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As many of you know, I recently had a plane stuck in the Oak tree at the end of the runway. It was stuck up quite high in the tree and there was no way I was going to be able to get it down. l checked with a few tree surgeons and everybody quoted £100 to get the plane down. Finally I came across Michael Howden. He agreed to do it for £40. He has even offered a repeat discount (10%) to anybody in the club as long they quote my name. I don't know how long the discount will last. But the young man seemed to know what he was doing and he did an excellent job climbing up and getting my plane wihtou

Looking for a user friendly twin engined airframe, the DB Twin Tub caught my eye. Although a large 82" model, with twin engine configuration, this vintage David Boddington design hit the spot for me. Essentially, its a Barnstormer with two engines mounted close inboard upon its high parasol wing configuration. Just a couple of images can be found on the DB order listing with the same ones appearing on Google. Other than that, I`ve not found any information on the model anywhere else than the DB sales listing. The images you see below appear to be the only ones around. I`ve just ordered on

With the recent sad passing of my Father, the lockdown and an urgent need for a Hangar clearance, I bit the bullet hard. Some twenty five models have been built in my work area over about the last two and a half years. Despite small and regular clear out sessions, the chaos, dust and general bedlam rose on an almost exponential scale to a near unworkable situation. Something had to give. Over the years, my Fathers filing system had expanded to bursting point. His art work from previous years flowed out of the plan chest and his collection of watercolour paintings and books had approached a vol

Inspired by Jim Beagley`s RCM&E article detailing a Panic build, I just had to have one. Robs design is bullet proof. I suppose every modeller eventually has to have one in their hangar collection. As we know, the model is as simple and functional as it gets. The kit is distributed by J Perkins and produced in Pakistan. The timber grades are first rate and the laser cutting the most accurate I`ve yet seen. The build was a doddle. Not perhaps easy for the first time builder but quickly put together if you have a couple of other model builds under your belt. My total build time was

Listen to that! The only slight drawback is that, at 22kg, it is just over 3 times the weight limit for a model at our field I couldn't find a specific price, but my estimate would probably be well north of £10,000, considering that a 7 cylinder OS radial sells for just under £5,000.

No, sorry, but nothing at all like the Dysan fan, which has LOADS of extremely conventional moving parts, from a bladed fan hidden in the "stand" to a brushless motor and axial fan blades inside the head. The Dysan is in some respects a magicians trick, new technology that really isn't, and is not anything like the scientific advance this technology offers. The problem with this new "drive" will be getting the power to weight ratio and where have we heard that before with electric flight?

I think a lot of people hope that Ben.......I'm bringing the food lol x

Since building the Bristol Fighter and the Fokker DVIII, I've completed the Micro Aces SE5A. This little gem of a kit really is a delight to put together. The next in line is the DH2 pusher and the 'DIXIE@ the Sopwith triplane.

It's the Daily Wail.................move on, nothing to see here...................

Have decided to join the ranks of the Fun Fly Brigade to brush up on the long-lost aeros capabilities! It's finished in Funereal Purple & Black Profilm so as to be ready for a fast track burial in the event of a finger seize-up during a rolling circle Thanks, Gavin!

No, not the Blade Inductrix, the Blade Inductrix Pro, or the Blade Inductrix FPV, nor the Blade Inductrix FPV Pro, but the Blade Inductrix FPV+. Ye Gods.......................... This is "the red one", red canopy and props, OK?? Is there room for yet ANOTHER Inductrix? Well, after a few flights after getting one today, I'd have to say......................YES. OK, it's not cheap, in fact compared to say the Eachine E010 and that series it's downright DEAR, nearer the price of a brushless 180/200, but it does seem to be a well sorted item with development work costing money th

Dear Members, the Committee was asked to discuss matters arising from our use of Fickleshole field, namely the access track, a windsock and first aid kit box, and signage, amongst other things. In regards the track, it was concluded that interfering with the compacted surface with the advent of winter around the corner would be foolish and only lead to matters becoming much worse. This was based on past experience. It was decided, however, to review the situation again in March, in the meantime entering into discussion with the other users, Farmer, Clay shoot and Softball co. with a

You can edit it. I just changed mine to UK.

