tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27863712138746617522024-02-07T14:24:16.545-08:00Chad Northeast's BlogThis is my blog, mostly about my models planes but I am sure other stuff will sneak in!Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-43116665705854035512011-03-03T16:02:00.000-08:002011-03-03T16:44:40.657-08:00ZN Line CaelestiaHello everyone,<br /><br />I am very excited to be able to show you the new ZN Line Caelestia that I will be flying at the 2011 F3A World Championships in Muncie Indiana.<br /><br />This is a brand new design that has been a collaborative effort between ZN Line (Jean-Pierre Zardini is the sole owner of ZN Line), and myself. This brings many decades of F3A experience to bear on this design. I personally am extremely pleased to have been able to work with ZN on this project. I have flown ZN designed models exclusively since 2002 and have always been very happy with the quality and flying characteristics of those models. This one is sure to be no different! We have taken all the best of our experience to create the best F3A plane for todays sequences. Some of the design features include:<br /><br />- No chin cowl, for reduced weight and consistent fuselage structure (electric only!)<br />- optimized air inlets and outlets to minimize the need to make additional cuts into the fuselage<br />- fuselage sides are curved to provide maximum geometric stiffness to the model<br />- wing/stab position, incidence, dihedral and thrust line optimized<br />- Wing tip fences for maximum lateral stability and improved knife edge performance without additional mounting/coupling issues (Thanks to Chip!!!)<br />- Tip cap on the elevator to protect the moveable surface and also aid in easier setup<br />- Flared rudder (smaller than Xigris) trailing edge to provide better direction stability and softer neutral feel<br />- Wing profile and airfoil optimized<br />- Fuselage profile adjusted for a balanced area distribution<br />- Slight anhedral stab<br />- Canopy base set to be parallel with fuselage “zero line” to aid in setup if needed<br /><br />Designing the model in 3D Cad allowed us to control the finest detail of every parameter of the design. As well the fuse, wing, stab, rudder plugs will be cut on a CNC router based off this CAD model to ensure that all these details are retained. <br /><br />The model will be produced as a full composite plane, and painted in the mold (colors etc. still to be determined), and I believe even custom paint jobs will be available.<br /><br />All of the current available electric motors should fit the model without issue, obviously I will be installing the Plettenberg Advance motor, and mounts will be made to specifically mount a variety of motors.<br /><br />I will continue to post more info and details as the prototype model is produced, and production models are made.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmvaypTAVptmtsb4e7lSwgbvHIMeBinnNI88h_yc0HxFy_RWRNmxvyunzpGBuEb1H-DXEoMJ-snps5qDoDzP7k38MJZ7lg2F67cOsS4qYi7hzWfVI8QNwI5acGCGKu24-GqFNEoi4JZE/" alt="CaelestiaFinal_1.Po3mZIPpIdqN.jpg" width="557" height="313" /><br /><br />ChadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-60786897149192125602011-01-30T07:18:00.000-08:002011-01-30T10:29:15.024-08:00New Thunder Power RC 820CD ChargerHello everyone,<br /><br />I recently received one of the new 820CD charger/dischargers from the folks at TP. This is their entry into the high power charger market. Spec’s on the charger can be easily found on the net, but for F3A purposes you will be able to charge a typical 10s 5000 mAh F3A pack at approximately 4C (20A). This will provide recharge times as quickly as 15-18 minutes. Assuming of course you are able to feed it with 28V and 800W of power!<br /><br />What I am going to show you in this report is how to wire up harnesses to be able to charge two (2) 10s 5000mAh Prolite V2 brick packs that have the 4mm interconnect bullets. Also how to wire two (2) Iota DLS-55 power supplies in order to give you the 28V and power required to charge these two packs in 30 minutes.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnHwojBF77lJ9murmICE7Rq5KjHa-HecHXH3w94Rmu-JirDHZva-6xhX9TrF0N3sE1v49U1z4dwB8xGIrn6aVJlFZA8Wq04og3BcpfErEuAR03KjJ5GC02Mbs_Xkk6deozQPMdrtRZDg/" alt="IMG_1400.nqliUsS2qh4N.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />Out of the box you are presented with a very nice looking package. Slightly larger than the previous 1010C charger. You will see a larger nicely backlit LCD screen with two line display, sealed raised face buttons that are easy to push yet give a positive feel. Two fans (one for each port) force heated air out the rear of the charger. Connections for the balance boards are on each side of the charger as is the mini-USB update port. You will also notice two charge ports!<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrikb7-hjmKxEps3jyYiCEdE5N8BYHJznU95JoU-czfzFz02JLX5n-4kOvhL3oylQsuI8NINJqRf53DIyYYJPr7cjzY3C0zJerzLbp7GawXhfDlUdLmC5nbtAlDR0Vswx-EuNMy8w2Xo/" alt="IMG_1405.LYodZVI4v65B.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />The first order of business is to get the power supplies ready for action. I have Dean’s connectors on my DLS-55’s, so it was very easy for me to wire them in series with a simple series adapter as shown in the picture. If you are not familiar with how to wire DC in series there are lots of pages on the internet to help.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicitL-V5NdNvFiw3J-Z1h4o6nEwmGw3YSCeIYEIKtQbZREwarcrJ50b_y8y2oDfmrXuM5IFD_5DULlVmDFNyqaoZN6U58koT2vtHQ5fNeNp4_UFg2ujUH8C4VzBohJY7CCvdAwAQUY1A0/" alt="IMG_1407.UmVm2XSmvm32.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />When done this was how mine looked. Now the Iota power supplies have a small telephone jack to boost the voltage from a float voltage to a fast charge voltage (approximately 13.6V to 14.2V). With both of these jacks plugged in you will get a too high input voltage warning on the 820CD. Remove one and leave one in, this gives you as close to 28V as possible. If you remove both your peak current will be automatically reduced slightly by the charger to compensate for the lower input voltage.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2V0IlSUj-iI3CYX7sShRXXboB_TDZUawf-0dBdEBLGIU4erG53za-Dm_DjNT9J2HQM3x_LWdxYK4NQ_WIGjKQMwDdemcdHEZ5d1Ab1aDDOU4TZvJeFsC-7N82cZG1jAVVfI-PgWjNmJc/" alt="IMG_1401.i0Pm5O3X2Uv1.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />Now lets get to work on the charger. Here is the charger with the balance boards connected. There are connections on the balance board for all TP connectors as well as 2s to 8s connectors for other popular brands.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaO51PR3iRYW07zHYImYN2YYlrVLXfUb5ZLrpZoEHBj61hUrDJnoRlfAA4byoRvRLfm2AR3CxObzaa9OLPkFwMA8M5em2T-5OsqDLk5lCfEkEkhKt4B2J0UzPyyTyDpJS7ONeGqbTb7AI/" alt="IMG_1403.U9I97ZsuIS3B.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />In the box comes 4 leads for making your own charge cables. The leads already have the 4mm bullets soldered to them for connecting to the charger. In order to make the leads such that you can charge a 10s brick pack with interconnects you need to solder a 4mm socket onto one of the positive leads, a 4mm male to the negative lead, and your favoured connector to the remaining two leads as shown in the picture. This process is also described in the manual.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDu4UwvK2yC5pJjCqpm62ZhPm-Kwk1PtKJ1XvrED0yWF9AVtvPM8p7k-NR3Ea3i-kAOXFPjYRkBfKUPtGNgqcW93YTYcxUfF0tLHss3wu6cnPVg5f7S4Ti1LrEKAseYPYC0rQjQVdKqzE/" alt="IMG_1404.T1YkprPsrEE1.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />The above leads need to be connected to the charger as shown here for the correct polarity. Essentially you will be charging each 5s portion of the pack on each of the two charger ports.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCHmCYuxkBFpKaP2cJgr9yY9hEKEw1CtsL54LI5-aKko_1hjXTp28CUdQrU2SfP94Vbbpbl5OU-izzlRZmPlrL4HE6pTEaYgNoq5ISGSAXdXnJOZBw4m-0-YG-v2mSS2n9r6X2CcLziE/" alt="IMG_1410.qE7WGorfnaQ5.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />In order to charge two 10s 5000 mAh brick packs you will need to build some parallel adapters. This guide assumes you understand the principles for making parallel connections. It is pretty straightforward as you are simply branching a single to a double keeping the polarity constant. You need branches for both interconnects as well as the main leads.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCKbJ70Pcn4bINb-heIJSfCLXSoIvkNQG2s8zHw82YMWY8SBQFVc6IIzlViuRKhOVESRJulHa3afgf5jZWlD5D7n_iGIGfqaD0V8g88d-pRGAtrRinng1pikyludbDC5C206Crz5PP7s/" alt="IMG_1412.EJQtP3FECJTx.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />You also need to build parallel adapters for the balance leads. I took 4 balance extensions and built these two parallel adapters. Same principles apply, you are simply branching a single wire to a double keeping the polarity the same. One note of caution on the balance leads. My leads were not all color coded the same, so it is important to ensure that you are wiring them truly in parallel and not simply by color, as in my case that would have resulted in a direct short across the leads.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLh0boPonPzo384eMbUUsrMwkzWKsEwfB-Kqqt-jClVhlrmCmt8HBHZdghEGa0xKhDuE13b9a0UOXKTlpKGeBgrj1V7OJO07l3LoBD8_Y23_KnLqVN_5BEWyDOED-E8fwIuLhLfeIq6ko/" alt="IMG_1413.mFi95cl4aSm7.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />Now we have all our leads built, we can start connecting the packs. These are the two packs I will be using, very standard packs used in F3A. These batteries were both fully discharged, one was 37.3V and the other was 37.7V. These voltages will equalize when parallel connected. A small mismatch is not a problem, but I would be cautious if your packs are more than 5% different (37.5 to 38.5V). Typically in F3A our flights are so consistent that this is not normally a problem.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTP9i6ZTq6UWOoI7jw_ZoMxj9oBOKdA3_HUxbuX36eiItQBGfrZGy_4wmKUOKXqYe8DHIJcbJCkInlci-W9uGLfOdIxwUrVE7AkIpRdkY89Nv0V7VWmbpPqLAZV2UmGx6ZFFTgzb6obq0/" alt="IMG_1414.l1Rcd9LKwpLr.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />Leaving the packs with the interconnects attached, the first thing I do is plug in the main lead parallel adapter. This will immediately equalize the voltage between the two. When I did this the voltage was about 37.5V.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqoPDvlRaN4LkpH3HenS0mwGcnmWy4DmXtIT30LtQHdg36jDDhf62Pdm4fmT8T8sA_75pXDWO6rGHo-kB3mBH6jFfcu8wszVJIMi9seJiApiBNCOdqkGupDM87XNuv7PVyOuTrUaR4MU/" alt="IMG_1416.7UTFdeZ9Q8D8.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />Next break apart your interconnect leads.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQePRIMZRvZwADq35ncefF66LelRSmsAuha9O1dohrLv-eOoWVGVflJzVVhyphenhyphen1VBvrZH58avDY_GpIxb0DwIm_jJdbUCIfTZGQqwaQTErAgD7A9IklEBbs11Um4T_GgkLMNpg79axYfz1A/" alt="IMG_1418.9uvOwFIpc8Iz.jpg" height="312" width="469" /><br /><br />Now connect up both your positive interconnect parallel cable and your negative interconnect parallel cable as shown.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzY-jjnPKBI2nuE4nOSUAIb-pshNTeu-LJUTnGFDbU-vcdEpB7uzcu82PDR5nen2Y-g4Du2ppmagKEJ6G7aQmqTolJZY-ekyFq6RVz3C_jywsv2eB0IJFZa3ZmgE91Vdv54yMm5NiTKU/" alt="IMG_1419.GOPwjEndMKlO.jpg" height="312" width="469" /><br /><br />You can now connect your parallel adapter cables to the charger cables we made up and installed earlier. As always double and triple check all your polarities the first time to ensure that you have made all the solder connections correct. Before you start connecting batteries, go ahead and power up your charger.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmrbM9-5PM6zesDkcNVITqpeEyJMOA_41ZIN734L8q8VyWcec7Ivi5hR_XvOF22BpRTUZkpDC5dTIBlG9Z-Dp5VR_23XDtBRuitGohKM_4S7VNGMPZG5aG8mmUE8idJbfvuCtT8ELeW8/" alt="IMG_1420.aOhN0R7u74Ps.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />Now go ahead and connect up Group A of your balance connectors to the parallel balance adapter we made, and then to the Port 1 balancer board. It is important that Group A be connected to Port 1, because the primary negative lead from the batteries are connected to Port 1. Go ahead and do the same for Group B and Port 2.