Worth a Closer Look
14 MODEL AVIATION
Airportraits
Airportraits is a unique form of portraiture that is part
traditional photography, part photo-illustration, part technology,
and part fine art. Starting with photos of you and your aircraft, an
image is created—using computer programs and an artistic eye—
that has only existed in your mind.
Usually three or four and sometimes more images are merged
to create a world in which the pride of your hangar is a full-scale
aircraft with you beside it, on top of it, inside it, or whatever you
can dream up.
This is a two-step process. First, there is a photo shoot of you,
your aircraft,
and any other
items that are
necessary to
complete your
image. The
second and
more
involved (as
well as timeconsuming)
step is
assembling
and retouching those images on the computer.
The photo shoot on location is unlike shooting in a studio.
The weather and environment play an important part in
determining the image’s quality. Another factor is the condition
of your aircraft. Unless
it has significant
meaning to you, a
beat-up old trainer
would be a poor
candidate for your
Airportrait.
Depending on the
complexity of the shot,
a certain amount of
planning is required
beforehand. The
photography has to be done quickly to have consistent sunlight.
Provided you don’t have to wait for the weather to cooperate, the
entire time needed is no more than an hour or two.
An Airportrait is an investment of your time and money, so
prices will vary greatly depending on location and the complexity
of what you want. Jerry Simon of Airportraits is located on the East
Coast in northern New Jersey, but he is willing to travel to your
location. Contact the company for more details about this service.
Airportraits: (908) 246-8233; E-mail: [email protected];
Web site: www.airportraits.net
AT-6 Texan EP ARF
Global Hobby
Distributors has
introduced
this nicelooking,
great-flying
Watt-Age AT-
6 Texan, and
since it’s
electric-powered,
it’s clean, quiet, and
economical to fly!
This bright yellow Park Scale Flyer is easy to see in the most
varied weather conditions. It features realistic scale details such as
hand-drawn panel lines, factory-painted engine cylinders inside
the cowl, air scoops, steerable tail-wheel hardware, and an
authentic “birdcage” canopy!
The AT-6 is a “full-house” RC model, meaning that you
control the three axes directly: roll using ailerons, yaw using
rudder, and pitch using elevator. Adding proportional throttle
control with a digital ESC, thrust is infinitely adjustable from taxi
power to full-throttle climbout.
Using a Watt-Age Super 400 Cobalt motor, this model has all
the power-to-weight ratio you need to have fun from one end of
the sky to the other!
The Texan comes with a complete photo-illustrated manual
that shows you how to install your motor and radio and make this
airplane ready to fly!
It weighs approximately 21 ounces ready to fly and has a
wingspan of 36.5 inches, a wing area of 188 square inches, and a
length of 25.5 inches. A micro four-channel radio system, ESC,
battery, and 400-size motor are required.
This aircraft has a street price of $89.99.
Global Hobby Distributors: 18480 Bandilier Cir., Fountain
Valley CA 92708; Tel.: (714) 963-0133; Web site: www.global
hobby.com
Heavy Duty Adjustable Control Horns
Think big!
These are the
latest in a
family of
innovative
control-horn
applications
from Du-Bro.
The selfadjusting
horn
will mount
straight (90° to
the centerline
of the control
surface) against
the angled control surface with no wedges or shims!
With two sizes available, your aircraft will be more
functional as well as stylish. The size for 40-91 aircraft retails
for $6.95, and the size for 91 and larger aircraft retails for $8.95.
Both varieties are sold in sets of two.
Du-Bro: Box 815, Wauconda IL 60084; Tel.: (800) 848-
9411; Fax: (847) 526-1604; Web site: www.dubro.com
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 2:52 pm Page 14
November 2004 15
Easy Star
This electric-powered basic RC trainer
is completely constructed from a molded
polystyrene foam called “Elapor.” It is an
extremely rugged material that can be
assembled using standard cyanoacrylate
glue (thick) along with accelerator.
A Speed 400 (6-volt winding) directdrive
motor supplies the power. You may
use a six- or seven-cell 500-600 mAh Ni-
Cd battery pack that will provide roughly
five minutes of motor run time, or you
could go to a two-cell 1500 mAh Li-Poly
battery and obtain 12 minutes or more of
motor run time.
The Easy Star is available in two
versions. The RTF includes a Hitec Focus
3 SS AM radio system (with Multiplex
Tiny-S servos), a Multiplex X-08 8-amp
speed control with BEC, a motor battery,
and a charger, which is a new Multiplex 2-
amp peak-detect type. The RC equipment
and motor come preinstalled so you can be
at the flying field
soon after charging
the battery for the
first time. The RTF’s
street price is $195.
The Easy Star
ARF provides the
foam aircraft, the
motor, and the
propeller. You will
be required to do
some assembly
work, including
wiring and installing
the motor. (Some soldering will be necessary!)
