Peter Jenkins

You forget that there are a lot of people who have donated to support the National Centre, some very generously. This money is outside that from normal subs and is used to support the Centre while it gets going and to invest in providing improved facilities. As such, your argument is wrong in arguing that you would prefer the money rather than having the existing leasing arrangement. The money does not belong to members for futile campaigns against central government which is how you would prefer it used. You are quite right to say you are entitled to express your views. So am I. I have spent several years contributing to the BMFA both at Council, Area and Club level so I feel that those who keep urging the BMFA to do this or that but never offer to help are actually working against the best interests of the body of people who are the BMFA. I'm all for having great ideas but the real issue is having those ideas put into practice. If you aren't prepared to, or just don't have the time to, devote the time to dealing with major problems then carping from the sidelines does not reflect well on one. This is particularly an issue when the facts being used to pursue a particular view are some way off reflecting the real situation.

So, Matty, what do you know? If you are so clever, how come you never offered your expertise to the BMFA at the time but chose to snipe from the sidelines. Just as you are doing now.

Hi Konanige Are you still flying model aircraft? It's gone very quiet.

I suggest Bas that you get your friend to come in and sort out the problem and then write down what you need to do to get the actions you want. I suspect that the additional programme he may have installed is a virus protection service but that doesn't alter how Windows works. In my case, I upgraded from W10 to W11 and that did not cause any problems with how I access photos. I store all my photos in the Pictures folder and then classify them by year. I also take photos with my smart phone and those I download to my computer via an on-line storage system called Dropbox. No one other than those I give permission to access a specific directory can see any of my other photos. It rather sounds like you don't fully understand how you set up folders and use the file manager to access your files. It might be helpful to get your friend to take you through that process and write it all down and use screen shots (he'll know what they are) to help you to remember how to do this stuff. Posting on here is clearly not solving your problem as you would like.

Which altitude rule was that? It is quite extraordinary to see such rubbish written after all the efforts of the BMFA that has led the way for not only UK model flyers but also those on the European Mainland. Incidentally, who is "the BMFA"? There are 3 paid staff who do this type of work. The rest of the BMFA committee members are all volunteers who give their time for free. What do you do to contribute to this effort? You are in a very small minority of people who will gripe about anything given the slightest chance. Can I ask if when you were first asked by the BMFA: Did you write to your MP? Did you respond to the CAA's information gathering request? Did you go and see the Secretary of State to explain why you were seeking a way to carry on as before given the need for the Government to control the use of multi-rotor drones? For you to now write such an utter distortion of the truth is beyond belief. If you don't like what the BMFA has done then you are in a very small minority of malcontents. Perhaps it's time you took up another hobby and spared us this continuous whining when for the sake of a £10 "tax" we can continue to fly as we have always done. The next challenge is clearly going to be beyond you so you can take it that the rest of us will take up the banner to try and prevent a blanket ban of being able to fly out of the field at the back of your house. It is already clear that the CAA is thinking of using "notified" model flying sites to be exempt from RID.

Surprised you had time to notice the high heels!

10 years ago, for aircraft below 7 kg excluding fuel (but including batteries) the height limit was - must remain in unaided visibility. Today, for aircraft below 7.5 kg AUW the height limit is - must remain in unaided visibility. OK, yoy also have to be a member of one of 4 institutions mentioned in Article 16. I'm struggling to see the point you are trying to make as the vast majority of model aircraft fall into the under 7.5 kg weight limit. OK, above 7.5 kg you need an exemption but you can apply for that and you are not limited to 1,500 ft - can't think of many reasons why you would want to go higher although large thermsl soarers might wish to do that.

I run mine for 30 mins - happens to be how long it takes to drive to the patch. The packs nearest to the heat outlet are warmer than the others so I use them last. They feel about as warm as when they have been used on a normal temp day - nothing like the pack temp when flown on a hot day though. I fly the same schedule (FAI P aerobatic schedule that takes about 7.5 mins from take off to landing) on almost every flight but may sometimes repeat a manoeuvre. I have telemetry that shows remaining pack capacity so make the decision based on that. Recharging shows the consumption to be between 3,000 and 3,300 mAh out of a 4,800 mAh pack.

Spot on Kevin.

Cold kills batteries. Below 10 C they start to lose performance. At 0 C forget it! Yes, IC don't get so badly affected but they are more reluctant to start and usually need the low and high speed needles a gently tweak if last flown in the summer. Fuel on fingers also accentuates the cold! I do fly IC still and enjoy doing so but on a freezing day, provided your flight pack is warm to the touch, it's just plug in and away you go - and you can do that while wearing gloves.

