Sunday Flying, 8/25/13

After sawing up a fallen tree and mowing the lawn, I took a trip out to the club today. According to the NWS, the wind was 9-15 with 20mph gusts, so I wasn't sure I could fly. But once I got there, it was fairly steady from the same direction. Marcus was flying his heli, so I decided I could give it a go. I got in a couple of flights on the Baby Flite Streak, BFS-I and logged some Cox contest time. My first flight was crazy. I was doing loops and they suddenly got way wider than usual and the plane started hunting like the CG was wrong. Then I noticed the fuel bladder flopping around, the only thing holding it on being a loose zip tie right behind the engine that I had put there so the line would stay still in the prop-wash. I had a full ounce in it when I launched, which should run for around 4 minutes or more. I can't believe it didn't get into the prop, but on the upwind side after half a tank, it cut off. Of course the nose was pointed down and the lines were slack and it just fell out of the air.

So, what the heck, other than having an audience witness it, no damage. I cleared the field to let the RC guys fly for a while.  A while later I went back over to preflight it for the next round and there was no venturi on the engine. Ahh crap! the swinging bladder must have unscrewed it. The KK NVA was still plugged into the line, and the carb body wasn't cracked. And needless to say, I didn't have another venturi in the box. So between RC flights, one of the guys walked my lines back out to my spot marker and I walked the circle with the plane scanning the ground. And there it was, gleaming out of the freshly mowed grass. That was a lucky find. I screwed it back on and checked everything out, and fixed the bladder holder with a zip tie and a rubber band. So, next time the field was clear and I launched my next flight which went much better, so I was redeemed in front of my audience. Still so breezy I didn't do anything too wild, but at least I got a plane in the air, first time since August 8th or thereabouts.

And I tried the video cam on my new phone. It's a great camera,. Here is one of our guys flying his 3D heli. I like to watch his gassers, this one is a lekkie, and still amazing. The video can't begin to convey the sound of the blades murdering the air. The wind doesn't bother this dude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FJ8q5d2Izk&feature=youtu.be