Kit Davidson

Greetings Josip! Thank you for your interest in Croatia. You are a far more experienced pilot than me. My repeated ambition is to merely avoid the black bin bag. I enjoy ARTFs too. Car trunk space is always a consideration. I also have a Smart Cabrio car. It is possible to drive with quite large models in the passenger footwell and the roof open. If only I could rely upon Adriatic sunshine!

Dear Graham, I was worried that the necessary modification might not be clear enough in the video. To video, I pulled the wings away from the centre section without disconnecting the landing wires. Like yours, they are connected to the aft cabane strut on each side of the centre section. It reduced visibility of the modification. If you have been assembling and dismantling your TM for long, you will be bound to have broken some of the lite-ply tabs which mount the cabane struts onto the centre section. They are vulnerable and fragile in shear. My modification replicates the outermost ribs of the centre-section in thin dural (litho-plate) complete with the tabs. The dural ribs are stuck to the original lite-ply ribs with epoxy. The broken lite-ply tabs are missing. It does not matter. The dural tab is effective on its own. The weight difference is negligible. The resistance to shear in a snagging event is considerable. It enables the cabane struts to be passed backwards and forwards over the tail and its associated control wires without snagging damage. My wing joiners are metal too. I think they are discoloured because they are old and never see the light of day. I have an SC 1.20FS fitted. It is reliable and powerful. I cannot remember what prop is on there, without braving tonight's August deluge. It is a recommended size for the engine. Edited By Kit Davidson on 05/08/2015 21:33:43

The landing and flying wires are not tensioned when the double wing is put aside. They are only tensioned when the cabane struts are are lifted to be screwed in place on the fuselage. The structural integrity of the assembly is maintained by the joiner dowels and pegs. I hang my wing assembly on the wall with 2 broom handle size dowels covered in foam plumbing lagging. It has safely survived intact for several years.

Readers might be interested in my easy, quick airfield assembly method for a J Perkins Super Tiger Moth. I know that it is not rocket science. I know that things appear self-evident once they are demonstrated. Nevertheless, I met a guy at a village show who was amazed to see how quickly I assembled the aircraft for display. He had owned a JP Tiger for years but rarely flew it. He was deterred by the time and effort needed to prepare it for flight. I hope my video is useful. It is edited for ease of uploading but please accept my assurance that rigging took just over 8 minutes. The double wing assembly and the fuselage fit readily into a standard estate car. Mine is a Citroen C5, which is criticised for its lack of loading space compared to a Ford Mondeo. JPerkins Super Tiger Moth - Easy Rigging for Flight from Kit Davidson on Vimeo.

Mannish, thank you for your interest. Of course I will share, please standby. I am out on my bike at present with an iPad in my saddlebag. Someone else in this forum said that similar jury rigs are supplied with the Flair Tiger Moth kit. I have found none. I have one of those built and another unused kit I acquired in my workshop. My jury rig would work well with the Flair Tiger Moth but it is not necessary. The Flair Tiger Moth has half wing assembly roots in the same vertical plane. A simple ply board suitably pegged and drilled will pick up the wing attachment bolts. I can publish photographs here later. The snag with this device is that the assembled half wing is vulnerable with the board removed. It helps to have 2 people when fitting the wings. If you have a J Perkins Super Tiger Moth, I have developed a system of passing the assembled complete double wing assembly over the tailplane and fin to mate up with the cabane struts further forward. I intend a video of this method in the next few days. Rigging of this model also takes only 10 minutes.

Readers of this forum might be interested in my jury rig for holding the wing sections of a Flair Stearman together for stowage, assembly at the airfield or transport. The jury rig allows the port and starboard double wing sections to be removed and fitted with all flying and landing wires ready-fitted and tensioned. A short video can be viewed, which I hope is self-explanatory.   Stearman Jury Rig from Kit Davidson on Vimeo. This video is about Stearman Jury Rig Stearman Jury Rig from Kit Davidson on Vimeo. This video is about Stearman Jury Rig Edited By Kit Davidson on 03/08/2015 15:01:06 Edited By Kit Davidson on 03/08/2015 15:01:32

