JANUARY 1984

volume 14, number 144

7 4 8 2 0 08 54 5
 BYRON D e a n C o p e la n d a n d
.^ ► „O R IG IN A L S B y ro n O rig in a ls
w in n in g C A P 2 1
hK. Ml G m i. lowi. ptl

FULLY
AEROBATIC
% SCALE

C A P 21 1982 N A TS
W IN N E R
A W A R D E D 3 rd PLACE GIANT SCALE
1982 NATS
N A S A FLIGHT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
1982 NATS
Q U ALIFIE D FOR SCALE MASTERS
CHAMPIONSHIP

F a c to ry

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DELIVERY NOW ! s h ip p in g

Featu Wings and Aileron Linkages.

A ile ro n lin k a g e s a u to m a tic a lly e n g a g e and E x c lu s iv e p lu g -in w in g s m a k e s fo r e a sy VISA
d is e n g a g e w ith in s ta lla tio n a n d re m o v a l o f tra n s p o rt a n d s to ra g e . S im p ly lo o s e n fo u r
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A Rare Blending o f Value & P erform ance E x p e rie n c e tru e s c a le re a l­

FEATURES: In C om plete K it Form! is m a n d p e rfo rm a n c e w ith
m in im a l a s s e m b ly tim e .
• H ig h ly d e ta ile d B y ro -F o a m
c o m p o n e n ts are in d e x e d &
re a d y fo r a s s e m b ly

• A ir c r a f t a lu m in u m w in g
SPECIFICATIONS
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BYRON O R IG IN A LS , P .0 . BOX 2 7 9 , ID A GROVE, IA . U S A . Ph. 71 2 -3 6 4 -3 1 6 5 T ele x 4 3 9 0 1 2 ID AG

 The catalog that even body's been talking about is now
available at your favorite R C dealer. You’ll find 80 pages of
color photos, complete descriptions, and all the technical
information you need. It's the complete collection of all of 01
exciting lines.

Ifyour dealer doesn't have them in stock, ask him to g<

you one from his distributor. Hut burn supply is limited,
and this is one catalog you don't want to be w ithout.

ACCESSORIES

Look at our complete selection of accessories.

High performance motors, special fittings, starters, quick
chargers, propellers . . even thing you need. You'll even find
an exciting line of sound effects generators for extra realism.
Check out our '

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M ODEL S JANUARY

1984

BUILDER
621 West Nineteenth St., Box 10335, Costa Mesa, CA 92627-0132
volume 14, number 144
Phone: (714) 645-8830

STAFF
E D IT O R /P U B L IS H E R
TABLE OF C O NTENTS Wm. C Northrop, Jr.
GENERAL M ANAGER
FEATURES Anita Northrop
W O R K B E N C H , Bill Northrop.............................................................................. 6 A S S IS T A N T G E N E R A L M A N A G E R
Dawn Johnson
D E A R J A K E ........................................................................................................... 6
P R O D U C T IO N M A N A G E R
O V E R THE C O U N T E R ..................................................................................... 7 Bill Forrey
E L E C T R O N IC S C O R N E R ................................................................................ 11 P R O D U C T IO N A R T IS T
SIG C U P P E D W IN G C U B R E V IE W , Al Alman............................................. 12 Howard Millman
ELO Y 'S B IG B IR D , P A R T 1, Eloy M arez...........................................................18 D R A W IN G S B Y
Al Patterson
R /C B O A T S , )erry Dunlap ....................................................................................20
A C C O U N T IN G D E P T . M A N A G E R
K R A F T K IT V A G A B O N D IN R E V IE W , Dan Rutherford..............................22 Michael Whitney
ELEC TR IC P O W E R , Mitch Poling...................................................................... 24 S U B S C R IP T IO N S

R /C S O A R IN G , Bill Forrey.................................................................................. 28 Jo Anne Glenn

H O W T O FLY P A T T E R N , Dick Hanson............................................................ 32 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

P LU G SPARKS, John Pond .................................................................................. 33 Al Alman Eloy Marez
Jerry Dunlap Walt Mooney
B IG B IR D S , Al Alman............................................................................................ 40
Bill Forrey Mitch Poling
PLANES A N ’ FAC TS A N ’ C H IC K U M T R A C K S , Fred Lehmberg............44 Bill Hannan John Pond
R /C A U T O N EW S, Dan Rutherford................................................................... 46 Dick Hanson Fernando Ramos
Mike Hazel Dan Rutherford
P Y L O N A T TH E N A T IO N A L S , John g . Smith................................................ 48
Ray Hostetler John Smith
C H O P P E R C H A T T E R , Ray Hostetler................................................................. 50 Ken Johnson Bob Stalick
H A N N A N ’ S H A N G A R , Bill Hannan................................................................. 54 Joe Klause

FUEL LINES, Joe Klause......................................................................................... 56 ADVERTISING

REPRESENTATIVES
FREE F L IG H T , BobStalick......................................................................................57
Bill N orthrop
C /L S P E E D W A G O N , HaldeBolt........................................................................ 62 Home Office, Costa Mesa
Al N ovotnik
4 Beverly PI., Norwalk, CT 06850
Bus. Phone (203) 847-7478
SCALE VIEWS
MODEL BUILDER (ISSN 0194 7079) is
B O E IN G F 4 B -4 /-3 , PeterW estburg.............................................................................. 60 published m onthly by RCMB INC., 621
W est 19th St.. Box 10335. Costa Mesa.
California 92627-0132. Phone (714) 645-8830

CO NSTRU CTIO N Subscriptions: $25.00 per year. $47.00 for

SU N R ISE 2540, Buzz W a ltz.................................................................................. 14 two years. Single copies $2.50. Subscriptions
outside the US (except APO & FPO) $32.00
O H M - Y - G O S H , DaveKatagiri ....................................................................................... 26 for one year only. All payments must be in
US funds, drawn on a US bank.
1 /2 A B R IG ID IE R O .T ., Jim R e yn o ld s......................................................................... 38
Copyright 1983 by RCMB INC. All rights
M O R D E C A I M U R P H Y ’ S D A R T , Walt M o o n e y .................................................. 51 reserved. Reproduction w ithout permis­
sion prohibited.

Change ol address notices must be received

six weeks before dale of issue that new
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Second class postage paid at Costa Mesa.
California, and additional offices.

2 MODEL BUILDER
 YOU CAN BE FLYING
CHRISTMAS MORNING
With One Of These Hot New A.R.F. Kits From Circus Hobbies
YOUR CHOICE OF:
$ 159.95
Our New Kits Are A Snap
Each of them assembles in minutes,
then simply install the airborne and
fuel tank and you may be ready to fly
before the rest of the presents are
unwrapped. Simplicity in assembly
linked with high quality components
like the Cox .049 engine and Circus
IV radio system and you’ve got a
package that guarantees you’ll spend
less time in the hangar and more time
in the air.
All Prices Subject to Change Without Notice
Limited to Quantity on Hand.
Offer Expires Jan. 31, 1984
Cox 400 Starting Kit
Orders Only - Toll Free
(800) 782-0022
Send $1.50 for Product Information Package
P51, Cessna or Mirage Kit with Engine and Circus IV
Radio System with 2 Servos and Cox 400 Starting Kit
All for Only $159.95
The Dragonfly engine is optionally available
on request with P51 or Mirage Kit in place of
the Black Widow engine. If you want a stunt
Dragonfly Engine
tank and throttle control, the Dragonfly is just
what you’re looking for and if ordered at the
same time as the kit, it is only $4.95
additional. Supply is short so please hurry.
CIRCUS IV
With (2) 505 Servos
500 MAH Bauery Pack. Receiver,
Switch Harness and Charger
included.
Additional servos with this offer
$9.95 each (limited to 2).
Customer Service and
Information (702) 732-0022
3132 S. Highland Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109

For .45 to .60 Engines
71" Wingspan
Wing Area: 824 Sq. In.
Weight: 7 - 7-1/4 Lbs.
THE ALL NEW
ASTRO-HOG - What a name! What an airplane! This is the classic design
that got R/C aerobatics off the ground. It was the first successful low
winger, designed in 1957 by Fred Dunn. Astro-Hogs swept 1st. 2nd. 3rd
and 4th place at the '58 Nationals. Model Airplane News proclaimed in
mock disbelief, "An airplane to top anything so far in multi RC. OUT OF
THIS WORLD MANEUVERABILITY. Good pilots do four point rolls - so
help us!" And that was before proportional radios. Berkeley Models put
out a kit and hundreds of fledgling R/C’ers learned to love the Astro-Hog's
near perfect aerodynamics.
Those ageless flight qualities are still perfect today. THIS MAY JUST BE
THE ULTIMATE EVERYDAY R/C AIRPLANE. Its thick semi-symmetrical
airfoil, gobs of wing area, and light wing loading make it a real workhorse
and a pleasure to fly. The Astro-Hog will do anything you want to do, yet
flies slow enough to let you enjoy it. Inside or outside loops, snap rolls,
spins either direction, and inverted flight are effortless. Sensational
stability. Perfectly powered with an old, but still good, pre-schneurle .60,
like those you find at most club auctions. Or it's a real dreamboat with one
of those quiet new 4-stokes.
For a super enjoyable R/C experience, try an Astro-Hog. THERE'S NO
OTHER AIRPLANE LIKE IT!

A s tro AN R/C LEGEND RETURNS

PRICE
TO BE
ANNOUNCED

SIG MFG. CO. owns the old Berkeley kit line. This modern
version of the Astro-Hog is based on their factory plans and
tooling and is a copy of the original design with the following Sig Kit Designed By MIKE GRETZ
improvements.........
* Easy-to-install strip ailerons instead of barndoors and
bellcranks
* Bolt-on wing mounting
* Stab mounted on top of fuse instead of rubber banded to
the bottom
* Tricycle landing gear for perfect takeoffs and landings
(Plans also show how to build original taildragger version.)
* Simplified construction throughout
PLUS THE USUAL STANDARD SIG KIT FEATURES.........

See your dealer first! For direct orders, call toll free 800-247-5008. For mail orders, add $1.50
postage under $10.00. Over $10.00 postpaid. No C.O.D. - Send $2.00 for latest catalog.
SIG MANUFACTURING CO., INC......................................Montezuma, IA 50171
4 MODEL BUILDER
 - sig. BUY FROM AUTHORIZED SIG DEALERS ^ sig=t
GRAND JUNCTION QUINCY EAST LANSING NEW MEXICO OKLAHOMA BELLINGHAM
CULLMAN Aero Rail Hobbies Quincy Hobby Center Rider's Hobby Shop ALBUQUERQUE OKLAHOMA CITY Hobby Hive
C hart·/ * R/C Hobby Suppi·« 1141 N 25th St 3632 Maine 920 Trowbridge Road Valley Hobb«« Campbell's Hobby House 111 E Magnolia
601 5th St. S W Plara 25 ROCKFORD FARMINGTON 4522 4th St NW 3500 N MacArthur CASTLE ROCK
PH 205 734 2402 GRAND JUNCTION Rockford H obbi«. Inc Joe's Hobby Center. Inc PH 505 345 9688 TULSA Aero Motive Products
HOMEWOOD The Hobby Hut 615 N Prospect Street 35203 Grand River Ave CARLSBAD House of Hobbes 607 Sp.nl Lake Highway
Homewood Toy A Hobby 1125-27 N Ave WAUKEGAN PH 313-4778266 The Schettiers 6914 E Admiral Place KENT
2830 S 18th St CONNECTICUT Lake County Hobbes FARWELL 1009 N Eighth St OREGON Kent Hobby
MOBILE BRISTOL 3102 N Sheridan Road Lockwood Aero 4 Hobby Shop NEW YORK CORVALLIS 1313 W I*
D ix * Hobby Craft* Bristol Hobby Center. Inc. PH 312862-4544 3060 N County Line Road BROOKLYN Trump’s (DJ's) Hobb«« Suite 110. 4
3077 Dauphini Street 641 Farmington Ave INDIANA FLINT Brooklyn's Model Masters 1875 N W 9th St PUYALLUP
MONTGOMERY Bristol Plara INDIANAPOLIS Rider’s Hobby Shop 1307 Gravesend Neck Road PH 503 753 7540 Firgrove Model Supply
Modelers Supply PH 583-7273 Westside Hobby 3012 Corunna Road PH: 212-339-9250 PORTLAND 10611 136th St East
(Mail Order Catalog Sales) DANBURY 5235 Rockville Road KALAMAZOO BROOKLYN Strictly R/C PH 845-7675
Bo* 7185 The Hobby Center IOWA Rider’s Hobby Shop Walt's Hobby Shop 7868 SW Capitol Highway SEATTLE
PH 205 283-2634 366 Mam St COUNCIL BLUFFS 3417 So Westnedge 7909 5th Ave PENNSYLVANIA Webster Supply Co
ALASKA GLASTONBURY Bud's Hobbies 4 Crafts LAPEER PH 212-745-4991 BATH 17818 Aurora Ave N
ANCHORAGE Davis Hobbies 133 W Broadway Pipps Hobby 4 Toys DEPEW Dick Wetzel's Hobbes TACOMA
A n cho ra ge H ouse o f H ob ble s Fox Run Mall DES MOINES 112 West Nepressmg St Depew Hobby Center 514 E Mam St Bill's Hobby Town
604 C Street 272 1043 NORWALK Iowa Service Company PONTIAC 5866 Transit Road PH: 2158378681 14914 Pacific Ave
4211 Spenard Road Al's Hobbies 2 7 06 Beaver Ave RC Hobbies PH 684 5555 LANCASTER PH 206-5318111
3521 Mt View Drive 54 Chestnut Hill Road WATERLOO 921 Huron EAST ISLIP The Right Bo* WALLA WALLA
8225 Old Seward WATERFORD Bob's R/C Supply ROCHESTER Hobby World Lancaster Shopping Center Harley'S R C
ANCHORAGE Shoreline Craft 432 Ardmore Treckside Hobbies 232 E Mam Street LANSOALE Route 1 Box 277A
Diamond Center 5 Hayes St P.0 Box 222 KANSAS 418 Mam Street PH: 516-277-4499 Penn Veliey Hobby Ctr PH 509 529-2618
800 East Dimood Blvd PH 443 1458 KANSAS CITY SAGINAW ELMSFORO 837 W Mam St WEST VIRGINIA
Suite 136 FLORIOA R/C HOBBIES Teit's Hobby Shop n Andy's Hobby Shop LEHIGHTON CHARLESTON
ARIZONA CAPE CORAL 5620 State Ave C 326 Fashion Square Mall 36 Mam Street Carpenter Hobbes Fountain Hobby Center
PHOENIX A A J Models. Inc LIBERAL SAULT ST MARIE KINGSTON Rt 5 Box 337 200 W Washington St.
Exeter Hobb»s 1928 Del Prado Bhrd Milter s Bike 4 Hobby Shop Pinnacle Hobby Shop J 4 J's Hobbes. Inc MILTON WISCONSIN
3285 E McOowell Rd CAPE CORAL 105 E Seventh 129 E Portage Ave 785 Broadway Kreb's Newstand MARSHFIELD
PHOENIX Unde Bob's Country Store SALINA TAWAS CITY RICHMOND HILL 83 Broadway M 4 Wisconsin Hobby Center
The Hobby Bench Hobby Supply Mr Hobby Great L a k « Mode* 4 Mold Co. Wilson Hobby NAZARETH Northway Mall
19th Avenue & Northern 4730-0 SE 15th Ave Kraft Manor 412 M ario Street 104-40 Jamaica Ave Tramland U S A MENOMONIE
PHOENIX PH 813-9450900 1857 South 9th TRAVERSE CITY ROCHESTER 105 Beividere Street True Value Hardware
Hobby Bench CAPE CORAL WICHITA Ray's Radm/Controt Shop Dan's Crafts 4 Things PITTSBURGH 1512 9th Street
Parad·*· Valley Mali Universal Hobbies The Hobby Shop 517 So Union 3S2 Empire Blvd BiU 4 Waft's Hobby Shop L Mart Shopping Ctr
4550 E Cactus Rd 9801 W Sample 954 South Oliver PH 616-947-4949 ROCHESTER 116 Sm.thtetd St MILWAUKEE
SEDONA INTERLACHEN KENTUCKY UTICA G 4 G Hobb«« READING A « ln 1 Hobby
My Hobby Shop Field's Hobby Shop. Inc. LEXJNGTON 1339 Dewey Ave Iron Hone Hobby House South Gale Man
Smith s Comer Strickland Road X-Celi Models. Inc 2441 Auburn 60 South 6th St 333 So 27th Street
PH 602 282 1290 P O Bo* 1063 ROCHESTER
347 Eastland Shopping Ctr WARREN READING PH 4148454555
TUCSON LEESBURG Panco Hobbes
PH 606-254-2406 Prop Shop HobbiM O tt's Hobbes MILWAUKEE
Tucson Hobby Shop Top Value Hobby 2676 East Ridge Road
LOUISIANA 23044 Van Dyke 536 N 10th St Casanova's Hobby
4352 E Speedway 2740 North Hwy 441-27 BATON ROUGE 1 Block N. of 9 Mile SYRACUSE SLATINGTON 1423 S MuskegoAve
WICKENBURG Fruit land Park Plaza Hobby Town· WYANOOLLE Walt's Hobby 4 Craft Valley Hobbes 4 Collect lbe* PH 4148 7 2 2700
Lane's Toyiand A Hobbies MELBOURNE 3112 College Drive Suite A Stoner Hobby Center 4300 W Genesee St. 102 Mam Street WAUSAU
81 N Valentine Ernie's Hobby Shop MANDEVILLE 145 Meple St UTICA WARMINSTER Pope's Hobby Lend
ARKANSAS 631 Aooilo 8>vd Mercury Hobbies, Inc PH: 313-283-2355 American Hobby 4 Sports J .C R/C Hobbes 640 South 3rd Ave
FAYETTEVILLE MIAMI Rt 6 - Box 734A MINNESOTA 2107 Whitesboro Street 13 York Road CANADA
ColHer's Air Crafts Crown Hobbies METAIRIE BEMIOJI PH 315-724-4959 PH 215872 5200 BAWLF. ALBERTA
1610 Foxhunter Road 7439 Coral Way M 4 M s Hobby Art 4 Craft Ctr Hobby Hutch NORTH CAROLINA WAYNE B 4 P Transport Ltd
LITTLE ROCK MIAMI 5229 Veterans Blvd Paul Bunyan Mall CHARLOTTE Hyatt Hobby House Box 6
Shamil's House of H obb·« Orange Blossom Hobbies. In c NEW ORLEANS BLOOMINGTON Respcap Inc. - Scene· Hobbes Gateway Shopping Center PH 373-3953
3408 S University Ave 1975 N W 36th Street Pet 4 Hobby Center Jolly's Hobb·« 4 Crafts 2615 Central Ave PH 215887 2244 CALGARY ALBERTA
Hall Plaza Shopping Center ORLANDO 4035 Touro Street 7935 Southtown Center EDEN RHODE ISLAND Hobby World Canada
PH 562-8230 Bob's Hobby Center. Inc WESTWEGO CRYSTAL Coke's Fix it 4 Hobby Shop EAST PROVIDENCE Box 968 Stn V
NORTH LITTLE ROCK 7333 Lake Underhill Road Clark's Hobby 4 Craft Center Crystal Schwinn Cycfery Rt 2 Box 222 A 4 R Hobb«« CALGARY. ALBERTA
Madijo Hobby House PENSACOLA 729 Westbank Expressway 6324 Bast Lake Road PH 9198270166 56 Alee St P.M S Hobby O a f!
4212 McArthur Drive Bobe's Hobby House MAINE DULUTH GREENSBORO PH 401 438-2754 Calgary North Hill Centre
CALIFORNIA 5719 North W Street WATERVILLE Carrs Hobb«« Sports 4 Hobb«« Unlimited SOUTH CAROLINA WINNIPEG. MANITOBA
BURBANK PLANTATION JFK Hobby 4 Craft Ctr Inc. 2014 West Superior Street 2144 Lawndale Drive GREENVILLE Cellar Dweller Hobby. Ltd
T A A Hobby Lobby Universal Hobbies JFK Mall RICHFIELD Lawndale Shopping Center The Great Escape 1354 Mam St
3512 W Victory Blvd 141 South State Rom ) 7 WESTBROOK Hub Hobby Center HENDERSONVILLE Pleasantburg Shopping Center PH 589 2037
COVINA POMPANO BEACH Castle's Hobby Center 16 W 66th Street The Hobby House Ph 803-235-8320 or 242 4229 WINNIPEG. MANITOBA
Covina Hobby Center Trade N Hobbies Rte 302 597 Bridgton Road ST PAUL 1211 Asheville Hwy Gooch's Hobbies
MYRTLE BEACH
140 N. Citrus 2159 S E 9th St MARYLAND Gulliver's PH 6928683 646 Portage Ave
Ed's Hobby Shoo
PH: 331 1910 PH 305 943-1997 WALDORF 1526 W Larpenteur HIGH POINT Hwy. 501 Next to Fanioy ST JOHN'S. NFID
EL CAJON SARASOTA Doug's Hobby Shoo ST PAUL Berne's Craft 4 Hobbes. Inc Capitol Hobby Centre. Ltd
2291 English Road TENNESSEE
Mike's Model Shop H 4 H Hobby Sales Waldorf Shopper's World Mac's Models. Inc 6 Freshwater Road
KING KNOXVILLE
229 East Main 4121 $. Temiami MASSACHUSETTS 1326 N Rk* Street OUNOAS. ONTARIO
King R/C Tennessee Model Hobbes
FRESNO SOUTH DAYTONA AMES8URY PH 6124898060 Rt 62 Oak Ridge Hwy · Sofwey Skycraft Hobb»« Inc
Fresno Hobby A Crafts Ace Hobbes Goodwin s Photo 4 Hobby MISSISSIPPI OW Hwy 52 139 York Road
PH 983-3969 PH 615 482 2900
3026 N O d e r Ave 2133 So Ridgwood Ave 30 Main Street BILOXI SCARBOROUGH. ONTARIO
WINSTON-SALEM NASHVILLE
FULLERTON PH 904 761 9780 BOSTON Chuck's Hobb«« The Toy Mart Toronto R-C Hobby
California Model Supply TAMPA Eric Fuchs Hobbes 502 Edgewater Gulf Dr C-3 The Hobby Corner 1869 Lawrence Ave E
136Ό Oakwood Drive 113 Graylynn Drive
1056 South Brookhurst Farmers Sundries 4 Hobbies 28 Fremont Street PH 6013886346 PH 615-883-1648 PH 4 1 8755 1766
HAWTHORNE 4939 E Broadway BURLINGTON OXFORD NORTH DAKOTA WILLOWDALE. ONTARIO
GRAND FORKS TEXAS
Chuck's Model Shop PH 813-248-3314 Eric Fuchs Hobbes Creative Sources Keith s Hobby Shop
McGiftms Hobbes Unlimited ARLINGTON
14106 Hawthorne Blvd GEORGIA Burlington Mall 1010 Jackson Ave The Hobby Hub 5205 Yonge St
LAKEWOOD ALBANY CHICOPEE MISSOURI 1228 9th Ave S PH 2224721
903 A Pioneer Parkway West
Hobby Warehouse Lowell'S J 4 J Hobbes GRANDVIEW PH 701 772 5311 ANCIFNNE LORETTE. QUEBEC
MINOT AUSTIN
4128 South Street 1601 N Slappey Blvd 133 Frontenac Street Flo Mow Co Pane Temp* Phoenix
Aeroplane Factory HobbyShop J 4 J Hobbes
LAKEWOOD PH 912-888-2095 PH 413-592-1472 700 Blue Ridge Ext. 610 Kenmston Or 1459 Notre Dame
Jet Hangar Hobbies MARIETTA EAST LONGMEADOW LEE'S SUMMIT Mmot Inti. Airport PH 41887 2 4 1 1 3
WILLISTON CORPUS CHRIST I
12554 Centralia Road Complete Model Supply Bill s Hobby Supples Blue Hiiles B«ke 4 Hike. Inc ARVIDA QUEBEC
Tn County H obb·« Leisure Time Hobbes
PH 213-860-7612 West side Shopping Center 600 N Mam Street 229 S Mam LeModeie Redu't Enr
806 Sandtown Road 103 22nd St West 1326 Airline
LIVERMORE PH: 413-736-7711 ST CHARLES 118 Mathias CP 341
OHIO DENTON
Hobby Haven ROSWELL FITCHBURG Mark Twain Hobby 4 Craft PH 4 1 8 5 4 8 2 1 3 6
BEAVERDAM Yeliowbird Hobbes
1756 First Street Tommy's Hobbies McMannus Hobbes 4 Novel 1355 S 5th 117 W Hickory HAUTE RIVE QUEBEC
PH 415-443-5828 1270 Alpharetta St 633 Mam St. St C h a ri« Shopping Center Buckeye Hobby Shop Le Centre Du Modehste
7940 LugabiH Road EL PASO
LOMITA Brannon Square FRAMINGHAM NEVAOA Allard 1223 Lestrat
The Flying Machine Model Ct. BERLIN HEIGHTS Hal s Hobby Shop
SMYRNA Fisher R-C LAS VEGAS MONTREAL. QUEBEC
2441 S Narbonne Ave Danel's Hobbies No 57 Sunrise Center
Hobby Junction 17 Salmi Road JJ.'S Hobby Den PH 915-755-1914 Can-Air H obb·«
MT VIEW 3260 South Cobb Drive PEABODY 4972 S Maryland Parkway« 36 Center Street 5850 Goum Blvd Ouest
CLEVELAND FORT WORTH
San Antonio Hobby Shop VALDOSTA Enc Fuchs Hobbes NEW HAMPSHIRE PH 514-332 3565
Sears Shopping Center The Hobby House. Inc Mott's Hobby Shop
Jim's Hobby Shop Northshore Shopping Center KEENE 7241 Grapevine Highway SASKATOON. SASKATCH
PH 415-941-1278 Northside Plara W ORCESTER Leisure Time Mobbws 800 Huron Road Collins' Aero-Craft
NORTHRIDGE CLEVELAND PH 817 2810921
PH 912 2448991 Ray's R/C Speciaftes 322 West Street HOUSTON 238 First Ave North
Smith Brothers HAWAII 12 Sherman St. LITTLETON National Hobby. Inc. PH 6524775
5238 Ridge Road Clear Lake Models
8941 Reseda Blvd HONOLULU PH 757-5883 Hobby Land YORKTON. SASKATCH
FINDLAY 117 Cammo S Shopping Ctr
SACRAMENTO Hobbie tat WRENTHAM 101 Union Street Radio Control H obbi«
Jinx Model Supples PH: 713-488-6315
Graphic Hobby House 1423 Tenth Avenue 8's Tire 4 R/C Hobbes NEWINGTON 39 Betts Ave
721 Rockwell Ave HURST
2610 Marconi Ave ILLINOIS 383 Burnt Swamp Road Enc Fuchs Hobb««
SAN BERNARDINO LAKEWOOD Roy's Hobby Shop AUSTRALIA
BELLVILLE PH 617 384-8237 Fox Run Mall
Harper's Hobby Shop Wmgs Hobby Shop Inc. 1309 Norwood SYONEY. N S W
West Side Hobby MICHIGAN NEW JERSEY
2629 West Mein Street 17112 Detroit Ave SAN ANTONIO Pyrmont 2009
222 No. 0 St. ANN ARBOR EDISON Clayton Hobb««
SAN FRANCISCO CHICAGO PH 221 5383 Burimex
Rider's Hobby Shop C J R/C SUPPLY 5707 E Mobud 137 Pyrmont Street
Franciscan Hobbies Stanton Hobby Shop 115 W Liberty 250 Plainfield Ave. LANCASTER
Slater's Inc. UTAH PH (02)692 0694
1935 Ocean Avenue 4734 N Milwaukee Ave BATTLE CREEK PH (201) 985 8660
Plara Shopping Center OREM BRISBANE. QUEENSLAND
SAN JOSE CRYSTAL LAKE Hobby House MARLTON
1141 N Memorial Drive Miniature Aircraft Prod. Underwood 4119
Chuck Sheldon s Hobby Shop Frank's Barber Toy 4 Hobbies 1035 W Territorial Rd Hi Fly HobbtaS
111-113 North Mam Street LIMA 811 W 400 N The Hobby Warehouse
3157 Alum Rock PH 964 9105 Route 70 4 Cropwell Road
SANTA BARBARA Callahan Hobbes SALT LAKE CITY 30 Kingston Road
PH 815-4590247 CADILLAC PH 609-983 8060
GLENVIEW 1229 E. Elm St Douglas Models ENGLAND
Atkins Hobbies The Flight Center POMPTON PLAINS
14 W. Anapamu Street Nipper's Toy* 4 Hobbies MANSFIELD 2065 E 33rd South NORFOLK. NR17 IDG
916 S Mitchell Hobby Hut VERMONT
PH 805963-3404 1314 Waukegan Road Top Flite Pegasus Mortals. Ltd
CLAWSON 567 Route 23 Caston. Attleborough
SANTA MONICA PH 312 7242040 15 N Mam SWANTON
Nick's Pet 4 Hobby PH 201-835-2077
Evett's Model Shop McHENRY PROSPECT The Hobby Shop C0LUM8IA. S AMERICA
1139 W 14-Mile Road RAMSEY RFO 1 Rt. 7
1636 Ocean Park Blvd The Hobby Hangar Lighthouse Hobby Supply Co Aeromode tos Britannia Ltda
COLDWATER Hi-Way Hobby House
PH: 213-452-2720 5515 No Wilmot Road Hobby Heaven 507 E North Street PH 802 524-2715 Apartado (P.0 Box) 5 2 5 »
Route 17 VIRGINIA Bogota 2. Columbia
SANTA ROSA PH 312-497-3103 7 S. Monroe Street RANDOLPH TOLEDO
Toy & Model MURPHYSBORO The Hobby Stop ANNANDALE PH 212-7309
PH 517 278-5894 Cart's Hobby Center
711 Coddmgtown Mall RJ Hobby 4 Elec Center 4907 Summit Street Model Masters. Inc. NEW ZEALAND
DEARBORN 508 Route 10
COLORADO 1508 Walnut Street WAPAKONETA 6920 Braddock Rd INVERCARSILL
Joe's Hobby Center PH 201 366-4300 RICHMOND
AURORA PH 618887 1981 7845 Wyoming Ave Deb's Toy Shop Model Shoo
RED BANK The Hobby Center
Tom Thumb Hobby Center OAKLAWN PH: 313-9338567 129 E. Auglaize St 55 Arcade Dm St
Hobbymasters. Inc 1709 Willow Lawn Dr PH 89439
10718 E Colfax Pat's Hobbies 4 Crafts EAST DETROIT 62 Whit# Street YOUNGSTOWN
PH: 303-3616159 Boardman Hobby Center WASHINGTON VENEZUELA
5730 W 95th Street Joe's Hobby Center WALLINGTON
COLORADO SPRINGS 6820 Market Street BELLEVUE CARACAS 1070-A
PH 4248131 17900 E lO M iie Bednarr Servtcentar
Custom Hobbrn ZANESVILLE R/C Model Shop Hobby World. C A (D«st t
PH 313-733-8294 R/C Hobby Supples
2813 E Platte Ave Thompson Rade Supples 14020 N E 21st St. Apartado Postal 75054
356 Mam Ave PH 7479914
110 $ 6th Street PH: (02) 34 33 02

DEALERS: Write For Details On How Your Name Can Appear In This Column

JANUARY 1984 5

/ro m
B ill
Northrop'*
w o r k b e n c h
RUMOR MILL
Various stories have been circulating
around that (1) M odel Builder has been
sold to someone in Florida, (2) we have
sold M odel Builder and are moving to
Florida, (3) we are moving to Florida and
taking M odel Builder with us, and (4)
we're moving to Florida but w ill con­
tin u e to p ro d u ce M o d e l B u ild e r in
California.
O f the above choices. No. 4 comes the
closest to the facts. Being pretty hooked
on living out our time on earth by the
sea, we realized that we simply could not
afford to retire, when the time comes,
on the co stly, lim ite d s h o re lin e of
southern California.
W h ile spending tim e th is sum m er
w ith my a ilin g m o th e r in Sarasota,
F lorida , we had th e o p p o rtu n ity to
examine the shoreline of the Gulf Coast
o f Florida in the Sarasota area, and
discovered that real estate there is much
more affordable now, but just beginning
to take off in value as it did in southern
California about 10 years ago. W ith the
thought of future retirem ent, we de­
cided to purchase a home on the water
in Sarasota and rent it until we are ready
to move, which could be June of 1984.
However, not wishing to burn bridges
behind us, we w ill rent our home in
Newport Beach for about two years, just
to make sure we haven’t put ourselves
out on a limb that we don’t like.
During that period, at least, we w ill
keep M odel Builder’s office in Costa
Mesa and operate it remotely, pretty
much as was done during May, June and
July of 1983, when I had to be there with
my mother. It was during this three-
month period that we discovered, with a
few improvements needed here and
there, that it was possible to operate the
m agazine in absentia, w ith o u r fin e
office crew taking charge.
6 MODEL BUILDER
FLASH!
1983 FAI World
Precision R/C
Aerobatic
Championship
Pensacola, Florida
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
D r. G erald Seeman, P resident o f th e Associa­ 1. Hanno Pretner (Austria)......... 5814
tio n fo r U n m a nne d V e h icle System s, presents 2. Bertram Lossen
the 1 9 8 3 A U V S P ioneer A w a rd to M a ynard (West Germany) .................... 5659
H ill a t th e A n n u a l M e e tin g o f th e A sso cia tio n 3. Dave Brown (United States). . . 5613
in S alt L a ke C ity , U tah . M a yn a rd , a past pres­
id e n t o f the A M A , is one o f several aerom ode! 4. Ivan Kristensen (Canada) ___ 5589
ers w h o has ta k e n his R /C and m o d e lin g sk ills 5. Wolfgang Matt (Liechtenstein). 5519
w ith h im in to th e real w o rld o f re m o te co n ­ 6. Yoichiro Akiba (Japan)........... 5417
tro lle d , unm anned vehicles fo r m ilita r y and
c iv ilia n a p p lic a tio n s .
7. Steve Helms (United States) .. 5395
TEAM RESULTS
Important n o te . . . we w ill continue to
produce the IMS (International M odeler
1 United States......................... 8092
2. Japan .................................... 7887
Show) in Pasadena, California, in the
usual early January time slot. 3. West Germany....................... 7872
“ HELLO, THIS IS DAN” 4. Canada ................................ 7740
We w on't be hearing this cheerful 5. Austria .................................. 7656
salutation when calling for Dan Lutz, of
Kraft Systems, for quite sometime to involving bone graft, and has already
come. Dan was recently involved in a had the knee cap rebuilt. Although no
head-on auto collision on his way to paralysis was evident at the beginning,
work and suffered a broken neck and some has d e v e lo p e d since the firs t
one badly shattered leg from the knee operation on his neck, though doctors
up. He w ill go th ro u g h a series of
operations to rebuild his leg, probably Continued on page 104
ADVICE FOR THE PROPWORN Dear Jake:
— By Jake I note with alarm that a beer company
Dear lake: is sponsoring a m odel airplane show
I've found that if you cut O dor Eater team. What’s o u r hobby coming to if a
shoe inserts into half inch strips, they purveyor o f demon alcohol is allowed to
make a great wing saddle sealed tape. associate with us? Something must be
Feel free to pass this helpful hint on to done!
your readers. — Appalled in Apalachicola
— Novel Idea in Nova Scotia
Dear Novel Idea: Dear Appalled:
Sounds like a w inner! I bet it even I’ll drink to that.
helps elim inate embarrassing under­ —Jake
wing B.O. (balsa odor). ★ ★ ★
—Jake
★ ★ ★ Continued on page 97
 OVER THE COUNTER
1
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:■/:■/' ;: / .T x : v ; :x< / : . '-'■/ ■ '■ « + -:-:f
f ir , . r t ·■· .· |> : j x -ipf:f:f:f> r*
M[;■/ .t \:
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: ·: ·: ·< : · . χ ·χ ·χ ·χ .·χ>'χ:;: ; x s.·;.·;./.; f ýýiýýy, *
a r /&■: &&&. sssul
A l l material published in "Over the Counter"
is quoted or paraphrased from press releases
furnished b y the manufacturers and/or their
advertising agencies, unless otherwise speci­
fied. The review and/or description of any
product b y R/CM B does not constitute an
endorsement of that product, nor any assur­
ance as to its safety or performance by
R/CMB.

• Ace R/C, Inc., never restson its laurels

when it comes to keeping its customers
supplied with the latest in electronic
hardware. It seems that Ace is always
expanding or improving its product line.
This month we have four new gizmos
that you are going to want to check out
pretty thoroughly.
First on the list is the Ace Voltmaster.
The Voltmaster is not just another ESV.
In order for the readings given by an
ESV to be va lid , the u n it MUST be
precise and accurate. Most ESV’s cur­
rently on the market are off by 0.1-volt
which can make a tremendous d iffe r­
ence w hen c ritc a l levels are being
m onitored. The Voltmaster is a sophis-
Q uarter-scale A r t C hester Jeep fr o m C overite.
ticated, precision device which is as
accurate as any expensive laboratory
unit. You can be confident that the
readings it gives are true.
The Voltmaster very precisely mea­
sures transmitter and receiver battery
voltage while it is under load to deter­
mine whether the battery is reaching a
discharged state. Green, yellow, and red
scales in d ic a te a g o -c a u tio n -n o go
situation. Unique features include four
voltage ranges (including 12-volt for
starter batteries), a Load Engage switch
to m onitor the recovery rate of the cells
(an important parameter in determ ining
cell condition), plus a Load Status switch
so two different loads (200 ma and 500
ma) can be engaged so that large packs
. . . 1200 mah and up . . . can be m oni­
tored with validity.
Take the guesswork out of using an
ESV . . . use a Voltmaster.
The second new product from Ace is
the Overnighter. Tne Overnighter is a
unique DC to DC m ultiple output
charger for use in field or automobile
charging your transmittersand receivers.
How many times have you dinged
your scale or pattern bird carrying it in
the motel room so you could charge it
. . . have you had to sleep on the floor so
the plane could have the bed?
No longer do you have to find an
outlet to charge up. The O vernighter
charges either one or two transmitter 8
cell packs and one or two receiver 4 cell

S a te llite C ity H o t S h o t R e fill, 6 OZ. b o ttle . R a d io C o n tro lle d M odels (R A M ) Big B a tte ry C ycle r.

JANUARY 1984 7

Q u a rte r M id g e t P ylon racer fro m J im D eyoung.
packs from your 12-volt car battery. Both
receiver charge rates are individually
programmable at 25, 50, 90, or 120 ma,
the overnight rate for 250 to 1200 mah
batteries. Both transmitter outputs can
be set at 50 or 90 ma for standard or SR
batteries.
Perfect for any modeler who travels
and flys. Can be permanently mounted,
or remain portable, in your van, RV, or
trailer to provice even more conveni­
ence than at hom e because o f the
m u ltip le o u tp u ts. A fu lly re g u la te d ,
constant current device so if the vehicle
engine is running it w on ’t be affected.
LED’s indicate proper charge and on
condition. NOTE: the 12-volt source
battery should be of high capacity such
as a car battery.
The third new product in the Ace
lineup is the Chargemaster m ultiple
output charger for use with standard AC
house current. It charges up to two
transmitters and four receivers simul­
taneously overnight. The charge rate is
programmable up to a 120 ma current.
Also, the Chargemaster can be switched
to a trickle rate for continuous charging.
Leave your batteries on trickle charge
indefinitely and you w ill always be ready
to fly at a m om ent’s notice. LEDs w ill
m onitor proper operation. SR batteries
.— '» s c m o N
ttv
e
8 MODEL BUILDER
or large capacity packs are no problem.
Finally, we come to the number four
new product, the Dual Metered Vari-
C h a rg e r. This is th e m ost v e rs a tile
charger you’ll find! The DMVC has two
variable outputs, both of which can
produce up to 250 ma so you can charge
two one to ten cell packs from 100 mah
to 2500 mah capacity. Perfect for stan­
dard receiver and transmitter packs, SR
packs, or large packs with 1200-2500 mah
cells. W ill also charge y o u r 12-volt
starting battery.
A m eter a ccurately measures the
current being produced on either o ut­
puts so you don’t risk overcharge.
For more inform ation, w rite or call
Ace R/C, Inc., P.O. Box 511,116 W. 19th
St., H ig g in s v ille , M O 64037, (816)
584-7121.
★ ★ ★ the deck of a model cabin cruiser. The
Satellite City announces a new six-
ounce, economy size refill for your Hot
Shot pump spray. The six-ounce bottle
w ill refill your Hot Shot cyanoacrylate
accelerator twice . .. and save you a
dollar in the deal.
The Hot Shot Economy Refill comes
sin g le -b o x e d fo r $6.95. Ask fo r it at
your local hobby shop. If you need to
order it, ask for Satellite City catalog
item No. HS-6.
•* 1
ON
DC TO DC
1 1------1 OVER N IG H T
_ 1 CHARGER 0N
1 |A (K K /C .ln c.|
■ _____
Ace R /C , Inc. assorted n e w p ro d u c ts : (le ft to rig h t) V o ltm a s te r, O vernighter,
D M V C , and Charge M aster. E v e ry th in g fo r any cha rging a p p lic a tio n .
tit
R eplica O rw ic k .6 4 , Klause and M c C o llu m .
For more inform ation, w rite to Satel­
lite City, P.O. Box 836, Simi, CA 93062-
0836, or call (805) 522-0062.
★ ★ ★
A lte c h M a rk e tin g , o f Fords, New
Jersey, w elcom es the a d d itio n o f a
marine version of the 60 Four-Cycle
engine made by Enya. The water jacket
around the cylinder fins of the crankcase
p ro vid e s adequate c o o lin g fo r this
engine even when it is installed below
high torque output allows the modeler
to use large p ro p e lle rs on his boat,
providing realistic speeds and excellent
fuel economy.
The c h a ra c te ris tic exhaust o f this
engine is authentic-sounding, yet low in
overall noise output, which w ill add to
the pleasure of running this engine. The
shrouds over the valves and pushrods
help to keep the water out. You’ll also
appreciate the choke assembly which
.-.ulL
**■.' S.· ; i ·.·.·.·
L_t U
X—*
1
C 1GE
SH
TA
AR
TUS
1— RX— 1
C ^ J

delivers easier starting. Get your hands
on the Enya 60 F our-C ycle M a rin e
engine at your neighborhood hobby
shop. If he doesn’t have one, get your
dealer to order one from Altech M arket­
ing for you, and get your boat out of
drydock fast!
The specifications for the Enya 60
F our-C ycle M a rin e R /C e n g in e are:
d is p la ce m e n t, .60 cu. in .; bore and
stroke, 0.945 x 0.866 inches; bearings,
two (jail bearings on crankshaft; car-
buretion, Enya G-type, 5.7mm intake;
cylinder liner and piston material, steel
liner, ringed aluminum piston; weight,
21 ounces: power, 0.9 hp; and rpm
range, 2,700 to 11,500.
For further inform ation on the new
Enya 60 Four Cycle M arine R/C engine,
contact Enya M odel Products Co., P.O.
Box 286, Fords, NJ 08863. Phone: (201)
572-5792.
★ ★ ★ ounces for a six-cell pack (a six-cell,
Radio Controlled Models, Inc., 4736
N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60630,
also known as Ram. has announced the
release of another handy, m iniaturized
battery cycler . . . this time for large
capacity, 4.8-volt receiver packs . . . that
has the same accuracy and efficiency as
JANUARY 1984
L E F T & A B O V E : N ew a t W ilsh ire M o d e l C enter, S anyo " C u t o f f " N i-C ds fo r e le c tric p o w e r.
C om pare size w ith sub-C cells (le ft) and A A cells (above).
the Simple Cycler for smaller packs.
The Big Battery C ycler deep d is­
charges your battery packs to the manu­
facturer’s recommended m inim um vol­
tage level fo r safety. You can easily
determ ine the percentage o f charge
used and remaining in your pack, as well
as getting an early indication of cell
failure.
The Big Battery Cycler is available at
your local hobby dealer for only $24.95.
For more inform ation regarding this or
o th e r US-made Ram p ro d u c ts , send
SASE.
j ★ ★ ★
W hile w e’re on the subject of things
electric . .. Wilshire M odel Center has
some new batteries in stock that electric
power enthusiasts are going to go crazy
over. We speak of the new Sanyo Red
C utoff Cells.
Sanyo Red C utoff Cells are a little
larger in diameter than AA-sizecells,yet
they are the same length. Rated at 800
mah capacity and weighing only 7-1/2
sub-C pack weighs 11 ounces) you can
see how the electric power flier would
benefit when faced with a lim ited m otor
run contest format. Unlike AA cells,
these C utoff cells can handle the high
current loads of com petition motors.
What this all adds up to is a lighter model
A ssociate d M o d ifie d Ó -R (N o. 6 5 1 0 , 6 5 1 1 ).
that has all the power you need for
lim ited engine run contest work or just
sport flying. At $5.75 per cell, they are a
real bargain for the flier looking for that
competitive edge.
Contact Wilshire M odel Center, 3006
Wilshire Blvd., Santa M onica, CA 90403,
(213) 828-9362, for further inform ation.
★ ★ ★
Attention Old Timer fliers! Klause and
M c C o llu m (R eplica M o d e l Engines)
announces the availability of replica.
Orwick .64 ignition engines. These are
exact copies of the engine produced by
Henry O rw ick in the “ mid-1940s.” As
they are .64 cu. in. displacement en­
gines and were designed prior to 1950,
these engines may be used in SAM Class
C contests (both F/F and R /C Assist).
Each e n g in e com es w ith its ow n
handsome, custom, wooden case, to ­
g e th e r w ith a p re s e n ta tio n g ra de
descriptive brochure. All engines are
serialized, and are superbly finished.
The price of these classic Orw ick .64
replicas is $250.00 (plus $5.00 for in ­
sured, first class mail shipment w ithin
the US, California sales include 6% tax).
For further inform ation, contact Joe
A ssociated O ff-R o a d m o to r (N o . 6 5 0 0 ).
9
 B & R H obb ies g lo w p lu g s ta rte r, rechargeable.

short duration races. Not recommended

E nya .6 0 fo u r-c y c le m a rin e R /C engine.
Klause, Klause and M cCollum , P.O. Box
3255, Laguna H ills, CA 92653, (714)
830-5162.
★ ★ ★ Road Com petition M otors are for all-
It’s your turn electric off-road R/C car
racers! Associated announces its newest
electric motors for your enjoyment.
Associated’s Off-Road Stock M otor
(part No. 6500) is based on the Yokomo,
as used at the 1982 W orld Cham pion­
ships, Stock Class. This off-road m otor is
b u ilt to sp e cifica tio n s d e ve lo p e d by
M ike Reedy, and features the follow ing:
• W ind: 28 turns of 22 gauge wire.
• State of the art ceramic magnets.
• Remagnetized in Reedy’s m otor lab
for maximum strength.
• Broken in and tested prior to ship­
ment.
• External brush and spring assembly
for easy replacement.
• High torque band for off-road use.
• ROAR and ORRCA legal.
A ssociated’s Reedy M o d ifie d O ff-
out off-road com petition. Both motors
have the follow ing features:
• Latest wind for best performance.
• Magnets super zapped for maxi­
mum strength.
• External brush and spring assembly
for easy replacement.
• Adjustable brush tim ing w ith tim ing
gauge on motor.
• Broken-in and tim ing dyno set.
• High torque special fo ro ff road use.
• ROAR and ORRCA legal.
The M odel 6570 is a standard modified
race m otor developed to give best all
around performance needed to win.
The M odel 6577 is a “ Sprint” model.
Developed for dirt track oval racing or
for general road-course, off-road racing.
Contact Associated for more in fo r­
mation. Associated Electrics, Inc., 1928
East E dinger, Santa Ana, CA 92705,
(714) 547-4986.
★ ★ ★
Contact Cannon R/C Systems, 13400-
26 Saticoy St., No. H ollywood, CA 91605,
if those n e a t-lo o k in g , new G -M a rk
engines caught your eye! What you saw
were Cannon’s latest offerings for R/C,
glow powered aircraft . .. the G-Mark
.15 Single is a .15 cu. in., 6.3-ounce, front
ro ta ry valve, S chneurle p o rte d , ball
b e a rin g , slide c a rb u re to r, in te g ra l
m uffler (boy, that’s a lot of adjectives!),
two-stroke engine. The G-Mark ,30Twin
has all of the features of the .15 Single,
but it is obviously different by virtue of
its second cylinder. The going price on
Continued on page 102

N ew G -M a rk .1 5 S ingle im p o rte d by C annon R /C Systems. N ew G -M a rk .3 0 T w in im p o rte d b y C ann on R /C System s.

10 MODEL BUILDER
L3
Q 1
AIRBORNE GLOW PLUG
POWER SUPPLY FOR TWINS
The large r the a irp la n e , th e m ore
im portant it is to keep that fan up front
tu rn in g u n til the w heels to u ch the
ground. One of the ways to insure your-
s e lf fro m th a t u n w a n te d fla m e o u t,
especially during extended periods of
idling, is to apply some current to the
plug (or plugs) during that time. I have
found that somewhat less than the rated
one and a half volts is necessary for this
purpose, as the heating demands from
the plug are less w hile idling than during
C irc u it used in p ro v id in g g lo w p lu g p o w e r to tw in c y lin d e r g lo w engine d u rin g id le . T w o -v o lt
ce ll is activa ted b y th r o ttle servo. S w itc h is p o s itio n e d fo r " o f f " d u rin g cha rging , engine o ff.
JANUARY 1984
33
By ELOY MAREZ
the starting period. Apparently, a little
less electrical heat combined with the
natural heat from combustion is enough
to keep things turning m errily along.
For twins, a perfectly adequate glow
plug power source is a tw o-volt, sealed
lead acid b a tte ry, m ore c o m m o n ly
referred by us R/C’ers as a "Gel Cell” ,
which is actually the trade name for such
batteries manufactured by Globe Battery
Division of Johnson Controls. Remem­
ber, these are not Ni-Cds, which have a
rated voltage of 1.25, and which are ade­
quate (and recommended) for asingle-
T w o -v o lt sealed b a tte ry as re co m m e n d e d fo r
g lo w p lu g id le p o w e r fo r tw in s . C ells are the
th e same size as o th e r D cell types, b u t d iffe r
in te rn a lly . N o te m anner o f c o n n e c tio n also
d iffe rs fr o m Deeds. W e ig h t is a p p ro x im a te ly
s ix ounces.
c y lin d e r e n g in e . They are a sealed
battery, which makes them useful in this
application, with a nominal cell voltage
of 2.0 volts. The smallest size made is a D-
cell size; the normal, large flashlight
size, with a 2.5 amp rating. A single cell,
used to light two glow plugs connected
in series, w ill thus apply one volt to each
plug, enough to cause it to glow dimly
but adequately, for between one and
tw o h ours, d e p e n d in g on th e plugs
used. As most of us only use this feature
during idle, this should be more than
necessary for any single day's activities.
A diagram of the w iring is furnished
for those of you with a brand new tw in
and little experience with it. Naturally,
the m ic ro s w itc h is actuated by the
throttle servo, and set to cut in just
above where the engine seems to run
more reliably and smoothly with the
a p p lic a tio n o f g lo w p lu g c u rre n t. A
capacity chart is also enclosed so you can
calculate the exact operating tim e avail­
able with your particular engine and
plugs. Any switch w ith a rating of at least
one amp w ill do the trick.
To the best of my knowledge, these
cells are not available through normal
hobby channels, but they are in common
use outside the hobby field, largely in
the alarm industry, and are readily avail­
able from electronic suppliers and mail
order houses. As they are apparently
changed after a certain period in alarm
systems, they are mostly unused, and
have been trickle charged all the time.
They are available practically new and in
excellent c o n d itio n fo r u nbelievably
low prices. I recently purchased a 12-volt
Continued on page 64
11
SIG’s
CUPPED
WING
CUB
By AL ALMAN . . . Model Builder's The a u th o r poses w ith his n e w p rid e and jo y , a Sig C lip p e d W ing C ub. R ed and b lu e p a in t
scheme is a re fresh in g change o f pace fr o m m o re " s ta n d a r d " colors.
"BIG Birds" columnist reviews the
Sig Clipped Wing Cub, a quarter- into a mighty fine airplane. This is what plete; not only does it contain the usual
scale version of possibly the most Sig wants you to believe so they’ll sell goodies, but Sig has wisely included a
widely recognized and famous more Scale Cubs .. . and after framing good, leaf-spring ta ilw h ee l, a sturdy
of all mass-produced aircraft of all up two of these birds, and completing cowl and dummy engine, and 4-40 rods
time. If the Piper Cub brings back one, I can tell you straight out that they and clevises (clevii?).
are not lying. M ike Gretz did a superior And all the inform ation you might
the memories for you, maybe this job, design-wise, and Sig, in turn, put the ossibly need is found in the instruction
should be your next modelling effort into making it a first class offering. ooklet, or on one of the four-pages of
p roje ct. . . . The 31-page building and flying booklet easy-to-read plans. . .w hich include the
contains 109 photos, seven drawings, templates for the windshield and the
• Still find it hard to believe that in 45 and very good instructions, and the struts. On the last page, just prior to
years of modeling, this is my very first booklet, by the way, is full-sized, like this flying instructions (which are good) Sig
Piper Cub. Sure, I’ve turned out other magazine page; no squinting or magni­ spells out why each model must be ind i­
puddle jumpers, like Champs, Taylor- fying glass needed in order to read tiny vidually balanced; common sense to
crafts, Porterfields and such . . . but p r in t o r to m ake o u t th e d e ta il in some modelers, but surely a revelation
never a Piper, which is kinda strange shrunken photos. They'veeven included to many others.
considering that I learned to fly in what an informative two pages about “ The I want to point out right here that this
probably was the first of the (somewhat) Clipped-W ing Cub Story,” with photos, b ird ie builds as easily as any of the
clipped-wing Cubs back in '43. and made a color photo pack available “ smaller greasy kid stuff” you’ve ever
As a matter of fact, this review includes as an option for those who want, or must done . . . except that she’s a couple of
a number of other firsts, also. Seems as have, the scale documentation. tads bigger. There's nothing new or
though I’ve never gotten around to You’re gonna have to search hard to different or radical about the Cub’s con­
building any other Sig kits, either, even find any hardware package more com ­ struction, and is therefore a pleasure to
though Glenn and Hazel started doing
business in Montezuma 31 years ago.
And i t ’s n o t th a t I ’ve been a to ta l
stranger to Sig’s planes, having test
flown countless Kadets and Kavaliers
. . . and even acquired my own “ Bolt,”
MiniPlane and Kougar through some
“ w heelin' and dealin’.” But this was my
first Sig kit from start to finish.
And for a change I somehow managed
to build this bird absolutely according to
the in stru c tio n s . Like most fo lks, I
usually do a number of things “ my way,’’
but I found that this time I d id n't haveto
e xe rcise s u p e rh u m a n re s tra in t and
discipline to keep everything stock. This
BIG Sig is designed well enough that I
had no doubt about the integrity or
strength of any part of the airframe.
There was just no need to modify. . . .
Big boxes full of BIG Birds are not un­
common anymore, so the Cub kit d id n ’t
look so huge to m e . . . although the UPS
person thought it was quite an armful
(she was well under five feet and couldn’t
have weighed 80 pounds soaking wet).
It stands to reason that no manufac­
turer is going to belittle his product.and
Sig is no exception; naturally their ad
reads as though they’ve come up with a T o som e, c u ttin g o u t th e ailerons m ay ve ry w e ll be the m o s t " r a d ic a l" p a rt o f th e b u ild in g .
mighty fine kit that can be transformed The 1 /4 -scale m o d e l b u ild s ju s t lik e a sm a lle r R /C a irc ra ft, w e ll-s u ite d f o r beginners.

