Model Airplane News Magazine 1988-06

48120 $2.
95
MODEL June 1988

Canada $3.95
JUNE 1988 VOLUME 1 1 6, N U M B E R 6
FEATURES COLUMNS
Aerobatics: The Golden Age
Need to Turn of R/C
and Burn by Hal "Pappy" deBolt.
by Mike Lee.
ON THE COVER: The new CGM Super Chipmunk appears to be Small Steps
Byron Originals strafing Norm Holland's Byron Originals BD-5J, which duplicates by Joe Wagner.
BD-5J the full-scale Coors Silver Bullets flown by Bob Bishop and Dave
by Art Schroeder. A Hoover. Tangerine Top Gun Ron Gilman flew his Aggressor in the
new Jet Pattern event while MacDouglas' ultimate aerobat, the
Field & Bench Review.
F-15, keeps a watchful eye on a taxiing Pitts S-1T. DEPARTMENTS
Carl Goldberg
Models Super Editorial
Chipmunk COLUMNS Fifty Years Ago
by Rich Uravitch.
by Ron Farkas. A Field

Air Champ by Steve Pond.
& Bench Review.
Models Tucano Airwaves
by Frank Tiano. A Field Quiet Flight
Reader Reports!
A Mini Field & Bench & Bench Review. by John Lupperger. Hints & Kinks
on the Super by Jim Newman.
Chipmunk. Tangerine Engine Review:
Top Gun: O.S. Type-6
Sig A Jet Blast Special Replica Product News
Manufacturing by Wally Zober by Peter Chinn.
Citabria
by Wally Zober. A About Those Plans Mart
Field & Bench Review. Engines
CONSTRUCTION by Joe Wagner. Name the
Reader Reports! Plane
A Mini Field & Bench The Crusader Pattern Matters
on the CitaPria by Ralph Brooke. by Mike Lee. Club of the
Month
1988 United Helicopter
States Aerobatic How To: More
Challenge
Championship Light Wheels by Craig Hath. Ad Index
Team by Randy Randolph.
by Jim Campbell.
Model Airplane News (ISSN 0026-7295) is published monthly by Air Age, Inc., 251 DanburyRd.,Wilton, CT 06897. Second class postage paid at Wilton, Connecticut.
and additional mailing offices. Subscription rates are $25 for 1 year (foreign $33), $47 for 2 years (foreign $63), $65 for threeyears(foreign$89). Postmaster: Send Form
3579 to Model Airplane News, P.O. Box 428, Mount Morris, IL 61054.
Group Publisher
LOUIS V. DeFRANCESCO, JR,
Publisher
DR. LOUIS V. DeFRANCESCO
Associate Publisher
YVONNE M. MICIK
by RICH URAVITCH Editor-in-Chief
RICH URAVITCH
Associate Editor
CHRIS CHIANELLI
Copy Editor
LYNNE SEWELL
Editorial Assistants
JACQUELYN NIZOLEK
KATHERINE TOLLIVER
Art Direction and Design

ALAN J. PALERMO
Assistant Art Director
MARY LOU RAMOS
Art Assistant
MATT LONGLEY
Typographer
CHERYL CERESI
Airbrush Artist
GARRETT MILLER
W
Advertising Director
ELCOME TO THE MULTI-FACETED world of aerobatics. This
FREDERICK J. MURPHY
always-exciting element of aviation is perceived by airplane people
Advertising/Production Manager
in about as many different ways as there are different types of CHRISTINA FURORE
aerobatic airplanes, both model and full-scale. Some see it as the ultimate in Advertising/Production Associate
man-machine synergism, where the pilot and his airplane are truly PENNY CURCIO
interactive, functioning as one. Carnival barkers hawk it as barnstorming, SUBSCRIPTION PRICES:
derring-do; death-defying "stunts" performed for thrill-seekers' entertainment. U.S. & Possessions (including APO & FPO): 1 year
No doubt about it, it takes above-average pilots to withstand the grunt- $25.00; 2 years $47.00; 3 years $65.00. Outside U.S.: 1
year $33.00; 2 years $63.00; 3 years $89.00. Payment
inducing, eyeball-popping, torso-compacting, muscle-straining rigors of must be in U.S. funds.
aerobatic flight...and that's not just with us modelers!! Another view says MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS is published monthly by Air
that aerobatic flight represents the most fluid choreographed motion... "aerial Age, Inc., 251 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897.
Connecticut Editorial and Business Offices, 251
ballet" is frequently heard. Whatever your perspective, modelers have always Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897, phone 203-834-
been fascinated by it. If not, why do we do our loops, rolls, spins, inverted 2900. Y.P. Johnson, President; G.E. DeFrancesco,
Vice President; L.V. DeFrancesco, Secretary; Y.M.
flight and even "slipped" landings. Let's face it, if we weren't taken by it, Micik. Treasurer. Second Class Postage paid at
we'd never venture beyond taking off, staying in the pattern and landing. So Wilton, Connecticut, and additional Mailing Of
fice. Copyright 1988 by Air Age, Inc. All rights
now that we've admitted it, let's explore it a bit. reserved. ISSN No. 0026-7295.
This issue tells you how the "Big" guys and gals of the 1988 U.S. CONTRIBUTIONS: To authors, photographers, and
Aerobatic Team do what they do so well. Mike Lee flies you through a people featured in this magazine, all materials
published in Model Airplane News become the
primer on IMAC flying technique, we review four kits that can certainly get exclusive property of Air Age, Inc., unless prior
you involved in aerobatics, and we repeat a presentation of one of our most arrangement is made, in writing, with the Pub
lisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for
popular scratch-built designs for all you balsa-choppers who want to build a unsolicited material. Only manuscripts and sup
great performing airplane that will grow with you in your quest for aerobatic porting material accompanied by a SASE will be
returned.
excellence. It's Ralph Brooke's Crusader, which was originally presented in
ADVERTISING: Advertising rates available on
MAN over 20 years ago. Pappy deBolt's "Old-Time R/C" article in the April request. Please send advertising materials, inser
issue elicited a lot of responses from modelers who expressed interest in early tion orders, etc., to Advertising Dept., Air Age., Inc.,
pattern designs. The "vintage aerobatic" movement seems to be thriving in 251 Danbury Rd., Wilton. CT 06897. phone
203-834-2900.
England; seems like it could experience a revival here in the colonies. We
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: To make sure you don't miss
hope you'll enjoy it; we enjoyed putting it together for you. any issues, send your new address to Subscription
• Don't forget our "Reader Reports," two of which appear in this issue. Dept.. Model Airplane News. P.O. Box 428, Mount
Morris, IL 61054, six weeks before you move. Please
These give you the opportunity to sound off on what you thought about that include the address label from a recent issue, or
kit you recently built. Full details for participation are in the January issue, print the information exactly as shown on the
label. The Post Office will not forward copies unless
and a list of the Field and Bench kit reviews we currently have underway, you provide the extra postage. Duplicate issues
appeared here last month. cannot be sent.
Coming up in the August issue...rotary-wing rampage!! POSTMASTER: Please send Form 3579 to Model Air
plane News, P.O. Box 428, Mount Morris, IL 61054.
Outta Site!!
there is a vast array of smaller models
My modeling began back in the early available. Unfortunately, our hobby shop
'40s, when flying sites were everywhere! features the larger planes. There was a
All you had to do was walk across the very nice construction article on the "G-
street to the school, and you could fly, or Man" plane in the April issue, and we'd
bicycle out to the fields at the edge of love to build it. Unfortunately, I have no
town, if free-flight was your thing. Well, information about the G-Mark .061
now we have radio-control planes within R/C engine and neither does our hobby
the reach ($) of everyone, but fewer and shop. The only manufacturer acknowl
fewer places to fly them. Even school edged at the end of the article is Cox
grounds are out unless you carry $1 Hobbies, which I presume is for the Cox
million insurance! TD .049-.051 engine also mentioned in
At the hobby shop yesterday, we the article.
were lamenting the lack of sites. The Pete Kilen
manufacturers and hobby dealers are Esko, MN
doing a great business. The sport (it's no Thanks Pete, we're glad you and your son
hobby anymore; so many don't build, enjoy MAN. In response to numerous
they just buy and fly) has grown by leaps letters like yours, the G-Mark .061 is
and bounds, but nothing has been done available from Cannon R/C Systems,
about sites! 2828 Cochran St., Simi Valley, CA
If the modeling industry wants to 93065. The new Cox Queen Bee R/C
keep this gold mine going, it should be .074 is a similar size engine which should
an association of all the manufacturers, be very well received by the small-plane
distributors and hobby- shop owners that crowd RAU
seek out these sites—not just model
clubs! If the people who sell the stuff
don't help provide places to fly, we
builders will just have to quit, and there
go all the profits...!
How about it, modeling industry rep
resentatives?
Ron Fikes
Palo Alto, CA
Ron, your point is well taken and may
represent a resource previously overlooked Zero-Waste R/C
In recentyears, the industry in general has
grown rapidly, as has the number of I read your "Giant Steps" article in the
modelers involved in R/C. The number of April '87 issue of MAN. I had just
flying sites, however, seems to be shrinking completed my "Yard Stik .4T" (ori
even more rapidly! It would seem that we ginal). After reading the caption at the
all modelers and industry alike, have top of your article, I thought I'd send you
strongly vested interests in preserving what a couple of the pictures. It should be
remains. How about it, industry reps?? obvious that I used kit boxes for the
RAU construction.
The Yard Stik has a wingspan of 46
More Small-Plane Fans inches and a chord of 12 inches. It
weighs 5 pounds, 3 ounces and is
My son and I, only two years into the powered with an HB .40 PDP. Flight-
hobby, look forward to the next issue. tests are awaiting my recovery from a
The April issue was particularly good, knee operation.
as we want to build a 1/2A-size plane (Continued on page 10)
for many of the reasons you mentioned
in your editorial. You mentioned that
1988 McDanielR/CInc.
(Continued from page 8)
remote-control toy around the sky. So,

I really enjoy your articles and always for the future of model aviation, I'm
look forward to them. thankful for ARFs.
Dick Barbosa ARFs may well be the tool to ensure
Pottsboro, TX a larger number of modeling friends
around the country. ARFs are a boost to
Dick's Yard Stik is truly a "waste not, the industry economically. It's a problem
want not" project For you other readers, when older, experienced modelers allow
the caption he refers to said "Soon you'll their personal prejudices and narrow
be able to use the box the kit came in." We perceptions to limit their appreciation of
really didn't think anyone would take it new opportunities that increase the inter
literally, but it's a unique and clever idea est in this wonderful world of model
Residents of Pottsboro, even your trash aviation. Jim, wake up!
cans aren't safefrom the Flying Barbosa!! Horrace Cain
RAU Humble, TX
Mr. Cain is former AMA V.P., and his
letter captures the essence of virtually all
the mail we received on this subject. Some
of the responses were amusing and enter
taining; others, decidedly unprintable, but
all were informative. While we applaud
the activity of Mr. Waterman, which
represents his way of nurturing the new
comer, we stillfeel that some ARFs can do
everything his approach does, without
making substantial demands on one of
Club Decal Exchange
our most limited resources—Time!
For those interested in exchanging de- RAU
cals: Please send us five to ten of your
decals, and, in return, we'll send the In Search of the Buckeye
same number to you. In your "Airwaves" column (March '88
SAM-ITALJA, c/o Ivan Poloni, V.le issue of MAN), you published a request
Abruzzi 14, 24035-CURNO-BG, Italy. from Mr. Lewellyn for a source of a
Berkeley Plan Set for the North Amer
ARF Support ican T2J-1 Navy Jet Trainer.
Here are some comments about Jim This is available from John Pond,
Waterman's letter, which appeared in Old-Time Plan Service, 253 North 4th
the April '88 issue of MAN. Mr. Water Street, P.O. Box 90310, San Jose, CA
man is known for his work with R/C 95109. (408) 292-3383; (408) 225-
trainers. I respect his dedication to a 0308 (after 7 p.m.)
project. I'm not very enthused by his It is listed in their Flying Scale Plans
limited perception of the value that List No. 15 (1985) (A-K and L-Z) as
ARFs can bring to aeromodeling. My follows:
qualifications to speak are 40 years of Plan No.: 51D2; Name: North Amer
aeromodeling experience and owning a ican T2J-1; Mfg./Designer: Berkeley;
large hobby shop for six years. Size: 23 FF; Price: $3.
I always buy your magazine. Glad to
People live in places that don't provide
be of some help.
them with a large workshop where they
John I. Henderson
can chip balsa, sand balsa, drop paint
Ontario, Canada
and epoxy, spill alcohol and castor oil,
and dump piles of broken airplanes. The John, thank you for helping a fellow
ARF can fill a need by allowing these modeler. Once again, a great example of
persons to enjoy model aviation within the camaraderie that is so typical of our
their limitations and objectives. ARFs hobby. RAU
are a way to entice would-be modelers
into the activity. People who work long We welcome your comments, opinions, and suggestions.
Letters should be addressed to "Airwaves," Model
hours have little inclination to glue Airplane News, 25 1 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897.
balsa, yet they can enjoy steering that Letters may be edited for clarity and length.
by JIM NEWMAN
SCALE RIVETS
Here's how to simulate rows of equally spaced rivets. The rivet tool
is just a suitably sized brass tube, sharpened and soldered into a
tube handle that has a brass disk at the top. The disk allows pressure
to be applied while the tool is twirled. The spacing gauge is a strip of
PULL-CORD MARKER metal or plastic with equally spaced holes which are filed out to a
Ever tried to find the light-fixture pull-cord in the darkness of your V-shape. (I wonder why they need to be "veed"; a simple hole will
shop? Take the white cap from an aerosol can, drill the top, pass the keep the tool centered.) Anyway, judging by the sample sent, it
cord through the hole and secure it with a knot. Our contributor works well and makes various sizes.
says the shiny white plastic is easy to find in the gloom. My phone Jim McCurrach, N. Vancouver, BC, Canada
company gives out luminous stickers with emergency phone
numbers. Why not attach a couple to make the pull really visible?
Harry Braunlich, Victor, NY
DREMEL STOWAGE
For the tidy-minded, this is a really nice shop accessory; it even has a
Plexiglas lid! Sanding drums, spare cut-off disks, collets, etc., go in
DIME-STORE CADDY the small compartments. All the burrs and grinders go in the many
Mi-inch holes. The Moto Tool goes in the large compartment, while
This plastic caddy has some simple additions that carry a power
the AC cord lies in the perimeter trough. The materials are wood,
panel, fuel pump, filter, tools, fuel can, etc. The vertical divider is
ply or Masonite with a plastic or ply hinged top.
made of Masonite scraps, dowel handle and wood strip; spare
Charles Batt, Dieppe, NB, Canada
propellers are clipped onto the side opposite the power panel. The
electric starter, 12V cell, tools, fuel, etc., fit in the basket. Just keep
fuel on the side opposite the battery! Dan Moser, Post Falls, ID
CANOPY REPAIR WRIST FUEL GAUGE

This cracked canopy was easily salvaged after a prang. Cracks were Some of us wear an Ace R/C Memo Timer that buzzes when we're
squeezed shut, vinyl tape applied on the inside, then CA glue short of fuel. This flier gutted an old wristwatch, glued in a block of
wicked in from the outside. When set, the tape was removed, the balsa, then glued his Memo Timer to that. It's a neat idea, since it
canopy sanded with No. 600 sandpaper and lots of soapy water, and puts the timer where you can steal a quick glance at it while you're
then polished with metal polish. The repair was almost invisible. flying. I nearly break my neck seeing mine—it's on my lapel!
David Davidson, Euless, TX Julius Deltwas, Lawrence, MA
Model Airplane News will give a free one-year subscription (or one-year renewal if you already subscribe) for each idea used in "Hints & Kinks." Send rough sketch to Jim
Newman, c/o Model Airplane News, 251 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897. BE SURE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS ARE CLEARLY PRINTED ON EACH SKETCH,
PHOTO. AND NOTE YOU SUBMIT. Because of the number of ideas we receive, we cannot acknowledge each one, nor can we return unused material.
by RANDY RANDOLPH
MORE LIGHT WHEELS

Most commercially available
wheels are a little heavy for
smaller airplanes. T h e photos
show how to produce wheels
in the13/4-to21/2-inchrange
that weigh less than1/4ounce
each and stand up well on 3. Center a5/8-inchlength of1/8-inchbrass tube in the center of each
grass or paved strips. wheel, and glue it in place with instant glue. Build up gussets
around the protruding tubes on all four sides with thick CA or
epoxy.
1. The key to making these wheels is an inexpensive hole saw. Select 4. With fuelproof paint, paint each wheel an appropriate color.
the appropriate blade for the desired diameter (in this case, 2 Stretch a No. 73 rubber band, or a3/8-inch-wideband cut from a
inches), and saw four disks from3/16-inchmedium balsa sheet. bicycle inner tube, over each wheel, and glue it in place with instant
glue.
2. With the grain crosswise, glue two disks together to form each 5. Paint1/2-inch-wideblack tires on the wheels. It's a good idea to
wheel. Glue1/2-inchlengths of 1/4-inch hardwood dowel into the paint right over the rubber as well as the wood. The finished wheels
center holes, sand flush with the wheels and drill a Winch hole in are held on the axles with wheel collars.
the center of each.
by STEVE POND
the latest news of both model and full- turret. However, during offensive ma
scale aviation. Not much had happened neuvers, the gunner had a sighting win
on the model aviation front as far as the dow directly below and to the front of his
quest for radio control was concerned, seat for the torpedo runs. The gunner
but models were following in the footsteps would lie flat and sight the target through
of their full-scale counterparts: They were this window. When everything was ready,
beginning to show more streamlined he would give the signal and the projectile
fuselages, and more and more models would be released. The XPTBH-2 carried
were showing low-wing configurations, the awesome 1,000-pound Whitehead
e.g., the Ryan ST, the Supermarine S.6B torpedo, which was mounted horizontally
and the Seversky P-35, as well as a within the hull below the crew's quarters.
number of sport planes. Even engine Each of the three gunners (there were
manufacturers, such as Southern Model also two turrets facing the rear of the
Engineers, were making multiple-cylinder
model engines in an attempt to replicate
the full-scale aircraft.
An attempt to make planes as light as
possible was outlined in an article called
"Have You Tried Microfilm?" by the
now well-known Carl Goldberg!
I N JUNE 1938, Model Airplane News

gave readers a second chance to
enter the National Essay Contest,
which it co-sponsored with MGM Studios.
As well as the first and second prizes of
round-trip Hollywood vacations, which
we told you about in the last issue, there
was a magnificent third prize.
Third prize was a custom-built "radio
machine" from the then internationally
known Pilot Radio Corporation. The
radio cost a healthy $250 to build, which
An article by Carl Goldberg, the "father"
is about the same as today's better 5- to of modeling, showed how to use Microfilm.
7-channel radios. This may not seem like
On the frontiers of full-scale aviation, Model Airplane N e w s sponsored an essay
too much of a setback to some of you, but contest. The winners would go to Hollywood to
back then, this would have bought about the Hall Aluminum Torpedo Plane see Clark Gable shooting "Test Pilot"!
150 to 300 model airplane kits, 20 to 50 XPTBH-2 was the latest in combination-
gas engines, or 104 years of Model type aircraft (such as torpedo-bombers plane) were outfitted with electrically
Airplane News at the cover price! and fighter-bombers). The Hall XPTBH- controlled Lewis machine guns capable
As always, Model Airplane News was 2 was, however, the first aircraft to of firing 1,200 rounds per minute.
keeping the modeling public informed on combine three types of military craft. The Other sea planes, like the 219mph
odd designation merely meant that this Russian UT-1, the Fairchild A942-13,
craft was a patrol-torpedo-bomber man the Mayo Composite, the Grumman J2F-
ufactured by the Hall Aluminum Aircraft 1 utility amphibian, the British super-
Corporation of Bristol, PA. The XPTBH- marine "Walrus" amphibian and the 22-
2 was a high-wing, twin-engine seaplane ton Potez were also "making waves" in
powered by two Pratt & Whitney "Twin full-scale aviation.
Wasp Senior" double-row radial engines, The world was in the process of con
each with 860 horsepower. Landing gear quering the skies with new and updated
was two huge, specially designed floats aircraft that were fast rendering their
attached to the wing in a full cantilever predecessors obsolete. For years to come,
Low-wing airplanes were becoming more pop pier mounted directly into the engine the aviation world was to experience
ular among modelers, as well as in full-scale nacelles. In the nose there was a section growth at virtually breakneck speed, and
aviation circles. These two show off their latest
effort.
for a forward gunner that was completely Model Airplane News was there, Fifty
enclosed in a revolving machine-gun Years Ago.
F or many years pattern flight has been an intriguing facet of R/C modeling, and
many designs, even though introduced years ago, can still be exciting today.
The Crusader, first introduced in the pages of Model Airplane News in
February 1965, is one of these designs. This article is reprinted exactly as it appeared
over two decades ago. Of course, you'll want to update the powerplant, radio,
adhesives, and covering materials.
As part of our Aerobatic Special
Issue, we celebrate the legendary
Crusader, a timeless classic:
My MAIN OBJECTIVES in
designing the Crusader were to
have a plane with a unique
appearance (preferably scale-
like) and with improved flying
characteristics. A model based
on the Navy Crusader can be
both very striking in appearance
and highly maneuverable, and it
will never be confused with
current multi-designs.
The first Crusader was
designed and constructed during
the winter and spring of 1964. It
featured swept leading and
Doc. Brooke never leaves anything to chance,
trailing edges, weighed 6 tuning his engine just before a Nats flight.
pounds, 2 ounces, and was
powered by a Lee .45. While I considered this a very successful model, there were
some handling problems during windy conditions. This, plus my experiences at the
World Championships in 1963, where wind was a definite factor in the contest, led
JUNE 1988 19
O R D E R T H E FULL-SIZE PLAN
#186 CRUSADER $9.50
Dr. Ralph Brooke's classic design for Pattern
competition was originally presented nearly a
quarter-century ago. It represents an all-balsa
project for the newcomer to aerobatics and a
bit of nostalgia to stimulate the "Vintage Pat
tern" enthusiast. Either way, it shows that
some designs are truly timeless. A 68-inch
span with 680-square-inch area; scale-like
appearance with proven performance. Two
me to redesign the plane. sheets.
The second Crusader, presented here,
is heavier, at 7 pounds, 2 ounces; it has
a longer tail moment; has only leading-
edge sweep and is powered by a Fox
.59. The reason for the change to the Front end of fuselage; Note bell-mouth inlet
Fox .59 is its superior fuel-draw at high at front of cowl for good engine cooling.
or low tank locations. Actually, I might
have eliminated the tank cutout in the
wing because of the good fuel-draw, but
"It's my belief that the reed servo
as everything was working so well, it response is not fast enough to take
was decided to leave well enough alone.
advantage of the full-span aileron. A
This version flies well in calm and typical proportional servo is twice as
windy weather and took first place at fast as a reed type and thus gives the
the Canadian Nationals, and the right response for full-span ailerons.")
CONSTRUCTION:
The construction of this
plane shouldn't pose any
"... it combines realistic particularly difficult
appearance with excellent problems for the
aerobatic and ground experienced builder, but
there are some special
handling." techniques which I've
found useful. Deviations
Oklahoma City Invitational and third from usual construction techniques are
place at the Nats. With luck, it will as follows:
accompany me to Sweden for the 1965 • Use of a machine-built or Styrofoam
World Championships. The plane was wing.
designed for proportional equipment; it • Removable tail assembly with
probably wouldn't be an outstanding internal control horns for ease of
"reed" plane. adjustment and packing.
(Editor's note: A phone call to Ralph • Use of dowel and Dzus fasteners for
elicited his reasons for his feeling that wing, and "Cam-Lock" for tail
the Crusader would not be an assembly.
outstanding reed plane, and we quote: • Use of 1/4-inch aluminum engine-
The wing topside. Cutout in leading edge is to Inside the fuselage; S-shaped dingus at
allow clearance for fuel tank. rear of fuselage well is Dzus fastener to
attach wing.
mount plate to dampen vibration and increase
power.
• Special cap for fuel tank to allow tubes to
come out through the side.
For the wing, no construction data are given,
since the original wing was machine-made and
isn't commercially available. I suggest that you
build a wing of Styrofoam using the rib
(Continued on page 76)
T HE FLYING SEASON is now
upon us, and I hope that those of
you who had to endure a harsh
winter spent some of that time building.
As for those of you who didn't, or who
live in an area where flying goes on all
year, I hope you've checked out your
equipment recently. Those of us who fly
all year tend to forget that we should take
some time off and send our radios in for a
tune-up. When was the last time you had
your radio(s) checked by a qualified
technician? You say you haven't crashed
in the last couple of years, so why tune it?
What about all those perfect and less-
than-perfect (Don't worry, I'll have it
ready for the next round) landings? You'd
be surprised if you knew how out-of-tune
most of our equipment is. Believe me, it's The top five finishers at the Second Annual Harbor Soaring Society's HLG Contest. Left to right:
worth it to get your equipment tuned 1st, foe Wurts; 2nd, Mike Charles; 3rd, Mike Bame; 4th, Mike Reagan; and 5th, ferry Bridgeman.
every couple of years.

even be time to strip it and give it a new models using a geared seven-turn cobalt
And don't forget about all those other finish. Make 1988 a safe as well as system. At a weight of 50 ounces, it was
things that can deteriorate with age. enjoyable flying year! nice to see such a lively climb per
Check all your linkages for bad solder formance. The batteries were good for
joints on cables and nylon clevises or Electric ARF two climb-outs to about winch-launch
horns that may be ready to break. Hinges Hobby Shack* is releasing a new electric height, and total run time was about a
crack after a while and could give out at ARF, and I was fortunate enough to be minute and a half.
the worst possible time (like during a able to test the prototype. The Elec 1800 Even though the model weighs 50
winch launch). Make sure your servo rails is an EZ ARF, and it comes complete ounces, it flies like a much lighter aircraft.
are still glued to the fuselage and that with motor, gear drive, folding prop and Because of its EZ construction, the fully
your servo arms have screws in them. If spinner. The model spans 72 inches, uses sheeted wing is extremely efficient. Every
your model is a few seasons old, it may the Eppler 207 airfoil, weighs 50 ounces launch resulted in a good thermal flight,
RTF, and uses three channels on rudder, with some flights lasting as long as 30
elevator and speed control. minutes. The model should appeal to the
The motor is a high-performance modu- inexperienced electric flier, since it's very
lar-ferrite-type commonly seen in off- easy to build and relatively easy to fly.
road model cars. The gear-drive unit is The more experienced modeler will find
similar to the type found in Kyosho's* it very efficient and capable of giving
electric models. It has a 2.4-1 ratio, and contest-grade performance. The kit will
the brass gears are both held on with sell for about $180 and should be avail
setscrews for easy replacement. The fold able shortly after you read this.
ing prop uses Yoshioka blades, and the
hub is made of very lightweight aluminum HLGs—Contest or Class?
channel. I've been flying hand-launch gliders for
I installed a Cirrus PCM 5 radio with a about six years. I was Contest Director
250mAh battery, CS-33 micro-servos, a (CD) for the first, second and third Inland
EZ Elec 1800 comes with folding prop made
up from Yoshioka blades with a lightweight Panda MOSFET speed controller and a Soaring Society's Annual HLG contests
aluminum channel hub. 900mAh flight pack. I was surprised at (this year will be their fifth), and I've
the climb rate, which is as good as I've heard a lot of differing opinions about
experienced with built-up two-meter size limitation. In the AMA rule book we
QUIET FLIGHT

have what is known as "Class A Hand- two-minute maximum). This variety of
Launch Sailplanes." The rule book says: rounds has proved to be very popular, and
"Projected span limited to one-and-a- it results in a very exciting contest. There
half meters or less. 'Hand-launch' only will be trophies for the top three places
designates class and size. Models may be and many prizes. (Usually, everyone takes
hand-launched or launched by equipment something home.) They'll also raffle a
provided by contest director." It's clear to completely built HLG with radio. If you
me that this is a designation of size (such like HLGs and can make it, this is the
as two-meter) and not a classification of event to be at!
contest type. The rule book implies that I wish those modelers who stay away
"Class A" can fly in any type of event, not because of the size restriction would try
just in a hand-launch contest. one of the 60-inch HLGs. I've attended a
I like the idea of combining the class few hand-launch events where there were
with the type of contest. In other words, no size restrictions, and most of the top
an HLG contest should limit the models places were won by models with spans of
to the size restrictions of "Class A." 60 inches or less. Without some restric
However, I also feel that the CD and the tions, holding an HLG contest would be
organizers of an event should have the like holding a two-meter event and then
right to allow any size of glider if they allowing someone to enter with an un
want to forget about the size restriction. limited ship. Also, there's more design
The Inland Soaring Society will be development required (thus improving
holding its fifth Annual HLG contest on the breed) to get top performance when
June 5, in Riverside, C A, at the University you must work within certain parameters.
Middle School. This is the premier HLG Mike Charles (a member of our last
event, and it does have a size restriction of U.S. F3E team) spent considerable time
60 inches projected span. It's probably the and effort with a computer design pro
biggest HLG contest and attracts over 40 gram to develop his hand-launch Ultra.
fliers every year. All rounds are flown It's an extremely clean design (60-inch
within a ten-minute working slot, with all span) with a pod-and-boom fuselage and
scoring done man-on-man. Round one a Gottingen 795 airfoil, and it uses rudder
will allow unlimited launches to try for and elevator controls. Mike even designed
the single longest flight. Round two will the fuselage pod so that it would have
allow unlimited launches for a five- Laminar airflow. I wonder if Mike would
minute precision max. Round three will have designed and built such an interest
allow six launches (best five count with a ing model if he hadn't had to stay within
the size restriction for most HLG contests?
At the Harbor Soaring Society's second
Annual HLG contest last year, there were
no restrictions on size. The event was won
by Joe Wurts with a 70-inch-span model
that we dubbed the "Glass Bag." It has
glass, bagged, foam wings using the RG-
14 airfoil (an F3B high-speed section); a
balsa fuselage; symmetrical, sectioned,
foam tail surfaces; and a flying weight of
19 ounces. It's an unusual design concept
for a hand-launch, but did Joe win because
of its size? I've seen Joe fly a Flinger and
still blow everybody away—including
yours truly! Of the top five planes at this
contest, three were over 60 inches (one
Joe Wurts with his "Glass Bag" hand- was 66 inches with about the same wing
launcher. Model features glass-bagged area as most of the 60-inchers) and two
foam-core wings—rather unusual for an
HLG. were 60 inches or less. I'm sure I've
by MIKE LEE
A EROBATICS IS ONE of the

most thrilling aerial events to
watch. From the fighter jets of
the USAF Thunderbirds, to the antics of
a J-3 Cub, we all enjoy the thrill of
progressed, so did the sophistication of
the maneuvers. This improvement
continues, and we've now reached a
high standard of aerobatics with F-16s
and Lasers. With lives at stake, practice
took only a couple of decades instead of
almost a century.
Luckily for us, we not only have the
seeing airplanes perform death-defying and timing are paramount.

