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On a positive note. The labels you print with your new number on will be large enough to cover your old labels, if you can't get them off

Great to see everyone 'returning' after the winter break, 6 of us now in the league. And obviously I'm still in top place... ... though do note the bit I circled in red! ? I guess I'll be posting screenshots of the results now rather than copy/pasting the values into tables, resizing them, etc, as I had to on the old forum. Pos League Rank Team Manager Pts Rankings are random until after the first race 1 0 2020 Vision johnpflyrc 0 2 0 Pitts Specials john stones 0 3 0 Revers Racing Pete B 0 4 0 PSS Power Flyer 0 5 0 GASTON Formula Chris McG 0 6 0 Norfolk Flyers Kevin Fairgrieve 0 Though having said that, a simple copy/paste seems to work ok here too (above)

This is my own take on the whole mess. It seems they were willing to allow the test flight to go ahead on the basis of some self signed-off paperwork. The CAA wouldn't push any further action as they would look even more incompetent and disengaged than they had to admit to in the report.

Rattle can time... Now it's time for all the imperfections to stand out! But I don't think you'll see them on the maiden video, so I'll just live fine with them and carry on making progress ?

A little bench flying this evening just so I could check all the yellow and blue lines matched up well...I've also touched up some of the little bleeds from earlier.

I made a start on the wings today to find that one of the trailing edge spars, where the aileron hinges is mis-cut. So first a repair was needed. A bit naughty on a new kit but easily fixed with a strip of timber and my trusty plane. D.D. The mis-cut part. Cut from a bit of scrap. Under pressure. Planed. New slots. Preparing the bottom centre sheeting

Thanks guys and with 173 views (probably mostly me!) I'll press on, but to be honest I don't think there is a lot left to do. So the todo list consists of: Sanding and filling, then more sanding Cut the hinges in Cover Install control horns and clevis's Fit the decals (stripes and name) Screw clamp for the UC Fix the canopy, with pilot Grumpy Set control throws and check C of G I have a check sheet that I use on all of the models developed with the idea of no surprises for the club inspector or me come the maiden (I'll share it later on) OK so there is a bit left to do hence I have been sitting at the kitchen table cutting stripes and being distracted by another unfinished project (TN C47 from 2015). I have looked at various photos of previous GTC and can't tell if its meant to have stripes on the underside? What do you think yes or now And with that its off to the workshop and all the best.

I'm getting towards the end of my Curtiss Condor build now and so my thought have turned to "what next". A model that's been on my to do list for years is the Cessna T-50 Bobcat twin. Its got lots of wing area, fabric covered wings and fuselage so there is not acres of sheeting to do (balsa shortage / price increases) and the engines are well forward so CG shouldn't be a problem. I am planning on using a pair on Enya 53 four- strokes and will be attempting to have scale -operating retracts. My target weight will be 5kg (11lbs) and I'm thinking 1: 6.5 scale would be about right. That would give a wingspan of 77"; length of 60" and a wing area of 7 sq feet. At 11lbs that would give a wing loading of 25oz a sq foot which I consider reasonable. I have a French plan with a span of 73" which is pretty accurate in outline but has some quirky construction methods (like a 3mm square wing spar) that I will use as a basis and enlarge by 10% . I will redesign things a little and change the fuselage structure from 8mm square balsa framework to 1/4 spruce longerons with 1/4 balsa verticals and bracing. I would very much like to make this a "hybrid" model. That is, I would like to have both glow motor and an electric motor power modules that could be fitted, interchangeably so giving the option of twin four-stroke sound, or quiet electric flight. Mmm. I have managed to do something similar on a single engine model. But being a twin throws up a few more challenges. The engine nacelles are quite large on the Bobcat and the initial plan would be to design a power module that contained either the Enya 53 engine, micro throttle servo and fuel tank. OR, the electric motor. I imagine the front cowl being part of the module, but the top of the main nacelle unit being removable (moulded GF item) allowing the power module to be removed / exchanged) The cables from the ESC would stay in place as would the extension lead for the throttle servo on the glow module. The retract unit would stay in the lower nacelle and be the same for either power source. Retracts would need to be a custom build as on the Bobcat they pivot part-way up the oleo and not from the top of the leg. That in itself will be a challenge. But that's a lot of the fun of a new design - isn't it?

