Gladys No 98 - Sheffield Society of Aeromodellers

ISSUE No.98
Summer Jul—Sept 2006
Colin Troise’s Slingsby Tutor
SSA Scale Fly-in, Sept 17.
At last the weather was good enough to fly.
The Sheffield Society of Aeromodellers
page 1
The Newsletter of The Sheffield Society of Aeromodellers
Production
Editor :- Mike Bowles
5 Worcester Drive Sheffield Sl0 4JG
Tel:-0114 2304813
E-Mail: j_m-bowles@tiscali.co.uk
The Editorial Team:
Mike Stott - ace reporter and photographer
md.stott@virgin.net
Terry Gregory - committee liaison, events and progress chaser
terry.gregory@tesco.net
Jeremy Storr - proof reader
Colin Troise - distribution
colintroise@tesco.net
Tel:-0114 2307584
Original items published in The Newsletter of the Sheffield Society of Aeromodellers may be
reproduced in club and society newsletters, providing that both the author and the newsletter
are credited.
It would be appreciated if a copy of the publication could be forwarded to the author of the
item (via the editor at the above address), so that he/she is aware of its use.
Permission must be obtained before using any item commercially.
The views and opinions expressed in any article printed in the Newsletter may not necessarily
reflect those of the editor, the committee or membership of the SSA.
The SSA, its Committee and membership do not accept responsibility for any advertisement
placed in the newsletter by individuals or commercial entities or for any safety (or any other)
advice published in the newsletter.
In other words - Use your common sense and don't blame us if it goes wrong!!
Subscriptions are available from the editor, at only £9:00 (UK) for six issues.
The SSA new website has opened with small beginnings—have a look at:
http://www.ssaclub.org.uk/index.asp
Cover picture: Colin Troise’s Slingsby Tutor at the SSA Scale Fly-in, Sept 17. At last
the weather was good enough to fly.
Rear cover: “Gerroff me.” All fall down after a coming together - we don’t allow this
sort of behaviour in public do we?
page 2
Up, Up and Away
Exciting times
Alula
Multiplex Magister
PIWAKAWAKA
SSA Scale Fly-in Sept 17
Getting Certified
SSA Club Diary & indoor
Give us your feedback
Mike Bowles
Roger Lombard
Roger Lombard
Brian R. Johnson
Brian R. Johnson
John Penton
SSA Committee
SSA Committee
page 4
page 9
page 14
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page 25
page 26
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Editorial
Indoor R/C
The new season starts on Sunday 1st October
at Dronfield. It will be free for members until
Xmas, after that we will have to review the
situation. John Penton has purchased an indoor club trainer which he will have complete
with buddy box, Do come along and have a
go. We hear on the grapevine that people are
already making planes for the first session. The dates are given on page 26.
Club Nights
The initial list of club night events was a bit
sparse, there was little in it……the good news
is that we have now added quite a few suggestions so have a look at the list on page 27.
On the same topic, Terry has decided that he
will be standing down as Events Secretary after this year so we are looking for a replacement. If you are at all interested let Mike
Stott know and he will let you know what it
entails. Don’t forget you will benefit from not
having to pay club subs.
Lodge Moor Electric Field
As many of you know we use this site a lot for
electric flying. We are currently in discussion
with Sheffield Council concerning a licence
agreement to formalise our flying there, if we
take up the licence it will be a great step forward to retaining the site over the long
term. It’s a little too early to tell you the ins
and outs but as soon as we can you will get to
know all the details.
Castle Dyke Flying Field
Some members use this field but there has
been additional fencing installed by Birkdale
school. We have come to an agreement with
the school and now have some keys available. (A small deposit is required to cover the
cost to the club). Tim Scowcroft will shortly
be putting together some further information
and guidance for us all. Meantime contact him
if you can’t wait.
Finally my thanks to all those who have contributed to the issue of Gladys.
page 3
Up, Up and away
“We’ll pretend to be unstable and
he’ll try to control us more than necessary”, called a voice from within
the control unit.
“This is our best chance to make a
dash for freedom.”
“But I’m sacred”, said the Outlaw
“I’ve never been out on my own before.”
“Don’t be scared”, said the controller. “The conditions are perfect to
make our escape.”
Mike Bowles
and gain more height, we’re only feet
away from freedom.”
“Whee! Another thermal, even
stronger than before”, thrilled the
Outlaw, “I’m beginning to enjoy this.”
