Quote :

"lol look at me I'm XSMP and I can't close my own comments. oh yea and I like cock"

MUUAHAHAHAH

4/26/2010 1:37:13 PM

xsmp comes out of the closet ITT

4/26/2010 1:40:05 PM

haha it's gone now

obviously qntm is having fun

4/26/2010 1:41:10 PM

its back

and it isnt qntm

4/26/2010 1:41:38 PM

Oh, damn at $150 you've got some EXCELLENT options.


If you are right handed and you are ok with the design then I suggest a Spyderco Paramilitary, hands down. I'll show you where you can get it for $120 plus shipping. Everywhere else will be $140+. They come in black G-10 or digital camo G-10. The digital camo is not offered by any other manufacturer besides custom makers and that's what I suggest if you like camo. It is EXTREMELY high quality and is translucent, I love it. I suggest the satin finished blade, not the black blade. I say this because S30V is fucking beautiful and they brush the blade's spine. The compression lock is extremely strong (I'd say it's the strongest folding knife lock besides Cold Steel's Triad lock), it has been tested to hold well over 200lbs of weights hung off the blade.





The knife is lightweight, the handle is the perfect size for an average person's hands. NOTE: IF YOU HAVE BIG HANDS OR FAT FINGERS, THIS HANDLE WILL BE TOO SMALL. Otherwise, it is fucking awesome. The jimping is excellent, the spyder hole deployment is excellent and it's lightning fast to open. You can also open it upside down, I can show you what I mean with some pictures. The blade is just the right size for EDC and is still large enough for emergency defense. CPM S30V is also extremely high in transverse toughness, so the blade is able to be thin and slice well, yet is not prone to snapping off easily. I wouldn't pry with it, but you said you wont and if used properly it will never have a problem.

It has a full flat grind, which is the best grind you could have in my opinion. It has the sharpest edge of any factory produced knife I've ever seen. I've seen a few other knives rival it, but nothing has ever actually come sharper out of the box. Since they're made in the U.S. in limited numbers, they tend to be nice and consistent too. The blade on mine is centered PERFECTLY too. Fit and finish is incredible. It's my favorite knife.


The other knife I highly recommend is the full sized Al Mar SERE 2000. It comes stupidly sharp as well, but uses VG-10 steel. While I love VG-10, I'd prefer S30V if possible. I will say that Al Mar has the best VG-10 I've used. The SERE 2000 is the toughest folding knife I own. It's heavier than the Para though, because of the massive full stainless steel liners. It is a beast and it costs a good bit more than the Para, it's usually like $160 or so (I got one for $120, I got a hell of a deal man). I still suggest the Paramilitary though. The Para is my most carried knife and my favorite knife out of everything I own. I'll post Al Mar pics in a sec.

4/26/2010 1:43:35 PM

KNIFEZ!!!!!

4/26/2010 1:48:08 PM

If you don't mind the additional cost, weight and the Saber grind, you'll love the Al Mar SERE 2000. It's a super solid knife built to very close tolerances. Just don't get the Mini-SERE 2000. If you get one of these, it must be the full sized one.


Now, if your hands are big or you have fat fingers and you like the Paramilitary overall, then I'd suggest the Military. It's larger and comes in a wider range of colors, but being larger it is not something you can really use in public without creating some fear in the hearts of the pussy sheeple. If you carry a Military, I suggest carrying a secondary blade as well for utility only (Which I honestly suggest regardless if you're carrying a $100+ knife, that way a filthy task can be done with your shit knife).


Now, in the less expensive range (Like $55), I'd recommend a Tasman Salt. It uses a hawkbill blade, which is surprisingly good for utility tasks. I am trying to snag one of these very soon. It is an absolutely wicked blade for self defense though, a "human zipper", so to speak (It unzips anything in its path, cotton, leather, flesh, organs, small bones, etc.). The blade is made of H1 steel, which is actually rust proof (It has almost no carbon, instead it uses nitrogen as a hardening element). The plain edge versions will dull more quickly (Edge holding is similar to AUS 6 at first, but it will work harden with sharpening and become more like AUS 8 or better). The serrated version is work hardened by the cold work done during the creation of the serrations, but their serrations are impossible to re-sharpen pretty much, so stick with the plain edge.

Note that I tend to stick to Spyderco. It's not that other makers suck, but Spyderco knives focus on utility AND self defense. Their designs all have good thumb ramps and jimping to keep you from slipping forward onto the blade during a thrust and they are also strong designs. They tend to come very sharp out of the box as well, which seems to be hit or miss with Benchmade (I also find that Benchmade gives you a VERY conservative secondary bevel which doesn't make for a good slicer out of the box). They also give you very good steels and they are always heat treated extremely well.


