RCM&E May issue **FREE 20 PAGE PREVIEW**

FREE PRO-PLAN! SIMILAMANDER HEINKELIKE’S OTHER NAME! VOL.67 NO.5 MAY 2024

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RADIO CONTROL MODELS AND ELECTR RONICS

HEINK B U IL D

ELIKE

A SIM PLIFIE D

WARB IR

D JET

PREPARING FOR PONTE SINGLE CHANNEL & RETRO FLY-IN

FUN FLY NATIONALS

BURSTING BALLOONS AT BUCKMINSTER

PLUS II FUTABA T16IZS - ‘SUPER’ RADIO REVIEWED II CHIPMUNK COWL - DIY SCALE MOULDING

W

Welcome

elcome to the May 2024 issue of RCM&E. Although spring has well and truly arrived the wet weather continues to put a dampener on pretty much all my attempts to go flying.

Even more frustrating is that although conditions ‘up top’ have sometimes been very favourable, the soaking wet farm strips I usually fly from are still more puddles than grass, preventing any attempts at take-offs, even with my Super Cub fitted with huge bush plane wheels. This year I also learned to my cost that such wet and muddy conditions can be dangerous to wander around in, having slipped over when out flying, which caused soft tissue damage to my left arm and lower leg. Thankfully there were no broken bones, but I could do without the nagging pains that still persist weeks later. Some might say that such wet conditions are perfect for flying float equipped models from, but guess what I was investigating one such big puddle for when my boots got bogged down and over I went… So please do take care out there!

Fingers crossed the sun will shine soon and dry out all the mud, so with that in mind let’s take a look at what we have in store for you in this issue of RCM&E, starting with our regular columns.

Shaun Garrity (Retro Ramblings) eases us in gently as he looks forward to this summer’s Single Channel & Retro Fly-In at Pontefract’s PANDAS club. Danny Fenton (Make It Scale) continues to make good progress with his latest deHavilland Chipmunk as he adds some finishing touches to the model’s cowl.

Next, John Stennard (The Insider) signs in with another selection of indoor flying topics before Dave Goodenough (One Man & His Shed) joins us for more workshop tips as he shows how to secure LiPo batteries and put bends into balsa.

On review, yours truly investigates the Futaba T16IZ Super radio system as

RCM M&E 4 | RC

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my new ‘everyday’ radio set. Then it’s onwards to a few feature articles, kicked off by Test Flying with Jeff Barringer, who runs through the well-established check list that he uses before a new model even leaves the ground. Dudley Pattison continues his autobiographical series, A Company Called Flair as he recalls the first model kits produced by Flair Products, followed by Dick van Mourik with Striking The Right Balance, in which Dick discusses finding the balance point of a model aircraft and its influencing factors. As regular readers will know we try to include an event report in each issue and this time Mike Bell reports from the flight line at the 2023 Fun Fly Nationals.

Wrapping it all up is our free pullout Pro-Plan. This month’s doublesided centre-fold sheet is dedicated to Heinkelike, Colin Baxter’s semi-scale version of the Heinkel He 162 which is powered by a pylon mounted EDF unit.

I hope you enjoy reading it all.

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DIGITAL

Happy Flying!

Get your digital edition for just £3.99 per issue www.classicmagazines.co.uk/subscription/RCM Editor: Kevin Crozier

Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR kcrozier@mortons.co.uk

PRINT AND DIGITAL The whole package – just £5.50 per issue for a printed and digital version www.classicmagazines.co.uk/subscription/RCM www.modelflying.co.uk | May 2024

62

80

On the cover

10 48

Photo: Colin Baxter

We are sure that the Heinkel He 162 needs very little introduction as judging by the numbers of models of the type that we see submitted for Pilot’s Pictorial it seems to be a very popular subject for R/C models. One such aircraft is this simplified version, appropriately called the Heinkelike, designed by Colin Baxter.

RCM M&E 6 | RC

FREE PRO-PLAN

48

HEINKELIKE

Colin Baxter introduces his very (!) semi-scale version of the Heinkel He 162

28

Contents 62

A COMPANY CALLED FLAIR

72

STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE

Send us a picture of a new or favourite model and it could appear in our regular readers’ models gallery

80

FUN FLY NATIONALS

A selection of new gadgets, kits and bits for you to buy

Columns

Regulars 8

SWITCH ON

18

ALL WRITE

44

PILOTS’ PICTORIAL

61 92

94 95 98

Volume 67 | Issue 05

Our latest round up of model flying news.

