Chronic's Research and Aeronautics Project (C.R.A.P.)

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks. I'll be trying to get it finished up today. Will I? Who knows! there's not THAT much work left to do but I find myself so tired after work that I don't get much done on me builds these days.  I can't wait for winter time!

In other news, I did an experiment on my BAC-111 the other day. According to the instructions and stuff, if I do it within 15 minutes, I can spray gloss right on top of the still drying white paint. Well, I waited a whole HOUR then got impatient. I sez, "Hell, I'll try it and see what happens."  DOH!!   That was dumb... I sure found out!! Lots of crazing and orange peel. The result was bad, but the experiment was a success as I now know, for sure, what'll happen if I don't hit the 15 minute sweet spot or wait for the paint to fully gas out before I gloss it. At least this was on my own terms. Still, now I'm going to have to sand the fuselage down and repaint it. If I can't get the gloss on within 15 minutes I'll have to wait 6-7 days to do that. Last time I tried it around the 5 day mark and still had a few places of crazing show up (Yak).


But anyway, that's the plan for today. Finish Yak and then start sanding the fuselage on the BAC 111. 

[PR19_Kit]

Isn't the white paint already a gloss finish, or are you putting gloss varnish on top of a matt white coat?

If the latter, why? Is there some hidden advantage in doing that?

[TheChronicOne]

To be honest, I don't know.... I've sprayed it before and it wound up being matte or satin so I didn't take my chances with it. But, it damn sure LOOKS glossy the last couple of times I used it. I see I'm not the only one to notice!    Granted, that last pic I took of it was when the paint was still wet but even after it dries, it looks pretty glossy. The same exact brand and label of paint, but in black, comes out matte....  (or, it did last I checked!!) so that makes me scratch me head a bit. The cans don't say one way or another WHAT finish comes out so....  I dunno man. 

Ever since I've employed my new "tricks" like warming it up really warm and shaking it extra it comes out gloss. I guess I was just doing it wrong before when it came out matte/satin. But yeah, the thought had crossed my mind to just skip the first gloss coat and put the transfers right on the white and I'll likely be doing that from now on, I just am leary for now about this cheapass $1 a can paint I'm using.

I'm considering picking up a can of that white appliance paint and trying it next. I DO like my $1 paints, though (especially now that I seem to be better at using rattle cans), but I've always wanted to try some of the appliance paint.

[PR19_Kit]

I think airliner modellers over here are spoilt because of the Halfords range of paints. They're so good, in quality and in the range of colours, that we tend not to look elsewhere.

Their Appliance White is the benchmark for gloss white to my mind, and I don't bother to apply a Klear coat before the decals after using Appliance White. But I do Klear the decals afterward of course.

[TheChronicOne]

That settles it! I'm going to grab some when I make my paint haul next month. I can use it just on airliners and use my other paint on military crap. I wish I could try some NOW but I've done ran all my money out. 

[TheChronicOne]

SO ANYWAY!! Who wants to see an inverted Dash-8 Q400? being chased by an F-15? 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPc0ERNgHxI&feature=youtu.be


Supposedly this is from the incident yesterday where an "airline "worker"  " stole a plane then flew it into the ground up in Seattle. Crazy.



ATC Audio:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=126&v=4LLmF9tZoEE

[PR19_Kit]

What was he trying to do? And what were the F-15s going to do anyway?

[TheChronicOne]

He stole the plane then committed suicide in it. The odd part is I don't think he was a pilot, at all (according from the ATC recording in the link), but he was flying the hell out of that plane. As far as the F-15s, since 9/11 when someone steals an airliner and flies off with it they just want to be ready if it starts to look like it's going to fly into more populated areas. Being near Seattle, I don't blame them. He stated that he didn't want to hurt anyone else, and was flying off into the wilderness basically,  but they can't just take his word for it.. so up go the F-15s.



EDIT: There are more than one video of this guy tooling around in this Dash-8, If I can locate youtube ones not embedded, I'll add them here.

