Welcome to the July 2025 issueof RCM&E. Modellerscan be acra�tylot andI’veheard of myriadwaysinwhich new kits,engines,radios andother expensive items have been snuck past seeminglyunaware wivesand partners, especially those who do not share our fascinationwith this fabulous hobby.
My ownpoorwifehas long givenuponholding thefort against the intrusionofall sorts of modelling paraphernalia into ourhomeand Ican’t sayI really blame her,especiallyasmy simple retort when shefinally snaps is, “It’sall part of the job!”
However, it appears that Ido need to be alittle more careful not to reveal too much within the pages of the magazine about what’s going on in my headmodellingwise. Yousee,mybetter half shocked me the other daywith the revelationthat she still likesto �lick through the latest issue, a�termanyyears of me assuming she wasn’t reallyinterested in anything between the covers.Ofparticular interest wasmyrecent revelationonthisvery page that the covering on along-stored model hadnot aged toowell, which only reinforced her firmlyheld opinion that Ihold on to some models forfar toolong.
Andinthat she has averyfairpoint, my nearbystorage unit being fartoo fullofmodel aeroplanes,someofwhich datebacktomyfirst incarnationaseditor of this finepublication in the early1990s! So,I hadtothinkfast on my feet andcameupwith the snappyreply, “Well, it’s allpartofthe job!”
Ithink Ineed anew catchphrase!
Nowfor ourusual quick lookatsomeof the main articles in this month’s magazine Nigel Cartwrights starts things offwith his review of the revised SE5a kit from E-flitewhich nowincorporatesAS3X gyro technology.Next is ShaunGarrity’s latest ‘RetroRamblings’ column in which he pays tributetoDaveHardaker,well knownto many long-time readers forhis Lightning aerobatic design. Jeff Barringer is back with another informative article on safe flying, this time describing howtolower therisk of allowing amodel to stall or spin when flown in windyweather.David Ashby’s ‘Just For Fun’ column sees him have lots of funwhen flinging his Tomahawk flying wing offalocal slope, plus he shows howtoconvert atiddly TexanRTF modeltooperate using ahigh-
quality Futaba transmitter.In‘Aerobatic Scene’Keith Jacksonreports from the first BMFAcentralised F3A competitionofthe 2025 season, then it ’s over to Chris Williams who fills the pull-out Pro-Planspot forthis issuewith Part 1ofhis 1/5th scale Slingsby Skylark 1glider
I’vedecided to join ourregularcontributors with someoccasional scribblingsofmyown based on forthcoming reviews andmyown pet modelling projects.I’venamed this feature ‘ReadThe Flippin’Manual’ as asardonic twist regardingkit instructions, whichappeartobe an endangered species these days
We then catchupwith Dave Goodenough who has installed some new budget priced tools in his ‘One Man’ shed. This is followed by Gerr yEdgar whose simplified beginners’ guidetoR/C model flying will be welcomed by anynew readers who maybestruggling to understand the basics of thiswonderful pastime. In asimilar vein, KevScott follows up his recent explanator yfeature on ELRS radios with alook at the EdgeTX operating system nowbeingemployedbyseveral radio controlmanufacturers.Last, but not least, we return to David Ashbywho puts the new Iwata Vault Kustom airbrush to work
Ihope youenjoyreading it all.
HappyFlying!
Editor: Kevin Crozier
Kelsey Media, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle,Lincs LN9 6JR kcrozier@mortons.co.uk
PRINT AND DIGITAL
Thewhole package –just £5.50 per issuefor a printed anddigital version
On thecover
Photo: Barr yAtkinson
NigelC ar tw righthas as of tspotf or WW 1models, buttheir fl ying qu alit ie s canb eles sthanideal.Short no se s mean theCGisdif ficult to achieve, with smallt ailareas,lot sof dr ag et c. As such theSE5 aisprobabl yone of theeasiert yp es to mo delw ithits longer no se andr ea sonablesizet ail. Ar ound 14 year sago thef ir st E-f lite SE 5a wa sr elea se d. It wa sa go od fl yer butneeded care when taking of f. Eventu ally pr oduc tion ende dbut roll on to 2025 andthere’s anew version out, this time br ou ghtr ig ht up to date with thelat es tele ct ronics to as sist gr ound andair handling
Regulars
8 SWITCH ON
Ourlatestround up of model� lyingnews.
