Failsafe...no idea

[john davidson 1]

I had an old DX7 which I bought second hand with the manual, because it worked with my old DSM2 receivers, the programming was so counterintuitive that for the simplest task you had to have the manual open at the relevant page. Got so hissed off with it that I sold it on

[Foxfan]

Bruce, I'm not up to A cert yet, but thanks fore the warning.

John, I have the ex owner handy at the club field, so will just ask him to show me round its abilities. The DX5e works fine on my Pietenpol and has no programability anyway.

I may use that for my Vulcan when finished as it has a built in elevon mixing ability

Martin

[Bruce Collinson]

Martin,

Neither was I, a year ago.

Do you recall the mantra, never to take off without an aim or ambition for the duration of that flight? I’m a rubbish pilot, too old for reflexes or intuitive use of ailerons let alone rudder, too many incomplete projects, too little time, etc. This time last year my tutor, Darth the goader, mooted the concept that more of us ought to tackle the A Certificate. We don’t need it to fly solo, there’s a simplified test which I passed two years ago, but with a peer group of a dozen pilots and three-odd B candidates we sorted ourselves out, booked an excellent examiner and started prepping.

every single flight form Feb onwards was all about figure 8s and dead stick landings, invariably into our prevailing Westerly wind. The first test was called off for rain. The rearranged test day had a fresh and increasing due Easterly. It doesn’t suit our strip which has a lump and a slope, and a drystone wall (of death) on finals. Darth decreed that the flimsy foamies went first because of the wind forecast. By the time I did mine it was fresh. Despite the stiff wind I succeeded in overshooting on the first dead stick and flew through. I ran very deep on the second attempt but got it down and passed.

Now the B.

The point, have a target and go for it. It was cathartic. I’m still a rubbish pilot but even I have my pride.....plus I can compete in the UKCAA

meetings at other clubs, and if nobody else turns up to try a Pick 5 and I don’t lose it in a slow roll and crash, l might even win something.

just saying.

BTC

[Foxfan]

I intend going for my A as soon as possible, but ought to do a bit more flying first. I've only had three training flights on buddy box, two with my own Pietenpol and 2 with friends' models, a tiny foam glider conversion and a very sporty shoulder wing job with an Irvine 40 that my friend was kind enough to trust me with. A few years back my only previous effort at RC flying was with a clueless friend at the airfield of a full size flying club one afternoon when nobody was there. The model was a model of a microlight which, with a PAW 19 on top screamed it's way to a frightening height, where it cut and glided through interminable circuits down to a perfect tricycle landing...twice. So I have a 100% record so far! Can't last, can it?

I was flying nice one level figure eights with the borrowed sporty job when I gave the Tx. back to the owner as the fuel was likely getting low because I'd flown it all over the field! I found left circuits just too tedious. It'll catch me out soon I'm sure

 

Martin

Edited By Foxfan on 21/02/2020 20:30:09

[Peter Jenkins]

Foxfan, at the risk of telling you what you already know, have you read the guidance notes on the A test? You can find them here. This document tells you exactly what is required in order to pass the A test. It also covers the B test in the same document. This is what your examiner will be using (or should be using) to carry out the test. Good luck with your A and I hope you decide to go on and take the B. It really is worth going on to the B as you will find that you will crash a darn site less! The biggest issue with both the A and B is flying them consistently but that comes from practice, practice and more practice. It gets easier the more you practice!

[Foxfan]

Thanks, Peter,

as long as I can get my A fairly soon, I'll be happy as I'm only ever going to be a sport flyer...scale like, a few simple aeros, but well performed, low, slow and smooth is my intention. I'm not a fan of 3D. I see that as showing off. I can appreciate the skill involved, but not what it makes the model do. Bit like clamping an even bigger outboard on your dinghy and doing a few knots more, it's a case of "so what" for me.

Simple sport flying is all I want.

But doing it with an A seems to garner some respect from fellow fliers.

Martin

[Bruce Collinson]

I Martin,

I make no correlation between 3D and the B certificate. Your low, slow and smooth simple aerobatics sounds like.a B test to me. One of our B candidates flew it with a 3D plane, in the manner designed, and was failed for flying inappropriate manoeuvres .

BTC

[J D 8]

I passed my A and B test many years ago but still go through the test sequence quit often with different aircraft when no one else is flying.

As someone else said it gives aim and ambition to a flight which is better than pulling willi nilli aerobatics over the patch. Some of my vintage types will not do all the test manouvre's but you can still do the basics.

[Foxfan]

Bruce, neither do I. I was just using 3D as a "f'rinstance". We have a few in the club. They come down occasionally with the same old beaten up foamie, show off and go. No chat, no banter, no tea or coffee.

