70 MODEL AVIATION
Focal Point
Don Vetrone (976 Aspenetter Dr., Innsbrook MO 63390; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this “Chipper” from his crashed
Dynaflite Chipmunk.
“I found out the hard way that the SuperTigre 2300 two-stroke
engine would not idle reliably when mounted inverted in my giant
scale model,” wrote Don.
After several dead-stick landings and crashes, the Chipmunk was
beyond repair. All that remained were the engine, landing gear, and
vertical and horizontal stabilizers.
Don recycled these pieces, and the Chipper was born. He
shortened the fuselage and wingspan by 15%. The top of the
fuselage is removable, giving easy access to the engine system.
The Chipper weighs 12.5 pounds and is controlled by a Futaba
7C computer radio driving five Hitec high-torque servos and one
Futaba standard servo.
Chipper
Jerry Kraft (109 S. Deerbrook Dr., Oregon City OR 97045; Email:
[email protected]) built this North American P-51D
Mustang and dedicated it to his wife of 42 years, Pattie.
The Mustang’s color and design scheme is based on the “Petie
3rd” P-51D. Jerry wrote that his wife is often referred to as an angel,
hence the angel decal on the nose. All decals are vinyl.
Powered by a Moki 2.10 engine, the model spans 80 inches and
weighs 23 pounds. It has a fiberglass fuselage, with 3/4-ounce
fiberglass cloth on the balsa-covered foam wings and the tail
assembly.
To apply the fiberglass, Jerry used 20-minute finishing epoxy
resin thinned with 40% denatured alcohol—no sanding with this
procedure—and lightweight spackle to fill the weave. The model
was finished with Rust-Oleum gray primer, PPG automotive paint,
and a clear coat.
Leon Genz (1648 Wisconsin St., Oshkosh WI 54901; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this C-119 Flying Boxcar from a
Dare kit. It is powered by two Speed 400 motors, with an FMA
Direct SUPER 30 ESC and an 11.1-volt, 2100 mAh Impulse Li-Poly
battery pack.
The wings and fuselage are fully sheeted with 1/16 balsa, and the
twin tailbooms are sheeted with 1/20 balsa. The model weighs just
less than 30 ounces.
Leon wrote that he is an ex-paratrooper and that he made several
jumps from the full-scale C-119. The image of the paratrooper
standing in the Boxcar’s doorway is a photograph of Leon, taken in
roughly 1951 right before a jump.
Flying Boxcar
Pattie P-51D Mustang
Charles Smith’s (2406 Chama Ave., Loveland CO 80538) latest
project is his North American A-36A Invader. A total of 500 of
these full-scale aircraft were built between 1942 and 1943.
The model’s scale is 2 inches to the foot, yielding a 74-inch
wingspan, and it weighs 9 pounds. Covering is MonoKote. The
national markings are from 1943, and all other markings are from
Charles’ imagination.
There are two brakes in each wing panel—top and bottom. A
servo drives each pair. The aileron servo works the tail wheel. The
rudder is stationary, and its servo releases the bombs.
Invader Dive Bomber
04sig3.QXD 2/25/08 12:07 PM Page 70
April 2008 71
Steve Bufkin (4725 Miranda Dr., Newburgh IN 47630; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this giant foamie from plans he doubled
in dimension. Doing so resulted in a 6-foot fuselage and a 70-inch
wingspan.
Construction is entirely from doubled 6mm Depron sheets, with
two carbon-fiber tubes per wing.
Steve’s 6-pound model is controlled by a Spektrum DX7 radio
system and five full-size servos. Power is provided by a 42-50 700
Kv outrunner motor spinning a 14 x 4 APC propeller.
“It takes off at half throttle and is my easiest plane to hover,”
wrote Steve. “It gets everyone’s attention whenever it flies.”
Jack Pfaller (849 Southern Pine Tr., Rockledge FL 32955; Email:
[email protected]) built his F-14 TAMEcat from MA plans.
Its construction article was published in the June 1990 issue.
