EF-UK Issue 85 - British Electric Flight Association - ef

Transcription

ELECTRIC FLIGHT U.K.
ISSUE No. 85 SUMMER 2006
THE MAGAZINE OF THE
BRITISH ELECTRIC
FLIGHT ASSOCIATION
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Electric Flight - U.K.
Issue 85 - Summer 2006
"To Encourage and Further all Aspects of Electric Model Flight in
the British Isles and Elsewhere" - B.E.F.A. Constitution
CONTENTS
BEFA Committee 2005/6 ........................... 4
Chairman's Chatter .................................. 5
Current Lines ........................................... 5
New-2-U ................................................... 6
The Mobile Menace ................................... 22
TLC from your TLO ................................. 24
Blackpool & Fylde Fly-In 2006 .................. 29
Readers’ Models ....................................... 35
Rolls Royce Hucknall Fly-In ..................... 40
The Scroll ................................................ 44
Light is Better! ......................................... 45
Lords Hill Electric Fly-In .......................... 47
PolyCharge4 ............................................52
Event Calendar .......................................55
For Sale / Wanted .................................... 59
New to Electric Flight? Start Here ............61
BEFA Sales .............................................62
Advertisers Index ..................................... 62
Cover Photo: The cover photo is a commercial Autogyro design called Behemoth,
built by Chris Golds. Chris describes it as big, slow and cumbersome. He also
says that you have to work hard on final approach. You can find further details of
the Behemoth on page 13 and an additional photograph on the colour centre pages.
NEXT ISSUE. The copy date for the Autumn 2006 issue is 30 August 2006, with
the magazine due for publication by 30 September 2006.
DISCLAIMER
B.E.F.A. and Electric Flight U.K. wish to point out that the content, techniques and opinions
expressed in this magazine are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the
views of either the Editor of this magazine or B.E.F.A. and its committee.
© All information in this magazine is copyright of the authors. Any request to use information
from this magazine is to be made to the editor (contact details overleaf).
All reasonable care is taken in the preparation and compilation of the magazine, but B.E.F.A. and
its committee cannot be held liable for any error or omission in the content of this magazine or any
subsequent damage or loss arising howsoever caused.
To allow proper appreciation of the photographs used, colour copies of them will be posted on the
B.E.F.A. website after publication of this magazine. If you can, check them out at www.befa.org.uk
E.F.-U.K.
3
BEFA Committee 2006/7
Chairman
Robert Mahoney
123 Lane End Road, High Wycombe, Bucks. HP12 4HF
EMail: [email protected]
Secretary
Webmaster
South West Representative
Jan Bassett
111 Plantagenet Chase, Yeovil, Somerset. BA20 2PR
Tel. 01935 472 743
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Treasurer
Membership Secretary
Northern Representative
Bob Smith
1 Lynwood Avenue, Tollesby, Middlesborough, Cleveland. TS5 7PD
Email: [email protected]
EF-UK Editor
Jill Day
6 Starboard Walk, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 6QL
Events Co-ordinator
Terry Stuckey
31 Dysart Avenue, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. KT2 5QZ
Competition Secretary
David Perrett
10 High Lees, Sharnford, Leicester. LE10 3PW
Tel: 01455 272 297
Midlands Representative
Roger Winsor
14 Butler Gardens, Market Harborough, Leics. LE16 9LY
Welfare Officer
Southern Representative
Dave Chinery
251 Station Road, Hayes, Middx. UB3 4JD
Indoor & Free-Flight Rep.
Gordon Tarling
87 Cowley Mill Road, Uxbridge, Middx. UB8 2QD
Technical Liaison Officer
Alan Bedingham
17 Highcliffe Close, Wickford, Essex. SS11 8JZ
Public Relations Officer
John Thompson
19 Park Avenue, Liversedge, West Yorks, WF15 7EQ
Tel. 01924 515 595
Eemail: [email protected]
Safety Adviser
David Beacor
34 Chestnut Close, Brampton, Huntingdon, Cambs., PE28 4TP.
Please enclose an SAE with all correspondence to the committee.
4
E.F.-U.K.
Chairman’s Chatter
Hi all, I am writing this the day after another fantastic Middle Wallop 2-day
event. I would like to thank all the flyers who came to fly their new aircraft and
to use new technology i.e. LiPos without incident. The use of LiPos over the 2nd
day was more remarkable as it was the hottest day we have had this year!
I have just received an email from Jean-Paul Schlosser of JePe fame!
Hi Robert!
Thanks again to you and all who helped for the Middle Wallop 2006
meeting! In those 2 days I could improve my flying skills a lot and learned
to handle my new A-4 and Phantom. This year the quality of all the
models was getting very high and most models get luckily bigger instead
than smaller (unlike in most magazines). The surprising scale motor
sound is also a new phenomenon that really can beat every IC engine!
Electric flight has really become grown up now, thanks to your super
meeting! We need that at least once a year.
Thanks again, Jean-Paul
KEEP THE WATTS UP!
Robert Mahoney
Current Lines
from the Editor
Hopefully you noticed that the cover is in colour, which we’ve managed to do at no
extra cost with the assistance of Boughton Printers. The 4 pages in the centre of
the magazine are also in full colour, and there you’ll find a selection of images
from the magazine pages.
This is my last issue (my 21st) and I’ll be handing the reins over to Jill Day in the
next few weeks. I will miss editing the magazine to some extent, but it will be
great to be able to get back to making models - I’ve still got my Airco dH2 to finish.
I’ve also got a 100” span Stinson Reliant cabin plane to build.
The Editor’s job can be a little daunting at first, especially if information is slow to
come in. Jill is used to the desktop publishing package so has an advantage over
me there, but she doesn’t have the depth of electric flight knowledge that I’ve
acquired. I will be assisting in that respect by reading and providing comments
on articles for Jill in much the same way I do now.
Please support Jill by sending whatever you can in the way of articles,
photographs and details of your models - it doesn’t take too much effort.
All the best from me to everyone see you soon.
Jan
E.F.-U.K.
5
New-2-U
A Brief Round-up of New Items of Interest.
If you are a manufacturer or retailer that has something new they want to
share with the readers, please send details to the Editor (addresses on page 4).
The Classic Sound 139 Variometer (above) is being
imported by Hyperflight of Leamington Spa. It is
suitable for electric models due to its small size and
light weight (just 27g (0.95oz)). It measures 67mm x
27mm x 18mm (2.6" x 1.1" x 0.7") so it will even fit in
Speed 400 gliders. The telemetry variometer transmits
the model's rate of ascent or descent to the walkietalkie ground station (right) on the UK legal 433MHz
LPD band. It can be set to operate on one of 139
channels, allowing many varios to be operated
simultaneously. However its outstanding feature is
its very sensitive pressure sensor which allows it to
detect vertical velocities as low as 5cm/s (10 ft per
minute), allowing even the smallest and weakest
bubbles to be detected and worked. At for £129.95 for
the vario, or £154.90 for the vario and walkie-talkie
receiver it is more affordable than competing devices.
The Redcon 3.3:1 and 4.5:1 planetary gear boxes (below left) are made from an
anodised high grade CNC machined aluminium housing, with gears from carbon
steel. They are supplied with two pinions of 2.3mm and 3.17mm ID for use with
400 or 480 size brushed and brushless motors
including the ubiquitous 400/480 ferrites and
Mega 16/15/x and 16/25/x brushless motors.
With a 5mm output shaft and a weight of
47g they are good for power levels up to
400W, making them suitable for electric
gliders and fun fly models. In tests the
motor's no load current increased by just
0.3A (at 8V) indicating an excellent gearbox
efficiency. Both ratios are available from
www.hyperflight.co.uk for £24.
6
E.F.-U.K.
Whether you are into sport or competition
models you need to know how your electric
power system performs under actual
operating conditions, not just on the
bench. With the MicroPower E-Logger
(right) you can at last find out. It measures
all the key parameters of an electric power
train, and stores them in non volatile RAM for later analysis on a PC.
The key features of the
MicroPower E-Logger are
voltage measurement from 5V
to 45V at 0.1V resolution, and
simultaneous
current
measurement up to 100A at
0.1A resolution. Using optional
external sensors prop speed can
be measured in flight (up to
50,000 RPM), and the motor
and/or battery temperature
logged. The unit weighs 21g
(0.7 oz), and can log readings at
up to 10 samples per second.
It also supports USB
Live Mode, which lets
you see what's
happening in the
model real-time on
the bench, on your
PC. With a bit of
ingenuity it can also
be used for high
current
battery
discharge tests.
It
comes
with
Windows playback
display and graphing
software, and a USB
cable. The cost is
£47.95 for the logger
with built-in current
and voltage sensors.
To order it and
optional extras visit www.hyperflight.com
E.F.-U.K.
7
Many will be aware of the name Plettenberg or their old name “Hectoplett”, but
will have been put off by the information only being available in German. Well
they have put this right with the recently available 56 page 2005/2006 catalogue
(above) which is written in English and German.
Their range covers the three modelling areas of cars, boats and planes, but the
bulk of the content is for model aircraft applications.
Whilst they made their name some 30 years ago in the brushed motor era, they
have not been slow to enter the AC brushless motor product range, initially in
conjunction with Schulze controllers. They have retained the brushed range which
offer the advantages of a more simplistic and usually smoother speed control.
The brushless range covers both “In-runners” and “Out-runners”. The largest of
the In-runners runs at at such slow speed that a greabox is not necessary, but the
In-runner range is also offered with their very efficient planetary gearbox,
sometimes being incorporated integrally in the motor case construction. These
are the motors that are so successful in the F5B competition class.
8
E.F.-U.K.
The Out-runner range covers applications from Park Flyer up to a vast 11kW (yes
14¾ HP) unit, with much of the range including cooling fan options. A potentially
very useful accessory for the popular Out-runner ORBIT motors, is an extension
shaft assembly allowing the range (up to 1000W) to be fitted to motor gliders with
a 1” (25mm) diameter spinner.
The catalogue is available from Alan Fry at ImopTekniK, 29 Braiswick, Colchester,
Essex, CO4 5AU for £2 including postage. Alan can also be contacted by telephone
or fax on 01206 852 209.
Despite manufacturers recommendations, there has always been a trend for the
specialist competition battery suppliers and modellers to solder metal can Nickel
based cells “end to end”. Whilst spot welded tag construction complies with the
manufacturers recommendations, a lower resistance connection and hence more
power is available by soldering cells directly to each other.
The ideal tool to be able to do this is a high power soldering iron fitted with a
hammerhead bit. To the rescue, and at a cost effective price, comes the smart
100W soldering iron below. Not only is it supplied with the larger
diameter plated hammerhead bits for sub-C cells, but also a
smaller complete head assembly for AA and A cells. In both
cases the final head tip is detachable by it’s screw thread
assembly presumably for longer term replacement. A
conventional chisel bit is also provided with the iron.
It comes completed with a stand for just £14 and is
available from Alan Fry, details above.
