WelcometotheSeptember2023issueofRCM&E.
InlatespringIreceivedanunexpectedbirthday gif tintheformofsomepristine£10notes.Itwasn’t avastamountbutwaswelcomenonetheless,especiallyasI havebeenmakinggoodheadwayoncleaningupmyworkshop readyfor,Ihope,somegoodold-fashionedbalsabashing comeautumnandwinter.IinstantlyknewwhatIwouldspend itonandthatwasalabelprintersothatIcouldneatlymarkup thecontentsofthemultitudeofsmallboxesthathadpiled highduringmyrecentclearingoutsessions.
Abitofresearchonline,includingvisitingthatfamous internetshoppingcompany,whittleddownmyoptionstotwo well-knownmakesoflabelprinters,withoneproductcoming outmarginallybetterinreviewsthantheother.Astheywere verycloseinprice,regardlessoftheshopsIcheckedout,it basicallycamedowntoonebeinglesswastefulwhencutting of feachlabelthanitscompetitor.Replacementlabel cartridgesalsoseemedtobemoreprevalentinlocalshops thanfortheothertype.
So,Iventuredtoanearbynewsagent,partofanationwide companythatdoessterlingworksellingthisandother MortonsMediapublications,handedovermyreadiesand wassoonbackinmyworkshophappilyprintingcopious numbersoflabels.Itwillalsocomeinveryhandywhen printingmyoperatorIDnumberforattachingtoanynew models!
Rollonjustacoupleofdaysandamuch-neededholidayin Cornwallbeckoned.So,alongwithmybetterhalf,wenipped roundtothelocalsupermarket–theonewiththemagnetic (tome!)centreaislesthatImentionedacoupleofissuesago –tostockuponafewessentials.Ofcourse,Icouldn’tresist takingadetourdownsaidcentreaisleslookingforanynew bargainsandwascock-a-hooptodiscoveraboxofprint cartridgesformyshinynewprinter.Atwellunderhalfthe normalprice,Ihadtoresistbuyingtoomany–af terallhow manylabelsdoesanyshed-dwellerreallyneed–andsoI finallysettledontwopacks,whichshouldkeepmegoingfora bit.
Afewdayslater,af terdodgingtherainshowersallaround theRiverTamar,wewerebackinthesamesupermarketagain, thistimetoppingupthecupboardsathomewithafewthings whilstweawaitedourweeklygrocerydeliveryfromarival store.(Homedeliveryisbest,mywifereckons,tostopme pickingupthingsthatwe–makethatI-don’treallyneed!)
Anyway,Ihadtotakeasneakylookatdownthemiddleofthe shopandthatwasmydownfall.There,staringatme,werea neatrowofthesamelabelprinters,buttheseweregoingfor lessthanhalftherecommendedretailpricethatIhadpaid justoveraweekbefore.Mygastwaswellandtruly f labbered!
Oh,well.I’vehadagoodrunIsupposewhenshoppingin thereforbargains,soperhapsitwastimeformylucktorun out.Idoubtifitwillputmeof fthough!
Timenowtotakeabrieflookatwhatwehavelinedupfor youintheOctoberissueofRCM&E,startingwithourregular columns.
InhislatestRetroRamblings,ShaunGarrityfindshimself unfazedasthreepredictionsinhislastcolumnfailto materialise,beforegoingontodiscusstheprosandconsof linearservos.InMakeItScale,DannyFentoncontinueswith hisdeHavillandChipmunkbuildusingtheJerryBatesplan. Thenit’sovertoGrahamAshbyandKickTheTyresinwhich Grahambroachesthethornysubjectofaccident-pronepilots, thenlightensthemoodwitharitualsacrifice
Forthismonth’scentre-foldPro-Plan,TonyNijhuisreturns withthethirdEDFjetinhislatestseriesofTNMiniJets.The aircraf tmodelledbyTonythistimeistheF9FCougar.
OurfeaturearticlesstartwithPart2ofCreatingYourOwn ModelduringwhichMartinHardydetailsthedesignandbuild ofhis90-inchspanelectricpoweredAvroShackleton.Nextwe havetheconcludingpartofanothertwo-partfeature,The RoadToBulgaria,whereAlexMaxfieldcontinueshis preparationsforparticipatingattheF5JWorldChampionships inBulgarialaterthisyear.Concludingthismonth’sfeatures, MikeandAlFreemanteamuptotourthestandsandroamthe pitsatthisyear’sWestonParkAirshowInternational.
OntestthismonthDavidAshbytest f liesamightyB1-B bomberanddiscoversthatXFly’snewswing-wingjetisabitof abeast,albeitafriendlyone.Finally,aone-modelgliding compisafunwaytospenda f lyingsession,asIfoundout whenassemblingmyclub’schosensoarer,theVolantex PhoenixS1600.
Ihopeyouenjoyreadingitall.
HappyFlying!
