74 MODEL AVIATION
Paul Bradley
S m a l l - F i e l d F l y i n g
32238 Spinnaker Run, Magnolia TX 77354; E-mail: [email protected]
IN THE JANUARY 2003 edition of this
column, I discussed my youthful love affair
with the old Top Flite Jigtime Rascal 18
along with my efforts to reproduce that
great little rubber-powered Free Flight
model. That project became similar to the
proverbial loose thread on a piece of
clothing. Once pulled, it seemed to start
unraveling a major portion of the garment.
When the re-creation of the Rascal 18
was completed, I wanted to reconstruct
each model that was offered in the original
series of Jigtime kits. That meant starting a
mission to find old kits that I could use to
make new part templates. The Rascal 18 kit
that I used to start this retreat into the past
was acquired through the time machine
known as eBay. As a result, I became a
constant lurker in that Internet-based world
looking for other Jigtime kits.
Paul Bradley has completed his quest to reproduce all of the original Top Flite Jigtime
models. He has a Web site where the plans packages can be downloaded.
Known for his full-scale and model aircraft, this is Al
Backstrom’s (Little Elm TX) Could Be II.
Shown is one of Al Backstrom’s fleet of lovely small-field
models. The slow flyer does well in small spaces.
My quest was complicated somewhat
because of variations in the kit line that
occurred during the time they were in
production. My goal was to reproduce the
models in the original series. Top Flite
made several changes to the line.
A variation of the kit line was
introduced that used aluminum foil-clad
balsa. These models were identical
structurally, but their markings were
different. Roughly midway through the
production run the company eliminated
some of the early features such as a clear
plastic windshield and pilot figure. Also
changed were the preprinted markings,
which resulted in a portion of the solid
background colors being eliminated.
My dilemma was that kits from the
different types and periods of the series
would become available, but not the firstgeneration
series. Since I can’t really
expect my chosen time machine to be
perfect, I decided to buy what I could get
and then improvise as needed. The results
are shown in a group photo of my Jigtimemodel
reproduction fleet.
Going by memory and some detective
work, I think my models are close to the
originals. I did make a few changes to
simplify construction, such as eliminating
tabs and slot construction, but the models
are faithful to the originals in all other
aspects.
So far the Rascal 18 is the only model
in the group that I have converted to Radio
Control (RC). Time and other
commitments have gotten in the way of
doing some of the others. That will come
01sig3.QXD 10/27/03 10:03 am Page 74
76 MODEL AVIATION
in due time. I thought that some of you
might be interested in building one or more
of these great vintage models.
For those of you who have access to the
Internet, I have created a Web site where
the plans and parts templates can be
downloaded for your use. There is no fee
for doing this other than I would like a
photo now and then from anyone who does
build a model from the supplied drawings.
If you perform an RC conversion, I
would like to hear the details of your
efforts so they could be shared in these
pages. You will find the plans packages at
www.parmodels.com/Plans. Included is a
description of the process I use to print the
colorful parts directly on balsa with a
computer-driven ink-jet printer. May the
Carl Goldberg-designed and -inspired
Jigtime models live on.
Although they’re not Jigtime models,
please take a look at the photos of two
lovely aircraft built by Al Backstrom of
Little Elm, Texas. In case you don’t
recognize the name, Al is well known to
the full-scale soaring community as an
accomplished designer. He is also well
known within the world of model aviation.
Al’s Could Be II actually represents
some ideas that were being considered for
full-scale aircraft, hence the “Could Be”
portion of the model’s name. The Could
Be II certainly reminds me of the style and
construction of the Jigtime models.
This sporty all-sheet, low-wing model
has a wingspan of 231⁄2 inches with a
corresponding area of 100 square inches.
Power is supplied by a Grand Wing Servo
(GWS) LPS-B2C-C motor-gearbox
combination. This is a Mabuchi N20 motor
and 6.2:1 gear drive. The motor powers a 6
x 5 propeller and gets energy from two 145
mAh Lithium Polymer cells. On the
electronics side Al is using a GWS RP4
Dave Thacker of Radical RC helped launch the world of 3-Dcapable
small-field models with his Edge 540.