Paramilitary (They're out of the satin blade with digital camo, but they have the satin blade with a black handle, which is the same just a different color G-10):

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=734_1971_2012


Military (Again, get satin finished digi-cam if possible, otherwise I like the orange or the black, be careful not to buy that left handed version at the bottom if you're not left handed, haha):

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=734_1971_2007


Tasman Salt:

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=734_1971_2034


Spyderhawk (Larger version of the Tasman Salt, a ridiculously dangerous blade):

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=734_1971_2029&products_id=8290


If you like colorful knife handles at a low price, here are the newest, limited edition Endura 4 and Delica 4 Full Flat Ground knives. I can personally attest to the fact that these slice like razor blades, but they are THIN. You absolutely cannot abuse the blade or it will snap. They're incredible utility knives though and could be deadly in self defense roles too. They made approximately 900 of the Delica 4 and the Endura 4 in each color for a total of 9000. For pure utility I recommend the Delica 4, it's an AWESOME knife and it's the perfect size for EDC use. For utility/defense I say go for the Endura 4. That is the same as my Pink knife except the blade is full flat ground rather than saber ground, so it cuts WAY better. I can't even begin to describe how wickedly these cut.

Endura 4:

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=734_1971_4615


Delica 4:

http://yourcornerstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=734_1971_4614

4/26/2010 2:11:10 PM

i did it on purpose sorta
didnt think i needed to close* an unedited post...wanted the stuff after the !<** bit to be invisible not wreck posts lol

4/26/2010 3:42:23 PM

I'm just glad I made it in the Aviation/Knife thread even though I didn't post in here

4/26/2010 11:09:59 PM

that is your pink endura 4 that blackdog is holding on the previous page right??

is that a trick of the light or does it really have a black blade?
--
nvm it is a trick of the light

[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 1:46 AM. Reason : your ham and biscuit pic showed me the truth]

4/27/2010 1:44:40 AM

the trickz in my handz

McDanger thanks for noticing





[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 1:53 AM. Reason : .]

4/27/2010 1:48:53 AM

Hopefully the winds will have died down enough by this afternoon for me to AVIATE son. It looks like I should be good to go son. We shall see son. We shall see.

4/28/2010 9:14:00 AM

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1998472

I had a nice fixed blade SOG, lost it on a rafting trip

4/28/2010 12:21:32 PM

Did you see that episode of "Pawn Stars" with the plane?
Did you see that episode of "Pawn Stars" with the knives?

4/28/2010 11:06:30 PM

^^ That link didn't help. NAME PLS.


^ Of course not son.

4/28/2010 11:08:17 PM

my Paramilitary arrived today son. weight is perfect in hand and in pocket. it is a beautiful knife. thanks for the recommendation

what do you prefer for sharpening? at home vs orig manufacturer vs somewhere local vs ??

4/29/2010 1:13:09 AM

Oh damn, nice man! You shouldn't have to worry about sharpening for a while with the S30V blade, but I'd honestly take it to someone who knows their shit. The reason I say this is there's somewhat of a steep learning curve and you don't want to destroy the tip on that blade (Cause the tip is wicked as you may have noticed). You won't snap it off trying to sharpen it obviously, but I mean you can round the tip off on a blade like that VERY easily if you're not careful. It's pretty easy to ruin the tip when you first start off sharpening knives I've found. You can practice sharpening on a shittier knife though and then hone your skill. S30V has a good bit of vanadium and it does take some skill to sharpen IMO. Out of the box it should be stupidly sharp though. You could try the manufacturer, as they do put a wicked edge on it to begin with. Or you could just get it done locally, which is better if you don't want to have it be in the mail and shit (Takes a while, you risk it being lost, damaged, etc). The knife dude at Davi's honestly does a good job, that's where I'd go if you don't want to send it back to Spyderco. You can also send it off to Razor's Edge in Salt Lake City, UT, as John Fitzen will definitely get it sharp as hell for ya. There are a number of options really.

On the plus side, S30V is going to hold an edge very well, so you'll have time to look into various options in the meantime.

Get some pics up soon. Did you get a satin finished blade? If so, hopefully you noticed the brushing on the upper spine and the polished deployment hole (The lesser Spydercos do not have brushed spines or a brushed deployment hole). The S30V blade, in general, looks beautiful. Also, the smoothness of opening with the compression lock is excellent. They open more smoothly than just about any other lock I've found. The only thing you'll have to do is break in your index finger because it's not used to using compression locks. Once you're used to it though you can close the knife without touching the blade, you just squeeze the lock and let the blade fall into place. It's a much safer lock than most others because you never need put your fingers in between the cutting edge and the handle when you close it.

How is the blade centering on yours? It should be perfect or very close to it. If the pivot screw ever loosens up on ya, just use a tiny, TINY dab of loctite and you'll be set btw.

4/29/2010 1:17:48 AM

I'm going to try to fly again this morning son. I've been trying to get in my stage check for this long son.

It has been 6 days since my last flight due to poor weather conditions and then these fucking persistent winds all week. Perhaps it will work out today son.

4/29/2010 8:34:52 AM

Good deal son, ready to move on to the next phase now. The stage check was passed son. It was odd though, this guy flew the plane COMPLETELY differently than the other dude. He was extremely conservative with the approach and preferred a long, flat approach to a short, steep one. I'm the short, steep type son. He didn't like my rate of descent son. Hell, in some situations when you're slipping the aircraft in, your descent rate is fucking insane on approach. I'm pretty sure I've been beyond 1000fpm on short final when I was doing some simulated engine out approaches (This swamp will get you man, so I try to turn base early because if you lose an engine over that god damned swamp, you're going to hit that -800fpm sink rate for a bit and you WILL come up short son). I just feel like a shallow long approach is going to get you if you lose an engine. So, unless you're doing IFR shyte, I'd just as soon do a steeper power off landing in a small aircraft like that with no inertia and a slow approach speed (Lots of time for a downdraft over the swamp to pull your ass into the ground).

