Geoff S

I think the 400' limit is only advisory or there goes thermal soaring and probably F3a aerobatics? I fly my Phoenix 2k up to 200 metres according to my altimeter. Looks like the quads are making hard for us all as some predicted. It seems odd that regulating model aircraft in the USA is a lot easier than regulating firearms even though there seems to be a mass shooting every month. Geoff

Posted by McG 6969 on 14/12/2015 18:51:51: M The only point is I cannot obtain the RCME December magazine in Belgium (no distribution agent here), so does anyone could mail me the plans as .pdf, allowing me to print them at a local print store? Thank you in advance for your assistance Chris Brussels, Belgium ps: ... Y espero que esto no tiene mala pinta... Edited By McG 6969 on 14/12/2015 19:00:21 Edited By McG 6969 on 14/12/2015 19:01:25 I couldn't get a copy either and I live in the UK! I got mine sent direct from RCME so I guess you could, too. I can't remember the link now but it you message Beth Ashby I'm sure she'll help. Geoff

It's an interesting idea. I don't quite understand the Depron spar. If you're cladding it with 3mm and 1.5mm balsa anyway, will it be any lighter (or stronger?) than a balsa one? I would have thought a better way to lighten the spar would be to use balsa tapered to wards the tips. Never the less, I look forward to watching and learning from your build. Geoff

Posted by kc on 13/12/2015 14:14:35: AVC The weight of the cut out solid balsa parts for fin, rudder, tailplane and elevator is 65 grams ( 2.3 ounces ) Shaped as per plan but not yet rounded on edges or tapered to rudder thickness. Elevator also has not yet had the 'V' cut removed as it's easier to put the elevator joiner in whilst both elevator parts are still in one continuous piece. V cutout is made after joiner inserted and hinges slots are cut. For reference the full 4 inch by 36 sheet of 1/4 balsa weighed 60 grams. An extra bit was used for elevator. This was a good sheet of balsa for the job - light ( about 7 lbs /cu ft ) but really stiff. So AVC what does your builtup fin, rudder, tailplane & elevator weigh in comparison? That's a good idea about cutting an elevator as one piece and fitting the joiner before making the V cut. I've always found it a bit of a struggle to get both halves flat when fitting the joiner. I think I'll make a built-up tail as well but possibly have a solid elevator. It may be hard to beat your 65 grams, though. However, even 0.5 grams at the tail can be more significant at the nose (4 times? I haven't measured it) I've had to buy a motor and esc. The ones I had in stock are either too big (G46) or too small. I went with an SK3 4240 740kv and a Plush 60 amp esc. I'll prop to deliver about 100w/lb ie about 500 watts Geoff

I've said anything, which is true, but there are some restrictions on gas turbines and who can fly them ie need to demonstrate competence which seems sensible to me. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't welcome pulse jets, though Geoff

Levanter3: I just wish we would drag ourselves into the 20th century, never mind the 21st, and scrap Imperial units altogether. I always work in mm anyway instead of all those peculiar fractions my Dad used to use. It wouldn't be so bad if they used decimal inches. I'm 76 in a couple of weeks btw so it's not as though I just left school I have both 3mm and 1/8" balsa sheet in stock because I've bought up stock recently from people giving up building. That gets confusing. Just a point - dowel is often metric these days so make sure the hole in F2 (if you're cutting your own) is the same as your dowel. If you have the CNC cut F2 make sure your dowel is the same as the hole. Geoff

Well, I lashed out a small fortune for the paper mag so I suppose I'd better make use of it (I'm a digital subscriber btw) Geoff

I have a valued set of similar sized metric spanners I bought from them at a show. Not as slim as the ones you have but excellent quality. I use them a lot. Geoff

On Point 2: which Peter mentioned before in another thread: 1: How much higher should the dowel hole be on F2? 2: If the hole needs to be higher, then presumably the slot in R2 also needs to be not only longer (to accommodate a longer dowel, which is fine) but also in a different place on the rib. Nearer the top? The hole can't move too much or the slot will no longer be a slot. Points 1 and 3 are much easier to allow for. I think a roughish sketch would be sufficient. Thanks for those comments. They're very helpful. Geoff PS OK I posted too soon. Your second post clears it up nicely, thanks Edited By Geoff Sleath on 11/12/2015 17:47:13