Have your say in RCM&E’s monthly chat room

COUNTERPOINT

GOING PLACES

Our updated list of model shows, events and competitions for you to visit over the next few months

22

MARKETPLACE

34

NEXT ISSUE

66

PARTING SHOT

86

Sell off your unwanted airframes and engines or maybe buy a few new ones

Take a look at what’s coming in the June ‘24 issue of RCM&E Graham Ashby reminds us of the popular Precedent Stampe with an outtake from his Kick The Tyres column.

Dudley Pattison continues his autobiographical series as he recalls the first model kits produced by Flair Products Dick van Mourik discusses finding the balance point of a model aircraft and its influencing factors Mike Bell reports from the flight line at the 2023 Fun Fly Nats

RETRO RAMBLINGS

Shaun Garrity looks forward to this summer’s Single Channel & Retro FlyIn at the PANDAS club patch MAKE IT SCALE

Danny Fenton adds some finishing touches to his new Chipmunk cowl

THE INSIDER

John Stennard signs in with another selection of indoor flying topics ONE MAN & HIS SHED

Join Dave Goodenough as he shows how to secure LiPo batteries and put bends into balsa

Reviews 10

FUTABA T16IZ SUPER

With an eye to the future, Kevin Crozier looks to replace his ‘everyday’ radio set

Features SUBSCRIBE… UBSCRIBE

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28

TEST FLYING - PART 1

Jeff Barringer runs through a wellestablished check list which he uses before a new model even leaves the ground

34

22

May 2024 | www.modelflying.co.uk

RCM RC M&E | 7

Switch on

Our latest round up of model flying news and miscellany

FREE ENTRY

/WeAreJPerkins

Buckminster, Sewstern, Lincs, N NG33 5RW

• Huge range of R/C products on display • Traxxas rock crawler track and bashing area • Hitec and Futaba workshops • Daily flightline run by Team Renegade • See some of the UK’s top display teams in flight: AZ Aerosports, Renegade, RJ, Team TJD Warbirds • Watch JP’s Futaba team pilots flying • Join in and bring your own models to fly or drive • Camping available • On-site cafe BMFA and camping contact Manny@BMFA.org J Perkins contact Paul@jperkins.com

Supplying the R/C hobby for over 45 years

And many more JP products

COME FLY (AND DRIVE) WITH JP DELYN MFC ‘ALEX WHITTAKER MEMORIAL CUP’ As we emerge from the long, damp and dark days of winter it’s nice to have some indoor club events to attend to get us in the mood for the coming flying season. Our club has held a Winter Build competition for many years and after Alex’s death we renamed it in his honour.

So, on the 14th March, Delyn MFC held its monthly club meeting that incorporated the Alex Whittaker Memorial Cup. Amongst Alex’s many talents were his design and build skills and therefore his appreciation of fine craftsmanship whenever he saw it, especially in traditionally built balsa and ply models. With that in mind, this year’s award went to Brian M. Evans for his superb Manx Queen, as featured in this January’s edition of RCM&E by Shaun Garrity in his Retro Ramblings column. Brian’s Manx Queen is seen here in its military camouflage livery.

For the second year running the club was delighted to welcome Alex’s widow Freda to present the cup to Brian (‘Meredith’ as Alex used to address him) and I’m sure Alex would have approved of our decision wholeheartedly.

With the ever-expanding range of worldleading brands distributed by J. Perkins comes a desire to make a fuss of them and get as much seen by our customers as possible. We’re hugely proud of our products, we actively fly, drive and sail them ourselves and we want you to enjoy them as much as we do. This being the case, we’ve landed an opportunity for you to do just that by joining us for a weekend of flying and driving at BMFA Buckminster on the 1st and 2nd June.

With a huge range of aircraft, vehicles, kit and equipment on display, along with workshops, displays, camping, food and festivities, we’d love to see you and we’d also encourage you to bring your models, fly and drive with us, watch the UK’s top display teams in action and find out at first-hand what all the fuss is about.

Graham Ashby, Marketing Manager, J. Perkins R/C Division

NOT SO EXPENSIVE TISSUE Whoops! In Counterpoint in the last issue, we inadvertently hiked up the price of Deluxe Materials’ new Black Eze Tissue to almost ninety pounds!

