This is just a little something I thought might be of interest to the more "genteel" electric flyer, two of Ben Buckle's best.

The Junior 60 has a Speed 600 with Master Airscrew gearbox and originally a Master Airscrew folding prop, now with an APC 12" by 8" electric prop. Seven sub-C cells make it perform nicely and more than adequately, but it hurries along a little more with eight cells, (just elevator and rudder). Initially, the control surfaces were very under-effective, (at least, on this plane), so I enlarged them a little and now it feels like "I'm in charge!". The first flight was everything they said it would be, except for an undetected wing-warp which had crept in. However, after correction, it was perfect and has done many flights since, taking off smoothly and landing nicely, even under the control of someone as "un-certified" as me! (Glenn has subsequently taken and passed his aileron test, so is now "fully certified"! - Ed).

Spurred on by how well the Junior 60 flew, and inspired by a couple of articles in "Quiet and Electric Flight" on converting a Southerner, I thought I'd have a go at one as well. As I don't like taking the wing off to change batteries, I made a trap-door below the servos, to give access to a battery box inside. The power is a Como Drills Rocket 600 with in-line (concentric?) 2.5 to 1 metal gearbox, seven cells with a 12" by 8" APC prop as suggested in the magazine. The "maiden voyage" was, as always, tense, but she lifted off the mud and football-boots gouges and was away! The performance was just as I hoped - she proceeded around the sky in what is best described as "an orderly manner", although quite nippy, coping with any wind with ease but with fairly large control surfaces, she was the opposite of the Junior 60 in responses. Not having a computer radio, I was unable to do much about it while she was up there, other than to go a bit steady with the sticks. An attempt at a power-off landing resulted in an endless glide and I had to go around again and come at it from a bit further away and lower down. By this time the nerves were jangling a bit and a touch too much on the sticks caused the ground to leap up a few feet more than I wanted it to, but the damage was light and all I need now is another decent day for the next session, this time with the controls reduced somewhat.

The Junior 60 kit is basically just straight sticks glued together as you can see. The kit included pre-cut wing ribs and was easy and straightforward to build. The Southerner, however, was a printed kit and it took a fair while to build, cutting out everything, but that was the object as I wanted a kit which would occupy my time.

Of course, none of this is cutting-edge prop-hanging stuff, but I thought I might let you know my experiences for the benefit of those who like a more relaxing type of flying, with the satisfaction of flying something one built oneself, albeit from a kit, as opposed to waspish foamy ready-made things! But of course, each to his own, after all, even I have an Alienator and a Twin-Jet!