Netfoot

I know. Sorry about that. I always tell myself to keep it brief and avoid anything technical, but somehow...

Budweiser and I wish a Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate the occasion. And the same to your family and inner circle! To everyone else, we hope you have a chance to enjoy this opportunity to relax for a few days in the company of friends and family. To all, we hope you are able to enjoy a feast, and perhaps a celebratory beverage or two. You should celebrate. You are almost at the end of 2020, and 2021 must be better. Right? And to perhaps make you laugh, or at least smile a little:

I've been having some troubles with 'Jennifer' - not the least of which is that I find myself using that name more and more! She has been very hard to get off the ground, and a handful when in the air. last attempt, she ran all the way down the strip without getting light at all, so I chopped the throttle to abort the takeoff... and at that very instant she unexpectedly leapt into the air at a steep angle! Steep climb-out angles with no engine power lead to only one result: She stalled, hit the ground and cartwheeled. Damage consisted of a broken prop (a brand new APC 9x6) and a chip out of the sheeting on the port wing tip. Essentially, no damage because the prop can be replaced easily enough (I'm pretty sure I have another 9x6 around here) and the wingtip will not be at all difficult to fix. But I decided to stop and think. Why is this bird giving trouble to take off, and why is it such a handful in the air? Only incorrect throws or bad CoG would result in the plane being such a handful to fly! There are four models similar to this. The High- and low-wing versions, and the older Mk.1 vs. the newer Mk.2. The differences are minimal (two aileron servos instead of one, etc). The airframes are virtually identical. So I downloaded all four manuals and checked to see what the recommended throws were. With the three other models, the recommended throws were identical, but for my model they were very different; between 60% and 100% higher. Why? No good reason. So I suspect the recommended throws are too high, and thus causing the plane to be hard to handle. But because she wouldn't lift off, I have been gradually increasing the elevator throws in the hope of getting the elevator authority to get her off the ground. Which makes her even more sensitive in the air! What about a different reason for her wanting to stick to the ground? I had upgraded the wheels to larger units so as to more easily handle the grass on our strip which (sometimes) doesn't get mown as often as it should. Wheels come in pairs so I put two 3½" wheels on the mains, and a single 3" on the nose. The difference in radius (and ride height) is now ¼" lower at the front. This will have the wings angled slightly downward, rather than straight ahead. This negative wing incidence would cause loss of lift, making it very difficult to get her to lift her nose to climb away from the ground. To try and force the nose up, you would increase elevator throw... which is what I was doing. And if, while traveling fast up the strip the front wheel were to hit a bump, a pebble or a tuft of grass and bump upward say ¼" or so, the wing would suddenly start to generate lift and the plane would unexpectedly leapt into the air... which is what was happening! So. Nose wheel has been replaced with a 3½" unit to eliminate the nose-down stance. The radio set-up is to be redone with the more conservative throws recommended in the three other manuals, and a new 9x6 must be reamed and balanced before fitting. I think I'll paint the prop-tips yellow as well, to increase visibility of the arc of the prop while she is spinning, and hopefully eliminate any danger of it chopping off my finger(s). Two of my mates have had prop-strikes in this last month, and their hands were in a bad way for weeks. My last prop-strike was a long time ago, and when I remember it I still feel nauseous with the pain Hopefully then, the aircraft will take off easily, and be a pleasure in the air, rather than the handful she has been so far. But it will be over a week (most likely) before she has a chance to fly. This coming weekend looks like it will be gliders at the cliff. If people can drag themselves away from turkey leftovers and ham sandwiches..... So tomorrow, Bud and I will stay at home quietly. I plan to feed Mr. Greedy Guts as much as he can eat. My Christmas lunch will be a cold boiled egg; maybe two if I decide to splurge. And I have about half a spoonful of jug in the fridge which might go well with eggs. (It goes well with everything else...)

Would it be practical to continue the race after all this time? Or would they have to scrap what they have and restart from the beginning?

You may... but I won't.

Yeah, those guys didn't have good beards.

Yes, he had a very tiring morning. He has a very difficult life! ETA: Just added Airbrake on the throttle stick. Gliders have no throttle, so the throttle stick is used "backwards" to activate airbrake. Normal flight is with the throttle at 100% for fastest flying, but to slow down for landing you pull the throttle back, to gradually bring the airbrakes in to play. Buddy assisted by clawing at my leg the entire time I was setting this up, because when he says he wants a treat, he means he wants a treat NOW!

