More weekend flying, Sunday June 24

It was nice and fairly calm this afternoon, a rarity wind-wise around here and not a car in the church parking lot, and that was my calling. So I thought, okay, let's go see what this thing will really do. I had neatened up the balancing arrangement on the Streak and added 2 more grams, which had it nosing over perfectly at the recommended c/g. I re-packed the Radio Flyer and headed to the church yard about 6:00. I didn't take the camera, too much trouble, just figured I'd file a flight report.

Cranked up the trusty .051 and this time when I pulled it free, I gave it full up at first and it didn't dip a bit. The elevator was set less sensitive and the new balance was right on. She was a dream to fly, all be it at 97 freakin miles per hour. Seemed like it anyway. I'm going to add 5 feet of line to my radius for an 80 foot circle instead of 75. I hope that'll make it feel slower. Did I mention I put a full ounce of fuel in it?

Anyway, off she went for a couple of flat laps, so I pulled up for a nice clean loop and leveled off out of it at the same height I started it, just like the old dudes do. On the next lap I pulled up higher just to be safe and gave it full down and she rolled through an outside loop just the same radius as the inside loop. So a lap or two later I flipped it inverted and did some laps. No loops or anything, I still am rusty this season on that stuff. Had it been the Stuntman, I would have done anything. That old beater is indestructible.

I flipped it back and went around a couple and did a figure 8. I lost count, but I just stood there going back and forth. No wingovers. I have done very few of them and even less on purpose. Ain't it nice to have a fat load of fuel! The TD runs so good it's unbelievable. Best $32 I ever spent on modeling. I was thinking about fuel by now so I continued doing flat laps sticking in a loop or two here and there. I even did a triple inside loop. Only 2 single outsiders. For some reason I'm less comfortable with those, probably because no other plane flies as nice when you work the elevator as the Flite Streak. The less sensitive setting had no effect on the size of the loops, it just smoothed out my spastic handling. It doesn't care which way you want it to go, it just goes where you point it. I'll get used to it. I need to learn some real contest stunts. I may skip the vertical 8s for a while. And on we fly, it's gotta run dry sometime. And it did. I can fly it a whole lap easily after the engine quits even if I'm just 6 feet off the ground. I didn't know any plane would glide like that. And then I touch down with my usual grassy nose-over. Oh well. I can roll the Stuntman in the grass but it has two wheels. What a great idea.

My babe showed up about the time I landed it and said, Aw, you crashed. I said, I did not, it always lands like that! She knows it too, she's just picking on me. Then I said, Hey, would you please go get the camera for me.This was just too damn good to not get on the Tube.

So while she was gone, I flew another half-ouncer, probably 3 minutes or so. I don't know, that last flight seemed like it lasted 15 minutes. It was really closer to a few minutes. Zooming around like that will wear you out. When she got back with the camera, I set it up and staged another flight. You will see it comes straight out of the stooge now and off I went. You have to watch very close but on the 3rd lap I did an inside loop, then on the 4th lap I did an outside loop. Then on the 5th or 6th lap I flipped it to go inverted. But rather than leveling off, it went into an outside loop... not by my command, it just did. I was pulling out of it, had it horizontal and the wheel hit the ground. All I can figure after looking at the wreck is the zip tie holding the hex nut weight must have popped. It was touching the inboard aluminum engine mounting brace. I found the nut a quarter lap before it hit the ground.

Boy... I mean boy was I [bleep]. Yesterdays cracks were untouched. There was no dirt on the engine or nose bolt, so the front end had no real impact, just a gut wrenching belly flop and a 6 foot high bounce before it stopped. The bladder was popped too. When I got it to the shop, I saw the underside of the nose under the engine was all scarred up, all the way to the wood. I think the nut and the vibration was responsible for that. After peeling some paint off, I saw the wood was wet. The doublers are still hard as a rock though.

No more strapping nuts to it. I an going to relocate the engine so it does all the balancing, fill the old screw holes with epoxy and add some fiberglass. I do not want to fuel soak it, continue to wreck it and render it a hangar queen. So it'll be a week before she's ready to fly again. With longer lines and a slower prop at least until I prove I can fly without wrecking it.

Anyway, as much as I hate to show you this, here it is. If you can't do full screen and set it to HD, you won't see much.