38 ALLWRITE
Have your sayinRCM&E’s monthlychat room
40 PILOTS’PICTORIAL
Send us apicture of anew or favourite modeland it couldappearinour readers’ models galler y
59 COUNTERPOINT
Aselection of newkits, bits andgadgets foryou to buy
92 GOINGPLACES
Ourupdated list of modeleventsand competitions foryou to visitoverthe next fewmonths
In thefirstofanoccasionalseriesthe Editor takesthe oppor tunity to geta fewthingso�f hischest,pluscatch up on some review models
76 IN THEBEGINNING
Gerr yEdgar explains thejargon commonly used in ourhobby foranyone whoisarecentconvert to thewonderful worldofR/C model� lying
82 EDGE TX
KevScott provides an introduction to theEdgeTXoperating system now commonly used in R/Ctransmitters
Columns
18 RETROR AMBLINGS
This time ShaunGarrity finds an oldDB Models Auto Gyro andremembers oneof theUK’sleading F3Apilotsfromthe 1970s
SUBS CRIBE…
…and receiveModernAerobatic Teams &HalfCentury,Baby! bookazines FREE!See page 74 fordetails
Take alookatwhat’scominginthe August ‘25issue of RCM&E
98 PARTINGSHOT
Mike Freemancatches Tony Nijhuis’ VTOL Harriertakingatumbleatthe BasingstokeElectricFly-In
Reviews
10 E-FLITESE5a
NigelCar twrightassembles thelatest versionofE-� lite’s biplanefighter, this time broughtright up to date with the latest electronics
88 VAULTKUSTOMCS
DavidAshby gets acquainted with Iwata’s latest airbrush release
Features
24 STALLS &SPINS
Je�f Barringero�fersadviceonthe risk sof a modelstalling, as well as safe spinning, when �lowninwindy/gusty conditions
30 JUST FORFUN
DavidAshby checks in a� terabusywinter slopeseasonwithhis Tomahawk foam wing and� lies atinyTexan with aFutabaTx
42 AEROBATICSCENE
KeithJackson report sfromthe 1stBMFA centralisedF3A competitionof2025 andreviews amust-read book forthose interested in aerobatic s
68 ONEMAN &HIS SHED
Dave Goodenough hasa whoopsie with hist wo-times KK Topper andconvert s hisbuildingboard forbuildingdihedral into aone-piece wing
Free Pro-Plan
48 SLINGSBY SK YL ARK1
ChrisWilliamsintroducespar tone of hislatestPro-Planarticle describing the buildofa1950s Slingsby glider
SWITCH ON
BMFA NATIONAL CENTRE –THE YE AR AHEAD
Manny Williamson, CentreManager at the BMFANationalCentrefor Model Flying at Buckminster in Leicestershire, has sentin details of what visitorstothe centrecan expect to see,and events to participatein, over the next fewmonths:
TheBMFANational Centrefor Model Flying has become an established facility andis now intoits eighth year of operation.
TheCentreisbusy all year with events andactivities taking place everyweekend from March until lateNovember,plusa good number of midweek events in the mix. Themajority of events are‘open’types and provided the activity fits in with your interests andaircra�tthen asignificantnumber areturn up andpay on the day. Of course,someevents and, in particular, competitions require preentry, but this is usuallyindicatedthrough the particulardiscipline’s owninformation
As well as event days thereare plenty of open �lying days usually mid-week when members can turn up and�ly on aday ticket.
Thebest place to find out about events at the National Centreisthe dedicatedwebsite https://nationalcentre.bmfa.uk which featuresall the latest information as well as the full 2025 Year Planner anda sitestatus button so youcan seethe detail of each day’s activity.