Actually... that went much smoother than I thought. With a home-built gauge and my trusty little 8J radio, I set the throws on all surfaces as recommended. They are my "low" rate settings. Then, I added "medium" (+20%) and a "high" (+40%) rate options on a three-way switch. I put plenty of exponential on the surfaces; 40%, 50% and 60% on low/medium/high rates respectively. All this to be almost certainly adjusted when I've had a chance to experience her handling characteristics. Then there was this suggestion called "Snap-Flap" which didn't sound too easy, but the great 8J made it simple! So now I can camber the ailerons 10mm (max) up when the elevator goes down, and vice versa. I have that on a separate switch so I can enable if I want it, otherwise/normally it will be off. Never tried it before. If it turns out to be as good as suggested, I can reassign it to the same switch I used for the rates. Now, the Ahi is completely finished and ready for the sky. I just have to switch it on, and throw it over a cliff! So, here's hoping we get a good windy day soon! Please?

Maybe. I'm pretty sure I could have eaten that whole stack of King cakes, if they's given me a big cuppa coffee to go with them...

If they came here, they's have to have a test and remain sequestered for at least a couple of days. It may be more difficult to enter other countries. Perhaps the vaccine will help.

The Ahi is now complete. At least physically! I now have to program the radio. Setting maximum travels on the control surfaces is simple. I'll also set a few options to give some flexibility, like dual or triple rates, and exponential. There are also options like flap and snap-flap, but I can add that later. Funny thing: a friend is also building an Ahi. He too, has chosen black and orange stripes..... And another friend has an Ahi which he has not started work on yet. Maybe I should offer him some orange and black covering? And as a matter of fact, I myself have a fourth Ahi, new on in box. If and when I get around to it, I think I'll paint that one*, instead of using an iron-on film. In some other colours. Like pink & silver. Which would be weird because my gliders have almost all been orange & black, for the last 20 years. But after 2020, I guess anything could happen. Like no wind, day after day after day... * Assuming I can find some paint that won't melt the Ahi into a puddle.

Excellent interview!

Followed by "Oh my Gaaaad! So much inhuman hardship and torment! I am being forced so cruelly to eat a fucking beignet!"

Part of the problem was when teams caught a bum flight and arrived at the pitstop 12 or more hours later than the leading teams. This meant a 12 hour separation at the start of the next leg, with teams departing on the next leg before other teams had even checked in from the leg before. I never understood why they simply didn't put a cap on late arrival. Anybody later than (say) four hours leaves four hours after the race leaders. The cap could even be varied leg to leg to deal with the scheduling of the following day. As for teams arriving at the mat before Phil, I understand there was an instance where the lead team ended up in a footrace with Phil to see who would reach the mat first. The Amazing Phil won, of course, and the lead team checked in as usual, with a breathless Phil waiting there to receive them...

Not too many episodes seasons ago one racer was a vegetarian. Or was it both members of the team? When faced with a plate of boiled camel-features (or what ever it was) they had to decide. Say no and take the penalty, or eat the meat. The BQ's were tasked with eating 24" of kielbasa. The had a bucket next to the table in case. Quite a while back racers had to eat a bucket of soup. One accidentally vomited... into his bucket. They still had to finish the bowl of vomity soup. While the violins played. That is the nature of the game. Haven't touched a drop of alcohol in 29 years. Still, I'd snap the shot if required to. But offer me a plate of ocras, and I'm taking the penalty. You pay your penny and you take your chance.

My doctor let slip she liked Ferraris. Since I can't afford to buy her an actual Ferrari, I found what looked a nice book on the subject, and ordered it. The book was delayed in shipping and she goes off for a Christmas break from tomorrow morning, so I bought a box of Quality Street chocolates to give her instead, and gave it to her when I went in for my weigh-in on Tuesday. The Ferrari book suddenly got released this morning so I thought Budweiser had better give it to her. I wanted to get Buddy to sign the card with a paw-print, so I got an ink pad and sneaked up on him while he was asleep. Mistake! I am now covered in blue ink from asshole to eyebrows and there are blue paw-prints all over the bed sheets! But Dr. Kristi sent a message to say she loved the book, and to please give Bud a special rub behind his ears, from her! (Although how she knows it's a book I don't figure, seeing as she isn't allowed to open the package until next Friday...)

