Piers Bowlan

It is great that there are companies like iGul, SLEC and Sarik who will provide this kind of laser cutting service. Perhaps I am unusual (odd?) but I actually enjoy cutting out ribs, finding it quite therapeutic! On the other hand I am not so keen on covering or putting a finish on a model. Horses for courses I suppose.

I think the canopy is £15 from Vortex Vacforms. http://www.vortex-vacforms.co.uk/canopies.htm .

I have the plan for the Nigel Hawes Tucano and May 2003 RCM&E articles, if anyone is interested. Just PM me. If you bought the balsa, I don’t think it would cost anywhere near £130 but you would need to cut out all the parts yourself! …but there aren’t many 😊

Most likely it is just down for maintenance.

Hi Steve, why don’t you give George Worley of 4Max a ring and ask him what he recommends? He has a list of recommended setups for different models. https://www.4-max.co.uk/recommended-setups.htm I would have thought a 28mm dia. motor of about 1000kv and appx 200W would be in the right ballpark. It really depends on what sort of performance you are looking for. Buy a Wattmeter too if you don’t already have one, I suggest. Very useful for choosing props etc.

Andy is absolutely right. Flaperons are asking for trouble, especially with tapered wings. If you do decide to try it I suggest you limit the flap deflection to 5 degrees. The increased camber of the wings should enable the model to fly more slowly (same lift at a lower speed) but do little to increase drag (what you really need however). Separate ailerons and flaps every time in my opinion. 😊Flaperons are a ‘tip stall’ waiting to happen ☠️. R.I.P!

Sounds like you have it sorted Ian 👍.

Mr Ficky, It spears that there is a nice gap between your LiPo and the protruding motor shaft. Also the LiPo looks very securely fastened. However, in the unfortunate event of an unplanned excursion from an aerobatic manoeuvre (a crash), it is possible for the LiPo to break free and impale itself on the motor shaft. This may not only ruin the LiPo but also the ensuring fire consume the model. Don’t ask me how I know 😭. A couple of small blocks of balsa to act as buffers can prevent this happening. Some people actually cut the end of the motor shaft off but it is a pretty hard material.

Of course there will be exceptions with full sized aircraft, another is the single engined Beach Bonanza S35 with 2 degrees right engine offset. The reason piston engined singles don’t generally have it is the obvious one, namely, they have a pilot sitting in them to keep the aircraft flying in-balance with the slip ball in the middle (hopefully!). This is regardless of engine power-setting or aircraft speed. With a model aircraft, we can only observe how the model flies, so if we open the throttle in the cruise and the aircraft rolls to the left we might apply right aileron automatically to the right, to correct. Whereas the roll may well be the further effect of yaw from the increase in power, in which case some right rudder would have been appropriate. You will never know which was right! So engine offset can mitigate some yawing tendencies but will only be optimised for one airspeed (cruising?). At the end of the day, it is a model aircraft and we can suit ourselves whether to have engine offset or not. 😊

Cracking model you have built Mr Ficky 👍 Approaching a stall turn in a low speed and high power situation, both torque and the prop slipstream will be pulling the nose to the left. This may be exasperated by the Chaos’s short coupled design (not a criticism but an observation). As you say, (and controversially!) you could try a degree or so of right thrust and see if this has any benefit? Peter’s model doesn’t seem to need it though. Odd that your model flies with a lot of up elevator, could the model be a tad nose heavy, although you say the balance is good? Does the model drop a wing in a power-off stall incidentally?

I think the model has the Belair logo on the rear fuselage Sven. If so the model may be an enlarged Scram, which features on Belair’s website. http://belairdigital.co.uk/itemsection.asp?id=50 you can also look up the original free flight model on ‘Outerzone’, which dates from 1938 I believe. My best guess at any rate!

