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Hi All, Just a quick update on progress, the sheeting is now complete and sanded just the front nose block, rear turret floor to carve, the cockpit floor, and the wing mounting plates left to do and that is the basic fuselage construction completed and that it is a big big fuselage....... .........that's a 12" ruler standing next to it. That's all for now Regards Robert

I remaidened my SE5a on Tuesday and a clubmate had his camera handy. It's such a posh camera that it shows up how scruffy my model is. Still, it was my 3rd model and built over 20 years ago so I can't complain. I'll have to tidy it up a bit now I know how well it still flies. Lots of power from the electric set up despite its near 7lbs weight. It's been hanging up in the garage for several years until lockdown inspired me to resurrect it.

Thanks for the info about my Nimh 'query', gents. ? I can only hope that the 6V rated Turnigy servos will be happy as well? ... @Eric Robson Glad you could have some nice flying days but please, convince your friend that "large steam locomotives" aren't the best floaters around... ? Cheers Chris

What a morning! actually went to the flying field with the plane above to finally have a go. Very friendly reception to say the least, lots of help and advice and even a loan of a Junior 60 to try my nervous hands on! An experienced flyer took the Buccaneer up and trimmed it and I have to say the plane looked absolute magic floating along with a whisper of throttle and so stable, the light yellow glowing in the crisp cloudless blue sky. it was all I hoped it would be. Then I took the controls with my instructor next to me which really helped. I offered to land it. He was not so sure.... plane lined up into the breeze and the approach was great, but I thought it was not loosing height enough and applied FAR to much elevator and the plane nose dived to the hard landing area very very abruptly. Not too much damage, the wood prop fractured and some superficial damage, but this afternoon almost all repaired. Fantastic, and feeling very enthused, hope to return next week for some more. A Good Start.

Thanks David, Clearly a man of impeccable taste! I can't compete on the undergarment front, and have some catching up to do there. My old timer isn't anywhere near as big as yours either! My bright yellow Triumph RS went in 2009! Lovely bike and I've regretted selling it ever since. That FROG looks like a trusty veteran John! I haven't strayed beyond PAWs yet, apart from a DC Merlin which I haven't had any joy with. Can get to fire but won't run for long. I suspect its just too long in the tooth. Hello Simon. Thanks for the interest in the TM. In light of the supposed balsa shortage I was thinking about alternatives and had seen some plans on Outerzone using corrugated cardboard. At about the same time we got a load of Covid screens delivered to work in large cardboard boxes which I promptly nabbed to 'upcycle' into Tiger Moth wings to see how it went (some pics below). Main spars are 1/4 inch balsa with 1/16 sheet webbing with a ply rib at the root and a ply rib at the interplane strut attachment point. All the rest of the ribs are cardboard with cardboard skins top and bottom. Made out of 1 piece and folded over at the leading edge and taped at the trailing edge its strong enough without and additional support. I even managed to fold in the ailerons so the card forms its own hinge. Its not going to win any competitions but looks passable at 6 feet and takes a spray paint finish really well. Its cheap and quick and after Saturday's flight seems to fly well. Similar in weight to a foam cored wing I would estimate. The fuselage is 1/4 inch plywood I picked up from a building site and a 1/4 inch balsa rear frame. The horizontal stab is 1/4 sheet recycled from another model and the rudder is two thicknesses of card with corrugations at 90 degrees and covered in brown paper for good measure. I think this is starting to warp slightly though so may have to be replaced or receive some extra stiffening somehow. The rigging is functional and made from picture wire from the local hardware shop. Closed loop rudder and elevator also using picture wire (75p per roll and I used two and a half for the whole plane). The pilot is RCAF! Shortly after that we had a new shower cubicle fitted which was delivered in several large flat sheets of cardboard so now I'm wondering whether the concept would stretch to something a bit more complicated.......

Indeed. Also, when you do join a club, find the guy who (a) flies a lot (b) makes it look easy and (c) takes all his toys home in one piece. Take advice from him. Not the guy who talks a lot instead of flying, or the other one who takes busted stuff home all the time, or the one who doesn't fly because the things he brought don't work in the first place.

For channelling long servo leads I tend to use drinking straws, I just undo the plastic plugs on both ends, servo and extension , plug the leads together, a bit of heatshrink on each separate wire and thread them down the straw! I t means that you dont have large holes in wing ribs , extension plugs getting caught on "structures" or even coming undone. and it looks neat . and you can get straws up to 70cm long !

