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David Lane 2

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Everything posted by David Lane 2

  1. David Lane 2
    Ah, yes, it was brilliant sunshine - but with a freezing cold and blustery wind. Yes, we do have a few rocks around, but as the old saying goes, keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer - so we usually set up amongst the worse of them and get quite good at landing amongst them - short video shows the huge expanse of moorland that is 'our' patch... Short flight of ancient single channel radio gear...
  2. David Lane 2
    I'm chuffed to report that another renovated Spatman took to the air today, after a retirement of around 20 years or so - I'd nearly chucked it out and am so glad that I didn't. Although I thought that I was prepared for the amazing manoeuvrability, it still took me by surprise. Possibly a little tail heavy, as I'd swapped the original bunch of AA NiCD batteies for some AAA NiMh , and a blustery wind with turbulence from nearby trees didn't help - but after a short flight I got it down in one piece and will be looking forward to the next time out, having tweaked it a bit. Roy, I will get a better photo to you asap, cheers...
  3. David Lane 2
    IMG_20210403_131321.jpg
  4. David Lane 2
    Another Spatman ready to go, for when we are let off the leash... This is my renovated model from 1989, it being the second Spatman that I had. Somewhere, I still have the spats from the '82 model, and am trying to find them to add to this. Note authentic 2-stroke, none of this electric rubbish... Roll on Spring....
  5. David Lane 2

    David Lane 2 posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  6. David Lane 2

    David Lane 2 posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  7. David Lane 2

    David Lane 2 posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  8. David Lane 2
    Excellent - but you need to add some burnt castor oil streaks...
  9. David Lane 2
    Congratulations, very nice. I know what you mean about that rudder - I remember taking mine out after a very long layoff and was taken completely off guard, rolling it into the soft round immediately - "How the hell did I manage to fly this?" The respray has commenced, and will hopefully not be too long now...
  10. David Lane 2
    Roy - there must be some link, as the familiar logo can be seen on the Bowman steam engines (lots of web pages to be found concerning those....) - but I couldn't find any info about how the name became attached to (what I had thought) was a cottage industry model aircraft kitter. I had been intending to draw a vector version of the logo (allows better scaling) - but you done such a nice job, I will nick that! Thanks...
  11. David Lane 2
    Thanks for the fuel proofer info - I think that I might still have one of the catalysed types lurking in the box, will have a shufti. I was just having a quick search to find an image of the Bowman's logo, and turned up this reference to the company, which was founded in 1926, might be of interest: Bowman's models in Brighton toy museum
  12. David Lane 2
    Very nice - you even did the Bowmans logo! I've started the spray job in mine now - which made me think - what are people using for fuel proofer these days? For many years now, I've only been building electric, or small diesel FF models - it's been a long time since I used glow fuel over a paint job. Thanks for any advice...
  13. David Lane 2
    If I remember correctly, earlier versions of the Spatman had spats made from 3 balsa laminations, rather than plastic. Perhaps my memory is playing tricks again, but I think that I might still have mine from the 1983 model, will have a look later. As for 3d printing a dummy engine - as always, before firing up the designer, it's worth having a look to see if it's been done. A quick search threw up several, such as this one... https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/rc-model-engine
  14. David Lane 2
    Roy, excellent idea to print an engine..I have a 3d printer and they are an excellent addition to the model maker's toolset.
  15. David Lane 2
    ooo, some nice models coming along here... and yes, if you want to have an undercarriage, the rubber band method is a must! My Spatman never did get the chance to try ROG, and I will be very interested to see how the gyro works out... and 'leccy versions deserve a dummy 2-stroke.. :+) My restoration continues - fuselage finally ready for a respray, new control surfaces fitted. IF the damn rain gives a break, I can make a start on stripping the wings (can only sand these outdoors...)
  16. David Lane 2
    I liked the way that it is described as a 'trainer'...err, no.... Looks nicely made and for £50 with the engine and radio gear, somebody is going to pick up a bargain.
  17. David Lane 2
    Some nice models here, and I will look forward to seeing some flying videos. Me, I'm still trying to sand off the last of the old covering from my 1990 Spatman.... but today is for going flying!
  18. David Lane 2
    Nice to see the Spatman revival coming along - I have started sanding off the old covering from mine to resurrect it, rather than building anew. I can't remember what I used for a fuel proofer back then, but it's damn tough! @Piers - it's usual to mount the tank so that its centre line is in line with the carb..
  19. David Lane 2
    Hi Ron, I've never seen an aileron version - for me, there's something very characterful about rudder/elevator models, especially when the design is extreme (large dihedral, short moment arm) - there's something about the way that they fly, as opposed to 'bank & yank'. I suspect that an aileron version wouldn't work so well unless the dihedral is reduced, and I will look forward to reading about how such a version works, good luck with it!
  20. David Lane 2
    Posted by Ron Gray on 20/11/2020 16:43:32: but the wing will have ailerons No! non no no non no no!
  21. David Lane 2
    Nice to see a mention of the Mini Skyman here - this was my first successful model, on which I learned to fly - and was passed on to 2 others to learn. It flew very well on a Cox Black Widow, but how you managed with an OS10FSR, I can't imagine.... Built in 1984, it's still in one piece, and I had been thinking of renovating it for a small diesel. (Am on a major retro phase at the mo, with CO2 and Jetex models) Meanwhile, elsewhere in this forum is a thread entitled 'What's the worst model you ever had' - and surprisingly, amongst the first few answers, is somebody complaining about the Spatman, suggesting that it 'was aerobatic the moment it left the ground'. Well... yeah, that's what made it such fun!
  22. David Lane 2

    David Lane 2 posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  23. David Lane 2
    Roy - it really needs a .15 to get the most out of it. My first had a 1.5cc diesel, and just about flew - but put a half decent 0.15cu in in for power, and have a ball!
  24. David Lane 2
    Still smiling at the enthusiasm shown here for this model! Many thanks to Robert for uploading the plan. I've just dug my old Spatman out for a last photo - but upon closer examination, perhaps it is not too badly gunged up around the motor, and I'm thinking of sanding it down to the bare wood to see if recovery is possible. (Need the damn rain to knock it off!) Note the undercarriage modification - the one flaw with this design was the habit of ripping out the fuselage floor, and so I added a pair of dowels to allow the use of rubber bands. On the underside, there's a spring clip which was used to hold a smoke cartridge, back in the day. I first built one in 1982, but a noob to model flying, it didn't last long - but I liked it so much, that I built this one a few years later. Yes, that leading edge is a bit unorthodox - also seen on the 'Quickie' (which was kitted in the UK by Anglia models). I'm no expert, but believe that it contributed to the fantastic rolling and spinning ability of the Spatman. Cheers all don't forget to post your photos for this revival.
  25. David Lane 2

    David Lane 2 posted a gallery image in Member Albums

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