CARF-Models 2013 Series 3.1m Extra 330SC
01-17-2016, 07:03 PM
#326
The first IMAC contest of the season is in the books. We had two days of very cold mornings, blue skies, calm winds, and mid to high 60 degree afternoons. Not bad for the middle of January. 
There were four of us in the Advanced class for the contest. Alex Dreiling recently won the Intermediate class at the Tucson Shootout with his Extra 330SC and he joined us in the funnest class. A super fun guy, Randy Dreyer, is getting back to flying and flew with us. Another fried of mine, Craig Guest, rounded out the Advanced Class competition.
Close competition between friends is great and makes the contest a whole lot of fun. There were four of us in the class and three different pilots won a sequence on Saturday. At the end of the day Saturday the four of us were so close that my scores of 1000, 978, and 902 put me in last place. GREAT competition!! Everyone was in it.
In a close contest the Unknown is typically the difference maker. We had perfect conditions for flying our Unknown. Randy was definitely the best pilot in our class. The scores from Saturday show that. I had the superior hardware and in the Unknown it made all the difference. This plane powered through the maneuvers very smoothly with authority and precision.
I won the Unknown round. Our scores were so close from Saturday that winning the Unknown moved me from last to first place and I won the contest.
It was fun flying the competition with everyone in the class having the chance to win. I'm looking forward to a lot of close competitions this year and having a blast flying this plane.
There were four of us in the Advanced class for the contest. Alex Dreiling recently won the Intermediate class at the Tucson Shootout with his Extra 330SC and he joined us in the funnest class. A super fun guy, Randy Dreyer, is getting back to flying and flew with us. Another fried of mine, Craig Guest, rounded out the Advanced Class competition.
Close competition between friends is great and makes the contest a whole lot of fun. There were four of us in the class and three different pilots won a sequence on Saturday. At the end of the day Saturday the four of us were so close that my scores of 1000, 978, and 902 put me in last place. GREAT competition!! Everyone was in it.
In a close contest the Unknown is typically the difference maker. We had perfect conditions for flying our Unknown. Randy was definitely the best pilot in our class. The scores from Saturday show that. I had the superior hardware and in the Unknown it made all the difference. This plane powered through the maneuvers very smoothly with authority and precision.
I won the Unknown round. Our scores were so close from Saturday that winning the Unknown moved me from last to first place and I won the contest.
It was fun flying the competition with everyone in the class having the chance to win. I'm looking forward to a lot of close competitions this year and having a blast flying this plane.
01-28-2016, 06:40 PM
#328
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.
...
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.
...
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.
This is the left side of the tank tray showing the plywood fender washers I'm using.
This time I decided to try some rubber backed washers to keep them tight.
01-28-2016, 06:42 PM
#329
I'm using M3 x 16mm button head bolts with the rubber backed washer and the 3/32" plywood fender washer.
Here are the new ones installed on the right side.
I'm using a drop of medium CA in the corner of each plywood fender washer to keep it from turning. The rubber backed washer should keep the bolt from turning.
Here are the new ones installed on the right side.
I'm using a drop of medium CA in the corner of each plywood fender washer to keep it from turning. The rubber backed washer should keep the bolt from turning.
02-02-2016, 04:07 PM
#330
While I was working on this end of the plane, I added the nylon thrust bearings to the phenolic arms for the rudder. The rudder was even quicker than the elevator bearings. The 13/64" drill bit could reach two phenolic arms from each end. That only left the middle phenolic to drill by hand.
The difference with the bearings is that the rudder has a thicker phenolic arm at the top and bottom. The McMaster-Carr part numberon the bearing for the thicker phenolic armis 7817K54. The part number on the bearing for the normal thicknessphenolic armis 7817K53.
The difference with the bearings is that the rudder has a thicker phenolic arm at the top and bottom. The McMaster-Carr part numberon the bearing for the thicker phenolic armis 7817K54. The part number on the bearing for the normal thicknessphenolic armis 7817K53.
Steve "Richo" Richardson recently created this video on installing the Nylon Snap-In Thrust Bearings.
<iframe width="747" height="420" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/of8sUdH-CwE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Last edited by Dean Bird; 02-02-2016 at 04:11 PM.
02-20-2016, 06:46 AM
#331
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: GraysottSurrey, UNITED KINGDOM
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check this out for a DA200 baffle in the Extra..
its in andy birds build from http://rcmodelcomposites.com
its in andy birds build from http://rcmodelcomposites.com
03-21-2016, 05:03 PM
#332
I've had a rough several months with my engine. This was part of the post from January 14th.
Things worked good enough and I won that contest. The engine was burping on the upline a couple times each flight.
The next contest was the middle of February. The idle started getting lower on Friday before the contest. On the first flight of the contest on Saturday morning the engine quit in the middle of the first sequence. I landed fine and restarted the engine. I had to move the idle up several more clicks to keep the engine running.
I pulled the plane off the runway. A little while later I took the top of the cowl off, ran the engine briefly, and confirmed both ignitions were working and all four cylinders were firing. They were.
I was the CD for the February contest and didn't have time to troubleshoot engine problems.
I took the plane out last weekend, took the cowl off, had another person with DA 200 experience set the needles on both carbs, and set the idle ATV at whatever it needed to be for the correct idle.
I test flew the plane. It ran great and didn't burp a single time. It still burps on an upline occasionally but seems to be running great otherwise.
I have no idea what changed at the beginning of the February contest.
Today I drove down to DA. They 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.
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.
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.
The next contest was the middle of February. The idle started getting lower on Friday before the contest. On the first flight of the contest on Saturday morning the engine quit in the middle of the first sequence. I landed fine and restarted the engine. I had to move the idle up several more clicks to keep the engine running.
I pulled the plane off the runway. A little while later I took the top of the cowl off, ran the engine briefly, and confirmed both ignitions were working and all four cylinders were firing. They were.
