90 MODEL AVIATION
Stan Alexander, 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville TN 37211; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL SCALE
The glossy red Ryan STA at Oshkosh, with the fin, finger, and
rudder showing the gap between the control surfaces.
This Van’s RV-6 Canadian home-built aircraft is white with green
trim. It would make a great five-channel model.
This Pietenpol Air Camper has a Continental engine, wire wheels,
and a blue-and-white color scheme. It’s beautiful!
Brian O’Meara’s 101-inch-span Hawker Sea Fury from a Vailly
Aviation kit makes a pass at Warbirds Over the Rockies.
Jim Greenly traveled from Minnesota to fly his early-paintscheme
Douglas SBD Dauntless at Warbirds Over the Rockies.
MODELERS WHO BUILD Scale aircraft want them to look right,
or have the “right stuff.” Making that happen may seem simple to
some modelers of vast experience, but it’s a huge challenge to
newcomers. Getting the details correct and then proving them is a
must if you plan to enter competition. If not, it’s still fun to make
them right.
Simple aircraft make some of the best Scale models. To see
some, you could go to a full-scale fly-in, the biggest gathering of
airplanes on earth in one week at the Experimental Aircraft
Association’s (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin, or an EAA
Fly-In, depending on how long you’ve been going there. The EAA
regularly has more than 12,000 full-scale aircraft. Many are military,
but more than half are civil types. It’s a Scale modeler’s treat!
One year a good friend went to Oshkosh with us, and we looked
at the classics and antiques before the daily air show. A couple of
airplanes caught our eyes, not because of their beauty, their
engineering excellence, or their massive engines, but because of the
hinge gap between the rudder and the vertical fin! You could
actually stick your finger or thumb between the rudder and vertical
fin on each of these aircraft, as you can see in a photo.
The first airplane we noticed this on was a beautifully restored
Ryan STA (Federal Aviation Administration number 17368). It was
extremely glossy red with white trim and black pinstripes.
The other aircraft we noticed with the gap between the vertical
fin and rudder was an in-line-powered version of a Great Lakes
Trainer. The little biplane was overall black with orange trim. It
shined like a new penny.
Notice that in each photo the vertical fin is supported at the hinge
line by an aluminum rod. This is probably because of the flutter that
might be encountered. But with the manufacturing date of these
aircraft, the pilots didn’t have to worry about breaking the sound
barrier and ripping off the rudder in the process.
The idea of including these photos is to let you see that the hinge
lines are not always hidden, nor are they butted directly against the
forward surface. In Scale, sometimes there are gaps.
Check your documentation, especially the next time you build a
light civil aircraft or a classic from the 1920s to 1940s. And if you
build a model with a gap this wide, make sure it’s a slow performer
or you may rip out the hinges.
In the last column I listed some of the plans companies that have
great selections of goodies for us. Continuing with the Oshkosh
theme, I have included a couple of photos that might peak your
interest in civil aircraft.
The Canadian RV-6 home-built is a speedy airplane that can be
powered with as much as approximately 200 horsepower. It’s fully
aerobatic and great for cross-country trips. The little two-place
aircraft looks like a model, so why not build one?
Another aircraft that modelers around the world can build in
model or full-scale form is the Pietenpol Air Camper. Kits aren’t
The Keleo Creations custom-built exhaust collector ring for the
five-cylinder Saito 325 radial engine.
available that I’m aware of, but it shouldn’t be a problem to build
with its stick-and-tissue-type structure.
This is a Sunday-afternoon floater with a flat-bottom wing, or in
some cases an undercambered wing; it depends on who builds it. A
full-scale Air Camper will float along at 65-70 miles per hour. Try a
civil home-built type for your next project.
Events: Scale fun-flys are great fun, especially if you’re one of
those who gets to fly eight to 12 times a
day, with all your buddies watching and
cheering you on to the next maneuver. They
do cheer for you, don’t they? Anyway, it is
great fun, as any Scale get-together is.
