Aero Mail - 2007/08
June Blooms
I just wanted to take a few minutes to send this e-mail concerning the June cover design. I have been a member since 1985 and have received many magazines and this June cover design has to be one of the best I have ever seen.
The black and red colors make such great impressions. Down here in Texas, I would put it in the same category as running your finger around the bottom of a freshly baked red velvet cake with that rich, thick white icing curling up on your finger. Outstanding work! Thanks to all of you who were involved in June’s cover design. The magazine is so well put together and very informative.
Ronnie Barber Longview, Texas
More Matchmaking
I enjoyed the article by Andy Lennon “Matchmaking” [in the June MA] very much. It answered many questions I have had about prop sizes.
However, going from a 2-blade to a 3-blade prop requires some guessing, and I was wondering if Dave Gierke had ever developed a PLF formula for 3-blade props.
Jod Socol via e-mail
Actually, it’s a matter of gathering data from existing 3-blade propellers and going from there.
I haven’t had much involvement with 3-blades for quite some time, so I must first obtain a good cross-section of what’s currently available, and then run them on representative engines that have known torque and brake-horsepower characteristics. Then, the 3-blade can be directly compared to a 2-blade and its propeller factor (PF = D x D x P).
Of course, this is all dependent on the design of the 3-blade prop; different manufacturers will produce a different load on the engine for the same diameter and pitch. The propeller factor (PF) is really designed to be used within a family of propellers from a given manufacturer.
So, unfortunately, I can’t provide a brief response that’s meaningful at this time. I’ve been asked for this by several other individuals, so I guess that I should get moving.
Dave Gierke Lancaster, New York
Terrific Rex Review
I just wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed your article on the 450SE [“Swash Plate: Align T-Rex 450SE (CDE)” in the June MA]. I was lucky enough to get one for my birthday (43rd if we’re counting) and it was my first helicopter.
I laughed when I read your comments about the lack of prose in the manual—I really struggled a bit not knowing anything about helicopters or model anything. The slightly ambiguous diagrams were also confusing as I wasn’t sure which way to put the servos, or for that matter, whether they go on the inside or outside of the frame. Once built, it became quite obvious.
I was also completely intimidated by the sound of the blades as they roared up to speed, but thankfully I had been careful enough in the building process that it flew more or less stable—with any troubles no doubt caused by pilot error.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
