90 MODEL AVIATION
More about World War 1 Aeroplanes, Inc.
Greg Gimlick | maelectrics@Electrics gimlick.com
ProgressiveRC’s ultimate charge-cord adapter accommodates an array of connectors
for many different systems.
The publications from World War I Aeroplanes, Inc.—WW1 Aero and Skyways—are
available to order on the Web to print or download digitally. They are well worth your
support and time.
“Max-charge” Li-Poly battery packs and Li-
Poly storage/charging bags from Zeus
Batteries. The company manufactures
batteries and accessories for a wide range of
applications and products.
Also included in this column:
• The mother of all charge
adapters
• Zeus “max-charge” Li-Polys
• Get the correct connectors
• Antenna saver
Includes the following connectors:
(from top to bottom)
Mini-Tamiya
T-Plu
1/18 Scale (i.e. Losi Mini-T)
Pair of Bare Wires (solder your own connector)
Traxxas
Tamiya
EC3
XT60
Sermos (Anderson PowerPole)
EC5
JST
JR Servo
Futaba J Servo
Micro T-Plug
Pico Connector (i.e. Blade MSR)
Glow Plug
JR Transmitter
Futaba Transmitter
I RECEIVED AN email from Tom
Polapink after he saw the mention of his
publications in a previous column. In his
usual humble way, he wanted to provide
some information about the organization
behind them.
He wrote:
“I should point out that WW1
Aeroplanes, Inc. (the organization behind
the publications) was founded by Leo
Opdycke and 2011 will mark the 50th
anniversary of the organization. Leo was
editor & publisher for WW1 Aero for the
first 197 of our 205 issues and was
publisher for the first 86 issues of Skyways.
“Also deserving credit are the late Kenn
Rust (the first editor of Skyways) and Dave
Ostrowski who edited many issues of
Skyways over the years after Kenn.
Presently Jonathan Fallon is editor of WW1
Aero.
“We have a board consisting of seven
members, all of whom are model builders,
pilots, reproduction builders, aviation
historians, and truly all-around great guys!
I’m very proud to be part of the WW1
Aeroplanes Inc. team!
“If it would be possible to include a link
to our website in your next column we
would sincerely appreciate it!”
If you haven’t checked out WW1
Aeroplanes yet, you need to. It’s a great
06sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 4/20/11 1:07 PM Page 90
June 2011 91
organization that is worthy of our support.
Contact information is in the “Sources”
listing at the end of this column.
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a
“must see” if you have even the slightest
interest in WW I-era aircraft. Its annual RC
event happens in September the week
before the NEAT (Northeast Electric
Aircraft Technology) Fair.
I travel a lot and often encounter situations
in which I’m trying to help someone at the
field who has completely different
connectors on his or her system than I do.
Even within my arsenal of airplanes and
helicopters I have diverse connectors on
various systems.
I’ve seen a couple of charge-cord
adapters that had several types of
connectors, and I’ve made adapters, but I’ve
never seen a cord with as many different
kinds as the one from ProgressiveRC.
The guys in Columbus, Ohio, at Cyclone
Hobbies made me aware of this cord, and I
ordered one from them right away. It’s big
and has more types than any I’ve seen.
After speaking to David Gray at
ProgressiveRC, I found that the company is
working on adding even more.
I have a word of caution for you,
though; make sure that the polarity of the
plug on whatever adapter you’re using
matches the polarity of the connectors on
your system.
The XT-60 connector that comes on
many of the Li-Poly packs from Hobby City
are not wired the same as the ones on the
ProgressiveRC adapter; they are reversed.
You can pop the connectors out of the
housing and change them fairly easily, but
always double-check before plugging in
anything.
When I mentioned this to David at
ProgressiveRC, he said that they studied the
applications in which this connector is used
and chose the polarity that is most common.
Unfortunately it doesn’t match the Hobby
City Li-Polys, so buyer beware! This goes
for any connector you buy.
