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A little girl was leaning into a lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the collar of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, all under the eyes of her screaming parents. A biker jumps off his Harley, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumps back, letting go of the girl, and the biker brings the girl to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly. A reporter has watched the whole event. The reporter, addressing the Harley rider says, "Sir, this was the most gallant and bravest thing I've seen a man do in my whole life.” The Harley rider replies, "Why, it was nothing, really. The lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right.” The reporter says, "Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a journalist, you know, and tomorrow's paper will have this story on the front page. So, what do you do for a living, and what political affiliation do you have?” The biker replies "I'm a British Army veteran, a Conservative and I voted for Brexit”. The journalist leaves. The following morning the biker buys the paper to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page: UK VETERAN ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT & STEALS HIS LUNCH. And THAT pretty much sums up the media's approach to the news these days.

The canopy is quite a sturdy polycarbonate moulding, but just spraying the covered parts would not be particularly durable nor have a realistic appearance at the frame edges. So a paper template was taken for the metal part and the shape transferred to Lithoplate. Flush rivets punched with a sized piece of brass tube whilst flat and then formed to shape. I didn’t want to anneal the part as although it would be easier to work the tighter curves, I would be far more likely to introduce a crease and it would also be less ding proof when complete. I started using a small kitchen roller on the main spine and followed this by some scraping/burnishing with some smooth old cutlery knives. Finally the trickier tail end was burnished with a teaspoon whilst gently pulling the compound curves. I have done a glue test with some offcuts of roughened polycarbonate and litho using Evostick and am almost convinced this will work well….. so long as I can line it up first time.

Yes, it was a good life. Some times were better than others but I regret nothing. So many fantastic memories. For example, scrounging a lift home in the back seat of a Gloster Meteor T7. Going on Test flights in Lancasters. A tour in Aden where we had a fantastic model club.

You missed out the bit about the lion self-identifying as a lioness!

Wing has been glass clothed on both upper and lower wing surfaces. Just waiting for the upper surface to dry and excess cloth will then be removed. Next step is to apply the Freddie Mix which is a mixture of floor varnish a light filler and a good shake of talc and some paint to give a contrasting colour. This mixed well into a paste and add some water until it's like pouring cream and this should then be able to be painted on and will flow into the weave. Then once dry sand it flat. Have to say I've never made or used this stuff yet so it'll be my first time when I do this so I'll try it first on an elevator. Plus I've no idea why it's called the Freddie mix, but that's what the PSSA guys call it.

I’m not sure that any serious calls for corporal (or corporate…) punishment have actually been made in this thread - the nearest I’ve found being mention of someone intending to “nobble” a drone flyer to educate him. One definition of the term is “to accost” so I would hope this was the intention. I agree with Matty that overreaction and incitement to violence has no place in this forum so please remember to count to ten before posting in righteous outrage!

The program is wheeler dealers dream cars, which was filmed in Mike Brewers workshop, hence why there are several rc planes including one on a car bonnet and I think I saw a missile hanging up

Why "growing attitude these days" It not a new phenomenon & I doubt it's an increasing one..

For what its worth I think you'd be fine with less, 80watts/pound isnt necessary for a vintage model, 50 is usually ample and a 300W setup might be easier to find. Its just another opinion 😉 Cheers Phil

sadly I know your are right, I saw this come up in my FB feed whilst at the hospital yesterday and they were concerned when taking my blood pressure! Much better now though 😂 I sincerely hope he does get something more than a slap on the wrists for this.

Already covered:

Just revisited the Nutball design for our winter indoor season. Results: 10" diameter 'Pizza': (Vapor/Ember electronics and motor unit on a 1S LiPo, with rudder/elevator control {don't worry, the pushrods are now connected using heat shrink!}. 3mm Depron construction throughout, including the 'pepperoni' wheels (with clear yoghurt pot plastic covers that provide axle bearings. Felt tip pen decorated. AUW 24gms) ...and 16" diameter 'No Fly Zone' (Brushless motor, Spektrum DSM caseless rx, 5gm servos, elevon control. 3mm Depron with 1 carbon fibre rod laterally at the 25% root chord, with Micropore tape reinforcement over that and the dihedral joints, hinges and around the perimeter to protect against 'wall rash'! Brushed acrylic paint scheme. AUW 88gms) The Pizza gets its maiden this coming Saturday at the St Albans MAC indoor meet in a local school basketball court sized gym hall. The No Fly Zone was maidened last mont (without paint scheme) and was an absolute hoot It shot across the floor and into the air then could be wrung out like a shockie, or flown in 4 foot diameter tightly banked circles in your face space. It's been re-propped (7" versus 6" ) to tame the speed and improve the hover. Roger T

So the barnstormer is finished 👍apart from final fitting out,I won't bother documenting it, all standard stuff. Onto the next unfinished project!

