John Bisset
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Posts posted by John Bisset
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As far as paint is concerned over Solartex, I've sprayed both cellulose and acrylic paints successfully. Acrylics do need a bit more care in surface cleanliness before application. Adhesion on clean Solartex was good.
I did use some Iso propyl alcohol once on what looked to be a rather grubby surface. That need some time to dry and a gentle rub with a soft (lint free) cloth helped things along. ( I wondered about using acetone but suspected that it would attack the Solartex. Never tried it!)
AS Bert said, Balsaloc helps if you have adhesion problems, though not something I've seen with Solartex. I have had that trouble with Solarfilm, which seems more sensitive to iron temperature variation. It also didn't take paint well for me - maybe too smooth so the paint doesn't key well I suppose.
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Are traffic wardens and police speed traps run by private companies? When did that happen? That sounds quite appalling.
I rather doubt there would be enough business for a private company to take this on,except in the very busiest of areas.
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Posted by Don Fry on 07/08/2019 11:05:21:
Not a barrister, but normal use is wot normal people use it for. That's a ball flying through the air. Our use would be an unusual use, however much it is normal to us.
And if the normal was as, say, a private airfield? Not common here, but in France many small airfields have power, gliding, parachuting and model flying all co-existing.
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Posted by Jason-I on 06/08/2019 18:50:25:
So, if our normal use and enjoyment of the land is flying model aircraft to 400ft, then surely we can claim this as our airspace.
That is a most interesting thought, Jason. I fly almost exclusively on private land, by arrangement with the owners. It is very specifically not open to the general public for other reasons, so that argument may be useful.
John B
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Thank you , all of you - most useful. This is one of the several things I like about this site - there are so many knowledgeable people prepared to share their information!
I had wondered if the 'silicone wire' was what was needed.
I shall buy some and try it out. (Annoyed I hadn't thought to check the Max site, Martin. George is very helpful & an interesting chap to talk with - I could have asked when speaking to him the other day!)
Cheers,
John B
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A query on wiring.
I have been extending some leads in a couple of my models, to re-position a UBEC. I am also tempted to lengthen the leads from an ESC.
However, I don’t have any wire which is as flexible as the wiring typically used on ESCs, or UBECs. Diameter, or more accurately cross sectional is the critical point for power capability but forp flexibility multi stranding? I presume I need multi core copper wire with very fine individual strands. Is that correct?
Can anyone advise me what type of wire to ask for and if possible, where I might be able to buy it.
I do realise I may need to add a capacitor if I increase the ESC to battery lengths. Adding say 10cm maximum to the ESC to motor run I think I can get away with.
Thanks.
John
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Ah - a very good point Simon., Our 'Lords & Masters' would be delighted to find another way to tax us and restrict our freedoms!
That said, all the light aircraft airfields and glider sites are already listed and shown on CAA charts, so there can't be any significant additional costs to justify in simply requiring any drone restriction systems to include these areas. That would be a safety benefit.
You'd think anyone wishing to run a commercial drone delivery service would want to know about our sites as well, so their expensive beasties could avoid them. Hmm - too simple !
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It does seem reasonable to me that if the CAA and DfT are going to insist on this registration and 'competency' testing folly, we should in turn insist that they recognise where we fly in order that restrictions may be applied to protect our operations.
Aside from the media hype & hysteria about the danger of drones vs fullsize aircarft - still a debatable area - the other purpose in all this is to make it easier for the supposed future drone delivery services etc to be licensed and authorised. This is seen by some as a potential money maker for government, wrongly in my view. Hence they want us corralled and in a position where we can easily taken account of, or deterred completely. If we are registered at cost to ourselves we should therefore ensure that our sites are noted and hence can be avoided by delivery drones,w which will be GPS controlled.
This is something which light aircraft and gliding sites will need to ensure as well. Few are airfields with control zones. I strongly suspect that the DfT will only view licensed airfield official ATZs as relevant. May need to get these things registered ASAP!
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Oh, thank you both. That is most kind.
I will have to do a good job building now!
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Thanks Steve. Unfortunately my nearest hobby shop is ~120 miles away. Only A WH Smiths here,a ndthey have long since returned any spare stock.
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Hi.
Does anyone know where I might be able to buy a copy of the June issue of RCME to get the 'L'il Cub' plan? I missed it, by being away on holiday - bother.
It looks as though the print version is not available as a back issue here - I presume it has run out.
The idea of building a machine with both slats and flaps for seriously slow flying is great fun. I'd really like to work out a way to duplicate the automatic slats which the Rallye aircraft, though in small scale friction may be too high for air loads to overcome. First though, to build a simpler fixed slat aircraft !
Regards,
John Bisset
Edited By John Bisset on 02/08/2019 12:49:22
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Thanks both - not a TLA I'd come across before! And boy, my profession is full of those darn acronyms !
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Shaun, Pat -
A silly question ; what does the acronym WOT mean here? I am being immensely thick today!
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Thanks Shaun, that make sense. I have been wondering about a wattmeter for a while.
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Thank you. Sound as though the existing prop may have been undersized for this combination.
Why does prop size go up ads the supplied battery voltage goes down? Or am I mis-reading your comments saying a 7S battery would use a 13x6 and a 3S battery would use a 15x8 prop?
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Hello all.
I have a question relating about a model I bought second hand some time ago. I bought it cheap with little information, mostly for the servos and ESC etc. However I’d like to try flying it before I do any ‘reduce to produce’.
The motor is noted as being ‘500kvA’. The only other notation is ’42 x 600’ written by a previous owner on the engine bulkhead. The ESC is rated at 80 amp, made by RC Smart, an RS-SET-80.
