What did you fly today?

[Hugh Wiedman]

Got invited out to the field today to help my good friend Marvin Alvarez who was tasked with doing a flight video and photographs for BH's website on her new version of the Gulfstream, soon to be available. Marvin is a rep for BH, BVM Jets and others and is primarily a builder and scheme refinisher for customers all over the US of large Turbine Jets. He's the best pilot I 've seen and a hell of a photographer, and while large turbines are his specialty, he's equally astute with electric foamies. A couple years ago he took a FW AL37 to Top Gun and won 1st place with it in the electric division.

He flew the Gulfstream while I did the videos and photography using his outstanding equipment (sure beats the hell out of my phone photos and videos). I didn't expect to fly much so took my 60" Hangar 9 Beast Bi-Plane, one of my favorites (and the 3rd electric I ever got) but don't get to fly it much as it takes up all the space in my truck (never take the wings off-it's too much trouble). Lately been concentration on warbird props and EDF's. I liked the Beast so much that I also bought the last one available when it was discontinued just for spare parts. Still have that one NIB, as this is one of the few I've never had a single mishap with. Even put the RC sound system in, strange for a balsa/monokote aircraft, but it still adds a little flavor.

The photos and video I took should be up on the BH website shortly, but in the meantime I'm including a few here. I'm not going to give an in-depth review (I'll leave that to the experts), but I will say this is one outstanding aircraft (and that surprised the hell out of me). I'm sure FW's will be equally great. It's perfectly powered, has outstanding flight characteristics and lands incredibly slowly, unlike the AL37. It's perfectly comfortable cruising around at below 40% throttle but will bolt away when going to the fire wall and gets off grass in less than 50 feet. 7 minutes on a SMC 5300 and over 10 on a SMC 6200 flying scale like with several high speed passes (unless you go full bore all the time). The finish and quality of the foam is excellent (but can't wait to see some exciting re-paints we all know are coming) and this version has some neat features like coming with a gyro, recessed passenger windows, chrome with rivets on the cockpit window frame and those little white swirly things on the fan hubs (whatever they're called). The absolute only negative I have is that it comes with XT90 battery connectors off the ESC and all my batteries are EC5 (wow, what a huge negative!). Anyway, here's some photos to "wet your appetite" followed by a very short video Marvin posted on You Tube of one of his landings (when you see it, you won't believe how slow it's moving, and no, the video is at normal speed and winds were calm so it wasn't flying into a 30 mph headwind!

Hate to say it, but I may end up getting one of these. Feel like a former Hell's Angel ditching his Harley and buying a MiniVan!


Forgot the Video, See Next Post:

[Elbee]

Now that's really 'keeping your head on a swivel'. You are getting fighter pilot neck sitting in a lawn chair. How do you explain that to the flight surgeon? Love what ya'll are doing. Best, LB

[Turbinefancy]

TF, That is just amazing. I suppose it's as good as you're going to get without shrinking yourself and adding stick & rudder. Outstanding. Best, LB

Thanks Elbee! It may seem that way, but this FPV setup is an older one that has laggy head-tracker and has drift issues. Also the servos in the gimbal aren’t very smooth. We have been spoiled flying in better setups in Jets. So when I went back to flying the Spitfire, it feels like quite a challenge. For example, my head position to keep camera centered at end of the flight was nearly 60° off to the left of head position when I started the flight. Since there is no quick re-center button in flight, I can only rotate my seat to compensate. Not easy in the middle of aerobatics or when focusing on staying in formation😅

[Oxotnik]

I did toy rockets today, but managed to take advantage of the wide open rocket range to sneak in a few flights of my FlightLIne FW-190 Dora

[Elbee]

Immersive head-tracking FPV flying in a Spitfire cockpit; some aerobatics and mock fighting

TF, That is just amazing. I suppose it's as good as you're going to get without shrinking yourself and adding stick & rudder. Outstanding. Best, LB

[BluesDragon]

Had a visitor join me for a couple sunrise flights this morning. My phone pic skills suck, but he/she looked quite content.

[Turbinefancy]

Immersive head-tracking FPV flying in a Spitfire cockpit; some aerobatics and mock fighting

[f4u ausie]

Something very different for me as an EDF guy, today was the maiden of the phoenix model 94" stuka. Electric set up with 160kv on 12S swinging a 23x10.

Models of this weight in Australia require inspection and certification by a heavy model inspector. 12.5kg ready to fly.

Passed inspection with flying colours and the maiden went off without a hitch. What a buzz.

The brothers over the pond did vid,, on a stuka.. what a cool plane with its fixed gear.. well done shaggers.. awsome aicraft

[Oxotnik]

mshagg, being the Luftwaffe warbird fan that I am, I have looked at that Phoenix Power-160 Stuka many times. I've been hesitant to pop on it though, for a few reasons. After you get a few more flights on it, and the newness has worn off, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it, and if you're happy with it (for whatever reasons have meaning to you). I think that my next large-scale warbird will be the Phoenix 30-cc P-47, whenever it comes back in stock.

