132 MODEL AVIATION
I WAS surprised by the volume of positive
responses that I received concerning the
D.VII build, and more specifically the
article on its landing gear. Readers have
submitted some great suggestions and their
own designs, complete with instructions
and photos. I want
to share a couple of
these in this column.
Before I get started
I want to bring you
up to date with the
progress on my
D.VII.
I have finished
the cowling by
coating the exposed
Sal completes the dummy engine for his project Fokker D.VII
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Also included in this column:
• Readers’ responses to
previous columns
• Recently completed readers’
models
• Stan’s Fiber Tech under new
ownership
• How High altimeter and R/C
Reporter from Winged
Shadow Systems
The author constructed his D.VII’s dummy in-line engine from kit
parts and items available in the workshop.
Tony Kirchenko’s new Balsa USA Fokker D.VII spans 88 inches
and is powered by a Zenoah G-38 gas engine.
This drawing of Pfalz landing gear was designed and submitted by
Seth Hunter of West Windsor, New Jersey.
Seth Hunter described a different method of wheel attachment he
used on his scratch-built Pfalz D.IIIa.
The How High altimeter (L) and R/C Reporter (R) are useful
products from Winged Shadow Systems.
wood with finishing resin and gave the cowl
a couple coats of Krylon satin white paint
from a spray can. My Fokker will be
finished in the Rittmeister scheme:
Hermann Goering’s all-white Fokker D.VII.
I chose Goering’s mount because,
09sig5.QXD 7/26/06 8:47 AM Page 132frankly, I’m lazy and the all-white D.VII is easy to finish. Most
Fokker D.VIIs were finished with a lozenge pattern on part or
most of the aircraft and I didn’t want to spend a great amount of
time in the finish process.
In addition, my D.VII is being built specifically for a World
War I contest that will be conducted by my local club throughout
this flying season. The contest consists of scale flight, spot
landings, bomb drops, and mock dogfights. I chose the paint
scheme in anticipation of numerous repairs; however, since my
model would be boring because of lack of color and detail, I
decided to put a little extra work into the appearance of the
dummy six-cylinder in-line engine.
Balsa USA provided the ABS cylinder heads, exhaust
manifold (a cardboard tube), and ABS exhaust. The company also
supplied a wood dowel and balsa parts to fabricate the overhead
cam.
On my engine I used the provided ABS cylinder heads, the
cardboard tubes for the exhaust manifold, and the ABS exhaust. I
used aluminum tubing for the rocker arms, springs for the valve
assembly, and some small hex-head bolts for the cam covers. The
rocker arms and springs are held in place with hex-head wood
screws—nothing fancy and I only spent a couple hours on the
whole assembly.
Reproducing a somewhat scale-looking in-line engine or
adding accurate detail to this model would not be possible without
reference material. In addition to the books on the Fokker D.VII
that I included in previous columns, I have found two wonderful
Web sites that are documenting ground-up builds of the aircraft.
These sites are a modeler’s dream, full of close-up photos
documenting the construction of new Fokkers. The Web pages
are a must-see for anyone who is contemplating building a model
of the D.VII. See http://memorial.flight.free.fr/fokkerDVII
uk.html and www.collectors-edition.com/FokkerD7/index_
english.htm.
On the subject of Fokker D.VIIs, one of the photos is of Tony
Kirchenko of East Setauket, New York, with his newly completed
Balsa USA D.VII. The photo was taken just before the model’s
first successful flight. Tony built the model per the plans and
chose the Zenoah G-38 for power—an excellent choice for
powering the aircraft.
In the June 2006 MA, I described two methods that could be
used to mount World War I wheels to an axle. I received the
following E-mail from fellow AMA modeler David Swanay of
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts.
“I enjoyed your article on the D.VIII landing gear and hope
you will show more details next month.
“Regarding the two methods you described for attaching
wheels with the brass tubing, there is a third way that is quite
easy. It is similar to your ‘B’ approach but without the epoxy.
