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The little girl had recently attended a funeral and was looking very thoughtful as she came into the kitchen. "Mummy ..." she said "is it really true that people come from dust and return to dust?" "Yes Darling, that is true. Why do you ask?" The little girl looked very serious as she replied: "Well I've just looked under my bed, and I reckon somebody's just coming or just going."

Little Jane asked her father "Daddy, where does my intelligence come from?" Father replied "You must have got it from your mother, ................... because I still have most of mine!" .... and .... A bloke and his wife were driving through the country and had not spoken to each other for over an hour after an argument. As they drove past a farmyard with a full pigpen and a few donkeys the bloke remarked "Relatives of yours?" His wife replied.................."Yes, in-laws." * Chris *

Have a reply from the BMFA and Andy was a great help .It is going to be sorted now .The Flying Club Committee are on safety grounds going to enforce no flying on Kart racing days and thosee members that do not like that will be told maybe they should find a different club to fly at We might lose a few members but at least we will still have a flying club

Some photos just edited from our first PSSA event of 2024 this weekend (13/14th April) upon The Great Orme, Llandudno. High strength SW winds resulted in a lot of good flying over the two days and a big attendance as always after the Winter break. Link embedded in the image.

While he has popped to the loo , Ive been painting his adversary . My little fella is in a home defence squadron and as they were quite worried about being mistaken for an allied flyer in the event of a bail out , they wore a lot of arm bands etc stating clearly what they were. He looks more like a Cylon than a 1940s pilot . They may have been the baddies , but they definitely looked cool . I suppose having your tanks designed by Porsche and your outfits by Hugo Boss helped .

It may be a little while as sourcing is currently ongoing but watch this space.

The mounting plate is 're-assembled' and a further cut made to allow for the body of the retract unit. A Mock up retract unit with the U/C wire is then placed in position to ensure fit. On top of this a drawing is made to create a cut out template to make your lives easier to cut out the wheel well. the unit is designed to be fitted up to the top skin and up to the leading edge.

I would stop short of that advice to encourage the karting club to take photographs to identify any transgressors, these days it would be very easy indeed to spoof a photograph, or just change the date on which it appears a photograph was taken and you would be playing into the hands of anyone who wanted to have the site to themselves, without any model flying activities. It ought to be enough for the club to put measures in place to prevent members from flying on the days that the kart track is in operation and to let the karters know than, but I think it would be dangerous to give them ideas and make statements about contravention of the ANO.

This is so clear cut, I'm surprised that anyone would consider disregarding an obvious safety issue and one that could have the club thrown off the site if ignored. By your own description, models are at risk of overflying the Kart racers so that's that, no arguments, no grey area, no discussion............no flying on days that the Kart track is in use.....simples. My club sends an annual email calender to all members stating no-fly days when the field is CLOSED and another reminder to members a few days before the field is to be used by others and that the field will be CLOSED. Sometimes we get extra days because events are cancelled! System works well for us.

It really is quite simple, regardless of whatever the belligerent "Grumpy Brigade" might want or say, we are governed by common sense and the law. Okay, Common Sense isn't that common anymore but the law is clear. 1). You are responsible for flying your model aircraft in a safe manner. 2). Article 241 - Endangering safety of any person or property. A person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. Simply flying over the Karts will be enough to be breaking the law.

Think that is the route we will have to go down.Trying to please everyone does not work .I have emailed every members saying if we fly on kart racing days we will lose the flying field Most member now realise.that now and are coming round that it is better to lose 10 weekends a year then 52 weekends a year A few member are still insisting they want to fly on kart racing weekends but they will be told to find a different club to fly at

Having lived with a farmer (my father) for 25 years , the reason they can be so variable is the weather, price of produce etc. , and often working on there own a lot. Glad I went into engineering , it took the Weather element out the equation. Don't forget suicide in the farming community is high, in the circle of my fathers contacts two committed suicide. When they want to talk, spend time listening and express sympathy, is the best policy.

All these parts are then Re-exported as DXF files and sent to the Kit cutter for laser cutting. Richard will do a blog on fitting the first one to create a guide for you to follow. He'll probably use a chain saw so anything could happen there! The same process is also being used to create the Tempests units. NOW can I have my sock Master?

Well, as Andy Symons liked your email Leccy, perhaps my advice wasn’t too good and suggesting pre-arming the kart racers with knowledge of the ANO might well be a step too far. What I would still suggest is talking with the kart club to impress on them how seriously the club takes the matter and confirm that members have been instructed not to fly while the race meeting is taking place. Perhaps give them contact details for the committee in case anyone should turn up to fly - member or other. Surely working with them is better than reacting to a disastrous situation.