The retail price is of course a much more reasonable £8.50.

RCM M&E 8 | RC

Our apologies go to Deluxe Materials and their distributor Ripmax.

This does, however, give us the excuse to show you this rather nice picture of what can be achieved with Black Eze Tissue when combined with other Eze Tissues.

www.modelflying.co.uk | May 2024

Get in touch kcrozier@mortons.co.uk

LASER ENGINES TO CLOSE To the Laser Engine Community, It’s with a heavy heart that I must inform you that AGC Sales/Laser engines will be closing in the near future.

After 40 years of developing and building Laser Engines it’s time for me to retire and close AGC Engineering which produces the many components required to build a high-quality Laser engine. It has been an incredible journey with an invaluable learning curve and we leave knowing we have created a quality product.

To our customers and supporters: thank you.

Your belief and trust in us has been the driving force behind our every step.

To my dedicated team: Jon for your design creativity and Chris for turning the idea into reality. Your passion and hard work have been the core of our journey. I am grateful beyond words for every moment.

While this chapter ends, the bonds and memories we’ve created endure.

We are dedicated to ensuring a smooth transition for our customers in the coming weeks.

For any queries you may have we have created a list of FAQs that may assist you which will be released soon.

I’m eternally grateful to everyone that was involved, especially my father, Reg Gross and Neil Tidey who by chance in 1982 met to create the Laser 61 engine.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish my team of suppliers and customers all the best in the future.

Geoffrey Gross, Director, AGC Engineering & AGC Sales This is very sad news and it came as a complete shock to us when it was announced on the forum at RCM&E’s modelflying. co.uk website on March 14th: https://forums. modelflying.co.uk/ Laser engines are very much loved and respected and are used by modellers all around the world. On behalf of our readers, we have sent our best wishes to Jon, Geoff and all at AGC. We are sure that more updates will be provided on the Laser Engines website: https://www.laserengines.com But for now, here is a selection of useful information compiled by Jon at AGC: Q: When will production cease?

A: No exact date has been set. We are in the process of manufacturing the parts needed to balance up components we have in stock so the engines can be finished. This will continue until the component supply has been depleted. Most likely the final engines will be completed in the early summer.

Q: What about warranty on these new engines for sale?

A: Warranty support will be provided on all engines sold within a year of the final close date. This is for warranty support only and things like crash damage will not be covered irrespective of the age of the engine.

Q: What about spares?

A: Provision for spares support will be made and the most common spares will be available into the future. Once production of the engines themselves is finished and total remaining parts is known a final production run of spares will take place to give a good stock for future years. There is no need to panic buy spares.

Q: Will I be able to get my engines serviced?

A: Effective immediately we can no longer accept engines back to the factory for service.

Other companies offer rebuild services and they should be contacted for your servicing needs. An exception will likely be made for Laser inline engines, but I will discuss this with their respective owners as we go along.

Q: How many new engines are coming and can I pre order one?

A: Batches of most sizes of engine are currently underway or planned. Batch sizes vary and are not yet confirmed. Exceptions are the inline engines, petrol engines and all 160 size engines as there are no plans to make more of any of them.

There may be a few 160v’s towards the end, but that is not clear at the moment.

We will not be able to accept any direct sales and will not accept pre orders for items not in stock. All engines and spares will be purchased through Model Shop Leeds.

Laser engine pictures courtesy of Barry Atkinson.

PSSA D-DAY 80TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT As part of the Great Orme ‘Fly for Fun’ meeting on 18th/19th May 2024 the Power Scale Soaring Association are planning to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landing operation by bringing together as many PSS models adorned with the black and white D-Day stripe markings as they can muster.

There is no competitive element but there will be a dedicated static area enabling all the allied invasion aircraft to be viewed up close together with group photos and dedicated ‘D-Day’ flying May 2024 | www.modelflying.co.uk

slots being run both days should conditions allow. The PSSA are keen to maximise the number of models taking part so if you have a PSS model of an aircraft associated with D-Day and marked up with the famous black and white stripes then please do come and join us at The Great Orme. It should be quite a spectacle!

