Kjell Fjelde puts the record straight for us . . .

In issue 52 it says on the 'hotchpotch' page "Click this thumbnail image for an enlarged view of this Hornet breaking the sound barrier . . .". I'm afraid that this is not correct. It's not the sound barrier that is broken. What you see is the pressure cone that evolves around a jet when it starts to get near the sound barrier. This cone is only visible when flying low over water where the humidity is very high. This picture has been up for discussion many times, and even been in engineering magazines here in Norway. The article also concluded that this was NOT the sound barrier that is broken.

Not to be picky :) I love your "mag".

Cheers
Kjelli

Thanks, Kjelli - it's good to have the facts. Nice to hear from you again, by the way.

David Simmonds remembers a modelling gent

Dear Reg

I was sorry to learn from Modelflight that Pete Ivory died a few years ago. I had no idea that he was a member of Test Valley MFC and in fact for many years I wondered if indeed he was still modelling and/or motorcycling.

Pete was an active free flight competition modeller with Winchester MAS throughout the fifties and, indeed, our Competition Secretary during this period. I lost touch with Pete when I and half of the club moved on to control line flying in the sixties, or "bricks on strings" as Pete would call them!

Pete was then a dedicated f/f man with his beloved Elfin diesels which he always tuned to perfection and they made the most beautiful howl for all 30 seconds of their competition engine run! His models, in spite of their looks, were always trimmed to perfection. Pete always looked as if he had shaved with a blow lamp as he peered at you through his jam-jar-bottom specs! But he was quite the most helpful and good natured bloke imaginable. Well done, Reg, for winning his memorial trophy, it is well deserved and I know that Pete somewhere, somehow will be looking on with total approval!

Thanks, David - I thought that was just lovely! For those who might not have read #52, my club surprised me by awarding me the Peter Ivory Memorial Trophy for 2001 for "personal enthusiasm to aeromodelling" in recognition of my endeavours on ModelFlight!

. . . in connection with which . . .

Dad,

Congratulations on receiving your well-deserved trophy!

Tim

Thanks, Son!

First contact from Mike Roberts:

Reg

I have just had your site forwarded to me. Its great to see so much on RC interest in one place.

I also appreciate the mention of the FMS article in RCM&E - I wrote it! Micron are putting together a dummy transmitter for anyone who wants a dedicated interface or wants to try flying before lashing out on a full set of gear. I am supplying interfaces, including a 19200 baud PIC Serial interface.

Please add my website to your links page. There is a load of other RC related electronics there as well - and more to come.

Cheers

Mike

Mike Roberts
Custom Electronics
web: www.customelectronics.co.uk
email: mike@customelectronics.co.uk

Delighted to add your link, Mike - it's on the suppliers links page.

There's a glimpse at Mike's website on site seeing, by the way.

Here's Charles Anderson from the USA

Your website is great and it contains a lot of useful information. What I am writing about is the Telebee 701 gyro. I have read a few bad posts on this gyro and failures, but you speak of packing foam to protect the electronics in the cube. What is your overall opinion of this gyro and would you suggest purchasing one to learn with? I have a Raptor 30 with an RD6000 radio that is part of my learning scenario. Which high-speed servo do you think works well. By the way, I can get this gyro for 59.00 here in the US right now....

Hi Charles - nice to meet you on ModelFlight!

Charles must have been going through the archive - the Telebee gyro was the subject of an article by Frank Drecchio on #7! I have tried to contact Frank for his views, but the e-mail address I have is no longer valid.

I don't fly helis any more and when I did my only experience was with the CSM gyro, but I guess when correctly set up, they will each do the job. If anybody can help Charles on either of his questions, though, please contact him on chas1025@msn.com

. . . and this is Eric Daniels from the UK

Just found your site - well impressed.

To introduce myself I'm Eric Daniels of the Hastings Club you may have heard of us. I spend a lot of time browsing to find sites of interest to put in our Newsletter,which we send out to our Members bi-monthly (122 flying, 27 social). We recently purchased our two fields that we fly from (over 20 acres). All we have to do now is finish paying for them, hence the fact that we put on an Annual big show, and three others. We are fortunate this year to have some sponsorship from RCM&E, we also are aided by the local Hastings Council. If you could give us a mention in your site would be obliged, all in the cause. We are at present working on a website of our own.

. . . signing of now as Management has just brought a cuppa!

Glad to meet you also, Eric. Let me know when your website is up and we can take a look at it on 'site seeing' and put up a permanent link on the club links page.