152 MODEL AVIATION
Saturday. The rain delay on Saturday
afternoon served only to exacerbate the
situation. I got in six flights, counting my
three reflies, and the rest of our guys were
still in, even though some chose not to fly
the third round.
The idea of a World Cup before the WC
is good, but it must be planned carefully and
fully thought out.
Shutoffs: I was looking for new fuel-shutoffdevice
ideas since that rule will be in effect
the same month and year as this MA issue.
The only design that was on display was
from Henning Forbech of Denmark. I have
included photos of this unit in past CL
Combat columns.
Boris Faizov of
Russia is working
on electronic units
but did not have a
working prototype
to share yet. I intend
to stay in touch with
him to see what he
develops.
As I write this
column, Mike
Willcox, Lester
Haury, and Mark
Rudner are in
Ukraine for a
contest.
New Cyclon F2D: I
got my hands on a
batch of the Cyclon
Fortune .15 Combat
engines to test. I
French World Cup Grand Prix
[[email protected]]
Control Line Combat Rich Lopez
Also included in this column:
• Where we are with shutoffs
• New Cyclon engine
• So-Cal Fast Combat
contest
• Team Selection Program
concerns
The Cyclon Fortune Classic mounts easily on a ViKo F2D model. It uses
the same mounts and fittings as the ZALP .15, shown alongside.
Alexsandr Kalmykov designed the new Cyclon
Fortune R and Fortune Classic engines. Each features
a bolt-on front end.
The author used a triple-beam scale to collect engine weight data.
The Cyclon on the scale is 124 grams. Propeller testing continues on
the new engines.
IN THE NOVEMBER 2008 column, I
mentioned that Mike Willcox, Richard
Stubblefield, Roy Krupa, Allen Deveuve,
Mark Rudner, Tom Seigler, Lester Haury,
and I had planned to fly in the French World
Cup Grand Prix contest the weekend before
the CL World Championships in July. We
entered the contest along with 83 pilots from
around the globe. They, too, thought it
would be good to get in a little flying against
some of the best pilots in the world.
The French organizers used the same
judges and jury that were to work the WC.
You can do a bit of calculation to confirm
that a contest consisting of 91 pilots flying a
double-elimination format would take
considerably more than two days of nonstop
flying to complete.
At the end of Sunday, we had barely
finished Round Two. The competitors were
informed that Round Three was to be flown
Monday, which was the WC competitors’
official arrival date.
When we got to the field Monday
morning, we were told that we could fly
only until noon and that that would be the
end of the contest. Many of the pilots, who
had traveled specifically to Landres for the
World Cup, were somewhat disappointed, to
put it mildly.
The entry fee was 30 euros (roughly $38
per competitor). No attempt was made to
refund any part of the competitors’ money. I
felt particularly bad for Tom Seigler, who
was flying well and had three wins.
This could have been avoided the minute
the organizers saw the high level of interest,
through the limitation of entries and starting
bright and early instead of at 11 a.m.
01sig5.QXD 11/24/08 12:56 PM Page 152
have both the inboard (designated “R”) and
outboard (designated “Classic”) venturi
configurations.
This new design by Alexsandr
Kalmykov in Novosibirsk, Russia, features a
bolt-on front end. There are four stout 3mm
capscrews that hold the front end in place.
This design does not incorporate the
traditional bolt-on or screw-in backplate.
According to the Cyclon Web site, the
bolt-on front end would allow a pilot to
change the whole front of the engine after a
crash rather than try to flush out the dirt.
That sounds good in theory; however, it is
time-consuming to reassemble an engine
once the front end has been removed.
The difficulty comes from trying to line
up the crankshaft pin to the connecting-rod
hole. There is no good way to do this
without a fair amount of trial and error. It
took me a good 10-15 minutes the first time
I tried this operation.
Some of the positives are that the head
clamp and its hole pattern are the same as on
the FORAs and ZALPs. The mounting lugs
and the muffler positions are also identical.
This means that you can bolt the Cyclon
directly on an existing FORA- or ZALPpowered
model.
I encountered a machining error on the
three engines I have been running. The first
time I tried to run them at the field, I found
that I could not get the needle valve to close
enough to run at the correct setting. The
needle valve would bottom out on the
spraybar, and too much fuel would flow to
the engine. I fixed the problem by grinding
down the spraybar approximately 1/8 inch.
I also discovered that a small spring is
located in the spraybar. This, too, was part
of the problem, because in its fully
compressed state it would prevent the
needle valve from closing enough to run at
the correct setting. I ground two coils off the
spring and everything worked fine.
The Cyclon Fortunes start well and run
consistently. They do seem a bit tight and
require a run-in period. I am still in the
propeller-testing phase of my analysis, but I
am happy with the performance so far.
At this point there seems to be no
performance difference between the two
venturi configurations. Each engine weighs
124 grams without glow plugs.