The inaugural Warbirds Over the
Rockies event was held last summer at
Chatfield State Park in Denver, Colorado.
Flying was open to any warbird with an
authentic military paint scheme. Sport,
nonmilitary, and sport-jet models were not
permitted.
Hosted by the Jefco Aeromodel’rs of
Denver, this event was a huge success.
More than 145 airplanes and 78 pilots were
in attendance. The club had plenty of
sponsorship for the fly-in, including many
of the usual industry sponsors and O’Meara
Ford—the largest Ford dealer in Colorado.
Don Bybee was the event CD, and he was
assisted by Brian O’Meara and his wife
Bonnie.
The 2005 Top Gun Invitational will be
held April 27-May 1. Once again, Frank
Tiano will hold this international
competition at Lakeland Linder Regional
Airport in Lakeland, Florida. The site
improves each year, and there is plenty of
shade if you obtain a pit pass. Scale models,
a mid-day air show each day, a food court,
and many company booths make this an allweek
event.
Tickets are $10 per day. If you plan to
visit, I suggest that you make your
reservations early! For more information
about this and other Scale topics, please
check out www.franktiano.com on the Web.
The 2005 Scale National Championships
will be held August 5-7 in Muncie, Indiana.
This is a date change of roughly two
months! In addition to the regular Scale
classes that include everything from Fun
Scale to Designer Scale, there will be Scale
RC indoor and RC indoor fun-fly events.
The US FAI F4 Scale Team Selection
will be held during the Nats, with Mike
Gretz heading up the crew that will select
the pilots who will travel to the 2006 Scale
World Championships in Sweden. It’s a
great time and is designed for the
competitors and families. For more
information, contact www.nasascale.org or
the Competition Department at AMA.
New Products: You might be one of those
lucky modelers who has a Saito 325 fivecylinder
radial engine, which has five
exhaust pipes. Shown is a Keleo Creations
radial exhaust ring for this engine. The
collector ring has the look of a full-scale
system, as does the engine.
Kelvin Cubbison of Keleo Creations
has a full lineup of multicylinder muffler
systems for Scale modelers. There are
systems for the Saito 90 three-cylinder, the
Saito 450, the Saito 170, Seidel radials and
twins, O.S. engines, and Enya’s VT 240.
As of November 7, 2004, the Saito 325
exhaust collector (there is a front and back
version of this muffler, depending on your
scale application) was $135 plus shipping.
That’s not bad for a custom-built ring to
keep your radial purring under that cowl.
Prices vary with the number of cylinders
or special applications. Detailed
installation instructions accompany the
collector ring, which is finished in flat
black.
Keleo Creations also does custom
work. If you need a pipe turned 90° or
other special features, call Kelvin at (503)
359-5318 or contact him through the
company’s Web site at www.keleocreations.
com.
Bookshelf: Romanian Aeronautics in the
Second World War by Cristian Craciunoiu
and Jean-Louis Roba (ISBN 973-8101-18-
2) was published by Modelism
International Ltd. in 2003. It tells the story
in print and has a wealth of photos of a
little-known (at least to most of us) air
force in Eastern Europe. In the 264 pages
printed in English and Romanian, the book
begins the history after World War I.
If rare models are your thing, this is a
good source of documentation for some
aircraft we don’t see too often. Some of
the types featured include the Morane-
Saulnier MS.35; the IAR 14; the Savoia-
Marchetti S.M.55; the IAR 37, 38, and 39;
the Fieseler Fi 156; the PZL P-24; and
Romania’s most well-known aircraft of
World War II: the IAR 80 fighter. It
looked similar to an Fw 190 at a glance,
especially around the engine cowling.
