SIMON CRAGG

I was stationed there for three years, many moons ago. Used to work in one of the original hangers. Lots of adventures exploring the derelict control tower, various huts and accommodation. On a recent visit I was gutted to see that the old officers mess adjacent to the parade square, had replaced by a Bookers!. So many memories of the whole airfield. Stunning place back then.

Well done Bonzo, brightened up my day!

Our club comps have gradually tailed off no matter how the Committee tried. We deleted the word "Comp" and replaced it with "fun" to no avail really. Somebody had a great idea for 2025 which seems to have caught on: Members can enter any Chris Foss model and take part in 8 different fun events throughout the year (two attempts, one am. one pm).: Lots of banter and general "fun". Spot landing, Timed flight. Loops. Ground handling round cones. Fastest and slowest Using the Sky Rc gizmo: Flying to a max height Flying to a max speed Flying to a set distance So far a lot of CF models have been rejuvenated, and I managed to find two CF Acro Wots for £45, and sold one for £20. Who said the hobby was ded / expensive /etc.?

A newbie at our club turned up with an Apprentice ARTF earlier this year, and had some success on days when it was not that windy. He struggled as soon as the wind increased. He then had a few lessons on the club Boomerang trainer, which is a well sorted / trimmed / heavier model, and found it much easier. I would suggest that it might be worth you trying a slightly heavier / larger model, which does not get blown around as much.

Having been down the same road many times, how about a compromise? Get the cheapest possible retract units from Hobbyking / AliExpress / Temu / Bangood. Use piano wire for the legs, and any cheepo wheels that fit the wheel wells. Take off as normal, but always belly land the model. I always use cut down plastic spoons to protect any servo arms etc. on the underside of the airframe. I am a great believer in belly landing, especially on uneven grass runways. I have lost count of the times I have seen u/c collapse / get ripped out / drop in a rabbit scrape and cartwheel the model down the runway / cause all sorts of damage. Ok, it does not look as good as a "greaser", but you get to go home with your pride and joy in one piece, and not a bag of bits!.

Did you have any issues when it came to using a "Y" lead on the ailerons? I can see a potential problem in not being able to change the individual senses of the wing surfaces. Or is it a case of trial and error. The motion rc video shows the gear going into an Avanti which I have, but the video was not that clear. Did you use a 2/3/ position switch (I got a bit lost when the video started talking about adjusting the trim to go from a 3 position to a 2 position !), or a dial to control the gain? Thanks for your help.

To try and iron out the bumps when doing some onboard photography, I thought a gyro might help. As I know zero about the subject, can somebody point me in the right direction. It really needs to be: Straightforward to set up and use. Reliable. Not silly money. OK for a basic 4ch trainer. Thanks in advance!

Bit of test flying today. Robbe Cessna 150 twin.

In my experience, lightweight models like these can be a bit of a handful, unless flown in optimum conditions. The c/g looks to be way to far back. I would move the lipo / u/c / add weight to the nose to achieve 25% cg back from the LE. Have you got a rates switch on your TX? I would try it with less movement and 30% expo, low rate and what you have set already as your high rate. Do you really need an U/C?. You have a rough flying area, you will probably have to keep beefing up the u/c and adding weight to make it strong enough. If you have got a friend who can hand launch, why not persevere with that until you are 100% happy with the set up?. Pretty looking model....well done!

Good luck Bonzo, bad news about the motor mount.........and you have a parking ticket!.

Try AliExpress, they have got a vast selection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkoH2h1Un7k&t=5s Gone for the 4K version, on offer at £35.00. Should be fun!.

Many thanks for the info......let the research begin!

Having recently retired my trusty Go-Pro Hero 3, I have been looking at the cheaper end of the market for a small camera to mount on various models. Has anybody any experience of the SJCAM C100 / 200 / 300 please?. I fully realise you get what you pay for!

Dom, yet another brilliant video! The on board footage is great, please can you let me know which / what camera you are using? Many thx Simon