 October 06
BMFA club affiliation No 0340
FLY SAFE - Fly Again
Next gathering at St Andrews Rugby Club October 2nd - Monday, Ashlawn Road, Rugby
For those who don't know where it is here goes:
From Rugby- Pass the hospital on your left and continue to the cross roads at the Dunchurch / Hilmorton road. Turn left. After about 400 yds you will see brick parapets bordering the road. At the end of the brick turn right into the sports grounds. Mind the speed humps!
For anyone who is still in doubt as to exact location e-mail me with starting point and I will send tailor made directions.
£60 subs to Mike ASAP we are still the cheapest in the area, with well cut grass.
On behalf of the club may I express a very warm welcome to several brave souls who have decided to join our gang. I do know that many, if not all, bring much experience with them. We do still have room for more members, so don't lets rest on our laurels, keep on the lookout for more.
As you know the newsletter is going bi-monthly with updates between times for e-mail customers when I have anything to say.
Lined up for the next issue is a bit on noise (again) and the positive aspects of electric flight. If anyone has words of wisdom on electric models, motors, batteries or allied matters, PLEASE e-mail me - come on help me out on this one!!
The nights are rapidly drawing in, so do make the most of the evenings we have left. The late summer and autumn late afternoons and evenings do offer some splendid flying times. We do have a great flying area, so get out there, and put it to good use.
FLY Safe, fly again and enjoy - make the most of the weather while it lasts! Stu
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 October 03
Corrosion - The Silent Killer
By Charles Aitkenhead
No doubt most of you, if you have been flying radio controlled models for any length of time, have suffered one or several unexplained crashes! Often with a well flown, well behaved model that you are quite at ease flying. What could have caused the unfortunate event?
The first thing that springs to mind is radio interference - somebody else on the airwaves on your channel. Especially if, before crashing you had lost all radio contact and the model was gyrating wildly all over the sky before the inevitable ending. Now, if the receiver in your `plane operates on P.P.M. (FM) as do the majority, interference would undoubtedly cause wild manoeuvres before the final impact. But what if the model was using P.C.M. (Pulse Code Modulation)? In this case, interference causes the servos to lock onto the last good signal received - or drive to a preset position if so programmed - so no wild gyrations would be possible.
This recently happened to one of our members who lost a well proven model after aforesaid wild gyrations before the crash, but who was using a P.C.M. receiver. So, no question of interference. Furthermore, his NiCad (of large capacity) was proved on an analyser to have loads of capacity left in it. The radio, as is often the case, worked perfectly once the various components had been found and re-assembled. The finger of suspicion points to another unconsidered cause of the crash - corrosion.
By coincidence, I was discussing this topic with a very experienced electronics service engineer, who earns his living repairing television receivers, hi-fi systems, video recorders and so on - and also radio control systems. He tells me that, in his opinion, the weak link in all systems is the switch harness, with relatively poor quality switches and a chain of pug/socket connections.
 The plug on the end of the NiCad lead plugs into the socket on the end of the switch harness, thence by way of the switch contacts to the plug in the receiver. He says he has dismantled a number of switches and found corrosion on the contacts. Further, a poor contact on any of the pin/socket connections in the chain can cause high resistance, dropping the voltage seen by the receiver and servos. His advice - replace the switch unit if it is very old. Don't transfer it from model to model, £5.00 spent on a new switch harness could be cheap insurance! Don't check the nicad voltage at the end of the charging lead, but rather from one of the spare servo outlets on the receiver. That way, you read the voltage downstream of the switch harness, i.e. what the receiver and servos actually have available to work on. Sounds like good advice to me!
(to be continued)
(from an R/C message board)
Man Dies at Fairground Accident
The Gentleman you guys are referring to was a real good friend of mine that I flew with every Saturday. I'm going to try to dispel any rumours before they get started here. On this Saturday I was not there because of Football sign-ups. He was not doing any exhibition flying he was just at the field flying on a Saturday. He has been flying for 3 years and was an experienced pilot. The plane he was flying was a Tower Hobbies Voyager with an Irvine 53 with an 11-6 prop. From what I was told by a few of our members that were there he must have flown into the sun and lost track of his plane. When the plane hit him, the engine impaled him in the chest and the prop apparently cut his carotid artery in his neck. The members did all they could to get the bleeding to stop till the paramedics got there. This is a major tragedy to our club, he was a good friend and he will truly be missed. Rest in Peace my friend. My prayers are with his wife and his family in this time of tragedy
Mark Smith
Webmaster/Newsletter editor
Southern Arizona Modelers
A word from our S.O.
