Winter Season????
11-07-2007, 03:04 PM
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Winter Season????
Hey everyone.. I was just wondering why a lot of rc flyers call the winter the "building season"..... I don't know about yall but if it is safe to fly in the winter I WILL BE IN THE AIR 
I don't get why rc pilots dread the winter? I was wondering if maybe the engines don't run right? or a battery issue possibly? I know the balsa will probably be a little weaker but hey, if It is safe to fly in the fact that the batteries and everything will be fine I WILL BE FLYING anyways... I've just been thinking about that since winter IS coming here... so any answers yall!? Thanksss
I don't get why rc pilots dread the winter? I was wondering if maybe the engines don't run right? or a battery issue possibly? I know the balsa will probably be a little weaker but hey, if It is safe to fly in the fact that the batteries and everything will be fine I WILL BE FLYING anyways... I've just been thinking about that since winter IS coming here... so any answers yall!? Thanksss
11-07-2007, 03:10 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
My only problem with flying in the cold wasn't the airplane but me. Fingers get numb, start thinking about hot chilli. You know. That sort of stuff.
Of course around here when I say cold I'm talking about below 45 deg. I'm sure our fellow fliers to the North will scoff at the notion that anything above 32 is cold.
Of course around here when I say cold I'm talking about below 45 deg. I'm sure our fellow fliers to the North will scoff at the notion that anything above 32 is cold.
11-07-2007, 03:42 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
There is absolutely noting wrong with flying in the winter. In fact engines run better in the cold air. It’s just that this hobby is supposed to be fun and freezing my rear off is NOT my idea of fun.
11-07-2007, 04:12 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
haha yeaa.. I didn't know if these little engines were the same as car engines.. because my brother and I have a 1997 camaro that he races... with around 600 horsepower to the wheels.. and of course the engine runs better cold due to more cold air going into the engine.... so yea I guess it would be the same huh! but im in North Carolina.. and it GETS cold down here but on average it is around mid 40's in the middle of the winter... but alright THANKS yall! Ill be flying this winter maybe some gloves will work.. because I could see myself getting screwed up with Numb thumbs instead of dumb thumbs haha... Ill be enjoying it though any guys with some winter flying pics!? maybe some snow flyin??? THANKS goin to fly the slo-v in the colodasack haha
maybe some gloves will work.. because I could see myself getting screwed up with Numb thumbs instead of dumb thumbs haha... Ill be enjoying it though any guys with some winter flying pics!? maybe some snow flyin??? THANKS goin to fly the slo-v in the colodasack haha
11-07-2007, 04:34 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
Like, good day, eh..
So, like, the air is getting colder, and like, you can now see your breath. You no longer have to worry about your beer getting warm, eh, when you’re, like, drinking outside.. You hoser!
No, it does get cold up here, and we also get snow (Hmm, snow in Canada…)
We put skis on our planes, and fly off the snow! Great fun.
You can also get an RC mitt. Basically, a big sock thin that you put your radio in, and your hands slide into pockets on the sides. Or, a tight fitting pair of gloves.
http://www.greathobbies.com/producti...rod_id=GHPMITT
The air is denser, so manoeuvre seem crisper. You can lean out the engine a little, and it seems to run a bit better.
But it is brighter, for the few hours we do get. Snow reflects..
Monokote & other coverings tend to become more brittle when below 0°C
The wind is sometimes stronger, but it seems more constant, less gusts.
Engines do tend to take a bit more to start. Sometimes a shot of Zippo fuel helps them kick over.. Sometimes a pipe clamp is applied so they don’t cool too much.
The prop blast while tuning the engine can be brutal!! Super wind chill!!
The oil / exhaust residue tends to be thicker, more like grease than oil. Or so it seems.
Depending, crashes are better, or worse. The snow tends to cushion the plane / chopper, assuming no ice sheets. Or, the plane doesn’t ‘submarine’ on impact.
You get “yahoos†on snow-mobiles who ruin your run-way.
