Terry Walters

Pete - thanks for that I think it's just dawning on me that with all my mucking about the COG may no longer be at the original design point of 70mm back from LE.  As it is set up at the moment there is a slight nose down at 70mm but I'm reluctant to push it further back as that will make it more unstable?    More work to do but won't alter anything until I go through some trim tests whilst airborne.   Beautiful morning here only -7.5C but stunning.  BUT - bad news - Xmas present wrapping all morning!   Good news - Phoenix Rainbow on the way - might even get it tomorrow - 2 days to the UK is usual for Gliders - why can't the other suppliers do that - only £14 as well and you can have 2 or maybe 3 full size ARTF for the same carriage!

Flew the EG this afternoon in fairly light conditions and it was improved but not perfect by a long way.  Allowing for my thumbs which have a combined age of 120 yrs the EG was very difficult to arrive at a trim that felt right and I think I need to check the geometry closely to make sure I'm not fighting a twist or misaligment.   The EG is seems much lighter than my Graupner Elektro which is more positive in the air and easier to place in the right bit of sky.

I maidened my old style EG (yes some people are still buying them!) last Sat at Pete Bs place.  It was a lovely blue sky day and the forecast was light winds but when it got away above the tree line it was not at all nice.  Very twitchy on all axes and prompted a swift return to earth and a quick wipe of the sweaty brow.   Had a good look at it on Sunday .  I have built mine without the 'ball' in the rear, added a carbon rod along the fuz and put both servos at the rear.    The  2300 lipo sits in the excavated cockpit area with a hollowed out canopy above for better room to put all those magical things that make it work!   The rx sits in the original battery position near the wing roots,   Found the COG was a little fruther back than the last time I checked.  Personally I haven't read anything about random movement of the COG position so I assume it was my lack of precision when measuring it!  COG now altered to a proper 70mm.   So- yesterday -  further power off gliding checks in my garden - (I've only got a mere acre to play with unlike my land owning friend in the north who has more than 6 acres) - established that it could be a very nice docile lady who wouldn't hurt a fly.   So  - very nice here this am (log shifting/fire cleaning and Xmas tree to put in a bucket "by the time Madam gets back from shopping or else!!" ) and if the winds hold off I'll have another go this pm in the farmer's field out back and see what then!    

Well done Tim - really impressed - just love this era of aircraft!  It looks so right and your skills are very evident.   Jealous? Moi?

Spekkie compatible Satellite that is!

Just started a swarm sale on Hobby King code swarm sale code is 49830 - if we get enough (6 people) then we can get the price down to $10.92!   Over to you.

I would echo what Andy says - very pleased with all stuff purchased and also the advice I have rec'd from Pete (even when he was poorly at home on a Sunday!)  What more can I say!.  Postage rates also very good especially for overseas - too many suppliers charge far too much p&p.   One of my first choices - only go elsewhere if they don't stock it.   Pity all retailers aren't as obliging and there are many who need to improve their courier services to the level of Airtek (and other places like Gliders UK).

Been waiting since August to receive my ' pre-order' Wot4 foamie MkII - any know if the next shipment has arrived or if not when it will - getting fed up of waiting now and the novelty is wearing off!   Terry

Been there done that more than once (slow learner) -  at least I know what causes it now!!   Thanks Timbo very useful.   Terry

Thanks Timbo - much appreciated by someone who looks at the Spektrum instructions every time and still can't make much sense of the wiring shown - yours is much clearer.   Terry

Thanks Timbo - I knew most of it but seeing you do it clears up some of the doubts.  Job well done. Terry

Pete - just watched it - brilliant - had a great time - thanks for the hospitality and fun - really enjoyed myself.  Hope the post in the garden is ok - the Terry S will fly again!  Still can't believe I missed all the trees and hit the pole! (by the way - ever thought of moving it?)   I think the real problem was that my flying was the problem - next time will be better!   Ready for the next round...........   Hope all you in UK are doing your best to improve the value of the GBP against the Euro so we ex-pat pensioners can buy more a/c!   Anybody else out there in the Lot? Terry