TheCentreconsists of a 0-acre�lying site with a350-metregrass main runway plus a 150-metrecross runway , threegrass control line circles with hard centres, ahardcontrol line circle with safety cage andatether car track. Thereisalsoalarge hangar forevents andovernight model parking, acampsitewith toilet andshowerfacilities as well asfresh watersupplyand achemical toilet disposal point.Charging facilities forelectric aircra�tare provided adjacent to the �lightline andtrollies arelocated in the car park to transport models andequipment to the �light line
We also have the Flyers’ Café which has become very popularand is open forbreakfast andmeals on most event days indicated in the sitestatus .
Therange of activities we coveratthe Centre becomes broader each year andaswellas the model�lyingevents we also runseveral large swapmeetseachyear, which arevery well attended. We also stage several auctions, usuallyaimed at collectors’ engines andclassic kits; these have also provedverypopularwith solditems shipped internationally.
Thebest waytosee what’s on is to visit the websitebut beloware afew highlights coming over the next fewmonths:
June 20 –21Jet Modellers Association Fly-in,CLAPAControl Line Aerobatics Champs, tethered carmeeting, all open to spectators.
June 28 -29FestivalofScale,scale �ly-in hosted by the BMFAScale Technical Committee with scale related advice on building,finishing, �lying andcompeting, plus relaxed �lying bothdays.
July 11 -13Warbirds Festival,open warbirds �ly-in, themed slots anda relaxed atmosphere with some of the best warbirds in the country on display. Foamie slots throughout the weekend. Also,atethered carmeeting anda control line combat competition.
July 25 -27Blades overBuckminster, aweekend of all things helicopter andmultirotor
August 1- 3 Laser Engines andBest of
British Fly-in,relaxed ‘o�f the peg’ format.Ifit’s got abit of British in it then come along. Trade presence andevening �lying.
August 23 -25Silent Flight Nationals, gliding andsoaring competitionatits best, organised by BARCS
August 29 -31Control Line Nationals,a whole weekend dedicatedtocontrol line competitions
September 12 –14R/C andC/L Scale Nationals,the best of the best,spectators welcome andFlyers’ Café open all weekend.
September 27 –28Aerotow,large gliders andtugs.Towsavailable all weekend. Hosted by the Ghost Squadron
October 11 -12SAM 35 Autumn Gala,vintage �ly-in, F/F,C/L andR/C, open event.Flyers’ Caf open all weekend.
October 12 Swap Meet, last swap meet of the year.Over60indoortables plus outside stands Booking required to trade.
November 7-9Collectors’ ModelEngine Auction,inthe Goldsmith Hangar and broadcast live online.The ultimateengine shopping experience
Check out the websitefor full informationand detail on all oureventsatthe National Centre. Enquiries to manny@bmfa.org or 0116 2441091 We look forwardtowelcoming youtothe BMFANational Centre.
TheNational Centre looking good from the air. Whynot visitduring 2025.The Flyers Café when brand newinMarch 2024.
MONTROSE MODELAEROCLUB
GrahamMcIntosh writes with details of a long-established model aero club in Scotland. Grahamisthe Hon. Sec. of Montrose M.A.C.
Th eMontrose Mo del Ae ro Club wa sform ed in Se ptember 1944 by ag ro up of loc al ai r- min de d yo uths.Itwas re ported in th eD ecemb er 19 44 Aeromodeller as anew club.Inthe May1955 Ae ro modeller they re ported th at Mo nt ro se M.A.C. had an enjoya bl eSoci al Eveni ng wit ha review of activities in 1954 and thenafilm show Al so re ported wa st hat Ke nWhy te’s 80” mod e l wa sb eing te st flown
During th eF ifties and Sixtie s, th eC lu bwas pro mi ne nt i nt he Free Fl ight league s, fly in ga t si te ss uch as RNAS Ab botsinch ,R NAS Co ndor, Ed inburgh Airpor t, an dPre stwick ,w in n in g several trophies and gett ing re gular me nt io ns in the model magazi nes of th ed ay.The C l ub ha da local supporter in those days,i nCoun ci l l o rGlor y Ad ams,w ho wa sag re at prom oter of it
With the increasing use of mult i-co n trol R/C models in the late1 960s an de ar ly 19 70 s t h eC lub,w hich wa st hen flyin gm ai n ly on the local publi cg olf course,d ec ide da ne ws ite wasneeded. When the old1913RAF Montrose became availab le fo ru se,a sp ac ke ts of land we re sold of ftoi ndust ry an dt he Co un cil, am orep ermanent area on th eCoun ci ls ite wa sa cquired.
