Leaderboard

Spent a couple of hours this afternoon making the second cylinder for the pair of Westbury atoms,bit stressful doing the cooling fins as they are only 1/32 thick,the original drawings suggest using cast iron 😯! Not very likely to get broken much !

Old black and white photos were often taken using orthochromatic film not the more modern panchromatic film. ( panchromatic only became standard after the 1950's ) Certain colours rendered differently on ortho film compared to panchromatic. Therefore you cannot easily judge the colours from monochrome photos without knowing whether ortho or pan film was used. One might guess that most pre WW2 photos would likely be on orthochromatic film with the unusual ( to us ) rendering of blue and red. Blue comes out lighter and red darker with ortho film. (colour photography was possible from 1861 but took about 100 years to become common!)

In that case, as this is being posed as a safety issue, the male connector/female pins (aka the battery side) should be affixed to the plane and the female connector/male pins should be the arming plug because it's the male connector that isolated the pins from each other in the connector, thus lowering the potential for an unwanted short. Although for what it's worth I regard any of these additional wiring systems as introducing a potential fail point, and good pit drills regarding tx discipline should be followed and are more important than any "solution" that involves fiddling around with extra bits.

Out of my 20+ electric models, just one has a switch or arming plug - I just plug/unplug the LiPo & have a throttle active/disactive switch on my tranny......

Aft Fuselage continues to take shape with the holes cut out to take the fin and rudder both in the main aft area and a rebate into the spine of the fuselage to take the ventral fin. Empennage now starting to take the shape of a BAe Hawk.

I've made a bit more progress, the wings are now built and I've been experimenting with fuz corners to try and achieve radiused corners rather than a square box shape like my last attempt 28 years ago!! I've been using the original brown Gorilla Glue which works a treat!! I tried to find some of the white stuff recommended by Martin but can't find any at the usual places!! A question for the seasoned foam board builders please.... The Gorilla Glue instructions say wet one surface to activate the glue. I was a bit worried about wetting the card so just glued the wings together "dry" in the hope the moisture in the air was enough to set the glue. It seems to have worked but what do others do please? I've drawn the fuz up on CAD and I'm hoping the EDF unit arrives tomorrow so I can get cracking on building the fuz. Cheers Mike

The effects of orthochromatic film, note how the yellow outer ring turns black. also the red and blue as stated by Kc.

Binding should be a once only operation for a Transmitter with a specific receiver. During binding they actually talk to each other so the Tx know the unique code that is hard wired into the receiver. How many different receivers your Transmitter can handle depends on which one it is. It is possible under certain circumstances for the receiver to 'loose' a bind but in my own experience only because I have changed some part of the RC gear in the plane. You should always cut the power to the receiver before switching off the Tx primarily for safety but it also ensures the receiver shuts down correctly reducing the chance of a 'lost' bind.

I don't fit fuel filters on the feed and don't usually have a problem, I do have a filter on the fuel pump though. But I think the debris may well have got in the system while the engine was off the plane, that's if it turns out that was the problem.

John, any chance of amending the post title, if it’s the Website only going, not the shop, they might be peeved if we are inadvertently damaging their business, and they are an endangered species.

Same loose fit for the elevator servos with geometry to be sorted out later. Just had to make sure my extension leads are long enough to fit through the fuselage. Helpfully there is a clear plastic tube internally that will allow for the leads to be threaded easily to where the RX will be.

Mods, Floating the mouse cursor over user names always brings up an expanded view. This can be very irritating when browsing the forum as they take a few seconds to disappear so blocking what we are trying to read. Can I make a request that this be changed to require a mouse click to expand the view of the user's details, this way it won't keep happening when it's not wanted. I do sometimes want to expand the user's details but not all the time so I'd like the option. Everything else in this forum works really well compared to others, like going directly to the newest posts in a thread and not having to click on thumbnails to view images, also I like the "view latest" posts listing option. Many thanks. A.

KC, thanks for additional info. The plane certainly was modified during its lifetime (as JD8 rightly points out) and may well have been repainted too. The picture of 140 in the snow with DH style wheels and no fin flashes evidences this. It also looks a much lighter shade that might suggest an all over yellow or silver scheme. I think I will go with yellow as many RCAF aircraft of that era (Tiger Moth, Siskin etc) were painted yellow. So, it will at least be in keeping with contemporary biplanes of the time. And I already have an all-silver one!

Could be fine with a 7.4v lipo, lighter than a NMH for similar capacity.

Taking the facts about ortho film into account I would say it was taken on ortho ( blue roundel bit is light and red is dark ) and one should judge it from that aspect. Maybe fuselage is green or brown - perhaps the usual drab colour for WW1 planes.

Wartime photos often showed up as the yellow appeared very dark with a black appearance. The one you have shown David is probably yellow as it has roundels on, the Hawker racing blue aircraft did not have roundels. Also the roundels pre war were a lighter shade of blue giving that French look.

I put each image into one of those online ai driven things that adds colour to black and while photos. Clearly its great at grass, but not so hot with aircraft! Still, i think there is a fair chance the darker one was blue and the lighter one yellow/orange.