Anyway, it was interesting to see the plane flown with a completely different perspective. Certainly a learning experience son. I would like to stick to my high, steep approaches in the aircraft because it has so little inertia and I do not like putting myself in a situation where I have no options unless conditions force me to. If you do an approach on the glideslope on runway 23 in a Remos GX, you're pretty fucking low and you're using a lot of power to maintain your rate of descent.

4/29/2010 1:44:19 PM

NO APPRECIATION SON.

4/29/2010 4:38:44 PM

PICS son:


the black blade looks badass but the satin has a more visible texture. and you're right, it is SHARP right out of the box.

i don't follow your aviation speak son. it is enjoyable to be in the air in a little plane though

4/30/2010 1:22:23 AM

Fuck yeah son, that was a damn good choice. It's beautiful son. I'm not sure if you know, but that symbol on the opposite side of the spyder there says SAL, because Sal Glesser (The owner of Spyderco) designed the knife.

FUCKING CPM S30V COMIN' STRAIGHT FROM DAT GOLDEN, CO, U.S.A., EARF SON!

I'm glad you appreciate the steel son, it is beautiful and extremely high performance. Also note that S30V has about 3 times the corrosion resistance of 154CM (A steel that is used pretty much exclusively in Emerson knives, which are usually even more expensive, as well as quite a few Benchmade knives). S30V is called a super steel not because it does any one thing extremely well, but because it combines extremely high corrosion resistance with high transverse toughness, high strength, an extremely fine edge and excellent edge holding (Without being so excessive excessive that it's impossible to sharpen, like S90V). People don't understand this and get all bent out of shape when they see that it doesn't really outperform some non-stainless high carbon steels in terms of cutting performance. But they don't realize that it is doing this while retaining extremely high corrosion resistance and transverse toughness.

S30V is also pretty much the only stainless steels that can be used to make a large fixed blade survival knife that is made entirely of one metal and performs similarly to a high carbon steel. There are other stainless knives but they sacrifice a LOT to get that stainless property (Stainless steel does matter in high moisture environments, I don't care what anybody else tells you). Either they tend to be a very tough steel like 440C, which doesn't come close to the performance and edge holding of S30V, or they end up being a laminated steel (VG-10 or VG-1 sandwiched between 420J usually). The laminated steels are cool but the inner core will chip pretty readily if you hit the ground with it when batoning (I don't care how good you are, you'll do this when you're actually out in the woods and have hiked in a few miles and are trying to get some dry wood to build a fire with). S30V offers performance similar to a good 1095 blade while being very resistant to corrosion and requiring less sharpening.

S30V is the best possible EDC steel in my opinion, nothing else can really touch it in when you consider all of those areas. It was designed in 2003 or so and is one of the only steels in the world that was designed from the beginning to be a knife steel. Pretty much every other steel used in knives had another application first and was simply adapted as a knife steel. S30V offers everything you'd want without being excessive in areas that it doesn't need to be. There are steels that come close to it in certain areas but fall way short in others. D2 comes pretty close in a lot of areas but it is semi-stainless and thus offers far less corrosion resistance and it's significantly more brittle, it will also stain readily. M4 steel is even better in terms of edge holding and edge fineness, but it's REALLY easy to corrode even compared to D2 or CPM D2. S30V has enough transverse toughness that you can make a nice thin and pointy tip like the Paramilitary has, which allows for fine detailed cuts, without worrying too much about snapping it off.

If you notice, the original Delica had a tip like the Paramilitary, but since it was made of VG-10 it was prone to snapping off (And people are more likely to abuse less expensive knives as a rule of thumb). They ended up rounding it off on the Delica 4 to reduce the potential for this to happen. They did it on the Police 3 G-10 as well because it also uses VG-10 and it's a very thin blade and starts out a 3mm. But the Paramilitary and Military have been able to retain the original, pointy design because they've always been made of higher end steels (BG-42, CPM S30V, CPM D2 and CPM S90V), they also start out at 4mm btw.

Also note that some steels can be made with the CPM process or with the regular Bessemer/smelting process. S30V cannot be made with the Bessemer process because you cannot create an alloy with enough vanadium using that process. The CPM process allows something like a maximum of 4% vanadium in the alloy while the Bessemer process can only get to somewhere below 2%. So you can have 154CM or CPM 154CM, D2 or CPM D2, M4 or CPM M4, etc. But whether you see S30V or CPM S30V written on the blade or the spec sheet of a knife, it is CPM S30V. So don't get confused by that. My Benchmade Mini-Dejavoo says "S30V" for example, but it's still CPM S30V.

