Wasaforumite

Many thanks for the three replies so far. I would observe: 1. I am thankful for BEB's remarks.(and blushing a bit) 2. Myron's solution is a possible. 3. Pete B is a mind reader - I was looking at Model Fixings when my email system 'beeped' with his reply. I suppose some people would think it small minded to worry about 4 tiny nuts but if you pay for a speciality product it should do its job. Ian

I purchased a set of these control rods from Blackburn Models in January over the internet as part of an order worth £47 for some materials. Yesterday I came to use the set and found there were no locking nuts included for the threads on both ends. This can result in one end unscrewing and the other screwing up if the rod revolves. There is no way of preventing the slop in the threads. Furthermore, the instructions for using the product clearly states that these small nuts should be used. The nuts of course are an American size not commonly available. I politely asked Blackburn models to supply 4 nuts to make the system usuable. Here is their reply verbatim: Hi Mr Heath, I have checked all our Sullivan snakes and non come with the 2-56 nuts. I have been in touch with Ripmax and they tell me that they are not supplied with the snakes. The instructions are a little misleading, but if you look at the kit includes list, they are not listed as an included item. Also if you look on the Ripmax website, the pictures do not show the nuts are included. You can purchase a pack of 20 Sullivan nuts for £1.60. Hope this is of some help for you. Thank You I presume that on top of the £1.60 charge there will postage and the 75p small transaction charge. I don't think this is a satisfactory product (costing £7.10 + postage originally) nor do I think that the Blackburn Models/Ripmax reaction is good either. It would appear that Sullivan, Ripmax and Blackburn Models jointly do not want to take responsibilty for their product.

Ages ago I bought a Badger Airbrush and I'm thinking of using it to spray Solarlac over Solartex. I see that in the web auctions there are a number of small compressors with a cylindrical tank underneath selling at around £80. A few questions, please: 1. Are these small compressors OK for occasional use? 2. What sort of mask do you need for Solarlac? 3. How do I make a spray booth suitable for painting a 40 size model? I will be spraying inside my garage. Comments and suggestions are very welcome. Thanks Ian

Back to the Waco after a long lay off while I've been building an Aerona from the old Mercury Models plan. That's at about the same stage as this now. The undercarriage problems have been solved and a Turnigy 32 running on 4 cells has been fitted. Will it give as much power as the the 40 sized glow from 20 years ago? We will have to see. I've still got to make a fin and rudder. They were sheeted on the plan but I always like to make them up out of strip. I always seem to get terrible warps covering sheets and built up structures resist the shrink better. Here's the basic components built so far: There might be another delay before much else gets done but I will try to return to this within a couple of weeks. Ian Edited By Ian Heath on 05/02/2013 21:06:26

I really like my Mondeo hatchback and I've had quite a few much more expensive cars in my time. The big hatch swallows loads of gear and its longer inside than most of its rivals. Most journalists say its one of the best big saloon/hatches in its price range. The two litre diesel is very economical and for a big car it handles very well with excellent brakes. A big advantage is that you don't have to fold the lower part of the rear seats unless you are really pushed for space. It is sufficient to just flop the seat backs down for most trips to the field. My previous car a Toyota Avensis was a well made reliable car but it was always a struggle to fold the back seats. It didn't brake, ride or handle as well as the Ford. The Mondeo estate car has even more room but they are more expensive to buy. VW diesels often have problems with turbos at around 40k miles and are more expensive to service and probably to insure than Fords. I'm not a fan of 4X4's - even for towing they are noisy and uneconomical and generally the braking and handling is akin to a boat. They are much more expensive to service and the road tax is likely to be very high because most of them have high emissions. BMW's Audi's and Merc's don't have any room in them or loading hatches unless you buy an estate and the acquisition and running costs are high. Buying a two year old Mondeo represents a bit of a bargain as they are well screwed together and are half price! Mine was made in Germany unlike my last Mercedes that wasn't!

Does it still have the daft positioning of the on/off switch next to the trims? looks like it. Ian

While we are on this subject, could anyone please commment on the Citabria Pro kit, please? I do like the Aeronca/Citabria/Decathlon series of planes, they make a nice change from Cubs. I'm building a Mercury Aeronca from the plan at the moment and looking ahead I'm thinking of something a bit bigger. Puffin do a Dynaflite Decathlon kit but that is just too big! Ian

And every time you use this feature you drain the battery a little bit more.................

Isn't easier just to disconnect the battery before changing the wires round?

I had a SS30 Ball Raced version and it was a superb engine - a real powerhouse. I built the earlier version of Peter Miller's Mini Mustang and it was a great combination. Sadly, I was flying on a fairly windy day and had to do several go-arounds to get the right landing approach and ran out of fuel at the worst possible moment. The plane slowed up on the final turn and tip-stalled into the ground. Very unfortunately, on the ground was a discarded metal gate! the plane was a total write-off and the engine crankcase was broken. However, can thoroughly recommend the Enya - probably the best 30 you can buy. You will love it I'm sure.

