Also included in this column:
• Information about the ZALP
Combat .15
• The F2D Team Trials may be
held in Texas!
Ivan McKenzie of Canada and Jussi Forss of Finland do the right-hand vs. left-hand
battle.
Richard Stubblefield and George Cleveland have been a winning team for many years.
They probably have a century of Combat flying between them.
I HAVE BEEN fascinated with model
engines since the first day I saw people
flying model aircraft. The first engine I
purchased was an OK Cub .049 that I was
only able to get started a few times; that
could have been because of those old drycell
doorbell batteries that could not keep
the glow plug lit.
My second engine was a McCoy .19
shiny-case red-head. It was the first one I
took apart and examined to gain better
knowledge of how it worked. The McCoy
was mounted on a Junior Ringmaster,
which I flew countless times.
Then I mounted the .19 on a Junior
Satan, added a pressure tank, and really
learned how to fly inverted and do all sorts
of wild tricks. I got some great fast flights
out of the McCoy, but it became harder
and harder to start and the compression
quickly faded to almost nothing.
Since those early days of my flying
career the idea of getting engines to start
easily and run quickly and steadily has
been a goal. It is still my goal and, once
achieved, adds more efficiency to every
trip to the flying field. It is no fun being at
the field trying to start an engine that
refuses to pop or does not run steadily
once it is started.
The ZALP engine with which the author
did some propeller testing.
The running-fast part of the equation is
what most Combat pilots look for
continuously. During the days when Fast
Combat was the main event, fliers
experimented using Dremel-tool artistry
on the engines’ internal parts, trying
different propellers and adding exotic
chemicals to their fuel.
These days engine availability is so
good, in terms of variety and reliability,
that it is no problem, even for the rank
beginner, to get the engine started and
needled properly for good runs.
There has been a big change in how an
interested person obtains engines. That
first OK Cub I mentioned was purchased
at a discount toy store in San Francisco,
California, that had a hobby section. The
McCoy .19 came from Zaharis’
combination hobby and television-repair
shop, which also served as the host site to
the San Francisco Piston Poppers Model
Airplane Club.
It was customary at the time to display
available engines in a glass counter or in
bubble packs hung on a rack. There were
plenty of sizes and manufacturers’ brands
available.
All this was happening in the 1960s.
Hobby shops were plentiful and could be
found in every neighborhood of the city.
There were multiple modeling clubs that
could be found attached to or affiliated
with a particular hobby shop. When a
certain engine was in high demand, the
hobby-shop owner might set one aside for
you and even call to let you know it was
available.
A group of Combat pilots used to
hang out at Pat’s Hobbies in San
Francisco. On Friday nights you could
count on seeing a bunch of your flying
buddies there or going to dinner across
the street at Mel’s Diner.
When the shop opened Saturday
morning, you would often find people
waiting for the owner to arrive. It was
common to have someone bring in
doughnuts and coffee for anyone who was
interested.
I suppose it helped that the flying field
at Crocker Amazon Park was less than a
mile away. If you needed a replacement
propeller or an extra glow plug, you could
run back to the hobby shop and return to
the flying field in less than 15 minutes.
Since many of us were still in high school,
our funds were limited and we did buy
glow plugs one or two at a time.
The Condor Legion club out of
Redwood City, California, included Mike
Petri, Norm McFadden, Rich Brasher,
Jerry Cook, Paul Leuty, and others who
were often found at J&M Hobbies in
nearby San Carlos, California. Shop owner
Joe White catered to Combat pilots and
kept a huge stock of SuperTigre and Fox
parts on hand.
In the 1960s those brands were the
most popular—and prone to breaking
when run on high-nitromethane fuels and
with propellers that operated well above
their design limitations. This phenomenon
of pilots and clubs affiliated with hobby
shops is now hard to find in the United
States.
The current method of obtaining toplevel
equipment is knowing the source of a
particular engine. You also need to have
either seen the equipment operating at a
contest or have contact with a competitor
whose recommendations you trust.
In previous columns I have mentioned
the open-air markets that are quickly put
up at European contests by various
competitors or the people who travel with
them. Although there can be a variety of
interesting-looking equipment, the buyer
must beware of any purchases unless the
source is known. I have been pleasantly
surprised by some of my purchases and
completely disappointed with others.
The Internet is a good place to start to
get an idea of what is available. James E.
