Capt Kremen

Notice latest hard copy of the mag is in the shops (W H Smith). Can't see the digital version yet on PC, Phone, Tablet etc. Any updates please as to when it will be uploaded and available?

Just back from Salisbury, Wiltshire after some tentative retail therapy with SWMBO. Drove around Napier Close to Spire Models and found it closed with no notices in the door window advising the situation. Any news of proprietor Neil? Is it a precautionary closure in view of C19 etc? Always a little gem of a model shop in the traditional manner, do hope all is well.

Also 'Planefinder' which often picks up military traffic that 'Flightradar24' often misses.

Who went today? What did you think? Always subjective depending on your taste(s) in models, displays, commentary and the 'back-line' of traders, foodstuffs etc. Personally pretty good considering what we've all been through ... nuff said on that matter. Getting in and out was no problem though the M25 & M11 on the way, seem full of (bigger) pot holes now! Very little 'ordinary/club' models displaying, all big scale, jets, aerobats and tik-tok helis, very cleverly flown but after a while .....? Meh ... Next please ... Traders seemed to be doing good business e.g. SLEC were shipping balsa & ply fast out their tent! Bring 'n Buy always popular had some nice and some not-so-nice airframes on offer. Weather, pretty good though winds were at times challenging across the runway. Displays were, in the light of tragic show accidents and of course CAA rules & regs, made further away from the crowd line. Overall though pleased to see fellow modellers enjoying themselves once again.

Hi Joost I have the 'Joker' and it's a pretty good all-round sport model. The covering unfortunately is that horrible printed type favoured by at least one far east ARTF making company. There are several German flight test video on YouTube including one showing the Joker glider towing. As with any(most?) ARTF models some components may not ne up to standards you would like e.g. cheap unbalanced spinner, weak aluminium u/c, cheap clevis. Nevertheless, overall it is a good sports model, capable of most manoeuvres depending on your set-up, motor/prop combination. I also have the large 'Hummel', high wing model and that again with a few tweaks to personal preferences, is an excellent model. Get one while you can I'd say. Cheers, CK

With resumption of flying, I have successfully maidened my 'Lockdown' project the Black Horse 64 inch span 'Chipmunk'. However, even before it's now several excellent flights, I had reservations about the long term durability of the torque wire U/C legs in their respective (soft wood) wing pockets. At the moment, I have intention to do a bit of surgery and fit the usual stronger wing block supports as used in a typical scratch build project. Any other BH 'Chippie' operators have their solutions? What, from their own experience, do others recommend as a good/best long term durable fix. My landings are reasonable, (most of the time!), but at the moment the gentlest touchdown has the wire twisting out of alignment or enlarging the socket holes. Thanks in advance.

Having recommissioned a Hobby King foam model from a year or three back, (Avios Zazzy), just wondered where are the moulds for this and many other now 'discontinued' foam model? Do they just get worn out beyond economic repair then recycled, or worse skipped? What is a typical production run? It is not too long ago when HK and even the likes of MPX, were regularly churning out new foam models of all types - sport, scale etc., monthly if not weekly. Do you recall all the YouTube publicity videos, static unboxing and flight demo too. Maybe the two former Brit employees might shed some light on this(?)

A popular online Radiomaster demonstrator posts that R161 and R168 Rx future availability have been scuppered by FrSky issues. Anyone heard more on this?

How long is your piece of string? Seriously, there are endless possibilities and probably as many recommendations from those that have completed their 'B'. Availability - Probably something like Mr Foss's 'WOT4' or 'UNO Wot' 4 Ch version. These are well known, fly well and straightforward to build or acquire in ARTF format. Additionally, these models are so well known that at least one 'ex-spurt' in your club will have flown them and knows their capabilities, not to mention limitations. Would suggest a straightforward simple model that can easily be repaired should you get a manoeuvre slightly wrong involving terra firma! Remember BMFA have online videos demonstrating the 'B' and there are numerous articles, books etc. that describe the 'how to ...' as well. Good luck!