It should be noted that the modern leadfree solders cause soldering iron bits to
erode at a much higher rate than
previously expereinced with leaded
solder. It could be that the new
flux is more corrosive. It could
also be reacting with the hot
copper bit as copper can be
seen circulating in the
molten solder.
There are simple 2
solutions, buy
lots of leaded
solder or some
spare bits.
E.F.-U.K.
9
Air Craft have added to the
range of 12mm diameter
Feigao brushless motors that
have stocked for some time.
The original motors were
30mm long and had Kv values
of 4100 rpm/v & 5800 rpm/v.
They now stock the second generation of these motors with reinforced wires as
they enter the motor body, and an additional motor with a Kv of 5300 rpm/v,
which could be an extremely useful winding. These motors still fit the GWS IPS
gearboxes and have the saem 1.5mm shaft diameter as GWS IPS motors. They
can be retrofitted into model very quickly giving a major power boost. Air Craft
also now stock the new FG-1220 motor (right) which is also 12mm diameter but
only 22mm long for very light set-ups in a GWS LPS series gearbox. The table
below gives the specifications of these motors:
Model
FG-1230
FG-1220
Diameter
Length
Turns
rpm/v
12mm
30mm
36T
4100
0.3A
585mÙ
4.0A
28T
5300
0.5A
370mÙ
5.0A
25T
5800
0.6A
316mÙ
5.5A
30T
5250
0.2A
1000mÙ
2.0A
12mm
22mm
Io
Rm
Max I
The FG-1230 motors are priced at $36.95 and the FG-1220 motor is $34.95, plus
postage. For the convenience of a very rapid increase in power, with no installation
difference for a GWS gearbox, these are an excellent value motor. Additional data,
including cell counts and propeller/ducted fan options is available from their website
at http://aircraft-world.com
Also now available are the new Feigao Aluminium
bodied gearboxes for 12mm motors, such as the Feigao
FG-1230 and FG-1220 Brushless and GWS XC-50 and
RLC-50 brushed motors.
These have the same dimensions and are a direct
replacement for GWS IPS Gearboxes. The Aluminum
body acts as an efficient heatsink to allow you to
maximize the power drawn from your micro motor.
The Feigao gearboxes use a full-length GWS-Style 3mm shaft in hardened steel,
yet weigh only 10.6 g with propeller nuts and washers included. Safety spinner as
pictured is also included in the package, and weighs only 2.2 g.
GWS IPS Shafts, Spur and Pinion gears can be used for replacement if needed, or
to change the gear ratio if you like. The gearbox is available in ratios 3.5:1, 4.14:1,
5.86:1 and 7.0:1, all for a very reasonable price of $9.95, plus postage.
10
E.F.-U.K.
Also new from Hyperion is the EOS 5i
[SPEED 5S14N], which is a versatile, easyto-use charger with special features for fast
charging, discharging and cycling NiCd
and NiMH packs of up to 14 cells, Lithium
packs to 5S (3.7V cells only), and lead-acid
batteries to 12V. Output Cord Included.
It contains advanced features to support
safer charging of Lithium batteries,
including special circuitry to insure that
PCM Guard devices are not damaged on
open-circuit conditions. Most chargers will output a high voltage when encountering
PCM open circuit, thus damaging the PCM, but the EOS 5i limits output to an
always- safe maximum of 25V. It has a 2 Line LCD for charge monitor and post
data display and an audible function alarm.
The EOS 5i, with its max charge rate of 5A, is ready for large capacity Lithium
packs. The discharge (1A max.) and cycling programs allow you to easily diagnose
the condition of your packs, with a Data View mode that conveniently displays
detailed information about the charge or discharge cycle.
The EOS 5i charger retails for $83.95 plus shipping costs.
Also now available is the improved (v1.2
software) Hyperion EOS 7i charger, which
has a similar specification to the EOS 5i.
The main differences are that it can charge
/discharge up to 25 Nickel cells, with the
other cells types remaining the same. It
also has a maximum charge rate of 7A and
a discharge rate of 3A.
As you can see left, it also features a colling
fan to cope with the higher power disipation
requirements.
It also has a detachable temperature probe included, which is a really useful feature
when charging Lithium cells. It also features 10 user-definable memory positions
*Battery Pack Type, Number of Cells, Capacity
*Charge/Discharge Current in 100mA increments
*Delta Peak sensitivity for NiCad/NiMH
*Temperature detection for NiCad/NiMH and more....
All this for a retail price of $129.95 plus shipping. More information and details on
the Air Craft website at http://aircraft-world.com
E.F.-U.K.
11
The image above shows the latest additions to the FVK Modell range, something
to suit almost everyone. Top left are the AVA and Super AVA, exceptional thermal
soarers designed to compete at the highest levels in F3J glider or Electric glider
competitions. These models have outstanding flying characteristics, they are
12
E.F.-U.K.
extremely stable in flight but is also highly manoeuvrable. The model is light but
at the same time exceptionally strong due to the high tech Carbon D-box structure.
Despite the low overall weight the model has the capability of penetrating efficiently
upwind due to the outstanding new wing profile designed by Dr. Drella. The
electric version is virtually unequalled in its ability to soar in the lightest of thermals
where other much heavier models simply can't hold up. The large central spoiler
ensures a safe and quick descent from the thermals and easy precision landings.The
less experienced pilot will find the model a wonderful teacher, whilst the expert
will find this competition winning design will fulfil his every demand. Glider or
Electric versions available and the Rudder and Elevator servos are mounted in the
fin in the Electric version. The airbrake version of the AVA costs • 510, the flapped
version • 530 and the Super AVA (airbrake only) • 590 all plus shipping.
Top right is the Roco 2, the latest development in the Roco series of models. The
detailed changes have brought many aerodynamic improvements as well as
improved looks. The fuselage nose is lengthened to allow lighter motors and LiPo
batteries to be fitted. The fuselage depth has been increased with a larger Rudder
for better knife-edge performance. The increased wingspan and ailerons give a
much smoother feel to the model. The new undercarriage has increased stiffness.
The spacious fuselage ensures an easy installation of the more powerful electric
drives providing the F3A Competition pilot with an outstanding practice model at
a easonable price. The excellent handling and precise flight characteristics of the
Roco 2 make it the ideal model for the everyday club flier as well as the expert
competition pilot. The two-piece wings quickly detach from the fuselage for ease of
transport. The removable canopy gives quick and easy access to the flight pack
for charging. The Epoxy GRP fuselage has a trimmed GRP canopy and GRP
wheel spats. The model is delivered ready covered with the control surfaces ready
hinged. The Roco 2 is delivered in the usual FVK format as an ARTF model, ready
covered with the control surfaces ready hinged allowing the model to be completed
in the shortest possible time. The Roco 2 sells for • 145 plus shipping.
Next is the BLASTER, which is a Discus Launch Glider designed specifically for
the new F3K Class. The fuselage of this model is large enough to hold four servos
for the flaps/ailerons, rudder and elevator. The wing profile Ag 45 ct-o2, Ag46 ct02, AG 47 ct-02 is from Dr. Mark Drella. The Blaster is • 239 plus shipping.
The Kamelot is intended for F5F or F5B competition classes. It features a HD 45
wing section and is intended to have a flying weight from 790g. Typical power
trains are a Hacker B40-8L, 4.4:1 gearbox with 14” x 9.5” propeller on 8 GP2200
NiMH cells drawing 56A; a Hacker B50-8S, 6.7:1 gearbox with 14.5” x 14” propeller
on 10 GP2200 NiMH cells drawing 73A; LMT Basic XL 3600 motor, 7:1 gearbox
with 15” x 16” propeller and 16 GP3700 NiMH cell drawing 97A. The standard
version of the Kamelot is • 320, and the flapped version • 340.
The GRAPHITE 2 is designed for experienced pilots. A model of exceptional quality
designed with Computer Aided Design facilities and manufactured in CNC machined
E.F.-U.K.
13
Aluminium moulds. Careful work on aerodynamics and the optimising of the
construction combined to give extraordinary high strength with minimum weight.
This model can be successfully used in competitions to the highest level in thermal,
slope or as an electric Glider. The experience gained in Competitions on previous
version of the Graphite has helped us to obtain the exceptional controllability and
stability of the model especially at critically low speeds (e.g. on landings) this is
made possible thanks to the broader flaps and the additional dihedral on the centre
panel and the new Tailplane profile designed by Dr. Drella.
A slight increase in wing dihedral has not only made the model more stable in
flight but has also given greater control of the model particularly when in thermals
at extreme range, the effectiveness of the ruder has also increased. The ability to
penetrate back upwind will allow the model to return from those distant thermals
with the minimal of height loss. A special fuselage construction distributes the
loads from the nose particularly during those difficult landings in the competitions.
An additional layer of unidirectional high strength carbon adds further strength
to the fuselage.Available in 3 versions: Glass, Carbon or Kevlar. The model is also
available with ‘V’ tail or Cross tail fuselage and either a Glider or Electric fuselage.
The Glass-fibre version sells for • 695; the Carbon-fibre or Kevlar versions • 795.
The Prima 2 is a beginners model from FVK. This ready built model with stable
flight characteristics and a reasonable price make the model an ideal choice for
any beginner. The model is delivered almost complete except for the installation of
the RC components. The white GRP fuselage has a GRP canopy for easy access.
The two-piece polyhedral built up wings are delivered completely built, the wing
joiner is installed and the wings are covered in a multicoloured design in Oracover.
The fin is permanently bonded to the fuselage; the Tailplane bolts onto the fuselage
and is removable for ease of transport. The cruciform tailplane allows the model
to be controlled with the simplest of transmitters, without the need of complex
mixers. The Prima 2 can be flown as a glider or electric model. The rudder/
elevator version is • 115 and the aileron version • 120.
The Roco M isthe newest development in the Roco family and designed for aerobatics.
It possesses the ability to complete all aerobatic manoeuvres. With appropriate
power trains starting from 10 cells (or 3S LiPo) it can be flown with certainty.
With 14 x 2/3 Sub-C cells (or 5S LiPo) and around 600Ws the full potential can be
achieved. The flight characteristics of the Roco M not only make aerobatics
training possible, but with its efficiency it is an alternative to 30-cell machines.
The removable canopy makes a fast replacement of the batterues possible, and the
two-piece removable wing makes it easy to comfortable transport. The Roco can
be flown by any pilot with aileron experience.
More information, in English or German, can be found on the FVK Modell website
at www.fvk.de
Technical questions can be directed to Brian Anderson, tel: 0191 388 7649 or
email [email protected]
14
E.F.-U.K.
GWS continue their prolific introduction of new models and radio control equipment
with another list of new items recently available.
First up is their Formosa 3D for advanced
pilots. This is constructed like a lot of the
current 3D models with flat plate wing
surfaces and a fuselage constructed from 2
flat plates.
