Pete B

Ahaah! A polyglot, I think? Pretty close, Phil, but Myron's son lives in Brittany at present I can understand you missing it, Myron -it isn't paradise but you can live in blissful relative ignorance of what is happening around you. I can fly in the back garden which would have been inconceivable in the UK. I'm in the Lot, about halfway between Brive and Cahors, about 90mins north of Toulouse. I can be in the Pyrenees in 3 hours and on a Spanish beach in 5..... R/C bits are pretty expensive out here and the nearest shop is in Brive, so I top up when in the UK or mail order from the net. Very good, quick service from BRC, Modelfixings, GC and others, so I'm no worse off than being in the UK. Sorry the thread has drifted so much, Mr Polymorph, but you started it!!!   Pete  

My school, happy as I am that I went there, was geared up to get pupils to University, so it was all academic - no woodwork, metalwork etc. I was one of their also-rans.........  You managed about six more than me! I was in too much hurry to get on with my life so bailed out half-way through 'A' Levels to go into computing. Unfortunately it screwed forever my dearest ambition to fly Navy helicopters Anyway, I managed a career as a rozzer and am now enjoying my pension in deepest France - 28c+ today!   Pete    

Why, Myron, I do believe that's a Smiley! Better not let the others know..........   Yes, lots of useful information over and above the 'Switch on here' variety. I'll puzzle it all out one day, I'm sure. I struggled in Physics for four years at school as the teacher and I never got on, despite me really wanting to understand it all. Electrickery remained just that, only half-understood. Fortunately, a change of teacher in the 5th Year made enough gel in my brain to get the O Level. Sadly, it's along time ago now so I've had to start all over again   Pete 

It's quite easy, Ben. All you need to do is make up a lead (I have Deans) to reverse the plug/socket arrangement of the connectors. Called 'plug - plug jumper wires' in the manual. You have the charger end as 'Source' and the battery as 'Load'. It's shown in the manual page 17 which is available  here   No, you don't have to change anything and you leave all settings as normal. The meter won't take anything away from the charge.   Cor, I'll answer them all shortly! Yes, you can put it in line and find out interesting things on landing!   Pete Edited By Pete B on 19/05/2009 21:25:03 Edited By Pete B on 19/05/2009 21:26:08

Good luck with it, Ryan - looking forward to some pics!   Pete

Phil, I used to go to Tongham Stadium back in the early '70s - they always paraded the cars to 'Mouldy Old Dough' IIRC.  I remember Mick (Duffy) Collard and I think it's his son, Rob who is now driving in the BTCC. I wonder how many yellow reflective jackets would now be needed for a Destruction Derby? There was another side to it all, of course. I pulled a van trailering a 'Destruction Derbied' Morris Oxford near Hook one day. I checked it out and it had been stolen from an elderly chap in a retirement home a few days before. The car had been in A1 condition for its age. It was the chap's pride and joy. When I took him to the nick to identify it he just broke down and cried. The old boy never did get any justice as the toerag who nicked it skipped his bail and was eventually locked up for shooting someone, so the theft of the car faded into insignificance......... My first car was a 1963 Mini (just an 850) called Daisybell.She had hooded headlamp rings and some very modest wheel spacers.  Used to drool over Car and Car Conversions each month, although I didn't have the knowledge or the cash to do all I would have liked. I recall thinking that the screen washers weren't that effective, so I bought some sooper dooper bar washers which pumped the screenwash from numerous holes the length of the wiper blades. The only problem was that they emptied the washer bottle in about ten seconds   Pete

This is a pretty helpful video, Austen. The only thing he does not do is connect the pair before soldering. There are a few other vids there, too.   Pete  

Try SBK Brushwood Killer or Roundup (Glyphosate), Phil. They tend to work better before you cut the weeds down! They are systemic, ie the leaves absorb the active ingredients, carry it down to the roots and kills them off. Pete

It's the Mysterons. Are there two small spots of light moving across your wall?   Pete

I've just bought a covering iron from a European website and it appears to be just the job. I'm certain it will do everything I ask of it. Unfortunately there were no instructions enclosed but I can manage. Helpfully, the Taiwanese manufacturer has put a comprehensive list of his product's features on the packaging - and I've just got to share them with you   C & Y's iron 1 can adjust a temperature to above 230c and if necessary can also be controlled to a stable temperature on balance. The iron's base mount is comprised of extreme hard materials covering aluminium and metal. Especially, it can be implemented durably on the best condition even under a quite high temperature because of its Teflon design. The creative shoe with lightweight shrinks more surface areas, and the iron has a tapered edge to allow reaching all toughest corners. It won't be happened to break off the molocake while you are using the iron for the shoe with turning toward 3 degree. The C & Y's iron had been tested to connect plug with electricity for lasting seven days and it never burned out because of the specialised pressure board inside which formed by a cam. On the other hand, sealing iron is made of fibre steel which appears two sort of advantages for its endurable clean and rust-proof. Therefore, the new iron idea is cooler to the touch, easier to work with and value so great you mustn't wait!   That's all pretty self-explanatory and I suppose if I steer clear of the molocake I shouldn't have any problems.........   Pete