It was a great disappointment to read Graham Ashby was stowing his DB SE5 part-build in an uncertain future. It was more than a personal project. It was a serialised and photographed build in a magazine followed by thousands of enthusiasts. We waited patiently and sympathetically during stalls of the build which eventually proved to be harbingers of abandonment. Graham composed an honest and prostrating editorial and described symptoms of project postponement that we all recognise. But is all lost? This was a magazine feature. Cannot the ball be passed? If Pete Lowe can see a Phoenix rising from the disastrous ruin of his speared Harvard, he is at least one accomplished and enthusiastic RCME feature writer who might fit the bill. It is a regular aspect of aeromodelling for part-built projects to be abandoned, sold and carried forward by others. Could the editor consider donating the SE5 to a RCME writer or reader, in return for a build-blog worthy of publication?

Posted by David Davis on 25/01/2015 10:48:59: I believe that Laser have stopped stamping buyers' initials onto the crankcase. Hi David, I bought 3 new Lasers in late 2014. Each proudly displays my initials, together with the that of the builder (Jon) and his sequence number for that capacity engine. Do I fit them or just continue to fondle them?

The Halfords Bicycle Hoist is a cheap but handy piece of kit for hanging large models from the ceiling joists. It costs about £15.

I probably received my subscriber copy as early as anyone else on 13 October. I noted I had already missed 7 'forthcoming' events because the dates were already historic. I would not have attended but the utility of advertising past events must be questioned. Nothing daunted, with a little bit of excitement I telephoned an advertiser in the readers' for sale and wanted section. He had sold his model a week previously because he had also advertised his item in a rival RC magazine that was published in an earlier week. Would it be beneficial, if in exchange for free publication of his advertisement, the advertiser agrees to RCME exclusivity? Could the editorial staff please also make a connect between the publication date and calendar events advertising for attendees?

It may no longer be relevant to John but I solved a similar Walbro Carb problem on my Evolution 33. The aircraft had previously crashed. I took the carb off to clean it. I incorrectly reassembled it to the inlet manifold with the paper gaskets covering the tiny drilling that transmits vacuum pulses to the pump diaphragm. My engine had previously exhibited baffling failures to accelerate. They could not be eradicated with leaning or enriching. it is always a simple solution! Edited By Kit Davidson on 19/08/2014 07:43:03

Have you used the right mix of oil to fuel? Some engines vary immensely in mixes. Zenoahs are fine with 50:1. Evolution 33s need 20:1. A rapidly opening throttle will result in a lot of heat to dissipate. An engiine may tick over but refuse to accelerate or maintain top revs because it is overheating and binding before it seizes. Please check for correct mix. If you have no confidence in what is in your can, make up a new mix.

Tomas - what will you do with all your other Winter weekends? It is a splendid unorthodox choice. But this thread is inspired by unorthodoxy isn't it?

Dear Colin, You are as helpful as always but please don't make me explain the joke! Kit

Thanks Colin! I looked first at the Vortex Vac-Form web site as recommended by Nigel Hawes' feature. A canopy for the Can-Doo is not listed. Following your helpful message, I looked again this morning. A canopy for the Fizza is neither listed. I sent Vortex Vac-Form an enquiry by email on 12 November. I sent a repeat enquiry this morning. On a more positive note, my power train arrived from 4 Max yesterday, within 36 hours. My Tower Pro 9g servos also arrived within 24 hours of order from Steve Webb's Servo Shop in Frodsham. i hope my experience is of value to other aspiring Can-Doo builders. Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 16/11/2013 18:36:41

The thought occurred to me that it would be fun as a subscriber to take an early start out of the blocks and get the first reader Can Doo flying. But the Gods were against me. The power train is available from a special page on the very enterprising 4-Max web site. The canopy is not listed on the recommended vacuum forming web site. Buying balsa from the Balsa Cabin involves identifying part numbers from one page on the web site, writing them down before transferring to an order page, adding the prices to make a total before sending an email to the company. The next day one must await a confirmation email with postage costs before making a telephone call with one's debit card details. I joked that the Balsa Cabin web site must e driven by a hamster in a wheel. Balsa Cabin joked straight back and replied that they had kicked the hamster up the butt. i suppose I'll make a better job if I take my time.

