What do you do with 'those' models?

[Bob Cotsford]

David, you might consider this for one of your polls as it's tied in with the current how do you react one.

You know those models, most of us either have or have had one if we've been flying a while. Those models that you have invested time and emotion in that just don't meet expectations. It sits in the corner everytime you select the models to take out, you can feel it begging for one more chance..

What do you do with them?

An example - I have always had a soft spot for Bucker Jungmeisters so around 20 years ago I built one from Don Stothers plan. It looks great and it flies, but it just doesn't acheive what I expect from a Jungie cos it's overweight and not as nimble as it should be - hard work in fact.

Do I give it the Viking farewell? put it on ebay? hang it from the ceiling?

Or just fly it like I stole it and let gravity sort it out

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

I know exactly what you mean Bob & I had a little smile to myself when I read your post in the New Poll thread.

I think we all have models that, secretly, its a bit of a relief when they crash.....I know I have....my Extra 300 was probably the most recent....it looked fantastic but I always had the feeling it was just waiting & watching before biting me on the backside when I least expected it.....

I also have a TN EE Lightning which I have struggled with......its been to the field a few times & I've said "Right...if it doesn't fly properly this time its going in the bin........" but you know...if I threaten it the model seems to behave itself & fly well & it looks great in the air so it always seems to get "just one more chance".....

[Lindsay Todd]

Good post, I had a CML Pitts S2, great looking model, had good reviews from others with them, infact some raved about it but I could just not get mine to feel right, and it was just that, a feeling, I could not actually define what was wrong, I fiddled endlessly with CG positions, control throws, you name it but I was just not comefortable. It actually flew pretty well but just seemed lacking. In the end it became a bit of a hanger queen, gathering dust in the corner, I would then feel sorry for it and take it out again only to have just one flight as I had forgotten just how uncomfortable it was. In the end I chose to sell it and then bitterley regretted it. Looking back on it I think past Pitts adventures had skewed my vision as they had been very light, massively overpowered and really agile. But the CML version did look good, I think I expected too much in this case.

Linds

[Bob Cotsford]

I've got the BH Extra 300, and I also get the feeling that it's just waiting for me to look away for half a second but I find it a challenge and quite enjoy flying it because it does fly extremely well as long as it's treated just right. The Jungie on the other hand is just a disappointment.

A couple of years ago I resurrected a basket case Gladiator that someone passed on to me, it really should have had no more invested in it than a box of Swan Vestas but I actually spent a lot of time trying to make something of it. It was a relief when it dropped out of the sky and wrote itself off after about 5 seconds of flight.

[Charles Smitheman]

Hello Bob,

Interesting topic. I agree that if they are too heavy there is nothing that can be done. I have hung my Hurricane high up out of the way where it can look pretty, it's just too heavy. It flies passably, but only lands up on its back!

However sometimes there is great satisfaction in finding and fixing the cause of bad behaviour. I have just done this with my 1/6 scale Sig Cub. Thanks to my clever neighbour who pointed out to me that I had over sharpened the leading edge with the razor plane. ( I am fortunate to have a retired aeronatical engineer as a neighbour!) I re- did the wings to a good Clark Y section, and now it flies well, no more of that vicious snap/ spin behaviour that it had previously. And yes any sensible person would have binned it and started again.