Table of contents for October 2023 in RCM&E

Welcome to the October 2023 issue of RCM&E. I’ve been noticing a bit of a trend lately and that is the making of downwind landings. Two of my local model clubs have nice flying sites but both have hedges and trees on their approaches that can be a bit off putting to some pilots. The reasons for deciding in which direction to land varies depending on whom I talk to; some are more concerned about approaching over the shrubs on the field boundaries whilst others are seeking a clearer exit in case of engine problems in the event of a go-around. It’s all a bit strange as regardless of site layout I will always try to land into wind or as close to as possible. So, seeing clubmates do exactly…

A recent query to our esteemed editor regarding model plans was passed on to me by the wonders of email a short while ago. At least it was a short while ago when I started to tap this into my antediluvian laptop… Allan Bretherton (see, I told you I’d respond) was asking why model aircraft plans so often showed only half of a full wing or had a left or right wing panel missing. As young Crozier replied (it’s a long time since I’ve been called that! – KC), it’s usually a size consideration because of the limits of printing the pull-out plan sheets. Only having half of the wing to play with may seem a bit of a drawback to many but us model types are inventive and adaptable…

“…we chose to change to a thinner section and reduce the wing incidence considerably” The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engine strategic bomber that was used as the RAF’s principal heavy bomber during the latter half of the Second World War. With a wingspan of 102 feet and four Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engines the Lancaster could carry the heaviest bomb load in the European Theatre of Operations. This carrying capacity facilitated one of the most high-profile missions of the war, the attack on the Ruhr valley in 1943, now known as the Dambusters Raid, when 19 Lancasters were adapted to carry Upkeep, the famous Bouncing Bomb IDEAS BEHIND THIS DESIGN The editor contacted us to see if Gordon and I could draw up and build a small sized model of…

World Cup events run by the FAI are essentially international class events for the individual pilot and as such have the potential of including local, regional or national class pilots alongside some of the best international pilots in the world. They are typically held in the early and mid parts of the season, usually just before the main annual events such as European or World Championships. In fact most serious international competitors use these events as warm up competitions prior to the team events. One such event was the 55th World Cup in Lichtenstein, held on the first two days of July this year. It was run by the Modellfluggruppe Liechtenstein (MFGL). This club is also home to former multiple European and World Champion Wolfgang Matt, who has graced the…

FOR SALE BLACK HORSE ZERO, unflown, 1720mm span. Includes new motor, ESC, retracts, servos and three 5S batteries. Cost over £750, selling for £400. Buyer to collect. 07850283259 (Grimsby). TWO ELECTRIC JETS. Multiplex Funjet (3S LiPo) and Parkzone Habu (4S LiPo). Both little flown and complete with motors, servos, ESCs and instruction manuals – £100. Buyer to collect. Call Nigel on 07708 038390 (Surrey). HANGAR 9 ASW-20 4.7m span scale glider. Rare, discontinued ARTF with E-flite Power 60 motor, ESC, all servos, electric retract, electric airbrakes, aerotow release, wing bags etc. Very good condition, never crashed. Big and impressive. Just needs your 6S 5000mAH LiPo, Rx battery and Rx – £1100 ono. 07860 312025 (Kent). E-SCALE SEAFIRE, 65” span with ASP 120 four-stroke engine, electric retracts, flaps, scale pilot (original…

Well, doesn’t time fly when you are having fun. The lovely sunny and calm June weather has been glorious in my neck of the woods, however come the weekend of the inaugural ‘Festival of Scale’ the winds blew! Not to be deterred, a hardy bunch of Scale Tech committee members and volunteers ran a successful weekend of all things scale aeromodelling. The weather may have put paid to all but the largest models taking to the air, but the workshops were a great success. I had rather foolishly injured my shoulder (several suggested a damaged rotator cuff) and I was in agony. So, my planned weekend of camping was cut short to just attending on the Saturday. Sorry for not being around on the Sunday as intended. Of the two…

Lots of aeromodellers possess a cheap and cheerful airbrush, maybe fed by a can of propellant. This is fine for small details and covering up small areas of a model but with our R/C aircraft it is likely that pretty soon you will be wishing for a paint spray system that can other much greater coverage. Enter Iwata’s HP-TH2 Gravity Feed Dual Action Trigger Airbrush which bridges the gap between an airbrush and a mini spray gun. Offering medium and wide paint coverage it feels like using an airbrush but can cover large areas when required. Thanks to its well-developed head system it can atomise a wide variety of paints, including speciality types such as candy blends and metallics, so you can give your latest models some head turning graphic…

