Imagine!

After dropping Sandy and Clay at PDX at 6:50AM, I drove back home and took an hour nap, then headed out to fly the Imagine 50.  Got in 4 flights in around 10MPH wind directly out of the SOUTH for a change.  That is still a crosswind but from the opposite direction of the usual.  Hardly anyone showed up due to the wind and threatening clouds.  Mike had his Uproar and Super Sportster.  Bruce and Brandon had the Sig Somethin Extra.  Joe showed up as I was packing it in for the day so that I would get home quickly to watch Kimi.  The Imagine flew great in the wind, no probs.  Usual stuff...slow and 4pt rolls, stall turns, Cubans and reversed Cubans.  Practiced some landings from the west.  It was a good 2 hours at the field.

Flight Log: 05/13/2011

After mowing, I got in 6 flights with the Toledo Special.  Just wanted easy flying without any unexpected stresses.  The TS flew great...I practiced lots of landings to figure out what it wants for feather light landings.  It needs a little more than low idle during touchdown to maintain elevator authority and flair ability.  Too slow and the plane just drops and bounces on the stiff LG. 

2011 Additions to the Build Log

2011 has not been as productive as 2010 but that is intentional because I am running out of space in the garage for storage of the air force!  NEVERTHELESS, this is May and I have completed the following additions to my flying armada:

Aeroworks Ultimate 20-300 with DLE-55
The World Models Intruder 90-R with OS 91 Surpass II (no pump)

I foresee hanging the Intruder from the ceiling, assembled like the P-47.  It has a fully sheeted fuselage that can handle the stress.  The Ultimate is too large and must sit next to the Corvette.

Apparently this brings to 15, the total number of flyable planes in my air force.  LIFE IS GOOD!!!

ADDED on 10/21/2011:
Great Planes Lanier Stinger II with YS FZ63S

ADDED on 12/20/2011:
Pilot 73" Sbach 342 with DLE-30

INTRUDER

Yeah baby, I put decals on the Intruder today.  Stars and bars came with the ARF.  I did not use any other decals supplied.  Flags on the tail are from Major Decals.  INTRUDER is from my Cricut machine using as bold a font as I could find.  OS Engines of course come from an OS Engine purchase.  Lastly, the 40239 and "Go For Broke" Young are made with my Brother label maker.  Dang it looks terrific!

TWM Intruder!

After getting over the hurdle of ironing down the ugly covering on this plane, I spent the last week or 10 days kinda gung ho on assembling it.  As of today it is all finished except for decals/stickers that I need to decide upon.  I might try to make some of my own vinyl stickers for the plane, but I am not sure if they will hold up to glow fuel...maybe they will slide off after enough exposure?  The Intruder has always been a little ugly and ungainly looking to me, yet a classic pattern plane that somehow was attractive at the same time.  I'm glad I have it now as it looks pretty cool all assembled, and its clean lines exude speed and smoothness.  I expect to fly like it is on rails and with extreme grace.  The Intruder  is actually quite large at 63" wingspan and 59" length.  AUW is 7 lbs 7 oz with an OS 91 Surpass II (no pump) mounted inverted in the fuselage.  Turns out this keeps the top and side views very clean.   I just hope the 91 runs inverted good.  It should as my Excelleron 50 never gave problems with its OS 70 Surpass II mounted inverted too.  I anticpate a maiden very soon!!!

FUN Sunny Day!

Today was even better than Saturday weatherwise, with near 70F light winds from the North (crosswind), and very sunny blue skies.  I took 3 planes today...the P-47, SNAFU, and Apache.  I got in 3 nice flights with the P-47 but am not happy with my take offs.  The plane requires full up elevator to keep the tail on the ground during all taxiing, and even with that, the tail is bouncing all the time.  Take off requires judicious application of throttle while decreasing up elevator and keeping on the rudder to steer properly.  I need to let go of up elevator sooner so that the plane does not take off from its 3 point stance like it did all three times today.  Oh well, once up, the plane flew like a dream.  Low passes were gratifying, giving me big grins all flight long.  On the last flight, Joe took his ME-108 up at the same time, and we got in some nice dog fighting and low passes together.  He is flying that plane so well, and it is not that easy to fly because it looks like it has a high wing loading. 