Photo:Mike&AlFreeman
Oneofthestarsofthisyear’sWestonParkshow,MarkLeavesley’sPilatus PC-21Turbopropbeatsupthestripwithsmokeon.This2.68mspanfully compositemodelismanufacturedbyTomahawkAviationandwassupplied byAzAerosports.SheispoweredbyaJetCatSPT10-RXTurbopropengine. Marksayssheisapleasureto f ly;hecertainlyputonasmashingdisplay.
Aone-modelglidingcompisafunwaytospenda f lyingsession. KevinCrozierassembleshisclub’schosensoarer
28
CREATINGYOUROWNMODEL
MartinHardydetailsthedesignandbuildofhis90-inchspanAvro ShackletonMk.2
62 SUBSCRIBE…
...andreceiveLuf twaf feFighters& SupermarineSecretProjectsFREE!
38 THEROADTOBULGARIA
AlexMaxfieldcontinueshispreparationsfor participatingattheF5JWorldChampionships
86 WESTONPARK2023
MikeandAlFreemanteamuptotourthestandsandroamthepits atthisyear’sWestonParkAirshowInternational
16 RETRORAMBLINGS
ShaunGarrityisn’tfazedasthreepredictionsinhislastcolumnfail tomaterialise
22 MAKEITSCALE
DannyFentoncontinueswithhisChipmunkbuildusingtheJerry Batesplan
80 KICKTHETYRES
GrahamAshbybroachesthethornysubjectofaccident-prone pilotsthenlightensthemoodwitharitualsacrifice
48 F9FCOUGAR
TonyNijhuisreturnswiththethirdEDFjetinhislatestseriesofTN MiniJets
Allreasonablecareistakeninthepreparationofthemagazinecontents,butthepublisherscannotbe heldlegallyresponsibleforerrorsinthecontentsofthismagazineorforanylosshoweverarisingfrom sucherrors,includinglossresultingfromnegligenceofourstaff.Relianceplaceduponthecontentsofthis magazineisatreaders’ownrisk.
Followinghisarticleonhis1911Deperdussin intheJulyissueofRCM&E,IanTurney-White hasbeenbusydevelopinghisimpressive3.8 metrespanEdwardianmonoplane.Hismain effortshavecentredaroundreplacingthe342cc Westlakedroneengineforsomethingabit morepowerful.Here’swhatIanhastoldusso faroveraseriesofemails:
‘Idecidedtoborrow,fornow,theJPX425cc motor,itsreductiondriveandthe56”x26“prop frommyHanriotbiplane(I’mmakingenquiries aboutobtaininganotherJPX.)
IremovedtheJPX’s‘bell’mountandreplaced itwitha flatplatemounttoreducetheengine’s lengthandtheeffectontheCentreofGravity. Iamalsomakinganewlargervolumesteel silencerthatwilljustfitinthelowerfuselage cut-out.
WhenI flewtheDeperdussinwiththe Westlakeitwasmarginalonpower.Butwith theJPXrunningnicelyataround4600rpmit’s runningatitspeakpowerof26horsepower, whichwillallowmetodosomuchmorewhen flyingitandalso
haveausefulreserveofpower.’
‘IfittedtheJPXplusreductiondriveandtest runit.There’satleastathirdormorepower.I hadtomoveallthebatteriesrearwardetc.
Ihopetotest flyitwhenmyinspectorgets backfromhisholidaysnextSunday.’
‘Ifinallygotroundto flyingitwiththenew enginelastweek.Thelargerengine flewitso muchbetter-morepower,muchbetterclimb rateandIwasableto flythemodelwiththe enginethrottledback.
Ihadmovedtheradioandstartbatteriesas farbackasIcould,plusIaddedabout12ounces tothetailendtomovetheCentreofGravity rearwards.Iendedupaddingafewounces more,whichallowedmetogetridofmost oftheuptrimandIfeltthemodelbecoming muchmoreresponsive.
Ihadfour flightsbutonthelast flightIhad justturnedthemodeldownwindoverthe wheatfieldthatsurroundsthestrip(whichhad grownconsiderablywhilstIwaswaitingtobe ableto flythemodel)whentheenginejust stopped.Therewasnochanceofgettingback tothestripsoIcouldonlylevelthewingsand tryand flareitontothecrop.Wheatisnotvery forgiving,andthemodelsadlysufferedalotof damagetothefrontfuselage.Thepilot’sbody andupperlegsweresmashedtobitsbutIbut havesincerebuilthimandhe’snowfitto fly again.
It’sSod’sLawthattheenginestoppedjust whereitdid.TheonlyfaultIcouldfindwasthat thesensor/leadwasinoperable;withanew sensor/leadtheignitionunitwassparking awaymerrily.WithhindsightIwishedIhad
flownitsomewhereelsewithmoreuseable roombutit’salwayseasytosaythat.’
‘BesidesrepairingtheDeperdussin,Iwill advertiseintheBritishMicrolightAssociation’s magazineforaJPXmotor,plusIhaveaFrench friendwhoisamodellerandanAirFrancepilot whomImayaskforsomehelpintrackingdown oneofthesemotors(theyweremadeinFrance.)