There was no Readers' advertisements section in this issue and no explanation for the omission. I find this a important and worthy part of the magazine. I don't suppose I will need to wait long for an explanation from the editorial staff?

Posted by Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 15/04/2013 13:24:50: Posted by Martin Harris on 15/04/2013 10:07:44: Posted by Kit Davidson on 14/04/2013 Actually Kit, it's spelt gunwale - although gunnel is an accepted alternative spelling according to the OED! The tem comes from it being the location of the guns at the wale (late Old English walu 'stripe, weal) around the upper structure of the hull. its a fair cop Gov! I am off to Belvoir Castle this weekend.

Just in case this thread is about the May 2013 issue of the magazine - I offer this: I enjoy reading the historical background to full-size aircraft design. Dave Roberts' informative piece on the Avro York is a comprehensive partner to the Tony Nijhuis model design article. Dave captions a photograph of a York in the Berlin Airlift as "full to the gunnels". I know they sound like that but as an Old Salt, I respectfully claim they are spelt "gunwhales". Please don't ask me why - or why the Boatswain, sometimes called the Bosun is always termed the Buffer. Perhaps it has something to do with Cockburns Port

Not so Dave. When thrust exceeds drag, an aircraft accelerates until equilibrium is restored. When an aircraft decelerates, drag is greater than thrust. Moving bodies can be in equilibrium too! I agree with you. I think you are flying in a different dimension.

It's a very good magazine, I enjoy a subscriber edition every month but in an effort to be constructive: Pete Lowe always tries to cover too many issues and models in his articles. It gives the very strong flavour of space-filling. Articles on techniques are frustrating for learners when they are continued to the next issue. An example is the recent excellent treatise on soldering. But a reader wants to be ale to solder his undercarriage there and then. He does not want to wait until next month to learn the final secrets. And what happened to the Editor's DB Sport and Scale RAF SE5 build blog? Does he need someone to finish it for him?

I have come to this topic late but as a Windsor Chair maker, I know a bit about bending wood. When steam is applied to wood it is used as an all-embracing medium that transfers heat. The idea is not to wet or soak the wood. Indeed steam dries the wood! All wood has a moisture content but it is certainly impractical when bending thick Ash or Oak to use kiln-dried timber. Air-dried timber bends best. Imagine the wood as a bundle of tubes (polymers) that contain moisture. Heating the moisture in the tubes makes the bundles more pliable. I have a website which shows me bending wood for Windsor chairs. Www.welshwindsors.com The plywood supplied in the Flair Bristol Fighter kit must form a double curvature around the lower front fuselage. I used a hair dryer first to see how much permanent deformation I could induce in the skin. I obtained a 90 degree bend at the rear of the skin where it was required. When I was confident that it would all follow the frames, I glued the upper and rear edges with cyano. Applying more heat with the hairdryer to the ply outer veneer, I easily coaxed the skin around the frames. I glued it to the bottom stringer with more cyano. I used thin cyano and palm pressure to stick the skin to the frames that showed gaps next to the skin I found that I needed a small dressmakers' dart in each half skin about an inch long to closely follow the almost circular first frame. I positioned it over a stringer to provide some support to the resulting butt joint. I sealed the dart with thin cyano I took some pix but I am completing this entry with an iPad. I hacked the bending but placing pix in this forum with an iPad defeated me.

The magazine is full of gems. Try reading this from the Free Readers' Ads Section at your club in a Dad's Army Private Fraser accent: "ELDERLY SCOTTISH MODELLER seeks OS four stroke, .26 or .30, decent condition. Said modeller is also very poor".

Dear Nick, Have you bound the receiver to the transmitter? Just checking! Kit D

Well I like Alex Whittaker! His writing is as interesting as he is in the flesh. He can't go to a show twice but he certainly writes about the same show twice in variations of his distinctly original style. Everything costs more Doug. Inflation was running at 5.2 per cent last September in the UK. The cost of any periodical is held down by advertising. And do you know what? I like that too. I can get minutes of pleasure just marvelling at a stunning photograph of an OS radial. There is much to learn in everything.