Bill Worsley

I have flown R/C Helicopters, Raptor 30,50,60, for a few years and would like to have a go at gliding. I have been given an ST Models ASW28, a 2M foam model, and have built a BOT 5 foot span, not covered yet. I have been told the ASW28 is not really a beginners model as it could be too fast. Could anyone suggest a suitable powered glider for a beginner? Thanks Bill W.

Hi All, Once again, I have come across something I am not happy with in the ASW 28 I have recently purchased. This time it is the control surfaces and their operation. The Ailerons, Elevator and the Rudder, when disconnected from the servos and their control wires, are very stiff. The hinging mechanism is the same on them all, and seems to be no more the part of the control surface being moulded thinner than the rest, to create a type of hinge. An example of this is when I connect the Elevator to the servo and operate it. Before either the servo or the elevator reaches full travel, the servo starts to buzz and the whole Tailplane starts to move. When the Tailplane is disconnected, it is evident, by manual operation, that the control surface is a lot stiffer at the hinge point, than I would have expected. The two solutions I have thought of trying are :- 1/ As the hinges are full length, I thought that if I removed part of it, leaving say 4 x 1/2" sections to act as hinges?? 2/ Remove the existing "hinge" and replace it with something more suitable. Any suggestions as to the type and size would be appreciated. If anyone has any other ideas as to how I can achieve this, I would be grateful for your input. Thanks Bill W

Hi All, Just got down to trying to sort out the radio gear. What I have found so far are that both the elevator and rudder servos are a bit noisy. Also, despite the ATV's being set to 100%, there doesn't seem to be a lot of throw on either control surface. Another thing I have noticed is with the ailerons, when operated the inboard ends move about 1/4", either way, from their central position, whereas the outer ends only move an 1/8". This appears to be caused be the hinged part of the ailerons being not as free as they should?? Is this easy to correct? As I suspect the rudder and elevators may be similarly afflicted??? Thanks Bill W.

A couple of questions. Whilst the 1050 kv motor is OK. With the folding prop being a screw-on type, held firmly by a nut at the back and front of the prop, there doesn't seem much scope for changing the prop at any stage. With that in mind, how easy is it to change the motor to a type that I can use to select a prop to suit my needs. It seems even the motor and mount are glued in. Is the necessary surgery easy enough to do? Any recommendation on a suitable motor. It would seem that the ARTF version used a 2.4 Ghz receiver. Would it be feasible to use a 35Mhz Rx? What typical voltage do you get out of the ESC to power the Rx? Thanks Bill W.

Hi Pete, The link you mentioned should be copied and put as a sticky on all RC sites. Having read most of it , it is quite revealing. ie one company making a range of motors in China and then sells them to various distributors who then re-brand them. The staggering thing is that there can be about £100 difference between the top price a retailer charges and the lowest price. Although this was written 2 years ago it is probably still relevant . Bill W.

David, Thanks for the info. The link to the Gibbs Books, the power systems one you mention, seems to be ideal. Bill W.

I am new to electric flight and was wondering if anyone had produced any tables that showed, weight of aircraft - appropriate sized Motor (Kv) - ESC - Battery - Prop The way I see it is that the weight of the plane/glider would determine the power the motor needs to move that weight. The prop would determine the max current draw, and hence the ESC amperage. I have an ASW 28 Glider, weighing 475 grams, with a 1050Kv motor, a 20A ESC and a 10 x 6 folding prop. There is no 2 cell 1000mah LiPo with it, but they weigh about 65g. All up weight = 540grams. The previous owner said the climb to "operating" height was a bit pedestrian and I want to improve this. I have, and would like to use, a 3 cell LiPo, but have been told that the extra voltage/current draw  could burn out the motor and esc. If there was a table around I would be able to look at that and choose a motor/ esc/prop combo to suit my 3 cell 11.1 LiPo's Does such a table exist? Bill W.     Edited By Bill Worsley on 19/03/2014 08:44:57 Edited By Bill Worsley on 19/03/2014 08:47:03

Looking at the space for the LiPo in the ASW28, there isn't a lot of room. I can't find any indication from the manual as to the physical dimensions of the battery. Looking on the internet it seems they come in all shapes and sizes. Can anyone recommend a battery that they are successfully using in their ASW 28. Thanks Bill W.

Sounds like a plan. As you say they are cheap enough. Thanks Bill W

Just had a quick look and the motor is a small bell motor and is an outrunner...Bill W.

The ASW 28 is an ST Model( www.sheng-teng.com) The manual says it has a brushless motor, no more details. Any ideas on what Kv it would be? The battery required is a 2-cell 1,000 Mah 7.4v LiPo. All my LiPo's are 3 cell 11.1V. Would they be OK?. Would it be better to get another motor and use the 3-cell LiPo's ? With that in mind what would be a suitable motor? I am assuming the original is an Inrunner. I hope someone has been down this route before. The original owner says the climb rate with the original motor and 2-cell Lipo is quite pedestrian. Thanks, Bill W

It is a model glider!!!!!!!! Manufacturer could be either ST Models or I think FMS?? Bill W

I have been offered an ASW 28 electric glider, in need of some TLC. Are there any places where spares are available?? Thanks Bill W

Hi Martin, Thanks for the e-mail attachments, they are perfect, even when blown up full size. They will be a good start for my BOT build in the future. They are far better than the others I have tried to download. Thanks Bill W.