stunts. During wars, the heat of combat R/C modeling has progressed along
forced more imaginative pilots to do almost the same learning curve as full-
evasive maneuvers to avoid being shot scale aviation. Early single-channel
down. These maneuvers were exciting radios limited our maneuvering to the
to watch, and public demands to see mere disruption of straight and level
them were soon heard. As aviation flight, and stunts showed the inherent
stability of the models. For example, A Zlin 526 (behind) and Tipo 750+ are
you could do a really steep diving turn examples of modern aerobatic-type ships.
and then let go of the stick, and this
allowed the model to return to stable thrill of watching, but we can also
flight at high speed. The high speed please others with our aerobatic
resulted in a high-enough lift for the performances. Model stunt flying is
ship to do a loop. limited only by our ability to devise and
With the advent of modern, digital, perform these stunts with today's strong,
proportional radios, models have highly maneuverable aircraft. It's not
reached, and actually exceeded, the difficult, and if you're learning, right
same level of control as full-scale here is a good place to start.
aircraft. Our stunts can be more daring Aerial stunts are based on three basic
Dotty and Roy Speights with Roy's Atlanta and violent than those which a full-scale maneuvers: the loop, the roll and the
flown in FAI. Typical of today's fast AMA plane can ever hope to perform. The stall. These three maneuvers encompass
pattern machines.
main difference is that our progress the basic types of aircraft movement:
IMAC
SPORT
AEROBATICS SEQUENCE
SPORTSMAN wind
roll, pitch and yaw. Combinations of the straight, level and heading into the
CATEGORY
loop, roll and stall provide the various wind, begin pulling back on the elevator
stunts possible. Now that you have that, stick, but only to about halfway back.
let's look at how to start performing Don't yank on it; just give it a gentle
aerobatics, not only for yourself, but for
others too.
The easiest stunt to tackle is the loop.
Simply put, this is a vertical circle in the
sky using nothing but the pitch axis of
movement. Lots of pilots do this one by
just hauling back on the stick and
watching the bird chase its tail, but a
graceful loop involves more than that.
Rule of thumb number one in
aerobatics: Always begin the maneuver The Supra-Fly, designed by Hanno Prettner, is
with the aircraft straight and level. a state-of-the-art aerobatics ship for R/H
closely resembles the shape of many full-
Ninety-nine percent of all maneuvers scale aircraft.
1. 2-Turn Spin
2. Hammerhead
3. Half Reverse Cuban 8
4. Inside Loop
5. Half Cuban 8
6. Immelmann
7. Inside Snaproll
8. Split E s s
9. Barrel Roll
10. Humpty Bump 1/2 Roll Dn.
11. 2-Point Roll (3-Seconds)
12. Humpty Bump 1/2 Roll Up
13. Slow Roll (3-Seconds +)
BASIC: 1-8 Sportsman
Above: T. Yoshioka looks at

his Laser 200 from behind.
This former World Champ
flies scale-type ships in
dazzling aerobatic displays.
Left: Don Weitz shows how a
modern aerobatic plane can
be both scale and a good
performer. This Zlin 526 has
taken Don to the winners'
circle many times.
comes over the top. Keep the wings

level at all times. As it pulls over the top
start from straight and level, whether pull that takes about two seconds to (at about the 2 o'clock position), you
the ship is inverted or upright. This also reach. The ship should ease upward into must start easing that elevator back in
gives you the best chance of performing a smooth, vertical arc heading for the again to start pulling out the nose
the maneuver the way it should be top of the loop. At about the 10 o'clock through the bottom. Throttling back
done. position, the ship begins to unload from will help keep you from over-stressing
In the case of the loop, we start here the vertical arc, and you can actually the ship. As the ship hits straight and
at straight and level. With the aircraft start easing off the elevator as the ship (Continued on page 96)
Almost half-a-century apart! The author's orig
O.S. TYPE-6 REPLICA inal 1940 model O.S. Type-6 (left), alongside first
example of limited-edition
Serial No. 0001.
O.S. Type-6 Replica,
T HE EXISTENCE OF SAM (the Society of Antique Modelers) and

MECA (the Model Engine Collectors' Association) and similar groups
in other countries, attests to the widespread interest in old model-
airplane engines. However, the demand for old-style engines (especially pre-
1950 spark ignition motors) far exceeds the numbers of such engines still in
circulation.
As a result of this, many replicas of old designs have appeared during
recent years, among them such collector's items as Herb Wahl's "40th
Anniversary" Brown Junior (of 1975) and other American classics such as
Super-Cyclones and Orwicks.
Most of these reproductions are the work of a few dedicated specialists
who, in many cases, have produced better engines than the original versions
of 40 or more years ago. In England, for example, a small precision-
engineering firm called Dunham Engineering, directed by Alan Holmes and
his sons, has produced some excellent replicas of pre-1950 British and
American engines, all subtly modified for improved durability and
performance.
Until recently, no major model-engine manufacturing company had re Translucent fuel tank holds one ounce of gasoline/oil
introduced one of its own early designs, because few (K&B and Fox are mixture: enough for 5-6 minutes or running time!
notable were the 1950.
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: Air-cooled, single-cylinder, side-exhaust, spark-ignition 2-
stroke-cycle, with induction through piston-controlled cylinder
port and crossflow scavenging.
Bore: 0.9055 inch (23mm)
Stroke: 0.9055 inch (23mm)
Displacement: 0.5831 cubic inch (9.556cc)
Nominal Compression Ratio (full stroke): 5.8:1
Speed Control No throttle. Limited, manual, speed adjustment via
ignition timing lever and needle valve. Type-6 Replica faithfully follows original engine's construction
Checked Weights: 11.6 ounces (330 grams) with fuel tank; 13.4 methods, but has advantage of
of modern standards of precision
ounces (380 grams) with tank and ignition equipment, less engineering.
battery.
Mounting Dimensions: displacement (one of the smallest displacement engines
Crankcase width: 39mm available at that time) appeared in 1936. All early O.S.
Length from prop driver face, including tank assembly: 121mm engines (with the exception of an in-line 3-cylinder marine
Height above CL, including spark plug: 106mm engine made in 1938) were identified by type numbers.
Mounting-hole spacing: 46.5x15mm The Type-2 was marketed in 1937 and was much larger at
Manufacturer's Claimed Power Output: Not stated.
0.42 cubic inch. In 1938, it was followed by the 0.45-
Manufacturer: O.S. Engine Mfg. Co. Ltd., Higashisumiyoshi-ku,
Osaka 546, Japan.
U.S. Distributor Great Planes Model Distributors Co., P.O. Box
4021, Champaign, IL 61820.
O.S. TAKES US BACK TO THE
FUTURE...REFINED JUST
ENOUGH TO BE
CONTEMPORARY
cubic-inch Type-3. The Type-4 (0.28 cubic inch) and
Type-5 (0.33 cubic inch) appeared in 1939.
In 1940, the 0.57-cubic-inch Type-6 (known in Japan as
the "K-6") was released, and now the factory has issued a
"limited edition" replica.
Just how closely the Type-6 Replica resembles the
original engine can be seen from the photographs. One of
these shows a 1940 model from my own engine collection,
alongside a recently acquired 1987 model, which is
officially the first production K-6 Replica and carries the
coveted serial number "0001."
Back in pre-World-War-II days, the materials and
O.S. Type-6 Replica is supplied ready-mounted on hardwood production methods used in the manufacture of
display block, as were many engines of the prewar era. commercial model engines were inferior to those available
today. The O.S. Type-6 Replica is a faithful example of
Thhis situation has been changed by the entry of the pre-war model gas-engine design, but it's engineered to a
Japanese O.S. company into the "replica" market. As far higher standard than the original engine. Purchasers
mm regular readers will be aware, O.S. first started making who intend to use the Type-6 Replica in an old-timer-type
model engines more than 50 years ago. Their first model, rather than merely to add it to a static collection,
production engine, the O.S. Type-1 of 0.10-cubic-inch will appreciate its superior quality and greater durability.
Remember that the original Type-6 and its
contemporaries were only required to power free-flight
models (control-line and viable commercially available
radio-control systems had yet to arrive) and that these
engines were very lightly stressed. Wing loadings and flying
speeds were low, and engines were required to operate only
for very short periods, i.e., long enough (perhaps 30 to 60
seconds) to take a model up to a height from which it
would glide to earth within a reasonable distance. By
contrast, today's old-timer free-flight-type models usually
have added radio-control guidance, and engines are run
continuously for long periods.
The basic design of the Type-6 is fairly typical of the
period: a simple crankcase with bushed main bearing and
screw-in backplate; a lapped cast-iron piston running in a
steel cylinder, flange-fitted to the crankcase; an integral
cylinder-head; simple cross-flow scavenging; cylinder-port
induction; an integral fuel tank and a make-and-break
ignition timer mounted on the crankcase nose.
Examining the finely made parts of the Type-6 Replica,
we find that its counterbalanced, hardened, alloy-steel
crankshaft has a l0mm-diameter solid main journal and
runs in a bronze bushing in the well-executed crankcase
Type-6 Replica comes complete with ignition coil, clip, condenser and plug lead. Very expensive
Japanese laminated hardwood prop, also shown, is not included, however.
wmmL
The worlds premier R/C modeling magazine [jffl^fflS)
Croup Publisher
Associate Publisher
YVONNE M. MICIK
Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher by RICH URAVITCH
LOUIS V. DeFRANCESCO JR.
Executive Editor
RICH URAVITCH
Associate Editor
CHRIS CHIANELLI
Managing Editor
O KAY GUYS, on the count of three: flyers on the left, builders on the
right. One, two, three! If you were really honest, there should be more
of you on the left Let's try again. Given the amount of time you have
available for your modeling pursuits, do you prefer flying or building? Now,
one, two, three... you two guys remaining on the right, skip over the bulk of
RICK N A C C A
Copy Editor this issue because it deals with ARFs or Almost Ready to Fly airplanes, the
LYNNE SEWELL newest wave on the R/C scene.
Editorial Assistant I can remember toiling many hours over a sport scale ship, doing all the
IACKIE NIZOLEK
KATHERINE TOLLIVER
detailing and weathering that builders do. This followed at least an equal
Digital Typographer
number of hours building the airframe, getting it to the point of detailing and
CHERYL CERESI weathering. The "x" of the equation was always the flying. I'd spend so much
time building that it was difficult to maintain flying proficiency. I'd have to
Art Direction and Design build something else with which to maintain the proficiency required to be
ALAN |. PALERMO
comfortable with what I was building in the first place! Ugly cycle, right?
MARY L O U RAMOS
FREDERICK J. MURPHY
CHRISTINA FURORE
SUBSCRIPTION PRICES:
U.S. & Possessions (including A P O & FPO): 1 year
$25.00; 2 years $47.00; 3 years $65.00. Outside U.S.:
1 year $33.00; 2 years $63.00; 3 years $89.00.
Payment must be in U.S. funds.
M O D E L AIRPLANE NEWS is published monthly by Along came the first generation ARFs—a step in the right direction. They
Air A g e , Inc., 632 Danbury Rd., Wilton, C T 06897.
Connecticut Editorial and Business Offices, 632 were relatively quick to assemble but generally overweight. They didn't
Danbury Rd., Wilton, C T 06897, p h o n e 203-834- tolerate vibration well, and the plastic ones would crack in the cold like an
2900. Y.P. lohnson, President; C . t . DeFrancesco,
Vice President; L.V. DeFrancesco, Secretary; Y . M . outdoor trash can in Antarctica. But they did work and filled a definite need.
Micik, Treasurer. Second Class Postage paid at Enter our newly found leisure time. We've now got a couple of extra
W i l t o n , C o n n e c t i c u t , and additional Mailing
Office. Copyright 1988 by Air A g e , Inc. All rights bucks, and some extra time but at least a couple of new interests. So, instead
reserved. ISSN No. 0026-7295. of having more time to build and fly, we actually have less since the available
C O N T R I B U T I O N S : To authors, photographers, time is now split, probably more ways than is really practical.
and people featured in this magazine, all materials
published in Model Airplane News become the Re-enter the new-generation ARF—lightweight, composite construction,
exclusive property of Air A g e , Inc., unless prior predecorated, well-tested, scale-looking and attractively priced. What could
arrangement is made with the Publisher, in writ
ing. Tne publisher assumes no responsibility for be bad?
unsolicited material. All manuscripts and sup This issue will take you around the ARF world giving you a look at what's
porting material must be accompanied by a SASE.
available. To satisfy you guys who can still squeak out enough time to finish
A D V E R T I S I N G : Advertising rates available o n an airplane, we've included some framed-up, ready-to-cover examples for
request. Please send advertising materials, inser
tion orders, etc., to Advertising Dept., Air Age., your review.
Inc., 632 Danbury Rd., Wilton, C T 06897, phone These new breeds cover the full R/C airplane spectrum from mini-electric
203-834-2900.
sports like the Kyosho Robin 850 to the Sport Scale Warbird like the Hobby
C H A N C E O F ADDRESS: T o make sure y o u don't
miss any issues, send your new address to Sub Shack Zero. In between are sailplanes, Comanches, Cessnas, pattern ships
scription Dept., Model Airplane News, P.O. Box and seaplanes. The field is enormous and we obviously can't list everything,
428, M o u n t Morris, IL 61054, six weeks before you
move. Please include the address label from a but we think you'll find something for everyone and nearly every purpose.
recent issue, or print the information exactly as The manufacturers and suppliers have reacted to the expressed needs of the
shown on the label. The Post Office will not
forward copies unless y o u provide the extra modelers. I, for one, am glad that they have, 'cause now I've got something to
postage. Duplicate issues cannot be sent. fly while I continue building and detailing and weathering a n d . . . . •
P O S T M A S T E R : Please send Form 3579 to Model
Airplane News, P.O. Box 428, M o u n t Morris, IL
61054.
FFRJ?/ IARY 7
B Y R O N O R I G I N A L S
J AMES BOND WAS in deep trouble; hordes of bad guys were upon him! But,
as always, our intrepid secret agent had an answer. In the horse trailer just
behind his escape car was the world's smallest jet airplane! Bond kissed the
girl, leaped into the trailer and, in seconds, was in a BD-5J and airborne.
Of course, I was watching "Octopussy." The thrilling opening sequence showed
all kinds of actions with the tiny red, white and blue jet. Not only did / see a new
airplane that turned me on, but Bond also escaped while destroying the base of evil
operations. The BD-5J is a modification of an earlier BD-5 prop-driven machine.
Designed by Jim Bede, the airplane
was never a resounding success as a
home-built, because a suitable powerplant

wasn't readily available. However, four
were completed in modified form with
Ames/Microturbo jet engines. These air
One of the newer craft are all flying at air shows around the
U.S., at least two of them in Coors colors.
Byron Jet offerings, The BD-5J or "Aerojet" deserves its
title of "World's Smallest Jet." Spanning
this one should only 17 feet (I've seen bigger models!),
appeal to the foam- the tiny bird weighs only 432 pounds
empty and 860 pounds gross. With 200
and-fiberglass-fan pounds of thrust, the BD-5J tops 285mph.
Even though the movie display of this
flyer. unique airplane had turned me on, there
was no way I could ever build its unusual
fuselage shape, and ducted fans were really for dedicated, expert modelers. This
was true until Byron Originals* kitted a2/5-scaleversion for us "fumblethumbs."
This innovative, Iowa-based firm has made modeling history by marketing aircraft
that have made ducted-fan flying a modeling reality for average fliers. The new
BD-5J fits that mold. When I say, "relatively easy," I mean that the BD-5J will test
your patience and skill on the bench, but it will also reward you with great flying.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model Type: Ductedfan sport scale Wing Area: 964 square inches
Wingspan: 87 inches Wing Loading: 34.6 ounces/squarefoot
Length: 59 inches Power Required: .65-.90/Byrojetfan
Weight: Design, 15 pounds; Review air- Suggested Retail Price: $423 (basic
plane, 141/2 pounds kit)
mm
CONSTRUCTION: The BD-5J variety of printed plans and patterns. A departure from other Byron kits I've
follows the well-known Byron for built (this is the eighth) are the built-up, sheeted tail feathers. They increase
mat: two-piece fiberglass fuselage, construction time, but I suspect that they're used to minimize weight.
molded-foam, plug-in wings, all the Everything in this kit is of high quality, and I can't fault the contents.
necessary hardware, well-done vinyl Instructions suggest a logical building sequence and provide enough
decals, instruction booklet and a information for builders who are experienced in fiberglass/foam technique
and ducted-fan complexity. The
printed material assumes a high de
gree of proficiency, and completion
by a novice might be nearly impos
sible. However, the BD-5 J isn't really
intended for the novice. Several less
complex fiberglass aircraft should be
under your belt before you attempt
this project.
I followed the suggested building
sequence, and I suggest you do the
same to avoid "painting yourself into
a corner." Building begins with the
horizontal and vertical stabilizers.
These are built-up sheeted structures
11,672 Coors Light Cans??

D OES T H A T THING REALLY FLY? This is a question the Silver Bullet pilots hear
repeatedly—until they slide into the cockpit of the world's smallest jet and perform
an astounding display of aerial artistry.
Not only does the Silver Bullet fly—it zooms straight up, straight down, inverted and
even backwards. While reaching speeds of 300mph or performing a 16-point roll, the
pilots narrate their performance from the cockpit for the audience to hear. During the
most intricate maneuvers, they calmly ad-lib with the air show announcer, so providing a Optional thrust attenuator. Linkage drives
unique dimension to air show entertainment. clam shells closed, reducing thrust. Nice
"I understand why people question the flying ability of a 12-foot-long, 432-pound jet," for getting "on the pipe" for takeoff.
said Bob Bishop, the original pilot of the Silver Bullet team. "I built a version of the BD-
5J in 1976, and I'Ve been flying it in air shows ever since. Spectators everywhere are that require you to cut parts from
amazed by the speed and maneuverability of this super small jet." sheet wood using full-size templates.
Building the world's smallest jet took a little ingenuity, more than 3,000 hours of labor I used Elmer's Glue Stick to affix
and the equivalent of 11,672 Coors Light beer cans. Built mainly of light-gauge templates to the wood, pinned two
aluminum (similar to beer-can aluminum), the Silver Bullet stands less than four feet tall
at the cockpit and weighs only 432 pounds (less than many motorcycles). sheets together and cut out all the
With a total length of 12 feet and a wingspan of 17 feet, the jet can go just about parts in one band-saw session. The
anywhere. Just one bolt secures each wing, and without the wings the jet fits through a horizontal stab is built on a jig made
41/2-foot doorway into television studios, malls and its traveling trailer. of 1/16-inch music wire and some
While the design of the Silver Bullet is basically simple, the craft does incorporate wood blocks. Be sure you have a flat
several features found only on modern, high-tech fighter aircraft. Among these features surface to set the jig on, thereby
are 30-degree reclined seating (to reduce pilot fatigue during high-stress maneuvering), avoiding warping. The strakes take
wrist-operated side-stick flight controller, computer-controlled automatic-sequence start thought to develop properly; study
with overspeed monitoring and electronic fuel metering.
Silver Bullet pilots Bob Bishop and Dave Hoover have teamed up to present what is
currently the only jet aerobatic team performance by civilians. Their spectacular close-
formation aerobatic show combines precision, skill and humor to produce a totally
unique performance.
The cockpit dialogue helps set the stage for a novel story line as "newcomer" Dave
Hoover "wrestles" with the pressures of close-formation aerobatics. A couple of
"miscues" have startling and comical results. The resolution of their difficulties forms the
basis of an extremely beautiful and graceful presentation and leads to the exciting climax
of the show, where Bishop and Hoover duel for the title of Silver Bullet "Top Gun."
The Silver Bullet Formation Jet Show will be performed at selected sites, including the
upcoming Byron Originals Aviation Expo '88, on August 10 through 14.
Retractable nose-gear installation. Door

linkage is simple, positive.
Art was so
pleased with his
BD-5J that he
plans another
one. Not a kit
for the novice,
but worth the
trouble.
the plan and photos carefully. When the sheeting is in place, the structure
becomes very strong and rigid. Vertical fin and rudder assembly is
WHY THE
straightforward.
When sanding the tail feathers, don't be too aggressive, since it's easy to
sand the sheeting too thin. Just as important, be careful when sheeting the
HQ 510?
The new ROBART HQ 510 Electronic Throttle has been
strakes to avoid misalignment. Once the stabs are done, the fuselage work
designed lor the utmost in advanced electronic
begins, and it's here that patience is truly a virtue. It would help to have hands
throttling tor ready-to-run electric powered Radio
with eyes when working on the BD-5J, Controlled model aircraft and boats requiring 4-ce11
because many operations are done in (4.8 Volts DC) to 6-cell (7.2 Volts DC) battery packs
extremely tight quarters where you The HQ 510 is a standard proportional speed control
really can't see and have to work by with adjustable high speed and neutral positions. It is
"feel!" A good example of this is the optically coupled tor glitch-free radio operation and
installation of former F-10 (support has an elticiency rating of over 98%. giving your
model the most power available from your battery
plates for flap bearings). These are
pack. Weighing less than 1.2 ounces, the HQ 510 is
installed immediately behind F-4 and an economy device that is perfect for the ready-to-run
must be fitted and glassed completely designs of R/C aircraft and boats such as the Kyosho
by feel. Don't give up; the flaps on this RTFs. Futaba Candy the Varicom RTFs and Great
bird are very nice. Formers F-5 and Planes Electric Cub.
F-6 are also difficult; not too difficult While some of the "other guys" claim their controllers
Now-standard practice of one servo
to put in place, but tricky to glass. can endure incredible-amounts of power, alt we can
per aileron used on larger airplanes.
Straight, direct linkage eliminates slop say is that the ROBART HQ Series controllers can
In many cases, I was only able to get handle the desired size battery pack for a given HQ
and minimizes flutter potential.
strips of fiberglass cloth on one side of Throttle and the amperage produced by that pack ...
a given former. Where this was the case, I flowed some resin into the joint on guaranteed ... and they do it without the necessary
the unglassed side. The result seems quite solid, and I've had no problems. As fuses used in other controllers. So before you
purchase an electronic speed control, check out the
the instructions indicate, cut the strips of cloth 45 degrees into the weave, and outrageous claims we make that happen to be true
don't try to glass long strips into place. I used 3-inch strips, and that length was and enjoy electric powered R/C to the max!
both easier to install and produced a neater result. Be sure that all surfaces to
The HQ 510 Electronic Throttle is available from your
be glassed have been cleaned with acetone and scuffed with sandpaper. favorite Radio Control hobby supplier If not, write to
Fuselage work involves some cutting out to make chambers or air ducts ROBART tor information.
and a nose-gear door cover. I used both a Zona saw and a Dremel router to do
HQ 5 1 0 SPECIFICATIONS:
(Continued on Type: AdvancedMosfetTechnology
page 82) Voltage: 4 8-9.6 Volts DC
Amperage Capacity. Up to 80 Amps
Six: 1.25 x 2.25 x .625 inches
Weight: 1.2 ounces
Optically Coupled
Adjustable Neutral and High Speed
This is not a
cheater hole.
Removable
panel provides
access to
innards and ROBART MFG. 1988
linkages.
PO. Box 1247, St Charles. IL 60174
JUNE 1988 35
by JOE WAGNER
I H E A R D RECENTLY from Jim

Holmes, newsletter editor for the
Lexington (Kentucky) Model
Airplane Club. He asked me a few
innocent-sounding questions about
model engine operation:
"Will I need to set my needle valve
richer or leaner as the weather changes
from cool to hot? Will I need to run
leaner or richer as the humidity
increases? Finally, when 1 find the
correct needle setting for a particular
day, will my engine then develop more
power when the weather turns cooler or
warmer; drier or more humid?"
These questions seem simple, but the
answers to them are rather complex.
First, any internal combustion engine
performs best when the air is cold and
dry. Back in my sports-car-racing days,
we used to figure that for every 10
degrees of air temperature change there A 1948 McCoy .60 sparker equipped with a high-compression "Denver Head" running in an OT
R/C model at a contest near Denver.
would be a two percent variation in
engine power. As the weather cooled, glow fuel contains nitromethane. and that causes a power loss.
the power increased, and vice versa. During combustion, this sets free There are so many variables! The
This also holds true for model motors. additional oxygen. It's exactly like the kind of oil in the fuel has an important
Cold air is denser than warm air, and action of potassium nitrate in "black" effect. Synthetic oil doesn't stand up
thus contains more oxygen per cubic gunpowder. When that's ignited, it well to high heat; it decomposes and
inch. Dry air also has more oxygen per liberates sufficient oxygen to loses lubricity. Castor oil is a far better
cubic inch than humid air, because instantaneously combine with the lubricant for glow engines, but if it gets
water vapor in the atmosphere displaces particles of charcoal and sulphur in the too hot it thickens excessively, turns into
some of its oxygen content. powder (which comprise roughly two- "varnish" and so slows a motor down.
Easy enough so far, but here come thirds of the total mixture). This is what Too little oil in a fuel blend also causes
the complicating factors! First, most generates gunpowder's well-known a power loss, due to increased friction.
explosive force. The smaller the engine, the more
Because of its extra oxygen content, cooling surface it has in proportion to
the nitromethane percentage in glow its displacement; that's why 1/2A
fuel is more important to the engine's motors run best on high-nitro fuel.
output than the surrounding air (Cox's* Racing Fuel blend is about 30
temperature or humidity level. But the percent nitromethane.) Even in hot
more power an engine puts out, the weather, small motors can rapidly
more waste heat it develops. If this heat dissipate the waste heat that high-nitro
isn't carried away rapidly enough (as fuels produce. But some larger engines,
when the air temperature is up into the e.g., certain Foxes, were purposely
90s or higher), the fuel/air mixture designed to hold internal heat. Such
Early glow plugs. The round-top Arden coming into the overheated cylinder motors can run well on FAI-type fuel
plug on the left was first, followed soon by
Champion (large and small sizes shown)
tends to begin burning too soon when (which contains no nitromethane at all),
and Ohlsson & Rice. the piston nears the top of its stroke, yet give trouble at times with standard
THE WORLD'S
FASTEST PORTABLE
SHELTER
PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR

