Rob Cope

Yeah, yeah.. Please please me!

Hi all, Not an area I was planning to venture into, but I have a Guillows cessna I should be building. Now if I could control it with 2 or more channels and electric power,I'd be very interested. Is there any way of guaging the start-up price of electrification of such a model - motor, servos, TX, RX/ESC, LiPo, charger(s) etc? I've been meaning to resurrect a Nicad cub for my daughter - 2S ~800mAh should do it. Now some of the costs could surely be shared... Please can you help me anyone? Regards, Rob

I think Roger Wilco deserves it for his epic anagram!

What a wopper! That'd be so grand touring the skies.

So, From your silence, RC, we must all assume you've found your engine, kitted up and you're out flying all day... is that it?  How are you getting on? Regards, Rob 

Hi Erfolg, Thanks for clearing that one up. That'll mean the model won't need to be counter-rotating either hopefully Regards, Rob.

Hi Barry, My book on RR (the orange one) says the Peregrine is a Kestrel with a contra-rotation facility; the twin engines turning different directions to provide stability - especially important on take off. (Modellers beware?) It also added a down-draught carburettor to streamline the air intake - also used on the Buzzard 'R' racing engine. This contra-rotation involved fabricating handed components for the engines - a concept dropped on later developments. The illustration in the book however shows a whirlwind with propellers that rotate in the same direction from the visible angle of the blades! Perhaps two clockwise peregrines fitted? Regards, Rob

Hi Peter, Two clunks is a good idea. I've not heard of that one. I'll see what I can do. That'll ease the draining - and with the non-return valve - brilliant. Hi Kevin.  You new to this sport?  Welcome whatever the answer.  Regards, Rob

Ah hah! Tony! I spy a reference on your shiny new site...   At 85" it the wing should split either in two or three for transport.  I notice you say petrol/electric.  I hope this doesn't rule out methanol...!? Regards, Rob

Hi Peter, I have three pipes. One is the filler - plugged whilst starting.  This ends in the tank about 2/3 up.  I guess I could invert the plane and drain the tank throught the exhaust pressure tube?  This may be easier to access.  I'm still trying to find and empty lunch-hour in which to measure all this lot up.  Still working during the day.  Only 44 you see.... Regards, Rob 

Sorry RC, but B'anal humour - you either like it or you don't. I prefer to think of him as a paricipant in an aerial drama. Regards, Rob.

Hi Peter, Sorry not to answer your last question. Yes I did shorten the clunk and it was still rattling after the cut-out. I've not got much leeway to adjust tank/carb height as the propshaft is of course fixed height and the tank is also owing to space. There's just no room for manouvre unless I move to a 4 oz tank and that wouldn't be practical.  All I have is engine rotation to adjust carb height, so I'll see where it should end up - maybe 1/2 inverted or something like that...  The vent is curved and diagonal cut to just clear the top of the tank, so it can't be started inverted any more.  I'll investigate non-return valves.  I guess you have to drain the tank through the carb pipe then...  This is rather inaccessible on the Spit (without breaking the spinner and cowl down each day.)  Not good.  I wonder if I could tee off another access pipe for drain-down in the carb pipe?  How are the non-return valves when draining the tank?. Do they let enough air through? I must admit I've never measured up the tank/carb height.  I assumed everything was OK when I bought the thing.  It's very hard to measure with the bits being "buried" different sides of the firewall. I'll have a measure first and that should lead me to the correct rotation for spray-bar to 3/4 tank match-up. Thanks once again, Rob

D'Oh! Actually it was your engine wasn't it Ernie not Erics? Regards, Rob 

Please Don't Abandon The Idea, It's a good thing to have, but I think things are going to start slowly. The ARTF market seems to be so massive at present and what with second hand planes available, the people making home built planes to scale must be vanishingly small. This forum has been around a couple of months now or so and has little or no scale information (Eric has helped.)  I'll gladly contribute when I have anything to say and I'll welcome this forum for it, but as yet I've assembled one ARTF and bought another ready built. I have plans and will build scale yet - but Tony N. has promised to design a scale HPH, so that's made me wait until later this year for his surely excellent plans. As yet I've no completed scale airframes to contribute from. All I could offer so far is conjecture and theory; they're not good for helping others unless you know they'll work out. Give the forum time. Regards, Rob

Anyway, sorry to drag everyone off thread.  RC. Howare you getting on with your decisions and have you got your eye on a plane yet? Regards, Rob

Now, that's original... we all have moments like that in this sport...

