Also included in this column:
• Sources for scale small-field
aircraft
• Li-Poly charger safety switch
• Evolution of batteries
Joe Ross assembled his Cox Wings P-47 at the field in only a few hours on the first
morning of the Tri-County Barnstormers’ BEST fly-in.
Tres Wright showed the BEST attendees that his little Radical RC
Micro Bipe flies great in the wind.
Keith Sparks has designed a neat and effective safety switch for
charging Li-Poly battery packs.
EVENTS LIMITED my participation in the 2006 fly-in season, but
one of the few I did enjoy was an annual event organized by the Tri-
County Barnstormers of New Waverly, Texas. Held in early October,
BEST (Best Electrics in Southeast Texas) is a great way to slip from
the balmy days of the summer flying season into the fall and winter
seasons. As in past years I spotted several models and modelers who
would be of interest to the small-field-flying community.
I’ll begin with a modeler who made an interesting statement about
the state of the art to small-field flying. One of the photos is of Joe
Ross holding his Cox Wings P-47. Nothing
remarkable is apparent. The Cox Wings series
has been with us for a while now and
represents a nice resource for the small-field
flier.
What you can’t see in the photo is that Joe
came to the event with the P-47 still in the
box and unassembled. He set up next to me
and I noticed that he was building the model
at the field. In only a few hours he had all the
equipment installed, and the little warbird was
ready for its maiden flight. The first flight
went off without a hitch and he enjoyed the
model for the rest of the day.
Models such as the Cox Wings offerings
combined with the current generation of small
RC gear make it easy for someone with experience to go from a box of
parts to a flying model airplane in a short time. Completely ready-to-fly
models are available, but it is interesting to see that we have offerings
that allow people with limited time to assemble a model that delivers
plenty of flying enjoyment.
Another model that caught my eye was the Radical RC Micro Bipe
built by Tres Wright. It has been available for a while, but it makes a
statement for the small-field flier. This is a little airplane with a
wingspan of 14 inches.
Despite its small size, the Micro Bipe is not small in performance.
Powered with a direct-drive Feigao 12mm, 4,000 rpm-per-volt motor,
the model is a major performer. Tres used a GWS 3 x 3 propeller, a
February 2007 91
Taking advantage of a scale FF kit, Lex Taylor converted the Herr
Pitts Special for small-field RC flying.
The Electra-Fly was an electric-powered FF model with a
“lightweight” one-shot, wet-cell battery pack.
This advertisement for the Electra-Fly’s wet-cell battery pack ran
in the February 1962 American Modeler.
You can see the evolution of battery technology with the Picco Z
helicopter and its 50 mAh Li-Poly cell.
three-cell 620 mAh Li-Poly battery pack, two GWS Pico servos, and
a Spektrum receiver.
This little model is well suited for flying on windy days. Wind is
often an issue for some of our small-field models but not for the
Micro Bipe. It was a treat watching Tres fly his aircraft during some
gusty conditions with little effect. Source information for the Radical
RC Micro Bipe is at the end of this column.
More than models drew my attention at the fly-in. Keith Sparks
showed me a neat item he had developed. You may recognize his
name from his many published designs and his book Building with
Foam. Keith showed me a neat, simple safety switch to use when
charging Li-Poly battery packs.
Li-Poly battery packs have a flexible outer structure. The batteries
will swell before having a catastrophic failure during charging.
Recognizing that characteristic, Keith designed the safety switch
shown in the picture that shuts off the charger if a pack swells during
a charge cycle.
The concept involves placing the pack to be charged between two
plywood plates. The distance between the plates is adjustable to
allow for different battery-pack configurations. The top plate is
hinged at one end.
If the pack swells during charging the hinged plate rotates. That
action actuates a microswitch that shuts down the charge current and
activates an alarm. A 9-volt battery supplies power to the alarm.
This is a neat and effective way to help prevent a major disaster
should a Li-Poly pack develop a problem during charging. All you
need are a few pieces of plywood and a few parts from your local
RadioShack.
To make life as easy as possible for anyone interested in
replicating Keith’s safety switch, you can buy a set of laser-cut
plywood parts from Manzano Laser Works. See the source listing at
the end of the column.
