It was one of those days...
After a year off from flying, I'm getting back into it. A buddy of mine decided to get back into it too. I'm [i]supposed[/i] to be the somewhat seasoned veteran, he's still sort of a newbie. He bought an Airmadillo 20 and put his OS 40 LA on it. I told him I'd check it over and buddy box him for a couple of flights just to make sure he was good to go. I checked his plane to make sure all the screws were tight, that it was balanced, and that everything was moving in the right direction. After that we tried to start the engine. Here's where the fun begins. We spent the good part of an hour (In the Texas heat) trying to get the darned thing started. We tried different glow plugs, cranked the needle valve around a hundred different ways, and drained a 12 volt starter battery, all to no avail. After I was thourougly discouraged and pissed off it dawned on me. He had the fuel line running right from the tank into the engine, [b]bypassing the remote needle valve completely.[/b] After getting the needle valve back in the picture, it cranked right up and we were flying in no time. I feel dumb for having the problem right there under my nose for an hour and it not dawning on me. Oh well...
Posted on: 7/14/2004 10:06 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1991815

RE: I saw a bad one today (pictures)
That's my father-in-laws, website. Now I've switched it over to my personal webspace at cox-internet. I'll be surprised if it doesn't melt down. I'm not sure how much bandwidth I'm allowed.
Posted on: 3/15/2004 2:06 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1626803

RE: I saw a bad one today (pictures)
On my computer at home I think. They'll have to wait until tonight.
Posted on: 3/15/2004 1:46 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1626728

RE: I saw a bad one today (pictures)
Ok, fellas, here's the link to the clip. I've got it hosted right now but can't promise it'll be up forever depending on how much bandwidth we eat up. [link=http://www.cox-internet.com/33bd4u/images/IMAC_crash.wmv]IMAC Crash[/link]
Posted on: 3/15/2004 1:40 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1626710

RE: I saw a bad one today (pictures)
Sorry guys, I'll see if I still have the pics. I know a buddy of mine has the video clip on his site. Lemme see if I can find it. For what it's worth the pics weren't taken down out of some conspiracy, I changed internet providers and the pics got yanked.
Posted on: 3/15/2004 1:23 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1626668

RE: George Miller Cannon-My great uncle and P-38 Pilot (PICTURES)
Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
Posted on: 2/26/2004 5:21 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1567827

No thanks (Runway 25, Kodiak Alaska)
I stumbled across this while doing an image search.
Posted on: 2/26/2004 12:30 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Airplanes - Full Scale"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1565755

RE: My first try
I gave it a whirl today. Here are the results...
Posted on: 11/29/2003 10:55 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Aerial Photography and Video"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1315440

RE: What do you do for a living?
I'm a "Senior Compensation Analyst" for Texas A&M University. - Big title, not so big pay. I look at job descriptions all day and am supposed to determine what title & salary people should have. There are 8 women and myself in my office. I think I'm growing breasts. I afford the hobby by flying what ammounts to a spad, and buying little more than a gallon of fuel per month. Club dues & AMA is due this month, guess I'll have to suck it up.
Posted on: 11/28/2003 11:35 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1313549

RE: My first try
yb2normal, Fubar-One is correct. The wing is coroplast and the fues is aluminum. I've owned two dillos in my few years of flying and love them. They are tough, ugly, and don't fly half bad. I've done some pretty bad things to mine and have had them back in the air in 10-20 minutes. Definately not the snappiest plane in the world but tons of fun. Tomorrow the wind is forcast to be 15-25 mph in the afternoon and I'm going to fly anyway. If I crash it's no biggie. I'm try to post some pics when I get them developed.
Posted on: 11/22/2003 11:15 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Aerial Photography and Video"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1298532

RE: My first try
An easy fix. Thanks for the advice.
Posted on: 11/21/2003 5:09 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Aerial Photography and Video"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1295782

My first try
I'm sure I'm light years behind you guys but I figure, what the heck. Airmadillo 60 with a cheap 35 mm camera zip-tied to the wing. Servo is glued to the camera with 30 minute epoxy. The first photo flight will be on Sunday. I'll try some with the motor running and some dead stick. Any words of wisdom?
Posted on: 11/21/2003 4:20 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Aerial Photography and Video"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1295634

RE: Your first crash? I want to hear about it...
Nothing really exciting. It was with my 1st trainer and I had all of a few minutes time on the buddy box. I got to the field and nobody else was there. Why should I let that stop me right? I take off climb out, fly the racetrack pattern, knees are knocking but I’m doing ok all in all. I try to land with the wind, abort several approaches, and finally lose control and spiral in a hundred yards or so from the runway. I remember seeing the impact and hearing it a split second later. I stuffed the plane in a trashcan and didn’t fly again for 3-4 years. Knowing what I know now, it could have been repaired fairly easy. (It was an ARF and I had no clue how to build/repair)
Posted on: 11/18/2003 11:54 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1287002