The model spans 69 inches and weighs 6 pounds. It is powered
by a Fox .45 engine spinning an 11 x 5 propeller.
“With this power it will take off in about 50 feet and will fly
comfortably at half throttle,” wrote Jack.
He moved the CG back approximately 1/2 inch and doubled the
control throws. Those adjustments turn this trainer into a fairly
impressive aerobat.
“All in all a quite enjoyable airplane,” wrote Jack.
Walt Moucha (54 Tangelo Blvd., Fort Pierce FL 34982; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this 1/2-scale Fly Baby from full-size
plans and 3-D views. It took six months to design and build.
The model spans 14 feet and weighs 65 pounds. Walt has already
acquired the experimental aircraft permit needed to fly models this
size.
The Fly Baby is constructed from balsa and plywood. Control is
provided by a Futaba 2.4 FASST system, and all the hardware is 1/4-
scale Du-Bro. Covering is F&M Stits Fabric and Poly-Tone paints
and primer.
Walt built this model with his own-design 84-inch floats that can
be switched out for the wheels. The model has two-piece wings for
easy assembly and transport. All flying and landing wires are
functional.
TAMEcat
Depron Giant
Fly Baby
Dave Gianakos’s (21 Mountain High Ct., Littleton CO 80127; Email:
[email protected]) Fireball, which he built from a
modified Yellow Aircraft kit, is a portrait of a P-47M of the same
name that flew with the 56th Fighter Group during World War II.
This replica weighs 28 pounds and has a scratch-built,
droppable, flat 150-gallon fuel tank. It features fully detailed gun
and ammo bays on each wing, powered sliding canopy, retractable
gear and flaps, and working cowl flaps.
Dave and his project partner, Bob Frey, will be flying the
Fireball in 2008 Team Scale competitions.
Fireball
See page 191 for submission guidelines
Focal Point
04sig3.QXD 2/25/08 12:09 PM Page 71
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/04
Page Numbers: 70,71
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/04
Page Numbers: 70,71
70 MODEL AVIATION
Focal Point
Don Vetrone (976 Aspenetter Dr., Innsbrook MO 63390; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this “Chipper” from his crashed
Dynaflite Chipmunk.
“I found out the hard way that the SuperTigre 2300 two-stroke
engine would not idle reliably when mounted inverted in my giant
scale model,” wrote Don.
After several dead-stick landings and crashes, the Chipmunk was
beyond repair. All that remained were the engine, landing gear, and
vertical and horizontal stabilizers.
Don recycled these pieces, and the Chipper was born. He
shortened the fuselage and wingspan by 15%. The top of the
fuselage is removable, giving easy access to the engine system.
The Chipper weighs 12.5 pounds and is controlled by a Futaba
7C computer radio driving five Hitec high-torque servos and one
Futaba standard servo.
Chipper
Jerry Kraft (109 S. Deerbrook Dr., Oregon City OR 97045; Email:
[email protected]) built this North American P-51D
Mustang and dedicated it to his wife of 42 years, Pattie.
The Mustang’s color and design scheme is based on the “Petie
3rd” P-51D. Jerry wrote that his wife is often referred to as an angel,
hence the angel decal on the nose. All decals are vinyl.
Powered by a Moki 2.10 engine, the model spans 80 inches and
weighs 23 pounds. It has a fiberglass fuselage, with 3/4-ounce
fiberglass cloth on the balsa-covered foam wings and the tail
assembly.
To apply the fiberglass, Jerry used 20-minute finishing epoxy
resin thinned with 40% denatured alcohol—no sanding with this
procedure—and lightweight spackle to fill the weave. The model
was finished with Rust-Oleum gray primer, PPG automotive paint,
and a clear coat.
Leon Genz (1648 Wisconsin St., Oshkosh WI 54901; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this C-119 Flying Boxcar from a
Dare kit. It is powered by two Speed 400 motors, with an FMA
Direct SUPER 30 ESC and an 11.1-volt, 2100 mAh Impulse Li-Poly
battery pack.