“Didn’t I tell you it would be good”,
said the controller. “I think that we
are completely on our own now. He’ll
never catch us. Look, he’s running
across the field trying to keep us in
sight, fat chance.”
“Look at their faces; they don’t know
what
to do – Don’t we make a specta“The next time he starts the engines
cle? - Bye folks.”
we’ll side slip onto the edge of that
thermal that is just coming up from “Where shall we go now?” asked the
Outlaw.
the right, see it?
“Wherever the spirit takes us – for
now
we’re heading North towards
“Will it be alright?” there was a hint
of apprehension in the Outlaw’s voice. that ridge called Stannington, then
on to Worrall and beyond”, replied
“It’ll be fine”, said the controller.
the controller.
“I’ll make him think that he has had a
“What a beautiful day. Can we land
radio glitch”, said the controller.
safely so that we can continue our
“Are you ready? Here we go?”
adventures with someone else or
“That felt good”, said the Outlaw.
shall we fly forever?” queried the
“Whee! my tummy feels funny, I did- Outlaw.
“Yes”, replied the Outlaw, “I see it.”
n’t expect to climb so quickly.”
There was no reply; the controller
“That’s a strong up draft, just what was taking a nap. His power reserves
we needed”, approved the controller. exhausted. It had been hard work
Just then the engines burst into life getting this far. Their fate now lay in
the hands of the wind god. But what
again.
a day it had been for the little plane!
“He’s got us back in range”, said the
controller. “Let’s turn back into wind
The folks at HobbyZone have a genu-
page 4
ine talent for creating variations on a
theme.
When they introduced the first iteration of the Firebird platform a
few years ago, people were impressed with its durable design, affordable price and amazing ease of
assembly. Since then, the makers
have continued to impress by imbuing
those virtues in half a dozen other
Firebirds, including the newest member of the Firebird family-the Outlaw (now superseded by the Scout—
motor for up—elevator for down).
The Outlaw is more of a cousin to
the original than a direct descendant, and a couple of key differences
illustrate how HobbyZone has recycled the Firebird's basic pod-andboom design to create a model with a
markedly different character while
maintaining the traits that made the
original so popular. But there’s a hidden secret that the adverts don’t
tell you about – some of the models
are built by Elves.
My first encounter with an Outlaw
was in the spring of 2006 – I had
been invited into a garage where several ready to fly aircraft lay strewn
around the floor on a fabric sheet. I
selected one of the smaller ones with
red wings and tailplane and took it
home. The battery was put on charge
and within a short time I was able to
install this power pack and test the
models ability to fly. It didn’t take a
great deal of setting up, just a few
grams of lead to help the model fly
without undulating too much: it was
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soon behaving very well. For such a
simple design it flew with remarkable
ease. I went home quite impressed
with a model aircraft that had cost
£20 complete with radio gear and
battery. I was ready to hand it over
to my grandson.
Just weeks before I bought the
Firebird I had discovered some long
lost cousins of my mother’s, living on
the outskirts of Cambridge close to
where my mother was born. I decided to take the Outlaw with me on
a planned visit at Easter. It was a
real thrill to meet mum’s 90 year old
cousin, her five daughters, her many
grandchildren and three great grand
children. I spent most of my time
with the youngest family of Michelle
and Graeme. It was close to Graeme’s
birthday and Michelle had bought
him his first electric RC plane. He
asked if I would help him fly it for
the first time so went to a park just
across the road from where they
live. Unfortunately his model had a
fault and on its first flight the control unit almost caught fire. There
was disappointment written all over
Graeme’s face and his son Iain too,
who had looked on expectantly.
I attempted to divert their disappointment by saying, “Come on let’s
fly the Outlaw.” Once again it performed excellently and it was soon
delighting my new found friends. I
gave Graeme the transmitter and his
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face lit up as he took control of the
little plane. He had wanted one that
looked like a jet but was immediately
impressed by the way the Outlaw
flew. On his second flight he started
to widen the area in which he was
flying and ended up in the top of a
small tree on the perimeter of the
field. No sweat, the model was
quickly recovered and was soon flying
again.
I enjoyed visiting the countryside
and villages where my ancestors had
walked all those years before; spending some interesting times with Michelle and her family. Isn’t it strange
how comfortable you can be with
people who you haven’t met before,
but because they come from the
same gene pool you immediately feel
at home in their presence. On Easter
Sunday we visited the Gogmagog hills
to take part in the tradition of rolling (well throwing) hard boiled eggs
down the hill. Perhaps the magic
(described elsewhere) started there
– there on a magical hill named after
a giant: Gogmagog. Michael Drayton's
“Polyolbion” preserves the tale as
well. [Opposite.]