Whether or not deliberate overflight is barred, the consequences of an inadvertent transgression seem so serious in this case - the club has been told that any overflight will result in the loss of the field - that surely, any logical conclusion is that flying cannot take place on those days. The danger here is that the sensible members will be in their workshops on these days and not at the field to regulate any reckless activity by rogue members. I would suggest contacting the karting club and making it clear that should anyone attempt to fly during their meetings, it is directly contrary to club rules, the members involved will be dismissed from the club and you will support action against them for any contravention of the ANO. The karting club could easily take photos to identify any transgressors.

Things are starting to come together and it's going to be BIG, BOLD and BRITISH so make sure you book it into your diary. IC flying from 10:00 - 17:00, electric anytime (night flying anyone?) £10 per day to fly. Camping available. Pilot's Cafe open for breakfasts and refreshments. SLEC have already started the trade presence ball rolling.

If the clus rules are NO FLYING while karting is going on then thats the club rules and members should adhere to the rules at all times and they cannot or shud I say should not feel they have the right to ignore them as they see fit,,, Nor can they over rule the committee..... What they can do is ask for the rules to be chaged either at the AGM at the end of the club year or ask for an EGM to be called which it will then be put to a club vote which if the club as a whole decide to keep the rules as they are including any/all no flying at stated times then the rebelious members basicly have 2 choices,,,, Accept the club rules as they are and follow them or go find another club or failing that face the the consiquences of breaking the rules and being kicked out the club specially when it comes to the safety of others A blunt answer im sure but a correct one i feel

From this I can now create a plate the correct width and length to mount the retract unit on. Small tabs are added to interlock the completed assembly. A drawing is created for the retract cut out based on the manufacturers drawing dimensions. This is then turned into a solid part. This part is placed into the mounting plate rotated to the correct angle . And a cut performed to create the finished section. The upright supports are created as a 3D model And the assembled unit is placed at the correct angle between the the ribs. Again a cut is performed

For those who thought we had forgotten you and those who are still awake this is how we developed the retract unit for the FW190. The cutting profiles used where imported in CAD as a 2 dimensional drawing in the form of a DXF file. The Wing Root and the Wing Tip. The Tip is rotated the correct amount for the washout chosen. The outer Profile is then moved the correct distance from the Root Profile. This is then 'Lofted' as a solid 3D object which is the cut foam core without the wing skin. Next two planes are created across the wing to create a section that the retract plate/assembly will go in. These plans are used to perform a 'cut' of the wing to create a section of ribs to support the retracts firmly in place These sections are then given a thickness equal to the ply to be used to create these 'Ribs'

I don't own a Laser (never will...), that's why I qualified with an 'if' 🙂 Still, it would be an easier method for most other engines - except that the manufacturers of most other engines sensibly cast or engraved their engines capacities on them...

I'm pretty sure you can post pictures of other diciplines on Flickr... 🙂

Yes, BEB was a really great contributer and moderator on the forum. Much missed.

In the near future, we are talking 12 years later here. How much longer ? I do miss BEB, My only regret is not realizing that he was at a fly-in that I attended had I known I would of gone over to him and had a chat. 😩 Steve

Its all about creating a model that looks far more detailed than it really is . That suits these two entry level kits because they are supposed to be quick build, no fuss models , but that doesn't mean they have to look ordinary . Im still waiting for exhaust stacks before I call it a day . Also got to give the rudder an impression of fabric covering .

Free entry/camping. Food/drinks. Onsite loo. Night flying. No certs required, proof of insurance please. John 07934689317. http://www.donvalleymfc.co.uk/contact us.html Start 9-10 ish.

That's great timing Paul - my FW190 fuselage is taking shape and I will shortly be moving onto the wing. If these are available soon, maybe I'll be able to opt for going direct to retracts, bypassing the dolly stage. 😎👍

That's great - long may it continue. My club used to rent a field some years ago where the farmer was a real Jekyll and Hyde character. He'd sometimes go mental if the patch was not not cut to his satisfaction, he'd swear blind that we were cheating him and making the flying area bigger without his say so (we weren't and were paranoid about getting the measurements right). I think he chucked us off a couple of times and then reconsidered after we went back to him cap in hand. Cars not parked in a particular way (perfectly happy with them the previous week), he'd drive over the patch in his landrover when we were flying and scowl at us, then next week, park to one side and have a cheery chat. Witnessed him myself go absolutely mental at a bloke who wandered over to us flying, just to have a chat and see what was going on. He'd never accept a rise in the rent we paid either, about a grand or so - many, many stories I could recount. Really used to put us on edge when we knew he was around - we put up with each other for over thirty years though. I laughed at Larry the Farmer in the brilliant Detectorists series, very similar, ("don't go digging in the bottom field, I don't want you there") athough our chap was way more intense and just plain unpleasant at times. If you've got a good landlord - cherish him!