I usually stay clear of covering batteries—
because that’s “The Battery Clinic” author
Red Scholefield’s territory and he’s the real
expert on that subject—but I saw some ads
in MA for Zeus batteries and decided to try
them. So far I’ve run several cycles on my
2S and 3S packs, and they’re holding up
nicely.
Construction of the packs seems good,
and fortunately their balance plugs match
the majority of plugs that are currently
used. The packs arrived at the perfect
storage-level charge, and each had cells that
were within .01 volt of each other.
These batteries are called “max-charge”
because they’re rated for 5C charging,
although the manufacturer specifies the best
charge rate to be “2C or less.” That falls in
line with most experts’ recommendation.
Many of our packs have higher charge
rates, but more gentle treatment greatly
improves their longevity. If money is no
object or speed of charge is a must, have at
it, but I find that a bit of planning keeps me
in the 1C-2C rate, and my packs are
outliving many others.
I also added a couple more small 7 x 9-
inch Li-Poly storage/charging bags. I treat
my Li-Polys with great care and never
charge or store them in the open.
Zeus manufactures batteries of all types,
so check them out for your camera needs
and much more. I have two electric scooters
and looked into buying sealed lead-acid
batteries for them. I learned that I could
match capacity and saved almost 40% by
getting them through Zeus instead of my
scooter dealer.
I continue to get emails about and photos
of electric power setups that almost scare
me. Throughout the years I’ve written
whole articles about choosing connectors to
increase efficiency, but you need to select
connectors that will handle the application
even if you don’t care about saving a
percentage or two here and there.
Check out the photo of the burned
connector. Can you see why there was a
problem with this setup using 10S and 80
amps?
We won’t argue about whether silver
plated or gold plated is best, and we won’t
even debate whether bullets are better than
polarized plugs. But I will stand by the fact
that you need good material and surface
area to carry the load.
This burned connector has little surface
area for the actual connection, and the
spark from plugging in the battery burned
this tab off of the male plug within a couple
of cycles.
Skimping on connectors can lead to
burned plugs and possible danger. Using
the correct-size bullets and solder cups
can help prevent this from happening.
Xtreme Power Systems sells 6mm bullets that are made from gold-plated nickel alloy
and stand up to the demands of high voltage/current.
An easy fix for reinforcing and protecting receiver antennas involves Robart 10-foot
pressure tubing. See text for details.
06sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 4/21/11 9:04 AM Page 91
For these high-power applications I
much prefer the 6mm bullets shown in a
different photo. They have solder cups
that are easy to solder, great surface
contact area, and thick plugs to avoid
burning off when the spark hits.
I get the 6mm connectors from Xtreme
Power Systems, but several sources carry
adequate bullets for high voltage/current.
Do not skimp on your connectors.
I fly with many Spektrum and JR
receivers and have stumbled across a very
easy modification to ensure that those
little antennas don’t get bent or broken. I
can’t claim this as my idea, because my
flying buddy, Wayne Parrish, showed it to
me, but it’s so simple and efficient that
I’ve done it to all of my receivers.
There is a small extrusion where
antenna wires come out of the receivers,
and the 10-foot pressure tubing (item 169)
that Robart sells for its retracts fits over it
perfectly. It is snug and stays in place.
I cut a piece slightly shorter than my
antenna wire and slide it over the
extrusion. Now there is no way anything
can bend or break that precious wire.
The Loudoun County Aeromodelers
Association’s 12th annual electric fly-in
will be held July 23. This event seems to
grow every year. I keep wanting to make
it up there, and it always conflicts with my
92 MODEL AVIATION
schedule; maybe this year will work.
Check out the website for more
information, and try to attend. A landing
fee of $5 also covers lunch if you’re a
registered pilot. You can’t beat that!
Final Approach: By the time you read
this, the Southeast Electric Flight Festival
and Joe Nall Fly-In will be in the books.
I’ll be somewhere out West, traveling and
looking forward to seeing you at the
field.
