Nick Cripps

More likely that the floats have moved the cg back a bit, a common problem when converting a land plane. I would advise that you balance the model at the most forward point recommended in the instructions as a starting point. Ideally, add any required weight to the nose of the floats so that when you convert back to wheels you don't have to remember to take the weight out again. The Wot 4 should cope ok with the extra weight, though. It may stall at a slightly higher speed but it won't be a problem so long as you are aware of it. Having said that, if you have the opportunity to reduce the weight then that's good, too!

Surely you mean tailplane?

Watching Neil Tidey starting a v-twin in his waterplane at Billing Lake last year, he simply attached a croc-clip to one glow plug, started it up on that cylinder, and then just touched the clip on the other cylinder's plug which fired instantly. But then, he is the master

Martyn, Why don't you keep the tailplane fixed and use wing incidence to control pitch as well as roll?

According to the Met Office, winter officially starts on 1st December, so I thought it was about time to revive this thread. I managed to get to the field late this afternoon for an hour or so and was surprised to find the conditions better than expected. Why the other 160-odd club members didn’t take advantage of the good weather is anybody’s guess but I was happy to have the field to myself. I’d picked up this Wot 4 at a local swapmeet about a month ago for just £65 including engine (40LA) and servos. After fitting a rx and battery, and tidying up a few bits and pieces (including removing a screw from a servo lead!), I was pleased to find out how well it flew and in the conditions today, it excelled. No surprise, I guess, it’s a Wot 4! I had just 3 flights, taking my time, practicing touch and goes, from left and right hand circuits, wheelers and 3-pointers, until sunset and I could barely see the model - magic! If this is winter, I can take some more of this!

The flaps have to be raised after landing to prevent the engine from overheating as the flaps block the radiator outlets when lowered. In this video, the flaps were raised as soon as the aircraft touched down so I think there are probably other reasons the pilot chose to do so, such as those mentioned by Jon and Peter. Incidentally, an "unnamed pilot" put the RR Spitfire onto its belly at East Midlands Airport a few years back trying to raise the flaps after landing: **LINK** Note to self - read all pages of a thread before posting, I now see that Josip has already mentioned this - doh! Edited By Nick Cripps on 05/11/2017 10:08:15

Re: servo installation We all know (don't we?) but it's worth emphasising in a back-to-basics guide to ensure that the little brass thingies are inserted the correct way round. PS - I like your servo choice

The easiest way is to buy a glow charge lead, remove the bullet connectors and solder the wires to the cox glow clip. Then you can power it from a standard push-on glow starter. Simples!

Hi Josh, Your best source of information is the British Model Flying Association (BMFA) website. Details of the laws regarding operation of model aircraft can be found here: **LINK** Note that there is no distinction between powered and non-powered models. You should also consider having 3rd party insurance to protect you in the event of an accident. Again, the BMFA can help here. Welcome to this fascinating hobby, I hope you and your fellow students enjoy learning about all it has to offer. Edited By Nick Cripps on 24/03/2017 14:13:42

43 for me, better than I thought...

Have a chat with Pat Dare, he's been flying a Jabberwock with floats for as long as I can remember. I enjoyed the video, too. When will we see you back at the Colwick meetings? The dates for this year are on the British Waterplane Association website **LINK** All welcome!

David, I think you're talking about Carolyn Grace and her Stampe, G-AXNW, which looks good in overall blue with a gold stripe. **LINK** Incidentally, Carolyn's husband, Nick, bought Spitfire ML407 in 1979 and restored it as a 2-seater. Sadly Nick was killed in a car accident in 1988 but Carolyn decided to keep the Spitfire and learn to fly it herself. She is still flying the Spitfire now in displays, along with her son, Richard.

Hi Max, A superb photograph of a fantastic achievement. Well done to all involved.

A dozen foamy chuck gliders for a club event this weekend

In best “Erfolg” tradition, I thought I’d recount my flying experiences at the field yesterday. It started at 9am, meeting up with a one of our newer members, Andy, whom I’d offered to instruct using my trusty old trainer. I’d bought the model a few years ago to teach my son to fly but he’s more interested in cars so with a Super Tigre 51 and wild movements it makes a good winter hack; setting lower rates on the slave transmitter still allows it to be used for training. Andy had had a couple of lessons previously and spent many hours practicing on the simulator so was able to fly reasonably consistent circuits with me only having to take over a few times. A few minutes into the 2nd flight, however, the engine cut and I had to make a hasty deadstick landing. Back in the pits, we discovered that the throttle servo had wound over and refused to respond to commands. Luckily it went closed rather than full throttle but, either way, that was the end of the training session. Next up was the Ripmax Me109. Last week’s attempt with this model ended with the prop assembly flying off the front as I throttled up for launch - the collet-type adaptor had come loose. While fixing that, I discovered that the engine mount had loosened from the ply sides, so a lucky escape and easily fixed. On this occasion, the model got away ok from a slightly dodgy underarm launch but seemed to be a bit lacking in power, with a buzzing noise at full throttle. After a short period the motor appeared to smooth out and produce more power but throttling back in a loop and then opening up again produced the same buzzing noise. I carried on regardless until the timer went and then landed. On the ground, I tested the motor at full power and noticed that the gap between the spinner and cowl increased slightly, at which point the prop assembly flew off, just as before, but this time with the motor shaft attached! Witness marks on the end of the shaft showed that it had pulled through the rear collet (no flat on the shaft). Saving the best ‘til last, I then flew my GP Cosmic Wind “Little Toni”. Powered by an OS91 four-stroke, I built this model 6 years ago and it still looks, mostly, as new. It’s currently the largest model in my fleet and, truth be told, I find it a bit intimidating and only fly it on a few occasions a year. My club’s site is not the largest, and with high grass/weeds surrounding the runways, I’ve found it a bit tricky to land, not helped by the thin section and highly tapered wing and, probably, a conservative (ie high) idle setting. After a session a month ago where it suffered 2 deadstick landings, I’d replumbed the tank and successfully test-flown it last week. I’d spent some more time setting up the idle to slow things down on the approach and also carried out a stall test to remind me how it behaved. Surprisingly it was very benign and just mushed straight ahead. Armed with renewed confidence in the model, I had 3 enjoyable flights yesterday which all ended with slower, well-controlled landings and no over-runs into the long grass - result! So, a few ups and downs during the day, but overall a very satisfying flying session.

Hi Percy, Have a look at the Solarfilm website, there is lots of useful information on using their products. The instructions for covering with Solarfilm include the use of Prymol exactly as Chris describes. Edited By Nick Cripps on 06/08/2016 08:01:08

Still on the grocery theme, and to help with your education Chris, here's a mustard tin tank in its component parts alongside a completed one. Just the right size for a 5 minute run on an Oliver Tiger.... From one of the silent watchers