Good afternoon all, I thought it was about time I put my head above the parapet as I've been following activity on the forum for some while without actually posting anything. I've picked up much useful information and inspiration just by reading all the great posts that appear on here and its reached the point where I feel as though I already know many of the regular contributors and it feels a bit rude not to at least say hello and thank you! I've been interested in model aviation since I was a lot younger (I'm 43 now so its not all that long ago!) and grew up in Much Marcle, overlooking the model flying field. From as early as I can remember the sound of model engines became synonymous with warm balmy summer weekends and my brothers and I used to walk down to the show across the fields from our house and hop in over the back fence. Thinking about it that's probably why I have such a continuing attraction to IC engines. It wasn't however until about 10 years ago when the arrival of children somewhat curbed other activities such as motorbikes and the band (other activities that I note with interest seem to go hand in hand with aeromodelling!) that I realised I now had the disposable income and time at home to look at some (semi-)serious modelling. I also discovered by accident the concept of model diesel (compression combustion) engines which where a little bit before my time in terms of peak popularity but just a fascinating idea. I promptly got hold of a second hand throttled PAW .19 and after some initial consternation successfully managed to run it and fly it in a Vic Smeed 'Electra' that I scratch built from plans downloaded from Outerzone (to which website I have become hopelessly addicted). Various scratch builds and refurbishments have followed and I am now well and truly a lost cause and trying my best to drag my two sons down with me. I'm a member of the local club in the North East and last year, in the brief late summer window when we were allowed out for a bit, I managed to pass my 'A' achievement. Still learning but hopefully safe enough. I'm still happiest with something relatively slow and stable which allows time to relax a bit and enjoy the flying and the sound of those magical engines. My latest build has been a standoff scale 58" span Tiger Moth partly made of cardboard and with, joy of all things, a laser 70 up front. Still basking in the glow of a successful maiden flight on Saturday! I might post a bit more about that on another thread at some point but have included a snap from Saturdays flight that my son took for interest! Anyway, the plan is to do a little less lurking and a little more contributing going forward with best wishes to all.

So in preparation for scale competitions kicking off again I thought I better get my two Chipmunks ready. The larger Black Horse Chippy got a new set of bearings in the motor, as well as a gyro. The 85" model flies on 5S2P 10000mAh (2 x 5000mAh in parallel). The current draw is around 65A so two fairly cheap packs will cope as its only 32A per pack. For the 80" Seagull Chippy it got a new motor for this year, same spec, just a later version. This model is also now sporting a Gyro. This model is on a single 5S 5000, so the quality of the cell does make a difference. For this year I have invested in a couple of quality Purple Power packs. One thing I had to check was the c of g using the old packs, so that the 30g heavier PP's could be positioned to give the same c of g. So the Vanessa rig was set up and first the original pack, to find the current c of g and then check the pack position to give the same c of g with the PP pack. Whilst I was working on the Seagull I thought I would add a little detail, nothing much, but I wanted exhausts. So, we are all ready to get in some practice flights ? (The cowl fit isn't usually that bad, I hadn't nipped up the cowl screws ? ) Cheers Danny

That's very kind of you David. The Mascot did turn out fairly well and I was pleased with it as a first build. I learned quite a bit too! As for how it flies, well it's a beauty and a testament to Boddo's design skills.

I'm sure it's been explained to you bt your instructor, but just in case: In the landing phase Speed of the 'plane is controlled by the elevator Rate of descent is controlled by the throttle. So in your case the correct course of action would have been to close the throttle a bit. If it's completely closed and the 'plane is just floating on past the strip, open up and go around. If you had been undershooting (dropping short of the strip) open the throttle a gnats to extend the glide. The problem with these vintage types is 1) They tend to float on or 2) if you give them a burst of throttle they tend to pitch up, then revert to 1). Have you got a flight sim? When I (re) started I found mine a real help with orientation and building up muscle memory. Kim

Finally done, the wrap is going on tomorrow, I hope this is smooth enough......tough if it's not ...LOL D.D.

Yes, the vaccination program for a start. Maybe leave the constant digs about leaving at the door from now on? It's getting tedious now. Ebay would be my chosen route in this particular case or keep them in storage until someone is able to take them back to the UK in person.