I have been quiet for a while so I better raise the flag a little. As far as I know this season has passed without major incident. This I hope is not just luck but all of us just thinking a little before committing our pride and joy to the skies. As the season is drawing to a close after a very good summer just remember now is the time to;
thoroughly check airframes; examine battery packs, even the Rx packs buried in the depths of the plane, for the dreaded black wire deterioration, check all the radio gear for condition, servos for clunky gears, if it has served well give it a chance to continue to do so.
For those of us nutty enough to keep flying in the not so clement weather to come, remember to keep the electronics damp free and off the grass, battery packs don't perform so well in cold conditions, and air frames do absorb moisture and weaken glues.
Check, check and check again. It's no use saying, “I thought it was okay,” prove it!!!
Have fun, Fly safe, Stuart.
How True!
Four married guys go flying. After an hour, they have this conversation:
First guy: "Man, what I had to do to get out today. I had to promise my wife a day at the spa next weekend."
Second guy: "That's nothing, I had to promise my wife I'll help her weed her flower garden."
Third guy: "You both have it easy. I had to promise my wife I'll paint the kitchen next weekend."
After a while, they realize the fourth guy hasn't spoken.
"What's the deal?" they ask.
Fourth guy: "Well, I walked up to my wife and got her in a passionate embrace and said, "Flying or nookie?"
She said, "Wear sun-block." :-)
Thanks!
Our thanks to Derek Boanas for his prompt action on changing the padlock when the barrel unexpectedly fell out of the old one! Derek had a new padlock, which uses the same key as the old one, back on the gate the following day. Well done, Derek!
The Next Meeting
The October 7th club meeting will be held at the St. Andrews Rugby Club, Ash Lawn Road, Rugby, at 7.45 pm as usual.
Quote:
How many more years I shall be able to work on the problem I do not know; I hope, as long as I live. There can be no thought of finishing, for 'aiming at the stars' both literally and figuratively, is a problem to occupy generations, so that no matter how much progress one makes, there is always the thrill of just beginning.
Robert H. Goddard, (the father of rocketry) in a 1932 letter to
H. G. Wells
G :-)
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 October 02
At the Field
A remarkable model by any standard has been gracing the skies over Fennis recently. It's the tri-motored Precedent T240 camera ship of Wayne Giles. It's powered by a pair of wing mounted O.S. 32's and a nose mounted Speed 700 electric motor.
The idea is to take off and get into position using the O.S. 32's and then stop these and use the electric motor to power the model through its photographic sortie, thus avoiding camera shake due to the vibration from the glow motors.
Unfortunately power and duration of the Speed 700 is so poor that a short descending flight is all that's possible. However, it sounds so absolutely terrific in flight on the 32's that Wayne is now going to fit a O.S. 46 in the nose. I can't wait to hear that in flight!
Also planned is the fitting of a S.L.R. camera whose faster shutter speed should eliminate camera shake due to vibration.
There's another story involving Wayne, a piezo gyro and an Extra 300, but we won't go into that here!
Q
Bob Clarke is progressing well on his Carl Goldberg Bucker Jungman. Power is to be a A.S.P. 1.20 four stroke, which Bob says handles beautifully.
The large elevators are to be operated by a standard sized Hitec 625 metal geared servo which can generate 6.25 Kg of torque at 6 volts. A wise choice considering the engine being used.
I'm really looking forward to seeing this good looking model in flight. Soon please Bob!
Q
Also to be powered by a 1.20 four stroke, but this time a S.C., is the ¼ scale Little Toot biplane being built by Mike Pearson from the Dennis Tapsfield plan, circa 1975.
If it ends up lighter than my 13 pound monster it should fly well!
When I was modifying mine I couldn't find any of the 4” wheels that the plan calls for anywhere, except for those very expensive Du-Bro inflatable types. Finally in exasperation I bought them, only to find that once they were inflated they wouldn't fit inside the spats!
Also I now find that every time I want to go out flying with it that I have a flat on one side! Good buy, eh?
