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Post by mikey100 on Sept 11, 2009 13:09:35 GMT 10
Yeeha....I have completely finished the Pike centre panel rebuild, (check the pics on page 1 of this thread) painted and polished, servos back in and ready to fly. Total wt of repair= 75g. Cost= app $50. A lot better than the $875 to get one from the manufacturer. Will hopefully put it up the bungee this arvo, and tomorrow morning. I overbuilt the repair, so I have no fears in putting it up a winchline. Will get Garth to help me put up a pic of the repair asap. I hate building, so am pretty happy with this, my first big repair.
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Post by mikey100 on Sept 11, 2009 18:57:52 GMT 10
Went to BR after work and put the re-built Pike up.....first flight in the cool afternoon easterley was 8min+. Several more flights till dark, all over 5min. Tweaked my launch settings and am getting off the vertical line with a good popoff. The Pike seems better for the repair.
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Garth
> 100
wings are for wimps
Posts: 188
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Post by Garth on Sept 11, 2009 21:00:30 GMT 10
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Post by thevon on Sept 11, 2009 21:34:47 GMT 10
Hey Mike I have to say I'm glad that it turned out you fixed it. Great job, well done. It's a great feeling to have gone from that devastated feeling when you see a beautiful moldie smashed, and you feel like giving up, then you have a go and it's not all that hard - and when finished it's just like new again. Onya.
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Post by thevon on Sept 12, 2009 17:03:58 GMT 10
Twas a nice day today. Mike and I flew thermal from about 11am. Weird thermals at Bracken Ridge - you can be in huge areas of buoyancy for 5 or 10 mins, and they don't seem to move down wind, then suddenly it's like someone pressed Ground Floor on the lift and you're coming down fast. My longest flight for the day was 13 mins and Mike about 15mins.
The hi-start launching really is great. Stress-free and easy.
I think the Espada is amazing. I had some good saves today where I was at landing height and worked bubbles of lift back up again and got more time. I also really enjoy just hand chucking it and scratching around for lift. You can work it like a DLG. Well I don't actually have a DLG but it seems that good to me!
Only problem is I never want to call it quits, which makes for some sudden landing decisions and I had one bad landing where I was still trying to pull up in a downwind turn and did a floaty cartwheel which banged the nose and put a crack down one side. Oh well. Can you imagine life without CA glue?
Had some great hand catches too! Love those. Makes me feel like a pro (misguided).
Then did a few catapult launches to test fly the Ditza. Doesn't go anywhere near as high or fast as the Nemesis did! Truly, bungeeing the Nemesis was an exhilarating experience and nothing else seems as good! Man that was a great little plane.
Went to Shorncliffe. A new guy called Deon was there flying a 2 channel AM balsa/ solafilm built up rudder/ elevator floater, and I was amazed to hear he built it to his own design when he was 14 years old! He looks about 30, so that's impressive! I told him none of my planes seem to live more than a few months. Hopefully he'll have a look here on Windsock. I flew the Miraj, and Mike carved the Skua back and forth for a while. Mike, Bill and Knoxie turned up too but the wind was pretty light so I took my headache back home!
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Post by mikey100 on Sept 12, 2009 17:16:33 GMT 10
Yes Andrew, t'was another successful day....all planes home. Only damage was Andrew breaking the aerial on his radio. His low-level scratching was amazing: at one stage he was about 3m off deck and he still got about another 4min of airtime, jumping on every little bubble of lift.
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Post by mikey100 on Sept 13, 2009 12:44:48 GMT 10
Garth and I decided to do an early at BR today, so first flights in 2-5kts of se/nw/ne/sw wind. Wind so shifty that some launches started into a headwind and release was with a tailwind: really trying conditions.
Garth maidened his new radio in the repaired Albatross to see how his programing went and to give it an ultimate range test...all well. That plane flies amazingly!!!
I flew my Escape and had a couple of 10min+ flights and clean landings with app 240m max height. At that height I can just see it as it is app400m from me.
A relaxing morning.....more should join us....
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Post by thevon on Sept 13, 2009 14:36:10 GMT 10
Mike, all the thermally boys are at a comp in Bundaberg this weekend. Should be some reports coming in tonight/ tomorrow.
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Garth
> 100
wings are for wimps
Posts: 188
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Post by Garth on Sept 15, 2009 14:45:11 GMT 10
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Post by mikey100 on Sept 16, 2009 18:53:12 GMT 10
Garth and I went to BR this arvo to maiden his new plane- a Tragi 705. I had recalculated CG and throws for the Pike as I was not happy with how it was flying, so with these programmed, it was off for a bungee.
After a popoff (more down elev needed in launch-mode, the Tragi went up like an arrow, launching app 140m+ on its How High. It flew smoothly, and could be slown down in Garth's hands. He had several flights, working out landing flap compensations etc. He got a couple of thermal lifts, and seemed very happy with his purchase.
I had had trouble getting the Pike to circle smoothly and flat, but the new setup had it doing what I wanted, so in the twilight at about 6:00pm, I got an 8:00min+ flight, only landing as it was getting too dark. The air was cool, and the launch about 160-180m, so was very happy, especially with my removal of the 20g of lead in the nose.
My major repair has done nothing to hurt the performance.
Hopefully Garth will add some pics!
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Garth
> 100
wings are for wimps
Posts: 188
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Post by Garth on Sept 17, 2009 9:45:41 GMT 10
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Garth
> 100
wings are for wimps
Posts: 188
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Post by Garth on Sept 19, 2009 9:13:13 GMT 10
Bracken Ridge is where its at today. So dust off your planes and come for a fly. Should be great thermals all day......
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Garth
> 100
wings are for wimps
Posts: 188
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Post by Garth on Sept 19, 2009 14:45:47 GMT 10
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Post by mikey100 on Sept 19, 2009 16:44:43 GMT 10
Another very successful thermal day at BR. Just Garth (and Lee)and his Tragi and me and my Pike and Escape. A 5-8kt N-E and launches were up to about 140m above where we were launching up the western slope, so add 20-30 m above where the bungee is pegged.
We played with our LAUNCH settings and had the planes pulling hard up the line...even climbing vertically above us on some launches.
Garth was flying some 6-7min flights, while I kept launching into sink, one flight only 2:40, my worst ever. Later got 10min+ to save face, but not much later Garth flew a 17min flight (I think) and decided to pull the pin there with a top flight.
I decided that as the wind was hedging to the N-W, I would see how things progressed, and got a 22:21 and maxed at 246m with the Escape. As the Pike was flying better generally, I flew it again and got a flight of 24:15, my new thermal duration PB. Amazing how you can fly into lift off the line, stay in it most of 20 min, then in 3min loose the240m to land when you think you can stay up forever.
All planes home in one piece...in fact, most landings at our feet.
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Post by mikey100 on Sept 20, 2009 14:58:59 GMT 10
Just back from BR where I went for a quick fly with my Escape. All flights 7-8min and no big thermals, just bubbles. Spoke to a police on a dirtbike who was employed by the council to chase out motorbikers . Said he was told- no petrol planes on the site, but gliders were ok. He was very interrested and said he had a couple at home that he may resurect. So if you see 'Dave the policeman' say "HI".
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