Another flyable morning, which must be something of a record! Last night was very windy as a cold front approached from the south west, bringing rain and cold temperatures for the weekend. Luckily though, the winds abated to the gentlest of northerly breezes this morning, perfect for getting the Walrus into the air.
As per the usual routine I did a lot of slow cruising around the paddock, some low fly-pasts and a few loops and rolls. Being more confident now in the robustness of the RC link, as well as better at gauging the aircraft's orientation at distance, I extended the flight envelope sending the Walrus further to the industrialised north, then towards the dark forests of the south and up into the rising hills of the east, where the kangaroos play. I also flew a few camera-runs over the wildlife, making sure not to get too close but hoping to get some nice footage of them enjoying their breakfast.
Flying with the slight breeze is quite fun - going into the wind you can gain altitude quickly while going downwind allows brisk cross-country flight. Also, approaches across the wind look so good as you can see the plane drifting down with the breeze as it comes into the field.
When doing aerobatics I have been giving the Walrus full throttle to build up speed gain height, however I must say that I find the full-throttle performance a little underwhelming, with increased noise from the propeller seeming to be the main effect.
I'm growing increasingly interested to try out the 10x6 carbon blades I bought, as I think the slightly larger diameter will be beneficial and I'm hoping the profile will be more effective than the white units standard with the kit. They are shipping in from Hong Kong which takes forever, so we still have to be patient a little while longer...
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