Hi Toto Nothing special I'm afraid. I bought it when I picked up the first brand new car I had bought, a Saab 9-5 Estate, and it was branded Saab back in 2001. It has a cold and hot switch. No other controls. I find that 30 mins heating is sufficent to warm up the packs - it holds 12x5S packs - I use two plugged in series to give a 10S 5000 mAh flight pack. There is enough room for an A5 size plastic box to hold various bits and bobs useful for electric flight. Provided I just open the box to remove and replace packs - used packs heat helps to top up the heat input - the packs stay warm to the touch for about 4-5 hours with OAT as low as 0C.

Well said Andy. I think some people who have posted are getting too carried away with some deep state conspiracy theories. From my time working both inside and outside central government, the cock up theory is almost always the correct one. You have to get a lot of different people and departments lined up to achieve such dastardly aims and, sadly, even during a major pandemic, it is clear that our machinery of government is very far from being the Rolls-Royce machine we'd like to think we have.

I have a pair of Zippo Hand Warmers. They are magic and can last up to 12 hours but I usually only half fill them as 6 hrs is quite enough.

I happened to have a picnic box with heating and cooling options. Found the heating option works well. My version only works off 12 v as it's designed for cars but you can get mains/12 v versions now. I plug it into the car 12v socket and drive to the field ~ 25 mins. The packs (10 × 5S packs used in pairs) are warm to the hand. Provided you keep the lid closed the packs won't drop below ~20C for about 5 hours.

Wow! Respect!

You would think so but wait till you want to fly an axial roll! With Mode 1, you apply aileron with the right stick and leave that stick alone, while the left stick is used to blend rudder and elevator round the roll. With Mode 2, you have to hold the aileron application steady (unless you are using full stick with low rate on aileron) then use the elevator while the left stick has to blend in rudder with the elevator movement. Many's the time that I considered re-training myself to fly Mode 1! So, don't think Mode 1 has no use!

Tell Ken to try harder to remember the schedule! 🤣 One of the problems with using a caller who is unfamiliar with the schedule is that they tend to call the next manoeuvre when you are still thrashing round the current one! Unless it's my mate who files the same schedule I just try hard to remember what comes next. I "fly" the schedule with my stick plane till I can remember it. Then in the real world, I tend to forget what happens after the 6th or 7th one! All good fun!

Made a snap decision to go out for 2 hrs after lunch to my 2nd flying site. Got in 3 flights of my new aerobatic schedule. Managed to remember all the manouevres (there are 17) and was pleased with my progress. The flight packs were charged but unused following the fog on Weds morning. No one else flying, surprisingly as conditions were superb -.mind you I was wearing my one piece Dickies overall and my furlined hat that buckesl under the chin! No problem with the cold as a result!

Just in csse you think the CAA has it in for us, they have published this public consultation on 29 Nov requiring responses by 22 Dec for public civil and military air displays - https://consultations.caa.co.uk/ga/copy-of-cap403-2023/?mc_cid=764d7a82d2&mc_eid=0960923b60 Interestingly, model aircraft are covered but as part of full size displays.

Love that sunset photo.

I rather suspect that you've never read and understood the Article 16 details. Even the simplified version makes all this clear.

Not airworthy in my opinion. I certainly wouldn't fly a model with the servos flapping around in it. Who knows when the whole lot could break away.

What?

Both videos are out of focus. I think you have the camera too close for the available focus power. You should not be having any movement of the servo mounting plate. Looks like the mount is not sound. You will not want to fly with the servos moving as they do as the flying controls will feel very spongy.

I don't know of anyone who flies F3A competitively that doesn't use expo. The main reason is to allow small control movements around neutral such that no one notices except the pilot and even they might not actually "see" the change but it affects the shape of the manoeuvre being flown or the straight line to be maintained in a cross wind. Rudder, in particularly, has expo applied as you need a balance between small movements to allow minute control corrections to be made as well as having a good movement for stall turns. I have to say that I use stick position switches to give me more movement of the rudder in stall turns. My start point for ailerons and elevators is 10 deg each way and then I use around 20% expo. I alter that to suit in the light of flying the aircraft. The rudder I generally set to 25 deg each way with 30% expo and the aforementioned stick position switch to kick in extra rudder at full rudder stick deflection.