I felt the magic and power of this
hill as I spent a short time with Michelle’s family: with painted hens
eggs and a bag full of chocolate eggs
which the children toyed with – they
played hide and seek with them, devouring each egg as they found them
Amongst the ragged Cleeves those monstrous giants sought:
Who (of their dreadful kind) t'appal the Trojans brought
Great Gogmagog, an oake that by the roots could teare;
So mighty were (that time) the men who lived there:
“It’s my pleasure”, I said
feeling like an uncle giving out presents on
Christmas day.
But, for the use of armes he did not understand
I watched as they left
the churchyard and then
He raised out of the earth to execute his rage),
returned to my digs for
He challenge makes for strength, and offereth there his gage, the night before returnWhich Corin taketh up, to answer by and by,
ing home to Sheffield
Upon this sonne of earth his utmost power to try.
the next day. The little
plane had brought some
where they had lain hidden - quite a fun into my life and now I hoped it
memorable day. I learned a few
would do the same for the young
things from the present day but I
family I had just become acquainted
discovered that the history of the
with.
name of this place dates back to bibI did think about returning to that
lical times—Gog and Mogog.
garage to obtain a replacement but
On Easter Monday we visited villages didn’t get round to it and time
and church-yards between Cambridge marched on. Then at the BMFA Naand Newmarket. As the day wore on tionals, in August, a strange thing
and as dusk approached it was time
happened. Wandering around the
for us to set off in different direc- swap meet stalls I saw one or two
tions from a church yard in Ashley.
things that seemed to call out for my
We said our goodbyes and the family attention: But none tempted me
climbed into the car; Sophie, Iain and enough to part with my money. I set
Charlotte in the back, Michelle at
off to return to the car and was althe wheel. As Graham opened the car most at the end of the line when I
door to get into the front passenger saw a man with a few models on the
seat I called him over to the boot of ground behind the open boot of his
my car. I opened the boot saying ”I’d car. There on the edge of his ground
like to leave this with you.” Almost
sheet was a Firebird Outlaw, comsimultaneously Graeme said, “I know plete with controller, extra battery
what you are going to do.”
and a charger that could be used in
the car cigar lighter socket. It called
I handed him the Firebird and its
out, “Please take me home with you.”
controller as he spoke again. “I’m
It cost me the equivalent of four or
quite touched”, he said emotionally.
five cups of coffee. So I went away
(Except some rock or tree, that coming next to land,
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well pleased.
It flew as easily as the brother I’d
left with the family in Cherry Hinton.
But I had a little difficulty recharging the NiMh batteries, which I
eventually sorted out. The best duration had been seven minutes so I was
keen to see how long it would fly with
a fully charged power pack. As I arrived at the Redmires playing fields I
saw that there were several modellers there and some aircraft were
already in the air.
It was a beautiful afternoon with a
bright blue sky and everywhere
bathed in sunshine. I decided to try
the Outlaw first. Check: nobody else
on 27 Mhz. Good. Switch on transmitter, connect and insert battery.
We’re ready to go. I set the throttle
to full and gave the little plane a
push forward into the air: away it
went. At first it seemed a bit unstable as it undulated in a wave like
fashion. I’ll bring it down and add a
little more weight I thought. But it
wouldn’t come down. I had cut the
power to the motors but it still
climbed. I tried forcing it into a spin
– it climbed higher and higher.
Someone called out to me, “You had
better steer away from the trees or
you will lose it.”
“How do I bring it down?” I pleaded.
Slowly I managed to bring it back
over the field away from the trees
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but it was as if a hidden force was
trying to take over from within the
aircraft. It didn’t want to go where I
wanted it to go. There were several
people around me and now everybody
was looking up to the skies to watch
as the bright red winged Outlaw
climbed higher and higher and further and further away from me.
Every now and then the model
blended into the background as it
circled over the valley: red and blue
in perfect harmony. Now you see me,
now you don’t.
“I’ve lost it”, I said.
“I can still see it”, Brian called out as
I handed him the transmitter.
“There it is, right over the top of
that house on the other side of the
road.”
But as far as I was concerned it had
disappeared and there was no knowing when and if it would come down.
Next time I’ll have to buy one with
elevator control. Hobbyzone can be
proud of their design – a little masterpiece that flies superbly – even
without the aid of a human being it
seems.
