andy watson

Well now I have a real problem. The Vulcan wing has been rebuilt- straight this time, although the paint job wasn't finished. The weather was beautiful, wind was gentle- no better day for a second attempt at a maiden. I loaded the plane last night, and started lipo charging. Everything was looking great- I even got up early and was at the field in time to get a close parking spot! So, after a bit of faffing with the connections (I managed to connect the aileron wires together back to front- a special skill when they are Futaba!) the plane was ready to go: Everyone was keen to see it fly. Everything was looking good, and all systems were go. The motors sounded great when fired up to full power for take off................. and it didn't have the power to get off on the grass. It barely got to maybe 10mph. It had plenty of power when held nose up, and all the meter readings looked good with the motors eating about 50 amps each for about 2300 Watts of power, but the grass was dragging it back. We tried a couple of times without success, so we got the mower out and cut the strip. Things were better, but still not enough to get off Everyone was confident that if it managed to get off then there was ample power if only it would manage to lift off. Graham- are you shouting I told you so? Graham has repeatedly told me to take it to a concrete strip, but the simple fact is I don't have regular access to one, and my friends fly off the grass at Bury. I would rather fly with my friends that I know. So what do I do now. I don't think the motors can really be uprated. I can try bigger wheels- but they won't retract properly and they are already bigger than scale! I don't know I want it flying with what becomes an effectively fixed UC- it will definately spoil it. I can store it in the (probably vain) hope I might drag it across the country to a concrete runway every now and again. Or I can sell it, either complete or as a bare airframe knowing I will never get my money back out of it and everything in it is effectively brand new, but also know my model is out there flying and being enjoyed rather than collecting dust in my garage. So I don't know what to do.

1 less after today! Maidened it without incident, although the ailerons were pretty powerful. 2nd flight was going great. Although the ailerons were very powerful it was going exactly where I wanted it. Looked good in the air, and I was really enjoying it. Then I think I made my mistake. To be honest I am not entirely certain what went wrong since it all happened really quickly. I was flying a bit slower than I had been, but not that slow! I banked into a turn- probably a bit too steeply. Then I applied the elevator- probably a little too firmly. It fell out of the sky! I think I tip stalled it into a spin and it went in hard and fast- I didn't really have time to react. Ah well- at least I have more space in the hanger......... better get onto Leeds models web site!

I just bought a couple of packs of these eneloops- but I am not exactly sure why! To me there is only 1 advantage to standard packs- their low self discharge rate. It might be theoretically advantageous to be able to leave a plane in storage for a month and then just go and flyl but is there anyone that would actually do that? I know I would still charge the pack before flying- so the LSD rate becomes irrelevant. I am also slighly concerned by the "cliff edge" drop in voltage. Whilst I am comfortable my packs are far too big to be exhausted, things might happen to make this happen. Perhaps most important is my ability to test the rx battery with a little voltage tester. A gradual decline would register on the monitor, but a sudden drop might not show if it was just about to drop, but might go straight into LV during the subsequent flight.

I have 1. I did have 2, but the bipablast is almost finished. The other is another auction special- not inspirational but too cheap to pass up! I am like Peter- don't start the next one till the current one is finished, otherwise I would have a dozen half built ones. Now, I'm glad you didn't mention plans that I intend to build- that would be a bigger list.

They are on my list of favourite sellers, although to be honest I don't buy much from them. I haven't bought the specific servos you refer to, but I have received exceptionally good customer service off them previously. Give them a ring.

Tygon costs about £6/m. Quite a lot more than normal silicon- but to be fair it's not as if you need that much.

I've never used model markings, but I have used what looks to be a very similar service from flightline graphics. I can't praise them highly enough, but having said that Tim has obviously taken an interest in your build and you are happy with the service you have had from him.

I really like Black Horse. I also like Seagull, but in most cases BH seem to be able to shave a little more bang for my buck. They don't always get it right- their P40 was a waste of time, but other planes such as the excellent "air" series are as good as any. What I really like about BH though, is their willingness to take risks. They are inventive and creative in many of their model choices, rather than sticking with the mainstream.

Ditto. I will probably drop some into the club auction next month. I can't see I will use 50 sheets. Hopefully I will be able to shift most of it and recoup my cash- leaving me with the remaining litho for free!

Even remembers the price! It was £30 and I had to promise to build it, not flog it on ebay or similar. I didn't really want it, it's not really my thing, but things get to a certain price and you just can't say no can you? I haven't really liked the kit- I am taking a real dislike to foam. The parts don't fit to the same tolerances as balsa, and it feels like I have only stuck about 8 pieces together to make the thing! But I am taking a liking to the end result- I think it's a nice chunky little (actually slightly impractically big again!) plane.