I’ll be attending the inaugural electric
meet at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in
Woodruff, South Carolina—the site of
the Joe Nall Fly-In—in October. I hope
you will put it on your calendar.
If you’ve never been to Pat Hartness’
flying site, you’re missing something.
That group knows how to put on an
event, and I predict that this falltime
electric meet will become one of the
premier gatherings in the country. MA
Sources:
World War 1 Aeroplanes, Inc.
(845) 835-8121
www.ww1aeroinc.org
ProgressiveRC
www.progressiverc.com
Cyclone Hobbies
(614) 263-3720
www.soundideasinc.com
Zeus
(877) 469-4255
www.powercellbattery.com
Xtreme Power Systems
2440 N. Kiowa Blvd.
Lake Havasu City AZ 86403
www.xtremepowersystems.net
Robart Manufacturing
(630) 584-7616
www.robart.com
Loudoun County Aeromodelers
Association
www.lcaa.org
1561 River Highlands Dr. , Oconomowoc, WI 53066
262-352-6670 • www.precision-aero.com
• All Maple and Birch
Ply Construction.
T H E O R I G I N A L
ULTIMATE FLIGHT STAND
• Completely
Assembled, Ready
for Your Finish.
• Folds to a Compact
4" x 24" x 36".
• Optional Wheel Kit
Available.
• Cradles Open to 14" .
$14995
PLUS $23 S&H
06sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 4/20/11 1:08 PM Page 92
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/06
Page Numbers: 90,91,92
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/06
Page Numbers: 90,91,92
90 MODEL AVIATION
More about World War 1 Aeroplanes, Inc.
Greg Gimlick | maelectrics@Electrics gimlick.com
ProgressiveRC’s ultimate charge-cord adapter accommodates an array of connectors
for many different systems.
The publications from World War I Aeroplanes, Inc.—WW1 Aero and Skyways—are
available to order on the Web to print or download digitally. They are well worth your
support and time.
“Max-charge” Li-Poly battery packs and Li-
Poly storage/charging bags from Zeus
Batteries. The company manufactures
batteries and accessories for a wide range of
applications and products.
Also included in this column:
• The mother of all charge
adapters
• Zeus “max-charge” Li-Polys
• Get the correct connectors
• Antenna saver
Includes the following connectors:
(from top to bottom)
Mini-Tamiya
T-Plu
1/18 Scale (i.e. Losi Mini-T)
Pair of Bare Wires (solder your own connector)
Traxxas
Tamiya
EC3
XT60
Sermos (Anderson PowerPole)
EC5
JST
JR Servo
Futaba J Servo
Micro T-Plug
Pico Connector (i.e. Blade MSR)
Glow Plug
JR Transmitter
Futaba Transmitter
I RECEIVED AN email from Tom
Polapink after he saw the mention of his
publications in a previous column. In his
usual humble way, he wanted to provide
some information about the organization
behind them.
He wrote:
“I should point out that WW1
Aeroplanes, Inc. (the organization behind
the publications) was founded by Leo
Opdycke and 2011 will mark the 50th
anniversary of the organization. Leo was
editor & publisher for WW1 Aero for the
first 197 of our 205 issues and was
publisher for the first 86 issues of Skyways.
“Also deserving credit are the late Kenn
Rust (the first editor of Skyways) and Dave
Ostrowski who edited many issues of
Skyways over the years after Kenn.
Presently Jonathan Fallon is editor of WW1
Aero.
“We have a board consisting of seven
members, all of whom are model builders,
pilots, reproduction builders, aviation
historians, and truly all-around great guys!
I’m very proud to be part of the WW1
Aeroplanes Inc. team!
“If it would be possible to include a link
to our website in your next column we
would sincerely appreciate it!”
If you haven’t checked out WW1
Aeroplanes yet, you need to. It’s a great
06sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 4/20/11 1:07 PM Page 90
June 2011 91
organization that is worthy of our support.
Contact information is in the “Sources”
listing at the end of this column.