Posted by Peter Miller on 11/12/2015 08:22:06: I use 1/16" ply. It won't change shape because you are cutting round it and you have to be pretty cack handed to carve lumps of ply off over 20 odd ribs. I'm cack-handed in the extreme My ally Limbo rib template is stored in a lever arch file along with the Limbo kit instructions (my plan-built one was built after I destroyed a kit-built one ) My bandsaw cuts an ally template as easily as a wooden one. Your comments about the built-up tail are very welcome and very wise. I'm sure it won't make much difference in weight but it will look nicer and that's also part of the exercise. We must be bothered about appearance, I guess, or we would fit neither pilot nor windscreen or have a fancy covering scheme either. Never the less it will be interesting to see just what the difference is. I have been known to insert a hardwood strip in a soft balsa tail plane because I lacked confidence it would be stiff and strong enough without it. Again, probably unnecessary. Geoff

I usually cut a template from aluminium then there's no danger of its gradually changing shape with use. I did that for my plan built Limbo Dancer where it was easy because the rib outline is identical for the whole wing. The same applies here and I'll just cut each rib out individually. There aren't many and I'll modify for the various cut-outs etc. Geoff

... but, kc, no model can fly unless it's anointed with blood I got my Dec RCME this am (paper version) and I'm pondering the plan. Geoff

I've got some digital scales I bought from Boots years ago. Their main use has been for mixing epoxy but they come in handy for other things as well. Thye're certainly not fit to use in the kitchen after being my workshop Geoff

Posted by Peter Miller on 08/12/2015 18:19:12: Posted by Geoff Sleath on 08/12/2015 16:44:01: Not sure if I'll build a Ballerina but I am tempted. I'm a digital only subscriber so I don't get the plan and buying a copy at £12.50 is more than a whole magazine! If I do decide to join in it'll be electric and I'll only buy the cnc ribs. If the ribs are the same I'll cut my own. I'm sure I have enough wood in stock and probably a suitable motor so it'll be a cheap build for me. Geoff Yes, all the ribs are the same with just variation in some for the U/C mount. Thanks, Peter. In that case I'll just cut a pattern out of aluminium and cut the ribs out myself. I've ordered a paper magazine on-line so at least I'll have the drawing to ponder I'm also thinking of making a built-up empenage to save weight at the back.  Not sure if it's worth it but it's not a big job and the light shining through in the air will look pretty.  I'm a bit annoyed with you, Peter, for designing such an attractive model and tempting me from my winter path. Geoff Edited By Geoff Sleath on 08/12/2015 19:44:43

We recently bought some digital scales intended to weigh luggage for commercial flights. We wanted it as a useful means of checking the amount of Calor left in our campervan's gas bottles but the scales are ideal for weighing models, too. A simple sling round the wing and just pick up the plane. The scales zero themselves to offset the weight of the sling and remember the final reading. They can be in either Imperial or metric units. Very cheap on eBay. I like to know how heavy my models are and a rough idea of the wing loading. I was a bit concerned that my Tiger Moth weighs 3kg (6.6 lbs) but with a wing area around 7 ft^ it's still pretty light. A pint of water weighs a pound an a quarter goes the rhyme so perhaps methanol is at least a pound/pint? So a full tank's worth is about 5/6 ounces, about the same as 3S 2200 LiPo. Of course the LiPo weighs the same at the end of a flight I suppose this means that the CoG of an electric conversion can be different from that specified for a glow powered one, depending on where it's placed. Geoff

I tried to find a cheaper supply of Solartex silver for my DB Tiger Moth (G-ACDC) and everywhere seemed to be about the same price for smaller amounts and HK didn't stock silver. It's good, but dear. HK film is really good as well as cheap and I notice Banggood sell film too in 5 metre lengths for around £10 posted (probably the same as HK). I made a second attempt to buy a Decemeber RCME today and failed. It's funny, the newsagent I get the odd mag from usually has copies of both RCME and another but not this month. Perhaps they've been grabbed by MBers Not sure if I'll build a Ballerina but I am tempted. I'm a digital only subscriber so I don't get the plan and buying a copy at £12.50 is more than a whole magazine! If I do decide to join in it'll be electric and I'll only buy the cnc ribs. If the ribs are the same I'll cut my own. I'm sure I have enough wood in stock and probably a suitable motor so it'll be a cheap build for me. Geoff

