Howo�tendo you�ly?More precisely, howmany�lightsdo youmakein eachsession? Yearsago,Iused to lug one glowpoweredmodel andmy�light-box across afield to my firstmodel�lyingsiteand Iconsidered myselflucky to getthree�lights notchedup.Buthavingmostly‘goneelectric’ thesedaysInow taketwo or threemodels andfar toomanyLiPos.Myusual�lightcount is nowfourtosix�lightsin amorning,which used to be fine, butnowI’m cracking on abitI findthatI’mincreasinglytired andachya�ter asession. AndifItry to do an ‘all-dayer’ (asI did yesterday)then by thetimetheevening comes,I’m wipedout.
Welcome NE VE RMISS ANIS SUE
I’velongsuspectedthatI’moverdoingit, confirmedwhen Iwasenjoyinga co�fee break between�lights andchatting to acoupleof more laid-backclubmates.Conversation turned to the topic of ‘coming�lying’andI listenedindisbeliefasthey bothagreedthat just one�light wasokay, andthey preferred to sit andchat ratherthanactually�ly anything. Withthat,Isomewhatsheepishlyle�tthem to it andheadedout forwhat wasprobablyat least my fi�th�light of theday!
Withallthe preparationneeded fora �lyingsessionIthinkthatjust one�lightis probablyabit toominimal.But on theother hand,as Igetolder,IrealisethatI’m probably overdoingit andneed to chill out abit more. Maybe Ineed to goback to just onemodel andthreechargedLiPos to emulatemyearly glow�lyingsessions?
Rightthen,now’sthetime to seewhat we have linedup foryouinthismonth’s RCM&E.First,I want to startwith BenchBlog,whichwillsadly beTim Hooper’slastcolumn.I’m sure that,like me,our regularreaderswillbesadtoseeTim clearhis famous work bench.Timsignso�fin finestylewith athrottleddieselconversionofa KKLadybird. NextisChrisWilliams(Scale Gliding)whobattlesthedirespring weather to test�lyhisnewT31 Tandem Tutorglider. In Make It Scale,DannyFenton concludeshis reportsfrom the Scale IndoorNationals. This monthDannyconcentrates on thefree�light
scalemodelsthat�lew aroundthehallatthe University of Wolverhampton inlate April. Ourfinalcolumn this monthis provided by Keith Jackson(Aerobatic Scene),wholooksat �lyingtheDouble Immelmann manoeuvre. Fort hismont h’ sp ull-o ut Pro-Pl an we have an otherclassicgliderfr om Chris Williams,t he Sl ingsbyType23Kite. As is usua lw ithChris’spl an st here’ sn ot eno ugh space on on ep lans heet to fe ature all of themodelso we willbe us ing th ep ull-out sheetinthe Se ptemberissuetoc om pl ete this fe ature.
On review is arealisticlookingairliner from XFly-Model. Poweredbytwin40 mm EDFsthe Twinlinerlooksjustlikethe sort of aircra�tthatcould well be transporting youto afavouriteholidayhotspot soon.
OurfeaturesincludeparttwoofIan Turney-White’sarticle on �lying a3/4scale 1911Deperdussin.DavidAshbymakesa welcome returnwith hisreportfrom the Bickleyclub’sglidingdaybeforewejoin Dave Goodenoughwhotransportsusback to last Autumn forthe annualAshbourne scalemeeting.
Thewholepackage –just£5.50perissuefora printed anddigital version www.classicmagazines.co.uk/subscription/RCM
On thecover
Th eB ic kl ey club in No rt hKent ho ld san umbe roft he me dg etto ge th er se ve ry ye ar at tr ac ting fl ye rs fr om ac ro ss th eS ou th Ea st .B ut glid er s, or sa ilpl an es if yo up re fe r, had n’ tf eatu red un tile ar li er this ye ar wh ena wa rm an ds unny MaySun day pr ov id ed pe rf ec tc on di ti on s. He re ’s Ne il Wallis wi th his Pi chle rSinba d, am od ern ve rsio nofHenry St ru ck ’s ea rly 19 40sde sign.