See Going Places for full event details or contact Phil Cooke on 07772 224719, email webmaster@pssaonline.co.uk or go to www. pssaonline.co.uk/about-us/events/ RCM RC M&E | 9

FUTABA T16IZ SUPER

With an eye to the future Kevin Crozier looks to replace his ‘everyday’ radio set Words & Photos: Kevin Crozier

T

hings can get a little bit tribal when it comes to which radio systems a modeller decides to operate his model aircraft on. The decision over which brand to buy into is often the result of many factors, not the least being price. But there is also a lot of sense in sticking to those radio manufacturers whose products are the most popular at the local model flying club.

Over the years I have been faithful to a few well-known radio brands, starting with MacGregor Digimacs on 27 MHz before the introduction of 35 MHz saw the need for me to upgrade to a more up to date system, this time in the form of Sanwa which offered access to a decent quality Japanese made radio at an affordable price. After a couple of their sets I

RCM M&E 10 | RC

switched to JR Propo, which I have used in the main ever since, aided in no small part to having worked for their UK distributor (wee MacGregor again!) for many years, followed by more recent dalliances with Spektrum sets, which were a natural progression thanks to their early associations with JR. My JR and Spektrum transmitters have all performed well and fingers crossed they will continue to do so as I have quite a few models equipped with their receivers. But with recent purchases of a few larger aircraft, mostly aerobatic types, which demand the use of modern high voltage digital servos, the time was ripe to think about buying a new radio to use with such aircraft over the next few years.

Neat display box comes with egg carton style inner packaging so is easy to recycle. www.modelflying.co.uk | May 2024

TESTING, TESTING | Radio control system

Box contents. The short manual is handy to keep in a carry case (not supplied) for quick reference at the field.

A full version can be found on the J Perkins website.

Going back to the ‘buy the radio brand which is most used locally’ reasoning, this can also be extended to using that which is the most popular radio used by the participants in a particular discipline. And for those recently acquired high performance aerobatic models that I have invested in, following my research and discussions with leading aerobatic and F3A pilots there was a clear first choice and that was Futaba. At around the same time, late last year, some momentous news was heard, with J. Perkins being announced as Futaba’s new distributor in the UK, thus giving me plenty of reassurance that this most famous of radio control brands would be widely available for many years to come.

So, the decision on which make was now made, but which one of their many aircraft sets should I buy? Whilst the top range Futaba sets, the 32MZ-WC and the 18SZ were both very tempting, to be quite honest at my level of flying (an experienced B standard club pilot)

The box contents shot was missing the R7208SB receiver because I had already fitted it into my Pilot-RC Extra!

Here’s one I purchased later.

May 2024 | www.modelflying.co.uk

a mid-range set would be more than enough. So, I finally settled on the recently introduced Super version of the 18-channel T16IZ. What follows is not a feature-by-feature review of this very attractive and no doubt highly competent higher/mid-range radio control system. Rather it is simply just my initial observations as a newcomer to this most famous of R/C brands which I hope may be of interest for anyone in a similar position to me and who may be in a bit of a dilemma over which way to jump when trying to future proof themselves when deciding to buy a new radio set.

“…following my discussions with leading aerobatic and F3A pilots there was a clear first choice and that was Futaba”

FIRST IMPRESSIONS To give it its full name, the ‘Futaba 16IZS 18-Channel Air Radio (Multi-Mode) with R7208SB Rx’ is a rather attractive piece of tech. Not owning any other Futaba receivers, I elected to buy the ‘with eight channel Rx’

version to get me started, especially as I needed a high-quality receiver for my new Pilot-RC Extra, recently reviewed. However, a Tx only version is also available for those who have already invested in a few Futaba receivers.

Stick tension is a bit tighter and the ratchet stronger than I am used to from other makes but both are easily adjusted via the rear panel.

Nicely grouped shoulder switches are replicated on the other side.

RCM RC M&E | 11

Rear mounted slider switches fall easily to hand.

The system is supplied in egg carton style inner packaging, all wrapped up in a shiny black cube style outer box. It all looks very stylish.

The transmitter itself sports a ‘gun metal’ coloured front case attached to a cleanly moulded but easy to hold black plastic rear panel. As you’d expect from an R/C manufacturer with such a long lineage, Futaba know full well how to make an easy-to-handle radio set and the T16IZS is no exception.

Antenna must be swung out before use. It can also swivel downwards, which is recommended for best signal strength.

On both shoulders are the usual selection of user definable switches, with long and short three-position units at the front and a pair of long two-position switches at the rear, the sprung one on the left being momentary. There are four switches on each shoulder as well as a slider switch on each side of the Tx, just below each switch bank.

