148 MODEL AVIATION
New Racing technology is on the horizon
[[email protected]]
Control Line Racing James Holland
The A5 (top) is one of Steve Wilk’s APC racing copies. M1 (below it) is the new 7 x 5 that
could be used in Clown Racing. The lower propellers are Steve Eichenberger’s. The
bottom one is for AMA .15 Rat; the upper one is intended for AMA Scale Racing.
Profile view of Dick Lambert’s carbon-fiber 2005 F2C model
with retract landing gear. Now you see it. Lambert photo.
Now you don’t! Dick’s system appears to be one of the cleanest
to date, with nothing left out when the gear is retracted.
Lambert photo.
SITTING AT MY computer to write this
column early in the new year, my thoughts
are focused on what 2006 could bring in
the way of technical developments to the
sport of racing CL model airplanes.
Based on conversations with a few F2C
(FAI Team Race) competitors, this looks
to be a big year for new technology.
According to Dick Lambert (top qualifier
for the 2006 US World Championships
team), 2005 saw a continuation in the
trend of the more extensive use of molded
carbon-fiber technology in airplane
construction. This trend is likely to persist
in 2006.
The main constraint right now appears
to be the availability of lightweight
carbon-fiber tow; 1K tow is currently
being used. Dick believes it is likely that
someone will produce .5K tow, which will
allow the production of lighter carbonfiber
cloth. (To the best of my knowledge,
the lightest cloth available on the US
market is 2 ounces per square yard.)
F2C is the class in which the old adage
“light is right” is most frequently used.
(Henry Nelson was probably the first to
apply this saying to F2C.)
Dick also sees 2006 as having the
potential for engine technology to finally
lift its performance out of the realm of
most people’s piloting capabilities.
Developments to look for include the use
of bimetal (aluminum/ceramic) pistons and
sleeves, which will become the norm
because of the extensive research that has
being going on in this area.
Also rumored (but none have been
spotted yet) is a new Mazniak engine
design featuring dual rear bearings. This
power plant’s performance level is claimed
to be impressive enough to make current
engines nearly obsolete.
I believe we may see retractable landing
gear become more commonplace this year.
Dick Lambert built a lightweight model with
retractable gear in 2005, and the Profi
(Ukrainian) factory was offering models with
retractable landing gear as an extra-cost
option in the run up to the 2004 World
Championships.
Although retractable landing gear has
been used in F2C for approximately 40 years,
its time may be now as teams look for every
last aerodynamic gain for a competitive edge.
F2C is the class in which we see the most
frequent technological innovations, but the
AMA and National Control Line Racing
Association (NCLRA) events also feature a
fair degree of technological refinement with
each year of competition.
The newest AMA (supplemental)
event—Mouse II—may go through some
changes this year, with Profi introducing a
new .049 engine to the market. The timing
on the current version of the .049 appears
to be too high to turn the right propellers
for Mouse II, but this problem can be
overcome by “dropping” the liner in the
case. I will provide specifications for this
modification in a future column if I can.
I also expect to see a couple more fully
streamlined “Rat”-style airplanes to debut
this year. AMA Rat Race (as modified to
be limited to .15 engines only) is also
likely to see a wider variety of “real” Rat
Racers this year, with some competitive
sidewinders. If this is the case, the days of
being able to win this class by running an
AMA Scale Racer will have come to an
end.
Engine selection may stay a bit more
open than for AMA Scale Racing; the
NovaRossi .15 and some Russian/Ukrainian
.15s appear to lend themselves to this event
and its potential for minipipe use.
Flying Clown is the most likely NCLRA
event to see a notable degree of technical
innovation in 2006. No engine has emerged to
dominate this event; however, NovaRossi
glows; Nelson glows; Nelson and Mazniak
diesels; and Fora, Profi, and Cyclon Combat
glows will pick up wins at the local, national,
and regional level this year.
Airframe construction in Flying Clown
does provide potential for innovation, with
carbon fiber replacing spruce and plywood as
reinforcing material in high-stress (I was
going to write “high-impact”) areas of the
airframe. I am building a new model for this
class from a Brodak kit and have used .014-
inch carbon-fiber tape in a balsa laminate to
reinforce the LE. I have used 1/16-inch carbon
plate to replace the plywood fuselage doubler.
NCLRA “classic” B Team Race has
also undergone a great deal of
technological change in the last three
racing seasons. The Webra .28 seems to be
the current power plant of choice, but a
variety of other .25- and .28-displacement
Schnuerle-ported engines seem to be close
in performance.
The engine I’m watching for is a
transplanted .28 car unit. These seem to be
going through a great deal of development
at this time, and conversion to airplane use
appears to be practical.
