MJD

My Feedback: (1)

I thought this justified a new thread. What did you fly today to ring in 2014?

Today was a harsh reminder why I hate flying in winter. But, sheer excitement over the just-completed .010 conversion (see the thread informatively titled "Well duh!") and the novelty of flying it on Jan 1 got me fired up to try out one flight. So at 2:30 today I parked the car with heater blazing in the community center parking lot, one quick test glide ("good enough, let 'er rip"), sweep off the snow, heat up the engine, and time to commit test flight. A bit of needle fiddling (patience Luke), and just enough feeling left in my fingers to control it once I was happy with the engine.

Complete success! This thing flies great, and the .010 is plenty of power even a bit rich. This airframe is well suited to the engine. Good climb rate, loops, rolls from level flight, no problem, horsed around a bit then climbed out for the end of the run and glide. Slid it in about 6 feet from the pits. Yeehah! An .020 would also work well I think.

No matter how fun the first flight was, there was no way in heck I was sticking around for another in this cold. Screw that..

It looks like a Multiplex Fox but it does not appear to be identical. I highly endorse this conversion from my experience so far!

No pictures or video - nobody else wanted to come out and play. Wimps.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Awesome job.......!
You should get at least an "Air Medal" for a Jan 1st maiden flight.
The older I get the more painful that the biting cold gets into my hands. Our last electric bill [2 months] had daily averages of 37 - 45 degrees with a daily usage of 82 KWH. Total cost of $487 or $8 per day. Imagine trying to stay warm on $8 per day if you are cutting, chopping, hauling and stacking your own fire wood...even heating your water on a wood stove...!!
What do you pay to keep comfy where you're at..?

Jaybird

Hi MJD,

I didn't fly any glow but I did fly electrics today at the KVMA field in Sidney, Maine if that counts. Sunny sky with brisk westerly breeze and 16 degrees F. Nobody else came to the field here either!

In-flight video here http://youtu.be/J7pwMmBoZpI

Jaybird

Gizmo-RCU

My Feedback: (27)

Our club flew today. A big burn barrel, hot coffee and doughnuts.
It was about 34 @ noon today here in N.Idaho and all the snow had melted off the asphalt by noon and the fog and clouds had cleared so a good day for all. All the planes went home in one piece!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I flew my little Lt. 25, a plane that I like to use to limber up the thumbs I have a Thunder Tiger 36 on it, a great combination.

HAPPY NEW YEARS TO EVERYONE ON RCU!

(now to get the "Slime" off my plane)

combatpigg

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You guys will be put in for commendations and the club gets a unit citation...!
A special "shout out" to you guys in Athol......"HEY, ATHOLs"..!!!

MJD

My Feedback: (1)

Sure that counts. There's something to be said for "instant-on" electrics in the cold weather.

aspeed

I was going to recommend a new years fly for the club, but it is too cold, and the snow is so thick today you couldn't see it anyway. We don't heat with electric or oil here unless we are way out in the boonies. Gas costs about $100 to $150 a month in the winter, and $30 in the summer for the water heater ($21 service charge) Electric is about $100 a month usually too for a normal house. Add at least $200 a month for electric heat on an average 1200 sq. ft house, likely $300.

MJD

My Feedback: (1)

If I did a better job budgeting I'd know more accurately, but I think we spend about $2200-$2400 a year to heat, that's between oil (primary heat) and a couple of cords for the wood stove.

I was thinking about one more flight tomorrow, but the forecast calls for -6F. Forget it.

hllywdb

I am in Florida but got no flights in today. Rained all day with 20 mph. So worked in the garage on the motorcycles. Looked at 2 more build projects, but not starting on anything yet. When I lived in the Northeast we lived on a resovoir. I can remember starting the plane in the basement to get the motor warm. Then walking out onto the ice and getting some flights in. Back in the 70's I maidened a Sig Hummer in the middle of a snow storm. The day I finished it was snowing bad, but I wanted to fly it anyway. By the time it was 100ft away I could hardly see it. Got 3 flights in as I remember. We don't realy have heating costs here, turn the electric on a few days in February, but the AC for the rest of the year bumps your electric to $300 a month.

aspeed

At one time I wanted to build an underground house. It moderates the bills a bit. I guess in Florida that wouldn't work. We were fairly serious about buying a house there last year. We wouldn't be there in the summer though. I found a threshold of 10 degrees C (50) and zero degrees C (32 F) as the ultimate for working outside or flying. The fingers below freezing are killer. Maybe a lekkie in the front yard.

loopdeeloop

My Feedback: (4)

Six of us flew New Years day as we alwas do. Temp was 9 below zero. Engines didn't like to idle but flew well with skis.

