Flying on Farragut, Saturday 12 April 2003

My roommate Mike has been really anxious to take his R/C airplane out and fly it, especially since the weather has gotten nice. This was a good day to go out, too, probably the nicest day we have seen in over a week. The sun was out, there was a little wind (Mike judged it to be manageable), and we had all the time in the world. So, after a quick call to Ben, one of Mike's Aerospace Engineering classmates, we completed assembly of the aircraft and set out for Farragut field. During the radio check, Mike was disappointed to discover that the battery wasn't providing enough power to the motor (This battery was charged, so it is potentially damaged).  Mike had already purchased two others to replace it, but they were not yet charged and were left in the room besides. Undeterred, however, Mike decided to go ahead and launch the plane. The first two flights were of decent length, but were mainly controlled glides. There simply wasn't enough thrust for climbing and turning. The third flight caught a bad gust, however, and impacted with sufficient force to unseat the landing gear assembly. Since this assembly also supports the wing, this ended the flying for today. Overall, today's flight was encouraging...If Mike could just get enough juice to the motor, he'll be in business!

 

Pre-flight preparation in our room. It is very important to make sure the wing is attached!	Here Mike and his other friend Ben are conducting a range check, to make sure the radio is functioning. Here, Mike discovered the battery was providing insufficient power.	Ready for take-off!
Off we go! Here she is in flight. There were a few gusts of wind out, which was good, because they provided the lift that the motor wasn't.	This was the second landing, and it was a bit of a rougher than the first.	Here is the aftermath of that landing. The landing gear assemble  was unseated but the damage can easily be fixed with a little good ol' hot glue.