Thursday

Steve K., these are my treats for this week, blueberry muffins and chocolate banana nut bread!  Today was pretty laid back, we didn't even go get the mail!  The van would not start the other day, I did a little checking today and discovered the starter was bad.  I pulled it and went down to get one, they had to order it as there were not any in stock.

Flying, building and mowinng!

Tuesday morning early, we made a run to Kelso for some supplies.  On the way home we picked up the mail and my new FPV camera was there, this one is NTSC instead of PAL, so I should be able to record some of the video from my quad.  I spent a large part of the day getting that all wired up, working and mounted.  I also modified the tail wheel on the Sukhoi as it kept binding up and not turning.  I reprogrammed the speed control of the Dimona so the motor brake was on.  Yesterday, the prop would not fold because it kept windmilling.

Wednesday, the new camera worked great on the quad, I put it just above the GoPro and by checking it, I can tell where the GoPro is aimed.  I would have sworn that I was way further North when I took this picture, the the video showed me right where the camera was pointed.

I wanted a picture of the pink dogwood, but every one of the fifty or so I took was washed out from the sunlight.  I will try again when it is overcast.

This afternoon, I decided to mow, I had just gotten a good start when it started raining.  I quit for a little while and then finished up about an hour later.  Of course I had to get the quad out and take some pictures of the mowing, I just happened to take a selfie while I was doing that.  I got the Tarot 200 out later and made a couple of flights practicing with the camera on it.  The Fokker Triplane's speed control was acting strange Monday, so I downloaded the instructions and reprogrammed it today, it was set for the wrong type of battery.  As I was coming in for the night, I flew my littlest quad all over the yard taking video in the dark only to discover the memory card was not in it!

Dimona Flies!

Sunday, we went to church and then I spent the rest of the day getting ready to go flying on Monday.

We got to the flying field about 8:30 Monday morning and this was the sight that greeted us, it was beautiful!

By 10:00 I was all set up and had put a successful test flight on the Fokker triplane.  It was also warm enough that I had taken my sweatshirt off!

Then it was Dimona's turn, I am happy to report that it flew great and I flew it several more times during the day.  The spoilers are really effective, it kind of falls out of the sky.  I made one landing with them up, that may be the last time I try that.  Other people started arriving around 11:00 and we had 7 club members there at one time.

It really started warming up in the afternoon and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.  I gave the Soloshot a workout today, just like the instructions said, the batteries last about 5 hours.  By about 4:00 it was 78 at the Toledotel weather website and everyone started packing up to leave, us included!  Our one day of July weather was great fun.

Bunny

When we came home from getting the mail and groceries there was a bunny sitting North of the driveway.  After we unloaded, I got the camera and went over on a trail to get some pictures of it.  Last summer we hardly saw any rabbits, maybe this is the year of the rabbit, because I have already seen several.

On the way back to the house, I had to stop and take a few pictures of the tadpoles in our pond.

I made great headway on Dimona Friday, both spoilers are finished.  I got the left aileron mounted and the servo installed.  Steve K stopped by to check out the Soloshot and I showed him a couple of the videos it took.  I was going to record some video from the little quad as I flew it around the yard this afternoon, but I discovered the camera was the wrong format.  Today, I spent lots of time working on the Dimona and it is just about done!  I need a couple of screws for the wing hold downs, I need to program the radio and check the motor current with the new propeller.  It is going to be fun trying out those spoilers!

Wednesday, Thursday

Wednesday was a stay at home day for us, Vera didn't have bible study and I worked on planes most of the day.  Our friend Bob came by for a little while and picked up the transmitter I gave him for his new Night Vapor.  I put a couple of flights on the little quad and that was about as exciting as it got around here.

Thursday we headed to Longview to pick up some supplies for Marie right after breakfast.  It wasn't long before I realized that was a mistake, I hadn't stretched, iced or put heat on my Achilles and it got sore in a hurry.  Everything went like clock work, we stopped for some cereal at Fred Meyer, hardly any people in there and then they opened up an extra register just to check us out.  I stopped for a blood test and I didn't even get to sit down before they called my number.  I got the results back this evening, they were great and I don't have to have another test for two months.  Then it was off to Walmart for Marie's stuff, that went pretty good, but I was fairly sore when we finished there.  Marie was in a great mood, but after we visited for a little while, I was ready to head home to the ice pack.  Several sessions of ice and heat had it feeling OK by bed time.

