Geoff S

I suppose it also depends on how far apart the activities are. If it's a full size airfield then there could be a mile separation. That's probably further away than many non-related people are for many clubs as a norm. When RR club flew from the Hucknall airfield (which was actually more of an airstrip with just one long runway), the RR facility was a lot less than a mile away, for instance, as was the Merlin full-size flying club.

I'm more likely to believe a Mick Reeves model to be true scale than just about anyone else, so it looks like there a few Pup kits around that are near scale only. Not that it bothers me - I'm happy with sport-scale for my own models 🙂 There's a lot to be said for adjustments that allow wood economy without totally spoiling the scale look.

The full-size Pup wingspan is 26'6", so a quarter scale Pup should have wings 79.5" long. It seems odd that the Balsa USA 1/4 scale Pup has wings that are 2.5" too short for true scale.

The 60" ws DB Sopwith Pup is a fairly new offering. I think I had one of the first kits in late 2019. Mine is ready to fly now but remains earthbound so far. As you can see the cowl is very short. The wingspan is pretty well exactly 60" as it says 'on the tin'.

Not only RC. All the DiL logic ICs I used to use had 0.1" (2.54mm) pin spacing as well as the analogue operational amplifiers. (still have loads I can't persuade myself to throw away 🙂 ) Of course, that was 30 years ago. Things change and I commend the sensible move to proper metric units.

Never seen that one. Are you sure the pin/socket spacing isn't 0.1" ( as servo/receiver connectors are)

OK, so not so bad I thought but still a lot more expensive from UK sources. Mind you not as bad as cigarettes - a neighbour told me yesterday that they're £16 for 20! Glad I gave up decades ago 👍

I'm just curious, really, because I'm just about 100% electric these days but this is an eBay post for Steve Webb Models (a very reputable outlet). Are glow plugs really £18 each or £179.99 for 10. When I flew with glow engines a few years ago, glow plugs were considered a relatively inexpensive consumable.

I have a model on eBay at the moment and I browsed a bit and found glow plugs to be astronomically expensive (or out of stock?)

I think you need to look up the meaning of 'both' and 'either' 🙂

I still have a 'pressure relieving' piston from my BSA BB34 Gold Star motorcycle (a 4 stroke, of course) which was caused by a worn out TT carburetor (I replaced it with a Monobloc). I use it as as a soldering iron rest sometimes 🙂

Unbelievably productive! What an outstanding list! I've built and flown a Ballerina. I have both a Rans S9 and a Li'l Cub built but, as yet, unflown for various reasons (partly the Covid lock-down). I'm just, as I type, taking a break from my Fokker DVIII covering. The model should be ready to test fly by the end of the month. So Peter's designs have certainly provided me with many hours of pleasure even if I don't fly the models (which I certainly have very intention of doing). Thanks, Peter.

One of our members, who used to run a model shop, had a customer complain that the engine he'd bought wouldn't start and he returned it for assessment. It checked out OK and the customer took it back, only to return it again as a non-runner. When asked to demonstrate his technique in the shop he applied the glow supply and said "There you are, it won't start." He didn't realise it was necessary to turn the engine over by hand or with a starter to get the suck/squeeze/bang/blow sequence to start. How he thought his car engine started, I can''t think!

Well, it's almost ready to test fly (again) when the weather improves - so not this weekend, I suppose. We're lucky that the Ashbourne airfield site is flyable with a tarmac runway because our 'new' site is almost submerged. So, I've gone from this : To this, with a few weeks of labour and anguish : The CoG is just about where it was originally but it weighs 15 grams more, which is disappointing as I was hoping for lighter. The fuselage is just about all new except for the firewall, cowl, spinner, wing bolt mount and undercarriage. The fin/rudder and tailplane/elevator were almost unscathed. The salvaged parts were little more than dirty, which is a benefit of the ground's being so soft and water-logged off the runway itself. I was able to salvage the covering enough to make patterns for the 'windows' but the yellow/red/orange decoration was a lost cause. To give some visibility I added some chequered covering, which looks reasonable, I think. I will spend an hour or so setting up/checking the throws but, apart from that, it's ready to go.