Just drill the brass tubing so the screw for the collar goes through
the tube and tightens against the music wire. I have done it this
way on several airplanes and it allows removal of the tubing if
ever damaged or perhaps for attachment of floats where you
wouldn’t want the brass tubing at all.”
David, your third method is simple and effective. Why didn’t I
think of it? Thanks for taking the time to respond to the column
and the best to you with all your future projectsSeth Hunter, a member of the Mercer
County RC Society of West Windsor, New
Jersey, saw my column on the Fokker
landing gear and submitted the following
along with a hand drawing and photograph
of his gear on his scratch-built Pfalz.
“I liked your article about World War I
1/4-scale wheel attachment. As you say,
many ways to skin a cat! Since you invited
ideas, here’s another method I’m using on
my Pfalz D.IIIa (the airplane is my design,
not yet finished).
“One 1/2-inch OD aluminum tube runs
through the landing gear plane as the main
axle. I epoxied a dowel inside to increase
stiffness without adding much weight, and
to hold narrower diameter steel inserts to
form a shoulder in the axle. I drilled a 1/4-
inch-diameter hole 2 inches deep into the
ends of each dowel and epoxied 1/4-inch
steel stub shafts (approximately 3 inches
long) into each end, and tapped the end of
the steel shafts 1/4-20.
“I ground a brass 1/4-20 nut to make it
thinner, threaded it onto the shaft, and
cross-match-drilled the nut and shaft for a
cotter pin. I epoxied some large plywood
washers onto the aluminum section to trap
the bungee and added two steel washers to
bracket the wheel. I added Proctor bungee
cord and 1/32 3 x 7 SS retaining cables. I
used a Nelson hinge on the access cover.
“By the way, the retaining cables (as
with all the rigging) are spliced, and the
splices are covered with black heat-shrink
tubing. Splicing the wire is tricky, but
eliminates the need to use clunky swage
fittings. (I haven’t figured out a way to put
a thimble in the eye splice, but I am still
trying!) The landing-gear struts are a
combination of aluminum tubing, brass,
wood, and fiberglass.
“Thanks for the great magazine!”
Thanks for the kind words, Seth, and
thank you for taking the time to submit
your fine gear design. Your scratch-built
model looks like a work of art.
It’s great to see other modelers’
accomplishments. While we gather at the
field to fly and enjoy each other’s
company, modeling is a great way to show
individual achievement.
Keep up the fine work and thanks again
for sharing!
Under New Ownership: Stan’s Fiber
Tech is now owned by longtime modeler
Brad Hensley of Santa Maria, California.
Brad has been around aviation all his life.
He’s a third-generation US Air Force
service member, a Federal Aviation
Administration aircraft inspector, and is
the owner of Naviation: a full-scale
aircraft maintenance business at Santa
Maria’s airport.
Brad has been interested in modeling
from early in his youth and wanted to
become more involved with the hobby he
enjoys so much.
With the purchase of Stan’s Fiber Tech,
Brad’s goal is to continue to provide highquality
epoxy-fiberglass/carbon-fiber
cowls, wheel pants, fairings, and floats. In
addition, he plans to offer a foam-cutting
service and vacuum-formed canopies for
all sizes of models.
For more information on Stan’s Fiber
Tech, please visit the company’s Web site
at www.stansfibertech.com. You can write
to Brad at 3125 Liberator St., Santa Maria
CA 93455, or call (805) 922-3262.
How high is up? Have you ever been
involved in a discussion with a fellow
modeler concerning how high a model
was during a flight? I must have heard this
a thousand times at my local field.
David West of Winged Shadow
Systems has the answer. His new product,
the How High altimeter, is smaller than a
postage stamp, lighter than a dime, and
reports the peak altitude of your model’s
flight.
The unit plugs directly into the
model’s receiver or you can run it off an
independent battery source. After landing
your model, wave your finger over the
unit’s LED display and count the flashes
for an instant report. The altimeter
provides one-foot resolution as high as
7,000 feet.
