Conference vmszoo::rc

    These planes don't have a normal life, do they? :-)

Not many of them have "normal" pilots either 8^)

    
      Could the moderator please change the name of this note to "Evening
    Excitement". This is what I planned to call this note, but forgot I
    had started a new note when I titled my entry. 

    
    
           
    
          Last night I managed to get a couple of misc. items done:
    
          First, I installed a diode in the charging lead to my fuel pump
       battery, so that should fix the dead battery problem.
    
         The other thing I did was to build a "sanding filter". I saw the 
      idea a few years back in a "helpful hints" column, but until now,
      hadn't gotten around to obtaining a fan and filter to build it.
    
         The concept is to attach a furnace filter to the BACK of a box
      fan ( 24" by 24" ). When you are sanding, you turn the fan on, and
      theoretically, it will pull at least some/most of the tiny wood
      particles floating in the air into the filter and trap them. Hopefully, 
      this is combination with vacuuming the work area as you go will make 
      for a cleaner workshop, and help keep the dust off wings, etc. It is a 
      very simple idea, now we shall see if it works.
         Has anybody else tried this? If so, what were the results?
    
         I will be doing a lot of sanding over the next couple months as a
      build a Gremlin, Unic, and LA-1, so I hope the filter will help. If it
      works, it shouldn't take long to find out.
       
                                                              DW2
    

>	I will be doing a lot of sanding over the next couple months as a
>      build a Gremlin
               ^^^^^^^
You sand them? 8^) No wonder why you've had to build so many... You're weakening
the structural strength around the edges!

>         The concept is to attach a furnace filter to the BACK of a box
>      fan ( 24" by 24" ). When you are sanding, you turn the fan on, and
>      theoretically, it will pull at least some/most of the tiny wood
>      particles floating in the air into the filter and trap them.

You may actually want to put it on the front of the fan so the air is sucked
through it since anything that comes loose would otherwise go through the fan
first. When the filter gets clogged, the fan will blow them around the edges.
With the fan behind the filter you can rejuvenate it with a vacuuming of the
accessible surface

I spent a good portion of saturday installing a fumehood over my foam cutter. My
wife has been complaining about the smell in the basement (I had to install it
or wear dirty clothes for the rest of my life, you decide 8^). I took the cheap
way out and installed a 50cfm bathroom fan and draped plastic from the rafters
down 5'. The fumes rise normally and the air comes in from the bottom. It proved
very effective and the laundry got done 8^)

I've been spending a lot of time on "waste management". I recycle my scrap foam
and it's been working out well but I get small pieces of wood and tape and foam
all over the rug I put down for a standing surface. My shop vac doesn't like 12"
long x 1/8-1/4" obechi pieces and the tape sticks to things and... well, you get
the idea. I still haven't found a reasonable solution to picking everything up
after a "kitting" session. 

The next problem I'm in for is storage. I'm looking at the Estes order filling
94 boxes that are about 28.5"x16"x12"... That's about 300 cubic feet! That's a
square 7'x7' almost to the ceiling (yep, I'm definately in the "holy sh!t, what
have I gotten myself into" mode 8^)

    
      Jim,
    
          I have the filter attached in the back. The fan pushes the air
     out the front, and pulls from the back. This way the air does go through
    the filter first by the fan pulling the air through, and I will be able 
    to vacuum it clean.
    
                     Filter  Fan
    
                       | | |    |
       airflow ---->   | | |    |  ------>
                       | | |    |
                       | | |    |

Duh... I guess I've been in EXHAUST(ed) mode too long 8^)

    Yesterday, while doing a groung check on the Taube before the first
    flight, a strange thing happened.  With both Tx and Rx switches ON, the
    elevator was fully deflected down, the rudder fully deflected
    right, and neither control would respond to the sticks.  I immediately
    thought there might be someone else on my channel, so I turned
    everything off and made an inquiry down the pit area, but noone else
    was on my channel.  
    
    So, I turned everything on again, and this time on problem.  I did a
    range check, and everything was OK.  At this point, I assumed there
    might mave been a momentary glitch before, but now all was well.  Big
    Mistake.
    
    So I powered up, made the takeoff run, and took to the skys for the
    85th time with this plane.  All went well for the first 5 minutes. 
    Then I noticed the plane do a sudden dip, recover, then another two or
    three dips in rapid succesion, then it just nosed over and started to
    go straight in vertically.  With no control, I simply pulled back on
    the throttle, and watched helplessly as it went straight in to the
    forest with a crash.
    
    Damage was considerable.  One side of the wing was destroyed.  The fuse
    was cracked just behind the wing.  Elevator torn off, plus other minor
    damage.  Engine appears OK, but will need a test run to be sure.
    
    POST MORTUM.  Back in the pits, first thing was a battery check ...
    almost a full charge.  I turned the radio on and tried to get the
    servos to work and no response!!  In fact, no power was getting to the
    servos at all.  So, either it is a malfunction of the Rx, or there is a
    break somewhere in the cable that supplies power to the Rx and servos. 
    So I start pulling the radio gear out of the compartment below the fuel
    tank, and viola .. about a 1/4 inch of raw fuel was sitting in the
    bottom of the compartment, and all the foam wrapped around the Rx and
    battery was absolutely soaked.
    
    I pullled the fuel tank out, and found that a leak had developed around
    the area where the plastic nozzle protrudes from the screw-on cap. 
    This was a new kind of tank I had never used before, and although it
    has what appears to be a good design, it has a flaw in the way the cap
    seals the supply line.  Fuel must have been leaking out for a long time
    given the amount that had accummulated in the compartment.
    
    So the theory was that the fuel must have gotten to the Rx or done
    something to one of the connectors or even the on/off switch.  I
    carefully dissambled everything last night.  There was no fuel inside
    the Rx despite some wetness on the outside of the case.  There was a
    lot of fuel inside the connectors that attach to the Rx connector
    block.  The on/off switch was dry as it is mounted high on the side of
    the fuse away from the wet area.  
    