4/30/2010 8:19:44 AM

AVIATION:

I should be breaking a new, very important milestone in my training today sons. I'm somewhat nervous even though I've done this numerous times before (It's been almost 4 years though). We shall see how it goes! I'll try to get photos for ya sons.

4/30/2010 9:00:04 AM

You're going to do a flip aren't you? Yo let me ride when you start doing flips.

4/30/2010 9:03:31 AM

Haha, naw, not today son. I've done a lot of aerobatics though. I've done essentially every aerobatic maneuver there is. I don't just mean I've been in the plane when someone else did it, I mean I've flown these maneuvers. Upright spins, flat spins, inverted spins, aileron rolls, barrel rolls, snap rolls, loops (I assume this is what you mean by flip ), cubans (Regular and reverse, both full and half), hammerheads, tailslides, torque rolls, lomcevaks and various combinations of those things.

I flew with this lady before she died. We did all of the maneuvers she does in this video. She was one of the more bad ass women I've ever met son. Btw, those scenes where she's moving around with the ipod are not her doing some kind of retarded dance, she is going through her aerobatic routine in her mind and replicating the maneuvers and what she will do with the controls to perform those maneuvers. I think most people who don't do aerobatics don't get what she's doing there.

4/30/2010 9:09:25 AM

^ That looks awesome. Aerobatic plane ride is on my short list of things I really want to do. It has been for several years; I just haven't had the opportunity.

[Edited on April 30, 2010 at 9:13 AM. Reason : s]

4/30/2010 9:13:01 AM

Yeah, it is really fucking disconcerting initially though, I wont lie. You will either get into a groove immediately and start focusing or you will become paralyzed with fear. As long as you're not a weak individual, you will get into a flow state once it starts and simply begin to experience it rather than think. If you want to do the kind of aerobatics you see in this video, you'll have to go somewhere out of state to do them (Like Massachusetts or Florida). If you like really extreme maneuvers like what you saw there, you'll want to find someone who owns an Extra 300L. If you want to do more basic maneuvers, you can fly in something like a Decathlon or Pitts (I've yet to meet a 2 seat Pitts owner who would do a lomcevak, for example, even with an S2-C). I suggest flying an Extra 300L though, the difference in performance between that aircraft an any other two seat aerobatic aircraft you'll be able to access in this country is so massive that it's worth the price of admission. Generally speaking, they will let you fly it too and do some basic maneuvers if you'd like. They usually take care of the rudder for you and you just use the control stick if you're totally new to flying.


For a basic aerobatic flight though, you can go to this guy in NC. It shouldn't be nearly as expensive as an Extra 300L either. You can do snap rolls, aileron rolls, barrel rolls, loops, spins, etc in this aircraft (Decathlon). You'll enjoy this a lot man. Just go ahead and make the god damned appointment son, don't wait son. Just do it!

http://acrodynamics.org/


It's only $90 for an aerobatic intro ride (.5 hour) or $180/hr. If it were me, I'd do an hour if you're pretty sure you can handle it (Like you don't get sick on rollercoasters and you like extreme shit), since you're driving out there and whatnot. Much more than an hour and you'll be worn out though, so keep it between .5 and 1 hour. You should definitely go man, that is a GREAT price btw. You can expect near $400/hr (Maybe more now) for an Extra 300L or Pitts S2-C.

4/30/2010 9:24:18 AM

^ That looks worth checking out. I googled it a couple of years ago and the nearest place I could find was northern VA.

4/30/2010 9:35:02 AM

2 hours and 40 minutes from Raleigh. Don't just check it out son, DO IT GOD DAMMIT.

Don't risk not doing it son. Make appt now and fly that god damned thing son!

4/30/2010 10:09:34 AM

Quote :

""

I like how it says "U.S.A. Earth"



As if the planet of origin would ever come into question.

4/30/2010 10:20:15 AM

http://www.dailytech.com/US+Hypersonic+Glider+Sets+a+World+Record+of+Mach+20+Then+Crashes/article18240.htm

Quote :

