Broken Prop

Hi John I have used one of these balances for years and it works well. I set it up as you describe, with the zero point in line with the pivot and it works fine as the scale then gives the correct distance from the leading edge to the CG position. In use, the arms can stick a little and moving the adjustable weights does not have much effect. Try tapping the uprigths gently and the arms will then settle into a horizontal position. It just takes a little practice. good luck pete

Scuba divers use bags of 'lead' shot in their weight belts. They can be bought on Ebay at about £15.00 for 2Kg.

For IC: Self tappers into hardwood,blocks on the firewall as others have stated. However I oversize the holes in the hardwood blocks and insert short lengths of fuel tubing into the holes, with a bit of CA. The screws bite into the tubing but retain some flexibilty against vibration. I also cut a small washer from fuel tubing and fit it under the head of the self tapper to improve the flexibility.

David Geoff Gardiner did a series of helpful posts on here a little while ago. They included his work on converting his 3D printer into a laser cutter. Search under 'Anet A8' Good luck!

Yes please.

Ah yes I forgot about the short nose. I lengthened mine by 25mm but still had to visit the local church one dark night..... 12 oz IIRC.

I built one to the original Cleveland Model Co plans (via Outerzone) and it flies well on a Saito 30. As Djay says, you do not need to open up the throttle once the thing is in the air. It flies for ages on a 4 ounce tank. The fuselage is a little thin at the rear end in my opinion. This does allow the tail to twist and I added some internal diagonal bracing, using carbon fibre tow to stop that from happening. The wing joiners on the Cleveland model are too short but are easily extended (can't speak for the BB kit on that point). The only other item is that the table on the pylon is small in area and the wing can move about on it. This does not seem to affect the handling but I have thought that a couple of locating dowels would help. All minor points really, none of which detract from a great flier! Just try landing it though with the engine running. It will float on and on into the next county. A lovely model and one of my favourites.

I was under instruction using a buddy lead and had reached the stage where I could fly around reasonably well but could not take off or land (not much change there then!) My instructor took off, turned the model into the wind and said, 'You have it'. A few exploratory stick wiggles on my part evoked the reply, 'No I haven't'. 'Neither have I', he replied and we stood and watched the beautifully trimmed model steadily putter away into the distance. This happened in Corfu and I have often wondered quite what the Albanian Early Warning System made of our intrusion into their airspace.

I would be very interested in attending such a course Barrie, if you can get one going. I will keep an eye on the BMFA mag for an advert later in the year. Pete

Fantastic work Dee! Thank you for sharing it with us and good luck with the flying. Remember to do the first unpowered launch over long grass if possible so that you get an idea of what is going to happen. it will give you the chance to trim out any nasty tendencies such as turning to one side or stalling. Let us know how you get on please Blue skies! pete

Malcolm Your post is tacked onto the end of a build blog by Craig Spence in 2010. Lots of pictures including ones of the wing rib spacer. Go back to the start of the thead for lots of useful information. Pete

I have measured the rib spacing on my old Mini Panic and generally they are at 80mm centres. You could make up a spacer to suit. Not sure about the centre section of the wings as that is sheeted and I cannot see the ribs. Also between ribs 4 and 5 in the lower wing (taking the tip rib as No1) there is a supplementary rib spaced at 25mm from rib 5 to provide support for the aileron servo. Hope this helps. pete

Ron , the yellow headed pins are (or were) made by Graupner. Model Maniacs have them in stock.

I used to use a Kavan balsa stripper but was converted to the Avicraft version a few years back. A different concept but easy to set up and use with no jamming as the blade is set with a 2 degree run-out. Takes standard scalpel blades. Available on Ebay under 'acrylic balsa stripper' or through J Perkins. Pete

Yes please!

No Don, it is not just you, the Gods have got it in for all of us. Last year was windy so we could not fly. Then they sent the CAA to upset us. Then it rained for ever and a day. Now they have sent us the plague. Whatever next? Edited By Broken Prop on 18/03/2020 10:05:39

Ooh err. Still, if it is page 3 of the Sun...... Edited By Broken Prop on 09/03/2020 14:01:31

Thanks Martin, I had forgotten the joys of newspaper loo sheets. Sitting there reading all the news and then putting the paper to good use afterwards. Brilliant! I'm off to cut up an few sheets and thread them on a piece of string. Mind you the nostalgia won't be complete unless I can simulate the outside toilet that we had in days of yore. Where's that club hammer?

When I get a nuisance call these days I just tell them that the voices had told me they going to call. The conversation rarely gets any further.

Lovely! A beautiful build that deserves to fly well. Good luck Robert!

Thanks to you all for the brilliant responses. With your help I have successfully reprogrammed the unit with current updates and revised settings. I don't think I would have got there on my own as my German is not good and the online translators produce 'Engrisch' rather than English! I used the Multiplex 85149 cable which unfortunately was not in the bag labelled '85149'. Another cable was in there and I had been attempting to use that! A lesson learned there: Always put the correct cable back in its storage place. I needed to set a height of 300 feet on the telemetry as our club flies in restricted airspace and our local ATC has recently reduced our height threshold to that level. I do not wish to transgress! Once again thanks to all for your help. All I need now is some good weather to try it out. I think I may have a long wait. Pete

I have one of these that has been sitting in a drawer for the last 5 years. I now have a use for it, but cannot find the data transfer cable for connection to my PC. I obviously put it somewhere safe! Does anyone know what type of plug the socket marked 'COMM' takes? The instructions say that a Multiplex lead 85149 fits, but mine doesn't. I have tried various phone type connectors but none of those fit either. Any info would be gratefully received as I might then be able to make up a new lead. many thanks Pete

Or something like these? Trend Airshield

This is a response to Andy Stephenson's query of the 14th Dec. Sorry Andy, I missed that at the time. Before I posted about the 'Perkins Panic' I asked Rob Newman about the compatability of parts. He confirmed that the planes were kitted using the Avicraft drawings, so repair sections can be cut at the shop. The drawings used are the current set. Over the years the design has been developed (for instance the change to foam wings and latterly back to a built-up section). My use of the word 'original' was a bit misleading. Sorry about any confusion. Just to clarify, all of the various modifications have been kept on file, so regardless of which model you have, repair sections can be cut and foam wings can be supplied as there are blanks still available. Just phone Robert to discuss your requirements. Pete Edited By Broken Prop on 22/12/2019 13:55:37

I favour the 'pricking through the paper' method but to speed things up I use a dressmakers wheel.