EQUIPMENT FROM THE SUN,
WIND OR A SUDDEN SHOWER.
fuel. CAN BE SET UP OR TAKEN DOWN
Because all these factors are involved, IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES.
it's impossible to come up with an exact GREAT FOR ALL OUTDOOR
formula for operating model glow FUNCTIONS. 8'X8' TO 10'X20',
engines. Most modelers just go "by ear" FOLDED 8"X8"X5'. 10'X10' SIZE
and set their needles to whatever sounds RETAILS AT $380, FREIGHT
about right. foe holds a pair of what this column is all INCLUDED. FOR MORE
That's what I do, but 1 never try to about. INFORMATION AND PRICES
achieve a "peak" setting for maximum PLEASE CALL OR WRITE.
rpm! I always run my motors a little many other skills, running glow engines DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME
rich. Model engines have such a high is much more of an art than a science.
power-to-weight ratio that the small That's how I answered Jim Holmes. In EASY-UP
loss of top-end rpm from rich running is 14515 RANSOM AVE.
responding to readers' letters, I try to
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL 33952
negligible. A rich mixture provides a give specific answers whenever possible, 813-743-0865
safety factor in case something happens but sometimes there aren't any specific
to reduce the fuel flow through the answers. That's one of the things that
needle valve: a bit of dirt perhaps, or a makes flying model airplanes such an
tight maneuver... interesting and challenging activity. Not
To sum up: Model engines generally everything is known about it yet, and
plenty of room for exploration and
experimentation remains.
My mention of the action of
nitromethane brings something else to
mind. Before glow plugs came along,
and while spark ignition and gasoline-
and-oil fuels were standard for model
engines, several motor manufacturers,
such as McCoy and Super Cyclone,
sold special high-compression heads for
their engines. These were intended for
modelers living in high-altitude areas,
like Denver, CO, and Salt Lake City,
"Blendzall" castor oil mixes readily with UT. The extra compression
gasoline. The antique glow fuel is almost 30 compensated for the thinner air.
years old and is still as good as ever.
Also, in those days, some makes of
develop more power when the air is model engines were purposely designed
cool and dry than when it's hot and to have more compression than others
humid. (Propellers are more efficient (as they still are today, to some extent).
under these conditions, too.) Needle For example, the 1947 OK B-29 and
settings depend on the motor design, as the Mohawk Chief had noticeably
well as type and age of the glow plug, higher compression than a Forster .29
the fuel blend (oil and nitro or K&B's* Torpedo. Consequently, the
percentages) and the size and pitch of OK and the Mohawk were more
the prop. popular in the Denver area. They ran
There are simply too many better at high altitude than motors with
interacting variables in model-airplane milder compression ratios.
engine performance for any rigid The glow plug and the addition of
operational formula to be valid. Like (Continued on page 38)
Conley V-8—Smallest V-8 Production Engine ABOUT ENGINES
The Conley "362" is the world's smallest nitromethane to glow fuel changed all
production model V-8, and is now available that. Now you can get essentially the
in a rough casting kit. With the use of a same performance from any given
Bridgeport Milling Machine and a lathe you
engine anywhere in the USA, merely by
will be able to machine the kit-provided
material into a working V-8. Items included choosing the proper glow plug and
in the kit: castings (block, valve covers, pan blend of fuel: more nitro for higher-
heads, and intake), piston rings, water altitude locations.
pump, timing belts and pulleys, camshaft This doesn't mean that model
lobes, injection-molded parts, wristpins, airplane performance is unchanged at
crank pins, 95% of the required metal, valve altitude, however. Propeller efficiency
springs, screws, taper pins, dowel pins, and airfoil effectiveness both suffer in
Loctite, O-rings, and blueprints. The engine
thin air, in hot weather and in high
has a bore of .750 and a stroke of .625
which gives a total displacement of 36.2 cc humidity.
or 2.2 ci and weighs approximately 5 lbs. It measures approximately 6" long, 4" wide, and I have a 1/2A R / C old-timer model
71/8" to the top of the carbs (when optional supercharger housing is used). There is an that flies well in western Pennsylvania,
operating rpm from 2,000 to 12,000. Perfectfor1/4-scalecars and boats. where the altitude is about 1,000 feet
above sea level, and the air temperature
seldom exceeds 80 degrees. A few years
ago, I took this airplane to La Junta,
CO, which is 3,300 feet higher than my
home field. The weather was hot and
humid; on one day, it was almost 120
degrees by lunch time! I had no special
problems getting the motor to run well,
however. By switching to Cox's Racing
Fuel (instead of the milder Glow Power
blend I normally use), I got about the
same rpm from the old-timer's engine
at La Junta as I do at home.
But the model wouldn't fly! Even
from a hand-launch, the best I could
achieve was a stretched glide. The
combination of high altitude,
temperature and humidity thinned the
air too much for my propeller and wing
to function effectively, even though the
engine ran well.
Lately, I've been discussing the
suitability and availability of various
lubricants for model airplane motors
with Jerry Price, from Warren, MI. Jerry
flies all types of engine-powered models
and uses both glow and spark ignition.
Like many other modelers with similar
interests, Jerry has found it difficult to
locate SAE 70-weight oil for use with
gasoline to make the 3-to-l fuel for his
spark-ignition motors.
This oil was common enough over
40 years ago, but it's rarely seen today.
One source is Herb Wahl*. Because of
packing and postage costs, Herb has to
charge about $5 for a quart of SAE 70.
This is enough for a gallon of 3-to-l
mixture, which is plenty for any amount
of spark-ignition model flying. One
ounce of this fuel will run an engine
such as a side-port Ohlsson 23 for six or
seven minutes.
However, gasoline-based model fuel
wmmL
Croup Publisher
Associate Publisher
YVONNE M. MICIK
Executive Editor
RICH URAVITCH
Associate Editor
CHRIS CHIANELLI
Managing Editor
RICK N A C C A
IACKIE NIZOLEK
KATHERINE TOLLIVER
Digital Typographer
ALAN |. PALERMO
MARY L O U RAMOS
FREDERICK J. MURPHY
CHRISTINA FURORE
1 year $33.00; 2 years $63.00; 3 years $89.00.
203-834-2900.
61054.
FFRJ?/ IARY 7
Here's a n SPECIFICATIONS
action-packed Type: Semi-scale sport
model airplane Span: 64 inches
from the good Weight: 6 to 8 pounds
Area: 688 square inches
J
folks at Carl
Goldberg Mod Wing Loading: 25.1 ounces per square
els*—the same peo foot at 71/2 pounds
ple who taught many Power Required: .45 to .60 2-stroke, .60
of us how to fly with designs like to .90 4-stroke
the Falcon and the Eagle. For Number of Channels Required: 4 to 6
years, I've thought of Carl Gold Suggested Retail Price: $109.95
berg Models as a conservative Features: Light plywood fuselage struc
company that caters to beginners ture, built-up wing. Molded canopy,
and low-key sport fliers. The cowl, fairing, wheel pants. Optional
first hint that something else flaps and retracts.
was going on was when they
came out with the J-3 Cub—a
pussycat for sure, but quite a
scale-like model. This time
C H I P M U N K
by RON FARKAS
around they must have let one of
their hot pattern fliers loose in
the file of three-view drawings,
because you couldn't ask for a
more striking and aerobatic
stand-off scale model than the
Super Chipmunk in the color
scheme of the late Art Scholl.
This isn't a model for begin
ners! A lot of the structural
features resemble those of the
CG's newest sport scaler;
Eagle and Sky Tiger models, this " r i g h t " size aero
but the construction is more
involved, and the flight per follows its full-scale
formance is decidedly on the h o t
side. It might be suitable as a
counterpart in flying
first low-wing airplane for a pilot who has ability!
sufficient aileron flying experience, but this
will depend on the engine size selected by
the builder. A competent sport flyer will
probably feel quite comfortable with the
Super Chipmunk, and a very experienced
pilot will appreciate its aerobatic perform
ance capabilities.
The basic fuselage structure comprises a Apart from a few minor flaws, which I'll describe later, the instruction manual
light plywood-box section with balsa- is a typical outstanding Goldberg effort with photos and numbered assembly
sheeted foredeck and turtledeck surfaces. steps. Two folded plan sheets were provided; the wing panels on one and the
The wing structure includes ribs, spars, fuselage and tail on the other. The die-cut balsa and light plywood parts were of
shear webs, sheeting, capstrips and a good-quality wood and relatively cleanly cut. The balsa and bass strip wood
milled-balsa leading-edge cap. The fixed were well cut, and the wing sheeting was of a good medium density. The die-cut
tail surfaces are sheeted-balsa frames, while fuselage top sheeting was rather hard, but nonetheless usable. An extensive
the movable surfaces are open framework. assortment of high-quality Goldberg hardware was provided, including molded
or
framework is first assembled

over the plan from a combi
nation of die-cut parts and
strip stock. The fixed sur
faces are then sheeted on
both sides with 1/16-inch bal
sa, giving a total thickness of
5/16 inch. Since the movable
surfaces aren't sheeted,
they're constructed from
5/16-inch stock with tips that
are each laminated from
three die-cut pieces.
Although the wing airfoil
is a symmetrical section,
each panel is started upside-
down right on the board,
since three of the ribs have
feet attached. First, these
three ribs are placed on the
main spar, and the notched
trailing-edge spar is attached
to them. My spars were about
1/8 inch shorter than shown
on the plan. Then, the re
maining ribs are located and
glued into position, followed
by the other main spar. Next,
the grooved plywood land
ing-gear block is installed
along with the forward spar
and the trailing-edge sheet
ing. I noticed that the true
position of the landing-gear
nylon T-shape engine mounts. A vacuum-formed cockpit interior and wheel block was farther aft than shown on the
pants were included, as was a beautiful, clear, bubble canopy. The cowl halves plan, but it didn't matter, as the block
were vacuum-formed from a heavy-duty plastic material (probably ABS). A mated with all the die-cut notches in the
really superb set of self-stick decals was provided for the Art Scholl sponsors' ribs, and the photos matched the actual
assembly. The surface of the block should
markings. In general, the kit engineering and materials were all very good.
be raised exactly5/64inch so that it will be
CONSTRUCTION: By following the illustrated instruction manual and
flush with the sheeting. The bottom leading-
using Goldberg Jet and Super Jet CA adhesives, construction proceeds very
edge sheeting is then installed, after reliev-
quickly. The tail, wings and fuselage are built in that order. To start the tail, the
the center rib and dowel mounting block, the entire
top of the wing is sheeted in the same way as the
bottom.
Next comes the milled-balsa leading-edge cap,
and this is where I encountered the only significant
problem with this kit. After block-sanding the front
of the ribs, I trial-fitted the leading edge, and didn't
think it was wide enough for a good glue joint
against the top and bottom sheeting. So, to be on
the safe side, I replaced the kit pieces with a
standard-size shaped leading-edge stock that was
1/16-inch wider. After installing these, I sanded the
new material to the proper radius. I contacted the
manufacturer about this, and I was told that the
ing it to clear the landing-gear block. This is milling specification would be checked. In a more
followed by the center section and tip sheeting recent conversation, I've learned that the leading-
(which are die-cut to produce rounded contours edge width has been increased for the next
adjacent to the open rib bays) and finally by the production run.
capstrips. The plastic wing tips went on easily, but care
At this stage, the panel is removed from the was required in sanding the sheeting to match the
board, and the feet are trimmed off the three ribs. tip contour. The trailing edge of the plastic tip
For the next steps, the panel is flipped over and seemed rather vulnerable, so I added 1/4-inch balsa
secured to the building board using neat little reinforcement to its exposed inboard face. With the
ply wood jigs to maintain true alignment. The shear addition of the tapered ailerons and center-section
webs and upright landing-gear torque blocks are trailing edge, the wing was almost finished. Plastic
then installed. The preceding steps are repeated to bottom fairings have to be installed after the wing
build the second wing panel. The panels are then has been fitted to the fuselage. The Super Chip
joined, along with the light-ply dihedral braces. munk kit includes wing flaps and their torque-rod
While this is being done, one panel is held in the jig linkages (if you care to use them). An optional
supports, and the other is elevated by a die-cut retractable landing-gear installation is also shown
gauge near the tip. This is an excellent way to on the plan and in the instruction booklet.
achieve the correct dihedral and a well-aligned In typical Goldberg fashion, the fuselage can be
center joint, although some trimming was required partially assembled without glue, by interlocking
to make the dihedral braces fit. the sides with the formers—top and bottom parts
The instructions never tell you to install the that are all die-cut from light plywood. Then Jet or
forward top spar, but you can figure it out from Super Jet adhesive is run into all the seams to bond
looking at the construction photos. After installing the parts together. This produces a solid and well
READER REPORTS!
MINI FIELD & BENCH
SUPER CHIPMUNK
R eader Report? What a great idea! I get to brag
about my Chipmunk and possibly earn a free
subscription to your great magazine!
piece and
folds into
position after
I bought my kit in early October from my local painting—
dealer, who had a little trouble getting it as it's so new. very realistic!
My Chipmunk was built in two weeks of evenings. I The decals
used Webra's new 81 Speed with a 12-6 Master are fantastic;
Airscrew in a true-turn aluminum spinner, Black Baron as you spend
Film (their new metallic red and blue) and Duplicolor all that time
paint on the cowl—all surprisingly fuel-resistant. I also cutting them Edward L. Fry, Altoona, PA
used an Expert 7-channel with flaps and a smoker. out, think
I've built many kits, both for myself and for others, about how difficult they'd be to make yourself.
and this was the easiest plane of its type to build. You My bird ended up at 9 pounds, but this isn't a problem
put the fuselage together with rubber bands, align it on at all. Flying the Chipmunk is a blast. I cranked up my
the plan, then Jet the whole thing together. It doesn't get throws and thought I'd rely on low rate for landing, but
easier than that! The wing goes together almost as easily I've never even flown on low. I seal the control surfaces
and comes out beautifully true. on my planes to keep the gunk out and to improve
However, I do suggest that all builders of this kit control response. Snap rolls a la CAP 2 1 , knife-edge
discard the four small, laminated-plywood, grooved forever, loops squeaky-tight with3/4flaps, rolling circles,
blocks for the landing-gear wire-uprights. One "touch- inverted with 1 or 2 clicks down-trim, slow fly-bys—
and-go" with a little too much touch and not enough go remarkably slow for a pattern grade ship (Goldberg has
and your fixed gear, pants and all will become washout on the wing). With flaps deployed, you can
retractable, punching a messy hole right through the control descent with throttle; it won't snap onto the
wing. As an alternative, I suggest a rectangular runway, but will just settle on the mains. The worst
hardwood block, epoxied to the wing-rib doubler. This is you'll do is crack a pant and nose over to scuff the
much sturdier. cowling. (Can't say that about a Kaos or CAP 21.) With
Goldberg's new ABS-style formed parts glue the Webra 81 -speed, this baby goes straight up on
beautifully, but are a tad too brittle. The pants attach takeoff.
very cleverly and hold up fairly well. However, fatigue I recommend the Chipmunk as a first low-winger. At
cracks developed in the cowl, and I had to glass-cloth 64 inches, it's not too small or too unwieldy to transport.
and Jet the inside to stop it. When this is done, it makes (Fully assembled, it fits into my hatchback.)
the cowl very strong indeed. I'll say it again: This kit is the easiest to build, best-
The cockpit detail is excellent, but I hope they'll flying bird of its type I've ever had the pleasure to own,
eventually supply a custom pilot too. The interior is one and it's scale!
aligned basic structure. Next, the upper formers are

added, and balsa stringers are glued into their
respective notches.
Before sheeting, an inset1/8-inch-squareframe is
installed around the perimeter of the top piece to
increase the gluing area where the sheet meets the
sides—a nice feature. The foredeck and turtledeck
are each sheeted with several pieces of die-cut 1/8-
inch balsa. Due to the firm density of the wood, to
form the contour, I had to soak it and hold the parts
in position overnight using an Ace bandage. After
that, they were trimmed for a good fit and glued
Completed airframe prior to application of CGM permanently with Slow Jet and a spray of Jet Set
Ultracote. accelerator.
SUPER CHIPMUNK
The horizontal and vertical tail surfaces When installing the rudder pushrod, I
were installed next, along with filler ensured that its location would avoid the
pieces and balsa-block fairings. I used external bend that was shown on the plan.
scrap to compensate for the filler pieces A fixed elevator center-section filler piece
being a little too shallow. Installation of is included, but it isn't permanently in
the dorsal fin wasn't explained in the stalled until the elevator is hinged. If used
instructions, but this was obviously the "as is," this filler isn't as thick as the
appropriate time to glue it into position. elevator itself, so I laminated it to a piece
of scrap sheet prior to installation.
Next, I trimmed the cowl to clear the
OS* .61 FSR engine and Tatone* Pitts-
style muffler. Sensibly, this is to be done
before joining the cowl halves. While the
illustrations show only the use of a model
ing knife, I found it much easier to drill a
pattern of 1/8-inch holes and then cut
through them to make the rough opening.
Imitari has just introduced an exact 1/2- I then used a Dremel tool with a sanding
scale replica of the Pratt & Whitney drum to finish the job. Initially, the muffler
Wasp Jr. engine with a clock placed in wouldn't clear the engine mount, so a
the space normally covered by the
propeller cone. The Imitari clock, under Close-up of author's modification to machinist friend made a 1/4-inch thick
authorization from United Technologies, wing tip for additional strength. Balsa aluminum spacer to lower the muffler.
also carries the official registered reinforcement installed at trailing edge.
trademark decal of Pratt & Whitney. I chose Carl Goldberg Ultracote iron-
on plastic covering material to duplicate
Complete kit: $195. plus shipping
Assembled kit: $295. plus shipping the Art Scholl color scheme. It's very easy
(available in aluminum or black (Continued on page 90)
cylinder)
Available in kit form (more than 200
parts) or fully assembled. Imitari also
carries baseball caps, T-shirts, belt
buckles, decals in several different sizes,
lapel pins, coffee mugs, cigarette
lighters, pocket knives and even a .999
full troy ounce silver medallion, all
bearing the Pratt & Whitney emblem.
Free Brochure Available
For more information on these and
other products, contact
Imitari:
P.O. Box 985
Athol. ID 83801 Basic wing-panel structure showing ribs, spars and Close-up of center-section structure
(208) 683-3187 sheeting. showing light plywood dihedral braces.
byMIKELEE
B
Y T H I S T I M E O F YEAR, I hope replace the wire, replace the item that the new ones? If not, it will pay dividends to
you've prepped the old workhorse wire is attached to. The old equipment find out why they don't. Maybe it's time to
or put the finishing touches on a can be used in a boat or car—At least they clean the pot (potentiometer) or lube the
new warbird for the upcoming season. In won't self-destruct upon failure! gears. Have no fear, just jump right in
case you haven't, here are a few reminders Obviously, with a bare wire, you're there and do it. Make sure that the
to help you get your steed in good shape asking for trouble, so replace it. A broken grommets are soft and pliable. These little
and ready for action. wire isn't a total loss, as long as you're parts have to absorb a fantastic amount of
First, make sure that the batteries are well versed in soldering. Just make sure vibration from that fire-breathing engine
up to snuff. If you have a battery cycler, that your repair is a high-quality joint and up front. Heaven knows what kind of
perform a charge/discharge cycle; not well insulated with heat-shrink tubing. damage vibration would do to your servos
once, but at least twice to ensure that the Remember, you're only fooling yourself if if the grommets didn't stop it. These are
battery performance is consistent. There's you think you did a good j o b . . and didn't! really cheap to replace, so don't skimp
nothing more discouraging than getting If you have a kinked wire, write it off. here. Besides, they're great for leading the
your bird up the first, second and maybe Copper wire can only flex so many times antenna out of the side of your plane
the third time, only to have it sent back to before snapping. A kink normally stresses when you want a clean-looking hole that
the factory in smaller, inoperative pieces the wire pretty badly, so assume that won't cut the antenna.
because of a bad battery pack. This is one there's significant damage to the wire and Consider installing servos that suit
item in the radio section where you must repair or replace it. your needs for pattern, if you have to
say, "When in doubt, throw it out." How about that switch harness? Does replace them. Most servos you get with
If you find that a new battery is in it look clean, or does it look as if it's been the radio system are standard-service
order, consider replacing a standard dunked in the oily exhaust from the servos. There's a difference in the per
500mAh pack with a newer 800 or engine? If there are significant traces of formances of servos, and this will be
l,200mAh pack for increased capacity directly reflected in the flight performance
and insurance against disaster. Several of the bird, especially in pattern. A faster
radio manufacturers have made these servo means that the ship will respond to
available, as have after-market dealers command more quickly and more crisply.
who make large-capacity packs for us. Also, when you want that baby to stop
These larger batteries not only provide a rolling, it will certainly help to return the
fresh and reliable power supply, but also ailerons to neutral as fast as possible.
lengthen flying times, allow a larger There are other considerations to be
margin for error due to servo stalling and taken into account in servo installation,
offer peace of mind. Worth every penny! such as centering, resolution, ball bear
Just because the pack is new, it doesn't ings, pot, etc. Speed is only one example
mean that you can skip the cycler. Put of the benefits that a high-quality servo
that baby to the test—just in case. Bad will provide.
Frank Kelly of Las Vegas has that look of
packs sometimes come fresh from the disgust as he faces an engine repair at the Now inspect the connection from ser
factory. field. vos to flying surfaces. This normally
Next, inspect all the wiring. Check the means the pushrods and cables. Make
main harness for stiff or bare wires, oil on it, you can bet that there's oil in it, sure that they're in good shape and not
breaks or kinks. and that really isn't good for the switch. stressed or bent. I've seen pushrods which
A stiff wire indicates two things. First, Again, when in doubt, throw it out. Even are bent beyond recognition, not always
you might have a low-quality wire, and if there's no trace of oil, make sure that as a result of excessive flight loads. My
that's going to cost you money in the the switch works smoothly and reliably. book says the fewer bends there are, the
future. If it won't flex well (and flex it A slight crunching sound means that dirt more reliable the transfer of torque will
must, in order to absorb vibration and has made its way inside and will cause it be. So, whether the bent rods result from
motion), it will break. Second, a stiff wire to fail sometime soon. If it doesn't transfer installation or flight load, keep them
often means that the insulation is old and power when thrown just once, that could straight and true for maximum effect.
brittle. Embrittled insulation will even mean worn-out contacts. It's best to The same goes for the cables. Loose
tually crack, and you'll then have bare replace it and so live to fly another day. cables are asking for flutter—never seen
wires. Time to replace it with new wire! If Now to the servos. When they operate, flutter? Hang around pattern long enough,
you aren't confident that you can safely do they sound smooth and quiet, just like and you'll eventually see a fast bird
JUNE 1988 45
Merle Hyde seems
to be showing the
troops his method
of checking things
on a Dash.
Pre-flight
checks are a vital
part of safe,
accident-free
PATTERN MATTERS flying.
disintegrate before your very eyes from a joints, any hinge line and any longitude- major problem each year that would have
flutter. Keep the cables taut and make direction joint. If oil has worked its way been fatal to the ship if it wasn't fixed
sure that they're well-secured at the ends. into any of these spots, you'll probably before flying.
No breaks, kinks or fraying allowed! have some type of structural failure there Before doing the last operation—taxi-
On the flying surfaces, the first check is in the near future. testing—take a long, hard look at the
the pull test. Give each flight surface a To cure this problem, remove the oil tank and fuel lines. Replace old lines and
good tug to ensure that the hinges are completely and repair the areas to at least then pressurize the tank slightly to ensure
holding. Time will break the bond of original condition, if not better. Fire wall that there are no leaks. If this passes the
adhesives to wood and fiberglass. This and bulkhead joints should be completely test, fuel it up and see how it runs.
problem will be compounded by hinge- coated with an epoxy-type fuelproofer. Although this check-out seems like
pins, if you use that kind of hinge. Hinge- External joints should be sealed with something the other guy needs to do, you
pins are pretty good, but the hinges they paint or covering material to prevent an really ought to try it. In reality, only a
run through may be fatigued. If they don't oil invasion. As far as possible, hinge lines small percentage of the readers who read
look new, replace them. should be kept clean and oil-free. The this column will actually safety-check
The next test is of the control horn. wing-mounting blocks may have to be their birds. Of those who say that they
Make sure that it's securely attached and replaced if they're soaked with oil. Don't don't need to, a higher percentage will
has no play. Check the hole at the clevis forget that oil makes wood expand, and if suffer a "Class A" mishap due to some
connection to see if it has worn and is you have a nylon bolt running through it error or failure that could have been
elongated. If it is, replace the horn. While . . . makes you think, huh? (Not to mention prevented by a systematic check-out. (A
you're at it, look at the clevis to make sure the chance of the adhesive cutting loose.) "Class A" mishap is one that involves the
that it works as advertised. These are Go over the retracts, and check for total loss of the aircraft.) If you do nothing
cheap to replace, and good ones go a long proper operation in both directions. Here, else, at least get into the habit of per
way towards ensuring safe flying. Per I recommend the first operational test of forming the flight-check on taxi-out. Just
sonally, I like using ball joints because the aircraft. Investigate any retract that make sure that all the surfaces are moving,
they are virtually slop-free. But, whatever seems to hang up or fails to lock down. and moving in the correct direction.
your choice, just make sure that your For those using pneumatic retracts, it's You'll find that once you save one bird
clevis or ball-joint installation is textbook time to lube the cylinders. After hanging because you did that check, you'll be
perfect and secure. around for a couple of months, the seals telling others to do it as well.
Now to the engine. If you did your could probably use a little help getting I received a letter from Rick Pellicciotti
homework, the mothball efforts you made back in shape. My method of lubing calls of Broken Arrow, OK, in which he says,
last winter will ensure a well-preserved for petroleum jelly and about ten minutes "I'm familiar with turn-around-type fly
engine this spring. If the engine is well of your time. Simply remove an air line ing, having been a member of the Inter
preserved—no problems. If the engine from the retract and stuff it into the jelly, national Miniature Aerobatic Club
caught the rust bug—big problems. No filling about one inch of the air line with (IMAC) for some years. That's the only
use writing to Peter Chinn about your jelly. Once this has been done, hook it type of flying (turn-around) they've ever
problem; just bite the bullet and repair or back up to the cylinder and pressurize it. done. I've noticed some contests with
replace. As with my other preventive tips, The high pressure will force the jelly into turn-around-type events in the lower
you're only fooling yourself if you think the cylinder and so lube the seals quite categories, and I've enclosed a copy of the
you can get by without them. well. sequences that were flown in two contests
Last, the airframe itself. We hope to In the second operational test, make that I know about."
have a clean bird that is a little dusty but sure that all flight surfaces move in the Thanks for the input, Rick. For the
proud and ready. Look for oil-soaked direction that the transmitter tells them to. record, here's the Sportsman-Class sche
areas around the nose, tail, underside and I like to move the left and then the right dule that was flown by the Team Race
especially at the hinge lines. Look at the aileron and to actually watch them move. R / C Club of Pearl, MS:
floor beneath the bird. If there's a drop of This flight check may seem trivial, but it • Take-off.
oil there, then you probably have an oil- could save an aircraft someday. The re • Enter box to three inside loops.
contaminated airframe. If there has been versing switches are very easy to forget. • Stall turn.
some contamination, hope that it's in an Make it a habit to flight-check before • Cuban 8; exit box.
area that's not critical to airframe in every flight, even if your previous flight • Enter box to one reverse outside loop.
tegrity. Critical areas are the fire wall and was just ten minutes ago. Doing this, 1 • Half-reverse Cuban 8.
bulkhead joints, wing-mounting-block guarantee that you'll trace at least one (Continued on page 103)
by WALLY ZOBER
I F YOU LIKE pretty airplanes

