Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum

This is a video of Peter Smart flying his model Lancaster. Note that it is quite small and is NOT radio controlled. It is powered b y 4 small electric motors with a tiny "controller" on board for each motor. These controllers are set before flight to govern the engine run duration and speed for take of cruise and landing - it is not for example a case of the batteries running down. Anyone who has attempted building and flying small free flight scale models will know the difficulties involved. And it was completely scratch built - not a "kit".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ-UPEnDn0g

That is truly amazing in every respect, an excellent model in its own right as a static exhibit, made even more so by the fact that it takes to the air! I'm still not sure how it's "controlled" though David, I thought control-line at one stage?

A perfect miniature - the only question mark is the 'scale' speed; models just aren't stately like the real thing but I appreciate that's being very picky

Richard

Max, it is controlled electrically (and to me that is a very dark and mysterious place). Principally there is a small board with - less than an inch square with all kinds of gadgetry and 3 "pots' (?) which you can adjust to give duration and speed of the motors so that for example you can taxi (half power say) for a few seconds, then full power comes in and you take off and climb. Then the power reduces for the landing approach. It is a "free flight"otherwise - no wires etc. attached, or transmitted signals to servos etc.

The circular flight pattern is simply by setting the control surfaces manually in the right positions before flight - which frankly is usually as a result of trial and error and a lot of know how. Models of course suffer from stability too because of the affect of the reduced scale on the "proportions" of the flying surfaces in relation to each other. Quite a science really.

Yes, Richard, I could call you "picky" but in fact the "scale flying speed" has always been a problem and of course it is simply due to t4h fact that the smaller the model the faster it has to fly to generate lift. All to do with weight as well. But some larger models are just the same but with less of an excuse. Years ago when i did some judging it was not unusual to witness models - say a Tiger Moth (popular) screaming around at a scale speed of several hundred miles an hour. Had the builder kept the weight down and had learn to fly the model properly then the flying speed could have been much more reasonable. Obviiously there have to be some tolerances with models but I would mark them down if I felt it was a combination of poor flying skills and butch building. That said I have also seen some small free flight scale models - rubber powered which have been built very light and fly beautifully slowly and realistically.

Peter Smart by the way also built the Gigante (six engines) and that performed very well too.

Flying indoors is not easy by the way - having to trim the model to avoid things like walls and ceilings etc. and bits of equipment that sports halls etc. have laying around!

Hello,

Thanks very much for the link.
Kind regards.

Bruno