PATTERNS YPLANS
MarkTownsend writes in with details of anew plans printing service:
Patternsy is Su &Mark, andwehavebeen doing largeformat printing forquite afew yearsstarting with, believeitornot,marketing andpromotionalmaterials forBeanie Babies!
Beanie Babies cameand went then came back acouple of times! but we hadthe skills andthe bit between ourteeth!Wemoved from YorkshiretoLincolnshire, to the villageSu wasbornin, andswitched to sewing pattern printing. We arenow adding other large format printing niches
Consider the ubiquity of the humble PDF, V1.0, born 1993 andnow so much apart of everyday usage in documents,diagram drawing, plans etc. What atime saver! PDFscan be stored andretrieved on almost anydevice Well, that’s truetoa point in the mundane word of A4, A3 andother smallformats, but what about aircra�tmodelling.How many hours have been spent collectively by aeromodellers sticking A4 or A3 sheets together,eitherdigitallyorwithsticky tape!
Letmeintroduce youtoPatternsyand our print system, which is perfect to do that job!
• Printers -6
• Colour/B W
• Print width -1047 mm
• Print length -for all practical purposes,infinite
Montrose M.A.C. flyfrom Council land that became availablewhen RAF Montrose closed. TheClub still flythere,operating the usual mix of current styles of model.
TheClub still flythere, with the usualmix of current styles of model, and have an annual fly-in on the last weekend of July everyyear
Thankyou fortaking the time to send in details of your club,Graham. If youwould liketosee your ownmodel club featuredinSwitch On then please send us some informationonits activities,past
Here’s Dave Sochawith his turbine powered T-33. TheShooting Star is by HSDJetsusing Futaba S-bus radio.Turbine is aSwiwin60converted from brushed startertobrushless at the factory- bit different fromGraham’sold Jetex50!
andpresent,plus some good quality high resolutionpictures. Pictures should be sent as the same sizeasthey aretaken on your cameraorphone.Unfortunately, we get alot of picturesthat arereduced in sizefor use on club websites,but they areinvariablytoo small to publish. Keep the sizeup, keep them sharp and they should work well.
Ourpaper is just 22 gsm which means 4 sheets of A0 size papercan be mailed in the UK forjust £0. 5 andworldwidefor £2. 0! Prices correct at time of writing.
Patternsy has been printing sewing patterns foryears andisnow looking to help themodel aircra�tworld withlarge format printing.
Please notethat orders must come through ourwebsitePatternsy.com andnot by email
Contact: Patternsy.com
Email: m+PlanePlans@smmjv.com
Tel: 07968 125075
SE5a
Nigel Cartwright assembles the latest versionofE-�lite’sbiplane fighter, this time brought right up to datewith the latestelectronics
Words: Nigel Cartwright
The RoyalAircra�tFactory SE5a probablywon’t need much introductiontoRCM E readers. Becoming operationalrelatively late in WW1 it wasone of the fastest fighters of the era andwas instrumentalingaining air superiorityinthe closing stages of the con�lict Poweredbyeither aHispano-Suiza or Wolseley Viper enginewith either twoorfour blade props,both engines were watercooled leading to the type’s distinctive nose radiators. Interestinglyitwas designed in part by one HenryFolland,who went on to form the Folland Aircra�tCompany which produced the Gnat jet trainer.
