David Holland 2

Going flying tomorrow, first time this year. Had cataract surgery to both eyes, left in January and t’other a couple of weeks ago and the results are truly amazing. So got to try them out tomorrow and then screw up the courage to maiden the fruits of my lockdown labours....... David

Sorry, Danny, you beat me to it!!

Sorry to jump in but I would not recommend dope under laminate. It adheres far better to bare balsa and you stand a good chance of air bubbles under the film if you seal the wood. David

Had exactly the same problem resurrecting an old VQ Bulldog. Tried all sorts of solvents, cellulose thinner works a bit but really just makes the goo penetrate further into the balsa. Sanding is a complete waste of effort, no effect whatsoever. Finished up recovering with laminating film and painting, not 100% but good enough, and I’m quite fussy!! David

Tried the “view my registration” page and....... hey presto, I’m legal! Thanks Cassandra.

You're right, Gary, I saw 2021 and assumed..... It expires Feb 21 so I'm back to square one. I'll wait and see what the BMFA come up with. david

Just found it in my archived mail but I definitely didn't put it there. The number is OP- followered by 7 characters but I seem to remember reading here that it starts GB and has 16 characters? Perhaps I imagined that. Anyway I have a CAA email with that number to show if they try to lock me away!! David

Thanks KC, just checked my profile and it is incomplete (no club listed and no record of my A cert). I have emailed the BMFA and hopefully they can sort things out. David

Has everyone received their new numbers, I’m still waiting. David

Postie has just dinged the door bell, 2 parcels, one ordered Tuesday, t’other yesterday. Amazing service from T9 Hobbysport and RapidRc, who are rapidly (see what I did there?) becoming my first port of call for stuff. Well done guys and thanks. David

Thanks for that, Gary, I did suspect as much. David

I am a very happy flyer with an X10 Express but am using FrOs (not OpenTx). Does a 4 in 1 module work with this operating system cos it would be really useful to use so of my Spektrum rx’s. David

Yup, that's the badger. I had a feeling it was a Precedent kit and it does look very familiar. I might have built it but I really can"t remember. Anyway, the Bi-Fly thread says C of G mid chord of top wing which looks sensible so I'll go with that. Appreciate the help, chaps. David

It must be the lockdown but I've been faffing about up in the loft where nearly but no quite dead models languish. I have come across a really pretty little biplane, about 36in span fitted with an OS 25Max and Futaba M series gear and weighing about 4 lbs(!). I've no idea where it came from, I don't remember building it or buying it and I haven:t flown IC since the early 90's but it is very pretty, in remarkably good nick, only needing a good clean and the covering tweaking with a hot iron here and there. I've stripped all the old gear out and am going to fit a 400ish watt outrunner, 3s2200 lipo and mini servos. I reckon I can get near to 3lbs ready to fly. My question is C of G. The bottom wing is straight with a little dihedral and the top wing is flat, forward staggered and swept back. The sweep is such that the tips of both wings align vertically. Do I take the average 25-30%ish chord at mid span, projected vertically down to the lower wing or is there some more complicated calculation to be done. Thanks in advance, David

Oh, Andy, please don’t ruin a good whinge thread by using rational argument and, heaven forbid, actual facts.

Chris, as fuel burns off and its weight reduces the aircraft will have an excess of lift which, if power is not adjusted, will result in the aircraft climbing or, if trimmed more nose down to compensate, an increase in airspeed. As Martin says this is a very artificial scenario, in reality the environment in which the aircraft is operating is so variable and changeable that the question is meaningless. Interestingly, weather forecasts , certainly as far as GA is concerned, are only valid for 6 hours from the time of issue. David

Doc, the airspeed is exactly the same in both cases. The aeroplane is completely unaware of its groundspeed, it is flying at 100 mph airspeed within an air mass that is moving at 20 mph. Therefore it’s groundspeed is 80 mph into wind and 120 mph downwind but it’s airspeed remains 100 mph and drag remains constant. David

Know what you mean, Steve, everything comes coated with a layer of lawyer these days Freudian slip or the dreaded spell-checker?

I’m pretty sure this has been asked before as well, but does anybody know of an alternative to Prymol? David

Evening Gents, for a while I have had a hankering for a vintage type model for those balmy summer evenings that fill our future(!!) and am struggling to find anything that is in stock. RapidRc list the Value Planes Balsa Cloud Clipper 71 which looks the business and is available to buy. Ticks all the boxes but I've never heard of the company or the model. Anybody have any thoughts? David

Just had that one too. They really are vermin aren't they?

Yes please, Richard.

So pleased that worked, Brian. It's given me a warm and fuzzy glow that I have helped a fellow modeller. I changed to FrSky about a year ago after many years with Spektrum (completely reliable, just fancied a bit of bling). I haven't updated any firmware on the basis that it aint broke so I don't need to fix it. All the tales of woe seem to come from trying to get the upgrades to work together. My Horus works beautifully with FrOs, which does everything, and more, that I need and is a pleasure to fly with. It was a bit of a learning curve but T9 Hobbysport were so helpful and just a phone call or email away. I am surprised when folks complain Frsky is a PITA, I am no tech wizard but not stupid (at least I don't think am) but there does seem a tendency to over complicate things. Just my take on it. David

Brian, I may well be talking rubbish but I use a couple of S series Rxs albeit with FrOs not OpenTx and you have to do a toggle after setting stabilisation directions and gains. With my Horus X10 Express and the channel setting suggested I need to toggle Ch12 3 times in 3seconds and then move all sticks and switches operating channels 1 to 6 to their limits. Remove power to both Tx and Rx and when you switch back on all should be good. Hope this helps and is not a red herring, David

Airtek do a 4250 600kv of which I’ve used 3 and it is a good motor. Might be suitable and great company to deal with. David