Q
A wingless direct control single rotor autogyro has recently been seen at the field and has impressed all those who have seen it with its remarkable flying qualities. Several people have expressed a desire to build their own version after seeing it fly.
It's from a Jim Baxter plan and has a rotor diameter of 32 inches, weighs 22 ounces and is powered by a S.C. 12 and uses micro radio gear.
It can hover on the gentlest breeze and make vertical descents into “on the spot” landings and can easily be flown within the boundary of the strip. It is extremely manoeuvrable and I think even a 3D heli' would have a job to stay with it in a dog fight.
True single rotor autogyro's without stability aids have only become possible since the mid' to late 90's and are attracting a lot of modellers who have perhaps become jaded with the usual fixed wing types.
 It's very interesting to fly and totally absorbing. It's a little harder to pilot than a fixed wing model but soon becomes second nature, although even then is still challenging and rewarding. There are plenty of plans available and even kits, quite a few of which are scale types, although some of you will be disappointed to learn that there are no ARTF's for sale! Not yet anyway….
As it has generated so much interest with so many probing questions at the field, I thought a brief overview of the model autogyro would be in order in a future newsletter. During the winter perhaps…
Q
FMS
I'm indebted to Paul Booker for sending me this link to FMS, which stands for Flying Model Simulator.
 This is a free model flight sim' and is really pretty good. The download is a 6 meg' .exe. It runs fine on my P2 333mhz with a 12 meg Voodoo 2 graphics card. Very smooth.The website has an online forum where you can seek advice. There's an online manual, details of an interface so you can use your transmitter with it, and there are links to many other sites where you can download other exciting aircraft and landscapes.
 Models included with the initial download are: Airbus?!, Bf109, Curtis R3C floatplane racer, Horten wing, ME163, ME263, Pitts, Quickie tandem wing, Silkywind electric, Cessna Skylane, Slowfly, SU26, Super Cub and Transall. Gliders include: DG1000, Daimant and SB13 Flying wing.
Heli's are: Cobra, Hughes 500 and a 3D type.
Just about everything is configurable. You can set the amount and frequency of thermals, for instance. You can hand launch or tow launch the gliders. There's even a chase view of your aircraft if you want it.
I haven't had a chance to investigate it further, but if you try it and discover anything useful, let me know and I'll print it here for everyone else.
Could be just the job for the winter months, eh?
Thanks!
Our thanks go to Barry Clay who has made a splendid job of the gate sign for us. No more illegible bits of soggy paper or bits of fuel bottle with nothing on them except smudges of ink!
Thanks Barry.
Our thanks also to the fence crew who work tirelessly in the background for us all. Thanks lads.
Also due our thanks is Wayne Giles for his talk and advice on the care and maintenance of NiCad batteries at the last club meeting. Many thanks Wayne.
Wanted
Tony Pickering would like a Precedent Fun Fly 25 Kit or complete model. Anything considered. Contact Tony on:
Contact page.
Safety Message
The job of the Safety Officer for the club is to be unused! If I am called upon it is because something has gone wrong. You all are charged with the
Health and Safety of each other. This means don't turn a blind eye, a near miss could mean your untimely death next time. I plan to place at the field a waterproof box into which any near miss occurrences can be posted so I can see if there is a pattern in their type, and if so do something about them.
Next ---- Frequencies.
I know it does not happen often but if two of you find yourselves on the same
frequency then I suggest this fail-safe solution.
Whoever wishes to fly takes charge of the other transmitter and puts it in his flight box. When safely back on the ground then return it. This policy if followed will eliminate the inadvertent testing of servos, etc. resulting in a shoot down.
All comments on this will be welcomed and if there are minority of dissenters to this seemingly fail-safe idea then I will have it added to the club rules.
For now, Think Safety, Fly Safe. Stuart.
October Meeting
The October 1st club meeting will take place at the St. Andrews Rugby Club, Ash Lawn Road, Rugby, as usual.
Our speaker is Bill Harding, long time modeller once associated with DB Kits, who has an outstanding collection of amusing aviation anecdotes and video clips.
Please attend if at all possible. Thanks.
Quote:
I've got the greatest job in the world. Northwest sends me to New York ten times a month to have dinner. I've just got to take 187 people with me whenever I go.
Colin Soucy, Northwest Airlines pilot. G :-)
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