I was the CD for the February contest and didn't have time to troubleshoot engine problems.
I took the plane out last weekend, took the cowl off, had another person with DA 200 experience set the needles on both carbs, and set the idle ATV at whatever it needed to be for the correct idle.
I test flew the plane. It ran great and didn't burp a single time. It still burps on an upline occasionally but seems to be running great otherwise.
I have no idea what changed at the beginning of the February contest.
Last edited by Dean Bird; 03-21-2016 at 05:09 PM.
03-21-2016, 06:57 PM
#333
This weekend was the Cactus Classic. We had six pilots in the class.
- My flying buddy Craig Guest flying his recently acquired CARF Scheme Blue-White Extra 330SC. He had just over 20 flights on it before the contest.
- The life of the party, and one super smooth pilot, Randy Dreyer
- The winner of our "who sucks the least" Unknown party at the end of 2014, recently my neighbor, and talented pilot, Mike Bacosa
- Recent winner of the Tucson Shootout Intermediate class, Alex Dreiling
- Recent 4th place finish at the Tucson Shootout Advanced class, Kim Quenette
Good competition between friends is a whole lot of fun. We had a VERY competitive class. At the end of day one my scores of 1000, 1000, and 973 were only good enough for 2nd place.
As usual the Unknown was the big difference. I zeroed the spin that was our very first maneuver. I know I struggle with spins because I just don't have the patience. That is exaggerated in the Unknown when your pulse is magnified even more. The pilots in our class were so good that I think that was the only zero in the Unknown for six pilots. It did place me last in the Unknown round.
I won the two afternoon Known sequences on Sunday. I was very happy to finish in 3rd place among these six pilots after finishing last in the Unknown round.
The competition was so close that for all the counted sequences for six pilots (30 sequences total) only my Unknown round and one pilot's Known sequence of 898.9 were below 900. All of the other 28 counted sequences were above 900. Great stuff guys!!!!
One of the best times from this contest was Craig Guest's first Unknown with his new Extra 330SC. His score was 994.8 for that round. He was just a point on one maneuver from winning the Unknown round with his new plane with less than 30 flights. When he landed he told me, "Man. This plane snaps so nice. I just hit both 1/2 snaps and the 3/4 snap." He just experienced the aileron authority of this plane and how the snap stops the instant the sticks are back to center. Congrats on your new plane Craig!! It is a blast to fly!!!!
- My flying buddy Craig Guest flying his recently acquired CARF Scheme Blue-White Extra 330SC. He had just over 20 flights on it before the contest.
- The life of the party, and one super smooth pilot, Randy Dreyer
- The winner of our "who sucks the least" Unknown party at the end of 2014, recently my neighbor, and talented pilot, Mike Bacosa
- Recent winner of the Tucson Shootout Intermediate class, Alex Dreiling
- Recent 4th place finish at the Tucson Shootout Advanced class, Kim Quenette
Good competition between friends is a whole lot of fun. We had a VERY competitive class. At the end of day one my scores of 1000, 1000, and 973 were only good enough for 2nd place.
As usual the Unknown was the big difference. I zeroed the spin that was our very first maneuver. I know I struggle with spins because I just don't have the patience. That is exaggerated in the Unknown when your pulse is magnified even more. The pilots in our class were so good that I think that was the only zero in the Unknown for six pilots. It did place me last in the Unknown round.
I won the two afternoon Known sequences on Sunday. I was very happy to finish in 3rd place among these six pilots after finishing last in the Unknown round.
The competition was so close that for all the counted sequences for six pilots (30 sequences total) only my Unknown round and one pilot's Known sequence of 898.9 were below 900. All of the other 28 counted sequences were above 900. Great stuff guys!!!!
One of the best times from this contest was Craig Guest's first Unknown with his new Extra 330SC. His score was 994.8 for that round. He was just a point on one maneuver from winning the Unknown round with his new plane with less than 30 flights. When he landed he told me, "Man. This plane snaps so nice. I just hit both 1/2 snaps and the 3/4 snap." He just experienced the aileron authority of this plane and how the snap stops the instant the sticks are back to center. Congrats on your new plane Craig!! It is a blast to fly!!!!
08-21-2016, 05:46 PM
#334
March 20th was the last time I flew. I took the plane out both days this weekend. The propeller covers actually had cob webs on them.
I love composite airframes. I spent 30 seconds with some Windex when I got to the field and the plane looked like new. One of my flying buddies brought one of his wood planes he hadn't flown in a while. He brought a generator and a covering iron. He got to spend 30 minutes ironing out bubbles and wrinkles.
I hadn't flown in 5 months and I had forgotten how solid this plane flies. The tracking and snaps were spot on. It was a blast to fly it again.
This morning after I landed and shut the engine off I was pulling the plane with the propeller and steering with the rudder. The left side tailwheel steering cable finally wore through.
The right side wore out at the February contest so I had the fishing leader to fix it in my toolbox. It was a quick fix.
I had a GREAT time flying this weekend. I'm looking forward to getting to some contests this fall to catch up with friends.
I love composite airframes. I spent 30 seconds with some Windex when I got to the field and the plane looked like new.
One of my flying buddies brought one of his wood planes he hadn't flown in a while. He brought a generator and a covering iron. He got to spend 30 minutes ironing out bubbles and wrinkles.I hadn't flown in 5 months and I had forgotten how solid this plane flies. The tracking and snaps were spot on. It was a blast to fly it again.
This morning after I landed and shut the engine off I was pulling the plane with the propeller and steering with the rudder. The left side tailwheel steering cable finally wore through.
The right side wore out at the February contest so I had the fishing leader to fix it in my toolbox. It was a quick fix.
I had a GREAT time flying this weekend. I'm looking forward to getting to some contests this fall to catch up with friends.
10-07-2016, 01:38 PM
#335
With the lower altitude the engine problem got worse during practice on Friday.