12 MODEL BUILDER

S ooo o n ic e and stab le . . . a peachy b ird fo r a n yone to learn on . . . th e C lip p e d W ing C ub
seemed to be p e rfe c tly m atched w ith a M a gnum .91 S and T o p F lig h t 16-6.
work on. Part of this enjoyment came
from the good die cutting and good
selection of wood I found in my kit . . .
and the quality was so consistent that I
d id n o t have to balance the plane
laterally; the weights of the left and right
wing panels of the framed-up, one-
piece wing were in complete agreement
with each other.
Thanks to the exclusive use of Hot
R IG H T : T h e M a gnum .91S fo u r - jtr o k e
lo o k s lik e a b ru te and runs lik e one,
to o . . . lo ts o f p o w e r! P o s itio n o f th e
needle valve proved inaccessible w ith
co w l on. D id n 't re a lly need ad ju sting,
ho w e ver. A u th o r rigged up a g lo w plug
p o w e r system w ith a w heel c o lla r a c t­
ing as p lu g c lip . See " H o w to F ly
P a tte rn " o n page 3 2 fo r alte rnate
m e thod . G ro u n d w ire goes to m o u n t­
ing lug. S ilic o n e ru b b e r seals w ires a t
b o tto m . R a d io Shack m in i-p lu g is in ­
side sm a ll b o x o n fire w a ll.
B E L O W : H ere's th e usual "b a re
bo nes" a ll-fra m e d -u p p h o to . C on­
s tru c tio n is basic, easy. A good in s tru c ­
tio n b o o k le t com es w ith the k it. N ice
fe a tu re f o r in e xp erie nced bu ild ers.
JANUARY 1984
S tu ff fo r a ll c o n s tr u c tio n , th e b ird
grossed out at only 14-1/2 pounds. I use
the word “ o nly” because after she was
all ready to go in her traditional coat of
Cub Yellow, I suddenly(?) decided that I
must have a different color scheme. By
the time I got through screwing around
with inconsistent and sputtering spray
cans, and an old, senile Badger Airbrush
(which I prom ptly threw out), I ended
up with a noticeably spackled finish.
Naturally this type of finish brought
about endless questions from modelers
and n o n -m o d e le rs a lik e . . . b u t by
keeping a straight face when explaining
that the "bum ps” were needed for t a ­
b u la tio n and b e tte r b o u n d a ry layer
control, I’ve been able to both save face
and bring practical, hands-on aeronau­
tical engineering to the masses.
Too many authors tell you that con­
s tru c tio n is s tra ig h t-fo rw a rd . . . and
then contradict themselves by citing an
almost endless number of exceptions.
Sig’s BIG Cub really is as straightforward
as a kit (large or small) can be. so even
someone brand new to m odelingshould
find it an enjoyable challenge . . . and
not end up frustrated and angry with a
jigsaw puzzle that has missing, poorly
fitting or hard-to-find parts. That’s one
o f the many reasons why I feel that the
Sig Cub would make an ideal first flying
machine for anyone getting into BIG
Birds, or R/C in general. After learning
basic skills w hile w orking on this air­
plane, the new guy ends up with a very
realistic looking and flying aircraft . . .
and that's what much of the “ BIG Bird
magic” is all about. These larger planes
lend themselves so well to more of a
scale look, that the only honorable thing
to do is to go that "extra m ile” and take
the time to add detail. (I can’t believe
this is me extolling the virtues of scale
. . . but d on ’t w orry, I still haven’t suc­
cumbed to the bite of the scale bug. I
d on ’t think I’ll ever be able to spend
precious flying hours putting on th o u ­
sands of rivets or hundreds of panel
lines. M y less-than-world-class cockpit
interior and dum my engine do the job
for me, ’cause all / need is an acceptable
30-40 foot way-stand-off scale aircraft.)
Of course another part o f the “ magic” is
to fly your biggie in a realistic manner;
no Saturn-Rocket takeoffs or 85 “ G ”
turns allowed.
I mentioned that this review included
a number o f firsts, but only spelled out
half of them ; here, then, are the other
three happenings. . . .
In regards to covering, I used lerry
Nelson and Company’s new, lightweight
Ceconite . . . and it's the first time I’ve
ever messed with an iron-on that d id n ’t
have its own adhesive. It's sort of easy to
get spoiled and start taking things for
granted, and that’s what happened to
my thinking about coverings. Most of
the stuff sold in hobby shops has its own
heat activated adhesive, so using any­
thing else seems to be double the work
and the c o s t. . . and this is accompanied
by the feeling that a m anufacturer’s got
one helluva lot o f nerve expecting m eto
use a product that w on ’t stick to anything
w ithout outside help.
Well, after quelling most of my preju­
dices about adhesiveless iron-ons, I pro­
ceeded to cover the Cub . . . securing
the C e c o n ite to th e a irfra m e th re e
different ways. On the wings I used
Nelson’s "Super Seam” straight from the
can, and w ith o u t any p rio r coats o f
Con tinued on page 65
13
 By BUZZ WALTZ . . . The Sunrise 2540 is a fundamental, four-channel R/C trainer. If you want
versatility in a design, you've found it . . . the Sunrise 2540 can be flown with anything from a .25
to a .40 cubic inch glow motor, and built w ith either a fla t bottom or semi-symmetrical airfoil.
• M y sole purpose in designing the Sun­
rise 2540 low wing trainer was that I am a
Sunday fun flyer and I like to fly low and
slow as well as being able to do basic
aerobatic maneuvers when I want to.
With the flat bottom airfoil, the Sunrise
does both of these things well.
Some of the important features in the
design of this airplane are that you can
use any power selection that you wish
from a .25 to a .40 engine (hence the
name). However, I designed the air­
plane around the HB .25 engine. The HB
.25 engine provides plenty of power as
well as the economy of using a no-nitro
engine. As you w ill see while you are
building the wing, it is strong enough to
take a .40 engine if you wish to do so.
The fuselage is wide enough to ac­
commodate any radio gear that you
might want to install.
Another feature that I have incorpo­
rated into the design is the use of a Dural
main gear rather than the conventional
w ire lan din g gear w h ich is always
mounted into the wing. I have always
liked the Dural gear and felt it isstronger
and much easier to m ount floats to at a
later date for water flying.
The wing and fuselage are constructed
of balsa and plywood. The wood to
make this airplane should be readily
available from your local hobby shop.
If some of the parts that I have listed in
14
the hardware section are not available at
your hobby shop, have the owner sub­
stitute them with parts of another brand
and similar quality.
I constructed the airplane using Satel­
lite City Hot Stuff Super “ T” and Hot
Shot spray. On the firewall and landing
gear mount and wing dihedral braces I
used five-m inute epoxy.
For your convenience, I have included
a list of balsa and plywood materials that
you w ill need to finish your Sunrise 2540.
You might want to look it over after you
have read the building instructions.
WING CONSTRUCTION
The wing construction is very simple,
and you can build both wing panels on
the plans at the same time. As the wing
has a flat bottom airfoil, there is no need
for a special wing jig, thus building time
is much shorter. You w ill need a building
surface such as a flat table or workbench
and a Celotex ceiling panel (for sticking
pins into) for the top of the table.
The first step in building the wings is to
cut out the wing ribs. Using three sheets
of 3/32 X 3 X 36-inch balsa sheet, cut out
20 ribs. I do this by first making a master
rib out of some scrap 1/8 ply that I have
laying around the shop. I cut out the rib
pattern from the plan, and I glue it to the
1/8 ply using 3M spray cement. Then, I
cut out the rib and the various notches
with my Dremel jig saw. Now that I have
made a master rib, I lay the master on my
sheet of 3/32 balsa and cut out each rib
using an Uber Skiver knife with a No. 11
blade.
Take two pieces of wax paper and put
them over the plans. This protects the
plans and prevents the parts from stick­
ing to both the plans and the building
surface a fte r they have been glued
together.
As I have previously mentioned, both
wing panels may be built on the plans at
the same time.
Take your 1/16 x 3-inch sheet material
and cut two sheets exactly in half length­
wise to give you four pieces 1/16 x 1-1/2
X 36. This is your top and bottom trailing
edge material. You are now ready to
start building the wing.
Pin the 1/16 x 1-1/2 x 36 trailing edge
piece in place on the plans. W ith a
pencil, draw a line 3/16 of an inch from
the aft edge of this sheet along the edge.
This is a guide line for gluing on the 1/4 x
1 tapered trailing edge piece. See plans
for detail.
Using a wing rib as a gauge, butt the
back of the rib up to the trailing edge
piece and pin the bottom leading edge
piece into place. Again using the rib as a
guage, glue into place the top leading
edge piece (3/8 x 3/4) making sure that
the 3 /4 -in c h side is in the u p rig h t
position. See plans for detail.
MODEL BUILDER
 A B O V E : B o tto m vie w o f the
Sunrise 2540 reveals its clean
lines, sim p le stru c tu re .

L E F T : Em pennage details. Ele­

v a to r and ru d d e r are made fro m
3 /1 6 sheet balsa, and are designed
to sw ing fre e o f each o th e r. N o te
e le va to r pushrod e x it is fuselage
rear.

R IG H T : Servo in s ta lla tio n details.

N o te w in g h o ld d o w n blocks.

Now cut and glue into place the 1/16 x
1/4 balsa cap strips. Also at this time, cut
and glue into place the 1/16 balsa center
section sheeting. This is made from a
1/16 X3-inch sheet. Make sure that these
pieces are cut cross-grain.
Now glue the bottom wing spar (1/4 x
1/2) into place along with the ribs. Glue
in all ribs except the center two. These
are glued into place after the wings are
joined together and the dihedral braces
are epoxied into place.
Using a piece of 3/16 x 3-inch balsa
sheet, cut cross-grain your shear webs
that go between the top and bottom
spars. A good way to determine the
height of the shear webs is to use one of
the ribs as a gauge. Now glue in the
shear webs. When the shear webs have
dried, glue in the top spar (1/4 x 1/4).
Trim any excess wood from the tips of
the wing and cut your two wing tip
blocks from a piece of 1/2 x 3-inch balsa
sheet and glue them into place.
W hile everything is drying, this would
be a good lime to cut your two 1/16 ply
dihedral braces.
Your next step w ill be to join the wings
to g e th e r. Remove b o th w ing panels
from the plans, then trial fit the two
centers to g e th e r to d e te rm in e how
much sanding w ill be needed to have
the pieces fit flush with each other. This
is done at this time. After the two pieces
fit perfectly flush, block up each tip
1-3/4 inches and sand the centers again
so that th ey fit p e rfe c tly flush and
Con tinued on page 68

The H .B. .2 5 engine pro v id e s p le n ty o f p o w e r

fo r the Sunrise. A 9-5 Z in g e r p ro p was used
o n a u th o r's plane. O ural la n d in g gear is used fo r easy con ve rsio n to flo a ts . P le n ty o f b e e fy shear w e b b in g used.

16 MODEL BUILDER
JAN U AR Y 1984
 BIG Bird
By ELOY MAREZ . . . Eloy's BIG Bird is in reality a German-made CAP 20, but don't think this article
PART ONE
is a product review on the airplane k it . . . What you are about to read is one man's idea of what
products and hardware should go into a BIG Bird when performance, safety, and reliability are FIR ST!

• Well, I finally came around! When the

large R/C model movement started to
gather momentum. I would read about
them, and look at them, and think things
like: “ Well. I guess they are OK, but it’s
not for me.” Possibly some of my reluc­
tance at that time was due to the fact that
a lot of the earlier large models in this
part of the country were hangar queens,
great examples of design and workm an­
ship, but rarely if ever flo w n . I just
couldn't see all that work going into a
display model . . . I gave up "so lid ”
models as a child the day I finally got it all
together and watched my first successful
rubber powered airplane clim b up and
fly ! The a c q u is itio n o f a Rocket ’46
eng in e later on d e fin ite ly ended all
interest in non-flying models of any
type.
However, the last few years have seen
almost a complete end to non-flying E lo y 's Big B ird is in re a lity a C AP 20 in 3 /1 0-scale fro m a G. M e tterhausen k it. A ll b u ild in g
tech nique s and accessories th a t w e n t in to th is plane are de scribed in the te x t.
biggies around Southern California,and
an increase in my interest. The gang has lower half. The CAP-21, the latest of the I do not want to w rite so much about
definitely come out of the closet, garage, series is most easily identified by its fuse­ the model itself, as I would like to share
or wherever, urging their large creations lage mounted landing gear, a la Cessna: with you some of the techniques, mate­
to do what R/C modeling is all about, fly. b o th m o d e ls o f th e -20 have w in g rials, and new products that I discovered
After some experience w ith a Great mounted fixed gear. during this, my first exposure to a big
Planes Cosmic Wind, a terrific flying air­ My airplane, a "M etterhausen” CAP- “ BIG Bird.” It is my hope that it’ll bring
plane, though something of a small big 20, is from a small German company, and y o u r first ta k e o ff ro ll w ith a s im ila r
bird, I was hooked and ready to tackle unavailable here in the U.S., so I w on’t project not only sooner, but faster and
the big time! spend too much time discussing it. Basi­ easier.
My choice was one of the most beauti­ cally though, it is 3/10th scale, it has 1450 ENGINE
ful m eant-to-be-modeled low-wingers square inches of wing area at 88 in. w ing­ In the firm belief that it’s w hat’s up
around, a French CAP-20. This should span. and mine, ready to fly, weighs in at front that counts, let’s start with the
not be confused w ith the CAP-20L, 19-3/4 pounds. It has an epoxy-glass power plant used. M y choice for this
which is a much better-known airplane fuselage, foam core wing and tail sur­ project was another West German prod­
here in the U.S., the CAP-20 is the prede­ faces. and was extremely easy and fast to uct, the Kavan FK-50, distributed here in
cessor of the 20L, and was designed as a b uild. In fact, from picking it up at the U.S. of A. by World Engines, in Cin­
trainer and sport machine, while the Customs to its first test hop was around cinnati. This engine has met w ith mixed
latter is intended for aerobatic com peti­ three months, which amazed all my responses in this c o u n try , g e n e ra lly
tion. There are many differences, but friends, as I am known as a rather slow starting w ith, “ W ow .” and ending up
the easiest to spot is the completely builder. I kept thinking to myself that I w ith, "T hat’s much too pretty to fly.”
rounded rudder on the -20; the -20L has must be forgetting something as the True, nobody who has seen this 1/4-
a perfectly straight trailing edge on the project was moving along so quickly. scale, tw o-cylinder version of a "C o n ti-

E lo y 's tw o -w a y fuselage s ta n d a llow s easy tra n s p o rta tio n and storage (le ft) and o n -fie ld setu p convenience (rig h t). Neat and s im p le !

18 MODEL BUILDER
 ConvtreJoo Metric to Inc*

W ith th e c o w lin g rem oved fro m th e C A P -2 0 , th e fin e w o rk m a n s h ip o f th e Kavan F K -5 0 is

evide nt. I t flie s the 1 9 -3 /4 p o u n d C A P -20 re a lis tic a lly and w ith c o m p le te a u th o rity . The F K -5 0
is a tw o -c y lin d e r, fo u r-s tro k e "C o n tin e n ta l” . N o te ro c k e r arm details. N o te d im e nsion s (rig h t).

nental” light plane engine can deny that
the external workmanship is flawless,
beautiful in fact, and for those so in ­
clined. it deserves the place of honor in
any engine display. However, the Kavan
FK-50 is not just another pretty face, it is
built to run and fly, and the impressive
e xterna l w o rkm a n sh ip is also fo u n d
internally.
The FK-50 is a two-cylinder, fo ur­
cycle, overhead valve, alternate cylinder
firing, glow engine. An ignition system is
in the works, and w ill be available later
in the year. The displacement is 50cc
(3.0 c i), the o ve ra ll dim en sion s are
show n in the enclosed sketch. The
weight of theengine is 2450grams (5-1/2
pounds), and it is rated at 4.1 horse­
power. The maximum recommended
RPM is 8000. Bore and stroke are 34mm
(1.338 in.) and 28mm (1.102 in.) respec­
tively. Internally, we find a 15mm (.59 in.)
crankshaft supported in three places by
heavy ball bearings. The a lu m in u m
pistons have two rings, a top compres­
sion ring, and a lower oil scraper ring, all
riding in a steel cylinder. The head is at­
tached with a special pressure sealing
MARK I
thread known as a “ buttress” thread,
more comm only used in attaching bar­
rels to firearms. The overhead valves are
rocker arm operated, in turn worked by
cam operated pushrods, as in full-sized
aircraft engine practice. An accessory
gear section in the rear drives the valve
cam. oil pump cam, and w ill later include
the electronic ignition system pickup.
The prop is attached w ith a heavy 8mm
Con tinued on page 71

The receiver o f cho ice f o r th e C A P -2 0 p ro je c t was th e K ra ft K P R -8 The ra d io c o m p a rtm e n t o f the C A P -20. S how s du a l e leva tor
FM n a rro w band, dual co n ve rsio n u n it sh o w n here. S o lid c o n tr o l! servo arrang em e nt f o r flig h t safe ty.

JANUARY 1984 19
R/C POWER BOATS R.O .W .
With Buzz Waltz’ R/C Designs
Begin-Air Trainer and Floats!
• W h a t’ s going on here? Is D un lap
tra d in g in his boats fo r floats? The
answer to that question is both " n o "a n d
"y e s .” A fte r nearly tw e n ty years to I*
churning up lakes, ponds,and rivers, I’m
not ready to place the model boats in
storage. On the other hand, after all
those years in model boating, it's most
enjoyable to know you are capable of
doing other things with a radio system
than just beating around the buoys.
WHY FLY?
Do you enjoy challenges? I believe
that most of us . .. because we have an
interest in models, be they airplanes,
boats, or cars .. . enjoy the challenge of
d o in g so m e thin g w ith o u r m odels.
When I first became interested in the
R/C aspect of model boating back in the
mid 60s, there was really much more
emphasis on the aircraft aspect of radio
control. Although I wasn’t interested in A new d im e n s io n in R /C b o a tin g . . . U P ! . . . w ith th e Begin-Air Trainer on flo a ts .
R/C flying back then, I was fascinated by
th ing s ra d io c o n tro lle d planes w ere built some R/C gliders. After the gliders, engines are less expensive, and w ill
capable of doing. About that time. Dr. I d id a n o th e r .40 tra in e r and a .10- operate very well on fuel costing half of
Ralph Brooks was the W orld Champion powered sport job. what it takes to make a racing engine
in R/C pattern flying. I spent hours I only bring up this rather boring howl.
w atching Ralph w rin g o u t his stu nt account of my past flying experiences to Isn’t the name Buzz appropriate for
planes at one of the local R/C fields. point out that it is possible to participate som eone w h o flie s and sells m odel
I cannot remember which year I first in more than just one aspect of radio aircraft? I had the opportunity to talk
started R/C flying . . . it was either 1973 control. I know of many model boaters with Buzz Waltz at the 1983 Northwest
or 1974. The original reason I got into the who also enjoy sport flying R/C aircraft. M odel Exposition when he dropped by
model aircraft aspect of this hobby was I’m a serious model boater. I’m a sport the M odel Builder booth w hile I was
to help a ju n io r m od el b oa ter w ho flyer. I don’t run my model race boats manning the station. We got to chatting,
wanted to try R/C flying. As I was his except to improve the performance or and I mentioned that I’d always been
sponsor, we had the necessary radio enter races. Radio control flying pro­ interested in giving flying o ff water a
e q u ip m e n t and e n g in e . He b u ilt a vides a d iffe re n t typ e o f c h allen ge . shot. When Buzz offered me the oppor­
Falcon 56, installed our Veco 19 and Flying offers me an opportunity to keep tunity to build and review his Begin-Air
Kraft three-channel. We learned how to my skills at a high level and not create Trainer and float kit I gladly accepted.
fly with lotsof help from our local hobby extra wear on my com petition boats. THE BEGIN-AIR TRAINER
dealer. Bob Pfeiffer. Actually, it wasn’t as Once you master the rudiments of As the kit w on ’t be found at your local
d ifficult as I thought it might be. After R/C flying, I believe it is less expensive hobby shop, you may obtain one directly
seven or eight years of model boating, than R/C boating. Assuming you’re not from Buzz Waltz R/C Designs, 255 North
I’d mastered two out of the three neces­ constantly crashing, the engines last El Cielo, Suite 476, Palm Springs, CA
sary c o n tro l fu n c tio n s to fly m o to r, longer, and so do the glow plugs. The 92262-6914. The cost of the kit is $39.95,
rudder, and elevator. After learning on
the Falcon 56, I built a couple of .19-
powered sport planes using three chan­
nels, and then built a four-channel plane
powered by a .40-size engine. Then, I

Buzz W s ltz k its these v e ry fu n c tio n a l R /C a ir­

c ra ft flo a ts seen here re ady fo r covering. F lo a t c o n s tru c tio n is sim ple , b u t e ffe c tiv e . M a te ria ls used are balsa and h a rd w o o d .

20 MODEL BUILDER

The Begin-Air Trainer on ta k e o ff ro ll (?), in flig h t, and o n fin a l approa ch o ve r w ate r.
L o ts o f ro o m inside th e fuselage fo r th e F u taba ra d io . N o te b a tte ry pack and receiver
m o u n te d in fo a m and w rap ped in p la s tic bags.
and $3.50 w ill cover the cost of shipping.
The kit is very reasonably priced com ­
pared to similar types of model airplanes.
One cost saving item is the box in which
the topgrade, band saw cut components
are contained. I was really surprised at
JANUARY 1984
how narrow the box was when I con­
sidered the completed size of the model.
The money saved by using this narrow
box w ithout fancy labeling is passed
on to the buyer. After all, you fly what’s
in the box . . . not the box and pretty
Included in the kit are hinges, landing
gear, control horns, wheel axles, and a
m otor m ount for a .29-size motor. The
printed construction instructions are
very com plete, and they are keyed to
two blueprint type pages of illustrations
o f various c o n s tru c tio n phases. You
could conceivably build the plane just
from the illustrations, if you had previous
e x p e rie n c e w ith this type o f m odel
construction.
The actual assembly of the Begin-Air
Trainer is typical of model aircraft using
b o x -lik e fuselage c o n s tru c tio n te c h ­
niques. The full-size plans provide all
the necessary in fo rm a tio n for frame
locations and reinforcem ent material.
The wing halves are built over the
plans. The wing section is a flat bottom
airfoil.
I don’t plan to give a piece-by-piece
a ccou nt o f the c o n s tru c tio n o f the
Begin-Air Trainer. In a kit like this there
are lots of oieces. The use of super glues
like Hot Stuff, Zap, Jet, etc., helps speed
up the building process. I find that I
prefer the thicker glues like Hot Stuff
Super *T' on balsa construction because
it doesn’t run off the parts as easily as the
thinner glues. However, depending on
the glueing application, both thick and
thin super glues are handy.
WHY BUILD A BALSA KIT?
W ith so many n ice lo o k in g , good
flying, almost ready to fly foam and
plastic airplanes available, the question
of building a wood kit model is w orth
exploring. To lead you to believe that
b u ild in g a m odel lik e the B egin-A ir
Trainer is not tim e consuming would not
be truthful reporting. Building a kit does
take time. An individual w ho does not
enjoy time spent assembling a model
would be rather foolish to invest in a kit
aircraft. You are better off with an ARF
model if time is a concern.
Personally, I receive a great amount of
satisfaction from the tim e I spend in the
actual building of a model. For me, there
is a feeling of accomplishment in taking
what initially seems like hundreds of
Continued on page 75
A B O V E : A K & B .4 0 p ro vid e s p le n ty o f
p o w e r fo r th e Begin Air-Trainer. M o d e l is
covered w ith C o v e rite and trim m e d in M o n o -
k o te and s trip in g tape.
L E F T : T h e Begin-Air's fuselage is b o x -lik e
and stro ng. The w in g is b u ilt-u p and like w ise
v e ry strong.
21
 VAGABOND 40
By DAN RUTHERFORD . . . " D irty " Dan gives it to you straight in this
review of Kraft's Vagabond 40 pattern plane. If you are desirous of learning
how to fly aerobatic maneuvers with precision and grace, this may be the
flying machine for you. W hat else b u t a K ra ft K P 5 K ra d io f o r th e
K ra ft K it Vagabond?

• I’ m not known for wishy-washy articles

about products . . . if I had trouble, I’ll
tell you instead of ignoring the problem.
1 have recently become semi-seriously
interested in Pattern flying. I am not an
expert level flier; and as I only care
about what works, I d on ’t have much
tolerance for “ foof.”
Late last winter I decided a try at some
Pattern flying would be interesting. I had
been flying a Quickie 500 type of model
and a Warlock 40, neither of which
delivered much in the way of smooth,
solid performance; pretty good for the
usual "ju n k flying” where you just slap
the sticks around, but it was becoming
obvious to me that the real skill was in
doing what appears to be simple maneu­
vers accurately and in the same spot in
the sky each and every tim e . Three
consecutive loops, for example. Any­
body with most any type of model can
p e rfo rm the m aneuver in at least a
recognizable fashion. Fly straight and
level, pull up . . . and wait. Easy.
But that is junk flying. I wanted to
place all three loops right on top of each " D i r t y D a n " R u th e rfo rd jig n s V fo r v ic to r y . . . and fo r Vagabond! N o D an, it's n o t a D e lta car!
other, bottoms at the same altitude (real
low !), to enter and exit the maneuver As for what is in the kit, the plans are problems building the model. But when
right on the money. The models I had on neatly done, and the model can be built the instructions said to install the tank
hand simply were too lim ited . . . or using them alone. In fact, in a couple floor, I d id n ’t, knowing (from experi­
were lim iting me . . . same thing. cases should be, ignoring the w ritten ence) that the triangle stock backing up
Loo kin g a ro u n d , th e K ra ftk it line instructions. Yes, there is a mistake or the firewall would then be impossible to
caught my eye, especially the Vagabond two in the short-and-to-the-point in­ install.
40. Not an all-out Pattern model with structions. And there is very little elab­ W h ile th a t may be a little p ic k y ,
pipe, retracts, and such, but a fairly oration on construction hints, equip­ especially considering the fact that many
sim ple m odel fe a tu rin g b u ilt-u p all ment installation, etc. I suppose the Vagabonds have been and w ill be built
wood construction (which I prefer over assumption is that by the time you get with total disregard for the instructions,
fo am ), a h ealthy tail m o m e n t arm , around to building a model likethis,you a little caution is advised. There are a
double-taper wing construction, sym­ should already k n o w w hat you are couple construction techniques (well
metrical a ir fo il. . . and Joe Bridi’s name doing. Fair enough, but I continually see illustrated w ith clear, although small,
right there on the box. Nothing like a modelers who build a model like the pictures) that I personally don’t use. For
solid re p u ta tio n fo r d esign ing good Vagabond as their third or fourth effort, instance, the leading edge sheeting is
flying models to use the kicker. The and if they have started in the hobby added to the ribs prior to the installation
Vagabond 40 has a strong resemblance “ cold,” no previous experience at all, of the leading edge itself. I suppose that
to the Super Kaos series, highly recom ­ they do in fact need some extra help. works, but I like to have the leading
mended by many where I fly. For what it’s w orth, I d id n ’t have any edge stuck in there just to keep every-

22 MODEL BUILDER
 PRODUCTS IN USE
L E F T : The Vagabond's ta il fea thers are
c o n s tru c te d fr o m sheet w o o d . The a u th o r
has a ta b le m o del jig saw and loves to c u t
lig h te n in g holes!

B E L O W : R a d io s y s te m in s ta lla tio n . E very­

th in g to th e rear fo r balance!

L E F T : Y o u see, i t does f i t !
C .B. tw o -in c h sp in n e r. Mas­
ter A irs c re w p ro p e lle r, and
K ra ft m o to r m o u n t (N o.
2 0 0 -2 0 6 ). A u th o r perm a­
n e n tly insta lle d ta n k w hen
he chose to e lim in a te the
ha tch. The idea was to get
m a x im u m r ig id ity in nose.

B E L O W : S tock rib d o ublers

are 1 /1 6 p ly , b u t a u th o r
chose to use 1 /6 4 p ly in ­
stead. H o t S tu ff was used
to adhere 3 /4 -o u n c e F /G
c lo th to balsa w in g sheet­
ing. N o te d r ill sta rts to
lig h te n gear blocks.

L E F T : T ig h t f i t ! A
.60-size K ra ft m o u n t
is a tig h t squeeze in
th e Vagabond's
nose. T h e F o x .4 5 is
n o t e x a c tly p e tite ,
e ith e r!

thing lined up perfectly. The installation
of sheeting locks in the structure, and I
want all the ribs as straight as possible.
Whatever works for y o u .. .
The overall auality of the wood was
what I would call above average. Always
wanting to build as light as possible, I did
use some wood from the "private stock”
shelf, but most modelers would be quite
happy with the kit wood. All the wood
pieces are machined; there is no die
cutting in this kit, an extra that is always
welcome. Even so, a few pieces did not
m atch the plans. The fuse sides in
particular were o ff considerably, there
was just no way to arrange the three or
four pieces making up each fuselage
side and have it match the plan just right.
Actually, this wasn’t a problem for me, as
I had never intended to use the stock
wood anyway, instead, I w hittled out
fuselage sides from 1/8 x 48 stock (kit
pieces are 3/16).
M ore of a "p ro b le m ” was the fact that
in each wing panel at least two ribs were
to o sh ort at the tra ilin g edge. They
weren’t off by much as a small scrap
easily filled the gap and corrected the
situation.
Continued on page 75

JANUARY 1984 23

By M IT C H P O L IN G
• We have tw o e le c tric fu n flies to
report on: The KRC and the Boeing
Hawks. First, the KRC, as reported by
Heinz Koerner. Unfortunately, Heinz
had only colorprints, and I d id n ’t get
"around tu it” to convert them, so I'll
have to forgo photos of the KRC event.
Heinz says that the number of m odel­
ers in attendance is always increasing,
and I can believe it. His picture of the
lineup looked a lot like the ones I have
taken at the Astro Flight Champs, which
is always a big contest. They had entrants
from as far away as Canada and Florida,
Heinz said. Only the MB w riter was
missing! W ell, I was in Alaska at the time.
Heinz, but next year I just might turn up!
John G rigg, the A M A p re sid e n t,
showed up at 6:30 a.m. (I agree John, it’s
the best time to fly!) with two entries,
the Electricus w ith an Astro cobalt 05
with seven cells, and a Gemini (a Euro­
pean design?) with a Keller 50/24 on 14
sub-C cells. This one had a 14-inch Geist
folding prop, with a very rapid climb-
B ernard C aw ley and his Schoolboy . . . n o , he's n o t tr y in g to s ta rt
an engine . . . o n ly tr y in g to fig u re o u t w ha-h a p p e n 'd t o receiver.
24
out, in fact, Heinz says it was the most
powerful glider at the field. I can believe
that, I have a Keller 50/24 m otor, and it
is "awesome". By the way, the Keller
motors are now available in the U.S.,
they are distributed by Leisure Elec­
tronics. You might contact them for
prices.
Don Scrull brought his electric Sparky,
which featured excellent workmanship.
Don used a Carrera folding prop with
added blade area so that it had the shape
of a rubber band prop. From the sketch
Heinz sent, it looks like Don extended
the blades about 30%. and likewise with
the chord, for an increase of 80% more
blade area (per blade). Don says it is
much more efficient than the original
prop. Heinz did not say, but I am sure
that Don did the extension w ith balsa.
H einz d id several d e m o n s tra tio n
flights with his Udet Flamingo biplane.
Heinz hadn’t finished the detail work on
it yet, but, as he says, that is the advan­
tage of electrics, you can fly them first
B ernard C aw ley, again, th is tim e c o n tro llin g h is Showmaster fro m
the g ro u n d . R ain fin a lly sto p p e d a t B oeing H aw ks co n te st. (Klees.)
and do the detail work later. It is a big
plane of 67 inches span, 1200 square
inches of wing area, 7-1/2 lbs. all up, 12%
semi-symmetrical airfoil, with a Jomar
speed control running a Keller 50/24SL
m otor w ith one flux ring. Twenty sub-C
cells were used, driving an 11-7 prop at
8000 rpm.
Heinz commented that there were
several Jomar throttles at the field, and
they all worked very well. Heinz doubled
the leads on the printed circuit board
going to the MOSFETs w ith buswire to
carry the heavy current (I would guess
about 20 amperes). This is very impres­
sive performance for the Jomar, the big
samarium cobalt motors are really the
ultimate test for a speed controller. Joe
Utasi (Jomar) says that he w ill be coming
out w ith a heavy duty speed controller
for the big cobalt motors in a m onth or
two. It w ill use four MOSFETs and w ill
weigh just under two ounces.
The Jomar th ro ttle is handy because its
cooling plate can be made part of the
fuselage. The throttle pulses at 7000 Hz,
w h ic h gives th e m o to r a high p itc h
sound on start up. A p p a re n tly , the
Ampere Flyer (the European electric
power newsletter) reported this as 50
Hz, which caused some to w orry that the
throttle could cause demagnetizing of
ine xp e n sive m oto rs. Frankly, I have
never heard of any such problem with
any speed controller, but I suppose it is
more fun to find something to worry
about, especially if everything goes too
well!
The flux ring mentioned earlier, by
the way, is a steel ring that slips on over
th e m o to r. It serves to c o n fin e the
magnetic field more (holds it closer to
the m otor), which gives more torque
and less current demand under load.
W ithout the ring, the m otor w ill turn at
higher rpm , on smaller props, w ith, of
course, more current demand. Thus, the
MODEL BUILDER
B ill K u b ia k shows us the o rig in a l " o ld tim e r " design w h ic h he b u ilt. N o te th e 11-7, all-balsa, T h e new Leisure O ff-R o a d m o to r m akes an
ha nd carved p ro p . N ice m o u n t f o r the A s tro b e lt d riv e . e x c e lle n t a irc ra ft m o to r. B rush setup is th e
best ty p e . . . p ig ta il and sp rin g loaded.
same m otor can be used w ith the ring to Anyhow, Heinz says his biplane takes
turn a large prop on a scale or sport off in 25 to 75 feet from grass, depending started, and the hum idity got very high,
plane, or w ithout the ring to turn a on the headwind. Its performance is so the flying was curtailed. On Sunday,
smaller prop on a speed or pylon plane, good enough to encourage Heinz to go the wind was down, it was 89°F and less
w ith o u t ch an ging the b attery pack ahead w ith his other project, his four- hum id, so there was more flying.
arrangement. m otor Lockheed Constellation which Heinz was also the clinic director. The
Such rings make a noticeable d iffe r­ has been on display at two of the KRC w indier it gets, the more people go to
ence on p o w e rfu l m agnets lik e the m eets. It has the same area as the the clinic, and Heinz got some help this
cobalt ones, but less so on the ferrite Flamingo, but it w ill have more lift due year. Don Le Gower took care of elec­
magnets (regular motors). I see about to its flat-bottom airfoil. tronics, and Heinz’s son Adrian took
half an ampere difference on regular Heinz also flew his Olym pic II with a care of general repairs and replace­
magnets, I have not measured cobalt Mabuchi 550 motor on eight sub-C cells, ments. Bob Kopski held flight seminars
motors w ith and w ithout rings, so I can’t 3.3:1 reduction, with a 15-inch Carrera with questions and answers. Some of the
say how much difference there is for folding prop; and his four-m otor (020) problems that came up in the KRC clinic
those. plane. This one did wingover turns to
please the crowd. After that, the wind Continued on page 100

R IG H T : E le c tric
m o del o f F re n ch u t il­
ity plane, th e M H 1 5 2 1
Broussard. B e a u tifu l
w o rk m a n s h ip is
o b v io u s up on close
in s p e c tio n .

B ern ard's Schoolboy inna rds. S 22 servos are a

nice f i t as w e ll as being a go od servo at a good
p rice . U p p e r servo operates m ic ro s w itc h , lo w ­ Bruce Klees, o f A ncho rage , A laska, poses w ith h is O m n i tra n s m itte r and Super Sniffer w ith
er servos operate eleva tor, and ru d d e r. (Klees.) A s tro 035. Bruce is the e le c tric e x p e rt in th e fro z e n n o rth .

JANUARY 1984 25
 The B oeing H aw ks 1st A n n u a l E le c tric Race (1 9 8 2 ) saw q u ite a fe w Ohm -Y-G osh models
flo w n b y : (to p , le ft to rig h t) D o n Shepard, B ill S m ith , B ill W arner, Dave K a ta g iri, and
(b o tto m , le ft to rig h t) M itc h P oling, Ben A lm o ju e la . and B ern ard C aw ley.

OHM-Y-GOSH
By DAVE KATAG IR I . . . Here is a popular 05 electric racer
and fun plane that has really "taken o ff" in the Pacific North­
west It has a 300 sq. in. wing area and a very fast 15 oz.
wing loading. Why not start a one-design race in your area?

• Ohm-Y-Gosh is an electric powered, Cox 6-4 grey plastic prop performed

two-channel sport racer and interm e­
diate aileron-elevator aerobatic flyer.
The clever name for the model was a
contribution from Avis Cawley, wife of
Bernard Cawley, of the Boeing "H aw ks'’
R/C club. The model began as a simple
test vehicle on which to experiment with
the second generation “ 05" electric
flight systems. The design also satisfied
two other objectives: one was to develop
a new club event (not that we d on ’t have
enough already), and the other was to
have an aerobatic sport flyer that could
be used in several local fields where
engine noise would otherwise prevent
their use.
Ohm-Y-Gosh is sized for the 05 flight
systems that employ six or seven 1.2
a m p -h o u r cells. Leisure E lectronics
offers the 601 (Pattern) and 602 (Com­
petition) flight systems. Astro Flight has
its 05XL system as w e ll as the new
Challenger (cobalt) 05 system. None of
these systems inclu de s a safety fuse
which is highly recommended. Four
fuses were blown by the author while
logging 70 Mights which certainly saved a
motor or prevented a fire in each case. A
20 amp fuse was used satisfactorily for all
systems except the 05 cobalt on seven
cells which required a 25 amp fuse. The
the best with these systems.
Several p ro to ty p e s w ere made by
local flyers which were powered with A B O V E : B ill S m ith poses w ith h is O h m -Y -
the Leisure C om petition system using Gosh w h ic h fe a tu re s a ne at air scoop.
six cells. Flight duration with this system B E L O W : Dave K a ta g iri w ith o rig in a l m odel.
is about five minutes of high perfor­ Large stab y ie ld s e x c e lle n t p itc h s ta b ility .
mance flight. As an audible loss in rpm
begins, the m otor should be shut off.
The Pattern w in d m o to r w ill run a
couple of minutes longer, but with less
performance.
A s w itc h - o ff w ith d o w n e le v a to r
proved simple and adequate. A roller
coaster maneuver consisting of a pitch-
up followed by a quick full down w ill
shut the m otor off.
The Ohrr-V-Cos/i design is based on a
wing of 300 square inches to set the wing
loading at 15 ounces per square foot. At
this loading, the gliding performance is
similar to that of a 200 square inch 1/2A
model. Where it differs from the latter is
in power loading. Its performance is
short of its glow engine counterpart;
however, Ohm-Y-Gosh w ill cruise at 58
mph when powered with the Leisure
Com petition flight system (six-cell). This
is a very respectable speed considering
that it is an average two-way level entry
Continued on page 79

26 JANUARY 1984

• M ajor R/C soaring events can be as
much a social happening as a sporting
one. If you've ever been to a m ulti-club
or multi-state contest, you know what
I'm ta lk in g a bo ut. The exchange of
ideas, such as building tips, flying tech­
niques, weather phenomena, etc., is as
important to this glider guider as the
improvement in flying skills brought
about by the actual com petition. Friend­
ships started and renewed at the big
events can be as exciting and fun as any­
thing else. All of these are convincing
reasons for attending and competing
. . . but throw in a barbeque, a troup of
belly dancers, and the biggest trophies
you ever saw, and you come up with an
irresistable combination!
T o m B rig h tb ill, w in n e r o f th e 1 9 8 3 H i Jo h n ­
son M e m o ria l T ro p h y , fle w th is b e a u tifu l
Saratoga Windsong very w e ll. E -2 1 4 a irfo il.
28
By BI LL FORREY
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
11th ANNUAL FALL SOARING FESTIVAL
The first weekend of last October was
reserved on my calendar just for the
above named big event. The Fall Soaring
Festival (FSF) is hosted every year by the
Central Valley Radio C ontrol d u b (or
simply, the CVRC). The flying site for the
FSF this year, as it has been for the last
couple of years, was the CVRC home
field, just a few miles outside of the town
of Visalia, in California’s San Joaquin
Valley.
I w on ’t bore you w ith a lot of blow-by-
blow descriptions of who did what and
when, but I would like to highlight a few
of the more memorable things that went
down at the FSF.
The contest format was a T4 thermal
duration with a runway landing. T4 is
basically a “ 1 5 -m in u te a d d -’ e m -u p ”
contest where the fliers try to complete
three flights for a total of exactly 15
minutes. A point-per-second penalty is
given for flights over or under the magic
15 m inute mark, but the flier has his
option of just how long each flight can
be up to his last flight. The only limitation
is that no flig h t may exceed seven
K e ith K in d ric k is alw ays a c o n te n d e r f o r th e
n u m b e r one sp o t. He flie s a b e a u tifu l, m u lti­
c o lo r Gemini M T S (Bam e 2 5 3 5 1 5 se ctio n ).
T o m C o p p to o k to p h o n o rs a t th is ye a r's Fall
S oaring F estival hosted by th e C V R C in V isa l­
ia, C a lif. He fle w th is aile ro n Sagitta 650.
minutes.
The runway landing was throw n in to
e n co urag e “ s c a le -lik e ” landings. A
quick look at the photos this month will
reveal a few non-scale-like approaches
and “ dorks.” For the most part, the fliers
did have scale-like landings, if your used
your imagination! M y favorite landing
was Ed Case's one-point landing with his
Bird o f Tim e. . . or should I say 100-point
landing!
I would never have believed that a
four-foot by sixteen-foot strip of grass
would be so hard to hit! No, the sixteen-
fo o t d im e n s io n w asn 't the ru n w a y ’s
length, it was the 100-point section's
width, as it was for the entire runway. . .
The runway was sectioned o ff into 100,
75, and 50-point strips, each one succes­
sively larger and easier to achieve, but
also more embarrassing! To qualify for
the “ humble pie” 25-point landing, all
one had to do was hit the field and
manage to stay out of the launching area
and pits! To add insult to possible ego-
injury, the fliers were required to pass
Dave Joh nson, P o rtla n d , O re gon , to o k th ir d
place w ith his D odgson Camano. He flie s the
E-2 0 5 v ersio n. C o lo rs : w h ite . It. blue . navy.
MODEL BUILDER
L a rry J o lly launches D ennis B ra n d t's c o lo r fu l Pantera in to th e sky. H old i t rig h t the re. C ol. B o b Th acker, I have to load m y cam era!
Three Davey System s R etrie vers w ere present (o n ly tw o w ere used N o te ha rd w o rk in g w in c h personnel . . . .
c o n s is te n tly ) to launch 1 3 5 p ilo ts in six ro u n d s , fin is h in g e a rly !
B E L O W : B eau ty eve nt co n te n d e rs lin e up fo r ju d g in g .
through a "gate” of foam rubber pad­
ded fish in g rod blanks w ith b rig h t
orange flags. These were placed in front
of the runway and eight feet wider than
the runway .. . that's a total of 32 feet
separating the poles .. . but w ouldn’t
you know, several very well schooled
pilots managed to impede their forward
progress on those blasted things! Just
ask Larry Jolly!
The contest format was very low-key
and very fun. If I were a beginner, I
would not feel intimidated by it at all.
The pressure is off until the last round by
which time the "jitte rs” are pretty well
gone, and you are enjoying yourself! No
lift on your first flight? D on’t sweat it! team flie r ) , Larry Jolly (repeat Nats Thacker (w hatta g u y !), and M A N Y ,
You have two more flights! If your club w inner, Larry Jolly M odel Products), MANY MORE! In case you d id n ’t notice,
hasn’t tried this format, I’d recommend John Brown, Jr. (repeat Nats winner). these gentlemen came from as far away
it as a good one for those newcomers to Bob Dodgson (Dodgson Designs, second as Seattle, Washington, and San Diego,
try. Break ’em in easy! place finisher in 1983 Nats, Unlimited California.
Now, as for who was there . . . well, Class), Tom Brightbill (highest three- Mark Smith brought his newest design
135 fliers showed up with sailplanes to fly class point winner at the 1983 Nats, Hi to the FSF, and I had the o pportunity to
and the money to pay for the entry ($15). Johnson Mem. Trophy), Dave Johnson tim e for him on one of his flights with his
Among them were the more renowned (repeat w inner in Northwest Champs), as yet un-named craft. Needless to say,
w est coast flie rs by v irtu e o f th e ir Jerry Arana (repeat RCM Trophy Race Mark flew beautifully, as he always does,
a b ilitie s o r status as m an ufa ctu re rs: winner), Rich Spicer, Dennis Brandt, Al but beyond his skills as a p ilo t, that
Mark Smith (Mark's Models, US FAI/F3B and Keith Kindrick, Al Doig, Col. Bob darned sailplane looked g oo d! By that I

Steve George, o f V isalia, zeroes in o n a 1 0 0 -p o in t la n d in g w ith his m o d ifie d Paragon. Five R ich Spicer d e m o 's his g lid e r's d ive brakes,
ru n w a y s w ere chalked o u t o n th e fie ld . S co rin g w e n t 1 0 0 , 75, 50, and 2 5 p o in ts. O rig in a l design fe a tu re d p y lo n m o u n te d w in g .

JANUARY 1983 29
L u tm i E nterprise's Lew is C la rk poses w ith the Hijinks m u lti-ta s k D ennis B ra n d t poses w ith his B eau ty E vent w in n in g Pantera. The
sailplane. M o del flie s v e ry w e ll, and lo o k s n ic e ! plane was b a sica lly red w ith orange, y e llo w , w h ite , silve r, black trim .

Ed Case made th is ra th e r fu n n y lo o k in g “ scale-like'* la n d in g w ith D ell H e n ry d id a m a s te rfu l jo b o f C D ing 135 p ilo ts w ith h e lp fro m the
very good results . . . 100 p o in ts ! M o del is th e Bird of Time. C V R C c lu b . Bigger p ilo t tu r n o u t th a n the N ats! V e ry nice tro p h ie s !

mean aeslhetically and aerodynamically
it looked good. It is your typical three-
channel AM A thermal plane with a few
twists: its polyhedral wings are constant
taper in plan form , it has carbon fiber
spars, it has a fiberglass fuselage,spoilers
for glide path control, all-moving h ori­
zontal stabilizer, and (oh yes) it has fully
sheeted wings. Keep in mind that what I
saw was only a prototype, and as you
very well know, prototypes aren’t always
waht the kits are. I do find it encouraging
that Mark has entered the multi-task.
new generation soaring machine ring
because I’m sure his new design w ill be
very competitive. Unofficial word is that
Mark is shooting for a December or
January release date.
Larry Jolly was also there, but not with
prototypes. He flew his new Unlimited
Class M eteor, and I commandeered his
personal com petition Standard Class
Pantera. Both models are winners in the
truest sense of the w ord: they handle,
they cover ground, they thermal, and
they are very controllable when you
need to land them. Now, just because I
included a photo of Larry knocking over
one of the “ gates” on one of his ap­
proaches doesn’t contradict what I’ve
just said . . . if you had seen the incred­
ible sink that he had just flown through,
and if you had been in Larry’s shoes, you
probably would have tried to cut short
your base leg too and tried desperately
to make your final! Larry wasn’t alone in
his desperation, three other sailplanes
got caught in the same sinking, stinking,
“ d ow ner" and landed out . . . never

A n em barrasing m o m e n t fo r o n e o f th e w o rld 's p re m ie r p ilo ts . L a rry B ob Dodgson de m o n stra te s a ra th e r steep a p p ro a ch w ith his Wind-
J o lly tip s th e gate flag in f r o n t o f th e ru n w a y . Heavy s ink g o t h im ! song. W ith fla p s d o w n and ailerons up, th e plane can be "a im e d " .

30 MODEL BUILDER
 SECTION COORDINATES
even getting close to the runway! HQ - 2.5/8
X 0.00 .005 .012 .0 2 5 .050 .1 0 0 .150 .200 .2 5 0 .300 .3 5 0 .4 0 0 .500 .6 0 0 .7 0 0 .8 0 0 .8 5 0 .9 0 0 .9 5 0 1.00
As I said, I commandeered Larry’s Y u 0.00 . 008 . 013 . 021 .031 .043 . 051 .057 .060 . 062 .064 .063 .061 .054 . 044 . 031 .023 . 016 . 007 0.00
Pantera for this contest, and what a VI 0.00 -.0 04 -.007 -.0 0 9 -.0 1 1 -.014 -.015 -.016 -.016 -.016 -.016 -.0 15 -.011 -.006 -.0 0 0 .003 .004 .004 . 002 0 .00
sweetheart it is to fly! If you have ever
flown a really nice handling sailplane (I HQ - 2.5/9
prefer the Paragon as a . . . paragon . . .) X SAM E AS A B O V E
Yu 0.00 .0 0 9 .015 .023 .034 .047 .056 .061 .065 .067 .069 .068 .066 .0 5 8 .047 .0 3 2 .024 .017 .0 0 8 0.00
you w ill immediately feel and recognize Y l 0.00 . 004 -.008 .011 -.014 -.0 1 7 -.0 2 0 .021 -.021 .021 -.021 -.0 1 9 .0 1 6 -.0 1 0 .003 - 001 -.003 . 003 .002 0.00
the same qualities in the Pantera. How­
ever, put the nose down and LOOK FIG.1 T mboundary laye r tra n a itlo n
S. · boundary la y e r a e p a ra tio n
OUT! The Pantera w ill gladly eat up the U - upper aurface
real estate for you. L - low er aurlace

In this type of contest, or any type of /

s .u ,
contest where a bonus landing is part of —Re= 50000
the format, glide path control becomes — 100 000 / c ,(o ) '
very important. Winners don't miss very — 200 00 0
many 90 to 100-point landings. What I
like best about the Pantera is its wonder- HQ-2.5/8
r so/
fu lly balanced feel w h ile under the
influence of its spoilers. With the balance os- S e p a ra tio n b u b b la w arn in g cja) Λ
point right under thespar,there isavery Δ upp e r a u rfa c e oi
V low er a u rfa c e
mild and predictable pitch change when Tl
you pop the spoilers to full deflection.
S’
(The nose tends to point down.) If you -μ -f-
deploy them slowly . . . on a count of I I I
io is 10 / 20 05
one, two, three . . . the pitch change is
likewise very gradual, and you can slow T - boundary la y e r tra n a itlo n
it down w ith a little up stick very easily. FIG.2 $ - boundary layer a eparation
U - upper aurlace
Aristocrat might have been a better L - low er aurlace

name for the Pantera as it comes into the

landing area just floating along with its Re = SO000
nose in the air! 100 000
I’m not the best contest pilot around, 200 000
but that bird allowed me to take a ninth
place out of the 135 fliers at the FSF. HQ-2.5/9
Continued on page 87 0 5- S e p a ra tio n bubble w arnm o /
Δ upper
uooer a urlace
u rla ce
V lo w e r a u rla ce

FIG. 3 SECTION CHARACTERISTICS FOR FLAPPED AIRFO IL HQ 2.5/9

H Q -2 .5 / ) * F la p * 2%
1 11 Ί ...........
• · * 1
« = rs ffo o o to o 0 0 0 f ^
A

*«
b o c o c c / jo tio c
/ / 5 0 000 -
iv-- M
> r r i
i / y
/ T r r

w v
I t
M H in t 5
io ” o . 15°

W o rld F 3 B C h a m p io n R a lf D ecker and his Q uabeck a ir fo il da ta c o u rte s y o f D r. H e lm u t Q uabeck and W erner Thies (as it appeared in Flug
w in n in g plane. Uses Q uabeck 2 .5 /8 , 2 .5 /9 . + Modell-Technik in the Jan uary, F e b ru a ry , and J u ly 1 9 8 3 issues).

