Usable weather.

I took a ride to the ball fields in town and found them not usable to fly off of. Too much standing water and snow and ice patches. Around noon I went to the flying field to check on the mower tires and ad air if needed. I checked the circle and found it very wet with large snow and ice patches covering most of the circle. There was an area that could be used as a starting point so I went home and got the P-39. I didn't take the StregA-36 because of the water and cool temps. I don't want to pour hot water on the engine before the nose gets a coating of oil and the P-39 has a nose wheel to keep it from tipping up when running through the snow. I had made a few changes from the last outing and the plane flew very well. I made new lines for it too and the first flight was a one ouncer to see how the lines were set then I got in three full flights. The new handles I made don't have any fine adjustment for line length. When I got home I hung the lines on a nail and the down line seemed to be a bit longer which would make it fly too high and get off the ground and up to 5 feet too fast. I switched up and down lines on the handle and it felt better. The MI Bipe is nearing paint. The balance came out real close and total weight before paint is 14 ounces. It should fly but I can't say how well.

Lots of fecking wind and rain but the snow stays.

The temps are in the low 40's and the wind is 25 to 35 mph with periods of rain. The snow is very slow to melt. I started to cover the Bipe today. A few more small pieces around the interplane struts and I can shrink it.

Not warm enough.

The temps have been in the high 30's lately but not warm enough to cause any melting of the snow cover. I checked the field a few days ago and there are a few small bare spots. I have been pecking away at the MI Bipe. I don't see how anyone could have built this thing that hadn't built one before. Especially if he didn't have the engine shown. I built a fuel tank and it has to go where the bellcrank was supposed to be. The interplane struts are at an angle and can't be installed once the slanted ribs are glued in.I attached the lower wing this morning and it's waiting until I figure out what to do next without messing up the rest of the build. Maybe a wide rib as a platform with the strut resting on top of it. Covering will be a pain as it has to be done in several strips on top and bottom of the wings. I hope by the time it's finished the snow will be gone.

Decent weather.

The temp got above freezing so I took the El Camino out for a spin. When I got back I figured on taking more pictures of the StregA-36 and the P-39 which I did. The flat color will need better lighting or a grass back ground.

One down.

The mirror for the truck came in yesterday. I got it out of the box and it looked pretty good. It took about 5 minutes to install it. Perfect match and fit. Big difference not having to look around all the cracks in the wobbling mirror. I am told that my graphics are on the way. It's been close to two months. I am worried that they will be the wrong size. The will finish the build and allow me to put the engine in. I had to leave it out as the fuel fill and overflow pipes stick out in the area that the unit insignia will go. I can't remove them with the engine installed and they will have to be removed to stick the decal in the right palce. The little plane I'm making from the plans is quite a pain. It's designed for a spark ignition engine that has the fuel tank attached to it. In order to use a glow engine the tank has to go where the bell crank is supposed to be. I have that worked out and I'm working on the wings now. They have a huge, for it's size, leading and trailing edge. Lots of carving will be needed. We went to the hobby shop and I got some red and white dope for the finish. The snow is down to about 6 inches deep. The temps have been above freezing lately with some rain and lots of wind. No place to fly. We are planning on going to the Brodak Fly-in again in June. We were there in 2008 and found it very interesting. 6 circles going all the time with stunt ,scale, carrier and combat. Plus the big hobby shop and whatever else is for sale at the site.

Old plane.

Last night I got a set of plans for a c/l model plane that are from the mid 40's. I had copies made and I'm in the process of making one of the planes. I dug out 2 old engines and both ran quite well but I'll use the newer old one as it's bigger and more powerful. A Fox .19. I started cutting out parts for the fuselage and tail. The wings are made with large leading and trailing edges. I'm thinking on a better way to build them but may not be able to. I fumbled around and found some directions on how to replace the dimmer switch on the truck. not too much to it. That will be the next project on the truck.

The wait begins.

I finally got an answer from the graphics guy about the price and how to send it to him. If I hadn't suggested pay pal I would be still waiting. I've never done business with anyone that was afraid to give specifics. Now I have to wait for the mail. Today I put the new friction wheel on the track blower. It went much better than I figured. No rust to clean off and things still had lube on them. I oiled the outside fittings and adjusted the cable and track wheels. Then I removed the right side mirror from the Dodge. The inside panel is a pain but I got it off and taped over the holes until the new one comes in. Pictures of the P-39 show a U.S. ARMY sign on the under side of the wing. I tried a few things to make the letters but to no avail. I drew them on paper and sprayed a coat of clear on the paper to give it some body. When that dries I'll give it a dusting of spray glue so it will stick on the wing like tape and lightly spray black paint over the words. That's how I put my AMA number on the vertical fin.It worked out pretty good. Those planes didn't get any other color stripes to make them stand out. Kinda what you want in that business.