Ready to get back up in the air

[Matt Colan]

Almost two months ago I plowed my Vector ARF into the runway at KOI. Since I didn't have another one ready to fly immediately I had to put together a new ARF at school. I picked up a new Vector ARF from Randy Smith before we left, and spent the last couple months in between class work getting it ready to fly. I'm now nearly ready to fly the new one, just need to apply the decals and bench trim it.

Power is a PA 40UL on a pipe, and the CG looks darn near perfect to begin with. I don't have a scale in my room but it feels lighter than the old Vector too.

[Tim Wescott]

Start building another if you can, or mooch one from somebody!  You should never be without backup.

[Matt Colan]

Start building another if you can, or mooch one from somebody!  You should never be without backup.

If everything goes as planned next year, I'll be able to actually build an airplane!

Here's a picture of the bottom

[Derek Barry]

Sweet!

[Tim Wescott]

If everything goes as planned next year, I'll be able to actually build an airplane!

You're doing better than I did.  Between work and school, not to mention moving from Oregon to Massachusetts and getting married, I think I managed to get one rubber powered airplane built in all the time I was in college.  Once I crashed my last plane while I was in grad school I stopped flying until my oldest son was seven or so, which was a gap of about ten years.

[Paul Walker]

Matt,
Nice that you can find time to build a plane while in school!

I never had time for model planes in college. Too many units and too many girls......

Don't they have girls at your school?  I thought they were part of the curriculum!   

[Alan Buck]

THANKS MATT,  now I know were to put my 40 u/l.
  nice looking vector to

[FLOYD CARTER]

I believe PW attended Cal Poly, as I did.  The campus at San Luis Obispo had a small airport, and I discovered it was perfect for some C/L flying, as long as no full-size planes were nearby!  I'm convinced that some model activity was the only thing that kept me sane during my stay in college!

F.C.

[Matt Colan]

Matt,
Nice that you can find time to build a plane while in school!

I never had time for model planes in college. Too many units and too many girls......

Don't they have girls at your school?  I thought they were part of the curriculum!   

Girls are most certainly a part of the curriculum, but the problem is the guy to girl ratio is 4:1. Got to go off campus to find more girls!  

[Tim Wescott]

Girls are most certainly a part of the curriculum, but the problem is the guy to girl ratio is 4:1. Got to go off campus to find more girls!  

There were about 100 young men in my class (1985, I think) taking electrical engineering at Portland State University.  There were four women.  Four very popular women.  Whether they wanted to be or not.

Thank goodness PSU had arts and languages and PE and all that stuff, too!

[Richard Walbridge]

Almost two months ago I plowed my Vector ARF into the runway at KOI. Since I didn't have another one ready to fly immediately I had to put together a new ARF at school. I picked up a new Vector ARF from Randy Smith before we left, and spent the last couple months in between class work getting it ready to fly. I'm now nearly ready to fly the new one, just need to apply the decals and bench trim it.

Power is a PA 40UL on a pipe, and the CG looks darn near perfect to begin with. I don't have a scale in my room but it feels lighter than the old Vector too.

Matt,
Like I told you before, your class load is too light (or your major is too easy) if you have time for airplane stuff...I certainly didn't while majoring in Architecture at Kansas State University...

Rich Walbridge
Central Valley Stunt Mafia
"Nothing Personal...Strictly Stunt!"

[Matt Colan]

Matt,
Like I told you before, your class load is too light (or your major is too easy) if you have time for airplane stuff...I certainly didn't while majoring in Architecture at Kansas State University...

Rich Walbridge
Central Valley Stunt Mafia
"Nothing Personal...Strictly Stunt!"

Somehow I wonder how I have time for this stuff, and then I look at my engineering friends and even they find time to build and fly.

And Tim, sadly none of that stuff is here either. It's Aviation, Maintenence, and Engineering essentially. The school is trying to boost the numbers of female students by offering various scholarships and new majors that are coming out to hopefully attract more females ( )

[Matt Colan]

Put the decals on today and got it bench trimmed! The weather looks good this weekend to fly it at some point, and I'm planning to give it a ground run tomorrow.

[Randy Cuberly]

Girls are most certainly a part of the curriculum, but the problem is the guy to girl ratio is 4:1. Got to go off campus to find more girls!  