I’vealwayshad aso�tspot forWW1 era aircra�t, but their design o�tenmeans the �lying qualities of model versions is less than ideal. Shortnoses meanthe CentreofGravity is di�ficult
to achieve small tail areas lotsofdrag- the list goes on.Assuchthe SE5a is probablyone of the easier types to model with its longer nose and reasonable sizetail feathers
SCOUTREBORN
With the above issues in mind if anyone can get asmall SE5a to work,Horizon Hobbycan, so around 1 yearsago the first incarnation of this design wasreleased. It was, by all accounts,a very good �lyer, butlikea lot of tail-dragger biplanes it needed care with ground handling andtake-o�f.Eventuallythe productionrun ended andnew models took precedence,but as Horizon have done before models areo�ten updated andre-released. Roll on to 2025 andthere’sanew versionout, this time brought right up to datewith the latest electronics
Thebasic specsare 35. 900 mm span, 2 .2 15 mm inlength andwith an empty weight of 3 ounces 10 g . Themodelis all made from EPO foam with local plastic reinforcements.Power comes from a1100 kV brushless motor drivenbyeither a3Sor S 2200mAh LiPobatteryvia an E-�liteAvian 5A ‘Smart’ESC. It comes with the usual choice of Bind NFly,ready fitted witha Spektrum receiver, or PlugNPlay, ready foryou to fit areceiverofyourchoice.SpektrumA3 5SL 9-gram digital servosare fitted all round. The model is ahandy size, big enough to handle reasonable weather butcompact enough to fit in the carassembled.
OPEN THEBOX
Themodel comes safely packed in atypical polystyrene boxand while you’dthinkabiplane
Photos: Nigel Cartwright,Barry Atkinson
would takeawhile to put together,assembly is simple andwell thought out.The lowerwing andundercarriage arescrewed in place with four screws andapair of reinforcing plates,having first plugged in the aileron servos. Thecabane struts arescrewed to the fuselagesides,whilethe interplanestruts have clever clips on each end these clip intosmall ‘sockets’ mounted on the wings.The topwing then clips onto the struts, adding apair of wirepushrods which link the upper aileronstothe servo-drivenlower ailerons. The�lying ‘wires’ don’tadd anything structural to the model andare forshowonly. They are made from elastic thread with asmallwire hook on the endwhich hooksintomoulded lugs on the struts andfuselage. They arequite
An accessoriespackageisincluded, complete with wing struts,rigging andhardware.
“Horizon Hobby has aknack of making their models look detailed without adding alot of partswhich will break”
Theundercarriage is very sturdy.
There’snoproblem with visibility andorientation in theseconditions!
lasticf lyingwires hoo on to mouldedloops on the struts.
Themodel is ttedwiththe latest Spe trum A 3 receiver
convincing. Threescrews attach the tailplane andfin/rudder,and that completesthe airframe
TheLewis guncomes clipped intothe battery tray forsafekeeping this simplypulls out andis then clipped to the topwing.
Thewingmounted Lewisgun is very convincing in theair. Bigglesevencomes with a‘silk’scarf !
There’sabindplugsocketmounted behind the motorinthe batterybay
Horizon Hobbyhas aknack of making their models look detailed withoutadding alot of parts whichwillbreak or go missing. The level of detail on the SE5a is just right,with the aforementioned Lewis gun, as well as a
“If Ican give one tip, it’stouse the throttle! Isee alot of scale models flown round at constant throttle settings”
Vickers gunfitted to the fuselage top. The engine,radiatorsand exhaustare all accurately shown. Thefoamsurfacesare detailed too, with the wing ribs andfuselage fabric
stitching realisticallyshown. Even Biggles has a fittedscarf!
LATEST AVIONICS
TheSE5a comes fitted with the latest receiver technology,inthis case the -channel SpektrumAR 31 with AS3X andSAFE.
Aquick explanation. AS3X refers to the 3-axis gyrostabilisationwhich smooths out the e�fects of turbulence andwind gusts.SAFE goes astep further andsets limits on the model’s pitchand bankangles andenables auto-levelling -let go of the sticks andthe model returns to and holds level �light.The function canbeassigned
to aswitch on thetransmitter to disable it if you want.The AR 31can also provide telemetryto suitable ‘AirWare’equipped transmitters
If youhaveone of the latest Spektrum Smarttransmitters youcan simplyturnonthe radio andthe receiverwill magicallysend all the settings forthe model to the transmitter As I’musing a‘steamera’DX9 Black Ihad to set the model up in the transmitter in the old-fashioned way, although it’s only afew minutes work
At this pointI hit what appearedtobea bit of ahitch. Thereceiverisbound to the transmitter either by pressing thebind button
-flite’sS 5aisvery docile on theground andinthe air.
