Kim Taylor

Posted by Robin Colbourne on 11/01/2016 18:38:37: I've always had a soft spot for the Luscombe Silvaire. Partly because there are so many at Popham*. It struck me as an aeroplane way ahead of its time. So needless to say, I had to buy the mag when the free plan was published I was always a bit suspicious of that 53" Silvaire though. As I recall there were no construction photos and no shots which could be definitely attributed to that size of model. It looked as though they had just scaled down the plan and used shots from the larger one, but not actually built the smaller model at the time the article was written. Hopefully I'm wrong. *The story is that a lot of Luscombe Silvaires were imported to the UK in the 1980s as they were dirt cheap in the States and you could get two into a 20ft shipping container, whilst 3x Cessna 120/140 or Aeronca Champions needed a 40ft container as the fuselages were longer. Edited By Robin Colbourne on 11/01/2016 18:47:59 Edited By Robin Colbourne on 11/01/2016 18:49:13 Thanks for the replies everyone, all food for thought. Robin, as yet I haven't got the plan or the mag with the article in it, so can't comment really. Either way, I'm only looking to recreate the spirit of the KK original that my Dad built - strictly sport / scale, nothing too serious, so as long as it looks right in the air and flies reasonably weel, I'll be happy enough. Do you know if there are still any Silvaires at Popham? I get down that way quite a lot during the summer months at least, so could pop (sorry) in and have a look. Again, thanks to all Kim

Posted by PatMc on 11/01/2016 18:00:05: I think a 30fs would be about the right size for a 63" Silvaire. I'm sure you're right, you've obviously got a lot more experience at this sort of thing than I have. I was sort of basing it on similar size high wing sport / trainer types, but I guess I was comparing apples with oranges. The 53" plan calls for .30 2 stroke, which led me down the original line of thought. I'll wait until I see the plan and have done some more digging before committing myself. Kim

Posted by Mike Etheridge 1 on 02/01/2016 20:07:48: After I bought my Sunbeam Alpine 5 at an auction, some younger friends also acquired Alpines of different marks through the same auction which was sited off the Purley Way in Croydon not far from the airport. One reckless friend drove his Alpine 4 to the coast the day after bought it and in the process of showing off to his girl friend he blew the engine up at 100 mph. Somehow he got the car back to Beckenham where he lived. He then acquired a Sunbeam Rapier 1600 engine which we went to pick up in the boot of an Anglia 105 E. We spent the next couple of days changing over the engines and had to substitute the Alpine gear box for the Rapier gearbox as they were slightly different . Neither gear boxes had an overdrive unit like my MK 5. Well everything worked OK so my friend arranged to drive with the same girlfriend to Tarvin near Chester where his mother had moved. He got 100 MPH out of the car with no trouble. The following morning he drove the Alpine to the local newspaper shop only to collide with a BMW and write the Alpine off. I must have been daft but I agreed to drive over to Tarvin to help dismantle the Alpine and I therefore acquired any number of spares. Some years later in 1981 my Alpine 5 was stolen and totally wrecked, but all my spares still live on in another Alpine on the left of the photo.. Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 02/01/2016 20:10:04 Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 02/01/2016 20:15:50 Ahhh - Dingwall Auctions in Beddington Farm Road. Most of the lots were only fit for the scrap heap in my experience. Beddington Farm Road wasn't a proper public road, it was owned by the CEGB (if I recall correctly it ran across the Croydon B power station land). Used to be our test track although it got a bit bumpy in places. I got an old Beetle from there which had a knocking engine. When I looked I found that the entire 'pot' including barrel, piston & head had come loose from the crank case and was flapping up and down (well side to side really) as the crank rotated. Tightened up the nuts and it was good to go and lasted two years before I sold it on, still running. Kim

So, after chewing over the advice given above, and an exchange of emails with the source of the plans I intend t use, I have come up with the following: I was pointed in the direction of either the 80" plan mentioned above, or a 53" David Boddington version. I have gone for the DB plan, upscaled to 63 or 64" - have heard his designs are good flyers, so there's some hope of me keeping it up in the air! I'll get the order placed for this over the weekend. I saw a copy of the relevant Magazine which covered the original build (including the free plan at 53" on a well known auction site, so pressed the buy it now button on that. At £5.99 I think it's a good investment, and I'll have a spare 53" plan I can use if I feel the need. (I know I could've taken it to a print shop and not ordered the blown up one, but for the price being asked, it would be rude not to buy it, especially as it was him who put me on to the DB plan). I'll start looking around for a suitable motor next - something in the .50 to .55 4 stroke range. Has anyone got any recommendations, particularly SC types (i.e. cheaper than OS). Are they ok for general use, or does the cheaper price mean an inferior product. Anyway, that's as far as it's got so far, I'll keep you posted. Kim

