Mike Bell

Hi all, just a couple of weeks or so to the British Fun Fly Association coaching / practice event at Buckminster. If you are at all Fun Fly curious, why not come along with a model and give it a try. You don't need a full-on fun fly model, we'll still get you involved. The only limitation for this weekend is that we can only allow electric models due to Bank Holiday planning restrictions. Foamy planes running 3s set ups are ideal taster aircraft so your Foamy Wot4, Acro Wot, Riot etc will be perfect. Over the weekend there will be informal competitions where newbies will be offered guidance and coaching, while the more experienced participants will be getting in some valuable practice. If you would like to join us it would be very helpful if you could register your interest with James Gordon [email protected]. By registering, James will be able to inform you of any last minute updates. You are also advised to keep an eye on Facebook, look for BFFA Fun Fly Group. Camping on site can be booked via [email protected] Mike

Hi Steve, some basic info: Fuz, tail and rotors all in Depron. No the blades don't flap, there is no need with the contra rotating set up. The blades are mounted on 3d printed hubs which have the blade angles incorporated. The hubs spin on a carbon rod mast. Propulsion is via a brushed, geared motor powered via the 2A esc built into the receiver. These things are draggy so the set up does benefit from using a high voltage 1s battery, 300mah. Rudder response is lively so throws need to be small. The elevator acts as a bit of an aid for tight turns and landing flare but I have experimented with removing the tailplane assembly completely and it still flies pretty well on rudder / throttle. Bob has been debating about submitting plans to RCM&E but I'm not sure if he will or not. I'll let him know about this thread and maybe he'll add more info. Cheers Mike

Thought you might be interested in this contra rotating autogyro designed by my mate Bob Waugh. The green one is my version and Bob's is in the video clip. It flies very nicely and the contra rotors eliminate the rolling tendency. This isn't a new concears ago I had a free flight autogyro built from plans originally presented in Aeromodeller in the 1950's AG7.mp4

Had this Taurus for 3 years or so now. Great flyer. There is a build blog on it on the forum somewhere. Mike

Thanks for the title edit John 🙂

Please note that the above event listed in the Going Places calendar is CANCELLED as a formal event. James Gordon will be on site that day and will facilitate Fun Fly practice if anyone is interested. If you want to come along please let James know, his contact details are on the BFFA web site.

Sorry for any inconvenience. Andy, thanks for posting the working link.

Hi all, not long to the Fun Fly Nationals to be held at Buckminster. Entry forms are available at http://www.funfly.bmfa.org If the link doesn't work, just type directly into your browser. This is the first year for the new rules and Class changes so check these out via the same link. For anyone who has previously been put off by the B Cert requirement, please be aware that this is now waived, no Achievement Scheme awards are now necessary (ignore the requirement in the poster below). Hope to see you there .

Since my last post I have gone a step further and built a nearly wood free wing to go with the fuz. This uses the foamboard for ribs with 3mm depron for all the sheeting. The only wood used was for the spars, leading edge and the core of the trailing edge. The finished wing doesn't feel in any way delicate and flight testing so far has revealed no weaknesses. Interestingly the weight of this new wing was within half an ounce of the balsa version. While there is little or no advantage in terms of weight saving for the new wing, the cost saving compared to balsa would be considerable. I'm just finishing a new foamboard fuz, this time with more local strengthening included building on experience from the first one. The foam version is the one on the right.

Please note that due to low levels of entries together with challenging conditions at the Buckminster camp site it has been decided to CANCEL this event. Fingers crossed for the next scheduled event in June.

Hi all, The British Fun Fly Association is holding a coaching and competition weekend on 29th and 30th April at the National Centre at Buckminster. This is a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in fun fly or even a bit curious to come and have a go in a no pressure friendly environment. Newbies will be most welcome and will be looked after with coaching and advice as required. Don't worry if you don't have a fun fly plane, you can bring any suitable sports model. The only restriction for this weekend is that the site operating rules can only allow ELECTRIC POWERED MODELS ONLY on a bank holiday weekend. You don't need to be a member of the BFFA, in fact you become a member of the BFFA by taking part in our events, no fee other than the flying fee is charged. Also, you don't need to hold any achievement scheme qualifications except for entries to the Nationals. There are full details of the event in the flyer below. If you are interested in coming along it would help us greatly if you would send a mail to the organizer James Gordon [email protected] or give him a ring on 07966 439835. Use the same contact to confirm the event is still on before travelling. Camping will be available at the site if required, contact [email protected] for pre-booking. If you want to know more about fun fly or the BFFA, take a look at www.funfly.bmfa.org or check out the Fun Fly Group facebook page, or ask questions via this thread. Fun Fly April Coaching and Competition advert (002).pdf Hope to see you there Mike Bell

I finally got to fly it this afternoon. General flight characteristics were as expected, it's the same shape as the balsa version after all. Did some fairly gently circuit type touch and goes and everything went well. As expected the strength is adequate for normal flying. Then on to some looping touch and goes to put a bit more stress into the fuz and when a wheel caught in a bit of a divot i found the limit of the structure in it's current configuration. To be honest, if it was going to break anywhere, this was one of two probable locations. I deliberately only put minimal ply reinforcement in this area, but now it is plain that it needs more for this type of treatment. At least this stuff breaks nice and clean so it should be an easy repair. No problem, that's what prototypes are for. For now I'll mend it and install some thin ply and in the meantime I'll build another fuz with some strategic reinforcement. I'm still aiming to campaign a foam board fuselage plane in this years fun fly events.

Just done a quick weigh in with a 4s 2200 battery and get 1263g or 2.8lb. I usually fly with 3s and most of my fun flys seem to come in at 2.5lb. So it does seem to be a bit heavier, though not by that much. If I put a lighter battery in it I'll have to put a spacer behind the motor to maintain balance. Next time I'll make the nose longer.

While fitting out the radio gear I couldn't resist making some bits and pieces on the 3D printer. Not too much left to do now.

Hi Bill, I normally use 3S but I want to try 4S for the revised Class 2 formula. 3S will fit via the front hatch but 4S won't so I have cut a bottom access. I don't really like the idea from a structural point of view and it limits useful space for the radio installation but I've done it anyway. I messed up a bit by forgetting about the reduction in internal volume from doubling up on foam thickness at the front. I'll make the fuz a bit deeper next time. Lipo Man, that looks funky and fun. Good to hear about the durability, I'm quite confident that mine will be Ok too.