge,MA. I went there today and it has a lot of stuff I can use. Map Quest said 33 miles but it's really 36. Next time there I want to get a new NI-Starter, I got the squeeze kind now and I don't like it.
Hopefully the snow will melt off and the wind will die down soon so I can get in some flying.