Too Much To Catch Up!

 I can’t believe I haven’t added RC updates to this blog since Dec 2019!  How delinquent is that!?  I have had a good flying season in spite of COVID-19.  We have been flying and trying to maintain distance at the field.  Most guys fail to do so, and I am usually the only one to wear a mask.  None of us in the small group I fly with have got sick, so we continue to fly, trusting that each guy is taking care to stay well.

Wow, I can only summarize the last almost ten months since I sure cannot remember everything that’s happened in my RC world.  

First, I got some new planes!  My Stinson Reliant is completed and flying wonderfully.  It’s been out to the field several times now.  I think it might be a wee nose heavy given the way it seems to lower its nose in tight turns.  It rolls so axial to the right that it reminds me of a pattern plane, lol.  So I am still working on flight trim, might try a little tail weight.  Power is a DLE-35RA that runs great.

I got the Hangar 9 Ultrastick 30cc  from the boys for my birthday!  It is also completed and is a real go to plane because it fits under the tonneau cover so it’s easy to haul, and I love the VVRC 40cc twin in it that sounds great, starts easy, runs solid.  Still working on flight trim too.  I want to get the CG more rearward so it will do KE without so much down elevator mixing.  What a joy to fly even as is.  Spins like the devil.

One more new plane is a refurbished one by Don and I bought it from Cliff.  It is a cute old vintage SIG Kavalier.  I installed the engine and servos, receiver, battery, etc.  After trying to eliminate a fluttering sound by various means, I think the flutter is gone at all but the highest dive speed.  These means included filling the wing/fuse gap with hot glue, replacing the elevator control horn, and finally replacing the very thin ailerons with thicker stiffer stock.

Another new addition is the Robinhood 80 by Old School Model Works.  It’s my first kit in 28 years and is still under construction, but framed up!  It will have a Saito FG-21 gas four stroke engine it.

I’ve been converting all the gas tanks in the gas planes to the clear ones sold for $25 by VVRC.  I just had too many gas tank probs in the season with the white tanks provided in the ARFs.  The clear tanks have nice aluminum fittings , felt clunks, stiff fueling/defueling fittings that eliminate fuel tank issues.  I’ve been using only the 12 ounce tanks since the larger tanks were always too large for my flight times...I always land with more than half a tank left.

I sold several planes to make room for the new ones!  Gone are the Hangar 9 RV-8, the 76” Aerostar, and the small 50” Aerostar (Starstreak in my flight log reports).  It turns out I don’t miss them at all.

And lastly, today I did some small things for next flights on some of the planes.  I added another ounce of lead to the tail of the Ultrastick, as noted earlier for moving the CG back.  I changed the gas tank in my Sbach 342 from the old white tank to the new clear VVRC 12 ounce tank.  And I programmed more exponential into the RV-4.  The plane is sensitive in pitch and roll so that should help both.  If it is still sensitive in pitch, i might actually need more nose weight. 

That’s the best I can do to catch up after the long absence.  Been flying a lot but just too lazy to post!  suffice to say I have flown every plane and heli in the fleet with just a couple exceptions, and I have been enjoying the heck out of them all.

Still too lazy to post flight logs, lol!

Its been a month and a half since doing by flight log blog, terrible!  I have been flying albeit not as frequently due to wind, rain, cold. 

Today I flew my SNAFU.  Mainly I wanted to get it out to tune the engine better since I know it was not running well last time.  Before heading out, I fattened up the low speed idle screw on the OS52FS in the plane.  That helped but the engine faltered a little on the first flight, and also died after landing runout.  I fiddled with it out more, back in , and then finally found a sweet spot which I am sure is richer than what I started with.  Also had to richen the high speed needle.  The engine seems to be singing nicely now....stronger with more smoke trail.  Got in four flights today with many touch and gos to practice landings.  We'll see if it still runs as well next time out.  BTW it was light fog with a low ceiling at first, then burning off enough for regular flying.

Two days ago, I flew my Osiris in slightly less fog.  Got in four flights.  Nobody else there on both days....too cold or dreary looking for them.  It was above 40F both times, with very light winds.

Since last posting in mid October, I got the wheel pants installed on the Val with new mounting hardware that Alex designed and printed for me with his 3D machine.  They look awesome!

I have been flying the Giles 202 several times since putting the new OS160FX engine into it.  Runs well, still breaking in each flight with a slightly leaner setting each time.  It's good not to be running so rich that the power is questionable.  Now there is power to avoid trouble.

The RV-4 has been back up as well.  I installed the wheel pants and have not destroyed them yet, as almost any grass landings just wear FG wheel pants out.  The plane is a joy to fly, and so impressive in the air.  My fave view of the plane is a steady landing approach with flaps down...so pretty.

