f readership feedback and telephone
comments received here are any indication,
we’ve got a potential problem brewing in
our hobby/sport. It seems that there are now
two distinct factions that are, in many ways, at
odds with each other.
I’m referring to those who are flying their
models with electric power and those who are
using either glow or gas engine power to propel
their aircraft. You might think I’m building up
to a tongue-in-cheek, humorous piece about the
two camps, but I’m not.
Many years ago the only form of model
propulsion—other than a good heave—was
several strands of rubber twisted tightly and
attached to the propeller of a lightly built
airplane structure. The rubber “motor” was
typically anchored at the rear of the fuselage.
When the propeller was released it would
spin until the twists were depleted, thus
providing thrust to fly the model. It was simple
and effective, and it was generally accepted
without any problem by the tens of thousands of
budding modelers worldwide.
Next came spark-ignition engines, and
larger, more detailed models with heavier wing
loadings became the vogue thing. When the
glow engine arrived, it was generally accepted
as being much better than the spark ignition
engine; there was not much of a stir because
almost everybody made the switch.
Now we have modern electric power. Notice
that I wrote “modern” instead of simply
“electric power.” Electric-powered model
airplanes have been with us for many years. By
some accounts models have been flown with
one form or another of electric power for more
than 60 years.
What’s new is the amazing amount of thrust
and duration that is now possible with the
newest breed of motors and batteries. Electric
has come of age, it’s viable, it’s clean, it’s quiet,
it’s getting safer, it’s getting more affordable,
and it’s obviously getting more popular.
I’ve been taken to task by many of our
members/readers for the number of electricrelated
articles that have run in MA in recent
months. This is especially true of the
construction features that have appeared;
many—even most—of them are electricpowered
designs.
Here’s the deal: we can only print what we
receive, and eight out of 10 (or more) articles
for original designs that we receive are for
electric-powered models! It seems that the
majority of the designers out there have opted
for electric power.
That most of the designers among us have
gone electric is not surprising; electric power
offers many advantages to them. It is much
easier to try unusual designs, especially those
with multiple motors. Electric power is a
natural for these types of subjects.
Motors run far more smoothly than even the
most well-balanced glow or gas engine; hence
the need for heavy bracing or beefing up is
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt
I
eliminated. Because of this the aircraft can be
built lighter at a given size. Finishing is also
easier because there is no need to fuel-proof
the model.
We here at MA love model aircraft of all
types and look forward to the opportunity to
publish materials that cover the wide variety of
modeling disciplines. But, again, we cannot
print that which we do not receive.
We rely in large part on member
submissions of articles for our content. If you
want to see more glow- and gas-powered
coverage, write something, design something,
and submit it, or chide your local modeling
guru to submit some of his or her material!
True, not all articles received for review
are published; we have standards that must be
met for prose, photo quality, and content
quality. If your submission qualifies on these
counts and is the type of material we need,
your chances are good that it will be
published.
And it is obvious that we are in need of
glow- and gas-powered model features. As the
Monty Python comedy skit went, “Hint, hint,
nudge, nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean,
know what I mean?”
I predict that electric power will eventually
become the dominant choice for model
airplanes, but that point is still in the somewhat
distant future. Glow- and gas-power fans have
nothing to be worried about at this time.
We, as a group, need to keep our eye on the
ball and remember what is important about our
sport. And that is that we participate; that we
build; that we fly; that we learn more about our
machines so that we can fly them better, safer,
and longer; and that we enjoy and respect each
other no matter what our propulsion
preferences. That’s the real modeling power.
I can be reached for comment or
questions at (610) 614-1747 or via E-mail
at [email protected]. My address for
article submissions is Box 68,
Stockertown PA 18083. MA
Modeling Spoken Here
6 MODEL AVIATION
That’s the real
modeling power.
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09sig1.QXD 7/25/06 12:32 PM Page 6
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/09
Page Numbers: 6