Matt,
Maybe you could have made a better choice of schools.  My undergad degree is from Florida Atalantic University in Ocean Engineering...There was also a Nursing school on Campus...the ratio there was 5 to 1, girls to boys!!!  No time for model airplanes...I'm surprised I actually learned anything.   

Randy Cuberly

[john e. holliday]

Girls will come later when has started making the big bucks from all this education.    I am surprised he has time for model planes.

[Matt Colan]

Matt,
Maybe you could have made a better choice of schools.  My undergad degree is from Florida Atalantic University in Ocean Engineering...There was also a Nursing school on Campus...the ratio there was 5 to 1, girls to boys!!!  No time for model airplanes...I'm surprised I actually learned anything.   

Randy Cuberly

I very well could have. I heard there weren't that many girls at my school before I came here but didn't realize it was as bad as it actually is! And many of them in the looks department leave much to be desired   

[john e. holliday]

Remember beauty is only skin deep.   

[Matt Colan]

Remember beauty is only skin deep.   

True

[Dick Pacini]

Remember beauty is only skin deep.   

But ugly goes clear through to the bone.

[Matt Colan]

But ugly goes clear through to the bone.

 

[steven yampolsky]

the motor won't know there's something attached to it! Major HP!

[Matt Colan]

I just got back from putting the first flight on the Vector. It flies AWESOME!!! The power that the 40 was putting out was incredible! I could have very well done the whole pattern on the first flight but I decided to play it safe and fly the tank out after the square 8.

Two minor trim adjustments were needed, a slight trim tab adjustment and a shorter kitty clip on the up line.

If anyone has a spare 40UL laying around and they want to get something together quickly, I would recommend this setup.

[Matt Colan]

the motor won't know there's something attached to it! Major HP!

Steve, I think your statement is correct. The motor didn't know it was pulling around an airplane, it was moving right along.

One of my friends who has seen me fly a good amount said as I landed that the plane looked like it flew better than the old one, and he liked the motor sound, smoke and power better than the other one too!

[Matt Colan]

Here is the 2nd flight on the Vector. This was a very high and conservative flight because it was the 2nd flight. The power and controllability of the power is awesome with this airplane!

[Gerald Arana]

Nice flight Matt! 

Tell your buddy to keep his finger off the lens............

Jerry

[Steve Fitton]

Lots of backing up in the square 8....  Wind?  Motor sounds pretty righteous and lap time looks good.

[Matt Colan]

Lots of backing up in the square 8....  Wind?  Motor sounds pretty righteous and lap time looks good.

Wind was on the dead side during the flight so I was just backing up to avoid possibly hitting my own wake turbulence.

[Matt Colan]

Nice flight Matt! 

Tell your buddy to keep his finger off the lens............

Jerry

I noticed that too, and I'll mention it to him. My friend did pass his checkride of becoming a certified launch boy for stunt so I can now trust somebody else when I want to go fly. 

[john e. holliday]

Looks like you have a good weapon for the coming season.   

[RknRusty]

Matt, that was a great run for the first time out. Really good work, thanks for sharing it. I think you've got trophies in your future... and it looks like probably in your past too.
Rusty

[Matt Colan]

Looks like you have a good weapon for the coming season.   

This is the Embry-Riddle airplane. I'll be flying the Thundergazer when I go home for the summer.

[Dennis Adamisin]

That pipe hangin out the bottom looks BADDASS!

[Steve Hines]

Matt what prop do you have on it, and how much fuel does it use. Now that's what plane should sound like.

Steve

[Matt Colan]

Matt what prop do you have on it, and how much fuel does it use. Now that's what plane should sound like.

Steve

Hi Steve,

I'm running a Bolly 11.8-3.8 pitched to 4.25.  I'm running 10% Powermaster GMA fuel and using 5.5oz for about a 6:50 runtime.

[Matt Colan]

Got a record two flights in in 20 minutes today (had to squeeze in what I could today). The wing is nearly level now, need to turn it about another turn or two. I also now can see I need to add a little bit of tail weight since I flew it in a bit of a moderate breeze and I had a ton of stick pressure to get it to turn.

I hope I'll be a let to get a couple more flights this weekend and next week since I'll be on...SPRING BREAK!!!

[Matt Colan]

I ordered a scale last week so I could see out how much the Vector weighs, and also to see how much stuff weighs for my new project I will be starting soon.

The Vector, after weighing it 3 times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, weighs in at 40 ounces!!!!!!!!! I'm shocked it's actually this light, especially for an ARF. No wonder it flies so well!