Martin Harris - Moderator

Check the elevator control linkages - this type of model often use screw fittings which can - and do - work loose. Another possibility is an intermittent servo fault causing it to drive to one extreme. Do you happen to know why it was crashed by the previous owner in the first place? There might be clues to a common cause.

Odd to have the same problem on multiple units. Could your transmitter settings be wrong? These normally switch either side of neutral (1.000 mS pulse width) so if for example, your transmitter is sending pulses of 1.623 mS in one direction and 1.001 mS in the other then it will always drive in the same direction. Maybe check the sub-trim setting and servo travel end points.

Trying to decipher this Bonzo. Are you moving the whole wing rather than just the spar? That would make more sense to me.

Might a cylinder base shim to reduce compression ratio allow the use of a larger prop?

I believe the nitro requirement probably originated from the literature being aimed at the USA where “standard” nitro percentages are much higher.

Welcome to the forum. This looks like an interesting project but please bear in mind that forum rules don’t allow traders to join purely for advertising their services.

Fingers crossed for your driving assessment. Sounds like your therapist is fairly supportive of you getting your flying fingers active. Wish you well…

Good to know that you’re making progress Matty, but sorry it can’t be quicker. Have you considered a transmitter conversion? I believe Mike Ridley converts transmitters to single stick operation - we had a pilot who had only one functional arm (and leg) who learnt “ab initio” to A standard in his mid 60s using one on a tray.

While the tone of one of the posts could be described as sensationalist, I’m sure that it was intended in good faith to illustrate the importance of proper materials and techniques - things which we now know that you are very aware of - but this was not obvious from your previous posts. In fact, I agree with your assessment of gluing requirements for balsa joints where the deeper the penetration the better. One great advantage of posting builds and questions in forums is that experience can be shared. In the case of crimping, it’s quite true that commercial crimpers using properly designed fittings work well but experience tells me that crimps made from randomly sized tubing applied as in your photo often slip. I have yet to see the “third pass” method fail. You are free to ignore this unscientifically proven advice but it’s given in the spirit of trying to help fellow modellers avoid a problem which has been observed many times. Please don’t let some well intentioned advice come over as criticism - this forum is a place for mutual help and appreciation.

Limbo is fun - but can take its toll...good idea to leave it until last! Balloon bursting.

In case any more recent model flyers get the wrong idea, this incident was at least 20 years ago. Time has no significance on the message though. The pilot was inexperienced and flying in a public space with no control over other users and as far as I can recall, had painted the model components before gluing the tailplane onto the fuselage of his kit built model. It separated in flight with fatal consequences.

I believe the danger of your crimp method is that it relies on friction between the aluminium and the wires and is likely to slip. The 3 pass method crimps the wire strands against each other, dramatically reducing any tendency to slip. This shows what Chris described above. I was lucky enough to acquire some handy crimpers from work which make a neat job but side cutters applied 3 or 4 times spaced side by side work well.

X/X

Is your roof waterproof yet? Much damage around the farm?

Carbon fibre is electrically conductive and can shield/distort RF signals.

Nice cockpit detailing.

To be fair to Erfolg, as I recall from previous postings, he's referring to a local beach which falls under the new airport regulations.

It's arguable that the opportunist is easily foiled by good security wheras a more professional targeted attack is likely to succeed as they will probably survey the site and come prepared. In our case, it was obvious that the lock mechanism on a "security" door on our club garage had simply been hammered inwards, allowing the thieves to operate the multi-point mechanism. A 1/2" steel plate reinforcement, painted door colour coupled with a heavy tube guard over the lock means that this vulnerability to a simple sledgehammer was addressed in a very non-obvious way - and some jemmy marks around the door frame and bruised paint on the enhanced area suggests a later attempt was made but I'm making no claims for its effectiveness as I don't want to tempt fate! There are so many more vulnerable points that no amount of overt security will discourage a determined thief with a petrol powered circular saw/grinder. You make a good point with security cameras and concealement may produce results after the event although warning notices would encourage the miscreants to cover their identities. Our dummy cameras were convincing enough to make them take the time to deflect them skyward! A refreshing surprise was that the rather domestic quality roller door which had been badly damaged, although not opened very far, was replaced by our insurer with an industrial replacement and with no quibbling.

Regarding security, Police advice after a break in at our club was to make security precautions as subtle as possible - more obvious high security measures simply serve to advertise that there is something worth stealing and with noise in a remote location being less significant, we could only delay the inevitable.

That’s a good way to put it but to be fair, Mick was actually very helpful and informative unless you went against his guidelines - when you would experience the less than diplomatic expression of his opinions. I suspect that others in similar positions may have felt similar frustration. If you got talking to him he was a mine of information and a pleasant man to talk with.

Most likely to be on the beach in Weymouth or The Isle of Wight today!

I doubt if many are (still) being flown today!

Welcome to the forum Andrew. Good luck with your search but do be a little cautious if an offer comes from a new poster or one with few relevant posts - especially if they ask you to pay via PayPal Friends and Family - a few members have been scammed over the years.

I don’t think kits are available but it’s just a case of connecting 2 units and a glow clip. I normally use a nominal 1.5 volts which is maintained under normal conditions. Current is dependent on the coil resistance which changes with temperature. A wet coil takes more current so you can see at a glance whether it’s well primed once familiar with your plugs of choice.

According to our membership secretary, it’s easier to check BMFA membership than to process it - although neither is difficult.