Phillip Camarata and Travis Tyer of the Houston TX area with
their home-brew and kit-built 3-D small-field models.
Doug Binder of Mountain Models launches his Tantrum. Many great 3-D-capable kits
and Almost Ready-to-Flys are now on the market for the small-field flier.
receiver, Pico servos, and a 2-amp
electronic speed control.
Al reports that the model can do
rudder/elevator aerobatics and will also
handle winds up to 10 mph. That’s not bad
for a model that only weighs 3 ounces.
If you are as taken by this cute little
model as I am, I have some good news.
Watch the pages of Flying Models for a
construction article and plans.
The nice biplane from Al was derived
from Vic Smeed’s Flipper B design that
appeared in the pages of Aeromodeller. The
original version was powered by a diesel
engine and was flown as a Free Flight
aircraft. Al applied some of his design
magic to the original plans to yield the
model shown in the photo.
It has a 27-inch wingspan that
incorporates 260 square inches of area.
Power is a GWS electric ducted-fan motor
married to a GWS LPS-C gearbox. The
propeller is a GWS 8 x 4.3, and energy
comes from a single 560 mAh Lithium
Polymer cell. The flying weight is 81⁄2
ounces.
Al indicates that the model is a slow
flyer that works well in small flying spaces.
He has not yet drawn a refined set of plans
representing his modified version of the
Flipper B. I do hope he will find the time in
between his other projects to create plans
for this model.
Now that you have read about the old
Jigtime models and the gentle-flying
01sig3.QXD 10/27/03 10:03 am Page 76
78 MODEL AVIATION
models from Al Backstrom, let’s shift
gears and take a look at the rapidly
growing trend toward small-field models
capable of real 3-D aerobatics. It seems
like only yesterday that the whole concept
of quiet RC models capable of flying in
confined spaces was just getting off the
ground.
The emergence of electric motors and
associated batteries offered new
dimensions in quiet flight. It was a real
thrill to be able to fly a model for five
minutes or so in a space the size of a
school yard.
It was not long until the electronics
began to shrink in size and weight, and the
small-field models started flying indoors.
New kits, power plants, and radio gear
emerged seemingly overnight, and quiet
small-field flying was firmly established.
One aspect of the early electricpowered,
small-field models was their
limited ability to perform aerobatics.
Loops and basic maneuvers were certainly
within the flight envelope, but the world
of 3-D aerobatics seemed out of reach.
Beginning in 2002 and throughout the
span of 2003, this changed dramatically.
For electric-powered small-field flyers,
the continued development of lightweight,
high-capacity batteries coupled with
efficient high-output brushless motors
have combined to blow open the doors to
3-D flying in small spaces.
Arrival of Lithium Polymer cells in the
modeling world has forever changed the
face of electric-powered flight. With this
technology it is possible to dramatically
drop the weight of the battery pack while
increasing stored energy capacity. Mix
some of these cells with a lightweight
airframe and a good motor swinging a
large-diameter propeller, and you have the
opportunity to do some impressive 3-D
flying in your favorite small-field venue.
My eyes were first opened to the
possibilities of using Lithium Polymer cells
and small, brushless motors during the
summer of 2002. While attending the Mid
America Electric Fly-In in Michigan I
watched Dave Thacker of Radical RC fly
his Radical Edge 540 for more than 20
minutes, doing all sorts of 3-D maneuvers.
In the months that followed, the number
of 3-D-capable small-field aircraft seemed
to grow exponentially. These ranged from
homegrown models to foam- and balsabased
Almost Ready-to-Flys (ARF). What
an exciting time to be a small-field-flying
enthusiast!
The number of 3-D-capable kits and
related materials now available to the smallfield
pilot is staggering. I could not possibly
mention them all here. Most of them seem
to deliver performance and flying
enjoyment.
