Well, I hung up the skyraider mach 1 Monday after 2 really fun tanks of fuel in high winds. It was going so fast with the wind that I was afraid that the wings were gonna fold![X(] I hung it up in the garage, stripped of all its electronics and engine. They are going to end up in my new Skyraider mach 2 that I am doing a recover job on. I will post pics on it later. It was nice compared to flying the Extra lately, the trainer was easy and I could try to get it in trouble and she would refuse. I was the only one at the field so I probably broke a couple safety rules: Take off from the ramp, Stand on the runway when landing, landing in the pit area. Something I would never do obviously if I weren't the only person there.[sm=wink_smile.gif]

Brett,
Sorry to hear that you retired you trainer. Does that sound like an odd statement?? It's not. Heck, I've been flying for 12 years and I still have my trainer in flying condition. It's a total blast to take your plane to the field every so often, even after you've advanced to other planes. It's fun to put a trainer through the paces and do advanced aerobatics with it. I remember when I was learning to fly I thought that the trainer flew so fast, now when I fly my trainer I wonder how a plane flying so slow can actually stay in the air!!!!!

Ken

I didn't really want to, but it was a financial decision. I wanted a mach 2 so I have to perform a transplant.

The speed you saw "with the wind" was ground speed and illusionary and not "felt" by the structure. What hurts a plane is excess airspeed and excessive loads that can be imposed at those speeds. You can fly a trainer in 100 mph winds with no increased loads on the plane other than the obvious fact that it will be very hard to fly back into the wind and land. A plane does not "feel" wind speed, it feels the speed at which it penetrates the air mass.

It was definatley good cross wind practice on Monday. I flew about 4 tank fulls. What a blast!

After seeing RCKen's posts about trainers, I rethought my original decision to start stripping a trainer I purchased originally for my daughter.

I'm in the process of taking the Alpha 40 and converting it to a tail dragger ( easy to do except for the tail wheel ) and installing light tubes and self illuminating LED's all around.

It will become my new "night flyer" and "winter bird" ....

I am installing Dubro semi-scale rear gear on my new Ultrastick. Check it out.

http://www.shopatron.com/product/par...161.5181.0.0.0


Jack

Note - I went one size larger so it would handle the grass field better.

Also, on the UltraStick, we had to run the springs back to a small piece of dowel in the back lower corner of the rudder, as there isn't enough room to attach the standard fitting at the front lower corner of the rudder and have the clearance to move both the rudder and elevator completely though their ranges.

That's exactly what I was thinking of.

brett65, would you be interested in selling it?
just curious......
PM me if you are

I still kick myself in the a** for selling my Skyraider Mach-1. The plane is much more than a trainer. At least you'll still have yours should you ever get the urge to get it flying again. I'll likely get another and bolt a .52 or .56 4-stroke on it just to have around for when I feel like that kind of plane.

I was flying my trainer 2 last week and the guys at the field asked my why I was still flying my trainer. They said you fly better than that. Keep in mind I have my stryker, t-28, tiger moth , and my tower hobbies 40 there. I looked at them and said I like to enjoy my flying. It is nice to take that trainer up in the air and relax. It is also nice to learn new maneuvers and use the trainer first and then do them with my other planes.

A trainer is what you make it out to be. I say keep them trainers up and running. They are the best planes out there.

Don't worry Ken. Planes go in and out of retirement like professional atheletes

Sorry you had to retire your trainer. Hopefully you can recomission her at some later date. I had mine at the field the other day to help a new flyer get in the air. After the lesson I took her up just to get some relaxing flying in. A couple of electric flyers were doing some 3D stuff over the runway so I took my plane "way up" and just floated about at just above idle. Just like flying a kite!!! Brought her down after 25 minutes of very relaxed flying from a lawn chair.