John Roberts 9

I watched the whole thing this morning and was pleased to note that the Committee were, for the most part, surprisingly sympathetic towards recreational model flyers. Dave Phipps made some good points but I am inclined to think that to the average, poorly-informed, non-flying viewer, David Dunn will have come across as being more compelling because of the frightening picture he painted of swarms of hacked drones making attacks etc. I fear that most people will simply accept his speculations as 'fact'. His solution is to regulate/register/control everything and yet none of his 'solutions' would have any impact whatsoever on the malicious/criminal drone users who would simply sidestep all the requirements. It was also irritating to hear him effectively liken drones to guns in the USA which simply feeds the media hysteria. I really hoped that someone would have challenged him for some stats about the number of injuries & deaths caused by firearms compared to those caused by drones. The second session with Baroness Vere makes it abundantly clear to me that registration, testing and the fee are all now utterly unavoidable. Personally I found her at times to be smug & condescending in her delivery (warm words but withering tone when it came to model flyers) and there were a surprising number of topics of which she was 'unaware' or 'unable to respond' or vague. But none of that matters because the wheels are in motion and come November we will all be faced with a three way choice...…….give up, register or fly illegally.

I should add that having done this the brake engaged very positively indeed as soon as I closed the throttle stick......it was immediately obvious that it was working properly. As I recall, on at least one of the models, I found that the throttle trim didn't need to be completely backed off to nothing for this to work. With a bit of trial & error I found a trim setting that was somewhere between the default mid point and the minimum which was enough to get the brake function working as intended. Probably just down to a slight variation between the ESC's because the Tx (Spektrum DX8) was the same for all the models concerned.

Yes, I just clicked the trim button downwards until there were no more clicks left. Simple as that.

I have found that on some ESC's the brake function doesn't work unless you have the throttle trim on the Tx reduced to almost nothing. I suspect that with the throttle trim 'centred' (which is the normal default setting) the ESC will assume that the throttle is still slightly open (even though the motor isn't actually turning) and, therefore, will not engage the brake function. YEP speed controllers seem more likely to exhibit this issue but I am pretty sure the same principle will apply to other makes. This fix has cured an apparently non-operative brake on three of my models (two gliders and one flying wing). Certainly worth a try...……...takes a few seconds and costs nothing!

Exactly the information I needed. Thanks Simon

Very neat job Simon. I have been thinking about getting a Wot 4 Pro myself and doing an electric conversion. It would be very helpful if you could provide specific details of the motor, ESC and prop you used please. Thank you.

I agree with Martin & Percy, it will make virtually no difference. I hope you don't mind if I also offer a few words of advice about the cross-weave tape you have used. It is very strong and makes a great repair but it is susceptible to attack by ultra violet light. This causes the adhesive to dry out (takes about 3 months usually) so check it regularly and replace as necessary.

Stearman65. That is a pretty good deal given that the included Rx alone retails for over £70. That said, for reasons that certainly defy logic, my heart is set on a DX9. I don't need the extra channel but, as the owner of an earlier generation DX8, I feel the need to see an 'upgrade'. Silly I suppose but, for me anyway, it is analogous to buying a new car...………….I don't want a new one which is the same as the old one. As the saying goes 'there is no fool like an old fool' ....….….….......it is probably just a phase that I am going through and will grow out of it eventually!

I will admit to being deliberately coy about the Tx I had in mind largely because I didn't want to kick start another re-run of the old argument about Spektrum vs Futaba vs Frsky et al. It has been done to death and I reckon most people are a bit tired of reading it. Anyway, I am looking to replace my first generation Spektrum DX8 with a Spektrum DX9 Black Edition. All the UK retailers I looked at are selling at 359 quid. In times gone by Spektrum occasionally released 'special editions' that included extras such as a free Rx or an aluminium carry case and I was hoping that one of these offers might come along for Christmas but no signs of that right now. In fact it seems as though Spektrum (Horizon Hobby) has stopped these specials completely as part of their overall UK marketing strategy

My suspicion has always been that the manufacturers/importers have the retailers in a headlock when it comes to pricing. I doubt the retailer is making much at all on the deal. As Peter Christy says above, the pricing of much of this equipment outside the UK tells its own story about markup.

The retail prices being offered are 40 quid cheaper than manufacturers RRP. Whilst my current Tx continues to work very well, the set I have in mind offers more functionality (I am particularly thinking of flight modes for gliders) plus some useful frills like voice prompts etc. Also who doesn't like a brand new bit of kit occasionally! It easy to understand why so many people are turning towards the (apparently) high spec offerings from Frsky etc. at remarkably good prices compared to the traditional mainstream marques.

The festive season is just around the corner and my good lady has offered to buy me an upgraded Tx for my Christmas present. My existing Tx (from one of the 'big name' producers) has served me well for 7 years and so it made sense to stick to the same brand (familiarity and the fact that I don't really want to have to replace about 20 Rx's). Two things immediately struck me. First, there only appear to be only a very small number of UK retailers stocking this brand. Second, and more significantly, all the stockists are listing my preferred Tx at the same price. In the UK retail price maintenance (RPM) is generally unlawful so is it just pure coincidence that all the UK retailers are selling at the same price?

Hi Rene, It is definitely 2M and mine, with a 4s/3000 Lipo installed, weighs in at 1962 grams. It is relatively expensive for a foamie but that is reflected in the superb quality. Flies beautifully too, one of my favourite models!