The book includes large black-andwhite
photos, some color photos, uniform
information including color and rank, and
at least 63 color side plates. It’s well worth
your hard-earned dollars; look for it at
your aviation book retailer for $39.95.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/02
Page Numbers: 90,91,92
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/02
Page Numbers: 90,91,92
90 MODEL AVIATION
Stan Alexander, 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville TN 37211; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL SCALE
The glossy red Ryan STA at Oshkosh, with the fin, finger, and
rudder showing the gap between the control surfaces.
This Van’s RV-6 Canadian home-built aircraft is white with green
trim. It would make a great five-channel model.
This Pietenpol Air Camper has a Continental engine, wire wheels,
and a blue-and-white color scheme. It’s beautiful!
Brian O’Meara’s 101-inch-span Hawker Sea Fury from a Vailly
Aviation kit makes a pass at Warbirds Over the Rockies.
Jim Greenly traveled from Minnesota to fly his early-paintscheme
Douglas SBD Dauntless at Warbirds Over the Rockies.
MODELERS WHO BUILD Scale aircraft want them to look right,
or have the “right stuff.” Making that happen may seem simple to
some modelers of vast experience, but it’s a huge challenge to
newcomers. Getting the details correct and then proving them is a
must if you plan to enter competition. If not, it’s still fun to make
them right.
Simple aircraft make some of the best Scale models. To see
some, you could go to a full-scale fly-in, the biggest gathering of
airplanes on earth in one week at the Experimental Aircraft
Association’s (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin, or an EAA
Fly-In, depending on how long you’ve been going there. The EAA
regularly has more than 12,000 full-scale aircraft. Many are military,
but more than half are civil types. It’s a Scale modeler’s treat!
One year a good friend went to Oshkosh with us, and we looked
at the classics and antiques before the daily air show. A couple of
airplanes caught our eyes, not because of their beauty, their
engineering excellence, or their massive engines, but because of the
hinge gap between the rudder and the vertical fin! You could
actually stick your finger or thumb between the rudder and vertical
fin on each of these aircraft, as you can see in a photo.
The first airplane we noticed this on was a beautifully restored
Ryan STA (Federal Aviation Administration number 17368). It was
extremely glossy red with white trim and black pinstripes.
The other aircraft we noticed with the gap between the vertical
fin and rudder was an in-line-powered version of a Great Lakes
Trainer. The little biplane was overall black with orange trim. It
shined like a new penny.
Notice that in each photo the vertical fin is supported at the hinge
line by an aluminum rod. This is probably because of the flutter that
might be encountered. But with the manufacturing date of these
aircraft, the pilots didn’t have to worry about breaking the sound
barrier and ripping off the rudder in the process.
The idea of including these photos is to let you see that the hinge
lines are not always hidden, nor are they butted directly against the
forward surface. In Scale, sometimes there are gaps.
Check your documentation, especially the next time you build a
light civil aircraft or a classic from the 1920s to 1940s. And if you
build a model with a gap this wide, make sure it’s a slow performer
or you may rip out the hinges.
In the last column I listed some of the plans companies that have
great selections of goodies for us. Continuing with the Oshkosh
theme, I have included a couple of photos that might peak your
interest in civil aircraft.
The Canadian RV-6 home-built is a speedy airplane that can be
powered with as much as approximately 200 horsepower. It’s fully
aerobatic and great for cross-country trips. The little two-place
aircraft looks like a model, so why not build one?
Another aircraft that modelers around the world can build in
model or full-scale form is the Pietenpol Air Camper. Kits aren’t
The Keleo Creations custom-built exhaust collector ring for the
five-cylinder Saito 325 radial engine.
available that I’m aware of, but it shouldn’t be a problem to build
with its stick-and-tissue-type structure.
This is a Sunday-afternoon floater with a flat-bottom wing, or in
some cases an undercambered wing; it depends on who builds it. A
full-scale Air Camper will float along at 65-70 miles per hour. Try a
civil home-built type for your next project.
Events: Scale fun-flys are great fun, especially if you’re one of
those who gets to fly eight to 12 times a
day, with all your buddies watching and
cheering you on to the next maneuver. They
do cheer for you, don’t they? Anyway, it is
great fun, as any Scale get-together is.