    I cleaned everything up with TV contact cleaner and hooked it all up. 
    Everything seems to work OK.  No glitches or erratic performance were
    noticed.
    
    As of now, I'm assuming the cause of the malfunction was an open
    circuit between the connector that supplies power to the Rx and the
    mating pins it plugs into.  Tonight I will do some more experimenting
    to see it I can induce this mode of failure.
    
      
    MORAL OF THE STORY:  NEVER ingore a tell-tale sign of trouble without
    FULLY exploring what might be its cause.  I made the fatal mistake of
    flying a plane that had clearly given me a warning signal.  Yes, I look
    ashamed 8-(
    
    -Joe, who-is-having-a-record-year-rekitting-planes (sob!)   

    
    
        Joe,
    
           I was once again saddened by you losing one of your planes. I
    was also there when the Extra 300 went in, and as I said then, I 
    wish it was my plane instead. The Taube was beautiful, and flew great,
    so I am sure one way or another,you will replace it.
    
           I also feel a bit guilty as I think I encouraged you to overlook
    the symtoms that were showing on the ground, but as I said, I have had
    occasions where a radio ( with the antenna collapsed) placed too close
    to the plane will cause the servos to twitch), so I was encouraging you
    with good faith intended. As with all the tough learned lessons in this 
    hobby, we can all learn something from this accident ie; IF IN DOUBT, 
    DON'T! As I was walking away from you I said to Bob Pratt, What am I
    doing, telling him to GO FLY, If he flys and crashes, I will feel like
    SH*T! Well he did, and I do :(.
    
         In looking back, both you and I have had a tough season regarding
    losing "birds", so I can certainly relate to the work you have ahead of
    you. Hopefully, the new Year will bring a season that helps to offset 
    the mishaps we had this year. 
    
                                                           Dan
    

    Again, Joe, I am really sorry to hear about this...
    
    Were all 6 Taube kits that you are putting together spoken for??  If
    so, why don't you scratch my name off the list and build a new one from
    that kit...
    
    I must admit that I was a bit surprised when you said your Rx case was
    wet with fuel...  It is a firm policy of mine to always wrap the Rx in
    a baggie.  It will protect it from fuel, rivers and even rain if it
    ends up in a tree.  I always considered it a "doesn't everyone wrap
    their receiver in plastic?" item..
    
    What kind of fuel tank was it?? It sounded like it might have been a
    Hayes..  I believe a lot of the pattern fliers are using them and I
    have been very happy with the Hayes that I have used...  Can you tell
    us more about the tank failure?
    
    
    I agree, it has been a horrible year at the Merrimack field for a lot
    of us!!  Let's see, Taube, Extra, Fun One, XCELL, Junkers, and Cub 
    (my eindeckers and gliders got beaten up elsewhere :-(.  And that is 
    just the list from the 3 of us!!
    
    Ug...
    jeff
    

    (Moderator note...  I moved Joe's and Dan's notes from the other
    string to here...  Maybe they belond in "Just for the Wreckord"
    though..)
    

    No doubt about it, the minute you think something is wrong, LAND! If
    you're already on the ground, STAY THERE! 
    
    Earlier this year my Scooter took about a 2 second sabatical while it
    was flying. It was a brief,  subtle loss of control, I almost shrugged
    it off, but decided to land and check it out. Discovered I had almost
    no range at all with the  antenna down. 
    
    Last weekend, an instructor was flying a guy's Seniorita when he said
    it felt a little funny, like maybe he got hit by a wind gust. I said
    bring it down and we'll check it out, but he kept it up. About 10
    seconds later, he lost all control. It got strained through a tree
    pretty good.
    
    If it feels funny, you gotta ground it.
    

    The demise of Eric's 120 Graphic was most probably due to a fuel soaked
    elevator connector. He got a couple of elevator glitches during a
    practice flight but kept on. A minute or so later, he center punched
    a large tree. The tree won.
    
    His Unic was lost most probably due to a loose RX battery connector.
    He noticed while flying that whenever he pulled negative G's, he lost
    control. Landed, range checked, fiddled, no problem. Went up again and
    TRIED to reproduce the problem. He was successful..............
    
    I lost one of my funfly planes due to a bad switch. The plane tried to
    warn me by giving me charging problems while trying to fast charge at
    the field. Managed to get a charge and flew. On the fifth flight, it
    just nosed over and went into the trees.
    
    Happens to the best of us...

Yep, I've learned to replace switches regularly due to vibration fatigue. Lost
two planes before I figured out that one. It's sad to think of the flight time
versus building time ratios on some of these planes.

    Well, after I cleaned up everything I did a simple bench test.  With Rx
    and Tx turned on I tried unplugging the battery connector at the Rx jack. 
    Sure enough, by rocking the connector back and forth causing
    intermittent contact, I was able to get the servos to take random
    positions, where they stayed in the absence of any other interference. 
    Since I assume a fuel-soaked plug might make intermittent contact with
    the mating pins, this test was at least showing that I might have found
    the failure mechanism.
    
    Funny, I never thought of raw glow fuel as an insulator, but maybe over
    time it corroded the pins enough to cause intermittent contact.
    
    Oh well ...  as you said Dan, its been a crazy year for loosing our
    aircraft.  I count three major crashes, first the Fun One, then the
    Extra, now the Taube. And I was also lucky enough to be at the sticks
    when the club plane went in.  Sheeesse!!  Give me a break. I don't have 
    enough months in a year to do all this rekitting, let alone finish the 
    P51 and start on the Sukhoi still in the box!!
    
    Sometimes I think this hobby is just nasty joke meant to curse us
    forever.  I've certainly given my wife a lot of ammunition to support
    her claim that RC has no long lasting redeeming value.  Jewelry grows
    in value year after year, but my planes just get old and crash into
    worthless heaps..
    
    There are times when I think she might be right ...  bite my tongue.
    
    Thanks for all the commisurating in the previous replys.  At least I'm
    not alone.
    