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-inKeIUjGgpMmwmPIv6kHL5TShW1zzPpYe1e_oyKM_wC5Wa_JixX2dUrStZLtLrIqGeJvGrVvjD4I8HDcnQBrt5cj1MN34KcKe7bGbLsGwC-HyolksisPKmldTBJgGj8ROvqda0w3y8/" alt="IMG_1428.9SYGDNNgAJMS.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />Once Group B is connected, we are ready to charge. Your final setup should look something like the picture above. <br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6ptCx3WULIIUAnNv9WpNwSMi81ZJT3eRgvEZ_vRsbkLylrB6euCN3P86FzjRs1KnSBPigRuxK7mzZoXW6sBJ1bMNyJh2KrvwznZP0wVmj6UT2gXQTJgT9RRkVpOsHC4ViNTqEWS2Nas/" alt="IMG_1408.kqRT3tzZ5YO3.jpg" height="313" width="470" /> <br /><br />Perform the setup on both ports (port 1 shown in the picture) to charge a 5S lipo at the maximum current possible, in my case 19A was all I could set. Set the capacity (CP) to the maximum as well so that you wont shut down on capacity limit. Ensure the balance circuit is turned ON for safety reasons.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdzw4vhA4xK0rTD7foKPwfKy_kPzyz0-htv4IOxqYTPEumtvvd1kg2eL0pX4ph6t9hQb8y59QEPzONRDLzn10XB-W6K02WarG-9RkMKKIpzoNfe05_qvModOFaqQp8-e4Q6oQL1Sxsm0/" alt="IMG_1422.HiV9t1JXPsB8.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />Double check all your cell voltages before the start of the charge just to be certain everything is A-OK. With the high rates of the charger things happen very quickly!<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAl62hn0djJmZrXliJCfnzG-cxtShv_S1kAFng1gLACSsmOtElA8pSjOr9HuCWejn1yqKkAjCjHpYZFBOQZWgMqW0oFRWaLC0PdItO2aChSGeexzDkf2_yIhZ6NxUMfx_JPoRF4PIxQBQ/" alt="IMG_1424.PiMAzM1nPCcd.jpg" height="312" width="469" /><br /><br />Once you are comfortable that everything is set correctly, hold down the enter key to start the charge, and repeat for the second port. The charger ramps up very fast, you can see here only 18 seconds into the charge we are already at peak current. The voltage displayed is the current battery voltage for the selected port.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI9IIFhkafgqc1FTomumx8puXHVhDTozfmdv_CdCj1n3m70r78qPlF6j4o17D1eQJqvX_TYm-pXMS9uWHVoyOcPaG-C-Nq1X60eUPmpetEiRqmc80eSFFJvjkMNC3Rj2nXoWlz6zXN9c/" alt="IMG_1426.SrtM7F0Ech1t.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />There are two other screens available by pressing the +/- keys. One is the cell voltage shown here.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWY7QMt4pG7lGl0u45q4Ers3PCKNPWJt4G_hHn9Ujz5omS9BDxVwOnkH8XzCOEj-AbBoEwKFU6EKOSEWxzxHULMthlxLIXL_IMRQG0at-XZji0wXRmRaxalYsM2r0cEUCyKqaHgyGbgRI/" alt="IMG_1427.tyOiKVeqhTV1.jpg" height="312" width="468" /><br /><br />The other shows the chargers max temperature. During my charge the charger reached a peak of about 60 degrees C. The fans were at full speed for most of the charge duration.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2ocjVlTIWrceiw30zc5seO_HLNkuLY0BWgmnqh_MgGGNp5zThmG0BIIYbtxyQfE0sqnaSt5c26uWOlnLkx7CampQa5pZinSfLhRcun9Mra86Vn4d2hZZ3zscB6Zmk49uKYvzibH_Zb0/" alt="IMG_1429.IGEwZb1UYEjz.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />5 minutes into the charge 1600 mAh has gone to the packs (800 each). I am expecting over 7000 mAh total.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TGp2B4OBONdK3JZOJEJ9kCVn6BO53MV83o1htHS45wIZMOmezyocIoN8LC-5yvK_qhOMnITE6Z1LZVdM29SvtXDABUGZarUAcAS8d_-nnmK0djTm6pqzBcqjhg-ywUbmJvDHKLa5Y_E/" alt="IMG_1431.UZRcLaPByD5c.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />At 10 minutes in a little over 3000 mAh has went to the packs.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8W-pYGQFglRPByEU7ykQZFU0O0fit0pw_XrvZ4Q1D5t0QBCFQCLA4J_IatxRto1Z6IvNS2AsaWICP8-ctHyz4t_arsg1Yc4bikyJSemfZmkDTF3JPzMwRG16f4xv8i_3-_QT7WUVaRg/" alt="IMG_1433.mWhERSRkwzfg.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />15 minutes in over 4600 mAh, this is easily over halfway from a capacity standpoint. WOW!<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YPneRSb9IuSphVQggClvzVD5fcy0_X1RiLQCvhVGtNLdx01kmqTP1EXQZwzdwfFjzMS_8Ix-y9XT8dDD47R-Aa4hOYtHLZyAsgHzvvkaP08dJxFqRFMHONIQMQolCUUKjlmFyfxH1Vs/" alt="IMG_1434.Ly7TIOs6Anzn.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />We have also reached our peak internal temperature of 60C.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbg3n8zZCSzl8QB9UeoxWDDjCgoYrPqK2BUhSMgzGNI29PV5GaBtloLQX1S_so2vrIDS_dzHCN7v-3pUgEUobQcG7VZc8nZTazzDOpOuk3AhimQ3BMzx17PMbAp3v0ZBAH87bI34kB2b4/" alt="IMG_1436.JbXyeXdI046O.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />21 minutes into the charge we have put 6566 mAh into the packs, and reached peak voltage of 21V so the charger has moved to CV (constant voltage) mode.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BdNz2j44rRR7bF7t3xNf4sA_4V0mcpdVNkbq01yjS8H7RU5SMuZxjLUUNfhZuAbTW8ROUrDS9-6KDGZZ-czYXzaZMCbCFavUfQyq1l6iKV-mrUKA237MpHKvSNVwvSX6BSC4slPZsKo/" alt="IMG_1437.sXMHYLi5tWXs.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />25 minutes in the charger has ramped down to 5.5A, sent 7255 mAh into the packs and is nearing the end of the charge cycle. Remember this is for TWO (2) 10s 5000 mAh batteries!<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNenafnWrQq2GNOm7Dl5EXmOSE8STWR-A-n0FvMYbtEbluOMpTlcPh4J1p1gTkFqrMAuz2Z7WOMv4AK-p-UO75lqCICMKb5ttIUaTqNd5tnwhZBhvfMoXVKZTmQswI62TNeiW2lLips28/" alt="IMG_1439.l21YK2X419n7.jpg" height="313" width="470" /><br /><br />At just under 33 minutes the charger is finished, sending 7685 mAh (~3840 mAh each) into the packs. If you had only a single pack connected to this charge you would have completed in about 16-18 minutes. I have also done this since getting the charger (4C) charge, and it will come in very handy for those times you really need another flight!<br /><br />So far I have found the 820CD very simple to use. If you are familiar with the operation of the 1010C charger then you will notice many similarities between the two with respect to operation. The construction is very good, and superior to the 1010C in almost every regard. <br /><br />I have not yet tried this connected to my Honda 1000i generator. However, a 10S pack being charged at 19A is 798W peak, I expect that the Honda will have a hard time handling that amount of power. The charge current may have to be reduced slightly to allow charging from a 1000W generator. This should be more than do-able for a 2000W generator though.<br /><br />To download as a PDF file click below,<br /><br /><a href='http://www.mediafire.com/?gkqriqabxezxq3v'>http://www.mediafire.com/?gkqriqabxezxq3v</a><br /><br />I hope you enjoyed the walk-through, if you have any questions drop me an email!<br /><br /><a href="mailto:chad@f3acanada.org">chad@f3acanada.org</a><br /><br />ChadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-59660143823779018092010-12-28T13:13:00.000-08:002010-12-28T14:25:59.419-08:00Covering the Xigris C2I thought I would post a small how to on covering while I am working on my ZN Line Xigris C2. I will share how I make my covering schemes, which are usually somewhat complicated. It is a fairly straight forward process and nothing to be afraid of trying.<br /><br />First thing is the template. I take some time and accurately draw my color scheme fullsize. I use AutoCAD but any program that allows you do draw to scale will work fine. With AutoCAD you can plot to a DWF file, and then open with another bit of free software called Autodesk Design Review. In Design Review you can then print your drawing as tiled images so you can get full size images on 8.5”x11” paper.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQEZNInVEyilbleJ4wiGoByslUBy7zPkrnNuhbt-ZVYI4k7aGLD4qB3uPv7O85vJ1b1a1CuGz1d4gIVuEzAuPhPky7ZjHGWTI0pypFxZSRg85TxNKREsaYtIZRxDU3GtgqnBvboAZtCwG/" alt="IMG_0424.Wn4hOIURDT3O.jpg" width="541" height="360" /><br /><br />Next I use a spray contact adhesive to stick the plan to heavy paper for the templates.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8HG1y3GNfk38jI_4e6H7RKovNvbPJs05i9jTRlPnnPoDwPwxFmZ5PDzV7potAh0dqT8ZsyBb8s5UAR2wsQZBE-C3k49zGAr_lAB1TIFlq4FL-5P6peN1DtwP-6_cpD9jRyeScnkt16W8/" alt="IMG_0425.PeMAwmDcb6RD.jpg" width="541" height="360" /><br /><br />Now we have to let this dry a little bit so the paper doesn’t peel off the heavy paper. Don’t forget to label your colors so you get the scheme right!<br /><br />While that is drying we can do some preparation that needs to be done before we do the major covering job. For all my covering I use the tools in the picture, two covering irons one with a sock and one without. The one with the sock is set to about 125 degrees C, and the other is set as hot as I can get it. A small trim tool for tight places, a heat gun which I didn’t use at all for this job. Various cutting tools, rulers, weights etc.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iCuByXit26aj50MWcnTt1uJQYd3LMF4beqa6xvo0HKYbifZLNuBCd186GBOaeN1FE9-LKyR8nDAwVUqJQFwh81Yu8hwokL7Yx0NQcvkRgTyoDVn06IDBLD2FTKXBhgk-5dkkZIXWaicj/" alt="IMG_0427.KqZ8bGOeiBQO.jpg" width="542" height="360" /><br /><br />I always do my covering after hinging, so I do my gap sealing and some other trim details before I do the major pieces.<br /><br />To do the gap sealing you first take a piece of white and crease it in half down the length. Make sure you have plenty of extra to cover the entire gap.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqPuD3xxrLSzKU4JYSY3kXr63ysqynBU3a5-2ntk6y3Y4SeFis0H7Mrew-bJbpaX8H37mmj3Zx76o8GSRQ13l3jxFaI0s7_tGazk6O-vioHl8kVkZdAzBhugTm8LjtEV6VYe_omC6cbbU/" alt="IMG_0430.l2cRljjynliE.jpg" width="544" height="361" /><br /><br />Then push that piece into the gap, and use the trim seal tool to iron it neatly in place.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjxnHTnVIPrg0iin_ln5jxKX-3T9HSbUsRgtBNElr21JOPQFfO28S9q_-5IHUwsvHJxFLE3rdiP4CIPRxBh58-FY2kfo_E1NiDZ-rlVSbe946Wp3z0Z7PVWDHDPjbVQowgj6r6gfySnqN/" alt="IMG_0434.IIOmoxQxQ58d.jpg" width="542" height="361" /><br /><br />Then using a sharp blade, trim the excess to be flush with the surface of the part. As a note, I gap seal both top and bottom so my hinge lines are completely weather proof.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceNOySE_hSosSh74zOnC5kjlJVPsPPTgp2pDbyNJhGeKPbaDRJAFfA9iQVRJ2sC0quk32pVOyoc6FaP5rRiadMh0Iuv1GC83Js572gOuJbNhDAgSv9QXWjlHIQeFtAhkynMadVJxf_CyC/" alt="IMG_0438.IWuPywMZAhb5.jpg" width="543" height="361" /><br /><br />Next apply the trim to the inner face of the elevator.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6nek0ozUzGBL7FzKLGPQAlxfeE0NbsJ9cubbaO5zevx_I5MY2iX4VeLQcm5BfDFCzRIEQTDumKqbh4OBnnRDjYzUv_VqCzZJq1v1amTj9c5u5z9lrupkhMpEvvkhpjRLSn_nbLfKePuo/" alt="IMG_0439.EQL4YZnWvwGp.jpg" width="542" height="361" /><br /><br />Thats all the trim work that I need to do on the stab. I don’t bother too much with the very root, as its all covered up once mounted onto the fuselage.<br /><br />By now the templates should be dry. So you can cut out the individual pieces. Notice that I did not cut out the small silver and blue sweeps on the bottom right. This is because this area is going to be all white, so I will first cut the white covering out with the template, then cut the sweeps from the white portion after.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqdFdpQqRB-m_Y9WV91YrRnupfLxoQs_nDRWTlHM719vafzV5UYGSe7X7nu7myOSJC-wGuUo9m0DGoF-krzzMt2kKT1ClBMc61U2v9Hnbd8L_xfHqk9h2YP5Ajw0xIPX8D-Bh-zN0FpRT/" alt="IMG_0440.81BaIiyybbsV.jpg" width="544" height="362" /><br /><br />Now trace the white profile onto the covering. Do both sides at once to save time.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEZKHz3FvNJ89EW7GPTZ4g3ayRewvG2-IoHw0Q3oCzq_nDa58-Dh2xIgU7RuW5bbmMgHy3UrUHS98lvCuETDFpmWVt1Dl9HpR-NUrrlNsNrCrC6_QgLuqQy-cgQFHtYzBMRW5sxi5GEkF/" alt="IMG_0441.fIscVm9PJ6qF.jpg" width="542" height="361" /><br /><br />Now I freehand cut with scissors the white parts out. Since they will be the first color on you must leave an allowance for the next colors to overlap. About 2mm or 1/8” is fine.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pt6f3AQIndQZJYVzBm3LM5CJMRCcHBc8uVpx5pucvEPb3iRW-q77BBuK5zFlT6uhQSBgiWYi-HCuF6-BeLwiRfyt_c5xUBwLUN-VMPdErViwkq7vQ1Uv240zsw_O7hrxq7oK6L-i5KDJ/" alt="IMG_0442.Iif4gfWUHnz7.jpg" width="541" height="360" /><br /><br />Now in order to properly locate the colors I make a second set of template trimmed to match the stab size.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRwpU_4566ythBmjHae-mFi_pGOk3u1vs3VnGlBReXLHWCsUECBVIPkNGLbuhKr9Ul31G68wX7VciU5k0bOFxWXQ1RqqbRewnuLgs2oDSxe7czFi_-isVcGeMHz0QKmzIJ75-yzYyyO7n/" alt="IMG_0445.F5cPXbYqVv8O.jpg" width="540" height="360" /><br /><br />I overlay that on the part, and make small pin holes to give me reference points to place the covering.