Scale Airplanes for Small-Field Flying: Models based on full-scale
airplanes have always been appealing to me. Seeing a miniature
version of a full-scale airplane speaks to my love of aviation.
Building scale models has been part of the hobby since its
inception, but they can be a challenge to fly well when they get
smaller. We have learned what adjustments to make to the scale
outlines to allow the resulting model to fly well. Things such as
increased tail surfaces go a long way to help us enjoy a nice-flying
model of our selected subject.
Knowledge such as this developed by the FF community has been
passed along throughout the years. Because of model aviation’s long
heritage, we have many wonderful scale FF model-airplane designs
at our disposal. A number of these are available in kit form.
This is a boon to one who likes scale models. There are not many
scale model kits on the market specifically for the small-field RC
modeler. These FF kits are ideal for our
purposes and convert well to RC using
current equipment. The FF designer knows
all the tricks to make the model fly well, and
when converted to RC the aircraft retains
those good flying qualities and rewards the
builder with a model that is well suited for
flying in confined spaces.
I have an excellent FF kit that was
converted to a small-field model. It comes
from Lex Taylor from the Dallas, Texas,
area. Lex chose the Herr (Sig) Pitts Special.
This is a nice laser-cut kit with a 24-inch
wingspan and a 216-square-inch area.
I provided a picture of the finished model
for your review. Ready to fly, it weighs 10.5
ounces. Power is a Balsa Products—now BP
Hobbies—2408-21 brushless motor turning a
GWS 8 x 6 propeller and controlled by a
Castle Creations Thunderbird-18 ESC. A
two-cell 720 mAh Li-Poly battery provides
the current.
Flight controls on the Pitts Special
include rudder, elevator, and ailerons on the
bottom wing. The receiver is a GWS R-4P,
and Coverite Microlite is the finish. No
deviations from the plans were made other
than to make the control surfaces move.
Wheels that weigh less than what came with
the kit were used and a steerable tail wheel
was added.
The Pitts Special flies well in a 100 x
105-foot gym with a curved but unobstructed
25-foot-high ceiling. According to Lex’s
father, the airplane looks great in the air.
When you look at the FF offerings from
Guillows, the Herr line now offered through
Sig, Dumas, and the cottage-industry
manufacturers, you find a cornucopia of
wonderful scale models well suited to the
role of small-field RC flying. Thanks to
equipment available today for smaller RC
models, we have the option of enjoying these
fine kits in either format.
Evolution and Batteries: I have to confess
to being a pack rat when it comes to modelairplane
“stuff.” I have been in the game for
a while and my pile of stuff, including many
old model airplane magazines, reflects the
number of years. During this time of the year
when building is a common practice, I like to
look through the old magazines. Sometimes a
new project will be inspired and other times
it is just interesting to see the evolution of the
hobby.
One of my trips down memory lane
involved the February 1962 American
Modeler. I came across an offering for an
electric-powered FF model called the
Electra-Fly from Aristo-Craft. A copy of a
photo in the magazine shows the model with
Irv Polk and Cal Smith. Irv was the
distributor and Cal was a well-known
member of the model-aviation community.
Electric power has become more popular
in recent years, but it is easy to forget that it
has actually been around for a long time.
What caught my eye with the Electra-Fly
was the battery offered with the model. I
have included a copy of the battery
advertisement for your review.
It was a single-use, silver-chloride cell
that was activated with a shot of salt water.
The model required two cells. The resulting
battery pack produced 2.5 amps at 2.5 volts
and weighed slightly more than 1 ounce. It
delivered full power for roughly 30 seconds
and then died off. For the day the two-cell
battery pack was lightweight.
The Electra-Fly appeared in 1962 and
was successful because of a lightweight
battery that could deliver enough current to
fly the model. That seems to be the key for
electric-powered models. Success has been
dependent on batteries that are relatively
lightweight and can deliver adequate current
to develop enough motor power to fly our
airplanes.
The passage of time has resulted in the
development of battery technology. We now
have rechargeable cells that are much
lighter for a given capacity and can deliver
enough current to allow model airplanes to
fly vertically.
