A colleague at work mentioned some time ago that his dear old Dad had started building a RC plane many moons ago but age/wariness/other interests over took the build. He gave the unfinished kit to his son who then had it stored in his garage for many years.

At the start of the year he asked me if I was interested, but to be honest I'm not keen taking over half-built projects as you can never be certain of the quality of the workmanship.

Anyway, fast forwards to now and I arrived at work to find a big plastic rubbish bag with bits of airframe poking out plonked in my office. Covered in years of dust and it looks like an oil change was performed over the tailplane.

Got it home to clean it up and it was far better then I dared imagine. My first ever plane back in the early '80's was also a Pilot kit - the Cessna 177. Brilliant kit, very very solid and supreme quality.

The kit seems very complete - only missing the clear plastic for the windshields as far as I can tell. The work so far is of very high quality and is a credit to my colleagues old man.

Link to an earlier find http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460678

Another build - another Alfa. The Albatros D.V has always been one of my favourite WWI fighters (along with the British Bulldog and Gladiator), and is one I've had my eye on since it was first released by Alfa.

This time I used the surface mail shipping option as I had a couple of other projects underway, so opted to save a few pennies on postage.

The Albatros took 10 weeks to arrive. On opening the box - what a beautiful little aircraft - usual Alfa quality. No shipping damage, the only problem is that one of the ply blanks for the undercarriage legs and struts had a split in it right through the cabane strut. A few drops of CA fixed it.

I decided on a COBRA C-2203-46 KV1720 motor after reading positive reviews of this motor fitted to the Albatros (thanks NSG).

Power system:

• COBRA C-2203-46 KV1720 motor
• Hobby King short prop adapter M5x3mm shaft (Grub Screw Type) - NB fitted a plain M5 nut and washer
• GWS 8x4 SF prop (black)
• TURNIGY Plush 10 amp 9 gram Speed Controller
• ZIPPY Compact 350 mAh 2S 25C Lipo Pack

3 x HS35MG servos (4.5g) are on order for the control surfaces - yet to arrive.

Construction is very straight forwards - slip the tailplane into place and glue with Weldbond, checking for alignment.

With the lower wing, the centre needs to be found and positioning marked. This is important as I chose to use UHU Por (contact glue) so there is not much working time to resolve the alignment once the glue grabs. But it saves having to pin or clamp the...Continue Reading

Successful maiden! Had to wait for the fog to lift but finally got things underway - unfortunately my photographer picked up a stomach bug so in-flight pictures will have to wait.

Needed a couple of clicks of down trim and then it flew straight as a die. Very quick in the roll - will reduce aileron throws by 30% and add a bit more exponential.

Possibly needs more rudder (flying with 100%) - a fair amount of mechanical adjustment is available with the pull-pull system but will wait until I try a bit of proper knife-edge flying.

Also needs both ailerons "reflexed" up a touch as it seemed to be flying with slight down flap. Might also explain the need for down trim?

120g of ballast needed to get it to the rear of the CG range as the motor is quite a bit lighter then the four stroke engine. In-flight CG test seemed spot on with the CG in this position. Thrust angle also seemed spot on as built into the firewall with no trim changes regardless of throttle setting.

Limited flight to 5 mins for 1300mAh used from pack with a fair amount of vertical testing. Should be a comfortable for 8-10mins of mixed flying.

Vertical is great, stall benign (only nodded the nose) and landing was a breeze. Still, it's a big plane and needs a bit of room.

Max power is 670W @ 35.6A. Batteries should be fairly untaxed - under 12C at full power.

RTF weight is 2.5kg. 100g more then the aircraft was with the 4 stroke (empty), but 120g of that is ballast. Max recommended flying weight is 2.6kg, so not a problem.

All the glow engine bits removed - Saito .72F/S, engine mount and hardware, throttle servo, 13.5x6 Bolly prop, spinner, RX battery, switch harness, etc.

All up weight loss1,075g.

I've had this plane in storage ever since it was finished - about the same time son #1 arrived and I let my club membership lapse.

Going to convert it to electric - out with the Saito .72 and Cline pump and in with a Turnigy G46 430kV, Turnigy dlux 70A ESC (with data logging) and 5S 3000mAh 30C battery.

Weight RTF (without fuel) with the Saito is 2.4kg.

Hopefully the motor kV is not too low - can fit up to a 15" prop on it but hoping to go with a 14x10 for 40A in. The 13.5x6 Bolly is a bit too small/low pitch for the motor.

Painting completed.

Happily the entire finishing (fibreglass and painting) only added 70g to the weight - very pleased with that. But it has also moved the CG back 5mm - I'll need to add a small amount of ballast to restore it. Unfortunately the battery can't go any further forwards or it will interfere with the nose retract mechanism.

Main colours are titanium white, medium grey and paynes grey Reeves acrylics thinned with Windex and applied with an airbrush. The canopy is left over medium sea blue enamel applied with a brush. Decals left over from my Alfa MiG 15.

