76 MODEL AVIATION
Focal Point
Dick Lape (3893 Sage Ln., Dewitt MI 48820; E-mail: woody
[email protected]) scratch-built his IBEX sailplane from
Gordon Person’s plans.
He made several modifications, including adding Dave
Thornburg-style wingtips, replacing the stock Clark Y section with
an Eppler 205 airfoil, adding a fiberglass fishing-pole tailboom that
is covered with Aerospace Composite Products woven carbon-fiber
sleeve and Z-Poxy, and using fixed tail surfaces with ruddervators
instead of the full-flying tail.
The IBEX spans 147 inches and the flying weight is 8.5 pounds.
The wings and tail surfaces are covered with UltraCote, and the
fuselage is painted with Hangar 9 paint. Hitec radio gear is used.
Bert Ayers (78725 Moonstone Ln., Palm Desert CA 92211; Email:
[email protected]) converted Bill Noonan’s Jumbo Scale
rubber-powered design of the Thomas-Morse MB-7, which was
published in the October 1985 MA, to an electric-powered RC
model.
It spans 36.5 inches and is powered by a Speed 400 Long Can
motor. An MP Jet gearbox is used along with a 3S 1100 mAh
battery.
The MB-7’s all-up weight is 28 ounces. A Hitec RC system
provides the guidance. Four HS-55 servos are employed to operate
the rudder, elevator, and ailerons.
David Scheumann’s (384 Wolf Swamp Rd., Longmeadow MA
01106; E-mail: [email protected]) Concept Models 1/6-scale
Fleet biplane spans 56 inches and has a total wing area of 890 square
inches.
An AstroFlight geared 40 brushed motor and 204D controller are
powered by a 20-cell, 2100 mAh MEC pack. A separate BEC
eliminates the need for a receiver battery.
The scratch-built dummy cylinder heads that simulate the fullscale
Kinner K5 radial engine were added for realism. They were
constructed from 1/64 plywood and light balsa. The covering is
Micafilm. A Master Airscrew 14 x 8 propeller is used.
“Flight characteristics are very scale, with spirited takeoffs and
plenty of power for multiple loops and touch-and-gos,” wrote David.
1930 Fleet Model 2
Thomas-Morse MB-7
IBEX Soarer
Brian Pomelow (476 Campground Rd., North Anson ME 04958)
completed his first kit-built aircraft and then decided to design and
construct an original model; he calls it the B-Plane.
The airplane was made by laminating construction foam
sheeting. Brian covered the structure with three layers of fiberglass
and finished the model with LustreKote paint.
The 8-pound B-Plane is powered by a Tower .46 Pro engine that
is fitted with an 11 x 7 pusher propeller. Art Aube made the 67-inch
foam-core wing for Brian. Futaba radio gear is used for guidance
chores.
“It flies well—a real floater!” wrote Brian.
B-Plane
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John Epley (4260 S. Tucson Estates Pkwy., Tucson AZ 85735;
E-mail: [email protected]) assembled his Boeing P-26A
Peashooter ARF from a NitroModels Inc. (www.nitroplanes.com)
kit.
The 71-inch-span model features an all-fiberglass fuselage with a
sheeted foam-core wing. The instructions recommend a two-stroke
O.S. Max .61 engine for power, but John opted for a SuperTigre .91.
He reports that it turned out to be a great combination.
“As to be expected, it is fast and care must be taken when
landing to keep the nose up,” wrote John. “It is stable and will
probably be flown in warbird races.”
ARF Peashooter
Doug Schmidt (18 Gibson St., Piscataway NJ 08854; E-mail:
[email protected]) submitted this photo of his friend Bob
Both with his 90-inch-wingspan Composite-ARF Extra 330S.
The Extra has a ZDZ 80 Boxer Twin engine for power, swinging
a 24 x 10 propeller. Controls are connected to JR 8611 servos on the
ailerons, elevators, and rudder, with a Futaba 9202 servo for the
throttle.
Onboard are dual 2400 mAh packs at 6 volts and an 1800 mAh
pack for the ignition. Also featured are dual power switches and one
receiver.
The large model weighs a svelte 20.18 pounds. Doug reports that
Bob is extremely sensitive about the weight of his models!
Robby Dufrane (2318 Eastridge Rd., Timonium MD 21093) sent
in this photo of Milt Peacock’s 93-inch-span F4U Corsair in flight.
Milt built his 28-pound model from modified Ziroli plans.
Features include Robart retracts (main gear and tail wheel), sixsection
flaps, and a Zenoah G-62 for power.
The model is planked with balsa and covered with Solartex.
Latex acrylic house paint was used as the finish. The color scheme
matches an F4U that was in Milt’s squadron (XVJ25 in Maine) in
1945. For guidance duties he chose an Airtronics Spectra PCM7
radio system.
Milt’s Corsair
Weight-Sensitive Extra 330S
Tom Hampshire (430 Greenwich St., Belvidere NJ 078230) built
this Super Chief from a Control Line Classics kit. It spans 60 inches
and has 710 square inches of wing area.
The stock tail moment was stretched 2.5 inches, for a total of
18.5 inches from the wing’s TE to the elevator hinge line. The nose
moment is 10 inches from the LE to the spinner backplate.
A Veco .61 engine powers the 54.5-ounce model. The wing is
covered with silk. The finish consists of five coats of butyrate, then
dyed clear dope, then color trim and lettering, then Nason two-part
automotive clear.
“That gives the clear finish a nostalgic look, but with no need for
20-50 coats of clear dope to fill the weave and totally fuel-proof the
model,” wrote Tom.
Super Chief
See page 199 for submission guidelines
Focal Point
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