Birgir

Considerable cleaning work ahead...

Hi everyone I did the servo test as Cuban8 suggested. I pulled the servo lead from the Dual-receiver module and connected it strait to the receiver, the same receiver, and Vola! No bouncing at all. When I connected it again as it was previously, the bouncing was minimal. The unplugging and re-plugging might have cleaned the connectors a little, proving John’s theory. I also must admit that the inside of this old Keil Kraft Mini Super has a very nice smell coming from previous fuel leaks. Everything also has a nice oily touch, based om the same history. 😊 B.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and good suggestion. The most secure way is to bin the servo, and I totally understand this suggestion. But being a sportsman, I find that a bit too easy. (Most likely I would also make this suggestion if someone asked me). I’m sure that the servos are original Futaba S3003 bought from Pegasus Models in Norwich. I tested the model upside down as Martin suggests and moving the sticks quickly without letting them go as RottenRow and Engine Doctor suggested. This did not eliminate this behaviour in either case. Regarding extension leads as Engine Doctor and Cuban8 have pointed out, I have a confession to make. This model has two receivers and a Dual Receiver unit that connects both receivers to all the servos. The extension leads are JR but the servos are Futaba. So, the extension leads theory sounds appealing to me. While testing the servo the behaviour seems to diminish as Cuban8 did forecast, that also supports his suggestion. Engine Doctor also mention that a similar behaviour can happen just after the batteries are recharged. This might also play a role because I just chanced from a five batteries rechargeable Overlander battery pack to four Duracell Optimum non-rechargeable batteries which might be a bit more powerful. The reason for this change is that I’m using rechargeable batteries in my Futaba 6J Tx and when I put this Duracell Optimum in it lasted and lasted much longer than I expected. But I do worry a bit because I don’t know how these batteries behave when they are close to empty. Do they empty very suddenly and fall rapidly below working voltage or is it ok to expect noticeable fall in voltage that will alert that battery change is needed? B.

Hello Can anyone explain to me what is happening with my servo? When I release the transmitter stick suddenly from full up or down the servo fluctuates around the centre position for a moment before it stops in the centre. Should I be concerned about this, or should I just ignore it? This does not bother me when flying. I’m not that good a pilot. There is no gyro to blame. Any comments welcomed. Thanks - Birgir ServoProblem.mov.mp4

Your copy of the KK Mini Super is very beautiful Nigel. I rebuilt my copy a few years ago and also took note of the picture on the original box, which I still have. I built a new wing, reduced the dihedral of the wing and added ailerons. The model still has a glow engine. Hopefully I will be able to fly it this summer. B.

Hi Bill and thanks for asking. I'm sure that old Luis would turn in his grave if he heard this idea 🙂 but fun set aside, I know very little about electric conversion. Recently a came across this video. It looks like a 60" -isch model and you might be able to get some info about the spec from him. Regards, Birgir

Hi everyone. It’s now almost a year since my last post here, where I talked about my hopes that the Bleriot would be airborne again this season. I’m sorry to say that I used all the limited time of good weather here in Iceland to try to master the flying of my biplane, Sig Hog Bipe, with limited results. On windy days I however managed to make some more videos looking closer at some aspects of my Bleriot XI model. Here below is a video where I take a closer look at the stabilizer. You can also go to my YouTube channel and have a look at all my Bleriot videos at the Bleriot playlist. At present I ‘m collecting as many subscribers as I can and will be thankful if you could use this opportunity to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thanks, Birgir.

Hi there. Now I‘ve managed to test my new setup with a thicker window pane and an exhaust extension. The autumn is coming here in Iceland and the cold northerly winds are blowing. 6 – 7 m/s from north i.e. off shore wind is perhaps not the best situation for a test. Our airfield is very close to the shore as you can see on the video above and it is the North Atlantic Ocean. Well, the take-off was very steep but soon I got control of the model and started playing in the wind trying to get our windsock on camera. After a few minutes the engine started to sound a little strange and I wondered if that was because my new fuel had a little more oil than what I used to use. Suddenly all went quiet – dead engine. My Sig Hog Bipe is not a floater. Luckily the model was in the northern part of my flying envelop but there was quite some distance to the landing strip. I tried to gain speed by pointing the nose a bit down and turning into the wind, but the wind was to much – when turning, the inner wing lost the lift, and I couldn’t do anything but listen to the all too familiar sound of balsa breaking on a nearby football pitch. The theory is that the exhaust extension caused the motor to overheat and stop. As can be seen on the still below the extension did not solve the oil problem anyway and on top of that my camera was not on video but time laps stills. The only success was that I did not loose the camera to the Atlantic Ocean and the model can most likely be fixed. B.

To solve the Castor oil problem for my pilot I ‘ve added an exhaust pipe extension made from an electrical conduit. I have bench tested it and it seems not to have too much effect on the running of the engine. I have not yet done an inflight testing but will do so at the first opportunity. I wonder if anyone here has the knowledge to calculate the resistance of the extension and do an educated guess about the outcome. The measurements are: The cross-section of the end of the muffler output is 50 square mm. The cross-section of the extension pipe is 133 square mm, i.e., 2.64 times the muffler. The length of the extension is 320 mm. B.

This is my first video from a GoPro 7 on board Sig Hog Bipe. Obviously I must do something about the exhaust 🙂 B.

Hello again dear friends It is now seven years since I built the Bleriot XI model and time to inspect the landing gear. So, I cleaned it up and put in new rubber bands. Hopefully she will get airborne again in the new year. Best wishes, Birgir

Next month it will be 50 years since my dad gave me a Keil Kraft Mini Super kit for a birthday present. To celebrate that I took it down from the garage ceiling, gave it new rubber bands and took it to the field. Originally the model was said to need two or three channels: engine, rudder and maybe also an elevator. Me and my dad built it for three channels. Later I added ailerons, steerable nose wheel and enlarged the rudder a bit and after that it became a very nice, easy to fly little model.

Hi My oldest model was built in 1973 by me and my father. It’s a Keil Kraft Mini Super kit. It has of course had a few updates and rebuilds but I have already flown it three times this spring More info about that model can be seen on http://flugmodel.weebly.com Birgir

Hi everyone I came across this old thread when practicing in the new forum so I decided to post my first post in the new forum here. The Somethin‘ Extra is now fully built and equipped with a 52 engine and a 11x6 prop. Hopefully I will have the courage to maiden it this summer. B.

Hi I ‘ve just finished building my Sig Somethin‘ Extra kit. Next step will be running in the motor (SC 52) and adjusting the control throws. The recommended throws in the manual seem a little bit extreme to me, even the low throws. I ‘m about an average flyer, I think and I would welcome any good advice on this matter before the maiden flight. Thanks