[TheChronicOne]

This thing is a time sink. (Yak-53)


I decided not to get in any rush to not mess things up but I didn't think simply putting the transfers on would take damn near all day. It took a lot of measuring and cutting and the like but still..   I had to use some of me new Microset/sol on some of it (I'm sold, I'll never be without this stuff again) then I had to break out the hairy sticks after all this time. I couldn't get by just with rattle can! I had to "close the gap" a couple places where transfers fell short then there was a red strip on the top and front of the fin. I could have masked and done that earlier when I did the bottom but oh well... I decided to just free-hand it and it looks pretty good!

It is now glossed and sitting to dry. Looks pretty decent for now. Glad it is glossed because keeping the damn thing clean, especially when trying to use red on it, is tedious.

No pictures until I'm done with it which should be within the next week or so...       

[NARSES2]

They showed footage of that Dash -8 on our news yesterday. A few of his aerobatics in it, the following F-15's and his conversation with a very calm ATC who was trying to coax him down. They didn't show the final, fatal crash however.

Apparently they are not sure if the crash was accidental or intentional, but the conversation with ATC is quite sad as the guy realises he's got nowhere to go. He was part of the ground team at the airport apparently.

[TheChronicOne]

It's a strange, fascinating story.  I'll be paying close attention in the following days as more things come to light.

I'm also curious to see how verious gov't entities react. I'm sure, at least in show, they'll want to make a fuss about new regulations to keep something like this from happening. The one caveat is this dude has a clean and clear background which of course hilights the one flaw in every system like this which is , "Well, what about the nutjobs that don't have any outward signs of BEING nutjobs?"  Everyone wants to do background checks, piss test everyone, and scrutinize someone's background before they are hired or whatever, but what about the crazy one that just happens to be lucky enough to have never been caught or in trouble? Every person alive had a clean background, until they didn't.

[NARSES2]

You can't stop everything or protect everybody unfortunately.

My take from the conversation that was played on the BBC News is that perhaps he was just an ordinary guy who perhaps had always wanted to fly an aeroplane and working so close temptation finally won ?

Be interested if your local news comes up with more background about him. Maybe he'd had some training (he must have had some, surely ?) but never completed it ?

Just sad rather then anything else I think.

[TheChronicOne]

He said to ATC he had played video games which can go a long way teaching one how to fly and/or driving home the science behind it. I'm pretty sure I could hop in one and do alright like he did from all the hours of flying games and flight sims I've played. Pretty amazing, because from what I'm hearing, the Dash-8 is a dog to fly, even worse to try to land.


So... what're we doing today in the modelling world?!?!? Uhhh.. not sure. Back to work on the Yak-53, I know that much. I'll be finished with it today. I've very little left, now. I need to gloss the gear and glue them on then there is an antenna I think and a drag bar on the back that needs to go on then I can do the cockpit glass finally. I've waited to the end so I can get the tape strips along the fuselage nice and snug with no gaps.

Didn't sand any on the BAC 111 the other day because I was so busy wit the Yak, BUT, it wasn't ready anyway. The ol' smell test is tried and true and it was still out gassing so I could have sanded on it but it would be gumming up the sand paper and simply not working as well as when it has dried up sufficiently.


That's all the plans I'm making. I don't have any lawns scheduled but my sciatica is acting up in a big way so I'm in a lot of pain, unfortunately, and that might put a damper on things. Hopefully once I get out picking up trash all the activity will help matters. Sometimes it does, sometimes it makes it worse. It's a coin toss..   

So anyway, that's all for now I guess. 

[zenrat]

Provided all the controls were labelled I reckon I could get an aircraft off the ground.  After that?  No idea.  I'm not very good at flight sims so it would undoubtedly end in tears (and worse).

[TheChronicOne]

It's the whole landing part that is tricky, even on something simple. It's more than just "slow down and drop the gear" so I'm pretty sure I'd auger in, too.    RIP Chronic.

Have any of y'all seen the one or two shows out there on the people that had to land planes after the pilot "clocks out?"  One was an ol' chap from the UK and another was about an 87 year old lady and they both managed to get with experts over the bird-dog and were able to successfully land.  Fascinating stuff.