I have wings again!

nospam@example.com (Mike Davis) — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:32:30 -0800

Well I would have to say that I'm not cut out to be a hard core blogger. But it's still a fun way to share tidbits of information from time to time. So while I may not post regularly, I think I'll leave the site up and post when the urge grabs me.

BIG NEWS! I bought an airplane! Yes, I'm still building an experimental aircraft, but that's years away from completion still... and besides, it was Bethe's idea. No really! I recently joined the Civil Air Patrol, and while at my first meeting met a couple who were trying to sell their airplane. I told them that while I wasn't in the market, I'd certainly pass it on. Later while telling Bethe about the meeting, I mentioned the airplane... she asked if it was a nice plane, and a good deal. When I said that yes, it was a great deal, she hit me with 5 words I still have to repeat to myself just to be sure I heard them... "Why don't you buy it?". Well, after I picked my jaw up off the floor I did just that. So I am now the proud owner of N22563, a 1968 Cessna 150H.

I real quick went out and got my BFR so that I was legal again, and am looking forward to some great flying! I took Bethe out for about an hour last Sunday, and it was a beautiful day, the wind was calm, and the sky was clear enough that we could see Denali well. We flew west out to Minto Flats, and really enjoyed the fall colors in the hills. I only had about 4 hours in a 150 before I bought this one, but I took the BFR in a 150, and am finding it a very easy airplane to fly... I guess that's why it's used primarily as a trainer!

My airplane has a few mods that make it real nice for flying in Alaska. It has a climb prop, 7.00 mains and a 6.00 on the nose, and VGs on the wings and vertical stab. Where a typical 150 will start dropping like a rock if you get it below 60 mph on approach, I fly final at 60 and cross the numbers at 55 in this one, and still have enough speed for a nice flare. I give up a little cruise speed, but at 85-90 mph, I have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery... and that's a lot of what flying in Alaska is about.

Gettin' ready for some fun in the sun!

nospam@example.com (Mike Davis) — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 15:30:11 -0900

One of my favorite past times is playing with airplanes... big or small, I love'em all! I just finished working on a new one that is definately on the small end of the scale. The ready to fly weight of this airplane is 10.9 ounces! This type of airplane is known as a foamie, because they are primarily made out of... you guessed it, foam. This particular airplane is made from 6mm depron foam, the wings are re-enforced with carbon fiber front and back to make them stiff. Power is provided by a small electric motor running on a Lithium Polymer battery.

Developments in batteries and flight electronics over the last couple of years have made a tremendous impact to this type of flying. The performace of this type of aircraft is absolutely phenominal! It's a little windy today, so I'm going to wait for a calmer day before making that first flight... but I'm sure looking forward to it.

If you're interested in seeing just how well these little airplanes fly, here is a link to a video on the manufacturers web site. http://www.billyhellrc.com/fomojo.html

Thinking Space - Airplanes

I have wings again!

Gettin' ready for some fun in the sun!