and scale-type R/C model
airplanes that fly like full-size
airplanes, then the updated,
redesigned Citabria kit by Sig
Manufacturing Co.* will be your
cup of tea. declined, the
Back in the late '60s, tail- Champion
draggers weren't popular as Aircraft
trainers and sport-flying aircraft. Corp., who
Champs and J-3 Cubs were being earlier purchased the design rights
replaced by tricycle landing-gear to the once-popular Champ,
aircraft such as the Cessna 150 decided to take a gamble. One
JUNE 19888 40
Above: Conventional
structure, materials we all
recognize, classic model.
Left: From the length of
that stride, Wally may
have set the idle just a bit
high!!
last attempt was to be made to save the Champ by started with the Citabria.
redesigning it and making it an aerobatic trainer. Designed by Maxey Hester, the Sig Citabria kit
Critical areas of the structure were beefed up, new was first introduced to modelers in 1968. The
spring-steel landing gears were added, and the original kit had a fully symmetrical airfoil that was
rudder and wing tips were squared off. As a great for aerobatics by a skilled pilot, but not much
marketing gimmick, they spelled airbatic fun for the average Sunday flier. In 1972, the kit
backwards, and came up with the new name, was re-released with several changes. The airfoil
Citabria. A new airplane was born! was changed from a fully symmetrical to a flat-
By the end of World War II, aerobatics had bottom airfoil, which it still has today. The flat-
virtually disappeared in sport flying. However, the bottom wing made the Citabria much easier to fly,
gamble that Champion Aircraft Corp. had taken yet it was still capable of doing scale aerobatic
paid off, and aerobatics was revitalized in sport maneuvers.
aviation. The Citabria caught on and became very At the time of the 1972 kit release, one important
popular as an aerobatic trainer. Many of today's change wasn't made. The instructions for building
aerobatic pilots will tell you that their training and flying the model were still printed on the plans.
Since that time, things have changed
dramatically in the modeling industry. Kit
builders today want details spelled out for
them. They want clear step-by-step
Left: Just instructions and don't want to second-guess
breaking ground,
the Citabria the designer of the kit. Sig Manufacturing
climbs out isn't the type of company to be left at the
smoothly.
Below: Lots of
post. They saw this trend and responded by
wood, becoming one of the first kit manufacturers
substantial to include a photo-illustrated instruction
building,
definitely NOT manual.
an ARF! The Citabria kit has now been around a
long time, so Sig decided to update the kit.
They came up with a new building and
flying instruction manual, a new set of
drawings, a new decal sheet, a new
style of wheel pants, a new air scoop
for the cowl and a formed tail-wheel
wire assembly.
The plans are on two sheets: Sheet
1 shows the side view of the fuselage,
plus the top view of the fuselage and
the fin, rudder and tail-wheel
assembly. It also shows all the
bulkhead cross sections, cowl and
landing-gear installation, plus the
balance point. The balance point on
I 'm making a Sig Citabria—my second attempt
at building a model plane.
1 have two main reasons for buying the
Three views of
Joe's Sig Citabria
under
Citabria: First, the plans and booklet provided by construction. His
Sig are very complete and allow even an amateur second model!!
like me to construct a pretty decent craft. Second, Think he'll try an
F-15 next?!
1 figured the Citabria would look great on floats.
The supplied instructions are superb, and I don't
see how they could be improved. There's very Joe Feori, West Des Moines, IA
little left to your imagination; if you can't find the
proper direction in the booklet, you can find it on
the plans themselves. I was greatly impressed by
the Sig Kadet Senior kit, which led me to the
Citabria. The Citabria, being a more sophisticated
aircraft, of course has more detailed instructions,
but they're easy to follow, and 1 give the Citabria
very high marks.
this airplane is most important, and I'll explain why

when I describe the first flight. Sheet 2 shows the two
wing panels and center wing section, the stabilizer
and elevator, aileron and pushrod installation and
wing struts. These drawings are very comprehensive.
The kit comes with die-cut balsa sheets, die-cut
plywood, sawn plywood, balsa sheets for the leading
and trailing edges, balsa sticks (longerons), blocks for
fuselage, wing and empennage, hardware in plastic
bags, bent-wire parts, aluminum landing gear, plastic
parts, windshield, side windows, cowl, wheel pants,
plans and instruction manual.
CONSTRUCTION: When I build a
kit, I usually start with the wing, and
that's how I started the Citabria. I'm not
going to go into a step-by-step
instruction, as the Sig manual does a
great job with its photos and
instructions. However, I'll point out
areas where problems may occur.
• Wing construction. The instruction
manual calls for and shows rib stacking
for the purpose of removing high spots
and burrs. Do it lightly, as excessive
sanding may distort the airfoil shape.
Above: Plastic cowl
neatly trimmed to One minor problem was the shallow
provide engine die-cutting on the wing ribs. I had to cut
clearance. No
"muffler" pressure out almost all of the ribs, because the
used. die didn't cut deeply enough. This didn't
happen with any of the plywood die-
cutting parts, as they popped out easily.
Left: Simple strut attachment and short, straight aileron When positioning wing ribs to wing
pushrod shown here. (Continued on page 103)
by CRAIG HATH
T HIS MONTH, I'LL skip the tutor

ial on setting up the ideal heli
copter for all-around flying, and
talk instead about a few items which are
of interest to most R/C helicopter en
The Flying Stand will allow the heli
copter to move in just about any direction
without ever striking the ground. Blade
strikes will be eliminated, as the rotor
blades cannot touch any part of the stand
thusiasts. First, I'll describe some of the or ground, regardless of the attitude of the
new products that I discovered while helicopter. The Flying Stand will permit
recently visiting the IMS show in Pasa the model to fly in a seven-foot circle and
dena, CA. reach up to four feet high. This is perfect
for a novice in a small area, and it will
IMS Show enable him to master the controls of the
For starters, I wish that two of the gadgets machine, including stationary hovering
I found there had been available when I up through nose-in flight. The price of the
was learning to fly. In fact, one of the device will be less than the total price of
items may still be good for polishing parts needed to make repairs after two A close-up of Rock Whiteman's device. It
maneuvers or learning new maneuvers. crashes, so the investment would be wise. won't allow rotor blades to touch any surface,
including the ground.
I think I've seen a good cross section of For more information, contact Mr. White-
R/C training aids, but felt as if no one had man. through-advanced helicopter and more!
really "invented the wheel," yet!—until I The second impressive item is a tool You may also choose the way the camera
saw a neat device designed by Rock that could be used by any R/C pilot views the model, e.g., from a fixed point
Whiteman, who owns Whiteman Indus (rotary or fixed wing). Ambrosia Micro ten feet high, a moving "pan" set at
tries* of Sunland, CA. Mr. Whiteman was computer products is about to release its ground level, etc. The possibilities are
faced with a dilemma that we've all come new flight simulator for use on the Atari mind-boggling!
across: trying to keep a model flying long ST line of home computers. There are If it sounds as though I'm excited by
enough to learn how to fly, without over 7,000 hours of development in this this product, it's because I am. Once I'd
constant lay-offs for repairs, waiting for program, which has been written by taken hold of the transmitter (this device
parts, etc. modeler and professional programmer takes the place of a joystick and is a
His solution was to devise a way to David Stern. With this program, you can production 4-channel transmitter mod
tether a helicopter to the ground without set up the conditions for the model that ified to interface with the computer), I
letting the tethering device hinder the you're flying and for the environment that found myself standing there, adrenaline
flight characteristics of the hovering heli you'll be flying in. You'll be able to select pumping through my veins as I lifted the
copter. The result of his efforts is being a type of aircraft, e.g., sailplane, sport machine into a hover, corrected for the
marketed as the Helicopter Flying Stand. airplane, pattern airplane, beginning- wind drift, completed a four-point pir
ouette, dumped the nose and entered
forward flight, looped twice, did a Belgian
stall turn, slow-rolled to inverted, and re
entered hover nose-in and inverted! You
just lose track of the fact that you're not at
the field with the real thing, but just sitting
in front of a screen. The "model" flew so
well that I caught myself preparing to ask
David about the particulars of his setup,
like pitch curves, rotor blades, etc.!
At any rate, if you have these last two
items in your arsenal, you could become
one of the local hot dogs in short order
The GMP booth at the recent IMS show in The Morley Helicopters booth. This line is and probably never break a rotor blade in
Pasadena, CA. being imported from Great Britain, and it the process. These goodies aren't a sub
focuses on keepingthe cost of the sport low.
stitute for the experience of unbridled
Close-up of the
new single-axle
rotor head that
will be available
for the GMP
shuttle. This will
help make the ship
more responsive
flight, but they'll go a long way toward and less prone to
preparing you for that time. boom strikes.
Moving through the show, I had the
opportunity to speak with Robert Gorham
copters*. The thrust of Morley's line is to moves on the machine, e.g., tail-rotor
about the new things coming from
provide good flying models at reasonable systems, cooling fans, clutch assemblies,
Gorham Model Products* in 1988. New
prices. An example of this is the Augusta etc. There are adaptors to mount most
items include an upgraded Hirobo Shuttle
109, which features a fiberglass body, full spinning parts to the balancer. Check
that features a new single-axle rotor head
collective-pitch mechanics and retractable with High Point for more details.
to help eliminate boom strikes, a stronger
landing gear, all for under $400. That's a
set of main frames, a new tail-rotor
very reasonable price for any collective-
casing, a simplified collective system and
pitch .40- to .45-size model, especially
an upscale version, loaded with more ball
one with scale fuse included. The Augusta
bearings for precision hovering and longer
109 is also the most expensive model in
service life. The Shuttle will still be
the line, which includes a Hughes 300
shipped assembled, and '88 models will
and a Bell Tow Cobra, both built around
have a new body color. GMP is about to
the Morley Mk 3 mechanics. A pod-and-
release a new rotor head for models in the
boom version of this ship is also available.
.50 to .60 range; it's called the S/R, for
Super Response rotor head. This head is One of the other items being handled
designed to make cyclic response come by Morley is a gyro, which I think was the
alive, allowing aerobatic maneuvers to be popular Quest gyro from Australia. Mr. A screen showing the helicopter portion of
Moreno claims that the gyro is very solid, the R/C aircraft simulator from Ambrosia
Microcomputer Products. The helicopter
and that it will give the flier full stick was very impressive, as it responded just
authority for aerobatics. as a model does.
Circus Hobbies* introduced the O-
mega, a new helicopter from Kalt. Much New Helicopter Club
influence from former world champion I learned recently about a group of fliers
Taya is evident in this design, e.g., the in the Pittsburg area which has formed a
unique pull/pull cyclic controls, which new club strictly for R/C helicopter
have the servos placed behind the main owners. The name of the club is the
shaft, and a new tail-rotor transmission to Pittsburgh Area Rotor Runners Helicopter
complement the design. In fact, this ap Club*; membership is open to anyone
pears to be a strictly competition-oriented and dues are $15. The group is planning a
machine, but don't let that stop you. fun-fly event, to be held on May 14 and
Couple the Omega with the new 10S 15. They have plans to move activities to
rotor head and the Jet Stream body different locations in the area, so making
(designed for the Omega) and you have a it more convenient for participants to
world-beater! attend. Call or write for more information.
Also of interest is an item from High
Robert Gorham's Jet Ranger with the new
SIR rotor head. S/R stands for "super Point Products* that will permit any rotor Heli Interests
response." head to be balanced on the popular High I'm always encouraged when I hear of a
Point balancer. The shaft will adapt to group forming to disseminate information
performed with greater ease and predic accommodate either 8mm or 10mm about our hobby. As I've mentioned
tability. One final new item from GMP is main-shaft rotor heads. The item isn't earlier, we're one of the few groups in
a "flybarless" rotor head for the Cobra new, but it was new to me. High Point R/C that doesn't have a national special-
and Competitor models. This head will also has other interesting items for heli interest group to represent us. I feel that
be of particular interest to scale modelers. modelers. For one thing, if you don't have there are enough helicopter fliers to make
As well as all this, I had the opportunity a "High Point," get one! This is the this worthwhile, and I hope that my
to meet Tony Moreno at the show; he's handiest tool for tracking down vibrations. feelings are shared. If you agree with me
the US representative for Morley Heli You can balance just about anything that on this issue, please let me know, and
JUNE 1988 52
HELI. CHALLENGE helicopters from Miniature Aircraft 0429) and special studs (No. 0459).
we'll work to get things started. Further, if U.S.A.*, you'll be interested to know that These parts will ensure greater resistance
you're a member of a helicopter-oriented the helicopter has been modified to make to damage from hard landings.
club, please send me information about it even more reliable. Seven changes have • A smoother, quieter compound for the
your group and your activities so that I been incorporated into all new production main gear (No. 0207) is being used; this
can mention them in this column. You kits, and parts will be available if you eases the setting of the gear mesh.
can keep me abreast of the group's want to upgrade existing models. The • High-strength bolts for the main rotor
activities by mailing me a newsletter, or changes are: blades (No. 0083) to complement the
copies of any event fliers, etc. • New CG-corrected rotor blades that new rotor blades, and give greater blade
utilize the new blade mounts, which will security in the face of a trend toward
XCELL Upgrade withstand 4,000 pounds of pull. heavier blades at higher rotor speeds.
If you own one of the fine new XCELL • Specially treated tail output shaft (No. (Miniature Aircraft still recommends that
the rotor speed be set between 1,600 and
1,650rpm for hover, as this seems to give
optimum performance.)
• All clutch bells (No. 0277) and fan
hubs (No. 0257) will have knurled contact
surfaces for 100 percent clutch/fan con
tact.
• A new landing-gear strut is claimed to
give 25 percent more resistance to damage
from hard landings.
• A new, improved canopy material will
make the completed unit stronger and
easier to paint.
Miniature Aircraft warned us to be on
the lookout for black-market parts for the
XCELL line of helicopters. Use of sub
standard replacement parts may initially
save money, but the parts probably won't
last long and may even fail at the most
inopportune time, so resulting in costly
damage far outweighing any initial
savings.
That's it for now. Next month, we'll
resume our discussion on trimming, and
we'll pick up on the setting of collective
pitch curves and related items. See you
then!
*Here are the addresses of the companies
mentioned in this article:
Whiteman lnd., 10826 Nassau, Sunland CA
91040.
Gorham Model Products, 23961 Craftsman
Rd., Calabasas, CA 91302.
Morley Helicopters, R/C Models USA, P.O.
Box 6026, San Pedro, CA 90734.
Circus Hobbies, 3132 S. Highland Dr., Las
Vegas, NV 89109.
High Point Products, 3013 Mary Kay Ln.,
Glenview, IL 60025.
Pittsburgh Area Rotor Runners Helicopter
Club, c/o 227 East Main St., Carnegie, PA
15106. Tel (412) 921-0554.
Miniature Aircraft USA, 2324 North Orange
Blossom Trail Orlando, FL 32804.
W HILE MUCH OF the world was
focused on the thrills and spills of
the 1988 Winter Olympics, others
were getting ready for yet another interna
tional contest. Olympic events see athletes
competing in very earthly pursuits, but a
more flighty breed are
readying for something
far more celestial in
the skies over Red
Deer, Alberta, Canada.
The good old US of
A didn't do so well in
Calgary, but our aero
nautic c o m p e t i t i o n
prospects are far better
in Red Deer, where the
US Aerobatic team is
expected to bring home
the bacon—and the
smart money is quite
emphatic about that!
If you knew what
qualified these pilots for
such an honor, you'd
hardly be able to dis
agree. It all starts each
September in northern
Texas...
This year's National
Aerobatic Champion
ships in S h e r m a n /
Denison, TX, was a
rather exceptional af
fair. The skies were
clear and blue, the
winds manageable, the
pilot participation high, The rapid growth in popularity of sport
and the level of com aerobatics has been accelerating of late—
petition was the fiercest so much so that the Unlimited competition
ever seen in a US Na at this year's Nationals had the largest
tional Aerobatic meet. field of competitors that anyone could
What a week! remember. People from all walks of life
\EROBATIC by JIM CAMPBELL
hampionship Team
gathered to carve up the sky with precision, strength, ingenuity While the oldest competitor was approaching his mid-60s, the
and determination. There were doctors, business people, youngest was 17-year-old Sheila Johnson, who flew a Pitts
salespeople, students, lawyers, flight instructors, technicians S-1T.
and more than a few airline pilots interested in getting away As the traditional site of the US Nationals, Sherman/Denison
from their usual flying buses. Even more interesting was the is ideally suited to the event. Even better, you'd be hard-pressed
fact that a record number of women showed up to do battle. to find a more cooperative atmosphere and staff than those
JUNE 1988 57
Clint McHenry leads a pair
of Pitts, just after breaking
ground. Monoplanes and
bipes find equal favor
among aero pilots. Note
variations in Pitts' gear and
rudder shapes.
found here. A former military base, this large, expan well-defined set of boundaries. There are several
sive airfield has only moderate traffic, a very open- judges stationed at these boundaries, and their sole
minded tower staff and an ideal layout for the judging mission is to ensure that each competitor stays within
of an aerobatic event (a critical consideration). Modern the limits. Besides increasing difficulty, the primary
competitive aerobatics are far more than a bunch of reason for the boundary is to ensure that the judges
pilots trying to outdo one another; it's a highly have a good view of the pilot. This limit is set up to
disciplined, carefully organized activity where the ensure the safety of all, and this has made the US
rules are at the heart of every move. National Aerobatic Championships one of the safest
For instance, it's not a simple matter of trying to do sporting events in the world. Honest!
each maneuver where the judge can see you.. Oh, no. Think of i t . . . there you are, looping, spinning,
You have to accomplish your objective within a very rolling and blasting your way through the sky while
trying to execute each maneuver
as precisely as possible. All the
while, you're also responsible
for keeping your sweaty self
within the confines of a "box"
that measures 1,000 meters
(about 3,300 feet) wide, 1,000
meters long, has its lower limit
more than 328 feet off the
ground and is less than 3,500
feet high at max altitude. Exit
the confines of this box and lose
points, screw up a maneuver
and lose points, do a maneuver
out of sequence and lose points,
fail to follow the entrance and
exit procedures and lose points—
it's a wonder that anyone can
score at all! All this occurs while
you're trying to wrestle a 200-to
3 0 0 h p airplane around the
Gorgeous Pitts taxies past one of Uncle's Holloman-based Eagles. Needless to say, they're both (Continued on page 60)
aerobatic, but the F-15 needs a larger "box."
On the ground,
countless hours are
spent in thought, flying PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF
imaginary maneuvers,
with one's hands and LIFE GATHERED TO CARVE UP
arms substituting
the aircraft.
for THE SKY...
sky and fighting the vagaries of wind, turbulence and your
own nerves. This isn't a pursuit for the insecure!
You don't compete in the US Nationals just because you
want to. Both pilot and aircraft have to prove their
competence and ability to undertake such a challenging
endeavor. Before the first flight, mechanics and safety
inspectors check each aircraft, its systems and all the
required documentation. Administrative personnel check
each pilot's license, FAA waivers (for low-level flight),
medical certificate and history, competition record, insur
ance and other matters before allowing them to fly.
Speaking of medical matters, think of those loops you
may have learned a while back, or those spins you suffered
through a few years ago, and then consider the rigors of
The eternal quest for weight loss often leaves these aircraft without Unlimited aerobatics. A few seconds at 3 or 4 Gs is probably
the luxury of an electrical system and starter...hence the "Armstrong"
start. a big deal to the average pilot, but consider the torture of a
contest where you're forced to undergo the prolonged
physical onslaught of 6 or 7 Gs—positive and negative! All
this, while trying to do each maneuver with the kind of
precision that can be ruined by an error of only a few
degrees, or a second of mis-timing. Each pilot professes to
love the challenge, but their fatigued faces on landing also
speak eloquently of the punishment of high-performance
Unlimited flying.
Such a competition is judged by dozens of professionals.
There are judges who verify that you stay in the box, judges
who verify your procedures, and judges who score the
maneuvers—each usually accompanied by
one or two assistants. If you screw up, there are
plenty of well-trained eyes to catch it.
Judges have to undergo a period of training,
Patty Wagstaff competed in her new Extra 230 apprentice for an appreciable time and then
monoplane after only six weeks of practice with qualify at basic levels before finally working
her new bird. their way up the ladder to the US Nationals.
Each judge has to follow a careful set of rules
and guidelines that are detailed in the Inter
national Aerobatic Club's "Official Contest
Rules." The judges themselves are checked
Long-time team and graded according to pre-calculated scor
member, Henry ing biases via a complicated international
Haigh, gets scoring system that reflects the current stats in
ready to head up
for his four- world competition. If all that isn't good enough,
minute Free each pilot has the right to protest a judge's
program. decision. This will then be arbitrated by an
aerobatic "jury" as soon as circumstances
allow it.
The maneuvers flown by Unlimited-class
competitors are complex and demanding;
Clint McHenry helps a fellow competitor to move an aircraft into
position after the contest. they require the very best from the combina
tion of pilot and aircraft. If either isn't abso
lutely up to par, there's literally no way to win
by FRANK TIANO
A WHILE BACK, I showed you what it

was like to visit beautiful Costa Rica
and to participate in its "Fun in the
Sun" annual get-together and fun-fly. If you
really read every word in MAN, you may recall
that Julio Pastora, the organizer of this
prestigious event, demonstrated an absolutely
wonderful RTF (Ready-To-Fly) Tucano that
he'd taken delivery of only the night before his
demonstration. Well, that Tucano is the subject
of this review. No, I didn't grab Julio's; I simply Superb finish is paint, not film!! Canopy is easily removed to add a pilot or two.
Radio, engine, prop and spinner are the only additions required.
drove 18 miles to Miami and picked one up
for myself!
Air Champ Models Inc.* imports the
Tucano from one of its factories in Brazil.
They sell the model direct to U.S. consumers
for a nickel less than $275.
"Tell me more," you beg! Well, Air
Champ brings the models into Miami from Webra .40, 10x7 Rev-Up prop and K&B WOO fuel provide 100+mph flying!!
Brazil, gives them a thorough checking over Flics super when balanced properly.
for defects, then puts the parts into a big
padded box and ships them to greedy U.S. modelers who wrong. I'll give you the real stats: a wingspan of 55.5 inches, a
scoop them up, because they know a good deal when they see 556 square-inch area and a calculated wing loading of 27
one. ounces per square foot. The Tucano is 45 inches long, has a
CONSTRUCTION: With very few parts to join together, symmetrical airfoil and a larger-than-scale stab for increased
construction is quick and very easy. In the case of the Tucano, stability and better aerobatics. You can expect a finished
"What you see is what you get" has never been more true. It weight of 6.25 pounds plus an additional 6 ounces of nose
took longer to install the Futaba* radio than to assemble the weight. I thoughtfully figured this into the wing loading for
few pieces. Three hours from the box to the runway! When you.
you open the box and tilt it downwards, two large pieces and The booklet leads you to believe that the Tucano won't
one small piece fall out, and that's it! I thought they'd need any nose weight, but the CG fairy says otherwise. If
forgotten the other 75 percent of the kit, but not so—that's the you'd like to make it past the first left turn, I strongly suggest
total! The three parts were one fuselage, one wing and a parts adding 6 ounces. Other than a couple of minor snags, the
baa. The fuselaae is constructed of fiberglass and the wing model is a real blast to fly. And, of course, it looks so good
that you may be tempted to tell everyone that you painted it
all by yourself! That way, you can feel like a real Steve
Stunning type...until this issue hits the stands!
"Hold on," you say. "What's this about a couple of snags in
this here pretty aeroplane?" Well, the nice motor mount that's
supposed to fit every known .40 just doesn't fit. You must use
one of the narrower-girth .40s to fit within the mount. A big
fat Rossi won't make it. While you're at it, add two or three
degrees of downthrust to the motor mount. This stops the
hunting tendency the Tucano exhibits during quick throttle
changes. A little tape or some other sealing method for the
ailerons is a big help in getting more roll response. Why not
make the nose-gear steering cable take a direct route to the
steering arm and adjust the throw for the absolute minimum?
This will allow the Tucano to remain tractable during its
Tucano comes out of the box this way! Surfaces are pre-hinged, takeoff roll. And last, but certainly not least, remove the fuel
linkages installed. tank, take off the ugly black tubing that they've so
thoughtfully welded to the pickup tubes, and replace the whole
and stab are foam units pre-covered in a lightweight sheeting mess with your favorite U.S. brand of tubing (something like
and then fiberglassed. The servo mounts, engine mount, fuel Aerotrend's* Blueline). While you're at it, re-label the lines,
tank, landing gear, pushrods, foam padding and all hinges are since they're incorrect as provided.
already installed. The special RFM motor mount permits the I enjoyed building the Tucano, even though it did take two
use of many different engines without drilling and tapping hours and 45 minutes out of my day. I rate the ship about an
holes. And, best of all, it's already fuelproofed and painted in 8.3 on a scale of one to ten. The only reason I can't give it a
red and white with all decals applied. perfect score is that I prefer military paint schemes and think
The kit comes with a very sparse booklet that outlines the retractable gear would enhance the appearance and
nine construction steps. The booklet also gives the Tucano's performance. However. I must admit that the striking red-and-
dimensions, but accuracy was lost somewhere in the white paint job certainly did get its share of "oohs" and "ahhs"
translation from metric to American, because they're entirely (Continued on page 110)
UCTED-FAN FLYING is alive and well in central
Florida! After moving from New York to Florida, I
joined a prestigious R/C club called The Remote Control
Association of Central Florida (RCACF). This club is known
worldwide, as for 20 years they've been the hosts of the world's
largest independent radio-control competition—the Tangerine
International R/C Championship.
This year, they added something new: a Ducted-Fan Fly-in with
competitive events. I was asked by the club's Board of Directors to C.D.
this new event; I accepted and enjoyed the job.
It was decided that the Ducted-Fan Fly would be a two-day event and
that it would be held at the Deland Golden Hawks R/C flying field.
What a super deal this club has! Their flying field is an abandoned concrete
runway at the Deland County Airport (just perfect for jets). The R/C clubs
in Florida are very cooperative in sharing their flying fields for special
events.
On December 28, '87, the day before the Fan-Fly event, Bob Violett,
Above: One of the

Byron Bullets flown by
the Cloud Dancers
Show Team; they also
fly F-15s.
Right: The 1987 "top
gun," Ron Gilman, with
his Thunderbird-
marked Violett
Aggressor.
Photo: Alex Sim
GUEST COLUMNIST: WALLY ZOBER

wmmL
Croup Publisher
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1 year $33.00; 2 years $63.00; 3 years $89.00.
203-834-2900.
61054.
FFRJ?/ IARY 7
F-15s, two new Byron Bullets, one KFIR and one
BD-5J. Dave Nicholson had two beautifully finished
Jet Hangar Hobbies* models: an A-4 Skyhawk
powered by a Rossi 65 and a Dynamax Fan, and an
F-86 Sabre powered by a Bob Violett fan and engine.
Dave also had his Midwest Products* Heinkel HE
162—a Nick Ziroli design powered by a Rossi 65
and Dynamax fan.
Bob Fiorenze had a very impressive giant-size
F/A-18 Hornet with a super finish, and an F-5
fighter in an Aggressor Squadron camouflage paint
scheme (Yellow Aircraft* prototype).
We had an original design of an F-4 Phantom,
Some of the participants in the 1987 Jet Competition. This event is definitely on designed and built by Eric Baugher. The powerplant
the upswing.
for this model was a Jet Model Products* Dynamax
fan combined with an O.S. 77. The model had a
Dick Clayson, Ed Eldridge and yours truly went to the Deland great finish, it flew well and was shown in the September '87
Golden Hawks' field for a final test of the electronic issue of Flying Models magazine.
equipment we'd be using for the Top Gun speed-trap event. It was a wonderful two days of flying—a chance to show
The temperature was 82 degrees. (Boy, am I glad I moved to off one's flying skills as well as craftsmanship. There were no
Florida!) ugly or poorly built models at this meet, so the "static" judges
The two-day event was organized as follows: The first day didn't have an easy task in selecting the "Best Finish" winner.
was set aside for fun-flying and for trimming out Dave Latsha won this event with
airplanes and engines. This was done for contestants his gorgeous orange-, purple-and
who had to adjust their aircraft to climate and white-striped Viper.
temperature changes. We had contestants from There was plenty of time for
Canada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, fun-flying and hot-dogging. Bob
Maryland, Texas, California, Washington DC, and Fiorenze put on quite a show with
New York. This day also gave fliers a chance to see his giant twin-engine F/A-18
old friends, make new ones, and engage in "hangar Hornet. His high-speed inverted
talk." On the first day of the fan-fly, the temperature passes, just six feet above the
was a brisk 38 degrees, winds gusted to 25 knots, runway, had the spectators
and skies were overcast. By 10 a.m., the temperature holding their breath. His F/A-18
had climbed to 55 degrees, the clouds began to and F-5 flying was extremely
break, and the fun began.
The second day was divided into fun-flying and
competition events. We had a good turnout for this
two-day Ducted-Fan Fly-in: 22 paid registrants with
28 magnificent models. Bob Violett Models*
dominated this Fly-in with 16 models, including:
Sport Sharks, Aggressors and Vipers.
Byron Originals* was well represented with two
C.D. Wally
Zober presents
Louis Levine
with his well-
deserved third-
place Jet Pattern
award.
Dave Latsha with his Viper and "Best

