Bob Morris 2

I have a Bowman Miles Magister purchased in 2003 and still not finished. Excellent quality kit

Thanks Alan I can imagine these kits being a collectors item as they were of excellent quality and went together beautifully. I used to have the Bucker Jungmeister that could be carried in a reasonably sized car fully assembled. I may have to look at current kits or plan/packs. Bob

Hi All, My son has aquired an unused Thunder Tiger .25 that would be perfect for the aircraft kits that retailed as 'Pilot'. Any idea where I may source one of these? Bob

Mercedes E350 Bluetec Estate. Bags of room, 43+ mpg. The only downside is the lack of ground clearance due to the AMG suspension etc.

Alex Henshaw in his book 'Sigh for a Merlin' relates an episode of unexplained Merlin failures. I believe it was a failure of skew gearing to the camshafts. The failures only affected engines being produced by Packard in the US, and Alex in company with RR reps' travelled to the US to investigate. The production problem was identified and no further failures occurred. But as Ken A pointed out the wartime engines never clocked up the amount of hours that current Merlins may experience. Bob

Make that two new builders. My son is building a Bowman Superfi and loving it Bob

Hi Joakim, I understand your need for ease of transport but I would like a Gladiator of roughly the same size as Brian Taylor's at 56" wingspan if my memory is correct, or maybe the CAP was 56". Anything in the 56" to 65" range would also tempt me to invest in my first Laser four stroke. Up till now I have only had OS, ASP and SC engines. I think that would be a winning combination Bob

I have always wanted to build a Gloster Gladiator, but with the demise of Complete a Pac and doubt over the availability of the Brian Taylor design and wood pack I cannot find a suitable kit. This would make an excellent winter project especially since my youngest son has demonstrated a healthy interest in balsa bashing. Bob

LEDs are now widely used in all manner of commercial buildings due to far less energy demand and no heat gain to the space. The lack of heat gain reduces the building cooling load thus saving even more energy. As a building services engineer I have to manage designs to ensure the Building Regulations energy targets are met. LEDs are an important factor in meeting energy targets. Any light source can prove a hazard to the eyes; staring into the old filament bulbs was not recommended at any wattage above 40W. There is no danger posed by correctly sized LEDs regardless what that particular tabloid may say Bob

Very well put Pete B Some very well presented thoughts on this thread. The enormity of what was happening during this period is probably beyond the comprehension of anyone who was not there at the time. I have stood in a French cemetery accompanied by my wife and three sons and looked upon my family name on the gravestone of my father's eldest brother. I am not ashamed to admit I shed a tear for a young man who lost his life at the age of eighteen three days before the Armistice in 1918. He was in the company of many of his regimental brothers; most definitely a corner of a foreign field that will be forever England.

Thanks Tom,   I assume that your Tiggie flies on a 50 or 52FS.  I have never used, or plan to use electric, and the old bipes' look and sound fantastic with a correctly sized four stroke up front.   Bob

Thanks Tim

Barry,   My main home is also in Brittany and I was there full time up to 2008.  Our place is near Ploermel in 56   Bob

Good Afternoon All,   Anyone out there with experience of the J Perkins ARTF Tiggie?  My spare time is currently limited and the Flair 1/4 scale version would probably take me a couple of years to build.  The JP version comes out slightly cheaper, and of what I can see from the downloaded building manual appears to suggest a very nice model.   Any comments on this model good or bad would be most welcome as I have no experience at all of ARTF models.   Bob 

Thanks for the info A.A.B. I will strip down and check prior to the boil and oil.    I did not drain and oil prior to laying up as this engine used to be in an old model that I used for several years as a weekend flyer until the day it collided with a tree - one of those trees that seem to move and place themselves right in the flightline of the model.   This engine is now destined for a suitably sized classic such as a Tiger Moth or similar, and of built up construction.  I have never tried an ARTF, but may do so to get back in the air with least delay while happily balsa bashing.   Bob