Radio controlled model world may 2016

Brian Collins looks into powering larger models with electric power and making IC to EP conversions

FREE

XK 5.8 GHz FPV SET

UPGRADING THE XK DETECT 380-C CAMERA DRONE

ST MODEL SEAWIND

FLYING OFF WATER WITH RIPMAX’S AGILE AMPHIBIAN

PULLOUT R/C PLAN

WORTH £11.99

WWW.RCMODELWORLD.COM

MAYFLY

MAY 2016

BUILD THIS 56" SPAN POLYHEDRAL ELECTRIC SOARER

WESTROP WING JIG

HOW A TOP AEROBATIC PILOT KEEPS HIS WINGS STRAIGHT

LARGE ELECTRIC MODELS

POWERTRAIN SELECTION FOR JUMBO AIRCRAFT

CL-84 DYNAVERT

FLYING FLYZONE’S TILT-WING TWIN

PLAN FEATURE!

AEROLAB LOCAMP

Issue 388 £4.75

A 1:6 SCALE U.S. HOME-BUILT TOURER FOR .52 CU IN FOUR-STROKE ENGINES

May Cover.indd 2

01/04/2016 15:47:27

Contents 84 THE LIGHT FANTASTIC

60 MAX THRUST RIOT XL

99 THE SPORT CHANNEL

88 REALFLIGHT DRONE SIMULATOR

After a brief spell as an RCMW columnist, Chris Golds decides to end his long-running readers’ models gallery, which we carried over from Q&EFI magazine

Gray finds a solution to the Keil Kraft Consort conundrum and receives renewed interest in the diminutive Sharkface from 1965

108 DIARY DATES

Summer model flying shows, club sales and flying competitions

114 NEXT ISSUE FRONT COVER

The CL-84 ‘Dynavert’ was a developmental V/STOL aircraft developed by Canadair between 1964 and 1972. It used a mechanical mixing system on the controls whilst transiting between hovering and forward flight. This remarkable aircraft has now been replicated

by Hobbico and thanks to the latest 3-axis gyro stabilisation and multicopter technologies we can now all enjoy trying our hand at a spot of VTOL flying. Read Andrew James’ review on this eye-catching model, starting on page 22

REGULARS PRE FLIGHT

6

Introducing this issue

TAKE OFF

7

R/C model flying news and views

MAY 2016 • ISSUE #388

Looking forward to the June issue

Frank Skilbeck finds the perfect aerotow tug for lightweight gliders in the form of this upscaled high-wing sports model from Century UK

RealFlight have taken everything that makes their fixed-wing and heli simulator so good and have turned it into a drone-focused package. Newbie R/C pilot, Jordan Harding takes it for a spin

96 XK 5.8 GHZ FPV SET

Upgrading the XK Detect 380-C camera drone to FPV is easy using this 4.3" screen and 5.8 GHz video transmitter set

REVIEWS

FEATURES

16 ST MODEL SEAWIND

30 AEROLAB LOCAMP

After Ripmax send in a stylish amphibian for appraisal, Matt Boddington undertakes the flight trials from land and water

22 CL-84 DYNAVERT

FlyZone’s amazing tilt-wing semiscale model is put through its paces by Andrew James in the hover, and in aeroplane mode too!

44 EXTRA 330SC

When Matthew Poots was looking for a medium sized freestyle practice plane he settled on the latest 6S size Extra from Hangar 9

Equipped with copious drawings supplied by the manufacturer, Peter Miller has drawn up this retro style, tandem seat American home built tourer to 1:6 scale.

With a wingspan of 1520 mm it suits .40 – .52 cu in four-stroke engines and five-function R/C

38 AND NOW, STARRING… YOU!

Chris Williams shows how he uses a Mobius action camera and various mounts to take in-flight pictures and videos of his scale gliders

12 SHOP WINDOW

A look at the latest R/C products

84

22 4

Contents.indd 4

44

www.rcmodelworld.com

05/04/2016 16:56:33

52 THE ART OF WINGS

Building a balsa wing is easy using this simple jig, developed by Terry Westrop

56 MAYFLY-6E

Chris Ward’s 56" wingspan polyhedral electric soarer is designed for a 2835 in-runner brushless motor and three-function R/C. Use our free pull-out plan to build one for stress free summer flying

66 COSFORD RESTORATION HANGAR

30

The Sir Michael Beetham Restoration Hangar based at RAF Cosford opens up its doors for the LMA AGM. Neil Hutchinson is our guide

74 GOING LARGE WITH ELECTRIC

If you like flying large models but want to try an electric conversion then read Brian Collins’ latest article as he describes the uprated motors, speed controllers and batteries required

78

74

78 BMFA ELECTRIC INDOOR MASTERS 2016

Paul Wilcockson reports from the Barnsley Metrodome Arena as the best indoor aerobatic pilots from the UK and abroad compete for top honours at the BMFA’s big F3P event. Pictures by Mark Wilcockson