"Craft is being designed to strike enemies in far away regions like the Middle East in under an hour NASA's X-43A (Hyper-X) test vehicle currently holds the record for the fastest aircraft. Back in November 2004, it achieved a speed close to Mach 10 (12,000km/hr or 7,000mph). That's well into the hypersonic range, which starts at Mach 5. For the Air Force and U.S. Armed Forces, it's highly desirable to develop hypersonic aircraft. Such designs could offer strikes in under an hour from the U.S. to anywhere in the world. Many in the armed forces view hypersonic strike-craft as a potentially game-changing weapon in the fight against terrorism. On Tuesday the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) tested a new design, the HTV-2. The HTV-2 is classified as a hypersonic glider. To get it up to its extreme target speed of Mach 20, it is first launched to the edge of space aboard a Minotaur IV Lite solid fuel rocket. Once at the edge of space the craft detaches and screams down towards its target. Its thin wedge-shaped body is designed to produce greater lift. It is protected against the extreme heat it will encounter by carbon-carbon material used in the body, the same material used in carbon brakes and Space Shuttle tiles. On Tuesday the craft embarked on its first test flight, launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The craft was to fly across the Pacific Ocean before landing at its target, Kwajalein Atoll, a tiny island in a chain of islands northeast of Australia known as the Marshall Islands. Kwajaleien is approximately 4,800 miles from VAFB. Launching on its 30 minute journey everything seemed to be going perfectly. The craft boosted to near-space, then detached successfully. It hurtled towards Earth, performing the prescribed maneuvers as it went. And according to DARPA spokeswoman Joanna Jones it "achieved controlled flight within the atmosphere at over Mach 20" -- a new world record. Then at nine minutes, during the final stages of maneuvers disaster struck. Something happened and the craft abruptly stopped responding to the Air Force. That set back may spell trouble for the cash-strapped hypersonic test program. The hypersonic strike-craft are currently competing with two other technologies. One alternative is to repurpose ballistic missiles to carry non-nuclear payloads. However, this runs the risk of nuclear nations mistaking the missile for a nuke and initiating a counter-strike. Another option is to use a modified cruise missile that can travel at Mach 5 or Mach 6. This program, like the hypersonic glider, seems promising, but has been dealt a setback, with tests pushed back from December 2009 to May 2010. Still, despite the setback the glider may be the best option, if DARPA can fine-tune its design. Dr. Mark Lewis, the former chief scientist of the Air Force, comments, "There’s always a concern that a conventional warhead on an ICBM might be confused with a nuclear device - what can you do to prove otherwise? With a high lift vehicle, your trajectory would be so different that no one would likely confuse it with something more sinister." The HTV-2 is only the second major experimental aircraft to launch in the last two weeks. Last week the X-37B unmanned space shuttle was launched by the Air Force into orbit on a super-secret mission. "

4/30/2010 10:25:58 AM

Mach 20!

4/30/2010 10:39:53 AM

then becomes unresponsive and crashes, typical

hey at least we got James Cameron on the new Mars Rover designing the 3D Camera:

http://www.dailytech.com/James+Cameron+Helps+Design+3D+Camera+for+NASA+Rover/article18272.htm

Quote :

"Cameron convinced NASA not to cut the 3D camera from the rover design 2010 is the year of 3D entertainment by all accounts. 3D TVs and Blu-ray players are coming to the marketplace and the consumer market is starting to embrace 3D in the home. 3D films are also hitting theaters in increasing numbers, raising the profile of 3D technology even further. The biggest film to ever hit 3D and the most successful movie at the box office ever was James Cameron's Avatar. Avatar broke box office records around the world and the sales of the film on Blu-ray are breaking home entertainment records as well. James Cameron's name is synonymous with 3D today thanks to the success of the Avatar film. Cameron has now teamed up with NASA to help design a 3D camera that will be placed aboard the next Mars rover dubbed Curiosity. Curiosity is currently slated to launch towards Mars in 2011. Plans for a 3D camera aboard the rover were reportedly scrapped due to budget concerns earlier in the project. CNET News reports that Cameron stepped in and convinced NASA to include the 3D camera on the rover. CBS News reports that Cameron explained to NASA administrators that a rover with a 3D camera would help people connect with the mission. The new 3D camera is now being built by Malin Space Science Systems and lists Cameron as a co-investigator in the project. The Curiosity rover has the official name Mars Science Laboratory and it is being sent to Mars to study whether or not the planet has or could support microbial life. "

The term "Cameron convinced NASA" really bothers me




[Edited on April 30, 2010 at 10:41 AM. Reason : .]

4/30/2010 10:41:12 AM

AVIATION:


Geeyat dayum son. That was intense as fuck. The winds out there were the worst I've ever flown in, hands down. There was significant mechanical turbulence being created by various terrain features combined with differential heating and extremely high, gusty winds. All of this created the most hair raising flying I've ever experienced. For one thing, the aircraft was rockin' and rollin' all the way down into the flare and even then it was doing some serious dancing around. We had to stop flying because of how intense it got. There were very powerful updrafts and downdrafts and they would have sharp transitions (Lots of shear), there were times when we went zero g for a good while on approach. I did very well in my opinion son. I made surprisingly smooth landings, it just required a LOT of throttle work and constant correction to keep the airspeed in check on approach as well as tons of aileron an rudder. The turbulence would roll the airplane like 30 degrees in an instant just a few hundred feet off the ground as you came over the trees off the end of the runway. The pattern had to be changed significantly as well, you had to turn base extremely early because of the fact that you were fighting a severe headwind on final and you could easily lose too much altitude. I had to come in at what would normally be considered extremely high because the ground speed was so low and I wanted to avoid as much of that severe turbulence right over the trees as I could. It was absolute insanity son, one of the most intense flights I've ever had (And I'm including aerobatic flights in the Extra 300L in there). I learned a ton during today's flight, not only about flying but about my ability to keep focused and calm even in severe conditions for the aircraft.

On our last landing we tried something a little silly btw. As soon as it touched down we hit full brakes to see how short of a rollout we could get. We easily stopped in less than 50ft after touchdown. During the flare the aircraft was usually traveling at 20mph during the first landings, but towards the end it was more like 10-15mph ground speed during the flare. Had we done power on slow flight, we probably could have hovered or at least gotten down to a walking pace while still in the air. While taxiing at a running pace the airspeed indicator read 35-42mph. You could pull back on the stick and lift the nose way up into the air during taxi. It was ridiculous, to say the least.

