Flight report from Fort Jackson

That was a pretty good run. I'll get your flights uploaded tomorrow. Gotta recharge for a while.

Planes are certainly looking good Rusty not to mention sounding good. Enjoy as were certainly going to be dormant for a while when the temps start going down. Ken

Ken Cook wrote:            Planes are certainly looking good Rusty not to mention sounding good. Enjoy as were certainly going to be dormant for a while when the temps start going down. Ken

Thanks Ken. Not only temps but i have to wait till my FBI background check clears before I can get on the fort without Ron. Cribbs got that Fox acting like it's supposed to. Honestly I had never quite figured out when it was doing the proper Fox thing and now he's showed me how. I was finally confident after his tweaking and prop change to point it anywhere and was powering through cloverleafs and the basic stunts with authority. I know it's not meant for that but it shows that it's got great ability and I'll be mixing more fun flying into my field trips. What a great flying plane! I finally got a good handle matched up to it too, one Mark Boesen made.

Now that the Osprey is wrecked I don't have a stunter in the fleet that's ready to fly. Guess I better get to work. The Magnum will be pressed into action soon as it only needs nose paint to ready it. And some new bearings in the 46fx. Maybe by the time I get my civilian pass to the fort I'll have the Oriental flying.

I can't believe in a period of 4 weeks I've gone from two stunters to none. That's a bad little run. Both died in the V8. I was heartbroken about the old Copeland Skyray, but I never bonded with the Osprey. Maybe some leadout adjustments or something were all it needed but I'll never know now. And I'll never everspend so much B,S&T customizing a plane again. That's all that hurts about that. So much time building it and now it's gone. Maybe I'll put that 25fp on the Shoestring, that should be a better fit than the TT Pro.

I was resisting posting the pic, but might as well. Here it is:

Rusty, I can share your pain. I can honestly say, been there and lived it. Everything can be repaired and this plane can be put back together without too much effort. One thing that may help, if you decide to build more of them. I personally dislike sheeted trailing edges. They warp horribly and give little to no strength lending to flexing and mushing out in the maneuvers. They also become a real pain in the rear to repair due to it almost needing 100% replacing. You can buy aileron stock and rip your own solid trailing edges and the notches for the ribs can be easily made with a fine blade in a table saw or just using 2 hacksaw blades tape together. The fuse of your plane can be put back together and a little glass over the repair and all will be good without adding a lot of weight. I completely understand that covering can be expensive and other related items. Do you have excess covering for the repair? Just glue it back together and keep flying. One thing that may help until these crazy things stop happening is to just cover the plane in clear and go fly it. Phil Cartier has his SLC covering which works great for open bay structures. We use it on the foamies and many use it on stunters. If you want design, scuff with Scothbrite and have at it with a spray can. It receives paint like Rustoleum with no issues.

While were on the Phil subject, ever consider a profile with a plug in foam wing? A very simple thing to do and these can take serious ground poundings. You can make the wing cutout and oversize it slightly using a 1/32 ply saddle about 1 1/2" wide . Slide the wing in, just put a few dots of Gorilla glue or just tape the wing in using vinyl electrical tape. If it hits the ground you have a sacrificial joint which breaks away. Phil offers kits like this which are designed for the LA or Fp.25. They fly excellent . Ken

Heartbreaking but not soul destroying. Adapt, overcome and move onwards and upwards!

There is a balance between building and flying. Although I like both, the time I have for flying is limited - work, weather and travelling - but I do enjoy building. While not control line, like Ken suggests foam for wings, most of my planes are very tough foamies that repair easily but they soon take on a sad appearance and they still fly.

I find it difficult to repair a balsa bashed model - perhaps not difficult but hard to motivate myself to doing it. I use a breakage as an excuse to seek to better things.

I am impressed with (envious of) the progress you have made with stunting but I often wonder if it is worth the effort of achieving the ultimate in finishes. I suppose everyone has their own preference for building vs flying. Mine is building (not quite into finishing though!) but I have to be realistic in the life expectancy of my models. However, if I could achieve the ultimate in finishes - I would!

As with any crash, the pain is in the last few inches.

With a foam wing as Ken suggests, you would have a much easier repair or replacement. A recent incident of mine with a Multiplex Parkmaster



I had a very off day - landed it upside down (at speed) and broke the fin. A touch of CA and it was back in the air in 3 minutes.