92 CLAMP IT!

Bill Bowne gets to grips with holding workpieces when building model aeroplanes

16

102 POWER MODULE

Chris Freeman describes his engine test airframes and the quick change motor mounting system that was devised for them to set up electric motors, as well as glow and petrol engines

102 56 www.rcmodelworld.com

Contents.indd 5

5

05/04/2016 11:21:02

CL-84 Dynavert Is it a plane? Is it a drone? Actually it's both, as Andrew James discovered when he put together Flyzone's amazing tilt-wing aircraft

T

his interesting model encompasses several recent developments in radio control equipment. Specifically, the brushless motor mixing technology that is commonly used in R/C drones, combined with 3-axis gyro stabilisation that is now fitted to many model aircraft – drones and planes alike. Based on the Canadair CL-84 'Dynavert' experimental aircraft, it is able to take-off vertically like a helicopter or drone and then transition into forward flight where it flies like a standard R/C aeroplane.

Due to the unusual nature of this aircraft, this is one model where a thorough read through of the multilingual instruction manual is highly recommended. Printed in black and white, it contains step-by-step pictures to guide you through the assembly. It is all very straightforward but it is the connecting up of the additional 'electronic board' that requires additional attention, as well as a good understanding of what to expect when flying the model for the first time, especially when transiting to and from straight and level flight.

The instructions call for 'a certain level of model flying expertise' to be able to fly the CL-84 and having done so I would say that you should be a competent fixed wing pilot and have a good level of outdoor drone and/ or helicopter flying experience too. Having said this, the CL-84 is not a difficult model to fly and should be within the capabilities of most competent club level pilots.

About The '84'

The CL-84 'Dynavert' was a V/STOL aircraft developed by Canadair between 1964 and 1972. Only four aircraft were built and two crashed due to mechanical failures. Despite this the CL-84 proved a success in flight trials but it did not enter production.

The wing and engines were tilted by a hydro-mechanical ball actuator, changing the wing incidence by 100 degrees between normal flight and VTOL settings. Vertical contra-rotating propellers in the tail provided pitch control during hovering and transitional flight, which is emulated by single propeller at the rear of the model. A mechanical mixer was used to adjust the controls during the various flight modes and the flaps/ailerons gave yaw control when hovering. Wing tilt was the only unfamiliar control for fixed wing pilots, this being controlled by a switch on the throttle lever.

The Lycoming engines were interconnected by cross shafts so that if one failed it would automatically disconnect and both rotors would be driven by the remaining engine. In the hover moving the throttle lever caused pitch adjustment of the rotor blades, as per collective pitch control of a helicopter.

The Dynavert is an eye-catching model whether hovering or in forward flight 22

Long Thin Box The colourful box opens to reveal a surprisingly small number of factory finished parts, all well protected from the rigours of shipping. As with most moulded foam models these days the airframe parts are fitted with servos, which are linked up to their respective control surfaces. The rotary shaft that controls the direction of the rear 'pitch' motor is also fitted and just requires linking to its servo with two short wire pushrods.

Naturally, one's eye is drawn quickly to the wing tilt mechanism that is built onto the centre section of the wing. At first glance this looks to be a bit of a Heath Robinson affair,

www.rcmodelworld.com

Dynavert 1.indd 22

04/04/2016 09:34:58

KIT REVIEW being loosely constructed from a mixture of laser cut ply and carbon fibre parts, interconnected by carbon rods, aluminium tubes and collets. However, it's important to resist the temptation to tidy and tighten things up as I found it to work perfectly once it was installed deep inside the fuselage, where the built-in flexibility helps prevent any binding as the wing is hauled into position by what looks to be an adapted electric retract mechanism.

Parts count is relatively low due to the amount of work already completed at the factory

Choose Your Undercarriage Each undercarriage leg is fitted with double wheels, as per the full size. The n-shaped main legs are simply clamped into place after locating the central wire in a slot on the underside of the fuselage. Attention then turns to the noseleg, for which both fixed and steerable versions are supplied. Since I only envisaged performing vertical take-offs, I fitted the fixed version.

If you want to take advantage of nosewheel steering then you will need to supply an additional micro servo; the only note of caution I would add is that the CL-84 is quite a power hungry model so any taxying around on short grass or tarmac is probably best left

The wing tilt mechanism is attached to the bottom of the wing. Note the cutouts for flap servos, which are not mentioned in the instructions but could easily be fitted

Wing tilt is performed by this actuator, which looks similar to an electronic retract

Two short pushrods need to be popped onto the ball links fitted to the rear motor control shaft

The ball links were very stiff so I used a nut as a protective sleeve and a pair of pliers to add the necessary pressure www.rcmodelworld.com

Dynavert 1.indd 23

23

04/04/2016 09:35:19