when having a crash-for any reason-it is interesting to analyze the parts and try to reach some conclusions. you may learn some things that help you in the future, be the plane a foamy or scratch-built, as is mine.
when i lost-and recovered-the Thermalis (see page 2 of this blog for details on the plane), i studied the wreckage, that happened as a consequence of loosing it in the fog. then i put it into a dive to minimize the distance from me. still, it fell at about 1 kilometer (.6 mile) and was spotted by a farmer recently, after more than 2 months, so it was pretty well weatherized. it fell at about 60 degrees so it hit hard. the firewall mounting was designed to be strong enough to handle normal situations, even including hard landings without damage, but in case of a crash it would came loose, as it did, so the motor/spinner/prop were not damaged. even the aluminum spinner came out without a scratch, mainly due to landing in farm soil. the wing is held in place with rubber bands, and wires running along the fuselage so in case of a crash it slides forward. so it did, and also came out undamaged. with some rain, and very high humidity, it was soaking wet, and i had to remove the bottom covering of the wing and let everything dry for several days.
the horizontal tail fell and water soaked it through the bare wood exposed at the center where it was glued, so was badly warped and softened, so i had to replace it, but was an easy task. the canopy, that is installed so it...Continue Reading

cowt: whatsthat?
just as there is cavu and snafu, today i found myself at the field deep in cowt.
that is, Cold, Overcast, Windy, and Turbulent.
the forecast was telling that, but early in the morning it showed no wind, so i fell for it and ran to the field. the wind was not too much, and with a positive mind i tried to see it as sort of a challenge and flew my planes for practice.
planes shook, rattled and rolled, and landing was quite a challenge, and not easy to land on the runway.
but after all, flying is an adventure, isn't it?

in the past few days i have been involved in the most fantastic experience. somehow, zillions of birds (literally, hundreds of thousands, believe me) have chosen the area where i fly to make their stage for that extraordinary performance that some times they do early in the morning and in the evening around sunset. i can see the dark cloud from 1 end of the horizon to the other. usually from west to east, suddenly changing direction like a wave, passing right over my head. and they are not scared of my plane, so i have to shy away to avoid a collision.
why they do this, just to enjoy flying together, doing that sudden change of direction; how they synchronize their movements to perfection, is something that escapes my comprehension (and we think we are superior!).
even yesterday on my way back home, they decided to land on an area around the road, so some just landed on the road, for about 1 kilometer, and i had to slow down to a crawl to avoid rolling over them, as they were not afraid of me.
amazing how they feel confident of you, like innocent children trusting you fully.
wonderful times to treasure in the chest of remembrances.
and add this to the joy of flying model airplanes!

telemetry with screen
i got a system that am using with a screen, and i have been testing at the field, with great results. and it is for long range (4 miles).
before, i tried another with goggles, so i have been able to do a comparison.
at this time am flying with the plane in direct sight (LOS), so this 1 has the advantage that if i turn my eyes from the screen i can see the plane at any moment, and this gives me peace of mind. with the goggles i couldn't be sure where the plane was or was heading.
the system i have is from Alex Greve so you can email him at: videoaerial@gmail.com or Emailinfo@stoneblueproductions.com , includes all that is needed, including the screen, except for the connectors to match your batteries, and the only thing it needs is you to solder the connectors that fit your charger. it performs excellent, and the assistance by Alex is the best. he also has several videos (tutorials) where he explains all about it. see: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...iFW4Vr8ITKuiF- and he is the 1 who runs the forum at
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=1355327 where you can ask all the questions.
and here you will find some interesting points of view comparing goggles with screens:
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...1#post26334997
the components i have, and got from him, are shown in this manual:
https://col131.mail.live.com/default...=0&n=109108549
these are: in the plane:
1.3 transmitter; camera; filter; antenna.
on the ground: receiver; antenna.
according to Alex, all these can be purchased from Graves-RC: http://www.gravesrc.com/IBCRAZY_1_3G...fvidsys1.3.htm
and from HeliHobby: http://www.helihobby.com/1-3ghz-rtf-fpv-system.html
but i also got from Alex the screen and the tripod, that can be purchased from other sources. ask him.
you also will need the packs for the transmitter (it is the same as the 1 you use for the radio), and the receiver.
in another post i will bring more details on the instal and the plane am using.

there are days in which everything looks as if you are living a fantasy. not only everything works without fault. everything is perfect!
well, today was 1 of those days. it was dawn. sun just raised. 1st of all, the weather: clear sky, not a single cloud in sight, not too cold, no wind, no turbulence. and the planes flew as in a dream. nothing went wrong.
perfect landings (and several catches), all by myself.
and then came the birds: thousands of them, all flying in those spectacular all-together maneuvers, suddenly changing direction (you have seen that in national geographic documentaries), and nearby. then landed at the field next to ours, flew again and landed at the wires of the antennas of the radio station next to us. all this display for me to admire. they didn't worry about my planes flying close to them.
memories...