Sunday, August 22, 2010

Flight Chronicles Vol VI 082210




Well. I’m not happy. The bigger blades are killing me. Flight coach, Josef, says everyone flies better with them. Rainmaker says the Mongoose is much more stable.

…the list of pro’s goes on for the more experienced group of guys.

So Rainmaker says, “Ask Josef to put the original blades on for you. He’ll do it.”

I thought about it and my initial reaction was *singing* “I’m just a girl, little ‘ol me…” Don’t wanna be a pain in the ass. I am not a whiner. No one else has a problem with them. I’m the only one having a hard time with the bigger blades. I find it extremely hilarious that all the guys are digging these bigger blades. What is it with “bigger”?

I guess, since I’m the one who has to be comfortable in the driver’s seat, some adjustments will have to be made. And if that means I’ll be removing, substituting, and replacing the blades as part of my pre-flight check then… Hey, wait. I’ve never done a pre-flight check. The guys usually do that. I am going to have to brush up on the rotor head parts. I’ve seen Rainmaker install a set of blades on several occasions.

So, the Mayan Princess made the trek with me and Rainmaker. I was dog-tired from the night before so I slept on the way over. (Sorry Rainmaker!) I’m usually an alert co-pilot. We had so much fun. The weather was beautiful. It wasn’t too windy. Not too many people showed up. I wound up enjoying the company, weather and assembly/repair more than my flight time. Bummer. I’m sure I would eventually get used to the bigger blades but I was already quite comfortable with the original smaller ones. The Mongoose felt so much more responsive to my commands. I was in sync with nearly every move, every twitch…Josef said, “Lisa likes it SNAPPY!” He smirks because he can appreciate the speed to which I am accustomed. He knows I love the wind. Maybe it’s the challenge I enjoy. Nevertheless, next weekend or the weekend after that, I will be smiling again as I fly with smaller blades.


I can’t unlearn what I’ve learned. I learn hands on. I master one way before I can tackle another. Am I being stubborn?


Flight Time:

8 mins, give or take a few


Terminology:

Nothing to contribute


Bigger is NOT always better! Give me one concrete example…




Friday, August 20, 2010

Flight Chronicles Vol V 080710...


or "Is Bigger Always Better?"

Oh my.

Bigger blades.

Is bigger always better? I say, no. Of course, I’m the only one who thinks so. I happen to be the only female on the field and in the shop. I feel comfortable with the “snappiness” of the standard blades. But the guys say now the Mongoose is more stable.

Well, maybe its pilot error . Call me crazy but the guys were doing fine without the big’uns. Then, El Maestro, Josef, my flight instructor said, “Perfect for training!” That, I agree. So, now I’m forcing myself to get used to the lag between my commands and the heli’s execution of my commands. She sure looks sluggish up there. I might be one step ahead with these new blades but it doesn’t seem “real time” to me. Am I crazy?

Terminology:

Nothing to contribute this time.

Flight Time:

20 mins.

Shop Time:

2 hrs.

Road trip:

2 hrs.


Going flying tomorrow! Yay! The Mayan Princess will be gracing us with her presence. Wonder what color she's like?...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Flight Chronicles Vol IV 052510 (w/ wounded mongoose)

Well, a lot’s happened since my last entry. My rc flight coach has become a papa for the second time! Beautiful! Between him servicing machines for the shop, taking inventory, me and Rainmaker trying to piece together kits, three-quarters time school for me, full-time work for me and family- it’s a wonder I had time to crochet a blanket for the new little person in all our lives.

The road from Long Beach to Moorpark, U.S.A. is a ninety minute trek. If I’m not driving, I take some skeins of yarn, my toolkit and my iPod. My toolkit consists of a yarn-cutter with blades that resembles a ninja sherkin and crochet hooks of every size, color and material imagineable. Bamboo, metal, plastic…I love my tools. I joked with the man that his wife couldn’t deliver until the blanket was done. I was a few days short but oh well!

During this past week, I’ve logged in two flight sessions, some assembly assistance to Rainmaker, and G5 research. I figure, with Windows for Mac I should be able to nab my own simulator and practice nose-in scale flying. He turned me loose with my nose in and I could NOT get my bearings. I felt like I was drowning, if that explains the way I was feeling… it seems a pretty fair description of my sense of helplessness. It was so windy too! The wind had been kicking up off and on all afternoon and I kept hoping it would stay. I love to fly in the wind. Josef will say, “Look at that…” when I manage to hover with the wind blowing the way it does through the little valley and over the hill we trample through in Moorpark.

My son, Nick, got to fly and Josef said, “He gets his eye-hand coordination from his mama.” (Austrian accent. Don’t forget. That makes it sound even more special.) Personally, I think kids have more eye-hand coordination because of all the video games they play.

I think, because I have no simulator at home, my fine hand manipulation is geared more towards heavy-handedness. In other words, I’m hard on the sticks. I need to learn to be deliberately lighter to make smaller movements. The simulator should fix me. Anyway, I’ve made my peace with the wind.

