DAY .. 28. February 2005
- Back in Norway but we had some spare time. First I wanted to DS but there was no wind so we went to some hobby stores. First up was Griffin models were I picked up a S-bec for a motor project I have. A S-bec makes regulated 5v from the drive battery of an electric model so I dont need rx battery. The mode is a Rush from RC-flight and it will be equipped with a big AXI, 16x8 to 18x10 prop and 6S battery. Should be a nice 3D machine if I am right.
We also visited T&K seilflysport but Thorbjørn had little time for us so we finished without buying anything (though I ordered some alu-arms for my Volz servos). The picture shows the Coliebri, a model designed by Arnfinn Lie. T&K supplies depron in colors both 3 and 6mm
Back from Denmark I also bring a new F3F model. A prototype of a model Espen Torp might produce. We supplied the moulds to a producer a while ago and the first prototype is now by me. Should be really interesting.. Maybe pictures later but much work needs to be done.

DAY .. 27. February 2005
- On our way home we stopped first at El-flight and bought some stuff (synth module for my EVO, Shockflyer F3A, etc..). So a great thanks to Jan and Wenche that finished a long day with open shop for us Norwegians. Ok they did sell a bit also :-)

DAY .. 27. February 2005 - Arnborg Winter F3J - Lots of stuff to do when I got home. I hope to write more later but I dont know. The day had more wind than yesterday and it was very cold. The conditions were strange. Sometimes you could launch and climb to 3-400m within a few minutes. Then in the next minute sink to ground in just 2 minutes whatever side you flew of the sky. One had to be really lucky. I always flew sideways when I found sink and feel I got to be the best Norwegian because of that (6th place of 28 starting the day). Even though I did not win anything today I did have the longest flight of the weekend (9:52,1 on winch) and won a EPP ZoomZoom from El-flight. But I never got a whole round of good flying... We also had a lot of linebreaks and ended up with brand new 1,4mm Fisher line that just was enough (that's thick for Norwegian conditions). There also went some models in the starts and landings because of the wind. It was a GREAT weekend and my timing equipment worked great (atleast all I asked said that and a lot of the pilots said it to me). It was great fun to start 8 people in almost each group again. Thanks to all pilots and officials for a great weekend. BTW the food was superb and yes we did have some drinks...

Vingen have a report (nor txt) | www.F3J.dk | Results Saturday HERE | Results Sunday HERE | Photos all weekend

DAY .. 26. February 2005 - Arnborg Winter F3J
- A new day and a small update from Arnborg winter competition. We have just finished todays competition (a new one tomorrow). 5 rounds were flown and most of the competitors were smiling all the time even though the fact that it was COLD and windy all day. There even came some snow so we stopped for a few minutes before round 5. Aril also went straight thru a Trinitus with his Sting. The Sting did not have a scratch as always (this model have many lives..) but Peter Mikkelsen`s Trinitus had broken fuse and tail. Some people are just plain natural talents or maybe better pilots then we (I) are. Erik Morgan Villadsen borrowed his old X21 by Egil Roland and also the transmitter. He took it all and goes home with the trophy for this years saturday event. All us others have to bring it home tomorrow. Jesper Jensen took 2nd and I took 3rd. I got beaten in the last round by Marc Wiegmann (dammit). Maybe more later on this day offcourse. Right now we have had a superb dinner and have to have some "talking"... Results saturday HERE

 

DAY .. 25. February 2005 - Arnborg Winter F3J - Early up (or atleast 09:00) and coffee is made. The field is found at 12:00 in cloudy weather, 3m/s wind and +2 degrees. Just an hour later and the sun shines on us and the thermals are active. Flights are in the 10-20minutes range and sometimes we can get high on the thermals. Erik (again) takes out his Estrella and Jojo fidles with the EVO. Almost finished with the wing he starts on the fuse just to find a servo with strange behavour. Erik packs it down again and takes over Egil`s EVO and X21. It seems that it is not Erik`s weekend... 15-20 pilots were at the field today practicing for tomorrow. Dinner is early for us at a local cafe in Arnborg and batteries are now on charge (17:00). The laughs are great with the Danish and Germans and the site is great as usual. 5-15cm snow does not bother us and we are looking forward to a great weekend. Since I have been writing about others misshaps I guess I have to mention mine... First I forgot my boots, then I forgot to bring the new model Egil have bought. Then just to top it off I sat on the ferry and Aril reminded me of the trophy I won last year.. Damn I think I have to creep under the pillow soon...!