on the receiverorinserting abind plugintothe bind port on the receiver. All well andgood but havingassembled themodel thereceiveris out of reach! A�ter some head scratching and poking around the batterybay,I realised that therewas an extraextensionleadplugged intothe receiverheading forwardtoa socket fitted in the engine mount behind the motor Strangely, there’snomentionofthis in the manual, buta quick online searchshowedthat others hadbeen through this process before andthis is indeed the bind port
As advised, Iset up dual ratesfor the ailerons andelevator channels. It’s also possible to set up thrust reversing to help taxiing andshorten the landing roll, although Idecided to pass on this less thanscale feature!
Before bindingyou need to decide howthe gyrosystem is set up thepoint youremove thebind plug beforeora�ter initiating bind on thetransmitter dictates whether SAFE is on permanently, AS3X is on permanently, or you assign aswitch to toggle between thetwo modes Ichose the latter to give both atry.One canalways re-bind later to lock themodel in either mode.
Batterychoice is next.The SE5a canrun on 3S or S 2200 mAh LiPopacks.The marketing seems to show that youuse 3S forscale �lyingand S for, shall we say, less scale �lying, including prop hanging andother wild manoeuvres! Idecided to start o�fwith 3S andsee howitgoes! TheESC comes fitted with an IC3connector but as all of my batteries arefitted with XT 0 plugs,I did a quick swap.The batteryfits easilyunderthe
Dus patrol! aiting forthe maiden flight
SAFE mode limits thepitch andbankangles to preventany wild excursions andensures thewings levelautomatically when the sticks arereleased.
hatch on topofthe nose andisretained with a pairofVelcro straps. Thehatch firmlyclips inplace with magnets
FIRSTFLIGHTS
With that all done it’s o�ftothe �lying field. Having watched afew videosofthe first incarnationofthe model, andthen the marketing videos of thecurrent model, it becameobvious that the earlyversion needed care on take-o�f to keep the model tracking straight andavoid nose overs.It’sapparent that the AS3X gyros aredoing their job as the firsttakeo�f wasacompletenon-event Just point intowind, open the throttle and beforeI got much above half stick the model was�lying. Throttle back, acouple of clicks of elevator trim andthe SE5a wascruising round. Theinstructions mentionthat it’simportant to not touchthe sticks forthree secondsa�ter trimming to allowthe AS3X to recognisethe new trim value.
Most biplanes need some rudder input in turns andwhile the SE5adoes turn better when leading intothe turn with rudder it will turn with just aileron andelevator,but it tends
to look alittleodd as the tail end eventually follows the model around. Iended up mixing abit of rudder to the aileron channel and foundthis wasenough to keep the tail in line a�termanuallyadding in some more rudder to start the turn. On a3Sbatterythe model is quitehappyataroundhalf throttle,using just abit of extrapower in the turns to keep the drag at bay.
Ifound theusual aerobaticsare all possible, but Ikeep it scale with plenty of lazy-eights, wingovers andlow passes down thestrip.The whole pointofamodel like this is to stooge around atlow level enjoying thescale outline andatmosphere. TheSE5a hasreal character andlooks spot on in the air
If Ican give onetip,it’stouse the throttle! Isee alot of scalemodels �lown roundat constant throttle settings.While this might be okay forajet or abig warbird, models likethis need to be �lown in ascale manner. se the throttle in the turns to keep thetail following round, throttle back forlow passes andpower out intoaclimbing turn -it’smuch more realistic.The SE5a will stall but it ’s very benign so justkeep the speed up in theturns
I’mnot normallyone forhaving gyro assistance in models,preferring theraw feel of �lying the aircra�t, butthe AS3X is really transparent.There’snotwitching or odd behavioursometimes seen with fixed wing gyrosystems it smoothsout the �light path, but youcan’t tell it’s doing it
Switching to SAFE mode,onthe other hand, is more ‘intrusive’, limitingpitch andbank angles to prevent anywild excursions.Italso ensuresthe wings level automaticallywhenthe sticksare released. It’s very cleverand might be useful forthe less experienced �lyerbut Iprefer the rawfeel of AS3X.