Finish" award. Striking scheme of orange,
purple and white.
Kathy Telford and Patty Violett with Patty's Viper. Watch
out, guys'. Patty took first place in Sportsperson Jet Pattern.
realistic and scale-like. He won Pilots' Choice
for Most Realistic Scale Flight and Best Scale
Model.
Bob Violett demonstrated the speed envelope
of his beautiful model, the Viper. He did high
speed and low-speed runs through the speed
trap and, during one unofficial flight, he
clocked 176.6mph (fast speed) and 48.5mph
(slow speed). Spectacular! He also dazzled the
crowd with high-speed fly-bys and vertical
climbs that took him straight up and out of
sight. Bob does his homework, and it pays off.
Dave Nicholson with his air force; JHH A-4 and F-86, plus a Midwest Heinkel.
Tom Velosky and Don Muddiman, who are
members of the Cloud Dancers Show Team,
put on a super demonstration with their Byron F-15s and speed of 143.15mph and a low speed of 48.67mph. He scored
exhibited some great formation flying with the new Bullets—a high points in maneuvers and static, but lost out on vertical
Blue Angels-style program of high-speed head-on passes, and rolls and takeoff.
a half-roll into knife-edge just before passing. Now to the meat of this Fly-in: the Jet Pattern events. In the
Bill Williamson flew Dave Nicholson's F-86. In the Top Ducted-Fan categories, Jet Pattern (Champion Class) was
Gun event, he clocked a 133.03mph fast time and a won by Ron Gilman of California with his Aggressor. Second
60.78mph slow time. This model doesn't have inlet ducting; it place went to Bob Violett and his Viper, and third place went
to Terry Nitch, who was also flying an Aggressor. This event
was top-notch flying.
The second event, Jet Pattern (Sportsman Class) was taken
by Patty Violett, who ran off with all the marbles. What a flier!
Second place went to Greg Garneau, from Quebec, Canada,
and third place went to Louis Levine. All three flew Violett
Jets, and their scores were separated by only a few points.
The Top Gun event is the event everyone was waiting for.
The tasks for this event are as follows: First, Static judging,
which was based on
workmanship and beauty (a la
Formula 1). The goal was to
keep the quality of models high.
Second, noise-level control, and
third, maneuvers, i.e., shortest
uses a cheater hole. If he had inlet takeoff, lowest speed, most
ducting and eliminated the cheater vertical rolls, three free-style
hole, his model would have flown maneuvers, a high-speed run,
much faster. (Continued on page 115)
Norm Holland flew a Byron BD-
5J Coors Silver Bullet. He had a
scary moment when, because of 25-
knot gusts, he got caught at great
distance downwind. Norm was at
that point of no return, where you can't tell if the model is
coming at you or going away, but he skillfully brought his
model back safely, to an appreciative roar from the crowd!
Ron Shafer wasn't as lucky. Ron is an excellent pilot, and
he was flying a faster airplane than Norm Holland had—a
swept-fin Sport Shark. He got caught in the same predicament
as Norm, but ended his flight in a spectacular crash, so losing
a beautiful model.
Craig Wilson was preparing to fly his Violett Sport Shark,
but while taxiing to takeoff position, his retracts drew in and Upper left: Bob Fiorenze's impressive F/A-18 Hornet; "Best
Scale Model" award.
his plane dropped its belly. There was no damage to the Center: Violett Aggressor; one of many on hand.
airplane (just to his pride!), and Craig found he had a Above: Craig Wilson's Sport Shark suffered uncommanded
transmitter problem. gear retraction...no damage, fortunately!
Eric Baugher did a fantastic job of flying a scratch-built F-4

Phantom, which is his original design. His model had a top
H AVING ALREADY WRITTEN
about Harvey Tomasian and his
Live Wire "Senior," I thought
there was nothing left to say. However, as
often happens, reader input encourages
me to raise the topic again. This time, it
was Harvey himself who sent me a tape
describing the Senior's exploits.
As the first Live Wire kit, the model is
of historical significance. Harvey has an
ongoing disagreement with Leon Shul-
man about whose Senior was actually the
first. Harvey says that a letter came with
his, describing it as the first of 12 kit
prototypes. Leon dropped. by the shop
around noon on the day the Seniors were
shipped, and Harvey's kit had been
shipped that morning. Wouldn't you say
that both can claim to have the first
Senior? A happy Bill Northrop with his altitude-record-setting Foo-Too model, Quadraplex-
Harvey's tape describes the protracted controlled.
life of this model, which has been flown
for over 32 years right up to modern afterward on a game preserve and re a sliding valve, but naturally, the engine
times. That alone makes it a real gem. turned to him. had to prove its worth in the Senior.
Add to this its association with three of Many flights later, Harvey became Apparently, Lee Renaud traveled about
R/C's best-known pioneers, and its place interested in multi-reeds and Bramco. A 50 miles several times a week to use the
in R/C history is assured. date was made to meet Dick Branstner Senior and to learn how to fly powered
half-way at Buffalo, where an early Flying R/C planes. The radio equipment was
Bison meet was scheduled. The Senior given the name "Airtronics," and Lee
graduated to multi-channel with Bramco retained the name for his now well-
and was test-flown the next day—the known California operation.
reed era had begun! Another R/C pioneer is Bob Elliott. As
In the mid '50s, Bramco decided to time went on, Bob did some fine things in
forego R/C to manufacture televisions, California and Texas, but, like Lee Re
etc., and there was concern about the loss naud, he got his start in New England.
of their fine R/C equipment. Harvey and Bob had been making some reed equip
Lee Renaud decided to try to continue ment when proportional was in the seed
Bramco production and purchased some stage. Being a visionary, Bob turned to
of the remaining inventory. The two went propo and developed a system. When it
into low-key production and offered an was time to test it, Bob turned to Harvey
Harvey Thomasian's No. 1 Live Wire Senior. improved hand-held transmitter, which and to the Senior. The Senior flights
After 32 years of pioneer flying, it now used micro-switches with the stick con
resides in the Sherman Model Museum, Ply
revealed some shortcomings (usual at
mouth, NH. trols in place of the slow-acting toggle that time) and it was back to the drawing
switches. Harvey says that the faster stick board. However, out of all this finally
The Senior was first flown with the action helped him improve his contest came the "Logictrol," which was also
K&B.19 and McNabb 465 single-channel performances. tested in the Senior. The plane flew for
radio, which were popular at that time. These two enthusiasts were intrigued many years with Bob Elliott's Logictrol.
When Harvey launched his with the by the new Johnson .36 engine that Harvey's Senior wasn't one of those
switch off, it flew away over the New featured the then-radical "Automix" car OTers which flew for a while and then
England forests, but was found soon buretor. This was the first carb to feature gathered dust in storage. Instead, it flew
housands of flights, wearing out many
engines and radios. It trained untold
numbers of pilots, and in later years it's
often seen as a good example of OT R/C
at contemporary flying fields.
Its final flights were made at the 1982
S.A.M. National Championships, where a
number of OT R/Cers had a hand at the
stick.
A decision to retire the Senior was
made at this meet. Harvey delivered it to
the Sherman Model Museum in Ply an inquiry from any modeler received those maneuvers. Note that the fixed nose
mouth, NH, where it rests today, resplen top-level attention. The name of Bob gear included considerable "caster,"
dent in all its glory! Dunham is synonymous with that of which facilitated straight ground runs.
You readers help a lot with information. Orbit, and Milt Boone was the "chief The combination made an excellent con
The mail brought an interesting letter and honcho" (Dunham's "do-it guy," shop test flier.
a three-view from Tom Ailes of Valpar supervisor—you name it!). Milt oversaw The Charger was built and flown all
aiso, IN, so I can tell you of another production and ensured that their quality over the U.S. Like many other fine early
outstanding man and his model. was tops. Bob once said that Milt Boon designs, it was featured in a magazine
Orbit Electronics and its equipment was Orbit. Hope you get the picture. (perhaps American Modeler or Air Trails).
was the elite of R/C in the late '50s and There was one model design that There's also some evidence that it was
the '60s. Orbit began as a garage opera brought Milt Boone national attention. In kitted, but this probably came too late for
tion with an outstanding single-channel the days of "rudder only," his "Charger" wide acceptance, due to the rapid switch
system, just as most of the major manu design showed the way to contest-winning to multi-controls. (Editor's note: Sure was
facturers did. In time, their "black box" single-channel performance. As the kitted... by Ambroid; I have a kit in my
reed systems were flown by the world's three-view shows, this was another box- collection!)
premier R/C pilots. Later, the Orbit ana style structural design, but the aerody Continuing our proportional history,
log proportional came to dominate the namics facilitated an exceptional per Don Brown was probably the first to offer
scene, followed by a well-accepted digital formance! In that day, the popular designs a commercial propo system. A most
system. Orbit's greatest asset was its could be labeled "trainer types"; rather likeable man, Don was from New Jersey.
customer relations. Throughout its history. large for the power used, they were more My info on the Dee Bee equipment is very
like powered gliders. As such, simply sparse, but I do know that Don used the
adding power for improved aerobatics brand name "Quadraplex" for his offer
didn't suit the aerodynamics well. They ings. Apparently, Model 21 was the first
needed to be designed for maneuverability. to be released, and this was multi-propor
Milt showed how to do that with his tional: in this case, three full propo controls
Charger. First, with a .15 for power, the plus one trimmable (for engine).
Charger was actually smaller than most If you recall the discussion about
.09 designs. Milt realized that extra power Bellamatic pulse servos, the Quadraplex
was needed for aerobatics. Additionally, 21 was developed to make full use of
with the use of a symmetrical airfoil in the these excellent units. Of course, the
stabilizer, the angular difference between Bellamatic required a pulsed signal with
the wing and the tail was kept to a "on" instead of "off" time determining
minimum. This reduced the roller-coaster the output position. Thus, for three pro
aftereffect from speed increases in portional controls there had to be three
maneuver recoveries. Takeoffs and land separate pulsed signals. This was accom
ings were important point earners in the plished with three distinct audio tones
The Quadraplex first commercial propor single-channel competition schedule. The sent over a common carrier.
tional system was multi-pulse and used
Bellamatic servos.
tricycle landing gear was unique at that
time, and could ensure a score of 10 for
JUNE 1988 73
Now, to the connecting rod. Connecting rods usually fail However, the success of this combination depends on having
differently on the bottom end than on the top end. The a quality piston ring. Unfortunately, only one piston ring
bottom end is well cooled with the incoming fuel spray and company seemed capable of producing an acceptable
is well lubricated. But the crankpin rotation plus its small quality ring, and when they were swallowed by a
size gives a pretty fair load rating, much higher than on conglomerate, quality mode! size rings became unavailable.
a crankshaft. The unit load rating on a crankpin might K & B solved their problem by developing the Dykes ring
be ten times as high as on a crank main. Connecting rods to an acceptable quality We solved our problem by
lower end are sometimes run on the rod material, and developing a new method of shaping conventional design
sometimes bushed. And, in rare cases, as in our old 60 and piston rings. Licensing of this patent is now available to
74, and larger chain saw motors, have needle bearings. interested ring manufacturers. The primary advantages of
Aluminum rod material seems to run pretty satisfactorily a steel liner-ring piston motor is its ability to accept abuse
on smaller size engines. In 19's and 25's, you can usually — over lean runs, dirt, no warm up, etc., and thefact that
This month's discussion will be on (he relative merits of ball run aluminum with no problem and have the rod last as it can be flown out of the box without fear of damaging
bearings vs bronze bushings vs cast aluminum for crankshaft long as the rest of the motor. A bar stock connecting rod it or seizing the piston. About the only disadvantage is that
main bearings; and also on the relative merits of lapped made from one of the stronger bar stock grades of the cylinder webs reduce the power output slightly over the
— ring — and A.B.C. piston cylinder combinations. aluminum has pretty fair bearing antifriction qualities, other two types.
and works well on the pin. When you get into larger size
First; on crankshaft bearings: Just about everyone in the motors, such as 40's and larger, the wear rate on the Now, to A.B.C. or A.A.C. type cylinder/piston combinations.
trade acknowledges that two ball bearings are the most connecting rod sometimes becomes unacceptable. In this A.B.C. is an abbreviation for Aluminum (Piston) Brass (Liner)
desirable. The advantages of the two ball bearing crankshaft case, most manufacturers have resorted to a bushing. Chrome (Plated). A.A.C. is an abbreviation for Aluminum
are as follows: Low initial friction, which in turn makes However, in my opinion, a poor bushing is worse than none (Piston) Aluminum (Liner) Chrome (Plated). The problem
starting easy and no break-in requirements. Other at all. Certain imported motors have brass rod bushings, of getting a good piston ring was probably a substantia!
advantages of double ball bearings are that the wear and which, of course, last a very short time. Some rods have used cause for the increased popularity of the so called A.B.C.
consequent resulting shift of the crank position is virtually the powdered bronze type bearing, but due to the abrasive type piston and cylinder combinations. This amounts to an
non existent in a ball bearing motor, and that the thrust nature of the bushing, the wear on the pin is veryfast. In aluminum piston with no rings, but cast out of one of the
from a starter doesn't cause wear on the front of the case. short order, the crankpin itself is worn out, even though it modern high silicon, low expansion aluminums which is
If it were not for the cost, I think that all model airplane is hardened very hard. # 6 6 0 bronze is a good grade general fitted into a brass liner, which has been chrome plated. The
engines would have two ball bearings on the main. However, purpose bronze, and is sometimes used with very good chrome plating produces a hard wearing surface to keep
this is not to say that a bushing main motor cannot be made successes. However, the best material we have found is the cylinder liner from wearing out. An aluminum piston
to run very well. The simplest form of bearing is for the phosphor bronze material. Phosphor bronze is quite run in a brass liner with no plating would be completely
crankshaft to run in the cast aluminum. This is done with expensive, costing several times that of #660, but it is dense worn out in 10 or 15 minutes. However, hard chrome is
fair success in our low priced 15 RC, and with the low priced and very high strength, and has all the good characteristics expensive, difficult to apply evenly, and almost impossible
K & B motors. This is simple and cheap. However, when the of bearing bronze. to hone once it's on. In order to even make a very small
shaft runs in aluminum, it is imperative for it to be well
shape and surface improvements, we have had to resort to
lubricated. And therein, often, is a problem, If you make
Now to the top side of the rod. The top side of a rod is not diamond and borizon honing stones to make afew tenths
the fit a little too tight, and the fuel doesn't work its way
subjected to the high rotational speeds that the bottom is, corrections in our A.B.C. liners when they come back from
out around the front, the bearing goes dry At the best the
since it only oscillates. However the lubrication conditions plating. Now, not everybody claiming an A.B.C. cylinder
motor slows down when you try to lean it out. At the worst,
are much worse. The area is a whole lot hotter, and there really has hard chrome on it. Some cylinders have used
the crankshaft can gall and pick up metal, and ruin the
is relatively small amount offuel spray up in this area, and polished chrome, like that put on automobile bumpers. This
crankcase. Also, assuming the motor does get a good start
traditionally the size of the wrist pin is smaller than the is much softer and can be honed, but also it wears out
in life, it does wear. As it wears, you get more and more
crankpin. This is basically in an effort to keep the quicker. It is cheaper, however. Also, there have been some
leakage out the front. A badly worn bushing can spray as
reciprocating parts light. However, the strain on a rod is cases where manufacturers have used electroplated nickel
much fuel out the front as it burns. Of course, this means
considerable, especially in A.B.C. set-ups when the piston or electroless nickel. Nickel, compared to chrome, is very
that instead of flying 12 or 13 minutes on 8 oz. of fuel,
sometimes sticks. In a bad warmup situation loads can be soft. Furthermore, nickel has more adhesion problems to
you are out in 6 or 7 minutes. Also, carburetors don't work
high enough to pull the rod apart. In our experience, there the base metal. Our advice is to stay away from cylinders
right when a bearing leaks badly, and a reliable idle becomes
is about an even choice whether we bush the top end of the that are nickel plated or polish chrome plated. For an A.B.C.
unreliable. The use of the hypereutectic alloys for main
con rod and increase its antifriction characteristics, or cylinder and piston to work right, a cylinder should be either
bearings reduce wear somewhat. But, in my opinion, it only
whether we leave the additional metal around to increase a low expansion aluminum of the # 3 9 0 alloy variety, or
alters it slightly:
the tension load that a rod can take in the case of a piston brass, and should be hard chrome plated. The piston must
sticking. The choice seems to be dictated mostly by the type be one of the high silicon type, the most usual being the
Mow, let's consider bronze bushings. True bronze is mostly
offailures that we have had, although I will have to admit # 3 9 0 alloy. The advantage of the A.B.C. is that when it is
copper with small amounts of alloying agents. # 6 6 0 is the
that we do sometimes put a bushing in where it is not properly fit, the motor will run slightly faster than the ring
most widely used and works well. This has the advantage
needed because people think that it means quality. motor, primarily because the webs in the cylinder which
over aluminum in that should the shaft run dry, or when
retain the rings on the ring motor can be removed and leaves
a little dirt gets in it, the galling does not occur like it would Now, to the piston and cylinder. For years the most popular a little more porting area. The disadvantages are first, one
with aluminum. The manufacturer can then be less fearful model airplane piston materials were iron in its various of cost, and second, that the motor must be handled more
of a dry bearing and fit it closer than he would an forms, (gray cast, ductile, and mehanite). The advantage carefully than a ring motor. The warm up period,
aluminum one. Result — Improved fuel mileage and better of an iron piston is its low expansion, its dimensional particularly, is vulnerable. If an A.B.C. motor that is cold
carburetion. While it is generally considered that the piston stability, and thefact that it does not soften noticeably with and still relatively new is started and run at full power
and cylinder present the primary break-in problem, this the heat reached in model engines. The primary immediately, the piston heats up faster than the cylinder
is not necessarily so. Bushing type motors do have the disadvantage is its weight, which is about 3 times as much and, consequently, expands faster. It is not unusual for the
requirement of wearing in and polishing both the crankshaft per cubic inch as aluminum. This is somewhat offset by the piston to stick in the top of the cylinder with such force that
and the main bearing surface. If the bearing is not honed fact that iron does have a higher modulus of elasticity than the inertia pulls the rod apart. However, an A.B.C. that is
just right, and the crank is not real round, it is quite possible aluminum, and it is possible to make an iron piston that's carefully handled and is operated properly will last a very
to never get a really free running bearing. Some motors have thinner than an aluminum one and still maintain its shape. long time and runs very smooth.
appeared on the market which had rather yellow looking Iron pistons are usually run in soft steel liners. Most of the
bearings, which signify high zinc content. These don't seem model engines in the past SO years have been built in this
Our Fox 19BB, 40BB, and 50BB are our top of the line
to work well at ail. They tend to deform under the pressure combination. The iron can be fit very closely in the steel
motors. Materials used are top quality and the best grade
of running, and the bearing gets loose. True bronze has a liner. The expansion co-efficients of both are about the same,
we have found for the purpose. All cylinders and bearing
dark reddish copper looking surface, and not the bright and should the parts rub too hard, the iron tends to burnish
surfaces have been hand fitted for optimum clearance. All
yellow that you associate with brass. At this point I would and not gall. To the user, an iron piston/steel liner motor
motors have been test run at full power and the needle valves
also say that many manufacturers, including me, have at has a freeness and a snap-over compression not readily
have been adjusted to a normal operating adjustment. We
one time along the line tried the use of powdered metal type achieved with any other combination. The primary
pay less attention to cosmetics than our competitors but
bearings. This type of bearing works poorly in model motors, disadvantage of the iron piston and the soft steel liner is that
nobody takes the care we do to insure that your motor will
presumably because the pores allow the oil film, which the as you get into larger and larger out-put motors, it becomes
start ready, run right, and fly your airplane with authority.
shaft should ride on, to be pushed through the pores. more and more difficult to keep the expansion of the cylinder
Buy one — you will be happy that you did.
Consequently, instead of floating on a wedge of oil, the crank liner and piston matched. At one time we produced the 59
actually rubs metal to metal. Powdered metal bearings will with an iron piston and steel liner, but today our 40
invariably wear the crank out much faster than a solid Standard is the largest that we feel is practical.
bronze bushing. The powdered metal bearings are cheaper.
Whether they are better than the cast aluminum in my The second, very popular, piston and cylinder combination
mind is questionable. The cast aluminum bearing does hold is the use of a hardened steel liner and an aluminum piston
the oil wedge and the crankshaft will spin freer than it will fitted with 1 or 2 piston rings. A lot of motors of yesteryear MANUFACTURING CO.
in a powdered metal bushing. But, the steel crank against used this combination. The McCoy and the Hornet were 5305 TOWSON AVENUE
aluminum is vulnerable to wear and is very vulnerable to outstandingly successful. This combination worked very well FORT SMITH, AR 72901
galling if a speck of dirt gets in the bearing or it runs dry. and had a light piston which was relatively vibration free. PHONE (501) 646-1656
CRUSADER
template given on the plans. There are,
however, some special features in the
Crusader wing, which should be incor
porated into whatever wing is constructed.
For those who prefer a built-up-type
wing, note that the plans offer an alterna
tive method of construction. The small
half-size drawing is used only to show the
correct wood sizes and the rib locations.
Build the wing structure directly over the
plans using the full-size wing outline as a
guide. Any special construction notes are
indicated on the plan.
Browse through the latest robbe catalog The first of the features is the recess in
for this year's hottest designs. You'll find the leading edge of the wing to allow
robbe offers a better deal at the right price, installation of the fuel tank as low as
because robbe quality always pays off. possible. The cutout is made and a piece
For these exciting kits see your local dealer or call robbe direct at (201) 359-2115. of Celastic is soaked in thinner and
And for the catalog, with over 200 pages of full color action photos and information, pressed into place with the fuel tank to be
mail the coupon below today. Just $6.00 each, plus you'll receive as a bonus, a $4.00 used.
refund certificate good toward your next robbe purchase direct from robbe.'
The rear edge of the wing is left flat,
ASW 24 ARF giant scale gilder Order No. 3138 and the ailerons are beveled 20 degrees
The robbe ASW 24 is a giant scale model of the newest on the leading edge to allow free move
Standard Class design from the world's leading sailplane ment with the nylon hinges shown. The
manufacturer, Alexander Schleicher in West Germany.
It features not only the latest double trapezoid wing
pins through the hinges are installed
geometry for optimum lift distribution, but also the about 1/4 inch in from the edge of the
famous F3B proven Quabeck HQ-3.0/13-10-13 airfoil surface.
for exceptional performance and wide speed range.
Any R/C pilot will enjoy the non-critical stall The aileron servo is protected by a light
characteristics and well balanced rudder response. aluminum can with tabs bent under and
The kit includes highly prefabricated components, such the servo-mounting screws holding the
as the white Plura® fuselage, balsa pre-sheeted foam can and servo in place.
core Siros® wings, stabilizer, all hardware, and ARCUS Order No. 3140
even a cockpit interior insert with pilot figure. No To construct the fuselage, lay out sides
Designed by renowned European contest pilots,
special skills or power tools are necessary for
the Arcus is one of the hottest dual-purpose 2-meter on3/32x4x51-inch balsa sheets, trimming
completion. Building time is as short as one
weekend. Wing span 138 in.
gliders ever. The standard dihedral set-up with the top edge with a straightedge. I've
ailerons will satisfy the most demanding contest
found it easiest to place the two sides one
flyer, while the novice will prefer a polyhedral
wing tor rudder and elevator control only above the other, but mirror-image to each
The Arcus can also be "electrified" with two optional, other. Place a full-length 1/8x1/4-inch
electric flight sets: longeron along the top. A 1/8-inch sheet
-the 7 cell version for electric powered thermal doubler with grain at 45 degrees extends
soaring, and
from the nose ring to the wing trailing
-the 10 cell version tor rocket ship like climb
performance edge. Glue 6mm plywood over this doub
The one-piece Plura® fuselage, balsa-sheeted Siros® ler, and place a1/8x'1/4-inchtruss aft of the
wings, and other prefabricated components will get trailing-edge area. The wing and cowl
you airborne in no time. Wing span 79 in.
SUPERMAX (Order No. 3118/3119) cutouts are made with both sides pinned
Who says aerobatic trainers have to look ugly? together after the balsa and plywood
While the sleek lines of the robbe SUPERMAX remind
you of a full-scale airplane, it was designed to be a
doublers have been glued in place. This
high performance but docile trainer. A 46 four-stroke prevents any wing/fuselage misalign
or .50 two-stroke engine provides ample power to ment, and ensures a good cowl fit.
perform any aerobatic maneuver.
Mark the cowling cutout, the airfoil
The extremely rugged prefabricatedPlura®white
fuselage combined with the balsa pre-sheeted cutout and the exact line from the trailing
Siros® foam core wings and many other ready to edge of the wing to the end of the tail
assemble components save a lot of building time.
The SUPERMAX can easily be built in one weekend.
cone. Cut carefully, so that the sides will
Wing span 54 in. be identical. Separate the sides and glue
the engine-mount bearers. The bearers
should be pre-drilled, and blind nuts
should be inserted prior to gluing.
Join the fuselage sides to the 1/4-inch
fire wall and 3/4-inch bottom block.
Prepare the full-length top block by
splicing for length and adding 3/4-inch
sheet to the top. Draw a straight line
CRUSADER
of the spinner tightened down with the coats of clear dope are sprayed on care
down the center line of the underside of prop nut. Finish shaping the nose section. fully so as not to dissolve the decals. The
the top block to ensure a straight fuselage. Remove the engine to construct the inside of the cowl is finished with
(If you aren't confused by now, read on!) cowling. Put a small shim of balsa on the Hobbypoxy.
Mark off the width of the fuselage at rear of the plywood ring to allow the The nose-wheel brake is a simple
several stations, draw a connection line removal of the cowling. Carve the balsa device that engages the shallow notches
and cut a block with a band saw, keeping block to shape. A 5/8-inch-diameter drill in the rubber tire. When I'm asked how
the cut line1/8inch outside of all outlines. in a drill press can be used to roughly this brake works, I quote its designer, Milt
The side view is then drawn and cut to hollow out the intake section of the Boone: "Every time!"
shape. cowling, punching through from the front PERFORMANCE: This second ver
Spot-cement the fuselage sides to the to the back. Finish hollowing the cowling. sion of the Crusader almost flew "off the
top block using a temporary 1/4-inch The top and aft edges of the cowling are drawing board," and completed a full
bulkhead at the rear of the wing and reduced 3/32 inch and faced with 3/32-inch AMA pattern on the second flight. No
several 1/8x 1/2-inch temporary spacers plywood. major trim problems were encountered,
down the fuselage sides. The plywood former at the stabilizer and the only adjustments were to the
Carve and sand the top block to shape. leading edge may be installed and the length of the elevator control horn. At the
Remove it from the fuselage and hollow bottom of the fuselage sheeted. time of writing (November 15,1964) 16
out, referring to the cross sections shown. Construction of the empennage is con gallons of fuel have been run through the
Make the cockpit cutout at this time. Cut ventional and shouldn't present any prob model, with no serious structural or
off the removable tail block, and perma lems. The rear stab hold-down is a com equipment damage.
nently join the top block to the fuselage. mercially available Cam-Loc obtained While this model wasn't intended to be
The Fox .59 is bolted to the -3/16-inch from an aircraft-supply house. a scale or nearly scale craft, it does
aluminum spacer with 6/32 machine To reduce the finished weight, the combine a realistic appearance with ex
bolts, and this spacer is bolted to the 1/4- model is covered with Japanese tissue cellent aerobatics and ground handling. I
inch aluminum mounting place with 4/40 applied over several coats of clear dope. hope that the Crusader will be the first in
bolts. Mount the plate in the fuselage Brush four coats of clear dope over the a movement toward more realistic com
using a 5/8-inch Veco extension shaft on tissue, wet-sand, then spray on sufficient petition aircraft.
the engine. The 1/4-inch plywood ring is pigmented dope to cover. The model is
glued and held in place by the back plate trimmed, the decals applied, and several
QUIET FLIGHT
(Continued from page 24) it. The model should be available very black-and-white photos and a description,
opened a real can of worms here, but I'd soon. As soon as I have a price and release and I might feature your model in a
like to hear what you think about this, as it date, I'll let you know. column.
looks as if HLGs will be around for quite How does it fly? Great! I've flown
a while. against Dennis in many contests, and the Astro Flight Champs
combination of Dennis and the Cheetah The 14th Annual Astro Flight* Electric
Model Of The Month is hard to beat. Even though it has a wing Championships will take place on June
This month's model comes to us from loading of 11.5 ounces, I've seen Dennis 11,18 and 19. The power events will be
Dennis Brandt of Cypress, CA. Dennis' catch low-level thermals and turn them held at Sepulveda Basin in the San Fer
Cheetah is a 113-inch-span full-house into winning contest flights. Yes, Dennis nando Valley, CA, on Saturday June 11.
thermal soarer, It has rudder, elevator, is an exceptional pilot, but he claims that The sailplane and old-timer events will be
barn-door ailerons and spoilers. The wing the Cheetah will slow up and work light held at Fairview Regional Park in Costa
uses the ever-popular Eppler 205 airfoil lift better than most models using an Mesa, CA, on June 18 and 19.
and is a conventional built-up D-tube Eppler 205 at this high wing loading. Since I'll be CD-ing the sailplane and
structure. The wing area is 932 square Another area the Cheetah handles well old-timer events, I'll give you a little run
inches, and the flying weight is 75 ounces is the landing circle. It comes in rock down on what will be happening. For the
for a wing loading of 11.5 ounces to the steady, and the combination of barn-door first time, this part of the Astro Champs
square foot. I'm not sure if the Cheetah ailerons and spoilers makes high-point will be a two-day event with four rounds.
was designed by Dennis or by Larry Jolly, landings a cinch. Remember, if you have The duration part of round one will last
but I do know that Larry is planning to kit an interesting model, send in a couple of three minutes, round two will last five
minutes, and round three will last seven
minutes. In round one, a 7-cell sailplane
will get a 25-second motor run; a 7-cell
old-timer, a 40-second motor run; an
unlimited sailplane, a 15-second motor
run; and an unlimited old-timer, a 25-
second motor run. In round two, a 7-cell
sailplane will get a 35-second motor run;
a 7-cell old-timer, a 50-second motor
run; an unlimited sailplane, a 20-second
motor run; and an unlimited old-timer
will get a 30-second motor run. In round
three, a 7-cell sailplane will get a 45-
second motor run; a 7-cell old-timer, a
60-second motor run; an unlimited sail
plane, a 25-second motor run; and an
unlimited old-timer, a 35-second motor
run. All three rounds will be scored man-
on-man, both sailplane classes will have
graduated spot landings, and both old-
timer classes will have in/out landing
circles. Round four will be a five-minute
flight with the motor run subtracted from
the total. The pilots can run their motors
as long as they need, to get a total of five
minutes in the air. The time that the
motor is run (plus the time that the pilot is
over or under five minutes) is subtracted
from the total air time. Landings will be
the same as for the first three rounds.
Scoring for round four will be straight
points per second, no man-on-man.
The entry fee is a modest $5 per class.
Astro Flight and several other manufac
turers are donating great prizes, and these
are usually given away by random draw
ing. Trophies will be awarded in each
class to third place. If you're into electrics,
this is THE electric event of the year, and
you shouldn't miss it!
More PSS
Last month, I featured Brian Laird's PSS
(power-scasle soarers) as the model(s) of spark plugs that leading plug manufac on a 2.4V nickel-cadmium pack
the month. I also mentioned that Brian turers (like Champion and AC) made (450m Ah or 1,200mAh suggested) or up
was working on a P-51 sloper. Well, I specially for model engines. Production to a maximum of 4.5 volts in dry cells. A
have good news on top of good news. of these, along with those of other plug 450mAh Ni-Cd pack will give about 12
Brian has now completed the P-51, and makers, such as KLG and Lodge in minutes of running time between charges,
he's decided to sell his partial kits through England, was discontinued nearly 40 while a 1,200m Ah pack will allow about
direct mail. years ago when post-war model glow 30 minutes. For the benefit of those
There are four models in his line: a plug and diesel engines virtually elimi unfamiliar with spark ignition systems, a
P-51, P-39, Me-109 and a Spitfire. The nated the spark-ignition engine for model wiring diagram is included in the instruc
partial kits consist of polyester-glass fuse planes. However, an excellent and rea tions supplied with the engine. Incidental
lages, foam cores (Eppler 374 airfoil) and sonably priced commercial replacement ly, this also includes a reproduction of the
full-size plans. They're available from is now available as the slightly larger original Japanese instruction booklet
Slope Scale* and cost $50 plus shipping. l0mm-size NGK CM-6. This is the plug supplied with the K-6 in 1940!
(CA residents add 6 percent sales tax.) fitted to the O.S. Type-6 Replica. The Type-6 is, of course, intended to
Till next time—good thermals and a Also supplied with the engine are an run on a mixture of regular non-leaded
full charge! appropriate ignition coil, coil clip, con gasoline and motor-oil. However, rather
*Here are the addresses of the companies denser and HT lead. The coil is U.S.- than the heavy SAE-70-grade lubricant
mentioned in this article: made by Micro Model Engineering of commonly associated with model spark-
Hobby Shack 18480 Bandilier Circle, Foun Sturgis, MI, and it's suitable for operation ignition motors of the '30s and '40s, O.S.
tain Valley, CA 92728.
Kyosho; distributed by Great Planes Model
Distributors, P.O. Box 4021, Champaign, IL
61820.
Astro Flight Inc., 13311 Beach Ave, Marina
Del Rey, CA 90292.
Slope Scale, 4047 W 141st #5, Hawthorne,
CA 90250.
ENGINE REVIEW
that intake timing is symmetrical. How
ever, the opening period is reasonably
generous at 128 degrees of crank angle,
the intake being uncovered at 64 degrees
before top dead-center and closing at 64
degrees after TDC. Exhaust and bypass
periods are also quite "modern" at 144
degrees and 120 degrees respectively.
Like most other designs of the pre-war
period, the K-6 includes an integral fuel
tank. This is of the translucent plastic-
bowl type, with an aluminum top that's
cast in one piece with the air-intake pipe.
The latter has a machined bell-mouthed
entry and is fitted with a vertical spray-
bar-type needle-valve assembly. It screws
into the cylinder-intake boss where it's
locked in position with a hexagonal nut.
The tank top is provided with a spring-
loaded filler cap (patterned after the
once-familiar Gits cap, which was fitted
to many American engines of the period)
and is threaded on its periphery for the
knurled ring that retains the tank bowl.
Incidentally, the intake pipe is only
6.5mm i.d., whereas the spraybar o.d. is
4.5 mm. This means that the effective
venturi area is only 6.4 square mm. This
ensures strong fuel suction, but makes a
startling comparison with the massive 95
square mm of the latest pump-equipped
O.S. Max-61RF-P engine.
Most pre-war engines of size similar to
the K-6 were equipped with the 3/8-inch
ENGINE REVIEW stroke of 23x22.6mm, giving a displace have a throttle. Such a refinement would
now recommends one of the modern 2- ment of 9.400cc or 0.5730 cubic inch. In have had no practical use in the days of
cycle mixing oils. The advised proportions the Type-6 Replica, the stroke is rounded free-flight, but a measure of manual
of gasoline to oil are 4-to-1 (5-to-1 after up to 23mm, which increases displace speed control is available via the ignition
break-in). Gasoline fuels call for lower ment to 9.556cc or 0.583 cubic inch. The advance lever or "timer arm." This allows
compression ratios than are possible with engine is slightly heavier than the original the ignition point to be retarded for easy,
alcohol-based fuels, and the checked at just over 11.6 ounces bare. This is kick-free starting, after which the spark
nominal (full-stroke) compression ratio increased to 13.4 ounces with the ignition can be advanced and the needle valve
of the Type-6 was less than 6-to-1. This is equipment and to a total flying weight of gradually closed until maximum rpm are
reduced to approximately 4.5-to-1 when between 16 and 18 ounces, depending on achieved. If needed, a reduced power
re-calculated against the effective swept the type of battery chosen. setting can be obtained by partially re
volume above the exhaust port. In common with the original K-6 and tarding the spark in conjunction with a
The original Type-6 had a bore and its contemporaries, the Replica doesn't slightly richer needle-valve setting.
The Type-6 doesn't have the high
speed power output of a modern O.S.
engine. Recommended prop sizes are
12x6 or larger, and that's just what's
needed for a typical old-timer.
Although better made, the Replica is,
as already mentioned, a true reproduction
of the original model. Inevitably, it per
petuates some of the shortcomings (by
modern standards) of a design that is now
nearly 50 years old. For example, it
doesn't have an exhaust muffler and,
because it has a cast-iron piston (also a
bronze conrod), it doesn't run as smoothly
as a modern model 2-stroke.
These characteristics are inseparable
from the demands of collectors who
expect a faithful copy of the original. The
O.S. factory has stated that the Type-6
Replica will remain a strictly limited
edition of 2,000 copies and won't be
compromised by modifications rendering
the engine unacceptable to purists. In
stead, for the benefit of those whose only
interest is in actually flying old-timer-
type models, O.S. is developing another
spark-ignition engine of vintage charac
ter, but incorporating subtle changes,
such as a ringed aluminum piston,
aluminum-alloy conrod, ball-bearing
shaft and a capacitive-discharge ignition
system. When it reaches the production
stage, I'll give you more information on
this latest development.
BD-5J
this. Care is needed, since the fiberglass