Dunkin has put together an incredible
reference book of international .15 cu.
in./2.5cc model-airplane engines. He must
have the largest collection of this size
engine in the world.
Jim gives as much information as he
has on each engine, such as the country of
origin, the manufacturer or builder, and the
year(s) of production. I am not sure how
much he is charging for his book; send him
an E-mail message at dunkin@discovery
net.com.
The book has more than 250 pages of
good-quality photographs of each engine.
There are four engine photos and
descriptions per page.
I am currently experimenting with a ZALP
Combat .15 engine that has its origins in
Zaparozhia, Ukraine. The letters ZALP are
the initials of the Zaporozhye Aeroplane
Laboratory Polyot.
This is a relatively unknown make of
engine in the United States and is not a
brand that is widely used in international
Combat contests. I did not see any flown at
the 2006 World Championships in Spain,
but there were some for sale.
Bob Whitney ([954] 983-3624; E-mail:
[email protected]), a member of the US
World Championships Team Race team,
acquired a couple ZALP engines and sent
me one to run and evaluate. Bob is the
contact person if you want to obtain these
power plants. Don’t hold me to this, but the
price is approximately $160.
I have been pleasantly surprised by how
well the ZALP I have starts and runs. It
weighs 122 grams with muffler and glow
plug. The machine work is excellent and
has a good “feel.” By this I mean that with
the propeller on and a glow plug inserted,
there is good compression when you flip
the propeller and the bottom end feels free.
I did all my testing with 10%-
nitromethane fuel with 20% Klotz synthetic
oil. This is my standard, everyday fuel that
I make myself. It is not the legal FAI fuel
that requires the use of castor oil, but it
will not gum up or varnish the inside of
your engine.
The first propeller I tried on the
ZALP was a red, unmodified Seryogin
that was 163 millimeters in length. I also
ran the engine extra rich on the first
couple flights so I would not harm any
of the internal parts. The ZALP ran well
and took little effort to start for the first
time. Subsequent starts took fewer and
fewer flips of the propeller.
The performance on the 163mm was
not bad, but you could feel that it was
too much propeller and lost speed and
rpm in consecutive turns. Motor racers
would say “It had too tall a gear.” Then I
tried a vintage 156mm Belaiev propeller
that the ZALP seemed to like much
better through the turns, and it still had
great level speed at 18.3 seconds for
eight laps.
The next propeller I tried was a
vintage 154mm blue Faizov. The ZALP
yodeling could be heard all over the
flying field. It sounded great, but it was
definitely running over its “red line” and
lost a great deal of flat-out speed.
Chuck Rudner suggested that I try
one of the light-green, lower-pitched
Fora propellers at 159mm. I thought that
might be just what the doctor ordered
for this engine. Sure enough, that
prescription cured the ZALP’s case of
the “I’m searching for a better propeller”
blues.
I have had runs of 18.02 seconds and
18.06 seconds for eight laps with
wonderful pull through turns. This is a
competitive engine—even more so than
some power plants that cost much more.
Early chatter on the Internet makes it
sound like the people in Lubbock,
Texas, are thinking about putting in a
bid to host the 2007 USA F2D Combat
Team Trials. They did a great job last
time and are currently considering Labor
Day weekend for this event.
I will try to keep you posted on any
news dealing with the Team Trials.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 148,150,152,154
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 148,150,152,154
Also included in this column:
• Information about the ZALP
Combat .15
• The F2D Team Trials may be
held in Texas!
Ivan McKenzie of Canada and Jussi Forss of Finland do the right-hand vs. left-hand
battle.
Richard Stubblefield and George Cleveland have been a winning team for many years.
They probably have a century of Combat flying between them.
I HAVE BEEN fascinated with model
engines since the first day I saw people
flying model aircraft. The first engine I
purchased was an OK Cub .049 that I was
only able to get started a few times; that
could have been because of those old drycell
doorbell batteries that could not keep
the glow plug lit.
My second engine was a McCoy .19
shiny-case red-head. It was the first one I
took apart and examined to gain better
knowledge of how it worked. The McCoy
was mounted on a Junior Ringmaster,
which I flew countless times.
Then I mounted the .19 on a Junior
Satan, added a pressure tank, and really
learned how to fly inverted and do all sorts
of wild tricks. I got some great fast flights
out of the McCoy, but it became harder
and harder to start and the compression
quickly faded to almost nothing.
