David Davis

Do you think that big Chinese petrol two-strokes are the major source of noise complaints these days?

It would be easy enough to convert the standard wing to ailerons, reduce the dihedral to 0.5"- 1"under each wing tip and build a pair of inset ailerons from the last five or six wing ribs. Actuate with mini servos. I did something similar with a Senior Telemaster but I added flaps as well.

The Senior Telemaster had an 8ft (2.4 metre) wingspan, the Telemaster 40 a 6ft (1.8 metre) wingspan. My Telemaster 40 is pictured below in happier times.

Probably a Senior Telemaster.

Sorry I want to get on with other projects besides the fuselage is damaged too. In addition to all of the work listed above I'd like to build a Telemaster 40. I used to import the Telemaster range of kits into Europe and found that the Telemaster 40 was a better trainer than anything else I've ever used. I have a Belgian mate whose progress has stalled and the T40 may be just what he needs. I've still got the original wing.

I won't be rebuilding Bertie. I'll enter Boris if I fly at the event next year but only if I can persuade someone to go with me, to share the costs of hiring an air conditioned motor caravan and to share the driving. There is a nice man called Frederic who has just joined my club. He is building a Baron and if I can persuade him to enter La Coupe he could be a suitable partner. Furthermore if he is the first newcomer to register on 1st January, he should be awarded the coveted 400 competition number. This year, Baron 399 finished first in the overall placing!. Next year the competition will be held at Jonages which is 70kms closer to my home but not such a pretty environment, mind you, it was where I won the four-stroke class in '21. I spent a lot of time fettling, repairing and flying Barons in the last twelve months, now I want to get on with other projects. I've got three unfinished projects on the building board, two models in need of repair and I want to make a start on that 1/4 scale Fokker Triplane, so Bertie will not be rebuilt.

I've never discussed this with other entrants in La Coupe Des Barons but my attitude to the model is that you should regard it as disposable in this competition. We fly with up to nine other models in the air at the same time so the risk of a collision is high. As stated above, this was a particularly destructive Coupe this year. There is a tradition at the end of the competition. Those pilots whose models have survived fly their Barons trailing streamers and putting them through aerobatic manoevres. This year only two pilots did this though I know that at least one other was in serviceable condition.

Picture of Bertie after the collision with another Baron during La Coupe des Barons 21/06/2025.

A Radian meets your criteria. https://sussex-model-centre.co.uk/search?options[prefix]=last&q=Radian&filter.p.product_type=

Thank you John.

I always thought a similar event for the WOT 4 could be held in England. Restrict engine size to a 46 two-stroke, a 60 four-stroke or electric equivalent and you could have a winner. The overall results of the Coupe des Barons have just been published. I finished in 44th position out of 58.

I am humbled by your responses gentlemen but I think that I deserved three prizes! Oldest Pilot, Best Crash and winning the four-stroke class but I mustn't be ungrateful but I suppose that the organisers couldn't be seen to give three prizes to one competitor!😂 So will I fly there again? I'll be 78 next summer and my knees are already shot to hell so only if I can find someone to share the driving and expenses, so probably another competitor and we will also have to travel in an air conditioned camper van. I must be getting soft in my old age!