My first warbird, anything I need to know?
Negative on the retracts. I'm not sure what kind of gear it has, but they look pretty scale-like.
Posted on: 6/24/2003 2:54 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=893223

My first warbird, anything I need to know?
A guy gave me this Great Planes Semi-scale 40 size Corsair. All I've gotta add is cover, engine & radio. I've been flying for a year or so now and have pretty much flown trainers, profiles, and an uproar. Do any of you have any words of wisdom before I try to fly this thing? Thanks Wes
Posted on: 6/24/2003 1:32 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=893220

So What's everyone doing on Father's Day
Hopefully wading the grass flats of Christmas Bay.
Posted on: 6/11/2003 6:00 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=851974

Ok...Lets hear some funny crash stories...
Not a crash but this is as good a place as any… Years ago, a radio let go while a guy in our club was flying. He lost all control and the plane buzzed out of sight, more or less straight and level. He turned off his radio and sat down at a table to smoke a cigarette. Somewhere between 3-5 minutes later we start hearing the buzz of an engine, look up, and the little plane is headed back our way. He turns on his radio, the plane responds, and he brings it in for a landing.
Posted on: 5/20/2003 3:52 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "RC Humor"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=570740

Do you ever feel like you're stagnat in the hobby?
I’ve been flying for a year and a half now and have been reflecting on my time in the hobby. I learned to fly quickly. After much simulator time and one buddy box flight, I went solo and haven’t looked back since. I’ve gone from flying every chance I got (10-15 hours a week), to thinking that I wanted to impress everyone doing all sorts of crazy 3d stuff (never learned), to just being happy making it out to the field once a week and spending a few hours flying/bs’ing with everyone. I hardly read the AMA magazine, and unlike a year ago, I toss the tower hobbies mail outs in the trash after a cursory look. I can loop, roll, spin, go inverted 6” off the field and all that stuff but that’s the extent of it. Sometimes I think it’s bad that I’ve lost the desire to learn to do all sorts of crazy stuff in the air. Other times not. In the end I guess all that really matters is that I still enjoy doing it and I’ve made some good friends at the field. I can see myself still doing this 10 years from now, but I have no desire (or money for that matter) to build a 1/3 scale extra and hover a foot off the ground.
Posted on: 5/12/2003 3:05 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=766647

I saw a bad one today (pictures)
Here's where it broke. [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/jadams/images/Crash%20008.jpg[/IMG] The thing that got me about the whole crash is how long it seemed in my mind. I was standing there at the fence and this huge thing was headed right for me. I had no clue which way to run. I remember thinking that with my luck I'd try to run away from it and end up running right into its path. It's terribly hard to judge direction & distance in those situations. I ended up standing in the same place and hoping for the best. I'm having some serious 2nd thoughts about taking my 4 year old daughter to the field with me.
Posted on: 5/4/2003 8:49 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=744080

I saw a bad one today (pictures)
The tail of this airplane twisted off while doing a snap roll during the freestyle part of our IMAC competition. For a while it looked like it was headed right into the crowd but luckily it ended up on the field. I'll have a video clip of the whole thing soon. Before [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/jadams/images/IMAC%20015.jpg[/IMG] During [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/jadams/images/Crash%20001.jpg[/IMG] After [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/jadams/images/Crash%20005.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/jadams/images/Crash%20009.jpg[/IMG]
Posted on: 5/4/2003 8:24 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=744077

Two stroke –vs- four stroke crash survivability
I’ve been in the hobby for a couple of years and only fly 2 stroke engines. I’ve been thinking about buying a 4 stroke but don’t know much about how they fare in a crash. I fly ugly indestructible type planes and like everyone else, tend to crash every now and then. Do 4 stroke engines sustain more damage than their 2 stroke brothers (resulting in higher repair costs)?
Posted on: 4/28/2003 3:15 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Crash & Rebuild"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=727807

Brazos Valley Modelers 2003 Junkyard Wars pictures
We had a fun event yesterday. 4 teams of 4 people had to pick from a bunch of junk & build an airplane. The restrictions were we could only use a .40 engine and a pusher prop. All but the biplane flew (my teams entry :( ), some better than the others... [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/baitshack/DSC00236.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/baitshack/DSC00237.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/baitshack/DSC00249.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/baitshack/DSC00250.JPG[/IMG] How's this for adding some last minute weight to the nose! It flew pretty well until the loop portion of the contest. [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/baitshack/DSC00255.JPG[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.cox-internet.com/baitshack/DSC00260.JPG[/IMG]
Posted on: 3/30/2003 6:52 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=658425