Since those early days of my flying
career the idea of getting engines to start
easily and run quickly and steadily has
been a goal. It is still my goal and, once
achieved, adds more efficiency to every
trip to the flying field. It is no fun being at
the field trying to start an engine that
refuses to pop or does not run steadily
once it is started.
The ZALP engine with which the author
did some propeller testing.
The running-fast part of the equation is
what most Combat pilots look for
continuously. During the days when Fast
Combat was the main event, fliers
experimented using Dremel-tool artistry
on the engines’ internal parts, trying
different propellers and adding exotic
chemicals to their fuel.
These days engine availability is so
good, in terms of variety and reliability,
that it is no problem, even for the rank
beginner, to get the engine started and
needled properly for good runs.
There has been a big change in how an
interested person obtains engines. That
first OK Cub I mentioned was purchased
at a discount toy store in San Francisco,
California, that had a hobby section. The
McCoy .19 came from Zaharis’
combination hobby and television-repair
shop, which also served as the host site to
the San Francisco Piston Poppers Model
Airplane Club.
It was customary at the time to display
available engines in a glass counter or in
bubble packs hung on a rack. There were
plenty of sizes and manufacturers’ brands
available.
All this was happening in the 1960s.
Hobby shops were plentiful and could be
found in every neighborhood of the city.
There were multiple modeling clubs that
could be found attached to or affiliated
with a particular hobby shop. When a
certain engine was in high demand, the
hobby-shop owner might set one aside for
you and even call to let you know it was
available.
A group of Combat pilots used to
hang out at Pat’s Hobbies in San
Francisco. On Friday nights you could
count on seeing a bunch of your flying
buddies there or going to dinner across
the street at Mel’s Diner.
When the shop opened Saturday
morning, you would often find people
waiting for the owner to arrive. It was
common to have someone bring in
doughnuts and coffee for anyone who was
interested.
I suppose it helped that the flying field
at Crocker Amazon Park was less than a
mile away. If you needed a replacement
propeller or an extra glow plug, you could
run back to the hobby shop and return to
the flying field in less than 15 minutes.
Since many of us were still in high school,
our funds were limited and we did buy
glow plugs one or two at a time.
The Condor Legion club out of
Redwood City, California, included Mike
Petri, Norm McFadden, Rich Brasher,
Jerry Cook, Paul Leuty, and others who
were often found at J&M Hobbies in
nearby San Carlos, California. Shop owner
Joe White catered to Combat pilots and
kept a huge stock of SuperTigre and Fox
parts on hand.
In the 1960s those brands were the
most popular—and prone to breaking
when run on high-nitromethane fuels and
with propellers that operated well above
their design limitations. This phenomenon
of pilots and clubs affiliated with hobby
shops is now hard to find in the United
States.
The current method of obtaining toplevel
equipment is knowing the source of a
particular engine. You also need to have
either seen the equipment operating at a
contest or have contact with a competitor
whose recommendations you trust.
In previous columns I have mentioned
the open-air markets that are quickly put
up at European contests by various
competitors or the people who travel with
them. Although there can be a variety of
interesting-looking equipment, the buyer
must beware of any purchases unless the
source is known. I have been pleasantly
surprised by some of my purchases and
completely disappointed with others.
The Internet is a good place to start to
get an idea of what is available. James E.
Dunkin has put together an incredible
reference book of international .15 cu.
in./2.5cc model-airplane engines. He must
have the largest collection of this size
engine in the world.
Jim gives as much information as he
has on each engine, such as the country of
origin, the manufacturer or builder, and the
year(s) of production. I am not sure how
much he is charging for his book; send him
an E-mail message at dunkin@discovery
net.com.
The book has more than 250 pages of
good-quality photographs of each engine.
There are four engine photos and
descriptions per page.
I am currently experimenting with a ZALP
Combat .15 engine that has its origins in
Zaparozhia, Ukraine. The letters ZALP are
the initials of the Zaporozhye Aeroplane
Laboratory Polyot.
This is a relatively unknown make of
engine in the United States and is not a
brand that is widely used in international
Combat contests. I did not see any flown at
the 2006 World Championships in Spain,
but there were some for sale.
Bob Whitney ([954] 983-3624; E-mail:
[email protected]), a member of the US
World Championships Team Race team,
acquired a couple ZALP engines and sent
me one to run and evaluate. Bob is the
contact person if you want to obtain these
power plants. Don’t hold me to this, but the
price is approximately $160.
