...not the right sort of plane I recently took the Floater Jet to the local field to try it out at thermalling, it being a lovely clear day with things warming up. There was certainly lift around, with the Floater staying up several minutes at a go. However I can't say the experience was sublime; the Floater is a little small for good visuals as it get higher and, an indication that it wasn't meant for this sort of thing, it has no under-wing markings whatsoever.
Additionally, when gliding, it doesn't have very good penetration either, mainly as it's designed as a benign flyer rather than a sleek performance soarer. This attempt also highlighted, again, how good it would be to have a vario setup. Unfortunately. as far as I am aware, this means having a telemetry-capable radio for which a variometer accessory is available. Unfortunately this seems only to be the case for the FrSky unit, requiring a couple hundred dollar investment. Perhaps it might appear in my chrissy stocking...
...going to the birds About halfway through a lovely evening flight, a massive flock of Corellas took to the sky, deciding to change roosting places en mass. I turned the Floater Jet to follow them, with the Mobius camera mounted on board. Despite the difficulty of flying chase in a Floater Jet, its high-mounted prop meaning it's always changing orientation with throttle adjustments, I managed to get close to them a few times.
By a stroke of luck, with the flock swiftly changing direction, the Floater Jet was suddenly in the midst of dozens of Corellas on the wing, their brilliant white plumage reflecting the golden sunset against a beautiful backdrop of distant clouds...
...a gorgeous spectacle
Today was grey almost from start to finish, overcast with scattered showers. However, late in the day, the wind shifted to a warm northerly, clearing the west and developing the western clouds into a lovely assortment of types and altitudes.
The field was mostly empty so I quickly had the Floater Jet packaged with a camera and launched into the lovely afternoon sky to get some video of the sky show.
I'm a fan of mist and clouds; as regards the latter, particularly those interesting collections you get in the early morning or late evening, when shapes have developed in relative stillness. This evening was a charmer, a clear west showing the gradually sinking sun and a collection of clouds on the opposite horizon, an aerial canvas for the low angle of the sun to render in beautiful shades...
...still fun to fly The Rarebear, despite having been crashed a few times too many, is still fun to fly. Now relegated to buzzing around on a 3S pack due to 4S being ridiculously fast, it provides enjoyment nonetheless.
The motor is an excellent unit, and the Rarebear's chubby form heading straight for you in a low flypast always brings a smile to my face, no matter how often I do it. The elevator has gotten a little flexible of late, so I'm thinking of installing a small carbon rod across it to keep the climbs straight. The elevators could do with the same, actually, but for now they work OK, keeping the little buzzy on track sweeping low over the grass-tops of the paddock...
...why I like flying By the time I reached the field this morning the dull overcast sky had developed interesting cloud shapes, with the light of the just-rising sun beginning to colour them.
I had the Canadair and Rarebear along, anticipating a morning of gentle cruising and low flying over the paddocks. The Canadair is nice for this; easy to fly but also capable of gliding quite happily, although obviously not as efficiently as a glider.
Flying in a beautiful sky is wonderful therapy; gazing up and enjoying the changing colours of dawn is relaxing and refreshing, but having a plane in the sky makes this experience even better...
...niggling issues On the weekend I took the Raptor glider to the field for what I was hoping would be its second flight, having reinstalled the motor and tidied up the frayed wiring. I was, however, foiled initially by a passing shower and then by a mysterious electrical gremlin. Initially I suspected the battery to be flat, but it turned out that an exposed bit of wiring of the old battery may have contacted the conductive carbon canopy. So, I taped up the battery and yesterday took the Stinger for what I hoped would be its first proper flight.
The motor seemed to be running well as I launched the Raptor into the morning sky, the large glider climbing steeply in the crisp air. The Raptor seemed to be flying well, although the motor seemed a little less powerful than I had thought. Things seemed to be going well until, after a slow flypast, flicking up the throttle effected only an ominous rattle from the motor meaning just one thing; one pole was no longer with us. Taking a whiff in the cockpit after the Raptor had glided down to earth, a faint smell of toasted electronics indicated that the repaired motor may have recently become deceased...
...now I know why I was cautious Yesterday morning I packed the Stinger for its inaugural outing with its latest colour scheme; the two red stripes supplemented with a third stripe in black, which I hoped would embolden the graphics as well as broaden it. The morning was beautiful, cool and still with hints of mist on the lower ground. I managed to launch the Stinger a little straighter, although with a minor wobble, and I had it swooping across the field and climbing steeply into the air.
The supplemented graphics seemed to be working better, so I decided I'd be a little more adventurous with the flight manoeuvres. Despite the thrilling sound and dashing looks, I usually fly the Stingerquite conservatively because of the orientation issue; in fact flying on the Radjet turned out to be much more entertaining.
I did a few high-G pulls and then looped the Stinger down for a low pass overhead. However, when it was coming down, I somehow got confused as to which way it was facing. I'm not sure whether it was that I could see the reverse markings through the wing, but the split-second mystery was enough to cause panic, hitting full elevator in a desperate hope for salvation. I'm really not sure exactly what happened then, however I do know that shortly afterwards the Stinger smote the ground mightily, disintegrating into high-speed debris. I'm thinking it's going to need a new fuselage...