So I hired a Citroen Jumper. Something was lost in translation! The I wanted a Citroen Jumpy, but the Jumper was enormous, by far the biggest vehicle I'd ever driven, six speed manual gearbox and all! The first night was spent north of Macon which was a minor mistake. I should have booked a hotel to the south of the town butit was cheap. I went on to the Beaujolais Valley on Friday and bought five cartons of Julienas from the Chateau in Julienas and some St Amour as well. I then rolled down to the flying field. The was only one man there but we got talking, I had brought a dozen bottles of beer from the Salopian Brewerey, a small brewery operating out of a disused railway station near Shrewsbury. I'm a Shropshire Lad you know! It's not very strong by French standards only 4% alcohol but it has a good slightly lemony taste. The other man offered to put my bottles into the fridge in his motor caravan which kept them cool as the temperature was over 30C well into the evening. I rigged my tent and started to inflate the mattress only to discover that some animal had eaten some of it with the result that it would not inflate, however, I had taken some of Tiko's recently laundered blankets with me so I slept on one of those in my sleeping bag using the bag I kept my clothing in as a pillow, just like the old days. At 07.00 having given the dog a walk and having given her her breakfast, I had a a breakfast consisting of bacon and eggs, dry bread and tea. The weather was too warm to allow for butter. I put Bertie on my Best Mate Stand and tried to fire up the engine. I had not flown the model for about ten days but I could not get the engine to strart or respond to throttle. The screw which holds the throttle arm to the carburettor had come loose. A few deep breats, stay calm David! Spinner off, prop off, cowling off, wing off. Examine situation, examine settings on the transmitter's travel adjustment page, Go back to basics. Arrange the servo output arm and the throttle arm so that they are parallel to each other. Test movement just to be sure. Cowling on, propellor on, spinner on, wing on, spin starter motor and she bursts into life. Move to full throttle and adjust the main needle jet, reduce power and it would tick over all day. Transition immaculate but I am using very high nitro content. Go to register, hand over 25€ for lunch, it never used to be that much... Accept lunch token and off to watch the first "serie" or group. The first "epreuve" is a concours d'elegance in which the appearence of every model is judged against certain criteria. Out of fifty odd competitors my model finished fourteenth. Then the flying events started. In La Coupe des Barons you fly in groups or serie of up to ten aircraft at the same time. I was Pilot 6 in Goup 4. One of the other four-stroke users was Pilot 1 in the same group. The first round is "caisse baguettes" where you have to knock over 1 metre high balsawood sticks. I had previously made a note of all of the competitition numbers of every aircraft using a four-stroke. There were only four of us including me. One of them was in the first serie but I was distracted so never saw what happened but I never saw this aeroplane again so I presume that it crashed irrepairably in the first round. The other fourstroke user who was in Serie 4, the same group as me, crashed on take off but repaired it for the later rounds.. With the help of a Frenchman, Regis Besnier, whom I "met" through these pages, he posts as "Ron Ron," we had my Baron up and away. At the sound of the horn we all dived down to the sticks. I had been practising low level flight since January and this was to be my strongest suite. My first pass was too high so I went round again and came in nice and low but the wheels hit the ground and the model was tipped over fortunately without damage. I had hit one stick! The next round was the pylon race. The other four-stroke competitor in my group crashed into the pylon just after take off! But he was a game lad and had his aircraft ready for the fox chase which was the third round well, reinforced with parcel tape. I had mixed in some down elevator to the throttle stick above 85% movement for the pylon race but I completely forgot about switching it in consequently I was holding in considerable down at full chat. However, I managed to pass a number of pylons and make a safe landing. I didn't bother to ask the judge what my score was because my flying had been pants. There was a fourth four-stroke user from the Jonages Club who had finished his model in blue with red trim as had several of the Jonage boys. He'd made a good job of it. I watched his model in the pylon race and thought it was rather slow. Then we all had lunch washed down with Shropshire Ale then it was time for the "Chasse Renard" in which a trainer slowly pulls a streamer and you have to cut it or at least touch it. It's difficult to judge where the tug is and by the time you've caught up with it, it's somewhere else! I found myself below the tug but with plenty of speed so I thought that I might just be able to cut the streamer if I applied up elevator. I did so and crashed into another Baron! Mind you, you could have thrown a blanket over four or five of use. I lost my starboard wing entirely and he lost most of one of his wings and both models spiralled into the ground. It took us ages to find them. My starboard wing is still out there. The rest is destined for the wood burner. "Well that's it for this year," I thought, "no chance of the four-stroke cup this year. My two other competitors both crashed in tha later rounds. The Jonage lad with such force that it bought down the entire installation and flying had to be stopped while it was re erected! I stayed for the prize giving. Everybody started asking me my age because there's a prize for the oldest competitor and the youngest competitior.the youngest was 10 years old, the oldest looked to be about 62 to me and I'm 77. I thought that I should at least win the Best Crash Prize but that went to one of the high hidiens who normally finishes in the top five, so imagine my surprise when I won the Four-Stroke Cup! I must have accumulated more points in the pylon race than I'd imagined! One competitor taking home three prizes would have been too much! It was a very destructive Coupe this year with only about half a dozen making it home unscathed. Drove through the night. Got home at 08.00 very tired. I'm going to bed! Pictures and probably a video to follow.

Well I managed to hire a Citoen Jumpy but something was lost in translation and they gave me a Citroen Jumper! It's enormous but very nice to drive but I wouldn't like to reverse it into a narrow space. Everything's packed. I've got both a satnav and a map book and I've booked a motel room near Macon for the first stop. I just have to tell the neighbours that I will be away for a few days then I'll be off! ...and thank you for your cheerful comments Paul, very encouraging.