I took the top half of the cowl off to make sure all four cylinders were firing. They were. I replaced the ignition battery just to make sure it wasn't getting old and weak.Flying on Saturday was tough. I zeroed the first humpty bump when the plane just stopped on the upline and flopped over. I started carrying more speed into the uplines but the centering was still way off. If there was a snap on the upline the plane would almost stop with the engine barely running. I would pitch about 15 degrees to take a little load off the engine and try to get it to spin up enough to fly for a few feet before attempting the top radius. The judges let me know it was an entertaining battle to watch.
I took the cowl off Saturday after the flying completed. The needles were set correctly. The spark plugs were the perfect color. The engine isn't hot on landing and doesn't show any signs of pinking so I don't suspect a tuning issue.
It was a tiring weekend. I was very happy to finish 2nd in our four pilot class.
It was great to see a bunch of friends I hadn't seen since this spring and to meet a bunch of new pilots. It was fun to help a new pilot that was flying the Sportsman class in his first contest. I walked him through all the judging criteria on his Unknown maneuvers. He was really excited to fly it correctly. He finished 3rd place out of six pilots in Sportsman in his first contest flying a 50cc Extra. Great job Chris!!
I'm going to try a few things this weekend to see if I can get the engine running correctly again. I'll let everyone know what resolves the issue.
11-24-2016, 10:13 AM
#336
I practiced a few days in August and September. The engine was having some hesitation on the uplines. I was hoping it would keep running. I headed to the Hemet Model Masters IMAC contest the weekend of September 24th.
With the lower altitude the engine problem got worse during practice on Friday. I took the top half of the cowl off to make sure all four cylinders were firing. They were. I replaced the ignition battery just to make sure it wasn't getting old and weak.
Flying on Saturday was tough. I zeroed the first humpty bump when the plane just stopped on the upline and flopped over. I started carrying more speed into the uplines but the centering was still way off. If there was a snap on the upline the plane would almost stop with the engine barely running. I would pitch about 15 degrees to take a little load off the engine and try to get it to spin up enough to fly for a few feet before attempting the top radius. The judges let me know it was an entertaining battle to watch.
I took the cowl off Saturday after the flying completed. The needles were set correctly. The spark plugs were the perfect color. The engine isn't hot on landing and doesn't show any signs of pinking so I don't suspect a tuning issue.
It was a tiring weekend. I was very happy to finish 2nd in our four pilot class.
I'm going to try a few things this weekend to see if I can get the engine running correctly again. I'll let everyone know what resolves the issue.
With the lower altitude the engine problem got worse during practice on Friday.
I took the top half of the cowl off to make sure all four cylinders were firing. They were. I replaced the ignition battery just to make sure it wasn't getting old and weak.Flying on Saturday was tough. I zeroed the first humpty bump when the plane just stopped on the upline and flopped over. I started carrying more speed into the uplines but the centering was still way off. If there was a snap on the upline the plane would almost stop with the engine barely running. I would pitch about 15 degrees to take a little load off the engine and try to get it to spin up enough to fly for a few feet before attempting the top radius. The judges let me know it was an entertaining battle to watch.
I took the cowl off Saturday after the flying completed. The needles were set correctly. The spark plugs were the perfect color. The engine isn't hot on landing and doesn't show any signs of pinking so I don't suspect a tuning issue.
It was a tiring weekend. I was very happy to finish 2nd in our four pilot class.
I'm going to try a few things this weekend to see if I can get the engine running correctly again. I'll let everyone know what resolves the issue.
I tried a new Ignition Cutoff a few weekends after this contest. I knew it wasn't the problem but had to rule it out.
I installed all new fuel lines and tried in the next weekend. No difference.
At this point I had tried everything I could think of. After a couple weeks I took the engine off and sent it down to the crew at Desert Aircraft. I described the issues at full throttle on the uplines and that my idle had changed. They ended up replacing the crankshaft and all the crankshaft bearings.
I got a chance to put in three flights before heading to the next contest. I took it real easy on the first flight. I practiced the sequence on the last two flights. It was still sputtering once or twice on the uplines but would continue running.
I'm going to replace the carburetor front plates to see if that will help the burbling on the uplines. At least it keeps running now.
11-25-2016, 10:42 AM
#337
At this point I had tried everything I could think of. After a couple weeks I took the engine off and sent it down to the crew at Desert Aircraft. I described the issues at full throttle on the uplines and that my idle had changed. They ended up replacing the crankshaft and all the crankshaft bearings.
I got a chance to put in three flights before heading to the next contest. I took it real easy on the first flight. I practiced the sequence on the last two flights. It was still sputtering once or twice on the uplines but would continue running.
I got a chance to put in three flights before heading to the next contest. I took it real easy on the first flight. I practiced the sequence on the last two flights. It was still sputtering once or twice on the uplines but would continue running.
There were four of us in the Advanced class. Craig Guest was flying his 3.1m Extra 330SC in the CARF Scheme Blue-White and he's been practicing a lot. We practiced the weekend before this contest. He was flying very smooth and consistent. Jim McCall joined the Advanced class after sewing up the Intermediate class Point Series for the Southwest Region. He is a full scale pilot (only works 8 days a month) and spends LOTS of time practicing IMAC on all those days off. Randy Wegner moved back up to the funnest class for this contest. He's a great caller and enjoys flying the Unknowns.
This plane covered for my lack of practice. I only won a single sequence during the contest but the flight characteristics of this airframe kept me competitive. The Known scores I kept were 1000, 999, 995, and 985. My Unknown score was 995. The 4975 total for the weekend earned 1st place.
Congrats to Craig Guest on winning five out of six Known sequences with his 3.1m Extra 330SC and finishing 2nd in the Advanced class. We're going to have a lot of great competition next year.
Congrats to Ryon Owens on his 2nd place finish in the six pilot Sportsman class with his 3.1m Extra 330SC in a color swapped Skydancer scheme. This was first time I've seen his scheme. It was beautiful.
