Holiday Greetings...

Merry Christmas

and

Happy new year 

as a picture says more than a thousand words

and a film show you 24 pictures per second

I have made a little video greeting for you…

Testing the skis on grass and snow

The weather was good this Sunday and I did try my skis. Very optimistic I brought my snow shovel to the airfield but there was actually no snow left… 

The skis vibrate quit a lot when taking off from a rough grass strip like ours as the wheels don’t penetrate that much. But it works well.

On a nearby airfield I found some snow, at least enough to feel the difference. Very smooth, no vibrations and a good feeling of sliding – just like on skis!

The explanation to why I fly with a Santa Claus hat will come closer to Christmas…

I’m prepared…

This time I’m prepared… the snow has started falling and I used one of the last warm days to get the skis fitted… I’m aiming for a test flight Sunday but the weather forecast is not really reliable…

Up in the air again

After draining excess oil from the cylinders my Victor 2 started right away for my first flight since August…

I got 1 hour 40 minutes in the fresh autumn air over the nearby mountains. 

Nothing particular to report, the engine is running smooth. Alerted by Peters last message I verified my carburetor rubber fittings but found no sign of deterioration. The joint cups of the exhaust pipes are also intact.

No, not going to Blois this year...

Cold, rain and strong winds... I will finally not go to Blois this weekend. The weather at Blois should be OK, but going there and coming back would not be nice...  

I will be at Blois 2012

If you want to see the engine live or just meet me live for a chat I will be at Blois this weekend (if the weather forecast don’t change dramatically).

I expect to arrive just after lunch Saturday1st and leave around lunch Sunday 2nd. 
Just send me a mail (fred.stork @ orange.fr without the spaces…) and I’ll send you my mobile phone number so that we can meet. 

What, holiday pictures..!?

What is this? This site is supposed to be about the Simonini Victor 2 experience and now… pictures from Fred’s holiday!?! We spent 2 weeks in New York this summer and took the opportunity to drive down to Washington for 2 days. Yes, The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Both sites, in the city and out at the airport. It was amazing and I just cannot resist sharing a few highlights from the history and progression of flight with you…

A 1894 glider from Otto Lilienthal’s workshop 

The real Wright Brothers Flyer that they flew with 1903
(the fabric covering has, obviously, been replaced)

The Spirit of St Louis...

Amelia's Vega...

The most beautiful and mythic of all passenger planes, the DC3…

Chuck Yeager's Bell X-1...

Flying cars straight out of someone’s dream

All the way through the space age with the Mercury and Apollo programs to...

Discovery who just returned from the last flight...

And I could go on until I run out of space on the server…

A planet called Langogne

As promised in my last update I have published a film from my last flight. I have done 2 versions, one long and one short. 

Unless you are my mother - or one of my friends who were with me in Langogne - the short version might be more than sufficient...

Langogne in quiet place at the east edge of Massif Central with a small airfield just outside the village. The gliders are long gone but you see the traces of them.

There are several altiports in the area and an excellent instructor available.

The short version (14 minutes)

The long version (38 minutes)

2 days on another planet...

I'm just back from a 2 day trip to a paradise airfield in the french back country. A place where time stops and it is good to be. I met up with some friends and then camped 2 nights.
I will post a film shortly. 6 hours without issues added...

Long time no update...

I'm still here, and I'm still flying (but not as much as I would like to). I have added a few hours (33h total on the engine) and still no bad surprises.
I still believe that I don't get the maximum out of the engine with my current 3 blade Warp Drive. So before actually starting to search for a new prop I wanted to try one I got when buying the plane, knowing it would not work as it was intended for a 532/582. But just for peace of mind...

 As expected it didn't work, exceeding maximum RPM long before full throttle... But you must admit it looks great with a two blade wood prop on the Avid ! 

Adding hours and testing camera mount

I have done a few hours flying since the last update. The engine is running well. I get the feeling it is running smoother – I should say even smoother – than in the beginning. Even if it is delivered “broken in” some extra hours doesn’t hurt apparently. It remains very responsive and very precise. Take off performance is very good with 7-8 m/s (1400-1600 ft/m) initial climb without pushing the limits.
To keep you entertained while accumulating engine hours to report I have done another short film. It is mainly testing the mount for my new POV camera so you have to excuse the slight self centric aspect of a pilot filming himself flying… I hope to do better next time.

The POV camera used is a Drift innovation HD 1080p with the provided remote control (the little red dot you can see on the frame is a led indicating that the camera is rolling). In this film I have tested both 1080 and 720 resolution, as well as 30 and 60 frames per second. The conclusion to be used in future attempts is 720/60.


Camera mount



Started on first try

From too cold to full spring in a few weeks. Never had the time to get the skis on the plane…
Not a cloud in the sky today, light winds and 19 degrees (C), just irresistible. This was my first flight since November and was curious to see if Victor would wake up easily from the long hibernation…
Filled the tank with new fresh fuel, 2% mixture. I drained the excessive oil from the cylinders (where does all this oil come from?), swung the prop for 30 seconds to get fuel in the carburetors. Contact, ignition, wroooom. Started right away, like if I had been flying the same morning. That was nice.
Visited a nearby field and got 1h15 in the air. No performance measures, just getting back in the air, enjoying some pure pleasure…

Too cold

I’m back, I have recharged the battery, I want to fly, we have snow and I want to try the skis – but it is just too cold to do just anything at the moment…

I’m back...

After an extended break over the holidays I’m now back. I will recharge the battery and plan get the plane of the ground shortly.

I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy new year with many long and safe flights!