RE: Rant about getting started
[quote]ORIGINAL: rgm762 is there or should there be someplace where these good instrutors can be reconized for their efforts? [/quote] The local liquor store? Christmas is coming....and the goose is getting nervous.
Posted on: 11/20/2009 8:50 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9267182

RE: Color scheme for best visibility
And colours to avoid are blue and silver unless they are well contrasted with swathes of coloured stripes. Pure white doesn't work well with cloudy skies either. I've got the Seagull SEA26A Edge 540 and it just disappears against blue skies, against clouds and against trees. I've had to panel it with fluorescent pink and green.
Posted on: 11/20/2009 8:39 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9267156

RE: Planes with Props
[quote]ORIGINAL: HighPlains An adequate explanation: http://avstop.com/AC/FlightTraingHandbook/crosswindtakeoffroll.html Unless you plan on only flying when the wind is straight down the runway, you should learn the proper techniques. [/quote] A little story: I used to be a member of the Popular Flying Association, the UK equivalent of the EAA. I used to attend the group ("strut") meetings at Andrewsfield near Stansted Airport. One night there was a fellow there with a horrifying injury to his forehead; a dent that you could fit a dollar piece into.(he was still flying though!) The story was that on a cross wind take off in a Tiger Moth at Stapleford aerodrome (also near Stansted) he had lifted off, swung into wind with rudder and aileron then touched down again. Now going sideways, he had wiped off the unercarriage and then crashed on the downhill bit of the runway, skating into the aircraft parking area, complete with parked aircraft. He shot forward and removed part of his brain on the E2b compass. The bit in that article about skipping sideways reminded of that. It turned out later that evening that, of the 12 pilots there, I was the only one who hadn't actually crashed an aircraft!
Posted on: 11/13/2009 1:04 PM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9251116

RE: painting
[quote]ORIGINAL: Jacque cloudancer, I have used Nelsons Paint alot. There is anouther way to paint your plane. I have used a black foam brush, and if you get it thinned right it looks as if it was sprayed. try it also on a box or a sheet of plastic. Just anouther way...... [/quote] I bought a SATA Dekor 2000 fine finishing spray brush from EBay. It's so expensive, I don't want to use it in case it gets clogged!
Posted on: 11/4/2009 10:29 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9227463

RE: BE careful w/ chinese generic servos
[quote]ORIGINAL: jester_s1 Servos just aren't a place to try to save money on an airplane. Going from the higest to lowest on a 5 servo airframe saves what? $30? [/quote] Some digital Hi-Torque servos in the UK sell for £80+ each. So if you were of a mind, you could spend £650+ on servos alone for an 80" gasser.
Posted on: 11/4/2009 10:25 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9227451

RE: When is a pump necessary and what are it's disadvantages?
[quote]ORIGINAL: bigtim here is a couple of photos of my older pumped OS 120 spII it has a metal pump mounted on the back plate pre surpass III plastic pump version. if you stick the starter on it for a few revolutions it will self prime pretty quick, OS recomends using a electric starter on there newer 4 strokes so priming isn't really a issue at all. [/quote] Nice plane. I think I must have the Sullivan Wimpatron starter, because it won't turn my OS FS91-II-P over compression.
Posted on: 11/4/2009 10:18 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9227438

RE: Factory settings for an OS 40 FP??
[quote]ORIGINAL: shanet75 Thank you. It is a new motor. Well, it's an older motor, but never fired. Bought it from someone on a Superstar and just wanted to make sure to break it in properly. [/quote] Nicer than the LA (IMHO). I've had one since 1983 and it still runs OK. The idle behaviour (5% nitro, 18% oil, sea level) is just super. I used 3 1/2 turns for first start.
Posted on: 11/4/2009 10:12 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9227422