Plus,ifIcangetaJPX,Iwillmakean improvedreductiondrivesystemthatusesa newtypeofdrivebeltwhich,byallaccounts, isverylonglastingandhasminimalvibration. Thentheengine/reductiondriveunitI borrowedwillbefittedbackintheHanriotand extensivelytested.
TheDeperdussinrebuildwillgivemethe opportunitytomovetheelevatorandrudder servosrearwards,minimisingtailweight.Plus, itwillhaveaslightlyshorternose,againtohelp withtheCG.
Iwillalsofitthealloydiscthathasthe magnet(fortheignition)fittedtoitontothe protrudingrearendofthecrankshaft,plusthe sensor/leadwhereitwillbemoreprotected fromanypossibledamage.’
Thanksforalltheupdates,Ian.Weare sorrytolearnofthedamagesustainedbythe Deperdussinbutwearesureyouwillhaveher backintheairsoon.Pleasecontinuetokeepus informed.
WithreferencetoherBMFAPayload ChallengereportinSwitchOninthelastissue, BMFAOutreachDirector,HelenJoneshas askedustopublishthefollowingcorrection:
“IthascometolightthatwhenIwrotethe reportforyouthatIhadn’tgotanup-to-date resultssheet.Therefore,itmeantthatIhave givenincorrectinformationregardingwhich
Overnowtoourresidentshedbased correspondent,DaveGoodenough:
I’dlongwantedtorecreatethemodelsfrom myaeromodellingformativeyearsandonceI hadlotsoffreetimeavailable,Idecidedtoget onwithit-butwithatwist…
Ibuiltthetwice-sizeKeilKraft‘Invader’ (featuredinapreviousarticleinRCM&E)asa ‘proofofconcept’andwiththatmodelbeing sosuccessfulIbegantoannotatethetwo timesenlargedplansforboththeKeilKraft ‘Topper’andVeron‘Verosonic.TheTopperwas builtandmodifiedexactlyasthe‘Invader’, withasplitwingpivotingonthetubularwing joinerandoperatingasa‘Twisteron’,or ‘Pitcheron’viatwofuselagemountedmetal gearservos,givingaverypositiveformof control.
A300Woutrunnerinthenoseanda flat-bottomedaerofoilgivesthemodelboth flatfieldandslopepracticality.Aswiththe Invader,thetwo-metrewingspanTopperhas proventobeaveryablemodel,beingeasyto controlandapleasureto fly.
TheVerosonicwasadifferentkettleoffish, astheswept-backwingwouldbeverydifficult tomodifyfor‘Twisteron’control.Atsome 2.4mspanthewingstructurewasadaptedfor a flat-bottomedaerofoil,withaileroncontrol andjoinedusingGraupnerwingblades,
whichareslimbutverystrong-asIfound later!Thetailplanewasmodifiedforelevat andsecuredwithabolt-onfin.Norudderis usedasthisisanAileron/Elevator/Motor model,despiteitssize.Havingonespare,I fitteda500Woutrunnerupfront,toallow f slopeandfielduse.Despiteaclubworthy tellingmethattheVerosonicwas‘tooheavy anddidn’thaveenoughpower’,themodel simplyignoredhimand flewjustaswellas theoriginal1949PhilSmithconfectionwas designedtodo.Itdoes flywithadistinct nose-down‘sit’butthatmaybemyfaultas mighthavegotthewingangleofattacka bit ‘off’.Itlooksverygoodintheairthough, fighter-likeonafastandclose-inslopepass! Iwastakingachancebycommittingso muchtimeandasmallgroveofbalsaand basswoodtotheproject,buttheresultis threevery flyableandmostenjoyablemod thatarefarremovedfrom‘theusualsuspec onthefieldandslope.
TheVerosonicproveditsinnatestrength whenImistakenlyattackedadrystonewall withitonanextendedapproach.Theouter sectionoftherightwingwassmashed,right uptothemainspar,yetthebassspardidn’t break,savingthemainstructureandmaking therebuildsimple.Iwon’tdoitagain, promise!
teamwontheDistancechallenge.Itwas actuallyISchoolChenmai.”
Manythanksforlettingusknow,Helen.And congratulationsISchoolChenmai.
Words&photos» DavidAshby
Well,thisisaseriouslyimpressive dropofready-to-flyR/Caeroplane. You’relookingataB1-Bwithtwin 70mmEDFunits,bespokeCNCmachined undercarriage,anonboardstabiliser,eight navigationandlandinglightsand-yep-a swing-wingmechanismthatpushesthespan outfrom1040mmto1776mm(70”).It’sabitof abeast.
