Good but cold!

It was good flying but just over 40F with a light breeze.  Dick Smith was there at first but the wind chill got to him so he departed right after I got there.  I put in 4 packs on the X5 plus 4 full tanks of glow through the SNAFU.  Great fun and flying.  Did not forget how to fly a plane, and did not screw up and crash the X5 by switching back and forth.

Good Goblin

Flew my remaining Goblin today, the 630 for 3 flights.  Also flew the X5 for 4 flights.  That used up 10 battery packs.  Weather was low overcast with a few blue sky patches now and then, but the wind was very light to nothing.  Great flying weather with 50F!  Resumed where I was, doing half loops into inverted and flying straight for a bit then pulling out.  No cajones to try a turn again though.  X5 has the new MONSTER canopy which is easier to see than the stock red, white, and black one.

Gobbled up Goblin 500

Shitcanned the Goblin 500 on Thursday I think.  Did not want to write about it, still have not looked at the junk pile on the garage floor, exactly where I left it after coming home that day.  First flight was great.  On second flight, shortly after lift off and going to IU1, I was turning towards the North field.  All of a sudden I heard a ping or crack sound, and I think I saw something small fly off to the NE.  The heli began to rotate one direction.  This is maybe 10' above the dirt road.  I panicked, hit throttle off like in a plane.  DUH, that is full negative pitch, and the heli instantly responded with a deafening crunch on the hard pack of the muddy dirt road.  No cushioning there.  It was ugly, couldn't even find many parts.  Dunno what flew off or if the heli was able to land but I did not give it a chance....too ingrained on airplane emergencies and I haven't been flying the helis frequently due to the Winter.  Oh well.  I got out the Goblin 630 and flew it for three flights, lol.

Now what day was that?

Tad reminded me to update my blog for a day that I went flying last week.  I can't remember the day, but earlier in the week, perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday, I took the X5 and the G500 to the field.  Got in four packs on the Goblin, but only two on the X5.  I had two more new batteries for the X5 however I forgot to stick velcro on them for firm attaching to the heli frame.  For all six flights, I stayed close and low due to pretty bad fog.  It was safe close in.  No flips or long passes.

Storm Approaching

This one was a struggle to get the sky done.  Originally I had very black clouds on the right side of the painting.  I finished the painting that way.  Then San came home and I asked her to look at it like always.   She really hated the black clouds, heck!  So I took another hour to scrape off the right side of the sky and replace it several times till I came up with what is in the pic.  It involved painting the left half in places to darken the blue evenly with the right, and to add more clouds to match the right side.  Anyway, it is done and my pal critic says it works okay now, lol.  Lucky the wave and beach went on easy today, and I feel good about my comfort level with doing those features.

I'd say this is my last painting for 2014, 94th in my career, haha.