Richard Ashworth

Hopefully there could be more Hurricanes flying in the UK in the next few years. As a second anorak I did some research and there are 10 “proper” Hurricanes on the UK G- register two of which are owned and presumable sat in Germany. That is in addition to the two on the Battle of Britain Memorial flight. Most seem to either with restorers or likely to be restored. None seem to be static display only.

If you already have an Ipad you can, on switching the new one on, set up a full transfer of all your settings, apps and links from the old one onto the new. 5 minutes and done. All you have to do is switch on your old iPad, and put it near the next one when you switch it on.

I thought there were two bind routines. A;- Standard motor off, all control surfaces held at positions when signal lost. 1 Bind plug in rx 2 power up rx 2 with bind light on Rx flashing, power up tx with bind button pressed. 3 After bind complete, power off Rx and remove bind plug. 4 power up Rx and check bound and motor stops when tx switched off. B:- Motor off, control surfaces to set failsafe positions. 1 Bind plug in rx 2 power up rx 3 Remove bind plug from Rx, bind light should remain flashing. 4.power up tx with bind button pressed and controls held in the failsafe positions you want (4 hands needed!) 5. After bind complete, power off Rx and tx. 6. Power up tx then rx and test with tx off. I only use the hold controls, motor off variant and test it on all models each flying session. In 5 years I think I have had only one Unexplained event where the motor didn’t stop. Sorted by re-binding. Can someone correct the post if I have it wrong.     Edited By Richard Ashworth on 14/07/2020 15:48:26

Got the latest BMFA mag in the post today. Enjoying this thread, Mag to read this afternoon and going flying tomorrow. Turning out to be a good weekend.

David. Can I echo Piers advice that if you are going electric, get a battery checker. They have dropped a lot in price over the last 5 years and Overlanders checker is not overpriced at £12 for their Backing on service and support. What has not been said (That I have spotted) is the checker gets used on at least 3 occasions in each cycle of a Lipo. First, I always use mine to check its correctLy charged when it comes off the charger after being recharged just before a flying session. At the field you should check the battery is a charged battery and the cells are aligned JUST BEFORE you put it into your model. Well done to anyone who hasn’t accidentally picked up a battery used earlier in a session thinking it was unused. If you are lucky you can feel that the power is down on takeoff and land after a circuit, otherwise you risk discharging the battery to the point where the motor stops on low voltage failsafe and you are doing an unplanned deadstick landing. Lastly checking how much power remains after a successful flight tells you whether you could have flown longer or shouldn’t have flown as long as you drained the battery too much. I don’t know what safety margin others use but I set my tx timer for the plane /battery so that it goes off at about 30% capacity remaining. You then have enough power left for two or three go arounds if needed. Batteries and planes aren’t cheap. The more you look after them the longer they last. Enjoy the hobby. Richard

I don’t fully understand the 2 people different households limit as it seems to be being applied to both golf and tennis recreational activities. No doubt we will get another version tomorrow. The good news is that those policing it probably won’t either!

I could conquer my retracts fear for a P51 55” (one piece wing, veneer or built up)

Brain now in gear! My initial planes were all ARTF, keep box size to a minimum = fuz length, so split wings!

In the veneered vs built up wing debate, I have both one piece veneered and one piece built up wings. My understanding was that veneered wings are ‘all’ one piece but that build up wings over about 160cm move to two piece for convenience of transporting. Am I right in assuming that having a design in 140cm and 180cm spans would need wings of individual internal construction, even if both were built up, one piece, wood? Richard A

Hi All A couple of days ago after posting my initial musings I started looking though my books for ideas on subjects to suggest for us and Richard to think about. What I found was that British and US WW2 planes have pretty much been done (I know I said no retracts BUT a 55in Mustang that would fly well without flaps might just give me next years build). There seems to be one area that has shrunk from moderately available (in wood form) to a single offering, 170cm span or larger, the Seagull Zero. I dont know what others think but there are several Japanese WW2 plane that I always felt looked right and in that the Japanese didn’t do powerful engines had to be built light and manoeuvrable. (Favourite quote on the forum “Build in lightness!) After a bit of homework here are a list of planes for you to look up Easy one first - Mitsubishi A6M Zero, then Nakajima Ki 27, Ki 43, Ki 61, Ki 84 and Kawasaki Ki 61 (all low wing, single engine) Then two for the twin fans Mitsubishi Ki 46 and Nakajima J1N1. Having just had VE Day and coming up to VJ Day It may not be the best time for this suggestion, but what do you think? Richard A Edited By Richard Ashworth on 10/05/2020 20:03:28 Edited By Richard Ashworth on 10/05/2020 20:04:14 Edited By Richard Ashworth on 10/05/2020 20:05:23 Edited By Richard Ashworth on 10/05/2020 20:05:56

