Well, it’s the middle of building
season. Did you really think I
wouldn’t take the opportunity to
write at least one pro-model-building
column?
As many of you already know, and the
rest are about to find out, I’m sort of a Don
Quixote on this subject even though the
trend in the past few years has been away
from building your own models.
Now before I get started, let me once
again state that I have absolutely nothing
against ARF models or those who choose to
assemble and fly them. For the record, I
believe they have increased the level of
participation and the average flying
proficiency across the board.
ARFs have allowed those who do not
have the time, space, or talent (or those who
have health problems that sanding dust and
chemicals could aggravate) to be able to
enjoy our sport without having to construct
their own models. For the record I think
ARFs are wonderful.
Years ago the only way to fly on a regular
basis was to learn to build your own models
either from kits or from plans. You had to
gather all the required materials and cut out
the parts and then carefully and accurately
assemble them to produce a model.
The process required that you learn many
new techniques and skills. It required
patience and more than just a bit of
determination to keep on going, especially
when the task was a tough one.
The payoff for those who brought their
projects to fruition was far more than just a
model that they could then take to the field
and fly. The building process actually taught
them more than just a bit about alignment,
weight distribution, and how to achieve
strong, light structures through the proper
use of relatively light and fragile materials.
There is a word that encompasses all of
that and more: engineering. Yes, rudimentary
to intermediate engineering-level skills can
be learned and fully understood by actually
building the models that we fly.
Most of us who grew up building model
airplanes learned the required skills from our
fathers or from modeling friends. We were
not thrown into the deep end of the
craftsmanship pool and expected to swim
out on our own; we learned as we went from
knowledgeable modelers who were also
known as “Flying Buddies.”
I can’t even begin to imagine how I
would have fared without the many friends
who took me under their wings (so to speak)
and invested the time to explain and
demonstrate the many skills required to
build a model airplane.
Building, unlike flying, can be a lonely
task. Usually it is just you, your bench,
balsa, and tools, with only a CD in the stereo
to keep you company. You have to stay
focused and be determined to complete a
project once it is started. Having a local
friend who is also building a model can be a
great motivator; you can help each other and
keep each other interested. Or as we will see,
a club project may be the answer.
In this issue we are presenting a construction
article by Dick Sarpolus about a model he
calls the “New Jersey One Design.” But this is
more than a typical “Glue tab A into slot B”
construction feature. Several of Dick’s fellow
club members wanted to take a stab at scratch
building for the first time, and Dick responded
by designing a relatively simple-to-construct
model that they could use as a club project.
The NJ One Design is a profile-type RC
fun-fly design that features two options for
wing construction, one of which is a foamcore
type that gets its strength from spruce
surface spars. The foam is not actually
sheeted with balsa. The other is a normal but
simplified built-up wing. This model was
designed to be built for either glow or
electric power, and according to Dick it flies
equally well both ways.
More than a dozen members of the Monmouth
Model Airplane Club signed on for the
project, and some members of other clubs
jumped at the chance as well. Dick responded
to this success by donating all of the proceeds
from this article to the club’s treasury!
Will all of those who participated in this
project build all their own models from now
on? Certainly not! But now they can enjoy
the full spectrum of what this hobby/sport
has to offer by occasionally building a model
from scratch. A benefit is that they will have
the skills necessary to fix their ARFs when
the unthinkable happens.
You can contact me via telephone, E-mail,
or snail mail at (610) 614-1747, robin
[email protected], and Box 68, Stockertown
PA 18083, respectively. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/02
Page Numbers: 6