Commodores Challenge

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

What are you doing in the mean time Paul?

If it`s not a rude nosey question

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

The ruder and nosier the questions, all the better Bob!

I have a JP. 50A esc and although it’s not fitted to anything permanently I used it on several occasions ok.

You might have more luck this time with only one motor and esc to contend with.

Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Captain Bob

You could never be rude or nosey.

At present I am working on a Top Flight Stinson Reliant that I bought off a very nice chap on ebay.

Its a bit of a monster but I love working on these 1930s gullwing designs.

Paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thanks Paul

I wrongly assumed you had time on your hands

I like your model plane projects…btw

I was once a keen aircraft builder for many years, until we lost our flying field in Ashton

We were also staunch visitors to the Woodvale Shows for many years in our trusty caravan

And the RAF Woodford meetings too

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Its a shame that I will never get to actually fly it but most of the fun is in building

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Paul

Further to my model aircraft tales. you may find this of interest………

Because we were getting evicted from our flying field in Ashton, I came up with an outlandish idea!

Radio Control models tethered to a central pole!

Similar to RTP

We then didn`t need a large field…….Good eh?

I built a central pylon that was staked to the ground

50 feet of single tether and a C/L KK Phantom with a big four stroke motor

It flew nicely, but rather sedately

Much encouraged. I next built the well known chunky Stunter out ot the Aero plans handbook called Thunderbolt

The maiden flight arrived and it flew well. The Test Pilot was the well known modeller…. Laurie Cullen of Ashton Model Shop. He was the business partner to Charlie Jackson, his son, Barry Jackson was a Champion One Metre yachtsman and was The World Champion at one time

But,,,,,,Laurie had never flown Control line before and committed the ultimate sin!

Namely, looping on the slack side of the circle!………CRASH!……..Straight down onto the frosty ground….RIP

We lost interest after that and sadly……That was that.

The actual story of the RC-CL era was published in The Aeromodeller Magazine, the Editor was……..Sorry, I can`t recall his name now, but he ended up as the Editor of Modelboats Magazine, recently

Small world eh?

Here is a photo of the model, with Bob and Laurie and the Thunderbird Stunter

Bob

 

 

 

Edited By Bob Abell on 03/06/2021 08:21:12

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Bob,

The last lockdown has given quite few RC flyers that I know the chance to try round the pole flying in the garden with just throttle & elevator, not as large as your stunter !! loving the coupled elevator and wing flaps takes me back

Regards Ray

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hi Ray

In the late 40`s…….Yes,the late 40`s!

Frog Toys used to produce a rubber powered fighter plane called The Intercepter

About 12" span with a card body, alloy wings and with a speed up gearbox in the nose

It was a nice little toy plane. The box it came in was also the rubber motor wind up device

The only snag was that it was a failure as a FF flyer. But it flew RTP nicely

Incidently. the famous model flyer of the day was RUPERT MOORE and he produced a 40" span of the model

Bob

[redpmgParticipant @redpmg]

I was lucky enough to be given one of those Frog Interceptors aged eight or so – only as I had been literally farmed out to friends because my mother was ill and had to be flown to Cape Town for an op. It was a very expensive toy as I well knew – so imagine the disappointment when it had a write off crash on its first flight – despite being helped by the friends much older son it decided to intercept a granite boulder – the only one around in the grassland we were in.

We had much more success with a large free flight KK model – also rubber powered but about a 40 in wingspan Father spent a lot of time carving the prop per instructions – that had many flights before finally succumbing to a large thorn tree.

Edited By redpmg on 03/06/2021 17:23:48

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thank you Red

You must be getting on bit, like me, remembering the Frog Intercepter model plane, all those years ago?

Just by a stroke of good luck, I`ve found a photo of the very thing!

We liked the mechanical ratchet winding mechanism and the bottles of oil and rubber lubricant

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I remember having a plane in a box with a built in winder! Cant say I remember it was a FROG though….must have been I suppose.

Never had any luck flying it.

Ashley

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hi Ashley

I can still remember the actual shop in Prestatyn North Wales…..About 1949. and I seem to remember the price was 7/6d

That`s 37 1/2 p in today"s money

In the days of Dinky Toys, Lead Soldiers and Hornby trains, Meccano etc

(A Dinky Toy cost….1/9d)

It is truly amazing, what I can clearly remember in those distant far off days and yet I can hardly remember what I did yesterday

My apologies for rambling on

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ramble away Bob, the forum is not just for itemising one build or another, but to provide some (much needed nowadays) social interaction.

