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David Davis

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Everything posted by David Davis

  1. I had a similar experience when an unsupervised 2200 3S LiPo which was being charged, exploded and set fire to my Big Guff and WOT 4XL totally destroying the fuselages and tailplanes. Fortunately the floor of my cellar is made of concrete, had it been made of wood I may have lost the house.
  2. Good Day Gentlemen, I am starting to think about about the Coupe Des Barons 2025. I currently have two Barons, one finished in British markings which I've called Bertie, and the other, Boris, in Ukrainian colours. Boris is slightly easier to fly but I broke the wing in practice earlier in the year so will need to build a new one. I propose to build one with a D section leading edge and depron ribs as I did for Bertie last year. This will be lighter than the stock wing but at least as strong. I toyed with the idea of building a completely new Baron, covering it doculam and tissue and powering it by a Laser 50 which I bought from A Plane Olde Bargain at a very reasonable price earlier in the year. I thought that it would be ubercool to have a British pilot, flying a model powered by a British engine with RAF roundels on it in the competition. However, other committments may get in the way so I'll concentrate on repairing Boris's wing first. Another expatriate Englishman called Mike who also lives in La Belle France intends to enter the competition next year with a model powered by a PAW 35 diesel! If he does enter we'll be able to pit for each other. Which leads me on to engine choice. I'm actually spoiled for choice. I have become well known for competing with a four-stroke powered model, indeed I have taken to giving a prize to the leading pilot who uses a fourstroke engine in the competition, I have two OS 48 Surpasses, a Magnum 52, a Thunder Tiger 54 when it comes back from the menders and an OS 52 which I've built up from bits after the model crashed. It has exposed pushrods and rockers but it might look quite quirky! Then of course there's always the Laser 50 but I'll be giving my opponents something of an advantage if I were to use that because it is 100 grammes or 3.5 ounces heavier than an OS 52Surpass nd I doubt that it's as powerful. Decisions, decisions. What does anybody else think? Last year's event was cancelled owing to an inclement weather forecast but for those unfamiliar with La Coupe, have a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuMm24PTZ_Y
  3. Very nice Edgeflyer but my model will be powered by an ED Competition Special.
  4. I am making some progress with tissue over doculam. There are one or two cosmetic errors to be addressed but I have not used tissue paper as a covering for over sixty years!
  5. Sad news indeed but 87 is not too bad an innings. My condolencies to his friends and family.
  6. Frequently the birds in the smaller V insert themselves one at a time into the larger V. It's quite fascinating to watch.
  7. You're quite right FF but a few days ago my tame computer engineer rigged up a way of putting pictures from my phone onto something called the iCloud and after a few false steps I managed to download a picture of the cranes as they flew over my house yesterday afternoon. Sorry about the electricity cable. These birds must be the rear echelon. According to the dates on other pictures in my folder, we normally see them in early October. We rarely see them flying north again in the spring. Different meteorological conditions I suppose.
  8. Every autumn, those harbingers of winter, the Common European Crane fly over my house. Thousands turned up yesterday afternoon on their way to their wintering grounds in the South of Spain and North Africa. In the spring they fly north to their breeding grounds in Russia and Scandinavia but rarely over my house. Different atmospheric conditions I suppose. These were filmed by a friend in the next village. https://www.facebook.com/dominique.labbekohler/videos/2218912221816959/?notif_id=1730784153124088&notif_t=close_friend_activity&ref=notif
  9. I do it all the time in reverse. I am the only Mode 2 pilot in my club here in the middle of France and all of my pupils are Mode 1, however, by the time they come to me they've already had some stick time flying with the CFI on Mode 1.
  10. Quite right Martin, they require cutting down to match the rib profile and a little sanding. 🙂
  11. Tailplane under construction courtesy of my computer expert, Dave Burley.
  12. I have finished the tail surfaces and I'm just waiting for some small hinges to turn up before proceeding. No pictures I'm afraid as my camera is u/s. I have taken a few pictures on my phone but don't know how to transfer them from the phone to the internet. I have asked an IT expert to assist me.