A few weekends ago, Rainmaker had an accident and his beloved Mongoose that we put together needed a completely new rotor head, fly bar, blades ohmigod… I had never heard or seen an rc heli crash before. The sound of it turned my stomach. It looked like it was spasming on the ground. It was beyond awful. BUT, she’s back together and ready for action this weekend!

I got an A in math. On to Colonial U.S. History, Pre-Calculus and Introduction to Ethics.

Lingo:

Fly bar
Negative pitch
Clicks

Flight time: (since last post)

40 minutes (still pathetic)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Flight Chronicles Vol III 042410 (+ creme filling)




Well, its been a while. I have nothing to report except pinches of assembly here and dashes of real flight time there. I need to get myself a simulator. My plan is to get the Real Flight G5 so I can log in some simulator hours. From what I hear, practicing on a simulator is THE best way to learn.

Flight time: 25 mins, some time in the middle of March

So? Things have been moving along nicely. I am up in Moorpark training, networking and playing practically every weekend. One weekend, I was actually too sick to do much of anything so I took a nap while the boys played. It’s been pretty crowded lately too! The more, the merrier! Just a few weeks ago, Rainmaker told me there was a gal from No. Ho. (That’s North Hollywood to all us beach folk.) She works for the film industry as part of a camera crew and had never experienced RC flying. Apparently, the Australians she had met on a trip a year or so ago decided to take her up on her offer of entertaining them should they ever decide to visit the states. She had no idea they’d be lodging with her! Heh! It was a pleasant surprise to her because they wound up being two of the most interesting house guests ever! She accompanied them to Airstar, where they planned to test fly a helicopter. (They were in the market and wound up taking two.) The boys all talked her into it and she was hooked. Just. Like. Me. And she’s good! Yay! And she’s local! Yay! Anyway…

Flight time: 20 mins

A few weekends ago, Rainmaker, Josef and I went flying and Jack, Virge, Mike and Chris showed up. It was one big happy family! Everyone knows a little something about something or has some advice which I thankfully accept and take to heart. As we’re playing/practicing, Josef hollers out that Jessica is on her way. Awesome. Most times, people say, “I’ll be back.” – and then you never see ‘em again, but Jessica was totally hooked.

Flight time: 15 mins




Last weekend, I took my babies with me. My daughter, the Mayan Princess, flies regularly with me. My son had yet to try it. He prefers paintballing, skateboarding and his X-box. (Live.) I managed to guilt him into going with me this time around. He promised he would and I cashed in my chip. I bet he’s glad he did too! He got to take a ride on an R22. Ohmigod! We were flying and eating in the field with the earwigs, ticks and ladybugs. Oh my. Ladybugs, earwigs and ticks, oh my! Josef hollers out, “That’s Mike! Mike is coming! Move out everyone!” And here comes this helicopter, with people in it!



Flight time: 25 mins

Mike has over 10K flight hours logged in as an airline pilot. He had taken the Brazilian out for a ride from Camarillo airport. Everardo the Brazilian and Frank the Italian were in town to build their own and ship it down to South America. (They took four! Damn!) Anyway, so Mike lands and he and Everardo get out. We run over after the blades stop spinning to ooh and ahhh. Oh, she was a beauty. The guys chit chat while I stare. Rainmaker talks to the pilot, turns to me and yells, “Hey, you wanna ride?!” What. Uh…

Now, I didn’t think we’d crash. And I wasn’t afraid of being up in the air. But, all I could think about was that time I went on that fucking ferris wheel at California Adventure park. Oh sure! It looks all safe and fun but once they lock you in that cage, forget it! I HATE ferris wheels. Always have. And being locked in a container suspended in midair really freaks me out. So, I thought, naturally, being in a two-seater helicopter flying over the hills would make me pee in my pants. I sent my son a text. He was lunching in the van with his sisters. He came up the hill lickety split. I gave him my ride and promised myself next time I wouldn’t be such a girl. Maybe he’ll come out to Moorpark with me more often. Yay!






Terminology:

R22
Collective
Pitch
Mode 1
Mode 2
Futaba
Exponential




Flight time:

1 hour since last I wrote.
(Pathetic. How weak is that? Don’t answer that.)

Oh! I almost forgot! Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before…I was minding my own business when all of a sudden someone yells “Run! Killer bees! Run!” Imagine someone shouting that with an Austrian accent. Out of the blue, okay? I thought it was a joke. So I look around and see this cloud coming towards me. I swear, if I had had on a headcam it would’ve looked like I was in Cloverfield. Ohmigod. The bees were coming. We were in the middle of a swarm and all we could do was run down the hill, through some bushes to our cars. I had my little 9-year-old girl running for her little life while I slipped onto my ass and wound up sliding down in front of her which worked out because if she had fallen I would have kept her from rolling. It was scary. It was beyond scary. But hey…? I thought the African bees had been domesticated. I thought they had bred with our docile little American bees and become less a threat to us. What do I know? I ran and didn’t look back.


