Table of contents for December 2023 in RCM&E

Welcome to the December 2023 issue of RCM&E. Wow! Another year gone already. I hope you have enjoyed all the columns, reviews, features and event reports that we have dished up for you this year. There’s plenty more of the same lined up for next year so here’s to 2024! But before then let’s take a brief look at what we have prepared for you in the December issue of RCM&E, starting with our regular columns. In his latest Bench Blog, Tim Hooper returns to his O&R sparkie project and fettles a few accessories using his new machine tools. Then it’s over to Graham Ashby for Kick The Tyres, in which he’ll tell you that success in model flying isn’t about winning, having the fastest or being the best. In…

Regular insomniacs might recall my struggles with getting a vintage spark ignition engine running a couple of episodes ago. The rather stylish 1940s Ohlsson & Rice .23 was built in the US and found its way to me via my mate, Ian Easton. Getting it to run again was quite a saga and took several weeks, during which it got through three ignition systems and a couple of fuel recipes before it burst into life, which was a major cause for celebration I must admit! With a modern CDI system replacing the ancient points and coil ignition set up, and with the leaky tank topped up with a gloopy mix of Coleman’s camping fuel and syrupy SAE 50 engine oil, the O&R has proved to be an easy starter. True,…

Well, what can I say. What a week of scale competition! If you weren’t there you really missed a treat. I arrived at the BMFA flying site at Buckminster on Monday afternoon, greeted by glorious sunshine. Little did we know that the sunshine would last the entire week, rain finally hitting us late on Sunday afternoon, six days later, just as we packed away and so we had the prize giving ceremony in the Goldsmith Hangar. We couldn’t have dreamed of better weather. The hangar started to fill up on Tuesday morning with competitors coming from far and wide. We had the Poles, the French, Dutch and Germans, not to mention friends from north of the border in Scotland. The judges also added to the international flavour with one from…

Thirty-five years ago, I built a little own design canard. No one was more surprised than me when it flew quite well, straight out of my hand. It did, however, have a little quirk which was occasionally going into a sort of falling leaf death spiral. It would only just recover with full power and some stick twiddling. I recently decided to have another go. After a few days I had drawn up a basic plan and the prototype airframe was built. Some RCM&E readers may recognise the Dracan has almost the same wing and fuselage as the Hanky Planky, another design of mine that was featured in a recent edition. After establishing the formula for the location of a canard’s Centre of Gravity using Dr. Internet, I called upon…

FOR SALE HITEC OPTIC 5 2.4GHz dry battery radio set. Fitted with Hitec NiCad battery, matched Hitec charger plus four Hitec Maxima receivers (two with end plug sockets and two with top plug sockets). All in ‘as new’ condition, bargain - £100 inc. postage. 01460 394579 (Somerset). TOP RC Hawker Hunter trike retract set including e-retracts, struts, wheels, brakes and accessories. Not used. As new and siting 1/5th scale Hunter or similar. Cost £1110, sell for - £700. 01763 663016 (Herts). E-FLITE SPITFIRE 950 scale electric main retracts. Wheels suit 1/6th scale model. Not used, scale oleo legs included - £45. 01763 663016 (Herts). ARC CESSNA 177 CARDINAL with float set. New in box - £150. Maricardo, 56” span with brand new MVVS .49 engine and tuned pipe. Never flown,…

RCM&E FLEET DOWN UNDER I am a regular reader of your magazine from the ‘Land Downunder’ (Australia) and also a model builder. I have included with this message some photos of projects I have built from the free Pro-Plans supplied in RCM&E magazine. Photo 1 is Clean Sweep (RC2092), which I built a few years back and it has been a regular weekend flyer. Photo 2, Batty (RC2159), is a good size model to keep in the car and it was ready to fly whenever the weather was good on my work breaks. My fellow club mate liked it and he had the plans enlarged and made the bigger version. The pilot shot (3) is of Linday Todd’s ‘Flycatcher’ (RC2148) and the final picture (4) is Miss Sizzle (RC2221), my…

Adrian Britton certainly had an eye for elegant yet straightforward designs and had he not so untimely passed away I’m sure we would have seen many more creations from this gifted man. His Lyra biplane always appealed to me and this model is a modern rendition of his timeless design. It is my tribute to the man and his design skills, published in RCM&E again almost exactly thirty years after the original design came out. There is something classy about a biplane with negative stagger. It is clear to see that Adrian really put in the extra effort with this design as the Lyra boasts this additional bit of elegance. The design features some interesting construction details to improve its appearance such as a slanted hinge line on the fin…

