Flight report - The closing day of "What I did this Summer" - Part 1

Following the fuselage reinforcement I documented early this week in my Huntersville thread, I was preflighting it last night in hopes the weather would be nice today. Rain was threatening and we've been getting a couple or three inches in the evenings this week.

Funny how that needle setting changed on Saturday before that last flight. i gave it a quick field pressure check and it seemed alright. But before I sealed it up I did a more thorough check, and sure enough it was blowing air through the pressure line. I'd used blue silicon 1/2A tube for that section because it was a tight fit behind the engine and I wanted to prevent rubbing. It had lasted since I first flew the plane in April. In fact it's the same tube that I had fail on the Ukey 2 weeks ago, and that was a simple 3/4" deadhead cap on the OF vent. Evidently the prop blast stressed it enough that it split twice in the same day. Now that's weak. I don't know what brand it is but I get it at my LHS. No more.

So I re-plumbed it with thick tube and it once again held pressure. Wayne took a detour in Pennsylvania on vacation, stopped at Brodak and got me 4' of their reddish silicon line, some really tough stuff, and grippy too. It's the only thing that will stay put on an engine nipple on a wet misty day. Unfortunately I didn't get it in my possesion till we met at the field today. But I'm going to order some Tom Morris external copper vent sets that allow access outside the cowl, and rig up a more professional venting system. I'll get one for the Nobler too, since it already has the holes cut to accept it.

So anyway, on with the report:
I was a little worried about my baby, the cowl no longer fits quite right after Saturday's tarmac dart game. I could find no evidence of loosened or cracked beams, but the crooked cowl fitment was caused by something. It's so slight than no one but me would see it, but it was just itching my brain, and I needed to prove the plane was all in tact. It looks a little like it has down thrust, but it doesn't. Like I said, I needed proof. So we met up at Fort Jackson on a misty morning. We sat under the parking shed for 2 hours talking. Luckily, we're both conversationalists and can entertain ourselves, if not each other. Finally a sunbeam, the mist was burning off, and we rigged up. Wayne's mission was to flight trim his new Intermediate Death Star, the IDS. My mission was to prove the big yeller Oreo would still go where I point it.

First up, Big Bird. Three choke flips, a few aeration flips, hit it with the electric finger and braaam, she lit off quickly. Set the needle a little leaner than that infamous Saturday flight and launched at 11.1K. Nice, still turning on and off on schedule like a piped PA. It really does. If you haven't noticed the engine run, check that Saturday video again. I keep watching it just to marvel at the leap in piloting I've taken in one month. This is an engine that the self proclaimed experts swear won't run a 2-4-2. And I'm not just forcing it, this is a true happy engine setup. Thanks Ken Cook and Dennis Moritz.

So I'm flying my warmup flight and everything is identical to it's pre-dart fashion, what a relief. At the 300 RPM higher setting, it was right at 5 second laps and I was able to do my newly accomplished low bottoms and mostly not bounce the fast 90 and 120 deg. pullouts. But I still had the wind loosen my lines on the V8's first top loop, causing me to have to steal some air and walk it to the right, and the second top loop was better. Next, the Hourglass was not terribly authoritative in turns 2 and 3 at the top, and then the OH8s were somewhat blown out of the groove. I'm also improving those, finally. Last but not least, in the two laps prior to the clover leaf it shut off. So it appears that in warmer weather than April, I have to tune it somewhat ratty to get a full run. Bob Z., one of the more colorful judges at the Bob Shaw(Joe Nall) contest jokingly said, "Damn, Rusty, can't you fly a little faster!" They hardly had time to write their scores before my next stunt Lol.

On flight #2 I launched at 11.5K to see if I could get a full run. It was still happy, breaking right on schedule, flying 4.7 second laps. This setup has a pleasingly broad band in which it will run a dependable 2-4-2. That means I can speed it up or slow it down to meet weather demands and it still cuts in and out right on schedule. So continuing on with flight 2, after turn 1 of the clover, waaaAAAP... crickets  . I'll sure be glad when Wayne gets back from Brodak with my 5 oz tank. That's all she needs. Some folks talk about smaller venturis, and others lower nitro, and so on. But common sense tells me I have a prefect setup. No need to do anything that diverges from my perfect engine performance, except to give it what it wants... more fuel. Luckily there's more than enough room for an identical tank, just an inch longer.

Now lets talk about flight 3. I decided to skip 4 of the 6 inverted laps and skip a couple of the 2 laps between stunts. Same setting, 11.5K. Yay, made it through the pattern. Of course since i flew my clover for the first time, it was the ugliest one ever, but I got a few laps after and made my usual bouncy landing.

We started talking about the looseness in my overheads and how easily I get blown off the rails up top. And the wingovers are usually pretty soft too except when I have it running rat race lean. So for the first time since I've been flying the Oriental, I adjusted the leadouts. I've been noticing that I can't see the outboard wheel at all. It's completely eclipsed by the inboard wheel... meaning no yaw out. I moved both leadout wires 1/4" aft and fueled her up again.

No pattern this time, just whatever stunts I could fly in my comfort zone, so several Wingovers, Square 8s(sometimes get loose on the top turns), Triangles, hourglass and about 3 sets of OH8s. It was yet another new improved plane. Boy it pulled. Made every turn with solid authority, no more soft corners. What an amazing difference. I'm a happy boy. That was the last flight of season 2015 part one. Now a couple of weeks of surf fishing, forgetting about the house, and pushing thoughts of planes into the background with the satisfaction that I have flown well in two contests, flew even better fun flying in the past two weeks, and knowing that when I get back I have a competent contest plane and even a great backup Nobler. And still have a couple of great profiles waiting for me too. That's a feeling I like to have, no worries, just crabs and fish, a fish fry near the end of each beach week, and lotsa hot leg to watch on the beach... admittedly now trying to accept the fact that none of them would likely have me in my geezer state of appearance, but what the hell. Such is life, and life is good.

Zat a long enough story for y'all? Hope I didn't Z anyone out before the end.
Here are some pics of Wayne flying the IDS. He flew the Oreo today once too, first time I've passed him the handle of this one.



This one flies on an LA46 with a chicken hopper. Nice stiff profile plane that turns on a dime. Good solid plane he designed here. I made the Fonts and picture of the exploding Death Star on the Wing.


...........................................................The End

Next flight report... possibly June 30. Or whenever the weather permits after that. Maybe maybe July 4th.
See y'all i the funny pages.
Rusty