New Racing Technology Is on the Horizon
James Holland <[email protected]>
Overview
Sitting at my computer to write this column early in the new year, my thoughts are focused on what 2006 could bring in the way of technical developments to the sport of racing control-line model airplanes. Based on conversations with a few F2C (FAI Team Race) competitors, this looks to be a big year for new technology.
F2C developments
According to Dick Lambert (top qualifier for the 2006 US World Championships team), 2005 saw a continuation of the trend toward more extensive use of molded carbon-fiber technology in airplane construction. This trend is likely to persist in 2006. The main constraint right now appears to be the availability of lightweight carbon-fiber tow; 1K tow is currently being used. Dick believes it is likely someone will produce .5K tow, which will allow the production of lighter carbon-fiber cloth. To the best of my knowledge, the lightest cloth available on the U.S. market is 2 ounces per square yard.
F2C is the class in which the old adage "light is right" is most frequently used (Henry Nelson was probably the first to apply this saying to F2C).
Engine technology
Dick also sees 2006 as having the potential for engine technology to finally lift its performance out of the realm of most people's piloting capabilities. Developments to look for include the use of bimetal (aluminum/ceramic) pistons and sleeves, which will likely become the norm because of the extensive research in this area. Also rumored (none have been spotted yet) is a new Mazniak engine design featuring dual rear bearings. This powerplant's performance level is claimed to be impressive enough to make current engines nearly obsolete.
The newest AMA (supplemental) event—Mouse II—may go through some changes this year, with Profi introducing a new .049 engine to the market. The timing on the current version of the .049 appears to be too high to turn the right propellers for Mouse II, but this problem can be overcome by "dropping" the liner in the case. I will provide specifications for this modification in a future column if I can.
Landing gear
I believe we may see retractable landing gear become more commonplace this year. Dick Lambert built a lightweight model with retractable gear in 2005, and the Profi (Ukrainian) factory was offering models with retractable landing gear as an extra-cost option in the run-up to the 2004 World Championships. Although retractable landing gear has been used in F2C for approximately 40 years, its time may be now as teams look for every last aerodynamic gain for a competitive edge.
AMA and NCLRA events — expected trends
F2C is the class in which we see the most frequent technological innovations, but the AMA and National Control Line Racing Association (NCLRA) events also feature a fair degree of technological refinement with each year of competition.
I also expect to see a couple more fully streamlined "Rat"-style airplanes debut this year. AMA Rat Race (as modified to be limited to .15 engines only) is likely to see a wider variety of "real" Rat Racers this year, with some competitive sidewinders. If this is the case, the days of being able to win this class by running an AMA Scale Racer will have come to an end.
Engine selection may stay a bit more open than for AMA Scale Racing; the NovaRossi .15 and some Russian/Ukrainian .15s appear to lend themselves to this event and its potential for minipipe use.
Flying Clown is the most likely NCLRA event to see a notable degree of technical innovation in 2006. No engine has emerged to dominate this event; however, NovaRossi .15s, Nelson .15s, Nelson and Mazniak diesels, and Fora, Profi, and Cyclon Combat glow engines will pick up wins at the local, national, and regional level this year.
Airframe construction in Flying Clown provides potential for innovation, with carbon fiber replacing spruce and plywood as reinforcing material in high-stress areas of the airframe. I am building a new model of this class from a Brodak kit and have used .014-inch carbon-fiber tape in a balsa laminate to reinforce the leading edge. I have used 1/16-inch carbon plate to replace the plywood fuselage doubler.
NCLRA "classic" B Team Race has also undergone a great deal of technological change in the last three racing seasons. The Webra .28 seems to be the current powerplant of choice, but a variety of other .25- and .28-displacement Schnuerle-ported engines seem close in performance.
The engine I'm watching for is a transplanted .28 car unit. These seem to be going through significant development at this time, and conversion to airplane use appears to be practical.
With regard to airframes, the field seems wide open. True classic designs such as the Dalesman and the Double Dice appear to have no notable disadvantage compared to newer designs such as Don Burke's Nemesis.
Other events such as AMA Scale Racing and NCLRA Quickie Rat are probably going to be technologically stable in the coming year, with no new engine types or restrictions appearing likely. Development for both classes will therefore be restricted to innovation in airframe design and construction and propeller design and tuning.
Propellers and suppliers
That last thought leads me to my next topic: aftermarket propellers. The market for special propellers for control-line racing events (particularly AMA events) seems limited at this time.
To the best of my knowledge, the following people or businesses supply carbon-fiber racing propellers for AMA events:
- Steve Wilk (Eliminator Props)
- Steve Eichenberger
- Bill Lee (Edom Enterprises)
- Mike Hazel
- Falcon Hobbies
The good news is that Steve Wilk and Steve Eichenberger have been busy lately producing a number of new designs in carbon fiber. Eliminator has introduced three new propellers suitable for NCLRA Quickie Rat in the last year, as well as copies of two APC "Racing Series" 6.5-inch-diameter propellers that are usable with some .15 engines.
A notable addition to their lineup is a 7x5 propeller intended for use by the F2CN diesels. I have a copy in my possession and believe that, with some suitable carving (including a reduction in diameter), this propeller could be extremely effective in the Flying Clown event.
Steve Eichenberger released two new propellers just before the 2005 Nats: one for AMA .15 Rat and one for AMA Scale Racing. Both have blade shapes and sections I have enjoyed some success with, and Steve demonstrated the potential of his "Rat" propeller by having the fastest airspeed in the event at the Nats.
In addition to several F2C propellers, Bill Lee also carries a copy of the Bolly G3 Scale Racing propeller. I consider it to be the best Bolly G3 copy on the market. The real version is available, typically through special order, and I have been obtaining mine from Falcon Hobbies in Canada for the last few years. The Falcon Hobbies people are easy to work with and willing to help with special orders.
Sources
Eliminator Propellers Steve Wilk 3257 Welcome Ave. N. Crystal, MN 55422
Steve Eichenberger 2102 W. Western Dr. Chandler, AZ 85224 (480) 730-0016
Bill Lee (Edom Enterprises) 601 Van Zandt CR 4815 Chandler, TX 75758 (903) 852-5599
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
