john Wilson 1

Thanks Chrisie. After having someone look over my shoulder whilst reading the manual and still getting no joy, I sent it back to the supplier. They didn't give me any explanation but sent it back in working condition, duly bound.  It is a bit twitchy on aileron but soggy as hell on elevator, even though I have put the throw up to maximum. Also it is prone to tip stalling but it is predictable and recovers easily. Doesn't glide too well either. Loops, rolls and inverted are possible but the lack of a rudder limits aerobatics. Still, it does what I bought it for which is to snatch a quick flight in a very restricted space late in the evening when the wind drops.  I don't like the fact that the throttle stick self-centres, and only has any effect over half its travel, nor the grotty little wheels which seem to be always on the point of collapse. It's a toy, but a nice one.  amicalement, musicalement john

Just bought a Kyosho Minium Edge 540. It's a lovely little thing and I would really like to get it airborne. Unfortunately when I follow the instructions to "bind" the TX and RX it doesn't seem to work. The TX beeps as it should but the RX simply emits a low-pitched whine and an LED flashes inside the fuselage. I have very little experience with electric flight so I don't like to go poking around for fear of breaking something.  I'm in contact with the supplier and on the point of sending it back but wondered if anyone might have encountered and solved this problem.  It's not clear to me, as a complete novice with forums, if this is the right place to launch this query so forgive me if I am treading on toes.

I'm at only 21m altitude (from the med) so I don't think lack of atmospheric pressure is an issue, irrespective of any possible fire risk. I have, currently, almost 3 times the entry area as cowl exit - ain't that simple - I reckon there is an area of dead air inside the cowl. Next step will be to open up a small exit where I think the air pocket is, and see if that stirs it up at all. By the way, 'scuse my ignorance but what is noodle wire?

I have converted an ASP 91 4-stroke using the Just Engines CDI box. I am using 20/1 petrol/synthetic. When I run it on the bench or in a model without a cowl it is fine apart from very sensitive needle settings. It gives about 300 revs more on a 14x6 than when run on methanol and ticks over reliably at around 1900rpm. With the cowling on it develops a severe misfire after a couple of minutes running. I think this is due to an overheating problem.  I had to lean out both main and idle needles a fair bit. I also abandoned tank pressure, with no ill effects, when the tube melted at the silencer. After a couple of hours on petroil (the engine, not me) I stripped the motor completely and found no signs whatsoever of excessive wear.  I have a feeling that the misfire is due to a vapour lock caused by too much heat at the rear of the cowling, but I haven't yet found a cure, other than leaving the cowl off.    

A fortnight ago, after 3 months without any reply, I sent a polite reminder to Ripmax. Result - nothing. Not even an acknowledgement. I am more than disappointed by the lack of after-sales support. I won't be buying another ARTF that's for sure.

OK, well in case anyone else asks there is also a bit in the june 2002 issue, by the lovely Brian Winch (meant sincerely - he has taken the trouble to answer my e-mail questions several times) which describes a more complex system. Thanks to you, Timbo, and the downloadable index files.  john

Thanks Timbo, I've found it in the april 2007 issue. Typical Whittaker - down to earth and witty. john

Does anyone know of either a source of simple (cheap) wheel brakes or a way of constructing something simple and reliable. All those I have seen are for jets and cost more than one of my models I have just joined a club with a tarmac runway and I have difficulty stopping the model after landing! I have tried adding friction to the wheels but this aggravates ground-looping tendencies in cross-winds.

I got a rapid, polite and helpful reply from Ripmax, who have forwarded the information I provided to their supplier. We are now waiting for the supplier to reply. Doesn't it seem to you that the manufacturers and suppliers of ARTFs, and maybe other items as well, are far too distant from the end customers they serve. I reckon that it would be good for all of us model fliers if we had direct contact with these businesses (e-mail) to feed back issues of quality etc. It would certainly do them no harm either.  Is RCM&E in a position to investigate this issue perhaps? It might be difficult to persuade obscure factories to come out of the cupboard and let us talk to them directly (maybe we couldn't speak their language?) but perhaps a list of manufacturers and agents in the supply chain, with some contact details, would help those of us who can't just take it back to the shop.

Thanks Stephen, I have written to Ripmax (couldn't find an e-mail address on their site) and will post whatever I hear back from them.

Thanks Stephen, I could take the information to the shop who sold it to me, or to Ripmax who I think are the distributors but I would still be at 3rd-hand from the actual manufacturers. This might be further complicated because I don't live in the UK. If you know how to coctact Black Horse directly I would much appreciate it if you could tell me. I have not been able to find an address or e-mail.  john

What a beautiful aeroplane. I have always designed and built my own planes and this is the only ARTF I have ever bought. I simply couldn't resist such a gorgeous aircraft.  The big problem is the U/C. Mine didn't fit at all to begin with. The U/C legs appear to have been designed as torsion rod units, but the holes in the wing of my example are not in the right place to receive the prongs on the U/C legs. Also the legs are reinforced (joke) by a compression strut of 2mm!!!! dia wire which appears to plug into nothing but the wing sheeting (I think there might be a plastic tube in there to receive the wire but there is no positive stop to prevent it being shoved in too far by a heavy landing). First flight the plane was fine, smooth, fairly aerobatic and above all lovely to look at. Came in to land,smooth grass, light headwind, smooth kiss of wheels on runway, bits of plastic everywhere as one of those beautiful spats disintegrated. One of the U/C legs had folded its "compression strut" and stuffed itself back into the spat with sad consequences.  Big repair job. Reinforce U/C struts and add positive stops. Re-build spat (always did like jigsaw puzzles) and away we go again. Second flight very pleasant. Lots of  at 1930's racer posing. Coe into land with no signs of anything other than a slightly crabbing (crosswind) but perfectly normal 3 pointer and the U/C legs fold very positively..... sideways!!! Jigsaw puzzle time again. I have given up with this one and it hangs, now sadly beautiful, on my garage wall. To fix it properly would require a much greater investment of time and money than I want to give it. I am going back to designing and building my own aircraft. They might not look quite so exotically gorgeous but they fly superbly and they don't break at every opportunity.