Photo: DavidAshby
Contents
Regulars
8 SWITCHON
Ourlatestround up of model� lying news.
38 PILOTS’PICTORIAL
Send us apic ture of anew or favourite modeland it couldappearinour regularreaders’modelsg allery
46 COUNTERPOINT
Aselec tion of newg adgets,kit sand bits foryou to buy
60 ALLWRITE
Have your sayinRCM&E’s monthly chat room
92 GOINGPLACES
Ourupd ated list of modelshows, events andcompetitionsfor youtovisit over thenex tfew months
Take alookatwhat’scominginthe September‘24 issueofRCM&E
Reviews
22 TWINLINER
TheEditorimagineshimself at the controls of amodernairliner, as neatly replic ated by XFly-Model
84 DERBYDELIGHTS
Dave Goodenough wind sbackthe clocktolastAutumnwitha report from theA shbourne sc alemeeting
Columns
10 BENCHBLOG
TimHooperfileshis final column with alookata refurbishedKeilKra�t Ladybird cabincruiser
16 SCALEGLIDING
Tandem Tutort akes o� f. ChrisWilliams beat sthe shower stotest� ly hisnew T31scale glider
30 MAKE IT SCALE
Followinghis R/CScale Indoor Nationalsrepor tinthe la st issue, DannyFentonstays on forthe Free Flight event
74 AEROBATICSCENE
With theintroductionofnew FAIF3A schedules, KeithJackson takesadet ailedlookata tricky P25 manoeuvre, plus some newproducts
Free Pro-Plan
48 SLINGSBY TYPE 23 KITE
ChrisWilliamsintroducespar tone of hislatestPro-Planarticle describing thebuild of aSling sbyprototype glider
Features
40 DEPERDUSSINPar t2
IanTurney-Whitefollows up hisarticle in theJuly’23 issueabout hisgiant sc aleEdwardian aeroplane
62 BICKLE YGLIDERDAY
DavidA shby report sfromthe North Kent club’s fir st glider themed gettogether
68 PALS &PARKJETS
Cr aigClark stoneisinter viewed about thehistory anddevelopment softhe semi-scale park jets o� feredbyhis companyJet works
Switch on
D -DAY
COMMEMOR ATIVETITLES
To commemorate the80th Anniversary of D-Day, MortonsMediahave publishedtwobookazines dedicated to Operation Overlord,the largest seaborneinvasioninmilitaryhistory.
D-DayR AF by CliveRowleyD -Day Overlord by DanSharp
‘D-DayRAF: TheRAF’s Partinthe Great Invasion’ by Clive Rowley brings to lightthe o�ten overlooked yetvitalcontributions of the RoyalAir Forceinthesuccess of OperationOverlordonJune6, 1944.
Whilethecourage andsacrifice on thebeaches ofNormandyare welldocumented,thedangerous andcrucialmissions undertaken by British andCommonwealth pilots andaircrew remaina lesser-knownchapter of this historicday. Clive Rowley,aretired Squadron Leader andformer O�ficer Commanding of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, masterfullyrecountsthesestories of quiet bravery andheroismhigh abovethetumultuouslanding grounds of France.
‘D-DayRAF ’isenrichedwith rareperiodphotographs and exquisiteaviationart, presenting avividportrayal of the Royal Air Force’sindispensable role inthe Normandylandings. Readerswill gaininsightinto thediverseaircra�tthatplayed critical roles,fromthenimble SupermarineSpitfire fighters andformidable Hawker Typhoon
fighter-bombers to theversatile A-20 Bostonandpowerful Avro Lancasterbombers.