    Regards,
    Joe
                                      

    In case I didn't mention it before, the Rx was dry inside the case.  I
    could not see any fuel leakage onto the PC board.  The Rx was wrapped
    in plastic, but the fuel had wicked along the servo cables and made its
    way past the tie wrap and inside the plastic bag.  Each of the servo
    connectors was wet where they plug into the Rx connector block, and it
    is here that I believe the failure occurred.  Apparently the failure
    occurred before the fuel seeped into the Rx case, but if it had gone on
    any longer, I think the PC board would have likewise become soaked.
    
    -Joe

>                     <<< Note 1637.17 by MKOTS3::MARRONE >>>
>                                -< RX Was Dry >-
>
>    In case I didn't mention it before, the Rx was dry inside the case.  I
>    could not see any fuel leakage onto the PC board.  The Rx was wrapped
>    in plastic, but the fuel had wicked along the servo cables and made its
>    way past the tie wrap and inside the plastic bag.  Each of the servo
>    connectors was wet where they plug into the Rx connector block, and it
>    is here that I believe the failure occurred.  Apparently the failure
>    occurred before the fuel seeped into the Rx case, but if it had gone on
>    any longer, I think the PC board would have likewise become soaked.
>    
>    -Joe

I have seen receivers quit working when moisture gets at the base of the 
crystal.  This can be condensation like you see on cold mornings when it's
all over your wings or flying in mist or ...

DC stuff will work fine under water.  In fact at the last sub regatta
one fellow was running a small boat with his motor and servos in the free
flood area of the hull.  He had taken the servos apart and dipped them in
stuff and re-assembled.  They work find under water as does the motor.

All the submarine guys run their batteries wet.  Connectors can be a problem
as you suspect.  Water won't hurt a good connection but certainly in the
long run could cause corrosion.  If you feel that you might be exposed
to water in the future get a bottle of "Stuff" to dip your connections in.

P.S.  I blew ballast in my 1/96 scale sub Tuesday for the first time.
P.S.S.  I took my small U-boat with to a fancy motel for our anniversary
        last week.  There was too much motion in the pool from the water
        filter circulation system but still fun.

Now rig for silent running.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

Found the February MAN in the mail last night and in the RICTA show coverage is
has a picture/description of the Estes Sweet Vee I'm cutting cores for. I also
got mentioned in the Spitfire construction article as they sent me plans so I
can supply cores for it.

    
    
      Last night, I joined Jim Reith and Wayne Field for a pre-meeting
    dinner at the Westford (not Westboro :) D'iangelos. It was the first time 
    I met Wayne, and it was nice to talk to a fellow heli flyer for a change. 
      We ended up dominating the discussion with Heli talk including
    fun fly format, mufflers, radio interference talk, competition flying, etc.
    It was kind of nice to overwhelm a glider guy for once ( you know how the 
    glider guys tend to dominate everything! :).
    
       After polishing off a sandwich and Coke, it was a quick exchange of
    money for balsa and cores in the parking lot, and them off to the CMRCM 
    meeting.
    
       Jim brought some of his "antique" foam cutting equipment to
    supplement the foam-cutting demo that Dan Snow and Eric were doing,
    and it took three of us to bring it all inside. The highlight of the
    evening was when the "steel-braided" wire broke on Jim's bow, seconds
    after he had exclaimed the virtues and advantages of using this type
    of wire instead of nichrome! :) 
    
       After the "shady" raffle that Steve ran (can you guess my number 
    wasn't picked? (nor any other 500 series # :) it was on to the demo.  
    
       Eric, Dan, and Jim put on a good foam-cutting demo, with Dan
    highlighting all the things that could go wrong during the process.
    Eric showed the new  "hollowed out" cores he made for the "Super-Unic"   
    he is building ( they looked really nice).
    
       My conclusion after watching the demo? If you need cores, call:
    
            1-800-Jim Reith :)
    

Thanks for the plug, but get the phone number right 8^)

>    It was kind of nice to overwhelm a glider guy for once ( you know how the 
>    glider guys tend to dominate everything! :).

You know us glider types... we're ALWAYS quiet! (thanks for the perfect setup)

>    The highlight of the
>    evening was when the "steel-braided" wire broke on Jim's bow, seconds
>    after he had exclaimed the virtues and advantages of using this type
>    of wire instead of nichrome! :) 

Well, as you pointed out afterwards, I had just said it would hold 100 pounds
tension and then leaned on the bow. I never said anything about 200+ 8^)

I was really impressed with the hollowed cores Eric made. Definately proof that
there are some things doable by a modeler on a single plane basis that are too
expensive to do in production work. Still seems like a lot of effort for 2oz per
pattern panel but that's the extra effort the top people use to their advantage.

Good interaction on the meeting. I think there was a lot of interest in the
demo, I just wish Eric hadn't put me on the spot for price quotes.

    
        The gliders may be quiet, but the glider guiders are everything
    but! :). Now be truthfull Jim, has anyone EVER accused YOU of being
    quiet? :)

>    Now be truthfull Jim, has anyone EVER accused YOU of being
>    quiet? :)

Only when searching for "volunteers" 8^)

    If I had it to do over again, I would not get into foam cutting.  I
    would just order from Jim Reith.  The investment in the proper
    equipment and the time needed to make good two piece templates
    is high.  You spend all your time building equipment instead of
    airplanes!  If you had just bought the cores you would be further
    ahead with your project with hopes of seeing it fly in the same year it
    was started.
    
    I like building, but realistically I don't have a lot of time these
    days.  Even with the highly prefabricated kits I tend to buy, I still
    spend an awful lot of time in the basement.  When you love R/C, I find
    it hard to strike a reasonable balance in life(kids,church,work,non-R/C
    socializing,house-fixing, etc.)  I would rather decrease my building
    time rather than my flying time.
    
    Now I wish I could find someone who sold generic fiberglass powerplane
    fuselages.  I am just finishing my first "melt-out" fuselage(fiberglass
    over foam) and I have really invested much more time than I wanted- I
    am weeks behind schedule!
    