Skis tend to lack the tracking wheels do, especially on crusted over snow!
But we love it!! Our cabin has s wood stove & it gets really really hot!! And someone always seems to bring a pot of coffee for everyone. Chilli too sometimes! (not to mention a shot or two of Rum afterwards!!)
http://www.brossair.com/index.php?op...g2_itemId=2291
So, like, the air is getting colder, and like, you can now see your breath. You no longer have to worry about your beer getting warm, eh, when you’re, like, drinking outside.. You hoser!
No, it does get cold up here, and we also get snow (Hmm, snow in Canada…)
We put skis on our planes, and fly off the snow! Great fun.
You can also get an RC mitt. Basically, a big sock thin that you put your radio in, and your hands slide into pockets on the sides. Or, a tight fitting pair of gloves.
http://www.greathobbies.com/producti...rod_id=GHPMITT
The air is denser, so manoeuvre seem crisper. You can lean out the engine a little, and it seems to run a bit better.
But it is brighter, for the few hours we do get. Snow reflects..
Monokote & other coverings tend to become more brittle when below 0°C
The wind is sometimes stronger, but it seems more constant, less gusts.
Engines do tend to take a bit more to start. Sometimes a shot of Zippo fuel helps them kick over.. Sometimes a pipe clamp is applied so they don’t cool too much.
The prop blast while tuning the engine can be brutal!! Super wind chill!!
The oil / exhaust residue tends to be thicker, more like grease than oil. Or so it seems.
Depending, crashes are better, or worse. The snow tends to cushion the plane / chopper, assuming no ice sheets. Or, the plane doesn’t ‘submarine’ on impact.
You get “yahoos†on snow-mobiles who ruin your run-way.
Skis tend to lack the tracking wheels do, especially on crusted over snow!
But we love it!! Our cabin has s wood stove & it gets really really hot!! And someone always seems to bring a pot of coffee for everyone. Chilli too sometimes! (not to mention a shot or two of Rum afterwards!!)
http://www.brossair.com/index.php?op...g2_itemId=2291
11-07-2007, 05:01 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
ORIGINAL: chevypower1930
haha yeaa.. I didn't know if these little engines were the same as car engines.. because my brother and I have a 1997 camaro that he races... with around 600 horsepower to the wheels.. and of course the engine runs better cold due to more cold air going into the engine.... so yea I guess it would be the same huh! but im in North Carolina.. and it GETS cold down here but on average it is around mid 40's in the middle of the winter... but alright THANKS yall! Ill be flying this winter maybe some gloves will work.. because I could see myself getting screwed up with Numb thumbs instead of dumb thumbs haha... Ill be enjoying it though any guys with some winter flying pics!? maybe some snow flyin??? THANKS goin to fly the slo-v in the colodasack haha
haha yeaa.. I didn't know if these little engines were the same as car engines.. because my brother and I have a 1997 camaro that he races... with around 600 horsepower to the wheels.. and of course the engine runs better cold due to more cold air going into the engine.... so yea I guess it would be the same huh! but im in North Carolina.. and it GETS cold down here but on average it is around mid 40's in the middle of the winter... but alright THANKS yall! Ill be flying this winter
maybe some gloves will work.. because I could see myself getting screwed up with Numb thumbs instead of dumb thumbs haha... Ill be enjoying it though any guys with some winter flying pics!? maybe some snow flyin??? THANKS goin to fly the slo-v in the colodasack haha
11-07-2007, 05:18 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
Ohhh thanks for the responses guys.. if we get snow up here it'd be awesome to put some skis on my trainer since we don't get a LOT of snow here i better not take it for granted
since we don't get a LOT of snow here i better not take it for granted
11-07-2007, 06:05 PM
#8
RE: Winter Season????
Winter in NC! well up here in north idaho let me tell ya i used to walk 20 miles. Forget it you probably herd it before
Anyway winter is the building season here. Not because of snow though. It's the wind. Blows 15mph for weeks at a time and at 15-20 degrees or less out side it's just no fun at all.
