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WINDSOCK. THE NEWSLETTER OF READING & DISTRICT MODEL AIRCRAFT CLUBMay 2005
EDITORIAL
Well, here we go with my second issue and thanks to the many nice
comments on my efforts. I hope you will enjoy Mk 2 and will find it to your
liking. There is information, both general and technical, a great little
competition and an offer specifically to this Club, which is developing as I
speak. If it comes off, could well be obvious as to the source and all will be
explained later! Whatever, thanks have already been received for our backing, so
do not forget to support your local model shop, whether Reading, Slough,
Wallingford or Wokingham. CHAIRMANS CHAT Whilst it is some years since I have written anything for the ‘Windsock’ and probably a little rusty, it makes a nice change and here goes! It seems to me to be a long
winter with much poor weather and few of the bonuses we often get with a really
bad winter. In the past, we have been able to fly float planes off our flooded
field or indeed been able to fit ski’s and take off from snow or hoar frost
covered ground. Saturday 19th
March was different, the first warm spring day with little wind, a real treat to
be out of doors. I made an unplanned visit to the field to find a good number of
members enjoying the weather. I was asked to run one of our junior through the
‘A’ test and although he failed by the narrowest of margins, I am sure 1t
will be only a few days before he will be our youngest ‘A’ pilot at only
just 10 years old. Perhaps it is a good moment
to remind members about the ‘A’ test, especially those who do not use the
club site regularly. It really is a straightforward flying test with a few
common-sense questions to answer at the end. By coincidence, I examined one of
our more senior members the following day. He passed comfortably and afterwards
could not understand why he had put it off for so long I also had the chance to fly
Ray’s electric Corsair, which is fitted with a brushless motor. It’s quite
amazing just how far technology has changed since I last wrote for
‘Windsock’! Although a light model, the performance and power from what is
quite a small motor certainly impressed me. I expect by the time the next
issue of ‘Windsock’ is published, the Spring Beale Park float plane event
will be over. For many this marks the beginning of the flying season and I hope
to have seen many of you there. Later on we will be attending the Cholsey Model
Mania event. We have enjoyed two guest
speakers this year so far. Vic Green regaled us with stories of his career as a
professional model maker and brought along some samples of his work to drool
over. Second speaker was ye editor Tony doing a short notice solo talking about
Paint Technology in lieu of a speaker from H.M.G, thus providing us with an
informative and entertaining talk. A big well done for taking on what was a
formidable task. Finally, just a reminder to
keep looking at the Club website on www.RDMAC.org.uk
as this provides short notice updates.
MARTIN
DANCE. Chairman. BRIEFING
Thanks for the nice words, Martin. Contributions always gratefully
received and thanks to this issues contributors. At our recent Committee
meeting there was much to get through, principally the club Flying Field Rules
and our General rules. These are
still under consideration, but you should receive your draft copies with the
next ‘Windsock’. Another safety point that was
requested to be minuted, was regarding the hazardous path twix the Pit Area and
the Runway. Great care needs to be exercised when carrying a model with the
engine running on this journey and is to be looked into. One point NOT covered
is the use of Mobile Telephones at the Flying Field. A problem regarding the
probable shoot down of a model by such use has been well reported in the model
press. At present we have not
considered anything in our rules. They have been seen in use at the field and it
may be that use of such in the pits area is not a problem. But, I would think
that anyone using such should keep an eye on what is happening to any models
flying and be prepared to SWITCH OFF fairly rapidly should anyone call that he
is in trouble. What do you think? The De Agostini
‘Spitfire’ idea created a lot of comment recently, but I do not think we
will not see many of these. Now withdrawn from Smiths magazine shelves, the
parts are only available by subscription. However, I did have a nice letter from their Customer
Relation Department which said that the issue will be over some fourteen months
and the total cost is expected to be in the region of £600 pounds. They also
said that, on completion, the model will be a ‘Valuable Collectors’ item.