Pricedat£9.99,‘D-DayRAF:The RAF’s Partinthe Great Invasion’ is an essential additiontothelibrary of anyoneinterestedinmilitary history, aviationenthusiasts and thoseseeking to understand thefullscopeof the Normandy invasion.Thebookazineis available forpurchaseat www.classicmagazines.co.uk
Theupdatededitionof‘D-Day Overlord:OperationOverlordand theBattle forNormandy’ by Dan Sharpisnow available.This commemorative editionprovidesa comprehensive anddetailed narrative of the invasionofNazi occupied France,o�fering readers an in-depthlookattheeventsof June6,1944, andthesubsequent Normandycampaign.
Thebookazinedelvesintothe intricatedetails of each of the fivelanding zones -Sword,Juno, Gold,Omaha andUtah -andthe airborneassaultthatpavedthe wayfor thebeachlandings.The accountisenrichedwithvivid descriptions of the intensecombat andstrategicmanoeuvres that followed, capturingtheessence of thebattlethatmarked aturning pointin WorldWar II.
As British, American,and Canadiansoldiers braved the fortifiedbeaches under ahail of machinegunfire,theirheroic e�fortsbecamelegendary. The narrative brings to lifethe struggles faced by thesesoldiersas they foughtthroughconcrete bunkers andarmoured emplacements of Hitler’s formidable Atlantic
In his retailshop,alongsidehisPostO�fice branch, Ianstartedselling afewmodels alongside cards andstationery.Hethenstarted getting re uests fordi�ferentkits andthis side of thebusinessgrew andgrew. Duetothe demandtheupstairs�loorwasconvertedinto HarrogateModelswhichnowstockseverything from trains,cars, planes andboats andradio controlmodels,plus accessories.
Postmaster,Ian,said: “Imanaged to stay open throughoutthepandemicandit wasreally busy. Customers wanted to sendparcels to peoplethat theycouldnotseeanddohomeshopping returns. Peoplealsohad alotmoretimeontheirhands to makemodels,ortoenjoyradiocontrolvehicles,so we solda lotmoreonthemodelside of thebusiness to bothexistingandnewcustomers. Parents wanted somethingthattheirchildrencoulddo ratherthan beingontheirelectronicdevicesallthetime,sothey suggestedhobbiesthattheyhadenjoyedaschildren. Peoplealsolooked forsomething to dowiththeir
unexpectedsparetime.”
Ianhad enjoyedmakingtheoccasional modelas achild,butheneverexpected to become apostmaster -orthe owner of amodel shop- at 67 Leeds Road,Harrogate,HG28BE. Hisbrotherhadbecome an airlinepilot and heplanned to followinhis footsteps,buthis parents ranthe PostO�ficeinSouthCro�t, Leeds andneededhelp to runthe business.He worked therefrom1974until May1987before taking on Oatlands MountPostO�fice.
APostO�fice50 Years’ Long Service Award hasbeen presented to Ianinappreciationof hisimportant roleinthecommunity.Post O�fice Area Manager,Amy Hart,said “I want to sincerelythank IanforservingPostO�ficecustomers forfive decades.Hehasbeenattheheart of Oatlands Mount for37years,providingagreatservice forthe localcommunity.Butwiththe retailside ofIan’s business,peoplealsotravelherefromfarandwide.”
Pricedat£9.99,‘D-DayOverlord: OperationOverlordand theBattle forNormandy’is an essentialread forhistoryenthusiasts,military scholars,and anyoneinterested in understandingthepivotal events of WorldWar II.Thisspecial editionisavailable forpurchaseat www.classicmagazines.co.uk
CHEAPE ST TR AINER EVER?
HenryBelliswriteswith an account of making and�lyingChopstick, an improvisedholidayproject:
‘Wewerefacedwith aproblem.Onourholidayona smallislandin the Atlantictherewerenomodelshops.Wehadthe radioequipmentandmotor etc., butnothing to �ly.