Then I managed to clip the ground with a wing tip and it cartwheeled wing tip to wing tip. A couple of dings but no break.

I slipped on the muddy ground and sat on it. Took it home and after about an hour - I had repaired the broken fuselage, the badly broken wing and a few cracks that had appeared in the tailplane.

It flew again the next morning. I loaned it to my pal to practice with - he has since painted it after filling with "Wonderfill" and coating the foam with "Foam Armour". It now looks new!

Being lazy - I bought another one!

I'm not too worried about the Osprey but did take home a couple of lessons. I'll never use contest balsa for ribs again, at least not for a stunt trainer. Nor will I ever spend 4 months unnecessarily customizing the looks of a plane. It sure was beautiful parked on the pad or hanging in the shop, but I never warmed up to that plane. Wayne flew it and thought it to be a marvelous pattern flyer, but I don't have his hand at it yet and really never once finished a flight feeling like I'd done well. So goodbye Osprey. And good riddance. You sucked anyway. Lol. Like hooking up with a gorgeous babe and realizing there's a funky smell under her britches.

I have a set of foam wings that I think are either TEOSAWKI or Ukey wings, not sure which, so I might build something out of that. Probably Ukey as I've had them for 2 years. Is the TEO that old? Meanwhile a shot of paint and set of engine bearings and the magnum will get me stunting again, and the Oriental is on the fast track now, as I've only been piddling with it up until now.

Before Ron and I go out again I am going to put a long control horn on the Shoestring. Ron also thinks it's way too twitchy, and the OS 25fp from the Osprey will get a ride on it. So no more coughing out in every loop. I was never able to cure that, always making the SS nerve wracking to fly. And am looking forward to more Yak-9 flights, that one is an absolute blast to fly. I just wish I could get a spinner on it with that 10" APC prop, but the shaft is not long enough.

Oh yeah, and it was worth it all just to get out and fly with Ron. He knows how to have fun with planes. I've been looking forward to that for a while now.

Till next time,
Rusty

Rusty, I personally feel you would benefit from a .35 size Flite Streak. Drop back, take a long deep breath and either find a old stock Streak or get a Brodak version. They fly over the top. I can't say enough positive things about the Streak. Brett and his Skyray setup never did anything positive to my liking and I've been around enough to see what works and what doesn't. If you think that Yak can fly, just wait until you get your hands on a Streak. Bad @## plane and still probably one of the best flying profiles out there. NO mods, No changes, NO ARF, just a Streak and a engine. If there was ever some good advice to take, it would be this. I've seen more flyers learn the pattern and fly a decent pattern on Streaks. Brett likes to suggest that the Skyray has the same moments, NOPE! it doesn't fly like a Streak. You being a 1/2A enthusiast with the Baby Flite Streak, you'll fall in love with the .35 size. I wouldn't even put a tank on it. Fit a T-8 fluorescent light tube guard into the outboard wing 6" long and bolt that .25FP .

Set up the FP to run on bladder, no futzing around, no tank issues, no quitting or puttering overhead, just balls to the wall flying all day long. Get a OS # 1A needle and mount it remotely. NOT A OS REMOTE that comes with the LA series as that's a POS. I can provide you with the all the info to have a plane that will never let you down aside from 30 MPH winds. Ken

Thanks Rusty!

You know, it's hard to think of things to say when someone clobbers a bird right in front of you. I think you handled it very well. Maybe being calm was for my benefit, but I was pretty impressed with the way you handled yourself.

When I plowed the Cardinal in, I think I threw my hot rock up in the air and walked away for a minute.

Enough about that.

Rusty made the save of all saves when he pushed it a little on a low tank. The Yak had cut out up high and inverted and floated across the circle toward me. I could hear the rush of wind coming off it. Rusty had run in the opposite direction to regain tension and as it caught it did a 180 and righted itself immediately and with authority about 2ft off the ground. It came in a little hard, but man it was spectacular.

I couldn't quite get the hang of the Shoestring, now Rusty could fly it just fine, but it kept scaring the crap out of me everytime I would flip it on it's back. We think we have the problem nailed down now though. I would be happy to give it a go again.

I had a great time and the weather was superb. One of those days where you could stunt anywhere in the circle due to lack of wind.