B Day - 3. Off to La Coupe Des Barons today! My van has developed a "shriek" caused by exhaust gasses leaking from the manifold or a broken exhaust manifold we won't know till we have taken it apart but my mechanic has advised not driving it down to the Alpes-Maritime so I've hired a Citroen Jumper which I will pick up later today. I hope that my lack of a French driving licence won't prove to be an issue but if the worst comes to the worst I'll find someone tolook after my dog and go there in the Rover! I've already checked that the model will fit in the car! Note to self, you've lived here for ten years, apply for a French driving licence when you get back from La Coupe. I'm feeling fairly confident of doing well in the four-stroke class. My low altitude flying has come on in leaps and bounds in the last two years. If I can get through the first round unscathed I'll be alright.

B Day -5. For the last few days the engine on my van has developed a shriek. My tame motor mechanic has diagnosed a blown exhaust gasket or exhaust manifold but he's not absolutely certain until we strip it down' He advised against driving it the 455 kms to Ste marie d'Alloix so today's task will be to find out the feasibility of hiring a van or other vehicle from Thursday 19th to Monday 23rd June. I plan to drive to Macon on Thursday, to stay there overnight, to buy some wines there and in the Beaujolais valley and to drive to the flying field on the Friday. At a push I could use my fifty-one year old Rover P6 but that would involve leaving the dog behind and I couldn't carry so much wine! A few days ago I bought a guitar, an Epiphone 12 string acoustic for the cognoscenti, and I knew that I had tossed a soft guitar case into the loft years ago I so went up there to retrieve it. I found that I had also tossed a brand new tent into the loft! I didn't realise that I even possessed such a thing but it's there in its original wrapping. I will have to get it out and try to erect it in the garden. Another task for today will be to make up a check list of things to do and items to take to La Coupe. I'll keep you posted.

Your not-so-humble servant with his trophy for finishing second in the club's climb and glide event referred to above.

I am thinking of building one over the winter. What I would like to know from anyone who has built one is, "Do you ballast them to fly in wind or do you simply not fly them when it's windy?" https://www.hoelleinshop.com/Planes-Helicopters-Quadcopters/Planes/Electric-gliders/Hoellein/INTRODUCTION-F5J-low-priced-starter-model-for-F5J-2860mm.htm?shop=hoellein_e&SessionId=&a=article&ProdNr=GRU2015&t=49301&c=12327&p=12327

I've just had one of ther most bizarre afternoons of my aeromodelling career. The club decided that it was going to run a little competition for electric powered gliders. These are very popular in France and you can pay over 1000€ for a really spangly ARTF powered glider. The idea was to launch the model, to allow fifteen seconds of thrust from the motor and then to glide for as long as possible. Extra points were available if you could land within a marked circle, each pilot had four flights and the total number of points were to be added up at the end of the day. This is not my thing at all. I'm more of an engine man, four-strokes in particular! I had built a Precedent Electra in the Nineties but it clapped its wings due to my poor workmanship. I had a little West Wings Orion but soon got bored with it and I had the use of a battered Radian glider to use with beginners on the buddy box when I first arrived in France. That was thrown away when it was no longer economically repairable. So, at a committee meeting, I mentioned that I hadn't got an electric glider. The treasurer piped up and said that he'd lend me one. It turned out to be an E-Flite Radian with a wingspan of about 2.5 metres. A basic beginner's glider, no ailerons, flaps or airbrakes and the whole thing made out of some kind of foam. Not my sort of thing but there is an image below for those not familiar with the model. Of all of the gliders at the event the Radian was the simplest, the least sophisticated and the cheapest model there with the possible exception of Fred's glider which was an old balsa and ply model powered by a brushed motor and which had been left behind in our club's workshop for at least nine months. Probably some widow was pleased to get rid of it! It was my ambition not to finish last! Last night I was organising an Open Mike Night so it was midnight before I got home. After a shave and shower this morning, I took the dog for a walk, then I fed her her breakfast. After cooking and eating my own breakfast I unloaded the PA from the van, put the Radian and my transmitter into it and drove the short distance to the flying field where I found that all of the entrants had already had one flight and some had had two. Nine of us were from my club and three were from neighbouring clubs. These three had very expensive looking models. I got the Radian ready, found a launcher and and a time keeper and off we went. The weather wasn't very warm and there was quite a breeze so my first flight lasted for only about three minutes and I landed in the wheat crop of the field adjacent to the flying field. The second flight was a bit better, nearly four minutes and this time I managed to land it in the circle then we all stopped for a traditional club barbeque. The third flight was interesting. A few seconds after launching I was aware that another model was being launched. I knew that the pilot was better than me and that his model was better than mine, indeed for a second or two I had a glimpse of both models flying together but his was already much higher than mine. I managed a flight of over four minutes landing in the circle but my colleague's aircraft landed at about the same time so my flight was slightly longer despite his greater altitude. I felt quite chuffed. For the last flight I found myself in the company of one of our guests with his very smart purpose-built model. His model climbed off into the heavens as mine clawed for altitude. Fifteen seconds, stick back and throttle-cut engaged. I was at a good altitude and in lift, so was his. We flew about for several minutes, my time keeper, the aforementioned Fred, droning out, "Deux minutes." "Trois minutes" etc. After nine minutes of neck strain the model started to descend but I couldn't land it in the circle this time, it landed it the crop. Then we waited for the results. The club president read them out in reverse order. I had achieved my ambition by not finishing last! Then the eleventh, then the tenth and so on. The club president finished sixth and he had once finished tenth in the French Nationals. You may imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had finished second and that I was also the leading pilot from my club. They gave me a trophy! There were one or two jealous faces I'll tell you! La Coupe Des Barons? Bring it on! I hope I haven't peaked too early! 🤔

