http://www.rsmdistribution.com/index-2.htm


follow the link above---when the page comes up----click cl kits---then click full fuselage kits----then scroll down to LA HEAT.

I think it's really cool that Eric would use a picture of my kit built LA HEAT for his web site. I'm honored.
This kit is great as are all of the other kits and goodies RSM has to offer. While you're there give yourself a treat and check out the whole line. I bet you'll find three models you'd like to build.

On the other hand, if it had stuck in Jan he'd heal all by himself, no effort from you necessary! (You don't have to tell Jan I said that.)

You're getting really good at repairs...

--Ray

Yes exactly.....Jan would heal up all by himself and he'd even look a little more cavalier with a nice jagged scar. But the plane? No such luck I gotta do it myself. Like you say Ray---I am getting good at making repairs.

And speaking of repairs----here is the next one I'll be making. As soon as I get back from Brodak I'm going to get to work on this.
I was just heading into the second loop of the cloverleaf when TWAAAANG!! a line broke and the plane did too. It sucked big time. It happened about 3 weeks ago and I'm just now starting to consider how I'm going to get it back together. The loss is much more significant than if it had been an ARF. Yup I like high stakes when it comes to flying model planes. I've been keeping this one a secret till I knew for sure that I could repair it to like new condition. I see another long thread in my future. And a big plus is the plane is already paid for and now I get to build it a second time. Now that's what I call getting a lot of value out of your entertainment dollar.

I'm going to dig deep Ray. Haven't quite worked out the procedure for the rebuild yet but it's coming.

On rainy days I sleep a lot. So I've been sleeping off and on for the last 18 hours. I'm rested. And when I'm rested I can see things from a different angle.

A thought I had a little while ago is that each man's destiny requires a certain amount of loss and heartache. Call it a necessary excercise to temper the soul. The loss of a plane that we slaved over to get built just right and spent huge amounts of our limited time here on the planet to accomplish probably registers high on the universres richter scale of human folly and disaster. Hence when one of our models crashes we are spared some other form of tragedy.
And when we rebuild and repair our crashes the universe likely accepts this as a penance we are paying to atone for our folly. Which then results in a state of grace which further insulates us from the trickery of a cruel and treacherous world.

The moral of the story is hold nothing back. Spare no effort in the accomplishment of getting something right.
Amen. Go in peace. And may all your crashes be attributable to something other than pilot error.

I gotta make a box to carry the Heat in before I can fly it.

Frank,

I know how you feel on the crash. I splatted the Novi at the Regionals last weekend. Repairable, but still, I hardly got to fly it. It will take rebuilding the outboard wing. I may do it eventually.

HOw about that corrugated plastic stuff, an inch or more from top of coorugation to bottom.  Fiberglass I think.

Ray, Bill, I went to Home Depot to browse for ideas. I like your ideas well enuff but there are a couple of considerations I need to point out.
The box is 58x 68 inches by 16 inches tall.
First -- I'll have to slide the plane into the box ( picture a pizza oven) because it's a hard reach up on top of the truck. I'd have to take a step ladder. And how could you possibly support a lid that's nearly 60 x 70 inches? If it was a take off lid where would you put it? And I'd run the risk of dropping the lid on the plane.
If I made the thing entirely of ply wood it would be a real chore to lift it onto the truck. It would be heavy and it's size would be awkward to handle. And this needs to be a job I can do by myself.

I used finishing nails because screws would split the wood. I'm going to make ply gussets for the corners.

I found some very cool looking 3/4" X 4ft. X 8ft. rigid styrofoam construction insulation. It is coated with shiny silver on one side and clear plastic film on the other. So the box would be waterproof and cool ( as in temperature wise). I think I'll use two sided carpet tape and pan head screws to fasten it to the sides of the box--ON THE INSIDE. It will provide a bumper fpr the plane. And stiffen the structure.
1/4" luaun for the floor backed up with 1x2 pine beams will give n me a solid bottom.
!x2 beams across the top and the styro sheeting for skin.

