Heya All,

Sorry I disappeared for a few months - I do that now and then. I let my radio take a bath in the rain and then just got busy doing other things.

Picked up a Spectrum DX8 and started setting up airplanes again last week. Have about a dozen of them programmed in now and have been running trim flights on those.

I think the Techone Swift is still my favorite.

Wolfe

Have mostly been flying the Techone planes and the Formosas lately. Partly because it has been windy - 10 to 15 mph most of the time - and partly because I am really trying to learn rudder.

My rudder flat turns are coming along pretty well. I am getting comfortable with those now. Have started working on inverted flat rudder turns as well.

Also starting to Knife Edge a little - still not so good at that. Flying a lot of inverted eights lately with inverted rolls at the crossing point.

Also flying circles and trying to switch back and forth to inverted at each quarter of the circle while maintaining a smooth circle. Lots of work to do on still on this one.

I usually fly at 110% throw on high rates and about 45% expo on all surfaces. Have started cutting down the rudder expo to reduce the amount of side to side movement needed for the rudder turns. That seems to be helping to keep the throttle more constant. Have that down to 20% now, and will probably keep reducing it a little at a time.

Ordered a couple of new plane from Airborne/World Models - the Miss America Mustang EP and the Groovy 3D. have the Mustang a long time ago and it was my favorite airplane back then. The Groovy also looks interesting - similar in design to the GWS Formosa which I really like. Those should show up soon.

Wolfe

Maiden +3 on the TechOne Swift tonight. WOW!!! This one is a real winner. She flew really well.

Am using an E-Flite Power 10, APC 11x5.5 prop, HK 50 amp ESC, 2200 mah 3s batteries, and HiTec HS-65hb servos.

This plane is really smooth in the air. She has a very wide speed range and just floats in to land. Had unlimited vertical with this set up.

Also flew the SU-31 with the stock motor - another winner. Both of these planes are a pleasure to fly. I like the Extra 330 too, but it is not quite as good as these other 2.

If you have not tried a TechOne airplane, you probably should consider one of these. I don't think anyone would be disappointed with what you are getting at pretty reasonable prices.

Wolfe

Doesn't look like there will be any flying this weekend. Winds are to 15+ mph - too much for me. Guess it is a good weekend to fix things...

Formosa 2 - needs a new motor, which I have

TechOne Extra 330 - Also needs a new motor that showed up today - guess I will do that one first

Airfield P-40 - needs new motor and ESC - have those too but they need some soldering. Also needs the retract wells glued back in.

Jackbuilt Trainer - needs one of th aileron servos glued back down

Dynam Catalina - need to finish the painting, put the Corrosion X soaked ESC's back in, and finish the build.

TechOne Swift - waiting on electroncs to finish this one.

If I can finish the Extra 330, the Formosa 2 an the trainer repairs today and wathc a little March Madness it should be a good day

Wolfe

The Swift showed up today - 47" wingspan. Started the assembly but I will need to wait on a motor and servos. Going with Hitec HS-65hb servos on this one. Those are a bit expensive, but I have had good luck with them on a couple of other planes so far. And they are the right size. Anxious to try this one - should get her in the air sometime next week.

Also got the motor for the SU-31 today. Went with the stock motor - AT 2216 - 1250kv, so it should be right for this plane. This one is ready to go for tomorrow.

Still waiting on a replacement motor for the Extra 330. Might get that tomorrow - Heads Up RC is usually pretty fast. Won't take much to install the motor and get this one back in the air too.

The FlyFun is still flyable, but I still need to get her balanced correctly. It's been a little too windy to fly this one, but hopefully we will get some decent weather this weekend and I can get her sorted out.

I really like the TechOne airplanes, though, admittedly, I don't have a lot of flight time on any of them so far - maybe around 20 flights altogether, mostly on the Extra. But I am impressed with the kits - good quality for the price, and the mid-wings 3d planes all seem to fly well initially.

If anyone is looking for a highly agile sport/aerobatic airplane, you could do a lot worse than one of these.

Wolfe

Well after a few flights on the TechOne Su-31, I decided that she needs a bit more power. So I picked up a TechOne Extra 300 to use for the power system that was in the the 31. Have a dozen flights on the Extra now, most in a fair amount of wind, and I am really happy with this plane. I will order a new motor for the 31.

In general, other than the FlyFun, which does not fly well so far, I am really impressed with these kits - especially for the price. Am going to order the Swift next - 47" wingspan.

I am not looking to become a true 3D pilot, but I do want to become more instinctive on inverted flight, rudder use, and more complicated transitions from upright to inverted.

Because these planes are inexpensive and appear to be extremely durable, I find I am pretty comfortable to toss them around the sky. And like most 3D airplanes, they have a pretty wide speed envelope and will perform most aerobatics at reasonably slow speeds if you kick up the throws.

I look at these as extremely agile sport planes, and I have not been the least bit disappointed in how they fly. I think I am going to learn a lot on these airplanes.