I have been pleasantly surprised by how
well the ZALP I have starts and runs. It
weighs 122 grams with muffler and glow
plug. The machine work is excellent and
has a good “feel.” By this I mean that with
the propeller on and a glow plug inserted,
there is good compression when you flip
the propeller and the bottom end feels free.
I did all my testing with 10%-
nitromethane fuel with 20% Klotz synthetic
oil. This is my standard, everyday fuel that
I make myself. It is not the legal FAI fuel
that requires the use of castor oil, but it
will not gum up or varnish the inside of
your engine.
The first propeller I tried on the
ZALP was a red, unmodified Seryogin
that was 163 millimeters in length. I also
ran the engine extra rich on the first
couple flights so I would not harm any
of the internal parts. The ZALP ran well
and took little effort to start for the first
time. Subsequent starts took fewer and
fewer flips of the propeller.
The performance on the 163mm was
not bad, but you could feel that it was
too much propeller and lost speed and
rpm in consecutive turns. Motor racers
would say “It had too tall a gear.” Then I
tried a vintage 156mm Belaiev propeller
that the ZALP seemed to like much
better through the turns, and it still had
great level speed at 18.3 seconds for
eight laps.
The next propeller I tried was a
vintage 154mm blue Faizov. The ZALP
yodeling could be heard all over the
flying field. It sounded great, but it was
definitely running over its “red line” and
lost a great deal of flat-out speed.
Chuck Rudner suggested that I try
one of the light-green, lower-pitched
Fora propellers at 159mm. I thought that
might be just what the doctor ordered
for this engine. Sure enough, that
prescription cured the ZALP’s case of
the “I’m searching for a better propeller”
blues.
I have had runs of 18.02 seconds and
18.06 seconds for eight laps with
wonderful pull through turns. This is a
competitive engine—even more so than
some power plants that cost much more.
Early chatter on the Internet makes it
sound like the people in Lubbock,
Texas, are thinking about putting in a
bid to host the 2007 USA F2D Combat
Team Trials. They did a great job last
time and are currently considering Labor
Day weekend for this event.
I will try to keep you posted on any
news dealing with the Team Trials.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 148,150,152,154
Also included in this column:
• Information about the ZALP
Combat .15
• The F2D Team Trials may be
held in Texas!
Ivan McKenzie of Canada and Jussi Forss of Finland do the right-hand vs. left-hand
battle.
Richard Stubblefield and George Cleveland have been a winning team for many years.
They probably have a century of Combat flying between them.
I HAVE BEEN fascinated with model
engines since the first day I saw people
flying model aircraft. The first engine I
purchased was an OK Cub .049 that I was
only able to get started a few times; that
could have been because of those old drycell
doorbell batteries that could not keep
the glow plug lit.
My second engine was a McCoy .19
shiny-case red-head. It was the first one I
took apart and examined to gain better
knowledge of how it worked. The McCoy
was mounted on a Junior Ringmaster,
which I flew countless times.
Then I mounted the .19 on a Junior
Satan, added a pressure tank, and really
learned how to fly inverted and do all sorts
of wild tricks. I got some great fast flights
out of the McCoy, but it became harder
and harder to start and the compression
quickly faded to almost nothing.
Since those early days of my flying
career the idea of getting engines to start
easily and run quickly and steadily has
been a goal. It is still my goal and, once
achieved, adds more efficiency to every
trip to the flying field. It is no fun being at
the field trying to start an engine that
refuses to pop or does not run steadily
once it is started.
The ZALP engine with which the author
did some propeller testing.
The running-fast part of the equation is
what most Combat pilots look for
continuously. During the days when Fast
Combat was the main event, fliers
experimented using Dremel-tool artistry
on the engines’ internal parts, trying
different propellers and adding exotic
chemicals to their fuel.
These days engine availability is so
good, in terms of variety and reliability,
that it is no problem, even for the rank
beginner, to get the engine started and
needled properly for good runs.
There has been a big change in how an
interested person obtains engines. That
first OK Cub I mentioned was purchased
at a discount toy store in San Francisco,
California, that had a hobby section. The
McCoy .19 came from Zaharis’
combination hobby and television-repair
shop, which also served as the host site to
the San Francisco Piston Poppers Model
Airplane Club.