Duraplane vs. Airmadillo vs. Spadet
ND_newbie, if you have any questions putting that dillo together let me know and I'll help. I could even email you some up close pics of mine if you need me to. Everything is pretty straighforward. Don't forget to put one of those little nylon spacers between the bottom of the wing & the frame (on the rear wing bolt) before you fly. It'll fly without it but it tends to balloon up. Wes [email]crash_in_turn3@yahoo.com[/email]
Posted on: 3/22/2003 2:54 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=592059

Duraplane vs. Airmadillo vs. Spadet
I've flown both the airmadillo and the duraplane trainers. I learned on an Airmadillo Trainer and now own another Airmadillo Kombat 60 with a TT GP61 up front. I love these planes. The dillo will take a real beating. I watched my cousin slam one into the woods full throttle and it resulted in a bent frame, cracked wing spar, and broken prop. All were fixed within a few hours. Two weekends ago I planted mine doing inverted passes over the field. I was back in the air in 20 minutes after repairing minimal damage. The duraplane is quicker and a bit more agile. It likes to land hot, and will suffer greater damage in a crash. If you read the instructions for the duraplane (Page 15) [url]http://www.duraplane.com/manuals/dura1111-manual.pdf[/url] it says "The duraplane trainer 40 is intended for intermediate to expert level pilots Beginners can enjoy the trainer 40 also, if they have had experience flying trainer modesl". I still haven't figured that one out... The foam will break and the gutterpipe fues will smash. Covering the foam wing is a pain too. The two main drawbacks of the dillo are exposed servos (you might get dirt/oil on them), and the fact that they get very little respect at the field.
Posted on: 3/18/2003 4:06 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=592053

Durable plane?
This won't make me very popular, but I pretty much taught myself to fly with the help of a LOT of simulator time and a Kombat Airmadillo. [url]http://www.kombat40.com/[/url] I own two of these planes and more often than not, they are the ones I toss in the back of the truck when I go flying. They are ugly, somewhat heavy, but they fly stable and can take a real beating. Last weekend I planted mine doing inverted passes over the field and had her back in the air in 20 minutes. I would recommend getting the help of an instructor but I don't want to completely rule out learning by simulator. FMS simulator is free and is a great tool for learning. FMS sim [url]http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html[/url]
Posted on: 3/16/2003 4:49 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=625095

Is the Airmadillo considered a spad?
Aluminum frame, coroplast wings & tail. Whaddaya think? I'm fairly new to this hobby, have built a few kits, but the airmadillo is the one I usually throw in the truck when I want to head down to the field.
Posted on: 1/7/2003 3:38 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "S.P.A.D. Aircraft - Coroplast design"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=465996

Constant rain every day for over 2 weeks-I'm losing it!
I feel your pain, I'm in College Station.
Posted on: 11/5/2002 1:41 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=349756

Ever fly in the clouds
I made a trip to the field yesterday in the drizzle and got in a few flights. There was a solid cloud base a couple of hundred feet up (I'm guessing) and I punched into the clouds and lost sight of the airplane by accident. It scared me at first but it turned out to be fun. Me & another guy would fly up into the clouds, climb up a bit higher, chop the throttle, put it in a spin, and watch the bottom of the clouds for the plane to drop out. Tons of fun! I did get a bit scared one time, I kept waiting and waiting, and the plane didn't fall out. After a bit it came out of the clouds a hundred yards or so from where I thought it would.
Posted on: 11/4/2002 3:09 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=348553

Is the uproar supposed to knife edge?
I've just finished building an uproar and put a 40 FP on it. I've got max throw in the rudder but it doesn't knife edge well at all. I'll kick it over on its side and give it full rudder. The nose comes up a bit, it shudders a bit, and gets all sloppy. Is this typical for the uproar?
Posted on: 10/31/2002 8:49 PM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Profile and Fun Flying Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=343541

Can I use a 4 channel receiver with a 6 channel transmitter
I've got a futaba 6DA transmitter and I want to use it for another plane that I'm building as well as with my primary plane. If I buy a 4 channel receiver/crystal can I use it with the 6 channel transmitter? 4 channels is all I'll need and the receivers are cheaper. Thanks
Posted on: 10/22/2002 2:03 AM by Author "Baitshack" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=325641