Monday, April 27, 2015
April 26th
I spent some time in the garage getting the final extra bit cut off the part of the wing I'm hoping to make a table out of. I'm now out of cutoff wheels for my Dremel, and I've work out the metal cutting bits for my oscillating tool. Oh, and I broke a couple of drill bits, for good measure.
April 24th
My doctor's been trying to get hold of me (they still had my Mountain View phone number), and finally managed to today. So, it seems that I have a fractured scaphoid in my right hand, and a cyst growing on my spine by the C7 vertebra... I'm assuming that's partly scar tissue. So, I went in to get poked and prodded some more, and a fetching splint to immobilise my right hand. That I'm supposed to wear like 24 hours a day for the next 8 weeks. Joy.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
April 22nd
While I was working on the van, the postie delivered the mail, including my new pedal covers from Thailand, so immediately stopped what I was doing and fitted the brake one to match the pedal I put on the accelerator years ago :o)April 21st
On the way out to get a blood test (I'm still supposed to get a tetanus shot - that'll teach me to go to the doctor), I stopped and picked up another 400 stamps. On the way home, I stopped in at a couple of local breakers' yards to see if I could get a tan panel to work on in the back of the van, but no :o(
It was really windy:
so when I got home I just sat and did the flyers for the EAA - finally finishing the last 400 of the original 1,000 of them.
When Vic got home, we went and swapped the TV, as the dark bit was really bothering me, and dropped off the remaining EAA flyers.
When we got home, I spent some time setting the TV up (it needs an update as soon as you start playing with it, then there's the calibration that takes a while). I figured out the problems I was having with the HTPC were due to still having the old NVidia drivers, so I removed those and installed the ATI drivers (again), now everything's fine :o)
It was really windy:
so when I got home I just sat and did the flyers for the EAA - finally finishing the last 400 of the original 1,000 of them.
When Vic got home, we went and swapped the TV, as the dark bit was really bothering me, and dropped off the remaining EAA flyers.
When we got home, I spent some time setting the TV up (it needs an update as soon as you start playing with it, then there's the calibration that takes a while). I figured out the problems I was having with the HTPC were due to still having the old NVidia drivers, so I removed those and installed the ATI drivers (again), now everything's fine :o)
April 20th
I've been getting nagged about taking some time off at work, so I've taken the week off.
I spent a while folding, labelling and stamping stuff for the EAA while sort of watching TV, then I went to drop those off at the post office (the little post slot thing outside won't hold that many letters).
It's been a while, so I went to see the quack about a few issues I've been having with my right arm. For the sudden reduction in rotation, I was sent to get x-rays, and for the pain, I was sent to get an MRI. That's a lot less fun than TV would lead you to believe. And I was in the noisy machine for over an hour, so I'm expecting a great 3D model to look at :o) It was kind of nice that the weather was being odd, as I didn't get home until ~17:30, so it would have been a struggle to get to the airfield and get out for a decent amount of time before it started to get dark.
Vic and I watched TV and continued folding and labelling the EAA flyers for the evening.
I spent a while folding, labelling and stamping stuff for the EAA while sort of watching TV, then I went to drop those off at the post office (the little post slot thing outside won't hold that many letters).
It's been a while, so I went to see the quack about a few issues I've been having with my right arm. For the sudden reduction in rotation, I was sent to get x-rays, and for the pain, I was sent to get an MRI. That's a lot less fun than TV would lead you to believe. And I was in the noisy machine for over an hour, so I'm expecting a great 3D model to look at :o) It was kind of nice that the weather was being odd, as I didn't get home until ~17:30, so it would have been a struggle to get to the airfield and get out for a decent amount of time before it started to get dark.
Vic and I watched TV and continued folding and labelling the EAA flyers for the evening.
Monday, April 20, 2015
April 19th
I tinkered with the new TV some more, but Vic has pointed out a darker 3" stripe on the right hand side of the screen, so I have a feeling it'll end up going back - we'll see if they have another one (I thought we'd got the last one). Bugger.
We watched the excellent MotoGP race from Argentina. I'd written Rossi off for any chance of winning, as he was so far behind, but what do I know?
I spent some time updating the EAA website, and we watched some TV on the new... TV.
We watched the excellent MotoGP race from Argentina. I'd written Rossi off for any chance of winning, as he was so far behind, but what do I know?
I spent some time updating the EAA website, and we watched some TV on the new... TV.
April 18th
We went out on an expedition to buy things and stuff, and came back with a new television, amongst other things and stuff.
We went to the Roseville Earth Day event, and looked at all the hippies, while I looked at the electric cars - there weren't any electric motorcycles this year.
When we got back, I got the TV installed, and started the arduous process of calibrating it, and getting the Harmony remote set up to use it.
