119 MODEL AVIATION
Sal visits his friend Steve at the Rivanna Radio Control Club’s Milton Field
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Dan’s Tiger Moth, powered by a Zenoah G-26, makes a low, slow
pass over the Rivanna RC Club’s Milton Field.
Daniel Parmelee, 15, of Charlottesville VA with his 1/4-scale
Hangar 9 Clipped Wing Taylorcraft ARF.
Danny expertly piloted his Taylorcraft to a gentle three-point
landing. He has been flying since he was 6 years old.
Daniel Barrick of Mount Sidney VA and his Arizona Model
Aircrafters 1/4-scale de Havilland Tiger Moth ARF.
“I LOVE IT when a plan comes together.” These were words
immortalized by the late George Peppard starring as Colonel John
“Hannibal” Smith on the television series “The A-Team.” They also
describe exactly how I felt after a great weekend of flying RC, meeting
new modelers, and enjoying the company of good friends.
To briefly explain, my good friend Steve had moved from Florida to
Charlottesville, Virginia. Since he’s an avid RCer, the first item on his
to-do list was to seek out the local RC club and apply for membership.
That was the Rivanna Radio Control Club, Inc. of Charlottesville.
Steve’s next step was to entice me to load up my van with Giant
Scale models and head south to pay him and his wife Patty a visit the
same weekend that the Rivanna RC Club was holding its fall fly-in.
How could I refuse? After all, Virginia is much closer to New York
than Florida is.
To top this off, we were joined by another good friend, Mike, who
flew in from Florida to spend the weekend. I loaded my van full of
Giant Scale models and headed south with my family.
The Rivanna Radio Control Club uses Milton Field, which is
owned by the University of Virginia, for its flying site. The
property has an interesting history.
In 1939 the university’s move to buy 90 acres of land bordering
the Rivanna River for use as an airfield for the university’s
aeronautical students stirred the ire of some of the residents in the
surrounding agrarian communities. The University of Virginia was
founded by Thomas Jefferson, and the property was once part of his
5,000-acre plantation and might have been one of the sites of his
water-powered manufacturing enterprises.
Some of the concerns about using the 90 acres for an airfield
were that the noise would drive visitors away from Monticello and
hurt the area’s desirability for raising pedigreed horses and
livestock. In addition, student pilots posed untold hazards and
property values in the area would plummet. The university’s
position was that it already offered students ground training in
aeronautics and it had a compelling reason for wanting to build an
airfield.
On October 20, 1939, at a hearing by the State Corporation
Commission in Richmond, Virginia, lawyers for the property
owners’ association argued that Mr. Jefferson did not allow for an
airport or a school of flight in the university’s 1812 charter.
The university prevailed and, with commercial license in hand,
April 2006 119
purchased the 90 acres for $17,800. On April 28, 1940, the new
airfield was dedicated.
The airfield was used to train many student pilots, and at one time
the university’s fleet included a Grumman Wildcat, a Spartan NP-1, and
a couple Stinsons. The airfield was officially closed in 1971.
Presently there is no full-scale flying at Milton Field and the runways
are overgrown. However, thanks to the University of Virginia, flying is
still part of the site, with an agreement with the Rivanna Radio Control
Club. The club uses a small portion of the airfield to fly remote-control
models.
In mid-October I attended the Rivanna RC Club’s fall event and
have included photos. Since it rained most of the day on Saturday, only
a few hearty modelers were present. However, on Sunday, with mostly
overcast skies, roughly 25-30 modelers attended.
Fifteen-year-old Daniel Parmelee of Charlottesville expertly flew his
Hangar 9 Taylorcraft ARF powered by a Zenoah G-26 gas engine.
Daniel used a Multiplex radio system and informed me that he has been
flying since he was 6 years old.
The Clipped Wing Taylorcraft is a replica of a one-of-a-kind fullscale
airplane built by renowned aircraft restoration expert Jim Moss.
The full-scale aircraft was flown by Margaret Ritchie when she won the
National Aerobatics Advanced Class title in 1961.
The model spans 85.5 inches and weighs roughly 13-15 pounds.
Photos show Daniel with the Taylorcraft and the model getting ready to
settle into a three-point landing.
