Control Line Aerobatics
Bob Hunt [[email protected]]
Nonflapped models that are available in plan or kit form
Also included in this column:
- The Hole Shot
As I promised in the last column, I will cover what models are out there in plan form that would make good CL Aerobatics (Stunt) trainers and fit our intended building/flying project. I'm going to prune down the list to those that are fairly easy to build (and repair) and still fit into the project philosophy I am going to promote.
Flying Models (FM) magazine (a product of Carstens Publications and my alma mater) has an extensive list of plans for all types of models, and the CL Stunt and Profile Stunt designs it includes are impressive. This magazine has continued to actively support the CL flier/builder through the years with construction features, contest reports, and regular Stunt and Combat columns.
I propose that newcomers start with a nonflapped design, which considerably cuts down the field of possible models. The FM Plans Directory (available from Carstens Publications) includes a few ideal candidates for our project.
The Hole Shot design I mentioned as a good choice in the previous column (September 2007 MA) was developed from one of FM's plan offerings: the Dick Mathis-designed Mongoose. We changed the moments and the aesthetics, but we did steal and use that great airfoil profile!
A flapped model might make more sense for those who are journeyman Stunt fliers, so I'll take a look at what's available on that front in a later column.
There are only a few nonflapped designs available in plan form that I feel would make great Stunt trainers. Chief among those are:
- Dick Mathis's Coyote (FM plans CF140)
- Mathis's Mongoose (FM plans CF291)
- Mathis's Cherokee (FM plans CF95) — it has a tricycle landing gear and might be good if you fly from a rough field
Another great flapless model, which is a bit more labor intensive, is Ted Fancher's Doctor. It is large (approximately 630 square inches of wing area) and requires a .36- to .50-size engine. The Doctor was designed to achieve flaplike performance without flaps. Correctly built and finished, it has an exceptionally low wing loading and will turn impressive corners. It's a good choice for accomplished builders and a notch above the others I have mentioned in capability.
Plans for the Doctor are available through the Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association (PAMPA). It was a featured construction article in Stunt News, which is PAMPA's official publication.
Curt Nixon is in charge of PAMPA products; he can fix you up with the Doctor plans and the May/June 1998 issue of Stunt News, in which the article was published. He will accept orders via telephone with a major credit card. Even if you opt not to build the Doctor, a copy of the article would be great to have. Ted Fancher has a great deal to share about the subject in that piece, and his articles are interesting and informative to read.
This is probably a good place to suggest that if you have any interest in CL Stunt flying, whether sport or competition, you should strongly consider joining PAMPA. Not only do you receive the best CL Stunt publication—Stunt News—on a bimonthly basis, but you also receive a directory that lists all the members, their addresses, and their phone numbers. One of PAMPA's missions is to promote communication between fliers, and members are encouraged to pick up the phone and call fellow members if they have questions. This is a great way to find a flying/building buddy. A member near you might be able to act as a teacher during your early stages of building and flying, so don't hesitate to call!
If you are interested in joining PAMPA, send a request for a membership form to 158 Flying Cloud Isle, Foster City, CA 94404. It's the best investment you can make in Stunt.
A number of flapless models in the kit world make good Stunt trainers. Sig Manufacturing's Skyray (item SIGCL25) is easy to construct and flies well. A few have modified it to optimize its performance and aerodynamics. Brett Buck (the 2006 Nats Stunt champ) touts the Skyray as a great Stunt trainer and has posted much on the Stuka Stunt Control Line Forums about how he modifies it and powers it. Contact Sig Manufacturing for more information about the durable and easy-to-build Skyray.
The old Top Flite Models Flite Streak and Flite Streak Junior were competent nonflapped airplanes. I learned to fly inverted with a Flite Streak Junior and flew a Flite Streak as a Stunt trainer after wearing out the last of my J. Roberts Swifts, which I mentioned in the previous column. I modified the Flite Streak's stock single-wheel gear to a dual-leg Dural type, but no other modifications were required. It did a great job of flying the round maneuvers precisely, but, as with all nonflapped models, it needed to be flown carefully through corners so it wouldn't stall, or "mush."
