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PROFILE MODEL OF THE RAF INTERCEPTOR JANUARY 2016
WORTH £11.99
From Frustration To Fruition
Diary of a Waco YKC scale build
SLINGSBY KITE 2A
Issue 384 £4.50
PLAN FEATURE! BUILD THIS 4.7 METRE WINGSPAN CLASSIC GLIDER DESIGNED BY CHRIS WILLIAMS The R/C Modeller's Magazine COVER_RCMW.JAN16 V2.indd 1
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CONTENTS 72
THE LIGHT FANTASTIC
Chris Golds makes the jump from Quiet & Electric Flight International to RC Model World to continue his recollections as an RAF pilot, followed by a gallery of readers' models
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115 DIARY DATES
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REVIEWS Turn to page 86 to read Phillip Kent's description of the time consuming design and build process behind his lovely Waco YKS scale biplane project
REGULARS 6
PRE FLIGHT
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TAKE OFF
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SHOP WINDOW
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GADGETS & GEAR
A look at the latest R/C products
In a festive edition of our high tech new products column, James Crozier looks at some small R/C models and other items to help keep you amused over the Christmas holidays
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MAKING THE RIGHT CONNECTION
Brian Collins investigates what makes a good connector for electric powered models. In this informative article Brian looks at the merits of the most popular types of connectors, how to fit them and how to put them to best use
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PARKMASTER PRO
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LUNAK
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FOCUS ON BALSA USA
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LASER 200
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VULCAN SALUTE
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SLINGSBY TYPE 26 KITE 2A
Introducing this issue
Latest R/C model flying news
BUILDING A DUMMY ROTARY ENGINE
Coming soon will be Peter Miller’s plan feature for the Aerolab Locamp, a distinctive feature of which is the Rotec 2800 seven cylinder rotary engine. To allow prospective builders to get ahead of the game, Peter describes how to build your own dummy replica rotary for the 1/6th scale classic monoplane
Gray writes in with another selection of sport model topics
FRONT COVER
JANUARY 2016 • IISSUE #384
FEATURES
112 THE SPORT CHANNEL
A selection of indoor model flying events, plus one or two early entries for the 2016 outdoor show season
RC
Frank Skilbeck brushes up on his 3-D flying skills with this quick build foam aerobat from Multiplex
Tony King enjoys a spot of coastal slope soaring with a pretty, semi-scale EPP soarer from the ‘Simple Known Glider’ series by Hacker Model Production
The aileron servos are fitted to our Aeroworks acrobat
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While touring the trade stands at the NEAT electric flight meet, Bill Bowne caught up with Balsa USA, suppliers of popular WW1 kits that are built up from wood in the traditional way
Neil Hutchinson pays tribute to the last flying V-bomber, Vulcan XH558 and photographs her during her Southern Tour flight before retirement. Neil recalls how the big bomber took part in Cold War Jet fast taxi days down the huge runway at Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome before the formation of the The Vulcan to the Sky Trust and her eventual return to the sky in 2007. Contains information about how to build your own R/C Vulcan bomber
Renowned for his large vintage scale sailplane designs, Chris Williams revisits the Slingsby Kite and designs a 4.7 m version that is easy to build and flies well. Chris’ model is based on the nicely restored Kite 2a ‘Percy’, named after the aviation pioneer Percy Pilchard
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JAVELIN
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INDOOR FPV
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BUILD A BETTER BATTERY BOX
Fly indoors or out with this simple to build 24” span allDepron profile jet designed by John Rutter for either a 40 mm or 50 mm EDF. The plan also details optional pusher prop power
John Stennard turns philosopher as he discusses his desire to try out First Person View when flying his indoor models
Chris Bowler builds his first ‘proper’ electric model and seeks a practical modification to retain the chunky flight pack
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WACO YKC – FROM FRUSTRATION TO FRUITION
Detailed R/C scale projects can take many years to complete. Phillip Kent details the design and build process behind a recently completed scale model biplane
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100 ALL DISHED UP
Fred Annecke details his design for a car-mounted tray for field charging
102 SUMNER PONDS MODEL SHOW
Brett Houghton reports on the R/C heli activity at the lakeside model display in West Sussex
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104 DARTING AHEAD!
