Flight log: October 27-28, 2020

 Pretty sure I already missed logging some days again, lol.

Flew the Ultrastick yesterday three flights.  Gaui  X5 twice.  Note that prior to going to the field, I tightened the mesh of the gears in the tail.  It got rid of an unwanted sound back there.

Today I was very happy to get three flights on the Bravata.  That plane flies so nice and easy but represents the biggest hassle in my mind to haul to the field.  Requires no tonneau of course plus the tailgate has to remain down/open.  It’s a mental issue of not wanting folks on the highway to see my plane back there.  The plane flew great.  The DLE-30 always takes a bunch of flips on that first startup...about 40 this time before the first bark.  But then it started after about 7 more flips.  It however ran very unsteady as throttle was advanced.  I varied throttle back and forth and gradually it ran steadier and steadier.  Perhaps some gunk worked through the carb.  It ran perfect after that for all three flights.  No hesitations in rolls, loops, nor inverted.  All landings were nice and easy on the runway too.

The X5 went up twice again today and was nice.  The unwanted noise in the tail came back but much less than it used to be before tightening the gear mesh. 

Flight log: 06/12/2019

Today I flew the Osiris five flights.  I tried different pack locations in the plane.  Seems the most rearward line that Rudy drew on the battery plate in the fuse results in the least adverse coupling when in knife edge.  Might try a little more rearward too since my packs are 6s vs the 5s that Rudy gave me with the plane...different weights.  My landings are much better when I bring in the plane on final just a little higher than my others, cut throttle at the edge of the tall grass, then glide in steeper per no throttle, and flare inches above the ground.  Seems to be greased on most of the time now!

Tad flew his Avanti S for the first time at the Dallas field.  Ended in a hard landing when he did not flare, hit the nose first, which then caused a bounce back up with no thrust on.  Left wing tip hit, then the nose, which collapsed in front of the nose gear.  Fixable but it wont be a pretty boy like when new.

I flew the Bravata perhaps last Friday, just once.  It flew fine.  Could not restart it for the second flight, as I think I flooded it by propping it over and it turned out the transmitter was not on.  

Today I replaced the left axle on the RV-4.  Heres the rest of the story:

I drove my boxster the other day so I moved some planes away and placed them next to the truck. Then yesterday I wanted to go out in the truck....I forgot to move the RV-4 and two other planes before moving the truck. The truck tire rubbed hard over the left axle of the RV and brushed the left wheel. That broke the axle and bent the left side of LG. Lucky I had a spare axle (from replacing the one that fell off in the air). So I got out my workmate to use as a vise for the LG. I bent it back straight, and I overcorrected so now the left side of the stab and wing are higher off ground then right...it was vice versa before the repair. It’s ok, I expect first landings to relax what I did. Should be good enough. This plane might be cursed, but I will try it again tomorrow!

Bravata day

I got the Bravata out again today.  Three flights were good.  All takeoffs were to the west away from the low rising sun, from the west taxiway, so i used only about 30’ of the matted runway for takeoff....the Bravata was usually off the ground in under 10’, lol.  Landings were all nice touchdowns but the darn plane doesn’t steer well immediately after landing.  All of a sudden the plane gets squirrelly and typically ends up running on the loose dirt shoulders.  A nice landing ends up looking like shit.  It never did that on grass.  Hmmmm, what to do!  No point checking toe in or out because the LG are super thick and stiff and won’t be adjustable.  The wheels seem to spin on the axles with similar friction.  I am thinking of just landing on the dirt/grass where the plane slows down fast and doesn’t seem to want to ground loop.  By next Spring we will have grass or something green covering the loose dirt we created with the runway mat improvements.

TGIF BRAVATA!

Flew the Bravata twice this morning for the first time on the new Dallas runway.  It flew well like always, but landings were just ok.  The prob is maintaining a straight rollout after touchdown.  It just wants to  groundloop which is bad at this time due to the soft dirt with rocks and gravel in it on the shoulders of the matted runway.  After thinking on it later, i think i need to feed in full up as soon as possible after touchdown (without lifting off again) to establish tailwheel authority quickly.  It will be awhile till i fly it again.