Well, I suppose you could say that about my Keil Kraft Eaglet. Any offers? Ron Perkins is doing a great
job with his competitions and they are good fun. Pity the weather is not
co-operating and the last one had to be cancelled. Mind you there are more, so
come and join in. The recent slow fly was a hoot, with my Super 60 doing 18 mph
on the slow fly being beaten by Kevin at 12 mph with his electric delta on the
hover over the line. Fastest speed of the day was in the region of 165 mph, by
an electric glider! The radio frequency check at
the field is ongoing, with the test equipment being in use in the Midlands at
present. John Soper has said that he will be talking to BMFA,s Dave McQuen
shortly to get something done. Meanwhile, should anyone experience a glitch at
the field, make a note of the location and let the Committee know. Went to see a Pylon Race
Meeting, at Swindon recently. Here they were flying to the new Club2000 rules in
which they use a standard model, designed by Dave Boddington , an Irvine 25
motor with a Radio Active 9 x 6 prop and three channel radio. It is fast,
furious and good fun. I have the full rules should anyone be interested. The
Club 2000 also say in their news-sheet, ‘Why not let us organise a race
meeting at your local Club site? We will bring the course, do the organisation
and you can race ANY model from a Wot 4 to a Junior 60’! Right Ho then, any thoughts on this idea? Dick Tiller has proposed an
interesting competition. A bit more laid back, this one, but could be just the
job for when the weather settles down, which will probably give us time for the
building thereof. He has devised this as a simple fun event, which will
not stretch resources too much, but provide good fun and a challenge with a
difference. THE DREADNAUGHT CHALLENGE.
THE MODEL. A standard 36’ wing span ‘Tomboy’, designed by Vic Smeed, using the smaller tail option. Up to three channel r/c. No modifications except for rudder and/or elevator, plus motor control if required and/or mechanical cut off or graduated tank. MOTOR.
Any engine, i.e. diesel or glow up to 1cc or any ‘brushed’ electric
motor up to SP 400 direct drive, with no modifications and as purchased new
‘off the shelf’. COMPETITION. Held on a Wednesday in each month, June to September, to
allow for weather variations. Entrants to fly three competition flights. Model
to be hand launched, with a maximum of a fifteen second motor run. This is a
duration competition involving aggregate time of all three flights. Declared
competition flights that exceed the 15 second engine run, or, the model fails to
land on the strip/runway, willnot count for this session. Points will be
awarded, based on the number of entrants each month and will be carried forward
to a grand total at the end of the season. Should there be a tie at any level;
the flyers concerned will each receive the points appropriate to the ranking. THE EVENT.
Using the 36’ Tomboy as the standard airframe means that everyone
starts on an equal footing. It is up to each flyer to find the right balance
between power and weight and will require skill to get back to the strip or lose
the flight. Anybody who has had a bad heat will have three other chances to
catch up, with, if necessary, a month for repairs/rebuild. There is a good range
of skills involved and it could generate a lot of fun. BUILDING. The ‘Tomboy’ is a well known and very simple model that is
quick and cheap to build. As an extra, if fitted with a Mills .75, the model
will be eligible for the Dave Boddington/Model flyer Magazine trophy as well and
finally, can be flown off water using the floats which are shown on the plan. Come on then, give this competition a go. Get a
plan, sort out your engine and try your hand at a competition, for us, with a
difference. There will be a suitable award for the winner, probably Glass, but
within the ‘Spirit’ of the event! THE
KEEP IT SIMPLE STORY The time had come to test fly my recently built Etrich Taube with its
OS90 four stroke engine. After the
normal range checks, the motor was fuelled up and an attempt made to start it.
This engine is quite old, but in very good condition and as expected
fired up straight away, but refused to open up.
So the carb was reset and another attempt made.
Again the engine started straight away but again refused to rev, the plug
was removed and checked. Yes, it
was a four-stroke plug and showed a healthy glow.
It was refitted and another try made with the same result.
The model, now surrounded by experienced engine prodders, myself
included, decided the problem was a blockage in the carb, which was promptly
removed, stripped, cleaned with surgical cleanliness, reassembled and refitted.
The engine started with the same ease as before and promptly stopped.
The fuel tank was the next suspect, but there was no fault there.
Then I realised that the engine ran reliably until the glow was
disconnected. In my box was a new
OS 4 plug which was fitted and then, the engine ran perfectly.
The answer was, just because it glows, it can still be faulty.