David Langwade explains how his company uses the BMFA Dart to help find potential new apprentices and engineers
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106 THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!
How Bickershaw MFC came to host a corporate event for guests wanting to try their hand at flying R/C models. Peter Maw reports
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VULCAN Neil Hutchinson pays tribute to the last flying V-bomber, Vulcan XH558
The late afternoon sunshine highlights the lovely Vulcan outline
The triangle shape at the front of a smoke trail can mean only one thing – XH558 has arrived!
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unday, 11th October 2015 and I’m standing where it all began. I am at Bruntingthorpe airfield and I’m waiting for the imminent arrival of Avro Vulcan XH558 on her Southern Tour flight. This will almost certainly be the last time I see this majestic aeroplane fly, as soon the sight and sound of this superb piece of British engineering will be gone from the skies over Britain forever. Reflecting on the end of her second flying career and how it all began, I remember back to 2008, watching her fly again. It was the first time I’d seen a Vulcan fly in many years. 36
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XH558 was christened ‘The Spirit of Great Britain’ in 2010
The whole saga of Vulcan XH558’s reincarnation began when David Walton purchased her from the RAF. The Walton Family own Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome and Proving Ground. The Vulcan would be joining the growing squadron of Cold War Jets (CWJ) at Bruntingthorpe. XH558 was flown into Bruntingthorpe on the 23rd March 1993. She would be kept serviceable and take part in regular Cold War Jet fast taxi days down the huge Bruntingthorpe runway. The Vulcan was undoubtedly the star attraction at that time. In 1997 a feasibility study was undertaken
with a view to getting XH558 back into the air. Financially, this was a big risk because XH558 was one of the ‘star’ performers at the CWJ days and would need to be taken out of service for the whole restoration to begin. The decision to begin the restoration was taken in 1998 and her final taxi run was on the 5th September 1999. The Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VTTS) was formed to raise funds for the restoration. Applications were made to the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2002 for cash, but failed. Another, refocused attempt was made in 2004 and this time it was successful.
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N SALUTE
SCALE INSPIRATION
Underneath close-up showing the bomb bay detail. The grey lines on the bomb doors are all the names of people who have donated to the VTTS to keep XH558 flying
Classic top shot showing the Vulcan’s elegant airframe
Running in for a simulated bombing run. Bomb doors open and plenty of power from the four big Rolls Royce Olympus jet engines
Work began restoring XH558 in 2005. Also in that year, the Walton family formally passed over ownership to the VTTS Trust. During the restoration period the Trust made many appeals for public donations and without this additional cash input the project would have failed. In fact, throughout the eight years since XH558 returned to flight public donations have played a massive part in keeping her airworthy and flying. The 18th October 2007 was another milestone date because on this day XH558
took to the sky again. There were several technical problems post restoration, which meant that the Vulcan’s first public display was delayed until 2008. On the 9th June 2008 XH558 finally completed a 98 minute flight around Bruntingthorpe, which included a complete display routine, in front of CAA show examiners. The display was a success and an application for a permit to display the Vulcan was made to the CAA, with a view
to taking part in the huge RAF Waddington show on the 5-6th July 2008. The CAA allowed the Vulcan to fly from Bruntingthorpe to RAF Waddington on the 3rd July, but did not grant the permit to display till the following day. This meant only a short 5 minute display on the Saturday and on the Sunday there was no display at all because of an electrical fault. However, an estimated 125,000 people were at Waddington that weekend. The Vulcan had returned, but even though it was for only a few minutes we knew we would be seeing a lot more of this elegant aeroplane. Over the following eight years there have been many close shaves through lack of funds, but somehow the VTTS Trust have always scraped through with donations from industry and public alike. The Vulcan has proved over the years that she could perform with the best. At this year’s RIAT show the best display award was given to her, and quite rightly too! I believe XH558 will be spending her retirement at Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster and will occasionally do some fast taxi runs. These few paragraphs that I’ve written are just a very brief reminder of her early life. For much more detailed reading and information have a look at the Vulcan to the Sky website: www. vulcantothesky.org RCMW www.rcmodelworld.com
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