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Don't test fly on a windy day - you'll probably regret it!


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Here here, and do it safely, remember safe flying is no accident.

Consider one of your life's gone and learn from the experience.

By the way, who was filming the flight of the delta wing ? Be honest, I am sure it will be possible to determine whom, the first person ? You, with the Camera on your head, think about that one please.

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Just me, camera on forehead. That flew well. The RM1 was totally uncontrollable.

Explore foamboard building and Flight Test web site. Foamboard 4 sheets £10 , a glue gun and away you go.

Keeping me busy through lockdowns! Vulcan plans were on the site I link on the video below.

Flight Test web site

Vulcan and plans

 

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 28/01/2021 20:32:47

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I heard of depron is it, but not used it, yet. I have use white foam in the past

And yes, us slope soarers launch in windy conditions, with the right model, and as someone pointed out in an other thread, land dead stick all the time 😊.

I had to land dead stick within a set area as part of the slope soarer bronze award years ago. Things change.

I have had to land dead stick with the 4 channel shadow due to fuel, and from memory as part of the A test, but that was years ago now and things change.

The second foamy was a pusher motor ? The Vulcan ?

Lovely bit of product placement by the way.

The second foamy used the same tx as the "uncontrollable" ?

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Oh nice, free plan and a list of electric kit needed, thanks, all this electric stuff is new to me, lipo''s a terrorists delight eh! See the video, real sangeriuse things ! Dumb predictive text, dangerous things !

Will study and learn, electric power is the way to go, apart from slope soaring that is.

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Posted by Rich Griff on 28/01/2021 20:47:40:

I heard of depron is it, but not used it, yet. I have use white foam in the past

And yes, us slope soarers launch in windy conditions, with the right model, and as someone pointed out in an other thread, land dead stick all the time 😊.

I had to land dead stick within a set area as part of the slope soarer bronze award years ago. Things change.

I have had to land dead stick with the 4 channel shadow due to fuel, and from memory as part of the A test, but that was years ago now and things change.

The second foamy was a pusher motor ? The Vulcan ?

Lovely bit of product placement by the way.

The second foamy used the same tx as the "uncontrollable" ?

The white foamboard has a paper skin, waterproof and probably stronger than the old depron. I've had depron models but never built with it.

All my models are flown with my budget FlySky FSi6 tx and FlySky rx's they are cheap to buy too. Never had a problem with it up until that RM1 thing.

The Vulcan is great but very overpowered with the recommended motor. Haven't really had much chance to fly stuff for fun, only maidens of new things for my channel. sad

Can't remember which product placement it was, usually pot of coffee and a bottle or two of beer or wine! smiley

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Fired with enthusiasm from Bonzos first videos, I have just finished building the Vulcan. Have to say at this point, that Bonzo was VERY helpful. Its my first venture into foamboard models, and its great stuff to work with. I have painted it with emulsion, and sealed with polyurethane varnish. Surprised that there were no warps at all. I have had several flat plate models made from Correx (remember SPADS anybody),heavy and glided like a brick. I am desperate to get out and test fly it, but I think Bonzos latest video underlines the reasons not to at this stage. Hopefully he will find the model and establish what went wrong. At face value it looked like rearward c/g, and towards the end loss of everything. Anyway, we have all made mistakes, and thanks again Bonzo!

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Hi Simon,

thanks for the comments and interesting to hear that you painted with emulsion, something I didn't think of trying. I've used a few very light dustings of an aluminium spray paint on the white foamboard. Too much and it lifts the paper. That has been ok but the paint comes off on my fingers even when dry, every time I handle it!

My first thought was very tail heavy, said it on the video on day one, but the CoG was spot on and the glide was one one of the best I've ever seen in a test throw, it was superb.  I was dead sure it was going to fly well or I suppose to be honest I doubt I'd have risked trying it with a bit of wind. All the same for the flights the next day I moved weight forward.  There was obviously something else wrong I think.  There was only one short stage when I flew out of the sun and it was close by to go downwind and out of the sun that it was OK, then it went back to the climb like crazy and prop hang phase. I suspect the RX, big throttle and no response to my inputs and failsafe didn't work properly. I doubt I'll find it now though and after a few days in the rain the RX will be xxxx'd anyway.

I'd like to have recovered it to try and figure what had gone wrong, particularly with the fail safe, but I'll never know. BUT I will not maiden again when there is too much breeze!

Look forward to seeing how you get on with the Vulcan. Apart from the flight in the last video I haven't been out actually just flying just for recreation. Not pushing my luck that far with the lockdown. sad though making videos is part of my living.  This week it's a digital photo frame I received two days ago for review. I don't have to go out to test that.  Next week a new action camera from Akaso is due ( free for review. £100+ worth of camera.)   I will have to go out for that for part of my review for  test clips and if I get asked by the police why I am out I will point them to my YouTube channel with 50+ action camera reviews.  I'll argue that in Court if necessary! 

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 28/01/2021 22:59:08

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 28/01/2021 22:59:45

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 28/01/2021 23:01:47

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 28/01/2021 23:08:33

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 28/01/2021 23:09:19

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But I am not earning money by flying a drone. If I was I'd need a PFCO, I've already said that.  My YT channel is paragliding, paramotoring, RC planes, tech stuff etc.  