Hi Richard. So far I think you have had contributions from experienced modellers and to in part balance that this is my ‘story’ in modelling having been an aviation enthusiast in various forms starting with plane spotting at Ringway in 1962. 1964-67 5 wood kits, FF, C/L Gliders and 1cc diesels. 1984 2 Precedent wood kits, High Boy and Hi Fly. Only flew Hi Fly due to work / family commitments. 2015 early retirement at 63, hobby time available, RC planes obviously! (Electric route only) 2015 RT Discovery Foam ( Realflight Sim) 2015 Ripmax Wot4 Foam (2, one short lived, second retired worn out, 2019) 2016 Radian Pro Foam 2016 Ripmax Acro Wot ARTF Wood 2016 Max Thrust Lightning Foam 2017 Ripmax Wot 4 ARTF Wood 2018 Pegasus, Galaxy Hornet kit Wood 2019 SLEC Fun Fly kit Wood 2020 Chris Foss Wot 4 kit Wood. I did 6 months of research, a lot of it reading articles on this site, local club visits as recommended etc, before I dipped my toes in 2015, with the first objective of learning to fly and foamies being recommended as more survive-able for novices. Secondly I tried to standardise on 3S 2200s. The only ‘wrong’ move I have made is moving to the Acro Wot too early in my learning curve.i It’s now making appearances at the field but for 18 months it was a hanger queen, mentally too big a jump from a foamie 4. After 5 years of flying my views on where I will go are Limitations - No workshop, the garage becomes a temporary not ideal workshop each summer and with 8 planes stored amongst the rafters there is no more storage space available. Car rear load space only 170cm long (2m single piece wing not transportable) Future - More build and fly, wood kit or plan, ARTF possibly if desire / price strong enough. Enough building technique seen from articles on this site, some already used in leccy conversions, to give me confidence to tackle most builds, BUT - 1. No Retracts (rip out and do damage too often!) 2. Multi engine - not yet, 3. Proper scale detail - space not available to do it properly, plus I’m not positive that my skill level is yet up to the planes that need such detail. As things stand (sorry Richard) I don't see warbirds as my way forward, I love seeing the detail people manage to put in and the way they fly, look and sound (4S Laser of course). If I was 20 years younger maybe. Im not sure what, and apologies to Mr Foss, there has to be a product, 160cm wing 80-4S / 60 electric, not too difficult to fly, more difficult to build than a kit W4, some detail but not competition level, aerobatic / pattern ship (NO retracts) that would find a 200 kit market (i would be up for one!) not the 20 of the Me110. Musings over, this isn’t intended to upset anyone merely add to the discussion from my experience and flying skill level. Stay safe everyone and fingers crossed that this weekends announcement gets us nearer to returning to the flying fields. Richard A Edited By Richard Ashworth on 07/05/2020 12:34:03

I’ve used the brown foaming Gorilla glue for about 5 years mainly on foam repairs (mainly u/c s). It certainly bonds well to both wood and foam but it does expand a lot and I’m not sure what balsa jobs it’s really suited to. For balsa and ply i have until recently only used either Aliphatic which is I believe stronger than simple PVA wood glue and will bridge very small gaps or epoxy for main formers and elsewhere if advised by the designer for high load joins. In the last week I have given Gorilla white Wood Glue a try. Disregard the No Foam - it means it doesn’t foam not that it wont stick to foam, tried it, it does and VERY strongly. The only big minus is there is a warning on it - do not use at below 13C. I tested it at about 11C and it took a long time to set but seemed a strong join. Possibly not a product to use on a winter evening. Aliphatic says usable at all temperatures. I have a Mild reaction to C.A. so occasional use, outdoor for quick repairs only. Too many options! Hope this helps. Richard

Great that so many mail order operations are operating. To give me something to build I have ordered and received two purchases over the last week and a half. Both despatched by model shops within 24hrs using Parcelforce. One received in the advertised 48hrs. The other on 24hr delivery, sat according to their tracking, at Parcelforces Gatwick depot for 3 days before heading up to Leeds. Their website does say ‘may be delays’! I didn’t need the contents immediately so not a problem but got worried it may have been lost. Keep patient, unfortunately looks like we will have a lot of building time.

You often have to put as much “down” trim as you can on the throttle. The stick fully back does not take the esc fully to the off position by itself. Had this a couple of times on my Spektrum tx.