Have edited almost every post in this thread, as it seems a LOT of the formatting imported with loads of extra hidden spaces from the old software. Have updated the main website links now too.

I`ve done a bit recently. October and November saw the rebuild of two old Pat French foam wing Zlin 526 models. One from Rob and the other via ebay. Both currently fitted with two strokes. One has a .91 and the other has a 1.08. Yet to be test flown. Both were complete rebuilds. One had seen previous service at Sevenoaks Club whilst the other had never been completed. Registration graphics by dear Emma who now has a vynal cutting machine. Give her a call if you need graphics cutting. December saw me rebuild an ex-Rob`s ceiling Seagull MSX-R which had had a hard life. A couple of days

Hey, hey,hey! I`m happy as Larry!! The Stearman arrived yesterday with thunderclap suprise and rocket like delivery from Hobby King in Ipswich in only about nineteen hours. Bravo HK and Parcel Farce. A job well done. Paid for in USD via Pay Pal and the HK site, my bank account has been debited with £4 less than I pinged on the HK UK site when I ordered. My Stearman boxed kit arrived in great shape and without internal contents damage. It appears that this Limited Edition kit is just that....somewhat limited. My kit with identifying SKU number is possibly No 104 of a consignment of 134 hel

Last week, having finished and flown my Grand-daughters DB Sport and Scale Twin Tub successfully, totally wrecked my prized and much loved No1 Ultra Stick, converted No 3 Ultra Stick to near identical No 1 spec, salvaged parts from No 1 and then finding myself build-less, the July 2020 copy of RCM&E arrived. Shaun Garrity had written an article about his rework off the years old Flying Banjo. A free plan was included. I`d always wanted to build one of these models as a teenager. Now I had the chance. Raking through the spares pile in my Hangar turned up a Turnigy 1070Kv motor, a UBEC, a 30

And today, I covered it! More trim and radio installation to do tomorrow. Should be finished by tea time! Here is what I did today. Mike

Private message sent to Jim advising contact with Trevor and Ian. Mike K

A lull before my next project begins means some time to sort out all my propellers. I`d struggled with my late Fathers rather small prop balancer. The props I`m now using are generally between 13" and 18". Clearly a decent balancer was required. Choice is somewhat limited and prices are not so cheap. In the end I plumped for a Dubro unit which generally retails at about £36. Justin at Rapid RC knocked the price down by £3 probably due to the volume of mail order business I`ve pushed his way during this lockdown period and the inability to get over to Robs emporium. In any case Robs shop i

More work done. Tail feathers all have hand made brass hard points fitted for flying wires. In addition, the tail wheel unit is installed. Custom made registration letters are in the post. Not cheap at £49 but quick and reliable service from The Sign Builder on line or via eBay. Their work is of high quality and I previously used this business when I had the graphics done on my big Extra. No doubt I could have sourced for less cash but that requires a trip to Gerry Booth at Wallington which costs in miles, fuel and time. As we are all on home lock down due to the virus panic, I makes

It progresses well. Wings built now and covering in progress. The build time has stretched a bit due to my Father being laid up in East Surrey Hospital and having to drive down there several times a day. I see I started construction of this Bi-stormer about five weeks ago so even those commitments the build hasn`t been that slow. Images here show where I am currently with this model. Can`t wait to fly it!! More in due course. The next build is JP Panic which I`m due to collect from Rob shortly. Mike

Ask me in a week, Ben! Difficult to tell weight yet as the wings are still to be made. The fuselage seems light enough even with the three MG996 metal gear standard servos installed. I nipped over to Robs this morning to collect the usual nick-nacks needed ie control horns, engine mount, poppers for press fit inter-plane struts, ball links for aileron push rods and a nice second hand ali spinner. That has rubbed up very nicely. The model is a great traditional build with loads of stringers and a fair amount of block work to shape. Its very rewarding to see it all coming together so q

I thought it might be of some interest to others to read about my very positive experience of working towards and taking my A-test with CAMFC. Some of my modelling background here then. Back in the 1970`s, I started my modelling journey with the encouragement of my Father. We had hooked up with several other local modellers through my Fathers links with the construction industry. Two of his business contacts were keen RC flyers. Father was an architect, Geoff Swafield was a quantity surveyor and Brian Kilner was a building company director. The three of them decided to set up a new flying