I’ll begin with the classic contrast of
home-brew creations and kits that need
assembly. One of the photos shows Philip
Camarata and Travis Tyer at one of the
small-field venues in the Houston, Texas,
area. Philip built his model from blue-foam
fan sheets and carbon rod. Stick an
AstroFlight brushless 010 on the nose, and
with a flying weight of 9 ounces you have a
quick and easy 3-D-capable small-field
model.
Travis, on the other hand, purchased one
of the new 3-D small-field-flyer kits. His
model is the Nemesis 3-D from Aero Lock
Models. The nice thing about this aircraft,
as is the case with many being offered, is its
ability to perform 3-D aerobatics using an
inexpensive brushed motor/gear-drive
combination from GWS. The latter point is
significant because it means that we can
enjoy the fun of 3-D flying without having
to invest in the more expensive brushless
power systems. The brushed motors give us
the opportunity to try this form of flying
before we decide to pursue the performance
and duration enhancements available
through brushless motors.
The photo of Philip and Travis gives us
a glimpse of stick- and profile-type models.
There are also some nice small-field 3-D
models that have full fuselages. If you
enjoy building your model from a box of
parts, the Tantrum offered by Mountain
Models is great. That model, along with
several others from Mountain Models,
offers the potential of some great 3-D
flying. Note the picture of Doug Binder, the
man behind Mountain Models, launching
his Tantrum vertically.
Aero Lock also offers a full-fuselage
model called the Hangover. If building the
model from parts is not your cup of tea,
take a look at the offerings from Hobby
Lobby International. The company has
several ARF 3-D-capable small-field
models in its lineup. Hobby Lobby also
makes available an assortment of small
brushless motors and speed controls that
can really put some spunk in your chosen
small-field 3-D aerobat.
That’s about it for this edition. I have
barely scratched the surface of 3-D smallfield
flying. If you are part of this rapidly
growing facet of the small-field-flying
community, please send in a few photos and
some details about your models. It would be
great to showcase your results so we can
expand our knowledge base in our quest to
enjoy some dramatic flying in our confined
flying spaces. MA
Sources:
Radical Edge 540:
Radical RC
5339 Huberville Rd.
Dayton OH 45431
(937) 256-7727
Fax: (937) 256-7220
http://radicalrc.com
Tantrum:
Mountain Models
6975 Blackhawk Pl.
Colorado Springs CO 80919
(719) 592-1387 (evenings)
Fax: (719) 528-6125
www.mountainmodels.com
Nemesis 3-D and Hangover:
Aero Lock Models
760 John Collins Rd.
Pelham GA 31779
www.aerolockmodels.com
ARF 3-D small-field flyers:
Hobby Lobby International
5614 Franklin Pike Cir.
Brentwood TN 37027
(615) 373-1444
www.hobby-lobby.com
01sig3.QXD 10/27/03 10:03 am Page 78
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/01
Page Numbers: 74,76,78
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/01
Page Numbers: 74,76,78
74 MODEL AVIATION
Paul Bradley
S m a l l - F i e l d F l y i n g
32238 Spinnaker Run, Magnolia TX 77354; E-mail: [email protected]
IN THE JANUARY 2003 edition of this
column, I discussed my youthful love affair
with the old Top Flite Jigtime Rascal 18
along with my efforts to reproduce that
great little rubber-powered Free Flight
model. That project became similar to the
proverbial loose thread on a piece of
clothing. Once pulled, it seemed to start
unraveling a major portion of the garment.
When the re-creation of the Rascal 18
was completed, I wanted to reconstruct
each model that was offered in the original
series of Jigtime kits. That meant starting a
mission to find old kits that I could use to
make new part templates. The Rascal 18 kit
that I used to start this retreat into the past
was acquired through the time machine
known as eBay. As a result, I became a
constant lurker in that Internet-based world
looking for other Jigtime kits.
Paul Bradley has completed his quest to reproduce all of the original Top Flite Jigtime
models. He has a Web site where the plans packages can be downloaded.
Known for his full-scale and model aircraft, this is Al
Backstrom’s (Little Elm TX) Could Be II.
Shown is one of Al Backstrom’s fleet of lovely small-field
models. The slow flyer does well in small spaces.