At the top of the case, just in front of the foldable antenna, are a pair of knobs which

“T16IZS internal memory provides enough storage for 30 models”

Underneath the antenna you will find a PC port and the microSD card slot.

can be used to control the ‘volumes’ of mixes and their direction of movement. The antenna itself nestles safely in a neat housing just behind these knobs whilst not in use. It needs to be rotated backwards and then flipped up when flying. As is usual with 2.4 GHz aerials it gives off its highest power to the sides and is lowest at the tip so you should avoid pointing it directly at your model in flight. The best way to do this is to incline it downwards; in fact, there is a convenient ‘step’ that can be felt at 45 degrees to encourage you to do this.

Under the antenna is a microSD card slot and a PC port. The PC port allows the Tx to be used as a game controller by connecting it to a computer via a USB cable. I guess the most obvious use for this is to allow it to be used with an R/C simulator. The microSD card (not supplied) is used for storing/backing up model data as well as for updating the transmitter’s software. The T16IZS internal memory provides enough storage for 30 models (more than enough for most of us!) but this capability can be greatly expanded by use of a microSD card of up to 32 GB.

Rear panel showing the large battery access hatch and the rubber covers mentioned in the text.

RCM M&E 12 | RC

www.modelflying.co.uk | May 2024

TESTING, TESTING | Radio control system

Rubber covers protect the stick tension and ratchet adjusters as well as the trainer cord and S-BUS interface connectors.

ROUND THE BACK Underneath the handle are a couple of swing out ‘kick stands’. If you are in the habit of placing your transmitter on the ground then these will prop it up a bit more, which could be handy when starting an IC engine.

Inset in the back of the rear case are three access points for adjusting the tension of each stick unit or altering the ratchets if changing stick modes, as well as a Trainer Cord Port and an S-Bus Interface Port. Each of these access points is covered by a rubber plug (as is the SD card/PC port under the antenna) and these should work well to keep dust and debris away from the sensitive components within. A similar plug covers the battery charging port in the base of the transmitter but sadly on my set this plug refuses to seat fully back into position. It’s

DATAFILE Name: Manufacturer: UK importer: RRP:

T16IZS 18-Channel Air Radio Futaba J Perkins https://www.jperkins.com/ products/FUT05003195-3 £689.99

Key Features

Another rubber cover is used to protect the charging port in the base of the Tx. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t seal properly on the review set.

no biggie as I’m a fusspot with my transmitters and I am unlikely to set it down in wet grass but even so it’s mildly annoying.

The charge point allows the 2000 mAh Li-Ion battery supplied to be connected to a suitable USB-A 5V 2A adapter plug. Take heed of that last figure as you’ll want to use a decently rated one, not the common sub one-amp units if you don’t want to wait ages for it to charge! The hard cased battery needs to be inserted into the set and connected before use. After that it can be connected to the USB adapter (or a Futaba AC adapter) via the USB lead supplied.

Whilst charging a dual colour LED lights up red, changing to green when fully charged.

ALL SYSTEMS GO Press the shiny power button between the stick units and the set will wake up with a cheery beep whilst illuminating the 4.3-inch full colour touchscreen. A pair of RF monitor lights, situated just above the power switch, will also light up. The red light on the left indicates RF off, whilst the blue light on the right (together with the red) indicates RF on.

I use the long two position switch, left rear shoulder, as a throttle cut switch to disarm the motors in my electric models and if this is left engaged (which it usually is) when switched on

Left: A high capacity 2000 mAh Li-Ion hardcase battery will allow for long flying sessions.

the buzzer sounds and the red light flashes to draw my attention to switching the switch off before it will switch the RF on. A similar thing happens for other user set switch conditions or if the throttle stick is raised at all, stopping the Tx from transmitting until the throttle stick is lowered. A full list of ‘Warning Settings’ is available from the ‘Linkage’ menu and the warning type can be changed or switched off if required.

If you need to make any in depth adjustments to a model’s set up, then RF can also be switched off manually to save battery power. This is simply done by holding down the Menu button (to the right of the screen) whilst switching on the radio.