This is getting boring.  wink

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 29/01/2021 10:57:20

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 29/01/2021 11:07:54

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BM,

You said it yourself.

'Test flying is out at club sites (and I am BMFA qualified and CAA registered and all that stuff) However, my YouTube channel is monetised (5,600 subscribers) and the income from it is a small part of my pensioner income. I'm prepared to argue, as people have before, that my flying is part of my video making self employment and not recreation ie part of my income , self employed. Plus luckily enough I have a field walking distance that complies with CAA regs.'

So it is commercial.

Being commercial takes it outside the BMFA guidelines and Insurance does it not?

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So it is commercial.

Being commercial takes it outside the BMFA guidelines and Insurance does it not?

Yes.

BUT you do not have to be a member of the BMFA to go an fly an RC plane in a field do you?

I do not and I will not go and fly at my club field and compromise my club.

ALSO irrespective of the BMFA and club flying ...

I have passed the CAA test and have an operator ID.

Registration mandatory from: 30 November 2019

The UK’s new Drone and Model Aircraft Registration and Education Service is now live.

There are two elements to the online system.

Anyone responsible for a drone or unmanned aircraft (including model aircraft) weighing between 250g and 20kg needs to register as an operator. The cost for this is £9 renewable annually.

My models have CAA operator ID on them where necessary, that is all they need.

DONE

Do you need a license to fly a RC plane?

Although there is some new laws about flying RC planes, there really is no license. Keep your aircraft under 400 ft (AGL), have your permit (not a license) on you at all times & the registration numbers on the permit also marked on the aircraft. You will be good to go.

Where can I fly my RC plane?

You can fly your rc plane or drone anywhere below 400 ft, so long as you're not near an airport, a crowd of people or other sensitive areas, and you're not infringing local laws. You can fly in some local and National Parks and on beaches, but you can't fly on National Trust land.

I'm really very very bored with this now.

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We all mistakes now again, so to lighten the mood:

Many years ago a small flying group that I belonged to, flew adjacent to a Royal Navy Helicopter landing pad out in the sticks that they used for training now and again.

One sunny day, I was desperate to fly my new Pilot QB20(H),

Nobody at the patch, but fired up the model and off it went.

In the background I was aware of a whirring noise, but having so much fun decided to ignore it.

OOps.........first mistake!

Wessex Helicopter appeared overhead, hovering for what seemed ages, with agitated Navy bod waving out of the door.

Thought it probably best to land asap, which I did about half a mile away.

At that point Wessex disappeared at a rate of knots.

Thought it might be best to leg it, but just as I was loading up, Dixon of Dock Green arrived.

OOps..........more explaining to be done.

Dixon told me "That I had prevented essential training to be completed, and they had had a complaint etc etc etc"

OOOOps, at the speed of light, I legged to the Chairman's house (no mobiles in those days), and through gritted teeth told him what had happened.

He listened carefully.

At this point I thought 1. Deep doo-doo, 2. Charged for aviation fuel, 3.Banned from flying forever!.

Very calmly he said "Don't worry about it, they have called me already and a bottle of whisky sorted it"!

Panic over....................and lesson learnt!

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BM is quite correct in that he doesn't need to be a member of the BMFA or operate under the terms of the Article 16 Authorisation.

If he has a Flyer ID and also has his Operator ID on his model, he can quite happily operate under the terms of CAP722 (commercially or otherwise):-

Its content is primarily intended for non-recreational UAS operators, but it is
clearly recognised that there is a great deal of overlap with recreational use, particularly
when the smaller (lower mass) unmanned aircraft are concerned; as a result, much of this
guidance is also directly relevant to recreational uses.

Furthermore, CAP 722 highlights the safety requirements that must be met, in terms of
airworthiness and/or operational standards, before a UAS is allowed to operate in the UK
.

For us recreational flyers, the Article 16 Authorisation gives us a lot more freedom than CAP722.

Dick

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Posted by john stones 1 Moderator on 29/01/2021 12:49:57:

Just a forum member, modelflyer speaking here, ignore the moderator bit.

You chose to post the video Bonzo, it invited comment, you surprised people did so ?

How did you get on with the Fly away report ?

Hi John, I followed your link and TBH I didn't see any mention of flyaways only accidents and incidents. I will explore some more!

You chose to post the video Bonzo, it invited comment, you surprised people did so ?

Well yes of course, though I didn't expect  a whole host of ill-informed people telling me I was breaking all the rules!   surprise

PS   And thank you Dick!   smiley

BM is quite correct in that he doesn't need to be a member of the BMFA or operate under the terms of the Article 16 Authorisation.

If he has a Flyer ID and also has his Operator ID on his model, he can quite happily operate under the terms of CAP722 (commercially or otherwise):-

Edited By Bonzo Moon on 29/01/2021 14:15:58

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Posted by Martin Harris - Moderator on 29/01/2021 14:11:56:

Bonzo - are you a member of the BMFA? If so, it would be best to call their office for advice/guidance on incident reporting.

Just to clarify Dick's point, Article 16 applies ONLY to members of the organisations granted priveleges.

Thanks. Will e mail them. cheers.

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