Bruce Collinson

Can just get a 5S 5A in mine but it's snug even after enforced mods to the front end, strengthened u/c plate and rebuilt hatch. With hindsight the hatch wasn't radical enough. Interesting that Richard A finds the magnets strong; mine weren't, hence the hatch mod which is now hinged and latched. Great plane, am toying with an i/c version . BTC

I’m with STF on this, it’s a race to the bottom. We’re being seduced into the myth that the cheapest is probably the best and my conscience is nattering at me with the behaviour of the Chinese state. BTC

Tom Sharp, No, apparently. If I remember this right there was a family connection but they're seperate and NB several of us live within 10 mins of Otley but opportunities for flight are restricted to odd servos and batteries. Stu, they've moved in the last 18 months, 300 yds away. BTC

Great. A couple of thoughts spring to mind. All you seem to need to do is prove that the son was flying regularly, preferably with a noisy 2 stroke, up to the time your club commenced operations. Reading between the lines it does sound as though your planning officer is looking for accommodations rather than fights. If the Cert of Lawful Use is likely to go to Committee/plans panel, start lobbying the key players to at least make them understand that you’re not a bunch of yobs in hoodies practicing drug runs to the local prison, nor practicing buzzing airliners; maybe invite them to a tightly orchestrated flying session. It’s a sad reflection on society that old fashioned ward councillors with a genuinely broad, holistic view of public good and policy seem to have been replaced by single-issue parochial individuals. Don’t overlook the Parish Council too, as they may have some right of consultation. Keep meticulous records of noise testing. Paper trails make the world go round. There was a post above referring to eye watering charges by planning consultants. If you have anyone at all with an interest in property, there’s usually a favour that can be called in on mate’s rates. Most self employed practitioners can be susceptible to a case of red. Is there a case for BMFA to retain a planning consultant? Some of my suppliers have briefs which cover the UK and I’m not referring to multi office national firms at £250/ hour. A lot of their work is carried out remotely, checking stated policy, allocations etc. There’s scope for at least some enquiries. Loss of sites is likely to proliferate. Notwithstanding the astonishing reactions from (I sincerely hope) a minority of contributors on a recent thread about fees and the staggering opposition to a modest increase in BMFA levies, I am quite certain that this would be a sound investment. Food for thought? BTC

Two things. As a returnee I hesitate to tangle with my elders and betters, but my sidecutters regularly go through piano wire upto about 18 swg as well as any bowden cable and they have one mark, which was some 16 g wire. Knipex, not cheap. Lead solder has become inapplicable through plumbing requirements and I'd guess plumbers use tons, or even tonnes of the stuff for every ounce we modellers use. Thorough nuisance where a LiPo eg has been tinned with lead-free. BTC

Thanks Pete. Just found a Sullivan Flex Tank which the maker claims is mouldable with a heat gun and am waiting to hear back from them as to how far it will mould without rupturing. This might be the solution I am seeking. I wonder whether anyone has first hand experience of reshaping them? US forums have the usual diametrically opposed opinions. BTC

Solder it then use side cutters. BTC

Did anyone ever progress this very clever idea? I have to find a tank solution for an aerobatic designed for a Yamada where the tank was over the c of g, a good 10” behind the carb. Height/Jon Harper dictates that the new tank will have to go under the undercart plate to run a Laser 100 inverted. There’s a bottom cowl to fit over it all, limiting the height of the tank. Ideally the tank would nearly fill the bottom cowl and would need to be flat on top but a flattened circle underneath. Effectively it will occupy the space designed for the pipe and exhaust of the YS. I have not a whiff of an off the shelf tank which will fit and hold more than about 2 oz. the 3D printed option is winking at me, more than the idea of a chicken hopper. I suppose there’s a possibility of adapting a standard tank with dry sand and heat but I can see a lot of wasted time and tanks developing. Plan D could be a true cylinder, max. 38mm but it could extend 7 or 8” back if it occupied the cutout under the LE of the wing which I guess was the pipe outlet. If I wasn’t technophobic I’d try to post piccies. Needless to say the airframe was second hand to me, no destructions etc. Ideas welcomed! BTC

Erfolg, Serves me right for not reading the entire trail. If a decorator's seam roller will do it, Google has heaps, down to £1.09. BTC

Erfolg, I thought the disposable foam rollers from Buck’s Composites were reasonable. Good service too. He’s called Graham. Did you know that predictive whatnot has you as Errol somebody? BTC

Agree with Denis, post piccies. Can you epoxy nyloc nuts to the underside of the mount using all the usual precautions, fit engine to mount with bolts tightened, Vaseline the threads to guarantee you don’t glue the bolts to the nuts or the mount? Dismantle, fit mount to frame, put engine on mount, carefully introduce bolts then tighten sequentially? Just an idea. Having broadly similar issues trying to smuggle a Laser 100 into a Probuild Infinitely-Complex and it’s going onto a plywood crutch with Tnuts epoxied onto the underside, with the crutch bolted down using the soft mount pickup nuts. Have ordered special locking washers from Model Fixings (Nordic?) so they lock down from above, without any access to the underside of the structure. BTC