Flew the SNAFU a bunch of times, perhaps 5 flights, many with Joe flying his Ultra Stick.  Pretty evenly matched, we made lots of circuits for low high speed  passes, and also low and slow to see who could get lowest to the ground.  Unfortunately, after my last flight, Joe kept flying his and ended up totalling it when the engine quit in a low altitude stall turn.  Durn it.

I flew the Apache a bit and managed to latch onto a small thermal for perhaps a 5 minute flight.  Jer flew his Colibri and Joe his Swift but weren't able to find much lift.

Jer flew the pants off his Extra which performed pretty well with the muffler repair that Jer concocted, to plug a hole left by one exhaust stack falling off the muffler last time out.  Tad flew his AW Extra 300 and was crisp and spot on during landings today.  He was real happy with how the DLE-55 started so easily today with the new NGK CM6 spark plug in the engine.

Mike flew his Stearman which is giving him some small fits by not running right.  Sounds great on the ground then it richens up in the air.  He has an idea for resolving the problem.  Kudnas flew today, all kinds of planes as usual.  Jer maidened a Funtana for Bruce and Brandon, and managed to save the plane with a pancake landing after the engine quit at fairly low altitude while inverted!  Dean flew very nicely his UCanDO, which made him happy.  Jim Stone flew his Radian probably longer than all of us on several long flights that he had.  Al flew early and departed early before most people came.   Bob Ross was there a long time with his Saratoga and TF Texan.

To sum it up, one of the best days of flying this year!

Flight Log: 04/30/2011

A great day for flying was welcomed by all.  I took out my T-28 with reattached LG doors, and my Shoestring.  Been flying the T-28 since almost the maiden without LG doors because my method of attaching the doors to the struts AND the wing was terrible.  When the plane rolled, the struts moved about, and tore the doors off the wing.  Now the doors are attached solely to the struts and are free to move independent of the wing.  It works, as today the doors stayed on.  The only fault is I should bevel the aft top corner of the doors so that they can rotate more to the back.  The covering on the wing is dented or torn where the corner hit it, but it is not enough for me to repair it yet, so that is good news.  The Shoe flew well, and the flaperons helped in landing.  I think I will add a little more flap deflection to slow the plane a little more.  I had probs on one landing, just not getting down in time on our short runway.  The OS 70 Surpass II on the Shoe seems to be finding its legs because I do believe the plane is getting faster!  In all, I think I had 6+ flights with the T-28, and 4 with the Shoe.  I was at the field around 9AM-3PM, hyuk, hyuk.

Tad flew his big Extra, with repaired LG and left wheel pant.  AND also with the a new NGK CM6 spark plug that I gave him.  He had been using the stock plug till now, and was experiencing starting problems every single time.  He asked before the first start today, if I thought the new plug would make a difference, to which I said for sure or something to that effect.  Wham bang thank you Mam, the priming resulted in a pop in just a few flips of the prop, then the engine started on the first flip after choke was off!  The DLE-55 seemed to run better at idle and top end and everything in between.  :)

Joe flew his small Ultra Stick and his Reactor, the latter sold to Bruce later in the day for a mere $100 with a nearly new Magnum 80FS, all servos, and an airframe that looks still new!  Such a DEAL!  MIke flew his new Super Stearman and had some tuning issues with the DLE-30, but the plane flew great.  Bob Ross flew his Ultra Stick and never got his TWM Texan up due to engine problems.  Quang showed up late and showed his super skills with his choppers. 

Tomorrow's weather forecast is for even BETTER weather than today...maybe even 70F!