Back to Basics

Hi Brian - When you went to Longham Lakes you probably met Trevor Hewson - worth looking at his website - this includes his "Lazy Bee" equipped with floats.
Interesting float arrangement with one at the tail end.

Colin.

Thanks Colin, yes I've had an email from Trevor, and as a bonus a couple of videos from the model as well. The Lazy Bee float layout is the original design by Andy Clancy. I've had some good tips about the LB floats, mainly that a lot of rubber bands are needed to stop them pitching up and down and altering the longitudinal trim. It has been encouraging to have so much positive feedback on my short note about fitting floats to a Lazy Bee.
Regards
Brian.

Hi Brian
If for your next project you fancy restoring a 'basic' flying machine I will be happy to hook you up with the model in the attached picture. It belonged to ex member Richard Sheldon who has had to give up model rc planes. Now that machine looks pretty BASIC!

Thank you Simon, the model looks very much like a Panic, totally outrageous in the air. I look forward to having a go at refurbishing it especially as it has an engine already fitted.

The chap lives in an apartment with amazing sea views in Canford cliffs. It will mean you going to get it. If that’s ok I will let him know you will call him to arrange if that’s ok with you Brian

No problem Simon, look forward to getting the info.

On the general subject of scratch building, just take a look at this:



I thought that scratch building scale aeromodellers could be a bit OCD now I know that we are matchlessly sane.

The Lazy Bee is now kitted out with a set of floats, I fitted a more powerful motor and rebuilt the battery stowage with a waterproof compartment. The model used to fly with a 3S 1300mA LiPo, the new set up uses a 3S 2200. By a sheer fluke, with the battery housed vertically against the front bulkhead, the Cof G turned out to be in the right place. For the finish I used a mix of old (very old) dope which had turned a nice shade of brown, and some newer dope that was only fifteen years old. This is to make the new floats look the same as the nearly twenty year old air frame. I thought that all that was left to do was tidy up the litter made during the float build and get back to the delayed build of the Kadet. However a brief note from Simon put a stop to that, and now I have a tired old Panic with an even more tired SC .52 four stroke. I couldn't resist having a look at the engine, very clean on the outside, but seized solid. A bit of warming with a gas torch and a good slurp of after-run oil had the engine turning over, but no compression at all. Lifting the rocker cover showed that the exhaust valve was stuck open. I thought the rocker arm was the cause, but it turned out to be the exhaust cam follower. Now all the bits are clean and free from baked on oil, I have a problem. Does anyone know if the timing arrangements on a SC .52 are the same as an OS FS .52? The only timing aid is a dot on the cam gear.I'll be back on the Kadet soon!

The dot on the cam gear was significant, the trick is to eyeball the dot to line up with the (imaginary) centre line of the push rod tube. A bit difficult as the gear teeth are cut diagonally (the gears mesh with the shafts at ninety degrees) and as the cam gear is lowered into place, it rotates, not a lot, but enough to make a difference between the engine just running, or running properly. With the engine sorted, or so I thought, I removed the Panic's very tired NiCd flight battery and fitted a shiny new replacement from Overlander (Buy British!). Some time ago I bought a pair of Spektrum AR 8000 receivers, I bought two to get 20% off. Wish I hadn't. I fitted the first Spektrum AR 8000 into the Panic, it bound OK, but there was no output to the servos. The second AR8000 was exactly the same. Seems I've been conned and the "Spektrum" receivers are a "lookalike" from a nasty Chinese outfit known as KoKo. Fitting a genuine Spektrum receiver cured the problem. Phew! I know I should be getting on with the Kadet, but its far too hot in the shed, and messing around with a newly acquired four stroke engine attached to a flyable Panic airframe, well...what's not to like?

Brian Jackson wrote: The dot on the cam gear was significant. A bit difficult as the gear teeth are cut diagonally (the gears mesh with the shafts at ninety degrees) and as the cam gear is lowered into place, it rotates, not a lot, but enough to make a difference between the engine just running,

Slight deviation - And people used to moan at me because of the time taken to set camshafts on the old Mercedes 250 & 320 diesels unless you have the expensive setting tools only supplied by Mercedes.

So, Brian have you got it running?