I meant to fly the Giles 202  yesterday but that did not pan out.  When i got to the field and began to assemble the Giles, i realized i had packed the wing rod for the Yak, not the Giles!  Arg.

Flight log: 08/23/2018

Flew yesterday and today.  Yesterday I got the Toledo Special up three times.  Today it was the Dirty Birdy twice.  Tomorrow is declared big bird day and I am prepping the good old Bravata for three flights...it is my biggest bird.  Yesterday and today I tried something slightly different but new for me...medium speed roll to the right to inverted then immediately reversing to left roll to upright.  Not that easy yet but it will come!  OF course it was easier to do it today with the DB than with the Toledo Special yesterday due to the pattern plane being what it is...very neutral with little coupling.  Good fun, I need to up my game.  I feel like the Dallas guys are trying to expand their aerobatics as they watch me go for it all the time.  Been there over a year and really like the gang and the field.

Gotta Bravata!

Went to Dallas and flew with the usual suspects of Don, Doug, Ken, Bill, and Gary.  Lotsa the typical banter and  fun!  Flew my Bravata twice, loving it all the way.  It sure feels good when the DLE-30 props over and coughs quick, then starts up right away with choke off. I did notice a little miss in the high end today so I might have to tweak the needles if it worsens.

Lots of flying and no blogging!

I have flown lots since last reported two weeks ago.  Can’t remember the days nor exactly what I flew, lol, and I am getting tired of this blogging. Attempting to sum it up, I have flown the helis (7HV, G700, G630, G500, X5 all at least a few flights each), plus a host of my planes including the Intruder, Dirty Birdy, Yak 54, and the  Bravata.  Yesterday the Bravata was just sublime for three glorious flights at Dallas.  What fun...it  started nice, ran well, flew brilliant.  That is indeed my favorite plane at this time.  It may not do great aileron rolls or inverted flying, but it is just a sweetheart plane that does its share of aerobatics gracefully in slow motion.  Playing with the flaps is so satisfying.  

Today I flew helis at keizer.  I have hit the wall on improvement.  Just cannot get the balls to do turns in forward inverted flight.  I got inverted many times today with the 500 and 700, did 180 or 360 pyros, then rolled or flipped out.  I tried to just yaw the tail each way and hold altitude and location, but doing a full circle inverted at one altitude is super hard for me.  The good news is I did not get disoriented and did not crash.

Bravata is back

Well it was never really that far gone.  I damaged the left wheel pant on landing last time out.  I had crosswinds at the time, and anyway the plane got too far along the south edge of the field whereupon it hit some of those damn thick and hard clumps of tall grass that have sod foundations that stick up above the grass like a brick wall!  Anyway that ripped some cracks into the pant but upon inspection at home I found damage to the fuselage right around the left LG mounting plate.  Just this week I finally got around to taking the Bravata upstairs and cutting off the covering to see what repair was needed.  Turns out it was just cosmetic due to soft pulpy 1/16" balsa used.  I took pics that need to be added to this post later on.  Removed balsa, added backing plates, installed new basswood sheet replacement, sanded, covered with matching covering that came with the AeroWorks ARF.

Good as new, I flew it twice today and wowed myself and the guys.  We all enjoy the big bird that flies better than a big slow high winger should.  The DLE 30 does a great job pulling it around, even enough power to hover vertically and stand still!  My landings were better, with a little speed to avoid crappy almost stalled landings!  WHAT A GREAT PLANE!  Makes me look good everytime.

