Mike Bell

I have a DLE 30 which I ran for the first time at the weekend. Very impressed with the easy starting and the power available, but less than impressed by the naff muffler that comes with it. The volume is ridiculously small so it was no surprise that it was not effective at all.   Does anyone out ther have any experience of alternative silencers for this engine? I have my eye on the Weston UK canister type muffler so I would be particularly interested if anyone has any experience with these.   Thanks Mike

Sorry, Tim, didn't mean to worry you.  At least you know up front that you are going to need to be careful.  I think it is really good that RCM&E include such an important figure as wing loading in their test data.  Perhaps this information should be given some prominence in the test write up with some appropriate guidance for those who are less familiar with what it means.

Ref the Mew Gull crash (sorry for coming in on this late on, but I've only just got round to reading it).   When I first read the report I was impressed that Graham was honest enough to take the blame for the incident, but then I read the Datafile stuff at the end of the article and there is one entry there that says it all.  A wing loading of 37oz/sq ft is appalling for a 1.20 size model.  With a loading like that a tendency to tip stall and / or for slow recovery from a spin is inevitable.   I tend to cringe if wing loadings get above 25oz/sq ft for that size of model.  You can get away with the bigger loadings on 50cc size planes or bigger (some kind of volume effect I don't understand) but not on a 74inch span model.  However good Seagull may have become on build quality etc, they really shouldn't be inflicting such flying bricks on to the modelling public.  Now I know there will be some people out there who say it flies great if you keep the speed up etc, but the fact is this model will appeal to modellers of all sorts of skill levels and many simply wont have the skill and discipline required to keep the inevtiable at bay.  Even those who have the skill can be caught out by awkward deadstick moments etc.   My advice to anyone considering an ARTF purchase is to look carefully at any wing loading data and all the RCM&E reports I have seen include this information.  It isn't the whole story by a long way, but you should shy away from anything over the 30 oz/sq ft mark.

I had a similar problem with my Zenoah 20cc engine which would be fine in level flight but would cut immediately if I attempted a roll.  I came across the pressure balancing tube fix and tried it with no real success.  Then I had a chat with Glen Fletcher (Glens Models) who advised that this effect was a rich cut.  His suggestion was to try adjusting the L needle on the carb, leaning it out 1/8th of a turn at a time until it improved.  This approach was much more successful in my case.   Mike

Ed, Sorry for not spotting your question earlier.  Yes mine had foam wings.  As an alternative you could consider going solid sheet and lots of razor planing.  You wouldn't need to replicate the full thickness of the original section (which I recall wasn't very thick anyway), so half inch at the thickest point should be enough.  Use really soft grade to keep the weight down though.

Hi Ed   I built a couple of these twenty odd years ago.  I think my first one had a Merco 35 on the front and it still went fast so with a decent 46 it should be pretty lively.  The stye of flying is definitely jet style ie big, fast, smooth manoeuvres but can be slowed up for landing no problem.  I tried putting a rudder on my second one but I can't say it added any benefit; there was a big roll couple so knife edge wasn't really on.  I don't remember any difficulties with either building or flying so enjoy.   Mike

Hi Dusty,    Have you bought Aerofly 5 or are you just admiring it from the web site?  If you bought it, where from?   Thanks   Mike

I've had a Cambrian Spitire for ten years or more and had a Mustang before that.  Fabulous fliers, very good manners at low speed and with an OS 25 on the front it is a bit nippy too.  I would thoroughly recommend one.   Mike

Thanks Ultymate, I'll look into that  

A word of caution to anyone thinking of buying one of these switches.  I bought one recently and found it wouldn't work.  After a bit of experimentation I found that it only wouldn't work with my Futaba 14 channel 2.4 gig Rx.  It works great with my  Futaba 35 meg stuff and even with a R617FS 2.4gig Rx.    It seems the problem is that the R6014 has a lower signal voltage than other Futaba gear (2.7v instead of 3v).  It looks as though this lower voltage is insufficient to trigger the switch.    This issue may also apply to other new Futaba receivers so it could be worth checking before you buy.  I don't have any experience with other makes so can't comment on Spektrum, JR etc.  I have informed Jenny at Just Engines and she says that they will invesigate this with the manufacturer.   Just to be clear, If you have compatible gear this device does everything it should and is very good value.   Mike

A good pilot has the same number of landings as take offs, preferably in the same field.   Mike

1   Mode 1 2   North East 3   North East 4   I originally learned mode 2 informally from a friend then changed to mode 1 self taught.   Mike

Does anyone know if Aerofly 5 is available in this country yet?  No one seems to be advertising it at the moment...or are the retailers trying to offload their stocks of Aerofly Pro first?   If you know of a stockist the info would be most welcome.   Mike