I have metal L-brackets that I can fasten to the tonneau cover frame and screw to the sides of the box to keep it there.

I think the styro will stop road debris from penetrating to the interior of the box.

Excellent idea Don. I'll use it. Thankyou. I can always use a latch and padlock to secure it.

If we were neighbors Bill I'd build a box big enough for both of our planes.......because you'd be there to get them in and out.

If we were neighbors Bill I'd build a box big enough for both of our planes.......because you'd be there to get them in and out.

Hi Brother Frank,

If we were neighbors, I would be more than happy to do that task for you!  There are some advantages to being an ex-powerlifter even if I do suffer from post concussion syndrome! ** (sadly, it's true.......)

Post Concussion Syndrome?

Yeah, it seems I had way too many concussions back when I was playing ball.  The last ten years of playing I had what Doctor's consider a concussion almost daily, sometimes more than once a day.....  Supposedly my total lack of any kind of headache in the past 30 odd years is one possible good side effect!  The fact that my short term memory can have MAJOR glitches (way more so than "the aging effect") is one of the down sides.  I had to have a cat scan of my pea pickin' brain, and the Doctor said (quote) well we couldn't find anything significant (end quote).  So's I told her, "well many folk have said I was empty headed sometimes!"  (true story).

There is a medical team doing a study on ex (and current) NFL players who sufferd repeated concussions....... some "Altzheimer's" types of conditions seem to show up in post mortem examinations......  it has been linked to the suicides of several ex-players by some of these neuologists.  Not much is really known about the long term effects because no one really complains about it.  One thing is certain: getting your bell rung, isn't as minor as it was once believed.

Well Bill your experience sounds like what happened to old time great pitcher Dizzy Dean. He suffered a head injury and went to the hospital, the next days headlines " Exray of Deans head shows nothing"

I'm finally having a little good luck.  A few weeks ago I lost my one only stunt plane "VICTORY" when a line broke. I fell back on my three year old Pathfinder to get me along till I could get the Heat up and flying. About two weeks ago the engine on the Pathfinder started getting sick. Turns out the bushing in the con rod where it connects to the wrist pin was worn out. At first I thought it could be the fuel, so I wasted time messing with oil content. Finally the engine started to bind up when I hand rotated it. The binding prompted me to disassemble the engine and that's how I discovered the con rod problem.
I took one of the engines out of the LA Heat and put it on the Pathfinder so I would be able to use the Pathfinder at Brodak. It's very disheartening to fly expert stunt with a profile but that is a story for another time. I had nothing but problems with the new engine. The run times were sporadic and varied and it quit at inopportune times. Needless to say I faired poorly at Brodak. Oh I had a lot of fun but my scores were the pits.
Gary Tultz got involved with the PF engine (B-40) at Brodak's and we got quite a few issues resolved, but it still wasn't quite where it needed to be. I got in my official flights at least.
I've had the PF out a few times this week and tried different glow plugs. No help. I shimmed the back end of the fuel tank out an 1/8 of an inch and the cut off improved dramatically.
Yesterday I got all the paint off the fuel tank and was seriously suspecting that there was something wrong with it. I figured I'd fly it one more time before I opened up the tank. I put that flight in this morning. Right away I noticed that the vent tube was syphoning a lot of fuel out while the engine was running. Hence the varied run times and inopportune quits.
I installed a 6/32 pressure fitting onto the tube muffler and connected it to the vent tube. I took the plane out a little while ago to test it and it ran perfectly. I wanted to put up some more flights but some kids were around and I was flying with a stooge line so I rolled everything up and came home.
The worste of all this and certainly the most depressing was having trouble with an engine that was destined to provide the grunt for my twin.
I like the way the new engine is running---Now I'm going to put it back in the twin and take the other engine out of the twin and put it in the PF far some flights.
As for the bad con rod bushing goes I can use a con rod and wrist pin from anothe B-40 . I can order replacement parts later.

