CL Navy Carrier 2014/01
By Dick Perry
New Carrier records
Burt Brokaw had a good year in 2013. In addition to winning the Eugene Ely Award at the Nats with a first-place finish in Profile and Class II and a second in Class I, he set two new records.
Burt's new Class II record of 522.7 replaced Pete Mazur's record, which had stood for nearly 13 years. Burt's MO-1 is a Mazur design, built by Bill Melton and passed to Burt through Eric Conley, so it has a history. Burt replaced the gear, control system, tank, and other items on the aircraft and substituted a Nelson .45 engine with a Nelson muffler. It runs on 10% fuel as required by the rules. The engine uses a carburetor from a Magnum .91 and muffler pressure. Its top speed was 105.5 mph, slow speed was less than 5 mph, and the record flight was slightly more than 6 minutes. Conditions were perfect, according to Burt, and the record reflects that fact.
The Profile Carrier record fell to Burt at the Marschinke Memorial Contest in Tucson, Arizona, last September. Burt's Messerschmitt Bf 109T was designed and built by Eric Conley. The model is powered by a muffler-equipped Nelson .36. The airplane's high speed was 99.4 mph and slow speed was 4.6 mph. It flew more than 6 minutes and made a perfect 100-point landing for a score of 417.1. Congratulations, Burt — well done!
New Carrier Modelers
New Carrier modelers are always welcome, and it has been great to see some fresh faces in the Carrier circles in the last year. I welcome information—and especially photos—of new Carrier models and novice Carrier modelers.
- Danette Wallick
Danette has been seen at the Nats in the past with husband H. David Wallick. This year Danette was at the handle in .15 Carrier and the Sportsman Profile Carrier events. She placed second in Sportsman .15 and first in Sportsman Profile. Her Profile Carrier entry was a Fairey Spearfish.
- Laura and Greg Beers
I met Laura and Greg for the first time at the Carrier Plus contest in Phoenix. Both were flying in the Nostalgia events. Laura's model was a Bob Smurthwaite–designed F8F Bearcat Profile. Greg entered Class II Nostalgia with a Grumman Guardian.
- Gary Marchand
Gary is no stranger to stunt fliers, but he has recently branched out into Carrier, flying a new Class I Nostalgia F4U Corsair. The model uses K&B power and is based on the Sterling kit.
- Randy Snow
On my last visit to Tucson for the Southwest Regionals, I ran into Randy with his new Curtiss F6C-2 Hawk biplane. It wasn't quite ready for flight last January, but it is a great-looking model. Randy's family heritage in CL Scale shows in the design detail and workmanship. I'm hoping to see Randy fly it on my next trip to Arizona for a contest.
2.4 GHz Controls
The 2.4 GHz RC option for controlling any function on a Carrier model, except the primary flight control (elevator), is being adopted by more Carrier modelers, especially as they build new models. Most radio installations are appearing on Profile models and on electric-powered Carrier. With ESCs for electric motors able to process throttle output directly from the receiver, the setup is simplified.
Eric Conley's 2.4 GHz handle
Eric Conley has been developing CL handles for 2.4 GHz radios. He uses a Spektrum car radio as the basis of his control system and has modified it for CL flying:
- The original grip was removed and replaced by a new control handle suitable for CL flying.
- The throttle trigger on the radio was retained and is used the same way as the throttle control on traditional three-line handles.
- The radio head can be removed from the handle. Battery power for the radio is mounted on the bottom of the handle for balance.
- Power is provided through a wire and plugged into the radio board when the radio portion is attached to the top of the handle. The attachment uses a tongue-and-groove and a wooden plug that fits the holes left by removing the original grip. A rubber band completes the installation.
- This removable radio head allows for pull testing without subjecting the radio to potential damage.
Sources
- Navy Carrier Society: http://navycarriersociety.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
