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Martin Harris - Moderator

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Everything posted by Martin Harris - Moderator

  1. Martin Harris - Moderator
    Posted by Erfolg on 19/10/2011 19:28:59: I am a little puzzled with respects to the problem of companies which have their head office out side of the UK. On that basis, Santander, Apple, Telecom, Microsoft, Airbus should be avoided.         I assume that by Telecom you're referring to BT in your list above - if so, please enlighten me but I have always known their registered address and head office as being:   BT Group plc Registered office: 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJ Registered in England and Wales No. 4190816
  2. Martin Harris - Moderator
    I've been away for a few days and missed this thread unfolding. There is an interesting common point emerging but I'm not sure whether we should get too specific on it.   I have a pretty good idea which brand it refers to but there seems to be a general tendency for owners of brand X to want to justify their choice - and not only in the field of radio control systems...so I'm pretty sure this type of discussion will lead nowhere fast.   If there are serious and documented problems with any system then wouldn't trading standards be the correct route? I would hate to think that unsubstantiated rumours would lead to losses to makers or users.   Having said that, there is nothing wrong with reporting the facts of any incident and if any problem can be incontrovertably linked to a particular piece of equipment then we, as a community, do need to be alerted. This may mean being honest in your assessment even if your chosen brand is at fault.
  3. Martin Harris - Moderator
    They say a picture is worth 1000 words...     HTHEdited By Martin Harris on 18/10/2011 00:05:10
  4. Martin Harris - Moderator

    Martin Harris - Moderator posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  5. Martin Harris - Moderator
    So sorry for you Danny. I suppose the only way to look at it is moments like this make the good times so much more rewarding and it sounds like you've got the right mindset to put it behind you.   I use a Jeti module and I use their remote aerial cable to mount the aerial on a small bracket fitted to the handle mounting on my Futaba 10C which means I can leave the aerial connected at all times without it being in a vulnerable position in storage. Somehow, I doubt that you'll ever forget again but it might be worth considering a similar arrangement.   I must say that I'm amazed that the transmitter had the range that it appeared to have.  A word of caution - you might also want to check with Puffin/Jeti that using the module without an aerial connected hasn't possibly damaged the output stage.Edited By Martin Harris on 17/10/2011 23:46:53
  6. Martin Harris - Moderator
    BEB or Timbo?
  7. Martin Harris - Moderator
    Posted by David Davis Telemaster Sales UK on 16/10/2011 06:54:06: Who would win in a fight? Lion or Polar Bear? @import url(http://www.modelflying.co.uk/CuteEditor_Files/Style/SyntaxHighlighter.css); @import url(/CuteEditor_Files/public_forums.css); Home or away?
  8. Martin Harris - Moderator
    Posted by Bob Cotsford on 15/10/2011 09:03:41: If you fly glow methylated spirit is the right solvent. not if you've used Solarlac paint! Go on, ask me how I know...     I've often cleaned Solarlac with meths with no adverse effect on it. Was yours fully dried Bob?Edited By Martin Harris on 16/10/2011 01:23:29
  9. Martin Harris - Moderator
    I've used all of the above in the past but I discovered babywipes recently and they are amazingly effective.
  10. Martin Harris - Moderator
    To a certain extent, this sort of thing is already happening with the introduction of variable speed limits. I have no problem with these as long as the limits are applied sensibly - to even out traffic flows and prevent concertinering plus slowing traffic when conditions deteriorate.   And of course, 70 mph may be inappropriately low in good conditions and these variable limits, with their attendant enforcement cameras are an ideal way of allowing traffic to flow at a higher speed than the present 1965 limit, inspired by persistent fog that year, a high profile incident equivalent to Red Bull testing the 2012 F1 car on the M1 and cars that generally handled poorly on tubed cross-ply tyres prone to blow-outs and which stopped by making an appointment.
  11. Martin Harris - Moderator
    The 70 limit was introduced in late 1965 and made permanent in 1967. There was a temporary 50 mph limit during the mid 70s fuel crisis - thankfully that wasn't made permanent!   Actually, we could slash road deaths and cure unemployment at a stroke by re-introducing the man with the red flag requirement...Edited By Martin Harris on 12/10/2011 23:51:55
  12. Martin Harris - Moderator
    Posted by Terence Lynock on 12/10/2011 19:39:09: if he had pulled along me and tried that trick I would have kept pace and kept him out, he would have been hung out to dry with nowhere to go, pure selfishness and disregard for the law is no excuse.   Oh I do hope I've misunderstood the situation....please reassure me that you wouldn't have deliberately caused a hazardous situation to "punish" the other driver's poor and possibly reckless actions.        