Pat
Anyway winter is the building season here. Not because of snow though. It's the wind. Blows 15mph for weeks at a time and at 15-20 degrees or less out side it's just no fun at all.
Pat
11-07-2007, 07:12 PM
#10
RE: Winter Season????
Well, It was kind of cold here this morning. When I got up it was down to 64 degrees, and then just before sunup it got down to 62. Got kinda nice this afternoon though, almost up to 80. We will probably have a low in the upper 40's tonight, but the oranges won't ripen correctly without a little cool snap. Looking forward to lows in the upper 70's at night again next week. I'll probably fly this weekend if it warms up just a little.
Bill, AMA 4720
WACO Brotherhood #1
Bill, AMA 4720
WACO Brotherhood #1
11-07-2007, 09:31 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
Like BankYank said, the problem is only partly the cold - it's the WIND too.
Here in Winnipeg Manitoba (think Fargo ND and then drive 2.5 hours straight north) it is still warm enough to fly (daytime high around +3 Celsius = 37 F) but we are getting winds up to 20 knots or more quite often. Today the winds were moderate, only about 15 knots. However, since sunrise today was at about 7:30 am and sunset was a few minutes before 5 pm, there isn't much time for a working stiff to go out to play!
When REAL winter starts, round about the first week in January, we won't be flying I can tell you that. The AVERAGE DAYTIME HIGH is -12.7 C (about 9 F). The [link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_and_climate_of_Winnipeg]Wikipedia page for Winnipeg[/link] says:
When you factor in wind chills, winter apparent temperatures are substantially less pleasant for flying.
So, we sit in our cellars and build...
Here in Winnipeg Manitoba (think Fargo ND and then drive 2.5 hours straight north) it is still warm enough to fly (daytime high around +3 Celsius = 37 F) but we are getting winds up to 20 knots or more quite often. Today the winds were moderate, only about 15 knots. However, since sunrise today was at about 7:30 am and sunset was a few minutes before 5 pm, there isn't much time for a working stiff to go out to play!
When REAL winter starts, round about the first week in January, we won't be flying I can tell you that. The AVERAGE DAYTIME HIGH is -12.7 C (about 9 F). The [link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_and_climate_of_Winnipeg]Wikipedia page for Winnipeg[/link] says:
From December through January the maximum daily temperature exceeds 0 °C (32 °F), on average, for only 10 days and the minimum daily temperature falls below -20 °C (-4 °F) on 49 days.
So, we sit in our cellars and build...
11-07-2007, 09:57 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
ORIGINAL: dr_wogz
Like, good day, eh..
So, like, the air is getting colder, and like, you can now see your breath. You no longer have to worry about your beer getting warm, eh, when you’re, like, drinking outside.. You hoser!
No, it does get cold up here, and we also get snow (Hmm, snow in Canada…)
We put skis on our planes, and fly off the snow! Great fun.
You can also get an RC mitt. Basically, a big sock thin that you put your radio in, and your hands slide into pockets on the sides. Or, a tight fitting pair of gloves.
http://www.greathobbies.com/producti...rod_id=GHPMITT
The air is denser, so manoeuvre seem crisper. You can lean out the engine a little, and it seems to run a bit better.
But it is brighter, for the few hours we do get. Snow reflects..
Monokote & other coverings tend to become more brittle when below 0°C
The wind is sometimes stronger, but it seems more constant, less gusts.
Engines do tend to take a bit more to start. Sometimes a shot of Zippo fuel helps them kick over.. Sometimes a pipe clamp is applied so they don’t cool too much.
The prop blast while tuning the engine can be brutal!! Super wind chill!!
The oil / exhaust residue tends to be thicker, more like grease than oil. Or so it seems.
Depending, crashes are better, or worse. The snow tends to cushion the plane / chopper, assuming no ice sheets. Or, the plane doesn’t ‘submarine’ on impact.
You get “yahoos†on snow-mobiles who ruin your run-way.
Skis tend to lack the tracking wheels do, especially on crusted over snow!
