D.B. Mathews
F l y i n g f o r F u n
909 N. Maize Rd., Townhouse 734, Wichita KS 67212
I’VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED a subject of such extensive
historical interest and with so much available material as Reginald
Denny. The story of him and his modeling activities begs to be told
in more detail than is possible in one or two columns, so I’ve
chosen to cover the story in multiple columns. I hope this subject
has retained your interest, as early response mail seems to indicate.
To review, following is a quote from a 1947 American
Magazine:
“Most any fairly frequent movie fan of at least 20 years knows
Reginald Denny as the guy who plays those likable but dim-witted
British roles; but relatively few know there is another and far
more important side to the actor. He is the inventor of a midget
robot plane—very, very hush-hush during the war and used
extensively by both the Army and the Navy Air Forces as targets
in the training of aerial and antiaircraft gunners.
“Denny is not a scientist nor unusually mechanically minded.
It all started when he tried to help a youngster fly a model airplane
and it crashed. The actor sent for a new one and before he knew it
was making all sorts of models himself.
“Then back in 1934, Denny had this idea of the radio
controlled airplane for gunnery training, and no one would listen
to him, but when the war came on, the government took interest
and had him manufacture them in quantities. They are named for
the actor labeled TDD for Target Drone Denny.”
100 MODEL AVIATION
Reginald Denny wears a suit and tie while flying a drone.
A step up from telephone dial shown earlier. In spite of labeling,
it also provided left and right. Note chute control.
Radioplane: Reginald Denny and engineer Walter Righter were
the true fathers of today’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
industry. They were the pioneers in the field of pilotless aviation.
In the 1940s, the mass production of their “Radioplane” target
drones led to the military’s widespread adoption of radiocontrolled
aircraft for combat roles from the Pacific Theater in
World War II through to Iraq in 2004.
As I have shown, the Dennyplane model-airplane series—a
precursor to the Radioplane and powered by Walter Righter’s
Dennymite engine—was the jewel in the crown of a range of his
hobby products that brought model aviation to the masses in a
post-Depression, pre-war America.
Reginald Denny’s finances were not as successful as the
Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs) he fathered. Nearly bankrupt
from self-funding his remote-piloting research and with his movie
career in decline, he acquired partners. Taking disastrous advice,
he sold his share of Radioplane shortly before it was acquired by
Northrop Corporation to become its Ventura Division, which
produced RPVs for decades thereafter.
Although Reginald Denny is credited with fathering the robot
planes, financial straits dictated that his last years would be spent
not parenting prototypes or reaping the financial rewards of his
efforts, but on Broadway reprising the role of Colonel Pickering
in “My Fair Lady.” By the time he died in 1967, he had seen his
“idea” grow into a major military tool, including early guided
ordnance. Not too shabby for a model-airplane nut!
The OQ-2 in AMA’s Museum: Please take a look at the two
photos I included last month of the Denny Radioplane drone that
is on exhibit in the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie,
Indiana.
10sig4.QXD 7/23/04 10:41 am Page 100
October 2004 101
Albert Robinson of Dallas, Texas, donated this restoration and
its radio equipment. I understand that others can be found in some
military museums elsewhere, but the one in the AMA museum has
an interesting history.
Albert wrote:
“This drone has been in the family since the 1950s. It belonged
An early drone on a field launcher. The author believes that this and other photos
illustrate a stretched bike inner tube used to catapult the drone.
Recovery parachute pack in fuselage top.
The parachute deployed to bring the
drone down gently. Here is a real
dethermalizer!
to my dad who was a freighter pilot, killed in a
hijacking/insurance job in South America in 1965. Dad was a
‘horse trader’ (and modeler) extraordinaire, and the rumor was
that he traded some DC-3 brake parts for it in the very early
1950s but that is speculation.
“The drone sat up in the loft of my mother’s house until we
moved mom to Coco Beach, Florida, and brought the drone to
Dallas. We used it as a reference for a kit we produced—a mini
electric Free Flight version. The drone remained unrestored in our
care until I needed a quickie test mule for the UAV ‘Longshot’
we were developing.
