air space

d.i.y. decals again

I was very interested in Tom Watson's reference to his home-produced decals on his fine model of a Tiger Moth which you will find on the photo gallery page. I asked Tom if he could provide a bit more information on his system, in particular the vinyl sign cutter to which he referred, and he has kindly replied with the following information.

Tom says the sign cutter is a Roland Stika STX-7. It is a smaller version of the commercial versions that they sell and costs around A$700 (US$599, ?£400). Tom suggests that it is the sort of thing a club could buy and have someone cut signs for all its members. The STX-7 works just like the full-size version except that there is a size limitation of about 6" high letters. It is possible to cut any length, so a really tall letter can be done sideways. The software that comes with the product allows you to scan a design and then cut it out. Tom buys off-cuts of the vinyl material from his local sign shop and cuts them to the smaller size. The vinyl is very thin. For instance, the roundels on Tom's Moth were applied over the rib stitching and pinking tape and they still show through. The software let you get an exact size for the numbers. Tom had to cut the blue circles on the Moth in two halves due to the size limit. Want to know more? Visit Stika's website.

Tom also has a system for making water slide decals that he obtained from Micro Format Inc of the USA. The system uses a special paper and a can of overspray to apply after the decal is printed. The decal is designed on the PC and then printed off at best resolution on SuperCal Decal Paper, sprayed evenly with Last Slip Decal Spray and left to dry for half an hour. Next, the decal is cut to size, placed into water for 10 - 15 seconds, removed as soon as the decal film begins to slip along its backing, applied to the surface (plastic, metal, ceramic or what have you) and the decal backing material discarded. The paper and spray are obtainable separately and Micro Format also market a system kit consisting of 5 sheets of decal paper (8½ins x 5½ins) and one 4oz can of spray currently on offer in the USA at $20. As far as I can make out, the product is normally available through your local dealer, although it can be ordered direct from the manufacturer in the USA only.

I've been busy trying to track down a UK source of supply and have discovered that the SuperCal Decal System has now arrived in the UK and stocks are available from J Perkins Distribution stockists as follows:

SuperCal Inkjet Slide System, Clear (starter pack) including spray and 5 decal sheets A5 - part no. 5594905

As above, but white - part no 5594910

SuperCal decal paper, clear (pack of 10) - part no 5594915

As above, but white - part no.5594920

All of the above items retail at £19.99 each

SuperCal decal spray - part no.5594925, retail £9.99

Contact J Perkins sales office by fax (020 8692 2469) or e-mail jpmodels@jpmail.co.uk , but note that they are unable to supply by post as UK postal regulations do not allow the mailing of aerosol cans.

Terry Pollock from Australia raised some interesting questions on flying technique on ModelFlight #18

let's be precise - part 2

some interesting answers from CLARENCE RAGLAND, USA

I have been teaching people to fly R/C aircraft for over 25 years. In that time, I switched from using the buddy-box to a method that I developed on my own. I call it the Ragland Technique, also known as kinesthetic instruction. In a way, it is very simple as my student puts his thumbs on the top of the stick and I put my thumbs and forefinger underneath his thumb. (The picture below is of another proponent of kinesthetic instruction, Ray Smith, who appears on Clarence's website.)

This method, once learned, works much better and is much safer than the buddy-box. Thing is, I can't seem to get anyone to learn this method, even though many have personally witnessed many of my students earn their solo wings after only a couple of hours (same day) of lessons. I have offered to teach anyone who asks and for free.

As far as teaching someone to fly with the plane comings towards him is concerned, I never even mention the fact that there might be a control reversal problem. I just tell him or her that after a right turn, push the stick left and after a left turn, push the stick right and make that a drill. It usually only takes from 15 minutes to an hour of practice before my student can make turns without any worries of them going the wrong way. The only students who have any short-lived difficulties are the ones who had previous training with someone else on the buddy-box. With my thumbs and forefinger under my student's thumb, I can instantly feel even the slightest hint that he is moving the control lever in the wrong direction and then literally instantly stop him from doing so. This method does indeed work and at light speed increases anyone's learning curve.

You can find all the detail of Clarence's method on his web-page http://www.kites.org/rc_instructors and there's a permanent link to both Clarence's and Ray's flight schools on the links page.

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