Thanks Peter, The spit has an inverted engine and it is always flooding, cutting, hyrau-locking, etc.  Very hard to start.  I've re-plumbed it twice now.  First time I made the same mistake as the original builder - allowing the pipes to squash when the tank moved whilst attaching the wing.  Anyway, I've heat-modified the back of the tank and it now fits beautifully.  However I got it to start for the first flight and it cut out with 1/2 a tank left. After that all it would do is flood all the time.  I have to close the needle straight after a flight and only open it before the next start otherwise fuel tends to run everywhere.  Perhaps the silencer is the problem?  It's a cylindrial box with a vent pipe in the side. Anyway, with the flooding and locking, I thought at least a side-mounting would prevent any slight flooding putting the glow plug "out " and would give me a minute's extra leeway to get the thing started. I'm not exactly at my wits end with this, but I'm running out of ideas.  I used to start it upside down (engine right way up) and then turn it over to fly, but the set-up is very tricky as it needs to start one way up and run the other way... What I really want is for it to start right way up (engine inverted.) Regards, Rob 

Hi Andrew, Where do you guys put all these planes you build?  I started this "thang" last year; I've assembled one ARTF Boomerang, bought another "finished" Sportsman Aviation Spit and already the shed is feeling full.  Mind you, with no garage and two full-size bikes in there, no wonder I'm having toubles... Regards, Rob 

Thanks Peter, Once we've rebuilt the cloakroom and I've learnt how to make my Sportsman Aviation Spit run reliably - turning an inverted TT61 into a side-mounted TT61, I'm sorely tempted to go for the "ASM" "Lockheed C-130 Hercules" ARTF (SMC) as it will take 4 x .30FS which I'm hoping to put into a plan-built Halibag later...  It's just too easy to resist and not that pricey really (apart from the four engines of course)....  and will teach me four-engine discipline before the precious hand-crafted crate gets out there... I know it's american and all that, but the RAF probably fly the  C-130J by now, so it's sort of alright. Regards, Rob 

Tony, David, etc, What is the position on re-doing a plan that is already in the catalogue? Presumably, if there's a highly significant Mk change, or a difference in scale, (or accuracy) this is agreeable. I see no benefit in publishing a new plan if the airframe in question already has an accurate plan on your books for purchase and could readily be persuaded into the Mk in question... Regards, Rob

The oblique as ever... who got noticed being "conventional" 1. 80"-100" Handley Page Halifax MkIII or MkVI 4 x electric/.30FS both poss. (car boot - 2 splits in wing) 2. 48" Edgley Optica - a tricky build perhaps, but imagine the sales of EDF units... small I/C option?? WAS going to say: 3. 60" Hawker Hurricane (MkV 4-blade) .80FS I/C - scale attack at 1/4 throttle! ...but there already is one - RM87 60" Hurricane - The Mk V being easy ...but then RSQ1584.. 60" I know, but... Edgley Optica Most have been done already... 2. Tupolev SB? Regards, Rob

Hi again RC, I presume you've decided by now, but the main difference between I/C and electric is personal preference and how much kit you already have. I love I/C and really am at pains to admit that when I do, I might have to build a 4-engine plane with... I can't come to say it... not I/C. Anyway, I'm an I/C fan asyou can tell. It's the battle to start them, the raw power (and a bit of noise) and the tinkering into life. If you are a sparks (I'm BSc Hons IIIrd (oops) (nested brackets - oops) (and again) Electronic Engineering) and you love precision and absolute start/stop (which I don't) then carry on down the electric route - but note an extended fuel tank for I/C is light. More batteries are not. If however, you want a machine that lives and breathes fire and has "moods" then battle it and go I/C. Also the Mode1/Mode2 choice is non-trivial.  I'm mode 2 now (almost irrevokably) but I've heard say that mode 1 is "better" of aerobatic menouvres - but other Mode2s call then "tank drivers" so do find out from experienced members of both camps what their considered benefits/drawbacks are before plumping. Regards, RC

Hi David, Thank you for that. I'll give it a go. Regards, Rob

Hmmm a photo is tricky, Still - might try it.  It's a shed - a small shed - and it's cold - and it's small, oh I said that didn't I.  Well it's small and it's a shed.  OK.  I know.  A picture.  Well.  How do you do the picture thing again? Regards, Rob

Hi, I'm another "RC" so  know how you get used to deploying the phonetic simile in advance. Welome and have fun.  I have.  I started all this stuff up last March (2007) and I've found so much help and encouragement within this site.  Do ask questions and do say what you've been up to.  People will always help.  I've a boomerang, (sadly not for sale), and it's birilliant! That's why.  I've an irvine 53 2st in there and it goes like a dingbat.  Now the engine is properly run in it will almost climb on the prop, but not quite, so it still keeps you guessing in stall turns, etc.  Quite a mean machine.  strong as anything, so long as you hit the ground gently and a great flyer.  When you find one, have fun.  I got mine for 65 in a sale.  Look around - especially at this time of year... Regards, Rob