Comet "Phantom Fury" Construction Project Session #15
Comet "Phantom
Fury" Rubber Powered
Free Flight Model Airplane
By Tommy Gray
AMA 17063
Well, I finished up the little Fury, and made it to the Champs! I never got a chance to fly it as we lost our flying site locally here and the only place we can fly is an hour away, and I have not been able to do down there. I took it to the Champs in hopes there would be time to do it before the Tuesday morning mass launch sponsored by SAMmer Karl Geis. However, I got "conned" into entering all the scores for all three venues, RC, FF, and Rubber, as the Champs Manager had to leave due to a health issue with his wife, and the registrar had to leave Monday night for an emergency. After spending 3 1/2 hours at the scoring computer there was no time left for the little Fury.
I went over to the FF side on Tuesday morning to watch the mass launch and ran into SAM rubber guru Grant Carson, who talked me into trying it anyway. Grant made up a motor for me and helped me with a little trimming, and just about that time the call was made for the mass launch to begin. I said well I am out of time, but Grant said, if I tried it anyway and got into the mass launch, I would still get a cup for being in the mass launch. About that time I did not have the heart to say no after all his hard work, so we gave it our best shot.
When the call was made to launch, the wind was blowing like a gale, and the little Phantom fury mass launch saw a bunch of planes getting caught in the wind and going up like rockets. Most were almost out of sight in 3-4 seconds!! Mine went up and made a giant loop and came back down after being pelted by the wind, and landed upside down a ways behind the starting line. Well, I got into the mass launch, and flew it, to the tune of an 8 second flight! As it turns out I was not last place!! Another entrant got only 5 seconds!!
Here is a picture taken just minutes before the call to launch the Mass Launch was given. That is me over on the right, third from the end.
I plan to trim it and get it ready for next year as it was just about ready when time ran out. My carved prop worked like a dream and the little plane has great potential. I was told by Grant that it would be legal for a couple of different rubber events, one of which is commercial rubber. I think the other is something like Small Stick. Who knows, by next year at Muncie, maybe it will be a great competitor!! I got my cup from the mass launch and it is a doozie! (Thanks Karl!!) The Phantom Fury build was fun and after seeing how it might do when trimmed, I have renewed excitement about flying it again in the 2010 Champs mass launch!