Flights #1330 to #1338

June 30th to July 16

Lots of flying in a couple of weeks. Lots of equipment issues and changes. I sold the MacPara Colorado 2 29m and bought a DaVinci Duet+ 34m. The new owner is delighted and I’m glad to be done with that experience. It’s been 10 months of bad launches starting with the day my reliable old Colorado flipped and spun me. The Colorado 2 was the shrew that could not be tamed.

The DaVinci Duet was designed to be a tandem free flight wing but it has also found a home with heavy PPG trikes. It launches easily and flys very predictably. It has respectable speed and lowers my fuel burn significantly.

The climb rate is also noticeably better than anything I’ve flown since transitioning to wheels 15 years ago. On the second flight, while climbing WOT there was strong oscillation reminiscent to the factory warnings on the APCO Lift EZ. I will experiment with bringing the RPMs up more slowly and see if I can avoid the oscillation and maximize the climb. I believe 275 ft/min is realistic.

Another issue is the trimmers are incredibly stiff. The cams are not high quality and possibly the trimmer webbing is not the right fabric for that cam. Maybe I’m just too light and weak! I’m going to quiz Elizabeth about replacing the trimmers with something better.

I would also like to investigate adding a Wing Tip Steering line. I hear it’s been done and works well.

When I got it, the brake lines were very long. I shortened them 5 inches and I could probably go another 5. Ergonomically it might help to raise the toggles so I can apply more pressure early into the input.

Another thing that has been going on is the GoPro camera is having trouble uploading files. I’m still searching for the fix but with GoPro in financial trouble they have discontinued the phone support. I wish I was better with reading and following their e-mail support.

Flight #1327

This morning was the beginning of the longest day of the year and coincidentally its Fathers Day. I set the alarm for 4:45 to make it out before sunrise and as has been the norm lately. I launched 10 minutes after dawn.

It was a Downwind launch, fortunately, I had plenty of room because the climb out was fast and low. It seemed to be absolutely calm with no hint of breeze at the surface but take off was fast and climb out was slow. I used left brake to stay over the runway while splitting the trees on either side. For the duration of the flight the wind was 8 to 10 mph from the southeast.

It was mildly bumpy with mostly clear air interspersed with patches of disturbed air.

Landing was fast and smooth.

Tech notes. It’s time to start thinking about installing a brake. If I’m going to be landing fast on pavement I need to stop before the wing drops and gets dragged .

It’s time to start thinking about trying out the Throggle.

Flights #1325 & #1326

Apco Lift EZ Lg welcome back to the “Scuderia”!

I missed you.

5 days out of the last 7

A nice string of good morning air has allowed me to reacquaint myself with this great Israeli wing. It’s taken a licking but the repairs are all good and the line set and risers are new. The brake toggles need to be replaced but that’s it.

I’m enjoying not having to babysit a bunch of unsheathed lines. These old school fully sheathed lines were nicely joined to the 1st cascade of bare line. The rigger didn’t leave me much slack on the brakes but they feel perfect. Bravo (?)

The WTS is within reach and feels good.

There is a bunch of GoPro footage in the cloud. If I ever get around to it.

Flight #1322

First flight with the old APCO LIFT EZ. It was a pleasure. The wing came up predictably. It was like old times. Landing was fast with trims in neutral.

I would have stayed up longer but it was very bumpy and didn’t look like it was going to be better higher up.

The old and reliable is new all over again.

Rudy’s Bone Island Write-up

The Bone Island Regatta has been a significant event for many Fleet 6 members.  The 158-nautical-mile course begins at the Venice inlet jetties, rounds Smith Shoal, down the straights, around Tank island, and concludes at Key West.

Jay Nadelson, owner of the C&C 110, Playmobile, has competed in this race for many years alongside various Fleet 6 members, including Jan van Heek, Jim Nuzzo, Joe Onofrio, Rudy Trejo, and the late  Bob Sween.

This year’s race was a memorable one. Despite a stalled front north of Sarasota and an approaching low-pressure system, the team maintained a strategy to reach off the wind from start to finish as the winds continued to back.

In 2019, Playmobile set a course speed record of 28.5 hours, with line honors. this year, we surpassed that record by 6.5 hours, finishing just under 22 hrs.

Our progress was not without challenges. During the race, a snapped halyard sent our Code Zero into the water. After a quick recovery, Joe Onofrio climbed the mast without hesitation while under sail to run a new spinnaker halyard. Later, a brief literal 15 second 30-knot squall caused the halyard to break again, forcing us to continue through the night with only a jib and main. (At 3am, in pitch dark, he respectfully wasn’t ready to go back up the mast lol) 


Around sunrise, with backing winds getting close to 75 apparent wind angle, the crew executed a difficult sail change. With limited halyards available, we successfully transitioned from a jib to a spinnaker using only the jib halyard in 20knot winds. Raising a spinnaker of that size  without a jib blocking the wind is not an easy task. This maneuver increased our speed by nearly 3 knots.

 We ended the race, rounding the Tank island shoals, with a 50 degree left hand turn to the finish  bare headed, swapping the spin back to the jib successfully protecting our lead.


Jay Nadelson did an exceptional job executing our strategy and maintaining the team’s focus. It was a successful and memorable regatta for everyone involved and all who tracked our progress.