As an interesting contrast to the 1962
Electra-Fly, I have provided a photo of a
current micro helicopter sold by
RadioShack called the Picco Z and the 50
mAh Li-Poly battery used to power the
system. This little helicopter uses infrared
signals for control and can fly seven
minutes on a single charge. Its flying weight
is a scant 9 grams.
Battery technology has come a long way
since 1962, as have electric motors and
electronics technology, but the foundation
of it all is the power source: our old friend
the battery. We are limited without a good
power source.
This brings me to the close of the column.
With all of your new projects in progress,
please don’t forget to send me a few pictures
so we can enjoy your efforts. I can be
reached via regular mail at 32238 Spinnaker
Run, Magnolia TX 77354, or via the E-mail
address in the column header. MA
Sources:
Li-Poly safety switch wood parts:
Manzano Laser Works
1 Hawks Rest Rd.
Tijeras NM 87059
(505) 286-2640
[email protected]
www.manzanolaser.com
Micro Bipe:
Radical RC
5339 Huberville Ave.
Dayton OH 45431
(937) 256-7727
[email protected]
http://radicalrc.com
Pitts Special and other Herr FF kits:
Sig Mfg.
Box 520
Montezuma IA 50171
(641) 623-5154
[email protected]
www.sigmfg.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/02
Page Numbers: 90,91,92
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/02
Page Numbers: 90,91,92
Also included in this column:
• Sources for scale small-field
aircraft
• Li-Poly charger safety switch
• Evolution of batteries
Joe Ross assembled his Cox Wings P-47 at the field in only a few hours on the first
morning of the Tri-County Barnstormers’ BEST fly-in.
Tres Wright showed the BEST attendees that his little Radical RC
Micro Bipe flies great in the wind.
Keith Sparks has designed a neat and effective safety switch for
charging Li-Poly battery packs.
EVENTS LIMITED my participation in the 2006 fly-in season, but
one of the few I did enjoy was an annual event organized by the Tri-
County Barnstormers of New Waverly, Texas. Held in early October,
BEST (Best Electrics in Southeast Texas) is a great way to slip from
the balmy days of the summer flying season into the fall and winter
seasons. As in past years I spotted several models and modelers who
would be of interest to the small-field-flying community.
I’ll begin with a modeler who made an interesting statement about
the state of the art to small-field flying. One of the photos is of Joe
Ross holding his Cox Wings P-47. Nothing
remarkable is apparent. The Cox Wings series
has been with us for a while now and
represents a nice resource for the small-field
flier.
What you can’t see in the photo is that Joe
came to the event with the P-47 still in the
box and unassembled. He set up next to me
and I noticed that he was building the model
at the field. In only a few hours he had all the
equipment installed, and the little warbird was
ready for its maiden flight. The first flight
went off without a hitch and he enjoyed the
model for the rest of the day.
Models such as the Cox Wings offerings
combined with the current generation of small
RC gear make it easy for someone with experience to go from a box of
parts to a flying model airplane in a short time. Completely ready-to-fly
models are available, but it is interesting to see that we have offerings
that allow people with limited time to assemble a model that delivers
plenty of flying enjoyment.
Another model that caught my eye was the Radical RC Micro Bipe
built by Tres Wright. It has been available for a while, but it makes a
statement for the small-field flier. This is a little airplane with a
wingspan of 14 inches.
Despite its small size, the Micro Bipe is not small in performance.
Powered with a direct-drive Feigao 12mm, 4,000 rpm-per-volt motor,
the model is a major performer. Tres used a GWS 3 x 3 propeller, a
February 2007 91
Taking advantage of a scale FF kit, Lex Taylor converted the Herr
Pitts Special for small-field RC flying.
The Electra-Fly was an electric-powered FF model with a
“lightweight” one-shot, wet-cell battery pack.
This advertisement for the Electra-Fly’s wet-cell battery pack ran
in the February 1962 American Modeler.
You can see the evolution of battery technology with the Picco Z
helicopter and its 50 mAh Li-Poly cell.
three-cell 620 mAh Li-Poly battery pack, two GWS Pico servos, and
a Spektrum receiver.
