Also included in this column:
• Things to consider when
buying a turbine
Thoughts about some of the canceled jet meets in 2005
February 2006 139
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
IT’S UNBELIEVABLE how fast things
can change. The summer of 2005 will be
remembered for the cancellation of some
great, traditional jet meets, all held on
airports.
I flew in my first model event on an
airport in 1965 and have flown model
aircraft on airports, at model meets or in
conjunction with full-scale aircraft events,
nearly every year since. That’s 40 years of
model flying, and I never knew regulations
existed that could stop our activities so
quickly.
The good thing is that jet modeling and
most of our jet events continued,
regardless of our access to airports. Clubs,
individuals, and jet enthusiasts stepped
forward and invited us to fly at their model
fields and all were well equipped to handle
the runway requirements. All was not lost.
The Ohio Radio Kontrol Society
(TORKS) club, the force behind the annual
Heart of Ohio Jet Scramble, moved that
event from the airport it had planned to
use to the club’s home field, and the 2005
meet turned out to be a success.
The Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) informed TORKS a week before
the event that it had lost access to the
airport it planned to use. With the
leadership’s fast action, the club relocated
the meet and then used the Internet to
inform the participants of the change in
venue, offer new motel listings, and
Dave Ribbe’s patriotic BobCat looks good on the ground and even better in the air,
with an exciting flying style that shows the model’s speed range.
Crow Aviation is in the midst of a comeback as part of the new AMT USA ownership.
The author is looking forward to kit releases in 2006.
continue to meet the needs of the many
generous sponsors of this popular spectator
event.
TORKS has some hard-driving,
visionary members who run a great jet
meet and have done so for many years, and
they host two Scale Masters events.
A few years ago they turned that
energy toward acquiring a new field and
built a dream site. It boasts an 800-foot
runway, open fields to fly over, and a fully
enclosed building located behind a large
concrete pit area. This site serves the jet
modelers, the event sponsors, and the
spectators well.
The annual Superman Jet Rally was
also canceled, with minimal notice, but
what was lost was gained. The northern
modelers were invited to a week of flying
at the Winimac field, which is the annual
location of Jets Over the Heartland. Those
in the south were invited to the Georgia
Jets field. It says a lot for the jet-modeling
community; people stepped forward and
got it done. Great job!
All these success stories in difficult
times reflect the strength of our AMA
clubs. The clubs involved supported those
visionaries who were working so hard to
make things happen. The fine fields these
clubs have are a reflection of their group
support and their members’ hard work to
make their visions come true.
The ability to support new visions as a
group continues, as demonstrated by two
clubs’ quick response to carry on the
tradition of this year’s Superman event.
They stepped forward with only a few
weeks’ notice to organize and carry out a
coordinated and successful large jet-model
meet concurrently in two places in the
United States.
Not all model meets were canceled—
only those that required closing the
airports. I don’t know what the future will
hold concerning this situation, but jet
modeling and our fly-ins will continue,
and the jet meets we have enjoyed for so
long will not end with this setback.
For up-to-date information on the use
of airports for model events, check out the
AMA Web site.
The club to which I belong held a jet
meet at an airport before this ruling, and
we have already been invited back. The
airport management is certain that it can
help us create a situation that complies
with the FAA regulations and still offer us
safe flying conditions while sharing the
airport with full-scale aviation traffic.
The airport management and many in the
community feel that our events help promote
aviation at local airports. Our activities bring
the community out to enjoy a day at the
venue as spectators of our model events.
Something we learned is how effective
the Internet is for communicating changes on
a timely basis. Although we had to make
last-minute changes in our travel plans, the
speed of the Internet allowed us to stay
informed and remain current on the event
situations.
I know many rumors were posted, but
the clubs were able to use the Internet to give
us the facts and information so we could
modify our travel plans as required. I didn’t
feel the need to cancel any of my jetmodeling
travel plans. I merely changed
destinations for the new locations of these
events.
I am often asked what turbine engine one
should buy, and I usually suggest that you
check out what others in your area are flying.
Equally important is how the manufacturer
services the turbines it sells. I’ve been
fortunate. Although it happens, the turbines I
own have required few service calls.
Three weekends before the Heart of
Ohio Jet Scramble, I went flying with some
local jet modelers. I shut down from my
sixth flight of the day and I noticed that all
was not right. Listen to your turbine; it can
tell you many things.
The spin down following the shut-down
was taking longer than normal and it sure
was spinning free. I was worried, but since
it was the last flight of the day I saved it
until I got home.
The following night I pulled my Artes
Eagle out of the airplane and hand spun it.
There was no question; I had lost the
bearing preload. This engine had more than
40 hours of hard running. That’s more than
200 flights, winter through summer, so it
was past due for a trip to the shop. With
only two-and-a-half weeks to go before a jet
meet, I was in trouble.
