TheFlyingCrust

Missed this post earlier. I'm nearing completion of mine - with some minor mods for realism. Your's is a real cracker. Ian.

Northerly and easterly slopes are few and far between for me but if south or south-westerlys blow then I'm out on the slope as often as I can. Ian

As with all things you get what you pay for. I had to replace a DIY one of random make last year and I bought a Makita similar to the one WF links to. Its solid, powerful, has a much superior chuck, uses a Li-Ion battery (common fitment to many different makes) and recharges in an hour. Yes it was over a hundred quid but I wondered how I ever managed with the old one. Ian

I use one of these but Maplin do heavier duty ones but may be too bulky. I don't know if the one I have will stand up to the treatment you're experiencing but they do have them in store. They maybe worth a visit. Ian

A tourist in Vienna is going through a graveyard and all of a sudden he hears music. No one is around, so he starts searching for the source. He finally locates the origin and finds it is coming from a grave with a headstone that reads: "Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770- 1827". Then he realizes that the music is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and it is being played backward! Puzzled, he leaves the graveyard and persuades a friend to return with him. By the time they arrive back at the grave, the music has changed. This time it is the Seventh Symphony, but like the previous piece, it is being played backwards. Curious, the men agree to consult a music scholar. When they return with the expert, the Fifth Symphony is playing, again backwards. The expert notices that the symphonies are being played in the reverse order in which they were composed, the 9th, then the 7th, then the 5th. By the next day the word has spread, and a crowd has gathered around the grave. They are all listening to the Second Symphony being played backward. Just then the graveyard's caretaker ambles up to the group. Someone in the group asks him if he has an explanation for the music. "I would have thought it was obvious," the caretaker says. "He's decomposing!"

Here you go. The photo is of PL965 which I believe is owned by the Real Aeroplane Company, but I can't find it in their list. Ian

Try dismantling one of those old rod-type electric heaters if you can find one, the type that had a reflector. The windings on the ceramic is NiCr. Ian

+1 for a thermostatically controlled iron. I was allowed to keep my one, a Weller 50w soldering station, that I used in a previous job. You can buy spare tips for different temperatures and sizes. But I just checked the prices and... err.... expensive. The station I have is upwards of 150 quid now! It does the job beautifully but its a pro tool and beyond most hobbyists budget I'd guess. Ian

From the description in this tutorial I reckon you could use velcro (other makes of hook-and-loop are available) to fix the fin. Easily removable then so height isn't an issue when transporting. Ian

The wing, nominally, carries its own mass so it depends on the mass of the fuselage, say half that of the total model. Which means the fus having a mass of 2.5kg will "weigh" 2.5 x 9.2 = 23 kg. About the same as a bag of cement! I think I've got that right. I stand to be corrected. ian

Is he after a Darwin award? Barking, indeed. Ian

Have a look here. Some good articles on building your own. If you use a brushless motor its Kv would have to be pretty low, I fear. You could use a large stepper motor. There's some plans around for them. Some experimenters have used small car alternators but the problem with them is they need a shaft speed upwards of 1000 rpm before they start generating. Best of luck Ian

For fuss free relaxation it has to be my 1980's vintage Minnie, from a free RCM&E plan. Fits in the boot fully rigged - just - and gets used most outings. Its beginning to look a bit well-worn now and if I broke it I'd build another. ian

Signed. I'll also bring it to the attention of club members. Ian

Just picked up this thread. Interesting discussion. My father and I used to fly model gliders together back in the 80's. I had a Fleet system on mode 2 and he used a Futaba 27MHz 2 channel set. It was mode 1. I guess some of us older ones started on a 2 channel set and many just set their multichannel sets to what they were used to. I adapted to the set I acquired. Well, its a thought. Ian