An update on flying my No 1 Ultra Stick. This is an original built in June last year which first flew in the hands of Steve Fysh last November at the Riddlesdown MFC site below Edenbridge. The model was proclaimed as all good with pleasant handling, nice landing characteristics but performance wise was not that quick on the 6 cell, 420Kv and 14x8 prop. This model and several others built since November languished in my hanger awaiting the onset of nicer weather. The model flew again in mid April 2019 at Riddlesdown with me being passed the transmitter on that second flight. After a 44 yea

That regulation refers to any model that is capable of having a fail safe set and it really comes down to the user (ie us) to know the laws and regulations that we are required to fly to. All the information is available from the BMFA, either in the handbook or the CAP 658 publication. As recent events have showed, we must all be seen to be flying to the law and regulations and ignorance of these widely published documents is no excuse unfortunately these days.

Hi Mike, thanks for popping into the shop with it yesterday. I can confirm it is a very nicely done kit, beautifully cut and I love the ply box it came in (you know you can dispose of it my way when you've finished with it lol 🤗) I'm looking forward to seeing it built very soon and you bringing it along to the club one night. Em.

I have had a reversing pitch prop for about five years, but never put it on a plane as it coincided with me no longer going to Swanley (because of the iggits going there then flying dangerously, it had a netted off pits, they though it was funny to fly through it flat out and were not stopped, also they'd start flying combat or "pylon" with others up with ultralight slow flys and decimate them). SRFC also stopped Indoor Meets as the very large Lancing hall had risen to £120 an hour. Also while I can use Langley's sports hall anytime its not in use it has full netting on all walls so even a lig

That was fantastic, when do we start although I think there would be carnage in our little hall Dave.

Have been dipping in and out of his channel for a while. Makes me truly envious! 😊

Just thought that I'd share a few pictures of my tired but faithful X9D, in the hope that others may be tempted to join this exclusive club of radio connoisseurs, and step away from "mainstream" radios. Currently, @Emay @shanemarsh28 @Bravedan @Trevor @Gerard and of course @Pilot Ben all have a TARANIS transmitter. Oh, and did I mention that all of them (including a 12 channel tx with a large colour screen), are all below £480? The equivalent Spektrum iX12 (with fewer features I should point out), is over £200 more expensive! For that you could buy the new Wot 4 foam-e, one of

Well, I have two Horus X12S and an early (Batch 2) Taranis to be accurate. Trevor and Gerard both have Horus 10's. FrSky long ago joined the "mainstream" manufacturers in terms of sales, though if you mean overpriced overhyped bloatware of course, they have not! 🤐 My Taranis, being smaller and lighter, carries all the slope models. It has (from just after purchase) a Futaba FASST module to use all my old but extremely reliable receivers. Vinyl looks good. I was at one time thinking of swapping the front for a water dipped one, but decided not to bother on the grounds I was too

Thanks for all the useful tips Mike. 😀

Many years experience has led me to the inescapable conclusion that they don't glue themselves back, and are unlikely to complain .............................. 😜 (Put a tiny amount of oil on the hinge proper first in case the glue spreads)

IMO it more depends on where and how you store your models. If stored somewhere that condensation through temp and humidity changes (inc overnight range) are high and especially with open pipes (vents, etc) then the risks are greater. Fire risk is another matter, for example your home insurance might be invalidated by storing fuel in it (in models). I have seen one policy where the limit applied was a tablespoonful of petrol or similar fuel! Personally I have never normally run engines out of fuel at the end of use, never emptied tanks, never used after run oil. And I use between 20-25% n

Thanks, Ben. Don't know about the 29th. It may not fly!. As for the time to build - a couple of hours each day for a week, I reckon. Most of the time taken up on sanding, covering and assembling the parts. The kit is nicely produced with excellent materials and slots together accurately. For the first session ... the tail plane, elevator, fin, rudder & ailerons were 'blocked out' - that is glued up & pinned down onto a flat, waxed surface - then left to dry over night. The parts for the fuselage were cut out and prepared for assembly the next session. Time? Say 2+ hours