I'm sure I could develop my intended style of flying without the worry of a B. At present the appalling weather is making flying impossible as I can't get to the field. been that way since October, so I have to question if I really want to add pressure to my already reduced year of subs. Let's just get me flying to a decent standard first. That's really all I want and is perfectly attainable I believe, this year.

Martin

[Foxfan]

I can see your point, but for some time yet I have the laudable aim and ambition to stay at whatever level I choose and fly smoothly at all times without crashing through my own error. AND I still have to land and do a proper take of from the grass with a 'plane that will actually ruin on the grass, so I have more than enough aims and ambitions to be dealing with for a good time yet!

Martin

[Foxfan]

Another aim is to buy 5 servos and have any of them work! My first batch purchase were fine. The last 5, which were exactly the same, after I installed them and a friend tested them with a servo tester, grunted at best and then refused to do another damned thing. Then my chum said how he bought a pack of 10 extension leads and only 4 worked! This is an appalling success rate, but at least the supplier has entered into a discussion about the servos, although, not having a mobile 'phone, I can't send the required video of the non-working servos (and what, I ask, would I video anyway?)

I've no doubt they will be replaced and whilst inconvenient, in this weather it's hardly a problem having to refit them.

Martin

[Peter Jenkins]

Many people think the B is a licence to fly in front of the public. It is nothing of the sort. What gaining a B does is to help you to fly an aircraft while you are under full control of it at all times. That is, that you can fly in a straight line parallel to the flight line in use (surprisingly difficult for many pilots), conduct a manoeuvre at a place of your choosing and not where the aircraft happens to be, and to take off and land in a straight line even in a cross wind. The added bonus is that you are less likely to resort to a black bin bag! It also helps to to think about what you want to achieve in each flight before you get airborne. All good reasons for training to fly the B to a pass standard - nothing to do with flashy low level stuff whether 3D or other!

[Gary Manuel]

Posted by Peter Jenkins on 22/02/2020 12:32:05:

Many people think the B is a licence to fly in front of the public. It is nothing of the sort. What gaining a B does is to help you to fly an aircraft while you are under full control of it at all times. That is, that you can fly in a straight line parallel to the flight line in use (surprisingly difficult for many pilots), conduct a manoeuvre at a place of your choosing and not where the aircraft happens to be, and to take off and land in a straight line even in a cross wind. The added bonus is that you are less likely to resort to a black bin bag! It also helps to to think about what you want to achieve in each flight before you get airborne. All good reasons for training to fly the B to a pass standard - nothing to do with flashy low level stuff whether 3D or other!

Having a B certificate helps you to do all that? Wow! Who'd have thought that a piece of paper could do all that?

Here's me thinking that it was skill and practice that helped the most

[Martin McIntosh]

We all know who you are talking about regarding the dead servos and sending a video of them not working!

I have a TGY i10 and i6 from them. The blurb clearly states that they will work with the 10ch, iA6 park fly and iA6B full range Rx`s but the i10 Tx will not bind with iA6`s. They insisted that it will and wanted a video of it not binding would you believe. Never having done youtube in my life I managed it and also forwarded a rather more professional one of the same by another guy. They would not budge so I sent back the Tx and all of the iA6`s and told them to return them bound. They did nothing with it so I said to send it all back which they did except they sent a new complete system instead of my own so I lost all the programs but did gain a free 10ch Rx.

What exactly are the type of servos you have?

[Foxfan]

The company is called Happiness team, which sounds Chinese, but are in London, although the email was the most unreadable and appallingly badly written missive I've ever had!

I shall send them stills of the servos and the damage caused by removing them. Failing satisfaction they'll get a foul feedback on ebay and ebay can pay me back. But if i went elsewhere for them they';re still the same TowerPro, but with English shop increased prices. No actual guarantee they would work any better. They're Tower Pro 9 grams plastic gears. I wasn't aware at the time that very little more I could have got metal geared ones.

Martin

[Peter Jenkins]

Posted by Gary Manuel on 22/02/2020 12:50:37:

Posted by Peter Jenkins on 22/02/2020 12:32:05:

Many people think the B is a licence to fly in front of the public. It is nothing of the sort. What gaining a B does is to help you to fly an aircraft while you are under full control of it at all times. That is, that you can fly in a straight line parallel to the flight line in use (surprisingly difficult for many pilots), conduct a manoeuvre at a place of your choosing and not where the aircraft happens to be, and to take off and land in a straight line even in a cross wind. The added bonus is that you are less likely to resort to a black bin bag! It also helps to to think about what you want to achieve in each flight before you get airborne. All good reasons for training to fly the B to a pass standard - nothing to do with flashy low level stuff whether 3D or other!

Having a B certificate helps you to do all that? Wow! Who'd have thought that a piece of paper could do all that?

