Romeo Whisky

Graupner do a great little aluminium prop-adaptor for the Permax 400 etc and I've used them on Twinstars and EasyStars for years and never lost a prop.   (The idea of glueing on a prop never appealed to me as a sensible proposal).  I have also fitted mine with APC 6x4 props (replacing the standard Gunther props) and this gives noticeably more power without overstretching the motors or ESC.

I have to agree - the Formosa is definitely one of the great classics.   It was my first low-winger and I remember at first I had to calm down for a while after each flight!  First crash (about four years ago?) shortened it by the length of the cowl, broke its back and marmalised the foam firewall,  New ply firewall epoxied on, new cowl and and KMS brushless upgrade.  That brushless flew a few times and then started smoking during bench testing.  A couple of crashes and yet another brushless upgrade (Emax) since and it still flies a dream - actually seems better than ever and the added weight of all that epoxy seems to just improve it!  Still fly it regularly - keep thinking of buying a new one but can't see the point when this one flies so well!  

Thanks for the input.   I've got a brushless Formosa (no undercarriage) which is about half epoxy (repairs!) and which is OK up to about 12mph.   I love the Formosa but agree with Dave.  I was reading about the Blizzard on a different thread earlier and was impressed - especially as I'm a big Multiplex fan anyway.  Hadn't thought of EDF though.  I like your thinking Dave - existing batteries etc.  I am pretty much standardised on HiModel 3S LiFePO4 packs (9.9V nominal) 2000mAh 200g and same size as 2000MaH LiPo, but also use GP1300 7-cell and 8-cell NiMh on smaller models.  I just do sport flying with a few loops and rolls etc.  I just want to fly on days I can't at present.  Thanks guys - I'll look up some info on the suggested models. Edited By Romeo Whisky on 02/08/2009 19:40:09

PM?   Sorry I'm new to some of this stuff - haven't had Broadband for very long.

It is easy to add a review to model which is already listed, but I cannot see how to add a new model to the review list. How do I do this?

I've got a little EPP Phase3 Mustang that has a nasty habit of breaking its prop on virtually every landing when the underbelly bulge hits the deck and slams the nose into the grass.  (Please don't suggest a folding prop - I know that is an option).  I'm therefore thinking of converting it to a PSS sloper but although I dabbled with slope flying a couple of  years ago I've never had a PSS model before (only 2m span gliders).  I've stripped out the motor and ESC, and I now need to rebalance and possibly ballast it.  I'd like it to cope with a reasonable wind, (say 15+ mph) so my questions are:-  1.   Do I go for a CG exactly the same as when it was electric powered, or do I move it forward to be more nose-heavy? 2.   Do I need to add additional ballast at the CG to give it better penetration and control Advice please.   

I fly smaller (up to 1200mm span) electric models from local playing fields and meadows, but this year (like 2007 & 2008) has been marked by days on end of persistent high wind, often quite gusty, which has prevented flying even on the few fine dry days we've had lately. We often have to fly in anything up 10mph, but much above this and the fun factor becomes outweighed by the scare factor!    I'd be interested to hear of any small electric models that cope well in wind, and also if there are mods I could make (eg. more weight in the nose) to help my present air force to cope with wind better.

I appreciate the above comments, and I understand that there are different viewpoints expressed here. However, there are some red herrings too.  Mail order gives shops access to a market which would otherwise be unavailable to them, and staff usually do the packaging etc during slack times in the shop.  It's the same staff who serve in the shop.  Most of the shops also have web-sites so mail order is presumably a significant part of their business.  And by the way you can buy 10 Jiffy Bags at Poundland for .. er .... £1.  (I ran my own business for 15 years until quite recently and they are much cheaper than that if you buy in larger quantities).  Large sizes might cost a touch more.  And these are not isolated incidents - it is very common for the postage charged to be considerably more than the cost.  And most (say they) cannot give a total price at the time of placing the order but simply say they charge "what it costs" which they patently don't.  I take David's point about letting them know, and some have apologised when I have done so, but remember that to do that costs an additional long-distance daytime 'phone call!    As David says, it's also true that it is often difficult to source particular items and sometimes you just have to buy where you can.  We ought to praise the good guys too however.   BRC, Puffin and Gliders UK immediately spring to mind as being honest and fair in this regard, and many others are reasonable.  Some others have a "minimum postage charge".  I don't like this but at least I can make a commercial decision whether to buy or not, and I don't get a nasty shock when it arrives.  If I buy a new model by mail order, I know the box will be big, and I know it will cost a few quid to get it to me.  What I object to is being ripped off for the smaller bits and bobs that can just be popped in a jiffybag and dropped in a pillar box.   

