Dale Bradly

During the above process, are you unplugging the esc's "servo" plug from the Rx? And then is there the remotest chance when you plug the esc "servo" back into the rx, it's going in upside down? (Whence the Rx will have no power, but the esc will be undamaged). Because if the process that GG posted here is all that is truthfully happening (which is by definition absolutely normal) and the result is 4(?) esc's have suffered damage because of this process, then you are the only person in the history of RC flying that this has happened to. Have you given one of the failed esc's to a third party to take home and check, remote from the rest of your setup? If not, please consider this.

I spent several years thrashing the pants off a Precision Aerobatics Addiction, and a few GWS foamies at sports fields. Made me a much better overall flier.

Note the unit that RottenRow linked to specifically states "without BEC" so presumably Bonzo Moon's is the same

They pull 10+ Amps on startup, could be for a couple of mins (powering the igniter) so bear that in mind with whatever you use. Once running, the load drops (mostly the fuel pump) Mine runs on the same converted pc power supply i use to power my batt charger.

Bruce, the inner expands at the same rate. And herin lies the problem. The outer is fixed between two ridgid points. The inner is secured between the servo, which to all intents and purposes is fixed, and the control surface horn, which by definition is certainly not fixed! So any expansion needs to be accomodated /allowed for, without said expansion/contraction affecting the one "free" end of the inner. Install methodology has a huge part to play in how successfully this is achieved.

I have had massive issues with sullivan snakes changing length with temperature. In my experience, i measured 1% change in length for a 40° change in temp. This can be problematic if you build/fly in such temp ranges (as i do). A previous thread on here somewhere refers. 1% might be a small number, but over a 600mm length, compared with the actual travel provided by the servo, this can result in significant changes in length, so i am very wary of them now. They need to be installed correctly to minimize this effect. Ignore at your peril. (fix the ends of the outer very securely, the rest of the inners somewhat free to move, and the snake must have some gradual bends in it (can't be run in a straight line from servo to surface).

I've had a B-25, about 2m span. Behaved the same.

Toto you're probably realising that every question you post will have a multitude of possible answers. There usually isnt a right or wrong. Its as often as not what you feel comfortable with, or what you have on hand. I wont tell you how to do it, but if i was gluing the the tailplane components together, i would do as you say, with tape and "hinge" it together while the glue dries, sitting on the bench under some weight so it aint going anywhere. I would however use masking tape, as thats what i have on hand and will pull cleanly off the balsa without pulling wood fibres apart. And i would use PVA (or a derivative of). The one glue i wouldnt use is CA, as it carries the risk of setting up while im bringing the parts together while trying to line them up in 3 dimensions; and its a pain to sand cleanly. I do the vast majority of my model building with PVA. to answer your question, almost Any glue we use in general modelling is almost always significantly stronger than the wood components, so there is no concern around strength compromise. If in.doubt, try it. Glue some scraps together in a similar manner to the proposed joint and then once properly cured, break it. You be surprised. The common combination that i find doesnt work well is ply+CA, and of course big surface area will always adhere better than small surface area. YMMV in all areas of course.

I do not wish to discuss the legalities of doing so, but one thing i do is take the plan to the local copy shop. I get 2 copies made. One is fullsize, because experience has taught me that at the end of the build my plans are fit only for the bin. Having the spare is the one to keep for future ref. The other copy i get on A3 (or similar convenient size) to pin to the wall. You're building a 3 dimensional object from 2D plans, so its helpful to be able to see the whole plan at once to assist with understanding how it goes together, without having to shuffle around large pages all the time. YMMV.

Built 3. Great wood and fit. Almost fall together. But note I'm in NZ so biased!

I'm not a huge fan of foam models in this situation (Low hour pilot/aermodeller combined with lack of parts). Yes gluing foam itself back together is completely feasible and easy, but its the proprietary motor mounts, hinges, undercarriage mounts etc that they all seem to come with that are unobtainium after purchase, that leads to arkward/heavy/ugly repairs/mods to be useable later. Caveman, good work on the funcub, i have one (still with its original fuse mind you!) so i can appreiciate what you made.

Since discovering these, im completely sold. seperate fill line, no stupid brass tubes which rotate in the bung, and easy to see any issues such as interior condition/contaminants (and fuel level!)

