Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

While I was replacing the batteries I mounted the charging jacks.

I made a paper template of the radius of the former where I wanted to glue the lite ply.



Wrong Way RC included a piece of lite ply for the charging jacks when I ordered the charge jack extensions. It was 3/4" wide so I need that much above the line.



The fuselage former is 1" wide so I need that much below the line.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

I grabbed a scrap of 1/8" lite ply and used the template to create the 1 3/4" tall mount.





The test fit looks good.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

There are three of the charging jack plates to mount.



I used one of them to trace the outline on the lite ply.



The Dremel router bit and an X-acto knife open up the charging jack holes easily. A 3/32" drill bit was the perfect size for the screw holes. Thin CA was used to harden all the holes.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

I used thick CA to glue the mount to the front side of the former.



It's a little tricky, but this shows the charge jack extensions from the three batteries routed to the mount.



Charging is more convenient with easy access to the charge jacks.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

My apologies to those that choose to live anywhere affected by a polar vortex...

But, dang, it's been REALLY nice in Arizona the last two weekends.

The weather has been so nice I actually prepared for the "Best in the West" IMAC contest with 4 flights the weekend before the contest instead of the usual 2 flights.

We had 5 pilots in the Advanced class. I was about 50 points behind 1st place (out of 3,000) at the end of the day Saturday.

Our Unknown Sunday morning was too funny. The wind was blowing in pretty good. All 5 of of us got together after the round and laughed about all the mistakes we made. We joked about it being a round of "who sucked the least".

I didn't make up enough on Sunday to win and ended the contest 30 points behind 1st place (out of 5,000). I got the 2nd place trophy for this contest.



It was a great weekend for our last contest of the season. Close competition with good friends is always a blast!!

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

2014 Season Results:


Time flies when you're having fun!!


The 2014 IMAC season is over. I flew less than 100 flights this year but made it to 8 contests.





I really enjoyed myself each time I went out for a few practice flights before a contest. And we had a whole lot of fun at all the contests I attended this year. My personal "Thanks" to everyone who participated this year and made it a really fun year.


IMAC counts your top 5 contests towards your Regional Points Series championship. I ended up as the Advanced Class champion for the Southwest Region this year. My "Congratulations" to all the pilots.





I had a blast with all the close competitions this year, whether is was competing with someone for 3rd place or 1st place.


We have an awesome bunch of pilots in the Southwest. I hope you all have a great holiday season!!


Let's have some more fun next year!!!!

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

Good job Dean. I see my buddy Joe was nippin at your heels LOL An impressive feat with that little of practice. Hope to see you at a contest next season. I've been out flying through the sequence a couple times now.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

Mike?

Thanks. Joe and I got to fly one contest (Fresno) together. We were very closely matched. A half point here or there is the slight difference.

I'm expecting to fly just as few flights, and just as many contests, next year.

Hope to see you at a few.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

What a beautiful day today!! I hadn't flown since the contest the middle of November. Blue skies... mid 70s... winds light and variable... I forgot how much fun I have flying this plane.


I signed up for the Cactus Classic the middle of March.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

In case you want the CARF-Models Extra 330SC in the Yellow Chequer Scheme for your Real Flight simulator.

http://www.knifeedge.com/forums/down...=file&id=21293

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

Some more new things for the Extra 330SC...

CARF-Models is offering two more schemes for the 122" Extra 330SC.

Swiss Scheme




Breitling Scheme

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

Well, the president was in Phoenix the Friday before the Cactus Classic. All flying was grounded so I didn't get another practice day and fly that contest.


I did get to fly the last few weekends and attended a great contest in Yuma, Arizona, this weekend.


A flying buddy in my class suggested I get a practice flight on Saturday morning before the contest started. It must have been before my Diet Coke kicked in because it was horrible. I couldn't hit a snap, couldn't do the 8 point roll cleanly, and could barely get over the top of the stall turn.


I was not expecting much when the contest started. I ended up flying the sequences in the 1st round the best I can fly them.


There were two of my flying buddies in the class. I worked on the Unknown Saturday evening with one of them. We had a great time talking about where to put the maneuvers, how big to make them, where to make sure we weren't shallow on the 45 lines, and what was going to present the best.


The pilot I worked with went first. It went just as planned, he flew well, and was totally pumped at how much fun he had flying the Unknown. That was one of the coolest moments of the contest for me.


I flew my Unknown and it also went well. This plane was the superior competition setup and it made the Unknown a pleasure to fly. It tracks so straight, has so much authority in the snaps, and has so much vertical performance. BIG FUN!!


Sunday was a competitive day and all three of us won a sequence. At the end of the contest my rounds on Saturday and winning the Unknown on Sunday earned 1st place.





It really felt good to be flying again!!

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

Guess which plane won the CARF-Models Foto Contest in June and is on their home page for the month of July?


http://carf-models.com/en/


That pilot did a great color swap and painted the main landing gear to match the fuselage.



