News
Home 05/15/04 Where does the time go??? I can't believe it myself when I look at the date from the last time this page was updated. I suppose I never realized actually how demanding school would be here for Mary and myself... I am nearing the completion of my CFI rating at the moment, then I'll take a few days off and get started on the Certified flight instructor "instrument" course.. Mary and I are moving here in the next coupe of weeks. Don't worry, not far, just about 5 minutes from here to a nice little 3 bedroom house. We really need more space than our current place has and I really missing the convenience of having a GARAGE! The plan for the moment after CFII is to sneak off to New Mexico and bring the Jaguar back to Sunny Florida... SO if you spot a Green E-type on a trailer heading east... It's probably me. The school says to expect to have about a 6 month wait for a standardizations class date... So for the meanwhile, I am already looking for avenues for me to practice my newly learned craft of flight instructing. During that time, I'll find a part time job to keep me out of trouble and in the air and bring the Jaguar up to speed. I'd like to be driving it by this fall. I still have tons of work to do on it, mostly wiring and many long hours chasing color coded wires with a diagram. Well, I must run for the moment, but know I'm never far and usually just an email away. Best wishes, Jason & Mary 08/02/03 I had my FIRST SOLO TODAY!!!!!!! What a rush when you don't have someone sitting next to you, life becomes VERY strange very fast... This is where you find out actually what your made of. Even if you have never wanted to pursue a career in Aviation like myself, I highly recommend it for everyone! See the Flight School page for the pictures... Jason :-))07/10/03 Got another trip into the air today with the Sceadu. I am trying to slowly sneak up on the correct fuel settings for the new fuel I am running and the local temperatures. I ran cool power 12.5% nitro in Germany, but was unable to buy it here. So I have switched to wildcat 15% nitro. Not a big change in Nitro content... What I am having fun with is going from 60 degrees to 90+ outside! Yikes!
07/07/03 I am finally in the air with a helicopter again... I got in 2 flights today with the Sceadu at a local baseball field. I seem to be having a hard time trying to find some place to fly. The local flying field wants what I think is a lot of money to fly with them. I will have to wait and see what kind of time my busy schedule will allow me to fly on the weekends... Funny, seems like my life revolves around flying, hmmm, I wouldn't have it any other way... Now hopefully I'll be back up in the air for real next week. I start school with Delta this Thursday and I am pretty excited. Watch for pictures soon. Jason 06/30/03 Wow... time flies when you're having fun.... My computer is now back home after a month hiatus across the Atlantic Ocean. Since the beginning of may, lots of things have happened to me and my wife. We left Germany on the 27th of May for Oklahoma. We spent 2 weeks visiting with Mary's family and then left for the sunny beaches of southwest Florida. After a couple more weeks of R&R, we found a new place to live near the outskirts of Orlando. Here, I am beginning my new career in professional aviation as a pilot and I can't remember being this thrilled since I was accepted to become a flight engineer in the US Air Force. Speaking of the military, I am officially out as of July 11th. I have given our country 8 and a half years of my life and I will never regret a minute of it. I have acquired an education that could not be bought at any price, the education of life itself. But now it is time to move on with my dreams and finish what I have started. Save me a seat Delta, I'm on my way!!! Charlie is here with us and made the flight from Europe just fine while Mary is heading off to college also to finish her degree as well. I will continue to fly the Sceadu to maintain proficiency as time will allow. I am expecting to be VERY busy in the next year. Best wishes to all and be sure to stay in touch.. Jason 05/04/03 Today was awesome... I got in 4 flights up with Ken and the rest of the gang from Spangdahlem. We crashed the 2 shuttle Z's into each other finally... We captured it on 6 camcorders all rolling at the same time.... Parts rained down, women and children screamed and the crowd went wild... Look for the video soon on the download page. All I can say was it a Blast!!!! 