Other photos are of Daniel Barrick of Mount Sidney, Virginia, and
his Arizona Models 1/4-scale de Havilland Tiger Moth ARF. The Tiger
Moth is powered by a Zenoah G-26 and was painted with Krylon spray
paint. The model spans 88 inches, has a length of 69 inches, and has
2,247 square inches of wing area.
The de Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth was first flown in October
1931. Although not the easiest airplane to fly, Britain’s Royal Air Force
(RAF) adopted the aircraft as its basic trainer. More than 8,700 Tiger
Gary Von Fossen’s half Telemaster, half Kangke Monocoupe is
being used as the RC Skydiver’s platform.
Gary’s RC Skydiver uses the same type of control system as fullscale
aerobatic parachutes do.
Moths were eventually manufactured, and approximately 4,200 went to
the RAF, where thousands of pilots trained on them for World War II
service. The airplane continued to serve the postwar RAF until 1951.
The Tiger Moth is sold as an almost-ready-to-finish model. You can
find more information about it at the Arizona Model Aircrafters’ Web
site at www.arizonamodels.com.
Two photos are of Gary VonFossen’s hybrid RC Skydiver platform
that was constructed from a Senior Telemaster fuselage mated to the
wing and tail feathers of a Kangke Monocoupe. This model was also
powered by a Zenoah G-26 gas engine. Gary fabricated the landing gear
himself.
The model flew well and easily carried the 1/4-scale RC Skydiver
aloft. The torso of the 1/4-scale aircraft houses two servos, a receiver,
and the receiver battery pack. The RC Skydiver turns right or left by
changing the shape of the parachute’s airfoil in a manner similar to wing
warping on early aircraft.
For more information about Gary’s Skydiver, check out the R/C
Dropzone Web site at www.rcdropzone.com.
I enjoyed meeting and socializing with members of the Rivanna RC
Club, and it was great to get together with old friends Steve and Mike. I
want to thank club members Heyward MacDonald and Campbell White
for their kindness and camaraderie.
That’s it for now. See you at the flying field! MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 119,120
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 119,120
119 MODEL AVIATION
Sal visits his friend Steve at the Rivanna Radio Control Club’s Milton Field
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Dan’s Tiger Moth, powered by a Zenoah G-26, makes a low, slow
pass over the Rivanna RC Club’s Milton Field.
Daniel Parmelee, 15, of Charlottesville VA with his 1/4-scale
Hangar 9 Clipped Wing Taylorcraft ARF.
Danny expertly piloted his Taylorcraft to a gentle three-point
landing. He has been flying since he was 6 years old.
Daniel Barrick of Mount Sidney VA and his Arizona Model
Aircrafters 1/4-scale de Havilland Tiger Moth ARF.
“I LOVE IT when a plan comes together.” These were words
immortalized by the late George Peppard starring as Colonel John
“Hannibal” Smith on the television series “The A-Team.” They also
describe exactly how I felt after a great weekend of flying RC, meeting
new modelers, and enjoying the company of good friends.
To briefly explain, my good friend Steve had moved from Florida to
Charlottesville, Virginia. Since he’s an avid RCer, the first item on his
to-do list was to seek out the local RC club and apply for membership.
That was the Rivanna Radio Control Club, Inc. of Charlottesville.
Steve’s next step was to entice me to load up my van with Giant
Scale models and head south to pay him and his wife Patty a visit the
same weekend that the Rivanna RC Club was holding its fall fly-in.
How could I refuse? After all, Virginia is much closer to New York
than Florida is.
To top this off, we were joined by another good friend, Mike, who
flew in from Florida to spend the weekend. I loaded my van full of
Giant Scale models and headed south with my family.
The Rivanna Radio Control Club uses Milton Field, which is
owned by the University of Virginia, for its flying site. The
property has an interesting history.
In 1939 the university’s move to buy 90 acres of land bordering
the Rivanna River for use as an airfield for the university’s
aeronautical students stirred the ire of some of the residents in the
surrounding agrarian communities. The University of Virginia was
founded by Thomas Jefferson, and the property was once part of his
5,000-acre plantation and might have been one of the sites of his
water-powered manufacturing enterprises.