I have 2x models flown regularly, with 20cc gas and 6-7 servos in each, and seperate 2s LiFe batts in the 1500mAh range for radio and ignition. Typically they would be operated/flown/powered for around 20min per day. I find i put about 450mAH back into each batt. (Interestingly i find there is very little difference between radio and ignition batt for the same flight duration) No need to balance charge every time, so this is easiset done at home when wing is off anyway. Likewise as im at no risk of taking batt any where near discharged on a typical day at the field, i dont need to check batt levels between flights.

Shiny! Very nice

I use the pritt stick method, the other option i use regularly is to print/copy the plan/part required with a laser printer. Then iron the part (toner side down) onto your balsa(etc) witn a hit iron and a bit of force. Toner is cured by heat, so the ironing process will transfer toner from the plan to your balsa, leaving a clearly visible "reverse print" directly on the wood ready to cut. In terms of cutting, i cant live without my bandsaw, and also my 12" mitre saw. Is perhaps overkill, but i didnt buy it for modelling. Loaded with a fine kerf 120 tooth blade, it makes short work of roughing ply items down to size, cutting spars, 1/2" balsa etc.

I acknowledge you'd pdefer the Dora, but as an option Tony Nijhuis will scale his plans to any size. I have his 60" FW190A plan printed at 82.5". Pretty easy build.

On its way Graham. Anyone else need a scan of anything?

Hi Graham, yes i do have that. Having a read now. Give me a couple of days so i can run it through the 600dpi scanner at work and I'll send it to you.

Bump

I have been given a heap of old RCM&E. Jan 1968 to Feb 1992. Not every issue, but majority are there. (219 issues). Im in NZ, so not going to be posting them anywhere, however this is my one time offer: If anyone needs a scan of a particular article, plan etc speak up now. Note Im not going to read through every issue looking for something of interest for everyone, so you need to tell me what/when and you need. And if its a plan that already is on outerzone, then please dont ask. But otherwise, fire away.

You dont need the collet. Put it in your spare parts box.

I've got 2x 20cc Stinger SE, love them. Reliable and easy to use. Noise isn't a concern for me so I have no idea if they are "noisier" than other options. I had a NGH 17, was very unreliable for me. Some other local users gave me the "I wouldn't have another NGH" speech, so got rid of. Interestingly, a recent internet trawl suggest NGH have changed the carb on the 17cc to a smaller size unit like the Evolution engines have (was a Walbro style). So maybe it wasn't just me.

If it's of any help, I built TN's Typhoon with the castoring tailwheel as per plan, and it's perfectly adequate on the ground, maneuverable enough for taxiing (with some propwash as required) and perfectly controllable during takeoff/landing.

Don't be alarmed Toto. 1. As above, nothing wrong with the wing tube being glued in with this. 2. Give the tail feathers a good tug, and if it feels like the wood will break rather than the glue, don't panic on this and carry on as others have indicated. The major differences in the various epoxies you'll come across in this line of work are either (a) the viscosity, and this is regularly modified to suit the end use, and (b) the "cure" time, as you are aware, can be 5 min, 30 min etc and modifiers are available to adjust this. Note that none of the above covers how "strong" they are, so therefore you don't know, nor how this might be adjusted to some other value. If you had good clean and accurate wood to wood surface (which i would think a tailplane to it's respective seat should have given you) the joint is absolutely fine. The factory applied glue on the assembled structures will not be as strong as this epoxy.

Toto, don't overthink this. You're only gluing two wing halves together, with a joiner between them. The instructions i believe are clear and concise, just follow them. E.g. you state :"Now this is where the destructions turn to rat droppings. it looks like they suggest to let the epoxy dry on the wing brace before covering the other half of the wing brace and coat the two root ribs prior to sandwiching them together. the destructions look like they have an error in them." What the manual says (edited) Coat both sides of one half of the dihedral brace with 30 minute epoxy. Next, pour some epoxy into the dihedral box in one wing panel. Make sure you cover the top and bottom as well as the sides of the dihedral brace. Use enough epoxy to fill any gaps. 4) Insert the dihedral brace into the dihedral box up to the centreline. With paper towels wipe off any excess epoxy that may have squeezed out of the joint. 5) Once the epoxy has cured, trial fit both wing halves together... So in plain english, the manual states: Glue the brace into one wing. Let it dry. Then proceed to gluing the wings together... I don't see an error anywhere. The manual refers to masking tape as a temporary measure to hold the two wings together until the glue cures. Whatever works for you. A couple of ratchet tiedowns around the wing works too!