The good old twinstar takes some beating as something to learn on.Can do most tricks even ROG with brushless power and is almost infinitely repairable. Its good for spot landing, toffee bombing and timed glide competitions too!

These programmes are great exercises in 'feel good' thinking but in reality the British Aircraft Industry, hampered by poor leadership from the Government went down an inevitable path. I used to know a couple of BEA pilots in the early 1980's. They disliked the Trident - it wasn't easy to fly and the take-off regime was particularly stressful. The problem was that the aircraft had very little speed differentials between the retraction of the undercarriage and flaps and the stall speeds in the 'unclean' and 'clean' conditions. Where airports had additional hazards like having to turn soon after takeoff to avoid mountains for instance the workload was very excessive. Having a high tailplane wasn't a very good idea either as a deep stall could develop (as with the Javelin) where recovery was impossible. If you combine this with the dubious operational economics it is easy to understand why it wasn't a success. The pilots all welcomed the subsequent move to Boeings which were a delight to fly. It is remarkable that successful modern airliners largely have the same layout as the Me262. None of the British ones did. Unfortunately, our aircraft industry of the time was like the car industry as others have observed, producers of too many varied products, many half baked. They were both slow to realise that having one really developed and researched product, well made, is better than a dozen or so brilliant concepts, poorly executed and manufactured. Today, hopefully, our industry by specialisation, makes excellent components including wings and engines that contribute far more effectively to both the transport industry and the economy than any of the old 'wonder' aircraft. They don't make 'em like they used to, thank goodness!

Tony Many thanks for your report. It seems the weather forecasters were wrong yet again. Does your use of the word 'doozy' indicate higher education or possibly time spent in the States? Regards Ian

I was put off going to the Nats by the dire weather forecast. I have been for several years and the weather was the usual rain and wind not pleasant at all. What was it like this time? Did the forecasters get it right or should I have gone? Initial impressions of the Nats would be very interesting - Comments please! Ian

Thank you all for your observations on this fine design. Yes it is the Mercury design and I did obtain it legitimately from Colin Smith. The plan is excellent although requires some studying before embarking on construction. The wings are simple enough but the fuselage is more complex. Having already got the plan I will take my time and cut the parts out myself but having a part kit does have its attractions. Installing ailerons is desirable mainly because it enables the dihedral to be reduced leading to a more scale like appearance. I don't suppose it will have a great effect on performance as this classic design is essentially for pottering round the sky using a small engine. Having ailerons also does away with the need to (re)learn flying on rudder and elevator. If its aerobatics you want, I could suggest building from a suitable Citabria plan instead as I am sure you would need more power and a stronger airframe. The idea of having an airfoil tailplane is to provide tail lift in proportion to speed thereby lessening the effects of climbing under power. Reverting to a flat plate tailplane may increase the need for downthrust. I am still concerned about the wing mounting, as in his article the late Dave Deadman describes how the wings folded on his beautiful model on its first flight when they pulled out of their mount on the fuselage. For those of you who haven't read it the link is here: **LINK**s Perhaps the mounts just need a little extra strengthening? Perhaps those who have actually flown one of these can comment please? Thanks Ian

I would be interested to hear any tips on electrifying this plane. Its my next project having bought the plans. I believe the wing mounting and u/c will need strengthening to cope with the additional weight/power of the electric conversion. Ian

IanR In my experience, a scroll saw is unsuitable for long straight line cutting (more than a couple of cms). You are correct in assuming that the blade wanders off line - this is why you watch the blade and move the work to ensure the blade cuts where you want it to. The Proxxon bench saws are best for straight line cutting of small pieces, unfortunately they cost ££s. Otherwise a good quality cabinet makers saw or Japanese pull saw will do a good job. Ian

Greybeard I recently bought a 'Record' variable speed fretsaw. Chinese but reasonable quality perhaps a little better than those sold in B&Q. It cost aroud £90.The ability to vary speed is quite useful. I bought some decent quality blades (Bahco 302-53W-12P) which make quite a differnce. The dust blower is good, as is the funny light on a bendy stalk. I waxed the bed to allow the work to slide more easily. You have to watch the cutting all the time, have a good but not excessive tension on the blade and hold the work down firmly with your fingers. I didn't get on with the guard - I couldn't see what I was doing. Wear safety goggles. It is really good at cutting 3/5mm ply and thick balsa. It also cuts foam quite well. Hope this helps Ian

The good news is i've been able to source the Alloy I need for the undercarriage. I've been working on the tailplane. On the plan its all sheeted but I want to save some weight so I decided on making a frame instead. Because the grain runs in all different directions warping should be a problem when covering with solarfilm. Pictures are below: The two halves of the elevator are joined by a 3/16ths dowel and it is then hinged using little aluminium straps that are bolted into the rear edge of the tailplane. You can just see the slice of dowelling that are inserted into the t/p which will be drilled for the bolts. I have never seen this method before. Maybe its quaint but it should be very effective. I've nearly finished all the wood work now having put the leading edges on the wings and cut out the ailerons. Next it will be finishing the tail and doing something about mounting the motor and cowl.

Noggin has come up with the answer. Phew! Ian