Maj. Woody's Ultra Flash
#530
My Feedback: (67)
Well I have good news and bad news.
The Bad: I lost my flash last week. Pilot error while flying at a field away from home base. I had 34 of the most awesome flights you can imagine without incident! This jet was the most reliable, incredible performing jet I have ever owned. Just fuel and fly, over and over.
The Good: My passion for jets and tenacity to get back in the air is strong. I wont let this setback squelch my enthusiasm.
The Better: My new Custom Color Flash is scheduled for delivery tomorrow! I ordered the Fly Navy with a yellow fuse and blue canopy frame to match the blue on the fuse. I have done a ton of pre work such as rebuilding the cockpit, painting the pilot, assembling all the new tanks, machining a new Pitot tube for the canopy wire, building the UAT and Hopper tank mounts, removed the aileron / flap servo boxes from the old wing and prepared it for the new wing.
I must have spent 30% or more of my time during the first build trying to figure things out. Now I have my own build thread as a guide so I expect to just drop the new equipment into the new plane and get back in the air fast. My goal is to fly at Octurbofest on October 6 and 7. Now instead of two Flash's I will have one Flash and I plan to put the other Cheetah and all the servos I bought into a scale jet.
I may post picture of my new Flash tomorrow but I mainly want to get building. I don't plan to do a Build thread but will post detailed pictures of the completed build when I am done
Down for awhile but not out!!
The Bad: I lost my flash last week. Pilot error while flying at a field away from home base. I had 34 of the most awesome flights you can imagine without incident! This jet was the most reliable, incredible performing jet I have ever owned. Just fuel and fly, over and over.
The Good: My passion for jets and tenacity to get back in the air is strong. I wont let this setback squelch my enthusiasm.
The Better: My new Custom Color Flash is scheduled for delivery tomorrow! I ordered the Fly Navy with a yellow fuse and blue canopy frame to match the blue on the fuse. I have done a ton of pre work such as rebuilding the cockpit, painting the pilot, assembling all the new tanks, machining a new Pitot tube for the canopy wire, building the UAT and Hopper tank mounts, removed the aileron / flap servo boxes from the old wing and prepared it for the new wing.
I must have spent 30% or more of my time during the first build trying to figure things out. Now I have my own build thread as a guide so I expect to just drop the new equipment into the new plane and get back in the air fast. My goal is to fly at Octurbofest on October 6 and 7. Now instead of two Flash's I will have one Flash and I plan to put the other Cheetah and all the servos I bought into a scale jet.
I may post picture of my new Flash tomorrow but I mainly want to get building. I don't plan to do a Build thread but will post detailed pictures of the completed build when I am done
Down for awhile but not out!!
Glad to see you back on the scene!! Sad to learn of the loss of your Flash but glad to see you regroup so quickly. I'm prolly a lil late with this question but anyway, do you still have the fuse or maybe anyone else out there reading this post? I'm looking for a damaged one to rebuild. I lost mine due to fire.
btw.....is there a new Ho in your future? You and your Ho were a great match!! LOL
#532
My Feedback: (11)
I think the key to your success here is that you dealt with Dreamworks who are awesome in the customer care arena. Dealing with CARF direct or through their "reps"= major PITA. They always seem to be interested in getting your money and that's the end of the customer service.
This!!!
Dom, its great to see you back. The Major Woody builds are the best!
If I may suggest something for your flashes, put crow in with full flaps. Crow will help the flash in the slow world arena.
You will trade lift for slow speed control. And this is a GOOD thing!!
How do you get more lift? Easy, the stick on the left! More throttle.
It will sink more predictably and as crow increases effective wash out, it will have a lower tendency to snap. And most importantly, you will have MORE control!
In my classic flash, I had to mix some down elevator with crow (~1/4 inch) and I could spot land my flash with my throttle. I flew that darn airplane so hard and fast (like throttle at full throttle the whole time) and long, I ran out of gas more than once when we had 6 flashes up in the sky at once!
#533
Hi Paul.
The field I was flying at was unfamiliar to me. It was considerably shorter than what I am used to and it had obstacles. The runway had trees parallel to it but also perpendicular over the approach end of the runway. The runway was boxed in on one side. On my first two flights there I navigated that fine but on the 3rd flight there, a very strong and gusty cross wind developed. My scenario is that I needed to be higher than those trees but slow enough to land and stop on the short runway. The wind was unusual with the Flash literally wobbling with the gear and flaps down. It was the first time in 34 flights that the plane did not feel locked in. I just could not make the runway being too fast on the first two attempts. On the third I slowed her down too much and when turning base...directly into that heavy wind, the Flash dropped a wing and rolled into the ground. This never would have happened at my home field since there is a long runway and the approaches are clear. I have flown the flash in stronger wind than that at my home field and never had a problem. I would have simply carried more airspeed around the pattern and possibly not dropped the landing flaps till on final and powered her in as needed. My technique in such a small area is apparently not that good LOL. I will be more choosy as to the location and conditions I fly moving forward. As Clint Eastwood said...A mans got to know his limitations!