Exciting times
Two and a half years ago my daughter introduced me to the dubious
joys of eBay. Having equipped myself
with more wrist watches than a
Turkish street peddler I fell to wondering one day what I might find under “radio controlled aircraft. Aeromodelling had been a significant obsession until the financial, time and
space demands of a young family had
forced the building board and flotsam of balsa to be swept away. Sound
familiar? Since that was about thirty
six years ago radio control had been
an impossible dream.
Roger Lombard
ment with the pilot about the direction and altitude at which this activity would be carried out. I recollect
the second one was the GWS Pico
Moth – better still – apart from the
slightly fragile IPS motor. I still
think the little Moth is a dream
ticket for the budding flyer – true
slow fly and character too!
Encouraged by success we moved on
to the P51D and here we ran aground
– literally. My flying skills were not
up to a low wing warbird and even
though one of GWS principal (and
valid) claims to fame is the ease of
Looking on eBay was a mistake – I set repairing the EPS foam and that they
will still fly when there is more epoxy
out upon an expensive adventure –
collecting RTF and ARTF planes that than EPS I never managed to keep it
had three things in common – cheap, in the air long enough to find out
dubious flying quality and an infinite what I was doing wrong, and at the
variety of batteries, receivers, fre- time I had no-one to tell me. Two
quencies and transmitters. Combine significant acquisitions more or less
coincided, a computer Tx – a Futaba
this with negligible flying skills (not
6EXA - and the Reflex STR flight
much change there, then) and I
simulator. Steve Webb, who sold
wasted a lot of money and time in
them to me, rightly diagnosed my
addition to cluttering the house up
with what was largely garbage. To be problem as insufficient stick time –
15-30 seconds flying time between
fair there were one or two on the
repairs tends to have that effect.
way that were fun.
I can’t remember now what led me to Now I could fly, crash and be up
again with no repair time. And it was
acquiring a GWS Beaver kit and a
with the simulator that I progressed
Futaba Skysport 4 Tx but at last I
from the land of conscious incompefelt I might be on to something. I
had a plane that would fly and which, tence into the land of (largely) conscious competence and very slowly
for much of the time, was in agreepage 9
into unconscious competence. None
of you will need me to tell you that if
you have a small low wing aircraft and
you need time to work out, as it
comes towards you, whether to move
the aileron stick right or left you will
find that takes time you don’t have.
In reality this manifested itself as a
gradual change from where, as I disappeared down the garden and over
the wall into my flying field (lucky
me) my wife would expect me to reappear with a long face and a collection of bits, sometimes very small, to
where it was no longer inevitable.
Then it became rather unusual and
slowly we progressed to it becoming
very unusual. Still happens, I wish I
could say it didn’t, it still does, but
it’s rarer now. The Corsair was the
first warbird I built that I could actually fly and that original one, much
battered, is with me still.
What I didn’t realise was that I had
The warbird I finally conquered. Well
bashed about but she’s nearly two years
old with a lot of hours logged. Who says
GWS don’t last?
page 10
come into the hobby at a particularly
significant time. I was won from the
outset by the convenience of electric. My ED Bee, Cox .049, Merlin
etc etc were distant and largely unmissed memories. So I had nothing
to unlearn. I was using brushed motors and NiMh batteries. As my confidence grew, however, I was lured
by promises of higher performance in
the form of brushless motors and
lithium batteries that were appearing
in increasing profusion. And knowing
no better I plunged into the less expensive end of this market without
experiencing any of the doubts and
fears of many others with much more
experience than me. We still read
routinely of those who regard a lithium battery as a bomb or who assume
that a brushless motor and speed
controller combination are going to
cost between £50 and £150. Of
course you can spend this if you wish
but truth to tell a serviceable and
efficient brushless motor and esc
combo is now falling through the £25
barrier and is no longer significantly,
if indeed any, more expensive than a
brushed set up. The ready availability of 600 and 700 watt motors with
lightweight batteries capable of delivering that sort of power input will
change the face of aeromodelling
because increasingly the “run of the
mill” range of IC motors have electric equivalents. True, the batteries
tions but will swing a bigger prop.
are expensive but the motors are
much cheaper so there’s some degree More are on their way. GWS is, of
course, by no means alone but my
of balance.