This little model is well suited for flying on windy days. Wind is
often an issue for some of our small-field models but not for the
Micro Bipe. It was a treat watching Tres fly his aircraft during some
gusty conditions with little effect. Source information for the Radical
RC Micro Bipe is at the end of this column.
More than models drew my attention at the fly-in. Keith Sparks
showed me a neat item he had developed. You may recognize his
name from his many published designs and his book Building with
Foam. Keith showed me a neat, simple safety switch to use when
charging Li-Poly battery packs.
Li-Poly battery packs have a flexible outer structure. The batteries
will swell before having a catastrophic failure during charging.
Recognizing that characteristic, Keith designed the safety switch
shown in the picture that shuts off the charger if a pack swells during
a charge cycle.
The concept involves placing the pack to be charged between two
plywood plates. The distance between the plates is adjustable to
allow for different battery-pack configurations. The top plate is
hinged at one end.
If the pack swells during charging the hinged plate rotates. That
action actuates a microswitch that shuts down the charge current and
activates an alarm. A 9-volt battery supplies power to the alarm.
This is a neat and effective way to help prevent a major disaster
should a Li-Poly pack develop a problem during charging. All you
need are a few pieces of plywood and a few parts from your local
RadioShack.
To make life as easy as possible for anyone interested in
replicating Keith’s safety switch, you can buy a set of laser-cut
plywood parts from Manzano Laser Works. See the source listing at
the end of the column.
Scale Airplanes for Small-Field Flying: Models based on full-scale
airplanes have always been appealing to me. Seeing a miniature
version of a full-scale airplane speaks to my love of aviation.
Building scale models has been part of the hobby since its
inception, but they can be a challenge to fly well when they get
smaller. We have learned what adjustments to make to the scale
outlines to allow the resulting model to fly well. Things such as
increased tail surfaces go a long way to help us enjoy a nice-flying
model of our selected subject.
Knowledge such as this developed by the FF community has been
passed along throughout the years. Because of model aviation’s long
heritage, we have many wonderful scale FF model-airplane designs
at our disposal. A number of these are available in kit form.
This is a boon to one who likes scale models. There are not many
scale model kits on the market specifically for the small-field RC
modeler. These FF kits are ideal for our
purposes and convert well to RC using
current equipment. The FF designer knows
all the tricks to make the model fly well, and
when converted to RC the aircraft retains
those good flying qualities and rewards the
builder with a model that is well suited for
flying in confined spaces.
I have an excellent FF kit that was
converted to a small-field model. It comes
from Lex Taylor from the Dallas, Texas,
area. Lex chose the Herr (Sig) Pitts Special.
This is a nice laser-cut kit with a 24-inch
wingspan and a 216-square-inch area.
I provided a picture of the finished model
for your review. Ready to fly, it weighs 10.5
ounces. Power is a Balsa Products—now BP
Hobbies—2408-21 brushless motor turning a
GWS 8 x 6 propeller and controlled by a
Castle Creations Thunderbird-18 ESC. A
two-cell 720 mAh Li-Poly battery provides
the current.
Flight controls on the Pitts Special
include rudder, elevator, and ailerons on the
bottom wing. The receiver is a GWS R-4P,
and Coverite Microlite is the finish. No
deviations from the plans were made other
than to make the control surfaces move.
Wheels that weigh less than what came with
the kit were used and a steerable tail wheel
was added.
The Pitts Special flies well in a 100 x
105-foot gym with a curved but unobstructed
25-foot-high ceiling. According to Lex’s
father, the airplane looks great in the air.
When you look at the FF offerings from
Guillows, the Herr line now offered through
Sig, Dumas, and the cottage-industry
manufacturers, you find a cornucopia of
wonderful scale models well suited to the
role of small-field RC flying. Thanks to
equipment available today for smaller RC
models, we have the option of enjoying these
fine kits in either format.
Evolution and Batteries: I have to confess
to being a pack rat when it comes to modelairplane
“stuff.” I have been in the game for
a while and my pile of stuff, including many
old model airplane magazines, reflects the
number of years. During this time of the year
when building is a common practice, I like to
look through the old magazines. Sometimes a
new project will be inspired and other times
it is just interesting to see the evolution of the
hobby.
