Martin Fraser

I've not used this Shoe Goo on PP before but it's great on other plastics such as clear PETG for cockpit glazing etc. It remains flexible and the makers say you can use it to repair wet suits and even shoes! Might be worth a try.

My primary R/C interest is in scale helis so it was nice to see Neil Parris's excellent article on our recent meeting at Buckminster. However, I'm always interested to see what other disciplines are up to, such as the rubber fanciers, you can certainly learn a few things about aerodynamics from them. Cheers, Marty

Hi All, Still waiting for the exhaust collector ring so I'm pottering about with some small jobs on the Yak. Following on Jon's advice and Frank's post for a cowling baffle I've found some thin ply and knocked up my own which is a snug fit within cowl. We share our field with about 500 head of sheep and they don't half leave their calling card on the strip. Whatever they eat, it's fast setting and a nightmare to clean off! I had to hose down the underside of the Fly Baby's wings last week. So with this in mind (I've not fitted the spats yet) but made some mudguards out of carbon fibre to try and keep the worst of the sheep sh1t off my new toy. Cheers, Marty

Ah! good call Frank, I had forgotten these were available. Many thanks, Marty

Very neat Jon, Thanks, Marty

Wow, those baffles are really snug up against the cylinder fins. I'll have to devise something in thin alloy. Thanks for the heads up Jon, Marty

Good morning folks, I’ve just put this Seagull Yak 54 together having read Ross Clarckson’s excellent build thread of 2010 and can concur with his observations. I’ve installed a Saito 120R radial in it, partly to run it in and to see how it performs and sounds as it was intended to drag the Fairy Swordfish about one day. I know it won’t sound like a 28L Bristol Pegasus 9 cylinder engine but if it’s too sporty I’ll have to rethink it. It’s a nice fit within the cowling and with the RX battery up behind the fuel tank, the c of g balances 75mm back from the wing tip. I’m still waiting for an exhaust collector ring from Morris Mini Motors so that might add a bit more nose weight. However, I’m a bit concerned about heat build up. The full size has a heavily louvred cowling so I might have to open up the moulded louvres in mine rather than hack great holes in it. Cheers, Marty

License! OMG, I've never had one!

Hi folks, I’ve had this Storch hanging over me for quite a while now and I thought it was time I needed to do something with it on behalf of my late friends widow. Last year, I had thought of making some moulds to form a cowling and windscreen. However, it’s a bit smaller than the Swenson’s 95” model being only 85” span. I looked everywhere in my friends hangar for a plan or kit box but found nothing to identify it. Also, I have developed a very severe reaction to epoxy resin so moulding is now a no-no. So I’ve formed a cowling out of light ply and the windscreen is from 0.5mm PETG. First I made a card template and then cut the PETG to shape. Using a heated piece of steel I creased it to form the main facets. The top triangle is a separate piece bonded on using Shoo Goo. The Storch is not far off from flight testing but I’m wondering if the motor is man enough. It’s an Overlander T50/45 860w. On 6s and a 14x6 prop it makes a fair bit of wind but will it haul 4.4kg of aircraft aloft? Cheers, Marty P.S. Apologies if I cant offer a windscreen to Joop.

I did wonder - but the Tempest has this huge chin intake that accommodates inverted engines nicely. It would stick out the side a bit ugly. 🤔

Hi Martin, I bought this engine from a club mate and I think he had it inverted in a wot4. However, I set it as per the manual i.e. 2 turns in from fully backed out as a starting point. I might have another look at its setting. Many thanks, Martin

Hi Folks, I recently acquired a 57 in Hawker Tempest that came with a Saito 56 up front. I was a bit doubtful that this engine would have enough beans to haul it about and I also had to add a fair bit of lead to get the correct (according to the manual) C.G. Sure enough, it took forever to get air-bourn and it was still very tail heavy. It was a short ‘exciting’ flight that ended in a crash. The manual recommends a 070 to. 0.81 engine. However, I’ve fitted an OS 90 that I had and it’s only a bit heavier that the Saito 56 so will still need some additional lead. My problem is the fuel tank position – it looks too high in relation to the carb (the pink line is to the carb) and floods the engine. This seems odd as the Saito ran well and its carb was in a similar position. So not sure what to do, try and lower the tank (major surgery) different tank, or motor? All suggestions welcomed, Martin

Not yet!

I'm in a similar situation. I'm planning on finishing this airframe for next summer and need the front windshield and the cowling. I'll probably end up making a mould next year. Marty