Another useful device is the R/C
Reporter. This tool checks your onboard
receiver batteries, provides an interference
report after each flight, and can become
an onboard lost-airplane locator. The unit
is smaller than a stamp and weighs less
than a nickel. It will alert you if you
accidentally leave the receiver switch on,
reports voltage with a .01-volt resolution,
and warns you when the receiver battery
is low.
The How High altimeter is priced at
$39.95 and the R/C Reporter is $24.95.
For more information about both products,
please visit the Winged Shadow Systems
site at www.wingedshadow.com. You may
also write to the company at Box 432,
Streamwood IL 60107, or call (630) 837-
6553.
So ends another column. I am pleased to
provide two photos of Lou Cetrangelo’s
N2S Stearman that he recently flew for
the first time. In July’s column I reported
on this fantastic model and I now have
great flight shots. Lou was thrilled with
his first flight, as were all who were
present to see the beautiful model fly.
Great job, Lou!
Thanks for all the reader submissions. I
hope to use more in upcoming issues.
In the June column I wrote about how I
mount World War I wheels to an axle.
While the sprung gear is my own design, I
did not design the wheel-mounting
system. This is something I learned a long
time ago from other modelers. I apologize
if I gave the impression that I had
personally designed this system to mount
World War I wheels.
See you at the field! MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/09
Page Numbers: 132,133,134
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/09
Page Numbers: 132,133,134
132 MODEL AVIATION
I WAS surprised by the volume of positive
responses that I received concerning the
D.VII build, and more specifically the
article on its landing gear. Readers have
submitted some great suggestions and their
own designs, complete with instructions
and photos. I want
to share a couple of
these in this column.
Before I get started
I want to bring you
up to date with the
progress on my
D.VII.
I have finished
the cowling by
coating the exposed
Sal completes the dummy engine for his project Fokker D.VII
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Also included in this column:
• Readers’ responses to
previous columns
• Recently completed readers’
models
• Stan’s Fiber Tech under new
ownership
• How High altimeter and R/C
Reporter from Winged
Shadow Systems
The author constructed his D.VII’s dummy in-line engine from kit
parts and items available in the workshop.
Tony Kirchenko’s new Balsa USA Fokker D.VII spans 88 inches
and is powered by a Zenoah G-38 gas engine.
This drawing of Pfalz landing gear was designed and submitted by
Seth Hunter of West Windsor, New Jersey.
Seth Hunter described a different method of wheel attachment he
used on his scratch-built Pfalz D.IIIa.
The How High altimeter (L) and R/C Reporter (R) are useful
products from Winged Shadow Systems.
wood with finishing resin and gave the cowl
a couple coats of Krylon satin white paint
from a spray can. My Fokker will be
finished in the Rittmeister scheme:
Hermann Goering’s all-white Fokker D.VII.
I chose Goering’s mount because,
09sig5.QXD 7/26/06 8:47 AM Page 132frankly, I’m lazy and the all-white D.VII is easy to finish. Most
Fokker D.VIIs were finished with a lozenge pattern on part or
most of the aircraft and I didn’t want to spend a great amount of
time in the finish process.
In addition, my D.VII is being built specifically for a World
War I contest that will be conducted by my local club throughout
this flying season. The contest consists of scale flight, spot
landings, bomb drops, and mock dogfights. I chose the paint
scheme in anticipation of numerous repairs; however, since my
model would be boring because of lack of color and detail, I
decided to put a little extra work into the appearance of the
dummy six-cylinder in-line engine.
Balsa USA provided the ABS cylinder heads, exhaust
manifold (a cardboard tube), and ABS exhaust. The company also
supplied a wood dowel and balsa parts to fabricate the overhead
cam.
On my engine I used the provided ABS cylinder heads, the
cardboard tubes for the exhaust manifold, and the ABS exhaust. I
used aluminum tubing for the rocker arms, springs for the valve
assembly, and some small hex-head bolts for the cam covers. The
rocker arms and springs are held in place with hex-head wood
screws—nothing fancy and I only spent a couple hours on the
whole assembly.
