The real Ron Truth

Is there a nylon type spacer between carb and motor? There should be and its to prevent best transfer from the motor. A

I've heard the sound systems in action and imho the overall affect is actually quite average and only seems to be worth it if the motor isn't one that has a high pitch noise. Given the weight and cost, id say either go for a nice 52 fs or plain electric, don't faff in-between. If its sound you want, go IC and remove the exhaust expansion muffler. If you do go IC, i also recommend sourcing the 90 degree muffler knuckles they sell to try and keep the exhaust in the cowl. don't be tempted by flexy exhaust pipe. Perforates and stress cracks very quickly if bent at an angle.

jon, thats odd then as most engines need to get very hot before they start suffering loss of compression. I had similar issues with an ASP 180 in an se5a that only had 10 mins of flying in it before it overheated and stopped. I went electric! Nick, Im using a turnigy g160 on 10 cells. 20/8 prop. 2500w max., 60a max. I fly at about 1/4 throttle and half for loops etc . I can however fly in a 10 mph breeze and push through a good aerobatic routine. Sounds almost like a petrol motor at full power!

Just remaidened mine last weekend. Fantastic flyer. Mines electric and flew for 15 mins easily before i decided to land to relax. cg moved 10 mm forward of plan . 200mm was okay to fly but very lively and constantly climbing under power.  15mm ailerons is plenty. I have to use 60% expo as there big and powerful. The problem with the motor is to do with the air pressure in the cowl being different to the external. Any carb with a diaphragm will set the fuel flow based on the air pressure read from a small hole in the carb plate and as with other models in the past, i found the need to have a hole in the cowl directly opposite the intake to ensure clear external air was being drawn in to give the correct pressure. You can even extend the carb and fit a trumpet design to the carb. Heat isn't a problem, certainly not 30. Adam           Edited By Electric boogaloo on 13/06/2015 07:23:06

I do find engine articles boring where there is little real life information and the article is simply someone taking the motor apart. Stick it in a model and fly it! Agree about the daftness of the rubber band throttle thing. A good article might be on how to arm your model at the field. Use solid state switch, deans /xt fuse plug, set up your tx with an arming switch etc. I found i could do this by depressing the throttle cut button when calibrating the sec's lowest stick position. The esc reads an end point that is lower than the physical stick position , normally 2-3 clicks lower. The esc therefore won't arm until you hit the throttle kill button and send a sufficiently low pulse to the receiver. Simple. Finally, a better send off for Mr Lowe is in order. it was rather poor. A double page would have been my choice.

I have my mobile in my pocket playing music as i fly. Relaxing and sometimes helpful if your trying to do pattern flying. I think it very unlikely you would get any interference from the phone. you might from a short range wireless earpiece as thats on 2.4 if i recall. The only downside of having the phone is being contactable by the wife…….

Holy cow the costs mentioned for publishing and posting the BMFA news are truly awful. Im gobsmacked! I throw mine in the bin after about 5 mins of scanning it. Whether you like the magazine or not, there really should be an online e-zine version for members to download or read on line. Its extremely wasteful and resource hungry.

Well put erflog. My 2 LMS's both closed over the last 2 years and by the time they went they were dinosaurs in terms of choice and availability. " We can order it" was the default line. "Yes, so can i from your competitor " was my response. Fair play to HK. All they have done is see a gap in the market for bulk buying and selling and they have made it work. I buy all my lipos from them without any issues. I now buy pretty much all my model stuff online and mostly uk based businesses cottage industries , balsa cabin, electric wingman, db, etc. All british and offering good service.

My diesel powered tomboy went awol when i forgot to turn the rx on, Not the fault of futaba this time! Found it 2 miles away untouched after 2 hours searching ONLY to snap the tail off carrying it into the garage! The FAAST rx copies do come with programmable failsafe on any channel, so in theory you can program a model to descend, i say in theory as if its in a thermal you doomed!

I flew one to death and it was very stable in low wind conditions and floats well. i learnt to fly aerobatics with one and was impressed with its performance, even if it was a tad underpowered. Not too good once the wind picked up. Trainer- sure its not different from a WOT4 foamie and if set up right will be fine. The lack of dihedral isn't a problem as long as its balanced correctly. No unintended deadstick landings is the biggest plus for me! Sorry dave!

Flair semi scale kits are very good starting points, especially the pup.Stable and fun. Bigger? DB Sport pup at 1/4 scale is like flying a kite and huge fun. Needs a good size runway and a lot of building. Balsa USA do a D7 , D8, SE5A, PUP etc, all semi scale but very easy to master. Nothing esp difficult with these type of models , you do use the throttle more to blip and get wind over the control surfaces at slower speeds and they aren't particularily aerobatic compared to sports models. There are issues over rigging and storage as they can take time to set up at the field if not transported in 1.

