Flying for Fun 2003/05

May 2003 79 D.B. Mathews F l y i n g f o r F u n 909 N. Maize Rd., Townhouse 734, Wichita KS 67212 ERRATA: In the last few months I’ve been incorrect or misinformed about several subjects mentioned in this column. To set the record straight and avoid confusion, following are some corrections. The negatives of the crashing CG-4 glider in St. Louis, Missouri (in the January 2003 column), apparently do still exist as the photo appears in the book Silent Wings by Gerard Devlin, published by St. Martin’s Press in 1985. Your local library can likely locate this book through its nationwide lending program. Thanks to Charles O’Donnell of Eugene, Oregon, for this information. Norman Burgdorf of Arnold, Missouri, kindly loaned his copy of a video produced by KETC-TV in St. Louis titled Great Disasters in St. Louis—a documentary which includes stills of the crashing CG-4 like those I reproduced in the December column. The video includes an interview with Jack Zehrt, who took the spectacular photos. He relates that this was one of his first coverage assignments with the Globe- Democrat and that, in typical photographer fashion, he didn’t feel any personal involvement at the moment of the crash as a result of that detachment that comes to us when a camera lens is between ourselves and the event. Traditionally, newspapers and television Simple pipe rack is used to create long shelf for models in author’s minivan. Second (middle) seat is folded down and protected with vinyl brazier cover. stations assign reporters to stories on the basis of seniority. The city editor of the Globe-Democrat didn’t consider the demonstration of that CG-4 and the attendant events of any great importance. How wrong that proved to be! I’ve been amused for years observing a station’s newest newsreader and a cameraman being sent out in the midst of a storm to stand on a street corner and advise us that the streets are too snow-packed or icy for anyone to be on them safely. One wonders how those young men and women got to their location. Couldn’t they just stick a reporter and camera out the front door of the studio? And most of us can already tell that it’s snowing or icy. Construction Plans: This WACO CG-4 coverage is getting to be a bit like having a tiger by the tail: material keeps showing up in the mail that deserves mention, but I am in danger of this column becoming one dimensional. Hold Still: The device shown in the January 2003 photos holding the Cruiser 60 and the Somethin’ Extra in place while I was getting them started is the Hold Still that I wrote about in the February 2002 column. These are available directly from Bill Zimmerman at 415 S. Denver, 80 MODEL AVIATION Hastings NE 68901; Tel.: (402) 462-5458. After almost two years of constant use, I’ve reached the point where I’m uncomfortable starting any power plant without the model in the Hold Still. I just don’t have any extra body parts to feed the propellers. U-Haul: Approximately 20 years ago an automobile company design team was eating lunch when someone said, “Hey, we ought to develop an ideal vehicle for the model airplane fliers.” The result of this inspiration was the minivan. Of course the preceding doesn’t contain a thread of truth. However, looking around the parking lots of most flying fields would cause one to wonder. Many minivans of various brands are used to haul model airplanes around. These vehicles are not usually exclusively dedicated to that specific task. Only a fortunate few can afford to have a minivan that doesn’t double as a first or second car. Converting a minivan back and forth to fill its various functional requirements with minimum effort and inconvenience is a challenge to one’s inventiveness. I’ve been snooping in other people’s vans for several years, looking for solutions and being astonished at the cleverness displayed. In most instances the minivan needs to be convertible from a flat-floored cargo hauler to a people hauler. Minivans feature removable or fold-down second seats. The third seat folds into the floor on the Honda Odyssey; others require the third seat’s removal and storage when the van is in utility mode. The second seat is folded for the following to work. Since the vehicle is going to unavoidably Large wing, fuselage rears on covered seat to illustrate shelf created with rack. Two levels showing top on rack, space below for field box, toolbox, smaller models. haul oily and dirty model airplanes, the more exposed surfaces are protected, the better. I cover the second seat with a vinyl brazier cover purchased at a hardware store. The rear floor is protected with a vinyl mat which was custom-cut to fit the brand and ordered through a truck-accessory store, as were the custom front-seat covers. Vinyl floor mats complete the protective setup. A heavy coating of Armor All or a similar product will prevent oil from being absorbed into the vinyl panels of the interior and aid in wiping things down. The rack I use is fabricated from 11⁄4- inch-diameter pick pipe and appropriate fittings purchased at a building-supply store. As shown, the rack requires two right angles and two Ts. The pipe can be cut with a Zona or an X-Acto saw. Sand the gloss of the parts to be assembled with #100 paper, then medium cyanoacrylate glue will flow into the seams and create a strong cemented joint. The cushions are sections of exteriorgrade air-conditioner pipe foam wrap. The bungee cords are from the automotive section of Wal-Mart. The rack is measured and cut to be slightly taller than the top of the folded second seat. The unit should run downhill toward the vehicle’s front. This helps keep the models from sliding rearward. The rack’s width is dictated by the space between the sides of the wheel wells. It should be a snug fit, just short of forced. This holds the rack in place quite well, particularly when weighted with models. Using this system one has a two-level carrier, with the larger and heavier models on top with their fronts on the rack and the tails on the covered seat. Under this on the floor is space for a field box, etc., with enough space for smaller models. As can be seen in the photo, the factory seat belts can be used to hold the wings against the models’ sides. This system has been developed by observing many other similar approaches. It may not suit a reader’s individual requirements, but hopefully it can stimulate some innovation. It is certainly not the only way to quickly convert a minivan from model carrier to family automobile, but it has worked well for me. MA