Butthen,soistherealthing.Ifyou’veeverseen a‘Bone’(asit’saffectionatelyknown,B1-Bone) flypastthenyou’llknowwhatImean.Forsheer presence,noiseanddownrightimpressiveness it’srightuptherewiththeVulcanandB-52. There’sinsufficientspacetorelatethetype’s history(dolookitup,it’sinteresting),suffice tosaythattheprototypefirst flewin1974, it’scapableofmach1.25(around950mph)at altitude,theUSAFordered100and,asof2021, theremaining45areplannedtoretireby2036. Which,incidentally,willbebeforetheB-52thatit wasdesignedtoreplace.
Anyhow,let’stalkabouttheminiature.Has anyonemodelledtheB1-Bbefore?The challengesareobvious,whichisprobably whyIdon’trecallseeingone.Asyou’dexpect, thisoneismouldedfromEPOfoamandthe finishisexcellent.Whileit’scertainlylarge, bothwings,thenoseconeandrearfuselage sectioncanberemovedforconvenient transportationifnecessary,althoughmylarge estatecarjustaboutmanagestoswallowitup inonepiece.LikesomeotherXFlymodelsthe foampackagingcanbeusedtoprotectthe fuselageandwingsforstorageortransport shouldyouwish.
Adetailedinstructionbookguidesthe assemblysequenceandglueisn’trequired. Fromaquickglanceyou’dassumethatthe processisa30-minutejobbutit’swiseto preparealargespaceandtakeyourtime. There’snothingdifficultherebutamethodical approachandagoodreadofthebookletpays
dividends.Oh,makeacuppaandsitdown towatchtheassemblyandset-upvideoby theUSdistributor,BananaHobby(search: UltimateGuide:SettinguptheXFlyB-1B Lancer).Isaythatbecausethevideo,whilevery helpfulalsoreinforcestheimportanceofafew unconventionalyetessential‘needtoknows’.
ASSEMBLY
Astickeronthefoampackagingremindsyou nottoconnectthe flapsuntilthemodelis poweredup.Inthiswaythedeflectionscanbe adjustedwhileavoidingtheriskofservo damage.Ifollowedthisadvicebutfoundthat oneofmy flapservoswaslifelessafterbuzzing noisilyforafewsecondsduringthefirstpower up.Itwaseasytoswapoutwithanidentical sparethatIwasfortunatetohavelyingaround.
You’llbeimpressedwiththeall-moving stabiliser’srigidityandtheeasewithwhichthe stabhalvesarealignedthankstothethreaded holesinthejoinerrodtowhichtheretention
bolts screw I think it ’s sensible to apply thread-lock to the elevator servo quick link grubscrew while you’re at it
There’s a substantial piece of hard wood running across the fuselage shoulder with swing wing mechanisms firmly fixed at either end. A single 25g digital metal gear servo does the pulling and pushing while nicely machined metal hinge assemblies and drop-in hinge pins secure the wings in a reassuring manner I used a little tape to make sure the servo lead connectors were tucked away and didn’t foul the mechanism.
A large hatch cover reveals a generous sized battery bay while a small cover on the underside, magnetically retained, hides the combined gyro (stabiliser) and mixer board. All servo leads converge in the battery bay where there’s plenty of room for a receiver too The leads are marked, except one, a two-strand black/white lead and that ’s for the ESC.
“A detailed instruction book guides the assembly sequence and glue isn’t required”
Perhapsit’snosurprise,giventhenature ofthemachine,butthemaintakeawayfrom thevideoisthattheon-boardstabiliserplays afargreaterrolethanthoseyoumayhave encounteredinthepast.It’snotswitchable(on/ off)in flight,althoughasmallswitchonthe unititselfdeactivatesit-anddeactivateityou mustbeforethecontrolsurfacesarecentered duringassembly.
Anotherunusualfeature:onthegroundthe controlsurfacemovementisslowishandthe surfacesdon’tselfcentrewhenthegyroison.It seemsstrangebutyou’vegottogoalongwithit andtrustthegyro.Thatgyroisking.
IntestingInoticedthatthe flapsdroppeda coupleofmillimetreswhenthewingsweeps back.It’saprogrammedresponseandmy guessisthatit’stocamberthewingand providealittleextraliftastheshapechanges in flight.
Themanualandthevideostresstheawareness ofafewfundamentals.Firstly,theratesand trimmustn’tbealtered.Keeptheratesat100% andavoidtheurgetoaddexponentialandtrim themodelin flight.Rudderistheonly exceptiontoallowadjustmentstonoseleg steeringsensitivity.
Ifyoupowerthemodelwhenthegearisup thennose-legsteeringisunavailableafterthe gearcomesdown,sojustremembertocycle thepoweragainafterthegearisdown.
Let’stalkabouttheCofG.Youwon’tbe surprisedifItellyouthatthegoodol’CofGhas comeupfordiscussionmorethanafewtimes amongearlyadoptersintheonlineforums. TheCofGmovesrearwardswhenthewings gobackandthat’sgoingtohavesomeeffect onthemodel’sstabilityand flyingfeel.The full-sizemachinepumpedfuelbetweenits wingandfuselagetanksinordertomaintain equilibriumbutuntilsomeonecomesupwith awayofshiftingtheLiPobatteryin flightthe gyrodoesallthework.