The prop which cam fitted is a 12 x 06. Total flying weight of the machine, which is a 6ft span pseudo Cub look alike – construction similar to the machine by Black Horse from what I have seen online – will be around 5 ½ to 6lbs.
I am intending to use either a 4 cell Lipo or a 5 cell Lipo to power this. I don’t need high power to weight ratios; my model flying is fairly sedate, more scale style than wild aerobatics, so a minimum of 70 watts per pound is sufficient. It seems as though a 4 cell Lipo will suffice, but I’m not sure about prop sizing. Suck it and see is one option of course!
Any comments or suggestions?
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A fascinating series of posts - and thank you for the pictures of the Wot 4 Pro, Jakob.
I have just completed a rebuild of an old Wot 4 Mk2 for electric power, with a lighter fuselage. Intrigued to see the lighter tail section of the Pro, similar to what I built. I had wondered about making a built up wing for myself - I have never seen any foam wing Wot 4s, up until now. Looks good, might 'reverse engineer' one using an old foam wing as a rib template.
Have never seen the extended rudder you mention; also interesting. I agree closed loop can be awkward to set up in that narrow fuselage - it is my preference, which I was cursing last night when trying to reattach a sprung connector.
I am now wondering about my oldest Wot 4, from ~thirty years ago. Is it even a Mk2?
I have been tempted a few times to build a Twin Wot - two fuselages with a common centre section, on the style of the Twin Mustang. I thought that might be what a Wot 4 squared might be! Or maybe that's a Wot 8 ...
John B
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Posted by David P Williams on 20/07/2019 14:24:25:
I was up at 3am watching it live (I was 18) and I seem to remember that the picture of the ladder waiting for Neil Armstrong to descend was initially upside down, and I couldn't work out what I was looking at. Is that my memory, or was it our flaky telly, or was that how it happened?
Clever of the conspirators to build that element in just to make it seem more realistic !
Yes, that is right, the picture was at first upside down as transmitted, for some reason , possibly to do with the re-transmission from the Australian NASA pick up, if my memory is correct. Mission Control swapped it around after a few minutes. I had the same problem as you - couldn't work out what I was seeing.
Truly magnificent achievement. Interesting that several of the astronauts later admitted how low they had rated their chances of survival, let alone success. Impressive in so many ways.
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I will indeed enjoy myself. Am tempted to also work up ribs for a built up wing Wot4. I have had several Wots and have often wondered how much lighter a built wing would be, for even better slow flying. Something I'd like to add flaps to, or maybe even slats if I can work out a way to slide them in and out in the style of a Rallye. Possibly fixed slats first...
Rootling through my stock of woods, I found some offcut pieces of material used in some kits a few years back. It is a balsa core with a ply skin either side, around 3/16" thick. Easy to cut, quite tough. Does anyone if it is still made, and what it is called?
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Thanks Alan - a great idea.
Why didn't I think of that? I have some carbon paper filed away from the days of typewriters - now where did I put it?!...
Good to hear it can still be found.
Interesting Hurricane build - one of my favourite aircraft
Edited By John Bisset on 15/07/2019 13:25:59
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Hi again all.
Having got some repairs/rebuilds done and long stalled kit builds re-started, I'm thinking ahead about a build for later this year. I have quite a few plans 'in stock', some from many moons ago.
I have no great difficulty building fuselages, usually, but wing ribs can cause some headaches. What do you experts do?
For non tapered wings I have used hardboard templates with balsa sandwiched between to cut a number of ribs at once, reasonably successfully. Tapered ribs are harder - I have tried stencilling the rib shapes onto sheet without much success. Any suggestions? All advice welcome to a fumble fingers...
Cheers,
John B
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Good points Captain K, thanks. Sometimes we did seem to train in rather high winds!
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Posted by Capt Kremen on 12/07/2019 16:42:48:
Whilst the WOT4 may be used for training, subject adjusting required responsiveness, why not get a 'WOT Trainer'(?).
Same lineage and a superb trainer, can be (very) docile or 'turn-the-wick-up'/increase throws etc. and it is quite sporty.
I hadn't come across it before. Thanks - it looks a bit like a cross between the Wot4 and the Precedent FlyBoy that my son made at around age 11, with which he learned to fly radio control models.
(The Flyboy was quite a tough beast, whereas that ARTF machine looks lighter and maybe easier damaged? I recall the FlyBoy had a fairly high wing loading which helped in the windy conditions we often seemed to have.)
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I see the Leeds shop also has the Wot4 Mk3 with a tapered wing for better aerobatics, which sounds fun. Is that very similar to the Acrowot wing?
What do folk on here think of the standard Wot4 for training purposes?
Years ago I trained a couple of folk using a Wot4, with the aileron and elevator rates reduced. I thought it a nice, reasonable stable, trainer and being a tailwheel seemed to make landings easier for the folk I was teaching. Both were full scale pilots 'converting' to model flying, which may have made a difference. Both already flew taildraggers. (We used Mode 2, being similar to what we were used to in the fullsize)
Solartex, any tips?
in Building from Traditional Kits and Plans
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I agree that you need to be careful with acetone fumes Martin. Should have said that. I use it for cleaning up after glassfibre work, amongst other things. Plenty ventilation helps - ideally an open air job! (I am old enough to remember the nausea involved with using trichloroethylene in confined spaces long ago. It was even used as a clothes cleaner at one time, before we realised how nasty it was!)
Of course acetone will remove cellulose paint, but it is a darn good degreaser! I agree that acrylics can be a pain. Much more hot & miss for me than good old fashioned cellulose.