Antony Wright

Lol - definetly not Ben. If you want to read about my escapade then go to the Beginners section and look at the "newbies" thread.

Hi Andy - welcome to our spot :) Have you had a look on the BMFA for a club near you? I note that there are several in the area but not sure which is your nearest.

Thanks for the advice Timbo - I must admit I never stopped to consider asking if it was ok to mention another forum so I appologise for not doing so. And yes yo are right electrics are motors not engines. It will be a little while yet before I fly electric - Ive only just started with IC - besides that my son gets married in a few weeks time and you can guess where all our "spare" cash is going.

I think it should be David. The framework suffered just a VERY minor problem which can be repaired with just a sanding. One question I will ask. I have a replacement engine mount already but the holes are in different places. I could just try to get one that the holes match up on (assuming I can get one from the makers of the Arising Star (anyone got a contact number or email?)) - or I could fit an aditional piece of ply to the firewall and redrill the holes in that - or I have thought about putting the 2 engine mounts back to back and drilling new holes in the new engine mount. My question is which is practical and which is not?

I asked a question some while back on another forum regarding choosing the right size electric engine for a given plane. I got a response which is quite lengthy but very informative for those of us trying to understand electirc power. Try going to http://www.rchangout.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=12 Once there go to the beginners folder and look for a thread called "What size motor do I need?" I hope this helps some of you folk as it has helped me.

I asked a question some while back on another forum regarding choosing the right size electric engine for a given plane. I got a response which is quite lengthy but very informative for those of us trying to understand electirc power. Try going to http://www.rchangout.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=12 Once there go to the beginners folder and look for a thread called "What size motor do I need?" I hope this helps some of you folk as it has helped me. Ops Ive put this in the wrong place. Ive made a copy of it into "All things flying" so this can be deleted. (I couldnt see how to delete it myself).

Sounds like you had a good day Danny - I havent even attempted to touch the rudder yet - just concentrating on elevators ailerons and throttle.

Im getting there Malcom - but at the moment I dont have the confidence (or skill) to attempt anything to complex yet. I have however made a start on making the Simplex which was in one of the magazines recently. And I will continue with it till it is complete. I did make one small change to it in that the original plan was for an IC and I have decided to convert it to electric - so I am having a go at thinking the issue through. However at the moment my priotiy lies with learning to fly with a plane that is ready to go now. But give me some time....

I had great fun today. We managed to move my son into his new home faster than planned so I had today free. So guess where I went? Yup to fly. The fieled had a lot more fliers there today than I have previously met at the club so it was great to meet more of them (all most welcoming). We got the plane in the air and things were going well. The instructor said it was time to land and so took back control. Oh dear thats when it all went wrong. We had sheep in the field near our boundary fence (they were on both sides of the fence right next to it). Well a slight miscalculation and the plane came down a little earlier than planed as it plowed straight into the fence. I must admit I really did feel like laughing. The instructor was more upset than I was (poor man). Still the damage wasnt to bad. The engine mount had snapped (which was the worst damage done) - the front wheel leg is bent and a slight crack in the wing - oh and the servo arm snapped. Dspite this I really did appreciate the coment that I have heard repeated on the forums so many times "dont blame the instructor - after all they are only human". As I said I was more amused than not as I had been wondering since day one when the first prang would happen and how many plastic bags I would need afterwards. Now I can see if I can repair the damage and make her airworthy again in time for next weeks flying (baring the trips my kids have planned for the week along with everything else). I hope the rest of you have had fun in this great wheather we are having.

Just picking up on Norman's point about what trainers are available - I found my choice was very limited. Of those that were being advertised frequently - they were all ARTF. It took a lot of searching and asking questions in my local model shop to find one that was not an ARTF. Ok I have nothing against ARTF (the one Im flying at the moment is) - but kit built trainer planes are not as well advertised or readily available in the shops.

