Ballerina by EarlyBird

[EarlyBird]

Obviously another electric version.

Edited By EarlyBird on 12/07/2020 15:01:59

[EarlyBird]

I have shaped the light ply plate ready to build the cowl onto.

Steve

[Peter Miller]

That is looking very good.

THat is now my standard cowl mounting system

[EarlyBird]

Odd you should say that because I copied it from Miss Sizzle, I think.

This is my first cowl ever. I have mounted the motor and had come back to the forum to see how the nose ring is fixed to the front of the motor.

One of my club mates recommended this to me, he built a bigger version.

Steve

[EarlyBird]

Hmm I am having trouble finding any detailed photos of how it is done. Just a min Lucas Hoffman's build springs to mind.

Yes page 8 use the spinner ring and some wood spacers. Obvious!!!

Considering that was Lucas's first I hope mine is at least half as good.

Steve

[kc]

The original Ballerina thread shows photos of how the cowl is built up.

[EarlyBird]

So it does thanks kc.

I knew I had seen it some where but having read so much on the forum I am having problems finding useful information again. Apparently it is an age thing.

Does that mean you are young or I am prematurely old?

Steve

[EarlyBird]

Motor mounted

Now the prop is fitted I usually take that as a sign it is nearly finished.

If it was an ARTF it would be but then this building from a plan pack is so much more rewarding.

BTW this is only a mock up and I know the prop (12x6) is too big for the motor but it was the only one I had. I would have used a broken prop, as others do, but I do not have one. Where do you all get them from?

Steve

[Peter Miller]

Broken props are always useful. I have a couple with the blades cut off for the same prupoe that you are using that one for.

I also have an old prop in the back of the car for scraping mud off my boots after winter flying!! Oh! And summer too at times

[kc]

Steve, regretably I am no longer young either, however old age is not so bad when you consider the alternative........

Getting broken props is easy! It took me just a second or two on a landing approach last week!

Just make sure the prop is not on when setting up the radio - electric motors start up so easily! Actually you don't need a prop for this job - just a spacer of some kind.

Edited By kc on 13/07/2020 16:46:45

[EarlyBird]

Ok I was being flippant.

That prop is a cheap HK prop I used to use ones from the LMS but I worked out it was costing me £5 a flight on a bad day. So I bought ten of those at £1.20 or so. And I still have eight a year later, the moral could be if you want to stop breaking props buy a bulk load of cheap props.

But my instructor corrected this idea by telling me that it was a nice story but you stopped breaking props because you learned to fly. Which really is the reason. Not saying I do not crash I have written off two planes recently but the props did not break. Does that mean they are strong props? Could this be the universal solution to broken props?

No its just the way you crash that makes the difference.

I always put the prop on when setting up so I can tell if it is turning the right way. But the model is restrained, I always stand behind the prop, transmitter is on first, throttle is full back and throttle lock is on.

The only time this will fail is if the throttle has been reversed. Never done it myself but have witnessed it.

Now you have made me think......

What I should do before fitting the prop is exactly the same procedure, just to make sure the motor does not start unexpectedly. Once that has been established then fit the prop.

Good idea.

I just remembered what my Dad told me years ago "Son your sense of humour will get you into trouble one day"

Steve

[EarlyBird]

Just to prove i do listen I have removed the prop.

This is a days work for me. What you have only removed a prop!

At this rate it will take years.

I had a problem with the spinner which had an 8 mm hole and the prop shaft was 6 mm obviously something was wrong that was why I mocked it up in the photo with the prop fitted. Eventually I realised that 8 mm is the size of a collet style prop adapter. Checked the instructions for reversing the shaft on 4-max followed the procedure and job done. That only took me a couple of hours. Then made a 1/16 balsa spacer tacked it to the nose ring once dry refitted the motor and nose ring.

I am quickly becoming a fan of 4-max loads of useful information on the site complete parts lists for planes motor prop and esc combinations this really makes it easy.

Tomorrow I will do what I was going to do today make the cowl. Hopefully

Steve

[Peter Miller]

Never, ever worry about crashing. It doesn't matter how long you are in the hobby...you will keep crashing.

How do I know?

I have been crashing them for 67 1/2 years.

I still do it but with all those years experience I can now do it with great expertise!!!

[Peter Miller]

If you ever need advice talk to George at 4-Max. He will give you great advice that works and he will NOT try to sell you anything that you don't need.

[EarlyBird]

Thanks Peter

When I started RC, two years ago, damaging my first plane, An Ares ALARA was of great concern to me. I soon learned not to think about anything else but flying the plane keeping fully focused from start to finish.

I then was advised to buy a plane with an undercarriage suitable for the A test so I bought a Riot. It lasted six weeks and it hurt when I destroyed it. I was told six weeks was good the average was two weeks and could be as little as one take off. Not to be beaten my second Riot lasted six months before I gave up repairing it. It still hurt. Next a HK Crusader that lasted over a year and I did some thing really stupid. I had already learned not to fly if my brain was not fully focused. I had one charged battery left that day so as you have probably guessed I took off well into the flight time I realized I was feeling really tired then the timer went off, more pressure, the approach was wrong, both line and level, the inevitable happened I tip stalled it and cartwheeled. That really hurt. I find repeating a mistake when I should know better knocks the confidence. What amazed me was that I did not break the prop. I am now flying my second Crusader which, I hope, will last two years.

