John C

You struck lucky! I hope you gets lots of pleasure setting it up with iNav. For me that is part of the fun and when it doesn't work properly the challenge of narrowing down what I have done wrong!

It is amazingly portable and looks as if it will fit your requirements well. I'm sure you will keep it as light as possible to keep the wing loading low. I did this with my AR900 wing but it needed some experimenting with equipment locations before committing. The challenge was to get the right CG with a light lipo which needed to be far forward. Some large Talons are built for long range and look as if they need a very strong throw to get them into the air!

That looks like a very nice model. I hope it comes back into stock soon for you! Let us know how you get on. Good luck, John

With your flying experience you should be fine with the AR900 Wing. The AR900 Wing with a 3S 2200mAh lipo doesn't have a high wing loading and I would estimate has a stall speed similar to my WOT4 foam-e. When setting up iNav it is important to be able to launch and fly the model in manual mode to trim it before setting up the other modes in the progression recommended. Nav Launch comes much later and is the most challenging to get right in my experience. I launch my AR900 in Manual Mode with my left hand (right hand on stick ready to control it) by holding the front of the port wing near the root and use a back hand throw which is quite low and nose pointing up about 30 degrees. The great thing is that crashes on launching don't tend to break it (on playing field grass). It has the advantage of having lots of room and easy access for fitting all the iNav gear your want. The ZOHD Drift looks very interesting and could be just the job for your project. I have read that in a dive the wings (I think it was) can twist and it is not possible to pull out of the dive. See Paweł Spychalski's YT video. In light winds and if kept under say 200' below the strong thermals this should not be a problem (in strong thermals I had to spin my Radian down to avoid the wings breaking off!). The Drift seems to be quite floaty. The Volantex Ranger 1600 may be another option. I have never seen or flown one but it may be suitable. Have you looked at Andrew Newton's YT channel and also RagTheNuttsOff? Both these guys are very experienced RC pilots and say what they think and suggest any modifications required. The Ranger 1600 seems to have just enough space inside the fuselage and seems to fly very well. I haven't flown the ZOHD Dart but I think the AR900 wing would be more docile and suitable. With iNav ailerons are a good idea to allow it to stabilise the roll axis. I looked into setting up iNav in my Easy Star (without ailerons) and there was inadequate guidance on how to set it up in a rudder only model. John

Hi Robin That all sounds very exciting! I have an AR900 wing which I fly LOS and FPV with a flight controller and iNav. It is an excellent model. Very tough which was good because it took me many crashes to learn the right technique to launch it. This was after 6 years of fixed wing flying. If you have a mate who can launch it for you on its maiden that is very helpful! If this is your first fixed wing plane (as suggested by your last sentence) I don't think the AR900 Wing is suitable to learn to fly. I would strongly recommend a Bixler or Easy Star type to learn LOS flying a fixed wing plane. A wing is too fast and lacks inherent stability. The INAV Fixed Wing Facebook Group (see link below) also give this same advice. I have an Easy Star but it lacks space in the fuselage to fit a flight controller with GPS. Just use this to learn to fly then move to the AR900 Wing when your feel you have learnt good control and landing skills. I followed the Painless360 videos to set it up. I suggest that you join the INAV Fixed wing Group who will be much better at answering your questions than I would be. They also have excellent guides at INAV Fixed wing Group website . You will also find useful technical videos at Mr D's YouTube page . To me your spec all looks good quality. Normally GPS only has an accuracy of about 2m as far as I know. Surveyors use a base station as a reference to get 2cm accuracy but I don't know how that is done. The Speedy Bee v2 android app is excellent for making iNav adjustment in the field. The technology is amazing. If you enjoy that sort of thing you may enjoy learning OpenTX. I moved from Spektrum and am very pleased I did. Good luck and enjoy the experience. John

Some people build large carrying boxes (from corrugated signboard plastic sheet) to keep them safe. I throw mine in the back of the car. When it is breezy it is a good idea to hold them by the motor/prop and allow them to weather cock into the wind/gusts. I haven't had any transport damage doing this for about three years now. It is a good idea to store them hanging from the prop so as not to distort the foam by lying to one side (the wings/ailerons are vulnerable to this. The foam seems so thin and floppy on these models but they are remarkably tough. After a few months of regular use they tend to get a bit battered looking (especially around the nose) and put on a few grams of weight with glue and Blenderm tape but they continue to fly very well. They are not fragile like Depron F3P models. BTW they don't fly super slow like a Night Vapor or an Ares Pup (or super light F3P models) but the Twisted Hobbies superlite models are great for low cost indoor aerobatics/3D.

