Keith Evans 3

Hi re converting from glow to electric,----- taking out the engine ,tank ,RX battery ,the throttle servo etc. will probably make it lighter and yes you will need to add a fair bit of ballast to balance it correctly . The only place at present in the electric version is around the motor mount unless further mods are made to bring the ballast forward as the ABS cowl will not support the weight . All this will add more weight . Just to re state ..the 5.5 lbs . weight quoted on the plan will most likely to come out as 6.5 lbs . in the I.C. version . Hope this helps with the motor specification . It,s still a great plane and tough as old boots . Keith

I 've had two of these and an ERCP procedure to remove gall stones . A spray to the back of the throat to numb it .Lie back , relax and breath slowly and steadily .It's over before you know it .

Hi Yes the "poly" sheet is for covering the plan . Yes again Leccyflyer is correct with his clarification . In the original RCM@E articles the overall weight was shown as 5lb 8oz to give a wing loading of 12oz per sq ft .Try working that out !!!! It will most likely come closer to 6lb 8oz and give a wing loading closer to 32oz per sq ft .It is the heaviest wing loading of any plane I have built but It flies beautifully . To keep my planes clean I attach some B@Q plastic tubing to the exhaust and tie it to an U/C leg with a tie wrap . Yes it is a long tube but my OS 46 FX fitted with an 11x6 prop seems to cope with it very well .I use a small screwed pipe clip to hold it on the exhaust stub .I know the engine is losing a bit of power but for the Sky 40 it's worked well for me for over 17 years . Best wishes Keith

Hi The 1/32" ply at the top of the T.E. is1/2" wide and runs fully across the central straight section . The front ply is in two strips each 1.1/4" long and 1/2" wide and placed where the bands pass over .I blend the front into the L.E. with a few strokes of a sanding block . I had thought of doing the whole centre section but that looked like over kill and what I have described works well for me . Keith

Hi The Sky 40 is a brilliant trainer and as tough as old boots . It goes together really well . Having had a few over the years I'd like to offer a few comments . It will take off and taxi with a fixed nose wheel assy. ----I damaged mine after a while . If you have stored the kit in a damp place for a while I'd check all the interlocking tongues and slots for expansion and correct before you start . A very good mod you could make is to add flaps .I made mine a 40/60 split of ail to flap length .Adding the outer servo for the ails is relatively easy while leaving the original for the flap servo .Have a good bevel on the flap aids downward flap movement . I used mini servos for the ails and standard for the flaps . To increase the strength of the vac formed parts is a good idea and I use self adhesive aluminium tape for this . Although it is obvious step 32 in the instructions should have "add bottom 6mm .square spar ". I,ve only flown the I.C. versions so cannot comment on the electric set up . I use 6 off 6" white rubber bands for holding the wings on this saved a lot of potential damage in the early years and I still keep it that way .Some 1/32" ply over the leading and trailing edges is worth while . Enjoy the build .It really is a great plane and quite aerobatic with higher rates . All the best Keith

Here are some planes I have recently built . The trainer is a high wing version of a Super Tauri enlarged to 140% .It is powered by a n OS55AX and approx. 74 inch wing span . The V Tail Valkyrie is an own design of approx. 54 inch wingspan powered by a SC 36 . The other is a modified Sky 40 , It now has a shortened radial cowl and is now a tail dragger with Tundra tyres .It is powered by an OS46FX

I believe I've had this problem twice .One was just after lock down in my enlarged Lady bird which veered hard right just before take off and last Sunday when just after take off my Sky Tundra veered again hard right and into terra firma . On both these occasions I could not trace any other fault and the receiver appeared to be ok in ground testing . I have now changed the receivers to R617's following this thread The 14sg manual does say that the r2008sb is compatible

Hi All I thought you might be interested in what I got up to in September this year. I am well into model planes ✈️ so this year I went one step further, with a lovely present ? from my wife Sarah. I was presented with two videos after the flight, which Sarah edited the 45 minute experience, adding the running commentary and stills. The end result is all her work - all I did was fly the Spitfire. We put the video on YouTube. Below ⬇️ is the link. Hope you enjoy ? it. Merry Christmas, Keith https://youtu.be/tZf9erEjouA

How do you go about fault finding after a crash . I'm looking for a more in depth response than " check the TX check the RX etc, Apart from sending the TX to a specialist what can I do as a lay person . I currently check for binding ,range check , battery ,aerial security etc . and similarly for RX servos , on board wiring , switches and battery ,along with clevises push rods , hinge security ,flying surface"s integrity and anything else that may work loose . It is the TX and RX I'd like more ideas on . Thanks Keith

Failed first time, but hope you get the pictures now.

Here is an update. Due to restrictions ,weather and a niggling on going complaint only yesterday did we manage a maiden flight . Had taken the Arup to the field a few weeks ago in the very hot weather and a few issues came to light . The ail . snakes had expanded unevenly to a point where I felt It was unwise to test fly . We did try some taxiing runs but it continually dug its nose in !! Back to the workshop or the playroom as Sarah calls it , for a re think . I had gotten away with ail snakes on previous model but I think this was a step too far . I bit the bullet and put mini servos in the wing tips with direct coupling to the ails. On the nosing over issue I moved the wheels forward an inch and more accurately balanced the plane by hanging it from two hooks screwed in near the wing tips . John Ballenger of the South Wales Valley Fliers Club did the honors for the test flight . To be fair he had searched the Web for flight information and felt it would either be spectacular or fly well . On a blustery day on a non too perfect strip he took off and with very little trimming had what he called a Pussycat to fly ! Alan West another member commented that it did fly Spectacularly Well !! Hopefully I've managed to add some photos . We are both seen holding the plane after the flight . John on the left and myself "Deputy Dog " on the right If I manage to get some flying shots I post them Keith .

Here is my latest build . I've called it Alpha Tauri . It's a Super Tauri with a few mods . The wingspan is reduced by 3". It has split flaps .It has a light weight construction and is powered by a S.C.36 . If I were to do it again I would shorten the nose by about an inch to save even more weight . currently it weighs 3lbs 14ozs . It's yet to have it's first flight . This is the sixth version of the Super Tauri I have built .

Here is my latest Bitsa model called BI-ZARRE . It has a wing span of 33"( made from two halves of an old wing I found lurking in the garage ) It's powered by an old T.T.40 . Ailerons are on the top wing only . Flaps are on the bottom wing . It has double tailplane and elevators . And it weighs 5lbs If I had enough covering it would have been all red with scalloped edges to the flying surfaces .A bit like a Dick Dasterdly plane . I'm not sure how it will fly with the flaps on lower wing only ! ! ! but it has been fun to build .