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Spring is here again - who's been flying?


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I got out yesterday. Not been flying much lately, always seemed wet or windy when I had time to spare.

Yesterday was hot and quiet so it said. I was baking, and more wind than advertised. I took a Tundra, one flight, it didn’t like the turbulence or the wind. To light. Pressed the ancient Flair DVII to start up, and it was very happy in the conditions.

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Unfortunately no pictures, but got out flying on both Saturday and yesterday. 

 

Yesterday was the windiest conditions I've flown in, the wind straight down the runway helped the Boomerang get into the air in the shortest distance I've experienced however I had to keep my wits about me as in particular during stall turns and loops the model was blown a long way down wind.

 

Good practice. 😁

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Had a couple of hours at the local field yesterday, where it was sunny, warm, light winds and what I describe as a Simpsons Sky - clear, blue with fluffy white clouds. Hadn;t intended going flying as I had jobs to do, but it was such a nice day it couldn't be wasted.

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Had a good few hours this morning..... well, sort of!

 

P47: Took this to maiden but it was windier than expected and not down the longest runway, so it stayed in the car.

 

Double Trouble: now re-engined with a nice little OS46 (thanks MSL - under 24 hrs from purchase to delivery) instead of the old, worn out, zero compression SC70FS.  Great match.  Few bouncy landings which I blame on lack of stick time.  Final landing was the best - but needed to be as I lost a wheel on take off!

 

P51: started to throw it around some more.  Did circuits and bumps with flaps at all settings; ran out of up elevator using full flaps (nose overs) so decided to fly on mid rates.  Big mistake as I took off like that instead of switching in flight.  Leapt into the air, stalled and cartwheeled.  Firewall ripped out, some other nose damage, minor wing damage, fin damaged.  Ah well, something to do tomorrow, and pristine silver looks naff 😁

 

Riot: 6 batteries flown with usual lack of fuss.

 

Hawk: spend 6 batteries dialling in the diff to get rolls as axial as possible.  Warm weather meant no 'saggy' battery issues.

 

Surprisingly, on my own for most of the time......

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Went flying this morning.

Forecast was for 7mph slightly crosswind. However nobody told our field !

Seemed to be nearer 20mph.

I do need to practice though and particularly when the weather is a bit difficult.

Mini Robot no problems. Almost hovering into wind and ballistic downwind. Great fun !!!

Chapter One though was a different matter. Combination of weather and rubbish piloting = more rebuilding practice.

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Flying for the past three days, Friday at the local club field, less than ten minutes away,  Saturday at my old club field - a couple of hours away - then this morning at the local club field. Flew ten different models over the three days and no serious breakages, just a few minor repairs. Judging by the shirt sleeves, sun creme, sunglasses and floppy hats I think it might be appropriate to reconvene at the Summer Is Here Again - Who's been Flying thread. 😎

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3 hours ago, J D 8 said:

               I don't have any trouble remembering rate's because I once lost an aircraft forgetting to switch [about 1995] and have never used them since. My rates are in my finger tips.

I only have them whilst I am getting a plane 'dialled in', then I discard them.... it wasn't a case of not remembering, just stupidity in selecting one when I obviously hadn't trimmed that flight mode (how I access rates)

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Been today, despite the wind, had a couple of flights with Wot 4 MkII. I just got to the stage when I realised that if I keep letting the wind dictate I will not fly so just going for it. Of course there were others there as well so knowing they would fly, and far more experienced than I just gives confidence.

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Ah, Peter, you missed the main flying event of the day! Our pop up awning certainly lived up to its name and executed a low roll onto the roof of our hut! It was a freak ‘thermal wind gust’ that caused it to shed its mooring ties.

 

 

IMG_1063.png

IMG_1062.jpeg

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Wow! Hope there wasn't too much damage. The joys of British fly-in weather!

 

At the Greenacres Fly-in for electrics in 2005 I remember we had a freak, thermally-generated mini-tornado, which sparked up and carried about a dozen models up and away from where they were sitting on the grass, in a swirling mass, reminiscent of an episode of Dastardly and Muttley, before dumping them a couple of hundred yards downwind. There was carnage, with lots of models badly damaged.

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Flew both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

 

More practice dealing with the turbulence a NE brings to our site on landing approach, got some advice from an experienced pilot and my stall turns have greatly improved and lots of practice with rolls which due to my lack of ability and flying a trainer are not pretty but are getting better.

 

Tried fitting a silicon exhaust extender to keep the airframe cleaner but noticed a loss of top end, once removed the engine was back performing at it's best.

 

Had a deadstick, plenty of height but the wind strength caught me out a little loosing penetration as the model came down so I was a bit steep on approach avoiding a crow cage bending the noseleg a bit.

 

Filled up the tank forgetting to remove the tube from the exhaust to the fuel tank, as a result I got a hydraulic lock but with some assistance got it sorted.

 

All in all a great weekend and learnt loads. 👍

Edited by PDB
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Just back from the field after an early dart from work.

 

Remaidened the Mozzy(don't ask about the first time🙄).

 

Flew great, apart from the retracts I'd installed out of my old Vampire were only functioning on one side again. Got it sorted in the end, was a bad radio mix.

 

Flew about 8 packs, but it was getting hot and gusty so quit while the going was good.

 

Pictures are video stills taken from my phone stuck in a pole in the middle of the field.

Screenshot_20230605_160853_Video Player.jpg

Screenshot_20230605_160830_Video Player.jpg

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On Sunday morning, 3rd June, I flew my mate's Radio Queen which he'd just finished. It requires a little more downthrust on the motor. Then I flew my electric powered Super Sixty. My mate made a brief video of the flights. Later on I flew the Super Sixty with a smaller battery. The lighter wing loading made it more pleasant to fly.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx8MphHxj9U

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