Old Geezer

As we are ( long term ) aiming to relocate to the New Forest, as a model flyer of many years I started to research model flying in/around the New Forest. I was unsurprised at all the old arguments against model flying over the country’s uncultivated/common land trotted out by the usual suspects, with ground nesting birds their Ace in the Hole. As a countryman I have seen the reduction in the population of our ground nesting birds since the end of the Second World War, changes in agricultural practices are largely to blame, but our uncultivated areas such as the New Forest are a different matter. Increased public access, especially with poorly controlled dogs will be responsible for example for the decimation of our Curlew population., add to that the increase in the number of foxes ( never known to refuse dietary supplementation with discarded take-aways ) and finally the t.v. naturalists favourite - the Badger, omnivorous, never known to turn down a nest full of eggs or nestlings via hedgehogs and lambs ( live or dead ) to carrion, and they REALLY go for Lapwing nests - a farm can’t have Badgers AND Lapwings, and the ( protected ) Badgers always win. With all the above, a few models, a few hours every few days are a minor distraction. Sloping on the Long Mynd I have had Buzzards and Red Kites formating on my aged Impala ( and a Police Helicopter! ) our electric field is shared by several Sky Larks and both Buzzards and Red Kites intermittently visit our power field overlooking the Severn - nothing seems to worry them and they eventually get bored and stooge off looking for edible pickings. In other words, except in extreme circumstances, responsible model flyers and our native wild birds whether nesting on the ground or in trees appear to co-exist quite happily.

THANKS Max Don’t know how I managed to miss that, put it down to my advancing years! Anyway I’m extremely grateful. Wookman (you’re not from Cheddar are you?). Yep - I know what my Left Thumb’s for, it’s just that electronic coupling of Rudder to Aileron is soooo much nicer. If I need a bit of a challenge I just stick a 4S in my battered antique Mpx Funjet! (Keeping the defibrillator and oxygen ready in the Pits.) Regards to both and may your take-offs to landings ratio remain at 1 : 1 . Gurth.

I’ve had my Mpx Cockpit since soon after Mpx brought out the 2.4 gig version. (i.e. years ago!). Love it to bits - so far never let me down and it still feels so ‘right’ in my small, arthritic paws ??? Anyway, I’ve finally found something that it won’t do, or at least I am unable to find mention of HOW TO COUPLE RUDDER TO AILERON (Aileron, the primary function, the Rudder being secondary) in the book of words which I still have after all these years, or the internet. My bargain plastic Cessna is very untidy when turning with Ailerons alone but adding sniff of Rudder improves its manners enormously. I have no pride - anything to make flying easier.

In the words of Max Boyce “I was there” - one of the best day’s flying in a long long time - but HOT! Smashing atmosphere - flew my Junior 60 and my Scorpion (both Lipo powered) several times through the day, hardly any queueing to get in the air. Roll on the next meeting, and I hope the SAM meetings are as relaxed as Cocklebarrow, must try at least one of those this year ( & maybe Old Warden too? ).

You can’t have too many arming plugs ( mine are XTs ) - I have one in my flight box, another in the Tx case & each plane which has to have a wing taken off to change the flight battery, has it’s own plug which is attached to the airframe with a rubber band. Anyway it’s not exactly a terrible fag to make these arming plugs, and it’s good way to sharpen up my soldering skills. Oh and there’s an XT60 arming plug on my car key ring too - Yes, I have arrived at the field without an arming plug - - - ONCE!! ( & on different occasions my Tx case & my Lipo box - but over 50-odd years flying, who hasn’t ).

Beware unexpected consequences! Sainsburys 07.00 for Wrinklies & Crumblies Hour - got there 15 minutes early - fair sized queue - by 07.15 the place was rammed - blow it! Baled out with only 1/2 the list in the trolley. From now on (assuming we didn't cop the virus in the scrum this morning) will be telephoning orders to our local greengrocer/fishmonger and our butcher - both will allow us to collect a carrier bag at the door and pay contactless without going into the shop if they're crowded.

Not 'xactly on topic, but suddenly in dire need of displacement activity yesterday I found myself 'doing the garage'. 6 hours later I find I have acquired an unexpected heap of brownie points - and a lot more room in the garage - but due to current restrictions I'm not sure how I can spend 'em. ( WSW moderate breeze at Pole Cott' on Long Mynd might be tempting though. 🤔 )

Or should that be 'onto'?

AND then there is the case of a Gunner who lays his artillery piece ( gun! ) on a target. 🙄

When our patch dries out enough to get our cars on and off I will definitely be going flying again - BUT no handshakes ( I've never ever seen a man-hug up there so that's never going to be a problem! ). Regrettably that'll be the end of our breakfast meetings for a while tho' I guess. But realistically 8 or 10 old guys in the middle of 8 or 10 acres of Shropshire countryside a public health risk do not make. Similarly, a few fishermen strung out around a mile of reservoir bank are unlikely to put one another, or anybody else, at risk. Both activities should be viewed in a positive light, the benefits of the feeling of wellbeing after a session means a marginal (at least!) improvement in your resistance to infections - that would equally apply to a decent walk, perhaps not in a big group though.

