Wednesday, 31 July 2013

The Walrus has Landed

...and dental surgery for the Phoenix

Having had to fight for parking at the local shops, I returned to the car victorious carrying a long parcel containing a Walrus, a spare propeller and a diminutive RD32 video camera. Additionally, although entirely unrelated, a loaf of crusty bread to be enjoyed with a glass of wine and some lovely lamb stew that evening.



Unpacking the box reveals the portliness of the Walrus is not overstated - I'm actually unsure how people with small hands launch it? The quality of the parts looks very good and having the decals applied gives the kit a nice finished look. I recall the Phoenix assembly being described as taking fifteen minutes - I think it took me longer than that just to apply the decals... 



On the subject of the Phoenix, I was wondering how the removal of the aileron servos would be accomplished. I first tried levering them out with a blade without success, soon restoring to my shift-grips (I have no idea what they are actually called...). I found that holding the servos at one end, they could be twisted out in a matter of seconds with no apparent damage to the wing cavity. A technique I think remarkably analogous to dental extraction, except quicker, cleaner and without the pain...



As regards the video camera I am yet to discover how it works, although I have installed the flash card and put it on charge. I have also fiddled with the control buttons but have no idea what they do. I will download the installation manual now and figure out how to drive it.

So, with a little luck, tomorrow I'll have the Phoenix airworthy and a charged camera ready to fly? Maybe...

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