Reproducing a somewhat scale-looking in-line engine or
adding accurate detail to this model would not be possible without
reference material. In addition to the books on the Fokker D.VII
that I included in previous columns, I have found two wonderful
Web sites that are documenting ground-up builds of the aircraft.
These sites are a modeler’s dream, full of close-up photos
documenting the construction of new Fokkers. The Web pages
are a must-see for anyone who is contemplating building a model
of the D.VII. See http://memorial.flight.free.fr/fokkerDVII
uk.html and www.collectors-edition.com/FokkerD7/index_
english.htm.
On the subject of Fokker D.VIIs, one of the photos is of Tony
Kirchenko of East Setauket, New York, with his newly completed
Balsa USA D.VII. The photo was taken just before the model’s
first successful flight. Tony built the model per the plans and
chose the Zenoah G-38 for power—an excellent choice for
powering the aircraft.
In the June 2006 MA, I described two methods that could be
used to mount World War I wheels to an axle. I received the
following E-mail from fellow AMA modeler David Swanay of
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts.
“I enjoyed your article on the D.VIII landing gear and hope
you will show more details next month.
“Regarding the two methods you described for attaching
wheels with the brass tubing, there is a third way that is quite
easy. It is similar to your ‘B’ approach but without the epoxy.
Just drill the brass tubing so the screw for the collar goes through
the tube and tightens against the music wire. I have done it this
way on several airplanes and it allows removal of the tubing if
ever damaged or perhaps for attachment of floats where you
wouldn’t want the brass tubing at all.”
David, your third method is simple and effective. Why didn’t I
think of it? Thanks for taking the time to respond to the column
and the best to you with all your future projectsSeth Hunter, a member of the Mercer
County RC Society of West Windsor, New
Jersey, saw my column on the Fokker
landing gear and submitted the following
along with a hand drawing and photograph
of his gear on his scratch-built Pfalz.
“I liked your article about World War I
1/4-scale wheel attachment. As you say,
many ways to skin a cat! Since you invited
ideas, here’s another method I’m using on
my Pfalz D.IIIa (the airplane is my design,
not yet finished).
“One 1/2-inch OD aluminum tube runs
through the landing gear plane as the main
axle. I epoxied a dowel inside to increase
stiffness without adding much weight, and
to hold narrower diameter steel inserts to
form a shoulder in the axle. I drilled a 1/4-
inch-diameter hole 2 inches deep into the
ends of each dowel and epoxied 1/4-inch
steel stub shafts (approximately 3 inches
long) into each end, and tapped the end of
the steel shafts 1/4-20.
“I ground a brass 1/4-20 nut to make it
thinner, threaded it onto the shaft, and
cross-match-drilled the nut and shaft for a
cotter pin. I epoxied some large plywood
washers onto the aluminum section to trap
the bungee and added two steel washers to
bracket the wheel. I added Proctor bungee
cord and 1/32 3 x 7 SS retaining cables. I
used a Nelson hinge on the access cover.
“By the way, the retaining cables (as
with all the rigging) are spliced, and the
splices are covered with black heat-shrink
tubing. Splicing the wire is tricky, but
eliminates the need to use clunky swage
fittings. (I haven’t figured out a way to put
a thimble in the eye splice, but I am still
trying!) The landing-gear struts are a
combination of aluminum tubing, brass,
wood, and fiberglass.
“Thanks for the great magazine!”
Thanks for the kind words, Seth, and
thank you for taking the time to submit
your fine gear design. Your scratch-built
model looks like a work of art.
It’s great to see other modelers’
accomplishments. While we gather at the
field to fly and enjoy each other’s
company, modeling is a great way to show
individual achievement.
Keep up the fine work and thanks again
for sharing!
Under New Ownership: Stan’s Fiber
Tech is now owned by longtime modeler
Brad Hensley of Santa Maria, California.
Brad has been around aviation all his life.