[Elbee]

mshagg , Acknowledged and agreed with xviper and Hugh Wiedman, Outstanding and an Axis airframe I would own. Best, Steve

[Hugh Wiedman]

mshagg Outstanding, that's something I could get into!

[xviper]

Magnificent!

[mshagg]

Something very different for me as an EDF guy, today was the maiden of the phoenix model 94" stuka. Electric set up with 160kv on 12S swinging a 23x10.

Models of this weight in Australia require inspection and certification by a heavy model inspector. 12.5kg ready to fly.

Passed inspection with flying colours and the maiden went off without a hitch. What a buzz.

[Oxotnik]

A few weeks ago, my 1.7m FMS P-51 went into the trees. She emerged from the rebuild and decided to play for the other team. :-)

A few weeks ago


Today

[BluesDragon]

Beautiful morning for some flight time! Granted it was our last meeting before the Winter Warbirds event coming up at the end of the month.. but I took advantage and got in a few flights. The Night Timber I run right before sunrise. Just to make peeps think they're seeing a UFO as they're driving by on the main road. The Commander is my go to. It's a sweet flier that helps to get my confidence up. Then came the Vulcan.. yes, it is my 1st edf model. After today, it's safe to say it won't be my last. Flew it on a 4000 50c Smart battery. It was nerve wrackingly awesome! Also my 1st flights of the year.

[Hugh Wiedman]

Hugh, your CO looks as though she likes the turbine Hornet.
If one of those showed up here, I'd be looking for a new address and "she whose authority exceeds my rank" would be placing an ad in the classified section here with one for sale..cheap.

Best, LB

Got the same reaction from her initially when I jokingly told her he was building it for me and I think I heard her mutter something like "That's the Last Straw". Then told her I was just kidding, and she laughed but not sure she really meant it. Ever since then she's been eyeing me like a lioness that hasn't eaten in month, so I'm "Skatin on Thin Ice" here.

All the best to my "Brothers from Another Mother", can't tell everyone how much I appreciate everyone's help. Have a great New Year's and see you on the other side!

[Elbee]

Hugh, your CO looks as though she likes the turbine Hornet.
If one of those showed up here, I'd be looking for a new address and "she whose authority exceeds my rank" would be placing an ad in the classified section here with one for sale..cheap.

Best, LB

[Hugh Wiedman]

One also must have a certain attitude towards this level of modelling. As an example, I attended a turbine jet event some years ago. There was one that was valued at around $25,000.00. On its first flight of the day, something went wrong and the plane drove itself full throttle vertically into the ground. Even though it was over 1/2 mile away, all we could see was this cloud of debris from the impact. The owner seemed to just shrug it off as he got into a pick up truck to go fetch the pieces. He had 4 others in his trailer. I would not be able to shrug it off like that and that would be one of my biggest handicaps.

You're exactly right! I suppose if you have that kind of money, you can't let loosing it in an instant bother you. We seem to have more than our fair share of expensive turbine owners in our club, maybe 100 of them. Not sure why their wives can't figure out how to spend more of their money faster, but a bunch of these guys show up at the field with a new expensive turbine at least once a month (most that someone else builds for them). I get into some good natured ribbing with all of them about the cost of their toys (most are pretty good guys, especially since they seem to represent that 1% out there). One guy, who I never let a chance to bother go by, always has a new one in his trailer when he comes out and one day he was getting on me that all I do is fly these cheap foamies, load them up with a lot of weight in paint and graphics and should get into turbines like he is. That day he wrapped his latest new turbine into the electric lines. I helped him retrieve it and he seemed not to care that much and then I said to him "Now You Know Why I Stick With These Cheap Foamies". The best part is he always has a tough time getting in the center on the runway on landing so at our club meetings I always propose that the lawn mowers widen our grass runway to keep his turbines from ripping their gear off since he can't stay in the short grass! When he actually does hit the center, we all cheer sarcastically and tell him that even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut.

[xviper]

You and me both, I'm not able to come financial close enough to even sniff their exhaust!

One also must have a certain attitude towards this level of modelling. As an example, I attended a turbine jet event some years ago. There was one that was valued at around $25,000.00. On its first flight of the day, something went wrong and the plane drove itself full throttle vertically into the ground. Even though it was over 1/2 mile away, all we could see was this cloud of debris from the impact. The owner seemed to just shrug it off as he got into a pick up truck to go fetch the pieces. He had 4 others in his trailer. I would not be able to shrug it off like that and that would be one of my biggest handicaps.

[Hugh Wiedman]

Those are way over my pay grade.

You and me both, I'm not able to come financial close enough to even sniff their exhaust!