JANUARY 1984 31

By DICK HANSON
• We have had a sm ashing m o n th ,
thanks to a couple of radio failures. I
guess bad luck decided to be my com ­
panion this summer.
On a positive note, we have resolved
some past questions on prop design. I
would appreciate any inform ation you
may have on similar testing. The problem
was the lack of performance on large
diameter propellers . . . specifically, our
.60 0 5 VF just d id n ’t seem happy on 12-
inch diameter, 8-inch pitch propellers.
We did n ’t want to reduce the dia­
meter. so we took a different course of
action. We narrowed the blades and
thinned them out. The performance
came up as did the static rpm. The tach
showed about 13,000. This setup gave a
g oo d, steady, m o d e ra te ly fast level
flight, plus very good vertical perfor­
m ance. This test was repeated w ith
another even narrower propeller. The
horizontal speed remained unchanged,
but the verticals seemed a little weaker
. . . nothing conclusive.
The question now is does a short wide
rop pull as well as a long,skinny p ro p /f
oth nave the same pitch and both run
at the same rpm? The short, wide prop
should be slightly less noisy, but I’m
leaving the noise level out of the ques­
tion for now. I would appreciate any
comparable test results.
While you were pondering this, con­
sider the next test we have been running.
This time on the OS 1.2 4-cycle engine.
We found that the 4-stroke engine just
didn't lose rpm on vertical manuevers,
and although the 14-8 props worked
well, they d id n ’t seem to be working the
engine at its p o te n tia l. Because the
narrow 12-8 props helped the 2-cycle .60
engine, we thought we would try the
modifications. This time using a 15-10
prop narrowed considerably. The results
were quite good.
As you may kn o w , noise is not a
problem with these engines, in fact you
can barely hear them much of the time.
Along with this test we are trying to get
A N N U L A R C R IM P S
L ig h tw e ig h t g lo w p lu g clips can be made fro m 1 /8 d ia m e te r brass tu b in g . C rim p th e tu b in g using a d u ll tu b in g c u tte r, th e n s lo t w ith a D rem el
M o to -T o o l and d is k c u tte r. S older the w ire w e ll, a llo w in g th e so ld e r to flo w back in to in s u la tio n . B end w ire 9 0 degrees a fte r so lde ring . Slide
m e d iu m size, th ic k w a ll s ilic o n e ru b b e r tu b in g over th e c o n n e c tio n . T h is is the te n sioner as w e ll as th e in s u la to r. We have tested th e c irc u it
show n above w ith all th e g lo w plugs we c o u ld fin d and all w o rk e d w e ll . . . e x c e p t C ham pions.
32
S G >
our hands on some 12-inch pitch props,
13 to 15 inches in diameter for compari­
son.
As we fly the 4-cycle engine more, we
find that it has quirks that are different
than those we learned to handle when
learning the two-cycle engine. Here are
some hints we hope can help you.
1. M ount the engine sideways with
the exhaust stack down. This allows you
to prime plus purge excessive prim ing
easily.
2. Use a heavy leather glove or a
starter . . . these engines are real finger
eaters . . . they lay in wait for you to be
casual, then BANG! GOTCHA!
3. Use on-board glow plug heat with a
separate o n /o ff switch . . . the ideal
speed is usually to o high fo r lig h t
models, makes landings and taxing d iffi­
cult.
Remember, a 2000 rpm idle is only
1000 heat pulses per m inute, and that is
very marginal for most glow plugs. We
find that 1500 rpm idle is desirable, and
the idle heat makes transition to and
from this speed easy.
I have enclosed a drawing showing
how we do this. The total weight gain is
five ounces. Originally, I thought that I
could find a fuel set up that would
eliminate the need for idle heat but . . .
no luck!
4. Drive pins for the propeller are not
mandatory but are of help. There must
be a better setup than drilling a hole
pattern for all those bolts in every prop!
Maybe some kind of a cup that captures
the prop and locks it to a backplate. At
any rate, you w ill find that the props
tend to require a lot of compression on
the drive washer.
Now that we (hopefully) have the
rules for 1984 Pattern solidified, it looks
like we can all try turnaround pattern . . .
novice or expert, it doesn’t matter. Just
join in.
Also, in case you hadn’t noticed, FAI
Pattern is not flown in novice,sportsman,
etc., divisions . . . this may sound bad to
R ETRACT
OR FLA P
SERVO
f G L O W P LU G
M IC R O S W ITC H
A U T O M O T IV E W IR E
/
CONNECTORS
r j h p q
some novice flyers, but I would like to
offer a comment or word of encourage­
ment.
I have seen many raw beg in ne rs
progress to very proficient flyers in just
two years of com petition. The key of
course, is determ ination and construc­
tive practice. I’ve mentioned before,
and w ill probably say again, that learning
to fly is much like learning to play a
m usical in s tru m e n t. You advance in
plateaus, and the rate of advancement is
determ ined by your adherence to a
constructive lesson plan. However, If
you feel that you only have the ability to
be a beginner-class flyer, rest assured,
you w ill be.
Two or three years ago we did a series
on flying the A M A pattern. Subse­
q u e n tly , some o th e r m agazines did
similar abbreviated articles. As yet, we
d on ’t have any com petitive background
in FAI flying using the new guidelines
for noise and space, but we have been
w orking hard on developing models
which w ill fit the rules and be easy to fly.
To do this, we have had to rely on past
experience w ith our Tiporare designs.
Time w ill tell which style of flying is
the most favorable among United States
FAI contest flyers, but as the old saying
goes, "You got to start somewhere,” so
we w ill attempt to offer a program that is
basic and should give you additional
ideas on equipm ent and techniques
which work well in FAI flying.
To th o s e o f yo u w h o get M o d e l
Builder in nations other than the USA,
you may find our approach to the new
pattern differs from yours. If you have
ideas which you think can be of benefit
to us, please w rite to me care of M odel
Builder, P.O. Box 10335, Costa Mesa, CA
92627.
P.S. The tests we were to include on
the new O.S. Wankle are not complete
as yet, but weare really encouraged with
the performance so far.
Till next m o n th ,. . ·
MOTOR M O U N T
S U B " C " N IC A D G L O W P LU G C L IP
1 4 6 A W IR E T H R O U G H O U T
MODEL BUILDER
 A B O V E : (2 ) Classic s h o t o f a Joe O tt Mr. Mulligan b u ilt b y
Joh n G om ez, S A M 32. D o w lin g p h o to .

L E F T : (1) N o id le boast a b o u t th is In te rn a tio n a l P a cific

A ce C ham p io n sh ip s . . . ove r 2 5 en tries!

p m
By JOHN POND
/ backlog of models to pick from , ranging
/ \
• This columnist commented several
months ago that it takes special gimmicks
to draw the contestants nowadays. The
recent meet staged by SAM 27 is the
proof of this.
As pointed out a year or so ago, when
SAM 27 and the Marin MAC were having
their hilarious challenge contests, they
decided discretion was the better part of
valor and ended up by joining forces.
This has led to an annual contest consist­
ing of free flight and R/C, both O /T
o rie n te d . The free flig h t section is
dominated by rubber type models, the
m m
most popular being the old M odelcraft
design, Pacific Ace 30. This special event
has proven to be extremely popular as
Photo No. 1 shows only a small portion
of the entries . . . the balance, flying of
course!
The SAM 27 Annual was held next to
the Olive Tennis and Swimming Club,
the field being an adjunct of this presti­
gious sport center. The field had been
under water for better than six months.
When it finally dried out, the marsh grass
was abundantly high. It took two days to
clear an area suitable for both types of
flying.
Tom Brennan, leader of the rubber
faction, is to be highly commended for
his follow -on act, the ]oe O tt flying scale
e ve n t, w here any Joe O tt design is
permitted. Of course, some o f Joe O tt’s
designs w eren’t the best for scale as the
emphasis was on flying, but because of
Joe’s versatility, there are a tremendous
from 16 inches to 50 inches.
Photo No. 2 illustrates the foregoing
very nicely. The Ben Howard Mr. M u lli­
gan DGA-8 (DGA stands for Damn Good
Airplane, incidentally) model was built
by Maj. (ret) John Gomez of San Ramon.
John is a SAM 32 spark plug and prolific
b u ild e r. His Joe O tt ve rsion o f the
Stinson SM-1 last year was the sensation
of the first Joe O tt contest. U nfortu­
nately, his model flew too well and was
lost for most of the day.
As a sidelight, the reader might be
interested in the fact that Joe O tt spon­
sors this event. When first inform ed of

3. One h u n d re d to ta l years o f m o d e llin g : Charles W erle and John

P ond h o ld m odel w h ic h is v e ry s im ila r to w h a t was flo w n back in 4. John D ro b s h o ff w o n th e Texaco event w ith th is O.S. .6 0 4 -cycle
1 9 3 3 . D o w lin g p h o to . p o w e red L a m o Record Breaker. John is seen here tu n in g engine.

JANUARY 1984 33
5. N ic k S a n fo rd (R ) describes h o w he w ill f l y his Ralph Low e V-Tail 6. A "be eg o n e " ! J im C aughram is n e a rly d w a rfe d b y his Yates
to W ild B ill. L o st ta il u n d e r po w e r. D o w lin g p h o to . Ten-Foot Model. B e a u tifu l tra n s p a re n t cove ring. (D o w lin g .)

the idea, Joe was q u ite e n th usia stic
about the O tt contest. Joe O tt (Ott is
short for O tto) is an amazing fellow. At
83, he looks, acts, and talks models like
he did 50 years ago. His latest creation,
the R/C trainer, the Golden Eagle, as
manufactured by the St. Croix Co., is an
excellent example of his adaptability to
new ideas and the production of original
designs. Latest word has it, this model is
an excellent R/C trainer.
The ru b b e r p o rtio n (and fo r that
matter, the whole contest) featured an
extremely low-key air. W hile the flying
was e xce lle n t, it seemed th e re was
always time to spare for visiting, bull
sessions, and trying out new models.
Photo No. 3 shows what can happen to
you when you are getting along in years.
You seem to retrogress. The all balsa
biplane being wound by Charlie Werle
and held by John Pond is an excellent
example of one type of model built in
the early thirties. As noted on the photo
caption, Pond and Werle have known
each other for over 50 years. Notice O tto
Bernhardt (no spring chicken himself) in
the background getting a big kick out of
the proceedings.
M od ele rs w ill rem e m b e r the o u t­
standing Reid Hull Contest Stick model
kit put out by Charlie Werle. This kit was
so complete, sporting an entirely hand
carved propeller, that all it seemed one
had to do was to put an open bottle of
Hot Stuff in the kit box, shake well, and
out would come a completed model.
There have been numerous requests for
Charlie to resume production of this kit.
W rite to Werle Mfg. Co., 3620 Morse,
No. 8, Sacramento, CA 95821.
Werle is presently producing a line of
all balsa stick type models ranging from
an R.O.G. to a high performance stick
job to a sport twin boom tractor. These
are presently being made for a local
distributor, but if your club is looking for
something to get the beginner started
on, you might do well to contact Charlie
a bo ut the a v a ila b ility o f his lin e of
models. They are beautiful performers.
Getting over to the radio controlled
portion of Old Timer flying, a pleasant
shock was in store for the boys as Don
Bekins was the Contest Director. Assuch
he did not fly competitively. This was
kinda nice as it gave the boys a real break
for a change, and did serve to lower the
high com petition mood.
For a change, the Texaco events were
held on the first day (Saturday) which
allowed flying until four o ’clock. Sunday
featured the Limited Engine Run events
which can be run off more quickly and
allows the contest to be closed earlier
(approximately 3 p.m.). This gives the
long distance traveler a real break in
traffic as he can get through most o f the
cars before getting piled up in all the
Sunday drivers.
As a major breakthrough, John Drob-
shoff finally won the Texaco event using
a Lanzo Record Breaker powered by an
O.S. 60 four-cycle engine as can be seen
in Photo No. 4. John has been o ut
ra c tic in g and th e results are now
eginning to show.
W hile we are on a “ Russian kick,”
Photo No. 5 shows Nick Sanford (origi­
nal name anglicized) with a beautiful
Ralph Lowe V-tailed model known as
the Swallow. Unfortunately, whether it
was due to inexperience w ith V-tails, or
the model was too sensitive, Sanford was
able to tear the tail off under power.
Truly a shame to wreck this gorgeous
model.
Sanford built the model after Pond
had drawn full-size plans based on Zaic’s
latest year book. This w riter (as well as
S anford) can re m e m b e r fo n d ly the
marvelous floating characteristics of this
model back in 1937. Powered by an

7. H ere's a re a lly b e a u tifu l fly in g s h o t o f O tto B e rn h a rd t’ s Raider 8. W haddaya d o in ' S olenberger? W a itin g fo r th e b la n k e ty -b la n k
seconds be fore the m odel shed its w in g and crashed. O tto o n ly fre q u e n c y pin? Seen here is a b e a u tifu l 1 /2 A T e xaco versio n o f th e
had i t a irb o rn e 2 0 seconds! D o w lin g p h o to . Alva Anderson Pylon. D o w lin g p h o to .

34 MODEL BUILDER
9. Jo h n P ond 's O rw ic k pow ered R /C Sailplane (C arl G o ld b e rg design). 10. Ron D om b rose com es loaded to eve ry fre e flig h t m e et w ith
T h is is w h a t y o u d o w ith y o u r o ld free flig h ts . M ik e C lancy assists gassies. S h o w n here are ju s t a fe w ! Gee, a n o th e r co u p le o f Carl
P ond. D o w lin g p h o to . G o ld b e rg designs: Interceptor, Sailplane.

Ohlsson Gold Seal, il did 28 minutes on
its first official flight. This flight proved to
be no flu k e as many o th e r g ra cefu l
flights were recorded thereafter.
Ralph died of a heart attack at his
residence in San Jose in the forties. We
feel extremely fortunate that Frank Zaic
had the three-views after all these years
and has finally made them available to
the m o d e lin g fra te rn ity . We had all
fig u re d the m odel design die d w ith
Lowe. Great day in the m orning!
If you think this w riter is a nut for big
m odels, take a lo o k at Photo No. 6
show ing A M A C ontest C o o rd in a to r,
Dist. X, Jim Caughram, with his huge
Ten-Foot Yates Cabin model. Jim reports
that if you build the model exactly as the
plans show, the model comes out too
heavy (Yates was like Joe Weathers as he
used lots of oversized wood). Jim aban­
doned the first fuselage and built a new
one a half-pound or so lighter. This has
resulted in a lovely eight-pound model
that has a beautiful glide. As can be seen
in the p h o to , Jim used tran spa ren t
m onokote to show of fhis superlative
framing job.
This contest featured quite a few aerial
breakups. Whether it was over co n tro ll­
ing or not, the structures being too
weak, or some vertical shear currents in
the air, the sky was raining m odel parts
for a while. Photo No. 7 shows O tto
Bernhardt's w ell-b u ilt La Torre Raider in
full flight. U nfortunately, around the 30-
second mark, the wingsabruptly sheared
back and the fuselage became im m edi-
agely a javelin, impaling itself in a line of
oak trees bordering the field. It took the
better part of an hour to fish out the
im p o rta n t parts, lik e th e ra d io set,
motor, etc. Another pretty m odel bit the
dust . . . so to speak.
Bernhardt qualified as the modeler
w ho came the longest distance to the
meet driving from Gardena (below Los
Angeles) to Novato (30 miles above San

VIVELL TWIN "60" SCALE

DRAWN BY ALLEN POND

6"

JANUARY 1984 35
11. L a rry C la rk 's F o o -2 -U -2 seems to f l y b e tte r every year. (A va ila b le
as/WS Plan No. 11 75-O .T .)
Francisco). O tto is a very active modeler
and is the real spark plug of SAM 49. He
has gone into the model business fu ll­
time producing ignition conversions of
glow engines, shielded ignition systems,
timer assemblies, spark plugs, and many
other accessories so necessary for the
upkeep of the ignition engine. For those
modelers who may be unaware of his
business, O tto runs a company known as
77 Products, 17119 So. Harvard,Gardena,
CA 90247. Being a tool and die maker
(machinist par excellence), many pro­
jects not normally available through
standard sources can be obtained from
Otto. In short, besides his standard lines,
he is a specialist in modeling parts.
Getting on with the photos. No. 8 is a
familiar sight . .. waiting on the fre­
quency pin. The model shown is a half­
size version of the Alva Anderson Pylon
13. A n o ld s h o t o f th e 4 2 n d Fresno F /F A n n u a l, C o n te s t M anager, J im C ro c k e t Diesel
pow ered C on so lid a te d fíoamer.
36
12. A r t W atkins, S A M 32, tunes his O hlsson 19 p o w e re d Bay Ridge
Mike, a R ay H e it design.
m o d e l, th e fo re ru n n e r o f the p ylo n
models. This 1/2A Texaco model per­
forms so much better than its big
brother, it is astonishing! Ed Solenberger
(left) has had a long string of victories in
this event .. . using this model exclu­
sively!
Ever want to know what to do with
your old free flights? Well, d on ’t throw
them away! Photo No. 9 is an example of
a tw e n ty -y e a r-o ld free flig h t m odel
which was converted to R/C . .. four
years ago. (Finally finished it this year!)
Pow ered by an O rw ic k 64, th e R/C
model shows every bit as much promise
as the free flight model did. The photo
shows Pond cranking the m otor with
lo n g -tim e R /C g lid e r e x p e rt, M ik e
Clancy, holding.
As a tip for those who hate to pull off
the old tissue or paper, then having to
sand the structure clean, this w riter ran
into some fantastic stuff twenty years
ago that fills the bill admirably. A paint
rem ove r ca lle d "S try p -e e z e ” is the
greatest thing since peanut brittle. All
one has to do is to brush the solution
onto the doped area over the wood,
then wait ten minutes. The tissue then
pulls off easily! If it doesn’t work the first
time, a second application generally cuts
through the heaviest of dope jobs.
Not all paint removers work. As a
matter of fact, this product was the only
one that worked on dope. Over a period
of years, the Savogram Co. (Los Angeles)
has changed the name o f the p aint
remover to “ Kutzit” . The new product
although good, does not quite cut it like
th e o ld S try p -e e z e , b u t it does an
adequate job, i.e., removing paper from
the base wood.
One word of warning on this stuff:
inasmuch as it inhibits dope and dis­
solves it to the point where the covering
can be easily removed, it also attacks the
glue jo in ts . This w rite r has fo u n d it
necessary, after getting the complete
structure down to wood, to lightly sand
the fram e to get rid o f any o f the
inh ibito r on the surface, then to reglue
all the dihedral joints. You’ll be sorry if
you don’t!
Well, we have been yakking enough
about the contest, miscellaneous trivia,
and that sort, so it is about tim e we gave
you the results. We do not have the
results of the rubber events as Tom
Brennan took o ff before the end of the
meet.
SAM 27 ANNUAL RESULTS
CLASS A
1. John Pond ............... Playboy Jr.
2. Ron Kiel ......................... Playboy
CLASS B
1. Ed Solenberger ........ Playboy Jr.
2. Nick Sanford ........... Playboy Jr.
3. John Pond ..................... Playboy
CLASS C
1. Ed S o le n b e rg e r........ Playboy Jr.
2. Jim K y n c y ................... Anderson
3. Charles C r itc h ................. Ehling
MODEL BUILDER
A B O V E : (1 4) T his is an actu al s h o t o f D anner
B unch ta k in g o f f in his S.E. 5, circa 19 31-32.
R IG H T : (1 5) I ť s 1934. and D ann er B unch is
sho w in g o f f his la te s t ru b b e r design, the
Stratosphere.

TRUE ANTIQUE
1. O tto Bernhardt ............... Lanzo
2. Nick Sanford ............... Swallow
ANTIQUE
1. Jim K y n c y ....................... Dallaire
2. Nick Nicholau ............... Dallaire
3. John D ro b s h o ff............... Lanzo
TEXACO
1. John D ro b s h o ff............... Lanzo
2. Charles C r itc h ............... Dallaire
3. Paul Forrette ................. Cumulus
1/2A TEXACO
1. Jim K y n c y ............... Interceptor
2. Ed Solenbereer ......... Anderson
3. Nick Sanford .. . Little Diamond
ELECTRIC
1. Jim Ogg ............................ M ike another, he stocked (or would order) fu ry and the re s u lta n t ra tio n in g o f
2. Jim Kyncy ....................... Playboy just a bo ut any e n g in e the m o d e le r materials, foodstuffs, etc.
3. Al Fabian ....................... Playboy evinced an interest in. Although metal could not be obtained
Of note in the Electricevent,unknown About 1940, after the Comet engine for such non-m ilitary products as model
to Frank FJeacox, founder of SEAM, fiasco w ith Jack Keener, Vivell struck up engines. Keener had an excellent back­
(Society of Electric Airplane Modelers), a deal to produce an improved version log o f parts and materials. Hence, during
the dates of the event were switched, called the Vivell 35. The engine had no the war, the reader would occasionally
putting Texaco and the Electric event on sooner hit the hobby dealers’ shelves,
Saturday. Poor Frank drove all the way than W orld War II broke out with all its Continued on page 91
from Los Angeles on Sunday! Anyway,
he did give the boys a good showing in
how to make Old Timer Electric models
fly.
Also w orth m entioning was the Satur­
day evening banquet featuring French
cuisine. Maryann and I thought the food
was o ut o f this w o rld ! The French
vintage wine was $16.00 a bottle! For that
price it had to be good! Movies of the
Sacramento State Fair Championships
from 1933 to 1940 were presented by
Nick Sanford. This is when the State Fair
was the big m eet o f the year. Real
nostalgia seeing shots of a slim Irwin
Ohlsson, Bill Atwood, and a host of
other famous modelers.
ENGINE OF THE MONTH
When you talk about Earl Vivell, you
are talking about one of the earliest
hobby dealers in San Francisco. This
w riter can remember vividly purchasing
a Baby R.O.C. kit in 1929 at his shop
located opposite the old Alexandria
Theatre at 18th Avenue and Geary
Street.
Vivell eventually expanded his shop to
become a distributor of model engines 16. Sid S u th e rla n d , E ngland, poses w ith his Class C M e gow Soaring Eagle. M o d e l is Super
in the 1935-40 era. A t one tim e or C y c lo n e po w e red . (B u ilt fr o m John P ond plans.)

JANUARY 1984 37
 By JIM REYNOLDS . . . The popularity of the 1/2A Texaco Old Timer event is on the upswing. If you are
looking for a model to compete with, or just have fun with, this 82 percent Berkeley Brigiclier w ill fill the bill.

• I ho 1/2A Texaco version of the Brigi- 1/2A Texaco. By reducing it 18 percent, point right, w ithout punching holes in
(lio r (the spelling of the B rigid ie r is the wing span c arne to 45 inches and the the fuselage covering. The plans show
Berkeley’s not mine, not Webster’s) was wing area was just under 300 square the location of my radio equipment. My
built to generate some interest here in inches. It looked good on paper. There servos were put in with thin servo tape,
the San Antonio area for the Texaco was enough room in the cabin area for but servo rails could be used. too.
event. From what I have road, heard, and two Ac e R/C Bantam servos, a 225 mah The landing gear wire slides up into a
personally experienced. 1/2Λ Texaco is battery pack, and a Royal Vanguard slot made by some 1/16 ply pieces glued
a truly lun event If you have been flying receiver. to the 1/32 ply fuselage doublers. It is
more, and enjoying it less, give 1/2A There is nothing unusual about the then epoxied in place.
Texaco a try. Brigidier's construction. The wing and The needle valve of the Blackwidow
Any SAM approved Old lim er model the tail were completed first, so they was too short to clear the top of the
can be used, that is. models designed, co u ld be attached to an u nco vered fire w a ll. An e xtension was made by
k itte d , o i plans p u b lish e d p rio r to fuselage. This way you can move the RC
December 31. 042. It can be scaled up equipment around to get the balance Continued on page 80
or down to any si/e. The engine must be
a Cox Babybee, Goldenbee. or Black-
widow. The fuel tank is lim ited to the
8 cc stunt lank that comes with the
Goldenbee or Blackwidow. And finally,
the model must weigh a m inimum of
eight ounces for each square foot of
wing area. The object is to stay airborne
15 minutes on 8 cc of fuel.
I chose the Brigidier as a 1/2A Texaco
model because I had built a Berkeley
Brigidier kit when I was a kid. back in the
40’s. It was my first gas model. The model
was never llown with power because I
could not afford the engine. However,
with the correct weight rock in the nose,
it had a beautiful glide! I have never
forgotten that model.
The original Brigidier had a wing span
of 55 inches and a wing area of about 445 A t 1 6 -1 /2 ounces, th is 3 0 0 squ are-inch w in g area O /T is a real fe a th e r. T h re e -m in u te engine
square inches. It seemed loo big for runs p ro d u c e n e a rly o u t-o f-s ig h t clim b -o u ts . A u th o r's m o d e l was covered using S ilkspan.

—
38 MODEL BUILDER
JANUARY 1984 FULL-SIZE PLANS AVAILABLE - SEE PAGE 98 39
 A S aito T w in .9 0 fo u r-c y c le engine p o w e red
D on H a rris' (S eattle, W ash.) O rlin e S o p w ith
Pup very n ic e ly . M o d e l w eighed 1 0 -1 /2 lbs.,
and fle w re a lis tic a lly .

THE ROC’S FIRST ANNUAL

BIG BIRD BASH
The story is timeless . . . and simple.
Man gets his loins all fired up by a
challenge, and then proceeds to get on
w ilh it.
And so it was with the newly formed
Puget Sound Rocs (IM AA Chapter 108),
who with much guts and gusto started
planning for a July BIG Bird Bash on the
very same cold January m orning that all
fifteen decided to throw in together.
The “ guts” figured into it because the
Rocs had no roost of their own .. .
although the Mt. Rainier Radio Control
Society (MRRCS) came to the rescue and
donated their field for our two-day fly-
in. The "gusto” part because it wasn't as
if there hadn’t been any BIG airplane
activity in the Northwest; the boys in
Northern Oregon and the Canadians
from Boundry Bay had already held at
least one (each) h a p p e n in g o f th e ir T w o d iffe re n t m odels o f the F le e t Finch. B o th are Q uadra p o w e red and w e ig h 21 to 2 2 lbs.
own. But all of these had been lim ited in Bruce E d w a rd 's version is in the fo re g ro u n d , Le onard Bosm an's is in th e b a ckg ro u n d .
attendance mainly because no large
scale p u b lic ity cam paigns had been There’s absolutely no doubt that we like the crowds of spectators during that
attempted. create more genuine interest, and pre­ third weekend in July, literally fell all
So, the Rocs dove right in. In addition sent a better, more respectable image over them selves g e ttin g to the M t.
to the usual mailing of flyers to area than any other group of flyers. I know Rainier field to see what it was all about.
clubs,hobbyshopsand known modelers, for a fact that neither the Tacoma paper Because it wasn’t our field, we got
we also utilized the AM A and IM AA nor any of the three TV channels that some flack about the expected number
club lists, and the IM AA membership list taped us would have shown any interest of spectators; a few prophets of doom
for District XI. This was how we con­ whatsoever if we had been trying to get peeked at their crystal balls and forecast
tacted most o f the 40 pilots w hoattended coverage for the smaller, noisy, "greasy- uncontrollable hordes who would p il­
the bash. A few of the pilots and the 2000 kid-stuff.” None of those media people lage and plunder, and in general lay
plus spectators were reached via news­ had ever seen, or heard of quarter-size waste to their flying site. Of course none
papers and some exceptionally good TV birds powered by chainsaw, weedtrim - of this happened because none of these
exposure. mer, and BIG four-stroke engines, and "soothsayers” were BIG Bird Lovers;

G o rd o n H o ffe r’ s B y ro n C A P 21 weighs 1 5 -3 /4 lbs. e q u ip p e d w ith The o n ly C h ris te n Eagle entere d in th e R oc’ s F ly -In was flo w n by
Q uadra engine and M ic k e y M ouse p ilo t. L a rry C ochrane (L e w is to n , Ida .). W eighed 21 lbs.. Q ua dra po w e red .

40 MODEL BUILDER
E m il N eele y's Monocoupe 90A w eighed 15 p o unds and proved to S c ra tc h -b u ilt C u rtiss Robin b y P u ya llu p 's Bruce Gale. B ruce had
be v e ry ae roba tic. Q uadra engine p u lle d it along v e ry n ic e ly . M o del flo w n th e fu ll-size Robin and c o u ld n 't resist m a kin g a qu arter-size
had b e a u tifu l cream c o lo re d fin is h w ith red and black trim . version. A Q ua dra 5 0 m o tiv a te d its 3 5 lbs o f g ra v ita tio n a l a ttra c tio n .

they were Pattern and Quickie people are gonna come from. O ur roster grew ann ua l fly -in . Besides a n u m b e r o f
who had never been fortunate enough by a whopping 25 percent due to the Canadians, and guys from Oregon and
to experience the very predictably warm interest and curiosity we generated that eastern Washington, we welcomed a
and friendly interest . . . and respect. . . Saturday and Sunday. few Northern Californians and a baker’s
shown by visitors. The n o ve lty of a How about the 40 pilots? Well, they dozen from Idaho.
Pattern or Q uickie contest soon wears had one helluva good time and are Wasn’t at all surprised by the eleven
thin because all the birds look the same lo o k in g fo rw a rd to the R oc’s 2nd four-strokers that snowed up, which was
(and in fact, must be, in order to stay Annual BIG Bird Bash in 1984. . . and all one m ore than th e to ta l a m o u n t of
competitive), and all fly the same boring were in total agreement that lots of Quadras on the field . . . but still can’t
schedule. Even a Sunday at the local RC fly in g tim e and no c o m p e titio n or account for the complete lack of W W -II
c lu b ’s fie ld b ecom es u n in te re s tin g tro p h ie s m ade th e m ve ry h a p p y fo f Warbirds among all those 56 aircraft;
before too long due to the very unrealis­ course, the nice flying weather helped). Mustangs, Jugs, and Corsairs are usually
tic sound of the “ angry m osquito” glow Only three of those 40 made any m en­ p e re n n ia l fa vo rite s. Pitts and C AP’S
engines and the "Saturn Rocket” way tion about being bothered by the trees never did show up in force, either. Only
these o v e rp o w e re d and in e ffic ie n t (the M t. Rainier Field is scenic, but not one Byron, and one scratch-built Sheber
planes are flown. quite optim um for a bevy of BIG Birds), Pitts were present and accounted for,
But give these same spectators a with one of them adding that he thought while only one CAP 20 and three CAP
bunch of BIG Birds, and they’ll linger the s itu a tio n a ctua lly m ade him fly 21’s made it to our social. Most of the
happily for hours . .. staying behind the better. It was. truly, an outstanding first birds were well built, very well finished,
barriers although chomping at the bit
for a chance to get some good, close-up
pictures. The basic reason for this d iffe r­
ence in attitude and interest boils down
to the fly-in being what it is . . . a relaxed,
low-key social gathering of BIG Bird
people. As it’s not a contest, every pilot
builds and brings his favorite birdie (or
tw o ), so the fie ld is covered w ith a
myriad of different, colorful biggies.
Because the planes are not look-alikes,
and because no one has a set pattern to
fly, each flight then becomes delightfully
different.
On both days, the hundreds of o n ­
A l A lm a n 's quarter-scale Sig Clipped Wing Cub fle w ju s t lik e th e fu ll-size Cub. P ow er is sup p lie d
lookers present requested some picture­ b y a M a gnum .91 S 4 -cycle engine. Weighs 1 4 -1 /2 lbs. at T /O . See th e p r o d u c t review , page 12.
taking time, and both days we closed the
flightline for about a half hour, giving
everyone a chance to take pictures and
talk to the pilots. This desire to get
more involved with the planes and their
pilots stems from the spectators ability to
identify (with) the miniature aircraft;
they look just like the full-size birds seen
flying overhead and parked at local
a irp o rts. And because all o f this is
to p p e d o ff by the fin al touches of
realism . . . size and sound . . . the non­
modelers are hooked. I can't imagine a
BIG Bird Fly-In w ithout spectators, and
more than I can imaginean EAA Fly-In at
Oshkosh w ithout their usual, never-
ending crowds.
There are other sound reasons why
spectators figure so prom inently in our
plans; they’re a solid source of revenue
when raffling off that six-channel rig,
fig u rin g yo u r fa ir share o f the fo o d
wagon’s gross, and levying a reasonable
parking fee. Also, even more im por­ T e le visio n and new spaper p ro m o tio n he lp ed a ttra c t m a n y spectators. T w o m o re ro w s o f seated
tantly, this is where many new members pe ople land sta n d in g people b e hind th e m ) w ere le ft o u t o f th is p h o to . N ice, o rd e rly c ro w d !

JANUARY 1984 41
Ray B la tť s 1/3-scale Sheber Pitts in red, w h ite , and b lu e p a in t scheme
lo o k e d good in th e a it and on the g ro u n d . M o d e l w eighed 2 5 pounds,
and needed its R oper 3 .7 to be e ffe c tiv e flie r.
S a n d p o in t, Idaho, was represented b y Ted F a rm in and h is Nosen Citabria. W eighs 2 0 po unds
w ith a W ebra 1 .2 0 u p fr o n t.
and reflected the amount of pride their
owners had . . . but, of all these impres­
sive labors of love, my favorite was the
scratch-built 96-inch DeHavilland Tiger
M oth that belonged to Ray Broomfield
from Salem, O re g o n . Her lo w w ing
lo a d in g upped her e ffe c tiv e p ow er
loading, allowing the 23-pound Quadra
powered beauty to F-L-Y just like the
real M oth . . . majestically.
Although there’ve been those w ho’ve
bitterly resented and opposed the air­
w o rth in e ss in s p e c tio n because they
took it as a personal affront, this safety
procedure has now become a standard
part of every IM AA Fly-In . . . and pilots
M ig h ty im pressive d e H a v illa n d Tiger Moth b y R ay B ro o m fie ld , Salem , O regon. T h is was a
biggie: 9 6 -in c h span, 2 3 lbs., and Q uadra 35cc engine.
42
A n o th e r re n d itio n o f th e Monocoupe 90A, th is one b y R on A ld e r, o f
Tacom a, Wash., w eighed in a t 1 4 -1 /2 lbs. Used geared O.S. M ax .6 0
fo r pow er.
have come to appreciate the mutual
safety and peace of mind it offers. In
ke ep in g w ith the safety th e m e , we
lim ite d the n u m b e r of p ilo ts in the
"b o x ” to f o u r . . . also making it manda­
tory for each pilot to have his own safety
man. It all worked out very well; every­
one had the opportunity to fly just about
as often as he wanted to . .. and I gotta
point out here that we only had two
"hangar queens” sitting on their duffs.
Most everyone had come to fly . . . and
fly is what they did.
Incidentally, this first annual fly-in of
ours was free; no landing or registration
fee at all. It was a successful attempt to
attract a maximum amount o f pilots and
planes . . . and we took up the slack by
raffling off a six-channel R/C rig at the
field, which really brought in the bucks.
The lucky p ilo ts w hose names w ere
pulled every hour received BIG Bird
type goodies .. . props, tanks, fuel line,
heavy duty servo arms, plugs, oil, ad­
hesives, a kit, and even free eats.
As for the gory details . . . yes. there
was some of that goin’ on, too. Between
a bad solder join t that caused some very
functional flying wires to fail, tree tops
that had more than the usual amount of
vacuum, and a pilot vying for “ The Dum-
Dum of the Year Award,” a few of the
nicer aircraft were totalled. However,
nobody bought the farm due to a fre­
quency problem , and we were using all
the new freqs, too.
The quality and caliber of the flying
was the best I’ve seen considering most
of us came out of the closet not too long
ago. And this is probably because our
birds are staying together much longer
. .. so w e’re getting to fly them more.
We really have come a long way in the
past five to six years; we’ve learned how
to design and build better, and lighter,
so that success is now the rule rather
than the exception.
Here’s good news for that third week­
end in July '84; th e Rocs have just
acquired their own big, flat, open, flying
field, so you can look forward to a bigger
and better 2nd Annual BIG Bird Bash.
Just circle that third weekend in July on
your new calendar very year, ’cause
that’s when our annual fly-in's are going
to be held.
FUEL PUMPS . . . ARRRRGH!
I thought the fuel pump problem had
finally been solved with the Black &
Decker "Jackrabbit.” Remember how I
described in glowing terms how well
built it was and how well it worked. At
that tim e the pumps I personally knew
about, and tried, were a year old and
showing no bad effects from heavy use.
H ow e ver. . .u p ju m p e d th e d e v il.a n d
in the few months since then, both of
those Jackrabbits have gone to hell in a
handbasket. They lasted longer than
most pumps sold in hobby shops.. . but
that just ain't good enough. How come
we can p ut m en on th e m oon and
receive good pictures of Saturn’s rings,
but can’t turn out a hand pump that w ill
hang in there and w on ’t go to pieces
MODEL BUILDER
V in ce R ainie r. Post Falls, Idaho, b ro u g h t th is 28 p o u n d Gere Sport T e rry M u g g li, S pokane, Wash., b ro u g h t m ore th a n one b ird to the
w ith a K io r itz up fr o n t. F ly - In : th e ,9 0 -p o w e re d Cosmic Wind (p ic tu re d ) and a Z lin 2 5 0 L .

and quite frankly, I d on ’t even want to

A t A lm a n 's Q uadra-pow ered F a irc h ild 2 2 -7 -A T . Flies w e ll at 21 pounds. W o u ld yo u believe
th a t it's v e ry close to scale?
inside of a year's use? I’ve been using
mine for a good six months and so far, so
good . . . but, as I d on ’t believe much in
coincidence, these two failed pumps
have me concerned. Right now the best
advice I can give is not to buy a lackrabbit
if you haven't already done so . .. and to
keep a close and jaundiced eye on the
one you may be already using.
Bruce Edwards, w ho’s pump was the
first to distintegrate, says he’s going back
to using an airbulb to pressurize his fuel
can with. He never had any problems
w ith this ra th e r sim ple setup, and
switched to the lackrabbit only because
it transferred fuel faster. I'm awfully
sorry that these B&D units d on ’t appear
to have any guts, but at least thisendsup
on a constructive and positive note.
Come to think of it, I, too, used to
transfer fuel by pressurizing the con­
tainer with a Sig Pressure Pump before I
got fancy and started using a 12-volt
battery and power panel. Sig still makes
the 32 ounce, the 1/2 gallon, and the
gallon size pumps . . . and they’re avail­
able complete with container, or you
can get the fuel pressure pumps only.
Think I'm gonna go back to this pressur­
izing bit; can’t remember ever having
any trouble with it.
We do have one local BIG Bird type
who swears by (not at) his IM hand
pump. He says he’s been using it for a
long time, and it’s still goin ’ strong.
H ow e ver, at this p o in t, I feel sorta
snakebit and kinda reluctant to recom ­
mend anything in the way of pumps . . .
talk about it anym ore!!!
LOOSE SERVO ARMS
Everything seems to run in groups and
bunches, the most rece nt exam ple
being a rash of letters describing the
horrors of havi ng servo arms come loose
. . . w ith the end result b e in g to ta l
disaster in most cases. According to the
letters, none of these guys forgot to
reinstall that small servo arm retaining
screw: it loosened up and backed out
after being secured. Dick Smith, who
hails from Waynesboro. Virginia, was
one of the lucky few, his bird is still
flying. The story goes like this. . .
"As your November colum n included
c o m m e n ts a b o u t s e c u rin g servos,
thought I w ould share with you another
problem relating to servos. This one has
to do with the screw holding the control
arm to the servo.
"The other weekend I suffered m inor
(very lucky) damage to my Balsa USA
S opw ith Pup w hen the c o n tro l arm
apparently came o ff the elevator servo
ju s t a fte r (?) ta k e o ff. The flig h t was
different, to say the least! Had it been
any other aircraft but the Pup. it would
have been totalled.
"The only way I could co ntrol altitude
was to vary the Pup’s air speed using
throttle. Fast engine . . . clim b slightly:
idle . . . lose altitude (approximately 20
degrees nose dow n); in between speed
. .. straight flight.
"It was soon obvious that a normal
landing procedure was out due to the
Continued on page 97

B ob Nevins needs th is big, d ir ty o ld tru c k to h a ul th is h a lf- b u ilt 15- D arrel L o c k lin g b ro u g h t th is b e a u tifu l s c ra tc h -b u ilt F o k k e r DR I
f o o t be h e m o th a round . He w o u ld n 't even hazard a guess as to w h e n fro m his hom e in K eizer, O regon, to f l y w ith th e R oc's. Plane was
i t m ig h t be ready to fly . c o n s tru c te d fro m S cratch -A -P lane plans. Q uadra p o w e re d , 2 0 lbs.

JANUARY 1984 43
 Editor's note: This ",Planes an' Facts an' Chickum Tracks" is the second of a series which began with the August '83 M o del B u ild e r.

Puzzles, Ground Effect, Humidity. . .

and A Lot About Air
• We are starting this m onth’s "Planes
an’ Facts an’ Chicken Tracks" with one
change in the title and one addition. The
change is "C h icku m " instead of "C hick­
en", honoring a new member of the
P&F&CT staff, and the addition is the
new masthead.
At the outset, I want to thank the
creator of "S m ilin’ Jack” , Zack Mosley,
and the Tribune Company Syndicate for
granting me permission to use Fat Stuff,
Chickums, and Li'l De-Icer in our mast­
head. During the many years this strip
appeared in the newspapers, these and
many other characters created in Zack’s
artwork became much more than car­
toons . . . they became living personal­
ities who married, had children, aged,
and sometimes died in his stories of
winged adventure. Zack Mosley strongly
supported aviation (as he still does) and I
am certain that his artwork was the cata­
lyst which developed the interest in
aviation that so many of us in the hobby
yet maintain. On behalf of us all, I thank
you for that, too, Zack.
It isn’t very widely known, but Chick­
ums is a highly competent mathemati­
cian. Fat Stuff speaks Chickum talk quite
fluently, a talent that completely eludes
m e! H ow e ver, I can easily read his
chickum-track mathematical treatises.
This is fortunate for all of us, for Chick­
ums handles all P&F&CT math needs,
and he is most thorough and diligent in
this function. Whenever we are w orking
together, I have to be very careful where
I step in order to avoid his copious o u t­
put. O ur budget is too small to accom­
modate a mathematician’s salary, but
Chickums has settled for buttons, which
are dispensed by Fat Stuff. The budget
does allow for an occasional shirt as a
bonus for Fat Stuff, but Li’l De-Icer is
prom pt in sewing on replacements for
the buttons that "p o p o ff". Li'l De-Icer is
also retained on the staff in the event
that P&F&CT is successful in bidding on
government contracts. Another good
reason is that she came highly recom ­
mended by Zack!
Everything in the heading has signifi­
cance. The Camel is representative of
the first P&F&CT about the "Sopwith
Camel Effect", which appeared in the
August 1983 issue o f M o d e l B u ild e r
magazine. Incidentally,youshould keep
this issue (and other P&F&CT issues) in a
temperature and hum idity controlled
e n v iro n m e n t, fo r air can w re ck any
chances of w illing these valuable issues
of M odel Builder to your issue. Air can
be bad, very bad!
To continue, the hangar sign repre­
sents the 1935-1941 flying site of the San
Antonio Gas M odel Association, where

GROUND EFFECT ON THE FO KKER T R IP LA N E

44 MODEL BUILDER
 this w riter learned all about the care and the rest of the masthead consists of a ir! 1/10 pound. In the cage there is a swing.
feeding of gas model airplanes. The How could they fly otherwise? Let the bird sit on the swing. Now, care­
great bunch of guys in that club also Silli just presented a problem , which I fully put the cage on a balance (Silli’s
taught him sportsmanship. That means have to pass on, dum b as it is. Believe word for a gizmo to weigh things on).
learning how to smile, congratulate, and me, keeping your help now-a-days is W hat does the w h o le th in g w eigh?
shake the hand of the no-good, cheating also a problem ! Right, even the most casual unlearned
louse who manages, through chicanery Consider a big, light, airtight bird savage would agree with Chickums that
and the help of his friend, the tim er, to cage. Let’s say it weighs ten pounds.
beat you out of the contest on his last Now, let’s put a bird in there that weighs Con tinued on page 81
official flight! The wind tunnel depicts
experience obtained during W W -II at
N A C A , Langley Field, b u ild in g and
CALCULATION OF MOLECULAR WEIGHT
handling models used in the free flight
and spin tunnels. Many of the modelers I
AND DENSITY OF AIR
met then are now S.A.M. members and
friends of today . . . forty years later. (A) (B) (A x B - 100)
Some issues c o n ta in in g John P ond’s Molecule Percentage Molecular Product/100
excellent "Plug Sparks" mention names
that make me pause, recollecting per­ bym ol.w t. weight
sonalities and events that are so w onder­ N itro g e n (N?) 78.09% 28 21.87
ful to remember . . . an unbelievable
time, really.
O xyg e n (O?) 20.95 32 6.70
The little fellow hiding behind the A rg o n (A) .93 40 .37
books at the far right is the P&F&CT O th e r g o o d ie s .03 — —
librarian and director of research, Syl­
vester Silverfish. Again, due to budget 100.00% 28.94
problems, Sylvester suggested his as­ T he e q u iv a le n t m o le c u la r w e ig h t o f a ir = 28.94 at 3 2 °F and
suming that title in lieu of more money. 14.7 psi.
Silli (he hates to be called that) and
Chickums have some language in com ­ D e n sity at 3 2 ° F = 28.94 o z/2 2 .4 f t 3 = 1.292 o z /ft3 = .08075 lb / ft 3
m on. They seem to w o rk very w e ll
together, although I sense what may be a
To c a lc u la te the d e n s ity o f a ir at 59° F (fo r e x a m p le ) w e m u st
personality conflict. I don’t really agree have a m u ltip lie r. C o n v e rtin g d eg re e s F a h re n h e it to d egrees
with Silli when he confides that it is a R a n kine (a b so lu te te m p e ra tu re sca le ), w e add 4 60°. T h e re fo re ,
food problem. I am firm in my conten­
tion that Chickums prefers buttons! 32° F = 492° R and 59° F = 579° R. As d e n s itie s va ry in ve rse ly
The only thing left in the masthead is w ith te m p e ra tu re , the m u ltip lie r in th is case is 492/579.
air. Oops, that isn't quite right. There are
two birds! That correction w ill take care D e n sity at 59° F = 1.292 x 492 /57 9 = 1.224 o z /ft3 = .0765 lb / f t 3
of the purists. . . OK, Woody Woodruff?
The birds are there to demonstrate that (See text fo r further explanation and significance o f this data.)

JANUARY 1984 45
S ix th p h o to o f a series show s fin is h e d results o f
a u th o r’ s m e th o d o f p a in tin g car bodies.

AUTO By DAN RUTHERFORD

PHOTOS BY AUTHOR

• There are dozens of ways to paint . . . Fantastik all-purpose spray cleaner, At this point it isn’t particularly logical
bodies for RC cars; I have tried num er­ available in super markets, does the job to toss in a comment about materials and
ous techniques, some that w orked, and and is easy to get. After spraying with tools . . . but I w ill do it anyway. When
some that d id n ’t, as w e ll as having Fantastik, rinse the body well w ith clean using the traditional masking tape, you
w atched th re e o f the best . . . Bob water, let dry, or cheat as I do and dry it w ill find that one and only one brand
Welch, Jim Welch, and Cary Kyes . . . w ith a heat gun. w ill give decent results, and that is the
apply their talents, masking tape, and While taking decent pictures of a clear 3M brand. It probably w on't be available
paint to stretch-molded hunks of Lexan. body is almost impossible, a close look a tyourlocal Discy Hardware store, and it
And w hile I went back to fairly basic w ill show that we have installed the is always the most expensive to buy. It is,
paint schemes a couple o f years ago, I masks for the number backgrounds. however, the only brand of tape worth
have also been known to bend a fairly These masks are made easily by laying a pulling off the roll. Use it.
mean piece of tape. strip of tw o-inch wide masking tape on a As for tools, not many are needed,and
Of course, this article w ill reflect my smooth surface; I use a large chunk of an X-Acto knife w ith a sharp #11 blade
current practices. I do simple paint jobs steel that has been surfaced, but a piece w ill get you by adequately for most
for a few good reasons: I have settled on of glass w ill also work. A pattern of the cutting operations. However, a superior
a color scheme that I like to look at, and background is laid in place on the tape, a tool is available, and that is the Uber
it is one that is highly visible on the race simple run around with a sharp knife w ill Skiver available from (free plug music,
track . . . no all-black race cars for the net you a n u m b e r b a c k g ro u n d . M y please) M odel Builder. Punching up a
DRT! Preparation is the key to being pattern is made from 3/16 thick plexi­ product sold by MB sounds really sus­
com petitive on race day, and rather than glass, although most any hard material pect, but I guarantee that the Uber
spend all night doing bodies, I would w ill be acceptable. I used to make them Skiver, o th e r than having a strange
rather check the car from one end to the out of 1/8 plywood. sounding name, really does the job, and
other. Although I have all the trick-o
spray equipm ent, including the neces­
sary compressor, it is one big hassle to do
several colors, cleaning the gun between
colors, and then cleaning all when done.
This is one reason I simply use spray
cans, even though it limits the tricks you
can do with the paint. Besides the bodies
have to be considered disposable, which
makes it pretty tough for me to ration­
alize spending hours doing one, only to
ruin it in less time than it took to paint it.
That can happen once in awhile.
Referring to the first picture, you w ill
see MRP’s recently redone (widened
and reflared) Camaro body in clear,
placed upon an Associated RC500. What
you can’t see is that prior to doing initial
fitting of the body, it was sprayed inside 1. H o w to p a in t y o u r R /C car, step one. Place clear p la s tic b o d y ove r th e chassis (in th is case
and out with a degreaser solution I have an A ssociated R C 500 ). M a rk c u t-o u ts to be made late r.

46 MODEL BUILDER
2. Side and rear w in d o w s are masked o f f c o m p le te ly , w in d s h ie ld 3. T h e M R P C am ero b o d y , re a d y fo r c o lo r. N u m b e r b a ckg ro u n d
is a lm o s t c o m p le te ly m asked, o n ly fin a l trim m in g re q u ire d . masks are in p o s itio n as is th e m ask fo r th e cen ter c o lo r.

4. The b o d y c o m p le te ly p a in te d , ready fo r c u t-o u ts , a p p lic a tio n o f

stickies, and w heel wells.
5. D e ta il s h o t o f side scoo p fo rm e d b y c u ttin g o u t w in d o w and
fo ld in g i t back on its e lf. Gives m o to r a c o o l a ir s u p p ly to fin s.

I haven’t used anything else in years. I
would suggest ordering just the handle
and a vial each of number 10 and 11
blades as these two numbers are the
ones you w ill find yourself using the
most. To keep the blades sharp, drop in
on a shop specializing in knives and
such, b uy a h ig h -q u a lity sh arpe nin g
stone, and you’re set.
Back to the body .. . and with it still in
clear, we stick the background masks in
place. Be “ creative” in placement of
these masks at your own risk. In our area,
95% o f the bodies have a number at the
front, centered on the body, plus a
number on each side, again roughly
centered, this time between the wheel
wells. The lap counters here are accus­
tomed to looking in these areas for the
number of the car. No way am I going to
take the chance of having my car not get
counted on each and every lap, so my
numbers are right where the counter
expects them to be.
At a recent race we had one fellow
complaining about being missed a lap or
two and, sure enough, he probably did
get missed at least once. But he was
racing a dark-colored car, using thin
w hite outline numbers, and had placed
his numbers on the side of the car to the
rear of the rear wheel well! Now that is
just asking for trouble, and w hile we
w o n ’t fo rc e h im to change n u m b e r
styles or placement, we also w on't spend
much time listening to him tell us that
our lap counters are screwed up!
W ith the masks in position and the
body on the chassis, we can now make
sure that the numbers don’t fall where
cu to u ts w ill be made later fo r such
things as front body posts and exhaust
outlets. At this time the body is centered
on the chassis and then adjusted fore
and aft, remembering that we quite
often w ill ignore the molded in guides
for the wheel wells, usually placing the
body well forward to get more steering.
In the case of the MRP Spyder Can-Am
body, we w ill m ount it as much as 1/2-
inch forward of its intended location. As
it happened, when readying this par­
ticular body, we did line the wheels up
w ith the wheel wells as it was our first
time using this body, and the RC500
turns so well that body tricks are not
required.
W ith the body in the desired location,
a Sharpie marking pen is used to mark
the lo ca tio n s of body posts, stin ge r
outlets, glow plug access hole, fuel tank
access, antenna location, etc. This is all
done on the outside of the body, of
course. If we are m oving the body
forward, we w ill also make sure that full-
size tires are on front and rear, and then
we trace around them on the exterior of
the body.
W hile we don’t do it on the pictured
body, when m ounting a body for the
first time, we w ill sometimes make all of
the necessary cutouts just to get the
body low and to see what hits first. In the
case of the RC500, most GT bodies w ill fit
w ithout interference, but quite a num ­
ber of Can-Am bodies can be tough to
m o u n t re a lly lo w , and it is best to
determ ine where interference crops up,
or even if the body can be used at all,
before paint blocks your view. And in
the case of a body we have used pre­
viously, an old one can simply be mashed
in place over the top of the new one,
then the location of the cutouts can be
traced directly onto the new bod.
Windows are the next things to be
masked, and if you w ill look closely at
the first three pictures, you can see a
dark masking tape o utlining all glass
areas. In the third picture, thissame tape
can be seen running down the hood,
dipping around the area of the door,
and then back up around the rear deck.
This is great stuff, available in many
hobby shops under the KHP (Karoden
Hobby Products) label. We use both
sizes (it comes in 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch
widths) for masking, in this case we used
the 1/8 size.
The KHP tape is very flexible, it easily
goes 'round the tightest curves, and it
sticks well. Best o f all, it is a fairly dark
red color, so it’s easily seen through a
layer or two or regular masking tape. We
use this to advantage by running the
KHP tape around the outlines of the
windows where its flexibility is much
needed. Then to finish off the job, wide
widths of 3M tape are used to fill in be­
tween. Any overhang is easily trimm ed
away using an Uber Skiver by sighting
down on the outline of KHP tape and
Continued on page 95

JANUARY 1984 47
 PYLON
at the U.S. Nationals
By JOHN G. SMITH . . . Model Builder's newest contributing editor
covers the airborne racing at the Chicopee Nationals.
• Racing's premiere event. Formula 1
Pylon, was played out under hazy, hot
skies here in the East at Westover A.F.B.,
Chicopee, Massachusetts. The site was
nearly ideal being located at the N orth­
east end of an unused runway. The only
m inor problem being trees nearby on
one side. The smooth pavement surface
allowed for long approaches and even
longer landing rollouts.
Processing was held at the Nats head­
quarters hotel, the Quality Inn. The job
of determing who was to take o ff first in
each heat was handled by Bert Williams
and a staff of dedicated assistant judges.
For the second year in a ro w , Gary
M cPike of C a lifo rn ia was given the
number one position (Top Dog) with his
pair of immaculately finished Denight
specials. The job of judging was made all
the more d ifficult by the large number
of excellently finished planes.
A B O V E : K e ith P alm er revs up th e engine o f his racer
w h ile tu r n caller T o m C astallano holds.
B E LO W : C hris C heyer, a t 11 years o ld , is p ro b a b ly
th e y ou ngest F o rm u la 1 flie r a t any Nats.
48
Just a fe w o f th e 8 0 P y lo n racers entere d at th e 1 9 8 :
Fifty-three contestants with 80 air­
planes from as far away as California and
Texas slugged it out for one full day and
a half to finally decide the winner. The
racing was ably managed by Contest
Director, Adam Sattler of District II with
the starter, Guy Beaudoin and all the
workers coming from District I. Bernice
Williams, local AM A Contest C oordi­
nator, handled the job of figuring out
the matrix, and Patty Thibodeau worked
at the tabulating table handling all the
scoring chores. O ut at the starting line,
the fa ith fu l few , led by starter, Guy
Beaudoin, all around nice guy (sorry
about the pun) and fellow racing foe,
kept all the eager racers in line.
Things went about as smoothly as any
race o f this m a g n itu d e can go. The
course had to be changed once due to a
180° s h ift in the w in d . Racing was
changed from three half-days to one full
G a ry M cP ike w ith th e n u m b e r one P y lo n racer a t th e 1 9 8 3 Nats.
day and a half to allow the scale contes­
tants more time on the weekend. (I
guess racers aren’t so bad after all.)
There were no serious threats to the
national records. Gary Hover’s 1:14.80
was close as anyone would get. Dave
Shadel had the second fastest time at
1:14.81. The East's own tried their best.
Tom Castallano, "velvet thum bs,” suc­
cumbed to interference on blue and
white, an electronic malady which cost
so many planes during Nat’s week. Bob
Wallace, Pete Reed, and Keith Palmer of
Connecticut did their best to bring the
Formula 1 Nat’s trophy to the East. All
three had m inor problems, and only Bob
and Pete placed in the top ten.
The highlight of the racing, at least for
me, was eleven-year-old Chris Cheyer
of Connecticut. Chris has to be the
youngest ever Formula 1 contestant to
enter a Nationals. Both times when I
MODEL BUILDER
 A B O V E : Pete Reed, long tim e F o rm u la 1 c o m p e tito r,
sw itches on his ra d io at th e s ta rtin g lin e . N o shoes!
L E F T : D on M cS ta y, o f F ra n k lin , Mass., fle w his fir s t
N ats race in F o rm u la 1.

went out to the starting line to take
pictures of Chris he couldn’t get his
engine started. His father began to think
my camera was a hex. Quite an achieve­
ment and th rill for an eleven-year-old.
Don McStay of Franklin, Massachu­
setts, raced at his first ever Nat's and
a b o u t his th ir d F orm ula 1 race. In
contrast to Chris, Don is a lot older than
eleven.
The contestants owe much thanks to
the g ro u p of d ed ica te d w orkers at
pylons one, two and three, and those at
the starting line, Dennis Thibodeau, Irv
Thurrott, and his beautiful daughter
Jessica. M y appologies to the rest of the
workers as I d id n ’t get their names.
The FAI turnout was rather poor with
only four racers for the “ quiet event.”
Pete Reed got e veryone s a tte n tio n
when his FAI racer screamed down the
pavement towards the scatter pylon to
make one of the best scale-like takeoffs
ever, only to climb up, over, and down
to destroy itself in fine fashion. Seems
Pete forgot to turn on his receiver.
Bob Wallace of Avon, Connecticut,
put it all together to take first place, with
third place Dave Latsha taking fast time
with a 1:32.36. The only low point of all
this was the less than premiere equip­
m ent p ro v id e d , and the n u m b e r of
beers being consumed by some of the
contestants in racing, and some of the
other events.
M uch thanks has to go to Contest
Director Adam Battler and his crew of
w illing workers. Good job guys and gals.
Maybe next year at Reno, AM A w ill try
Quickie 500 as a non-official addition to
the racing. I think the turnout would be
phenomenal. I am going to make an
effort to help it happen.
I would like to request that those of
you who read this column send to me
the rules and regulations of your local
Quickie 500 event so that I can see what
the rest o f you are doing.
I received my first letter this m onth
from Jim Boccinfuso, Vice President of
the Long Island Flying Eagles. Thanks for
the kind words, Jim. I hope to hear from
more of you in the future.
Next m onth, I plan to go into my
method of skinning a Q-500 wing . . .
putting on, not taking off that is. I w ill
also report on the happenings in For­
mula One-40 in this area. ·
John G. Smith.

