Lakeside Chateau

Here is the painting I did for Andy yesterday.  This was per her request for one like J's (see #85 in right margin) but with a cabin in it, and still with a lake.  I feel good about this one as the mountains came out nice, so did the many layers of trees with misty spaces between them.  The cabin came together easy, and the grass and bushy area from the cabin to the shore turned out the best I've done yet.  The feel for meadowy hills is coming slowly, but surely?

Private Privy!

Why in the world Sue wants an outhouse in a painting, but I fulfilled the request today.  She wanted a painting like J's but horizontal, and she wanted an outhouse in it.  Andy already asked for a cabin in hers, so I guess she did not want to be a copycat.  Anyway, the whole painting came out pretty nice.  In fact San says it is my best ever, but I dunno about that personally.  It was fun though, and indeed a good one, just not my personal favorite.

My 92nd painting using Bob Ross'es wet on wet method and paints.

Goblin up the good weather!

IT was a surprisingly nicer day than anticipated.  While I charged up all my 10 packs last night and this morning in prep for flying, I didn't think it would be so good.  Wow was it nice, dead calm when I got there, but the wind indeed gradually increased with every passing minute.  By the time I left a couple hours later, the wind was between 5 and 10mph.

I got in 4 packs on the Goblin 500 first, followed by 6 packs for 3 flights on the Goblin 630.  I feel like I made a major breakthrough on inverted flight.  The breakthrough is being able to get inverted easily, settle down to a stop or slow steady forward flight, then execute a half turn to the left.  I then would pull back to upright with either a half roll or half loop.  I also did a few half cuban 8's via doing a little more than half a loop, then rolling out on the downward inverted path from the top of the loop.  Not saying any of this looks great, but I can do it consistently without panic and disorientation.  Now I can work on smoothness and placement, and making a full inverted circle!  It is awesome to make progress.

Brrrrrrr

43F was the high when I was at the field today, brrrrrrrr!  Good thing it was calm so there was no wind chill factor.  Sky was hazy with high overcast and thankfully no fog.  I got in 10 flights on various aircraft today....4 on the G500, 2 on the X5, 2 on the G630, and 2 on the Star.  Not another soul was there unless you count two brutish dogs that wandered through.  One was large German Shepard, the other a Boxer.  I stayed in the car when they came near, but they seemed wary and moved away when I yelled at them to get out of there.

Flying was good.  I did way more inverted than usual, and in fact tried a few half circles with both Goblins.  Not very good, but good for first attempts.  Did not crash so there is the silver lining!  I wandered far and got disoriented though, but always recovered and came back to try again.  Part of the problem is flying high to be safe, but therefore not being able to see the heli attitude and speed well.  It's ok, I will build stick time, gain confidence gradually, and get lower, then better with time.  I only used the Goblins for the inverted flying since the X5 is hard to see in comparison.

Was only able to get two packs charged for the Star, but it was old reliable as usual.  :)

Foggy yet again

Today was clear at 6AM and then fog rolled in or developed, but I went flying anyway at 9:30...no worse than any other day, but no better either.  The wind was a little higher than anticipated too, but still flyable.  I got in 4 packs on the G500, 2 on the X5, and 4packs/2 flights on the G630.  Feel like I am at a plateau of progress.  Wanted to try my first turns in inverted forward flight, but I did not feel confident with the wind, so I left that for another day.  The stick time is still good for getting more confident at the things I already do.  I notice for example that I am not hesitant about making small right circles anymore.  While I favor left ones for ease of execution, I am not afraid to do right ones as well.  Also I am flipping in all directions more, and getting more axial at them.  I just want to fly inverted or backwards soon!  Better hit the sim to enable that sooner than later.

Foggy

My 500 and 630

Foggy like preceding days, but very flyable.  Got 4 packs on the G500 and 6/2=3 flights on the 630.  Tad maidened his new black and white Goblin 570 successfully, with helpful tuning tips from Quang.   Looks like a good new heli, very quiet!  He also had a few flights with his 500.  Quang had a couple flights with his G800 and also his 7HV.  What a good heli pilot.

Tad's G500 and new G570!