Personally I would keep the noise down, seems relationship between the two site users is fine, club made it's position clear it takes safety serious.

Have finally got back to the Bearcat, and all the fuselage skins are roughly cut out. I will fine tune them to fit more precisely when I glue them in place, but I need to sort out the wing/fuselage fixing method first. It’s looking pretty big, but the motor is huge so I’m not currently worried.

As Martin said, the 58 and other CD designs spin standard size props. The engine will develop power roughly equivalent to a conventional 52 four stroke, and run hotter and provide some useful nose weight. Baffled correctly it will run fine and carry out it's business

Managed a couple of flights on the aerobat below, before the wind (and cold!) got the better of me. It's been owned by multiple club members - no idea what it is.... flies well on 3S though. Went back to field to mow later - dodging the showers. Much better, albeit still springy from moss and soft soil.

As always very weather dependent for me but if the wind is gentle enough I will be there with at least two "new to the site" home built foam planes.

Cudnt agree more...... When it's a matter of safety theres no 2 ways about it.. ALL Members follow the rules or anyone that doesnt or wont follow the rules then they don't fly... It really is that simple

The devil is in the detail, well spotted. That missing bolt is actually the hole where the inter wing strut pushes through both forward and aft, which then gets fixed in position one the covering has been done. I followed the plan on this one as making independent brackets with pins as per the full size looked complicated. The photo below shows the underside of the lower wing prior to the struts been fitted, marked with blue arrows.

Not on a Laser - the valve gears and cam followers prevent access to the crankshaft and piston so it’s much easier to remove the head to measure bore/stroke if it can’t be identified by other means.

I plan to be there from the Friday afternoon. I'll try not to forget anything this time 😉

Do what's right Rocker, if some don't have the clubs best interest first, they're not worth having.

I agree. Sadly we live in times when personal privilege and freedom override common sense, and consideration for others.....

We have the same situation our club. East Fortune aeromodellers. Our runway is used as a motorcycle race track on certain days ..... we are not permitted to fly when the track is being used and I can understand why. Madness to have both running at the same time. Toto

According to the May issue of RCM&E, it appears my design will be the free plan in the June issue 🥳

The next bit (and this is fun ) is creating and the metallic look where the paint has "worn through " . You can do this with silver paint and a brush but done very dry . However , I prefer the silver shaker pens and a finger . You can dot random little blobs on and quickly wipe them in the direction of airflow . If you cock it up , just paint the base colour over it . I like mine a bit over the top , but you can decide when to stop .

If flying on kart days presents a danger to the karters, worrying who carrys the can if it goes pear shaped is secondary.

Back to the Handley Page Slats. I had issues with making the slats ‘spring loaded’. On the full sized aircraft they have a lever in the cockpit that locks and unlocks them in place. When unlocked though, ie during takeoff and landing, they are unlocked to give extra lift but when the airspeed increases the slats are forced back into the wing by aerodynamics and remain in that position during flight. If aerobatics are to be performed they have to be locked in position so that they don’t ‘deploy’ during that process. Talking to the owner of the aircraft, he described the landing process where he gently bleeds of the speed on final approach and on approaching the stall, the slats deploy automatically. Apparently they are quite clunky and can be heard over the din of the engine. So the slats have two functions, lift generators and anti stall indicators. I asked what the other Moths do that aren’t fitted with these slats do? His response was a sly grin and comment, “you don’t see many of those anymore do you”. Back to the build, a micro servo drives the middle hinge on the slat, the outer hinges are simply spring loaded to resist the closed position. The middle servo arm has a sliding arm that allows the slat to be pulled closed against the outer springs but the return stroke is not fixed, the slat is actually pulled back out by the outer springs when the arm is moved. Sounds complicated and it was until the penny dropped! 20240229_155637_001.mp4

The finished article….. really chuffed as it looks very similar to the real thing even though it took forever to make.

it couldnt have been done for the same price as a common throw crank. A full boxer would have cost a fortune and at maybe twice the cost of a v it wouldnt have sold. Also as vibration with a single throw was not a problem on test, and no owner has ever complained its a moot point anyway. This was discussed to death during the development. I have seen posts on facebook from people who have not owned one or seen one run claiming excessive vibration, but they simply havent a clue what they are talking about. They run fine, not as smooth as a V but not as 'bad' as a single, and power that thrashes the competition. Although unrelated, i like the 180 degree firing interval too. Makes a nice sound.