With regard to airframes, the field
seems to be wide open. The true classic
designs such as the Dalesman and the
Double Dice appear to have no notable
disadvantage compared to the newer
designs such as Don Burke’s Nemesis.
Other events such as AMA Scale Racing
and NCLRA Quickie Rat are probably going
to be technologically stable in the coming
year, with no new engine types or restrictions
appearing likely. Development for both
classes will therefore be restricted to
innovation in airframe design and
construction and propeller design and tuning.
That last thought leads me to my next
topic: aftermarket propellers. The market
for special propellers for CL Racing events
(particularly AMA events) seems to be
limited at this time.
To the best of my knowledge, the
following people or businesses supply
carbon-fiber Racing propellers for AMA
events: Steve Wilk (Eliminator Props),
Steve Eichenberger, Bill Lee, Mike Hazel,
and Falcon Hobbies.
The good news is that Steve Wilk and
Steve Eichenberger have been busy lately
producing a number of new designs in
carbon fiber. Eliminator has introduced
three new propellers that are suitable for
NCLRA Quickie Rat in the last year, as
well as copies of two APC “Racing Series”
6.5-inch-diameter propellers that are
usable with some .15 engines.
A notable edition to their lineup is a 7 x
5 propeller that is intended for use by the
F2CN diesels. I have a copy in my
possession and believe that, with some
suitable carving (including a reduction in
diameter), this propeller could be
extremely effective in the Flying Clown
event.
Steve Eichenberger released two new
propellers just before the 2005 Nats: one for
AMA .15 Rat and one for AMA Scale
Racing. Both have blade shapes and sections I
have enjoyed some success with, and Steve
demonstrated the potential of his “Rat”
propeller by having the fastest airspeed in the
event at the Nats.
In addition to several F2C propellers, Bill
Lee also carries a copy of the Bolly G3 Scale
Racing propeller. I consider it to be the best
Bolly G3 copy on the market.
The real version is available, typically
through special order, and I have been
obtaining mine from Falcon Hobbies in
Canada for the last few years. The Falcon
Hobbies people are easy to work with and
willing to help with special orders. MA
Sources:
Eliminator Propellers
Steve Wilk
3257 Welcome Ave. N.
Crystal MN 55422
Steve Eichenberger
2102 W. Western Dr.
Chandler AZ 85224
(480) 730-0016
Bill Lee:
Edom Enterprises
601 Van Zandt CR 4815
Chandler TX 75758
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 148,149
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 148,149
148 MODEL AVIATION
New Racing technology is on the horizon
[[email protected]]
Control Line Racing James Holland
The A5 (top) is one of Steve Wilk’s APC racing copies. M1 (below it) is the new 7 x 5 that
could be used in Clown Racing. The lower propellers are Steve Eichenberger’s. The
bottom one is for AMA .15 Rat; the upper one is intended for AMA Scale Racing.
Profile view of Dick Lambert’s carbon-fiber 2005 F2C model
with retract landing gear. Now you see it. Lambert photo.
Now you don’t! Dick’s system appears to be one of the cleanest
to date, with nothing left out when the gear is retracted.
Lambert photo.
SITTING AT MY computer to write this
column early in the new year, my thoughts
are focused on what 2006 could bring in
the way of technical developments to the
sport of racing CL model airplanes.
Based on conversations with a few F2C
(FAI Team Race) competitors, this looks
to be a big year for new technology.
According to Dick Lambert (top qualifier
for the 2006 US World Championships
team), 2005 saw a continuation in the
trend of the more extensive use of molded
carbon-fiber technology in airplane
construction. This trend is likely to persist
in 2006.
The main constraint right now appears
to be the availability of lightweight
carbon-fiber tow; 1K tow is currently
being used. Dick believes it is likely that
someone will produce .5K tow, which will
allow the production of lighter carbonfiber
cloth. (To the best of my knowledge,
the lightest cloth available on the US
market is 2 ounces per square yard.)
F2C is the class in which the old adage
“light is right” is most frequently used.
(Henry Nelson was probably the first to
apply this saying to F2C.)
Dick also sees 2006 as having the
potential for engine technology to finally
lift its performance out of the realm of
most people’s piloting capabilities.
Developments to look for include the use
of bimetal (aluminum/ceramic) pistons and
sleeves, which will become the norm
because of the extensive research that has
being going on in this area.
Also rumored (but none have been
spotted yet) is a new Mazniak engine
design featuring dual rear bearings. This
power plant’s performance level is claimed
to be impressive enough to make current
engines nearly obsolete.
I believe we may see retractable landing
gear become more commonplace this year.
Dick Lambert built a lightweight model with
retractable gear in 2005, and the Profi
(Ukrainian) factory was offering models with
retractable landing gear as an extra-cost
option in the run up to the 2004 World
Championships.