When you buy the ARF version, you must also purchase a
three-channel RC system including two servos, an ESC (with
BEC), a battery pack, and a charger for that battery. The review
aircraft was an ARF, and all items used were on hand. The ARF
is available for a street price of $65.99.
The Multiplex engineers designed the Easy Star in a clever
fashion. All foam pieces interlock, making it easy to assemble
(the ARF version). The servos mount on the outside of the
fuselage, with the control rods fitting into slots that lead back to
the two control surfaces.
The motor is mounted up high near the wing TE and operates
in a “pusher” configuration. This helps keep your fingers out of
the propeller and saves you from breaking propellers on rough
landings.
The instructions advise you to spray cyanoacrylate
accelerator on one side of the foam and let it set for a short
while, apply the thick cyanoacrylate glue to the other side of the
foam, and then join the two parts.
However, doing so gives you no time to align the parts
because the cyanoacrylate “kicks off” too quickly. We applied
the thick cyanoacrylate to both parts, joined them, and then
sprayed the accelerator while holding the pieces together. It
makes life much easier!
An FMA Direct/Kokam two-cell 1500 mAh (8C-load
capable) battery pack was used to extend the motor run time.
This battery weighs only 2.7 ounces.
When we tried to balance the Easy Star, it turned out tailheavy.
Because of the lighter-weight battery, we were forced to
add 1.5 ounces of lead weight to the nose area. Now the model
balances perfectly and still only
weighs 21 ounces (3 ounces less
than the manufacturer’s
specifications).
Because balance weight was
necessary, we have a suggestion.
The two-cell 1500 FMA/Kokam
battery sells for $31.25. If you
were to place two of these packs
($62.50 total) in parallel, you
could obtain motor-run times
upward of 25 minutes. The extra
weight of the two packs would
also eliminate the need for the extra ballast.
The Easy Star proved to be an excellent flier. The Speed 400
motor has more
than enough
power; in fact,
you should get
used to
throttling back
considerably in
flight. This will
slow the Easy
Star, making it
even easier to
fly. At the same
time, the
reduced motor
current will
allow your model to stay in the air longer. We’ve flown this
airplane in winds as high as 20 mph. Although we don’t
recommend that a beginner do that, this aircraft can take it.
The Easy Star spans 54 inches, has a wing area of 372 square
inches, and is 36 inches long.
Multiplex Modelsport USA, 12115 Paine St., Poway CA
92064; Tel.: (858) 748-6948; Fax: (858) 748-1767; Web site:
www.multiplexusa.com MA
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 2:53 pm Page 15
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 14,15
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 14,15
Worth a Closer Look
14 MODEL AVIATION
Airportraits
Airportraits is a unique form of portraiture that is part
traditional photography, part photo-illustration, part technology,
and part fine art. Starting with photos of you and your aircraft, an
image is created—using computer programs and an artistic eye—
that has only existed in your mind.
Usually three or four and sometimes more images are merged
to create a world in which the pride of your hangar is a full-scale
aircraft with you beside it, on top of it, inside it, or whatever you
can dream up.
This is a two-step process. First, there is a photo shoot of you,
your aircraft,
and any other
items that are
necessary to
complete your
image. The
second and
more
involved (as
well as timeconsuming)
step is
assembling
and retouching those images on the computer.
The photo shoot on location is unlike shooting in a studio.
The weather and environment play an important part in
determining the image’s quality. Another factor is the condition
of your aircraft. Unless
it has significant
meaning to you, a
beat-up old trainer
would be a poor
candidate for your
Airportrait.
Depending on the
complexity of the shot,
a certain amount of
planning is required
beforehand. The
photography has to be done quickly to have consistent sunlight.
Provided you don’t have to wait for the weather to cooperate, the
entire time needed is no more than an hour or two.
An Airportrait is an investment of your time and money, so
prices will vary greatly depending on location and the complexity
of what you want. Jerry Simon of Airportraits is located on the East
Coast in northern New Jersey, but he is willing to travel to your
location. Contact the company for more details about this service.
Airportraits: (908) 246-8233; E-mail: [email protected];
Web site: www.airportraits.net
AT-6 Texan EP ARF
Global Hobby
Distributors has
introduced
this nicelooking,
great-flying
Watt-Age AT-
6 Texan, and
since it’s
electric-powered,
it’s clean, quiet, and
economical to fly!
This bright yellow Park Scale Flyer is easy to see in the most
varied weather conditions. It features realistic scale details such as
hand-drawn panel lines, factory-painted engine cylinders inside
the cowl, air scoops, steerable tail-wheel hardware, and an
authentic “birdcage” canopy!
The AT-6 is a “full-house” RC model, meaning that you
control the three axes directly: roll using ailerons, yaw using
rudder, and pitch using elevator. Adding proportional throttle
control with a digital ESC, thrust is infinitely adjustable from taxi
power to full-throttle climbout.
Using a Watt-Age Super 400 Cobalt motor, this model has all
the power-to-weight ratio you need to have fun from one end of
the sky to the other!
