simon burch

Shane, This is what put me off. As you say, it's not a cheap piece of kit but you are still spending more and swapping stuff out. This thing is not new to the market, so surely this problem has been an issue for other customers as well. I really feel this puts people off. Simon

I would be interested to watch how you get on. I was tempted by one of these, but have been put off by peoples comments about compatibility issues with hardware and windows versions. The lack of software to convert your cad drawing to CNC cutter path. For how much the machine actually costs, I would want it to literally be plug and play, with all the software included. At the moment, I think they just cost too much for what you are actually getting. A thousand pounds gets a lot of laser cutting done by someone else !! Watching with interest. Simon

That is sad news. It was his simple autogyro which got me into those machines for a couple of years. Even managed to meet up and fly with him at a gyro meet near Telford a few years ago. I bet there are a few people who can attribute their first dabble with autogyros due to Toms simple approach. Pass on my best wishes. Simon (Hopefully you can see the big smile on my face in the last photo) Edited By simon burch on 19/01/2016 22:38:13 Edited By simon burch on 19/01/2016 22:48:48

Steve, I thought I'd had my time with auto gyros (I think a few of my old models are still being flown?) but the finish on your green one is superb. I think I might have to build another. Simon

Is that a metal head? Simon

HYou can be quite creative with solafilm. The hardest bit is avoiding bubbles trapped between the two films. Here is the wing on one of my current builds. If it's a big area (like the red and yellow), I try and keep the overlap to a minimum. The black on this is over the top of the yellow. Just applied with a slightly cooler iron to avoid shrinking it. You can see my card templates in the background. I'm really tempted to try and use vinyl as I think it will conform well and be easier to avoid bubbles. Keep meaning to buy some to test. Simon

I've always found the closed loop wires work better if they cross. Looking at your layout, I think you would get a nicer run to each horn, but obviously this is hard to tell without the model in front of you. Nice looking build. Simon

Good picture. See parts number 8, those stickers will hold the two parts of the body together. I guess you could peel off, but much neater to split. Simon Edited By simon burch on 05/01/2016 14:58:47

You need to run a scalpel along the seam under the stickers on both sides. It will then come apart. Mine has just been repaired by a friend who knows more about electronics than me. I thought my switch had failed as it just died, bough a new one but made no difference. Turned out to be a broken wire on the coil which he said looked like it had been poorly manufactured. Simon Edited By simon burch on 05/01/2016 14:32:59

What did builder of no.2 do to get the weight that low? Simon

I'm not a fan of foam or depron models.....but I'm interested. Enjoyed them all so far. Simon

Don't go with FEDEX. They are doing the trick of charging you 20 quid for the privilege of handling your parcel which you've already paid them to handle. Simon

Craig, I fly my jet at the club you mentioned, so within reason I don't think you will have a problem with your model. I've just started flying petrol and I have one of those pepper pot inserts in the standard DLE 30 exhaust and I was really surprised how quiet it was in the air. Unfortunately this only lasted 5 flights and an awkward dead stick wiped out the outlet on the exhaust. No idea why it cut.....was keeping it high and close, but the first time I got a bit low it cut in the worst possible place. Not flown it since as I'm trying to source a new undercarriage. With regards to servos, I would have something meaty on the rudder, but anything over 10kg on the other surfaces should suffice (unless you only have 1 servo on the elevator). One good thing about buying slightly over spec'd servos is that they could be transferred to something bigger if you upgrade. Simon

Looks square to me. Only problem I can see.......................your glass is nearly empty !! Simon

Is there plenty of engagement between the fin and the top deck? It's hard to tell from the photo, but could you trim the lower part of the fin to fit then block in the other side (like a taper) to maintain some of the structure of the stab. Just thinking it would help transfer and loads down into that area (rather than having an abrubt cut off). If everything is square and solid, it will only be cosmetic. Simon

I'd say their lipos must be a bit on the old side. I can remember my first few packs not having balance leads, but I haven't seen any in years which don't have them. With 2s, I think you would be okay as long as there is no puffing, but if I was having any trouble, they would be in the local refuse recycling (after proper discharging). The packs are so cheap it is not worth the risk. Simon

Might give me the incentive to finish off my Grumpy Tigercat. Simon

Rich, Is it pretty much a direct enlargement? Are you still using the HK head on the bigger version? Very tempting. Simon

Rich, How much bigger is the XL? Might be tempted to build another of these whirly birds. Simon

Well, not so good today. Thought I'd grab a couple of hours on my own in the nice weather. Motor sounded good, not changed anything since last outing but she cut after 5 mins. Was downwind with not much height. Managed to sort of flop her onto the crop field just missing the trees. Undercarriage needs to be replaced and I will need a new exhaust as that got wiped out. Other than a few more cracks in an already tatty cowl that's the only damage. Motor fired up fine when I got back to pits. No idea why it cut but I guess I need to stay higher and close to the strip until I get more confident in the motor. Simon

Going to try and grab an hour or two tomorrow. Charged up engine and rx batteries and my 5 flights took hardly anything out of them. Bit gutted could I could have kept flying on Friday, but better to be safe then sorry with a new set up. Treated myself to an NGK spark plug to find that the motor already has on fitted. Going to practise the first couple of IMAC manoeuvres and get some more time on the motor. Also found that clunk was hard up against the back of the tank, so sorted that and re lock wired. Simon

Point taken......tacho next time chaps!! Simon

I missed Grenacres this year as it clashed with another event but I'm hoping to attend next year. Don't think I will join in on the mass build. After turning up with my Pushycat to find one other there on the day I attended I was a bit disappointed. From seeing all the posts, it just seems you end up with too many options which surely misses the point of a "mass" build. Always good to see scratch built models, but personally the original idea seems to have got diluted a little. Simon

"just get better and better as time goes on" Good to know!! It's great to be able to fly for such a long time on one tank, plus I love the noise of the motor. Simon

Battery was flat in the tacho so something to sort out for next time. No idea on weight but it's been repaired so not as light as original. I don't think it has the power to prop hang at the moment. Might try a 18x10 or 18x8 g sonic as these seem to get mentioned a lot when you google for prop size. I'm using Optifuel synthetic oil to mix in with the unleaded petrol. I'm running 30:1 which was recommended for run in, but will change to 40:1 for the next batch of fuel. Simon