144 MODEL AVIATION
Are you intimidated by runways? Included are some comforting thoughts and tips
Also included in this column:
• Composite-ARF Flash
• BVM’s F-4 demonstration
pilots and airplanes
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Jets Jim Hiller
Picture proof of the Scale-quality
craftsmanship of these BVM F-4
Phantoms that are flown impressively and
aggressively.
Above: F-4 pilots
who thrilled the
crowds at Superman
2006 (kneeling L-R):
Marshal Emendorf,
Steve Pulley, Patrick
Frost, Dave Reid
(standing), Tim
Redelman, Vern
Montgomery.
Composite-ARF representative Ray Labonte designed this incredible paint scheme
(front) on his Flash—a smaller jet designed for midsize turbines.
HERE IN the Midwest we are into our flying
season and I thought it would be a good time
to discuss some flying techniques. This one
relates to flying at jet meets and staying on the
runway and away from obstacles.
Last year at Superman we flew from a
runway that by size and location was
excellent. It was 60 feet wide and sufficiently
long. The talk in the pits, however, was about
how intimidating it was.
The runway was lined the entire length on
the near side by a safety fence, and located on
the far edge of the runway were the dreaded
taxi lights. Now throw in a direct crosswind
coming from our backs with the associated
turbulence as the wind rolled over the hangars
and the tents. Yes, there was reason to think
and prepare for the situation, but it was
unnecessary to be intimidated.
What I realized as I crewed for various
modelers was how different fliers reacted to
the conditions. The confident pilots flew with
little or no problems, taking off straight down
the center of the runway and landing near the
center of the runway.
However, good pilots with whom I had
flown in the past were losing runway heading
just before liftoff and fighting to align with the
runway on landing. Why were these good
pilots having difficulty? I have my thoughts,
and they are all related to pilot technique
rather than pilot skill.
Let’s start with the takeoff. Nobody had
problems with the early part of the takeoff
run; all had problems either as they went past
themselves or just before liftoff. I see these as
two different issues.
First we tend to pull the model’s heading
in toward ourself as the model passes close
by. I don’t know why this is, but throw in a
06sig5.QXD 4/23/07 9:28 AM Page 144
crosswind from the back and this bad habit
becomes exaggerated.
The second takeoff issue is losing
runway heading just before liftoff. We steer
our jets at high speed during the takeoff roll,
and then when we pull the up-elevator to fly,
many pilots quit steering the airplane.
During the time from when up-elevator is
pulled to when the model leaves the ground,
the crosswind will weathervane the airplane
into the wind; you must keep the rudder
correction in until liftoff. Don’t quit steering
the model until it completely leaves the
ground.
Landing is much more complicated. I
break my landing into several parts. The first
is establishing my altitude, position, and
glide speed in the downwind leg prior to
turning the base leg. That’s a great deal to do
in a short distance, but if I get this right I
have the start of a good approach.
The second stage, the base leg, is the
time I am setting and judging my angle of
descent. The size and start of the turn to final
is based on how I judge my rate of descent.
The turn to final is when a great deal
must be mentally processed. The object of
this turn is to position and align the airplane
with the centerline of the runway. I quit
looking at the edges of the runway; that’s not
where I intend to land this aircraft. My intent
is to land it on the centerline.
I hope you took note of both objectives:
position the airplane over the centerline of
the runway and align the flight path with the
runway. The flight path requires the right
amount of heading correction for the
crosswind. It usually takes additional
adjustments along the way on final to
maintain the proper correction, and that’s
what can get us into trouble.
Corrections done early tend to be smaller
because they are adjustments for heading
with little required to get back to the
centerline of the runway. Correcting the
heading to track the runway is not good
enough. The correction must also bring the
airplane back over the centerline of the
runway. Follow with a second correction
once the aircraft is back over the centerline
of the runway to stay above the centerline.
Have you noticed how often I have
repeated “centerline of the runway”? There
is a reason for this.
While you are correcting track and
position on your final approach, judge it
relative to the centerline—not the entire
runway. If you watch the whole runway, you
can find yourself at the edge of it and only a
few feet from those dreaded taxi lights. Drift
slightly and you’re into the taxi lights.
Use the center of the runway as your
visual clue; aiming at a centerline will leave
the model 30 or 40 feet from those obstacles.
As they say of the skier trying to avoid the
tree, don’t look at the tree or you will for
sure hit it; look around the tree where you
need to go and you will miss it.
Know your bad habits, and think about
them before you fly. We all suffer from
similar habits, but work on them every time
you fly so when the busy runway situation
presents itself, you are mentally prepared to
handle it with confidence.
If the situation feels intimidating, take
additional time before the flight to think
about takeoff and landing details while
viewing the runway. A well-prepared pilot is
much less prone to make mistakes—
especially the silly ones.
Have you seen the Composite-ARF jets
lately? The company continues to improve
its jet models and increase the selection.
The newest offering is the Flash for 18-
to 30-pound-thrust turbines. This model
incorporates many of the novel features of
the Lightning introduced a year earlier, only
in a smaller package.
The Flash has a wingspan of only 64.5
inches and a length of 81.5 inches. This is a
great size to achieve awesome performance
from these midsize turbines. The expected
weight is only 21-23 pounds.
Typical of the Composite-ARF models,
the Flash is available in a variety of color
schemes from sport/aerobatic to military,
including a scheme based on the famous
Blue Angels. If you prefer to paint your own,
as Composite-ARF representative Ray
Labonte has done, the Flash is also available
in basic white.
Ray has a most outrageous modern
demon dragon paint scheme on his Flash that
is nothing short of a piece of art, but that
does not make it a hangar queen. Ray flies
the products he represents!
The Flash has the typical Composite-
ARF skin hinges. It also has the unique flap
design introduced on the Lightning, where
the top of the flap extends above the wing’s
upper surface when the flap is lowered to
increase the drag more than conventional
flaps. Another neat feature is servos
mounted on hatch covers in the wing for
easy installation and maintenance.
I could go on about the Flash, but the
best place to get the details is the Composite-
ARF Web site at www.composite-arf.com.
There is a link to the build manual and
associated build pictures as downloadable
PDF files. You can research the Flash and
determine if a Composite-ARF airplane is
right for your next project.
Composite-ARF has also dusted off the
old Rookie molds and cleaned up some
minor areas, continuing this grand, old
introductory turbine model. The new Rookie
is available in some bright color schemes.
For those who haven’t seen or flown a
Rookie, it is a simple flying-wing jet, now
with canards. The Rookie has always been
an extremely maneuverable—some say 3-Dcapable—
model. If you like flying hard, the
Rookie can still turn with the best.
One of the best shows at any jet meet is
when the Bob Violett Models F-4 Phantom
pilots get together to put on a demonstration
flight. The sight and sound of a gaggle of F-
4s burning up the sky with speed and power
will really get your attention.
Fellow fliers respect the skills of these
pilots because the reputation of the Phantom
on landing is real. The Phantom is for real
pilots with real skills when it comes to
landing. With a final approach speed
somewhere near 60 mph, it’s still ready to fall
out of the sky.
All Phantoms tend to be of Scalecompetition
quality, yet these pilots push
them harder than most of us fly our sport
models. It seems that the same few core pilots
continue flying the same F-4s for years, yet
newcomers to F-4s jump right in and go big
with them.
This month’s photos are of the fliers who
shook the skies at Superman 2006 with their
F-4s. Great show, guys. Keep up the exciting
flying. MA