“After a clean-up and re-cover it was flown, gently, a few
times in 1998. The instability in yaw from the undersized vertical
fin coupled with a poor power to weight ratio would have
required major rework. We put it away until we heard from the
National Model Aviation Museum.
“As an interesting side bar: this particular serial number was
researched, and after discussing it with the Northrop Curator, Mr.
Ira Chart, we discovered that Norma Jean Dougherty (Marilyn
Monroe) worked on this particular aircraft.” [See the photo in last
month’s issue.]
We modelers owe Albert Robinson a large thank you for
placing the drone and its radio equipment in the AMA museum. If
you have not visited the museum recently, or ever, figure on
devoting at least a full day to exploring this incredible place; to
spend less time is to not do the exhibits justice.
It is gratifying to have a quality repository for the treasures
from longtime modelers’ collections that probably would have
otherwise been placed in dumpsters by their survivors.
Launching Technique: Last month I promised to briefly discuss
the launching method that Reginald Denny and his staff at
Radioplane developed. After repeated close examination of the
various photos of the launching rail system used, it appears that
the early drones were launched using rubber bands!
Careful examination reveals what appear to be bicycle inner
tubes tied together to form a long double loop, which was then
attached to the drone’s bottom, and the whole thing was stretched
out by a crank that pulled the drone toward the rear of the rail.
Once released, the rubber bands slung the drone up to flying
speed as it departed the end of the rail.
One would presume that later launching rails used “bungee”
cords, or similar, and that the rubber inner tube was an early
cheap substitute.
10sig4.QXD 7/23/04 10:42 am Page 101
This launching system was necessary
because the target drones were flown on
gunnery ranges—not air bases—so there
were no prepared runways to use. This
system also worked well when the Navy
used it shipboard. I presume that the fullscale
catapult system used on ships,
involving either steam or gunpowder,
would blow the wings off of the drones.
If there is any question of whether
Denny and his group were modelers, this
early launch device should prove that they
were. This rubber-band launch technique
has always been popular for launching
models such as the Jim Walker
Interceptor glider and many kits of the
era.
Next month I will illustrate another
launching system, also straight from
modeling. If any reader knows for sure
that this month’s conclusion is incorrect,
please advise me.
Recovery: A large parachute was
attached to the drone’s balance point and
deployed from a container on the
airplane’s top by a radio signal. Since I
can detect no evidence of a radiocontrolled
throttle or fuel cutoff on the
drones, I presume that the chute was
deployed after the engine ran out of fuel.
Since it was unusual to actually hit one
of the targets with gunfire in the era
before radar guidance, it is logical to
assume that most of them were recovered
relatively unharmed with the parachute
system if they weren’t crashed by
mechanical or human failures.
Tom Smalley of Sherman Oaks,
California, who was employed by
Northrop Grumman in the unmanned
aircraft division (earlier Radioplane),
wrote:
“The unmanned vehicles were recovered
by parachute systems. Some involved a
complex sequence of events before
deploying the parachute. This led the
company to be selected for developing the
parachute recovery systems for the Mercury,
Gemini, and Apollo projects.” MA
102 MODEL AVIATION
The CHARGE+ TX/RX has two outputs
that charge 4 to 8 cell packs, and two
outputs that charge 4 to 5 cell packs.
Charges packs 500mAh and up. Full 1
amp charge rate on each output. Fully
automatic 4 stage computerized
charging. Just plug it in and walk
away. No programming! No knobs,
buttons or switches. Truly “plug and
play”. 12V DC for field use, optional
power supply for home use.
Handcrafted in America for
dependability and longevity. $219 95_ +S&H
Hughes RC 1-800-786-0802 www.hughesrc.com
LIFE IS TOO SHORT
to spend time shuffling chargers
from one battery pack to another.
Send SAE with two stamps for list.
Bob Holman
Box 741, San Bernardino CA 92402
www.bhplans.com • 909-885-3959
Laser Short Kit
Span 57"
Power .40-.60 ignition .25 to .30 4 ST.