XFly’ssuggestedCofGis48mmbehind theleadingedgemeasuredatthewingroot. Banana’svideostronglysuggests81mmsothis iswhatI’veusedandwithhindsightI’mvery gladIhave.
I’ve flownmanydifferentmodeltypesoverthe years,soonlyveryoccasionallywillsomething comealongwhereIfeelalittlenervous.You won’tbesurprisedwhenIsaythatthiswasone ofthose.Ihadahealthy12mphbreezecoming straightdownthestripforthefirstfew flights.
It’ssomethingIpreferfornewEDFjetsanyway astheysometimesneedabitof encouragementunsticking,oratleastuntilI cansussouttheirtakeofftraits.Suchwasthe casehere;themodelacceleratedtoa respectablepace,butalittleelevatorwasn’t encouragingittounstick.Astheendofthe stripapproached,Ihadachoiceofabortingor holdinginabucketloadofelevatorandhoping forthebest.Ididthelatteranditleaptupwith afewfeettospare.
Forthesecondtake-offIaskedahelper toholdthetail,thengiveitalittleshoveasI throttledup.Butthathadlittleeffect.Again,as theendofthestripapproached,alorryloadof elevatorsavedtheday.Dropping flapsacouple ofmillimetresdidthetrickfortake-offnumber threeandshewasupinhalfthelength.
There’snomentionofcontrolsurface deflectionmeasurementsinthemanualso whileitseemscounter-intuitive,asIsay,you justhavetoletthegyrodoitsthing.Ileft thewingsoutforthefirst flightandit flew verynicelywithapositive,predictablefeel. Itcruisednicelyataround60%throttle,low passesfeltcomfortableand,atfullthrottle, therewasplentyofpowerinreserveifneeded.
Myfirstlandingwasn’ttheprettiest.Ilet itsinkabittoomuchonfinalsandalthough
“Keeptheratesat100%andavoidthe urgetoaddexpoandtrimthemodelinflight”
It’snotthefirstswingwing ready-to-flyEDFjet,although itmustbethelargest.
somepowerextendedtheglidepathittouched downabitheavierthanIwouldhaveliked.No damagethough.Thefirst flightlasted3.5mins, thebatterycheckerreportingmy(800g)50C6S 5000mAhLiPoat20%afterwards.
WithabitofheightforcomfortIretracted thewingswhen flyingintowindduringthe second flight.Themodelstartedpitching downso,rememberingthemanual’s‘notrim’ rule,onlyelevatorwouldholditlevel.Roll sensitivityincreaseswhenthewingsareback, buttheoverridingimpressionwastheneed tokeepthenoseup.IfeltrelievedI’dsetthe CofGat81mmasIhungonelevatorfarmore thanIreallywantedto.Mindfuloftheneed tokeepthespeedupandpreventastall(gyro ornot),high,widemanoeuvreswerebestin thisconfiguration,especiallyasthenosehas atendencytodiginthroughtighterturns. Keepingthingsbigandsmoothisbest;itlooks farmore‘scale’too.
Thegyrofeelslikeaheading-holdunitand workshardtoblendthevariationsinpitchthat theswingwingcreates.It’snotperfectbutI thinkitdoeswellgiventhetask.Loopsandrolls arepossibleandthevideosareoutthere,but whywouldyou?Thisonelooksridiculousthe wrongwayup.
Thesecondlandingwasahappyevent.
Thisdigitalmetalgear13gservoshiftsthe all-movinghorizontalstabiliser.
Left:Mainretractsare beautifullydone.
Above:Allretractsare reassuringlyrobust.
Asimplemechanismclosesthenoselegdoors.
Here’sthecleverbit.Thiscombinedstabiliser/mixer unitsmoothsoutthe flightwrinklesandhelpsthe modelmanagetheCofGalterationwhenthewings move.
Asingle25gservodrivestheswing-wing mechanism.Notethehardwoodbearerand machinedsteelbracketandhingepin.
Justlikethefullsizethisisanimposingbeast.
Name: B-1BLancer
Modeltype: SemiscaleEDFjet
Manufacturedby: XFly-Model
UKdistributor: CMLDistribution cmldistribution.co.uk
RRP: £749.99
Wingspan: 1776mm(70”)-1140mm (45”)
Fuselagelength: 1920mm(76.8”)
All-upweight: 5000g(11lbs)
Wingarea: 573sq.in.
Wingloading: 130g/dm2
Powersystem: 2x70mm12-bladeEDF units, 2x30602000kVmotors, 2x80AESC, 6S5000-7000mAhLiPo
Connectortype: XT90
Functions(servos): Ailerons(2), flaps(2), elevator(1),rudder(1),wing sweep(1),mainU/Cgear doors(2)
Requiredto fly: 6S5000-7000mAhLiPo battery,receiver
Batterybayislargewhichisjustaswellbecause someLiPobatteryshiftingisrequired.I flewwitha CofGat81mmcomparedtothe48mminthe manual.