In the afternoon I went to the airfield, chatted with Richard, Lance and Jim, then went and found that the fuel sender correction factor on the Flightstar was correct, so I'll need to re-initialise that, and possibly replace the damned thing if that doesn't fix it. When Jim had taken off, I got the plane out and it looked like Jack was going to fly over to Far West Lake, so I started doing some circuits while I waited for him. Gary and the Danny joined me, but it was getting too close to getting dark when Jack finally took off, so I did a few more circuits and landed. While I was doing circuits, Vince had arrived in a Rans S-4 that he's just finished tarting up. We chatted for a while before he had to head out to get home before dark. Jack and Danny landed just as the sun disappeared over the horizon, and they fly faster than I do, so I figure that was a good decision.
We went to the Roseville Earth Day event, and looked at all the hippies, while I looked at the electric cars - there weren't any electric motorcycles this year.
When we got back, I got the TV installed, and started the arduous process of calibrating it, and getting the Harmony remote set up to use it.
In the afternoon I went to the airfield, chatted with Richard, Lance and Jim, then went and found that the fuel sender correction factor on the Flightstar was correct, so I'll need to re-initialise that, and possibly replace the damned thing if that doesn't fix it. When Jim had taken off, I got the plane out and it looked like Jack was going to fly over to Far West Lake, so I started doing some circuits while I waited for him. Gary and the Danny joined me, but it was getting too close to getting dark when Jack finally took off, so I did a few more circuits and landed. While I was doing circuits, Vince had arrived in a Rans S-4 that he's just finished tarting up. We chatted for a while before he had to head out to get home before dark. Jack and Danny landed just as the sun disappeared over the horizon, and they fly faster than I do, so I figure that was a good decision.
Friday, April 17, 2015
April 15th
I went to the EAA membership meeting / barbecue, and watched Nick's talk about a Czech plane he's going to be importing for sale.
Monday, April 13, 2015
April 12th
I played with the video I shot with Danny, mainly concentrating on the bits you can (just about) see Danny in. I should get closer to him next time we do this.
We hoisted Russ' wing up to the rafters in the garage, as I've run out of things to do with it for the moment.
We grabbed a takeout lunch and watched the (ho-hum, delayed) MotoGP race from Austin, and later went to the airfield to try and fix the fuel level sender on the plane. This involves draining and refilling the tank, but didn't take too long. Although it seemed like it was working correctly, it went from 100% to 33% when we went out for a quick circuit, so I think I need to do that all over again :o(
In the evening, we folded, addressed and stamped 200 letters for the EAA - I'm hoping to get those posted before the membership meeting on Wednesday (that's too many for the little mailbox by the house!).
We hoisted Russ' wing up to the rafters in the garage, as I've run out of things to do with it for the moment.
We grabbed a takeout lunch and watched the (ho-hum, delayed) MotoGP race from Austin, and later went to the airfield to try and fix the fuel level sender on the plane. This involves draining and refilling the tank, but didn't take too long. Although it seemed like it was working correctly, it went from 100% to 33% when we went out for a quick circuit, so I think I need to do that all over again :o(
In the evening, we folded, addressed and stamped 200 letters for the EAA - I'm hoping to get those posted before the membership meeting on Wednesday (that's too many for the little mailbox by the house!).
April 11th
We dropped Vic's Bolt off for a service, then went to breakfast and to look at helmets. It's weird, she has an Arai Vector at the moment, but the Vector 2 is too big for her. They didn't have an extra small, but the larger liner made the small uncomfortable. After lots of helmets tried on, we think the solution is an RX-Q in an extra small. Oh, but the colour she likes is out of stock, and the distributor doesn't even have any. Joy.
We went back to pick up the Bolt, but it wasn't ready, so after we'd been home for a while, they called to say we could pick it up. And pick it up we did.
I then went to the airfield, and set out for a flight with Danny, but he got spooked by the bouncy air and turned back. I followed him to make sure he was OK, and I've suggested he tighten up his harness a bit, as I don't think that's helping. I then went out for a flight until it was almost dark before coming home.
We went back to pick up the Bolt, but it wasn't ready, so after we'd been home for a while, they called to say we could pick it up. And pick it up we did.
I then went to the airfield, and set out for a flight with Danny, but he got spooked by the bouncy air and turned back. I followed him to make sure he was OK, and I've suggested he tighten up his harness a bit, as I don't think that's helping. I then went out for a flight until it was almost dark before coming home.
Friday, April 10, 2015
April 10th
I got to drill out the remainder of the captive nuts from Russ' wing desk. Yay. I'm considering my job done now - it's up to Russ to strip the paint, polish, paint and mount it on legs.
April 9th
I managed to drill out a bunch of the captive nuts from Russ' wing desk. The problem is that they're smooth fit, and they've been painted over, so it's tricky to figure out where the rivets are.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
April 8th
It was the latest Tri-motor meeting, so I drove over to Lincoln. The meeting room we were expecting to be in was double-booked, so we ended up in the regular restaurant, and it was hard to be heard properly, meaning we took a lot longer than we anticipated.
