Vic Clare 1

Hi Guys, Thank you so much for your input in reply to my post. Lots of different viewpoints, many valid and perhaps some not quite so, but that can only be a good thing for me to be able to add to the mix. I'm NOT a 'B' flyer but I'm planning to see if I can develope my flying skills over the winter months from where I am (A) to where I wanna be, (B) hence my seeking advice from those with more experience and those who have already been there and got the 'B' Tea shirt.. I dont have the depth of knowledge as yet, and I am keen to learn from those who do. I was hoping you'd share and I appreciate you taking the time to do just that. There are two or three 'gems in the posts that have crystallised where my next step should be. * I'm a sport flyer and not interested in display flying *I can still remember the buzz of my first solo. * I can still remember the buzz when I passed My 'A' * I see the 'B' as a natural progression and a signpost to aim at. * You won't ever see me flying at a show.........but hopefully I will be remembering the Buzz I got when I achieve my 'B' in the not too distant future. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. " life long learning what a wonderful thing!" Best regards VC

I normally fly a Wot 4 Foam E, both the original and Mk2+ ( not at the same time). I'm working on a plan to regularly train for my "B" test thru the winter months rather than just stooge around when at the strip. I'd appreciate advice from you "B" ticket flyers and your thoughts on the suitability of both the Wot 4 foam E for the "B" test schedule or whether I should add an Acrowot foam E to the fleet to the mix. Whats the conventional wisdom? VC

I am fortunate in that I have a dedicated room within the house that has been converted into a modelling workshop. it has a door to access the patio and extractor fans to keep most of those unpleasant smells and dust out of the rest of the house. I've recently expanded my fleet into electrics and have a selection of Lipos in a recently purchased Bat Safe which is a great addition. I'm now looking to add a 'CLASS ' D ' fire extinguisher suitable for lipo fires ( just in case ) to my existing class 'A & B' that hangs on one side of the patio door. I would appreciate any thoughts, comments and or guidance and recommendations from fellow members. All information would be gratefully received. VC

It's not just me that has the problem and even more experienced pilots struggle with what is a challenging landing approach. Because of the proximity of trees we all have to keep a blue line (sky) between the model and tree tops so we're at height on the base leg. As we turn onto finals were still quite high and with a short run over the gorse which is a bit like a wind tunnel. I've tried slow approach and as the model slows it starts to wallow and has far less authority unless some down is fed in to aid penetration, but then it speeds up. I always have an open mind and am never too proud to copy a good idea. I will experiment some more taking into account your comments, so thanks everyone. I did think about installing an aileron rudder mix on a switch which should give me more authority for level flight when flying slowly on approach in the wind tunnel over the gorse. I'm still up for looking for a workable solution. I'm shall see how I fare keeping the fus level, controlling speed with elevator and controlling height with power too. I'm gonna be looking for the best solution cbecause I need to figure how to get from 'where I am to where 'I wanna be. So all comments welcome, warts and all! Vic

I've just started flying my E Wot 4 from a woodland clearing site. The strip is 70meters long, undulating and covered in something green( not trees) but not your normal grass. Landings are far more challenging than on conventional sites I'm used to. The approach is over 3 feet tall gorse bushes which create considerable turbulence on finals. Because of this I've been trying a much steeper landing approach but the model just refuses to come down unless I feed in a fisful of down but then I'm travelling at warp speed and Go arounds are almost mandatory. I fly with a Spektrum DX6i and I've just wired it for flaperons. Has anyone out there any experience of this on an E Wot 4 and can you suggest what would be a sensible percentage of flap to start with in my flaperon mix. All suggestions and thoughts would be gratefully received before I go and try it out. I suspect bicycle clips will be a must on the day too! Vic

Another day and my 'calm button' has reset! Thanks for the information everyone, I shall follow your advice,plus make sure I have a rubber band in the box for the hatch.I have to say it does make life a lot easier in the battery bay. Just need to check the COG and I'm setup for a Maiden at the weekend...............................'just don't tell the wife! Vic

Just finished my very first wot 4 foam E and I'm stuck on how to secure the S3 2200 battery during flight. There's not a lot of room in the battery bay. The speed controller is velcro'd to one side of the bay and it's been suggested I do the same with the battery on the opposite side. I've tried this and the only way to separate the two sides of the velcro when in position is to pull and fiddle with the battery's power cable and I'm very uncomfortable doing that because I forsee it ending in a cloud of smoke and a melted model. I need inspiration and guidance guys, if you can please. I've had to walk away before I throw something. All suggestions very much appreciated. Vic

