CONTROL LINE SCALE
Bill Boss 77-06 269th St. New Hyde Park, NY 11040
Support the US Scale Team
US Scale team member Dale Campbell informed me of a website—www.builtrightflyright.net/U.S.Scaleteam1.htm—that has been set up to provide information about the team members and to request financial support. The group will be going to Poland in July to compete in the Scale World Championships.
Because the AMA has limited funds for this contest, the team is asking for help from all concerned modelers in the form of monetary donations to help get them and the necessary equipment to Poland.
- Send donations to: Lloyd Roberts, team manager, 140 Porter St., Rockport, ME 04856.
- Make checks payable to: FAI F4B/F4C Team Fund.
- Donors of $25 or more will have their names added to a donor list on the website.
- Donors of $25 or more are also entitled to a CD-ROM of the Championships (you must include a note with your donation indicating that you want the CD).
In addition to donations, there will be a mega raffle for many gift certificates in $50 and $100 denominations. Tickets will be sold at:
- Westchester Radio Aero Modelers show
- Toledo show
- Top Gun
You can also buy tickets from any of the team members; their names, addresses, and full details are posted on the website.
This is a great opportunity for all modelers—regardless of category—to support our Scale team members as they represent the country in one of modeling’s great competitions. Be generous.
Nationals Scale Competition
Nationals Scale competition will take place June 25–27 and will include all the usual AMA Scale classes as well as some unofficial events.
- CL Scale event director: Mike Welshans, 976 Pearson St., Ferndale, MI 48220; email: [email protected]
- RC Scale event director: Ed Terry, 900 County Rd. 210, Logan, AL 35098; email: [email protected]
Additional information is available at the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA) website: www.scaleaero.com/amascale.htm. If you’re interested in volunteering at the Nationals, contact Mike Welshans or Ed Terry.
From Friends in the South
Frank Landry of Metairie, Louisiana, and fellow modeler Ed Shearer lead an informal group of CL Scale modelers from the New Orleans area. The group doesn’t do much contest activity, but they enjoy building and flying their models. Among the members there are more than 40 Scale airplanes in flyable condition or in various stages of construction or repair. Most aircraft range from 32 to 45 inches in wingspan.
Highlights:
- Frank Landry built a P-51 Mustang from a Jetco kit in the late 1950s. It retains the kit’s color and markings, weighs 48 ounces, and is powered by a Fox .25 RC engine. Frank made wing modifications to the original plans; after 28 years in storage the P-51 was almost entirely rebuilt and completed another successful first flight.
- Frank also has a scratch-built, 1/12-scale World War II Russian MiG-3. This model weighs 49 ounces and is powered by a K&B .35 RC engine. It features operational flaps, a sliding canopy, and is reportedly a good-flying model.
- Ed Shearer is restoring an Me 109E built from an early 3/4-inch-scale Graupner kit. The model required many changes to meet Scale specifications and is powered by a Fox .15 RC engine. The Me 109E placed seventh in the Nationals in the late 1970s.
- Current and planned projects include Ed building a Russian La-7, Tony Azenhoffer restoring an old Berkeley P-51 Mustang, and Frank constructing a Russian Il-2 and an Il-10 (both 3/4-inch-to-1-foot scale). All the models are controlled by a standard Roberts-type three-line system.
Perhaps you’ll see some of these projects in a future column.
Shop Tip
As we get older we make more trips to the druggist to have prescriptions filled. Some of the plastic bottles our medications come in are excellent for storing many small items used in the shop or on the flying field.
- The bottles are clear or amber and have childproof caps (push down and turn).
- Sizes vary from approximately 3 inches tall by 1 inch diameter to roughly 6 inches tall by 1 1/4 inches around.
- Use them to store needle valves, small drills, diminutive field tools, and other small items used for building, flying, and maintaining models.
- You can usually remove prescription labels and replace them with your own.
- The caps make the containers nearly airtight, keeping contents clean.
- If desired, make a workshop rack from wood or a piece of expanded polystyrene foam to hold the containers.
Flashing Lights
Want an easy way to make flashing navigational lights? During the holidays many of us use strings of low-wattage lights that flash on and off using 110-volt house current. I found small battery-operated pumpkin and Santa Claus lights that flash and are powered by two AA batteries. These units can be adapted as navigational lights on certain models.
- Circuit is simple: two AA batteries (3 volts), a single-pole switch, and the flashing bulb unit.
- The flashing is accomplished within the bulb unit by a bimetal switch that breaks the circuit when it heats; as it cools the circuit completes and the bulb lights again. The unit contains a socket for easy bulb changes.
- Note: the flasher bulbs used in the long 110-volt strings did not work with the 3-volt battery supply.
- I found the battery-operated units in a local discount store for roughly $1 each.
Submissions
Please send ideas, notice of upcoming CL Scale events, contest reports, and especially photos of CL Scale activity to me at the address at the top of this column.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