Inearlyranoutofrunwayduringthefirsttake-offbeforeappreciatingthatalittle flaphelpsitunstick.
WiththewingsfullyextendedagainIdropped flapstothe10mmmaximumsuggestedinthe video.Shedumpedsomespeedandgreasedin comfortably,thesmallwheelsuntroubledby theshortgrassstrip.
Amethodicalapproachtoassemblyand flight prepisrequiredhere.Thisisn’tamodelyoucan screwtogetherwithoutasecondglanceatthe manual.Takeyourtime,doyourresearch,get theCofGbackto81mm(foryourfirstfew flightsatleast)andtrustthegyro.
Sightandsound. Lowpassesareterrific.
Thisonewasalwaysgoingtopresenta numberofchallengestothedevelopersat XFly,notleastintheCofGdepartment,but theresultoftheireffortsisveryimpressive. Whetherit’sforyouwilldependonyour budgetand flyingfield.
Itneedsagoodshortgrassortarmacstrip andabig flyingspace,especiallyonethat providestheroomtosettleitdownduringthe landingcircuitandapproach.It’safriendly beastthen,amachineforexperiencedpilots, butit’sagentlegiant,onethatlooksand soundsfabulous.
OnlyinstrongsunshinedidIrealisethatthecockpit glazingmasksaninterior.
Twin80AESCsreceivesomecoolingairflowonthe underside.
Rates,expoandtrimshouldbe leftalone.Thegyrodoesallthat.
XFly’sLanceriscertainly aheadturner!
It’swellbehavedwhenthespeeddrops.The flapsslowitdownnicely.
Althoughit’snearlytwometreslongthenoseandrearfuselagesectioncanbe quicklyremovedfortransport.
“
…it’sagentlegiant, onethatlooksand soundsfabulous”
KwikFly3isbackinarespectablestate. ForblacktrimIusedanew(tome) heatshrinkcoveringfromRipmaxcalled AEROFilm.Iamverypleasedwiththe results.Itisunusualinthatithasno backingsheettoremove.
ShaunGarrityisn’tfazedasthreepredictions inhislastcolumnfailtomaterialise words&photos»ShaunGarrity
LastcolumnImadeafewpredictionsthat themysteryitemwasgoingtoprove challenging,myKwikFly3wouldonlytake afewhourstorepairthemousevandalism,and someonewouldhaveaplanorkitfortheDB Bumble-B.Well,Iwasverywrong. OntheupsideI’veprobablyhadthebest everresponsetoamysteryitemandeverybody wascorrect.Itwasacombustionchamber fromaWW2V2ballisticmissileondisplayat Cosfordmuseum.
V2
TheV2(projectnameAggregatA-4)wasthe world’sfirstlongrange,liquidpropellant rocketengine,guidedballisticmissileandwas alsothefirstmanmadeobjecttotravelinto spacebywayofpassingtheKarmanLine,62 milesabovesealevel.
DevelopedinWW2theVdesignationstood forVengeanceWeaponanditwasdesigned byWernhervonBraun.VonBraungainedhis enthusiasmforrocketsasateenagerinthe1920s andwasfurtherinspiredbythedevelopment oftheOpel-RAKmannedrocketcarsandrocket
ThefearsomeV2ballistic missileonitslaunchpad. DanSharpCollection.
planes.Thedevelopmentprogramsadlyended becauseoftheGreatDepressionof1929when FritzvonOpelleftGermanyandemigratedto France,thenSwitzerland.
Thisdidn’tdampenvonBraun’spassion, however,andinearly1930heattendedthe UniversityofBerlinwhereheassistedHerman Oberthinliquidfuelledrocketmotortests.He hadgonefullcircleasitwasOberth’sbook‘The RocketintoInterplanetarySpaces’thatvon Braunhadboughtasayoungster,garneringhis initialinterest.
Longstoryshort,theNazipartygained powerwhilevonBraunwasworkingonhis doctorateandanartillerycaptaincalled Dornbergerarrangedaresearchgrantforvon Braun.Theinitialliquidfuelledrocketshe developedweretestedattheKummersdorf testsitealongsideexistingsolidfuelledtypes. By1934hehadsuccessfullylaunchedtwoA seriesrockets,withoneachievingaheight of2.2miles.Buoyedbythishethenwanted todevelopmuchlargergyroguidedrockets capableofhaulinga1-tonpayloadskyward witha170-milerange.FromwhatIcan establishtheV2wasdevelopedin1938atthe ArmyResearchCentre,Peenemunde.