It's a shame that they didn't think to put the LED on a flylead seeing as it's a useful indicator of what's going on normally besides being pretty essential for calibration.

My current guess is there is a problem between radios having analog sticks and hall sensor giving PWM sticks. The number of analog signals to read changes by four, and the T16 is missing four values! If using an ISRM module, then the sending of the SPort requests to the Rx is more positive. The older, SPort method requires waiting for the module to poll for a request. If you respond to a poll, it then polls more frequently for a while, but if you don't respond the polling rate drops. In the script I use with erskyTx I keep responding to the polls, with a null response if necessary, so the module keeps polling at a high rate. Combined with retries for anything missing, I get everything populated within about a second. The LUA script for openTx could be modified to do the same. I believe someone did do that, but it is not in the "official" LUA script. eepskye should recognise the openTx bootloader as well as the erskyTx one, so if you have the openTx bootloader on your radio, you should be able to flash either openTx or ETHOS directly over USB from eepskye. I've run a disassembly of the ETHOS firmware and I'm looking to see what it does for reading the analog inputs. I've already found the bit of code that does it. If I'm really lucky I'll be able to patch it to make it work! Mike

My experience exactly. For example, I was able to sell some motorcycle parts I had which were now of no use to me personally but I knew would be invaluable to a restorer ie magdynos and magnetos as well as a load of literature and genuine manufacturers' workshop manuals. I sold an Ariel (Lucas) magdyno to a guy in Finland IIRC and the postage was as much as the price he paid (about £60!) but he needed it for his rebuild. So we were both happy. I've also bought models and collected them from people who were really not much different from me - enthusiasts who were 'clearing the decks' for a new project. EBay is a brilliant source used sensibly.

Looking through the worries on c of g I think with the predator motor and a 4s 4000 you will have no problem with the balance as mine is built with the box as plan and the motor is heavier than the Predator. I do not have sound so nothing extra on the front. At this time I am flying with a 2 blade prop and no spinner I am going to mod. the ali spinner to take a 2 blade prop when I get round to it and fit a 12" prop to increase flight times. I am making use of the good weather so not much done other than flying at the moment.

I did not do that on mine and have had no problems so far. If it does work loose I will retro fit the plate as the dowels are shorter than the W.B. Spitfire. After many flights I have not dropped a wing the stall has been straight so no cartwheels to loosen the dowels.

Our hobby is so multi-faceted, if one gets a bit jaded with a particular aspect of it for whatever reason, it's usually possible to change direction and 'boost one's batteries' so to speak. It's a fine balance between doing the same old thing every time and not taking on too much, hence becoming swamped by unused 'impulse buys' and un-built kits. We have a great hobby that will weather the recent upheavals and will prove resilient to an on-going assault by the bureaucrats. I have a few further thoughts on that, but it can wait for now. Not just us of course, any bikers on here will be aware of the ludicrous idea to insist motor cyclists have their activities tracked electronically. Naturally, all the bad boys and criminals will diligently have trackers fitted, pay the fees and mend their ways. Remind you of anything?

Nothing wrong with eBay provided you take some care. Check the sellers feedback score for negative or neutral posts. Don't forget that some buyers are idiots and post negative feedback due to their inability or incompetence to use an item and always blame the seller. If it's a "buy it now " item and appears too cheap or too good to be true it probably is. Have used eBay for years an only had a couple of bad guys from chancers but PayPal or eBay sorted it. Have bought some expensive tools and car parts from all over the world with no problems. Have also sold stuff all around the world via eBay . Will never get rich on selling but will nearly always find a buyer. Shipping is never " free " it's included and often greatly subsidised if buying from China while too expensive from Australia. Overall eBay is a great but be careful as you would be in any auction.

If you have proper smelly Humbrol Enamel Doylie, As the lads say, test it. If you have to thin it, do not go more than 10% as good properties are lost. For spraying, I thin about 5%, to be milk consistency. Non water based still works well with white spirit. Even with water based paint, don't go overboard thinning, as properties of paint are lost. And don't paint in this cold weather. You need to above 5°C, 10°C is better, but ideally paint on or above 15°C air temperature

We spent yesterday afternoon working on the Junior 60. The covering contains a few cosmetic faults but I've let them go otherwise it would be me building the model and not Frans. It's turning out pretty well considering that Frans has never built a model aeroplane before, not even a little Keil Kraft or Guillows rubber powered free flight job.