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkXJKrEyn0QE6VpaCDUoQnS_2MyJgEeM_w1xbJTvtCdFiMfNwf3tTcDvk3JZwHYYH_u9-inN75jMhBI_8qTSpe1ehKVSOmBBJ57xk7C_xR3CjtdZL_02YkiiJpcra3GVVNis0OPSQ7GGz/" alt="IMG_0446.LmCqX5ylaRCw.jpg" width="540" height="360" /><br /><br />I then locate the white and yellow (yellow is cut the same way as white), as they are the two bottom colors of the scheme.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLt48dw23U4BydNU2GjLLZwEmHBAwYNIs8dVmVLHox5GiGS6EAIJhv56AgO5c9CnXbgzwC8oob2tzwMLnEaB2ZU2EsBs0y8GSGPJluo1iKBo__d5_G217YtwkPERAV25Xs53ZAMz40ciC/" alt="IMG_0449.IHSjCh9JcwXO.jpg" width="540" height="360" /><br /><br />I use some masking tape around the tip to protect the bottom colors from having adhesive stuck to them. After you trim the tip colors off then you just pull this off. I find that sometimes, especially red and blue leave a lot of adhesive when they get trimmed away if you accidentally heated past where you will trim.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iWecgqj-5g9rm19P3xmLpmOfJOVOErF2KbvK_hJrIENn3It0PCpE0h4RMCCvhf1HOthyvTHG9CtoHqye0t-QQjly7TjC42jm3r2ZRRmfyqtidPtb9-w-xToTh68UgfcZM_RfIouCcpIi/" alt="IMG_0450.ZCTCATSLLvI0.jpg" width="540" height="360" /><br /><br />Then its time to cut the red. Since the red overlaps it needs an exact cut. Its best to use a piece of glass and a sharp blade to trace along the template. Its important that this cut is clean as you will see it on the finished product.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5w8SEgagZ_mmSMgFxQvgYqJU5tzI5YGawY6SncryhgiI-_1mIvgznA1w6dlDuQBxta2ZvbYxs_I-gE5P_K6GR4nGFBtaR9AKkZC9SOXxPwhVyQsRqEE59IDbtw8qxessv7tBTN9rjEo3c/" alt="IMG_0443.04UTCu4a410K.jpg" width="542" height="361" /><br /><br />Now apply the red using some guides to help with the alignment.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ujA8tQ8rkj-WdFPR4BMEeOtw7XD7kU90FGjX0ovfOcVqbvu-zmNvWUKtDxOuHmGU0vCf7cAovZZ8aM1uzbgnyPIFOs7dKVm5g-USRZ3fNJpp90k_BLDWAZjpzGpDSWycS9o1oRrfftiM/" alt="IMG_0451.hUYdnfwecyYF.jpg" width="541" height="360" /><br /><br />Now you have to pull the covering around the tip. I use my hot iron to help with this. A lot of patience, and allowing the covering to stretch makes the tip come out wrinkle free.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFKjJFok0UsuNfe7-N6cl04P620o1zpBk-UQBZd5H2w3ZY7TIwPZYB80E8yOhu7UXBagli65CDOI0jaW1Heoy-qHoJNxQ6UD0-PxNVc8SceyNvfQeHxz8EpHynRaYfXkstzQINSFoZhXb/" alt="IMG_0453.smpmtS5HMROI.jpg" width="540" height="360" /><br /><br />No trim the red and yellow along the masking tape, and peel the tape off. Be careful not to cut too deep into the bottom covering. You should be left with a nice straight line. I did this one freehand.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJPoOYvtDiyX5AiOgm-WoPiseKLYqXmBwVCv1C9ZcLWLzHaQRvyOkii8s_liEDdZL0GlRE4tyEJcBAT3tv-hoqZy5cnlYfrrYR8j9ttrJR51akNmhemDNK4Ltlts2HpIF6y7E0_gvhIXQ/" alt="IMG_0454.vvEdnb92aYlJ.jpg" width="540" height="360" /><br /><br />Next I trim the LE covering. Using the edge of the glass and a sharp blade you can get a nice straight cut where you want.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR8urYvcwXmREnP3pPqWE_ynBGBpm-_povorQH5JjyjXKO9N6_nXdR5XlmZXALXtdRVZs9_8clP8fSzOpBOY2m650k_lUaN3Eqb4bnBPPP52-6RkKZcbDq-WBZswsUGnXVEyGZjeVu4c4/" alt="IMG_0455.aNEnIP2pvZBh.jpg" width="542" height="361" /><br /><br />Finished LE<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hIoZlQxPlLz4H0REEGvgV79T2TbOzRFxbpb9uM4kqSD8vy3ZRrDMAIGJwxK9ZpcCqTidSr_YEmXUhrc7ivoXqSjnfY3L4AS_UTxHrEkFvAU89_ueDowbc4beilL8oTHgdpMygHj_rUjw/" alt="IMG_0456.qbVDJftL83KR.jpg" width="541" height="360" /><br /><br />Now I do the blue, this piece is small and hard to keep still. So I cut an oversized piece and peel off the backing. I spray a little water onto my glass, lay down the covering and squeegee out with a card all the water. This sticks the covering down and allows you to make accurate cuts without it moving around.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMu1mZ6hxuSbfoxCZgIRivGHl5ZCKlrMgqqjx7cjrpXP2O9-EIYQ1NaIwAlCWv8w-yAI9Ld2VzNe_BpZm235kjHk86FvFaPe5eghAd2ldjmohsDH5FfXfwhX7kDBrIedoK8gD7X4UKQSd/" alt="IMG_0458.gVyVGIaNUY2H.jpg" width="540" height="360" /><br /><br />Now iron the blue in place using some guides to keep it aligned.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IX5mce4jrRRtEqaX1hI7-6ePVCNAjza1U1UPksbhLDGB_-fkzEiDZGFTT1Q3OTYEUWsTfk2Jv2ZAYvA3rAtOUTlp9pSfV6fd1G0Bbg9woFaBEFGisRQrgKnItpl9d7aH4V-1nIuhbcCV/" alt="IMG_0461.6oTxiZPJnkaR.jpg" width="540" height="360" /><br /><br />Next cut the silver on the glass, and aligned and iron down much the same as the blue. The silver is the final piece so every side needs to be accurate as you will see all of them.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwH6rdAtghcpZ4L3k91xvf2b6i2hK6cfGPauhMMvYM77bD2oThYBGmOGNrfgEw6heiiu_YIp2zsQnpNC9AINdw2o4UgMETIU4WusieWSTbc4nA80xF5apcyiZfUjNFOaAr_HpcKrmk53Fw/" alt="IMG_0462.6YvwefWZOzgm.jpg" width="540" height="360" /><br /><br />Now it is time to cut the little sweeps out of our white template.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhF3yIcShXM-NG3UZTTKgPIL_hhDW4sIXHcPQTk3jODVvoNNI8EcQPZra2eV1Qd_k3_TfbHvmIDUwGFziHUDTy80Na1trt1O9NKC260N_TZ9gvcdh8izM6M5iW-rc1HGzKZg8cbh6C3zR/" alt="IMG_0463.mYmgv8JOL5sf.jpg" width="542" height="361" /><br /><br />Using the techniques above, cut the sweeps on the glass and apply them to the stab.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OCs5QArJCRzA4x5LN6Jmqxr0Gsn9rVZ2FT9R8C20bAoNcl8sZz68l-0ZhH0lE7ob3AU72m5-dhDf74l6gfZ5_-plLmE10GNoZgQCRFWwMT1ggsXldRO_GK9_-3FI3_3G8bxShTeuksmP/" alt="IMG_0465.tgaWLCdvVmiJ.jpg" width="541" height="360" /><br /><br />Now we have to split the covering down the hinge line. To do that I first fold the hinge line to give the covering a bit of a crease.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApQB72urs4xO8Z08dOiUu1vNE6uWQCFfl3taiwSuaFVAQtlBs-1MTOSKAOzIuhrpU6IXgJ1pvnO7JhPrfjPuSvHQpa5zwotin02KvSOxOvjhu3ecq-LWEzCmOnA1OT91G06evRCTy4RI5/" alt="IMG_0467.3nh6q5ouvvFz.jpg" width="539" height="359" /><br /><br />Then with a sharp blade, I split the covering down the hinge line. I keep the surface folded a bit to help guide the blade down the line.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw7Ql1ydyqz7rI_1lWFEAihV0H3q9bvTuVzTZBkTG9LycUJrTju_HXGbrpPC9C4hbBQZpHfPEyKACb1kAgGyZDldlyTAeXIaZiyBX5J6DgUUfxKWWiVftw-MSSunCtOVKUGkqPC4En3xI/" alt="IMG_0468.dkb4jcrMN0Hk.jpg" width="539" height="359" /><br /><br />Now use the trim seal tool to seal down the leftover in the hinge line.<br /><br />Voila, you now have a cool looking stab :)<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLTPFoXPVxxK0f39ugSCWxnNRCCJ9XsZcagRd74uwOfIIMK-LPQS0Ycab9Xm2V-kvsAJ8Duu60rpwww2prFJ275fjtgb8qj2Vknzj7PZO458gfAEeI6Zr4C_GNk3nli18ssq8NFewBGAw/" alt="IMG_0469.glLuQT42JtzO.jpg" width="539" height="359" /><br /><br />This is a quick way to get a cool scheme. All told I can do two stabs like this in about 3 hours once I have the drawing made in AutoCAD. Usually doing the drawing takes as long as covering!<br /><br />ChadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-33014812300334977102010-12-26T19:24:00.000-08:002010-12-26T19:59:44.046-08:00The next generationOur boy Matthew (4 years) got very lucky this Christmas and Santa brought him a SkyFly Max airplane. Maybe in a few years he will be beating up on the old man in FAI :)<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2wSOGOe-QTG3OQsIbvmTUJ1rE8gU5PO5nsqKj2MYmXW3oAWbU1spdi6msvxcRET4c3S03vCQkN2q96gXtoPwgRjhBHaA3dHOtTDVHNEdSSeQX4iKhNpaofnKNjLxaSHoHofBuKf91HVb/" alt="IMG_0131.HP98IZCOtzYG.jpg" height="232" width="348" /><br /></div><br />If the weather cooperates we should know how it flies in a couple of days!<br /><br />My wife also got lucky, and Santa supplied her with a GPS so that she could take up the hobby of Geocaching. This is where you use a GPS to locate hidden “caches”. Its quite a popular activity around the world. Here are her and Matthew getting their first one together.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYb6Ih3JoaoWuqFFap4X_AdbFVn9eXXxLlgP9XPrUzJUqqy12WxWvG1RDtqUUHy8ymeZJDSkdf9oqxa5AZxJjn_DUdGpFVf0TT21HammHIny1noEnebphyUmMrcZ0WE2k6fM1mCG5fN7jL/" alt="IMG_0186.PXWDZ2Ser3nQ.jpg" height="232" width="349" /><br /></div><br /><br />ChadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-80163841503523297352010-12-19T15:49:00.000-08:002010-12-19T19:40:35.967-08:002010 Coming to an endWell the clock is ticking down on 2010. I hope that everyone had a great year for flying, I know that I sure did.<br /><br />I started off the year getting my first giant scale model ready to fly. This was a PAU 30% Sukhoi SU-26. Instead of going the traditional DA-50 type powerplant, I decided to give a bigger electric model a try. This has been a fun model to fly at various events. Performance is outstanding, I think able to outperform a similar size gas setup. The only issue is the flight time, which is around 5-6 minutes depending on the style of flight.<br /><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRPzs_Z508HlpHxbiF4eZjJXGMtE8tont3mRkOdBy54Ly0OOR5kdmm3mrhr9Zo3DTPzogzo4tljCqSpZ9r9CCpPeqTKNZT20DIndmlMk7bJsxG7-5CWE3lEEf7TMO8PuvcCO1EdzMMVFE/" alt="IMG_0719.O9UYp95lSi0a.jpg" width="250" height="188" /></p><br />I did have one issue with the setup though. I was using the Schulze 40.160-xl controller for the model, and at near full power it would lose synchronization with the motor and shutdown. I was able to work around this by reducing the ATV (as I am running fixed ATV) thereby reducing the top end power a bit. As I had no lack of performance (around 5500W), this was not a concern.<br /><br />I did however involve Schulze with this problem, as not everyone wants to fiddle around to make things work, this is one of the reasons for using high end equipment. A short video of the problem and the ability to data log the performance with the new controllers helped to explain the issue. A couple of revisions to the firmware were provided by Schulze, and voila, the problem was resolved. I can now run the motor to absolute full power and rapid application of throttle without an issue.<br /><br />It was not long and F3A airplanes were brought out of winter hibernation. I continued to fly the same Xigris that I flew during the 2009 season. As this is a very good model there was no reason to make any significant changes to it. As I needed some new canalizers to replace the ones I lost in Portugal I spent some time to develop a little different size and shape than in the past. The new size worked perfectly for me all summer long. Maybe this particular size and shape will be available sometime in the future? :-)<br /><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucqxSQ_i8P9sa-qOQf2YQvg2M68rjJH5t5EqwFMfOdbRiYvej-afniqH3Fmcit1Rd4B7B_ORa-Tz8zl0XrhdRXFZ4M1Xhnb_r7oJBCjv0vza5pddEovSMdMZmBp_eBJJpS3mQ73MNjLYZ/" alt="IMG_3833.Zdp47dBCfMAx.jpg" width="250" height="186" /></p><br />Nedim and I drove down to Wenatchee, WA for the first contest of the year in May. Normally we would head out to Vancouver, but as their field had been closed that contest was put off for a year. Wenatchee turned out to be a fantastic field, and we had a great time at that event. I am not certain time will allow me to attend in 2011, but I definitely plan to go back in the future.<br /><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZsuzrPFarmXURVicrqQ1Gp1_P_6pIpHvoepXGazc5fwoVsn7-Vedz_10iCVlIE98v2q2Q-ds2BeXBvBe8V-e5gjbd0APun-gy5v0Y0ufc9QV6BVIKOJ8m2ltGUm6DouODKliGSI4TKua/" alt="wenatchee2010024.2pISrXl0w29s.jpg" width="254" height="190" /></p><br />I spent the next 6 weeks preparing for what I considered the most important event of the season, the US National Championships. Well Nedim and I made the long trip (2 days!) to Muncie. We met up with many old friends and also made some new ones. No matter how the results turn out meeting the people is one of the best parts. As this was the team selection for the US team, everyone who was there was there to win. In a big surprise (at least to me), Quique chose to not continue (for now) in F3A. I missed seeing him this year, and hopefully at some point in the future he will decide to make a return.