Category RC Flying

So in less than an hour I have my court date to finalize the divorce.  It sort of feels like having a dentist appointment looming on the calendar to have cavities drilled, without novacaine.  Yes this is going to suck but it will be a relief when it is over.

Even with keeping my blog updated during my at home training week it feels like I have a lot of things to cover, without even discussing what it feels like to be officially divorcing the person you spent well over a third of your life with.  Perhaps I’ll try to describe that in the future.

On Friday, training got done early which gave me time to get a nice head start on my weekend.  I did a grocery run which included a Trader Joe’s and Sam’s Club stop.  I actually got out in the morning before class and got my Publix shopping out of the way.  Yes, it is awesome not starting your work day until 10AM.

On Friday I received the new Bar-barian bracelets that I ordered as prizes for the forum challenge.  Last year I received some from the NYC guys to hand out as prizes.  I wore them myself as well.  Unfortunately I have gone through two of them at this point.  The bands had the text printed on them and unfortunately time washed that text away eventually.  At this point they just look like a plain black and white band.

The bands I bought are laser cut, meaning they may get dirty and beat up but they should remain readable indefinitely.  Of course I outfitted myself with one for field testing.  🙂

The water level on the property actually dropped enough on Friday that the trenches out by the road dried up  enough to mow down the 2 foot high trashy looking grass that filled it.  I was glad I got to it when I did, it rained cats and dogs later, once again filling the trench.

When I was doing my grocery shopping I grabbed a new dog bed for Nicki, a Serta no less.  It claimed to be very soft, comfortable and therapeutic for older dogs with joint problems.

I know Nicki will be suspicious of it and hesitant to use the new bed as she is hesitant about most anything new, but hopefully it makes her nap times just a little bit more enjoyable.

Unfortunately over the weekend Ali told me that whatever urinary issues Nicki has seem to have has returned, despite two weeks of antibiotics that we thought knocked it out.

On Saturday I kept myself very busy.  I changed the oil in the Tacoma and made a YT video out of the process, perhaps helping oil change first timers down the road.  Of course as in most of my videos, there were several lol moments involved.

I also hung a new floodlight out front, replacing the conventional motion detector unit that died recently.  The replacement was also bought at Sam’s Club and it was pretty cheap, something like $40.

The new unit isn’t so much a floodlight as a security tool.  It’s 4 ultrabright LED’s are motorized.  If the light detects motion it locks onto it and tracks it.  So the light shoots on and then follows you up the driveway.

It also has a constantly blinking LED that makes it appear to be a security camera as well.  Installation required some McGyvering.  The mounting screws they included were too long so I grabbed some shorter ones at the nearby hardware store.

Then, the screws I bought had too large of a head to fit in the narrow slot the base provided.  I remedied this via a big ass drill bit, boring the opening until it was big enough.  My unconventional installation yielded conventional results.  The new light worked as planned. Even during the daytime it is in action, tracking movement.  It doesn’t flash on the lights when the sun is out but is cool still the same.

Saturday afternoon I also mowed the property, going around the areas that were still submerged from the heavy rain.

Over the weekend I got turned on to a new type vehicle that they are trying to push into production sometime in 2014, utilizing a former GM production plant.  It is called an Elio.

The Elio is an American made trike vehicle 1+1 layout with two front wheels and one in the rear.  There is a second seat behind the driver seat.  The long narrow configuration helps contribute to it’s impressive gas mileage numbers, 84 mpg on the highway and about 50 mpg in city driving.

The engine that pulls the vehicle around is a small, 3 cylinder, fuel injected 70 hp configuration. (anyone remember a Geo Metro?) Despite the small motor, the light weight and aerodynamic shape allows the Elio to get up to 100 mph with 0-60 times of right around 10 seconds, not awful at all.

Overall I like the look of the Elio. the Plymouth Prowler naked front suspension looks cool.  The overall aerodynamic shape is pleasing to the eye.  Supposedly the interior is designed to fit 95% of the population, even 6′ 3″ storks like myself.  The interior also includes standard amenities like power windows, power locks, AC and a radio, nice.

