Mike T

I'll repeat my lack of success with //el charging, using reasonable quality kit. As a time-saver, for me it just doesn't work. Furthermore, it relies on the //el'ed cells self balancing over the course of the charge and the voltage of any group of //el'ed cells is only the aggregated voltage of each group - you can tell nothing of the voltage on each cell until it comes off charge. I have better results using commercially available series connectors (see pic) and which is more, I can monitor the voltage of each individual cell throughout the charge.

I haven't read the article yet (maybe I should!), but I've always struggled with parallel charging as the cells in parallel aren't 'seen' by the charger and the method relies on the parallel'ed cells 'self-balancing' as the charge progresses. I have a //el charge board and I've never managed to get packs to charge in less then the time it would have taken if they'd been charged separately! When series charging, OTOH, all the cells are 'seen' by the charger and individually monitored. E.g. series charging two 3S packs, the charger sees 2 x 3 = 6 cells, just as if it were charging a 6S pack. Providing you use a correctly configured adaptor, I fail to see the problem. The series adaptors I have do the job much quicker and I can monitor each individual cell. Or - am I failing to see the problem?

Aha! A bit larger again, but that puts it in 52FS territory (as others point out). I hope it gets published too!

SO - any sign of that 'Patriot' plan then?

The key of course, to enabling a student to fly lower is a buddy-box. The instructor can let the student get far lower, with much less stress on both parties! Your interventions can also be more subtle, which helps to build student confidence, reducing the number of "I have control's" called. I did (do) most of my instructing 'one box', which was (is) far from ideal. Back in the day when it was just Futaba or JR, it was easier to lash-up a buddy lead, but it was still a bit of a faff getting the controls harmonised. It's much worse now with all the proprietary 2.4 systems, though with Spektrum, there is a feature which allows instant (wireless) replication of one plane's set up from one tx to another. Colin - I may be wrong but your post above gives the impression you are doing much of this alone. Although you appear to be 'solo', I would strongly recommend getting an experienced pilot alongside to give you some cues and bolster your confidence.

I can't say I've noticed that doped Litespan is any more puncture prone than undoped and I've not used it with diesel so can't comment on the effect of it. If you wanted the 'doped' finish without the dope, then apply it shiny side out.

Hmm. Before swapping out plugs, I think I'd resort to the cheaper alternative of opening the main needle a click or two! If a plug is faulty then change it, but I wouldn't swap a proven plug type for one of a different heat rating.

Worse, we'll end up with a glorified Club site that only the lucky few who live relatively close will benefit from. It really sticks in my craw that they are talking about preferential rates for 'regular visitors' - so the people who can make the most use of it will actually pay less than everyone else! As for increases in the current fees, well we're hearing the predictable siren calls of the few who'd like their pleasures subsidised by the many. As BEB says, you pay if you want to.   Edited By Mike T on 17/12/2016 17:55:18

Colin, Everything you've said in your several posts on this thread leads me to conclude that you have a very nicely set up aeroplane! It's doing exactly what I would expect under power in turns, ditto on the glide. You don't appear to have to input huge corrections to maintain height, or juggle the throttle to maintain an even rate of descent on 'finals'. Sometimes you just have to learn to live with perfection...

The pair I order turned out to be too large, so I contacted Kevin to request a replacement. He called me to discuss on Thursday night and replacements hit the mat this morning. AFAIC I received superb service all round, for a quality product. It's a pity that the economics of the venture didn't stack up for Kevin.

I've tried flying with gloves before without much success. I found the Lidl/Aldi neoprene fisherman's gloves far too clumsy. Then I got some cheap cycling gloves that I cut the thumb and forefinger tips on. My hands stayed warm, except that the tx sticks froze my fingers where they touched! I've tried some thicker Thinsulate gloves which should be much clumsier, but surprisingly, because my fingers can move around inside them, the feel of the sticks is much better. Anyway, I thought these were worth a punt at £22 all in - even if I can't fly with them, they look like a good all-round everyday glove. It's just a shame Kevin got his fingers burnt...

As an examiner I should know this, but I think the BMFA does produce such a thing. I'm sure one came in the 'welcome pack' when I got my 'E' cert...

Folding wings have little or nothing to do with the covering and everything to do with the structure (specifically the spars/joiners) underneath! If you want the doped tissue look on a Madcap-sized model, then try Litespan (matt side out). You get all the benefits of film, plus a coat or two of thinned dope will give it a satin sheen and stiffen it up considerably.

Fascinating! I looked it up and maps and you can see it quite clearly - no wings though. Still on streetview as well!

Karma. If your engine keeps spitting it off, it's because it doesn't want it on there. Go with the (gas) flow... Alternatively, meet your engine half-way and fit a nice alloy tube extension, held on with a self-tapper:

I agree with Phil and Percy. I used to 'do' 1/4 scale, but I've managed to taper it off a dn now I'm down to 2 planes (and a 1:5.5 on the board, but I reckon I can handle it). In a couple of years I'll be clean. At least I hope I will be, when all ic engines are optimised to run on glow ignition with low-oil fuels. Then I'll be squeaky clean.

