John C

Another important aspect of BMFA insurance is that it protects the club and its committee if sued for negligence.

Posted by iqon on 13/06/2015 11:29:07: All clubs should get an online or postal vote !!! I agree! We are talking about a very large financial committment in a facility that only a small minority of BMFA members will ever use.

Posted by Martin Harris on 12/06/2015 12:56:54: I've just received the same and I'm certainly encouraged by the content. I haven't studied them yet but the requested feasibility study and financial details should now be available from the BMFA website. There is a proxy form included that may help clubs who can't send a representative due to travel problems etc. Edit: Hmm, despite the letter stating that the info is on the website, it's either not been posted yet or is not blindingly obvious enough for me to find it...I'll drop the BMFA a message requesting them to upload it or make it easier to spot but in the meantime, if anyone finds it perhaps a post to the forum and just as importantly their club members would be helpful? Edited By Martin Harris on 12/06/2015 13:12:35 I have also received the proxy form. This is all new to me in my first year as a club secretary. Does anyone know if there is any method for a club to make a postal vote?

Well done and thanks for giving us the correct email address.

I have also emailing them but never got a reply so it is no help.

I forgot to answer your other question. To get a view from the cockpit you must first choose a 3D InfinityScape flying site. You will then find that you have the option to choose the camera view from the cockpit and can fly the plane from the cockpit. Hard to land well!

You are progressing very well but there is a big difference between flying the simulator and flying a model. Most people get tense flying a real model which has cost them money and time. After you have smashed up a model you can get even more tense and this has a serious impact on your flying performance. Having said that the simulator is excellent training. You can learn how to fly the plane towards yourself without having to think which aileron correction to give to save the plane. Also great for learning to control the amount of bank and height in banked turns. I am using Phoenix a lot for learning 3D flying for which it is excellent. The model stays close to you so there is not the usual simulator problem of the model getting small and you don't know where it is in relation to the landing strip. If you can get someone to maiden your model and trim it and then teach you on a buddy lead you are much less likely to wreck it. Your WOT Trainer looks very nice. Good luck!

Posted by Alistair Scolley on 11/12/2014 13:31:13: The aim here is to get used to flying around with an out-of trim model. When you can do that you can guide a real model on its maiden flight to a safe height, let go of the stick to put in some trim, then recover before the model gets too low. I found that practising this on a simulator made maiden flights with a real plane much less scary. Alistair I agree with you Alistair that a simulator is very good training aid but I had never thought of using it to practice trimming. Excellent idea! Would it work to reach across with the left hand to adjust the elevator and aileron trims so you do not need to let go of the main stick? I use a neck strap so I could let go with the left hand but I have no idea how I actually do it!

Thanks BEB. That is reassuring to hear.

A recent Civil Aviation Authority document could have significant consequences for any club in Controlled Airspace or near an airport. See **LINK** The document states that anyone flying a 7-20 kg model in Controlled Airspace, or in an Aerodrome Traffic Zone, must obtain a prior Non-Standard Flight approval from the appropriate Air Traffic Services unit at least 21 days before the flight is made. Our club has asked the BMFA and the Air Traffic Control for advice but have not yet had a response. The document also states that pilots of models “weighing 7 kg or less, are strongly advised for collision avoidance purposes, to remain clear of charted aerodromes by at least a distance of 5 km”. The increasing popularity of multi-copters seems to be causing the CAA to take a much closer look at the flying of all model aircraft. Edited By John C on 08/12/2014 21:00:41

Posted by Terence Moore on 13/11/2014 18:20:51: I also point out the geometry of the vertical climb i.e. due to the angle between "line of sight" and apparent vertical, it should appear not quite vertical. Easier to explain with a sketch, than in text. Surely a vertical looks vertical whatever direction you look at it? For example, a lamp-post appears vertical whether looking along a street or from the opposite side of the street.

50mm (excluding the head) M4 with posidrive head. I have a crashed one in the garage. Edited By John C on 21/09/2014 22:00:08

I have noticed that beginners with IC planes seem to spend a lot of time trying to get their engines to run right. They also have to deal with dead sticks (engine cutting out). With electric power the motor is ready to go imeadiately your instructor is ready to take you. Electric has its disadvantages but for small to medium size models it seems to me that it has significant advantages. It may cost more. I very quickly spent about £1,000 on the model, equipment, 4 lipos, a good charger, sim and 2nd tx, spares and tools, club membership, RCM&E subscription. I was taken aback as I thought £500 would do for the first year! I learnt on a Seagull E-Pioneer with is similar to the Rising Star that Ken recommends. Very forgiving, easy to see with 60" span and good in the wind. Tricycle undercarriage is good for learning.

