Mike Tomlin

I built my Pug with a 1S 500MaH lipo, FS2A receiver, 2 HobbyKing 9g servos and use an i6 transmitter. Soldered the Lipo connector and servos direct to the receiver, kept everything well forward and hollowed out the nose for the Lipo. Receiver is behind the servos. Covered in laminating film AUW is 90gm, still had to add some weight under the Lipo to get the CofG correct. Hand launching, the Pug does not stay up long enough to worry about range, no real thermals so far. I was flinging and flying for about an hour yesterday using a Lipo that was not fully charged. If I had to change anything on the Pug, I might think about a spring pull system for the rudder and elevator, the wire pushrods bind a bit. I would also strengthen the joint where the carbon fibre leading edge joins the tip especially on the side with the launch peg, it is a bit weak at this point after a number of launches. The 'brown nose' is the result of using the wrong model setup on the transmitter. The Pug is a strong little thing.

Thanks PatMc. My next build has an undercamber wing, I will be much more careful how I apply the tissue.

PatMc, you are right, that's the way I did it. I think the real problem was that I was using a rather heavyweight tea bag paper, basically silkspan, that stuff really shrinks with water and shrinking dope. Managed to get away with it by putting weights on the tissue between the ribs and then re-doping along the rib lines. No problem with the film, it never became detatched from the ribs. Apparently laminating film can be tinted by boiling with "Rit" fabric dye, it then looks like the other transparent films. Both the glue and shrink need considerably more heat than boiling water so there's no glue set or shrinkage during dyeing. Haven't tried it though.

I have just covered this Steve Webb Avro 504 (20" span) with matt 32micron laminating film. I have also covered a Pug DLG and a Junior 60 with tissue over, with the same film. It goes on easily and does not warp the structure so much as tissue and dope. Tissue and dope over the film stiffens it up, be careful with undercambered wings, use non-shrinking dope or the tissue will pull away from the film when it shrinks. The film goes on well and overlaps are pretty much invisible. Few things to note. Make sure you have air holes between the ribs and to the outside or, like other films, it will 'balloon'. It does need a hot covering iron, I use a prolux digital version at 220degrees. This will attach and shrink the film, if there are still wrinkles I hit it with a hot air gun. Heat it until the wrinkles 'pop' out then get the heat off quickly or you will blow a hole in the film. I use and old B&D paint stripping gun which is probably too hot but it does the job if you are very careful. If you make a mistake the film can easily be removed with the heat gun. I will say this is the only film I have used, my last attempt was with Solarfilm fifty years ago.

Hunter up again, out of RAF Leeming. As Cassandra said, doing circuits over Spadeadam.

Thanks Focae, that's the one. Wonder why it was doing circuits about 15miles east of Carlisle.

This was doing circuits over my house in Cumbria today. Thought it was a Hawk but not so sure now I have seen the photo.

Thanks Brian. As you say "Uncle Willie's" seems to be the best drawn plan. Tried to print it on my inkjet printer, 34 pages which have to be accurately sellotaped together. Gave up after three and I'm usually very patient. Will get it printed in a print shop, unless someone comes up with a copy.

Does anyone have a Ben Buckle plan for the Lanzo Record Breaker? I would like to compare the BB plan with the original 1939 plan, which I think is included with the Belair parts kit. I was going to buy a kit but would like to see a plan first. BB do not seem to be trading at the moment. Are there any other large old timers that use a cabane, rather than a pylon, for mounting the wing?

Stove glass cleaner, the stuff for cleaning the glass on wood burning stoves. I use one called HG interior. Just done two gummed up diesel engines, use it with a soft brush and takes the old castor oil straight off.

Just be aware that if you are upgrading to Windows 10, Windows Live Mail no longer works and there is no upgrade path to the new Windows Mail program that comes with Windows 10. The new Mail program is web based and it is not possible, (without a lot of faffing) to create sub folders to store mail, so it is practically useless. To get WLM functionality ie. to store mail on your own PC, you have to pay to upgrade to Outlook or use a non-Microsoft product like Thunderbird or eM Client. And there seems to be no way at all to easily export the diary from WLM. So if like me you have loads of data in Windows Live Mail stick with Win 7 for as long as possible.