June 2005 97
WELCOME TO THE June RC Giants
column. I wish it were June because as I
happily compose this latest column, yet
another snowstorm is hammering the
Northeast. You may be reading this column
in June; however, I am actually working on
it in early March.
Although just days away from spring and
certain those warmer days are coming,
winter just won’t let go. I can’t wait for
June.
There are good things that result from
enduring such a long winter; some modelers
have kept busy working on their latest
project and I’m happy to show a few to the
readers.
Alan Yendle’s Caudron: The World War I
bug bit Alan Yendle of Atlanta, Georgia,
several years ago and he’s never looked
back. The most recent addition to his Great
War collection is a 1/4-scale Caudron G.III
that spans 130 inches and weighs 16
pounds. The model was built using Donnie
Wilcox outline plans. Alan has mounted a
Ryobi 31cc-conversion gas engine that uses
a C&H ignition system.
As I write this, Alan has not flown the
Caudron because of poor weather conditions
this winter in the Atlanta area.
The Caudron is an interesting but not
often modeled subject. I imagine that Alan
may have been inspired by the Caudron
G.III that is flown at the Old Rhinebeck
Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York.
The G.III first flew in 1914 and was
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
A three-quarters view of Alan Yendle’s Caudron G.III shows the many ribs, struts, and
wires that typify World War I aircraft. Jerry Smith photo.
Although wing warping was employed on the full-scale Caudron G.III, Alan added
ailerons for better flight characteristics. Smith photo.
Dave Wigley of Smithtown, New York, scratch-built this Westland Wyvern. The model
spans 100 inches and will weigh roughly 50 pounds when completed.
Dave even built his own Wyvern landinggear
struts from scratch using a milling
machine and lathe.
98 MODEL AVIATION
widely used as a reconnaissance/observation
and artillery-spotting aircraft. Later in the war
it was used to train airmen because of its
reliability and ease of piloting.
Many of the famous French pilots flew
this aircraft during training, and the United
States Air Service purchased 192 G.III
models for training American pilots. Many of
these aircraft were powered by the famous Le
Rhône 9C engines and later by Anzani 10
engines. The British even built some under
contract. After the war the Caudron G.IIIs
were used in aero clubs and some were even
flown by private owners.
The G.III used wing warping rather than
ailerons, similar to the Fokker Eindecker
series. The early G.III aircraft employed a
warping horizontal stabilizer, but this was
later changed to a hinged surface.
Alan decided early on to add ailerons to
his model instead of using wing warping. This
simplified building the model tremendously.
As you can see in the photos, the Caudron
typifies early World War I aircraft with many
ribs, sticks, struts, wires, and sagging covering
material.
Well done, Alan! Off to the front!
Wigley Wyvern: Dave Wigley of Smithtown,
New York, has been scratch-building a 1/5-
scale Westland Wyvern for the past three
years. Scratch-building is an understatement
because Dave designed the model, made the
molds for the cowling and canopy, designed
and built the contrarotating (free-spinning)
propeller assembly, and even made the
landing-gear struts using a milling machine
and lathe. Talk about an overachiever!
According to Dave, the Wyvern spans 100
inches, will be powered by a BME-100 gas
engine, and will weigh roughly 50 pounds.
Although Dave is pictured with the
Wyvern in the bones, he has progressed much
further. The model has been sheeted and
fiberglassed and is ready for panel lines. On
his what’s-left-to-do list is the sliding canopy,
cockpit detail, drop tanks, and torpedo. The
model is quite large and has removable outer
wing panels and a removable vertical
stabilizer.
The attraction to build such a model
according to Dave is that the Wyvern is an
unusual and rarely modeled subject. Its
rarity on the modeling circuit may have to
do with the fighter’s history.
The Westland Wyvern ended up as a
single-seat strike fighter but started life as a
daylight fighter and torpedo bomber. The
aircraft was large because of the size of its 24-
cylinder piston engine and the later-intended
turboprop installation.