Enjoying this thread immensely. Richard

Please remember that although the 400ft exemption is “available” the club rule sets the “allowable” flying height at the club field. Please check your club rules.

Personally I think that if you think you are likely to fly 4 channel you should not ever move the rudder to the right hand stick but fly 3 channel with both sticks, Throttle and rudder left, elevator right, mode 2. I started with a 2 channel glider, rudder elevator both on the right stick. It very nearly cost me my first 4 channel plane. Rudder you can leave on and continue a turn, ailerons if you move the stick in the same way, spins the plane upside down and aims it at the ground. The damage was repairable. It took a good hour on Realflight and quite a few resets before my brain was fully reprogrammed. I have never experienced mode 1 but suspect that its not an issue.

Plus one for the ‘We Can Fly”. Good in wind up to 15 mph and fairly tough and big enough to be stable. Still occasionally fly it. I started RC on one in 2015 under its ST Discovery guise (in stock Wheelspin Models and Sussex Model Centre at £125.) 4 ch rx and 3S 2200 battery all that is needed, Edited By Richard Ashworth on 28/01/2020 09:33:42 Edited By Richard Ashworth on 28/01/2020 09:34:20

Don’t you dare forget the windsock again! Two hours of having to do this is just boring!

A proper drones much easier to fly! I learned about two years ago in a big open area near Crawley, West Sussex.

Plus 1 for the We Can Fly, still on sale I suspect as the ST Models Discovery. I started with the Discovery 4 years ago and its still going well having absorbed the ‘rough treatment’ of my early learning period without any problems,

Hi Foxfan This may help on understanding binding receivers to transmitters. With Spektrum (and I believe some others) when you bind the receiver it is effectively told to only respond to that transmitter AND only respond if the transmitter is set to the model memory in use when it was bound. Some systems do or did not have that extra check, they were only set to respond to a specific transmitter no matter which model was selected. A couple of years ago a colleague using Futaba finished flying an electric model, put it down on the grass in the pits and switched off his transmitter. He forgot to disconnect the plane battery. Twenty minutes later he picked up a second plane, connected its battery and carried to the strip where he ran the motor up prior to takeoff. The live model in the pits also started up and had to be pounced on to prevent an accident. Both receivers were simply listening for a transmission from the owners transmitter. 99.9% of the time we get it right but “modelmatch” or any such double security system makes it “foolproof”. It also means the transmitter will always have the settings for the model you are flying as nothing will work if you try to use model 1 on any model memory in the tx other than model 1.

Hi again Power on was I understand a last resort. I only saw the last 75ft of the 200ft descent so I don’t know about the previous 125ft. The electric setup was Quantum 55 motor, 12x8 electric prop, 5S 4000 battery, Overlander 80amp SBEC ESC, 4x Hitec HS322 servos. The fateful flight was brisk, loops, rolls, inverted and about 4 minutes in duration when the event occurred. For the last 3-4 months 3 turn spins have been a fairly regular practice feature of his flights on a number of models including at least two on the Acrowot two days earlier so it ‘should’ have been business as usual. It was a bit breezy so the Acrowot which is possibly his biggest model and looked totally stable during the rest of the flight was flown.

Thanks for all suggestions. Don - My colleague retired from professional flying 8 years ago and has flown fixed wing radio control regularity since. Currently working towards a Fixed wing B. As a CFI he demonstrated and taught spinning so fully understands recovery method, power was a last resort and the running motor eliminates signal loss. The earth it went into was still fairly soft and covered in long ‘rough, sheep pasture grass’. It needed a bit of work to get the spinner and motor out and there was some damage to one wing tip but otherwise ‘shaken but not stirred’. The area I was investigating was more “was were a basic under specification of the servos, especially rudder?” Chris - All the components seem to work individual so a bench 4 servo, simultaneous end stop to end stop test is viable. Martin - the battery was still in the right place on the tray used to locate it and the tray, although damaged, was firmly attached to the structural support so I don’t think it moved in flight. Thanks again to all.

I think its ‘There goes another theory!” From comments, the 322 on the rudder seems to have friends who vouch for its good character. I didn’t see the start of the spin, but am told it was a standard low speed, nose up entry at 200ft. I saw just the last 75ft when it was pointing down at about 60deg going fairly fast in what I would call more of a power on spiral dive. At that stage I would say the ailerons were as found left up, right down but there was nothing to suggest the full up elevator or full left rudder as found on recovery. Power had been applied during the descent when a power off recovery wasn’t happening. Everything in front of the wing was unrecognisable except the undercarriage which was still attached to a bit of the mounting plate but pristine!