Jonathan M

Lovely. But what could happen is that it could launch straight into a thermal and - unless you've got a DT fitted - you'll never see it again! This is exactly what happened the Spring before last to a friend's brand new KK Caprice he'd built as a first ever model. He hadn't bothered to set up the DT just yet as we were only just first helping him sort the CG with very low level launches...!

Thanks for reminding me Denis! I remember now!

Not sure if I've described it correctly above (if not 'backplate' then what's the round thingy called?) but the key appears to have worn down quite significantly, giving rise to an excessive amount of rotation, say 30-45°. How can I mend it? Firstly, I assume the key's housing is tapered and I can drift it out, but I'm wary of damaging the presumably aluminium round thingy in the process. Secondly, what material do I need to fashion a new key? I'm equipped with a set of engineering files (Bastard, Second Cut and Smooth) and warding files in the same range, below which are two sets of needle files, plus a hacksaw and junior hacksaw each with a set of fresh blades, and I'm reasonably adept at accurate marking out using an engineer's square etc - but I'm otherwise ignorant and untrained in proper metalwork. Alternatively does anyone have a useless old Irvine from which they're prepared to remove its round thingy and pop it in the post? ?

Surely the answer then is to just develop the practice of applying right rudder at the top of the loop, an instinctive reaction which will then transfer - to a greater or lesser degree - to any model you're flying?

Does the model have a cowl that you could remove and reposition correctly against the back of the spinner once you've found the right amount of side-thrust?

Out again today and I'm really loving this! First time I've flown any trad power aerobatic model that feels just so right! The replacement saddle-clamps coped fine with multiple landings, but it frankly needs bigger wheels as the 2" supplied ones trip all over the place (I've got a set of 3" DuBro low-bouncers but 2.75" would be better - either option means bending up new 4mm wires for the rear U/C). Found that full-up elevator helps take the pressure off the nose-wheel when turning on the ground. Wing tip opposite the sidewinder's cylinder head needed 5g of weight to balance. The CG at 3.75" still needs at least a mm of up elevator so pulls gently towards the canopy in a power-off vertical dive - will move back say another 1/4". Finding that the initial book settings are mostly spot on: Elevator +/- 11mm (book says 12mm) with 25% expo (still fine-tuning); Ailerons at +/- 18mm (same as book) with 20% expo seems to give a good roll-rate (for me); Rudder at +/- 50mm (book says 35mm) with 20% expo. Rolls are very close to axial with no differential dialed in (yet). Very neutral at stall so needs clear rudder to instigate spin, but snaps out of it immediately and accurately as soon as the controls are centred. Stall-turns need a blip of throttle to help get the rudder over (and/or I need to learn to yaw over before the airflow dies away completely?) but are otherwise completely clean with none of the tail-wagging flip-flopping of the Wot 4. The old Irvine 46 (with its new baffled muffler) gives almost unlimited verticals - more than enough! The 10oz tank I fitted (kit came with a 12oz version) gives an easy 12 mins with plenty to spare (say up to 15-16 mins). All we need are more calm weather days - forecast for next week looking more hopeful! ? Jon

Thanks chaps! It's fun this hobby, innit? Interesting Andy that it could have been the cold that made the clamps brittle. The old ones and the new but oversize 8 SWG ones are both at the same temperature in my heated workroom, so off now to do a bit of laboratory-grade destruction testing...!