But we love it!! Our cabin has s wood stove & it gets really really hot!! And someone always seems to bring a pot of coffee for everyone. Chilli too sometimes! (not to mention a shot or two of Rum afterwards!!)
http://www.brossair.com/index.php?op...g2_itemId=2291
Like, good day, eh..
So, like, the air is getting colder, and like, you can now see your breath. You no longer have to worry about your beer getting warm, eh, when you’re, like, drinking outside.. You hoser!
No, it does get cold up here, and we also get snow (Hmm, snow in Canada…)
We put skis on our planes, and fly off the snow! Great fun.
You can also get an RC mitt. Basically, a big sock thin that you put your radio in, and your hands slide into pockets on the sides. Or, a tight fitting pair of gloves.
http://www.greathobbies.com/producti...rod_id=GHPMITT
The air is denser, so manoeuvre seem crisper. You can lean out the engine a little, and it seems to run a bit better.
But it is brighter, for the few hours we do get. Snow reflects..
Monokote & other coverings tend to become more brittle when below 0°C
The wind is sometimes stronger, but it seems more constant, less gusts.
Engines do tend to take a bit more to start. Sometimes a shot of Zippo fuel helps them kick over.. Sometimes a pipe clamp is applied so they don’t cool too much.
The prop blast while tuning the engine can be brutal!! Super wind chill!!
The oil / exhaust residue tends to be thicker, more like grease than oil. Or so it seems.
Depending, crashes are better, or worse. The snow tends to cushion the plane / chopper, assuming no ice sheets. Or, the plane doesn’t ‘submarine’ on impact.
You get “yahoos†on snow-mobiles who ruin your run-way.
Skis tend to lack the tracking wheels do, especially on crusted over snow!
But we love it!! Our cabin has s wood stove & it gets really really hot!! And someone always seems to bring a pot of coffee for everyone. Chilli too sometimes! (not to mention a shot or two of Rum afterwards!!)
http://www.brossair.com/index.php?op...g2_itemId=2291
somegeek
11-07-2007, 10:10 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
It's the constant winter rain here in Oregon that encourages building. Wind is not much of an issue as winter winds here are usually out of the southwest... perfect for soaring at the local slope site, if a break can be found in the rain. I just love watching TV weather reporters complaining about 35MPH winds, at my favorite slope that's when the lift is best!
Fly safe, Glover
When I lived in Naples Florida, snow birds from the north filled every venue to overflowing; making winter a building time.
Fly safe, Glover
When I lived in Naples Florida, snow birds from the north filled every venue to overflowing; making winter a building time.
11-07-2007, 10:22 PM
#14
RE: Winter Season????
Bold talk for a guy from North Carolina! I fly year round, but when it's 10º and blowing hard I do enjoy the building bench better than the flying field. One local club has a January 1st fly every year and a Chili Fly in February and that seperates the men from the boys.
I love the sound of sleet on Monokote in the morning.
You'll note the towels on the engine and flight box in this image. It was sleeting and the engines were icing up in the carb barrels in flight and stopping. Nice flying weather.
I fly year round, but when it's 10º and blowing hard I do enjoy the building bench better than the flying field. One local club has a January 1st fly every year and a Chili Fly in February and that seperates the men from the boys. I love the sound of sleet on Monokote in the morning.
You'll note the towels on the engine and flight box in this image. It was sleeting and the engines were icing up in the carb barrels in flight and stopping. Nice flying weather.
11-07-2007, 10:48 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
People call it the "building season" because people up here in Wisconsin know better than to go out in harsh weather. Most people I know would rather build in the basement and get things done than go to the field and be frozen. In my opinion if I were to go out to the field in winter my plane wouldn't have a problem - I'd have very numb fingers. Besides many people have big projects to get done for the flying season in spring. As for me I'm training on the simulator to get ready for training in the spring so, nothing big planned this winter.
-- TakingFlight96
-- TakingFlight96
11-08-2007, 07:55 AM
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RE: Winter Season????