Although retractable landing gear has
been used in F2C for approximately 40 years,
its time may be now as teams look for every
last aerodynamic gain for a competitive edge.
F2C is the class in which we see the most
frequent technological innovations, but the
AMA and National Control Line Racing
Association (NCLRA) events also feature a
fair degree of technological refinement with
each year of competition.
The newest AMA (supplemental)
event—Mouse II—may go through some
changes this year, with Profi introducing a
new .049 engine to the market. The timing
on the current version of the .049 appears
to be too high to turn the right propellers
for Mouse II, but this problem can be
overcome by “dropping” the liner in the
case. I will provide specifications for this
modification in a future column if I can.
I also expect to see a couple more fully
streamlined “Rat”-style airplanes to debut
this year. AMA Rat Race (as modified to
be limited to .15 engines only) is also
likely to see a wider variety of “real” Rat
Racers this year, with some competitive
sidewinders. If this is the case, the days of
being able to win this class by running an
AMA Scale Racer will have come to an
end.
Engine selection may stay a bit more
open than for AMA Scale Racing; the
NovaRossi .15 and some Russian/Ukrainian
.15s appear to lend themselves to this event
and its potential for minipipe use.
Flying Clown is the most likely NCLRA
event to see a notable degree of technical
innovation in 2006. No engine has emerged to
dominate this event; however, NovaRossi
glows; Nelson glows; Nelson and Mazniak
diesels; and Fora, Profi, and Cyclon Combat
glows will pick up wins at the local, national,
and regional level this year.
Airframe construction in Flying Clown
does provide potential for innovation, with
carbon fiber replacing spruce and plywood as
reinforcing material in high-stress (I was
going to write “high-impact”) areas of the
airframe. I am building a new model for this
class from a Brodak kit and have used .014-
inch carbon-fiber tape in a balsa laminate to
reinforce the LE. I have used 1/16-inch carbon
plate to replace the plywood fuselage doubler.
NCLRA “classic” B Team Race has
also undergone a great deal of
technological change in the last three
racing seasons. The Webra .28 seems to be
the current power plant of choice, but a
variety of other .25- and .28-displacement
Schnuerle-ported engines seem to be close
in performance.
The engine I’m watching for is a
transplanted .28 car unit. These seem to be
going through a great deal of development
at this time, and conversion to airplane use
appears to be practical.
With regard to airframes, the field
seems to be wide open. The true classic
designs such as the Dalesman and the
Double Dice appear to have no notable
disadvantage compared to the newer
designs such as Don Burke’s Nemesis.
Other events such as AMA Scale Racing
and NCLRA Quickie Rat are probably going
to be technologically stable in the coming
year, with no new engine types or restrictions
appearing likely. Development for both
classes will therefore be restricted to
innovation in airframe design and
construction and propeller design and tuning.
That last thought leads me to my next
topic: aftermarket propellers. The market
for special propellers for CL Racing events
(particularly AMA events) seems to be
limited at this time.
To the best of my knowledge, the
following people or businesses supply
carbon-fiber Racing propellers for AMA
events: Steve Wilk (Eliminator Props),
Steve Eichenberger, Bill Lee, Mike Hazel,
and Falcon Hobbies.
The good news is that Steve Wilk and
Steve Eichenberger have been busy lately
producing a number of new designs in
carbon fiber. Eliminator has introduced
three new propellers that are suitable for
NCLRA Quickie Rat in the last year, as
well as copies of two APC “Racing Series”
6.5-inch-diameter propellers that are
usable with some .15 engines.
A notable edition to their lineup is a 7 x
5 propeller that is intended for use by the
F2CN diesels. I have a copy in my
possession and believe that, with some
suitable carving (including a reduction in
diameter), this propeller could be
extremely effective in the Flying Clown
event.
Steve Eichenberger released two new
propellers just before the 2005 Nats: one for
AMA .15 Rat and one for AMA Scale
Racing. Both have blade shapes and sections I
have enjoyed some success with, and Steve
demonstrated the potential of his “Rat”
propeller by having the fastest airspeed in the
event at the Nats.
In addition to several F2C propellers, Bill
Lee also carries a copy of the Bolly G3 Scale
Racing propeller. I consider it to be the best
Bolly G3 copy on the market.
The real version is available, typically
through special order, and I have been
obtaining mine from Falcon Hobbies in
Canada for the last few years. The Falcon
Hobbies people are easy to work with and
willing to help with special orders. MA
Sources:
Eliminator Propellers
Steve Wilk
3257 Welcome Ave. N.
Crystal MN 55422
Steve Eichenberger
2102 W. Western Dr.
Chandler AZ 85224
(480) 730-0016
Bill Lee:
Edom Enterprises
601 Van Zandt CR 4815
Chandler TX 75758