05/04/03 I have started to add more to the Go-ped Page, check out some useful tips to get the most out of you "Ped" 05/02/03 I met Jeff here today and got a few flights in.. The weather here has been very windy and it changes rapidly... Jeff brought out his tricked out Raptor 32 and I flew the Sceadu. This coming sunday, Ken and I will be performing a mid air crash with 2 Hirobo Shuttle Z's.. I got to test fly the one I'll be flying today... The machine flew very well considering it was pieced together with junk parts... Look for the completed video soon on the download page... I have received a 2003 Blue sport model Go-ped and have upgraded the drive spindle with a .750... It has dramatically improved top speed, but has changed the acceleration just slightly... I made the fatal mistake and taught Mary how to ride it.. Needless to say, we now have a red sport on the way for Mary... We only have a few more weeks left here before we return to the States to begin a new career for me... Most don't know the actual plan, but some of you do... I apologize for keeping it under a tight rap, but you will find out later... :-) J 04/21/03 No time to fly helicopters these days.. :-( Work has me running crazy.... And our household goods are about to be shipped... I have replaced the Quick page with something that stays on the ground... ever see one of those crazy 12 year olds on a scooter with a motor? Check out my new Go-Ped page for more info... More to come soon.. Jason 04/14/03 Well gang.. I got the sceadu back in the air again after almost a month of down time due to the crash and a war. Nothing to much.. I got in 3 flights today by myself... The machine is back in all its former glory and I am dusting the rust off once again.. I had a german local stopped by while packing it up and naturally he wanted to see it fly... I was happy to do a demo... I almost rolled it into a very large tree line that sits behind me where I fly... Yikes!!! I pulled it off inverted.. G2 is really a life saver... Life is good once again.. but then I smashed my cell phone on the trunk lid of my car while closing it to head home.. better the cell phone than the sceadu.... It's worthless in the states and I am only 45 days from returning to the world of strip malls, bad architecture and pawn shops... best wishes from Germany... Jason 04/09/03 As I sit here thinking of something to update this page with, I cant believe how much time has gone by since the last crash... This really must stop... remember the old adage?? 1 step forward and 2 steps back?? Work has me running ragged due to some raghead.. can I say that?? sure! It's my website.. Parts have finally arrived to put the doo back in the air... Cyberheli was out of crash kits (go figure.. I bought them out I suppose) I now have all the metal parts here to finish the control system for the main rotor.. Mary and I will be saying goodbye to all our household stuff as it all gets boxed up here on the 22nd... I will be keeping the helicopter out of the shipment naturally... I'll need something to do while twiddling my thumbs waiting to finish here in Europe.. Oh well.. thanks for stopping by.. I appreciate all the kind emails about the website... and I know.. I promised everyone a blade balancing for beginners session on the tips page... I just need a few more days.. Jason 03/21/03 Stop by the sceadu page for all your pricing info on the parts that make up this fantastic little helicopter... I have chosen 3 large companies as the basis for comparison... There you will find the common part name along with a picture and you will see the large price differences that exist out there in cyberspace.... This should help out many that are trying to find out "just how much that crash just cost me and where should I go to get my bird back in the air" Jason 03/19/03 Well, it's Cyberheli to the rescue once again... Parts order was placed tonight and I should see shiny new stuff next week.. This has really got to end soon :-( I am going to have to start selling plasma if this keeps up! Total damaged parts are Main Shaft (looks like a pretzel), spindle, SAB 600's, Flybar, Yoke (again), mixing arms, (again, I am trying to get metal ones this time), landing gear struts, Servo tray (again), Throttle servo (OUCH!), tail boom and a blade grip that somehow got nicked. not much that a C-note wont take care of.. :-( I have now decided to put together a cost analysis worksheet for Sceadu owners.. It will tell you what, where and how much it will take to get you back in the air as I am now gaining experience in this department.. I promise, I'll start working on the sceadu page when I can get a free couple of hours.. Jason 03/17/03 Double update here in the news department.. Flight number 3 today and I did it again.. This time it was completely my fault.. I can't blame it on an engine failure yet until I inspect the motor.. I suffered brain fade while flying backwards and rolled it into the ground on it's side... I couldn't believe it happened again to me... I just got the sceadu back up in the air and now I am down again waiting on parts once more from Hong Kong.. Oh well. If you're not crashing, You're not flying or trying hard enough.... :-().... My initial estimate is another hundred... Jason 03/17/03 Last night I knew it was time to quit... While gapping spark plugs on Mary's trusty ugly little ford escort I dropped one in the garage at 9PM... We do not have auto part stores here that stay open until midnight :-( Instead I decided to sit at the dining room table and install a flashy new upgrade on the sceadu... I replaced the washout and washout control arms with some pretty machined ones I got from cyber heli... Very nice stuff. I have most of the parts to complete the birdcage, just need the mixing arms to complete the ensemble... here is a picture for you..