The inaugural Warbirds Over the
Rockies event was held last summer at
Chatfield State Park in Denver, Colorado.
Flying was open to any warbird with an
authentic military paint scheme. Sport,
nonmilitary, and sport-jet models were not
permitted.
Hosted by the Jefco Aeromodel’rs of
Denver, this event was a huge success.
More than 145 airplanes and 78 pilots were
in attendance. The club had plenty of
sponsorship for the fly-in, including many
of the usual industry sponsors and O’Meara
Ford—the largest Ford dealer in Colorado.
Don Bybee was the event CD, and he was
assisted by Brian O’Meara and his wife
Bonnie.
The 2005 Top Gun Invitational will be
held April 27-May 1. Once again, Frank
Tiano will hold this international
competition at Lakeland Linder Regional
Airport in Lakeland, Florida. The site
improves each year, and there is plenty of
shade if you obtain a pit pass. Scale models,
a mid-day air show each day, a food court,
and many company booths make this an allweek
event.
Tickets are $10 per day. If you plan to
visit, I suggest that you make your
reservations early! For more information
about this and other Scale topics, please
check out www.franktiano.com on the Web.
The 2005 Scale National Championships
will be held August 5-7 in Muncie, Indiana.
This is a date change of roughly two
months! In addition to the regular Scale
classes that include everything from Fun
Scale to Designer Scale, there will be Scale
RC indoor and RC indoor fun-fly events.
The US FAI F4 Scale Team Selection
will be held during the Nats, with Mike
Gretz heading up the crew that will select
the pilots who will travel to the 2006 Scale
World Championships in Sweden. It’s a
great time and is designed for the
competitors and families. For more
information, contact www.nasascale.org or
the Competition Department at AMA.
New Products: You might be one of those
lucky modelers who has a Saito 325 fivecylinder
radial engine, which has five
exhaust pipes. Shown is a Keleo Creations
radial exhaust ring for this engine. The
collector ring has the look of a full-scale
system, as does the engine.
Kelvin Cubbison of Keleo Creations
has a full lineup of multicylinder muffler
systems for Scale modelers. There are
systems for the Saito 90 three-cylinder, the
Saito 450, the Saito 170, Seidel radials and
twins, O.S. engines, and Enya’s VT 240.
As of November 7, 2004, the Saito 325
exhaust collector (there is a front and back
version of this muffler, depending on your
scale application) was $135 plus shipping.
That’s not bad for a custom-built ring to
keep your radial purring under that cowl.
Prices vary with the number of cylinders
or special applications. Detailed
installation instructions accompany the
collector ring, which is finished in flat
black.
Keleo Creations also does custom
work. If you need a pipe turned 90° or
other special features, call Kelvin at (503)
359-5318 or contact him through the
company’s Web site at www.keleocreations.
com.
Bookshelf: Romanian Aeronautics in the
Second World War by Cristian Craciunoiu
and Jean-Louis Roba (ISBN 973-8101-18-
2) was published by Modelism
International Ltd. in 2003. It tells the story
in print and has a wealth of photos of a
little-known (at least to most of us) air
force in Eastern Europe. In the 264 pages
printed in English and Romanian, the book
begins the history after World War I.
If rare models are your thing, this is a
good source of documentation for some
aircraft we don’t see too often. Some of
the types featured include the Morane-
Saulnier MS.35; the IAR 14; the Savoia-
Marchetti S.M.55; the IAR 37, 38, and 39;
the Fieseler Fi 156; the PZL P-24; and
Romania’s most well-known aircraft of
World War II: the IAR 80 fighter. It
looked similar to an Fw 190 at a glance,
especially around the engine cowling.