Interestingly,itisallegedthatHitlerinitially wasn’tveryimpressedwiththeV2andlikened ittoanartilleryshellthatmerelyhadmore rangeandsignificantlymorecost.Constructed attheMittlewerksitebyprisonersitsmain purposewastobepromotedasaWonder WeapontohelpmaintainGermanmoral. DetaileddrawingsoftheV2wereacquired in1943bytheAustrianresistance,alongwith locationsofthemanufacturingsitesand thesehelpedthealliesformulateaplanto bombthesefacilities.StartinginSeptember 1944morethan3000werelaunchedbythe Wehrmactagainstalliedtargets.
Afterthewar,vonBraunandanother125 scientistsandengineersweresenttoFortBliss, TexasintheUSAunderamilitaryoperation calledProjectPapercliptoworkonrocket technologyfortheUSArmy.In1960President EisenhowermovedthegrouptoNASAto developspacetravel.VonBraundiedin1977 andduringhistimeinAmericahealsoworked withDisneyonprogramsaboutspacetravel. Oh,andfirstpastthelineidentifyingthe mysteryobjectwasMartinHarris,whoemailed me.Butthankstoalltheothersfortaking thetime.
Anyway,youmaybewonderingwhatthisV2 ramblehastodowithmodelling.Well,afew decadesagoIboughtarocketboostedR/C canardglidercalledtheAstroBlaster. ManufacturedbyEstes,whowerewellknown fortheirrangeoffree flightmodelrockets (theywereexperimentingwitharocket poweredboostgliderbackin1957),Ijusthadto haveone,myinnerchildhavinggoneinto overdrive.Imean,whatwasn’ttheretolikeverticaltake-off,smoke, flames,speedandno waytoshutitoffoncetheburnhadstarted.
OnopeningthekitIseemtoremember beinginitiallydisappointedas,likeanumber ofUSkitsofthetime,thefoamwingcores werenotsheetedandyouhadtodoityourself. Thediecuttingwasmorediecrushedandthe balsaselectionquestionable,butIcouldhave beenunlucky.Impatienttogetskywardthis provedanannoyance,butthekitassembled quicklyandmyminitantrumwasforgotten. Finishedandpointingalmostverticalonthe takeofframp,Imustadmittobeingunusually atadnervous.ButtobefairIhadneverputmy expensive(atthetime)R/Cgearinawinged fireworkbefore.
Ithadanelectricfiremechanismwitha launchbutton.Honestly,arealfirebutton,so afteraquicktwiddleofthestickstoensure everythingmovedasexpectedwestartedthe countdown.Iwasexpecting‘10,9,8,7’ etc.
EstesrocketpoweredR/Cboostglider. Brilliantfunbutatadexpensivetorununless youcaughtathermal.Thisisanothermodel thatisbackonmy‘Iwantanotherone’list.
AnotherprototypeGermanmissilefrom1944,theHenschelHs298airtoairmissile,hadadesign flight rangeofonemile.Radiocontrolledusingasolidfuelledrocket,itneverwentintoproduction,with developmentendingin1945.
Lastmonth’smysteryitemisnolongeramystery.
butmymatewaskeentogetitgoingsohe shorteneditto‘10–fire!’ MyfirstverticaltakeoffwasaninterestingexperienceandIhadto resistthetemptationtolevelheroutasthe aimwastoachieveasmuchheightaspossible togetthelongestglide.Ican’trememberhow muchairtimeIachievedfromeachlaunch, andIamsureitwaslessthanmyrose-tinted spectaclesmakemebelieve,buttheexpense wasworthitforthekudosofbeingtheonly rocketmanintheclub.
AnotherfeatureoftheBlasterwasthatyou couldalsoeasilyuseasmallICorelectricmotor asanalternativepowersource.Additionally, it flewwellasaslopesoarer,soitwasagood all-roundmodeltohaveinthe fleet.
Icouldfancyanotheronebutnodoubtit hasbecomeadesirablecatchforthedreaded kitcollector,destinedtobeboughtatahighly inflatedpriceandstuckinacupboard,never toseethelightofdayagain.Comeonguys, girls,they/them(it’sveryconfusingandgetting increasinglydifficultnottooffendsomeone thesedays),kitsweredesignedto fly,notbe hiddenaway.Sopleasebuildthemor flog themtosomeonewhowillstickthesmallbits ofbalsatogethertomakeabiggerpiece.
Ifyou flyatanoisesensitivesitethenmaybe rocketpowercouldbetheanswerifyouare feelingtheneedforspeed.Imean,whodidn’t wanttobeDanDareasakid?
Thereareseveralbooksavailableonthesubject. Bowden’swasfirstpublishedin1948.
By1985scalerocketshadbecomepopular,withcompetitionsfortheskilledanddedicated.
Modelrocketryhasbeenpopularformanyyears. ThisAeromodellerarticlewasfrom1963.
Afullcolouradvertmakesproductsfarmore appealing.TheEstesrangeofrocketswashugeand youwerespoiledforchoice.
Asdetailedlasttime,Ibelievedacoupleof hoursworkwouldsortoutmynewlyacquired flyingmousehouse.Igotthatepicallywrong.
