160 MODEL AVIATION
AMA Plans Service Showcase
3Quarters
Treat yourself to a sporty low-wing
model that is easy to build
THERE IS ELEGANT beauty in
simplicity. That is true with almost
anything, but especially so when it
comes to model-airplane design. Straight
lines joined by strategic curves can
transform a “stick” into a balsa
sculpture. Randy Randolph was a master
at performing this transformation
regularly with his many easy-to-build
and -fly designs.
Randy created the 3Quarters to utilize
the Norvel .074 and Thunder Tiger GP
.074 engines that were arriving on the
scene in the late 1990s. He coupled his
formula of simplicity and ruggedness
with sporty looks and performance to
achieve a wonderful low-wing aircraft.
The flat-bottom, 45-inch-span wing
can be built warp-free on a flat board.
The rest of the model is crafted from
balsa strip and sheet stock, making this a
natural for first-time builders. The
3Quarters is also an excellent candidate
for conversion to electric power.
Plans for this design—number 910—
are available through the AMA Plans
Service. MA
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October 2007 161
A newcomer and a top dog? That’s the
magic of LPP.
So how did PP start? I’ve only been flying
Indoor FF for roughly 14 years, so I don’t
think much about how the various events we
fly were “invented.” In my mind they have all
been around forever, but when I have a reason
to dig into some history the results are usually
interesting.
F1D World Champion Erv Rodemsky
thought up the event in 1970 with the support
of the Chicago Aeronuts. (See the club’s
history at www.modelaircraft.org/museum/
club/ChicagoAeronuts.pdf.) Erv wrote the
following messages about it a few years ago
on one of the Indoor FF forums.
“As the ‘inventor’ of the Pennyplane, my
intent was to have a contest model that was
easy to build & handle. This meant nearly a
‘one design’ contest, close times & lots of fun.
“The object of limited Pennyplane is to
have an event where a beginner (be they 16 or
60) can build and fly a creditable model using
easily obtained material.
“The year was 1970. All the pennies I
weighed were about 3 grams. A fellow
Aeronut had a couple of EZBs made with
hobby shop materials. They weighed almost
exactly 3 grams. My original thought was to
use a standard coin like a nickel for the weight
rule, but since these matched the pennies so
closely, that is what I picked. The name
‘Pennyplane’ at first was a joke, but it seemed
to stick and was a big reason for the event’s
popularity.
“Chuck Markos of the Chicago Aeronuts
won the very first Pennyplane contest which
my wife, Joan, and I put on. We also ran the
first Pennyplane contest at the Nationals
(unofficial event) with an entry fee of you
guessed it—one cent.
“I remember Bob Clemens and Dave
Linstrum building for the contest. I also made
the trophies, a 1970 penny laminated in a
plastic pen holder.”
The pennies Erv weighed were 95%
copper and 5% zinc. Pennies were changed to
97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper in 1982 and are
approximately a half gram lighter than the
older ones.
I remember noticing this as a teenager
because I was idly flipping a penny with my
thumb when it made a dull “thunk,” whereas
the other pennies I flipped would ring. So
don’t use a new penny to check your PP’s
weight!
PP started getting complex sometime
between 1970 and now, with biplanes,
variable-pitch propellers, rolled sticks, etc.
More rules were needed to rein things in, and
LPP was born, additionally restricting the
number and size of the flying surfaces, the
motorstick composition, and “gadgets.”
The original event still exists, known as
Unlimited PP or just PP, and you see the
stubby, boxy models flown at the Nats and
occasionally at smaller contests. There are
those, including some who fly the event, who
feel that Unlimited PP should be replaced
with the similar but better-flying F1M class.
More than a few people have tested the
fairly vague LPP “no gadgets” rule by
introducing various mechanisms—some
simple, some made from common materials—
but the most complicated device allowed
remains a simple flaring propeller, and the
event with the most rules remains one of the
most popular.
“[a recent discussion about the rules]
proves one thing: Writing rules ain’t easy
(like Easy B ain’t easy)!” wrote Erv.
“Everyone expects rules to be simple. I expect
airplanes to be simple.”
USIC and Kibbie 2007: The 2007
USIC/AMA Indoor FF Nats is in the bag.
Approximately 100 competitors entered 40
different events, making this the largest
edition of the contest in recent years.
If you were unfortunate enough to have
missed the fun, you can get a taste of the
action from NatsNews at www.modelair
craft.org/events/nats/natsnews.aspx. You’ll
find a daily recount of events, great photos,
and complete results.
