Alex Whittaker takes a virtual visit to the centre of The Single Channel Cult
This long, drab, heartless Covid imposition has separated me from my friends over t’ Pennines in Yorkshire. Ah, Yorkshire, where men are men and allus’ buy their own pints. Anyway, my mates from God’s Own County share at least one passion with this here Lancashire Lad. Aye, at Pontefract they keep alight the sacred flame of all things Single Channel.
Tim Hooper fits a top spec motor to his R/C assist Keil Kraft rubber model.
Skipping back a couple of episodes to the ongoing saga of my Keil Kraft Gipsy (as recently re-kitted by Ripmax), we'd reached the giddy heights of winding several hundred turns onto the five metres of rubber that lay within the fuselage. We'd also reached the conclusion that winding all that rubber by using a finger pressed against a prop blade was a definite no-no.
When slope soaring in light winds an E-Assist system can help stop an unwanted trip to the bottom of the hill, as Chris Williams explains.
There exists, amongst the more austere members of the scale soaring fraternity, a tendency towards pursed lips and muttered imprecations when a propeller is observed on the front of an otherwise scale glider.
Frank Skilbeck assembles the built-up balsa version of Max-Thrust's popular high wing sports model
The original foam Max-Thrust Riot has proved to be very successful, with several original and updated V2 versions in our club. Plus, I had the XL version for a couple of years until a club mate persuaded me to pass it on, where it is still doing sterling service. So, the new balsa/ply Pro-Built versions now being distributed by Century UK have a fine pedigree.
Shaun Garrity converts Gordon Whitehead's 24-inch model of the French WW1 single seat sesquiplane fighter, nicknamed the Bébé, to electric power and modern lightweight R/C
The Bébé is my favourite of all WW1 aircraft. Designed by Gustave Delage, this single seat sesquiplane fighter was one of the reasons the Fokker Scourge ended.
With a large Mustang on his shopping list, Neil Diment changes tack and is seduced by the 3D capable Bushmaster from Legacy Aviation. Flying pictures by Al Morrow.
Let me cast your mind back to happier, more settled times... It’s August 2019 and I’m at the Nats with my mate, Billy. Two Scotsmen on the annual pilgrimage and we’ve headed into the Nexus Models tent so that I can check their price on the new Hangar 9 P-51 and look at some power options. Hanging from the ceiling Billy spots what appears to be a fairly large Turbo Beaver. 'Awf'y nice model that. Crackin’ scheme too!', he muses.
Kevin Powling describes how he replicated the varied all metal finish of his Mick Reeves Spitfire using just one base colour
For many years I have had an interest in aviation. This was sparked by the fact that, in my early years, my parents had a farm that was situated at the end of the runway of Martlesham Heath Aerodrome, in Suffolk. It was close. One of the landing lights was outside the kitchen door! At that time, in the early 1950s, it mainly had Lincolns, then later Meteors, Canberras and other jets.
Danny Fenton looks at charging and temperature management of LiPo batteries.
For this coming flying season, if indeed there is one, I will be competing in 'Flying Only' with two airframes, a Black Horse 85” Chipmunk and a Seagull 80” Chipmunk. The Black Horse takes a pair of 5S LiPo packs, giving 10,000 mAh and the Seagull a single 5S-5000.
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