I have actually made a little progress on the Stinson Reliant!  The elevator is perfectly (so I say) squared up to the fuselage and wing, and now firmly glued in place.  I have also epoxied all hinges for the flight surfaces.  Note I replaced the stock CA hinges for the elevators with hardy Robart point hinges.  Phoenix used big point hinges everywhere else on the plane and it baffles me that they didnt do so on the elevators too.  it was tedious work to clear the hinge locations, test the hinges as located, put vaseline on the hinge lines to prevent epoxy intrusion, then epoxy one side, let dry, then epoxy the other side of each pair of mated surfaces.  I am going to move on to servo installation for the ailerons and flaps next.

Last news.  I ordered the Old School Model Works Robinhood 80 laser cut kit!  $200 plus $5 SH.  Crazy me....heres hoping I actually build it someday!

Last last news.  Tad has long promised me the DLE-35 he never used.  So I decided I want the Hangar 9 Ultrastick 30cc for that engine.  The boys are giving it to me for Christmas!

Just so dang lazy!

So it has been 2.5 months since last posting any flying updates.  Time flies when you are having fun and being lazy too.  I have been flying but am just not into this blog anymore.  I will summarize by saying I flew several times each week since the end of July.  Only in the last couple weeks has flying been less frequent than that because the rains and winds are starting to seep into the Fall weather pattern here.  It is after all what keeps Oregon green and mossy.  I can say I likely flew every plane in the fleet...Bravata, RV-4, Toledo Special, Giles 202, P-47, Val, Stinger II, RV-8, Sbach 342, Intruder, Dirty Birdy, Kaos, Aerostar 76, Aerostar 40F, Starstream, Yak 54, Shoestring 60, and lil Dragonfly.

The ones I have flown most are the big RV-4, Dirty Birdy, and Toledo Special.  I also fly the Dragonfly very often because it is the plane that takes so little space and can be packed into the truck even with the Bravata and RV-4...it fits in jump seat area of the cab.  That plane allows me to have something to fly when the others fail to start or they crash.  No fuss, no muss.

Regarding some maintenance issues.  The bearings on the Toledo Special made the plane sound like a tractor in the sky.  I asked Don to replace the bearings for me, which he gladly did.  I supplied new bearings I had for the engine.  He found a broken piston ring in the engine, bought a new one, and replaced it while doing the bearing job.  He also replaced the valve gaskets with some he had in stock, and did not charge me for them.  Cost was $28 for the ring.  Don is so generous, he even ran the engine in with the new ring, on his engine stand for me.  I have it ready to install in any plane when needed.  While Don did that work, I installed another Saito 82a into the plane, the one that was in the T-28 when it expired a couple years ago.  I had to replace a rod cover , the only part that bent in the crash.  Have since flown the plane a couple weeks ago, and it sounds great again, and the plane is as smooth as ever.

In another engine issue, the OS 160FX in the Giles failed to start about a month ago at the field.  I removed it later at home and did not find any scratches or scoring in the piston or ring, so I left it for future closer inspection and repair.  I have a NIB same engine that I got on RC Universe eons ago.  I installed that in the Giles and ran a couple tanks of glow through it at home for initial break in.  Also took one flight with a very rich setting at the field.  Next few flights I will lean it out slightly each time, but it sounds and seems fine. 

My Val is a nice flying plane but the last time out a few days ago, the engine quit at the top of the loop, and I had a forced landing in the back 40, way out.  Trying to make it to the runway, I stalled the plane, and she started her death spiral.  I did the right thing, let the controls go, kept the nose down, then leveled her out for a decent flat landing in the sparse but ugly field.  That tore both pants back into the wing.  I did some work at home to replace the ultra thin plymash that VQ used for LG mounting.  Cannot even call them blocks....only about 1/4' "thick" and made from plywood mash, not good grade dense plywood.  The work is done except the plastic wheel pant mounts shattered in the crash landing, so I am mailing the one recoverable one to Alex for 3D replication and printing.

Let's see....I added 4.5 oz of lead to the nose of the RV-4 to help make her more groovy.  It does help.  Now the plane will drop its nose a wee bit at the top of the loop, to continue the second half of the loop.  It used to just level out, and require up elevator to pull the nose down at the top.  While a lil more lead would help, I am gonna live with it this way.  Oh last time out, I thumped the left LG hard on a pancake landing, so I removed it and bent it back at home. 

Final news...I ordered the Phoenix Model Stinson Reliant a month ago and have yet to really start assembly.  At least I mocked it up to test fit the wing and stab alignment, which looks darn good.  I ordered six new Hitec D645MG servos, which arrived.  Now contemplating ordering the Saito FG-30B gas four-stroke engine, but am waiting to see if maybe I can get a better price around Black Friday sales.

See there....I have been busy but just too lazy to post about events!