By the way the Taube flew like a bird (Taube is German for Dove) Jack
Bishop FLY-BY
It certainly is a shame that we have had some quite awful weather to
contend with so far this year, but the Club meeting programme has been a
success. We started with the Engine night in February, which was rather like
‘down memory lane’ with its assortment of engines, models, kits and general
modelling gear. It was so well received that we will have to do it again in our
winter programme. Vic green kept us enthralled
with his tales from the drawing rooms of the Great Western Railway, to
professional Guage ‘O’ Railway modelling.
Such as the prospective client who flew from Florida, USA, took a Taxi
from Claridges Hotel in London all the way to Reading and, kept the Meter
running whilst at Vic’s place discussing the deal! Money, I am very glad that
someone has it! The best bit though
is that, after a lifetime of professional model-making, when he retired, his
wife told him he needed a hobby. So he took up Aeromodelling! He now flies a
very successful Sig Kadet. The Concourse meeting had a
twist, in that the participating models had to prove themselves in the air a few
weeks later. Great meeting, some lovely models and well done, Ron. Where does he
get these ideas? Martin has already rung the
bell for the Paint Technology meeting, for which I thank you. The great surprise
for me was the interest shown in the subject. After the technical bit and the
tea break, we all settled down again for an open discussion.
The well reasoned input from the many present, brought up much
interesting information. Another late night!
My ‘Ready Two’, which was on display with its three coats of HMG
Polyurethane Red, has now quite a bit of air-time in and I am pleased to say
that the finish is still pristine. The Whirlybird evening was
great, with a good display of models on display, including both indoor fixed
wing and Hovercraft machines. Eric Deveney capped the evening by flying his
chopper over the Air Ambulance table. Despite scattering their papers all over
the place, the display was well received and the photos should be good. Oxfordshire Aircraft
Collection was a hoot, despite the projector throwing a fit at the start. The
tales of their early days kept us in fits, particularly when they discovered
that the bomber they were digging out, with a JCB, still had a bomb in it. The
officer was convinced that it was only a practice bomb, but the squadies with
him thought otherwise. Apparently
their progress out of the area was quite Olympian. They were proved right
latterly, when the bomb made a very healthy bang during disposal. The Windsor show was rather
wet. Many of our members were to be seen supporting or buying goodies, but, it
was not quite Ascot! Bob Roper ran a very well
controlled Float and Seaplane event at Beale Park on the 24th April.
This was the one for ‘A’ Certificate Pilot’s and despite the wind
constantly changing direction, was well flown by at least 24 modellers. A great
day! The third ‘Pilot’
competition was called off, but only after I had scared all the others with my
practice flight. Even Ron Perkins had to make several attempts to land with his
Wot 4. It was a bit windy! Ron will
continue with his ‘Pilot of the Year’ competitions after he gets back from
holiday in June. Our Vintage modellers will be
attending the St. Albans Rally on the 4th June and Cocklebarrow Farm
on the 12th June. We are all praying for decent weather and the wind
easing. For the rest, we have Ron’s
‘Wonderful Picnic’ at Enstone
on the 18th June, For which, I can only say, if you haven’t been
before, ‘You don’t know what you are missing’ and yes, a Piper Cub
‘can’ lift me. Our next Committee meeting
will be on Thursday 21st July. This is where our winter programme
will be sorted out, so, suggestions, ideas and even offers please will be
gratefully considered. Don’t leave it all to your committee.