Bravata

I forget what day it was but I recently flew the Bravata.  Had three flights at the Dallas club field.  Slight breeze, otherwise nice.  Got too slow in a couple crosswind landings and rubbed the left wheel pants against thick clumps of mud and tall grass on the south edge of the runway.  That cracked the pants in a few places, no prob to fix with fiberglass cloth and CA, which I did later at home.  But upon exam at home, I found the balsa or light ply around the LG mount was crushed or creased or cracked, per wrinkles in the covering.  Due to the ply plates for RC gear inside above the LG mounts, I cannot access the damage from inside.  That turns me off, but I have to cut away covering and do the repair from outside.  Waiting to do that another day. 

Other than that, the Bravata started up easy and flew like a dream, like it always does. 

Exceptional Good Weather!

Blessed with exceptionally nice weather, i got to fly Saturday and Sunday!   I flew Saturday at the Keizer club field.  Had 2 flights on the X5, 2 on the 7HV, and 4 on the Osiris!  Then today I had 3 flights with the Bravata!  Great conditions both days with sunny skies after light spotty fog, and calm wind becoming light breezes over a few hours at the fields.  Temps were mid 40's at the start of each day, and mid 50's by the time i left the field...ultra nice and rare in the middle of January.

Bravo Bravata and Bad Brain

Well, I had three great flights on the Bravata yesterday.  Needed to fly it because the XB wont be available to haul it for three or four weeks.  Jer will be using it while the CX-5 is undergoing repair.  I think maybe the Bravata is my fave plane.  It is just so pretty standing still on the ground and in flight, and it flies so gracefully and effortlessly.

Today I flew the Ministar four times.  Needs less down thrust because the plane pitches down with sudden application of full throttle.  Other than that it is flying great, like a little rocket.  I also had the Giles 202 with me but I brought the wrong wing tube...I had the Yak tube with me!  That was disappointing!

Flight log for week passed

Geez, getting so bad about posting the flight reports!  I know i flew on Sept 16 because that was the picnic fly in day at the krca field. i recall flyignonce with the Goblin 500 because some folks never saw a heli fly before.  I also flew the Yak 54 a few times .  It flew well and pleased the fams of the newb member pilots Dave and Jon.

After that i dont recall exact days because i have been under the weather.  I know i flew the Sbach a few times one day.  The engine ran well with the reattached clunk filter in the fuel tank.  And another day i flew the Bravata three times because we had a big bird day...might have been Saturday Sept 23. That flew fine too.  Both mufflers on those gassers seem to be staying attached well with the red liquid gasket and red thread lock.

I will report in advance that i am taking the T-28 and Stinger II to Dallas today!  Gotta fly if feeling well during the last good days of Summer.  Rain is already breaking up good weather several days in a row at times now.  Fall and Old Man Winter are on the horizon.

Bravo Bravata!

Oh yeah, great day of sun and light winds for flying the Bravata three times at Dallas.  The engine started and ran well, and the plane flew fine.  The guys loved it, and made my head bigger, lol.  For the first time I tried to do the rolling circle with this plane.  The plane just wouldnt get through the second roll both time I attempted it.  Could just be me and I will try again someday.  FUN!

5 day flight log!

Lazy bones I am...forgot to record flights  for five days of flying!  I flew Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, and today Tuesday.  Today i flew the Bravata again, twice, at Dallas.  The DLE-30 ran well with the 1/8 turn of the high needle inwards to lean it.  Ran strong without the slight missing.  It also proved to be perfect for the idle and mid engine speeds with little to no missing that i can recall.  Yesterday I flew the Ministar four times and the Shoestring 60 twice.  The fix to the tank of the Shoe did the trick for obtaining full engine runs again.  On the weekend I flew the Goblin 500 about five times each day at the Keizer field with a couple flights of the X5 too on Saturday.  Both weekend days I also flew the Aerostar 40F five times.  And last Friday I flew the Intruder at Dallas for one flight, plus the SNAFU several times.  Hey, pretty good recollection after all!