CAD Plan $12.00 $8.00 shipping
Laser cut parts $30.00
Float plan $5.00
Parts for floats $10.00
Bunch Scorpion
Major
Note that many more
old time plans and
parts are available.
Order online: http://www.airbornemedia.com
888-829-4060 • 5655 David Place, Fairfield, OH 45014
Balsa Molding Techniques
The use of molded balsa parts for model airplanes is not a new idea; as far back as the
1930’s the concept was used to make light, strong, accurate and repeatable components. It
seems, however that balsa molding has become one of the many “lost arts” that once again
are in demand.
The video begins with National & World Aerobatic Champion, Bob Hunt, offering
many tips on template making and foam cutting, as well as a complete stepby-
step instructions on how to accurately attach the finished molded
leading edges to a wing frame.
In the second part of the video, 5 time National and 2 time
World Aerobatic Champion, Bill Werwage, covers in close-up
detail how to mold compound curved parts.
Whether you are an Radio Control, Control Line, or Free
Flight modeler, the skills learned in this video will enable you
to produce lighter, stronger and more accurate models.
Running time: 105 minutes.
1995
+ 5.00 S&H
$
10sig4.QXD 7/23/04 4:22 pm Page 102
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/10
Page Numbers: 100,101,102
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/10
Page Numbers: 100,101,102
D.B. Mathews
F l y i n g f o r F u n
909 N. Maize Rd., Townhouse 734, Wichita KS 67212
I’VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED a subject of such extensive
historical interest and with so much available material as Reginald
Denny. The story of him and his modeling activities begs to be told
in more detail than is possible in one or two columns, so I’ve
chosen to cover the story in multiple columns. I hope this subject
has retained your interest, as early response mail seems to indicate.
To review, following is a quote from a 1947 American
Magazine:
“Most any fairly frequent movie fan of at least 20 years knows
Reginald Denny as the guy who plays those likable but dim-witted
British roles; but relatively few know there is another and far
more important side to the actor. He is the inventor of a midget
robot plane—very, very hush-hush during the war and used
extensively by both the Army and the Navy Air Forces as targets
in the training of aerial and antiaircraft gunners.
“Denny is not a scientist nor unusually mechanically minded.
It all started when he tried to help a youngster fly a model airplane
and it crashed. The actor sent for a new one and before he knew it
was making all sorts of models himself.
“Then back in 1934, Denny had this idea of the radio
controlled airplane for gunnery training, and no one would listen
to him, but when the war came on, the government took interest
and had him manufacture them in quantities. They are named for
the actor labeled TDD for Target Drone Denny.”
100 MODEL AVIATION
Reginald Denny wears a suit and tie while flying a drone.
A step up from telephone dial shown earlier. In spite of labeling,
it also provided left and right. Note chute control.
Radioplane: Reginald Denny and engineer Walter Righter were
the true fathers of today’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
industry. They were the pioneers in the field of pilotless aviation.
In the 1940s, the mass production of their “Radioplane” target
drones led to the military’s widespread adoption of radiocontrolled
aircraft for combat roles from the Pacific Theater in
World War II through to Iraq in 2004.
As I have shown, the Dennyplane model-airplane series—a
precursor to the Radioplane and powered by Walter Righter’s
Dennymite engine—was the jewel in the crown of a range of his
hobby products that brought model aviation to the masses in a
post-Depression, pre-war America.
Reginald Denny’s finances were not as successful as the
Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs) he fathered. Nearly bankrupt
from self-funding his remote-piloting research and with his movie
career in decline, he acquired partners. Taking disastrous advice,
he sold his share of Radioplane shortly before it was acquired by
Northrop Corporation to become its Ventura Division, which
produced RPVs for decades thereafter.
Although Reginald Denny is credited with fathering the robot
planes, financial straits dictated that his last years would be spent
not parenting prototypes or reaping the financial rewards of his
efforts, but on Broadway reprising the role of Colonel Pickering
in “My Fair Lady.” By the time he died in 1967, he had seen his
“idea” grow into a major military tool, including early guided
ordnance. Not too shabby for a model-airplane nut!