A B O V E : G u v B eau doin, o ffic ia l s ta rte r, sends o f f a n o th e r heat.

B E L O W : The ready area at th e '8 3 N ats lo o k e d lik e a swap m eet.

A B O V E : N u m b e r One o f th e F o r­
m ula Ones, G a ry M cP ike ta lks w ith
h is c a lle r b e fo re s ta rt-u p .

R IG H T : T o m C astallano w ith his

racer. T o m is a lo ca l h o t s h o t w h o
had th e u n fo rtu n a te exp erien ce o f
lo sin g his Denight to ra d io in te r­
ference.

JANUARY 1984 49
 from short grass to very long grass, pro­
vided the plywood is large enough to
keep the grass down by the tail. This sys­
tem has been used extensively at most
h e lic o p te r contests w ith very good
results, and has the additional bonus of
being portable.
The problem with the plywood surface
is that the novice doesn’t have the skil I to

CHOPPER land w ithin the disk. You have to be able

to hover reasonably well in order to put
down on a four-foot diameter pad. So,

By RAY HOSTETLER
CHATTER the best area for the novice is the sealed
asphalt or smooth concrete surface. This
brings me to the type of training gear I
would recommend to be used.
TRAINING GEAR
W hether to use training gear or not
• This month I'll pick up where we left of wear and tear on the helicopter. . .. is not even a question. Use some sort
off last month by defining proper flying Undoubtedly, the cleanest type of of system to widen the gear’s stance and
sites for initial hovering, training gear surface is a closely-mowed grass area, give greater stability for those shaky
setup, and what kind of help to look for. with an emphasis on closely. Long grass novice landings.
AREA SELECTION is notorious on tail rotor blades. One Probably the easiest gear to make, and
Where you plan to fly is important, it area that I feel the helicopter manufac­ the most widely used, is the dowel ro d /
w ill also dictate what type of training turers could improve in is to offer as an arrowshaft and W hiffle Ball combina­
gear you should use. First, the worst area accessory a high skid gear. Have you tion. The dowel rods should be 1/4-inch
you can use is a gravel parking lot. The ever flown a C om petitor out of grass? It’s diameter on the smaller ships, and up to
small stones and dust can be extremely a real trick to keep the tail from settling 3/8-inch diameter on the larger heli­
hard on tail rotor blades and particularly in and eating a set of tail rotor blades. copters. The diameter of the rod also
engines. I heardofan instancewhereone High skid gear would really ease these depends on how lon g each rod is.
fellow literally wore out his engine in problems for those flying out of a sod Thirty-six-inch rods at 1/4-inch diameter
one afternoon by flying out of a gravel area with average length grass. work great on smaller helicopters and
area. Also, the dust g enerated by a On the other hand, grass can be one provide good stability. Larger ships w ill
hovering helicopter gets all through the of the worst areas to learn to fly off of. It need at least a three-foot rod (a four-
mechanical parts of the ship, doing the is very u n fo rg iv in g to any rig h t-le ft fo o t rod is b e tte r) w ith a 3 /8 -in c h
most damage to the collective linkages sliding of the helicopter, causing tip- diameter.
and head. overs if the machine is not smoothly Several different patterns can be used
For those of you who d on ’t really lifted straight up. (But if you're going to w ith th e tra in in g gear. The sim plest
understand how dust and grit wear out crash, grass w ill absorb more impact and being a crisscross or X pattern with the
an engine, I w ill explain: the carburetor lessen the damage.) center of the X under the helicopter's
ingests dirty air, which passes through One other option is to throw a ply­ center of gravity. You can also use a tic-
the front and rear bearings, w orking its wood disk on a grass area. This works
way up into the cylinder wall. Then the extremely well on almost any surface Continued on page 84
piston grinds the d irt against the wall,
using the dirt as an abrasive. The grit
dramatically increases the wear between
the two surfaces so that the engine loses
all compression, and all power, too.
Asphalt can be nearly as bad as gravel,
especially if it’s older stuff and starting to
deteriorate. The deterioration leaves
very small stones and extremely gritty
dust, which is just as hard (if not harder)
on an engine as “ regular” dust.
New asphalt surfaces work well, espe­
cially if they have been given a coat of
sealer. This gives a nice smooth surface
with a bare m inimum of grit.
Concrete is a step better than most
average asphalt, even more so if you can
find a finely finished area. However,
most concrete lots suitable for flying are
usually finished slightly rough. This can
literally wear holes in your skid tubes. If
you fly off of concrete, you’ll probably
want to use some type of plastic tubing
over the front and back of each skid. The
cheap, clear type found in auto supply
stores works just fine. A foot of this can
easily be enough for three helicopters.
The best thing that you can do for an
asphalt or concrete area before flying is
to spray the immediate area clean with a
water hose. If this isn’t possible, you can
sweep the area thoroughly with a broom.
This may sound like a lot of trouble, but
it w ill be worth it because it w ill save a lot

50 MODEL BUILDER
E ngland’ s D enis F a irlie made th is d e lig h tfu l vinta ge D eperdus- T h e a u th o r's a ll fo a m , passionate p in k Spitfire as described in
sin. Span is 4 8 inches. Pow er is b y OS .15. A 3-channel th e te x t. M o d e l com es fro m Japan, and is m a n u fa c tu re d by
ra d io c o n tro l system handles the guid ance . B en to m .

tw o-flight duration from four attempts.
Rick demonstrated his Charybdis at M ile
Square Park re c e n tly , and o ffe rs to
fu rn ish a d d itio n a l in fo rm a tio n and
proposed contest date to anyone who
may care to send him a stamped, pre­
addressed envelope.
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
M odel aircraft articles are where you
find them. Bill Pepin, of Albuquerque,
New M exico, was kind enough to alert
us to the August 1983 POPULAR PHO­
TOGRAPHY, which featured an article
by Larry Sribnick on how to install a
Kodak Disc camera in an A irtro n ic s
O ly m p ic 650, fo r purposes of aerial
photography.
FLYING DOWN TO RIO
Ever watch the old movies on late-
night television? Some of them can yield
unexpected bonuses. For example, the
1933 film Flying Down To Rio, which
apparently introduced the dance team
of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, also
featured a remarkable assortment of
aeroplanes. Picture a M onocoupe with a
piano behind the seats . . . which evi­
dently could actually be played! Then
there are the chorus girls dancing atop has directly benefited from the influx of
the wings of a whole series of “ in flig h t’’ tourists.
aircraft, including a phoney-looking S.E. PINK SPITFIRES?
5, a Fairchild 71, and some Hollywood Yes Virginia, there were such things!
prop departm ent’s idea of a Lockheed According to Tommy Wilson, Editor of
Vega, which appeared to be made of the Scale Staffel Newsletter, the ma­
plaster. Even a Buhl Pup and a Sikorsky chines were painted this way during
flying boat made b rie f appearances. W o rld W ar II to assist th e ir p h o to
Sure the plot was corny, but where else reconnaissance missions, as the unusual
can you see scenes like that?
HUGE HUGHES SUCCESS Continued on page 77
According to a clipping sent to the
hangar by B ill W a rn e r, the Hughes
Spruce Goose fly in g boat has been
drawing more visitors than anticipated.
About 10,000 people see the attraction
each Saturday and Sunday, and even
during week days the average is more
than 6,000 a day. As long waiting lines are
in v o lv e d , the W ra th e r C o rp o ra tio n
(display operator) has added attractions,
such as jugglers and actors made up to
resemble Howard Hughes, w hocirculate
th ro u g h the c ro w d to help reduce
boredom. Such financial success should
ensure perpetuation of the exhibition,
as well as helping to maintain interest in F ritz M u e lle r's s tic k·n -tissu e , ru b b e r-p o w e re d
its sister exhibit, the Queen Mary, which a u to gyro . A b s tra c t design.

The G erm an team a t the Fle m alle, B e lgium , in d o o r scale co n te s t:

S herm an G ille sp ie 's te n -c e n t k i t A e ro n c a fe a tu re s o rig in a l 1 9 3 5
(le ft to rig h t) S iegfried G lo c k n e r, D em o iselle 2 0 ; B enno Sabel,
w heels, b u t th e p ro p e lle r is a m o d e rn p la s tic ty p e . T h is is one
S a n to s -D u m o n t 1 9 ; and Jurgen W eil, D em oiselle 20. W e lik e
P eanut th a t flie s as g o o d as i t lo o ks.
y o u r s h irt, B enn o!

JANUARY 1984 55

F uel i
JOE KLAUSE
P. O. B ox 26 99
L«i(|ima H ills. C A 9 2 6 5 3
• Some years ago, I was warned of the
danger of making casual assumptions. I
remember being told by my senior,
"Consider the word 'assume.' Think of
the first three letters, the next one, and
then the last two. Now, if you assume too
much, you’ll make an (first three letters)
out of (next letter) and (last two letters)."
I ’ ve n e ve r fo rg o tte n th a t in c id e n t.
Nevertheless, I still always assume that
no modeler would purposely do any­
thing to damage an engine. M y faith in
this assumption has been fortified by the
many modelers who have asked ques­
tions such as, "Is it okay to put a T.D. .049
cylinder/piston on one of my reed valve
engines?" Obviously there’s a concern
about not causing damage. Another
common question, which came up in a
telephone call this past week, is whether
an .051 cylinder/piston assembly can be
installed on an .049 crankcase. Seems
like a good time to review some parts of
the Cox .049/.051 engines.
PARTS INTERCHANGEABILITY
The basic reason why so many Cox
•049/.051 parts are interchangeable is
because of engine stroke. All of these
engines, whether they’re T.D.’s or reed
valves, have a design stro ke o f .386
inches. Similarly, the threads on the
cylinder and crankcases are the same,
and the crankpin diameter and the con­
necting rods also match. Thus, you can
freely interchange cylinder/piston as­
semblies between all .049/ .051 engines.
Please note, however, that I spoke of
c y lin d e r/p is to n assemblies. A ll .049
engines have a bore of .406 inches. The
bore of the .051 is .410 inches. Naturally,
the pistons can’t be interchanged be­
cause of this difference, but there are
two other reasons for keeping assem­
blies intact on the .049’s. On the .049
reed valve engines the bores of the
cylinder and the piston are straight. The
T.D. cylinder has a slight taper. Likewise,
the T.D. piston is tapered. Although
both pistons w ill physically feel like they
fit both cylinders, they should not be
arbitrarily interchanged because per­
formance w ill usually be lost in both
instances.
W ith respect to T.D. crankshafts,
crankcases, backplates. p ro p drives,
carburetor retainer nuts, needle valve
assemblies, and venturies, they’re the
same on the .049 and .051. In fact, the
only difference between the lower ends
of these engines is the color of the
plastic carburetor housing. The more
common .049 housing is black, and the
.051 is red.
The interchangeability of parts of the
lower ends of reed valve .049 engines is
56
the answer. Numbers 1 through 9, and a
single zero were used. Initially, thesmall
„UNES
numbers were stamped on the outside
of the cylinder about an eighth of an
inch above the cylinder threads. Later
they were stamped on the side of one of
the exhaust ports. In recent years, when
i. AÄJ internal factory identification was not
always deemed necessary, some cylin­
ders were not numbered. Here is a brief
synopsis of what the numbers meant.
not quite as universal. The crankshafts No. 1. A two bypass cylinder w ith a
on many of these are identical, however, large exhaust port that permitted sub­
some reed engines that were installed in piston induction. It was originally made
plastic cars such as the Sandblaster, the for the 290 and 291 series engines that
Van, and others, had d iffe re n t style were used in plastic cars. Later, it was
crankshafts. Reed valve crankshafts vary used in the first Black W idow engines. At
even more. However, for the general that tim e the top cylinder fin was not
scope of this column, the crankshafts milled to accommodate a maintenance
and crankcases of the follow ing engines wrench. Subsequently, the Black W idow
are interchangeable: cylinder had tw o narrow slits for each
Black W idow Dragonfly exhaust, and the top fin was m illed, but
Golden Bee QRC the cylinder was not numbered in this
Baby Bee configuration.
The only difference in this group is the No. 2. This denoted a single bypass,
anodized color of the Black W idow and sub-piston induction cylinder. The top
Golden Bee crankcases. fin was not m illed. This type was used on
The tank and back plate are sometimes the Golden Bee, however, the cylinders
considered to be parts of the lower ends were not always numbered.
of .049 reed engines. Again, there are No. 3. A two bypass cylinder that
many variations, so I’ll just comment on initially did not have the bottom of the
a few . The backplates o f the Black exhaust ports m illed low enough to pro­
W idow, Golden Bee, and QRC are the vide sub-piston induction. Later, the
same. The tanks of these engines are also exhaust m illing perm itted sub-piston
the same except for color and some induction, and the outside was ground
variation in fuel throat diameter. All .049 for use with an exhaust-restrictor type
reeds and th e ir re ta in e r springs are throttle, and the top fin was milled.
interchangeable as are the gaskets. No. 4. This was made for T.D. .049
Glow heads are also universally inter­ engines. There are two bypasses, each
changeable. Cox number 325 is a low with three separate m illing cuts, and the
compression head. The 1702 is the high bore is tapered. The exhausts allow sub­
compression one. piston in d u c tio n and the to p fin is
That completes the parts interchange- milled.
ability of interest to most readers. If you No. 5. This has the same features as
need other specific inform ation, just number 4, however, the bore is .410
send me a stamped self-addressed enve­ inches. It is used on the T.D. .051.
lop e to g e th e r w ith y o u r questions. No. 6. Twin bypass, no sub-piston
B efore m oving to the next general induction, and m illed top fin. Some
subject, let me give you one caution. were externally ground for restrictor
Putting a T.D. cylinder/piston assembly throttles.
and a «1702 glow head on a reed engine No. 7. The same as number 2, but with
w ill really improve performance, how ­ a m illed top fin.
ever, you w ill increase the risk of frac­ No. 8. Single bypass, narrow exhaust,
turing the crankshaft pin. So, be fore­ no sub-piston induction. Top fin not
warned. milled. Used in cars.
COX CYLINDER NUMBERING No. 9. Unfortunately, I do not have
Occasionally, I am asked about the samples of this cylinder. M y only in fo r­
n u m b e rs th a t are s ta m p ed on Cox mation is that it was only in very lim ited
.049/.051 cylin d e rs. W here are they production.
located? What do they mean? Well, No. 0. Again, I have no samples, but it
those tw o short q uestions ca n ’ t be reputedly is the same as number 6.
answered with two short sentences. It’s Now, if all that sounds reasonably
more like a short but interesting story. definitive, let me add a bucket-size grain
Here goes. of salt. There are variations to the above.
Cylinder num bering is simply a means Some are m inor, such as the size of the
of identification. The practice was not num bers, and are u n d e rsta n d a b le .
begun prim arily to aid the modeler. Others are major and unfathomable. For
Rather, it was begun at the Cox factory as example, I have tw o number 6 cylinders
an internal identification system. At one that both have .410 inch bores and .051
time, there were literally m illions of T.D. pistons. I can only conjecture as to
cylinders manufactured during a year. how and why they were produced.
There were subtle but significant d iffer­ Guys, next tim e around, hopefully I’ll
ences in cylinders depending upon the have a series of photographs of some
many different engines that were being in te re s tin g Cox engines. U n til th e n ,
made. These differences were not obvi­ have a happy and blessed h o lid a y
ous, and so a simple number provided season. ·
MODEL BUILDER

• I know this is the January issue of
M odel Builder. I also know that you
receive it in December. You need to
know that I am w riting this column in
September, so it’s difficult to think about
Christmas and New Years Day . . . but
M erry Christmas and a Happy New Year
for 1984 just the same.
As it is September, many free flighters
(including myself) have just completed
flying in the FAI semifinals. This column
contains something for each of the FAI
outdoor free flight events. So let's get on
with it!
JANUARY THREE-VIEW: KEVIN
COLLINS’ “ NUMBER 7” F1A NORDIC
I first met Kevin Collins through the
local contest circuit when he came to
the meets in the family car driven by his
parents. He was too young to drive.
When he was a student at the University
D ick W illia m s o n launches his P -30 m odel
in to m a x air. Dee G re ll p h o to .
JANUARY 1984
By BOB STALICK
B ob S ta lic k and Josh C h a m b e rla in (rig h t)
pose w ith a Simplex A - 1 fre e flig h t m odel.
The m odel was b u ilt b y Josh fro m 3-vie w .
of Washington (after winning a BMA
scholarship), I still thought that he had to
be a high school stu d e n t. A fte r he
obtained his degree from the U of W and
began w orking for Boeing, I thought he
was still a high school student. When he
got married, I had difficulty imagining
that he could be old enough. He has to
be at least 25 years old (maybe older),
and to me he still seems to be a young­
ster . .. Maybe, it’s me!
Kevin has proven to be an excellent A-
2 (or F1A, if you prefer) flier. It is his
major event. This model is undoubtedly
his best perform er yet. It represents
Kevin’s no nonsense approach to the
event. Kevin credits Jim Walters with
many of the ideas incorporated in his
design. He said re c e n tly , " I t is the
fourth A-2 I have constructed with the
same basic dimensions. I am continuing
to use these on newer gliders. The D-
box has a .6-ounce glass cloth applied at
JANUARY MYSTERY MODEL
D r. P h il Barber, o f V a n co u ve r, B.C., la u n c h ­
es his Barber Pole gas m o d e l at a recent
m eet near A lb a n y , O regon. P eter Joh nston
w atches the a c tio n . Dee G re ll p h o to .
45 degrees and attached with dope. The
spars in the main panel are reinforced
with carbon fiber top and bottom . The
wing is covered with a single layer o f
tissue, and the stab is covered with a .25
m il mylar attached with contact cement.
The fuselage is balsa/plywood with a \im
Walters fiberglass boom. M y tow hook is
a m odified Iseanko, essentially a ‘Bat-
H ook’ Mk. II and I use VIT for circle
towing some o f the tim e ."
For readers who d on ’t cotton to the
"sim pler is better” theory (as I do), let
me tell you more about the achieve­
ments o f this g lid e r. . . w ith Kevin as the
pilot. The model currently holds the
AM A record for its class. Kevin made
seven maxes plus the follow ing flyoff
flights: 240, 300, 360, 420, 480, and 399
seconds. This means 12 co n se cu tive
maxes, until the 13th flight when he
"o n ly ” made 399 (6 minutes and 39
seconds). To max on his last flight, the
57
 DARNED GOOD AIR F O IL RHODE ST. GENESE 31

S T A T IO N 0 1 .2 5 2 .5 5 7 .5 10 15 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

UPPER Z67 4 .7 5.6 7 6 .9 2 8 8.94 10 .12 10.66 10.82 10.33 9 .5 8 .1 6 6 .5 4 .5 2 .2 5 0

LO W E R 2.6 7 1.2 0 .6 6 0.3 4 0 .1 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

model would have had to make nine

minutes. The old record was set by Lee SKETCH 1
Hines in 1976. Kevin broke it by more A ________5 2 ,
than four minutes.
In addition, Kevin won the Northwest ff Æh P p D E T A IL A D E T A IL B

Semifinals in A-2 with the same model, <t-B -1

until he lost it in the trees around Harts
Lake Prarie . . . the site of the record
setting session last July.
p a i; (Do. A-1

A -2 U ·/:— - B-2

A MONTREAL STOP BY TO M CASHAM

One of the side benefits of attending
model airplane contests is that you can
λΑ A3 «•fe- B -3
learn new wavs of doing things. Such
was the case for my son. Ted. and me at
the last Northwest Semifinals. Ted was
fly in g W a ke fie ld w ith the o ld style
"w ood screw prop stop". It had been a
faithful and simple system, except the
7ΊΓ Λ 00
new rubber which we had purchased
just before the meet proved to be a bit
thicker . . . thereby form ing a slightly A B
shorter m otor length. When the time
had come for the prop to stop turning at
the end of a motor run (on an official
flight, of course), we could all hear the
_ _ 11 ixnr_
SKETCH 2 TT , ff.,
f r
B

prop shaft "clickin g ” against the wood

screw stop . . . but nothing happened
except that the blades didn't fold, and
the (light was poor.
The M ontreal stop system avoids this
problem. Tom Cash man took the time to
show Ted his system, and now both of
Ted’s Wakefields sport the Cashman
Montreal stop.
The notion behind the M ontreal Stop
is that the m otor pressure on the prop
shaft determines when the prop should
stop, not the length of the expended
motor. This system is not affected by
variations in thickness or length of the
motor.
The workings are simple: The m otor is
wound, and the prop assembly is at­
tached to the motor. The stop plunger
(B) in the sketches is pulled forward, and
the free tu rn in g p ro p shaft presses
against it holding it away from the face
plate of the nose block. The model is
iaunched and when the pressure of the
prop shaft decreases due to the ex­
pended rubber motor, the stop plunger
spring forces the plunger down to the
face plate and into the hole drilled into
it. The prop stops rotating and the blades
fold. The model is now gliding.
Tom has added a little, but important,
feature to his M ontreal style hub . . . a
hold plunger (A). This plunger is spring
loaded to push itself out of the face plate
hole. The hold plunger allows you to
p a D |;(D q o d >!! a D P
»
m
i ii
i _1
Ί
i'll
----------- c r
TOM CASHMAN'S MONTREAL STOP SYSTEM
SKETCH 1
S ketch 1 show s the h o ld p lu n g e r (Part A ) in the h o ld p o s itio n . W ith the ru b b e r
m o to r w o u n d , the p ro p sh a ft (Part 8) presses against the stop p lu n g e r (P art B). The
o th e r c o m p o n e n ts id e n tifie d are: (1 ) a lu m in u m p ro p h u b ; (2) th ru s t b e a rin g ; (3) sha ft
bu shing; (4) ho le d rille d in to p ro p b lo c k face p la te ; (5 ) h a rd a lu m in u m p ro p b lo c k
face p la te ; (6) nu m b e r n o t used; (7) p ro p b lo c k .
D E T A IL A
H o ld p lu n g e r c o m p o n e n ts: (A -1 ) 2 /5 6 n u t solde red to th e to p o f (A -2 ) to act as a
g rip ; (A -2 ) a brass c o n tro l line le a d -o u t e ye le t o f 1 /1 6 in. inside d ia m e te r, n o m in a lly
1 /2 in. lo n g ; (A -3 ) 1 /1 6 in. m u sic w ire ru n n in g th e w h o le le n g th o f th e h o ld plunger.
D E T A IL B
S to p plun ger c o m p o n e n ts: (B -1) 2 /5 6 n u t soldered to (B -2 ); (B -2) 1 /1 6 in. m usic
w ire ru n n in g th e f u ll le n g th o f sto p p lu n g e r; (B -3) brass c o n tro l lin e le a d -o u t eye le t,
same as (A -3 ).
N o t sho w n in e ith e r d e ta il is th e com pressio n sprin g used. It is e ith e r h a n d -w o u n d
or take n fro m the f l i n t sprin g o f a B ic o r C ric k e t cigarette lig h te r.
SKETCH 2
The h o ld p lu n g e r is sh o w n in the release p o s itio n . A t th is stage, th e m o del is in
flig h t. The p ro p s h a ft (8) is s till pressing against th e s to p p lu n g e r (B ).
SKETCH 3
The h o ld plun ger is s till in the release p o s itio n , how ever, because th e m o to r has
w o u n d d o w n , the p ro p sh a ft is n o long er pressing against the s to p p lu n g e r (B ), and
it has in tu r n sprung d o w n in to th e h o le in th e p ro p b lo c k face p la te (4).

Continued on page 96

58 MODEL BUILDER
JANUARY 1984 59
60 MODEL BUILDER
S P A N - 30 rr (M 0 . 0 )
 THE
Speedwagon—
By HAL deBOLT . . . Model Builder turns back the clock to 1944 with Hal deBolt's account of the first
AM A Control Line speed record and the model that set it. Learn how C/L got its start!
• History can be interesting, especially if
it concerns your favorite hobby-sport.
Witness the growing interest in all sorts
of "o ld tim er” models these days. One
participant tells of seeing some 300 "o ld
timers” at one event!
Then too, model aviation is mellowing
with age. Many of today’s modelers
were not even born when some of our
more recent categories were originated.
N one o f us w ere here w hen it ALL
started!
This is a story of the beginning of
control line flying, and in particular,
how the C /L speed records began.
Today you fin d such records listed
monthly in A M A ’s M odel Aviation, and
even if you are not a controliner, you
can see new attempts at them being
made during every Nationals meet.
It all got underway during WW-II and
p ra c tic a lly e x p lo d e d a fte r the War.
C o n tro l lin e reached its "H e y D a y"
during the early '50s, and by far the most
popular contest event was speed flying.
Thousands of contests were held each
year and the majority of the modelers
flew in them. Today's comparison would
be R/C which may have equalled the
activity.
Previous to W W -II, free flight was the
"th in g ” . A few modelers lead by Jim
Walker and Victor Stanzel had put lines
on models, however, C/L was a "d irty
w o r d " am ong th e m od el fra te rn ity
leaders. The War created problems for
modelers, along w ith everyone else. No
engines were produced, balsa and all
materials became hard to come by. Gas
ra tio n in g was s trin g e n t. Free flig h t
models had a tendency to fly away. It
took gas to get outside the city to the
free flight fields. Free flights created
problems, C /L was new and could be
exciting, the fuse was lit, and it did not
take long for control line to blossom into
popularity.
About 1943, the AM A finally recog­
nized C ontrol Line as an established
ca teg ory. Rules w ere needed. The
A M A ’s ru le w rite rs w ere fre e flig h t

The P a tu x e n t M o d e l E ngineers: ( L t o R, back ro w ) B ob D ishong, Paul H eisler, R o y S hine; ( fr o n t) H al d e B o lt, C laude H a rtm a n , M a rty Kania.
N o te o rig in a l Bipe [M B P lan N o. 7 8 3 2 ) in fo re g ro u n d (rig h t), and Speedwagon in fo re g ro u n d (le ft).

62 MODEL BUILDER
oriented, which w ill explain the similar­
ity of the first C/L speed rules to those of
free flight (in those days). Fortunately,
the first rules were short-lived, as you
read them you can understand why the
C/L modelers screamed bloody murder
for a change!
In brief:
1944 AM A C ontrol Line
Speed Regulations
Class C
Maximum engine size: .61 cubic inches
Line length: 70 feet
O fficial flight: 10 laps
M inim um m odel size:
Wing area: 200 square inches
Fuselage cross section area: 10 square
inches
Weight: 48 ounces
Landing gear: M inim um wheel size:
Two inches. M odel must take off
and land on the SAME wheels.
The Speedwagon established the first
AM A C/L model speed record, and this
JANUARY 1984
was for Class C. Shortly after, fellow
modelers, Matty Kania established a
Class B record of 75 mph, and these
attempts started the ball rolling. Matty
la b e le d his d e s ig n th e C7H, and a
version of it was later successfully kitted
by Megow M odel Aircraft.
Speedwagon . . . the name has a
familiar ring? Where did it originate?
Probably on Madison Avenue where
some “ ad cat" made a bundle with it. In
the 40s, heavy trucks were monstrous,
ponderous things. The Reo M otor Com­
pany introduced a new line which was
labeled "Speedwagon,” even though a
m ore d e s c rip tiv e name w o u ld have
been "Tortoise” or "R h in o .” However,
it sure was a cute name for an aircraft
aimed at speed!
If you were into C/L in the '50s, and
thus think that we have the wrong 3-
view for a Speedwagon, take heart. Your
recollections are of the MANY which
fo llo w e d and w ere Speedwagons in
their own right.
The firs t Navy re c re a tio n a l h ob by
facility was organized at the Patuxent
Naval A ir Test C e n te r in M arylan d
during the war. The "Patuxent M odel
Engineers” became a very progressive
club in a really short time. The facility
was in an abandoned “ civilian” barracks
(the Test Center was brand new) which
had flight circles right outside the door.
Such a useable facility generated great
activity amongsomeseasoned modelers,
new C/L designs and models seemed to
come right out of the w oodw ork!
When the AM A released the new C/L
regulations, this enthusiasm naturally
led to a desire to have a crack at it. Club
m em bers soon had the designs and
models completed, as a result it was not
long before records were established in
all classes by the Patuxent M odel Engi­
neers.
The Speedwagon was the most unique
Continued on page 98
63

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T ra ·Φ © Μ Κ Μ Π Ϊ
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as high a rate as C/3; 800 milliamps for
three hours.
INTRODUCING SOLDERING IRON TIP CARE
Even after the selection of the best
THE NEW possible soldering iron and solder for
FOX 29 BB the job at hand, it is still extremely easy
to make consistently bad solder joints.
All one has to do is to let the soldering
iron tip get dirty a nd /or oxidized. It
happens very easily, for many reasons.
Naturally, one of the major reasons is the
fact that it is hot, and surrounded by
oxygen; it burns. Other reasons are im ­
purities in the solder or flux, and when
w orking on manufactured equipm ent,a
protective spray that might have been
applied to protect the printed circuit
board from oxidation.
As im portant as keeping the tip clean
The Fox Schneurle 29 is the brand can be, it is also easily done. A moist
new replacement for our popular sponge kept on the workbench, so that
Baffle 29. With today’s modern the tip can be pulled over it on the way
technology, our latest model Fox 29 from the soldering iron holder to the
produces half again more power than work at hand w ill almost always ensure a
our older 29, and does it on little or no clean bright tip for each solder connec­
nitro. The new 29 is interchangeable tion. In time of course, the tip w ill erode
with the earlier model Fox 29’s. Isn’t enough to need a more thorough clean­
it time to trust your model to a ing and reshaping, which should be
powerful new Fox engine?
done with a fine tooth file and fine sand­
23000 Fo* 29B8RC S chneurle...................... 359.95 paper. After that step, it is very important
13000 Fox 29BBCL S ch n eu rle .................... 44.95 that the tip, especially the part that was
90236 TIII Up M u ftie r.................................... 14.95
90237 Tilt-Down M u ffle r .............................. 14.95
filed down to new, shiny copper, be re­
tinned, which is recoating the tip with
solder.
M FG . CO. Tinning the tip is easily done: heat the
iron, and apply the flux and solder,
5305 TOWSON »VE FORT SMITH ARK 72901 wiping off any excess solder with a soft,
Our Hot Unt: (501) 646-1856 slightly damp cloth. A better, longer last­
ing tinning job w ill result with the appli­
cation of silver solder to the front part of
the tip. Silver solder has heat transfer
Electronics . . Continued from page 11
qualities just as good as those obtained
from lead solder tinning. Silver solder
battery of six of these cells, all of which comes in hundreds of types and makes,
were subsequently charged and were one o f the easiest to o b ta in , being
tested as good, for only $4.95! Look for readily available from model shops or
them in your local stores if you are in a mail order suppliers, is named ” Stay-
metropolitan area, or in the ads of the Brite.” This solder comes in a bubble
electronic magazines if you are not. pack which includes a length of low
Though the cell in the accompanying temperature, silver bearing solder, and a
photo is made by General Electric, they small bottle of the proper flux necessary
are also found with at least a half dozen for its use. It takes a little more heat than
other names such as Gates, etc. A num ­ normal lead solder, so if your small iron
ber of two-volt chargers are available by itself w ill not develop enough de­
from our own suppliers: Hobby Shack grees F ahrenheit to make the Stay-
and Royal Products that I know of. and Brite melt and flow properly, help it
maybe others. Charging may be done at along with the application of more beat
64
from a larger iron or a soldering gun.
The resu ltan t co a tin g w ill last many
times longer than a lead solder tinning,
and also seems to extend the life of the
Partial Kit tip.
$33.00 SERVO POWER CONVERSION
There is no doubt about it, our hobby
.2 9 t o . 3 6 ( . 9 0 ) C lo w
“ C " o r " D " Ig n itio n
has reached a highly sophisticated state,
th e
involvinga lot of different industriesand
$ 2 1 .5 0 skills. It is doubtful whether one single
person anywhere understands every­
span $ 2 0 .0 0
61" span $ 2 0 .0 0 thing about all thedifferentsciencesand
techniques involved in putting even the
They simplest R/C trainer in the air. One of
these rather d ifficult areas is that of servo
RB
power, the measurement and calcula­
At your D e a le r o r tion of which is definitely beyond the
a d d $ 2 .0 0 p e r o r d e r ,
fo r U P S . C a . R es
scope of this publication . . . there are
a d d 64 fo r T a x . entire volumes devoted to the "kin etic
e nergy o f r o ta tio n ” , w h ic h we are
certainly not going to try to duplicate
here. All such inform ation is interesting,
and it w ould be nice to understand it
and to be able to do one’s own testing
and calculations, but for practical pur­
poses, it is enough to know that the
higher the ounce-inch figure claimed by
the servo m a n u fa c tu re r, the m ore
muscle is going to be available to move
our control surfaces. And of course, we
must re ly on the re p u ta tio n o f said
manufacturer to accept that its testing
was accurate and that its claims are valid.
A point to remember is that some of
the bigh torque figures we are reading
since the advent of larger and larger
models are not gained on a calculator.
True, some of these increases are the
result of more efficient motors, and
carefully designed minimum friction
gear trains, but ultimately what is doing
the real work is a transformation of the
energy stored in your airborne batteries.
The higher the claimed torque of any
given servo, the higher is going to be its
current consumption. The mere addi­
tion of a set of high powered servos to
your existing R/C system w ill not trans­
form it into an adequate setup for your
large, heavy airplane: it is equally im por­
tant that you also includea largecapacity
battery, or provide for between-flight
recharging of any small battery being
used . . . or both!
As if it isn’t enough to try to under­
stand this torque business, with which
most of us are unfamiliar, we sometimes
read about a foreign made servo for
which the figures are given to us not in
the ounce-inch figure which we are
used to, but in gram-centimeters, which
we are not. I’m sure the problem exists
also on the other side of the pond,
where our foreign readers try to de­
cipher the claims the U.S. radio manu­
facturers are making for their servos.
That part of it, at least, is simple. To
convert ounce-inches into gram-centi­
meters, simply m ultiply by 72.01. Con­
versely. to convert gram-centimeters
into ounce-inches, m ultiply by 1.389
x 10
R/C EQUIPMENT AT THE NATS
The A M A re c e n tly released some
interesting inform ation on theoperation
of our R/C equipm ent at this year’s Nats
at Westover APB, in Massachusetts. All
MODEL BUILDER
registered transmitters were tested by
trained personnel, using some rather
elaborate and accurate equipm ent, ac­
cording to various bandwidth and other
standards according to FCC rules, and
deemed necessary for proper operation
under high density conditions such as
one might find at a large event of this
nature.
Two rather interesting facts emerge.
One is that there wasn't any interference
reported on the new R/ C channel*. This
proves co n clu sive ly that all o f that
doomsday talk and action, such as the
club that reportedly banned all of the
new frequencies from their field, has
been based more on hearsay and inex­
perience than on experience or fact.
Note of course, that this is with all tested
equipment on the field, it w ill still be
possible for one improperly operating
transmitter to ruin things on other R/C
fre q u e n cie s at yo u r fie ld . The w ord
seems to be. "proceed with caution, but
proceed!”
S econdly, the team processed 600
transmitters, 100 on the six-meter band,
and 250 each on the old and new fre­
quencies. Of these 600 tran sm itters,
NONE failed to meet the AM A estab­
lished criteria, and all were passed and
flown, some with as many as 15 models
in the air at the same time. As I have
stated before, a transmitter, (or a re­
ceiver. or a servol does not an R/C
system make . . . the above reported
successful operation also speaks well for
the receivers being used.
It is also interesting to know just what
R /C systems w ere being flo w n ; the
follow ing is an alphabetical breakdown
of the brands flown and the quantity of
each;
Ace R/C 47
Airtronics 37
Circus 78
Futaba 133
Kraft 111
W orld Engines 22
Pro-Line 17
The fo llo w in g brands w ere re p re ­
sented in quantities of less than 10 each:
C annon. C irru s. EK L o g ic tro l, M RC.
Royal. Sanwa. Tower. RS Systems, O rbit,
and Heathkit.
KRAFT SYSTEMS SERVICE
As of October 1983. all service and
repair work on Kraft Systems R/C equip­
ment, including warranty work, is to be
done by an independent company. Kraft
National Service, Inc., located at 1919
Apple St.. Suite G. Oceanside,CA92054.
The telephone number there is (619)
433-1628.
This rather unprecedented move, a
first in the industry, means only that
Kraft owners w ill no longer be dealing
directly with the manufacturer when
their equipment requires service. How­
ever, this does not mean that the work on
your system w ill be done by inexperi­
enced or untrained personnel, and both
ownership and operation of this new
facility is in the hands of long-tim e Kraft
service center technicians. The location
is close to the Kraft factory, and there
should not be any problems of com ­
JANUARY 1984 WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS, TELL 'EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU!
• 6 CHANNEL RECEIVER*
• 4 MIDGET SERVOS (NES-1 A)
• 500 MAH SQ. BATT (SANYO)
• AILERON EXTENSION
• M IN I SWITCH HARNESS
F utaba/com patible plugs. M atches all m odern TX. Plug-in crystal included.
^Specify Frequency. Add S2.50 UPS, Cam. residents, add 6%. Allow 3-4 weeks tor
checks Send 9 ! 4 * l VA SASE tor tree brochure
2709-C Orange Avenue, Santa Ana, CA92707, (714) 549-3741
munication or supply involved with this
new service.
So file away the above address for
future use. and remember that all Kraft
fa cto ry service, in c lu d in g w arran ty
w o rk , regardless of the age of your
system, is to be handled for you there.
For those of you in the local area who
w ill want to drive there, go east of the
San Diego Freeway on Oceanside Blvd..
Apple Street parallels it to your left. The
1919 number is about a half mile up from
the freew'ay.
CQ SIX METERS
I had a note from Kenny Kern, K9BEH.
of Bedford. Indiana, who encloses the
fo llo w in g in fo rm a tio n reg a rd in g Six
M eteroperation: "Recent FederalCom-
munications Commission rules changes
include the follow ing:
'97.99. Stations used only for radio
c o n tro l of rem ote m odel crafts and
vehicles.
'An amateur radio station in radio
control operation with a mean output
power not exceeding one watt may.
when used for the control of a remote
model craft or vehicle, be operated
under the special p ro visio ns o f (his
section, provided that a writing indicat­
ing the station call sign and the licensee’s
name and address is a ffix e d to the
transmitter.' "
What this means to you flying hams
out there is that to be 100". FCC legal,
you must have a "w ritin g " stuck on your
transmitter, which includes your name,
address, and call sign. Nothing is said
about the internal or external position­
ing of the "w ritin g ." and as most “ w rit­
ings" do not adhere verv W'ell to a vinyl
covered transmitter, even when clean
. . until we are told different in the
future. I am going to assume that a label
with the proper inform ation, on the
inside of the rear cover of my trans­
mitter. w ill suffice.
CQ NASHVILLE
You punk rockers (yeech!) out there
in reader-world w ill not recognize these
names, but you country and western
music fans certainly w ill. I recently heard
a ra d io in te rv ie w w ith Earl Thomas
Conley, during which he told about his
recent interest in R/C airplanes. De­
scribing himself as one w'ho likes to do
things on his own. he went on to tell
about buying, assembling (apparently
some type of ARF). and trying to fly his
first airplane, with the expected results.
He talked at some length about R/C; it
seems that he has been bitten by the
bug, and remarked that "it am t easy",
talking about apparent control reversal,
and other problems that the student
R/C pilot has to contend with. He also
mentioned that lean Shepherd's hus­
band (Mr. Shepherd???) is deeply in­
volved in the hobby.
So it appears that this is a job for one of
you instructor types out there in Nash­
ville. Tennessee . . find Mr. Conley and
don't let him crash his number two
airplane. And you can do me a favor at
the same lime. If you get that whole
country and western music crowd in­
volved. or at least interested, and you
learn of a day when Crystal Gayle is
coming out to the local field, be sure to
call me early enough so that whatever
airline is still in operation at that tim e can
get me there! ·
Sig C u b . . . . Continued from page 13
dope; it worked fine. On the fuselage I
used Balsarite. and found that when the
heat was applied, it did its job well. The
tail section was treated with a thinned
out mixture of aliphatic glue, and when
heated by the iron, that also literally
fused the Ceconite to the wood. I know
that dope w ill also do the deed, although
I haven't used any for years, and there­
fore had none to try.
The Ceconite responded well to heat
from both iron and gun. and in short
65
 in performance between using a "fo u r-
WILLIAMS Λ Γ Γ ϋ ί ί Π Ρ TT7C stroke plug” or the very familiar, long,
idle-bar plug. As for fuel, all of these
BROTHERS engines run best on five to ten percent
nitro and no more than ten percent oil.

i PILOTS STANDARD · SPORTSMAN

M y M a g n u m , I ’ve d is co ve re d , goes
bananas over five to six percent oil. Also,
gotta point out that four-strokers really
RACING · MILITARY
squeeze the mileage out of an ounce of
WHEELS ► VINTAGE · SMOOTH CONTOUR
fuel. Whereas you need a 16-ounce tank
to get about ten minutes from a two-
BALLOON · GOLDEN AGE stroke ninety, the same displacement in
a four-stroke w ill easily yield 16 minutes
Alfo, i ENGINES^ PRATT & WHITNEY · WRIGHT · IE RHONE
from an eight-ounce tank. How about
that?
There is one idiosyncrasy of the four-

IJARTS ► o » tt
PRATT*
—GUNSJ .
,Λ 1 *'
Is— ' W ' LEWIS ■ VICKERS ·
SENO $1 FOR FULLY ILLUSTRATED C A TA LOG
DEPT. M8 181 PAWNEE ST. SAN MARCOS, CALIFORNIA 92069
order the whole plane was covered and
looking good. Preparing the framework
for the Ceconite was not all that bad or
tim e co n su m in g , but d id g ive me a
severe case of nostalgia. Y’see, back in
the late forties, I used to earn my aero­
batic lessons by cleaning up around the
hangar, and helping with maintenance
.. . and some of that included giving a
hand recovering tail and control surfaces
with the then brand new and experi­
mental Ceconite. A nyhoooo.afterw ork-
ing with Ceconite again, I honestly feel
that the bit o f extra effort it takes to pre­
pare the framework is more than offset
by .. . (1) the outstanding strength and
durability of Ceconite; (2) its depend­
able 10% shrink factor, which means
that it w on’t turn reasonably well built
surfaces into pretzels; (3) the fact that,
unlike most other iron-ons, once taut,
this stuff doesn’t seem to need retouch­
ing or reheating; and (4) it looks so real­
istic because it is the same material used
on real birds.
My messed-up spackle-like finish was
not the fault of the covering, nor of lerry
Nelson’s "Filler Coat” primer. I got ex­
cellent results applying the filler with an
old sponge brush and found that it did,
indeed, fill better than many coats of
dope. I haven’t gotten around to trying it
on any other kind of covering, but it
should do equally well. The primer is
ready for sanding in about an h o t*1 and
is easy to work w ith; w hat’s really dandy
is that it can be thinned (for spraying)
and cleaned up with plain old tap water.
I ended up liking everything about my
finish . . . the Ceconite. the light blue
and orange with white pinstriping, and
the filler; everything, that is, except the
bad case of acne my attemptsat spraying
had caused.
My "firs t" in the power department
was a real education; instead of using
the ignition converted Fox .78 which I
had o rig in a lly p la nn ed on, my new
· \Ay
& La i T k i C v ·- iLE
WHITNEY c d u a u c
RHONE
WRIGHT · GNOME
=SSSSS^ S^ £
SPANDAU · PARA8ELLUM
^ Íiu ia s w
Magnum .91S four-stroker was bolted to
the firewall. This must be proof that you
certainly can teach an old modeler new
tricks.
As I m entioned before, these BIG
Birds are slowly, but insidiously, getting
me to think more and more in terms of
scale. Y'know, I never used to be con­
cerned about cutting into a cowl (if I
used one at all) for access to the needle
valve, and for whatever clearance was
needed for the head and exhaust. Now
things are d iffe re n t! I spent a fair amount
of time positioning and double check­
ing the M ag nu m just to keep from
having to butcher that nice smooth cowl
. . . and I gotta admit that it was w orth
the effort. Even though the carb had to
be positioned so that I can’t get to the
needle valve with the cowl on, I found
all my worrying was for naught; four-
strokers seem to have such b-r-o-a-d
needle valve tuning that backing off a
tad on the rich side from optim um gives
an easy-to-start, reliable running engine
. . . that barely needs any more messing
with for a w hile. I also found that a four-
stroke w ill stop running almost im m edi­
ately if tweaked too much . . . unlike its
two-stroke cousin that can easily damage
itself by continuing to run when too
lean.
I was initially concerned aboutstarting
the Magnum as the engine couldn't be
choked, nor was prim ing through the
longer, curved exhaust very practical.
Usually, heavy choking, followed by a
flip clockwise, gets a four-stroker run­
ning; however, as my carb was inacces­
sible, an electric starter took care of that
chore very nicely.
And I learned about plugs and fuel,
too. Although most instructions specify
a particular plug for optim um p erfor­
mance (usually made by the engine
manufacturer, would you believe). I've
found, as most other four-stroke owners
have, that there is virtually no difference
stroker that was, initially, very annoying,
but has since almost stopped bothering
me: you’ve got to leave the %#(@*&
plug connected till she warms up con­
siderably (which tends to make one very
impatient) . . . otherwise she runs rough
and could die at low throttle.
The "last first.” an aircraft that needed
no nose or tail ballast, was a nice surprise,
and due mainly to the additional weight
of the Magnum (a good eight to ten
ounces more than a two-cycle ninety).
My bird, named "D e e ," balanced at 31.6
p e rce n t of her M ean A e ro d y n a m ic
Chord (MAC), which I could find no
fault w ith. And outside of adding 1-1/2
degrees of right thrust and coming in
one full turn on both elevator clevises. I
still haven't changed anything after well
over two dozen flights. I'm able to do
many aerobatic maneuvers with ease,
although I plan to move that balance
point back a little at a time.
I’ve been dow nright happy with many
other aircraft over the years, but this
com bination of Sig’s BIG Clipped-W ing
Cub and the potent, but quiet. Magnum
.91S four-stroke are as close to being the
proverbial "m arriage made in heaven"
as anything could be. There’s more than
enough power to loop from level flight,
and that four-stroke "sound” is abso­
lutely fantastic. Not only does Deesound
just like a full-scale lightplane as she
p u tt-p u tts overhead, but the greatly
reduced engine noise level w ill go a
long, long way toward keeping non­
modelers happy . . . which, in turn, w ill
help to keep many flying sites.
Sooooo, w e’ie going to see a lot more
in the way of BIG four-strokers because
you don't need a chainsaw or weed-
trim m er engine on a 20-25 pound air­
plane in order to enjoy the magic of BIG
Birds. A .90 or 1.2 four-stroke mated to
an 8-foot, nine to ten-pound CAP 21 or
Zlinn w ill produce lots of snap and zip
. . . while the same engine on a bird like
this 14-1/2 pound puddle jum per w ill fill
the bill for “ o ld e r” guys like me. In
either case, you w on ’t have to build
differently, stress for the kind of vibes
the bigger gas engines have, or mess
w ith th e size e n g in e th a t, lo g ic a lly ,
intimidates many modelers. This C ub’s
ability to perform so well on "just a .90”
is no secret; she's got a wingloading of
26 ounces per square foot, which is
mighty light for a BIG Bird and effectively
jacks up the power loading. The end
result is an airplane that flies on her

66 WHEN C O N TA C TIN G ADVERTISERS. TELL ’ EM M O DEL BUILDER SENT Y O U ! MODEL BUILDER

 Gemini M.T.S.
(a s u p e r io r M u l t ip l e Ta s k Sa il p l a n e )
Sunrise.........Continued from page 16

straight with each other. Now the wings

are ready to join together.
Standard Class R/C sailplane fo r Pin one wing section to the building
sport, F3B, and AM A contests board, being sure to have some wax
S p e c ific a tio n s :
paper underneath so that you do not
glue the wing to the plane. Mix up some
Wing span 100 in. COMPLETE K IT W ITH
PRECISION CU T PARTS. five-m inute epoxy and apply it to the
Wing area 930 sq. in.
Flying weigh t 44 oz. A L L H A R D W AR E. AND other section. Butt the two sections to ­
Wing loading 6.8 oz. /sq. ft FU LL-S IZE PLANS gether making sure that this section is
Wing section MB-253515 also blocked up the same distance as the
(15% semi’symmetrica!)
Max. ballast 4 lbs.
$99?5 other. With the two wings together, you
can now epoxy the 1/16 ply dihedral

Pierce Aero Co.

