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A few photos from yesterday's re-maiden (also with added black trim to wing LE for better head-on visibility). Dry weight now 5.5lbs but still comparatively very Lite, and slows down beautifully for landings exactly where I want to put it down. Extra power very noticeable with, for e.g., knife-edge (not me yet...just when my mate was flying it!)

Thanks for all the replies chaps. The Dynaglow straight will get used in older "loose" two strokes and I have secured a gallon of Laser 5 at Steve Webb models for my Lasers.

With our latest Mass Build project all wrapped up, a group discussion over a few pints of Tim Taylors Landlord had us thinking about a different way of building in an attempt to have some fun over the winter break and producing some exciting new PSS models to test at the start of the 2022 flying season. The focus was on a relatively small, cheap and quick to build scale model and we came up with the concept of the 48 Hour Build Challenge – ‘One Sheet is Plenty!’ The aim is simple – Using only a single sheet of high density foam board and a single sheet of balsa – each modeller will scratch build and finesse a scale R/C model fit for use on the slope within a 48 hour build window. The model must be representative of a full-size powered aircraft, and after the 48 hours are up it must be in a fit state to fly from the slope. The choice of subject, it’s size, scale and complexity are left completely up to you, your only limitation is the raw materials used for construction and the overall time allowed for the build! Typical R/C fittings and hardware can be utilised in the build as needed but the primary building materials must be limited to the foam and balsa sheeting! Work on the design concept, plans and preparation for the build can start now in advance – the 48 hour limit is solely for the build! Ideally the model would be a bespoke ‘Own Design’ creation but builders can also adapt an existing plan if that’s less daunting. As with the traditional Mass Build concept we’re all in this together and the aim is to build simultaneously over the chosen weekend of 5th and 6th March. We will run a pre-event Zoom call on the Friday evening for anyone who is keen to register and take part. The Zoom call will enable us to introduce our chosen subject matter and show off any drawings you may have already compiled to aid your build. The build itself will commence from 6am on the Saturday morning and will run until 6am on Monday 7th March. Monday evening we will aim to repeat the Zoom call to show off the fruits of our labour – no doubt with a well earned beer! For anyone wanting to take part who’s unable to match those exact timescales due to work or family commitments – please join us and pick your own 48 hour window as close as you can to the target weekend – we’d really like as many members to take part as possible! The aim is to bring all of the 48 hour build models together when we meet for our first event of the 2022 season on The Great Orme on April 9th and 10th. So that’s the plan – we’ve already seen a lot of interest in the concept and I think we should have a good collection of bespoke hand crafted foam models at the slope in April – who knows what types of PSS model it will generate!? Use the time now to choose your subject and get drawing/sketching so you can commence your build running…The clock will be ticking! If you would like to take part in the Zoom call at 8pm (UK time) on Friday 4th March please drop me an email to register and I will add you to the invite when it goes out – [email protected]

And on to the litho plate sheathing around the nose, really enjoying the progress lately. I have used double sided carpet tape for the first time, and its working really well. Would have no doubts electric, but with this oily thing up front who knows if it will still be on the model when it lands ? Riveted with a rounded piece of piano wire from the inside, then a length of brass tube from the outside. NOTE the rivets are at every intersection, then spaced out to fill the gaps. This is where your rows of sticky rivets will always look wrong to me. But that's just my opinion Cheers Danny

Balsa Cabin list Blue Foam sheets, although the description changes to ‘Grey Styrofoam’ when you click on the actual item. 50mm and 75mm thick sheets in various sizes, looks just like the Blue Foam I still have left.

Well by chance I had an Enya 3 plug, so fitted that and changed back to the original fuel I purchased quite some years ago. After several attempts to start it using my starter, finally got her running again and even managed to remove the glow this time. Engine still leaks slightly from the front bearing so don't think I can do much about that but at least its running now and I was able to tune for max revs.

I think flat black is too flat, might add a satin top coat.... Cheers Danny

Well whoever sold you that lied through their teeth twice as it has 6% castor in it and has never been recommended for Laser engines. I would use it for weed killer and cleaning up old engines. Dont run it through a modern engine. Grab some new fuel. 5% nitro and 15% oil laser 5 if you want one fuel for all engines or the 5% nitro 7% oil laser 5 pro if you want a fuel only for your Laser engines. Model shop leeds are showing the laser 5 in stock as do elite models so it seems generally available.