Straight out of the box that lovely high resolution colour touchscreen is protected by a thin transparent sheet. I left it in place for ages to stop my screen from being covered in lots of fingerprints but eventually I had to take it off to take the studio pictures for this review. So now I use a small microfibre cloth from an old spectacles case to keep it as clean as I can. I have also ‘borrowed’ the stylus from a greatly under used handheld video game with which to make hand off presses of the various touch screen

Tx switched on and showing both the red and blue LEDs illuminated just above the switch. This indicates that RF is on.

18 channels (16+2) S-FHSS, T-FHSS & FASSTest protocols Full colour 4.3 inch touchscreen 30 model memories Aircraft, helicopter and glider programming Full telemetry support Micro SD card port 2000mAh Li-Ion battery 8 flight conditions 10 free programmable mixers S.BUS2 enabled Sound and/or vibration alert Telemetry data speech 7 fixed wing types 3 fixed wing tail types 8 helicopter swash types Earphone jack External stick tension adjust

May 2024 | www.modelflying.co.uk

RCM RC M&E | 13

Home screen.

T16IZS supports these four model types.

functions. I would highly recommend the use of such a stylus as with my sausage fingers it’s all too easy to press adjacent screen functions with a misplaced fingertip. This stylus now resides permanently in the T16IZ’s carry case (one of those budget aluminium affairs) alongside the neck strap that came with the set.

Talking about neck straps, this one is quite a thin affair and at some stage I will need to invest in a much more substantial strap, maybe one of those nice bright orange Futaba ones. Otherwise, I’ll be showing my past allegiances by using an old but much more substantial JR strap!

HOME SCREEN The home screen, which pops up when the set is switched on, shows a multitude of information.

Top left is the receiver battery voltage (in FASSTest and T-FHSS modes) as well as an indicator of signal reception from the Rx to the Tx. Across the middle of the screen are two large

Left: I’m gradually building up a good reserve of compatible Futaba receivers. On the left is an R7208SB FASSTest as supplied with this set.

Alongside is an R3008SB 8-channel T-FHSS receiver, with its 6-channel sibling below. I’ll be using FASSTest in those big (expensive!) aerobatic models, but T-FHSS is likely to become my normal choice for everyday use.

Clear and colourful graphics help with a model’s set up.

The wellproportioned full colour screen is best accessed using a touchscreen stylus.

timer displays and underneath those are the digital trim settings and the menu buttons to access the System, Linkage and Model Select menus. To the right of the screen is the Model menu button which displays a picture of the model type, whether that is an Airplane [sic], Glider, Helicopter or Multicopter. Just under this is an indicator of the System Type being used (FASSTest, T-FHSS etc.) and confirmation of the RF status to back up those two bright LEDs up top.

I don’t propose to go into the wealth of settings available under each of those menu options otherwise I will be filling up your magazine with a repeat of the full manual, which you can look at here if interested:

System, Linkage and Model menus giving an idea of the versatility of this state-of-the-art radio.

Left: System Type menu is where you select your chosen protocol and link the set to a receiver.

Right: As you’d expect a radio of this class can be used with a wide variety of telemetry sensors.

RCM M&E 4 | RC

www.modelflying.co.uk | May 2024

TESTING, TESTING | Radio control system

My three position Flight Mode switch settings. There may be other ways to do it, but this works for me!

https://d3if9wubzr0anm.cloudfront.net/ manuals/FUT05003195-3-1.pdf Suffice to say that the T16IZ Super is equipped with all the functions that you would expect from a high to mid-range radio control set (see Datafile for a list of key features). Plus, it is S.BUS/S.BUS2

An example of a graphical display, this one showing dual rates and expo.

enabled and supports a wide range of telemetry sensors, both of which were high on my must have list for ‘future proofing’, particularly for my new Epilogue 1900 F3A model which I wrote about in the last issue. If you want to know more about S.BUS (and other similar serial bus

“Coming from a JR / Spektrum background I am pleased to report that I didn’t find any trouble in setting up my latest models”

systems) then take a look at David Ashby’s ‘One Lead to Rule Them All’ feature in the October 2019 issue of RCM&E, which provides a good introduction to the system. I think that David’s brother, Graham, might also be writing more on this subject in future editions of his ‘Kick The Tyres’ column.