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a
“must see” if you have even the slightest
interest in WW I-era aircraft. Its annual RC
event happens in September the week
before the NEAT (Northeast Electric
Aircraft Technology) Fair.
I travel a lot and often encounter situations
in which I’m trying to help someone at the
field who has completely different
connectors on his or her system than I do.
Even within my arsenal of airplanes and
helicopters I have diverse connectors on
various systems.
I’ve seen a couple of charge-cord
adapters that had several types of
connectors, and I’ve made adapters, but I’ve
never seen a cord with as many different
kinds as the one from ProgressiveRC.
The guys in Columbus, Ohio, at Cyclone
Hobbies made me aware of this cord, and I
ordered one from them right away. It’s big
and has more types than any I’ve seen.
After speaking to David Gray at
ProgressiveRC, I found that the company is
working on adding even more.
I have a word of caution for you,
though; make sure that the polarity of the
plug on whatever adapter you’re using
matches the polarity of the connectors on
your system.
The XT-60 connector that comes on
many of the Li-Poly packs from Hobby City
are not wired the same as the ones on the
ProgressiveRC adapter; they are reversed.
You can pop the connectors out of the
housing and change them fairly easily, but
always double-check before plugging in
anything.
When I mentioned this to David at
ProgressiveRC, he said that they studied the
applications in which this connector is used
and chose the polarity that is most common.
Unfortunately it doesn’t match the Hobby
City Li-Polys, so buyer beware! This goes
for any connector you buy.
I usually stay clear of covering batteries—
because that’s “The Battery Clinic” author
Red Scholefield’s territory and he’s the real
expert on that subject—but I saw some ads
in MA for Zeus batteries and decided to try
them. So far I’ve run several cycles on my
2S and 3S packs, and they’re holding up
nicely.
Construction of the packs seems good,
and fortunately their balance plugs match
the majority of plugs that are currently
used. The packs arrived at the perfect
storage-level charge, and each had cells that
were within .01 volt of each other.
These batteries are called “max-charge”
because they’re rated for 5C charging,
although the manufacturer specifies the best
charge rate to be “2C or less.” That falls in
line with most experts’ recommendation.
Many of our packs have higher charge
rates, but more gentle treatment greatly
improves their longevity. If money is no
object or speed of charge is a must, have at
it, but I find that a bit of planning keeps me
in the 1C-2C rate, and my packs are
outliving many others.
I also added a couple more small 7 x 9-
inch Li-Poly storage/charging bags. I treat
my Li-Polys with great care and never
charge or store them in the open.
Zeus manufactures batteries of all types,
so check them out for your camera needs
and much more. I have two electric scooters
and looked into buying sealed lead-acid
batteries for them. I learned that I could
match capacity and saved almost 40% by
getting them through Zeus instead of my
scooter dealer.
I continue to get emails about and photos
of electric power setups that almost scare
me. Throughout the years I’ve written
whole articles about choosing connectors to
increase efficiency, but you need to select
connectors that will handle the application
even if you don’t care about saving a
percentage or two here and there.
Check out the photo of the burned
connector. Can you see why there was a
problem with this setup using 10S and 80
amps?
We won’t argue about whether silver
plated or gold plated is best, and we won’t
even debate whether bullets are better than
polarized plugs. But I will stand by the fact
that you need good material and surface
area to carry the load.
This burned connector has little surface
area for the actual connection, and the
spark from plugging in the battery burned
this tab off of the male plug within a couple
of cycles.
Skimping on connectors can lead to
burned plugs and possible danger. Using
the correct-size bullets and solder cups
can help prevent this from happening.
Xtreme Power Systems sells 6mm bullets that are made from gold-plated nickel alloy
and stand up to the demands of high voltage/current.
An easy fix for reinforcing and protecting receiver antennas involves Robart 10-foot
pressure tubing. See text for details.
06sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 4/21/11 9:04 AM Page 91
For these high-power applications I
much prefer the 6mm bullets shown in a
different photo. They have solder cups
that are easy to solder, great surface
contact area, and thick plugs to avoid
burning off when the spark hits.
