It's been a while in the coming but my prototype 100inch Falcon model has arrived.
If I can stop myself being too distracted I'll post some more as I go. But here are a couple of pics to show the model, joiner and comparison with the harrier wing.
The finish and stiffness feel stunning to my first fondle
With a house moving coming up this week and the Falcon prototypes only held up by Easter it's time to get ready.
Like the Harrier, the Falcon is designed to take the King Max servos and frames. So time to get the servos in the frames and wiring loom finished. I've been flying the Harrier prototype wing for over a year now with my first set of King max servos with no issues or slop.
yes I'm excited and yes I really need to get out more.
2 consecutive days flying does not happen to me very often any more but today it felt like spring had arrived on Whitesheet. The wind did fill in during the day but remained very variable and intermittent. If you had the nerve to keep going after scratching around and looking for a land out option, there was usually a thermal coming through for you to wish you had put ballast in.
Every reason that Whitesheet can infuriate as a race venue made it an excellent day's sports flying.
As with just about all conditions I felt most comfortable flying the Harrier and as usual I didn't think to use both models. Having the courage to launch and a well set up model rewarded the growing group of pilots. It is nice to fly in such calm conditions to really see the shape of the turns I was pulling and how the energy was carrying through.
Regular up-dates on the Falcon's progress through the UPS international airports were a reminder of the work to be done next week!
It's just great to be back flying and seeing other guys on the hill. The spring winds have been cold but it's fantastic that the Harrier has been getting some air time. Combining the model that I have learnt the characteristics of, with a new Radio that gives me more options is proving good fun to change set up slowly and progressively.
I've been flying more inland slopes recently with the variability that this brings. The Harrier has proved that it can carry more ballast than I have got used to in previous years. Different set ups have aloud me to widen the wind range that each ballast weight will fly fast in. Driving the Harrier through the turns (really rolling before touching elevator) carries the speed through the turns nicely- I'm enjoying this spring more than I have for a good few years.
With the Harrier making me so happy it almost feels like I'm being unfaithful that I'm so excited that the new prototype 100 inch model is in the air and coming over for me to put together and thrash. Pictures will follow!
Setting up a model like the Harrier and getting used to that set up is a very personal thing that takes a good while to get used to, like any new relationship. With the limited flying over the winter, this process had taken me quite a while. The Harrier’s characteristics makes it very easy to get to a ‘good’ set up and its tempting to just leave it. Combined with the variability of inland flying conditions its easy to convince your self that you’ve got the set up all right or completely wrong.
My lockdown big spend
was the Jeti DS 12 radio, after I decided to ditch the old Multiplex Evo
pro. The first impression in the workshop
was the increased servo speed and resolution from the new radio but what about
in the air. The Jeti can do more things
and has more options to fiddle with. Time
to start trying some options, snap flap on some different curves, some free mix
options and turn off the volume.
It’s my first new
radio in quite a while and the different radio made me feel that I was flying a
new model again. I always liked having differential
and elevator DR on the dials with my multiplex, this is still available with the
Jeti- but after only a couple of flights the thing that I missed more than
anything was the dials clicking as you rotate them. Between this, cold fingers and the different shaped
box I soon got confused and turned this option off.
Adjustments are going
to have to happen on the ground for a while!
This has turned out to be quite a good thing, being forced to flying for
longer between adjustments has meant that the Harrier has flown in good bad and
indifferent conditions between set up changes.
The thumbs on the
controls haven’t changed but it does feel that I have made some noticeable incremental
improvements to the set up. While it’s
not surprising that with the Harrier ballasted up to 4kg, when the lift booms
she zooms it’s been great fun to fly it using the Jeti as I get more comfortable
with my new relationship.
The Falcon model is one that I have mentioned a few times, 100 inch wings is a size that I love. Getting the design and molds right takes time and it feels even longer during lock down.
The first test model has come out of the molds this week, it still needs cleaning up and surfaces cutting in the pictures! I have the King max servos ready to drop in as soon as the shipment arrives, Neil at flight Tech I know is really keen to get the models going but they're going to be thoroughly tested before made available. Getting the Falcon right is very important.
The stormy weather of the last few weeks means that you have to be very determined to want to go out on even your local hills. So I just couldn't help myself, Harrier and Dog both accompanying my on a very lonely hillside, the dog's reservations were made very clear to me but I couldn't help myself.
Full ballast on this Harrier is 1.3kg, bringing the total weight to nearly 4kg and after the latest hail storm passed the wind measured just under 40mph (big air and full ballast sorted). After taking the plunge and buying a Jeti radio I was interested to find out how a delayed snapflap would work but mainly I needed some fun. The combination of the Jeti radio and the Kingmax servos is fast and responsive on the bench.
It was wild, the Harrier covered what felt like miles of sky and handled the conditions probably better than I did, the days of control fade are well and truley over. With all the new twiddly bits on my radio I had the chance to try putting the snapflap on a curve and even 1mm of reflex. Both had the effect of making the elevator less sensitive around the neutral point (you probably guessed that) and helped to keep things smooth as things built.
I think my new programming had a positive effect on the speed but with so much energy and variation in the air the only thing you can say for certain is that when the air was good she went like a rocket! I'm trying not to jump to conclusions after just 1 short session, after a long winter it felt like so much more. As clubs start to open the chance for more flying and less programming will increase.