SUMMARY I’ll sign off now otherwise as I said before I’ll end up rewriting the manual – and not necessarily in a good way! But to sum up I am very pleased with my new acquisition. Coming from a JR / Spektrum background (and mostly 10-year-old plus systems at that!) I am pleased to report that I didn’t find any trouble in setting up my latest models with all the usual basic functions, plus a few of my own favourites such as the Throttle Hold switch mentioned earlier and a 3-position Flight Mode switch, each with different rate and expo settings. ■

A last look at the Futaba T16IZ Super. Why Super? Apparently, this relates to the gun metal finish and it can now also be used with an SBS-01ML telemetry adapter for Pixhawk, a drone flight controller.

(No, me neither…)

May 2024 | www.modelflying.co.uk

RCM RC M&E | 15

All Write

Have your say in RCM&E’s monthly chat room

C CHILLI BREEZE SPAR SLOTS S

Top letter For his letter this month Jim Dowe wins a compact e455 multi chemistry AC input charger courtesy of Overlander Batteries www.overlander.co.uk

IN STITCHES There’s been some discussion recently about what to use to simulate rib stitches. I’m building the DB Sport & Scale Blackburn Monoplane. This has a concave rib section and uses wing warping for roll control.

Therefore, I’m stitching it to stop the fabric pulling off the under-camber. The pictures show the top and bottom wing stitches.

So, if you want to show stitching, stitch it!

Jim Dowe

HEINKELIKE POWER OPTION Due to the increasing noise sensitivity of our club field and the high-pitched shriek of the Dancing Wings 45 mm eight bladed fan, over the winter I have managed to shoehorn a 50 mm fan into the Heinkelike, a fan that I bought from 4-Max in the first place! It is the 50 mm 3S FMS 11-blade (originally bought for the Nijhuis Hunter that I’ve not yet made): https://www.4-max.co.uk/edf-fms-50mm-3S.html It fitted by careful opening out of the original nacelle as on the plan. A fair amount of sanding was needed but it saved making a new one! I will use a GensAce 1800 mAh 3S LiPo weighing 145 g. I have also changed the ESC to a 45A item.

It balances okay with the above items, but the AUW has increased by nearly 100g to 585g.

I have not yet flown it in its new spec, but I don’t foresee any major issues. However, my gut feeling is that any higher weight could start becoming an issue - for me, if not the model!

Attached is a photo with the new fan fitted.

Colin Baxter

SERVO CALCULATIONS The recent servo article in RCM&E was very helpful! In the last months I made quite a lot of calculations on required servo strength and the outcome of all those calculations gave me one conclusion - all my servos were too strong for the required job! But better safe than sorry!

My first aeroplane was the Kleine Uhu, a Graupner product, a long time ago in 1958. Free flight, of course. I live in the Netherlands and love RCM&E and lots more of these magazines.

Designing electro gliders is my thing in the last couple of years. I love to try to improve several designs but most of the time the result is rather disappointing - the original is often better. But my biggest challenge is: how do I calculate/ estimate which servo I have to use? Up until now I have guessed the size and power and that has worked fine but sometime my luck will run out.

RCM M&E 18 | RC

I would really appreciate it if you could write an article on how to calculate servo dimensions and required power/force. As mentioned, guessing is nice, but knowing/calculating is much better. I did look at various sites, but I did not find a sound answer.

Henkjan Louman, Netherlands Thank you for your message, Henkjan. I have put some feelers out regarding another servo article such as you mention. But in the meantime, maybe some of our readers can help out with recommendations of online servo calculators and possibly other servo calculation articles. There may even be one those lurking in the RCM&E archive so if anyone can remember such an article then please point us in the right direction!

KC

I was disappointed to read in February’s RCM&E that someone had found the spar R slots to be 1⁄32” too wide in their laser cut ribs for s the t Chilli Breeze. I have a set of laser cut ribs which were produced using the same files as w Sarik used and the spars are a comfortable fit S in i the slots (take account also that the spars pass across the ribs at an angle). I have just measured the thickness of four sheets each of 1 ⁄4” and 3⁄16” balsa and the results in mm were: 6.6/6.8/6.6/6.5 and 4.8/5.0/4.7/4.9 respectively.

My stock of 1⁄16” sheet varies between 1.62 and 1.80 mm. I don’t regard this as a problem - it’s just the way things are. I have checked my files and measured the slots on the published plan and they are NOT 1⁄32”/0.8mm too wide so it would leave one to conclude that the spars provided in the wood pack were under size. Balsa sizes are rarely exact owing to the nature of the beast (shrinkage etc.) and the thickness can vary slightly from side to side and also along the length of any given sheet or strip and will rarely be the exact size. This begs the question ‘what is the exact size?’ For any given size, SLEC quote both metric and imperial values (SLEC wood is used by Sarik – KC).