    Regards,
    
    Jim
    

Jim,

>    The investment in the proper
>    equipment and the time needed to make good two piece templates
>    is high.  You spend all your time building equipment instead of
>    airplanes!  If you had just bought the cores you would be further
>    ahead with your project with hopes of seeing it fly in the same year it
>    was started.

I have to agree with you. If the business wasn't keeping me busy, I think I'd
probably go back to flying as well. The only thing that has kept me sane (an
arguable statement) is not having to make templates anymore. Not only is making
the templates an issue but aligning the templates with the core and from left to
right hand panel. You're really just trading time for cost savings and you need
to look at how long it takes to do the cores versus how much they cost
commercially. Our old joke about picking up "spare time" at the hobbyshop is
really true. Just how much is that core cutting time investment worth to you.
It's sad when I think of the nice summer days I spent in the shop instead of at
the field.

>    Now I wish I could find someone who sold generic fiberglass powerplane
>    fuselages.  I am just finishing my first "melt-out" fuselage(fiberglass
>    over foam) and I have really invested much more time than I wanted- I
>    am weeks behind schedule!

We had a discussion of this just last night. I don't think the trainer/sportsman
market is willing to support a fiberglass fuselage. There is a jet-like plane
being developed locally that uses downspout and fiberglass covers to look like a
jet kit. With a YS .45 rear exhaust it's expected to top 150mph and it'll
probably build in under 20 hours. I'll probably kit it but I've had to have
someone else do the R&D due to lack of time.

I really don't like feeling guilty for going flying for a half day when there's
orders in the queue.

    
     Well last night, I had some "evening excitement" I could have done
    without!
    
       When I arrived home, I got the mail, and noticed a letter from
    Horizon Hobbies ( JR's service center where I sent my radio/gryo to be
    fixed). When I got to the door, I noticed that finally ( after 3 1/2
    weeks ), UPS had delivered my radio/gyro from Horizon.
    
       So at this point, I am happy figuring I can finally re-install the
    radio in my X-cell. Well, it wasn't to be......
    
       I opened the box ( which was badly beaten up ), and out falls
    (literally ) the gyro. I pull the newpaper packing out, and discover
    the TX module with the new crystal installed, and the old TX crystal.
    The gyro contorl box, and the 10s reciever are no where to be seen!
    
       I checked the paperwork that was attached, and according to the
    paperwork, they checked the gyro/reciever and removed minor corrosion
    from both ( from them being submerged in the creek ), tested them,
     and then changed the crystals in the TX module and Reciever to channel
    31 as requested. Total bill $53 ( sound about right ).
    
       At this point it was about 5:05 ( 4:05 cst), so I called them to see
    what happened. All the customer reps were busy, so they took my number
    to call me back. I waited until 6:00 (5:00 cst) when they close, but no
    return call.
     
       I plan on calling them this morning to see what the he!! is going
    on. So far I am pi$$ed about the following:
    
      1. 3 1/2 weeks to do the work (usually their turn around is about
         10 days.
    
      2.   When I mailed the componants, I carefully packed them in
         bubblewrap and foam ( individually), put them in a box ( with all
         componants listed on the outside of the box ), and then placed the
         box in a padded brown envelope. There was well over $300 worth of
         equipment in the bos, so I wanted to make sure it was protected.
           When they UPS'ed the equipment ( only 1/2 of it) back, they
         used hte box I had sent, but only packed the 2 pieces of equipment
         with a piece of newspaper, and 2 small pieces of foam which I
         had used ( the foam was floating around loose in the box, doing
         absolutely nothing to protect anything.
    
       3.  The box itself looked like it went through hell and back, but
          was tightly sealed ( so nothing fell out ).
    
       4.  I am missing a $160 reciever and 1/2 a gyro system
    
       5.  Customer service could have at least called to see what the
           problem was before goinf home yesterday. Now I have to make
           another long distance call to get things going again!
    
    
       There may be logical explanations for all of this, And I am willing
      to give them a chance to explain things and get things back on track,
      but at this point, I ain't too happy.       
    
    

    Dan,
    
    Unfortuately this isn't the first story like this that I have heard
    about Horizon. There was a long string in rec.models.rc from a guy that
    had similar problems. I hope this kind of stuff gets straightened out,
    because I have to send my JR back to these jokers to be fixed too!
    
    Wayne

    
     Well, I can gladly say, it looks this story will have a happy ending.
    
     I got ahold of Horizon today, and explained the situation. They said they
    would investigate and get back to me. I got a call late this 
    afternoon and they said they had looked all oveer, couldn't find the
    missing gyro gain controller or reciever (or figure out what happened
    to them), so they were sending me a NEW gain controller and reciever to
    replace it! Its in the mail, and I should have it in a couple days.
    
      Although I am not happy as to how they handled the situation
    initially, I am pleased with how they resolved the matter. I will
    now have a NEW 10s reciever to replace the one that took a bath! :) 

    But there seems to be a rather alarming tendency towards sloppy
    service lately from JR.
    
    There's a big string in REC.MODELS.RC about a guy that had radio
    problems that never got fixed, sloppy packaging, damage done by
    JR service, etc. They eventually took care of him by giving him a
    new radio, but only after word got out the situation was all over the
    internet.
    
    If you were so inclined, it might be worth a phone call to the service
    center manager mentioning that your glad you got taken care of, but
    distressed that it happened in the first place. I'm sure they'll
    remember the radio incident. In fact, if you'll post JR's service
    center number, I'll make a call myself and express a concern about
    being a JR user and future service.
    
    Or, you could WRITE A LETTER.............8^)

                                                                     
     Geez Steve,
    
         They resolve my problem within 24 hrs, and I get a NEW reciever
      and NEW gain contoller out of it with no hassling, and you STILL
      want me to write a letter! You are one TOUGH customer! :)
    
         My cut on this one is that if they want to keep screwing up, and
      then send me new equipment instead, I am all for it! I think I will 
      send in my 3 yr old 347, my 388, and all my JR recievers/servos for a
      service check! :)
    
         Seriously, I hear your concerns. Here is the JRSA #/address if
      you really want to write a letter:
    
    
                      JRSA
    
                      217-355-9511
    
                      41405 Fieldstone Road
                      Champaign IL
                      61821    

    So I called. Figured it couldn't hurt to let someone know that
    when things happen, word of mouth is alive and well.
    