Cyclon lists an inboard-venturi “R”
engine at $213.01 and the outboard
“Classic” at $197.52. Alexsandr has given
discounts for purchases of 10 or more
engines. I am sure that the exchange rate
between the euro and the dollar have an
impact on the price. I have seen the listed
prices fluctuate month to month.
Fast Combat Contest: Bill Maywald put
together a last-minute Fast Combat Contest
in Southern California on September 27 and
28. It drew 11 entries, including Roy Glenn,
Kevin Hebestreit, and Jeff Hanauer from out
of state.
Bill has had difficulty obtaining the
American Youth Soccer Organization
facility in Riverside and had to use Whittier
Narrows in South El Monte instead. This
was the time of the year when the field had
started to dry up and the gophers were
eating what little grass was left. Despite the
dust and dirt, the event was fun and Bill did
not disappoint with his free lunch.
It was obvious that the San Diego fliers
were chomping at the bit to show their
dominance in this competition. Greg Hill
took top honors, beating his flying partner,
Darrin Albert. Frank Tomich, also of San
Diego, finished in third place.
After the contest, everyone broke out
their F2D models and flew practice matches.
Plenty of former Fast Combat pilots came
out as spectators that weekend.
Team Selection Program: The chat on the
Combat Internet group has been centering
on a variety of ideas for the Team Selection
Program format. It is currently set up to use
one contest to determine the USA’s threepilot
team, alternates, and Junior
competitor.
The Team Selection Program is
conducted in the triple-elimination format
and is open to all eligible pilots. This
means that foreign competitors are not
allowed to enter. However, many foreign
mechanics have been permitted to
participate. In 2007, there were several pitcrew
members from Canada and even one
from Latvia.
Some thought it would be good to use a
multiple-contest format and a points
system. There is some merit to this idea;
other countries use this type of system.
The USA has missed the window to
modify the existing program and would
need to consider how many contests to
have and what to do with foreign pilots
who have traditionally been allowed to
compete in established events. The Red
Flag contest in Phoenix, Arizona, is
expecting Bryce Gibson of New Zealand,
several pilots from Canada, and possibly
Leonardo Silva of Mexico.
I think we can come up with a viable
multicontest program, but it will take a lot
of thought and planning. The manpower
issues with judging and organizing need to
be considered and resolved before
competitions are approved. MA
Sources:
Henning Forbech fuel shutoff:
www.modelflyvning.dk/f2d.htm
Cyclon Engines
www.rusengines.ru/?lang=en
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 152,154
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 152,154
152 MODEL AVIATION
Saturday. The rain delay on Saturday
afternoon served only to exacerbate the
situation. I got in six flights, counting my
three reflies, and the rest of our guys were
still in, even though some chose not to fly
the third round.
The idea of a World Cup before the WC
is good, but it must be planned carefully and
fully thought out.
Shutoffs: I was looking for new fuel-shutoffdevice
ideas since that rule will be in effect
the same month and year as this MA issue.
The only design that was on display was
from Henning Forbech of Denmark. I have
included photos of this unit in past CL
Combat columns.
Boris Faizov of
Russia is working
on electronic units
but did not have a
working prototype
to share yet. I intend
to stay in touch with
him to see what he
develops.
As I write this
column, Mike
Willcox, Lester
Haury, and Mark
Rudner are in
Ukraine for a
contest.
New Cyclon F2D: I
got my hands on a
batch of the Cyclon
Fortune .15 Combat
engines to test. I
French World Cup Grand Prix
[[email protected]]
Control Line Combat Rich Lopez
Also included in this column:
• Where we are with shutoffs
• New Cyclon engine
• So-Cal Fast Combat
contest
• Team Selection Program
concerns
The Cyclon Fortune Classic mounts easily on a ViKo F2D model. It uses
the same mounts and fittings as the ZALP .15, shown alongside.
Alexsandr Kalmykov designed the new Cyclon
Fortune R and Fortune Classic engines. Each features
a bolt-on front end.
The author used a triple-beam scale to collect engine weight data.
The Cyclon on the scale is 124 grams. Propeller testing continues on
the new engines.
IN THE NOVEMBER 2008 column, I
mentioned that Mike Willcox, Richard
Stubblefield, Roy Krupa, Allen Deveuve,
Mark Rudner, Tom Seigler, Lester Haury,
and I had planned to fly in the French World
Cup Grand Prix contest the weekend before
the CL World Championships in July. We
entered the contest along with 83 pilots from
around the globe. They, too, thought it
would be good to get in a little flying against
some of the best pilots in the world.
The French organizers used the same
judges and jury that were to work the WC.
You can do a bit of calculation to confirm
that a contest consisting of 91 pilots flying a
double-elimination format would take
considerably more than two days of nonstop
flying to complete.
At the end of Sunday, we had barely
finished Round Two. The competitors were
informed that Round Three was to be flown
Monday, which was the WC competitors’
official arrival date.