Well,.... your comments and observations have certainly given me food for thought! Having read them all I'm wondering if I'm not over engineering my requirements. I shall give all your comments a thorough airing..........probably over a single malt methinks, or perhaps even two. * I like the look of the E flight box ( and I want one)...........but..is it really what I 'need'...I'm not so sure now TBH. * My flying sessions particularly now I'm retired and can fly whenever I choose are rarely longer than 2-3 hours... so do I need a field charger? 6-8 batteries will more than cover a session for me and some! They could travel in an Ammo box or aluminium case as suggested by Dave and Gangster. * Hadn't even thought about different sizes of lipo, but then on reflection I only started IC with a single Enya 35 back in 1983 plus my youngest daughter's Mother care box doubled as my first flight box on which I rested my trusty Precedent Hiboy. *That kit grew to a fleet of 30 odd engines and on to include a dedicated workshop in the house where the only thing I'm always short of is "space". Your advice is much appreciated and I'm grateful to have such a group of like minded guys to bounce around ideas. Many thanks Vic

As a lifelong IC flyer returning after a long absence I'm converting slowly to electric and some 'sagely advice' would be most welcome. I'd like to buy a dedicated field box for my growing fleet of electrics running alongside my IC kit. I'm seeking recommendations from those who've 'been there done that' for a dedicated electric field box a la E flight's EFLA 180. I've read good and bad reviews on this particular box. My only stipulations is it must have facility for mounting a field charger and provision to carry lipos probably 3S 2200Ah which I seem to have most of at the mo'. A cradle I guess would be desireable l but not essential. Many thanks for your thoughts Vic

I hear what you say about the Great mate being expensive. Someone many years ago shared his interpretation of two prevalent pricing strategies.. a) the British strategy b) the American strategy At the company pricing strategy meeting for the new widget' , the conversation goes something like this; The British conversation...." How much do you think we can we get away with charging for our new widget so we can get rich? The American conversation; " What's the lowest price we can sell our new 'widget' at so that we sell millions of them, go multinational and get as rich as Bill Gates? I've lost count of the times I've run that conversation in my mind when out shopping.

Many years ago I was given a Great Mate flight stand (the yellow one) as a Christmas pressie. Recently I retrieved it from the back of the loft still in its box and unused. In the past week or two I've used it outside on the patio to run up the engines in a couple of long unused models whilst making them ready for flight. Its an excellent piece of kit but I struggle to find somewhere to hang the Tx so I can operate throttle etc. I have a recollection there used to be a Tx.holder that was available as an option, but as the company is no longer trading they're not available. Has anyone that uses the Great Mate made their own Tx. holder? I'm really looking for that Light bulb idea or design so that I can fabricate one. Unfortunately as the years have advanced and my centre of gravity shifted relentlessly South, bending to the floor is no longer an option. Gone are the days when I return from the flying site with one muddy knee. Any advice pics or suggestions would be gratefully received. Vic

Ian, Many thanks for your 'Dummies' guide. It worked a real treat and I'm back in the air with the controls all in the correct orientation and that snippet of information filed away for future use. Today I'm exploring what the 7.5 has to offer. One again Many thanks vic

I am really not computer savy. Today I bought realflight 7.5,. followed the prompts as it installed itself on my windows 10 PC. Eventually the INSTALLED SUCCESSFULLY APPEARED.....This is great I thought and opened the throttle on my first take off run...kept it nice and straight down the strip and pulled in some 'up.... and ploughed a furrow...I've calibrated the elevator in reverse.....'Doh! As I say I'm not computer savy..and I cant find my way back to the calibration screen to re-calibrate the elevator the right way round. Can anyone give me the' Dummies' quick guide please. Thanks in advance Vic

I started out with 35Mhz Digifleet, sometimes unkindly dubbed 'Dodgyfleet'. then moved on to Sanwa and Futaba. My two current outfitsin regular use are Spektrum DX6i's. I still have the Digifleet and Sanwa which are in full working order but choose to use the Spektrum as 2.4Ghz is less faffing around at the site with a peg board.

I keep three models hanging on the workshop, wall, fully charged and ready to go. Alongside these I usually have two or three in build on the bench or stashed around the workshop. Altho I really enjoy building from scratch or from kits I hate covering so I do tend to have an unusually large proportion of 'nude' models. I also have a selection of models in the loft and the closest they ever get to flying is up and down the loft ladder. Lots of 'one day ill build that!!! ' plans and kits too. One day Ill sort the lot out..........................maybe !. Vic