Peter Jenkins

Hi Frank Please explain what you mean by extended time. My message was that it's OK to charge up LiPos a day or 2 days early since they will not lose any charge over that period. It's the same with LiFe and Enelope NiMH but not other NiMHs. I don't make a habit of it but if I don't use all my packs then I'll leave them fully charged for up to 2 weeks. If it's going to be longer, then I'll stick then kn my charger and didchafge to storage voltage. I've run 5S 5000 mAh 25C packs for the past 14 years and, as I'm sure you've found, some packs swell up early while others soldier on for ages even from the same label. I don't use high C packs as my flying rarely demands more than 80-85 A - that is in 10S configuration - and then only demand that for around 6 - 7 secs at any one time. That equates to around 2,800 W max demand although in my current setup the max power I've seen was 3,600 W at 98 A. That was a test early on to check with the manufacturers figure of a max 99A draw on a 23 x20 props. It did what it said on the tin! I should emphasise these readings were taken with telemetry while airborne with max/min figures stored for inspection. I no longer check max power while the aircraft is tethered on the ground as my testing showed that you can pull 25% more power out of electric motors in such circumstances. I aim for a minimum of 100 cycles per pack but have had cheap Turnigy ones reach 200 and expensive packs die at 60 cycles.

Toto, LiPos hold charge for weeks. So, charging a day or so earlier is no problem.

Hi GG - I didn't say a centre beep but a beep set at your datum power. As it happens, my datum power is at half throttle but that's a function of how much power is in my model which I use to fly the FAI aerobatic P schedule. I do have a windy setting and a calm setting as different model memories that I can switch between without hsving to rebind the Tx/Rx - a feature on my JR XG11 Tx that may or may not be available on others. However, apart from when flying FAI aerobatics I just use one datum power setting. I've never felt the need to have more than 1 datum power setting.

Toto One way of keeping the correct throttle setting is to use the facility to set a beep for your datum throttle setting. The aircraft will bebin trim at only 1 power setting. I would think that almost all of today's Tx will have this facility. With an IC engine you used the engine noise to set your datum power but with electric power it's not so audible. On my JR Tx it's called "Stick Alert" but it may well be called something different on other makes of Txs. Oh, re the procedure turn, the second turn is 270 deg. A 360 deg turn would see you heading directly away from the crowd line. Just to clarify, what you want to achieve is a 180 deg reversal of direction but to fly back along the same track. Peter

I just can't screw up the courage to stick a contact lens in my eye! To me, a procedure turn is a 90 deg turn in one direction immediately followed by a 270 deg turn in the other direction so that you reverse the direction of flight bit on the reciprocal track. The name derives from instrument flying rules in full size aviation but there are other geometries of turns.

Hmm, this is a cut and paste from the Wikipedia article link: On January 20, 1999, Handley once again got into the record books by flying the Turbo Raven from brake release to 3,000 meters in one minute and nine seconds. In July 1999 at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the Turbo Raven took three minutes, six seconds to get to 6,000 meters, and established the Turbo Raven as the fastest-climbing propeller-driven aircraft in the world. Note that the time starts at brake release so the actual rate of climb will be higher given that the time starts with the aircraft stationery. Not sure how the Lightning's initial climb rate of 50,000 ft per min was timed. By my understanding, the model is not the one that achieved the record as it was the full size aircraft that did so.

Agree that the type and colour of sun glassesvthat work for you is a very personal issue. I find a comoletely blue sky very difficult when flying at the top of the aerobatic box i.e. 850-900 ft, as I just cannot make out the wing position. Alternatively, complete cloud cover allows the aircraft to appear as a sharp black silhouette and I much prefer that. You just have to find what works for you.

Hi Toto Well done. If I may, one of the ways to reduce unwelcome surprises is to assess the flying site using the acronym SWEETS. This is covered in the BMFA Handbook or the Achievement Scheme Handbook that you will need to faniliarise yourself with in preparation for your A Test, or, as you are in Scotland, the SAA Bronze certificate requirements. The other way is to plan your flight before you get airborne so you know what you want to achieve, what issues you need to address e.g. which part of the circuit you might have to avoid the Sun. I suffer from short sight but I find that a pair of over glasses (yellow lens for poor visibility and brown lens for sunny days) is fine without needing prescription sun glasses with Reactolite features. The other advantage of these wrap around over glasses is they protect your eyes from the wind and stops them watering which causes a huge problem in seeing your aircraft! This is just an example of what I mean - https://www.rapideyewear.co.uk/61-over-glasses-sunglasses. There are many other suppliers. I would avoid polaroid lenses as I find I then cannot read the text on the Tx screen unless I rotate my head or Tx! Best regards Peter

Alternatively, use a Perry Pump to pump the fuel to the engine. If you have a pumped engine e.g. OS120 pump you also avoid the problem of fuel tank placement. If you are going to move the tank aft and the engine isn't pumped, then you definitely need a Perry Pump.