The Texan comes with a complete photo-illustrated manual
that shows you how to install your motor and radio and make this
airplane ready to fly!
It weighs approximately 21 ounces ready to fly and has a
wingspan of 36.5 inches, a wing area of 188 square inches, and a
length of 25.5 inches. A micro four-channel radio system, ESC,
battery, and 400-size motor are required.
This aircraft has a street price of $89.99.
Global Hobby Distributors: 18480 Bandilier Cir., Fountain
Valley CA 92708; Tel.: (714) 963-0133; Web site: www.global
hobby.com
Heavy Duty Adjustable Control Horns
Think big!
These are the
latest in a
family of
innovative
control-horn
applications
from Du-Bro.
The selfadjusting
horn
will mount
straight (90° to
the centerline
of the control
surface) against
the angled control surface with no wedges or shims!
With two sizes available, your aircraft will be more
functional as well as stylish. The size for 40-91 aircraft retails
for $6.95, and the size for 91 and larger aircraft retails for $8.95.
Both varieties are sold in sets of two.
Du-Bro: Box 815, Wauconda IL 60084; Tel.: (800) 848-
9411; Fax: (847) 526-1604; Web site: www.dubro.com
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 2:52 pm Page 14
November 2004 15
Easy Star
This electric-powered basic RC trainer
is completely constructed from a molded
polystyrene foam called “Elapor.” It is an
extremely rugged material that can be
assembled using standard cyanoacrylate
glue (thick) along with accelerator.
A Speed 400 (6-volt winding) directdrive
motor supplies the power. You may
use a six- or seven-cell 500-600 mAh Ni-
Cd battery pack that will provide roughly
five minutes of motor run time, or you
could go to a two-cell 1500 mAh Li-Poly
battery and obtain 12 minutes or more of
motor run time.
The Easy Star is available in two
versions. The RTF includes a Hitec Focus
3 SS AM radio system (with Multiplex
Tiny-S servos), a Multiplex X-08 8-amp
speed control with BEC, a motor battery,
and a charger, which is a new Multiplex 2-
amp peak-detect type. The RC equipment
and motor come preinstalled so you can be
at the flying field
soon after charging
the battery for the
first time. The RTF’s
street price is $195.
The Easy Star
ARF provides the
foam aircraft, the
motor, and the
propeller. You will
be required to do
some assembly
work, including
wiring and installing
the motor. (Some soldering will be necessary!)
When you buy the ARF version, you must also purchase a
three-channel RC system including two servos, an ESC (with
BEC), a battery pack, and a charger for that battery. The review
aircraft was an ARF, and all items used were on hand. The ARF
is available for a street price of $65.99.
The Multiplex engineers designed the Easy Star in a clever
fashion. All foam pieces interlock, making it easy to assemble
(the ARF version). The servos mount on the outside of the
fuselage, with the control rods fitting into slots that lead back to
the two control surfaces.
The motor is mounted up high near the wing TE and operates
in a “pusher” configuration. This helps keep your fingers out of
the propeller and saves you from breaking propellers on rough
landings.
The instructions advise you to spray cyanoacrylate
accelerator on one side of the foam and let it set for a short
while, apply the thick cyanoacrylate glue to the other side of the
foam, and then join the two parts.
However, doing so gives you no time to align the parts
because the cyanoacrylate “kicks off” too quickly. We applied
the thick cyanoacrylate to both parts, joined them, and then
sprayed the accelerator while holding the pieces together. It
makes life much easier!
An FMA Direct/Kokam two-cell 1500 mAh (8C-load
capable) battery pack was used to extend the motor run time.
This battery weighs only 2.7 ounces.
When we tried to balance the Easy Star, it turned out tailheavy.
Because of the lighter-weight battery, we were forced to
add 1.5 ounces of lead weight to the nose area. Now the model
balances perfectly and still only
weighs 21 ounces (3 ounces less
than the manufacturer’s
specifications).
Because balance weight was
necessary, we have a suggestion.
The two-cell 1500 FMA/Kokam
battery sells for $31.25. If you
were to place two of these packs
($62.50 total) in parallel, you
could obtain motor-run times
upward of 25 minutes. The extra
weight of the two packs would
also eliminate the need for the extra ballast.
The Easy Star proved to be an excellent flier. The Speed 400
motor has more
than enough
power; in fact,
you should get
used to
throttling back
considerably in
flight. This will
slow the Easy
Star, making it
even easier to
fly. At the same
time, the
reduced motor
current will
allow your model to stay in the air longer. We’ve flown this
airplane in winds as high as 20 mph. Although we don’t
recommend that a beginner do that, this aircraft can take it.
The Easy Star spans 54 inches, has a wing area of 372 square
inches, and is 36 inches long.
Multiplex Modelsport USA, 12115 Paine St., Poway CA
92064; Tel.: (858) 748-6948; Fax: (858) 748-1767; Web site:
www.multiplexusa.com MA
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 2:53 pm Page 15