03/16/03
The sceadu was out on the fly again today with Jim at the
field.... He was on his third trip out flying a helicopter and just decided to
cut the training gear off.... I was VERY surprised.. His 11 flight and the
training gear will be collecting dust... Awesome job Jim... I am just now
starting to lean out the sceadu again... It's very funny how the governor will
try to mask a badly tuned engine.... I was only getting one speed with the GV-1
today... By using the MAX RPM feature... it will allow you to see what the motor
is capable of doing... Very cool feature... Work has me running all over the
world... Last week I spent 4 days in Yerevan, Armenia... Not a very nice
vacation spot.... Food was great there and very inexpensive.. The People were
very nice to us, but it is nice to be home with Mary again... Jason
03/06/03
My web page is back
up and running with a new host and you'll notice I have my own domain name...
Many thanks to Eric Rosebrock, internet guru... Visit him
here for all your web hosting needs...
First class service and you won't find lower prices anywhere on the internet for
web hosting.... PHP Freaks is the place to be.... Email me for details about
having Eric host your website today.. J
03/05/03
The sceadu is ready for
the skies again... Repair cost was the typical 100 dollar bill including blades.
I took it up today for a few easy flights.. Nothing more than gentle hover
work.. Now that the engine has a new piston and ring in it.. Back through the
break in process I go... Really rich... 2 minutes in a hover, 2 minutes on the
ground cooling down.. After 3 or 4 flights and leaning the engine as I go, the
engine will be back to it's perky self in no time... Jim finally earned his
Helicopter wings today.. He did very well for his first time in the air.
Once again, living proof G2 works!!! J
02/12/03
We all just love investigative work... here are a few
pictures of what I believe is the reason I crashed...
02/06/03
Well, it has finally
happened... The sceadu crashed... :-( I was on my second flight doing stationary
front and back flips, the motor bogged down, I lost power and in she went..
Right on it's nose from about 25 feet up.. I thought we were going to need a
shovel to dig it out of the ground... I was quick on the throttle kill switch so
no funky chicken dance and we all know that saves $$$$.. So far, parts damaged
are... Main Blades (naturally) flybar, probably main mast and spindle.. Servo
tray and some small linkage around the bird cage... The canopy survived with
only some soft german mud all over it... So my early "pre-tear down estimate" is
around 60 bucks not including the SAB 600 fiberglass blades I lost.. Oh well..
She was a great flying machine with almost 60 flights under it's belt... But I
can do it again...Stay tuned.. Jason :-(
02/01/03
Weather here is really cold once again, so it is
maintenance time for me and the helicopters. I have greased all the
bearings on the sceadu, repaired a broken wire on the remote glow plug and
numerous other things just needed some of my time... Stop by the tips page for
an interesting little article I have written about helicopter head phasing... J
01/26/03
Had a couple of close
calls today with the Sceadu.... Cruising along very fast, I turned to enter
backward flight and flip it over it's nose, I dorked up the entry into the flip
and came out sideways... YIKES!!!
Fortunately, I regained control about 5 feet off the ground... I also spent
quiet a bit more time trying my hand at inverted forward flight.. Very cool...
We (Derrell, Jim and myself) got to welcome a new pilot. His name is Wally
and is a C-130 Herk Pilot I fly with at work... He is flying a very nice little
trainer built by Hobbico with a 40 sized engine... We all know he's magic in the
mighty Hercules, but now it will be fun to mess with him with an RC aircraft..
(*EVIL GRIN*) He got some good taxi practice today and hopefully will get some
air time next week... Derrell has finally gotten his raptor 60 in the air...
What a powerhouse, it just needs a few tweaks here and there and it will make a
perfect helicopter as he upgrades from his trusty Hawk II... Jim wanted to fly
really bad today, but when we got to our field it was all FOG and the visibility
was about 100meters... so we moved to our helicopter field.. We thought
the ground was too rough for a landing with his plane, but he proved us wrong...