What are we talking about here Dave? The Super Tigre or the DLE? The Super Tigre will run on it's side. You can get a Pitts style muffler for it from here but you may have to wait: http://www.bissonmufflers.com/en/index.html As for the DLE I have no experience of petrol engines whatsoever so can't advise. As others have suggested a 90 fourstroke would be ideal and would sound nicer. I have a couple of Thunder Tiger 91 fourstrokes which have proved to be excellent engines but they are no longer made and spares are unavailable. Mind you the same may be said for the Super Tigre and so many others makes.

I count ten wing ribs on each side so about 3" spacing. If you use depron for the ribs you will need to cap them in balsa top and bottom.

Dihdral of about 1" under each wing tip should be fine. The ailerons on my later Boomerang are 65 cms long and 3cms wide so L450 from SLEC should do the job https://slecuk.com/product/balsa-trailing-edge-915mm-36/. They are very effective. The main spars are usually located at the widest point of the rib profile which is usually about 30% of the way back from the leading edge. The sheeting exends back to cover the spars. You could save yourself the cost of balsa by using depron for the wing ribs. I did this on my Baron's new wing. The Baron is about the same wingspan as the Boomerang. Mine is powered by an OS 52 FS Surpass so we are in the same ballpark. I reinforced the spars with carbon fibre tow.

Not really but you have a fuselage so you could hold a piece of plywood inside the fuselage and draw the bottom of the wing section onto it. You could then produce your own template by reversing the curve for the upper side of the aerofoil. That would give you a symmetrical wing section which is not quite right, the Boomerang has a semi-symmetrical wing section, but the model would fly. Alternatively there is a lot of information on the web about aerofoils. Wing construction? Leading edge, trailing edge, strip ailerons, three or four spars, inter spar webs and sheet top and bottom from the leading edge to the main spars. The wingspan is 1.55 metres or 5 ft. You already know the chord.

Personally I hate noisy two strokes but that's just me. They've been responsible for the loss of many flying sites in England but I guess there's much more room in the USA so it's less of an issue. Even so I can't understand people actually LIKING the sound of a noisy two-stroke engine! Coming back to the Super Tigre 2000, if you were thinking of fitting it into a model which designed for a 20cc glow engine, then the ST 2000 should fly it. OK, an equivalent OS would be a better option or the slightly larger Super Tigre engines which came out soon after the release of the ST 2000, the 23cc and 25cc engines IIRC, but it should fly your model. Which model were you intending to put it in? PS. Weston UK made me a Mini Pipe for an SC32 two stroke glow. It reduces the sound output to a much more pleasant drone while giving me a few more revs on the top end.

What you have there Adsking is an ARTF Seagull Boomerang fuselage and tailplane. I have custody of one, it's one of the club's trainers. Mine is the later version with the fully sheeted wing. It's rather fast and heavy for an absolute beginner but ok for someone with a little experience. It flies well in a wind. Mine requires a ball-raced 46 to take off from our tarmac runway. Seagull used to make a builder's kit of the same model but these are rather rare.