The first flight of the Wyvern was on
December 12, 1946, and it quickly established
a bad reputation because of engine and
propeller problems. Only 15 piston-powered
Wyverns were built before the turboprop
installations commenced. The new engines
had problems of their own which were never
fully resolved. This only increased the
aircraft’s unpopularity with the pilots who had
to fly them.
The Wyvern was in service with the Fleet
Air Arm from 1954 to 1958 and saw action
during the Suez Crisis of 1956. Only 127
Wyverns were made after seven long years of
development. What seemed to be a good idea
in 1945 proved too difficult for success in the
early 1950s when turbojets ruled the skies.
Wyvern means a mythical winged dragon;
however, the Westland Wyvern is
remembered for its excessive losses and some
horrific deck-landing accidents.
Hey Dave, you’re doing one heck of a job
with the Wyvern. I wish you better fortune
with the Wigley Wyvern than Westland had
with its version.
West P-47: Gary West of Syosset, New York,
is shown with his Aerotech P-47. The model
is 1/6 scale with a span of 82 inches, weighs 31
pounds, and is powered by a Brison 4.2 gas
engine. Gary’s model has Robart retractable
landing gear and true-operating Fowler flaps.
It also has a sliding canopy and full cockpit.
Gary finished his P-47 using Model
Master Metalizer paints and Floquil Model
Railroad paints to simulate the aluminumpanel
finish. Each panel was sprayed
separately to replicate the finish. Gary tinted
them with black and blue to create the look of
separate panels.
This aircraft was finished in the 78th
Fighter Group, 84th Fighter Squadron
markings. This squadron was based at
Duxford, England. Lieutenant Colonel
Benjamin Mayo flew the full-scale P-47 that
Gary modeled.
For more information about those superb
Aerotech models, you can visit the
company’s Web site at www.aerotec
hmodels.com/.
Ziroli Beech Staggerwing: A photo shows
Nick Ziroli Sr. with his newly completed
Beech Staggerwing in military finish at the
2005 Westchester Radio Aero Modelers
(WRAM) Show.
The civilian designation Model 17
became the UC-43 or the YC-43 for the
Army Air Corp and the GB-1 or GB-2 for the
Navy. Both military services used the Beech
aircraft as personnel transports and utility
aircraft. The military purchased 425 of the
Staggerwing biplanes.
The Ziroli Beech Staggerwing uses
conventional building methods that have
worked so well with all of the Ziroli designs.
The Beech sports a Robart retractable gear
system and has plenty of room on the firewall
to install a favorite power plant. Plans for the
Beech Staggerwing should be available soon.
The Beech Model 17 (Staggerwing) was
the first aircraft produced by the newly
formed Beech Aircraft Company. It was first
flown in 1932 and with a top speed of 201
mph, it was blistering fast for its day. The
Model 17 was faster than the Army’s pursuit
aircraft of the time. In 1933—just two
months after its first flight—the Model 17
won in the Texaco All-American Air
Maneuvers at the Miami Air Races. It was at
this race that the name Staggerwing was
coined.
There have been few aircraft that are as
recognizable as the Beech Staggerwing. It
continues to excite airplane enthusiasts and
many can still be found flying today.
For more information about any of
Ziroli’s great-flying models and Giant Scale
accessories, you can visit the Nick Ziroli
Plans Web site at www.ziroliplans.com.
That’s all for now. Show your fellow AMA
members what you have been working on. If
you have photos of your ongoing or
completed RC Giants, send them in and I will
do my best to include them in a future RC
Giants column. Remember to include a brief
write-up about your model and any
interesting facts about your project. Inquiring
minds want to know!
Best to all, and see you next month. MA
Gary West of Syosset, New York, built his 1/6-scale Aerotech P-47
with a sliding canopy and full cockpit.
Nick Ziroli Sr. attended the 2005 WRAM Show with his completed
Beech Staggerwing in a military finish.