Congrats to Spencer Nordquist on winning the Unlimited class flying his 3.1m Extra 330SC in the Romanian Scheme.
Everyone have a great holiday season. See you next year!!
Last edited by Dean Bird; 11-25-2016 at 10:56 AM.
12-31-2016, 10:36 AM
#338
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 hope you all have a great holiday season!!
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 hope you all have a great holiday season!!
2016 Season Results:
On this last day of 2016 it seems like the time to reflect on the 2016 IMAC season. Just like 2015 I had a six month break in the middle of the IMAC season. I guess I still haven't fully accepted my long drive to a dirt runway. The field has recently sealed the dirt so I'm planning on flying a couple times before the first 2017 contest in two weeks.
I flew less than 80 flights this year. I had multiple engine problems with the DA-200. I had an ignition problem in the spring and the engine was rebuilt this fall to correct a full throttle loss of power on the uplines. I went to five contests in those 80 flights. I had one DNF with the ignition problem in February. I flew one contest with the full throttle power issue but did finish. The results for the four completed contests were two wins, a second place, and a third place.
With the DA-200 running well again I'm looking forward to another year of great competition with friends.
Everyone have a fun and safe New Year's celebration!!
01-15-2017, 06:44 PM
#339
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.
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".
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".
There were four of us in the Advanced class. Being the first contest this early in the year... let's just say we all had a lot of room for improvement the first round. It felt like the Unknown during the "Best in the West" IMAC contest at the end of the 2014 season. It was just a matter of who sucked the least.
My afternoon round was clean and I won those two sequences. At the end of Saturday, and in this case the end of the contest, I was in first place.
This was a good sized contest with 34 pilots. The CARF-Models 3.1m Extra 330SC was dominant. This airframe won 80% of the classes and 40% of the 15 trophies.
- Cayden Bruce won the 9 pilot Sportsman class with his new Yellow Chequer Scheme
- Ryon Owens took 3rd place in the 9 pilot Sportsman class with his color swapped Skydancer Scheme
- Jacob Campbell won the 12 pilot Intermediate class flying a borrowed Yellow Chequer Scheme
- I won the 4 pilot Advanced class flying my Yellow Chequer Scheme
- Craig Guest won 3rd place in the 4 pilot Advanced class flying his CARF Scheme Blue-White
- Spencer Nordquist won the 4 pilot Unlimited class flying his Romanian Scheme
Cayden Bruce and Jacob Campbell were having a blast getting to fly this airframe. Their results in big Sportsman and Intermediate classes showed it.
Thanks to all the pilots from California and Tucson that made the trip to this contest despite the weather forecast. It was a Saturday struggle to get two rounds in for everyone that we'll always remember.
Last edited by Dean Bird; 01-16-2017 at 03:42 PM.
03-07-2017, 04:54 PM
#340
Our February contest scheduled for the weekend of February 18th was rained out. That was the storm that brought 5 - 10" of rain to Southern California and caused flooding in Texas.
The next contest on the calendar was the return of Coachella hosting a scale aerobatics contest. It was great to see them back on the schedule.
We were short two Advanced class competitors this weekend. It's been a tough time for parents. Our good friend Randy Dreyer's mother recently passed away and he was attending her memorial service. My flying buddy, Craig Guest, was in Coachella practicing with us on Friday. He got a call that his father-in-law was admitted to the hospital. He made the right call and headed back to Phoenix to be with family. The great news is that he recovered and is doing well. Our Regional Director, Contest Director, and contest scorekeeper Charles Lewis was running home each day to take care of his mother who is having health problems. Our thoughts were with our friends and their families on this weekend.
Randy Wegner, Howard Pilcher, and I had fun and enjoyed competing with the new sequence. The CARF-Models Extra 330SC handled the winds well, hit all the snaps in the Unknown, and I won the contest.
Cayden Bruce also won the Sportsman class flying his CARF-Models Extra 330SC. He gets a big smile on his face when he talks about how great it flies.
The next contest on the calendar was the return of Coachella hosting a scale aerobatics contest. It was great to see them back on the schedule.
We were short two Advanced class competitors this weekend. It's been a tough time for parents. Our good friend Randy Dreyer's mother recently passed away and he was attending her memorial service. My flying buddy, Craig Guest, was in Coachella practicing with us on Friday. He got a call that his father-in-law was admitted to the hospital. He made the right call and headed back to Phoenix to be with family. The great news is that he recovered and is doing well. Our Regional Director, Contest Director, and contest scorekeeper Charles Lewis was running home each day to take care of his mother who is having health problems. Our thoughts were with our friends and their families on this weekend.
Randy Wegner, Howard Pilcher, and I had fun and enjoyed competing with the new sequence. The CARF-Models Extra 330SC handled the winds well, hit all the snaps in the Unknown, and I won the contest.
Cayden Bruce also won the Sportsman class flying his CARF-Models Extra 330SC. He gets a big smile on his face when he talks about how great it flies.
03-27-2017, 07:17 PM
#341
It is SO much fun to fly in calm conditions. So much less to think about. The first round I flew the best two Known sequences I have done this year. Super smooth and super clean.
The competition is always close. It's a blast competing with friends. At the end of the day Saturday it looked like the Unknown would be critical (as usual). My flying buddy Jim McCall flew his first Advanced class contest in January and won the Unknown. I needed to do better this time.
We know it's all the caller.
I had his expert caller, Jacques Telles call for both of us. He did an awesome job for both of us. I flew a smooth Unknown and only missed one of the six snap rolls. It was a downline 45 and the lack of airspeed caught me and I got the sticks back to center too soon. It was just good enough to take the Unknown by the slim margin of less than 16 points out of 1,000. In my book that's a tie.It came down to the last round on Sunday and I was able to get the win.
Cayden Bruce won the Sportsman class flying his CARF-Models Extra 330SC in the Yellow Chequer Scheme.