Not to be outdone by the Colorado Springs
crew (see “Indoor Free Flight Town” mayoral
proclamation in the July column), Johnson
City, Tennessee, Mayor David P. Roe
declared May 30 (the first day of the AMA
Nats) “Aeromodeling Day,” thanks to
Tennessee native Hank Nystrom’s efforts.
It reads, in part:
“Whereas, the Academy of Model
Aeronautics will launch the eighty-first
National Aeromodeling Championships, the
world’s largest model aviation event, in
Johnson City; and ...
“ ... between 75 and 100 of the nation’s
top indoor model airplane fliers from 17
states will gather to compete for top honors in
a challenging indoor model aviation sport
with three former World Champions, as well
as the reigning World Champion; and ...
“ ... free flight airplanes have been
instrumental in the development and learning
of many of this country’s leading scientists
and engineers and represent the highest and
most demanding levels of design and
construction skills, as well as knowledge of
aerodynamics ...
“I, David P. Roe, Mayor of Johnson City,
Tennessee, do hereby proclaim May 30, 2007
as AEROMODELING DAY… and on behalf
of the Board of Commissioners and the
citizens, welcome each contestant to our area
and are honored that the Academy has chosen
Johnson City for competition for the twentyfirst
year.”
Way to go, Hank!
There have been rumors that the East
Tennessee State University Mini-Dome, site
of the Indoor FF Nats, might be torn down.
Although there is official talk in this direction,
Indoorists who live in the area say that it
appears unlikely to happen anytime soon. So
one of the best sites and contests around
seems solid for the near future.
Next year’s event is a go. The CD, site,
Free Flight Indoor
Continued from page 159
10sig6.QXD 8/22/07 12:15 PM Page 161
162 MODEL AVIATION
and date are lined up. Don’t miss it!
The 2007 Kibbie Dome Annual is next on
the schedule, although it will be a wrap by the
time you read this. I bring it up because this
contest has been the subject of another rumor:
that longtime CD Andrew Tagliafico may
discontinue it because of increased rental costs
and diminished attendance.
Indoor News (www.indoornews.com)
hostmaster Jeff Hood spoke with Andrew and
confirmed that he does plan to continue
hosting the contest. If you haven’t been yet,
make plans now to attend. Don’t miss out on
this great event and help keep it around for the
future.
OSFilm: It seems that we are always in
danger of losing one of our critical supplies.
Earlier this year word spread that the OSFilm
(.5-micron film—the lightest polyester
covering for Indoor models) supply was
running out.
OSFilm cottage-industry proprietor Alan
Cohen confirmed that the roll he had was
nearing its end. Matters worsened when Alan
discovered that all his supplier contacts had
either retired or moved on. The new people he
spoke with didn’t even know .5-micron film
existed, never mind how to get it.
However, Alan’s persistence paid off. He
established new contacts, found the film, and
now has another roll. More than 200 preorders
are already being filled from the new supply.
Alan reports:
“It is exactly the same as the previous roll.
Colors are red/green. Weight is approximately
50-52mg/100 sq. in.
“Due to a significant price increase on the
film from 4 years ago, as well as substantial
increases in postage, the pricing structure of
OSFilm has been modified. The new prices
are in USD and are as follows: 25’ roll—$35,
50’ roll—$70, US shipping charges—$4/roll,
Foreign shipping charges—$6/roll.”
You can order film via PayPal to
[email protected] (send an E-mail to that
address if you need instructions) or snail mail
a check or money order to OSFilm, 2115A
Route 31, Glen Gardner NJ 08826.
The INAV Collection: Jeff Hood has
assembled a complete collection of Indoor
News and Views (INAV) issues from its
inception in 1960 through 2005. Jeff chose
Lulu (www.lulu.com) as the online publisher.
Internet technology at its finest, Lulu
eliminates requirements for up-front
investment and minimum number of sales.
Each book is published on order and is
available whenever anyone wants one.
Hardcover volumes were on display at the
USIC, and they were beautiful.
INAV is the premier source of Indoor FF
news and information, with articles and plans
from many top competitors. Whether you are
looking for current competition secrets or
want to delve into the history of Indoor FF,
this collection is a must-have. Visit Lulu and
search for “INAV” to take a look.
Til next time. MA
conclusion that one item in the SPA rules
is self-defeating. That is, the rule to limit
the airplanes to those designed before
January 1, 1976.
