I have the chance to build an Olympian 40 Balsa plane with aN Irvine 40ABC MKIII engine. I am very new to building and would require the radio gear and servos, control rods etc. Can anybody help with a query? What factors need to be taken into consideration when choosing servos? Is servo size determind by the weight it has to pull?

Most radio systems come with a receiver and a set of four servo's. There is a special on now for Airtronics RD6000 radio system with RX and servo's for $99.00 as shown in a previous post. http://www.hobbypeople.net/prdcls/r448638.asp I am not sure about availability in the UK, but you sure can check. That is a great deal on a great radio.

For that plane, you do not need extravagant servos. Just get the basic standard servo by any of the big four manufacturers (Airtronics, Hitec, Futaba, JR/Spektrum) and go from there. They average around $15 - 20 each.

Servo's are rated by torque and how they are constucted (metal or plastic gearing, and so on). And if they employ bearings or bushings, and if they are digital or not. The basic, standard servo is a bushing with plastic gears. And adequate for the type of flying you intend to do with that plane.

Thanks for the advice. Are you aware or familiar with this plane? It is an Olympian 40 4ch trainer. It is made by Micro Made Models. I can not find any info on this plane or the company anywhere on the net. The plane is being sold by a friend...completely boxed and unbuilt. It just lacks servos and radio gear.

No, I am not familiar with that, but as you said, it's a trainer, so it cannot be that complex nor heavy. If you've never built before, maybe you ought to consult with someone in your local hobby shop or club for a little assistance. It does come with directions, right? I hope so, or you will have fun trying to put that together, making sure all the parts are there and where they go, and in what order, for instance.

But stick with it and you should do fine. Get some help learning to fly it, too. You don't want to spend all that time building and finding and getting advice and help, only to smash it up on the first flight, right?

There are any number of great, and inexpensive ARF trainers, if you get bogged down with the kit process. That may get you in the air sooner as you spend the extra time on the build.

I appreciate the advice. I do fly electrics so I know how expensive crashes can be..!! I think you guys in the States get a much better deal than we do here. The radio gear you recomended retails for over £100 here. ($200 in your money!) I like the idea of building my own plane and having the satisfaction of seeing it fly..you lack this satisfaction with the RTF stuff. It does come with instructions but are very vague ! I am in the process of joining a local club. Because I cannot find any info on this at all I am a bit reserved in commiting to buy it....may not be able to get spares etc. Many thanks again for your wisdom !

You're very welcome. Usually we see things there in pounds for what they are here in dollars.. meaning if it's 100 pounds there, it's usually 100 dollars here. Strange but that's the way it is with the exchange rate the way it is.

By the way, where is Emsworthhampshire?

I travel to the UK frequently, in fact, I'm headed back over on Sept 16 for a few days of business. When there, I try to fly or at least visit, with the Harlow RC club. Harlow is in Essex. ...... Oh, Ok.. I found it on Google Earth.. between Southampton and Brighton. Ok.. drove through your town a couple years ago on a sight seeing trip after a cruise out of Southampton on the P&O ship Oceana.

Yes Emsworth is one of those small little english villages that are few are far between now. There is a nice spirit of community here that is lacking in a lot of places now. Southampton is around a 20 minute drive for me.

Well I bit the bullet and brought the Olympian 40. Got it for £70...which is not to bad as included was the Irvine 40 ABC MKIII engine which that alone retails for aound £60 here. So going to search for a decent radio + servos. I will look at the set you suggested in an earlier post.

a .40 sized trainer usually takes standard servos. get the bb standard servo they are a little better. What is the wingspan and engine size? I thought you referesd to it as a 40 size engine plane.

Any four (or higher) channel radio system with "Standard" servos is plenty for a trainer plane and for many other planes. Here's a link to one UK distributor:
http://www.ripmax.com

Pricing looks like it will be in the 115 pound range or maybe higher.

Typical specifications for standard servos are:
Torque 3.9 Kg/cm
Speed 0.22 sec/60°
Dimensions 40.4 x 19.8 x 36mm
Weight 48g
This will vary slightly from brand to brand or model to model.

The wing span is 59 inches with a wing area of 453 inches squared. The motor sold with the plane is an Irvine 40 ABC MKIII. The plane was purchased by a friend a few years ago and was never built. I am very new to building having only ever flown RTF electrics. So I have no idea where to start really...wouldnt even know what glue to use ! So lots of patient research required !!!

Shaun