Discussion RSA Parade Ground Lunch-time Flyers

[threepdr]

I drove by at 10:45 this AM and it was gone. Not hanging and not on the ground. I guess it blew down, then was picked up by someone

Not a big loss I guess.

Mark

[cmala]

You might want to check again. It was still there at 12:45 PM today unless that was someone elses yellow plane with the cable going through the wing on the north side of the field

It was hanging up there right next to the pole

[threepdr]

cmala,

Thanks I'll check again. It snagged half way between two poles. Maybe the wind scooted it up the line next to a pole and I didn't see it (I was looking from a distance). Can't believe I didn't see that yellow thing!

I wonder if the electronics can survive a night in the wind and rain and still be useful?

Maybe I need new glasses before I buy another plane

[Jim_Marconnet]

Looks like a beautiful week, weather-wise.

Fly 'em if you got 'em!

Jim

[Vicarious]

Today was great for flying. So T3chDad had the idea to recover threepdr's impaled Yellow Bee. Unfortunately, it remained stuck.

Meanwhile, we had the rare simultaneous appearance of 4 (!) Deltastorms! 3 X-41s and 1 X-43.

[goose72]

I noticed that the red one has no canards. How well does it fly like that?

Dave

[Pen]

Originally Posted by goose72

I noticed that the red one has no canards. How well does it fly like that?

Dave

That one is mine and I think it flies great. Craig and Bob have flown both with and without and can give you a better comparison. I believe the active canards give you a little tighter loop but mine is pretty tight without. They definately look sharper with the canards though.

[cmala]

The canards do have an effect. Mine are mixed in with a switch and I have turned them on and off in flight and I can tell a difference.

Having said that, the plane flys just fine without the canards active.

[goose72]

I had talked to Bob earlier and he suggested that I might not want to have working canards just yet. So I will probably build them and hot glue them in place until I get the hang of the aircraft and it's flight characteristics. I'm hoping to get all the electronics tomorrow and have it built by Monday. It will be nice not to have to worry about breaking off landing gear!

[Jim_Marconnet]

Yesterday's delivery of a huge yellow dump truck at the PG gave us a hint of what was to come.

Today at lunch time we saw yet another dump truck and an excavator quickly digging about a foot off the top all along the North side, and the dump trucks creating a mountain of dirt way over along the South fence. Also they put up a "fence" of bagged absorbent stuff staked all along the perimeter, presumably to keep in some of the likely to occur mud, I'm guessing. No concertina wire, or machine-gun emplacements, however.

Anyway, it looks like a comparatively long occupation is planned, during which time we have only a half a Parade Grounds, grass-wise. But we do have additional free ongoing live entertainment!

Jim

[Jim_Marconnet]

Clearly during Octoberfest, rock-concert, or military event setup, operation, and teardown, we don't fly at the PG. The same goes when they are actively mowing it.

I'm thinking that at the very least, we need to move our parking, standing, and flying to the far East end and do no more low-level screaming passes over the construction area.

Perhaps we should retreat all the way to Whitesburg during this construction project. It would be a shame if we distracted one of those huge yellow monsters, causing accident or injury; and thereby risking our continued use of this wonderful flying field.

What do you guys think?

Jim

[Pen]

I didn't see Jim's posts and tried to go to the PG today. Man, I hope they are not putting up a new building there on our flight line. That will pretty much ruin the spot for RC. Are you guys going to WBC now? Any idea what they are doing?

[Jim_Marconnet]

Chuck and I went to R/C Hobbies today at lunch. On the way back, we stopped to see the progress at the PG. Chuck pointed out that they are doing way too much work there and are spending way too much money to be just regrading the swamp left after the Octoberfest. His best guess was a new parking lot at the very least, if not a new building or two.

Bummer!

Pen beat me to the punch in publicly conjecturing on their nefarious scheme.

I'm reminded of that glorious early morning we were last flying at the field that is now Northrup Grumman. As we were flying, the semis started lining up with construction equipment along the road into that terrific flying site in Research Park. They waited for us to finish flying, then they tore out of that place.

Jim

[Jim_Marconnet]

I just got off the phone from a trusted MWR source who knows what's going on at the Activity Field. And was willing to share it!

Not a new parking lot after all. They are working to improve the water and electricity there and to alleviate the rain water/drainage problems. Better fencing. Improved shade pavilion for command changes. Adding a heat-resistant durable surface (not blacktop!) for rock-concerts and similar large group events so the trucks don't tear up the field like they did this year repeatedly. Since the rock concerts could be held any time from May thru August, they are working to have it all finished by May. It's a terribly RUSH project.

Also, the building to the west of the Activity Field is being remodeled into a MWR Community Activity Center. It will have salads, sandwiches, recycle bins, etc. A place to meet and to socialize, not to mention to watch us fly our R/C planes at lunch time. No, she did not mention the last part.

Jim

An afterthought: This all seems like good news. But it also means that busy heavy construction will go on there from now straight thru the Winter and into the Spring. And that if we fly there, people will notice us even more than in the past. I really don't know where that all leads us.

One more afterthought: I'm hereby resigning my volunteer position as Activity Field rut-hoer and fertilizer-spreader!

[chuckand]

No matter what goes up, there is plenty of room to the east.

Who knows... we may end up with a paved run-way.

Chuck