Mary

Today we went to Camas and attended our brother-in-law David's mother's funeral.  The Camas Catholic church is really pretty!

 Mary was really active in the church, I love Walt's comment!  I always enjoyed talking with Mary at family functions, she was a very nice lady.

They had this display setup in the Fellowship hall after the funeral.  We had a nice lunch afterwards and had a good time visiting with everyone.  On the way home, we stopped at Costco and picked up a cart full of stuff.  As we were getting near Woodland on the way home we spotted our friends Leonard and Audrey and waved.  I am not sure if they saw us or not.  After letting Sam out for a while, I finished unloading.  This evening I worked on several projects in the shop and got two flights on the Tarot 200 quad trying out some new props.

Soloshot

The weather was perfect at Toledo this morning, we got there about 8:30.  After unloading the planes and chairs, I set up the Soloshot and calibrated it.  It took me 3 flights, but I finally got all the settings the way they are supposed to be.  In the picture, the Soloshot is tracking the Sukhoi just the way I hoped it would.  I am also sitting on my new high folding chair, by the end of the day I was loving it.

This is not a very clear picture, I had been messing with the zoom and didn't refocus.  The white blob on the top wing is the GPS tag that tells the camera where to point.  The Soloshot did a good job of recording my landing out in the field when the battery sagged.  It has not been used for a long time and it will need cycling a couple of times to get it back to normal.  I also need to add some right thrust as the Dr-1 was pulling hard to the left under power.

Just like the forecast said it would, the wind came up about noon, so we packed up as it was getting pretty warm.  We stopped at the South Lewis County Park to have lunch and watch the birds.  This goose was swimming around honking like mad.  After we got home, we washed the motor home and the Blazer.  80 degree weather sure makes a person ambitious!

Windy!

The quilt they made to go behind the cross at the Methodist Church is beautiful!  This was the first Sunday it has been up, they put a tremendous amount of work into it.

The aviation forecast for Toledo showed lots of wind today, so after church, I worked on the Dimona.  I got the left side spoiler completed except for one piece of wood in the sheeting and replacing the covering.  The right side box is glued in, once I put tape on the covering to protect it, it will be ready for sanding.  While I was waiting for the right side box to dry, I finished setting up the radio and stabilizer in the Fokker Dr-1.  Tomorrow's forecast looks pretty good in the morning, so I also charged up some batteries to fly with.

Super Dimona

When I wasn't running the string trimmer or messing around outside in the sunshine, I worked on the Super Dimona.  I have the new prop and spinner installed and it folds nicely along the cowling.  I trimmed the canopy interior and it is ready to have the canopy installed.

Since I had to make that cut out near the center of the wing to fix the rod tube, I decided to install the spoilers I had.  The black line is one of the carbon fiber rods I put in to reinforce the main spar.

This is the box I made to house the spoiler and the spoiler with the blade extended.

Here is the spoiler retracted and sitting in the box.  A piece of balsa mounts to the blade (the part with holes in it) and is sanded to match the airfoil.  I glued the box in before quitting for the night and left it to dry.

Mowing and Baseball

I got the string trimmer out this morning and made it clear around the house and part of the shop before the battery ran down.  Then I got the mower out and did the lawn and all the trails in the woods.

This azalea that my mom gave us is really doing great the last couple of years.

While I was taking the pictures I discover lots of Easter Lilies still in bloom in the shadier spot in the woods.

  Mark Morris had a game today, so I left early enough so I could have my choice of seats.  I was going to stop and get something to eat before the game, only to discover my billfold was at home!  Luckily we keep spare change in the car so I found enough for a milkshake and fries.  When I got there they were still preparing the field.  One of the coaches was dragging the field with the little 3 wheel ATV and it ran out of gas.  James, Levi and one other kid ended up pushing it back to the storage area.

James played first the whole game.  Things started out bad when the first pitcher walked a bunch of batters.  They were down 4 to 0 after the first inning.  James made an unassisted double play in one of the early innings, he caught a hit and stepped on first before the runner could get back.

MM just did not have any pitching today, the score got worse and worse.  James hit this pitch to drive in the only run MM got today.  It was sure a beautiful day, almost warm enough for shorts.

A beautiful day for flying and baseball

Well if all else fails read the instructions and that is what I am doing.  Vera got me an early fathers day present, a Soloshot2.  A GPS tag mounts on what ever you want to video or take pictures of and it tracks the tag.