I do have a small gas engine but it's not very powerful. You can stop it by pushing your finger in the prop and it doesn't hurt a bit. Not sure how much the refueling Sparklet bulbs would be for a day's flying though Geoff

When my sister went to university in Huddersfield as a mature student a few years back my brother and I rented a self-drive Luton van to take her stuff up to the house she's rented. I don't recall its being very expensive and we were able to make 2 trips in a day without any trouble. It was also about 60 miles each way. If we were to move (dreaded thought!) that's what I'd do and what we did when we moved here even longer ago. It wasn't model aeroplanes in those days but lots of motor cycles and sundry spares (engines and frames etc) as well as tools. I would think moving models would be less of an issue. Geoff

Posted by Allan Bennett on 07/12/2015 08:00:24: I've just received my SLEC building jig kit, and they recommend using the type of plastic-faced shelving (e.g. Contiboard) that you can get at most DIY stores. It seems to me that this will be difficult to push pins into, if I so wish, so I'm wondering if ply is a better bet. What's the experience of our builders here? What material is the best all-rounder taking into consideration rigidity and stability in varying conditions, as well as practicality? If you're referring to the fuselage jig then you don't need to stick pins in it. It's just a means of supporting the L-shaped brackets that you use to set up the stringers, formers etc when constructing a fuselage. I've had mine for years and I also used it to build the hull of my Thames sailing barge earlier this years. I just stuck the backgroundsquare matrix on a piece of mdf (25mm) stiffened by 2 lengths of wood on the back to keep it straight and level. Geoff

That's interesting Andy and I did similar things with my Fanatsy kit build and had to move the battery way back. In that case I had to move the firewall 50mm forward to match the ic (a 60 size glow) prop position. I'd do it differently now. What does seem odd is that while an 11x7 prop draws 50 amps a 12x6 draws 60 with the same motor battery combination. An 11x7 prop moves 665 cu ins of air/revolution (in an ideal world, that is) and in a similar ideal world a 12x6 prop moves 678 cu ins - only 13 cu ins or 2% more, yet it draws 20% more current. I wonder why that is. Geoff

The only smelly clothes my wife has to worry about are sweaty ones from cycling. Though hers are as sweaty as mine when we've been out on the tandem ... or they'd better be The only aeromodelling smells she complains about are when I've been spraying or painting in my workshop which opens off the lounge. I did once get told off for doing some motor testing in the evening whilst she was hosting a cycle club committee meeting. Electically powered props make just as much noise as any others. Geoff

Birgir: The Bleriot looks interesting to fly. I suspect it won't be all that aerobatic You've made a super job of it. I hope your test flight goes well. Have you fitted wing warping for roll control or is it rudder elevator only? Donald F: I feel your pain. I lost a Wot 4 in similar circumstances when I got my fingers in a twist doing consecutive rolls too low. Mine was a total write off too, including a really good Irvine 46 that never missed a beat right to the end. Never seen a model in so many pieces Geoff

Posted by ASH. on 05/12/2015 20:37:31: I think some people never venture into ic simply because they think it's too difficult and beyond their capabilities, they just want 'plug and play'. When in fact all it needs is a little investment in time and effort to learn about them. They rob themselves of the pleasure that's got when it all comes together. Edited By ASH. on 05/12/2015 20:44:53 You only have to look at thread discussing suitable electric set ups for the mass build choice - Peter Miller's attractive Ballerina - to realise that electric flight isn't always quite as easy as 'plug and play'. But the joy is that it can be. I must have had well over 200 flights with my electric Riot and it's my go-to model if the weather is on the breezy side and it took an evening to put together. OTOH I take satisfaction from my glow to electric conversions which were far from plug 'n' play at the design stage but are now. I find electric flight fascinating, probably because of my electrical and electronic engineering background but I spent years playing with motor cycle engines as well. I have a number of glow engines and 90% of my flying was glow powered until a few years ago but now I just never take them out.. Geoff

I suppose you could say your Wot 4 is fryed. Useful to the end though as it helps to keep you warm. Geoff

That's a good idea, Mark. I think I could do a similar thing and use my Workmate as its base. I use my bandsaw for most cutting but it's not very good at holes Geoff