Looks good to me.  That's one well-used muffler.

Good idea, to put the other LA engine in the Pathfinder for a few flights, get it ironed out too; same time on both.

We're sure looking forward to the LA Heat's first flight!

--Ray

Good approach.  I fly on an old softball practice field. Police have come by a few times when I fly to just observe, I don't know if someone calls them or what, but they've never issued a complaint or "cease" order. I'm always careful to point out to them it's a tethered airplane flying in a stationary circle. As with you, it's "so far so good".

--Ray

Good luck with it, Frank!  I am sure it will all come together, and how sweet that will be!

I went out one morning this week to the school about a 1/2 mile away or so.  The football/soccer/softball field is not in use until evening, it's fenced in and decent.  There seems to be a day camp or something going on right now at the school (Elementary/old High School) and I flew to th cheers and clapping of about 100 or so kids and the adults who came outside to the playground after we started.  They were behind the fence up on the hill.  Only trouble we ever have there is evenings and weekend afternoons.  The latino soccer players just flood the place. When they start to arrive, I roll up the lines.  The Cops even stop by and discuss flying!  A couple do R/C, but so far, they have not shown a great interest in C/L. 

That's generally what I do,  a few runs on the ground to loosen it up a little, then set it rich and put it in the air. At least you know for sure when it finally "comes in". But I guess it does make for some headaches at the flying field, setting the needle and putting up with bad runs, floodouts, etc. I just could never start an engine and then sit there and watch it run--always seemed like I was wasting flying time.

Only bad thing that ever happened was a new Norvel getting up too lean once and seizing up in the air.  But after it cooled down we were able to break it loose again, and it runs fine today...probably shortened its life, but then half of infinity is still infinity, right??  Anyone ever wear out one of these things yet?

Still, I'm trying to be better, really I am...I recently mounted half a dozen engines on a test stand and ran them several times, till I couldn't stand it any more and put them all in airplanes.

--Ray

Bill,

Yea, one of the consequences of being a college athelete. You wouldn't believe the fallout now, some 30 years later, of the surgeries I had as a kid.

So Frank, are ya gonna fly it soon?   

As you may recall I was having a problem transporting the LA Heat because it wouldn't fit in my truck.

PROBLEM SOLVED....see pictures..................

I was making a box but that was getting awfully big. I priced trailers but a little one starts off at $1100 bucks.
Today as I was headed out to fly I saw a for sale sign on the trailer I just bought. It's used and needs to be refreshed but the Heat will fit in it.
I tried to get a hitch for my truck but I have to wait till Wednesday for that as it is on order.

Yeah Ray. It was pretty serendipitous that it appeared at a price I could handle just when I needed it most. It has a toilet, shower, 3 burner stove, sink and a heater. It will sleep six (cramped tight) so now I can take several planes and gear. And slleep in it too.
I'm trying to think of a good paint scheme.........................

Stars for sure. I'm thinking  blue background with white stars on the whole front and wrapping around the sides about two feet then the rest red and white stripes.
Then maybe a zillion lights around the top. I mean enough lights to draw every moth for a 3 mile radius. AMA and PAMPA stickers in every window.
Fold out building table under the awning. Generator and some bench top tools like drill press, band saw, scroll saw.

Hey Frank, you could live in that thing, just travel around from contest to contest, flying site to flying site, all over the nation...just think of all the plane stuff you could buy by selling your house!  You could even travel to MN...

--Ray

Eagerly awaiting results...we'll be there with you in spirit.

--Ray

Frank, it's going to be fine.  Eat about a dozen extra pancakes for breakfast, you'll need them!

Glad to hear it is going to finally take flight and I am eagerly awaiting the raving flight reports.

Can't wait to see the pictures, Frank. Go get 'em.