I get the 6mm connectors from Xtreme
Power Systems, but several sources carry
adequate bullets for high voltage/current.
Do not skimp on your connectors.
I fly with many Spektrum and JR
receivers and have stumbled across a very
easy modification to ensure that those
little antennas don’t get bent or broken. I
can’t claim this as my idea, because my
flying buddy, Wayne Parrish, showed it to
me, but it’s so simple and efficient that
I’ve done it to all of my receivers.
There is a small extrusion where
antenna wires come out of the receivers,
and the 10-foot pressure tubing (item 169)
that Robart sells for its retracts fits over it
perfectly. It is snug and stays in place.
I cut a piece slightly shorter than my
antenna wire and slide it over the
extrusion. Now there is no way anything
can bend or break that precious wire.
The Loudoun County Aeromodelers
Association’s 12th annual electric fly-in
will be held July 23. This event seems to
grow every year. I keep wanting to make
it up there, and it always conflicts with my
92 MODEL AVIATION
schedule; maybe this year will work.
Check out the website for more
information, and try to attend. A landing
fee of $5 also covers lunch if you’re a
registered pilot. You can’t beat that!
Final Approach: By the time you read
this, the Southeast Electric Flight Festival
and Joe Nall Fly-In will be in the books.
I’ll be somewhere out West, traveling and
looking forward to seeing you at the
field.
I’ll be attending the inaugural electric
meet at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in
Woodruff, South Carolina—the site of
the Joe Nall Fly-In—in October. I hope
you will put it on your calendar.
If you’ve never been to Pat Hartness’
flying site, you’re missing something.
That group knows how to put on an
event, and I predict that this falltime
electric meet will become one of the
premier gatherings in the country. MA
Sources:
World War 1 Aeroplanes, Inc.
(845) 835-8121
www.ww1aeroinc.org
ProgressiveRC
www.progressiverc.com
Cyclone Hobbies
(614) 263-3720
www.soundideasinc.com
Zeus
(877) 469-4255
www.powercellbattery.com
Xtreme Power Systems
2440 N. Kiowa Blvd.
Lake Havasu City AZ 86403
www.xtremepowersystems.net
Robart Manufacturing
(630) 584-7616
www.robart.com
Loudoun County Aeromodelers
Association
www.lcaa.org
1561 River Highlands Dr. , Oconomowoc, WI 53066
262-352-6670 • www.precision-aero.com
• All Maple and Birch
Ply Construction.
T H E O R I G I N A L
ULTIMATE FLIGHT STAND
• Completely
Assembled, Ready
for Your Finish.
• Folds to a Compact
4" x 24" x 36".
• Optional Wheel Kit
Available.
• Cradles Open to 14" .
$14995
PLUS $23 S&H
06sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 4/20/11 1:08 PM Page 92
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/06
Page Numbers: 90,91,92
90 MODEL AVIATION
More about World War 1 Aeroplanes, Inc.
Greg Gimlick | maelectrics@Electrics gimlick.com
ProgressiveRC’s ultimate charge-cord adapter accommodates an array of connectors
for many different systems.
The publications from World War I Aeroplanes, Inc.—WW1 Aero and Skyways—are
available to order on the Web to print or download digitally. They are well worth your
support and time.
“Max-charge” Li-Poly battery packs and Li-
Poly storage/charging bags from Zeus
Batteries. The company manufactures
batteries and accessories for a wide range of
applications and products.
Also included in this column:
• The mother of all charge
adapters
• Zeus “max-charge” Li-Polys
• Get the correct connectors
• Antenna saver
Includes the following connectors:
(from top to bottom)
Mini-Tamiya
T-Plu
1/18 Scale (i.e. Losi Mini-T)
Pair of Bare Wires (solder your own connector)
Traxxas
Tamiya
EC3
XT60
Sermos (Anderson PowerPole)
EC5
JST
JR Servo
Futaba J Servo
Micro T-Plug
Pico Connector (i.e. Blade MSR)
Glow Plug
JR Transmitter
Futaba Transmitter
I RECEIVED AN email from Tom
Polapink after he saw the mention of his
publications in a previous column. In his
usual humble way, he wanted to provide
some information about the organization
behind them.