Hooray! Maidened! Yes it was cold, damp and quite blowy, but was free after lunch so went up to the patch. The old Irvine 46 on an 11x6 prop started easily and ran very nicely (2,500 idle up to 11,000rpm with a reasonably smooth take-up, can finesse it later), but the noise was quite 'tinny'... I think from the cowling. Ground handling was fine with the steerable nose-wheel, although the strength of the gusts when taxying downwind complicated things a bit until I worked it out. Needed only a tad of aileron trim, but a good couple of mm of up elevator in the air, which surprised me as the CG is at a good 3.75", but maybe that was due to the full (10oz) tank? (There's only a washer's thickness of right-thrust and no down, so it can't be that.) Didn't really have much opportunity to run through the usual range of manoeuvres and trim/travel/expo checks with any comfort, as the wind, slope-lift and turbulence wasn't exactly conducive - although it seems to have plenty enough power, looped and rolled quite nicely and inverted didn't need too much forward pressure on the stick - and I was anxious to practice a couple of power-on landings in case I had a dead-stick. So after four or five minutes I lined up and came in. Landing wasn't the best - a bit of a bounce at first (I blame the conditions!) but she then seemed to came down nicely enough - except then settled to a stop with one wingtip resting on the ground! Seems like good old Mick Reeves got in his revenge at the end! The saddle-clamps on the right wing U/C had simply shattered on first contact and the wire just folded back! One of the clamps also broke on the other wing but at least that U/C held. I've only got a set of larger clamps for 8 SWG, but these by comparison are nicely plastic with plenty of strength/give, with none of the brittleness of the originals. (I could fit these and bulk up the wire with say tape or alu tubing, but prefer to do to a proper job so have ordered two packs of the same brand for 10 SWG wire.) Nonetheless, very chuffed to have finally flown the Gangster - and looking forward to much more! ?

As long as the elevator halves join together again for flight then you'd still only need one servo.

Good engineering!

I fitted 2.75" Dubro low-bounce as our patch can sometimes be a bit bumpy. Denis' U/C improvement sounds very worthwhile - I'm frequently have to bend the wires back into correct position! As to engine choice (as I said before) a 46 would be perfect, but if you want to see what the 52 FS is like then fit that. But, if you're not altogether happy with it flying, then it'll be pretty easy to retrofit the two stroke.

Thanks Piers (& Murat). Maiden now just of question of waiting for the rain to stop falling (see hieroglyph above) and wind to stop blowing so hard, and cloud base to push up a bit, etc!

Completely understandable! But if one's builds are more like wars of attrition than set-piece battles, then tidy ups do need to happen every now and then!

I know you're just after a test-bed for your inline engines without having to build something completely new, but this lot looks somewhat stomach-churning!

From an ancient Egyptian RC forum post...

I've just realised - looking at my own photos - that I meant to paint the switch brown as well! Does that mean it's still not yet finished?! ? ?

What's Christmas?

My Gangster 63 Lite. Original build thread here (ridiculously long, but only started building last Autumn, i.e. most of the way down Page 5): https://www.modelflying.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/38487-mick-reeves-gangster-63-lite/page/11/#comments

It's finally finished! Yay! ? Empty weight is 81oz (5.06lbs) so a wing-loading of about 16oz/sqft, which still keeps it in the 'Lite' category of things. I expect the Irvine 46 to pull it around nicely - assuming a peak power output of 875 watts, that's about 175 watts/lb. CG now at 3.75" (95mm) which seems like a safe enough position until I get used to flying it. Thanks to all who've contributed and advised! ? Jon

Looking good Stephen! Are you going with the side- and down-thrust...?

Aidan, the 46FX is perfect for my ARTF Boomerang, even though it's heavier now at 6.75lbs (after crash repairs) with a wing-loading of 24lbs/sqft. So to help slow it for landings I've swapped the 11x6 for an 11x5 prop. It also needed a fair amount of tail-weight to get the CG back to a sufficiently neutral position for inverted flight etc. I know the sales literature suggests a 52 four-stroke as an alternative to a 40-46 two-stroke, but I'd imagine this to be quite underpowered by comparison. Is the one you've ordered a kit or an ARTF?

Nice-Nice!

PM sent.

Hi Peter I've got a Saito 45 Special looking for an eventual airframe, and am very taken by your girl here... Does anyone have a copy (scan) of the article for this 58" version they could send me? And where could I get a plan? I've got the plan/article off Outerzone for the original 48" version, which I could instead build (for an unused OS30FS or a well run-in ASP30FS in my modest collection), but would probably be better off with something I can actually see in the air! Jon

As self-prophesied(!), I sealed and then re-did the cowling attachment screw positions on the fuselage for a better alignment with the spinner, then sealed the exposed edges with medium CA to prevent future lifting of the cloth off the plastic. Ready now for painting in the same brown to match the film. Then glued on the canopy with canopy glue - when this is dry I'll scalpel to shape 1/4" strips of the brown film and iron on to cover the join areas as a complete 'framework'.