That's a cracking finish Peter. Here is a pic of the water based Humbrol "tub". I noticed that the Revell tins I have are water based too. The Humbrol tins are oil based. D.D. My Stash, some of these are over 10 years old

I have 4 electric twins, all with standard rotation motors and standard props. Fly as per full size with gentle throttle acceleration on take off and you will be fine. Once the plane has flying speed the rudder should be capable of doing all the straightening for you. I have 2 of my machines set up with differential throttle which is fun, one is a Catalina so that helps with water steering. Both the Catalina and Twin Otter can do amazing stall turns using this function, but for normal flight I have this switched off as it is not necessary. Never yet had an electric motor issue on a twin, not too sure why that would occur as the motors are normally used less hard than on a single motored machine. I also do not really suffer any real noticable drag issues with my twins with the exception of the Beaufighter which has 2 huge great cowls on it, but really that is no issue with practice. What I would suggest you do which is what I do, is that if you possibly can - parallel your supply batteries to both of your ESC's, that way any supply differences from the individual batteries will be sent to both motors so they should be synchronised.

ALL clubs will have at least one of each..... plus one who brings nice planes but never flies due to 'unsuitable' conditions!

Think it has akways been there..

Thanks both for the warm welcome. I even quite like the burnt diesel smell. Strictly in the shed though!

Oooorr a chance to reply with some (limited) experience all be it 6 years of flying and having 4 ic twins and 7 electric twins! Suggestions and experience Power plants need to be as reliable as possible, I have had more electric one out in flight than IC, I was advised to always have a plan B in the event and as Jon says manage the situation accordingly Keep it simple, one throttle channel, Y lead, two servos and mechanically adjust to suit. I have twins (Woohoo and Extra Slim Twin) with differential throttle control as it increases flight performance, but if you don't need it, don't set it up as one day you might regret it If its not 100% right either IC or electric never commit to flight As a well respected model designer and flyer says regarding not using one counter rotating motor and with adverse yaw on takeoff it can be countered with the rudder, that's what its there for. Notes Two BH electric mossies one with counter rotating prop, yes the other yaws a bit but rudder sorts that out The Whoohoo has both the same direction and no rudder control and does not yaw/roll at all on hand launch or near stall even if the stick is slammed from zero to 100% - someone please explain that? The IC Dual Ace and Mossie being ic do yaw, but with gentle use of the throttle and rudder, its not an issue (another bit of advice never WOT on take off as its the most likely time to quit on you) and if it needs 100% WOT for the length of the runway things are unlikely to improve once airborne. PS One thing to consider, the choice of props may be very limited so before committing to a lot of engineering work worth a check first

I have limited twin experience, but, this sounds like a lot of hassle. That was certainly top of my list. Getting the servo / throttle arm ball link set up so that the throttle action was physically as identical as I could make it on both sides was something I took a little time over during building and setting up. I also spent a short while fine tuning the ball link on one engine to get both engines idling nicely at the same speed. This probably took about fifteen minutes. Then I left them alone and just flew it. I've not noticed any torque effects.

I have owned 6 twin and one 4 engine model over the years and flown 4 other twins. All had engines in the same rotation and there was no issue with torque. My advice is not to waste your time on it. You are more likely to run into trouble with differences in performance between the reverse/normal engine and prop than you are with torque. You also need to find suitable and identical reverse props, reverse your starter and all that. Its just needless hassle. Most torque issues come from just punching the throttle from idle to full. In the case of i/c, one engine can out accelerate the other and cause a swing. Torque is then blamed for this without any real thought into what is actually going on. My current twin has laser 70's on it mounted dead straight and there are no problems at all.

Jon, if you look to be between 6 to 7 lbs all up it will be fine, much more and the pilot will be getting out and pushing. If you want a sound unit you will need to put the transducer rearwards of the cockpit. It needs a piece of depron at least 3" sq to be fitted onto a balsa frame and fixed where there is a outlet, something like the rear radiator vent I added. I would place that piece of depron and balsa frame in place but not fit the sound system until you have flown it and gained some confidence with it before adding extra weight. When and if you fit one double check your CofG!! I don't know what you use to check this but there are some good ones at a reasonable price out there and take the guessing out of it. The 'old' hands use their fingers..... there are some fat fingers out there! Mind you Richards Fingers are like knitting needles....