Posted by trebor on 18/12/2018 18:24:00: Thanks John I will have a look at the Clik r2, are they EPP or Depron ? Ps, The Gym hall I go to is only 3 Badminton courts big so thats why I looked at the smallest. Edited By trebor on 18/12/2018 18:32:36 The Clik is EPP and takes crashes well. Repair cracks in the foam with Uhu Por and tape across the break with 1/2" Blenderm tape and it is unlikely to tear in that spot again. EPP needs to be primed with a thin tack coat of Uhu Por to get Blenderm to stick permanently. The Clik is the best indoor aerobatic and 3D model for small spaces. Not a small space but nice and slow flying **LINK** Flat rudder turns are best for small gyms as they keep the speed down and can be very tight.

Posted by trebor on 17/12/2018 18:53:47: I,ve just been looking at one of these mini yaks **LINK** They do a nice Biplane version, does anyone know how slow these will fly ? I have the Twisted Hobbies 24" Mini Edge. It is very twitchy and hard to fly compared with the 32" superlite models like the Clik R2 or Crack Laser Pro. I have a Crack Laser Pro and it flies very well. When you have mastered the knack it hovers very steadily (I cannot keep the 24" Edge in a hover). The Clik R2 has a low wing loading and flies very well indoors and is an excellent model. The superlite models have a lot of carbon rod bracing which makes them stiff. The Mini Edge has no bracing and the whole tail twists when full elevator is applied and requires aileron correction. Too much for me to cope with at the same time!

I have just used your documentation to install OpenTX on my new Horus X10S and to set up a few models using Companion. Thank you very much for this excellent documentation. It is very clear and easy to follow - far better than anything else I have found on the web. It was particularly helpful to have a guide that covers Companion and the Horus X10 so well. There is lots out there on the Taranis but it is hard to follow as a newcomer to OpenTX using a different TX and Companion. Your pdfs are very detailed and comprehensive and make a great reference source with their excellent contents pages. I am now going back through them for a second time filling in the gaps in my understanding. It was particularly helpful to have a guide on setting up a Blade heli using an external module. That must have been a mammoth task and I would like to say a very big thank you for making it available to us! Did you write the excellent articles on building the Seagull e-Pioneer in RCM&E? I used them to build my first model five years ago and get started in RC. I followed your advice and it all worked out very well. John

Have a look at Twisted Hobbys models manufactured by RC Factory. Like the Wargo, they are made of EPP which bounces and is easy to repair with Uhu Por. When the foam cracks glue it together and strengthen the area by priming the surface with Uhu Por and stick Blenderm tape at right angles across the crack. It probably won't break again in that area. Fly over grass and you will mostly only have to pay for replacement props (GWS slow fly at £1.25). I have learnt to fly simple 3D with these models. It is great fun and stress free! Best to start with a 800mm span size. 600mm is very twitchy and 1000mm needs more space and is intimidating when close. Something like the Crack Yak 55 Lite would be a good model to start with - simple to build and flies outside in light winds. **LINK** Buy the servo and power sets too - they suit the models very well and are great value. The manuals are online at Twisted Hobbys. As I recall, the recommend COG in the manual for this model is too far back. You need a neutral trim with very little stick required upright and inverted. As others have suggested a simulator is very helpful for 3D. I started with Phoenix but I find Realflight is much better for 3D (a couple of years ago a Phoenix update made hovering too easy). Use the biggest 3D models, even though you fly small ones, as they are the easiest to fly and less twitchy. Keep the model very close so you can see it very clearly. Have fun. If you have an indoor club with a sports hall, the Clik is the model to get. Have a look at this forum **LINK** Very helpful and friendly with lots of good advice from very good pilots. Another excellent thread is **LINK** Good luck.