Wolfe

Well the FlyFun has not flown well at all so far. She is extremely tail heavy and was barely flyable on the first attempt. A beginner would have had NO chance to for a successful flight. Moving the battery to the top of the fuse just behind the firewall helped quite a bit, but it still wasn't enough. and I think it mae the center of gravity to high up.

I will give her another try with the battery under the fuse to see if that helps, but I am not optimistic.

Don't buy this airplane. The FlyLite is a LOT better for about the same money.

Wolfe

Just finished up the TechOne FlyFun. I think I am going to like this one assuming that she flies reasonably well. If she does, I will probably get another one so I can send one to Ian in North Carolina and have one on hand here for the local grandkids to fly.

Anyway, my trainer fleet is now pretty complete for the coming year. Last year I had a couple of HZ Champs and 3 Foamy "Jackbuilt" airplanes for the kids to use. All were 3 channel.

While the Champs flew well enough, I found they were too hard to see well up very high so we had to keep them lower. Hard for the kids to do, and not much time for "Saves" on the buddy box. So I sold those off and they won't be part of the "Trainer Fleet" this year.

The "Jackbuilt" planes are designed and built by a local pilot. They flew very well, but had a fixed wing and were big enough that they were hard to transport in my little ranger truck. This year, Jack has a new design with a removable wing, and is offering both 3 channel and 4 channel wings. So I sold off last years models and got a couple of the new models for this year. Have a 3 channel and a 4 channel to use since most of the grandkids are pretty close to being able to solo and 3 of the locals will probably get there this summer. I am thinking at least a couple of them will be ready to move up to 4 channel and Jack's airplanes fly very well.

Also still have the MPX Easy Cub. That is good one for after they can...Continue Reading

Just got 2 TechOne planes. Never tried one of these before.

The first one is a trainer for the Grandkids
http://www.nitroplanes.com/02a-006-4...-blue-kit.html

Only 39 USD for the kit. Looks like a good plane. Nice size for a small park flyer. Should be really durable.

Looks like it flys well enough from the HK video of the same airplane. Scroll down for the video..
https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s..._EPP_PNF_.html

I will put this one together and see how it flies, then try to take it back a part and send it to Ian in North Carolina.

The second plane is for me. I have been wanting to get a really durable foamy 3D airplane to practice on - yeah, rudder turns and knife edges. Hoping this one will fly nice and slow and take a beating...

http://www.nitroplanes.com/02a-003-su-31-epp-kit.html

Have started putting these together today - too windy to fly - but still need some electronics before I can finish them. Those are ordered, but not all here yet. So, I will get them as ready as I can until the parts come.

So far, I am impressed with these kits for the price. Hopefully they will fly well

Wolfe

Well I think I am starting to make some progress on these, but it seems slow. Guess that should not surprise me. Have been taking at least some time in most flights on most planes and trying to run "Rudder Turn Figure Eights". At least now I am getting better about keeping the throttle more constant.

I still have to think about it, though. It seems a long way from instinctive.

Wolfe

I probably would not have gone out yesterday - wind was up around 10 mph - but Dave wanted to go, so I went along too.

Turned out to be a great afternoon of flying down at the club. Almost no one else there, so we pretty much had the runway all to ourselves for about 3 hours. Flew the PZ Spitfire, my Extreme Flight Extra, and the Airfield Sky Trainer. All flew pretty well in that much wind.

Wolfe

So I have never been very good at soldering, but I have been getting lessons lately from a couple of RC Friends - thanks Russ and Art. So now I am feeling a little better about it.

Got this little tool at Art's suggestion ....
http://thejigsup.net/

Oh Yeah - it rocks. Just soldered up and tested a new ESC and it seemed to go well. Will be useful to develop this skill again.

Raining today - might get out later to fly if the weather breaks.

Wolfe

After you've been in this hobby for a few years, you have probably had the chance to fly a lot of different airplanes like I have.

Most of them come and go. Most of these were probably fun to fly, but nothing you would consider special and you would not replace them once they go down.

There are always few, though, that stand out - the ones that just had something about them that made them unique.

These are the ones I am currently enjoying the most and would probably replace once they have had enough.....

GWS Pico Moth
Just a classic slow flyer. Long flight times, majestic in the air. A really relaxing airplane to fly on calm days

GWS Moth 400
A really special military bipe. Very scale in flight. Flies extremely well at medium speeds and slows down nicely to land. Capable of limited aerobatics. Inexpensive

GWS Formosa 1
One of my current "Go To" airplanes. Very aerobatic. Does well in some wind. Quick, agile and inexpensive. Can fly well in small parks. Inexpensive

MPX Gemini
An exceptional aerobatic bipe. A very wide speed envelope. Sturdy construction. Slows down very well to land. Looks good in the air. Handles some wind surprisingly well.

3DHS 41" Edge
This one has very wide performance envelope. Tame down the throws and she is a very good aerobatic/sport plane. Crank the throws up and she is fully 3D capable - though I am not much of a 3d pilot - and she is incredibly quick and agile. Does pretty well in some wind. Good for learning advanced aerobatics.