The OQ-2 in AMA’s Museum: Please take a look at the two
photos I included last month of the Denny Radioplane drone that
is on exhibit in the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie,
Indiana.
10sig4.QXD 7/23/04 10:41 am Page 100
October 2004 101
Albert Robinson of Dallas, Texas, donated this restoration and
its radio equipment. I understand that others can be found in some
military museums elsewhere, but the one in the AMA museum has
an interesting history.
Albert wrote:
“This drone has been in the family since the 1950s. It belonged
An early drone on a field launcher. The author believes that this and other photos
illustrate a stretched bike inner tube used to catapult the drone.
Recovery parachute pack in fuselage top.
The parachute deployed to bring the
drone down gently. Here is a real
dethermalizer!
to my dad who was a freighter pilot, killed in a
hijacking/insurance job in South America in 1965. Dad was a
‘horse trader’ (and modeler) extraordinaire, and the rumor was
that he traded some DC-3 brake parts for it in the very early
1950s but that is speculation.
“The drone sat up in the loft of my mother’s house until we
moved mom to Coco Beach, Florida, and brought the drone to
Dallas. We used it as a reference for a kit we produced—a mini
electric Free Flight version. The drone remained unrestored in our
care until I needed a quickie test mule for the UAV ‘Longshot’
we were developing.
“After a clean-up and re-cover it was flown, gently, a few
times in 1998. The instability in yaw from the undersized vertical
fin coupled with a poor power to weight ratio would have
required major rework. We put it away until we heard from the
National Model Aviation Museum.
“As an interesting side bar: this particular serial number was
researched, and after discussing it with the Northrop Curator, Mr.
Ira Chart, we discovered that Norma Jean Dougherty (Marilyn
Monroe) worked on this particular aircraft.” [See the photo in last
month’s issue.]
We modelers owe Albert Robinson a large thank you for
placing the drone and its radio equipment in the AMA museum. If
you have not visited the museum recently, or ever, figure on
devoting at least a full day to exploring this incredible place; to
spend less time is to not do the exhibits justice.
It is gratifying to have a quality repository for the treasures
from longtime modelers’ collections that probably would have
otherwise been placed in dumpsters by their survivors.
Launching Technique: Last month I promised to briefly discuss
the launching method that Reginald Denny and his staff at
Radioplane developed. After repeated close examination of the
various photos of the launching rail system used, it appears that
the early drones were launched using rubber bands!
Careful examination reveals what appear to be bicycle inner
tubes tied together to form a long double loop, which was then
attached to the drone’s bottom, and the whole thing was stretched
out by a crank that pulled the drone toward the rear of the rail.
Once released, the rubber bands slung the drone up to flying
speed as it departed the end of the rail.
One would presume that later launching rails used “bungee”
cords, or similar, and that the rubber inner tube was an early
cheap substitute.
10sig4.QXD 7/23/04 10:42 am Page 101
This launching system was necessary
because the target drones were flown on
gunnery ranges—not air bases—so there
were no prepared runways to use. This
system also worked well when the Navy
used it shipboard. I presume that the fullscale
catapult system used on ships,
involving either steam or gunpowder,
would blow the wings off of the drones.
If there is any question of whether
Denny and his group were modelers, this
early launch device should prove that they
were. This rubber-band launch technique
has always been popular for launching
models such as the Jim Walker
Interceptor glider and many kits of the
era.
Next month I will illustrate another
launching system, also straight from
modeling. If any reader knows for sure
that this month’s conclusion is incorrect,
please advise me.
Recovery: A large parachute was
attached to the drone’s balance point and
deployed from a container on the
airplane’s top by a radio signal. Since I
can detect no evidence of a radiocontrolled
throttle or fuel cutoff on the
drones, I presume that the chute was
deployed after the engine ran out of fuel.
