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…

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?...

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)

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!

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!

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!)

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!

Flight Chronicles Vol I 022210

Flight Log I
Skydate: February 20th, 2010
Instructor: Josef Joebstl
Student(s): Mistress of the Sky, Rainmaker

We, each, logged in approximately forty (40) minutes today. Our original flight training area was difficult to access due to the rain. We climb up this embankment to reach the “airfield” but the rains made it too muddy to climb. Shoot, a few weekends ago, Andrew slid, ever-so-gracefully, down what should be a GRASSY knoll. It was so graceful, no one laughed. Cheers!

Private Log:

We were scheduled to arrive at 10am Saturday morning but I wanted breakfast so, being designated driver this time around, I picked up the man and we went to Harbor House Café in Shoreline. It’s a long road from Long Beach to Moorpark, U.S.A. True. But, roadtrips with good company, a full tank of gas and a great iPod playlist make it darn near pleasant. So, we get there nearly an hour early and wait. Luckily, I brought along my yarn and crochet hooks- I worked on an orange beanie while the man slept…

Josef arrives a half hour early and opens up the shop. Yay! I can’t say what it is but there’s something about shiny metal that fascinates me. I let the guys get to work while I started taking pictures. Running your own business is no walk in the park. There’s no doubt about that. Thankfully, Josef enjoys what he does. He’s happy working in his shop. Andrew enjoys working on his baby- I wonder if he’s gonna name the Mongoose. I would. I’d call it Orion. I might have to change my color scheme…

I watch as Josef makes parts and Andrew looks for others. I am beginning to understand and appreciate all the labor and expertise that goes into the making of one of these amazing mechanical wonders. The smile they bring to my face, there’s a signature on someone’s RunRyder that says I’ll be forever looking to the sky now that I’ve experienced “flight”. Sad. True. And beautiful.

Flight Log: Part I (cont’d)

Near lunch time, we go out for pizza. Josef foots the bill and waits for us at the airfield. There were fewer people there than last weekend. Cool!

Andrew had to run grab something, so Josef hollers, “Lisa, you get to go first!” Uh. No. It’s alright. Really. Shoot…

I strap on the harness and hook up the transmitter. Have I mentioned how cumbersome that harness thing is? Those harnesses aren’t unisex sizes – 1) women have breasts and 2) mostly men fly these things. “You ready?” Ohmigod. I relax and holler back “Yeah!” Now, keep in mind, I had no practice on the simulator. I won’t crash because Josef can take control any time. What I do, is try to imagine it’s just me and the Mongoose. Me. The Mongoose. And the sky. I try to imagine it’s all me.

I hadn’t taken off the ground yet, only on the simulator, so Josef lifts off and hovers at about five feet then lets me go. Wow…what a feeling! It’s not real- the power. Sure, I’m controlling it but I’M not flying and yet, I feel like a hawk. Every so often, the fact that I’m actually controlling its every movement escapes me and instinct takes over. That automatic maneuvering. Autopilot? Some of it is becoming second nature. Now if I could just keep the thing from flying off into the distance…

Andrew has his turn. Verg shows up. Joey too! I was over the fact I’d be the only woman by my first post on RunRyder. We’re just friends who gathered to play. Verg, it seems, is the master of “nose in landing”. I think I got that right.

My third session, after refueling and taking turns with Andrew and Verg, Josef lets me lift off. Let me tell you: it’s not as easy as it looks on the frickin’ simulator. The simulator is more forgiving. I have a go at it. The first few attempts have me rolling quickly to the right or left. The third or fourth time, I got it right. Ssshhh…I just cranked it. There was no deliberation on my part. I was frustrated. I was anxious but determined. So, I pushed hard but it must have been steady enough to take off noticeably smoother.

TERMS:

FPV
torque
belt sander
Futaba
collective
pitch
roll
heading
servo

Private Log (cont’d):

Even Josef complimented me on that final lift-off. I really didn’t have the heart to tell him it was an accident. Have I mentioned what a wonderful instructor he is? And Andrew is a patient man to deal with my learning style. They’re wonderful men and if I haven’t thanked them for giving me wings, I’ll be sure to the next time we get together. The belt sander was cool. And there are metal shavings all over the floor of the Airstar shop. They sparkle like mirrors in the sun. The shop is a happy place!

