Guillow's Spitfire Part 10 Flying with Rubber 

You're right Paul, most satisfying in the end 🙂👍

It's a different challenge Jon I agree, no point in giving up though, one must rise to the challenge even if the model doesn't 😁

I am patient Ian that's true, if not I would have stamped on it weeks ago 😁

Well said Eduardo, I've had more fun and satisfaction from this model than any other in my hangar 👍🙂

Hi Bruce, thanks for your comments, much appreciated, one of the Joy's of these little models is you don't need a big outlay of time, space or tools to get 100% satisfaction 👍

True but both are also great fun, cheers

Hi Crassrr, I like the multiple peg positions, thanks 👍

That's not a bad idea, electric winders have been used to wind the motor but a timer wouldn't be a good idea but a counter is, my latest winder has a counter, it helps to know when to stop before it breaks! 👍

Hi Joe, weight is everything with these models isn't it? If I built it again for rubber power I would strive to make it a lot lighter, cheers.

Thanks David, kind of you to say so, but I'm already a winner ... I've got a gorgeous model of one of my favourite planes 👍

Great job Cliff you really stuck with it. You have a beautiful looking model you should be quite proud of that. I cannot get my models to fly any further than what you did. My hat goes off to these guys that can trim amount that they fly in circles one way and then when the power goes off they fly in circles the other way mine just go straight away into the ground. Good luck and keep on building you do a great job my friend.

Thanks Bob, I've just put rc in her but can't maiden until this latest lockdown is over, but it should be good 🤞🙂

Hi Ken, thanks, I've watched Tom's videos for a while, they are inspiring to say the least. When you're out in the fresh air having fun it's easy to forget everything about trimming 👍😁

@@CliffHarveyRCPlanes By the time I get to the field, I'm only 10 years old!

Hi Adam, have you watched the evolution of this model to rc? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oj2EpVXv3a8.html cheers 👍

@@CliffHarveyRCPlanes I have watched that!😁

Thanks Jerry, it was more a case of having fun in a persistent way 😁

Hi Matt, I used some thin flat aluminium from a face mask 👍

My pleasure!

Hi 'J', not as much as you would think actually, the tissue is coloured and the green is watered down, thanks for commenting.

That's a promise Carl 👍

Thanks Gary, the Spitfire is a lovely looking plane from every angle 👍

Thanks Mark, that's how I understood it as well, one soon forgets in the excitement of the occasion, I'll go back to the beginning and try again!

Hi Yasser, the elevator was hinged with flexible hinges because I knew I was going to convert it to radio control, although one of the hinges was a thin piece of copper which kept the position, when the time came to do the conversion I merely cut through the copper hinge leaving the elevator flexible. As for the fitting the wing with the rubber band all is revealed in Part 6 here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LWJnvWLXIp0.html 🙂 It was extra work but it's saved the model from any real damage loads of times 👍

Hi John, thanks, I don't know if you're seen my 'Spitfire Evolution' video, she's four channel rc now and flies beautifully, cheers.

@@CliffHarveyRCPlanes oh ok thanks I'll check that out.

I agree, what finished mine for rubber was the amount of lead I had to use in the nose to get her to balance ... just dead weight! But as a four channel rc she's great fun, cheers 👍

If RJ could see me now he'd be laughing his head off I would think 🙂 Re the winder they are available commercially actually but where's the fun in that. You may have noticed in the video I stood the other side of the table so you could see the process but I'm pretty useless with my left hand, pretty jerky, what I need is an electric winder 😁

Hi Tuomas, yes, fully lubed, thanks 👍

Hi Angle, thanks for your comment, it was a stipulation but because the wing was banded on it's never suffered any damage, but yes, I agree, loads of drag. Since this video I have converted to rc but just on the rudder and elevator ... it doesn't turn 😁! However, I do have plans to fit ailerons to it in the future but in the meantime she's flown quite successfully round-the-pole in my garden, I'll edit the video of that in the next few days 👍

Thanks Jeff, it's fun to go back to basics sometimes 👍

I'm sure there may be a compliment in there somewhere Phil, thanks 😁

Thanks Carlos, yes I agree, I won't give up just yet 🙂

I think to an extent you're right but when we were young we didn't know to build in lots of lightness, coupled with decent rubber and a knowledge of how to trim a model, this is the key to a good flight. With this particular model I needed a lot of nose weight due to the short nose despite lightening the tail end, this pushed the overall flying weight way to high, thanks for your comment 🙂