06sig4.QXD 4/26/05 11:44 AM Page 98
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/06
Page Numbers: 97,98
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/06
Page Numbers: 97,98
June 2005 97
WELCOME TO THE June RC Giants
column. I wish it were June because as I
happily compose this latest column, yet
another snowstorm is hammering the
Northeast. You may be reading this column
in June; however, I am actually working on
it in early March.
Although just days away from spring and
certain those warmer days are coming,
winter just won’t let go. I can’t wait for
June.
There are good things that result from
enduring such a long winter; some modelers
have kept busy working on their latest
project and I’m happy to show a few to the
readers.
Alan Yendle’s Caudron: The World War I
bug bit Alan Yendle of Atlanta, Georgia,
several years ago and he’s never looked
back. The most recent addition to his Great
War collection is a 1/4-scale Caudron G.III
that spans 130 inches and weighs 16
pounds. The model was built using Donnie
Wilcox outline plans. Alan has mounted a
Ryobi 31cc-conversion gas engine that uses
a C&H ignition system.
As I write this, Alan has not flown the
Caudron because of poor weather conditions
this winter in the Atlanta area.
The Caudron is an interesting but not
often modeled subject. I imagine that Alan
may have been inspired by the Caudron
G.III that is flown at the Old Rhinebeck
Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York.
The G.III first flew in 1914 and was
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
A three-quarters view of Alan Yendle’s Caudron G.III shows the many ribs, struts, and
wires that typify World War I aircraft. Jerry Smith photo.
Although wing warping was employed on the full-scale Caudron G.III, Alan added
ailerons for better flight characteristics. Smith photo.
Dave Wigley of Smithtown, New York, scratch-built this Westland Wyvern. The model
spans 100 inches and will weigh roughly 50 pounds when completed.
Dave even built his own Wyvern landinggear
struts from scratch using a milling
machine and lathe.
98 MODEL AVIATION
widely used as a reconnaissance/observation
and artillery-spotting aircraft. Later in the war
it was used to train airmen because of its
reliability and ease of piloting.
Many of the famous French pilots flew
this aircraft during training, and the United
States Air Service purchased 192 G.III
models for training American pilots. Many of
these aircraft were powered by the famous Le
Rhône 9C engines and later by Anzani 10
engines. The British even built some under
contract. After the war the Caudron G.IIIs
were used in aero clubs and some were even
flown by private owners.
The G.III used wing warping rather than
ailerons, similar to the Fokker Eindecker
series. The early G.III aircraft employed a
warping horizontal stabilizer, but this was
later changed to a hinged surface.
Alan decided early on to add ailerons to
his model instead of using wing warping. This
simplified building the model tremendously.
As you can see in the photos, the Caudron
typifies early World War I aircraft with many
ribs, sticks, struts, wires, and sagging covering
material.
Well done, Alan! Off to the front!
Wigley Wyvern: Dave Wigley of Smithtown,
New York, has been scratch-building a 1/5-
scale Westland Wyvern for the past three
years. Scratch-building is an understatement
because Dave designed the model, made the
molds for the cowling and canopy, designed
and built the contrarotating (free-spinning)
propeller assembly, and even made the
landing-gear struts using a milling machine
and lathe. Talk about an overachiever!
According to Dave, the Wyvern spans 100
inches, will be powered by a BME-100 gas
engine, and will weigh roughly 50 pounds.
Although Dave is pictured with the
Wyvern in the bones, he has progressed much
further. The model has been sheeted and
fiberglassed and is ready for panel lines. On
his what’s-left-to-do list is the sliding canopy,
cockpit detail, drop tanks, and torpedo. The
model is quite large and has removable outer
wing panels and a removable vertical
stabilizer.
The attraction to build such a model
according to Dave is that the Wyvern is an
unusual and rarely modeled subject. Its
rarity on the modeling circuit may have to
do with the fighter’s history.
The Westland Wyvern ended up as a
single-seat strike fighter but started life as a
daylight fighter and torpedo bomber. The
aircraft was large because of the size of its 24-
cylinder piston engine and the later-intended
turboprop installation.