He wrote:
“I should point out that WW1
Aeroplanes, Inc. (the organization behind
the publications) was founded by Leo
Opdycke and 2011 will mark the 50th
anniversary of the organization. Leo was
editor & publisher for WW1 Aero for the
first 197 of our 205 issues and was
publisher for the first 86 issues of Skyways.
“Also deserving credit are the late Kenn
Rust (the first editor of Skyways) and Dave
Ostrowski who edited many issues of
Skyways over the years after Kenn.
Presently Jonathan Fallon is editor of WW1
Aero.
“We have a board consisting of seven
members, all of whom are model builders,
pilots, reproduction builders, aviation
historians, and truly all-around great guys!
I’m very proud to be part of the WW1
Aeroplanes Inc. team!
“If it would be possible to include a link
to our website in your next column we
would sincerely appreciate it!”
If you haven’t checked out WW1
Aeroplanes yet, you need to. It’s a great
06sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 4/20/11 1:07 PM Page 90
June 2011 91
organization that is worthy of our support.
Contact information is in the “Sources”
listing at the end of this column.
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a
“must see” if you have even the slightest
interest in WW I-era aircraft. Its annual RC
event happens in September the week
before the NEAT (Northeast Electric
Aircraft Technology) Fair.
I travel a lot and often encounter situations
in which I’m trying to help someone at the
field who has completely different
connectors on his or her system than I do.
Even within my arsenal of airplanes and
helicopters I have diverse connectors on
various systems.
I’ve seen a couple of charge-cord
adapters that had several types of
connectors, and I’ve made adapters, but I’ve
never seen a cord with as many different
kinds as the one from ProgressiveRC.
The guys in Columbus, Ohio, at Cyclone
Hobbies made me aware of this cord, and I
ordered one from them right away. It’s big
and has more types than any I’ve seen.
After speaking to David Gray at
ProgressiveRC, I found that the company is
working on adding even more.
I have a word of caution for you,
though; make sure that the polarity of the
plug on whatever adapter you’re using
matches the polarity of the connectors on
your system.
The XT-60 connector that comes on
many of the Li-Poly packs from Hobby City
are not wired the same as the ones on the
ProgressiveRC adapter; they are reversed.
You can pop the connectors out of the
housing and change them fairly easily, but
always double-check before plugging in
anything.
When I mentioned this to David at
ProgressiveRC, he said that they studied the
applications in which this connector is used
and chose the polarity that is most common.
Unfortunately it doesn’t match the Hobby
City Li-Polys, so buyer beware! This goes
for any connector you buy.
I usually stay clear of covering batteries—
because that’s “The Battery Clinic” author
Red Scholefield’s territory and he’s the real
expert on that subject—but I saw some ads
in MA for Zeus batteries and decided to try
them. So far I’ve run several cycles on my
2S and 3S packs, and they’re holding up
nicely.
Construction of the packs seems good,
and fortunately their balance plugs match
the majority of plugs that are currently
used. The packs arrived at the perfect
storage-level charge, and each had cells that
were within .01 volt of each other.
These batteries are called “max-charge”
because they’re rated for 5C charging,
although the manufacturer specifies the best
charge rate to be “2C or less.” That falls in
line with most experts’ recommendation.
Many of our packs have higher charge
rates, but more gentle treatment greatly
improves their longevity. If money is no
object or speed of charge is a must, have at
it, but I find that a bit of planning keeps me
in the 1C-2C rate, and my packs are
outliving many others.
I also added a couple more small 7 x 9-
inch Li-Poly storage/charging bags. I treat
my Li-Polys with great care and never
charge or store them in the open.