Can't help with original colour scheme but this is what it looks like in yellow

Thanks, valve springs and clearances are all good, so I'll put it back in the model and give it another whirl. It's running on a MK 13 x 6 prop.

It seems I am mistaken! https://www.freeflightscale.co.uk/tech-tips

I've not had anytime over the last 2 weeks as we have welcomed our new son. The carnage has settled down and I've managed to get 10 minutes here and there to tidy the garage and get the bench tidy and ready to continue. During my many hours of being up at nights and sitting around the hospital, I think I've decided to go for the electron retracts. Does anyone have any suggestions for a better set of retracts? I know we've been through this already but I want to get them ordered soon so I have them for starting the outer wing panels as soon as the fairings are done. Gary

There's the main reason to simply rely on unplugging the battery. As others have said, any switch capable of carrying the current used by even the smallest motor will be far too big for a model aircraft. I use a 'disarming plug' system, like the one in the previous post except using a Deans plug and socket, on two of my models where it's impossible to disconnect the battery without getting ones hand in the way of the prop. Otherwise my disarming is done by disconnecting the battery.

This is too big and too heavy, but can you see in your minds eye, a micro version, or solution that satisfies you.

Yes - you don’t store or transport lipo batteries in a model, period. By all means set up a TX throttle cut and (if you are really worried about the model accidentally throttling up in the few seconds between when you plug it in and when you place it on the patch to go fly) a shorting plug, but you should never leave a lipo connected to a powertrain in the pits between flights for multiple reasons (safety, potential for lipo to discharge below a recoverable level etc.).

Two now 🤣 I will PM my address to you then send a stamped addressed envelope to me and they will be yours by return of post. Steve

So Tiny, you buy the jet. And they do free post over £xxxxx. So you get that Spitfire you wanted last week. So they are in the cupboard. And, you build them, cos you want to. Money, no reward yet. Then you make a mistake, the trainer is trashed, take off optional, landing compulsory. And you are on a steep learning curve. So you replace the trainer. Money and time. And then you get a bit better, and might even pass the A test, and you trash the trainer again, practicing the low swooping pass, and wing tip exit wot will look a million dollars with a Spitfire. So to save money, and time, the Spit is pressed into service. And while it ain’t a bitch, it’s not a trainer, one mistake, it’s trashed. Money and time, no reward. And another E Bay advert from a failed beginner with all sorts of strange purchases. And eventually you take up conkers, or ballroom dancing. Last time I said this, I was polite. Now I’m not. Tiny, if you don’t stick to doing the basics first, and have patience, you will fail. Full size is easier, if you want a pilots licence, you don’t wander into the flight line, sneer at the Cessna, and climb into the Mach Two fast jet. Sorry.

Yes, that was my intention. Discussion is vital and points to how people think and whether their opinions are changing.

I don't think C8 was suggesting anything, just passing on information received and asking for comment. Isn't that the purpose of forums ?

Inserted elevator mechanism into elevator and bonded in place using epoxy. Filled bigger hole with balsa wood piece and the smaller hole with model lite filler then sanded flush. Remember to have the access to the grub screw on the lower surface and make sure you make a port and starboard elevator. Will finish the elevators in glass cloth later once these have been checked for fitment with the aft fuselage side.

Not much progress made unfortunately today. What you can see is that I've marked the positions for where the Mylar hinges are to be put into both the wing and the ailerons and the tolls used to make sure these are centralised. Note the hinges need to be pinned in place after being glued in place using 2mm holes drilled through and a cocktail stick then pushed through the hole and glued in place. Also photo showing the required rebate in the aileron and hole for the control mechanism to be inserted and bonded in place to stop any relative movement. Mylar hinges are made to the required shape from sheet bought from Hobby King.

Port wing completed to the same level as the starboard wing. Don't forget to include the reinforcing inside the wing at the hinge positions, note I moved the outermost hinge position to the final wing bay. Upper skins have been cut-out and glued together prior to fitting. Have also started to pull together the required external decals for the BAe Hawk once it's completed. Phil Cooke, Looks like it will be XX285.

Starboard wing build started and is undertaken in the same manner as the port wing.

I’ve known a number of fast jet pilots. Skilled, yes. but, perhaps a better self description is fast jet God. Not even sure if I’m being fair. Fly over an average model site, it’s got to be a shock to see any activity. We were buzzed last year by a twin rotor helicopter. Breezy day, and it was hiding behind the trees down wind of the approach, rearing up occasionally. I think it was curious, and wanted to play. (Dog owner, tends to relate to dog mentality). Trouble was, there is a gap downwind, we cut down a tree as needed, once a generation, to give a turning mark. And he’s in the gap. Better view there for him. I was not amused to land a precious airframe, turning short, over an evil rocky tump, so I’m sure I am my side of the trees. Are pilots any different from Joe Public in a fast car? Hunter with rifle? Electric scooter on pavement? Waving a flag, not for a second knocking patriotic motive, a mind that even gets into a fast jet, knowing what you sign up for, has got to be a poor insurance risk.