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Post by Garf on Mar 13, 2005 18:52:05 GMT -7
I finally paid a visit to the flying field in Miami. The Cuban contingent was at full force. One was flying a Discovery Retro 60 in an airplane bought from the same people that make the engine. It was a take-a-part plane said to have no balsa in it. It can be bought RTF, already trimmed and ready to assemble and take to the field and fly. I came home and started to clean off the leftover planes in my workshop. With a little work, I may be able to have 4 planes flyable, if I am not too fussy what they look like. We'll see.
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Post by Tim McTigue on Mar 16, 2005 6:44:42 GMT -7
Hey, Phil, glad to see you're ramping up for the new season. So am I. I had all kinds of building-season plans back in December, but after Christmas I seemed to get awfully busy with other things... then "woke up" last week and discovered it's mid-March and I haven't even done anything. Cleaned off the workbench last weekend and got back to work on finishing up the Fancher Twister. This week I've managed to get the wing tips on, and I'm now prepping the wing to get it ready for attaching the flaps. Once that's done, I just need to cover it (UltraCote), and it's in flying shape. Only took me a year to build it (should have taken a month). Seems I get to a certain point in a project, and then let it sit for ages. I find, though, that just getting a whiff of balsa dust usually cures my lethargy.
I cut out rib templates for a new Smoothie last night, to replace the one I totalled last season. If I get busy, I should be able to get it in the bones by end of may, and I plan to cover it with iron-on as well, so maybe I'll have it in the air this season. Aside from that, I have my trusty Flite Streak, which has had the wing re-built 4 times now, and my Umland All-American Sr., as yet unflown. So looks like this season I should have several planes to fly (first time!). I have an Umland Cobra kit, which I'm not starting yet... I want to get a bit better before I do.
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Post by Garf on Mar 16, 2005 11:45:22 GMT -7
Between the high winds during winter in Miami, and my lack of tolerence for the heat, I get very few opertunities to fly lately.
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Post by jehold66203 on Mar 21, 2005 11:21:49 GMT -7
You must be in the very southern tip of Fla. You may have to do like some people i know. Early in the morning just as it gets light or later in the evening as sun is setting. Me I love the four seasons. -DOC
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Post by Garf on Mar 21, 2005 11:42:05 GMT -7
If you try to fly Sunday at the crack of dawn, people will be on you like stink on a skunk. Besides, I work second shift. At sunset, the low angle of the sun will blind you in a hurry. Mid summer is too hot for me because of all the medication I am taking. The only option is midday during winter on one of the rare windless days. For some reason, there seems to always be something I need to do on those days. I don't do much flying these days.
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Post by jehold66203 on Mar 26, 2005 9:48:49 GMT -7
After seeing Glen Alison's Humongous fly at VSC with electric power, I would say with that setup you could fly any time and nobody would know. I bugged him about an article or how about the complete package to put in a plane. Anyway that thing flew with authority and was eery not making any noise. Later, DOC Holliday
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Post by Garf on Apr 9, 2005 14:46:06 GMT -7
Looks like conditions are going to be as good as it gets tommorrow. Hope nothing comes up. Prepped some of my scrappers. We'll see how it goes.
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Post by Garf on Apr 10, 2005 13:10:08 GMT -7
I'm beginning to believe that glow plugs can go bad from just sitting for prolonged periods of time. The Johnson had a bad run, then I changed the plug. What a difference. The Fox S with the AAP P&C started easily and ran well with almost no vibration. It just needs more running. The G21 .46 in the monster is about over the hill. It quit cold while inverted. Time for an engine change. I'll have to see if the one I planted at the 97 NATS is still usable. If not, I may try the .46 I converted to rear rotor. The Barnstormer is too sensitive the way it is. I need to correct the CG. More later.
