Happy Hour

Had a very pleasant hour, if even that much, at the field today.  Nobody was there so it was up and down and repeat six times with hardly a rest.  Didn't even go in the truck to run the heater today.  Temp was about 46F and felt cool but not frigid with the very light wind from the North.  Got the X5 up four times and the 7HV twice.  All good, no panic feelings.  Did a few more flips and inverted straight lines today.  Getting the feel back slowly.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Flew today, just 5 days after the last time, and 2nd time this year, yay!  Flew ok, but not instinctively on some hover attitudes.  Ten weeks off is way too long.  Right side facing me seems to be the toughest one, and nose in again.  Forward flight is fine in all attitudes.  Oh well, need stick time to get it back.  Still, I managed a few flips and stayed inverted in hover without crashing, so that is positive.  Flew the Goblin 500 four times today.  Followed that with the Aerostar 40 for three flights.  No crashes, no repairs, no dumb thumbs.  All is well!

NOTE the crappy sod farm that is pure humps of mud, all 80 acres of it!

NOTE the crappy runway that is pure mud and moss, all 250' of it!

Didn't CRASH!

Helluva  long layoff due to crap wind, temps, rain, snow, babysitting, etc.  Finally got over 40F with light winds today and I went out for a try.  10 weeks without flying is a long time.  Expected to crash.  BUT DID NOT!  I got the X5 out for four flights and then the G500 out for just one.  Drizzled the whole time I was there, but I had to fly!  Finally the drizzle got heavy enough to make me quit and go home with 3 unused packs.  I had only one moment of fright when I did not reflexively act, but I got my brain in gear and continued in one piece.  Even got in a few flips after the first couple packs.  It was good to see if I could still fly and not crash, and to test whether my eyes are still good to fly.  All seems AOK!

Fog, Goblin, and Aerostar 40

Yesterday was calm, just above 50F, but pretty foggy at the field.  I almost did not leave home, but decided to risk it.  Same conditions at the field but I could see the farmhouse from the helipad.  Heck, good enough!  I flew the G500 four times.  Had to stay low and close, but still managed some flips to inverted and some hovering inverted.  Fog forced tighter turns too.  All good, no mishaps!  Flew the Aerostar 40 after that, and kept it close too.  Almost lost it inverted on one disorientation, lol, but recovered a few feet above terra firma.  Yay, I got to take both home in one piece.  I would have flown the 7HV but forgot the charged receiver pack at home!  Oh, the repaired Aerostar flew like it always has....GOOD!  So the damages incurred last time, plus ensuing repairs, have no ill effect on the flyability of that great plane.

Gobbies and Gobbled up!

What a great day of flying even though it was mostly foggy.  I took both Goblins today, and got in 4 flights on the 500 and 3 on the 630.  Due to low ceiling and limited visibility, I stayed pretty close with both and had much fun doing lower than usual flips and inverted hovering.  When I was done with helis, the fog was dissipating and it was much fun to fly the Aerostar 40 low through the pockets of mist, and up high where the Aerostar 40 turned to a ghost.  I got carried away though as pics will attest!  I was having too much fun flying low and damaged the right wing tip of the plane.

Rats, on my last flight, I got too close to the Private Property sign!

If just 3/4" higher, or 6" closer to me,  the plane would have missed the sign post.

The plane actually hit the top tip of the steel post, not the sign itself.  Cuts balsa like butter!

I went home and immediately got at repairing the plane.  It is ready to fly again!  With a slightly different color scheme, lol.

Actually in this one, I already cut away  most of the torn covering, and shredded balsa.
Also, I already glued two pieces of recovered LE back in place.  Good that I collected them at the field!

Repairs to wood completed.

Repairs done.  Note perfect match of newly covered area to rest of wing.
Had to use transparent orange since I don't have transparent yellow.

Flight Log: 11/02/2016

Great day of flying with the field all to myself.  Couldn't figure why no one else came, with temp over 50F, dead calm, mostly sunny skies, no rain at all.  Oh well, go figure!  Enjoyed 5 flights of the 7HV and 2 with the Toledo Special.  That runway officially sucks now with all dead grass being taken over basically by lumps of soil brought up by the night crawlers every where on the field.  Worse it has ever been in my 10 years of membership!  My guess is it will be like this all Winter since the powers that be started the whole reseed operation too late in the Fall.  No worries, the helipad is fine!  I will stick to helis most of  the time anyway.  Got in lots of inverted stuff, and even did some coordinated half circles.

Too dang rainy

That is the view from the car this morning when I tried to fly.  ARG.  I flew a little anyway...3 flights of the X5 and then one with the StarStream.  Flying was fine but the drizzle just would not let up so I gave in and went home.  Had to discharge 7 heli packs and the 3 plane packs!  Good flying anyway since I could still do what I usually do even though conditions were pretty dismal.  I kinda wanted to see if I would lose orientation of the heli in such skies because I feel my eyes, right vision especially, is really deteriorating from the perfection I learned quickly to love immediately after cataract surgery in both eyes.  Not a happy man anymore.