Adrian Morgan

Percy My mistake. There were photos of various stages of the build, but I cannot recall whether they were sent on paper with the kit or on a CD. I can't remember a CD but I do remember looking at various photos, not that they were really necessary.

All I can say is that the Laser 80 is perfect for the Spin Doctor. Not over powerful, which is fine by me, but capable of pulling the thing vertical. My mate flew it first and was doing effortless knife edge circles from the start, and as a petrolhead for 40 years, having flown pretty much everything, claimed it was by the far the most precise plane he had flown. And is certainly lives up to its name, but nothing vicious. Held the knife edge with no aileron input. (I have yet to progress to that level). He is seriously considering a Smooth Operator now, with... a Laser 100! Sad thing is, and I may be wrong, I got the impression that my SD was the first Balsa Cabin had sold for a while. More's the pity as it went together in about 10 days of long winter evenings, and I wish now I had stretched the build out to a month it was such fun and good therapy after a day's work... building wooden boats in a cold shed. That £165 buys a whole lot more than a box of high class wood, metal, acrylic and veneer. Whereas, where's the added value in spending £165 on an ARTF, aside from the thrill of first opening the box. As for plans? Didn't need more than the sheet supplied by Mr Tindal. Almost an ARTF then... maybe an AARTF

That's the first real information I have had about the Spin Doctor/Smooth Operator, so many thanks. More if you can please. I chose the SD because it would fit in the Discovery without detaching the wings, but have wondered ever since if the SO would have been a better option for a relative novice. They say the SO is a stretched SD, so I imagine it would be more docile. The SD is pretty viceless, stalls and spins, but recovers easily. Certainly, as a large, semi-scale slope soarer by nature, all withg obeche/foam wings, only ever having flown a Pulse ARTF, I can't comment on weight but the SD seems perfectly light to me, and the wings being obeche/foam are strong. The fuselage is such a simple construction, as against the complex balsa matrix of an ARTF. Compare the kit-built Acrowot, which I have, to its Chinese counterpart. Lighter, perhaps but Chinese-built ARTFs seem to turn into balsa bits at the slightest excuse, and there's little chance of repair. My Pulse, for example, which went all saggy, but maybe putting floats on it was a bad idea... On a more serious note, no one considers the dreadful conditions in the huge Chinese sweat shops where hundreds of women spend their days gluing ribs and fuselages together, with no idea what they are making, often from my experience using not enough glue. I have taken a couple of Chinese-built up wings apart, and was appalled at what I found. They look good, as they have nailed the art of covering and graphics, but what lies underneath is often pretty shocking. We have sold our souls to the Chinese and the more we crash, the more we buy the richer they become. Meanwhile the old, very simple skills of building - which is surely integral part of aero modelling - are slowly lost as the next ready-made box of ARTF foam and balsa arrives in the post..

Aero modelling is, as it suggests, all about modelling and flying. When I see a log of someone slotting an Acrowot together and calling it a build log, I feel sad that they are missing out on half the fun. Buy, fly, crash, buy, fly, crash. And, as I said, the more destruction the happier the Chinese. Balsa Cabin and the very few remaining suppliers of proper kits (and they are NOT hard to build, with obeche/foam wings and very simple slab sided fuselages) deserve our support. Use or lose. I would love to read something about a Pegasus Models Laser 200 or a Smooth Operator. All I can say about the Spin Doctor is that it is a total delight to build and fly and, one day perhaps, to rebuild, which is another aspect of the hobby.

My flying mate had an Excitation and he says the Spin Doctor is so, so much nicer and precise. We were going to put his Zenoah 26 in the SD, but no way would it fit. The Laser is perfect in every way. Balsa Cabin should if there's any justice sell heaps of these but everyone seems to buy ready made, which means they miss out on the hours of joy building. And when all that light ply and balsa, badly glued together with cyano, has a bad landing, it's curtains (or rather shards). It would take a lot to break a Spin Doctor. We've tried! The Chinese meanwhile are laughing all the way to the bank. The more we buy the more we crash the more we buy.