One of the reasons I posted this was because the experienced fliers always seem to have everything at hand that they need because they have spares from other planes - or if anything is wrong they know just who to contact. A novice more often than not does not have these advantages. Infact I know from experience that the only contact they may have is the shop where the plane was bought. And as for all those replacement parts - like the horns etc just are not there. We spend as little as possible because we have no idea if we are going to enjoy the hobby. Take myself for instance. When I received my present plane (a Christmas present from my wife), all I had was the basics - the airframe an engine and the transmitter/receiver. I didnt have the 12 volt battery or glowplug or even the chicken stick - I didnt even have the fuel untill a day or 2 before my first flight and even then it was not the best choice of fuel for a beginner. It took me several weeks to aquire them (and there are still some items I dont have even now). This is why I think we need novices to test them. What problems do we really face? What bits and pieces do we really need and dont have? When we get our transmitter does it have the correct frequenct chips for the club we have already joined (or more often than not the one we are about to join)? I know mine didnt and that was an added expense I hadn't catered for. Some of us are on extremely limited budget with little to no leway in what we can afford to spend - much less have the experience in how things go together. Thats the kind of review I would find most helpful. One that looks at the hobby from the point of view that we face a very step learning curve that we dont have the answers for.

no problem Tel. Just following uo on Danny's comment. The club I belong to - and another local club to me - dont tell you where their flying fields are for practical reasons - safty for visitors being one of them. However just persevere and you will get a response from one of them. Take a look see if any of your local clubs have a webpage. Often they give contact names and numbers and often email addresses too. Dont forget its Easter weekend so many of them may be out for a few days. As Danny said many of us are returning to the hobby after many years away from it. So just keep on trying and you will get through to someone that you can talk to about joining their club. Antony

Hi Tel - there is another thread by the same name as yours "newbies". lots of us have started to give each other a helping hand. In order for us to help you with your question about contacting a club - can you tell us where about you live? And have you had a look on the BMFA website for help on this too? Regards Antony

I phoned them - they sent the item same day so I have no grumbles.

Not sure if yo want the ones given with the model or just the humbrol numbers - but if you go to the following website http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/humbrolpaintchart.php it will give you a full list of all the humbrol paints. Regards Antony

thanks Steve - much appreciated. Antony

Now that is just what we want. Practical help sorting out the power comparisons. Now all we need Steve is a web address for that one you have mentioned :)

Not sure about version 4.5 - I know version 6 works on XP as I use it occasionally at home. Is 8.5 not backwards compatible to allow you to use your exsisting files in their present format? Usually you can import the file and it will ask you if you want to retain its present format. Sorry I cant help any further as I dont have 4.5.

We have great weather here - unfortunately I cant fly for a couple of days as Im helping my son to move home :(

Sounds like a good idea Martyn.

Spencer - Hanger 9 have just produced a jet that can be flown by a complete novice. Its based on the same priciple as their Mustang. So maybe not to far out of our reach.

1. I have 5 models now of which 4 are under construction - 2 IC - 2 gliders and 1 to be electric so 20% 2. At present 0 but that will change. 3. An added dimention 4. a)ok Just as an aside to this poll:- 1 is ARTF 3 are kit built and 1 is my first attempt at sctatch building from a plan

hehe - dont forget to include both IC and electric :)

Your quite right Tony - it doesnt have to be - and shouldnt be - a question of either or thing. After all its all about flying model planes. As they say about umberellas - what goes up must come down. Planes go up by remote control and they come down by remote control - they do pretty much the same type of things while in the air. Yes there is a difference between electric and IC and yes IC has been around for a lot longer. Electric IS the new kid on the block so to speak but its growing up fast and is showing it is very capable. At the end of the day - so long as we are all enjoying OUR hobby then lets just get on with it and have fun doing it.

Oh I wouldnt dream of taking away your engines David :) When I was a young lad I used to watch my dad setting up his engines and thought one of these days I want one of them. Well now I have and I love IC - but Im being practical and know that electric will continue gain in popularity given some time (and a few improvements). But I shall still want to fly my IC as well. After all it sounds far more like an aeroplane than an electric does - even if it is only 2 stroke Im using :) (Of course you could always fit sound gernerators with mini speakers etc as some folk have done).