GrumpyGnome

Buying direct is great if you know what you want/need.......................

Tow? We could all point our planes towards where we want to be and start our engines/motors at same time 😀

Very nice! I only counted down to retirement for a year...... had a HUGE countdown clock on my pc desktop and as the screen saver 🙂 I thoroughly recommend retirement!

Your 'work of art' airframe deserves such a great undercarriage!

So many ways to skin this cat. Entirely agree with MattyB re primary controls - choose either mode 1 or 2; when I learned to fly - slope soaring - I was mode 1 but switched to mode 2 when I started powered aircraft. I only have a few gliders, but all my aircraft are set up the same way: elevator and primary steering on right stick secondary steering and throttle on left stick throttle lock, engine kill, flaps/spoilers/crow, undercarriage, status of all controls, timer reset on consistent switches. Saves trying to remember what switch does what. Once saw a flying chum lose a model when he flicked a switch to lower the undercarriage, which actually cut his ic engine.....

Good to know the drop-off isn't a real-life issue. Hopefully, when my old Skoda dies (more than a decade away in all probability) cost will be less of an issue.... my problem then would be getting power to my garage, which is next door but one! Small rural villages are very higgledy-piggledy.

Isn't there currently a significant problem in the second hand market? The 'fall-off' of the battery performance......... is it still about 2.5% a year?

@Shaun Walshgood idea! Ta.

With rates dialled down, and the nose weight in place, it is VERY docile and easy to fly..... Meanwhile, in addition to: replacing the wheels, axles and clevises; dialling rates to max; removing the nose weight.... I have now binned the spinner and prop adapter to remove vibration, and cut away the plastic battery tray to make my 2200 3S LiPos fit without putting strain on the fixings. It's nice now!

Looking at Matty's link, they need to be off where the speed limit us 30mph and therefore likely to be residential. Interesting. Cheers gents.

Don't larger vehicles, like buses and lorries, have reversing beepers fitted as standard? Do they switch off at night? Generally curious, not being confrontational..... 🙂

I think I paid £180 for mine about a year ago - so it's gone up by about £20. Not bad at all. But since then they have released lots of other, more expensive version - I see UnmannedTech are selling one for £549.99....... eeek!

Two sliders - one on each side at top Two proportional dials on front All those switches - momentary, 2, and three position Plus..... you can use the row of 6 chickenfeet under the name and front dials to select, for example, flight modes

I'm at a disadvantage here as the only Spektrum's I have recently held have been IX/NX sets - feel nice and solid but much much more expensive than the Radiomaster (10 times in one case......). Ditto the Futaba sets. So, my argument is that to get anywhere near the functionality of EdgeTX/OpenTX set, you'd need to spend a lot more, and the TX's you'll get from Spektrum/Futaba WILL feel more solid. If the extra £'s are worth it is entirely an individual choice. I think MattyB and I are in agreement..... Think mine's a sort of mid-gen set - decent gimbals but only ok'ish switches. No bling at all 🙂.

@Nigel HeatherMay also be worth contacting local clubs via BMFA Clubfinder (if you haven't already done so) - they may know of some members. Re quality - it doesn't feel anywhere near as 'solid' as a Futaba or Spektrum, but you'll pay far far less for equivalent capability. I've had mine for a year or so and love it - I fly all sorts (electric, glow, petrol, fixed wing , heli) and have had absolutely no issues with hardware, software, RF quality. The programming side is a little different, but don't let the scare stories put you off - learning the basics is easy, and there is tons of support on t'internet for anything you could ever want it to do! Mine was also bought unseen and, to be honest, I was a little disappointed with the initial feel, but my far more solid-feeling Taranis was soon relegated to being a backup, and I've not regretted it for a second.

@leccyflyertotally agree with you there. My experience has been "the more expensive they are, the shorter the lifespan". Maybe they expect to be treated better. But I also keep getting told that ASP, Magnum, SC engines are 'useless', but I have examples pf each that are many years old and run beautifully....... maybe cheap and I suit each other. 🙂

Alternate plastic - none of my metal ones were suitable. ANY alternative ones would be better than those supplied....

@Barryorbik Just some I had laying around in my 'spares' box..........

I got one to replace my foamy Wots Wot that needs a new fuselage - unobtainable. Was a bargain a £165 delivered. Arrived a 6pm, flew it at 7 am next day. Changes made in the week I've had it; Softer, fatter wheels - originals made of concrete Harder axles that don't bend if you taxi on grass Removed the nose weight Replaced the short skinny velcro for battery retention Dialled rates up to maximum Replaced the clevises - seemingly made of delicate glass. Flies nicely on my collection if 3S 2200s. Not unlimited vertical but a good sports hack - certainly easily loops from very slow level flight. Not able to do a flat spin ....... inverted or not.

I personally think that the guards standing vigil is exceptionally moving.......

I happily sit corrected. However, there are other trials/uses of various conspicuity solution I understand....

That's true... some would be just as likely to avoid a 'beacon' on our fields...... unless they had a sort of airborne tacograph. I suspect this is more for drones that would automatically take the necessary action.

@Gary Murphy 1any joy?

Okay, to rephrase, we"re assuming a permanent / temporary structure at our flying field. The vast majority of us have technology in our pockets that could easily communicate that a location is in use for model, and can be thus create a NOTAM in real time. Sort of magic!

That's assuming it is a hardware based solution.....