My quest was complicated somewhat
because of variations in the kit line that
occurred during the time they were in
production. My goal was to reproduce the
models in the original series. Top Flite
made several changes to the line.
A variation of the kit line was
introduced that used aluminum foil-clad
balsa. These models were identical
structurally, but their markings were
different. Roughly midway through the
production run the company eliminated
some of the early features such as a clear
plastic windshield and pilot figure. Also
changed were the preprinted markings,
which resulted in a portion of the solid
background colors being eliminated.
My dilemma was that kits from the
different types and periods of the series
would become available, but not the firstgeneration
series. Since I can’t really
expect my chosen time machine to be
perfect, I decided to buy what I could get
and then improvise as needed. The results
are shown in a group photo of my Jigtimemodel
reproduction fleet.
Going by memory and some detective
work, I think my models are close to the
originals. I did make a few changes to
simplify construction, such as eliminating
tabs and slot construction, but the models
are faithful to the originals in all other
aspects.
So far the Rascal 18 is the only model
in the group that I have converted to Radio
Control (RC). Time and other
commitments have gotten in the way of
doing some of the others. That will come
01sig3.QXD 10/27/03 10:03 am Page 74
76 MODEL AVIATION
in due time. I thought that some of you
might be interested in building one or more
of these great vintage models.
For those of you who have access to the
Internet, I have created a Web site where
the plans and parts templates can be
downloaded for your use. There is no fee
for doing this other than I would like a
photo now and then from anyone who does
build a model from the supplied drawings.
If you perform an RC conversion, I
would like to hear the details of your
efforts so they could be shared in these
pages. You will find the plans packages at
www.parmodels.com/Plans. Included is a
description of the process I use to print the
colorful parts directly on balsa with a
computer-driven ink-jet printer. May the
Carl Goldberg-designed and -inspired
Jigtime models live on.
Although they’re not Jigtime models,
please take a look at the photos of two
lovely aircraft built by Al Backstrom of
Little Elm, Texas. In case you don’t
recognize the name, Al is well known to
the full-scale soaring community as an
accomplished designer. He is also well
known within the world of model aviation.
Al’s Could Be II actually represents
some ideas that were being considered for
full-scale aircraft, hence the “Could Be”
portion of the model’s name. The Could
Be II certainly reminds me of the style and
construction of the Jigtime models.
This sporty all-sheet, low-wing model
has a wingspan of 231⁄2 inches with a
corresponding area of 100 square inches.
Power is supplied by a Grand Wing Servo
(GWS) LPS-B2C-C motor-gearbox
combination. This is a Mabuchi N20 motor
and 6.2:1 gear drive. The motor powers a 6
x 5 propeller and gets energy from two 145
mAh Lithium Polymer cells. On the
electronics side Al is using a GWS RP4
Dave Thacker of Radical RC helped launch the world of 3-Dcapable
small-field models with his Edge 540.
Phillip Camarata and Travis Tyer of the Houston TX area with
their home-brew and kit-built 3-D small-field models.
Doug Binder of Mountain Models launches his Tantrum. Many great 3-D-capable kits
and Almost Ready-to-Flys are now on the market for the small-field flier.
receiver, Pico servos, and a 2-amp
electronic speed control.
Al reports that the model can do
rudder/elevator aerobatics and will also
handle winds up to 10 mph. That’s not bad
for a model that only weighs 3 ounces.
If you are as taken by this cute little
model as I am, I have some good news.
Watch the pages of Flying Models for a
construction article and plans.
The nice biplane from Al was derived
from Vic Smeed’s Flipper B design that
appeared in the pages of Aeromodeller. The
original version was powered by a diesel
engine and was flown as a Free Flight
aircraft. Al applied some of his design
magic to the original plans to yield the
model shown in the photo.
It has a 27-inch wingspan that
incorporates 260 square inches of area.
Power is a GWS electric ducted-fan motor
married to a GWS LPS-C gearbox. The
propeller is a GWS 8 x 4.3, and energy
comes from a single 560 mAh Lithium
Polymer cell. The flying weight is 81⁄2
ounces.