Great job JIM.... another five feet to the left and you would have stuck her in
that tree... J
01/19/03
I got the sceadu out
today for some more cold weather ops.. What a BLAST!!!! I got the nerve up today
to try a backwards flip over the nose... No broken pieces so that's always a
good thing... The Quick is in the middle of a massive rebuild from the ground
up... The chassis is complete now in Carbon fiber and looks oh so sweet...
Also the machine is getting a few new parts that were beginning to show some
signs of needing attention... Mostly bearings and a new clutch bell... I'll post
pictures when she is completed on the Quick page... Who knows.. a Freya X-spec
might just be in my future... (evil grin*) But I'd have to part with
something... Tough decision.. Thanks for stopping by the web page. J
01/13/03
See the download page for
the latest version of the slowly becoming world famous J and J's funfly field
airport for realflight.. Weather is still miserable, so I thought I would stay
inside, skip work and work on the airport.. Be well... Jason
01/10/03
This is getting
ridiculous, 12 degrees Fahrenheit outside and clear blue skies... After
flying for a fast 10 mins last sunday... I thought this just isn't worth it...
I've been stuck in a annual system refresher class (again) all week and it's
been too dark for me to get out and burn some fuel.. If the weather stays clear
this weekend... I am going out again to brave the frigid temperatures... Until
then, stay inside and fly your sim!!! :-) J
01/05/03
Derrell and I got a chance to each grab a quick flight today in the snow...
Word to the wise... When the temperatures are in the freezing level, be
careful with
the use of your Governor until it comes up to temperature. I tried
turning it on after
about 2 minutes of hovering and the machine wigged out... but after it
adjusted to
the cold, it was fine and held the RPM perfectly.. The pictures are huge so
please be
patient. My camera is out to lunch.... Jason
12/28/02
We had an awesome day flying today... The Governor installation went smooth
with no problems... Sometime in the new year I will install an optical sensor
and a metal fan. I am trying different head speeds but loving every
minute allowing this neat contraption control of my throttle. Max
descent straight for the ground and not a hint of over speed at 1950 rotor
RPM's.. SO if you own anything larger than a 30 size heli, I HIGHLY recommend
you buy a governor.... It has done wonders for the Sceadu and well worth the
money.. J
12/12/02
Folks, this is getting sad... Weather here is WAYYY too
cold to even think about going outside to fly, am I looking forward to warmer
weather back in Florida all year round. This coming Saturday, snow,
rain, sleet or hail will NOT keep me inside. Something I own is going up
in the air! Hopefully I'll post some new results and photos this
weekend. I am still waiting on Cyberheli to send my new GV-1 governor
for the Sceadu, it really needs something to tame this beast down and
get the head speed under control. Until next time, stay inside where
it's warm and fly your simulator, best way to keep the rust off your thumbs...
J :-)
12/05/02
If you are the proud owner of an OS 46 FX series engine
that REALLY lacks mid range I am here to help for you. After wasting my
money calling OS in the states on tuning this motor, I turned to a local
german named Lismann for the answer. Two minutes later and this man set
my throttle needle perfectly. I am here to say the instructions are
WRONG!!! Close your throttle half way and while peeking inside it, turn
the needle in until it just begins to penetrate the jet and you have an
excellent starting point... My motor runs awesome now... Your welcome!!!! :-)
J
12/01/02
The Sceadu is currently buried in 3 pounds of clay. and
I am not kidding... I am beginning work on a TOP SECRET full length
fuselage constructed out of fiberglass so I am left with the trusty lead sled
to fly.. I took the quick up today and noticed lots of slop developing in the
head. I tried to change out spindles at the field, but I left my blow
torch at home. Red loctitie is extremely tuff stuff for bolts and
nuts... I got in one quick flight and back to the car it went.. Arghhh.. Where
is the Sceadu when I need it??
11/21/02
Realflight page added along with a few screenshots of
our field for your viewing pleasure..
11/18/02
Quick page updated now with
(the cracking frame episode)
along with a few additions to the realflight field found on the download page
enjoy.