Hi Martin, Thanks for the offer. PM sent with e-mail address. Cheers Bill W.

Hi Martin, I have a full set of Dynaflite plans from Ernie, but they don't have the wing rib profiles on, as the RCM plans do, but attempts to expand these files to full size make the plans, not really usable. If your copy has the wing ribs on they would be very useful. Thanks Bill W.

Hi Nige, I used the word problematic because unlike a nut and bolt fixing, magnetic fixing can come apart, albeit at probably much greater forces than an aircraft/glider will usually generate. But as you get up the scale towards the larger birds, most fixings are solid and don't rely on elastic bands, magnets etc. The use of earth magnets in the appropriate models is, as you say, a very good idea. Enabling various surfaces to be held together securely but without any visible means of support. I have used them on hatches on various powered aircraft. The vast majority have held perfectly. I have had one aircraft that initially had a hatch held on by magnets. On returning from a flight the hatch was missing. I can only assume that during the flight the hatch slipped and the airstream lifted it off. I remade the hatch cover, put a cocktail stick dowel in the front, another magnet and it held fine after that. I suppose that it is down to the builder to try and foresee problems and overcome them before the problem occurs. Bill W.

Ernie, I have just completed a build of a Mini BOT using laser cut parts from Belair. They have used a 3/16 dowel at the front, through the F1 ply fuselage former. At the rear they use a flat headed nut and bolt, that goes through a 3/16 square spruce cross member. That combination feels really solid, no flexing bands or problematic magnets. It certainly looks better without the bands. I suppose the BOT could be modified in the same way . Maybe 2 dowels at the front and 2 nuts and bolts at the rear. I use a nut/bolt system that is used in book binding. You have a 1/2" long 'Bolt' with a flat head about 3/8"across with a screw slot in it. The 'Nut' is almost identical to the 'Bolt', except instead of the threaded part of the 'Bolt' it has a hollow tube, threaded to accept the 'Bolt' and a flat head on it. **LINK** This will explain better.   Bill W Edited By Bill Worsley on 01/03/2014 19:17:20

Hi Nige, Printed plans arrived OK this morning, Many thanks. Wing rib outlines are a bit thick, but if I choose either the inside or outside of the rib outline and stick with my choice for all the ribs, I think we will manage just fine. Once again Many thanks Bill W.

As you say Mal, plenty of cliffs around the Bempton area. My favourite places for Gliders (only watched them) is North of Pickering at the Hole of Horcum, just before you plunge down the hill towards Fylindales. A bit far though. Bill W

With ref to the Outerzone downloaded plans and all other plans I download... After I download the plans and try to expand them to the right size, not only does the physical size of the plans increase, but as I expected, the drawn lines also expand and it looks like the plans were drawn with a thick piece of Charcoal. does anyone know how to avoid this other than getting full size plans??? Cheers Bill W.

I contacted the RCM Plans website late yesterday and received the Following reply:- Thank you for your order with RCM Plans. We are sorry for the delay in responding. Our system has been down for quite some time. We were locked out of our entire system. We were unable to access the admin portion of the website, emails (which we lost most of), orders, etc. We are trying to resolve the problems with our hosting company. We hope to have all problems resolved by sometime in March. The email portion of the website restarted on 02/14/14. RCM Plans is very recently under new management and we are seeing to fixing the problems and also to refunding anyone who has not yet received their money back. If someone chooses to receive the product that they ordered, we will also help them with this. Please let us know if you would like to wait or would like a refund and we will help in any way we can. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. Hopefully they have sorted out the problems and are in business again. I will keep my fingers crossed as they said that last time I contacted them several months ago. I must admit that this e-mail looks more hopeful. Cheers Bill W

Hi, Thanks for the replies. Please avoid the rcmplans.com website, I sent them the cash for a set of BOT plans6months ago, only to find, that despite them still advertising, they are closed. I came across an American site that is trying to get State Jurisdiction to sort the owners out. PLEASE AVOID Bill W

Hi All, I have kindly been given a set of Dynaflite Bird of Time plans. Unlike the unobtainable RCM plans, they don't have the rib profiles printed on the plan. Does anyone have a set of rib profiles? Or know anywhere I can get some?? Thanks Bill W

Hi Mal, If you find anywhere in the area could you let me know. Like you I live in Hull and have just started building my own Gliders from plans I have completed one from plans in the Aeromodeller Mag, and a second, a 60" version of the old classic Bird Of Time. As yet I haven't found anywhere. My thoughts were to put an electric motor in my Bird of Time. That way I can fly anywhere. There are a large number of Ready to Fly electric gliders on the market to suit everyone's pocket, and of course there are the online auction sites as well. Slope soaring would be no problem as you just chuck your glider of a big hill, and sit there buzzing it round the sky. There are also winch launches from flat fields, and also the tried and tested bungee rubber launches. With your condition limiting things some what I would go for an electric glider of a wingspan you can easily transport, the wings usually break down into 2 or 4 pieces for ease of transport. Cheers Bill W