Pre-Flight Jitters

I have had zero practice on the simulator since the last time I flew. Bad girl! I am definitely going to have to get my own simulator/software so I can log in some hours on that thing. My friend says it’s helped him a lot and Josef usually asks him if he’s spent any time on it whenever he instructs him. He’s definitely getting better and better each time he flies. Thank our lucky stars we’ve got what’s equivalent to a “Student Driver” transmitter and Josef can take over when we get into a spot of trouble.

Last weekend, Feb.13th, out in Moorpark, the wind was insane. Of course I couldn’t feel it up there but I could tell by the way the helicopter was reacting to or resisting my commands. All I could do was watch as the wind carried the Mongoose out into space. Noooo...! I was losing it and Josef had to switch over to bring it back to me. “Watch your heading!” And he has this awesome Austrian accent like Schwarzenegger so to have him directing me as I learn to fly is fun! I don’t know how else I would have learned on my own.

Well, I know… I might have invested in expensive pieces of equipment only to see it all come crashing down. Ohmigod, I would have cried.


So, tomorrow, Feb 20th, as my friend’s helicopter construction continues, we will both be taking flight lessons at the Airstar International Flight School* up in Moorpark. Rain is in the forecast.
If it rains, the plan is to spend the day at the shop- building helicopters. Cool! Every opportunity to spend in the shop is a learning opportunity for me. Hearing all the lingo fly around- like, transmitter, rotor head, pitch, hex driver, etc- it’s gotta rub off on me sometime. Right?






(Mongoose in progress! Awesome!)






Hmm…a title for my flight chronicles. RunRyder flight pro's think it's most definitely a good idea to keep a log of some kind. “Captain’s Log” is far too pretentious as I am nowhere near “captain” status. Besides, James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard have already used it. Up for consideration:

Sky Mistress Chronicles
Mistress Log (Sounds like a cheap BDSM blog)
Airstar Apprentice (Ooh, I like that one!)
Flight Chronicles of the Mistress of the Sky (Too long. Good book title, though.)
Flight Chronicles (Simple. My 2nd choice.)
Flight Chronicles of an Airstar Apprentice (Lengthy but catchy! 1st Choice.)


Things to Do:

practice on the simulator
start saving for your first crash
read the assembly manual for the Mongoose (familiarize yourself with parts)
Google whatever you don’t know

Like, wtf is aileron, and did I spell it right?


*Airstar International Flight School is a fictitious educational establishment but the company is real.

RC Flying

A few months ago I went to an RC convention in Ontario, CA with one of my best friends. Something to do, I guess- I wasn’t in the market. We wound up hovering around the glider section and this red Habicht caught my eye. He bought a Discus. I couldn’t get over the fact there was an actual convention dedicated to this stuff and I started taking pictures. They were all beautiful. In the weeks that followed, we went to scout locations in Palos Verdes.

My friend let me try out his simulator he uses to practice for flying his Mongoose up in Moorpark. It was a little dull but if I was ever going to fly my own I’d need to at least learn to hover. (Close to the ground!) He took me with him to fly since I had expressed an interest. Apparently, a bunch of guys gather there on any given weekend to play. There were no other women in sight- at least, not on the field. There was one sitting in a car looking bored out of her mind.

Call it beginner’s luck but I took to flying immediately, met the owner of Airstar AND wound up training with him. Talk about a crash course in RC everything! The simulator did not prepare me for the rush! How can someone put into words the joy of discovery, the fear of failure and the tension of being an amateur in a group of seasoned men? I might have looked out of my element, being the only woman in a group of men, but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I was hooked. The last toy I had was a Malibu Barbie. I’m not ready to fly solo just yet and it’s a strange dream for a girl to have but that didn’t stop Amelia Earhart. All I want to know is- when I am proficient on the simulator and the Airstar instructor tells me I’m ready- can I get one in hot pink? Might be the first!

I've been to the shop and I'm not surprised to see there are no hot pink selections. (Houston, we have a problem.) Watching the machinist and my guy piece one together is amazing!

alchemy

"Zero SPF" is the title of the first poem I ever wrote. Maybe I'll post some poetry. For now, I'm looking for an angle- something just middle of the road enough not to offend the browsers BUT wild enough to make people wonder... about anything and everything.

So, about me: hydro is my nickname in close circles.
For a cause, I'm called the phoenix.
The stars are my friends. (Think: Polaris or Aldebaran...)
I must have music, books, yarn and human contact to be content.

More later, if and when I have something stuck in my craw.