Thanks to all for the quick replys. Thanks kc for the info on the 80" plan, I hadn't seen that one. A bit bigger than ideal (only got a little car) but definite possibility and a nice chunky 4stroke on the front will sound great. I'll keep on chewing over it and come up with something over the next few days I hope. Then I'll need to speak to my financial advisor before getting all the bits collected. Thanks again - I'll keep you updated with my thoughts Kim

Hi to all and thanks in advance for reading. My first experience of model flight was chasing my fathers Keil Kraft kit built 40" Luscombe Silvaire around Epsom Downs in the mid '60s. Now, having returned to the hobby myself after a 30 year break, I've got a bee in my bonnet about building a 'Silvaire for r/c as a bit of an homage to my late Dad, so I've been doing a bit of research into what's available. So (this is where I finally get to the point - sorry) I've seen that I can get a re-manufactured 40" Keil Kraft kit from The Vintage Model Company. Has anyone used this company who could comment on the overall quality of the kits? I know that some modification / strengthening will be required for r/c and I'm not fazed by changing materials on, for instance, main spars and perhaps sheeting the fuselage, but what, if anything else do you think may be required? I would really like to use an i/c motor, preferably a 4 stroke, but can't find anything small enough (in my opinion). I guess I could use a .10 to .15 2 stroke, but that doesn't seem appropriate to me - what do the assembled masses think? Alternatively I could go electric, but I'd really like to keep it as close to the old man's as possible, in concept at least. OR Should I upscale the 40" version (plan is available) to 60" or get the 63" plan that's available on the Outerzone website, and use a .40 or .50 4 stroke glow motor and hope that Dad would agree that 'bigger is better'. If I did this, I'd get the bits laser or CNC cut from the plan as I'm not a quick (or tbh experienced) builder. I should also mention the radio gear I suppose - if I were to build the 40" kit, I would use modern micro size gear. For the larger versions, I've got an old Fleet 35mHz outfit, which definately would need at least new batteries, or I could convert with a FrSky hack module to 2.4gHz - any comments on this aspect would be welcomed also. Sorry I've gone on a bit, but as I said earlier, once I've got a bee in my bonnet I can't let it go until I've got it straight in my head what I'm going to do. If anybody could give any advise on any aspect of the drivel above, please feel free to give it, if you have time. Thanks Kim

Posted by Tomtom39 on 29/03/2015 15:54:37: Hello Kim the club is still there. I'm not sure why you are having issues with the club website . It seems to be fine:- http://midsussexflyers.co.uk/ Thanks Tomtom, It looks like the link I saved hass gone wrong for some reason, I can see the site OK now. I'll be in touch Kim

Posted by kc on 29/03/2015 15:38:12: A quick check of the BMFA club finder produced this website seems live and to give contact details, flying times etc Most clubs spend more time flying than attending to their website! Edited By kc on 29/03/2015 15:39:01 Thanks to all for getting back to me. Looks like the link I saved for the site has gone wrong - as you say, the site is working OK. I'll follow this up when the wind stops blowing. Kim

Hi to all. Just posted in the newbie section - in essence, returning to the hobby after many years away and looking for my local club. Mid Sussex Flyers had a website up & running about 6 weeks ago, when I first started looking, but now it's disappeared! Anyone here know if the club still exists, and if it does, contact details for them so that I can arrange to visit them at their field to have a chat. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. Kim

Hi to all, As per title, I'm returning to the hobby after a break of 30+ years (where did the time go?). Based in Mid Sussex now, used to be a member of the Epsom MFC but obviously now considering options regarding local clubs. In the meantime, I've bought an E-Flite Apprentice RTF to get myself going again, as all the gear I've been carefully storing in the loft is (predictably) u/s due to being left too long without being charged / used. I'm also under no illusions that I'll be pretty much starting from scratch, although I have operated r/c cars more recently, so I'm hoping the old bugbear of control orientation will be less of a problem than when I first started. I've got access to fields on a local farm, so waiting for a suitable day to give it a go - was going to be today, but we've got gales blowing here, so a definite no go - perhaps next week! Going back to local clubs, I've found a number in relatively easy reach (30 minutes drive) but my nearest is / was Mid Sussex Flyers, flying at a site near Wivelsfield Green. When I first looked, about 6 weeks ago, they had a website up and running, but now it's disappeared!! Does anyone here know if the club still exists, and if so, contact details? I'll also put up another thread in the flying sites section to try to make contact. Anyway, I've gone on long enough, again hi to all and thanks in advance for any club contacts anyone may be able to provide. Kim (for the avoidance of doubt, I'm a bloke, always have been. Just got a name that works with either sex)