Idecided to makeamodelbased on theUglyStick,but we had to obtain materials. Grandpa,Dadand Isourced various materialsfromlocalshops.From theironmongers we purchasedpolystyrene,glueand dowels.Fromthe artshop we obtainedthreesheets of foamboardand acakebase, forthethinplywood for themotormount.Fromthestationersweobtainedrubberbandsandadhesive tape.TheChineserestaurantdowntownprovidedchopsticks, originally intended foruseasundercarriagelegs,hencethenameChopstick,butinsteadweused woodendowelswithsomepianowireshovedup inside foraxles.
by carvingtheso�tpolystyreneusing abreadknife, kitchenknivesandother implements availableatthetime.Itwasstrengthenedusing adowel andcovered with alayer of foamboardtopandbottom. Thetrailingedge wassliced to providestripailerons,thehingesbeing reinforcedwithadhesive tape.The fin and tailplane were constructedfrom asinglelayeroffoamboard; Iinsisted on having aGermanWW1 tail fin design!
We thenneeded apair of light wheels.Theonlyoption wasa sneaky visit to theswimmingpool,whichprovideduswithtwoslices of foam�lotationnoodle. Hubs were madefromslices of corkfromawinebottlegluedineachnoodle. GrandpaandDadhad to drinkallthewine,ofcourse!
Themaiden�light wasfroma roughtrackintoa briskwindandit took o�fin just over ametre! It hasproven very easy to control,being aslow�lyer,and will begood formetolearn to �lymodelaircra�twith. It hashaditsfirst�light in the UK a�teritwassqueezedintoasuitcase,butthefuselage andwing had to be chopped o�ffortransportingtoEngland. Thelandinggear won’tbeuseful ona longgrass field,so we choppedthose o�fpermanently.’
Written by HenryBelliswithhelpfromGrandpa(DickBellis) and Dad(Rupert).Photos by Henry, age10.
LADYBIRD 2024
Tim Hooper fileshisfinalcolumn with alookat arefurbished Keil Kra�t cabin cruiser
fitted alittleelectricmotor,together withalltheelectronicgizmosnecessary to makeit�lyableas an electricfree�lightmodel. Themotor bulkheadwasmountedon adjustablescrews to allowfine tuning of the side anddownthrustatthefield.
Although testglides were successful,a housemove sawtheLadybirdstashedina corner of thehangar whereithassat idleand forgotten forseveral years. Withthe advent of my �ledglingmachiningjourney -especially withthe fabricationofsimple carbstosuitmy
olddiesels -Ineeded amodel to house my little retrothrottled. 5ccDCMerlinengine andthe Ladybirdseemedripe foraconversionjob.
WOODEN TUNING FORK
Besidesneedingsome radioguidance to be addedinthe cabin area, Ithought thatthebest place to startbutcherywas up front. Thelittle outrunner(andits fancymountingsystem) was summarilyousted andIgavesomethought to retrofitting apair of hardwoodbearers for theincomingengine.The balsafrontformer receiveda facing of 1/ ply,cut from an old fruitbox,noless! Ratherthan attempt to fit enginebearersintothe fuselage oneatatime
“Ineeded amodel tohouse my retro throttled.75ccDC Merlinandthe Ladybirdseemedripe for aconversionjob”
Allready forthe of f! OurrevampedKeilKraft Ladybird is this month’svictim. Thefuelcan givesitawayabit,doesn’t it?
andhope forthebestwhen it cametoaligning them, Ithought it simpler to cutthebearers overlength andthenspacethemapartwitha sacrificiallump of balsaat oneend,thesame widthasthe Merlin’s crankcase.The result lookedlikeanoversize, woodentuningfork. The two‘prongs’ were pressedagainstthebulkhead andtheirpositionmarkedwith apencil. The resultings uare shapes were drilled initially andthenfiledout untilthe prongs were asnug butslidingfit.The prongs were shaped to fit againstF2,withseveral degrees of downthrust builtin, andthentheentiretuningforkwas securely gluedinplace.