Tad's new Goblin 570

Quang's G800 zooming by inverted, lol.

Pleasant Practice!

As opposed to my painting practice yesterday, today's practice flying of my helis was extremely pleasant, lol.  Foggy skies prevailed early but I got out there to avoid later winds.  It was already likely 5mph+ when I flew.  Barely 50F but I felt fine and never once ran into the warm truck.  Just drank hot water sometimes.  Got in 3 packs on the G500, then one on the X5.  Those warmed my brain up enough to then take 2 flights on the G630, yeah baby, and then ended with one each on the 500 and X5.  Liking them all, but the 630 is growing on me more and more and might be my fave very soon.  When that happens I will need more packs to fly it enough, haha.  It is just so easy to see due to its size and color, and it is slower yet very nimble still.  With all three helis, I did a bunch of flips and loops with extended tops to practice inverted more.  Also stopped while inverted to pyro 180, then pull the other half of the loop.  Kinda fun.  Need to develop more cajones to try more stuff, but I am hesitant in the foggy and grey skies that prevail in the Fall and Winter, meaning my vision is at its worst in those conditions.

Painful Practice

I challenged myself to paint deciduous trees and grassy areas today, using a model painting we see at Momiji Japanese restaurant.  Would love to be able to emulate it better.  Gotta start somewhere so I ventured an attempt today.  Boy it was painful.  Results are so so, and I can only improve with more attempts.  The main challenges are to find the right brush for the technique, and to have the right consistency of paint.  Thinner paint sticks to thicker/drier paint, so the leaves and rolling grass need to be thinner consistency than the underlying dark paint.

Here is the model that I admire!  I'll get there someday...

Doesn't get Better!

Wow what a nice day in the Fall...calm air, no rain, crisp air at about 55F, hazy sky.  Well, if the sky was blue, it would be better visibility for my poor eyes, but I will take today anytime this Winter!  Using my yellow overglasses, I see pretty decent.  No disorientations today!

Got 3 packs through the G500, then 2 through the X5.  I was going to use my last single pack in the X5 but decided the G500 is more visible and I would minimize my chance for disorientation.  The X5 is just harder to see in a hazy sky.  And that left me 4 packs to make 2 flights on the Goblin 630.  Sublime time!  I am liking it more as Tad thought I would.

Wave crazy!

#90 and #89, left to right

Having a ball practicing my wave action in my paintings.  Did the right one on Fri, and the left one yesterday.  Totally good fun.  I struggle on each one a little but the payoff comes soon when each painting is done.  These are both 16x20 since I have lots of those stretched canvases right now.  No two ever identical because I make a lousy copy machine.  Right now I am getting lots of color in these seascapes with the sunrise or sunset skies and then the beach and water color variations.  I have now done 90 oil paintings using Bob Ross'es wet on wet method, and his paints and brushes.  Works great for me!

#90, Wave Splendor

#89, Ahhhsome Waves

Flight Log: 11/01/2014

Jeremy with his Warp 360.  Front to back are my X5, G500, and G630

Great fun flying helis with Tad, Jer, and Quang this morning.  It was calm but a little cool with temps barely hitting 50F.  Jer sure was cold though, and sat in the truck a lot to warm up between flights.  He repaired his Warp 360 finally and flew it well today.  Tad had his G500 and G700.  Quang brought his new (to him) Compass 7HV.  And I flew my G500, X5, and new G630.  I got in 3 packs on the G500, one on the X5, and 3(x2) on the G630.  Quang noted that my 700 sounded like it was screaming at a high head speed, and so I took off some very light balance tapes I had on the main and tail blades.  With those removed, the heli still sounded the same.  So I used IU1 instead of IU2 on my xmitter and the heli sounded fine, effortless like Tad's 700.  The diff is my throttle curve is only 86-83-80-83-86 on IU1 while it is 90-87-84-87-90 on IU2.  A few points sure makes a difference.

Tad and his G500

Quang and his 7HV.  Tad's G700 left, my G630 right.

700 on left, 630 on right.  NICE SIZES!

Lift off of the G700.

Just wanted to show fully clothed Warp 360!