<br /><br />Overall I think I had my strongest performance of any US Nats. In previous years I have been on the bubble and struggling to make the finals. This year I finished the preliminaries in 4th place, and the semi-finals in 5th place making it a fairly strong entry to the finals. However, in the end I finished 7th (for the third time). My first round of F was quite strong, but I was up first (which is never good) and the visibility was poor due to the haze. The first round of unknown I fell victim to my own stupidity and flew half of a 3/4 roll as a 3 of 4 point....DUH! It didn’t cost me a zero, but serious downgrades and threw the rest of the flight off a bit.<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif44_TA9WBuDBnXyC2WC99OamfpqxDRRUnLvtsl_UcDA3WaHNER9jmchy6IyhYRY992ZcKBtrSsPGzVl6GXF-XrJkM5uoDOUWXuwbfuYLvKqEwhlvHoga9ZJ0zAxFuwDt2XlJ4vmEcDgq3/" alt="2010PatternNationals%28109%29.LTDb6UD1cLD4.jpg" width="169" height="254" /></p><br /><br />After the Nats, we had two local contests one in Edmonton and our Canadian Nats. I won both of those events, even though I really didn’t fly after the US Nats because I was exhausted! <br /><br />In that same time my wife and I bought a small RV to haul around to contests. With the kids starting to come along, this makes is much more tolerable to spend long hours at the field...as they have a place to sleep and a bathroom!<br /><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYYBAOvKHYammmm6PQ01CYGwp0eCot-WxniYHZsJjkLTAZJkoRzjggGPxkeWzq2yUqZfsiNRilmjsis5-HwYR-mN395c2l5dlbTSfAJFdsn21lXYxihmHplYhQlMZH8DYnph3zmCy-fyI/" alt="Victoria2010065.EnORyGkGZkH7.jpg" width="239" height="179" /></p><br /><br />Shortly after we got the RV, we took a long trip out to Victoria BC for the Canadian team selection. We spent just under a week in Victoria and had a great time camping at the field with the local pilots, Dave, Mark and Hartley. I think the biggest news was that Mark Byrne came out and flew his butt off and beat out Dez Vaghy. I certainly was not expecting that and was happy that Mark was able to secure his first team spot. Dave Reaville who was on the team in 2007 also flew very well for the whole event, I think he missed making the team by only 6 points. <br /><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM08xrjHAQ-gyucyeZJDXQXTDJkiZmaeIWJs8l2jHhetPjHP2HSvDRUZKu7_Ovcy5uqouretFUzr6mIScaiA92KvFc8eJTLN4yPJYnFaK6m-P9rE538dTM3wrz9NGOWevP_fK6Ni3QYhip/" alt="_IGP8036.JuEzeQbAAkJb.jpg" width="247" height="164" /></p><br />I had not flown much at all since the US Nats even at this point, and I think it showed. While I didn’t fly poor, I certainly was not up to pace with my best performances. At the end of the contest, I had won with Mark in second and Dez in third. This will be the team for the 2011 Worlds. This will be my 6th time to the Worlds, and I am going to be working hard to meet my goal of being in the finals.<br /><br />My last event for the year was in Medellin Colombia! This was an absolutely fantastic event, and really exceeded all my expectations. It took me a few days to adjusted to flying again. Unfortunately we are not able to practice much in the month of October, so again I had to improve on the fly so to speak :) I think I started a little slow, but was able to put in some very solid rounds against the other pilots. <br /><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJ0ClX4_F_f6SqCLlVcsL0_3F9l-22WW8Q8KazBKY6dt7xyW1hT4sSqoWxEihA9tJfx_RWdMl2hyphenhyphenk_9IePUd3RQEvuprqvlFLYb1sE0i-u9e7VzYa5qErOAKdk_iHreILbJ3tN_g8lmWI/" alt="IMG_5157.3R9zwKOZQyr8.jpg" width="248" height="186" /></p><br />I was able to spend a lot of time with the local pilots from surrounding countries and hopefully helped them to better setup their airplanes and improve their own flying. There is a lot of talented pilots in South America, and its only a matter of time before they are pushing for the top positions in the Worlds. I really have to extend a huge thanks to all the pilots down there, especially Pablo Kuri and Eduardo for making that trip possible for me. Was one of the best times I have had at a contest. I made some new friends that hopefully I can see again in the future!<br /><br />That was it for the flying, but things never end. Right now I am currently working on finishing up and test flying a Xigris C2. I have had this plane for a while, and should have flown it a long time ago, however with all the activity in life that did not happen. My goal is to get at least a couple of evaluation flights on this winter.<br /><br />Also on the go is a Composite ARF Spark EDF jet. This is a plane I got used, but have done major work to in order to ensure that it is ready for serious speed. In a past life I did a bit of pylon racing, so some speed is still in the blood. It is equipped with a Schubeler DS-75 fan, Plettenberg Dinator 70/2, and 12S 5000 45C Thunder Power batteries. This setup is not just any DS-75, but a reinforced DS-75 so that it will be able to handle the 6000W that I plan to send to it :) I am hoping to be able to hit around 350-370 kph with it, which should make it one of, if not the fastest EDF in this part of Canada.<br /><br />Oh and there is a bunch of indoor F3P stuff as well, but I will save that for the new year!<br /><br />Behind any successful season are a lot of people that I need to thank, without their help I couldn’t do this<br /><br />Agnes, Matthew and Thomas (wife and kids) for not killing me<br />Nedim Bek - for his non-stop dedication to coaching me<br />Jean-Pierre Zardini @ ZN Line <br />Frank Noll @ Futaba/Hobbico<br />Diana and Uwe Plettenberg - Plettenberg<br />Matthias Schulze and Ulf Herder - Schulze<br />Jason Merkle @ Thunder Power RC<br />Bob Obenberger @ Tru-Turn Spinners<br />Bartek @ Revoc Custom bags<br />Mark & Robyn Byrne @ CRC Products<br />Jack Price @ Duralite<br />Jon Harwood @ HCC Custom Composites<br /><br />See you all in 2011!<br />Chad<br /> Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-12254931677062768852010-11-13T07:36:00.000-08:002010-11-13T07:56:11.029-08:00Back HomeWell, Agnes and I had a fabulous time at the F3A Open competition in Columbia. We would like to thank all the people involved with organizing the event, especially Eduardo and Ricardo and making it possible for us to attend. <br /><br />The contest was very well organized and the level of competition was very high. I personally finished in 5th place. Although I am not happy with that result, I did feel that I flew very well during the competition. All the rounds were very close, and I am sure anyone could have won the contest at any point with a bit of luck!<br /><br />It was great to catch up with some old friends as well as make a lot of new ones. The contest was more relaxed and fun than say a World Championships, where there is always a lot of stress. With the bar right on site we had plenty of time to enjoy a few cerveza and great food while waiting for the next round to start! I definitely had the most fun at this contest that I have ever had flying F3A.<br /><br />As with any contest you always learn something about your own flying as well as things to try to keep improving. I managed to take home with me a few tips both for my flying and a few ideas to try on my airplane to make it fly even better. With this level of competition in F3A any small improvement can make a significant impact to your overall results.<br /><br />Agnes also really enjoyed herself. The hotel facility is fantastic for the wives, and as well the shopping in Medellin and Rionegro is great. Agnes managed to find herself many pairs of nice leather shoes and accessories, at much better pricing than we can get in Canada.<br /><br />I would recommend attending this event to anyone thinking of going. The country is perfectly safe and the organizers make all the arrangements to transport you to the hotel. From that point you need no vehicle. The facility is fantastic as well! I understand they plan to hold the event again in 2012, as next year is the 2011 World Championships, and making two major trips for most people is not possible.<br /><br />I have taken the time to post a number of our better pictures on my Picasa account here,<br /><br /><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/can773/ColombiaF3AOpen?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_maPXB_dTziM/TN6nxBWTmfE/AAAAAAAAGpA/vN9fjo8VI3M/s160-c/ColombiaF3AOpen.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/can773/ColombiaF3AOpen?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Colombia F3A Open</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Hope you enjoy!<br />ChadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-6214477284393680832010-11-04T16:21:00.001-07:002010-11-04T19:41:52.243-07:002nd Day of CompetitionHey guys,<br /><br />Sorry for the lack of updates, but we usually end up down playing pool or ping pong by the hotel pool, drinking cerveza, eating supper...and by then I am either too tired, or too many cerveza to write anything intelligent LOL.<br /><br />I am not going to post pictures today, as there are simply too many.<br /><br />Round three is over today, so the scores are starting to take shape. I had a bit of a slow start, with a not so good flight in #1, then a first up position draw in #2. I redeemed myself (almost) in #3 with a second place finish (behind Wolfgang).<br /><br />Dumb story for the kids....Chip has been talking about snapping out all day, normally with this flight direction and wind I was snapping in (left) on the vertical upline in P. Well....last flight, I decide, damn I am going to be like Chip and snap out. BAM! Big over rotation, shiza...don't' do that again!<br /><br />Even more dumb, I looked at the scores, assume I lost myself 1 point per judge...I would have won the round....agghhhhh, time for more cerveza!<br /><br />The contest and the flying has been great, lots of great pilots and flights are being put in. Other than a bit of wind and bumpy conditions, the weather could not be better and the facility is unlike anywhere else that I have ever been too!<br /><br />Ok, a couple of pics :)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qp7MVxfiQOJwinQ_xGjMpwLO9qmhsIPClrDx77869aZ5SAma0C6CbrvcbrgSgDMCWtxylA3sV3JOrzXIVyfWOmTKxC9d7H-cWTmcZCb3DR3tGZbGcgITLAFmiOzMQ7RcY7z_PqHzHSA/s1600/IMG_5055.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qp7MVxfiQOJwinQ_xGjMpwLO9qmhsIPClrDx77869aZ5SAma0C6CbrvcbrgSgDMCWtxylA3sV3JOrzXIVyfWOmTKxC9d7H-cWTmcZCb3DR3tGZbGcgITLAFmiOzMQ7RcY7z_PqHzHSA/s200/IMG_5055.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535846603021248338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">The Thunder Power boys (Chip and I), before Chip's flight<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOocZODAGjsWwboB3_NaYIwQTmG3JQVCfFHywIiO99-UjZYrUhnc4zq8L3BV0hpaCg6e6Qxchh7-lRYQvPWiKHDgGKZ6NndqsEmMpQyIGpiFtMhXqXaRzLIHEiQh7ov8N8FAscrf06CY/s1600/IMG_5052.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOocZODAGjsWwboB3_NaYIwQTmG3JQVCfFHywIiO99-UjZYrUhnc4zq8L3BV0hpaCg6e6Qxchh7-lRYQvPWiKHDgGKZ6NndqsEmMpQyIGpiFtMhXqXaRzLIHEiQh7ov8N8FAscrf06CY/s200/IMG_5052.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535850275330514082" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />Here is the flightline security guard, he protects the cerveza!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1417uAczHlK7TFSnYvU7g5EW2sGZRhkyd9FGH5rIKkdx7vF8pQhmYKOtN1C0tnG2p5RlEAQ2rz9pO3ZCDLTY7qhpUhySCsoAZDfcOfc191xMGnaaMDriMjEDhnWOOACLcuPvdPN9x4_8/s1600/IMG_5075.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1417uAczHlK7TFSnYvU7g5EW2sGZRhkyd9FGH5rIKkdx7vF8pQhmYKOtN1C0tnG2p5RlEAQ2rz9pO3ZCDLTY7qhpUhySCsoAZDfcOfc191xMGnaaMDriMjEDhnWOOACLcuPvdPN9x4_8/s200/IMG_5075.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535854125641145730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Here is part of the group taking the shuttle back to the hotel, makes a good airplane transport as well!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Thats all for now!<br />Chad<br /><br /></div></div></div></div>Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-64967150646602182782010-11-01T20:18:00.000-07:002010-11-01T20:22:30.057-07:00Not much todayHey guys,<br /><br />Sorry for the lack of a report today, but its late and time to hit the rack. Another great day though, and I was so busy helping and flying (both my plane and others) that I didn't even get a picture taken! <br /><br />Wolfgang Matt and Juan Rombaut from Spain arrived safe and sound and were able to put up some practice flights. Brett will arrive tomorrow evening.<br /><br />Shaping up to be a great event, I will post up some more pictures and some more reporting tomorrow.