VERY beautiful!!

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

Hello everyone,

I've been catching up on email. I had one from CARF-Models with a sale going on right now.

~~~~~~

10% off any 2.6m Aerobatic Prop Plane in stock until July 18th, 2015

~~~~~~

I asked the Sales Reps and was told, "currently we have everything in stock".

If you're considering any of the CARF-Models "2.6m Aerobatic Prop Planes", now would be the perfect time to contact a Sales Rep.

http://carf-models.com/en/pages/reps

Andy Kane
1 (301) 785 3022

Ray Labonte
1 (207) 329 7713

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

This airframe just won the Unlimited and Intermediate classes at the Tucson Shootout!!


Congrats to Spencer Nordquist and Alex Dreiling!!!!

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

I've been going through the "Stages of Grief" since losing my beautiful flying field in 2014.


- Each time I spent a practice day before a contest last year I was denying that the dirt runway that was twice as far was my new field. I was just visiting for a practice session.


- Then I started bargaining that I should have accepted that nomination to be on the club's Board of Directors. I could have influenced them not to impose a 400 foot ceiling that the airport 4 miles away hadn't requested.


- I went out to practice before the Yuma contest at the end of April and that's when the anger set in.



- I won the contest. The anger over losing my beautiful flying field resulted in no flying for the last six months.


- Spectating at the Tucson Shootout moved me into the "acceptance" stage and I decided to start flying again. I'm enjoying the beautiful view of the Superstition Mountains on the long drive to the field. I'm enjoying hanging out with a bunch of other active IMAC pilots.


I'm glad to be flying again.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

I hadn't flown for six months. I got 11 practice flights in the last few weekends and headed for the 2015 Viva Las Vegas IMAC.


I got to fly with Kim Quenette (Tucson Shootout Yard Sale fame) and the IMAC Southwest Region legend Uncle Frank Oliver (U.F.O.). The weather was perfect!!


The scores were all very close. Good competition with friends is a lot of fun. Kim was definitely the best pilot in the class. I definitely had the airframe with the superior flight characteristics and got the win.





The contest had a lot of new pilots. One told me, "You definitely win the 'Best Looking Plane' trophy."


The Chequer Scheme had several of the audience that had come out to watch the flying comment on what a beautiful plane it is.


Don Brown is one of the pilots that has followed this build thread. He judged one of the rounds. He told me afterwards that it flies so beautiful and is so smooth. I agreed with him and said what I always do... This plane is a blast to fly!!

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

Got an email from Andy Kane.

~~~~~~

Black Friday Sale

10% off any airplane kit!

Call or email me (andykane[email protected]) today to take advantage of this one day only sale.

Please call me directly for all your CARF-Models needs. 301-785-3022 anytime!

I will answer the phone and help you with your order unless I'm flying or sleeping.

~~~~~~

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

2015 Season Results:

The 2015 IMAC season is over. It was a very strange year as I went through the stages of grief after losing the use of my beautiful flying field.

I flew a handful of practice flights before the Yuma contest in April, didn't fly for six months, then flew the three Saturdays before the Las Vegas contest in November. I flew less than 40 flights this year and made it to two contests. I did manage to win both of them.



I'm glad I've accepted my new flying field situation and I'm looking forward to regularly getting back to hanging out with the great pilots from the Southwest and having a blast flying this plane.

I hope you all have a great holiday season!!

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

Last Saturday was a beautiful day and I put two flights in to try the new 2016 Advanced Known sequence. I now have 200 flights on the plane.

I wanted to review a couple things people mentioned to keep an eye on, things that have needed attention, the results of the flights 101 - 200, my impressions so far, and plans for the next 100 flights.

Things I was keeping an eye on:

1. Nylon wing nuts - there was a comment from someone that they can come loose. For the 1st 200 flights they have always been tight when I disassemble at the end of the day.
2. Fuel tank tray - there was a suggestion that it wasn't sufficiently strong for a 64 ounce tank. I haven't seen any issues. The carbon reinforced pieces are very light and very strong. The mounting tabs are very secure on the fuselage side. A pilot at my field even has a tray for the receiver hanging off the back of the fuel tank tray.
3. Leading edge seam at wing root - there was a suggestion to add a little Hysol on the inside of that seam to keep it from splitting. I looked and the factory has already put in that bead of Hysol. I'm keeping an eye on it anyway and haven't seen any issues.

Things that have needed attention:

1. On flight 106 the DA 200 crankshaft twisted. Desert Aircraft replaced the crankshaft under warranty.
2. After flight 136 I replaced the receiver batteries because they weren't drawing down equally.
3. After flight 158 I noticed the Zap Goo that I had used to secure the fuel tank overflow line had come loose. I had to glue it again.
4. After flight 172 I noticed the throttle servo connector had unstuck from the velcro securing it to the top of the fuselage. A drop of thick CA glued it back to the velcro.
5. I check all the screws and bolts once in a while to make sure nothing has vibrated loose. On one of those regular checks I discovered one of the four fuel tank tray bolts was gone. It was replaced.

