...sporty stripes This morning I hauled out the Stinger for its second flight without wing decals, and its first with a new striping pattern on the wings, the graphics consisting of two simple stripes using electrical tape. The morning was, unfortunately, rather grey, so visibility wasn't all that clear to start off with, so it was perhaps unsurprising that the stripes didn't show up to any significant degree as the Stinger howled over the paddocks.
This was a minor disappointment, however, although the cleaner wings are still a substantial improvement over the original. I have subsequently added to the striping, with an adjacent black stripe, and have give the Stinger another run. This setup looks pretty good, with better visibility, although I still find I need to be much more careful with the Stinger...
...but a relaxed mornings flying This morning was most enjoyable, not because the morning was spectacular or because the flying was particularly good, but rather because it was just lovely being there. It was a heavily overcast morning with dull smudged clouds covering the southern skies, but a hint of blue to the north brighten things a little. The field was scattered with birds; a flock of black ibis dozens of small parrots feeding off the grass. A few kangaroos were also grazing on the banks adjacent to the fence. I had the Phoenix, recently put together after it flew into a tree, out for a test flight which proved particularly challenging with it initially suffering from a heavy left turn, necessitating an emergency landing to get it realigned. Then the prop pulled off while climbing during the second flight, but was fortunately easily recovered as it jettisoned over the field. The Rarebear also had an outing; my main aim to try and get a better feel for it's flying as I end up doing big circuits as I don't want to turn too quickly for fear it will nose-in. Visibility on dull mornings doesn't help either, making the little pocket-rocket difficult to follow...