Theradialcowl,whichmadetheLadybird so distinctive,was originallyformedfrombalsa sheetwrappedarounda former.Thislookeda bitvulnerable,especiallyifI were to trytostart theengineusing arubber-hosed ‘chicken
I’d originally adaptedthe Ladybird to electric free flight usingaquestionable, adjustable motormount.That littlePCB controls thepower,durationand declineofthe motorrun.Aneatbit of kitthatwillget used againin a differentapplication.
F1 wasrefaced with ascrap of orange boxply.The hardwoodbearerswerespacedapart with achunk of balsa tokeepthemaligned during ftment.A tadofdownthrustwas builtintoo.
Theangularityofthe straight tapedwings contrastswiththe curvaceousness of theLadybird’sfuselage.
stick’,sotheinside of thecowl wasreinforced with an internallayerof1/64 ply.
Theprotrudingbearers were trimmed to length anddrilled to accepttheengine. My first attemptputtheengine toofar forwards,soI redrilledthem to sitetheengineatad further a�t. Withtheengine’scompression screwremoved thecowlcoveredtheengine very neatly,sothat wasagoodplace to start.
Iaddedbalsa to thesidesofthebearers and theinside of thecowl,toallowthecowl to slide intopositionfromthefront. Troubleis,I now needed to startcuttingholes to facilitateaccess to theneedle valve, compression screwand theyet to be addedfueltank,and to promote air�lowaroundthe engine, particularlyaround thehotcylinderhead.
TINTANK
Betweenthe rear of theengineandthe bulkheadwas aspacejustbarely bigenough to accept asmallfueltank. Luckily,littledieselsare known to befrugal,so Imeasuredupthespace andshaped asmallhardwoodblock to fitthe void. Iusedtheblockas aformer to bendupa fueltank,usingscraps of tinplate pinched from aco�feecan.
Brasstubingcompletedthepipeworkfor thefill, vent andfeed functions.Asalways, the holesfor thepipes were punchedthroughthe tinplateusing anail, ratherthanadrill. Theidea behindthis isthatthenail willpunch adished holeintheplate, whichwill give thesupporting fillet of solder abetterpurchase on theplate.It’s an oldrusethatstill workswell.
Thecentralportionofthetank wasjoined by the topandbottom endplates andleaktested by blockingtwoofthe outlets, submersingit in waterandthenapplying abit of internal air pressure by blowing into it.Nobubbles, noleaks.
COMPRESSIONSCREW
Withthecowlfitted overtheengineit was obviousthatthe Merlin’scompression screw wasn’t uite longenough to be accessed throughthe topofthecowl, so Ineeded to cobbleup alongerscrew. Troubleis,the ancient Merlinisbased on Imperialthreadedfixings
It maynot be very pretty,but that little tinplate fuel tank doesn’tleakand holds 2.8ccofpreciousdieselfuel, enough foraroundthree minutesofin-flight pottering.
With thecowlslipped into placeitbecameobvious that both thecompression screwand needle would need extendingtoallow easy adjustment.
andthecompressionscrew isblessedwith anarchaic 4BAthread. BAstandsfor British Association, by the way. Arummagethrough my boltsboxyieldednothingsuitableso Iwas facedwith acouple of choices really Icoulddrill andtapthe Merlin’s aluminiumcylinderhead with ametricthreadanduse amatchingboltas
The4 BA comp screwwas stooddowninfavourofa similarlythreadedbrass bolt whichwas cuttoa suitable length.The threadingtap wasn’t needed in theend.
acompscrew.This wouldbetheeasiestbodge butthehalf-heartedpuristinmecouldn’t bring myself to desecrate an irreplaceablevintage componentinthis way. What Ineeded to do wastosourceormakesome4BArod to modify foruseas acompscrew.A uick mooch on eBay foundsomeshinybrass,hexagon-headed4
Trial ftting thehome-throttledDCMerlinnow that theenginebearers were trimmedtolength.