Al indicates that the model is a slow
flyer that works well in small flying spaces.
He has not yet drawn a refined set of plans
representing his modified version of the
Flipper B. I do hope he will find the time in
between his other projects to create plans
for this model.
Now that you have read about the old
Jigtime models and the gentle-flying
01sig3.QXD 10/27/03 10:03 am Page 76
78 MODEL AVIATION
models from Al Backstrom, let’s shift
gears and take a look at the rapidly
growing trend toward small-field models
capable of real 3-D aerobatics. It seems
like only yesterday that the whole concept
of quiet RC models capable of flying in
confined spaces was just getting off the
ground.
The emergence of electric motors and
associated batteries offered new
dimensions in quiet flight. It was a real
thrill to be able to fly a model for five
minutes or so in a space the size of a
school yard.
It was not long until the electronics
began to shrink in size and weight, and the
small-field models started flying indoors.
New kits, power plants, and radio gear
emerged seemingly overnight, and quiet
small-field flying was firmly established.
One aspect of the early electricpowered,
small-field models was their
limited ability to perform aerobatics.
Loops and basic maneuvers were certainly
within the flight envelope, but the world
of 3-D aerobatics seemed out of reach.
Beginning in 2002 and throughout the
span of 2003, this changed dramatically.
For electric-powered small-field flyers,
the continued development of lightweight,
high-capacity batteries coupled with
efficient high-output brushless motors
have combined to blow open the doors to
3-D flying in small spaces.
Arrival of Lithium Polymer cells in the
modeling world has forever changed the
face of electric-powered flight. With this
technology it is possible to dramatically
drop the weight of the battery pack while
increasing stored energy capacity. Mix
some of these cells with a lightweight
airframe and a good motor swinging a
large-diameter propeller, and you have the
opportunity to do some impressive 3-D
flying in your favorite small-field venue.
My eyes were first opened to the
possibilities of using Lithium Polymer cells
and small, brushless motors during the
summer of 2002. While attending the Mid
America Electric Fly-In in Michigan I
watched Dave Thacker of Radical RC fly
his Radical Edge 540 for more than 20
minutes, doing all sorts of 3-D maneuvers.
In the months that followed, the number
of 3-D-capable small-field aircraft seemed
to grow exponentially. These ranged from
homegrown models to foam- and balsabased
Almost Ready-to-Flys (ARF). What
an exciting time to be a small-field-flying
enthusiast!
The number of 3-D-capable kits and
related materials now available to the smallfield
pilot is staggering. I could not possibly
mention them all here. Most of them seem
to deliver performance and flying
enjoyment.
I’ll begin with the classic contrast of
home-brew creations and kits that need
assembly. One of the photos shows Philip
Camarata and Travis Tyer at one of the
small-field venues in the Houston, Texas,
area. Philip built his model from blue-foam
fan sheets and carbon rod. Stick an
AstroFlight brushless 010 on the nose, and
with a flying weight of 9 ounces you have a
quick and easy 3-D-capable small-field
model.
Travis, on the other hand, purchased one
of the new 3-D small-field-flyer kits. His
model is the Nemesis 3-D from Aero Lock
Models. The nice thing about this aircraft,
as is the case with many being offered, is its
ability to perform 3-D aerobatics using an
inexpensive brushed motor/gear-drive
combination from GWS. The latter point is
significant because it means that we can
enjoy the fun of 3-D flying without having
to invest in the more expensive brushless
power systems. The brushed motors give us
the opportunity to try this form of flying
before we decide to pursue the performance
and duration enhancements available
through brushless motors.
The photo of Philip and Travis gives us
a glimpse of stick- and profile-type models.
There are also some nice small-field 3-D
models that have full fuselages. If you
enjoy building your model from a box of
parts, the Tantrum offered by Mountain
Models is great. That model, along with
several others from Mountain Models,
offers the potential of some great 3-D
flying. Note the picture of Doug Binder, the
man behind Mountain Models, launching
his Tantrum vertically.
