Jeff Winemiller, the LHS owner, sponsored a night of racing at Dunn Racing Park (DRP) in Old Forge, PA. I've never been to an indoor racing park, so I wanted to go and bring my son. First, I had to replace the wheel hub he snapped off his Gambler when launching off the big ramps Jeff keeps at the airfield. Jeff is REALLY into all things RC. With the tire fixed, we headed out only to find out during the practice laps that the frame was cracked in half right below the steering servo. The guys at DRP set us up with a novice truck and took my son's name. I didn't realize they took it to enter him in a race and we were surprised when they called him. I told him to do it for fun, but towards the end he was taking it really seriously. He is so competitive. So here is a video of DRP, which is very impressive, and my son's first race there.

Cal's First RC Car Race @ Dunn Racing Park in Old Forge (6 min 19 sec)

I had a new AS3Xtra, a snow storm coming and a chance to fly in a gym so I took it. There were about 12 kids there and when the AS3Xtra took off they all started chasing it. They were good kids. Even when I landed after each batt, they did not run over and try to pick it up like a lot of 2nd and 3rd graders do. The AS3Xtra took a minute to get used to, but by the end of the 3rd batt, I was flying between the backboards and the posts that hold them in place. I was doing snap rolls, cuban 8s, and everything I haven't been able to do because of the weather. All with the kids cheering me on with my son being the loudest. When it was all done, my wife was actually smiling. Not sure if it was the flying or the fact that I exhausted all the kids who were running trying to keep up with the plane, but she was smiling.

My LHS recently became a Goblin SAB dealer. They got in a few 700 and 770s along with a 500. I thought they were going to sit there, but last night the 500 was the last Goblin standing. I pulled the trigger and put money down on it. This is going to be my first kit. I have torn down and rebuilt most of my fleet, so I don't see that being a problem. I can't wait to have the feel of my 300x in the size of my 500 3D.

I decided to pack light for Thanksgiving since 40 to 50 mph wind gusts were howling for most of the week in NJ. I had the Proto X to chase kids around with, the Nano QX which somehow never was touched and the 130x for when the winds died down. I also had my laptop with Phoenix on it.

Black Friday we do not go shopping anymore and despite the massive amounts of beer I drank on Thanksgiving, I woke up feeling refreshed and immediately noticed the lack of wind. I threw on some clothes, went outside and put 2 batts through the 130x before I realized that it really got cold overnight and I left my jacket inside. I was able to get 6 flights in total and they were all controlled, crash free and full of 3D. The whole time I was flying I was relaxed.

At some point, I checked Amazon and found the GoPro Hero3 Black Surf Edition really cheap. When it warms up and the days get longer, expect more videos from me.