CL Racing
Dave McDonald, Box 384, Daleville IN 47334; E-mail: [email protected]
Titusville contest
With the cold weather, it is always enjoyable to go to a contest in the middle of winter. I recently attended the last contest of the 20th century, and what was probably the first contest of the 21st century.
Titusville, Florida was the location, and I would highly recommend that if you are looking to mix good flying, good people, and a nice place to fly, to mark your calendar to attend this event next year. The local Control Line community enjoys a great relationship with the local school administration. The school administration is very supportive of the modeling activities in Titusville, and has provided the Control Line community there an area to use, all pavement, and comes complete with a nice pavilion to use.
There were separate contests on December 31 and January 1; they featured Fox Racing, Quickie Rat, and Mouse Racing. Unfortunately, Mouse Racing was canceled because of some very windy conditions late in the day. But Fox Racing and Quickie Rat were well-attended.
Dick Lambert and I decided to participate on fairly short notice, and with a borrowed Quickie Rat airplane we were able to post a respectable second-place finish. If you have never tried Quickie Rat, it is an enjoyable event; the airplanes are easy to build and fly.
Local (Florida) modeler Wayne Trivin has done some outstanding work on the K&B engines he uses. Wayne has some extremely high-quality rings, and is having Bob Oge chrome the sleeve and fit the engines. This combination is a must-have if you want to go fast.
Wayne's model had by far the fastest airspeed. It was consistently in the mid-16s (16 seconds) for seven laps. His attention to detail on preparing the engines shows; it combines great airspeed with super restarts.
Most of the other competitors were in the mid-17s; only one other team was able to run at the 17.0 mark. It was no surprise that Wayne was able to finish first in the event with his quality airplane and engine. Wayne posted a great time of 6:16, while team Lambert/McDonald took second at 6:33, and third place was Bob Whitney at 8:19.
Fox Racing was held on both days. Almost everyone used Mongoose airplanes with the front-feed tank. This event is slow enough to allow everyone to fly—beginners and experts alike.
I have observed that if there is a consistent mistake, it is the setting of the needle valve. It is usually set too rich; most of the time these settings would be good for Stunt, but not for Racing.
One tip is to let the engine warm up before you start adjusting the needle valve. I have found that bringing the engine up to operating temperature is a must to get a proper needle setting. So next time you practice—and as with any other event, to be successful you must practice—let the engine warm up before you make many adjustments.
On Saturday, Glenn Lee of Illinois used an airplane that Bob Whitney built to take first place with a somewhat slow time of 6:33, while Ron MacKnett finished second at 6:35. Rounding out the top three finishers was Ralph Aaberg.
On January 1, Gabe Manfredi came out victorious with a time of 6:42.66. Ralph Aaberg was second and Phil Bayly was third.
Again, if you are looking for a nice event to attend, you cannot beat Florida in the winter.
Epoxy, composites, and trouble-shooting
I recently received a letter concerning a problem with using industrial-grade aluminum-filled epoxy resins. The problem was "a million little air bubbles," and poor strength, resulting in breakage.
I am not a resin expert, but I have talked to one. His advice is noteworthy, and I thought I would share it in case others are having problems—especially since more and more models are being constructed with composite materials and industrial-grade epoxies, to reduce weight and provide more strength.
Not all resins are equal; you should always remember that you usually get what you pay for.
It is a good idea to look at the factors regarding resins:
- What is the structural requirement of the part?
- The cost factor?
- Your ability to mix, handle, lay up, and cure the finished part?
Key points and precautions:
- Epoxy does have a tendency to absorb moisture, or carbon dioxide from the surrounding air. The absorbed material inhibits the polymerization or crosslinking reaction of the epoxy. It is important that parts not be laid up when the ambient temperature is less than 60°F (most resin manufacturers actually refer to 77° as "room temperature").
- Watch for a problem called "exotherm" with room-temperature epoxies. This is a rapid increase in the temperature of the resin as it is curing. An extreme exothermic reaction may result, and will actually boil the still-liquid resin. This is an extreme scenario but is possible if you are using a resin that is not designed for your job. Read product information bulletins regarding the amount of epoxy that may be poured at one time, and obtain the proper resin for the job.
- When handling these industrial resins, consider the resin and the hardener as poisons and handle them with care. The degree of danger differs for each component and from one type of resin to another, but all are toxic to some degree.
- Epoxies tend to have a cumulative effect on the body; after several years without a problem you can suddenly become sensitized because of absorption of vapors through the skin. Read the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) and take appropriate precautions.
- It is very important to mix the resin thoroughly and follow the recommended mix ratios from the manufacturer. Some resins use parts-by-weight; others parts-by-volume. To obtain the manufacturer's stated strength properties, mix per the suggested ratios.
- Make sure the resin and hardener are at appropriate temperatures; this reduces the chance of air being trapped in the mix, preventing proper curing and reducing strength.
- Mix the resin for at least two minutes to ensure complete mixture of the A and B components. Try to keep air out of the mix as much as possible. Again, aim for a resin and ambient temperature of approximately 77°F.
Ciba-Geigy Corp. (4917 Dawn Ave., East Lansing MI 48823) offers the Epoxy Plastic Tooling Manual, approximately 50 pages of practical knowledge. This makes a nice addition to your reference collection. If you do composite material work, you will find this very informative.
If you are looking for a good source for composite material, I would suggest that you contact Wick's Aircraft Supply (410 Pine St., Highland IL 62249; Tel.: (618) 654-7447; Web site: www.wicks.com/aircraft). They have a wide range of material available, and offer extremely competitive (and in most cases, lower) prices. They have a very nice catalog, and it's well worth the effort to obtain one. They carry everything from Randolph butyrate dope to Kevlar® cloth.
The use of composite and molded technology is increasing every year. Racing airplanes are getting lighter yet stronger. If you follow some simple precautions and have some practice and patience, there is no reason you cannot make more and more components from composite material.
Support the 2000 F2C team (fund-raiser)
In conjunction with Henry Nelson, the National Control Line Racing Association (NCLRA) is holding a fund-raiser. Prizes:
- First prize: $350 in Nelson merchandise
- Second prize: $150 in Nelson merchandise
- Third prize: five props from Steve Wilk's Eliminator series
To enter, send your check or money order to NCLRA F2C fund, c/o Dave McDonald, Box 384, Daleville IN 47334. Please include a SASE. The drawing will be held at the NCLRA Nats banquet.
Are you an NCLRA member? Send $10 US ($12 foreign) to Dick Lambert, 4651 Ridgewood Ave., Port Orange FL 32127. A newsletter is published six times a year.
As always, your contributions are solicited and appreciated.
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