Aero Lock also offers a full-fuselage
model called the Hangover. If building the
model from parts is not your cup of tea,
take a look at the offerings from Hobby
Lobby International. The company has
several ARF 3-D-capable small-field
models in its lineup. Hobby Lobby also
makes available an assortment of small
brushless motors and speed controls that
can really put some spunk in your chosen
small-field 3-D aerobat.
That’s about it for this edition. I have
barely scratched the surface of 3-D smallfield
flying. If you are part of this rapidly
growing facet of the small-field-flying
community, please send in a few photos and
some details about your models. It would be
great to showcase your results so we can
expand our knowledge base in our quest to
enjoy some dramatic flying in our confined
flying spaces. MA
Sources:
Radical Edge 540:
Radical RC
5339 Huberville Rd.
Dayton OH 45431
(937) 256-7727
Fax: (937) 256-7220
http://radicalrc.com
Tantrum:
Mountain Models
6975 Blackhawk Pl.
Colorado Springs CO 80919
(719) 592-1387 (evenings)
Fax: (719) 528-6125
www.mountainmodels.com
Nemesis 3-D and Hangover:
Aero Lock Models
760 John Collins Rd.
Pelham GA 31779
www.aerolockmodels.com
ARF 3-D small-field flyers:
Hobby Lobby International
5614 Franklin Pike Cir.
Brentwood TN 37027
(615) 373-1444
www.hobby-lobby.com
01sig3.QXD 10/27/03 10:03 am Page 78
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/01
Page Numbers: 74,76,78
74 MODEL AVIATION
Paul Bradley
S m a l l - F i e l d F l y i n g
32238 Spinnaker Run, Magnolia TX 77354; E-mail: [email protected]
IN THE JANUARY 2003 edition of this
column, I discussed my youthful love affair
with the old Top Flite Jigtime Rascal 18
along with my efforts to reproduce that
great little rubber-powered Free Flight
model. That project became similar to the
proverbial loose thread on a piece of
clothing. Once pulled, it seemed to start
unraveling a major portion of the garment.
When the re-creation of the Rascal 18
was completed, I wanted to reconstruct
each model that was offered in the original
series of Jigtime kits. That meant starting a
mission to find old kits that I could use to
make new part templates. The Rascal 18 kit
that I used to start this retreat into the past
was acquired through the time machine
known as eBay. As a result, I became a
constant lurker in that Internet-based world
looking for other Jigtime kits.
Paul Bradley has completed his quest to reproduce all of the original Top Flite Jigtime
models. He has a Web site where the plans packages can be downloaded.
Known for his full-scale and model aircraft, this is Al
Backstrom’s (Little Elm TX) Could Be II.
Shown is one of Al Backstrom’s fleet of lovely small-field
models. The slow flyer does well in small spaces.
My quest was complicated somewhat
because of variations in the kit line that
occurred during the time they were in
production. My goal was to reproduce the
models in the original series. Top Flite
made several changes to the line.
A variation of the kit line was
introduced that used aluminum foil-clad
balsa. These models were identical
structurally, but their markings were
different. Roughly midway through the
production run the company eliminated
some of the early features such as a clear
plastic windshield and pilot figure. Also
changed were the preprinted markings,
which resulted in a portion of the solid
background colors being eliminated.
My dilemma was that kits from the
different types and periods of the series
would become available, but not the firstgeneration
series. Since I can’t really
expect my chosen time machine to be
perfect, I decided to buy what I could get
and then improvise as needed. The results
are shown in a group photo of my Jigtimemodel
reproduction fleet.
Going by memory and some detective
work, I think my models are close to the
originals. I did make a few changes to
simplify construction, such as eliminating
tabs and slot construction, but the models
are faithful to the originals in all other
aspects.
So far the Rascal 18 is the only model
in the group that I have converted to Radio
Control (RC). Time and other
commitments have gotten in the way of
doing some of the others. That will come
01sig3.QXD 10/27/03 10:03 am Page 74
76 MODEL AVIATION
in due time. I thought that some of you
might be interested in building one or more
of these great vintage models.
For those of you who have access to the
Internet, I have created a Web site where
the plans and parts templates can be
downloaded for your use. There is no fee
for doing this other than I would like a
photo now and then from anyone who does
build a model from the supplied drawings.