Posted by Martin Whybrow on 10/08/2017 19:56:50: The way airlines deal with Lithium ion battery (valid for LiPos as well) fires is to drop them in a metal bucket and pour water on them; you need to cool the battery down below the point where it's breaking down. You will hear people telling you not to put water on a metal fire - they're correct, but there's no lithium metal in a lithium ion battery so it's OK to use water. Thanks for this advice which I had not heard before. There is a good video on this method on the CAA website: **LINK**

Some useful information here **LINK**

Things seem to have improved. I ordered a HH's Commander (which was in stock) 7 days ago. At the end of the following day I received an email confirming my order and when I logged into my account I could see that it said 'shipped'. It arrived this morning by DPD. Slower delivery than from UK retailers but the price was excellent and I am delighted.

Posted by Bruce Miller 2 on 06/09/2016 14:14:45o, I suggest, there is an information vacuum that is stifling sales of a good product. I agree with you completely. I find that lack of information like this is very frustrating. See Andy's post #6418 for the information I referred to: **LINK**

Andy Kunz of Spektrum has written on the RC Groups forum "There are several different versions of code in the various AR636 products. They have varying levels of programmability, ranging from none (Sukhoi) to partial (most RTR/BNFs, some SAFE) to full non-SAFE (open stock). And as noted elsewhere, the "A" or "H" or no suffix mean little to nothing." The new E-Flite Sukhoi 29mm (Gen 2) Blue n' White has a fully programmable RX but the previous version does not, so beware. I found if very frustrating that on my Eflite Splendor that the RX modes determined rates and expo as well as the gyro gains. Fully progammable sounds much better!

I was using Phoenix to learn to fly 3D planes and it was very good until about a year ago when a new update was brought out. In the new version is was so unrealistically easy to hover you do not learn anything. I hoped that this was just a glitch and would be fixed in the next release but it wasn't (and still wasn't some months later when I last checked). Others on the forums found the same as me. After a couple of months I bought Realflight 7.5 which is very realistic and the models fly like my real 3D planes. It did not run very well on my laptop so I bought a secondhand PC with a dedicated graphics card which allows the sim to run at its highest settings and at a fast frame rate. On the laptop the slow frame rate made me feel nauseous and was not enjoyable. I use a HDMI cable to a largish TV on my desk which is much better that the 15" laptop screen. Both sims have special cables/dongles to connect to the PC. I use Heli-X for my heli sim but I think Realflight is fine too. I haven't tried Phoenix for helis. At first I used my DX6i and now my DX6 tx to control the sim. It is probably better to use your normal tx so the feel is the same as in real life. Now I don't use the sims much and just fly my Twisted Hobby EPP models in a field near home. They don't break when they crash (every couple of minutes) and I can fly the 24" and 32" ones very close to me without risk of injury. It is more fun than the sim. Without the sim I doubt if I would have learned how to fly 3D. I never thought that at 65 I would be able to learn to fly 3D but the sims have been great. For learning to fly collective pitch helis I found that the Blade Nano QX quadcopter in 'agility mode' was a great aid. You can fly it indoors at home and, in agility mode, it flies very like a Blade Nano CPX heli which was the next step up for me before moving to a MCPX BL and then on to a 300 size model. I found the QX gave me lots of stick time to get the hand-eye co-ordination for tail in flying and it then allowed me to progress slowly to nose in hovering. Have fun!

Posted by Frank Skilbeck on 11/05/2016 08:21:42: Stuart have you seen the light weight spectrum Rx's from Micron This is a DT Rx31 (from Micron Radio Control) - a 6 channel rx which weighs 0.21g. The wires are 0.2mm diameter enamelled copper from **LINK** You get 2m lengths of red, black and self coloured wire which is helpful for identification. A magnifying glass on a stand and a temperature controlled iron with a fine bit were used. The servo wires were cut back to within 15mm of the servos and the soldered joints insulated with Plasti Dip. I now use Electrolube Flexible Silicone Coating to insulate these joints and also to coat the bare PCB of the RX and the ESC (because I fly this model outside as well as indoors and the grass is sometimes wet). All the wires and covering were removed from the ESC. I have soldered the motor wires direct to the ESC and also the cut down cable for the lipo socket. This all saved weight. The lipo is in a cutout centred at the COG. I am pleased that I have managed to build this Twisted Hobby's 24" Edge 540 with an AUW ex lipo of 69g. It flies very well and is delightfully floaty.