But somebody will turn up to collect the goods. I had a similar experience when I advertised an OS in the back of the mag, a generic reply not specifically mentioning an OS ... your items ...no response to a Paypal suggestion. I eventually worked it out. I reported it to BEB at the time. What’s described above is a variation. Mine was, his courier would hand me a bank draft on collection. My first reaction was to buy a baseball bat for the meeting and try to find out the destination, then pass all the details onto the fraud people but an isolated episode is unlikely to get their attention. These start to sound like concerted frauds/thefts. They clearly succeed often enough to make it worthwhile. Maybe someone could call in a favour from the Plods and put a Jeti or a gas turbine up, false details, then arrange a meeting and get the courier’s collar felt. If we assume that it’s not a kleptomaniacal aeromodeller stealing this kit, then it must be fenced. As the only realistic home for the goods is other aeromodellers then if they’re straight they need protection and if they’re bent they should be made to crash and burn. Probably, with UK modelling being a bit of a tight knit community, it’s going in a container on Hull docks, like the Defenders, quad bikes and Golf Rs (allegedly). It smacks of organised crime and the state ought to start to show interest. Maybe an approach from BMFA? They will not just be targeting modellers. I wondered whether there was some sort of automated system in use, spamming. I wonder whether other intrinsically valuable item users are similarly targeted, motorbikes, cameras, wifi etc. If nothing else, they might gat the picture that there are no easy pickings with the modelling fraternity and go elsewhere (displacement, in Newspeak). Thoughts? Yours in apoplectic frustration, BTC Edited By Pete B - Moderator on 04/12/2018 20:23:20

Here I am again. I once started an engine bolted to the same test stand as yours, screwed to my workbench, and being run in I redecorated that end of the outside man cave with oil. Wotcher doin bout dat den? Does it point to the outer regions of Cornwall? BTC

God’s own county, obviously! Though not a native. Toothsome though your Bistormer and OS looks, it’s too far. BTC

Dammit Cymaz, you really at Bodmin? BTC

And far more likely to be knocked accidentally by a well meaning helper. Be careful.

Cuban, Looks very good value. No other mods you’d make; is the top up to scratch, the MDT part? BTC

Nigel, Bad news. If there are no permanent buildings on the site specifically for your club's use and there have been no planning issues in 7 years, is planning permission really unlikely? Of course each matter will be dealt with on its own merits but if the planners didn't know about it previously it suggests that the club's use was scarcely obtrusive. Planning departments generally are badly under-resourced and unlikely to pick fights against meritorious and assiduously pursued applications which comply with policy. Particularly if the agricultural land is not exclusively used by the club, as ours isn't with sheep free to roam, it may be possible to argue that the agricultural use has not been lost, it has merely been supplemented. I'm wondering if you can do worse than invest the £500-odd it would take to get a good planning consultant to dig a bit deeper and determine whether a well constructed application has better than say 60-40 chance of success. I can't answer your question directly and you may well be way ahead of me but nonetheless I hope this helps. BTC

Horribly fiddly Andrew. Notwithstanding the other consecutive thread about Hobbyking, this may be the rare occasion to go there first although I have issues with China generally. I know it looks easy when Your-Tube shows it, I lost the will to live. BTC

I was hoping like hell your boss doesn't read these when I saw the remarks yesterday about pricing, supply and demand and reading the above I'm REALLY hoping he doesn't! He might rap your knuckles ..... BTC

David, There's no panic to answer your question then! I know the feeling. I can't speak for the Pro version but I'm on my third standard ARTF in two years (don't ask, pilot error) and they all flew on the Ripmax Quantum 40 motor and mostly 5A 4S LiPos. None needed noseweight. I appreciate that your LiPo will be a bit lighter than mine. I left the standard elevator pushrod in and upgraded all the clevises to metal. If I really wanted to lighten the tail end I'd try a carbon tube pushrod and maybe risk the plastic clevises, than look carefully at the tailwheel, and finally consider some judicious lightening holes in the tail surfaces. Last time it needed attention I dug out a slightly larger Overlander motor and was about to start drilling to fit when I realised the bullet connectors are larger and contemplating changing all 3, I lost the will to live but next MOT I'll try it. If you're buying a motor especially for it, this might all add up to a no-ballast solution with which I agree entirely. Whatever you decide, good luck and if it's a Pro do please report back. BTC

Ditto re the hooks in the garage joists and the 1/2" dowel wall rack for wings. Not being vertically challenged I could reach all the hooks to move fuselages, until another model or two materialised and the space beneath disappeared. I remembered Leccyflyer's "length of stout dowel and hook" and swung into Homebase this am; broom handle, c. 1" dia, with its own plastic hanging hook, £3-something. Cheaper than dowel. No trace of alleged tubs of Pollyfilla Advanced, exponentially better than specialist balsa filler; tubes from B&Q. Begs the question, what was the Retarded filler like? A bit slow? BTC

Ant, Can you do worse than a Wot 4, either ARTF electric or even the foamie? Get stick time whilst watching what’s hot and what lights your fire this time round? Many happy returns! BTC

Have a Dremel gas torch, quite good quality, spills heat out of the side exactly as Colin says. Not particularly good on LiPos and Deans. An electronically enabled clubmate asserts that it’s about the size of the tip which really counts, as a bulkier tip retains more heat and effects a hotter, cleaner joint. Struggled to find one at hobby prices though. Size does matter! BTC

Good morning Nifty, Thanks for your response. I assembled mine last night after charging batteries. Your mods sound very sensible now it’s in the flesh. I may make the cradles narrower, to just fit my widest fuselages, maybe with a slight taper. Forgive any apparent stupidity but is there a persuasive reason to omit the top rail? I thought I’d add a restraining strap and ground anchor, for 20 cc petrol tuning, and probably straps over the fus to hold down. Most of the various stands and cradles in use at the club have ground anchors, usually handily placed to guarantee one trip per session! A hidden benefit of this forum is I find it clarifies matters even as I post. I’m going to need a second one for the upstairs man cave. Foam cradles are ok for light planes but a bit risky for anything substantial. I believe waterbased polyurethane Floor varnish is fuelproof and will try that, and possibly use slightly thinner ply for the shelf if it’s going to be narrower. Magnetic patch in one corner; maybe adapt a magnetic dish ( I have about half a dozen of those, very useful) but then again I could fit a tool rack and a cup holder too. Am I in danger of over engineering it? BTC