One of my trips down memory lane
involved the February 1962 American
Modeler. I came across an offering for an
electric-powered FF model called the
Electra-Fly from Aristo-Craft. A copy of a
photo in the magazine shows the model with
Irv Polk and Cal Smith. Irv was the
distributor and Cal was a well-known
member of the model-aviation community.
Electric power has become more popular
in recent years, but it is easy to forget that it
has actually been around for a long time.
What caught my eye with the Electra-Fly
was the battery offered with the model. I
have included a copy of the battery
advertisement for your review.
It was a single-use, silver-chloride cell
that was activated with a shot of salt water.
The model required two cells. The resulting
battery pack produced 2.5 amps at 2.5 volts
and weighed slightly more than 1 ounce. It
delivered full power for roughly 30 seconds
and then died off. For the day the two-cell
battery pack was lightweight.
The Electra-Fly appeared in 1962 and
was successful because of a lightweight
battery that could deliver enough current to
fly the model. That seems to be the key for
electric-powered models. Success has been
dependent on batteries that are relatively
lightweight and can deliver adequate current
to develop enough motor power to fly our
airplanes.
The passage of time has resulted in the
development of battery technology. We now
have rechargeable cells that are much
lighter for a given capacity and can deliver
enough current to allow model airplanes to
fly vertically.
As an interesting contrast to the 1962
Electra-Fly, I have provided a photo of a
current micro helicopter sold by
RadioShack called the Picco Z and the 50
mAh Li-Poly battery used to power the
system. This little helicopter uses infrared
signals for control and can fly seven
minutes on a single charge. Its flying weight
is a scant 9 grams.
Battery technology has come a long way
since 1962, as have electric motors and
electronics technology, but the foundation
of it all is the power source: our old friend
the battery. We are limited without a good
power source.
This brings me to the close of the column.
With all of your new projects in progress,
please don’t forget to send me a few pictures
so we can enjoy your efforts. I can be
reached via regular mail at 32238 Spinnaker
Run, Magnolia TX 77354, or via the E-mail
address in the column header. MA
Sources:
Li-Poly safety switch wood parts:
Manzano Laser Works
1 Hawks Rest Rd.
Tijeras NM 87059
(505) 286-2640
[email protected]
www.manzanolaser.com
Micro Bipe:
Radical RC
5339 Huberville Ave.
Dayton OH 45431
(937) 256-7727
[email protected]
http://radicalrc.com
Pitts Special and other Herr FF kits:
Sig Mfg.
Box 520
Montezuma IA 50171
(641) 623-5154
[email protected]
www.sigmfg.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/02
Page Numbers: 90,91,92
Also included in this column:
• Sources for scale small-field
aircraft
• Li-Poly charger safety switch
• Evolution of batteries
Joe Ross assembled his Cox Wings P-47 at the field in only a few hours on the first
morning of the Tri-County Barnstormers’ BEST fly-in.
Tres Wright showed the BEST attendees that his little Radical RC
Micro Bipe flies great in the wind.
Keith Sparks has designed a neat and effective safety switch for
charging Li-Poly battery packs.
EVENTS LIMITED my participation in the 2006 fly-in season, but
one of the few I did enjoy was an annual event organized by the Tri-
County Barnstormers of New Waverly, Texas. Held in early October,
BEST (Best Electrics in Southeast Texas) is a great way to slip from
the balmy days of the summer flying season into the fall and winter
seasons. As in past years I spotted several models and modelers who
would be of interest to the small-field-flying community.
I’ll begin with a modeler who made an interesting statement about
the state of the art to small-field flying. One of the photos is of Joe
Ross holding his Cox Wings P-47. Nothing
remarkable is apparent. The Cox Wings series
has been with us for a while now and
represents a nice resource for the small-field
flier.
What you can’t see in the photo is that Joe
came to the event with the P-47 still in the
box and unassembled. He set up next to me
and I noticed that he was building the model
at the field. In only a few hours he had all the
equipment installed, and the little warbird was
ready for its maiden flight. The first flight
went off without a hitch and he enjoyed the
model for the rest of the day.