The runway used for the Popham Model Show is right alongside a crop field. At last year’s show a turbine jet sadly crashed into the field, spilling fuel and burst into flames. Thankfully the crop had recently been harvested and only the stubble caught fire, quickly and efficiently dealt with by the local Fire Brigade who were in attendance. If the crop hadn’t been harvested it would have been a whole different story! The organisers of this year’s show decided to make the show much later in the year, when the crops would definitely have been harvested.But for some inexplicable reason they picked the same weekend as two other major model shows, Much Marcle in Herefordshire and Headcorn in Kent. As I was driving down to Popham on the Saturday…

CHILLI BREEZE GOES ELECTRIC Much has changed in aeromodelling since the original Chilli Breeze, designed by Mike Delacole, was published in RCM&E way back in 1994. One of the biggest changes has been the emergence of electric power. The original Chilli Breeze was designed for .25 -.36 glow motors and it had to be able to accept a standard set of radio gear of that era. Mike has now redesigned the Chilli Breeze for brushless electric power and modern R/C gear. His new EP version was built using the original overall dimensions and construction methods from the original free plan. DACTYL For many experienced modellers Dennis Bryant is most well-known for his Elite scale designs. This popular range of plans and accessories, which aided many scale modellers in building their…

You don’t need me to tell you that EDF jets have come of age over the last few years and if there’s one type that has outsold the rest then it’s this, the mini jet. The appeal is obvious; they look and sound good and fly well. They are pretty affordable and easy to transport while avoiding fussy and costly retractable undercarriages. Tony Nijhuis has helped to popularise the mini jet segment thanks to an extensive range of balsa self-build designs but if ‘foamy ready-to-fly’ is your preference then Arrows Hobby have become a very popular source. This new offering joins their 50mm range that already includes a Viper Jet, BAe Hawk and T-33, not forgetting the slightly larger 64mm F-86 Sabre and Marlin. If you’re new to electric ducted…

I concluded long ago that success in this hobby is a very personal thing, particularly as we all have our own dreams, ambitions and limitations. When I was learning to fly, some considerable time ago, my measure of success was pretty modest. As I recall, it was to operate, fly and service my little O.S.15-powered 3-channel Bowman Mini Escort trainer, then progress to a 4-channel aerobat, powered by a large (as it seemed back then) .46 two-stroke. As time passed the ambition was realised and replaced by new challenges. A model with flaps. A scale model. A biplane. A warbird with retracts. A glider. A helicopter. A scale helicopter. A float plane. An autogyro. A jet. And so it went on. Of course, this in itself isn’t really a measure…

I always have been a fan of models with small two stroke engines and especially the high revving COX motors. The problem at my flying field is that I can’t use those engines now because of noise regulations. Knowing that such models fly great with those engines and their original, heavy R/C, they make lovely models to convert to e-power with lightweight radio. Whilst checking plans on the internet I spotted the Hornet, a model designed for a COX Tee Dee and therefore a great model to redesign using my own construction methods and for electric flight. I must admit that I am very happy with the choice of model because it’s a great flyer on a 2826 motor and a 3S 1000mAh LiPo. It has great speed and manoeuvrability…

3D GYRO FLIGHT CONTROLLER £32.95 | www.hobbyplastic.co.uk Measuring 43mm x 28mm x 15mm and weighing just 11g, this gyro from MacGregor Industries is suitable for all manner of R/C fixed-wing aircraft, including delta wing and V-tail configurations. Featuring One-Button Rescue, 3D Lock, Manual Flight & Horizontal Self-Stabilisation via six selectable Flight Modes, a very useful suite of control stabilisation is at your fingertips. Adjustable sensitivity of the primary control functions (aileron, elevator, rudder) allows fine tuning to personal preference. Requiring a 4.5 - 6V supply this keenly priced gyro is sure to suit the wallet of any budget conscious aeromodeller. HORTEN XII €149 | www.rbckits.com More than likely to be the talking point of any flightline walk, RBC’s semi-scale 92.5” (2350mm) span version of this unmistakable WWII flying wing fighter/bomber…

RULES ARE RULES At Weston Park 2023 a new safety rule was introduced at the pilots’ briefing which stated that if any part of a model should touch the ground (other than the undercarriage of course!) then the pilot should land immediately. Quite sensible really! Azza Stephens and Sonny Millgate of the AzAerosports team were giving a duo display with a pair of 3D Venturas. They were hovering these beasts when the tailplane of Sonny’s Ventura kissed the ground for a split second. He duly landed and left Azza to fly the rest of the slot solo. The funny thing is, Sonny was the one who suggested the new rule be introduced – ironic really! Photo by: Mike Freeman Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: Nikon VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Aperture: f/6.3 Shutter…