I started out my brushless ventures message, as a newcomer, to the traditionalists is to recognise the value
with the BP21 and BP12 ranges of
“bell type” outrunners of which there in this end of the market. It may well
be that the Hackers, Axis etc are
is now a huge proliferation. Cheap,
light but not very efficient they nev- better engineered as, perhaps, are
ertheless went into your typical 250- the Castle Creations speed controllers but my problem is this. If I’d
500 gm aircraft as a powerful iminvested three months in building an
provement on the 280 or 350 that
aircraft and a hundred or two hunmight have been in there before.
dred pounds in the motor/esc combiNow, though, GWS have a growing
nation I can’t help thinking I’d be too
range of outrunner motors which
start with the 2205 – at £9.99 a re- worried about the possibility of disaster to fly them.
markable value motor for indoor or
small outdoor shockie type craft. Go
up a size to the 2208 at £11.99 and
you have a motor which will comfortably outperform the conventional
350/370/380 brushed motors and
which will happily replace the 400
size while weighing less, lasting much
longer and drawing less amps. The
2212 at £13.99 is for similar installa-
Starting out pretty much from
scratch for a plane to give you many
afternoons’ fun on the Sportsman
field my recipe goes something like
this. Airframe – GWS slope glider
version of a range of aircraft – typically £18.99. Add the new Hitec
MG05 micro (full range) receiver including a crystal £20. Three micro
One of the early eBay acquisitions – who
said learning on two channels, is easy –
when one is rudder and one is throttle?
Two outrunners – one on the left is ideal
for 3-400g shockies, one on the right will
outhaul a 600 size brushed unit
page 11
airframe – you may well get more fun
from doing that, but you’ll be doing
well to spend less than £18.99 doing
it and you may well have a bigger
problem at repair time.
And what of the future? It’s hard to
see the motors and speed controllers
getting much cheaper although batLeft, standard 6v Mabuchi motor known
teries will continue to develop and
as 350/370: used on most GWS planes – represent increasingly good value for
OK for about 50 watts – doesn’t like
money. Thunder Power, I see, have
more than 8.4v. Right a 2015 brushless
broken the LiPo 1C charge rule and
inrunner – relishes 11.1v and will put out
are offering batteries that can be
about 150 watts – absolutely unlimited
charged at 3C. The next “big” change
(and accelerating) vertical on a GWS
I foresee will be the arrival (they’re
warbird. Between £7 and £20 on eBay
here already) of reasonably priced
servos (A/E/R) £16.50. and a batbrushless powered Electric Ducted
tery – say a Dualsky gold 1000 mAh 3 Fan units – the age of the realistic
cell lipo at another £20, a GWS
price/performance fan combo is upon
2208 motor at £11.99 and a Hitec
us. My A-10 could float around on
balancer esc at about another £15. I two 300 brushed fans running on 7.4
have to assume you have a Tx and a
volts. Two brushless motors on 11.1v
Lipo charger (If not the latter is an- would have rewritten the performother £16) but aside of incidental
ance totally!
expenditure for glue, paint etc you’re
GWS is bringing out a U2 (expect to
up, up and away for just the wrong
see mine built as a PSS ), an Me262
side of £100. Save yourself a servo
and several more modern jets in comby flying A/E only or use the lipo you
ing months to add to their existing
already have and you’re well the right
fan powered aircraft (C130 and
side of £100! It doesn’t really matBN2). Exciting times!
ter if you prefer to make your own
GWS geared IPS motor as used in Pico
Tiger Moth together with the up to date
alternative – a 21g outrunner – similar
performance – less weight, far greater
duration
page 12
Alula
Roger Lombard
Question – what do these three
things have in common?
The “thumb” on the elbow of
a bird’s wing
A very handy tool for the
opportunist slope soarer
A big smile on your face
Answer? Alula!
The alula, is a small, feathered projection on the anterior edge of the
wing of modern birds. It is actually
the thumb of the bird, and has been
modified into an aerodynamic control
device not too dissimilar from the
forward slat on an airplane wing. Usually flush against the wing, the alula
may be moved to modify the shape of
the wing or provide a slat for direction of airflow, often to avoid stalling
while landing. (Grateful acknowledgements to Wikipaedia)
The Alula is also a 34” span superlightweight EPP slope soarer which
you can throw in the back of the vehicle and leave there because it will
slope anywhere there’s the tiniest
bit of lift and we all know times when
we’ve thought “if only……..”. In fact,
being designed as a SAL (side arm
launch) glider it can even thermal off
flat fields from a hand chuck
The Alula will put a big smile on your
face because it’s very reasonably
priced, easy to build, easy to fly
Not the prettiest Alula in the world
and certainly not the best finished
but she’s mine!