Models such as the Cox Wings offerings
combined with the current generation of small
RC gear make it easy for someone with experience to go from a box of
parts to a flying model airplane in a short time. Completely ready-to-fly
models are available, but it is interesting to see that we have offerings
that allow people with limited time to assemble a model that delivers
plenty of flying enjoyment.
Another model that caught my eye was the Radical RC Micro Bipe
built by Tres Wright. It has been available for a while, but it makes a
statement for the small-field flier. This is a little airplane with a
wingspan of 14 inches.
Despite its small size, the Micro Bipe is not small in performance.
Powered with a direct-drive Feigao 12mm, 4,000 rpm-per-volt motor,
the model is a major performer. Tres used a GWS 3 x 3 propeller, a
February 2007 91
Taking advantage of a scale FF kit, Lex Taylor converted the Herr
Pitts Special for small-field RC flying.
The Electra-Fly was an electric-powered FF model with a
“lightweight” one-shot, wet-cell battery pack.
This advertisement for the Electra-Fly’s wet-cell battery pack ran
in the February 1962 American Modeler.
You can see the evolution of battery technology with the Picco Z
helicopter and its 50 mAh Li-Poly cell.
three-cell 620 mAh Li-Poly battery pack, two GWS Pico servos, and
a Spektrum receiver.
This little model is well suited for flying on windy days. Wind is
often an issue for some of our small-field models but not for the
Micro Bipe. It was a treat watching Tres fly his aircraft during some
gusty conditions with little effect. Source information for the Radical
RC Micro Bipe is at the end of this column.
More than models drew my attention at the fly-in. Keith Sparks
showed me a neat item he had developed. You may recognize his
name from his many published designs and his book Building with
Foam. Keith showed me a neat, simple safety switch to use when
charging Li-Poly battery packs.
Li-Poly battery packs have a flexible outer structure. The batteries
will swell before having a catastrophic failure during charging.
Recognizing that characteristic, Keith designed the safety switch
shown in the picture that shuts off the charger if a pack swells during
a charge cycle.
The concept involves placing the pack to be charged between two
plywood plates. The distance between the plates is adjustable to
allow for different battery-pack configurations. The top plate is
hinged at one end.
If the pack swells during charging the hinged plate rotates. That
action actuates a microswitch that shuts down the charge current and
activates an alarm. A 9-volt battery supplies power to the alarm.
This is a neat and effective way to help prevent a major disaster
should a Li-Poly pack develop a problem during charging. All you
need are a few pieces of plywood and a few parts from your local
RadioShack.
To make life as easy as possible for anyone interested in
replicating Keith’s safety switch, you can buy a set of laser-cut
plywood parts from Manzano Laser Works. See the source listing at
the end of the column.
Scale Airplanes for Small-Field Flying: Models based on full-scale
airplanes have always been appealing to me. Seeing a miniature
version of a full-scale airplane speaks to my love of aviation.
Building scale models has been part of the hobby since its
inception, but they can be a challenge to fly well when they get
smaller. We have learned what adjustments to make to the scale
outlines to allow the resulting model to fly well. Things such as
increased tail surfaces go a long way to help us enjoy a nice-flying
model of our selected subject.
Knowledge such as this developed by the FF community has been
passed along throughout the years. Because of model aviation’s long
heritage, we have many wonderful scale FF model-airplane designs
at our disposal. A number of these are available in kit form.
This is a boon to one who likes scale models. There are not many
scale model kits on the market specifically for the small-field RC
modeler. These FF kits are ideal for our
purposes and convert well to RC using
current equipment. The FF designer knows
all the tricks to make the model fly well, and
when converted to RC the aircraft retains
those good flying qualities and rewards the
builder with a model that is well suited for
flying in confined spaces.
I have an excellent FF kit that was
converted to a small-field model. It comes
from Lex Taylor from the Dallas, Texas,
area. Lex chose the Herr (Sig) Pitts Special.
This is a nice laser-cut kit with a 24-inch
wingspan and a 216-square-inch area.