<br /><br />ChadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-2605881900749147312010-10-31T18:50:00.000-07:002010-10-31T19:55:01.057-07:00First Day of FlyingHello Everyone<br /><br />Well we had made it safe and sound and managed to get in a couple of flights today. The weather here was fantastic, some clouds, low 20's and only just a light breeze. The odd rain shower would pass through but would not last long.<br /><br />Our trip here was a bit interesting. We made it to Bogota and through customs reasonably easily. However our flight to Medellin seemed to be delayed for a very long time. Approximately one hour after our scheduled departure (10pm), so its now 11pm, we move to a different gate and board a different aircraft.<br /><br />The flight is pretty short, less than an hour, and on landing approach in Medellin the pilot aborted the landing and turned around and went back to Bogota. So now we are thinking, great, what are we going to do in Bogota overnight. Back in Bogota, no one is getting off the plane, and it seems as if they are changing pilots. Maybe another hour passed on the ground sitting in the plane and we took off again for Medellin. This time we actually landed, I guess about 1:15AM, so just over two hours late. Eduardo the CD from Ecuador was graciously still waiting for us! We were concerned that maybe everyone had given up! Apparently though the model box managed to arrive on time at 11PM!<br /><br />Enough stories for tonite, I will leave with some pictures of the Club flying field, which absolutely fantastic.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieN_8q6cdV07X7y7lUT1GXAfy-yzuRoymIQMTmi9u_LCiAhJyMdqfwqzLw7Fk_2zWB5w9GDvtd8OIh-ml6J5rvA6Y92wKp2ZcgadZF-ge2t3b-ABXbn5aAuTBoEkI3YrwqVBRjUEs4Nzw/s1600/IMG-20101031-00085.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieN_8q6cdV07X7y7lUT1GXAfy-yzuRoymIQMTmi9u_LCiAhJyMdqfwqzLw7Fk_2zWB5w9GDvtd8OIh-ml6J5rvA6Y92wKp2ZcgadZF-ge2t3b-ABXbn5aAuTBoEkI3YrwqVBRjUEs4Nzw/s200/IMG-20101031-00085.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534396766036237346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />View down the runway to the...? right lol<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaYoBi4HeuNJvSDsfVXGWm_xenyvaS-nav88kctdHM_49jrhXnpw48Rr6SYfIZ-hc55p7nCy3GMAMyt4gqn_IdOyHpp1ARugpijKb5Plifzr4HfKMlZOuxGAnu9LMh_XrPdgQDdNulbI/s1600/IMG-20101031-00086.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaYoBi4HeuNJvSDsfVXGWm_xenyvaS-nav88kctdHM_49jrhXnpw48Rr6SYfIZ-hc55p7nCy3GMAMyt4gqn_IdOyHpp1ARugpijKb5Plifzr4HfKMlZOuxGAnu9LMh_XrPdgQDdNulbI/s200/IMG-20101031-00086.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534407753600699106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">A view down the runway to the left<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cGsesRo_W00VvH3K-C1SbMTzkgrqqvWKG4njI23sjFptC8kNiVcDeLwOhdTkIZnzkDFzzI57f44l0fWhzElhQM_R-EYYNGGyP9XR5oTNAV_KkI26uXey66p3CGDsmLDfdarK4i94-i8/s1600/IMG-20101031-00083.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cGsesRo_W00VvH3K-C1SbMTzkgrqqvWKG4njI23sjFptC8kNiVcDeLwOhdTkIZnzkDFzzI57f44l0fWhzElhQM_R-EYYNGGyP9XR5oTNAV_KkI26uXey66p3CGDsmLDfdarK4i94-i8/s200/IMG-20101031-00083.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534408292973366738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>A shot back toward the fully serviced and staffed clubhouse. You can get hot food, beer etc. right on site! No need to go anywhere else, there is even cable TV!<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpFC7u9M-LaJR2S0MjzHjT7Vuh54IFPugeLONjXMi-r1X9OOgl37BYIcgyXycFWnWICY9d4SbmrfOx3CVIuf_2p5cyrUHnl66Fk6Cq-pa0bymIZa9YWKeXuA_0xqTU907M-NpDi9VYLw/s1600/IMG-20101031-00088.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpFC7u9M-LaJR2S0MjzHjT7Vuh54IFPugeLONjXMi-r1X9OOgl37BYIcgyXycFWnWICY9d4SbmrfOx3CVIuf_2p5cyrUHnl66Fk6Cq-pa0bymIZa9YWKeXuA_0xqTU907M-NpDi9VYLw/s200/IMG-20101031-00088.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534408955859395682" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Inside the clubhouse, all the planes tucked away for the evening.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Thats all for tonite! More tomorrow,<br /><br />Chad<br /></div></div>Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-60652314420849162152010-10-30T12:10:00.001-07:002010-10-30T12:10:40.832-07:00Boarding<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IQuH-uNMctTjfBu7euoNVdGbH0t_sC6nAPm_EW3pnpEt7EKoguLqEdkZXwEUm4SpNvmvULydzOPWrbUMKi5sYn9i6DzSkIKGdwR9zd5vPdehzl_lxZMAIVGU4AfXto06qgD_pN4Ijrc/s1600/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FVG9yb250by0yMDEwMTAzMC0wMDA1NC5qcGc=%3F=-740833"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IQuH-uNMctTjfBu7euoNVdGbH0t_sC6nAPm_EW3pnpEt7EKoguLqEdkZXwEUm4SpNvmvULydzOPWrbUMKi5sYn9i6DzSkIKGdwR9zd5vPdehzl_lxZMAIVGU4AfXto06qgD_pN4Ijrc/s320/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FVG9yb250by0yMDEwMTAzMC0wMDA1NC5qcGc=%3F=-740833" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533918651232011922" /></a></p>The chaos os boarding the plane!<p><br>Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry Torch.Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-47086137220995341992010-10-30T11:50:00.001-07:002010-10-30T11:50:17.644-07:00Boarding in Toronto<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBNX4UkAdkLH53vN1Vk_KpzDZWwD_1OADqCe_phSuuWNLIKA1AammWFmkWBJV1IUNNcQjhyCy2nPTsL1LLp9-mls3SkbjgRpH5duAWjj3tOrL8kkWcPbVChdgVkArsP8e9_tLplZJ_c0/s1600/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FTWlzc2lzc2F1Z2EtMjAxMDEwMzAtMDAwNTIuanBn%3F=-717645"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBNX4UkAdkLH53vN1Vk_KpzDZWwD_1OADqCe_phSuuWNLIKA1AammWFmkWBJV1IUNNcQjhyCy2nPTsL1LLp9-mls3SkbjgRpH5duAWjj3tOrL8kkWcPbVChdgVkArsP8e9_tLplZJ_c0/s320/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FTWlzc2lzc2F1Z2EtMjAxMDEwMzAtMDAwNTIuanBn%3F=-717645" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533913396950029378" /></a></p>Just about to board our flight to Bogota. <p><br>Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry Torch.Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-35431697936631087952010-10-30T09:28:00.001-07:002010-10-30T09:28:50.737-07:00In Toronto<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW_RyE1Jd8eCtGAHTGiHYCK9A0A79PpgMR3tE8vdgHPrO3UyqiL4EBB4jcXyj5_1ZwxDGWWWAK9_0vmeG24j9kqSuSyiz8ztl4Bn2CPvvBFKpGOwW7CmP8emOISdgXA7yJll6hE3sJ20/s1600/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FVG9yb250by0yMDEwMTAzMC0wMDA0OS5qcGc=%3F=-730738"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW_RyE1Jd8eCtGAHTGiHYCK9A0A79PpgMR3tE8vdgHPrO3UyqiL4EBB4jcXyj5_1ZwxDGWWWAK9_0vmeG24j9kqSuSyiz8ztl4Bn2CPvvBFKpGOwW7CmP8emOISdgXA7yJll6hE3sJ20/s320/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FVG9yb250by0yMDEwMTAzMC0wMDA0OS5qcGc=%3F=-730738" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533876947062866610" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprNBvH831Cj5ukJUdwCCfoCLd4ooBfjZME39lV19TX4c1YpEhPjPWnkMQxFemIZ0nL35JmTnw3BD4A7BWKCDqL7Ll2MIJRHVEXCme1zr544i7KjQdbrWM_LB8VHD2BFVXOk0XI4IY6GI/s1600/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FVG9yb250by0yMDEwMTAzMC0wMDA1MS5qcGc=%3F=-732722"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprNBvH831Cj5ukJUdwCCfoCLd4ooBfjZME39lV19TX4c1YpEhPjPWnkMQxFemIZ0nL35JmTnw3BD4A7BWKCDqL7Ll2MIJRHVEXCme1zr544i7KjQdbrWM_LB8VHD2BFVXOk0XI4IY6GI/s320/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FVG9yb250by0yMDEwMTAzMC0wMDA1MS5qcGc=%3F=-732722" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533876950720150722" /></a></p>We'll we have survived leg one of three. <p>First the lady at the Air Canada ticket desk was not going to allow the model box onto the plane. Saying it was too big, about a half hour later of me explaining the rules to her she allowed us to go. <p>Then at security the guy actually knew what a lipo battery was. I was shocked, I have never had someone at security know what a transmitter and lipo is. Well some smooth talking on my part got us through that. There was a good chance he was not going to let the batteries on board. <p>To top it all off I came down with some flu yesterday. So I am keeping myself nicely medicated!<p>Chad <p><br>Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry Torch.Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-88870968746352434562010-10-29T19:44:00.001-07:002010-10-29T19:44:34.935-07:00Packed Up<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfqrf0-N_4CkDepkx7UNqyToBhnIIlLxamr7vZFa-cQ0HfrRdX-qjNqHP8OOosA-CK61b35xi7_J6dxL2net7oqZxL-clD1wslEGOizVIy4le6hx6hZ51a0o6yrAb-AKWYD8lay5niFE/s1600/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FQ2FsZ2FyeS0yMDEwMTAyOS0wMDA0Ny5qcGc=%3F=-774936"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfqrf0-N_4CkDepkx7UNqyToBhnIIlLxamr7vZFa-cQ0HfrRdX-qjNqHP8OOosA-CK61b35xi7_J6dxL2net7oqZxL-clD1wslEGOizVIy4le6hx6hZ51a0o6yrAb-AKWYD8lay5niFE/s320/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FQ2FsZ2FyeS0yMDEwMTAyOS0wMDA0Ny5qcGc=%3F=-774936" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533664533999229154" /></a></p>Well the plane is all boxed up and ready to. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 6AM so already in bed! <br>Next post will probably be from Columbia. <p>Chad <p>Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry Torch.Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-4404400043015802262010-10-28T18:06:00.001-07:002010-10-28T18:06:59.782-07:00Last flight before Columbia<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xUSdlFN3a9nHdsYfT5SfM-HSRHbC3XqhFz5NgX1fqspFCrEN682SKb-tOmbXbTk6jNDxJNzNf9PCOmRRkpGwBt0Fr6NeMgAy4xfs44Mg_uubrNXfM8XHqcFNEMUQw7XLZzCsfuOyYv0/s1600/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FUm9ja3kgVmlldyBOby4gNDQtMjAxMDEwMjgtMDAwNDYuanBn%3F=-719783"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xUSdlFN3a9nHdsYfT5SfM-HSRHbC3XqhFz5NgX1fqspFCrEN682SKb-tOmbXbTk6jNDxJNzNf9PCOmRRkpGwBt0Fr6NeMgAy4xfs44Mg_uubrNXfM8XHqcFNEMUQw7XLZzCsfuOyYv0/s320/=%3Futf-8%3FB%3FUm9ja3kgVmlldyBOby4gNDQtMjAxMDEwMjgtMDAwNDYuanBn%3F=-719783" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533268305939353026" /></a></p>Here is a shot at sunset just before my last flight today, which is last practice I will get before we leave on Saturday. <p>Winter time is on us here as well so it is probably the last flight of this year in Calgary as well. <p>I will do my best to keep some blogging going well down in Columbia so stay tuned!<p>Chad <p>Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry Torch.Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-51199895307348823232010-08-29T15:36:00.001-07:002010-08-29T15:36:52.469-07:00Road to the trialsWell it's that time again. The Canadian team trials contest is about to happen. This will determine the team that goes to the World Championships in Muncie Indiana next summer. <br /><br />This time the trials are being held in Victoria British Columbia. My whole family is going to go on this trip as we recently got a small travel trailer so that we can go camping with the kids. <br /><br />With the extra people coming along, Agnes my wife, and Matthew and Thomas my two boys I had to rethink how I was going to get my airplanes in the van. I did not want to put them in the trailer as I am a little concerned about something falling on them and doing damage, which would not be good on the way to a contest!<br /><br />So this is what I came up with. It seems Ike it should work out ok, I guess we will find out soon enough! We leave on tuesday evening and should make it to Victoria by Wednesday afternoon!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href='http://picasaweb.google.com/can773/ChadNortheastSBlog?authkey=Gv1sRgCPL7rPawm7GScQ#5510964430516832130'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY43LQHipElscWGOo8cjlVq-hZGW-Hvnge-J1oKKxIikgKMLkVVLLXHrVpCH8NzNkPZ7D0hgel_GHg15nteXJ9GByIlA1u-_Ll_Ch4zUOCEJ1rKq3skF8I5DCQe2Wt86B679FalD04RIk/s288/iphone_photo.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' align='left' style='margin:5px'></a><br /><br /><br /><a href='http://picasaweb.google.com/can773/ChadNortheastSBlog?authkey=Gv1sRgCPL7rPawm7GScQ#5510964464397829522'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aZPYYFcIr4Oe_7Eq91TYvycEFX0CD0olapTWOp7Kdr4OL3h6FLXmfYSVDlREkdXyuG9rAbcLoIgRo1fnNcB1SXT0YNvOzxDCPhKZf6Si6XUtAhQ7r03xZ-liqKup_ZeI7qjVTluPTGc/s288/iphone_photo.