Piper Cub

Just to keep people informed, Zack contacted me about my offer. I'd assumed Zack was in the UK but it turns out he's in Singapore. IMO the cost of posting even though Zack offered to pay would be about 50 quid I reckon. Im going to see if I can get some pictures of the circuit boards first.

Hi Zack. I have an FF7 transmitter which I believe is in good condition. It needs a new nicad battery though as when fully charged, it discharges almost straight away. If you are willing to cover postage at cost, Im happy to send this to you.  I havent opened the case so cannot vouch for the state of the boards. As far as Im aware with a new battery it should be in full working order. Let me know what you think.

I think it looks great. Anything looking 'different' tends to get labelled as cheap because folk dont take to the new look. Each to their own I guess.   What does surprise me though is that despite nearly everything else coming down in prices, RC transmitters and receivers always seem to go the other way ie increase in price. I mean how many modellers can pay a grand (one thousand pounds!!!) for a so called top end system?   Even at 500 quid or even 300 just for the Tx, the price is astronomical when you consider the cost of digital tv's camcorders and mobile phones etc!

Mobi batteries usually just have the little copper(?) contacts and no leads so Id imagine that would be the first problem to over come. Then I'd assume 'our' chargers are the wrong  rate so would cook the battery pack? Not recommended I'd say. Use a dedicated in car phone charger.

Charge times for nicad & nimh cells can vary for a number of reasons. One of these is down to the type of charger used. If you use a linear charger, charge times will typically be around the 20 - 25 minute mark. If you have a pulse charger, expect charge times to be around 45 - 50 minutes. Nicad & nimh cells are more robust at taking 'fast' charges especially if you take a littel care with them. I have 3700mah nimh cell packs used for car racing that have lasted over 3 years having been fast charged at 4.5mah EVERY weekend. They've always been competitive during that time delivering the 'punch' required for racing. Before being recharged the following week, they were discharged using a simple 12v car brake bulb. Recently, I've started using a discharge tray and noticed they have taken a slightly better charge. Lipos are a whole new ball game to me at the moment though!

OK, received the military A109 and have to say its a fantastic fuselage and accessories!. Well pleased with the purchase and quality.

Well I ordered the military Agusta 109 and its winging its way from HK as we speak!

This link may be a better one! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270274464684

Been looking on fleabay and found this guy who also has a dedicated website. He sells Century 50 size scale heli fuselages amongst other things. Some dont appear to be made by Century particulary these Agusta ones. Now Im not normally into military models but the 109 in military guise does look very good. I know he's in HK and dont have a problem with that having made overseas purchases before. Has anyone bought one of these, if so, what is the quality like. They do seem a bit expensive though. http://stores.ebay.co.uk/century-rc_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQfsubZ0QQftidZ2QQpZ10QQtZkm

I have my transmitter in a tray (more comfortable especially for helis). Im a bit concerned whether the 10C with 2.4Ghz aerial would fit. Any thoughts?

Seems to be a sensible approach to me especially as the 10c is already digital according to the blurb so no loss of signal processing time! Im looking at new Futaba equipment as I think they are the best. The 10C gives the option of 2.4Ghz for leccie which Im just getting into yet still allows the option of 35Mhz for my helis. 2.4Ghz seems to have a question mark rightly or wrongly for glitches if you read the leccie forum like any other system so Im not totally convinced yet putting it in a  scale heli fuz which all in will cost a grand plus. I think you should test the equipment before crimbo. I mean, you must test that its working properly!

What's opinions on the Futaba 10C with the 2.4Ghz clip in module? Gimmick or what? Worth getting or should one wait until Futaba bring out a dedicated 9ch or 10 ch system? http://www.ripmax.com/item.asp?itemid=P-FP10C2-4G&selectedtab=060&Category=060-010-084

Yep, I forgot to add its also strong being made from ply and lightweight for its size. Its a really good model.

If you want a great plane for electric, try Perkin's 65" Piper Cub. Rudder, elevators, ailerons and its all pre built, covered for £49! It does have an ic motor mount which has to be removed but its great for leccie. Wheels and tyres are lightweight foam.  http://www.jperkinsdistribution.co.uk/detail.php?JPNO=5500340&activepage=2&Navmain=Aircraft%20-%20ARTF%20&%20Kits&subcatname=ARTF%20-%20JP

Gotta be init to win it! Dont you?

Oops! How embarassing. Yes, the 'female' connector was on the male connector but it was such a seamless joint I thought it was only the male one!

Im considering one of these beauties as a next project http://www.letmodel.cz/gallery-dg800s.htm Luvely jubly with one of the self launch systems now available! One of these weighs in at around 9kg and is, as can be seen, is largerly pre built. Being largely pre built (therefore just needing to fasten the wings on etc) I wouldnt have thought there's much need for someone like the LMA to get involved overseeing the construction.  The thing is, what are the CAA exemption limits and would a pre built model like this need any exemption? Does the LMA get involved with gliders or is there another 'body' who does this? Ta

I understand lipos dont like fast charging like Nimh \ Nicad cells can be. Therefore its best to charge lipos at 1C ie if 2500mah pack, charge at 2500mah which should notionally be around an hour. It is possible to charge lipos faster than 1C but this will reduce the life of the pack. and isnt recommended.

This one didnt. Just has the male connectors on the motor leads. If poss, I dont want to cut them off and replace or solder direct to the ESC.

Does anyone know what size the gold 'male' connectors are for Turnigy motors and where 'female' connectors can be bought from? Ta.

Im certain those T&C's are not legal myself. How would you know an ESC (or any other piece of equipment) is working if it hasnt been used!? Also, if the manufacturer rates an ESC for a set amperage and you dont exceed that and it fails, its not up to the supplier to say 'er yes you may have used the right amps but Im saying the manufacturer is wrong so tough'! For any T&C's to be enforcable, they have to be reasonable (that's also a legal opinion I got very recently on another matter). IMO, these T&C's aren't reasonable so I'd avoid using that particular company (and I know who they are).

Not sure the ESC would be lipo compatible if the supplied battery in Nimh. The time to charge lipos is dependent on the capacity since the best charge rate is 1C ie 700mah pack capacity, then charge the lipo at 700mah. Not a good idea to fast charge lipo's apparently unlike Nimh \ Nicads.

These SLS's are on the expensive side and it is comparable for similar sized equipment which isnt as advantageous imo. Plus, that is the price for the 'full house' version when its fitted to a glider fuselage. I think the idea is to market just the mechanics at a later date so you can add your own motor, esc and prop. I think in 'real' money this is about £700 - £800 depending on the exchange rate.

I started off in RC flying gliders but had a 40 mile round trip to the nearest slope! And then for some reason, the land owners weren't keen on you flying there! Flat field gliding really needed aero tows to get you to any height but unfortunately, there was no one in our club who was interested in building a tug or even flying one. Bungees were impractical and sticking an oily engine on the front was a heresy imo! So onto other forms of RC and the gliders including a near quarter scale ASW 24 had to be sold off. But, there is now an alternative! Yes, the self launch systems with brushless motors and lipos means the flat field glider pilot can be independent and get to the sort of heights only dreamed about with an aero tow. The best I've seen so far is a new design from Dr Martin Thoma. It goes on sale early 2009 and has the smallest fuselage opening due to the unique curved pylon extension. This means you have the smallest C of G shift when the motor is deployed and retracted. See here http://dr-martin-thoma.com/indexeng.htm Unlike other SLS which need a long opening cut into the fuselage, the Thoma system utilises two small doors with an opening no bigger than approx 11 cms by 8 cmc! I cant wait for it to go into production! Only question is which glider to put it in!

One more question. On something like the Turnigy C50 size motor, what size rod would be needed for the 'X' style motor mount? The ying tong instructions that came with the motor suggested M3 but when I bought some M3 rod, washers and nuts, they were too small in diameter! Oh well, they'll come in useful for something else!