It was customary at the time to display
available engines in a glass counter or in
bubble packs hung on a rack. There were
plenty of sizes and manufacturers’ brands
available.
All this was happening in the 1960s.
Hobby shops were plentiful and could be
found in every neighborhood of the city.
There were multiple modeling clubs that
could be found attached to or affiliated
with a particular hobby shop. When a
certain engine was in high demand, the
hobby-shop owner might set one aside for
you and even call to let you know it was
available.
A group of Combat pilots used to
hang out at Pat’s Hobbies in San
Francisco. On Friday nights you could
count on seeing a bunch of your flying
buddies there or going to dinner across
the street at Mel’s Diner.
When the shop opened Saturday
morning, you would often find people
waiting for the owner to arrive. It was
common to have someone bring in
doughnuts and coffee for anyone who was
interested.
I suppose it helped that the flying field
at Crocker Amazon Park was less than a
mile away. If you needed a replacement
propeller or an extra glow plug, you could
run back to the hobby shop and return to
the flying field in less than 15 minutes.
Since many of us were still in high school,
our funds were limited and we did buy
glow plugs one or two at a time.
The Condor Legion club out of
Redwood City, California, included Mike
Petri, Norm McFadden, Rich Brasher,
Jerry Cook, Paul Leuty, and others who
were often found at J&M Hobbies in
nearby San Carlos, California. Shop owner
Joe White catered to Combat pilots and
kept a huge stock of SuperTigre and Fox
parts on hand.
In the 1960s those brands were the
most popular—and prone to breaking
when run on high-nitromethane fuels and
with propellers that operated well above
their design limitations. This phenomenon
of pilots and clubs affiliated with hobby
shops is now hard to find in the United
States.
The current method of obtaining toplevel
equipment is knowing the source of a
particular engine. You also need to have
either seen the equipment operating at a
contest or have contact with a competitor
whose recommendations you trust.
In previous columns I have mentioned
the open-air markets that are quickly put
up at European contests by various
competitors or the people who travel with
them. Although there can be a variety of
interesting-looking equipment, the buyer
must beware of any purchases unless the
source is known. I have been pleasantly
surprised by some of my purchases and
completely disappointed with others.
The Internet is a good place to start to
get an idea of what is available. James E.
Dunkin has put together an incredible
reference book of international .15 cu.
in./2.5cc model-airplane engines. He must
have the largest collection of this size
engine in the world.
Jim gives as much information as he
has on each engine, such as the country of
origin, the manufacturer or builder, and the
year(s) of production. I am not sure how
much he is charging for his book; send him
an E-mail message at dunkin@discovery
net.com.
The book has more than 250 pages of
good-quality photographs of each engine.
There are four engine photos and
descriptions per page.
I am currently experimenting with a ZALP
Combat .15 engine that has its origins in
Zaparozhia, Ukraine. The letters ZALP are
the initials of the Zaporozhye Aeroplane
Laboratory Polyot.
This is a relatively unknown make of
engine in the United States and is not a
brand that is widely used in international
Combat contests. I did not see any flown at
the 2006 World Championships in Spain,
but there were some for sale.
Bob Whitney ([954] 983-3624; E-mail:
[email protected]), a member of the US
World Championships Team Race team,
acquired a couple ZALP engines and sent
me one to run and evaluate. Bob is the
contact person if you want to obtain these
power plants. Don’t hold me to this, but the
price is approximately $160.
I have been pleasantly surprised by how
well the ZALP I have starts and runs. It
weighs 122 grams with muffler and glow
plug. The machine work is excellent and
has a good “feel.” By this I mean that with
the propeller on and a glow plug inserted,
there is good compression when you flip
the propeller and the bottom end feels free.
I did all my testing with 10%-
nitromethane fuel with 20% Klotz synthetic
oil. This is my standard, everyday fuel that
I make myself. It is not the legal FAI fuel
that requires the use of castor oil, but it
will not gum up or varnish the inside of
your engine.
The first propeller I tried on the
ZALP was a red, unmodified Seryogin
that was 163 millimeters in length. I also
ran the engine extra rich on the first
couple flights so I would not harm any
of the internal parts. The ZALP ran well
and took little effort to start for the first
time. Subsequent starts took fewer and
fewer flips of the propeller.
The performance on the 163mm was
not bad, but you could feel that it was
too much propeller and lost speed and
rpm in consecutive turns. Motor racers
would say “It had too tall a gear.” Then I
tried a vintage 156mm Belaiev propeller
that the ZALP seemed to like much
better through the turns, and it still had
great level speed at 18.3 seconds for
eight laps.