If the engine is an ABC type they are naturally a bit tight on top dead centre due to the bore being deliberately tapered.  If you can only feel the tightness when turning the engine over slowly, but it plops over on compression Ok with a faster flick, it could be OK.  A drop of fuel in the exhaust port will help get a better feel for this rather than turning over a dry engine.   Mike

Hi Adam   OS FPs are usually easy to set up and don't usually need much fiddling so it's worth persevering.  My suggestion would be to check the air bleed hole for blockage.  If you are running fuel with castor oil in it and have left it for any length of time the castor can bung the hole up.  Take the idle screw out and give the thing a good clean out. Yes you can put a 4 stroke in a Wot 4 but it will be a fair bit heavier and unless you go up in size the performance won't be sparkling (not against the 46 2 stroke option anyway).

Hi Adam   OS FPs are usually easy to set up and don't usually need much fiddling so it's worth persevering.  My suggestion would be to check the air bleed hole for blockage.  If you are running fuel with castor oil in it and have left it for any length of time the castor can bung the hole up.  Take the idle screw out and give the thing a good clean out. Yes you can put a 4 stroke in a Wot 4 but it will be a fair bit heavier and unless you go up in size the performance won't be sparkling (not against the 46 2 stroke option anyway).

Peter, I have been to three of these events held at the Ogees site and have thoroughly enjoyed the event, the hospitality of the organisers and the low key but effective organisation.  I have attended as "pits bitch " for my son Martin rather than as a competitor.  As a competant but nowt special club flyer I must admit I haven't been tempted to compete myself, moslty because the standards in the Advanced and Unlimited classes have been so high I would be way out of  my depth.  I suspect that the way the event is always associated with elite flyers is part of your problem in getting an entry level class off the ground.  I think that to attract entries to the "beginners" class there should be a clear emphasis on the artistic aerobatics elements with 3D aspects played down and maybe even discouraged.  There is such a strong perception these days that freestyle aerobatics = 3D that this must surely be a significant factor putting many people off. I may be wrong but I think there is a possibility that the name "120 class" is a bit misleading.  It kind of leads to the impression that a 120 size motor and airframe is a requirement, rather than a top limit.  There may well be people who could put a decent routine together with an Acro Wot but would think they would feel silly lining such a model up alongside YS powered 120 class airframes.  Maybe a name along the lines of "Basic Artistic" would convey a different impression.  I would suggest  keeping the airframe top size limitation in place but put strong emphasis on the acceptability of small club models into any publicity. For the top 2 classes I think you should keep the fixed schedule element as my observation has been that this often sorts out the truly accomplished flyers.  There are some pilots who display good 3D skills who are found wanting when it comes to flying a fixed pattern.  The fixed schedule ensures that the winner has a complete set of piloting skills, which in my opinion is only right. Good luck for 2009 (it must be your turn for some decent weather, surely).

The best sport aerobatic kit still on the market is the Acro Wot.  Apart from having a foam wing (I agree that built up is better) it fshould fit your requirements very well.  Mike

There should be no problem using the receiver in any number of planes.  All the programming set up is in the transmitter, the receiver just does as it is told.  Just make sure you select the correct program in the transmitter for the appropriate model. Mike

Hi John, The problem on my transmitter seems to be associated with using it with a simulator.  If you haven't plugged a sim into yours I would suspect the battery, they often don't like to be stored unused. Your servos should respond to the transmitter without any programming.  The only thing I can think of is to make sure the transmitter is set to the correct modulation ie PCM or PPM.  You will find this under Parameters in the program  menu.  If the modulation is wrong there will be no servo response for sure. Mike

I now have an idea why the problem may have arisen.  Check out my thread in the gadgets and sims section of the forum.

I have been using my FF9 trannie for a few years now without any problems until last week.  I turned it on and despite the battery having been charged overnight the voltage reading was low and dropping rapidly.  I put the battery back on charge and it took only minutes to indicate a full capacity.  I suspected the battery to be the problem so bought a new one (2700mah Nimh) but it did the same thing - voltage indication straight off charge looked low (10.5v) and was dropping by 0.1v every minute or so.  Using the old battery I snipped one of the leads so I could place an ammeter in series and this indicated a current draw of around 270ma with the module in, which I believe is about right.  I know I will probably have to send it away for the problem to be fixed, but I was wondering if any one else had had the same and what the problem turned out to be. Mike

For cutting get yourself a pair of curved scissors.  These are sold for trimming lexan car body shells so any model shop that sells r/c cars should stock them.  The curved blades make trimming so much easier, even straight lines.  It's a bit difficult to explain but you'll appreciate what I mean if you try it.

You just need a sharp scalpel blade, metre steel rule and being a mutant with three hands would help too!  Make sure you cut the straight edge before you finally seal the overlap.

I've used clear solarfilm to good effect.  It's useful for patching too.