Chevy, 40 degrees is a heat wave. Sometime in January load your plane and drive for about twelve hours due north... You'll get a good idea why we call winter building season.
11-08-2007, 03:35 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
We also joke that you plane flies like this (move your hand though air, like a plane woudl fly, but shake up & down violently) in the winter..
Because your thumbs are shivering & shaking (if you move the right stick Up & down.. what do you get..)
November is usually worse for us, wind wise. Some "cold" days are teh best, no wind, bright blue skies, crisp, but not really that cold.. "It's a dry cold!!"
Then spring... Where we have 'Lake Brossair'... You need waders & pontoons just to get out of the pits! And you dread a crash or dead-stick becasue the outer feild is a muddy quagmire..
Because your thumbs are shivering & shaking (if you move the right stick Up & down.. what do you get..)
November is usually worse for us, wind wise. Some "cold" days are teh best, no wind, bright blue skies, crisp, but not really that cold.. "It's a dry cold!!"
Then spring... Where we have 'Lake Brossair'... You need waders & pontoons just to get out of the pits! And you dread a crash or dead-stick becasue the outer feild is a muddy quagmire..
11-09-2007, 11:50 AM
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RE: Winter Season????
i don't like the cold particularly but i will fly when it gets above 30 plus i have a foamie electric that i can always fly indoors.
plus i have a foamie electric that i can always fly indoors.
11-09-2007, 12:32 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
Well I tend to like to build during the Winter mainly for the fact that its not 100+ in my Garage. But I can fly year around here in South Texas. Snow? What's that stuff? :P
11-09-2007, 07:19 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
Y'all are makin me shiver, heck, it was in the mid 80's here again today, and close to 90 for Sunday but the wind is going to be like 30mph though...
11-09-2007, 09:24 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
Wind isn't that bad. Lakes freeze and suddenly the airfield is really big and it doesn't matter which direction the wind is from. I've flown in 25 mph winds, kinda fun -quick down lines and slow getting back upwind.
It's also nice to fly indoors too.
It's also nice to fly indoors too.
11-09-2007, 10:33 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
yeah the weather sucks terribly here, i was sweating so bad today while flying my new homemade electric glider and i started to smell myself on a long distance retrieve when the battery went dead on me way out there low.. this is getting ridiculous i love cold weather and have always dreamt of living in missoula montana (mostly bc of the movie a river runs through it) but also bc i love hunting and it is the state with the most big game also i love cold weather and open country! but i dont think i will ever leave this place as my family has lived on the same 600 acre piece of property since very shortly before the county was established right after the civil war.. i love the property, but the weather is just terrible hot hot and more hot! plus there is a constant force of encroachment from people moving in on all sides, and that i dont like! i love to fly on my own property, walk across it and shoot my gun whichever way i please and only have to worry about shooting my house or some cattle and thats all i have to worry about.. for now, but people are getting closer and closer so i dont like that or the weather, thats why i dream of living in mt or co but i also will never leave my family.. if i didnt have land inheritance and family i would be in mt or co right now! but other than the weather and incoming population and muddy creeks instead of clear stone lined streams/rivers i love this area and being near my family.. and the whitetail population is great, and the ducks are pretty great too.. and being in the pineywoods area of east texas also keeps the wind below 15 mph 90-95% of the time making for almost always great flying conditions except for the heat!
11-10-2007, 06:59 AM
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RE: Winter Season????
I used to fly in all kinds of weather. Even flew in a snowstorm once. The older I get the more insistant Mother Nature is that this is just not a good idea for me! Just call me a fair weather friend.
11-10-2007, 05:50 PM
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RE: Winter Season????
We have a woodstove in our clubhouse and we're using already. 26 F outside right now. I live on the Rideau River just at the mouth of Lake Ontario, so when it freezes over I do my test flight out my front yard. This is last year out at the field. Clubmember doing a touch and go with a 1/4 scale Cub on skis off the clubhouse roof. Biggest hastle is not running into moose muffins. Like concrete when frozen.