Ron

Edit: I just read Ken's post and I have an original TF Flite Streak. It's pretty plain, but it's yours if you want it. I will probably never mess with it. I can remove the wing and tail and it should ship well. As you know I am not a FS fan due to styling. I have seen them fly though so I know they are capable. That way you can keep the Oriental for contest day,

Ron

My favorite flying profile which I feel flies as good as any full bodied stunter is the Brodak p-40. ARF or kit version. The plane flies some of the best flying patterns I've witnessed and it literally receives little to no credit. Philly Fliers have won many contest flying them. Profiles are really fun . Ken

Thanks guys, this all sounds very tempting. I'll have to mull it over and make sure I'm mentally thinking straight before I commit. But one good sign is that I have the itch to fly... Right now. I need a handle in my hand. I must be addicted to flying.

Ron, the weather next Sunday is forecast to be bad but we'll keep an eye on it. Wayne wants to arrange a trip to Watt's soon, so I'll make sure he knows your schedule.

I better clean and oil the Osprey's 25 tonight and double check the old Skyray 35 too. I can't remember if I ever post flighted it. Probably did, I don't usually overlook that sort of thing.
Rusty

Here's Ron wringing out the Yak-9.

https://youtu.be/Pun1B0ZwOnc

Sorry to see the plane that you put so much effort in to finish end up this way. Sorry Rusty. I really hope you can get a new plane in the air soon.

Theo

No worries, Theo, I'm on it. But thanks for the condolences.
Rusty

Flight Streaks are one of the best if not the best profile control line model sold over the counter. Leave the rudder off and make new plywood doublers that extend past the back of wing . I made one with a full flying stab , it was insane but the stock set up flies just fine . Great slow combat plane with a Super Tigre .35 Combat . Sorry you lost your plane Rusty , Good thing you don't fly combat.

Mike1484

Hi Mike.
Actually I'm thinking about trying combat. I have a 1/2A Gladiator with a Norvel .061 awaiting its first flight. I sure do love to watch a good combat match.

Don't know if you knew about it, but that Osprey was not actually a Flite Streak, it was a Skyray with Streak looks. But I do love my Baby Streaks. I always figured a 35 Streak might be too twitchy as a stunter, but Ken is changing my mind on that. We'll see, it could happen. Andrew has told me about slow combat with the Streaks.

The Oriental ARF is on the table right now, so that and my Magnum will keep me flying for now, though the Magnum is a bit big for me and my fragile arm and shoulder. I'm looking forward to the Oriental.
Rusty

Rusty, warming up on a profile is a great idea. Wring it out for a bit and go fly the Oriental. I don't know the cause of the crash if it was engine related or wind or just a plane that just wasn't grooving correctly. Everyone can add advice but I can tell you that the full size Streak will fit the bill for you. I say this due to your 1/2A experience and your desire to achieve a nice pattern. The Streak is twitchy and it has whatever you need it to do to get you out of trouble. All this however can be changed to suit your needs. The Streak has a nice thick wing and the correct moments. One of our stunt fliers at the club flew combat 2 weeks ago at our combat contest. He was flying a Brodak Streak with a 3 oz. medium wedge and a FP.25. I can't tell you how impressive that plane was. He even attained a cut off of one of our most experienced. The experienced pilot was flying a choked down F2d model and while it was running the same speed as the Streak it could out turn it. The Streak pilot just waited and once the F2D plane went high, he pulled full up and took the streamer. I had to laugh. Reminded me of the rabbit and the hare. Ken

RknRusty wrote:Hi Mike.
Actually I'm thinking about trying combat. I have a 1/2A Gladiator with a Norvel .061 awaiting its first flight. I sure do love to watch a good combat match.

Don't know if you knew about it, but that Osprey was not actually a Flite Streak, it was a Skyray with Streak looks. But I do love my Baby Streaks. I always figured a 35 Streak might be too twitchy as a stunter, but Ken is changing my mind on that. We'll see, it could happen. Andrew has told me about slow combat with the Streaks.

