November 2010 105
Red Scholefield | redscho@The Battery Clinic bellsouth.net
Florida aeromodeling activities
The increase in electric-power fly-ins in Florida has caused a burst in popularity of
large electric Scale models. Lee Montgomery had his outstanding Aeronca LC and
Bristol F.2B at the OWLS meet in Morriston.
Working hard at the OWLS meet were (L-R) registration ladies Ruth Dittmar and JeAnn Wayne, Rainbow Café workers Tom
Cornell and Steve Tibbetts, and Master Chef Charlie Borgert.
Also included in this column:
• Jerry’s low-cost electric
racing
• Hydrogen fuel cell: ready for
prime time?
• Simple ideas to enhance your
modeling experience
LEADER MEMBERS (LMs), please
contact your district vice president or AMA
Headquarters via e-mail, US Postal Service,
or telephone for important information
regarding your LM status. According to
Frank Geisler, head of the program:
“This is one part of a multi-pronged
approach to reaching out and contacting all
LMs in the AMA. Based on the results of
the latest LM survey, we have a big problem
with not being able to contact all our LMs
and we need them to update their contact
info, especially their e-mail address which is
the most convenient method of
communication for both the sender and
receiver.”
With the increase in electric-power fly-ins
here in Florida, we are also seeing the
electrification of large Scale models that you
don’t see everyday, such as those flown at
the OWLS (One Wing Low Squadron)
electric meet in Morriston. Lee
Montgomery’s Aeronca LC and Bristol
F.2B were extremely impressive.
Sixty-five full-scale LCs were
manufactured from 1936 to 1937. Only
seven are thought to survive today. Of the
more than 5,000 F.2Bs that were eventually
built from the mid-1910s to the mid-1920s,
only three original airworthy versions are
still in existence worldwide.
What goes on behind the scenes at these
meets is what makes them truly great. From
signing in pilots to feeding them takes a
dedicated crew.
So I would like to recognize some
workers from the Tri-County R/C Club in
Dunnellon, Florida. Registration ladies were
Ruth Dittmar and JeAnn Wayne, Rainbow
Café workers were Tom Cornell and Steve
Tibbetts, and the master chef was Charlie
Borgert. Well done!
Electric Racing on a Budget: The Pine
Ridge R/C Electric Airplane Club, also in
Dunnellon, has a new low-cost racing
program. Jerry Dittmar designed the model,
which is slow and underpowered; that way it
will not intimidate the average sport pilot.
That is achieved by using a high-Kv
motor matched with a small propeller. The
aircraft screams like mad and goes almost
nowhere but is light on the wing—a good
combination for the average flier.
The design is constructed from patterns
that were employed to build the prototype.
They are available for all club members’
use. The construction material can be any
type of foam board that is approximately
1/4 inch thick, such as Dow BlueCor,
6mm Depron, etc.
11sig4x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 9/23/10 9:46 AM Page 105
The model must have some form of
landing gear suitable for unassisted takeoff
at the start of a race. Landing is your
problem.
The motor of choice is the BP Hobbies
1450 Kv 2208/14 outrunner. The ESC is the
pilot’s choice. The motor draws just less
than 12 amps on a 3S 1350 mAh Thunder
Power battery swinging a 7 x 4 APC Slow
Flyer propeller.
Keep in mind that overpropping and five
laps at full throttle has the potential to burn
up a motor if overamped.
After much discussion, it was decided
that a three-cell Li-Poly battery of the
pilot’s choice can be used. The prototype
model used a three-cell, 1350 mAh Thunder
Power battery.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Our Models? It has
been talked about
for years, and now
Horizon Fuel Cell
Technologies (no
106 MODEL AVIATION
relation to Horizon Hobby) is offering a fuel
cell for model applications. It seems to be
aimed at the RC car market; the maximum
power output is 30 watts at 8 volts. That’s
not much to get excited about for flying
applications.
This fuel cell is intended to be used in
conjunction with a Li-Poly pack that can
supply the high power surges. Run time is
an hour with two hydrogen fuel cartridges
(15 watts each).
The fuel cell measures 3 x 2.5 x 15
inches, and the control box is 3.4 x 3 x 1
inches. A desktop refueling station for either
120 volts AC or a 60-watt solar panel is
offered. With the unit weighing 25 ounces
and having a $550 price tag (refueling
station is extra), I will let you be the judge
of whether or not it is ready for use in
aeromodeling.
