Richard Honeywell

Here are the photos as promised. Dave had a number of foamies and ARTFs but I think this was the only model he built himself. He gave up flying IC some years ago (I had certainly never seen it at the flying field) but the TT GP42 started with almost the first flick. The pleasing lines of the design and the generous wing area are apparent in the photos. The unusual metallic blue covering sometimes blends in with a blue sky (not that we have had much of that lately) but the shocking yellow undersides leave me in no doubt as to its orientation.

Thanks for your interest, I will post one next time I put the wings on.

Many thanks for the quick response.

I have acquired a nicely built Oodalally from the disposal of our late ex-secretary’s fleet, powered very adequately by a Thunder Tiger GP42. I was sceptical about the aileron bellcranks, but with a bit of tightening up at the servo end of the linkages, the free play is minimal and there is no tendency to flutter. It flies really well and I am delighted with it. It is a pleasing piece of his handiwork to remember him by. I don’t have a copy of the plan, so could you please advise on the recommended CG position? The balance point is currently forward of the wing spar, even after removing a couple of ounces of nose ballast since flying it yesterday, so I assume I could move it back a bit for some slower landings.

Thank you Nigel, I was afraid that the Jetstream carbs would all be too big. I had a helpful reply from Andrew at Just Engines, and have ordered a needle (same as for an O.S. 91 FS Surpass), a silencer and some other parts. Thanks to all for taking the trouble to reply.

Thanks Jonathan, that is very helpful. I will get in touch with Just Engines.

Thanks Jon. Is anyone sufficiently familiar with the Jetstream carbs currently available (1750, 1851 and 9650A) to know whether any of them has a boss of 12.5mm diameter (to fit a 13mm diameter hole in the crankcase) and happen to have a choke diameter of around 7.3mm? (approximate measurements from a cheap plastic Vernier gauge).

Thanks for the reply. I just looked at it again and it's actually an SC 36 but same difference, as I understand it. The choke size is 7.3mm approx. Not sure what you mean by the carb boss - sorry (only migrated from electric to IC a few months ago) - could you explain? I did have a trawl of various spares sites a while ago and a place in Poland had most of the parts for a front needle arrangement, but not all, and the postage was extortionate in any case. As you will notice from the photos I will also need a new set of cover plate bolts as two of them are too long now that I have removed the broken rear needle bracket, but Just Engines has these in stock. It is as clean as a whistle inside the crankcase.

I found a nice little ASP 36 in a late clubmate's 'bag of bits', but the bracket holding the rear needle was broken and the needle missing. I was wondering whether any of the Jetstream carbs still available would fit. The 1750, 1851 and 9650A are still available, but I can't find specs for them anywhere on the web. The carb aperture on the crankcase is 13mm diameter. Any information, advice or alternative suggestions gratefully received.

I am trying to assemble the parts for a Seagull Turbo Raven. Most items are still available (just) but the cowling is proving elusive. I believe many examples of this model crashed on their maiden due to a CG error in the manual. If you have a spare cowling, or even the damaged fragments of one, please do post a reply. Thanks Richard

Thanks all for your posts. After a bit more digging, I can see that the Firebird is a smaller version of the Phoenix, which does not show up in some searches of the Pegasus website, but when found, it does come with a photo: Phoenix As mentioned the canopy is further forward than the Magician, it has straight rather than tapered wings and a tricycle u/c.

Of the old Galaxy sport models now available from Pegasus, Mystic and Warlock are a bit big for my storage space and Wizard is a bit small. Magician is clearly a popular choice as there are dozens of photos of them all over the web, but what about Firebird? The only image I can find is the artist's impression on the Pegasus website, which reveals a tricycle undercarriage but not much else. Has anyone built one and would like to comment? Is it basically a Magician with three wheels or is there more to it than that? Thanks in advance for any information.

I wouldn't mind but I haven't noticed any advance warning of this or any explanation at all - unless I have missed something. A reply from the management on this thread would be welcome.

Good point Pete. One of my casualties was an Acro Wot Foam-e, and I thought as I was assembling it how very flimsy and lightweight it seemed to be, compared even with other foamies I have. Fortunately, being foam, even a substantial crack in the fuselage can be patched up with cyano/epoxy and a bit of reinforcement.

The answer is obvious - 'it depends' - but setting aside the PSS models that need as much as possible, what is your upper limit for general sport flying of powered models in the 45 -60 inch span range? When you look at the forecast for wind speed and gust, at what point do you say 'too much'? I have damaged a couple of models lately by overestimating my ability to fly or land safely in a gusting wind, so I am interested to hear opinions of more experienced flyers.