Summer is coming to the desert!

Man, it was a warm one today. First really hot weather of the year. Everyone was leaving the club just as I got there...which means I had the place to myself.

I've promised some pix of the project planes, so I thought that I'd at least provide some shots on the ground. No one around to take action shots!

Oh, and the performance on "The Bruise" is much improved. Seems as if the cable I was using wasn't allowing the throttle to open all the way. Fixed that problem with a pushrod. An 11x7 Master Airscrew prop awaits the chance to replace the 11x6 Zinger which has served so well until now, even though it may have been a bit much for the Thunder Tiger GP .40 it came attached to.

This Evolution 46 has no trouble swinging this prop! Even though it's a bit underpitched from the factory recommendations, the difference between it and the .40 is amazing. Snap rolls and knife edge are a flick of the sticks away. The SPAD is running better the more I run the crud out of the engine and there's plenty of compression, but there's a lot of oil blow-by past the front crank bearing and the nut at the end of the carb hold-down bolt is stripped. Carb's nice and tight, though. I've been fiddling with the low end and I think I finally got it working right.

Re. "The Bruise:" I'd have never guessed that a fifteen-year-old castoff which the original builder/owner couldn't give away (except to me) would become one of my favorite planes.