9626 Jellico Avenue, Northridge, CA 91325 Phone (213) 349-4758
INDOOR MODEL SUPPLY
ENDURANCE RUBBER MODELS
THE EASY B " 3 IM S G lid e rs » * " So*n
F L A P P IN G F L Y E R 3 PARLO R PLAN ES
13" MINIATURE SCALE AIRCRAFT KITS ea $6.95
OUTSTANDING DETAILS. 3-VIEWS & HISTORY
.045" Strip Wood. Light Sheet. Hardware & Prop.
Heat Transfers. Japanese Tissue
PLASTIC CYLINDERS in ALCO and HEATH
ALCO SPORT 1929 ZIPPY SPORT A.R.V.
WATERMAN RACER 1921 HEATH PARASOL 1928
AERONCA K 1937 Span 16" Length 9"
INDOOR MODEL AIRPLANES by Lew Gitlow
48 pgs. 100 illust. (reprint) + FREE PLAN. . $3.95
PEANUT POWER by Hannan. 80 pgs ......... $8.95
INDOOR BALSA PACK $6.95 P NUT PACK $6 95
JAPANESE TISSUE 10 Ige 5 col. r o ll.............$5.95
CONDENSER PAPER 2/$2.50 MICROLITE $3 25
RUBBER LUBE $1.50 BALSA CEMENT $1.50
THRUST BEARINGS. Mini Dual or D u a l....... $1.00
PIRELLI RUBBER .020 to .090" & .1 2 5 ......... $2.35
6:1 WINDER $3.95 16:1 MARK 1 $11.95
P-NUT CO-2 ENGINE $34 95 CHARGER $8.95
P-NUT PROP PACK 4 props, shafts, w.&p .. $2.95
SCALE CYLINDERS 5 pack. 3/8& 1 /2 " ......... $1.00
I M S. P-NUT PLANS ALL 5. 10 s h e e ts .....$15.00
ADD 10% POSTAGE —MINIMUM POSTAGE $1.50
1983 4 CATALOG 18 ILLUST. PGS. $1.50
BOX C, GARBERVILLE, CA 95440
wing, just like the "Big Boys” do.
Almost forgot to tell you about the
prop I used, which was a Top Flite 16-6.1
also flew with a 15-6, a 15-8 and a 17-6
(cut dow n fro m a Z inger 18-6). and
though all of these did well, the 16-6 was
clearly a better choice; the engine was
able to unload and there was hardly any
indication of lugging, even when going
th ro u g h a lo o p . And h e re ’s a tid b it
passed on to me by other four-stroke
lovers that seems to be the gospel: these
engines like props with wide blades and
p e rfo rm b e tte r w ith them w here it
counts . . . in the air . I intend to cut down
that cut-down 17-6 to a 16-6 and see how
well a real paddle-blade does.
Please don't let the relatively light
gross weight fool you into using low
power servos and a 500 mah battery
pack. The Cub is aerobatic enough to
need the muscle of at least 40 oz-in
servos and the capacity of a 1000 mah or
1200 mah pack; o th e rw is e y o u 'll be
playing the “ can’t w in " game of Russian
Roulette. . . .
Again, let me point out that this is a
really good kit. I know that many reviews
sound too good to be true and smack of
being a whitewash . . . which they are.
This one a in 't! Sure, the k it’s not perfect,
but I’d have to get down to the real
picky, nitty-gritty . . . and that’s not what
you want to read about. Does she build
easy, look good, and fly even better, is
what you want to know . . . and I’ve
already given you the answer. I can’t
think of any airplane. BIG or small, that
w o u ld make a b e tte r tra in e r. She’s
stable, predictable, easy-to-see. and has
a great body; you feel like you’re flying a
real Cub. Coordinated turns (rudder
and ailerons) make her look smooth and
graceful, and slipping into a landing
(rudder and aileron opposite to each
other . . . also known as cross-control­
ling) can actually bring on tears of joy
and happiness. But please . . . she de­
serves more than just a common, vulgar­
sounding, two-cycle, methanol-burner
up front. If you’re hep to taildraggers.
you probably won ’t need to read the last
page about flying. If, on the other hand,
"training wheels" have been your way
of life, d o n ’t omit page 31: it contains
some good poop. About the only thing I
could add would be to crank two to
three degrees of toe-in on your mains:
I’ve yet to see where this w o n ’t turn a
tiger into a pussycat.
I guess I was destined to wait all these
45 years for my own Cub because this kit
and e n g in e c o m b in a tio n was never
possible before. But it was worth the
wait cuz I ’m in luv with my Cub! · center of the wing.
braces in place, as shown on the plans.
Trim the center ribs to fit. and epoxy in.
Let the wing dry at this time, but do not
rem ove it fro m the b u ild in g boa rd .
When everything is dry. you can glue on
the top trailing edge (1/16 x 1-1/2). You
can also glue on the top leading edge
sheeting as shown.
Now, remove the wing from the plans,
and turn it over so that you can mount
the 3/16 x 3-1/2 x 3 ply landing gear
mount onto the bottom of the center
section of the wing. Make vour piece
from a 3 16 plywood sheet. Cut out a
hole the size of the gear mount in the
bottom of the center section. Location is
shown on the plans. Insert the mount
but do not epoxy at this time. Turn the
wing over and block up both tips. This
makes sure that the gear mount is level
and flush w ith the building board. Now
epoxy the m o u n t in to place. Cut a
piece of 1 8 X 1 '2 balsa stir k. trim to fit
and epoxy into place in back of the gear
m ount as shown on the detail At this
time you can cut and epoxy in place the
3/8 triangle braces as shown in the gear
mount detail.
After all is dry, remove the wing from
the board, and turn it over so that you
can mount the Dural gear. Drill four
holes in the gear and plywood m ount.
L sing 4-40 bolts and blind nuts, install
the gear at this time. This has to be done
b e fo re the to p w in g c e n te r se ction
sheeting can be glued into place.
After the gear is installed, remove and
finish the sheeting on the lop of the
wing. Cut and install the top cap strips.
The wing is now ready for shaping and
sanding. Be sure to shape the leading
edge as shown on the plans.
After vou have sanded the wing to
shape, vou can now fiberglass the center
section on both the top and bottom . For
this I used tw o-ounre fiberglass, four
inches wide. I recommend using the Sig
finishing resin to glass w ith, for it is easier
to sand alter it has dried. Be sure to glass
both sides of the wing.
At this time you ran make and fit the
ailerons, but do not glue in the hinges.
This is done after the wing and ailerons
are covered. Make the ailerons out of
two pieces of 3/16 x 1-inch balsa. Take
the aileron horns and fit them into the
wing as shown. Leave a space of about an
inch b e tw e e n the tw o horns at the
Next, lake the aileron material and
d rill a 1 8 hole in the edge o f the
material for horn attachment as shown

68 MODEL BUILDER
on the plan. Cut slots in m illing edge of
the wing and the leading edge of the
aileron material at the locations shown.
Install the ailerons and sand off the end
flush with wing tiji. Again. DO V O T
C l.I 7 IN PLACE
Remove ailerons and finish sanding,
then cover the w ing and a ile ro n s. I
finished the model with Super M ono-
kote.
Now that we have built the wing, let's
move on to the fuselage. .. .
FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION
To make the fuselage sides you will
need five pieces of 3/32 x 3 \ 36-inch
balsa sheets, Using the plan as a tem ­
plate, cut out two each of the top halves,
bottom halves, and wing saddle dou­
blers. Glue the top and bottom halves
together as shown. Make sure that the
top half is exactly 4-1/8 inches back from
the bottom half. See plans.
You can now cut the tank com part­
ment and cabin doubler pieies. These
pieces are made from 1/8 balsa sheet
stock. Also at this time, cut all the ply­
wood and balsa bulkheads using the
patterns supplied on the plans. Make
sure that you drill a 1/4-inch hole in
bulkhead "B ” as shown on the plan for
wing hold down dowel. When gluing in
the fuselage doublers, make sure that
you build one left and one right fuselage
side. Glue in all the tank compartment
and cabin doublers, as shown on the
(ilans. Be sure that you leave a 1 8-inch
gap between the tank compartment
d o u b le r (B-1| and the w ing saddle
doubler and cabin doubler for bulkhead
"B". Next, glue in bulkheads "B ” and
"C " to one fuselage side. Only glue the
bottom jiart. not the top angled part,
this is glued later. Use a square to make
sure that the bulkheads are 90 degrees to
the fuselage half. After the bulkheads
have dried, join the other side. Use the
top view of the fuselage on the plans and
cut out the tank floor from 1/16 sheet
balsa and glue in to place betw een
doubler B-1 and B-2. You can now epoxy
the 1 /4 -in c h p lyw o o d fire w a lll in to
place making sure that it is square with
the sides of the fuselage and that you
have angled it down approximately two
degrees for proper down thrust.
Using yo u r m o to r m ount and the
plans, drill all the necessary holes for the
m o u n t, th ro ttle cable and steering
cable. M ount the motor mount with 4-
40 bolts and blind nuts. Apply a small
amount of epoxy around the edges of
the blind nuts so that they w ill remain in
place when you remove the mount. Cut
out bulkheads A-1 and A-2 from 3 16
sheet stock. Drill hole's in A-1 for fuel
lines and cut out the bottom of A-2 fot
the shape of the* fuel tank. Install the fuel
lines and tank at this time. Glue into
place as shown on the plan bulkheads
A-1 and A-2. with A-2angledslightly fo r­
ward as shown.
From the 1 2-inch balsa material left
over from the wing tip bloc ks, cut the
two side cowl pieces and glue into place.
At this tim e, install the nose gear and
the control c able. Some trim m ing ol the·
steering arm and the side cowl block will
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AC/DC AUTO CHARGER
N o. 4 0 0 5 B
$69.95
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(213) 821-6242
be necessary for proper fit and clear-
anc e.
Turn the fuselage over on its top. and
using 3/16 balsa, sheet the front half of
the fuselage making sure that the sheet­
ing is cut cross-grain. Cut out the hole
for the front nose gear and sheet the
bottom of the engine compartment.
Also, glue in the 1 /2-inch triangle pieces
as shown in the plans. This w ill enable
you to later round off the front of the
fuselage to match the spinner, giving the
plane a more streamlined look.
Turn the fuselage back over on the
bottom. You can now· glue in the b ulk­
heads “ D " and "E” . Again, onlv glue the
bottom half, not the angled part. After
everything is dried, start at bulkhead
"C ". apply glue to all the angled sides of
the bulkheads and slowly bend in the
fuselage sides to the bulkheads. Add
some moisture to the outside o f the
fuselage as this softens the balsa and
allows it to bend more easily. This is
where Hot Stuff Super “ T " really helps,
because you do not have to hold down
the sides very long.
You can now glue in the 1/4 x 1/4 balsa
stringers along the top of the fuselage
between the bulkheads all the way back
to the tail. Be sure to glue these a little bit
higher than the fuselage sides. See detail
on the plans (bulkhead "B ” ). When
sanded, a flat gluing surface can be
made for the 3/32sheeting. Cut and glue
in the 1/4 x 1/4 balsa cross braces in the
cabin top as shown. Also, glue in the 3/4
X 1-inch windshield block. Do not shape
at this time. Trim the 1/4 x 1/4 balsa
stringers attached to the fuselage at the
back so that they fit together evenly and
glue. Do not glue the bottom pieces to ­
gether at this time. They are joined after
the horizontal stabilizer is glued into
place.
Starting at the top of the fuselage, at
the windshield block, sheet cross-grain
with 3/32 balsa to the rear of the fuse-
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• Has adjustable rate - zero to six
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- Charges 4. 5, 6, 7. or 8 cells.
■Charges 250 m ahr up to 1.8 ahr
cells.
• Works from 1 lOv house current.
• Works from !2 v auto battery or gel
cell.
• Has equalizer circuit w ith pilot
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• Has jacks for external voltmeter.
■ Use on boats, cars, planes
• Use on transm itter and receiver
• Use for m otor break in.
B E E C H C R A F T S K IP P E R : Q uarter-S cale.
9 0 " w ingspan, 1 ,2 0 0 sq. in. area, .9 0 or
larger engines. Plans, $ 1 8 .5 0
O th e r plans:
BEECHCRAFT BARON MODEL 58: 2 < ; Scale-85
w ingspan-1000 sq In (3 1 3 x6' sheers $15 00
Beechcratl Fin Insignia $2 00
BEECHCRAFT BONANZA A 36: 2V» Scale-86
wingspan-1300 sq in (3) 3‘x6Vi sheets $17 50
A d d $ 2 .0 0 p o s ta g e in s id e U .S . & C a n a d a
In c lu d e $ 2 .0 0 f o r p la n r o lle d In tu b e
O verseas o rd e rs a d d $ 1 0 .0 0 p o sta g e
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1525 Badham Dr Dept. M. Birmingham. AL 35216
205 822-4312
D E A L E R IN Q U IR IE S IN V IT E D
loge. Stop here and make the horizontal
stabilizer.
STABILIZER CONSTRUCTION
Use the plans as templates and make
two front pieces and one back piece
from 3/16 x 3-inch balsa sheet. Glue the
three pieces together and sand smooth.
Cut hinge slots in the locations shown.
Slide the horizontal stabilizer into place
in the slot in the rear of the fuselage, and
place the wing in the wing saddle. Make
sure that both wing and stabilizer are
parallel to each other. If not. trim either
wing saddle or stabilizer slot so that they
are. W'e recommend that you trim the
stabilizer slot.
O nce they are a lig ne d w ith each
other, you can now' cover the horizontal
stabilizer leaving bare the parts inside
the fuselage so that the epoxy w ill
adhere to it. Epoxy the stabilizer into
place and bring the bottom rear fuselage
pieces to g e th e r. Pin these u n til the
epoxy has hardened. Again, make sure
that the stabilizer is parallel to the wing.
Adjust as necessary. If you like, the
s ta b iliz e r can be braced w ith some
scrap 1/4 x 1/4 balsa sticks.
69
 FRANCIS SMITH’S SHIP YARD
B O X 118 N O R W O O D . PA. 19074

( C O N S T R U C T IO N P L A N S A V A IL A B L E ) (A S F E A T U R E D IN M O D E L B U IL D E R M A G A Z IN E )

95’ PATROL BOAT 85’ HARBOR T U G

4 8" LO N G 10.5· B E A M Price$250.00 36"LONG 10.5" B E A M Pr i c e $ 2 2 5 . 0 0

All wood kits saun from aircraft quality birch plyuood, spruce and first-grade balsa...one piece
plyuood Keel, plyuood Bulkheads, plyuood Main, Middle and Bottom Decks. .. Al l p l y u o o d S u p e r ­
structure...HARBOR TUG: Balsa planked; PATROL BOAT: Plyuood sheeted... P o r t h o l e s , S t a n c h i o n s ,
Guard Rails, Rudders, Tiller Arms, Skegs, Struts, Stuffing Boxes, Drive Shafts, Propellers and
Fittings are furnished...All Deck harduare is pre-cut, ready to assemble from detailed drauings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, SEND SASE INCLUDES SHIPPING U.S.A.

Once this has dried, you can sheet
cross-grain the bottom rear of the fuse­
lage with 3/32 balsa as you did the top.
After all has dried, trim the 3/32 balsa
sheeting top and bottom flush with the
fuselage sides. Sand the fuselage sides,
top, and nose to shape. Finish sanding
for covering.
At this time, install the wing hold
down blocks as shown, as well as the
triangle stock gussets on top of the
blocks as shown in the detail on the
plans.
ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTION
Cut from a piece of 3/16 x 2 x 36-inch
balsa one elevator strip 1-1/4 x 21 inches
as shown on plans. Round the edges and
cut the slots for the hinges in the loca­
tions shown on the plans so that they
match those you have already cut for the
horizontal stabilizer. Cover the elevator
and set it aside.
FIN AND RUDDER CONSTRUCTION
From the remaining pieces left over
from the horizontal stabilizer construc­
tion, cut out the two vertical tail pieces.
Cut the hinge slots as shown and sand to
shape, rounding the edges. Trial fit the
pieces together using the hinges, and
finish sanding. Note the gap between
the rudder and the fuselage for move­
ment clearance. Separate the rudder
from the fin and cover both. After cover­
ing, you can permanently hinge these
pieces together. Be sure to use epoxy on
the hinges.
FINISHING THE MODEL
Place the wing on the wing saddle and
70
locate the hole for the front 1/4-inch
wing hold down dowel. Drill a 1/4-inch
hole and epoxy the dowel in place. Use
details on the plans for references.
Cover the fuselage and the ailerons
and hinge the ailerons to the wing. Be
sure to use epoxy when installing the
hinges. I also recommend that on all
control surfaces that you drill a 1/16 hole
th ro u g h each hinge and p in w ith a
toothpick using some Hot Stuff as the
adhesive. This should be done on the
ailerons, rudder and elevator.
Locate the holes for the landing gear
and install at this time. Before you cover
the fuselage. I recommend that you mix
some resin and give the engine com part­
ment two coats. This helps to fuel proof
the wood. Cover the fuselage. I always
cover from the bottom to the top. That
way when someone is looking at your
covering, the seams cannot be seen.
D rill the holes for your engine in the
mount. Attach the m ount to the firewall.
At this time insert the nose gear in the
steering arm and insert in the bottom
hole in the m ount. Push up enough to
slide on the 5/32 retaining collar. Slide
the rest of the nose up thru the top hole
in the m ount until flush. Slide the 5/32"
collar to the bottom on the m ount and
tighten. Slide the steering arm up to the
mount and tighten the screw. Attach the
engine to the mount.
Slide the wing into the wing saddle
and measure for the holes in the rear of
the wing for the wing bolts. Drill the two
holes the appropriate size for tapping
the h oldd ow n blocks for 1/4-20 threads.
Remove the wing and d rill the holes in
the wing slightly larger for the 1/4-inch
nylon wing bolts to pass through. Tap
the hold down blocks. Hot Stuff the
threads and retap.
Place the rudder on top of the fuse­
lage, and w ith a soft pencil draw around
the part which is to be epoxied to the
fuselage. Cut away the covering inside
of the line. Be careful not to cut into the
balsa below the covering. This gives you
a good w ood-to-w ood bond. M ix some
five-m inute epoxy and lay a bead along
the bottom of the fin and place it on the
fuselage. Use small pins to hold it in
place w hile hardening. Using a square,
lay on either side of the fin and on the
horizontal stabilizer to make sure that
the fin is perpendicular to the stab.
Hinge the elevator to the horizontal
stabilizer and attach as earlier described.
Attach control horns at the locations
shown on the plans.
To make the pushrods for the rudder
and elevator. I use a 1/4-inch dowel. I
measure theapproxim atelength needed
for the rods and cut. In each I drill a 1/16
hole all the way through the dowel
about 1/2 inch from the end, and then I
cut a lengthwise slot from the hole to the
end of the dowel approximately half­
way through and round off the end. I
then cut the 12-inch DuBro rod with
clevis in half. Using Hot Stuff, I insert a
length of the wire rod (with L bend) into
each pushrod end and wrap with heavy
thread and apply more Hot Stuff. On the
MODEL BUILDER
end with the clevis. I make a lazy "Z ”
bend for the rudder control. The one for
the elevator is left straight.
Install the radio as shown and connect
the control rods for the rudder, elevator,
throttle, and steering. Install the wheels,
propeller, and spinner. Competition-Proven
To mount the servo in the wing, I cut a
rectangular hole starting at the back of
the spar just large enough for the servo
to fit into. I cut two piecesof 3/8 x 1/4 ply
OCTURA
approximately 1-1/2 inches long and
epoxy to the top of the wing. Using
rubber grommets, washers, and •small
X-SERIES
wood screws, I attach the servo.
Last but not least, I attach the w ind ­
shield to the fuselage. I use Hot Stuff for
PROPELLERS
this. Cut the windshield from 5 mil clear
plastic (acetate or m ylar) using the X-trii SpeedLX-tra Performance!
pattern on the plan. I like to attach the
windshield last. That way I eliminate the FOR PERFORMANCE YOU’ LL BE PROUD O F ...
chance of damaging it while installing These, as all Octura Propellers, meet the most exact­
the radio and other gear. ing requirements. Available now in beryllium copper.
Bolt the wi ng to the fuselage and using Fit 3/16" shaft. Check your local progressive hobby
the balance point marked on the plan, shop. ___
( X 4 4 0 /3 RECOMMENDED
check the plane for proper balance. If APPLICATIONS
3 5 OUTRIGGER < X445
weight is needed, place it as far forward
X447
as you can. With a full tank of fuel, the 75 DEEP VEE <i X450
7 5 OUTBOARD
plane should have a slight nose down X455
attitude. It is always better to be nose 7.5 OUTRIGGER X 4 5 5 /3 65 SCALE HYDRO
heavy than tail heavy. X457 65 DEEP VEE
I think that you w ill find this to be a X460
very pleasing airplane, giving you many X462 65 OUTRIGGER
»1 00 f ° r •X467 90 DEEP VEE
hours of flying fun. If you want, attach a
Ser!dn and Price
r-o<alo9
set of floats and go find some water. The 13" Indicates 3 Bladed Propeller
Sunrise loves it. Safe Flying!
“SINCE 1954”
MATERIALS LIST FOR THE
SUNRISE 2540
OCTURA MODELS. INC . 7351 N. Hamlin Ave · Skokie, IL 60076

(All Measurements in Inches Unless

Otherwise Noted.)
W IN G
1 - 1 /2 X 3 X 36 Balsa sheet (w in g tips).
2 - 1 4 x 1 Balsa tra ilin g e dge stock
5 - 1/16 X 3 X 36 Balsa sheets (w in g sheeting)
2 - 1/4 X 1/4 X 36 Balsa sticks (to p spar).
2 - 1/4 X 1 f2 X 36 Balsa sticks «bottom spar i
4 - 3/16 X 1 X 36 Balsa sticks (leading edge and a ile ­
ro n m aterial).
2 - 3/8 X 3 /4 X 36 Balsa sticks (leading edge).
3 - 3/32 X 3 X 36 Balsa sheets (rib m ate ria l).
1 - 3/16 X 3 X 36 Balsa sheet (sheer w e b m a te ria l·.
8 - 1 /6 X 1 /4 X 36 Balsa sticks (cap strips).
FUSELAGE
4 - 3/32 X 3 X 36 Balsa sheets (fuselage sides and
d ou b lers).
1 - 3 /8 X 36 Triangle stock (gusset m aterial)
1 - 1 /2 X 36 Triangle stock (gusset m aterial).
2 - 1 /4 X 1 4 X 36 Balsa sticks (fuselage to p stiffen e r
m a terial)·
1 - 1 /8 X 1 X 36 Balsa stick (tank c o m p a rtm e n t
d o u b le r B-1 and B-2)
2 - 1/8 X 1 /2 X 36 Balsa sticks (fuselage cabin
doublers).
2 - 3 /16 X 3 X 36 Balsa sheets (bulkheads A-1 and
A-2 and fuselage b o tto m fro n t sheeting).
2 - 3/32 X 3 X 36 Balsa sheets (fuselage sh ee tin g to p
and b o tto m rear).
1 - 3 /4 X 1 X 12 Balsa b lo c k (to p fuselage w in d s h ie ld
fo rm e r).
1 X 1 /8 X 3 X 36 Balsa sheet (b ulkheads D and E and
m iscellaneous d ou b lers)
STABILIZER :
1 - 3/16 X 3 X 36 Balsa sheet (fro n t and rear s ta b ilize r
pieces).
1 - 3 /16 X 2 X 36 Balsa sheet (elevator).
RUDDER:
M a k e fro m scrap le ft o ve r fro m stab ilize r and
e le va to r pieces.
P L Y W O O D M A T E R IA L :
1 - Shc»et 1 /1 6 χ 6 x 12 fo r w in g d ih e d ra l braces.
1 - Sheet 1 /8 x 6 x 12 fo r cabin form ers
1 - Sheet 3/16 x 6 x 12 for m ain gear m o u n t (< ut 2 it
y o u p la n to m o u n t floats later) and fire w a ll
H A R D W A R E LIST:
1 - Kraft tank part «200-147.
1 - Kraft m o u n t part «200-062.
1 - Kraft w heels part «200-075.
2 - D u B ro c o n tro l h orn s «105.
15 - D u B ro hinges «117.
1 - D uB ro 1 4 X 20 w in g b o lts pack «142.
2 - D u B ro 12-inch steel rods w ith clevis «108.
1 - D u B ro nose gear «152.
1 - Sig nose gear arm w ith c o lla r «102.
2 - Sig 1 4 X 20 thre a de d w o o d b lo cks »218.
1 - Royal D ural m ain gear «R-19.
1 - Roval a ile ro n h o rn set «R-197.
1 - Sullivan G o ld e n Rods set »503 (th ro ttle and
steering).
1 - 1 4 X 36 W o o d d o w e l (e levator and ru d d e r
c o n tro l rods).
1 - Can fiberglass resin
1 - Package 2 o u n c e glass c lo th
1 - K&S 005 plastic w in d s h ie ld sheet «304.
E lo y's............. Continued from page 19
bolt, which screws into the end of the
crankshaft, a la K & B .40 practice. This
definitely prevents crankshaft damage
in the sad event that the earth comes up
and smacks you in the nose.
Lubrication of the FK-50 is done in two
ways, the first being the usual o il/fu e l
mixture, though in this case, only two
percent castor oil is used in the methanol
alcohol fuel. Up to two percent nitro-
methane may also be added if desired,
and does seem to make for easier start­
ing and a better idle. The castor oil mix­
ture effectively takes care of lubricating
the top end of the engine. The bottom
end, in c lu d in g the cran ksha ft, c o n ­
necting rods, pistons, pushrods, etc., is
done by a wet sump, in this case filled
with 30cc (1 oz) of castor oil. From there
on, the castor is distributed to all points
by the combined action of a cam driven
plunger pump, which lifts the oil and
sprays it at the crankshaft throws, where
the rotating action of the crankshaft
splashes o il e veryw h e re w ith in the
crankcase. When inverted, the oil natu­
rally flows down onto the crankshaft,
and is then splashed around. This system
is also similar to that employed in full-
size reciprocating aircraft and autom o­
bile engines, and is quite effective. A
touch of class is found in the oil sump
· drain plug . . . it has a small magnet im ­
bedded in the center, which w ill attract
any ferrous chips which might occur
w ith in the e n g in e and p re ven t any
scoring or scratching of the softer sur­
faces.
Carburation of the FK-50 is via asingle
carb, different from the average R/C
carb only in the mechanical method of
adjusting the position of the sliding
sleeve the needle fits into. This adjust­
ment sets the idle, and there you can
expect a problem. The problem is not in
the design or operation of the carbure­
tor, which only requires that you ap­
proximate the position of thesleeveand
then adjust an air bleed, as we have all
done many times. The problem is a
different one. though comm on to most
of us when we first make the change
from two-cycle to four-cycle engines,
and in this case, it's complicated by the

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η BUILD YOUR
OWN ROCKET
ιι MOTORS!
W E CAN SHOW YOU HOW!
•40 POUNDS
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A necessary wrenches, open and Allen,
• 50Φ EACH!
• With a rock tumbler and some simple hand tools,
we II show you how lo build YOUR OWN rocket
engines in your own garage or workshop lor 115 to
1/10 the cost ol the commercially marketed motors.
• INTERESTED? Just send us S2 00 and we ll mail you
out brochure along with a WORKING SAM PLE ol an
electric igniter that YOU CAN M AKE YOURSELF Irom
materials you'll find around the house
TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT USI We re Ihe 00 IT
YOURSELF ROCKET people.
Write tu Department MB 2. The Telelllte Corporation
11620 Kltchlng SI Sunnymead. CA 92388
faci that this is a twin. It’s the sound . . .
we simply d on ’t have four-cycle ears!
From experience, most of us can tell
what a two-cycle mill is doing just from
the sound, and instinctively know when
it doesn't idle properly whether it is rich
or lean. Not so with the four-strokers.
Initially, my FK-50 would die at idle,
maybe cough at me once or twice as it
did, and I knew not whether it died rich
or lean. I'm still not all that sure, but I
proceeded on the principle that you
adjust in any given direction, if you were
right, things improve. If not. they get
worse! I was able to achieve an accept­
able idle, and to be able to kill it when
desired by further movement of the
transmitter throttle trim. What more can
you ask for?
At the top. the Kavan FK-50 is indeed
impressive. Again, the sound is different,
with a sort of tapering off in the sound as
you adjust its peak, until you reach the
rpm where the prop tips begin to sound
off. Or, you can just watch to see how
much effort your pitman is making to
hold the airplane . . . a lot of thrust is
developed! The instructions say that
8000 rpm is maximum. Naturally, you
have to do some matching of the prop to
your particular model. M ine swings a
Zinger 20-10 at 7300, and seems to be the
best choice for this size and weight
model. One of my local friends flies his
FK-50 in a 33-pound Nellitz Cub: he
swings a 22-8, which gets that big yellow
monster off in 50 to 60 feet, and w ill do a
loop from level flight.
72
The engine comes with everything
you need to run it and maintain it. from
plugs (Kavan No. 37 recommended) to
tools. Being European, it is assembled
completely using metric hardware, all
are furnished. There is even a small
m etric screwdriver used to set the valve
clearance! Plug wrenches, and plug clips
are supplied, as is an ow ner’s manual
which includes an exploded view and
parts list.
This m odel req u ire s a s p in n e r, of
which there are many available. My
choice was a CB Associates 3-1/2 incher,
of excellent quality, as is the rest of
CBA’s hardware, some of which was
used at other places on the airplane.
These spinners all use a heavy aluminum
backplate for true running and balance,
and a heavy plastic cone which is avail­
able in various colors. I did have to drill
out and retap an adapter nut, but that is
to be expected for most large foreign
engines. I find that metric nuts and bolts,
taps and dies, are more readily available
now in large hardware and automotive
stores than they were a couple of years
ago.
My days of U.S. Air Force flying taught
me some basic facts of aviation, such as
. . . there are tew things as useless as the
runway behind you, and the fuel you did
not put on board. I like to carry enough
of the latter to land with the fan turning,
even when I lose track of time. At first
look, there doesn’t seem to be much
available in fuel tanks between the com ­
mon 16-ounce units, and a giant 35-
ounce import. But fortunately, one was
recently introduced. It is a 24-ounce
tank from Kraft Systems, with the same
distinct functional shape and fittings
found on its smaller capacity tanks. This
tank is just what the doctor ordered . . .
one was procured posthaste and in­
stalled.
RADIO
This is always an important considera­
tion, but more so for a large airplane
with the weight, speed, and expense of
this one. One of my more practical
friends calculated the loading ol the
CAP-20 as $330 to the st/uare foot!
About the time the project started,
Kraft Systems released in fo rm a tio n
about its new KPR-8D receiver, FM. nar­
row band, double conversion . . . truly
the first of the 1991 receivers to become
available. I have a m uch-flown KP-7C
transmitter which I know I can always
depend on, and decided to do some
testing of the new FM receiver with i t . . .
not in the CAP-20 initially. As a matter of
fact, there was a lot of testing of a lot of
radio equipm ent before it could be in­
stalled. I am using a dual receiver system,
as m entioned in my article in the April
1983 issue of MB. I am more convinced
that this is the only way to go with any
large, expensive model. This required
flight testing of tw o receivers, six servos,
and two battery packs. Even the switch
harnesses w ere n ot e xem pte d fro m
flight testing. M ore about this later.
A fte r due d e lib e ra tio n , and some
advice from my friends Jack Albrecht
and Dan Lutz at Kraft Systems, the servos
chosen for the project were another
recently introduced Kraft product, the
KPS-28. This is one of the latest genera­
tion of servos featuring ball bearings,
water tight case, sealed pot with carbon
b u tto n w ip e r, coreless m o to r, and
splined output shaft. It measures 1.61 x
.83 X 1.39 inches, at a weight of 45g (1.6
oz) with a claimed output torque o f . . .
get this, 60 oz.in. The reported speed is
.4 seconds for 100 degrees of travel.
There is a large variety of output arms
and wheels, and all m ounting hardware
is furnished with the KPS-28, however,
no servo trays are available. As most of
the builders and flyers have found, the
d o u b le g ro m m e t m o u n tin g m eth od
which results from the use of servo trays
can also result in too much give under
heavy servo powers and control surface
loads. T h e re fo re , a single g ro m m e t
m ount, w ith the servos m ounted directly
to plywood or hardwood beams is rec­
ommended. and was used.
Two Kraft KB-4F mah batteries com ­
pleted the major components of the
airborne equipm ent. With the servos
being mounted out in the wing, re­
quiring the addition of 24-inch long
extensions, the subject of receiver de­
tu n in g and subsequent g litch es that
sometimes occur w ith these installations
was discussed w ith my friends at Kraft.
And of course, there was the question of
the two receivers being operated in
close proxim ity w ith some problems to
be expected, as discussed in my original
article on that subject. As ii turned o u t. it
all turned into a plug in and go situation.
I have experienced no problems with
either the long servo leads, or the close-
by receivers. This is with an internal
antenna also!
However, this does not mean that
such problems cannot exist, for example
the introduction of an ignition system
into the loop could cause some funnies.
Kraft System’s answer to that isashielded
servo extension, which consists of a four
foot long length of shielded cable made
up of three No. 22 conductors. The con­
nections have been made at ihe receiver
end: you determ ine the total necessary
length and attach the furnished con­
nector at that point. For those of you
who prefer the single receiver route.
MODEL BUILDER
with dual aileron servos, there is also a
“ Y" connector to which two of these ex­
tensions may be added. In addition lo
the shielding and possible interference
suppression claimed for the shielded
extension, you also gain the benefit of
reducing the voltage drop caused by the
resistance of the small wire normally
used. As stated. I have experienced no
p ro ble m s w ith the long u nsh ie lde d
leads, but have since changed to the
shielded leads primarily to avoid the
voltage drop.
The Kraft number for the shielded
leads is 200-284, priced at $13.95. The “ V”
harness. No. 200-037. is priced at $7.75.
As funny as it may sound to the un­
initiated, the installation of the radio
system in a model with two cubic feet of
fuselage space can be problematical.
You just don't fill the cavity with foam
rubber and put things in the middle of it.
In this case. I made a plywood box for
the receivers, with 1/4-inch plywood
sides running along the side of the fuse­
lage and extending into supports for the
servo m o u n t. Q u ite o fte n , we fin d
grom m ets, eyelets, and w oodscrew s
furnished for servo mounting, as they
were in this case. I don't feel quite
comfortable with the wood screws, and
therefore resorted to something I have
used often and which has never failed
me, th re a d e d h a rd w o o d . H ardw o od
beams can be readily drilled and tapped,
after which a drop of Hot Stuff is dropped
into the hole and allowed to set. The tap
is then run through one more time,
resulting in a clean firm and secure
thread. In this case, I used a hardwood
beam along the rear of the plywood
servo m o u n tin g p la tfo rm , fo r screw
securing and lateral rigidity. Along the
front,I used blind nuts. A drop of white
glue on the bolt as it is threaded in locks
it in place under all conditions. In the
case of the KPS-28, and most other servo
gromm et/eyelet mountings, you'll have
to use No. 3 bolts for mounting.
The Lite Ply top is secured with a num ­
ber of woodscrews: lightening holes
were cut into all plywood pieces with a
hole saw. The batteries were wrapped in
baggies, foam, and rubber banded to
the firewall. The antennas come out of
the bottom of the receiver box, and run
through small fiber tubes along opposite
sides of the fuselage, coming w ithin four
inches of each other back in the tail. I
had some reservations with this setup,
for reasons which I w ill explain when I
discuss the control system, but again,
not a single problem with radio contact
has been experienced to date. In every
way, the Kraft Systems radio has per­
formed flawlessly!
FINISH
Next to the ever existing question of
what the color scheme is to be, the most
important one is what and how it is to be
applied. Over theyears, I have settled on
K&B Super Poxy as my standard finish. It
is easy to use, and even with hobby type
spray equipm ent and limited talents,
one can achieve a no-apologies finish
everytime. I use K&Balltheway through,
from resin to primer to color. Yes, I
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kn ow th ere are cheaper m aterials
around, and maybe there are some that
are easier to use, but I also know there
are incompatibilities that can show up at
the worst possible time . . . right when
you put on the final color. I for one d on ’t
care to have to sand off a paint job and
start over!
Therefore, the tail feathers all received
their coating of 3/4 oz. fiberglass, two
coats of resin, two coats (one brushed
and one sprayed) of prim er, all with wet
sanding in b etw e en , and they w ere
ready to be joined to the fuselage. This
being an epoxy-glass body, I have found
the best material for joining, fo rfille tin g ,
and for filling, to be Dave Brown’s 30-
m inute epoxy. In the latter two cases, it is
mixed w ith, you guessed it . . . K&B
micro-balloons. The mixture is ready to
sand after an hour or so in the California
sun. and sands cleanly and smoothly
with none of the gummy characteristics
o f many epoxies. Using this epoxy
mixture and K&B primer, all joint seams,
p in h o le s , and im p e rfe c tio n s disap­
peared completely and can not now be
seen under the final colors.
The wings are something else. I would
have liked the type of finish available
with the above materials and proce­
dures, but due to the area, I was con­
cerned about adding too much weight,
and started looking for some alternative
system. I have previously successfully
married one of the film coverings on
wing and tail to a painted fuselage, with
good results, but in this case, as I was
after a painted wing, this wasn't possible.
About this time, I heard about Hobby
Shack’s new Solartex, and I decided to
investigate it as a possible covering for
the CAP-20 wings. After some applica­
tion. and painting tests, all of which it
passed with flying colors (ouch!). Solar­
tex was chosen as the best fo r this
particular application.
3 S heets —
3 F t. X 8 Ft.
\0 $
S 3 5 .C O p .p d ,
]
VINTAGE R-C PLANS
9 FT. WING SPAN
ALL RIBS 8 FULL FORMERS SHOWN ON PLANS 11
PLASTIC ENG.COWLS $ 9.90 PR.
CLEAR GUN BLISTERS $ 6.60 PR
A LARGE plan sheets — P l a n s $ 1 6 9 5
6 f t . WING SPAN MODEL P B Y -5 A
ENGINE COWLS t 6.50 PR. R c T IS $ 12 9 5
GUN BLISTERS I 4.50 PR ADD $2^0 POSTAGE
C A T A L O G -O V E R 5 0 P L A N S $100 O E ALE R S W R It E
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13157 ORMOND , BELLEVILLE , MICH ,48111 U.S.A.
Solartex has a weave, a texture not un­
like silk or other light fabrics. It is quite
easy to apply, works with a wide heat
range, and is rather forgiving of mistakes.
I was able to cover all four wing panels
and the ailerons w ithout a single wrinkle.
No preparation of the wing was neces­
sary other than fine sanding, and vacu­
uming. I have found the latter to be very
important when applying any iron-on
covering, as the fine balsa dust w ill in ­
hibit the bonding of the adhesive. The
light color, in this case, yellow Super
Poxy was a p p lie d firs t, w ith o u t any
wiping down of the covering with any
solvent. So far so good, now I let it dry
thoroughly . . . I gave it two days and
some sunlight, and it was ready for the
second color.
M y evaluation of Solartex included
some masking tests, using some of the
com m on m ethods and m aterials. It
seems to prefer vinyl to regular masking
tape, and while some lifting did occur on
the final covering, it was minimal, and
was easily rebonded after allowing suf­
ficient time for the paint to cure, and by
placing a piece of tissue paper under the
73

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Threads and Hex size same as Modern G low Plugs price is $ 5 .0 0 each, total
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• Modern CMOS 1C technology
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STOP • Power lines are capacitor filtered
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$10.95 - Single Channel, single servo drive (Single) GS-1
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iron as it was passed over the covering. corner and pull it back over itself . . .
Thus, the masking process, which took a never pull masking straight up! K&B
full day, was done w ith vinyl ta p e . . .and Super Poxy must be unmasked before it
shelf paper! cures completely, though there is plenty
The finished paintscheme, an authen­ of time to do so before it gets critical.
tic one of a full-sized CAP-20 somewhere Still, with a model the size of this one,
back there in la belle France, is extremely and with that much masking to take off,
eye-catching. The putting on of all those it is best to paint one part (say, the wing)
squares you see in the photographs is and remove all masking materials from it
easier than it looks, and was well worth before you paint the fuselage.
the effort. Each square is masked ind i­ The fuselage received the same treat­
vidually and entirely at one tim e, having ment w ith the tape and shelf paper as
been carefully and accurately cut from did the wing, with theexception that the
vinyl covered shelf paper. I have found letters and numbers were masked off
the best one for our purpose to be w ith Fliteglass Liquid Mask. This pro­
named “ Con-Tact," which has a peel-off cedure is simple also, apply the Liquid
backing similar to our model coverings. Mask to the area the design is to be
Naturally, the dimensions and loca­ painted onto, transfer the pattern to the
tions of the squares have to be estab­ masked surface and carefully cut it out
lished from your reference material and with a new. pointed model knife. I have
a base line has to be drawn on the found that M odel Builder Products Uber
surface. From here on in, the procedure Skiver, with its No. 11 blade, is the ideal
is similar to that used for laying floor tile: tool for this purpose. The circle seen in
locate the first one and the others alter­ the photos was cut out w ith the Uber
nately to it. Be extremely careful with Skiver taped to the pencil end of a com ­
that first one, as any inaccuracy in its pass, and a piece of plywood taped in
placement w ill be maintained and in­ the center for the point to bear into. A
creased throughout the entire scheme. light touch is required to cut through
On non-scale paint jobs, the same pro­ the liquid mask, though if you get a little
cedure could beusedtopaint rectangles, heavy w ith the muscle, it is not really a
diamonds, or any other flat-sided figures. problem, as only a slight scratch is made
After all the squares and tape are in in the paint underneath, and it is filled
place, go over all edges once again to be with the color subsequently applied.
sure that they are all down in place. One last word about Solartex. It went
Pulling the shelf paper masking off is on and accepted paint beautifully, and
just like taking off any other. Start at a w ill certainly be used on future projects.
74
It must be pointed out however, that it
does not have the gloss of some of the
plastic coverings, and the weave is still
evident under the Super Poxy. Its advan­
tage is the fact that it accepts painting,
and there would be more realism in its
use on a model of a fabric covered air­
plane than would a slick plastic. I d o n ’t
believe that for me it will become a
replacement for other coverings I have
used before, but is a welcome, new
material to choose from.
To be continued n ext month.
R/C Boats . . . Continued from page 21
unrelated pieces, and arranging them
into something of beauty. I have re­
ceived complim ents on the appearance
of my Begin-Air Trainer, and I take pride
in the fact that I actually built the entire
thing myself. This is the true essence of
model building. There are many of us
who truly enjoy model building. It is to
this type of individual that the Begin-Air
Trainer w ill be of interest.
PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
I w o u ld reco m m en d that anyone
building this model (or similar models
like the Sig Kadet which employ plastic
material for the front windshield) substi­
tute 1/32 plywood for the plastic. The
plywood w ill actually strengthen the
block in front of the wing, thus prevent­
ing it from breaking loose if the wing
sh o u ld catch in grass or on w ater.
Ground loops, or in my case water loops,
are not that uncomm on when landing in
windy weather. On the Begin-Air Trainer
the plastic windshield serves no real
scale purpose. The view into the cockpit
area o n ly reveals th e fu e l tank. I’ ll
probably replace my plastic windshield
the next tim e I catch a wing tip and break
the plastic. If the plywood is painted
some dark c o lo r, it w ill lo o k lik e a
windshield.
ABOUT THE FLOATS
The float kit carries a $26.95 price tag
with $2.50 required for shipping. The
floats could be used on any type of
model aircraft in the .29 to .60 range. The
float kit contains all the hardware re­
quired to m ount the floats to the aircraft
except (he m ounting screws. Like the
airplane kit, the float kit consists of top
quality balsa all hand cut and machined.
The construction of the floats is similar
to the fuselage construction. The floats
are asymmetrical and you w ill want to
remember to build a left and right float.
It took me three hours to build this
because I did one sponson . . . ah, make
that float . . . in an evening of building.
To help in low speed maneuvering, I
installed a rudder on the back of each
float. To improve highspeed tracking
d u rin g ta k e -o ff, I added a piece of
spruce measuring 3/8 x 1/4 x 7 to the
bottom o f the floats. This acts like a keel
on the bottom of a boat. The strips were
Hot Stuffed to the Coverite. They are
p o s itio n e d one inch away fro m (he
inside edge of the floats. These strips are
on the forward section of the float as this
is the part of the float that is in the water
MODEL BUILDER
 when the plane is on step prior to
takeoff.
.40-SIZE ENGINE RECOMMENDED
FOR FLOAT VERSION
A lth o u g h the B e g in -A ir T rainer is
intended to be flown with only a .25-size
motor, I feel that a person interested in
the float version would be better off
using a .40-size motor. The strength of
the fuselage and wing of the Begin-Air
Trainer is more than sufficient to accept
the bigger engine.
I experienced no problems installing a
K&B .40 in my Begin-Air Trainer. It was
necessary to o b ta in a n o th e r m o to r
m ount, however, as the one included
with the kit is intended for the .25-size
engine. I believe the extra power is very
useful w hen m aking w ater takeoffs.
Once the airplane is off and flying, the
e n g in e can be th ro ttle d back. The
B e g in -A ir T ra in e r w ill fly n ic e ly at
quarter throttle with the K&B .40.
Although I've used K&B Marine en­
gines for years, this was my first experi­
ence w ith a K&B engine in an airplane.
Because I was familiar with the carb on
the K&B 7.5 Outboard. I was able to set
the low speed needle valve on the .40
a irc ra ft e n g in e a fte r a little fid d lin g
around. Before attempting to fly the
airplane, I ran two tanks of fuel through
the engine. This engine starts easily, has
a good idle, and with the needle valve
set properly, has a smooth transition
between idle and full throttle.
FOR THE BEGINNER
I w ouldn't recommend that the be­
ginner start w ith the float version unless
he has someone with float experience to
assist him. I believe it is easier to learn
how to fly off of a hard surface. Although
I haven’t flown my Begin-Air Trainer
with wheels, I know that it would work
very well. After all, that's what Buzz had
in mind when he designed the plane.
Once you have gained experience and
confidence in flying off of a hard surface,
you can always add the floats.
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT FLYING
COMPARED TO BOATING
Many newcomers to model boating
arrive at the pond for the first time with
engine, hardware, and radio installations
that best can be termed "shoddy.” Most
of the time the boat runs rather poorly, if
at all. because of this inattention to
details. If something goes awry with a
m odel b oa t, the consequences are
usually not that severe. Such, however,
may not be the case if something goes
amiss in a model aircraft.
For a model aircraft to fly at all, close
attention must be paid to all aspects of
installation: radio,engine, linkages, and
alignments. A boat w ill run even though
there might be some things not w orking
properly. In order for an airplane to fly.
all systems must be working properly. A
linkage failure in a model boat may
simply mean you have to row out and
get the boat. A linkage failure in a model
airplane may mean you have to go out
and pick up the pieces.
FLYING OFF WATER
If my first experiences are any indica­
JANUARY 1984 WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS, TELL ’ EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU!
N E W • The P O W ' R Z O O M
dem ands e x tr a o r d in a r y l a u n c h i n g p o w e r for any s a ilp la n e ,
p a r tic u la r ly F3B. s c a le and c r o s s - c o u n t r y . In c l u d e d is the a n t i - k i t i n g
/ a n t i - b a c k l a s h b r a k e . 2 2 0 0 f t . o f b r a i d e d n y l o n 1 6 0 l b. l i n e , m a n u a I
‘ ° w d r u m f o o t b r a k e . alie W s p e c i a l l y e n g i n e e r e d m o t o r and m u c h
m o r e l it is c a p a b l e o f d r u m s p e e d s of 5000 rpm w h i l e l a u n c h i n g a
3 m e t e r s a i l p l a n e . You c h o o s e th e s p e e d w h e n you s e l e c t p u lle y s .
* P lu t s h ip p in g
tion, I’d have to say I’m really hooked on
R/C float planes. The Begin-Air Trainer
on floats has p ro ven its e lf to be an
excellent flying model. The one I’m
fly in g uses o n ly m o to r, ru d d e r, and
e le va to r c o n tro l. I ’d rate the fly in g
characteristics as excellent. There are a
number of excellent trainer type model
airplanes available, and I’ve flown a few
of them. The Begin-Air Trainer in my
opinion ranks right up there with the
best-known R/C trainers.
I did find out a couple of things that
are helpful to know about flying the
Begin-Air Trainer with floats. The first
hint was shared earlier when I discussed
the floats and thespruce strips serving as
keels. The other hint has to do with the
use of elevator during takeoff. I was
experiencing problems in getting the
model to run in a straight line long
enough to build up flying speed. The
model would get up on step and just
when it got going it would turn right or
left while still on the water. I found that
by adding up trim prior to takeoff this
situation occurred less frequently. The
only thing you must be aware of is the
need to feed in down elevator im m edi­
ately after takeoff to prevent a possible
stall condition. In discussing this with
Buzz Waltz, he informed me he used the
same procedure when he was flying his
full-size Piper Cub float plane.
Although water takeoffs presented
some initial problems, the landings were
and are great. I love to land on water.
You d on ’t have to worry about missing
the runway, or landing too short or too
long. I fly off a pretty big pond, and have
yet to come close to running out of
landing area. I also think that water is
much more forgiving than hard landing
surfaces. I’ve bounced my Begin-Air
Trainer on a couple of water landings
that would surely have broken at least
the p ro p had I landed in a sim ilar
w in c h is t o r t h e s e r i o u s ( I y e r w h o
W r i t e o r c a t l f o r m o r e i n f o r m at ion
FAI RUBBER
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F. A . I . M o d e l S u p p ly
manner on a hard surface.
SOME SODDEN THOUGHTS
The Begin-Air Trainer is an excellent
buy as a wooden kit. The quality of the
material and its preparation is certainly
among the best this w riter has seen. The
finished model is very pleasing in ap­
pearance, and its flying characteristics
are excellent.
R/C float flying can be an interesting
and exciting challenge to the flyer who
has mastered basic R/C flying skills. I can
heartily recommend it to anyone who
has considered giving it a try.
Now, if only we get some snow this
w inter . . . I can remove the floats and
put on snow skis! ·
Vagabond . . . Continued from page 23
The good news is that all else fit really
well. Now that one sentence looks a
little puny compared to the preceding
lines complaining about fit, but what are
you going to say about stuff that falls in
place just as expected? Thanks, I sup­
pose.
75

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th e p e rc e n ta g e o f c h a rg e u s e d a n d r e m a in in g in y o u r p a c k , a s w e ll a s g e ttin g a n e a rly
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· Send a S.A.S.E. for full information,
na m 4736 N M j|w a u ke e Ave _ C hicago, IL 6 0 6 3 0
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Box 1063 Lorain, Ohio 44055
m l U K W A * Phone (216) 282-8354
Peanut Scale Models
Piper Vagabond
Piper Cub
Stinson 125
Outdoor kits each . . .54.95
Light Indoor kits each. . .54.95
Sport Scale Models 22" Span
PC-6 Porter
Taylor Craft
Stinson Voyager
Rubber or CO2 Power
PC-6 Porlar Kils each . . . $ 6 .9 5
Sport Models
An Embryo Model
with 18 ” Span
designed lo win!
for beginners and
Experts . . . S6.95
HARD-TO-FIND ITEMS FOR
YOUR BUILDING NEEDS
Early Bird Tissue for Antique Aircraft .......... S5.95
True Olde Japanese Tissue. 10 in 3 colors . . . S6.95
Japanese Tissue. 12 in 6 c o lo r s .................. S3.95
Microlite P l a i n ........ $3.25 S i l v e r ........ 53.95
Microfilm — 53.75 Glue — $1.60 Solvent — $1.25
Condenser Paper, 3 sheets ........................ $3.75
Plan Service over 17 Scale. Sport Scale & Peanut Scale
Rubber Strip 020 thru 085 .............. each $1.75
3/32 thru 5 / 3 2 ............................ each $1.95
Winder 6:1 ____ $3.95 Mark 1 16:1 . . . $11.95
Complete Line ot Brown CO2 Motors
Balsa Wood Outdoor & Indoor Sheets & Strips
Add 10% Postage — Minimum Postage $1.50
C O M PLETE CATALOG $1.50
If you have gotten this far. you are
probably interested enough to have
checked out the pics and have seen
where I cheated a lot in building this
model. Most everyplace you look there
are holes cut in parts. 1/64 ply substituted
for 1/16 and so on. This is cheating
because to do a co m p le te ly factual
review, the model really ought to be
built completely stock .. . and I would
build it that way if I had the time to build
a Stocker and then a tričko version.
Feeling fa vorab ly disposed to the
"lig h t is rig h t” credo, I slotted the ribs aft
o f the spar and cut a hole in them
forward of the spar. The use of 1/64 ply
has already been mentioned, and you
can see it doubling the ribs where the
76
landing gear blocks are located. The ply
has been further lightened with holes.
You may be able to see d rill starts in the
upper edges of the gear blocks . . . Hey,
all those grams add up! A ll balsa blocks
including wing tip blocks were hol­
lowed. a trick learned well in C/L Stunt.
Aft of the wing, the lower side of the
fuselage was built upas shown.the stock
used is 3/32 sheeting. Way back at the
tail, large holes were cut in all parts.
W h ile I hate to do it. now is the
appropriate time. I suppose, to mention
that after all this lightening. I still had to
add some lead to the tail to achieve
proper balance. Quit laughing! I figure
that I still came out ahead in all-up
weight, as the lead added to the tail is
much less weight than that represented
by structure closer to the balance point.
To stifle those w ho may still be laughing,
my Vagabond came out. ready-to-fly
(less fuel) at 72 ounces. This with a Fox
.45 (a m otor with a relatively heavy case),
a 60-size Kraft aluminum motor mount,
and an aluminum C.B. spinner. So there!
Helping a lot in this "th in k lig h t”
scheme of things was the use of Hot Stuff
and Super 'Τ' exclusively for all glue
joints. The only glue on this model that
d id n 't come from Satellite City was the
adhesive on the back of the M onokote.
Even the reinforcing cloth on the wing's
center section is glued down with Hot
Stuff (the cloth itself is 3/4-ounce K&B).
For power, the Vagabond got a Fox .45
stuck up its nose. Now. before talking
about the Fox, you have to understand
that Duke's motors have an interesting
follow ing. In many on areasof the world
they are regarded as the best buy for the
money, in the case of a couple models
they are seen as the only way to go for
max power. However, in other areas
people w ill laugh, or at least chuckle
when you tell them. "It's a Fox m otor." I
live in such an area. You can fly for two
weeks straight and never see a Fox here.
In fact, your chances of seeing a for real
fox, complete with baying hounds and
sadistic, m ounted "sportsm en" in pur­
suit are greater than seeing a Fox engine
someplace other than in the bottom of a
tool box.
However, I am here to tell you this
latest version of the Fox .45 ball bearing
motor is a runner! Even with a slightly
rich setting, it w ill pull the 4-1/2-pound
Vagabond very nearly out of sight. The
o nly way you can te ll the m od el is
slowing is that it keeps taking more and
more rudder to keep it hauling straight
up. With a fully lean setting, it w ill in fact
pull out of sight vertically. It w ill slow
down slightly, as it takes a touch of
rudder, but by that time it is as close to
gone anyway, so who cares?
With top end power assumed, the Fox
s till shines in a co u p le o th e r areas.
Mid-range torque is really good with a
broad spread of power. I normally fly
with the m otor on the fat side in an effort
to make the manuevers appear as if they
were perform ed at a constant speed.
Come in low and level with the m otor
just loafing along, slowly pull in some
up. as soon as the m otor is loaded it kicks
into a still slightly-rich two-stroke and
pulls that Vagabond through great, huge
loops. On tbe backside of the loop, the
m otor (unloaded now) richens up again,
and you hit the bottom of the loop
running at almost the same speed as
when the loop was initiated. Back up
into the second loop, and it all starts
again. It’s great!
Adm ittedly, it is easier to use more
power for this and most other maneu­
vers, smashing into them with brute
speed and w h ip -la s h in g yo u r way
around. The Fox w ill perform in that
manner as well. I suppose it is my C/L
background that keeps me going back
to the rich setting in level flight and then
listening to the m otor changing pitch as
the demand for power comes up and
then eases off.
The Fox is also very easy to handle. It
idled acceptably well from the first run.
After an hour or so. the idle could beset
lower, as low as any other motor in use at
our field. Hand starting, my preferred
way of making noise, is easy. Hook up
the glow lead, pull the prop through
until you feel a bump, pull it through
one more tim e, and then flip with vigor.
I am able to get one-flip starts at least
80". of the time if I really concentrate, as
in " I 'll bet you a beer that you can't one-
flip that Fox again!” I can do it every
single time.
When flying at the field, what I have
just w ritten is obvious to all in atten­
dance. But their next comment is no
doubt similar to what you are thinking,
and that is, "The motor runs great and
starts easy, but what about the carb?'' I
know that Fox carbs have a bad rep. I
also kn ow it is to ta lly undeserved.
D uke’s only mistake was in (years ago)
designing a carb that was quite good at
carbureting fuel, but that couldn't be
e asily a d ju s te d by le s s -th a n -e x p e rt
modelers. I can remember many times,
both in local contests and at the Nats,
stopping by the C/L Profile Carrier circle
and seeing Fox carbs adjusted to abso­
lute perfection; dynamite top end, crisp
mid-range, an idle so low it was sinful.
But those three needle valves .. . each
had an adjustment that generally af­
fected the others . . . some were just too
much for the average R/C flier, simple as
that. These guys didn't have a clue as to
what they were doing, evidently couldn't
MODEL BUILDER
 read instructions. and had ears of stone.
Duke unjustly got the blame, of course.
The new carbs. as used on this engine
as well as all other Fox R/C engines, w ill
(gradually) put to rest old prejudices.
You just install the needles to the setting
suggested in the instructions and fire
that thing up. It w ill be rich, but that's
OK. In fiddling with the needles you w ill
find that there is a suitably wide range of
acceptable settings, particularly on the
idle mix needle, but that a click or two
either way w ill definitely change the
note of the engine’s exhaust. The high
speed needle is especially nice; fly the
model a bit fat. land, and go in one click
at a tim e to fully lean it out in the air.
When close to the magic setting, each
click w ill make a noticeable difference
in power levels.a trait which I appreciate
in fine-tuning an engine.
The operating instructions also detail
how to m odify the taper on the end of
the high speed needle valve. This taper,
believe it or not. determines the m id­
range mix as the throttle goes from low-
to high-speed and if you want this mix
richer or leaner. Duke tells you how to
do it.
The only problem I have had with the
engine is the idle needle not being
retained adequately by the "clicke r”
fingers. A nylon tie around the "clicke r”
device solved that nicely.
W hile I am still experimenting with
props, right now I am using a 10-7 fiber-
filled Master Airscrew that has been
thinned slightly (do this at your own
risk), and the tops have been raked a
little. What I would really like to be using
is a true fiberglass prop in 10-6 or 10-7
sizes, but they seem scarce lately. Fuel
that works fine is Sheldon’s 10% brew
and I prefer (dare this be published?) a
K&B plug.
The Fox does present a problem in
mounting; the case is huge. Luckily, I
found that a Kraft number 200-206 metal
mount fits perfectly, and after punching
the m ount full of holes it was fairly light
and still very rigid. Motors that put out
power like this Fox does d o n ’t deserve
anything less than a rigid mount.
The radio. Ah, yes, the radio. Let me
tell you about that. You see, the deal
to get a Vagabond kit for review had
already been arranged with fellow old
Ford lover, Dan Lutz (you really ought to
see his beautiful roadster!), when he
asked if I had a radio for it. he was told
that I had one, but the problem was it
wasn’t a Kraft system. So, he loaned me
the K Line KP5K shown, mainly to keep
the co m petition’s radio from turning up
in a Kraft m odel! The problem I am now
faced with is that Eloy does the radio
stuff for MB . . . and I don't want to. Or
can’t, depending upon whom you ask.
I can tell you that overall I like the
radio. Very solid control, no interfer­
ence problems of any kind, relatively
fast servos and the dual rate is something
I play with most every flight. Flowever,
the sticks are looser (not sloppy, just
loose) than I prefer. Again, this probably
goes back to my C/L flying days where I
had direct control of the model and its
JANUARY 1984 WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS, TELL 'EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU!
" A N O T H E R G R E A T W IN D E R "
IM P R O V E D
POWER TO SOAR
SM O O THER TO NEW HEIGHTS
L i « - $ 6 4 .9 5
Plus s h ip p in g
JOHN M ORRILLS "SIDEW INDER"
P recision B u ilt Heavy D u ty W in d e r!
T u rn C o u n te r k it - $ 1 8 .0 0
$ 1 .0 0 FOR C A T A L O G LEISURE LT50
0.10 cu. in equivalent glow engine dis
JIM CROCKET REPLICAS placem ent. For tw o-m eter sailplanes, or
P.O. BOX 12600 sport scale aircraft.
FRESNO. CA 93778
control surfaces. So, any teeny little
thing, whether it is slow servo or an out-
of-tolerance stick I notice immediately.
Mr. Lutz says he became aware of this
months ago, and has taken steps to
correct the problem. KELLER 25
We are finally to the point where most
review articles tell you how fantastic the 0.2$ cu. in. equivalent glow engine dis­
builder is (“ flew straight off the board, placem ent Hies am .19 to .25 pow ered
no trim required” ). Well, this Vagabond plane. For 100-inch sailplanes, and sport
did take a little trim , but not much. A scale aircraft. M anufactured for Leisure by
Keller Motoren of W est Germany.
little fiddling was required, i.e. drooping
the ailerons, but that is actually a fine-
tuning technique which we w on ’t get
into here. I did get some terrific aileron
flutter the first couple flights, but this
turned out to be caused by some soft,
weak wood in the left aileron. W ith a
new one installed there has been no KELLER 50/24
further problem.
The model flies just about the way I 0.56 cu. in equivalent gloss engine dis­
expected, and wanted, it to. While it is a placem ent. T he standard by w hich all o th er
Sport/Pattern model, as opposed to an electric m otors are com pared Only 0 56
all-out Pattern job, the Vagabond leans cu. in. equivalent gloss displacem ent, but
p u lls like a .50! F or F.5E c o m p e titio n
heavily to the Pattern side of the equa­
sailplanes, o r .-»O-size pattern scale planes.
tion with the “ Sport” designation im ply­
ing that some compromises in structure
have been made to ease construction Discover exciting electric flight
and keep the manufacturing costs down. for yourself. Send a self-addressed,
For instance, the canopy is favored by
many sport fliers, as is the use of solid
stamped envelope for our latest
sheet tail surfaces. catalog and technical bulletins.
Still, the Vagabond is better than I am;
it w ill do all those strange maneuvers in
the AM A rule book, if only I can learn to
move the sticks the right way and at the
L e is u re
right time. Rolls are super, or at least 11 D eerspring Irsine California 9 2 "Ί4
they are now that I have taken the time
to fine-tune everything; just a slight after flying my Vagabond he is building
touch of down when inverted is all that is one. I have already built and flown a
required to perform nice, smooth rolls. second Vagabond, this time with a Mac’s
Rudder action is great, even with the m uffled tuned pipe on a second Fox .45,
model almost stopped at the to p o f a stall tail-dragger gear, more weight-saving
turn, rudder w ill stick kick it over, you tricks, built-up stab, a little anhedral in
never need to squirt it over with throttle. the stab, and M icafilm for covering. It
While the Vagabond is stable, it is also came out even lighter. 68 ounces, but
nicely responsive, which helps a lot in a that's anotherstory for another tim e .. ·
co u p le o f my fa v o rite m aneuvers:
square inside and outside loops, and
square eights. I like to do these with the Hannan......... Continued from page 55
bottoms just about eye level; any hesi­
tation from your or the model and we're c o lo r was ideal ca m o ufla ge against
talking super stuff . . . no relation to a cloudy overcast skies.
certain glue! A color profile of one such Spitfire
H e re ’s the b o tto m lin e ; A fly in g appeared in the January 1983 A ir Inter­
buddy, Rick Cochrun, has never cared n a tio n a l. and it was e m p lo ye d as a
much for 40-size Pattern models, but reference in finishing the little Bentom
77