One cowl and nacelle covered in brown paper. I has added a lot of strength to the foam, I found I only had enough screws and nuts to mount 1 motor so hopefully the order will arrive today and I can c get the other side done. the cowl will be glued on when all is up and running, motor and esc cooling is taken in from the under side of the cowl and exits where the under carriage should be. hand launching on this one.

If its free to turn then i would probably whip the front off and see if the bearings are turning or if they are locked up and the crank is spinning in the bearing. If the bearings are free then i would just fire it up and give it some. Use 15% oil on these older engines as they were not built with the same materials as the current ones. You can ditch the castor though. I suspect there is enough inside it to last it a month of running on pure methanol!

Been bashing on with it. Fus stripes now painted on and the lettering and roundels added ready for the clear lacquer when the canopy and little man have been fitted. The pics show it at its current stage for weighing and a cg check. The tank, batteries and remaining servos have been simply stuffed in the front for this. Motor is angled to make the carb align with the tank centre. Obviously quite a few bits to add such as linkages but the weight as you see it is 13.5 lb, triple checked, and the cg is currently very slightly in front of the planned position, so quite relieved. If there is enough prop showing it should be no problem for the 180. Hoping for sub 15 lb in the end.?

Some more work achieved today on the tailplane mount which now all aligns and bolts up nicely into the rear fuselage. I still need to set the incidence of the tail relative to the wing but this will be done later after more work is completed around the wing-root. Tailplane has a pair of carbon rods for location dowels at the front and is held in place now with 2 x 5mm nylon bolts reacting against a ply load spreader towards the rear. Captive nuts into the ply housing - positioned here for the camera - they have since been reversed so the bolts pull them through the ply when loaded. All nice and square and secure. With this now fitted I'm hoping for a full rig photo this weekend if the weather is kind enough.

Good luck with the DB SE5, there's nothing really wrong with the original kits. I've just finished restoring one I built over 25 years ago. I'd used (painted) Solartex as the covering; time and glow fuel took its toll on the finish so all the covering was stripped off and recovered with Sig Koverall and painted with Klass Kote. Its flying again now with its original Laser 200v which, to my mind is the perfect fit for the model.

Thanks EarlyBird. I did wonder why they appeared as download icons but felt life was too short! I'll quote my own post and re-add the images Graham Images now correctly added!

Roger, don't know if your radio has flight modes/phases, if it does you may be able to set the idle trim for each flight phase, I do this on several models and have a dedicated landing phase which has a lower idle setting.

Thanks chaps. In the outer-wing there was three bag fuel tanks. At 9 stone fighting weight I was one of the few who, with my arms stretched above my head, were small enough to get to the end of the longest tank which was about 8ft long and only 8" square at the outer end. Wearing a fuel resistant suit with a tail that connected to breathing air compressor, it was always a laugh to drop out of the wing and hop across the hangar like Mickey Mouse in front of Air Cadets being shown round the aircraft. Aaah! Happy days.

Maybe, maybe not. Every successful project has a very well defined end goal. Maybe you just need to figure out exactly what you need to get the 180 & 155 to "complete". My thoughts are that if you don't see major mechanical changes being needed then the motor itself is there. Minor mechanical changes, maybe the first batch has to be covered by the disclaimer of a potential recall for a small mod. Getting the instructions debugged, well yes, you need that, for sure, but how many more beta testers (or indeed owners) do you need to go through them before they reach "maturity"? 1? 5? 20? 100? As the saying goes, a product only ever really completes its test programme when the last unit is sold to the last customer... Just thinking out loud. As an aside, I'd love to help out but I don't have anything big enough to trial one on, or budget to buy one with.

Ok Jon, fair enough. Another question if I may, how much more beta testing would be sufficient to get you to production ready?

You've sent 3 engines out to people who have run them and used them as intended and all 3 of those performed up to expectation. So far I'm not sure I see an impediment to getting the petrol 30cc available on a commercial basis. As for the guys who bought - at a discount - and then vanished... I really would not take the lack of useful feedback from them (or indeed the one who messed up the ignition or the one who said he'd run it - and then vanished) as any indication of anything, other than an object lesson in how much you can rely on the general public (and there are all sorts of reasons why someone may seem to vanish, even with the best of intentions). It certainly does not indicate how easily you will or will not be able to sell the engines. Honestly, if I was managing your project I'd now move to a small batch for proper commercial sale.   All the best on the other project, whatever you decide. Edited By Nigel R on 12/03/2020 21:32:47