If we were gathered in a pub we would be talking about all sorts, and there is no cap on the length of a thread, just look at “todays boating”….a veritable saga and some of it even about model boats!

Ashley

[redpmgParticipant @redpmg]

Hi Bob –

Thanks for the picture – great to see the Interceptor again – even if it was a big disappointment – mine must have been circa 1952 / 3 – things were a bit slow reaching the colonies – especially a small town – and it certainly cost more than 7/6d at that time – probably closer to 19/6d – a great deal at that time . That fuselage was hardly any thicker than the heavy aluminium foil sold on rolls nowadays – no wonder it never survived long .

The radio sets from the 60's early 70's cost 2 weeks of a journeyman's wages at the time – nowadays a wealthy lads pocket money could buy a 4 channel 2.4ghz set.

Think we all have the same memory problem too – can remember a lot of things from my childhood and teenage years – but cant remember why i went to the fridge !!

Love to see the finished boat with a wicker basket as Ashley suggested with a few items of food & drink for the skipper & passengers

 

Edited By redpmg on 04/06/2021 09:30:41

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Posted by ashley needham on 04/06/2021 09:05:34:

Ramble away Bob, the forum is not just for itemising one build or another, but to provide some (much needed nowadays) social interaction.

If we were gathered in a pub we would be talking about all sorts, and there is no cap on the length of a thread, just look at “todays boating”….a veritable saga and some of it even about model boats!

Ashley

My thoughts exactly Ashley, but not everybody agrees. One member springs to mind!

Chris

Edited By Chris Fellows on 04/06/2021 10:22:40

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thank you. Ashley, Red and Chris for your sympathetic comments regarding my rambling on

I`m pleased to read that you like my small talk

Bob

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Bob,

Coded message, I think I learned more from LBSC's writing than I did at school Keep up the good work !!

Kind Regards Ray (raining down here )

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Right then……Got the Motor and Rudder working well now

There`s only one snag!

The prop runs fast backwards than it does going forwards!

Any suggestions you chaps out there?

I`m thinking of making an opposite hand prop……..eh?

What a fiendish suggestion?

Bob

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Posted by Bob Abell on 04/06/2021 15:03:49:

Thank you. Ashley, Red and Chris for your sympathetic comments regarding my rambling on

I`m pleased to read that you like my small talk

Bob

Bob, I tend to think that personal ramblings add a degree of character and personalisation to a thread and help prevent it becoming too dry and technical. As long as it doesn't get completely out of hand and the original purpose of the thread gets lost however what you add allows us to see you a little bit less formally, which I think is a good thing.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

The Bath Test

The battery needed to be as the photo shows. which makes a mess of the seating compartment?

Will sort it somehow

The model dashes about bath fore and aft smartish like, so mod to the prop yet

Next job is to sort out the battery position and have another trial run at Etherow Water

The only snag with that is that I have difficulty getting into the Rescue Facility and even worse…..Getting out!

But wait!……Do I hear the next door neighbours little boy, splashing about in their new pool?

Back later, with more action shots and indepth ( Hope not ) report

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Bob. I believe that esc has a half power reverse, so you need to swap something about…prop perhaps, so it turns correctly on the full power direction.

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Reverse the throttle on the transmitter then swap the cables to the motor over.

I've just saved you making a new prop!

Edited By Richard Simpson on 04/06/2021 18:45:03

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thank you. Richard for your excellent suggestion……..What a simple solution?

Now. why didn`t I think of that?……….You too, Ashley!

I recall now, somebody did mention last year, when the motors were installed in Brutus 11, that the Controller had forward and reverse speeds built in intentionally

So…….My apologies to the Trustworthy Dealer [ and they were Howes Ltd ]

Full report to follow, describing our escapade, testing the model in next doors swimming pool

I`m a bit knackered at the moment, after carrying the boats, up and down stairs!

Bob

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Bob, I built a Tamiya RC car a few weeks ago and used the supplied speed controller. I could not for the life of me work out why I had to push the stick forwards twice before it would go and was contemplating a new speed controller.

After a lot of cursing and wondering what to do with it I had a think and came up with the solution above so at least the double push was in the reverse position.

Then I realised that it had a brake function.

Doh!

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Sometimes the straightforward things are overlooked, and we dive into unnecessary over-thinking. Very easy to do.

However Bob, you asked the question and we answered, that’s what the forum is for!

Ashley

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