RE: WANTED: Warbird movie suggestions
[quote]ORIGINAL: cappaj1 [quote]ORIGINAL: psuguru 12 O'Clock High with Gregory Peck. It used to be shown in leadership and management courses before they made ''Flight of the Phoenix''. Real combat footage and lots of it. Some of those Germans sure could shoot! [/quote] Got that one in the queue. Can't wait to see it. [/quote] I read "The Flight
Posted on: 11/4/2009 10:05 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9227412

RE: WANTED: Warbird movie suggestions
[quote]ORIGINAL: HighPlains One of the best movies/mini series was "Piece of Cake" which was 6 episodes for a total of 312 minutes. It's the story of an RAF squadron at the beginning of the war when it was tough sledding for the Brits. Lots of Spitfires. [/quote] Yes! It caused quite a fuss amongst the Colonel Blimps of the world. but Cattermole was exactly as I remember most Lightning pilots in the late 60's/ early 70's. (ie "Complete Bxstard") as was the idiot Squadron Leader. (Excerpt:- Squadron at dinner. CO says to their American pilot, "Do you have potatoes in America?") The book was by Derek Robinson who also did "Goshawk Squadron" and there was a sequel to "Piece of Cake" but that brain cell died, so I can't remember the name of it.
Posted on: 11/4/2009 9:54 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9227388

RE: When is a pump necessary and what are it's disadvantages?
[quote]ORIGINAL: cappaj1 I just purchased a O.S. FS-120 III Surpass 4-Stroke w/Pump as it was suggested due to tank location. When is a pump necessary, or is it just a case of 'better, but not required'? What are the disadvantages of having a pump? I have to prime the pump before starting which makes it more difficult to start - that's one - are there others? Is there any test prior to mounting an engine to see if I indeed actually need a pump? I guess what I'm getting at is are pumps often used when people think they need them where they could get by without one? [/quote] I didn't think that priming was a disadvantage, because you have to do it anyway, usually by choking the engine. The OS carbs are pressure regulating types, giving better throttle reponse. Perry pumps "regulate" at the pump although I don't think it's quite as good a system. Other than that there's more expense, I can't think of any disadvantages at all.
Posted on: 11/3/2009 11:47 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9225055

RE: WANTED: Warbird movie suggestions
[quote]ORIGINAL: CGRetired The movie Baa Baa Black Sheep was what spawned the TV series. It's out there.. somewhere. Check Amazon. [/quote] 12 O'Clock High with Gregory Peck. It used to be shown in leadership and management courses before they made "Flight of the Phoenix". Real combat footage and lots of it. Some of those Germans sure could shoot!
Posted on: 11/3/2009 11:31 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9225024

RE: BE careful w/ chinese generic servos
[quote]ORIGINAL: grimmy55 Futabe servos just a warning to anyone using FUTABA servos I,ve been flying for yrs and the other day almost crashed plane lucky lucky, nothing on my elevator but could hear servo moving nothing happening with the arms pulled new servo to bits find 2 teeth missing on one of the cogs lucky me replaced it so I guess it happens with even the best of them also but I wont moan to much I,ve had a great run with some of my brass geared chinese ones from Hobbycity [/quote] Stripped teeth sounds like you've hit the servo somehow. Was it outside the fuselage? That happened to me when a clod of earth hit my plane (or vice versa) on take-off. Or maybe you're just flying too close to Mach 1? I bought some MG995 servos from Tower hobbies and they were utter rubbish. In-flight failure caused 2 models to spear in and the remaining 2 servos wouldn't centre reliably, just swinging wildly from side to side after a few flights. I diagnosed a carbon pot problem but just couldn't be bothered to fix them.
Posted on: 11/3/2009 9:25 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9224768