removed becomes the moving cover.
A problem developed with the plastic
frame associated with the side ducts.
They fit properly but, when all was
assembled, the weight of the door hinges
and springs made the bottom rail of the
frame bend downward, so making it
difficult for the door to fit at the top rail. I
supported the bottom frame with some
triangles of sheet balsa glued into place
with CA. This was an adequate remedy,
BD-5J
(Continued from page 82) didn't do this, and I ended up having to and drives both the landing gear and the
but the frame should really be made of burn the holes in place with a heated attenuator.
heavier material. piece of right-angle spring-steel wire. When I first tried to charge the system,
The nose section and its associated A thrust attenuator is an option for the I knew I had a massive leak. I nearly went
servo and nose-gear mountings were BD-5J. This device, frequently called a crazy trying to find it! Enough soapy
quite easy to complete. However, instal "clam shell," mounts aft of the exhaust water was put on all connections to turn
ling the servos, after the wooden structure tube and is operated by two air cylinders. the Acrojet into a boat, but with no luck.
is installed and glassed, is a difficult task. The attenuator greatly reduces thrust and In an attempt to isolate the leak, I finally
The problem arises because there's in makes idle adjustments almost unneces resorted to clamping off sections of the
sufficient room to really get a tool to the sary. It's also great for "getting on the system with a medical clamp. It turned
servo mounting screws. The problem can pipe" before takeoff and for full-throttle out to be in the attenuator system—
be eased by drilling pilot holes before taxiing and flight approaches. It's a new actually, the air valve. It wasn't a faulty
attempting to install the servos and then dimension, and I suggest you consider it; valve, however, but was caused by a
inserting the screws and removing them. the device is simple to fabricate, install mistake on the drawing labelled "Air
This will tap the screw holes and reduce and adjust. However, don't install it in the Systems Schematic." The problem was a
effort needed to put the screws in place sequence suggested in the instructions. connection between the two outlets on
when the installation is eventually at Hold off until F-10 is installed and flap the side opposite the air input. These
tempted. I suggest that the servo be linkage is finalized. The two control rods outlet tubes must not be connected, but
removed before glassing the assembly in to the attenuator will only get in the way must be closed off with a dab of solder or
place, unless you're very careful with the when F-10 is being installed. by some other method.
resin. The installation is difficult, but not If you've ever assembled a Byron kit, After that, the gear and the attenuator
impossible. I cut most of the handle from the BD-5J wings will be quite familiar to worked well. I'd forgotten how fine the
a No. 1 Phillips screwdriver, and was able you. The instructions are quite clear, and Rom-Air retracts are, as it's been a long
to torque things into place with this. no problems were encountered. Rom-Air | time since I've flown pattern, where they
The wooden nose structure needs a retracts with a belly-mount nose gear are were the standard for many years. The
wheel cutout in F-7; the photos show this, called for, and that's what I used. Installa gear is very reliable when properly
but the drawings don't, and this part tion is a simple bolt-in job. Be sure that all installed.
doesn't have a die-cut opening. Also, drill hose connections are firmly installed. A I set the rudder-wire horn1/8inch or so
mounting holes for the two air valves. I large plastic bottle holds the air supply higher than shown. If installed as directed,
there will be a slight dimple in the thrust done with Black Baron Trim-Film. This I've seen in other Byron jets pump out
tube, and a slightly higher position elimi vinyl material is absolutely the finest trim quite a tail blast—around 121/2 pounds, or
nates this. material I've ever used. It stretches around so it's claimed. One thing's for sure; at a
The other building steps posed no curved surfaces, goes on smooth and, finished weight of 141/2 pounds (several
significant problems. once on, it stays on. The fuselage was ounces under the design weight) the BD-
This kit will take considerable time to painted using spray cans, because I 5J ought to show pretty good vertical
complete. Byron's ads indicate that the wanted a perfect color match between performance. We'll see!
plane builds "fast and easy." Frankly, I the fuselage painted surfaces and the PERFORMANCE: For obvious rea
think they really mean "faster and easier" flight-surface film covering. I didn't get sons, in February in the New York area,
than similar scratch-built projects. Don't the perfect match, even though the paint- one doesn't usually indulge in lengthy
expect an ARF-type experience, because can label said I would. The painted flying sessions. On the day of the Acrojet's
producing something this good-looking surface is several shades of grey darker first flight, it was clear and cold with a
and airworthy takes hard work and skill! than the film. This was disappointing, but steady wind—actually very acceptable
I wanted the lowest weight possible, so it didn't look too bad. In fact, for a conditions. But only one flight was
I opted for heat-shrink plastic covering reasonably quick, good-looking, fuelproof made—that was enough!
and chose Coverite's* Black Baron film. finish, I recommend the Black Baron Even though the OS 77 had been
The stuff worked well directly over foam, film/paint/trim route. However, Coverite broken in with a propeller, it still took
but I needed to increase the heat to 200°F should get these colors to match more some time to get it peaked, on the pipe
(50° over the recommended level) to get closely. and idling properly. The engine tended to
proper adhesion and shrink. I used Black The Byro-jet fan unit was matched to change from rich to lean as the fuel head
Baron's recommended technique to do an OS* 77 VR for ducted fan. This is a dropped. This was probably because the
one panel, and this involved using only an beautifully made, high-performance, re tank center is a bit above the carb center
iron. The other panel was done using my liable engine for a demanding power style and no pressure was employed. I think the
own method of tacking all edges down and difficult operating environment. It pipe should be tapped to provide pressure,
and then shrinking the plastic with a heat includes an outstanding carburetor that's or a Perry pump could be used as a flow
gun. The second procedure gave the best easy to adjust and also oversize head fins regulator. Nonetheless, we were able to
results, although both wings turned out to help with cooling. I ran the engine on a get a satisfactory first flight.
well. test stand to break it in prior to installation, When all was well, young Rick Lucas,
All trim (including the over-paint) was and I advise you to do the same. The 77s (Continued on page 90)
S MALL R/C MODELS are fun to
fly, and often very educational. For
example, armed with a tiny .020-
powered R/C model, I recently solved
one of aviation's most hotly debated
mysteries: the problem of the downwind
turn.
I've had the airplane—my all-sheet-
balsa "Starling"—for several years. With
rudder-only control via Ace R/C's* old
"Pulse Commander" proportional system,
the Starling is always docile during calm
weather. It circles readily in either direc
tion and has no bad habits.
However, when it's windy, my Starling
displays the dreaded "downwind turn"
symptoms in truly classical form. It speeds
up considerably going downwind; then, Our prolific Mr. Wagner holding the Starling—one of his many successful small designs.
when I head it back upwind again, it
zooms and stalls, apparently from the close, but in the wind I have to work hard proportional with this setup, and despite
excess velocity picked up when traveling to keep it from being blown into the next its limitations (control restricted to the
in the other direction. Anyone watching county. Rather than flying in the same rudder alone, which constantly oscillates
me fly this model in the wind would be gentle circles as when it's calm, I com back and forth like a fish's tail throughout
easily convinced of the existence of a mand Starling to turn sharply upwind the flight), lots of modelers liked the Pulse
Downwind Turn Demon. whenever it's headed the other way; then I Commander very much indeed for
Yet aeronautical engineers (I'm one) straighten it out abruptly to keep it school-yard R/C flying.
maintain that any aircraft flies exactly the headed into the wind and so make up for Ace discontinued making this equip
same in a steady wind as it does in calm the downwind drift. ment three or four years ago. Since then,
air. Flying downwind, its air speed is just That's what causes the problem. Any they've received quite a few requests that
the same as it is when it's headed into the airplane will drop its nose and pick up they re-issue it, but (so far) Ace isn't
wind, or even crosswind. Ground speed speed in a tight, steeply banked turn. planning to put the Pulse Commander
varies, of course, but that doesn't matter Rudder-only R/C models show this ten back in production. However, they are
to the aircraft; it's traveling within the air, dency very strongly, because there's no willing to convert existing Pulse Com
which may be moving (or not) with elevator control to help compensate. Thus, mander systems to the new frequencies.
respect to the surface without affecting when I hurry Starling through a turn in the I just talked with Tom Runge at Ace
the flight characteristics of the airplane in wind, it picks up the speed that makes it R/C, and he says they'll change any Pulse
any way. zoom and stall when I straighten it out Commander transmitter/receiver pair to
Knowing all this, yet still puzzled by quickly. This excess air speed is purely a one of the now-authorized frequencies
Starling's misbehavior in windy weather, result of the steep turn, and the wind has for $22.50, plus shipping charges.
I determined to find out why it flies as if nothing to do with it. I can cause exactly Model airplane contests have always
pursued by the Downwind Demon. I the same zooming and stalling in calm been an enjoyable part of model flying,
recently took it out on a breezy day to air. A sharp half-circle followed by a but airplanes powered by the smaller
make some analytical test flights, and I sudden return to straight flight will do it engines rarely seem to compete. This
solved the great mystery. every time. might be because the AMA has no engine
By paying close attention to exactly Speaking of rudder-only models, until classifications in R/C, as they do for free-
what was happening during these flights, Bill Cannon came out with his Super flight competition. It seems a shame that
I found that Starling's into-the-wind Micro system, Ace's old Pulse Com we who fly small R/C models are effec
zooms were neither its fault nor the fault mander equipment supplied the only prac tively denied the fun of competing against
of the weather. I was the guilty one! tical way of controlling a tiny R/C air one another.
Starling is light and flies slowly. In plane. It was light, simple and inexpensive, Randy and I have been discussing this,
calm weather it's no problem to keep it too. Many R/C fliers first learned to fly and we've decided to put on two special
88 MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS

meets just for small-engine airplanes.
One will be held in the area of Dallas, TX, Starling in flight,
gliding in for a
and the other in western Pennsylvania. landing. With an un
Our tentative dates are mid-September der-cambered sheet-
for the Pennsylvania meet and October balsa wing, the Star
ling flies quite slowly.
for the one in Texas.
Here's what we've planned; we pro
pose to divide the small motors into
classes as follows:
expect, but there won't be any "caller" stiff before installation, especially if you
• Class X=.000 to .085 cubic inch dis
involved. The judge (or judges) will stand flex them sharply a few times before
placement, inclusive.
next to contestants as they fly and will call putting them in. But when you use CA to
• Class Y=.086 to .185 cubic inch dis
out the maneuvers. cement Easy Hinges in place, the fuzzy
This could become a highly popular surfaces on their outsides soak up glue,
• Class Z=. 186 to .285 cubic inch dis
form of competition, as long as we can too. When this cures, it effectively makes
keep the contest low-key and emphasize the flexing portion of the hinges roughly
• Class E=Electric motors; .075 max
just having fun. Of course, we'll have three times as thick, so no wonder they
imum.
awards: a lot of small trophies or plaques stiffen up!
(A multi-engine model would be clas
sified on the basis of the size of its largest rather than a few gigantic ones; and White glue is far better, as its stiffening
motor and not by its total engine dis effect is minimal. Although it's somewhat
placement.) slower to install Easy Hinges with white
glue, I think it's worthwhile, as you gain
The events will be rather low-key, with
greatly increased flexibility.
the emphasis upon sport-type airplanes
rather than on precision aerobatics or I brush white glue thoroughly onto
museum-quality scale models. We'll try both sides of the half of the Easy Hinge
to offer a scale event for each engine I'm about to set in place. Then, with a thin
category, and scoring will be based largely watercolor brush, I force glue into the
on realism in flight. Scale judging will be Installation of Easy Hinges in the Osvrey's knife slot where the hinge is to fit. (The
much like the Flying Aces Club system tail surfaces. For small models, the hinges water in the white glue tends to swell the
are cut in half; trimming corners off aids
for scale models, with only the most basic insertion.
wood, so I enlarge the slots with a metal
documentation required. nail file before gluing.) Then, with the
As for aerobatics for the sport-type attractive souvenir T-shirts for all con Easy Hinge folded over on its "flex axis,"
airplanes, we'll concoct a simple schedule testants. I push it firmly into place and wipe off the
of maneuvers, and this won't be an Randy and I would like to know how excess glue.
nounced in advance. At the contest, each you feel about this contest. We're open to When all the hinges have been installed
entrant will be given a Xerox copy of the suggestions, criticisms and wild ideas. We in one component, I allow at least a
pattern, so he or she will know what to want to make these meets as enjoyable couple of hours drying time before instal
and memorable as possible, and your ling the assembly to its mating surface.
input will be of great help in finalizing our To do that, I use the same brushed-in
plans. Just be sure to enclose an SASE if white glue procedure to cement the free
you want a reply! ends of the Easy Hinges in place. Of
A few columns back, I mentioned course, this must be done with three or
trying "Easy Hinges" on one of my small four hinges at once, instead of one at a
R/C models. I disliked their stiffness, but time. Since white glue dries slowly, there's
they are by far the easiest hinges to install. plenty of time for manipulation to get the
I decided to experiment with them to see hinge gap exactly right.
if the stiffness could be reduced. It can! Now over to you; I won't complain if
Starling's flip-flop rudder and the Ace Pulse The trick is to install them with white glue I'm deluged with mail!
Commander transmitter that controls it. instead of CA. Easy Hinges consist of a
Ace R/C will convert P-C systems to *Here is the address of the company men
modern frequencies. thin strip of polymer plastic with an tioned in this article:
absorbent material like thin paper towel Ace R/C Inc., 116 W. 19th St., Box 511C.
ing on each side. They're not excessively Higginsville, MO 64037.
JUNE 1988 89
I'm more than pleased with my Byron pipe in that upper area. I wonder if some
my first-flight test pilot, blasted the BD- Originals BD-5J. It isn't a perfect airplane, relocation and a plenum door in the
5J from the runway. The jet proved itself but it's close. There are a number of scale bottom with appropriate ducting might
to be very capable in just one pass around deviations, some of which are necessary not permit a scale canopy. Oh well, that's
the field. All control surfaces had been set from a practical point of view. The full- all for my second BD-5J; I've already
as instructions indicated; and balance was scale bird has a flying stab, and this could bought the kit for No. 2! If that isn't a
right with no lead needed fore or aft. be incorporated with proper modifica recommendation, I don't know what is!
The flight lasted about eight minutes. tions. This would be unnecessary for pitch *Here are the addresses of the companies
There's no question that this bird is more authority, since the BD-5Js I've seen mentioned in this article:
of a pattern airplane than a ducted-fan flying had enough pitch power to satisfy Byron Originals, P.O. Box 279, Ida Grove,
scale airplane. It appears to have no bad anyone. However, the mod might be IA 51445.
habits and can accomplish virtually any interesting to play with. The side ducts are Coverite, 420 Babylon Rd., Horsham, PA
maneuver. placed a little higher, are of a slightly 19044.
different shape and probably could be O.S.; distributed by Great Planes Model
The big surprise came when Rick
made close to scale with some effort. The Distributors, P.O. Box 4021, Champaign, IL
started to set up a landing pattern and the 61820.
engine stopped. It will take more running jet tube itself is oversize, and this is
dictated by ducted-fan needs. A lot could
to get that big OS 77 just right. Rick had
the Acrojet at about 50 feet, several be done with the landing gear to create a CHIPMUNK
more scale look. Flap/aileron division is (Continued from page 44)
hundred yards from the landing point.
off-scale, with the model's ailerons being to work with and has great shrinkage
When the jet flew past us, it was still 20
proportionally much bigger than full scale. properties. Also, Ultracote can be applied
feet high. This 141/2-pound jet is a floater
This could probably be changed if you're over itself with few, if any, bubbles, by
and so clean it seems to go on forever. No
flaps were used (first-flight landing is no willing to give up some roll authority. using an iron at a low heat setting. This
place to try flaps), but they surely would considerably reduced the chore of apply
The one non-scale feature that bugs
help this slippery, long-glide tendency. A ing the stripes on the wing and on the tail.
me is the painted canopy. The plane
wheel-up belly landing was executed A sketch of the top and bottom wing trim
would be so much nicer with a tinted or
since the runway was quite rough. There scheme is shown on the plan, but the
clear canopy. Unfortunately, the plenum
was no damage except for that inflicted builder must estimate the decal locations
door in the model's canopy dictates the
on the pilot's fragile ego! from pictures on the kit box top and on
need for paint. There are also a tank and a
AEROBATICS
with no deviation from the original flight we learn them? A good way to learn them
level at the bottom, you should have path. Sounds easy, but it's tough to do is by becoming familiar with the basic
the sticks back to normal level-flight with grace and precision. methods (as described here) and then
positions. Lastly, the stall turn. This maneuver is perfecting them by studying a competition
Doesn't sound difficult, but it's really actually a stalled maneuver; the aircraft book. The AMA, IMAC (International
quite hard to do the maneuver correctly. performs the turn at a speed lower than Miniature Aerobatics Club) and the FAI
Good pilots always start from straight the flying speed of the aircraft. Simply all publish books for modelers that de
and level, maintain the wings in level put, it's an upward vertical leg that ends scribe what the stunts should look like in
attitude, and ease the ship into the loop when the ship almost comes to a complete competitions. Most stunts are modeled
using as much of their power as possible stop nose-high, and then pivots 180 after their full-scale counterparts. Ideally,
to pull through the loop (neither stalling at degrees about the wing tip to a straight- if you want to learn a short sequence of
the top, nor pulling 10 Gs in the process). down vertical leg. Now let's talk our way stunts to impress the people at the field,
The loop looks graceful and easy, rather through it! you should pick up one of these books
than quick and violent. and take your pick of the over 50
The roll is another deceptively hard different stunts described. Practice them
maneuver to perform right. Again, most until you not only feel comfortable with
sport fliers just nail the stick to the sides them, but also look good.
and wait till the ship comes back around Now I'll describe how to perform a
to level. Most of the time, it has lost small air show. I've mentioned three
altitude and is heading slightly nose-down. books which deal with stunt flying. The
Here's how a good pilot does the roll. first book, the AMA Competition Hand
Again, from straight, level flight, ease the book, describes the maneuvers to be
aileron stick over to the side fairly rapidly flown in front of judges by five classes of
(but not nailing it)—We want to do a precision aerobatic fliers. This type of
controlled roll. As the ship rolls through flying closely resembles the type of stunt
the first 120 degrees, the nose will begin flying performed by show teams in full-
to drop. This is because the ship is trying scale aviation. A maneuver is chosen and
to fly on the fuselage at 90 degrees. To then performed in front of the audience.
hold the nose level, use top rudder to Having completed the maneuver, the
change the angle of nose attack through aircraft zips out to the wild blue yonder
the 90-degree mark. Of course, if the ship until another stunt is chosen, and the
is rolling fairly rapidly, you probably The stall turn begins in the same way plane then returns to the field to perform
won't need rudder, as the ship hasn't yet as all other maneuvers—with a straight the next maneuver.
started to fall. and level entry. To perform the maneuver, Flying the IMAC- and FAI-style aero
As the ship rolls to the inverted position, let the plane fly slightly to your side, batics is more demanding. In this flying
it will definitely begin to drop its nose, as rather than in front of you. In this way, style, the aircraft is always in front of the
it's normally trimmed for level flight in you'll be able to see more easily what the field of contestants or the audience; per
the upright (not inverted) condition. We plane is doing. When the ship is about 30 forming a stunt in front of the field,
compensate here by adding just a tad of degrees to one side, pull it up smartly to performing another stunt to return to the
down elevator as the ship rolls through; a straight-up vertical, making it as straight center of the field, then another and a
one-second stab of down elevator, starting up as you can. When you've established a final stunt to return. It's a cycle of stunts,
at about 140 degrees and ending at about vertical leg, throttle back, and as the no two of which are repeated consecu
230 degrees (the 8 to 2 o'clock wing throttle hits the stops, quickly feed in the tively. This is the flying style of the full-
position to the 10 to 4 o'clock wing rudder. The ship should pivot right on the scale Lasers, Zlins, Exxtras and Chip
position). The idea here is to add just wing tip a full half-circle and head right munks. The formal name of this aerobatic
enough elevator so that the nose doesn't back down the same path it went up. style is the Aresti style.
drop, but neither you nor any other Ideally, the plane won't use more than There's really no superior style of
watcher can detect the elevator input. two wingspans of length to perform the aerobatic flying, as both the show-team
After this portion of the roll, with the pivot. A true stall turn looks as though the style and the Aresti style require grace
exception of the continued aileron appli plane has stopped in midair and turned and precision to execute correctly. No
cation, the ship can be left alone until it around on the tip. Again, this sounds doubt, the Aresti style necessitates more
attains straight and level attitude again. deceptively easy. concentration and expertise to perform in
This roll should take about two to three The snap roll is the only other maneuver the style and spirit of limited-airspace
seconds. (Done just a hair longer, and you that's considered to be a separate stunt. aerobatics. For a sample of what an
have the slow roll.) For the most part, the snap roll is a upcoming stunt pilot like you can do for
It takes practice to coordinate the stick combination of roll, pitch and yaw, as yourself and the crowds, let's look at a
movement to obtain just the right amount well as a lot of stalling. In its purest form, short Aresti aerobatics schedule and de
of elevator during the roll and to maintain the snap roll (and the spin, which is the scribe its execution:
a consistent roll rate without letting the same, but done vertically) is a stalled The sequence here is the basic Sports
ship deviate from an imaginary straight maneuver. It requires the total stalling of man's schedule, as used by the IMAC
line. That's the idea behind a true aileron one wing-half, caused by massive inputs competition book. It consists of 13 in
roll. Straight and level entry, rolling of pitch, roll, or yaw, or all three. flight maneuvers that are strung together
through 360 degrees about the roll axis Now that we have the basics, how do (Continued on page 118)
CHIPMUNK
(Continued from page 90) (where a lot of material was removed for
the cover of the instruction booklet. I used engine clearance), and one where the
Hobby Poxy* paint on the cowl, canopy, muffler was touching the inside. With a
wing fairing and tips. little fiberglass reinforcement in these
I installed my Futaba* FGK Series areas, I probably could have avoided this.
radio components and had plenty of The Super Chipmunk has a very strong
room to spare. The completed Super airframe, and I like knowing exactly how
Chipmunk weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces it was put together. It's also easily repaired
for a respectable wing loading of 25 with conventional materials.
ounces per square foot. With the battery By the time you read this, Carl Gold
pack located under the fuel tank, the CG berg Models should have incorporated
is right at the front of the recommended some improvements into both the instruc
range. tions and the materials (e.g., the leading
PERFORMANCE: The day of the test edge and spars). If you enjoy both building
flights was windy, with the wind coming and flying, then you should consider the
from the left of our paved runway at Super Chipmunk for your next project.
about 45 degrees. Ground handling was *Here are the addresses of the manufacturers
hampered by the big fin, which acted like mentioned in this article:
a weathervane. With careful use of right Cad Goldberg Models Inc., 4734 W. Chicago
rudder, all takeoffs, except the first, were Ave., Chicago. IL 60651.
straight down the runway. In the air, the O.S. Engines; distributed by Great Planes
Super Chipmunk was oblivious to wind Model Distributors, P.O. Box 4021, Champaign,
IL 61820.
gusts and flew as if on rails. A few clicks
Tatone Products Corp., 21658 Cloud Way,
of down trim were all that I needed for Haywood CA 94545.
hands-off flight. The power of the OS.61 Hobbv Poxy Division, Pettit Paint Co., Inc.,
FSR allowed unlimited vertical climb. 36 Pine St., Rockaway, NJ 07866.
My control-surface throws had been set Futaba Corporation of America, 555 W.
according to the instructions, and these Victoria St., Compton, CA 90220.
proved to be good for all-around general
flying and aerobatics. I did use low-rate
aileron for the first couple of landings, but
ABOUT ENGINES
only until I was familiar with the airplane.
doesn't keep well. (Glow fuel lasts indefi
Boy, this model really tears up the sky! nitely if stored in tightly sealed metal
I think that any maneuver is possible. cans. I have some that I bought over 25
Later, I might want to move the CG aft years ago from a going-out-of-business
and increase both rudder and elevator hobby shop, and it still works well.)
travel so that I can practice the more Rather than mixing up a whole gallon of
violent ones. So far, loops, rolls, spins, gas-type model fuel and then having to
inverted and knife-edge flight have been throw most of it out in a couple of months,
very successful. This Super Chipmunk it makes more sense to buy a pint can of
really makes you feel like doing wild "Blendzall"—a specially processed type
things! On flight I took off into a vertical of castor oil that mixes nicely with gaso
climb until it was almost out of sight, and line—and make only half a gallon of fuel
then I let it spin down. I stopped at 24 at a time. Blendzall is made by Klotz and
turns to be on the safe side, but it came out can be obtained from automotive special
of the spin so cleanly that I could have ty suppliers all over America.
done a couple more. One type of oil that should never be
The real surprise was its low-speed used in model engine fuel is the kind that
handling characteristics. I couldn't believe contains Teflon particles. The high tem
how docile it was. With the forward CG perature of combustion decomposes the
there was hardly any noticeable stall. All Teflon, and fluorine gas is released. Fluo
the controls were effective down to very rine is the most corrosive element known;
slow air speeds. I could even hover it into it even attacks glass! We don't want any
the strong headwind. Despite its thor of it inside our model engines!
oughbred heritage, this Super Chipmunk *Here are the addresses of the companies
was as friendly as a teddy bear. Indeed, its mentioned in this article:
broad performance range will suit a wide Cox, 1525 E Warner Ave., Santa Ana, CA
variety of fliers. 92705.
Given reasonable care, the Carl Gold K&B Manufacturing, 12152 Woodruff Ave.,
berg Super Chipmunk should hold up Downey, CA 90241.
very well—probably better than an ARF Herb Wahl P.O. Box 51, Forksville, PA
version. Mine has developed a couple of 18616.
cracks in the cowl: one behind the spinner
THERMAL CHARGER GREAT LAKES 2T-1A
BIG BEE The Thermal Charger is one of GM Ikon North West introduces yet another
Who said large couldn't be graceful? Precision's three new 1988 kits. The beauty from the Golden Age. The Great
Designed by Joe Bridi, the Big Bee is a Charger is a direct-drive electric sail Lakes 2T-1A has a 64-inch wingspan
1/4-scale-size trainer with excellent flying plane that has been designed as an and is designed to accommodate engines
characteristics and ground handling. It's entry-level electric/sport electric plane. in the 60 to 90 4C range. With a 90 4C
capable of all AMA and FAI maneuvers. It uses a Leisure .05 electric motor, has a engine, the 2T-1A comes in at 10
The easy-to-assemble kit comes com 60-inch wingspan and 545 square inches pounds with outstanding performance.
plete with machined parts, wire landing of wing area. The kit includes the The kit features pre-cut pieces for ease
gear and C-B tail-wheel assembly. To Leisure motor, a switch harness (with of construction and pre-bent landing
power the Big Bee, a variety of engines micro on/off switch and arming switch) gear. To aid in wing construction, the
can be used, including a 120 (or larger) and propeller. For more information, drawings are inked with the full wing.
2-cycle, or twin cylinder 2- or 4-cycle contact GM Precision Products, Inc., For more information, contact Ikon
engines. For more information, contact 510 East Arrow Hwy., San Dimas, CA North West, P.O. Box 306, Post Falls,
Bridi Aircraft Designs, Inc., 23625 91773. ID 83854.
Pineforest Ln., Harbor City, CA 90710.
THE VECTOR FIBERGLASS C O W L