Firstly, as MattyB says, the motor unloads inflight so the max amps will be less, maybe 15A not 18.5 perhaps? If you don’t have adequate cooling the heat tends to build up throughout the flight. At the end of a flight the motor should be warm to the touch. If it is too hot to touch it is too hot! Cooling is essential so make sure there are not only air entry holes around the motor but exit holes too, further down the fuselage. Likewise, if the motor smells hot 🥵 that is the smell of the insulation around the windings beginning to melt ☠️. Not all ESCs are born equal. A good branded one may be more reliable than an unbranded no frills one, but how do you know? I tend to be rather conservative and like plenty of headroom (30a ESC with a motor pulling 20A ) probably a bit OTT, heavier and more expensive 😳. So your 20A ESC is likely to be fine Tosh!

FluffyNinja, you said you ‘will def take small steps’. Unfortunately with this type of model (very small/fast flying) it is a case of full throttle and full bodied throw from the get go. That is, if you want it to get away and fly rather than crashing into the dirt in front of you. You will need someone competent (a modeller) to launch it for you so that both your hands are on the sticks and your eyes on the model at the point of launch. Weather you join a club or not you will need help from a modeller to set the model up properly (control throws and C of G) and launch it for you. if you go it alone I suspect the models first flight will be it’s last, like so many tyro modellers before you. I hope you prove me wrong and good luck with your first flight. 🤞🍀

You are right Bill, Elapor is EPO. On EPP I have used cyano, UHU Por and contact adhesive (Thixofix I think?) in the past, with varying degrees of success. It is slightly more difficult to get it to stick than EPO as it seems slightly ‘greasy’ in texture.

EPP is not styrofoam so it is not necessary to use foam safe glue. Infact I remember reading (somewhere) that regular cyano rather than ‘foam safe’ glue was recommended as it gives a better bond. Thick cyano is easier to use as the thin stuff tends to run everywhere but both work. I usually use Zacki on multiplex models with a kicker. Rocket and Zap cyanos are both good too. Just don’t use PVA or epoxy on EPP.

Incidentally my motor is 27.5mm dia with 15mm long magnets and 10 turn which is similar to yours - other than that it may be entirely different! 😊

Hi Tosh, I suspect your motor’s suitability will become clear when you run it with your new wattmeter attached. I have a similar (?) Hobbyking Turnigy 2826/10 1400kv motor which indicates 150W, pulling 15A, on an APC 7x5 prop. This was after running it for 60s. On the fully charged (and well used) 1350mAh LiPo it was initially indicating 170W incidentally. At the end of the 60s full power run it was barely warm and I never normally fly at full throttle for 60s! There was once an oft quoted ‘rule of thumb’ that 100w per lb would fly most sport models, 150W an aerobatic job and 200W+, DF. Your plank is a lightly loaded glider so I would try your motor and see, but then maybe it depends on how you want to fly it. 👿 good luck.

Could it have got too hot by running lean and/or not getting enough lubrication for some reason? Faulty conrod?

Also the SLEC Funfly seems really good value (£90 for the E version or £97 IC). Should still be flying long after the foam model has been scrapped, with a bit of luck. if you want to build inexpensive models buy a big 8 x 4ft sheet of polystyrene and fashion a hot wire cutter. Brown paper and PVA is cheap too, so with a bit of creativity and patience the world is your oyster!

If you put your model aeroplane on the ground where cars are parked (a car park) even for a moment, sooner or later you can expect it to be run over by a car. I think a motor insurance company would find someone making a claim for damage to personal property under these circumstances hilarious and reject any liability. People are expected to take reasonable care of their possessions. The club chairman should make clear the committee’s position that his behaviour is unacceptable and that he must put it down to experience and get over it, or move on. No if’s or buts.

‘Attractive’ as in cheap? If they are designed for drones using them in a fixed wing model is inviting unforeseen problems in my view and not worth it. Just pay the extra fiver and enjoy the hobby.

PM sent Stuart.

Alfred, I can send you a scanned copy of these photos, if they are difficult to read. Just PM me. Probably fly very nicely with a modern brushless motor and LiPo.

What are you looking for Alfred. I have quite a few RCM&E plans and build articles that are prior to 2007. Maybe I can help?