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SANDING GRADES 100— 120— 180
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A * $4.85 9 STIX (1 /4 -3 /8 -1/2 diam eter)
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NEW! fla t STIX
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ORDER TODAY!! POSTPAID!!
(DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED)
Piper Super Cub
% scale
Send $2.00 lor Catalog
Ikon N’WST
Dept. M.B.
P.O. Box 566 Auburn, WA 98002
___________ (206) 941-8248____________
rubber-powered Spitfire shown in one
of our photographs. Sent from Japan by
Ichiro Yamada, the kit features mostly
foam components, which may be as­
sembled using the furnished contact
cement or white glue.
Spanning 19 inches, the semi-scale
model may be assembled in a single
evening. Ours was slightly m odified as
follows: The inner rear portions of the
fuselage halves were lightened by re­
moving excess foam wall thickness. The
vertical tail was reshaped to more nearly
resemble the Mk Xversionof the Spitfire,
and a hand-carved pilot by Joe Bickinella
was installed before adding the vacuum-
formed kit canopy. Finally, the model
was sprayed pink. Finding a spray paint
which would not attack the foam took a
bit of doing, and in fact took far longer
than assembling the model!
The most unusual aspect of the kit is
the gearbox d riv e fro m the ru b b e r
motor to the propeller, which e .bles
the model to be wound by hand, yet is
fully free-wheeling when the power
runs down. The propeller may also be
replaced in case of breakage, and a spare
is furnished in the kit.
Designed by Takao Igarashi, the Spit­
fire is one in a series which includes a
Zero, a Mustang, and a Messerschmitt,
which are now being imported. While
the wording of the instruction sheet is
rather quaint, to be charitable, the kit
assembled easily, and the o n ly trim
adjustment required was the addition of
78
PRECISION SANDING TOOLS
2930 SKYVIEW AVENUE
PUEBLO. CO 81008
Evenings call (303) 542-6200
ballast inside the nose spinner, to shift
the center of gravity forward. The model
flies smoothly and impressively, and we
found it an interesting change of pace
from the more usual stick-and-tissue
types.
ITTY-BITTY MODELS
W riting in his popular Indoor News
and Views (Box 545, Richardson, Texas
75080), editor Bud Tenny had this to say
reg a rd in g the tin y (e ig h t-in c h span)
Pistachio Nut scale models flown at the
recent West Baden indoor com petition:
"The single outstanding thing which I
remember about the Gran Prix was how
w e ll the Pistachio m odels fle w , and
Butch (Hadland’s) was head and shoul­
ders above even many of the regular
Peanut models in flying ability.” We
w o n d e r how the R eynolds n um ber
fanatics w ill rationalize this?
PRONUNCIATION
Saying a v ia tio n w ords and names
correctly has long been a challenge,
especially as many of us have only READ
the names, and have not heard them
said by anyone in authority. A good
example is the model company name
MEGOW, which we were surprised to
learn is supposed to be pronounced
“ May-go.” In the case of the famous
biplane manufacturer WACO, it is sur­
prisingly how often one hears it said like
thetow n inTexashavingthesame name.
(Texas to w n : "W ay-co” ; biplane: "W ah-
co” ). But the most mangled of all model
aircraft company names must surely be
GUILLOW, which w e’ve heard in many
variations. Thanks to Sears McCorrison,
we have a direct quote from Alson E.
Smith, former president of the company,
which appeared in a recent newspaper
interview: "G u ll-o h ” !
NEW AVIATION MUSEUM
Bill Warner favored us with a news
release about the new Seattle, Washing­
ton Museum of Flight. Appropriately,
the organization is opening in a 1916
building which once served as the first
Boeing company location. Completely
refurbished, the facility wil be devoted
to pre-1938 aviation history. Another
structure w ill house the post-1938 exhi­
bits, in a room which w ill contain more
aircraft than any other aero museum in
the world.
FOR THE BIRDS
M ike Fineman, of Hamden, Connec­
ticut, sent in an article from the journal
of Science, along with the follow ing
comments: "M odelers of rubber-pow ­
ered scale airplanes are aware of the rift
that exists between those who subscribe
to the Academy of M odel Aeronautics
rules and the much larger contingent
that flies according to Flying Aces Club
rules. One important distinction is that
the AM A continues to insist on rise-off-
ground take-offs, while the FAC prefers
h a n d -la u n c h e d starts. T h e re fo re , it
came as a surprise to discover in the
Science article that a similar debate is
currently raging among evolutionary
b io lo g is ts , o rn ith o lo g is ts , and o th e r
learned types, about the ortgins of bird
flight. In one camp are those who favor
the "arboreal” origin, i.e., that birds
were originally non-flying tree dwellers
that first evolved a crude kind of gliding
that eventually was transformed into
powered flight (these are the hand-
launched crowd).
“ A newer theory, the cursorial, holds
that birds were originally ground-dw ell­
ing critters that developed flattened
appendages as an aid to hopping. The
ability to become airborne would allow
these anim als to p a tro l m ore c u b ic
volume of airspace in order to hunt
more efficiently for their insect dinners.
Naturally, we can consider this theory
the ROG theory, in model terms, as
these animals started on the ground
and evolved a flight system that allowed
them to become airborne!
"Alas, none of this helps to settle the
correctness of the A M A vs. FAC rules
debate. W hile the AMAers might hold
that ROG is more evolutionarily ad­
vanced, FACers could argue that hand-
launched flight is more fundam ental. . .
depending, of course, on which theory
you subscribe to .”
CURTISS AEROPLANES
Thanks to Ken Hamilton and Max
Buchman, we are able to quote a few
choice testimonials of satisfied custo­
mers from a Curtiss factory sales bro­
chure, circa 1920: "M y Curtiss JN-4 was
the first ship sold in the United States for
commercial purposes. It has had 125
hours of actual flying time, and has
never had a forced landing or overhaul
o f the m o to r. We keep the ship in
readiness fo r e m ergency calls, and
although I havethreegoodautom obiles,
I consider the JN my most dependable
means of making long trips,” wrote Dr.
F.A. Brewster.
And this one: "A ll the flying I have
done has been in the Curtiss machine,
and I stand ready to tell the world that
the propeller does not fall off, and the
engine did not even once hesitate,”
wrote Mary Roberts Rhinehart.
SIGN-OFF
Ever get the feeling that the w orld is
b e in g o v e rw h e lm e d by te ch n o lo g y?
Perhaps this quote from Woody Alien
w ill help put matters in better perspec­
tive: “ .. . the most advanced com puter
in the w orld does not have a brain as
sophisticated as an ant.” ·
MODEL BUILDER

FULLY AEROBATIC
Kit includes - Epoxy fiberglass
fuselage and canopy. Foam wings,
foam rudder and foam full
elevators, all with balsa sheeting
and instruction
manual and all necessary hardware.
Retail $119.95
eronautics
Ohm-y-gosh.. C o n tin u e d fro m page 2 6
speed trap measurement. Obviously, a
diving entry technique would make a
more impressive figure, but it would not
calibrate the aircraft.
Locally adopted race rules favored a
six-cell pack as it was a stock configura­
tion. The race course layout was the
AM A (provisional) 1/2A. 300-foot tri­
angle w ith a 6 0 -fo o t base betw een
pylons two and three. W inning times
were just above two minutes for a 10-lap
race. Further refinem ent should see
times under two minutes. A constant
chord wing of 295 square inches was set
as a m inim um wing area in the spirit of
“ sport” racing, just as “ Q-500” and its
constraints have set standards for that
class. Stability of rules for any race class
seems to be a must fo r longevity of that
class.
WING CONSTRUCTION
The wing features a fully sheeting
upper surface to maintain its shape, and
is made full span using 36 inch long
stock. Full span ailerons may be simpler,
but for lighter weight, the plans show
inset, conventional ailerons.
The suggested sequence of assembly
is to glue the ribs to the leading edge,
bottom spar, and bottom sheet at the
trailing edge over the plan. Glue the top
spar and shear webs.
At this point, the structure can be
removed, and the bottom sheet forward
of the spar and rib cap strips may be
glued in place. Reattach the wing to the
JANUARY 1984 WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS, TELL ‘ EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU
Standard Specs
Weight
allast system — includes 24
aluminum spar holding 23 <
AERONAUTICS INC.
20291 Beam C ircle, H u n tin g to n Beach, C A 92646
plan using shims to align the trailing
edge to prevent warping. Install short
filler spar sections between ribs to form
the aileron spars, and add scrap filler
reinforcement at the hold-down bolts.
N otch the ribs on to p w here the
aileron torque tubes pass through, and
relieve the aileron spars for the hinges.
Note the off-center location of the input
arms of the torque rod. Keep the in­
board end of the torque rods snug to
prevent aileron lash and possible flutter.
Attach the leading edge sheet from
the leading edge to the top spar. The
wing w ill now be stiff enough to be
removed from the board tofinishaileron
torque rod installation. Don’t glue the
torque rod at the aileron end yet. Mark
the bottom sheet with a pin by poking
holes through the sheet from the top
side. Mark the aileron outline on the
bottom surface using a straight edge to
connect the pin holes. Don’t cut out the
aileron yet. Position the torque rods and
finish gluing the back half of the top
sheeting and the trailing edge strip.
Next, poke a pin through the top
sheet using the bottom holes as guides.
Mark the aileron outline on top. Add the
tips and sand the entire wing to prep it
for covering.
Now cut the ailerons loose, and trim
and sand them to fit neatly. Attach the
ailerons after covering the wing and
ailerons separately. Avoid getting glue
on the hinge pins and use care to keep
the toraue rod and hinge axes in line.
FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION
The fuselage is designed fairly stoutly.
Dealer inquiries invited
VISA, MASTER CARD,
C.O.D.
Postage and handling $2.50.
Calif, residents add 6% sales tax.
Remember, the battery pack weighs 12
ounces and the m otor weighs six. The
equipm ent layout shown should balance
on a 30 ounce model. Select matched
sheet wood for the fuselage sides and
longerons. Pre-assemble left and right
hand sides with verticals and longerons.
Mark locations of all body formers on
the inside.
Check to see how the sides bend
around form er C. Check the bend up
side down over the top view. Mark
center lines on body frames to aid in
a lig n m e n t. Assem ble the tw o sides
starting with frames C and D, then B.
Align the sides over the top view before
c e m e n tin g the ta il post and m o to r
mount.
Assemble the top, bottom , and detail
parts per plan. The plv skid plate on the
fuselage bottom can be om itted if land­
ings are always on mowed grass.
EMPENNAGE CONSTRUCTION
The tail assembly should be made of
medium grade wood. The prototype was
covered with Super M onokote which
was stiff enough to take sustained dives.
Some cover materials tend to be more
elastic resulting in a flexible horizontal
tail prone to flutter. The horizontal tail is
in te n tio n a lly large to ensure stable
handling in pitch. Prefit the tail assembly
to the body to check its a lig n m e n t
relative to the w ing/body.
FINAL ASSEMBLY AND COVERING
Position and align the wing and hatch
on the fuselage. Tape the leading and
trailing edge to the body. M ark locations
of the two wing hold down bolts, and
79

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match drill the holes with a 1/8-inch drill
at right angles to the top surface of the
trailing edge and forward hatch. Thread
the hold clown plates in the fuselage
with an 8-32 tap. Now ream the corres­
ponding holes through the wing just
large enough to pass 8-32 nylon bolts.
Place a drop of Hot Stuff (or Zap, etc.)
into each wing hole. This w ill harden the
wood to resist compression loads and
wear. Treat the threaded holes too and
retap the threads after curing.
Fully sand all surfaces and remove all
dust to receive the selected covering
film using the manufacturer’s instruc­
tions. Attach the tail parts and rig the
elevator controls. The pull for o ff switch
installation is depicted on the drawing.
Some trim m ing of the dacron v-control
string length may be required to desen­
sitize the shut-off point and still func­
tion reliably at full down. When satis­
fied with the adjustment, apply a small
am ount of H ot S tuff on the dacron
string knots.
PREFLIGHT
Check all control surfaces not only for
deflection, but also for proper direction.
Place a soft, half-inch thick balsa block
in front of the motor battery. It will
function as an energy absorber in the
event of a crash. It may save both motor
and battery in one those sudden stops.
Restrain the aft end of the m otor battery
if you use a tw o by th re e ce ll stick
configuration to prevent it from inter­
fering with the aileron horn and links.
80
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FLYING
Ohm-Y-Cosh is an intermediate de­
sign requiring prior flying skill, but it
is not a difficult model to fly.
On the first flight, have the elevator
trailing edge trimm ed up about 1/16 of
an inch above neutral. Hand launch
firm ly and with a slight nose up attitude.
The airfoil used on this model has high
drag at low speed, so don't let it climb
too steeply after launch. Level it out as
soon as it is at a safe altitude, and let it
gain speed.
The model rolls 360 degrees in about
two seconds which should be easy to
handle in the excitement of a race.
For aerobatics, consider mounting the
motor battery flat against the bottom of
the wing. The aileron servo must be
submerged flat into the w ing ’s depth in
this case; this w ill allow the model to
achieve a more uniform roll rate. Bill
Warner made a version which used this
feature with a fixed wing and battery
hatch on the fuselage bottom.
Electric powered flight is a very enjoy­
able alternative to the usual form of
flying, and best of all, it allows the use of
many flying sites which would otherwise
be unusable. · and the altitude gained was almost outof
Brigidier. . . . C o n tin u e d fro m page 3 8
d rilling a hole in the needle valve and
soldering in a short piece of 1'32 music
wire. The engine was held in place by
four 3-48 screws and blind nuts.
The control surface hinges were made
from Rocket C ity n ylo n s trip hinge
material cut 5/16 of an inch wide, if you
have never used these extruded nylon
hinges, give them a try. Use a number 11
blade, cut a slot the thickness of the
blade, push the hinge in place, and then
add Hot Stuff. There is no open hinge
line, so the glue cannot run in and lock
up the hinge. Simple, fast, clean, and
effective hinges are a real pleasure!
The m odel was fin is h e d w ith GM
weight Silkspan and butyrate dope. To
save weight but still have color, the
Silkspan for the wing and tail was dyed
p u rp le w ith T inte x. W hen the dyed
Silkspan dries, it is all w rinkled, but that
is all right if you cover your models wet.
If you cover dry, it might be worthwhile
to iron the stuff first. Of course, you can
save all of this fun by covering with one
of the lightweight plastic materials. The
completed model weighed 16.5 ounces.
Just in case you have a pet model that
you would like to scale for 1/2A Texaco,
here is how to figure the dimensions. All
you mathematicians can leave now and
come back for the flying in the next
paragraph. For years, whenever I wanted
to scale a model up or down to a new
wing area, I w ould pick some wingspan
that sounded right, do the math, and see
what the results were. Most of the time I
would do this trial-and-error exercise
two or three times until I got the wing
area I wanted. I knew there had to be a
better way. and there is. The magic
formula is:
t l n ew wing area" = percen|ofo|{, mode,
V old wing area
The Brigidier had a wing area of 445
square inches and a span of 55 inches. I
wanted 300 square inches so . . . 300
d iv id e d by 445 equals .674 and the
square root of .674 is .821. Now .821
times the 55-inch old wing span equals a
new wing span of 45 inches. See, it
works.
The first flight of the Brigidier was
made w ith a Cox Blackwidow turning a
5-4 plastic prop, a half-full fuel tank, and
a slightly rich needle valve setting. It
took off as if it knew just what it was
supposed to do. Neutral elevator gave a
nice climb. When the engine quit, full
up elevator trim produced a flat guide.
Five minutes later it was rolling down the
runway.
The controls are set up so that elevator
travel is plus or minus 3/16 of an inch,
and rudder throw is plus or minus 5 /8 o f
an inch. The landing gear has about two
degrees of toe-in. This is supposed to
make tail draggers take off in more or
less of a straight line. It seems to work.
The next flight was made with a 6-4
wood prop and a full tank of fuel. The
engine run was right on three minutes
sight. In fact, with two of uswatching, we
lost sight of the model twice. I had to
spiral down to regain visual contact.
Fortunately, the w hite fuselage would
flash in the sun each time the model
would make a turn. The flight would
have maxed out at fifteen minutes, hut
my neck gave out before the lift. Full
down elevator trim brought the Brigi­
dier down.
Subsequent flights have been made
with different fuels and prop combina­
tions in an attempt to gain maximum
altitude with the longest engine run. I do
not have the answer yet. but do not be
afraid to try low or no nitro fuels and
props of seven or eight-inch diameter.
So far. I have enticed a dozen local
modelers to give 1/2A Texaco a try.
What more can you ask for. uncom ­
plicated rules, fast building, inexpen­
sive models, and a m inimum of R/C
equipment. Build a Brigidier and join
the fun. ·
MODEL BUILDER
Tracks Continued from page 45
the weight would be 10-1/10 pounds, or
better put. 10.1 pounds.
"N o w .” says Silli, “ if the bird flies off
the swing, what does the scale read?
Does it read 10.0 or 10.1 pounds?”
As I mentioned to Chickums. “ This is
really a dumb question. If the whole
thing is sealed up tight, the weight has to
be the same. The downward force nec­
essary to lift the bird is eventually trans­
mitted to the cage floor, and then to the
gizm o . . . I m ean, b a la n c e !” From
C hickum ’s look of disgust, I deduced I
had goofed. Just using my head a little
made me realize my error. An object in
flight .. . whether a bird, a plane, or
Superm an . . . is not held up by an
invisible hand and arm attached to the
ground. It is supported by an upward
force generated by airflow over its lifting
surfaces. When in level flight, this force
is just e qu al to the o b je c t’s w e ig h t,
which is a downward force caused by
the mass attraction between the object’s
mass and that of the earth. This is in
accord with the findings of Professor
N ew ton, w ho is famous for his apple-on-
the-head routine. If the upward force is
greater than the w e ig h t, the o b je ct
climbs. If the upward force is less, the
object descends. If the upward force is
zero, try model cars.
The object in Silli’s problem is a bird.
We have stated the weight of the airtight
cage w ithout the bird is 10 pounds. This
also includes the weight of the air sealed
inside the cage. To satisfy W oody’s Purist
Corps, the cage displaces an amount of
air equal to its volume, and the glass and
frame are microscopically thin, so the
w eig ht of the air inside the cage is
balanced by a force equal to that weight
by the displaced air. This fact is in tune
with the findings of Archie the Creek,
about 250 B.C. So, to satisfy the above
mentioned WPC and still keep it simple,
look at the follow ing equation:
Cage + air - weight o f displaced air =
weight on balance = 10 lbs.
If we place the bird on the swing:
Cage + air - weight o f displaced air + bird
weight = 10.1 lbs.
When the bird flies off the swing, the
air weight w ithin the cage is not changed,
but rearranged about the wing so that a
sufficient difference in pressure exists
between the b ird ’s upper and lower
wing surfaces to produce an upward
force equal to or greater than its weight
of 0.1 lb. Therefore, the scale w ill read
10.1 - 0.1 = 10 lbs when the bird is off the
swing and in the air! Chickums is smiling,
now. O r is it a smirk?
B efore th e subject of b irds is ex­
hausted, passed by, or given up
whichever best applies . . . have you
watched ducks land on the surface of a
lake? They are weighty birds for their
wing area and, because of this high wing
loading, have a high level flight speed. In
fact, they must maintain a high "flap
rate” in level flight, and their flight path
curves d o w n w a rd w h e n e v e r th e y
"coast” for a few seconds. Yet. when
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achieved. Instructions and illustrations
accompany each tool.
Items that can be produced with a little
practice are clamps, brackets, landing
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they are making the final approach in
their landing pattern, just off the surface
they display a remarkably low flight path
angle and sink rate, even with engine
o ff! Then, they apply full flaps with just
enough down elevator to make a fairly
greased-in landing!
The loon has similar flight character­
istics and landing pattern, also going
long distances dead-stick. However, the
loon apparently never learned the old N ic k Ziroli’s F 4 U “ C O R S A I R ”
A memorable W W II Navy Cam e# F.gnte* il t a superb fly ·/ '
flap and down-stick routine, for it makes For 2 to 4 Cu. In. size Engines
a terrible landing at high speed with a G IA N T R/C S C A L E P L A N D E S I G N S
tremendous splash! I marvel that they AT-6 TEXAN” 2 .4 · = 1 101 Span $27.00 p .p . U .S .A .
FOKKER DR-1 2.7* = 1 * 63* T r ip · $25.00 p .p . U .S .A .
survive such landings . . . Silli just m ut­ F8F BEARCAT" 2% * = 1 86* Span $27.00 p .p . U .S .A .
tered something about any landing is a CURTISS P-40"
F4U CORSAIR
2% *= !·
2 'Λ * =
»4* Spon $27.00 p .p . U .S .A .
1 *3 * Spon $27.00 p .p . U .S .A .
good one if you can swim away from it F iberglass C o w lin g s & C a nopies are availa b le a ls o S end a
sta m p fo r d e ta ile d broch u re s o n our G ia n t S cale A c c e sso rie s
with your neck still straight. (Our Plans are sent P ostp a id w ith in ih e U S A.)
This kind of performance is due to NICK ZIR O ll 29 Edgor Drive, Smithtown N.V. 11787
w ha t is c a lle d “ su rfa c e e ffe c t,” o r
"g ro u n d e ffe c t.” You w ill recall the is greater than that flowing forward on
same thing happening with model air­ the lower surface. This effect is known as
planes, especially free flight sailplanes. the Kutta-Joukowski Circulatory Theory
As a lifting surface gets closer to the of Lift.
ground, its lift is increased over that A n o th e r th o u g h tfu l fe llo w named
w h ich it generates in “ free space,” Bernoulli discovered before 1750 that
where it doesn't sense the presence of a the static pressure of a fluid is decreased
confining boundary, such as the lake if it is in m otion at a given velocity. Air is
surface, ground surface, or walls of a a flu id and the n o rm a l a tm o sp h e ric
wind tunnel. Tw ofinegentlem en, w ork­ pressure is about 15 pounds per square
ing separately, discovered the reason for inch, static. Therefore, if the wing is at
this when they developed their revolu­ rest, it has a pressure of about 15 psi on
tionary Circulatory Theory of Lift, which both the top and bottom surfaces. If the
is to aerodynamics what the Tectonic wing is in m otion at a given velocity, and
Plate Theory is to geology. Very briefly, the circulation velocity increases the
this theory states that there is a normal velocity along the upper surface while
circulation about a wing in motion. Air decreasing the velocity on the bottom .
on the upper surface of a wing ap­ B e rn o u lli says the pressure w ill be
p ro a ch in g the tra ilin g edge w ill go greater on the bottom than the top, thus
down, then forward on the bottom sur­ p ro d u c in g “ l i f t . ” This e ffe c t w ill be
face to the leading edge, where it goes better described in a future article on lift
up and aft to the trailing edge, etc. As the and airfoils in a proposed P&F&CT, so for
wing is moving forward, the velocity of the present, please accept the foregoing!
the oncoming air is added to the circula­ So, what’s with our ducks and loons?
tion velocity on the top surface and is As these birds approach touchdown
reduced by the circulation velocity on with their engines off, air isapproaching
the bottom . This means that the velocity their wings at a high velocity w ith strong
of the air flowing aft over the top surface circulation.The closer to the surface the
81

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bird gets, the greater w ill be the amount
o( air directed over the top surface, as
the surface effect is making the trip over
the bottom surface more difficult. This
increases the circulation velocity, further
increasing the pressure difference be­
tween the two surfaces, thereby pro­
ducing more lift than would be obtained
at the same velocityin free space! It must
be an exciting and heady experience for
those birds! Come to think of it, the loon
may be holding off touchdown as long
as he can, for he knows what w ill happen
at the end.
Platz. Tony Fokker's top designer,
must have skimmed a rock or two into a
German lake as he watched the ducks.
His D r.I triplane was a tricky craft to land,
so he used a g oo d -size d a irfo il be­
tw een the w heels. To h e ig h te n the
effect, he even placed it at a positive
angle of attack! Platz used this feature
on all his successive aircraft, the D.V, D-
VI, D -V II, and the E.V, later called the
D.VIII. The Sopwith Tripe had a simple
spreader bar. I have seen Nick Ziroli fly
his D r.I at the field maintained by the
Long Island Radio Control Society near
the old Gyrodyne Plant on Long Island.
It landed and took off BEAUTIFULLY. He
also flies a Sopwith. Is there a difference
in landing the two craft? How about
droppinga line to Bill N orthrop's"W ork-
bench” about this matter, Nick? I love
your D r.I . . . it is such a realistic flier!
Air has been mentioned, off and on.
during the foregoing, which was quite
intentional! Air is of particular im por­
82
tance to the model builder as it is re­
quired for the combustion of our en­
gines' fuel, to provide propeller thrust,
to provide lift and directional c o n tro l. ..
AND. if it were not so available for us to
breathe, we could forget all theabove. It
is required in the “ drying'' of our dopes
and the “ setting” of some of our ce­
ments. Even Hot Stuff must have air with
a little water content to set. There are
many uses for air. In fact, we are so used
to it that we take it for granted and
& E X P E R T S
ignore it. and we are very fortunate that,
unlike most people, it w on't disappear
when ignored! The remainder of this
$149.95
P&F&CT w ill be devoted to air. sneakily
avoiding the use of chickum tracks. A
future P&F&CT w ill be devoted to this
N o r· U TA H RESIDENTS
AD O SALES TAX light subject, for a knowledge of what it
D»**f loQurriMinntM) does is very important when we try to
p re d ic t w hat an o u t-o f-th e -o rd in a ry
model w ill do. Air is d ifficult to discuss
w ithout the use of Chickum's expertise
with chickum tracks, but as my friends in
Yorkshire would say, “ Let’s give it a g o !"
That 99.7 percent of good flyin ’ field
air . . . once your model gets away from
the contamination devices . . . is com ­
posed of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon,
all elements. Nitrogen and oxygen are
peculiar elements. Nitrogen atoms look
for other nitrogen atoms, oxygen atoms
look lor other oxygen atoms, and then
they hold hands in pairs! They are now
called nitrogen and oxygen molecules
and are w ritten N.· and O j. Argon is
straight, and is w ritten A. Each of these
elements has a proportional weight . . .
atomic weight . . . which is equal to
molecular weight for monatomic mole­
cules and doubled for biatomic m ole­
cules. The molecular weight (alsoknown
as mol. wt.) of N j is rounded o ff to 28. For
Ο ; it is exactly 32, and for A it is rounded
off to 40. Now, prepare yourself for an
amazing fact!
Take 28 ounces of N> and put it in a
box with a volume of 22.4 cubic feet. (To
further make this amazing, if you are
European, read grams for ounces and
liters for cubic feet, the ratio is the same.
As J. Durante often said, "You ain’t seen
nuttin' y e t!” ) Now, bring the tempera­
ture to 32°F. If you had the foresight to
put a barometer in the box, it w ill read
29.92 inches, or 14.7 pounds per square
inch! This is called Standard Tempera­
ture and Pressure (STP). The same will
happen with 32 ounces of O.·. or 40
ounces of A. or the molecular weight of
any other gas, even water vapor. Isn't it
marvelous!
Now. standard air is accepted to be
78.09“ N .. 20.95“ .· O j . and 0.93“.. A. Let's
add up the products of these percent­
ages times the above molecular weights
in ounces. We get: 21.87 + 6.70 + .37 =
28.94 oz.
This is also known as the equivalent
molecular weight of dry air. At STP (32°F.
14.7 psi). its molecular weight (mol. wt.)
in ounces w ill occupy 22.4 ft’ , so the
molecular weight in ounces divided by
22.4 f t 1 gives us an STP density of 1.29
o z /fť , or .0807 lbs/ft*.
To apparently digress a moment, the
Lehmberg d efinition of a standard is that
it is an accepted value for everyone to
use as a basis for establishing another
standard, (It sure sounds like you got
double standards, Fred, wrf) The aero
industry and NASA both use 59°F (15°C)
as the standard temperature and . . .
strangely enough . . . 14.7 psi as the stan­
dard pressure. Therefore, as the above
calculations were made at 32°F. they
must be changed to what they would be
at 59°F. Now, stick with me on this, for
anything that is good for you must hurt a
little . . . th a t’s what my mother used to
tell me, anyway! Whenever you make a
c a lc u la tio n in v o lv in g a te m p e ra tu re
YOU MUST CONVERT IT TO ABSO­
LUTE TEMPERATURE. There's one case
that you don't, but forget that. The abso­
lute temperature is based on the tem­
perature where all molecular activity has
STOPPED. That is zero on every absolute
temperature scale, and it's one standard
that doesn’t follow the Lehmberg d e fin i­
tion. That temperature on the Farenheit
scale is -460°. Now. if you ADD 460° to
any temperature in degrees Fahrenheit,
you w ill have the temperature in degrees
Rankine. which you are to use in calcula­
tions. We w o n ’t discuss the centigrade
(or Celsius) scale for now . . . it's not re­
quired. If European readers complain.
I’ll mend my ways. Let's return to the dis­
cussion in the preceding paragraph.
Thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit con­
verted to the absolute scale is 492°R
(32+460). and 59°F is 519°R (59+460). The
density of .0807 lb s /ft1at 32°F is tem per­
ature corrected to 59°F by dividing .0807
by 519 and m ultiplying by 492, which
gives us a density of .0765 Ib /ft * at 59°F.
The value NASA uses is .07647 lb s /ft'. . .
C hickum s just c o m m e n te d that o u r
calculations "a in 't too shabby!"
R eview ing th e above c a lc u la tio n s
brings up some things to ponder on. As
eacli component that makes up air acts
as though it occupies its own allotted
volume (by percentage) in the 22.4 f t 1
box . . . even if all co m p o n e n ts are
thoroughly mixed . . . the addition of
something else, such as water vapor,
must displace the other components in
relation to their amounts present. Let’s
simplify this a little. The low quantity of
argon allows us to say that air is com ­
posed of 79% N j and 21% O j. Therefore,
if we have a box containing 10,000 m ole­
cules of air (believe me. this is a TINY
MODEL BUILDER
box!). 7900 are N j and 2100 are O j. N o w ,
le t’s scatter 100 m olecules o f w ater vapor
in to this tiny box . . . they must displace
21 O. m olecules and 79 N> molecules,
leaving the same num ber of m olecules
O U -B R O
in the box, 10,000. Now, you w ill please BRASS PLATED DURA-COLLARS. Cat. No. 137 - 1/16“
Enough stock so that threads will not 138 · 3/32”
n o te th a t besides re m o v in g th e O j
S ocket strip and can be re worked for many 139 - 1/8”
needed fo r proper fuel co m b u stio n , this other uses. Sets include Allen Wrench. 140 - 5/32”
H ead
w ill (because o f the N j rem oval) also 141 - 3/1 6”
cause a re d u ctio n in density, reducing B o lt Available in sets ot 4 $.80 per set
p ro p e lle r “ b ite ” and reducing lift. B ALL W RENCH SET
I heard that! I know I just heard a Fits 4 40 and 6 32 head Heavy duty
snicker from someone, surely not wr/? bolts Leads into any cap
Cat. No. 243 · 7/32”
Whoever it was. I distinctly heard hifn screw head trom any angle
3 3 /4 “ blades 244 - 1/4”
say, " If air weighs about 1.25 ounces/ft1 S I-00 -2 per set
and water weighs 62.4 pounds/ ft ', how No. 132 S5.25
can the a d d itio n o f w ater make air
lighter?” (It must have been an Arlesian. D U *B R 0 in e d and true spring N IC K E L P L A T E D S O L D E R L I N K S
Fred, they know all about water! w ri) K W IK -L IN K S steel links are ideal lor Nickel plated links will not corrode and make an
The only answer to this very logical any critical control linkage. attractive and easy to solder
connector for servo or control
question is, "W hat does the water m ole­
No t 09 (2) S.75 horn. No 112 $.69
cule look like?” It is w ritten Η.Ό. When
Available with 4-40 thread Available w ith 4-40 thread
we check on the atomic weight of H, we No 304 (2 )St 00 No 305 St 00
find that it is 1. Hydrogen,incidentally.is
another biatomic molecule,so H: weighs SOCKET HEAD CAP SCREWS 8-32 NYLON FLAT & SPLIT/
2, in any case. If we add 16 for the INSERT LOCK WASHERS
atomic weight of oxygen (not 32 for O j), NUTS
the molecular weight of water is 18.
Once again, if w ecould put 18ouncesof
water vapor at 32°F into 22.4 ft*, the
density would be .8035 οζ/ft*. Are you
satisfied that water is lighter than a ir . . .
as a vapor? No 3?9
To return to the problem of the 100 10 Per Package
water molecules, we have calculated the $1 00
9 per package
equivalent molecular weight of air to be
28.94. Therefore, we can say that 10.000
molecules would have a weight in some
unit of 289.000. Due to the mol. wts. of N j
and O j being 28 and 32, and due to the
fact that we have reduced the number of
N_ molecules by 79 to 7821 (7900 - 79 =
7821), we have a relative weight of N j of
1 IE W
218,988(7821 X 28 = 218.988),and because
we have reduced the number of 0> Va sc ale
molecules by 21 to 2079 (2100 - 21 = 4 -'/« ” DIAMETER
2079). we have a relative weight of O j of
66.528 (2079 x 32 = 66,528). Adding these
tw o fig u re s gives us a to ta l re la tive
weight of N j and O j of 285,516 When
the relative weight of 100 molecules of
water at 18 each is added to this number,
the total "w e t” relative weight of air is
287,316 (285,516 + 1800 = 287,316). Com ­
paring this to the relative weight of
w h e e ls
10,000 molecules of dry air, the ” w et” air 8 . 0 0 - 4 In fla ta b le
has a density ratio of 287,316/289.400 or
.993, so it is lighter by almost 1%. T ire s W ith B o lt
Someone said, “ Big deal!"
Well, this corresponds to a very pleas­ T o g e th e r H u b s.
ant fly in g day. in e ith e r sum m er or
winter, when the temperature is 70°F
and the relative hum idity is 6 4 V If you
are drenched with perspiration and the
“ CUF3" wheel covers are made
temperature is 80°F. the water content of lexan and can be painted with
can double or triple. Under these condi­ any hobby paint if desired.
tions the air density can be three percent
lower. S'andard axle dia. is 5/32". If
"Big deal?” cesired. hub can be drilled out
You bet it is, for an endurance model, to 1/4" dia
or one with marginal power! Theengine
is supplied with three percent less fuel, Ϊ
for if the O j is three percent less, the AUTHENTIC "CUB” WHEEL COVERS INCLUDED
needle valve setting w ill be too rich and
will have to be reset in order to maintain
the proper fuel to oxygen (not fuel to DU-BRO PRODUCTS, INC.
air) ratio for optim um burning. The big 480 Bonner Road Wauconda, Illinois 60084
JANUARY 1984 WHEN CONTAi ING ADVERTISERS, TELL ‘ EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU' 83
 rate. The lower density also decreases sive.
the drag, but this “ h elp" is more than You’ll also want to use W hiffle Ballson
offset by the "hindrance” . the ends of the rods to prevent them
Do not try to relate moisture in the air from digging into the ground. What size
to water injection to get better perfor­ W hiffle Balls you use w ill depend on the
W in g A r e * - - 5 6 4 S q "
mance from an internal combustion surface you'll be flying off of. For asphalt
engine . . . it is not at all the same thing. and concrete, the size is not critical at all
- ■ JV S < W l With water injection, the water is fed as a because small or large, th e y ’ll slide
liquid into the already mixed fuel and easily. If you try to fly off grass, use a
air. W hiffle Ball as large as possible. Small
To summarize, excessive hum idity has W hiffle Balls on grass are almost as good
The S E N S O A R glider somewhat the effect on performance as as nothing at all as they will have a ten­
A H O B B Y H O R N E x c lu s iv e · ! A H O B B Y H O R N K it ! an increase in temperature or altitude dency to dig in and catch, which leads to
T h e S E N S O A R G l i d e r k i t is a h i g h q u a l i t y k i t w i t h
M a c h in e c u t l s a n d e d p a r t s . S e le c t q u a l i t y b a ls a
does. An error most of the engine and tip-overs.
a n d s p r u c e . D e ta ile d p la n s , a n d w r i t t e n i n s t r u c t io n s .
F o r T H E R M A L o r S L O P E o r 05 E L E C T R IC P O W E R .
propeller testers make in their research Another thing that is possible to try.
VALUE PRICED at $16.00 is in not recording the temperature, but not as high on my list, is float gear off
barometric pressure, and relative hum i­ of grass. Personally I haven’t used floats,
dity at the time of test. Correction of so I’ve got to be careful what I tell you.
P l W S e m i-K its Com bined w ith full s tn p w o o d their data to a standard base would but I do understand that they w ill slide
and plan. (N o w incl. W ire. W in d o w , etc. Stat.)
(N o te : T h e s e m ay be p u rc h a s e d Just as semi­ greatly improve the value of the enor­ fairly well on grass if they are spaced far
kits. o r w ith plans w r i t e o r call f o r p r i c e s . )
1 9 36 B u c c a n e e r - 8 4 " - $ 5 l ; 19 3 8 C l i p p e r M K ! - 7 2 " - - $ 3 9
mous and truly laudable efforts of the enough apart. In other words, if they are
1 9 37 D a U n i r e S p t s ’ e r - 1 0 8 " - S 6 l ; 1 9 40 R a n g e r - 4 6 " - $ 2 7 researchers. strapped directly to the skids, the base of
1 9 39 M e r c u r y - 7 2 " - - $ 5 6 ; 1 9 35 M is s A m e r i c a - 8 4 " - - - $ 5 9
19 4 i P l a y b o y J r . - 5 4 * '- - $ 2 9 ; 1941 P l a y b o y S r - 8 0 " - $ 4 6 Incidently. 22.4 cubic feet of air has support w ill be too narrow, with the
1 9 38 P o w e r H o u s e - 8 4 " - - $ 4 3 : I 9 4 0 S a i l p l a n e - 7 8 " - $ 7 4
1 9 4 0 S o L o n g - 5 0 " - - $ 2 8 : I9 3 8 T r e n t o n T e r r o r - 7 2 ' · - $ 3 2
6.02 X 10-M molecules of all its com po­ vertical C.G. of the helicopter too high.
1 9 3 9 2 l p p e r - 5 4 " - - $ 4 8 ; 1 9 3 9 K o r d a W a k e f ie l d - 4 4 " - $ 1 7 nents, w ha te ver they sh ou ld be. To Again, this w ill lead toward a ship that
M ID W A Y M O D E L C O . S e m i-K its Č o m b i n e J w 'strip
1936 F l y i n g Q u * k e r - 8 4 ” - $ 4 9 : 1 9 37 Q u a k e r F la s h - 6 7 " $ 3 8
visualize the enorm ity of this number, w ill tip over too easily. If you do use
1937 L o n g C e b i n - 7 8 " - S 4 2 . 1937 A i r C h l e f - β ΐ " --------$4 0 you must first fix in your mind how truly floats, remove the conventional skids
S T R U C K 'S 1 Η Λ Ο 74" Span, 835 S q . in .
small each is. Using the most powerful and crosstubes a lto g e th e r, and use
M A llf m i i I a » S E M Í' K I T ( P ,a n l n c l . ) ~ $ 3 3 . 0 0
I16W r U I C I C o m b o ( F u l l ) K i t --------------- $ 6 3 . 0 0 electronic microscopes they may be dowel rods bolted directly to the bottom
S
S C A L E P L A N S a n d
SO H E I N K E L H E - I O O D .
D R A W IN G S
6 2 " . .6 0 s $ 1 0 .0 0
detected. We all agree THEY ARE SMALL! of the fuselage which lead out to the
S H IP P IN G A N D H A N D L IN G : 64 P a g e C A T A L O G U E
Out of the 22.4 cubic feet, cut out one floats.
U p to $ 8 .0 0 a d d $ 1 .5 0 . $ 2 . 0 0 P P / l s t C la s s cubic inch. From this cut a tiny cube Once you have a system set up. use it
A c o p y w ill b e s e n t
$ 8 .0 1 t o $ 2 0 .0 0 a d d $ 2 .2 5 ,
$ 2 0 .0 1 to $ 4 5 .0 0 a d d $ 3 .0 0 . fr e e -- w h e n r e q u e s te d - -
barely containing the atoms comprising until you can make clean vertical lift-offs
$ 4 5 .0 1 t o $ 7 0 .0 0 a d d $ 3 .5 0 . w ith a n o r d e r . one molecule. Do this with every m ole­ and landings. Once you can do this, get
and over $ 7 0 .0 0 add $ 4 .0 0 .
CA A d d re s s e e s odd 6 % ta x .
H O BB Y HORN
•» h o b b y s p e c ia ltie s * *
cule. Now, Hot Stufl all these cubes rid of the training gear, it has served its
S e n d M O . V is a /M C ( * + E x p . ) 15173 M o ra n S tre e t [ B ] together. How long would the string be? purpose. It's similar to the kid on the
o r C h e c k ( a llo w u p t o 30 P . O . B o x 2212
d a y s f o r c h e c k c le a r a n c e .) W e s tm in s te r . C a 92683
It would reach from the earth to the sun bicycle who uses training wheels for too
j)C O D = E x a c t C h a r g e e ♦ $ 1 .5 0 (7 1 4 ) 8 9 3 -8 3 1 1 J and a bit more, including a 6.33 m illion long and the wheels actually hinder his
[| H d l. (C a s h O n ly ) [ A ll UPS) (7 1 4 ) 8 9 S -1203 1
mile detour to avoid a meteorite swarm! progress. He knows how to balance the
This is assuming, of course, that the sun bike and can ride straight, but when he
remains 92 m illion miles distant! turns the training wheels hit the ground
R E L IA B L E E N G IN E S It is hoped that the reader found this and upset him. So d o n ’t get too depen­
AT m o n th ’s P&F&CT interesting, u nd er­ dent on training gear. If you see some­
R E A S O N A B L E P R IC E S standable, and raised some questions in body flying around in forward flight with
his mind about air and our applications his training gear still on. he’s been too
Midwest Model isthesourcefor: of devices requiring its presence. Tem­ reliant on the gear!
• IRVINE ENGINES FROM ENGLAND perature and pressure was to have been One thing I'll guarantee you is that
covered, but space just d id n ’t allow it. As when the training gear does come off.
• H.P. ENGINES FROM AUSTRIA
the o ld m ovie script called fo r the your first few landings w ill feel like
• COMPLETE STOCK OF SPARE PARTS redhead in the radish patch to say. you're trying to set down on the head of
• COMPLETE SERVICE FACILITY "Tom orrow is another day!” a pin. The standard gear just seems so
D e a l e r In q u i r e s I n v i t e d
Please drop a note to either the editor n a rro w a fte r all o f that n ice , w id e
or this w riter, c /o M odel Builder maga­ support!
WHITE OH C A LL FO R MORE INFORMATION
zine with your commentson P&F&CT. In There are some other contributing
MIDWEST MODEL I particular, tell us what you would like to factors to this new sensitivity, which is
see covered in future articles. I will not all psychological. When the training
m box son bo m co va u a w m i answer all letters, bul please enclose a gear comes off. the helicopter w ill be
SASE! lighter, which w ill give crisper altitude
See ya in the chicken house, y’hear? control. The vertical C.G. of theship will
word for this optim um ratio, stoichio­ Alfred Lehmberg be higher, so the rotor w ill have more
metric, is a lot easier to write than "most 2646 Bolker Drive power over the fuselage. The last is a
efficient ratio of fuel to oxygen required Port Hueneme. CA 93041. · c o m b in a tio n o f the o th e r tw o ; the
for best burning” . Of course, when the weight of the gear dampens the input
fuel is decreased to maintain the stoich­ because there is more mass (rods and
iom etric ratio with less available O j, the Choppers . . . . Continued from page 50 balls) farther out from the center of the
engine w ill provide less RPM and less main shaft (mass times moment). Once
power. This means less climb. As the air tac-toe pattern of rods with the two the gear is taken off, the dampening is
density is lower, the prop doesn't have fore-aft rods on the helicopter's skids no longer available. Now that you’re set
as good a "b ite ,” which further reduces and the two right-left rods ahead and with an appropriate area and suitable
the rate of climb. This lower air density behind the main shaft. The only problem training gear, you're ready for some
means lower lift, meaning more engine with the tic-tac-toe pattern is that it is help.
power is required for level flight, thus, heavier than the X pattern, and could be ASSISTANCE
there is less available for climb. So, any a w e ig h t p ro b le m on ma r g i na 11v The least painful way to trim out a heli­
decrease in air den sity has a co m ­ powered ships. Whatever pattern vou copter is to let someone who can already
pounded effect to decrease the rate of use, the best way to anchor them to the fly do it fo r y o u !. . . Even if you have to
clim b! On the glide, the lower density ship would be with nylon electric wire drive five hours one way to get some
w ill reduce the lift and increase the sink ties. These are neat, clean and inexpen­ help. DO IT.