 

DAY .. 24. February 2005 - Arnborg Winter F3J
- Evening and we arrived at 23:30. Erik and Egil had arrived earlier in the day and was deep into the bottle after Erik is having a misshap with his radio. The display suddenly went black and nothing is working. Egil pops up his EVO synth and asks what frequency he uses. blip blip and 5 seconds later he is playing with Erik`s Estrella... Erik is amazed and asks for the price. We surf the internet ad find it on the site of EL-fly.dk one of this events sponsors. 4500Dkr and Erik asks if he can draw his card right away... Bed was found (for those that found one...) at 01:00. At 03:00 Aril is still lurking around in his underpants. It is good that he is not flying competition tomorrow :-)

DAY .. 24. February 2005 - Arnborg Winter F3J
- Three big Norwegian on their way over the North sea to meet the Europeans in a friendly battle of the skies (that sounded cool didn`t it ?). Anyhow me, Aril and Alf Erik were on a boat from Norway to Denmark. I had picked up Aril on the airport after short drive of 2,5hours while Aril`s flight took the same. Though the distance for Aril was allready the same distance as Oslo to Rome (Tromsø- Oslo). Alf Erik live in Oslo and his car was packed with all the carbon pieces, winches and som sunchairs (very important). 6 hours boat trip and then 2,5 hours driving in Denmark was todays task. The two Norwegians ahead of us were Egil and Erik that reported 10m high waves and awful snowstorm in Denmark. They were kidding a bit on the waves but the snowstorm was expected. But the weatherman has said bright sunshine and 3-5m/s wind all weekend. We will see :-) Reporting for Norway, Jo Grini. Afew boring pivtures. But those that have been there knows they have something to do with flying...

DAY .. 22. February 2005 - later...
-I had to have a second flight on the Hawk after earlier today. So after a few drops of glue and some new settings the Hawk went vertical again. My son on 7 years operated the camera and got some movie of it. Light is not great (the sun just went down) and my camera is not the best but 12mb of .wmv video HERE. I got 3 flights and landings were actually pretty easy. The model is not for a novice but the vertical performance with big prop makes is to a little screamer with lines of scale. The video made it easy to estimate some performance also. With climb and turn the speed was good at 71km/h thru a 12m wide turn. The Hawk was rock stable. Straight flight with no dive showed 69km/h.

DAY .. 22. February 2005 - Today I had to get a small flight with the Hawk. This is a small and lightweight model that is "just for fun". I have equipped it with a MTM motor, 3 cells 1300mah Lipo and a 8x6 prop. The model is only 310g and with a 70g battery this gives awsome vertical power. First and only flight today showed vertical climb out of my hands and full power speed (8,5A) was almost too much for my thumbs. The elevator throw in the set was way too much but then again I had equipped it with much more power than needed :-). While trying to dial in the elevator on the radio I came a bit far out and had a spin that just recovered before the ground. This is not a model for the first timer... It is easy to fly but not at low throttle or with too little expo. So I broke of the nose and have to find the glue (fixed as I write this). Should have a new flight tomorrow :-) The Hawk can be bought at www.RC-Flight.com

DAY .. 20. February 2005
- Again a sunny day on the ice. As yesterday a few minus degrees in the middle of the day but sunshine and only a small breeze made it nice to fly my Pike Brio Giant. I think I got 5 flights before my winch battery went dead. Ok maybe I will buy a new one. It is a pitty that Ciam controls the size of the batteries. A 510EN battery does not work for many years. They should do something about the rules and say strike the battery rule or maybe better give us a better EN standard (start amperage). A battery with 700-800EN would cope much better with the 500-550A that goes thru that winch. OK the batteries are not that expensive in many countries. But in Norway the price is almost 100EUR for a Bosch 510EN battery. Mine has lasted 1,5 years... Todays tip: Never use the battery until it is empty. That ruins the battery life (that is also a good tip for Lipo...).
I also flew my 3DX on the ice as you can see. And the ice was measured to 52-53cm.

DAY .. 19. February 2005
- Great day out with my Pike Brio Giant. Not as many flights as I wanted since the line broke and went into endless turns around the turnaround and winch. But I got 3 nice flights. Picture of how my antenna is coming out of the fuse. Antenna page updated.

