Roger T

Just revisited the Nutball design for our winter indoor season. Results: 10" diameter 'Pizza': (Vapor/Ember electronics and motor unit on a 1S LiPo, with rudder/elevator control {don't worry, the pushrods are now connected using heat shrink!}. 3mm Depron construction throughout, including the 'pepperoni' wheels (with clear yoghurt pot plastic covers that provide axle bearings. Felt tip pen decorated. AUW 24gms) ...and 16" diameter 'No Fly Zone' (Brushless motor, Spektrum DSM caseless rx, 5gm servos, elevon control. 3mm Depron with 1 carbon fibre rod laterally at the 25% root chord, with Micropore tape reinforcement over that and the dihedral joints, hinges and around the perimeter to protect against 'wall rash'! Brushed acrylic paint scheme. AUW 88gms) The Pizza gets its maiden this coming Saturday at the St Albans MAC indoor meet in a local school basketball court sized gym hall. The No Fly Zone was maidened last mont (without paint scheme) and was an absolute hoot It shot across the floor and into the air then could be wrung out like a shockie, or flown in 4 foot diameter tightly banked circles in your face space. It's been re-propped (7" versus 6" ) to tame the speed and improve the hover. Roger T

Martian, Just revisited this site (after a long time off) and, like many others, want to congratulate you on starting the thread all those years back. Looking at the number of contributors shows the impact you've had, both giving a forum for folk to share their experiences and feelings (I'm in there somewhere) but also in informing others and encouraging them to get themselves checked out. Well done sir. From my side, the PC potential time bomb is still there and ticking, but very quietly and at a slower pace. You may recollect I took the 'Watchfully Waiting' decision after my Gleason 6 assessment was made with regular checkups (PSA, MRI's) being used to keep an eye in things, assisted by Finasteride being used to hold the size of my prostate in check. All has gone well since I posted in 2019, although my increased body awareness did lead to the spotting and removal of an early BCC - basal cell carcinoma - on the left hand side of my neck. Comes from flying facing west so much! One thing I did do, both for my use and for my oncology team, was to graph up my PSA scores in an easy to view guide. I was told it was quite useful, as it saved them tracking back through the multitude of notes in my file! These cover the years since I first presented (at age 61 in 2012) and track the fairly steep rise to when PC was confirmed (2014), the prescribing of Finasteride to control the PSA level (the gap in the graph, a drop to nearly a half), a concerning spike in 2017 (leading to biopsies & MRIs), then the steady decline until last month's PSA test. The black line shows the trend, which is rather reassuringly downward. This graph is obviously personal - others will start higher or lower and have different results. Once PC was confirmed, I had the surgical/radiation/wait options and I took an informed decision to monitor and wait, based on discussions with my consultant. That has worked out ok for me, although I suspect the Finasteride side effects have made me more emotional. Good news, though, I've not had to cry at my own funeral! Basil, you asked what the PSA levels mean and Craig steered you to the website to give you more info, but generally, your PSA count seems to remain steady in younger years (to around 40-ish?) then slowly creeps steadily up with age. What interests doctors is when it changes significantly in a relatively short period of time (it's not the only measure, but still a useful one). As you can see, mine ramped up over 2 years which, coupled with a family history (brother and father), was sufficient reason to get tested further. From a start of 4.84, my current number is 2.07. Roger T Good on you, David. Just a thought, might there be room for a note in RCM&E issues promoting Prostate Cancer testing? I'm sure CRUK would be interested if you need help with copy.

Thanks Andy. I'll contact him. RogerT

Have been given an (I think) ASW19 fuselage in glass fibre and am looking for some wings for it. As it's a modern 'glass ship', I don't want to tackle, or think a wood build would be appropriate, so am looking for some sheeted foam wings for it. Root chord will need to be 240mm and ~3.75m span and obviously strong enough to take slope soaring loads. I'm aware of Billkits, but believe they bias to shorter span, lower aspect ratio power wings. Any suggestions, fellow flyers? RogerT

PS An MRI confirmed the seeds and their location and, apart from regular PSA counts and trips to the local urology department (retired now, and back in the NHS not private), my prostae has not needed any elevated medical attention for ages. I'm scheduled another MRI to check for any changes later this year, with mention of another multi-needle biopsy 'if needed', but my life is generally unaffected - I still occasionally land short of the patch and can't get excited by quadcopters, but I don't think they can be put down to medical matters. RogerT