I am now pretty confident that I can get that aircraft down in most any condition in which it is capable of flying. Obviously they wouldn't allow me to go out solo today and I wouldn't have wanted to anyway. He did leave his hands in his lap even during the landings though, so he does trust that I have some decent flying capabilities son and I also know I could have done it without him there.

4/30/2010 1:47:38 PM

Quote :

" If you want to do the kind of aerobatics you see in this video, you'll have to go somewhere out of state to do them (Like Massachusetts or Florida)."

What for? Never heard of this.

Quote :

"I've yet to meet a 2 seat Pitts owner who would do a lomcevak"

Why won't they?

Quote :

"I suggest flying an Extra 300L though, the difference in performance between that aircraft an any other two seat aerobatic aircraft you'll be able to access in this country is so massive that it's worth the price of admission."

What about the 2-seat Sukhoi?

Don't they have a 2-seat Edge 540 (granted, this would be tougher to score a ride in than an Extra).

4/30/2010 4:52:34 PM

Quote :

"What about the 2-seat Sukhoi? Don't they have a 2-seat Edge 540 (granted, this would be tougher to score a ride in than an Extra)."

The key words in my statement were "that you'll be able to access". I didn't say other aircraft similar in performance don't exist. You forgot to mention the Giles 202, which has a 500 degree per second roll rate btw. My point was that you're not going to run across flight schools that use experimental aircraft in the US and the two seat Sukhoi is not exactly common (I can't find any flight schools operating one). If you find a CFI closer than Florida or Massachusetts offering flights in a 2 seat Sukhoi, let me know. Same goes for the Edge because, at least as of a few years ago, it was experimental.

Quote :

"What for? Never heard of this."

I showed him a school in NC that has a Decathlon, so you can do AEROBATICS somewhat close by. You will not be doing torque rolls and lomcevaks at any flight school around here though. But if you find a flight school with an Extra right down the street please let me know because I'd love to fly it. I would hope you can grasp that I didn't ever imply that LEGALLY you had to go to Florida or Massachusetts in order to perform a lomcevak. If you did honestly think that's what my point was, then I don't know what to tell you.

What I implied is that there are no flight schools operating Extra 300L's around here and you will have to go relatively far away to "somewhere LIKE Massachusetts or Florida" if you want to fly one. I'm not a huge fan of just picking any old joe with an aerobatic plane and flying with them, if you are that's cool though. I like to go to somewhere that actually has a CFI flying the aircraft or I like to fly with someone I know well. Going to a flight school is pretty much the ONLY way someone who is not into aviation at all is going to have the opportunity to operate such an aircraft. If you have a better suggestion, give it rather than asking these seemingly smart assed questions. I'm also not willing to recommend that he search for some random dude with an Extra 300 to go fly with.

Quote :

"Why won't they?"

Because they "don't want to stress the airframe" or they "don't want to stress the crank". Keep in mind, I've never said NOBODY with a Pitts will do a Lomcevak. What I said is "I've yet to meet one." On the other hand, I have yet to meet any Extra 300L or Extra 200 owner who refused to do one. They have all enthusiastically complied with the request. I mean, all of the Pitts aircraft are only certified to +6g/-3g anyway (Note: don't pull some smart ass shit and come back with some single seat Pitts S-1-11B or some shit that is totally irrelevant to the conversation and mention that it is certified to over +6g/-3g) and the Extra's are all certified to +10g/-10g. In general, people that give flight training and "thrill rides" in Pitts biplanes are are a LOT more reluctant to tumble. Ask them if you need more clarification though.



Here is the best list of U.S. based Aerobatic Flight Schools that you'll find. I'd go here first if you want to find a specific aircraft to train in:

http://www.iacusn.org/schools/index.php

(There isn't a single one operating a Sukhoi)

4/30/2010 5:22:06 PM

no, you're being hypersensitive. i wasn't trying to be a smartass; I just didn't realize that you were only talking about certified aircraft at flight schools.

For someone not into aviation, that's probably the easiest thing. I was thinking in terms of finding/knowing someone and going for a ride.

By the way, there's a dude with a Sukhoi who practices his acro routines in front of my house in New Bern (right by the New Bern airport). I've been told that he competes at a pretty high level, but I don't know any more details or what model Sukhoi it is.

5/1/2010 3:27:20 AM

Again with the language barrier son. I said "SEEMINGLY smart assed". This was to give you room to weasel out of it son and to point out that it simply appeared that way from my end but that I had not made any sort of final judgment at this time.


