Malcolm Blake 1

Yeah, well I'm truly in the Doghouse. Thursday 'she' said to me " we don't do Valentines". I felt that was good and will save me some cash. TODAY she gives me a card with my breakfast. Now what am I going to do.?

Cliff, I went through this feeling and, like you are considering, I cancelled my subscription but after a few months I really missed the magazine. Needless to say I a subscriber again.

My sincere thanks to Graham for this month's editorial. I have been in that position for the last three years with a Black Horse Spitfire needing re-plumbing a Seagull Sparrowhawk wnts the engine set up and my Bowman Magister needs putting together. None of these have been done because my workbench is taken up by my part built Lysander. As Graham suggests, I'm going to pack it away and get moving with the other jobs and, with the the weather surely going to inprove, I can get airborne. Thanks Graham Edited By Pete B - Moderator on 09/02/2015 15:46:59

I recall in my school days all our excercise books had a motto on the front cover :- "Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well"

The first airplane I built and flew is a Galaxy Tutor trainer and it was powered with an O.S. 35FP, which I still have. Although the engine has been fitted with a replacement cylinder liner, I still have the original liner - just in case.....!! Due to many repairs over its 25 year life it has become a bit heavier and is now fitted with an O.S. 46AX and if I have not been able to fly for a while I always use the Tutor, which is a trainer, to get some practise again. Because of age and sight I now favour larger models such as my 20 year old Goldberg Piper Cub fitted with an O.S. 48 and the Bowman Magister which flies with an O.S. 91 What with the weather over the last few months it seems the Tutor will be in service again when I'm able to get airborne again.

I'm in bed with the 'flu and I need something to read NOW !! Sorry Dave but that's how I feel at the momeent.

You lot wouldn't know about it...

Well, now Christmas is over and the grown up kids with their little kids have all gone back to their respective homes and SWIMBO is tired out, I can now disappear into the Hangar (shed) and carry on with repaiars, maintenance and perhaps some building. yo-ho-ho.....Scrooge !!

Andrew, I don't eat carrots...at the time I was selling them.

I've just been outside here in N. Norfolk and it's really quite warm out there, almost as though spring has arrived. However I well remember 1963 when you needed a pick axe to dig carrots out of the ground.

I am currently driving my 11 year old Kia Sorento which also has 90,000 on the clock. She ( is called Sonya ) has never once failed me and, apart from fuel, tyres and servicing, I have only had to pay to have the bumpers resprayed. That is due to supermarket trolleys - me hitting them !! I carry a 78 inch span Miles Magister and a 78 inch Goldberg Cub in the back, both at the same time. Admitted, I do remove the wings. I also have my flight box and fuel.

Ken; Thank you for the Good Wishes. For ny pressy could you post a couple of 'funnies' that I could tell after the Christmas dinner. All the Best to you.

CUBAN8, Regarding your Permigrit sander wearing out. Our club had a visit from the Permagrit owner and he advised us to periodically let the sanders stand in some liqid paint remover. I've done this with mine and after 10 or more years they are still working quite well. Malcolm

Surely we don't do these checks just when we get a new or second-hand model. Ilike to carry out these checks everytime I take my models out of the shed and before I start a days flying.

I remember 60 years ago I was building my first model, a Piper Cub. I had covered the wings with nylon and was doping them on the living room table. As I worked along the wings I was moving them across the table and the already doped end was getting nearer and nearer to the open fire. Suddenly that end ignited and I had no option but to continue feeding the wing fully into the fire. There ended the building !!