That is actually a good thing because it makes the new Stunt flier learn to contour the corner with precise control inputs rather than "hammer" the turns, as flapped models allow. John D'Ottavio once gave me a valuable piece of information about Stunt flying: "Fly through the corners — not to the corners." By flying through the corners rather than just using full control to make the model rotate, the pilot learns how to accurately place the airplane exactly where he or she wants it to go. It's subtle, but it is one of the most important lessons to learn in making maneuvers look precise.
You need to be able to connect the corners and the flats in such a manner that it looks like (and in fact is) one continuous motion. A flapless aircraft makes you work at this, and it makes you a much better flapped-model pilot when that time comes.
The good news is that Brodak Manufacturing has reissued the Flite Streak Junior (item CLP-42) and the larger original Flite Streak (item CLP-43) in kit form. The company also produces a similar design, in kit form, called the Lightning Streak (item CLP-23), which would also serve our training purposes.
Numerous capable and competent nonflapped ARFs are available as well. However, I'm going to hold off discussing them until later because the aim of this particular project is to learn to build and fly!
The Hole Shot:
I am going to focus on the Hole Shot as the design for this construction project. If you are building a different model from plans, the majority of what we will discuss will relate one to one.
If you are building from a kit, most (probably all) of the parts-cutting work will have been done for you. That is fine, but I advise you to, at some point, build a model from plans so you will learn how to duplicate the parts shown on the print in wood. If you intend to compete in Stunt in the future, learning to build well is imperative.
The Hole Shot can fly equally well built with either a foam-core wing or a built-up wing. The choice of which to use is yours. If you opt for the foam-wing variant, you must take extra pains to keep the model light. All that sheeting, glue, and foam weighs more than the air between a built-up wing's ribs!
Why even consider a foam wing? Guaranteed accuracy. A properly cut and covered foam wing will be free of warps and remain so throughout the model's lifetime. In addition, foam-winged models are quite a bit more durable. Built-up wings may be more difficult to construct accurately initially, and they are more prone to "move" significantly with temperature and humidity changes. (Ask me about how those weather variables affected my electrified Genesis at the 2006 CL World Championships.) However, built-up wings are generally a few ounces lighter than "foamers."
Foam cores and fully sheeted foam wings for the Hole Shot are available from Aero Products. The original Hole Shot and several subsequent models were constructed with foam-core wings, but some built-up versions were also produced. They all seem to fly well.
The aesthetics of the original Hole Shot's fuselage were fairly bland because it was hastily designed and constructed to allow my son, Robby, to have something with which to learn to fly the pattern maneuvers. That was back in 1989! Not many pains were taken to add flair to the design. We got adventurous with fuselage shapes on subsequent Hole Shots and even had a contest to see who in our design group could come up with the most unusual/pleasing/weird profile. Dean Pappas' brother, Larry, won the contest by applying an abstract side-view shape of his Citroën car. It was wild!
Dean drew a design he called "Organum," which was sleek, organic-looking, and plenty weird, just like Dean (except for the "sleek" part...). Mike Spedaliere drew the profile that featured the lines of his popular Professor series of Stunters. Robby and I concocted a more parochial-looking side view, but it suited the need. A slightly modified/updated version of that profile is the one shown on the main plans.
Don't hesitate to use the engine/wing/tail placement shown on the plans to draw a side-view design of your own. Almost any shape will work as long as you do not go to extremes in adding too much aft side area. Hey, experimentation is also part of CL Stunt flying!
I'll stop here on this subject for this month. By the next time (the January column) you should have made a decision about what design you want to build and have the plans or kit in hand.
'Til next time, fly Stunt! MA
Sources
- Aero Products — (678) 407-9376 — www.aeroproduct.net
Control Line Aerobatics - 2007/11
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