Additionally to a good meter and use of a watt meter to calculate matters. Get a fellow flier to time several flights for say one or two minutes from motor start to final stop. Fly as you normally would with that model e.g. perform loops, rolls, touch 'n goes or just circuits etc. Do this for several flights, always with the same fully charged Lipo. After each flight measure the indicated capacity and always using the same meter for instrument consistency. (These are not scientific accuracy devices you're using!) Say your LiPo indicates 98% at start and after a normal two minute flight the pack indicates 68% (approx. as each flight will be slightly different), you can see your flight, with that model, in the style you normally fly, has used approx. 30%. By extrapolation, you would likely consume approx. 60% if you doubled your flight time and so on. These are very rough guides but give an indication of how long you can safely fly for with that model and LiPo AND flying in the same manner. Allowance has to be made for conditions, temperature etc. e.g. If you subsequently fly almost full-throttle on a flight, you will naturally use up the stored energy sooner and so on. If, after a while, you notice you are not measuring the expected capacity after your 'x' minutes of flight, it would be prudent to check that particular LiPo for signs of deterioration e.g. one cell always out of balance with others.

Using the details you have given: Hermes 5.29 / Parcel Force 8.05 / TNT 9.70 / UPS 11.28 All £ & p AND Collection from UK Address Delivery To A UK Mainland Address AND Yes, Parcel2Go accepts PayPal

Whilst not dismissing the Post Office / Parcel Force, suggest look up 'Parcel2Go'. It's a sort-of comparison site for postal & courier services. You may well be surprised what good rates for very large packages you can obtain from the 'big boys' e.g. UPS, DHL etc. For modest increase in cost they will collect from your premises. Tracking and proof of delivery are also available.

Is the clear canopy of a better plastic than the one(s) that come with the 'Solius/Heron'? Breath on them and they 'stress' crack! (On my second replacement now, not counting the one that cracked in the post on the way from the model shop).

How are clubs actually handling flight training, if you pardon the expression, after the latest shutdown and ongoing concerns? Example (1): A.N.Other newbie, complete novice, not previously known to anyone in the club wants to learn to fly. How do you proceed? You have no knowledge of their background or potential environmental exposure at home/work to the current risks or their degree of adherence to precautions etc. Example (2): 'Joe Bloggs' who you and 'Terry Terraway' have known for years, pitches up to learn the model flying ropes. You know they adhere to all the C19 rules and regs i.e. they are a trusted, known quantity. Do you gladly use your spare Tx with them without a qualm e.g. handling, passing to/fro, hands on, adjust their trims for them at close quarters etc.? Just interested in folks thoughts and possible varied approaches subject potential differing pupils.

In the good old days of high street shops 'for men' e.g. Radio Shack, Maplins etc. you could buy 'Label Remover'. I still have a can which I use sparingly for those difficult to remove stuck on labels etc. There should be equivalents available given a search online. Isopropanol alcohol may assist though this in my experience only goes so far in loosening stubborn stickies. Strong, and I mean strong adhesive parcel tape may also pull off remnants of covering but care needed to avoid pulling balsa grain too.

A quick glance at the magazine archive shows quite a few pilotless 'drone' !

I had the pleasure, circa 1970s, of building many of the Pilot QB designs. As others have said, although superb examples of kit manufacture (for the time!), only a few were good flying machines. Still have the QB 2500 Reiher, (the early version). MK made some nice models too. The Hanno Prettner 'Curare' in 20 & 40 size as well as the 'Magic'. Then I enjoyed time in Germany courtesy of HM and a 'Blue Suit'. The likes of Graupner, Heigi, Simprop, and Aeronaut, even before laser cutting, were kits to behold IF you could afford them! Today only Aeronaut remain producing their own items. Their quality is still outstanding with the very latest production methods employed. Even if you don't care for their kit subjects, I would strongly recommend you peek inside a Aeronaut kit box if ever you get the chance, superb! There have been some excellent British kit manufacturers. I recall building a (Roy Pitts?) RadioSailplanes 'Scirroco' glider complete with their R/C locking tow hook. Vac-formed trays contained quality balsa and ply, nicely cut and finished given no laser at the time. Today 'Vintage Model Company' is showing youngsters the way and I've enjoyed building their little 'Piper Cub' as much as any. (See BMFA News & RCM&E for recent reviews).