(once trimmed), will fly in very light
winds (but also up to 20 mph or
more) and being very light and made
of EPP will bounce very well if you
get it wrong. Those who have seen
me fly will appreciate the particular
importance of the latter to me.
The Alula is one of two current EPP
slopers made by Michael Richter in
the US – see http://www.dreamflight.com/index.html.
With a 34” wingspan and a target
weight of around 125g (4.5 ounces) it
is perhaps not the most obvious
specification for a successful slope
flyer, but its real forte is in the ability to fly in minimal lift, in tight
spaces and with SAL to find and use
thermals off a flat field. The swept
forward planform apparently eliminates tip stalling, (well, right, I know
it doesn’t tip stall). The swept forward wing planform also places the
page 13
launch point closer to being in-line
with the CG, making sidearm launches
straighter and higher. The sweep
forward combined with a large fin,
reduces the tendency of the glider
to yaw during a SAL, and thus launch
heights of 50-60 feet (15 meters +)
can be achieved. Those who have
seen me use this technique have commented on how it just zips up and is
away with no bother at all.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/componentshop
What you get for your money (at the
current rate of exchange expect
your PayPal account to be hit for
about £33 including air shipment to
your door) is a very accurately cut
EPP fuselage (which you sand to
shape), two ditto wings, two balsa
elevons, two depron tail fins (one
spare) and a bag of bits including
sundry carbon fibre strip and rod
you’ll need for reinforcement. Plus
some very clear instructions (phew!).
You’ll NEED a small and lightweight
receiver, preferably with end- rather
than top-pins – I use the new Hitec
HFS05 which I think is brilliant –
http://www.servoshop.co.uk/
index.php?
pid=HITECHFS05MS&area=RADIO
The other thing you do need is a
computer TX. Not only does the Alula
use elevon mixing – no problem - but
it is EXTREMELY sensitive to elevator movement. It’s fine with big control movements in aileron mode but in
elevator mode the control movements
are so small as to be almost invisible.
I’m using a “low” rate of 15% and this
gives me all the elevator authority I
need.
You’ll need two 5gm (or similar) servos – I use TowerPro 5g’s available
from Robot Birds et al for about
£5.50 each - and a tiny Rx battery. I
use a 23gm 4.8v NiMh which I
bought for £3.75 from
page 14
Incidentally this is an excellent
source of all NiMh battery packs
with brilliant prices and equally brilliant next day delivery. Changing my
8 cell 700 mAh flat pack NiCad in my
transmitter to their exactly-thesame-size 2200 mAh NiMh has taken
away any need to change the TX battery on a typical flying day.
Underside - showing elevon controls.
The elevator movement is set down
to 15% - scarcely visible.
Even for an unskilled builder like me
there were no particular problems –
it’s mostly foam friendly CA to keep
the weight down but with a bit of
epoxy and some hot melt glue. Everything is pre-cut (right down to the
slots in the wings for the carbon fibre wing stiffeners) and it’s an easy
build. I spray coated mine with permanent adhesive and used 3” coloured adhesive tape from Staples to
cover it. It’s not hugely pretty but
its functional. I used a mixture of
orange and white above and blue and
white below to aid orientation. It
would be neater to build the Rx and
battery in but because I wanted to
be able to access mine for changing
batteries and Rx crystals I made a
little depron cover to go over the
“gubbins” compartment. I also
needed a little lead in there to get
the CG right.
I mentioned trimming earlier – it is
hyper-sensitive to CG position and
you will need to experiment but once
you have it sorted it stays in trim
and flies beautifully – very stable,
surprisingly hands off for such a tiny
machine and able to loop, roll and circle on a wing tip with the best of
them.
And the future? Well, this morning I
got an email from Michael Richter
telling me that my Weasel Pro –
Alula’s big brother – had been despatched. Only about £4 more expensive and actually a similar wingspan
but getting on for three times the
weight (a whole 11-12 ounces!!!) and
able to fly in stronger wings but otherwise with all the plus points of the
Alula. Take a look at the videos on
the Dreamflight site – although I’m
hoping by the time you read this mine
will already have been seen in the
skies over Callow Bank! And watch
out for my Weasel Pro report in a
future Gladys!
Alula with big sister Weasel: Not
Callow bank then,
any guesses?
page 15
Multiplex Magister
Brian R Johnson
“Preparing for take off.” Ready for its maiden flight
It is almost three years since Mick
Battison and I decided to take a trip
down to the Sandown Radio Control
model aircraft event. The journey
was very time consuming. When we
got there the queue was a mile long
to get into the stadium. When we got
to the paydesk there were no concessions, we had to pay full price and
that was terrible because it was over
seven pounds. I’ll never go there
again. However, having said that.