Whilst looking through my stock of stickers to find something to liven up the Wot 4 fuselage I've just finished covering, I came across a couple from the BEFA. I was amember for few years when electrically powered flight was very much a niche activity. In the days of cheap, heavy brushed motors and equally heavy NiCad batteries, a successful fight of reasonable length in anything other than a Rudder/elevator glider was an achievement, and often a very expensive one at that. I suppose now that electric flight is now so easy in small to moderately sized models and even some bigger ones, it's faded away. My background professionally has been electrical/electronic engineering, so electric power was always a temptation. That's my excuse, anyway. What also made me comment is the thread on the future of ic model engines (hopefully rosy). It seems as if the two have almost switched places. I'm just about 100% electric now but I quite like engines and even enjoy stripping and repairing them just as long as I don't have to power my models with them 😉

Our dirty plates are on the draining board, ready for me to wash-up in the sink after dinner in the evening. We have a dish-washer - it's me, and I wash up once/day! 🙂 All the plates are cleared of food - both being brought up during and just post-war, food is never wasted. Much as I would like it to be otherwise, I'm in the several models on the go camp. The trouble is, I like doing the woodwork and seeing something that looks like a model aeroplane appearing on the bench, but I'm less keen on covering and installing servos and their (mechanical) connections. If I get stuck (most recently, trying to decide how to make a sprung undercarriage for the Fokker DVIII) I tend to freeze and move onto another build. Of course, repairs can intrude, such as making a new fuselage for my ARTF Wot 4 Mk2. (I'm just about to cover my creation, so that's nearly finished)

I haven't visited for some time but it's certainly worth a look. At one time it was an easy bike ride away for me (I haven't moved - just got older and weaker!). I did once sail a model yacht there on the cooling pond but there're too many trees for a decent sailing breeze. There's another steam engine worth a visit on the High Peak Trail at Middleton Top, near Wirksworth. It was used to haul trains up the steep incline. It's not all thatfar from Papplewick.

No switch needed, if you're using the BEC supply from the esc. The battery should (must?) always be removed after use for storage or recharging in any case. The only time you might need a switch is if you're powering the receiver/servos etc from a separate supply battery.

Many years ago I made a simple constant current charger for the nicad packs I used in my model racing yacht. I have occasionally used it to revive similarly exhausted batteries but only as a temporary measure - I certainly wouldn't trust them in any critical application. You could try using a simple 'wall-wart' charger which doesn't care about the state of the battery. I'm afraid your battery needs to be replaced. In fact, I used my old charger to revive the 6 cell 2 AH NMH battery in my Multiplex 3030 35Mhz transmitter which gets almost no use. However, I still have a few rarely flown models on 35Mhz so I've bought a new battery. I really must remember to check it regularly. Our bathroom radio has a 7 cell 3AH NiMH battery which still soldiers on after over 10 years regular use. I recharge it every few weeks at 3 amps and it still takes a full charge.

Can't say I've ever seen any vape detritus in the street, but then, I don't wander around town or city streets very much. I gave up smoking over 50 years ago, and that was hard enough. I wonder what the ultimate aftermath of vaping will be? Having said that, it can't be a bad thing to salvage something from the street rubbish and make good use of it, as Wingman is doing.

Looks lovely, Eric. I feel guilty that my own Hurricane kit still lie untouched in the loft. (I saw it yesterday while looking for some PC components). What motor/battery combination is installed in yours? I admit, one of the drawbacks for me is the need to fit retracts in a foam wing, but the recent builds of the WR FW190 using launch dollies has given me cause to wonder. Too many builds and time is running out (57th wedding anniversary today!) 🙂

I hate to mention it, but I said the same in post 3, above - also because of the problem someone had a week or so ago 😛 It wouldn't have crossed my mind either, otherwise. Of course, I would never, ever, dream of blowing my own trumpet.

Also, make sure you connect the BEC lead (the one from the esc to the receiver with a servo-type connector) to the throttle channel or the motor certainly won't run.

IIRC Modelfixings sell lh thread 3mm rod. I've always called 'turnbuckles', 'bottle screws' when I used them for dinghy mast stay adjustment. I think thy're the same thing.

South Yorkshire has a history of lighter than air aircraft. The R100 was built in Howden a few miles east of Doncaster on the north bank of the Humber. It was much more successful than the R101, perhaps because it was designed by Barnes-Wallis and part-time novelist Neville Shute Norway. btw I know Howden is in East Yorkshire but it's still geographically in the southern part of the county 🙂 It sounds an interesting project. I hope that it's both successful and doesn't affect the model club.