@@CliffHarveyRCPlanes Yes, that is all so very true. However, if a company is going to sell "flying" models to kids, extra skill to sufficiently lighten the structure and to perform finicky balancing ought not be required. Lightness and proper balance ought to be part of the design. The instructions say nothing about any of this or how to properly turn the rubber or virtually anything else of use. All those scale airplanes with too-short noses, the bi-planes in particular, super high wing loadings caused by overly heavy structures made worse when the model is balanced to any degree, shallow, inadequate airfoils, insufficient rubber motors and unsuitable propellors, the list is long. This is also true of the similar Sterling and Monogram so-called "rubber-powered flying models". Another thing. I think it's cruel and deceptive to only show a scale drawing of the actual airplane on the box cover, etc. when the manufacturers so-well- know that even an expertly finished model, as supplied, could never look even close to it. At least also show a photo of a finished MODEL so the kids have something realistic to shoot for. To their credit, Monogram did this on their instruction sheet for their four superb, early '50s Five-Star Super Deluxe Speedee-Bilt models (B-17, B-24, A-26, and B-25), but those were purely for display and not advertised as able to be flown. With care and some skill they actually could be built to look like the real thing using nothing more than what was supplied in the kit. As adults in the modern miniature radio and electric power world, we know how to build them and set them up to fly as you've excellently demonstrated. But we 10, 11, or so-year-old kids in the early '60s didn't have a ghost of a chance. They certainly knew this and ought to have done better by us.

@@Glicksman1 You're right of course on every point but it didn't seem to matter to me, just to see a plane appear from the box was enough, the fact it didn't fly further than you could throw it meant I couldn't lose it 🙂. I was just a kid in a field, I had nothing to compare it with, I was just having fun.

@@CliffHarveyRCPlanes Me, too. Building (and throwing) those Guillows, etc. was nirvana to me. I never lost one either. :) I wasn't as annoyed, or at all then, when they wouldn't fly worth a damn, but time has made me wiser and grumpier. Comet (sometimes) had it right, though, especially the "Coke Bottle" box cover ones. I built and flew their stuff for years and they always flew well. Cheers.

Good question, most lubes these days are silicone based I think, castor oil would suffice but it will stain the tissue 👍

Thanks Mark, I'll get there in the end 🙂

Hi Sam, thanks for the info, yes, I've watched Josh's braiding video, it works like magic when you actually do the braiding but I think my next step a bigger prop, thanks again. 🙂

Hi Qiangqiang Pan, I have tried a bigger prop since this video but the model has now morphed into a radio control version, I'm hoping it'll fly on just rudder and elevator. Just waiting for our latest lockdown to end to try it out 👍

Thank you Irwin, it's a sturdy kit, perhaps too study! 🙂

Thanks Daren, these are a bit bigger than the old KK models we used to build so perhaps more wing area equals more success? 🙂

They do say bigger is better! ;)

Thanks for the idea, I can test it simply by taping some card onto the original 🤔

@@CliffHarveyRCPlanes You can even make a removable unit that is just an adapter for flight that you can take off so that your static scale still looks good.

Miight also be a good idea to consider flying without the landing gear.

Hi Neftali, auw was 167g of which 42g was ballast! So a quarter of the weight was ballast, next time I'll keep the tail very much lighter

@@CliffHarveyRCPlanes Yes. The weight of the tail should be as small as possible, but a certain structural strength must be ensured, otherwise the rubber band and the tail may resonate during flight. It should be better to use diagonal beams. I wonder if you have any good ways to reduce the weight of the tail?

@@qiangqiangpan2362 you need to remove wood from the structure as you build it, watch part 3 of this series, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MjK09oSwfBA.html, go to 6:18 to see how I do it 👍

Hi Jorge, what size rubber motor have you fitted?

@@CliffHarveyRCPlanes Hello Cliff, first I tried a double loop of 3/32 at one and one half the length peg to prop, it was too weak, one loop of 3/16 worked better. This kit has to fly fast. I had to put a lot a weigh up front to keep the CG where recommended despite taking a lot of care to lighten up the tail. The only way it few was with a lot of nose down thrust and about 800 turns, it climbed a bit but as soon as the power stopped it stalled. I'm not an expert... I've heard some ol' timers enlarge the tailplane on scale models to make them flyable. One can see this in the Dumas P-39 kit, it has an enourmous tailplane. I have not finished with it, problem is the weather, roun'd here if it does not rain, we have high wind. (I'm in Normandy) Keep at it... keep posting, I'll do the same. Cheers.

@@Yosemite-George-61 They do seem to need a big motor Jorge, what we're aiming for from power to glide is a smooth transition without stalling of course, is your motor bunching up? That's why I braided mine. Here's an interesting thread on tailplane sizing, www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2202415-Tail-Volume-Coefficient-for-RC-Airplanes. I had to add a load of weight to the nose as well despite lightening the tail.

Hi Garry, thanks, there's more to come out of this airframe yet 🙂

Thanks Stephen, it makes it easy to add or subtract weight 🙂 I don't know how other modellers do it?

Oops, I meant Cliff...

Thanks for the advice George, although the wing moves a little on landing it always goes back to the same place with adjustment again, I really wanted to avoid any dowels as they have a tendency to break, no dowels no breaks 🙂. I had to stick with the prop that came with the kit, it was the rules for the competition but I'll get a bigger one now it's over. I used two loops of 1/8", 1.5 times the length of the fuselage, lubed and braided of course. The nose weight is quite heavy, I was advised to keep the tail ridiculously light for that reason (I should have tried harder) so in theory the amount of rubber is probably a lot more than I used.

You tube experts know everything !

Yes Ian, thanks for checking though 🙂

Another you tube expert !