I know the plane you mean; the one with the pointy nose and canards. God knows why they'd let that fly anywhere near a city, we get it over Shirley sometimes and it sounds like it's a 747 crashing! Must say having the motor in the 119 is a bit daft, as when it sets off, if you're standing up, the torque of the motor knocks everyone over when it's busy at rush hour. I imagine the cost would be fantastic too; A friend has the new BMW i8 (similar to mentioned i3) and that thing is really not cheap, when the equivalent M3 is around £20,000 or so cheaper. The initial outlay just isn't yet log

Here's the completed Micro Aces F2B Bristol Fighter. I hope to fly it at the meeting in between judging the Open Scale category with Peter & James.

OK, the batteries from Drone Junkie arrived today. Up till now I only had the single battery supplied with the quad, an EFlite 1S 500mAh 25C, and some 6 month old Nano-Tech intended (and bought) for the mCPX Helicopter, 1S 300mAh 45-90C. The new batteries are MyLipo.de 1S 600mAh 25-50C. Have just flown one of these, mostly circuits, few piros and a little hovering, until the LEDs started to flash end of charge warning (though quad still flying normally). It managed 7 Mins 15 Seconds, with as near as makes no difference the same punch at the end as at the start. MUCH better t

It feels like Christmas has arrived

Decided to pull this out rather than include in another thread. Most Chargers have a LiPo Balance feature. Many "hide" this so when you choose LiPo it shows "Charge" and only if you go on down the menu tree does it then show "Balance". This catches a few people out, and a good few have thought that "Charge" does balancing (not on this firmware!) or that "Balance" means only balance, not do a balanced charge as it does.. Even with that out the way, it has to be said that Chargers generally SUCK at balancing well while charging a pack! I have for some years been using a "Two Meter

Basically, no. There are four stroke plugs which cope better with the long delay between firings, but the carb still has the usual adjustments so the inveterate fiddlers can still twiddle and cock it up! 4 St tend to prefer (or should that be tolerate! ) lower nitro levels than 2 St . I tend to run all my 2St on 25% but 4 St on 10%. These days the manufacturers recommendations/instructions are much better at advising than they were so I suggest you have a think, choose a few right sized engines in your price range, go read the instructions from the manufacturers website, and that will gi

What a fab kit .. looks great! As far as it goes for engines, (Funfly) James introduced me to the Laser 70 and it's an AMAZING little engine. I put it in the Bullet, started it, ran a single tank of fuel through it and in the air it went. Sturdy and faultlessly reliable - I've not even needed to alter the mixure. If you're looking to venture into 4 strokes I can't imagine any engine that's easier than that. The instruction manual for the Laser is also excellent. It comes with a lot of information on how to cowl it properly and ways of mouting the engine within different shaped cowls avoi

The VTOL Eflite Convergence has a magnet attached canopy and that was designed for FPV. (cynically that's maybe why some are falling out of the sky cos it would NOT be the pilots or Spektrum, would it!!) However, think about Quads, they have LOTS of powerful magnets in the motors hurtling round and round (I have just completed a 250 that has 1.7kg of thrust PER MOTOR, getting close to 7kG pull, so imagine the magnetic power!!!!!), and the ESCs generate all sorts of RF clutter, often all jammed up together. The trend is to smaller quads with bigger motors and small high pitch or multi blad

Any metal can potentially block signal from your tx to your rx but I wouldn't have thought there would be any effects on the wiring on flight controller. As with the accelerometer I couldn't say As long as your rx antennas are far enough away you should be in buisness....

Hi Ben, Got a straight push rod out the back of the fuselage for the elevator then closed loop on the rudder. Works very well. James. If you go and see Rob at Avicraft he will gladly tell you all you need to know and give you some instructions

So, we now have a gallery here, but what categories would folk like to see? Members hangar? From the field? Club events & Shows? Black bag specials? (Crash landings)?

Good job, and thanks ones again!

All fixed Soz

Tadaaaaaaa Elevator and rudder aren't connected and there is no radio, but so far so good. I'll be running the engine tommorrow to see if the props are ok