I provided a picture of the finished model
for your review. Ready to fly, it weighs 10.5
ounces. Power is a Balsa Products—now BP
Hobbies—2408-21 brushless motor turning a
GWS 8 x 6 propeller and controlled by a
Castle Creations Thunderbird-18 ESC. A
two-cell 720 mAh Li-Poly battery provides
the current.
Flight controls on the Pitts Special
include rudder, elevator, and ailerons on the
bottom wing. The receiver is a GWS R-4P,
and Coverite Microlite is the finish. No
deviations from the plans were made other
than to make the control surfaces move.
Wheels that weigh less than what came with
the kit were used and a steerable tail wheel
was added.
The Pitts Special flies well in a 100 x
105-foot gym with a curved but unobstructed
25-foot-high ceiling. According to Lex’s
father, the airplane looks great in the air.
When you look at the FF offerings from
Guillows, the Herr line now offered through
Sig, Dumas, and the cottage-industry
manufacturers, you find a cornucopia of
wonderful scale models well suited to the
role of small-field RC flying. Thanks to
equipment available today for smaller RC
models, we have the option of enjoying these
fine kits in either format.
Evolution and Batteries: I have to confess
to being a pack rat when it comes to modelairplane
“stuff.” I have been in the game for
a while and my pile of stuff, including many
old model airplane magazines, reflects the
number of years. During this time of the year
when building is a common practice, I like to
look through the old magazines. Sometimes a
new project will be inspired and other times
it is just interesting to see the evolution of the
hobby.
One of my trips down memory lane
involved the February 1962 American
Modeler. I came across an offering for an
electric-powered FF model called the
Electra-Fly from Aristo-Craft. A copy of a
photo in the magazine shows the model with
Irv Polk and Cal Smith. Irv was the
distributor and Cal was a well-known
member of the model-aviation community.
Electric power has become more popular
in recent years, but it is easy to forget that it
has actually been around for a long time.
What caught my eye with the Electra-Fly
was the battery offered with the model. I
have included a copy of the battery
advertisement for your review.
It was a single-use, silver-chloride cell
that was activated with a shot of salt water.
The model required two cells. The resulting
battery pack produced 2.5 amps at 2.5 volts
and weighed slightly more than 1 ounce. It
delivered full power for roughly 30 seconds
and then died off. For the day the two-cell
battery pack was lightweight.
The Electra-Fly appeared in 1962 and
was successful because of a lightweight
battery that could deliver enough current to
fly the model. That seems to be the key for
electric-powered models. Success has been
dependent on batteries that are relatively
lightweight and can deliver adequate current
to develop enough motor power to fly our
airplanes.
The passage of time has resulted in the
development of battery technology. We now
have rechargeable cells that are much
lighter for a given capacity and can deliver
enough current to allow model airplanes to
fly vertically.
As an interesting contrast to the 1962
Electra-Fly, I have provided a photo of a
current micro helicopter sold by
RadioShack called the Picco Z and the 50
mAh Li-Poly battery used to power the
system. This little helicopter uses infrared
signals for control and can fly seven
minutes on a single charge. Its flying weight
is a scant 9 grams.
Battery technology has come a long way
since 1962, as have electric motors and
electronics technology, but the foundation
of it all is the power source: our old friend
the battery. We are limited without a good
power source.
This brings me to the close of the column.
With all of your new projects in progress,
please don’t forget to send me a few pictures
so we can enjoy your efforts. I can be
reached via regular mail at 32238 Spinnaker
Run, Magnolia TX 77354, or via the E-mail
address in the column header. MA
Sources:
Li-Poly safety switch wood parts:
Manzano Laser Works
1 Hawks Rest Rd.
Tijeras NM 87059
(505) 286-2640
[email protected]
www.manzanolaser.com
Micro Bipe:
Radical RC
5339 Huberville Ave.
Dayton OH 45431
(937) 256-7727
[email protected]
http://radicalrc.com
Pitts Special and other Herr FF kits:
Sig Mfg.
Box 520
Montezuma IA 50171
(641) 623-5154
[email protected]
www.sigmfg.com