Well Alan was the auctioneer in charge of selling it to me- so he is disqualified! Actually he ought to get a prize for remembering one of over a hundred lots at each one the club does. Luckily I am on holiday for the april auction, so the silver tongued devil will have to leave my wallet alone this time.............although I do need a few servos......! Hmm, silver and blue does sound nice! I want a colour scheme away from the usual drab camoflage I seem to be drawn to! I will have to have a word with the mods to change the thread title.

Well done Jim- it is a biperblast 2!

Got you- you were suggesting the varnish as a replacement for the sanding sealer, rather than as a replacement for the epoxy in glassing, or the water based poly C varnish. Just a question though- why layer the poly C over an oil based varnish. Since I have started with the oil based is there a reason not to just use that for several coats? Is it more brittle etc? Andy

Strange one to me. Assuming it is a vaguely normal trainer with 4 standard servos, then I can't imagine a normal 4.8V NiMH battery is struggling to cope? What's the capacity? You can pick up a new 2600mAh battery for about a fiver even if that is where the problem is, although I think many people have flown for a lot of years with much smaller capacity batteries (I'm sure I have some old ones that are about 700/800mAh rx packs)

I've run DS821s on a 5 cell pack without any issues. Edited By andy watson on 20/03/2012 22:22:52

Cheers Alan Cheers Alan Cheers Alan

Cheers guys, I think that gives me some ideas. The wires sound straightforwards then. The covering is a bit more problematic. I might have a go at glassing, but it doesn't look like the easiest model to practise on. I might get some help from an expert who lives close by. However I do like the sound of the oil based varnish- presumeably through glass cloth. I doubt I can depend on the integrity of the veneer, so best not take chances with it. Alan- this thread must be making you want to explode!! And just for info the incidence angles are taken care of with the mountings.

I know this section is for sharing tips, but I need one! I got a permagrit block for christmas, and I have since fallen in love with it!! Unfortunately I have sanded some wood which was joined with epoxy, and the grit has got clogged in a few patches with epoxy residue. It does seem to be wearing away through normal use- or at least the bulk of it is. I am worried the lumps of epoxy might scratch any soft wood I am sanding, or that the grit will remain clogged in the epoxy patches. Simple question- Is there a way to clean them?

Still no one has got it. Here it is with wings roughly  in place (I think the top wing shoud actually be further forward, but it is just sat in place. And another angle: There are no ailerons, rudder or elevator in place. These are all built from solid wood sheet (well the ailerons are triangular TE stock, but you know what I mean). Little thought seems to have been given to keeping the weight down! The cockpit and canopy has also been ommitted for now. Also it might help to know there are some pretty hefty wing caps to add- almost semicircular. Actually the whole kit has been a bit of a pig in some respects. I have decided I hate foam wings. You cannot get them to match perfectly like nice balsa ribs and sheeting. The join is clearly visible. In fact the join is clear whereever the foam pieces are used along the turtle decking too. I am not sure how much filling will be needed, but the thin veneer will limit my ability to sand it smooth. The instructions have been better than that in many ARTFs, but not by a huge amount. The plans are a halfway house between a proper set of plans and a sketch. Both the plan and instructions take quite a bit of thinking about- luckily these days I have the experience to work it out. I am putting the fixings in place for the interplane struts. These also involve digging huge lumps of polystyrene out (a very messy job) and glueing wooden blocks into the wing. Although the positions are well marked out there is no indication of depth- I have guessed the blocks are sunk to the level of the skin at each end- but that leaves a raised section of wing in the middle. This seems to be the logical place, but maybe I am out by several mm. Top and bottom might make it a snug fit if I am wrong- a few details on the plan would help a lot, since there are no photos in the instruction. Having said that it's a nice looking plane. Short and chunky. I have a 3HP petrol engine for it, so hopefully it will have enough oomph to do it justice. I do have some questions about completing it though. 1) No one has answered my earlier question about the best way to run servo wires down a foam wing. 2) What are my options for covering it? I don't really want to use film as I am hoping to paint it, but I am worried about sealing the wood- I guess sanding sealer would dissolve the polystrene through the veneer? Unfortunately not sealing it could cause warps. Edited By andy watson on 20/03/2012 20:58:43 Edited By andy watson on 20/03/2012 20:59:47

This is the reason I will not let myself start building until the previous one is finished.

That was kind of point I was making- it will be a good weekend, even if you won't be setting any records yourself.

I do keep checking when there is a response to the thread.............and the (non-existant) prize is still up for grabs!

Just as an aside, I am a member at BMMFC. It would be great to see some visitors at the field even if they are not taking part- I don't have anything that will compete, but will spend the weekend there just for the banter and BBQ. We have a great flying site- the more the merrier.

To me neither Ernie or Plummet have it quite right. Club members should expect to pay for the materials, but the labour should be free. Having said that, if someone did a job for me like that I would add the price of a pint onto the parts.

Still no correct answers- lets see if a gaffer taped assembled model helps tonight!