757jonp

My Feedback: (48)

We had an excellent turnout for the annual New Year Funfly Near 50 pilots showed up and a pretty serious amount of flying going on all day. Nice sunny day with a high of about 45 and low winds helped a bunch. Sure beats one year when it was 20/20 (temp and wind). I flew that year just enough to say I flew on the 1st, then packed it in and headed for the barn, quick!

MJD

My Feedback: (1)

With an .010 no less..

So it should be engraved "1/1/1" for month 1, day 1, engine .010.

This means the .020 version needs to fly Feb 2. Not sure what to do for March.

Plus I'd need to finally score a TD .020, all I have is PeeWees. I'll save those for Ebenezer FF's.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

As hllywdb said it drizzled all day here, bad day for flying. But I went today, on the first sunny day of the year. It was a lil gusty but we all had fun. Does that counts?

wheelan

or you can come and fly downunder, temp forcast tomorrow for sunny Brisbane is 41deg c. thats 106 f, its easier to get warm than cool, wanna swap?

hairy46

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Did not get to fly Jan 1, wind was high, did the next best thing, watch an rc airplane video early morning and then worked on the P-40

OliverJacob

My Feedback: (12)

Too cold here in Wisconsin, temps were around 0 the last few days. No fun to be out there.
So I got myself a 'proto x' today and fly it in the living room. So much fun and the dog thinks it's a bug

MJD

My Feedback: (1)

Anybody who flew on Jan 1 at temperatures above the freezing point of human blood get honorable mention.

Talking about indoor fliers for the winter, I was saddened to see the Mini Vapor has been discontinued. Mine is hanging in there still, but attrition does take its toll.

Andrew

Horizon Hobby is still listing parts --- you might want to stock up on those that are most likely to be damaged.

aspeed

My indoor 4 site has finally bit the dust. Hit the wall and slid down. Fuselage is mush, poor design IMHo. I still have one left, and am trying to make a FFF plane to use the electrics. I had my Citabria break a shaft too, and it is discontinued as well, although some stuff is available, sold it, and it was my fave. I have even had trouble getting to town to fly indoors lately with freezing rain and such inconveniences.

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

Hey CP rough winter this year so far, Im on electric heat, December bill was $310,,,apparently the last fire I had last winter broke the glass in my woodstove!! but I didn't run the AC once this past summer so I had $50 bills..what ever happened to those air hogs bipeplanes, sooo much fun! cant find one anywhere...Rog

MJD

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It finally warmed up enough that it was not totally masochistic to go outside and attempt to fly a glow engine. I have to report that this aircraft is tailor made for the .010 - good but not excessive power, good glide, lots of control authority on high rate down to smooth on low, and capable of rolls and loops and other hi-jinx. What a bit of cheap fun! I think I already posted this, but I used the packaged lekkie version, used the supplied elevator and rudder servos, but swapped out the ail servo to a HS-65 just because of the linkage drag. All seems to be working out well. And I am using the first of my 6 for $24.95 Lemon Rx's - no glitches or problems so far, range tests all checked out. 129.5g AUW.

However, small silicone tubing does not stay on .010 tank/spray bar fittings worth beans. Time to go back to poly-u. I had 5-6 aborted launches and flights due to the fuel line popping off. The fact that in each case I was able to recover and safely land the model is why I know for sure it works - not from the successful flights, really.

This must be the same model you see under different brands.

MJD

My Feedback: (1)

If I flew yesterday, that might have been the beginning of something. It was nasty cold and windy, and I wasn't so badly in need of a new tradition anyway.. so to heck with that, thus endeth that idea! Life goes on..

Andrew

I use natural gas for heating and hot water -- last bill was for Oct 27 to Nov 29. Daily average was $0.53

MJD

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We live on the tail end of an escarpment, and the gas company would have to lay pipe in about three miles of rocks to deliver around here. Oil for us. Hi eff propane doesn't win out, but nat gas sure would if we could get it. And we supplement with a wood stove that goes pretty much full time from late Dec on, though with our small house we go through no more about two cords in winter.