Loaded Dice 1 from plans published in the american magazine RCM Nov1991 edition. The plan is available for download from outerzone. This is not a full build log but here are some photos taken this evening before I go and spoil it during the finishing. I still have a bit of sanding to complete and to open the cowl for air flow > I'm planning to have the "pipe" header exit as the air exit with microballoon lip to promote a bit of suction. Air in will come from an opening similar to that as would have originally been made for the OS61 pumper. My Speed control fits nicely in the area underneath what was the floor for the tank and in the space for that "pipe" header. Power according to e-calc is circa 1850 watts and I'm on target to achive 8 1/2 to 9lbs all up (hopefully no lead will be required to achieve CofG). Glass or Film it's decision time that I can't put off anylonger. Canopy needs to be fitted properly and filleted with epoxy micro balloons and why I'm procrastinating on glass or film. Leaning strongly to glass/paint. This is an Electric conversion which according to e-calc I have circa 1850 watts on a 6S. Duration for 8 mins so fingers crossed should be ample. Colour scheme probably like the "Green" GameBird 1 aerobatic but I've not ruled out a scheme like Terry Westrop's original. Nigel

Bottom sheeting now glued to the centre section and under a bit of pressure from the usual batteries. Just needs trimming in the morning and then the ribbing can begin. Night night Lads. D.D.

Good idea - if only I hadn't printed the new labels on clear vinyl ? Dick

Thanks John, Can you believe I paid £400 for 2 six cell batteries back in the day. I still have them and they still produce a good 7 minutes flight apiece. Had a Trex 600 nitro, enjoyed that but sold it on, got all the leckies down to the 250. D.D.

OK. Might have got a bit further, except for a call out at work. Hey Ho. All the bottom sheeting and trailing edge is laid out, and glued in, the rib cappings too. I don't normally do it this way but that's the instructions. I had to plane a little off the centre section main spar to make it flat to receive the bottom sheeting. This needs to go on before I proceed with the wing. I changed all the tubes in my workshop to daylight tubes this afternoon, it's a big improvement. D.D. The Aileron. The centre section and main spar assembly. My new lamps. Like being outdoors.

Sorry I was not suggesting you would be flying. I was wondering what ground testing you would be doing and assumed it would be with a watt meter. That motor is rated at 540 watts and I was wondering what watts you measured purely as a comparison. Just out of interest... anyway you made me laugh ?

Hi @Dad_flyer A flat wing stik flies fine. I built the Jensen 62" with a flat wing no problem. I have a HK Crusader stik again a flat wing and again no problem. When I was researching the Stik I went right back to Phil Kraft's, design and build article, and I believe his original was a flat wing. I think Jensen introduced the dihedral probably to appeal to those wanting a trainer. I have an old 1990? 50" stik with veneered foam wings with dihedral weighs 6.5 pounds and also flies like it is on rails. I am a fan of the stik to the point I bought a VQ Giant Stick and Saito FG21 to go in it just before the first lockdown so it has not flown but yes it has a flat wing, Now thinking about it the only stik with a dihedral was the Jensen which is why I thought hmm he is trying to appeal to the trainer market, for which it was ideal. My 62" weight 5.5 pounds and power is a 3548 900kv on 4000mAh 4S with a 12x6 prop. What power set up are you using?

Compare what was done to give this an exemption compared to what we go through for the above 25kg scheme and the LMA certification process for both the model and the pilot of the model. At this scale we would not be relying on a lashed up control system, but have high end radios with dual receivers, perhaps with both 2.4GHz and 900MHz frequencies, dual power supplies, failsafe, telemetry etc.

I have bound mine in D8 mode. It works ?. Cheers Steve

There is a dedicated Frsky V protocol in the MPM. The full list of protocols, sub-protocols and ID numbers is on MultiModule.org here... https://www.multi-module.org/basics/supported-protocols This might help too - it demonstrates a D8 bind, but the fundamental process for a V-series RX should be no different. The section on module tuning is also useful - this is a one time process that will ensure you’ll get the maximum range available from your Frsky RXs.

On my old Fatshark googles, I cut some of my prescription lens from old pair of spectacles to fit in the diopter insert slots, that works really well.