Despite it’s small size, supposedly they expect the Elio to receive a 5 star safety rating with it’s standard 3 air bags, energy absorbing crumple zones and a cage designed to protect the occupant(s) surprisingly well in a collision.

Oh did I mention that the projected price of the Elio is only $6800?

Yes that is not a misprint, $6800.  At that price point I could buy an Elio and literally pay for it with gas savings as it would make a perfect commuter vehicle for someone like me that logs close to 50 miles per day back and forth to work.

So of course, there is some fine print.  The Elio, despite securing a potential manufacturing facility is not yet in production.  Their current timetable is a late 2014 production launch.  They are taking “reservations” for the car online.  Basically they have different reservation amounts, $100, $500, and $1000.  Basically the higher your reservation amount, the sooner you will get your new Elio. (reservation amount comes off the price of course)

Despite all of this potential goodness, as of now, there is no guarantee that Elio will get off the ground, it’s a very difficult thing to enter the automotive market.   Plus if the Elio does make it to production, we have no way of knowing just how good they will actually be.  If their build quality and reliability are Yugo-like, no matter what their price is, it won’t be very successful.

So although it would be intriguing for me to slap down a $100 reservation, I instead am just going to be waiting and seeing.  If the Elio actually does make it all the way to production I will seriously be considering squeezing one in the garage next to the SSR in a year or two.

On Saturday night I went to see Elysium.  I had some high expectations for the flick since it had some big names like Matt Damon and Jodie Foster in it.  The premise of the movie seemed intriguing as well, the ultra-rich build their own orbiting space station paradise while the common people are left on a decimated planet Earth to struggle to exist.

Without getting into too much detail, I just found the movie disappointing and weak.  It just didn’t grab me like I expected it to and I thought Jodie Foster’s role was really lame.  I can only give it a B.

On Sunday I did another brick, a brick made more brutal by the blazing sun and high humidity.  It was a 17 mile bike ride, followed by a 1.25 mile run, 1200 yards of swimming, and then another short .6 mile run.  The circuit was made more difficult by the backpack I was carrying for the ride and run segments of the training.  Cindy and I were thoroughly beat by the end of it.  It was so damn hot and humid.

One thing the hot sun is good for is evaporating water.  By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around I was able to hop back on the tractor and take care of the spots I missed the day before due to standing water.  Since I weed whacked a few days prior, as a whole the landscape was looking pretty good for mid-August.

Sunday afternoon I also headed back outside with my flying wing.  I was a bit more daring this time out, despite some gusty cross winds.  Well, it cost me.

I was having a good time, looping, climbing and rolling at full throttle.  I brought the wing into a steep dive with the intention of pulling out of it maybe 50 feet above the ground.

Well as the ground was approaching I wasn’t being as attentive on the stick as I should have been.  A cross wind tipped the wing one way and by the time I realized it the wing had smashed into the ground nose first at probably 60 mph plus.  I knew it was going to be bad…

As I approached the wing I saw the motor mount lying on top of it.  As I got closer I knew the plane was history.  In addition to the broken mount the interior guts were torn out, the prop was broken and one of the servo mounts was destroyed.

I felt really bummed out and angry at myself for crashing the wing.  The plane was old and ready to be replaced, since it was probably damn close to 10 years old at this point.  However what made me sad was the plane was meticulously built by Mike, my former RC buddy that moved to Colorado.  I felt terrible destroying his handiwork via careless flying.

I wasted no time ordering an EPP foam wing to replace it, named the Tuff Wing.  My flying skills will put it’s name to the test for sure.  It’s supposed to be a 70MPH plane right out of the box.

I was also annoyed because I had just ordered two additional batteries for my old wing.  The new wing will utilize different battery packs.  I plan to try to get my old clunker Sky Scooter back in the sky with the new battery packs.

Sunday night I got to see Taken 2.  It was entertaining and action filled with bad guys getting what they deserve left and right.  I never would have pictured Liam Neisen as an action star years ago but in this role he excels. I’d give the film a B+, a very solid rental.