84 WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS, TELL ‘ EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU! MODEL BUILDER
 The SEVENTH Annual
CONSUMER TRADE SHOW
JANUARY 14 & 15, 19S4
Pasadena Center, Pasadena, California
HOME OF T H E F A M O U S ROSE PARADE & ROSE B O W L
SEE THE LATEST PRODUCTS AND VISIT WITH
MAJOR MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS
MODEL AIRCRAFT • MODEL ENGINES
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MODEL CARS • MODELING ACCESSORIES
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Junior. Children under 9 admitted free when accompanied
by an adult Discount tickets woth 50έ available at most
hobby shops within 500 mile radius of Pasadena.
o n w r;
~ a yuur 5a,eaDie items to the Swan ςκηη
«·?■ « ° R A L E R S , PLEASE! Ran, a w h < T Ä „ S M
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STATIC MODEL COMPETITION: Entry is free, open to all
ages, no lim it on number of categories entered, but one en­
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GIANT RAFFLE: Radio control systems kite
categories. Complete competition rules at your local hobby will be raffled off Sunday a fternLn T ie L t? ' 9,'nes' etc-
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Walker s famous models have
been responsible for getting
& ,k id sin ,o th e S y .
Whip-Power planes devpi-
årPethby ,he late Jim Walker,
f'® the easiest and safest way
° ' f arn C/,L flying. No messy7
tuels or spinning props to dis-
r i ^ rf 9e<klds or Parer>ts. Just a
regular fishing rod or bamboo
pole provides the power to
perform loops, wing-overs
and inverted flight. Develops
basic aerobatic skills and
simple modeling techniques
quietly and safely.
When you're ready for
powered flight, try the Fire-
baby II (19-1/2 in. wing) or the
Jr. Fireball (24 in. wing). Both
of these dynamite models use
any standard .049 engine.
See your dealer and ASK
FOR THE AMERICAN
JUNIORS!
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Heritage Models, Inc.
P.O. Box 505
Donald, OR 97020
(503) 370-7558
If not available, order direct.
Check, money order. Visa/M aster-
Card. please. Add S2.00 fo r
handling and postage
To make it w orthw hile, plan on leaving
in the morning, flying in the afternoon,
staying overnight, flying the next m orn­
ing, and then driving back that after­
noon. Not only w ill you have a chance to
fly with an accomplished pilot twice.
you'll also have that evening to think
about what transpired during the first
day Sometimes sitting down and doing
some mental "fly in g ” exercise can save
hours of actual stick practice. In the end,
you'll find the overall exposure so valu­
able you II want to do it again.
This is also a prime reason for attend­
ing helicopter contests .. . even if you
can't fly y e t. . . CO! Save your questions
and write them down to present to the
experts. And there is always some time
left to do initial trim m ing at the end of
86
the contest day. If you are kind and
courteous, most pilots are w illing to help
a novice trim out his helicopter.
What the "experts" are not tolerant of
is a ship that has been thrown together
with little regard for instructions, setup
procedures, or craftsmanship. In this
case, the expert is essentially faced with
rebuilding the helicopter. D on’t expect
him to even attempt this at anytime. The
best he can do is run through things that
must be improved before flight can even
be attempted, i.e. (1) loosen up ball links
on their respective balls; (2) take any
binding out of the swashplate; (3) make
sure pushrods don't rub on the side
frames; (4) free up the tail rotor pushrod
and bellcrank, etc., etc.
A ship that has been put together with
great care, painted nicely, and fitted
with an engine which has been bench-
run b e fo re in s ta lla tio n w ill be very
obvious. The expert can tell this right off,
which at least makes him feel that his
advice w ill be listened to.
Hopefully, I've convinced you that the
first thing to do is obtain some assistance.
I’d like to look briefly at the three forms
of help that you might find in your local
area.
NOVICE
This w ould be someone that has just
started, too. I would classify him some­
where between skidding around on the
pavement and holding a completely
c o n tro lle d h o ve r, ready fo r fo rw a rd
flight.
If you have novice help that can’t fly,
at least the tw o of you can sit down and
compare notes and setup. You'd be
amazed how much the two of you can
learn together. This is similar to what dad
and I went through.
Neither of us had ever flown a heli­
copter, yet we could double check each
other and "argu e" how things ought to
be done. Of course. I could only go so
far w ith dad because he owned the h eli­
copter and made the final decisions. . . .
If your novice help can hover, you are
best off if your ship is the same as his.
He's found out what works w ith his heli­
copter, and should be capable of setting
the same make helicopter up like his.
Where you might run into a problem is
where the ships are completely different,
especially if one is fixed pitch and one is
collective. I would advise you to proceed
carefully here, bec ause going from one
helicopter to another can be a major
change.
Another example: Dad and I had been
flying our JetRangers with good success.
We could both hover at w ill, fly around,
and shoot good approaches to a hover.
We had just left novice and could be
classified as intermediates. I had won a
Heli-Baby at a contest, and we were
anxious to get it in theair. After all. it was
much less sophisticated than a Jet Ranger
and we w ouldn't have any problems
with it. . ..
We took it out in our backyard one
night. (We had nice floodlights in the
backyard so visibility was no problem.)
We fired the Heli-Baby up and made
initial pitch and tracking adjustments.
then came the big moment. I was flying,
got it light on the skids, stabilized every­
thing. and lifted off into a hover. It
started to drift left, I gave some right
cyclic, no effect, more right, now it's
sliding right, give some left, more left
. . . hey! This thing sure has slow cyclic
control! I quickly found this out about
throttle and altitude control too. Up
anywhere to ten feet and back down to
two feet. To make a short story shorter. I
nearly cut down a few trees at the perim ­
eter o f the yard before I got things back
under control. Compared to our Jet-
Rangers this thing was a pig!
This was really a hum bling experience
fo r me and in s ta n tly taught us that
s o p h is tic a te d h e lic o p te rs are m ore
difficult to setup, but much easier to fly. I
think you can see the point I'm making,
so on to intermediate help.
INTERMEDIATE
I’m going to stick my neck out a bit
and tell you that under certain circum ­
stances this is the best help you’ll get.
Why?
Well, the intermediate learned how to
fly not too long ago. He still remembers
what it’s like to struggle at maintaining a
hover. Because of this he’ll be pretty
patient with you and give you plenty of
time to catch on.
He has also flown a few different heli­
copters by now, so he’s quite aware that
they are all different animals. Which
means that no matter which ship you
have, he’ll be very careful going over it
and checking it out before he flies it.
Another reason the intermediate is
good help is because he probably hasn't
helped out that many novice pilots. He's
interested in teaching someone because
watching a novice progress under his
supervision gives him personal satisfac­
tion.
Still another advantage of seeking the
help of the intermediate pilot is that his
ships are still set up fairly soft, so he'll set
your ship up the same way. If his heli­
copter is not set upquitesosoft anymore,
at least he should remember that he
needed his ship set up soft to begin w ith,
and he’ll be sure to set your helicopter
up that way.
No doubt he’ll also have a good hold
on all the critical mechanical aspects of
the helicopter. Sometimes with novice
help these basics are not so well mas­
tered. W ith expert help, you can expect
the best mechanical knowledge in most
cases.
EXPERT
Except for the usual exceptions, the
expert w ill be able to look over, fly, and
analyze your helicopter quicker and
m ore e ffe c tiv e ly than the n ovice or
intermediate pilot. The expert pilot w ill
probablv be the most temperamental
help, too, because he’s used to doing
things accurately and correctly the first
time, and has obviously reached his
expert level due to these good habits.
He ’ll be less tolerant of sloppy setup and
craftsmanship. There w ill also be less ex­
change on a one-to-one basis, chances
are h e 'll be te llin g you what to do
w ithout expecting much argument.
MODEL BUILDER

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in a
c e lls !
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There are g en erally tw o types of
experts. One has theexpert'sknowledge
with the understanding, caution, and
flexibility of the intermediate. He still
remembers how it felt to learn, even
though it has been a long lime for him
now. He’ll realize that what feels slow
and slightly sluggish to him w ill be what
the novice needs to start with. The rotor
rpm guide in last month's issue is a good
place to start, and he'll know how to use
it. This individual would be your best
help w ithout any question.
The expert you'll have to watch out fot
is the guy who sets up ships one way,
usually tighter than a banjo string (very
high rotor rpm), then flies like a wild-
man. As there is only one way to set up a
helicopter by his standards, he'll set up
your training ship as close as he can get
to his. This is the last thing you want. He
has forgotten what it fell like to learn,
and /or expects it to come naturally for
everybody else.
If you happen to have an expert in
your area that has forgotten what it felt
like to learn. I offer this very realistic
refre she r co urse: as most p ilo ts fly
double-stick, make a bet with him to
learn to fly single-stick. Or. in the case of
single-stick pilots, learn to fly double-
stick. This w ill literally make an expert
put training gear back on his own heli­
copter and slow the rotor speed down.
In the end. the expert remembers w'hat
it was like to learn, and becomes a more
versatile instructor because he can now
fly two different modes of transmitters.
Try it!
WHERE TO FIND IT
Where to find assistance, that is. To
bring things to a close for this m onth. ΓΙΙ
print a letter from ). Gibbon. 2629 W.
35 PI., Chicago. IL 60623. ). writes:
" I have been reading yo u r h e lio
articles and recently broke down and
bought a helio. I purchased a CMP
Cricket. Futaba FB 5LK, and an O S. Max
F-H; much to my wife's dislike. I have
experienced several costly crashes while
JANUARY 1984 WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS, TELL 'EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU!
Lectro fy IBA o( Gvmatuj
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3006 W ilsh ire Blvd. · Santa M onica. CA
J 90403 · Phone (213) 828-9362
R C Sailplane a n d Electric P o w er sp ecialists for the U.S.A.
S 2.50 Hours 10-5:30 Mon.-Fri.
trying to take o ff and hover the helio. I
believe the helio is set up properly and
balanced. I have experienced rolling
over to the right upon take off. as w ell as
not being able to control it once it does
get o ff the ground. I have checked and
re ch e cke d the h e lio balance, blade
balance, blade pitch, as well as reset the
swashplate several times.
" I don't have any vibration or carls
[troblems . . hale to admit it. but I just
can’t fly it ! "
]. goes on to state that he’s looked for
a h e lic o p te r c lu b in the southw est
Chicago area, but hasn't found one. He
would be w illing to help organize a club
or at least get a list of the helicopter
pilots in the Chicago area. Please drop a
note to ). and give him your name and
others who fly w ithin a four-hour drive
of Chicago. Here's a chance to pass on
our expertise, and trim out J.’s ship for
im. . . .
Incidentally. ).’s letter is fairly typical
in that he’s built ashipcarefully,checked
and rechecked everything, but when it
comes to flying it. there is still some
doubt as to whether the ship is trimmed
right or wrong, or whether it's just the
p ilo t g oing th ro u g h le a rn in g pangs.
Again, the above testimonial acknowl­
edging the need for help is the best
argument I can give novice pilots. Once
the novice’s ship is trimm ed out for a
smooth hover, he sees that his ship w ill
fly. and now it's up to him to master it.
What do you know, another month is
gone and I still haven't come to the
subject of trim m ing out the helicopter!
Next month for sure. Hope to see you
then. ·
Soaring.......... Continued from page 31
(Would have done better if I’d had a
second one-hour practice session with
it!)
A brief rundown of the Pantera specs
would include: span, 100 inches: wing
area. 930 sq. in.: stab area is 14% of the
Power systems in stock for
Lectro or similar sailplanes:
• Astro 05 Sport, 7 cells
• Leisure Pattern 05, 7 cells
• Geist 30/7 or 30/8, 7 or 8 cells
• Keller 20/7, 7 cells
• Graupner Jumbo 550,
_____________8-10 cells
VISA
10-5 Sat. Closed Sur1.
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S C A L E . S U P E R C U B . F O K K E R 0 7. B O E I N G P - 1 2 P - 2 6 . F 4 B 2
F 4 B 4 S P A R R O W H A W K . G E E B E E M O D Ύ . M A C B R lE N S
T U R B U L E N T C H R IS T E N E A G L E . B R IS IG H E L L A S S T A R D U S T E R
II. V, S C A L E J 3 - B I B A B Y . F L Y B A B Y A lR C A M PER P IL O T
J U N G M A N N 1 3 . 5 S C A L E Ft O T H E R S
W H E E L P A N T S FO R :
C I T A B R I A . S T A R D U S T E R II. P I U S . S K Y B O L T . L I B E R T Y S P O R T .
C H R I S T E N E A G L E P 6 E H A W K S T E A R M A N . S T I N S O N S R -9 .
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wing; and the airfoil is the Eppler 205.
Bob Dodgson. Tom Neilson, and Tom
Brightbill were at the FSF with their
Saratoga Windsongs, and Dave Johnson
was there with his Camano TOO. All four
very aptly demonstrated that you d o n ’t
have to lim it yourself to a bent-winger to
have fun or be competitive.
This was the first time I had had the
opportunity to observe the Windsong in
action, and I must say I was impressed!
As you may know, the Windsong has the
Eppler 214 wing section w ith camber
changing capabilities. The trailing edge
of the wing can be reflexed (negative
flap) along its full length for those times
when you want to scoot across the sky
toward that thermal you know is out
there somewhere. Yet. when you arrive,
the trailing edge can be returned to
neutral, and you now have an excellent
therm alling section to work with . . . and
the E-214 is one of the best.
As you can see from the photo of Bob
landing his Windsong, you can achieve
some remarkable glide path angles with
those flaps and reflexed ailerons! Yes,
the flaps go down and the ailerons go
up! The amount of drag created by this
c o n fig u ra tio n has to be seen to be
believed! If you can aim a glider, you can
87
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DECEMBER 26,1983 — JANUARY 1,1984

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
DEC. 26 DEC. 27 DEC. 28 DEC. 29 DEC. 30 DEC. 31 JA N . 1
IMAC PATTERN PATTERN PATTERN 1/4 MIDGET FORMULA 1 SCALE
1983 NATIONALS ALLCLASSES ALL CLASSES ALLCLASSES RACING RACING ALLCLASSES
ALL CLASSES 8 A M -5 P M 8 AM - 5 PM 8 A M -N O O N 8 A M - NOON 8 A M -N O O N 8 A M -5 PM
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88 MODEL BUILDER
 For inform ation send $3.00 to TECHNOPOWER II Inc. 610 North Street, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
land a Windsong, because that’s what
the approach looks like. AIM IN G ! The
aircraft slows down, points down, and by
golly, GOES down just as you direct it
. . . controllably!
This technique is less forgiving than
the spoiler method, but equally effec­
tive in the hands of a good pilot. The
spoiler technique says, “ Slow it down by
killing lift over the wing, and point the
nose up to keep it in the air.” Recovery
from this attitude is instantaneous with
the retraction of ihe spoilers as the
entire wing suddenly gets its efficiency
back. With the flap method. “ Dump the
flaps, create more lift and drag, point the
nose down to prevent a stall, and don’t
retract the flaps unless you want to drop
out of the sky.” The flaps slow the plane
down almost too effectively, so that if
you should raise the flaps for any reason,
your wing suddenly loses lift . . . at slow
speed . . . precipitating a dramatic in­
crease in sink rate. The long and the
short of it is that you’d better be sure of
your com m itm ent to land when you
deploy those flaps, or you could be in
trouble. Now, good pilots d o n ’t often
err to this degree, so it really isn’t a
problem at all . .. just an adjustment in
technique.
I'll never forget watching Tom Bright-
bill's second flight of the second day
where he searched in vain all over the
sky for a thermal until he was about 150
feet off the ground and almost ready to
set up for his landing. It was then that the
Windsong telegraphed that sometimes
faint signal, “ Hey, I feel lift!” back to its
master, and Tom responded. My re­
action to the thermal that he had found
was that it was too little, too late. Boy.
was I w rong! Tom banked that big bird
up to about 20 degrees and started
circling. Slowly .. . painfully slowlv! . ..
the Windsong grabbed altitude. I kept
th in k in g , “ I t ’s not e n o u g h ,’ ’ b ut a
minute later that big,graceful,scale-like
Windsong was 50 feet higher, and
a n o th e r m in u te in to his flig h t! This
JANUARY 1984 WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS, TELL 'EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU!
meant a lot, as Tom and I were con­
tenders for the top ten .. . and it looked
like I hadn’t knocked him out of the
com petition yet! Rats!
Well, I’d better knock myself o ff this
topic, or I’ll be breaking my own promise
n o t to bore you w ith b lo w -b y -b lo w
stuff!
Let me say this in closing, if you d on ’t
fly th e rm a l contests, you are really
missing out on the fun. D on’t go with the
“ i ’m afraid I’ll embarrass myself ” attitude
if you are a novice . . . everybody was
green at some point in time, we under­
stand. If you are a “ hot shot” pilot, or
you think that’s what you are, you need
to compete in a big contest like the FSF
just to see if you rank, never mind where
you ran k! Y ou’re in fo r a surprise,
mister!
Q & A FORUM:
A PROBLEM WITH FLAPS
AND PITCH CHANGE
Over the last couple of months I have
received a couple of interesting letters
from an R/C sailplane designer and flier
from Walkersville, Maryland. His name
is jack Cash. (When I first saw "). Cash”
on the outside of the envelope, I thought
we might have a celebrity in our ranks.)
he responded to my request for in fo r­
mation regarding the Eppler 214 airfoil
in use on an R/C sailplane. As theoretical
data is nice to argue over, it’s even better
to have firsthand experience with an air­
foil section so that you can make em pir­
ical comparisons. We d on't fly theoreti­
cal aircraft.and w e d o n ’t all likethesame
flight characteristics. As Jack’s letters are
fairly long, I’m g o in g to q u o te only some
of the juicier parts:
". . . I’ve just finished reading your
September column in M odel Builder.
and I ’d like to submit my observations
and im pressions o f the E-214. As I
m entioned above, I'm in the midst o f my
own design program which, by coinci­
dence, is based on the E-214. A thum b­
n a il sketch o f my c u rre n t ship is as
follow s: 774-inch wingspan; 950square-
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inch wing area; foam core wings with ply
wing skins and no spars; separate flaps
and ailerons (ailerons double as spoil­
ers); fiberglass Sagitta 900 fuselage with
an e xten de d , stra ig h t h in g e ru d d e r;
symmetrical 9% thick, foam and balsa
stab with 14-1/2% o f the w ing’s area. Fly­
ing weight w ithout ballast is about four
pounds, I’ve never bothered to weigh it.
"In your column you m entioned that
you thought that a lot o f stab w ould be
necessary to stabilize the E-214. You
were absolutely right, I started out with a
stock Sagitta 900 stab and had to fly with
the CG near the 25% chord location.
With this setup, the ship was stable at
only one flap setting, reflex the flaps and
it became almost uncontrollable (defi­
nite tendency to tuck from level flight).
With the flaps drooped, the ship was
controllable, but a lot o f down elevator
was required to keep it moving. The
larger stab cured these problems and
allowed me to move the CG back to
about the 35% chord location.
“ Also, you m entioned that the flap
hinge line is supposed to be at the 75%
chord location. The flap hinge on my
ship is at about the 80% chord location
and the W in d s o n g ’s is som e w h e re
around the 85% chord location as are the
89

$ 8 0 .“°
includes snipping
and handling
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61 IN . W IN G S P A N , 7 .5 L B S .. U S IN G . 5 6 E N G I N E S A N D U P .
C O M P L E T E K IT . LESS WHEELS. EN C IN E» PROP.
( t o m · 7 0 0 p o r ts , d e ta U R d c o n s ! r u c t io n m a n u a l Λ 5 s lr a a l p la n s )
PROCTOR, P.O. BOX 1333, LA JOLLA, CA. 92038
For additional information, call (619)278*9000, or
write. For a complete 40 page catalog, send $ 2.00.
Camano’s and Megan’s. I've had d iffi­
culty using fu ll flaps, 60 degrees deflec­
tion, because o f a terrible pitch change if
I deploy them too rapidly, but the Wing-
song has little or no pitch change with a
sudden application o f fu ll flaps, and the
flaps still seem to slow the ship well. At
this point in the development o f my
model. I think that the (laps are too
large.
"You also suggested that the Ε-2Ί4
should be slower than the E-205 based
on the m inim um Co. M y ship has basi­
cally the same physical dimensions and
weight as a stock Sagitta 900 (with the
exception o f a irfoil and aspect ratio),
and I can't notice any speed advantage
for either ship. If I reflex the flaps, I can
leave a stock Sagitta far behind. So, on
this p o in t I disagree w ith the p o la r
diagrams, especially with regard to the
curve showing six degrees o f flap reflex.
“ . . . I have noticed that both my ship,
the Windsong, and other models in the
area with the E-214 can cover much
m ore te rr ito ry than any o th e r ships
around, including those w ith the E-205.
E-211, or the thick, west coast sections
which you seem to like so much.
"To summarize, I'll say that up till now
I've always thought that one wing sec­
tion was as good as another . . . any
advantage gained by using a particular
a ir f o il was n e g a te d by som e o th e r
factors. With the E-214,1 d on ’t think I'm
giving up anything to anybody. The
same ship can outsoar the floaters on a
90 WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS, T E L L ’ EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU!
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slope: F3B: and thermal contests
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light and variable day, or find lift in a 20
m ph w in d w ith o u t the a d d itio n o f
ballast. If I sound like a salesman, it's
because I've been sold. Try it, you may
give up those thick w ings!"
I hope you found that as interesting to
read as I did. You may be wondering
why this letter was included in the “ Q &
A Forum" section of this column, well,
the answer is in the next letter by jack:
", . . I’m having a difficult time with
that pitch change problem I mentioned
last time, maybe you can shed some
light.
"W hen setting up to land, if I need full
flaps (60°) for a sleep, slow approach. I
must deploy them slowly to prevent a
stall tendency that is very difficult to
control. If I let the nose come up too far,
the ship slows down so much that I'll
have difficulty moving forward again,
but on the other hand, if I don't slow
down from " norm al” flying speed, the
ship doesn’t want to come down even
with fu ll down elevator.
"The Camano, Windsong, and Megan
which fly at our site don't exhibit this
tendency. They do slow down, and w ill
stall w ithout down elevator, but they
don't pitch their noses up drastically as
my ship does. Any suggestions!’ "
Well Jack, in all o f that inform ation
(and it’s a lot!), I d id n ’t hear you say that
you equipped your bird with flap/eleva-
tor mixing. I know for sure that the
Windsong has this feature, plus it has a
reflexed aileron system for landing that
would tend to decrease the pitching
m o m e n t c re a te d by th e p o s itiv e
("d ro op ed ” ) flap setting. If you haven't
already tried flap/elevator mixing, I’d
give it a try before I did anything else.
Your bird isn’t all that different than the
Windsongs, Camanoes, and Megans.
Your balance point and stab area sound
close enough for com fort, so that leads
me to suspect that you could also need
more elevator throw. Does your trans­
m itter have dual rates? If it does, try
setting it up like this: for normal thermal
flying, set the elevator dual rate switch
on low and adjust it for comfortable
thermal handling; then, set the high rate
high enough to overcome the pitch
change problem at a speed approxi­
mating a fast landing approach. You w ill
never be able to overcome it at very high
speeds as the flap is much more powerful
than your elevator. The trick to slowing
your plane down at high speed is to use
your flaps slowly, as you have already
discovered. You did say that your aile­
rons d o u b le d as s p o ile rs . . . these
should help slow you down from high
speed as well. In all the inform ation, you
d id n ’t indicate whether or not you had
the capability of deploying “ spoilerons”
and flaps simultaneously. This seems sort
of obvious asa major difference between
the glider you described and the W ind-
song.
As for the performance of the E-214,1
agree with you right down the line . . .
except . . . I still have a problem w ith
your "speed” conclusion. Yes, the E-205
and E-214 look very similar from the
leading edge to about 60% of the chord
when you reflex the trailing edge, BUT
there are a whole bunch of sharp curves
and “ funnies” going on back there that
w ill slow you down at very high speeds.
Now, where w ill this difference show
up? I d on ’t think that it w ill show up in an
L/D race across the sky because you
aren't going fast enough for the airflow
to be anywhere near laminar at 75 to 85
percent of the chord. It is my personal,
non-scientific belief that it would take
something like the old, two-lap F3B
speed run to really separate the two in
top end performance. In that case I
believe the E-205 would be superior.
Who says that I prefer the west coast
“ thickies” ? All of the multi-task ships
that I’ve designed in the last three years
have been equipped with Epplers .. .
actually, just one Eppler, the 205. My
only reason for prom oting the 14 to 16
percent thick airfoils is to dispel any
n o tio n s th a t they are in fe rio r. They
aren't! M y Gemini MTS could fly very
competitively against the Sagittas and
models o f similar design. Heaven knows
it thermalled better and could handle
the speed lead better. Distance, you ask?
A dead heat. I’d say! People shouldn’t
close their eyes to experimentation.
AIRFOIL OF THE M ONTH:
DR. HELMUT QUABECK’S HQ 2.5/9
Perhaps w ith this particular airfoil, we
should rename the heading to “ AIRFOIL
OF THE YEAR” as the HQ 2.5/9 is cur­
rently the airfoil of choice of the reign­
ing F3B W orld Champion, Ralf Decker,
of the Federal Republic of Germany. As
most of you know, F3B is an event where
the designing, building, and flying skills
of the R/C soaring pilot are put to the
extreme test. F3B is a m ultiple task event
where the modeler tries to be the best at
thermal duration flying, distance flying,
and speed flying . . . all with the same
model. Now. if one were to design sail­
planes to meet the best design param­
eters for each event separately, one
would come up with three radically
different airplanes. However, because
you are allowed only one model for the
three events, the design you end up with
becomes a compromise. It’s not the best
thermal plane, it's not the best L/D ship,
and it’s not the best speed ship . . . but
it’s close!
How do you reach such a compromise
MODEL BUILDER
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O NE. I
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• Blades can be resharpened
M O D E L B U IL D E R
P.0. Box 10335, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, Dept. A.V.
successfully? Well, right now the Ger­
mans have a pretty good answer, after
all, they took first place individual and
first place team at this year’s WC meet in
York. Yes, I know it takes more than a
good airplane to do well in F3B, but half
the fliers at York were capable of be­
coming w orld champions on the basisof
piloting skill, so what was the "racer’s
edge” ? It could have been the fact that
they have developed a very good com ­
promise system of aerodynamics.
Introducing the HQ 2.5/9 (and its
counterpart, the HQ 2.5/8). Ralf Decker
used these airfoils on his un-named F3B
model (see picture) in the follow ing
manner; HQ 2.5/8 (2-1/2% camber. 8%
thickness) at the root of the wing, tran­
sitioning to an HQ 2.5/9 (same camber,
9% thickness) at the wing tips. He used a
flaperon system with coupled elevator
for pitch change compensation. The
flaperon was hinged at the 78% chord
position (22% of chord from the trailing
edge). W ith this system, Ralf had a
model that was well suited for speed
with the trailing edge reflexed five
degrees, well suited fortherm alduration
and distance with the trailing edge at
neutral, and a model that could launch
high and land slowly with the trailing
edge dropped five degrees.
For a good look at its “ theoretical”
profile polars, see the graphs accompa­
nying this column. The drag bucket is
narrow with the HQ 2.5/9, but aspointed
out last month by Michael Seelig, it ’s in
the right place! If you should decide to
JANUARY 1984
OAy
A v a ilia b le in seven satin a n o d ize d ha n d le co lo rs : silver, blue , red, green, g o ld , b la ck, and v io le t
C o m p le te set in f i t t e d h a rd w o o d case; in clu d e sU b e r S k iv e r, tog e th e r w ith tw o via ls c o n ta in in g
fo u r N o. 11, a n d one each o f Nos. 10, 12, 15, and 2 0 .................................................................$ 1 6 .9 5
See you r dealer, or order direct Dealer inquir­
ies invited. Orders are shipped First Class mail
in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Overseas A ir
mail add 25% o f total order. Rem it by Inter­
national Money Order or U.S. funds. Postage
paid for A P O and F P O orders.
PRODUCTS
C a lifo rn ia residents add 6% sales tax.
try the HQ, I'd like to know how you
make out!
W e ll, I'm o ut o f space again fo r
another month . . . and I’m only half-
through with this m onth’s stuff . . . oh
well, see ya next time.
Bill Forrey, R/C Soaring Editor. M odel
Builder. P.O. Box 10335, Costa Mesa.CA
92627. · Although it is hard to say how many
Plug Sparks . . Continued from page 37
run across an advertisement of the Vivell
35 stating, "a few engines available."
Availability of this engine was about the
only thing that kept control line flying
alive.
Free flight meets were mighty few
and far between as the Civil Air patrol
would spot any high thermalling model
and prom ptly turn on the air raid sirens
thinking it was a Heinkel or something.
During this time, the alliance between
Offenbach M odel Distributors and Jim
Brown broke up. Ever alive to an oppor­
tunity, Earl Vivell prom ptly made a deal
with Brown (not to be confused with Bill
Brown of Brown Jr. engine fame) to have
Jim do his machining of engines under
his name. The Vivell 49 was the first,
closely resembling the Brown Thermite
engine.
Vivell. who had always been interested
in radio control (even to the extent of
building drones for the Army during
W W -II), had Jim make up a twin based
on the Brown layout of the Little Dyna­
In d iv id u a l handles (sp ecify c o lo r ) .......... $ 6 9 5
V ia l o f 6 blades (N o. 10, 11, o r 1 5 ) ...... $ 3 .0 0
(N o. 12 o r 2 0 ) ............... $ 4 .0 0
V IS A a n d M A S T E R C A R D
add 5%, an d in c lu d e e x p ir­
a tio n date and signature.
mite and the Thermite parts. The net
result was the Vivell Twin 60.
Now operating out of a new location,
2470 27th Avenue in San Francisco (this
was his home), Earl offered these motors
at $45.00 each less coil and condenser.
Here was a fine little twin, built to the
fine precision practices of Jim Brown.
engines were produced, the Vivell Twin
was around for five years, counting the
period of modifications resulting in the
Mk II version.
Vivell also became interested in the
experiments of Emile Vollenwieter to
produce the E-V magneto. Emile was no
Jo h n n y -c o m e -la te ly to the m agneto
business having designed the Scintilla
Magneto for full-sized aircraft.
The E-V magneto turned out to be
quite successful, being put prim arily on
motors in speed cars and boats. Not to
be outdone. Vivell immediately in tro ­
duced the fin a l ve rsion o f the tw in
featuring the E-V magneto. Although it
never did really catch on, (cost and
maintenance being some of the prob­
lems), this magneto probably would
have gained considerable popularity in
old timer ignition powered models.
Getting down to basics, specifications
for the Vivell 60 Twin reveal the engine
has .726 in. bore and .687 in. stroke
giving a displacement o f .60 cu. in. Rated
at 3/8 horsepower, the engine weighed
only a surprising 14 ounces, less than a
Hornet or McCoy engine.
First advertised in a "H obbycrafts” ad.
91

a Sacram ento h ob by shop e n jo y in g
exclusive distributorship in that area, in
the September 1946 M odel Airplane
News, the first photo showed an en­
closed timer. According to Don Belote,
noted engine collector in Toledo, the
first m odel fe a tu re d an o pe n tim e r
assembly. This particular version has
never been seen by this w riter.
The manufacture of this engine re­
flects all o f Jim B ro w n ’s pra ctices:
cylinder machined from solid bar stock,
piston turned from special cast iron
stock, piston honed and lapped to each
in d iv id u a l c y lin d e r, cra n ksh a ft ma­
chined from solid alloy steel bar stock,
hardened and ground to a fine toler­
ance, and finally, the large cooling fins
machined from aluminum and spun
o n to the c y lin d e r. O th e r m aterials
in vo lve d w ere b ro n ze fo r th e main
bearing and aluminum alloy for the
connecting rod with bushed bearing
caps.
According to the starting directions,
the Vivell people still stuck to the old
reliable mix of one part of SAE 70 oil to
three parts of white gas. A 13-6 propeller
was recommended. Most interesting
was the adm onition very few modelers
pay a tte n tio n to : “ Keep th e g a s /o il
mixture clean. An absolute must for
reliability in contest w ork.”
In conclusion, this columnist wishes to
a ckno w le dg e the g en e ro sity o f Karl
C arlson, one o f the p re m ie r engine
collectors, for the use of the Vivell Twin.
There is nothing like having the original
92
S c h lu e te r F re e
F light M odels
3508 Poinsettia Ave
Manhattan Beach, Co. 90266
engine to make a set of drawings. In that
same lin e , this w rite r is lo o k in g fo r
engines lik e th e Bon, BRL, C an no n,
Pierce, etc., for drawing subjects. The
w riter fully realizes that asking for the
use of these rare engines is like asking
for a thousand dollars, but any help
would be appreciated. Now that we are
getting into the ninety mark of engines
drawn, we need subjects that are not the
‘‘garden variety” of engines.
THIRTY YEARS AGO, I W AS.. .
Robert Benjamin, M o d e l B u ild e r’s
cover artist, has gotten to be quite an old
timer fan. In his latest letter. Bill w ritesof
his experience 30 years ago.
"M y story is about 30 years old as I
com m itted the terrible sin o f being born
during the latter years o f WW-II. I am
not o ld enough to have been in the real
old tim er era.
" I g ot s ta rte d in 1949 w he n dad
brought home a Strombecker solid scale
kit o f a Lockheed P-80. Between dad and
I, this m odel was built, and I became the
classic case of a kid who thought he was
the only m odeler in town.
"W hen I was ten (I had discovered
flying models), the family m oved to the
small town o f Essex, Massachusetts. It
was d u rin g the m id -fifty tim e that I
d isco vere d a fe llo w b e lie v e r by th e
name o f Tom Brow n w ho was also
suffering from the ‘only modeler syn­
drome. '
"Tom had a Baby Spitfire .045 engine,
so I had to get a similar engine, a Space
Bug, Ir. I wished fervently they could
have been Bantams and Ohlssons but
these engines were before my time. To
get on with the story, Tom and I got into
c o n tro l lin e fly in g . A fte r m o w in g a
co n s id e ra b le am o un t o f grass, Tom
graduated to a McCoy 19 front rotor
while I, not to be upstaged, acquired a
McCoy 35.
"A fte r terrorizing ourselves with the
new found power and noise o f these
engines, we d id learn to fly p ro file
control line models. At this point. Tom's
dad ventured the opinion that we should
try so m e th in g m ore c h a lle n g in g . . .
thereby hangs a tale.
"The challenge turned out to be free
flight in the form o f a Berkeley Interna­
tional (remember Woody Blanchard’s
PAA Load model?) with a monstrous six-
foot wingspan. Hot dog!
"Tom and his father built the Interna­
tional while I kept track o f the proceed­
ings. Finally came the call to see the
com pleted model. The McCoy .19 had
been m o u n te d , and th e m o d e l was
hanging over the edges o f the kitchen
table. O ld dad B ro w n , a p ra c tic in g
engineer in his own right, was trying to
figure out what the phrase, ‘Install your
favorite detherm alizer' was supposed to
mean. Finally, we concluded it was not
necessary for flight, being something
the experts used in contests. (Remember
we were still laboring in splendid isola­
tion.)
"W e packed the airplane and gear
into the car and took o ff for the local
abandoned airport which was a pretty
good free flight site. Boy!! Were we
trusting souls!
“ Imagine if you w ill, a warm spring
afternoon w ith a light breeze pushing
big puffy white cumulus clouds across
the sky. The next thing we had to decide
was how much gas to put in the integral
tanks o f the McCoy .19. I d o n ’t rem em ­
ber anyone saying anything about a test
glide. We finally decided to top o ff the
gas tanks with the comment that we
w ould h old the m odel fo r a m inute or so
to burn o ff some gas. With the engine
roaring, a m inute was more like ten
seconds.
"W hat happened next still leaves me
shaking my head. A ll we had done was to
balance the model. We fired up at fu ll
pow er and hand launched the m odel
level. The m odel dropped from lack o f
flying speed, snipped o ff a dandelion,
and th e n c u rle d up in to the nicest
clim bing spiral you ever saw. Boy. did it
ever c lim b ! . . . and c lim b ! . . . and
clim b! Luckily, when we couldn't hear
the m otor anymore, it finally quit. N ow it
w ill come down, we told ourselves as we
started what we w ould come to recog­
nize later as the classic dow nw ind chase.
"W ell, the m odel d idn't come down.
This virgin airplane with the perfect
power pattern, hooked a thermal in a
p e rfe c t g lid e c irc le . The sad e n d in g
came after a chase o f a mile or so across
several pastures. I had lost sight of the
m odel against the base o f a huge cloud,
but Tom apparently saw it as he ran up to
a fence to vault it. What he d id n ’t see was
those little white electrical insulators!
The initial shock knocked him back­
wards about six feet.
"The m odel was gone. Obviously, the
m odel in the first test flights wasn’t going
very far, so Tom d id n ’t put his name on
it. We spent the next several weekend
scouring the area including some neat
swamps and patches o f poison ivy, but
the m odel never did turn up.
"G etting over the shock o f losing a
model, we put together several 1/2A
free flights that flew pretty good. A l­
though we discovered some ‘g ro w n -up '
control line flyers, and gained a measure
of sophistication in that phase o f m odel­
ling, we were still on our own. Not yet
having figured out what a dethermalizer
was, we put a few more in the woods.
" I can recall com m itting some unpar­
donable sins after getting my hands on a
MODEL BUILDER

Bulle(, Twin Slack Torpedo .29 and a few
others, only to let the goodies go when
the local guru advised me they w ouldn't
pull like a new Fox .35. Bet there are
other brilliant ones who d id the same
thing!
" Not u n til the last few years did I get
back into free flight. The problem now is
to catch up on what I missed. The
nostalgia o f fat, cu rve y o ld tim ers,
circling in the afternoon sun, or just
hanging in clear doped splendor on my
shop wall, has drawn me back to an era I
thought I missed by being born too late.
"I lost track o f Tom Brown in the early
sixties. While I have been active as a
modeler almost w ithout pause since
those days, I have no idea where he is.
Maybe he w ill read this. I surely would
like to hear from him again."
THE ORIGINAL STOCKTON
OLD TIMER ANNUAL
It seems just like yesterday, but it was
23 years ago in 1960 w hen the first
Stockton Old Timer Annual was held at
Mather Air Force Base. The dual spon­
sorship of the meet between the Stock-
ton GM A and the S.F. Vultures degener­
ated to a sole club sponsor, the Stockton
group.
A fte r a p e rio d o f e ig h t years, the
Antique M odel Plane Society (AMPS)
took over the running of this meet. In
the last six or seven years, this original
meet has been held in conjunction with
the Fresno GMAC Annual, which in its
43rd year has become one of the most
prestigious free flight meets in the West.
Having the original old timer meet with
it doesn't hurt the status one bit!
Due credit should be given to Jim
Perssons and Don Wrench for co-direct­
ing this meet. Sitting out in the hot sun
with no shade would tax the patience of
most. To top that off, Perssons brought
his motorcycle for those (like this writer)
who came poorly prepared to chase
their models. Was that cycle ever handy
as the thermals were out in force that
day and it took some doing to stay up
with the model.
The w riter took a flock of pictures,
especially of many little-seen designs
lik e A rt W a tk in s ’ Tsetse Fly, a Ying
rubber model by Pond, the Contest
Directors, etc., only to find he had made
35 exposures on a single frame. Rats!
(Hey Pond, doesn Ί it just make you want
to scream?! wrf.)
However, we do have a few photos, so
all is not lost. Photo No. 10 leads o ff the
Old Timer activity at Fresno with a shot
of Ron Dombrose with a Sailplane and
Interceptor. Actually, Ron comes to a
meet with at least five to six gassies. That
Sailplane he is holding is about the fifth
Sailplane he has built. Although he has
been around a long time in free flight
contests, Ron likes Goldberg designs.
Can’t go wrong on those models!
Larry C la rk, past p resident o f the
SCIFS, showed up to take a flock of
prizes this time. As can be seen in Photo
No. 11, this Foo-2-U-2 has been around
for a few years. Although this M ilton
Hugelot design closely resembles the
early Diamond Zipper developed by
JANUARY 1984 WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS, T E L L ’ EM MODEL BUILDER SENT YOU!
Γ WOLFF-PAK
SPECIFICATIONS M M
I
Wing A re a .. . . 540 sq. in.
Span.............................60"
L e n g th ............................. 4 3 "
W eight............. 3-4 H lbs.
I I
........2 |- ·45 cu. in.
Radl° ..............3’4 channel Spinner. Fuel Tank, Fuel
FEATURES Line, Pushrods, Control
• Machined Balsa & Horns, Hinges, Clevises,
Carl Goldberg,
Plywood it is actually a 1939design
Couplers, Hardware.
• Positive Positioning
as identified by M ilt himself.
η Construction Basic Kit
B Not only
»Semi does it Airfoil
Symmetrical have subtle
Spinner, Hardware.
ences, but the designdoesflydifferently.
u n lik e a Z ip p e r w ith tig h t sp ira lin g
climb, it prefers wide circles. It’s a good
looking aircraft we should see more of.
At least the Florida boys headed up by
Ron Sharpton think this design flies
great!
Reviewing more gas designs, Photo
No. 12 shows A rt W atkins w ith the
extremely popular M ike for 1/2A Tex­
aco. However, Art is using the Ray Heit
design for Class A. Ever since Barnet
Kernoff of Tyro Models kitted this old
Consolidated kit, the design has grown
to tremendous popularity.
The w riter had one that was real tough
to check out. On the initial launch, the
M ike model gently hunted under power,
requiring one washer of downthrust.
Sure can spend a lot of time adjusting
Ray Heit designs like the Scram, Ike, etc.
Haw-w!
We have to acknowledge the contest
manager w ithout whom there w ouldn’t
be much of a co nte st. . . from an official
to run the meet, to any sort of trophies
or prizes. These are the guys that make
the meets attractive. In that line. Photo
No. 13 dep icts Jim C ro c k e tt m aking
some engine adjustments on the diesel
powering the Roamer, a Consolidated
kit. Not many know this design was
originally called the Pursuitaire, kitted
by M odel Designs, of Glenn Ridge, New
Jersey. The k it sold fo r $1.95! (First
advertised in M odel Airplane News,
February 1940). Good flying model, but
d ifficult to build and hold surfaces true.
After scaring all the contestants to
death by announcing the trophies were
not available, Jim Perssons was able to
arrange transportation, and the trophies
were duly handed out as per the results
below:
STOCKTON O /T ANNUAL RESULTS
020 REPLICA
1. Jack Jells, Stratostreak ___ 11:45
2. Bill Langenberg, Dodger 11:33
il
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SPORT & FUN FLY
I
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Ft. Wayne, IN 46804
(219) 432-4324 after 6:00 p.r
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" 1 /3 2 to 1 /4 t i t * authentic flying model loyoul plan»
lo t R/C. C / l. f / f . rubber, »talk. To· m uteum t and
»enow», detail modeler» Once bought, you'll never buy another brand
flicloriol cotalog S i 50. Price lit! section alone 60c OuHtde USA le ice p t
Can ond Me* I by A ir $1.00 extra. None tree Not »old thru dealer»
CLEVELAND MODELS. 10307M Detroit Ave . Cleveland. Ohio 44102 *1
3. Ron W hitman, Playboy . . . 10:49
O /T RUBBER
1. Joe Norcross, Lanzo ........ 8:04
2. John Pond, Ying ................ 8:00
3. Terry Thorkildsen, Lamb . 7:28
30-SECOND ANTIQUE
1. Dick Lyons, Miss Tiny . . . . 7:38
2. Larry Clark, Miss Delaware 6:08
3. C liff Silva, Gas Bird .......... 4:48
CLASS A
1. Ron Dombrose,
In te rc e p to r........................... 8:05
2. Larry Clark, Miss Valiant 7:10
3. Dick Lyons, Miss T in y ___ 7:02
CLASS B
1. Al Rasmussen, Zipper . . . . 8:48
2. Ken Kullman, Alert .......... 8:24
3. Jack Jella, Ranger ............. 7:42
CLASS C
1. Terry O ’Meara. C lipper .. 15:00
2. Tom Keppler, Playboy . . . 10:38
3. Larry Clark, Albatross . . . . 8:07
RUBBER SCALE
1. Bill McConahie, Douglas 0-38
2. Jim M urphy, Cougar
3. Jeff W hitman, Lacey
TRUE NOSTALGIA
R eceived several p h o to s fro m A rt
Suhr before his untim ely death and have
been looking for a slot to use them.
These photos are of Danner Bunch back
in the early thirties.
Photo No. 14 is a picture of Danner
Bunch taking of in his S.E. 5. “ Best darn
a irp la n e I ever fle w ,’ ’ was D anner
Bunch's co m m e n t a bo ut the S.E. 5.
Actually, Dan came from Indiana in
response to a call for pilots and planes to
be used in the classic movie, “ Wings.”
Dan stuck around to also participate in
other films like the “ Dawn Patrol,” “ Ace
of Aces,” "Hells Angels,” etc. However,
93

PEANUT sail M O D E L S K it . $5 95
several events wide open when normally
they would be dominated by one or two
/ ZERO M IL E S M -18
·/ P IE TE N P O L D R U IN E of the club members. This is a great idea!
PIPER C U B COUGAR This keeps up the interest all year as no
ANDRESON G IP S Y M O T H
M U S TA N G L A C E Y M -IO G A N A G O B IE one knows just which trophy the leader
is going to get.
Rubber Powered SPORT M ODELS
One of the striking similaritiesof 1/2A
BABY ACE $6.49
O N E N ITE 28 $6.95 Texaco events as held by SAM 41 and
O N E N ITE 16 $5.95 1836 is the terrific flying ability of these
PRAIRIE BIR D ♦ S T H IN G L E S S $4.95 small a irc ra ft. The biggest p ro b le m
K IT $5.95 P E C K R .O .G . $1.95
facing the modeler is letting the model
BLIM PS CO NTRO LLED get too far downwind. These models do
11 and 13 FOOT LO N G . KITS OR not penetrate too well, hence many
READY TO FLY. N O W IN THREE
models are being lost, radio or no radio!
C O LO R S GRAY. ORANGE and
YELLOW . LO W PRICES. Word to the wise, men, keep 'em
N EW ! CATALOG No. 2 5 - $1.50 u pw ind !
SAM 21
Peck-Polymers
BOX 2498 MB LA MESA, CA 92041 . Pond Contest: Did you ever hear such
a nutty name for a contest? Well, it’s
after a time, the rash of W orld War I tru e . W hen SAM 21 held its annual
airplane movies fell off to a trickle, and picnic, a casual contest was proposed by
pilots like Bunch had to look elsewhere John Pond, offering his fleet of R/C O /T
for employment. models to all of the members. Wow!
About this time, Dan started up a W ild idea!
hobby shop and tentatively made a few Those members interested in flying
kits for the local modelers. These proved selected their model from a number
to besuccessful.soa full line of com peti­ drawn from a hat. The number one man,
tion model kits were launched. Photo of course, had the first pick of the list of
No. 15 was taken in the 1934era, and in it Pond models num bering some 24. There
Bunch proudly holds his latest creation, were no strings attached to this deal, just
Stratosphere. This was a good looking bring yourself, and the propellers, fuel,
design that flew well, but was com pli­ etc., were provided.
cated to build by the standards of that Came the day of the picnic and only
day. For that reason the kit never did sell five of the group decided to fly the
well. After a few more dips into the kit models on hand. Most of the fellows fell
business, Dan became comm itted to the a little reticient about flying someone
manufacture of model engines . . . but else’s m odels w ith the possibility of
that is another story! crashing . . . this despite the assurances
SAM CHATTER no liability would be incurred for dam­
SAM 41 ages (fancy language for if you break it.
In reading the San Diego Aeroneers we don't care).
newsletter so ably edited by George Actually, all types of models were
Wagner, this columnist notes a con­ flown together w ith times as per their
siderable amount of O /T R/C action respective classes. To fly them equitably,
every m o n th . W o rth n o tin g is the scores were percentages based on the
amount of interest the 1/2A Texaco actual tim e over the maximum time that
event has generated. At the rate of this could be accrued. The only problem was
event is e xpa nd in g , th is event may the Texaco event, and this was resolved
evolve just as one model event. This has by putting a 30-minute lim it on the
happened to the San Antonio SAM 1836 flight. To give you an example: when
Chapter wherein they not only specialize Dave Bruner did a 20-minute flight, he
in the 1/2A Texaco contests, but have a actually received a score of 20 over 30 or
newsletter devoted strictly to that form 67%. The winner, Ted Kafer, flew a hot
of flying. Limited Engine Run model, a Cleveland
One of the most important gimmicks Cloudster scaled to Playboy size, for
to spur interest in the com petition for three flights earning him a percentage of
the annual High Point Trophies is the 74. Results looked like this:
ruling that a club member can win only 1. Ted Kafer, C lo u d s te r......... 74%
one of the many awards. This leaves 2. Dave Bruner, Clipper ........ 67%
94
3. Jim Caughram, M ik e .......... 52%
4. Paul Forrette, Powerhouse 44%
5. Steve Roselle, Gulliver . . . . 20%
Best part of the whole contest is that
those w ho fle w re c e iv e d O ld T im e r
collector kits.
SAM 49
Hard on the heels of this giveaway
co n te s t, came a re p o rt fro m C huck
Thompson, newsletter editor of SAM 49,
a bo ut Ernie Payne’s Texaco co n te st,
both full-size and 1/2A. Ernie gave cash
prizes of $15.00, $10.00, $5.00. and $2.50
for the first four places. With a great day,
a good time was had by all including the
SAM 41 boys from San Diego who had
been invited to participate. Results:
TEXACO
1. Ernie Payne (SAM 49)
2. Chuck Thompson (SAM 49)
3. George Wagner (SAM 41)
4. Lee Norcross (SAM 49)
1/2A TEXACO
1. Ross Thomas (SAM 49)
2. Don Hoyle (SAM 41)
3. George Wagner (SAM 41)
4. Art Way (SAM 41)
SAM ABROAD
ENGLAND
Sid Sutherland, 52 Broadwalk, South
W oodford, London 18, England, reports
SAM 35 has practically engulfed the
n a tio n as O /T a c tiv ity can be seen
everywhere.
Photo No. 16, sent by Sutherland,
shows how one should really to to an
Old Timer contest! Pictured is sid hold­
ing a M egow Soaring Eagle powered by
a Super C yclon e e n g in e o rig in a lly
owned by Freddie Kiel (Kielkraft fame).
Naturally, the model is covered with silk
and painted with Hobby Poxy. But the
piece de resistance is that fabulous old
car in the background!
The reader w ill n o te the SAM 35
license n u m b e r on the m od el. This
makes for a six number license, but it
does advertise the organization. The
photo was taken at the North W orld
Aerodrome in Essex, site of the “ Battle of
Britain” film .
To top the fun off, the 1933 Hudson
Terraplane is actually large enough to
accept seven-foot wings inside. What a
way to go!
THE WRAPUP
Received a letter from Phil Barber, of
1855 Lilac Drive, White Rock, British
Columbia, wherein he prepaid a SAM
membership for a jun ior in his area. Phil
has the rig h t idea. If we d o n ’ t start
getting the younger fellows into this Old
Timer game, pretty soon we are going to
run out of members.
As Phil puts it, "O ne aspect, (or old
buggers like you and I who built before
W orld War II. is to be enthralled with
O ld Timers. But what pleases me is to see
youngsters becoming interested. Unless
they do. the vintage brand o f the hobby
w ill die when we die.
" I treasure the remark o f one boy
(upon seeing Phil’s O ld Timer) who said.
Ί like the wheels and windows.' Another
youngster said that he liked the way they
clim bed as if they had all day."
JANUARY 1984
 Think about it fellows. When was the
last time you got someone interested in
Old Timers? Why not share the fun of
the best phase of modeling with some­
one else! It certainly can be rewarding! ·
R/C A u t o s . . C o n tin u e d fro m page 4 7
running that sharp blade along it. With
very little practice you w ill be able to cut
through the overlap of the 3M down to,
but not through, the KHP tape. If you
look really closely at the second picture,
you can see where we have already ac­
complished this on the side and rear
windows with the windshield area still
needing some trimming.
This same technique is also shown in
the third picture, in this case we ran the
KHP tape as a separation line between
the tw o colors. When it was placed
where we wanted it, the 3M tape was
applied and the excess was trimmed off
using the KHP tape as a guide. We apply
tape this way whether or not we intend
to paint a separation line.
W ith the body in theconditionshow n
in picture three, all is ready for paint. As
mentioned. I rarely use spray equipment
anymore, instead I use the Tempo brand
of a u to m o tiv e to u c h -u p p a in t. Even
though its use does lim it one to basic
paint jobs (fogging, paneling, cobweb­
bing. and many other tricks are difficult,
several impossible, with spray cans), it is
very convenient to use: shake the can,
spray it on, and you’re done.
Your dealer has ready access to this
line of paint as Delta distributes the
primary colors such as red. w hite,yellow,
etc. O r you may quite possibly locate it
at an auto parts store: ask for the Tempo
brand, all the stuff I use is made from
DuPont Lucite lacquer, according to the
info on the cans. (I mention this as it is
possible that Tempo also packages an
enamel-based paint. And don't use the
black . . . for some reason that color
doesn’t stick very well.)
Anyway. I use a heat gun to lightly
warm up the spray can, which seems to
make all spray cans work better. A light
fog coat is first, followed by a lew passes
ot the heat gun to speed the drying of
the paint. Another fog coat, more heat
from the gun. The third coal is often a
little heavier, but you only want to get
coverage. Do not keep painting until
you can’t see through the paint w ith the
body held up to a light. Instead, place
the body on a white surface and check
coverage. You w ill be surprised to see
that very light coats of paint w ill yield
adequate coverage.
With the first color applied, removeall
tape for the second color. Leave the
window masks in place. In the case of
the example, we also left the background
masks in place, as well as the 1/8-inch
KHP tape separating the two colors.
Check to be sure these masks are still
down tight and paint the second color.
Now the background masks can come
off. and the whole interior of the body
can be shot in w h ite . The w h ite is
required for the backgrounds, of course.
JANUARY 1984 WHEN C O N TA C TIN G ADVERTISERS, TELL 'EM M O DEL BUILDER SENT YOU!
"f l e x - o f f "
BUZZ WALTZ
FLEXIBLE METAL EXHAUST TUBING R/C DESIGNS
m LIG H T WEIGHT GALVAN IZEO STEEL 255 N. EL CIELO, SUITE 476
• e a s i l y r ø r r , w i l l ho ld i t · · * s k a «
PALM SPRINGS, CA 92262
• FUEL PROOF-NOT EFFECTED I T HOT
EXHAUST OR HOT FUELS
■ WORM DRIVE CLAMP INCLUDEO B E G IN -A IR T R A I N E R
• WEIGHS ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 54 In. span, 540 in2 areaj
RUBIER OR PLASTIC TUSING 3-4 ch. R/C
N o.
-S IZ E S TO F I T HOST HUFFLERS-
I0 6F0 1 /2 " 4 1 · . X 12·' 5.7 S
No. I0 7F0 5 /8 " 4 1 « . X 12" 6 .0 0
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N o. I0 9F0 7 / 8 " 4 1 a .X 12" 6 .5 0
TA TO N E P R O D U C TS CORP.
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and if the color coats were applied thinly
B E G IN -A IR 4 0 T R A I N E R
enough, the w hite w ill back them up 72 In. span, 760 m2 area
nicely giving bright colors. 4 ch. R/C
With that we arrive at Picture Number
4 . . . and a re m in d e r of the lim its
imposed by black and w hite photo­
graphy. I know the body doesn’t look
like much in the pictures, but thankfully
it looked pretty good on the track. The
center section of the body is a bright red.
$44.95
q u a rte r panels and back end are a
medium blue. By the time we got done
applying stickies and numbers, we had a
body that hadn’t taken much time to do, $25.95
was easily seen on the track, looked
kinda like a race car, and was relatively
bullet-proof.
V X
B u lle t-p ro o f? Not q u ite , but you
might notice all the different stickies.
several of which are actually used to VELERO
76 in. span,
beef up the body. W hile not shown 6 3 5 In 2 area
c le a rly, th ere is a large Associated 2 ch. R/C
stickieon the air dam. In an accident, we
all know this part of the body gets hit
first, but the stickie does a nice job of CAZADOR
100 In. span, 1 0 4 7 I n2 area
reinforcement here, as does the Delta 2-3 ch. R/C
stickie in the "g rille ” area. While the
front fenders on this body are fairly
stro n g , this is not the case w ith all w
bodies, so we are in the habit of applying
a stickie where the MRP number is on
the example.
Not shown at all are thestickieson the S39.95
inside of the body, in this case in the
nose of the body. Remember that quality
DIRECT SALES ONLY
stickies are made from mylar, which is in
itself a tough material. Laminate mylar 619-325-5494
inside and out on a body shell and it gets
a lot stronger with very little weight
penalty. And you know how the collars holes leaving the excess w indow ma teriaI
on body posts wear through that new to act as a guide, directing the cool air
paint job, d o n ’t you? Right, morestickes straight to the fins on the motor. The
on the inside of the shell w ill eliminate picture explains it all much better: just
that problem. be sure to cut the whole window out in
Picture Number 5 shows a little trick I order to get as much scoop material as
discovered completely by accident. In possible.
the past we have always bent the rear Finally, we come to Picture Number 6
portion of the side windows out a little of the completed body. And to head off
to act as a scoop for cooling air. Many any more letters asking if we really race
times the scoop would crack away at the our cars with the bodies m ounted as low
bend line. For this body, I decided to as shown in most pictures in this column,
drill small holes at th e e n d s o fth e c u ts to the answer is "almost. ” W hile it might be
eliminate this problem. However, upon considered a waste of time by some, I
folding the window back, I noticed that much prefer to have the bodies just as
the section of the window which would low as possible. With the suspension cars
normally get cut off could be folded and their continual chassis motions this
back on itself and locked into the drilled can be a little problem, but then if we
95
 COMPUTERIZED AIRFOIL PLOTTER
YES-SIR, YES-SIR, THREE BAGS FULL Recently. I received a lettertrom Tony
Brooks. 24 Marl Rd.. Radcliffe-on-Trent.
Nottingham, England, NG12 2GY. Tony
4 -™ A VAIL- Å R L E b f o yu says, "O ne very useful aid to dealing
w ith a e ro fo ils is a hom e c o m p u te r.
Placet S oftw are (re a d : Tony B rooks)
offers a suitable application w ritten for
the Sinclair ZX Spectrum (in the US. the
equivalent is the Timex TS2000). The
price is 4.95 pounds Sterling for the 76K
WALT ROONEY NOW OFFERS 4>BAGS OF PEANUT SCALE PLANS version, and 5.95 pounds Sterling for the
ALL WELL TESTED DESIGNS, AT ONLY tS .O O EACH 48K version. Postage is another .50 for
surface or 2.00 fo r a ir."
EACH BAG FEATURES FOURTEEN PEANUT PLANS, The program is cassette based and
ONE OTHER, PLUS PHOTOS AND INFORMATION does the follow ing:
SENO t l . 0 0 FOR COMPLETE LISTING ANO SAMPLE PLAN TO: 1. Displays a picture of the airfoil.
2. Displays the coordinates.
WALT MOONEY, 291 2 CABRILLO MESA OR 3. Displays rib dimensions for a given
SAN OIEGO, CALIFORNIA 9 2 1 2 3 chord, or for a tapered wing.
4. Displays the reference sources.
hear ihe body hitting a lot, it w ill get using a stop plunger spring with less 5. Airfoils may be added or deleted or
trimmed slightly. In actual practice, we strength. a new file created.
rarely trim a body at the track; about the In extreme cases, however, the model 6. Displays are copiable to a ZX
tim e we fin a lly d e cid e to do some may shake something loose under the printer.
w hittling, the pavement has done it for shock. One such event occurred at the The file contains approximately 100
us! Harts Lake semis. A M o n tre a l stop airfoils. The difference between the 16K
Dan Rutherford, activated and the shock caused the stab and 48K is in the speed of display and the
4705 237th PI. S.E., to override its stop, causing a leading size of the file.
Bothell, WA 98021 · *1
5
4
3
2 edge setting about 1/4 inch higher than The Placet Aerofoil Directory is avail­
able now. Contact Tony Brooks.
expected . . . the result was a steep glide
to the ground. CARL GOLDBERG RESPONDS
Free F lig h t. . C o n tin u e d fr o m page 5 8 THE G-6 AIRFOIL o f t lE MORE TIME
All-in-all. I found Tom’s stop to bean
excellent device . . . easy to make and Recently, some discussion has oc­
wind your model and, by pushing the install. Ted hasfound itto bean effective curred in the pages of this column about
plunger into the face plate hole and and time saving system for his Wake­ the Goldberg G-5 and G-6 airfoils. Just
allowing the fully wound m otor to put fields. I recommend it. four weeks ago, I received a letter from
pressure on the p lu n g e r, the p ro p Carl Goldberg himself. He says, in part,
assembly is kept from rotating. In order JANUARY MYSTERY MODEL " / noticed in your column in the )uly
to release this p lu n g e r, the p ro p is This is, I th in k , the m odel w h ich issue an ite m a bo ut my C5 and C6
rota te d back s lig h tly a llo w in g the caught the attention of FAI power fliers airfoils, and a drawing which is labeled
plunger to release out of the way. Now around the world. It was the first ship G-5 .. . the magazine drawing looks
the model is ready to launch whenever that used both VIT and autorudder in distinctively heavy in the upper leading
you want and regardless of how long FAI com petition, and it won the interna­ edge right near the nose. I don't have
you’ve had to wait. tional event doing so. Since then, few the coordinates; I'm not sure I ever did.
Some added notes about this system serious power fliers have used anything By the way. the a irfoil was published
as sketched: else. As with any new development, tw ic e in one o f the English m o d e l
1. The hub, the thrust bearing, the contemporary gadgetry is less com pli­ magazines, and was wrong both times.
shaft bushing, and the 2mm wire prop cated than the original. So it is w ith VIT "As to the Sailplane airfoil, you are
shaft can be purchased fro m F.A.I. and autorudder. This World Champs (piite right, it was the C6. This essentially
M odel Supply, along w ith the rubber winner, however, set the stage for the is much like the C5. except for the
strip needed to fly these models. Their present development. In that sense, it underside as it began to approach the
address is P.O. Box 3957, Torrance, CA was the pioneer for all of us. trailing edge. I was trying to make a
90510. If you can name it, and if you are the structure that was stronger at the rear,
2. All of the other components can be first one in line with the correct name. and in which the trailing edge would be
purchased at a local hobby shop, except Bill N orthrop w ill send you a nice prize flat on the work surface."
for the winding hook which may be . . . lik e a fre e s u b s c rip tio n to yo u r Thanks, Carl. I’m sure only purists
purchased from Jim Crocket Replicas, fa v o rite m agazine. Please send yo ur would quibble over such items at the
P.O. Box 12600, Fresno, CA 93778. (The name and address along with your best d iffe re n c e b etw e en the G5 and G6
w inding hook is not shown). guess direct to Bill at M odel Builder airfoils, but it’s nice to have the designer
3. The aluminum prop hub w ill have Magazine. speak up w ith a final word.
to be drilled to take the hold plunger. DARNED GOO D AIRFOIL: RSG 31 NFFS SYMPOSIUM FOR 1984
4. The hole in the face plate should be The RhodeSt. Genese 31 isthethickest A call for papers and nominations. It’s
drilled oversize. I use a 5/32 hole, and it of the RSG series. It is still a very good now tim e to get ready to submit your
should be drilled into the nose block to a free flight airfoil. In fact, a closer look papers and nominations to the National
total depth of about 1/4 inch. M ore is w ill reveal that is nearly identical to the Free Flight Society for the 1984 Sympos­
acceptable, less is not. section used by Sal Taibi on his highly ium . This p re s tig io u s d o c u m e n t has
5. The plungers (both of them) should successful Starduster series of free flights carried valuable developments, state of
extend well into the hole so that the stop (except for the 350 version). The RSG 31 theart articles, the Top Ten models, and
is positive. has enough thickness to use nearly any the Free Flight Hall of Fame over the
The system is ideal for models that spar structure arrangement. The forward years. Since its first issue in 1968, the
have a rubber weight restriction . . .such high point indicates that it w ill be non- p u b lic a tio n has c o n tin u e d to g ro w .
as W a ke field and C oupe. The o nly critical in adjustment. This could be an Now, this is your chance to become a
drawback that I’ve noted is that occa­ excellent section for newcomers to free part of its growth.
s io n a lly , th e sto p p lu n g e r engages flight design, and it is certainly thick Send your nominations for the Ten
abruptly, which has a tendency to shock enough to be an excellent sport model Models of the Year 1983 to: James G.
the airplane. This can be adjusted by section to be used for beginners. Wilson ,1030 Avenue D, Redondo Beach.