  13. Martin Harris - Moderator
    "Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule"
  14. Martin Harris - Moderator
    Posted by Roger 2 on 12/10/2011 12:56:43:  People are now in my way......you are driving too slow..... look at that dodderer, he could be doing another 15mph faster....she/he shouldn't be on the road.....etc..etc...etc.   What happened to common courtesy?    Ignoring the implied accusations to anyone who finds themselves frustrated by that sort of driving, isn't the "dodderer" (I'm assuming they're doing this speed in an outer lane) at least equally guilty of being discourteous to the driver behind, who may be trying to get to an urgent appointment (not necessarily business, could be to take someone to hospital, pick up a child, family emergency, who knows?) and arguably guilty of driving without due care and attention if the inner lane is available?  I fully accept that we should ALL adopt a defensive, non-combative and "live and let live" style to our driving but in the real world, some behaviours trigger unreasonable reactions from a minority of drivers who are not then in the best frame of mind to drive safely for a period of time, in which they are arguably more likely to be involved in an incident - and one probably not involving the original "trigger".  I'm not advocating higher driving speeds but an official acceptance of the existing situation where drivers and enforcement agencies have come to an unofficial and unstated agreement of an unrealistic speed limit on roads designed for high speed travel in relative safety. The operative word is relative - we all know that accidents would reduce to zero if every car was wheel clamped!
  15. Martin Harris - Moderator
    One thing that really does annoy me is the number of people of the "I will travel at the speed limit and you shall not pass me" ilk that are ignorant of speed limits in this country. How often have you found yourself travelling at 56 - 57 mph (due to the designed in speedo error they assume they are spot on 60 no doubt) in the outside lane of a dual carriageway waiting for the (often cloth capped) driver in front to pull over into the empty left hand lane. I once travelled a good 5 miles behind a lady doing just this on a virtually empty 2 lane dual carriageway after having seen her odd positioning from a long way behind. During this time we were consistantly being undertaken by the few other cars on the road but as I wasn't in a particular hurry (although I would have been travelling faster given a free choice) and curious to observe her behaviour, I first of all waited patiently, then gave a quick headlight flash to alert her of my presence, then increased the frequency after a long enough period to avoid reasonable accusations of impatient behaviour and all the time she steadfastly maintained her position almost 15 mph below the speed limit on a clear road.  Of course, those "speeding and reckless" drivers who undertook to get past this self appointed guardian of the motoring nation's morals would have been held to be at fault had she suddenly swerved back into the inside lane on a whim or to avoid running over a stray Kit-Kat wrapper but although I can't condone undertaking it would be entirely understandable. Even if she'd been travelling at the legal maximum the potential for an accident was still there and the Highway Code clearly instructs drivers to use the inside lane except for overtaking slower traffic.   I assume we are all aware that the speed limit on a dual carriageway (that's any road with a physical separation between opposing directions of traffic BTW) is 70 mph unless indicated otherwise? Edited By Martin Harris on 12/10/2011 11:56:21
  16. Martin Harris - Moderator
    That's the answer then - abolish speed limits and let drivers decide what speed is reasonable and end accidents at a stroke!
  17. Martin Harris - Moderator
    If there's such a thing as a funny mid-air then I saw one a few years back which still raises the odd smile when we recount it...a couple of friends were flying in loose formation, communicating all the time until the pilot of the Stearman said,"I'm going to land soon" so the other replied,"OK, I'll get out of your way then" - and turned his WOT 4 straight into his path with an instant explosion of confetti being the result...  Luckily the owner of the first model was quite OK about the incident although both were write offs - it was the last time he'd intended flying it, having already promised the airframe to a senior member who runs on a limited budget and the other one only had himself to blame. However, the old boy who was in line for the Stearman was rather less amused and declined the offer of the black bag-full of bits!!!   
  18. Martin Harris - Moderator
    Well said.   I'll take the mickey out of electric flying with the best of them but it doesn't stop me charging a few LiPos before every flying session.
