Although it may sound like an
advertisement for a product, I would really
recommend that folks who are new to
flying helicopters invest in the RealFlight
simulator to get a feel for the controls.
That simulator saved me countless dollars
and hours and it paid for itself in the first
week—even before considering the fun of
flying all different types of aircraft.
I quickly learned that the trouble
determining orientation when the
helicopter was not too far away was not
restricted to the simulator—real life was
almost as bad—and actually worse if
there’s a bright sun.
Anyway, back to my main point—I
really enjoyed your article because my
experience was the same as yours—so it
was reassuring to know I wasn’t alone in
that sensation.
Derek Burney
via E-mail
About the May 1982 MA
I enjoy and look forward to seeing the
magazine covers for “25 Years Ago in
MA” [in the “In the Air” section]. It’s one
of the 1st things I flip to because 25 years
Aero Mail
Continued from page 7
ago I got back into RC after my 4 years in
college; so I’m watching to see if I
remember any of the covers!
Noticed that May’s was the same as
March’s; and I believe that March was
correct—sort of could read it. And, I think
January didn’t have the spot.
Would it be possible to include “about
the cover” in the “25 Years Ago in MA”?
Jim Blanner
Edina, Minnesota
(Editor’s note: That’s not a bad idea,
Jim! We have begun including the cover
story with that section. Following is a shot
of the May 1982 cover we missed and its
description.)
“About the
cover: The
main picture of
this month’s
feature RC is
the stuff that
dreams are
made of. But no
need to
dream—build
your own!
Willard’s
Seamaster
Sport 40 (.40
engine, natch) can be flown from water or
land. Photo by James M. Wade, Jr. Inset is
artist’s rendering of John Hunton’s design
for AMA’s new building to be constructed
in Reston, VA—on the outskirts of
Washington, DC. The artist is none other
than Brad Powers, who presently earns his
livelihood with such work, and who
previously has graced this magazine’s
pages with theory and practice of model
design (and will have more good articles in
the future). Donations of time and talent by
Brad Powers and John Hunton are
excellent examples of how AMA members
can help to make modeling’s new home a
reality.”
Beginners Love FAQ
Bob Aberle’s column is invaluable to
new e-flyers like myself. When I receive
my monthly copy of MA the first thing I do
is read his column [“Frequently Asked
Questions”].
As a beginner in e-flight, I have several
ARFs in various stages of salvage from
crashes. From that column I learned to
calculate wing loadings and watts per
ounce for power. As I try to mix and match
the salvageable pieces, are there ratios for
elevator and rudder areas to wing areas so
that I can put together something that will
fly fairly well?
Charles
via E-mail
Here are a few very basic design tips.
Generally everything is related as a
function of the wing area. A horizontal
stab (including the elevator) should be
about 25% of the wing area. The total
vertical tail (fixed and rudder) can be
about 10% of the wing area.
I generally start with a c.g. position at
about 25% back from the leading edge of
the wing at the root (along the fuselage). A
good airfoil thickness is about 12-15% of
the wing chord (at each rib position). So if
your wing is tapered, the airfoil will get
progressively thinner as you work your
way out to the tip.
When it comes to the distance between
the wing and the stab—a rough
approximation is to use 21/2 wing chords
(measured at the root or at the fuselage),
to obtain the distance between the wing
trailing edge and the stab leading edge.
Remember, this is really a rough guide.
Try to keep records of your various
models listing all of the basic dimensions.
After awhile you will build a booklet of
your own parameters that will work. I’m a
big fan of keeping an engineering notebook
crammed with all the facts I can record on
each and every one of my models.
Bob Aberle
MA Technical Editor
Best Place to Catch Up
I have been out of the hobby for three
years due to medical problems. I now have
the time to get back into the hobby. I
AMA Academy of Model
Aeronautics
ARF Almost Ready to Fly
BEC Battery Eliminator Circuit
CAD computer-aided design
cc cubic centimeter
CD contest director or
compact disc
CG center of gravity
CL Control Line
cm centimeter
cu. in. cubic inch
DT dethermalizer
EPP (foam) expanded polypropylene
ESC Electronic Speed Control
FAI Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale
FCC Federal Communications
Commission
FF Free Flight
LCD Liquid Crystal Display
LE leading edge
LED light-emitting diode
Li-Poly Lithium Polymer
mA milliamperes
MA Model Aviation
mAh milliampere-hours
MHz megahertz
mm millimeter
Nats AMA Nationals
Ni-Cd Nickel Cadmium
NiMH Nickel Metal Hydride
RC Radio Control
rpm revolutions per minute
RTF Ready to Fly
SASE self-addressed, stamped
envelope
SIG Special Interest Group
TE trailing edge
ModelAviation’s
Frequently Used
Abbreviations/Acronyms
142 MODEL AVIATION
08sig5.QXD 6/22/07 9:54 AM Page 142
ldmann. Many tips and techniques
discussed in this article will benefit the
twin owner.
A few months ago I wrote an editorial
about getting out of our modeling comfort
zones and trying something new and
challenging. Building a twin or assembling
an ARF twin certainly qualifies!
A “Boss” Milestone: Twenty-five years
ago Bill Boss submitted his first CL Scale
column for these pages. That’s a quarter
century of service to his sport and to AMA.
No matter what your personal interest is in
aeromodeling, I’m sure you’ll agree that this
type of dedication is a rare and wonderful
thing.
Through those years Bill has not only
reported on the progress in CL Scale, but he
has been a leader in the discipline’s
development and innovation. If you love Scale
models—in any form—Bill’s column is a
must-read. In this month’s column Bill revisits
a technique he developed to install a working
sliding canopy on a P-40 he flew in the 1976
Nats.
I live in the same region as Bill, and I’ve
known him since I started competing in CL
Stunt on the East Coast circuit. He has always
been friendly and helpful, and his service to
the local CL community is well documented. I
extend my heartfelt thanks to him for being a
friend and a servant of our sport.
Bill, here’s wishing you well as you start
out on the next 25 years!
You can contact me for comment or question
via phone (610) 614-1747; by mail at Box 68,
Stockertown PA 18083; or