The Oriental ARF is on the table right now, so that and my Magnum will keep me flying for now, though the Magnum is a bit big for me and my fragile arm and shoulder. I'm looking forward to the Oriental.
Rusty

Of course.. a "Nobler" would be nice.. somewhere down the road. I know that you like to build.. almost as much as you like to fly! Have you ever flown a Fox .35 powered Nobler Rusty? Maybe Ron has.. although I have a feeling he might not care for the styling. Not that it looks like a Streak.. but it has that look that some people just don't care for. Maybe there's some plans that use the same airframe-moments.. but style the fuse more like a pattern ship?

Here's an "AMA Special"/"Grondal-Nobler" from 1960.. although this plan is enlarged to 118% for a bigger engine. The description is a cool short read.

http://www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=4289

In my opinion, the last thing you want to do is start into full bodied planes (ARF's are a different story) if this problem is one that has been happening on a regular basis. It's too much to repair, too much time to build and all this combined chases you away from the table rather than to it. Flying a proven design will get you where you want to be. Designing your own can be hit or miss,  usually miss. Fly what works , progress, move on to more difficult models. Ken

Roddie,

You are correct. I have flown a Nobler and no I don't care for the styling. Funny though I do have a green box Nobler. The price was right and they do fly well.

I think the Intermediate level is a good time to start messing with a full fuse, I have a full fuse Twister that I haven't wrecked....yet.

Ron

You guys are looking out for me. I appreciate it too. I'm going to fly Wayne's U-Key while I'm getting back on my feet.

The Osprey crash... very likely I banged the energy out of it in that second 90* loop of the V8. Although the lap times were good and Wayne could fly it like an expert, I never felt a confident pull and still being basically an advanced beginner, I tend to get excited and clobber the corners. And I was trying to show off for Ron too. It's not the first time it ever fell out of the sky, just the first time I failed to catch it. If a Streak flies at all like the little ones, it can sort of help rescue itself. I might take Ron up on his offer if he doesn't get offerers remorse lol. I just don't know how he's going to get that wing out for shipping. The fixed flaps present a challenge. We'll worry about that later, he's still here in SC at the moment.

I just got the 3" bellcrank wrapped, heat shrinked and installed, leadouts threaded and all. Experimenting now with the Dubro hinges for the flaps. I'll take that over to my dormant Oriental thread and get it moving where we can discuss things like that.

I have a green box Nobler and a Tornado 35 to rebuild, but have no intention of fast tracking it or using it as a regular stunter, just a learning project.

I still need to get Wayne and Ron together. They do/did the same exact job in the USAF, so they should mesh pretty well. I hope we can get up to Watt's soon and fly.

Thanks for looking out for me, that means a lot. I mean that in a big way. I'd flown for well over a year without a crash and then bang bang. It's a little stunning. A wakeup call for me to concentrate!.
Rusty

I mourn the loss Rusty.......we fly, we cry! :-) Looks like you can fix it but I know how that goes. My shop looks like a M.A.S.H. Unit with broken planes to repair. Some I may just strip down and toss.
Winter has come hard here in MN and I have not had a handle in my hand since we flew together in Huntesville. Want to fly so badly. May have to put up the RC planes a bit as CL is tough until the lake in front of my home freezes over. Oh....I will have a snow circle out there!
So now I am catching up on things and will start my building soon. Have a TF Nobler ARF. Got Tom Morris linkages to put in and an OS LA .46.
Will touch up the Prowler and work on tank/engine.
Then building a RSM Electric Mustang.
Then a Brodak Shark 402 with an OS LA .25

Need to get to it.
Looking forward to when we meet again.
Shug

Hey Shug, thanks for the reply. And, "We fly, we cry." Ain't it the truth! No worries, I won't miss a tick. Got flying plans in the works already. Bigger stronger better, and armed with necessary new lessons.

Ken, is this the OS needle you are referring to for using a bladder on the 25fp:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCR44&P=ML

I haven't made measurements yet but I might outfit the Thunder Tiger with a bladder on the Shoestring before drilling and plugging the beam for another engine. Maybe I can make the type NV I use in the Norvels for that sprinkler NVA which currently has an ST NV in it. I think the threads on the ST are 64tpi, not fine enough.
Rusty

That's the one. I see it's out of stock. If your on Ebay, Omni has them in stock. A ST needle will work, but I found knock off versions don't work as well. You could also try your OS needle from your FP .35. Some of the older needles had the same thread as the #1A. The #2A needle doesn't work as well. Ken