Broken Prop

I have a clear copy of the Flair plan and it shows the ends of the ribs stopping 10mm in front of the rear edge of the trailing edge. Your Fig 1 would be the appropriate version to use. I recall having to taper the inner faces of the trailing edge sheeting slightly in order to get a good fit. BTW the plan shows a line of shear webbing along the front face of the trailing edges, which makes for a really robust wing! Good luck with the build. Pete

It is being stated that we do not own the air above our flying sites but I am not sure about that. In the 1980's London Transport woke up to the fact that they DID own the airspace above their tube stations. They promptly sold the rights to developers and tall buildings were erected over Monument, Blackfriars, Mansion House and probably other stations as well. Not sure if that helps us though as a tall building erected on our flying field would get in the way a bit....

While we are all sitting here worrying about registration, events have taken a more sinister turn. It appears that CAP1775 contains an awful lot more than financial matters, for instance: Age limits. Not allowing the BMFA to register flyers on behalf of the CAA. Repetitive competency requirements. None of these matters are being offered for consultation but are to be implemented directly. The BMFA has highlighted the intended procedures in a news letter issued today and available on the BMFA website. It makes for sobering reading. Basically we are being shafted!

They will probably want to know if you are LGBT.   Edited By Broken Prop on 30/04/2019 17:26:44

Yes I have the plans on order thanks to Robert Palmer who kindly drew my attention to the ad earlier today. Thanks to all for the useful tips posted in response to my earlier plea. As always this forum is a veritable mine of information. I am particularly grateful for the photographs as they are always of help during a build. I intend to continue gathering the necessary accessories over the summer (spot me in the traders area at the NATS later on) and start the build as next winter's project. Once again thanks to all for your kind assistance. Pete

Thanks Robert! I have replied to you by PM. Pete

Hi Robert I have to admit that I had not thought of that. Perhaps it was a bit too obvious. Thanks for the pointer. BTW I have been avidly following your Do24 build blog. Wonderful stuff and please give us more of the same! Pete

Thanks for the pointer Peter (and for the CG position). I'll try rcscalebuilder as well as the BMFA. It would be nice to finish off this venerable old lady as the assembies that I have inherited have been well built. I am ok with most of the construction needed but as Percy has pointed out, the wing joiners need to take account of wing sweep and dihedral. I could draw the joiners up myself, but would prefer to follow the proven method used by Flair. Thanks again Pete

Thanks Manish. The BMFA Classifieds was going to be my next port of call but as this forum is the fount of all knowledge I thought I would try here first.

Hi Guys Sorry about the late response to your posts but life got in the way. Thanks to all who responded to my request with advice but I am still unable to source a plan. Has anyone out there got a copy that they can reproduce for me? Reimbursement of costs of course Still hopeful Pete

Hi Andy I bought the Design Software upgrade but to be honest I did not find much difference between that and the original. As with Max, I do a lot of the design on CAD and export the files to the Cameo in dxf format. Pete

I have inherited a nice three quarters built Flair Tiger Moth, (3 wings and a fuselage) but with no plans or other parts with which to finish it. I have taken patterns from the existing upper wing with which to cut the parts for the missing wing (I have access to a laser cutter) but I have no information on the centre section or wing joiners. Similarly the tailplane is a mystery although I could probably 'blag' that. I have obtained a genuine cowl and ABS mouldings from ebay (thanks to Kevin B for the pointer) so I am in a good position to finish the kit. However a set of plans would help no end on items such as those described above and also wing incidences, dihedral, CG etc. If anyone has a set of plans in any condition I would be happy to pay copying and postage costs. yours in hope Pete.

Thanks also Kevin, not for the heads up on the Pup, but on that page I spotted the Tiger Moth refurb kit. I have been looking for that for months!

Hi Bob Model Radio Workshop in the UK do a nice servo slow. Go to www.modelradioworkshop.co.uk Pete

Start a new build next week but this time get it finished in time for the flying season, without getting distracted half way through by newer and more tempting projects. Perhaps I should stop reading RCM&E in the interim!