It has a 786mm (30.9”) wing span and a
wing are of 18.5 dm² (287 sq.in.). This
combined with a flying weight of 240 - 265g
(8.5 - 9.3 oz.), gives a very low wing loading
of 13.0 - 14.3 g/dm² (4.3 to 4.7 oz./sq.ft.).
The standard power train is their EPS-350/
DS motor & gearbox with either an 11” x
4.7” or 12” x 6.0” propeller. Power is from
8 - 9 Ni cells of 450 - 750mAh or 2S/3S
1050mAh LiPo cells.
This, as with all the other items from GWS,
should be available from your model shop.
Next are 2 new GWS brushless out-runner
motor sets.
First is Part No GWBLM002 (2208/18T) and
has a 22mm diameter, 8mm long magnets and
has an 18 turn wind. The Kv is 1050 rpm/v,
no-load current is 0.5A and it is designed for
running on 3S LiPo packs (unfortunately they
don’t state the resistance). The propeller range
is given as 7” x 3.5” (on 4S) through to 10” x
6” drawing between 5.5A to 11.7A.
Seoond is a similar motor, GWBLM002 (2212/
13T), which has 12mm long magnets and is a
13 turn wind. This motor has a Kv of 1030, a
no-load current of 0.4A and is also designed
for 3S LiPo packs. They have a 5 minute
rating at above 120W and are for models that
are up to 800g (28 oz.). The motor has a
maximu running temperature of 70°C.
They come complete with a bulkhead mounting
plate and a simpe propeller saver which can
be fitted to the rotor end plate.
E.F.-U.K.
15
For use in conjunction with the 2
brushless motors overleaf, comes a
moulded motor mount (Part No
GWEMM28T) for use with 10mm square
GWS mounting sticks. The motor can be
mounted to the for rear up to a maximum
diameter of 28mm. It features a wiring
recess on each side and can be easily fitted
and removed from the model.
This mount will also suit a number of
other brushless motors, and may even suit
some brushed designs.
For use with their new brushless
motors, GWS have released a new
25A brushless speed controller,
with a 35A version and more
brushless motors due out soon.
This controller is designed for 2 to
4 LiPo cells or up to 12 NiCd or
NiMH cells. The cell type can be
set and the controller auto-detects
the cell count of the pack
connected.
It weighs a reasonable 18g (0.64
oz.) and features a 2A BEC circuit,
variable throttle delay, timing and
brake settings.
To set the parameters above the
GWPGM01, Brushless ESC
Programming Card must be
used. By using the 12-way DIP
switch on the front the required
parameters are set, attach the
battery pack and then press the
Enter button. An 3 beep audible
tone confirms successful
programming. Selecting the first
switch ‘up’ allows quick reversion
to the default controller settings.
This is a very simple and cheap
device allowing quick setting of
GWS controllers.
16
E.F.-U.K.
Left is a new 600W budget out-runner
brushless motor (item 3520), recently
introduced by Robotbirds (see their
website at http://robotbirds.com).
The motor is rated up to 50A and
designed for use with 4 LiPo cells. It is
46mm diameter, 51mm long (excluding
the 5mm diameter output shaft) and
weighs 237g. The Kv is stated as
670rpm/v.
The price is a very
reasonable £39.95
plus shipping.
It is also available with a matching 60A speed controller
(right) for an outstanding £79.95 plus shipping.
Also from Robotbirds is the Blast (left),
an EPP profile 3D plane. The fuselage
is made from solid 1" thick EPP! the
wings have a proper airfoil section &
are again made from solid EPP.
The wingspan is 40" so it's bigger than
most planes of it's type. Despite it's
larger size it is incredibly light. The
model comes pre-coloured & assembly
is quick & easy.
The kit includes all hardware required
to finish the model including pushrods
& carbon landing gear - all for £41.95 plus shipping.
The Jerry is the a version of the popular Tom. This little EPP flying wing is bags
of fun in a small package. Ideally suited to the small Feigao IPS size brushless
motor, direct drive with a 3” x 2” propeller.
This power system will provide plenty of
power for such a small model
The wingspan is just 54cm (21.5") - because
of it's small size, this model is not
recommend for beginners. The kit is only
£13.95 plus shipping.
The Tom, mentioned above, is 74cm span,
comes with a Sp280 motor and Günther
propeller for only £22.95 plus shipping.
E.F.-U.K.
17
The LiPoCard II, from Schulze Elektronik, is the ideal combination of charger
plus integrated balancing circuit. In principle you can charge any Lithium-Polymer,
Lithium-Ion or Lithium-Ferrite battery with 1 to 4 cells using the LiPoCard without
the balancer socket. Lithium batteries with a conventional balancer socket can
also be connected to the 5 -pin connector of the LiPoCard.
If you use either of these methods it is essential to set the Schulze LiPoCard to the
permissible charge current for the pack in question. If no balancer cable is connected
you must set the cell count manually, for reasons of safety, by the two pushbuttons.
To avoid having to re-set your Schulze LiPoCard separately for each battery, the
LiPoCard features a quasi-automatic function: It is only necessary to connect your
battery pack via the Schulze-specific Balancing Cable (BalCab10). The LiPoCard
automatically sets itself to the battery specific data.
The LiPoCard II is mounted in a very stylish case and contains additional safety
protection for wrong connections
in comparison to its predecessor.
The charge current is selectable
between 100mA and 3850mA
and is displayed on 5 LEDs on
the top cover. Other LEDs
indicated balancing status, LiPo,
LiIo, Full & Error. The charger
requires a supply between 10.5V
and 15V for normal operation,
although it can be as low as 9V
for reduced operation.
The price of the LiPoCard II is • 89 from www.schulze-elektronik-gmbh.com
The Schulze LiPoDiMATIC is a discharge monitoring module, potentially the year’s
most important innovation.
Its purpose is to ensure that no cell in a LiPo pack suffers deep-discharging, far
less reversed polarity, when being discharged in a model. This small module is
your guarantee of a longer effective battery life, especially if the pack consists of
imperfectly selected cells.
It monitors the voltage level of each individual cell in the flight pack, and causes
the motor to be throttled back if any cell falls below the permissible deep-discharge
limit value. The unit is simply connected to the balancer socket of your battery;
the “servo lead” from the speed controller / governor is then looped through the
LiPoDiMATIC to the receiver.
The name reflects the function: LiPo Discharge Monitoring And Throttle
InteraCtion. Since the LiPoDiMATIC intervenes directly in the throttle channel
circuit, and, when required, shortens the throttle signal from the receiver, any*
18
E.F.-U.K.
speed controller or governor can now be used safely with Lithium batteries in the
simplest possible manner.
You can forget the arguments about the best average cut-off voltage per cell should it be 2.5 volts or 3.3 volts? With this module the weakest cell alone
determines when the throttle signal is to be “throttled back”, or even whether the
motor is switched off completely.
• The LiPoDiMATIC requires no adjustment in order to work properly with
speed controllers and governors whether fitted with BEC or opto-coupler*.
• The LiPoDiMATIC is available for various balancer connector systems and
cell counts.
• The throttle reduction can be adjusted within certain limits for particular
applications.
• A LED indicates the number of the cell which was responsible for the throttle
reduction.
* provided the pulse width for the motor stop position is shorter than the pulse
width for full throttle (normal situation).
Type
Size (mm) Weight
Connector
Cells
Cost
LiPoDiMATIC-4
33 x 32 x 9
16g
Schulze BalCab10
2-4
•36
LiPoDiMATIC-6
33 x 32 x 9
15g
7-pin 0.1” pitch
2-6
•36
LiPoDiMATIC-14 33 x 32 x 9
21g
Schulze BalCab20
2 - 14
•54
Available shortly is an enhanced version called the LiPoLogger, which is also
capable of storing cell voltages and the pulse width of the throttle channel (1µs 65ms) in the micro-processor’s internal flash memory, where the data is retained
(in non-volatile memory) until the start of the next recording process.
Plug-in auxiliary devices can also be connected to the unit, allowing it to read in
and store motor current (0.1A-300A), 2 temperature sensors (-50°-150°C), motor
speed (60-65000rpm) and GPS data (altitude, speed, position). The internal memory
of 128 kB is sufficient to record data for one hour with 14 voltages (16-bit) and an
additional 8 typical measured data sets.
Schulze have have not yet set prices, put it looks a very interesting system and
worth consideration if you like experimenting.
E.F.-U.K.
19
The final new items from Schulze are interesting products utilising LiPo packs
with electronic modules to replace tranmsmitter or receiver packs.
Firstly are the LiPo receiver
batteries (example right). These
are light weight and have a high
load capacity. A Lithium 2S pack
normally provides too high a
voltage for the radio system, so
they stabilise the voltage at a userselectable level of 5.7, 5.3 or 5.0v.
They are available with nominal
currents of 4A or 7A, with the peak
currents 50% higher. This is enough to power the camber-changing flap servos in
a model glider or the digital servos in a electric-powered model helicopter.
The LiPoRx can be charge by almost any Lithium battery. They feature
comprehensive safety circuits designed to prevent against inproper charging.
They feature a recessed plug-in control section with bright multi-colour RGB-LED
as full-status indicator. An integral balancer constantly keeps the battery cells at
an even state of charge for a longer lifetime and highest capacity. They also have
integral voltage/current recording (160 data sets with variable timing); can be
read out on a PC using adaptor cable.
The LiPoRx units are available with capacities of 910mAh, 2Ah or 3.2Ah. The
prices for 4A rating units are • 89, • 119 & • 174 respectively and for a 7A rating
they are •104, • 134 (shown above) & • 189.
The LiPoTx packs are
designed to replace the
7.2v packs in Mulitplex
transmitters or the 9.6v
Sub-C packs fitted to
some Graupner/JR
transmitters.
They are designed to fit into the existing battery box without modification. Like
the LiPoRx they have an integral balancer and safety protection circuits. They
also feature simulation of declining Ni-Cd battery voltage to provide compatibility
with existing battery voltage indicators (i.e. ).
Four versions are available with each transmitter having a 2Ah and 3.2Ah capacity
version. The Multiplex versions are • 94 & • 144 respectively and the Graupner/
JR units • 119 & • 194 (shown above).
The main advantages of these packs are the much reduced packs weight and the
almost zero self-discharge rate of LiPo cells.
20
E.F.-U.K.
Castle Creations asked their users what they wanted in a new brushless ESC, and
the top five things were:
1. Inexpensive.
2. Right from the package LiPo ready.
3. Inexpensive.
4 Simplified settings, and
5. Inexpensive.
We spoke, they listened - meet Thunderbird!
The Thunderbird-9 features automatic LiPo
detect cut-off right from the package! Just
plug in and and fly your LiPos safely with
no programming needed (or change the
setting to fly NiCd or NiMH)!
The Thunderbird-9 is designed for 2S or 3S
LiPo or 5 to 12 NiCd/NiMH cells and has a
continuous rating of 9A. The switching rate
is 13 kHz and is has a programmable brake (on or off), which is delivered turned
off. All programming is done using your RC Transmitter, no computer or
programming module required The size is a mere 26 x 17 x 8mm and it weighs
only 8g. The retail price is $29.95, half the price of their Phoenix 10 controller.
