Floater Jet Reconstruction

...break out the superglue

Works to restore the Floater Jet to flying condition have commenced, with encouraging progress having already been made.

The tape holding the nose together has been removed revealing a heavily distorted shape with a multitude of rips and gaps in the foam. Also the pushrods to the tail have been bent to a degree I thought was beyond repair. However, having focussed some attention on these, I have managed to straighten them and repair a split in one of the sleeves.

Testing the servos has shown one of the tail servos appears to have stripped a gear, so that will need to be replaced too, however that is a fairly minor matter.

The main problem I had was the drying of the super glue - without accelerator it would sometimes take a day or two for repairs in some of the heavily damaged areas to dry, making the reconstruction painfully slow. Having repaired most of the nose I abandoned the prospect of a quick return to the skies the project for a few days and was rewarded with a fully cured and reasonably straight fuselage when I next checked.

The repair of the severed tail had similar issues, however patience was rewarded by a nicely bonded fracture, strong enough for the demands of flight.

As before I smoothed over the skin with tape for a cleaner look and additional strength - all ready to give the 

As before I smoothed over the skin with tape for a cleaner look and additional strength - all ready to give the Floater a test flight...

In the Clouds

...and up the tree

Following a weekend of truly mixed up weather, this morning was a gift for flying - cool and overcast with a steady gentle breeze wafting in from the southeast. Launching into the breeze the Phoenix 2000 took to the air with consummate ease, its long slim wings shown in beautiful contrast to the grey skies.

It was the perfect sort of morning for easy flying, so the Phoenix made lazy climbs into the breeze, big swooping approaches over the paddocks and, of course, gentle loops...

Where to Next

...contemplating the future

I've been looking at new companions for the Phoenix 2000, craft that compliment the old girl without threatening the role of stately flyer.

I've narrowed down the candidates (for now) to the anomalously-named Radjet 800 pusher-prop and a small fun-fighter, the Rarebear. The latter seems an excellent proposition, capable of 120mph top speed with a 850mAh 4S 45C power pack for a very modest outlay. I must admit though that it is a little daunting, with the capability to fling itself into the ground or disappear from sight in a millisecond.

The reviews of it, however, are enthusiastic and recommend it roundly. Comments that it flies on rail are most encouraging. 

The Radjet is another interesting proposition. Initially I was interested in getting it as a kit to transpose components from the crippled Floater Jet. However, having now located pushrods to replace the cracked and bent originals, I'm going to get the ready-to-roll version and hopefully get the Floater Jet into the air decked out in enough LED's to light up the neighbourhood.

The tailless Radjet looks like a sprightly performer with a ridiculously-high roll rate and  all-round enthusiastic performance.

Looking forward to getting both...

It's been a while

...happily flying the Phoenix

I've ordered what I hope will be a suitable set of replacement pushrods for the battered Floater Jet, along with an LED night-fly system true to my previously-stated ambitions for the craft.

The Phoenix 2000, against the odds, has proved true to it's name and arisen again from shredded foam to fly again, as well as ever. 

Happily, my initial fears over the robustness of the repairs proved groundless; the Phoenix soaring into loops, regularly attempting but never achieving barrel rolls (I get halfway if I'm lucky) and enjoying slow majestic wing-overs.

I've been running the Phoenix almost exclusively with the larger 2200mAh battery quite contentedly, although I've once used the maximum-specified 1800mAh unit which makes the craft very floaty. However I'm quite happy with the nose-taming weight and extra power to extricate oneself from tight spots. 

I'm also waiting on an 11x6 carbon prop for the Phoenix, slightly larger than the standard unit which should compliment the setup quite nicely...

Quiet Morning Cruise

...amid gathering clouds

The Phoenix 2000 is now sporting new colour-themed dorsal artwork.

 A rush of blood to the creative hemisphere? No actually more an effort to cover over a rough patch of reinforcing mesh tape on one side, an attempt to cover up the gap behind the canopy as a result of too many high-speed shunts.

Nevertheless it looks alright...

Another Beautiful Morning

...and more airborne therapy

A beautifully fresh morning, sun shining and with the visual contrast of a heavy grey rain cloud illuminated by the warm morning sun...

Finally Some Calm

...and a peaceful flight

The week of wildly turbulent weather, actually the third windiest ever, finally ended in a beautifully calm morning. A perfect excuse to dust off the Phoenix 2000 and get a bit of air time.

Fully enjoying the mild conditions and gorgeous morning I had a few launches, ending up flying for nearly three quarters of an hour. A most therapeutic start to a Friday morning...