The paint scheme was inspired by one Stuart Warne used on his Alfa MiG15 - should actually be a Korean war era Chinese PLAAF scheme.

This was my first ever attempt at airbrushing. Not perfect, but it is a very steep learning curve and I picked up a lot of information from threads on this forum such as J Morgan's excellent thread on finishing models and watching you-tube clips.

My interpretation of WMD's Jackal build from start to maiden. I keep forgetting to take photos so there are some big jumps between stages,

The thread can be found here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1181441

Video of second flight here:

Jackel2.mov (2 min 41 sec)

...Continue Reading

This is my second Alfa MiG15. I enjoyed the first one so much, that after the demise of the MiG21, I couldn't help myself. If there is a better looking, better flying small EDF, I haven't yet seen it.

This one was built using the tips and tricks from my first build, as well as lessons learnt along 2 and a bit years of flying my first one.

In my first one I used a single aileron servo, a HS-81 to ensure there was good torque to handle the (potential) speed as well as ensure decent centering over a 9g servo. The single servo made aligning the ailerons (especially the recommended 2mm of reflex) a pain, differential all but impossible and the servo took up valuable space inside the fuselage.

This time around I found some ultra thin servos from HK which fit inside the wing nicely. Once the control rods are removed from the wing the weight gain is minimal, only 1g heavier then using a single 9g servo or 6.6g lighter then the single HS-81 of my old MiG 15. And all with the ease of setting up a two servo wing plus the ability to use differential.

Next step is to glue the wings on. Here I used a similar method to last time. First and absolutely critical is to remove the paint from the fuselage join area. I use methylated spirits. Next, rough the surface up a little with fine sandpaper to remove the glossy finish from the Alfa mold. Then lots and lots of little holes (approx .5mm) are pricked into the foam at the join area to really key the glue into. Give the metal wing...Continue Reading

Having been meaning to post this for some time. Sadly the model is no longer flying.

The MiG21 is an old favorite of mine. I remember building a plastic 1/72 Airfix kit long ago as a young boy. I was toying up with either ordering a new Alfa MiG15 to replace my old worn-out example (almost 100 flights at the time) or the newly released MiG21. The MiG21 won this time around.

Onto the build.

[Photos 6 & 7] First step was to fit a bungee hook. I don't hand launch and the MiG21 won't ROG like the Alfa MiG15 due to the scale sub-fin. The hook is a 1.5mm piece of chromed wire glued to a plate made out of 3 laminations of the 3mm ply Alfa wrapped the box in. The wire is bent to a "U" shape, with a longer end forming the hook. The plate is drilled through for both ends of the wire, grooved (for the wire to rest in), shaped to the fuselage/duct curve, and fitted with 6mm depron front and rear streamlining pieces to make a teardrop shape (in plan view at least).

I chose a spot on the fuse between the nose and the CG - about 1/3 from the nose. It happens to be in the centre of a service panel moulding.

[Photos 8 & 9] Wing spar and servo framework (wing box) was then built. The die cutting is more die squashing, so the fit of parts is a bit ordinary particularly compared to the latest laser cutting. I tacked the bit in place with CA then built up some fillets with a bit of PU for strength. The wings have very slight andihedral, so the spar must...Continue Reading

My collection of home built models thanks to the generosity of the RC Groups members who publish their plans for the use of all.

jetset44's Polaris http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=922465

bdelapen's MX Aircraft MXS http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=933423

Gene Bond's Blu Cub2 http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=532138

Polaris Seaplane Parkflyer by Jetset44 (0 min 18 sec)

Polaris first flight off water.

...Continue Reading

Battery compartment modification.

With the MiG in the maintenance shop, it was time to address the under-wing decals that had recently started to disintegrate due to the heavy dews and longer grass at the field.

New decals were drawn up in MS Word using the originals as a template. Near enough for rockets

The file is attached below if it is any use to anyone. You'll need to print these on white decal paper.

Lovely crisp morning at the airfield today. The birds were chirping, the autumn colours on display, no wind to speak of. The Corsair and Formosa had a few flights before I decided the neighborhood had had sufficient slumber. Time to take the MiG up and make some noise.

Plugged in a battery and the elevator servo started to twitch away. Initially it looked as if the RX was being swamped by the TX so I moved it away and collapsed the antenna. This stopped the twitching, but as soon as the elevator stick was moved, the twitching would start up again around centre, then it would stop as the stick was deflected further.

Discretion being the better part, no MiG flights today. Got home and isolated the fault to the elevator servo, a HS-55. Luckily the ESC wasn't damaged, so off to the shops to buy a new servo. No HS-55s in stock, but a box of Multiplex Nano S servos instead. As we know Hi-Tec owns Multiplex, so no suprises that the servos are identical with the exception of the colour of the case.

Just happy it happened on the ground and not in the air....

A couple of in-flight photographs taken by my brother-in-law this morning.

Canon EOS 40D

Bit old now...