The Thunderbird-18 has the same
specification as the Thunderbird-9, but an
18A continuous rating. It is slightly larger
at 34 x 23 x 8mm and weighs 17g.
The retail price is $39.95, again a low price
for good features and excellent quality.
All Castle Creation Controllers feature:
• Battery Eliminator Circuit (BEC).
• Safe "Power On".
• Microprocessor Control.
• Tough surface mount construction.
• Audible Arming Signal.
• Auto Motor cut-off with reset.
• Low torque "Soft Start" to protects gear boxes & belt drives.
• Smooth reverse exponential throttle.
• Self-calibrating endpoints.
• Auto shut-down when signal is lost.
• Simple setup: no complicated switches or wiring.
E.F.-U.K.
21
The Mobile Menace
By John Norman
For the last eighteen months I’ve been using a Multiplex Evo 9 transmitter fitted
with a synthesized RF module and a scanner. Despite the synthesizer’s advantages
I have now decided to go back to using a crystal based set. Here is why.
The synthesized sets have one major drawback - they suffer seriously
from mobile ’phone interference.
The first experience I had of the problem was early on. The set refused to let me
select a new frequency and invited me to use the scanner. The scanner, however,
gave an all clear. In due course investigations revealed that nearby mobile ’phones
were the culprits. Although only on stand-by the ’phones were confusing the
synth module and preventing the selection of a new frequency.
Using the frequency already set was unaffected; a problem arose only when a
change was attempted. Of course with this knowledge I could just ask for ’phones
to be switched off - a minor inconvenience I could live with. [Editor: under BMFA
guidelines, all mobile phones should be switched off in the pits and flying areas.]
Recently, however, I discovered a much more alarming phenomenon. I was flying
an electric model quite sedately when it suddenly reared up, went totally out of
control and started cavorting over the sky. When it was 15 feet from the ground
and about to pile in control suddenly returned and I was able to get it down safely.
A check revealed no faults. I took the power pack to the car to test it on a meter.
While I was doing this someone came up and asked if I was using a synthesised
set. He said he might have been responsible for my “spot of bother.” He had been
standing next to me, had his ’phone in his pocket and had got a call. However, he
wasn’t certain he was to blame because he got the call just after the model
misbehaved not beforehand.
Experiments in the workshop and a brief search on the Internet left me in no
doubt about what had happened. Here are two reports I found on the web: The first one: “The Futaba synthesized transmitter module definitely suffers
from mobile interference - or at least my friend’s module does. Unfortunately he
had a crash as a result of this. His ’phone rang moments after the fatal lockout.
After a number of experiments we found that the problem related to the synthesizer
module. A normal crystal based module appears to be unaffected. Interestingly,
an established mobile ’phone conversation in close proximity was not a problem.
The issue appears to be caused just before and as the ’phone was ringing.”
The second one: “I have a friend who was flying with his Multiplex Royal Evo
12 with synth module. He had total lockout when he answered his ’phone.
Fortunately he was flying a zaggi foamy wing on the slope.”
22
E.F.-U.K.
QED I think! Have you noticed how your car radio glitches just before you get a
’phone call? It seems that an incoming call produces a surge of power around the
target ’phone before announcing itself. At this point a synthesized transmitter is
simply swamped and control is lost.
When the ’phone is answered the power surge wanes and control returns ... if we
are lucky. I was very lucky with my near-thing. The ’phone must have been
answered quickly and the user walked off. So my model was out of control for only
20 seconds or so and, as it was only 100 metres away, I was able to see it clearly
and sort it out. If it had been less visible I would have had no chance.
On club sites flightline discipline should, in theory, be able to cope with the problem.
But what about when we are flying in the park or slope soaring on the downs?
Dad and junior come up with their questions: “How high can it go?” “How much
do they cost?” “Did you make it yourself?” If the inquisition is interrupted by a
jingle from their pockets start praying and dive for cover!
The instructions for my Multiplex set recommend that ’phones should be kept “at
least 30cm from the module.” 30 metres would be safer! It’s my opinion that this
problem is not being taken seriously enough either by the model trade or BMFA.
[Editor: I disagree that the BMFA are not taking this issue seriously, the problem
is that clubs are not enforcing the guidelines they publish. The BMFA can
implement any rules they like, but if they are being ignored they serve no purpose.
When flying on open ground you need to get a grip of the situation. This can be
by either posting signs or marshals around the flying area requesting that all
phones be turned off beyond the sign, or asking people immediately you see them
close by. If you explain that it is for safety reasons (their safety and yours), most
people are happy to comply. If they are not you must ask them to move away.
In my opinion a bigger problem is that very few clubs seem to control the use of
mobile phones, despite the BMFA guidelines. If you become aware of someone in
the pits or on the flight line with their mobile phone turned on, confront them
and get them to turn it off. It is simple - their need to have their mobile phone
turned on does not outweigh the safety of all those around them.
Also in my experience there is even less control at the majority of indoor meetings.
With the reduce discrimination of a number of indoor receivers the interference
can be pronounced even during an established call.
So until things change, I’m going back to crystals and I advise anyone thinking of
going synthetic to think again. [Editor: The phenomena seems restricted to the
transmitter synthesizers, but the above advice still stands. Most transmitters
can be readily swapped between synthesised and crystal output stages.]
John wrote to Multiplex seeking their comment on this problem. At the time of
editing this article, some 6 weeks later, they have not deigned to reply - make of
this what you will.
E.F.-U.K.
23
TLC from your TLO
by Alan Bedingham
LiPo Batteries - again!
Well, I am still learning about these beasts! I had a bit of a fright when I checked
one of my batteries after the winter lay off. It's a 3 cell 3600mAh pack that I got
from RCMDirect last year, a charge/discharge check on the Schulze isl 6-330 only
gave 950mAh, blimey, surely it can't be dead already?
Time for a bit of investigation me thinks. I made up a lead that would plug into
the balance connector on the pack to check the individual cell voltages and found
that they were a fair way apart. By the way, the lead is made by cutting a four pin
length off a Maplin pin strip (part no. JW59P), the 0.1 in. pin spacing matches the
balance connector perfectly.
Note that the wire lengths are staggered to make sure that they won't touch each
other accidentally, very important this, we don't want to put a dead short across
one of the cells do we?
The next step was to charge the cells individually using this lead and run a discharge
check on the pack. Back to full capacity, thank goodness. I can't be doing this all
the time, it takes far too long, high time I bought a balancer.
24
E.F.-U.K.
I did a bit of digging around on the Internet and found the Hyperion LBA6 that
will balance 2-5 cell packs for a mere £25. This is a bit different from most balancers
in that it plugs into the charger and the full charge current of up to 6A flows
through it into the balance connector on the battery, bypassing the power leads.
Perhaps I should explain how balancers work in case you're not familiar with
them. What they do is make sure that any individual cell (or a group of cells
connected in parallel) doesn't go above it's maximum permitted voltage of 4.3V on
charge by shunting off some of the charge current (typically around 200-350mA)
via an FET when that voltage is reached.
In other words, it allows the charge current to sneak around the fully charged cell
into the others until they, too, reach 4.3V. This may sound like a very low current
compared to, for instance, the 3.5A I would use for this pack, but, the way the
charge algorithm works for LiPo batteries is that near the end of a charge the
current tapers right off, so 200-350mA is plenty.
Most balancers on the market will only work when the pack is being charged, the
Hyperion is a bit more clever, it will also check cell voltages during a discharge
and make sure that cells don't go below 3V each.
As you can see from the picture (top of next page), it comes with leads for 2 to 5
cells, the row of lights at the end flash on and off to show both how badly out of
balance the pack is before you start a charge or discharge and during operation to
monitor which cells are being bypassed.
E.F.-U.K.
25
I changed the plugs on the balance leads (using the Maplin pin strip again) because
the supplied ones didn't mate with all my various pack balance connectors reliably.
I don't know if this is due to the old problem of every manufacturer choosing their
own standard for balance connectors or whether it's due to the type of connector
they're using not being sufficiently high quality.
I suspect the latter. They all seem to have tin-plated pins like the old Tamiya
power connectors, and we all know about those, don't we!
The instructions were a bit confusing at first and maybe a little too complicated
since using the thing is simplicity itself. Plug it into the charger, then the battery
pack, watch the lights flash, when they're finished press the button and off it goes.
Obviously you have to set up the charger first for the right number of cells and an
appropriate charge or discharge current.
Whether it would work with the kind of chargers that automatically sense the
number of cells I don't know. Personally, I wouldn't give one of them house room
anyway, they've been implicated in too many LiPo fires for my liking.
The first worry was if the Hyperion would work with my Schulze chargers and it
did, both charge and discharge functions are fine. There are a couple of gotchas
however...
The first is that a charge will take longer than normal because the Hyperion is
busily dumping some of the charge current
The second is that the capacity display on the charger will read too high on charge
and too low on discharge for the same reason.
26
E.F.-U.K.
I get over the longer charge time by only using the balancer to charge my packs
when I come home from flying, I reckon charging at the field without it will not
put them too far out of balance and so far I have been right.
Lessons Learned
I should have listened to our esteemed secretary Jan Bassett, he's right when
says you should use a balancer on LiPos.
Don't give up on a Lipo pack that seems to be low on capacity, try balancing
the cells and see what you get.
Much to my surprise, LiPo packs can wander out of balance just sitting on the
shelf.
Yet more on LiPos
One other thing I've learned is not to push them too hard, they don't last long if
you do. I had two Kokam 3S 1500mAh packs that were rated at 8C (8 times their
capacity or 12A) and I never used them much above 10A, but they still died after
around 30 cycles. They lost a lot of their rated capacity and seemed to have higher
internal resistance than when they were new.
OK, they were second generation cells and I know that LiPos have got better, but
still, the point is valid that LiPos are less tolerant of the sort of abuse a NiCd can
E.F.-U.K.
27
happily take. I ran some tests on the Kokam 1500mAh against a new pack of 3S
1700mAh cells rated at 20C.
Theoretically the 1700s can give 34A which seems like overkill for 'planes that are
only pulling 10-15A, but, since the pack is only about an ounce heavier than the
1500s they're still fine for Speed 400 sized models in terms of size and weight.
What was really noticeable was how little the voltage of the 1700s dropped on load.
I've got a Ripmax Alliance fitted with one of those small outrunners that I reviewed
previously, on the Kokam 1500s the power to the motor was around 100W and the
speed controller would start to complain by pulsing the motor every time I tried to
go vertical. Using the 20C 1700s, the power went up to over 180W and vertical is
now effortless. Not bad for a 43in span plane weighing 21oz!
Then again, it works out to nearly 140W/lb so I shouldn't really be surprised. I've
said it before and I'll say it again, loads of power means longer flights, however
counterintuitive it may seem, a ten minute flight of aggressive aerobatics only
takes about 1Ah out of the pack. The internal impedance of the 20C cells is lower
than the 8C cells so they hardly even get warm at the 15-16A I'm running them at
- and we all know that heat is the killer.