Spencer Nordquist won the Unlimited class flying his Romanian Scheme Extra 330SC.
Congrats to all the pilots on a great weekend!!
I hope to see everyone at the Cactus Classic in two weeks.
Last edited by Dean Bird; 03-27-2017 at 07:22 PM.
04-10-2017, 07:06 PM
#342
I flew a rescheduled contest two weeks ago and really had no business flying at the Cactus Classic last weekend. I wanted to be watching the Masters and we're buying a house this week and moving at the end of the week. My "to do" list before the move is very long.
I was asked to assist running the Cactus Classic for our friend and flying buddy, Rusty Fried, who is undergoing cancer treatment right now. He was the CD of record so I put him on speaker phone each morning to run the Pilot's Meeting from his house. Rusty, you have all our best wishes for a successful treatment and recovery.
We had a 5 pilot Advanced class with my flying buddy Craig Guest, everyone's friend Randy Wegner, super cool dude Jim McCall, and the life of the freestyle cheering party Randy Dreyer. All are great pilots with lots of contest experience.
I had a rough Saturday. During the second sequence of my first round I visually went right through another plane while I was on a downline. I spent the 2nd half of the sequence running through all the questions of, "How much is this going to cost? How long would it take to get a new airframe? How bad will my engine be damaged? What equipment will I be able to send in for repairs? I'm moving this week so how long will it take to get a workbench set up?" Needless to say that sequence wasn't good.
The afternoon round had the wind unexpectedly blowing 10 - 12 mph from the Northwest. It was predicted to be blowing from the Southwest which is perfect for the normal direction I do my stall turn. As my plane is slowing down at the top of the upline I start to have a little discussion with myself about whether to pivot the opposite direction so the wind will help or go my normal direction. As I'm considering my options I pull off a nice tailslide. It's a good thing we have throw away rounds.
At the end of a very competitive Day 1 three different pilots had won a Known round. I was very happy to be in 3rd place.
Randy Dreyer flies very smooth and very consistent. I knew I would have to win all three sequences on Sunday to have a chance to catch him.
With all the great pilots in this class the Unknown was no help in making any moves. For the 5 pilots there was one pilot with a zero on one maneuver. The other four pilots scored from 972 to 1,000. I won the Unknown round but the standings hadn't changed.
The sleeper in the class was Jim McCall. He was close to the top 3 even though he was carrying an 896 in his score at the moment. Watch out for those situations. At the same time I'm trying to catch the lead I need to try to protect 3rd place.
It was SO COOL knowing that the top four pilots after the Unknown could all finish anywhere between 1st and 4th place at the end. The final round was ON!!
I won the first sequence in the final round and Jim McCall flew a 998.9. That's a tie. I won the second sequence in the round to Randy Dreyer's 976.
It was just enough to get the win.
What a blast flying and competing with these good friends and great pilots. I know Randy Dreyer is a better pilot than me. I just happen to have a superior airplane. This plane flies awesome and even Unlimited pilots are telling me how strong the uplines are with this rebuilt engine. SO much fun to fly this plane.
Cayden Bruce got another win in the Sportsman class flying his Yellow Chequer Scheme Extra 330SC. Congrats Cayden!!
I was asked to assist running the Cactus Classic for our friend and flying buddy, Rusty Fried, who is undergoing cancer treatment right now. He was the CD of record so I put him on speaker phone each morning to run the Pilot's Meeting from his house. Rusty, you have all our best wishes for a successful treatment and recovery.
We had a 5 pilot Advanced class with my flying buddy Craig Guest, everyone's friend Randy Wegner, super cool dude Jim McCall, and the life of the freestyle cheering party Randy Dreyer. All are great pilots with lots of contest experience.
I had a rough Saturday. During the second sequence of my first round I visually went right through another plane while I was on a downline.
I spent the 2nd half of the sequence running through all the questions of, "How much is this going to cost? How long would it take to get a new airframe? How bad will my engine be damaged? What equipment will I be able to send in for repairs? I'm moving this week so how long will it take to get a workbench set up?" Needless to say that sequence wasn't good.The afternoon round had the wind unexpectedly blowing 10 - 12 mph from the Northwest. It was predicted to be blowing from the Southwest which is perfect for the normal direction I do my stall turn. As my plane is slowing down at the top of the upline I start to have a little discussion with myself about whether to pivot the opposite direction so the wind will help or go my normal direction. As I'm considering my options I pull off a nice tailslide.
It's a good thing we have throw away rounds.At the end of a very competitive Day 1 three different pilots had won a Known round. I was very happy to be in 3rd place.
Randy Dreyer flies very smooth and very consistent. I knew I would have to win all three sequences on Sunday to have a chance to catch him.
With all the great pilots in this class the Unknown was no help in making any moves. For the 5 pilots there was one pilot with a zero on one maneuver. The other four pilots scored from 972 to 1,000. I won the Unknown round but the standings hadn't changed.
The sleeper in the class was Jim McCall. He was close to the top 3 even though he was carrying an 896 in his score at the moment. Watch out for those situations. At the same time I'm trying to catch the lead I need to try to protect 3rd place.
It was SO COOL knowing that the top four pilots after the Unknown could all finish anywhere between 1st and 4th place at the end. The final round was ON!!
I won the first sequence in the final round and Jim McCall flew a 998.9. That's a tie. I won the second sequence in the round to Randy Dreyer's 976.
It was just enough to get the win.
What a blast flying and competing with these good friends and great pilots. I know Randy Dreyer is a better pilot than me. I just happen to have a superior airplane. This plane flies awesome and even Unlimited pilots are telling me how strong the uplines are with this rebuilt engine. SO much fun to fly this plane.
Cayden Bruce got another win in the Sportsman class flying his Yellow Chequer Scheme Extra 330SC. Congrats Cayden!!
