AVRO 539B scratch build - windy flight.

Hi Art, thanks for the comments. Roll-on the better weather is all I can say. We don't have the cold (usually snows Jan/Feb/March) but we've had a series of deep lows crossing the UK for about 3 weeks now. Lots of gales, with peak winds around 80 mph; a lot of rain, coastal tide surges and flooding in vulnerable areas. We're lucky - no flooding around us, I'm in Portobello, just outside of Edinburgh on the East coast of Scotland. For flying, I keep an eye on two different weather websites that display predicted winds on an hourly basis. Give or take an hour, they're usually pretty reliable. Both of my weekend outings were when the centre of the low (eye of the storm) passed through. But the next two weeks are just wind, wind, wind - which is why I risked it on Sunday. I had a look at some Neuport 11 images on Google - I see plusses and minuses for modelling in foam board. The slab sides are a gift, I suppose the swept top wing will be quite easy, narrow bottom wing not so easy (a bit weak maybe?). Scale tail surfaces look plenty big enough to give authority. Biggest problem I see is the snub nose, but you've countered that with stretching the fuselage. If I hadn't been so taken with the AVRO I think I would have gone for the SE5a. I reckon it's an ideal choice for a model - it's got the length front and back to be well mannered and balance without too much dead weight on the nose. And those slab sides and nose would be easy to recreate. Looking at my build, it is pretty compact with short moments - which can make it quite a 'busy' little plane. I found the elevator reaction VERY positive, even on small throws. In lighter winds it was looping in its own length! Once I got the throws dialled down, with plenty of expo, it became a lot easier to fly. It does have quite a big horizontal stabiliser so once it settles it's rock steady. I think some of the older articles on RC focus so much on stability because they didn't have access to modern transmitters - not just trim buttons, but expo, dual rates, and the ability to alter throws without touching the plane's mechanics. Maybe not obvious in the video, but I've increased the wheel size. Even in soggy Winter grass I manage a ground take off and very few nose-overs on landings. I'll have to get some paint on it now, plenty of opportunity over the next few weeks! Cheers, Ali.
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Ouch - that was frustrating! I follow Josh Bixler's advice and take a couple of planes when I go flying. Even if I have a disaster with one I can usually get some flight time with another. I've a couple of reliable 3 channel builds - the FT Flyer with a decent battery load manages a bit of wind, as does my modified Old Fogey, either in single wing or biplane mode. I'm hoping for a chance to get out this Sunday. Cheers.
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