  13. My Baron, Boris, competing in La Coupe Des Barons in 2018. The white model was being flown by a thirteen year old girl, one of a pair of twins. Ok she was on the buddy box with her dad. Her sister flew another Baron. I haven't seen them since. They'd be young ladies today with other interests and priorities.
  14. I can do that, the dead tree in the background lines up with the middle of the runway, my problem is trying to judge where the runway starts.
  15. I'm finding it difficult to judge distances when landing. I always think that the model is a lot closer than it really is. I've landed in the adjacent field on finals when I thought that I'd crossed the threshold. I've done this twice with the Big Guff which is the slowest flying model which I own but I've also done the same thing with the club's Boomerang trainer. The Big Guff is an eight foot wingspan (2.4 metre) vintage model so not difficult to see. I am seventy-six years old and only wear glasses for reading. Any advice will be welcomed.
  16. Bit of a drive from the middle of France to Old Warden! Besides I've added an elevator. My landings are bad enough even with an elevator.
  17. I want one too! I plan to build a light Junior 60 and to power it by a 15 two stroke.
  18. I may be in the market for one of their 15s. Who is stocking them?
  19. I ran the Laser 62 in the Big Guff on straight fuel yesterday afternoon. It still requires a little adjustment on the bottom end but otherwise it flew the model well enough. This means that I will not have to buy fuel for at least three engines in my aircraft. The OS fourstrokes like a bit of nitro in my experience but I still have half a gallon of 15%.
  20. Eight years ago I bought this 1998 VW LT28. I have had the driver's seat repaired and have replaced the brakes, the starter motor, the exhaust and the tyres. It's been eminently reliable but then I only do about 6,000 miles a year. Plenty of room for the models of course!
  21. Dacia Dusters are as common as dirt where I live. If my old VW van fails its controlle technique in February, the French equivalent of the MoT, I'll seriously consider one.
  22. Yes I've noticed that in France you cannot buy glow fuel with more than 16% nitro in it meanwhile in the UK Southern Modelcraft offer a mix containing 23% nitro. Cheaper too! I'll just have to smuggle some back into La Belle France next time I go "home!"
  23. When I left England nine years ago to retire to central France, I bought five gallons of 10% nitro and five gallons of straight fuel from Southern Modelcraft when it was based in Kent, it was handy for the ferry! I have used nearly all of the 10% but still have most of straight fuel. Yesterday I took my Calmato and Boomerang trainer to see how well they would run on straight fuel. The Calmato is powered by an OS 46 AX and the Boomerang by an Enya 50SS. Both engines required adjusting of course but both models flew well enough. The Enya is still a bit rich on the bottom end. Low wind speeds are forecast today so I'm going to try flying the Big Guff this afternoon on straight fuel. It is powered by a Laser 62. No pictures I'm afraid, my camera has stopped working and I'm saving up for another!
  24. Yes you may see my entry, no 247 at 0.38 seconds, silver with British roundels. I didn't do so well in 23. I crashed out in the first round owing to radio failure, pilot error or a combination of the two! The weather was awful that year too. It was even worse this year so the event was cancelled a few days beforehand because of an inclement weather forecast. My favourite video is of the 2017 event which shows all of the flying rounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYlLvJC-MuE I did not participate until 2019. My record so far: 2019 circlip on the electric motor failed after two rounds. 2020 event cancelled due to Covid 19. 2021 I won the fourstroke class! 2022 I had to "abandone" as Miss Blue Eyes felt unwell in the heat. 2023 crashed out in the first round. Finished second to last. 2024 event cancelled. I am looking forward to the 2025 event. I have become well-known as a fourstroke competitor and have bought a Laser 50 with a view to competing with a Baron in British markings powered by a British engine! However, the Laser is much heavier than an OS52 or OS clone so I'll probably run one of those.
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