05-09-2017, 04:27 PM
#343
There was a nasty cold front that moved through Southern California last weekend. That didn't stop about 24 crazy pilots from attending the Hemet Model Masters IMAC contest.
We ran a single flight line. With intermittent rain delays on Saturday we finished one Known round at 2:45 PM and called it a day.
There were five pilots in our Advanced class. All I missed in the first sequence was one point of my four point roll. That earned a 986 for that sequence.
I've been struggling to mentally picture the right visual queue for stopping the 1.5 positive snap entrance to our Immelmann. In the second sequence I thought I saw it and got the sticks back to center. This plane stops the snap as soon as the sticks are back to center and I happened to be at knife edge instead of inverted. That was definitely a throw away round.
Randy Dreyer flew his normal smooth, high quality, sequences and took both Known sequences.
Sunday had another dicey forecast. We had a window without rain that would allow us to fly one round that included our Unknown followed by another Known sequence. That would allow us to drop one of our three Known sequences.
I had the 986 that I could use in my final score. If I could win the Unknown round by more than 14 points that would be Randy's final score after adding the Unknown to his two Known sequence wins.
Randy and I called for each other in this combined Unknown/Known flight. We practiced with each other the evening before and Sunday morning and discussed all the things to do to ensure we scored our best. We were both very well prepared. It was the most relaxed I've ever been calling and flying an Unknown. We had a great time cheering each other on during the flights and enjoying the high quality flying.
I managed to squeak by Randy in the Unknown by 19 points. His maximum total score was 2,481. If I could win the Known sequence in this round I would finish with a 2,486. It would be another Sunday comeback.
We both had high quality Known flights. I knew I had a chance to take the Known and win the contest by 5 points. The final score showed I didn't autorotate the positive snap on one of our downlines. The zero I earned in that maneuver gave me a 940 for the sequence. I finished in 2nd place.
Close competition with friends is a blast!! I had a great time cheering for Randy as he got the winner's trophy. Congrats RD!!!!
Cayden Bruce got another win in the Sportsman class flying his Yellow Chequer Scheme Extra 330SC. Congrats Cayden!! Cayden talked about flying in the World Championships next year. He should do well.
We ran a single flight line. With intermittent rain delays on Saturday we finished one Known round at 2:45 PM and called it a day.
There were five pilots in our Advanced class. All I missed in the first sequence was one point of my four point roll. That earned a 986 for that sequence.
I've been struggling to mentally picture the right visual queue for stopping the 1.5 positive snap entrance to our Immelmann. In the second sequence I thought I saw it and got the sticks back to center. This plane stops the snap as soon as the sticks are back to center and I happened to be at knife edge instead of inverted.
That was definitely a throw away round.Randy Dreyer flew his normal smooth, high quality, sequences and took both Known sequences.
Sunday had another dicey forecast. We had a window without rain that would allow us to fly one round that included our Unknown followed by another Known sequence. That would allow us to drop one of our three Known sequences.
I had the 986 that I could use in my final score. If I could win the Unknown round by more than 14 points that would be Randy's final score after adding the Unknown to his two Known sequence wins.
Randy and I called for each other in this combined Unknown/Known flight. We practiced with each other the evening before and Sunday morning and discussed all the things to do to ensure we scored our best. We were both very well prepared. It was the most relaxed I've ever been calling and flying an Unknown. We had a great time cheering each other on during the flights and enjoying the high quality flying.
I managed to squeak by Randy in the Unknown by 19 points. His maximum total score was 2,481. If I could win the Known sequence in this round I would finish with a 2,486. It would be another Sunday comeback.
We both had high quality Known flights. I knew I had a chance to take the Known and win the contest by 5 points. The final score showed I didn't autorotate the positive snap on one of our downlines. The zero I earned in that maneuver gave me a 940 for the sequence. I finished in 2nd place.
Close competition with friends is a blast!! I had a great time cheering for Randy as he got the winner's trophy. Congrats RD!!!!
Cayden Bruce got another win in the Sportsman class flying his Yellow Chequer Scheme Extra 330SC. Congrats Cayden!! Cayden talked about flying in the World Championships next year. He should do well.
Last edited by Dean Bird; 09-30-2017 at 09:41 AM.
05-11-2017, 02:45 PM
#344
This was the "shop" I used to do the installs on this plane. It had 9 work surfaces.
In between the last two contests I moved to a new house. The 3rd garage bay will be my future shop after I can figure out what to do with all this stuff.
Time for a backup plane?
In between the last two contests I moved to a new house. The 3rd garage bay will be my future shop after I can figure out what to do with all this stuff.
Time for a backup plane?
06-03-2017, 06:30 PM
#345
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After a year of putzing around and frankly being scared to fly this plane "WE" flew it yesterday, your good friend Mike V from Idaho was the pilot, we are at 120mm on the CG with a DLE 170 and tuned pipes. It tracks beautifullly and will be a dream to fly
We used a good bit of your information in the setup and will be working to tone down the throws on Aileron and Elevator as we were a little aggressive on those.
Thanks again
Rick
We used a good bit of your information in the setup and will be working to tone down the throws on Aileron and Elevator as we were a little aggressive on those.
Thanks again
Rick
06-10-2017, 01:35 PM
#346
After a year of putzing around and frankly being scared to fly this plane "WE" flew it yesterday, your good friend Mike V from Idaho was the pilot, we are at 120mm on the CG with a DLE 170 and tuned pipes. It tracks beautifullly and will be a dream to fly
We used a good bit of your information in the setup and will be working to tone down the throws on Aileron and Elevator as we were a little aggressive on those.
Thanks again
Rick
We used a good bit of your information in the setup and will be working to tone down the throws on Aileron and Elevator as we were a little aggressive on those.
Thanks again
Rick
The incredible aileron authority is why this plane stops perfectly on the snap rolls. Most pilots set it up with too much aileron to begin with.
Say "Hi" to Mike for me. Have a fun summer in the great Northwest with your new plane!!