RE: Four stroke fuel oil content
[quote]ORIGINAL: chocorrol you guys are welcome to come here as well, you can get some tacos and tamales and maybe some tequila! [8D] [/quote] I once was in a licquor store in Los Angeles with a Canadian Colleague. He asked Biker Dude, complete with ponytail, stars and stripes bandana and leather jerkin, "Do you have any Tequila?". Biker Dude raised his eyes to the bullet pocked ceiling, looked at my colleague and said, "You're not from around here, are you?" When I explained that he was Canadian, he sort of smirked then said , "Hey man, I've got some Tequila that will change your life", walked over to a dusty corner and, wiping away the spiders' webs, he pulled a bottle of Anejo Padron gold from the very top receptacle of a giant bottle rack. $75 that cost in 1994 and it did indeed change my life. I've never ever had tequila like it again. It utterly ruined my Tequila experience. Everything else just tastes like glow fuel alongside that glorious nectar. I once paid over 100 UK pounds in an airport duty free for a bottle of Anejo Padron and it couldn't hold a candle to that bottle we drank during Superbowl.
Posted on: 10/31/2009 10:09 PM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9218784

RE: Meaning of TOC
[quote]ORIGINAL: MANFRED Time flies like a brick through the window of life [/quote] Rather like the hedgehog of destiny meeting the Flymo of time. Oh Sorry I should be quite cold by now. Razors just aint what they used to be.
Posted on: 10/29/2009 1:33 PM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9212406

RE: Maybe it's a sign that I'm just getting old...
Flippin 'Eck Nostalgia just isn't what it used to be.
Posted on: 10/28/2009 9:34 PM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Golden Age, Vintage & Antique RC"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9210832

RE: Meaning of TOC
[quote]ORIGINAL: vertical grimmace. If you did not think it was called the Tournament of champions, I would be interested to know what you thought it meant? [/quote] Errm, Totally Out of Control? Trying Out Crystal meth? Tightens Old Cloacas? Tiggywinkle's Old Curtains? I just didn't know. I turned away from the hobby for 2 seasons and TOC came and went leaving the modelling adverts littered with this cryptic TLA. I mean, really, "Tournament of Champions" doesn't seem to be a particularly informative way of describing model aeroplanes, now does it? Anyway, there's a nice warm bath awaiting..........................
Posted on: 10/28/2009 9:19 PM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9210789

RE: Meaning of TOC
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rebel Flyer Before you go in the tub, Do you have any planes you want to get rid of? Thanx Rebel [/quote] Nope. I'm going to take them all with me. All 24 unstarted, classic, pristine gems. Na na nana na Goodbye cruel forum.
Posted on: 10/28/2009 9:10 PM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9210762

RE: Boy!!!! Dumb Thumbs
[quote]ORIGINAL: goirish Hey guys, I took the cub out today and put a couple of flights on it. Had to get back on the horse so to speak. Every thing went well. No wind.[;)] [/quote] It's so difficult, but the thing I try to do is ONLY look at the plane and ignore the surrounds. So when turning base with a wind, I'm aware of the fact that the bank angle should be the same as with no wind and the elevator and power are sinilarly the same. I like to use full size practice of controlling rate of descent with power and airspeed with attitude (trim). So the trick for me is to keep the same attitude whatever the wind. The mnemonic taught in the UK when I was learning to fly, (1970) was "PATSA":- Power, Attitude, Settle (speed), Trim, Adjust. ie, whenever you're manoeuvring, you set the power for that manoeuvre FIRST, then select the attitude, then let it settle down trimming as necessary then correcting once it's all calmed down. I once had a student flying across the North Sea who pitched up an Arrow 160 without increasing power and before I could say "I have control", we were down at 80mph because the constant speeding prop had lost efficiency and we were heavy. It seems to me a typical method that model flyers fly too fast downwind, then have to "chop the throttle" on base to decelerate AND descend. This means that they are performing tight turns (because they're fast) so they have lots of UP elevator and are close to the ground with no power. All BAD. "Full-size" pilots know that the climb-out is where you control the circuit speed, never accelerating like a dingbat once level, and that there is a straight leg after levelling before turning crosswind. (Jet fighter pilots, please forgive this generalisation). This gives more space downwind for modellers to get the speed under control so that base and final can be flown with a good fistfull of rpm's. This also will control any tendency for engines to cut on final. Glad to see that you're "back in the saddle".
Posted on: 10/28/2009 11:57 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9209163