Thetankisa snug ft betwixtengineand bulkhead.
wascross-drilled andapiano wire tommybar
BAboltswhichcouldbeshortened andthen cross-drilledtoallow thefitting of atommy bar. Just to coverall my bases Ialsoboughta4 BAdiewhich wouldallow me to thread apiece of plain rod,should Ineed to approachthe problemfrom thisdirectioninstead.Belt and braces,really.
Upon their arrivalIpopped oneofthe brass boltsintothemill andcross drilledthehead with a1.6 mm drill whichallowedashortpiece of pianowiretobepressed into placeusing avice,toactas atommy bar. Thethreaded, bottom end of thebolt wasthensawn to length to allow the tommybar to bejustclearofthe topofthecowlwhenscrewedintothe topof theengine.
Just to complicate thingsfurtherthe needle valveneeded to beextendedso it wouldextend clearoftheside of thecowl.A�terstraightening the crankedend of theneedle Iadded abrass sleeve, togetherwith anew crankedend madefrom pianowire. Allthiswascleaned, roughened,�luxed andsoldered together.I was abithesitantaboutstraighteningthe needle butit’s reversibleif Ineed to reinstate the engineback to its originalstate.
It wasonlya�terfuel proofing andpainting thecowlthatI realisedthatI’d madeno provisionfor exhaust primingthe Merlin andso Icut andfitted ashortlength of tubing to reach from theoutside of thecowl directlytothe engine’sexhaustport.
RADIOIN
Fittingthe radiogearwasnextupandthis called forabit of headscratching. Adding three servos, receiver, battery, switch andlinkages to asmallairframethat wasalready covered inLitespanlooked abit of aproblem.Thebest solutionIcouldcomeupwith wasasmall lite-plytraythat carriedtheservos, which could screwontotheupperlongeronsinthe cabin area. TheRxlives on abalsashelfbehindthe windscreen,whilstthe2S450�lightpacklives beneath andcan be accessedthroughascrew downhatchthatalso carriestheswitch. Nota perfectsolutionbut workable,I think. Iaddedplasticexittubes to the rear fuselage forthebeadingwirethatwillwiggletherudder. TheLadybird’sall�lyingtail called forthe
“Justtocomplicate thingsfurtherthe needlevalveneeded tobeextendedso it wouldclearthecowl”
TheMerlin’shomemade carb links to its servo with anotherpieceofbentwire, running throughplastictube.Tokeepthe spent exhaust gunk away from the radiogearI sealed up the
Ladybird showsits free flight originsinthe useofplug-in wing panels whichare designed to allowthe wings toharmlesslypartcompany with thefuselageinthe eventofaheavy landing. Gentle R/Cguidanceshould forestall that -hopefully!
TheKKLadybirdisa very shapelymodel,especiallywhencomparedtothe box’n’ plankcompatriots of its originalera.Itusedtobereferredtoasa ‘builder’s model’.
CreamLitespan, aidedbyblack Solarflm trim,looks kind of classy,I think.
We have awinner! This throwbackcombo should seeafairbit of airtime over thecomingseason.
sides of thecabinwithnewwindows, taped inplace,whichis very counterintuitive I’ll admitas Inormallyinsistthateverythingis easilyaccessible.
Now, whatI shouldhave donenext wasto testtheengineathome to makesurethat everything washunky-dory.However,lulled by the factthattheengine anditsnew carb werea knownsuccess on the testbench, Ihurried the Ladybirdo�f to the field,expecting to getitin theair prettymuchimmediately.
DIRT YARRIVAL
Althoughthelittle Merlin waseager to fireit struggled to continuerunning formorethan asecond or two. Afuelfeedissue, obviously. Eventuallyitmanaged to run,sonot wanting to overthinkthings IgrabbedtheLadybirdand handlauncheditintothe air on the first�lyable daywe’denjoyedinweeks. Themodelclimbed convincinglyaway
Predictably, the cause of theengine’s reluctancetorun wasanair leak in thefuelline. Substituting alength of fuel tube with atighter fit on thespraybar’sinlet wasaneasyfix.
