Innehållsförteckning för May 2022 från RCM&E

As mentioned in last month's issue the 10th Pontefract Single Channel & Retro event is happening on Sunday May 29th this year. We've always had an optional theme for each fly-in if modellers wanted to get involved. This year we are going back to our roots from the first event, which was intended to be a small annual gathering of enthusiasts flying new age Single Channel aircraft on the button. We got that wrong, didn't we, as well over 120 models were flown and displayed last year! If you're unfamiliar with how single channel radio control works, it's very basic. The transmitter had one control: a button. Press it once and hold, and you got full right rudder; press, release, press and hold gave full left, with the rudder returning…

The GlaStar is the latest model to come from a relatively new manufacturer called XFly Model based in China. Started early in 2021, they may be new but the folks that run it have over 10 years of model design and manufacture experience. Several of their models have already graced these pages but they have been for more experienced pilots. Now it's time to look at an XFly offering for the Club Flier and at the Beginner end of the spectrum. The GlaStar is a semi scale model loosely based on a full-size American kit build plane which first flew in 1994. XFly's version has been jazzed up with massive oversized wheels to give it a Bush Cub/STOL vibe. It looks like it'll be a lot of fun but it's…

TESTING, TESTING | Plan build “For this project I chose the T2 version of the SEPECAT Jaguar” Are you interested in flying military jets but don't have a big budget and a large flying field at your disposal? If you answered ‘YES!’ then you might be interested in what has been happening in Bournemouth, Dorset where Craig Clarkstone has been busy creating an impressive fleet of military jet models at his online store www.jetworks.online Taking advantage of modern materials, Craig designs in foam sheets, such as Depron, and adds optional 3D printable parts into the mix, if you have access to a 3D printer, resulting in quick to build, scale looking jets for either EDF or pusher prop power. I love scratch building planes, having built many over the years,…

In the February issue Frank Skilbeck reviewed the agile Double Trouble biplane from Max-Thrust, which was supplied by Century UK. After the model's first flight it was noticed that the lower wing was not fully fixed to the fuselage. Closer inspection revealed that the wooden wing tab that projects out from the wing and slides into a slot in the front former of the wing bay had fractured. Frank was quick to admit that this was most likely the result of dropping the model the day before its maiden outing. Here's a reminder of what Frank said in his review: “On the evening before the test flight I was moving the assembled model when I stumbled and plonked the model down on its nose and one wingtip with a fair…

NIEUPORT ON THE NOSE The following text was first used in Arnaldo Correia's ‘Spanish Dawn Patrol’ article published in RCM&E November last year. However, we didn't have sufficient space to show the entire sequence that Arnaldo managed to capture on camera. As Arnaldo says, it's a salutary but very expensive lesson which can happen to even the most experienced of aeromodellers. So really do make sure to check those controls are moving in the right direction and don't just waggle the sticks when making your pre-flight checks! “Modelled on an aircraft of the 95th Aero Squadron, American Expeditionary Force, France, 1918 this Ni 28 was drawn and built by Mário Vilaça and then flown by Luiz Vasquez, its new owner. To fit in Luiz’ car the tail had to be…

MYTIME MODEL TITLES UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP MyTime Media Ltd has announced the sale of four of its brands to Mortons Media Group Ltd as of 1st April 2022. The brands are RCM&E, Model Boats, Model Engineer and Model Engineers’ Workshop. The magazines will continue to be led by their existing editors. “We have owned these magazines for over 15 years but with our business focus changing within the group we have concluded that the titles’ future plans are best served by new ownership, where there is portfolio scale to benefit and add value to these titles,” said Owen Davies, MyTime Media's Chief Executive. “I'm very confident that Mortons Media, with their long-term approach to publishing, is a good home for the staff and the titles. Mortons are passionate about magazines…

As reported in the last issue, throughout 2021 the Hucknall Flight Test Museum (HuFTM), in conjunction with the Rolls-Royce Hucknall Model Aircraft Club, ran an International R/C Flying Bedstead Modelling Competition. At the close of the competition the images and videos of the many models entered were circulated to the seven judges and a unanimous decision was made for first place, which went to John Stennard. Here's John's account of how he developed his winning model of the RR Thrust Measuring Rig... The Flying Bedstead Challenge - or is it the challenging flying bedstead! Whichever, it is my model of this iconic flying machine that won the competition held in 2021. This feature looks at the lead up to building my model, the eventual result and my latest…

The weather forecast was not great. However, I have learned over the years to ignore the BBC weatherman. Come hell or high water, I was going to get to the Weston Park Show. Even if I had to walk! I must confess, as I trickled through the park gates in the two-seater, I wondered what I would find. Would Covid have finished Weston? Would it be quiet, low key and a bit patchy? Would all the usual happy family campers have stayed away in droves? Would the campsite be sad and bare? Well, as soon as I approached the pay booth, which was six deep in cars, I knew it was ‘Game On’ at Weston. As I drove deeper towards the flight line there were forests of tents, campers and…