The next propeller I tried was a
vintage 154mm blue Faizov. The ZALP
yodeling could be heard all over the
flying field. It sounded great, but it was
definitely running over its “red line” and
lost a great deal of flat-out speed.
Chuck Rudner suggested that I try
one of the light-green, lower-pitched
Fora propellers at 159mm. I thought that
might be just what the doctor ordered
for this engine. Sure enough, that
prescription cured the ZALP’s case of
the “I’m searching for a better propeller”
blues.
I have had runs of 18.02 seconds and
18.06 seconds for eight laps with
wonderful pull through turns. This is a
competitive engine—even more so than
some power plants that cost much more.
Early chatter on the Internet makes it
sound like the people in Lubbock,
Texas, are thinking about putting in a
bid to host the 2007 USA F2D Combat
Team Trials. They did a great job last
time and are currently considering Labor
Day weekend for this event.
I will try to keep you posted on any
news dealing with the Team Trials.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 148,150,152,154
Also included in this column:
• Information about the ZALP
Combat .15
• The F2D Team Trials may be
held in Texas!
Ivan McKenzie of Canada and Jussi Forss of Finland do the right-hand vs. left-hand
battle.
Richard Stubblefield and George Cleveland have been a winning team for many years.
They probably have a century of Combat flying between them.
I HAVE BEEN fascinated with model
engines since the first day I saw people
flying model aircraft. The first engine I
purchased was an OK Cub .049 that I was
only able to get started a few times; that
could have been because of those old drycell
doorbell batteries that could not keep
the glow plug lit.
My second engine was a McCoy .19
shiny-case red-head. It was the first one I
took apart and examined to gain better
knowledge of how it worked. The McCoy
was mounted on a Junior Ringmaster,
which I flew countless times.
Then I mounted the .19 on a Junior
Satan, added a pressure tank, and really
learned how to fly inverted and do all sorts
of wild tricks. I got some great fast flights
out of the McCoy, but it became harder
and harder to start and the compression
quickly faded to almost nothing.
Since those early days of my flying
career the idea of getting engines to start
easily and run quickly and steadily has
been a goal. It is still my goal and, once
achieved, adds more efficiency to every
trip to the flying field. It is no fun being at
the field trying to start an engine that
refuses to pop or does not run steadily
once it is started.
The ZALP engine with which the author
did some propeller testing.
The running-fast part of the equation is
what most Combat pilots look for
continuously. During the days when Fast
Combat was the main event, fliers
experimented using Dremel-tool artistry
on the engines’ internal parts, trying
different propellers and adding exotic
chemicals to their fuel.
These days engine availability is so
good, in terms of variety and reliability,
that it is no problem, even for the rank
beginner, to get the engine started and
needled properly for good runs.
There has been a big change in how an
interested person obtains engines. That
first OK Cub I mentioned was purchased
at a discount toy store in San Francisco,
California, that had a hobby section. The
McCoy .19 came from Zaharis’
combination hobby and television-repair
shop, which also served as the host site to
the San Francisco Piston Poppers Model
Airplane Club.
It was customary at the time to display
available engines in a glass counter or in
bubble packs hung on a rack. There were
plenty of sizes and manufacturers’ brands
available.
All this was happening in the 1960s.
Hobby shops were plentiful and could be
found in every neighborhood of the city.
There were multiple modeling clubs that
could be found attached to or affiliated
with a particular hobby shop. When a
certain engine was in high demand, the
hobby-shop owner might set one aside for
you and even call to let you know it was
available.
A group of Combat pilots used to
hang out at Pat’s Hobbies in San
Francisco. On Friday nights you could
count on seeing a bunch of your flying
buddies there or going to dinner across
the street at Mel’s Diner.
When the shop opened Saturday
morning, you would often find people
waiting for the owner to arrive. It was
common to have someone bring in
doughnuts and coffee for anyone who was
interested.
I suppose it helped that the flying field
at Crocker Amazon Park was less than a
mile away. If you needed a replacement
propeller or an extra glow plug, you could
run back to the hobby shop and return to
the flying field in less than 15 minutes.
Since many of us were still in high school,
our funds were limited and we did buy
glow plugs one or two at a time.
