A million apologies for my long absence!!!! A combination of very long hours, lousy weather and being ill (wonder if they are connected in anyway?!!) has kept me away from the keyboard. They have also kept me away from modelling leaving me with little to say. OK, now it is March, a new year and I am feeling a little better and raring to go with a new season ahead!

To bring you up to date on things …. I had some kits from Czechoslovakia, which were absolutely superb. A couple were sold and the great British Post Office managed to smash them in the post - wonderful! So I have repaired them and recovered them and hopefully they are almost as good as new (just the odd strengthening brace to show for it. These were a Triangle garden flyer and a Gee Bee profile model. The Triangle I will be building and flying my self and will be subject of a future article - honest I will try and write more this year! The Gee Bee is up for sale and reduced to £45 if anyone is interested - just one of these and it looks like the last one ever as the manufacturer no longer makes model kits - see my web site for details.

Another kit that I had from them in stock, and was on my web site front page for a while was a BD-5D semi scale model for Speed 600's. Having opened the box to take some pictures for my web site I realised just how superb the GFK body and construction was on this unique model. Even more unique as it was the very last one that they had in stock. This caused me pangs of just wanting to build it!

As no one came forward wanting it I quickly remade my web pages, took it off the site and claimed it for myself - it's too late to ask for one now! - You had your chance!

The construction was really easy, CNC/CAD design saw to that. Beautifully made components just dropped in place and some really nice touches too. A sloping battery tray that has the weight of the battery bare on the base of the fuselage but in the event of a heavy landing the battery would pop the canopy off and jump out without damaging the model. The wings are held on by just 2 wing bolts that go through the undercarriage so spreading the loads nicely, a steerable nose wheel, all wood work was balsa with a veneer laminate - all of it just gorgeous! Everything was perfectly made and precise.

In a couple of days she was together - I have sent some photos to the ED in various stages for him to take his choice and add to this article. As I write this she is all done except the radio installation (which I am waiting to arrive at the moment). She has a standard Speed 600 and 7 x 2000mah cells, will use micro servos for rudder/nose wheel and elevator and sub micro servos for ailerons (2); a lightweight 30A speed controller and a mini receiver. For those who want the full techy bits, she is 1260mm span, 880mm long and should weigh in at 1100grammes. She has a Graupner 8x6 pusher prop and a 1 ¾" spinner.

I did a bit of web research to find the right colours and hopefully she is pretty true to the real thing. (Jim Bebe hopefully would be proud!). For those that think she looks familiar but don't know why, perhaps it was when Roger Moore flew one (or it may have been the Jet powered AcroStar version) through a hanger in the Octopussy James Bond film before landing on a road (Highway), taxiing to a petrol station and smoothly saying "Fill Her Up" that rings the bell.

I must express my great thanks to my better half, Louise, for her superb work on the cockpit. She is such an artist when it comes to cockpits and pilots and her work this time, based on the pictures of the original, is the absolute making of the model - what would I do without her?

As soon as the radio gear arrives I will finish her off and get straight down the field. I will report on this next month as long as the ED is happy to have me back after my unforgivable absence!

Other matter in hand - I have made Charly (the parachutist) a speed 380 powered pusher back pack just for fun and intend to throw him off my local Clee Hill as soon as I get chance - report to follow (slope soaring parachutist - should be fun!)

I will put the Triangle garden flying aerobatic machine together and report on this soon. It only takes about an hour or so to build so this is a definite for next month (weather permitting I suppose) - I have just one V Tail one of these in stock if anyone fancies it - again, last one ever from the Czech Republic.

I am also looking seriously at AutoGyros and intend to produce an electric powered version. Not the aircraft with a rotor on the end of each wing type but a REAL autyogyro - Little Nellie style for those Bond fans out there.

If this is a success I will produce the kit - watch this space.

OK, that's it for now, I finally have a car big enough to transport my models around so hopefully will be able to get a good years flying in - and will do my best to resume my writing for Flying Sites.

Have a good season everyone - and may it be electriflying all the way (is that a new word I have just produced?)

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