    Spoke to Dennis who is the manager and the person that got Dan fixed
    up. HELL of a nice guy. We had a nice chat and I have full confidence
    that this was an isolated incident and JR service is as good as it ever
    was. Not that I thought it might not be, but I figure it doesn't hurt
    to hear from the masses once in awhile.
    
    Dan.......Dennis said to say hi.

    Re: the last few.
    
    Funny, this is like de-ja-vu all over again.
    
    Several months ago, I sent in a JR reciever I suspected of
    having a bad crystal. I didn't need it immediately, so as the weeks
    crept by without any sign of the unit, I kind of lost track of it. 
    Finally, about 6 or 7 weeks after I sent it in, I gave them a call and
    asked about my unit.  At first, they couldn't find any trace of it.
    Then after several days of me badgering them, I was told it had shipped
    a long time ago so I should have it. So they agree to put a tracer on
    the shipment, which turns up a dead end.  The very nice service person
    I spoke to said the screw up was not my fault, and they would ship me a
    BRAND NEW 8 channel Rx to relplace the now discontinued 7 chan RX I
    sent in.  I thanked them for this and hung up relatively happy.
    
    About four days later, what shows up in the mail?  My original Rx all
    repaired!!!   And I never did get a replacement unit they promised.  
    
    Soooooo.  WHat I made of all this was that they had never shipped my
    unit as they said, and that it was laying around someplace and they
    finally found it.  I guess my reaction to this is that they run a
    pretty sloppy operation.  Next time I send anything to JR, it will be
    by registered mail.  But they have not instilled confidence in me about
    their operation.
    
    -Joe
                                 

    Estes is DONE!
    
    Murphy is alive and well and living in Southbridge. When I started
    doing the last two boxes, he let all the blue smoke out of my power
    supply.

    Congratulations Jim!  We have followed this from the development of the
    cutting system to the completion of your first major contract.  Your
    success is proof that there is still room for innovative small business
    in America.  
    

    I thought I remembered the Estes contract being like a year long
    thing...
    
    Anyways, maybe now you will be able to stockpile some of that spare
    time!!
    
    cheers,
    jeff
    

                                             
       Last night I "attended" the SNHFE meeting just long enough to renew
    my membership, and pick up the electronic scales that Jeff had ordered.
       When I got home, I just HAD to test my new scale out, so I spent
    the next 1/2 hour weighing everything that flys in my shop.
    
        Here are some weights if anyone is interested:
    
    
           Stryke        - 7 pds 3 oz   ( slightly lighter than I though)
    
           Shuttle       - 6 pds 10 oz  ( a lot for a .32 to haul around, no
                                          wonder the vertical suks! I
                                          attribute the weight to the 
                                          aftermarket g10 sideframes which
                                          are strong, but very heavy! )
    
           X-cell        - 10 Pds 3 oz  ( Slightly heavier than I thought, but
                                          it does have a very heavy 1500 mah
                                          battery installed )
    
           Pocket Rocket -  2 pds 8 oz   ( 36" span /balsa fuse gremlin )
    
           Gremlin       -  2 pds 13 oz  ( not completed, still have to add
                                           covering, ailerons, nylon tape,
                                           and control horns, wing bolts )
    
           Gremli fuse   -  6.6 oz       ( cut out drain pipe, no motor 
                                           mount )
    
           Gremlin wing  -  9.4 oz       ( no covering, elevons, horns, 
                                           nylon tape )
    
           Twin Gremlin  -  5 pds 5 oz   ( This is the overlapping prop
                                           version. )
    
           Demon         -  2 pds 9 oz   ( projected, based on weighing
                                           parts, and work completed so far.
                                           What is a "Demon"? See at the next
                                           C-mass meeting )
                                           
    
           Dubro 2 1/4"  -  1.2 oz        ( running out of things to weigh 
           spinner                          :)
    
    
    
    
             So far, I am getting my use out of the scale! :)

    Thanks for the kind words, guys, it's been an interesting ride. The
    Estes contract is an ongoing one and will hopefully continue for quite
    some time. I was out sick with the flu and a temp thursday/friday and
    I'm glad it held off until AFTER the cores shipped. I packed the boxes
    into Pink Lightning and it took two trips to get them to Yellow Freight
    in Shrewsbury. I'm not sure what the next batch from Estes will
    involve. Rumor has it it'll be a gas power plane project. I would
    expect it'll be a coupe of months before we start another Sweet Vee
    run.
    
    Jim (the tired)

    
    
       Last night, I met up with Wayne for some supper at D'iangilos, and
    then headed down to the C_mass meeting.
      
       The business meeting was short:
    
           - field is closed (too cold/covered with snow)
    
             (Last month it was too warm, and muddy! I "LOVE" New England
              weather! :)
    
           - auction at next months meeting ( March 7th )
    
    
        We had a full show and tell which included:
    
          - 2 Jack Z. "GremJets"
    
               One was built by Jack, the other by Charlie Watt, and they 
               were BOTH Beautiful! This "jet" was designed by Jack and
               resembles a Great PLanes "Patriot", but is hand launched. It 
               is designed around a drainpipe, but is totally streamlined 
               with a thin section swept jet type wing. The two examples
               last night were both powered by YS-45's, and the projected
               top speed is 150 mph+.
    
    
          - UNIC "4 by 4"
    
               This is Eric's lastest version of his single wing "Panic"
               creation. This one boasts honey combed wings, built up stab,
               4 ailerons, 4 main wheels ( yes, I said 4, 2 on bottom, 2 on
               top for inverted landings ), and he managed to use just
               about every available mix on his MC-20 radio including
               reversing the flaps, rudder, etc for inverted take-offs and
               landings. This plane is VERY light ( although not light
               enough according to Glider Guider Dave :) and is an example
               of Evil at his finest!
       
