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paul devereux

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  1. Oh, I agree, this is a very helpful forum, but there are a few 'committee' jobsworths who probably don't actually fly but sit on their folding chairs telling newcomers a chuck glider or a rubber-powered model can take your eye out if you try it. Lol. Not doing the hobby any good imo.
  2. I agree 100%. I did approach a club once, and was told I needed a restraint- for an electric model. I don't see the sense in that,as it is only live when I connect the battery, and then it is in my hands. I'm not going to run up or tweak the engine. Also that I needed to learn to programme an ESC- I don't get that either, if it doesn't work I'll fault find, but if it works why fix it? That's why I find clubs off-putting.
  3. When you mentioned toilets with regard to RC flying, I thought perhaps you had some difficulties. Portacabins aren't expensive,perhaps your club can get you one, lol!
  4. It is well known that people rarely give positive feedback as they are mostly motivated when they feel they have been short-changed, but I just wanted it to be on the record saying that this forum has been so very helpful. Model flying has only been a recent interest of mine (work, horses and PC gaming are my main interests) but I took up RC flying a year ago. I've used various forums (RCG, YT, etc) but this has been the most helpful one. Real life flying is the main learner of course, but this forum has taught me to programme a radio and trim a model. I just thought I'd mention that, some of my threads have got a bit heated, but to me, that's all learning.
  5. Like most of us, we are all getting older, things aren't getting better for us personally are they?
  6. Well, yes, facts often get in the way of opinions. It's true that when I rode regularly it was more fun going out with other people. I remember once cantering close to a gallop with a mixed group of us (a New Forest Pony, an ex-hunter, and three cobs) on the Downs near the coast, SS Waverly was steaming along towards Weymouth, it was a lovely evening, absolute magic! People have said some kind and encouraging things since I mentioned a club in this thread but I have a couple of reservations: One is that it may be a sense of failure- I set out to learn to fly, I can now do it without crashing, in fact I can whizz about without worrying about crashing and I study YouTube tutorials to learn how to do stall turns,etc. Joining a club would feel a little bit like I failed to make it on my own. But the major thing is, like @toto as a beginner in a club I'd be dependent on someone available to tutor me- I'd never pass Part A, I have no interest in learning how to programme an ESC, for example. So I'd drive 75 mins to a club hoping someone could tutor me, and they may not turn up or be too busy. While I can just use my own field in complete safety away from everyone. Not to say I neglect safety- I make sure the throttle stops on loss of signal and that I do the range check. And I am insured with the BMFA and done the CAA test. But flying in 2 acres, in the middle of 10 acres, is pretty safe.
  7. I don't think a club would suit me, or them. I find the fun of flying is just taking off, having a slow trundle around, then opening the throttle and blatting about with a few rolls, loops, and trying to learn stuff I've learnt on YouTube, then landing close to my feet. Club flying is all about rules and safety. It would bore me and annoy them.
  8. I'm wondering about this too. Lots of electrical items explode or cause fires. I read that toasters are responsible for most house fires. TVs can start a fire even when not on. Reports about e-cigs exploding in pockets, etc. I'd like to see some stats on the dangers of Lipos compared with other commonly used products. That's not to say they aren't dangerous, but then everything is, even driving. I'll probably stop carrying a spare Lipo in my jacket pocket though, Barbours are expensive.
  9. Well, I don't belong to a club; and as other posters have said, laptops, e-scooters and mobile phones have been known to spontaneously ignite, but it doesn't stop people charging them in their living rooms (or even bedrooms when it comes to mobile phones). Come 2030 when we are all driving e-cars, there will be charging cables draped over pavements and all sorts of things like that when people without their own driveways need to charge their cars. I'm lucky in living in a detached house in the sticks, but when all the flat-dwellers and terrace-house people start using EVs it is going to be mayhem!
  10. That does sound nice! Definite WW2 warbird vibes!
  11. Since starting the hobby a year ago, I've accumulated a few Lipos- 3s 2200s ( I disposed of one in a battery recycling bank as it got a bit too large and puffy to be used) and a few smaller ones for self-build projects (1 and 2 cells). I usually recharge on a coffee table, and store them wherever (usually one charged in my plane ready to take out the next morning. None of them are puffy or damaged, though I have learnt on this forum I have probably damaged their longevity by running them for 10 plus minutes per flight. A work colleague has said Lipos are prone to spontaneously combust, and are a fire hazard? I find this hard to believe, as they can be delivered through the post without special precautions and there aren't warnings about this. What is the consensus- are Lipos safe or unsafe?
  12. I just looked up a 10s battery- several hundred pounds! Can that be right?
  13. Lol! I agree, you have to be careful here!
  14. Looking at various YouTube videos etc, it seems most EP planes are smallish foamies, and most larger planes (like 5 or 6 foot span warbirds) are IC. Is this a general rule- that small sports planes are electric, but you need IC for more exacting planes? Apart from my interest in pioneer planes, which would happily trundle along on minimum power, I do admire the shape of some of the German WW2 warbirds- the Stuka of course, but the Flying Pencil and the HE111 as well. I can imagine these designs don't work well unless they are fairly large span- but that would entail IC power? I'm guessing once you move up from the standard 2200 3C there are more expenses, but adopting all the paraphernalia of IC seems a very big step, one which I'll probably avoid.
  15. This is a classic model. Based on a full-size homebuilt, so it translates perfectly to a R/C model:Bowers Fly Baby - Wikipedia
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