I would bet it's an Su-26, the Su-29 is relatively rare from all indications I've had, but if it is an Su-29 then that's awesome. The propeller on those rotates in the opposite direction from western aircraft based on what I've read, so you need a lot of left rudder on take-off, which is odd. On the plus side, it's a torque monster. The aircraft is a tad bit heavier than a the western aerobatic aircraft from what I've seen, which makes it do different things well. It's about 100lbs more than an Extra 300 and like 500lbs more than an Edge 540 (The edge is about 60lbs less than an empty Su-26 when it's loaded and it's only 200lbs more than an empty Su-26 at MTOW). The Sukhoi seems to tumble really well though and of course it torque rolls like crazy, likely due to that huge propeller and massive power. The Su-29 apparently only gains about 110lbs over the Su-26 too, so when flying it solo there shouldn't be much of a decrease in performance. That supercharged M-14P the Sukhoi's use can apparently produce well above 400hp depending upon the variant. There was a rare Pitts that used that M-14P btw (The Pitts Model 12).




Of all of the unlimited class aerobatic aircraft out right now I think a two seat Edge 540 is the best choice. But of all of the aerobatic aircraft out right now that you can easily pay someone to fly in, the Extra 300L is certainly the way to go.

If we get into single seat aircraft, I find the Cap 232 to be a very cool alternative btw. It's a really nasty tumbling aircraft but is also capable of Extra 300-like precision, which the Sukhoi seems to lack to some degree.


These are some pictures of Mike Goulian's Cap 232's (I'm not sure if they're different aircraft or different paint schemes on the same aircraft though). I flew with him in an Extra 200, he is an incredible pilot:

5/1/2010 12:15:15 PM

5/5/2010 2:00:47 PM

Wow...I just noticed this thread.

Saab is a bigger nerd than I am.

CPM ftw.
Most days I carry my Microtech LCC. In the field I carry a Spyderco Native (S30V). That's in addition to the Victorinox Super Tinker that I always have on me.
The LCC is way above any Spyderco in fit/finish/overall quality but honestly I'd pick the Native for real use any time just because of the steel.

I read some talk about sharpening in this thread...don't bring your shit to someone to have sharpened.
Learn to do it yourself.
Here's a pic of se7entythree's Benchmade that I reprofiled the edge on.

It took me over 2 years of sharpening knives, chisels, and other tools in the campus woodshop before I could truely say I can sharpen better than a machine. But I'll tell you, it doesn't have to take that long to learn to sharpen decently. You'll be doing yourself a favor by avoiding the heat damage, excessive metal removal, and horrible angles you generally get with some idiot sharpening shit on a grinder/buffer.

5/5/2010 11:42:59 PM

^ I agree that "some idiot" is not who you want to take it to and I agree that you should certainly learn to sharpen yourself. The manager at Davi's is a very good sharpener and I trust him to do a very good job, he uses very nice equipment and if you buy a knife there they will sharpen it for free for life. He will put it on the wet stones and get it hair splitting sharp. John Fitzen is also an extremely good sharpener and if you're willing to send it to Utah he will get that shit handled for ya quickly.

What I don't agree with is having a dude who just bought a $120 Spyderco Paramilitary learn to sharpen on that knife. It's got a RIDICULOUSLY NASTY edge from the factory and it's got a ridiculously nasty tip as well, all of which will likely be ruined by initial sharpening attempts. I simply recommended learning on something a lot less expensive. I think you may have completely missed my point if what you took away from my statements is that having any old dude sharpen it and never learning to sharpen is the way to go. Note that sending it back to Spyderco is not a bad idea either, as they do put a sickeningly effective edge on it from the factory. The workers in Golden, CO really do an excellent job. The easiest thing to do is to just run on up to Davi's though and have Richard Snelling do it. Then he can work on sharpening something like a Ka-Bar Dozier Folding Hunter in the meantime (A great little $20 knife btw) and once his skills are honed he can begin to sharpen his more expensive and difficult to sharpen knives. Sharpening also requires a $80+ investment initially if you want to do it right. I'm going to embed a video that is part of a series of videos on sharpening. This guy is good and the setup he suggests is very good for an amateur to use for sharpening. If you follow this method you will get hair splitting sharpness.

The Native is an excellent deal for an S30V blade btw, I can't think of any other knives in that size range with S30V at such a low price point. The main thing I don't like about it is it's not full flat ground (It's got a rather abrupt saber grind) and the one Native that is full flat ground is only offered in VG-10 with carbon fiber scales and it costs a shitload more. I also don't like the blade shape too much, although it's certainly not bad. I don't like the fact that it lacks the typical Spyderco thumb ramp either, but the choils do make up for that in my opinion. Having that deployment hole offset (As you have with most other Spydercos) really helps with speed and ease of extraction IMO, it gives you a longer moment arm and makes it easier to flick the blade out without needing any wrist action. I'm not saying you can't do it with a Native, I'm just saying it's easier with other designs.











NOTE THAT HE WAS INITIALLY USING A BELT, WHICH ACTUALLY WORKS PRETTY WELL IF YOU'RE SKILLED BUT IS NOT IDEAL. HE SWITCHED OVER TO THIS STROP AND THAT IS WHAT I SUGGEST, SO THE ABOVE SHOULD BE FOLLOWED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF USING THIS STROP AND COMPOUND INSTEAD OF THE BELT. IF YOU STROP THE KNIFE OFTEN, YOU WON'T EVEN HAVE TO DO MUCH SHARPENING UNLESS YOU DO SOME SERIOUS TASKS (THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WITH STEELS LIKE VG-10 AND AUS8 I'VE FOUND). Even though this is "part 3" of another series of videos, it's also a stand alone video on stropping. I can't tell you enough how useful a good strop is.

