Sunday 30 August 2015

That's one hobby gone!...

Today, I am just back from a long trip to Dunstable and back, delivering my Burlington Arrow project to its new owner.
With the sale of the Austin 7 Special almost instantly upon advertising it, that's my main hobby gone, thanks to the Landlady wanting me to get rid of my storage caravans from the back of the plot where they were barely even visible.

So what do I do now in my limited free time?
Well, there's still the model aircraft flying, but that rather depends on having a suitable model to learn to fly on.  The ready made trainer needs calm airs, of which we have had none all Summer and the more durable trainer still needs a set of wings to be finished. Clearly I won't have that airborne this side of Winter, despite the forecast of an Indian Summer.
As Winter does his deep approach I tend to go internal and take to the scenic modelling, till Spring is sprung, but I can assure myself of finishing the Super 60 trainer by then, in the hope I can start flying as soon as the Sun comes out again.

Meantime the shed needs Creosoting before the bad season and the weedkilling needs completing around it.

Since people seemed to like the shot of the Italian Job coach last time, here it is finished ready to go off for casting.  Biggest pattern I've ever done.  .................But, it seems the new computer hasn't kept the bloody photo, so you'll have to wait till I get the first resin casting back from Mr. Francis.  Thanks, Digitalia!


Saturday 1 August 2015

An hour at "The Field"

Every so often, on a nice day, I pop down to the local model flying field.  I'm not a member, but they don't care as I don't fly yet.
There's usually good banter and it was a nice afternoon.

The usual suspects were there, three of whom were flying.

One chap had a petrol engined (30 cc.) aerobatic type thing...huge wings, massive rudder, blah, blah, but the engine really wasn't pulling many revs.  However John flew it for the chap and it seemed to circulate at a nice speed to my way of thinking, but kept "dead sticking" before time, so got put away.
By contrast, another chap was already aloft with one of those Almost Ready To Fly jobbies, which many are sniffy about , but which get a lot of people flying quickly.  Both his aircraft had electric motors, something much more common these days and almost silent, which keeps the retards at the fishing lake happy, if anything actually does.

Then John got his own huge aerobatic thingy out of the car and started assembling wings on Carbon Fibre spars, connecting servo plugs, etc. etc.  It looked very like the petrol 'plane, except suddenly he just jumped up, turned the motor on and off it went.  By no means silent, but the bigger electric motors in these large models sound like well silenced engines.
He put it through the aerobatic schedule smoothly and efficiently and landed perfectly, with a nearly flat battery.   No mess, no wiping down old spent fuel, just turn off and disassemble.
There's a lot to be said for electric model aircraft, but I do like an on-song engine.
The big problem with modern electrics is the LiPo batteries, which aren't exactly cheap and can be very fussy, nay dangerous on charging, discharging and even storage.
But, I hope to be joining them soon so I can learn to fly again.  The only time I ever flew R/C was with a 2 function model microlight, which I bought for just 50 quid, because it had Skyleader radio gear.  Something I'd always wanted.  It was powered by an unthrottled PAW 19 diesel and screamed to full height before the engine cut and I was able to circle it down to a perfect tricycle landing...twice!  On the third attempt, covered in oily diesel fuel, my thumb slipped off the stick and it nosed in.  Later swapped for work on the front wing of my Jag XJ6!

Meanwhile back at the bench...
The master model of the Bedford VAL Legionaire coach in 1/32nd scale. It is, of course, the one in the original The Italian Job film which ended with its back end see-sawing over a cliff.  This made in Ureol and filler.  The basic shape is there, but windows need filling and detail added before it can be cast in resin.