Big Beautiful Bravata

Yay, the Bravata took to the air again!  It ran okay, not great, but never died in the air, so i was content.  Needs a lil leaning on high and low needles, but still flew nice.  The new Jtec muffler seems to still be attached securely.  Now that i think of it, the new muffler has a much skinnier can than the previous one from Valley View RC, so that likely caused the change in tuning.  I got in three nice long flights with the Bravata, with many loops, rolls, stall turns, low circles, and flap descents and landings.  Very fun flying plane, and i will take it to Dallas again soon so that Don can see it fly.

Yesterday before the grandkids came over, i went to krca to fly.  Got in five flights on the Aerostar 40F and two on the Starstream... all good!  The 40F is just a pussycat to fly.  Mowed the runway afterwards.

Sunny sunny

Today was the opposite of yesterday morning.  It was clear and although JB was harvesting, they were done and gone by 9AM.   Before that I got in 5 flights on the Goblin 500.   Then I put in 5 flights on the Bravata...I believe that is the most in one outing for that plane.  I ought to inspect the muffler because that is the weak point in this plane...the stock and then the JTec muffler always loosens or cracks.  I seem to have the loosening cured by using red threadlock on the mounting bolts, but there is not much I can do about the cracking due to vibes in the gas engines.  Anyway, the Bravata was a champ today.  Just so easy to fly and fun to play with flaps and do simple aerobatics like rolls, loops, and stall turns.  The G500 was great and I got in lots of inverted passes.  No pics today as I forgot my cell phone at home.

Bravata maintenance again

Last time I flew the Bravata was a few weeks ago.  At that time I had a couple deadsticks when going up vertical or sustaining inverted flight.  My guess was the clunk line in the fuel tank fell off.  I finally found the energy to investigate today.  Sure enough the clunk line had fallen off, and the Tygon line was actually in several pieces.  As I tried to remove the pieces from inside the tank with a hemostat, each piece of tubing would just disintegrate to the touch! A the last maintenance I think I replaced internal tank lines with a more flexible yellow Tygon line that I have in stock.  Today I installed slightly thicker walled and stiffer yellow Tygon tubing.  Hope that lasts longer!

While I had the cowling off, I noticed that a crack in the Jtec muffler had opened up and propogated further.  Hoping there is still enough solid connection, I used JB Weld metal epoxy to paste over the crack and hopefully get more service from a $90 muffler!  If it does not work, I will have to buy a replacement because I really like the Bravata and want to keep it flying a long time.  These gassers really do vibrate themselves to death.

Bravata and G500

G500 for 4 flights was followed by 3 flights of the Bravata.  First flight perfect.  Second and third ended in deadsticks when I held inverted and vertical upwards for too long.  Something must be wrong in the fuel tank causing bad fuel feed in those attitudes, so it's time to remove the tank and assess again, durn it.

Big Birds

Flew my G500 four times today first, but then concentrated on my big old Bravata.  Flew it around 4 or 5 flights, mostly with Mike and his Rascal 110.  We had fun trying to fly formation.  Did not get too close to each other because the birds are so big, thus it was not very impressive, but I enjoyed horsing around with the big bird.  Just a pleasure to fly the Bravata, so slow and graceful.

My biggest bird travels in my smallest car!

Mike's Rascal 110

4 x 4

Very nice day at the field without too much irritation from JB workers.  Got in 4 flights first on the G500, uneventfully.  Then flew the Bravata and Mike flew his Rascal 110.  Nearly the same size, but the Rascal has  DLE 20 while my Bravata has a DLE 30.  Speed difference is readily apparent yet the Bravata will float in for landings too.  We had three flights together, then I added a fourth individually.  The muffler seems to be staying on, and my engine did not suffer any flameouts.  My idle seemed a bit high, which I adjusted by increasing the endpoint on the low end of the throttle, to make it go lower.  It worked although I think I hear a little hum from the servo at full low, so the servo may be stalling.  Not gonna worry about it since very little flight time is spent at low idle.  Next time I am inside the fuselage, I will look into the servo throw more.  The plane flew great and we had a few nice tandem passes over the runway.