5/6/2010 7:29:44 AM

WHATUP SON?





UHHH, WHUTUP BEAVIS....





Dat Twin Otter son. I like seeing this thing fly, it takes the skydivers up and it climbs like a beast with the wing design it uses and those two turbine engines, then it drops the divers and dives back in at VNE. It also does a really steep approach when it lands, it looks crazy coming in.

5/6/2010 1:36:06 PM

I like the hollow grind on the S30V Native.
It's better for slicing some things. I like a high flat grind too. It just depends on what you're using the knife for.

5/6/2010 3:25:41 PM

Is it a hollow grind son?

I thought it was a saber grind for some reason (Admittedly the design in general doesn't appeal to me so I've never bothered to get a really close look). Yeah, you're right it is definitely a hollow grind son.

I understand that there are various advantages to hollow, saber, chisel and full flat grinds, but I simply prefer a full flat ground blade. Obviously I own all of the various grinds available (Except chisel, although I'd like a chisel ground Emerson at some point). I simply find that the full flat grind works best for the widest variety of cutting tasks for a pocket knife as long as you don't abuse it, as obviously the tips of FFG knives tend to be rather thin. I'm also a firm believer in using the appropriate item for the task and thus I always have an SAK (Victorinox Cadet, which uses an FFG blade as well) and a small multi-tool on me in case I need to do some screwdriving, can opening, bottle opening or light prying. So, I don't really need a really thick tip on the knife. That being said, many designs that aren't FFG still appeal to me, such as the saber ground Endura 4 (I'm positive those are saber ground, as I own two) and the ~3/4 saber ground Al Mar SERE 2000. A really high hollow grind is also great though (Like on the Cold Steel Rajah), which is what my inexpensive Ka-Bar Dozier Folding Hunter uses. But by and large I prefer FFG knives; the Police 3 G-10, the BM Mini-Dejavoo, the Paramilitary, the Delica 4 FFG, the Ka-Bar Large Heavy Bowie and the Victorinox Cadets. When it comes to a larger fixed blade survival knife, then I REALLY prefer the FFG because it's much better at batoning and when you're using 1/4" stock it ends up being a massive slab of steel that can put up with tons of punishment even with a FFG (Like the Large Heavy Bowie).

5/6/2010 3:40:13 PM

Flew dat 1.1 Hour solo flight today son. I went out to the practice area East of the field and did some turns at various bank angles, I also did a stall and then I came back and did three full stop landings son. It was fun son. Lots of traffic in the area, so coming back was kind of difficult. I ended up doing a shallow 360 degree turn about 5 miles out just to create a little separation for the aircraft taking off and remaining in the pattern son.

I was flying the other Remos GX today, so it was a nice challenge. The aircraft has different landing gear and a different propeller (And both make the plane very different honestly). The gear is higher and isn't as springy, so you need to flare a bit higher and it doesn't tolerate rough landings at all. I greased it in every time though and I even had to land on one wheel due to the crosswind too. The gear also has wheel pants which makes it more aerodynamic and increases the cruise speed and acceleration a bit. It also makes it a little harder to bleed off airspeed. The propeller makes an even bigger difference though due to significantly increased P-factor and thrust. It climbs better and requires a lot more rudder correction. It also generates a lot of thrust even at idle and this aircraft idles higher than the aircraft with the 3-bladed propeller. The end result of all of this is that this Remos floats down the runway a lot more and requires more rudder on landing.

Both are extremely squirrely on the ground, they don't really want to go in a straight line if you're taxiing at high speed (Something that you need to do on the runway when you're trying to get off it as quickly as possible) and they're extremely sensitive to rudder input.

5/7/2010 12:13:10 PM

Sorry for the shaky camera son. Landing son.



Also keep in mind that this aircraft is VERY light and requires constant correction on landing. It gets tossed around really easily by gusty winds. Today the winds were mild but extremely variable in terms of speed and direction. Regardless, I find that I am pretty much always able to set that shit down smoothly in these conditions son. Check out how SMOOOO dis shit is son (YEAH YEAH, NOT ON THE GOD DAMNED CENTERLINE, IT'S A PERSPECTIVE THING AND I'M WORKIN ON IT SON.)

5/7/2010 1:16:34 PM

that's pretty sweet

5/7/2010 1:33:14 PM

Second, slightly better gibbalanding. Note the crosswind correction (Right wheel touches down first). I needed a bit more right rudder as the other wheel touched down though. Also note how much farther away and flatter this approach was initially. This is because an aircraft pulled out onto the runway and decided to sit there, so I had to extend my downwind leg and add throttle. This meant I was at a much shallower angle with more power during the base leg so that I didn't descend too much way out there.

5/7/2010 1:58:42 PM

Check out these landings sons!

THEY'RE FUCKING SMOOOOOOO SON.

FUCKING SMOOOOOO.

5/8/2010 9:38:08 AM

I just watched the second vid.. pretty epic bro!

5/8/2010 10:26:37 PM