OncloseinspectionMickeyhadnibbled atmorebitsofthewingthanIoriginally believedandithadbeentestingouttheodd bitoffuselageaswell.Imanagedtosavethe lowerwingcoveringandthefinandtail,but theresthadtogo.Asmallbonuswasthered filmcameoffwitheasebutthewhitefilm delaminated,withtheclearplasticcoming awayfromthewhitecolouredadhesiveand leavingthiswellstucktothebalsa.Afterquite afewhoursworkIfinallymanagedtoremove mostofit.Replacingthenibbledwood consumedmorehoursbutfinallyitwasready tocover.Thistookafewmorehoursasitwasa multicolourdesignbuteventuallyIcouldsee thelightattheendofthetunnel.
Otherproblemsweresourcingtheodd shapedfueltank,theweirdboltpatternof themotormountandfindinganengine.As luckwouldhaveit,Iwasata flyinandthere wereafewbringandbuytablesstacked withgoodieswhereIfoundtheexactitemsI needed.MymatealsohadalittleusedIrvine 46forsale,whichwastheengineoriginally fittedbyGeoff,sothecowlwouldbeaperfect fit.
TheplanwastogetitfinishedsoIcould fly itintheretroaerobaticslotsatthePontefract
SingleChannel&RetroshowinJuly.But theremustbeatimethiefinmyhouseasI’m runningoutofthisvaluablecommodityata rateofknots,sotimewilltell.
Wereceivedthefollowingemailateditorial HQ,andittiedinnicelytoaplanneditemI hadforRamblingsandtheadvertisedupand comingservofeature:
Havingreachedthe‘NextIssue’pageofthe JuneissueIamdelightedtonotethatyouwill beincludinganarticleonservoselectionand application.Perhapsit’stoolatenowtoraisea questionbuthere’sonethathaspuzzledmefor sometime.
Myfirstdigitalproportionalradio(early1970s), aSkyleaderset,wassuppliedwithAmericanEK Logictrolservos.Thesehadtwinparallellinear outputsmovinginoppositedirectionswhich madeiteasytoconnectthemviaquicklinkstothe controlsurfacepushrods.Beinglinearonehadno worriesaboutthesidewaysmotionofthequick links.Controlthrowwasadjustedatthecontrol horn.Ialwaysfoundtheseservostoberobustand reliable(inupto10ccaeroplanes).
Wastheirdemiseperhapsduetotheconversion ofrotarytolinearmotion(lossofefficiency)and/ orstrippingthegearteethonthelinearoutputs?
KeithCherrington
Linearthrowservoswereonceverypopular. TheRMPropobookhadawealthof informationonlinearandrotaryservos.
Iwasalwaysafanoflinearservos,especially forailerons.Itmadeforasimple,relatively slopfreesetup,especiallywhenusingBowden cablelinksdirectlytothecontrolsurfaces.This wasobviouslybackinthedaywhenaservo costasmuchasastatelyhome,somodellers generallyusedjustonecentrallyplacedunit.
Outofthesparesbox,IpressedsomeDS821digitalsintoservice.Notshownisanewplymountingplate thatneededmakingforthethrottleservo,Rxandbattery.
Newmountingplatesweremadefortheaileronservos. IwaspleasedthatIhadsomeredfilminstockthat almostmatchedtheoriginaltocoverthemwith.
AftermuchhuntingaroundImanagedtofindan enginemountthatmatchedthefirewallboltholes.
Above:Fromthetop:
Althoughcalledlinearbecauseofthepush pulloutputtheydidn’tgiveatrulylinearoutput tothecontrolsurfacesatlargerdeflections. Thefurtherawayfromtheservocentretheless lineartheresponseexhibitedatthecontrol surfaceduetothearcthecontrolhorngoes through;asortofbuiltingeometricalexpo. Severalveryearlyproportionalservoswere linear,beingsimplyconvertedfromreed actuatormechanicsandcases.
Ican’tfindanabsoluteanswertoKeith’s questionretheirdemise.Iwouldguessthey werealittlemoreexpensivetomanufacture
andthepropertiesofplasticsatthetime limitedhowbigintermsofoutputforcewas achievable,ashesuggests.I’mnotsurehow practical(atmodelsizes)aleadscrewmethod ofprovidingalinearoutputwouldbeforlarger servosbutIimaginetheywouldbequite weightywhencomparedtoarotaryequivalent. Idon’tthinkspeedwouldbeanissuethough asaCNCmachineIbuiltseveralyearsagoused leadscrewsformovingtherouterheadaround ontheworkpiecewithexcellentaccuracy. MyfavouritelinearwasthesecondgenerationmodelfromFutaba;reliable,
Below:Fromtopleft: OrbitPS3,SLMkit built,OrbitPS2,Futaba DigiMaxFD11,redHB PrecisionMicro-Lok, FutabaFD21M, WaltronbadgedE.K. Logictrol,Skyleader