I changed the power system in the Alfa MiG15 from what was described earlier below after seeking more vertical performance and bigger loops. I was also warned that the old motor was probably due to let the smoke out any time soon.

Couldn't be happier. The motor was a true bolt-in proposition as promised by Don, but the speed controller installation in the thrust tube and associated wiring was a bit of a headache as it all becomes a bit of a squeeze back there and you need to make sure nothing can foul the elevator servo.

Performance is amazing, and despite the greater performance and weight i get longer flight times then the old setup. The only noticeable negative impact is that I find I need longer to setup for a landing as the glide is much faster then before.

Motor: - Don's Wicked 4800kV
EDF:- Alfa with 5 blade fan (385W @ 32.9A)
ESC:- X-Power 40A BEC mounted in thrust tube
Battery:- Rhino 3S 2350 25C
Radio:- JR2610 TX, R770S SPCM RX, HS81 (aileron) HS55 (elevator)

Well the in-laws have left so I have had some time to get back to this.

Will try to convince my Brother-in-law to come out to the field with his DSLR one morning so I can get some in-flight shots.

Kind of a build log....

Been busy stripping and repainting my Alfa F4U Corsair into a RNZAF scheme - NZ5560 (JZ-M). After more then 12 months of flying it was time for a refresh and a change, plus I was looking for a more visible scheme to help with orientation on overcast days.

Still a work in progress - I have just run out of decal paper for the wing roundels and also need to do a little more (subtle) weathering.

Well, as I said in part 1, there was a twist to the tale. The P47 hit the dust again, this time it was my fault from a dud hand launch, leading to a torque roll into the ground. The nose was broken (but not as bad as last time), firewall destroyed, the cowel broken and flattened, the port (left) wing broke off and the port (left) tailplane was cracked at the fuselage and the top and bottom had separated at the trailing edge (perversely this proved to be a bonus).

I put it aside for a number of months while I flew my Alfa Corsair and MiG15, and worked on the GWS FW190 making it look more like an Alfa and less like a GWS.

Repairs were carried out much as before. The wing spar was doubled with a cut down ice-block stick, the wing skins doubled with 3mm depron along the breaks and the push rod straightened and re-fitted.

The tailplane was fixed by inserting a carbon rod through the opened up trailing edge to act as a spar, the elevator re-glued to the spruce joiner, and finally the trailing edge was resealed.

The cowel was fixed by taping up the inside, CA, and light weight filler. The outside was then covered in a layer of silkspan and WBPU. The fuselage was patched with depron, cracks filled with lightweight filler and given a good sand.

Finally, a new balsa battery tray was made up to replace the original ply one which was damaged after the crash. The new one is a copy of the one fitted to the Alfa MiG15. And of course a bungee hook is now fitted so this...Continue Reading

GWS Formosa Test Mule

A few details of my bungee ramp and hooks fitted to the aircraft.

The ramp was built from 15mm PVC pipe and 15mm connectors. You'll need:

• 6 90 degree bends
• 2 tee pieces with the top half cut off (see photos below)
• 2 x 150mm lengths (back legs)
• 2 x 400mm lengths (front legs)
• 2 x 350mm lengths (spreaders/bottom feet)
• 2 x 1200mm lengths (rails)
• 6 metres 6mm bungee cord (shock cord)
• 6 metres of nylon cord (spektra)
• 4 x metal rings (key rings)

The whole ramp and bungee breaks down to a small bag (pinched from an outdoor chair) that I can sling over my shoulder for my short walk to the airfield. Also takes up next to no room in the boot (trunk) of the car for drives to other fields.

I have glued the 90 degree pieces to spreaders/bottom feet and the end of the rails as shown in the photos. This keeps the parts count down and speeds up assembly and disassembly.

The tee pieces have to tops cut off so there is no "step" in the rail to impeded the accelerating aircraft. These are also glued to the bottom of the rails.

The nylon cord is tied off on the ring attached to the end of the bungee cord such that there is one 2m length (for the aircraft attachment ring) and one 4m length (for the release ring).

You will note I use 4 metal tent pegs to secure everything. One peg has the end straightened out. This is my launch peg, it gets hammered into the ground leaning slightly towards the bungee anchor and with about 5cm out of the...Continue Reading

After the successful test flight, it was time for the finishing touches.

The remnants of the original paint were removed with methylated spirits, creases and joins filled with Red Devil lightweight filler, then a new coat of paint applied to replicate the colours of Francis "Gabby" Gabreski's P47 "HV-A".

No one seems to know exactly how the Gabby P47 was finished, so I chose a version that looked good for orientation - invasion stripes on the lower half only.

I found an article that quoted Gabreski stating that his planes were painted in RAF colours applied in the "German way".

So I used the following colours (all Tamiya spray cans):

• AS-9 Dark Green (RAF)
• AS-10 Ocean Grey (RAF)
• AS-11 Medium Sea Grey (RAF)

I am indebted to Cuban08 (Sam) for sending me his decal files.