               Note: Rumor has it that Dan Snow is building a 60" span/
                     YS-120 version! HTA's are alive and well! :)
    
    
           - Older Bob Violett "Viper" 
    
               This one has been several years in the making, and has a
               built up wing/fiberglass fuse. It had a camo paint job
               (should disappear really well when landing in fornt of 
                trees :) and is powered by a K/B .71 Ducted fan engine
    
    
           - Boxer 120
    
               This one is being built by Dan Snow. He has really been
               busy lately, as this plane has taken him 9 months to build
               so far, and he still has a ways to go! Three years ago,
               Dan would have built this plane in a month! :).
               Of special interest are the elvator servos mounted in the
               horizontal stab, and the rudder servo with a neat aluminum
               pull-pull wheel mounted in the bottom of the fuse in front 
               of the rudder               
    
            - Demon (also referred to last night as: Butt Ugly, The Troll,
                     etc.... :)
    
               This was built by yours truly as a lazy-mans alternative to
               building a Gremlin. Did I succeed? Yes! How do I know?
               Because Jim C. wants to build one! :) It should only take
               him 2 -3 months to build ( 6  hours for the rest of us ).
               
               This plane is designed around a 1 piece 36" foam wing using
               the Gremlin root section as a template. The wing is secured
               via (4) 1/4-20 bolts threaded into dowels epoxied vertically
               into the wing. The fuselage is made up of two pieces of wood, 
               one, a 3/8" piece of wood which bolts to the wing, and includes
               an integral engine mount. The other piece is made from 1/8" 
               ply and serves as the servo tray, and vertical fin, while at 
               the same time offering a level of protection to the radio, 
               fuel tank, servos, etc. 
    
               It came out a little over 2 1/2 pounds, and will have a wing
               loading close to a Gremlin with a little better power/weight
               ratio, plus it can be easily broken down and stuffed in a
               suitcase for travel!
    
               Although people kept refering to it as a Gremlin Mutant, the
               only thing it shares with a Gremlin is the way the engine
               mounts, and the wing root section. I plan to make the next
               one with a sliding tray ( once I make sure the first one
               flys! :)
              
         Couldn't stay for CHarlie Nelson's "scale" presentation, although
       I did bring in two scales for Dave and Jim :), so after losing again 
       at Steve's "crooked" raffle :), it was time to brave the cold and 
       head back up north.
    
    

Charlie Watt reports that Ray has the landing gear for the DECcie building the
Corsair. He's hoping you'll stop by soon. Ok, 'fess up. Who's got a Corsair in
the queue?

Jim

    
    You KNOW it ain't me! If I was building a Corsair, it would probably
    have two engines, no tail, and maybe rotor blades :) I guess Scale just
    ain't my thing :).

    I just go to the field, pretend I didn't bring an airplane, and
    fly everyone else's. 8^)
    
    S.

    
     Thursday night, my son Jason asked if he could cut out some
     pictures of planes from my old RC magazines for a school project. I said 
     sure, and gave him 6 - 7 mags to go at it.
    
     About 20 minutes later I am out in the kitchen when I overhear my other
    son, Christopher saying: That's the plane I want when I get older!
    
          Jason replied: Why do you want THAT one, it's so small!
    
          Christopher: Yea, but if you put an engine from a bigger plane on
                       it, it will REALLY go fast!
    
    
     I'm in the kitchen thinking: THAT'S MY BOY! :) 
                                               

>                                                     <<< Note 1637.42 by WMOIS::WEIER "Keep those wings spinning!" >>>
>                                                                   -< Chip off the old (Big) Block :) >-
>
>    
>     Thursday night, my son Jason asked if he could cut out some
>     pictures of planes from my old RC magazines for a school project. I said 
>     sure, and gave him 6 - 7 mags to go at it.
>    
>     About 20 minutes later I am out in the kitchen when I overhear my other
>    son, Christopher saying: That's the plane I want when I get older!
>    
>          Jason replied: Why do you want THAT one, it's so small!
>    
>          Christopher: Yea, but if you put an engine from a bigger plane on
>                       it, it will REALLY go fast!
>    
>    
>     I'm in the kitchen thinking: THAT'S MY BOY! :) 

Does Eric know your wife?

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

I tried hard - but I couldn't resist!

                                               

I was thinking that same thing, Kay... If it were truely Dan's kid, he'd have
figured out that it needed TWO engines!

8^)

    My homepage now has the picture from my R/C Report ads on it as well as
    one of the group shots from a Rhode Island Gremlin contest.

    Hey Jim, you need to make those gif pictures so they show up on your
    page.  HTML will only display gifs and Xbitmaps as image sources I
    think.  I had to download them to see them.  Otherwise, cool pictures! 
    Maybe you could throw in some wreckage pictures :)  Hmm...I wonder if
    that would be good for business.
    
    andy
    

With all the brouhaha over rights to the gif format, I was avoiding it. I'll
remake the small pictures as .gifs and move them into place. (don't have a
graphical browser at home so I couldn't verify until today.

Jim

    The pictures should be fixed now. I also substituted some descriptive
    text for Lynx to use and formatted the text around them a little.
    
    Jim

    That did the trick!  I got a picture of Jack's unducted fan machine if
    you want to use it.  Plus a picture of Charlie launching his gremlin.
    
    andy
    

Jack's jet project is still in R&D so I don't want to put it up there and have
people asking about it before it's available. Charlie's launch picture would be
good. I have a few others that I'm trying to get into a .gif format from the Mac
format Al Ryder put them in for me.

I'm also going to align=bottom the group shot text. I thought it was going to
wrap/fill around the picture on the second line. I need to get TIA and Netscape
going at home so it isn't a day turnaround on checking this stuff out.