Years ago - after several years away from flying I had a refresher session with ATS at their field flying one of their own ATS Kite trainers. My first impression of the Kite was how heavy it was, and it certainly takes longer to get off the ground on a cooking 40 than a similarly equipped WOT4, but once in the air it's an ideal trainer - just the right combination of stability and responsiveness. However all that wing area and the weight means that you need a lot of room to get it back on the ground - it just lfloats on and on. But keep the weight down and put a modern 46 on the front and you'd have a very useful everyday club sport flier. Edited By Old Geezer on 07/03/2020 00:47:39

One ( minor? ) issue with a lil' Cox on your glider is the noise they can make. Such a high pitched, penetrating noise might draw unwelcome attention to your activities. Unless you've already spent the money and have committed yourself to i/c power I think you couldn't do much better than follow Shaun's advice above. (LiPo Outrunner & Folding Prop'.)

One ( minor? ) issue with a lil' Cox on your glider is the noise they can make. Such a high pitched, penetrating noise might draw unwelcome attention to your activities. Unless you've already spent the money and have committed yourself to i/c power I think you couldn't do much better than follow Shaun's advice above. (LiPo Outrunner & Folding Prop'.)

Before every flight, don't just waggle the sticks, check the ailerons - left is left, right is right, check the rudder ditto - then elevators, up is up and down is down. Then throttle kill and fail safe. Yes - I've been caught out - easily done if you're chatting to someone when you're setting up, especially with a new model. Try to retreat into your own little bubble when you're preparing to fly, and (apart from situational awareness) when your plane is in the air.

Steven, are the glue joints unsupported, or do you add triangular balsa strip to reinforce them?

The Wrinkly Fliers ( a geriatric sub-group of members of the Central MFC ) have the answer - a breakfast 'meeting' at an inexpensive local hostelry every 3-4 weeks where we get a chance to catch up over a plateful the traditional British Heart Attack. There's much to recommend it - like any good club - the companionship is as much part of membership as the flying.

+ another 1 😎 Life's too short to get aeriated about what are in relation to our hobby, generally minor aggravations, inflicted upon us by unelected timeservers. Nine quid and a bit of form-filling is hardly "The end of life (or in our case rc model flying) as we know it". I've already got my A Cert' - so, after my annual phone call to HQ my insurance & membership is paid up to date - then, earlier this week I received an email with my CAA number. The whole deal was sorted out painlessly with a five minute (might have been less) phone call - where IS the problem?

911 - the club you're thinking of is the Central MFC - not 'zactly secret though. We fly from a field off Lowe Lane on the Kidderminster/Bridgnorth road - our club details are on the BMFA site. We have a "Wrinkly Fliers" sub-group who - weather permitting - fly every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning - the friendliest bunch of aged p***takers you could ever hope to fly with.

Agree with all the advice above - re the motor you mentioned - I had a similar motor on the front of an early Ripmax artf Wot4 which would pull it into the air in about 10 feet, so your open frame vintage plane would be vastly overpowered. Your 70 watts per pound will fly a vintage 3 function very comfortably and in character - and as recommended by Paul d - give George a ring, he'll put you right,

Very sensible - ideally you could fit a separate receiver and servo ( and battery obvs!) to the dolly to give directional control on the ground - and even another servo to stop the dolly and delta from parting company prematurel before it had reached safe flying speed .

Remember the days when if you spent more 3-4 minutes in the outside lane of any Motorway you'd have a white diesel Astravan on your back bumper flashing it's lights!! My first car as a skint student in '63 was a 1948 Ford Popular in fetching shades of beige and rust, shockers completely ineffective, also I had to hold it in gear when negotiating sharper corners, 'cos every time you lifted your foot in 2nd it would jump out of gear on the over-run (interesting!). Driving in London I could take any line I fancied round Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner - even Taxis gave way to me as it was obvious I had nothing to lose! Without 'Poppet' I would never have met SWMBO. Sadly, Poppet died after a 18 months and I only got ten bob plus her tax disc from a scrapper in West Kensington - however SWMBO is made of stronger stuff, she's still with me after 57 years.

The one plane that goes with me whenever I fly is a Bogey, a heavy gauge black Correx combat job - It must have survived over 8 years of exuberant aileron-elevator flying by now -- you can bend it, but it won't break! - a 2820 turning a 12" folder on the front, battery (2200/4S), Rx, speed controller and servos all hanging out in the wind - but it still goes like stink - if it's too windy for anything else to fly at our field, there'll still be one or two Bogeys in the circuit. Yet if you wish, the Bogey can potter about as slowly and gently as any of the Club's vintage models - and then land at your feet. Oh, and it'll slope too.

Carl - do try the Blackdown Hills club - lovely bunch of blokes and probably the most beginner-friendly venue you could find ( hard to hit a tree or a hedge in the middle of an old WW2 airfield ). Oh, and it's where I caught the RC flying bug in the early 70s too.

Nay Lad, just careful wit' mi brass. ( Ever heard the description: Asset rich and cash poor? )

Have you considered Stabilit Express? - sticks pretty well anything to anything else. First used it years and years ago to glue ply formers and servo trays into a plastic Robbe sailplane fuselage - bit of a palaver mixing it up ( and smells vile! ) but once it's gone off they were there for good.