Eric Clapp of Jet Artes Gulf Coast
assured me that repairs could be made in
time. He helped me arrange shipping to
Artes Turbines in Mexico City and called
the factory to confirm that it could meet the
turnaround time for me to fly the engine at
Heart of Ohio.
Artes made the repairs, leaving me
enough time to install the turbine and testfly
the model before heading out for three
days of fun. My hat is off to Eric and the
people at the Artes factory for their support.
Don’t think this service is all that
unusual; I have heard good reports from
other Artes customers. If you’re considering
an Artes turbine, check out
www.jetartes.com.
Many turbine manufacturers and
suppliers have stepped up service and are
doing a great job. When you buy your first
turbine, ask around. Ask the supplier about
the company’s service record because all
turbines will need repair someday. I know
this from experience.
My turbine logbook shows more than
100 flights a year for nearly 10 years, and I
have yet to have a bad experience with any
service on my turbines. Still, I ask about
service before I buy; it matters to those of
us who fly frequently.
It is important to listen for and know of
changes in your turbine. I tend to put too
many flights on my turbines between
maintenance trips to the factory, but I listen
to them. Forty hours of run time on a
turbine is hard on the combustion
chamber—especially if you fly the way I
do.
I enjoy continuous aerobatic flight and
tend to use the throttle as often as most
people use the elevator. This constant
throttling up and down is hard on a turbine;
it would be much happier at a constant
throttle setting. Heat builds up in a turbine
as it accelerates, and heat is hard on the
metals in the combustion chamber.
Listen carefully to your turbine at startup
and during the shut-down process. I
mentioned how my engine had changed its
spin-down time and how I caught the
bearing issue before an expensive, complete
failure, which is what usually results from
the compressor wheel and turbine wheel
rubbing, destroying these two expensive
items.
Other issues that can come up include
things such as tight bearings dragging down
the starter during start-up, which is a sign of
impending failure.
My wildest incident was when my
engine had a tinny, banging sound on startup
and shut-down. It turned out to be loose
fuel injectors and an extremely worn-out,
cracked combustion chamber.
This was a case of flying far more than
200 flights on an early JetCat. These
engines do not heal themselves; the
problem only gets worse and more
expensive to repair.
Today good technical support is
available from our turbine manufacturers
and suppliers. If you have questions about
the performance and sounds of your engine,
call or E-mail for answers. These
manufacturers and suppliers want you to
have good experiences with their products.
Til next time, let’s keep the jets flying
because it’s getting cold up here in
northern Ohio, and our turbine exhaust
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 139,140
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 139,140
Also included in this column:
• Things to consider when
buying a turbine
Thoughts about some of the canceled jet meets in 2005
February 2006 139
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
IT’S UNBELIEVABLE how fast things
can change. The summer of 2005 will be
remembered for the cancellation of some
great, traditional jet meets, all held on
airports.
I flew in my first model event on an
airport in 1965 and have flown model
aircraft on airports, at model meets or in
conjunction with full-scale aircraft events,
nearly every year since. That’s 40 years of
model flying, and I never knew regulations
existed that could stop our activities so
quickly.
The good thing is that jet modeling and
most of our jet events continued,
regardless of our access to airports. Clubs,
individuals, and jet enthusiasts stepped
forward and invited us to fly at their model
fields and all were well equipped to handle
the runway requirements. All was not lost.
The Ohio Radio Kontrol Society
(TORKS) club, the force behind the annual
Heart of Ohio Jet Scramble, moved that
event from the airport it had planned to
use to the club’s home field, and the 2005
meet turned out to be a success.
The Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) informed TORKS a week before
the event that it had lost access to the
airport it planned to use. With the
leadership’s fast action, the club relocated
the meet and then used the Internet to
inform the participants of the change in
venue, offer new motel listings, and
Dave Ribbe’s patriotic BobCat looks good on the ground and even better in the air,
with an exciting flying style that shows the model’s speed range.
Crow Aviation is in the midst of a comeback as part of the new AMT USA ownership.
The author is looking forward to kit releases in 2006.
continue to meet the needs of the many
generous sponsors of this popular spectator
event.
TORKS has some hard-driving,
visionary members who run a great jet
meet and have done so for many years, and
they host two Scale Masters events.
A few years ago they turned that
energy toward acquiring a new field and
built a dream site. It boasts an 800-foot
runway, open fields to fly over, and a fully
enclosed building located behind a large
concrete pit area. This site serves the jet
modelers, the event sponsors, and the
spectators well.
The annual Superman Jet Rally was
also canceled, with minimal notice, but
what was lost was gained. The northern
modelers were invited to a week of flying
at the Winimac field, which is the annual
location of Jets Over the Heartland. Those
in the south were invited to the Georgia
Jets field. It says a lot for the jet-modeling
community; people stepped forward and
got it done. Great job!
All these success stories in difficult
times reflect the strength of our AMA
clubs. The clubs involved supported those
visionaries who were working so hard to
make things happen. The fine fields these
clubs have are a reflection of their group
support and their members’ hard work to
make their visions come true.