Lets’ get down to the Magister because there was a good thing about
the visit to Sandown and that was on
the Multiplex stand. They had on
show a number of their models that
were quite impressive and one in parpage 16
ticular caught my eye and that was
the Magister. Very nicely made and
hanging up there on the Multiplex
stand. I was so impressed with it I
felt that I just had to have one. And
so did Mick Battison. So I approached the Multiplex guy and
asked, “How much is that please?”
He replied, “It is £69 complete.”
He’d got a box full and Mick said,
“And I want one as well,”
So I said to this guy “If we are buying two we want them at the right
price, not £69.” Cutting a long story
short we got them both for £100,
£50 a piece, not bad Eh?” And away
we came delighted with our purchase.
Now let’s get down to the nittygritty and tell you a little about the
Magister. You can see by the photographs of this model that it is a very
nice looking model indeed: not only
does it look nice but it flies nice. We
were round the field just recently
when Mike took the photographs and
for the first time it took off nicely,
did a few circuits nicely and landed
very nicely. Now that’s the Magister.
However, mine is powered, not by
what they recommend in the manual,
but by a brushless AXI 2820/10 mo-
tor, with Flightpower 3300 mAh LiPo
packs and a compatible JETI 40amp
speed controller. It weighs slightly
under 4 lbs AUW for take off and I
find it very nice indeed. It is an ideal
trainer.
Specification:
Wing span: 1630 mm
Length: 1170 mm
AUW approx 2380 g
Wing area: 45dm2
Wing loading: 53g/dm
Functions: A/E/R/T
Into the air
Down safely
Photos by Mike Bowles
page 17
PIWAKAWAKA
An interview with Brian R Johnson
Photos by Mike Bowles
The air-scoop was made with the
help of a plastic spoon.
The sides were built up to provide
protection for the motor and improve the profile.
page 18
Ok Brian, now tell me about the Piwa- and writing it off.
kawaka. I understand that it is based Specification:
on the “Limbo Dancer” IC model.
Wing Span: 36”
I didn’t know that but I think that
there are already three or four guys
in the club who have one of these.
When I was shown the plan, I think
by Martin Aspinall I felt that I had
to have one. I had to get another
brushless motor to go with it as it
uses the smaller AXI motor - a
2808/24. Martin and I went over to
Leeds and we got all the balsa and
covering for them. I came back and
started building straight away. I
also came back with the brushless
motor and an APC prop. In no time at
all I’d built the model and got it
ready for flight. When they were
finished Martin and I went round to
Castle Dyke playing fields to give
them a trial flight. On its maiden
flight it flew absolutely superbly.
Needless to say I wouldn’t hesitate
to build another one if I should have
the misfortune of crashing this one
Wing area: 345 sq. in.
AUW 24 oz
Wing loading 10 oz/sq. ft.
Graupner 9x4 slimprop (I used APC)
9.6v 1050 mAh NiMh battery
We have available the plans if anyone
wants to build one. The main cost is
in the motor and speed controller.
The airframe can be built and covered for about £8 to £10. It is a
superb flier: inverted flight, loops,
and rolls. It does everything you’d
want an aerobatic model to do.
Martin and I are absolutely thrilled
with our Piwakawakas.
If you would like more details on
building or flying the “PI” or if you
wish to borrow the plan to build one
of your own contact Brian. He’d be
only too pleased to help. The model
was reviewed with a free plan in the
January 2006 issue of RCM&E.
page 19
SSA Scale Fly-in Sept 17
page 20
page 21
Mind my Tutor thinks
Jeremy
Thanks for the launch John
Roger’s pleased with his
Hercules isn’t he?
page 22
page 23
That’s the way to launch
single handed
Does it make your neck ache?
Where did Colin get that hat?
What was Martin saying to Paul?
“I wonder what frequency he’s flying on?”
page 24
Sheffield Society of Aeromodellers (S.S.A.)
BMFA Silent Flight Achievement Schemes
As you may know, the BMFA runs ‘achievement schemes’ for various classes of
Model Flying. These are tests at various levels of competence in the many disciplines of flying, and are conducted by examiners approved by the BMFA. There is
no entrance fee for the test.
John Penton, our Chairman, has undergone the BMFA training and examinations, and
is now a BMFA-recognised Club Examiner.