"...it needs a good breeze and steady lift to show its full potential" Peccadillo is a small delta glider designed for tearing around at the slope. It's a great little flyer with a tremendous rate of roll and is loads of fun on a day with a good blow. Although lightly loaded it needs a good breeze and steady lift to show its full potential, so you can safely leave it at home when conditions are a bit iffy. On a good day it is exciting to fly, being fast and highly aerobatic, but - in common with all deltas - it offers outstanding low-speed handling and a complete lack of unpleasant habits. Whenever I take it to the hill other modellers watch it fly, then ask lots of questions…

PRO-PLAN PAIR I enclose a photo of my take on the Simples free plan (RCM&E Pro-Plan May ‘20) that I made a few months ago. I lengthened the nose to enclose a 20-year-old AXI 2814/10 out runner. This doesn't have a modern X mounting plate and I didn't fancy trying to reverse the shaft. Also, motors look better inside the plane than just stuck on in front. Not being a good thrower and then being able to control the plane before it crashed sort of flyer, I fitted an undercarriage. It then proceeded to race round in circles, so I retro-fitted a rudder. It is a lovely flyer now and takes off in a few yards with a bit of right rudder. It won't stall, however much you slow it…

More existential angst. I thought that tidying up my workshop would mean that I was free of all those nagging storage issues. I thought I could immediately get on and finish my two, pressing, own-design projects. Well, ‘sort of’... You see, now having lots of room on all my benches has only pointed up the poor exploitation of my existing shed storage. In The Big Clear Up, I re-found all kinds of valuable tools, potions, kits and engines which needed a proper home. It soon became obvious that the tidying project now demanded a much more rational approach to storage. I could see that there must already be enough storage in the shed - if I only took a better approach. The last big incursion into my shed storage space…

“...the engine was placed in a broad cowling that opened at the front in that ‘horse collar’ ellipse” Few fighters are as distinctive as the P-47 Thunderbolt. As well as meeting its stringent design specifications the Thunderbolt was clearly designed to intimidate. It looked powerful, pugnacious and potent. The Thunderbolt first flew on the 6th May 1941. No WWII fighter powered by a single petrol engine weighed more than the Republic P-47. Her big sassy looks, and her oval cowl gained her the British nickname ‘Jug’. The distinctive cowl came about because of the loss of the AP-4 prototype due to an engine fire. This abruptly ended earlier experiments with tight fitting cowlings, so the engine was placed in a broad cowling that opened at the front in that ‘horse…

“...the nicely applied finish is as good as any EPO foam R/C aerobat I’ve seen” As the most common aircraft you'll have seen negotiating the pylons in the Red Bull Air Race World Series, Zivko's Edge 540 will be familiar to most model flyers. It has been the subject of countless R/C versions over the years and vies with the Extra 300 as the ARTF model manufacturer's default aerobat. Being so ubiquitous lends the machine an air of familiarity, yet a little online research will certainly enhance your appreciation of the type. It went into production in 1995, quickly garnering a reputation for fast and aggressive yet well-balanced characteristics. It can handle up to 12G, plus and minus, a bit more than the Extra 330SC, and specialises in fast turns…

With Gyroo my goal was to create a simple multi-task autogyro that would be perfect for the beginner, yet equally enticing for the more experienced gyro nut wanting to try their hand at auto aerobatics. Mindful of this it was decided early on to feature a unique modular design, in that the boom, mast and tail feathers are easily removed from the basic profile type fuselage pod, allowing for quick replacement of parts, if needed. At the time balsa was difficult to source so a lot of the materials were biased around available workshop stock, predominantly lite-ply and spruce, producing a rugged and moderately cost airframe. All of the pre-submission models have been electrified around the popular 3S 2200mah LiPo and incorporate the nifty Coolwind Razor head unit. The Gyroo…

ARROWS PRODIGY £169.99 I www.jperkins.com As an aspiring R/C pilot it's important that your first model ticks a number of crucial boxes. It needs to be easy to fly and forgiving of basic errors, tough enough to withstand some punishment, and totally reliable. Good flight duration, basic aerobatic ability, speedy assembly, convenient transport and storage will also be high on your list. Supplied 100% factory-assembled, the Prodigy's cleanly moulded EPO airframe is both light and strong, while the rear-mounted motor protects the power system from heavy landings. Offering superb low-speed handling characteristics and a benign stall, Prodigy's designed to give the tyro pilot time to react and learn at a comfortable pace. But it's no slouch, either as there's a decent amount of power on tap and it'll comfortably outperform…

WACO YKS Who doesn't love biplanes, especially those with round engines? But what about those pesky cabane struts? Hence, Bill Bowne's plan for the Waco YKS. With close to a 1.5 metre wingspan, Bill's model flies very easily on a Power .32 brushless outrunner and a 3S 3300mAh LiPo. She isn't museum scale but still provides a satisfying build that results in an easy to fly sport-scale model. COUNT ME IN Dependent upon receiving sufficient interest, Sarik Hobbies may make a wood pack and additional parts available to complement this plan. If you want to be added to their list of potential customers then please email them at info@sarikhobbies.com and write the name of the model you are interested in (i.e., Waco YKS) as the subject. SUSSING SCALE SPEEDS Following…