I have a JAR single engine plane Pilots licence and have 180 hours - haven't flown for about 3 yrs now.  Took up r/c to keep my 'soul in the air' and found it much much harder than I thought it would be.  Trouble with us 'pilots' is that instead of accepting r/c as it is we try to put ourselves in the driving seat and trying to orient our inputs as if we were inside the plane .  That all takes time - often too long in my case.  Flying with your feet on the floor is harder than being up there!  Maybe thats why r/c pilots have a very very bad crash record compared to the full size pilots who usually only get one crash to their credit before shuffling off their mortal coil.   Also we don't have the reference points - visual/aural and just that feeling of all the subtle movements - that we are used to.  Still love flying r/c but in some ways wish I had come to it without any previous experince of the bigger stuff!   If that's not enough I am learning in France with my limited knowledge of the language - ok for day to day stuff but urgent advice from my local club colleagues in what would pass in England as a strong West Country accent takes a little too long to translate at times!!    Add Mode 1 (its all Mode 1 over here - the french have to be different you know ) and so a full size pilot does not have the advantage of even one stick working like it does in the full size world!    

SLEC/ Gliders will do you ok.

HI Pete - just browsing and saw that you are are doing an electrification of your Pheonix Tiger Moth!  I am (amongst several others projects on the go) building a DB 1/6 TM and converting it to electric.  I've built both sets of wings/fin and tailplane and about 2/3rds through the fuz.    I am considering mounting the battery vertically through the bottom in front of the u/c but not got that far yet.  Main reason for 'vertical is to get the weight as far forward as I can to meet COG but if there's room horizonatl may be better for holding the weight.   Because I haven't built anything for a v v v long time and never used modern covering materials I decided to pause and build a WeBBit intead and about 95% finished and then I can practice my covering skills before taking on the Tigger!   Hopefully by the time that happens I will have improved my piloting skills so I feel I dare fly it!   Will be following your blog!   Will ring you later!   Terry

Hi to all the other 17849 others members.  I am proud to be a 'lurker' - when I grow up I am going to be a contributor but too busy reading as much info as I can and really appreciate the forum.  Living overseas (France) I need to hear as much as I can in English so as to make sense of what the guys at the local club are saying in their Lotois patois!   TW    

Thanks Timbo - that's all very helpful and the mists are starting to clear.  I hadn't realised that it could all come in under the costs of an equivalent 4 stroke!  Brilliant.    I know I'm not out of the woods (balsa and beech!?) yet so will be leaning on you all for future advice.   I built a few tow line gliders in the 60s and flew solo with the ATC at 16 in a real one.  Always loved all things that fly (except Scottish midges!) and got a JAR SEP PPL about 10yrs ago.  I flew Cessna 150s, Cherokee 140 (but really a 160 under the bonnet) and then had a share in a  Pierre Robin DR315 which I had to sell on moving to France.   Wish I'd gone into R/C earlier - its more challenging than I thought.  having your feet on the ground and controlling an a/c in the sky seems much harder than being in it with all the visual and sound clues not to mention the feel on the stick!   Thanks again

Many thanks guys - very helpful - will have a close look at your recs and the section on electric flight.     Will the prop depend on what set up I actually go for based on your range as above?  

Hi all and welcome to my first ever post!   I am a 'late' r/c beginner with a bit of full size flying experience living in France where they don't speak properly when getting teccy (or is it my ears that don't can't quite understand properly?).   At present I am learning with a club here in the Lot Department and feeling optomistic I am about start a DB 58" Tiger Moth build which I want to convert to electric. I am confident about the build but...........................   I want the Tiggy to fly near scale and not like a rocket but the world of electric setup may as well be all french to me!  Any suggestions as to what would work so as to be able to fly at a scale speed with a little in reserve for those 'difficult' moments.    The finished model would weigh in at about 5.5lbs (or 2.5 kilos in french!)   I would appreciate suggestions of motor, power pack , esc and the probable range of appropriate prop sizes.   Over to you experienced chaps!   Terry   (somewhere in France)