This was to be the third scale event in the White Sheet club’s calendar. So, it was a bit of a surprise, after the shock of being able to run the first two, that the forecast for this one, coming as it did in the middle of a very wet Coronation weekend, actually looked to be viable too. As the Scale Sec. was gallivanting off somewhere that weekend (perhaps he had a grandstand seat in the Abbey?) it fell to me to do the officiating honours. The forecast was for a light NNW wind, so it looked like a pleasant and challenging day ahead. First to catch my attention was well-known tug pilot Ray Watts staggering under the weight of a 1:3.5 scale Petrel. I reminded him that he had…

About the time of year when the local hillside inhabitants bring forth the next generation of their woolly children to hop, skip and squelch oe’r the sodden Peak District turf and liberally strew their ‘sheep berries’ all over the place, a pilot’s thoughts turn to ‘When can I get out flying again?’ or even ‘When will it ever stop bloomin’ raining?!’ Ant Jervis, the LMMGA’s competition factotum, sticks his wetted finger in the air, senses the change in the weather and sends the clarion call out to us lesser mortals - it’s Fun Fly competition time. The following muddled miscellany is the result of the misty landscape, snatched camera shots and aching feet. COMPETITION? Although there’s a degree of ‘make it up as you go along’, playtime mostly consists of…

FIGHTING FALCON This is the fourth model in the latest Mini Jet series from Tony Nijhuis. The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a US single-engine supersonic multi-role fighter originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Tony’s model of the F-16 was tested on a 3S FMS fan unit, which gives a very scale performance. But if the builder wishes to install a 4S version there really isn’t a downside except the 3S 2200mah LiPo will have to be substituted for a 4S 1600mah battery; the key is to avoid adding too much weight when moving up to a 4S setup. ALPHA JET The XFly-Model Alpha Jet, with its 80mm EDF, has a wealth of scale details including moulded panel lines, a pilot, LED navigation…

I have to admit to having been very impressed with all the XFly-Model kits that I have seen so far, based on the three jets and a STOL twin that the Editor has brought to our flying patch. Upon opening the Swift 2100 box that favourable impression continued, especially when I realised that this model should be easy to totally disassemble and repack inside its box, making it a good choice as a holiday model i.e., one that could be innocently secreted behind the seats in my estate car and with which I could feign complete surprise when being unpacked at our destination… Mind you, the box isn’t really small at all so I don’t think it would stay that well hidden, but I’ll give it a try! “Swift can…

I recently sold my Super Scorpion, which I used as a camera plane for my Mobius camera, so I was feeling the need for some simple building, but which did not need masses of cutting out of parts. I chose the Value Planes Cloud Walker from 4-Max Models, where I always go for advice and electric power items. This kit is made in China and it comes in a narrow box which opens at the end. I modified this for top opening and I suggest that you do the same as it allows one to go through the contents much more easily during building. KIT CONTENTS The kit is made up of 11 large sheets of laser cut balsa and ply. One of those sheets of balsa is 8 mm…

HEINKEL ON A DIET I attach photos of a vintage Chris Golds He 162 design that I have converted to a 105mm 3kW EDF power unit using 6S power. The conversion saved over 1.5 lbs of dead weight from the previous IC powered fan unit including 1lb of weight recovered from the nose! Although no hot rod it flies well and is the largest EDF project I’ve flown so far. Jeremy Wilkinson 3D PIPER CUB Here’s a couple of images that might be suitable for Pilots’ Pictorial. It’s a 42” span, semi-scale 3D printed Piper Cub/Grasshopper. Printed in lightweight PLA from a free to download file, the aircraft is finished using Tamiya spray paint. It goes well although I will be fitting ‘Tundra’ tyres to help landing on the…

THERE MAY BE TROUBLE AHEAD As David Ashby’s lens testifies, slope soaring soon teaches you to prepare for sudden weather events, even in summer. This dramatic moment was caught in July at Thurnham Castle Hill in Kent. Flying buddy Alan Twine is seen guiding his Schwing 88 2.2m span moulded glider for a final pass before a nasty looking squall arrives. The decision to make a hasty retreat to their cars was a good one. Photo by: David Ashby Camera: iPhone XS Aperture: f/1.8 Focal length: 26mm Shutter speed: 1/1916 ISO: 25…