Or you may find yourself elected next year! The programme will be shown
in the August ‘Windsock’. Any newsletter items to me please, so I can have
them ‘in the box’ by the end of July. Sunday 24th July
will see us at the ‘Cholsey Model Mania’, where, even if you are not flying,
your help will be gratefully received. Likewise, the 6th
& 7th August will see the Childe Beale Floatplane/Boat meeting,
which for us will be ‘B’ Pilots only flying and again, help please to make
it a great weekend. Bob Roper is again the Ringmaster, so contact him soon. All the rest are in the model
mags and there is plenty to interest all. RUNNING
IN YOUR ENGINE Recently
the SAM 35 Vintage Magazine printed an article by the great American modeller,
George Aldrich, on breaking-in new motors. I have been given permission to pass
this on to you, so, as many of us now use ABC (Aluminium Piston, Brass Chromed
Cylinder) motors, here is the part that applies to us: ‘Engines that I set up with chromed cylinders will break-in easier, but
will need the fast/rich treatment to start with. Use reasonably small propellers
for the larger engines-say a 9x5 for a 40 to 46, and a 10 x 5 for a 60. Be
patient and do not set the engine off too lean – over rich is the message. I
am convinced that the modern ABC system is very durable and will take more abuse
in an over lean run, if it has to. Initial run in for ABC engines is pretty
simple. Run a tank or two through the engine at a pretty
rich 2-cycle and then go fly! It is important not to run them at an over rich
setting, particularly when new. The
high silicone aluminium material used for the piston has a lower expansion rate
than the brass cylinder. This means in order to maintain excellent hot
compression, the fit of the piston must be much tighter than engines using a
cast iron piston/steel cylinder. A properly fitted ABC engine will be nice and
free through bottom dead centre (BDC), but soon after the piston closes the
exhaust port, it will just lock up and stop. To be able to turn the engine over,
a prop will need to be put on and when new, it will squawk and squeak as it is
turned through Top Dead Centre (TDC). Quite often the compression is so fierce
it is really hard to flip the prop. To start a new engine the first time, it is
often best to lightly prime the exhaust and just slap the prop backwards. It is
normal for the engine to fire and kick off in the right direction! It’s easy
to see that if the engine is kept cool, via a rich setting, this tight fit will
put undue on the rod and connecting parts. What we want is, to get the engine
into a two-cycle right away in order build up heat to expand the brass cylinder
and ease the stresses early on. I don’t go much on these synthetic oil based
fuels, give me Castor anytime. I know its gungy, but it is always there for you
and a lean run is not an absolute catastrophe.
The glow-plug used can also have an effect on
the running-in procedure. Methanol and Platinum, the base element in all
glow-plugs, create a true catalytic action. This is why glow engines have been
known to start without a battery connected. Rhodium is the ‘trick’ element
added to Platinum that makes a good idling plug or one that will run well for
aerobatics. The best plugs available today include OS No 8 and Enya no 3.
However, platinum is allergic to aluminium! The first few runs of a new engine
will more than likely harm the plug element, if it does not take it out
completely. The minute particles going through the engine as the parts are
seated are reason enough to change the plug after the first tank or two. I offer these findings and opinions in the hope
of making your modelling a little easier and more pleasurable’.
For those of you who do not know who George Aldrich was, he passed on some three years ago, but the above is just part of his full article and based on 55 years of free-flight, C/L stunt and speed, R/C and manufacturing research and development. A truly ‘Great!’ THE
BALLAD OF READING CLUB FIELD Our
airstrip is cunningly located Betwix road and sweet flowing
Thames Joe public likes it for
picnics And his dog leaves lots of
lose ends So the simple task of landing Requires judgement and
unusual skill Do you crash, splash or do a
greaser Or do you go for the
‘squatting dog kill? Anon. I
wonder who this is? LANDING.
That’s all for now and I hope you have enjoyed the contents. I do hope
that we will be able to enjoy some decent flying weather before
long. Someone did say that these high winds and other clag cannot last forever,
but I am not heading for the Betting Shop yet! Mind you, he also said that it is
better to travel than to arrive, so keep on building. Late
news :- 1.
I have just heard that Enya No 3 Glow-plugs may no longer be produced!
This is a shame as Jack’s glow-plug problem came home to me today. It
was very noticeable how well my OS35 ran with a new plug. 2.
Tesco’s are selling five litres of car shampoo at £2.45.
This is what you should use to wash your models down with.
I well remember Dave Ballard telling my wife off for washing her car with
Fairy Liquid. ‘It takes all the
shine and wax off,’ said Dave. He
was right and it took many applications of T-Cut to get the shine back.
Try it! 3. Dave Grey is doing a great job at the flying field. He is there to help and is concerned with your safety. Please listen to him! Also at the moment I notice that there is an attack of ‘The
Round Nadgers’, commonly known as propellers.
They seem to be biting well, this early part of the season.
As Jack Bishop says, ‘They don’t ‘arf hurt!’ (Editorial
revision). Please take care. 4.
I am please to tell you that Nader Mashinchy of Ripmax is now supporting
our newsletters with regard to stationery and postage.
To this end, enclosed is his first flyer with special offers.
More are to follow. We are
the first club to be in on this deal and I hope that all our members will find
it useful. This arrangement came
about only in the last few days and should be a great help all round. All
the very best, Tony
Roberts – Windsock Editor
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