Tim Hooper

Music. Not just going to gigs and festivals (recently returned from Bearded Theory), but also making and playing my own instruments. I help to lead the local ukulele club here in Shifnal and, together with a friend, do our bit at a regular open mic night as well... Open mic clip

Just some shots of the latest build, if that's OK. Some 15 years ago, my wife, Netty, built a 40" Renard from a free RCMW plan. Designed by Peter Rake, this was Netty's first build, and she fitted a 2S electric powertrain, and covered the model in Litespan. She still has the model, and it last flew a year ago. Coming up to date..... Last year I went a bit bonkers and bought a new PAW 60TBR diesel, and then scouted around for a suitable airframe. The Renard seemed pretty ideal - lightweight, stick build, short nose, big undercarriage, etc. Out came the crayons, and I scaled up the Rake plan to 80". The resulting model hefts in at 9lb. Covered in Oratex. Working suspension. The biggest challenge was to try to emulate the 5-cylinder radial engine in some way. Instead of 'scale' dummy cylinders, I opted to sort of replicate the PAW's cylinder another four time from turned aluminium. The resulting 10oz facsimile adds the the correct amount of noseweight to achieve an acceptable CG. The two shoulder 'cylinders' either side of the actual engine double up as twin fuel tanks (connected together with a Y tube). The big Renard flies very predictably, without dramatics, with a suitable amount of power for realistic flight. Just thought I'd share! Tim

Looking good! To save weight at the rear end I binned the supplied snakes, and went for a lighter weight pull-pull set up for the rudder and a skinny carbon fibre pushrod for the elevator. I think the Answer was the forerunner to the Scorpion and Super Scorpion - although they both had a 'conventional' aerofoil section and structure. Tim

They're beautifully designed and engineered kits. I've built the little Corsair for rubber power, but have only got as far as test flying it. On the other hand, I have the little 18" Jodel D18, equipped with the Microaces 1S brushless power train and 4 channel control. Flies well - albeit a bit fast. Tim

Clever, eh? 😉

Whilst I'm on the subject....... I was so impressed with the Cambrian Answer that when I stumbled on a 50" variant on the OuterZone plans site, it was a no=brainer to build another! 50" Answer plan Very similar to the smaller 44" original, but this one sports an Indian Mills 1.3 diesel - just perfect for relaxed pottering. Because there are no hardwood strips in the wing panels, they've pulled into a pleasing elliptical dihedral as the covering tightened. Tim

Don't listen to the nay-sayers. I built my Cambrian Answer from the kit around a decade ago, and it still remains one of my favourite models, and is a regular flier for calm conditions! Your PAW 1.49 will probably be too much at full power for such a light airframe - although the noseweight might be useful. (Mine is electric, and uses a little outrunner on a 2S 1300 lipo, turning a 9x6 slo-fly prop). Yes, the Ritz wing design is unusual in its construction, but perfectly feasible to build and works well in flight. Mine is covered in tissue-over-Doculam. The bright yellow and red schem has faded considerably over the years, and is now a subtle lemon/pink combination. Tim Soaking the wing panels Joining the wing Planning the motor and battery as far forwards as possible. The naked airframe Red and yellow tissue over Doculam An old cylinder head has fooled quite a few! It's a lovely flier - honest!

Early days yet...... I've just bought a new PAW .060 TBR diesel. It's only had a couple of runs to date, but so much easier than the other smaller diesels that I own. There's an 80" scale jobbie on the building board to give it something to do!

Chris, That doesn't work for me, so I'll have to withdraw. Apologies. Tim

It's on my calendar.....

I thoroughly enjoyed the programme - very entertaining.☺️ Tim

Guilty as charged!😎 I was delighted when Jorgen picked up the baton to produce this kit as a result of my Outerzone-based project - it looks to be very well designed and engineered. I met him at Weston Park, and he struck me a really nice sort of bloke! My only criticism of the MVM kit is that the undercarriage looks a little small with a narrow track, so be careful when taxying cross wind. I'll attach a couple of pics of mine, if that's OK Tim

My own (Outerzone plan) Cardinal features a Mills .75, but fitted with an RC carb from an Indian Mills 1.3, which works quite effectively. Obviously I had to fit an external fuel tank - in my case a free flight item. Filled to the brim, I get 4-5 minutes of relaxed pottering, which is exactly what was required! Tim

I'm no expert, granted. I give my diesels a squirt of automatic transmission fluid (ATF) if they're not going to be used for a while. Tim

Old is just old........ Tim😉

There are thousands of perfectly good, albeit used, IC engines out there. I think that the future availability of fuel will be the deciding factor. Tim

I've been enjoying the series - to a degree. Yes, it's a vehicle for two well-known blokes to have a bit of a larf, but they have been sympathetic to a variety of hobbies - including ours. It can't have done us any harm anyway. Tim

Didn't the late Dereck Woodwood describe the best models as' fresh air - lightly trimmed in balsa'?

Hi Tom, Good luck with the Siebel. As Martin has hinted, it's not an easy model to fly - probably due to that big flat nose, I think, causing airflow issues. I flew mine for quite a while, but I was happy to eventually retire it. Tim

Blondihacks is a YouTube channel devoted to home engineering. It's creator, Quinn Dunki, is a Canadian engineer who makes machined metal items. Currently she's working on a live steam loco, from scratch. https://www.youtube.com/@Blondihacks/featured Highly recommended. Tim😎

I'm guessing you're seeing the thin elastic band that held the lower hatch in place whilst the UHU glue dries. Tim

My new Antares is waiting for some decent weather to make its debut. It's a replacement for the brown tissue attic-find thar I'd been flying for quite a while until the ancient balsa cement gave way in flight. Anyway, here's the new one, all resplendent white, grey and pink film. Span is 54" and weighs near 5lb, so it'll need to hustle to stay in the air. There's a 700 watt, 4S power train, turning a 10x6 prop - all pinched from original Antares, so that should be ample for some big aeros. An added detail is the milled ali motor/noseleg mount. Fingers crossed.......

Speed is your friend.......

What a super day!😊 Many thanks to Chris and the guys for all their hard work and commitment. The weather was pretty much perfect - little wind and hazy sunshine. I counted over 80 models present - ranging from ARTF foamies to full-blown balsa masterpieces. All were welcome. Yes, there were one or two incidents, but that's the nature of the hobby, isn't it? 😎 Tim

YooHoo!