All Is Well In The Flying World

The wind was cranking here in NE Ohio today. I spent most of the day cleaning leafs out of the yard. I got lucky this year and the tree gave up all her leafs in high winds and rains earlier this week. Usually the tree holds onto its leafs like they are gold. That or as I said before it loves seeing how many times I'll rake them.

Right before the sun went down I decided to head to EC and see if the Stryker would fly. The winds were at 6mph which is not a problem. The problem was they were gusting to 16 mph. The recommended wind speed for flying most park flyer airplanes is 7 mph max. Well rules are for everyone else, not me. LOL. So off to EC I went. When I got there the wind was seeming even stronger than I remember. Oh well no guts no glory. Put the battery in the plane and threw it into about 10 mph head wind. It took to the sky as if it was calm, well until it got to altitude. The wind was really screaming up there. So after a couple of barrel rolls and loops I brought it down to a low level and did high speed runs around the field. After about 8 minutes at full throttle the battery was waving the white flag and slowed down. So two more passes around the field and a long landing into the wind it was back on the ground safely. I'm either getting really good at flying or really lucky.

I used the photo of the F-14 because I found it online. The funny thing is the picture was labeled as taken in 1987. If that's true it means I painted it. The story behind it is this. All the F-14's were painted in battle ship grey at the time. The reason for this was it blended better with the water thus making them harder to see by enemy aircraft.

The Navy came out with a policy that every squadron was allowed to paint 1 aircraft in squadron show colors. I was in corrosion control at the time. (painting airplanes) They came to me and asked if I could recreate the paint scheme from just looking at older pictures. Of course I said I could. So they gave me several old pictures and I started the project. Three weeks later I had recreated it. Everyone and their brother was taking pictures of it. The commanding officer at the time (who hated me) looked at it and smiled. He then turned to me and said "I don't like it, repaint it the old colors." I told him not in this life time and he said I did not have a choice. The plane sat like that for about a month and he finally had someone else repaint it. It's nice seeing it again. Later after they were pulled off the Ranger and replaced with the F-18 they repainted them all that color before being decommissioned. I think if you click on the picture you can see the full sized photo. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it.

The New And Improved Stryker F-27B

Well if you look at the picture of the Stryker on the left you'll notice some things have changed from the first one. YES it's new. Why you ask? Well that's easy. On Monday I flew the stryker and it flew great, except I had limited control. Not that I could not control it, but that I could not be Chuck Yeager and fly it inverted or do barrel rolls with it. Soooooo home I go to figure the problem out. I come up with the untested and bright idea to reverse some wiring then reverse the settings on my radio. After this wonderful idea all seemed well except the wind was picking up and rain was on it's way. Sooooooo back to LCCC I go. I launch the plane into the wind it accelerates to about 50 mph and as I'm climbing out a cross wind pushes it a little left. No problem. I give it some stick to the right.....it barrels rolls left and does an inverted power dive into the ground. OOOPPPSSS. Well now it's time to go to the Hobby store and pick up a new body. I get it and come home to investigate what went wrong. Come to find out my hair brained idea of switching the wires was not a good idea. While in my 20 second check I did manage to notice that the elevators worked correctly, I also failed to notice the ailerons were still reversed. This resulted in when I was turning right, I was actually turning left. At that speed and altitude I never stood a chance. So I rebuilt it and all is well now.

For some reason the new one (same parts out of the wrecked one other than the body) now has enough control throw to make the plane do things not for the weak of heart. I also decided to go with a plane black and white paint theme. Funny thing is that when I was done I realized I may have just recreated the space shuttle. Not exactly the look I was going for but hey I have to admit it SHO AM A FINE LOOKING PLANE.

So, it's untested as of yet but hope to fix that this weekend. I'll post and let you know how it goes. Hopefully I won't be reporting another shuttle disaster.

Flying Grounded Due To Weather

The wind and rain came in early today and never let up. From the looks of the forecast it's going to be the same thing all week. The fall to winter transition is definitely in effect. The one lone bright spot today was the Browns lost to the Steelers. While I no longer watch African kickball (The NFL) or the African Ballet (NBA) I still love listening to people in Cleveland complain when they lose. It's a sad state of affairs when the mood of someone for a week is determined by whether or not their "tribe" wins.

I decided to share this video I found on youtube. It's a remote controlled F-14 that will go 280 mph. Perhaps if I sold everything I own then took 2 loans I could afford one. Some people have way to much money. Also notice the paint scheme. It's modeled after VF-1 wolfpack, the squadron I was in. I emailed the gentleman who made it (but never got a reply) to see if he was ever in VF-1 or knew someone who was. It is an awesome plane though.

A Perfect Day For Flying

The winds were not to bad today so I decided to test fly the F-27B Stryker (yesterdays picture) along with my P-47D Thunderbolt. (pictured on the left)

I never flew either plane but was confident in my ability to do it. Doubt always creeps in when you start thinking what mechanical failure can possibly go wrong? Well today the flying gods were smiling and all went well.

