2020 RC Resolutions

[JennyC6]

C6 Aviation Q1 2020 roadmap:

* Branch out from trainers - Progress is good but it's all WIP. Got a biplane, got a wing, couple of low-wing pattern/sport ships, but none maidened yet.

* Build a nitro DTFB plane that actually works! - Prolly gonna get my Spear airborne at some point in 2020, FT P-47 powered by a Fox 45RC Ringed in the works.

* Fly inverted. - Got two planes that can do it for sure, a third possible. Just need to maiden them.

* Get my surface fleet operational again after FPVFest 2019 wrecked them all. - 2/4. CA-10 and Slayer Pro are running and driving again(CA-10 barely, Slayer Pro flawlessly). Mad Crusher GP and SC10GT still in the shop.

* Finish my 15" scratch build EDF plane. - Have EDF, have airframe.....

* Build and fly at least 3 warbirds. - Planning phase at the moment, currently looking at an FT P-47 build, a HobbyKing SBD Dauntless ARF, and perhaps I'll pick up a Kyosho GDF F-86 Sabre that my LHS has been unable to sell for months on end.

* Crest 70MPH with a 4-cycle powered model. - Tower Sport GP should be able to do this, we will see shortly~

* Crest 100MPH with a wet-fuel model. - I have one balsa bird that might do it if I do irresponsible things to the engine. We shall see. If that doesn't work I might do a nitro Arrow and shoot for a buck with that.

* Crest 70MPH with a surface model. - Likely going to be with my 1/10 electric F1 car since it's already designed with downforce in mind.

* Crest 70MPH via FPV. - Most likely to happen on the Tower Sport GP.

* Crest 100MPH with a 4-cycle engine. - Might push my luck with the Sport GP's Magnum 52?

* Crest 100MPH via FPV. - Gotta get a bird there first!

* Formation FPV fly with the guys flying Draks and Goblins at FPVFest. - Got two potential aircraft to do it with!

* Build a Nitro Limitless. - Maybe we shall see~

C6 Aviation Q3(Because I totally forgot about this thread through most of Q2 GG) roadmap:


* Branch out from trainers - Progress is good but it's all WIP. Got a biplane, got a wing, couple of low-wing pattern/sport ships, but none maidened yet. DONE. NexSTAR is officially in mothballs now.

* Build a nitro DTFB plane that actually works! - Prolly gonna get my Spear airborne at some point in 2020, FT P-47 powered by a Fox 45RC Ringed in the works. Nearly done. Have a few things left to do on it, but itt'l be airworthy soon. Ended up being a Simple Scout with an FS26 Surpass on the nose, but it counts. Nitro + DTFB.

* Fly inverted. - Got two planes that can do it for sure, a third possible. Just need to maiden them. DONE Speedyboi 20 was one of the two planes mentioned and, yeah, it flies great upside down. I can make entire laps around the general flight pattern inverted with no trouble either.

* Get my surface fleet operational again after FPVFest 2019 wrecked them all. - 2/4. CA-10 and Slayer Pro are running and driving again(CA-10 barely, Slayer Pro flawlessly). Mad Crusher GP and SC10GT still in the shop. Progress has been made. CA-10 is running well, Slayer Pro running well, SC10GT running hot, loose and clean with a freshly rebuilt engine. Mad Crusher still on jackstands, as it were.

* Finish my 15" scratch build EDF plane. - Have EDF, have airframe..... zero progress made on this one...

* Build and fly at least 3 warbirds. - Planning phase at the moment, currently looking at an FT P-47 build, a HobbyKing SBD Dauntless ARF, and perhaps I'll pick up a Kyosho GDF F-86 Sabre that my LHS has been unable to sell for months on end. Have made some progress. Landed a Phoenix Models SBD ARF and got it partially assembled but it's not exactly close. Or even on the front burner. I'm getting distracted by SPA-legal pattern ships! Though I may do something cool at FPVFest this year...bring all the parts and a VQ Models DC-3 ARF up there and actually build, maiden a 70" gasser up there. And I suppose it would count towards this since the DC3 and C-47 differ mostly in the paintwork and the comfort of the cabin.

* Crest 70MPH with a 4-cycle powered model. - Tower Sport GP should be able to do this, we will see shortly~ Suspect Speedyboi has done this, but I need to actually clock it and see. Numbers say it should be able to do around 75...