Yes crashing is inevitable but with time and practice the frequency goes down.

For me the plane has become a dispensable part of flying. What is important is having fun.

I still have the ALARA obviously it is not in perfect out of the box condition but it flies and continues to give me hours of pleasant stick time.

4-Max yes your recommendations have been noticed on other threads and proven to be justified. I was well impressed by what I bought.

I feel sad now thinking about all the planes I have destroyed.

On with the build so that I can maiden it and fly it for as long as I can make it last.

This is fun.

Steve

[Graham Davies 3]

Best to have flown and crashed than never to have flown at all!

Personally, I think airframes are best when they meet their end in a spectacular, and preferably amusing or memorable way than as an oil soaked carcass left in a corner of a loft.

Time is a great 'improver of facts' too. I had a 60 sized pitts way way back. I was nowhere near ready to fly this thing and bought it secondhand, where it had been through many hands by then. I refinished it, and made it look pretty good (a bit like how a mortician would treat a cadaver...), before smashing it into several million shards of GRP, balsa and foam within 20m of it first rotating. The wreckage was strewn further than the flight lasted! I can still see the spectacular explosion of particles even now, and I'm sure Ramsay MFC members are still picking them out of the grass 25 years later!

Gutted at the time, it seems pretty funny now!

Graham

[Peter Miller]

MY last crash was amazingly stupid.

I did a lowish inverted pass for the camera...and applied full UP!!

However I have seen other people do that, on one occasion with my model.

Many years ago there was an unofficial club in America called "The down Elevator Club" so obviously it is a known mental aberration!!

Oh,I did rebuild the model which is one of the great advantages of building models.

[EarlyBird]

Graham

Yes time is a great healer. When I was working I had many nightmare jobs. Years later I can only remember the funny incidences, even though they did not feel funny at the time.

Peter

I am in that club. I tried inverted at a great height though. It was like my first lesson ever, like learning to fly again fortunately I had also tried rolls previously so after less than a second I rolled out as it dived to the ground and recovered it. So now when inverted I am constantly saying to myself up is up up is up... meaning pushing the elevator stick up makes the plane go up.

Building, for me, was always the attraction if it flew proved a good job had been done on the build. Now that I can fly competently enough for the plane to last more than a few seconds I have ditched the ARTFs and exclusively building from plan packs. Next step will be building from a plan.

Steve

[Peter Miller]

I always quote the Late Great aerobatic pilot Niel Williams. "The most useless commodity in aerobatics is the amount of sky ABOVE you"

Illustrated by one of our club members who is the best pilot in the club.

He had a beautiful pattern ship and he was doing low level inverted passes. VERY low level inverted passes.

The last one was at about minus three inches!!

He has never lived it down and never does low level passes now

Edited By Peter Miller on 14/07/2020 12:11:06

[EarlyBird]

The funniest thing I witnessed was a young kid (they are all young aren't they) he was very impressive throwing a Ruckus all over the sky. Apparently his party piece was low pass inverted with the fin touching the grass. The ground was two inches too high on this occasion. It was a perfect landing though the down side was he could not taxi back and had the embarrassment of having to retrieve it, the walk of shame I am led to believe it is called. It made his mates day judging by the comments from them and the way they were laughing.

As it happens he was a guest at our club and I have not seen him again.

[Peter Miller]

Many years ago I was told about a young lad in the Peterborough club whose partypiece was to attach a piece of chalk to the tip of his fin and draw lines down the runway.

The person who told me was learning to fly there and he would not be a line shooter

[EarlyBird]

I have learned today that cowls are not easy.

Keyholes cut in the mounting plate and test fitted

Three balsa sides cut to size

Leaving the bottom to sort out.

As it is electric I will be using a ventilated spinner from 4-Max but as I never take any risks and following my dyed in the wool belt and braces approached I am redesigning the front to include a ventilation slot. As a few decisions are require progress could become even slower.

Steve

[EarlyBird]

Peter

Something else I have learned today is if I am feeling down I know to come on the forum to be cheered up.

Happy smiling Steve

[Peter Miller]

One of the great things about building ones own models from plans is that one can add ones own ideas and modifications.

Sometimes it may not work. Never worry about that! One learns that way.

I always tell people that it is the first step to designing models.

On your model, fine. Just remember that an air outlet is just as important. The through flow of cooling air is what works.

[EarlyBird]

I had difficulty holding the three sides of the cowl in place so I could test fit and make adjustments.

So I cooked my dinner. While doing so I had one of those light bulb moments, we all have them, it's when I see the blindingly obvious.

I realised why others glue one piece on first and let it dry. This gives a firm foundation to build on. Checking other builds there is a tendency to start with the bottom and work up. Just to be different I have taken the top down approach.

Top fitted and glued then allowed to dry. Once dried one side fitted and glued.

Progress is being made on this Marathon build.

Anybody remember the Marathon but I guess that is another Topic.

Steve