The field I was flying at was unfamiliar to me. It was considerably shorter than what I am used to and it had obstacles. The runway had trees parallel to it but also perpendicular over the approach end of the runway. The runway was boxed in on one side. On my first two flights there I navigated that fine but on the 3rd flight there, a very strong and gusty cross wind developed. My scenario is that I needed to be higher than those trees but slow enough to land and stop on the short runway. The wind was unusual with the Flash literally wobbling with the gear and flaps down. It was the first time in 34 flights that the plane did not feel locked in. I just could not make the runway being too fast on the first two attempts. On the third I slowed her down too much and when turning base...directly into that heavy wind, the Flash dropped a wing and rolled into the ground. This never would have happened at my home field since there is a long runway and the approaches are clear. I have flown the flash in stronger wind than that at my home field and never had a problem. I would have simply carried more airspeed around the pattern and possibly not dropped the landing flaps till on final and powered her in as needed. My technique in such a small area is apparently not that good LOL. I will be more choosy as to the location and conditions I fly moving forward. As Clint Eastwood said...A mans got to know his limitations!
#534
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (28)
Hi Guys.
Thanks for all the encouragement.
Alan I always have my eye out for a good Ho! Looking at the BVM PNP F-18 so another Ho could be in my future. You know I loved that Ho! Chippy Ho for all you wondering!
Rav I may just try some crow in the next one.
Woj that panel looks awesome! I may take you up on that.
Thanks for all the encouragement.
Alan I always have my eye out for a good Ho! Looking at the BVM PNP F-18 so another Ho could be in my future. You know I loved that Ho! Chippy Ho for all you wondering!
Rav I may just try some crow in the next one.
Woj that panel looks awesome! I may take you up on that.
#535
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (28)
My Stab is done. Built just like the last with JR 8411's. I put BVM tip skids on this one. I glued these on with Goop so I could pull them off if they get scraped up.I roughed up the glue side of the skid but not the stab. I simply cleaned the stab with alcohol and applied a thin layer of goop to the skid. Rock solid but can easily be peeled off with no trace left on the stab.
#536
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (28)
A couple of changes for the rudder servo and linkage. First I swapped out the JR 8411 for a Futaba 9156. My Fly Navy Flash will have 9156's all the way around. The reason I did this was because I had a hard time finding an aluminum servo arm for the 8411 that would accept a clevis. Here I used the Blue Futaba arm. In order to use the clevis, I had to mill down the top of the arm a bit. You want it just thin enough so that the clevis pin goes all the way through and fully engages the hole in the clevis. Unless this goes all the way through and seats in the other side of the clevis, you wont have full strength from the clevis.
#537
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (28)
The reason I wanted the longer aluminum arm, was so that I could get 45mm of rudder travel without having to over elongate the slot in the fin. I had to do that on my last Flash and as a result had to use the plastic fairing. I again had Home Depot match the paint and they did a great job.
#538
My Stab is done. Built just like the last with JR 8411's. I put BVM tip skids on this one. I glued these on with Goop so I could pull them off if they get scraped up.I roughed up the glue side of the skid but not the stab. I simply cleaned the stab with alcohol and applied a thin layer of goop to the skid. Rock solid but can easily be peeled off with no trace left on the stab.
Thanks Dom..
#540
My Feedback: (67)
Glad to hear there is another Ho in your future. LOL I like how you cleaned that up for the guys out there wondering what we are talking about. It goes WAY BACK to the Liberty Bell Jet Rally days.
>Voy, good talking to ya again Man and I hope you can somehow bring back All Scale.
>Voy, good talking to ya again Man and I hope you can somehow bring back All Scale.
#544
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (28)
I guess I am not sure why you guys are posting this. I never mentioned where I was flying. I was merely describing the conditions as I saw them that led to my mistake and my crash. I am used to flying from a 3000' long X 75' wide runway with no obstacles at either end. To me this field was more challenging given the windy conditions. It was clearly pilot error and I hope to not repeat my mistake.
#547
My Feedback: (2)
I agree that paint scheme looks great on the ground but in the air it disappears. A friend has a Bandit MKII in that scheme and does not fly it any more since it is very difficult to see in the air.
I agree with above that the UF is very effective with crow. I land my ultra flash with a Merlin M140x on a 608' x 82' runway. Most of the landings the plane comes to a complete stop by the halfway mark on the runway.
Your build looks awesome and I enjoy all of your build threads.
I agree with above that the UF is very effective with crow. I land my ultra flash with a Merlin M140x on a 608' x 82' runway. Most of the landings the plane comes to a complete stop by the halfway mark on the runway.
Your build looks awesome and I enjoy all of your build threads.
Last edited by DrV; 11-08-2017 at 08:17 PM.
#548
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (28)
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement everyone!
It amazes me how so many people are flying these on such sort strips. My Flash was always going real slow at touchdown but I bled off airspeed on final and in ground effect.Perhaps that crow is the answer to flying a tighter, slower approach. Practicing that and getting confident that the plane wont fall out of the sky has got to be a real puckering experience for sure.
It amazes me how so many people are flying these on such sort strips. My Flash was always going real slow at touchdown but I bled off airspeed on final and in ground effect.Perhaps that crow is the answer to flying a tighter, slower approach. Practicing that and getting confident that the plane wont fall out of the sky has got to be a real puckering experience for sure.