If you perform an RC conversion, I
would like to hear the details of your
efforts so they could be shared in these
pages. You will find the plans packages at
www.parmodels.com/Plans. Included is a
description of the process I use to print the
colorful parts directly on balsa with a
computer-driven ink-jet printer. May the
Carl Goldberg-designed and -inspired
Jigtime models live on.
Although they’re not Jigtime models,
please take a look at the photos of two
lovely aircraft built by Al Backstrom of
Little Elm, Texas. In case you don’t
recognize the name, Al is well known to
the full-scale soaring community as an
accomplished designer. He is also well
known within the world of model aviation.
Al’s Could Be II actually represents
some ideas that were being considered for
full-scale aircraft, hence the “Could Be”
portion of the model’s name. The Could
Be II certainly reminds me of the style and
construction of the Jigtime models.
This sporty all-sheet, low-wing model
has a wingspan of 231⁄2 inches with a
corresponding area of 100 square inches.
Power is supplied by a Grand Wing Servo
(GWS) LPS-B2C-C motor-gearbox
combination. This is a Mabuchi N20 motor
and 6.2:1 gear drive. The motor powers a 6
x 5 propeller and gets energy from two 145
mAh Lithium Polymer cells. On the
electronics side Al is using a GWS RP4
Dave Thacker of Radical RC helped launch the world of 3-Dcapable
small-field models with his Edge 540.
Phillip Camarata and Travis Tyer of the Houston TX area with
their home-brew and kit-built 3-D small-field models.
Doug Binder of Mountain Models launches his Tantrum. Many great 3-D-capable kits
and Almost Ready-to-Flys are now on the market for the small-field flier.
receiver, Pico servos, and a 2-amp
electronic speed control.
Al reports that the model can do
rudder/elevator aerobatics and will also
handle winds up to 10 mph. That’s not bad
for a model that only weighs 3 ounces.
If you are as taken by this cute little
model as I am, I have some good news.
Watch the pages of Flying Models for a
construction article and plans.
The nice biplane from Al was derived
from Vic Smeed’s Flipper B design that
appeared in the pages of Aeromodeller. The
original version was powered by a diesel
engine and was flown as a Free Flight
aircraft. Al applied some of his design
magic to the original plans to yield the
model shown in the photo.
It has a 27-inch wingspan that
incorporates 260 square inches of area.
Power is a GWS electric ducted-fan motor
married to a GWS LPS-C gearbox. The
propeller is a GWS 8 x 4.3, and energy
comes from a single 560 mAh Lithium
Polymer cell. The flying weight is 81⁄2
ounces.
Al indicates that the model is a slow
flyer that works well in small flying spaces.
He has not yet drawn a refined set of plans
representing his modified version of the
Flipper B. I do hope he will find the time in
between his other projects to create plans
for this model.
Now that you have read about the old
Jigtime models and the gentle-flying
01sig3.QXD 10/27/03 10:03 am Page 76
78 MODEL AVIATION
models from Al Backstrom, let’s shift
gears and take a look at the rapidly
growing trend toward small-field models
capable of real 3-D aerobatics. It seems
like only yesterday that the whole concept
of quiet RC models capable of flying in
confined spaces was just getting off the
ground.
The emergence of electric motors and
associated batteries offered new
dimensions in quiet flight. It was a real
thrill to be able to fly a model for five
minutes or so in a space the size of a
school yard.
It was not long until the electronics
began to shrink in size and weight, and the
small-field models started flying indoors.
New kits, power plants, and radio gear
emerged seemingly overnight, and quiet
small-field flying was firmly established.
One aspect of the early electricpowered,
small-field models was their
limited ability to perform aerobatics.
Loops and basic maneuvers were certainly
within the flight envelope, but the world
of 3-D aerobatics seemed out of reach.
Beginning in 2002 and throughout the
span of 2003, this changed dramatically.
For electric-powered small-field flyers,
the continued development of lightweight,
high-capacity batteries coupled with
efficient high-output brushless motors
have combined to blow open the doors to
3-D flying in small spaces.
