Back on track!

Well, actually this reports on yesterday's flying, lol, but I am caught up with this post.  Flew the G500 and X5 twice each yesterday.  Flew the G630 three times.  All are doing great.  Really back in love with the G500 due to the powerhouse XNova motor on it.  Runs silent and so dang strong.  I don't need much power since I fly slow and very beginner big sky.  But I pumped the throttle from slow forward flight to do a huge loop, and that heli shot off like a rocket, wow!

With all three helis, I did a number of flips to inverted, then 180 turns, straight sections, followed by either a half loop back to upright, or yet another 180 and straight section.  This is getting me closer to coordinated turns as I get comfy with managing speed and height with elevator and throttle.  I also get to correct lines with rudder, and drift with aileron.  Fun, getting better and not so scarey!  Very good feeling to make some progress...this is such a brain game.

Oh, I flew the Factor after a long layoff, for two flights.  Flies better than I recall, because I remember kinda hating the aircraft.

Only 5 flights

Expecting JB to be crawling all over the field collecting irrigation pipes, I only charged enough for two flights on the 7HV and three on the Factor 3D.  I was of course wrong...all the pipes were gone and there were zero workers to be found.  Oh well.  I did get to fly in peace then mow the few green blades of grass on our runway.  Both aircraft flew well and i am enjoying both.

Flight log: 08/06/2014

I flew my two 450 helis today, along with the Factor 3D and Apache DLG.  All went well.  The helis were pleasantly easier to fly than usual, and I think I am just getting better with more and more stick time.  The bigger helis are easier to fly, and I was surprised the little ones were not as squirrely as I tend to complain about.  Flew the FBL twice and the DFC twice.  The FBL is smoother but the DFC is very acceptable.  I was able to flip them and loop them both easily.  Never lost orientation with them today.

The Factor flew better owing in all likelihood to additional 1/2oz of nose weight, and more expo dialed into the ailerons, elevator, and rudder.  It was still easy to hover though. Ran 4 packs through it today.

The Apache flew fine but I did not find any big thermals.  I found some small ones but never rode them more than about a 100' high.  On the best one, the mower was approaching, so I left the area and lost the lift.

Quang arrived after I had several flights on the Factor and 450's.  I got to see his new Toyota RAV!  Very pretty car in dark grey metallic.  Anyway, he brought his Goblin 500, and I told him about my catastrophy with the swashplate.  So we checked the swash on his and found it is the old design with one retainer screw on the ring.  Further inspection showed the assembly sitting slightly cockeyed in the ring, but Quang took a flight anyhow, crazy guy.  He had a great flight but stated that while inverted the heli tends to drift to the tail.  Anyway, I surmised maybe the loose swash is the cause, and it sounds like he will get a new swash since his is coming apart, and it just might correct that inverted drift.  Hope I saved him his heli!

Flight Log 07/26/2014

Had a good morning of flying with Tad and Quang.  Good but slightly breezy weather, sunny, warm enough, yet only Dick Smith came out to fly.  Mike came out but did not even unload a plane, what the?

Flew my Goblin 500 for 4 packs, the X5 for 5, and the Factor 3D for 3 packs.  Not too impressed with the Factor, but I will work on it a little more...add wgt to move CG forward, and add more expo to make the plane less touchy.  Helis were great today.  Tad flew well for a month layoff...didn't miss a beat.  I am just continuing to build time and muscle memory, and therefore confidence.  I did my practice move more today, and it is getting less stressful!

Factor 3D

Before the monthly meeting, I took four flights with the Factor 3D.  It is growing on me slowly, flying better.  I have found it prefers slow or medium speed, not balls to the wall.  It then behaves very obediently.  At WOT it gets a little squirrely and perhaps I need to add more expo to tone that down.  Could also be due to the rearward CG making pitch control more sensitive.  But it hovers so easily this way!

Flight Log 07/17/2014

Good day for flying!  Got in 4 packs on the Goblin 500 which flew very nice and smooth.  Got in 4 flights on the Toledo Special.  Tried using some free fuel from Leisure Hobbies via Rudy, but it would not run in my Saito 82a in the Toledo Special.  Too old I presume.  Got one flight on the new Factor 3D.  I grabbed the wrong bag of lipos at home, which turned out to be used ones instead of the charged ones.  Dummy!  At least the plane flew better on the larger prop and calibrated ESC.  And the LG did not collapse on the only landing for today.

Mike maidened his new GB R-3!  Great looker and it turns out it flies great too!  Lots of power...with the DLE-55, Mike was cruising around at 1/3 throttle.  Landing was going to be good except the LG caught the new dirt curb created by JB around our runway, so the LG on one side got torn up a bit at the wing joint.  Durn it.

Prepping for the maiden

Takeoff roll

Landing approach

Almost touching down

Letting the nerves settle back down!

4 Transmitters!

It was a rare occurrence to go flying today with a selection of aircraft that required 4 different transmitters!  I flew the Apache DLG, Star, Factor 3D, and Gaui X5 heli.  The latter went for 5 packs and was rock solid.

X5 photos courtesy of Jer!  This one is my new wallpaper
for a little while.

The Star was its usual self and flew for 5 packs.  I had three more, but the transmitter battery ran low, durn it, so Jer did not get to fly it again.  At least he got to fly it for one pack earlier.

The Factor 3D was not too impressive on its maiden day.  Power seemed lacking and I will change from the 9x4.7 prop to a 10x4.7.  I would try 10x3.6 except I don't have that prop.  On the second flight, I removed 1/2 oz of lead from the nose, without much effect.  I landed the first flight on the mat, and this time thought I should see how it lands on the grass with the small wheels and flimsy wheel pants.  The landing should have had just a bit more airspeed to land softer, but it landed a little too hard for the LG which collapsed and ripped out from the fuselage.  While the landing could have been better, the LG should have stood up.  Typical ARF weakness.

The Apache ailerons worked fine again with the repaired Y harness.  Caught some light thermals on one of the tosses and enjoyed playing in them.  Jeremy broke his rudder on a too hard landing so that put the Colibri out of commission for the day.

Jeremy flew 3 packs through his Warp 360 like a madman.  Fast and quiet!  Also flew his foam Yak 54, and his Blade 130x mini copter.  Colibri as noted lost to broken rudder early...nobody had CA for quick repair to make it fine again.

Warp 360 on left, Yak 54 in able hands of Jeremy