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' align='right' style='margin:5px'></a><br /> <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://picasaweb.google.com/can773/ChadNortheastSBlog?authkey=Gv1sRgCPL7rPawm7GScQ#5510964498726187698'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwz_69O_PzMv8Qn-XK76e6Izw-k60Ii-zTBYuKg4HsxiTDidzVuW7NfNiu-jhAAPs-xjmBK1JhGPWyW-sJqiN8GbOtCYmK1UBzVuNrNQym-Ci8d1S9kw8rdKErUydc_rYBPeh0UjrNgyg/s288/iphone_photo.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Copperfield%20Heights%20SE,Calgary,Canada%4050.911346%2C-113.948876&z=10'>Copperfield Heights SE,Calgary,Canada</a></p>Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-14484203357915179132010-07-19T17:40:00.000-07:002010-07-19T18:05:55.826-07:00Day 1Well, day one of the 2010 US Nats is in the books.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi1WGez_d5i1HlpGt2xFx6cJUFU2F3QVVTPFhgNlVCgWh8MPy9EPPCAbQ4YMNufqkx9oRV6Guo8ju0eZI40Pi8Xf0ZEigqGehxkwwDE5G70r9IVOZrBxJQWHkr5hkSOIzdhjnv0elwMU/s1600/IMG_4230.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi1WGez_d5i1HlpGt2xFx6cJUFU2F3QVVTPFhgNlVCgWh8MPy9EPPCAbQ4YMNufqkx9oRV6Guo8ju0eZI40Pi8Xf0ZEigqGehxkwwDE5G70r9IVOZrBxJQWHkr5hkSOIzdhjnv0elwMU/s200/IMG_4230.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495782904932169730" border="0" /></a><br />The morning started out very overcast with a low ceiling, and a significant delay. A number of test flights were made to check the cloud base before it was decided around 9-9:30 to start the first round and even then some of the planes would almost vanish in the low clouds. The morning remained quite overcast for the rest of the morning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisF03YElg1ldXF3xeVi2-cKJknAaLBhTLGT5xIN2k2NFF7des1kwhn7VeL3xizip0nou_I5nP2D2Qn0pV5iPbWjHj3vrGv23y6Aabor_sJW8PUgI2WgqDpS4uxtBPa_bIs7D5rmrEmw18/s1600/IMG_4228.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisF03YElg1ldXF3xeVi2-cKJknAaLBhTLGT5xIN2k2NFF7des1kwhn7VeL3xizip0nou_I5nP2D2Qn0pV5iPbWjHj3vrGv23y6Aabor_sJW8PUgI2WgqDpS4uxtBPa_bIs7D5rmrEmw18/s200/IMG_4228.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495784782953125362" border="0" /></a><br />The winds were light out of the west as usual in Muncie and quite straight down the runway, with little to no crosswind that I was able to determine. There was quite a mix of models in our grouping, CARF Valiant's, Integrals, Ventura, Euphoria, Axial, Xigris, Envision, Axiome, Visa, and Passports just to name a few. Some models had swept wings, and Mark Leseberg flew a biplane and was the only pilot on our line to fly with a bipe.<br /><br /><br />There were a number of very good flights put up in our group. The styles varied a little bit with some pilots electing to fly a little further out and large and others flying tighter smaller presentation. The 2-1/4 spins seemed to keep people on their toes getting the reversals correct, its a difficult maneuver to see correctly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPD0H-jT-PxImCgaIBfg7B282cfcV45q5V0-TdXArHtCvO-Ow37t04XpaBmgewyG_wMxf_6NEUAp15cL8wdaonM3q8dTvkG9qanLgXcLavsNrU9WFwV8YBGErIRpKi5VBjvq-5C8bQEnA/s1600/IMG_4231.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPD0H-jT-PxImCgaIBfg7B282cfcV45q5V0-TdXArHtCvO-Ow37t04XpaBmgewyG_wMxf_6NEUAp15cL8wdaonM3q8dTvkG9qanLgXcLavsNrU9WFwV8YBGErIRpKi5VBjvq-5C8bQEnA/s200/IMG_4231.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495786922386807730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />After the flights were over for FAI we went on a tour over to site 1 to see what was going on. Seems like electric is catching on with everyone, here are two charger setups I found working hard for a couple of Masters pilots.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JNQxigr2LzRPooz_OBIIaJoyXW3uKPIXI1-GDMVQ3ei2ceixTNqV0nJvg0_F_NI_wYn-PEm0MKKi0hg3TG5WWrdjH3Ifo5uuP_mI3MOSfBLHAptaldAnFXCtw5ZRWmQ_8A0DScweA0I/s1600/IMG_4232.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JNQxigr2LzRPooz_OBIIaJoyXW3uKPIXI1-GDMVQ3ei2ceixTNqV0nJvg0_F_NI_wYn-PEm0MKKi0hg3TG5WWrdjH3Ifo5uuP_mI3MOSfBLHAptaldAnFXCtw5ZRWmQ_8A0DScweA0I/s200/IMG_4232.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495786931282779506" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJwSG_xJVehN0br7ZuOUQxAGZQqD3mHCl64CWPYvCfntohBdbgb6cL990QeCyfLwb7zY8gOG-0lWIqVPkwxK6w-cplcYdpIwHYQgAADM1SV-ooOxrNtU0CSmXcOF1Pj7dGs16s2WGkys/s1600/IMG_4240.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJwSG_xJVehN0br7ZuOUQxAGZQqD3mHCl64CWPYvCfntohBdbgb6cL990QeCyfLwb7zY8gOG-0lWIqVPkwxK6w-cplcYdpIwHYQgAADM1SV-ooOxrNtU0CSmXcOF1Pj7dGs16s2WGkys/s200/IMG_4240.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495787873101645410" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After that we decided to go eat something, Nedim and I have been driving past this place for a couple of years and never had the guts (literaly) to try it out. Well finally we just had to, I think it will be the last time we visit, even though it was actually pretty good! LOL<br /><br /><br /><br />Finally the scores for FAI after day 1's flights.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSepcp03aKKxMs_XQqeUVAkJU90BYUleli3r8LdjgNY5Y0J58tbQ6KozDXDXrVqljr5AkBiqZMUgLkIlgOBxS3ofy4pBIjP-ITOHvmD682_NYehzGZRn988W0WEv1WN43YNnv6roYbzo/s1600/IMG_4241.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSepcp03aKKxMs_XQqeUVAkJU90BYUleli3r8LdjgNY5Y0J58tbQ6KozDXDXrVqljr5AkBiqZMUgLkIlgOBxS3ofy4pBIjP-ITOHvmD682_NYehzGZRn988W0WEv1WN43YNnv6roYbzo/s200/IMG_4241.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495788221084333266" border="0" /></a><br />ChadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-52344572301736558642010-07-16T19:53:00.000-07:002010-07-16T19:52:44.304-07:00At the NatsWell, we did finally make it lol. After about 3000km and two very long days of driving we got into Muncie about 10pm local time on Thursday. <p>Today we slept in, which was nice for me since its the first time in a long time I have not been awoken in the middle of the night by an 8 month old! I almost forgot what is was like to get a good sleep lol. <p>We spent the day getting the planes put together and a few flights adjusting to the drop from 3500' asl down to the altitude here in Muncie. Also the heat and humidity takes a little getting used to, so we put the ez-up to good use. <p>Tomorrow will be more of the same, more people are arriving to the site all the time and I expect to see a few friends from Ontario make the trip and arrive tomorrow night. <p>Unfortunately Nedim and I didn't bring any gear to get pictures off the camera, so we need to make a trip to the store to pick up a cable or card reader so that we can get some pics posted.<p>Chad <p>Sent from my iPadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-1740420201511092292010-07-11T09:58:00.001-07:002010-07-11T10:03:00.249-07:00Testing<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXI9SLNM7EaxAzryoyv-q9mrfGqn4CTJ8lQ5fVylIlSLLqzz_7Q-v2ZoqI5H-5fk8x4Pc0vlmLrZBSxYKo7qT5dkxk3Vfs2eTeg_xbStFa-kAO-KeuFjl3K6d8ga25zXh32VDDMs4NYKc/s1600/photo+1-720949.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXI9SLNM7EaxAzryoyv-q9mrfGqn4CTJ8lQ5fVylIlSLLqzz_7Q-v2ZoqI5H-5fk8x4Pc0vlmLrZBSxYKo7qT5dkxk3Vfs2eTeg_xbStFa-kAO-KeuFjl3K6d8ga25zXh32VDDMs4NYKc/s320/photo+1-720949.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492694181037461458" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCMbBctRa9SvDjI72PD2YjcoMdUAqp-5-EZEqg1Ytnq0PWu1Be1yo6OztvA4S0kLssWESYS1qBLT-a8oTbkwnDXtEv9F1isUOMK-_2YdMXrqqH0tuf1prpvEUgz2mfzv6q-Hc2hCEaLk/s1600/photo+2-722386.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCMbBctRa9SvDjI72PD2YjcoMdUAqp-5-EZEqg1Ytnq0PWu1Be1yo6OztvA4S0kLssWESYS1qBLT-a8oTbkwnDXtEv9F1isUOMK-_2YdMXrqqH0tuf1prpvEUgz2mfzv6q-Hc2hCEaLk/s320/photo+2-722386.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492694184404105650" /></a></p><br /><br />Testing out how the iPad will work to post to the blog while at the Nats.<br /><br />Chad<br />Sent from my iPadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-41497326236946720562010-03-07T12:56:00.000-08:002010-03-07T19:43:33.460-08:00What's NewWell its been a long time since I last posted anything to the blog (actually since the Worlds). I can’t believe that it has been around 6 months since the Worlds came to an end! The biggest thing that has happened since was that we had our second boy. Thomas was born on November 2, 2009, so is now about 4 months old. He is doing well despite Matthew’s (now 3.5 years) daily assaults!<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLCAtbeEirSx5PJg-HbjLKvF6nh-Wm1Q4ErQodKdQNsO6VrpabAlUbe8CeNtQ6vwU9Al7R3kbQ30NU7WjViEkAuYa5bNVsbJrpwTCXxeiW-6pHbejvaATjqL5tJx51JLBsaw__o0PSxPs/" alt="MattandThomas141.flUYga6Umg2C.jpg" height="227" width="171" /><br />I have a few new projects on the go for 2010. First is a 30% PAU Sukhoi that I have electrified. I had a 40 sized Midwest Sukhoi that looked very similar to this when I was a kid so that is what prompted the choice. For power I have the Plettenberg Terminator 30-8 motor, which is mounted in the spinner. The ESC is a new Schulze 40-160-xl, which has a lot of new features over the previous future series such as voltcontrol and data logging capabilities. For batteries I will be using the Thunder Power 45C 12s 5000 packs. With the RASA 24x12 prop I expect to see around 5.5 kW with the setup. With a weight of about 18.5 lbs I should be nearly 300 W/lb.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguikskESt9kcPnV_wl4QgsqRv4lb71wCUFd5PO2i1hdxwx8fq6aNiqHryUPwvpt0XuV1cbZQ1ReSl48zRBdpB2YHEMEPJSgQv1BtmwXBlzqDnVjFMM9kYMQDncNQCixvuj-k66FfQl8Zrb/" alt="IMG_0711.IVOh6okuWXsl.jpg" height="230" width="308" /><br /><br />Also on the plate is a small 70mm electric ducted fan of the BAE Hawk, this is a ways off being completed though. I hope to have it ready at some point through the summer. Since its a composite fuse model it requires some painting which I will tackle when it warms up a bit. <br /><br />On the F3A front, probably not much different. My setup from 2009 served me very well, so I expect to continue to use the Xigris models that I used last year. Rumor has it that Plettenberg and Schulze will have some new F3A products in time for this season. If that is true there is always the possibility of giving those a test run :-)<br /><br />ChadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-57696296542441732322009-08-28T11:38:00.001-07:002009-08-28T11:55:55.012-07:00Semi-Finals Complete!Well, the end of the semi's marks the end of the World Championships for me, with a final result of 16th. This is the best finish that I have had to date at a World Championships, and although I am disappointed that fell from 13th in the preliminaries to 16th during the semi's its still a good result. As a friend from South Africa said "you still beat a former World Champion", referring to Wolfgang Matt who finished in 17th.<br /><br />We were out practicing at the secret field yesterday, and it turned into an interesting day. On the third practice flight the T-Canalyzer on my primary model decided it had enough and went for a little trip far far away, never to be seen again. I landed and said no problem, the one on my backup model fits nicely, so on it went with a little shimming to get it just right. I did a flight to check trims and make sure it was the same. The very next flight, that T-Canalyzer got lonely for his buddy and took a vacation as well! At this point I was a little frustrated but ok, it was better to happen now than in the contest. No worries, lots of time to make some changes and get used to the plane without the T on it. Uhhhh no, since my only charger that I had brought with me out to practice decided it had enough as well! So I had two packs left that were charged and made the best of those two flights.<br /><br />I felt I had two good rounds of F today, and had OK scores but not what I was hoping. I guess the loss of my T-friends was causing me to lose some geometry on the high K rolling/KE loop stuff....I dont know...maybe it was just the heat :) At any rate I flew the best I could under the circumstances and thats all you can do!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLo7VHzqPxvuR5Vm-N064MhApkvJf60ehdV6pLPOym0qypo6SmmzzgCN8TYdIdwPvD9WBLKVe0voiHsOL_AVc0eU40gA4ylQLMokjaERuUrXmNZrHEwVIY07deoDGlXKLO4EBVkP7SbBE/s1600-h/IMG_2224.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLo7VHzqPxvuR5Vm-N064MhApkvJf60ehdV6pLPOym0qypo6SmmzzgCN8TYdIdwPvD9WBLKVe0voiHsOL_AVc0eU40gA4ylQLMokjaERuUrXmNZrHEwVIY07deoDGlXKLO4EBVkP7SbBE/s200/IMG_2224.