Posted by TigerOC on 12/04/2016 08:43:03: Posted by ChrisB on 12/04/2016 08:10:15: As I see it, the aim of the questions is to enable the candidate to demonstrate to the examiner that they have an understanding of aeromodelling beyond that of the actual flying element. The aim of the achievement scheme is to enable individuals to gain a certificate, at the moment, purely voluntarily and for fun. Whether the ANO is passed in parliament or whether its secondary legislation enacted by the CAA as part of its legislative powers doesn't really impact on the outcome or aim of the question, that being, to ascertain if the candidate understands the basic background to the ANO...i.e. its the legal order by which all flying is regulated. In my view it matters not whether its primary or secondary legislation and I think its splitting hairs in the context with which we are discussing. As long as a candidate understands that its a legal framework controlled and regulated by the CAA by which aviation including model aircraft are required to observe then I think in the context of the voluntary certification scheme that is a sufficient minimum answer.   CB You are absolutely spot on. The whole point of the exercise is to encourage the student to be aware of the law that governs what they can and cannot do. Its about encouraging learning and awareness not about passing exams with absolute technical detail. In this hobby environment we want participants to be aware of the law in broad brush strokes, not people fully qualified in the legal complexities of aviation law. For example ANO 137 & 138; why should it be necessary for the individual to know what each says when it sufficient for the individual to be aware that it is unlawful for a model flyer to wilfully endanger people (on the ground or in the air), property including buildings, aircraft or animals. Rob I agree in general and am very keen on rules being expressed in plain simple English (I have difficulty remembering the legal wording of the ANO Articles). However, Article 138 says more than your nice simple summary. It uses the words "recklessly or negligently cause or permit". So as well as it being illegal to willfully endanger people or property, you must not be negligent. For example, where appropriate, you must do pre-flight checks and carefully consider if it is safe to make the flight, etc. Insurance contracts have been transformed by the use of plain simple English so it would be good to see it used in the Achievement Scheme questions. It would not be easy to ensure that the plain English had exactly the same meaning as the Articles but it would be good if it could be done. Edited By John C on 12/04/2016 10:09:07

I recently bought a Ford Grand C-max from **LINK** saving just over £3,000 (on a £20k car) compared with the best price I could get from a local Ford dealer (with the Ford Finance discount). This saving took into account that I had to go over to Stranraer from Belfast to bring the car back. It took a whole day but a good saving so worth it. The car was supplied by Ford UK. The usual delivery time of 12 weeks applied. To have protection for the whole purchase (under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974) you do need to pay the deposit with a credit card on which you are the primary account holder (not on a second card on say your spouse's account). Everything went very smoothly and I would do it again. My sister also bought her new car from this company.

Posted by Rob Buckley on 05/08/2015 21:43:50: We use Mailchimp, it gives a shared distribution list for committee members too if you give them account access. Thanks Rob. I think I may use this. It is great that the free version of MailChimp allows you to set up multiple accounts with their own username and passwords and different rights which, as you say, would allow other committee members to send out emails to club members. In testing MailChimp I have discovered that iphones don't seem to be able to open links to Word documents so I will save these as pdfs before uploading them to MailChimp.

Posted by John Privett on 05/08/2015 23:00:44: Now I use the SMTP email server on the hosting service that hosts the club website, and I can send all 193 in one hit. They (5quidhost) do have a default limit of 100 emails/hour, but they will raise this on request. As an aside, it is 'good practice' to use 'bcc' for the destination addresses - ie. send it from yourself (or club address) to yourself (or club address) and 'bcc' the members' addresses. Otherwise you're making all your members' email addresses public and sooner or later somebody will complain... Thanks for this suggestion - I will try using my club email (provided by club wesite host) rather than my presonal email and see how that goes. Thanks also for bcc advice - I wondered how to do this. Nobody has complained yet but better to use good practice. Thank you to all who have replied. I may need to try your suggestions if the above doesn't work with our website host.

Our club has about 50 members who can receive emails. Until recently I have been able to send an email to all 50 recipients. Unfortunately my BTinternet email now gives me an error message saying that there are too many recipients. I understand this is to reduce the risk of spam. For a while I was blocked from sending even single emails. I now have to send out 2 emails to 25 members each and this seems to work - but for how long I wonder? How do other secretaries email their members? I have looked at MailChimp but it is a bit cumbersome for this task especially if I am asked to forward an attachment. With MailChimp the attachment needs to be uploaded to their website and a link inserted in the mail.