Posted by Andy Meade on 08/12/2016 15:01:39: Beat you Yeah, but I was more generous - I gave him the whole site

There's also this Russian site: **LINK** You'll need to brush up on your cyrillic alphabet...

Well. I never whimper I rarely wash the car My kitchen is a mess My workshop floor is liberally bestrewn with shavings and turnings I'm old (-ish - I'd have thought my advocacy of diesel would have clued you up on that!) But I will confess to being exceptionally talented... When I converted my Moki 210 to petrol (got my hands dirty turning up a new carb spigot and prop driver, shimming the head, tapping the crankcase for a pulse port, etc), my prime motivation in doing so was to get away from the mess that that otherwise superb engine spewed out! I've run and tuned glow engines for many years and it's only relatively recently that lower content synthetic oiled fuels have become available. JE's instructions for the Moki were quite specific - no less than 17% oil IIRC. Other engines (mainly 4S) were run on Southern Modelcraft Double-Lube Lo (12% I think - but half of that is castor!) So there's no getting away from gunk in one form or another. I've recently used Contest 10 which seems to run cleaner, BUT: While wiping away a bit of oil from a small motor is not a huge problem, its insidious ingress into every nook and cranny of a structure over time, and the way it gets under and lifts coverings is most definitely a royal PITA!! Edited By Mike T on 08/12/2016 14:52:47 Edited By Mike T on 08/12/2016 14:53:32

Pretty much the only way that 'bad' law gets changed in this (or any) country is by breaking it. Law makers have a duty to the public to ensure that laws are just and fit for purpose and to act as a moderating brake on the 'ban everything' brigade (modellers are usually a conservative lot and tend to fall into this category...) Failure to oppose bad law leads to tyranny, which usually leads to bloody revolution (cf France 1789; Russia 1905/1917) The negative reaction to 'drones' i.e. multicopters seems entirely due to their military/surveillance connotations and camera-carrying capabilities (which is why I'm surprised there isn't more of an outcry over the Investigatory Powers Act a.k.a. snoopers charter - another bad law). Perhaps if 'drone' flyers are confronted by irate members of the public, they should respond with "if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about!!"

Posted by iqon on 07/12/2016 15:25:54: the new wot 4 ep/ gp uses 4s....nothing from a foam model will fit... I don't have the model, so I'm relying on the ad at the back of the Dec mag and the first link in Neilma's post above. Both refer to 3s 2200 batteries being recommended...

You should always stick them on with non-permanent adhesive. That way, if you find your CG is 'out', you can relocate them easily to correct it...

Posted by Ian Mathews on 07/12/2016 08:11:12: The balsa 80% Wot 4 is a great model, but it is a lot heavier than the foamy version, so I'm not sure you'll enjoy the same level of performance as you'd be used to if you recycled the power train. I learnt to fly on the balsa electric wot 4 on 3 cell 2200's however I now fly it with 4 cell 2200's and it's a different plane! I use a 60amp ESC and the largest motor that would fit in the cowl and still had to add about 110g of lead! Are you talking about the old balsa version or the new 2016 version? I know there were weight issues with the earlier version; I assumed the 'makeover' version was designed to over comes issues like this. The website specs refer to a Quantum ii 40 motor; 40A ESC and 2200 3s batteries. Motor aside, that's what comes out of the foam-e. Personally, I can't think of any reason to choose the balsa version over the foam-e. If they did an 'airframe-only' kit of the foam-e, there'd be no market for the balsa version!

What grinds my gears is this. When the skateboard craze started, lots of damage was caused to public paths, kerbs, balustrades, steps, etc. Did Councils ban skateboards? Like hell they did - they went out and spent public money constructing skateboard parks! Well what about providing drone parks? (or any-type-of-model-aircraft parks!) Perhaps we should all be even more delinquent?!

It's been suggested that most people convert to electric and/or petrol for reasons of convenience and/or economy. They may be factors, but for me the biggest drawback with glow is the mess. It's appalling. I've put up with it for years (still do) because it offers good power to weight, but with electrics you can fly out of the boot of your car (in the cold months) and with petrol, you can fly on a sip of petrol with nothing much more that some sooty spots to wipe up. The ideal ic engine for the modern era is a fourstroke that runs on petrol with a compact electronic ign. system (or an OS G5 plug) with a petrol-optimised carb. So, Jon - get to it!!! And as for people who don't like the smell of diesel!! Well they should be busted to the ranks and drummed out of the service!! (I keep a half-pint in the workshop for a whifff every now and then. I think the ether must have evaporated as it doesn't have quite the same effect as it used to...)