Graham Davies 3

Aircraft destined for the final bin bag were always used for streamer cutting. That usually sealed the deal!

Hi Allan, I was there, it was rather dramatic, to say the least. After the initial sequence of left knife edge/ right knife edge/ repeat, it 'arrived' upside down. From where we were, lots of bits scattered. It turns out these were rocker covers from the cowl and otherwise there was little damage. Us watchers were of course respectful. We didn't laugh at all... To answer your question above; some minutes and some running repairs! I can tell because I can see the green and yellow electrical tape holding the cowl together in the landing shot! As a good friend of mine once told me; it will be OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end. Graham

A similar activity got me a restraining order!

Sorely tempted Peter. I'm enjoying building the Harmony wing, so I'm already softened up... One question; does your pilot have an older sister? Graham

Good luck David. The videos were thoroughly enjoyable and it's great to see such a healthy turnout to a day of madness. It would be great to get something going over here. If only we could also adopt a similar lunch strategy.... Graham

Hi Peter, good to hear the second (re) maiden went well. I have to say, Destiny is one of the nicest sports models I've ever seen. I'm feeling the urge to plank... Graham

Looking good Peter

Ron, that looks fantastic!

I've been having exactly the same issues. Back in the day, we happily paid £8.99 for S148s that had plastic gears and plain bearings and were totally reliable. I struggle now because I want the advantages of today's pricing (£8.99 in 1992 must be over £25 now! I ain't paying £25 for an S148...), but choice is overwhelming. Most of my models are either 55" span/ 5-6 lbs, or smaller. Small servos in the wings is an easy installation, but getting servos with enough grunt that centre properly is not as straightforward as it should be. I agree that size DOES matter. At least in this instance. A gear train can be more robust and precise with a little more diameter and depth. I also agree that 2 hole mounting has limitations. In my experiments, Mike, I am going to stop trying to save money as the bucket of servos I'm not prepared to use is an expensive reminder of 'you get what you pay for'. This doesn't necessarily get me further forward because choice is still huge, but a known brand device for >£10 is certainly where I will go for wing servos. Probably go full size for rudder and Elevator... Graham

I could be wrong KC, but I think they are a week apart.

Well done!

Thanks Nick, much appreciated.

Cuban, do you know if there are any trade/ swap stands at Duxford? It must be 20 years since I last went to a model show there and can't recall. I live in between Duxford and North Weald, but would need to choose one or the other!

Hi Nick, I've been following your build and finding it totally inspiring. Aspirational even.. Would you mind explaining what the mould is for? I can usually work these things out, but not in this case? I would appreciate the thought process and what this achieves. Thanks Nick Graham

Hand launching is a lost art! Back in the day, my RC flying was largely self taught from a field near my house. I learned by flinging the blighters! Even some reasonably large models. My Cambrian Spitfire focuses the mind though; It needs a fair old heft and there's not a lot of space to grip. What there is is well behind the CofG, so is a bit awkward. And then it takes a while to get up to decent flying speed. You have to have faith that I am 6ft 1, and the model needs 5ft 6 of descent to get up to speed! 7" is plenty, as it were... The checklist is great Steve. Please add: Check dog is tethered so he doesn't 'buy the dummy throw' and disappear into the next county... Graham

Graeme, sanding sealer is pretty much the same. If you want a nice tough surface, that'll work. Graham

Wookman, thanks for that. Yes, on the face of it there are plenty. This is the problem; there are hundreds of options and deciding on a reliable option is the hard bit. It's personal recomendation that carries the real weight. FlyinBrian, totally agree. Got my fingers burned. A mate told me once; "stop saving money, it's costing a fortune"...

Thanks Brian. This is exactly what I was hoping for! when the good folks of the forum have had positive experiences, it creates buying confidence. Graham

I saw the Etronix range on Steve Webb's website and thought they were a viable option; an endorsement is very helpful Graham

Now now gents. Steve, you were being helpful, as was everyone else. I am a lot further forward than I was. Now, to quote my favourite film, can we all stop getting shot? Graham

I just tried to order from your link and that's where it showed the origin! A bit sneaky. The Analogue version are in stock though. Might just be here by the weekend...

Thanks Piers. Those are in HK. I tend to limit my HobbyKing searches to UK warehouse/ In stock. I'd prefer not to wait 5-29 days for delivery when this is the only thing (apart from the weather) holding up the maiden flight of my Yak3. The law of sod would see perfect weather until the day they arrived! Graham

Hi Denis, Yes, these were my first thoughts. I had been using a NiMh pack for setting up and hadn't charged it for ages so suspected that. However, on the flight pack through the BEC the problem was the same. I suspected voltage drop on the extension lead so tried them directly too. I also ran them into other Rx channels. All the same on both Emax servos; no grunt! Graham

Cheers Steve!

Cheers Trevor. Sadly, out of UK stock. It's never straightforward, is it?