The easiest way to cut a Bowden cable inner is to use a hammer and sharp chisel. Cuts clean as a whistle with no frayed ends. Back in the day we used to cut brake cables this way. It is a lot cheaper method than than using specialist cutters!

Sat and watched the film in bits whilst waiting for glue to dry. i loved the Hurricanes (often shown in close-up) which were really war weary. Oil stains and paint chips everywhere. Great weathering fodder for the scale boys!

Erf you are quite right about the builder taking a short cut with the patio works. External finishes are the last thing to be done on a contract by which time the builder is chafing for his money and wants to finish the job quickly. The built up area is also a good place to get rid of some of the general rubbish that accumulates around all building works. The architect rarely specifies external works in detail and as David quite rightly says, the works get skimped as a result. David is also quite right about the failure of retaining walls, which nearly always fail by leaning outwards. The mechanism is as follows: During the summer the fill behind the wall dries out and shrinks, opening up a crack between the fill and the wall. Dust and dirt falls into the gap and during the winter the fill gets wet and swells. Because the gap no longer exists, the swelling of the fill exerts a pressure on the back of the wall. The following summer the same thing occurs and over the years the increasing pressure gradually pushes the wall over. Retaining walls on clay subsoils are particularly vulnerable to this action and I have lost count of the number that I have condemned over the years! However it does take a long time.....

Hi Erfolg The problem that you have is quite common and is caused by long term consolidation of the fill material behind the retaining wall. The area immediately behind the wall is the deepest part of the fill and this will consolidate more than areas close to the house (assumimg that originally the ground sloped up towards the house). The fill was clearly not laid properly and is in a loose condition, hence the subsequent consolidation. The proper way to lay fill over about 600mm in depth is to lay 225mm of fill, consolidate and then cover with 150mm of very wet concrete, which partially flows into the fill and binds it together. Repeat until the required level is reached. Short of digging it all out and doing that, whatever you do will only be partially successful as the fill below the level at which you are wotking will continue to consolidate over the years. However your current approach is good and I would suggest that if you wish to do the work yourself, you continue more or less as you have been doing. I would suggest however that you bed the flagstones on 50mm of soft sand, which makes them easy to level and also to re-level when they inevitably subside in the future. You will no doubt have noticed that the council use this method to lay pavements and that is why they do it. Do not be tempted to cement between the flagstones as the joints will only break up in the future as the patio continues to move. Instead trickle silver sand into the joints and repeat from time to time. (It makes weeding easier too). Good luck with the work! Long term consolidation is a pain to deal with effectively! Pete

That is coming on nicely Geoff. Looking forward to seeing it in the air! Pete

'Imperial Major?' I like the sound of that as it reflects the conservative stiff upper lip Britishness of the design. After all, when the original was penned we still had an an Empire, (well sort of).

I use the same method as Don to fix the wheels on all my vintage models. The only difference is that I fit an 'R' pin instead of a split pin. My wife says I am always 'arpin on....... I'll get my coat.

Gary, as advised, drilling into a Catnic pressed steel lintol can be done with cobalt twist drills. However it is difficult to get a twist drill to start cutting in steel so a good tip is to use a lathe centre to drill a small hole first. A lathe centre forms a countersunk hole with the taper at a steeper angle than a twist drill. This allows the latter to bite and get started. If it is an RSJ or possibly a Structural Hollow Section, these are made from high carbon steel and just laugh at normal drill bits. Buy a broach cutter (lots for sale on ebay), which is what steel fabricators use. Broaches tear into structural steelwork like a knife into butter. If the member is a structural steel section you will not be able to get a screw to bite into it as the steel is too tough for the screw to form a thread. However you can tap the hole to take a small bolt. Good luck! Pete

Thanks for sharing this build with us David. I am an avid subscriber now. Truly a masterclass! I particularly enjoyed your sub-thread on wire bending and the use of registration marks. Much better than the 'looks about right' approach that I normally adopt. More please! pete