Arrival of Lithium Polymer cells in the
modeling world has forever changed the
face of electric-powered flight. With this
technology it is possible to dramatically
drop the weight of the battery pack while
increasing stored energy capacity. Mix
some of these cells with a lightweight
airframe and a good motor swinging a
large-diameter propeller, and you have the
opportunity to do some impressive 3-D
flying in your favorite small-field venue.
My eyes were first opened to the
possibilities of using Lithium Polymer cells
and small, brushless motors during the
summer of 2002. While attending the Mid
America Electric Fly-In in Michigan I
watched Dave Thacker of Radical RC fly
his Radical Edge 540 for more than 20
minutes, doing all sorts of 3-D maneuvers.
In the months that followed, the number
of 3-D-capable small-field aircraft seemed
to grow exponentially. These ranged from
homegrown models to foam- and balsabased
Almost Ready-to-Flys (ARF). What
an exciting time to be a small-field-flying
enthusiast!
The number of 3-D-capable kits and
related materials now available to the smallfield
pilot is staggering. I could not possibly
mention them all here. Most of them seem
to deliver performance and flying
enjoyment.
I’ll begin with the classic contrast of
home-brew creations and kits that need
assembly. One of the photos shows Philip
Camarata and Travis Tyer at one of the
small-field venues in the Houston, Texas,
area. Philip built his model from blue-foam
fan sheets and carbon rod. Stick an
AstroFlight brushless 010 on the nose, and
with a flying weight of 9 ounces you have a
quick and easy 3-D-capable small-field
model.
Travis, on the other hand, purchased one
of the new 3-D small-field-flyer kits. His
model is the Nemesis 3-D from Aero Lock
Models. The nice thing about this aircraft,
as is the case with many being offered, is its
ability to perform 3-D aerobatics using an
inexpensive brushed motor/gear-drive
combination from GWS. The latter point is
significant because it means that we can
enjoy the fun of 3-D flying without having
to invest in the more expensive brushless
power systems. The brushed motors give us
the opportunity to try this form of flying
before we decide to pursue the performance
and duration enhancements available
through brushless motors.
The photo of Philip and Travis gives us
a glimpse of stick- and profile-type models.
There are also some nice small-field 3-D
models that have full fuselages. If you
enjoy building your model from a box of
parts, the Tantrum offered by Mountain
Models is great. That model, along with
several others from Mountain Models,
offers the potential of some great 3-D
flying. Note the picture of Doug Binder, the
man behind Mountain Models, launching
his Tantrum vertically.
Aero Lock also offers a full-fuselage
model called the Hangover. If building the
model from parts is not your cup of tea,
take a look at the offerings from Hobby
Lobby International. The company has
several ARF 3-D-capable small-field
models in its lineup. Hobby Lobby also
makes available an assortment of small
brushless motors and speed controls that
can really put some spunk in your chosen
small-field 3-D aerobat.
That’s about it for this edition. I have
barely scratched the surface of 3-D smallfield
flying. If you are part of this rapidly
growing facet of the small-field-flying
community, please send in a few photos and
some details about your models. It would be
great to showcase your results so we can
expand our knowledge base in our quest to
enjoy some dramatic flying in our confined
flying spaces. MA
Sources:
Radical Edge 540:
Radical RC
5339 Huberville Rd.
Dayton OH 45431
(937) 256-7727
Fax: (937) 256-7220
http://radicalrc.com
Tantrum:
Mountain Models
6975 Blackhawk Pl.
Colorado Springs CO 80919
(719) 592-1387 (evenings)
Fax: (719) 528-6125
www.mountainmodels.com
Nemesis 3-D and Hangover:
Aero Lock Models
760 John Collins Rd.
Pelham GA 31779
www.aerolockmodels.com
ARF 3-D small-field flyers:
Hobby Lobby International
5614 Franklin Pike Cir.
Brentwood TN 37027
(615) 373-1444
www.hobby-lobby.com
01sig3.QXD 10/27/03 10:03 am Page 78