Looks like another window in the weather today, so just about to load up and get out to the field. Not going to bother with any maiden flights today, after Monday's debacle, just going to enjoy the day with proven models.

After over three weeks of not flying, yesterday was a banner day. Got started about 8AM and got up a total of 18 times... flew a little of everything - the Super cub, T-28, Stinson, Extra Slick, Beast 3D and the Extra 300 SHP. I was a little tentative for the first couple of flights, but wound up loosening up and having a great time.

Sadly, we saw the fire west of fort Collins start as a small plume of smoke, and within 30 minutes we could tell that it was going to be a very bad one. They are saying 5000 acres burned already, and its barely been 24 hours. 18 structures have burned (dont know what they are, praying not homes, but Im sure some of them are). Evacuations are extensive. Its going to be a bad fire season in Colorado this year

I just came back from launching fireworks off my Lanyu "Cessna". I have a pitot-tube-like system made out of a straw that holds the firecracker in place just beneath the left wing, and have my friend light it on the ground so that once I take off immediately, the thing can slip out and do its business.

Unfortunately, one of the crackers didn't slip out correctly and remained stuck on the wing. At the last second I was able to perform a snap roll to somehow snap it out of position and very luckily my plane was unharmed.

Came in to land, strapped on another straw, kept those firecrackers going...

Can't fly! too much rain coming in off of the Gulf!
Don

I crashed the tiny balsa plane into a tree yesterday. The conditions were absolutely dead-calm so I headed out for a pack before sundown. Flies great now, but needs just a shade more downthrust. I was getting a very slight power-off dive.

Then I landed and switched to a 4540 prop. WOW FAST. Well, maybe like 35-40mph I was really having fun with it, but then I got behind a small pine tree and got disoriented. Bang, about fifteen feet up. It was an easy climb, but there was significant airframe damage. All of it has been repaired and the plane, as far as I can tell, is flight-ready again. Stab alignment looks a little off, but hopefully I'm just imagining things.

It's windy today, though. I've got the old balsa/foam pylon plane ready for re-maidening, which will hopefully take place later today. It's a heavy brute, but at nearly 450W static it'll have plenty of oomph to get moving. Went nearly vertical on the last attempt

Bad back, bad weather, and a lovely root canal has had me grounded for over a week. Hoprfully over the weekend.

I just came back in from flying the Ghettoflyer - my resurrected TB-20 that crashed 2 years ago. Forget the cowling - new motor mount from HK, borrowed 400-size motor and 18A ESC from Mark, and new tail feathers made from depron. Horizontal stabilizers are based off the original (but shortened by 8cm) but the vertical stabilizer had to be derived from another derivation of the original.

The plane needed significant up elevator as it was a tad bit nose heavy. Will address that. Haphazardly-put-together landing gear fared well, although I do wish the nosegear was stronger. The wing exhibits a lot of upwards flex during flight - worries me about its structural strength a little - won't be doing much loops with this plane.

Despite its handful-to-fly characteristics, I'm happy that the plane went through 4 takeoffs and landings safely and without serious damage.

Today I re-maidened the pylon plane that I crashed on launch several weeks ago. This time the launch went pretty darn well and I got the plane up and flying without difficulty.

It flew beyond amazingly. Butter-smooth, tracks on rails, very quick. I was expecting ~120mph but I'm thinking it's faster. It needed almost no trim, and the small amount of down trim it took will be done mechanically tonight.

The landing was a little bumpy once it touched down. It spun and shredded the prop but there was no airframe damage (it's built like a tank).

I'm very, very happy with it, not just for the speed but for the overall flying characteristics. Kid-on-Christmas type grin I'll be propping down to keep the ESC from burning up, and I'm gonna start looking for a bigger field. The "big" field is feeling pretty cramped now

I'm fixin to head out to the club field to maiden my new H9 80" Piper Pawnee. From all I have read she oughtta be a floater, great for t&g's. Although she's overpowered it won't be flown at WOT but scale like your everyday hard working cropduster which do some pretty amazing things flying on the deck as they do. Hope to get some really good pictures..ZEE

I have returned from the maiden flight and all went very well. As I do with all my maidens I let the senior pilot in the club do the honors. Half way through the flight he handed me my TX and I finished the flight. This plane(Pawnee)flew great on a little less than 1/2 throttle and took off in 2' which I wasn't ready for, it floats. Axial rolls were perfect and this will be my daily flyer. Having the 4 sec.delay on flaps is the bomb with no pitch up or down during deployment. Landing speed was probably 6 mph or less. ZEE

Good for you! I'm happy it went wll and that you enjoy it.
I'm meeting a few folks at the field this afternoon for BSing and maybe even some flying. It is breezy, 10-15 MPH according to the weather channel, and it seems to always be a bit more out there in the open. Fly we will, even if we need to wait for dusk.
Don

Did something Thursday I've not done since starting up with RC in 1979 - flew a model into a tree

First time at a site with a southerly wind - I'm not really that familiar with the site at best and the wind made my downwind leg longer than I thought - the model was above most of the trees' height until I rolled her left for a 180 to finals.

Cost was the infamous 'Pink Stik', an E Flite 32 motor, some cheap ESC from you-know-where and a very nice 4S 3600 LiPo. At least the radio survived the fall out of the tree.

I think I'll skip flying into trees from now on. It's not as much fun as some folk seem to find it. Or at least, maybe they like it, as they're always doing it

This weekend is a total bummer. Supreme Grande PooBaa O'bama is dropping by his Chicago pad to go to an old creep's 'society wedding', so all RC within 30-odd miles of Chicago is forbidden all weekend.

If I'd have known it was going to be like this, would have built myself a control liner!

Speaking about wind, it was blowing pretty good today so you needed to have a plane that weighed about 8lbs. or so, but watching the planes coming in sideways to land was cool other than mine but I did good. With a 80" wing and 8lbs. I can safely fly when others can't or shouldn't. ZEE

The wind was dead outside so I decided to fly the little micro.

First I tried in my front yard. Whoops... I had to rescue it off my neighbor's roof after a few freaky minutes of trying to find a landing spot. Off to the park

I then got a whole ton of simply excellent flying. Lost track of time and flew out two packs for a total of like 15-20 minutes flying time. It was excellent...

Between 6 and 7 AM flying is usually very good for flying here. Also about 7 to 8:30 PM is good too. Right now I live in a canyon with the altitude at about 6500 feet. The Ultre Micros I have are doing well here so far. There is a spring bog about the size of a foot ball field, grass is about 2 feet tall. I have enjoyed flying my FZ Fokker Dr.1, PZ T-28, and PZ Corsair for the last couple months. The deep grass has saved these UM planes a few times. Trees are what I have to stay away from the most. So far so good. This morning while flying my Corsair a doe decided to start grazeing about 5 feet from me. The deer here are wild and at this time of the year is when they haveing their babies, so you have to be carefull around them. I buzzed the doe a couple times, she didn't even care. So I flew another flight and called it a day. This is one of those morning flights I will always remember.
Cheers!
~Fred