Since it was unusual to actually hit one
of the targets with gunfire in the era
before radar guidance, it is logical to
assume that most of them were recovered
relatively unharmed with the parachute
system if they weren’t crashed by
mechanical or human failures.
Tom Smalley of Sherman Oaks,
California, who was employed by
Northrop Grumman in the unmanned
aircraft division (earlier Radioplane),
wrote:
“The unmanned vehicles were recovered
by parachute systems. Some involved a
complex sequence of events before
deploying the parachute. This led the
company to be selected for developing the
parachute recovery systems for the Mercury,
Gemini, and Apollo projects.” MA
102 MODEL AVIATION
The CHARGE+ TX/RX has two outputs
that charge 4 to 8 cell packs, and two
outputs that charge 4 to 5 cell packs.
Charges packs 500mAh and up. Full 1
amp charge rate on each output. Fully
automatic 4 stage computerized
charging. Just plug it in and walk
away. No programming! No knobs,
buttons or switches. Truly “plug and
play”. 12V DC for field use, optional
power supply for home use.
Handcrafted in America for
dependability and longevity. $219 95_ +S&H
Hughes RC 1-800-786-0802 www.hughesrc.com
LIFE IS TOO SHORT
to spend time shuffling chargers
from one battery pack to another.
Send SAE with two stamps for list.
Bob Holman
Box 741, San Bernardino CA 92402
www.bhplans.com • 909-885-3959
Laser Short Kit
Span 57"
Power .40-.60 ignition .25 to .30 4 ST.
CAD Plan $12.00 $8.00 shipping
Laser cut parts $30.00
Float plan $5.00
Parts for floats $10.00
Bunch Scorpion
Major
Note that many more
old time plans and
parts are available.
Order online: http://www.airbornemedia.com
888-829-4060 • 5655 David Place, Fairfield, OH 45014
Balsa Molding Techniques
The use of molded balsa parts for model airplanes is not a new idea; as far back as the
1930’s the concept was used to make light, strong, accurate and repeatable components. It
seems, however that balsa molding has become one of the many “lost arts” that once again
are in demand.
The video begins with National & World Aerobatic Champion, Bob Hunt, offering
many tips on template making and foam cutting, as well as a complete stepby-
step instructions on how to accurately attach the finished molded
leading edges to a wing frame.
In the second part of the video, 5 time National and 2 time
World Aerobatic Champion, Bill Werwage, covers in close-up
detail how to mold compound curved parts.
Whether you are an Radio Control, Control Line, or Free
Flight modeler, the skills learned in this video will enable you
to produce lighter, stronger and more accurate models.
Running time: 105 minutes.
1995
+ 5.00 S&H
$
10sig4.QXD 7/23/04 4:22 pm Page 102
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/10
Page Numbers: 100,101,102
D.B. Mathews
F l y i n g f o r F u n
909 N. Maize Rd., Townhouse 734, Wichita KS 67212
I’VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED a subject of such extensive
historical interest and with so much available material as Reginald
Denny. The story of him and his modeling activities begs to be told
in more detail than is possible in one or two columns, so I’ve
chosen to cover the story in multiple columns. I hope this subject
has retained your interest, as early response mail seems to indicate.
To review, following is a quote from a 1947 American
Magazine:
“Most any fairly frequent movie fan of at least 20 years knows
Reginald Denny as the guy who plays those likable but dim-witted
British roles; but relatively few know there is another and far
more important side to the actor. He is the inventor of a midget
robot plane—very, very hush-hush during the war and used
extensively by both the Army and the Navy Air Forces as targets
in the training of aerial and antiaircraft gunners.
“Denny is not a scientist nor unusually mechanically minded.
It all started when he tried to help a youngster fly a model airplane
and it crashed. The actor sent for a new one and before he knew it
was making all sorts of models himself.
“Then back in 1934, Denny had this idea of the radio
controlled airplane for gunnery training, and no one would listen
to him, but when the war came on, the government took interest
and had him manufacture them in quantities. They are named for
the actor labeled TDD for Target Drone Denny.”
