Aero120

A lot of reviews seem to be gagged by a magazine's loyalty to advertisers. The comments in a review seems to overly positive much like the classic estate agents speak. So many reviews state something similar to " I replaced the hardware as I prefer to use such and such ( the stuff provided was rubbish), a slightly weak mount meant the undercarriage collapsed but this was easily fixed (if they can't attach undercarriage, what else will fall off?) and it was interesting (terrifying) to fly but all it all it's a great plane for the money!" So far I have been pleased with the Stuka having put all the main components together as a dry run my fin does fit okay. I've noticed holes in the fin and fuselage that appear to be for dowels that aren't used. I intend to fit some to strengthen the join and they might help your alignment issues. I will have to remove the canopy and remove the glossy grinning idiots! I've noticed that the covering doesn't align as well as it should and may well remove it to replace with solar film or glass cloth and paint. The shape of the plane is good and I also intend to fit my spats in pieces as per full size to make it easier and allow for the odd poor landing. The real ones often flew minus parts of spats

Graham, any more news? I've got my hands on one of these. Not started building it yet but have trial fitted all the main bits together. Going to power it with a 20cc Zenoah. It's got to have a working bomb release too.

I can assure you myself and several helpers have given it a good "lob" but the torque still seems to be the predominant force for quite a while. I think a dolly will be the way to go. My Os 32 powered Cambrian 109 fun fighter I used to fly in the early nineties had a greater power to weight ratio but I don't remember the torque being such an issue.

I have just built my first real electric model, a Ripmax Me 109 with a JP Ic40 brushless outrunner and 13x6.5 apc prop. This draws about 450w when bench run. In the air it flies very nicely with plenty of vertical performance. Not scale but it gives plenty of extra thrust for hand launching which is where the problem lies. It has enough power to pull itself out of your hand, but the the torque roll to the left is uncontrollable for a few seconds until airspeed has increased, causing it to almost roll inverted. Launching on reduced power doesn't seem to help. Would a prop with less diameter and more pitch reduce the torque reaction or is this a trait of electric motors as they produce power for 360?

I have got one of these fitted and working. The instructions are poor. So here's my guide; The channel switch is always set to off except when changing modes or starting or stopping that mode. Switch it on and then almost immediate back to off, not a flick , just a steady on and off will start the mode and the LED turns red. Do the same to stop the mode and the LED turns green. Hold the switch one for about four seconds and then off changes mode. The green LED is steady for video, flashing for continuous photo and slow flashing for single photo. The red LED flases at the same rate as the green one when recording that mode. Hold the switch on for ten secound and there is a brief red flash to signify the camera image is inverted. Set the switch back to off again. The image reverts to its own way up when power is disconnected.   Hope this helps. Its worth noting the photo resolution is much poorer than the flycam one 2.

Dizz,   Thanks, mine is the Hp and I think the blades are like you say. No flying here this weekend either, unless you have a sturdy umbrella to hang onto!  

Hi Dizz,   I've bought a squall today. How do I tell if it has the later fan?

The real problem is the location. Slope soarers can fly in high winds as they are usually on a hillside with clean air flowing over it, so as long as the model has an air speed higher than the wind's ground speed its okay. However for those who fly from a flat field with power, the wind generates all sorts of turbulance from trees, hedges and even the club shed. So when you fly, the rolling turbulance can smash your plane into the ground, irrespective of your ability or your planes power. Plus if the wind is too strong once you land your model it can be blown away as my Fantom was, breaking off the fins as it was blown end over end down the field after a safe landing!

15mm Pipe lagging makes an excellent way of protecting wings and tail planes. Tear open the split and slide it on to the wings etc. Available from most Diy outlets and easy to fit and remove for transport. To cure the odd dent in balsa, inject the dented area with water with a syringe and needle. If you haven't access to these then make small slit in the covering with a scalpel and position the area so the surface is horizontal and place a bubble of water over it and then prod it to wet the wood beneath the covering and it will be sucked in and over the next hour or so inflate the damaged area. Just keep the outer surafece wet so it can be drawn inside.

Shaun,   I had a similar dilema when I built a hangar nine Mustang last year. The recommended engine was a 60 two stroke and or equivalent four stroke. I fitted an Os 91 wth a custom exhaust. The Os91 is dimensionally the same as their 60. The result is a plane that flies very similarly to the real plane. Take off is at half throttle, with wheels up, open the throttle and the sound and performance is amazing. Throttled back it flies very quietly. The only downside is the landing as even on tickover the engine keeps the plane flying quite quickly so landing approaches are long and flat, starting at the downwind leg with wheels already down to create drag!   A video of it is here   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUGNkA0ArXA

George, generally you don't need to. The battery needs to be easily accessible to recharge or replace after each flight, so you just usually plug it in before you fly. If you really do need a switch then it would have to go in the main power supply from the battery and so would have to have a high enough current carrying capacity to suit the motor. Some people use an isolator plug under an accessible hatch to break the circuit when its removed

Fit your model with LEDs and make the most of the dark! I experimented a couple of years ago with LED nav lights on a heli and a fixed winger and I could fly in dusk and half light. This year I've got some LED strip lights on an electric foamy and now I can fly in complete darkness!