* Crest 100MPH with a wet-fuel model. - I have one balsa bird that might do it if I do irresponsible things to the engine. We shall see. If that doesn't work I might do a nitro Arrow and shoot for a buck with that.

* Crest 70MPH with a surface model. - Likely going to be with my 1/10 electric F1 car since it's already designed with downforce in mind. No progress made

* Crest 70MPH via FPV. - Most likely to happen on the Tower Sport GP. Speedyboi will do the trick if it's going 70 in the first place, as it has FPV

* Crest 100MPH with a 4-cycle engine. - Might push my luck with the Sport GP's Magnum 52? No progress made

* Crest 100MPH via FPV. - Gotta get a bird there first! No progress made

* Formation FPV fly with the guys flying Draks and Goblins at FPVFest. - Got two potential aircraft to do it with! Can't happen till I get to FPVFest 2020!

* Build a Nitro Limitless. - Maybe we shall see~ No progress made

 

[rockyboy]

Time for a mid-year check in on this.

1) Fly more - still in all 12 months! I did make at least a couple flights in all 12 months last year. This year's goal is to do that again - but increase total flights & flight time. If I don't fly more, I won't get better at flying

Well, crap. Covid happened. Club fields were closed for about 2 months, and now are partially open, but due to living with two people in high-risk groups, I'm not going to risk their health with my play time. So instead I'm trying to make sure to get at least an hour of sim time per month - and succeeding at that so far!

2) Become more proficient at the AMA Club Class pattern sequence and be able to complete the whole thing in order! Last year I learned to do each of the maneuvers in the sequence, but I haven't completed the whole sequence in order without an extra pass thrown in, or missed completion of a maneuver. Lack of a caller was holding me back but I programmed a LUA script in my transmitter to be my caller so I'm self-sufficient now! Just need to put in the practice time!

And this would be a great thing to practice in the sims - I ought to start doing that!

3) Build a motor-glider for summer club event. Last year's "build something for a club event plane" was a biplane, this year it's going to be a vintage motor glider. Have a few options to choose from here, but will probably be the House of Balsa Nomad or the ACE Guppy since I have those both on hand.

Done! Scratch built the AC Guppy. Club event cancelled however.

4) Get to one RC event outside of my own club's activities. As much as I love FliteFest, every year the schedule seems to conflict with an annual big-deal music event for my daughter, so I'm not going to commit myself to FliteFest until she is off to college in a couple years. Instead, I'm going to try and make SEFF or VA Beach Dawn Patrol or the big Delaware Vintage meet or the annual Farm Club Float Fly or some other regional fly-in. If FliteFest happens that's awesome - but I'm not pinning all my event plans on it.

Nope. Just nope.

5) Finish and Maiden the long neglected FW-42 Monster build. If I can make it to SEFF, that might be a fun place to do it... this beast is taking up so much space in my shop I really need to fly her or crash her - can't just let her stand in the corner shaming me

Almost certainly a nope this year too.

6) Fly a helicopter! I've been heli-curious for a while, and my family got me a really cool Magnum PI scale body for a 600 class chopper. So now I need to find a used Trex or Chaos 600 to stick it on, and get some simulator time under my belt!

I think I mentioned the simulator already, right?

BUT it's not all gloom and doom! I'm hosting a zoom workshop chat for my club every Wednesday and Saturday evening and we've been having a great time with presentations on all kinds of modeling & aviation subjects, trivia nights, and just good old fashioned bench flying.

 

[LitterBug]

#1 is always Fly more for sure!

#1.5 Get up to Edgewater

#2 Get proficient at LOS wing flying (I crashed a few times this year(2019) at least

#3 Put some flights up against some 78rpm records

#4 Finish getting that office/build area cleaned up and set up. (more likely to happen now since I need it for remote work)

#5 finish all these dang half started builds

#6 Give away some of my old flyers (maybe do something like a win LitterBug's junk)

Cheers!
LitterBug

MODIFIED: Add 78rpm records

Another mod: add EDGEWATER!

#1. Check!
#2. Check!

Kinda killed two stones with one bird with all the RF9 simming I did this year. And it HAS translated well for me to the field..... now to start working on the others.....

LB