The Condor Legion club out of
Redwood City, California, included Mike
Petri, Norm McFadden, Rich Brasher,
Jerry Cook, Paul Leuty, and others who
were often found at J&M Hobbies in
nearby San Carlos, California. Shop owner
Joe White catered to Combat pilots and
kept a huge stock of SuperTigre and Fox
parts on hand.
In the 1960s those brands were the
most popular—and prone to breaking
when run on high-nitromethane fuels and
with propellers that operated well above
their design limitations. This phenomenon
of pilots and clubs affiliated with hobby
shops is now hard to find in the United
States.
The current method of obtaining toplevel
equipment is knowing the source of a
particular engine. You also need to have
either seen the equipment operating at a
contest or have contact with a competitor
whose recommendations you trust.
In previous columns I have mentioned
the open-air markets that are quickly put
up at European contests by various
competitors or the people who travel with
them. Although there can be a variety of
interesting-looking equipment, the buyer
must beware of any purchases unless the
source is known. I have been pleasantly
surprised by some of my purchases and
completely disappointed with others.
The Internet is a good place to start to
get an idea of what is available. James E.
Dunkin has put together an incredible
reference book of international .15 cu.
in./2.5cc model-airplane engines. He must
have the largest collection of this size
engine in the world.
Jim gives as much information as he
has on each engine, such as the country of
origin, the manufacturer or builder, and the
year(s) of production. I am not sure how
much he is charging for his book; send him
an E-mail message at dunkin@discovery
net.com.
The book has more than 250 pages of
good-quality photographs of each engine.
There are four engine photos and
descriptions per page.
I am currently experimenting with a ZALP
Combat .15 engine that has its origins in
Zaparozhia, Ukraine. The letters ZALP are
the initials of the Zaporozhye Aeroplane
Laboratory Polyot.
This is a relatively unknown make of
engine in the United States and is not a
brand that is widely used in international
Combat contests. I did not see any flown at
the 2006 World Championships in Spain,
but there were some for sale.
Bob Whitney ([954] 983-3624; E-mail:
[email protected]), a member of the US
World Championships Team Race team,
acquired a couple ZALP engines and sent
me one to run and evaluate. Bob is the
contact person if you want to obtain these
power plants. Don’t hold me to this, but the
price is approximately $160.
I have been pleasantly surprised by how
well the ZALP I have starts and runs. It
weighs 122 grams with muffler and glow
plug. The machine work is excellent and
has a good “feel.” By this I mean that with
the propeller on and a glow plug inserted,
there is good compression when you flip
the propeller and the bottom end feels free.
I did all my testing with 10%-
nitromethane fuel with 20% Klotz synthetic
oil. This is my standard, everyday fuel that
I make myself. It is not the legal FAI fuel
that requires the use of castor oil, but it
will not gum up or varnish the inside of
your engine.
The first propeller I tried on the
ZALP was a red, unmodified Seryogin
that was 163 millimeters in length. I also
ran the engine extra rich on the first
couple flights so I would not harm any
of the internal parts. The ZALP ran well
and took little effort to start for the first
time. Subsequent starts took fewer and
fewer flips of the propeller.
The performance on the 163mm was
not bad, but you could feel that it was
too much propeller and lost speed and
rpm in consecutive turns. Motor racers
would say “It had too tall a gear.” Then I
tried a vintage 156mm Belaiev propeller
that the ZALP seemed to like much
better through the turns, and it still had
great level speed at 18.3 seconds for
eight laps.
The next propeller I tried was a
vintage 154mm blue Faizov. The ZALP
yodeling could be heard all over the
flying field. It sounded great, but it was
definitely running over its “red line” and
lost a great deal of flat-out speed.
Chuck Rudner suggested that I try
one of the light-green, lower-pitched
Fora propellers at 159mm. I thought that
might be just what the doctor ordered
for this engine. Sure enough, that
prescription cured the ZALP’s case of
the “I’m searching for a better propeller”
blues.
I have had runs of 18.02 seconds and
18.06 seconds for eight laps with
wonderful pull through turns. This is a
competitive engine—even more so than
some power plants that cost much more.
Early chatter on the Internet makes it
sound like the people in Lubbock,
Texas, are thinking about putting in a
bid to host the 2007 USA F2D Combat
Team Trials. They did a great job last
time and are currently considering Labor
Day weekend for this event.
I will try to keep you posted on any
news dealing with the Team Trials.