May 2003

Forthcoming Events

NOTE: Club meetings take place at the flying field on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of each month. Training is also available on all other Tuesday evenings.

Apologies : Dave Belcher, Tony Roberts, Andrew Stretton

Minutes of previous meeting: Accepted

There is still no progress with the planning permission for change of use. The road works which are required to move the site entrance have not been done. It is also believed that funding has now been found too enable some archaeological work to take place which is likely to further delay any prospect of our using this field.

The Committee decided to reopen negotiations with Wasing Estates with a view to discovering if they have any other possibly more immediately available locations to offer. If not it may be necessary to widen the search again, though for the time being we will retain the option on the field currently under discussion. It is still possible that it might work out.

Now that we are meeting at the flying field each Tuesday evening, weather permitting, it is intended to hold a few ad hoc competitions on days when the training load is not too heavy. Any such competitions will not require any special models so bring along whatever you have.

Events so far arranged for the summer include :

Enstone 28^th June

Cholsey Model Mania, 20^th July

Beale Park Show, 2nd/3rd August

Royal Victoria Country Park, 16th/17th August

Until we have a new fixed peg board please take extra care with frequency control at the site. Several members have portable peg boards which they have been good enough to bring along but when there is no peg board available it is still the responsibility of every flier to ensure that at all times they are operating on a clear frequency. Do not switch on until you are certain that there is no other flier currently using your frequency.

There have been a number of comments recently about noisy models. Random sound checks will re-instituted and any model failing to meet the BMFA 82dB guideline will be immediately grounded until such time as it has passed a further sound test.

This is complete, containing

Wings, Fuselage, Tail plane

Bag of fittings, Bag of pre-bent wire for under carriage and cabanes.

It is well constructed but a bit on the heavy side.

The main tasks to complete are the assembly of the under carriage and cabanes by soldering the pre-bent wire together. This is one thing that the instructions do not cover very well, if you do not have experience of soldering this could cause problems. I made up my own jigs to complete this process.

Apart from the above the construction went without any problems.

This was conducted with a speed 400 motor and an 8-cell CP 1300-mAh pack. The plane just managed to take off from a tarmac surface. The plane gained about 40 feet in height very slowly. Control responses at the rates indicated in the instructions were very sluggish, until I used rudder and ailerons to turn.

This was programmed into my transmitter for the next flight.

The next flight was a bit of a disaster as I landed in a tree, fortunately without damage. I realised that it was under powered so installed a brushless motor for the next flight.

This time I had plenty of power and a take off from grass was no problem. I noticed now that the plane was a handful to fly, it had to be flown fast otherwise it would stall. In fact during the landing approach I stalled the plane causing some damage.

I repaired the minor damage and thought about what could cause the problems. I came to the conclusion that the wing loading was too high. I exchanged the CP1300 pack for a 500 mAh pack. This time the plane flew well from a hand launch. The Tiger Moth flew very well if for a short time,. I had a flew flights and will be trying out other battery packs at a later date to see if I can get a better duration. This plane has caused me to learn a lot about electric flight.

The plane was built with the recommended equipment and when I checked the weights I found it was 5 oz overweight with the CP1300 pack. Even with the lightest pack it was still 1oz overweight.

This is a plane for the experienced flyer.

Comparing the two speed 400 biplanes I have built and reviewed, I would still recommend the Miss Chief as the better plane.

Borrowed from Web, credited to Bill Atkins, Dixie Aeromasters, Byron, Ga.

See how many you score :

• You have ever glued both hands together with CA and had to use an exacto knife in your teeth to cut them apart.
• You have taken your plane off and panic on the third lap, realizing that you haven't extended the transmitter antenna.
• You get to the field and realize your transmitter is still on charge at home.
• You have switched your retracts up while you taxi your plane out to take off.
• You lean over your just-finished new plane to brush off a bug and drop a screwdriver out of your shirt pocket that rips through the wing covering.
• You are making an inverted low pass and then pull "UP" on the elevator.
• You have taken your plane off with the glow igniter still clipped to the engine.
• You ever had to jump over your plane as you were landing it.
• You will go flying when it's 100 in the shade but won't cut the grass for your wife `cause "it's too hot out there".
• You have built two right wings for a single wing plane.
• You have 47 miscellaneous NiCd batteries and still can't find a battery for your torch.
• You have a sun tan in the roof of your mouth.
• You keep feeling for the trim tabs on your TV remote control.
• You buy the "wife and kids" a shiny new computer for Christmas then won’t let them near it cus you need it to practise with the latest flight simulator.
• You got more "toys" for Christmas than your kids did.
• You complain about the weather on bright summer days if there’s "too much wind"
• You look for the servo linkage and antenna wire on every plane in a movie.
• You have ever taken your plane off with the ailerons reversed and still landed it safely.
• You can blow gnats from your eyes out of the corner of your mouth and keep on flying.
• You think about checking the frequency board before operating your TV remote at home.
• Your transmitter has more computing power than your PC.

Don’t forget that the Tuesday club meetings will be at the flying field for the summer, roughly May to September. They will start at around 6:30-7:00 to catch the light. On the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays of the month we may be at St Barnabus Church Hall if the weather is really terrible.

Many thanks to John for the write up on the Protech Tiger Moth. Hasn’t anyone else built any interesting models or have anything else to contribute ? Any articles etc for the next newsletter to the ever-optimistic

Steve Lewin
505 Northumberland Ave
Reading, RG2 8LZ
Tel: 0118 986 1231
email: steve@rdmac.org.uk

For Sale

Following the sudden death in February of former club member David Pearse, the following items are being sold on behalf of David’s widow, Margaret.

Thunder Tiger Piper Cub
Fitted Irvine 61 with nice in cowl silencer
Futaba 138 8ch Rx 5x3001sx. All Good. £250ono

JAVA
+ 2 Batteries + 2Sx + speed control
O.K. Add RX and fly £55

Scale Bell 222 F/Glass fuz. Slight easily repairable Horizontal Stab damage (hangar rash)
Retracts. Real Nav lights Carbon blades
Irvine 36 with Century Slim Internal Box Muffler
Complete radio Futaba DF138/ Gyro ISG180 / 5 Sx
TT Raptor 30 V1 mechanics
Generally very nice
Original Pod canopy available £330

CENTURY BELL 47G 11 Scale
Century mechanics. ALL NEW
Includes optional doors, side frames and special internal silencer
OS50SXH NEW unrun 5 Sx VERY NICE £500
Not quite finished

CSM ICG 180 Gyro to suit £25

CSM ICG 180 Gyro £25
Multiplex motors 400 #332545 6 volt 2 off Boxed £4 each
" " 400BB #332537 8.4V max 2 off Boxed £7 each
3 off 400 motors unboxed 3 for £5
Mini props Bundle of 7 £4