I don't know if you're right. For me, TAR has always been the standout Reality TV show because it was simply a race. You won or lost based upon your own merits and abilities, with an admitted healthy sprinkle of luck. This made TAR stand head and shoulders above the other Reality Garbage shows, which are all about lying, sneaking, back-stabbing, and ganging up mean-girl style on someone you're afraid will turn out better at the game than you. TAR is (was?) about your ability, not your popularity. And as far as I'm concerned, that is what TAR should stick to (or return to). Becoming a cross between the crap that is Survivor and the crap that is Big Brother, will only make the show into something I and (I believe) many others won't be interested in watching any more.

They might be more bearable under circumstances where they weren't doing their best to be the focus of everyone's attention. But would they ever want to live that way?

Ugh! Blech! Yeech!

Ah! Ok, thanks. I'll catch that on my rewatch. (Actually looking forward to Wil and the iceball!)

The original Fern assisted Danny & Oswald in Bankok, in TAR 2 Episode 5. They met her on a tram/bus and persuaded her to come spend the say day with them and help them. I seem to remember a task in Liechtenstein, back in TAR 18 (Unfinished Business), there was a Roadblock which required one racer to drive from one end of the country to the other on a moped, measuring the distance. I seem to recall they were specifically prohibited from sharing their answers. Can anybody confirm? Actually, all this talk of earlier seasons and I am now feeling motivated to begin a Grand Rewatch. I'll start with S01E01 right after tonight's finale! Anyone else interested in a rewatch? As has been said before, coming first actually penalizes you. You have to get up early and rush to the airport where you sit and wait, and don't get proper rest. Meanwhile the back-of-the-pack teams sleep late and meet you at the airport just in time to jump on the same flight, fresh as a daisy. Why not let them all get up at the same time, bus them to the airport, and upon arrival at the next country, stagger the teams leaving the airport in accordance with their check-in times at the previous pitstop? That way, single-flight economies and safety issues are met, but there is no actual bunching and the incentive to get ahead is increased. (And no. Comparatively, the leg prize on it's own isn't really much of an incentive, in my opinion.) If there is a need to prevent the 1st vs. last teams from being too widely separated, they can introduce an HOO bunch now and again, as necessary. Or one of those number-pulls they use to split the racers into smaller groups to take helicopters (or something) 15 minutes apart. Didn't they persuade an airliner to return to the JetBridge so they could catch the same flight that Uchenna & Joyce were on? Or am I remembering that wrong?

Well, as the end of the episode shows, she's stupid enough to want to play footsie with the damned husband for a third time...

I don't really care if the alliance worked or not. I don't care if the alliance members achieved their goal. What I care about is that since the start of episode/leg #2, this alliance has made this entire season predictable and unenjoyable to watch. That isn't good for viewership, which isn't good for TPTB. (How many long-time TAR fans have said out loud that they won't bother to watch the finale?) The alliance was 42% of the teams (45% of the remaining teams at the time the alliance was formed). It was in effect for 83% of the episodes. This whole season (pretty much) has been about the alliance bullying and back-stabbing the other teams. I didn't "sign up" for that. For the enjoyment of the viewers (and thereby the good of the show) alliances of this sort must be eliminated. And Phil is the man to do it - he's good at eliminating!

Turns out I'm 39 lbs. Down in 5 months. Not as good as the 91 in 6 months of my previous attempt, but I was in better health then. Bud's doctor says he appears to be in perfect health. Had his vaccinations and is snuggling up against my legs right now. (We are reading, in bed.) Didn't see jug-jug at the deli, so ordered a regular meal. After I'd paid, one of the servers said "Did you get some jug?" Turns out there was a whole extra tub of the stuff in the warmer, so I had to go back to the back of the line... Couldn't eat it all in one go, so I'm having jug with my dinner as well! Also, got a nice plastic file folder in black to make Zagi winglets. Perfect. Will cut them out tonight. Otherwise, the day was a bust. Almost everything on my To-Do list didn't get done for one reason or another and everything took ages due to some up-coming holiday that has everyone acting crazy. Why is everyone calling me Santa? Bah! Humbug!

I think you are 100% right. If every episode/leg starts with a airport bunch, then the teams are generally running together. Hence five teams down the mine at the same time, leading to the alliance.