The ability to support new visions as a
group continues, as demonstrated by two
clubs’ quick response to carry on the
tradition of this year’s Superman event.
They stepped forward with only a few
weeks’ notice to organize and carry out a
coordinated and successful large jet-model
meet concurrently in two places in the
United States.
Not all model meets were canceled—
only those that required closing the
airports. I don’t know what the future will
hold concerning this situation, but jet
modeling and our fly-ins will continue,
and the jet meets we have enjoyed for so
long will not end with this setback.
For up-to-date information on the use
of airports for model events, check out the
AMA Web site.
The club to which I belong held a jet
meet at an airport before this ruling, and
we have already been invited back. The
airport management is certain that it can
help us create a situation that complies
with the FAA regulations and still offer us
safe flying conditions while sharing the
airport with full-scale aviation traffic.
The airport management and many in the
community feel that our events help promote
aviation at local airports. Our activities bring
the community out to enjoy a day at the
venue as spectators of our model events.
Something we learned is how effective
the Internet is for communicating changes on
a timely basis. Although we had to make
last-minute changes in our travel plans, the
speed of the Internet allowed us to stay
informed and remain current on the event
situations.
I know many rumors were posted, but
the clubs were able to use the Internet to give
us the facts and information so we could
modify our travel plans as required. I didn’t
feel the need to cancel any of my jetmodeling
travel plans. I merely changed
destinations for the new locations of these
events.
I am often asked what turbine engine one
should buy, and I usually suggest that you
check out what others in your area are flying.
Equally important is how the manufacturer
services the turbines it sells. I’ve been
fortunate. Although it happens, the turbines I
own have required few service calls.
Three weekends before the Heart of
Ohio Jet Scramble, I went flying with some
local jet modelers. I shut down from my
sixth flight of the day and I noticed that all
was not right. Listen to your turbine; it can
tell you many things.
The spin down following the shut-down
was taking longer than normal and it sure
was spinning free. I was worried, but since
it was the last flight of the day I saved it
until I got home.
The following night I pulled my Artes
Eagle out of the airplane and hand spun it.
There was no question; I had lost the
bearing preload. This engine had more than
40 hours of hard running. That’s more than
200 flights, winter through summer, so it
was past due for a trip to the shop. With
only two-and-a-half weeks to go before a jet
meet, I was in trouble.
Eric Clapp of Jet Artes Gulf Coast
assured me that repairs could be made in
time. He helped me arrange shipping to
Artes Turbines in Mexico City and called
the factory to confirm that it could meet the
turnaround time for me to fly the engine at
Heart of Ohio.
Artes made the repairs, leaving me
enough time to install the turbine and testfly
the model before heading out for three
days of fun. My hat is off to Eric and the
people at the Artes factory for their support.
Don’t think this service is all that
unusual; I have heard good reports from
other Artes customers. If you’re considering
an Artes turbine, check out
www.jetartes.com.
Many turbine manufacturers and
suppliers have stepped up service and are
doing a great job. When you buy your first
turbine, ask around. Ask the supplier about
the company’s service record because all
turbines will need repair someday. I know
this from experience.
My turbine logbook shows more than
100 flights a year for nearly 10 years, and I
have yet to have a bad experience with any
service on my turbines. Still, I ask about
service before I buy; it matters to those of
us who fly frequently.
It is important to listen for and know of
changes in your turbine. I tend to put too
many flights on my turbines between
maintenance trips to the factory, but I listen
to them. Forty hours of run time on a
turbine is hard on the combustion
chamber—especially if you fly the way I
do.
I enjoy continuous aerobatic flight and
tend to use the throttle as often as most
people use the elevator. This constant
throttling up and down is hard on a turbine;
it would be much happier at a constant
throttle setting. Heat builds up in a turbine
as it accelerates, and heat is hard on the
metals in the combustion chamber.
Listen carefully to your turbine at startup
and during the shut-down process. I
mentioned how my engine had changed its
spin-down time and how I caught the
bearing issue before an expensive, complete
failure, which is what usually results from
the compressor wheel and turbine wheel
rubbing, destroying these two expensive
items.
Other issues that can come up include
things such as tight bearings dragging down
the starter during start-up, which is a sign of
impending failure.
My wildest incident was when my
engine had a tinny, banging sound on startup
and shut-down. It turned out to be loose
fuel injectors and an extremely worn-out,
cracked combustion chamber.
This was a case of flying far more than
200 flights on an early JetCat. These
engines do not heal themselves; the
problem only gets worse and more
expensive to repair.
Today good technical support is
available from our turbine manufacturers
and suppliers. If you have questions about
the performance and sounds of your engine,
call or E-mail for answers. These
manufacturers and suppliers want you to
have good experiences with their products.
Til next time, let’s keep the jets flying
because it’s getting cold up here in
northern Ohio, and our turbine exhaust