In the interests of just seeing what the di�ference is Ialsotried �lying with a S 2 00mAh LiPopack. There’sobviouslya big increaseinpower -the take-o�f roll is down to about sixfeet! At full stick the model will climb verticallyforever andwill do anyaerobatic manoeuvreinthe book. But the model is also nowheavier,fasterand alot less scale like, which formedefeats the object of having amodel SE5a. I’ll buyaPitts Special to do this kind of thing. So,itwas back downtoearth,swapbackto a3Spackand normal scaleservice wasresumed!
AS3 refers to the3-axisgyro stabilisationwhich smoothsout the ef fectsofturbulenceand wind gusts.
Ihad set the transmitter timer to six minutes, as per the manual, andthen foundI still had 0 le�t in the battery. So youshould be okay foratleast seven to eight minutes of scale �lying.
PHOTOSHOOT
Iarranged to meetupwith theEditorand Barry Atkinsonattheir local strip to takesomephotos Theclub have alovelyfield with achoice of grass runways. It wasveryeasy to takeo�f intowind,
then �lyupand down the other runway across the wind while Barrydid hisstu�f,afew gentle figuresofeightand wingovers being enough to catchthe photos shownhere. Everyone who saw themodel on thegroundand in the air wassuitablyimpressed. Abig thankyou to the PPMFCfor the visitor’s pass!
WORTHTHE WAIT
Forthe more creative �lyers out therethe SE5a o�fers acanvasfor adding more detail.
The‘wood’ parts,the prop,wing struts and undercarriage areall mouldedina light brown plastic so painting ‘wood grain’onthese would be arelatively easy task. Abit more detail could be added around the radiator andguns, and maybe the cockpit too.
It might have taken awhile forHorizon to bring the SE5a back intoproduction, but it waswell worth the wait.The scale appearance is spot on,itlooks good on the ground andinthe air.WhilesomeWW1 types canbeahandful, anyflyer with abit of experience will have no problems at all with the model’s viceless handling. It ’s agreat additiontothe fleet.Maybe Horizon could do aSopwith Camel next,orevena German Albatros D.V!
TheE-�liteSE5a is available from your local model shop.The recommended retail price forthe BNF versionis£319.99, while thePNP versionis£299.99. ■
Author andthe SE5a.It’sjustthe right size to transportfully rigged.
Dave Hardaker’s fabulous fullyglassed Kwiksiver mentioned laterinthisarticle.The outstanding nishand precisionofthe buildma es it hard to believethisisn’t afully moulded model. Iwould guessAndy rewsterwas involved with nishing it.
ELECTRIC PIONEER
This time haun arrity loo s at one of the ioneers of electric fli htand remembersone of the s leadin aerobatic ilots from the 19 s
Words& Photos: ShaunGarrity
IFred Milit y’sSilentuswas the rstcommercially ittedelectricpowered modelthatwas trulysuccessful.
FRED MILITK Y
can’tbelieveits twomonths since my last column but I’vehad abusytime visiting my goddaughter in Aberdeenfor aweek and getting some cheeky �lying inunder the thinlyveiled excuse of entertaining her two youngboys andthen scooting o�ftoSwedento catchupwith Tobe,whose model designs, 3D printed sticks,Galloping Ghost actuators, servos, cases,transmitters etc. I’vepreviously featuredinmycolumn.
Anyway,less wa��le as Ineed to getthis article finished forKev.Hopefully Ihave another mixed bag of interestingchit-chatfor youagain.
Fredwho ,I bet many of youwill be saying. Well, Fred Militkycould be considered the father of electric �light.Backinthe late1950s he designed afree�light model called the Silentuswhichwas trulyextraordinary at the time.Other modellers haddabbled in the field but this wasthe first trulysuccessfulelectric poweredmodelthat would repeatedlyperform as designed.
Here in the K, Colonel Taplin recorded the first o�ficial �light of an R/C model with his Radio ueen on the 30th of June 195 . I’veseen ashort film of it going up forafew seconds but never sawitlanding in onepiece. But I’mnot sayingitdidn’t happen!)
