Christopher Wolfe

Here in Australia I sometimes wonder why somebody would dress up in a wetsuit that makes them look like a baby seal and then swim though the dining room of great white sharks and wonder why they got taken for lunch. Respect the local environment people. And fly/swim safely:-) * Chris *

I still have my 'Air Hogs' air powered flying machine (it lives atop my fridge) 🙃 It actually caused a few eyebrows to raise when I flew it at my local r/c club over 20 years ago as once trimmed it actually flew decently. Purchased just for the fun of it and discovered that the purple wings fly better than the white ones. I just searched for one and found this eBay original Air Hogs, it's the same as mine. Wow, who thought that this could actually be collectible ?

This model is an oldie but a goody Veron Super Robot. It is a little larger than your requirements but on the plus side, it is easy to build, can be dressed up to look like a light aircraft and suits your power requirements. My son built one when he was 14 years old (supervised) and it survived for many years until the OS 25 literally wore out. I learned to fly with it's predecessor Veron Robot which suits your size requirements. Tough as nails it was my second r/c model; covered in silk and powered with an Enya .09 it survived long enough to be donated as a club trainer. With the dihedral reduced and modern lightweight r/c gear I reckon that it would be a decent first 'plan build'. (I wonder how many others on this forum remember the Veron Robot) * Chris *

Reminds me of many years ago when I saw an envelope marked 'Photographs -Do Not Bend' So I rolled it up and wrote on the envelope ' Yes They Do!'

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned traditional balsa cement. After straightening the edges and taping them together then a bead of acetate based balsa cement into the seam is excellent for joining balsa sheets. It shrinks as it dries (pulling the joint closed), much of it evaporates with the solvents and it sands beautifully. The resultant joint is stronger than the wood and may be re-glued if a whoopsie occurs. For comparison, cyano does not evaporate, soaks into and locally hardens the area making for a inflexible and heavy joint. Also, a cyano joint is almost impossible to re-glue as it is not solvent based whereas a balsa cement (and also aliphatic) joint may be actually stronger if it requires re-gluing. Maybe balsa cement is not as readily available in the U.K. as it was in the past but it's still readily available here in Australia C23 balsa cement Ask any builder of indoor competition Free Flight models what works for them - some people even apply it (thinned) with a syringe as weight is critical when building a 1.4 gram F1D model designed to fly for tens of minutes indoors using rubber power. * Chris *

It can be quite educational (and fascinating) to watch an experienced Control Line team race mechanic in action. Catch (a moving model), refuel, one flick start and away in less than 5 seconds. As the great Arnold Palmer once said "the more I practice, the luckier I get" * Chris *

All the best with your trials and tribulations toto. Time to step back and look at what you have achieved so far, evaluate lessons learned and plan your next steps. Please do not try to rush things as it ain't gunna work unless you are a child prodigy so just take a breath, one step at a time and one day you might wonder what all the fuss was about. Pink Floyd managed to put it into words and so for your enjoyment I include the following * Chris * Learning To Fly

I have a sheet of these stick-on CG symbols so I can move them around on the model if the CG is not exactly in the right place 🙃

A smart move to peg the other side of the firewall toto. The loosened screws and fractured joints indicate vibration (to me anyway). So, did you actually check the propeller for balance? An unbalanced prop can cause all sorts of problems - things work loose, servo pots wear and fuel froths. As for tank clunk lines, a short length of brass tubing in the clunk line can assist to prevent the clunk line doubling back on itself during certain manouvers. A groove in the bottom of your clunk weight should ensure that if it ever 'bottoms out' in the tank then fuel flow can still occur. I would address the engine 'flame-out' problem as a priority issue as this has resulted in much of your grief and so it important to identify the cause and rectify this matter asap. * Chris *

Toto, you are learning some valuable lessons, well done. Nothing wrong with 'belt and braces' 😉 I have used the same method to 'pin' a firewall when an IC engine is the motive power for over 20 years and also back it up with triangular gussets. As for epoxy, I might be old fashioned but good old 24 hour Araldite is still my favourite as I try to time such jobs as last thing in the day and then sleep while things set up. Some of the 30 minute and 90 minute epoxies are almost as strong but if one reads the label, they still prefer an overnight cure for maximum strength. I discovered long ago that so called '5 minute epoxies' might harden in 5 minutes but require much more time to reach full strength and imho they do not pass the test of time - usually crumbling to a yellow smelly powder after about 5 years. You could also try to minimise vibration by balancing your propeller - my apologies if you and your instructor have already taken this important step. * Chris *

Thanks. The problem appears to be resolved. Long term storage in my workshop in which things get painted and sanded would be the culprit. A thin layer of dirt and dust was removed by using cotton wool tipped sticks moistened with soapy water and then the sticks moved/stirred until they felt normal. I then gave the gimbals a shot with WD-40 Specialist anti-friction PTFE lubricant Dry Lube and it worked very well resulting in silky smooth stick movement. * Chris *

G'day all. Today I pulled out my JR X-3810 transmitter to check the battery state and discovered that the control sticks are very sluggish to the point that they are very slow to return to centre. This transmitter is just over 20 years old but it is one of my favourites due too it's lovely feel in my hands and it's reliability. About 8 years ago I replaced the RF module with a FrSky 2.4 Ghz module and a few years later the transmitter battery was replaced with a LiFe 3S 1500 mAH. All still working well until yesterdays annual check when I discovered that the control sticks were very sluggish. To me this seems like a lubrication problem but whether it is the pots or the gimbals I am not sure. Actually I suspect the gimbals and if so, how does one lubricate the assemblies? My trusty Futaba SG-14 does most of the flying nowadays so the JR is not used very often but it is bound to a few models that get the occasional outing so I would to keep it operational. * Chris *

For a stick up offence?

So, when the culprit was apprehended, was this a hanging offence?

When going skiing, do not eat the golden snow.

G'day toto. Did you add triangular gussets between the hatch hold down X-piece and the fuselage sides? As you have discovered, cyanoacrylate adhesives give a poor bond to themselves when trying to re-attach to a previous joint. Epoxy is not necessarily heavy if used judiciously, just be sure to scuff up the repair area with some coarse sandpaper to give a 'key' for the epoxy to adhere to. Not such a problem with aliphatic or traditional balsa cements as they tend to dissolve the previous application and can actually make a stronger bond. I have attached an oldie (but a goodie) from 1947 - it is still relevant nowadays and I have discovered that it also works well for aliphatic adhesives bu totally useless for cyanoacrylate adhesives. All the best with your progress. * Chris *