100 MODEL AVIATION
Reginald Denny wears a suit and tie while flying a drone.
A step up from telephone dial shown earlier. In spite of labeling,
it also provided left and right. Note chute control.
Radioplane: Reginald Denny and engineer Walter Righter were
the true fathers of today’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
industry. They were the pioneers in the field of pilotless aviation.
In the 1940s, the mass production of their “Radioplane” target
drones led to the military’s widespread adoption of radiocontrolled
aircraft for combat roles from the Pacific Theater in
World War II through to Iraq in 2004.
As I have shown, the Dennyplane model-airplane series—a
precursor to the Radioplane and powered by Walter Righter’s
Dennymite engine—was the jewel in the crown of a range of his
hobby products that brought model aviation to the masses in a
post-Depression, pre-war America.
Reginald Denny’s finances were not as successful as the
Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs) he fathered. Nearly bankrupt
from self-funding his remote-piloting research and with his movie
career in decline, he acquired partners. Taking disastrous advice,
he sold his share of Radioplane shortly before it was acquired by
Northrop Corporation to become its Ventura Division, which
produced RPVs for decades thereafter.
Although Reginald Denny is credited with fathering the robot
planes, financial straits dictated that his last years would be spent
not parenting prototypes or reaping the financial rewards of his
efforts, but on Broadway reprising the role of Colonel Pickering
in “My Fair Lady.” By the time he died in 1967, he had seen his
“idea” grow into a major military tool, including early guided
ordnance. Not too shabby for a model-airplane nut!
The OQ-2 in AMA’s Museum: Please take a look at the two
photos I included last month of the Denny Radioplane drone that
is on exhibit in the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie,
Indiana.
10sig4.QXD 7/23/04 10:41 am Page 100
October 2004 101
Albert Robinson of Dallas, Texas, donated this restoration and
its radio equipment. I understand that others can be found in some
military museums elsewhere, but the one in the AMA museum has
an interesting history.
Albert wrote:
“This drone has been in the family since the 1950s. It belonged
An early drone on a field launcher. The author believes that this and other photos
illustrate a stretched bike inner tube used to catapult the drone.
Recovery parachute pack in fuselage top.
The parachute deployed to bring the
drone down gently. Here is a real
dethermalizer!
to my dad who was a freighter pilot, killed in a
hijacking/insurance job in South America in 1965. Dad was a
‘horse trader’ (and modeler) extraordinaire, and the rumor was
that he traded some DC-3 brake parts for it in the very early
1950s but that is speculation.
“The drone sat up in the loft of my mother’s house until we
moved mom to Coco Beach, Florida, and brought the drone to
Dallas. We used it as a reference for a kit we produced—a mini
electric Free Flight version. The drone remained unrestored in our
care until I needed a quickie test mule for the UAV ‘Longshot’
we were developing.
“After a clean-up and re-cover it was flown, gently, a few
times in 1998. The instability in yaw from the undersized vertical
fin coupled with a poor power to weight ratio would have
required major rework. We put it away until we heard from the
National Model Aviation Museum.
“As an interesting side bar: this particular serial number was
researched, and after discussing it with the Northrop Curator, Mr.
Ira Chart, we discovered that Norma Jean Dougherty (Marilyn
Monroe) worked on this particular aircraft.” [See the photo in last
month’s issue.]
We modelers owe Albert Robinson a large thank you for
placing the drone and its radio equipment in the AMA museum. If
you have not visited the museum recently, or ever, figure on
devoting at least a full day to exploring this incredible place; to
spend less time is to not do the exhibits justice.
It is gratifying to have a quality repository for the treasures
from longtime modelers’ collections that probably would have
otherwise been placed in dumpsters by their survivors.
Launching Technique: Last month I promised to briefly discuss
the launching method that Reginald Denny and his staff at
Radioplane developed. After repeated close examination of the
various photos of the launching rail system used, it appears that
the early drones were launched using rubber bands!