The book includes large black-andwhite
photos, some color photos, uniform
information including color and rank, and
at least 63 color side plates. It’s well worth
your hard-earned dollars; look for it at
your aviation book retailer for $39.95.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/02
Page Numbers: 90,91,92
90 MODEL AVIATION
Stan Alexander, 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville TN 37211; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL SCALE
The glossy red Ryan STA at Oshkosh, with the fin, finger, and
rudder showing the gap between the control surfaces.
This Van’s RV-6 Canadian home-built aircraft is white with green
trim. It would make a great five-channel model.
This Pietenpol Air Camper has a Continental engine, wire wheels,
and a blue-and-white color scheme. It’s beautiful!
Brian O’Meara’s 101-inch-span Hawker Sea Fury from a Vailly
Aviation kit makes a pass at Warbirds Over the Rockies.
Jim Greenly traveled from Minnesota to fly his early-paintscheme
Douglas SBD Dauntless at Warbirds Over the Rockies.
MODELERS WHO BUILD Scale aircraft want them to look right,
or have the “right stuff.” Making that happen may seem simple to
some modelers of vast experience, but it’s a huge challenge to
newcomers. Getting the details correct and then proving them is a
must if you plan to enter competition. If not, it’s still fun to make
them right.
Simple aircraft make some of the best Scale models. To see
some, you could go to a full-scale fly-in, the biggest gathering of
airplanes on earth in one week at the Experimental Aircraft
Association’s (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin, or an EAA
Fly-In, depending on how long you’ve been going there. The EAA
regularly has more than 12,000 full-scale aircraft. Many are military,
but more than half are civil types. It’s a Scale modeler’s treat!
One year a good friend went to Oshkosh with us, and we looked
at the classics and antiques before the daily air show. A couple of
airplanes caught our eyes, not because of their beauty, their
engineering excellence, or their massive engines, but because of the
hinge gap between the rudder and the vertical fin! You could
actually stick your finger or thumb between the rudder and vertical
fin on each of these aircraft, as you can see in a photo.
The first airplane we noticed this on was a beautifully restored
Ryan STA (Federal Aviation Administration number 17368). It was
extremely glossy red with white trim and black pinstripes.
The other aircraft we noticed with the gap between the vertical
fin and rudder was an in-line-powered version of a Great Lakes
Trainer. The little biplane was overall black with orange trim. It
shined like a new penny.
Notice that in each photo the vertical fin is supported at the hinge
line by an aluminum rod. This is probably because of the flutter that
might be encountered. But with the manufacturing date of these
aircraft, the pilots didn’t have to worry about breaking the sound
barrier and ripping off the rudder in the process.
The idea of including these photos is to let you see that the hinge
lines are not always hidden, nor are they butted directly against the
forward surface. In Scale, sometimes there are gaps.
Check your documentation, especially the next time you build a
light civil aircraft or a classic from the 1920s to 1940s. And if you
build a model with a gap this wide, make sure it’s a slow performer
or you may rip out the hinges.
In the last column I listed some of the plans companies that have
great selections of goodies for us. Continuing with the Oshkosh
theme, I have included a couple of photos that might peak your
interest in civil aircraft.
The Canadian RV-6 home-built is a speedy airplane that can be
powered with as much as approximately 200 horsepower. It’s fully
aerobatic and great for cross-country trips. The little two-place
aircraft looks like a model, so why not build one?
Another aircraft that modelers around the world can build in
model or full-scale form is the Pietenpol Air Camper. Kits aren’t
The Keleo Creations custom-built exhaust collector ring for the
five-cylinder Saito 325 radial engine.
available that I’m aware of, but it shouldn’t be a problem to build
with its stick-and-tissue-type structure.
This is a Sunday-afternoon floater with a flat-bottom wing, or in
some cases an undercambered wing; it depends on who builds it. A
full-scale Air Camper will float along at 65-70 miles per hour. Try a
civil home-built type for your next project.
Events: Scale fun-flys are great fun, especially if you’re one of
those who gets to fly eight to 12 times a
day, with all your buddies watching and
cheering you on to the next maneuver. They
do cheer for you, don’t they? Anyway, it is
great fun, as any Scale get-together is.