I think you're making up facts to fit your argument Mr McCavity. Pop over to the Model Engineer forum. Go to any thread and chose any poster. Click on his "photos" link and you're straight in to see all his albums. No need to be logged in. It ever was thus on our old version too. If you're in the habit of uploading photos of family that you don't want anyone else to see, you're on the wrong forum.

Had mine today, in and out and staff great. ?

I only use the edit feature to pick out relevant bits, as you say. And yes trust is a big part of the whole thing, lucky we are a bunch of Good eggs. ? D.D.

I use an old master balsa stripper, for top hinge ailerons I set the blade to the required distance from the top, mark where the slot needs to be the make the cut in the spar then cut the aileron on the same setting. For flat tail surfaces I set it to half thickness.

The last batches are currently being processed so you should have your ID very soon.

Just as it should be.

Welcome aboard. It grows on you after a while @iqon Much better than the old site once you get used to it.

Cheers Dwain thank you for your comments. Water works very well too and is suggested in the instructions . I use diluted PVA partly as I have a few gallons of it and also because it adds strength with very little weight. If I get micro cracks in the wood by “over bending it is already there to sort them out. There is another slight issue with water use and that is that it might “delay the tack” of the aliphatic glue I use. The diluted pva starts drying faster and is tacky. I have a small jar of it on my building bench and its very useful. I also used pva as the medium when I added the fibreglass to reinforce the split flaps as it’s more convenient than epoxy. I will be covering with epoxy though . I’m using the dilute pva as a sanding sealer firstly too. When making curves in balsa , to soak the wood I only apply it on the part with the major curves so if I was worried about adding weight the amount added would be really minuscule.

Page Turning I have reset my options so that when I open a forum I go to the last page ie the most recent entry whereas some sites revers the order of the posts so that the most recent appear on the first page you open. I wouldn't advocate changing that but... Nonetheless when you go back a page using page turning you are taken to the top of the previous page rather than the bottom, so you have to scroll down to the bottom as you are working in reverse order. I hope that is clear. So when you are working forwards from the front, the page turner takes you to the top of the next page - as it should - but when working from the end and the most recent post, when you turn the page it show take you to the bottom of the previous page not the top? Can this be changed?

By my side all day long. Still runs from Mrs.lol

Martin beat me to it, I had to find my hard copy photos in the loft, then my printer/scanner went on the blink, so I had to photograph the photographs. These are in red, but it may be what your markings are

I thought a bit about this when it was first raised but decided I did not feel strongly enough either way. However, I think there is a point to be made that as soon as you post either words or pictures to a forum like this then actually should you really have any expectation of privacy. It is not as if it is a private data store; it is a public domain. Certainly to be protected in so much as no one else can edit content . That’s certainly the way I use/view the forum. I see Steve’s point but not sure too many folks would orchestrate their content in such a way. I know I don’t and the new found ability to upload direct to a blog probably does all I need as it misses out the uploading to the album loop. No big issue for me either way just thought that the alternative thought should be out there. Tim

Are you talking about the painted area around the fuel fillers/gauges? If so, this is what is contained within the circle (from the Shuttleworth Chipmunk)

I put the fin leading edge on this morning. The curve was quite easy to form on the balsa strip after wetting with diluted pva and leaving for a few minutes. I’m still using the Titebond aliphatic as my adhesive. It does have a faster “grab” than pva but still allows decent working time. My perma grit curved edge sanding blocks were useful again on pre sanding the fin curve before applying the strips . I also find them very good at getting nice smooth curves in the wing wheel well sheeting .

Not so much schadenfreude but more "I told you so" as this is the way over-bureaucratic organisations work, too much paperwork and not enough boots on the ground.

I suppose that one could say that this sort of incident is (thankfully) a rare occurrence, and lessons will be learned by all those involved etc etc blah blah blah. It is a bit rich for the authorities to claim lack of resources after all the resources they managed to conjure up to shackle aeromodellers and responsible drone flyers as they have done as of late. I'm amazed that even the Sussex police appear to have taken a step away from it by saying that "the force undertook a thorough investigation which did not identify any suspects". Really? An experimental 95Kg UAV with by all accounts, an alleged highly dubious technical background, runs amok and enters Gatwick Airspace and then crashes close to people, yet no one can be held responsible for breaking a shed load of aviation regs? "There were no injuries caused by this accident but the potential for a more serious outcome was clear." according to the chief inspector of air accidents no less. You can imagine the fuss, front page headlines and the calls for blood if it was a regular model aircraft weighing a few kilos or less. They even have wreckage and the operators responsible, rather than some imagined sighting or some poor devils getting their door broken down as wrongly blamed suspects.

Gentlemen, I have written an article from the context of our spatman thread, about forums, plan sharing & the model building community for the RCM&E, which should appear in the later part of the year. It would be great to include some of your photos of finished models alongside. If you would like to be involved & to see your Spatman in the Mag, please message me in the forum & attach a copy of them there. The pictures need to be well focussed and over 1MB to use in print, include some details about yours as well. No immediate rush, but the sooner I have them then the sooner I can forward them on. Hopefully after Monday we may get an idea when we can return to flying, fingers crossed. ?

I thought this was an excellent explanation on how the mRNA vaccines work.

Regarding the link, John P beat me to it apparently, John S... and yes, a brand new Honda engine for this last season with the Nippon manufacturer. We are three of us in our League so far as Kevin F joined John P and me already. Where are our other competitors??? ... The team/predictions parts are still locked and might remain that way till after the pre-season testing in Bahrein? Cheers Chris

Agree with Ron, the Frickman programs are great (I use the F3K one). But if you do go down the Open TX route, then at least first teach yourself how to do basic programming from the manual - e.g. 3-chan glider, basic 4-chan power model, etc - to get an initial feel for it. Not saying Taranis etc is the only route, but if you don't already have a high-end transmitter system like the dearer Futaba, Jeti or Multiplex then its an inexpensive way of getting much more functionality.

Thank you John.

I use a Taranis for my F3K and F5J gliders but I use the brilliant program from Jesper Frickman which he's written specifically for OpenTx: SoarOTX Have a look at it as all the mixes you will probably need are included, it truly is amazing!

Final video of ground testing. I adjusted the slow running so that ticker was smoother than yesterday then put the cowl on and ran the engine to get it nice and warm. I wanted to make sure that there was enough cooling of the engine and Jon suggested that if I ran it a full throttle for a minute or so then cut the throttle back and then wide open agin, if it responds to the throttle then it should be ok. I'm still waiting for YouTube to process the vid into a 4K one but its taken hours so I've posted it in SD, come back tomorrow and it may then be in glorious 4K!

Hi Alan That may well be correct, but certainly to my area HK use Parcelforce, not RM. Jeff

And here is the video of it second run. I did the first one this morning with the cowl on but I had a problem with my remote glow so it only ran on 1 pot, mind you it still pulled 5K on just 1! After the rain stopped I took it out again with the cowl removed so that I could put 2 separate drivers on the plugs. Things to note, I need to adjust the slow running as it's still not quite right, but top end is giving me 8.2K on an APC 18x8. Ignore me kicking the wing but hang on to the end when I tweak the top end and just listen to that sound!!!!!

Hi, Apologies for the delay in posting, but I was experiencing difficulty with the new "App" in part by using an old "App" to view it....So if anyone is left to follow this thread I'll do a quick update. I can't see the number of views so either let me know how to or post a emoji so I know its worth continuing? Couple of plastic spoon air scoops for the motors and ESC's Grumpy sizing up his office

Been mentioned by others but should we really be able to see when members upload photos to their own albums, that's not for general consumption and should be 'private'.

Sorry Chris but I didn't intentionally make up anything to fit my statement, I posted what I believed to be true but I was clearly and demonstrably mistaken so I hold my hands up and happily stand corrected. Your implication that I did so on purpose is unjustified. I'm not the first on here to get something wrong and I won't be the last. No I'm not in the habit of uploading family photos as my reply clearly implied, I was giving an example of where someone could be caught out innocently posting images to their albums which include their young offspring, wives, girlfriends, etc holding the model as I've seen before on here but then decide that they'd rather not because of the scenario I gave. If they're not worried about that then fine but if they are then there's no harm in pointing it out. Or is there? The 'fact' you have supplied that you can just click on the album of a random user without even being a member does however serve to show that members should give some thought to the images they upload. P.s- One of the things I really DO like on the new forum is the ' who's looked at your account recently' facility, that's always interesting.

I'd best give Igor a nudge, not seen him on new forum yet.