Careful examination reveals what appear to be bicycle inner
tubes tied together to form a long double loop, which was then
attached to the drone’s bottom, and the whole thing was stretched
out by a crank that pulled the drone toward the rear of the rail.
Once released, the rubber bands slung the drone up to flying
speed as it departed the end of the rail.
One would presume that later launching rails used “bungee”
cords, or similar, and that the rubber inner tube was an early
cheap substitute.
10sig4.QXD 7/23/04 10:42 am Page 101
This launching system was necessary
because the target drones were flown on
gunnery ranges—not air bases—so there
were no prepared runways to use. This
system also worked well when the Navy
used it shipboard. I presume that the fullscale
catapult system used on ships,
involving either steam or gunpowder,
would blow the wings off of the drones.
If there is any question of whether
Denny and his group were modelers, this
early launch device should prove that they
were. This rubber-band launch technique
has always been popular for launching
models such as the Jim Walker
Interceptor glider and many kits of the
era.
Next month I will illustrate another
launching system, also straight from
modeling. If any reader knows for sure
that this month’s conclusion is incorrect,
please advise me.
Recovery: A large parachute was
attached to the drone’s balance point and
deployed from a container on the
airplane’s top by a radio signal. Since I
can detect no evidence of a radiocontrolled
throttle or fuel cutoff on the
drones, I presume that the chute was
deployed after the engine ran out of fuel.
Since it was unusual to actually hit one
of the targets with gunfire in the era
before radar guidance, it is logical to
assume that most of them were recovered
relatively unharmed with the parachute
system if they weren’t crashed by
mechanical or human failures.
Tom Smalley of Sherman Oaks,
California, who was employed by
Northrop Grumman in the unmanned
aircraft division (earlier Radioplane),
wrote:
“The unmanned vehicles were recovered
by parachute systems. Some involved a
complex sequence of events before
deploying the parachute. This led the
company to be selected for developing the
parachute recovery systems for the Mercury,
Gemini, and Apollo projects.” MA
102 MODEL AVIATION
The CHARGE+ TX/RX has two outputs
that charge 4 to 8 cell packs, and two
outputs that charge 4 to 5 cell packs.
Charges packs 500mAh and up. Full 1
amp charge rate on each output. Fully
automatic 4 stage computerized
charging. Just plug it in and walk
away. No programming! No knobs,
buttons or switches. Truly “plug and
play”. 12V DC for field use, optional
power supply for home use.
Handcrafted in America for
dependability and longevity. $219 95_ +S&H
Hughes RC 1-800-786-0802 www.hughesrc.com
LIFE IS TOO SHORT
to spend time shuffling chargers
from one battery pack to another.
Send SAE with two stamps for list.
Bob Holman
Box 741, San Bernardino CA 92402
www.bhplans.com • 909-885-3959
Laser Short Kit
Span 57"
Power .40-.60 ignition .25 to .30 4 ST.
CAD Plan $12.00 $8.00 shipping
Laser cut parts $30.00
Float plan $5.00
Parts for floats $10.00
Bunch Scorpion
Major
Note that many more
old time plans and
parts are available.
Order online: http://www.airbornemedia.com
888-829-4060 • 5655 David Place, Fairfield, OH 45014
Balsa Molding Techniques
The use of molded balsa parts for model airplanes is not a new idea; as far back as the
1930’s the concept was used to make light, strong, accurate and repeatable components. It
seems, however that balsa molding has become one of the many “lost arts” that once again
are in demand.
The video begins with National & World Aerobatic Champion, Bob Hunt, offering
many tips on template making and foam cutting, as well as a complete stepby-
step instructions on how to accurately attach the finished molded
leading edges to a wing frame.
In the second part of the video, 5 time National and 2 time
World Aerobatic Champion, Bill Werwage, covers in close-up
detail how to mold compound curved parts.
Whether you are an Radio Control, Control Line, or Free
Flight modeler, the skills learned in this video will enable you
to produce lighter, stronger and more accurate models.
Running time: 105 minutes.
1995
+ 5.00 S&H
$
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