Meaning of TOC
Ok, I give up. This has been bugging me for ages and ages and I can't find an answer that makes sense. What does T.O.C. mean in relation to aerobatic models? (and if it's Tournament of Champions, I'll slit my wrists.....honestly, I will)
Posted on: 10/28/2009 11:32 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9209103

RE: Goldberg Edge 540 ARF .60-.90, OR Seagull Edge 540
[quote]ORIGINAL: jaffas69 Hi all... is it going to reach my expectations with that motor? [/quote] Only if you expect vertical launches like the Space Shuttle. If you want slow (ish) 3D type performance, with hovering at mid throttle, then I'd say a 1.20 fourstroke will be perfect. A club-mate has a saito 125A in his and it pulls away vertically at 2/3rd throttle.1.20 2 strokes come into their own at somewhat higher rpm/airspeeds. Having said that, the OS 1.20 AX is tuned for peak power at 9,000 rpm which is 4-stroke territory. The Seagull model needs weight up the front usually and I found the slab tailplane made the plane a little abrupt in its elevator response, finding "neutral" was less easy than a plane with an airfoil section tail. regards, Carole Sherrington
Posted on: 10/26/2009 9:46 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9202833

RE: Clear coat
[quote]ORIGINAL: dale691 Is enamel over auto acrylic a bad combo? [/quote] Dunno my son, never tried it. But if it goes on without causing the under coats to crinkle and it's fuel proof...well, "'Job Done", I'd say.
Posted on: 10/23/2009 1:09 PM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9196175

RE: Need help Aileron flutter
[quote]ORIGINAL: opjose True, but this is VERY RARELY the cause of flutter on these small 3D planes the OP is talking about. [/quote] Oh no it isn't [quote]ORIGINAL: opjose And even then if this does occur a better fix is to re-inforce the flexy area with an inbedded CF rod or other similiar technique, that is actually effective. [/quote] Better than eliminating the cause of the flutter? You're writing rubbish man.
Posted on: 10/22/2009 8:43 PM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9194585

RE: Clear coat
[quote]ORIGINAL: dale691 Are Tuf-kote and Aero-kote model specific? or can I use a two pack automotive clear. Thanks [/quote] yes, they are modelling products. Tuf-Kote is a Ripmax (UK) distributed system. Aero-Kote is a US product I believe. There are similar things from Premier and De-Luxe that are US products, but available internationally. I think they're iso-cyanate based. You can't buy the hardener off the shelf, but have to ask for it like the naughty little glue-sniffer I am. Spraying these products without a mask will make you really ill, and you'd better clean your gun quickly afterwards too. I brush it on because it's so thin that it settles to a mirror gloss anyway. Automotive products won't necessarily be OK for models because automotive will tend to be gasoline proof rather than alcohol and nitro proof. I would have thought that a 2-pack epoxy would be OK though.
Posted on: 10/21/2009 11:42 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9190744

RE: How to Tap
[quote]ORIGINAL: combatpigg Use Rapid Tap fluid or equivalent. [/quote] Paraffin (kerosene) also is a good cutting lubricant for aluminium, particularly when drilling. A bit messy for tapping. If one has never tapped before, then I'd suggest practicing on a piece of scrap first. Unless you're planning to do this on an industrial scale, I wouldn't say that these tapping alignment aids offer good value for money. A taper tap (followed by a "second" then a "blind" or "plug" tap if you wish) in a hand chuck will be sufficient for most through holes. The trick is to start the thread accurately, Place the tap in the hole and, concentrating on keeping it aligned with the pilot hole, turn it gently ahead until you feel the teeth bite. then reverse just a fraction to remove the swarf. You'll be able to feel when it's removed the waste. Repeat again, turning no more than 1/8th turn at a time until you've got 2 full rotations of the tap. Then you can probably increase to 1/4 turns, if the pilot hole is well and adequately lubricated. Aluminium is notorious for grabbing, so it's "slowly slowly katchee monkee". Using the drill press as the alignment tool does work, but my experience of trying that was that the force needed to turn the drill press tended to mask the sensation of the tap cutting and binding. Once aluminium has grabbed something the size of 4mm or so, you're in real danger of breaking the tap and leaving an unrecoverable stump in your engine mount.
Posted on: 10/21/2009 10:05 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9187740