96 MODEL BUILDER
CA 90277.
Send your nominations for the Free
Flight Hall of Fame to : A n th o n y J.
Italiano. 1655 Revere Dr.. Brookfield. VVI
53005.
Send a brief outline of any proposed
papers to: Stan Stoy. 12314 Inletridge
Dr.. Maryland. M O 63043. or call: (314)
434-9153 (hom e), or (314) 233-8361
(office).
The nominations or outlines should
be sent by January 1, 1984 in order to
receive proper consideration.
Don't put it off, do it now.
A THOUGHT IN CLOSING
Now that winter is upon us.it'stim eto
think about the winter free flight b uild ­
ing schedule. Order some plans, check
out the balsa supply, the engines, the
other stuff. You can do it while the
football game is on T.V... .just move the
set into the shop. Then you can watch
football while looking over your b uild ­
ing materials. O r you can just watch
football . . . Oh, well, there’s always
tom orrow! · Now, remove the top center stringer
Dear Jake......... C o n tin u e d fro m page 6
Dear lake:
What's the origin o f the word 'servo7
—Semanticist in Seville
Dear Semanticist:
I believe the term was first used in an
Italian tennis match.
—Jake
★ ★ ★ pattern by the cut-and-try method for
Dear lake:
I know your true identity, hut for ten
g's I ’ll keep it quiet.
—A Friend
Dear Friend:
It’s a deal. Here they are: ggggg-
ggggg-
— Jake
★ ★ ★ place. Carve and sand this engine cowl
D a rt..............C o n tin u e d fro m page 51
each stringer.
Cut out all the formers, notching as
indicated. Note that the notches are
only half thethicknessof Former 5. Mark
the top of each former. The top is the
leftmost point on the former as it is
drawn on the plan.
Select a light weight balsa block to
make into the tailcone (TC). Cut it to
match the top and side view, but do not
carve it to its final contours. Mark out
the location of the ten stringers that are
to be notched into the front face of the
TC. Sharpen a piece of hard balsa or
dowel and push a dent into the TC at
each location to accept a stringer.
Now, placing all the former locating
marks to the inside, and using cyano­
acrylate (Hot Stuff, Zap, etc.) adhere the
ten stringers in place in the TC. Make
sure that they angle outward as they
extend forward so that they make the
p ro p e r ta ilc o n e angle. N ow place
Former 9 inside the stringer cone at its
location marks the cement it in place.
Do the same thing with each of the other
stringers working forward until Former
JANUARY 1984 WHEN C O N TA C TIN G ADVERTISERS. TEEL ’ EM MODEL BUILDER SENT Y O U !
0 ^ JOHN POND ^ 0
Old T im e P la n S erv ice
The largest selection of plans in the world at the most
reasonable prices. Each list $1.00
All 4 for $3.00
No. 14 OLD TIMER F/F GAS
No. 14 OLD TIMER RUBBER/TOW LINE
No. 14 OLD TIMER FLYING SCALE A through K
No. 14 OLD TIMER FLYING SCALE L through Z
New plans prices effective Dec. I983 to Dec. 1984
P. O. Box 3215
San Jose, Calif. 95156
Phone (408) 292-3382
5 has been installed. Check to see that Use 1/16th aluminum tubing for the
the fuselage is a symmetrical structure. Peg-
Add the remaining stringers. The model should balance at the wing
tips halfway between the two wing spars.
between Formers 7 and 8. Prepare the If it does not, ballast it with modeling
diagonal members that make up the clay or something similar until it does.
bottom of the windows, and cement Washout each wing tip about an eighth
them in place after removing part of the of an inch. Wind up your Dart and see
two sidemost stringers between 7 and 8. how it flys starting with a few turns in the
Carve the tailcone to its final contours. rubber motor and w orking up to maxi­
Cement the four pieces that make up mum winds over a period of eight or ten
the front of the nose cowl into a single test flights. The model in the photo flew
piece. Cross the grain of the adjacent in lefthand circles with a fairly steep
layers for increased strength. Now, using bank angle. Interestingly.theturnsw ere
some fairly stiff bond paper, make up a wider under high power than later on in
the flight when the prop had run down.
the balsa sheet wrapper that goes be­ Undoubtedly, this is the result of some
tween the back piece of Former 3 and slight right thrust, although none was
Former 4. When you are satisfied with intentionally installed.
the pattern, select a piece of A grain, Viva Mordecai M urphy, and down
flexible 1/16 balsa sheet, and make it to with Bill Barnes . . . although it would
match the pattern with its grain aligned sure be nice to liv e th ro u g h those
with the length of the model. Wrap it interesting days again! ·
around Formers 3 and 4 and cement it in
assembly to the contours shown in the BIG Birds . . . C o n tin u e d fro m page 4 3
top and side views, and then cement it in
place on the front of the fuselage. re la tiv e ly h ig h speed necessary fo r
Cover the various assemblies with almost level flight. Rather than attempt a
black tissue using your standard cover­ high speed wheel landing that would
ing procedures. Water shrink the tissue probably put my Pup back into many
and then give the model several coats of pieces. I decided to cushion it in some
clear dope. Add the details such as the high grass near the runway as only m inor
periscope, the engine air scoop, the cowl, gear, and fuselage damage was
exhaust stacks, the windows, the w in ­ sustained . . . all because o f the servo
dow frame outlines, and the Dart logo. arm screw loosening and falling out.
Bond paper fillets are fitted using the “ Although I've read and heard o f
cut-and-try method and painted flat servo arms being installed without the
black. Cowl flaps are scribed in. screw, and then coming loose. I have
Carve the propeller spinner out of a never read anything about them vibrat­
piece of fine-grained hard balsa. Insert a ing out once installed properly. Other
prop shaft wire, use your favorite free­ than Locktiting them in (which I would
wheeler if desired. not think is advisable), would rubber
Get two Sleek Streek propellers (or cement applied to the threads while
equivalent) and take three blades and s c re w in g th e m in w o rk to p re v e n t
notch them into the spinner. Make the loosening? Guess it w ould be something
thrust bearing out of hard balsa with a like elastic stopnuls. I wonder if others
h a rd w o o d fro n t face. D rill a 1/1 6 1h have had similar experiences, and if so.
diameter hole in it and insert a short what corrective actions did they take?”
le n g th o f a lu m in u m tu b in g . Add a I t ’s been q u ite a w h ile since I ’ve
couple of washers to your prop shaft and heard any complaints about servo arm
insert it into the thrust bearing, then retaining screws backing out, regardless
bend the m otor hook. Add a filler piece of the make of the servo. Although Dick
to each side of the fuselage just forward doesn’t seem to think too well of using
of the tail to support the rear m otor peg. Locktite, the “ Blue” m edium strength
97
 ------- MODELS' ------ NEW ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS
another speed record!
The difference probably came from
I
P L A N S S ER VIC E BUILDER
A ll Full Size plans purchased from M O O E L B U IL D E R
Price includes 3rd or 4th Class mail. For Airm a il or
First Class in U .S ., add 2 5% of total order. For O ver­
seas A irm ail (includes Canada and M exico), add 5 0%
of total order. Remit b y International M oney Order
the fact th a t it was designed by an
established “ free fligh te r.” Free flight
Magazine include a reprint of the construction article, if o r U.S. funds on Overseas orders. Postage paid for had become a science by that time. A
building instructions were part of the article. A P O and F P O orders. Master Card or V IS A accepted.
Include card num ber, expiration date, and signature.
designer took the rules and applied
SEND TO: MODEL BUILDER PLANS SERVICE A d d 5 % to credit card orders. M in im u m o *d ·*. $5 .0 0 aerodynamic principles to their limits in
BOX 10335. CO STA M ESA. C A L IF O R N IA 92627-0132 C A L IF O R N IA R ESID EN TS A D O 6 X SALES T A X the hope of creating a better “ mouse
No. 9831 B U H L A IR S E O A N $4 00 No. 6 8 3 0 T. CLASS C H A Y S E E D $6.95
trap.” Thus, with this new challenge, it
N o 184 1 SUNRISE 2540 $9.00
Unusual 049pow ered. 3 6 ” span. 2 3 chan Η ί-perlorm ence Cl. C Cabin ship. Contest was a NATURAL procedure to use aero­
K ale sesryu'Plane I ra m '2 8 . B y Jon McPhee. w in n e r then, and now. B y Carl Hermes.
M ild -n u n n e te d . lo w wing. R /C trainer lor
25 10 .4 0 g low engines By Bu m Waltz.
dynamics to meet the rules in the best
No. 1842 O HM · Y G O SH $5.00
No 9832 L IL * W H IS TLE R $5.00
0 5 E lectric pow pied lu n plane. Span 4 2 ’.'
Ν α 5831 PLEASER $4.00
V e ry sim ple, 46” tpan sport R/C a ircra ft
possible manner.
S p o rty 0 5 electric P ylon racer. W ing me?
i t 3 0 0 tq in . «pan. 38 in. Dave K e u y n i.
A e io b a tc polyhedral design, Larry Jo lly. fo r 05 electric pow er. B y Stan W ilton. Complexity was always a problem in
No. 184 O .T. 1 /2 A B R lG lD lE R $5.00 N o 9 8 3 -0 .T. CORONET $5.00
Ν α 5 8 3 2 R/C COMET CLIP P E R $500
those days, whatever you desired to use,
A n 1 /2 A T e * version ol the BeiKcley k it Class A or B cabin. Span 46.5'*. area 3 0 0 sa
scaled to 82% lo r R /C . By Jim Reynolds. in. fo r .lO s u e engines. Appealed in 1941. Goldberg*s rubber powered C lo p e r scaled you had to firs t in v e n t, th en b u ild .
(0 5 4 " , fo r .0 9 · .1 5 R/C . Sru R ichm ond.
N o 8831 NORTHROP N 9M -A $5.00 Materials were not available and had to
No 11831 HA W K E R F U R Y $12.50 Scale fly in g vang. T w in 0 5 elec, power,
4-chan. R/C , 75-in. »jan. By B ill Y o u n g
Ν α 5 8 3 0 .T . S H R IM P 0 5 3 $4.00 be conjured up from whatever hap­
Sharp Im le 4 4 -1 /7 " span caoin gas model
F U LL-S IZ E

Classic B ritish u p la n e in 1/4 scale, for

Quadra o* equiv. power. D on Prentice.
No 11832 F L Y IN G F L E A $4.50
R /C scale m odel o f original HM 14 'Pou
de C iei' Span 4 4 ” By R andy W ritlry .
No. 1 1 8 3 -0 .T. AR U P F L Y IN G W ING $2 00
F ly in g scale rubber pow ered m odel fro m
Sept "36 M .A N By G ordon Englehart.
No 10831 RUSS. M IS S ILE B O A T $6.00
Missile-fm 'ng. scale Russian a ttack boat,
0 S A clast. 2 or 3-ch. 8 y W alt M utciano
No 10832 C 1T A B R IA $5 00
Serrn-scale C itabria fo r 0 5 electrics. Span
54 in., 2 .3 , or 4-<h. R/C. By Stan W ilson.
No 10 8 3 0 .T . W EDG Y $5.00
No. 883 α T. F LY IN G M ID G E T $4.00
Penides/AbJug design fro m August '37
M .A .N . For Brown Jr. engine. 4 9 " span.
No. 7831 EPI-SUE $3 50
A sp o rt R/C pushei/conerd lo r .2 0 to .29
engines and 3-ch. radio. B y D am A p iko t.
No. 7832 THE BIPE $4.00
Ha> d e B o lt't early post war c o n tro l line
k it b ip r fo r .2 9 to .6 0 ig n itio n engines.
No. 783-O.T. KE A N E ACE $ZS0
Rubber scale lo w wing (2 2-1/4” ) light-
plane from Jun* '37 F A . Jesse Davidson.
No. 6831 P LA T O $4.00
fro m Nov. 1937 M .A .N . M alcolm A tu u g
No. 4831 F R A N K L IN SPORT $9 00
E lectric powered. 2-inch scale classic b i­
plane fo r 3-channel radio. B ill G ilc h ris t
No. 4 8 3 2 TE M P LE TO N M K II $1.50
Inexpensive 1/2A ukie sport racer. B u ild
tw o fro m one 1/4 x 4 th t. James M a n ia
No. 483-O .T. B E L L A N C A C A R G O $3.50
Rubber scale cabin A irc ru ite r fro m July
*37 M .A .N .. 3 2 " span. B y Joseph Kovel.
Ν α 3831 E LE C TR tC U S $5.75
E lectric pow ered tw o-m eter c om petition
pened to be useable. For example: the
"retract gear” mechanism would pre­
sent little problem today, it could be
m achined o u t o f good m eta l; servo
operated, it probably would not only
retract but w ould extend also. Not so
back then. The linkages were fabricated
from “ tin can” metal, the spring came
from an old alarm clock, and the only
actuator to be had was an Austin free

I flight tim er.

" A " Nats wm net i n '40. Wedge-shape f u * .
builds easily. 4 2 in. span. Leon Shulman.
Locktite or Zap-Lock would be excellent
choices; they hold extremely well, yet
can be undone w ithout causing either a
hernia or a nasty temper. The "R e d"
stuff, on the other hand, is a no-no
’cause this one w ill make your little servo
arm retaining screw a permanent part of
the servo. I do know that silicone rubber
has been used often with good results,
and D ick’s idea about pressing rubber
cement into service may have merit.
H ow ever. . . I feel that anyone who has
to use something to keep those screws in
place is treating the effect, and not the
cause. In other words, for some reason,
an abnormal amount of vibes are present
and getting through to gnaw on your
servos. The o b vio u s q u e s tio n is . . .
WHY?
Could be that it’s simply a case of your
engine not being m ounted as securely
or solidly as it should be. O r perhaps, if
you’re using a Quadra, it needs Dario's
overbalanced flywheel. Then again, you
may not think that balancing props is
important, or you may totally refuse to
use a 6-bolt hub . .. which means that
there's no way for your prop tips to be
tracke d. Either way, that p ro p w ill
induce one helluva lot of vibration.
Another possibility could be that you’re
using stale gas, or that the plug is in dire
need of cleaning or replacing . . . or that
the coil is breaking down. And let’s not
forget that m ounting servos too hard or
too soft might also be the culprit. Or let’s
get down to real basics. . . you may have
married that engine to an airframe that
doesn’t have the strength nor the in­
te g rity to keep from a cting lik e an
amplifier. It’s gonna take some time, but
you’ve got to isolate and identify the
problem area(s). . . and then rectify the
situation immediately.
A lousy servo control system hookup
could also be at fa u lt. . . like slop, large
hingeline gaps, or control-rods, cables,
G old’N Rods, etc. not running straight
A ll sheet balsa. 3-channel R /C fly in g disk
fo r .1 5 .2 5 engines. F ro m '6 0 A m . M d lr. sailplane, fo r 0 5 m otors. B y Larry Jolly.
The e n g in e used was all that was
and true to the servo arms. A surprising available, one that had been painstak­
number of BIG Bird pilots haveforgotten ingly cared for and only used for “ special
to get those retaining screws back in and occasion s.” It was a “ good o n e ” as
did not have their servo arms pop o ff in engines went in those times. You just
flight. What probably kept those arms could not look in "th e catalog” and pick
on was the usually tight fit on the output out just the right engine for the job, as
shaft, and the fact that their controls had you can in normal times. You can believe
a fairly straight run to that servo. It’s easy that after four years, our engines were
to see that if your control rod comes in at pretty worn.
an angle, it’s gonna want to pull or push When the bucks were laid down for
the arm o ff the shaft . .. and nobody this “ Cyke,” a few more were put w ith it
needs that kind of pressure on a servo, to get the “ dual plugs” in the hope that
even w ith the servo arm screw in place. the ads were right, better running and
I’m not saying that using something more pow erful. It was a fine running
like silicone rubber or Locktite “ Blue” engine, but trying a single plug head
on the retaining screw threads is a bad later on showed no difference in rpm.
idea . . . a little insurance or back-up The scuttlebutt against the dual plugs
can’t hurt . . . but if you experience this was, “ Why put up with the weight of the
screw -loosening-up-and - backing-out ‘ tw in c o il’ ?” You m ust re a lize th a t
problem , you've got to find the reason battery and ignition weight was always a
problem w ith these gas engines. Later
ASAP! Otherwise, your BIG Birdie is on w ith a Hornet racing engine and a
gonna go “ bye-bye” before you know it. "clipped w ing” model, we did break the
Be safe! Run a smooth ship! 100 mph barrier, but you have to wonder
TIP OF THE M ONTH whether that was progress or not. Such a
This is for all you dyed-in-the-w ool few more miles per hour. What would
scale types out there . . . “ If a research the Speedwagon have done with the
project is not w orth doing, it’s not worth Hornet? Always those questions!
doing w e ll!” The model itself was an exercise in
Al Alman, 605 East 168th Street, Box designing to the rules. The wing was
»95, Spanaway, W A 98387. Here’swishing n ic e ly ta p e re d to th e m in im u m 200
everyone safe and happy holidays . . . square inches. The airfoil was a “ new­
d on ’t forget . . . once you start building fangled” semi-symmetrical which the
those Christmas and Chanukah presents, books said would have less drag. Flat
take some pix so we can let everyone bottom Clark Y types were the norm,
know what you’re doing. and they were considered radical, the
FLYING SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT! · "o ld trustw orthy” foils would have had
undercamber from the free flight de­
signs. It was to be several more years
Speedwagon . . Continued from page 63 b e fo re a n y o n e used a s y m m e tric a l
section and managed to fly inverted.
of them all. Remember, this was back in It was found that the required fuselage
the beginning when C/L design had yet cross-section could be met by bolting
to get into high gear and sophistication the “ Cyke” to a couple of standard
hadn’t yet been established. You might 3/8 X 1/2 bearers, then bending 1/8 x 2
think that even today this design would sides around the bearers. Topping the
not seem out of place at the control line resulting box off with block fairings
circles . . . if the thought was not of made the rule palatable. The result did

98

Ace R/C, Inc...................................... 94
Adventure Model Craft .....................92
Aeronautics. Inc................................. 79
American Junior Heritage................. 86
Associated Electrics..........................67
Astro F lig h t..................................... 69
Beehive R/C Model......................... 82
Byron Originals......................Cover 2
Bud Caddell Plans ......................... 69
Campbell's Custom K its ................... 72
Circus Hobbies .......................
Jim Crocket Replicas........................ 77
Davey Systems Corp..........................75
Du-Bro Products...............................83
Electronics Model Systems ..............74
F A.I Model Supply ..........................75
Fox Manufacturing......................... 64
Dick Hanson.................................. 104
Hobby Horn ................................... 84
Ikon N'Wst....................................... 78
Indoor Model Supply........................68
International Modeler Show..............85
Jomar Products...............................100
CLASSIFIED ADS
IM P O R T A N T IN S T R U C T IO N S : N o n -c o m m e rc ia l (personal ite m s) ra te is 2 5 cents p e r w o rd ,
w ith a m in im u m o f S 3.00. C om m ercia l rate is 4 0 cen ts p e r w o rd , w ith a m in im u m o f $5 .00.
N o a d v e rtis in g agency discou nts a llow e d.
Name and address free, p h one n u m b e r co u n ts as tw o w o rd s, a b b re via tio n s c o u n t as w h o le
w o rd s and w ill be spelled o u t.
A ll ads are pa yable w ith order, and m ay be fo r any con secutive in s e rtio n p e rio d sp e cifie d .
Send ad p a y m e n t to : M O D E L B U IL D E R , C lassified Ads, P.O. B ox 1 0 3 3 5 . Costa Mesa. C A
9 2 6 2 7 -0 1 3 2 .
FOR SALE — Over 400 antique model
airplane engines Send name and address to:
Jim Robertson. 35 Slonecrest, St Joseph, MO
64506
SCRAPBOOK OF SCALE by Bill Hannan
Twelve 3-view s, photos, philosophy and
whimsey $9.95 postpaid, or send SASE for
de scrip tive leaflet W.C Hannan. Box A.
Escondido. CA 92025
NATS WINNING Bellanca Aircruiser, Senior
Indoor and Outdoor Rubber Scale. Plans
$1.50. Send SASE for list. David Aronstein. 50
Pasture Lane, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
RAZOR BLADES, single edge industrial first
quality — extra sharp: 100/S4 25.200/58 00;
300/511 75: 50 0/S 19 25. 1 0 00 /5 37 50
Postpaid in U S Cobbie s Gifts, Postbox 2.
Deal. NJ 07723; (201) 922-9898
BEER CAN BOMBERS — High performance
hand launched gliders from lightw eight
alum inum beverage cans Two full-size
patterns with illustrated fabrication and flying
instructions. Send $4.00 to: Beer Can Bomb­
ers, Box 97. Southeastern. PA 19499
FACTORY SALE Ras Stik 25-40 fun flier, 51 -
inch foam wing, balsa fuselage Sale price
$24.95. or with two rolls Econokote (colors:
red or white only) Fox 36RC «23900 core
glue, fuel tank, wheels, motor mount $79 95.
Only 12 left Handling charge $3.00. add
$2 00 for C O D GT Models. PO Box 869.
Rantoul. IL 61866. phone (217) 893-4136
little more than enclose all the needs.
Going "gung-ho” with the design
meant using a retractable landing gear.
Getting the wheels up seemed feasible,
but the rule said you must “ land on the
same wheels” you took off with. With
what was available to work with, just
getting the gear to come up would seem
like a major achievement. All the rules
“ INDEX TO ADVERTISERS "
K&B Manufacturing ..........................80
K&S Engineering...............................81
Leisure Electronics........................... 77
Lutmi Enterprises ............................. 90
Micro-X Products ........................... 76
Midway Model Co.............................. 64
Midwest Model Supply .....................84
Model Rectifier Corp. (MRC).. Cover 4
Walt Mooney ....................................96
3 Sid Morgan Vintage P la ns................88
Novak Electronics............................. 65
Octura Models ................................ 71
Pacer Technology &
Resources. Inc...............................101
Peck Polymers.................................. 94
Pierce Aero Co.................................. 68
John Pond O/T Plans ...................... 97
Precision Sanding Tools................... 78
Proctor Enterprises........................... 90
The Prop Shop................................. 80
Radio Controlled Models (RAM) ... 76
R.C. Sweitzer Ent............................... 73
UNUSUAL Rubber. CO 2 . and Peanut Scale
plans HE-219. JU-87. Farman Goliath, and
30 more Send $1.00 for catalog to Haught
Graphics. 5460 Southbrook. Ft Wayne. IN
46815
ANTIQUE MODEL AIRPLANE KITS for sale:
U /C , and solid scale Stanzel; Edco: Girard;
Modelcraft. etc Send SASE for list Charlie
Oehler. 13 Dogwood Dr. Smithtown, NY
11787
WANTED — OLD MODEL ignition engines
cars, etc Paymgtopdollar Bill Simpson. 7413
Via Lorado Rancho Palos Verdes. CA 90274
(213) 377-3532
WANTED Spark ignition model airplane
motors parts race cars. Circa 1930-1950
Russell Stokes. Rt 1 Box 520. Keller TX
76248
NEW SPACE SHUTTLE GLIDERS: build
hundreds from common household supplies
for under $1 00 Complete information and
plans $3.00 Send check or money order
Stan-Zak G liders. 2842 N Sacram ento
Chicago. IL 60618
PLANS: Mini Paagan by Denny Davis Nos­
talgia Third Payload at 1983 Nats' Postpaid
$4 00 Stephen Landy. 44 Chaplin Road,
Newton Centre, MA 02159.
GRUMMAN F7F-3 TIGERCAT plan. 1 /24-
scale free flight rubber, or CO 2 Postpaid
$4.50 SASE Tor complete list. David Diels.
PO Box 101. Woodville. OH 43469
said was that the “ same wheels” had to
be used, nothing was said about their
position.
As you can see, the solution was not to
retract them completely, leave enough
sticking out so that a landing could be
made. A small auxiliary wheel was also
included to prevent scuffing the nose on
touchdown. For simplicity, the wheels
Robbe Modelsport............................. 1
Satellite C ity ........................... Cover 3
Schlueter Free F lig h t........................ 92
Sig Manufacturing Co.. Inc............4, 5
Francis Smith's Ship Yard ................70
SR Batteries ......................................82
St. Croix........................................... 89
Tangerine M eet.................................88
Tatone Products...............................95
T&D Fiberglass ............................... 87
Technopower II. Inc...........................89
Teleflight Research............................72
Uber Skiver.................................... 91
Buzz Waltz......................................... 95
Williams Bros..................................... 66
Wilshire Model Center...................... 87
Wolff-Pak ......................................... 93
Nick Z iro li............... 81
77 Products..................................... 74
HOUSE ADS
Binders .......................................... 102
Full-size Plans Service...................... 98
Limited Edition Prints ................... 103
R /C STANDOFF SCALE plans with construc­
tion manual. Curtiss Hawk P6E two-inch
scale. $15.00. quarter-scale. $25 00 Stinson
SR9 two-inch scale. $17 50. quarter-scale,
$27 50 Stearman PT-17 tw o -in ch scale.
$21.00. quarter-scale, $35 00 All postage
paid. Catalog $1.00. Richard Barron 11506
Ohio Ave.. Youngtown, AZ 85363
FORSTER IGNITION ENGINES. English and
Chinese diesels, parts, and supplies. Visa.
Mastercard Send SASE to M&G Engines.
P.O Box 6026. Denver CO 80206
FIFTY CENTS brings list of new/used model
motors, accessories, balsa kits Motor trade-
ins wanted T Crouss. 100 Smyrna. West
Springfield. MA 01089
LIST YOUR RADIO EQUIPMENT for sale No
fee for listing Escrow available Send SASE
for details Radio Equipment Exchange. Box
561, Park Forest. IL 60466
JET-TRON SPECIAL OFFER' For Sunday
flying, pattern trainer, or fun-fly contests
You'll be thrilled with the flight performance!
All balsa construction See review in RCM,
April 1983 issue Engine. 40 to 51. wing area.
600 sq in weight, 5 lbs, radio 4-channel
Special offer. $49.95 plus $3.00 shipping
California residents add 6% sales tax Ricks
Kits, P.O Box 1106. Santee. CA 92071 (619)
449-3316
COMPUTER CONTROL OF R /C SERVOS -
Control up to six servos with your Timex
TS-1000/1500 or TRS-80 Personal Com­
puter Perfect for winter protects, robotics,
model actuation experiment! Software and
application notes included Write for free
information or send $10 00 for plans, or
$39.95 for complete kit Satisfaction guaran­
teed Fratello MicroElectronics. Department
B1. P.O Box 4007, Hampton, VA 23664
P-51B SCALE DRAWINGS Accuracy guar­
anteed. Four sheets 24 x 3 6 :3/< in = 1 ft $15 00
rolled, postage paid. SASE for details. Charles
Neely 2703 E Goshen A v e , Visalia. CA
93291
were installed ME 109 style, and there
was wonderment about the feasibility,
however this created no problem.
The operation was simple, with the
gear down, the timer extended and was
locked. With the wheels forward of the
strut’s pivot, the weight of the model
kept the gear from moving back on the
ground. At launch time, the timer was
99

Why Stop Short of Full Scale Performance?
Twin Engine Sync System - For Perfectly matched RPM over the
entire throttle range - $60.00
Accessory Controller - Allows ON-OFF control of TWO electric
devices from ONE channel - $35.00
SC-1 Electric M otor Speed Control - For use with 02 to 20 size
motors up to 18 cells - $49.00
SC-2 Electric M otor Speed Control - For Cobalt & High
Performance motors up to 50 size and 26 cells. Includes BRAKE
and BYPASS options! - $60.00 *DEALERinquiries in v it e d *
r SEND S.A.S.E. FOR PRODUCT INFO
JOMAR PRODUCTS
released, and as the model left the
ground, the gear W ANTED to fold
backwards. The timer pulled a latch
allowing a light spring to assist the
action. The action was set to occur
within the first couple of laps. Actually,
the landings were probably better than
they would have been with a normal
gear, the usual tendency to bounce was
not there.
Another portion of the rules was a
pain. Free flights had weight rules which
were supposed to help equalize per­
formance it seems, but what good a
minimum weight would do for C/L was a
mystery. Yet the rule was there. Even
with the weight of ignition and the
retract gear, ballast had to be used to get
to three pounds. Memory says over a
half-pound was needed, and the major
problem was room to stow it in. Such
were the growing pains we had to live
with until we learned what these new­
fangled controliners were all about.
One thing that the rules did do was
create a model of a size and type which
was a joy to fly. At that tim e, most
"sport” C/L designs were in the 60 mph
range, all the additional speed did for
the Speedwagon was make it "groove”
even better.
I wish I knew what finally became of
this model, it was flown for a consider­
able amount of time until a rules change
outdated it, after that there is no mem­
ory. I don't recall ever crashing it,
perhaps it was simply retired and even­
tually passed on to someone else . . . In
any event, it did light a fire which
burned brightly for quite some time
before tapering off to just embers. . . ·
Electric------ C o n t i n u e d fro m page 2 5
were: local dealers do not handle elec­
tric stuff, and sometimes w ill try to
discourage modelers from using it. (I
have noticed this too, and I d o n ’t
understand why.) The Astro gear drives
are steel and produce metal shavings
which get into the motors and bearings
(Astro says to lubricate the gears often);
the Radio Shack microswitches do not
handle current over 12 amperes. (I have
given upon Radio Shack microswitches.)
In the hot humid air the Leisure
Playboy and the Astro Porterfield did
100
2028 KNICHTSBRIDCE DRIVE
CINCINNATI, OHIO 45244
very well with gear or belt drives, but the
Super Montereys did not do well with
their direct drive 05’s.
The wind produced lots of broken
wings, which kept the repair side busy.
Good flights often went unnoticed . . .
electrics are so quiet! A good PA system
helps to call people’s attention to what’s
going on.
Heinz has a hint for straightening
bent motor shafts: use a round disk with
a hole in the middle, attach it instead of a
prop, then bend the shaft back until the
disk is running true. That’s a handy hint!
A disk cut with a hole saw, a can lid, or a
wheel should do the trick.
And, last, and perhaps least, Heinz
thanked me for a hint I gave in one of my
columns, when I mentioned that I go to
fly my seaplanes at 6 a.m. Heinz told his
wife, "That’s crazy!” then he thought of
two facts: there is a nice school yard
across the street from his house with a
big green field, and that he had not yet
made a single flight this year. So now he
gets up an hour earlier in the morning,
does his electric flying in the cool, calm
morning air, and then is off for work!
Those people who were awake at that
hour were impressed, and all liked his
flying. Of course, Heinz! I found out the
same thing!
We were so conditioned by years of
gas flying that we fail to see the obvious
. . . early morning, electrics, and flying
go together like peaches and cream.
But, can you imagine flying a gassie at
6 a.m.? Don’t try it, or if you do, I’m not
responsible for your bail! I can’t imagine
a worse way to ruin modeling’s public
image!
On the other hand, the early morning
light and an electric plane floating in the
cool air, are enough to make a photo­
grapher grab for his camera, and soften
the heart of even the most hardened.
Electric flying is such a clean experience.
But enough, back to business. Thanks,
Heinz, for your report.
The Boeing Hawks meet was Septem­
ber 18, and we just didn’t have the luck
on weather! The day before was fine,
only a little wind, and a light overcast.
The whole week since has been letter
perfect, with blue skies. So, wouldn’t
you know it, the day of the fun fly the
winds were in the 20 mph range, and the
rain was coming down in buckets. A
dozen or so of us die hards huddled
under a tarp cover for awhile . . . then
the wind blew it down. Total misery.
Bernard Cawley rose to the occasion
and showed us why he was picked as the
fearless leader for the event. He got
permission from the BoeingTennisClub
to use their lounge for a meeting place,
and so we adjourned there. This worked
out very well, and we had the electric
clinic, information trading (that sounds
good!), and the prize awards there.
As we could not fly, we awarded the
prizes on the basis of the best looking
plane, the best design, the best scale, the
best small plane, who came farthest by
air, who came farthest by car, and who
came from a foreigncountry. Bill Kubiak,
from Minnesota, got the prize for driving
the farthest. Bruce Klees, from Anchor­
age, Alaska, got the prize for coming the
farthest by air, and Steven Stevens and
Emil Socher shared the prize for coming
from a foreign country, Vancouver
Island in Canada. Everybody got to pick
their own prize. A very special thanks
must got to Astro Flight, Leisure Elec­
tronics, the Boeing Hawks, and the
Anchorage House of Hobbies for their
support.
Steven Stevens got the most benefit
from the clinic, he had built a Leisure
Playboy and put an Astro 05 XL in it, but it
would barely fly. I found an unsoldered
lead in the battery pack, just bare wire,
no solder at all! It was surprising that the
plane flew at all.
Finally, at three o’clock, the rain quit
and we got to do some flying. Unfortu­
nately, Bill Kubiak had to leave before
then and didn’t get to see or do any
flying. I was especially sorry about that as
he had come such a long way, and I
would have liked to have seen his plane
fly. It is his original design, with an "Old
Timer” look, much like a Playboy with a
shorter pylon. The fuselage is much
narrower than a Playboy’s. It was incred­
ible to see a radio, three servos, and a
motor pack squeezed into such a small
space. You have a lot of patience, Bill!
Bill also carves his own props, and
explained his techniques to us. How
about an article on that sometime, Bill?
Bill uses balsa block, and doesn’t need to
use a fuse, as the props will break before
the motor will burn out! Repair is easy,
with cloth and Hot Stuff. Making your
own props does do away with the
problem of finding the right prop.
The best prop for the speed reducers
seems to be the Rev-Up 11-7.5, but the
Rev-Up brand is hard to find. Top Flight
props also work well in this size. There
are some other brands (black, fiber-
filled plastic types) that are notably bad,
they produce very little power for their
size. Stay away from the “ black ones.”
Anyhow, as I recall, Bill found that his
11-7 hand carved props were the best
size for him too.
Bruce Klees showed us his very small
transmitter, made by Omni Electronic
Systems, and the new Novak two-chan­
nel receiver, the NER 2S. Omni is a
California company, unfortunately, I
didn't get the address. The transmitter is
MODEL BUILDER
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smaller than the Cannon 801 system,
which makes it very small indeed, just
perfect for traveling. I looked inside,
and the workmanship is immaculate.
Bruce is quite happy with it.
The NER 2S receiver is really a little
gem. less than one ounce for two chan­
nels, with a single IC handling every­
thing. I am glad to see this, it has been a
long time coming. If you can build a
computer in a chip, why not an R/C
receiver? It gets rid of that many more
components that can go wrong. Unfor­
tunately. as I understand it, it cannot be
expanded to more than two channels. I
wonder why, it would have been simple
to “ pin out" the clock signal, which is all
tha! would have been needed.
Bruce brought his Super Sniffer, with
an Astro 035 installed. He didn’t fly it at
102
the fun fly, but we flew it the day before
on its maiden flight. The 035 does fly it,
though the climb is a bit slow. The best
combination would have been the 035
on belt drive, that would have hauled it
right up. The Super Sniffer has about 350
square inches, and weighs about 32
ounces. Bruce has been flying electrics
for five years, and knows his stuff, if you
live in Anchorage, look him up at the
Anchorage House of Hobbies for advice
on electrics. Thanks for coming south,
Bruce!
Bernard Cawley had a neat little
Schoolboy with three channels and an
Astro 020 in it, at only 14-1/2 ounces. The
Schoolboy is an old favorite of mine, I
learned to fly with it, with rudder only,
and tested the first Astro 020’s in it. It is
the best sport 020 plane I know of, but it
is hard to find. I think you can get it at
Hobby Shack in California (it is kitted by
Top Flight).
The overall weight that Bernard's
Schoolboy came out weighing is amaz­
ing; my electric 020’s weighed that much
with rudder only. Bernard is using the
S22 micro servos by World Engines, and
he says that they are impressive. They
weigh only .7 ounces, and have more
power than any servo their size. Their
price is right too, $17.50 at Indy R/C. The
photo shows how neatly they fit into the
tiny, 28-inch span Schoolboy. It all looks
like a normal-sized plane!
Bernard also found some 1/2 sub-C
Sanyo cells at a local hobby store, and is
using these instead of the usual GE cells.
He swears that these have given him a
boost of nearly a thousand rpm com­
pared to a stock pack.
You can also see his receiver pack in
the photo, this was made from the 65
mah cells pulled from a General Electric
GE 9 rechargeable nine-volt transistor
radio battery, which contains six cells.
This makes a pack that weighs just under
an ounce.
However, Bernard has noticed (and so
have I) that the seals on these small cells
are not as good as the ones on the larger
cells (AA, sub-C. etc.), and they leak
electrolyte slowly but steadily. This
shows up as crystals at the end of each
cell. There seems to be nothing to be
done to prevent this (perhaps some Hot
Stuff might seal the edges?), so the
lifetime of these cells is probably limited
to about a year. If you are using them,
check their capacity every couple of
months.
Bernard uses a Royal two-channel
receiver for the radio. Unfortunately,
the receiver crystal got damaged, so
Bernard couldn’t fly. I'll bet it flies well
once the crystal gets fixed, all of my
Schoolboys were a real pleasure to fly.
One more plane, and then to other
topics . . . Dave Katagiri brought in his
Broussard MH 1521, a rare French bird. It
looks like a Beaver that got a twin tail,
and it so happens that it served thesame
role astheBeaverin the French airforce.
Dave is doing an immaculate job. It will
use a Leisure LT50 pattern wind motor
and gear drive. It has the distinctive
French look about it, and is quite attract­
ive. Electrics are fun because you can
pick rare scale planes, and get them to
build and fly well.
Well, for a conclusion, the Boeing
Hawks will make this an annual affair,
but in the future we hope to schedule it
for Saturday, with Sunday as an alterna­
tive, so that people who have a long way
to travel will have a better chance to fly
and see some flying. This is usually a
good time for fair weather in Seattle, but
we got u n lu c k y . Those who cam e,
however, found it worth their time.
And now for a couple of “ handy
hints” items. Bill Doyle sells a fuse
installation kit that is well done. The fuse
holders are insulated, and the instruc­
tions are excellent. Bill charges $2.50
plus 50c for postage, and you can get the
kit from him at 1929 Oliver St., Apt. A,
San Diego, California 92109.
The other item is a new motor by
Leisure. It is a “ sleeper” ! Leisure sells it
as part number 1002A, Off Road Stock
Bushing Motor, for the off road car
racers. This motor looks like a sports
type 05 motor from the front, with a
plain bearing (not ball bearing), but the
back is all new. and good. It uses pigtail
type brushes, spring loaded like the LT50
Leisure motor. It runs very smoothly,
and turns a Cox 6-3 gray at 14,000 rpm at
12 amperes, and a 6-4 Cox gray at 12,300
rpm at 15 amperes on six Sanyo sub-C
cells. This is good power, right in there
with the LT50 pattern wind and the Astro
05XL.
And now for the best news; it retails
for $15, and most places that stock off
road parts will have it. I plan to fly it. and
if it is as good as I think it will be, I will be
using it to replace my sport type 05’s as
they wear out. Let me know how you
like it if you try it, I do think it is a
bargain.
Till next time, fun fly with electrics!·
C ounter____ C o n tin u e d fro m page 10
these beauties is $59.95 for the Single,
and $174.95 for the Twin. A catalog ot all
of Cannon's wares is available for a buck,
write to the above address.
★ ★ ★
Coverite has announced its latest
airplane kit. the Art Chester jeep. Like its
predecessors, the Gee Bee Sportster.
and the Gee Bee Model E, the Jeep is a
replica of a Golden Era racer.
The Coverite jeep is slightly larger
than 1/4-scale with its 52-inch wingspan,
yet it was designed to be flown with a
.40-size engine. The jeep builds quickly
and is perfectly color matched when
covered with Coverite’s Cream Perma-
gloss and trimmed with Coverite’s Black
Baron Epoxy aerosol paint.
The kit includes die-cut and machined
balsa and ply parts, molded cowl and
wheel pants, preformed landing gear,
rolled plans and construction booklet.
List price is $99.95.
For m ore in fo rm a tio n , contact
Coverite, 420 Babylon Rd., Horsham. PA
19044. (215) 672-6720.
★ ★ ★
MODEL BUILDER
1

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D A L O T E L - T IP O R A R E — C .A .P .2 1
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AMA or FAI
OUR DESIGNS ARE IN
C O M P E T IT IV E A IR F R A M E S
fo r
THE WINNERS CIRCLE
P AT TE R N FLYERS 19 78 - 19 8 3
K IT S OR A IR F R A M E S D IC K H A N S O N M O D E L S
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W R IT E O R C A L L M U R R A Y , U T A H 8 4 107
FO R IN F O R M A T IO N P H O N E (8 0 1 ) 2 6 1 -1 4 0 2
Shifting our attention to a different same high quality service and rapid
kind of racer . . . Jim DeYoung has turnaround that built Kraft’s reputation
announced the release of his newest in the past.
design, the Jim DeYoung 1/4 Midget “ Their new telephone numbers are
Folkerts Racer fo r . . . you guessed i t . . . (619) 433-1628 and (619) 433-1629.
Quarter Midget Pylon racing. "Kraft National Service is an indepen­
You won’t find this one of the shelf at dent company and all their records are
your local hobby shop, however, as Jim separate from Kraft Systems. All repairs
is offering it through direct sales only. in the future should be sent directly to
The $85.00 (C.O.D. or advance pay­ them or to any of the other authorized
ment only) kit includes: fiberglass and service centers. (List available from Kraft
Kevlar fuselage; fiberglass hatch, cowl, Systems, Box 1268, Vista, CA 92083.) Any
and exhaust channel; precision-cut repairs received at the factory will be
foam wings; spinner, shaft extension, forwarded immediately to Kraft National
and other front end hardware; pre­ Service. It is our understanding that they
drilled Dura! landing gear; full-size will be shipping all repairs C.O .D. until
plans. further notice."
Contact Jim DeYoung, 16627 Dobson, W H A T IN E LL’ S R U D D E R -O N LY ?
South Holland, IL 60473, (312) 339-9541. “ Rudder-Only” is an ancient radio
controlled model airplane expression
★ ★ ★
which is only truly understood by a
Last, but by no means least, we come diminishing group of R/Cers who were
to a really handy little gadget for use active in the hobby back in the 1950sand
with 1/2A engines. B&R Hobbies. P.O. early 1960s. “ Rudder-Only” meant just
Box 192, Oscoda, Ml 48750, (517) that . . . the only (sometimes) movable
739-3544, introduces its hand held, control surface on the R/C model was
rechargeable glow head energizer called the rudder, and if operated by a rubber
the Half Shot. band powered escapement, it simply
If you're tired of lugging those big dry went to the full offset position, with no
cell batteries around, you should give stops in between, and stayed there until
this little gem a try. Order it through you released the single push-button on
your d ealer or d ire c t. Com es with the transmitter, at which time the rudder
charger and instructions for the intro­ hopefully returned to neutral.
ductory price of $19.95 (plus $1.50 We say “ truly understood” rudder-
postage and handling). · only because, unless you actually flew a
model by rudder control only . . . and
Workbench . . . . C o n tin u e d fro m page 6 that really means only, my friends, not
even a throttle control . . . you have no
believe this is the result of temporary knowledge of what it was really like.
swelling in the backbone area, which With a properly trimmed model, it was
has pinched off most of the nerve sometimes possible to take off (most
system. Dan has been in and out of were hand launched), and usually pos­
intensive care, cannot be visited or sible on command to do three barrel
called at this time (October 9), but you rolls, at least one loop and maybe more,
can send notes or whatever to him at Tri wing-overs and stall turns, spiral dives
City Hospital,4002 Vista Way, Oceanside, (sometimes without command!), Cuban
California 92506. Eights, and dead-stick spot landings
A N D AT K R A FT SYSTEM S (always dead-stick, but not necessarily in
“ As of October 1,1983, a new Author­ the circle).
ized Service Station, Kraft National Why the distinction “ Rudder-Only” ?
Service, Inc., will handle all warranty and The first model R/C aircraft had only
non-warranty repair work sent to the one signal or channel on which to
factory in Vista. Located at 1919 Apple operate. Depending on the type of
Street, Oceanside, CA 92504, the new escapement used, right or left rudder
company was formed by the same tech­ was attained by various combinations of
nician group who worked in the factory button pushing. There was only one
repair department, and will offer the class . . . Radio Control . . . period.
104
As new radio systems were developed,
and more controls became available
(throttle, elevator, etc.) multi-control
and single channel control aircraft had
to be divided into two com petition
classes. But then the Rube Goldberg
modelers began to develop ways to get
more than one control function out of
single channel. Using cascaded com­
pound escapements, for instance, it was
possible to obtain rudder, elevator, and
throttle (but only one control at a time)
out of one channel. You had to have a
clever thumb on the push-button! Once
again a class separation was established:
Rudder-Only with throttle, Intermediate
(any controls you could get out of a
single channel), and Multi, which by
now had elevator, and throttle. And
about this time, and not until then,
multi radios were developed that al­
lowed two simultaneous controls at the
same time. Wow!
Later, as the distinction between
Intermediate and Multi became harder
to define, and as Rudder-Only models
became freaks with proportional servos
on rudder and throttle (and upthrust
was used on the engines to practically
give you proportional “ up elevator” )
the control divisions were dropped and
replaced by skill divisions . . . by now,
most everyone was flying multi-propor­
tional.
The purpose of this little history lesson
is to make R /C modelers of recent
generations a little more aware of some
of the skills that are no longer required
in flying modern R/C models.
Wouldn’t it kinda be fun to organize
and conduct a rudder-only contest
now? There are plenty of rudder-only
capable model kits available. As for
controls, maybe two classes; with and
without throttle. Today’s proportional
radios will make rudder operation much
more reliable and exacting, but the skills
involved in obtaining maneuvers, even
learning to maintain altitude without
throttle co ntro l, are challenges that
could really spice up a club contest.
We’re sure that AMA can supply copies
of Rudder-Only rules from years back,or
you’ll find the maneuver lists in some of
the old mags. Maybe next month we’ll
try to describe how some of these R/O
maneuvers were accomplished.
If there’s interest out there, let us
know. Perhaps we can publish some of
real good rudder-only models from the
past, and offer plans. If you have any that
show all the ribs and bulkheads so the
models can be scratch-built, let us
borrow them to make copies. We
already have the “ Trixter Beam” (N o.
6741, $4.00), Walt Good’s "Rudder Bug”
(No. 5783, $5.00), Hal DeBolt’s “ Live
Wire Trainer” (No. 9782, $4.00),and Fran
McElwee’s “ Robot" (No. 1792, $6.00).
M ER R Y C H R IS T M A S !
It’s only O ctober as this is being
written, but you won’t see it until the
first of December. Such is the monthly
magazine publishing business. Have a
real nice holiday season and a successful
1984. Hope to see you sometime, some­
place during the coming year. ·
MODEL BUILDER
 r ø r S T U F F ” & © M l P i B “T ?
MODELING’S O N LY A LL AMERICAN INSTANT G LU ES
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THAT’S RIGHT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE “ H O T S T U F F » REVOLUTION,
IN 1971, “ HOT S T U F F » PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN T O T A LLY A M E R IC A N .
S a å e tä fe O to c o n t in u e s t h is p o l ic y w it h t h e in t r o d u c t io n o f
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End To Vibration And Noise...
Specifications
As a quarter scale flie r you’ve had little choice Β Η Ρ 1 3 al 11.300 RPM
in the selection of power. You e ith e r went Speed Range 2.500 to 11.500 R PM
with an underpow ered engine, or Cartxiretor Enya G-8 Type with detachable
suffered the indignities of noise and 7 mm venturi
vibration that m odified chain saw Weight 28 oz. (28% oz with muffler)
engines produce. E ither way, it Length 6 ' Hght 5* Width 2%"
too k som e of th e fun out of your
quarter scale excitem ent.
New Technology For More
Power... Less Weight
Enya’s .90 4-cycle has changed
all th a t It features a technology
that delivers a 50% increase in
pow er over .60 size 4-cycles, yet
increases weight by only 3 0 percent
W hat’s more, this pow erhouse is
q u ie t. . . sounds realistic and its
vibration is near nil. Unlike
balky gas engines, this 4-
cycle was designed speci­
fically fo r R/C flying.
No Modifications
Needed -

iEnya’s
.904-Cycle...
For instance, you no longer need
special pum ps fo r handling gasoline.'
a Powerful
new
Enya’s .90 4-cycle runs on regular
model airplane fuel. You’ll be using Note the
built in
safer, more fam iliar fuel in your
manual choke
precious model. There’s no “ special valve (or

Achievement
modification” or “suggested accessory” sale
needed to make the .90 - 4 cycle run and easy
starting
reliably; a fter all, Enya dependability
and engineering are built-in. Meeting "

For Quarter
all FAI scale rules for displacem ent
you'll find that its high torque and low
idle speed means you can swing big props at realistic RPM’s.
And operation is sm ooth throughout the pow er range. There are no

Scale Fliers.
rough spots as you go from idle to all o u t And w ith o ut the dreaded
vibration, your radio and plane w ill last longer. The small m uffler
included w ith the engine reduces noise to absolute minimum
levels. We’ve also built rocker arm covers and pushrod shrouds
that’ ll keep the moving engine parts free from d irt The built in
manual choke valve w ill also help you start this gentle giant easier
and safer than the “ gassers”. And, of course, the optional m uffler
extension makes it easier to install in a scale model w ith o ut any
unsightly m ufflers poking o u t Enya Model Engines
If you’re looking fo r realism, power, and sm ooth operation fo r your Altech Marketing
big size beauty, Enya’s .90 4-cycle is a quarter scale revolution . . . P.O. Box 2 86 Fords, NJ 0 88 6 3
see your Enya Dealer and put away your chain saw. 2 01 -5 7 2-57 9 2