On the net since 1994. Still don’t know what I’m doing.
Getting back to it after about 30 years........
After the Barton B.A.S.H. (our local aerodrome) here in Manchester, I saw my very
first model jet engine. I saw an engine spooling up to about 150 thousand rpm, and
I wanted one! I went out, and bought an Easy Pigeon, with Futaba 6X, to re-
Easy Pigeon
First electric model.
ARTF? What the he...??? Ahhh! Ready made. That's good. Well it was. Wasn't it?
Build time: One evening to assemble. Had fun digging out 30 year old X-
Maiden flight: Easy, really suitable for the complete beginner.
On a later flight.......
I found out at about 1000' that if someone else has made it, you don't know how well it's put together. She got caught in a thermal, I was losing visual, some gentle rudder to spiral out, and the most gentle recovery I could do was far too harsh. The poor thing just folded on me, and fluttered down to earth like a wounded butterfly. She recovered, though, thanks to the rep (new wings!). Good man.
I fly her with a six pack of 1500, and 2000 SCR's, (buggy packs) and get about 15-
NOTE: There is no reinforcing across the wing spar! The spars just butt together. Bloody shameful. Keep her to minimal G.
Months later, I stuffed her into the top of a tree adjacent to the cemetery, about 60' up! Well, I'd recently bought a new set of drain rods..........
"Hey Sarge, there's this bloke wrestling with what looks like a 50' snake........"
Drain rods are bendy, of course, everyone knows that, don't hey?
Next: Ahhhhhhh! I knew kids were born for something useful. Up you go, lass. Well, 11 year olds don't weigh much, you know!
The last flight I had with her was a very thermally day, they were poppin' up
all over the place. Flying her towards me at about 300', and she did a wing flip
(180°), she was now upside-
All in all a good kit for the money. Recommended.
The cargo, looking for her third flight, after the dreaded climb/stall/snap! How's that for a strip?
Look, she DOES fly level (using mixing on elevator)
An early flare, ending up as a real greaser. Great fun! Carrier deck comps, anyone?
Comment:
Multiplex have really dropped the ball on this one. The CG needs to be 1¼" forward
of the plan position (thanks, Roy -
I've used a Ripmax Extra 50A speed controller (great items, I wouldn't use anything
else, now), with 7x2000 SCR's. About 7 mins, semi-
I bored out the nose, as much as was sensible to get the flight pack as far
forward as possible, yet I still had to batter some lead in the nose. Two HS-
I've found her to come in on finals very fast, and floaty, so I crow brake her in. Make her as dirty as I can, but she still floats on, and on, and on (Ariston?).
Crazy Sparrow
Underpowered. A lot. I've just read about how to cure it. A new motor/box/prop combo. I'll post it soon. Trouble is, when you see it in the box, you just plain can't resist! Looks really well in the air, but it is very fragile on landing, the main gear just needs a bit of beefing up.
Miss Europa
On the strip. A lovely park flyer, a great first model. No vices at all.
Speed 400 7.2v running an 8"x4", through a 1.5:1 Graupner box. 3 x HS55 Hi-
I run two packs, 7x500Ni-
Twinstar
Twinjet
The Twinstar. A great little performer. Get one to-
My Twinjet. Great machine. Still flies in almost all weathers. 7 x 2000SCR.
Balsacraft Spitfire. What a great kit. Cyano and CNC parts were a revelation! How
easy the Spit went together. I installed, as per plans, but I put a dual conversion
Rx in. Mistake. They don't like electric. After a roller-
Forgotten this one, hold on, it'll come back to me.... ah yeah. A Jolly Roger. Check
out that tranny! It let me down in the end (Skyleader). It disappeared vertically
downwards into a field (max revs -
it was never seen again................ Dun, dun duuuuunnnn (drum roll, exit stage left).
Mind you, I started when MacGregor was putting out those anodized blue bits of stuff
they laughingly called radio gear. Before launch, you had to wind up the rubber band
on the escapment -
Literally just bit the dust -
Vernon Mini Robot s/c (single channel on rudder only -
Cobra C/L (covered in silk), with Merco 35.
Keil Kraft Gazelle C/L (with DC Spitfire I think). Good fun.