RE: Clear coat
gentle application of 400 grit wet and dry and use a 2-pack resin fuel proofer such as Tuf-Kote or Aero-Kote. 2 coats, 24 hours between and allow a further 48 hours before going near it with fuel.
Posted on: 10/20/2009 9:33 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9187751

RE: jump to giant scale
[quote]ORIGINAL: dignlivn Have you ever Maiden a Kit that you built and set up ? 100's of hours of building a kit and then flying it will make your body do weird things. I too want a Gasser for my next plane, but not sure on which style I want. Bob [/quote] I once spent 9 months of evenings just painting a model; epoxy glass cloth and hobby-poxy finish. The paint cost way more than the kit did. All in all, over a year from purchase to first flight. I thought I'd faint, my heart was going so fast. and that was only 56" span! stewart1, just do coke, it'll be cheaper.
Posted on: 10/19/2009 10:25 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9184990

RE: No up elevator trim
I'm not familiar with JR radios but I can't see them being too different from Futaba: It's possible the switch is faulty or disconnected in some way, but as the model had elevons, it occured to me that the Channel 2 trim rate may have been set to zero in one of the sub-menus. Can you reset the radio to default settings and see if that restores functionality? If it doesn't, then it's a hardware fault.
Posted on: 10/13/2009 6:57 PM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9170710

RE: Setting front wheel hight?
If the nose is set low then the main gear legs will be inclined backwards, causing the point of contact of the wheels with the ground to be further aft. The other point of view is that the CG will be further forward relative to the mainwheels, so the elevator will have to produce more force to rotate the nose upwards. Really overdoing it will stop the plane rotating at all whereas just a smidegeon will still produce an abrupt take-off.
Posted on: 10/9/2009 11:24 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9159097

RE: OS 61 FX vs heavy hub
[quote]ORIGINAL: opjose Don't over think it like this. We don't use the type of PSU's you work with in RC planes [/quote] How do you know? [quote]ORIGINAL: opjose The batteries we use should be replaced every two years or so. They survive just fine and much longer than that, in the cowl and mounted on the engine mounts. [/quote] Anecdotes are not evidence. Because someone's battery did not fail strapped to a 40's engine bearers and flown once a month, doesn't mean that someone else's will be OK strapped to a 1.20 4 stroke's mounts and flown daily. [quote]ORIGINAL: opjose This has been going on for many years in the RC world without problems. [/quote] What you mean is that those people who didn't have problems didn't have problems. What about all those who had "interference" and dug smoking holes? There's all sorts of issues involved with fuel contamination of the cabling with cataphoretic corrosion of the wiring (a particular problem with high nitro contents), let alone the insulating properties of the oil or the vibration of the battery foil. It is very bad practice to afix the battery to the engine. Your example had it attached to the firewall via a plate and damped by foam. Isn't that what I suggested be done? [quote]ORIGINAL: opjose It is also better to make any weight in an RC plane "useful weight". [/quote] True (ish)
Posted on: 10/9/2009 9:22 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9158814

RE: Engine Stall While Flying
[quote]ORIGINAL: hudmun [quote]ORIGINAL: psuguru I use a return to the tank from the needle to avoid fuel over pressure when throttling back from high speed. [/quote] ??? i do not understand , can you show a pic ? [/quote] Done
Posted on: 10/8/2009 8:37 AM by Author "psuguru" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9155993