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Welcome to Colin Bosch, "Casey", Norman Harris, Jim Kiger, Obec Klenèí, S. McCullough, Gary Moscardini, Ian Wheeler.

I have just bought a Multiplex Twinjet and wanted to hot it up a little!! so I also bought two Graupner Speed 480 motors. However I have been told that they have to be re-timed in order to run backwards as per pusher mode. There are no instructions telling you how to do this. Can you please ask how it's done or even better let me know of someone who can do it for me.

Thank you for a great insight into this great hobby!

Well, I asked Graham McAllister of Graham McAllister Designs what he thought - his company specialises in all things to do with electric model planes.

Graham says this is a tricky situation - the simple answer is that Brian should have been sold the Speed 480L (for left-hand) motors - these are for the TwinJet and similar models.

The 480 motors are pre-timed - in other words they are not set at zero timing like the basic 400 and 600 motors - therefore if you run them in reverse the power and efficiency is lower than when they run forwards.

Graham says these motors can be re-timed, but it does mean rotating the backplate which is held in place by bent metal tabs, rather a brute force operation - indeed, he says that personally he would not tackle it.

Any chance of you exchanging the motors, Brian, rather than risk messing them up, I wonder? Or buy replacements and hold the others in stock for future use . . . ?

Gordon Cook, Chairman of Test Valley MFC, UK (my club)

Hi Reg,

Well done on 50 episodes! Shall we see the next 50? I hope so. I liked the piece for beginners, it's so important to steer folk the right way in the first place.

. . . That's it, see you soon, and if not have a great Xmas. See you at Neville's sale on New Year's Day.

'Neville's' is our local model shop and it's a bit of a standing joke that he NEVER has a sale! Folk are always threatening to put up SALE notices on his door whilst he's away on holiday, but we're not sure if he could stand the shock, let alone the other customers! Still, he's a good guy and he does give us discount! 

Please see my site at
http://home.pacbell.net/fraze/replicraft.html 

Click this thumbnail to read Mark's original query 

Hi Reg

Congratulations on edition 50. This "thing" goes from strength to strength.

I read the post box request from Mark Oates re the Lo Boy. We have had a couple of these at our club and they weren't the most liked model around. They tended to be a bit twitchy. However a close friend had one and it definitely had a nice degree (if you pardon the pun) of DIhedral in the wing.

I suggest that Mark either replaces the wing or "re-engineers" it. This could be achieved by:

•  cutting it in half 
•  introducing a wedge of hard 1/4 inch balsa to produce dihedral and
•  re-adhere the wings.

I don't know what degree of dihedral would have been defined on the plan. However the fact that it is a low wing, symmetrical wing section (if I remember correctly) and meant for "go where you point it" aerobatics, I would limit the dihedral to no more than 2 degrees. A wing brace at the main spare would be a good idea. He may need to channel alongside the existing brace if the existing one can't be removed. A couple of spot dowel braces near the front and rear would also be of assistance. A good healthy fibreglass wing patch wrapped completely around the join and spreading out a couple of inches on either side of center would also provide support.

I hope that this information is of assistance.

Regards

Terry
PS:  In case I don't get to write again in the next week (I haven't finished #50 yet), a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year to you and your family. Many thanks for the enjoyment that ModelFlight has given me over the past twelve months or so that I have been reading it. I look forward to continuing our communications in the new year - TP

Thanks, Terry, for your encouragement re this 'thing' called ModelFlight! To me, it still feels more like a club than a magazine - I get so much friendly correspondence and feed-back, and the level of participation by others than me seems to avoid the 'we're the experts' feel of some of the magazines (although, after all, that's partly what we expect from the mags).

Thanks very much for the e-mail, since speaking to you I have been speaking to a manufacturer of foam wings who just happens to have a pattern for the Lo-Boy. However, before I go that route what I'll think I'll do is to cut the wings and put some dihedral in -  how about if I get some before, during and after pictures, would that interest you?

. . . to which the answer is a definite YES PLEASE! I reckon it will be interesting to see such a major bit of 'surgery' and will help to build confidence for others of us in tackling such challenges (provided it works!).

Hi Reg,

First of all, congratulations on your 50th edition of the magazine. Its success and popularity is all due to your enthusiasm and tenacity to provide an excellent journal for your fellow modellers. I am sure they all appreciate it as much as I do.

Find attached the next WIP for my Mustang . . .

Let me finally wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Happy Landings for 2002!

Thank you very much, Ian, your kind comments and good wishes are really very much appreciated.

You will find Ian's latest progress report and pics on his Mustang project on work in progress.

When I acknowledged the above, I mentioned to Geoff my interest in a Seagull ARTF of the Pilatus, and he offered these helpful comments:

ARTFs- I have now had two Piper Cubs, a Reichard Elipsoid (2.8 m electric soarer) and the Twinjet.  Of the Cubs, the first was World Models and structurally excellent, built in China.  The second was a Black Horse (never heard of them!) kit and structurally disgraceful, built in Korea.  Neither were covered to anything like my required standard but the Korean model was awful.  I recovered 75% of it with Profilm which I swear by.

So I advise careful inspection of any ARTF model if you are (unlike me) lucky enough to be able to buy from a local model shop.  I'd never, ever buy another Black Horse model.  The Elipsoid was built in Czechoslovakia and absolutely SUPERB quality in EVERY department.  In that model I could clearly discern the centuries of toy making skills for which central European countries are famed. 

Thanks, mate! Nice to know we might see more of your projects in the New Year.

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