A little litho work over the weekend. The stab to fin fairing needed a but of heat to soften the litho enough to work the shape. The exhaust area was going to be just the G10 beneath but as I have settled in the exhaust exiting here it made sense to provide a little more protection.

Stumbling off a curb can be dangerous......

Byron has completed this project and it has been very rewarding. The aircraft looks great and was well worth all the hard work. It is now electric as it was easier to fit the motor in the narrow cowl. The test flight was done in poor conditions and has been posted on you tube under 1/4 scale Macchi 72 test flight. I hope someone clever can post the link as I could not figure it out. We chose to do the test flight there as it would be easier to locate the parts if it did not go well! Lucky all went well. The painting is now complete and flown again off our local dam to test for a float fly to be held in 2 weeks time.

I have found the reference to the P 13a V1. Not where I expected to find it though. The Refence appears in "LUFTWAFFE, Secret Wings of the Third Reich", Dan Sharp, P 126 "A Porotype Rammer, by any other name. The quote, Only work of the highest priority rating could protect these students from being drafted. Aeronautical students of the Institute of Darmstadt an Munich approached me in the hope of obtaining work in connection with the P13. Since the end of the war was obviously imminent anyway. I created the project of a wooden flying- glider project of the P13, which the students were to build under the direction of my assistant. Heinmann, in a hanger of the small airfield in Prien Chiemsee. There are bags of photographs of the P13, as found when the USA troops found it. There are 4 pages on the P13. There has been a surprise for me, a book on the D 335, I thought lost, turned up in my search. I have bought another 3 books previously, to help me finish a RMC? Kit I have been building for some years now. I will look tomorrow for the references to Lippisches contribution to the Delta Dagger and Dart projects, although I guess some overstate Lippisches contribution, whilst National Pride will down play whatever he did contribute.

I don't come here much these days, and many posts here are a reminder of why. I have a suggestion. Instead of all the hyperbole and trite done to death comments, lets pay attention to where the dangers actually are and do what we can to more publicly highlight them as a true priority for action and as side effect hopefully deflect the authorities and the media etc to address the REAL issues affecting aviation safety? Have a look at the last few Air Accident Investigation Branch reports, they make interesting reading. There's the 43 year old 6 seat twin GA aircraft that had one engine fail, then found it so severely down on power such that it could not fly level on the one left and to quote the report "landed in a field near Enfield", urban north London. I have the statement in speech marks as the plane is officially listed elsewhere as "destroyed" on that date. It was found to have been operated significantly beyond the manufacturers overhaul interval for the engines. NOW, you might expect that would generate at minimum a severe "don't do that" response from the AAIB if not the sort of reaction some here want for a drone incursion (not that such is acceptable)? And??? They have recommended that if taking engines beyond the recommended overhaul period, it would be a good idea if a periodic climb test was undertaken. Another example, a helicopter pilot out for a jolly spotted a stone structure on a mountain top in Wales so went for a close low level look (well under 120 metres). He crashed it. They site the tail gearbox as the issue. What, not his stupidity in flying ultra low at a mountain top location even a junior school boy would recognise as prone to violent turbulence causing systems overload and a pilots skills gap?? Look longer term........and its no better advised and/or "policed"........ here or in the USA. Guess how many pilots in the UK landed a GA with the wheels up last year? Drones are fast being forced to have electronic conspicuity, yet a "wheels up under "X" feet warning is not even recommended, let alone enforced. Forget the deaths by car accident comparison........... How many people are on average killed PER WEEK in the USA due to light aircraft accidents with little or nothing done, yet the FAA is hounding model aircraft flyers? (Clue, its not single figures) Don't whinge, DO someting positive.

Are you assuming everyone has an A certificate? I don't and have been flying safely for 45+ years......

Do we really think that a normal drone would actually down a Hurricane? Surely not. Wasn't it the Hurricane that ( some) Battle of Britain pilots favoured because it could withstand lots of damage from Nazi guns yet still make it home?

It makes no odds whether the ultimate primary reason for increased regulation is due to commercialisation of the low level airspace for delivery drone operation, that does not mitigate against the problems which are caused due to model flyers, who have operated with no major issues for over a hundred years. being lumped together with an entirely different and hugely more intrusive and risky aerial operations by drones. Couple that with the high proportion of drone operative who are using the drone primarily as a tool for obtaining video and still images and have close to zero interest in any flying hobby, or airmanship and you have a problem. In the USA the heavy hand of the FAA in enacting legislation limiting the freedom of operation of model aircraft was definitely contributed to by the high profile rogue activity of FPV-equipped drones and "airplanes" (sic) operated by folks such as the Black Sheep activists. Even if the prime aim is to commercialise that airspace, those rogue activities exacerbate the reaction to the perceived risk of those operations. Attempting to embrace, make excuses for such outrageous and illegal operation and bring them into a larger tent is simply wrong IMO - they should be called out and excluded as unacceptable - as it the case for this particular flaunting of the rules, endangering the BBMF Hurricane. Totally unacceptable, inexcusable and as model flyers we should be seeking to distance ourselves from such BVLOS operations - that is largely where the problems lie.