Oh Alex, what sort of a father are you? Haven't you explained to her just how crucial C of G is to everyday life - and particularly aeroplanes? Until she knows what C of G means, you can't send her up a tree to recover any wayward model, can you? Anyway, glad you remembered to feed her, at whatever price! Lovely sunny evening here tonight. I was using the EG to avoid having to take Dotty the Dalmatian for a walk - every time I do a low pass she chases it all the way across the field. Gets far more exercise than I could give her........Mind you, I have to shout a bit when I land it! Sounds as if you have sorted the ailerons - and don't rule out the spoilerons, if you can. Very satisfying when you can drop the model in front of you Pete

Good luck for tomorrow, Alex. I don't know how well the RR servos are glued but I was able to cut mine out a couple of times when setting it up() - just a dab of hot glue on the mounts at each end secures them.   Pete

Fascinating thread, Fred - always a joy to watch you build - just wish I had 1/10 of your skills! Looking forward to the maiden,   Pete   ps by the way, you don't 'alf look like the bloke in your avatar!

Alex, I fly mine with an Optic 6 and initially had difficulty with the throws. I'm using HS55 servos in the wings and found that the supplied 'long' arms weren't really long enough to give me sufficient aileron movement on the recommended 2nd from end hole on the aileron horn, so mine are connected to the 3rd from end hole. I have also offset the servo horn one cog towards the leading edge, thus offsetting the neutral point on the servo. This, coupled with some programming, gives me the 20mm up aileron. The down aileron is very, very draggy so reduce that to about 8mm. This should improve the roll considerably. This should also help with giving you sufficient movement to activate the spoilerons - I set them about 10mm up, with about 3mm down elevator - and they certainly work well whilst retaining roll authority.   Pete

I can't help with this but I think Ryan is asking if anyone on the forum has any information or experience of building a model Islander, not a 1:1 version! I know Google will throw up some models in the search but, given that Ryan seems to be a new member, I'm sure a show of helpfulness might be appreciated...... Fwiw,   Pete

I agree, it's likely to get the plane diverted these days..............   Pete

Seems as if they turn them around within a day or so, Peter - the quicker you get it in the post, the quicker it will be back!   Pete

Found that my AR500, bought in October, had about a four second recovery time. Sent it off from here in deepest south-west France last Monday and it arrived back today, exactly one week later. Now instantaneous recovery so well pleased with result and with speed of Horizon UK's service. Thanks!   Pete

Probably much the same uses as Ernie's heavy artillery and Timbo's hammer, Bruce. Mind you, with my modelling finesse, there's not much difference between me wielding a scalpel or a maul   I've just spent the afternoon cutting and splitting a stack of logs for the neighbour and my hands are still too trembly to go near the model tonight! Definitely feeling my age now.......   On a slightly more serious note, my Dremel clones (from Aldi and Maplins) are an absolute revelation. One has a chuck so it's ideal for tiny drill bits - I'm still impressed every time it makes a neat pilot hole   Pete    

Mine must be my log-splitting maul. So far, it's had 4 new heads, 3 new handles and it's still going strong!!!!!!!!!!!   Pete

Blimey, Ernie, do you build full-size - or just large-scale   Pete

Hi, I'm not sure those magnets will be powerful enough - I've found they're not that reliable on cupboard doors. I think you'd be better using neodymium magnets as they are much more powerful. I've bought some from here and there are many other suppliers on the web. I paid about £3 for 20 plus postage so they are not expensive and they come in all shapes and sizes.   Pete

Thanks David, it's a big bonus to be able to nip out of the back door when I get a chance. It's a pity it's not a chunk of Dorset or Devon, though - land is worth peanuts here. I'm not rich, just fortunate! Just looking after the bit around the house takes up far too much modelling time, which is why I'm so slow in getting models in the air. Fortunately, the farmer who has been haymaking here for the past 45 years turns up every summer and cuts it all, so I've indulged myself by mowing a strip in the middle. It's all sloping ground so the strip is a bit like the Himalayan ones, though!   Pete   Oh, by the way - yes, the trees are magnetic here too  

Hi Lee,   Only two 35mhz frequencies are authorised here - 35.000 and 35.010mhz (channels 60 and 61) and, as far as I can make out from this page, that is only since last September.  Here is a full table of frequencies. I'm using a Spekky DX6i and Hitec Optic 6 on 41.16mhz without any problems so far. I didn't get a choice of frequency when I bought the Hitec and was a bit concerned to find out that 41.16 is not restricted to aircraft only. Mind you, I still haven't found a definitive figure for my Spekky's power output, as 2.4ghz here is apparently restricted to 10mW for outside use. I haven't yet seen any Spektrum gear on sale here. As I'm way out in the countryside and the nearest model flying site is about 15km away, I don't expect the gendarmes or fellow modellers to get too worked up about it!   Pete

No creme eggs in the shops here in France - mainly chocolate rabbits   Spent Easter weekend doing housework before my visitors arrived but managed to get out into the garden Wednesday evening with the Nebula:   Thanks, Ann, for the action piccies! (Flying and photographing at the same time is ASKING for trouble) The forecast for next week is looking better so, all being well, the Phoenix Rainbow will get her maiden.......   Pete