And let's not forget the new sport that's sweeping the nation! Quidditch for Muggles. That's right. Me, Rainmaker and the kids pulled into an In N' Out burger in Moorpark and saw that their van had taken a poop on them. The team mom had on a cape. It was a sight! I wanted a picture but everyone in our car said "No!" Obviously, not HP fans. I said, more to myself than anyone in particular, "If they'd brought their brooms they wouldn't be in this situation at all..."


More real chronicles to come... Life is an adventure. Be sure to get out and get you some!

Thursday, April 1, 2010


I love my baby girl!



Things are going well at Airstar International Flight School. Official chronicle entry tomorrow.


I got my Mayan princess to come along with me and she LOVES flying! Peace out!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Flight Chronicles Vol II 030610

"...make my way back home when I learn to fly..."

Goodness gracious! Learning to fly a heli is not a walk in the park fer me. I’m not sure if this will register with anyone, gawd I hope it does, but there are different ways to teach, and different types of learners. I’m a tactile learner. It won’t matter if I hear someone say the same. thing. over. and. over. It won’t matter if I read it before I do it. I HAVE TO DO IT. I’ve tried to outsmart my own learning method but I only wind up banging my head against the wall or throwing my hands to the skies, screaming “Why?!”

Airstar’s main man, Josef, has the patience of a saint, I tell you. It’s gotta be frustrating to teach someone something that comes second nature to them. Where am I going with all this? Well, I still can’t keep the goddamn heli from flying over the hills, off into the wild blue yonder. *sigh* Now, the guys I train with seem hell-bent on teaching me to hover. They want me to hover. I say, “Show me how to bring back the heli!” Show me. Move my fingers for me. Let me watch YOU manipulate the sticks so I can copy your moves. There’s a lot to be said for muscle memory. I know my learning style! Even if I screw up royally, Josef can always take over- he’s got a manual override switch that puts him in the pilot’s seat.


Somehow, Rainmaker doesn’t sound so convinced this is a good way for me to learn. Anyhoo…
It’s rained these past two weekends in a row. I’m not complaining about the weather in California. We need the rain. But it really cuts into MY play time. Outside, anyway.
Meanwhile, back at the shop… Saturday and Sunday, I helped Rainmaker and Josef piece kits together. What I most enjoy about this entire experience is that it’s an immersion method that I take to quite well. I can see which parts are needed, what the parts are called, I know what LocTite is, and I want to get my hands on that soldering gun and do some damage. (Not really, but you know what I mean.)

I don’t know if many people use their phones to photograph on a regular basis but wow, my phone takes some of the most awesome pictures. There’s a lot to be said for natural light. The sun came out for a brief spell and we were able to take Rainmaker’s Mongoose on its first test-flight. Ohmigod. Oh. My. Gawd. She’s beautiful! Beautiful! And I got to help. What a feeling! I’m imagining calling up the factory, saying, “Yeah, I think I’ll try a black frame this time, with a white canopy.” A kit! I could paint my own dragon on it. How awesome would that be?!












FLIGHT TIME:
25 mins

It might have been a little more productive on my part had the transmitter been adjusted prior to training- a previous student tweaked everything and didn’t reset. Josef was constantly making adjustments as me and Rainmaker practiced/trained. In the end, it was all good. It’s all part of the learning experience. I just thought I was doing really, really bad but it was all the transmitter's fault. LOL

TECHNICAL TERMS:
Torque
Rotor blades
Carburetor

TOOLS:
Belt sander
Heat gun
Cap Screws
G5 Real Flight simulator (Gotta get one!)

Friday, March 5, 2010

No Rain..no rain...no rain...

Mistress is angry. Well, not angry. Disappointed. And as I run off pouting from last weekend’s rain-out, I can still chase the clouds in my dreams- with a pink helicopter. I may not have been able to fly but I got to help Rainmaker build his dream machine. Oooh, and I mounted a few servos, used a belt sander to trim some screws and watched the big machine make some more parts. I love the shop! Being in the shop is like winning the golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s factory, you know?

Last Saturday, the rain in Moorpark was sporadic but brutal. Hey! Perfect time for Josef and his pals to test-fly a new waterproof prototype. And I was there to witness it all! Wow. I took Nick, my son, and HE couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. (He’s got my dimples.) Why would anyone wanna fly a remote controlled helicopter in the rain, you wonder? Well, why the hell not?

So, me and Rainmaker are gonna head out there tomorrow and build, build, build a Mongoose. Maybe two. Would that be Mongeese?! LOL! Rain is in the forecast- again. The entire weekend? Come on… So, when Josef says, during a break in the rain, “Come on guys, lets go flying!”- me and Rainmaker are gonna have to tear ourselves away from the Mongoose to learn to fly.

Wish me luck!