PZ Spitfire
Probably the best of the Parkzone Warbirds . I think I have flown them all now. This one is exceptionally smooth for a Spitfire and has no bad habits. She looks really incredible in the air and is a joy to fly.

RipMax Spitfire.
This is the smoothest warbird I have ever flown. She does everything well. Too bad they aren't available in the states anymore that I can see.

Wolfe

I work from home mostly and publish a monthly advertising magazine, so once a month we have 2 days of deadlines where we need to submit the magazines to the printer. Today is day 2 of that. Typically I am stuck near the computer in "Hurry Up and Wait and then do this 10 minutes ago" mode. That was today.

But also, typically, it is a good time to repair airplanes while I hurry up and wait.

Fixed the GWS P-40 that I managed to park in a tree yesterday. Not really sure how I did that - too slow on a downwind turn, I think. She rolled over and dived and I could not catch her. The only good thing about landing in trees is that often you don't get too much damage. In this case, just a loose motor mount and a broken prop and a few minor dings. Put a 3-blade 9060 prop on her this time. I will see if I like her better. So far I am not overly impressed with this one. Nothing wrong with her, really, just nothing special about her.

Also put the finishing touches on an Airfield 55" Sky Trainer. She is ready to maiden now next time the winds cooperate. Trike gear and flaps - should be fun.

Still waiting on the new motor and ESC for the Airfield 1400 mm P-40. Wish those would get here.

I still have to fix the GWS Moth 400. The aileron servo needs to be replaced, but I have to cut off my wing wires to do it. Just haven't had the heart yet LOL. And it has been a bit windy to fly that one anyway.

I am giving some thought to getting a replacement air...Continue Reading

Probably more, actually, but I am only giving my self credit for 1500 flights in my first 5 years of flying before I took a break, and just hit 500 flights since coming back last summer. The Formosa 1 got the honors.

You would think I would be really good at this by now LOL. I am decent, but not great by any means. I still can't really use the rudder on a 4C very well.

I don't crash too often anymore, though, and I am happy with that.

Wolfe

Losing orientation is just not a good thing.

I did put the Extra back together after her last fiasco, and had her out late this afternoon. Made one last flight just before dusk and lost orientation running inverted figure eights. She came down hard in the trees - both good and bad - and was resting about 30 feet up. Since she hit the trees, electronics were not damaged. Fuse and wings came down in pieces, though, so this one is done now.

Am mostly happy to get all the electronics back - did not really like the plane that much anymore anyway, so I am not feeling all that bad about it other than the fact that I hate to crash anything.

Will move the electronics to a new home and trash the remains of this one.

Wolfe

Got back out this afternoon and put 6 batteries through the Gemini. Spent a good part of each flight working on the rudder turns. Made some progress today, I think.

The MPX Gemini is a very good airplane. It is probably one of the few I will replace when she finally bites the dust. She has a wide speed envelope, the appeal of a bipe, and handles some wind amazingly well. Am up to 40 flights on mine and I keep appreciating the way he flies more and more.

Today was a good day. Low winds this morning and again late in the afternoon. Got in about 8 batteries on my own and 4 on the buddy box in 2 sessions.

Wolfe

Well I had pretty rewarding morning teaching a couple of new pilots. One of them is picking it up more quickly than anyone I have ever seen after only about 2 weeks. He is flying well and even landing well and seems to have complete control of his airplanes most of the time.

The other is still on the buddy box, but I rarely have make save, and he is only on his 5th battery on a 4C high wing trainer.

I did get in a couple of Formosa flights which went well.

Wolfe

Well I got a chance to fly the upgraded Mosa 2 this afternoon. Went from a 480 on a 2200 3s to a Power 25 on a 3300 3s. AUW is now 40 oz, but she carried the weight very well.

Am using an APC 12x6E prop, so not getting a ton of speed, but I am getting a lot of authority at medium and med/slow speeds which is what I wanted. I liked the way she flew - no shortage of power now and no dead lead weights needed for CoG anymore.

I still think I like her little sister a little better - the Formosa 1 - but this one closed the gap quite a bit with the new motor. This one should do very well in some wind, which is also something I wanted, and the bigger plane is a little more majestic in the air.

Might even put some time into giving her a better paint job now LOL. All in all, I am pretty happy with the way this one flies at this point.

Wolfe

This is getting to be one ragged looking airplane after her recent crash. Wingtips are badly crushed and taped now, cowl is broken and taped, wings are loose and will probably need to be glued in. The electronics are in great shape, though

Not sure whether to strip the electronics and save them for something else, or keep flying this one. She is not my favorite airplane by any means. The 3DHS Edge is much better and the GWS Formosa 1 is at least as good, so this one doesn't have any special place in the hangar anymore.

On the other hand, she is an aerobatic airplane that I don't really care that much about anymore, so maybe there is a place for that. Nothing really to lose by pushing her to the limit and messing up.

Wolfe