What I've learned from this is that it's better to go for more capacity than you need
and spend the extra money on 20C capable cells, it's worth it in the long run.
Don't let the smoke out!
28
E.F.-U.K.
Blackpool & Fylde Fly-In 2006
by John A Thompson
The morning dawned dry but windy, in fact as I approached the Weeton village I
saw one Trader going home and another following soon after. A brisk north westerly
was gusting at about 25-30mph (as you can see below), and the organizers decided
to abort the actual event and just have a free of-the-peg fly-in, a wise decision.
Surprisingly most of the models flying were quite small and brushless/LiPo setups
were predominant. A couple of Pushy Cats were regularly blasting around, but
the most impressive were Pete Lewis and his mates with their profile DF Harriers.
These were from the old Dave Chinery free plan but up-dated to modern motor/
fan/battery combinations, one was claimed to be doing 43K!! All were capable of
hovering in the wind, and regularly did line astern passes.
Bill Macleod was one of the Pushy Cat flyers, and he even tried to fly a profile fun
flyer which launched backwards.
Even my Coot was hovering at one point, so my Tiggy stayed in the car. Chris
Martindale was blasting around with a pylon racer and then an elegant all silver
Puffin 'Sprinter' hotliner, which was up for ages mostly inverted, handling the
wind with ease.
The only incident I saw was a mid air between a hotliner and a lightweight 3D
model which left them both worse for wear. It is amazing how this happens, if you
tried to synchronise two flight paths like that it would be virtually impossible.
Those intrepid guys from 'All Electric RC' stayed all day selling and having a few
flights with smaller models, keeping the 'Cosmic Wind' firmly on the ground.
It is always a pleasure to go to the B&F fly-ins, they are such friendly guys and
the BBQs are delicious, see you next year.
E.F.-U.K.
29
Brave pilots and models at the Blackpool & Fylde fly-in
All Electric RC stayed despite the elements.
30
E.F.-U.K.
Above the Zoom 400 Pro of Martin Briggs with Graupner Agusta A119 Koala body shell
(intended for their Mikro Star 400 helicopter) seen at the Lord’s Hill event.
The 1/4 scale Fokker DR-1 from the All Electric RC stable at the RR Hucknall fly-in.
E.F.-U.K.
31
Above: John Mellor with his Skystreak 52
Below: The de Havilland dH71 “Tiger Moth” Monoplane built by Chris Golds
32
E.F.-U.K.
Above: Chris Golds with his Behemoth, commercial 3 motored, autogyro
Below: A 2x Frog Interceptor in unusual 1941 camouflage by Chris Golds.
E.F.-U.K.
33
34
E.F.-U.K.
Readers’ Models
Your chance to show the members your model(s).
WAGTAIL: On the left (in the picture below) is my "stretched" Wagtail which
was originally designed and flown by John Ralph back in 1965/7 for Galloping
Ghost rudder/ elevator control and an OS 15 up front. I was a schoolboy then and
proportional control was in it's infancy and very big, heavy and expensive. I
watched John fly his Wagtail many times and a cracking flyer it was and I always
intended to build one but never quite got around to it. However looking for
something to build last spring (2005) I decided to see if I could get hold of the plans.
I had met one of my old flying buddies, Dave Lovegrove, at Middle Wallop a couple
of years ago and he told me John was down in Cornwall so via directory enquiries
I managed to get in touch. John was really helpful and within a couple of days I
had the original plans and write up from March 1967 Radio Modeller. I tend to
build in the Spring and Autumn before the heat and light in my office get too low!!
I think I finished the Wagtail in a month flat instead of my usual 6. The only
major mods I made was to stretch the wing from 38" to 45", drop the dihedral and
fit strip ailerons ( I know John Built a second Wagtail for Reeds with ailerons ).
John Mellor with his ‘stretched’ Wagtail (left) and Skystreak 52 (right)
E.F.-U.K.
35
I use a Cyclone 20 motor with speed controller from Phil Dorren at Spot On Models
who has always been very helpful on motor / speed controller set-ups. Battery is 7
x 1700CP cells and the model weighed in at 36 oz.
I took it up to my local flying field (Cricket ground 200 yards up the road) and
gunned it up. Cracking flyer, it needed almost no trim adjustment and was looping
and rolling to (my) perfection. It does great low slow passes and glides reasonably
well so that I can get from 7 minutes on full power to 10 minutes being more
gentle. I'm now up to 35 flights with it and really enjoy the take-offs and landings
as it's my first "trike" electric. I'm planning another with some mods - lift the
motor level, stretch the wing a further 2" ,use a larger rudder and possibly LiPo
cells which I've not yet tried.
SKYSTREAK 52: This is the model on the right (no undercarriage) and some of
you more mature readers may recognise it as the early and elegant Keil Kraft
control line model (Skystreak 26) x 2. The 52" version was a free plan in the
October 2000 Aviation Modeller International and as soon as I saw the magazine
at W. H. Smiths I had to have it. One Les Nicholson had scaled it up for control
line using a Frog 500 and it looked the business.
I kept looking at the plan and reading the article and fancied it for RC electric. I
probably built the wing in 2001/2002 and ended up chucking it in the loft because
I couldn't work out what to do about a UC. The original had none and I felt adding
one would ruin the sit of the model in the air, but I enjoy take-offs & landings from
our Cricket square. Also it might be a pig to launch as it's low wing.
A couple of years later I was at Old Warden and, tiring of the RC area I spent some
time watching the control line flying and sure enough there was a Skystreak 26
flying - so it appeared to me - very smoothly with a PAW 100. It's owner actually
said it was a bit of a pig and also that the 52" version was not much better.
However this fired me up again and the wings came out of the loft. I showed the
plans to one of my old flying mates who egged me on so I went for it!
36
E.F.-U.K.
Actually the wings were most of the model - look at that huge centre chord! - and
the fuselage came on a treat. I had decided to go for hand launch with a "radiator"
under the wing so I could get a grip! Next problem was holding the wing on as, of
course, the control line versions were one piece and I like elastic bands as they do
flex a bit on harder landings. I couldn't get long enough bands so had to go for a
bolt into a ply plate. Then it was on the blower to "Spot On Models" again and we
ended up with a Twister 25 brushless and Flash 40 speed controller which I matched
to 7 x 3300 cells I had kicking around. It all went together with a bit of cursing
and pushing and shoving and finished in yellow Profilm with some chequer boarding looked pretty fit.
Unfortunately the model was actually finished in November 2005 but, because of
bad weather and / or lack of a launcher it didn't take to the air until late February.
Worth the wait though as it shot away from the hand launch as if on rails with
absolutely no trim changes required. A loop and rolls proved it's potential and
then we checked its stall / slow speed performance which looked OK. I bought it in
as slow as I could in my alternative field with long grass, unfortunately the wind
got under a wing at the last minute and, as I find often happens, the 1/8th ply bolt
plate came through the fuz side.
I've since had 5 flights with it and it's a cracker in the air but a pig to get down
undamaged!! It will slow right up and I get it in flat but 2 further times the play
plate has moved - only a 10 minute repair but annoying and I daren't take it up
the Cricket ground where the deck is like concrete although it might just skid
along as opposed to the grass stopping it - has anyone any ideas?? It's such a good
flyer I will definitely persevere with it. Incidently the only real changes I remember
making from the control line version was to hugely reduce the size of the elevator
to 1" width and add strip ailerons. The rudder is fixed and total weight is 41oz.
I'm now trying
to work out
what to build
next - the 2nd
Wagtail or a
Gee
String
(another 60's
aerobatic model)
or I don't know
what - anything
can be made to
fly well on
electric now. (A
colour picture is
on page 32).
Regards
John Mellor
The Skystreak 52 in flight
E.F.-U.K.
37
Next are photographs and
details of three recent models
built by Chris Golds.
First is a de Havilland dH71,
“Tiger Moth” monoplane.
It is powered by an AXi 28 series
brushless motor with a Jeti 40A
ESC, APC 12” x 8” propeller on
a 10-cell 3300mAh NiMH pack.
Another colour picture can be
found on page 32.
dH71 Specification
Span:
54”
137 cm
Length:
45¼”
115 cm
Wing Area:
3.5 sq.ft.
500 sq. in.
32.5 dm²
Flying Weight: 67 oz.
1.9 kg
Wing Loading: 19.1 oz./sq.ft.
58.4 g/dm²
The next model is a commercial Autogyro design called Behemoth, which Chris
describes as big, slow and cumbersome. He also says that you have to work hard
on final approach. You can find photographs on the front cover and on page 33.
It is fitted with 3 x AXi 28 series motors each with their own 40A ESC, APC 11” x
7” propeller and 10-cell 3600mAh NiMH pack
Behemoth Specification
Rotor Span:
46” each
117 cm
Overall Span:
95”
241 cm
Length:
63”
160 cm
Wing Area:
27 sq.ft.
3900 sq. in.
Flying Weight:
13 lbs. 6 oz.
6.07 kg
Wing Loading:
7.9 oz./sq.ft.
24.2 g/dm²
38
E.F.-U.K.
250 dm² (wing & discs)
The final model submitted by Chris is a twice size Frog Interceptor, which he built
in a few spare days over Christmas. He says that the best flight has been a takeoff (Run Off Ground) and complete circut to land back at his feet (excellent for a
free flight model). Of course this all happened after the video man had gone shopping.
Power is from 8 strands
of 1mm² rubber through
a home made 3:1
gearbox, turning a
Günther 125mm x
110mm propeller.
Span:
23”
584 mm
Length:
19”
483 mm
Colour photograph on page 33
Wing Area: 0.65 sq.ft.
94 sq. in.
6.06 dm²
Weight:
2.7 oz.
77 g
Wing Load: 4.1 oz./sq.ft.
12.6 g/dm²
E.F.-U.K.
39
Rolls Royce Hucknall Fly-In
by John A Thompson
This venue always has a soft spot for me as it is my home town and I was one of
the original members before moving to Yorkshire. They have had some interference
problems lately, reportedly from a microwave link, so wisely the flying was moved
to the opposite end of the runway, and spectators forbidden.
June 11th dawned bright and hot but the wind got up and, although blowing along
the tarmac, was very turbulent near the ground. This end of the runway is a little
restricted in width and some flyers found this difficult to cope with, especially
those who had to land on the grass verge.
The only trader there was those intrepid people from All Electric RC who flew
several large models. Even the quarter scale Fokker DR1 (colour photo on page
31) was nearly caught out on take off when it was blown over thirty degrees bank
immediately on take off.
My highlight was the Cosmic Wind (shown below), flown by Ian Astbury, although
as I recall not a scale colour scheme for 'Ballerina', it performed faultlessly.
It is a from a Hacker kit at 1/3rd scale weighing about 18lbs and powered by a
Vortex 53/52/27 on 8 of their own LiPos of course.
