Fall Flying Fun

Last weekend was great for a variety of flying activities; Saturday was our monthly glider get together with no contest but still a good turnout for thermal duration flying.  The wind was light and thermals were available if you could find them and stay in them.  One of the flyers also has an interest in solid fuel model rockets and did several launches, I brought some water rockets to demonstrate also.

The glider I was flying was with a Hyper – DL  a discus launch glider.  I was finding some lift but seemed to  be able to climb only so high before losing the thermals.  Other people were having difficulties staying up for extended duration too.

I brought out my newly repaired Cessna 150 electric RC for another test flight after ripping the wings off in flight last time out. The cabin area was reinforced and carbon rods were put into the wing halves, problem was I had almost no dihedral. I found out with only rudder control for steering, controlling the plane was impossible. Broke another wing off in a crash but now I am fixing with the needed dihedral.

After This I am Fixing the Cessna Right

My friend George took a break from sailplane flying to launch his rocket, wow that was cool.  I launched some simple bounce water rockets and then tried my new water rocket with side deploy parachute. This idea had worked well on another rocket but I don’t think I wound the rubber band that wraps around the spring mechanism enough. The rocket went up real straight but came down that way also, it appeared undamaged because of all the foam in the nose area. It might have loosened the fins as on the next launch two of the fins ripped off before the rocket could get very high.

George Launching 

Water Rocket Ready for Launch

After this I chatted some with Dean who is an excellent sailplane pilot, he had landed after flying his Supra for 47 minutes and came down to charge the batteries.  Dean said that fall thermals can be strong but are normally small in diameter. I started launching my Hyper DL again and hit some lift that I could have taken out of sight. Having flown so much previous I too was worried about my battery and landed.

Dean with Supra and DLG 

Sunday the wind came up and I flew my Super Scooter EPP slope plane from a bigger hill for the area.  When the wind really started blowing the Scooter really came alive. On one pass close to myself I noticed this big bird, and then I saw it again, it was a hawk coming after my glider. After about three passes and no contact it flew away.  I got braver with the flying and was easily doing loops and rolls further out from the hill.

Super Scooter

 Bill Kuhl

http://www.ideas-inspire.com