Another busy month goes by and some beautiful flying weather at last. My projects have been a little less hectic this month due to lack of time whilst doing other things. I have managed to have a few great days flying this month, mainly flying the T-Strike and Spitfire but there have been a couple of additions to the Ratby hanger.

Firstly, as promised last month, is the Discus. A 1/6 scale version of the real slope soaring glider and what a beauty she is. She is 3 channel having 2 sub micro servos for the ailerons, a mini servo for the elevator and a standard servo for the rudder. Radio installation is pretty straightforward and double-sided tape did a really nice job for the aileron and elevator servos. The kit is beautiful ARTF glass fibre/GFK throughout - even the wings - which makes the finish of the whole model superb.The cockpit is pre-fitted and hinged and has lovely scale detail.

Due to the shaping of the wings maintaining the scale outline the ailerons are split to allow for the change in angle of the wing - again everything is pre-hinged.

The rudder is pre-hinged and mounted on a tail post ready for fitting. This allows you to fit the elevator servo in the tail section before fitting the rudder post. As I did not want to have no access to the elevator servo after the rudder was fitted I added a piece of spruce to the back of the rudder post and screwed it in place for later removal if I needed to. I used a Ripmax mini servo in the tail and used layers of double-sided tape on both sides of the servo to give a perfect fit in the tail. This meant it was held on both sides and very secure. A closed loop brass linkage, cut down and cyano'd into the centre of the elevator made a nice neat job of the elevator horn.

A cut down closed loop horn was used for the aileron horns and also the rudder horn, again to make things as neat as possible. A standard servo on spruce bearers for the rudder, receiver and battery fixed with double-sided tape in the nose completed the installation.

As the elevator servo and aileron servos needed long extensions I decided to make my own. I used standard telephone 4 core wire and simply snipped the servo lead in half and soldered the wire in place. This worked perfectly and cost 60p for the whole job - almost 3m of extensions - not bad EH? So a few hours work and there she was looking beautiful.

Although I have the Long Mynd a few miles down the road I have not yet had the chance to fly there and did not get the opportunity to go and introduce myself to the club this month so I popped a tow hook on the Discus and went down my local field - I just had to get her in the air! So a couple of throws into wind and a little bit of lead in the nose and I was ready! A good stretch on the line and off she went - quite fast and whistling as she went.

I has a couple of flights and she handled great, but she really need to go off a slope - do any Long Mynders looking in want to invite me along? I am off on holiday next week so don't know how much I will get done this coming month but if I get the chance I will throw her off a slope and report back next month.

Right then, after my divergence to totally silent flight from electric, I have to report one little model that has really made my month! As a bit of fun I bought a Pico Stik. I can only say WOW!!!! The Stik is almost ready to go and takes only a couple of hours to get her ready to fly. A bit of glue (included in the kit) and some tape (also included in the kit) and she was built. She even has the engine and gear box included for just over £20!

Using sub-micro servos, minute speed controller and GWS receiver she only weights a few ounces complete - of course the radio costs a little more then the model itself - but a package deal is available - Great big light weight wheels lets her take off the ground in a few yards. She flies like a real slow flyer - or a kite if there is a breeze - handles great.

Last week when I took her down the field there was a slight breeze and lots of thermals so I took her up high, cut the engine and she just kept climbing, thermalling really nicely!

I have flown her in my back garden - which is quite big and elevated - every day that the wind has been almost non-existent as she does get thrown about quite a lot in the wind.

A real bonus this one! I just got her out of curiosity but have had so much fun and intend to keep doing so. She also bounces well!!!

If you are a newcomer to flying then she is very forgiving as you can hit the ground fairly hard (As I did when the wind blew the wrong way over one of my terraces and swept her straight into the ground) and she just bounces.

Anything that did bend or break would be mendable with the glue that comes in the kits anyway. Great little model - nothing I can complain about - really nice surprise!

That's it for this month - I will try and do my best to produce something for next month but I am away on holiday and don't expect to find any models where I am going, apart from which I will spend most of my time diving.

Have a great month and keep flying - quietly!

If you have any questions then please get in touch with Mark at:
sales@ratbyaeroplanes.com
or check out his web site at:
www.ratbyaeroplanes.com