11/17/02
Finally a break in the weather... Betsy's replacement
got up in the air for the first time today... Jim once again got the honors of
doing the initial flight while I just watched and hoped for the best... I
can't believe it's been almost a month since I have flown a helicopter.. and
can I say RUSTY.....The sceadu came out to play for a quick flight with some
flips and loops, it is very cold outside, but if the sun is out... You'll find
me at the field... :-) J
11/10/02
When it rains it pours.. work has me swamped.. and all
my friends cars are breaking down... So once again J to the rescue.. I did
find time to snap a couple of shots of a C-130 actually hauling a helicopter..
nobody would ever think it would fit.. check out the humor page for details. J
11/08/02
Weather once again has turned to crap, so Jim and myself
have devoted numerous hours to modifying our airport for G2. So If you
own this fabulous aircraft simulator, stop by the download page and test fly
our most recent version. Betsy the airplane has now been renamed to
hangar queen. Mary is trying to rename her new airplane to the 'ol nag,
but I refuse to paint that on the side. Test flight should take place
this weekend if the weather can give me a break. I send best wishes to
friends and family both past and present. Jason :-)
11/03/02
Betsy bit the dust today... Jim and I got in a flight
last night just as the fog was rolling in and darkness was setting...
One quick takeoff and landing... Today, the weather was a real pain, but Jim
got me up in the air on the trainer cord.. He is a real whiz with the
sticks... Greased them in every time.... He got 6 awesome 3 point landings and
I got 2 take offs and some left hand pattern work... Plane was flying
like a dream until FUTABA supplied me with a cheap @$$ 600mAh battery pack..
So Jim and I were on flight #3 and after take off.. the battery crapped out...
Straight into the ground it went... No damage to anything expensive... Plane
is basically a total loss... and Futaba is getting a nasty gram for providing
such a joke of a battery pack with this 6 channel radio.. Pictures of the
carnage are found here...
11/01/02
I have been flying my tail off at work... The weather
here has been extremely windy and rainy so I haven't gotten out to fly the
helicopters... But I have been working away at a new project for my wife...
She is going to try her hand at flying R/C airplanes... You can see the newest
addition to the hangar here or check out the
Graupner page below.. Test flight will
be this weekend weather permitting... :-)
10/21/02
Life is very wet here again.. figures.. I got
run off a couple of fields here in Germany last weekend.. One local just had
to inform me I was disturbing the birds.... RIGHT!!! and someone else said I
wasn't 1500 meters from a local village... I couldn't even see a village... I
can't wait to get back to the states and avoid this nonsense... Hirobo sent me
a replacement set of frames for the sceadu after the meltdown incident...
Awesome people and outstanding customer support from US Rep Jeff Green....
Makes me happy to be part of a hobby that looks after their own...
10/14/02
Flew out a tank today in the quick... It was really windy here so I found a
small secluded field that forced me to keep the machine in a tight
pattern... More nose in work.. this time down to about 2-3 feet...
10/13/02
I got in 2 awesome flights this afternoon today with Darrell and his
century hawk.... I even pulled an INVERTED HOVER for about 7 seconds...
I was just mildly excited by it... RIGHT!!!! check out the download section
for an awesome video of 20 guys hovering inverted!...
28 megs.. but you will not believe this craziness... :-() J
Removed... sorry. needed the space...
10/13/02
I am stuck sitting on
alert status, So I am trying to get some web page work done.. See my new tips
section on how to restore that old nasty looking pipe of yours today...
10/12/02
Got a few flights in today with Derrell and his Century
Hawk II... Very impressive little machine. The sceadu today performed
flawlessly after I got the over speed situation solved, amazing what colder
weather will do for blade efficiency... All was well until I landed and
found my HIROBO
stock muffler decided to turn and melt
the side of the frame and almost burned a hole in the fuel tank.. I think it
is time for a
real pipe, see the photo here of the
melted frame.
10/11/02
Life has found me swamped again... Last night I got a
fantastic deal on a 65 size Trainer airplane for Mary Alice.. I almost choose
to build it from kit form, but for a cool C-note it came ARF (almost ready to
Fly)... what could be easier? Strap the gear on, mount the radio and engine
and light the fire... All is can say is simulator, simulator, simulator....
