I wanna be a flyer, not just a builder.

[bearcat]

I'm kind of tired of being "just a builder" and not a flyer. I've had a little bad luck getting off the ground though.

I got started way too late in the season to get much good flying out of my sailplane, and I was extremely frustrated with flights so short that all I was doing was fighting wind and trying to land on the field, only to finally end up in a crash.

Then I bought a foamy Piper Cub, thinking that a high wing electric plane like that would be an excellent trainer. Turned out it was so underpowered that it was spooky, right out of the box. I souped it up, but I still haven't taken it up because the weather has been HORRIBLE the past couple of weeks.

So the Cub is souped up and ready to go, but not wanting only one trainer, I took on a scratch-built powered sailplane, of 44". It's gonna use the recycled powertrain from the Cub. But I'm not going to stop there either.

I'm heading to Albuquerque to stock up on supplies this Friday, and I am going to look at my options. They might have a few foamies that'll be better than that stupid Chinese-made Cub was out of the box. That R&RRC plane that Terry has is a real butterfly in the air, and has got to be the ultimate trainer. I really think I might pick up one of those. It got Terry up and flying on his own. I've just had problem after problem.

Another thing I might do is buy the RC flight sim that you run on your computer. That I can fly when the weather sucks, which is very frequently this time of year.

Thanks to those who are trying to teach me how to get my wings. But rest assured, I will be a decent pilot by springtime.
If I crash the 44" scratch built plane, fine, it didn't cost much. But it's being built so strong it'll probably take quite a beating.

Feedback is welcome.

[Lt Swiss]

I tried to find the websites for the Alb hobby shops and they are all expired and not there. Dumbasses...

[bearcat]

Yeah I know. That's why I have to go there personally.
I'll get your skis there on Friday.

[bearcat]

Well, the souped up Cub had enough power this time, but MAN does it handle mushy. Also had some torque steer, so I need more angle to the engine mount. It really had some yaw instability though. I really do not believe it has enough fin area (and especially rudder) for our altitude.
I also need to paint the bottom of the cub a different color, because when I was having trouble steering the darn thing, I handed it off to my instructor, but somehow it got upside down and I think he got disoriented, because pulling up on the stick made it go straight into the ground.
The fuse is accordioned in front of the wing, but fine behind it. STRONG WING!!!
So I have to restore the fuse and put a bigger fin on it.
Not his fault! It's still a HORRIBLE-handling plane. Very spooky.

Thanks to Mitch, I got probably a half hour of flying time with his powered sailplane. He was (understandably) nervous, and mandated that the plane stay 500 ft off the ground for me to fly it. Heh heh...well, we got it down to about a hundred feet and I think I did well. For ONCE I had a sweet-handling plane that wasn't looking for the quickest route to the ground. I did a whole bunch of figure-8's and went up and down the field. He was right, altitude is the biggest forgiver of mistakes. I even think I can land, on a calm enough day; I did it before with my own sailplane.
But I won't try it on someone else's plane.

I am building that scratch-built 44" powered sailplane. I know, it's wood, and wood doesn't handle crashes as well as foam. But it didn't cost much. It's all just spare parts, and it has a lot of spruce and basswood in it. It's "Tony-proof"...I hope.

But I think I'm getting it. What do you guys think?

[Lt Swiss]

After a bit more practice you won't believe there was ever a day you didn't know how to fly...

[bearcat]

The hardest thing for me to learn was how light a touch the control sticks require. The slightest nudge causes a change in the plane's attitude, and with your sailplane, I finally understood that.
My sailplane flew well too, but without a motor, it just didn't have enough hang-time to really learn much.

I also had to get over that "backwards thing" where your controls are reversed when it's flying towards you. I felt much better this time.

I do admit I'll have to get an elapor foam powered sailplane to really learn this stuff. The Cub turned out to be a huge disappointment right out of the box, and required far too much modification and is still not a very forgiving "trainer". But I will always want to fly my built-up wood planes because I am, at heart, a builder.

[Lt Swiss]

You're hooked...

[bearcat]

Oh, I've been hooked since I was a little boy, sitting on my Dad's lap watching him build a 6 ft wingspan Cessna. Back then, RC used tube technology. I still have a few electronics from those days, as a curio that I keep for sentimental reasons. Can you imagine having to warm up your plane like you would a television? The plane, unfortunately, is long gone. My mom, for some reason, kept it after they got divorced and I have no idea what happened to it.

I don't have a plane to fly yet, because I couldn't get the right color ultra coat for my latest project. They have it now, but it's way down in Albuquerque and I have to have them ship it to me. I think I'll order a powered sailplane next week, but probably stripped, since I have motors and receivers that I can use. I'll start looking into it.

I didn't rebuild the Cub yet because it's just such a crappy-flying plane. It's nowhere near as sweet to fly as your sailplane, Mitch. I thought all it needed was more power, but I was wrong.
Tell you what, how about I rebuild it and then have you fly it around to see what you think of it. To me and Kim, it seemed somewhat mushy. I admit it was a poor choice of trainers.