I mounted the tag on my quad to test the Soloshot.  I did not have it calibrated quite right for this first flight and the video camera is aimed a little to one side.

After reading the instructions some more, I re-calibrated it and did a second flight.  Half way through that flight, I landed and changed the mode, then it started tracking better.

I flew over the house to see how well it tracked behind it.  The Soloshot did great, it will follow action 360 degrees around it.

Mark Morris had a make up game today, this is the first pitch of the game.  It was 4 to 4 going into the 6th inning, Hudson's Bay did not score in the top part of the inning, in the bottom of the inning Mark Morris scored a walk off run to win 5 to 4.  James did not get to play, but we were sitting next to Michelle and had a good time visiting with her.  It was sure a beautiful afternoon for a game.

A little problem

I did lots of work on the Dimona today, I got the wheel pants installed, the servos and receiver installed and set up.  I found a spinner and folding prop that would work, the spinner is not quite the right size, but I have a bigger one on order.  I ran the motor and checked the current draw, it's a little lower than I wanted, so I have new blades for the folding prop on the way.

I finally figured out a tail wheel mount and got that installed, but  getting it bent the way I wanted turned into quite a challenge.  Since I was almost done with the fuselage, I started working on the wings and right away I discovered a problem.  The carbon fiber rod the wing slides onto would not go into the left wing.  I could see the tube it slides into was twisted and looked poorly made.  After one attempt to glue it, I gave up for the night.

Statue of Liberty

James sent me several pictures from the Statue of Liberty today, I love the clouds behind it!

This is their last day in New York, he said they were supposed to get on the plane at 3:30.

Monday, I heard some helicopters coming so I went out on the back deck to take a picture.  I could hear them go by fine, but they were so low I never saw them, then I heard them slow down as they went past the rest stops on I5 so the ceiling must have been really low up there.  Since I did not get a picture of the helicopters, I took this picture of the lilac in bloom.

Today, I heard helicopters coming again so I ran (well walked fast, the Achilles isn't up to running yet) and got the camera.  It was a pair of Blackhawks and I got this picture.

Carburator

I went out this morning and finished rebuilding the carburetor.  It took quite a while to put it back on, it didn't seem like that many bolts when I tore it apart!  It made my day when the mower started right up and runs great!

There was another picture of James in New York on Facebook today.

I went out and worked on the Dimona some more this evening.  I  cut the cooling holes in the cowl.  I got the motor and speed control installed, found a servo for the elevator and got it fitted to the hole.

This shows the carbon fiber rods and fiberglass that I put in to reinforce the landing gear.  The way is was before, I would have been surprised if it lasted one flight.

Meg

Saturday was a sad day, our Grand dog Meg lost her battle with cancer.  She was a great dog, she will be missed.

Also on Saturday, we got a couple of pictures from James who is in New York with the Mark Morris choir to sing in a concert.

They had quite a tour all planned out, so I imagine he has been busy since he got there.  I worked on the Dimona some more this weekend, I got the modification to the landing gear done and installed it.  The kit was originally a tricycle gear and I changed it to a tail dragger.  Sunday, we went to church and I got the motor mount installed in the Dimona before we left.  Sunday afternoon, I took the carburetor off the lawn mower and started rebuilding it.  It would not run if the throttle was opened all the way after running out of gas.

Indoor Flying and a 3 point basket!

First thing this morning, we made a run to Longview for a bunch of stuff we needed.  The first stop was Home Depot where we got some plants and Vera spotted the butterfly.  It looks pretty good in our pot!  Then it was off to Bob's Sporting Goods for a folding chair I saw at one of James' baseball games.  It is quite a bit taller than the normal chair and should be easier to get out of.  I like the swivel feature of the one I have, but it is too low and there is no support for my back.

While Vera was planting the new flowers, I spotted the hyacinth in bloom so I took a few pictures of it.

 This evening we went up to Centralia Middle School for another session of indoor flying.  This is a picture of 2 Champs turning at one end of the gym.  Shortly after this I put the camera down and put my Champ up to join them.  With 4 planes going around and two quads flying, it was really fun.  I was concentrating so hard that I had to slow down once in a while so I could blink as I wasn't while we were racing and my eyes got really dry.

I was doing a loop and my Sukhoi ended up in the basketball net, my 3 point landing!  When the backboard was lowered back down, it fell right out.