DAY .. 18. February 2005
- Indoor together with Tom Olav Haugene that had maiden flights on his Lierider. He did well but was pushing the limits a bit too much after 20min of flying. I was flying both Shockflyer and 3DX and pushed the limits as well. But thats the point. You have to and can push the limits with these kind of models. What you loose is just some white depron that likes glue :-)

DAY .. 18. February 2005
- There was some indoor flying today but much more important I gave up and did send an email to John Diniz at Horizon Hobby. And quess what. After flying Multiplex since apx 1984 I will now try the brand new JR9303 radio. Horizon Hobby will lend me both Tx, receivers, crystals and support me during Nats in USA. So I bow in respect!

DAY .. 17. February 2005
- Was out flying the 3DX mini with Polk receiver on 72mhz today. It worked great and I actually flew 500m and landed with no glitches that I could feel so the Polk receiver works great for normal models (imagine a depron model 500m out!!!!). But for carbon fuses I think I have to get something else. The other issue today was that it was -8 celcius and even motortesting in the hand was biting cold! So next up is to wait for the Shadow 3 from Kennedy composites (ready during spring/summer). It should use an improved version of the technology used in the proven Shulze receivers. Just to check I used the same antenna on my IPD DS from MPX in the Superior and did a range test today. With antenna all inside the radio I walked 100m (300ft) with no jitter at all. The servo test was on all the time and the rudder went soft from side to side. This is what I want from a receiver in a carbon fuse. Please send me an email if you have 72mhz receivers that work in carbon fuse Superior or Brio. I want to test it :-)

DAY .. 16. February 2005 - Just some other stuff, no flying
- Was going to fly my Superior today but the range tests did not give me enough confidence to fly. I did set up my 35mhz tx beside the 72mhz tx and drove my car out on the ice. This is the best testing I can do. Two identical Tx`s and two identical airframes driving out on the ice. Only difference is off course tx module and rx receiver. So either I would have to run my antenna in another way or my newly bought module for 72mhz is not good. When I shake the fuse (antenna inside boom shakes) the servos jitter. Maybe this is a typical 72mhz thing I don't know.. Hmmmm I will try Rx without airframe tomorrow I think.
For the record: My Brio fuse with MPX IPD DS on 35mhz had no reaction at all before 500-600m (1700ft). I could drive 1,2km(3900ft) before the lockup would happen occasionally (Tx standing on ground and fuse out car window).
I would love to have some feedback from Superior users in USA what Rx they use. Preferably synth but... I might have to get some Shadow receivers from Barry kennedy to see if it is my module or the Rx... The new Shadows look awesome with only 8g and synth.
BTW some strange things is happening while my wife is looking at the TV. Jojo is found with a strange looking object in his hands! Looking fast but don't know yet.. Should be a Hawk when finished. Servos and stuff is finished. Needs some color and stiff.
Update 20:40... Colors is on. Looking ok. Feel bad to put a motor on this one :-O The Hawk can be bought at www.RC-Flight.com

DAY .. 15. February 2005 - Just some other stuff, no flying
- Very cool letter and a box today in the mail! First of all Jim Deck a secretary, League of Silent Flight had found me in the archives of LSF. They showed that I had completed Level I in 1986 but I stopped there. So he asked if he should send me a Voucher for level II and I said yes off course. So now after 19 years I can start again :-))) BTW LSF is a skill program that is easy to follow and will make you a better pilot. It is practically free (2$ each level) and when you reach level V you can really say that you are one very good soaring pilot. Read more at The League of Silent Flight.
- I also received my Polk receiver today. The "Seeker 6" is a synthesized receiver and just by pushing a button it makes itself ready for YOUR channel. Not just apx but it feels the peak of YOUR transmitter so it will be dead center. Just some small tests outside today in the evening to check that it worked and hopefully some flying tomorrow. The receiver is only 14g and have 6 channels (just as I need for a full house Superior).
- One of the pages I visit regulary is the page of Roman Vojtech. Now he have captured a photo not only of the new Futaba T14MZ but also the FX40. Futaba is crazy but kind of cool to have Windows CE in their transmitters. Now you can even play MP3 while flying.... http://www.lomcovak.cz (he also got english pages). Direct link FX40