For what it's worth.... I had some symptoms of nightime 'rear pain' a couple of times a year, causing me to need to get up to try to shift it by pooing or peeing (usually without success). No problem with either at any other time, so didn't fuss too much about it. Then my 5 year older brother called to say he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and I might like to get mine checked. Went to my very experienced (male) GP who 'gave me the finger' and confirmed that my prostate was enlarged (the only real thing that can be deduced from a DRE, unless the texture is like a pineapple, when you have reeeeaaaal problems!) and that the results of my PSA were a little above average (4.4, reasonable, apparently, for a 62 year old). As I had company medical insurance, I was referred to a private consultant who repeated the finger, PSA test and did a wee flow test (apparently like a fire hose on the day!!) and decided there was nothing of concern. I was prescribed Finasteride to reduce the prostate size but it was worth carrying on monitoring the PSA, due to my family history (and maybe worht his fees - cynical? Me?). A couple of years on, the sequential PSA counts were starting to rise (5.9, 8.6) so I had a non-conclusive single probe biopsy and an ultrasound scan, followed later by a multi-needle biopsy (described as playing Battleships, to search for the 'Enemy' - except nowhere as much fun - peeing afterwards moved from Ribena, IrnBru, then back finally to the prescribed Lucozade colour! Not comfortable). The m-n biopsy revealed 3 small (sub-mm) 'seeds', resulting in a 3:3 Gleason score, apparently the lowest and best rating for a confirmed cancer as you now know what's going on but it's not in any rush to develop. I had no other symptoms (now that the prostate had been shrunk to a more normal size). Decision time. Options (I stress, for me) were: Surgical removal of the prostate, followed by probable chemo/radiation treatment. This was the option my brother took. Radiation blasting of the site, with follow on chemo to knock out anything missed. My brother also needed this as even without his prostate the marker PSA's were still significant (a hint that something might have been missed). He didn't enjoy this - it took several months to get over. Observation. This meant regular PSA checks to make sure the Finasteride was controlling the prostate size (and limit the release of antigens due to its instability) which would allow any changes in the cancer site to be more easily monitored (it would ramp the PSA count up significantly above the Finasteride controlled level). I've followed the last option. (Again) For me, it was the easiest choice. I was worried about incontinence from removal or destroying the prostate (first two options) and the disruption of quality of my life. I justified this choice because the cancer is a slow grower and it was caught very, very early (almost pre-cancerous). I still have the other options downline, if I need them. So, after a lengthy diatribe, what's the message. If everything is okay, have a PSA test anyway. If the number is low, you have reassurance. If it's high, the GP will get another one and see if it's real (apparently, riding a racing bike can alter the number due to local damage/stimulation/whatever!!) If you've got pee or rearend pain issues, go see your GP. Nobody lkes a pain in the rear, so getting it diagnosed and sorted makes life either more comfortable, or gets you into the system to sort out anything more serious. Information can be scary, but not as scary as being told nothing can be done 'cos you left it too late.... Do it. PSA testing is no worse than any other blood taking or injection and a finger in the rear is 'different' but you'll get over it! Here endeth the lesson RogerT

Fats, there was a 'seat of comfort' flown control line at the (Hullavington) NATS unorthodox event around 1966. There was also a pair of ladies' underwear, inflated to an appropriate shape by the use of glass fibre resin, also flown under line control. As a shy young reclusive aeromodelling 15 year old teenager, I had no idea why it was called 'Ducted Fanny' until some several years later.......

Don, were you thinking of the Lee Richards annular wing? This is the model in the Science Museum, but there's also the biplane version featured in the 'Those Magnificent Men' film. RogerT Edited By Roger T on 10/01/2019 18:08:06 Edited By Roger T on 10/01/2019 18:09:04

Thanks Pete. Changes made successfully and PM info noted Cheers, Roger

David, I have a new email and want to change my password as well.Not obvious how to do that through the site (couldn't see an obvious PM route, as you advised Andy above). Any clues available? Thank & regards, Roger

I'm one of the folk who are in their right minds, i.e. a left-hander. If nothing else, invaluable for hand launching with a mode 2 tranny - always have a thumb on the panic stick during the exercise. Roger T

I've had requests from Sat Nav using attendees for the post code. If you use AL3 6RW, that'll get you there. One minor annoyance is that the Herts Country Show will be held on the Showground just off Junction 9 of the M1, on the A5183, the feed road to our Vintage & Classic Day. Traffic flow will be under control of the police, so it shouldn't be too troublesome, but passing by may be a little slower than usual. The current forecast is looking sunny all day, with an 8-9 mph northerly, ideal conditions for the site. Don't forget your sunglasses, hat and sunscreen. Roger Traynor St Albans MAC Vintage Coordinator

One week (and half a day!) to go to the St Albans MAC Vintage and Classic Day on June 2nd at the club's Dane End Farm site just south of Redbourne in Hertfordshire, near junction 9 on the M1. The proximity of the M1 makes it an easy venue to reach from most parts, and the background traffic hum helps to soften the sounds from the important things in life, flying vintage and classic model aircraft ! The final plans are coming together with the barbecue and liquid refreshments on order, not to mention the weather. This last month's worth of rain and cold have given way to the requested sunshine, warmth and (hopefully) calm conditions to maintain the club's reputation for putitng on one of the more relaxed and enjoyable flying events of the summer. If you want to find out more about this and past events, have a look at the club website (stalbansmac.org), or email [email protected]. We hope you decide to come along (the more the merrier). Roger Traynor St Albans MAC Vintage Coordinator Edited By Roger T on 25/05/2012 16:20:31

A very welcome model and fitting perfectly into the spirit of the 'Classic' part of the title. I look forward to seeing you and the Electra on the day. For those who haven't been to our Vintage Day's before, there's a nice write up with pictures from one of our club members here: http://www.modelflying.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=40557. In 2010, Jonathan won the Mike Barton Trophy (a beautiful tribute to a gentleman flyer - see http://www.flickr.com/photos/94955626@N00/2673969796/in/photostream) with a Vic Smeed Mamselle, again a highly appropriate model for the occasion. Roger

Oops! Sorry kc (& any others). It's the first Saturday in June, i.e. Saturday June 2nd. Hope you can make it. Roger