He’s a third-generation US Air Force
service member, a Federal Aviation
Administration aircraft inspector, and is
the owner of Naviation: a full-scale
aircraft maintenance business at Santa
Maria’s airport.
Brad has been interested in modeling
from early in his youth and wanted to
become more involved with the hobby he
enjoys so much.
With the purchase of Stan’s Fiber Tech,
Brad’s goal is to continue to provide highquality
epoxy-fiberglass/carbon-fiber
cowls, wheel pants, fairings, and floats. In
addition, he plans to offer a foam-cutting
service and vacuum-formed canopies for
all sizes of models.
For more information on Stan’s Fiber
Tech, please visit the company’s Web site
at www.stansfibertech.com. You can write
to Brad at 3125 Liberator St., Santa Maria
CA 93455, or call (805) 922-3262.
How high is up? Have you ever been
involved in a discussion with a fellow
modeler concerning how high a model
was during a flight? I must have heard this
a thousand times at my local field.
David West of Winged Shadow
Systems has the answer. His new product,
the How High altimeter, is smaller than a
postage stamp, lighter than a dime, and
reports the peak altitude of your model’s
flight.
The unit plugs directly into the
model’s receiver or you can run it off an
independent battery source. After landing
your model, wave your finger over the
unit’s LED display and count the flashes
for an instant report. The altimeter
provides one-foot resolution as high as
7,000 feet.
Another useful device is the R/C
Reporter. This tool checks your onboard
receiver batteries, provides an interference
report after each flight, and can become
an onboard lost-airplane locator. The unit
is smaller than a stamp and weighs less
than a nickel. It will alert you if you
accidentally leave the receiver switch on,
reports voltage with a .01-volt resolution,
and warns you when the receiver battery
is low.
The How High altimeter is priced at
$39.95 and the R/C Reporter is $24.95.
For more information about both products,
please visit the Winged Shadow Systems
site at www.wingedshadow.com. You may
also write to the company at Box 432,
Streamwood IL 60107, or call (630) 837-
6553.
So ends another column. I am pleased to
provide two photos of Lou Cetrangelo’s
N2S Stearman that he recently flew for
the first time. In July’s column I reported
on this fantastic model and I now have
great flight shots. Lou was thrilled with
his first flight, as were all who were
present to see the beautiful model fly.
Great job, Lou!
Thanks for all the reader submissions. I
hope to use more in upcoming issues.
In the June column I wrote about how I
mount World War I wheels to an axle.
While the sprung gear is my own design, I
did not design the wheel-mounting
system. This is something I learned a long
time ago from other modelers. I apologize
if I gave the impression that I had
personally designed this system to mount
World War I wheels.
See you at the field! MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/09
Page Numbers: 132,133,134
132 MODEL AVIATION
I WAS surprised by the volume of positive
responses that I received concerning the
D.VII build, and more specifically the
article on its landing gear. Readers have
submitted some great suggestions and their
own designs, complete with instructions
and photos. I want
to share a couple of
these in this column.
Before I get started
I want to bring you
up to date with the
progress on my
D.VII.
I have finished
the cowling by
coating the exposed
Sal completes the dummy engine for his project Fokker D.VII
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Also included in this column:
• Readers’ responses to
previous columns
• Recently completed readers’
models
• Stan’s Fiber Tech under new
ownership
• How High altimeter and R/C
Reporter from Winged
Shadow Systems
The author constructed his D.VII’s dummy in-line engine from kit
parts and items available in the workshop.
Tony Kirchenko’s new Balsa USA Fokker D.VII spans 88 inches
and is powered by a Zenoah G-38 gas engine.
This drawing of Pfalz landing gear was designed and submitted by
Seth Hunter of West Windsor, New Jersey.
Seth Hunter described a different method of wheel attachment he
used on his scratch-built Pfalz D.IIIa.
The How High altimeter (L) and R/C Reporter (R) are useful
products from Winged Shadow Systems.
wood with finishing resin and gave the cowl
a couple coats of Krylon satin white paint
from a spray can. My Fokker will be
finished in the Rittmeister scheme:
Hermann Goering’s all-white Fokker D.VII.