TheMerlinseems to be an excellentmatch fortheLadybird.Allied to a x4propithas ade uatepower foradecisive climboutfrom ahandlaunch. Throttledback to cruise,the smallsizeofthe fueltanklimitsthe enginerun to aroundthreeminutes or so,followedbya gentleglideback to thestrip.Really,that’sall we want!
ANDTHAT’STHAT!
It’stime formetostepaside.It’sbeennine years since editor emeritusDavid Ashbysuggested that IstepintothelatePeteLowe’sshoes fora fewissues andchat about what washappening on my ownworkbench forawhile.Now it’s time forusall to move on.
Ihopeithasn’t been tooonerous foryouall. It’sbeengreat to receiveyour feedback, advice andencouragementwhen aproject has hita snag,sothank youall very much.
Seeyouatthe�lyingfield! ■
Thanks,Tim. It has beena pleasure working withyou, especially as you’ve mademylifea lot easierwith your well-preparedarticlesand well-lit andsharply focusedphotographs.You’llbegreatly missed,not only by mebut ourregular readers too.
KC
TANDEMTUTOR TAK ES OFF
Chris Williams beats theshowers to test�lyhisnewT31 scaleglider
words& photos Chris Williams
Inthefullness of timethe T31 Tandem TutormadeitsdebutatCMFConatypical greyday, withthecloudbasebarely over ourheads.Therewas onereasontobe cheerful,however;atleastthe endless gales hadgiven waytoaneerie temporary calm. We hookedthe‘FlyingAirbrake’ up to thetug and shook handswith Aviation. No trouser-altering issuesmanifestedthemselvesduringthe tow andthenit wastime forthe landing. This is wherethesurprise kickedin. Iwas expectinga gracelessdumpasthedrag overcametheli�t butinsteadanice�loatylanding witha satisfying rolloutensued. ‘Well, Inever’,I thought to myself, ‘whoknew?’
Afew weekslater,during amonsoonbreak,the chance to tryherout on the slope presenteditself ando�f we went to WhiteSheet. Therewas fair breezeonthe hill, averaging15mph,butgusting higher,andthefunbegan.The T31isascloseas itgets to being un-stallable,with predictable control responses andnonastysurprises,and thespoilers/up-goingaileronsgivea very strong
glidepathdescent.Theconsequenceofthe foregoingis thatwhenitcomes to the critical businessoflanding,theT31istheabsolutebee’s knees,suchthat Ifound myselfignoring my other gliders,insteadtoconstantlylaunch andlandit untilit wastime to gohome.
Twin Tutorisasclose as it gets to beingun-stallable with predictablecontrol responsesand no nasty surprises
T31being launched from theslope at WhiteSheet.
Launchingoff WhiteSheet on an alltoo rare bright andsunny day.
Tutor is as close being un-stallable
I cano�fernoscientificproof as to whythis model�liesso well.ButI’mfairly convincedthat my drag reductionprotocol(tophingedand bottom sealedailerons, no tailstruts,norigging wires, sealedtailplanehingelineetc.)has alot to dowithit.
So,asall my lowexpectations were now completelyunrealised,it’s ashamethatI didn’t botherwith producing aplanand,ofcourse,it’s nowtoo late. Instead, Ihaveput abuildlogup on the Scale Soaring websiteand o�feredthe basic workingdrawings to anyonewishingto have ago.
(Toseeherinaction on YouTube, Google: TANGLINGWITHTHE T31)
PROJECTGENESIS
When Iwaslooking foracolourscheme forthe previouslypublishedFoka4,Ifixed on oneI reallyliked only to discoverjustin timethatithadaT-tail andwastherefore aFoka5.Havingcompleted theT31,focus therefore turned to the Foka 5;similarly sleek butwith adifferentlyconfiguredrearend. Thefull-sizefeatureswingsthatlooktobe almostidenticalinplanformsoI wasable to usetheexistingdrawings forthe‘4’butthe tail feathers andthe evensleeker-looking fuselage were going to throwinsomeserious complications.