When we left, I went over to the airfield and dropped off the piece of the horizontal stabiliser that I'd cut at the weekend.
When we left, I went over to the airfield and dropped off the piece of the horizontal stabiliser that I'd cut at the weekend.
April 5th
As the weather was inclement, I tinkered around in the garage and installed the leading edge properly on Russ' future desk, and cut the outer tip off my part of the horizontal stabiliser. I'll probably shorten the piece I have left, but it's a lot better than the 2 long pieces I started with - I can actually move around in the garage a bit more now. I have a few things to do on Russ' desk, then I'll try and get it up into the roof of the garage out of the way.
In the evening, we watched "Lucy", which was entertaining enough if you ignore the flawed premise.
In the evening, we watched "Lucy", which was entertaining enough if you ignore the flawed premise.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
April 4th
I'd been thinking about the eclipse, so obviously I woke up at around 2am and couldn't get back to sleep.
I quickly set up my happy snap (running CHDK) to take a time-lapse, and went back to bed.
I still couldn't sleep, so I got up again and knocked out a quick video I'd shot of the green grass here at the moment. Obviously that'll all be dead soon.
When the moon disappeared behind the trees next door, I took some pictures with my DSLR, and knocked up a timelapse of the eclipse.
After dorking around a bit more (we've let the Warcraft subscription lapse for the moment, as we're getting bored of the same daily quests), I went over to the airfield for the Young Eagles event, where it was cold and windy - there were about 20 kids who showed up, but we were expecting more (there were 38 pre-registrations). Most of the time there were more volunteers than there were kids to be flown, so we stood around shivering and talking. After that I went on a quest for some gear oil, and eventually found some. I headed over to the hangar and checked that the drain plug on the gearbox wasn't leaking any more, and it's not. I took out the level plug, expecting to have to add oil, but it drained out a little oil, so it was fine. I safety wired everything up and went for a flight to heat cycle the thing. It was very bumpy, and not really enjoyable at all, but 45 minutes later the landing was pretty good, bearing in mind the gusty conditions.
I quickly set up my happy snap (running CHDK) to take a time-lapse, and went back to bed.
I still couldn't sleep, so I got up again and knocked out a quick video I'd shot of the green grass here at the moment. Obviously that'll all be dead soon.
When the moon disappeared behind the trees next door, I took some pictures with my DSLR, and knocked up a timelapse of the eclipse.
After dorking around a bit more (we've let the Warcraft subscription lapse for the moment, as we're getting bored of the same daily quests), I went over to the airfield for the Young Eagles event, where it was cold and windy - there were about 20 kids who showed up, but we were expecting more (there were 38 pre-registrations). Most of the time there were more volunteers than there were kids to be flown, so we stood around shivering and talking. After that I went on a quest for some gear oil, and eventually found some. I headed over to the hangar and checked that the drain plug on the gearbox wasn't leaking any more, and it's not. I took out the level plug, expecting to have to add oil, but it drained out a little oil, so it was fine. I safety wired everything up and went for a flight to heat cycle the thing. It was very bumpy, and not really enjoyable at all, but 45 minutes later the landing was pretty good, bearing in mind the gusty conditions.
April 3rd
In the evening we watched "The Shawshank Redemption", because I'd never seen it. It was great, but it needs more space battles.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
April 2nd
Vic lost another guinea pig, Henry, overnight. He'd been having difficulty breathing, and we thought it was probably pneumonia. And then there were four.
April 1st
A new month, so the solar statistics:
In the evening, I went to Lincoln for the EAA board of directors meeting. I stopped in at the hangar on the way home, as the Flightstar's been weeping a little oil from the gearbox. I cut all the safety wire off, and found that the drain plug wasn't very tight. I tweaked that up a little, and we'll see if that fixes it before I safety wire everything up and refill it.
As I joined the freeway, I thought I should probably stop and get gas on the way home. So I ran out of gas on the way home. I coasted to the shoulder, switched it to reserve and rode to the gas station, where I put 3.7 gallons in my 3.9 gallon tank :o)
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| Power billed |
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| Power generated |
In the evening, I went to Lincoln for the EAA board of directors meeting. I stopped in at the hangar on the way home, as the Flightstar's been weeping a little oil from the gearbox. I cut all the safety wire off, and found that the drain plug wasn't very tight. I tweaked that up a little, and we'll see if that fixes it before I safety wire everything up and refill it.
As I joined the freeway, I thought I should probably stop and get gas on the way home. So I ran out of gas on the way home. I coasted to the shoulder, switched it to reserve and rode to the gas station, where I put 3.7 gallons in my 3.9 gallon tank :o)
March 31st
John's in the area, so we met up for dinner in Elk Grove - I rode the DRZ as I didn't have anything to carry :o)
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