On page 73 of the August edition of RCM&E, Nigel Hawkes describes using Crown Quick Drying Gloss (acylic paint) to good effect. He used two slightly thinned coats applied with a soft brush. The results look good so I intend to try it too. John

The Ripmax ones at £17.25 for occasional use are probably a bit too much for me. I am wondering about these **LINK** as they are probably reasonable quality being Aligin and easier than using thumbs.

Which ball-link pliers would you recommend?

Posted by fly boy3 on 25/05/2014 22:16:29: Hi all,a foamy to practise aeros. on, not a bad idea. I'm only into normal club stuff, but I can see the logic in this. Any one out there care to nominate such a model. Got to be a budget aircraft, and perhaps a profile design. Thanks I am having fun learning aerobatics and 3D on a RC Factory Flash which is an EPP profile model. The EPP profile models are very robust compared to EPO foamie models and much easier to repair. I am flying over long grass so the model usually doesn't break when I crash which is great for learning and takes away the fear and also the time and money lost in repairs. The Flash has quite a pronounced wing rock in harrier so if I were buying one again I would probably go for the newer RC Factory Edge 540 (39” span). With low rates you can practice pattern flying; it is far from smooth and gets blown about a lot in a moderate wind but in light winds you can practice all the moves. Trying 3D is tremendous fun and is good for learning to recover from being out of control. I am 63 and am delighted that it is still possible to learn new skills! Unfortunately these planes are probably not budget if you put reasonable gear in them - about £280 including six 3S 1100 mAh lipos.

Posted by john melia 1 on 09/04/2014 19:13:13: Thats what I try to do john .. ie ... find a model that flies like a one I actually have , eg , the ultimate 40 bipe , but it flies nothing like mine , the phoenix ultimate just seems to float around , landings are a breeze even when I turn the wind up . Are you flying the 1m Mini Ultimate or the 1.9m Ultimate Ultimate? The big one is majestic to fly. The Mini on the Advanced setting I find is very hard to fly slowly as it has a very sudden tip stall.

Posted by RichFR on 09/04/2014 08:33:44: I find on default 50% most things are easier to fly on 100% much harder but I think its because the throws are higher. Generally I think models stall much easier now. Some models add some rates might be worth checking them. On the Advanced setting I agree the throws/control surfaces are larger (I need more expo to handle them) and the planes have a more sudden and unstable stall. I can't be sure because it is hard to compare V4 and V5 when relying on memory but my impression is that the stall in V5 is more realistic. I would say generally the physics seems more realistic but I don't have any of the planes in Phoenix so I can't make a direct comparision. I just try to find a model in Phoenix that flies like my aerobatic model and practice on that.

Posted by john melia 1 on 09/04/2014 07:47:17: Yes john , got it turned all the way up , also mess around with some of the advanced settings to try and make it more unstable , but theres a lot of settings in there that are confusing , is there a manual available anywhere for the advanced settings bit . Going to nip over to phoenix website and see I agree the manual provided through the Help button only covers the basics. I suppose they assume that if you are going to do detailed editing of the model that you understand what you are doing. I have only adjusted the difficulty and moved the COG backwards (z-axis) which most of the planes seem to need to fly inverted with only a little forward stick.

Posted by john melia 1 on 08/04/2014 22:24:45: Whats yout opinions on this latest update , I'm sure they've messed with the physics again in that the models seem to fly easier , and just not realistically , could be just me getting used to it I suppose , but the physics did seem better before this latest upgrade There is an ultimate 40 on phoenix which flies nowt like mine , if mine flew like that I would be one happy bunny I can tell you Have you tried editing the model difficulty up to Advanced by dragging the pointer around that wheel? It certainly makes it harder to fly.

Has anyone found the Inflight Tuning button? The manual suggests it is in the Model Edit box.

I came across this informative thread **LINK** . Have a look at the videos of the container tests in post #2 - the one of the sealed amunition box in particular! The metal cash box did well I thought.

Mine are stored in the house in both lipo bags and a metal document box. John Lee's use of a SentrySafe fireproof document cases seems an excellent idea but does take up a bit more space with their thick walls. When charging, my lipos are in a pyrex casserole dish with a lid. This is fireproof and the batteries can be observed for puffing up. Some chargers claim to be better at detecting faulty lipos e.g. Cellpro chargers which, as one of their checks, measure the voltage of each of the cells and will stop the charge if one cell differs too much from the others. They are excellent chargers but they are expensive. Edited By John C on 27/03/2014 20:46:32

I have just ordered a Hyperion Collet Adapter Puller which Wingman suggested and this should solve any future problems. I have decided not to use grease which may get onto the motor shaft through the slits in the conical part.