CAD users seem to work in metric sizing and modellers’ tendency to use imperial values for larger dimensions such as wing spans etc. and metric values for smaller, exact measurements further complicates the situation. It has to be accepted that 1⁄16”- 3⁄32”- 1⁄4” etc are only ‘nominal’ values and if an exact value is required it is up to the modeller to ‘work it out’. I like to cut my own strip wood for spars etc and use a Proxxon KS 230 table saw (an extremely useful little tool!) which allows me to match the spar to the slot in the rib, bearing in mind that is far preferable to have a comfortable fit than too tight a fit.

Mike Delacole

DERBYSHIRE RADIO CONTROL FLYERS Derbyshire Radio Control Flyers are a very friendly and long-established club that are BMFA registered (club number 008). Our longterm base has been at Ashbourne aerodrome on the edge of the beautiful Peak District where we have both tarmac and grass runways to fly from. More recently we have also obtained a second site at the nearby village of Longford, a most attractive grass site with a club hut with electrical power and toilets available.

During the winter months we have indoor club flying with very informal meetings, with tea and coffee, on a fortnightly basis in the admittedly small village hall of Hulland Ward.

Most types of model building and flying are enthusiastically participated in, with 24/7 access to the flying sites. We would welcome any new members wishing to join the club.

Please take a look at our website www.drcf. co.uk for more details.

Ted Griffiths www.modelflying.co.uk | May 2024

kcrozier@mortons.co.uk

HAND SAWN JUG I enjoyed the recent articles by Jan Hermkens on his large P-47 Thunderbolt.

Superb workmanship!

Curiosity got the better of me, resulting in this email. Under the photographs on page 81 of the first article it is indicated that the formers, and some other components were ‘hand sawn’. The formers appear quite complex in form and are beautifully cut with no visible break-out of the surface ply layer. In my youth I struggled to cut ply parts to my satisfaction until I acquired a Dremel Jig Saw (scroll saw). I wondered whether the term ‘hand sawn’ means that Jan uses a either a jeweller’s piercing saw or something similar (fully manual) or an electric scroll saw rather than say CNC or CAD/laser cutting? It was the quality of his workmanship that caught my eye, so I wondered if I was missing a trick.

Keith Cherrington By ‘hand sawn’ I mean parts sawn by hand with my electric scroll saw, made by a professional German brand called Hegner. It has an extra-large table and a deep arm. The saws are very fine.

Further, I use a band saw machine fitted with a band with very small teeth This is also by another professional German tool brand, Scheppach. See the pictures of both my saws.

There is no CNC or CAD laser cutting at all.

Jan Hermkens

ORIGINAL OODALALLY ARTICLE Regarding the article by Peter Miller on the electrification of his Oodalally, I do intend to build it. However, is it possible to obtain a back issue of April 2013 issue with the original article about the model. I have the original plan but not having built anything for decades it would be useful.

I have tried to contact Sarik to see if they intend producing a short kit of the electrified version but to no avail.

Can you help?

Denis Welchman Hi Denis, The usual place to find back issues of RCM&E is classicmagazines. co.uk but this only goes back as far as February 2021.

The best place to search for older back issues of RCM&E is the magazineexchange.co.uk but I see that print copies of the April 2013 issue are not currently available: https://www.magazineexchange. co.uk/cw/rcme-magazine-april2013-issue.html

May 2024 | www.modelflying.co.uk

The next best option would be to buy a digital copy and you will see that the above link refers you to Pocketmags for that: https:// pocketmags.com/rcmandemagazine/april-2013 However, if you are a digital subscriber (or print & digital customer) to RCM&E then you will also be able to view the original Oodalally article at no extra cost using the RCM&E Digital Archive on our modelflying.co.uk website.

Please use the drop down ‘Digital Archive’ menu to access this, using your email address and Customer ID associated with your subscription.

Finally, Sarik Hobbies have expressed interest in supporting the Oodalally electric conversion and we have recently supplied them with full details of Peter’s modifications to the original IC plan. So, it may be worth contacting them again to see if they are intending to offer any additional products for this design.

KC

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