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.