Here's me thinking that it was skill and practice that helped the most

Trick is to have read my last sentence Gary - training! 😉

[Foxfan]

I can't comment as my experience is so limited compared with you guys. I have so far managed parallel, level flight without any great effort and figures of eight with the "cross" at the centre of the field, so I am hopeful of a reasonable path to an A, then it will just be personal goals of practice and the occasional aero, rather than submit myself to any further inspection as the people who do that in our club are not those I like to be with. Just how most clubs seem to be. But the guys who are always there when I go are a fun bunch who may not be official instructors, but are by far the best at exactly that, combining instruction with encouragement and correction when needed. I do what I'm told and learn by it and that works for me. Different folks, different strokes. There are regular fliers there who have never yet come close to a landing, in three years membership! I admire their tenacity, but I really don't have that kind of patience!

And, as a lifelong modelmaker I can repair anything better than most, I just prefer not to have to if at all possible!

Martin

[Martin McIntosh]

Oh, I thought it was another well known internet seller.

Now I know that they supposedly were Tower Pro, I think that you will find they are poor copies. Never buy servos on ebay as this situation is more likely than not. I got caught out the same with two types of TP, mg 16 and mg90`s. One sort ran to one end due to inferior material connecting the pot. centre and if I manually stopped the others they would not restart without Tx stick input. Indistinguishable from the real thing.

Buy extention leads from HobbyKing, they are excellent quality and exactly the same ones which you can pay a fortune for in this country.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Michael Barclay]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 22/02/2020 20:45:21:

Oh, I thought it was another well known internet seller.

Now I know that they supposedly were Tower Pro, I think that you will find they are poor copies. Never buy servos on ebay as this situation is more likely than not. I got caught out the same with two types of TP, mg 16 and mg90`s. One sort ran to one end due to inferior material connecting the pot. centre and if I manually stopped the others they would not restart without Tx stick input. Indistinguishable from the real thing.

Buy extention leads from HobbyKing, they are excellent quality and exactly the same ones which you can pay a fortune for in this country.

It would be good to know names of all duff sellers on ebay Martin. I agree that stuff bought on Hobby King has never let me down although I make up my own extentions to be safe.If you don't want to name these people on line I would be grateful for a personal message. Thanks Mike.

[Foxfan]

Mike,

the people are in East London and called Happiness Team.. Although their e-mail address is [email protected] I am hoping they will be good and send me working ones or my money back. Hobbyking are not much dearer, so how do we know their's are any different? And what about Banggood? A chum at the club buys all his stuff from them as they are seriously cheap and never has trouble. I'm just a bit wary of buying Chinese currently with their problems and with HK seeming to be having business problems. Half their website says "back order". My servo tester came from their English base (which I hadn't realised they had) and the Storm Rx. came from China in a very short time. I was quite impressed.

I am about to send the above mob a few stills of the servos and the damage caused by removing them.

Martin

[Michael Barclay]

Posted by Foxfan on 22/02/2020 22:30:26:

Mike,

the people are in East London and called Happiness Team.. Although their e-mail address is [email protected] I am hoping they will be good and send me working ones or my money back. Hobbyking are not much dearer, so how do we know their's are any different? And what about Banggood? A chum at the club buys all his stuff from them as they are seriously cheap and never has trouble. I'm just a bit wary of buying Chinese currently with their problems and with HK seeming to be having business problems. Half their website says "back order". My servo tester came from their English base (which I hadn't realised they had) and the Storm Rx. came from China in a very short time. I was quite impressed.

I am about to send the above mob a few stills of the servos and the damage caused by removing them.

martin.

Thanks for the reply Martin. It's always good to kow who to watch out for.

As for Hobby King I have had all of my servos from them, at least 50, and no duds. The servos I use in my foamies are the HXT 900. There are over 5600 reviews of these servos and they get 5 stars, Hobby King state that although clones can be bought on ebay they do not have the same electronics.These reviews are genuine as some products do get some poor reviews so I always read the reviews carefully.

Mike.

[Foxfan]

Mike, the only reason I didn't used Hobbyking was because I'd been reading bad things about Hobbyking's latest dealings, so decided to try ebay, who also have a review system. If I can find the same thing on Banggood, I might try them. They have an excellent customer service reputation. And don't tell her I told you this, but my dear wife says the bras she bought from Banggood were the best made she's ever had...and she used to actually make bras for a living!

Martin

[Martin McIntosh]

I too have never had a duff servo from HK and the same goes for extention leads although I normally make my own but I often buy the ones with safety clips and pinch them for mine.

I did get a u/s four stroke petrol and an expensive ESC but they were refunded/exchanged with no fuss.

I do think that a naming and shaming section on this forum would be a good idea so that the bad boys can be brought to attention but it may ruffle a few feathers.

[Don Fry]

Bangood, I note, sell a Spectrum AR8000. Or so it says. An obsolete receiver, much copied, and being sold at pretty much the fake price, from a source other than an Horizon Hobby dealership. I don't believe that, and I wonder what else is knockoff stuff.