FREQ. CONTROL BOARDS The Vector is a .40-size, high-wing D&R Aircraft Manufacturing introduces
IDCo. Frequency Control-Board Kits trainer aircraft from Carl Goldberg a new fiberglass cowl (with flaps molded
cover the R/C channels/frequencies Models. It has a flat-bottom airfoil, open) for the already-popular F4U Cor
recommended during the second phase tricycle landing gear, and 630 square sair Kit. The kit features a modular
of the AMA frequency utilization plan. inches of wing area, making the Vector foam-and-balsa construction technique
They provide an effective means of perfect for the first-time flier. Construc that makes the Corsair a pleasure to
identifying the frequencies being used at tion is a breeze, as the Vector comes build. The foam wings are precision-
model flying sites. Large, non-glare, almost completely assembled. The fuse cut, to make forming the gull-shaped
black plastic plates with white numbers lage is built of balsa and plywood, ready wing a snap. The wingspan is 72 inches,
are highly visible and easy to read from for any finish. The 59-inch wing is foam and this makes slow, stable landings a
a distance. These boards are designed to core, with a sheet-balsa covering that breeze. The Corsair will take 2-cycle
a c c o m m o d a t e the proposed 1991 requires little assembly. There are only engines in the .90 to l .08 range, or if you
changes, and updated kits will soon be 17 wooden parts in the kit, and they're like the 4-strokers, a l .20 to l .60 will do
available. For more information, contact all of top quality. All this, plus high- the job. For more information, contact
IDCo., N8024 Elser Dr., Beaver Dam, quality Goldberg hardware (like Klett D&R Aircraft Mfg., P.O. Box 23056,
WI 53916. hinges) make the Vector an excellent Austin, TX 78736.
buy. For more information, contact Carl
Goldberg Models, 4734 West Chicago
Ave., Chicago, IL 60651.
100 MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS

PDQ
CHIPMUNK
The PDQ Chip
munk from Royal Pro
ducts is the latest addition to
the PDQ line. It features a retract
option and a motor mount that can
handle .40 to .45 2-cycle engines as well
as .60 to .90 4-cycle engines. Royal's
PDQ construction features a plywood
and balsa superstructure, which is
sheeted with foam board and laminated
with high-gloss pre-painted plastic. The
result is a beautiful, flawless finish that
RISER 100 SAILPLANE won't sag or wrinkle in the sun, unlike
This standard-class sailplane from Sig the iron-on coverings. For more infor
Manufacturing was designed with the mation, contact Royal Products, 790
beginner and sport flier in mind. With a West Tennessee Ave., Denver, C O
100-inch wingspan and l,000 inches of 80223-2875.
wing area, the Riser is one of the best
floaters around. The kit features a die-
cut Lite-Ply fuselage, precision die-cut
balsa parts, a two-piece wing, a spoiler
option and a complete hardware pack
age. The ready-to-fly weight of the
Riser is only 45 to 49 ounces, and this
gives a wing loading of 6 to 7 ounces
per square foot. For more information,
contact Sig Manufacturing, Route l-
Box l, Montezuma, IA 50171. "STRIKING BACK" VIDEO
This is an action-packed program of
Byron Original's amazing World War II
re-enactment. This 30-minute tape was
made with a combination of 16mm film
and video. Remote-controlled film
cameras were placed on the set to
capture all the action and searing pyro
technics. "Striking Back" is the result of
over 400 hours of editing, and the result
is a tape you must see to believe! Catch
SUPERSAFE
the action of "Striking Back" in RC
LIQUID SOLDER FLUX Video Magazine. For more information,
ET-40 TRAINER In an effort to give the hobby industry
contact RC Video Magazine, P.O. Box
Bob Martin R/C Models introduces the the finest products available, H&N
98, Lafayette, CO 80026.
ET-40 Trainer. The ET-40 is designed Electronics has just introduced their
for a .40-size engine and features easy new SUPERSAFE liquid solder flux.
construction, excellent plans, a photo- The flux not only comes in a flip-top
illustrated instruction book and pre bottle to make it easier to apply and to
cision-cut parts. The ET-40 handles minimize spills, but contains no rosin, Descriptions of new products appearing in
these pages were derived from press re
well, both in the air and on the ground. It zinc, ammonium chloride or other strong leases by the manufacturers and/or their
has a light wing loading (approximately acids or acid-forming substances. When advertising agencies. The information
17 ounces per square foot), so it can heated during soldering, the flux is given here does not constitute endorsement
by Model Airplane News, or guarantee of
land at very low speeds and is stable entirely neutralized. All soldering is performance by Model Airplane News.
throughout the rpm range. For more easier—electronics, landing gears, When writing to the manufacturer about
any product described here, be sure to
information, contact Bob Martin R/C etc.—anywhere soft soldering is done. mention that you read about it in Model
Models, 1520-C Acoma Ln., Lake For more information, contact H&N Airplane News.
Havasu City, AZ 86403. Electronics, 10937 Rome Beauty Dr.,
California City, CA 93505.
PAT. MATTERS
• Three horizontal rolls; exit box.

• Enter box to double-stall turn.
• Single humpty-bump.
• Straight inverted flight; exit from box.
• Landing.
This isn't a bad little schedule, and one
that's well within the capabilities of the
average sportsman pilot in AMA. This
contest was actually held on October 17
and 18 of 1987, but 1 have no results from
it. It shows that there are those who know
how pattern pilots must progress in order
to be prepared for world class competi
tions. The Team Race R / C Club claims
to be the first club in the "deep" South to
hold an all turn-around-style contest, and
in fact, was probably the first in the
country. I tip my hat to Rick and to the TR
R / C Club and hope that they carry on
with their activities for the future of
pattern.
Things are looking up for the flying
season. New planes and equipment are
always coming our way, and we'll bring
you the details as we receive them.
Coming up is an interesting test report on
an A R F sport-pattern bird from Lanier
RC*. It's called the "Caprice," and it
should be an interesting subject. We also
have the GM Precision Products* Rain
bow Runner for the .40-size crowd, and a
close-up look at a custom-made pattern
bird from Taiwan, which is imported by
Ten-Plus Company of Los Angeles. All
this, and more, coming your way in the
near future. Till then, we're on the pipe
and hitting the contest trail.
Lanier RC, P.O. Box 458, Oakwood Rd.,
Oakwood, GA 30566.
GM Precision Products Inc., 510 E. Arrow
Hwy., San Dinas, CA 91773.
CITABRIA
spar, use a small triangle to ensure that all
ribs are vertical.
Another job that I found a little hard to
control was setting up the dihedral be
tween the center section and the outer
wing panels. Trying to hold 21/2 degrees
on balsa wood and making a dihedral
gauge of scrap balsa is impractical. I
suggest that you convert the 21/2 degrees
to a dimension (measuring from the
building board to the center of the wing
tip) and then block the wing at that angle
before gluing. I did it this way and it
worked. I offer a suggestion here to
CITABRIA go through two clearance holes in the paint job. This was the first time I'd used
trailing-edge spar plus a sheeted trailing landing gear and then screw into the two Ultracote; it was very easy to work, and I
edge. The leading edge is sheeted top and blind nuts. An elongated slot is cut into highly recommend it.
bottom. If the top and bottom 1/4-inch the plywood plate and the wheel pants, Painting the ABS plastic cowl and
spars were tied together with vertical and this allows the wheel pants to slide wheel pants was a piece of cake. Sand off
grain webs, with the leading edge sheeted over the tire and the axle. It's a really all the gloss surface before painting, using
top and bottom, we'd have a " D " tube, efficient installation. only 220-grit sandpaper, or a finer one.
which is an extremely strong beam. Also, The cowl went together really easily. I I primed my plastic parts with a light
if we used pre-cut plywood for dihedral installed the optional air scoop, which gray lacquer-base surface primer (four
braces to join the center section and outer was used on the later model Citabrias and coats). I sanded with 400 grit (two coats)
wing panels and use some high-tech Decathlons. It also went on easily using and wet-sanded the last two coats. I
carbon-fiber material like that found in very little filler putty to fill low spots. The painted the cowl and wheel pants with
the jet model designs, I think a much wheel pants and cowl are made out of a Coverite's Black Baron epoxy fuelproof
lighter and stronger wing could be built. tough plastic material that was very easy paint. It looks great! I was delighted with
• Fuselage. This is a straightforward to work with. Make sure you coat the the close match between the paint and the
type of construction and is well described fire-wall bulkhead engine-block exten Ultracote.
in the manual. If I were to build another sion with fuelproof clear dope or paint. I • Radio installation. I installed my 7-
Citabria, I would put weight-reducing gave mine three good coats to seal channel Futaba* exactly as shown in the
holes in the1/8-inchfuselage sides, as my everything. Sig manual. There's plenty of room for
airplane came in at 81/4 pounds. The • Wing struts. Wing struts were easy to everything. Follow the photos and text,
fuselage was covered with Carl Gold make, and they also attached easily to the and you'll be in good shape. Note the
berg's* Ultracote, and the only things that fuselage. Don't leave them off the air receiver and battery installation (page 21
were painted were the cowl and the wheel plane, as they sure take away that model- of Sig manual). These can be moved fore
pants. My flying buddy's Citabria was airplane look. When you make a low or aft to help balance the aircraft.
covered with silk-spun Coverite* and fly-by or are coming in for a landing, you • Windows and windshield. I changed
painted, and his weighed in at81/2:pounds. get the feeling you're watching a real the side windows slightly. I made a
We both had the same size engine and airplane. recessed frame or bezel on the inside of
R/C system. • Power plant. I used the O.S.* FS-61, the windows, and I then cut the windows
• Cowl and wheel pants. I've always 4-stroke engine. This is a super-running out of the plastic sheet and cemented
shied away from using wheel pants on engine and was very easy to break in. I them to the frame. It worked out well and
model airplanes. They always seem to used a Zinger* 12-5 wood prop. The looked very realistic.
come loose and droop. Well, on this engine and prop made a great combina I wish kit manufacturers would vac
model, Sig has come up with a simple tion for the Citabria. uum-form windshields as it would save a
way of improving this by using a plywood • Finishing. I didn't paint my Citabria; I lot of time. I made a Mylar template
plate with two blind nuts. This assembly covered it with Ultracote. I used this traced off the pattern on page 24.I used
is glued to the inside of the wheel pants. material because it doesn't have the this for all my cutting and trimming, and I
The wheel pants are then attached to the plastic look. When the airplane was had to do a lot of this to fit the windshield.
landing gear with two 4-40 screws that finished, it looked as if it had a factory However, it was worth it, as it came out
right.
PERFORMANCE: I called Stu Rich
mond, my flying buddy, and asked if he
would take some flight shots of my new
plane. He agreed, and we met at our
flying field. Our field has a minor problem:
our runway runs north to south, and the
wind is either from the east or the west 90
percent of the time, thus creating a
problem of crosswind. This day was no
exception; there was a 10- to 15mph
breeze. To say that the first flight was
unexciting would be an understatement.
This wasn't the airplane's fault, but mine.
Earlier, I said that the balance point was
important. The plans show the balance
point between 25 percent and 27 percent
of the chord. Don't deviate from what the
designer calls for. I did and it caused me
some grief. Add to this a slight warp in the
right wing panel (about 11/2: degrees). I
balanced the airplane at about 33 percent,
just like any other constant-chord air
plane. Result?—A tail-heavy airplane
with a slightly warped wing!
The first three flights were disappoint-
ing. Stu finished taking the pictures, and I U.S. AERO TEAM
went home a little depressed. I called Rich (Continued from page 60) show off their skills, ingenuity and daring.
Uravitch, a long-time friend, master this contest. No one wins by accident or The Four-Minute Freestyle is judged as
model-builder and editor of this maga default. The winner of such an event an entire event (rather than by each
zine. He told me he'd flown the Citabria fights and maneuvers through a series of maneuver) since the judges have no idea
and that it flew rather well. He said, familiar and unfamiliar events before what they'll see. While some rules are still
however, that it should be flown with having the chance to take the trophy. in effect, the pilots aren't required to stick
coordinated controls (rudder and ailer The Unlimited Competition requires to approved maneuvers and may invent
ons). I told him I did this and it helped a each pilot to fly in four difficult events. their own. The Four-Minute Free has
little. He then mentioned that something The first is the "Known Compulsory"—a been responsible for a host of new ma
had to be out of line. I went to my shop, set of demanding maneuvers, known well neuvers, e.g., Charlie Hillard's "Torque
took my Robart incidence meter, checked in advance, that must be done correctly, Roll." The Four-Minute must be accom
all flying surfaces and, sure enough, I in order and within the aforementioned plished in precisely four minutes. Points
found the 11/2-degreewarp in the right boundaries. The sequences are depicted are subtracted for going over this limit
wing panel. I also re-checked the balance graphically via sport aerobatic's own type and leaving too early. Though a very
point and took out the lead that I'd added. of hieroglyphics (otherwise known as the difficult event to judge, this is a favorite of
The next day, I went to the field. It was Aresti system), a series of figures, symbols many pilots and a pivotal event in any
a really nice day with a slight wind and numbers that accurately and easily national competition.
blowing straight down the runway. I depict the conduct of each maneuver. This year's event had its share of
unpacked my van, set up my field box and Although difficult to understand at first innovations, most notably by pilot Ray
fueled the Citabria. There were quite a glance, comprehension reveals this simple Williams flying a heavily modified S-2
few people at the field, and some who'd but ingenious system to be absolutely Pitts with retractable landing gear! Ray
been at the first flight asked me if I was indispensable to modern aerobatics. did an unusual maneuver that involved a
going to try again. The Citabria and I The second event is the "Free Pro vertical climb followed by what appeared
were ready! Before starting the engine, I gram"—a series of pilot-chosen, contest- to be a hammerhead entry: When facing
made some adjustments to my transmit approved maneuvers that must be sub 180 degrees in the opposite direction
ter, set my radio for coupled rudder and mitted to the judges in advance and (toward the ground), Ray continued the
aileron, set the rudder on dual rate and the followed carefully. A third contest re turn and circumscribed a perfect 360-
ailerons on full rate, turned on my receiver quires the pilot to fly an "Unknown degree revolution, on his side, and not
and transmitter, and made sure all of the Program"—a series of maneuvers given once, but twice. We're talking chills up
servos were working properly. Satisfied to pilots just hours before the actual flight. the spine, folks! It was a thrill to watch,
that the R/C system was working, I These maneuvers must, of course, be and the hoots and yells of his competitors
started the engine, made a slight adjust flown precisely, and they carry the added showed their approval of his ingenuity,
ment and taxied the Citabria down to the mental burden of not having been skill and imagination.
runway. I turned the plane into the wind, practiced. For the purposes of US National Aero
advanced to full throttle and was off the The final and most exciting event is the batic Team selection, a second Unknown
ground in a few feet. With a 10-ounce "Four-Minute Free Program"—a thrilling Program is flown following the comple
fuel tank, I flew for 10 to 12 minutes, then event designed by each of the pilots to tion of the normal Unlimited Program
ran out of fuel and made a good dead-
stick landing. As I rolled to a stop, one of
my flying buddies asked me what I did to
make my plane fly so much better than it
had the day before. I told him I'd re
balanced the airplane and taken out the
warp in the panel. All's well that ends
well? I refueled a few more times and
spent the afternoon flying a very pretty
airplane.
Sig Manufacturing Co., Inc., 401-7 South
Front St., Montezuma, IA 50171.
Carl Goldberg Models, 4734 West Chicago
Ave., Chicago, IL 60651.
Coverite, 420 Babylon Rd., Horsham, PA
19044.
O.S. Engines Mfg. Co. Ltd; distributed by
Great Planes Model Distributors, P.O. Box
4021, 1608 Interstate Dr., Champaign, IL
61820.
Zinger, distributed by J&Z Products, 25029
S. Vermont Ave., Harbor City, CA 90710.
Robart, P.O. Box 1247, St. Charles IL
60174.
Futaba Corp. of America, 555 W. Victoria
St., Compton, CA 90220.
US. AERO TEAM Equally fascinating were the many Throughout the competition, it was
(which serves to name the US Champion). variations on a theme among the aerobatic way too easy to be impressed only by the
Flown only by those who wish to make planes present. While the biplane con technicalities of competition aerobatics...
the US Team, this second Unknown tinues to be a favorite, the re-emerging until you'd had enough time to get to
program is a real bear—especially after a monoplane configuration is proving to be know the people. Tom Jones and his
hard week of intense competition, heat, a very competitive bird. The thinner constant supply of jokes: Paul Wenz's
pressure and four other challenging flights. profile of the monoplane is reported to be humorous attempt to get the team to
Even the 1986-87 US Aerobatic Cham far easier to judge, and some of the newer change to the color green for official
pion, Clint McHenry, showed that he felt birds, like the Extra 230, have proven to uniforms (a noble but fruitless effort);
the incredible pressure by "zeroing" a tail be very agile performers that handle well Clint McHenry's friendly banter (always
slide (having recovered in the wrong on relatively modest power. Still, the willing to help a fellow pilot); Lynne
direction) during this program (but not biplane configuration retains its pro Geringer's quiet intensity just before each
enough to seriously hurt his scores). Given ponents, though many of the Pitts-based flight; Henry Haigh's outstanding tech
the immense talent of this two-time airframes were so extensively modified nical knowledge and his willingness to
National Champ, you can imagine the that Curtis Pitts would hardly recognize share it; Ellen Dean's shy, serious de
considerable pressure that he must have them at first glance. Chief among those meanor; Kermit Weeks' awareness of
felt. Worst of all, were the good-natured mods were the installation of bigger everything—from the latest stats to the
ribbings and chuckles (especially from all engines, highly modified wings and even tiniest tech detail; Patty Wagstaff's cheer
those who had done the same) that Clint one retractable gear! ful smile and hunger to talk technique...
McHenry had to deal with! These alone With innovations like composite sur and there are so many others. The best
would be sufficient cause to double up on faces, new aerodynamic enhancements, way to understand this group is to note
practice sessions. engine mods, special props and many the groups of them, together, underneath
By the end of the week, it was clear that rumored "secrets," it's obvious that such a the wings . . . talking, critiquing and
this year's competition was the toughest group represents the leading edge of examining every flight with friendly ob
ever. The assembled pilots flew some of aerobatic technology. And it's not over. jectivity, lots of smiles and a total lack of
the best programs of their lives. The There was talk of new all-graphite/carbon derision.
precision of some of the especially intri wings, special ailerons, new airfoils, At other times, the pilots are seen
cate, compound maneuvers was a joy to titanium fuselages, radical new engines— standing alone on the apron with hands
behold. you name it! The sky is hardly the limit! (Continued on page 110)
U.S. AERO TEAM
Geringer of Selma, C A; Deborah Rihn of The increasing demands of world com
flying imaginary maneuvers in the air, Laporte, TX; Ellen Dean of Jacksonville, petition have made fielding a team a very
looking carefully at their diagrammed FL; Linda Meyers of Miami, FL; and expensive proposition. This is an entirely
sequence, deep in concentration. No one Patty Wagstaff of Anchorage, AK. The private enterprise. (Remember, they even
bothers them during this; this is a time for best! paid for the gas on last year's C-5 ferry
concentration, and mutual respect dictates This summer, they'll be getting together flight.) The support and funding of the US
that they not be approached until finished for the first of several team training Team falls mostly upon the general avia
with their mental deliberations. The rest sessions prior to the 1988 World Aero tion community. Each year, hundreds and
of the time, there's lots of camaraderie batic Championships, scheduled for Au thousands of pilots donate to the Founda
interspersed with flying talk and the ever- gust in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Team tion so that our national honor and
present but truly honest critiques. Manager, Paul Wenz, and the rest of the prestige will be represented in the skies of
This year's team was announced at a considerable USAF support staff (doctors, the world. The US Aerobatic Foundation
packed dinner on the Friday following mechanics,judges, treasurer, video people, urges you to consider supporting its ef
the competition. US Aerobatic Founda official delegates, trainers, etc.) will be forts, so that the skills and talents of our
tion President Bob Wagstaff and IAC working closely with them to help whip pilots will be known throughout the
President Mike Heuer had the pleasure of these pilots into the kind of team that can world. They'll be flying for all of us.
announcing and then introducing the take on an entire world of the best For more information, please contact the US
team after first congratulating the winners aerobatic pilots and win. Aerobatic Foundation, Box 3086,Oshkosh,WI
in IAC's Sportsman, Intermediate, and The US Team has an outstanding 54903.
Advanced classes. record of individual and team victories to
Among those honored were officials its credit, but it's quite obvious from this
from the Shell Oil Company (for their year's team members and their many
TUCANO
generous multi-thousand-dollar donation) support personnel, that they'll be satisfied
and the US Air Force (which transported with nothing less than overwhelming when I took it to the field for the first time.
all the US team's airplanes to Europe last victory. The United States is known as a PERFORMANCE: The Tucano's flight
year in a C-5 Galaxy in exchange for a land of freedom and excellence; these characteristics are acceptable; it performs
little gas money—$59,000 worth—thirsty pilots will be out to prove both. most aerobatics very well. It's a little
devils, those C-5s). Fielding a world-class When the team heads to Red Deer, faster than I expected and a lot faster than
team requires a lot of help from a wide they go with the full support and organi some jets, one of which I blew by as if it
variety of sources. zation of the US Aerobatic Foundation. was practicing for a hovering tournament!
The new US Aerobatic team consists USAF is the official organization that The only thing the Tucano doesn't do
of Julie Pfile of Albuquerque, NM; Alan handles the team's fund raising and dis well is sustained knife-edge flight, but I
Bush of Miami, FL; Clint McHenry of position. Each year it has to raise a huge never did get much enjoyment by flying
Boca Raton, FL; Harold Chappel of sum of money so that the US Team can around like that, anyway. The glide ratio
Ortonville, MI; Henry Haigh of Howell, compete with the many private and of this ship in the dead-stick mode ap
MI; Kermit Weeks of Miami, FL; Tom g o v e r n m e n t - s u p p o r t e d teams from proaches that of a '57 Buick, so if you
Jones of Oklahoma City, OK; Lynne around the world. experience an engine failure or simply
run out of fuel because you're enjoying
yourself, don't try to stretch the glide...
you'll only get what it wants to give you
and not a foot more!
Many of us will spend $200 on a
ready-to-fly airplane this year. I think that
spending an extra $75 to own a Tucano
may be worth it. As long as you're willing
to perform the few simple mods I sug
gested, I think this is a difficult subject to
beat—unless you wait for the new .60-
size Tucano in military colors that should
be in the country in about six months. In
any event, Air Champ Models is having
no trouble living up to its name.
Air Champ Models Inc., 2854 NW 79th
Ave., Miami FL 33122.
Futaba Corp. of America 555 W. Victoria
St., Compton, CA 90220.
Aerotrend, 31 Nichols St., Ansonia, CT
06401.
JET BLAST
(Continuedfrompage 68) Jet Hangar Hobbies 121308 Carson St.,
landing perfection and a bonus for Hawaiian Gardens, CA 90716.
spot-landing. Jet Model Products, 304 Silvertop, Raymore,
This event was won by Ron Gilman, MO 64083.
who took home the Top Gun Award. He Midwest Products Co., Inc., 400 S. Indiana
had the shortest takeoff (40 feet), com St., P.O. 564, Hobart IN 46342.
pleted ten vertical rolls and scored top Yellow Aircraft and Hobby Supplies Ltd,
points in maneuvers with a winning Suite 201, 3040 Palston Rd., Mississauga,
Ontario, Canada LAY Z26.
recorded speed of 165.66mph and a low
Wally Zober, P.O. Box 2415 Apopka, FL
speed of 48.70mph. He took top Static 32703
points for appearance and workmanship,
scored well for perfect landing and even
took the bonus points for spot-landing. GOLDEN AGE
That's what it takes to be Top Gun! (Continuedfrompage 73)
So there you are guys and gals; a new The transmitter RF signal would have
event for ducted-fan model fly-ins. If any been on either the 27MHz or the 50- to
of you jet model fliers would like to 54MHz bands. The single control stick
contribute ideas to make this a better, had "right" and "left" for ailerons, "up"
more enjoyable event, please contact me. and "down" for elevator and a steering
If you'd like a detailed description of all knob for rudder. The stick controlled
the events, send for the December '87 separate "pulsers" for each control; each
issue (Volume 7) of Bob Violett's news pulser was associated with a particular
letter; it's loaded with ducted-fan audio tone. Thus, the transmitter provided
information. three channels of pulsed, coded informa
*Here are the addresses of the companies tion. The fourth trimmable channel was
mentioned in this article: activated by stopping the pulsing of the
Bob Violett Models, 1373 Citrus Rd., Winter rudder-channel tone. This was done with
Springs, FL 32708. a separate switch that could momentarily
Byron Originals, P.O. Box 279, Ida Grove, cut the rudder-channel pulser out of the
IA 51445. circuit. As you can imagine, the need for
NAME THE PLANE CONTEST
Can you identify
this aircraft?
If so, send your answer to M o d e l
Airplane News, Name the Plane
Contest (state issue in which plane
a p p e a r e d ) , 251 Danbury Rd., Wilton,
CT 06897.
Congratulations to Warren Eckhart of Peoria, EL,