09-30-2017, 09:48 AM
#347
We welcomed Kevin Duncan to the class. This was his first IMAC contest. He is a Masters class Pattern pilot.
The competition is always very close in the Advanced class. My flying buddy Jim McCall is a really consistent pilot and he won both sequences in the first round. It seems like I'm always flying from behind this year. It's actually more relaxing to be pursuing the leader. It's fairly nervous to be flying while you're defending a lead.
At the end of the day Saturday we were only 7 points apart out of 3,000 possible.
It would be a duel in the Unknown on Sunday morning. Jim and I both had our Unknown called by our flying buddy, and expert caller, Jacques "flyracer" Telles. He did a perfect job and I was able to hold on to the lead and win 1st place in this contest. Thanks JT!!
I was glad I got the plane out and flew with Bill Vargas in Hesperia. It's a nice field and the Saturday BBQ was excellent!!
10-24-2017, 07:10 PM
#348
Had a fun week at the Tucson Aerobatic Shootout. It has been several years since I was there judging. It was great to see everyone.
The Advanced class was a lot of fun. As pilots we had a great experience competing with each other.
- Kevin Duncan was flying a plane he bought three weeks earlier and he won our first Unknown. Very cool!!
- Dale Arnold sheared his prop bolts before our second Unknown. He borrowed a plane and won the Unknown with a plane he'd never flown before. Awesome!!
- I was calling for Jim McCall in our third Unknown. He had just called for me and watched me zero the simplest maneuver in our Unknown. We had a good laugh and I told him he saw the example of what NOT to do. He managed to find a different way to zero that same maneuver but still won our third Unknown. Good times!!
- Brian Strachan (pronounced "Strawn") was flying his backup Freestyle plane. It was a pleasure meeting this young man and getting a chance to talk with him.
I didn't win any of the Unknown rounds. Winning a majority of the Known rounds and staying close in the Unknowns was enough to take the top spot on the podium. Jim McCall took 2nd place and Dale Arnold took 3rd place. Yes, we're a bunch of old guys.
Congratulations to all the pilots for a great competition. We had a lot of fun flying and calling for each other. It was a pleasure hanging with all you guys for the week.
HUGE "Thanks" to Dave Johnson, the Desert Aircraft employees, Kevin Garland (the CD), the invited judges, the TIMPA club member volunteers, and all the sponsors for making this TAS possible. It is an incredibly special event for the IMAC class pilots.
The Advanced class was a lot of fun. As pilots we had a great experience competing with each other.
- Kevin Duncan was flying a plane he bought three weeks earlier and he won our first Unknown. Very cool!!
- Dale Arnold sheared his prop bolts before our second Unknown. He borrowed a plane and won the Unknown with a plane he'd never flown before. Awesome!!
- I was calling for Jim McCall in our third Unknown. He had just called for me and watched me zero the simplest maneuver in our Unknown. We had a good laugh and I told him he saw the example of what NOT to do. He managed to find a different way to zero that same maneuver but still won our third Unknown. Good times!!
- Brian Strachan (pronounced "Strawn") was flying his backup Freestyle plane. It was a pleasure meeting this young man and getting a chance to talk with him.
I didn't win any of the Unknown rounds. Winning a majority of the Known rounds and staying close in the Unknowns was enough to take the top spot on the podium. Jim McCall took 2nd place and Dale Arnold took 3rd place. Yes, we're a bunch of old guys.
Congratulations to all the pilots for a great competition. We had a lot of fun flying and calling for each other. It was a pleasure hanging with all you guys for the week.
HUGE "Thanks" to Dave Johnson, the Desert Aircraft employees, Kevin Garland (the CD), the invited judges, the TIMPA club member volunteers, and all the sponsors for making this TAS possible. It is an incredibly special event for the IMAC class pilots.
Last edited by Dean Bird; 11-01-2017 at 02:21 PM.
10-24-2017, 07:17 PM
#349
Congratulations to all these guys on their Tucson Shootout success with their Extra 330SCs.
- Spencer Nordquist won 2nd place in the Invitational class with his Romanian Scheme
- I won the Advanced class
- Jacob Campbell was on the podium (3rd place) in the Intermediate class with Dave Hargrove's Yellow Chequer Scheme
- Cayden Bruce won the Sportsman class with his Yellow Chequer Scheme
- Ryon Owens made the finals (5th place) in the Sportsman class with his custom color swapped Skydancer Scheme
Craig Guest (Advanced) and Dave Hargrove (Intermediate) also flew in the TAS with their Extra 330SCs.
It was awesome to see so many of this great flying, beautiful, plane at this special event.
Alex Dreiling won the Intermediate class with his at the 2015 Tucson Shootout.
Spencer Nordquist won the Unlimited class with his at the 2015 Tucson Shootout.
50% of the IMAC class wins at the last two Tucson Shootouts with four different pilots. Good stuff!!
- Spencer Nordquist won 2nd place in the Invitational class with his Romanian Scheme
- I won the Advanced class
- Jacob Campbell was on the podium (3rd place) in the Intermediate class with Dave Hargrove's Yellow Chequer Scheme
- Cayden Bruce won the Sportsman class with his Yellow Chequer Scheme
- Ryon Owens made the finals (5th place) in the Sportsman class with his custom color swapped Skydancer Scheme
Craig Guest (Advanced) and Dave Hargrove (Intermediate) also flew in the TAS with their Extra 330SCs.
It was awesome to see so many of this great flying, beautiful, plane at this special event.
Alex Dreiling won the Intermediate class with his at the 2015 Tucson Shootout.
Spencer Nordquist won the Unlimited class with his at the 2015 Tucson Shootout.
50% of the IMAC class wins at the last two Tucson Shootouts with four different pilots. Good stuff!!
Last edited by Dean Bird; 10-27-2017 at 01:21 PM.
