Steven Butler

Hi I am looking to buy a quad charger which has 4 x 50watt chargers incorporated for my heli batteries. What spec of leisure battery should I consider as suitable to run this system. thanks in advance

Lets face it you cannot beat the spitfire for a fantastic iconic shape and I love my kyosho 50 size with tuned by west 70 4 stroke. I have got the RV8 (donated by a club mate after a crash and repaired), being flown with a laser 80 which is a nice match for the airframe. I like the RV8 a lot and it seems to fly like a much bigger model, the flaps are a nice touch too which I have programmed with servo slow. RV8 is great quality although the cowl is fragile and the gel coat is brittle and chips easily

Hi I am planning on attending this weekend with some of my friends from Kent (Hi Bert), do we need to notify anyone on numbers attending or just turn up. Steve

I am currently building a flair se5a, the wings are built in 6 pieces   The left/ right panels are built seperately and the centre section is also built seperately and all 3 pieces joined together to achieve proper dihedral.   The individual pieces are very small and measure a total of just over 50 inches when assembled. The se5a is smaller than the puppeteer so the fuz will also be more compact if building space is at a premium. I hope this helps.   I would estimate each wing panel is around 20 inches long pre assembly with the centre section around 10 inches (perfect for small build areas.   Steve

i am having a quick blast now if you wish to join  

going online now, lets fly

Phoenix is I believe fairly realistic for most models. The one thing find less realistic is the take off, especially for things like the spit or mustang models. The real thing needs rudder to hold a straight take off line and a little elevator to hold the tail down to prevent nose over, this has to be gradually released to raise the tail plane ready for more elevator when flying speed is reached.   With the sim it seems to be power up pull back and that is it.   The really good thing about phoenix is the infinite tweaks so you can (when you have flown your model for real) tweak the control throws/expo/dual rates/c of g and size etc to match your model quite well.   I have a funtana 90 which is a real beast to start with in phoenix but with reduced throws and expo built in you can get it flying close to the real thing.   The other thing that is different in phoenix is the instant and 100% reliable throttle which will get you out of trouble in the sim but you have to be aware that real models are less reliable and generally do not throttle instantly.   Overall I would say that Phoenix is realistic but generally after you have flown a model so you can tweak the sim (and it doesnt matter if you crash)   I really like phoenix and to me the best thing for newbies is that it teaches muscle memory thereby making flying more instinctive when you finally fly a real model.   Steve

hi   another session starting now   the same log in details   Steve

session starting now anyone up for a fly in. Normal log in

I think laser engines are fantastic, I am currently running a laser 70 in a flair pup and a laser 80 in a RV8 which flies on 1/2 throttle beautifully. They are very hard to wear out, the metallurgy is brilliant and they even look great with fantastic machining. They are very good for in cowl installations as the exhaust is mounter behind the engine. Just make sure the dimensions will be ok as the configuration of carb/exhaust is different to most 4 strokes. Get one they are great and laser are fully British and have excellent customer service.

I am setting up a session if anyone wants to join, normal log in details

Thanks for the reply Tim. I've been wondering about that. The batteries are all coming up to a year old now so it's about time I cycled them really. Steve

Hi Can I ask a question on this subject When cycling the packs what voltage do you discharge them to. My fusion charger asks for a value and I am not sure what is a safe discharge voltage. The same applies to lipo as I am also unsure what is safe to discharge my 2 and 3s packs too without damaging the batteries. All the best Steve

Looking forward to the final result now Stephen, unfortunately just off to work so will check out the conclusion on the phone.   Best of luck   Steve

My kids waited til 6 at least. Best of luck with the build. Merry Christmas one and all Steve

Hi. I have been fiddling with the dx8 setting up retracts on a Phoenix mustang. I would like to slow the retract servo and make the landing gear look slower for a more scale feel. I have attempted to slow the servo using the servo allow menu but this simply adds a delay rather than allowing the speed. Is this because I am using a dedicated retract servo ?? A previous reply to a thread suggested that the retract servo doesn't allow travel adjustment through the tx. Thanks again Steve

Thanks for that. It seems strange then that the dx8 has this adjustment. Can you therefore use normal servos for retracts and therefore get the required adjustment using the tx. Any how thankyou for the reply. At least they are all working ready for the maiden flight tomorrow. Steve

Hi   I have just put together a phoenix mustang with mechanical retracts. Initially I could only get them to lock in one direction only. I tried to adjust the servo travel in the servo set up menu and no matter how much i adjusted it the servo did not move despite the tx monitor showing an adjustment as I rolled the wheel and the value changed. I have solved the problem now by simply fitting a longer servo arm to give more trave lbut i would still like to know why the servo did not adjust when I tried to change the servo travel via the Tx.   Any help gratefully received.   Steve

I have almost finished the p51 mustang at 99.99. I have to say the quality of the kit is excellent, all metal clevises, control horns are metal bolt style and the retracts seem good quality too. I would recommend these models. Also TJD do free delivery over 100 pounds.   Steve

Hi   I have tried a few times to watch the rcme tv articles, in particular painting roundels and it is coming up 'article not found'   Is anyone else having problems?   Steve b

Currently building a capiche 50. Will be building a flair se5a as a winter project. Steve What might be interesting is if people put there age on the replies. I am 35 and am probably quite young compared to many traditional builders. It would be a good indication of new blood coming onto the traditional side of things.

if you are using ie then there is a compatability button on the search bar (rectangle with a graph type line through it), check this button so it is highlighted and this may solve the problem.   Steve

I have just downloaded the 1.04 and the variable throttle position timer is still there (on the download page it stated the 1.04 included all previous upgrades)   Steve

I was wondering if anyone could assist me.   I have been using a fusion nx81 basic charger since I started flying and it has been fine. I charge 2600mha 5 cell 6v receiver packs and 2000mha 4.8v receiver packs (nimh)   I have recently bought the fusion elysiom pro charger to give me future lipo capability.   I do not seem to be able to charge my packs well using the new charger,   I have done a discharge / charge cycle with a pack to try it out, the reading on the top right following charge was 600 (I thought this was mha), if so should this reading not be closer to the 2600 mah as this is the pack capacity??   I have just charged up two brand new packs of 4.8v 2000mah cells and only managed a reading of 300 after a discharge.   I charged a 6 volt pack until the charger stopped and then plugged it in to the nx81 and it has stayed on fast charge for about 1/2 hour (this charger automatically switches to trickle)   Am I missing something basic with the new charger?   Thanks in advance   Steve

That is a very thorough reply. Thanks for the help guys Steve