David Davis

Riding a sports bike at 72 kph Paul! No wonder you're too tired to drive to La Coupe Des Barons!

Those were the days.

PS. I sold my last bike last year. At seventy-six my knees are no longer up to managing a big bike especially with luggage and a pillion on the back. Mind you, one of those little SV 650s look interesting..

This biplane may be a bit more suitable for your engine if it's not too basic looking for you. It's not currently in stock but a call to the owner will let you know when it's going to be avaiable. https://www.dbsportandscale.com/tinker-kit-7871-p.asp

Welcome to the forum Craig. I'm glad you're going to join a club because you'll probably meet many like minded souls who'll help you in your aeromodelling career. I'm pleased that you've chosen to build a model stick by stick because that's what I enjoy doing. However, if you'll take a bit of unsolicitated advice from me, please learn to fly before you try to fly the Nieuport. Flying an r/c model is not as easy as it looks and I'd hate you to crash the model after you will have put so much time and effort into the build. Even the real Nieuport pilots didn't learn to fly on Nieuports did they? Leave it till your third or fourth model. The Sale club may well have a trainer which you can learn on while your transmitter is connected to an instructor's transmitter. It saves a lot of heart ache!

I feel that both the biplanes are a bit small for a 49 four-stroke. Furthermore both models are designed for electric motors, consequently you will have to beef up the construction in the nose to allow for the greater vibration of an i/c engine and starter motor torque The Aeronaut Sky Maxx is a more appropriate size for your engine and it appears that there are instructions for building the model using an i/c engineso if it floats your boat go for it!

Hooch, the OS 40FP has a cast iron piston in a cast iron bore, quite traditional technology though the cylinder is nikasil plated. While you will not wear this engine out very quickly, they apparently require quite a bit of running in but as you have bought this engine second hand, this has probably already been done. You may find the following interesting: https://sceptreflight.com/Model Engine Tests/OS Max 40FP.html

Yesterday I hinged the rudder and elevator to the model. I used large Kavan pinned hinges and for the first time I used De Luxe Materials Superphatic glue as the adhesive. I had been impressed by the quality of this glue when building a wing for my Baron which featured depron wing ribs, also a first for me. Previously I had always used epoxy as the glue for hinges and I'd always applied some form of grease to the pivot before applying the glue. I usually used butter for this purpose! As Superphatic is a water based glue I did not bother with greasing the pivot. I placed five spots of Superphatic on each side of one leaf of each hinge. These were then inserted into the tailplane. Five more spots on each side of the other leaf then I fitted the elevator. I did the same with the rudder. By yesterday evening I was able to lift the model and wag it about holding on to the rudder and elevator! Thats without any pins or cocktail sticks. Note the usual immaculately tidy workshop! Having turned 76 earlier in the month I have decided to treat myself and the model to a white GRP undercarriage from Carbon Copy.

Yes.

Like Ernie I live too far away to be able to offer advice as to where to find a suitable "open flying area." However, I've lived most of my life in Shropshire and I used to fly from a farmer's field but preferred the companionship of a club. I only got permission to fly at that field because my best friend had a Private Pilot's Licence and he knew a farmer who also had a PPL and who had built a model aircraft as well. I wish you the best of luck in finding an "open flying area" but I can't understand your reluctance to join a club. In my experience any restrictions which a club imposes, not flying over certain areas for example, are there for the safety of club members and the general public. Perhaps you'll let us know how you get on. PS. I've held a motor cycle licece for sixty years.

I flew my Baron yesterday. I still need to make a few adjustments to the throttle pushrod but otherwise it flew fine. I also took up my mate Frans on the buddy box on his electric powered Radio Queen. He's still putting in signals which are too coarse even after two years of instruction. Perhaps he needs a different instructor. I plan to fly my Super Frontier Senior, a SIG Kadet Senior ARTF clone this afternoon. I always thought that Spring started on 21st March.

Glowplug for an SC 25, and any other two stroke for that matter? An OS No 8.

A 10x4 or 10x6.

Who will be be handling the sale of spare parts after the 22nd March Jon?

Sad news. All the best for the future Jon.

Just a heads up Hooch. In the olden days Solarfilm used to react to diesel fuel causing it to wrinkle. I believe that Oracover/Profilm will resist diesel fuel. Best check that the film you intend to buy will be compatible with diesel fuel. Solartex is compatible with diesel fuel.

I would leave the compression screw where it is until you have the engine securely mounted in a test stand, a supply of diesel fuel and a suitable propeller. Also bear in mind that the silicon fuel tube which you can use on a glow engine will melt if introduced to diesel fuel. I believe that tygon tube which is available from anywhere which sells garden machinery is suitable for both diesel and petrol engines but I'm not certain because I've not run a diesel engine for many years. Whatever you do, don't try to start it with an electric starter. For good starting techniques please refer tothe links in my post of 5th March.

I flew the Baron with its new wing yesterday. It flew very well but the engine ran out of fuel as I was lined up for a landing and it landed undamaged in a fallow field. I have since fitted a bigger tank. It requires a little cosmetic work, some fine tuning of the engine and I need to make up some sort of gun for it to comply with the rules of La Coupe Des Barons. I'm very pleased with the new lightweight wing. Incidentally I have covered the underside of the port wing in black film and the underside of the starboard wing in white similar to the early WW2 RAF fighters.

Get well soon Matty. It's my seventy-sixth birthday today and I'm in good health for a man of my age. I'm counting my blessings!

Thank you Ron.

Today's my seventy-sixth birthday, lots to do so I don't have much time but herewith the results of using De Luxe Materials Super Phatic glue with large Kavan pinned hinges as suggested by Don Fry above. These will be used on my Laser 155 powered Mystic. Slots were made into two pieces of scrap 1/4" (6mm) balsa. Five drops of the glue were put on each face of each leaf of the hinge and the two pieces of wood were pressed together. Having left the joint to dry for more than 24 hours I found it impossible to pull the two pieces of wood apart. Normally I put some form of grease on the fulcrum usually butter but this time I did not bother. The hinge moves freely and I did not add cocktail sticks or dress makers' pins. I have used this glue extensively in the build of the new wing of my Baron and have been very impressed by it.

The new wing is covered and fitted to the fuselage. It is 3 ozs (80grammes) lighter and 2 inches (5 cms) greater in the wingspan than the Ukrainian wing pictured above. My fault but it's still within the dimensions allowed in the rules! There are a few cosmetic jobs remaining and I need to add the British roundels, the gun and the wing warping wires. Incidentally the first British wing seen in my post of 24th December was only 57 inches (145cms) in the wingspan. No wonder it flew so quickly! According to the kit box a Baron's wing should be 155cms!

I assume that this SC 25a is for the projected vintage model. A four to six ounce tank, 120cc-180cc, will be ideal for this engine. I like the SLEC Maxi tanks myself. https://www.slecuk.com/maxi-fuel-tanks?search=Fuel tank&category_id=0

If you're still interested in a diesel for that future vintage build, the Merco 29 mentioned by Frank Skillbeck could be a contender. Bloke wants £55 for it and it has the later more efficient silencer. https://classifieds.bmfa.org/acadp_listings/merco-29-diesel-rc

Laser low oil variant. Smuggled from England in September! 😏