Jim

    I've got TIA but I haven't got it to work yet.  Apparently we don't
    have the right LAT servers here.  Actually TIA will work with TwinSock
    but not with Trumpet WinSock (only in my case, it may work for you).
    I'll scan in that picture for you...should be ready by after lunch.
    I can be your test subject for your homepage if you like.  Actually,
    I can capture the screen and save it as a GIF or Jpeg for you so you
    can view it if you like.
    
    
    andy

Well, World supports TIA so I just need to get it to run it on that account. I
can't get the LAT servers to do better than 9600 baud while world is 28.8k now
8^)

Screen grabbing doesn't help much since I don't have a viewer at home even if I 
download it. It should stabilize soon and I'll probably try to keep the pictures
to a minimum since I am paying for transfer charges on WWW page hits and the
majority of the people still only have lynx access.

Thanks,

Jim

    I scanned the gremlin picture if you want to check it out (I use any
    excuse to play with a scanner:) 
    AD::USER1$:[BARBER.PUBLIC]gremlin.jpg
    
    enjoy...
    
    andy
    

I grabbed a copy and generated a cropped .gif and a half-size copy for the page.
I'll add them in tonight. I'm probably going to create a picture gallery
eventually but I'm limiting it somewhat since I pay for access charges and I
want to keep the page text-only browser friendly.

Thanks!

    I'm glad you found a spot for that picture...makes me want to quit and
    become a professional photagrapher:^)
    Hey Jim, are you building built-up wings for your ultrasport or are you
    foaming it?  I'm starting to get real tired of built up wings.
    
    andy -- who's patiently waiting for those B&D retracts to come in.
    

    
       Hey, will you two move this tothe PC notesfile! I haven't heard one
    mention of building, a flight, and engine, servo, etc inthe last 20
    notes! :)
    
                        JUST KIDDING! :) :)
    

No mention of CRASHes either 8^) <duck>

My US60 has built up wings and an inch of dust on top of it 8^(

    Oh dear...I thought it was the PC notesfile:)
    Scary...this IS my evening excitement.
    Well, Jim I guess I'll have to scan a picture of my US60 in when it's
    all done and rub it in.  Of course, at my current rate, I think you
    will beat me.
    
    andy
    

    Andy, Contact me offline. I might have some more pictures for you to
    scan if you're willing. They will involve FLYING planes 8^)

    I rearranged things again this morning. I moved the group shot to the
    newsletter index and I put the launch photo on the Gremlin data sheet.
    I figure this helps not bog down the loading of any individual page and
    gives the graphical browser types some "scenery". Comments?

>                      <<< Note 1637.60 by RANGER::REITH >>>
>
>    I rearranged things again this morning. I moved the group shot to the
>    newsletter index and I put the launch photo on the Gremlin data sheet.
>    I figure this helps not bog down the loading of any individual page and
>    gives the graphical browser types some "scenery". Comments?

I just tried and when I clicked on the icon on the left it tried for quite
a time to load the .GIF then eventually gave up with the following error
message:

ERROR

Requested document (URL http://world.std.com/~racores/cropped-single.gif)
could not be accessed.

The information server either is not accessible or is refusing to serve the
document to you.

Makes you appreciate ASCII.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

It's just because it was you, that it refused!  8^)

Actually, I've noticed that world has been quite busy during the day and
response even at night has been slow. I did notice that I screwed up the Gremlin
name field by imbedding the picture into it. HTML doesn't like nesting...

    Seems you are doing good business Jim...I just saw two references to
    you in regards to a Spirit upgrade on rec.models.rc.  One guy was from
    Kentucky!  Oh yeah, send me an email about your pictures you want
    scanned, or if you prefer you can call me at 225-6407 (HLO).
    AD::BARBER
    
    And to appease the masses....my evening excitement will consist of
    draggin my trainer 60 out of storage and slapping on my new OS 61SF. 
    I'll be out this weekend giving it a try at CMRCM.  You have been
    warned.
    
    andy

    
    
        In addition to running my Black Baron "Clear" test last night,
    I also covered/ balanced/ mounted the new rotor blades on the
    Shuttle. Tonight I will do the final adjustments.
    
    
    
        At this point (knock on wood):
    
        Both Helis are all set and ready for test flights.
    
        My new Gremlin is ready for a test flight.
    
        The Stryke is all set for practice sessions.
    
        The Pocket rocket is flyable
    
        The UNIC is next in que to finish, and then either the LA-1 or
        Boxer 
    
    
    
          Almost feel like I am making progess (at least for the moment :)
                  

    
    
          I have tenatively decided on Aileron/Flap size for the UNIC. I
    purchased a 6" wide piece of 1/4" Balsa. My plan is to build solid
    balsa ailerons/flaps which taper from 3 1/2" at the root to 2 1/2" at
    the tip. I may also do some "span wise" tapering ( but not much ). I
    still haven't decided on 2 or 4 surfaces, but I am leaning toward 4.
    The Balsa I got is fairly stiff. Combined with the tapering, hopefully
    it will keep the flutter at bay.
    
          I also priced one of the new Dubro engine mounts for the .45 at
    RC Buyers last night and got a case of sticker shock! $17+ for the
    .45 size! I didn't even want to ask the cost of the .91 Surpass size!
    I guess its not that bad when you campare it to "pattern" engine mounts,
    but its a far cry from the normal $5-$7 for a "sport" engine mount!
                                          

    re: -1
    
    My O.S. 1.08 mount from Tower was $33 last fall!

                                            
        Last night I spend some time stripping down my Gremlin and
    disassembling/cleaning the dirt out of the .25FP from its accidental
    inverted contact with the field last Sunday ( man, you can cram a lot
    of dirt in the carb doing this! :)
    
        Turns out I will need a New Hayes tank in addition to a new
    fuselage and motor mount. It also suffered a bit of wing tip damage
    that will need to be repaired.
    
        When I disaasmbled the .25, the bushings looked well worn (this
    .25 has LOTS of flights on it), and the crank just slid out 
    ( no heat needed :). Despite the worn bushings, the trusty ol .25
    is still ticking away, but starting to lose a bit of power ( need 30
    percent nitro! :).
        I am going to try switching to a 9/5 prop and see if it works
    any better. Eric recommended trying it. Jack Z and others have been
    using 9/5's and find the .25's ( especially the old ones ) seem to
    be happier turning at a bit higher RPM. 