DAY .. 14. February 2005 - Nats
- Latest: Kennedy Composites will have a fully equipped and ready AVA for me at the NATS for the RES-class. Check out the KC site for all his high end stuff. Anybody can order from him. Shipping is no problemo.
So I am offcourse very happy to say that Kennedy Composites is a "user-friendly" company. I have up until now been a very satisfied normal customer and would like to state my thanks right here for the great offer (By no means have I been told to do this!!). This means I can take more other stuff to the USA in my trunk (limited how many kg I can take).
I have now flown the AVA for quite a while. Become Norwegian champion F3J with it (3 morning flights of the Nationals) and won several electric competitions. For European customers that fly other than RES I would recommend the new flapped version instead of the spoiler. With all my flying with AVA I have found: It is a winner in RES I think (have not competed in pure RES with it YET), it can be a winner in morning and evening F3J, it is a winner in F5J electro. For most F3J I will off course still use my Superiors and Brio. Link NATS: The League of Silent Flight
 

DAY .. 13. February 2005
- Very glad I flew the F5J yesterday because today the wind was really tumbling down in the valley. The Vot of Hans Magne tumbled on the ground and broke the tail just by a strong gust coming down. I flew a few minutes with my Shockflyer when I thought it was no wind but no fun.

DAY .. 12-13. February 2005 F5J Extreme
- Remember to participate in the F5J extreme postal competition arranged by Robert Burson. Link
I flew on the 12th in Cloudy and 2-3m/s wind in -1 celcius. Really irritating to find the best lift in the last round.
Round 1 I found some small thermals after hunting the first 5 minutes. Round 2 the same but in a different place. Lots of sink in beetween. Not good for the AVA. Round 3 only strong sink the first 3min so I took a chance and went with motor to the other side of the valley (normally in shadow from the sun so no thermals). But there was the solution. The wind had cheated me all the time and there was a good wave on that side. It is pretty difficult to fly down in a valley when the winds comes tumbling down...
And I never get that perfect landings with the spoiler AVA. But I am still happy with myself that I managed to let go of the thought that I was going to land before the 10min signal. Sorry I forgot to take any pictures so the picture is from earlier...
Model: AVA, Hacker B50 6S, 6,7:1, 18x11, 10cell 1000mah SCR (yeah the really old ones zapped and matched...).
round 1: 9:54, 18sec, 0-1m - round 2: 10:02, 18sec, 1-2m - round 3: 10:02, 17sec, 0-1m

DAY .. 11. February 2005
- In the day we (me and Arild) were just a small trip out to check his Harrier that had an impact with the ice. We found that the silicon tube inside the fuel tank had turned all around and that`s probably why the motor stopped while hovering in 5m height... Anyhow today it was in the air again and I had a spin with it also. In the evening we flew some indoor. I have a lot of video with Arild but this time I have made a video with myself and the 3DX! 14mb .wmv HERE

DAY .. 10. February 2005
- Nice weather and no wind mid-day. Me and Arild got some good flying time before the thermal winds started to make it a bit colder. Tom Olav also had a spin with his new Lierider. Arild flew his Harrier and Ultimate but also finished off with a bit Lierider (depron). I flew my Superior on the winch and had some great flights. The air had a bit of downdraft here and there so I loaded some 600g of lead to see if that helped and played around with the CG a bit. Did not think that helped in any way other than a faster glide.

DAY .. 8. February 2005 - Nats
- Not many hours ago I wanted to be part of an F3J team For the NATS (Nationals soaring in USA for a whole week). Well I got what I wanted. They made me say "I do" to drinking beer but hey I like that anyhow :-) So a big thanks to Don Richmond, Rob Glover and Larry Ruble. I cant wait to go!!! Link NATS: The League of Silent Flight
Latest: Robert Burson shares his hotelroom !!! Thanks a lot!

DAY .. 7. February 2005 - Nats
- Contacted Polk`s Hobbies to get some Rx to try before I hopefully go to Nats this summer (still needs a team for F3J...). Guess what - they will send it to me immediately so I can test them out in my models right away free of charge.

So a big thanks from a Norwegian to http://www.polkshobby.com/ for sending me a 72mhz Rx that is synthesized on any 72mhz channel. They even deliver synth receivers on 35mhz!!. Now I might need a synth module for my Tx (EVO). I got a crystal module (ch53) but might have to get some more crystals or a synth for more channels.