40
E.F.-U.K.
Other unusual models included a Latecore six speed 400 flying boat, of particular
interest as some years ago I visited that firm's museum in Biscarrose while passing
through France. These where regularly doing the Atlantic crossing in the 1930s.
One of our Northern Area indoor R/C regulars, David Muir, sported an unusual
micro-light from an ARTF kit. It is called 'Moby Dick', maybe due to its portly
shape, and the original is made in the Czech Republic and features a narrow
cockpit open at both sides.
Must be draughty to fly the full size, but the model flew well, even taxiing backwards
on landing. The kit is by HVP and it featured a 600W outrunner from the same
stable and 3 of 'All Electric RCs' P-Packs of Li-Pos which are easily accessible
from the large cockpit.
Local lad Daren Lanwade showed everyone how to fly a helicopter in the windy
condition with his Logo10 powered by a Hacker C50 and 13x3700 GP NiMH cells
through a Schulze controller.
My contribution was a short flight with my Tiggy and a little whoopsy when my
'Diabolitin' was caught out dead stick.
Thanks lads, see you next year.
The ‘Moby Dick’ of David Muir
E.F.-U.K.
41
A Latecore six-motor (speed 400) flying boat.
The ‘pits’
42
E.F.-U.K.
Tony & Anthony Hill (All Electric RC), their models and stall
The cavernous fuselage of the ‘Moby Dick’
E.F.-U.K.
43
The Scroll
by Alan Bedingham
I found this old scroll in a house called Chacksfield and when I read it I realised
that it applies just as much today as it did then:
44
i.
And so it came to pass that a new tribe from the East came to the
brethren and their name was Lipo.
ii.
And the high priests of the brethren examined these Lipos and found
that they were good and that they were powerful and that they would
assist the brethren's quest to ascend into the heavens.
iii.
And the high priests found also that these Lipos must be treated with
due respect lest they unleash their wrath and rain fire upon thy house
and upon thy carriage and upon thy vessel of the air.
iv.
The high priests considered these things and spake thusly :-
v.
We will accept these Lipos into the brethren, and to bring peace
between the brethren and this new tribe of the Lipos we will carve
commandments upon tablets of stone and the brethren shall disobey
them at their peril.
vi.
And the tablets of stone were carved and the commandments to the
brethren were set down and sayeth thusly:
1.
Thou shalt not expose these Lipos to the heat of the
Sun, not in the fields nor in thy house nor in thy
carriage nor in thy vessel of the air for they are a tribe
that is easily inflamed.
2.
Thou shalt be in attendance at all times when feeding
these Lipos.
3.
Thou shalt be certain that the correct method of
feeding is employed, for it is this that most often
inflames their wrath.
4.
Thou shalt not feed these Lipos in thy vessel of the
air nor in thy carriage for therein lies disaster.
5.
Thou shalt feed new-born of the tribe for the first time
at one tenth of their size.
6.
Thou shalt then feed them only at one times their size
for to do otherwise may inflame their wrath.
E.F.-U.K.
7.
Thou shalt feed members of the tribe of Lipo standing
side by side only at three quarters of the size of all
members together for to do otherwise may inflame
their wrath.
8.
Thou shalt maintain a balance feeding the members
of the tribe of Lipo that hold hands in a line lest some
be over fed.
9.
Thou shalt not work the tribe too hard for they are
hot-tempered and may wreak their wrath and lest
their time on this Earth be shortened.
10.
Thou shalt treat the members of the tribe with respect
if they be injured, be it by cuts or by swelling or by
thy vessel of the air smiting the Earth, and must be
exposed in the fields for a period of one hour lest their
wrath be inflamed.
11.
Thou shalt not bring the Lipos too low while working
for they may die if they have less than three of the
Volts left.
12.
Thou shalt, upon infirmity or death, completely drain
members of the tribe of Lipos of their life force before
disposal.
Light is Better!
by Clay Ramskill
We all know that airplanes are created as light as possible, consistent with
structural strength. To most of us, this is a pretty obvious reality - after all, they
use aluminum, not cast iron for full-size, right? But ALL the advantages of a
light airplane may not be so apparent.
So let's have a peek - we'll start with the most obvious:
Load carrying capacity. Hey, this one's easy! All other things being equal, the
lighter plane can carry more load. Big deal? Well, maybe yes - how about a larger
battery, bigger servos or a camera?
Climb performance. Again, everything else being equal, the lighter plane will
climb quicker. For us, this can mean better vertical performance for acrobatics,
among other advantages.
E.F.-U.K.
45
Turning performance. How tightly a plane turns is one more area that is directly
related to weight. With all else being equal (i.e., speed, angle of attack, etc.), the
lighter plane will turn a smaller diameter circle.
Acceleration. F = MA, remember? Again, a direct relationship exists, the heavier
plane (more mass!) being the loser!
Stall speed. OK, this one's not a direct relationship. But without going into the
mathematics, it's a fact that a heavier identical plane will have a higher stall
speed. And it follows, then, that both take off and landing speeds will be higher for
the heavier plane.
Top speed. Really? Yes, indeed - but not by much! Every wing produces drag in
the process of getting lift (the lift vector is ALWAYS tilted back a bit with respect
to the line of flight). So, the more the lift required for a heavier plane, the more
drag will exist, cutting top speed somewhat.
All the above items can be calculated accurately with the right formulas and an
ordinary calculator. But some of the "light is better" advantages are more subjective
- words like "quicker" or "more responsive" come to mind. And heavier planes?
Have you heard the terms "dog" or "slug"?
The wind/turbulence factor: Ah, you say, here comes the BAD part! Well, yes and no. The lighter, more responsive plane will react more quickly to wind gusts
and shifts. However, self-correcting and any corrections you can make can also be
effected sooner with the lighter plane.
And note - problems with wind, turbulence and gusts is more related to wing
loading than just to weight itself. If we took some weight out of a plane, then
lowered the wing area proportionally the planes behaviour in the wind would remain
about the same.
We've all seen a very light plane being blown around badly in gusty conditions but this is more a result of the plane's design, and is most certainly a result of
lower flying speed.
One more comment on lower aircraft weight. If you can save weight somewhere,
you may be able to save even more somewhere else! The lighter your plane, the
less structural "beef" is required. An obvious example would be landing gear - a
lighter plane can use lighter landing gear. This principle can be applied all over
the plane's structure.
Another point of contention here could be crash survivability. But the fact is,
crash damage is a result of how well or how badly a plane can absorb the energy
that must be dissipated in a sudden stop. That energy is, again, related to the
planes weight. Less weight = less energy to absorb in the crash!
If you add in the point that the lighter plane has a good chance of crashing at a
lower airspeed, then the light plane actually may suffer LESS damage in the same
circumstances!
46
E.F.-U.K.
Lord’s Hill Electric Fly-In
by Jan Bassett
This year the Lord’s Hill Model Flying Club decided to have a 2-day Electric FlyIn (24th & 25th June 06) at their excellent site just off the A350 between Mere and
Warminster, Wiltshire. Having attended a fly-in there before, I knew it would be
relaxed affair so I decided to go along on the Sunday.
The weather was poor, being overcast, and we did have light rain on a couple
occasions, however, it didn’t do much to dampen anyones spirit. I managed to
take some photographs of the models in attendance, but didn’t get details for many
(too busy talking and on occasion flying).
The following pages show some of the models and any details that I gleaned. There
is also a colour picture on page 31 of one ??? of helicopters.
Local trader P J Rose (Motors, Controller and Batteries) was in attendance for all
those little (and some not so little) items that you might have wanted. There was
also a ‘burger van’ serving an excellent range of baps, sandwiches and drinks.
All in all it was an excellent day, despite the weather, and it was nice to catch up
with some people I hadn’t seen in a while. I’d thoroughly recommend this event to
anyone considering going to a fly-in next year.
A nice sport helicopter that flew well on Nickel cells!
E.F.-U.K.
47
Part of the pits area
Pete Nicholson with his latest, electrified, Hangar 9 P-47D Thunderbolt 150, 81¼” span
and fitted retracts and with his renown sound system.
48
E.F.-U.K.
Pete Nicholson’s Hangar 9 P-47D Thunderbolt 150 accelerates away on another sortie.
A Simprop Prolution 4004 Elektro. This 4004mm span glider is definitely a large beast
and makes my 2.8m Multiplex Kranich look tiny.
E.F.-U.K.
49
A nice Fw190 still using a brushed motor, but I understand not for much longer.
A Messerschmitt Me410 night-fighter, which had an outstanding finish. Unfortunately
asymmetric thrust problems prevented in flying.
50
E.F.-U.K.
Above is Martin Briggs 1.5m Graupner Agusta A109, AXi motor, Castle Creations
controller, T.G. blades, retracts and 10S Flightpower LiPo pack. Weight 5.5kg
Another Martin Briggs model below - a Graupner Jet Ranger (1.4m - 60 size).
Kontronik Beat + Tagno controller, 8S Safe-Fli LiPo & X_PERT blades. Weight 4.5kg
E.F.-U.K.
51
POLYCHARGE4
by John A Thompson
Having used LiPo batteries for some years I have been pleased with the performance
and weight saving, but it has often been inconvenient having to be present when
they are charging. It is well known that this is the best way to go, and, witnessing
the results of not doing so at Blackpool’s event a couple of years ago, reinforced
this. I have tried several chargers over the years and at one point had three on the
go at once, which worked, but entailed a spaghetti of cables.
A recent magazine showed the ‘PolyCharge4 4’ from Great Planes and this seemed
such a simple idea so why has no one thought of it before? Four chargers in one
box means that only one pair of wires from the charging battery and a much more
compact unit than independent ones.
The only problem was getting one! Nobody in the UK seems to stock it, even
spreading the search to Europe drew a blank, so our dealers are missing an
opportunity. The Great Planes website had a list of dealers worldwide, and they
offer on-line purchase through Tower Hobbies.
However shipping costs varied from $30 surface mail to $60 by UPS, which made
it very expensive. However, by emailing American dealers I eventually got this
down to $16 by Airmail from ‘Big Horn Hobbies’, probably run by Davy Crockett.
52
The PolyCharge 4
E.F.-U.K.
One important thing about shipping that few people know about is that ParcelForce
charge for collecting VAT!!!. A recent purchase from Hong Kong was hit by £10
vat and £14 to collect it!!.
Anyway the item was ordered, paid
for by PayPal, and came about three
weeks later by Royal Mail and so
was not hit so hard.
The well packed box revealed a neat,
well made unit of quite compact
dimensions, with comprehensive
instructions, although the
operation is simplicity itself. This
unit is for LiPo cells only and
surprisingly warns against using
it for Li-Ion or other similar types.
Each sector has a rotary dial to
select the capacity of the cells from
300 to 3000mAh, what could be
simpler? It would seem that 1C is
being used as the charging rate, a
safe figure which should ensure a
long working life.
