Focal Point
Model Aviation, 5151 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302
Still Building
Frederick Schill
4603 Wyndcrest Dr., Owensboro KY 42301
Frederick Schill built this Hero 40 from plans (Joel Cimmino's construction article was in the February 1996 Model Aviation). Power is a Thunder Tiger .40; radio is Futaba.
"It flies well," wrote Mr. Schill. "I'm 70 years old and still building."
Recommended Highly
Paul Spreiregen
2215 Observatory Pl. NW, Washington DC 20007
Paul Spreiregen built two fuselages for his Goldberg Electra.
The first fuselage (with wing attached in photo) uses the direct-drive motor with folding prop that is supplied with the kit. Fuselage #2 has a geared O50 Leisure motor with folding prop.
"I wanted to see if there was much difference in performance," wrote Paul. "They are both very good and are about equal. I recommend the Electra highly to beginner and experienced modeler alike."
Shoestring
Joel Chesler
17800 E. Colima Blvd. #234, Rowland Heights CA 91748
Joel Chesler shows his Control Line Shoestring Stunter.
The model is covered with silkspan and is finished in AeroGloss dope. Power is a McCoy .35.
"I am presently an officer of the Knights of the Round Circle here in Southern California, where I am associated with the B-2 Stealth Bomber."
Striped Sukhoi
Russell Whiting
1126 4th Ave. SE, Rochester MN 55904
Russell Whiting's 72-inch-span Goldberg Sukhoi is powered by an O.S. Max 120 four-stroke turning a 16 x 6 prop, and uses a Futaba radio.
"The tiger markings are from a full-scale aerobatic Sukhoi I saw at an airshow in 1998 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin," he explained. "It's a very good-flying airplane."
Byron Mustang
Robert Alessi
1102 S. Mitchell, Port St. Lucie FL 34952
Robert Alessi shows his "just completed" Byron P-51D Mustang. The 86-inch-span model weighs 21 pounds, is powered by a G-62, and uses an Airtronics radio. Byron retracts and flaps were installed.
"I have never had a picture published in Model Aviation," wrote the Sundancers RC Club member.
Museum Piece
Bill Alboth
8409-N Orleans Ave., Tampa FL 33604
Bill Alboth built this 1/5-scale Blériot XI-2 from plans supplied by the Swiss Transportation Museum in Lucerne, where the full-scale aircraft is on display.
The model took three years of spare-time effort to complete. It features wing-warping control, scale caster landing gear, and a functional tail skid.
"I have built many WW I Scale models, and it has really kept my interest up in RC flying," Bill wrote. "This is my best effort so far."
Spartan Executive
David Bartlett
300 Lexington Rd., Schwenksville PA 19473
David Bartlett says that the Spartan Executive "is my favorite airplane. Even though it's Stand-Off Scale, it still draws a lot of attention at shows and club events. It is even more beautiful in flight than it is on the ground."
The model is 1/2 scale (wingspan is 60 inches) and is powered by an O.S. .60 with a 12 x 6 wooden prop. Weight is slightly more than eight pounds.
"It's very aerobatic at 3/4 to full throttle," says David. The Spartan Executive was the subject of a "Why Not Model ..." feature in the June 1999 Model Aviation.
From Finland
Mauri Tuure
Tilhinkatu 21, 77600 Suomenkoi, Finland
"We fly mostly on frozen lakes," wrote Mauri Tuure. And in a classic bit of understatement, he added, "here in Finland, we have a lot of them."
Pictured is Mauri's Fokker D.VII in Finnish Air Force camouflage. The model was built from Gordon Whitehead plans and is powered by a Saito .45.
"Three of these airplanes were used 1919-1922 in Finland."
Su-29T
Rob Crawford
4955 Lakeshore Rd., Fort Gratiot MI 48059
Rob Crawford "wanted something different," so he built this 1/4-scale Sukhoi from Mark Sirianni plans.
Wingspan is 80 inches; power is a SuperTigre 2000; weight is 12 1/2 pounds. Radio is Futaba and covering is MonoKote. "The Su-29T performs great!"
Flying Clown
Mike Keville
6218 E. Evergreen, Mesa AZ 85205
Mike Keville sent this photo of his daughter Michelle ("a Navy aircraft structures mechanic—really!") holding his Control Line PDQ Flying Clown, built just before Mike served in Kuwait.
The Old-Time Stunt model has an OK Cub .19 for power and is covered with silk. Finish is eight coats of Randolph butyrate dope.
Cessna Stationair
John Lane
20163 Woodbend, Northville MI 48167
John Lane built this Wendell Hostetler Cessna Stationair.
Span is 120 inches; length is 82 inches. Cowl and wheel pants are fiberglass, and the model has "extra cool scissors nose gear." Power is a Zenoah G-62.
Day Bomber
Bruce Harlow
3462 McManmay Rd., Ellensburg WA 98926
Bruce Harlow reports that his 127-inch-span, 34-pound de Havilland D.H.4 "sounds and flies great!"
The model was built from W.E. Technical Services plans, and is powered by a G-62 turning a 24 x 10 prop. Radio is Futaba and covering is Coverite with Krylon paint in a Marine Corps scheme: "the type used by them from 1917-1930." Bruce received help with the insignia from Marine recruiting in Yakima WA.
Operating features include a tunnel runner who moves from side to side, and the model can drop four bombs. It had five flights at the time of this photo (spring 1999).
Round Tuit
Randall Huston
Box 13, Bocklow MO 64427
Randall Huston "made this model as I went along, with no plans." Power is an ASP .46; radio is a Hitec Prizm 7X. Construction is foam and Lite Ply, with UltraCote covering. Span is 36 inches.
"I always thought they kind of darted around like a bug," he wrote, "so that's the reason for the color scheme."
Randall reports that the model is "loads of fun, and easy to fly."
Hi-Start Electric
Donald Eggensperger
473 Santee St., Grand Junction CO 81504
Donald Eggensperger built a foot-operated hi-start to launch his Spectra Electric sailplane.
"The object is just to get the airplane into the air, not height," he wrote. "I have a bum right arm, so I had to devise a method."
The hi-start uses 25 feet of heavy duty surgical tubing and 60 feet of nylon line, stretched to 8-9 pounds of tension.
"Not bad for the first attempt at Electric," says Don, "but when you have eagles feeding you information on what to do and how, then you can fly with the eagles!"
Aeromaster
Jack Bolton
6621 Calle de Laurel, Navarre FL 32566
Jack Bolton has flown Aeromasters since 1972. The model shown is the second he has built.
The "new" Aeromaster has a 1970-vintage Webra Blackhead .61 engine, and is covered with silk and AeroGloss dope. Radio is a single-stick ProLine that has been upgraded to narrowband.
"It flies like all old Aeromasters—beautifully."
Four-Star Quietly
Dereck Woodward
7833 Whitemir Terr., Potomac MD 20854
Dereck Woodward modified a Sig Four-Star 40 for a MaxCim NeoMax 13Y geared brushless electric motor, Zinger 13 x 8 prop, and twenty 2,000 mA cells. Flying weight is 94 ounces.
"Electrics can't perform? How about takeoff, roll inverted, and go vertical?" wrote Dereck. "The model is fully aerobatic, with flights around eight minutes of constant aerobatics, but all you hear is prop noise."
Share Your Work
Proud of your latest building/flying effort? Share it with MA's readers!
- Send a glossy color print (no digital photos or photocopies, please), with an appropriate description, and we'll run the best submissions as time and space permit.
- Please include your full address (including E-mail, if available) so that interested parties may contact you directly.
Send to: Model Aviation, 5151 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302; Attn: Focal Point.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