Hi Toto I understand the issues you've had with glow engines. I have run diesels, glows petrol snd electric. Without doubt, with one recent disastrous exception (my fault btw), electrics have been simply a matter.of plug in and go. Next up, diesels, were the easiest on field equipment, then glow and petrol given the need for glow starts (or on board glows) and ignition systems plus a starter motor. That having been said, I start my OS91FX with a reverse rotation tap with a chicken stick unless it's a cold day when I resort to sn electric starter. Dead sticks have been few and far between but I did get a petrol dead stick on one occssion - again my fault. What you describe leads me to thjnk that your helpers were not well taught as regards setting up and tuning glow engines. It does happen. I relate a situation where a fellow club member had a clutch of helpers who could not get his Irvine 46 started and running. I had spent the morning flying my Irvine 53 powered Wot 4 so at lunch I noticed he was fed up snd depressed. I offered to have a go at sorting ot out since my Irvkne ran very well. After 5 mins, the engine was running and after a further 5 mins we had a perfectly set idle and main jet. He flew the aircraft and was delighted. I suspect having a "committee" trying to stsrt and adjust the engine was not the right approach but as my engines run perfectly it may be that I knew what I was doing. A surprising number of glow engine operators appear not to know about idle jets which control the engine up to half throttle. Once these are correctly adjusted they merely need a tweak e.g. if set on a cold winter's day and then being used kn a hot summer's day - those conditions affect the air/fuel ratio as air density varies. My Wot 4 has a side mounted engine and when I fitted a throttle pipe, that lived underneath between the u/c legs, there was hardly any mess on the aircraft after a day's flying. Just my experience.

+1 for Pitts of some sort.

Oops - good point Wookman.

Neddy You should always switch off the Rx before switching off the Tx. What you have triggered isbthe Failsafe by turning off the Tx first. The Rx sees that as a lost signal and goes into Failsafe. You need to set the Failsafe so thatnon signal loss, for an eldctric motor,the motor shuts down. For IC, you would set it to idle. Find the section on Failsafe and after you select motor it should allow you to set the throttle position. You will need to set it at zero or 100 depending on what the existing setting says. You test the Failsafe by having both Tx and Rx switched on and then switching off the Tx. There may be a slight delay when you turn off the Tx before the motor stops. You should do this check before starting every flying session to check the Failsafe is working correctly.

OK, have you tried using the "Reverse" function that is described at para 4.3 in the manual? As I don't have an XP8103 I cannot work through showing screen shots. The screen shot I've sent seems to work as follows: 1. Switch on the Tx 2. Press the UP DOWN keys together to enter Function mode. 3. From the list displayed, use the UP DOWN keys separately to access the Reverse function from the list. 4. Use one of the <ch ch> buttons to select the channel you want to reverse 5. Press one of the + - buttons to change the direction of travel 6. Select the next channel to change using the <ch ch> buttons and reverse it using the + - buttons. 7 When done, press the UP DOWN keys together to exit Function mode. 8. Take the prop off and then check the channels affected to make sure they work correctly. If you feel you cannot tell which way the motor is running then put the prop back on and restrain the aircraft while you try the Throttle switch.

Hi Neddy To avoid confusion it's always best to use the standard terminology. For example: a. Pairing should be called Binding as that is how it is referred to in all manuals I've read since 2010. b. "Power turned off" can be confusing. Is the Tx power turned off or is the throttle stick in the closed position? I suspect you mean with the throttle stick in the closed position but I'm not 100% sure. Turning the Tx off is the way we check that the Failsafe works correctly. For an electric motor, you should set it so the motor either stops or has a very slow idle. c. Is the motor running in reverse or is the throttle function reversed? I suspect the latter as you say it runs flat out with the power turned off - see my b. d. If the motor really is running in reverse i.e. the aircraft is being pushed backwards with power on, you need to disconnect the drive pack, and then remove 2 of the 3 wires going from the ESC to the motor and swap them over. It doesn't matter which 2 you swap over. Then reconnect the flight battery and check that the motor runs in the correct direction. (The ESC turns the DC current of the battery into a 3 phase AC supply to the motor. The switching on and off of the 3 phase supply provides the turning force for the motor so swapping 2 of the 3 leads over merely turns the direction of rotation of the 3 phase supply to the motor.) When making any checks on an electric motor, always remove the propeller first as if the motor goes to full power you don't have a major problem! I had a look at the manual that is posted and it seems to be missing the page with Reversing the Servo movement on it. I found another manual here, which is not as easy to navigate but does have the relevant section on reversing a servo and I've posted the screen shot of it below. If you follow that you should get a reversed servo direction. If the throttle stick is working back to front then you need to reverse the throttle channel as well. Hope that helps. Peter