One of the 4 identical outputs
When this has been selected and the pack connected a button is pressed to activate
the automated sequence. A green LED illuminates and the unit checks out the
pack for cell count, polarity and battery condition. After a few minutes, if everything
checks out, this LED flashes twice for two cells, three times for three cells, and
four times for four cells, so that you can check if this is the correct count.
The flashing continues during charging and, when complete, the LED changes to
red, which still flashes to tell you the cell count, but also a warning sounds. This
simple operation is repeated for each of the four outputs, which can be in any
combination you wish.
A built in cooling fan ensures the unit will not overheat, and a 20A spade fuse
protects the electronics. Of course a suitably high capacity battery or power supply
is required if all four chargers are used at the same time, but the characteristics
of LiPos are that the higher currents are only used in the initial charging phase so
this should not be a problem.
The unit cannot discharge cells, but my thinking is for the average flyer the place
to do that is in the air, not waste power in the workshop.
The picture (overleaf) shows a 3S1P 2200mAh (with balancer), 3S1P 2000mAh,
3S1P 1500mAh, and 3S1P 1000mAh all being charged together. After this the
unit frightened me when all four alarms went off with the red LEDs flashing, but
E.F.-U.K.
53
this was an error signal showing my 75Ah marine battery was getting low.
There are warnings for the usual errors, which are identified by the number of
LED flashes. A change to my 5A mains power supply soon had the system working
again. The only four cell LiPo I have is a 4S3P 4000mAh pack, that has not been
charged for over six months, so I tried this on the 3000 setting. It only took thirty
minutes with the rate starting at 3A, and cool to the touch.
So what about Saphion cells, which are advertised as being safe to charge on LiPo
chargers, but warned against in the instructions? A tentative test with a three
cell pack set on 1200mAh and under constant scrutiny took a long while for the
initial analysis then showed four cells, this was probably because the pack was
nearly full anyway so a four pack which had been used recently was tried.
Again a long analysis time, but this time showed only three cells. After some head
scratching it was discovered that the pack had discharged below 3 volts per cell
(apparently quite safe with Saphion cells) hence the incorrect diagnosis. The pack
was trickle charged and brought up to scratch and then charged normally.
So this proves that the safely devices built into the system work, but the user is
responsible for operating the charger correctly.
So far I have charged LiPo packs ranging from 2S1P 340mAh to 4S3P 4000mAh
without any problem, and now would not be without my PolyCharge4.
The PolyCharge4 charging 4 different LiPo packs, one with balancer
54
E.F.-U.K.
Electric Flight Calendar
If you would like details of your event to appear in these pages please send full
details to the Editor EF-UK, contact details on page 4. Please bear in mind that
this magazine is quarterly so ensure that the details are sent in good time.
For last minute information on events please check out the events list on the
BEFA website (www.befa.org.uk). Dates, times and, even, locations of events
can change at the last minute. You are strongly advised to check on events with
the given contacts before setting out on your journey to any event.
All BEFA flying events require proof of BMFA (or equivalent) insurance
and an ‘A’ Certificate to fly. For fixed wing models, any of the fixed wing ‘A’
certificates are acceptable. For helicopters, a helicopter ‘A’ certificate is required.
All flying models must have been satisfactorily flown at least twice
since build or repair before flying at a BEFA event.
NO TEST FLIGHTS ON THE DAY
Standing Events
1st Sunday of every month - The Brighouse Vintage MAC have been using the
small airfield at Tockwith, near Wetherby, Yorkshire for several years, but have
recently had noise problems. The field is now all electric & any BMFA Member is
invited to fly there on the 1st Sunday in each month from 10 - 5pm for a small fee.
Do not be put off by 'Vintage' they fly anything! There is a concrete runway available
and details of the site can be obtained from Derek Haviour on 01422 204 472
July 2006
23rd
BEFA ElectroSlot and E400 League event at Leamington Spa
(OS Grid SP 3187 6779). For more information contact David Perrett
on 01455 272 297 or by email at [email protected]
23rd
Bath SpaRCS All Electric Fly-In at RAF Colerne, Wiltshire.
Airfield site with tarmac runways and grass. No competitions. Proof
of BMFA insurance required. Regret no facilities for spectators. Pilots
briefing at 1000. For more information contact Bob Partington 01225
891 441 or email [email protected]
23rd
PANDAS Grand Electric Fly-In at the Pontefract racecourse,
signposted from J32 M62. Gates open 9.00am, flying starts at 10.00.
Off the peg flying for BMFA members with any electric model. Flyers
£5, Juniors £1, spectators free. Model Traders welcome, Modellers
Car Boot, Raffle, Barbecue. No overnight camping. Contact John
Thompson; 01924 515 595 (reasonable hours please) for more
information or email him at [email protected]
E.F.-U.K.
55
August 2006
6th
BEFA Leamington Spa Fly-In, contact [email protected]
for more information.
13th
BEFA ElectroSlot and E400 League event at York (OS Grid SE
6210 6030). For more information contact David Perrett on 01455
272 297 or by email at [email protected]
13th
Fradley Airfield Electric Fly-In, just off the A38 between Lichfield
and Alrewas. 10am to 5pm. Tarmac runway. Electric Fixed Wing
only and they require BMFA membership and an 'A' certificate to fly.
For more information contact David Orme on 01543 686 230
18th - 26th 11th FAI World Electric Flight (F5B & F5D)) Aeromodelling
Championship organised by the Romanian Modelling Federation.
The contacts are Mihail Zanciu ([email protected]) and
Marius Conu ([email protected]). Postal address: OP6 CP 56, Bucuresti, Romania. Telephone : +40 213 162 454 and Fax :
+40 213 162 454.
19th - 20th Greenacres MAC Electric Fun Fly at Walsall Airport, West
Midlands. The event is not just a fun-fly for model aero pilots but also
a day out for the family. Electric Flight traders are extremely welcome
at this event on the Saturday and Sunday, camping will be available
on the site from Friday evening (please contact us for details). We
have refreshments on site plus trade stands.
No Entrance Fee - Free on site car parking. Electric Fixed Wing only and they
require BMFA membership and an 'A' certificate to fly. For more
information contact Chris Moseley at [email protected]
or on 0121 288 5603, or Sid Lines at [email protected] or on
01922 448873. You can also see www.greenacresmac.com
20th
Woodspring E-Fly 2006 at the Woodspring Wings Model Airfield in
Yatton, near Bristol. As much a fly-in with interested visitors rather
than a show. No entrance fee, just £5.00 per car for parking. For
more see www.woodspringwings.co.uk/efly.html or contact Bob
Everitt on 01275 842 651 or email [email protected]
September 2006
3rd
BEFA Hayes Fly-In at Cranford Park, Hayes, Middlesex.. For more
information, contact David Chinery at [email protected].
10th
BEFA ElectroSlot and E400 League event at Billesden. For the
location or more information contact David Perrett on 01455 272 297
or by email at [email protected]
56
E.F.-U.K.
10th
Basingstoke Fly-in. Due to overwhelming demand, there will be a
BMAC "Electric Fly-in" again this year. Their flying field is about 5
miles out of 5 miles from Basingstoke on the A3400 towards
Whitchurch. More info can be found at www.bmacuk.co.uk
16th - 17th Castle Howard, North Yorkshire. By kind permission of the Hon
Simon Howard, a 'Stately Fly-In' for BMFA Members, organised by
the BMFA Northern Area. Saturday - general 'off the peg' flying,
minimum 'A' certificate. Sunday morning 'off the peg' again, afternoon
a Flying Display by invitation only. For pre-booking contact Andy
Symons on 01924 400 953, 07976 548 010 (reasonable hours please)
or [email protected]. A nominal charge of £3 per flier
will be levied. Camping is on the other side of the park away from the
flying area www.castlehoward.co.uk or 01653 648 444 for details
16th - 17th ASPACH at MFG Aspach e.V., 71546 Aspach. Details by email from
[email protected] or internet www.mfg-aspach.de. You can
also get more from Robert Mahoney at [email protected]
17th
Pillerton Hersey Fly-In. Come and have some fun at this relaxed
event. All electric flyers welcome & only £2 to fly, proof of insurance
required. More details from John Lewthwaite on 01789 740 688.
23rd - 24th Kelling Model Flying Club electric fly-in, at the home of the
Muckleburgh Collection (the largest privately owned military
collection in Great Britain). The Muckleburgh Collection is housed
at the old Weybourne army camp on the A149 coast road about 3
miles west of Sheringham between Weybourne and Kelling.
The price is £5 per pilot and the airfield has 2 well maintained grass
runway's suitable for most model types. We also have the use of a
static caravan on site for TX control etc. We can offer limited camping
and caravan facilities for those who might want to stay for the
weekend, price £5 per night. Please book in advance so as we know
who to expect and when. Please contact Nicholas Kirk at [email protected] or on 01263 511 466 for more details.
24th
BEFA ElectroSlot and E400 League event at Pillerton Hersey
(OS Grid SP 4922 4918). For more information contact David Perrett
on 01455 272 297 or by email at [email protected]
24th
Baldock Electric Fly-In, more details will be on the website when
received.
October 2006
8th
Pudsey Swapmeet and Indoor Fly-In by the Northern Area BMFA.
Pudsey Civic Centre just off the ring road between Leeds and Bradford.
E.F.-U.K.
57
Doors open 9.0am, one table free per BMFA member. Entry FREE.
Indoor RC from 12.30 to 5.0pm for sub 160g models only, £2 per pilot,
juniors free. Free parking and refreshments available all day. Contact
John Thompson 01924 515 595 (reasonable hours please) or at
[email protected]
15th
BMFA NW Area Indoor Fly-in at the Springfield Sports Centre,
Rochdale. Flying from 11am to 5pm, £3 per person, BMFA card must
be shown. For more information see www.bmfa-nw.org or email
[email protected]
November 2006
5th
BEFA Technical Workshop & Traders’ Fair , Leamington Spa.
More information from the Secretary or wait for the next issue.
19th
BMFA NW Area Indoor Fly-in, see 15th October for details.
December 2006
17th
BMFA NW Area Indoor Fly-in, see 15th October for details.
January 2007
21st
BMFA NW Area Indoor Fly-in, see 15th October 2006 for details.
February 2007
18th
March 2007
4th
BEFA 2007 Annual General Meeting at Leamington Spa, Warks.
18th
58
E.F.-U.K.
FOR SALE / WANTED
Member's Sales & Wants
Nick Fitton has for sale two 10-cell NiCd 4/5 Sub-C 1600mAh packs virtually
new. Price is £30 the pair, including P&P from N. Ireland to UK mainland.
Contact Nick via email at [email protected] or telephone evenings
02882 242 810, work 02882 258 949 or mobile 07899 963 907.
Garry (in Australia) would like information about plans for a Vickers Vimy,
preferably around 36" to 40" span but any thing would be appreciated. You can
email him at [email protected] with any information you have.
The items below are for sale by Trevor Wain, contact at [email protected]
or on 01332 792 508.