John will conduct ‘A’ Certificate tests for interested members. However, it is important that you contact him in advance so that he can arrange to be there! Either
email him on “j.penton@sheffield.ac.uk”, or phone him on his mobile 07971-855-018
in plenty of time (and at a reasonable hour).
The ‘A’ certificate (‘silent flight, slope’, as defined in the BMFA Handbook) consists
of:
a)
Carry out pre-flight checks as required by the BMFA Safety Code
b)
Launch the model and gain height
c)
Fly for ten seconds straight and level across wind
d)
- ditto – in opposite direction
e)
Perform one 360o left hand turn
f)
Perform one 360o right hand turn
g)
Perform two consecutive 360 thermal turns, either right or left
h)
Fly into wind and perform a straight stall and recovery
i)
Fly a rectangular circuit in front of the slope in the opposite direction
to that chosen for the landing circuit
j)
Fly a rectangular landing circuit in front of the slope in the opposite
direction to that flown in (i), and land within 20 metres of a predesignated spot
k)
Remove model from landing area
l)
Complete post-flight checks required by BMFA safety code
m)
Answer correctly a minimum of five questions on safety matters based
on the BMFA Guidelines and Safety Codes for model flying, and local
flying rules.
All manoeuvres except the landing must be carried out in front of the slope.
The above schedule is treated as one test flight and must be completed in one attempt. Two attempts per candidate per examination will be allowed in any one day.
page 25
SSA Club Nights Diary 2006
Meetings held at the usual venue:Bents Green Methodist Church
8-00 pm On 1st + 3rd Thursdays.
Note the order of the first three sessions may be subject to change.
Boys Toys—Crossing the English channel—a video night.
Electric Flight—a question and answer session.
TBA
Club Auction, a chance to restock your workshop with other people’s
surplus items.
Dec 7
SSA Annual General Meeting and Subs night.
Dec 22
No Meeting.
Oct 5
Oct 19
Nov 2
Nov 16
2007
Jan 4
Jan 18
Feb 1
Feb 15
March 1
March 15
Subs Night again.
Nottingham University—Using unmanned aircraft for survey work.
Final meeting -The SSA model show, please bring along your winter
building masterpieces for all of us to admire and praise (Prizes for the
best in class).
THE PROGRAM FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON WILL BE FILLED IN AS
DETAILS ARE RECEIVED. SUGGESTIONS FOR EVENTS AND SPEAKERS ARE
ALWAYS WELCOME
Sheffield SA Indoor Meeting 06/07
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
Dronfield Sports Hall Sundays 09-00 to 11-00 hours
1st
22nd
29th
th
th
12
26
10th
17th
7th
21st
th
4
18th
th
4
18th
st
1
15th
29th
As agreed at the AGM no charge will be made for sessions up to Xmas.
The Club will have for 06/07 session an INDOOR CLUB TRAINER managed by John
Penton. This comes with a buddy box system so come and have a try. It is good fun
and more to the point it is WARM.
page 26
Radio interference or glitching?
The SSA Committee would like to hear
from anyone who suspects that they have
suffered from external interference
whilst flying at any of the club’s chosen
sites.
What were the effects of the interference?
below.
What is your experience with the new
range of motors and batteries?
We would be pleased to hear from anyone who has changed their equipment
during this period of time.
Transmitter type:
Back in 1990 John Hughes conducted a
survey of electric flight. Can we do the
same thing for 2006? Let us know what
you are flying these days.
Receiver type:
Model:
Motor:
Frequency used:
ESC:
Battery pack:
Prop:
AUW:
What equipment were you using at the
time?
Type of aircraft:
Had you conducted a range test that
day?
Have you had a frequency and crystal
check lately?
What actions have you taken since and
did they rectify the problem?
A Survey on Electric Flight
What are the models performance characteristics:
Did you upgrade from other equipment?
If so what differences did you observe?
Send your response to Mike Bowles at
Email: j_m-bowles@tiscali.co.uk or give
him a call on 0114 2304813
As can be seen in this issue of Gladys the
range and scope of electric flight has
Thoughts for a club electric model?
changed significantly in the past two or
This issue of Gladys has details of the
so years.
Piwakawaka. How about making this the
Roger Lombard has shown us some of the
SSA Club’s electric model? Any takers?
changes he’s seen such as the batteries
Battery technology moves on - 150 mAh
7.2v NiMH and 450 mAh 7.4v LiPo – this
particular battery is from Robotbirds
and at 27g is great for indoor stuff
page 27
“Gerroff me”
page 28