Roger those are excellent! (A Brit presenting too!) Why haven't these and the ones Ron brought to my attention been more widely publicised? I am one of the instructors for my club. Not an ace of the base but manage OK and can usually find the runway in one piece after a flight! Whilst it is all well and good to go through the stick motions, and of course hands-on practical flying with a new R/C student, giving them a good, quality reference video they can study and refresh their new knowledge with at home, is ideal. They can even continue practice on a simulator if they have one and generally consolidate and build confidence before their next session at the field. I'm still surprised that these videos have relatively low viewing figures given the potential world audience. I appreciate the last year has been difficult for us all but perhaps that was even more reason to brush up and keep technique fresh whilst confined at home. In the numerous clubs I have the pleasure to visit, yes there are some top notch R/C pilots capable of wringing out any manoeuvre you care to mention. However, what of the 'Average Joe' pilot with his/her beat up old 'WOT4', some of those pilots have the plane flying them and not them flying the plane! Perhaps they were never shown how to properly execute ... (insert manoeuvre), including basic loop & rolls. These video can surely only aid their model flying education and piloting skills. Thanks again Ron & Roger . If you find/know of any others keep the links coming.

Ron, Excellent! That's more like it BUT still not many quality demo videos show up in the search. (I note though that the 3D flier example you sent has had only 5,000 or so views since 2019, surprisingly low for a worldwide R/C audience compared with many other very poor examples). What descriptions are you putting in the search to find them? The only ones that I regularly find pop up are the 'Phoenix Simulator' screen shot ones and, occasionally, those from BMFA. Any well produced 'Basic/Beginner' videos you can post links to? (By the way these are not all for me but something I can direct all those new fliers we're going to get after the current business allows us!)

Um ... sorry Ron ... re read my post. That was the whole point of enquiring where are the video clips? I've searched 'YouTube and very few quality videos appear. Shaky views of micro dots being flown at a distance yes, by the dozen! Good demonstration of 'How to ... (insert manoeuvre(s) with possibly an overlay of stick movements. Slow motion edit, all well within the skills of many a video enthusiast. I'm surprised there hasn't been a few more responses. Everyone is only too pleased to discuss the latest widget, motor or how to program a radio but what about the 'How to ..' of the end result or aren't folk interested in developing/progressing their flying skills?

Given the plethora of model flying videos on YouTube etc. , due to the wide availability of video recording devices, my searches have not revealed very many good demonstration training videos. The BMFA have and continue to make fair attempts at their Achievement Scheme demo for the various 'A' and 'B' certificate tests in a variety of disciplines. I understand there was a series by Shahid Banglawala to accompany his RCM&E 'House of Hotshots' series which appeared circa 2012-13. (Is Shahid still active in R/C modelling?). However, these video seem no longer available. I would like to think a series of well produced video aimed at the average club sports flier would be well received. i.e. Not just one flier demonstrating his/her style but say half a dozen club fliers, flying and demonstrating the typical 'WOT4', 'Riot', 'Acrowot' type models, I.C. and electric powered. Showing basic manoeuvres progressing to more advanced e.g. Loops, Rolls, Stall Turn, Rolling Circles etc. etc. With all the skilled fliers out there, surely a few could team up with the many keen video enthusiasts and record a few good demo clips showing off their stick skills & prowess. Or have my search engines missed them?

Hi Caveman, Many thanks. PM sent with email address. Cheers CK

All the usual back-copy sources are sold out of the Autumn 2014 Special Issue (Tony's 'Vulcan' on the cover). Seeking 'ATOM' Autogyro plan - a copy of & article please. Many thanks.

Like many a restricted flier I suspect, dug out my 'Blade MSR X' mini helicopter to try and keep the stick-finger 'n thumbs in 'back garden' flying condition. Checked the airframe over and can't see any obvious signs of damage or misalignment but the darn thing skeeters across the ground the moment it's powered up for flight. Tried various half rates and expo and of course ensured the batteries are fully charged and giving good output. Anyone out there have a good set of Tx settings for a Spektrum DX6i? Nothing elaborate, beginners set-up will do fine to start with. Will be happy just to hold a steady hover! Thanks.

Paul mine is electric, (nothing else for me!). A 'Quantum 40', 800kv motor so roughly the electron equivalent. Turns a 12x6 APC(E) prop from 4S3000mAh pack. Total AUW: 2100gm.