All working fine for me too now. Thanks Andy

This gets more interesting. As mentioned above I have been unable to connect to the BMFA site for 24 hours+. So far I have only tried to access the site using MS Edge. Out of curiosity I tried to connect using Firefox but this browser also refused to connect but, and here is where things get interesting, my anti-virus software (AVG) simultaneously threw up a dialogue box saying: "We've safely aborted connection on www.bmfa.org because it was infected with HTML:Iframe-BLG (Tri)". This presents at least 2 possibilities. First, AVG (and perhaps other AV products) is throwing up a false positive or second, AVG is correct and the BMFA site does indeed have a nasty lurking. Someone far more tech minded than me might be able to throw a bit more light on this? I am a BT internet user connecting via a Hub 6 router - rebooting the router makes no difference either.

As others have said already, sharp blades are essential. I use Swann-Morton scalpel blades and will go through 8 - 10 of them whilst covering even a small model. These can be bought cheaply in quantity on ebay. They are still plenty sharp enough to use on balsa after being retired from film cutting duties! I also find that having a reasonably heavy and wide 1.2 metre rule (Silverline do a reasonably priced one) not only helps to make long straight cuts but also allows me to put a decent bit of downward pressure on the film when I am cutting. The film is so slippery that it is very easy for a small/light rule to move thus giving a wonky cut! For me the final tip is not to try to cover too much in a single session. It is a patience job. Do a bit at a time. I stop and have a break or even leave it until the following day as soon as I start feeling the first hint of irritation at the 'fiddlyness' of the whole process. Works for me anyway!

Same problem for me. I have tried connecting several times over the last 24 hours without success. I get various screen messages but this one is the most frequent: Cannot securely connect to this page This might be because the site uses outdated or unsafe TLS security settings. If this keeps happening, try contacting the website’s owner.

Nigel, I have found that 4mm breakable nylon bolts were just a bit too fragile but 5mm ones were the ideal compromise - strong enough to stand a bit of a rough landing but weak enough to snap if you drop the model down heavily. Just be aware that whilst the breakable bolts are a good way to stop the whole u/c mounting block from getting ripped out of the fuselage you may well find that the battery cover catch starts to pick up damage instead. I suggest that you try to 'fabricobble' a bit of a foam skid to protect the catch because it will soon get torn out otherwise.

I have dropped a polite but forthright email to Ripmax regarding this issue. It will be interesting to see their response. Some on this forum have found Ripmax to be both quick & helpful when responding to queries/issues whereas others say they hear nothing. From time to time all companies will encounter faults with their products - the true measure of a good company is how they react & respond when it happens.

Well I have now removed all the extra weight that I had painstakingly hidden within the tight confines of the cowl and the plane balances at the 80mm point. This ought to be a safe starting point given that Dave Hess' version flies well at 90mm. Just need a calm-ish day to get it maidened and trimmed out. For what it is worth I intend to take Ripmax to task about their failure to notify purchasers about the error in the manual. How hard can it be to put a note or sticker in/on the box? Relying on a statement on their web site just isn't good enough. Thanks to everyone above who responded to my post!

Thank you Brokenenglish . I appreciate you taking the time to post. I agree that it is very poor indeed for Ripmax to continue selling the model including instructions containing such a fundamental error. I am pretty sure I know the answer to my next question but I will ask it anyway - did Ripmax replace your lost Wot 4?

Hello, I have just finished assembling a Wot 4 Foam E Mk2 which I bought to use as a winter hack. Although it went together very quickly and without any issues I was a bit surprised to find that I needed to add 70 grams of nose-weight to get it to balance at the recommended 70mm point. I am using a 3S 2400 Hacker LiPo (185g) which is probably a bit heavier than the 2200 recommended by Ripmax so the need for additional nose-weight was doubly unexpected. The instructions say it ought to balance correctly with no adjustment. I suspect that the model will happily fly with a more rearward CoG and the instructions mention adding tail weight to "provide extra manoeuvrability for experienced pilots" so I will probably find myself removing some or all of the extra weight after its first flight! Anyway, I am just curious to know whether any other owners of this model have encountered the same issue. A friend who owns the Mk1 version confirmed that he didn't need any extra weight to balance so it might be just a Mk2 issue.

Overall I have quite enjoyed the 2 programmes so far, There were certainly question marks in my mind about the quality of some of the piloting skills and the large number of models that were crashed and/or destroyed but I found the historical insights very interesting. On reflection and giving the programme makers the benefit of the doubt I assume that the novice RC pilots were deliberately included in order to reflect that many of the incredibly brave real life WW2 pilots also had little training or experience before being pitched into deadly combat. Similarly, the attrition rate amongst the models served to emphasise the real life dangers when pilot life expectancy was less than 4 weeks. Sobering thoughts indeed. Having 'show standard' pilots flying all the models would doubtless have made for a more impressive display in terms of pure piloting skills but no way would it have properly reflected the true historical perspective and, to be fair, that is what this particular series of shows is attempting to portray.

Hi Nigel, My AcroWot is over 4 years old now and the tail stickers are the same as yours! It has always flown pretty well but the previous one I owned (which gave me many hundreds of flight before I ran out of talent one day) was always a little bit nicer to fly...………..so maybe the reversed colours do have an effect after all? Have fun with it anyway!

I am pretty sure that MPX say that the standard motor & ESC will run on 4S with a small reduction in prop size. I mention this because on 3S I suspect that you might have to add some nose weight (my pet hate) in order to get the CoG correct. Not sure how my GliderDrive motor compares in terms of weight to the standard one but I would definitely need extra nose weight if I wasn't using heavier 4S Lipo's. Maybe worth checking this out before splashing out on those new batteries?