• Puffin Models Elegant, 2.6m glider / electric glider. Flown twice, but
other interests took over - no equipment fitted. Offers around £100.
• Kontronik Smile 40-6-18 opto, brushless, speed controller, 40A 624V with Kontronik 4mm silver connectors on the output and Schulze 3.5mm
connectors on the input and has been used twice. He would like to exchange
for the same or very similar with BEC or sell for £65.
Neil Stainton is selling the following items. All are plus postage or can be picked
up from Leamington Spa. Contact Neil Stainton on 01926 314 011 or email him at
[email protected]
• New Blade Runner indoor helicopter, including 27Mhz R/C, LiPo
battery & charger: £35
• Hornet Helicopter FP VGC, with carbon blades: £20
Jim Horne has the following items for sale, email Jim at [email protected] or
phone 01388 819 638
• WeMoTec Midi-fan with Aveox 36/24/2 sensorless brushless motor £70.
• FVK RIVAL, 2.8m span, fitted with a Kontronik 480 brushless with 5:1
gearbox, Hacker 70A ESC, six new servos, Schulze 8 channel receiver, Carbon
propeller & spinner, and comes with a 3300mAh flight battery. £450-00 or
vno or swap - what have you got?.
Neil Stainton wants a Highlight Electric Fuselage, any condition. Contact Neil
at [email protected] or on 01926 314 011
E.F.-U.K.
59
Peter Vivian would like to contact any others in his approximate area
(Camberley, Surrey) who are also new to Electric Flying, with a view to mutual
assistance and support. Peter returned to model aircraft fairly recently after a 55year break, with an interest mainly in building and experimenting (definitely
NOT ARTF!). He would like to meet up with others having similar interests.
Contact Peter by email at [email protected] or on 01276 21 304
Wanted by the Editor, any of the following (see page 4 for contact details):
• General / Technical Articles.
• Hints & Tips.
• New Product notifications.
• Product Reviews.
• Photographs of your models.
• Electric Flight Event Reports.
• Any other item of interest to electric model aircraft flyers.
Please send colour Digital photos or photographic prints (6” x 4” or bigger) to
the editor. If possible, please do not send inkjet prints as too much quality is
lost during the printing and scanning process.
If you have no way to email or write the files to a CD, please contact the Editor
for other options.
Photographic prints supplied will be returned, unless specified otherwise (as
long as you give a return address).
Digital photos should be sent at the highest resolution possible, in colour, and
preferably uncompressed. Where compression is unavoidable the camera should
ideally be set to the lowest compression possible and at the maximum resolution.
Digital photographs can be emailed to the Editor at [email protected]
Readers always like to know what equipment is fitted to models so they know
what combinations work well (or not so well). Therefore please include as
many details of the models in the photographs as possible, but ideally at least
wing span, wing area, motor(s), gearbox(es), propeller(s) or fan(s), battery
pack(s) used & the flight performance.
Where articles are produced on a word processor package, please send an
electronic copy - it make the Editors job much easier and quicker. Ideal formats
are Microsoft Word (any version), Works word processor, WordPad or Notepad.
Other formats can be accommodated, but please contact the Editor first.
60
E.F.-U.K.
New to ELECTRIC FLIGHT?
START HERE . . . . .
You may be taking up Electric Flight for the first time or you may be converting
from another discipline. Whatever your situation, help and advice is available.
BEFA has prepared an information sheet which details further sources of
information which you may find useful when just joining the hobby. To receive a
copy, please send a Stamped Addressed Envelope (S.A.E.) to Robert Mahoney,
address on page 4.
BEGINNER'S GUIDE
A Beginner’s Guide to Electric Flight is available, which explains many of the
‘Mysteries' of Electrics’ and will, hopefully, set you off on the right foot. Please
send £3.00 per copy required to The Editor of EF-UK at the address on page 4.
Please add £1.00 extra for overseas postage and remit in Sterling. Cheques should
be made payable to BEFA.
TECHNICAL HELP SERVICE
Technical help is now available again for the use of all members. We regret that
no telephone service is available, but all questions in writing (or email) will be
answered by our Technical Liaison Officer (TLO). Please refer your queries to our
TLO, to the postal or email address on page 4. If sent by post, please ensure that
you include an S.A.E. for a reply.
CONNECTIONS SERVICE
Requests are frequently received from members who wish to be put in contact
with other members living in the same area. The easiest method of doing this is
to place a free 'wanted' advert in the classified section of this magazine.
Alternatively, a request may be made IN WRITING to the Membership Secretary
who is allowed to divulge such information to members ONLY. Please supply as
much information about your location as possible and please remember to include
an S.A.E. for your reply.
B.E.F.A. MEMBERSHIP
Membership of the Association is open to all. Those who are not members of
BMFA (our national controlling body) will have a subscription to EF-UK membership
with none of the other benefits. Overseas members are very welcome and will be
classed as full members if they belong to their own national controlling body.
CONTACT
For full details, please send an S.A.E. to the Membership Secretary (address on
page 4) requesting a membership application form. Those with Internet access
may visit the B.E.F.A. website at www.befa.org.uk where you will find all the
membership information you should require and a application form.
E.F.-U.K.
61
B.E.F.A. Sales
BEFA Round, Coloured Rub-down Decals - Ultra-thin & light - 50p each
EF-UK Back Issues - Issues 71 to 73 and 75 to 85 are available to BEFA members
at £3.00 each, or £5.00 each to non-members. These prices include UK P&P,
overseas rates on application. Reprints of earlier issues may be available to special
order at slightly higher cost, contact the Editor for details (see page 4).
EF-UK Index. A comprehensive index of EF-UK, from issue 28 to date, is available
by sending a £1 coin to cover copying and postage cost.
Binders:- are available to hold 8 to 12 issues of Electric Flight U.K. Produced in
dark blue with gold lettering on the spine, these cost £4.50 each including U.K.
postage. Please add £1 for European postage and £2 for Worldwide postage.
Please send all orders to The Editor of EF-UK at the address on page 4.
Sweat Shirts & Tee-Shirts: Stock of these is now almost all gone - please
contact Robert Mahoney regarding remaining stock, sizes and prices.
PLEASE REMIT IN STERLING ONLY,
WITH ALL CHEQUES MADE PAYABLE TO B.E.F.A.
Advertisers Index
BEFA Sales ................................................................. 62
Fanfare.............................................. Inside Back Cover
For Sale / Wanted ....................................................... 59
Hyperflight.co.uk ........................................................ 34
New-2-U ............................................................... 6 to 21
RC Groups / E-Zone ......................... Inside Front Cover
Traplet ............................................Outside Back Cover
EF-UK advertising rates are £25 per inside or outside cover page,
£20 per full page, £10 per half page, all per issue.
Contact the EF-UK Editor for more details (see page 4).
62
E.F.-U.K.
– MAIL ORDER –
SPORTS ELECTRIC FLIGHT
FANS AND GEARBOXES
www.fanfare.f9.co.uk
GEARBOXES
FANS
Morley ‘Jet Elec’ Fan .............................. £15.00
WeMoTec Micro-Fan (280/300/330) ..... £14.00
WeMoTec Mini-Fan (400/480) ............... £28.00
WeMoTec Midi-Fan (540/ 600/930) ....... £38.00
MOTORS
MPJet Brushless motors; 9 motors; outrunners,
inrunners & geared; 280 to 700 .... £40.00 to £58.00
WEP Turbo 10 ....................................... £55.00
Fanfare Silver 16T & 20T ...................... £34.00
Fanfare Powermax 40T ........................ £38.00
Speed 600 8.4v BB SP .......................... £17.00
Speed 600 8.4v Race ............................ £22.00
RE 380 / Rocket 400 ................................ £5.00
Speed 480 BB ........................................ £21.00
Pro 400 .................................................... £5.00
Pro 480 HS ............................................... £6.00
Pro 480 HS BB ......................................... £8.00
MAXCIM BRUSHLESS
Max Neo 13Y 1430 rpm/v ................... £160.00
Max Neo 13D 2470 rpm/v .................... £160.00
Maxu 35D, 21 Cell Controller ............... £140.00
Maxu 35C, 25 Cell Controller ............... £180.00
Superbox 1.6 to 4.28:1 ......................... £50.00
Monsterbox 4 to 6.8:1 .......................... £60.00
Motor Mount ........................................... £12.00
Master Airscrew - 2.5, 3, 3.5:1 ............................. £16.00
MP Jet Planetary - 3.33 & 3.8:1 - 400 / Pro 480 ...... £28.00
MP Jet Planetary - 3.33 & 3.8:1 - Speed 480 ........ £28.00
MP Jet Planetary - 3.33 & 3.8:1 - 540 / 600 ............ £28.00
MP Jet Plastic BB - 4 & 5:1 - 280 / 300 ...................... £8.00
MP Jet Plastic BB - 3, 3.5 & 4:1 - 400 / Pro 480 ......... £8.00
MP Jet Plastic BB - 2.33, 3.5 & 4:1 - Speed 480 ..... £10.00
MP Jet Plastic BB - 1.75, 2.33 & 2.8:1 - 540 / 600 .. £15.00
Mini Olympus ............................................ £8.00
Olympus ................................................. £12.00
MOTORS / GEARBOXES
Speed 400 FG3 ..................................... £17.00
SpeedGear 400 4:1 Inline ...................... £38.00
SpeedGear 480 3.45:1 .......................... £55.00
SpeedGear 600 2.8:1 ............................ £51.50
SpeedGear 700 2.7:1 9.6v .................... £70.00
SpeedGear 700 Neo .............................. £92.00
Mini-Olympus & RE380 .......................... £12.00
Olympus & 540 ...................................... £19.00
Jamara 600 2.9:1 ................................... £24.00
Jamara 650 2.9:1 ................................... £26.00
PROPS
M.A. Folding
M.A. Wood Electric
CHARGERS
Speed 1 Pulse / Pk
Det 4-8 cells ........................................... £27.00
Speed Ex Digital
as above with discharge ...................... £55.00
Simprop 25 cell .................................... £100.00
Wheels, Wire, Servos, Fuses, Caps,
Powerpole, 4mm & 2mm gold conns.
Carbon Folders
(Perkins)
Slimprops
APC Electric
(full range available)
12x8 ................ £14.00
15x12 .............. £15.25
10x6/10x8 ......... £4.25
11x7/11x9 ......... £4.50
12x8/12x10 ....... £5.00
13x8/13x10 ....... £5.25
7x4 .................... £6.00
8x4 .................... £6.00
11x8 .................. £9.00
8x4, 8x6, 9x6 .... £3.50
5½” - 12” dia . £3 to £4
13” - 20” dia £5 to £15
Selection of Graupner & Aeronaut
folding & fixed props.
FANFARE • 18 HILLSIDE ROAD • TANKERTON • WHITSTABLE • KENT • CT5 3EX
‘Sports Electric’ Helpline - Phone / Fax: (01227) 771331 - E-mail: [email protected]
Now online at - www.fanfare.f9.co.uk