I am getting heartily sick of being cheated by model shops who are making extra margin by inflating postage charges for mail orders. Like many in our hobby I have no choice but to purchase most items by mail order, and when doing so I always ask what the postage cost will be.  Invariably the shop staff assure me they only charge what it costs, yet when the inevitable "Jiffy Bag" arrives with the postage clearly indicated on the franking label, and even allowing a generous 10p for the cost of the Jiffy Bag, I find that the charge deducted from my Credit Card is  anything from 25% to 100%+ more than the actual charge.  As an example I've jsut received an Irvine spinner (costing £9.99 - which itself must represent a colossal mark-up!) from Moor Models (who gave me same assurance, as above) yet they charged me £4.00 postage - ie. 40% of the cost of the item.  The franking label - including the "Sign For" charge was £2.03, so that is almost 100% overcharge.   Similarly an order received from ModelPower earlier this week represented a 33% overcharge in postage.  Needless-to-say I feel cheated, and I can't believe I'm the only one being cheated in this way.      If it's happened to you, how about naming and shaming the offenders?   

In starting this thread I should perhaps mention that I only fly electric models, and therefore appreciate that these tend to be built lighter than i/c models, but it is possible that this issue might relate to both.   I ALWAYS find myself having to strengthen undercarriage and battery retention arrangements, but there is another common issue much more related to flying safety than these.   By the very nature of elevator design, the two halves are almost always joined by a thin sliver of wood - often just balsa, yet the control horn is attached to one side only.  (I realise there are exceptions to both these generalisations, but they still hold good for most models).  Some time ago when seeking information about models I was interested in buying, I started to notice a pattern of events relating to certain models failing to pull out of dives or loops with catasptophic results. Amongst these were the Overlander 1.2m Tucano, Ripmax Mustang and Seagull Extra 300 EP all of which I subsequently purchased.  It is notable that not one of these models featured a steel torque rod to strengthen the join between the two halves of the elevator, but since it is an easy modification to make, I made a point of inserting one in each of these models, and always will where possible if  there is not one included in the original design.  However as I notice more and more ARTFs now come with the control surfaces pre-hinged and in some cases to just bolt on, it may become more difficult to make this important modification on future purchases.

Actually there is another way Timbo, and in my view this highlights one of the most important safety omissions in the DX7 Manual.   Like you I wanted two-channel ailerons (Flaperons) and had no trouble prgramming this, but what horrified me was when I discovered that the ailerons could suddenly act as flaps in either direction if the flaps switch was accidentally moved while flying.  In my view the only safe way to eliiminate this risk is to go into the PRIMARY programming section (at switch on - where you select model memory etc) and scroll though this section for the selected model and set Flaps to INH.  This completely eliminates the danger, without having to worry about all the detail settingsyou mention.

Thanks for all the responses.  It is easy to get differential with a proper 6-Channel RX as described by Gemma, but to get it with a full-range RX I have to go to the AR6200 (minimum) which is £15 or so MORE expensive than the AR500.  Hang it, I can buy a new 8 Channel 35MHz RX and Xtal for that!   As new technology comes along it is too easy to forget that we flew happily for years on 35MHz and many still do.  For this model and for any that need aileron differential I will just stay with 35MHz and my reliable RD6000 Super.   And sorry Frank - I do not agree that Spektrum properly advertised the AR500 as having a Y-lead link  - the documentation simply says the RX obviates the need for a Y-lead.  They should make it clear that the Flaperon option with differential is not available with this RX.

After wasting an entire day fruitlessly trying to program aileron differential using my DX7 TX with an AR500 RX, I have just read some of the older threads about aileron mixing with this RX and am EXTREMELY ANNOYED that Spektrum do not explain in the documentation accompanying the RX that this is not possible.   Not only because of the wasted time, but also because these receivers are not cheap and how much more can it cost to incorporate a proper 6th channel instead of a Y-link???  I have bought several of these RXs, with a view to converting some older models to 2.4GHz, and in my view Spektrum STINK for not making this omission clear in their advertising and documentation.   I have just been reading some of the (old) threads regarding mixing ailerons on the Spektrum AR500RX using the 5th (gear) channel, but no mention was made of whether it is possible to program in differential in this way.   Any advice on this would be appreciated.