Out of lockdown, Tim Hooper heads for the flying field to test fly some recent new builds and refurbs.
Flying wise it was a no-go for several weeks. Our field was shut, just as you'd expect when the weather turns gloriously sunny. Yes, I know that it would be possible to maintain the required social distancing on the flight line, but the clubhouse and pits could be problematical, and it simply wasn't worth the risk.
Shaun Garrity takes advantage of the lockdown to have a clear out and uses some rediscovered plumbing parts to make some model racks
Lock down has actually had a number of benefits in the Garrity household. With all this time spent inside the home, I had finally run out of excuses for all those jobs I’ve been repeatedly putting to the back of the queue for far longer than I would care to admit.
Who says size doesn't matter! Bruce Corfe checks out a mega-model in sunny Western Australia
Whoever said 'size doesn't matter' had obviously never heard of Perth modeller, Andrew Herzfeld. Andrew has created, from scratch, not one but two enormous turbine-powered scale model airliners; the one featured here is his awe-inspiring four-engine 747-400 'Queen of the Sky'. Andrew claims it is the largest flying model Jumbo Jet (dramatic pause...) in the World!
Joe Collicutt describes his finely tuned method of building from plans using Depron rather than balsa.
Lots of people have become used to using Depron sheet as a building material in the past decade or so and some have designed whole models out of the stuff. A typical example being the Ultimate biplane by Dave Royds, as featured in the December 2009 edition of RCM&E. However, I am not aware of many builders who have employed it extensively to make a sizeable scale model from plans designed for balsa wood.
Starved of his flying fix the Editor enjoys taking the latest Twister helicopter for a spin around his living room.
Thanks to you-know-what and the ensuing New Year lockdown, club flying earlier this year was a non-starter. Grrr!
However, with the arrival of the latest Twister Ninja 250 micro helicopter, distributed by J Perkins, I was still able to keep my thumbs on the sticks, albeit in the rather more restricted confines of my living room. It's a real sweetie, so let's take a closer look at what's in the box.
Chris Williams and chums try their hand at a spot of electric powered glider tugging.
It all started a couple of years ago, when my long-time flying buddy, Barrington V. Smallpiece built a miniature scale glider - a Skylark from the West Wings kit.
Alex Whittaker admires Ken Sheppard’s ex-ARTF cartoon scale Italian trimotor
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Sparrowhawk) first flew in September 1934. It was a low-wing, triple-engine cantilever monoplane of wood and metal construction. Operated as a medium bomber it was easily recognisable by its distinct fuselage hump. Indeed, its crews, who generally seemed to like the aircraft, dubbed the design 'il gobbo maledetto', or damned hunchback.
Shaun Garrity updates a plan for a small pusher, jet style model that doubles up as a stiff-wind slope soarer
What has a Jaguar XJ6 (with the roof cut off), a steel pole and Octopussy got to do with this month’s free plan? Back in 1967 Jim Bede and his chief designer Paul Griffin sharpened their pencils and started creating a design for an aircraft that would become the BD-5, also referred to as the Micro.
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