Here it is:- Complete with flycam. It makes a great camera ship Edited By Paul Atherley on 22/09/2009 09:14:14

Dizz you are quite right about JFH and the helis but I couldn't resist a stir with my wooden spoon! That pic of the Fantom is spookey. Its virtually identical to mine! I must get a pic posted.

Dizz,   I like the Navy Scheme. Nice original idea. My Fantom is painted in the current Russian blue grey camouflage as used on the Flankers.   However I must correct you regarding the Navy flying from ships. I far as I'm aware they scrapped the last decent Naval plane ie the Sea Harrier a while ago, so the RAF are now having to do it for you! Edited By Paul Atherley on 21/09/2009 17:53:25 Edited By Paul Atherley on 21/09/2009 17:54:10

Dizz,   Thanks for the info. Your F16 looks really good. Nice practical but authentic colour scheme. How have you attached the belly to make it removable?

Hi,   I've just built one of these and it only lasted two exciting minutes in the air before a servo failled and it met the ground vertically. I assume it was the servo as it is now dead but the rest of the radio works fine (an advantage of flying it in a foam package) I had spent some time glass clothing the underside of the air frame and the leading edge of the wings. I'm thinking of getting a new one and to save some time, sawing the wings off the old (very short nosed) airframe and epoxying them onto the new one. I was wondered if anyone has tried this and what sort of additional reinforcemnt would be needed at the joint as it wouldn't have the tongue/ slot of the original joint.   Plus has anyone any advice to recommend a servo make so I can feel a bit more confident that I won't have the same problem again. The servo that failled was an Ultrafly 9g ST9. I have two of these in a Fantom that I have been flying for well over twelve months so I might have just been unlucky.   Fortunatley I hadn't painted the plane before its maiden flight, but the scale dash and Hud I made now look very second hand!

Has any one got any tips for mixture adjustment on the ZG20? All the forums I've read seem to give conflicting advice.

Andy,   Mine is the same for the first start of the day. My solution is to put my thumb over the air intake and turn the prop until I feel petrol on my thumb, then start it without the choke. For the rest of the day I use the choke as per the instructions. On the Toni Clark site there is a guide to an installation and they soldered over the holes in the choke butterfly so I think the engine is a bit weak at sucking fuel until its running

Thanks Andy My Lipocharger won't go as low as  110 mAh but it can get nearer than the standard unit. I'm going to put those leads in as you have and hopefully have a battery pack life of more than two weeks!

Tim, Use a kitchen knife for tight corners such as the inside edges of an aileron slot. Heat in on a gas flame (if you have a gas hob)  count one and two and three and four and turn the knife over on each count and it'll be just the right temp to seal awkward edges.

There's pro's and cons for both systems. One is as good as another if it is well designed and appropiately maintained. Just as a belt can stretch under load, so a shaft can wind up. The belt is more efficient as it doesn't require the bevel gears at each end to turn the drive through 90 degrees and hence doesn't have these additional  frictional power losses. Its lighter too as there are four less gears and associated bearings and so more reliable as there are four less grubs screws to potentially vibrate loose! However the belt has to handle the loads imposed and still be flexible enough to go round the small drive pullies to there is a finite load it can carry before it becomes too thick to bend easily. However a thicker shaft doesn't cause a proportionate increase in the frictional loses in the gears and bearings. So as stated above the larger models generally have a shaft drive to transmit enough power whereas smaller models can benefit from a lighter simpler design.

Andy,   Thanks for that. It makes a lot of sense. What's the best way into the standard charger? Are there screws under the rubber feet?   I thought OH88 was unique in having the yellow extend below the side windows, but it obviously has a twin.   Just a thought, more for bigger Lipos, but do many people have access to a fire extinguisher incase a pack turns critical? I had a word with a chap who services fire extinguishers at work and he recommed a blue "dry powder" type which would put out a lipo fuelled fire. Also copes with petrol which is handy as my Extra has both petrol and a Lipo pack for the ignition .

Hi, Thanks for the info Andy. I've got some 3 cell Lipos for an EDF so I have Sigma Pro Peak Lipo charger and some knowledge of Lipos. I agree that 3C instead of 1C is bad news. That would fit with Kens info. I've certainly been battering the battery to keep flying the little beasty. Got a couple of new Lipos on way to work today and just flown it with a new pack and its back to decent flight times. I'll see about stripping the charger tomorrow and fitting leads to plug it into the Sigma. Is that OH88 on your Avatar Andy?

Thanks Ken. I have let them cool for a short while but I have been charging and discharging in quick succession to get as much airtime as possible! Ultymate I've tried warming the battery in my pocket but no difference in its performance.