Mike Bell

If you are interested in fun-fly then the Cougar is the one.  Get some practice in and I'll see you at the Nats - it's great fun. Mike

I had an OS 25 FP in a Cambrian fun fighter (the Spit) - wonderful fun.  Might sound a bit "hot" but they will fly slow as you like if you pull that throttle stick back. Mike

The best stuff I've used for overlaps in Solarfilm is Prymol.  You brush a very thin smear over the joint to be overlapped and let it dry (a few seconds) before sticking the next piece of film down.  Rub any bubbles out before applying the iron and if any persist just prick them out as Eric suggests.  Prymol is a solvent based material that etches the shiny film allowing the adhesive to really grab.  A tin lasts for several models.

Apologies if this has already been posted. The April BMFA Club Bulletin contained info about Ripmax offering to exchange any TM-7 module that may be at risk of being affected by the coding issue.  The modules made after the discovery of the problem carry an addtional sticker next to the CE mark sticker.  This additional label is in the form of a white circle with a bold letter I in it.  If yours hasn't got this sticker you can send the module to Ripmax and they will change it free of charge (it will cost you the outbound postage but that's all).  I took this offer up and sent mine back on Saturday.  On Tuesday the replacement arrived back so it's a pretty good service.  Having a module with a qualification mark could help with your own piece of mind and that of others if you fly away from your home strip.  If you want to take the offer up the address is: Ripmax Ltd (TM-7) 241 Green Street Enfield Middx EN3 7SJ

One thing that can cause Solarfilm to go saggy is using too much heat in the iron.  This can apply to both sheet areas and shrinking of open areas.  Make sure the film is applied over open areas reasonably taughtly to avoid having to shrink too much and use the lowest heat possible on the sheet areas.  I avoid using a heat gun for shrinking as it is difficult to control the heat input with these.  Profilm does seem to be better if you can afford it.  Mike

I'll have it just to stop the others squabbling over it.

I had one of these years ago.  I seem to remember that the kit did not come with a plan, just building instructions and diagrams.

Yes I had one of these.  It flew very well including loops rolls and inverted - just like the real thing!!!  The foam is finished in a sliver paint of some sort which I found a bit tricky to paint over, but it looked OK when it was finished.    I had a bit of trouble making room for a 2S 2100 lipo in the battery compartment, but once fitted it would run for ages.  Unfortunately mine was lost when the battery fell out in flight so some care is required if you modify the battery compartment and hatch.

In many respects wooden props have a lot going for them.  They are stiff, wont chuck blades at high revs and most of all they are light which is great for throttle response, which for a fun fly is a good thing.  The only downside is they wont tolerate any contact with the ground, so if you are talking competition fun fly with all that frantic touch and go action, you could break a fair few.

I think it was sold by Mahers Models.

Hi For Carlisle & District Model Aircraft Club try C Farrar 01768 890168 or [email protected]  

Mine works great - easy to set up and no problems in use.  The only  minor gripe is that because the aerial mount sticks out behind the module, my transmitter wont fit into my transmitter case without removing the module first.  I'm  now looking for a deeper case so I don't have to take the module out all the time.

Calculate the c of g for each wing independently (eg 25% chord at half span) then put the combined c of g half way between.   Should get you somewhere near.

Sounds like Roto motors which are distributed by Falcon Aviation. You will find details at www.falcon-aviation.com/

You should be able to tell if the liner is in the correct orientation by looking down the exhaust stub to check if the ports line up.   The inlet ports will be lower than the exhaust ports so if you are 180 degrees out they wont line up with the opening in the crankcase.

I'm not sure what a Pilot Assist link is, but I would say that the best thing to use to get your head around 3D is a good simulator.  Simulators aren't than useful for pattern but for the prop hanging, harrier rolling type of stuff they are pretty good at developing the basic stick movements.  Using gyros kind of smacks of cheating, but that's just my opinion.

I have recently had a similar problem with a heli engine that would run for a minute or so then just sag.  In my case the problem was that the piston and liner were heavily varnished.  I use fuel which has half castor and half synthetic oil. The castor oil can deposit a varnish like layer in the hot zones of the engine.  This affects the lubrication between the piston and liner which causes the engine to over heat and grind to a halt.  To check for this, take the silencer off and look down the exhaust ports. As you move the piston up and down does the piston look shiny silver or is it stained a reddish brown?  If it is the latter then it could need taking apart for a good clean.

Try checking the modulation ie has it defaulted to PCM (or PPM).  If the Tx and rx are not the same mode, nothing will happen.

For small diesels (1cc or so) I have used Humbrol enamel tins.  Clean the tin with Nitromors then pierce the lid and the bottom to accept brass tubing which is soldered in.  I fill the tank via the feed tube.  This will keep a small diesel running for 5 minutes plus.

I don't know all the details but I have heard of people using ball links.  With the ball attached to the strut and the plastic socket secured to the wing the strut can be connected quickly using ball link pliers.

"...then adjust the throws on the trannie..."

In my experience wind strength isn't nearly as much of a problem as turbulence. You can fly lightly loaded models in strong smooth wind but really struggle in lighter but turbulent conditions.

www.vortex-vacforms.co.uk  Try these guys for canopies.

I am sure the Thunder Tiger is a good engine, the question is more a case of is it a good engine / model combination for what you want to do with it? Your second question suggests you are wanting to do 3D which for many manouevres, especially prop hanging, you need a much larger than usual power to weight ratio. For a sixty to have enough grunt to prop hang a 60 inch model it will have to be built very light. If the model has been designed with this type of flying in mind it may not be much of a problem. On the other hand if it was designed for standard sport aerobatics it may need a bigger engine than originally suggested to do 3D. There are a few 90s around that are physically the same size as a 60; one of these may be more appropriate. The other consideration about prop hanging is has the model been designed with the large control surfaces and throws that are required? Assuming the model is 3D capable and built suitably light I would experiment with props around 1 inch smaller on the normal pitch for prop hanging.

There was a letter in RCM&E a year or two ago asking for material lists to be included with free plans. With that in mind I carefully logged my material use for a design I subsequently submitted for consideration for publication. Hopefully this list will be included when and if the Editor decides to publish it. Keeping an accurate log is actually harder than it may seem as you have to make allowances for the occasional cock up and you need to make sure that you don't mix the offcuts with other left overs. Still, it should be possible to make a reasonable estimate and I think anyone submitting a design should try to include a materials list.