Weather here is crap (AGAIN) so it's time to stay indoors and catch up on some
maintenance... J
10/08/02
Took the Sceadu up today... Had a ball with it trying
nose in fwd and backward flips from a hover... Love that machine... Tonight I
took some pictures of a muffler that was destroyed with 2 years worth of
castor oil burnt on it.. I'll post pictures in the up and coming TIPs section
soon... :-) J
10/05/02
Got a short flight in with the Quick, the weather
turned really nasty today on us here in Germany. Ken brought out his
Fury and his Sceadu, even though the weather was crap, spirits weren't
dampened at all... Ken and I helped a friend of mine, Darrell, get his
Century Hawk
up and running.... Something to be said about
the OS32, It hadn't run for over 2 years and started up with basically no
trouble at all... too bad the weather was so terrible, but we still had a
great time as always... My sceadu should be flight worthy for tomorrow,
everything is back together after the clutch smoking episode. :-) J
10/03/02
Quick Review is up and found on the site today... It is still under work and
I'd really rather not post it until I get a chance to actually say how helpful
HHI dealings have been with me when it comes to the troubles I have had with
the Quick... But everyone is bugging me for the review
so this is what I have so far..... Rest in
Peace Toyota starlet, It threw the timing belt last weekend and destroyed the
head, I got almost 3 years out of the old girl and will miss what we have
called "the Rat" since day one...She has been replaced by a 4door Opel Kadette
hatchback... Perfect for hauling my toys to the flying field... Also, I am
contemplating putting together a PT40 trainer aircraft for the wife... I just
don't have the patience to teach her to fly helicopters.... :-) J
*Quick Review Removed...*
9/30/02 Got to fly the
Quick today twice, Perfecting my pattern work and working the nose in issue.
Work on the Quick review page is under way. I read a rather disturbing
article on a helicopter forum tonight and decided to write my own, unbiased,
and UNPAID review... look for it soon.
9/29/02 Tried to get out
and fly today...Took the sceadu out of the car.. got everything ready..
Fired her up and my idle went to the moon... Thank goodness I had a good hold
of the main rotor. I had the program apparently dialed up for the Quick
and I WAS trying to fly the Sceadu.
The result was a severely burnt out clutch..
What a black powder mess it made... see it here Oh well.. Live and learn.. Check out the
humor page and see the first remote control ever invented... :-)
J
9/27/02
Ned is back... this time terrorizing the Albuquerque
police department... See the download page... Weather here is rainy and
miserable
so I haven't been able to fly... It better
clear up soon or I'll be hovering in my living room.... :-)
9/23/02 Trying to find time
to work on the site... Today I added a small section to the transmitter page
along with some photos... I got to
fly
the quick yesterday right before the sky
opened up on me... Weather here has been getting much colder and wetter... :-(
J
9/20/02 Got stuck working
on EVERYBODY'S car this week! I learned about a product called PIG
Putty, you would never believe this.
We glued on a muffler.. Literally glued it
end of pipe to end of pipe... and it worked!!! Oh well, tonight I added some
info about the radio I am
using to the Radio page... Also, for a good
laugh, stop by the humor page for a picture you will never forget! J
9/18/02
Removed Tribute.....
(needed the space.... let me know if you want it up again). But today we have
something
just as good... see the download page for
another AWESOME VIDEO!!!! Flight counter is current... Watch as I get more
flights under my belt and quickly go broke... ;-) I haven't had much of a
chance to get outside... my 309 gallon aquarium need some serious attention..
I had a fish called a pacu that was over 15inches and about 2.5lbs that I had
to get rid of, 1 hour later I caught him inside a pillow case, he is ant food
now... New pages coming soon when I can get some free time. J
9/15/02
I just moved
into tripod and have now moved again into the penthouse suite. Banners
have been REMOVED!!!! I thought you all would appreciate that!
A tribute to our Armed Forces has been added to the Download page, the
original explicit (and clean) versions of Die Terrorist Die are here!
9/14/02
Web page officially in work, I am not the most
proficient at Front Page, But I'm trying.... Work keeps me running or should I
say Flying... This week I'll spend it on the ground doing annual Flight Engineer
Refresher training... I can use the time on the ground relaxing and hopefully
burning some nitro... :-)
