Monday, September 19, 2011

Till Dusk Do We Part

Late in the day, around 6:00 p.m. I decided I would head out for a couple of quick flights. I charged up the batteries (my downfall), grabbed Daisy (the dog), and away we went. It was a perfect newbie night for flying, not even a hint of a breeze. There was one small problem, After waiting for the batteries to charge, it was getting a bit late. Yeah, I know I shouldn't fly after dark, but really, it wasn't dark yet, just close. I headed over to the state fair grounds to take flight. Daisy was to be my co-pilot. Unfortunately the on duty officer patrolling the grounds informed me that she would not make a good co-pilot if she were going to be on a leash, and according to him, she was going to be on a leash, sorry Daisy. Funny thing is, Daisy and I have spent many hours patrolling the grounds without said leash. Guess those days are over. Alright back to flying, after my talk with the officer, I got the bird ready and away I went. The light was vanishing more rapidly than I had expected and desired. I realized that as soon as the bird was visible above the tree tops. That was the point it became a nice silhouette against the night sky. Unfortunately, the lack of ambient light made it very difficult to determine orientation. I hovered for a bit, and as I tend to do, I slowly let the heli slip further and further away. Normally this isn't a problem, I slowly reverse direction and bring it back. The problem tonight was, since I can't fly nose in, I need to coax it backwards towards me. Again, normally not a problem, but since my ability to determine orientation was limited, I was having a hard time keeping it tail towards me. I was just about back when I, or should I say, the heli decided it was time to attempt nose in flight. A little swerve right, then left, then down, almost straight down that is.

In conclusion, tt wasn't a long flight, probably about 2 to 3 minutes. Compared to my early days, I guess that is pretty good. The results, well, see for your self.

Looks like I have a tail rotor and main blade assembly to repair. I think I should be able to repair everything without waiting for new parts, although, new parts are definitely in my future.

Later
-JbJ

2 comments:

Keith K. said...

Storm clouds gather now
the calm hides what lies ahead
darkness and despair

Keith K. said...

Abandoned and gone
This blog is dead and buried
The bell tolls for thee