ProbablyFred’s most noted model design was the Hi-Fly, an R/C twin, brushed motor powered glider,kitted andsold by Graupner in 19 3.
He wasalso involved with afull-sized electric poweredsingle seater aircra�tcalledthe MB-E1 Militky-BrditschkaElectro�lieger 1 . Having a 12-metrewingspanand, Ibelieve, an 000-watt Bosch motor with Varta batteries,itachieved aworld first maiden �lightinAustria of nine minutes, reaching almost 1000feet in height, on the21st October 19 3. Theoriginal MB-1 was restored in 201 andexhibited at theAustrian AviationMuseuminGraz-Thalerhoffrom201 . Technicallythis wasn’t the firstelectric poweredaircra�tto�ly.A hydrogen filled dirigible �lew in France in 1 andwon a10 km race around Villacoulbayand Medon. It waselectric poweredbecause at the time the only other optionwas asteam engine.Assoon as asuitable internal combustion engine was developed electricpowered aircra�twerea non-event forabout90years
This tiny Faulhabergearedmotor is exceptionaland similartothe oneusedinthe Silentus.Faulhaber motors were used widely in applications ranging from Cservostoprecision industrial products They arestill around today, Ibelieve.
Fred’s last project in 19 wasa solarpowered collaborationwith HilmarBentert andthe Graupner team called the Solaris. This model used S manufacturedsolarcells asinglecell could deliver0. 5 volts /250 mA sotoget more voltage andcurrent yousimplyadded more cells in series/parallelconfiguration,just like youwould with normalbatteries
Thesuccess of the project wasdownto averye�ficient electric motor designed by Dr.Faulhaber called the MICRO. This highly e�ficient motor with abell-shaped armature wasused in many of the Graupner servosofthe day.Hilmarwas the designer of the lightweight pulse proportional set called the WebraPico and following ameeting in Berlin in January 19 andrealising they shared the same passionfor e-�light,heand Fred decided to partner up and exploredesigning asolar poweredmodel,with Fred working on the airframeand Hilmarthe radio andpower system
Initial �lights were carried outusing asmall VARTANiCadassolarcellsofthe time were
ittedbyGraupner, Fred’s Hi-Fly wasprobablyhis most famous design. tprovedthatrepeatable electric powered C flight waspossible.
An exampleofmodern-daysolar cells. Flexible and much higher output than theonesFredand Hilmar used.I’veboughtthemtohavea go at this form of modelf light- yetanother one to addtomy ever-growing list of pro ects!
Solariswas Fred’s swansong modeland it proved that solarpowered Cf lightwas possible.
Co-designers of theSolaris pro ectwereHilmar entert le t and Fred Milit y right .
Graupner also partneredupwithFredand Hilmar,providing additional technicaland engineeringresource, plus theradio gear
fragile andexpensive.Toget airborne quickly the original ‘test bed’ model used aset of wings andtail supplied by Horst Haendler,aEuropean magnetsteering expert andamaster at building lightweightbut strongmodels.Itwas afree �light model with atimer forthe motor.Fred unfortunatelyfell ill andthe project stalled for afew months, butGraupner broughtina few members of its design team to assist andkeep the project on track. Thedesign quickly evolved andmoree�ficient solarcells were sourced, to a point wherea twochannel R/C versionwas built having rudder andelevator,with alink to an on/ o�fswitch forthe motor.Graupnerprovided their
Midway throughthe Solarispro ect Fred became illbut he stillmanaged to performthe test flight of the completedmodel
latest Grundig Varioprop2 MHz gearand the final model weighed 21.3 5 ounces 05 g .
Thesuccessful test �light wascarried out on July 31st,19 . Theweather wasn’t ideal, with a heat hazereducing the sun’se�fectiveness and the odd cloudcompletelymessing things up.But three�lights were made of 2.5 mins each in the a�ternoon, achieving an altitude of 150 feet.Itwas atrulyoutstanding e�fortbythe team.They could have made lifemucheasier if they hadused a small NiCad �lightbatterywithsolartop up,but easy wasnever on the radarfor Fred andHilmar. As far as Iknownoplans areavailable other thanthe following data forthe Solaris.But it