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375088673224225346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A shot of us going out for the first round of the semi's<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SYPz1oMSqN1NW34iFrGhLpwUj_yLzz8Vyc-wYqyPtXBV8POrSUP9ApZrbUqbkqGfrVAr0u98qNmtgxVTjb0wfeyRe0UgQyU14urJ3pPWEp1NHsAMpCaHTc8Ndx-SKw0xT6iwhrvpvQQ/s1600-h/IMG_2230.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SYPz1oMSqN1NW34iFrGhLpwUj_yLzz8Vyc-wYqyPtXBV8POrSUP9ApZrbUqbkqGfrVAr0u98qNmtgxVTjb0wfeyRe0UgQyU14urJ3pPWEp1NHsAMpCaHTc8Ndx-SKw0xT6iwhrvpvQQ/s200/IMG_2230.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375088895604141026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Just before the second round, notice the T-friends are gone...they really do work and I really missed them today!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Osa_9MY5LKv6jw0zT3yryNSCd3HHfycwZ_es9n__vs4CBaajBRje-tBmsN6DnIJAeEjQUcagr_tK2sT54YkZ9xC3bDf7Cno460RyCcdpLNT0NxD-vNJd2GRGjJznysQ8aZf-3AkhXuI/s1600-h/IMG_2234.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Osa_9MY5LKv6jw0zT3yryNSCd3HHfycwZ_es9n__vs4CBaajBRje-tBmsN6DnIJAeEjQUcagr_tK2sT54YkZ9xC3bDf7Cno460RyCcdpLNT0NxD-vNJd2GRGjJznysQ8aZf-3AkhXuI/s200/IMG_2234.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375089184818040914" border="0" /></a><br />Diana Plettenberg and I after my second round having a talk about the motor, and just how things are going in general.<br /><br />The Plettenbergs have been very helpful to me over the years in F3A, and produce arguably the best electric motor for F3A, and I really appreciate all the help and support they have provided! Top notch people!<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The results from the Semi's - congrats to all the finalists.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFj4iy80j1ilZOYFXIpAU_BgdNox28eMYU7FR1B7dzVzwy8W-y82q0zuFDN090YX47v9gpXBrEAyjmY3b8j71C4ufQ0OMTFJm8EjYVSQ75ffz43G8pGKcpbTuwq0tgkqYjYilWw4K2ck/s1600-h/IMG_2236.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFj4iy80j1ilZOYFXIpAU_BgdNox28eMYU7FR1B7dzVzwy8W-y82q0zuFDN090YX47v9gpXBrEAyjmY3b8j71C4ufQ0OMTFJm8EjYVSQ75ffz43G8pGKcpbTuwq0tgkqYjYilWw4K2ck/s200/IMG_2236.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375089798408710658" border="0" /></a><br />More comments tomorrow....I am going to have some beer, and wine.... :)<br /><br />Chad<br /><br /></div></div>Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-21922560806981595622009-08-26T10:28:00.001-07:002009-08-26T10:59:00.038-07:00Contest Day FourWell, my preliminary rounds are over! I am glad to be done flying P-09!<br /><br />Yesterday I flew in the afternoon and it was extremely windy and turbulent. A very strong blowing out crosswind made life very difficult for all the pilots, even Quique struggled in the conditions and had a very tough time with the center stall turn/snap and received a number of zeros. Quique is usually very good in windy weather so that gives you an idea of how much fun it was! I put in a good flight considering the conditions, unfortunately CPLR flew on that grouping today and the weather was far more favorable, so his score will end up depressing mine more than I would have liked, but that is the way this event works.<br /><br />Today I flew in front of panel 2 and received a very good score of 478, my highest raw score of the event. I flew very last in our group and again it was a little windier than those who were lucky to fly in the morning. It will however, normalize quite well I think and should help me stay in position. <br /><br />Both Dan and Dez flew well I think during the event and should be proud of how they did. The flying conditions, and field layout were far from ideal. We are used to far more open spaces in Canada so fields with a lot of surrounding trees are not always easy to get used to for us :) Also the level of competition is in my opinion the highest I have seen. There are many new faces and names that are flying very well, and receiving good scores for their efforts. The traditional top pilots I think will have to keep on their toes! I was very impressed with Stephan Kaiser, he flew right after I did in the rotation, and for a first worlds was very composed and handled the conditions like a professional. He must be about half my age I would guess, so I don't expect to see him going anywhere but up in the future.<br /><br />I had a long chat with CPLR about his Axiome design details. A few things I notice about this airplane beyond just the rear sweeping wing, and giant canalizer. Firstly the main wing appears much smaller, Christophe told me that yes this is true, and what he did was subtract the canalizer area from the main wing area. The canalizer is about 10 dm^2 (~155 in^2), so the main wing is that much smaller than what you would expect or consider normal. The rear sweeping wing also requires more dihedral than what is normal for a monoplane, so the dihedral was increased a little from the original point which was to set the top of the wing flat (fairly standard on monoplanes). Also the main wing is placed lower in the fuse than you would normally place a monoplane wing.<br /><br />Secondly, the stab and fin are very large relative to the wing, and also to other F3A models. Christophe said he was not happy with the directional stability in the Osmose, so he made a similar change to the Osmose Evolution and it was improved. So this is a carry over of that, my next question was obviously does that not make it more difficult in the snap, to which he smiled and said there are always compromises :) Indeed.<br /><br />The side area of the fuse is also much less than other monoplanes as well, this is a result of the 1/2 bipe wing on top increasing the efficiency of the fuse in knife edge, so there is less requirement for a lot of side area. This helps in the crosswind he said by presenting less airplane to get blown around. The model is still pretty big, so I am not sure how much it helps, but its an interesting direction to take and the Axiome doesn't seem to lack and knife edge performance.<br /><br />Points to consider if you are designing your own version of the Axiome :)<br /><br />At this point of the contest I am very pleased with how I have performed. I am also happy beyond words with all my equipment, it always works and is extremely reliable. I never fear for a failed noise test, or a deadstick, or any other condition that would result in a missed round. I think this is one of the most important aspects to F3A.<br /><br />The Xigris is performing extremely well, this plane has met all my expectations. Considering that I did not even test fly the model until July 1st and was only able to get about 100 flights on the plane before leaving for the Worlds I think that is a huge testament to how easy it is to fly. It is a large plane and presents very well especially in rolls and snaps. A big thank you to Jean-Pierre at ZN who really helped out to get me the planes as soon as possible so that I could have them ready for the Worlds!<br /><br />Tonite is a time for resting, the past 4 days have been very intense and I feel under a lot of pressure to maintain my result and improve it. Tomorrow we will spend the day at the secret practice field (its not on the list of practice sites! :) ), getting ready for the two semi-final F rounds that will be flown on Friday.<br /><br />I have not seen the preliminary results yet, but from some calculations I have seen I think I may be in a position to improve into a finals position if I can put in strong rounds of F in the semi's. I am not sure so I have to wait until the final results to see how many points out of 10th place I am. Remember that after they re-normalize the prelim scores for a carry over the scores compress a lot so what looks like a big margin suddenly becomes very close :)<br /><br />Wish me luck!<br /><br />ChadChad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-24222276623962812032009-08-25T04:11:00.001-07:002009-08-25T04:35:21.397-07:00Contest Day ThreeWell, I am not the best at upkeeping blogs! Two rounds for me are in the books, a third this afternoon in about 4 hours, and the final preliminary round tomorrow.<br /><br />For the contest the weather has tempered somewhat, either that or we have become acclimatized completely! It does not feel as hot, the wind is more moderate, and the air seems to be just a little smoother than it was during practice.<br /><br />I feel the Canadian flyers have performed well for the first two rounds, without many significant mistakes in our flights. The style this year to my eye is to fly big, Onda, CPLR etc. are flying quite huge flights. The rolls are stretched out and quite slow to fill the long lines. Flight speed is not fast, and distance is no closer than 160m. Some flyers were flying even bigger and further out, and do not present well, but still scored quite good. A few of the "big guys" who don't normally fly that style seem to be trying to adopt it in an effort to pick up some extra points.<br /><br />Personally I do not like the looks of this style of flying, as it takes out a lot of definition in rolls etc. which to me is a big part of pattern, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do!<br /><br />The percentage of electric models is enormous this year. I have not seen all the lines fly, but from those I have seen fly I would guess something around 70-80% of the pilots are using electric power. Mostly split between Hacker and Plettenberg, with some Axi etc. filling out the bunch. If you consider inrunner to outrunner, to my ear it sounds as though there are more outrunners being used. For glow motors, YS is easily the most dominant, with a few OS 200's in use as well. I heard that Onda has a new YS 175.....not CDI, but I have no other information on it.<br /><br />Another interesting development has taken place with the in flight noise score. In my 5 Worlds that I have attended this is the first one I recall judges actually using the in flight noise penalty against pilots. I think this is because many people are now using electric that even though they are still quiet, some are louder in the air than others and being penalized. Fortunately in F3A three of the five judges must apply the downgrade before it is actually taken into account, so most people avoided an actual downgrade. One pilot from Argentina was not so lucky, his model was extremely loud in flight (Hacker inrunner) and was penalized by 3 judges. He also failed both his initial noise check, and his recheck, so he will likely lose that flight anyway.<br /><br />There is lots more to talk about, but I am out of time for now, so a couple of pictures from the ready box of the second round yesterday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOZ0-Bbn8LLobggOSS0M-TXl3cKnQnerc_vfXrnNhI3alKGW2NtflhzYmfFojWiZM81aq68RjguaVIGr6U-LRa-4xxi75Lnf61DE4hQGwSlscYNxDu8YPZkflvghrNrrjJShG3vQuIhg/s1600-h/IMG_2076.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOZ0-Bbn8LLobggOSS0M-TXl3cKnQnerc_vfXrnNhI3alKGW2NtflhzYmfFojWiZM81aq68RjguaVIGr6U-LRa-4xxi75Lnf61DE4hQGwSlscYNxDu8YPZkflvghrNrrjJShG3vQuIhg/s200/IMG_2076.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373862617367326338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Here I am about ready to go<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJq8JrIaWVAU2GKJuh7okiHIG0VzBCNyiVGoKe30a5TtLR-Ng1JtwQq3YdCSkVB06KtmZA49fxA1e6naDYvYwJ_tcOEbqiVzvBjGMRnfqhG7eI-c88dpJ3Dkf3tUu_bF1STStO09tM80s/s1600-h/IMG_2078.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJq8JrIaWVAU2GKJuh7okiHIG0VzBCNyiVGoKe30a5TtLR-Ng1JtwQq3YdCSkVB06KtmZA49fxA1e6naDYvYwJ_tcOEbqiVzvBjGMRnfqhG7eI-c88dpJ3Dkf3tUu_bF1STStO09tM80s/s200/IMG_2078.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373862784795727954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">Nedim hanging onto the Xigris during the sound check, I test around 85 dB.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6P2Uf47o-Rhy-GiGmwkzVKhFOJAEmQAZTMQAiw_pWMBzDpxQtkD3Kgnqg6D5XYIu6moAVKJ3Uf_I-jN6fZNlJw_H3EN1ri_f_ZG1eqAj2WO_jyJEY8LX9Ta5k2GWyzvL-sxv2fw2QHRY/s1600-h/IMG_2079.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6P2Uf47o-Rhy-GiGmwkzVKhFOJAEmQAZTMQAiw_pWMBzDpxQtkD3Kgnqg6D5XYIu6moAVKJ3Uf_I-jN6fZNlJw_H3EN1ri_f_ZG1eqAj2WO_jyJEY8LX9Ta5k2GWyzvL-sxv2fw2QHRY/s200/IMG_2079.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373862926681233602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Austrian pilot Helmut Dansagmeuller (sp?) with his own design model. Similar in profile to Mayr's Osiris, but this one is bigger!Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-72787267529223028232009-08-19T11:58:00.000-07:002009-08-19T12:26:23.701-07:00Practise Days Two and Three<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJbBgVllXBl1WTETqsOjeS11y_7aGKTI0dc0smg3Mnk068KERdZPX89EyAnS0pcE6dmZTJrorWDs9-AAfFFgjqfW1-n9OsxBZMsw1YFEu1zOEtAYpMzrAvUGByHWNqcbFeJ9cIyf3Tyk/s1600-h/IMG_1667.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJbBgVllXBl1WTETqsOjeS11y_7aGKTI0dc0smg3Mnk068KERdZPX89EyAnS0pcE6dmZTJrorWDs9-AAfFFgjqfW1-n9OsxBZMsw1YFEu1zOEtAYpMzrAvUGByHWNqcbFeJ9cIyf3Tyk/s320/IMG_1667.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371752688896111602" border="0" /></a><br />On the second day of practice we flew out at the Worlds site on what I assume is the B line (northern end) for most of the day. For most of the day it was simply us and Shane Robinson from Ireland on that site. Shane was flying an Axiome which to my eye seems to be flying quite well. I have had a chance to see a few of these planes fly by different people and they are nice flying airplanes.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2eFQXIa2a1PyXJStZovdWgHhjTabnd0cUVneC1EBRrI0_QQHWulvMNpBx98zDRy2EcJJ_o3CMCKjxeGkhYMs7XBhB2qoLY6BtVZ6bCQHF6c5qjAW1PYs3gft3sXM20mQLs-Fv_H3ifc/s1600-h/IMG_1800.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2eFQXIa2a1PyXJStZovdWgHhjTabnd0cUVneC1EBRrI0_QQHWulvMNpBx98zDRy2EcJJ_o3CMCKjxeGkhYMs7XBhB2qoLY6BtVZ6bCQHF6c5qjAW1PYs3gft3sXM20mQLs-Fv_H3ifc/s320/IMG_1800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371753161201600914" border="0" /></a><br />Gunther Ulsamer arrived and is again flying his own design the Opium. For some reason he has an affection to name his planes after drugs? The curious thing about this plane is that he does all the construction, and its fully composite and painted in the mold (or appears to be). He said it took about 6 months to complete the first model.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtzu3T3E7nOkqHf2u2_w1iYmXp6wpNWBXOBV75WZmDD-MD3lSdAgDup3XrUh6I3R7ERVfI3mdA8gJkAdxM84FJ6m9fpb4-Bj3x91n6FCxqtGvCQxOOumeknUal_LYahDK0rnRSAGIbV0/s1600-h/IMG_1711.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtzu3T3E7nOkqHf2u2_w1iYmXp6wpNWBXOBV75WZmDD-MD3lSdAgDup3XrUh6I3R7ERVfI3mdA8gJkAdxM84FJ6m9fpb4-Bj3x91n6FCxqtGvCQxOOumeknUal_LYahDK0rnRSAGIbV0/s320/IMG_1711.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371753632717315346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />He is flying a new Hacker outrunner prototype motor in this model, I don't know much about it because he doesn't speak english and Dez doesn't speak much German! It looks like a Plettenberg from the back though!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYD_NBZadH0QhDlWKepuGJB-nrQT7HvG9lvYbaab3yllakrFu4zzgZqlYNfyj85EJ_UkRskrTsPB_XDdBZ3zk3YU4T2qjtu2gP2OcH4XQc6fz3X9wVC4B70o7lvST_gIDIDd7ewFLFXM8/s1600-h/IMG_1712.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYD_NBZadH0QhDlWKepuGJB-nrQT7HvG9lvYbaab3yllakrFu4zzgZqlYNfyj85EJ_UkRskrTsPB_XDdBZ3zk3YU4T2qjtu2gP2OcH4XQc6fz3X9wVC4B70o7lvST_gIDIDd7ewFLFXM8/s320/IMG_1712.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371754119093085650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />His model had some interesting fences on the wing, apparently to reduce the bumpiness in turbulent conditions. Its very bumpy here, to my eye I am not sure it made much difference, as his plane seemed to be bumped around as much as anyone else.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-dY2vFeDPF7kXuQKTL-eW-Rtqul4Ib09szQMwjBwKFlPlm-l22NAfaFv-HAFEFwJxvzcgL3TBJZ7zl9LLjIm3AcWlrFhFWYC5MlyjEIf_wsOIAbnAGJ0JVh7hMDUHQE0vWp2Mb7Dus4/s1600-h/IMG_1754.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-dY2vFeDPF7kXuQKTL-eW-Rtqul4Ib09szQMwjBwKFlPlm-l22NAfaFv-HAFEFwJxvzcgL3TBJZ7zl9LLjIm3AcWlrFhFWYC5MlyjEIf_wsOIAbnAGJ0JVh7hMDUHQE0vWp2Mb7Dus4/s320/IMG_1754.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371755658709154658" border="0" /></a>After practice that day we went to see a bullfight, this was very interesting. Its hard to explain but basically a guy on a horse places a certain number of darts in the bulls back, there is much flair and obviously he is scored based on a bit of showmanship as well as skill in placing the dart. Then at the end a row of guys challenge the bull to charge them, and the first guy jumps on the bull trying to get between the horns. Most of the time they were not successful, as you can see in the picture!<br /><br /><br />For the third day of practice we flew at the south end of the main site. The Hong Kong team were there flying, and later Gunther and Bernd Bershorner arrived, as well as a few others to simply check out the site but not to fly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtf2UAMmkGd53QMefZXQ7foZh98UCX3UGoyuDCIoDgmsUO6BvA5jjXCpuoffXfjToKP_8BUAC9eboaRPEc0bhfiBh0VphdawX6NeatCD0tzSKbZgx09bUmilHMhG98_S96lqR55WSFZU/s1600-h/IMG_1808.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtf2UAMmkGd53QMefZXQ7foZh98UCX3UGoyuDCIoDgmsUO6BvA5jjXCpuoffXfjToKP_8BUAC9eboaRPEc0bhfiBh0VphdawX6NeatCD0tzSKbZgx09bUmilHMhG98_S96lqR55WSFZU/s200/IMG_1808.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371756281802743954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Bernd was flying with the Vector Steering on his Plettenberg, this allows him to deflect the motor up to 7 degrees (or more) to aid in knife edge flight.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRK_SZa1hTgH3HG7cNbxMgjbmBLpwuEv9o0OeHQys-onZx5bTfL4uNiphVHvEWhut9D2j7Mri5y24GMK_joJvPNHoOa-Ts097ACkqs5AIm1gSBexX30x2BC3ddtmdhODra5nkdoW1VP8k/s1600-h/IMG_1801.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRK_SZa1hTgH3HG7cNbxMgjbmBLpwuEv9o0OeHQys-onZx5bTfL4uNiphVHvEWhut9D2j7Mri5y24GMK_joJvPNHoOa-Ts097ACkqs5AIm1gSBexX30x2BC3ddtmdhODra5nkdoW1VP8k/s200/IMG_1801.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371756622549642882" border="0" /></a>Here you can see a shot of the servo that drives the unit to rotate.<br />Bernd was flying an Addition which by comparison to some of the fat airplanes is a fairly small fuselage. He appeared to have every bit as much knife edge performance as some of the wide fuses. This may help him by having a smaller plane that deals with crosswind better, yet still have sufficient knife edge ability. We will see more in the upcoming days!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqW3cKbin5JrAdDnLBsxBderqXrEtHe9J-yqgK2vIBvLejhZ2jCrzYXx2zZwmQuKQtfaFVRMGqOSW8sgPjo_rVaKdQv8DEwhyBgJOqqiqz9EYyKEi4cvetpmfA3uxPX3FV1X7DKuX8tc/s1600-h/IMG_1795.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqW3cKbin5JrAdDnLBsxBderqXrEtHe9J-yqgK2vIBvLejhZ2jCrzYXx2zZwmQuKQtfaFVRMGqOSW8sgPjo_rVaKdQv8DEwhyBgJOqqiqz9EYyKEi4cvetpmfA3uxPX3FV1X7DKuX8tc/s200/IMG_1795.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371757282734018786" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Thomas Kwan of the Hong Kong team was flying a Neptuno. I forget his name, but its of his own design I believe and is very similar to the Mid-Rex flown by Suzuki of Japan. This plane flew quite good as well. It has very nice construction, and well built.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZ_zU2Ibkr_5Ia6DDzeBS0R1DJX4R2Bn4Q4GLU86aE8lBbDQB70V1BpP1TwFKiGAwaRnrZzRxbwz8A6xKJ9W0eLQ5JdsJ6Yiy_1_Xqmf-eBmwCrKkdb1j-Yur8j4wu9PpRGHsOVIansQ/s1600-h/IMG_1798.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZ_zU2Ibkr_5Ia6DDzeBS0R1DJX4R2Bn4Q4GLU86aE8lBbDQB70V1BpP1TwFKiGAwaRnrZzRxbwz8A6xKJ9W0eLQ5JdsJ6Yiy_1_Xqmf-eBmwCrKkdb1j-Yur8j4wu9PpRGHsOVIansQ/s200/IMG_1798.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371757900200033698" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Team Hong Kong, Thomas Kwan, Alex Lau, and our good buddy from California Adrian Wong holding Thomas's plane!Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-25230564561482682022009-08-17T14:47:00.001-07:002009-08-17T14:47:47.595-07:00Practice Day 1<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ_4M8MXiA32z7WhoEFnDZ2d9catYfx2_755Rz7rd1uETx1mcizZ48DPSX89GqXNCiCeby6a9eGOkhU3OR-wWtgNapho5BXqZV9__UFpQOJ_7k_1Y1YNSygSTiLcv8VxEAIcGAz00zpc/s1600-h/IMG_1644-767596.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ_4M8MXiA32z7WhoEFnDZ2d9catYfx2_755Rz7rd1uETx1mcizZ48DPSX89GqXNCiCeby6a9eGOkhU3OR-wWtgNapho5BXqZV9__UFpQOJ_7k_1Y1YNSygSTiLcv8VxEAIcGAz00zpc/s320/IMG_1644-767596.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371052743616468722" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a 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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCXXODIldbq1NecDjaCDNDrPp58ZcBnzekdzCT46vOVaIzRgGtVmm9tC52QuxKzl_-PIWRQLRCTjQ9mVV1PCWubTVLTzKJnNwW4igdM74Bta5aoq4y8mEy7VwHk9OXYmqKeN8kil3r44/s1600-h/IMG_1653-777614.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCXXODIldbq1NecDjaCDNDrPp58ZcBnzekdzCT46vOVaIzRgGtVmm9tC52QuxKzl_-PIWRQLRCTjQ9mVV1PCWubTVLTzKJnNwW4igdM74Bta5aoq4y8mEy7VwHk9OXYmqKeN8kil3r44/s320/IMG_1653-777614.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371052786711487202" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk46-WrPqJWp6P6yvZpk65CrsMopXw_xj5MeIcszjakkaTymiakI150pLcke0Q8qOE4DtOBp8S1tdL4Lahlf5ZRU_cW8ItfEOlDjz4TxDuVhJez9dBRq3SOdtrmJKI26stB13N6h6XbXE/s1600-h/IMG_1655-778914.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk46-WrPqJWp6P6yvZpk65CrsMopXw_xj5MeIcszjakkaTymiakI150pLcke0Q8qOE4DtOBp8S1tdL4Lahlf5ZRU_cW8ItfEOlDjz4TxDuVhJez9dBRq3SOdtrmJKI26stB13N6h6XbXE/s320/IMG_1655-778914.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371052792767336066" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKRRJnWYS1NaQxysh-R_SmlhuHAsgbs4jjaV6shXhvRkcBW7YppNL7d45I1VIWX6atlf7ls9bIiPsdFCNfC-WzFx8Cdh-gssUpXEUf0eUlef1KxGjfzV9awFIbHwJql3OgOWEoaNOVuE/s1600-h/IMG_1656-780078.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKRRJnWYS1NaQxysh-R_SmlhuHAsgbs4jjaV6shXhvRkcBW7YppNL7d45I1VIWX6atlf7ls9bIiPsdFCNfC-WzFx8Cdh-gssUpXEUf0eUlef1KxGjfzV9awFIbHwJql3OgOWEoaNOVuE/s320/IMG_1656-780078.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371052800098213442" /></a></p>We flew at the main site in the middle for day 1. Just us and the US team minus Jason who was at the hotel feeling ill was out there. The site is situated in a valley, and is basically surrounded by trees. The wind is near straight crosswind to the runway at ground level, and very turbulent. At altitude it can change significantly but is a little more stable, so it makes flying very challenging. <br><br>Brett and his helper Bryan were working on some issues with his motor which I think are now resolved. Quique was flying his new Ventura bipe which looks very nice, and quite similar to the Euphoria but many subtle changes do exist. Quique was also sporting a very fancy radio case which was a gift from some friends of his, its a work of art. He commented that people pay more attention to his radio case than to his airplanes, and he was right!<br><br>Andrew showed up a bit later with his helper Verne and got in a couple of quick flights then left to get some needed rest. It was a good day and an opportunity to relax and shoot the breeze with my friends who I missed getting together with at the Nats this year.<br><br>Thats it for tonite, I will try and do a little more catch up tomorrow for Day 2 and Day 3 practice. Tomorrow is actually our 4th day of practice and we plan to head south a little ways and practice at a different site since more competitors are beginning to show up and the main site is getting crowded.<br><br>Chad<br><br><br> Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2786371213874661752.post-51182263091099380372009-08-17T14:31:00.001-07:002009-08-17T14:31:39.010-07:00UpdatesSo after a very long trip, everyone made it safe and sound. I will skip all the gory details about getting held up in customs for many hours trying to explain that our planes were not commercial shipments and simply our personal items, and the small part about paying a bond....oh and the part about having no air conditioning in the car, and the boxes not fitting, and the 39 celcius temperature on the trip to Pombal (with no A/C). The plus of all that was I slept really, really well the first night haha!<br> <br> So I will start from the first day of practice, and go from there :-) Will do one post at a time so its easier to follow.<br> <br> Chad Chad Northeasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12208492263769321679noreply@blogger.com0