  19. Martin Harris - Moderator
    Posted by Peter Beeney on 10/10/2011 23:28:59: So, all in all, I think these WW2 planes should hare around like pylon racers to be a bit authentic. In action I’m sure there would have been no holds barred! I believe there were little stories, such as Mustangs coming home with more dihedral than they started out with. You don’t manage that just pussy footing around. PB   Tongue in cheek, Peter? That's fine for a pylon racer but to see a warbird flying at a scale speed of 800 mph and turning in its own length looks very wrong to me! Where a bit of excess power comes in handy is for scale sized loops etc. where the power can be used to simulate the greater inertia of the real thing.   I shan't mention my 1/12 scale WW2 combat models which are in total opposition to this viewpoint but they are built for a purpose...   Anyway, a 90 should fly the Spit fine but I wouldn't go any smaller myself for a scale(ish) model.
  20. Martin Harris - Moderator
    Surely not observing bad law is far worse than obeying good law. If there's a general acceptance that 80 mph on a dry motorway is a reasonable speed for an average driver in a modern car (I understand this to be the unofficial position adopted by most if not all police forces) then it surely makes sense to legalise that position but enforce it more rigorously.   If most drivers feel that this is a natural speed, I believe that bunching up would reduce, leading to a meaningful reduction in accidents and the police would receive more support and encouragement in enforcing the law against the minority of truly irresponsible drivers.   If a driver truly feels that they are incapable of thinking and reacting at this sort of speed than perhaps they should be questioning their fitness to drive on motorways in modern traffic conditions. That's maybe a harsh viewpoint but the reality is that the traffic already moves at these speeds.
  21. Martin Harris - Moderator
    I believe that 80 mph on a dry motorway is a perfectly reasonable speed in any modern car. When the 70 mph limit was introduced, most cars were running on thin cross-ply tyres, with drum brakes, basic springing and poor damping.   I will accept that traffic levels have increased dramatically but accidents are not caused by speed. They are mainly caused by people failing to take appropriate actions, inattention and poor discipline e.g. too close.   Surely, a speed limit that most drivers accept to be realistic is more likely to be observed in the main, with drivers exceeding it much more visible. I'd contend that it could actually reduce speeding!   The French system of reduced speed limits in poor weather with a decent speed limit of 130 kph (IIRC) in the dry seems eminently sensible to me. Why can I be driving legally in torrential rain and spray at 70 mph in heavy traffic and be considered irresponsible at 10 mph faster on a clear dry road?   I've read that accident injury stats have been on a decline for decades in absolute terms - not just in percentage terms - with a slight tendancy upwards since the widespread introduction of speed cameras!Edited By Martin Harris on 10/10/2011 22:44:41
  22. Martin Harris - Moderator
     My 69" Airsail Chipmunk (8 1/2 lbs) flies extremely well on an OS 52 FS and I only ever use 1/2 throttle for take-off in order to get some semblence of a scale ground run! Very Chipmunk like on a 90? What full size Chipmunks have you been watching BEB?  Or who sold you that 90.... Edited By Martin Harris on 10/10/2011 18:00:44
  23. Martin Harris - Moderator
    I've recently (re)glazed a 1/4 scale Cub with .020 inch acrylic sheet from a model shop which I suspect is your "waxy" material - marketed as Plasticard but fairly obviously just a standard clear acrylic cut into small sheets. I fixed it with 5 minute epoxy - so far so good after 3 or 4 hours flying, The screen was formed by hand while softened with very hot water (it's actually 2 single curvature bends but easier to fix when part formed) - I tried a heat gun but that distorted it.  The original builder had used contact adhesive which held the sheeting very well but although it appeared similar I can't say exactly what it was. Edited By Martin Harris on 10/10/2011 17:16:01
  24. Martin Harris - Moderator
    I've got a very old Galaxy Models 65" Hurricane which isn't exactly light (foam wings, retrracts etc.) and it flies nicely on an SC91 FS although it is in no way overpowered. I suspect the Spitfire will need quite a lot of noseweight (the Hurricane does even with a decent sized lump of engine) even if it's a reasonably light build so you'd be carrying a fair bit of dead weight.  Granted, your Cub would fly well on a 70 and I'm sure you'd get the Spit off the ground with yours but how would a full size Spitfire perform with a 180 hp Lycoming from even the most spirited Super Cub?
  25. Martin Harris - Moderator
    No - each manufacturer's system is proprietry (except JR which used Spektrum's DSM2) although theyare (have?) developing their own system for the general market. There are some "clone" receivers available for Spektrum and Futaba which may be a viable alternative for these systems depending on your technological and/or ethical viewpoint - and clones for others may come on the market depending on demand... Edited By Martin Harris on 10/10/2011 08:26:28
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