The inaugural Warbirds Over the
Rockies event was held last summer at
Chatfield State Park in Denver, Colorado.
Flying was open to any warbird with an
authentic military paint scheme. Sport,
nonmilitary, and sport-jet models were not
permitted.
Hosted by the Jefco Aeromodel’rs of
Denver, this event was a huge success.
More than 145 airplanes and 78 pilots were
in attendance. The club had plenty of
sponsorship for the fly-in, including many
of the usual industry sponsors and O’Meara
Ford—the largest Ford dealer in Colorado.
Don Bybee was the event CD, and he was
assisted by Brian O’Meara and his wife
Bonnie.
The 2005 Top Gun Invitational will be
held April 27-May 1. Once again, Frank
Tiano will hold this international
competition at Lakeland Linder Regional
Airport in Lakeland, Florida. The site
improves each year, and there is plenty of
shade if you obtain a pit pass. Scale models,
a mid-day air show each day, a food court,
and many company booths make this an allweek
event.
Tickets are $10 per day. If you plan to
visit, I suggest that you make your
reservations early! For more information
about this and other Scale topics, please
check out www.franktiano.com on the Web.
The 2005 Scale National Championships
will be held August 5-7 in Muncie, Indiana.
This is a date change of roughly two
months! In addition to the regular Scale
classes that include everything from Fun
Scale to Designer Scale, there will be Scale
RC indoor and RC indoor fun-fly events.
The US FAI F4 Scale Team Selection
will be held during the Nats, with Mike
Gretz heading up the crew that will select
the pilots who will travel to the 2006 Scale
World Championships in Sweden. It’s a
great time and is designed for the
competitors and families. For more
information, contact www.nasascale.org or
the Competition Department at AMA.
New Products: You might be one of those
lucky modelers who has a Saito 325 fivecylinder
radial engine, which has five
exhaust pipes. Shown is a Keleo Creations
radial exhaust ring for this engine. The
collector ring has the look of a full-scale
system, as does the engine.
Kelvin Cubbison of Keleo Creations
has a full lineup of multicylinder muffler
systems for Scale modelers. There are
systems for the Saito 90 three-cylinder, the
Saito 450, the Saito 170, Seidel radials and
twins, O.S. engines, and Enya’s VT 240.
As of November 7, 2004, the Saito 325
exhaust collector (there is a front and back
version of this muffler, depending on your
scale application) was $135 plus shipping.
That’s not bad for a custom-built ring to
keep your radial purring under that cowl.
Prices vary with the number of cylinders
or special applications. Detailed
installation instructions accompany the
collector ring, which is finished in flat
black.
Keleo Creations also does custom
work. If you need a pipe turned 90° or
other special features, call Kelvin at (503)
359-5318 or contact him through the
company’s Web site at www.keleocreations.
com.
Bookshelf: Romanian Aeronautics in the
Second World War by Cristian Craciunoiu
and Jean-Louis Roba (ISBN 973-8101-18-
2) was published by Modelism
International Ltd. in 2003. It tells the story
in print and has a wealth of photos of a
little-known (at least to most of us) air
force in Eastern Europe. In the 264 pages
printed in English and Romanian, the book
begins the history after World War I.
If rare models are your thing, this is a
good source of documentation for some
aircraft we don’t see too often. Some of
the types featured include the Morane-
Saulnier MS.35; the IAR 14; the Savoia-
Marchetti S.M.55; the IAR 37, 38, and 39;
the Fieseler Fi 156; the PZL P-24; and
Romania’s most well-known aircraft of
World War II: the IAR 80 fighter. It
looked similar to an Fw 190 at a glance,
especially around the engine cowling.
The book includes large black-andwhite
photos, some color photos, uniform
information including color and rank, and
at least 63 color side plates. It’s well worth
your hard-earned dollars; look for it at
your aviation book retailer for $39.95.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA