David Holland 2

Me too, far more damage loading and unloading than flying (touch wood). I think electric flight is the reason I have 56 ready to fly airframes cos the motors don’t stop just the other side of the trees on the approach to the strip!!

That’s where I saw it, Phil. It is very appealing, isn’t it?

I went with the KK Fleetwing, Phil. Saw one at Buckminster and was taken with its good looks! I have almost finished it and my next question is:- Can I bind a second Rx to the transmitter? It is no big deal to swop Rx's between models if not. TIA David

I have very recently bought a TopRC Marchetti SF260. It ís a lovely little model, very pretty (you would expect nothing less from Stelio Frati) and it flies beautifully. Today was flat calm and I don't think it would be such fun in any sort of wind. The transmitter is basic but does the job. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I like the idea of a foam wing, dolly or hand launch, belly land Spit, Richard. Could be built nice and light and fly even better than your built up wing MkIV.

Can’t say, Tim, the present Mrs Holland is within earshot!! Let’s just say it’s a good job Mick Prior’s car is an estate, nod, wink.

Visited Buckminster yesterday for the first time, the BMFA Auction. I was well impressed, a really nice facility and everyone involved was very friendly and welcoming. Nice little cafe, good coffee and bacon rolls, always a bonus! We are paying a flying visit (!) as a club later in the year which is something to look forward to. Good to see all the naysayers proven wrong.

Thanks, Phil, I’ve ordered one that bleeps when time is up from Amazon. Forecast for tomorrow is good again so planning another couple of sorties. Do you have any suggestions for a 70’s aerobatic airframe as a follow on from the Super 60? David

Weather here (Northamptonshire) has been rubbish over the past couple of weeks but today was lovely, very light wind and not too cold so I got in a couple more flights on my reeds equipped Super 60. Flew beautifully and I really enjoyed it. I wonder, Phil, if there is any facility for setting a timer on the Arduino, couldn’t find any reference in the 2022 update. Not a problem as there are plenty of cheap timers available but would be nice if there is one built in. David

Stockings and suspenders…… awww stop it!!

It was not as difficult as I thought it would be, Phil, in fact I found it quite natural, even flying a slightly out of trim model. Can't wait to have another go. I have built the single channel set and flown it in a Matador but a Black Magic would be more suitable and is next for the building board. I think I said before that one of the joys of this hobby is the endless list of new things to try and the satisfaction when one achieves a modicum of success. I was too busy containing a puckered sphincter to get photos but I'll try to get one of the guys to take a couple next time I fly. David

Well that was a successful morning. Three flights with the Super 60 and it is still in one piece. Ran out of aileron trim and needs more downthrust but quite manageable. Raised a few eyebrows amongst our newer members who couldn’t quite get their heads round the logic of forsaking the joys of modern propo for such an archaic way of controlling a model aeroplane, however the more “mature” nodding sagely with a hint of nostalgia in their eyes. I fly mode 1 (shouts of “dinosaur”) and the layout of elevator and aileron on the top row of toggles and throttle below aileron with rudder to the left felt very natural. A glide approach seemed to work for me allowing elevator and aileron to be jiggled for half decent arrivals. Many thanks to Phil Green for making this stuff accessible to us mere mortals and his help and advice during the build.

In a similar vein but perhaps a little larger!! Just had their major 7 yearly boiler tests today which involves stripping all the cladding from the boilers with both an ultrasound and a 1 1/2 times working pressure hydraulic test, 30 years old steel boilers and they passed with flying colours. I finished building them in 1996 and they have run flawlessly for many hundreds of miles at tracks allover the country but mainly at my home track in Northampton.

Whey hey, Phil. It works!! I would never have got there without clubmate Ron’s help, he spotted that I had fitted 10 ohm resistors instead of 10k. Going to try it in my Super 60, should be a suitable test bed. I’m told flying reeds is harder than you would think. Thanks for your advice, we got there in the end. IMG_8168.mov

Phil, in order of your questions :- No sound at switch on. It is a DC buzzer, sounds when Rx battery connected. No LEDs on Arduino but are on Spectrum module. I don't have a scope but my clubmate (Ron) does. The Arduino showed outputs on his scope when he returned it to me after programming. The module is LemonRx DSMX/DMS2 compatible model no. DSMPSDRH001 (LM0080). It is wired as per the "12 channel reed encoder "Reeduino" with S/C emulation - 2022 update" notes from ModeZero with no changes. I took the assembled Tx to the club and asked Ron to check my connections before powering it up. The Lemon module has a standard servo type gnd, pos, sig output pins connected to the gnd, 5v, rxd pins on the Arduino. I'm using a 2s lipo for power. TIA David

Phil (in a whiney voice), I am still struggling with my reeds Tx. A knowledgeable club mate has programmed the Arduino for me and I am using a Spectrum Tx module but I cannot get the Tx to bind to a receiver. As I said, I have successfully built the single channel Tx and I have tried binding the new Tx module in that (both modules are the same) without a problem and I have tried the module from the S/C set in the reeds Tx still without success. I have run out of ideas, do you have any? David

My breath is baited.

I have an urge to build another BiStormer but I need to thin out the hangar a bit first.

Did DB ever design a bad model. I think not!!

Very true. Never call it the last flight until you have safely landed.

And me, especially if it’s the last flight of the day. Can’t finish with a rubbish landing.

I agree, Tim. We use amazon a lot and I'm sure we save the monthly fee (£8?) several times over on delivery costs. Not much you can't get from them. Yesterday ordered some balance lead connectors, box, 420 peices, full of pre-crimped wires. and various sizes of plastic blocks for about £9 and it's due to be delivered any minute.

Had both mine done about 6 years ago. Absolutely life changing. The cataracts creep up so slowly that you don’t notice them until driving in the dark becomes something to avoid. The operations were about 5 weeks apart and they were quite uncomfortable weeks as one eye was seeing bright and vibrant colours and almost perfect distance vision while the other was just a murky brown haze and short sighted. I resorted to removing the lense from my old specs for the good eye which improved things until the other eye was done. I tried using reading glasses but it was too much of a faff so went for reactorlite varifocals and can now enjoy flying again and driving at night without the glare and halos of the pre-op days.

It’s a 80amp ESC, Tim, and I have a 19x8 which I will try later. I could fit 20 inch diameter but any more would give ground clearance problems. I have used a few Overlander motors, Andrew, without a problem but I must admit I have googled a few alternatives

As the Bishop said......