I first put the F-27 in the air. It took a low pitch at launch, but then recovered and took to the sky like a bird. I found the plane to be extremely fast but it looked awesome racing through the sky. I need to make a minor adjustment so the plane can barrel roll more smoothly, but other than that she's a keeper.

Next I decided to press my luck and see what would happen with the P-47. This time instead of a hand launch I would try a rolling take off seeing it had landing gear. The bad thing about taking off like this is if the plane is not trimmed correctly you have little time to recover after lift off. All the worrying was for not. The plane lifted to the sky as if it had done it a thousand times. After some trim adjustments once at altitude the plane flew really smooth. So what's left? Well I had to try and land it in a parking lot with out hitting the light poles. Again the flying gods were smiling. I made the perfect approach between the lights and it touched down perfectly. So it was a great day flying. I even put the Mustang in the air for two flights and managed to fly it for a while inverted. So it really was a great day.

When I got home I got a call that my T-28 Trojan was in. It's a Navy trainer from the 50's. It's also my largest airplane. I went and picked it up and put it together. I still need some electronics for it that will have to wait a couple pay checks, but it will be worth the wait. I'll post a picture of it on the right side of the blog. I'll close today's post by saying...."I think I'm ready to go fly combat missions in Iraq and I'll bring my own plane" lol.

I finally finished building the jet in the picture. It's a Stryker F-27B. Tomorrow (winds permitting) I'll try and send it up into the air and see how she performs. Keep your fingers crossed. I'm completely confident I can fly it, just depends on how good of a job I did building it. I'll let you know in my next post.

The weather this week has been typical of early winter/later fall. Rain mixed with snow and occasionally just snow. This evening we got some rain with thunder and lightening mixed in. Tomorrow is looking nice but it turns ugly again Sunday and Monday.

The only other plans this weekend is some house cleaning and perhaps maybe going out tomorrow evening and try some walleye fishing from the pier in Huron.

Work was the same as usual. Just doing the same job except more of it and for less pay. Nice to see the American dream is heading down the toilet. I've already excepted the fact I'll never be rich, but at least I'm happy for the most part. The rest of the week I just spent watching DOG The Canadian hunter try to get out of the mess he created for him self. I do believe he deserves a second chance. I realize that Al Sharpton and company buried the "N" word at a ceremony in Detroit this year. However I'm worried because I think my house is haunted. While they may have buried it, it seems to show up at my house all the time, leading me to believe my house is haunted.lol. Oh well.

Hopefully I'll be able to write again this weekend and say my plane past the test and flew well.

Here Comes Winter

I think we saw the last of the beautiful fall weather today as it made room for a cold front to escort in winter. The temperatures were in the low 60's earlier today and now as I write this it's 43 degrees at 10:25 pm.

I put plenty of fresh food out for the birds today in anticipation of the upcoming cold weather this week. The forecast is calling for highs in the lower 40's with night time lows around 32 degrees. There's a chance of snow each day. As you can see from the black capped chickadee in the picture they are happy to dig right in.

Yesterday was a so so day as flying goes. While I had great success with the new Mustang and old favorite bit the dust. The F4U Corsair that Toni liked (The plane from black sheep) was flying along great when suddenly an aileron froze forcing it to nose over and crash with out any hop of recovering. The fuselage cracked in half and the wing came off. The up side is it was not an expensive airplane and can be replaced. I just hate to see it go. The bright side is that I'll soon have a T-28 Trojan to replace it for the time being. The Trojan is the orange and white airplane I used in a previous post about the Mustang.

Tomorrow is election day here in Elyria. I'm really having a hard time motivating my self to go vote. I've lost all faith in our politicians. There is no way I'll vote for Grace and I refuse to vote republican. I really wish they would form a third party in this country that actually represents the voters and not their self interest. Oh well I'm sure there's a school levy to vote no on.

Remember that Everest beyond the limit is on Tuesday night at 10 pm on The Discovery Channel. The episodes get more exciting as they go on. The teaser for tomorrow is "Everest may have claimed this years first victim."

It may be Friday before I get a chance to post again so have a great week. Check back on Wednesday because that's when I would be most likely to post. If not I hope I'll have some interesting things to post on the weekend.

Veterans Day

I want to take this time to recognize Veterans day. It falls each year on November 11 and seems to get little attention. I hope by writing this that those of you who read it may have a better understanding of it.
As those of you who know me are aware, I served in the US Navy in Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1 Wolfpack) From February 20, 1985 to February 19, 1989. During those four years I managed to get the Meritorious Unit Accommodation, A Good Conduct Metal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and The Armed Forces Expeditionary Metal.. I received several other accommodations and letters of appreciation during my four year including plane captain of the month for January 1986. The following was the letter I received.