Results from flights 101 - 200:

1. I absolutely love going out to fly this plane!!
2. I flew seven contests during flights 101 - 200. Those seven contests resulted in four 1st place finishes, two 2nd place finishes, and one 3rd place finish. Seven contests in 100 flights means I'm not practicing much and going to the contests just for fun. I am having a blast!!






My impressions so far:

The airframe has lived up to my expectations. The CARF-Models 122" Extra 330SC has the world class flight capabilities I was hoping for. The snaps stop the instant I get the sticks back to center. The upline performance is amazing with a DA 200 and I've dialed down the full throttle ATV to 82% to provide a constant speed sequence. It tracks like a pattern plane. You can visibly see it lock on the line at the end of a radius. It holds that line until you mess it up.

The composite airframe has delivered the advantages mentioned by the top U.S. pilots I interviewed before selecting this airframe.

- They have a great finish and are quick to assemble
- The composite planes always look brand new!
- Fit together better in the long run
- Easier to build
- Stronger
- Ailerons are stiffer
- Don’t have to deal with covering
- Handle climate and weather better
- Exact same plane every time
- Easier to fit canisters inside (lots of room inside)
- Basically maintenance free

There hasn't been a single bubble or wrinkle in the finish.

The few small items that needed attention during flights 101 - 200 had nothing to do with the airframe. The airframe has been maintenance free.

Plans for the next 100 flights:

1. I'm going to try a further forward CG and see if the spin entries improve. That's the one part of my sequence where I don't feel in total control.
2. The paper instrument panel is starting to curl away from the 1/16" balsa it was contact cemented to. I need to glue the corners back down.
3. I want to add 3M tape on the fuselage at the wing roots.
4. I want to mount Multiplex connectors on the fuselage side to make it really convenient to plug in the ailerons when assembling the plane.
5. Fly some more contests and have more fun flying days!!!!

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

Here's a deal on a Christmas present for Santa to drop under your tree.

http://carf-models.com/en/news/christmas-sale

Up to 25% off on airplanes in stock in the EU warehouse. The in stock 122" Extra 330SC schemes have a 10% discount. I'm told that right now this sale also includes flat rate shipping of $219 to anywhere in the US and Canada.

This deal is hard to pass up. I'm considering a backup airframe.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

It looks like there are three schemes "in stock" in the EU warehouse getting the 10% discount. And they have $219 shipping available until the end of this year.


Yellow Chequer Scheme







Swiss Scheme







Skydancer Scheme Black/Magenta

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

I missed one. The Breitling Scheme is also part of the Christmas sale.


Breitling Scheme





Lots of great schemes for a very good deal.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

I had family from England visiting the Christmas and New Years weekend. We have a contest this weekend of January 16th. I decided to get a couple flights in the Saturday before Christmas since the weekend before the contest was the next time I'd have time to fly.

The weather was not what I would normally fly in... 49 degrees and cloudy. The lower temperature added a LOT of thrust and I considered backing the throttle top ATV down from the 85% I run at for Phoenix altitude. On flight #2 all the thrust went away. There wasn't enough thrust to continue an upline. It was idling smooth and transitioning smooth through the entire throttle curve.

I took it home and spent the time to replace all the fuel lines. Next time I brought it out the results were the same. I had some help and we replaced the spark plugs. No help.

I took it home again. I called DA, got new canisters, and replaced them. For the first 200 flights they had increased in weight from 10.5 ounces to 11.1 ounces.



The new canisters made no difference. I had help and we took the carbs apart and cleaned the jets and everything on the back plate. No difference.

Today I drove down to DA. The put their test prop on it. They use an Air Models 3-blade 28 x 12. They expect to get 6,500 rpm. My engine was only turning it 5,800.

They took the carbs off and rebuilt them. It gained 100 rpm but still wasn't running the 6,500 that it should. Dave came out and asked about the ignitions. We all told him that it was idling smooth, transitioning smooth all the way to full throttle, and running smooth at full throttle. It was just short 600 rpm at this point. He asked us to check the four cylinders to make sure they were all hot before we took the engine off my plane and took it in their shop to tear it apart.

I was so embarrassed. The back left cylinder wasn't firing. I plugged a battery into my spare ignition and we tested with the spare ignition for the back cylinders. I could feel the difference immediately when we went to full throttle. We now had 6,600 rpm.

HUGE "Thanks" to the guys at DA that worked out in the parking lot to diagnose my issue. Sorry I hadn't checked something that simple.

I've got everything reinstalled in the plane and throttle endpoints adjusted. I'm heading to the flying field tomorrow to get in a couple practice flights before the contest this weekend.

Dean Bird

My Feedback: (39)

Alex Dreiling recently won the Intermediate class at the Tucson Shootout with his Extra 330SC.

My plane felt honored to be parked next to his at the Superstition Challenge IMAC contest today.