andy watson

The Willis Warbirds LA7 was sort of on my build list- if should ever start building that big. Has the Typhoon gone as well? Pity- only ever heard good things about them. Did he mean Spitfires/Hurricanes are all that are kept in stock and the LA7 is available as a run of 1, or it has completely gone? Out of interest how many kits did he sell- if he didn't tell you in confidence. I ask because I am interested- he produces a premium product which will only ever appeal to a small number of people with the cash, ability, space, time etc to build something 100"+ to a high standard. Talking with Nigel at flightline graphics (and I imagine their customer base probably overlaps a lot) he tells me he is overloaded with work (and has waiting times to match!) and says that those people at the "top end" of building (my phrase) are still as active as ever.

Model technics duraglow is fine for 4 strokes, and a bit cheaper than the Bekra. I do think they also use something designated as 4 stroke fuel. I used a gallon of it once and it was also fine. Give dynaglow a miss though- not enough oil.

Progress update: Well there hasn't been any for a couple of reasons. 1) I have given up smoking, and my workshop is somewhere I used to potter around in and have a fag. Because of this I have been keeping away from the garage altogether. 2) I have to be honest- I have lost a lot of motivation for it. I have the plans for a ME 163 that is burning a hole in my build list, and I am about to get a seaplane delivered to me that should be interesting. I am really tempted to put it to one side, but I don't know if I would ever pick it back up again.

I was bought this by an inspired friend as a present whilst researching/building the Vulcan. I am not of an age that remembers this period- much of it taking place before I was born, but it was a very interesting read- for many reasons. Would I pay full price for it? No, but it is available from amazon/ebay for a bargain and is well worth it.

SLEC & Blackburn for me.

I've seen pictures of mounts made from bolts/studding before, and I have always felt they looked very susceptible to twisting under a torque load. As an IC flier I haven't tried them though. Anyone care to comment?

I think the most interesting fact there is there are 11 nuclear weapons that have been "lost"!

They have quietly moved to being one of my regular model shops (mail order) after repeated excellent service.

In all the above calculations there has been no account taken of temperature. The temperature of a wire has an enormous effect on the resistance- and thus the efficiency, current and voltage.

Apparantly I have one, and never knew about it! I will have to go have a play

I do like 5 star pitching in to these threads. Good show!! I think they should be rewarded with a link to their website in their user name box.

I also agree with the 2 page rule, although this should be supplemented with a further 1 page covering letter/supplementary information sheet. This should tell the employer about you as a person, whereas the CV gives the basic facts. The extra page should be personalised to fit the role you are applying for (basically outlining how your experience and skills make you the perfect candidate for the job) rather than a generic piece. I think both Lee & BEB are close enough on the employment issues. There is no need for massive details on all your previous roles, unless they are relevant to the position you are applying for. Having said that I would also avoid any unexplained gaps. Age is a tricky one, and again I think BEB has it right. It is illegal to discriminate against someone on the grounds of age- but how would you ever know? You might as well put it on there so an employer can see straight away. They will be able to tell from your CV anyway. Steve- one last point. The last time I was recruiting science technicians (I am head of science in a secondary school) it was a sobering experience. The qualifications and experience of the people that applied was far, far in excess of what was required for the job. All the shortlisted candidates were in their late 40s-50s that had been made redundant from highly skilled industries and were unable to find anything remotely comparable in terms of pay or responsibility.

I'm still running the OS46LA that was in my trainer. It's moved into assorted 40 sized hacks and performed perfectly throughout. To be honest, the OP will be fine with any of the 46 sized engines he has mentioned- you are pretty much into the area of personal taste/preferences.

I don't see anything wrong with the original suggestion of balsa blocks cut to fit straight into the holes. Use PVA or epoxy to glue in place. Sand to shape. No reason why foam/polystyrene wouldn't work though, but would probably need skinning. Just use what ever you have kicking around. Edited By andy watson on 04/04/2012 15:18:09

An excellent idea- but it reminds me of an urban myth I heard at school which was about a bloke who wrote to Swan Vestas (the match company) and offered to save them £X million per year with a simple idea, in return for half the first years savings. Allegedly the company agreed and he told them to only put sandpaper on 1 side of the matchbox- halving their sandpaper costs- and our hero trousered a fortune! I would also suggest sticking sandpaper on the outside curve too- then you can also sand those internal corners and curves with the same tool.

Seems to be empty.

Poly C is brilliant. I have never epoxied because I am perfectly happy with the results I get from poly C. I hope my comments steer you in the right direction- and importantly for the right reasons. You are absolutely correct in the weight differential- although from what I have been told a well applied epoxy coating will not add an undue amount of weight. So that shouldn't be a factor. It is definately easier to use- I was even allowed to use it in the front room instead of the normal garage/workshop. I went for poly C initially because glassing requires a degree of skill to do well, and I was unwilling to take the chance on an airframe I had commited 18 months to! Poly C is incredibly easy to use, and very forgiving. Forgetting to seal the wood is about the only mistake you can make (sorry Andy!). One factor that makes a difference is the working temperature- I found it was much better in a warm room. Luckily the lack of odour etc means it can be comfortably used in the house. Fast drying coats means it's easy to simply nip into the build, slap a coat on and go back to the telly- it's that forgiving. The other issue you raise is that of hardness. Let me be absolutely clear- poly C does dry rubbery, and can be a pain to sand in this state. However it continues to harden after it is dry. If you can be patient for a few days after finishing then the sanding is easy enough. It continues to get much harder- maybe not quite as hard as glass, but hard enough in my opinion. The manner of application- simply painting on with a brush actually means there is very little sanding. In my experience you get a few drips if you are a bit liberal, but not much more than that- just a quick rub over. BUT I think you have a major problem with the foam veneers. I have used poly C over balsa, ply and carved foam without any issues. If this was the full range I would recommend poly C without hesitation. The problem is I think sealing the veneer will dissolve the foam underneath- I have exactly this concern with the bipablast I am building now. I might well go for glassing to avoid this problem. If you choose poly C then let me know how you go on- but you MUST seal the wood with something.

I better get that maths checked then!

am I too late?

All electric now.

Well I have bought 2 tarpaulins- 25 ft *18 ft. I figure peg those down and we should be good to go. As Alan suggested, I figure they can be kept at the field no probs. The dolly idea is a good one. I will ring you tomorrow Alan.

I popped one of the new eneloops into the vulcan last night- just to check a few things. I thought nothing of it, and left it plugged in for about an hour. After the hour I happened to reach over the battery and felt a noticeable warmth. I unplugged the battery and the battery pack was uncomfortably warm to hold. Is this normal? It worried me yesterday. The was basically no load on it.

Wind was very calm yesterday- maybe it's worth waiting for a stiffer breeze. Cheers Jez

Cheers guys. My plane hating- well that's a bit strong- My plane apathetic partner suggested a long roll of plastic- a surprisingly sensible idea that could be kept in the container at the field. The hardboard sheets are also an idea. Alan, your name did come up in conversation today. I know that there are issues with the concrete strip you use. I will see if you can come up with anything. I don't plan to do anything immediately- let things settle down for a while and see how I feel. Maybe I should finish painting it- just so it's done.

No prob Steve- it was a cheap deal off ebay- although it was a very nice airframe. The power and climb rate seemed OK once it was properly trimmed. That took until anout 3 minutes before it crashed!!