There aren’t many of those designs
readily available today in kit form and
especially ARF form. From what I see at
the field I fly at is almost nothing but
ARFs (sadly), and there are very few
people who are going to go to the trouble
to build from plans. Why not open up the
list of eligible airplanes to any airplane as
long as all the other SPA rules are met?
This would encourage more people to
participate in SPA as it would remove the
first and probably biggest hurdle—getting
an approved airplane (kit or ARF).
Chris Burgan
Seattle, Washington
We hear this as a suggestion all the
time. People say they would compete in
SPA “ ... if only this or that rule was
changed.” But the rules have been there a
long time, and for good reason. There are
a couple of SPA-like events out there, but
they leave out the historical aspect of
early Pattern, which we feel is important.
SPA was originally formed by former
Pattern pilots who wanted to fly their
favorite Pattern planes the way they used
to fly them. SPA is an AMA SIG (special
interest group), dedicated to historical
Pattern competition of the “good old
days.”
Flying the same planes is an important
ingredient in what SPA is about. We made
the cut-off date at a point in Pattern
history where things started becoming
more expensive and complex—more
expensive high performance planes,
retracts and tuned pipes were becoming
commonplace.
Frankly, to do well in any Pattern
event the plane must have been designed
for Pattern, therefore most modern sport
planes would not be highly competitive;
they don’t fly well enough. We also
wanted to keep airplane size down to
provide a more level playing field.
The concession of allowing any AMA
plane (under 15 pounds and 78 inches) to
compete in Novice satisfies Mr. Burgan’s
desire. Hopefully, once beyond Novice, all
SPA pilots will appreciate the need to
retain the vintage aspect of Pattern in the
organization.
There are available ARFs for those
who want to (or need to) get in the air in
a relative hurry. The reason I took the
time to discuss the Cermark Javelin and
Airborne Models T-34 for Novice class is
that they are both such excellent ways for
potential newcomers to “get their feet
wet” for a very modest amount of money.
The Javelin especially is used quite a bit
among my fellow Novices.
For the experienced or “retired”
Aero Mail
Continued from page 7
Pattern pilot as I called the large number
of former Pattern flyers, the reintroduction
of the Intruder was a great
boon for both newcomers and SPA
because it can be used in all classes, and
it is a top competitor in its own right.
To be a popular plane in all classes,
any design must be competitive (no matter
how easy it is to assemble). That’s why we
have so many Intruders at our contests;
they are not perfect but they are highly
respected. Our top Novice and Sportsman
pilots both fly Intruders (one also flies a
Daddy Rabbit).
The primary alternative is an expertly
crafted (and aligned) ARC at a
competitive price for those who don’t like
to build; Zimpro’s Daddy Rabbit is an
excellent choice. Jeff Petroski (at Home
and Hobby Solutions) produces the
Taurus, Kwik Fly III, and soon-to-bereleased
King Altair kits. Those kits are
all laser-cut and use high-quality wood
throughout.
I would advise someone thinking about
competing in the higher classes but “on
the fence” about whether to become
involved or not because of the available
planes issue to give the SPA the benefit of
the doubt, get an Intruder, and come out
and see for yourself.
Duane Wilson
Asheville, North Carolina
Covering with the Glue-stick method
I was just reading in my current July
’07 issue [in Gene Smith’s FF sport
column] about Doug Beardsworth’s
article on the Curtiss BF2C-1; very nice
job on the covering and painting. It says
in the article that he used glue stick to
attach the covering.
What glue stick and where might one
get it? Sounds a lot safer than breathing
all that dope.
George Rick
via E-mail
The method of using a glue stick to
apply Japanese tissue to FF model
airframes is several years old. The most
commonly used brand is UHU.
The idea is to rub the glue from the
stick onto the framework to be covered.
Then lay the tissue on the frame and
brush rubbing alcohol onto the tissue
where it meets the frame. The alcohol
activates the glue. It is a clean and easy
way to apply Japanese tissue.
There is a DVD program available
from Robin’s View Productions (Box 68,
Stockertown PA 18083; Tel.: [610] 746-
0106) that shows in great detail all three
methods of attaching Japanese tissue.
Larry Kruse—many-time Nats FF Scale
champion—conducts the program and
shows in real time how to use the whiteglue-
and-water technique, the dope-andthinner
technique, and the glue-stick
technique.
—MA staff
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