11-08-2017, 03:48 PM
#350
The last three months have been a very unexpected whirlwind of activity. I had flown some local contests this spring and made a trip over to Hemet, CA, in early May to fly with Randy Dreyer. He beat me. I was in 2nd place for the year and didn't have plans to fly any more contests this year.
On August 14th I received an email from Kevin Garland, the CD for the Tucson Shootout, asking, "Would you be interested in flying? We need Advanced Pilots.". Since I hadn't flown in over 3 months I responded with, "How desperate are you?". He said, "Thanks. If you are able to do both judging Invitational and compete that would also help out.". I'm flying the Shootout. Woohoo. I was actually pumped up about flying this time instead of just judging.
I got a handful of practice flights and flew the Hesperia, CA, contest to get some contest nerves and some real Unknown nerves right before the Shootout. It felt good to be flying again. That contest was a success.
I had a great time at The Shootout seeing everyone that I only see when I'm judging the TAS, IMAC Nats, or IMAC Worlds. That contest turned out well.
I was already scheduled to judge at the IMAC World Championships next year. Heck, if I have to fly Unlimited next year I might as well try to qualify for the team and use that Unlimited practice as preparation. I convinced my wife to let me skip the Bruno Mars concert we had bought tickets to back in January so I could attend the World Qualifier contest. It did cost me tickets to Trans-Siberian Orchestra in December and Pink in March.
We had three pilots competing to qualify for one spot on Team USA. Jim McCall, David White, and myself all flew great. Jim and I split the two Known sequences in the first round and Jim had the lead. David and I split the two Known sequences in the second round. After two rounds we drop a sequence and I was slightly in the lead.
For the WC Qualifier we had an extra Unknown that was flown at the end of the day Saturday. David won that Unknown that was for the WC Qualifier but not part of the IMAC contest. I was last place for this Unknown but we were all very close (1000, 981, 978). At the end of the day Saturday the three of us were less than 22 points apart out of a possible 3,750. It was great competition between friends. We were having a lot of fun flying together in the perfect weather.
Day Two was more typical "contest" conditions... windy. Jim McCall and I were calling for each other. He was keeping a close eye on the classes flying before us to see what the wind was doing to the planes. There were getting blown all over the place. He was trying to decide which way to snap to do the cross box humpty for positioning after getting blown off line.
The CARF-Models Extra 330SC was better than my competition in these "contest" conditions. It was easy to keep my geometry. I didn't really pay much attention to the wind because it wasn't having a significant impact while I was flying my second Unknown. This airframe's ability to better handle these "contest" conditions gave me a strong win in the Sunday morning Unknown, a win for the IMAC portion, and a win for the World Qualifier.
My personal "Thanks" to Jim McCall for the great calling at the TAS and the World Qualifier, and to Jim and David for the great camaraderie and friendly competition. It was an absolute blast.
Wow!! After an email in August I had gone from no plans to fly this fall to flying three events in a six-week span, winning at the Tucson Aerobatic Shootout, and qualifying for the IMAC World Championships. Needless to say, this has made a big change to next year's plans.
Everyone have an awesome holiday season!! See you next year.
On August 14th I received an email from Kevin Garland, the CD for the Tucson Shootout, asking, "Would you be interested in flying? We need Advanced Pilots.". Since I hadn't flown in over 3 months I responded with, "How desperate are you?". He said, "Thanks. If you are able to do both judging Invitational and compete that would also help out.". I'm flying the Shootout. Woohoo. I was actually pumped up about flying this time instead of just judging.
I got a handful of practice flights and flew the Hesperia, CA, contest to get some contest nerves and some real Unknown nerves right before the Shootout. It felt good to be flying again. That contest was a success.
I had a great time at The Shootout seeing everyone that I only see when I'm judging the TAS, IMAC Nats, or IMAC Worlds. That contest turned out well.
I was already scheduled to judge at the IMAC World Championships next year. Heck, if I have to fly Unlimited next year I might as well try to qualify for the team and use that Unlimited practice as preparation. I convinced my wife to let me skip the Bruno Mars concert we had bought tickets to back in January so I could attend the World Qualifier contest. It did cost me tickets to Trans-Siberian Orchestra in December and Pink in March.
We had three pilots competing to qualify for one spot on Team USA. Jim McCall, David White, and myself all flew great. Jim and I split the two Known sequences in the first round and Jim had the lead. David and I split the two Known sequences in the second round. After two rounds we drop a sequence and I was slightly in the lead.
For the WC Qualifier we had an extra Unknown that was flown at the end of the day Saturday. David won that Unknown that was for the WC Qualifier but not part of the IMAC contest. I was last place for this Unknown but we were all very close (1000, 981, 978). At the end of the day Saturday the three of us were less than 22 points apart out of a possible 3,750. It was great competition between friends. We were having a lot of fun flying together in the perfect weather.
Day Two was more typical "contest" conditions... windy. Jim McCall and I were calling for each other. He was keeping a close eye on the classes flying before us to see what the wind was doing to the planes. There were getting blown all over the place. He was trying to decide which way to snap to do the cross box humpty for positioning after getting blown off line.
The CARF-Models Extra 330SC was better than my competition in these "contest" conditions. It was easy to keep my geometry. I didn't really pay much attention to the wind because it wasn't having a significant impact while I was flying my second Unknown. This airframe's ability to better handle these "contest" conditions gave me a strong win in the Sunday morning Unknown, a win for the IMAC portion, and a win for the World Qualifier.
My personal "Thanks" to Jim McCall for the great calling at the TAS and the World Qualifier, and to Jim and David for the great camaraderie and friendly competition. It was an absolute blast.
Wow!! After an email in August I had gone from no plans to fly this fall to flying three events in a six-week span, winning at the Tucson Aerobatic Shootout, and qualifying for the IMAC World Championships. Needless to say, this has made a big change to next year's plans.
Everyone have an awesome holiday season!! See you next year.
Last edited by Dean Bird; 11-10-2017 at 02:15 PM.