Snap-Ring Removal: Getting that pesky
snap ring off of a motor shaft can be a
challenge if you don’t have the correct tool.
Above: Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies seems to be aiming at the
RC car market. The maximum power output is 30 watts at 8 volts,
which is not much to get excited about for flying applications—yet!
Left: The Pine Ridge club has a new low-cost electric-power racing
program. Jerry Dittmar designed the model for the event. Slow
flying is the secret.
Where can you place the transmitter when you’re moving a model
out of the pit area? Simply add a bracket to the leaning post.
Red updated his airplane hauler with more capacity. The PVC
platform doubles his model-transport ability, and it is easy to convert
the van back to a people carrier.
Getting that pesky snap ring off of a motor
shaft can be difficult if you don’t have the
appropriate tool. Check out Harbor Freight
for these beauties.
11sig4x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 9/23/10 9:47 AM Page 106
November 2010 109
I happened upon some nifty miniature
snap-ring pliers at Harbor Freight Tools
(item 96512) that set me back only $6 for a
set of four—inside, outside, and 45º. You
will have to grind off a bit of the jaws to
allow the tool to get the points closer
together.
Safely Hang That Transmitter: The problem
of where to put that transmitter when you
are moving your model out of the pit area
can be solved by simply adding a bracket to
the leaning post.
You don’t have leaning posts at your
club? Get them; they are great for older
pilots and those who tend to wander around
when flying. (My club hasn’t added seat
belts yet.)
This field-feature upgrade means no
more risk of having a transmitter get
bumped or fall over and possibly move the
throttle to wide open before you are ready.
The bracket is a piece of 2 x 4 wood,
notched to accept the handle that is on the
back of most transmitters.
Your transmitter has no handle? Then a
small shelf with something to keep the
transmitter from falling off will do.
While reworking my airplane hauler, a
Honda Odyssey, to add carrying capacity, I
had the need for 3/4-inch-OD schedule 40
PVC three-way corner fitting connectors.
Local do-it-yourself stores couldn’t help me.
It was good old eBay to the rescue.
When I’m pressed to locate something that
is hard to find or no longer made, I have
found eBay to be invaluable.
With the three-way corner fittings in
hand, I proceeded to make a table frame that
was roughly 18 inches above the surface I
had with the seats folded.
So far the PVC has stayed together
without glue; that will be handy if I want to
make future modifications. You can use
short sheet-metal screws if you need to hold
everything together.
For the top I used a 1/8 sheet of 4 x 4
tempered Masonite with 1 x 2 wood stiffeners
glued and screwed around the periphery,
nearly an inch in from the edge and an inch
down the center so it simply drops into the
PVC frame. I covered the surface with
matching indoor/outdoor carpet held in place
with double-stick carpet tape.
The structure is easy to remove when you
want to revert to passenger duty. If you get the
right carpeting, you will find that the hook
side of Velcro sticks to it quite well; that
knowledge can help to keep your models from
wandering around in transit.
More US vendors are exiting the RC market.
When I learned that Medusa Research was no
longer going to serve the RC market, I tried to
find its Power Analyzer II—one of the best
tools I’ve seen. I have had no luck with my
typical modeling sources or on eBay. If you
find one, grab it.
Aveox, a pioneer in brushless motors and
controllers for aeromodelers, has also exited
the market.
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Be safe and be informed. Frequently check
discussions on the Forum located on the
AMA Web site. MA
Sources:
OWLS
www.onewinglowsquadron.org
Pine Ridge R/C Electric Airplane Club
www.pineridgerce.com
Jerry Dittmar
(727) 527-7860
[email protected]
BP Hobbies
(732) 287-3933
www.bphobbies.com
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies
www.horizonfuelcell.com
Harbor Freight Tools
(800) 444-3353
www.harborfreight.com
eBay
www.ebay.com
AMA Forum
www.modelaircraft.org/forums
Red Scholefield’s Battery Clinic
12219 NW 9th Ln.
Newberry FL 32669
www.hangtimes.com/redsbatteryclinic.html
11sig4x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 9/23/10 9:47 AM Page 109