Thefull-sizehas an all-moving tailplane whichisperched on the topofa severely swept-backfin, asituationthatwasgoing to strain my limitedengineeringskills to their breakingpoint.So, thefirstscale crime Iwas about to commit wastobuild aconventional tailplaneinsteadandtheScale Police were jollywellgoing to have to looktheother way! Nextup,squeezingtwoser vosintothe stylishfin wasgoingtobecomplicated, so the firstjob wastomakeupthefin andtailplane to ensure theviability of the project.Once this wasdonethe rest of thebuild wasmuch more conventional andsimilartothat of the Foka 4.
Thefuselage on the‘5’ is markedly more pointedthatthe‘4’ andthismeantthatit would spoilthelooks of thethingtoput atow release With twoservosinplace theproject became green-lighted.
Squee ing aservo into thetop of theFoka fn. Nearly completedtailend.
on the nose.Onceagain Smallpiece’sSuper Separatorcametothe rescue, beingfitted to the underside of thefuselageontheportside.
Separator came to the being fitted to the fuselage on the port side
With the airframe finished, up came the next challenge - to cover the whole thing with film in or avoid having to b the dust f the spray guns. This s to be the first ply covered compo d curvature
Withtheairframefinished,up camethe nextchallenge -tocover thewholething withfilmin order to avoid havingtoblow thedust offthesprayguns. This wastobe thefirstplycoveredcompoundcur vature fuselage to suffersuchtreatment andI wasn’t sure howitwouldturnout.Filming thefuselage wasafiddlyjob,spreadovertwo days,andalthoughthe resultisnotquiteas good adecentpaintedfinish, youwouldhave to getupquiteclose to see anydifference.
(Ofhistoricalinterest,the Foka 5went on becomethe Cobra15andthose of my generationmight rememberthatVeron used to do akit foritallthose yearsago.)
Allthat remainsis to wait foranothergap in themonsoontoseehowshe�lies
PINNING IT DOWN
It has only beeninthelast twoorthree yearsthat Ihavebeenintroduced to thebenefitsofthehumbleself-sealing cuttingmat.Initially,I acquired athinA4 versioninorder to avoid cuttingupthe surfaceofmynotinexpensiveSundeala board.Butthis proved toosmall forany
Completedairframe, ready tocover.
View of theunderside showingthe position of thecircularSuper Separator.
practicaluse andsoImovedup to A3:bet butstilllimitedinthesizeofpartsthatI couldcut.Ultimately, Ihaveendedupwith threeA1mats,3mmthick,butted together whichnowcoverthetotalityof my worktop andcan accommodatemost of thewings that Ibuildthesedays.
tical use and so I moved up A3: better, could cut. Ultimatel I have ended up with e A1 mats, 3 mm thick, butted together which now cover the totality of top
Here’s the thing: you can stick pins into this stu�f, which means not only can I cut long pieces wood, but I can also now build wings directly over it, pinning the parts
Here’sthething: youcan quite successfully stickpinsintothisstu�f,whichmeansnot on canI cutlongpieces of wood,but Ican alsonow buildwingsdirectlyoverit, pinningtheparts downas Iused to on theSundeala.
The printed horizontal and vertical lines also a myriad uses. For instance, lining up
is straight cutting right angles in tools. On top that, in between stages, a wipe down with a damp cloth your pristine condition and it don’t ‘arf
Theprintedhorizontal andverticallinesalso have amyriad of uses.For instance,liningup aslabsidedfuselage to ensure thatitreally isstraight or cuttingright anglesin wood or filmwithouthaving to resort to usingany other tools.Ontop of that,inbetweenstages, awipedownwith adampcloth restores your workbench to pristineconditionanditdon’t impressthemissus!