I have read unconfirmed reports that David has passed away . There is a thread on rcgroups to this affect.   Fly in peace.    

Crikey its  been ages since I bought an ARTF and cant believe the same old issues are still happening.   Apart from poor U/C set ups that cant be beefed up until you trash it, I really dislike the idea of fixing a cowl with 3-4 self tappers screwed into thin ply or balsa side sheeting.   I witnessed a nice Black horse Chipmunk  do a gentle nose over on landing and the whole weight of the model  fell of the cowl causing it to snap free ripping the fuselage to bits.   Why do they not install proper mounts or at least give you sometihng substantial to screw into. And before you say, do it yourself, try mounting blocks down a long  oval fuselage when your hand doesnt fit!   The best Ive come across was the BH Twister, simple design that has been around long enough for the design to be fine tuned. NEVER buy something " just out " or new as you are just a guinea pig for the designers. JP Tiger moth 30 comes to mind which was my last artf. Looked beautiful, fittings poor, absolute silence from Perkins when I tried to get some help with the cg.   Finally as a specialist in Consumer Law, DO take  these things up with the retailer and dont be fobbed off to the manufactuer. Should a fault arise, the onus is firmly on the retailer to show goods are fit for purpose and without defect for up to  6 months. USE IT.          

simon, I was put off the airsail kit by the mass of cheap tacky abs plastic cowl and fairings. Look at db sport and scale, very complete kits , all laser cut and excellent quality.

electric powered- halfords sprays- cheap with  no need to fuel proof. glow- try and source spectra enamel ( not flair spectrum) paints. Superb and glow fuel resistant. They do a satin fuel proofer if necessary. £8 a large can. They do pc10 and green in matt and it brushes on very nicely.

sorry alan but I have a friend who is a superb builder put one of these together recently and found the pre cut parts provided to be way out from the plans. kwality engrish kit cutting!

oil pastels are cheap and effective for gun ports, stains , footholds etc candle soot for flame areas boot polish for general engine grime.  be adventurous!! go for it. Just remember to seal it all in with a fuel proofer!  Just realised your only 10 miles from me over in Romsey...

You can always buy a shiny artf and recover it or repspray it matt. Solarlac paints seems to work on most plastic films as do car spray paints. It will chip and wear but hey thats weathering!!  I both build and also construct artfs. Both have a place in my garage. All scale designs which look and fly fine. I just have to give in to the fact I haver so little time to build now im a family man with other hobbies.  Also try certain manufacturers Air Loisirs, cmpro ( zero, kittyhawk) etc .

Lew, Much appreciated. Lovely build there. I have now ordered a proper wire bender to make life easier.  Any photos you want to share here or to my private email are VERY much appreciated. Ive got 2 db designs ( pup and moth) and love em! [email protected]

Lew,  Ive seen your albatross on the db site. Can you show the cabanes construction or explain it as its the only bit that concerns me . I cant bend steel very well to save my life!!Im getting better but unless I can see a way to do it, the models out of bounds at present.

" your supposed to at home fitting a new kitchen !!"

got the big pup... lovely building the cirrus moth... lovely quality cutting, loads of wood for your money, no cheapo ply aye eddie!!! Only gripe is the abs cowl that lets the kit down. I whittled one out of balsa block . very traditional kits, well designed, lots of pre cut and pre bent parts.  That should get me a discount for the next model!!!!

Your lucky!! my perkins moth ( which is the version you have, not hanger 9) was just as bad . My cabanes were all too thick to fit the mounts, the cowl had no fixings provided and the suggested sc30fs just did not fly it.AUW of 4.5llbs. This was clearly never intended for glow power and very misleading  advertising. I asked perkins for help twice and got no reply at all. I did eventually bin it after an aborted flight and stall. Pure rubbish. If  anyone is thinking of getting one, DONT!!!!

Ive just bought this kit from db sport and need to clarify the issue of kit quality. This is without precedent, the most impressive kit, I have ever bought. Im blown away . Compared to flair, busa, airsail , ben buckle etc, this is simply miles ahead in terms of attention to detail and material choice. Every damn bit that can be cut, is and either laser or router. Every bit matches the plans. This is one hell of a bargain.  Loads of quality hardware and instructions too !!

sorry david but its not live as of just now. Certainly not on the front page.. I know its not a scam but  with all the old wifes stories that have circulated about 2.4 radio gear over the last year, this only adds to the confusion.