    
    
          Anyone in New England go flying the last couple of days :)
    
                                          

Just in the van on the highway 8^)

Definately know which way the wind is from...

    
      Yes, Vans really (insert "suck" or "blow" ) in these kind of winds!

    I had to drive up to Plaistow N.H. last night after work. I made it a
    point to NOT have any vehicles on either side of me. I made some rather
    drastic lane changes at times. Either that, or I went from 65 mph to
    about 20 mph in an instant. 8^)
    
    Felt like I had driven about 1K miles by the time I got home.

    Last night you could have flown without starting your engine.  Just
    put the plane on the runway, wait for liftoff, and hope you stay with
    it!!
    
    A stock Gremlin would have been flying backward in the 61 mph winds
    they clocked last night.
    
    Regards,
    Joe

    
      Just one more reason ALL Gremlins should be fitted with .32's! :)
    
    

I just wish for part of the time it had been a tailwind 8^)

    Well, I rigged up my futaba battery and servos to run with my JR Tx.
    Works great.  I even programmed the JR (really easy).  I should be
    ready to gremlinize this weekend.  Tonight I glue on the flaperons and
    hook up control surfaces, then I'm ready!
    
    andy
    

We never claimed them to be 10 contiguous hours 8^)

Get some flights before the 4/30 CMRCM contest

    Well I did a real numskull maneuver last night.  I was glueing in the
    hinges with 30 min epoxy.  I got the hinges into the TE and then I got
    one aileron in before the epoxy was unworkable.  So, in my haste, I
    decided to glue in the other airleron with CA.  I thought I was good
    enough to "beat" the CA.  I wasn't.  My right airleron now has a � inch
    gap because I didn't get it all the way on before the CA set.  I sealed
    the gap up with packing tape though.  Other than that, I got my
    ailerons all hooked up and fully functional.  I had to turn my servos
    around because I my connecting rods weren't long enough the other way. 
    Then I confused myself for 15 minutes while I tried to get up to be up
    and right to be right instead of up to be up and right to be left.  A
    little programming and some servo switching eventually fixed that.  Now
    I just have to connect up the throttle and reattach the fins.
    	Unfortunately, this gremlin is not stock.  I have my old K&B .28
    from my Trainer20 on there.  I guess I would have to compete in
    unlimited class where I would get my butt kicked.  Besides, I put
    enough effort into it to qualify it as a Sunday gremlin.
    
    Andy

    Andy,
    
    	Let me know when your going to test fly it. I'LL STAY HOME THAT
    DAY................8^)
    
    	The way your K&B .28 runs, I'm sure we can vote you into stock
    NO PROBLEM........8^) We need some easy target drones.......8^)
    
    Steve

    Thanks for the vote of confidence Steve! :)  Maybe I'll come out and
    try it out in your yard! 8^))
    Who knows how the K&B will run.  It hasn't been run since it dug a post
    hole back in '92.  Compression is still good.  I took the whole thing
    apart and cleaned the dirt out if it right after the wreck, so it
    should be ok.  I'll be out tomorrow around 3 maybe.  I'm playing golf
    at 10.
    
    Andy
    

    Does anybody have any thoughts as to what sort of pushrods I should use
    in my US60? In other news, my retracts finally came in, so it looks
    like I will be building again!
    
    andy
    

Finally got the LA1 out to the field yesterday afternoon and got in some
practice flights. Put in one trim flight and then flew the routine 3 times.
Not contest winning performances, but considering this is the first time
I've flown the LA1 this year, very acceptable. Left thumb is a little
rusty and I have to reprogram the brain from bang the sticks Goblin flying
to just move the sticks a little pattern flying. At least I still remembered
the routine. 8^)

For the first time, I'm trying Cool Power 15% 2 cycle fuel and it seems to
be working fine. Hanno special required some tweaking but not much. Cool
Power is all synthetic, no castor, so I needed to lean out the low end
some and tweak the high end needle. It's running as strong as ever now, I
guess the Cool Power will work out fine. Unfortunately, I had forgotten all
about the wedding I have to attend this Sunday so I won't be able to make
the NEIC contest at the Westboro field. My wife gently reminded me we already
had plans. Ya, about as gently as dropping the bomb on Hiroshima. 8^)

Unfortunately, the balsa Gods got their share of sacrifices yesterday also.
I had just gotten out of the van and hadn't even made it to the pits yet
when the first plane went in. Russ Miller was flying his quarter scale cub
and was doing some pretty heavy stick banging (I guess cubs CAN snap roll).
I even asked him (jokingly) if he was getting hit. Well, about 10 seconds
later, the cub came out of a snap roll and recovered heading straight down.
It never recovered. From about 400 feet up it went straight in at full
throttle. He had no elevator response. Just to give you an idea of how hard
it hit, the 120 motor AND almost half the cowl were burried in the ground.
Russ is a big guy and it took him quite some time to extricate the motor.
In my opinion the cub is totalled and can't be rebuilt. He lucked out in
the sense that it looks like the only thing he did to the motor was break
the needle valve. The cub went in so perfectly straight that all the pieces
were within a 5 foot circle.

Shortly before Charlie and I left, Mark Hamilton was test flying a big stick
type plane for "someone". Don't know the guys name. He went dead stick and
got cought trying to make a down wind turn back to the field. The plane
went into the trees across from the pits. Didn't get a close look at it,
but the tail section came back seperate from the rest of the plane and one
aileron was hanging.

Charlie put in a couple of flights on the LYKA JET and let me take the sticks
for a flight. Man is that thing fast. Very touchy too. But, what a blast
to fly. Except for the speed, it's dead stable and fly's just like a pattern
plane. Boy does it get small fast though. When it came time to land, the
wind had shifted 180 degrees so Charlie made his landing approach right to
left. It was that time of day when it was hard to judge things coming in
from the right and he chopped the throttle a "little" too soon. The plane
cought one of the small trees on the knoll to the right of the field. It
took the two of us to retrieve it, but damage was limited to a couple of
dents in the leading edge of the wing. We figured that was a good time to
call it a day, and did.