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Post by jehold66203 on Apr 11, 2005 7:28:25 GMT -7
Yes plugs do start down hill once they are used. Some a little faster than others. I have a small box of plugs that will glow, but, will not perform in the air. On the bench they work great, who knows. DOC Holliday
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Post by Garf on May 8, 2005 11:39:34 GMT -7
Another rare day when conditions were near perfect. Planted the TomStreak with the Johnson on it. Sheared off the spraybar at the venturi. Put 2 flights on the second Barnstormer. I believe this one has few miles on it. Had to change props. Still leans out too much at the end. It's a bit wobbly when you push it hard into a corner. Have the check the C/G's
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Post by Garf on May 15, 2005 18:43:26 GMT -7
A new record. This was the third concecutive sunday flying. Conditions were far from ideal. Wind was borderline for the average plane. I had 2 planes with me that weren't bothered by the wind. The third stood in the truck. I bolted the Brodak 40 to the Zilch to get some airtime on it. I changed the engine on the monster, and got 2 flights on it. Second was a mess. I changed the venturi when I got back to the shop. Keeping my fingers crossed for next sunday.
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Post by Garf on May 21, 2005 20:47:38 GMT -7
Weather looks promising for an unpresidented fourth concecutive flying session. Still got my fingers crossed. Had to add a ton of weight to the tail of the Zilch to counterbalnce the Brodak 40. Hope it helps.
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Kiwi
Story teller
Posts: 103
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Post by Kiwi on May 22, 2005 8:18:47 GMT -7
Another rare day when conditions were near perfect. (...) Put 2 flights on the second Barnstormer. I believe this one has few miles on it. Had to change props. Still leans out too much at the end. It's a bit wobbly when you push it hard into a corner. Have the check the C/G's Don't forget that it has a straight LE and will be more sensitive to leadout exit points from that fact. A Chief would do a tail waggle (nose in and out) on a hard corner, especially if it had any rudder offset; I had my own last Barnstormer so long ago, I don't recall whether it performed this tail waggle thing or not -- I never did have one of the post-1954 flapped Barnstormers, just the kitted version from 1951 or 1952 -- and not when it was a new kit -- there was both the new kit and the old kit on the same shelf at a hobby shop in 1955 -- I bought the less expensive, older one.
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Post by Garf on May 22, 2005 14:42:40 GMT -7
Today was a hot one. It will soon be beyond my tolerence for heat. The Zilch Xpendable is not meant for engines like the Brodak 40. Too much engine weight, too much tail weight. I'll have to see if I can make the Dooling 29 run. I clipped the ground inverted with the monster. Put holes in the monokote, but didn't bother the prop. Tried the Sig Mustang with an old Johnson combat, but the venturi I made was still too large. It was either overly rich in spots, or trying to pull me over. Maybe I should try the PAW 29DS. I wonder how well they start and run inverted?
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Post by jehold66203 on May 24, 2005 6:27:34 GMT -7
Diesels start great if you don't flood them. Use to run one in AMA Scale Racing when it was more enjoyable. That was when you could fly three up at around 110/115 mph. DOC Holliday
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GCB
New arrival
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Post by GCB on May 30, 2005 13:16:40 GMT -7
Yes plugs do start down hill once they are used. Some a little faster than others. I have a small box of plugs that will glow, but, will not perform in the air. On the bench they work great, who knows. DOC Holliday I remember reading an article many years ago about glow plug contamination. Some of the additives in our fuel, and sometimes after-run oils, will make a film on the element surface that prevents the alcohol reaction with the plug element. It will maintain heat as long as the booster is connected but not through a catalytic reaction. How much contamination determines whether it quits or just slows down. Also, don't forget about "tater" contamination. Once a plug is contamination, I don't think it can be reversed. True? George
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Post by Garf on Aug 4, 2007 19:49:26 GMT -7
I would like to try an acid bath just to see if it would make any difference. I'm just not crazy about handling acid.
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Post by Garf on Jan 4, 2008 10:47:28 GMT -7
I have been playing with some less than perfect engines trying to get them to work. I'm going to put them on the back burner for a while and put the best engines I have on the planes to get some serious flight time in while I can. I'm tired of wasting field time playing with cantankerous engines.
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Post by jehold66203 on Jan 6, 2008 20:40:53 GMT -7
Great idea, I usually have a couple of planes that I know work and then a plane that needs some work. Not neccessarily the plane, but, mainly an engine or tank problem. Too bad I'm not close enough to come fly with you. DOC Holliday
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fets
New arrival
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Post by fets on Feb 12, 2008 6:02:30 GMT -7
Does anybody fly in the S florida area and where? fets
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