I chose Goering’s mount because,
09sig5.QXD 7/26/06 8:47 AM Page 132frankly, I’m lazy and the all-white D.VII is easy to finish. Most
Fokker D.VIIs were finished with a lozenge pattern on part or
most of the aircraft and I didn’t want to spend a great amount of
time in the finish process.
In addition, my D.VII is being built specifically for a World
War I contest that will be conducted by my local club throughout
this flying season. The contest consists of scale flight, spot
landings, bomb drops, and mock dogfights. I chose the paint
scheme in anticipation of numerous repairs; however, since my
model would be boring because of lack of color and detail, I
decided to put a little extra work into the appearance of the
dummy six-cylinder in-line engine.
Balsa USA provided the ABS cylinder heads, exhaust
manifold (a cardboard tube), and ABS exhaust. The company also
supplied a wood dowel and balsa parts to fabricate the overhead
cam.
On my engine I used the provided ABS cylinder heads, the
cardboard tubes for the exhaust manifold, and the ABS exhaust. I
used aluminum tubing for the rocker arms, springs for the valve
assembly, and some small hex-head bolts for the cam covers. The
rocker arms and springs are held in place with hex-head wood
screws—nothing fancy and I only spent a couple hours on the
whole assembly.
Reproducing a somewhat scale-looking in-line engine or
adding accurate detail to this model would not be possible without
reference material. In addition to the books on the Fokker D.VII
that I included in previous columns, I have found two wonderful
Web sites that are documenting ground-up builds of the aircraft.
These sites are a modeler’s dream, full of close-up photos
documenting the construction of new Fokkers. The Web pages
are a must-see for anyone who is contemplating building a model
of the D.VII. See http://memorial.flight.free.fr/fokkerDVII
uk.html and www.collectors-edition.com/FokkerD7/index_
english.htm.
On the subject of Fokker D.VIIs, one of the photos is of Tony
Kirchenko of East Setauket, New York, with his newly completed
Balsa USA D.VII. The photo was taken just before the model’s
first successful flight. Tony built the model per the plans and
chose the Zenoah G-38 for power—an excellent choice for
powering the aircraft.
In the June 2006 MA, I described two methods that could be
used to mount World War I wheels to an axle. I received the
following E-mail from fellow AMA modeler David Swanay of
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts.
“I enjoyed your article on the D.VIII landing gear and hope
you will show more details next month.
“Regarding the two methods you described for attaching
wheels with the brass tubing, there is a third way that is quite
easy. It is similar to your ‘B’ approach but without the epoxy.
Just drill the brass tubing so the screw for the collar goes through
the tube and tightens against the music wire. I have done it this
way on several airplanes and it allows removal of the tubing if
ever damaged or perhaps for attachment of floats where you
wouldn’t want the brass tubing at all.”
David, your third method is simple and effective. Why didn’t I
think of it? Thanks for taking the time to respond to the column
and the best to you with all your future projectsSeth Hunter, a member of the Mercer
County RC Society of West Windsor, New
Jersey, saw my column on the Fokker
landing gear and submitted the following
along with a hand drawing and photograph
of his gear on his scratch-built Pfalz.
“I liked your article about World War I
1/4-scale wheel attachment. As you say,
many ways to skin a cat! Since you invited
ideas, here’s another method I’m using on
my Pfalz D.IIIa (the airplane is my design,
not yet finished).
“One 1/2-inch OD aluminum tube runs
through the landing gear plane as the main
axle. I epoxied a dowel inside to increase
stiffness without adding much weight, and
to hold narrower diameter steel inserts to
form a shoulder in the axle. I drilled a 1/4-
inch-diameter hole 2 inches deep into the
ends of each dowel and epoxied 1/4-inch
steel stub shafts (approximately 3 inches
long) into each end, and tapped the end of
the steel shafts 1/4-20.