When we got to the field Monday
morning, we were told that we could fly
only until noon and that that would be the
end of the contest. Many of the pilots, who
had traveled specifically to Landres for the
World Cup, were somewhat disappointed, to
put it mildly.
The entry fee was 30 euros (roughly $38
per competitor). No attempt was made to
refund any part of the competitors’ money. I
felt particularly bad for Tom Seigler, who
was flying well and had three wins.
This could have been avoided the minute
the organizers saw the high level of interest,
through the limitation of entries and starting
bright and early instead of at 11 a.m.
01sig5.QXD 11/24/08 12:56 PM Page 152
have both the inboard (designated “R”) and
outboard (designated “Classic”) venturi
configurations.
This new design by Alexsandr
Kalmykov in Novosibirsk, Russia, features a
bolt-on front end. There are four stout 3mm
capscrews that hold the front end in place.
This design does not incorporate the
traditional bolt-on or screw-in backplate.
According to the Cyclon Web site, the
bolt-on front end would allow a pilot to
change the whole front of the engine after a
crash rather than try to flush out the dirt.
That sounds good in theory; however, it is
time-consuming to reassemble an engine
once the front end has been removed.
The difficulty comes from trying to line
up the crankshaft pin to the connecting-rod
hole. There is no good way to do this
without a fair amount of trial and error. It
took me a good 10-15 minutes the first time
I tried this operation.
Some of the positives are that the head
clamp and its hole pattern are the same as on
the FORAs and ZALPs. The mounting lugs
and the muffler positions are also identical.
This means that you can bolt the Cyclon
directly on an existing FORA- or ZALPpowered
model.
I encountered a machining error on the
three engines I have been running. The first
time I tried to run them at the field, I found
that I could not get the needle valve to close
enough to run at the correct setting. The
needle valve would bottom out on the
spraybar, and too much fuel would flow to
the engine. I fixed the problem by grinding
down the spraybar approximately 1/8 inch.
I also discovered that a small spring is
located in the spraybar. This, too, was part
of the problem, because in its fully
compressed state it would prevent the
needle valve from closing enough to run at
the correct setting. I ground two coils off the
spring and everything worked fine.
The Cyclon Fortunes start well and run
consistently. They do seem a bit tight and
require a run-in period. I am still in the
propeller-testing phase of my analysis, but I
am happy with the performance so far.
At this point there seems to be no
performance difference between the two
venturi configurations. Each engine weighs
124 grams without glow plugs.
Cyclon lists an inboard-venturi “R”
engine at $213.01 and the outboard
“Classic” at $197.52. Alexsandr has given
discounts for purchases of 10 or more
engines. I am sure that the exchange rate
between the euro and the dollar have an
impact on the price. I have seen the listed
prices fluctuate month to month.
Fast Combat Contest: Bill Maywald put
together a last-minute Fast Combat Contest
in Southern California on September 27 and
28. It drew 11 entries, including Roy Glenn,
Kevin Hebestreit, and Jeff Hanauer from out
of state.
Bill has had difficulty obtaining the
American Youth Soccer Organization
facility in Riverside and had to use Whittier
Narrows in South El Monte instead. This
was the time of the year when the field had
started to dry up and the gophers were
eating what little grass was left. Despite the
dust and dirt, the event was fun and Bill did
not disappoint with his free lunch.
It was obvious that the San Diego fliers
were chomping at the bit to show their
dominance in this competition. Greg Hill
took top honors, beating his flying partner,
Darrin Albert. Frank Tomich, also of San
Diego, finished in third place.
After the contest, everyone broke out
their F2D models and flew practice matches.
Plenty of former Fast Combat pilots came
out as spectators that weekend.
Team Selection Program: The chat on the
Combat Internet group has been centering
on a variety of ideas for the Team Selection
Program format. It is currently set up to use
one contest to determine the USA’s threepilot
team, alternates, and Junior
competitor.
The Team Selection Program is
conducted in the triple-elimination format
and is open to all eligible pilots. This
means that foreign competitors are not
allowed to enter. However, many foreign
mechanics have been permitted to
participate. In 2007, there were several pitcrew
members from Canada and even one
from Latvia.
Some thought it would be good to use a
multiple-contest format and a points
system. There is some merit to this idea;
other countries use this type of system.
The USA has missed the window to
modify the existing program and would
need to consider how many contests to
have and what to do with foreign pilots
who have traditionally been allowed to
compete in established events. The Red
Flag contest in Phoenix, Arizona, is
expecting Bryce Gibson of New Zealand,
several pilots from Canada, and possibly
Leonardo Silva of Mexico.
I think we can come up with a viable
multicontest program, but it will take a lot
of thought and planning. The manpower
issues with judging and organizing need to
be considered and resolved before
competitions are approved. MA
Sources:
Henning Forbech fuel shutoff:
www.modelflyvning.dk/f2d.htm
Cyclon Engines
www.rusengines.ru/?lang=en