The wings and fuselage are fully sheeted with 1/16 balsa, and the
twin tailbooms are sheeted with 1/20 balsa. The model weighs just
less than 30 ounces.
Leon wrote that he is an ex-paratrooper and that he made several
jumps from the full-scale C-119. The image of the paratrooper
standing in the Boxcar’s doorway is a photograph of Leon, taken in
roughly 1951 right before a jump.
Flying Boxcar
Pattie P-51D Mustang
Charles Smith’s (2406 Chama Ave., Loveland CO 80538) latest
project is his North American A-36A Invader. A total of 500 of
these full-scale aircraft were built between 1942 and 1943.
The model’s scale is 2 inches to the foot, yielding a 74-inch
wingspan, and it weighs 9 pounds. Covering is MonoKote. The
national markings are from 1943, and all other markings are from
Charles’ imagination.
There are two brakes in each wing panel—top and bottom. A
servo drives each pair. The aileron servo works the tail wheel. The
rudder is stationary, and its servo releases the bombs.
Invader Dive Bomber
04sig3.QXD 2/25/08 12:07 PM Page 70
April 2008 71
Steve Bufkin (4725 Miranda Dr., Newburgh IN 47630; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this giant foamie from plans he doubled
in dimension. Doing so resulted in a 6-foot fuselage and a 70-inch
wingspan.
Construction is entirely from doubled 6mm Depron sheets, with
two carbon-fiber tubes per wing.
Steve’s 6-pound model is controlled by a Spektrum DX7 radio
system and five full-size servos. Power is provided by a 42-50 700
Kv outrunner motor spinning a 14 x 4 APC propeller.
“It takes off at half throttle and is my easiest plane to hover,”
wrote Steve. “It gets everyone’s attention whenever it flies.”
Jack Pfaller (849 Southern Pine Tr., Rockledge FL 32955; Email:
[email protected]) built his F-14 TAMEcat from MA plans.
Its construction article was published in the June 1990 issue.
The model spans 69 inches and weighs 6 pounds. It is powered
by a Fox .45 engine spinning an 11 x 5 propeller.
“With this power it will take off in about 50 feet and will fly
comfortably at half throttle,” wrote Jack.
He moved the CG back approximately 1/2 inch and doubled the
control throws. Those adjustments turn this trainer into a fairly
impressive aerobat.
“All in all a quite enjoyable airplane,” wrote Jack.
Walt Moucha (54 Tangelo Blvd., Fort Pierce FL 34982; E-mail:
[email protected]) built this 1/2-scale Fly Baby from full-size
plans and 3-D views. It took six months to design and build.
The model spans 14 feet and weighs 65 pounds. Walt has already
acquired the experimental aircraft permit needed to fly models this
size.
The Fly Baby is constructed from balsa and plywood. Control is
provided by a Futaba 2.4 FASST system, and all the hardware is 1/4-
scale Du-Bro. Covering is F&M Stits Fabric and Poly-Tone paints
and primer.
Walt built this model with his own-design 84-inch floats that can
be switched out for the wheels. The model has two-piece wings for
easy assembly and transport. All flying and landing wires are
functional.
TAMEcat
Depron Giant
Fly Baby
Dave Gianakos’s (21 Mountain High Ct., Littleton CO 80127; Email:
[email protected]) Fireball, which he built from a
modified Yellow Aircraft kit, is a portrait of a P-47M of the same
name that flew with the 56th Fighter Group during World War II.
This replica weighs 28 pounds and has a scratch-built,
droppable, flat 150-gallon fuel tank. It features fully detailed gun
and ammo bays on each wing, powered sliding canopy, retractable
gear and flaps, and working cowl flaps.
Dave and his project partner, Bob Frey, will be flying the
Fireball in 2008 Team Scale competitions.
Fireball
See page 191 for submission guidelines
Focal Point
04sig3.QXD 2/25/08 12:09 PM Page 71