The first flight of the Wyvern was on
December 12, 1946, and it quickly established
a bad reputation because of engine and
propeller problems. Only 15 piston-powered
Wyverns were built before the turboprop
installations commenced. The new engines
had problems of their own which were never
fully resolved. This only increased the
aircraft’s unpopularity with the pilots who had
to fly them.
The Wyvern was in service with the Fleet
Air Arm from 1954 to 1958 and saw action
during the Suez Crisis of 1956. Only 127
Wyverns were made after seven long years of
development. What seemed to be a good idea
in 1945 proved too difficult for success in the
early 1950s when turbojets ruled the skies.
Wyvern means a mythical winged dragon;
however, the Westland Wyvern is
remembered for its excessive losses and some
horrific deck-landing accidents.
Hey Dave, you’re doing one heck of a job
with the Wyvern. I wish you better fortune
with the Wigley Wyvern than Westland had
with its version.
West P-47: Gary West of Syosset, New York,
is shown with his Aerotech P-47. The model
is 1/6 scale with a span of 82 inches, weighs 31
pounds, and is powered by a Brison 4.2 gas
engine. Gary’s model has Robart retractable
landing gear and true-operating Fowler flaps.
It also has a sliding canopy and full cockpit.
Gary finished his P-47 using Model
Master Metalizer paints and Floquil Model
Railroad paints to simulate the aluminumpanel
finish. Each panel was sprayed
separately to replicate the finish. Gary tinted
them with black and blue to create the look of
separate panels.
This aircraft was finished in the 78th
Fighter Group, 84th Fighter Squadron
markings. This squadron was based at
Duxford, England. Lieutenant Colonel
Benjamin Mayo flew the full-scale P-47 that
Gary modeled.
For more information about those superb
Aerotech models, you can visit the
company’s Web site at www.aerotec
hmodels.com/.
Ziroli Beech Staggerwing: A photo shows
Nick Ziroli Sr. with his newly completed
Beech Staggerwing in military finish at the
2005 Westchester Radio Aero Modelers
(WRAM) Show.
The civilian designation Model 17
became the UC-43 or the YC-43 for the
Army Air Corp and the GB-1 or GB-2 for the
Navy. Both military services used the Beech
aircraft as personnel transports and utility
aircraft. The military purchased 425 of the
Staggerwing biplanes.
The Ziroli Beech Staggerwing uses
conventional building methods that have
worked so well with all of the Ziroli designs.
The Beech sports a Robart retractable gear
system and has plenty of room on the firewall
to install a favorite power plant. Plans for the
Beech Staggerwing should be available soon.
The Beech Model 17 (Staggerwing) was
the first aircraft produced by the newly
formed Beech Aircraft Company. It was first
flown in 1932 and with a top speed of 201
mph, it was blistering fast for its day. The
Model 17 was faster than the Army’s pursuit
aircraft of the time. In 1933—just two
months after its first flight—the Model 17
won in the Texaco All-American Air
Maneuvers at the Miami Air Races. It was at
this race that the name Staggerwing was
coined.
There have been few aircraft that are as
recognizable as the Beech Staggerwing. It
continues to excite airplane enthusiasts and
many can still be found flying today.
For more information about any of
Ziroli’s great-flying models and Giant Scale
accessories, you can visit the Nick Ziroli
Plans Web site at www.ziroliplans.com.
That’s all for now. Show your fellow AMA
members what you have been working on. If
you have photos of your ongoing or
completed RC Giants, send them in and I will
do my best to include them in a future RC
Giants column. Remember to include a brief
write-up about your model and any
interesting facts about your project. Inquiring
minds want to know!
Best to all, and see you next month. MA
Gary West of Syosset, New York, built his 1/6-scale Aerotech P-47
with a sliding canopy and full cockpit.
Nick Ziroli Sr. attended the 2005 WRAM Show with his completed
Beech Staggerwing in a military finish.
06sig4.QXD 4/26/05 11:44 AM Page 98