CL Aerobatics
Curt Contrata, 8341 S.W. 28 St., Davie FL 33328; E-mail: [email protected]
EARLY IN JULY Bill Rich, Gene Martine, Randy Smith, United States F2B Junior team member Rob Gruber, and I got together and had what we affectionately call a "Stunt Camp." Three of us had new airplanes, and one was still unflown.
At the last minute, for weather reasons, we decided to meet at Bill's field in Tampa, Florida. He has cleared himself a great spot to fly in the middle of an old, overgrown patch of asphalt. The most impressive part is the path Bill has made through the weeds by walking each day from his car to the circle; it's a sandy trail that only daily foot traffic over a long period of time would make.
At these Stunt Camps, Saturday is typically spent trimming and Sunday morning is when the serious flying and coaching session begins.
Bill brought out his newest model: a bright-red-on-white SV-22 with a paint scheme inspired by the one on his 1995 Pasco Nationals airplane with which he placed second that year. It is truly a signature Bill Rich model with a very aggressive look.
Gene also had a new SV-22 — the second one for him to be trimmed in John Deere® colors. He is considering getting a green-and-yellow jumpsuit to match it. You can never tell with Gene ...
Randy brought his EXEL with that super-sweet-running PA .51. It is always good to hear one of Randy's engines run to reset your ear to the way it is supposed to sound. Rob also had a new airplane, built in time for the World Championships. He is staying with the standard design and powers it with a PA .61.
I was the one with the new, unflown airplane: the Satona SV-24. It's a new Randy Smith design with my trademark checkerboard on the tail and bottom. Trimmed in red, yellow, metallic silver, and black over white, it is powered by a piped PA .40.
Saturday was a bit of a disappointment; a quick change in the weather kicked us off the field early in the afternoon. "This is like Stunt Prison!" Bill said. In spite of the shortened day, we got everything sorted out and ready for a serious Sunday-morning session.
At one point Gene was having trouble with his new model. It seemed like it would just not track, and when it turned it would not look for a hard, flat corner. Walking back to the pits, Gene related to Randy the problems he was having flying the model. Randy immediately bent down and felt the controls on Gene's airplane, and found them to be very stiff.
We have all installed Adjustable Leadout Guides with separate sliding blocks for the up-and-down leadouts on our new models; this gives us one more level of adjustment. Brodak makes them, and neither Randy nor I have had a problem.
However, Bill and Gene have had the blocks rotate when they're being tightened, which causes the leadout to rub against the plywood guide. This, in turn, makes the controls stiff, causing the airplane to hunt. Once this was resolved, the model began to groove and track very well. Gene looked better than ever.
My Satona showed great promise. By the third flight it was flying cleanly, not having problems anywhere. In fact, by that third flight it was already the best airplane I have ever had. We were getting 5.4-second lap times with a beautiful four-two-four break.
Sunday the field opened at 6:30 a.m., and Bill put the first one up. With little time between flights, contest style, it was a very productive morning. With perfect air and lightly overcast, Bill was heard singing a different tune: "This is Stunt Heaven!" Flight after flight, we went nonstop for hours.
Bill had his video camera and taped our flights with added commentary. He even made copies of the tape and mailed them out.
There are often unexpected benefits to technology, and the Internet is no exception. I am referring to the various auction sites and the "for sale" sections on discussion forums. With very little effort you can eventually find almost anything, and if you're patient you can even get a good deal. During the past few years I have purchased quite a few kits this way — all but one at very reasonable prices.
The prices on old kits are approximately the prices of new kits today. Green Box Noblers are selling on the Internet for the same price Brodak Noblers sell for in stores. The same goes for just about every kit you ever had as a kid, available today, in its original box. There are, of course, those exceptions; if you find an Ambroid Ares, it won't come cheap.
I do not recommend building these old kits because the wood and parts are usually terrible, but they sure are fun to bid on, receive in the mail, then open after not seeing them for so many years. Their value is stable, so it is even possible to cycle your collection every so often and not lose money.
Send photos and input for this column to me at the addresses in the header. MA
Sources:
Ball links and control horns: Tom's Building Service 327 Pueblo Pass Anniston AL 36206 (256) 820-6977 [email protected]
Balsa Molding Techniques VHS video: Robin's View Productions Box 88 Stockertown PA 18083 (610) 746-0106 [email protected]
Satona plans: Aero Products 1880 Scenic Hwy. N. Snellville GA 30078 (770) 979-2035 [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