Zeus manufactures batteries of all types,
so check them out for your camera needs
and much more. I have two electric scooters
and looked into buying sealed lead-acid
batteries for them. I learned that I could
match capacity and saved almost 40% by
getting them through Zeus instead of my
scooter dealer.
I continue to get emails about and photos
of electric power setups that almost scare
me. Throughout the years I’ve written
whole articles about choosing connectors to
increase efficiency, but you need to select
connectors that will handle the application
even if you don’t care about saving a
percentage or two here and there.
Check out the photo of the burned
connector. Can you see why there was a
problem with this setup using 10S and 80
amps?
We won’t argue about whether silver
plated or gold plated is best, and we won’t
even debate whether bullets are better than
polarized plugs. But I will stand by the fact
that you need good material and surface
area to carry the load.
This burned connector has little surface
area for the actual connection, and the
spark from plugging in the battery burned
this tab off of the male plug within a couple
of cycles.
Skimping on connectors can lead to
burned plugs and possible danger. Using
the correct-size bullets and solder cups
can help prevent this from happening.
Xtreme Power Systems sells 6mm bullets that are made from gold-plated nickel alloy
and stand up to the demands of high voltage/current.
An easy fix for reinforcing and protecting receiver antennas involves Robart 10-foot
pressure tubing. See text for details.
06sig3.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 4/21/11 9:04 AM Page 91
For these high-power applications I
much prefer the 6mm bullets shown in a
different photo. They have solder cups
that are easy to solder, great surface
contact area, and thick plugs to avoid
burning off when the spark hits.
I get the 6mm connectors from Xtreme
Power Systems, but several sources carry
adequate bullets for high voltage/current.
Do not skimp on your connectors.
I fly with many Spektrum and JR
receivers and have stumbled across a very
easy modification to ensure that those
little antennas don’t get bent or broken. I
can’t claim this as my idea, because my
flying buddy, Wayne Parrish, showed it to
me, but it’s so simple and efficient that
I’ve done it to all of my receivers.
There is a small extrusion where
antenna wires come out of the receivers,
and the 10-foot pressure tubing (item 169)
that Robart sells for its retracts fits over it
perfectly. It is snug and stays in place.
I cut a piece slightly shorter than my
antenna wire and slide it over the
extrusion. Now there is no way anything
can bend or break that precious wire.
The Loudoun County Aeromodelers
Association’s 12th annual electric fly-in
will be held July 23. This event seems to
grow every year. I keep wanting to make
it up there, and it always conflicts with my
92 MODEL AVIATION
schedule; maybe this year will work.
Check out the website for more
information, and try to attend. A landing
fee of $5 also covers lunch if you’re a
registered pilot. You can’t beat that!
Final Approach: By the time you read
this, the Southeast Electric Flight Festival
and Joe Nall Fly-In will be in the books.
I’ll be somewhere out West, traveling and
looking forward to seeing you at the
field.
I’ll be attending the inaugural electric
meet at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in
Woodruff, South Carolina—the site of
the Joe Nall Fly-In—in October. I hope
you will put it on your calendar.
If you’ve never been to Pat Hartness’
flying site, you’re missing something.
That group knows how to put on an
event, and I predict that this falltime
electric meet will become one of the
premier gatherings in the country. MA
Sources:
World War 1 Aeroplanes, Inc.
(845) 835-8121
www.ww1aeroinc.org
ProgressiveRC
www.progressiverc.com
Cyclone Hobbies
(614) 263-3720
www.soundideasinc.com
Zeus
(877) 469-4255
www.powercellbattery.com
Xtreme Power Systems
2440 N. Kiowa Blvd.
Lake Havasu City AZ 86403
www.xtremepowersystems.net
Robart Manufacturing
(630) 584-7616
www.robart.com
Loudoun County Aeromodelers
Association
www.lcaa.org
1561 River Highlands Dr. , Oconomowoc, WI 53066
262-352-6670 • www.precision-aero.com
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