“I ground a brass 1/4-20 nut to make it
thinner, threaded it onto the shaft, and
cross-match-drilled the nut and shaft for a
cotter pin. I epoxied some large plywood
washers onto the aluminum section to trap
the bungee and added two steel washers to
bracket the wheel. I added Proctor bungee
cord and 1/32 3 x 7 SS retaining cables. I
used a Nelson hinge on the access cover.
“By the way, the retaining cables (as
with all the rigging) are spliced, and the
splices are covered with black heat-shrink
tubing. Splicing the wire is tricky, but
eliminates the need to use clunky swage
fittings. (I haven’t figured out a way to put
a thimble in the eye splice, but I am still
trying!) The landing-gear struts are a
combination of aluminum tubing, brass,
wood, and fiberglass.
“Thanks for the great magazine!”
Thanks for the kind words, Seth, and
thank you for taking the time to submit
your fine gear design. Your scratch-built
model looks like a work of art.
It’s great to see other modelers’
accomplishments. While we gather at the
field to fly and enjoy each other’s
company, modeling is a great way to show
individual achievement.
Keep up the fine work and thanks again
for sharing!
Under New Ownership: Stan’s Fiber
Tech is now owned by longtime modeler
Brad Hensley of Santa Maria, California.
Brad has been around aviation all his life.
He’s a third-generation US Air Force
service member, a Federal Aviation
Administration aircraft inspector, and is
the owner of Naviation: a full-scale
aircraft maintenance business at Santa
Maria’s airport.
Brad has been interested in modeling
from early in his youth and wanted to
become more involved with the hobby he
enjoys so much.
With the purchase of Stan’s Fiber Tech,
Brad’s goal is to continue to provide highquality
epoxy-fiberglass/carbon-fiber
cowls, wheel pants, fairings, and floats. In
addition, he plans to offer a foam-cutting
service and vacuum-formed canopies for
all sizes of models.
For more information on Stan’s Fiber
Tech, please visit the company’s Web site
at www.stansfibertech.com. You can write
to Brad at 3125 Liberator St., Santa Maria
CA 93455, or call (805) 922-3262.
How high is up? Have you ever been
involved in a discussion with a fellow
modeler concerning how high a model
was during a flight? I must have heard this
a thousand times at my local field.
David West of Winged Shadow
Systems has the answer. His new product,
the How High altimeter, is smaller than a
postage stamp, lighter than a dime, and
reports the peak altitude of your model’s
flight.
The unit plugs directly into the
model’s receiver or you can run it off an
independent battery source. After landing
your model, wave your finger over the
unit’s LED display and count the flashes
for an instant report. The altimeter
provides one-foot resolution as high as
7,000 feet.
Another useful device is the R/C
Reporter. This tool checks your onboard
receiver batteries, provides an interference
report after each flight, and can become
an onboard lost-airplane locator. The unit
is smaller than a stamp and weighs less
than a nickel. It will alert you if you
accidentally leave the receiver switch on,
reports voltage with a .01-volt resolution,
and warns you when the receiver battery
is low.
The How High altimeter is priced at
$39.95 and the R/C Reporter is $24.95.
For more information about both products,
please visit the Winged Shadow Systems
site at www.wingedshadow.com. You may
also write to the company at Box 432,
Streamwood IL 60107, or call (630) 837-
6553.
So ends another column. I am pleased to
provide two photos of Lou Cetrangelo’s
N2S Stearman that he recently flew for
the first time. In July’s column I reported
on this fantastic model and I now have
great flight shots. Lou was thrilled with
his first flight, as were all who were
present to see the beautiful model fly.
Great job, Lou!
Thanks for all the reader submissions. I
hope to use more in upcoming issues.
In the June column I wrote about how I
mount World War I wheels to an axle.
While the sprung gear is my own design, I
did not design the wheel-mounting
system. This is something I learned a long
time ago from other modelers. I apologize
if I gave the impression that I had
personally designed this system to mount
World War I wheels.
See you at the field! MA