CL Racing
Dave McDonald, Box 384, Daleville IN 47334; E-mail: [email protected]
JANUARY IN FLORIDA includes some airplane flying and some golfing. What could be better? The Florida modelers held their annual January 1 contest a day early this year. The weather was good if you were from the North; the temperature was in the mid-60s with slight winds. If you are looking for an event to take your mind off the winter weather, this is a must. The turnout was good, as usual, with contestants from New Jersey, Indiana, and, of course, Florida.
I had the opportunity to fly Fox Racing for local Florida participant Ron Macknet. He won the event using a Pat Matson Mongoose kit. Most of the Fox Racers were the Mongoose design. Fox Racing continues to enjoy great support and is getting more competitive all the time. Ron posted a very respectable time of 6:20 for the 100 laps. Bob Whitney was second, and Wayne Trivin was third.
Clown Racing was also on the agenda. Bob Whitney needed a pilot, and I volunteered. Looking back, some practice would have been a good idea, but I figured I would have plenty during the 15-minute heat. Bob used a Nelson .19 that was very quick, but his range was very short. He was only getting approximately 30 laps, which caused him to make 10 pit stops during the heat.
Ralph Aaberg was not as fast, but he almost pulled off the victory. Ralph is a local Florida racer, and his son Pat takes care of the flying duties. After the dust settled, Bob Whitney was fortunate to win with 280 laps, and Ralph was close behind at 277. Gabe Manfredi had a mishap in the pits and a long stop, but he still took third at 206 laps.
I was looking forward to the Quickie Rat event. I took a new airplane based on a prototype kit that Pat Matson is producing and a new engine that needed to be raced, so this contest provided an opportunity to compete with both.
Quickie Rat is very competitive, and propeller selection and a good airplane are crucial. Most of the engines are very close in performance, so pit work and attention to detail are becoming more important.
Dick Lambert handled the pitting duties for me, and he did an outstanding job. A perfect heat race gave us the quick time of the day. During the final, Dick made two pilot errors of bringing the model in too slow, but he still managed to provide ample cushioning for a win at 6:33. Wayne Trivin was second at 6:46, and Ron Macknet was third at 7:15.
Quickie Rat Kits
Pat Matson is producing a very good-flying Quickie Rat kit. The airplane has excellent performance and handling characteristics. The design has been proven during the past two years. The airplane has posted quick heat times of approximately 3:01 in several contests including those in Portugal and St. Louis, Missouri. It also posted one of the quickest times at the 2001 Nationals, flown in the Junior division.
The kit features a 12-inch balsa fuselage and turtledeck, 3/8 x 1/2-inch maple engine mounts, a 3/8 x 1/2-inch maple wing spar, 3/32 plywood doublers, a 1/8-inch check cowl, a 3/16 x 4-inch balsa wing blank, a 1/4 x 3/8-inch basswood leading edge, a 9/16 x 3/16-inch basswood trailing edge, a 1/8-inch basswood stabilizer, elevator, rudder, aluminum engine plate (this is an excellent place to mount the tank and shutoff), landing gear, leadouts, shutoff wire, elevator. The kit is available with an optional aluminum landing gear; it makes for easier assembly and is very strong. The price of the basic kit is $45 plus $8 shipping. Pat also offers a version with most of the wood done except for gluing it together. Contact Pat for more information about the options. I have included his address at the end of the column for your convenience.
B Team Racing Update
Sometime ago I published pictures of a Lawrence Williams B Team Racer from the AMA National Model Aviation Museum. My rendition of the basic design is coming along very nicely, and I've included a picture of it.
I am actually building three models, the second is a Rudy Panko design, and the third is a second Williams racer. The Panko and the second Williams model will have Enya .29s that have been modified by Dennis Ward of the United Kingdom. Dennis has a long history of success in Vintage B in the UK, and I am looking forward to running his engines.
I'd like to share some hints that I think are important for these airplanes, or for any racer as far as I am concerned.
One of the first things I decided that my B Team Racer needed was an adjustable leadout. I wanted it to be a very small and compact unit that would keep the wire appropriately spaced. I looked at how my father, who has built models for more than 55 years, has made adjustable leadouts for the past 30 plus years, and I modified his basic design to suit my requirements.
I simply turned the attachment unit flat and inserted into the bottom wing skin. Then I machined a U-shaped piece of 1/8-inch-thick aluminum, drilled two holes for the leadouts, and drilled two holes for the 4-40 attachment/adjustment screws. This type of assembly allowed me to maintain the tip thickness of the wing that I was wanting.
I strongly suggest modifying any racing airplane to have adjustable leadouts; it is well worth the effort when you need to trim the airplane.
My B Team Racer model's wing construction is identical to that of my Soar Racing model's wing; it will provide great strength and be relatively lightweight. The key to the wing is the basswood spar, the basswood leading edge, and the carbon-fiber trailing edge, which provides extreme strength for the wing.
I also ran a plywood sub-spar that is cut from a large sheet of plywood, which gives me a cross-grain to the wing skin. I used 3/32-inch thick rib to give a better glue surface to the top skin. The bigger rib does not add any weight, but it does keep the wing stiff. A stiff wing is usually a fast wing.
The B that I am building will have an O.S. .25 FX engine, which should provide ample horsepower and good feel on a B Team Racer as good airframes if you like to build and have an airplane that actually looks like an airplane — not just a profile. One area where you can use your imagination is the engine cowling. I have seen too many people not building a cowling for engine cooling. Taking hints from the old Argus and Acme Control Line stunt designs with their cooling inlets, I designed my cowl to allow for ample cooling and different looks.
This B model is not only to have fun, but to make something unique. I hope that others decide to build B models and participate at the Nationals. With the removal of the 100 mph rule, B could be your event if you like making your own fuel and competing in an event that requires building skill.
Well, I 'm perplexed: Steve Wilk has a new selection of propellers for all events. He has a good variety for B Team Race and Quickie Rat. I have included his address for your convenience.
Are you a member of the NCLRA (National Control Line Racing Association)? If not, why not join today? Send $10 in the U.S. and $12 outside the US to Dick Lambert, 4651 Ridgewood Ave., Port Orange FL 32127.
As always, your comments are solicited and appreciated. MA
Sources: Pat Matson 960 S. Olive Muncey IN 47302 [email protected]
Steve Wilk 2287 Welcome Ave. N. Crystal MN 55422 [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