How do I add a photo? It asks for an album, why I don't have, and the next button gives me a page of mock Latin.

Just built a Spin Doctor. Great fun to build, easy, strong, and flies superbly on a Laser 80. Why ARTF??? All the fun of building and flying for around £175 (plus bits and bobs of course), If I could figure out how to post photos on this site I would. Adrian

Many thanks. Two ferrites it is then. Much obliged for all your posts.     @import url(http://www.modelflying.co.uk/CuteEditor_Files/Style/SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(/CuteEditor_Files/public_forums.css);

Yes, I have noticed. But if using a ferrite ring,  the leads are tight against the ferrite as they wind around (x 3 in some cases). I am talking about a clip on, and how tight it should be to work best.    I can't fit the ferrites anywhere else on the servo lead(s) apart from on the short extension into the rx (I have read that ferrites should be fitted as close to the rx as possible.   All good stuff, and many thanks so far. I await more advice before final decision. The plane flew happily for years (in other hands) with nothing. Maybe just a bit paranoid.  @import url(http://www.modelflying.co.uk/CuteEditor_Files/Style/SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(/CuteEditor_Files/public_forums.css);

The extension leads at the rx end are too short to allow a double pass. The internal dia of the ferrite gives a slightly sloppy fit on one lead, hence my question.   Would packing them out help, or is the whole point to get the ferrite close to the lead wires?    Is this "mutual coupling" a reality, or just a theory? Would using one ferrite over two leads be worse than none at all?     @import url(http://www.modelflying.co.uk/CuteEditor_Files/Style/SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(/CuteEditor_Files/public_forums.css);

Can I fit one single clip-on ferrite over both the aileron servo leads (close to the rx) or should I use one ferrite per lead? Trouble is the internal diameter of the ferrite is a sloppy fit on one lead, but tight if I clip it over both. The idea is to prevent interference in long aileron servo leads on a 4m glider. Thanks     

Question: Futaba FF7, Phase 6 slope soarer. Ailerons (2 x SD200 mini servos); flaps (1 x S3001); rudder, elevator (both S3001s). Mode 1 How to programme FF7 to give flaps down (plus elevator down) AND ailerons up (flaperons), ie crow braking, ALL on right throttle stick, ie progressively, not using any switch (other than maybe to turn the whole caboodle off to avoid accidental throttle stick movement in flight) .  Would putting flap servo on Ch 3, then P-mixing Ch 3 with (1) elevator; (2) aileron 1; (3) aileron 2 work?

Shaun, that's brilliant. I would dearly love to know in greater detail how you did it, even see some photos. I presume you used a single servo in the middle for the flaps? What angle do they go to? Are they adjustable, or just all out? And the ailerons... Any more details/photos would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to message me via forum

Anyone fitted crow braking to a Phase 6, semi-symmetrical wing? Is it feasible? Does it work? I fly off Highland slopes with rocky/heather landing, which requires slow approach.

What a great forum! Overnight response. In defence of my instructor, he is an incredible pilot, notwithstanding his digital confusion... One more, since you're all there: I'm building a Phase 6, which is the kind of plane I used to build in my youth. Our landing areas are very restricted (tops of Highland hills) so would it be a good idea to programme the ailerons to flip up as semi-air brakes? Full crow braking might be a step too far for a beginner, and tricky to build into the semi-symmetrical Phase 6 wing.  Advice please.

 Futaba Trainer mode query I am about to be taught to fly by a very experienced self taught model pilot. However, he moves the elevator lever forward to go up, and vice versa. I want to learn the "proper" way  ie a conventional joy stick.. Question: in Trainer mode (buddy cable attached)  is it possible to program my transmitter so I can use my elevator lever in the accepted way, but when he takes control he reverts to his way? Otherwise I fear disaster. Futaba's help line says "yes" but the FF7 manual is unclear. Under "Precautions (p38) it reads: "BE SURE that the student and instructor transmitters have identical trim settings and control motions..." We have Futaba FF7 and FF9s. Many thanks.