Your outstanding performance, initiative, and dedication to duty have distinguished you among your contemporaries. These qualities have greatly contributed to the squadron’s accomplishments and your special efforts merit your selection as plane captain of the month.
As a plane captain trainee, you consistently give 100%, Always performing beyond expectations. In a very short time you have learned all the necessary requirements of being a plane captain and can be called upon in assisting with the training of others. The sharp manner in which you launch, recover, and turn around aircraft exemplifies your professionalism and conscientiousness. You set the standards for others to follow.
It is through consistent performance by individuals such as yourself that Fighter Squadron ONE is able to fulfill its mission. Your professionalism and devotion to duty reflect great credit upon yourself and are keeping with the highest tradition of the Untied States Navy. On behalf of the officers and men of the “Wolfpack”, I congratulate you on a job well done.

C.V. Parker
Commanding Officer
Fighter Squadron ONE

While this was not one of my greatest accomplishments, it did set the tone for my performance during my four years of service.

My biggest accomplishment and contribution to my self and country was being able to earn the Armed Forces Expeditionary Metal for service in the Persian Gulf during the fall of 1987 during Operation Earnest Will. For 90 days straight we sat at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in the Indian Ocean flying air support for reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Persian Gulf. As you may or may not remember in May of 1987, Iraqi Mirage F-1 fires two Exocet missiles into USS Stark (FFG-31,) mistaking it for an Iranian Tanker killing 37 US Soldiers. The war was between Iran and Iraq and now we are there escorting Kuwaiti ships under the US flag as Iran mined the Gulf , used hit and run attacks with small patrol boats (they started towards the our carrier USS Ranger once but turned away after we sent a couple F-14’s to greet them) and
periodic stop-and-search operations. On several occasions, Tehran fired its Chinese-made Silkworm missiles on Kuwait from Al Faw Peninsula. When Iranian forces hit the reflagged tanker Sea Isle City in October 1987, Washington retaliated by destroying an oil platform in the Rostam field and by using the United States Navy's Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) commandos to blow up a second one nearby.

It was because of these actions we took that I earned the metal. Because of this metal I’m entitled to benefits from the VFW AMVETS and others. The criteria for earning it is as follows:
The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal may be awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who after 1 July 1958 participate as members of U.S. military units in a U.S. military operation in which service members of any Military Department participate, in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), in significant numbers and encounter during such participation foreign armed opposition, or are otherwise place in such a position that in the opinion of the JCS, hostile action by foreign armed forces was imminent even though it does not materialize.

So I have definitely earned the right to wear this. I’ve also earned the HONOR of being called a veteran. It seems as each Veterans Day goes by and I observe it silently. I remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice unlike me. I was fortunate enough to be part of a fraternity few will ever know. I hope that by the sacrifices I made at the time made this country a little more secure. That the long days away from my family were not made for nothing. While it was not pleasant, I would not trade it for anything in the world. I’m proud to have served and even more proud of those now serving.

This Veterans day please remember our Veterans. If you know someone who is a veteran take the time to thank them. If they are like me they do not seek praise for their service, but a thank you goes a long way.

Mustang Returns

My Mustang returned to the skies today and flew well other than higher than perfect wind speeds. I managed to fly it twice and both went well. The verdict is still out however until the winds calm down enough to test high rates.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing. I watched the Ohio State game and was delighted to see the beat Wisconsin 38-17. If they win their next two games they will be in the national championship game.

Went out to the garage tonight to get some pork out of the freezer to make some Italian sausage tomorrow. While out there I heard something move and caught a opossum tail moving out of the corner of my eye. So it was into the house to grab a BB gun and flash light. It took me back to my Vietnam days when I was a sniper. (lol) Well old rat tail is still alive because he was gone by the time I returned. He's now made the hit list joining the squirrels. They come under fire every day as they try to raid my bird feeders. I'll keep you updated.

The weather here is getting colder daily. The nights are now down in the low 30's and they days are usually only hitting the mid 50's. I hate to see winter rear his ugly head but I can deal with it until Christmas. After that I begin my count down to spring training and start looking forward to the humming birds returning.

My plans for tomorrow are just enjoying Lori's last day of vacation and getting the planes back in the air before a strong cold front moves through on Monday bringing cold temperatures and high winds with it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Return Of The Mustang

Well today was spent finishing up the Halloween clean up and getting ready for the Thanksgiving decorations.

I stopped at Wild Birds Unlimited and picked up some treats for the birds including some tree nuts. I'll mix them in with other foods and be putting them in the fly through feeders.

Me and Lori stopped at a Chinese place and picked up some sushi. The wind settled down so I decided to try and get one flight in at EC with the Spitfire before the sun set.

The flight was nice though the temperatures were brisk. As I write this at 11:05 pm the current temperature is 36 degrees. When I came home UPS had left my replacement Mustang (shown in the picture) on my door step. I have to work tomorrow but I'm on my scheduled 3 days off after that. Hopefully the third time will be the charm and weather permitting I'll be able to fly it this weekend and there will be no problems.

The forecast is for snow here next Wednesday. Hopefully they will be wrong. I hope no one has gotten sick from eating to much Halloween candy. I'll check back in later this weekend.