for correctly identifying the Junkers G-38 transport in
our April issue. Warren's name was chosen from the 62
correct answers submitted! We didn't think it would be
quite that easy!
The Junkers G-38, built in 1929, was designed and
manufactured as a means of economical and
dependable air transportation. The span of this
behemoth was 144 feet, and it had a wing area of 3,121
square feet! Empty weight was 28,660 pounds with a leading edge of the wing behind glass windows! Two
max flying weight of 52,900 pounds. It "boasted" a top Junkers G-38s were produced: one was "lost" in a
speed of 121mph with a range of 2,175NM. It required takeoff accident; the other (pictured) "acquired" by the
a crew of six, some perhaps comforting the 34 Luftwaffe and christened "General Field Marshal von
passengers—especially the six who were seated in the Hindenberg." It did not survive the war!
T h e w i n n e r will b e d r a w n four w e e k s following publication Airplane News. If already a subscriber, t h e w i n n e r will

from correct answers received by postcard delivered by U.S. receive a free one-year extension of his subscription.
Mail a n d will receive a free o n e - y e a r subscription to M o d e l
GOLDEN AGE controls. For whatever reason, the Model If you're searching for OT R/C plans,
several tone generators and an equal 21 wasn't widely distributed, but those Alan Walker tells us that England has
number of pulsers made for a complex who did use them reported very favorable competitions for OT R/C aerobatic flying,
transmitter. results. and that they have some OT pattern-type
In the receiver, tone filters comple The most popular Dee Bee system model plans available. Interested? Want
mentary to the transmitter coding routed could have been a refinement of Model more info? Write to Alan Walker, 5 Farm
the incoming information to the proper 21. With this Quadraplex, a fourth audio Close, Belper, Derby DE5 1RY, England,
servos in the form of pulsing voltage. channel was added, so that the engine U.K.
With three separate information channels, became independent of the rudder From here, it's on to more proportional
any interaction was virtually eliminated. channel. history and any old-time activities you
Within the rudder channel, after the filter, I have a nice photo of genial Bill wish to pass along. Have you checked
a pulse omission detector was also in Northrop and his "Foo-Too" model. Bill your receiver range lately? A daily "must
cluded to allow operation of the fourth is from the Delaware area, and was very do" not too many years ago!
trimmable control. active in early R/C with the DC/RC P.S. I hope you digested the "Old-Time
On his Model 21, Don Brown replaced group. The Foo-Too was a special model R / C Activities" presentation in the April
the scissor-style neutralizing spring in the built for attempts at world records in '88 issue. My objective was to make you
Bellamatic servo with a much simpler contests of distance and duration, etc. The aware that many OT R / C fliers, and
one. This design change reputedly made Russians held all the records, and there others, too, think the activity needs an
the Bellamatic much more linear in action. was an AM A movement to do something organization. As I write this, the idea is
Also, the Bellamatic's high gear ratio about it! The Foo-Too was powered by a new, but I've already had phone calls and
effectively absorbed the pulsing, so that Fox .59, had an area of 1,000 square letters of support. A couple of people
very little was apparent at the control inches, and weighed only 5 pounds, 9 expressed the desire to be member No. 1!
surface. ounces dry. R/C was by Quadraplex. At An O T R / C organization is possible. Will
Although this was basically a pulse the Dahlgren Navy base, Bill broke the
someone act as a moderator for the initial
system, this configuration did produce a Russian altitude record by flying to about
organizing? I'm waiting to hear from you!
true multi-channel proportional system 16,000 feet. This is only one of the early
too. For the first time, there were separate attempts on records, and I'll tell you about
propo channels for the three primary others when space permits.
Club of the
MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS
Month
HOBBY SHOP DIRECTORY
Retailers: Make your business grow with new traffic! Now you can advertise your hobby
shop in the Model Airplane News Hobby Shop Directory. The listing will be published
Edmonton R/C Society monthly and will be listed according to city and state. You will have 3 to 4 lines,
The Edmonton Radio Control Society from approximately 20 words, in which to deliver your sales message, plus space for your store's
Edmonton, Canada, is the Model Airplane name, address, and telephone number.
News "Club of the Month" for June 1988.
The ERCS has a schedule of events that
includes two pylon-racing meets and a scale
meet, to be held on their home turf, and an CALIFORNIA—Torrance/Gardenia NEW JERSEY—Red Bank
auction, static display, air show, fun-fly and Your one-stop R/C shop. We try to carry it all. Major Full-line hobby shop. Ask us, w e will compete with
items discounted. Help and advice free. Building and bull mail-order prices. Mon.-Wed. 10-6. Thr. Fri. 10-8, Sat.
world aerobatics, to be hosted by other area sessions allowed on premises. Owner John Eaton. 10-5, Sun 12-4.
clubs. According to the club newsletter, the MODEL CENTER HOBBYMASTERS
2304 Redondo Beach Blvd, 327-3862 62 White St. 842-6020
"ERCS News," the calendar is starting to fill
up, and, although it may be taken for granted, CONNECTICUT—Bristol NEW YORK-Elmsford
15 minutes from Hartford. Complete stock of R/C A complete R/C hobby shop, carrying a full line of
this busy schedule is a testament to the boats, cars, airplanes, and helicopters. Also, two-and supplies and parts for R/C airplanes, cars, and boats with
determination of the club's governing board to four-cycle engines. All major items discounted. Hours: 4 0 years R/C experience. Mon., Tue., Fri. 10-6. Thu.
Mon., t u e . , Wed., 10-7; Thu., Fri., 10-8; Sat., 10-5:30; 10-9, Sat 10-5.
provide the members with more than a site to Sun. Nov.-Jan. 1-4. ANDY'S HOBBY SHOP, INC.
fly at. Their dedication promotes not only the BRISTOL HOBBY CENTER 36 E. Main St. 592-5176
641 Farmington Ave., Rte. 6 583-7273
ERCS, but model aviation as a whole. OHIO—Cincinnati
FLORIDA—Miami Full Line Shop—R/C Planes, Boats. Cars. Parts &
The " E R C S News" also shows the club's R/C airplanes, cars, boats, and helicopters. Accessories—Trains, LGB. Lionel. HO and N —Rockets.
commitment to existing members, as well as Mon. thru Sat. 9-6. Paint Sets. Tools, etc.
ORANGE BLOSSOM HOBBIES DEWAR EQUIPMENT COMPANY
to younger and prospective members. The 1975 NW 36th St. 633-2521 4915 Gtenway Avenue 921-5366
newsletter isn't cluttered with long-winded
GEORGIA—Austell OHIO—Findlay
notes of previous meetings or unfortunate R/C Specialists. U / C Specialists, aircraft, boats, cars, Findlay's local R/C dealer, planes—cars—boats. We
crashes. There's a place for this information in helicopters. Sig. Futaba. TamiYa. Red Max. Hours: specialize in R/C. large selection of kits, accessories, and
Mon.-Fri. 11-7; Sat. 10-5; closed Sun. parts. W e arc authorized Sig and Dremel dealers. Also
a newsletter, but it shouldn't make up the HOBBY JUNCTION sell plastic kits and model rockets. Tue. & Thu. 3 - 9 ,
entire content. The "ERCS News" contains 5095 Austell Rd. 941-3448 Mon., W e d ,Fri.,& Sat. 10-9.
JINX MODEL SUPPLIES
information on club happenings, rules, etc., GEORGIA—College Park, Atlanta 721 Rockwell Ave. 422-5589
but also important is the technical information, R/C Helicopters. X-Cell service center. Bob Violett
OKLAHOMA—Tulsa
dueled fans. Built aircraft on display. T w o min. from
which educates both the novice and the Hartsfield Int. Airport.. Mon-Sat. 10:00-8:00. Call Jim R/C Specialists, planes, helicopters, cars and boats. We
seasoned flier. T o keep R / C flying alive and Himes. also have kites, boomerangs and plastics. Experienced
IN AIR HOBBIES personnel to answer all your questions. AE, Visa. MC.
well for years to come, the ERCS has instituted 2730 Sullivan Rd. 404-763-2745 Hours: Mon-Sat. 10-6.Thurs. 10-8.
a Youth Program to "introduce the hobby of WINGS'N THINGS HOBBY SUPPLY, INC.
ILLINOIS-Chicago 5153 S. Peoria Ave. 745-0034
model-airplane flying to the youth of our Chicago's largest hobby shop. R/C planes, helicopters,
RHODE ISLAND—Apponaug
community." The program, which is being boats, and cars. R/C Repairs, installations, and custom
building. Mon-Fri. 10-9; Sal. 9-6: Sun. 11-4. Aircraft, boats, cars, U / C R/C technicians on hand till 9.
headed by Mo Alam, isn't restricted to R / C ; STANTON HOBBY SHOP, INC. All supplies carried, engineering service. Mail order
4734 Milwaukee Ave. 283-6446 specialists.
it's "roots"-oriented and will include such
APPONAUG COLOR SHOP
subjects as free-flight and aerodynamics. MINNESOTA—Minneapolis 1364 Greenwich Ave. 737-5506
R/C modelers, attn., helicopters, cars, airplanes, boats. If
Other sections of the "ERCS News" include it moves, we R/C it! Futaba. Airtroncis, Acoms. O.S., TEXAS—Houston
safety tips on storing CA glues, tips on noise Enya. Associated. Tamiya, Kyosho. Mail orders wel R/C airplane specialists, R/C cars, boats, helicopters.
come, we ship UPS daily.Mon.-Fri. 10-9.Sat. 9:30-5:30. Plastic models, rockets, trains. HO & N. "Toys for Big
control to meet the upcoming 95dB limit and Sun. 12-5. Boys." Mon.-Fri. 11-7. Sat. 10-6.
other helpful information. One of the most HUB HOBBY CENTER LARRY'S HOBBIES
6416 Penn Ave.S 612-866-9575 156-F FM 1960 E. 443-7373
informative pieces we've ever seen in a
NEW JERSEY—Jackson TEXAS—San Antonio
newsletter is an article by Mo Alam called
R/C planes, boats, cars, and helicopters with extensive Specializing in R/C airplanes with largest selection in
"An Insight Into Pulse-Code Technology," hardware dept. Parts and service.custom-built products, southwest. Also boats, cars, helicopters, and rockets.
all with expert advice. Hours: Mon -Fri, 10-8. Sat. 10-5. Mon.-Fri. 10:30-6, Sal. 10-5. Since 1972.
where Mo explains the function and advan JACKSON HOBBY SHOP HOBBY CENTER, INC.
tages of a PCM-type radio system. RD 5, Box 12, W. County Line Rd. 364-3334 3439 Fredericksburg Rd. 735-4218
It's people like Mo Alam and the rest of his NEW JERSEY—Mercerville LATIN AMERICA
club who will keep model-airplane flying Complete line ot planes. Robbe.Sig. Kraft,Great Planes. COSTA RICA—San Jose
Large R/C selection plus trainers, boats, and all other Complete line of R/C airplanes, cars, boats, and heli
popular for generations to come. This is why hobby needs. Open 7 days. copters. Parts and professional expert service and advice.
Model Airplane News is pleased to award the IRON HORSE HOBBIES Julio Pastura. President. Weekdays 4 - 1 0 p.m.
Edmonton Radio Control Society two free, 116 Flock Rd. 586-2282 EL HOBBY SHOP
C e n t r o Commercial, San Jose 2000
one-year subscriptions, which they can give to Apartado 529.C e n t r oColon 32-26-81
a couple of the club's outstanding junior
members.
Each month Model Airplane News will select the club HOBBY SHOPS: Act now and get first ad free! Send sales message and payment to Model Air
newsletter that best shows the club's activities and Directory space is sold on a yearly basis with a choice of plane News Hobby Shop Directory, 251 Danbury
energies directed toward the furtherance of the hobby. three payment plans; 1. $179 per year, payable in Rd., Wilton, CT 06897.
The award is not based on size or quality of the news
letter, and can be about any aspect of the hobby (F/F,
advance; 2. $97 for six months, payable in advance; or 3. For further details or information on our special
C/L, R/C, boating, cars, etc.). Model Airplane News
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publication (for example, January 15th for the April
by the club to outstanding junior members. So send issue).
your newsletter to Model Airplane News, Club of the
Month Contest, 251 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897.
AEROBATICS
(Continued from page 96) the half-reverse Cuban 8. This will be center to the other side of the field for this.
to create a single, flowing, aerobatic flight done after the plane passes show center to From straight and level, pull the ship up
the other side of you, and it begins with a into half a loop. At the top of the loop, roll
for the pilot.
The plane is first flown to the show climb up at 45 degrees. Now you roll over the ship from inverted to upright, and
to inverted and perform a graceful 270- that's it; a half-loop with a half-roll.
center at a relatively high altitude to set
degree loop to level flight, heading back Now head back to show center for a
up for the two-turn spin. You'd come into
to show center. At show center, you do an snap roll. At speed, the snap roll uses the
the show center heading upwind, throttle
easy inside loop. Do this with grace and same control inputs as the spin, but
back and allow the ship to stall from level
ease, pulling out straight and level and approaches from straight and level at full
flight right into a spin. To do the spin, just
heading upwind to the next turning speed. Quickly hit the controls hard, and
feed in all the right rudder, right aileron
maneuver, a half Cuban 8. watch out! The ship will snap over so
and up-elevator you can get to the trans
mitter. If a wing stalls, the ship will spin. The half Cuban 8 is just like the half- quickly that it may be hard to stop it at
Do only two rotations, and then allow the reverse Cuban 8, but the looping comes straight and level again. You may need
spin to stop. You should be aiming in the before the half-roll. From level flight, pull reduced power settings to perform this
same direction as the entry, but heading the ship up into a nice loop and halt the one, but when you do it, you'll know why
straight down. Ease out and throttle up to loop when the nose of the ship reaches an they call it the snap roll. We are quite high
the next maneuver, which is a hammer angle of 45 degrees to the horizon on the in the sky right now, and heading to the
head. downward side. Now roll over to upright, edge of the field. To bring us down and
"Hammerhead" is just another name and, heading for show center, pull the ship return us to show center, the split " S " is
for a stall turn. In this case, the hammer back to straight and level flight. next.
head will be used to return the ship to So far, we've used loops, rolls, stalls This maneuver is the "mirror" opposite
show center. As described earlier, pull to and spins for the maneuvers. The next of the Immelmann turn. You remember
vertical throttle back, hit hard rudder and maneuver, an Immelmann turn, continues that the Immelmann was a half-loop with
pivot 180 degrees to straight-down ver this progression. Created by a combat a half-roll? Well, the split "S" is a half-roll
tical. Ease out and throttle up; you're on pilot in World War I, this evasive-action followed by a half-loop to straight and
your way towards show center again for maneuver is quite easy. Fly past show level flight. This is done at reduced power
TORQUE STANDS: Measure engine horsepower .049

to .60 or .15 to 1.2. Precision machined from bar stock,
adjustable engine mount, $300 or $385. For 1/4-scale
plane and car engines measure up to 5 horsepower at
8,000rpm, $750. Postpaid U.S.A. Armstrong Research
& Technology, 2123 4th Avenue North, Irondale, AL
35210.
WANTED: RTF U-Control planes from Cox, WenMac, CUSTOM EMBROIDERED PATCHES. Your design
Comet, Aurora, Testors, etc., complete or pieces, buy or made any size, shape, colors. Five patch minimum. Free REMOTE, NEEDLE-VALVE ADJUSTER: Allows
trade. John Fietze, P.O. Box 593, Lynbrook, NY 11563. random sample and brochure. Hein Specialties. 4202K exact needle adjustment for every flight. Precision gear
ANTIQUE MODEL IGNITION ENGINES—PARTS North Drake, Chicago, IL 60618-1113. train makes it easy to set engine for peak power. Adjuster
CATALOG, 50 pages, precision cast timers, original knob 2 inches from prop. Complete mounting hardware
cylinder heads, point sets, drive washers, tanks, for GHQ, and adapters for bent or knob-type needles for. 19 to 1.8
O&R, O.K., many others. Large catalog $4.00 pp. Chris TOOLING: Molds, tooling, fixtures and parts to manu engines. $16.95 post-paid check or M.O. S.&D. Model
Rossbach, RD 1, Queensboro Manor, Gloversville, NY facture 60 size ABC engines. Have some finished parts Products, P.O. Box 4026, Des Plaines, IL 60016.
12078. and some still needing machining for 200 engines. For
more information please call (818) 767-8909. PLANES, BOATS AND CAR KITS below list price.
HARDWARE AND SOCKET HEAD cap screws, all Also available: Bearings, radios, hardware, and a com
sizes, low prices. Write for complete list. Example 6- BEGINNERS, discouraged by too-fast "trainers"? Send plete line of accessories. We keep prices at ROCK
32x1" only $4.25 per hundred. Micro Fasteners, P.O. $1 and two stamps for no-holds-barred evaluation of BOTTOM. For catalog write; SOUTHINGTON HOB
Box 42A, Netcong, NJ 07857. over 20 popular R/C trainers rated for their ease-of- BIES, P.O. Box 819, Southington, CT 06489.
flying. Jim Waterman, 3818 Deerfield Dr., San Antonio,
WANTED: Model airplane engines and model race cars TX 78218. "LEARNING TO FLY R/C With or Without An
made before 1950. Jim Clem, 1201 E. 10,P.O.Box524, Instructor," $2.95 plus 560 postage. Jim Waterman,
Sand Springs, OK 74063; 918-245-3649. CLEARING OUT OLD MAG ACCUMULATION 3818 Deerfield Dr., San Antonio, TX 78218.
MAM, AT. Flying Models and others. Send self-
WANTED: Model engines made before 1950. Don addressed, stamped envelope for list. Fruciano, 6146 E. WANTED: One Astro Flight gear for belt drive system,
Blackburn, P.O. Box 15143, Amarillo, TX 79105; Cactus Wren, Scottsdale, AZ 85253. 18 teeth. Any reasonable offer accepted. ($5-$10). Call
806-622-1657. collect for Carey Simon, 4pm-8pm central time. Please
PLANS ENLARGED, Model Drafting Software, Ni-Cd call as fast as possible. 4521 Lorraine, Dallas, TX 75205.
SCALE DOCUMENTATION: Plan Enlarging. Photo Monitoring Software, Scale Data. Free catalog. Concept,
packs, 3-view drawings for 1,600 aircraft. Super-scale AVIATION RESEARCHER'S BOOK CATALOG
PO Box 669E, Poway, CA 92064; (619) 486-2464.
R/C plans for Giant, Sport. 60-page catalog $3. Scale Fully Indexed. 1001 entries. Send $2 for your copy
Plans and Photo Service, 3209 Madison Ave., Greens today. Greiner Associates, 16-N Mistuxet Ave., Mystic,
boro, NC 27403; 919-292-5239. WANTED: Berkeley and Cleveland kits or related CT 06355.
items; parts, plans, boxes, brochures, books, ads, radio FREE VIDEO TAPE CATALOG: Over 100 videos
BUILDING BOARDS. Flat, warp-resistant, 3/8-inch equipment, accessories, etc. Gordon Blume, 4649-191 st
pinnable surface, 16 inches wide, 48 inches long. Free oriented to modeling. Airplanes, trains, cars, how tos,
Ave. S.E., Issaquah, WA 98027. also books. Kennykraft, 5665 Peninsula Rd., Florence,
brochure. Limestone Enterprises, Box 586-MA, Athens,
Alabama 35611. PHOTOS 1930s ERA, package of ten assorted pictures, OR 97439.
$8.75. Richard Aardsma, 117 E 37th, Holland, MI FOR SALE: Two Great Planes Super Sportster 60s. One
BUILD AND MAINTAIN YOUR OWN ELEC 49423.
TRONICS. Battery cycler, constant current charger, Sig Kadet MKII. Three Futaba Radios FP-4FG, FP-
digital ESV, etc. Radio Shack parts. Very complete P-39 ATRACOBRA DATA PLATE original WWII 6FG, FP-6NLK. Three K&B Engines, Two 61 R/C
instructions for the non-electronics person. Satisfaction mounted on wood plaque from ship #41-28339, $60, w/MUFF, One K&B 40 R/C w/MUFF. All 9 items
guaranteed. Business size SASE for information. Lico Bob Spencer, 5833 Red Bank, Galena,OH 43021;(614) $750. Mark Preston, Rt. #1, Box 389, Newberry, FL
Electronics, 700 NW 7th Ave., Boca Raton, FL 33486. 965-4931. 32669.
Send ad and payment to Model Airplane News, 251 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897. Non-Commercial classified ads (commercial ads of any kind not accepted at this special rate).
Rate: 15 words or less, $4.50 payable in advance. No charge for name and address. Additional words, 250 each. Commercial classified ads (rate applies to anyone selling on a
commercial basis—retailers, manufacturers, etc.) Rate: 50 per word, payable in advance. Count all initials, numbers, name, address, city and state, zip and phone number. Closing
Date for either type of ad is the 20th of the third preceding month (for example, January 20th for the April issue). We do not furnish box numbers. If you would like your ad to run in
more than one issue, multiply amount of payment by number of months that ad is to run. It is not our policy to send sample copies of tear sheets.
ADVERTISERS INDEX
Ace R/C 54
Air Champ Models 87,106
Airtronics 4
Altech Marketing 31
America's Hobby Center 107
Associated Electrics 9
Balsa USA 61
Basics of R/C Boat 102
Basics of R/C Car 111
Bridi Enterprises 103
Bud Clauer 81
Byron Originals 69
Classified 118
Conley Precision Engines 38
Coverite 98
Cox Hobbies, Inc 23
Doylejet 98
Du-Bro Products 7
Easy-Up 37
Flying Paper Scale 103
Fox Mfg 74
Futaba C3
Carl Goldberg Models 47, 59
G.M. Plastics 83
G.M. Precision 87
Great Planes 48, 77, C4
Heath Company 10
Historic Aviation 17
Hobbico 99
Hobby Shop Directory 117
Hobby Lobby Int'l 70-71 AEROBATICS now headed downward, and the book
Hobby Shack 18
settings to prevent over-stressing the tells you to roll one half-roll. No sweat;
Imitari 44
In Air Hobbies 81 plane. You're heading for show center, you'll pull out coming back to show
J'Tec 103 and the classic barrel roll is next. center.
K&B Manufacturing 98 The barrel roll is simply a non-axial The two-point roll is next; this is a
K&S Engineering 104 roll, and an axial roll is one that sees the straight leg of inverted flight. It sounds
Kress Jets 115
M.A.N. Books 120-121
aircraft roll perfectly about the center line very easy, but holding straight inverted
M.A.N. 400 Great Modeling Tips 39 of the ship. A barrel roll rotates around flight for a mere three seconds can be
M.A.N. Plans 108-109 the center line. On some planes, it can be pure agony if you're not ready for it.
M.A.N. Subscription 114 done with rudder input. Simply put, it's a When you make it, roll back to upright
M D M Co 80 rather sloppy-looking roll, but one requir for another Humpty Bump (this one with
McDaniel 8
Micro Mark 105
ing close attention to do correctly. the half-roll on the way up, instead of the
Midwest Products 3 way down). The result is the same; you're
Miniature Aircraft 84-85 going to return to show center in the
Model Products Corp 80 upright position.
Model Retailer 115
Model Rectifier Corporation C2,13 The last maneuver is a slow roll. This is
Pacer Tech 119 simply a roll that takes at least three
Quadrotech 86 seconds to completely perform. Use your
R.C.B.M. Subscription 122
R.C.C.A. Subscription 11
acquired expertise, and you can feed in
Retailer Ad 90 rudder to hold the nose as the ship rolls
Robart 35 past the first 90 degrees. Rolling to
Robbe 76 inverted, the rudder is eased off and the
Rocket City Specialties 37
down elevator is fed in. Rolling continues
Royal Products 25
Sheldon's Hobbies 78, 92-95 past inverted, and we feed in opposite
Shields Aviation 98 rudder as the ship hits 270 degrees of roll.
Sig Manufacturing 79 We slide the rudder out and come to level
Sunshine Hobby 55 flight as we roll to straight and level.
Tatone 82
Whew! Was that enough for you? And
Teleflite 38
Technopower 106 how! Once you get through this sequence
Top Flite 110 and are feeling confident about it, you
Tower Hobbies 112-113 will progress and really get to know and
Vailly Aviation 115 love aerobatics.
Varicom Industries 62-63, 91
Video Specialties 38 We're heading to the edge of the field For many of us, aerobatics is what R/C
Bob Violett 44 again, and here we hit the Humpty Bump. flying is all about. There's nothing wrong
Watkins Aviation 38 From straight and level, pull the ship with droning around the sky and admiring
Williams Brothers 82
straight up to vertical, and as the speed the miracle of flight, but, as someone out
Yellow Aircraft 75
Zenith Aviation 15 bleeds off, push the stick forward to do there once said, "Only those who dare,
one half of an outside loop. The ship is truly live."
JUNE 1988 119

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48120 $2.

MODEL June 1988

by Ron Farkas. A Field

Art Direction and Design

remote-control toy around the sky. So,

CANOPY REPAIR WRIST FUEL GAUGE

MORE LIGHT WHEELS

I N JUNE 1938, Model Airplane News

every couple of years.

(Continued from page 22)

A EROBATICS IS ONE of the

seeing airplanes perform death-defying and timing are paramount.

BASIC: 1-8 Sportsman

Above: T. Yoshioka looks at

comes over the top. Keep the wings

T HE EXISTENCE OF SAM (the Society of Antique Modelers) and

The worlds premier R/C modeling magazine [jffl^fflS)

home-built, because a suitable powerplant

11,672 Coors Light Cans??

Retractable nose-gear installation. Door

PO. Box 1247, St Charles. IL 60174

I H E A R D RECENTLY from Jim

PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR

The worlds premier R/C modeling magazine [jffl^fflS)

framework is first assembled

aligned basic structure. Next, the upper formers are

I F YOU LIKE pretty airplanes

this airplane is most important, and I'll explain why

T HIS MONTH, I'LL skip the tutor­

A WHILE BACK, I showed you what it

Above: One of the

Photo: Alex Sim

GUEST COLUMNIST: WALLY ZOBER

The worlds premier R/C modeling magazine [jffl^fflS)

Dave Latsha with his Viper and "Best

Eric Baugher did a fantastic job of flying a scratch-built F-4

this. Care is needed, since the fiberglass

88 MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS

THE VECTOR FIBERGLASS C O W L

100 MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS

• Three horizontal rolls; exit box.

Congratulations to Warren Eckhart of Peoria, EL,

T h e w i n n e r will b e d r a w n four w e e k s following publication Airplane News. If already a subscriber, t h e w i n n e r will

TORQUE STANDS: Measure engine horsepower .049

JUNE 1988 119

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T HIS MONTH, I'LL skip the tutor