Yes, I met him once way back at the long gone Sandown Expo.

Many thanks Martin, for clarifying.

Looking forward to events and presentation Simon.

I saw Mike fly his heli at one of the Long Marston shows. He also used to do a model show on TV in the 90s.

Byron had an friend of ours make him a counter rotating unit for the Macchi but it took longer to make than what was expected. The plans were in a Traplet Mag, the front prop is freewheeling. The unit looks great but is a lot of weight for the motor bearings to carry so will be modified. As the Macchi flies so well with the present set up we will be building a new airframe for the unit. A MB5 is in the works

Yes, very few people get done for speeding, no one complains about speed cameras & it's rare to see anyone driving with a phone in their hand. 🤣

I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that Mike Brewer is/was into RC Helis.

I believe the one that talks a lot called Mike is an aeromodeller.

A little further every day: A razor blade with a 3mm wood piece glued to one side helps to cut a constant distance over an edge. It helps with getting nice seams. Cheers, Lucas

I've just seen it on bookface - many thanks 😄

Would be better with a motor of around 900kv or a 4s battery. The original RQ flew across the Channel using a 1/4 hp (195 Watts) 3.5cc ED diesel with something like a 10" or 12" prop & model must have weighed a lot more than 6.5 lbs. Agree with what Phil posted as I typed.

Hi Andy, It went to the printers last Thursday, so is being printed as we speak!

Ignorance, stupidity or the growing attitude these days of " I know better , it doesn't apply to me " . Let's hope the judge wh9 sentences him is a Hanging Judge Jeffrey's type and not a snowflake who gives the idiot a very strong telling off !

Video.mov Video.mov

Well that worked.... Maiden flight of the Lidl powered flying wing free flight pteronodon model on Sunday in Bethesda liesure centre. After a few "wall strikes" I found the sweet spot and launched the model. It climbed away nicely missing the ways, gaining hieght on the "full power" timed period, holding altitude on the slow speed timed period and gliding quite steeply on power off, landing close to my feet. Many flights after this, time after time flying well. Well Pleased 😊 The other guys at the meeting ( hot air balloon flying as well ) asked about this model. I am still waiting for a reply from wowstuff.com about the "3 modes", but l am not holding my breath. The wowstuff.com on site " contact us" method does not work, on my cheapo internet phone at least. I wonder if they have gone bump ? There were several free flight rubber powered planes flying, and a nice pipe cub RC. A largish Fokker triplane RC as well as some other RC planes. The group will have access to a much larger sports hall very soon meaning RC planes will really come into Thier own, particularly if the hall is wider.

Maybe the Lions hoping to be sent to Rhwanda ?

Dysfunctional families abound. They are no different from many other families around the world never mind the UK. He just has the opportunity to moan and make money from it. probably better spent getting themselves 'therapy'. As for the fights and being ignored at school its a common sibling trait. I could go on but frankly they bore me, less media attention, which he grieves about, would do both them and us a favour.

Nice lump up front Nigel. 👍

I use this wireless dongle,works great with my old Frsky Taranis,just binds like a regular rx: https://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/frsky-xsr-sim-wireless-simulator

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354096624986 this is the one I bought - works with all the txs I have with a trainer socket - an old EFlite heli tx, a FlySky tx), a Taranis, and a MicroZone tx. Can't get my Radiomaster to work with it....... It took about 10 days to arrive. Ebay currently lists similar items from UK sellers - type 'simulator cable'........ If you look on RCGroups here https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2382571-User-Built-Models-for-PhoenixRC you can download Phoenix (and update to 'final' version), plus download tons of models and flying sites.

https://www.flyingtech.co.uk/accessories/usb-flight-simulator-adapter-cable-phoenix-aerofly-fms I have-a Futaba radio and this works .

Wing tips sanded to shape so wing now ready for glass clothing.

Not the best quality, but inflight pictures at last! I corrected the tail wheel and rudder trim and now there is no side drift during takeoff. There is no torque effect due to props in same rotation, neither at takeoff nor inflight. Timo

Paul, not all clubs in Dorset are the same! I am the club sec. of the PMFC (Dorset), and would be more than happy to welcome you to our happy bunch. Please send me a pm, and I will give you my contact details so we can "Talk Flying". Look fwd to hearing from you.

After an enforced break from the workshop for some weeks I have been able to get back in to almost complete the cockpit interior and pilots seat. One thing I have learnt is that it’s worth ensuring that your pilot has firm fixings and so I spent a few hours ensuing I this fella won’t budge, unless I want him to. Fortunately for this model the canopy slides and is removable, so at least access is there if needed. He just needs a control stick to play with now.