Some of the concerns about using the 90 acres for an airfield
were that the noise would drive visitors away from Monticello and
hurt the area’s desirability for raising pedigreed horses and
livestock. In addition, student pilots posed untold hazards and
property values in the area would plummet. The university’s
position was that it already offered students ground training in
aeronautics and it had a compelling reason for wanting to build an
airfield.
On October 20, 1939, at a hearing by the State Corporation
Commission in Richmond, Virginia, lawyers for the property
owners’ association argued that Mr. Jefferson did not allow for an
airport or a school of flight in the university’s 1812 charter.
The university prevailed and, with commercial license in hand,
April 2006 119
purchased the 90 acres for $17,800. On April 28, 1940, the new
airfield was dedicated.
The airfield was used to train many student pilots, and at one time
the university’s fleet included a Grumman Wildcat, a Spartan NP-1, and
a couple Stinsons. The airfield was officially closed in 1971.
Presently there is no full-scale flying at Milton Field and the runways
are overgrown. However, thanks to the University of Virginia, flying is
still part of the site, with an agreement with the Rivanna Radio Control
Club. The club uses a small portion of the airfield to fly remote-control
models.
In mid-October I attended the Rivanna RC Club’s fall event and
have included photos. Since it rained most of the day on Saturday, only
a few hearty modelers were present. However, on Sunday, with mostly
overcast skies, roughly 25-30 modelers attended.
Fifteen-year-old Daniel Parmelee of Charlottesville expertly flew his
Hangar 9 Taylorcraft ARF powered by a Zenoah G-26 gas engine.
Daniel used a Multiplex radio system and informed me that he has been
flying since he was 6 years old.
The Clipped Wing Taylorcraft is a replica of a one-of-a-kind fullscale
airplane built by renowned aircraft restoration expert Jim Moss.
The full-scale aircraft was flown by Margaret Ritchie when she won the
National Aerobatics Advanced Class title in 1961.
The model spans 85.5 inches and weighs roughly 13-15 pounds.
Photos show Daniel with the Taylorcraft and the model getting ready to
settle into a three-point landing.
Other photos are of Daniel Barrick of Mount Sidney, Virginia, and
his Arizona Models 1/4-scale de Havilland Tiger Moth ARF. The Tiger
Moth is powered by a Zenoah G-26 and was painted with Krylon spray
paint. The model spans 88 inches, has a length of 69 inches, and has
2,247 square inches of wing area.
The de Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth was first flown in October
1931. Although not the easiest airplane to fly, Britain’s Royal Air Force
(RAF) adopted the aircraft as its basic trainer. More than 8,700 Tiger
Gary Von Fossen’s half Telemaster, half Kangke Monocoupe is
being used as the RC Skydiver’s platform.
Gary’s RC Skydiver uses the same type of control system as fullscale
aerobatic parachutes do.
Moths were eventually manufactured, and approximately 4,200 went to
the RAF, where thousands of pilots trained on them for World War II
service. The airplane continued to serve the postwar RAF until 1951.
The Tiger Moth is sold as an almost-ready-to-finish model. You can
find more information about it at the Arizona Model Aircrafters’ Web
site at www.arizonamodels.com.
Two photos are of Gary VonFossen’s hybrid RC Skydiver platform
that was constructed from a Senior Telemaster fuselage mated to the
wing and tail feathers of a Kangke Monocoupe. This model was also
powered by a Zenoah G-26 gas engine. Gary fabricated the landing gear
himself.
The model flew well and easily carried the 1/4-scale RC Skydiver
aloft. The torso of the 1/4-scale aircraft houses two servos, a receiver,
and the receiver battery pack. The RC Skydiver turns right or left by
changing the shape of the parachute’s airfoil in a manner similar to wing
warping on early aircraft.
For more information about Gary’s Skydiver, check out the R/C
Dropzone Web site at www.rcdropzone.com.
I enjoyed meeting and socializing with members of the Rivanna RC
Club, and it was great to get together with old friends Steve and Mike. I
want to thank club members Heyward MacDonald and Campbell White
for their kindness and camaraderie.
That’s it for now. See you at the flying field! MA